Critter Snow Day

by Fluttercheer

Critter Snow Day is here!

Author's Note:

This story uses line breaks to indicate many sudden switches of scenery, which are hard to notice with spaced paragraphs. For optimal reading experience, change your settings under "Formatting" in the top-right corner to indented paragraphs.

Credit for the song lyrics goes to Skypause Bgp:

A Hearth's Warming Carol

Critter Snow Day

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“And that's how bears make it through winter.” The yellow pegasus filly in front of the blackboard looked up from her cards, casting a smug smile over the class. The rest of the foals in the small classroom watched her with slight unease in their faces. For a moment, Alula locked eyes with a colt in the last row of desks, her smile turning genuine and her face looking dreamily.

The expression changed and her smile got turned upside down as the colt with the red mane and the grey coat suddenly turned to the left, eyes becoming glued on another filly who sat at the desk right next to him. Her mane was orange and a bit shorter than it was usually the case for fillies her age. It looked simple and slightly old-fashioned, but it cast a smile on the colt's face as it rustled when she turned around to look at him. The warm glow in their eyes indicated their relationship and a second later, said relationship became confirmed as both of them leaned out of their desks simultaneously and brought their faces close to each other's. Their lips met and their eyes closed. Wearing a slight blush, the two foals exchanged a passionate kiss. The room and their fellow classmates disappeared for them.

Noticing the ever-growing frown on the yellow filly's face, who only stared now instead of continuing to talk, Miss Cheerilee followed her eyes, realizing what was responsible for the sudden interruption.

“Peach Fuzz, Train Tracks,” she called the young twosome in a calm voice, yet with a certain strictness permeating it.

The mentioned foals opened their eyes and released their kiss. Sheepishly, they looked to the front of the classroom again.

“I am very happy that you share such a deep bond with each other, but please pay attention to Alula's presentation now and wait with the affection until after school.” Despite her scolding, Miss Cheerilee's face radiated warmth and her expression indicated sympathy for the youthful impatience.

Some foals in the classroom began to snicker and giggle.

“Yes, Miss Cheerilee!” Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks answered at the same time, now wearing a brighter blush. They hung their heads and sighed.

Satisfied, Miss Cheerilee returned her attention to Alula, who now gritted her teeth. “Please continue, Alula,” she said.

Hesitant to detract her eyes from the colt, the romantic scene still playing in her head, the pegasus filly only looked back at her cards after a few moments. She picked her presentation back up just early enough for her teacher to stop herself before she would call her name again. Alula's hooves trembled slightly, but then she focused and continued.

“Last on the list are squirrels,” she said. “Unlike most animals, squirrels don't go into hibernation, only hibernal rest. While they are dormant for most of the day, they leave their nests and go searching for food for one or two hours each day. During summer, squirrels bury nuts and acorns in the ground to ensure they have enough to eat in the cold months. This is why squirrels don't starve during winter, not even when ponies don't feed them. Squirrels are true masters of survival.”

Alula lowered her cards and looked up at her listening classmates. A smirk appeared on her face. “And that is why the Critter Snow Day is completely useless and the dumbest tradition in all of pony history. I am glad I can remember you that it's just another excuse for ponies to celebrate and to stuff themselves with unhealthy food and for adults to get drunk and run into lampposts on their way home. This was my presentation about the survival of animals during winter, Alula, out.” She casually tucked away her cards with one wing and proceeded to leave for her desk, the eyes of her shocked classmates resting on her, but the voice of her teacher made her stop in her tracks and turn around.

“Thank you for this presentation, Alula,” Miss Cheerilee said, brows furrowed. “You did a very good job with your research, although the mean remarks about the Critter Snow Day were not necessary. You may want to try it without the snark next time.” The strict tone had returned into her voice.

Alula answered the reprimand with a roll of her eyes, one she didn't even try to hide, then finally made her way through the rows of desks and sat down on her own, not paying anymore attention to her teacher. As soon as she had planted her flank on the wooden surface of her stool, her head shot to the left. With sitting just one desk further to the right, she had a good view of Train Tracks and Peach Fuzz. Her teeth became gritted once more as she noticed how the two love-dazed foals still exchanged the occasional, dreamy glance with each other.

In front of the classroom, Miss Cheerilee shook her head and let out a weary sigh. She looked away from Alula and trotted past her desk, then positioned herself at the same spot the pegasus filly had just stood on. A short glance between the papers on her desk, where her watch lied, later, Miss Cheerilee addressed the entire class.

“That's it for today, my students,” she said. “I will grade your presentations over the holidays, but for now, school is over until next year!” She presented her class with a bright smile.

Some of the foals groaned. The imagination of having to wait anxiously before they would find out how well they did with their presentations on Hearth's Warming Eve of all days filled their minds with dread.

“As you know” – the teacher continued – “tomorrow is Critter Snow Day and you can bring a gift for the animals from the early morning hours until the evening so don't forget to make your contribution.” Just as she had finished her sentence, the school bell rang to mark the end of the lesson. Immediately, the foals began to stir and reached for their saddlebags, except for Alula, who kept watching her two friends with a stone-cold glare.

Miss Cheerilee stayed calm in the sudden commotion, only raising her voice slightly. “I wish all of you a Merry Hearth's Warming and a Happy New Year! Use the time to rest up and have fun!”

For a moment, the group of students interrupted their flurry to look at their teacher. “Thank you, Miss Cheerilee! We wish you a Merry Hearth's Warming, too!” the orchestra of high-pitched, adorable voices filled the classroom with holiday spirit.

Miss Cheerilee's smile turned into a grin. She watched the foals as they continued to empty their desks for a few moments, then turned around to the blackboard and took an eraser into her hoof. Diligently and with a hum coming from her mouth, she wiped the drawings of a squirrel, a bear and various other animals from the board.

At the other end of the classroom, Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks had finished packing their saddlebags. Peach Fuzz chucked her pair of saddlebags on her back merrily, then she turned to Train Tracks and draped his own saddlebags over his back.

Train Tracks' eyelids got lowered slightly and he presented the filly with a charming smile. “Thanks, Peachy,” he spoke in his rather deep voice.

Peach Fuzz smiled at him adorably in return. A moment later, both foals leaned in on each other and their faces became as close as they had been a few minutes earlier. A cheerful squeak left Peach Fuzz' throat as their lips touched. She looked into Train Tracks' eyes for a few seconds, then both of them closed their eyes and started with fervid kissing.

Unnoticed by them, Alula was still staring. Seeing the passionate affection shared by the two other foals, a dark shadow crept on her face. As she felt that she couldn't take the heat that was flaring up in her chest anymore, she cleared her throat. The sound was loud and intense and it sufficed to make Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks stop.

