A Different View of Reality
A light blue mare with a blue-green mane took a deep breath as she watched the gathering crowd outside from a window in a large building in the Cloud City of Coltlumbia. Most of the crowd outside was Pegasi, she could see a few Unicorns, likely from Thunderhead she thought to herself, but that was about it.
“What am I getting myself into…” She muttered as she looked at the crowd. “Why did I ever let them talk me into running, to begin with…”
“Ms. Breeze, they’re waiting for you,” a voice said from the door and she turned to see a pegasus stallion with a dark purple coat and a short steel grey mane with an eye patch and a slash across his face.
“Sky Striker, do you think I’m really ready for this?” Winter Breeze asked as she glanced back at the older stallion. “I mean, I never wanted this job. I’m only here because the party wanted me to run. I didn’t actually think I would win.”
“Ever since the Nimbus was destroyed at the Battle of Neighvarro the Progressive Party’s influence in the Enclave has grown,” Sky Striker pointed out. “Even the most vehement traditionalists in the military like Bluejay started to realize that the time had come for change.”
“Yeah, but I was an unknown, I was just the Secretary of Education under the old administration,” Winter said with a shake of her head. “I’m not exactly leadership material despite my views.”
“Frankly, the party could have put just about anypony and they likely would have been elected,” Sky Striker said as he walked to the window. “Honestly I don’t envy you. The Enclave is on the verge of falling apart in places between what happened at Neighvarro and Thunderhead.”
“Thanks for not putting pressure on me,” Winter said sarcastically as she adjusted her black tie and looked back outside. “Well, there’s hardly any point in putting it off much longer is there? Let’s do this.”
She sighed a little as she walked through the door onto the balcony overlooking the crowd. Winter paused a moment as she looked at the other Pegasi that were with her including a white stallion with a short rainbow colored mane. She gave him a small nod before she turned her attention to another pony who was dressed in fancy clothes and had a golden coat with a darker gold mane.
“Raise your right hoof,” the pony said and Winter nodded as she did so. “Repeat after me, I, Winter Breeze.”
“I Winter Breeze,” Winter repeated as she took a deep breath.
“Do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of the Grand Pegasus Enclave,” the golden mare continued.
“Do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of the Grand Pegasus Enclave,” Winter repeated.
“And defend it and its citizens from all enemies, both within and without,” the mare continued.
“And defend its citizens from all enemies, both within and without,” Winter repeated.
“Or may the Fates punish me for my mistakes,” the golden mare finished.
“Or may the Fates punish me for my mistakes,” Winter finished. She found that last bit morbid personally, but it had always been part of the ceremony for leaders.
“Congratulations Madam President,” The mare said as she offered Winter a hoof and Winter shook it with a soft smile before she gestured towards the crowd. “Your public awaits, Madam President.”
Winter pauses a moment as she moves up to the podium as she looked out at the gathered ponies. There were so many here plus a radio broadcast was being transmitted around the Enclave in all the cities and smaller towns. What was she going to say to them? She took out the notes for her speech, but she was having a hard time focusing.
“Okay Winter, you can do this,” Winter thought to herself as she shuffled her papers for a moment before she took a deep breath and looked out at the crowd with a soft smile.
It was time to finally address the Enclave as their President for the first time. She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to figure out how to say this.
“I wanted to start out by saying thank you for electing me,” Winter started out with a soft smile as she looked out at the crowd finally. “The last few months have been a difficult one for all of us. You elected me because I come with the promise of change, of a better world away from the old ways of the Enclave. I’m here to tell you that I will do everything in my power to keep those promises. We’re going to need to do more than just survive from now on, we’re going to rebuild, we’re going to have to recover from our defeats in the past. But more than that, if we are going to survive we are going to have to move past what happened in the past...”
She paused a moment as she looked at her papers and looked out at the crowd that was murmuring to each other. She and the others in the party had been discussing this point for a while, and she wasn’t entirely sure if everypony was entirely ready for it.
She sighed a little as she looked back out at the crowd. “Half a year ago, Littlepip gave us an ultimatum. We’ve lost the cloud cover, we were lucky that she didn’t use the same technology to wipe out our cities. We have the technology to do more than just survive in this new world, and we’re going to have to make it better than the old one. I hope that we can do this, but our first priority must be rebuilding. We must do better, or all we will do is repeat the mistakes of the past. I thank you for your time, I hope that together we will be able to make this future bright, for every being.”
She folded up her speech notes and paused a moment as if waiting for an answer from the crowd. There was some applause, but she could tell that most of them seemed pretty unsure about what she had said.
This was going to be a long presidency.
00000
Winter sighed, a couple of months had passed since she had been inaugurated as President. She sighed a little as she leaned back in her chair. She had just gotten out of another meeting and she felt so very tired about all of this right now.
“Madam President, there’s a delegation here from the party,” one of her aides said as she let out a groan. “Is everything okay Winter?”
“Honestly? I have no idea,” Winter admitted as she rubbed her temples a little bit. “I haven’t been feeling well lately and I think the stress of this job is getting to me. I’m just, I don’t know, I feel like I need to take a vacation but I can’t take a vacation either.”
“This should be your last meeting for the day though, take the rest of the day off, I’ll take a look at anything left for you,” the aide said and gave her a nod. “The last thing we need is the President to burn herself out right now.”
“Alright,” Winter said with a sigh as she closed her eyes a moment. “Let them in, I can handle one more meeting, I hope.”
“Yes ma’am,” the aide said with a slight nod as she went out into the Hall.
Winter took a deep breath as she waited for the party officials to enter. This was something she could handle at least, even if it wasn’t going to be easy. She just needed to take a deep breath and work her way through this.
Besides, once everything was done she could spend some well earned time with Spectra. She straightened out the papers on her desk, closed her eyes, and gave them a moment to come in.
“Madam President,” Sky Striker said as he came in accompanied by a mare with blue fur and a light yellow mane. “Thank you for seeing us, I’m sure your schedule is very busy right now.”
“Oh you have no idea,” Winter said with a sigh before she smiled at the two. “What can I do for you both?”
“We need to talk about the current situation in Coltlumbia,” the blue mare said as she frowned a little. “You are aware of the current situation in Flankton I’m sure.”
Winter paused a moment as she thought back to the reports about what was going on in Flankton. The sector of the city had always been the industrial sector for the city, it was generally considered a cesspool of corruption but Storm Watch, the stallion who ran things seemed to keep everything under wraps.
“Yeah, I’ve been informed of the situation,” Winter said with a small nod. “Has the situation changed at all?”
