Timber

>The wind howls hard his morning.

>The cold cuts right through my coat and chills me straight to the bone.

>At least I have my scarf.

>Thank Christ I got my hovel built before it got too terrible out here.

>My dumb ass thought it would stay spring time all the time.

>LOL NOPE!

>Winter came faster than expected and I had to throw my shelter together in a hurry if I thought I was gonna survive for very long.

>A ragged and torn tent doesn't do much in the way of warmth and protection from the elements.

>So I did the first thing to come to mind.

>A house built with sticks!

>Sealed in mud.

>I'm a hardcore survivalist now, mother fucker!

>...

>Motivation died quickly.

>It's not much to look at but it works.

>It insulates enough heat and doesn't suffocate me with carbon monoxide during the night.

>Has carbon monoxide even been discovered in this world yet?

>Ah whatever.

>Everyone else's problem, not mine.

>Time ticks by.

>A minute.

>Three minutes.

>Ten.

>Holy hell, I'm bored.

 

>Swish, swish, swish.

>Stab!

>From Hell's heart, I stab that thee vile tree stump with thy mighty stick.

>I am the greatest swordsman in the land!

>This is how I pass my time out here.

>...

>My God, this is fucking gay.

>Taking a look around, I see that no one is around to see me acting the fool.

>Thank Christ.

>No one ever comes out here, but it's always good to be a bit paranoid.

>Plus it would be embarassing and rather hard to explain what I'm doing.

>Battle practice with my knife?

>Yeah, that's believable.

>Spitting the stick out, I decide to take a breather.

>Going back inside my makeshift home, I take a seat beside the dying fire and drop another log to fuel it.

>I only have two logs left.

>Now's as good a time as ever to go out and split some more.

>I tighten my scarf and throw my pack up behind me.

>After sliding my axe into a leather loop on the pack, I head out through the cloth 'door' that used to be my tent.

 

>Call me stupid, but I'm rather fond of the scenery around my little camp site.

>And a bunch of dead trees and stumps aren't good for property value.

>I travel a short ways away from home to get my firewood.

>The wind and snow make the walk less than enjoyable.

>It's not even that cold; just wind chill.

>The trees caught some of the snow as well so it wasn't as deep if you were walking beneath them.

>All in all, it could always be worse.

>This light snow could be a white-out blizzard and the temperature could drop deep into the negatives.

>A five-minute walk it would normally take in the spring takes 15 in the snow.

>I enter into a small area of the forest where a couple trees was already fallen over.

>The remaining stump of the first was what I used for a chopping block.

>A large pile of the pine boughs leftover from each tree sat off to the side.

>My most recent tree only had a single chunk of log left.

>I set it up on the chopping block and drop my pack.

>Perhaps a larger stockpile outside my home would be the best thing as opposed to the small pile I've been keeping before.

>Slipping the axe from its place on my bag, I take aim and chop.

 

>"How far do we have to go for some stupid wood?"

>"This should be good."

>Two ponies came sauntering out of the woods as my axe cut clean through the log.

>The impact and surprise of seeing someone out here made them jump.

>The crack of the log covered their yelps, but I caught them in my peripherals.

>I held my axe as I looked over to them.

>Reddish earth mare and a gray female bat pony with sunglasses.

>The earth pony had an axe on her person and the bat pony a spear, which she leveled at you.

>Jeez, it's like she thinks you're an axe murderer or something.

"Sup," I finally say, breaking the tension.

>"Hey," greeted the Earth pony.

>"What are you doing?" demanded the bat pony.

>I look at the axe in my hooves, down to the fresh cut logs on the ground, then back up at the bat.

"You serious?" I inquired.

>"I mean what are you doing out here without an escort?  It's dangerous out here."

"I live out here.  About a half mile that way," I said, pointing towards home.

>The bat lowered her weapon and tilted her head to the side.

>"Why?" she asked.

 

>"Do I know you?" asked the earth mare.

"Probably not.  I don't come into town often."

