Conquering Cold

by RationalCube

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, Dark, Sad, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Romance, Noteworthy, Sex
Length: 8331

I'm not saying love can change somepony, because ponies don't really change. All I'm saying is that love's a force that's powerful and strange. Two certain earth ponies find a way through the harsh winter.

A relatively shy earth pony named Rational Cube made his way to Ponyville around 2 years ago. The only people he really knew were people from previous performances he went to only when he was in desperate need for money. But over the winter of the second year, he met another colt and... well... Things got a little more serious.

Published 2014-02-09 15:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-14 22:05:50 UTC

The Irony in a Name

Conquering Cold

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"I still don't know what I'm waiting for."
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Chapter 1: The Irony in a Name

Rational Cube was probably one of the least fitting names for a certain young stallion, who was shorter than most other earth ponies he knew. His mind drifted as he slowly made progress shoveling his walkway, a necessity considering the blizzard that was due the next morning. His mild scarlet fur didn’t really help with the cold though. It would have been so much nicer to be a black furred pony. Or maybe a taller pony. Or a pegasus- or even unicorn for that matter. Being an earth pony sucked.

For one, he wasn’t even able to shovel that well. His teeth were getting sore gripping the shovel for so long, and his boots were almost certainly frozen over at this point. If he were a pegasus, he wouldn't have even needed to shovel his walk. Celestia, that would have been great. Either way, Rational Cube still didn’t suit him very well. It was too mathy. He used to adore mathematics, but now… It was just kinda something that he never got around to doing. It used to be required- in school- but now that he was out of there, math was something that very rarely found its way into his daily routine.

He was glad that he was out of school. He could have gone for longer, he could have become an apprentice or learned a trade, in fact, he had wanted to do just that. His parents had been proud of him. He’d never really liked the south anyways, so he thought that when he finished grade school he’d move onto something bigger, and far away.

Ponyville sure was far away, he supposed. Well, not that far, but far enough. It was just about smack in the middle of Equestria, the three-dimensional triangle that whose corners were the south, Canterlot, and Cloudsdale. There were other cities and towns, of course. Manehatten was one that he’d been to for a very short time. He hadn’t liked it there. Too many ponies and not enough space. And then there were others. He could have run even further away, outside of Equestria. When he was in the process of moving, in fact, the short earth pony had debated going all the way to the Crystal Empire. That possibility was soon crushed when he found out exactly how much a train ticket would have costed him.

The little town that he lived in was nice, though. It had a nice little library in which he spent a lot of his time. He loved all- or, well- almost all of the books in that place. All of them but the books about the south. Sure, he had grown up there, but he’d been practically kicked out when his parents had-

The stallion shrugged his shoulders and sighed. He’d promised himself that he wouldn’t think about that. At least not for a while. He would have time enough in the future to come to terms with the facts. More time than his parents had given him. As he turned back toward his work, he faintly felt a strong wind blow over his near-frozen fur. He would have to finish shoveling the next day, after the storm.

Plowing through seven feet of snow was going to bucking suck.

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As the orange pony slowly made his way inside, he debated with himself once more. About his name- again. His parents had wanted him to be a scholar. Maybe a professor. His dad had been one, before he had moved down to Appleoosa with his mother. However, the young colt had preferred music over the more boring subjects. Language was running a close second, however, quite a bit in front of Mathematics and various types of sciences.

He wished he’d been named something that would fit his talent. Or his personality, for that matter. His old friends always used to laugh at him in Geometry class. He used to be able to draw circles easy, but straight lines never seemed to be his strong suit. Also, he was never very logical. At least he never used to be. How he acted used to be considerably affected by how he felt that day. He remembered that some days he would cry for hours upon hours, for no reason other than he was feeling a bit sad.

When he’d found music, however, his entire life had changed. Not only was he able to release his emotions in a safe- and not to mention beautiful- way, but he could also bring that joy to others around him. He loved singing most of all. He loved the feeling of being on stage, staring back at hundreds of smiling faces, and knowing all that happiness was created by a song that he had made with his own lips, teeth and tongue. That feeling by far outweighed the deeper, darker one that came up before going on stage.

Sometimes, when the stallion got stage fright, he would lay backstage, clutching his hind legs like a filly as he rocked back and forth whimpering the lyrics of a happy song to himself. Sometimes he would break down in tears. Sometimes he would throw up, and sometimes- very rarely- he would do nothing at all. Those were the best times. When he felt terrible and nervous, but when he knew that he would do amazing and he shouldn’t feel like he would let the audience down. He almost never did anyhow.

The young stallion sighed as he opened his door. He sighed almost all the time now. It was another way he could let out his emotions. It was satisfying feeling the air rush out of his lungs. Especially now, as he could see his breath rise and float away towards the clouds. They were so high up, so free above him. He almost wished he was on one right now. Nopony would know where he was and they’d probably leave him alone for at least one bucking second. Not that anypony really bothered him. All he got were a few curious and judgemental stares, not really any confrontation.

