Winter is here, and man was it colder than you ever would have expected. You lived in Arizona, or, well, you used to. You recall the accident that lead to you ending up here, causing you to sigh and chuckle to yourself a little. It was dumb really, the entire situation that let up to you finding yourself in this mystical land. Who would have thought that your plane getting struck by lighting would end up with you teleporting to this place? Being the only survivor of the crash had really taken a toll on you, especially after waking up to see your fellow passengers dead all around you. The thought alone makers you shudder, something the cold isn't helping to stop.
Your backstory is beside the point, however. The fact that winter is coming isn't something that you were all too thrilled about. Sure, it might look beautiful with all of the snow and whatnot, but it just wasn't for you. You were a southerner, used to the warm temperature year round. You just weren't used to all of this snow. It isn't like anyone was forcing you to leave, no, you were choosing to. You worked outside all day, doing various odd jobs for the citizens of the small village you resided in. The fact that you didn't have to proper winter attire didn't help at all either. Rarity may have offered to make you some thicker clothes, but you turned her down. You had a better idea in mind, one that would let you enjoy yourself for a while and get away from the stress of everyday life, not that there was much stress to begin with. It isn't like you had to go to school anymore or anything, and you controlled when and where you worked which was really nice in the long run.
You had decided you'd go on vacation to the southern part of Equestria. It was still pretty cool there, but nowhere as bad as being up here where it could drop below zero at a moments notice. Again, I could easily just stay here for the winter, but you weren't about to just camp out in the library for three months, you'd go insane! You'd eventually have to go outside at some point, and that was practically be impossible in these conditions. Maybe if you had been born up north, maybe in New York, this wouldn't be much of a problem for you. Curse your southern blood!
You had alerted your friends, the ones who first found you after the crash, that you would be leaving today, and that they should meet you at the train station around noon. None of them were exactly excited about you leaving, some even trying to find a way for you to stay comfortably. Rarity was the only one who had the sane option of making new clothes, but personally, you just didn't see that working out. You probably wouldn't be able to work very efficiently with that kind of clothing on anyway.
Applejack had offered a place for you to stay in her barn, but that would have been even worse than being cooped up in the library, at least that was an actual house!
Twilight had tried to use some kind of cold-resistant spell on you, but turns out that was a complete flop when you all learned that you were immune to magic for some unknown reason. The working theory was because you came from a world where magic didn't exist. It was the best explanation, and the only one that made any logical sense. Of course, nothing about this place makes any logical sense, but you digress.
So, there you are, freezing to death as you shuffled towards the train station, a ticket already in your hand. You had chosen to stay in a city down south with an amazing beach. You had just enough bits to pay for the trip, as well as housing for the next two or three months. It'd be a stretch, but you knew you could pull it off. The only downside to this was that you'd have to leave all of your friends behind, as they were far too busy to go with you. You really loved them to death, but sometimes, you just needed some alone time, so you were grateful that they were staying behind. Besides, being so close to them would only make returning home that much more exciting.
The train station slowly starts to come into view, and you couldn't be any happier that your friends were already there. You didn't know if you could have waited for them before giving into temptation and stepping into the train to escape the bitter cold. They all seem to notice you, and begin waving. You try to wave to the best of your ability, your arm feeling like a piece of metal, hard and unable to be bent at any angle. Even with their thick coats of fur that engulfed the entirety of their bodies, they still had to wear some clothes to keep them from freezing as well. What you wouldn't give to be lucky like them and have a natural protection against the harshness of winter.
"Hey guys." You say, your voice shaking from the wind blowing at you from seemingly every direction.
"Phoenix!" They all yell, surrounding you with awkward hugs and nudges against your legs and hips. Though you will admit, it feels nice, a real escape from the cold. Well, for the bottom half of your body anyway.