“If anything it’s gotten worse,” the blue Pegasus said with a shake of her head. “The old administration, especially the old governor here in Coltlumbia, gave Storm Watch a lot of leeway, especially when Operation Cauterize began. Unfortunately, it seems that he’s continuing to act like he’s still allowed to do that, exploiting the workers in Flankton and keeping them silent.”
“That’s, a problem,” Winter said as she frowned a little. She wasn’t surprised by this, Storm Watch was the type who would do that kind of thing. “Exactly what do you suggest we do though? How do you suggest we deal with this kind of thing?”
“The Senate is working on legislation against this kind of thing,” Sky Striker said with a shake of his head. “But in truth we need to do more than just that.”
“The problem is his monopoly in the city for manufacturing,” the blue mare said with a frown. “We’re going to have to deal with this problem somehow, even if it means…”
She let that thought trail off for a moment as Winter frowned a moment. “You’re suggesting that we nationalize the industrial sector? That’s not something I agreed to, Sunny.”
“I know, I know,” Sunny said with a shake of her head. “But we weren’t aware of just how bad this was getting. He’s barely paying his workers at all and is working them to death. We’re going to need to stop this before it gets much worse.”
“And what do you suggest I do? We can pass legislation, but that will take time,” Winter said. “What do you suggest I do, go down to Shantytown and make a public appearance?”
“Maybe, if that’s what it takes to send a message,” Sunny said.
“Just keep it in mind, we do always have other options,” Sky Striker said as he gave Sunny a light nod. “The fact of the matter is that we need to deal with this. This isn’t an isolated incident either, but we need to make an example of Storm Watch and Flankton. I’m sure we can figure this out.”
“We’ll leave you alone now, thank you for your time,” Sunny said as she and Sky Striker got up and left the room.
Winter sighed a little as she looked at the papers on her desk. She still had a lot going on and she didn’t like the idea of having to deal with this kind of thing. She was afraid that they might have to take drastic measures if they were going to stop Storm Watch.
That was something she knew she couldn’t avoid forever. Right now, she just needed to relax and try and get this out of her mind. She got to her hooves and walked out of her office and down the hall until she reached a door leading out into a balcony and pushed it open as she walked out onto it.
She sighed a little as she leaned on the Balcony railing and looked out at the city beyond. From her position she could see almost all of the city, and she looked towards where Flankton was, the industrial area and its factories were clear even in the dim light.
“What am I going to do…” She muttered to herself. “Maybe this was a bad idea… this whole thing is starting to feel like a mistake.”
She closed her eyes and thought for a long moment. Maybe she needed to consider resigning at this point. Whoever they replaced her with couldn’t be much worse than she was, the Enclave needed a better leader than she could be.
“Hold it right there,” one of her bodyguards said and she turned to see the two bodyguards stopping a mare with a yellow coat and a yellow and white mane. “What are you doing here?”
“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was here,” the mare said as she shrunk away from the guards. “I just wanted to come out on the balcony.”
“You’re Daisy Bloom right?” Winter said which made the three ponies all look at her. She remembered that Daisy Bloom had been a servant working in the mansion before it was turned into the Presidential Manor and had been kept on.
“Uh, yes ma’am,” Daisy said as she looked a little nervous. “I’m sorry ma’am, I like to come out here sometimes. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Is she armed?” Winter asked as she looked at the bodyguards.
“No ma’am,” one of them said.
“Then let her through, I doubt she’s going to threaten me,” Winter said as Daisy’s eyes went wide for a moment. “Unless you’d rather not.”
“No, no I just wasn’t expecting that,” Daisy said as she walked past the guards and took a spot next to Winter. “I just like to come out here to think you know? The city it’s beautiful from up here, sometimes makes you forget about what kind of world we live in.”
“The kind of world we want to change though,” Winter pointed out. “That’s why I was elected, ponies want things to change. If we want to create…”
“Madam President, with all due respect sitting in government buildings and making promises isn’t everything,” Daisy said and Winter blinked in surprise. It was like the yellow pegasus had shifted her personality a little all of a sudden. “The lower class has been kept down by the Enclave for years, you were elected because you gave them a chance to do this. You need to remind them of that somehow.”
Winter thought back to what she had said earlier and paused a moment. Maybe that hadn’t been as crazy as she thought. “I… I really don’t know what to do.”
“Madam President,” Daisy said. “You have to do more than just rebuild, if you only rebuild there is always the risk of things going back to where it was. You were right before, we need to change, and we need to help Equestria. The future might depend on it.”
“You’re right,” Winter finally said with a nod. “The question is how do we do that.”
“Get help, bring in ponies that know the Wasteland,” Daisy suggested. “Dashites, former members of the Volunteer Corps out of Thunderhead. You have assets you can use, you just have to get to them.”
Winter stood in silence for a long moment before she smiled a little. “You’re right, thank you Daisy.”
“You’re welcome,” Daisy said with a soft nod. “You’re the best chance we have you know. That’s why they picked you, because you will do the right thing, ponies could recognize that. Just make sure you don’t let them down.”
“I won’t,” Winter said with a nod as the two mares looked out at the city together. “You really wanted to just talk to me didn’t you?”
“Pretty much,” Daisy said with a chuckle. “But only because I know you’re going to do just fine.”
“Thanks,” Winter said with a sigh. It was nice to know that there were ponies that believed in her, that meant a lot to her.
Now she just had to make sure she didn’t fail them.
“Any suggestions on where to start?”
“Hoofington, I’ve heard there’s a doctor living out there that might be able to help,” Daisy said with a nod. “In a place called the Star House.”
00000
“I’m not sure why you wanted to come here,” a tall Alicorn dressed in Enclave power armor. She was escorting Winter through the slums of Shantytown which looked like it was falling apart in places. “This place is… unpleasant.”
“These ponies are just as much citizens as the rest of us Tornado,” Winter said as she looked up at the Alicorn. “We need to help them too, and stopping what’s been going on is a good place to start.”
She pushed the door open to a bar called the Graveyard Shift as the music inside reached their ears. All of the ponies inside were focused on a makeshift stage where a Pegasus mare with an off-white coat and long blue mane with a cutie mark of a singing bird was singing.
“And I dream of the sky,
Broken clouds drifting by.
And I dream of the sky,
My utopian lie.”
The mare had a beautiful voice as she kept singing with the music playing in the background. The mare stood on the stage singing with all her heart as she closed her eyes and kept going. Winter smiled a little at that as she started to head towards the bar and stopped when she realized that Tornado wasn’t following her.
“Tornado, are you okay?” She asked as she looked back at Tornado who was staring at the singing mare.
