It was a cool December evening in Ponyville and Matilda and Cranky were just finishing their nightly walk. The two enjoyed their time together and were glad that they had finally found each other but in both of their hearts they could not help but feel the regret that they had had a chance to start and raise a family together. It would have been nice if they could have had a little foal to share their love with.
The night was wrapped in the arms of a light storm which covered the town in a thick blanket of snow and buffeted it with cold winds. When the morning came and Cranky stepped out to start shoveling his walk, only to find a small filly looking up at him, he was confused. Her curly blonde mane flowed over a snow white coat. Despite standing in the snow the filly showed no sign of discomfort or illness. She looked up at the old donkey with sky-blue eyes.
“Hello, can I stay with you?” she asked with a voice like silver bells.
“Matilda can you come out here, there is something you have got to see!” shouted Cranky as he leaned into the doorframe.
Matilda walking out of the doorframe and saw the filly standing in the snow “What are you doing here little one?”
“Hello I am Icey Lass. Will you be my mother?” said the small filly as she brushed against Matilda.
Cranky and Matilda were at a loss about what to do. Whoever this filly was she wasn’t from Ponyville.
Matilda smiled, “Hello Dearie why don’t we go down to the market, would you like that?”
Icey nodded and followed the two donkeys down the cobblestone road and into the town. After Cranky bought her a treat they trio headed to the city hall. After a couple of hours of investigations, talking and signing forums, Crank and Matilda were granted permission to watch over Icey while the royal guards searched missing foal records.
Back at their home Matilda started to cook dinner while Cranky watched over Icey. The little foal was busy sweeping the floor with her tail.
“You don't have to do that Icey,” said Cranky.
“It is OK father, I like being able to help you,” said the filly as she finished brushing the dirt into a pile so it could be swept up.
After Icey had finished sweeping up the room she tried to pick up some of the knickknacks that were laying on the floor, but Cranky kicked her out of the room and suggested she take a walk outside. Icey nodded and went for a walk in the woods enjoying the smell of the trees and the sounds of the animals that were moving during the winter months. After her walk she came back into the house to see Matilda and Cranky in the kitchen kissing.
Icey tilted her head. “What are you doing?”
Matilda and Cranky jumped in surprise and both had a small blush.
“Oh hi honey, Cranky and I were just doing something that parents do when they want to be near each other,” said Matilda.
Icey tilted her head the other direction then walked over to the dining room table where there was a pot of potato soup and three bowls. After dinner was finished and the dishes had been washed, which Icey insisted on helping with, the two donkeys gently tucked the foal into the guest bedroom and began to sing:
Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head
Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed
Hush now, quiet now, close your sleepy eyes.
Hush now, quiet now, my how time sure flies.
Driftin off to sleep, the exciting day behind you
Driftin' off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you
Hush now quiet now, lay your sleepy head
Hush now quiet now, it's time to go to bed
As Icey drifted off into sleep Matilda leaned down and kissed her on the brow enjoying the small foals cool skin. Cranky gave a small smile and the two went off into their own room.
Two days later saw the three back in the town to get more produce. Icey watched as foals ran around with each other letting out giggles and throwing snowballs.
“Sweetie why don’t you go play with the others kids? Cranky and I can get the groceries and come get you when we are finished.”
Icey shooked her head slowly. “That is alright mother I want to stay with you and father.”
“But you won't have any fun if you stay here with us,” argued Cranky.
Icey just looked at the foals there were running around before turning her head back to Cranky and Matilda and remaining by their side. While the three were walking through the town square Icey saw an orange earth pony rubbing her nose against a small yellow foal.
“What is that?” asked Icey as she pointed the the two ponies.
Cranky turned his head. “That’s just Applejack and Applebloom.”
“But what are they doing?” asked Icey.
“Nuzzling,” answered Cranky looking forward.
“What is nuzzling?” asked a confused Icey.
“It’s when a pony rubs against gently with the nose and mouth,” said Cranky.
“Why would a pony do that?”
“It’s a way that some ponies show affection to each other, the physical closeness is enhanced by getting the other ponies smell near you. It's a little more closer than a hug,” said Matilda.
“And what is a hug?” asked Icey.
Matilda and Cranky looked at each other with wide eyes. “It's when you wrap your legs around a pony like this,” said Matilda as she leaned down and gave Icey a quick hug.
Icey had a confused look on her face and raised her hoof to her chest before giving her mane a shake.
“Are you feeling alright?” asked Cranky with a note of worry in his voice.
Icey nodded and went back to watching foals and ponies while they were busy shopping. Paying attention as she saw ponies hugging and nuzzling.
