> Cold Days with Stars & Diamonds > by SteelyThePally > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Strangers In The Blizzard > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anchorage, Alaska, 7:24 p.m. Finally, some vacation! After all that shitload in the grocery store, I deserve some rest. I got robbed three times in the same week, excluding the not-so friendly costumers. And right on time. Winter has just began, and temperature's been dropping like hell those days. Thankfully, this house has a cozy fireplace that incredibly warms it up, so I don't need to worry. And I've got many heaters scattered around, so I won't freeze during this Antarctica-like winter. God may have heard my prayers... At least I'm not that depressed... I now leave my hot bath, quickly drying my body with my towel. The steam coming from the bathtub now keeps the bathroom warm. After drying my body, I quickly run to my room and dress in my pajamas. Suddenly, a good sensation floods my heart, and I just wrap myself in my blanket, and lazily rest in my bed. I turn my Xbox on, and decide to play some Skyrim. 'I need to get that damned Ebony Armor' A quick thought passes through my head as I remember getting killed by a elder dragon. As the game loads, I turn my stare to a picture of my dad and my uncle. They took that picture while on an aircraft carrier. They were both from the VF-103, the 'Jolly Rogers'. They fought in the Afghanistan. Downed many helicopters, and played a big role during close air support missions. Pretty good pilots, those two. Man, I'll never forget the day when the news showed two jets being shot down by a goddamned SAM. I sat all night crying... "Dad, I miss you so much..." I mutter to myself, holding the small frame in my gloved hands. My eye's water as I remember every good moment that I had with them. Before I could cry a river, I wipe the tears that dripped from my cheeks, and I put the frame back on the shelf were it belonged to. Then, my eyes turns to the frozen window. My emotions go away as I stare at the beautiful night sky, snow dropping peacefully from the clouds. I gaze at the amazing scenery for minutes, eventually zoning out. My gaze was only broken when a blizzard started to ravage the outside, blocking my view. This made me return to my gameplay of Skyrim, the game already on the main menu. I find my save and continue my epic quest as Dragonborn. One hour later... "Ah, my Ebony Armor has been crafted! Now, I can kill those legendary dragons!" I state to myself, a wide grin on my face as I switch to 3rd person view, looking amazed at the midnight black armor set. Skyrim's the only game that can help me get out of a bad mood, aside from Fallout. As my Nord left Whiterun to search for some enemies to kill, my hunger starts to attack my poor stomach. I feel a bit disappointed, but I was starving at that point. I pause the game and slowly make my way to the kitchen. Calmly going downstairs, I shift my eyes at the numerous pictures on the wall, most of them showing me with my grandma. Poor granny Abigail... she's so sick now. But she's someone that won't leave my heart. After all, she lend me most of the money to me, so I could buy this house. I wish I could return the favor one day... At the kitchen, I cook the delicious beef that I bought at the supermarket with experience. I am no chef, but this beef... it's completely delicious. After cooking my meal, I sit on my chair and enjoy my well-cooked dinner. While I eat, my mind focuses on everything that I can do during this vacation. Maybe I'll try to nail some new tricks with my snowboard. And climb Mt. Denali, and train to climb Everest, and who knows if I get famous? Well, snow biking wouldn't hurt anyone, but, considering the recent snowstorms, riding a bike is as difficult as piloting a jet without wings. I let a sigh escape my lips as I relax in the comfy chair, trying to take a quick nap. Suddenly, I remember that I need to wash the dishes. I groan in annoyance, grabbing both my plate and drinking glass. As if washing the dishes wasn't enough, then imagine washing them during a cold-ass climate. Taking my gloves off, I turn the tap on, freezing water coming from it. Leaving the dirty plate together with the glass, I just rotate the tap to give it a nice and fast wash. After that, I sat at the living room, warming my hands at the fireplace. I roll my eyes at the room, staring proudly at my miniature aircraft collection: F-14s,F-15s, F-16s,F-18s, a F-22 Raptor, Nearly all of the 'Sukhoi' russian fighters, MIg's 21, 23 and 29, including some WW2-era planes like the P-51 Mustang, Mitsubishi 'Zeros', Spitfires, a PBY Catalina, and even the first jet, the legendary ME-262. I sigh, all of my worries getting away. Warming myself again, I return to my gameplay of Skyrim. But, when I finally find a comfortable position to play, I hear someone knocking at my door. I pause the game again, and look weirdly at the window, witnessing the brutal blizzard that ravaged the outside. "Who would knock at my door during this snowstorm? Maybe my neighbor, giving me a welcoming gift or something. He maybe dressed as an astronaut, to handle this cold." I say to myself, slowly getting up from by bed. As I go down the stairs, they knock again. "Patience! I'm coming!" Unlocking the door, the freezing wind that was blowing outside meets my body. I glance down to see the weirdest sight in all of my life: two snow-covered girls, dressed only with their underwear, shaking with the overwhelming cold. My face then burns with a deep blush. "Please, help us..." One of them say, while I try to process the situation in my mind. Putting my hand on their shoulders, I guide them inside my house. They were freezing, ice covering their whole bodies. Now, my mind raced to ask this question: 'What the fuck is happening?' One of them raised her head, looking at my fireplace. Stumbling, she launched herself to the ground, warming herself, a strange smile appearing in her frozen face. The other girl did the same, lifting both hands to warm them, leaving me clueless and staring at the awkward moment. A weird will to help them grows in my heart, and I go upstairs to bring them some blankets. While removing mine and taking another one from my cabinet, I ponder on the recent events: 'Okay so, now I let two half-naked girls inside my house, without even knowing them... C'mon John! You're going to help them! Since you was a kid you liked to help people in need!' Coming down the stairs like a rocket and carrying two blankets, I glance at the two strangers. Their time warming themselves at my fireplace had melted the snow and ice in their hair and bodies. The one who asked for help had a perfectly combed purple hair, and well, her body was spetacular! Unconsciously, my eyes rolled to her hip, a weird tattoo on it, three diamonds. And the other was as beautiful as her friend, her hair being purple with a purple stripe on it. She had a tattoo too, a big star with 5 smaller ones circling it. Now, I thought that I let in my house two weirdos who dye their hair. Details aside, I notice that they formed a pool of water under them, letting my crimson-red mat soaking wet. I sighed annoyed at them, crouching right next to the one with the beautiful body. "T-thanks f-for h-helping us, d-darling." She thanked me, her voice showing how much she was suffering with the cold. 'Jesus. I'll bring them some blankets. At least they aren't dead." I thought, and then darted myself to my bedroom. At my bedroom, I turn my Xbox off, but instantly remembering that I haven't saved my game. But I put this petty worry aside, and take the blanket from my bed, and another from my closet, and launch myself like a rocket to cover them. Grateful smiles appear on their faces as I put the blankets over their bodies. This makes me feel like a good person, as they just wrapped themselves, sticking their hands towards the fireplace. I sit on my sofa and watch as the pair of girls slowly fall asleep. 30 minutes later... I am getting a little worried. They haven't moved I muscle as I watched them sleeping. Also, I don't know how I managed to stare at two women wrapped in blankets for 30 minutes. Their faces were pale, making me worry even more. I then stand up, and nudge them, their eyes opening slowly, laziness clear on their expressions. "Uhn, are you two feeling better?" I ask, the one that thanked me replying. "Yes, darling. I am feeling a lot more warmer. Thanks again. Should I ask your name?" She then yawned adorably, my cheeks burning as I controlled myself not to let out a long 'Awwwn'. I then calmly answered: "John Sullivan. And you are...?" "Rarity Belle. And this is my friend Twilight Sparkle." She pointed at her friend, who smiled at me sheepishly. 'Whoa, those are weird names.' I thought, and looked at the burning wood that lightened the room with a cozy amber light. For a second, their faces showed clear paranoia as both girls looked at their bodies. Two loud gasps came from their mouths, and the one called 'Twilight' asked me, worried: "Where are we? And what have you done to our bodies?" Okay, not knowing where you are after a cold-ass blizzard is normal. But asking what I have done to their bodies was completely... awkward. Thoughts aside, I replied: "Calm down. You're in my house. Anchorage, Alaska, to be more specific. And I haven't done anything to your bodies!" "Alaska? Anchorage? Where is this-" She was interrupted by Rarity, who put her hand on Twilight's mouth. "What my friend here is trying to say is that we were ponies moments ago. Also, what are you?" Rarity asked, drowning myself in the weirdness of the situation. "I'm a human, just like you two. And, you said that you were ponies? Are you sure of this?" She nodded, bugging me completely. "Humans? Twilight told me about your race. Very nice to make your acquaintance." She was totally calm, considering her panicking friend. I then tried to escape from the subject that we were about to discuss: "You two look hungry. Let's go to the kitchen, so I can feed you two." They followed me, still wrapped in the blankets, Rarity still covering her friend's mouth. I walked calmly through my house, every step that I took making a familiar creak. While this sound could be annoying to many, it was relaxing to me. At the kitchen, Rarity and Twilight stood near the table, Twilight's voice being muffled by her friend's hand. I chuckle silently and open the cabinet to find average quantities of snacks and beverage. I find my cookie jar, and leave it on my small table's surface. The girls were reluctant to sit, obvious due to being in a stranger's house. "Hey, you guys can sit. I'm going to make some hot chocolate, so, relax." My words made them sit, Rarity finally taking her hand off Twilight's mouth, the girl breathing heavily. They stared at each other for seconds, and then giggled innocently, turning their stares to me. I turn my back on them, concentrated on the hot chocolate. I then ask them: "So, where are you guys from?" "Equestria." This word made me look at Twilight in confusion, but she cut me off before I could say something. "Okay, I'll explain everything." She clears her throat and started to tell me the story: "Equestria is a magical land, ruled by ponies and many other races, like zebras, dragons, griffins and so many others." She takes a pause, and the only thing that I do is stare at her with confusion, my eyes showing how much I thought that they were suspicious. I take a long sip from my hot chocolate while Twilight continues her story "Equestria is ruled by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who, respectively, raise the sun and the moon." Her statement nearly made me spit the hot liquid out, both girls staring at me weirdly. I choked slightly with the hot chocolate, and after many coughs, I signaled Twilight to continue. "There are three kinds of ponies: earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. Me and Rarity were unicorns. Our friends, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, are pegasus. Pinkie Pie and Applejack are earth ponies. And together, we are the Elements of Harmony!" She ended her explanation increasing her voice tone. I glance at Twilight, trying to process what she had just told me about. "Okay, let me see if I got this right. You told me that you two came from a magical land, ruled by ponies and other mythical creatures, and that you guys were the 'Elements of Harmony'?" They nod positively at me. I control my wish of laughing my ass off. What they just told me was completely hard to swallow. But there was some things that made it true: she said that with incredible seriousness, their hair colors, and the use of 'everypony', 'somepony' and 'anypony'. Or the word 'pony' itself. But other thing that passed through my head was that they were into drugs. My expression shows how much I was confused. Now, I pondered at the new challenge that life has thrown against me. I couldn't just dump them at the street. They wouldn't know how to survive here. After everything that Twilight said me, I saw that such innocence wasn't going to survive a minute, considering the quantity of assholes and pervs out there. "Look, I'm going to take care of you two. So, my bedroom is 'yours'. I'll sleep in the couch. Don't worry." This made them look at me with happiness, my eyes staring at them suspiciously. "Thank you again, John. Are you sure about your bedroom? It's your house, you should sleep..." I cut Twilight immediately: "No, I'm okay." I look at the clock: 11:00 p.m. "Well, look at the time. Rarity and Twilight, go to sleep. You two look tired." They stood up, and gone upstairs. Suddenly, Rarity called me: "John, is there anything that we can use to brush our teeth?" Well, this is another problem. I enter the bathroom, and open the cabinet to find my reserve toothbrush. "Any problem with... sharing the same toothbrush?" I ask, Rarity's expression showing disgust. I could understand this reaction. Sharing the same is, weird. She shrugged, and I collected my toothbrush, getting downstairs to brush my teeth at the kitchen's sink. It may sound strange, but in the current situation... After turning off the freezing water, I went upstairs and grabbed the last blanket, way more thin than the one which Rarity and Twi were using. They were still standing on my room, something that made me ask: "Hey, what are you two waiting for? Just lay on the bed and sleep!" Rarity nearly jumped on my bed, a loud 'creak' sound being heard. Twilight sighed and looked at me: "Not being rude here, but do you expect me to sleep on the floor?" She got a point on that. I took the mattress that I kept under by bed off and placed it on the ground, leaving a pillow on it. "Well, it's nothing special." "Ah, I'm okay, Mr. Sullivan. Thank you for everything!" Twilight then rested her head on the pillow. I turned my back on them, and before I turned the lights off, I gave them a fatherly 'Good Night'. Going down the stairs with caution, I walked through the pitch-dark living room of my house. The fire had already died, leaving only some weak amber dots on the burnt wood. I laid on my couch, moving my body numerous times trying to get comfortable. I was able to hear some coughs and sneezing, completely obvious during to their exposure to that blizzard. After multiple turns, I find a comfortable position to sleep, as my mind focuses on the adventures that I would live with those girls in my house... > Of Shopping, Beefs and TVs > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I slowly open my eyes, yawning lazily. Looking around, I notice that it was already morning, the Sun's light penetrating the windows, illuminating the living room with a cozy yellow light. It was still cold though, but my heater was taking care of that. I got up, trying to remember why I was sleeping in my couch instead of my bed. Then, I remembered about the two girls that knocked on my door last night. Silence predominated in my house, only the occasional cars passing by breaking it. My eyes pass through the clock: 7:23 a.m. A yawn escapes my lips again. "Maybe, everything was dream!" I state to myself, but suddenly, I hear sneezing and coughs. "Shit..." I get up from the sofa, my back making satisfying 'pops' and 'cracks'. I wake up a little more, and lead my lazy body to the staircase. I go upstairs, taking every step with extreme caution so I wouldn't wake them up. My room was still dark. I swiftly opened my bathroom door, and closed it softly. After taking a long breath, I look at the mirror: my hair was completely disheveled. I wash my face, waking me up slightly. I proceed to brush my teeth, staring at my zombie-like face at the mirror. I groan and pass my hands on my hair, giving it a better look. After washing my face again, I go down the stairs, and proceed to prepare breakfast. Well, not 'prepare', just make some coffee, and fry some eggs. As I get the frying pan from my cabinet, I pour some oil over it and crack some eggs open to begin my cooking. As I peacefully fry the eggs, I hear footsteps coming from my room. As my ears paid attention to their not so soft steps, I see them coming down the stairs. Twilight's hair was even more disheveled than mine, and they stumbled downstairs like zombies. Rarity's, however, were perfectly combed. The looks on their faces were... tired. Even though they slept on mattress. Their noses were red, obviously due to their time in the blizzard yesterday. Both girls were still wrapped around on my blankets, but I couldn't blame them considering their clothing. "Good morning, Twilight and Rarity." I said, and turned my stare to the eggs that I was frying. "Good morning, Mr Sullivan." Twilight mumbled, and sheepishly smiled at me. "Good morning, darling." Rarity mumbled, her tone being way more active than her friend's. "And can we brush our teeth at your bathroom?" "But of course! Why would I say 'no'?" Hell, they were very well-mannered on that 'Equestria' place. Way too well-mannered. Rarity and Twilight returned upstairs, sounds of water flowing being heard as soon as they entered the bathroom. I chuckle slightly, and put the now fried eggs over a plate. I then sit on my chair, and take some bites off the egg, tasting on how well I was cooking. Grandma taught me. 'Ah, grandma... I'll pay you a visit those days. But those two girls are going to get on the way, surely.' A quick though passed through my head, and I shift my stare to my aircraft collection. The weird duo then came down the stairs, tightly wrapped in my blankets. Strangely, Rarity kept a close eye to my pajamas, a disgusted look on her face. She then asked: "What are those awful clothes that you're using, John?" Strange. All her laziness was gone while she said that. "My...pajamas?" "Don't say that you use this to sleep! It's a crime against fashion!" Rarity nearly shouted her last phrase, while Twilight rolled her eyes through my house, eventually stopping and staring with interest at my jet collection. She was very observant. I bet that she was kind of a geek back at her land. "Uhn... well, let's have some breakfast!" I tried to escape from a imminent argument, successfully doing so when the duo sat on my chair. Their faces lighten up when they saw the fried eggs, and they happily chewed on it. Then, Twilight asked me a question: "Mr.Sullivan, why do you wear clothes all the time?" My eyebrows furrowed at her question. I took a long sip of coffee before answering: "Ahn, mostly 'cause it's cold, and because I need to cover.... my body?" My cheeks burned like fire, Rarity and Twilight both staring at me, confused. "In your 'land', you guys walked around naked?" "Yes. We only used clothes during big events, like galas." Rarity answered, and took a sip from her coffee. I nod and continue to eat my perfectly-cooked breakfast, shifting my gaze to the window: the sun shined weakly, and snow dropped peacefully. A warm smile appears on my face, and I unconsciously look at Rarity's breasts. My conscience then takes over again and diverts my eyes from the girl's chest, my face red like a tomato. 