- >You've been in P0nyville for about six days now
- >And spent most of them working
- >Despite the best efforts of Rainbow Dash, the snow keeps falling and falling
- >The Mayor's had to pull in p0nies just to keep the streets passable
- >And now even that is becoming difficult
- >You pause and wipe your forehead
- >This is tough going
- >You decide to head to Twilight's for a break
- >She can usually cheer you up
- >You raise your fist and knock on the door
- >Twilight opens it this time
- >She seems to perk up at the sight of you
- >"Hi Anonymous! What brings you here?"
- Oh you know, I'm just looking to get out of the snow for a bit...
- >She steps aside and allows you to enter
- >You crouch through the door and stomp your boots out
- >You don't intend to stay too long
- >You go to sit down on the couch
- >But you can't
- >It's occupied by Rainbow Dash
- >She's busy snoring
- >Waitaminute
- >THE Rainbow Dash?
- >The one that's been working desperately to keep the skies clear?
- Hey Twilight?
- >"Mhmmm?"
- >She's got a tin of popcorn in her mouth
- What happened to Rainbow?
- >She sets the popcorn down
- >"She was in to borrow the latest Daring Do book, and she just collapsed"
- >"So I put her on the couch. She needs the sleep"
- >You opt to sit on the floor
- >This turn of events presents you with mixed feelings
- >On one hand, Rainbow Dash really does need to sleep
- >She's been working around the clock for days now
- >On the other hand, your job just got a lot harder
- >You start to get up
- >"Won't you stay for some popcorn?"
- >Then sit back down
- >Twilight has the popcorn on the stove
- >And you're not one to turn down popcorn
- >Besides, a few more minutes can't hurt
- >As you exit the housebrary, the change caused by Rainbow's absence is immediately apparent
- >What before was medium snowfall has worsened into heavy flurrying
- >You pick up your shovel and start working
- >Tonight's going to be a long night
- >You shovel
- >And shovel
- >And shovel some more
- >Any progress you make fills in 20 feet behind you
- >As night falls, you can see a light ahead
- >Other than the street lamps
- >As you approach, it gains definition
- >It's a pony plow
- >And it looks like it's stuck
- >Flat bladed plows don't work well in snow this deep
- >Inside, you can see AppleJack straining at the harness
- >She always was a stubborn one
- Hey AppleJack
- >She ceases her struggles at the sound of your voice and turns her head
- >"Howdy Anonymous, how's it goin'"
- Fine, fine. You look like you m-
- >A massive shockwave drowns out your voice
- >This is serious business
- >It throws the falling snow itself back a few feet
- What the fuck...
- >"That was the call"
- The call?
- >You're almost afraid to look up
- >You might see the batsign
- >"The Mayor is calling an emergency meetin'"
- >Another pulse hits, and this time flashing lights join it
- >They're coming from the auditorium
- >Damn
- >The town's emergency warning system is wubs?
- >That's pretty awesome
- Well come on then, let's go
- >"Ah can't leave the plow just sittin' out here.."
- >You look more closely at the plow
- >There's a mound of snow in front of it higher than the blade
- AppleJack, that plow isn't going anywhere
- >"Ah can get it! Ah know ah can"
- >You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose
- >AppleJack is one of the kindest p0nies you know
- >Hell, you're staying in her house
- >But she can be so stubborn...
- AppleJack, you can freeze to death trying to move that thing or you can come with me
- >You heft your shovel in one hand and unhook the lantern from the sled with the other
- >Using the lantern to light your way, you trudge off towards town hall
- >Muffled hooffalls behind you tell you that AppleJack has finally bowed to reason
- >You aren't having too much trouble forcing your way through the snow
- >And AppleJack follows in your footsteps
- >So you make pretty good speed
- >Every now and then a door opens and a tired looking p0ny stumbles out
- >As you ford through the snow, other p0nies follow AppleJack's example
- >Pretty soon, you have a small trail of p0nies behind you
- >The town hall looms over you like a sleeping beast
- >You open the door
- >Then stoop inside
- >You stand aside as AppleJack enters behind you
- >Then reach through and hold the door open as p0ny after p0ny enters
- >When the last p0ny comes through, you close the door
- >The secretary points to the other door
- >"Meeting's in there"
- >She has managed to retain her cool
- >And her bored expression
- >So you head through the door with AppleJack
- >Inside, a large table dominates the room
- >Around it are many chairs, with a larger one at the end
- >Currently occupied by the Mayor
- >There are a few pink bowls full of various confectionary treats, along with three plates of jello
- >Various office supplies also litter the table
- >Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie sit on her left
- >On her right sit Twilight and a conscious Rainbow Dash
- >AppleJack trots over to sit next to her
- >The rest of the p0nies take seats around the table
- >Among them you recognize Vinyl Scratch, and Big Macintosh
- >You're not sure where to sit, so you just stand back against the wall behind your friends
- >Once everyone is settled, the Mayor speaks up
- >"I've called this meeting due to the weather emergency currently encroaching upon P0nyville"
- >"We need a more efficient method of clearing the streets. Our current techniques are rather... Lacking"
- >"Furthermore, we've already had two p0nies come in from the more remote residences, frostbitten and starving."