Their lips and faces separated and they turned around to Alula. Train Tracks presented the pegasus filly with an unhappy frown. Peach Fuzz, however, managed to keep her cheery mood. She looked at her friend, an apologetic expression in her eyes. “Sorry, Alula,” she chirped. “Did we let you wait?”

Alula's glare shot daggers at Peach Fuzz, but then she suddenly shrugged and her face took on a surprisingly casual and calm expression. “No, it's fine. I don't really care, I haven't started packing yet anyway.” She turned away from her friend and began to rummage in her desk.

Swiftly, the little pegasus pulled out a couple of books and dropped them into her saddlebags. Flapping her wings, she took off a few inches and cleared the surface of the desk of her notebook, her ink bottle and her quill, which wandered into the saddlebags, as well. As everything was stashed away, she zipped down to her bags, pulled them up from the ground and snapped them shut, then threw them on her back.

“Alright, I'm done here, let's leave,” she announced and flew ahead, towards the exit of the classroom. As she didn't hear hoofsteps following her after a few seconds, she stopped and turned around.

Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks had stayed behind and Alula's eyes fell on them just in time to see how they stopped nuzzling each other and began to prepare another kiss. She rolled her eyes. “Oh, for Luna's sake.....” She flew back a little. “Hey! Are we going to stay here and repeat this forever or can we finally get going?”

The two lovers separated again, but not without sharing at least a little peck on each other's lips. Each of them draping a hoof over their partner's back, they set themselves into motion and followed Alula to the exit.

It was only as they were outside that the two of them caught up with Alula. The filly now fluttering at their side, Peach Fuzz looked up at her. “Hey, Alula. What will you get the critters for tomorrow?”

Alula turned her head, looking down at her friend. “I will bring them a crossbow and arrows so they can hunt their food themselves.” Despite the silly, snarky answer, her face was almost completely deadpan and serious. Only her eyes radiated a little bit of glee.

“Oh, come on!” Peach Fuzz reached up and gave Alula a pat on the back, her face showing a smile that was somewhere between amusement and disbelief. “It's a beautiful tradition, why do you not like it?”

“Because it's useless!” Alula replied, her voice slightly raising in volume.

“It's not useless!” Peach Fuzz gave her friend a pat again, stronger this time. “It makes them happy when they see we care about them!”

“Oh, please, they don't even need that care!” Alula threw her hooves into the air. “They are animals, they are used to get through the winter without food donations from ponies. Did you even listen to my presentation, that was the whole point of it!”

“Aww, but we can show them we care. What's wrong about giving the critters some Hearth's Warming gifts? It's fun to see them so happy about it.” Some disappointment had crept into Peach Fuzz' voice.

“Hearth's Warming,” Alula whispered while rolling her eyes. She sighed. “Animals don't even celebrate Hearth's–”

Before she could finish her sentence, Train Tracks interrupted her. “I really don't get why you hate the Critter Snow Day so much. Ever since Fluttershy established it, we have one more day of vacation each year. How can you not like this?” The tone in his voice was rough.

Alula huffed. “And that is the only good thing about it!” She turned away and looked ahead again, now grim-faced. The sentence had ended their conversation and they quietly followed the path between the buildings of Ponyville, until Peach Fuzz pointed at a split of the path in front of them and her soft, juicy voice rang out again.

“We're there, Alula. Now it's time to say goodbye for today, but we're seeing us again tomorrow morning, right?” She sent a pearly-white grin up to her friend.

“I know, I've seen it!” she shouted in response. “You don't need to point this out to me, Peach! What do you think, that I'm dumb?!” She huffed again, letting air out of her nostrils.

“I didn't say you're dumb!” Peach Fuzz responded, still wearing a smile on her face. “You were so angry, I just wanted to remind you so you won't forget about tomorrow.”

“Alright, whatever,” Alula said. “I'll see you tomorrow, but not because of this idiotic tradition!” She hovered a little lower, giving each of her friends a hoofbump, then zipped away on the fork to the left.

Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks watched her fly away, then Train Tracks turned towards his fillyfriend. “Did she really just call the Critter Snow Day 'idiotic'?”
Peach Fuzz only shrugged her shoulders, then she turned around and kissed Train Tracks' cheek.

~ * ~

Now shall we sing songs of harmony within this realm! And with true love and brotherhood, each other we all whelm! This day, apart, warm hearths and hearts, all other doth efface! For friendship and rectitude to all and kindness and grace! Warm hearths to all and kindness and grace!

In her bed, Alula slowly stirred after singing from below had entered her ears. She heard a knock and, before her tired senses could realize that it came from the door of her house, her mother's cheerful voice rang out.

“Oh, good morning, Fluttershy!” the voice chimed.

“Good Morning!” the timid pegasus mare answered, exuberantly. “I hope you are all ready for fun times today, because it's CRITTER SNOW DAY!” As she mentioned the yearly tradition, voices of other ponies joined in and increased the volume of her cheer much more than Alula could tolerate so early in the morning.

The filly pulled the pillow out from under her head and pressed it down on her ears. “Why does it have to be the same every year? It's too early.....” She groaned.

“And don't forget to put your snow booties on,” Fluttershy continued to chime below her. “It's really cold out here today and we don't want you to get sick!”

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, then the voice of the mare returned. It sounded slightly embarrassed now. “Oh, goodness! Did I really just say that? I'm normally not using a word like this in front of other ponies, it's only for my animals. But I look forward to the festival tonight so much that it just slipped out of me!” The rhythmic clopping of hooves that found their way into Alula's ears now indicated to the filly that Fluttershy was prancing around in joy right now.

“Anyway,” she heard her speak again after the clopping had stopped. “Will you come to the Critter Snow Festival today or would you like to give me something for the critters right now?”

Alula's mother laughed. “Oh, of course I will come, Fluttershy! I wouldn't miss Critter Snow Day for anything in Equestria! I can only join you in the evening, but I will send Alula over. I bet her friends will come, too!”

“Great!” Fluttershy cheered. “Me and the animals are waiting for you. Happy Critter Snow Day!”

“Happy Critter Snow Day to you too, Fluttershy!” Alula heard her mother say one final sentence. Then, after a few seconds of silence, she heard the door getting closed. The singing that had woken her up returned, causing Alula to press down on the pillow harder while the voices became more and more faint as the group of singers marshed onwards to the next houses.

As she could finally not hear a trace of it anymore, Alula removed the pillow from her ears, lazily tossed it in one corner of the room and sat up in her bed. She yawned loudly and rubbed the sleep out of one of her eyes. The eye that was free fell on the alarm clock on her nightstand. It hadn't gone off yet and the thick, rainbow-coloured numbers on it showed that it was barely past six.