'Goddamnit, she's ho...' I slap myself before I could 'end' my though, getting Rarity and Twilight's attention. After the girls finished their breakfasts, I stood up and said: "So, I see that you two need some clothing. I'm going to buy some at my friend's boutique. Just stay here, 'cuz I'm gonna be back in a while." "No, you won't! I would never let somepony buy clothing for me without my presence!" Rarity protested, the expression on her face showing annoyance. "And, Mr. Sullivan, we don't know our measures." Twilight completed her friend's comment. I had to admit, they were right. "But I can't let two girls out wrapped around in my blankets, and wearing only their undergarments! Only if..." A mischievous smile appears on my face, and I run upstairs, the duo following me. 10 minutes later... "You're kidding, aren't you darling?" Rarity stared daggers at me, pushing her sleeve up to fit right with her arm. I looked at the two girls, a killing wish of laughing boiling inside me. I let a soft giggle escape from my lips, and examine the now properly dressed women. Well, not so properly. My coats were loose, my pants were slipping from their waists, and the shoes weren't fitting normally. Twilight's coat had a hoodie, and I bet that if she put it on, she would be like Eminem. A rapper. Jesus. But she looked way more comfortable than Rarity, who was cursing me and my clothes. "Hey, you asked for this!" I reply, Rarity groaning loudly, while Twilight scanned her new clothing with interest. "Whatever, let's go already!" The indigo-haired woman yelled, and groaned again. I go downstairs, Rarity and Twilight following me. I grab my car's key from the table, and open the door to the outside. I'm greeted by the Sun's weak shine, numerous snow flakes falling slowly from the sky. I shift my stare to my old Crown Victoria, more white than before. I open the front door, allowing Twilight to enter. She awkwardly looked at the vehicle, asking shortly after: "What's this?" "A... car? Never seen one?" "No?" I let a sigh escape from my lips, and roll my eyes through the snow-covered street. "Just enter, and sit on the seat!" Twilight entered in my car, and looked at it's interior with great interest. I opened the back door to Rarity, and she reluctantly entered my old vehicle, looking with disgust at my seats, who were stained with blue paint, a small accident that happened months ago. She looked back at me, and I only shot a annoyed look at her, making the indigo-haired girl sit on the car's seat instantly. "Fasten the seat belts." I alert, fastening mine. Twilight and Rarity look at me confused. "Just pull this thing, and attach it to this." I guide Twilight's hand, fastening her belt, as Rarity successfully copied my movement. "Why?" Twilight asked. Goddamnit, her she ask too many questions. "Well, if I crash the car, we won't fly through the windshield. Simple, isn't it?" I reply, their expressions getting worried, which I reassured with a soft smile. I turn the key, and the engine roars loudly. This scared the girls even more, Rarity jumping on her seat. I tried to hold my laugh, the indigo-haired woman shooting daggers with her angry look. "What was that?" She asked, a curious look on her face. "The engine." "What's an engine? How does this thing move? Does it use magic? Or it is an animal?" Man, she's fast to ask questions. I put the car on the road, and try to reply on what the girl just asked me. "No, it's powered by fuel. The four tires below us make it able to move. And no, it's nothing magical or alive. It's only a big piece of metal protecting a engine and thousands of another small things, like pistons. I don't know everything about them, so, let's just stay quiet." My answer shut her up for some time, and I began to pay attention to the road. Some people walked on the sidewalks, and cars cruised slowly. I stop the car at a crossing, waiting the traffic light to turn green. I use this to gaze at the skies: numerous clouds were hiding the Sun, more and more snow flakes falling from the sky. "Crap, let's just hope that no blizzard is going to happen today." I state to the girls, the traffics light shining a bright green. The small pack of cars that formed behind me now moved again, and I turn the steering wheel left, nearing my friend's boutique. "You humans don't control the weather?" Rarity questioned, returning her gaze to the window, excitedly looking at the quantity of houses and shops on the street. "No? Shit, why would we control the weather?" I confusedly reply. But controlling the weather must be something very interesting... "Well, in Equestria, pegasi scheduled sunny and rainy days. Even blizzards." Rarity explained, carefully not touching anything on my car. Man, she's nitpicky. "Ah, nice. Wait, what?!?" I shout inside my car, nearly pulling it to the side of the road. "How the hell you people managed to control the weather?" "Well, like Rarity said. Pegasi controlled the weather, scheduling a day's climate." Twilight stated, and I only tried to swallow what they just said to me. If just to ask what they were smoking... After various turns and straight streets, we arrive at the boutique. A large sign read 'Betty's Boutique' proudly. I park the car at a nearby parking lot, and we leave the vehicle. Rarity's shoe escaped from her left foot, the girl groaning in annoyance. She recovered it from the small snow pile, and tied it even more tightly. As soon as we left the parking lot, weird stares met us. Even laughs were heard, probably coming from some 10 year old. I ignore the quantity of people staring at me and the girls, and we enter the boutique, a bell ringing as the door opened. "John! Long time no..." Betty, the shopkeeper, launched a confused stare at me. She was my age, friends since elementary school. 'Good ol' friends' A flashback of our childhood plays in my mind, and I close the shop's door, a satisfying creaking sound filling the air. "Don't even ask, Betty." I reply, and Betty looks away. focusing her eyes under the counter. "Okay, take a look around. Remember, you two are buying casual clothes to withstand Anchorage's cold, so don't come up with a fancy dress." I say to the girls, and they immediately began to browse on the immense variety of clothing. I sit on a couch, and rest my head. My eyes pursue the duo of girls, who remembered me of my mom and grandma shopping together. Memories of my mother sweep inside my mind. She was so sweet... but after dad's and uncle's deaths, she began to drink so much... God, that car crash was the best thing that happened to her. Poor mom... Rarity and Twilight now carried a pile of shirts, coats, pants, shoes and even socks. My expression went blank, and they entered the dressing room. They were carrying a mountain of clothing, but that didn't worry me. The prices were always low, and Betty likes to give me discounts after I worked for 6 months with her. After yawning, I close my eyes, and slowly begin to fall asleep. 2 hours later... "Mr. Sullivan? Are you okay?" A feminine voice awakens me from my slumber. I open my eyes immediately, and look up to see Twilight and Rarity, still dressed on my clothes, holding the enormous quantity of clothes on their hands. I yawn and get up, stumbling slightly, and lead the duo to the counter were Betty was. Rarity and Twilight drop the pile of clothing over it, and the ginger-haired shopkeeper only counted the products, and said: "210 dollars." "Really? Okay, Betty. Here you go." I hand her two 100 dollar bills and one of 10, and she stored them on the cash register. However, I did not understand how she managed to get to the exact result without even checking their prices. "How did you do that?" "I memorized the prices, since the boutique is mine. Let me just put the products in a plastic bag. Wait a minute." She crouched and grabbed two big green plastic bags, putting the pile of clothes inside them. After doing so, she handed both bags to me, and boy, they were heavy. After nodding to a waving Betty, I leave the shop carrying the two heavy as hell bags, followed by a grateful Rarity and Twilight, who had innocent smiles on their faces. We entered the parking lot, and I stored the bags inside the Crown Victoria's trunk. I turn the car on again, and after I maneuvered it out of the lot, I payed the owner, and hit the streets, going back home. As I drove the vehicle through Anchorage's streets, Twilight said: "Mr. Sullivan, I want to say, yet again, that me and Rarity are very grateful for what you done yesterday." "Naah, there's no need to thank me. You two were freezing, and needed shelter." I reply quickly, and a feel of kindness sweeping through my chest. After mere minutes, I arrive home, hunger making my stomach perform various sounds. I park the car, and immediately open the car's trunk, and remove the bags from it. Twilight and Rarity were relieved to exit my car. I groan loudly, and open the door to Rarity, who left the vehicle swiftly, and placed herself near my house's door. Twilight, instead, picked one of the bags, and helped me carry them to the door. I open the door, revealing my home's cozy and comfortable interior. I hand the plastic bag that I was carrying to Rarity, the girl gulping when she felt the weight of what she made me buy. "Well, then. Bring those to my room, dress up, and I'll cook our lunch in between. Go now." I 'order' them, and the duo ran upstairs. A soft smile appears on my face, and I turn myself to the small kitchen. 15 minutes later... I look down at the perfectly cooked steaks proudly. My stomach does a back-flip, showing how much I was hungry. I put the grilled meat on a plate, alongside with another one full of rice, a spoon sitting on top of it. Before I could sit on my chair, I get some cups from the cabinet, and a jar of orange juice. I leave them over the table, and calmly sit on the chair, putting a small quantity of rice and one of the delicious beefs on my plate. The girls then came down, dressed in proper women clothes. Rarity's were way more... sophisticated than Twilight's, but I have to admit that I don't give a fuck to style. They both sat down quiet, and stared awkwardly at the meal. Twilight asked me, her finger pointing to the grilled meat: "What's this... thing?" "Beef. It's good, I assure you." I reply, and take a bite off mine, tasting the fruit of my average cooking. They glance down at the beef, and share a confused gaze. After picking some rice, they reluctantly stabbed the meat with their forks, and lifted it to their plates. Rarity and Twilight glance at each other again, Twilight slowly lifting a small piece of beef. She opened her mouth, and then, finally bit the beef. I watched the scene annoyed, and after many chews, Twilight swallowed it, an approving smile widening on her face. "It's delicious!" She exclaimed, and took off another bite of it. Her approval of the meal made her friend taste it too, another smile appearing. I chuckle slightly, and Rarity exclaims: "It's magnificent, John! How's it called again?" "Beef. Yeah, I like it too." "Me too! Although, I don't remember anything about a 'beef plant'." Twilight comments, and I raise my eyebrow at her due to the 'beef plant' thing. "Beef plant? No, Twilight. It's actually cow meat." What I said made the two young women halt completely their lunch. They both glance at me, pure paranoia on their eyes. I just stare at both girls, and like a lightning, they ran upstairs, leaving me alone again. I sigh annoyed, and hear forced vomit sounds coming from my bathroom. I take another bite off the beef, waiting the duo to come down the stairs. Like I said, Rarity and Twilight came down the stairs, but they looked... angry. "You!" Rarity yelled, fury burning as fire inside her eyes. "Yes, me!" I reply, infuriating her even more. "You are a monster! You're trying to convert us to cannibalism!" Twilight yelled back, taking two steps forward. "Umm? Cannibalism? I thought that you two were ponies, not cows!" "No! We weren't cows! But you committed a crime against nature the moment you killed the poor animal!" Twilight yelled again, and I only sighed calmly, thinking on how I could throw at them. "Hey, it wasn't I the one who killed it! We humans are omnivores, so we can eat pretty much everything! Don't judge me because vegetables are getting expensive now! So, your choice: starve, or eat this steak." The hatred in their eyes extinguished, and both girls looked at each other. I softly smiled at them, breaking their anger completely. Rarity and Twilight sat down, defeated. I returned to my seat and continued my meal, and watched as they chewed on the tasty meat, their faces lightening up for seconds. We remained quiet, and after all of us finished their meals, Twilight decided to say: "Mr. Sullivan, we're sorry about what we did earlier. It's because in Equestria we were vegetarians, and eating meat was considered a crime. But refusing food that somepony gives you kindly isn't good. Do you forgive us?" That was new. She was apologizing herself and her friend. I've never seen such innocence and... cuteness? The look on her eyes was begging for forgiveness. "But of course! I got no problem with this. I should be the one that was apologizing. I made you two eat something that isn't allowed on your world. And stop calling me Mr. Sullivan. That was my father. Just call me 'John'." We spent 10 minutes in total silence, pretty much like the aftermath of a father/son argument. I stood up, and walked to my living room, grabbed the TV controller and turned it on. I heard amazed gasps from behind, and prepared myself for another shitload of questions. "What's this?" Yeah, I was right. "A Television. Pretty much a screen that shows channels, that can include the news, movies, reality shows, and many other things." I sat down on the couch, and looked at them. Rarity and Twilight were focused on the screen, their jaws open. They then looked at me, reluctant to get up from their chairs. "Hey, you two can sit here. I won't bite." Instead of standing up and joining me at the couch, they remained at their seats, Twilight focusing her stare at the screen. "Is this stallion stuck inside this thing?" Twilight questioned, pointing at the screen, more precisely at the anchor. "He isn't stuck. He's inside a building, broadcasting the news. And his a man, not a stallion." "How does this work?" "Let's just, relax for a moment?" I tried to escape from the enormous explanation that I would have to say. Twilight nodded in response. "Won't you wash the dishes, darling?" Rarity pointed at the plates on the table, and I only sighed annoyed. "Naah, I'll do that later." As if my words were magic, they slowly got up from their chairs, and joined me at the couch, taking some distance from me, and focusing their eyes at the TV. I change the channels until I reach HBO, seeing that the awesome movie '300' was about to begin. I put the controller at my side, and rest my head on a cushion, slowly closing my eyes... 4 hour later... "Argh, my head..." It was the first thing that I said when I woke up. Something interrupted my angelic slumber: a controller. But suddenly, my eyes locked on the small device, who was literally hovering around in my living room. I gasp, and turn my stare at the two girls, who were literally rolling on the floor, arguing about... channels. "We're going to watch that History Channel!" Twilight yelled, and suddenly the controller hovered next to her, a weak purple aura surrounding it. Now I asked myself if I was high or something. How the fuck my controller was hovering around on my room, while two gals fought for it? "Ah, that's a negative, darling! We're going to watch that 'Discovery Home & Health' one!" Then, the controller was surrounded by an light blue aura, and hovered next to Rarity, who desperately tried to reach it with her free hand. I stared at the situation for minutes, and decided to intervene: "So, what's happening here?" I caught them off-guard, their faces going red in seconds as their eyes met with mine. Both girls let go of themselves, and the blue aura that probably came from Rarity delivered the controller at my hand. I left it over the couch's armrest, and stared at the once-wrestling duo, my expression clearly asking questions. "Uhn, we had a small disagreement about those... channels, Mr... I mean, John." Twilight stated, and lowered her head together with Rarity, as if they were guilty. "That's no problem." Their heads raised with happy smiles, and I turned my gaze to the window. The Sun was already disappearing on the horizon, and the night's dark light hovered over it. This was a calling for me to take a warm bath, but I remembered that now two girls shared the same space as me. I sighed, and prepared myself to speak: "Okay, so, what were those weird auras making my controller hover around?" I ask them, Twilight answering once again. "We can use magic here, John. Telekinesis, to be more exact." Ah hell no. Betty must have made me smoke something while I fell asleep at her boutique. "Really? How?" I ask them, barely swallowing what they said to me. In a matter of seconds, the controller hovered around, while Twilight only closed her eyes lightly. The same aura that surrounded it earlier surrounded it now. I was completely speechless. She then left the small device at my hand, and opened her eyes. Great, now I have two weird gals inside my house that claim coming from a magical land, and they can lift things with their minds. I am so fucked. Trying to avoid any other explanation, I said to them that they were 'free' to use my shower to take a bath, which they gratefully accepted. But one thing that really bugged me was that they locked themselves up together inside my bathroom. It's very weird. After hearing my door locking itself, I ran to my bedroom, and laid down on my bed, pondering about everything that happened to me recently. My life was really going on a downhill... "Mr. John Sullivan!" A ghost-like voice called me. Wait, who was calling me? Suddenly, an etheral creature just popped out of the wall. I shrink myself on the bed, protecting my body from whatever that thing was. "Oh my sweet Jesus Christ!" And for a moment, everything went white... > Expect The Unexpected > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My vision came back to normal in seconds. I looked around, not understanding where the fuck I was. It looked like the universe, but way more colorful. I then realized that I was hovering around, but still on my feet. Suddenly, a big flash of light pops out of nowhere, and the same ethereal creature that appeared in my room got out of it. I scanned it's body: it looked like a white horse with a multicolor mane that waved even though no wind was blowing in this weird place. It had a strange tattoo on it's flank, something that reminded me of Twilight and Rarity. What frightened me the most was that it's eyes glowed white, and even though it haven't got irises, it felt like it was staring at me. "John Sullivan." It said to me. Wait, how the fuck it knows my name? "M-me?" I reply, my voice failing slightly. "I am Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. I am very pleased to meet you." The ethereal horse replied. I've heard of this Celestia before... "What do you want from me? And how do you know my name?" "I have been watching you, human. My two subjects happened to knock at your house's door. Rarity Belle and Twilight Sparkle." Shit, she's like God! And she's watching me... Jesus Christ, what have I done? "Why the hell have you been watching me? I bought that house to get some privacy!" "That is not the point. You are here because I have to warn you, John Sullivan--" "Warn me from what? The next 'World's End' date?" I cut her off, trying to relax from the awkward situation in which I was in. "No, human. I have brought you here to warn you that my subjects may be unable to return to Equestria. So, I am tasking you to take care of them while their return is still a dream." I froze at the horse's statement. I was going to take care of two girls... Shit, my life is so screwed... "Really? You've just brought me to God knows where, and can't just take them back to your... dimension?" I said, raising an eyebrow at her in disbelief. "There's nothing that I can do about this. I wish I could. Sorry, John Sullivan. You're on your own. But I'll be watching you. Never forget this." The creature then simply dissolved into small sparkles, and I was left alone. A chill went down my spine. How the fuck was I supposed to go back home? Then suddenly, as if my words were magic, I was blinded by the same white light that brought me here, and in a matter of seconds, I was back at my bedroom, cuddled up in fear. Realizing on how embarrassing that position was, I quickly got up, and tried to act like nothing happened. After assuming a serious expression, I started to ponder about what that Celestia told me about... What if it was telling the truth? My lonely plans just got blown out off the window. And so did my doubts that they came from another dimension. Now my mind was focused on what the ethereal horse said: "I'll be watching you." Great, if having two girls inside your house wasn't enough, I now have a god-like horse watching me from somewhere else... There goes my plans of privacy in this cold-ass winter. 