- >"These residences are rapidly running out of food, so our solution must also provide a means of creating and maintaining paths to these residences"
- >"If anyp0ny has any ideas, now is the time"
- >Chaos erupts
- >Every p0ny at the table shouts their idea into the air in general
- >The Mayor bangs her hoof on the table
- >"ORDER!! ORDER I SAY!"
- >The pandemonium ceases
- >"Now, we'll go around the table, one at at time. Filthy, you may start"
- >Filthy, a brown p0ny wearing a collar and tie, clears his throat
- >"I will admit I don't have an answer to the problem with the streets, but couldn't our pegasus ferry supplies to the remote housing?"
- >B+ for effort
- >But that won't fly
- >Literally
- No
- >"NO!"
- >Rainbow Dash peers back at you before continuing
- >"Under normal circumstances, that would be an great idea. But flying in this visibility is a good way to get lost and freeze to death"
- >What's this?
- >Rainbow actually admitting there's something she can't do?
- >This must really be a big deal for these p0nies
- >You've seen worse, of course
- >But this place seems to have a milder climate than Alaska
- >"Thank you Filthy. Next!"
- >The rest of the table has similar ideas
- >Nice in concept, but lacking in execution
- >They range from "Build bigger plows" to "Dig tunnels"
- >What these p0nies need is a better plow shape
- >Flat blades are crazy inefficient
- >A swept, wedge shaped plow would do wonders in this situation
- >You don't know the manufacturing capabilities of this town
- >But you're fairly sure putting out a whole new fleet of plows can't be done in a night
- >As you ponder this issue, a purple flash catches your eye
- >Twilight is using magic to demonstrate a flaw in a townsp0ny's theory
- >Magic
- >Of course!
- >Magic is the answer to freaking everything around here
- >Why can't it work here?
- >When the latest p0ny finishes
- >Something about bridges from building to building
- >You step forward out of the shadows
- >Most of the table recoils, with the notable exception of the Mayor and your six friends
- >Damnit
- >You really need to remember to take off your scarf and goggles when you're going to be around p0nies
- >It probably doesn't help that your scarf looks like an open maw when wrapped properly
- >You yank off your facial coverings
- If I may...
- >"Go ahead"
- What you need here is a better plow shape
- >"Go on..."
- Instead of a flat plow, you need a wedge shaped plow
- >You grab some paper and sketch your proposed shape from several angles
- >It's a replica of the plows from back home
- >"And what's that going to do for us?"
- >"Why should we even trust that... thing!"
- >"What the hay is even going on!"
- >Pandemonium erupts once again
- >There isn't time for this bullshit!
- >You bang your fist on the table
- >...ouch
- >But everyone shuts up
- >Hmmmm.
- I believe a demonstration is in order
- >You point at Twilight
- Can you help me?
- >"Sure"
- Alright
- >You reach out and grab two trays of jello
- Twilight, I need you to make a flat, solid wall of magic
- >She does so
- >You hold down the base of one of the jello trays
- Now I want you to try to push the jello off the tray
- >The magic wall slowly advances against the jello, eventually pushing it off the tray
- This is what the plows you have do
- >You look at Twilight once more
- Now, if you can form your magic into the shape I sketched earlier...
- >Her magic takes the shape of a swept plow
- >A modified wedge, the front part sweeps back before curling back up in line with the bottom
- Now try to push through the jello
- >The new shape cleaves straight through the jello, splitting it neatly in two
- >The two halves are then shunted off the platter by the wedge shape
- Instead of forcing all the snow to move in front of you, this shape divides the snow, then moves it off to the side
- It will not keep the whole street clear
- But it will give you paths through the snow that you CAN use
- I propose any and all unicorns that can be mustered use their magic to form this shape and plow until physical replacements can be made for non-magical use
- >"Anonymous, that's a great idea!"