As he stepped inside the warm house, he thanked his past self for putting the kettle to a boil. He’d need something warm after working out in that weather for so long. First though, he stood by the fire for a bit. thawing his boots and frozen fur, taking a towel to his dark brown mane. He sighed again as he took the kettle off the stove, pouring it in a nice tea mug he’d taken from Appleoosa. This time, remembering how much easier it had been down there, where it barely ever snowed. He sat on the couch and pulled a book from one of his shelves, fetching a blanket to keep himself warm as he read.

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Mornings always seemed to sneak up on the orange stallion, and he’d never really been a fan of them either. He pulled back his curtains and gave a yelp of surprise as he was momentarily blinded by a sea of white. However, as soon as his vision had cleared up and the dark blue spots floating around in his eyes vanished, he looked back. Stunned by how beautiful winter could really be, even in the middle of a storm. It was his second winter, his second year away from… his hometown. If he could call it that anymore. He enjoyed the solitude of living up here as well as the constant change of seasons. And the diversity. Everypony here was different than anypony down in Appleoosa. And a lot were quite a bit cuter. Like that one cyan pony Noteworth-

Rational shook his head furiously. “Ya wern’t gonna think ’bout that! Stop it!” He didn’t usually talk to himself. Much less yell at himself. But when thoughts like that came up, he felt the need to. The stallion knew it would do no good, he liked colts just as much as any colt liked a mare, but he couldn’t help pushing back his feelings after how his mother and father had treated him. And they weren’t even the worst.

The stallion held back tears for no reason as he made his way across the house. He started humming a tune from way back when. His first performance in front of an audience. He couldn’t remember the words after so long, only the tune. It was a lullaby, he knew that. He turned back and walked the other way, still humming the same tune. Rinse, and repeat.

Almost thirty minutes later, the stallion noticed he had long since stopped singing to himself. All he was doing was pacing back and forth, biting his lips in what could be described as anxiety. That was what the Ponyville’s doctor said he had. Post Temple Something Disfunction or something. Apparently it was a big problem and, not wanting to argue, the stallion took his medication each day. Only two pills. That was it. No more, no less.

He remembered a story the doctor had told him. About a stallion almost as young as Rational himself. He’d had the same disorder. Apparently in an attempt to make his disorder lesson, the stallion had started taking more and more without asking the doctor. Apparently he’d died. Debating his own fate, the scarlet pony felt a prick in his lips where his teeth violently ripped through the flesh, bringing him back into his own reality. He stopped, realizing he had been pacing yet again. He looked down and saw a drop as red as his fur slowly make its way to the ground, splattering in all directions as it landed on the wooden floor.

The stallion quickly rushed over to the kitchen, grabbing two paper towels from the rack and placing them firmly on the spot, making sure no excess drips were anywhere. After a minute or two, the stallion found himself calm enough to make his way back to his kitchen, searching his cabinets for his pills before quickly plopping two into his mouth. Then, slowly, he made his way back to the couch he’d read on the night before, plopping open a book in an attempt to entertain himself until the storm ended.

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The sun had already started growing low by the time the earth pony finished his shoveling, and the shovel along with his lips were caked in frozen blood. What did you expect? Biting on your lips would have no consequences? Stupid good for nothing-. His self-directed insults trailed off as he hopped back inside, quickly fetching his saddle bag from beside the door, getting ready to return his books back to Twilight Whatever-Her-Name-Was at the library.

Today wasn't quite as cold as the day before, but it might as well have been. By the time the red stallion got halfway to the library he could already feel sharp points as every move stuck an icicle from his fur into his body. He felt a strong wind again. Then again, and soon he saw snow coming down as well. Sighing in annoyance and cold, the young stallion started to quicken his trot to a gallop, forcing himself to make his way to the library before another blizzard could hit.

The earth pony probably looked like a complete disaster by the time he made it to the library. Snow covered every inch of his body, not to mention the big chunk of red snow that was growing wider every second around his cut mouth. His deep brown mane had stayed more or less intact, however. He burst in the door, hearing a cry of surprise from what sounded like purple alicorn who ran the place. Before looking around to see who exactly had made the noise, he remembered manners and quickly stuttered out “Ah- A- Ah’m sorry, be right back” He took a step outside, shook himself off, and made his way back through the doorway, careful not to come in too quickly or leave the door open for too long.

It was then that the earth pony realized that the noise had not come from the alicorn, but from her assistant dragon, Spike… or something. He made his way back inside, taking off his iced-over boots while mumbling apology after apology to the young dragon, just barely catching a glimpse of battered hope in the assistant’s eyes. “Ah’m sorry a-a-again. Ah did- didn’t mean ta startle ya. Ah just- What’s wrong?” The helper looked close to tears when the earth pony asked that question.