“Uh, yeah, sorry,” Tornado said as she shook her head. “I was just… uh…”
“Don’t worry about it, I understand,” Winter said, though she was a little surprised. She had known Tornado all her life and hadn’t ever known the Alicorn to look at another pony like that. The two of them walked over to the bar where a stallion was working.
“What can I…” The stallion bartender said before he looked up and was surprised to see Winter standing there. “Oh, Madam President, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Yeah, I’m just here to get to know the city better,” Winter said as she looked around the bar. The room was now getting quiet as ponies whispered, the singing mare had even stopped singing and looked at the surprising arrival of the President. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” the off white singer mare said as she walked up to them. “Not a lot of the ponies in this bar are big fans of the government for good reason.”
“Elegant, this isn’t the time,” the Bartender said as he narrowed his eyes a little.
“Like hell it is, this,” Elegant snapped. “This mare came in on a whole lot of promises to the Enclave but we’re still being used for slave labor down here. Where’s the change we were promised?”
“Look Miss…” Winter started to say.
“Elegant Voice,” Elegant answered.
“Elegant Voice, right,” Winter said with a nod. “I completely agree with you, in all honesty I’m still trying to figure out a lot of things about this job myself. But I’m here to say that we’re not going to let this continue. I know words aren’t going to help much, but we’re not going to let what he’s done stand. I promise you all that I’m going to do everything in my power to stop him and make things better here.”
“Pretty words, let’s see if you can back them up,” Elegant Voice said as she glanced up at Tornado. “And your muscle doesn’t scare us that much. I’d watch yourself down here like I said.”
“Good to know,” Winter said as she cringed a little. This wasn’t going well at all, but at least they weren’t being overly hostile towards her. She turned back to the bartender and was about to order something when she heard a voice behind her.
“Well, well, I thought I was hearing things when I heard you were here,” a stallion said and she turned to see a tall Pegasus stallion dressed in a fancy suit with a moustache as he smirked a little. “A pony of such a high status as you are shouldn’t lower herself to such, squalid conditions.”
“Storm Watch,” Winter said with a snort of indignation as she looked at the bartender again. “Just a water for me please.”
“Whatever you say,” the bartender said as he shot Storm Watch a quick look before he went to get the drink.
“What in the name of the fates brings the President of our glorious Enclave to such a… dingy little bar,” Storm Watch said with a disgusted look as he moved closer. The patrons of the bar didn’t look happy to see him, even more than when Winter entered. “You come from better breeding than this, you’re like me, you don’t deserve to lower yourself…”
“Look here,” Winter snapped at the stallion and pointed her hoof at him. “I’m here because I’m not like you! I actually care about these ponies instead of just about how they can line my pockets like you!”
“Well, I never…” Storm Watch said as he stumbled over his words. “Now see here, this is my part of the city and I can do whatever I please with it. You and your Progressive Party are just a passing fad, it’s only a matter of time before the people wise up to the truth and you’ll all be removed from office.”
“Do you know what your problem is?” Winter asked as she narrowed her eyes a little at the stallion. “You’re letting your position get to you. Yeah, I was born into the upper class, but I’m not like you at all. I want to help ponies and they know that you’re just holding on to what limited power you have left.”
“You’ll find that I still have considerable power, Madam President,” Storm Watch spat. “Don’t underestimate me, you would do well not to make me into an enemy.”
“We’ll see,” Winter said as Storm watch snorted a little before he walked back out of the bar with his goons behind him. Winter let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding, the bar had gone quiet from their argument. “I’m sorry I disrupted your days, please go back to what you were doing.”
“That went well,” Tornado snarked as Winter picked up her glass and took a drink. “Are you okay, Winter?”
“Honestly? I have no idea,” Winter admitted. She knew that there was going to be opposition, but she hadn’t expected to be faced with such anger. “What is his problem?”
“Those who have power are only afraid of one thing, losing that power,” Elegant Voice said as she gave them a nod. “I don’t entirely trust you yet Madam President, but if you speak the truth you have my support and that of a lot of ponies here.”
“Thank you,” Winter said with a nod as the singer got back up on the stage and started singing a new tune.
“So what are we going to do now?” Tornado asked.
“I honestly don’t know,” Winter admitted. “Our best chance might be to get more ponies on our side, we just have to figure out how to deal with Storm Breaker. I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”
“I hope so,” Tornado said as she looked back at Elegant Voice. “Let’s just hope that everything works out.”
“Some folks are born, silver spoon in hoof.
Lord don’t they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire's son, no.
It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no fortunate son, no.”
00000
“Madam President, are you sure about this?” The Vertibuck pilot asked as Winter climbed aboard. It was a week after she went to Shantytown and she had tracked down the pony that Daisy had mentioned. “I mean, we’re not exactly going into friendly territory here and the pony you’re going to meet is…”
“I know who she is,” Winter said as she strapped herself into her seat and her guards did the same. “And that’s why I want her help. She may be a Dashite, but from what I’ve heard I think she can help us with the rebuilding.”
“If you say so,” the pilot said as the doors were closed. “I don’t like this, I’ve heard about what happened in Thunderhead and this mare was involved in that. It seems to me this might be more trouble than it’s worth… sorry madam President, it’s not my place I know.”
“Your opinion is noted,” Winter said. “But if we’re going to start rebuilding we’re going to need help. One part of that needs to be bringing Dashites back into the fold. If we can show them that we’re willing to change, that could help sway opinion in the Wasteland.”
“Alright, if you say so,” the pilot said as he started up the engines and took off from the hangar on board the Thunderhead Paxis.
Winter looked out the window towards Hoofington. The old city wasn’t in the best of shape. The core was empty, nopony had been in there for as long as anypony could remember, and that made her a little unsettled. Thankfully, there was no reason to go there today as their destination was a settlement on the outskirts of the ruins.
There she’d find a doctor that had fought through hell and survived. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes a moment, she just hoped that everything was going to be okay. Convincing the doctor was going to be hard, especially after what had happened in Thunderhead.
The Vertibuck flew in silence for the longest time, nopony wanted to say anything. It finally came in for a landing outside a settlement and the doors opened as the bodyguards lead Winter out.
“Be careful Madam President, I don’t like being here,” one of the guards said as they started walking.
“Me neither, but it’s what we need to do,” Winter said as she glanced towards the settlement. The settlement of Chapel had been built around an old pre-war building that towered over most of the other buildings in the area, but that wasn’t their destination.
On the outskirts of Chapel was a house, it was out of the way and very few ponies paid it much mind. Winter took a deep breath as they approached the front door of the house and knocked on it.
“It’s open,” a voice said from inside.
