Epilogue
An Unexpected Winter Journey
Epilogue
Admiral Biscuit
For Comma Typer, Jinglemas 2022
As the two approached Ponyville, the snowy haze finally dispersed, revealing a sky spread with stars above, and a town twinkling with lights in front of them.
“Sweet Apple Acres is off to the north of the road,” Hayseed told her, pointing a hoof. “If’n we’d arrived during the day, you’d see it.” He pointed out other businesses and houses in Ponyville as they walked through.
Rain Shine tried to pay attention, but her eyes and ears and nose kept getting distracted. Pegasi flew overhead, more than she’d ever seen. Fillies and colts trotted through the streets, chatting and laughing. Houses had candles in the windows and garland on the eves; and smells of baking came from everywhere.
It was so beautiful, so vibrant and alive, almost like a scene from a storybook. Every moment of the journey to Ponyville faded in importance: her sore legs, the scrape on her side from the timberwolf, her frustration of misunderstanding how the train worked. She’d gotten where she needed to be.
After a few polite knocks, Apple Bloom opened the door, nuzzling Hayseed before looking at Rain Shine in confusion, then her eyes widened. “Ain’t ya one of those Kirin like Summer Chills?”
Rain Shine nodded. Introductions were made and the pair invited inside where the house was already filled with ponies. Filling a few extra bellies was no problem; the Apples made plenty of food and Applejack even passed around zap apple jam.
It was well past midnight when the house finally emptied. Apple Bloom had surrendered her room to Apple Rose, but didn’t mind since she wanted to stay on the couch and see Santa Hooves.
Rain Shine joined her—the couch was plenty big enough for two—while Hayseed curled up on a throw rug in a spot well-warmed by the hearth.
Rain Shine was the last to fall asleep. Hayseed had drifted off as soon as his head had touched the ground. Apple Bloom had stayed awake for another hour, her head nodding and then jerking back up, but she eventually succumbed to Luna’s embrace.
Rain Shine was tired, too tired to sleep. She listened to the soft breathing of her companions and the gentle hisses of the embers in the fireplace; she listened to the creaks and pops of the house as it slumbered; she listened to the occasional gusts of wind and the brief jingle of bells outside.
Finally, she slept.
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Although I'd suspect a well-motivated nirik could make decent work of them, too.
Ha!
11462834
Try the song "Grandma's Killer Fruitcake" (from Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer)
To Whom It May Concern
How about "Grannie Got Run Over By a Rainbow" for a story idea?
11462834
Almost certainly. That brings up the question of how much snow a Nirik could melt before she cooled down.
The fruitcakes survived. The road, on the other hoof. . .
11462918
Hmm, never heard that one.
Wasn't that a subplot in Grannies Gone Wild?
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This is a nice story:
It contains a warning about understand TrainSchedules. It has new friends found along the way. It has EasterEggs.
11463571
Thank you!
It does!
As far as I know, Amtrak doesn't have whistle stop stations any more, but they very much used to be a thing.
B-b-but... what was her present? Biscuit, you fiend! Bringing in Chekov's Wrapped Gift and then not even opening it!
Also, the (mostly) low key trek from nowheresville to somewheresville was strangely soothing. I mean... I wouldn't want to walk it, but it was awful nice to read it.
11465981
There is something soothing about journeys. I also wouldn't want to walk it, not unless I had plenty of warm clothes, but it's soothing to think about.
11466126
Actually, it might not be such a bad walk if I had a nirik-powered some-warmbody to walk it with. Hmmmm...
Now that's a weird thought exercise. We all agree ponies are warmer than humans, but kirin being even warmer than ponies? Snuggle dynamics would need reassessing.
11466215
Right? And a good defense against timberwolves, too, as Hayseed discovered.
I think it's safe to say that snuggling in the summer would be right out--just too hot. In the wintertime, though, just imagine.
Gives me flashbacks to walking home in winter as a kid.