1 day later... I comfortably sat at the couch, relaxing my arms after fixing a sewing machine that I found down on my basement. It was a present from my grandma when I moved to this house. She wanted me to learn how to sew, even giving me some fabric. Well, I wasn't the type that would be sewing good clothes, so I simply stored it in my basement. Now, with the machine fixed, Rarity has locked herself in my basement, doing God knows what. Maybe, she's sewing some clothes for herself. Or making me new pajamas. She has been tormenting me since she saw it. But at least, our arguments about how I should dress myself inside my house came to an end. I turned my attention to the TV, seeing what Twilight was watching: a documentary about Albert Einstein. Crap, she's really into science. I shift my stare at the girl, whose eyes were nearly penetrating the screen. Her focus on the documentary could make it sound super interesting, while in reality this shit was boring me to death. I didn't want to turn off the TV, because Twilight would probably jump on me. Our relationship has honed a lot more since we began to watch documentaries on History Channel, so I wasn't going to leave a simple press of a button change our friendship. My earlier thought that they would ruin my life is gone now. Even though Rarity's snooty when it comes to fashion, and Twilight's a geek that loves to ask me questions, they are nicer than most girls from high school. The company that I never had. Well, then, I remembered about that Celestia horse. These days I've been thinking: 'Why did she contact me instead of them?' 'What the hell is she thinking due to watching that weird moment where Twilight simply came out of the bathroom naked asking me for more shampoo?' 'And if she's a princess that raises the sun and rules a kingdom, how the hell she can't bring them back?' Those questions would remain unanswered for some time. And I'm still afraid of telling them that their princess contacted me. Who knows how that would backfire on me? About that meat problem... well, they aren't so skeptical, after all. Both girls realized that it was the only thing that they could enjoy. Maybe tonight I could change our meal... After I ended my mental monologue, I diverted my attention to the TV, who was still broadcasting that boring as fuck documentary. Twilight was still engrossed on that thing, a quick feel of annoyance shooting through my brain. Then, a great idea popped inside my head: play video games! She will probably love them, well, if she doesn't ask me another shitload of questions about how the Xbox works, why the characters are 'stuck' inside the screen, why she needs to do 'this' and 'that', and so many other things. Before I could 'invite' her upstairs, I noticed that the documentary had finally reached it's end. A strange wish of yelling crazily and raising my hands while a military victory march played inside my head nearly took control over my body, but I managed to keep this bottled up, simply smiling widely at the screen. I've been watching this thing for 2 hours, what made me lose all of my ideas for this vacation. Twilight sighed, and then grabbed the TV controller, swiftly switching the channels. "Let's see if there's any other documentary about those incredibly intelligent humans!" My eyes widened at her statement, the weird feeling of eyeballs nearly falling from their pockets as I saw that a documentary about Isaac Newton was about to begin. "Twilight, what about playing some video games? My ass is getting flat from sitting on this sofa!" I then stared at her purple eyes, trying to convince her to finally stand up from the comfy couch. She looked at the ceiling for some seconds, probably thinking of an answer. 'God, please, say yes!' "What are 'video games'?" Argh. Here we go again. "They're a super-duper awesome form of entertainment. C'mon, we've been sitting here since lunch! Let's do something that (maybe) both of us will enjoy." Twilight's head then examined my face, and looked back at the TV, reluctant to leave it. After many glances at it, she sighed and agreed to go with me. During our short walk to the staircase, Twilight ducked her head inside my basement's door, and asked Rarity if she was going to play with us. Rarity simply replied saying that she was nearly finishing my pajama, and that she would join us soon. At my bedroom, Twilight sat on the bed while I turned the Xbox on. A loud gasp escaped her lips as the console powered up, the Xbox 360 logo showing up in the screen. After picking up the controller, I sat at her side, her jaw open as the Xbox menu appeared. Before she could ask the shitload of questions that I was already waiting for, I began my explanation: "It's a machine that reads discs so that you can play the game. I press this button to put the disc on the disc tray, and then, press the button again to make it retract back into the console." The familiar sound of my Forza Horizon running then echoed through my room. "This is a fine piece of technology, if you ask me, John! Can I do some research on it later?" She asked, eagerly waiting for my response. "Well, I think that I will teach ya how to use my computer, so you can easily answer your questions about nearly everything." I finished my sentence while we both stared at the screen. Twilight's eyes seemed to have sparkles of joy on them, while I simply stared at the amused girl with a warm smile. "You've told me about those games yesterday. What's this one's about?" She asked, clearly wanting to give it a shot. "Remember the vehicle that we used to get to Betty's Boutique? It's a game about racing, but with cars way faster than mine." After all that loading screens passed, I selected 'Single Player', going into another loading screen. Then, the game finally loaded, and I was at the Horizon festival with my midnight-blue F1 Mclaren. I glanced at Twilight, who appeared to be examining every detail of the game. "Hey, Twi, wanna play?" I suggested, offering the controller to her. The girl reluctantly stared at the black device. I then dropped the controller at her hands. Twilight then scanned it for a second, and then, pointed it at the screen. I stared at her action for seconds, while she repeatedly pressed the 'A' button. I only watched the scene, trying to figure out what she was trying to do. 'Ah, she thinks it works like the TV controller.' I thought, and chuckled quietly. "Twilight, you play like this." I said, putting the controller on the right position. "To accelerate the car, press the right trigger, to brake the left trigger, use the left analog to steer it, the 'A' button to E-brake, and the right analog to rotate the camera." I then passed my fingers through the mentioned buttons. Twilight seemed to acknowledge those controls very fast, unconsciously but beautifully nailing a simple drift through the round street that the festival's center was. "What do I do now?" "Just... run. See if you can find a nice race or just keep wandering around. And try to avoid the civilians." As if to mock me, she crashed the Mclaren in a van like a missile would hit it's target. Twilight then turned to me, sheepishly smiling. I reassured her with a warm look at her purple eyes, which caused her to blush and turn her attention to the screen again, slowly getting used to the car's overwhelming acceleration. 'Wait, she has purple eyes? Wow.' As Twilight focused herself into the game again, I saw that she approached Darius Flynt showdown race. She then parked the Mclaren horribly at the event's tent. I laughed quietly, knowing the event's difficulty. "This is a race?" "Yep. Just press the blue 'X' button to join." After she pressed it, the image of Darius Flynt popped, the game's most annoying boss. But witnessing a complete noob in gaming challenging a boss is surely hilarious. I rest my back on the wall, ready to watch one of the funniest moments in my life. But before Twilight could begin her race and I could begin a laughing mayhem, a panicked shout echoed in my house, making my heart beat like hell. Twilight and I both shared scared glances, before turning our stares to the door while the shouts came again. Well, it was Rarity. Her singsong voice really sounded adorable when yelling. "What the hay was that?" Twilight asked, a frightened look in her eyes. She then lifted her hand to her chest, trying to calm her agitated heart. "I don't know. Maybe it's Rarity down at the basement. We should check on her immediately!" I exclaim, taking a long breath to recover myself from the sudden yell. I then launched myself from my bed's comfortableness and descended the stairs quickly, Twilight slowly following me. I could swear that her yells were of pain, considering that she could have cut her finger on the sewing machine. Me and Twilight then arrive at the basement, seeing Rarity cowering at the basement's corner, not even noticing our presence. "Hey Rarity, what's going on?" I ask, getting her attention. She opened her eyes, staring with pure paranoia at the desk in which she worked on. On top of it, sat a spider, it's size being comparable to a tarantula. My body shivered as I examined the creature, who slowly raised it's frontal legs. Strange, I knew that movement... It was weirdly familiar to me. I examined the spider once more, noticing that it's middle legs were naturally painted blue, matching it's dark color in my point of view. Staring at the spider for some seconds, I finally remembered why it was familiar to me: it was my pet spider, Spidey! "You two, don't move. I know who it is..." I alerted the two girls, not wanting to make the spider jump from it's position. I approached it with slow and careful steps, while the arthropod kept staring at me with it's numerous eyes. Finally arriving at the table's edge, I carefully put my hand over the table, signaling the spider to climb on it. The fearsome insect then moved it's eight legs in a flawless synchronization, and climbed on my palm with ease. By doing this, I knew that it was really my pet that wandered the pile of old things that I kept inside this basement. I smirked in excitement as the insect rested on my palm. I turned to the girls, who launched frightened stares at me and my beautiful spider. "Y-you tamed it?" Twilight said, taking a step back. "Of course not, Twi. It's been my pet since I found it at my grandma's house basement. It's color got my attention, and I slowly got closer to it. When I moved to this house, I secretly brought it with me, and it has been surviving of killing the occasional roaches and mices that appear down here. A nice way of protecting your house from those nasty things, really." Suddenly, Spidey managed to climb my arm. I wasn't feeling it's hairy legs due to the mountain of clothes I was wearing. It had this awkward habit of climbing it's way to my head, and then, jumping into the nearer wall or object. "There's roaches and rats down here?!?" Rarity exclaimed, putting herself at the tip of her toes. I rolled my eyes around the basement, and responded: "Yeah, but Spidey's always eat 'em. And she makes up for a good company down here, Rarity." She then dropped from her position, glaring at me, but losing her annoyed look as she saw Spidey position itself on top of my head. I then headed to the nearer box in my basement, the unique colored spider jumping on top of it, and disappearing in the darkness... "Can I study it?" Twilight said, like if she hadn't feared it the creature moments ago. The expression on her face showed complete... excitement. "Well, if you got the guts and smarts to find it jumping around in this small museum, then nothing's holding ya." I answered, killing the girl's interest. "So, can I go back to your room?" Twilight asked, pointing her thumb upstairs. "Of course. You're free to play whenever you want to do so. Just take care with my account." She then rushed upstairs, leaving me alone with Rarity, who was reluctant to continue what she was doing. "Hey Rarity, Spidey might be a hairy spider and everything, but it won't bite ya unless provoked. So, if she appears, just ignore. Spidey always disappears if no one gives her attention." I then left Rarity alone, going upstairs to see if Twilight had deleted my Xbox's memory. Some hours later... I got off my steaming-hot bathroom dressed in my comfy pajamas. I went directly to my room, seeing that Twilight was still in the same position when I last saw her. I had to admit: she looked goddamned adorable clad in this purple pajamas. I looked up to the screen, seeing that she was still playing Skyrim. "Huh, been playing since I left to take a bath? What level is your new character on?" I asked, noticing that her play style was of a mage, her character yielding flames and a healing spell. "Level 9." She said, not even turning her head to look at me. "What?!? Level 9 already?" "This game that you humans made is way too easy. Also, I've set difficulty to 'adept' to make things more... challenging." Shit man. Never underestimate a geek from a different reality. I sat down at my bed again, watching her play with interest. She played very well, for someone who grabbed a controller for, what, less than six hours? Before I could lean my back at the wall, my stomach growled for food, a intense need of eating something torturing me. I noticed that Twilight's stomach was in need of food, too. "Uhn, I'll see what we will eat tonight, Twi." She only nodded as I left my bedroom. Let's just hope that I haven't created a video game addict... I went down the stairs, breathing calmly as I felt the combined warmth of both my heater and fireplace surround my body. I smirked and headed to the kitchen. After opened the fridge, I searched for something good: 'the remaining beefs, no. I've eaten too much of those. Maybe, I'll get that pasta... no. We ate that yesterday.' I thought as my eyes switched quickly between the only available food in my fridge. Yeah, I need to buy some more. I stared at my kitchen for minutes, thinking of what to eat tonight. Suddenly, the best option came out as I shifted my gaze to a pizza card that was laying on top of my contact's book. 'Yeah, pizza.' I thought while grabbing my phone and dialing the local pizzeria's number. Some minutes later... After ordering pizza, a good feeling flooded my heart and mind. I was going to eat pizza after, what? A month without eating that delicious italian food? I then make my way to the basement, wanting to make Rarity known of of our dinner, since she has buried herself in my basement those days. But before I could descend into my small storage area, Rarity came up running, panting heavily. She stopped her tracks, carrying my pajama on her hands. Maybe she's asking me to move the sewing machine upstairs. Yeah, Spidey must be watching every movement of hers. "Wassup', Rarity? Done with Spidey's numerous eyes stalking you?" I playfully stated, smirking at her. Rarity's body shivered for a moment at my comment, but she quickly raised her head, staring with interest at me. "No, darling. That filthy insect had disappeared since you dropped it. By the way, here's your pajama. See if you like it." She delivered the clothing to me. I didn't liked it when people called Spidey a filthy spider, but that wasn't the primary subject. I unfolded the shirt and pants, staring at the sewed clothing with awe. It was dark blue, and plain simple, something that I loved. Well, I haven't exposed my astonishment very well, because Rarity's expression was of failure. "You didn't like it? Come on, darling, just say it and I'll re-make it." She then tried to remove the clothing from my hands, but I only raised them up, out of her grappling range. Also, I didn't want her wasting more of her precious time dug inside my basement. Not to mention the material to make them... "Rarity, I loved it. You don't need to re-make them." The tone of my voice made her arms give up from retrieving the pajama, which I stored under my arm. I hugged her shortly, her cheeks flushing a vibrant red. "I just wanted to say that we're having pizza for dinner." "Pizza? What's that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at me, recovering from her blush. "You'll see." I left her pondering about dinner, and made my way upstairs. At my bedroom, I stare at Twilight, who still remained in the same position since I left her playing. "Hey Twilight. I want to say that we're having pizza for dinner. And that the deliveryman should arrive at any time." She only nodded and kept playing. Yeah, I've created a video game addict... I wanted to get her out off my Xbox for a moment. Poor thing's fans must be rotating like hell to stop the console from overheating and... exploding? The sound that it emitted was worrying me. As if to help me, I heard a loud and high-pitched horn coming from the street. I left the pajama that Rarity made inside the wardrobe, and turned to Twilight: "See? He's here already. Get off from it just a little, Twi." She turned to me, staring deeply with the cutest looking puppy eyes ever. With incredible willpower, I resisted her stare and assumed a more serious expression. It killed her puppy look, while she saved the game and turned the console on, probably knowing that from my earlier tutorial. After she got up, we both came down the stairs, Twilight quietly groaning behind me. I saw Rarity gazing outside, probably trying to find the origin of the sound. Rarity turned to me, and I signaled her to seat on the chair, while Twilight followed her. I got the money from my wallet that I kept