One of the bodyguards pushed the door open and lead the others inside. Winter rolled her eyes a little, she knew they were just being careful but they weren’t exactly walking into a combat situation.
In the main room in what made for a makeshift doctor’s office was a grey-furred Pegasus mare with a purple mane. She was dressed in black and her cutie mark had been replaced with a brand in the shape of a cloud with a lightning bolt coming out of it.
Right now she was working on bandaging up a colt’s leg. “Alright, just stay off of that for a few days and you should be fine,” she said with a soft smile.
“Thank you Glory,” the colt said with a sniff as he got to his hooves and turned to see Winter standing there flanked by her guards he let out an eep. “What… What are they doing here?”
“We’re not here to hurt you,” Winter said as she raised a hoof. “We just want to talk to the Doctor.”
That didn’t help much as the colt ran off. The grey Pegasus sighed a little and turned to get some more things together.
“Unless you’re here for medical help, you’re wasting your time,” she said without looking at Winter. “And I doubt that the Enclave would send somepony to get medical help from me. Which tells me that you’re probably here to arrest me or execute me.”
“No, we’re here to talk,” Winter said simply as she took out a file. “Doctor Morning Glory, a former member of the Volunteer Corps, and protegee of Professor Morningstar in Thunderhead who said you were one of their finest pupils. You’ve got quite the reputation Doctor.”
“You left out traitor to the Enclave and associate of a known terrorist,” Morning Glory said with a snort. “So what is the Enclave in such bad shape that they need to turn to traitors for medical assistance?”
“Something like that,” Winter said with a sigh. “Do you mind if I take a seat or do you have more patients coming?”
“No, that was my last one for the day probably,” Morning Glory said with a sigh as she gestured for Winter to take a seat. She looked at Winter curiously for a moment as if trying to recognize her. “I know you from somewhere…”
“I was the Secretary of Education in the old administration,” Winter said. “Your father and I are friends and we met at a party around the time you graduated. I know it’s been a while, but I remember you quite well.”
“Oh right, Winter Breeze,” Morning Glory said in recognition. “I remember now, that was a long time ago though.”
Winter nodded a little. Morning Glory’s Father, Sky Striker had been part of the leadership of Thunderhead. Now he was the city’s representative in the Senate for the city of Thunderhead. She had met them on a trip to the city a long time ago and met his daughters at around the same time.
“So, why are you here now?” Morning Glory asked as she narrowed her eyes a little. “You don’t come in with this kind of escort without a reason. If you’re going to do anything to hurt Chapel…”
“No, we’re here to talk to you, that’s all,” Winter reassured her. “In truth, I need your help with something. The Enclave is balancing on the brink of ruin if we don’t do everything we can to rebuild, and we’re going to need all the help we can get, and that includes you.”
“You, need my help?” Morning Glory asked as she looked at Winter surprised. “Why do you need my help of all ponies? Exactly what reason do you have to ask me?”
“Morning Glory, a lot has changed ever since you left,” Winter said with a sigh. “Between what happened in Thunderhead and the loss of the Nimbus in Neighvarro, there’s been a lot of changes. I was elected President on the Progressive ticket and I’m doing everything I can to help rebuild it. But at the same time, we need to do more than just rebuild. And for that, I need your help and the help of other Dashites.”
“You… want to establish peaceful contact with the rest of Equestria?” Morning Glory asked as she blinked a little in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“It’s our best chance at survival,” Winter said with a sigh. “We’ve separated ourselves from the rest of the world for the longest time, and it’s just made us worse. I think that it’s our best chance to build a future not only for ourselves, but everypony out there. We need ponies like you, and your knowledge of the Wasteland would be valuable.”
Morning Glory paused a moment and closed her eyes as if she was thinking about what to say to that. “I’ve been through a lot, I saw things in Hoofington that I don’t really want to talk about. I found a mare that I loved more than life itself, and despite her flaws I couldn’t let her go… until I had no choice.”
“Blackjack…” Winter said softly as she remembered the reports. “She died when Lighthooves did, and most ponies in the Enclave consider her a monster.”
“Honestly? I have a hard time deciding,” Morning Glory admitted. “You’re not going to force me to come are you?”
“No, it’s entirely up to you,” Winter said.
“I’m the last one of my friends still around here,” Morning Glory said as she got up and headed into the other room with Winter and her guards behind her. “Scotch Tape left a few months ago with her friends to go to the Zebra Lands. I don’t even know what happened to Freed Heart, he left around the same time. Rampage is back with the Reapers, and you know what happened to Blackjack.”
“What keeps you here then?” Winter asked.
“I try to help where I can, and there’s something that keeps me here more than anything, I can’t leave without putting her in risk,” Morning Glory said as she placed her hoof on her stomach for a moment.
“Her?” Winter asked curiously.
“Not long before what happened in Thunderhead, me and Blackjack got rather drunk,” Morning Glory said with a shake of her head. “Apparently, Blackjack used a spell that she had found in a book to, conceive a foal.”
“Is that possible?” Winter asked.
“Yeah, I’ve heard rumors of it from before the war and being experimented on in some Stables,” Morning Glory said. “And I’ve had it confirmed, I’m pregnant and it can only be Blackjack’s. I’m scared though, like if I live here she’ll be put in too much risk, but I honestly have nowhere else to go.”
“Come back with me,” Winter said. “Help me build a better world for your daughter and all the other foals out there. I’ll do everything I can to make sure you’re both safe and happy,it doesn’t matter to me if you help me or not. Right now, I just want you and your daughter to be helped. Right now, we have a much better future to build, and I just want you to have a chance to be part of it.”
Morning Glory paused a moment and looked at Winter before she smiled softly. “You’ve still got a way with words,” she said with a chuckle. “Alright, I just need to get my things together and I’ll join you.”
Winter let out a sigh of relief before she gave her a soft smile. “Alright, we’ll help you out,” she said and nodded to her guards. “Is everything going to be okay with you leaving here?”
“There’s another Doctor who lives here, I’m just here to help when needed,” Morning Glory said with a sigh. “I’ll probably need some time to work that out but I’m sure everything will be okay.”
“Okay, good,” Winter said with a sigh of relief.
“So, how far along are you?” Morning Glory asked as she turned back to look at her and Winter’s eyes went wide. “What did I say? You are pregnant right?”
“Uh…” Winter said. “I honestly don’t know.”
Morning Glory blinked a little as she looked at Winter confused. “You’ve been feeling sick lately right? And you’ve started to develop a little bump, I thought you’d have noticed by now.”