11467431
Ooh, I wasn't really channeling that (at least not consciously), but now I'm having flashbacks to walking home in the winter, too.
11468100
To quote the great artist Spearhead, "Art is so evocative. I wasn't even going for that memory. Score!"
Aww, that was pretty cool! I do understand that the list of possible characters was... eccentric, to say the least, but it's nice to see some warm (mostly metaphorically, sometimes literally) friendship moments between kirin and pony. To see a tide of benign misunderstandings, assumptions, and so on slowly melt away between the two was a treat, especially with the little details (like kirin usually not carrying things around their barrel or wearing much in the way of clothes since... well, nirik). And while I sort of expected that Rain Shine would burn the timberwolves away, it was intriguing to see that she... doubted that it would work, even for just a second. Saying "come and get him" to the timberwolves is one thing, but knowing she might've failed and gotten seriously injured or worse... didn't expect that for a slice-of-life. It's a nice surprise. This friendship is probably stronger than either of them think.
Oh, the only movie reference I recognized was Frozen (not being bothered by snow). I've been way behind on my movie quota! (Someone in the blog post mentioned Lord of the Rings... I didn't even watch any of it!)
Anyway, this was a great Jinglemas present, and I wish I got to reading it much sooner! Thanks for it, Biscuit!
Fiend indeed, I was wondering about those presents all their trek : )
11468436
Spearhead's not wrong about that. I know as a reader I sometimes read something into a story that the author never intended, and I am well aware that that happens as a writer, too. I like to leave some things open to interpretation by my readers, let the story evoke what it will
11469326
It was a bit of a challenge, to be sure, but all the more rewarding for it, I think. I did have some ideas with some other pairings, but they didn't seem to make as interesting a story--maybe I wasn't thinking the right way.
I do think that the Kirin especially have a lot to learn about interspecies relationships, mistaken assumptions, and so on. We don't know how long they've been isolated, but it's surely been for a while. Hayseed also doesn't have that much experience in the wider world, but at least he's got a good heart and an open mind.
As for the timberwolves, I feel like Rain Shine would have to try something, even if she wasn't sure it would work.
There's a bunch of them, the audience only got two. The "If you want him, come and get him" is a line from Lord of the Rings, where an elf is protecting a hobbit against a group of wraiths.
The really obscure one that I didn't expect anyone to find was a rephrased quote from the movie Excaliber, after King Arthur drinks from the Holy Grail: "I didn't know how empty was my soul until it was filled."
You're welcome!
11470764
The kind of thing you'd get for ponies who saved you and your village and asked for nothing in return.
Maybe it's not about what's in the box at all. Maybe nothing was in the box, or nothing important.
Maybe Rain Shine sang them a heartsong.
Pleasant and cozy - I do find it a bit odd that the story ended abruptly on reaching Applejack, given the mysterious present and complex emotions Rain Shine brings with her. Certainly Applejack would have questions for her unexpected, alicorn-sized guest! But this was a good story regardless, and a neat bit o worldbuilding for rural Equestria. Nice job.~
11545125
Thank you!
The abrupt ending might be to leave readers to speculate just what Rain Shine brought as a present, or it might be due to an author who didn't plan his time wisely. I leave the readers to judge.
I do think that we don't get enough fics about rural Equestria, and that's a shame. It's a whole big world to explore, plenty of places that the show never took us, and as authors we can do our part to expand upon that.
Good old actual slice of life.
Now, off to headcanon central, shipping district!
11564972
Thank you!
I honestly don't see Rain Shine and Hayseed being a couple, but who knows?
That was fun and cute.
11569267
Thank you!
Good jolly story.
11577397
Thank you!
Rain Shine can always catch the train back, but it'll never be the same as walking the road.
Wait, what happened to the fruitcakes?
11715505
I leave that to the reader's imagination
11719894
Oh, okay :)
Lovely story to start off the season with! Thank You!
11765133
It was a fun story to write!
Glad you enjoyed!