“Oh, it’s just nothing. Twi’s out in the storm, that’s all. You can go to the fire if you want, I’ll stay down here and… wait. She’s probably at one of her friend’s house, if you want. I’ll be fine” Spike sniffled more than a bit. Rational could tell that the young dragon was scared for his friend, but he didn’t really know what to say. The pony slowly made his way to the back of the library where the fire was, dropping his books in the return bin on the way there. Looking back, he could see Spike take a seat next to the door, waiting, like he was probably doing before the earth pony had barged in. He’d been so rude to the poor little dragon.

Soon enough, the red earth pony noticed himself drifting off to sleep in the library. It was too late to go back to his house, and Spike had long since stopped waiting for Twilight. He was still worried, but she must have found her way to one of her friend’s houses by now. He made his way through the now dark library towards one of the couches he sometimes read in. On top, he could faintly hear the sound of another pony snoring. Probably somepony who had been there before the earth pony or had made his way in while he was drifting in between sleep and the waking world in the other room.

Careful not to touch the sleeping pony- earth pony, judging by the faint outlines in the dark- the earth pony made wedged himself in the small space beneath the couch. It would keep him warm enough through the night, and the faint weight of the couch on his back provided him with a sense of security. After a couple minutes, the red pony started his journey to sleep yet again.

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Rational Cube was woken pretty rudely to say the least. The feeling of another pony landing on your head is not something that most ponies want to be woke up with. “Ow! What was thet fer…” Still half asleep, the red pony attempted to rub his head in displeasure before realizing he couldn’t move his arm. At all. He was trapped under something heavy to say the least. Terrified, the pony’s eyes jolted open, only to see next to nothing as only gray pre-dawn light filled the room. He squirmed in fear, wondering who would kidnap him, who would bring him here. Nopony even loved him, they wouldn’t even get ransom money. He let out a cry for help into the night, feeling the pony who had been violently thrown on top of him toss and turn as well. He was completely oblivious to the fact that he was, in fact, perfectly safe inside a library.

After a few more minutes of terror, the earth pony calmed down. Nopony was going to save him, and he wouldn’t ever get out of what was keeping him hostage. At least not until someone let him out. Slowly, he opened his eyes again, giving his eyes enough time to adjust this time. He needed a plan of escape if he ever wanted to get out of here, and he might have already ruined his chances by screaming so loudly. After a while, he saw rows of books upon books, and a diagram of the stars on the ceiling. Who would keep these in a place where they would kidn- Oh.

Rational breathed a sigh of relief as he took in his surroundings. He wasn’t trapped. He was in Twilight’s library. Also, he could get out from under from the couch just fine. If only the bucking colt who’d fallen off the couch would move from above his head. He felt his cheeks and ears heat up in embarrassment before he closed his eyes and rolled back into sleep.

Author's Note

I guess it's time for me to get around to actually writing my first fic. Thanks guys for reading this, I plan to continue it if people actually like it. Or maybe if I just get bored like I did today. I just kinda wrote the first thing that came to my mind. I wanted a pony who moved from the south who did a lot of music, but the only pony who remotely fit that criteria was Braeburn, who I didn't really want to put into here.

Anyways, this chapter probably really sucked. Thanks for reading it though. Please, PLEASE rate it and comment on how I could improve. I tried mixing my own experience with anxiety and panic attacks, and as a heads up they can become pretty dark.

Thank you once again, and I hope I can keep writing this story~

Somepony to Help

Conquering Cold

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“Lean on me”
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Chapter 2: Somepony to Help

Noteworthy was a pretty deep sleeper. At least usually. Apparently he would sleeptalk and sleepwalk on a regular basis, but he never really woke up until morning. This morning wasn’t that different, other than the fact that he woke up on the floor. The low bars around his bed usually kept him from getting out too easily, so that was a bit of a surprise. Opening his eyes was another surprise. He was staring at a fuzzy brown wall of… hair? Curious but not afraid, he turned over to look at his surroundings.

Above him, he could see dark constellations centered in the middle of a wooden ceiling, walled off by books. He turned back as the brown wall began to slowly move around, revealing a red earth pony who seemed completely trapped underneath the couch Noteworthy had been sleeping on. Careful to not startle the sleeping stallion, Noteworthy rolled up to a standing position. When he was finally standing, he pushed back the couch to unveil the upper body of the smaller pony. Slowly. He could see the red pony’s muscles tense in his sleepy state as the quiet movement of the couch threatened to wake him.

“Ah’m okay mom, Ain’t got noth...” Noteworthy softly chuckled to himself in the morning light. He was glad somepony else sleeptalked beside him. It was comforting, in a way.

“It’s okay bud, just wake up when you feel like it.” He ran his hoof down the brown mane of the other pony, in what he hoped was a comforting manner. The red pony looked a bit like his younger brother used to, nice and warm in his sleep, without a care in the world.