- >Thank you, Twilight
- >"But we still don't know if it works at scale!"
- >It's the first p0ny. Filthy, his name was?
- >"I volunteer to test it!"
- >It's Vinyl Scratch
- >Good ol' Vinyl
- >Outside, the snow continues to pile up
- >It's about up to your thighs now
- >Or neck level on a p0ny
- >If it wasn't blizzard conditions before, it sure is now
- >The entire council stands on the front step of the Town Hall with you
- >Next to you is Vinyl Scratch
- When you're ready, Vinyl
- >Her horn lights up with a blue aura
- >A shimmering blue plow appears in front of her, reaching up to head height
- >She looks to you
- >"Is this it?"
- Move the top back a bit... Good, now a little more curve in the front...
- >You adjust the plow until it looks right
- Go for it!
- >She trots down the steps, plow at the ready
- >You bite you lip
- >She slips a bit on the steps, but then gets solid footing on the ground
- >She then proceeds straight away from the Town Hall at a gallop
- >She makes a gradual U turn and comes back up the steps
- Atta mare, Vinyl! good job!
- >You pat her on the back
- >"Now that that's settled, let's go back in" says the Mayor
- >With the physical bits out of the way, a plan swiftly forms
- >The unicorns present would go and wake other unicorns
- >Then the lot of them would make for the remote residences
- >If they had adequate food supplies they would be left until the morning, but if they didn't they could come stay in the town hall
- >Your job, meanwhile, is to keep the paths in the streets clear for their eventual return
- >So, back to work
- >You've been shoveling all day and your muscles are sore and tired
- >But you can't stop now
- >You have your end of the plan to keep up
- >You push yourself
- >No snow shall sully these paths on your watch
- >The monotony is occasionally broken by an approaching glow
- >Then, you usually step off to the side
- >A unicorn would come past, sometimes followed by several other beleaguered looking p0nies
- >Lately, you've seen less and less p0nies about
- >After a half hour, you decide it's time to head for the town hall
- >Just to make sure nobody's still out before you stop
- >Ahead of you, you can see a purple glow
- >But it's not like the glows you've seen before
- >It's...
- >Weaker
- >And it's flickering a bit
- >With a final flicker, it goes out
- >That can't be good
- >Up ahead, the path ends abruptly
- >you can see a speck of purple against the snow...
- >Oh fuck
- >Is that Twilight?
- >You are Twilight Sparkle
- >And despite being covered in snow
- >You don't feel cold anymore
- >You almost feel a tingly warmth
- >And you're really tired
- >Being the smart p0ny that you are
- >You read up about what happens if you spend too long out in the cold
- >And you're fairly sure you're in the final stages of hypothermia
- >You put out a light for as long as you could, but now it falters
- >you are also finding it harder and harder to care
- >And you're ever so sleepy...
- >You are Anonymous, and this is not fucking happening
- >Not again
- >Not like Sonny
- >You drag the purple p0ny up out of the snow and shake her fiercely
- >She's not even shivering
- >This is bad
- >Very, very bad
- TWILIGHT!
- >You roughly brush most of the snow off her
- >Damnit tears, not now
- TWILIGHT ANSWER ME
- FUCK TWILIGHT, DON'T YOU DARE FUCKING DIE ON ME!
- >You are Twilight Sparkle
- >And Anonymous just woke you up
- >"Oh hai Anonymoush, how are you?"
- >The cold is making you slur
- >Anonymous responds by opening up his... jacket
- >Then he pulls you against his torso and zips it most of the way up so your head sticks out the top
- He then wraps both his... arms around you and stands up
- >It's so warm inside his jacket...
- >So why are you shivering?
- Hi Twilight, I'm doing just fine. How are you
- >"O-o-h, y-you k-k-know..."
- >The shivering has extended to chattering teeth
- Twilight, you need to stay with me
- >"O-o-okay..."
- Keep talking to me
- >He peers about
- Twilight, can you make the plow shape?
- >That might be a problem
- >"M-m-my h-horn is t-too c-c-cooold..."
- >Wait
- >What is he doing...
- >You are Anonymous
- >And that was close
- >Way too close
- >You yank off your gloves and stick them in your pockets
- >Then you wrap both your hands around her horn
- >...Well that brought some color to her cheeks
- >Which is good
- >It means blood flow is returning
- >When the horn no longer feels cold, you release it
- Warm enough?
- >"oooohhh y-yeaaaahhh..."