stored in a cabinet, and headed to the door. Opening it, I felt how cold it was outside. The delivery man quickly left the pizza box and soda bottle in my hands, and I gave the money to him. Poor fella was freezing. He literally threw the bills inside his pocket, and trailed off without saying anything. I closed the door quickly, and the marvelous smell of pizza penetrated my nose. I smirked shortly and left the box and bottle over the table. After I sat down, both girls looked at the box with interest. After sniffing, smiles simply appeared in their faces. Silence reigned at the table, and I opened the box. They stared at the pizza for seconds. Rarity then broke the silence with her singsong voice: "That's pizza? It looks delicious." "It is delicious. Let me separate them." I grabbed my knife and cut it into smaller pieces. I then took one of them with my fork, leaving it on my plate. The girls then grabbed their pizzas. Before even trying to bite it, Twilight asked: "What does it taste like?" "Cheese, with some tomato. I can't exactly explain it. Just eat it. You're gonna like it." I replied, bringing the fork to my mouth. Ah, the divine taste of pizza... The girls appeared to be enjoying the dinner too, their faces expressing pure happiness. We remained quiet for seconds, devouring the pizza's pieces quickly. Suddenly, a wave of curiosity hit me. I needed to ask them about their past lives: "So, how was life in that... Equestria place?" "Ah, it was very good, John." Twilight said. Well, it wasn't what I wanted. "Did you guys work there?" No, that was an obvious question. "Yes. I was a librarian. And Rarity worked at a boutique. I think it explains her love of fashion." Twilight innocently giggled while Rarity kept her expression very hard to read. I then kept attention to Twilight while she told that both girls lived at their workplace, which I found very practical. She continued her speech, speaking about Rarity and her friends (Who where weird named too). I found the conversation very interesting, until she came to a certain topic: family. My expression dropped a lot from my casual and warm smile. I let Twilight continue, praying to God that they wouldn't ask me about mine. Even though Dad and Mom died long ago, it isn't the best thing to talk about. "... like, we always were together. I still remember about that trip to the beach where we had lots of fun!" Twilight then closed her eyes and smiled from ear to ear. "We had those trips too. They were just lovely." Rarity completed. Now, I felt completely naked. They would probably ask me about my family. I mentally prepare myself for the imminent question. "What about you, darling?" Yep. I was right. I couldn't escape from the question, because they nearly me told the story of their lives. It would feel weird to know everything about them, and they don't know anything about my past. "Umm, well. I work at a grocery store as shopkeeper. It's not the best work ever, but it keeps me alive. My friends, well, Betty's one of them. We've met while we where on Elementary School. But most of them went with their futures and we all drifted apart. Not to mention that half of them remained at Detroit, a city very far from here." Their eyes now stared at me with worry and remorse, instead of their normal happy spark. "Well, my story is very weird. My father was from the Air Force, the part of the army that fights to protect the air, obviously, and my mom was a lawyer. We weren't very close due to my father always stationed at air bases in other countries, and my mom was too worried to divert her attention from the TV when my father was assigned to serve his squadron in Afghanistan. Well, everything changed after a night watching the news..." 2000, Detroit. Sullivan's Residence. Linda Sullivan watched over a young John, who played with miniature planes, innocently simulating dogfights. The careful mother then diverted her attention to the TV's screen, seeing that the news had just began. John wasn't paying attention to that, and kept playing with his planes. After the news opening ended, the anchor went exactly to the point: "Today, during a close air support mission, two aircraft from the USAF's squadron VF-103, more commonly know as the 'Jolly Rogers, were shot down by enemy SAM sites." The anchor's words were enough to make Linda hyperventilate, wondering if the pilots who were shot down were her husband or his brother. She lifted a hand to her chest, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. The boy, however, wasn't understanding the news, and diverted his attention back to his simulated dogfight. "A marine who was involved in the operation recorded the moment with his helmet camera." The screen then showed the footage. The camera shook terribly due to the soldier's movements, but stopped right at the moment where two missiles ascended to the sky, chasing the jets, who tried to evade the missiles, barely doing so when the rockets hit it's targets. The jets caught on fire, rolling while a trail of fire and smoke followed them. After losing enough altitude, they exploded, two balls of fire raising to the skies. The soldier's movements returned to normal, now moving to the crash site of both aircrafts. The moment that the flames raised to the sky, Linda's heart ached like if a knife stabbed it. "After the mission was completed, the rescue teams arrived at the crash sites, finding that both pilots were dead. The pilot's turned out to be the captain Robert Sullivan and captain Ryan Sullivan." This was enough to make John look up at the TV, his happy expression disappearing at the sight of a picture of both his father and uncle. "Daddy? Uncle Ryan?" The child kept paying attention to the TV, trying to understand why the man mentioned both his father's and uncle's names. He looked back at his mother, who buried her head at the cushion that laid on top of her laps, sobbing uncontrollably. "Mom? What happened to daddy and uncle Ryan?" The child was met with the sorrowful sobs of his mother, leaving him even more confused. Then, the youngster looked at the screen, and paid attention to the anchor's words "... Even with the success at the mission, the soldier's and squadmate's morale dropped significantly. After being informed of the pilot's deaths, most of the marines and members of the squadron refused to say anything about it. Both aces were well know between the attacking team." John's face then expressed pure sadness. The kid understood completely what the anchor was talking about. The child's eyes watered within seconds. He turned to his mother, hugging her immediately. He tried to hold his tears back. But he couldn't. His heart was already crushed by the hammer of loss, and stabbed by the knife of death." The looks in the girl's faces were of sorrow and pity. They didn't need to feel that way. It happened 12 years ago. Well, I had to say that the mental wound that my father's and uncle's death caused me never healed. But I couldn't mourn them forever. "Well, things didn't went very well after that day. My mother began to drink like hell. I have no doubt that she even took some drugs. She even spanked me. Until the day of her death..." "JOHN SULLIVAN!!!" A voice called the young teenager from downstairs. Linda was on another drinking night. She was probably calling John to cuss at him for things that he never did, or to simply spank him again. However, the boy refused to respond. "JOHN SULLIVAN, ANSWER ME!!!" She shouted again, sounding even more angry than before. The boy then tried to ignore her yells, and concentrated at reading his book. A growing sensation of fear tormented his heart as he heard loud steps coming closer to his room. Suddenly, his door slammed open, John's mother staring at him with a burning glare. "Are you deaf, John?!? Come on, now, I want you to come with me and help me with the shopping list!!!" He shifted his gaze to his mother, who still glared at him. "But, mom, it's nearly midnight! No supermarkets may be open today, cuz' it's Sunday!" John tried to convince his mother not to take him out of his reading. But his response was a strong slap across his face. Linda then grabbed his book and slammed against his head. John lifted both hands to his head, groaning in pain. "If the supermarkets are closed, then we will make them open!!" She nearly yelled, striking fear in John's heart. Not wanting to receive more slaps, he stood up, and quietly got to the garage. He sat down and fastened his seat belt, not muttering a word, mainly to avoid his mother's slaps and punches. After she turned the car's engine on, she accelerated quickly. The boy's head hit the car's ceiling with force, John groaning loudly. After his world returned to normal, he looked at the speedometer: 140 MPH. This worried the boy, who tried to get used to the constant speed. His heart was flooding with the fear of death, and the car performed a bad curve, making his head break the window. John lifted his hands again, sweeping some blood from his fresh cuts. Agony took over his vocal cords. He couldn't speak nor shout. Now, Linda was reaching the car's limits. John ignored the sharp pain coming from his cuts and saw a bump right on front of them. He tried to scream for his mother to slow down, but his fear kept him from doing that. The car then hit the bump at full speed, smashing the windshield. The glass shattered, it's sharp pieces stabbing both John's an Linda's chests, and the car was launched into the air. Unfortunately, the vehicle's flight was prematurely halted by a truck's back, smashing through it. Mother and son blacked out... Some minutes later... John slowly but painfully opened his eyes. The car's windshield was gone, and all that he could see was the truck's interior. It had numerous wooden stakes. The boy yelled in pain as he noticed the numerous pieces of glass lodged in his chest. He couldn't move his legs, because they were stuck into the car's wreckage. He looked down at his abdomen, a large cut through it. He groaned in pain, and stared at the ceiling. He glanced at his left side: the body of his mother was there, bloody and lifeless. A sharp pain shot through his chest as he noticed the enormous stake impaling the woman gruesomely through her stomach. "No... mom, please, no..." He sobbed, ignoring the pain that tormented his whole body. In seconds, sirens filled the air. "NOOOO!!!" He yelled, moments before simply closing his eyes and blacking out again. "So, well, after that, I moved to Anchorage, my grandparents being the only living members of my family. Grandpa died of a heart attack an year later, and I kept living there until grandma lend me some money to buy this house." I finished my speech with a long sigh. I leaned my back against the chair, and stared at the clock: 11:36 PM. "Oh, well. Look at the time! Let's get some sleep. Good night to you two." The girls sadly nodded at me. After their figures disappeared in my bathroom, I was left alone. Alone with my thoughts back at the events that changed my life forever... 'Ahh, let me brush my teeth and just get some sleep.' I thought and looked at my toothbrush and toothpaste lying at the sink. I've moved those to stop from disturb the girls in the morning, considering that I wake up way more earlier than them. I brush my teeth slowly, trying to spit out not just the toothpaste, but also this weird feeling. I don't feel very comfortable after telling those girls my past. After so many years of boiling this up inside me... that's what I get? Depression? I thought that I overcame this over the years... Yeah, maybe I'm not that headstrong... I finish my mental monologue and turn off all the lights in my living room. I get my blanket from under the couch's seat, and I cover myself with it, staring deeply at the dying fire from the fireplace. I slowly close my eyes, and relax my mind from the earlier events. Maybe a good night sleep should do it... 2:21 AM I wake up with three loud knocks. Who the fuck was knocking at my door now? I stand up after rubbing my eyes to wake up a bit more. Before I could answer the door, a quick thought passed through my mind: 'What if it is Twilight's and Rarity's friends?' I shake my head, trying to pretend that my brain hadn't made me think of that. But that made my heart beat faster and faster... I take a long breath before opening the door, my mind racing to find a good place for more people to sleep. After finally opening the door, my frightened expression fell to one of complete annoyance. "Hey there, Johnny!" Andy. The most annoying and sticky motherfucker on the face of Earth. "Andy?!? What the fuck are you doing out there, man? It's fucking past midnight!" The problem with him is that no matter how much I cuss at him, he will still think that I'm his best friend, or 'homie', as he calls me. Well, I'm too kind-hearted to tell him to fuck off, so, I'm stuck with this overly energetic guy "I couldn't sleep. So, I was thinking that we should snowboard at the resort those days, since we're both on vacation! So, what do ya think, homie?" Oh, well. Now he caught me off-guard. He can be a retard with people, but he's freaking good at snowboarding, and always invite me to head to the nearest resort. And since I've got nothing to do, I couldn't refuse. It would be good for both Twi and Rarity, after all. "Well, why not? Let's just arrange everything. I've been... busy." His face lightens up after I accepted. "Thanks, homie! You're the best! See ya later, then. Homies for life, bro!" He shouted while retreating back to his house, while I simply waved at him. I closed the door silently, and returned to my 'bed'. 'Snowboarding is it then...' > Snowboards and Skis > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- One day later... I groggily sit on my chair, looking without interest at my breakfast. Fucking Andy... why the hell do we need to get off so early? It's 5:15 AM, and the resort isn't that far from our houses. Whatever, he's an energetic motherfucker after all... I look down at my fried egg. After lifting the fork to my mouth, I notice both Twilight and Rarity coming down the stairs. Well, stumbling down the stairs, in reality. As their eyes met with mine, their expressions went from tired to sad. This is beginning to annoy me. Since I told the story of my life, the sparkle of happiness inside them simply died. They were clad in their clothes, like me. We were waiting for Andy's inevitable knock, considering that he was being a pain in the ass insisting that we should get out early. Well, our trip to the resort was ready. Andy bought Twilight a purple snowboard and dark blue skis to Rarity (Including the ski poles, helmets and knee pads. Still, I had to buy the clothing.) Since he comes from a rich family, money isn't a problem for him. Sometimes I question myself if he shouldn't be living in a luxury mansion with his family. Whatever, what matters is that I didn't need to spend a dollar with rental or equipment. So, no worries. After slowly approaching the table, both girls sat on the chairs, not even raising their heads. The air between us is of both awkwardness and a bit of sadness. Crap, why they are like this? What happened to me was part of my past, not theirs! "Okay, firstly good morning to you two. I think it's best to hurry with the breakfast because... you two know Andy's behavior." My sentence lightened the situation a little, but only for a second. Their expressions dropped again. Oh God... "Hey, you two don't need to feel bad about me. My parents died years ago. What you two need to know is that life goes on. Time won't stop just because you're depressed. You have to deal with loss. See, both my mom and dad, including my uncle, died tragically, and I ain't sitting and mourning them forever. Don't worry about my past. Don't let my problems get on your way, girls." They remained silent, and ate their breakfast without even making eye contact with me. Considering their saddened moods yesterday, and their reaction to my 'Don't worry about me, I'm okay' lecture was a complete show of 'We are sad'. Well, I'll let them to their thoughts. As silence reigns again between us, a thought suddenly passes through my mind: 'How long will them be with me?' Shit, I haven't thought about this before. Just... I can't leave them on the street. Their hair is weird, their way of talking is weird... They would probably be taken by some group involved with slavery and... No, stop! What matters now is that they are here with me, that they are awesome, cute and extremely friendly. And, that I'm befriending them quickly. I was so deep in my thoughts that I haven't noticed Rarity's waving hand in front of me. I shake my head lightly, looking into her blue eyes. "Hey, John! Wake up! Someone's knocking at the door!" She said, pointing one of her fingers at it. Someone was knocking quickly at the door, not to mention anxiously. I got up from my chair, and after opening the door, the figure of Andy beamed a ear-to-ear smile at me. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, but failed to kill his enthusiasm. 'Hello there, homie! Ready already?" He was dressed in his snowboarding clothes, and I thanked God that no one was at the street at the moment. "Yeaaah. Lemme just pick the equipment. And the luggage." I yawned and returned back home, leaving Andy alone at the door. He tucked his head inside my head, and waved at Twilight and Rarity as if they were old friends. The duo, however, only lifted their hands for a second. I went upstairs, and picked up my snowboard, Twilight's, Rarity's skis, and our luggage. Making my way carefully downstairs, I notice that someone's bag is weighing too much. My arms finally give up, and the bag rolled down the stairs. "Let me help ya there, buddy!" Andy rescued the luggage before anymore damage could be sustained. It was a weird situation: two girls watching as a fool carries two tons of luggage and equipment while another fool ran in and out with his goggles on. Not to mention the vibrant yellow cargo pants that he was wearing proudly. Damn me if he wins the local snowboard championship wearing them. After putting all the equipment and the bags on Andy's trunk, we entered his Chevo Spin. Lucky bastard. The poor Sullivan here still drives a rusty Victoria. Andy turns on the car, the digital speedometer lighting up with a cyan blue light. Twilight and Rarity let out a gasp of amusement. I chuckle slightly as they literally drool while staring at it. "Fasten the seat belts. Andy's not the best driver around." He glares at me furiously while both girls try to hide their laughs. While waiting for Andy to put the car on the road, I look at the duo: after recovering from their laughs, I notice that they looked confused. That's obvious. They met Andy yesterday and are going to stay in the same lodge with him for two days. I can't say that I'm not a little confused too. "So, how how long till' we get there, dude?" I ask Andy, whose attention was on the road. "Dunno. How long did it took for us to get there last time?" I shake my head, signing that I couldn't remember our last snowboarding day. Andy diverts his attention from me, and focuses his eyes on the streets of Anchorage. 