After the three got back to their home and the groceries had been stored Icey went for another walk in the woods. When she was deep enough in the woods to not been seen by anybody a figure came up behind her. She turned to see a large tern perched on a branch staring at her.
“I thought you promised me that you would not get involved,” said Icey as she turned to the tern.
The tern tilted his head to the left.
“Neither of them are going to hurt me, they just want to take care of me.”
The tern turned his head to the right.
“I do not need you to tell me how to live my life”
The tern turned around and flew off and Icey began to walk back to her home. Master Frost Wings had told her if she continued to spend time in the town disaster and doom would befall her but she couldn’t help it. She needed to know more about the strange bonds that form between the ponies and why they treasure them so much.
The next day Icey went into the town by herself and spent the whole day just walking around watching ponies spend time with each other. She saw them hugging, she saw them nuzzling, she even saw a few of them kissing each other. While she was by the town statue watching ponies roll snow into balls and stack them on top of each other, one of the foals she had seen earlier came up to her and asked if she wanted to play with her. Icey looked around then nodded and followed the foals to a small group of foals passing playing with a large rubber ball.
From then on Icey came to the town everyday.
A few days later while Icey was playing tag with some of the town foals Icey heard music and turned to see a group of adult ponies coming down the street to music.
“Does this happen often?” asked Icey as she leaned over to one of the foals standing next to her.
The rose coloured filly just smiled “Yah it happens about once a week. Not sure why or how the music starts playing, but somehow it happens.”
Icey watched as the herd of ponies marched down the street singing about how they liked the smell of trees. After a few minutes they stopped and went back to their usual activities.
“See? No discernible music source,” laughed a light gray pegasus colt who rested a hoof on her shoulder.
Icey felt a tingling in her chest but shook it off and tried to go back to play with the foals, but the more she played with them the harder the tingling became until she ran back to her home.
When Matilda and Cranky saw Icey running to the house they were confused and afraid.
“Is something wrong darling?” asked Matilda.
“My chest started to hurt while I was playing with the foals in town,” said Icey as she leaned against Cranky.
Cranky lead her up to her room to get some sleep and watched over the little foal. Downstairs Matilda went to the kitchen to make supper but when Matilda walked past the window to she thought she saw caribou standing in the woods with a tern on is horns out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look again she saw nothing but snow and trees.
The next day Icey was too tired to go into the town to spend time with the foals so she played with a small dragon plushie one of the colts had given her. As she laid on her back looking at her toy she saw several of the foals she knew coming up to her house with the front window.
Matilda came up to her. “Honey, your friends are here to see you/”
Icey smiled a little and stood up and turned to the two of the foals who were worried about her. Her friends had brought a cherry pie for her to eat and gave her a hug and a nuzzle before they left. When they were gone Icey was notably more pale then she had been before they had arrived. With a grunt of effort, Icey stood up and slowly walked outside, despite both Cranky and Matilda trying to stop her. The three walked into the woods where a caribou stood stoically.
“Spring Leaf is it time for me to go?” asked Icey as she laid down in the snow.
Spring let out a quiet nod. “Icey Lass you knew this would happen. You are one with the ice and snow and cannot not survive the warmth a mortal feels within their hearts.”
Cranky looked up. “What?!” he shouted.
Spring Leaf turned to the old donkey. “My husband and I heard your saw that you two were all alone, so we sent down Icey Lass to ease your burden. Regretfully, she was a life formed from the north winds and she cannot survive with the emotion you call love. It is undoing her from within. Spend her last moments with her, I believe she will like that.”
With that final word they watched Spring Leaf disappear into the woods as snow and wind swirled around them.
Matilda and Cranky rushed over to hold the small foal who was now burning up and almost indistinguishable from the snow she was laying on. Streak of water were slowly trickling down her body.
“Mother, Father, do not be weep for me. These past weeks have been grand. I have been able to feel things that none of my kind have ever been able to feel before. I knew the risks when I became close to the ponies of this town. I am glad I was able to be with you.”
Cranky and Matilda held on to the small foal as she slowly disappeared. Finally with a last release of blue mist she was gone and all that was left of her was a patch of white flowers where her body had been.
Cranky and Matilda never forgot their small foal and kept her alive within their hearts. They were glad that she had been there to touch their hearts. They kept her room just as she had left it, no matter which guest came to visit them. When they were asked by the ponies of the village were Icey had gone, all they could say was that her parents had come back for her and she was happy to be with them.
It is said that the Icey Lass still lives within the weather. She is the wind that blows light snow into your face when you laugh. She is that artist that draws in the frost on your windows. And she is the warmth you feel when you stand close to each other so you watch the snow falling outside your window.