Alula blinked, then shook her head in a disconcerted way. “It's NUTS to be woken up like this!” she shouted into the room as she climbed out of her bed, not caring about the volume of her voice.

The filly staggered to a calendar on the wall opposite of her bed. All the sleepiness in her face and the grumpy expression disappeared, as her eyes zeroed-in on a thick, red circle in the middle of it. “Today's the day,” she whispered solemnly.

She eyed the circle for a few seconds, then her eyes drifted away to the right where her desk stood. She trotted over to it and plucked something from a bulletin board made of cork that hung on the wall above her desk. The object that rested in her hooves now was a picture, a photograph of Train Tracks. Alula's heart did a jump and her face became slightly red as she took in the charming smile of the colt. His eyes seemed to look at something to his right, but there was nothing but the tattered edge of the picture. A hint of orange was close to it, though.

Smiling dreamily, Alula moved her left hoof over the photo. “I am working on this plan for months now and today, it will finally pay off,” she continued to whisper. She pressed the photo against her chest and gripped it tightly, her blush increasing. “Today, I will finally change the switch and ride the tracks right into your heart!”

Alula snuggled the picture for a while longer, then she put it back on the board. She stretched herself and groaned again, comfortably this time, then turned left and trotted through the door into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom. Arrived at the lavatory, Alula let her eyes wander over her manebrush and her toothbrush, then she turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water into her face. She rubbed it dry with a towel, then took a glance into the mirror. As she found that her look was to her satisfaction, the filly nodded and gave her reflection a determined grin.

Prepared for the day ahead of her, Alula left her bedroom. She was barely outside as she ran into her mother who had just come up the stairs. The mare smiled at her daughter. “Good Morning, Alula! Are you ready for the Critter Snow Festival today?” She was brimming with morning cheer.

Alula flinched, resentment building on her face. “Yeah, yeah, the critters..... Train Tracks and Peach Fuzz are going there, I'll just tag along after them.” She marched ahead, past her mother, who was now wearing a frown. As she was halfway down the stairs, a sound coming from behind made her stop in her tracks.

“Oh, your alarm clock is ringing, honey. Will you please go back inside and turn it off?” Her mother turned around and looked at her, expectantly.

Alula turned her head around only slightly. “For what? It's going to turn itself off anyway. In about ten minutes, or so.” She flicked her tail dismissively.

“Alula, please. We don't have to listen to this during breakfast.”
The filly groaned over her mother's urgency and turned around fully, stomping back up the stairs and into her room. She hit the button on top of the clock and returned into the corridor.

“There you go,” she said, giving her mother a wide, defiant smile. “Now you can hear your disruptive, way-too-early-in-the-morning carols again, mom!” Without waiting for a response, she marched ahead and down the stairs again. “At least close the door, I have important stuff to do today!” she shouted back up.

The mare looked after her daughter, frowning again. She closed the door of Alula's bedroom with a heavy sigh leaving her lips, then followed her down the stairs.

In the kitchen, Alula started flying and aimed for one of the cupboards. She hastily pulled a slice of toast out of one of the bags inside and took a large bite from it before she hovered to one of the chairs and sat down. She didn't bother to close the cupboard again.

A few seconds later, her mother entered the room. She used her magic to close the cupboard, another frown building on her face, then sat down at her daughter's side. She gave her a sad look, then put a hoof around Alula's shoulders.

“Why are you always so grumpy lately, Alula? You didn't used to be like this,” she probed.

Alula huffed and put the last piece of the toast into her mouth. “I am not grumpy!” she clarified, just a little bit less loud than before. A few bits of the toast spilled from her mouth onto the table. She took flight again, leaving the hoof of her mother hanging. “I just don't have time for all this crap today, I am busy!” she continued while flying towards the fridge.

“Alula!” her mother shouted and turned around in her chair. “How often have I told you not to swear!”

Alula just looked at her mother smugly. “No rest for the wicked!” she countered, then took a big gulp out of a jug full of milk that she was holding now before she put it back inside. She tilted her body slightly, then smashed the door shut with a powerful kick of her hind hooves.

Paying no further attention to her mother, she flew towards her next destination, the foyer. She reached for her winter jacket but, before she could pull it off the hook, her nose tickled and she erupted into a strong sneeze. A bit of mucus trickled out of one of her nostrils and Alula sniffed it back up. She groaned and scrunched her face, suddenly feeling a light headache.

“You're not getting sick, are you?” the voice of her mother entered her ears, then she noticed the sound of her hoofsteps as she came closer.

“I'm okay,” Alula commented on her condition, ignoring the weakness in her voice.

“Turn around at me,” her mother commanded.

The filly followed only begrudgingly and another groan left her as she felt her mom's hoof on her forehead.

“Hmm, no fever,” the mare determined. “How do you feel, Alula? Maybe you should stay at home.” The anger she had felt a moment ago became replaced with motherly concern now.

“I said I am okay.” Some mucus left her nose again as she had finished the sentence, ruining her assertion.

Noticing it, Alula's mother opened a drawer with her magic and pulled out a tissue. She brought it close to Alula's face but, before she could wipe her nose, she felt her hoof getting slapped away.

“I can do this myself! What do you think, that I'm a baby?!” Alula hissed and yanked the tissue out of her mom's hoof. She landed on the floor and proceeded to clean her nose by herself. The hurt expression in her mother's face was acknowledged by her with nothing more than an angry glare.

As her nose was clean, Alula dropped the tissue and turned back at the rack, aiming for her jacket once more. She didn't have enough time to reach it, though, as her mother hovered a massive full-body anorak with a hood onto her back. “You are going to wear this if you plan on going outside today, young filly,” she spoke in a stiff, cold voice.

Alula turned her head around and took a look at it. “This?! It's going to take ages to put that on! I finally need to get to Tra–” In the last moment, she bit on her tongue and suppressed the treacherous words.

Her mother did not reply. Instead, she grabbed her daughter's shoulder and swiftly turned her around, then began to wrap her into the anorak.

Alula groaned and blushed. “For the love of.....” she breathed and rolled her eyes. “Mom? Are you even listening?! I said–”

Her words got muffled by a scarf that was pressed onto her mouth and nose. She felt it getting wrapped around her head, then forcefully tied at her neck. Finally, her mother reached behind her and pulled up the hood, covering her mane and ears. Only as this was done, she let go of her daughter, but immediately reached for the boots that were tidily placed under the rack. Before she could grab them and put them on Alula's hooves, however, the filly used her chance and hovered into the air again. She zipped over her mom and landed in front of the door, then hastily grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open. She already wanted to fly outside, as a familiar face appeared in front of her and forced her to slow down.