“Honestly? I’ve been busy,” Winter said as she shook her head a little. “And I’ve barely been able to spend any time with my Husband in awhile. I, guess I didn’t think about it until you brought it up.”
Winter looked down at her hooves for a long moment and sighed. She was surprised to feel a hoof placed gently on her shoulder and she looked at Morning Glory who gave her a soft reassuring smile.
“Winter, it’s going to be okay,” she said softly. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“It’s not that I’m not happy,” Winter said with a sigh as she placed her hoof gently on her stomach. “We’ve talked about having a family before, but I’m not sure how I’m going to handle this. I mean, I’m also the President of the Enclave, how am I supposed to handle both the stress of that job and being an expectant mother?”
“Very carefully,” Morning Glory said with a sigh. “I suggest you talk to your doctor when you get back home to verify it. After that, I think you should talk to your husband as well.”
“Yeah…” Winter said softly as she shook her head a little. “I’ll keep that in mind, there’s not really much else I can do. Thank you for your advice Morning Glory.”
“You’re welcome,” Morning Glory said with a soft smile. “You’re helping me out and that means a lot to me. Thank you for offering to help like this.”
“You’re welcome,” Winter said with a soft smile as she let out a sigh of relief. She was just glad that everything worked out, she just had to worry about how to keep going from here is all.
A Different View of Reality
“Are you sure I can’t help you?” A mare with golden fur and a long red mane asked as Winter worked on cooking a meal. “I mean, you’ve been busy lately with…”
“Harmony, just because I’m the President doesn’t mean I can’t make a meal for my cousin,” Winter said with a chuckle as she looked over at the mare with a soft smile. “Besides, I promised Highwind that I’d make sure you took it easy and stay off your hooves.”
“He worries too much,” Harmony said with a roll of her eyes as she glanced down at her large stomach. “I’ve still got a couple of months to go and everything is fine. Cooking one little meal won’t hurt the foal that much.”
“I don’t know, I’ve eaten your cooking remember?” Winter said with a laugh as she kept working. “Don’t worry, it hasn’t been so long that I forgot how to cook. Besides, you’re the doctor here, you should know better.”
“Yes, I guess you’re right,” Harmony said with a shrug. “Though I have to admit I wasn’t expecting a visit from you. You have to be busy with your work as President.”
“I am, extremely busy,” Winter said with a sigh. “But honestly I needed a break from all of that right now. This job it’s been hard on me, to be honest, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t even know why they picked me sometimes.”
“Winter, you’re one of the best ponies I’ve ever met,” Harmony said with a soft smile as she looked at her cousin. “You were picked because ponies believed that you could do a lot of good, and they elected you for the same reason.”
“I didn’t even want this job, I’m a teacher, not a politician and the job is so, stressful,” Winter said with a shiver. “I’ve barely even been able to see Spectra since the Inauguration Party except at night.”
“Winter, calm down,” Harmony said with a soft sigh as she walked over and gently placed her hoof on Winter’s shoulder. “You’re going to be just fine, I know there’s a lot going on with you right now and so does Spectra. You’re just going to burn yourself out if you focus too much on your career and neglect your family, but you also can’t neglect your duties.”
“If that’s supposed to be a pep talk you’re really bad at them,” Winter said with a shake of her head. “Remind me never to get sick and need you as my Doctor because your bedside manner is terrible.”
“Very funny,” Harmony said with a shake of her head. “But seriously Winter, don’t let yourself get burned out. Everypony is looking to you for strength in these trying times. My professional advice is that you make more time to spend with your Husband, he’s worried about you.”
“Has he been talking to you?” Winter asked with a chuckle.
“Sometimes,” Harmony said. “And some of it I figured out on my own. Have you been feeling okay?”
“I’m…” Winter started to say and sighed a little as she closed her eyes. “I’ve had a lot of problems lately with this job. And what’s going on with Storm Breaker isn’t helping, in fact, it’s just making things worse.”
“Right, I’ve done some work down there helping civilians in Shantytown, it sounds bad,” Harmony said as she frowned a little. “Sounds to me like there are ponies even talking about a full walkout and strike based on what a friend told me.”
“So, we need to figure out how to deal with Storm Breaker then,” Winter said with a sigh. “We’ve started putting pressure on him but it’s only doing so much right now.”
“You could always, get rid of him,” Harmony suggested which made Winter stumble a little.
“I’m not like my predecessors, we can’t just make ponies vanish,” Winter said with a shake of her head as she kept cooking. “We’re going to start getting ponies from the Wasteland, and I’ve already recruited one Dashite. And, there’s an extra complication…”
“What’s that? Harmony asked curiously. “What are you pregnant or something?”
“I went to my Doctor after she suggested the possibility,” Winter said as she lowered her head a little and shook her head a little. “I’m apparently almost four months along… I honestly am having a hard time figuring all of this out.”
“Well, when a mare and a stallion love each other very much…” Harmony said with a chuckle.
“I know how foals are conceived,” Winter said with a groan. “But I mean, with everything that’s going on, I don’t even know if I can handle being both a mother and the President of the Enclave.”
“Winter,” Harmony said with a soft sigh. “You’re selling yourself short if I’m being honest. You spent years teaching foals and you were always good with them, you also don’t have to do it alone. You’ve got me and Highwind as well as Spectra, Tornado, and Sweetie Bot to help you out.”
Winter paused a moment at that. Sweetie Bot had been a robot she had found when she was just a filly and had gotten a friend of the family to help repair. The robot had apparently been originally built by her ancestor, the Vice President of Stable-Tec Scootaloo, in the image of one of her friends (and for a time lover).
She had always found the idea of doing that a little weird, but she could kind of understand why she’d do it. Winter couldn’t imagine what Scootaloo must’ve gone through when she lost everypony she ever cared about in the war.
She looked back at her stomach and sighed a little as she thought about what this meant. She had another responsibility on top of everything else, but at least she didn’t have to do it alone.
“Thank you, Harmony,” Winter said with a soft smile as she checked the food. “I think this is about done.”
“So, how did Spectra take the news that he’s going to be a father?” Harmony asked which made Winter pause a moment. “You haven’t told him yet have you?”
“Uh… honestly no, not yet,” Winter admitted as she shut off the oven and stove and took the food out of the oven. “I plan to, but we’ve both been so busy lately I haven’t really had the chance to.”
“I see,” Harmony said and then chuckled a little. “He probably already knows, what’s the saying in Enclave Intelligence? Spectra knows?”
“Something like that, yeah,” Winter said with a chuckle as she remembered that. “But, in the event that he doesn’t I really should figure out how to tell him.”
“Winter, I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Harmony said with a soft smile. “You’re a smart pony, if anypony can figure out how it’s you.”