The blue stallion softly padded towards a window, glancing outside to see sheets of white still coming down from the sky. What were the pegasi up in Cloudsdale doing? There wasn’t supposed to be another blizzard until next Wednesday. They’d probably be trapped in this library until then anyways, judging by how much snow had already accumulated on the ground. Letting out a firm puff of air, he turned back to stare at a fireplace, filled with charred wood. Huffing again, he started emptying it to get it ready to host another fire.

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Rational opened his eyes slowly this time, giving himself enough time to take in the surroundings before freaking out again. He was glad that somehow the couch had been pushed off of him, and grateful for whatever sleep-possessed movement had made him do that. He turned his head, glancing at a blue pony who seemed to be struggling with flint and steel.

The red steed wiggled himself out from underneath the couch, shivering as he realized just how cold it’d gotten, even with the magical barriers he suspected the alicorn had put on the library. He took a seat a couple feet away from the blue pony, who he couldn’t see the face of quite yet.

The blue stallion looked up to see Rational making his way across the floor, calling out, “Oh hi! You’re finally awake! That’s great!” Then, realizing that he was almost twice as loud as he should be, he quieted down to a near-whisper. “I just wanted to start a fire, you know. To warm things up a bit in here.”

Rational smiled back at the blue stallion, placing his face and name. Noteworthy, that was it. He’d seen this pony sing at a few concerts, and play piano. Both of them were hard to do, but at the same time… His amber eyes always seemed to glow so brightly whenever the red pony got a glimpse of him, and his voice was so lovely whenever he was on stage. Rational inched closer to him before jerking his head back. “Ya said ya wern’t gonna think ‘bout those kinda things ‘gain, remember?”

Noteworthy stared back at him, startled at what the pony had said to himself. “You okay there, bud? All I said is that the fire’ll be up in a minute or two. I just wanted us to be warm…?” The red pony shook his head quickly, seeming to clear his mind as he opened his violet eyes yet again.

“Yeh, ah got that. Sorry ‘bout that. Ah just thought something… Name’s Rational Cube, yer Noteworthy, correct?” The red stallion forced a smile as he sat down closer to the stallion than he intended, quickly scooting back to a more reasonable distance.

“Yup, that’s me! I think I’ve seen you sometimes at some parties. You sang at the Ponyville Gala two days ago, right?”

“Sure did, partner. So did ya, if I r’call correctly. Ya have a mighty fine voice...” The red pony slowly trailed off, feeling his ears and cheeks heat up in the cold. His fur would cover that up, no worries. “Ah- ah just. Uh- d’ya need some help there? Ah’m good- ah’m good at startin fires. Ah- Ah got practice” Noticing he was about to start rambling again, the red pony lowered his head. Hoping the other wouldn’t judge him for his stuttering.

The other stallion simply laughed out loud as a response. “Don’t worry, you got a good voice too. Didn’t know you stuttered though. Kinda cut-” His blue fur did not hide his blush. “And yeah, I need some help. Think I’ve been here for 20 minutes trying to get this darn thing to light.” Gratefully the red stallion took the flint from his hooves before responding back.

“Ah- ah don’t usually stutter. Only when ah’m nervous or somethin’.” Immediately, the two rocks struck together, lighting a spark that seemed to be attracted to the hay underneath the logs. The red stallion bent downwards and breathed a few gusts of air onto the kindling, which soon lit up with a burst of very welcomed heat. “Ya think that we can get somthin’ ta eat? Ah’m starvin.” The blue pony nodded in approval, still confused about what he had almost said beforehand. What had come over him? His tongue didn’t usually slip like that.

“Ah’m jist gonna go git Spike. Just sit ‘ere til Ah get back. Not really sure where the kitchen is in here an’ Ah don’t really wanna go snoopin’ just yet.” The red colt was talking in a firm voice, stark contrast to his nervous tone before. Noteworthy carefully followed the red cold with his eyes as he laid down with his back facing the fire, warming his fur. Humming helped pass the time.

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Rational’s head was spinning by the time he got up to where the purple dragon was sleeping. Not the spinning that he usually experienced when he had one of his migraines, but it was similar. It was more of what he got when he stood up too quickly after laying down, but deeper. It seemed to go all the way down through his throat to his chest, forcing him to listen to his heart beat faster and faster as he climbed the stairs. He forced it to quiet down as he reached out and shook the assistant from sleep.

“Twi? Twi? That you? Let me go back to- oh.” Spike cut himself off with a murmur. He looked depressed, and like he hadn’t slept a wink. “Is she back yet?” His eyes pleaded in a way that made the colt carefully swallow his words three or four times over before he could get anything out.