2 hours later... Crap, this is taking longer than I expected. It's been two hours since we left home, and no sign of the resort so far. Just snow-covered fields. With the occasional leafless trees, of course. "Are we there yet, darling?" Rarity asked, fatigue clear in her voice. She wasn't sleeping, unlike Twilight, who fell into deep slumber for some minutes now. "Uhn, does it look that we are there? We're in the middle of nothing!" I reply, pointing to the outside. More and more snow, prematurely stopping at a mountain range. "But there's nothing that I can do, John!" Her voice showed again how much she needed sleep. Waking up 5 AM and taking a car trip to somewhere unknown can be tiring. Car trips are tiring, to be honest. "Look: ya can just shut your eyes, sleep and drool, like Twi over there." I point to the sleepy girl, a line of drool coming down her neck. I glanced at Rarity, who shot a look of disgust at her friend's slumber. She moved her body impatiently, trying to find a comfortable position. When she finally found one, Rarity closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep. I turned my head to the freezing windshield. The road seemed infinite, stretching it's way into the horizon. The sun was already on it's climb to the top of the sky, beaming a greeting weak yellow light upon the asphalt. Some minutes passed, and I just kept staring at the scenery. But my nature contemplation was rudely halted with a firm poke on my shoulder. "Hey, Johnny. Aren't you their boyfriend or something?" Andy's question makes my cheeks blush furiously. "No, you idiot! They just knocked at my door during Sunday's blizzard. Just because they live with me, it means that I'm their lover?" "Of course not, homie! It's just... I dunno. You could easily stay with one of them." Yeah. He was right on that one. They were living inside my house, and didn't leave it for anything in this world. But I don't think that I'm romantically attracted to them. "I can't see what you see, Andy. Now, let's just keep quiet." He nodded, and smiled ridiculously at the windshield, happily whistling as I quietly groaned in annoyance. Resting my head over the seat's headrest, I slowly close my eyes, seeing the image of the road's vastness dissipating in a blur... 1 hour later... I open my eyes, being quickly met with the now brighter sunlight. Yawning, I notice that we where still on the road. Sweet Jesus Christ... "Oh, you're finally awake, Johnny! Slept well?" Andy enthusiastically asked me, like if my return from the pitch-black world that slumber is was the most interesting thing to him. "Yeah, Andrew. So, how long till' we arrive?" "I think that in some minutes. Don't worry,pal! We should arrive there in no time!" He smiled happily at me, while I diverted my gaze to the window, noticing that the mountain range that I spotted before I fell asleep came closer. It was quite the familiar sight, memories of my past trips with Andy playing in my mind. As the minutes passed like ages, I stared at the window, admiring mother nature's beauty. I watched every single tree that we passed. And watched. And watched. And watched... "Here we are, people!" Andy announced, waking Rarity and receiving a relieved sigh from Twilight, whose patience was drained during the trip. Parking the car, we left it, seeing snowflakes falling from the partially clouded skies. The Sun's majestic light created the illusion that they were glistening. It was quite the sight. Removing our luggage, we head to where the cabin village was. Andy took care of nearly everything on the way, including our check-in. What amazes me is how he managed to reserve a cabin in such a busy resort. While Andy was checking us in, I took some minutes to scan the area: Snowboarders and Skiers were resting from rides, kids were learning how to ride, families happily walked around on the small village Minutes passed quickly after Andy checked us in, and we finally arrived at the cabin. I've stayed in those cabins many times, and their designs weren't that interesting nor new. From the village, we could see the mountain, little dots coming down from it. The mere sight of snowboarders and skiers at the distance teased me, like if it was calling me to take the lift, and ride my way down. Opening the door, I examined the interior: it was not very different from the cabins that I stayed during vacations. A small living room with a simple fireplace, an even smaller kitchen, the bathroom, and two king beds. Wait, if there's only two king beds, it means that... "No problem if we sleep on the same bed, homie?" Andrew stopped my train of thought, throwing his bag over the bed. I mentally groaned and only gave him a thumbs-up. While I don't think that sleeping in the same bed with your friend will make me less manly, he's quite energetic person during sleep. So, keeping my distance will probably spare my legs and stomach from his kicks. I turned over to the girls: their expression was of both amusement and confusion. Of course that they were confused. It was a fast change of scenery, even for me. They left their bags at their beds, and continued to examine the new environment with interest. "Okay, girls. So, where going to stay here for 2 days, and then we're back home." I saw Rarity's mouth opening, probably to ask what we're going to do in between. I cut her off, continuing my speech: "There's the mountain, of course, and a small village nearby. Plenty of things to do." They sat at their beds, resting after the long trip. I laid on the bed's edge, giving space to Andy if he wanted. The red-panted blonde walked in and out of the bedrooms, carrying our snowboards and ski. I only watched the scene from the corner of my eye, his angst clearly showing that he was dying to get out and ride the snow-covered slopes. I glared at him, finally quieting him down. He sat defeated at the living room's reclining chair, trying to relax from his anxiety. We needed a rest after all. "Hey, John. How do you exactly use this 'snowboard' thing?" Twilight's question caught me off-guard. Twilight doesn't know how to snowboard, nor Rarity how to ski. "Ummm... there are some teachers that can teach you the basics. I could try to help you too, if you want." Great one, you idiot. They smiled at me, accepting my offer to teach them. You idiot, John... you fucking idiot. Some minutes later... "Can we go now?" "Yes, Andrew, they're nearly getting ready. Wait just a second..." I stood up in the cabin's living room, snowboard in hand. Andy was doing a horrible job trying to stay calm, his leg threatening to kick the door off. I was already in my snowboarding clothes: a grey loose coat with dark blue stripes running on the sides. On the head, my hoodie covered the helmet, my goggles kept my eyes clear from the snow and a bandana covered my mouth from the cold wind. My matching black cargo pants (Also loose) matched with my grey boots, and the gloves matched with the coat. I was ready for a ride on the mountain. Hearing creaking sounds, we both look back, seeing something that I thought that I would never see in my life. Twilight was the first to emerge from the bedroom, clad in a purple coat, matching her hair, black pants, and the goggles... God the goggles! Her eyes looked so cute behind them! Then, behind her, came Rarity. She stood up in a elegant position. She was wearing a beige coat and some black pants. A perfect match, I suppose. Considering her fashion preference, she put something like a hat on the helmet to hide it, adding more to her beautiful looks. Well, the way the looked at me wasn't that beautiful. "ANDREW!!! There's a thief inside here!!!" Rarity shouted, while I looked around looking for the burglar. Suddenly, she assumed an attack pose, and rushed at me. Leaping, she delivered a delicate flying kick on my stomach. After I brutally landed on my back, she crouched on top of me, and ripped both my goggles and bandana off. I shot a frightened look at her, and Rarity's expression dropped to immediate apology. "Oh, John! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't recognized you in those... awful clothes." Her worried face turned to a look of disgust. She then got back on her feet, examining my clothing. Here we go again... "Okay, okay, Rares. I might look like a thief or something, but you can't judge a book by it's cover. And, we're going to ski n' snowboarding slopes, not exactly a fashion show." My reply somewhat of killed her pose. I stood up slowly, one hand on my belly. Shit, that was a powerful kick... Rarity then sheepishly rubbed her hands together, the cold weather already enveloping us. We exit the cabin, and Andy immediately asks me: "Hey, homie. Would you mind if I went to the mountain's top first? You'll need to find them a teacher and all that. Can I?" "Of course, dude. I'm not your father. You can go." As soon as I finished the phrase, Andy ran like an athlete, quickly disappearing. "He's very... peculiar." Twilight said, shooting a raised eyebrow at me. "I would say over-energetic. But don't get on the bad side. He wants to compete in the national championship." They giggle softly at my statement, and we walk to the resort's main area with a slow pace. It's very relaxing. And quiet, too. Just the quiet sound of the cold breeze echoing on my ears. "Hey, John. I'm sorry for earlier. I wasn't thinking straight." Rarity broke the peaceful silence, her voice begging for forgiveness. "No problem, Rares. Just don't do that everyday, okay?" She chuckled lightly at me, relieved that I was cool with her. It takes some time for us to reach the lodge. Stepping forward, we're greeted by the numerous yells coming from kids and tricksters. Before my eyes stand nearly infinite quantity of riders, skiers, families, couples, and even a elderly skier. 'So, here we are girls!" I say to them, both girls staring with amusement at the resort. I lead them throughout the madness of people riding and fighting with snow balls, and we stop at a bench. Their expressions remain the same, Twilight's looking way more amused than Rarity's. "This place must have lots of things to do... What will we do first?" She asked enthusiastically clapping her hands. "Ummm... firstly, you need to know how to ride a snowboard. It's easy. Get on top of it." She stood up and put both feet on the step-in pads. "Now, attach them to your boots." Incredibly, she did it perfectly, even though I haven't taught them. "Okay, that was easy! What now?" She asked, beaming a smile at me. "Now, you ride!" I shoved her a little, putting the snowboard on motion. Twilight desperately moved her arms around, threatening to fall flat on her face. I ran and caught her right on time, putting her back on her feet. "Yeah, you better take some lessons from those..." "No! You can easily teach me, can't you?" She cut me off before I could complete my sentence. Of course that I wouldn't argue. There are some crazy instructors here, but I wouldn't refuse their lessons. It's Twilight, John, stay calm. Still, I doubt of my teaching skills... "Okay, let's try again. Now, I see that you use the regular stance. So, simply apply some pressure on your left foot. To turn, simply lean your body back or forth, and do the same, but way longer, to stop. Now, try everything that I told ya." She gave an acknowledge nod, and tried to ride once again, hopping shortly to gain speed. She glided on the snow for seconds, trying to maintain balance. Incredibly, she managed to stand up with ease, and waved at us. Me and Rarity, now sitting on the nearby benches, signaled back, moments before Twilight lost her balance and fell flat on her face. Rarity let out a yelp, while I tried to silence the killing wish of laughing. Getting up from our seats, we both rush to the face-buried girl. "Twilight!! Are you alright?" I asked, now assuming a serious face. Her arms moved to get her up, and as soon as Twilight eye's met with mine, she nearly gave me a cuteness attack: "I did it!" She exclaimed, quickly getting back on her feet. How the hell she knew how to get up so fast? "You nearly did it. What about practicing near that cafeteria over there? I'm going to get some coffee to.. you know. Get some energy for the day. Wanna ride there by my side? You'll get better the more you try." She nodded frenetically, and Rarity only collected her skis and ski poles from the bench. The cafeteria had some inclination on it's location, what somewhat helped anyone who would reach the small restaurant/cafeteria/bar to build some speed. I grabbed my snowboard, dropped it near Twilight, and stepped in. Attaching my feet to the board's step-ins, I hopped to get on with my stance. "Ready?" I asked Twilight, whose face was focused on the not-so step hill that we were going to descend. "Wait, how are we going to get speed?" She asked, pointing to the ground. "Easy: Lean your body left." I said while applying some weight to my left foot, my board sending snow up as I slowly glided down, doing turns to brake. Finally halting my descend, I looked back at the duo, who were launching stares of awe at me. "Hey! Just do what I told ya, and control your speed! I'll help you! Rarity! Why don't you use your skis?" "Because I don't know how to use those things! Whatever, darling. I'll catch you two at the restaurant!" Wow, that's very sporty of her. Running all the way down to the multi-use restaurant. As Rarity trails off running, I sign to Twilight to come down. Twilight body slowly catches up some speed, and I only watch as she averagely perform small turns, keeping her speed low. I smile at the riding figure before me. But I couldn't hide that I was a little bit jealous. It took me 3 days to ride a snowboard properly, and this girl who says that she came from a different dimension is already performing good turns. What a shame... Well, she neared me as seconds passed, her purple figure swiftly passing through the falling snowflakes. The somewhat of beautiful scene was broken as Twilight tried to brake her descent mimicking the move that I taught her. She managed to efficiently break her speed, but at the moment her body halted, she fell on her buttocks, sending a wave of snow through the air. Before I could break into laughter, I saw that Twilight furrowed her brows in pain, and I hop to her, sticking a hand to bring her back to her feet. After she got her balance back, I noticed that she was fatiguing. "Hey, are you alright? Did the fall hurt you?" I asked her, full of worries. Those snowboard falls are getting dangerous these days. "N-no, I'm alright. Kinda of a bad fall, John. No need to worry." Stared at her purple eyes, no sign of tears. She's strong, in some way. "Huh, I have to admit that you showed some good skills there. I took nearly a week to ride properly." My comment made her blush. She looks cute when blushing. "So, let's catch up with Rarity?" She nodded, frenetically, her fall not even killing her excitement. She's showing a big interest in this sport, even for a geek. And bookworm. She had been assaulting my book collection too. "Okay then. Now that you're calm, let's go. One, two, three... GO!" We leaned her bodies to the left, getting the slow pace that this 5 degree hill could give. We calmly glided over the snow-covered ground. Twilight took light turns too maintain balance, while I followed the trail to an idle Rarity in a straight line. Ah, the sensation of snowboarding... Me and Twilight kept sliding the slope with ease, Twilight's eyes trying to photograph my moves. Finally arriving at our fashionist friend, Twilight began to take longer curves to slow down. Wanting to know if my trick memory was good, I pressed my left foot, bringing the board's nose up. I struggled a little to stay up, and after I lost the needed speed to keep with the backside manual, I weighed my left foot to return to normal riding. Taking a turn to near Rarity, I was met with impressed stares, coming from all sides. 'C'mon people, what's so special in a manual?' I thought, trying to divert the viewers eyes somewhere else. I turned to the girls, whose eyes were literally exhaling awe. "What now?" I asked, taking my feet off from the snowboard. "I never thought that I would say this, but... you were awesome there!" Twilight smiled with her eyes closed, clapping her hands together, a muffled sound of her palms meeting with each other echoing around. "Indeed. I have to say that what you did was some kind of.. professional move?" Rarity completed, taking a look around at the nearby idle snowboarders and skiers. Twilight removed her feet from her snowboard, and we headed to the cafeteria. "Professional move? Rares, I've seen kids doing those. It's not a 1080 degree corkscrew." She dove in thought, trying to figure out what a corkscrew was. Giving up from her mental guesses, she sighed and kept silent. After a few steps, we arrived at the multi-function cafeteria. Parents happily chatted while their sons and daughters pushed them to the slopes. Couples sat down quietly, holding their hands together. It always feels weird to pass by couples. I get the feeling that I'm invading their personal space. We take a seat at a random table, and a waitress immediately came to our vicinity. Twilight refused to drink anything, leaving her eyes to wander through the vast space that the mountain's base was. I removed my goggle and lowered my bandana to expose my face, and obviously be able to drink or eat something. Twilight asked if she could ride around the area, a request that I calmly accepted. She needs to learn a little bit more about riding, and no one will assault her around here. As the enthusiastic newbie to snowboarding trailed off with her board on hands, me and Rarity noticed that the waitress left the coffee cups over the table. The sight of a hot drink really pleased myself, the cold breeze already freezing my mouth and nose. I lift the cup to take a sip, enjoying the black liquid's taste. "D-darling, have you noticed that this feels and looks like... a d-date?" I choke on my coffee as Rarity said that. I swallowed the coffee before I could spit it over the table, and coughed violently. Tapping my hand on my back, I recover from the unexpected choke, and stare at Rarity, whose face flowered a vivid blush. "I-I don't think so, Rares. We're just having fun. I'm getting used to it, since people used to stare at me and Betty while we ate lunch together." Her face shows that she haven't bought my excuse. While the fact of being stared at while hanging out with your friend was true, I'm not getting used to it. Mostly because I'm now sitting with a pretty girl and drinking coffee with her. I push that thought aside, and keep drinking my coffee. We spend some moments in total silence, eyes fixed on Twilight, who was practicing around the outdoor area of the cafeteria. Calling the waitress, I payed the bill, and we remained still on our chairs, watching snowflakes descend from the skies, and blending with the rest of the snow-covered terrain. Again, a need of riding forces me to the slopes, but I remembered that Rarity didn't know how to ski. Maybe a little teaching will fix this. Skiing is way more easier than snowboarding, I think. "Let's go, Rares. To the slopes!" I pointed to the mountain, assuming a rather childish pose. Rarity only looks at me, assuming an annoyed face. "Darling, I understand your excitement, but have you forgotten that I don't know how to use those things?" "Yeah, but you're anxious to use them, aren't you?" I teased her, getting her off-guard. She looked up for a second, and sighed defeated. I find it strange, still. Twilight and Rarity looked the type of sitting at the lodge all day long. Looks can be pretty deceiving, John. Learn with that. "It's okay, Rarity. I'll teach you." 1 hour later... "Are you sure that this is safe?" "Of course, Twi. This is a beginner's course. It's not Mount Everest, you know." I stated to a panting Twilight, drips of cold sweat coming down from her face. We stood at the top of the beginner's course, kids and first-time skiers and riders training peacefully. I sighed happy. I rode in this course for years, before moving to the intermediate course. Even though I'm experienced enough to ride from the peak, riding the 'beginner grounds' is overwhelmingly nostalgic. "Hey, Rarity. Everything good?" She nodded, and prepared herself for the imminent descent. Let's just hope that my one-hour class was sufficient... "Remember: this isn't a race. So, for the love of sweet Jesus, don't crouch, or you'll go as fast as a bullet." I don't know why, but I can somewhat of see us rolling this down as giant snowballs. I put my bandana and goggles on, covering my face once again from Alaska's cold breeze. "Okay then. Ready? Set? Go!" I leaped for the descent, landing softly on the snow. I kept my speed low, remembering that I wasn't in a race. Now that was a real ride. Riding on a flat surface isn't interesting. While I listen to the sound of snow being blow by my board's tail, I take a look back to check on the girls: Twilight took curves to maintain the speed, while Rarity looked way more relaxed, making turns with grace and agility. Shit, they learn fast... Turning my head, I continue the ride. Noticing the ramps nearing me, I adjust the board to leap from them. Reaching the ramp's edge, I'm plummeted to the air, the wind soaring through my ears. I crouch to reach the board's tail, and turn my body to perform a 360 spin. I saw the world around me get dizzy, and right after my vision got back to normal, I release the grip from the tail, and my board finally landed, the tension held in my legs leaving them. I could hear some people cheering. Huh, people like tricksters here. And I'm no pro trickster. My train of thought is interrupted as a purple figure passes as a blur from my side. I slow down a little, struggling to maintain balance. Taking a closer look, I notice that the figure was in reality Twilight. Wait, how the fuck did she get so fast? I crouch to gain velocity, the wind failing to penetrate my masked face. My goggles slowly begin to white as the snowflakes that fell from the skies literally exploded on it, prejudicing my vision greatly. Finally reaching Twilight, I notice that she's threatening to fall. "TWI!!, YOU NEED TO BRAKE!