Framed by the door, Peach Fuzz stood and smiled at her. Wrapped around her neck was a violet scarf with dark yellow dots and her ears were covered by white ear muffs. The purple strap that held them together formed a strong contrast to the soft, orange color of her mane.

She waved at Alula. “Good Morning, Alula!” she greeted her, voice chirpy as always.

“Morning, but I have no time to talk. I am being chased by a giant hen.” The snark in her voice lingered in the air for a moment after she buzzed over Peach Fuzz and away from the house, leaving her friend behind in confusion.

Peach Fuzz presented Alula's mom, who had appeared in the door now, with a quick wave, then she turned on her hooves and hurried after the pegasus filly. “Alula, wait for me!”

Alula's mother looked at the small, flying figure of her daughter in the distance with sadness in her eyes. She wiped some tears out of them, then sighed and closed the door.

“Hey, Alula!” Peach Fuzz shouted at her friend again.

Being a good distance away from her house now, Alula finally turned around and landed, just in time for the other filly to catch up.

Peach Fuzz came to a halt, panting. “Hey, what was that about a giant hen?” The confusion was still plastered all over her face.

Another smirk appeared in Alula's face. “I told you, a giant hen!”

Puzzled, Peach Fuzz stared at Alula, then her face cleared up as the realization slowly kicked in. It turned into a disapproving frown a second later. “Your mom looked really sad, Alula. Why are you mean to her like that?”

“Mean, pfft.....” Alula gave the air above her a single eye roll. “Hey, I am a twelve-year-old filly and she tried to clean my nose like I'm a toddler! Maybe now she will learn to treat me with respect!” She stared into Peach Fuzz' eyes, angrily.

The frown in Peach Fuzz' face got deeper. She glared at Alula intensely, then trotted past her without saying another word. After a few steps, she increased her tempo to a fast gallop. Alula turned around, as well, not paying heed to it how mad she just made her friend as she tried to catch up.

After a few moments of running like that, Alula's eyes caught sight of an orange colt coming out from a backstreet and joining Peach Fuzz' side.

“First Base,” she mumbled under her scarf. She watched the other foals talking, then noticed how glued First Base's eyes were on Peach Fuzz. He barely paid attention to where he was running to. “Sorry, buddy,“ Alula commented on the sight. “You're not going to score here, Peach Fuzz' heart already belongs to somepony else. But maybe you can have her once I have hooked Train Tracks. Then everypony's happy!” For once, there was no trace of sarcasm in her voice.

Alula had almost reached the other two foals, as her right forehoof stepped on a patch of snow and caused her to slip. The sudden loss of balance caught her off-guard. Alula yelped as her body did a 180° turn and she landed painfully on her back.

In front of her, Peach Fuzz noticed and turned around. She scrunched her face and gritted her teeth as she heard the thud of Alula's involuntary contact with the ground. Now concerned for her friend, she stopped her gallop and turned around.

“Alula! Are you okay?” Peach Fuzz stepped up to her and reached out a hoof. “Here, I help you up.”
Alula groaned, then took her friend's hoof. “Thanks,” she said taut while getting up, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

“How do you feel? Does anything hurt?” Peach Fuzz placed a hoof on Alula's shoulder.

“Nah, not more than you would expect. This body isn't ruined so easily.” Alula casually wiped some dirt of her anorak, then she started running again without prior notice. “Come on, let's finally meet up with Train Tracks!” she shouted back over her shoulder, grinning from anticipation.

A warm smile building on Peach Fuzz' face indicated her agreement and she followed Alula eagerly.

Five minutes later, the group of foals, now completed with Train Tracks, stepped on the Ponyville Market. All around them, ponies were bustling and skipping between stalls. Some of them were calm, holding a cup of hot cocoa or cider in their hooves while strolling around and admiring the goods and the festive decorations on the stalls, but many where in a hurry and their faces were strained.

Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks, looking into two opposite directions, scrutinized the marketplace. Only Alula stood there with disinterest, her tired and bored-looking eyes fixated on her friends while she hoped that they were done here fast. Time had slowed to a crawl for her as Train Tracks' voice entered her ears.

“Hmm, there are too many options, I can't decide what we should get for the critters. What about you, Peachy?” He removed his hoof from his eyes and looked at his fillyfriend.

“It's the same on my side,” she responded, her eyes still gliding over the stalls meticulously. She stopped and turned around to face Train Tracks. Wrapping one foreleg around his neck, she pulled him closer. “But no problem, we still have enough time to decide and together we will!” She wrapped her other foreleg around Train Tracks and now gently pulled his face closer. She nuzzled his nose and a bright blush was building on her cheeks. Train Tracks joined into the embrace and while Peach Fuzz was still nuzzling him with compassion, he planted his lips on hers. Their eyes glowing and fixated on each other, they engaged in a long and satisfying kiss.

As they had released their lips after what felt to them like a wonderful eternity, Peach Fuzz looked over her shoulder at Alula, who still stood at her spot and was now slightly frowning, with a cold look in her eyes.

“Alula, let's split up, okay? Me and Train Tracks check out the right side and you can go to the left.” She did not wait for a response before she looked back at Train Tracks. Still wearing the blush, Peach Fuzz giggled, then she removed her hoof form Train Tracks face and pulled him along with the other one. The colt gladly obliged, showing no resistance.

Alula sighed. “Yeah, whatever.....” She turned away from the two happy lovers and stomped into the other direction, her eyes glaring down at the ground. “It's just a little longer now,” she mumbled into her scarf, reassuring herself. “I just need to keep myself together for a few more hours.” The words having their intended effect, her lips curled up into a smile and her eyes started to radiate a fierce determination.

Her tempo increasing, Alula looked up from the ground and set her eyes on a random stall. She trotted up to it swiftly.

Noticing a visitor, the pink mare with the bright green mane waved at her. “Hello, Alula!” Daisy said, happy to see another customer. “Are you here to buy something for the critters? I'm not sure if we have the right things for them, but feel free to look around!” Behind her, Lily and Roseluck, her two sisters, restocked the shelves of the stall.

Alula ignored the friendly greeting and the words spoken by the mare and glanced briefly over the assortment of goods that lay spread out in front of her. She grabbed an apple off the table and, not caring for it how waxy it felt in her hooves, held it in front of Daisy's face. “This one,” she said, then immediately opened a pocket of her anorak and pulled out a couple of bits, which she dropped on the spot she had just taken the apple from.

“This?” Daisy said and raised an eyebrow. “But that's a wax apple, you can't feed this to critters.”

But as the words were leaving her mouth, Alula had already turned around and was trotting away from the stall. “Yeah, yeah, I'm sure an apple will do fine,” she mumbled in response, absentmindedly, as she left the stall behind her.