Phoenix was what everyone called you because, well, that's what you told them your name was. Of course, that wasn't your real name. You hadn't told anybody your real name when you first arrived here, because you took the phrase "stranger danger", a little too seriously. You thought of the college you had been attending, and just gone with that. Phoenix University, a place you definitely wouldn't miss. God did you hate schoolwork with a passion, even if you were one of the top students.
"You know you don't have to do this." Twilight says as she looks up at you, a little bit of sadness in her eyes. "We could definitely arrange something for you."
"I'm sure about this Twilight, trust me. Besides, I already bought the ticket in advance." You respond as you wave the ticket around in front of you. The six of your friends sigh in unison, realizing that any attempts to keep you in town were futile.
"I'm going to throw you the biggest welcome home party ever when you get back, you hear me?" Pinkie says as she gets in your face, though you notice a small tear forming near the corner of her eye, even though she is trying to act like her normal, excited, inexpiable self.
"Oh trust me, I already know that." You say as you flash her a quick smile.
"Ah can honestly say we're gonna miss ya around the farm. You sure are a great helper, and uh, friend." Applejack says as she tips her hat towards you. You helped out occasionally at her farm moving some of the heavier objects. It was always fun working there because of how chatty Applejack was with you. You'd even go as far as saying she probably knew the most about you, as she was the one you told any personal stories to.
"Gonna miss you too AJ." You say as you turn to her, giving her a friendly smile. She responds by returning the gesture before stepping aside to reveal Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash, the name alone brings back a lot of great memories for you. You remember the first time you met. You absolutely hated her from the start simply because of her attitude, the way she always praised herself for everything, you hated it. But as time went on, you began to warm up to her as you saw another side of her, one she had kept hidden from the start. She didn't like to show it, but she had a soft side, an emotional side. You had to dig deep to reveal it, but once you did, you quickly became great friends with her. Turns out you both had more in common than you originally thought, and you learned to tolerate her attitude, seeing it was simply just a part of who she was, not her trying to boost her own ego... Even if she did try to do that at times.
"Hey Rainbow." You say with a simple wave, giving her a warm smile, hoping she'd acknowledge you. However, she simply stares at the ground next to her, refusing to make eye contact with you. "Rainbow?"
"Huh?" She gasps out, snapping back to her senses instantly. "Oh, Phoenix, hey." She says with a forced smile, her voice a little deeper and scratchier than usual. Her eyes look glossed over, and even a little red. Is she sick?
"Come to say goodbye?" You say as you get down on your knee to be on her level. You hold out a fist, waiting for her to bump it like you always do when you say hello or goodbye. She takes a second, but eventually returns the gesture.
"Yeah, couldn't let my favorite human just leave without me being here. You can't get away that easily." She says rather quietly, for her anyway. She's usually very brash and loud, not really caring how loud she's really being.
"Why are you wearing a saddle bag?" You ask, noticing the bag on her side. She never wears those, in fact, you can't really remember the last time she ever wore one.
"Oh, um, I wanted to give you this." She says as she opens the bag with her wing. You reach into the bag, and pull out a folded up piece of paper. You eye the paper with a curious glance, and go to open it before your hand is slapped with a hoof.
"Hey, why did you-" You start to say, but get cut off as Rainbow gets close enough to where only you can hear her. You can see her friends around and behind her all staring with nervous looks on their faces like they were trying to hide something.
"Don't read that until you're on the train, far away from here." She whispers into your ear. You stare down at the paper, and begin folding it back up again before placing it into your pants pocket.
"Oh, okay then." You say as you make yourself smile at her. "Say, Rainbow, you should try to convince the weather team to make it warmer next year." You say, trying to lighten to mood a little.
"Heh, maybe... Hey, any chance I could, y'know, go with you?" She asks, a sheepish smile now apparent on her face.
"C'mon Rainbow, you know that you're more than needed here. What if something went wrong with the weather, or what if the Elements are needed for something?"
"I-I know... I was just hoping I could... oh, never mind!" She says as she suddenly lunges at you, surprising you with a tight embrace. You'd never seen Rainbow act like this, even in her most emotional moments she always tried to act as tough as possible.