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, Twilight's head turning slightly. My attempt to warn her failed completely after she performed a sharp turn to the left, getting on my way. I put both arms forward, but the purple figure already crashed against my body. Somehow, I wrapped my arms around her moments before we fell, and rolled down the rest of the course. A mess of snow, legs, arms and boards was the only thing that I saw while my body was being crushed by the body of another certain rider. My back and legs were being tortured by the cruel rolls, my vision getting blurred. We finally came to an stop, my face sliding rudely through the snow. My entire body ached, with the exception of my knees, elbows and head, thank God. I groaned annoyed at the snow, and heard a girlish yell getting closer and closer. Suddenly, two pointy things hit my legs, a beige figure being throw briefly through the air. "Ow, ow, ow..." I mumble, pulling my arms down to get up. I could only sit, considering the pains and aches around my body. I stare briefly at the snow, taking deep breaths. "Holy crap, dude. That was a nasty fall! Are you and your friends hurt?" A feminine voice asks me, a hand resting over my shoulder shortly. Strange, this voice was familiar... I stand up with difficulty, taking long and deep breaths to calm my heart. After regain my posture, I turn back to see the voice and hand's owner. To my surprise, who came to my 'rescue' was Lilly, a blonde girl that I met during high school, and well, had a crush on her. My cheeks burn with embarrassment, and I thank Jesus once again by the fact of wearing a bandana. "Hah, John? Good to see you!" She hugged me tightly, and I returned the gesture weakly. Pulling away from the hug, she lays both hands on my shoulders, scanning my body with a happy smile spread across her face. Noticing that my cheeks were cooler, I pull both the bandana and goggles out. "So, the masked snowboarder is back?" "Lilly, long time no... see! Yeah, I'm back to the slopes, Lils. Don't worry, I'm okay. I've had worse. So, how's things?" I ask her, trying to mask the pain, who was already fading away. "Pretty good. I'm here to train for the national snowboarding championship. And those are your new friends?" She turned to Twilight and Rarity, and greeted them with quick handshakes. She was the one who liked to meet new people. "Yeah, Twilight and Rarity. Don't ask how we met. It's very awkward. So, good luck with the championship. Andy's going to compete on it, too. He's on the advanced course, if I'm not wrong." Lilly made a face of awkwardness, then trailed off with her snowboard, waving shortly. She must have something to do, to leave so abruptly. Recovering from the fall completely, I turn my stare to the duo of girls who watched the scene. Twilight detached her feet from the board, and immediately jumped on me. "I'm sorry, John! I'm sorry! Are you hurt? Did I hurt you? Shou--" I place my hand at her mouth, her voice being reduced to nothing more than muffled words. "Calm down, Twi. It wasn't that bad. I've had worse. Seriously, you can get off me now." She pulled away, guilty written across her snow-covered face. "Hey, I'm not hurt. This is nothing compared to a broken leg, or a bad hit on the head. Still, did you like it?" "Yeah! It was pretty awesome! You even did a.. trick on the air!" She commented about my earlier air. I don't get it. I think that performing trick in beginner courses can get you some fans. "I liked to.. ski, John. It was very interesting. Except for the fall. And who was that mar... I mean, woman there?" She locked her eyes with mine, her tone teasing me. Am I that obvious? "She's Lilly. Met her during high school. I kinda... liked her." I blush furiously, covering my face with the bandana again, I hide my cheeks from them, their faces obviously teasing me. "Whatever. So, anyone up for another ride?" I stated, cracking my knuckles. Twilight nodded slightly, but Rarity refused to come along, telling us that she'll would be resting by the lodge. As she skied off, me and Twilight, carrying our boards, ran and boarded the ski lift. Being slowly pulled up, I enjoyed the beautiful view from the mountain. "Okay, now let's try to control our speed. I don't want to be lying face-down on the snow again." I comment, obviously referring to our earlier crash. "No problem, John. I accidentally crouched there. Sorry." She blushed slightly, her face signaling a train of thought. "No need to worry, Twi. You're a beginner after all. Still, a good rider..." I rested my arm over her shoulders, pulling her a little bit closer. While most see this as an overly-fond act, I consider it totally normal. I could feel her cheeks burning, but suddenly, she rested her head on my arm. My heart skips a beat as she returns the gesture, laying her left arm over my shoulder. I could feel my chest getting warmer, even with Alaska's cold winter. And there we sit, waiting for the lift to drop us. 'What's this weird sensation?' > Aftermath > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later on that day... Me and Twilight were finishing our... whatever descent that was. I've lost count. She really loved snowboarding. Really. And it was my fault. No, Andy's fault. He was the one who came up with this idea. But I can't whine. It's getting really funny. We've befriended the lift maintenance dude, found Lilly idly riding down the beginner's course after completing a full mountain descent, and some other things. Such as a crash-landing Andy, who went up the whole mountain again. I make a shy turn to get nearer to Twilight, who wasn't even turning. "You're pretty good at this, Twi. I must admit. You learnt to ride faster than me." I look at her behind my goggles, her cheeks flowering a vivid blush. "T-thanks, John. But I think that you are way better than me." She replied, leaning her body back to not fall flat on her face. "Oh, well, thanks. I used to compete on championships, you know. I ended up winning some half-pipes and races." I slowed down a little, noticing the growing figure of Rarity on the distance. "That's why you are better. But, if you were so good, why aren't you looking for... championships to compete on? You could try them." She asked, making a turn to keep up with my speed. " I've competed on them, like I said. Well, I can tell you about an accident that kept me from competing for some time. It's a long story..." 2012, Peak of Alyeska Resort's mountain, eastern face. Eight snowboarders stood at the peak of a mountain, a news helicopter hovering right next to it, containing both the narrator and cameraman to record the dangerous race. The weather was freezing, snowflakes falling from the sky violently. The helicopter's propellers sent snow away, barely bothering the riders who were waiting for the countdown. A small crowd of people stood nearby, raising flags with the names of the competitors. The athletes now held themselves to the gates, anxiously waiting for the race start countdown, moving their bodies back and forth to practice their launch into the descent. "Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to Alaska's Alpine Snowboard competition! This is the first Alpine Snowboarding race held in Alaskan territory. Now, let's meet the riders!" The small crowd cherished as the narrator ended his enthusiastic speech. "Firstly, we have a young champion: Mackenzie 'Mac' Fraser! While he's most know for the incredible tricks that he pulled, as he got older, Mackenzie focused more in dangerous rides..." As the presentation of Mac went on, a 19 year-old John stood nervously at his spot in the gates, cold sweat coming down his covered face, taking long breaths due to the mountain's height. He flexed his arms while moving his head right to left, his bones and muscles ready for the race. Suddenly, a soft poke on his shoulder brought him back to the real world. "Your breathing is off. Are you nervous?" Lilly. The girl beamed a warm smile at him, enough to snap John out of his anxiety and angst. "My breathing is off because of this altitude. We're nearly hitting the clouds, Lils!" He replied, breathing heavily to keep himself from blacking out. "I know, I know. It's our first non-training alpine ride after all. I have to admit that I'm nervous, too. Also, don't you think that their insistence of putting a camera on our helmets might be awkward?" She asked, scratching her red nose slightly. "No. It's on the TV. Let's just hope that our conversation isn't being recorded right now." She giggled weakly at John's statement, her body shaking from the strong wind that passed by them. "Look, they're talking about Andy." "A raising snowboarding star. Champion of many regional and national championships. The first of the youngest trio here. Andrew MacArthur!" Andrew raised his arms, the crowd shouting as loud as when Mac was presented. John's heart beat faster and faster as the narrator began his speech about Lilly. "Lilly Campbell. The second from the trio, relies more in speed than in tricks. Her determination has lead her to many medals and trophies! She is known for the bullet speeds that she can achieve during vertical drops, overtaking any opponent on the way!" Lilly raised both arms and waved at the crowd, primarily at her family. "And now, the last but not least, John Sullivan! This young rider completes the trio. He has won many medals in both racing and trick competitions! John is also known as 'The Masked Snowboarder' because of the bandana and goggles that cover his face. Now, let's get started with the race!" "You three were famous?" Twilight asked, moving herself next to me. "I wouldn't say famous. Just...known among the snowboarding community. While Andy's fame went on after the accident, me and Lilly took some time to return. Well, she returned way earlier than me. Today was my first ride after my hiatus. Lemme go on with the story..." John's muscles tensed once again as the narrator explained the race's rules and course. He took a long breath, and the narrator started the countdown: "Three!" The riders held firmly the handrails, sticking their torsos back, ready to launch themselves at any second. "Two!" The snowboarders remained still, their eyes focused on the drop. "One!" John flexed his body even more. "GO!!" The shout made the eight riders to let go of the handrails, their bodies slowly falling as the strength used to head-start faded away, their boards hitting the fresh snow that covered the mountain's surface. All of them made turns to keep from going too fast, avoiding the gaps that could tackle down an unfortunate rider with ease. Coming upon a hidden rock, John's board lost contact with the ground, having few seconds of air before his knees barely sustained the landing. However, the jump got him in third place, Mackenzie and Andy being the only leads on the run. crouching to obtain speed and catch up with the leaders. Much to the competitors despair, the rider who occupied the eighth place shouted from behind, obviously panicking due to his loss of balance: "AVALANCHE!!!" Within seconds, the rider stumbled upon another one, their bodies rolling down together while the other racers looked back to see a giant cloud of snow coming down, nearing the group as every second passed. "GO FASTER!!! GO FASTER!!!" Mackenzie shouted to John and the riders, who were losing their stance as the avalanche consumed the bodies of the fallen snowboarders. John's vision became clearer as he quickly swept the ice and snow that formed in his goggles. He spotted three riders, one of them being Mac, going straight down, trying to speed up to not get caught by the avalanche. His heart was flooded with the fear of being buried by tons of snow. With a million thoughts running through his mind, John diverted his route to the nearby woods, his body dangerously leaning back and forth as he tried to brake from his increasingly speed. Arriving at the tree-filled section, John found himself in a maze of trees and fallen logs, barely being able to dodge them. He hopped, grinding on a tree's branch, getting a clearer vision of his path before descending to the trees, dodging them with difficulty. Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared, as sturdy as John, and ended up tripping over a hidden tree, prematurely ending his/her ride with a horrible fall. "Lilly!!" John shouted, worried, speeding up to the girl's crash site. Her body remained immobile, blending slightly with the snow that fell from the skies. Not paying attention to the route, John's left arm hit a rock with strength, breaking the bone, a visceral *crack!* echoing in the distance, being only muffled by the avalanche's terrifying sound coming from the distance. John shouted while holding his broken limb with his right arm, his balance being reduced critically. Tripping over the same log that Lilly stumbled upon, the young rider struggled to maintain his balance. Much to his angst, his board hit Lilly's head precisely, launching him at the air. Barely comprehending what was happening because of his arm's growing pain, John fell flat on his chest, his nose and rib aching tremendously, adding to his numb arm.. He tried to climb with his right arm, gripping tightly on a branch. The sounds of the avalanche came closer and closer, and then, a large object fell on him, knocking the rider unconscious, his body being carried away by the feared strength of the snow-wave. We were now nearing Rarity, her head raising at the sound of our boards cutting through the snow. While we tried to diminish our speed, Twilight's expression got very gloomy. "What did knock you out? Who rescued you two?" Twilight asked, sounding so worried that any over-hearer could think that I just got out of an avalanche. "Well, ironically, what knocked me out was Lilly's body. They discovered that using the record on my helm-cam. I guess it was an eye for an eye, since I ended up giving her a scar over her right eye with my board. We both escaped it, the ski patrol finding us laying near the mountain's base. And then, we received the results: Andy broke two ribs after making a 10 feet high jump, and two riders got buried alive. After that, I stayed away from my snowboard for two years." I stopped near Rarity, trying my best to not spill snow on her, and not have a purple-haired skier on my throat again. I took my feet off from the pads, and immediately grabbed the board, taking a seat near Rarity, whose arms were folded. "Sup', Rarity? Anything new?" "No, John. I think that I took a quick nap while you two were riding for the tenth time this day." She sounded incredibly sleepy, scratching her eyes to stay awake. "Well, you said that you were too tired after we had lunch, and spent some hours down here. I think I'll take some minutes to relax..." I yawned, flexing my tired legs. Twilight, however, simply removed her board from her feet, and took a seat next to us, not showing a hint of tiredness. I leaned back, taking a long breath to rest after countless non-stop descents. At the beginner's course. The most boring course after you learn how to ride on the advanced and even on natural slopes. But I think that riding with Twilight sort of lightened things up. Taking some snow out of my board's nose, my eyes wandered to the resort's 'recreation' area, where people go to make snowmen, sit idly at the soft snow or to have snowball fights. This give me a brilliant idea. "Hey, are you girls hungry or something?" They nodded negatively, my plan slowly working. "Want to go there to... rest?" "Why not?" Rarity replied, taking both her skis and poles. Twilight and I picked our boards, and we headed to the fun zone. Arriving there, I sighed in relief realizing that no kids were having WW3 with snowballs. I walk with both girls way more confident, knowing that I couldn't get hit by a snowball traveling at 200 mph. We leave our gear at the nearest bench, and I clap my hands together, trying to catch the girl's attention. "Okay. Who's up for a snowball fight?" "Me!!!" Twilight enthusiastically replied, clapping her hands together in her trademark way, both eyes closed. "And you Rarity? Won't you join us?" I asked her, who was idly sitting on a bench. Man, she likes these benches... "Thank you, darling. But I won't participate in game that could easily destroy my beautiful hair!" She run a hand through the streaks of hair that escaped from her hat, closing her eyes in disapproval. Knowing that it would be useless to convince her, I simply begin to gather some snow to build a small barrier. "Hey Twilight. Build yourself a barrier, too." With this, she gathered some snow, copying my movements, making a inch high barrier. I myself keep from laughing, and continue raising my wall of snow. Suddenly, I realize that my fingers are freezing, even using gloves. Winter's pretty rough this year... Well, at least the snowfall was pretty regular. Adding some snow there and removing some from over there, I look at my not-so perfect barrier, thinking that it would be perfect to protect me from incoming balls. I would call it a fort, but it's too... deformed to receive such title. I look back at a group of kids, who constructed something like a real fort. I envy their constructive ability. Really. "Okay, Twilight. I see that you raised a wall, too. Now, make some snowballs to fight with me." I lower myself to form some balls with the available snow, making a small pile of ammo. We're getting ready... "Ready?" I ask, a snowball ready to hit