“Ah- ah haven’t seen her ‘round. She’s prob’ly still at one a her friend’s houses. In’t that what ya said yesterday?” He hoped he’d put enough hope into his words. The dragon looked close to tears, and he almost brought Rational down with him. “Ah’m sure everythin’ll be just fine, don’t ya worry now…” The red stallion drifted off as the dragon embraced his front hoof, like a foal holding onto his mother.

“I’m just… I’m just so scared. I haven’t seen her since before the storm, and…” Spike was clearly holding back tears, afraid to cry in front of the colt he’d only talked to a few times. “I just… I want to know she’s safe.” It was like a dam had broke just then. Rational quietly comforted the scared assistant as he himself tried to hold back his own tears. He slowly worked on chewing off the scab that had formed on his bottom lip, wincing to himself as he bit a particularly tender area.

Slowly, the dragon regained his composure. By the time the red stallion had finished his work with the scab, the assistant seemed his normal chipper self. Still looking worried, but more for the stallion in front of him than his lost friend. He watched the stallion as he stood up and made his way downstairs, following closely behind.

Rational’s southern accent cut quickly into the silence, “Uhm, uh, do ya know if we could get somethin’ ta eat? It’s prob’ly past lunch and Ah’m starvin’ ta say the least.” He glanced back at the younger one, making sure he’d been heard.

His response didn’t come quick enough for the red pony, who idly drifted off into his own world again until they reached Noteworthy by the fireplace, who glanced up at them before going back to his book in faked annoyance. “Took you guys long enough. I had to find a book to read, and you both know how hard that is.”

Spike seemed to snap back into reality rather quickly when he heard the voice of the blue pony. “Oh. Sorry. Just thinking. What did you want again?”

“Jist some food. Ah didn’t wanna go lookin’ around yer house a’fore I woke ya up. An’ it’s okay. Ah know yer worried for yer friend out there.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that. Uhm, just follow me I guess. We don’t usually have much food right now, that’s actually what Twi said she was going to get, but we have enough to last the storm.” Spike attempted to keep up small talk as he lead the two stallion towards another staircase leading downwards, but his mind was obviously focusing on something else. “And right in… Here! Spike flung open a door that blended perfectly into the wall, leading the two directly into a pristine, albeit freezing, kitchen.

Spike obviously noticed the other two shivering in cold that he couldn’t feel. Mumbling an apology under his breath, he went inside on his own, asking the two for their food preference. They had oats and hay and all kind of good stuff. Nothing fancy though. Rational settled for basil while the blue pony said he’d take whatever Spike made. Soon enough, the three made their way back up to the fire, chewing gratefully on their food.

“Ya okay there bud? Something get in your food?” Two sets of eyes were locked onto Rational, who realized he’d been pacing across the library for some time now.

“Oh na, it was great. Ah was jist… thinkin. Ah’m fine don’t worry.” He realized how terrible that lie was when he felt more blood run into his mouth as well as down his chin. He’d cut his lip again. “Ah just… Ah got some medicine back home fer this. Don’t think y’all got anti-psycaw’tics layin around anywhere, do ya?” Spike shook his head slowly.

“How bad is it, if I might ask?” Noteworhy seemed genuinely worried for the red pony, “My brother needed those too. His was bad, worse than yours probably. I used to carry them around all the time- for him. Stopped after he… uhm…” Noticing he was about to go on a depressing ramble, the blue pony stopped his sentence short. He wasn’t getting a chance to go on anyways. Rational cut in as quick as he could when he saw the colt grow more awkward.

“It’s not that bad. Ah jist need two pills a day. Can probably go one day without needin’ any. They’re mostly just ta keep me happy, an’ ah think books can do just the same. Ah’ll tell ya if it gets any worse. Shouldn’t on any hoof. Ah’ll be fine, stop lookin so worried!” The red pony chuckled to himself as he poked Noteworthy’s side playfully, who squirmed and let out a nervous laugh of his own before quickly growing serious yet again.

“I dunno, Rat- is it okay if I call you that?- what if something bad happens and you need them. I’ll be happy to go get them for you. I’ve had to do it before, and don’t wanna see anypony end up like my brother again.” The red pony shook his head.

“Ah’ll be fine. Ah’ll tell ya if it gets any worse, don’t you fret. And Ah’ll be the one to get them, thank you very much. Not forcin’ anypony ta go anywhere. Not in this weather, not ever.” He looked back to where the blue pony was, seeing Spike rummaging through a few cabinets, probably looking for something that could help. “And anywho, I’ll be readin’ anyway. Ah know nothin’ can get to me then. Seriously, please stop lookin so worried.”

Noteworthy let out an audible sigh as he turned back towards his book. “Just… Make sure you let me know. I can’t stand ponies who think they can do everything by themselves”

Author's Note

Yeah. This chapter came out quick. I finally figured out where I want to go with this story, and just wrote it in two or three sittings. Still not quite sure how to go about the southern accent, but so far I'm trying my best.

