Snowy Days at the Turnpine Inn

When Starlight awoke, before she’d even opened her eyes, the first thing she knew was cold. Blistering, numbing, painful cold that dug deep into her core. She woke up shivering heavily.

She slowly opened her tired eyes—it had been a restless sleep, after all—and all she saw around her was white. The whole world had turned significantly more white than she last remembered. Memories of the night before flooded back as she gazed around the various lumps of snow around her where her half-baked attempt at a camp had been. Even her makeshift shelter of a pine branch had been blanketed with more snow. Little white flecks of powder lightly danced through the air as they made their slow descent to the ground even still.

Starlight tried to right herself, shoving the branch away with a great kick and brushing away the copious amounts of snow that had subsequently showered over her. She got to her hooves and shook even more of it off. She felt like it was everywhere, in her coat, under her scarf, in her fur. She couldn’t get away from the awful chill of it all. From then on forward Starlight decided she hated the snow.

She went about collecting what she could of the camp, digging away at what lumps she could immediately find despite the numb ache in her hooves. She found her saddlebags where she knew she’d left them. Her compass, thank Celestia, was still inside. Various parts of her tent, enough to make it stand, were strewn about, and she was able to pack them in. To her chagrin it was the food stores that now appeared to have dwindled significantly. She barely had more than a day’s worth now. Her heart rate quickened and she felt her blood pressure rise as panic set in, her carefully-made plans crumbling apart.

Starlight took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Counted the seconds as they ticked by, the sound of snow falling off the trees, the beat of wings, an animal scurrying up a trunk. She focused away from the numbness, the dull aches and pains and instead the feeling of the ground beneath her hooves and the slight bit of warmth her jacket afforded her. She exhaled and opened her eyes, pushing out her negative thoughts, her anger. Just like Twilight had taught her. She felt better now, replacing the angst with a mellow reservation instead. She could do this, accept the world around her instead of losing control of herself. She had a job to do.

Gathering up what little supplies and courage she could muster, she drew her compass out of her bag, held it out with her magic that, thankfully, finally worked again, and set her sights west.

If snow had been a problem on the path before, it was tenfold now. Everywhere she could see had been covered in another layer of the stuff, making trekking on the path a difficult task. Since there were no trees directly on the road to keep it clear it also had no cover from the elements. Her hooves fell a solid two or three inches below the surface with each step. Ice clung to her fetlocks as snow melted and refroze. She couldn’t stop from shivering all the time.

Looking up, the sky was cloudy and grey. It looked like the snow would continue forever and it looked gloomy. Starlight felt another twinge of panic before she took a breath, focused her thoughts, and continued her trek forward.

Twilight had been right. All those anecdotal stories of ponies on the road, her own personal experience; none of it meant anything now. She briefly considered heading back and taking the train in a week like Twilight had said, she wasn’t more than a day’s journey along, certainly not even halfway, but she pushed the thought aside. No, Starlight was too stubborn for that. She had set her mind to something and would see it through.

There was an Inn somewhere along the road that ponies would stop at. A sad little establishment that had never seen its heyday and was in a sorry state of disrepair, but it was the only point of safety and warmth along the road, and the only stopover point. Starlight had never been, but she’d seen it from afar. She was always in too much of a rush to make it as quickly as she could to Ponyville or Sire’s Hollow to even considering resting for long, let alone paying the bits. Now, it didn’t seem like she had much choice.

Starlight walked and walked for hours. Walked until she forgot about the cold, her mind racing over the possible scenarios of what was going to happen when she made her way back home, and what she would say to her father for putting her in such peril. Sure, there was resentment, but she had pity, also. Mostly, she wanted to spend as little time there as possible. See him sorted and leave the moment the train was back up and running.

The snow never stopped falling as the day wore on. It started light and fluffy, reminding her of better times, but became heavier as the sky grew cloudier. The wind picked up, howling and whistling between the trees and blocking out all of the peaceful sounds that had put her mind at ease before. Now all she had was the uncaring winter.

The weather ponies in these parts must have been crazy to make weather like this. It had been a long time since Starlight had seen anything this cruel and unforgiving.

By about midday, when the sun should have been at its highest somewhere through all the clouds, and the snow and wind had gotten so bad Starlight could barely see what was in front of her, she had reached the hill.

She knew this place from her various journeys. It rose up out of the valley and entered into the highlands where Sire’s Hollow was. She was still days away, but somewhere on the other side of the top was the inn and her only hope for something warm. She wanted nothing more than a hot cup of cocoa to warm her insides, and a hearty fire for her outsides. Everything else was secondary to the need to warm up.

It was so cold. So cold she couldn’t feel her hooves. Her horn had numbed and stopped working an hour ago, and her stomach groaned with hunger, but she ignored all other desires. The wind had gone from its occasional howl to unrelenting screams as it weaved between the trees and seemingly picked her out as its only target. She fought back against the headwinds that threatened to push her all the way back to Ponyville. Under all the ice and fur, her heart raced with determination. She pressed on despite her body begging for a break.