It was a couple of minutes later that Alula found herself at the edge of town, not far from Fluttershy's cottage and near the entrance of the Whitetail Woods. Initially, she had planned to stay at the market and to wait for Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks until they had finished their shopping and returned to her. But when she gave it a thought, she realized that the slight nervousness and anticipation she felt in sight of her plan made waiting simply impossible. So she had decided to move on to the place of the Critter Snow Festival without them, despite how much she hated it, in hopes that they would arrive there shortly after herself.

Alula trotted over the snowy field swiftly, doing her best to ignore the chit-chat of ponies about the Critter Snow Day and the loud dance music coming from all sides and out of speakers that had been set up all over the place. Her eyes were firmly fixated on a pile of food on a wooden structure, at the far end of the festival grounds and right next to the first trees of the Whitetail Woods, as a turquoise filly with a light brown mane slowly staggered into her direction. The green ear muffs she was wearing did nothing to hide that she seemed to freeze. She was small in size, barely reaching up to Alula's head, which made it all the more easy for Alula to look through her. The young filly stretched out a trembling hoof just as Alula passed her. For a moment, Alula could hear the teeth of the filly clatter from the cold, then she was out of her sight.

A few steps closer to the pile, Alula's concentration got broken by a screechy and exciting shout of her name.

“Alula?!”

She could hear hoofsteps approaching her and as she looked to her right, her eyes fell on another pegasus filly with an orange coat and a purple mane. Her wings buzzed in excitement as she dashed closer.

“Alula!” she shouted again. “I knew it's you! Wow, it's been a really long time!” The filly waved friendly.

Alula rolled her eyes, annoyed by the interruption. She turned her gaze away from the filly and focused on her destination again, trotting at a faster pace now.

The other pegasus, though, zipped right in front of her and forced her to stop. “I can't believe that I meet you here! I always thought you hate the Critter Snow Festival!” She grinned widely.

“I do,” Alula replied, her voice deadpan and her eyes expressing a desire to get away.

“How are you doing?” the orange pegasus nudged Alula, invitingly.

“Very fine without you,” Alula responded with a snark. She attempted to get past the eager pegasus, but found her way blocked once more.

“Hey, come on! Don't tell me you don't remember me!” The cheerful expression in the other filly's face did not falter, but her voice contained a portion of accusation now.

“I don't remember you. Goodbye.” Alula tried to escape again, but once more, it proved impossible.

“Really?!” the orange pegasus said, an incredulous expression on her face. “It's me! Come on, I know it's been a year since we hung out with each other the last time, but that's not enough time to forget a pony!” She nudged her again. “Come on, think! I bet you can still remember my name!”

Taken aback, Alula scrunched her face. “Uh..... Is it..... 'Scooter'?” she asked, voicing the first thought that floated by in her mind.

“No.....” The other filly flattened her ears, looking disappointed for a moment. “It's Scootaloo!” she said then.

The yellow filly looked at her, unimpressed.

“Cutie Mark Crusader!” Scootaloo poked Alula. “Scoots, the Cactus! Come on, filly! We've been in the same class!”

As Alula still did not react, Scootaloo lowered her eyes and sighed. She came a step closer and pointed a hoof at Alula. “I won the contest to be the flag carrier for the Equestria Games!” She let her wings buzz.

Alula just blinked.

“I got my flank hoofed to me real bad during the Applewood Derby and almost kicked the bucket!” Her wings buzzed again.

Alula's face grew more bored.

Scootaloo put her hoof down on Alula's chest. “I tried helping you to get your cutie mark until you told me not to anymore.”

It was only then that lights went on in Alula's memory. “Cactus Scoots?” she asked, baffled.

“Uh-huh!” Scootaloo nodded, smiling now.

“Jumped through a ring with her scooter during the Equestria Games Opening Ceremony?”

“Bingo!” Scootaloo grinned.

“The winner of the Applewood Derby?”

“Right on!” Scootaloo lifted her hoof and nudged Alula's chest enthusiastically.

“The Scootaloo who helped foals with getting their cutie marks all over Equestria?!”

“Yes, yes!” She clapped her hooves together. “And now that you remember me again, how about we spend Hearth's Warming Eve together? Apple Bloom celebrates with her extended family on Sweet Apple Acres, Sweetie Belle leaves town with her parents over the holidays and Rainbow Dash spends the evening with her friends in Twilight's castle, so I'm free!” She leaped up into the air and let her wings buzz as hard as she could to keep herself above the ground.

A sardonic smile played around Alula's lips. “It was nice seeing you, Cactus, but how about you use your wings and fly off now, I'm sure there's a pony with a cutie mark problem somewhere!” Finally marshing past the over-enthusiastic pegasus now, Alula did not see anymore how Scootaloo teared up and landed on the ground with a thud as her wings stopped their buzzing instantly.

Having left Scootaloo behind her, Alula reached the pile of food for the critters without any more distractions. She plucked the apple that she had purchased earlier from her back and carelessly tossed it onto the pile. It bounced off of it, fell down and landed on the snow. Alula was about to turn around as Fluttershy came into her view.

“Good Morning! Welcome to the Critter Snow Festival!” she cheered. Angel was sitting on her back, licking his lips as he saw the pile.

Alula frowned and rolled her eyes, turning away in annoyance and disgust. “Of course I was going to see this stupid, wanky excuse of a pet here,” she whispered. Fluttershy overheard the remark, but Angel picked up the words. He stuck his tongue at Alula and crossed his paws.

Alula growled and gritted her teeth, piercing the bunny with her eyes.

Fluttershy looked at the pile for a moment, admiringly, then noticed Alula's apple on the ground. “Oh, looks like you dropped your apple, Alula. Let me pick it up for you!” She took the apple, which was partially covered in snow now, into her hooves and attemped to put it on the pile. Before she could do so, though, Angel jumped in front of her and landed on the wooden structure. He crossed his paws, forming an X.

“Angel?” Fluttershy asked. “What's wrong?”

Angel took one of the other apples on the pile and pretended to bite into it, then grabbed his chest and let himself fall. He stayed like this for a few seconds, lying on his back and letting his tongue hang out, then got up again and pointed at Alula's apple in Fluttershy's hooves. He shook his head.

During the entire display, a more and more intense glare got built up on Alula's face.

Fluttershy looked down at the apple in her hooves. She wiped off the snow, then saw what it was. “Oh!” she said. “That apple is made of wax, sorry Alula, but animals can't eat this.”

Alula feigned a charming smile. “Oh, but that's not my apple! Mine's the one in the paws of your monster, I mean, bunny.” For Alula, there really was no reason to drag this conversation out any longer, but a lot of reasons for bringing it behind her as fast as possible.