>"How long have you been here?"

"Well over five months."

>"You've been in the woods since we got here!?" she asked again.

"What?  No that's only like two or three.  I've been in Equestria for five months."

>"Really?  What's your name?  I don't recognize you."

"Blue."

>"Blue what?" asked the bat.

"What?"

>"Yeah what," she repeated.

"I- Uh... Just Blue?"

>I'm not quite sure what she's asking.

>"Your name is Just Blue?" asked the bat.

"No.  My name is Blue.  B-L-U-E.  Blue."

>The bat tilted her head again.

>"Why?" she asked again.

"Because fuck you, that's why."

>"Whoa.  Easy there, dude.  I'm just asking."

>"Blue, huh?" asked the earth pony.  I know the name but not the face.  My name's Feldspar."

"Charmed."

>"I'm Redlight," introduced the bat pony.

"What up with the sunglasses?" I ask her.

>"Fuck you, that's what," she came back with a grin.

"Alright I deserve that.  The real reason?"

>"Sun hurts my eyes."

"That makes sense.  So can I help either of you?"

 

>The two mares exchanged a look before they realized what they were suposed to be doing.

>"Oh right!" exclaimed Feldspar.  "We're chopping wood."

>She empasized her point by waving her axe a little.

"Funny.  I was as well."

>I took a quick glance at my chopped log.

"Although we're gonna need a new tree.  My last one just ran out."

>"I'm on it!" said Feldspar as she picked up her axe and walked to the nearest pine tree.

>Redlight and I followed behind and stood and watched as Feldspar took a swing.

"So you said something about an escort earlier?" you ask Redlight.

>"Huh?  Oh, yeah.  There's been some predator sightings around and a guard will accompany someone as they venture out to keep the citizen safe."

"How's that get decided?"

>"We're assigned days."

>Redlight took cleared a spot in the snow and sat down.

>"It's bullcrap," she grumbled.

>"I volunteered for this," said Feldspar as she continued to chop at her tree.  "I could use a break from the mines."

"Nice."

>"How about you?" Redlight asked.

"What?"

>"Why do you live out here?"

"I like the woods.  Used to be an avid outdoorsman back on Earth.  It's my dream to build and live in a cottage out in the wilderness.  I'm halfway there," you say with a soft chuckle.

>"What do you mean?" asked Feldspar as she took another swing.

"I mean my 'house' right now is a pile of-  Whoa, what are you doing?"

>I ran up and grabbed Feldspar's axe before she could take another swing.

 

>Feldspar looked back at me confused and Redlight was also wondering just what the hell I was doing.

>"I'm chopping this tree down?" replied Feldspar with a questioning tone.

>I shook my head.

"No, no, no.  You're doing it wrong."

>"Hey, give me a break.  I'm a miner, not a woodsman."

>I let go of her axe and walked over to the tree she was hitting.

>Feldspar was going to go straight through the bottom of the trunk.

"You chop it like this," I tell her.  "A 'V' cut goes here."

>I motion the shape of the cut with a hoof over an area on the tree.

"It goes a little over halfway though.  Then over here,"

>I walk to the other side of the tree.

"Another 'V' cut goes just above it, a little over halfway again.  This causes the tree to weaken at the bottom and fall in the direction of the lower cut."

>"Oh...  Okay.  That makes sense."

>I walk back behind her and next to Redlight.

"You're good to continue.  I just wanted to point out how to chop a tree."

>"Okay.  Thanks for that, Blue."

>Feldspar started carving out that lower wedge.

"Alrighty then.  What were we talking about?"

>"Your house," reminded Redlight.

"Oh yeah.  It's a piece of crap.  Literally a pile of sticks mortared in dried mud.  Holds together quite well, if I do say so myself."

>Redlight shivered and pulled her cloak tighter around her.

>"Is it warm?"

"Only when my fire's going.  It works for the expedient shelter it's supposed to be, but come spring I'll need to invest in some real building materials."