someone's face. "You bet!" Twilight stood up, throwing a well-aimed ball to my face. I counter-attack, throwing two at the same time, hitting her on the head and chest. I sweep some snow from face, getting down to grab another ball and throw at her, missing idiotically. I take some cover to protect myself from Twilight's new barrage, my barrier effectively deflecting her shots. I stand up, my shots hitting her on the stomach, only to be greeted by another barrage, covering my whole body in snow. Taking some time to reload my armory, I see that Twilight's firepower was larger than mine, her attacks continuing viciously, bits of snow falling from the snowballs covering my hood in white. With my storage fully reloaded, I stand up, throwing snowball after snowball, creating some kind of suppressive fire on her. As each ball from my furious counter-attack hit her body, she slowly retreated back. I saved the last ball for a headshot, winning the battle against my opponent. "I surrender! I surrender!" Two arms raise from her walls, her hands make somewhat of peace gestures. I let out a chuckle at her innocent act, making my way to her territory. Rarity remained still, like if she was a mother taking care of two little demons. Behind her barrier, Twilight laid breathlessly, whipping some snow off her face and chest. I lent her a hand, easily bringing her up. Jesus, she's light. After getting up, she removed the excess of snow on her coat, a big smile being beamed at me. That warm feeling at my heart invades my chest again, a killing wish of hugging her tightly boiling inside me. I control myself, and give her a simple yet friendly hug. "Again?" I ask, raising a eyebrow; "Of course. But I'll obviously need to create more balls. Let's reload." She lowered herself to make more bullets, and I swiftly returned to my HQ, doing the same. While making some balls, I noticed the pompous figure of Rarity sitting on the bench, looking like she haven't moved a finger. A mischievous smile pops on my face as an idea invades my mind. "Hey, Rarity!" When she turned her head to look at me, a ball scored a direct hit on her face, leaving snow hanging on her hair. She let out a loud yelp the moment the ball exploded on her face. Problem it is, that she instantly got angry. "You insolent ruffian! You dare to attack a defenseless lady?" "C'mon, let's have a battle!" I grabbed another snowball, hitting her on the face again. Well, I have to admit that I shouldn't have done this. "IT...IS...ON!!" Holy shit. God protect my sorry ass. The look on her eyes is of complete hatred. She shoved Twilight aside, letting her friend fall on the snow. Suddenly, nearly every ball that Twilight made floated around her. Sweet Jesus Christ... The legion of fatal snowballs was launched against my defenseless body. Her shots were practically hitting everywhere on my body. I'm barely able to dodge her attacks, throwing some balls at my opponent, not even halting her vicious barrage. Arms, legs, stomach, face and even... "Owww..." I fall to the ground, defeated. My weak spot was critically damaged by a precise and heavy shot. My second Achilles ankle hurts horribly, leading me to curl even more on the soft snow. What the hell did she throw here? A rock? Ah, it hurts...why does it hurt so much? Breath in and out, in and out... Finally, her relentless assault on my poor figure stops at my groan of pain. My world swirls and twirls, the snowflakes doing back-flips and front-flips as I try to fix my vision. I spot a blurred figure looking worriedly at me. Wait, there's two of them? "Oh, darling. Did I hurt you?" Bipolarity for the win. I give her a thumbs up, trying to divert any attention from me. Slowly standing up, I try everything to mask away the sharp pain coming from my lower belly. "N-no, I-I'm fine..." I groan again, the pain slightly going away. I'm able to stand up properly now. "You just scored a critical hit. G-good attack, by the way." "That's why you never should challenge a lady to a snowball duel." She proudly said, horribly masking her boast attempt. "Yeah... I got it..." That's why you shouldn't challenge a girl who was telekinetic powers to a snowball fight. If you do so, use protection. "What about doing a three-way battle?" Rarity wanting to fight two people. I think that I somehow turned her sporty side on. "What about doing a four-way battle?" A voice calls from behind, nearly ghostly. We all turn to the voice, who turned out to be Andy, perfectly stopping his board near ours, joining us in our snowball battle. Perfect, just... perfect. Andrew's Cabin, 02:10 AM. Great idea, John. trying to sleep with the great person that Andy is during slumber. Probably a kung-fu fighter or something. He hit me on the lap and... yeah, I think that being kicked on the weak spot is way more painful than simply taking a snowball. But I have my doubts that Rarity's snowball was REALLY a snowball... Dodge. Phew. He nearly scored a second kick on my legs again. I think I'll consider sleeping on the couch once more. I don't know how the hell I managed to stay awake this late. It's already two in the morning. And no hint of sleep. I'll close my eyes and clear my mind of thoughts, then... As soon as I begin to lose my conscience on the black void that slumber is, a finger is softly pressed against my shoulder. "John, are you still awake?" Rarity. Is she having insomnia too? "Rarity? What are you doing awake? It's already two in the morning!" I whisper back, trying not to wake Andy and receive a flying kick. "I can't sleep." Perfect. What's the best way of curing insomnia? Ah, milk. "Let me get up. I'll take a look at the kitchen to see if there's anything that can make us both sleep..." I groggily stand up, taking care to not step on those bitchy spots on the ground that may can reveal your position to your neighbor. "Hey, put your hand on my shoulder." "Why?" She asked. Well, she has got a point. The only ones who do this are blind people. But I won't risk turning the lights on. "I won't turn the lights on. Let's save Andy and Twi some rest." Reluctantly laying her hand on me, I slowly guided myself and Rarity through the dark cabin, the moonlight weakly penetrating the windows, silence reigning if not by the heater. If my memory doesn't fail me, here's the... kitchen. Okay now. I close the door, my hand searching for the light switch. It's...here. Well, enough with a blind experience. I rub my eyes to get used to the light, noticing the fridge not far from me. I open it, my mouth hanging open at the great quantity of beverage. The kitchen feels as cold as the outside, but nothing that I couldn't handle. But Rarity herself was shivering in cold. Opening the fridge's door, I grab a milk bottle, leaving it over the minuscule table. I couldn't help myself but to steal a glance from Rarity. Strange...she looks very sad. I think that asking might help her. "Hey, Rarity. You look troubled. What's the problem?" She takes a few steps to get near me. The atmosphere between us feel gloomy. "John, you have been a wonderful po--person to me and Twilight. You are sweet, kind, generous, caring. But..." My heart aches a little at the sight of tears rolling down her porcelain face. "...I-I miss my family. My friends... my house..." Shit. She's homesick. How can I get out of this? Should I tell her about my conversation with that Celestia horse? No. It would probably break her heart... Being stuck in an alien world, not being able to see her friends and family... and worst of all, not being able to be who she is. I'm slowly understanding her sorrow... "I...I..." My mouth hangs open as she hugs me, her warm tears staining my pajamas. My heart sinks at this. I wrap my arms around her weak body. It's new for me, to see her like this. She always has that firm posture, exhaling beauty and formality. Now, she's vulnerable. Weak, broken. She responds to my gesture by hugging me tightly, her sobs getting louder and louder. I run my hand through her beautiful purple hair, eventually whipping some tears from her face. I caress her soft cheeks, trying my best to not blush madly. "Shhhhhh. Don't worry, Rarity. I'm here..." My voice fades as she rubs her head against my chest, a wave of heat shooting through my heart. Again, that warm and relaxing sensation numbs my senses. We stand still for minutes that pass like hours, sharing our body's heat with each other. Is this getting a little roma... no, no. I'm just helping her to pull through a problem. I stared at the window, seeing that an Aurora Burealis was dancing on the moonlit night sky. While glancing at the show of green, blue, purple and yellow, my thoughts wandered: 'And what about me? Am I happy?' My heart skips a beat as I watch a movie of my life. Ranging from the now distant memories of my childhood, my parent's deaths, the high school days, my now forgotten crush on Lilly, grandpa's funeral, Spidey, the snowboard championship, the accident, my first day in my new home, and finally, the day that Rarity and Twilight knocked on my door. Am I really getting away from my depression? Or am I just running away from it? "Are you feeling better now?" I asked her, loosening my grip. "Y-yes. I think that it's better for us to go to bed now." She replied, taking a long breath to regain her posture again. We both walked slowly to the door, not muttering a word. I now realized that, even when we argue about petty things, Rarity and Twilight trust on me as friends. As true friends. Before I could turn off the lights and return to bed, Rarity pokes me on the back. I groggily turn my body, Rarity smiling at me. "Yeah? Is somethi..." My voice fades away. She leaned towards me, giving my heated cheeks a quick kiss. My eyes still try to register what she did, my cheeks getting even hotter as she gave me quite the seducing look. "That's my 'thank you'. You're a great person, John." I numbly turned off the lights, not being able to remove my stare from her. Wait, why is my heart beating so passionately? > Unwanted Meeting > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I open my eyes, trying to ignore the bright sunlight coming from the window. I rub my face, staring blankly at the brown and wooden ceiling above me, my vision still blurred. I curl myself in my blanket tightly, not wanting to get off bed. My arms, legs, chest, neck, everything was sore. I think that I need to ride more frequently. My eyes wander around in the morning-lit room, noticing that Andy's spot on the bed was empty. I quickly turn to the girls, who were peacefully sleeping, shy smiles on their faces. I still try to understand how they manage to smirk while sleeping. I basically drool, and sometimes snort. I think I'll go with drooling. Taking a look at the alarm clock, I suddenly realize how late it was: 11 AM! Holy shit, I hibernated! Quickly getting on my feet, I take a last look at Twilight and Rarity, their expressions remaining the same. A warm feeling sweeps through my heart, giving me some warmness during this cold-ass morning. I think that the Sun lost to Alaska's arctic weather. I place myself on the spot where the Sun cast it's rays, letting it's weak heat envelop my cold body. Jesus, it's freezing here. I bet that Alaska is having record-breaking temperatures. I carefully sneak to the kitchen, trying to not step on any creaky spot and prevent waking up the two sleeping angels. Seriously, they look like angels when sleeping. And by just looking at them, it makes me smile. Awkward... Opening the fridge's door, I stare at it's content: a Coca-Cola bottle, some beer... well, let me keep these clear from Twi and Rares. The last thing I want is two drunken girls stumbling around in the cabin. Or worse. Wanting to snowboard and ski. Must be pretty funny. Going on with the examination, I spot a water bottle. Taking it on one hand, I rub my eyes yet again, my sore body screaming for me to go back to bed. I rub my eyes for the last time, effectively sweeping some sleep from them. I open the bottle, taking a long sip, leaning my aching body near the window. So many things have happened since the girls arrived at my house. And I have to admit: it looks like that they're liking me. A lot. Maybe even Andy. He's an idiot and everything, but I doubt he could be annoying to them. To them. He remains the same to me. Suddenly, some sounds coming from the bedroom wake me from my slight daydream. Withing seconds, two sleepy figures emerge from the door. "Good morning." After drinking my whole bottle and watching Twilight and Rarity eat some cookies, we dressed up again to hit the slopes. No, we're going to hit town. There's no way I'm snowboarding with aching arms and legs. Still, I'll bring my snowboard with me. Taking my snowboard from the bed's side, I simply leave it under my arm, Twilight mimicking my move. However, Rarity stood there, as if waiting for something to happen. "Hey, Rares. You ain't riding today?" I asked, flipping my snowboard slowly. "Of course I am, darling," She takes a pause, looking to the window. Strange... a fashion designer is now wanting to ski, something that she considered totally unlady-like. "... But I'm very tired. Could you carry my... ski?" She flicks her hair once, giving me a quick, kind of seductive wink. Hah, like if my job now is of a pack mu-- wait, who am I kidding? Of course that I'm taking her skis. I'm a gentleman after all. I take both skis and poles from the ground, leaving them under my left arm. Let's just hope that Twilight doesn't develops an instant need of witnessing another gentlemanly act. Twilight doesn't seem to notice the scene, her eyes fixed on the outside. "Let's go!" I wave my hand towards the door, both girls following me suit as I lay my feet on the soft snow, a cold breeze enough to freeze water blowing my lowered bandana slightly. Twilight and Rarity shiver from the cold weather, their eyes staring at the falling snowflakes. Suddenly, the silence is broken by a mutual stomach groan. Yeah, I need lunch. "Hungry, are we?" I ask them, spotting their shaking figures on the corner of my eye. "Yes. I presume that we're going to the same restaurant?" Twilight asked, her head turning to the mountain's base. "Yeah. And don't worry about Andy. He's training again." I let out a long sigh. He doesn't need to push himself so hard. But it's his body, not mine, even though I hold a inner worry for him. He's my friend after all. They don't reply to my comment, leaving me to my own thoughts as we peacefully walk through the snow covered cabin village, just us three there. I take a look at them: Twilight walks pretty normally, completely different from Rarity's elegant pace and stance. One is a geek, the other is a fashion designer. Of course that they behave differently. While Twilight is way more informal and eager to learn about something, Rarity simply exhales formality, as if she was a high-class someone. I have the feeling that she likes being under the spotlight. Suddenly, my mind wanders off to my work. I would really like to change my job. Being a clerk is boring. Maybe I'll try to hone my snowboarding skills and sign up for the next slopestyle competition. Who knows when I'll be competing on the next winter games... this year's Sochi, Russia, isn't it? We finally arrive at the mountain's base, witnessing pretty much the same scene when we first arrived here, yesterday. It was magical... but now it feels pretty dead. I think that's because the weather is getting ugly. But I don't see a big ass blizzard tormenting the resort. Still, I can't trust completely on my predicting abilities. While we walk once again to the restaurant, Twilight pokes me on the shoulder: "So, are you enjoying here, John?" "Why wouldn't I? It's always good to snowboard, and I think that I will try to sign up for the next Olympic Winter Games, be it on the half-pipe or slopestyle." She gives me a quizzical look, trying to process what half-pipe and slopestyle meant. I think I'll need to grow happy with their certain confusion over simple mundane things. Suddenly, she leans closer to my covered ear, trying to say something: "It's funny how Rarity can easily put stallions and men into submission." She giggled innocently. "Wait, what?!? What do you mean?" I asked her, raising both eyebrows at her cute figure. "She can easily make a stallion, or a man, in this case, do whatever she wants by simply flicking her hair and giving him a wink. That's why you're carrying her skis." I glance at the pair of skis and ski poles that I'm carrying. Shit, she's right... "I... don't know what to say. She's pretty good at it, I guess." She gives a nod in reply, leaving me to my thoughts. Great one, John. "Just don't turn into her next Spike, please..." Her face goes distant, her eyes narrowing as they watered slightly. "Oh, Spike, how I miss you..." "Spike? Ah, yes, your assistant. I... I..." There's no way of replying to this. Now Twilight's homesick. Ah, God, what to do? "It's okay, John. I'm feeling a bit homesick. I just wish that I could see my house again..." She hugged my arm tightly, drying her tearful eyes in my sleeve. Just stay calm, John. After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrive at the restaurant. Taking a seat on the chairs, we all rub our hands together in order to get warmer, a freezing wind blowing the girl's hairs. The snowfall intensified, but I think it's nothing to worry about. But the weather is sure cold. The waitress came, and I took an order for all three: a cheeseburger and some hot chocolate. It's a weird combination, but I doubt that I could drink some Coke without getting a sore throat, or worse. Twilight and Rarity look at me, as if wanting to question me what a cheeseburger is. "Okay, okay. Imagine bread." They nodded. "Cheese." Another nod. "Cooked beef." Their expression turned to one of disgust. "C'mon, are you two still reluctant?" "Kind of, darling. We're still not used to you humans eating habits." Rarity replied, arching her eyebrows. "Don't talk to me like that. You're a human too." She groaned in response. Silence fell around us, the background noise of chatter together with the clanking sound of forks and knifes filling the air. We all divert our gazes to somewhere else. I think that I'll try breaking the silence... "So, are you two enjoying--" "HEY, JOHNNY!" A voice shouts from behind us: Andy. The red-panted snowboarder waves at me from the distance, moments before stopping and grabbing his board. He rushes at us, taking a seat near me. His breath was off, probably because he was finishing his forth descent of the day. He briefly waves and smile at the girls, and greets me with a firm handshake. "So, what's up homie? I was finishing my descent, but hunger attacked me. Anything good?" "Nothing, really. I'm sore, to be honest. The girls, however, seem to be okay." They beamed smiled upon us, moments before noticing that our lunch just arrived. My stomach grunts, waiting for me to assault this delicious cheeseburger, who was apparently teasing me to swallow it entirely. On the other end, Twilight and Rarity exchanged confused looks. "It's completely okay to eat it. You won't get arrested just because you ate a cheeseburger." They remained still, while I gave them a shrug and kept biting bits off from my lunch. Andy had just ordered his own lunch. He better not ask me to pay for him. "So, homie, can I ask you something?" Forget it. I nod in reply. "Are you going to compete in the Olympic Winter Games?" Well, that was unexpected. Still, I think that I haven't got the skill to represent my country on the Olympic Games. "I don't know. I might be, I might not. And, Sochi is not exactly the