The cool crystals of white slowly fluttered down from the sky, scintillating in the dark, large clumps slowly built upon the ground. The cool night sky lit up in a bright, wonderous array of pinks and purples glittering from the stars up high. The mint colored mare precariously placed her hoof into the untouched fluff lying on the ground, sinking a short way down before it held her weight. The cold snow sent a chill running through her leg as she looked up in awe at the beautiful sight of the pegasi moving around their snow clouds for the start of winter.
This was Figure Eight’s favorite time of year. The beautiful snow, the wonderful weather, and even her favorite pastime… figure skating. Her vibrant coat was soft, a mint-tinged fur protruding from her skin. An elegant mane, slightly darker than her coat, sparkled with specs of snowflakes, a vermillion stripe blazing through her hair and curling throughout until it reached its length, her tail of similar colors. A long curved horn protruding from the top of her head to a fine point. Small dimples brightened her face as she smiled through the dark. Her Cutiemark shown a small white skate with a golden blade, its colors contrasting with her fur making it pop out. The starlight up above, complimenting the mare and making her glow in the bright winter night.
She carried a tote bag to her side, as white as the snow, the prisms of light in the sky guiding her way. She began her journey to the town pond, which during the winter, was transformed into a beautiful skating rink for ponies to practice on. She loved skating, though it did sadden her that there was only a couple of months in the year where it was possible. The rest of the year was just boring, though she had to admit she loved autumn. But, she'd just have to bear it and make the best of the short time she could skate.
She sloped her way through the snow, being careful not to slip on any small ice patches hidden under the fluffy white snow. Before long the rink came into view. A few small lights lit the rink from the dark, a velvet colored ribbon encompassed the rink keeping it enclosed, a bench and a few other necessities strewn around the area. Upon closer inspection, she realized she was not the only pony there. She slowly trotted over to the bench and carefully slipped behind it, peeking out at the other pony. It was a stallion, his fur a warm yellow, contrasting similarly to herself off the snow. His mane was a dark brown color that partially covered his cool blue eyes. On his flank sat a series of symbols that Figure Eight had never seen before. His face was rounded and held a small handsome smile, that made Figure herself smile as well. His coat was slightly sparkling with snow as he stepped out onto the ice. Wham! Almost immediately he went face first into the ice.
Figure pulled herself out from behind the bench making her visible again. She quickly ran up to the entrance of the rink and grabbed hold of the pony’s hoof. “Are you okay!?” her soft voice carried. The pony managed to his hoofs and carefully pulled himself off the ice, a small, embarrassed chuckle coming from his mouth. He gave Figure a cute smile as he blushed bright red, her own face flushing a light red. Her heart felt light and springy as it beat slightly faster in her chest.
A chuckle escaped the stallions lips. “Hehe, yeah I’m okay. Thanks.” His voice was smooth and warming, fitting well with his overall looks. It was slightly raspy and nasal sounding with a small Trottingham accent mixed in. It was calming and kind sounding. His large smile spread genuinely across his face as he looked at the mare before him, a small cut from the ice was spread across his forehead. He reached out a hoof towards Figure, urging for a shake. “I’m Star Dust,” he said politely. Figure quickly returned the shake still blushing.
“I’m Figure, Figure Eight,” she responded. A small trickle of blood ran down onto Star Dust’s muzzle. “Here, sit down.” Figure took the stallion over to the bench and sat him down. “I have some supplies.” She pulled a small tissue box out of her bag and using her magic, began to rub the blood from his face. Her cheeks suddenly became bright red as she quickly let go of the rag, shed realized how strange this probably was. “I’m sorry… That was probably really weird...I-I…”
Star Dust gave a little chuckle, picking up the hanky himself and finished cleaning off the blood. “Don’t worry, It’s not that weird. At least to me.” He gave a consoling smile in her direction making her a little more comfortable. She gave a small nod before pulling out a bandage from a small box inside her bag, handing it over to Star. “Heh, my point…” He motioned to his hoofs, obviously incapable of putting on the bandage. Figure took the reigns and placed it on his head using her magic, and covering the gash with the gauzy strap.
“There we go, that should help,” Figure sighed. “You new to skating?” she asked the stallion who was still rubbing away some blood.
He gave out a small chuckle. “Is it that obvious.”
“Maybe… Want some help?”
“You good?” he asked the mint colored mare.
A small, sly smile appeared on Figures face as she motioned to her cutiemark. “Here, give me a second.” She propped herself up on the bench and got her skates out of her pack, placing them one by one on her hooves. She wobbled her way over to the ice carefully attempting not to lose her balance on the soft snow. Her shuffling gave Star Dust a little amusement as a small snicker emerged from his lips, Figure couldn't help but giggle a little too.
Soon enough she reached where the ice met the snow and stepped out onto it, balancing easily despite the slippery ice. Before she knew it, she was gliding. The cool, frostbitten air against her warm face, the calm feeling of flying across the ice as she lost her surroundings in her skates. She smoothly hovered, a small line protruding from where her skates met the ice, etching the mark of her travel. She slowly rose two hoofs off of the ground to where only her back legs touched the ice. She threw her upper legs out, stopping her momentum as she pushed her body sideways. Slowly she began rotating, quickly gaining momentum. Suddenly she pulled her upper legs close to her body, tightly, her body thrusting into an even faster spin. She then lurched forward, her body halting its spin and fell to the ice. Her front hooves collapsing onto the ice in a grand display as she began gliding once again, a few puffs of air escaping her lungs.