The door to the room opened as a grey pegasus stallion with a dark brown mane walked in. He smiled a little as he planted a kiss on Harmony’s cheek. Winter smiled a little as she gave him a smile.
“Hey Highwind,” Winter said with a smile as she set out the plates and put the food on them as she carried them over to the table. “We were just talking, how’ve you been?”
“Good,” Highwind said as he took his seat next to Harmony and nuzzled her gently. “How are things going?”
“About as well as ever,” Winter said with a sigh as she took a seat and poked at her food a little bit. “The fates have an odd sense of humor if they decided it was a good idea to put me through all of this right now. Honestly, I’m still kind of figuring out everything, and well there’s been a new development.”
“What’s that?” Highwind asked.
“She’s pregnant and she has no idea how she’s going to tell Spectra,” Harmony said with a chuckle. “Well, you can’t do worse than how I told Highwind here.”
“Oh yes, you told me by leaving the test results laying out and I nearly tripped over them and hurt my hind leg,” Highwind said with a chuckle.
“Hey, I said I was sorry,” Harmony said as she leaned in and gave her husband a kiss on the lips. “Besides, you were excited to be a dad right? We have nothing to worry about, as long as we have one another.”
Winter smiled a little as she watched the two. She couldn’t help but be jealous of the two, she started eating as she thought about how she was going to tell Spectra. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she was sure that everything was going to be okay.
At least, she hoped everything was going to be okay.
00000
Winter sighed a little as she leaned over the balcony again as she looked out at the lights of Coltlumbia. Even from this distance she could make out the city getting ready for the Holidays, it was almost Hearth’s Warming Eve after all, only a couple of weeks away now.
She smiled a little as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the cold feeling on her fur. The snow was supposed to start tonight, she chuckled a little at that since some ponies felt that her cutie mark meant her talent was in snow creation.
She enjoyed the winter, that much was certain. She just wanted to relax and enjoy the evening right now. She felt so alone, even with her guards behind her, everything was so quiet and still.
“Madam President?” Morning Glory said as she pushed the door to the balcony open.
“You know you can call me Winter, right Glory?” Winter asked with a chuckle as the grey and purple mare moved next to her. “How are you settling in?”
“I think I’ve gotten so used to living on the ground that it’s harder to settle in here,” Morning Glory said with a chuckle as she gave Winter a soft smile. “Thank you really, it means a lot that you’d give me a chance like this. I know a lot of ponies don’t like me because I’m a Dashite, and, well, what happened.”
“I know, but that’s why I wanted you here,” Winter said and gave her a soft smile. “We need to change the Enclave, that’s the idea of the Progressives and why we were elected.”
“Because of what happened at Neighvarro?” Morning Glory asked and Winter nodded. “I can imagine that losing an entire flagship and part of a fleet would be bad for morale. I didn’t actually think that would cause such a shift in the Enclave itself.”
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone was expecting that, but the General in charge of the ship and the R&D department was one of the strongest supporters of the old ways. I don’t think anypony was actually expecting this much of a shift, but here we are. I just hope that Storm Watch is wrong about it all being a passing fad.”
“I’m sure he wishes that was the case,” Morning Glory said with a shake of her head. “But, I get the feeling that he is wrong, at least for the time being. Still, there will likely always be ponies who don’t like what you’re doing.”
“Yeah…” Winter said and sighed a little. “Somehow, it feels like everything is going to come crashing down around me if I don’t make this work somehow. I feel like I’m going to fail if I don’t make sure that this works.”
“So, do you have any other ideas as to what to do next?” Morning Glory asked and Winter just shrugged a little. “Thunderhead is still in bad shape after what happened a few months ago, that might be a good place to start. But that’s only part of it right? We need to make sure that things are better, that we do better as Blackjack liked to say…”
“You miss her a lot don’t you?” Winter asked with a sad smile.
“She was the love of my life, and now all that I’ve got left of her is my memories and the little life growing in my womb,” Morning Glory said with a sigh. “She was kind of a pain in the flank sometimes, don’t get me wrong. I think she was more like a filly than a full grown mare to be honest.”
“Yeah, I’ve read what files we have on her,” Winter said. “That sounds about right to me. So, why be interested in her at all?”
“Who knows, opposites attract maybe?” Morning Glory said with a chuckle. “But really, I loved her a lot. She and I had our differences, but that wasn’t going to change. I just, wish that I knew what happened to her. I think she died, when Shadowbolt Tower was destroyed, but something tells me that…”
“That she might still be alive?” Winter asked and Morning Glory nodded a little.
“It’s just a feeling really,” Morning Glory said with a shrug. “She survived a lot of crazy things in Hoof, you never know she might still be alive. But honestly, I don’t know.”
“Look, we’ll keep an ear out and if we hear anything about her I’ll let you know,” Winter said with a sigh and shook her head a little. “I’m sorry Glory, if I knew how to find her I’d gladly tell you where she was.”
“I know,” Morning Glory said with a soft sigh.
“So, what have you decided to name her?” Winter Breeze asked curiously.
“I’m thinking about naming her Go Fish actually, after Blackjack,” Morning Glory said and chuckled a little. “I know it’s silly, maybe a way to try and hold onto her still. Do you think it’s a bad idea.”
“No, I think you should do whatever you feel is right,” Winter Breeze said with a soft smile. “I… just wish I knew how to tell Spectra that we’re going to have a foal of our own… I haven’t even had time to think of names.”
“You still haven’t told him?” Morning Glory asked and Winter nodded a little. “Winter, you’re going to have to tell him eventually. Or are you just going to wait until the filly or colt comes out of you?”
“No, I don’t want to do that either,” Winter said with a sigh. “Maybe I’ll tell him on Hearth’s Warming, if he doesn’t ask about it already. Hearth’s Warming is coming up after all, I’m, kind of worried about what we’re going to do for that to be honest.”
“Well, you could throw a party in addition to a family gathering,” Morning Glory said thoughtfully and Winter was about to say something whens he held a hoof up. “A Hearth’s Warming celebration where you invite anyone who wants to come. Don’t close yourself off from the people, show them that you’re something better than that.”
“That, makes a lot of sense,” Winter said. “I’ll figure it out, I guess it makes sense. Thank you again Glory.”
“Of course, I’m sure you’ll figure something out at least,” Morning Glory said with a nod. “Something tells me that’s something you’re really good at.”