Thanks for all the PM, both kind and mean, and thanks for the ratings on the last story. I'm doing my best to please you guys as well as improve my own writing.

Thanks for reading~

Into the Storm

Conquering Cold

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“And if the sky is falling down on you, there’s nothin’ in this world I wouldn’t do”
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Chapter 3: Into the Storm

“Just double checking… You’re fine there, right bud?” The red stallion across from him looked like he was almost going to throw his chair across the room, then nodded in response. Noteworthy remembered his brother acting like this when he didn’t take his pills. Those days never ended nicely.

“It’s only gettin’ a bit worse. Nothin’ much, jist a headache.” Headaches were bad.

“I just don’t want you freaking out on us. I know how hard it is sometimes, with my brother and all. We still have time left in the day if you wanna go get some pills now.” The snow was still coming down hard, but not hard enough to deny the red pony his medication. “It might be a bit hard, but I mean, I’ll be doing it for somepony I car- uhm- I’ll be doing it for one of my friends.”

Rational shook his head again, not seeming to dwell on the fact that Noteworthy’s tongue had almost slipped again. The blue pony, however, felt his ears heat up to a point where he was sure they’d combust. WIth his ears perked, the slight sound of a book dropping on the floor startled him enough to jump.

Spike quickly picked up his book from the floor and mumbled an apology that the blue pony couldn’t quite hear. Sighs were issued across the quiet room. As Spike moved on to reorganize the other bookshelves, Noteworthy heard the red pony begin a song.

There is a wild hog in yonders woods
That eats men and seeks their blood.
(Cut him down, cut him down, catch/kill him if you can).
There comes a wild hog through yonders marsh
Splitting his way through oaks and ash.

We followed that wild hog to his den,
Found the bones of a thousand men.

We followed that wild hog day and night,
Swore we’d make that wild hog fight.

We killed that hog with sticks and knife,
Swore we’d take that wild hog’s life.

Every repetition the red pony sang got slightly louder, until finally Noteworthy was able to add his own harmonies, creating a haunting and somewhat chaotic musical number. Rational’s violet eyes grew to a fire when transitioned up to an even higher harmony, leaving any possible listener to fill in the melody themselves. After a few singing through the short song once more, he burst out laughing in what seemed like pure joy as he turned to the blue pony.

“Ah- ah never had a pony singin’ with me ‘fore. Thanks fer that. Ah- ah kinda needed some music. Ya learn quick, better than me, an’ that’s sayin a lot.”

“Nah, you knew the song in the first place, all I did was add a few harmonies-”

“Ya were great! An’ don’t deny it. Ah always knew ya were great, ya always sung somethin different at yer performances, an’ Ah only sang country. Never even liked it on any hoof.”

“Can… Can you sing that song one more time?” Noteworthy whipped his head around, startled when he realized Spike had been sitting there all along. “You were both great together, and I know how to play some instruments… Maybe you guys could sing while I accompany you?” He had a small stringed instrument laying across his legs. His left claws gripped a weirdly shaped neck, one that started off wide and stepped into a narrower width as it lost it’s fifth string, ended off by tuning pegs. “Twi made this for me. She got the idea from a book somewhere, although I’ve never actually seen one before. It’s easy enough to play, really, but I guess you need claws or something. Don’t really see how you could make different notes with a hoof.”

Noteworthy nodded yet again as Spike drummed out another series of chords, forming them into the haunting melody of the song the ponies had just performed. Noteworthy started off this time, singing the simple melody as a solo, waiting for the other pony to jump in above him. He heard Rational start singing for a bit before he broke down into quiet sobs.

“Ah- Ah- Ah need a sec. Sorry guys.”

Noteworthy and Spike stopped quickly, casting worried looks to the red stallion. “You sure bud? You looked fine just a sec ago, but now I’m pretty sure you need your medicine.” The blue pony embraced the other’s head, patting his mane as Spike walked over in an attempt to also comfort the older pony.

“Ah- Ah think Ah’m still fine. Just- actually no. Ah’ll stop lyin’ ta ya. Ah’ve been feelin’ mighty sick t’day an’ Ah think Ah need-” He sobbed more, for what seemed like no reason. Noteworthy could sense the pain in the other’s voice, however. Even though it may not have made sense, he pulled the stallion closer, in an embrace similar to what he used to do to his brother when he was racked by the same sobs.

“It’s fine. You’re safe. Don’t worry.” Simple sentences seemed to calm down the crying stallion. “We’re here. I’ll go get your medicine, I just need to know where your house is.”

“It’s fine, Ah can go with ya if ya need. Cold helps calm me down anyway, so it’ll probably be better than stayin’ here.” Noteworthy watched as a large drop of blood rolled out of the red pony’s lips, getting soaked up by his fur before being able to drip to the floor. The red pony actually looked fine now, almost happy. Completely changed from what he’d been like less than thirty seconds prior. Continuing the embrace, Noteworthy slid a bit backwards, looking straight into Rational’s eyes.