She came to a stop and looked back up, she had forgotten the other pony had been watching. Star Dust just stood at the side of the rink, mouth agape staring at Figure. His eyes showing an obvious gaze of astonishment and surprise at what he had seen. “Wow,” was all the stallion managed to say after watching the display in front of him. Figure blushed to herself lowering her head slightly in embarrassment. Suddenly, a large smile spread upon Star Dust’s face, a smile directed at her. A small cheer emanated from the stallions direction as Figure gave a playful, joking bow. “That was amazing!” he yelled. “How’d you manage to do that, and on two legs no less!?” Figure gave a small chuckle to herself as she skated over to the side of the ring where Star Dust was sitting. The pony was clopping his hooves together.
“Heh, glad I didn’t just embarrass myself,” Figure said timidly.
“You kidding!? That was awesome!”
“Thanks,” Figure blushed. “Years of practice I guess. I’m a little rusty, first I’ve skated this year.”
“That’s rusty?” Star Dust competed. “I can't imagine what you’d be like after you’ve got used to it!” Suddenly Star Dust got a little red and changed the topic. “Anyway, you’re really good at this, I guess I have a long way ahead of me,” he sighed.
"Heh, don't worry. Sure took me a while to start out," she giggled. "Wasn't until a few years I was doing my first tricks."
"That's, uh, not a very good sign for me then." Star Dust's words trailed off slightly. Figure let out a small giggle, Star Dust giving a minor stern look in return.
"Don't worry, it'll come soon enough," Figure consoled. "I could help if you'd like." Figure blushed slightly at what she had just said, feeling a bit awkward. She put her hoof out toward Star Dust. Star Dust returned the gesture, placing his own hoof to Figure's.
"Thanks," he smiled. "I wouldn't really know where to start by myself."
"Don't worry, it isn't very easy at first. See..." Figure pointed to a small spot on her neck, revealing a light scar slightly brighter than the rest of her body. "I have multiple at this point," she chuckled.
"Oof."
"Heh. Don't worry I'll help." Figure smiled and blushed at the stallion, pulling him out onto the ice, holding him to his feet. "First things first, you need to practice balance..."
Figure yawned, stretching out her legs, sore from the previous day. She struggled out of her bed, cracking her stiff neck as she stood up. She rubbed at her eyes with her hooves, yawning again. She gazed out her bedroom window, the bright morning light showed through, making her wince at the sight. Through the window, Figure could see the snow slowly melt away, drops of water cascaded from her roof, falling past the window to the ground. Luckily for her, the pegasi didn't have plans to melt the ice rink yet. She had a great time teaching her new friend how to skate the previous night, and couldn't wait until next week to see him again.
She brought herself into the kitchen and put on a kettle, making a small cup of hay tea. The sun beamed down on the frozen snow, reflecting the light into Figure's house. The sky was a bright blue with a few small clouds scattered about. They were white and puffy, not unlike the clouds the pegasi use in the summer. Figure used her magic to close the curtain slightly, to the point where she wouldn't need to look out the window. She disliked this kind of weather. It was fine when it was an appropriate season but in the winters, it tended to ruin her mood. All this weather did was create slush, and melt all the fun, all so that it can snow and harden up again in a day or two. But such was routine every year, and every year she got a good portion of skating in, so she wasn't too upset.
She planned to meet up with Star Dust again in a few days as she wanted to continue teaching him the ropes of figure skating. She was having fun with it and loved hanging out with him, he was really nice. He had very quickly gotten the hang of it the night before. Figure already had him up and moving, he mostly just needed to get used to it. But overall he was doing well, and Figure liked to take pleasure in watching him happily celebrate victoriously after moving a few feet without falling. The two got to know each other well the previous night. Star Dust had been majoring in math and often helped and tutored others in the subject. The two also talked about Ponyville. To Figure's surprise, Star Dust actually lived not too far away from her own house, only a few blocks. Apparently, the stallion moved in only a few weeks earlier, he even said that he was still unpacking. Figure had offered to help but he had declined the offer, even with Figure's magic. She felt flustered when she talked to Star, her heart would race and flutter, her hoofs would feel light and her mind would go blank. She felt very awkward around him, but she liked it. She was happy talking to him.
She spat out the foamy water from her mouth as she placed away her toothbrush. Using her magic, she tossed a cup of mouthwash in her mouth, quickly spitting that out too. As she proceeded to comb her frizzy mane back, she thought about the upcoming weekend. What she could teach the stallion, and what they would chat about. She was excited and happy for that day to come.