- >The plow appears in front of you
- >Without hesitation you take off at a dead sprint
- >"H-hey Anonymuoush, h-how c-c-come y-you a-always e-end u-up c-c-carrying m-me?"
- I don't know
- >She's not out of the woods yet
- >You are currently in the shopping district
- >All the shops are closed and locked
- >You consult the map of the town in your head you've built over the last few days
- >The closest house is...
- >Twilight's housebrary
- >Good
- >You won't have to knock
- >Twilight's plow gives out when you're a few meters from the door
- >"Uh oh..."
- No worries, eh?
- >You plow straight through the remaining snow
- >And duck through the door with expert precision
- >You blow through the library and straight to the living area
- >Where there's a crackling, roaring fire in the grate
- >Thank you, Spike
- >You release Twilight from the confines of your jacket and set her down in front of the fire
- >"Anonymous..."
- >You don't reply
- >Instead you dash into the bathroom and seize several towels
- >"Anonymous, listen..."
- >You begin vigorously drying her off with the towels
- >It is of tantamount importance that the gets warm as soon as possible
- >Once she's more or less dry, you wrap her in your jacket and set her right up in front of the fire
- >All this complete, you sit back and allow your swirling emotions to run free
- >For a moment, all the feelings return
- >The pain
- >The sorrow
- >The loss
- >But you did it this time
- >You saved her
- >She's still alive...
- >Twilight is the first to break the silence
- >Her face is still a rosy shade of red
- >"Anonymous, how did you know?"
- What?
- >You shake your head and clear your thoughts
- >She's been sitting in front of the fire for a while now
- >She hasn't said anything
- >Probably from the look on your face
- >But now she's looking at you
- >"How did you know how to treat hypothermia?"
- >You consider her question
- Where I come from, it's cold like this for the better part of the year.
- Training on how to treat hypothermia is part of something every young boy learns.
- I know it better than most, though.
- I lost a... a good friend to the cold.
- >You look at her
- >"Do you want to talk about it?"
- >You've never talked to anyone about it before
- >But for some reason, you trust this p0ny
- Sure...
- Sonny was one of my best friends
- That wasn't his real name, of course. He was an Indian, and his real name was hard to pronounce. So we called him Sonny
- I can still remember that day in the cafeteria
- It was the start of the fourth grade
- He was sitting off at a table by himself, and I had just gotten back from legal workings in Texas
- I decided to go sit down next to him, and we became fast friends
- We both held many of the same interests, and I spent a lot of time with him
- He was like a brother to me
- >You stop
- >This is stirring up the memories even more
- >"If you want to stop..."
- No. No, this.. this feels good. To have it out.
- It was during a camping trip we went on in high school that he died
- We hiked high into the mountains to an old cabin we knew about
- He had gone out to get water when the blizzard came over
- I called for hours and hours
- Eventually I went out with a guide line tied to my waist so I could find my way back
- I found him propped up against a tree, and dragged his sorry ass all the way back to that damn cabin
- I stoked up the fire, but I hadn't moved fast enough
- He died in my arms, Twilight
- He went to sleep and never woke up again...
- >You don't cry
- >You have shed enough tears for Sonny in the past
- >You've got a lump in your throat
- >But that's all there is
- >Twilight, however, has no such qualms
- >You can see her tearing up from where you sit
- >"Anonymous, that's horrible..."
- >You say nothing
- >Instead you look her straight in her purple eyes
- >With the sorrow of all your years
- >Then look up at the ceiling
- >Only for something impacts your chest
- >Twilight has you in a death grip
- >Wow
- >You never had her pegged as the touchy-feely type
- >You tense up for a moment, but then relax and wrap your arms around her
- >She did almost die of cold
- >And then listen to your shitty story
- >Her eyes are closed
- >She presses her head against your own, and you can feel her tears as they run
- I got to you in time, Twilight. I was fast enough.
- >And you were
- >You have honored your friend's death by saving a life in his name
- >The turmoil of emotions churning in your gut begins to settle down
- >You feel...
- >At peace
- >You sit for what feels like an eternity
- >Then, slowly, you can feel Twilight releasing her grasp
- >You let her go, and she sits back on her haunches
- >Welp
- >No time like the bloody present
- Twilight?
- >She looks up at you
- >"Yeah?"
- I know this is a bit much to ask
- But we need to go and make sure no other p0nies are freezing to death
- >"Alright. Let's go!"
- >She gets up and starts heading for the door
- >You commend her spirit
- >But you have other ideas
- Do you think you could make a bigger version of that plow?