house to our left. It's fucking Russia, dude!" I haven't got anything about Russia, to be honest. The cold there is nearly the same as here. But it's very distant from Alaska. "I know that Sochi isn't nearby, but what if we won a gold medal?" He asked me, his eyes appearing to contain sparkles inside. "Whatever, I don't think that I got the guts to compete right on front of the whole world, my ass being broadcast through worldwide sports channels, and the proper training." He sighed in defeat. Why to be so insistent to make me compete on the Olympic Winter Game, if the winner can be only one? There's no point in this. Lemme go on with Mr. Burger, here, or he'll freeze. A few minutes later... "So, let's go for a walk in town?" I ask the trio, who were following me suit. The girls nod, Rarity's being a little more enthusiastic than Twilight's. Yeah, she's not up for a ride today. Yet, I have to respect her lady-like behavior. They're not under my command, after all. "But, John, I need to train!" Andy protested, throwing both arms up, his snowboard following the gesture. "I know. Just remember that you just had lunch. I think that vomit on the snow isn't the best sight ever." Both girls shivered as I finished my speech. It's sure to not be a pleasant sight. Ew. Andy sighs in annoyance, anxiously flipping his board as we walk around in town. Twilight and Rarity seemed quite happy to be here. I think it has something to do with their hometown... Ponycity, Ponytown... no, it was called... Ponyville, or something like that. Strange... they haven't shown any signs of homesickness. I think that I'm taking good care of them, recently. "Hey, Johnny! Look at what I bought!" Andy poked me on the shoulder, displaying on his both hands two pairs of walkie-talkies. "Walkie-talkies, dude? For what?" I asked him, examining the black and yellow devices that rested on his gloved palms. "They're not walkie-talkies. They are radios used for medium-distance communication." He beamed a smile at me, looking down at the radios as if they were the last diamonds on Earth. "Yeah. Walkie-talkies. So...?" "Have one. Give them to your friends, too." He delivered the remaining ones at my hands. I stored mine near my mouth, so that I could easily contact who tried to talk to me. Taking some steps nearer the duo of girls, I left one to each other, Twilight and Rarity launching quizzical looks at both me and the small radios. "What's this?" Twilight was the first to ask. "A radio. You can use it to talk with someone who is out of your hearing range. For example..." I press the button that activates the speakers. "Hello, can you hear me?" Twilight and Rarity yelped in surprise as my voice played through their walkies, a curious smile forming in Twilight's face. Here we go again... "That's impressive! You humans are really technologically advanced! Can I study more, after we come back from this trip?" She asked me, the same look of curiosity on her closed eyes, her clapping hands, the ear to ear grin. Yeah, I'll have to let her use my computer, too. But only after I delete somethings. I attach the walkie-talkies to their coats, in the same way as mine. "And to talk, press and hold this red button, and then release it after you're done." They give me confused nods, shrugging. The town near the resort is simply lovely. No big flux of people, cozy atmosphere, a certain warmness that I can't really explain, and a sweet silence. Not to mention that the snow here is simply fluffy. I just love to step on it. This place is even more beautiful at night. Maybe bringing the girls later on this day might give us a great time. The silence was simply wonderful. The snowflakes descending from the skies, the freezing wind blowing through my hair... Sweet Jesus, this is awesome... "Look, if it isn't Mr. White Knight!" A scratchy voice called from behind. Strange... White Knight was a nickname that... The 'Frostie Cobras' gave me during High School. God, please, tell me that this isn't them... I slowly turn my body towards the source of the voice and... Ah, God it's them!!! Like if the beating that I gave them years ago hasn't worked very well!! Argghhhhhhh... "Lookie here, if it isn't Mr. Whitey Knightey, and Andy, his retarded friend!" The trio burst into laughter, while I glared furiously at them. Nobody calls Andy a retard if it isn't me.... "Fuck off, you douchebags. It seems that your high school beating haven't changed a thing in your mind?" I counter their taunt, effectively silencing their child-like laughs. "Oh, look. He's practicing white knighting again! How beautiful! How long 'till one of them gives him a blowjob?" Okay, that's enough. I throw both my board and Rarity's equipment to the ground, preparing to blow this poor fucker's teeth off. Suddenly, two arms wrap around my coated chest, halting my rush to the trio. I turn back, seeing that Andy was trying to keep me from fighting. I take a long breath to re-compose myself, asking the idiots that stood in front of us: "What the fuck you want from me, Butch? Another bloody nose?" "No, no, no, Johnny. I just want to, together with my friends here, challenge you to a race. If we win, we're going to settle some scores with you and Andrew. If you win, we leave you alone." He smirks at me, while he his friends (Whose names I can't remember.) chuckle dumbly. What an idiotic challenge... I'll go. Maybe I'll finally kick those idiots assess. "Okay, then. You two, stay here. I'll take care of those douches." I alert Twi and Rares, whose faces were of fear and desperation. "Oh no. They're competing too. And the race will take place on the eastern face." Butch gave me another annoying smirk. "Are you insane?!? They don't even know how to alpine snowboard!" I protest, only to be stopped by the sight of a shining object coming from his pocket: a knife. A very unpleasant memory from the past comes to mind. There's no way I'm getting out of this... They ran off, leaving me and my friends alone in this silent corner. I take a moment to ponder on what they just got me into. I don't even care if they have a knife. I've seen Butch playing with one of them: he stabbed himself on his palm. And I won't call the authorities. I'll deal this by myself. This will probably take them off my back. I sign to them to follow me to the ski lift. We run behind the group of idiots that was taunting us moments ago. Andy and the girls seem a bit reluctant to follow me, but do so because of the lack of options. After we sit on the ski lift, Twilight questions me: "John?!? What are you doing? You're really going to follow them and do what they want?" "Of course! I remember what they did to me when I didn't accept one of his challenges. They vandalized grandma's house!" I take a pause to forget about the damage that they caused to granny's home. Fuckers... "However, while in the past they were only idiotic bullies, now they want to 'level up'. His knife is an example. To be honest, it's no military knife with a serrated edge. It's a kitchen knife. Still cuts through flesh." I take a long breath, trying to relax my body. He mentioned the eastern face... And you're taking your friends to it, John! What's wrong with you? "But you said that you had taken care of them before! What do they want with you now, darling?" Rarity asked, leaning slightly to maintain eye contact with me. "They want revenge. For what I did years ago..." 2008, Anchorage, Alaska A daydreaming John left the school grounds, literally hovering around due to the kiss on the cheek that he received from Lilly after helping her with Maths. The summer day was adding perfectly to dreamy expression, the sunlight giving him a cheerful aura. If he could stop hovering and walk again, he would probably hop through the streets. "What a lovely day!" He exclaimed, happily looking at a bush full of colorful flowers. His daydream and hover-walk lasted shortly, being prematurely halted when he took a turn at a corner and ended up face to face with his nemesis, a group of three teens who called themselves the 'Frostie Cobras'. He found the name extremely ridiculous, but they didn't seem to notice. His lightening expression died as his eyes spotted his three enemies, who stared at him devilishly. John stepped dead on his tracks, wanting to avoid the bullies. "Back from another session with Lilly, White Knight?" Butch, who was considered the leader, spoke, cracking his knuckles fiercely. "No, smartass. Get the fuck outta my way!" John protested against them, trying to penetrate their three-man barrier. "No, no, no. We've been waiting for a long while to do this. C'mon, Frostie Cobras, let's beat the man out of him!" The trio assumed fighting stances, John doing the same, but way more distracted due to Butch's mention on his 'gang's name, whose he found extremely childish. Butch tried to deliver John a long, heavy side-way punch, which he dodged with ease. Seeing an opening in his opponent's legs, John kicked his weak spot with all of his strength. Butch's irises decreased as he fell nearly lifelessly to the ground. The standing teens' eyes shot open as their leader collapsed, surprised with John's attack. One of them tried to give him a puch to his face, but John dodged again and grabbed his arm. With one swift movement, the visceral sound of a bone breaking rang through their ears, and another Cobra collapsed. The remaining one, however, desperately tried to put John down with a low kick, but he easily knocked him out with a uppercut, a line of blood coming down his chin. Looking down at the wounded and beaten enemies, John whispered: "Don't ever fuck with me again, faggots." Realizing that someone could notice the scene at any moment, John rushed to his house, leaving the 'Frostie Cobras' to themselves, groaning and grunting in pain. "So, yeah. My father taught me some moves before he died. I kept honing them, and the fight against them wasn't that difficult. They weren't very experienced with fighting. They tried to make me pay for what I done by telling the school's director, but, what happens outside the school, isn't of the school's concern. So, I managed to get out of it unscathed." Twilight and Rarity, together with Andy, remained with their worried expressions. I could tell that someone was getting annoyed with the ever increasing difficulty of breathing. "Hey Twi, save your breath. Inhale normally, adding a little bit more of air to your lungs. The higher we get, the most difficult it is to breathe. Please, don't look down or back. We are pretty high." Suddenly, I felt a hand running down my arm, eventually stopping at my palm. My heart skipped a beat as this apparently body-less hand tried to interlace with my fingers. Rarity. This wasn't really a gesture of affection. It was a gesture of fear, of low confidence. Still, it feels pretty fond. My heart beats a bit faster. My stomach feels like if it was doing back-flips. I replied to her act, whispering on her ear: "Everything's going to be alright... don't cry... I've got this..." I raise my voice slightly to alert the rest of our group. "Twi and Rares, you don't need to race. When me and Andy go for it, stay, and we will try to knock 'em out." "What about their knife? Doesn't that makes this more dangerous?" Twilight asked, taking a long breath. "Well, he's better knocked out than on my throat with it. We're kind of lucky that he got soft with us." Indeed. I don't really know how to disarm someone with a knife. And there we stayed. Sitting on top of a ski lift, reaching for the clouds, ready to compete against a group of idiots, on one of the most dangerous slopes here. And I'm with two inexperienced riders. I'll let them stay behind, going slow. After a few minutes of complete silence, we finally arrive at the advanced course's top, our breath being completely off due to the high altitude. The girls were way more off than mine and Andy, mostly because we're kind of used to it. The weather has worsened, the mountain's base being nearly impossible to spot. I wrap both girls withing my arms reach, and we start picking the trail to the eastern face. "Just remember to breathe. There's no need to panic up here." Even Andy, who's quite experienced with high altitudes, was breathing with difficulty. When we reached the trail's start, we noticed a small sign talking about the height and the constant danger of avalanches and whiteouts. I covered Twilight's eyes before she could read it, and activate her panic mode. Rarity, who happened to read it, gave me a look behind her goggles that was nearly asking me if this was the site of the accident that we suffered two years ago. I reply with a single nod, not even able to ease the suffocating tense atmosphere that surrounded us. From a quiet and calm walk, to a race on the top of a mountain. There's no going back, John, c'mon... I'm beginning to feel bad for Twi and Rares. They don't understand the gravity of the situation. Or they really did, but managed to hide that flawlessly. Passing through the difficult trail, we arrive at the freezing peek, noticing three figures pompously standing on top of it. My mind quickly shows me the day of the accident, a shiver going down my body. I don't like this place. The 'gang' members easily see us, and Butch calls me: "So, you got the courage to come up here after your disaster, White Knight?" I don't reply to his comment, turning my head slightly to Andy. We were both fearing an avalanche that could take our lives. Twilight and Rarity, on the other end, were utterly fearful and terrified by the fact of not being able to breath normally, and primarily because we're next to three failed bullies. Before we could set up for the race, I whisper to them: "Hey, when me and Andy go, stay here. We will try to knock 'em out, and then, we climb back, everything will be fine, and we will spend the rest of the day at the cabin. Okay?" They gave me acknowledged nods, faking their warming to the race. I look to Andy, giving him a signal, which he replied with a not-so happy smile. I turn my gaze to Butch, who was already starting the countdown. "Okay, let's.... GO!!" Butch screams for no reason, he and his 'goons' leaping for the race the same moment as me and Andy. I glanced to the now relieved pair of girls left behind. I sign to them to stay, before aiding Andy in our fight. I near an unaware member of the gang, throwing him a powerful punch, leaving his body roll lifelessly the mountain's perfect powder. "That's what you got for fucking with me again, faggots!" I shout, getting the other one's attention enough to make Andy's jump on his head successfully, knocking him unconscious. Butch, who was trying to desperately escape from the fight, neared my snowboard, and somehow, smacked me in the stomach. My world began to swirl and twirl as a mess of legs and snow was the only thing that my eyes could capture. I roll on my back repeatedly, finally coming to a stop, lying face down on the snow. When I get up... Thankfully, my body was still good, no broken bones, pretty good. Well, what was pretty good was the scene that I ended up watching after sweeping some snow off from my shoulders: Andy managed to somehow shove Butch to the ground, and hit him repeatedly on the head with his snowboard. "Hey, Andy! He got what he deserved. Come back here!" With this, he grabbed his board and run to my position, while I call the girls through the radio. "Hey, you two can come... down. We are... 'parked' at a... step point, so descend slowly. It's not... beginner's course, remember this." I take several pauses to save my lungs some air, a thick whiteout surrounding my freezing body. "O-okay, John. We will go down slowly..." Twilight managed to find the red button and replied to my call, a sound of boards cutting through the snow being briefly. Andy finally reaches me, tapping me on the shoulder, his face covered with ice and snow. "That... was... awesome!" He exclaimed, taking long breaths. Andy rubbed his hands together to keep warm, but the cold wind and even colder air that we inhaled was overwhelming. Within seconds, I hear some sounds coming from behind, two feminine figures emerging from the whiteout. They brake slowly, stopping right by our sides. "I see that you guys are okay. That's great..." I take a long sigh of relief at them, wrapping them together in a hug to share some body heat. "Y-yes, darling... Now... how d-do we get o-out of here? It's f-freezing here..." Rarity is the first to break the hug, her voice shaky. "We just go down nice and slow, so that we don't lose eye contact. And don't worry about those idiots. They got what was coming at them. Let's go..." I hop slightly to put my snowboard in position. Before we could slowly descend the mountain, we hear a loud noise coming from behind. It sounded like a... "HOLY SH----" 5 minutes later... Snow. Snow and more snow. That's everything that I can see now. Wait, it cannot be, no... Sweet Jesus, I'm buried. I'm buried alive. Oh, fuck no... There's no way that I'm getting out of here. I can't move my arms... my bones are aching due to this temperature. Don't panic, don't panic... I thank God once again for the fact of wearing a bandana, who was somehow keeping me from suffocating here. If only I could dig upwards... Wait, which way is up? Great. I'm buried, and with complete loss of direction. Maybe my arms could reach my face and create an air pocket.. It's getting difficult to breathe. C'mon, John. You'll get out of here. Thankfully, my goggles are still on, so I can see what's up front. Well, shit tons of snow. Simply. God, this is turning out to be helpless. Still, I won't give up so easily. My right arm managed to dig it's way up to my chest, my cold glove coming in contact with my coat. I slowly pass my hand over my body, trying to find something of use... The walkie-talkie! Yes, lemme see if I can pick it... My hand grabs the radio weakly, struggling to bring it to my ear. Okay, I just need to press the button, and talk: "This is John *Cough* Sullivan. I'm..." I gasp for air. No, there might be still a little bit of oxygen here... "Johnny? T-thank God, I got to talk with you. I-I-I n-need..." His voice fades away with scared gasps. Holy shit, now I remember. He's got claustrophobia. "K-keep calm... dude. Can you *cough* dig your way out... of there?" I ask him, taking a longer breath. Oxygen is running out here. I can't die here, please no... I don't want to suffocate... "I-I-I T-think s-s-so. Let me try..." A sound of digging is heard until he removes his finger from the button. Please, tell me that he's getting out of it. Suddenly, a muffled voice is heard by my side. Wait, by my side... it might Rarity or Twi! I refill my lungs once again, gathering all of my strength on my left arm to dig. And dig. And dig... Suddenly, a hand grabs mine, making my heart skip a beat. I found someone! "Hey... *cough* Andy... I-I found s-s-someone!" I slightly raise my right hand to allow more oxygen inside. "G-good, homie! I-I think that I-I'm g-getting out... Yes! Fresh Air, thank God!" Yes, Andy got out! There is still some hope, after all. My grip on the arm-less hand tightens, and I accidentally let some air escape from my lips as the hand tries to push me closer. My body moves a bit to the left, making me lose my air pocket. Snow covers my face once again. Shit, shit, shit, I can't breath! No! "Andy! *Gasps for air* Faster... p-please... *cough*..." The snow is passing through my bandana, penetrating it's minuscule holes. Sweet Mother of Jesus. Save air, John, save some air... This is getting completely hopeless.. my lungs are screaming for air. My vision is getting darker... no... please... "Air..."