>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