 

>"Sounds like you've been doing fairly well," commented Feldspar.

"As of late?  Not really."

>"What do you mean?"

"Well it turns out I didn't plan that far ahead and managed to completely forget that winter was rolling around."

>"So what?  You don't appear to be an ice sickle yet," said Redlight.

"It's not that it's cold and snowy out.  It's that I didn't plan to store food for the long run."

>"What did you think you were just gonna eat flowers and stuff all year?" she said with a laugh.

>My cheeks turned a tinge red and I embarassingly rubbed the back of my head.

"Actually...  Yeah.  I did."

>Feldspar let out a poorly hidden laugh.

>Redlight as well.

>"Well why don't you just go get food from town?" asked Feldspar as she finished the first wedge and moved around to start the second.

"No money."

>"Make a trade."

"Trade what?  There's nothing but snow out here."

>"You could trade firewood for something," suggested Redlight.

"Wood for food?  Who would do that?"

>"You'd be surprised," said Feldspar.  "The whole reason we're out here is because we got drafted to supply the town with a bit more wood.  It's in high demand right now."

"I thought you said you volunteered?"

>"Same thing," she replied, taking another chop at the tree.

 

>I sat in relative silence for a minute or two after that.

>Mulling over my options in my head, that definitely sounds like the best course of action.

>Trade several pounds of wood for some flour or something.

>I could make some good old fashioned hard tack to last me quite a while.

>Storing it would be a sinch as well.

>And shit, provided I could find a hive somewhere, I could flavor the biscuits with honey.

>Blue, you are a genius.

>I gave a soft laugh and patted myself on the head.

>I had no idea my eyes had closed, but when I opened them, the two mares were looking at me quizzically.

>Clearing my throat, I excused myself and Feldspar went back to her business of killing the pine tree.

"You know what?" I said to Redlight.  "I just might do that.  That would give me more reasons to go into town and actually make myself useful to this community for once."

>"Glad to hear it," said Feldspar.

>"You'll have no issue finding buyers," assured Redlight.

"Awesome.  Looks like I finally have a job.  As soon as Feldspar here is done chop-"

>"Timber!" shouted Feldspar as the tree started to fall.

>Myself and Redlight bolted from our spot as it came right for us.

>The pine tree hit the earth with a mighty crash.

>"I always wanted to say that," said Feldspar with a beaming smile.

"Nice job," I complimented.  "Now lets get this bastard pruned up and diced."

 

>I went back to my pack to grab own hatchet as Feldspar started removing the branches and pine boughs from the fallen tree.

"So you gonna help?" I asked Redlight.

>She shook her head.

>"I'm just here to supervise," she said.

"Ah.  The most important step," I said with a chuckle.

>"What?"

"Nothing.  Inside joke.  You can help anyways by dragging these branches over to that pile over there."

>Directing her to the pile of scraps nearby, she groans but agrees.

>Time to get some work done.

>After the tree was pruned, we got to work chopping it up into some manageable pieces.

>That took a bit long than I thought since we had to repeatedly go through the width of the tree many many times.

>Eventually it got done and it became time to split the logs into useable firewood.

"You want to go?" I asked Feldspar.

>"Sure thing," she said as she placed a log on the chopping block and raised her axe.

"Now hit it as hard as-"

>"He-yah!" shouted Feldspar as she chopped her axe down and into the log.

 

>The axe stopped deep into the wood, but didn't split it.

>She tried to pull it out, but the axe head was wedged in good.

>"It's stuck!" she cried as she repeatedly lifted the whole log up and chopped down harder and harder.

>It eventually split, but she was dog tired by then.

"I do that crap all the time," I said with a laugh.

>Redlight joined in my amusement.

>Setting up a second chopping block, I also begin splitting some firewood for my own uses.

>Needless to say, I pull off the same crap as Feldspar and failed to split the first log.

>It was embarassing, yeah, but didn't I just say I do that too?

>Redlight was in hysterics as she watched us work.