“Oh.....” Fluttershy let her hoof sink. “Weird, which pony would think it's a good idea to feed a wax apple to the critters?” Her face was puzzled.

Angel slumped his shoulders, then facepawed with a loud smack.

“Anyway, I got to see my friends now, bye Fluttershy!” Alula said quickly. She gave Angel a mischievous, then trotted away.

“Finally that's done!” Alula exhaled in relief. “Gosh, I hate this stupid bunny.” She held a hoof at her eyes and began scanning the area. “Now where is–” The sentence stopped abrubtly as she spotted her target in the distance, trotting at Peach Fuzz' side. Eagerly, Alula reared up and kicked her forehooves into the air, then she took flight and zipped towards the duo.

Already from a few meters distance, she could hear the voices of her friends. Unlike before, they now sounded strained and exasperated.

“But it's not good to treat yourself like this, Train Tracks!” Peach Fuzz' voice was clad in worry.

“What do you know?” Train Tracks shouted back at her, perhaps lashing out a bit too much. “I always worked myself through any trouble that way and it went fine!”

Peach Fuzz gasped and looked down, a few tears appearing in the corner of her eyes.

“Hey, what's up?” Alula appeared in front of the bickering foal couple, startling them. “Trouble in paradise?” She teased them with a smug smile and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Don't stick your head into this, Alula, we're doing fine!” Train Tracks pushed her aside rudely and stomped away from the two fillies. He stopped a few steps away of them, not turning around.

For a split-second, something glimmered in Alula's eyes. “Ouch,” she commented on the reaction and landed on the ground. “Yes, there is definitely trouble in paradise.” She turned to face Peach Fuzz. “What happened?”

“We just had a little fight,” Peach Fuzz explained, her trademark, cheery tone reduced to a faint whisper.

“Again,” Alula added. “Not like that happened for the first time. You always fight for that same reason.”

Peach Fuzz nodded weakly. “But we're going to be fine. It will calm down.”

“I really hope so!” Alula agreed. She took off again and flew past Train Tracks. “You are together for only six months now, it would be horrible if you find out that you don't fit together as well as you thought.”

Behind her, Train Tracks lifted his head and looked after her.

Despite Alula's impatience from earlier, the rest of the day flew by like a blur for her. She had suggested to leave the Critter Snow Festival a couple of times and got shot down with this each time by either Train Tracks or Peach Fuzz, who both wanted to stay and enjoy the day-long festivities. It annoyed her to no end but, other than that, it was a rather uneventful day for her. The bad mood that surrounded her two friends faded away eventually and they began to talk with each other again and resumed their “lovey-dovey behavior”, as Alula called it.

Now it was after sundown, the moon stood in the sky and the three foals sat close to the huge fire that had been built in the middle of the festival grounds. Each of them held mugs filled with steaming, hot cocoa in their hooves. Peach Fuzz and Train Tracks were huddled close to each other, with Peach Fuzz' head gently snuggled against the underside of Train Tracks' chin. Occasionally, the filly cooed softly into the warm chest of her coltfriend. Train Tracks was holding her affectionately with one hoof, a warm smile on his lips, but there was a strange kind of uncertainty in his eyes, like the colt's mind was very far away. The expression had been there for the entire day and every time Alula looked at his face, she could see that something was gnawing away at him.

It was now a mere half hour until the highlight of the Critter Snow Festival, the big ceremony led by Fluttershy during which the critters would receive their Hearth's Warming gifts, brought to them by Ponyville's residents, would begin. Peach Fuzz took a sip from her mug and emptied it. A glance into Train Tracks' mug that was close to her face showed her that her coltfriend had nearly emptied his mug, too.

Peach Fuzz stirred at his chest, then sat up. She smiled at him. “I'm getting another cocoa,” she chirped. “Should I bring one for you, Train Tracks?”

The colt nodded. “Um-hm. I would love this, Peachy.” He nuzzled her cheek, then planted a kiss on it, making her giggle. Then he emptied his cup and Peach Fuzz took it and placed it on her back, alongside her own.

Before leaving for the stall with the refreshments, Peach Fuzz turned at Alula. “Would you like me to bring one for you too, Alula?”
“Sure!” Alula replied. “I won't mind another one.” She took a last, long sip from her mug and gulped down the remaining cocoa. A brown streak remained above her upper lip and the filly wiped it away with her left hoof, then she gave Peach Fuzz her mug.

Now carrying three empty mugs on her back, the filly cantered away in an upbeat fashion, a skip in her movement. As she was out of sight, Alula directed her gaze towards Train Tracks. Instead of looking after his fillyfriend, the colt stared into the flickering flames of the fire in front of him. His eyes had cleared up for a moment as Peach Fuzz talked to him, but now their expression had returned to the same distant one as before. The flames got reflected in Train Tracks' eyes, but the colt appeared like he wasn't seeing them.

Noticing this sign, Alula did not waste any time. She inched closer to Train Tracks and nudged his side. “Hey, what's up? You're looking like this for the whole day already, ever since your fight. Does it have anything to do with Peach Fuzz?”

Train Tracks exhaled a weary sigh, then he looked over at his friend. “Yeah, yeah it does,” he said.

“What's bothering you, mate?” Alula draped her left foreleg over Train Tracks' back, comfortingly.

The colt sighed again, then leaned forward, resting his forelegs on his thighs. “I'm not sure about me and Peach Fuzz anymore,” it broke out of him.

“How so?” Alula asked, her voice radiating innocent curiosity.

Train Tracks closed his eyes for a moment before he answered. “The day I and Peachy met, I thought we are so alike each other. When I have trouble with something or feel bad over something, I never let that get me down. I just push through an obstacle until I have overcome it. And Peachy is just the same as me, she also never lets anything get her down and she always stays cheerful and optimistic. We noticed that about each other and that's why we fell in love. But now.....” Train Tracks trailed off, his eyes gazing at the flames again.

“But now you think you aren't the same, after all,” Alula continued the sentence for him.

Train Tracks nodded. “Yeah..... She goes about it so differently, she keeps telling me how being harsh with yourself isn't the right way to overcome obstacles and that it will hurt me to do that. But I'm doing it like this as long as I can think and it always helped me! But Peachy doesn't understand this. Sometimes–” He cut himself off, not daring to speak further.

Alula's face became compassionate. She rubbed over Train Tracks' back. “I understand how you feel about it. Love can be tough.”
“Yeah,” he just said.

“And maybe you're right,” Alula continued. “Maybe you and Peach Fuzz really don't fit together. You fight very often.”