“Only come if you feel like you need to and are able to. I will not have you fall under an… attack… outside and be forced to watch you freeze yourself.”

“Ah’ll be fine.” The other stallion slowly removed himself from Noteworthy’s embrace, moving with determined motions.

“Uhm, do you two need anything warm?” Yet again, the two were caught off guard by Spike as he walked up holding some thick fur coats and the two’s boots, as well as an umbrella, but it was wide and had a handle instead of the usual headrest. “I can also come, and hold this for you guys. I’ll be able to melt the snow and start a fire, if we need it. I also… uhm… get lonely here. I don’t wanna stay here worrying about not just Twi, but you two as well. Can I please, please come along?” His eyes begged almost more than his voice, if that was possible.

Noteworthy flashed him a quick smile as he nodded, starting to put on his coat and boots.

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Rational could feel blood already starting to freeze around his mouth. Thankfully, Spike was holding the umbrella over him and the blue pony to keep snow from falling onto them. He heard Noteworthy shiver in the cold as a gust blew over them, picking up snow and ice and throwing it into their faces. The frost was already hurting his eyes, and they weren’t even out of sight of the library.

The two ponies made sure to take it slow, letting Spike lead them by a couple inches. He would melt some of the snow ahead of them with fire to clear a path to walk in. The walk was slow going, but before too long the red pony spotted his house in the dimming light. The coat and boots had certainly helped, for hardly any ice had formed inside the ponies’ fur. They inched slowly for a few more seconds after the house was spotted, but soon after they sped up to a trot. Rational pulled the purple dragon onto his back as he bounded through the snow, eager to walk into the warmth.

While not having a fancy heating system like Twilight’s library, the house was still insulated well against heat. At least it was warmer than freezing, that would have to do for now. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, the red pony went through his normal routine. He asked Spike to help him light a fire as he crawled out of his boots, looking back over his shoulder to check if Noteworthy was there with him. Afterwards, he made his way to the sink, filling a kettle with hot water and turning on his stove. And, like always, he took a second to admire unicorn magic. The pipes stayed warm enough and the water source was always hot enough, they did so much to provide for the town.

Rational noticed he was getting off task again, a telltale sign that he needed his pills quickly. Whenever he started drifting, he would end up victim to an attack, something that he wanted to avoid now more than ever, having two guests in his house. As he grabbed two pills, he glanced back towards the fireplace. The blue pony and the dragon were moving a very large couch in front of it, something that Rational hadn’t even thought of doing before. He watched them for a few more seconds, finally taking the time to admire the blue pony in full.

His body fur was a dark cyan color, which led almost perfectly to his deep blue tail and mane, which were both moderately short, shorter than Rational’s own. His amber eyes still caught the light like they always did, but in the firelight they seemed to glow brighter and deeper, going from a bright gold to brown in seconds. His cutie mark, however was slightly obscured by the winter coat he still wore. He seemed to have two pairs of eighth notes which came close to overlapping, a perfect cutie mark for a musician. It seemed to fit his talent a lot more than Rational’s did, his being a sharp symbol framed closely by two stringed bows.

He sighed as he remembered when he’d gotten the cutie mark. He’d been playing the violin and to be honest he hadn’t really minded it. The notes seemed to flow naturally to him, however. He’d managed to get his hooves around the awkward positions in a matter of minutes, and the melody somehow made it out of the wood and into the air as he pulled the bow across the strings. The instrument had costed too much, and his family couldn’t have afforded it for hundreds of years however, and he was forced to drop it almost as soon as he had picked it up.

“You okay there, bud?” Noteworthy seemed to be asking that question a lot, “And why are you staring at my flank?” The blue pony chuckled to himself, seeming to find the situation very amusing.

“Now why in all of Equestria would Ah be doin’ that?” The stallion tried to act oblivious, but to be honest he had been staring at the other pony’s cutie mark, which was very close to the back end. “Ah was jist thinkin’ that’s it. No way Ah’d be starin’ down there!”

Noteworthy chuckled again, making the red pony blush a shade deeper than his fur. He patted the couch next to him, motioning for Rational to come and sit down with him and Spike. “It’s fine Rat, just so long as you’re feeling better now. Just relax until the tea finishes.”

To be honest, that wasn’t such a bad idea. The red pony sat with the other two, trying his best to stay happy until yawns overtook the three. It was getting late, and the snow had not slowed down in the least. Taking initiative, Rational tried his best to live up to his name, “Ah’m gettin’ a might tired here and y’all seem a bit worn out too. Let’s get some rest. If ya like, Noteworthy can sleep in mah bed and Spike can take the couch. Ah’ll make do with a few blankets.”