- >Confusion occupies her face now
- >"I could. But why would you need a bigger one?"
- >You move over and put a big log on the fire before continuing
- Remember my truck?
- >"Oh. Oooohhh"
- >She's quick, this p0ny
- Think you could make a plow big enough for it?
- >"Yeah, no problem"
- >You grin at her and pick up your now-dry coat
- Then let's go
- >Damn, this is way easier than shoveling
- >Why didn't you think of this before?
- >You're cruising through the streets of P0nyville with a magical plow in front of you
- >Twilight sits on the seat next to you, a look of concentration on her face
- >After clearing P0nyville, you move on to the roads to the outer residences
- >Sure enough, you headlights pick out a bright green glow up ahead....
- >You are Lyra
- >And this plowing stuff is hard
- >You are definitely going to vote for a salary raise of the plowp0nies next time you're in town
- >But for now, you need to get back home and make sure Bon Bon's alright
- >You never got to see Anonymous and his marvelous hands
- >But you're told he devised the very plow shape that sits before you
- >So awesome!
- >Is it getting brighter out?
- >There's a light coming from behind you that wasn't there before...
- >HOOOOONK!
- >You nearly jump out of your coat
- >That's one of the loudest noises you've ever heard
- >You stop and turn around
- >Two lights project a wash of illumination on the snow in front of you
- >Is that...
- >Is that Anonymous's... Truck?
- >It is!
- >A door on the side opens and out steps none other than Anonymous himself
- >Oh Celestia
- >It's Anonymous
- >Don't screw this up
- Hey, what's your name?
- >"I'm.. I'm Lyra"
- Want a ride?
- >"Would I ever!"
- >You actually get to ride in Anonymous's truck?
- >Wow!
- >He turns around and leads you to another door, then he opens it
- Hop in
- >You are Anonymous
- >And you're not so sure about this "Lyra"
- >She's been staring at you ever since you got back in the driver's side
- >More specifically, your hands
- >Fortunately, there appears to be a house up ahead
- Is that your place?
- >"Huh? Oh... Uh, yeah, that's my house"
- Well then, this is your stop
- >You reach over and open the passenger side door for her
- >She hops out
- >"Thanks for the ride Anonymous! See you soon!"
- >You close the door and look at Twilight
- Is it just me, or was she...
- >"Lyra is a bit... odd"
- >Whatever
- >You put the truck back in gear and drive on
- >You've checked almost all of the outer roads now
- >Both you and Twilight are getting tired
- >You're headed back to town on the last road you haven't checked when you see a blue glow up ahead
- >That glow looks familiar...
- >You stop your truck and jump out
- >In front of you stands Rarity
- >The last p0ny you would expect to be out this late
- Hello, Miss Rarity
- >"Hello Anonymous"
- Would you care for a ride into town?
- >"I would love one"
- >And with that you lead her to the truck
- >You let her in the truck and resume driving
- >"Hi Rarity"
- >"Oh, hello Twilight"
- >Now something's bugging you
- >Rarity is the most proper p0ny you've met
- >Why would she be out so late?
- Rarity, I can't help but wonder why you're the last one out here
- >"Why, I'm the Element of Generosity darling! And I couldn't stop while somep0ny is in need!"
- >Element of Generosity
- >You file that one away to ask Twilight about later
- >After dropping Rarity off at Carousel Boutique, silence reigns in the cab of the truck
- >Then Twilight speaks up
- >"Anonymous..."
- Yeah?
- >"You can spend the night at my place if you want to"
- I appreciate that
- >The rest of the ride passes in silence
- >When you arrive at the housebrary, you park in the same spot you parked before
- >Then you both head inside
- >You insist that TWilight use the bathroom first while you get off all your snow gear and hang it up in front of the fireplace to dry
- >She finishes in the bathroom, and you enter
- >After relieving yourself and rubbing your face with water you exit
- >She leads you up a ladder and to the bedroom you deposited her in several nights ago
- >You get to sleep in the guest bed
- >Fair enough
- >Turns out Spike has been sleeping this whole time
- >Good for him
- >You take off your holster, strip off your outer clothing and remove your glasses
- >You're glad Rarity is working on some new clothes for you
- >The ones you have are starting to smell a little funky
- >You then proceed to collapse into the bed
- >Your feet hang off the end, but you don't care
- >Twilight climbs into her own bed, then turns out the light
- >"Good night Anonymous"
- Good night Twilight
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AlaskanAnon in equestria ch. 5
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