Train Tracks nodded. “Sometimes..... Sometimes I think Peachy isn't as strong as I thought she is. She always stays positive, even in hard times. But how she keeps laughing and giggling and acting happy, no matter what bothers her, it's like she is ignoring all problems she has.”

“Maybe,” Alula replied. “To be honest..... I thought the same about her already.”

Train Tracks' ears perked up and he turned around at Alula, the filly's foreleg sliding off his back. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Alula nodded, then met his gaze. “I mean, a problem doesn't go away by laughing about it and by staying cheerful. You need to deal with it. And when a problem you have is really big and hard to overcome, you need to be harsh with yourself to force you to deal with it. It's the only way it works.”

Train Tracks' eyes grew bigger. “Yeah! Yeah!” he exclaimed excitedly. “That's what I explain Peach Fuzz all the time! But she never understands and insists on it that being so harsh with yourself isn't good for you and that you need to meet your problems with a smile. She's so ridiculous sometimes!” The words had barely left his mouth, as Train Tracks pressed a hoof on it. “I shouldn't have said that about her.” He looked to the ground, guilt spreading out in his face.

“No, you are right!” Alula reassured him. “I mean, it wasn't nice to call her this, but the things you just said aren't wrong. You two are pretty different from each other, if you look at it like this.”

“I guess you're right. Her cheery attitude often comes across as weak to me, how she seems to push her problems away instead of pushing through them. And I hate weaknesses.” He eyed the ground again, his eyes looking once more like his mind was far away. Train Tracks stayed like this for a few seconds, until he started talking again.

“Alula..... Do you think I should break up with Peach Fuzz? Should I leave her and try it with a filly that fits better to me?”

“Well.....” Alula began and looked away from him, intentionally avoiding eye contact for a moment. Then she sighed deeply and looked into his face, wearing a determined expression. “I think you should.”

Train Tracks sighed, too, loud and deep. “I knew you would say this..... and you are right, Alula. Peach Fuzz and I really aren't such a good pair as I thought for the past six months.”

Compassion returned into Alula's face. She rubbed over Train Tracks' back again. “I wanted to tell you for a while already, but I didn't know how.”

“I understand, Alula. But if I break up with Peach Fuzz, then I will be alone and lonely again and I don't want to be lonely anymore.” Train Tracks began to draw circles in the snow with one of his hind hooves.

This last sentence from the colt was like a signal. A blush appeared in Alula's face and she hesitated for a moment. But then she gave herself a push, tightened the grip around the colt and pulled him closer. “Maybe we could try it together!” she spoke the words before they could escape her.

Train Tracks directed his eyes at her and gasped. “Y-You and me? A-Are you sure?” he stammered.

“Well..... yeah! To be honest, I..... I have a crush on you for a while now, Train Tracks. I just didn't say anything because I didn't want to get between you and Peach Fuzz.” She gave him a sheepish smile and made herself look as cute as possible.

“Wow.....” was all Train Tracks could say. He remained silent for a few seconds to digest this confession.

The silence made Alula's heart bump stronger. The time until Train Tracks spoke again felt like aeons to her.

“And you think it would work between us, Alula?” Train Tracks asked his friend, still bewildered over the sudden confession.

“I do,” Alula said swiftly. “After all the things you just told me, I think we have a lot more in common than you and Peach Fuzz have.”

The colt looked down again. “Hmm.....” In his mind, he went over the entire talk he had with Alula since Peach Fuzz had left with their mugs. The wheels in his head turned and he scrunched his face, trying to make a decision. It was after a minute, and another couple aeons for Alula, that he looked back up and into her face.

“Would you try it with me, Alula?” he asked the filly, his voice gentle and soft.

Alula's face lit up brightly, her blush increasing. “Of course!” she shouted. “I want to be together with you more than anything, Train Tracks!” Now feeling secure in her victory, Alula put both hooves around Train Tracks and pulled him close to her.

Train Tracks was smiling, too, then he chuckled. “Okay, then let's try it,” he said. “It's going to be hard for Peach Fuzz, but knowing her, she will just push that problem away, too. I will tell her later.”

Alula's smile grew wider and her heart started beating in a crescendo, pumping blood through her veins faster than it ever had before. Feeling that she had reached her goal, she leaned in and planted a kiss on Train Tracks' lips. Train Tracks was holding his breath for a moment, then the surprise wore off and he reciprocated the kiss. The reality around them blurring, the colt and the filly played with each other's lips. As Train Tracks parted them for a moment, Alula used the opportunity. Caused by the bliss she was feeling right now, she poked out her tongue and let it glide into Train Tracks' mouth. Their tongues intertwined and a moan left Alula, cute and subtle. Train Tracks wrapped his hooves around his new fillyfriend and tightened their embrace.

As both of them had reached the peak of their intimacy, they got flung back into reality by the sound of something shattering right in front of them. Their eyes opened and they found themselves staring at Peach Fuzz. To the hooves of the filly lied the shattered remains of three mugs, spilled hot cocoa around them, which was slowly melting the snow where it had landed.

“T-Train Tracks?!” Peach Fuzz stammered anxiously. “W-What are you doing?” Tears had started to collect in her eyes already and the sentence had been accompanied by a sob.

Train Tracks and Alula stopped their kiss and separated. Train Tracks looked at his former fillyfriend with guilt. He attempted to say something, but his lips closed as quick as they had been opened.

As no words had left his mouth for a few seconds, Alula took the floor. “Hey, Peach Fuzz. I'm sorry you had to see that. But Train Tracks has made a decision. He has realized that you two are too different and that it doesn't work between you anymore. Train Tracks has asked me if I would be his new fillyfriend and try it with him and I said yes.”

The words lingered in the air. Peach Fuzz gulped. “B-But..... We were happy!” Peach Fuzz squeaked. “Train Tracks, please tell me it's not true.” She did a hasty step closer and placed a hoof on Train Tracks' thighs, staring at him intensely while more tears accumulated in her eyes.

Finally, Train Tracks dared to look at her. “I'm sorry, Peachy,” he began. “But what Alula said is true. I was thinking the entire day about the fight we had and I realized that we aren't really a match. Sorry, Peachy, but I think it's better if we break up and try it with another pony.”

Peach Fuzz' face and heart froze at the confirmation. Stiffly, she removed her hoof from Train Tracks' thigh and did a step back. She was staring at Train Tracks, wordlessly, while everything inside her was boiling. Then, without a warning, she turned around and galloped away, leaving a trail of loud and heartbreaking sobs in her wake. Train Tracks followed her with his eyes, until she had skidded to a halt, not far away from the refreshment stall where she had gotten the new cocoa for them. Unable to stay on her hooves any longer, Peach Fuzz sat down on the cold ground, covered her eyes with her hooves and started to weep into them. It reached Train Tracks' ears over the crackling sound of the fire and the voices of the chatting ponies around them. He felt his own heart breaking at the sight and the sounds of Peach Fuzz' crying. Then he looked away, first on the ground, then into Alula's face.