“So, why haven’t you met up with your father again?” Winter asked as she looked over at Morning Glory who flinched a little at that. “Oh…”
“My father is a good pony, even if things with him aren’t always easy,” Morning Glory said with a sigh as she shook her head a little. “Honestly, I don’t think I’m ready to go back to my family yet, if I ever will be at all is another question entirely. I just, I don’t know, as much as I love and miss my family…”
“After everything that happened, you’re not sure they would accept you back?” Winter asked and Morning Glory nodded a little. “I think I understand, sometimes I wonder what my parents would think of me if they could see me today.”
“What happened to your parents?” Morning Glory asked.
“They died, years ago,” Winter said with a sigh. “They never liked that I got into teaching instead of politics or the military. Ironic really given my current position and my time in the military, I guess they got the last laugh there. I sometimes wish I was still a teacher and didn’t get into politics.”
“You wanted to help make the education system better, right?” Morning Glory asked and Winter nodded a little. “I guess you wound up changing a lot more. I’m sure that if anypony can help Equestria, it’s you.”
“Not just me,” Winter said with a soft sigh as she closed her eyes. “We’re all in this together. If we’re going to make this place better we’ll have to work together… whether or not I can actually lead that, I honestly don’t know.”
“That I’m sure you can do, you just have to make sure you do your best,” Morning Glory said. “Do you think my family would want me back?”
“Your father misses you a lot,” Winter said with a soft sigh. “He rarely talks about it, but I can tell that your absence has hurt him. I think you should consider it at least. At least you have a family to go back to.”
“Yeah… I’ll think about it like I said,” Morning Glory said and gave Winter a nod. “I’ll talk to you later Winter, thank you again.”
“You’re welcome,” Winter said as Morning Glory walked off.
Winter sighed a little as she looked back out at the city. She sighed a little as she closed her eyes, the cold night relaxed her. It was now just a matter of figuring out how to proceed from here.
And with that, as the silence fell, the first snowflakes of winter fell around her. She smiled a little as she heard a light twinkling as the snow fell. She turned and walked back into the mansion.
00000
“Winter, are you okay?” A robot that resembled a Unicorn with a long pink and purple mane asked as Winter straightened out her tie. “You seem to be a bit distracted.”
“I’ve never been good at big gatherings like this,” Winter said with a sigh as she closed her eyes and lowered her hooves as she shook her head a little. “Sweetie Bot, what am I going to do with myself?”
“They are all out there waiting for you, I do not think you have much choice,” Sweetie Bot said with a shake of her head as she sighed a little. “Winter, you have nothing to worry about. Just get out there and be yourself, that is all anypony can ever ask of you.”
Winter sighed a little as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a suit with a blue tie that she straightened out a little. Right now she was more nervous than anything else, she had to get out there and make the best impression she could.
“Do you think this was a good idea?” She finally asked without looking back at the robot. “I mean, this could go any number of ways. I’m trying to show that we’re not separating ourselves from the rest of the Enclave, but I honestly have no idea how well this is going to work.”
“You have nothing to lose by trying,” Sweetie Bot said. “Is Spectra going to be there?”
“Probably,” Winter said as she sighed a little. “I’m guessing there’s no way to just run away. I wonder if this is how Princess Celestia felt before having to go to the Gala.”
“No, I think she was more bored by those,” Sweetie Bot said and Winter chuckled a little. “Don’t worry Winter, you are going to be just fine. Just put your best hoof forward and show the ponies out there that you want only what is best for them.”
Winter took a deep breath and nodded as she gave the robot a smile. “Thank you Sweetie Bot, I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Probably go insane,” Sweetie Bot said with a nod. “Or worse, but the important thing is that you are here and doing everything you can to help Equestria. That’s all I ever wanted of you.”
“What do you think Scootaloo would think of me?” Winter asked softly as she sighed a little. She had thought about that on and off at times. Scootaloo had become one of the biggest influences for her thanks to what Sweetie Bot had told her, she had wondered that sometimes.
“I think she would be happy that you are doing a lot to change the Enclave and save Equestria,” Sweetie Bot said. “She was always like that, I believe that she would be proud of you.”
“I hope so,” Winter said with a sigh and nodded a little. “Well, there’s no point in putting it off any longer. Wish me luck Sweetie, I get the feeling I’m going to need it.”
“Good luck Winter, but I am sure you will be fine,” Sweetie Bot said and nodded as Winter took a deep breath and headed out into the main hall where the party was taking place.
The main hall was filled with ponies who were talking and occasionally dancing with one another. She blinked a little in surprise when she saw Tornado, now dressed in a long dress, was talking with Elegant Voice. The singer from Shantytown actually looked happy.
Winter shivered a little as she backed away a bit from the crowd. She had never really gotten used to big gatherings like this, which was probably why she had been able to make time to see Spectra after her inauguration. She sighed a little as she took a seat at a table and just closed her eyes as she let the others enjoy themselves.
“I have to say, I was surprised to get an invitation,” a mare’s voice said and she looked up to see Daisy Bloom standing there. “You surprised me Madam President, this party is something else.”
“Hearth’s Warming is an ancient tradition in Equestria,” Winter said. “It’s supposed to be about family and ponies coming together. I felt that this was the best way to do this, I just hope it’s working.”
“Yeah, but did you have to invite him?” Daisy asked with a frown as she noticed Storm Watch who was talking with another pony. “That’s not exactly going to help your case you know.”
“I know,” Winter said with a sigh as she gestured for Daisy to sit down. “The legislation to break up his monopoly is being pushed through the Senate, but he’s making it difficult.”
“So, you’re hoping that you can convince him to back down?” Daisy asked and when Winter nodded she shook her head. “I doubt it’s going to be that easy, he’s the worst kind of pony and I don’t think he’s going to stand down without a fight. You might have to go farther than that, he’s the last real obstacle to changing the Enclave.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid of that,” Winter said with a sigh. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to cross that line yet. After I cross that line, what will stop me from becoming as bad as the old administration?”
“You’re right, but at the same time the truth is that there is only one thing that can prevent you from doing that,” Daisy said.
“And what’s that?”
“Yourself,” Daisy said with a soft smile. “You don’t want to go that far, so you have to make sure you don’t repeat their mistakes. These ponies believe in you, I don’t think you want to let them down, do you?”
“Well, no,” Winter said. “I do want to help them more than anything else. I just hope that I really will be able to.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you will be able to,” Daisy said as she got up. “For now, I think you should just enjoy your evening as best you can. It was nice talking to you Madam President.”
“You too Daisy,” Winter said with a soft smile.
Daisy nodded and walked off. Winter leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes as she relaxed a little. She had a lot to think about right now. The sounds of the party continued around her and after a few minutes she heard the sound of Elegant Voice singing on the stage. She had almost forgotten that she had asked the singer to do that.