The blue pony shook his head, but the dragon already seemed fast asleep. Celestia, he must have been sleepy. Two seconds of another pony talking had knocked him right out. “I can take the blankets. You are going to sleep in a bed tonight, and I’m not going to let you sleep anywhere else.” His eyes narrowed as he started back towards his friend, awaiting a response.

Rational gave in quicker than he expected, hearing a quick “If ya insist” come out of his mouth. He lead the blue pony into his room, where he grabbed a large comforter and two large pillows and laid them down on the floor. “Ah’m sorry, don’t got much around here. Live by myself so Ah never really needed more than one of these things.” The blue pony didn’t seem to mind, quickly taking a seat before laying down himself.

There wasn’t much talk between the two as the red pony turned off the lights. Before hitting the one on his nightstand however, Rational mumbled a quick “Goodnight,” not really expecting one back.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear a response.

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In all honesty, Noteworthy wasn’t in the least bit sleepy. He’d been through a lot that day, sure. It was mostly just a different kind of tired. His muscles ached from the time in the cold, but his mind was still flooded with ideas. The constant tossing and turning of his new red friend didn’t really help anyways.

It’d been around an hour since Rat had turned the lights off. A normal pony usually got to sleep in an hour, right? The red pony had, or at least what could technically qualify as sleep. He hadn’t responded when Noteworthy had asked if he was fine, which worried him a bit. Every few seconds a mumbled “ma” or “pa” came from the bed, and even though the red pony never finished a sentence, Noteworthy could tell he was having a bad nightmare.

He was removed from his thoughts as the red pony let out a bloodcurdling scream into the night. It wasn’t loud, but it was desperate. Noteworthy jolted his head up, looking back at Rational before moving closer to him. He hopped up into the bed, awkwardly taking the other’s head and stroking his mane. “It’s okay, bud. I got you.”

In the night, it was hard to even see the other’s head, but he felt arms wrap around his torso as the red pony pulled himself closer, mumbling “Ah’m sorry ma, never meant to hurt nopony…” before stopping completely. After a couple minutes without any further incident, Noteworthy lightened up on his embrace. He could feel the red pony’s warm breath on his chest, and decided it would be better for him if he stayed in bed with him throughout the night, and before long, Noteworthy found himself drifting off into a deep sleep as well.

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A loud crack arose Noteworthy from his sleep. He was still cradling Rationals head, but the other pony hadn’t woken up yet. He seemed to be a late riser. Squirming out from underneath the smaller pony, he made his way to the window and pulled back a curtain.

He was momentarily blinded by pure white light as he started out into the road. Why did snow have to be so goddam bright? Blinking a few times, he looked back into the abyss. His scan only revealed to him a few brown and green branches and snow. Lots and lots of snow. There was a large mound of it a few feet from where he was standing, and he couldn’t see anything beyond that.

The dragon was awake, of course, and he seemed to be panicking as he too ran around the house like an energetic foal. Noteworthy called out to him, and he turned around. “Do you know what made that sound? It sounded pretty bad.”

Spike shook his head, “That’s what I was just looking for. Sounded like it came outside, I was just looking for my umbrella to go out and check on it.”

Noteworthy let out an annoyed sigh as he walked over to the door they came in from. He reached to the door, and started out to see white. Pure white. A wall about two pony heights tall stared him straight in the eye, no wonder he couldn’t see the door from the bedroom window. He said a quick “oh” in surprise as he worked out what this meant for the other pony in the house. Spike could probably climb out of a window and get help for the other two. A tree must have collapsed in front of the door, which would be the cause of the noise and fresh wall of snow.

Spike whistled as he walked up to the door, also astounded at how much of the white stuff there was. Looking back towards the older pony, he asked, “Soooo… What do we do now?”

Noteworthy took charge quickly. “I think you need to go get us help. You can climb out of a window or something and head back to the town. I’ll stay here and make sure that Rat is fine.” The assistant nodded, obviously understanding the need for help.

“I guess so. I’ll go now, before it snows more.” Then, cupping his claws around his mouth, he took a deep breath and exhaled. Noteworthy watched as he saw a green glow begin in his claws, and the dragon revealed a swirling green marble. “I’m a messenger too, so if you need me to know anything just break this over a letter and it’ll send directly to me. It’ll restore itself within about 30 minutes, so the letters might be slow going, but at least this one is reusable.” Noteworthy reached out his hoof and took the sphere.

“Just, be careful out there, bud. I don’t want you to get lost or freeze to death. And I especially don’t want to explain to Twilight how I killed her assistant.”

Spike smirked at him, “I’ll be back before you can blink. Don’t worry.” He then turned and jumped into the snow, quickly burrowing his way through before Noteworthy lost complete sight on him.

Sighing again, the blue pony shut the door and made his way back towards the kitchen. He took the kettle out from where he saw the red pony put it, and filled it up with water from the sink. He turned on the stove and went to wake Rat up.