Nueva-Delhi and the Snow Catastrophe

by oranzinispegasas

Chapter 10 Celebration

With a whistle, the first projectile soared and exploded into sparks in the night sky. Nueva-Delhi wrapped herself tighter in her scarf and rubbed her hooves together. Vasilly ran to the store and promised to return in a few minutes, but he hadn't shown up for quite a while.

"Are you cold, dear?" came a familiar elderly voice from the side.

Nueva-Delhi turned around and immediately smiled.

"Frankl!" she exclaimed. "What a coincidence!" Nueva-Delhi inspected her scarf. "Yes, a little."

"But since they fixed the pipes," Frankl observed, "and dealt with the clouds, the problem with the cold has been solved. It's not so cold outside now."

"Maybe," Nueva-Delhi agreed. "But I caught a slight cold."

"Oh... That's awful!" exclaimed Frankl.

"Don't worry," Nueva-Delhi hurriedly reassured him. "I'm fine. After all, our business with my father requires sacrifices..."

"So, it was you who exposed Alex Vetrov?" Frankl exclaimed.

Nueva-Delhi felt embarrassed.

"Well, 'exposed' is too strong a word," she said.

"But why not?" Frankl objected. "Don't downplay your achievements. If it weren't for you, we might not have had a holiday this year. And my granddaughter would have been out of a job."

"Your granddaughter..." Nueva-Delhi muttered almost inaudibly.

Frankl nodded and pointed with his cane. Nueva-Delhi looked over. There, near the store, stood Jessica, chatting with another pony. They both looked cheerful. Nueva-Delhi smiled. Frankl approached her.

"Listen," he said, "you shouldn't be modest. You're quite talented."

Nueva-Delhi stared thoughtfully at the ground.

"I think it's best not to dwell too much on my involvement in this matter," she replied.

"But why not," Frankl argued. "You helped solve the problem with the disgruntled dismissed workers. Living labor and machinery are now united. This promises us good winters for years to come. And Vetrov will behave more calmly in the future."

"That's all great," Nueva-Delhi agreed sadly, "but I sneaked into the factory without permission and eavesdropped on other people's conversations. I'm afraid it will embarrass me more than it will earn public admiration."

Frankl smiled and patted Nueva-Delhi on the shoulder.

"Everything has its nuances," he said. "Besides, you acknowledge that you acted wrongly and blame yourself for it. And that's worth a lot."

Nueva-Delhi smiled modestly. Frankl smiled even wider.

"Well then," he said, "let it be as you wish. Have a good holiday and get well soon!"

"Thank you," Nueva-Delhi replied.

Frankl headed towards his granddaughter. Nueva-Delhi's mood significantly improved, and she smiled broadly.

Max walked past her. He was heading to the same store where Vasilly had disappeared. He waved friendly to the pony, and she waved back. Right in front of Max, the door of the store swung open, and Vasilly came out, holding a gift in his paws. He exchanged a few words with Max, and then approached Nueva-Delhi.

"What kind of holiday is it without a gift?" he winked. "Come on, I know a great place where you can see the fireworks well."

***

They sat on the roof, waiting for the fireworks. Nueva-Delhi impatiently glanced at her watch. It was almost midnight.

"Just three more minutes," she said, sounding bored.

"Well, you can open the gift while you wait," Vasilly replied, handing her the present. Nueva-Delhi raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Is... this for me?" she uttered.

"Yeah," Vasilly nodded with a smile. "Who else."

Nueva-Delhi took the gift.

"But... I don't have a gift for you..." she began.

"It's okay," Vasilly waved it off. "Come on, open it already."

Nueva-Delhi looked at the gift doubtfully and started unwrapping the ribbon. Then she tore open the wrapping paper and finally opened the box. Inside the box was a snow globe, inside of which was a miniature factory. Nueva-Delhi took the globe in her hooves, turned it upside down, and then returned it to its original position. Inside the globe, a snowstorm erupted.

"How beautiful!" exclaimed Nueva-Delhi. "Thank you!" She hugged Vasilly tightly. He awkwardly patted her on the back.

"It's nothing," he said.

And then rockets whistled into the sky, one after another, filling the sky with patterns as they exploded in the night canvas. Everything was painted in different colors. Nueva-Delhi and Vasilly settled more comfortably on the roof.

Vasilly was so focused on watching the fireworks that he didn't immediately notice Nueva-Delhi draping her green scarf over his shoulders. He examined the scarf first, then looked at Nueva-Delhi. She winked at him.

"Everyone should have a gift," she said.

"But you're sick," he said.

"I have a warm jacket now," she replied. "I don't need the scarf."

Vasilly squinted suspiciously, but didn't argue. And the fireworks continued to paint the sky.

Author's Note:

That's all, folks! Yep, this fanfic is finished. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little late in translating this fanfic by a whole 3 months, but, if you're suddenly reading it on New Year's Eve, well, Happy New Year! :3
Ah, and yeah, picture of Nueva-Delhi and Vasilly in real life :)