Figure headed down the steep hill towards the ice rink, being careful to hold her balance as she moved. The upper layer of snow had hardened over the past few nights, causing a small layer of ice to for above the fluffy snow. The thin layer broke with each step, plunging her foot onto a less slippery material, keeping her from tripping. The thin chill of wind making her shiver slightly, a smile forming on her face. It had been about a week since she had seen Star Dust, but she had been excited for this day, as she got the opportunity to meet up with him once again. As she descended the hill, she looked over at the rink. There seemed to be only a few people there, Star Dust was already on the ice, slowly sliding around from side to side. The other ponies were seemingly packing up and preparing to leave, allowing Figure to be alone with Star Dust. A grey, unicorn mare with sky blue eyes and a light blue mane was placing her skates in a small bag and drinking a small bottle of water. Another unicorn, this time white with crimson red hair, was doing the same but had already begun heading away from the rink and towards the town. Shortly, everything became silent barring the slow steps of Figure through the snow, and the soft slicing of Star Dust's Skates on the ice.
Quickly she reached the rink, Star sent a wave in her direction when he saw her and Figure returned the gesture happily. Star wobbled his way over to the rink's rail and beckoned Figure over. She quickly made her way over and gave a small, friendly hug to Star Dust over the rail.
"Hey Figure," he smiled. "I have something to show you!" He sounded excited. Figure smiled back and watched as Star Dust brought himself out onto the ice. He lunged himself forward, kicking his hind legs to gain speed. Suddenly, he curved his legs sideways spinning his body around, catching the ice with his back skates, and after a small wobble was gliding butt first around on the ice. Figure chuckled at the display, especially with how dilettante it looked. Figure clopped her hooves together in amusement as she watched him attempt to turn himself right round again.
"Go Star!" Figure jokingly cheered his way. Star Dust brought himself over to the rink's entrance and laughed at himself. "Heh, good job. You're doing well," Figure encouraged.
Star giggled. "You say that now, but you didn't see me fall to the ice a hundred times practicing... in front of people."
"Heh, don't worry," Figure laughed. "It happens. But hey, it's only us now... and you're learning quite fast. You'll be amazing in no time."
"You mean I'm not amazing?" Star joked sarcastically. Figure gave him a small side bump with her shoulder.
"Here, let me get my skates on and I'll be right there." Star saluted and headed back out to the middle of the rink, still practicing his movements. Figure sighed as she watched him. Even though he was new to skating, he had a distinct elegance to his skating, even if slow. He was nice. He was cute. He was perfect. Figure's heart began beating quicker.
She took to the ice like a bullet, shooting around speedily every which way. Star looked on with a gleeful face, the prism of color the ice shown making it a wondrous display. Figure preformed her display once more, Star taking it in more this time and watching closely. He noticed in her jumps, her lean body would bend and flex, her legs turned greatly. her cheeks were a flushed red as her soft looking, wavy, green fur drifted in the cool air. He felt his own cheeks begin glowing a soft red as he watched. She was amazing to watch. The pink stripe flowing through her hair whipped through the wind behind the blurry green mare.
"---So, you got that?" Figure asked the stallion. Star Dust jumped back slightly at the sudden appearance of Figure directly in front of him.
"Uh... Yes..." He lied giving a fake smile. Figure raised her brow at him, giving him a bemused look. Star blushed awkwardly.
"Eyes up here when I'm teaching you," Figure joked raising a hoof to her eyes. Star immediately went completely white besides the hot red gushing of his cheeks. He stepped back slightly with a scared look on his face.
"No...no ...no, that's not what it was at all I was... I-Ididn't mean to, I-" Figure made a guttural laugh towards Star. "Sorry," Star cried embarrassed.
"Hehe," Figure giggling. "I'm kidding." She shot a hoof around Star's neck in an attempt to comfort him. "Don't worry," she said hugging him. "It's fine." Star smiled happily, along with Figure as well. Her warm fur felt nice on his neck and it was comforting in the cold night's air. He slowly pushed his head into her neck, more warmth encompassing him. Figure didn't pull away, instead, embracing him further. The two trotted over to the bench and sat down next to each other. A warm smile grew on Figure's face as she looked over towards Star. His own face held a similar smile to her's as she looked up into the colourful, starry sky.
"I know this is probably really weird, but we are really good friends, you are my best friend for me I’d say even if we did just meet. But, and I know this will sound weird, but I think I, in a way... I have “fallen for you” if I’m being honest." Figure blushed beet red as she spoke out suddenly. Her voice wore a quivery, awkward inflection. Star jutted into his seat as he looked from the sky to the green mare sitting beside him, taken aback at what she has just said. He opened his mouth slightly as if to speak but silence was all that came out. Eventually, he found it.
"You think you've fallen for me?" He asked.
"Yeah, I know it sounds weird but... Sorry," Figure sighed, embarrassed.
"Feelings are weird, that's for sure. I guess the burning question on your mind is whether I reciprocate that or not." Figure waited patiently for an answer that never came.
"Yeah... It’s okay if you don’t. I know we know little about each other. It’s just what I know about you so far, I love it. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"Don't worry," Star responded in a calm, soothing voice. He wrapped his hooves around Figure, squeezing the mare gently. "You don't have to say more, Figgy..." His voice wavered ever so slightly on that last word.
"Figgy," she exclaimed, sniffing a little. "I like it."