"Whoa, Rainbow, you okay?" You ask as you return the embrace, wrapping your arms around her back.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She says between sniffs, signifying that she has started to cry.
"You sure?" You ask as you start to feel a little worried for her.
"Y-Yeah... Can you promise me something?"
"Anything, just name it." You respond as you hold her against your chest, her fur serving to protect you from the cold winds.
"Promise me you'll come back. I-I don't really want you to leave forever. I don't really know what I'd do... You're my best friend after all." She whispers into your ear, slightly catching you off guard.
"I-I promise Rainbow." You respond, trying to comfort her. "I'll be back in two or three months, I promise. Nothing could keep me from coming back here. I just need some time to myself, that's all."
"Alright... Alright, but remember, if you don't come back, I WILL find you." She says with a light chuckle, probably trying to cheer herself up. She ends the embrace, but keeps her hooves on your shoulders as she stare at you, her eyes quivering a little, the sun reflecting off of them.
"I'll miss you..." You whisper to her before standing up. "I'm going to miss all of you." You say, this time much louder. Everyone, even Fluttershy who was initially terrified of you, surrounds you with one of their patented group hugs that just leaves you with a warm feeling inside.
You stand up as the train's whistle blows, and give one last wave to your friends as you step onto the train. Once you step inside the car, you notice a huge change in temperature, sighing in relief as you stop shivering. Whatever was keeping the heat in here was doing an amazing job. You look at your ticket, and find your seat in the back of the train. Because of your size, you get an entire seat to yourself, allowing you some stretching room.
The train lurches forward as it begins to move. You look out the window which is facing the station, and see your six friends waving at you with sad eyes, but happy, possibly forced smiles. You wave back one last time before the train moves out of the station leaving them all behind. You're about to close your eyes and relax when you hear a tapping on the window. You look to your right to see Rainbow flying along side the train, her hair being whipped back by the wind. She mouths something to you, but you can't understand what she said through the closed window. She gives one more wave before pulling off to her right, vanishing behind the train.
You sit in silence for the next couple of hours, pondering about what Rainbow might have said to you, as well as just thinking back on all of the memories you had made with your friends in the past eight months. You were truly grateful for everything they had given you, and you didn't know if you could ever pay them back. Then you remember something as you feel something in your pocket. Remembering the note that you had stored there earlier, you reach you hand in and pull out the folded paper, holding out in front of you.
You spread the paper out on the table in front of you, and smooth out all the wrinkles before reading what was on it.
"Dear Phoenix. I know I probably should have told you this directly, but I was just too scared. I know what you're thinking, 'Rainbow Dash never gets scared!' And, well, you're wrong about that. I've been hiding this from you for the past couple of months, and I'm sorry I didn't try to tell you earlier. When you told me you would be leaving for the entirety of winter, I freaked out and wrote this letter. Phoenix, you have no idea how you have impacted my life over the past several months. I always had great friends, but you were... different. You could cheer me up no matter what. You always understood me, and you always looked over my flaws like they were nothing. You made me feel special. What I'm trying to say is... I love you. I love you, and I can't wait for you to get back. I don't know how you'll feel about this, but it feels good getting it off my chest. My only regret is that I didn't tell you sooner... -R.D."
You stare at the note, your mouth gaping and heart racing. You had no idea that she felt this way, and now you felt horrible about leaving her behind. You'd gotten over the fact that eventually you'd have to learn to love these ponies, despite the fact that they weren't human. You'd been willing to accept that for a while now, you just never thought it would be your best friend that would actually fall for you. You read the letter over and over again, making sure you read it correctly before leaning back in your seat and letting out a sigh as you stare out the window watching the scenery fly by at incredible speeds. You know she can't hear you now, but you say the only thing you can, hoping that somehow, she'll know what you said.
"I'll be back Rainbow... I promise."
Author's Note
Possible Sequel? Let me know if I should make that a thing or not :P