>Jokes, curses, and insults were thrown all ways.

>It was a good time.

>Feels good to be able to josh around with others for once.

>After I cut a descent amount of wood, I bundle some up and drop it in my pack.

>Another inside and a bundle on the outside.

>A freak idea comes to mind.

>Hauling three bundles at a time is stupid inefficient.

 

"Hey.  Question."

>"Shoot," replies Feldspar.

"How do you two plan on hauling this back to town?"

>"We got a wagon nearby," said Redlight.  "Can't take it this far in due to the trees and deep snow, though."

"Well crap.  I think it's high time I invest in a vehicle of my own.  Perhaps a sleigh."

>"Or a convertable wagon!" exclaimed Feldspar.  "Replace the wheels with skis for all-terrain travel!"

>That...  That's really not a bad idea in the least.

"Do you know who I would ask to commission something like that?"

>"The blacksmith, probably," suggested Redlight.  "If not, I'm sure he can tell you who."

"Awesome.  Thanks a ton."

>I could probably procure some kind of makeshift tobaggan to haul firewood from here to home.

>Until then, I'm hoofing it.

>Redlight shivers hard.

>"Damn it's cold out.  Can you hurry?" she says to Feldspar.

>"I'm chopping as fast as I can!  Maybe if you helped more we could get this done."

>"I sure could go for a rabbit right now..." she grumbled.

"You eat meat?" I ask Redlight.

>"Of course."

>She opened her mouth and pointed out her fangs.

"Okay, yeah.  That makes sense.  Is it only bat ponies?"

>"I've seen others, but yeah, mostly bat ponies eating meat."

>Suddenly my idea of hunting and selling meat and furs becomes all the more worthwhile.

 

>Redlight shivers again.

"You know you'd be less cold if you were actively doing something," I tell her.  "You could use a different cloak as well."

>I lifted her cloth cloak and let it gently fall back around her.

"Leather is great for keeping dry in the rain, but fur will keep you warm.  That cloth you're using ain't gonna do much, I'm sorry to say."

>"Oh yeah.  That would be some high fashion clothing right there."

>"Fur clothes?" asked Feldspar.  "Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having fur ourselves?"

"You can only stay so warm on your own," I say, playing with my scarf.

>"True."

>"I should ask around to see if anyone has a pelt lying around.  Oh!  And some beed stew."

>Redlight started drooling at the thought of a warm meal.

"I'd eat meat, but I'm afraid of getting some kind of retarded disease.  Like Mad Cow or the shakes."

>"That's understandable," said Feldspar.

>Feldspar was stil working, but I was just hanging out for the sake of hanging out.

"So..."

>I stood rocking back and forth on my hooves.

"I'm gonna take off.  I'll see y'all later."

>"Later," said Redlight.

>"Bye Blue.  Hope to see you at the inn sometime."

"Yup."

>Putting my axe onto my pack, I throw it up on my back and take off back home.

 

>As expected, the fire's dead when I get home.

>Dumping what was in my pack into a stack outside, I grab a few pieces and bring them inside.

>The coals were dark and cold.

>It was truly dead.

>Picking out some tinder and smaller pieces of wood, my flint striker catches the pine needles easily and it quickly builds into a nice and toasty fire

>Maybe I'll just sit here and nap for a while before I got fetch some more wood.

>I'll probably have to cut a new tree since Feldspar and Redlight were planning on taking quite a bit with them.

>I close my eyes and fall asleep fairly quick.

>Coming to once again, I stand and go outside.

>I must have slept way longer than I wanted to because it was now dark outside.

>It was at least about 5:30 or 6:00 in the evening.

>Welp...  It's too dark to go back tonight.

>I'll have to do it in the morning.

>Grabbing a few more pieces of wood from outside, I stack them inside my little hovel and toss a few more on the dwindling flames.

>Today was easily the most productive and fun I've had in recent weeks.

>More ideas and future plans are coming to.

>I'm going to have some serious work to do.