The slope of the hill had never been much trouble for her before. When she’d walked with Sunburst they’d taken a little break at the bottom, and then at the top to eat. She didn’t have that luxury. A small fear had started to root itself deep within her, growing and feeding itself the colder and wearier she got. It was the fear that she wouldn’t make it out of this forest alive, that Twilight was right in so many more ways than even she knew. Starlight had ignored her pleas to wait until it was safe and now Starlight was going to pay the ultimate price.

The headwinds pushed her down as she trudged forth up the slope of the hill. It had never seemed so steep, so foreboding like it did now. She kept her head down, wincing as icicles started to form on her eyelashes. Her pace slowed to crawl and in her mind she focused herself on walking forward one hoof at a time. One step, two step, three step, four. One, two, three four.

It was a slow ascent. The slowest Starlight had ever travelled anywhere. She kept telling herself she could do it. She wasn’t like those other ponies who got lost on the road and never made it home. That wouldn’t be her. She wouldn’t allow herself to be another cautionary tale for future travellers to remember. The mare who got lost in the cold, too stupid and impatient to wait until the train arrived in a week.

One step, two step. She stopped and wheezed, gasping for breath. The shrill winds had made it difficult to breathe. Three step, four. She trudged forward, her hoof slipping into deep snow and she nearly fell before righting herself. She was halfway now, hot cocoa and a warm fire beckoned her. Almost there.

She was so stupid for risking her life like this. Nothing was worth that. It wasn’t as if the relationship with her father was about to get worse, that had already been about as bad as she could imagine it.

One step, two step. She could see the trees at the top. A gust of wind pushed her to the side and she nearly slipped on a patch of ice. Three step. Somewhere, a tree toppled over and let out a creeeeeeak crash. Then apart from the howling of the wind, silence. The forest carried on one tree less, uncaring and unsympathetic. Fourth step; the top. She was nearly there. A few more steps and...

Starlight collapsed into the snow and ice, face-first, her body shivering as she huddled up and whimpered pathetically. She’d never known cold like this before. The snow just kept falling, coming down from the sky in a nonstop flurry. She was in a blizzard and she was trapped. It occurred to her, then, that nopony was going to come to her rescue in this. Not for days at least.

Prying herself from the cold, cold ground, she stood on shakey hooves and walked forward, one step at a time. As she rose over the top of the hill, through all the grey she saw smoke, a chimney, then the rest of the inn came into view. Her salvation.

Several ponies and a gryphon were huddled around a fire, chatting quietly amongst themselves when the door suddenly burst open. Their peace was disrupted by the howling wind, and a snow-battered Starlight who collapsed on the rug.

Two ponies immediately jumped to her aid as soon as she fell. A third shut the door as they brought her in, dragging her near the fire.

“Move outta the way, squirt. Let ‘er rest here.”

“Is she gonna be okay, Momma?”

“Oh my gosh, how long was she out there?”

“Give the mare some space already! Somepony grab a blanket. Melody, the tea!”

Voices echoed all around her before she was wrapped in a blanket and placed near the fire. Somepony held up a mug of tea and she drank eagerly. Warmth settled in, the cold dissipated. Starlight curled up, too busy shivering to say much.

As soon as the warmth had started to set in, and her hooves regained some of their feeling, Starlight opened her eyes. She was in front of a great big fireplace that crackled and licked at the air, its emanating heat thawing her body. She wiggled closer, as close as she dare get, and lifted her head to look around her.

Three ponies, a little foal, and off to one side, a gryphon, sat around her. A cup of tea sat steaming to her left. The foal, a wide-eyed little colt, sat nestled between a young couple on an old sofa, his mother petting him gently while his father prepared himself a pipe. The gryphon sat on a chair off to the side, staring into the fire with little care for the commotion around him. Next to the couple, a young mare about Starlight’s age peered at her with a face full of worry.

“Th-thank you. For the help,” Starlight croaked, breaking the silence. Five sets of eyes turned to peer at her, and she swallowed nervously, “My name is Starlight, and I am--”

“A damned fool for travelling out in that storm. What were you thinking?” interrupted the gyrphon crassly.

“Gideon, please spare us your negativity,” The stallion had finished with his pipe, bringing it to his lips in a magical aura before lighting it. He turned to Starlight, “You’re lucky to be alive, way that storm is raging. Looks like you’re stuck here with the rest of us.

“Stuck?”

“The storm,” Interrupted the stallion’s wife, “In all my years as a weatherpony I’ve never seen anything like it. The factory must have suffered a near-total catastrophic failure. At least a month’s worth of weather pouring out all at once. That’s why...” She beckoned to a rattling window on the other side of the room. “Horrible business.”

“But I can’t stay. I have to make it to Sire’s Hollow. I have to...I have to be there.”

“Only way you’re getting there now is as an icicle. Trust us, better to wait out the storm here, where it’s warm. It’s only just begun and it’s about to get a whole lot worse.” The mare persisted. The colt, having started to sit up on her lap, looked between Starlight and his mother.