Alula wrapped her hooves around Train Tracks' neck again, having read the expression in his face. “Forget about it,” she said. “Peach Fuzz is going to be fine, you said yourself that she will just push the problem away. Now kiss me again, you are mine now!” She leaned in like earlier and locked mouths with Train Tracks. As her tongue prodded against his lips, he reflexively opened them and let her enter. Their tongues were intertwined again soon, but this time, Train Tracks had problems to focus on their shared kiss. He tried to concentrate, but Peach Fuzz' last words she had spoken to him before running away didn't stop ringing in his mind. And Peach Fuzz' wailing from the distance didn't become quieter. Train Tracks' eyes moved into the direction of the crying filly. Regret shone from them and his guilt increased by the second. Then Alula's voice entered his mind. “You are mine now!” he heard her saying again. A cold feeling washed over his heart. Unable to bear this feeling, Train Tracks placed his hooves on Alula's shoulders and began to gently push her away.

Alula didn't budge. Feeling the same bliss as before, she barely felt the hooves on her shoulders and even if she would have felt them, she did not see any need nor had she any will to give in to them. She moaned again.

Feeling panic rising in his heart, Train Tracks moved his hooves further down and placed them on Alula's chest. Applying more force than before, he pushed again.

This time, Alula felt something. Noticing something painfully pressing down on her chest, and realizing what it was a second later, she gave up her resistance and got pushed away by Train Tracks. With a quiet plop, their lips separated and Alula found herself looking into the face of her new coltfriend. “What's wrong?” she asked, some concern building inside of her.

Train Tracks looked straight into her eyes. More guilt than before was visible in his face now. “I'm sorry, Alula, but I can't do this.”
A hot wave rushed through Alula's face and her heart started beating faster once again, this time from panic. “What do you mean?” she asked hastily. “I thought you wanted to be with me!”

“I-I wanted,” Train Tracks explained. “But now not anymore. I shouldn't have done this. This was a mistake.” The words shot out of his mouth at a rapid pace.

“But..... But.....” Alula stammered, not knowing what to say as she felt her goal getting crushed.

Her hooves were still around Train Tracks' neck and she used this position to pull him closer. “Please think about it!” she begged. “Peach Fuzz isn't the right filly for you, but we are meant for each other! Please forget about her!”

Now, Train Tracks felt anger flaring up in him. “NO!” he shouted, making Alula flinch. But she gripped him tighter anyway.

As Train Tracks felt that Alula wouldn't let go of him, he applied even more force to her chest. Using all the force he could muster against the surprisingly strong filly, he managed to push her away. With a thud, Alula landed on her side, almost falling off the log she was sitting on.

Swiftly, Train Tracks got up and looked frantically into Peach Fuzz' direction. A tiny bit of relief spread in his heart as he saw that she was still sitting at the same spot. Behind him, Alula stirred and got up as well. She reached out for Train Tracks and grabbed his tail.

“Please stay!” she wailed. “You said you would try it with me! You promised!”

Train Tracks looked back at her, gritting his teeth. “I didn't promise anything!” he yelled. With a yank, he freed his tail from the strong grip of Alula's hooves, only leaving a few strands of red hair between them. Ignoring the pain, he looked ahead to Peach Fuzz again. “Peach Fuzz!” he called her. “I'm sorry, please don't run away!” He galloped away from Alula and approached his crying fillyfriend.

Feeling utter disbelief, Alula watched him run away and the scene that was unfolding in the distance.

Train Tracks, his ears pressed flat against his head, placed a careful hoof on Peach Fuzz' shoulder. The distraught filly looked up at him, tears running down her face in thick streams. Train Tracks opened his mouth and said something. Peach Fuzz' shook her head and her mouth moved more violently in response. The regret in Train Tracks' face increased and he lied down in front of Peach Fuzz, bringing him on eye level with her. He spoke again and attempted to stroke Peach Fuzz' mane, but she slapped his hoof away, letting another torrent of angry words rain down on him.

Alula saw Train Tracks looking into her direction, then he continued talking, now with a frown in his face. Peach Fuzz presented her with a scornful look, then she turned at Train Tracks and talked to him again, still appearing angry, but more calm now. Train Tracks nodded and the guilt and regret returned into his face. It took on a pleading expression and he lowered his head. His eyes closed and he said something again. Peach Fuzz did not respond anything this time and as Train Tracks had opened his eyes again, his mouth moved for another few seconds. A few tears appeared in his eyes as he did so.

Peach Fuzz looked at him indecisively, then her head nodded once, so subtly that it was barely noticeable. Train Tracks' face relaxed and he got back up on all four hooves, then spread his hooves widely, wearing a hopeful expression. Peach Fuzz' face distorted and she flung herself against her coltfriend, who wrapped his hooves around her trembling body, letting her cry at this chest.

As a minute had passed, Train Tracks brought his mouth at one of Peach Fuzz' ears and whispered something. The filly nodded and released her tight embrace. She got up on wobbly hooves. Peach Fuzz flashed another look full of scorn at Alula, then Train Tracks draped a hoof over her back and together, they trotted towards a seat at the other side of the fire and vanished from Alula's sight, covered up by the large, burning pieces of firewood.

Back at the spot where Train Tracks had left her, Alula broke out in tears on her own now. She felt as if the world were breaking apart around her as the tears streamed down her face and froze into tiny ice crystals that pricked her skin.

“No.....” she whimpered. “How could I fail this hard, in the last moment?” She sniffed and wiped a hoof over her nose. “How could it all go wrong like this?”

Unable to stand upright any longer, she sunk down on her haunches and started crying herself. She had been so close to her goal and then lost everything in the moment of victory and all of this came crushing down on her at once now. Covering her face with her hooves, Alula started weeping into them, letting out all her desperation and grief, not caring for who watched her while being at her weakest.

It was after a couple minutes of crying like this, that Alula managed to move again and got up. Setting one tired hoof in front of the other, she trudged through the streets of Ponyville, towards her house. Arrived inside of it, Alula did not even bother to remove her anorak nor to switch on the light. She found her way up the stairs and into her room, where she let herself slump down on her bed.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

No comment yet? Let me fix this. The scene with Alula and her mother was really funny and I can understand her pain at the end, it's not easy

[punzil504]

I found Alula so unlikable in this chapter that I'm looking forward to her getting crushed by a giant Hearth's Warming Present in a future chapter.

In other words, she's a great analog of Bill Connors so far.