“Is she gonna be an icicle, Momma?”

“No, honey. Not if we have anything to say about it.” She soothed the little foal with a shushing sound. He went back to his spot between his parents and gazed at Starlight watchfully, as if afraid she would burst into ice at any moment.

A new face emerged from the dim shadows behind the couch. It was an older stallion with a long grey beard and a tired face. He carried with him a bowl of soup, some bread, and more tea. He set them down on a coffee table next to Starlight.

“Here, lass, drink. Leftover from supper. Afraid it’s all I’ve got at the moment, but there’s enough food for everyone here to last at least a week. We’ve got extra blankets, too. You ought to stay.” His voice was deep and patient, wise from all his years.

Starlight wanted to protest, to insist upon leaving, but her senses got the better of her. It was no use arguing when she’d been out there, seen the storm herself, and if the mare was too be believed, it would only get worse.

“Name’s Huck, this here is my establishment. You’re sittin’ in The Turnpine Inn, grandest hotel this side of Equestria for miles around. You stay here and make yourself comfortable, and we’ll all wait out the storm together, least until things clear up.”

“If you’re wondering, he calls it that because this is the only hotel. Easy to be the best when you don’t have competition.” The gryphon Starlight had come to realize was named Gideon remarked.

“Easy there. Ain’t no shame in having a little pride in one’s work.” Huck grumbled.

“You’re not seeing the point here, grandpa, there’s no room for her. All your rooms are booked. To us.” The gryphon gestured around the room. “ I count three rooms, and they’re all being used.”

The grizzled old stallion frowned.

“I suppose that’s true, but we’ll have to make due. Suppose maybe one of you could--”

“I’ll share.” A single, faint voice cut through the tension. A voice that had been silent up until then, sitting on her side of the sofa, watching the goings-on, and Starlight, curiously.

“Well how about that,” the old stallion chortled, “That’s awfully kind of you, Vapor. Miss Starlight, meet Miss Vapor Trail. The two of you ought to make best of pals.”

“Good. So long as I don’t have to share, I don’t care.” Gideon shrugged and dropped back into his chair.

Starlight finished her soup while she watched the bickering, unsure of how to respond. Truth be told, the grumpy gryphon didn’t exactly seem the welcoming sort, so she relished the idea of sharing bunk with him. Vapor Trail seemed much more agreeable, and Starlight had to admit, far friendlier.

“That’d be really great. If you don’t mind, Vapor.” Starlight finally spoke, and all heads turned back to Vapor.

“Of course not. Couldn’t let you freeze out there in the cold. Besides, I’m a small pony and it’s a big bed. Lots of extra space.” Vapor offered a grin.

The room returned back to what Starlight assumed had been its previous state. The other mare was reading a story to the young colt, who yawned and nestled into his mother. His father smoked his pipe thoughtfully. Gideon resumed staring into the flames. Huck, for his part, took up Starlight’s empty bowl and resumed into the kitchen in the darkness.

“C’mon, Starlight. You must be tired. Our room is this way.” Vapor got up from the sofa and helped Starlight with her saddlebags that had been resting against the wall near to the fire to dry off.

Starlight, too, rose to her hooves and for the first time had a good chance to look around. The inn was quite long. The grand fireplace took up nearly half the back wall of the inn, and cascaded the entire room in flickering lights. The door she came in was across the room in the corner. On the same wall, two large windows with curtains drawn in front of a large dining table that took up a large part of the floor space. On the other side of the table, the bar and small kitchen where Huck was cleaning dishes in the dim light. A door near to him must have lead to his own personal chambers.

Starlight followed Vapor away from the sitting area and to the furthest corner of the inn from the front door. Huck waved as they walked through the bedroom door.

“Breakfast’s at sunrise. Don’t be late, ‘less you want cold food.”

Their room was rather small. It had barely enough room for a bed, a dresser, and a small mirror. Vapor set Starlight’s Saddlebags on the floor by the door and climbed up onto the bed. Starlight felt her body and eyelids grow heavy as the need for sleep tugged at her.

“Bathroom’s out there, other side of the room. Last door on your left,” said Vapor, pulling herself under the covers.

Starlight followed suit on her side, turning to face away from the middle of the bed out of courtesy. The warmth and softness of the bed felt as if she’d never been in one before, soothing her aching muscles and lulling her to contentment.

“So you were really out there in the cold all on your own, huh?” Vapor whispered. Starlight let her question hang in the air for a few seconds.

“Yeah, but it was stupid of me and I shouldn’t have tried it.”

“We all make mistakes, I guess. I was trying to fly back to Stratusburg when the storm started. It’s way worse up in the clouds.”

Starlight muttered something incoherent under her breath, eyelids starting to close. She could have sworn that Vapor said something else, but her body had other plans as sleep drew her in. She dozed off instantly, snoring quietly as she huddled the blankets.

She dreamed of her father, the icy landscape outside, a lonesome rabbit, and of her bed at home.