“Ponies’ voices fill the night,
Hearth’s warming eve is here once again.
Happy hearts so full and bright,
Hearth’s warming eve is here once again.
Oh what a sight,
Look at the light,
All for tonight,
Hearth’s warming eve is here once again.”
“Still lowering yourself to ponies below your class I see,” a familiar voice said and she groaned as she opened her eyes to see Storm Watch standing there. “I had hoped that you would finally come to your senses.”
“In your dreams,” Winter said with a sigh as she raised a glass of water to her lips and took a drink. “But you shouldn’t ruin the mood here, this is in celebration of the holidays. Where’s your holiday spirit?”
“It went out with my workers,” Storm Watch said with a snort. “This whole party is a farce and we both know it. You’re not that different from me, you just don’t want to admit it, the only difference is that you play the part.”
“I’m not lying to anypony,” Winter said as she narrowed her eyes at him. “I admit I’m still new at this job, but I do know that this is the path we all need to take. I ask you to see this for what it is, you’ve let yourself get stuck in the past for too long just like the rest of the Enclave. Now we have a chance to…”
“You want to open our world back to Equestria below, you’re going to do nothing but burn down everything we’ve worked for,” Storm Watch snapped. “That world down there, it’s no better than Hell. You’ve seen it, we’ve all seen it, no amount of promises are going to change that.”
“Then we’re going to do more than make promises,” Winter said as she stood up. “200 years ago we cut ourselves off from Equestria because we were hurt, that much is true. But we’ve done more than save our own and we’ve paid too high a cost already. The time has come that we have to open up our eyes and see that we’ve gone too far in the past, and we need to do everything we can to help Equestria. Ask yourself, do you really believe that your way is better?”
“You’re a fool,” Storm Watch said with a snort. “You will regret making an enemy of…”
“Of some old fool stuck in his old ways who knows if he tried anything no one would ever find the body?” A white stallion side, approaching with a rather cocky smirk. “You remember me, don’t you?”
Storm Watch gulped a little at the sight of the stallion as he backed off a little. “Err, yes, Mr. Spectra I wasn’t expecting you to be here,” he said as he looked around nervously.
“Really, why wouldn’t my husband be here?” Winter said with a smirk as she leaned over and gave Spectra a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you honey.”
“You know things are ‘bout to change Storm, why be so resistant?” Spectra said with a smirk, returning that kiss to Winter. “Not to mention last time a pegasus refused to change to the environment, we know how poorly it ended for them.”
“Right, of course, I believe my secretary is waving me down, you’ll have to excuse me,” Storm Watch said with a gulp as he ran off as fast as he could.
“Do I want to know what you did to him last time you two met?” Winter asked with a chuckle as she nuzzled Spectra gently.
“Same thing I bribed the cook to do today.” Spectra said with a chuckle, looking to his wife. “Remember that special wine, the wine only he drinks? Yeah, I may of asked the cook to spike it with some… fun things.”
Winter actually laughed at that. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
“Oh come on, a harmless prank isn’t going to hurt anypony.” Spectra said, looking over his shoulder to where Storm Watch had gotten off to. “Not to mention I’m pretty sure he’s full of it, a couple of those pills and he might get rid of enough to actually think clearly.”
Winter smiled a little as she leaned in and gave Spectra a kiss on the lips that she held for a minute before breaking it. “Thank you, really, I have no idea how I was going to get out of that without you.”
“Oh you just had to give the word, I have a sniper around here somewhere.” he said, leaning back. “I don’t think a lot of ponies would be very angry if that happened to him.”
“Don’t do that, it would take forever to get him out of the carpet,” Winter said with a laugh but she frowned a little after that. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m ready to actually do that kind of thing yet. It sometimes feels like I’d be just as bad as my predecessors if I just got rid of my enemies.”
“You know I’m just joking.” Spectra said with a laugh. “Though there really is a sniper, and he was told to make sure any threats to the president are taken care of - so, if our buddy there did end up getting taken care of, it was more his own fault then anything.”
“I love you Spectra, I’m lucky to have you around,” Winter said and let out a sigh of relief before adding jokingly. “Any chance you know three ghosts you can send to visit him tonight?”
“You and I have very different definitions of what a ghost is sweetheart.” Spectra said with a chuckle. “The ghosts I could send aren’t going to teach him the value of Hearths Warming, they are more likely to teach him how to disappear.”
“Yeah… let’s not do that,” Winter said with a shake of her head. She smiled a little when she saw Morning Glory in the crowd. “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately. I miss the times we got to spend together.”
“Well to be honest, when you won by a landslide, and decided to start doing things like hosting a party of an old equestrian tradition - I kind of knew that for a while we weren’t going to be doing much together.” Spectra said, gently reaching out and giving Winter’s cheek a soft rub. “We’ll always have our time, I mean, presidency is only a few years, we have our whole lives together.”
“Yeah,” Winter said softly as she looked down at herself for a moment as if trying to decide how to tell him what had happened. “Spectra… I…” She started to say but the words got caught in her throat.
“What’s wrong Winter?” He said, confusion and concern coming across his expression. “Hey, you can tell me anything, you know that.”
“I know but…” Winter said with a soft sigh as she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and looking her husband in the eyes. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell you for weeks now… I guess I might as well just tell you… I’m pregnant.”
“Oh, that?” Spectra said with a chuckle. “Your doctor is terrible at keeping secrets.”
“Of course you knew, you always know these things…” Winter said with a groan before she chuckled a little. “I guess I didn’t have anything to worry about after all did I?”
“Hey, at least I waited to let you know I knew till you were ready, I mean, how freaked out would you have been if I just outright said that I knew you were pregnant.” He laughed a bit more. “I’d make a joke about who’s is it, but yeah - that doesn’t work when you know everyone is too afraid to even try.”
“That and you’re the only stallion for me,” Winter said softly as she placed her hoof on Spectra’s cheek and gave him a smile. “I love you Spectra, but I admit I’m afraid of what this is going to mean, with everything that’s been going on I don’t know if our foal will be safe. We’re not bringing him or her into a safe world.”
“Well, that’s our job as parents to make sure the world is safe.” Spectra said, smiling at her all the more. “Not to mention with a mom like you, and a dad like me, I don’t think the little one has much to worry about in the long run, other than maybe a sibling or three.”
Winter just laughed at that as she nodded. “And we’re going to do everything we can to make this world safe, for all the foals out there. That’s our job, but this little one, well, he or she is going to be something special, I feel as much. Let’s do our best and try not to mess up this one before we worry about later ones.”
“Oh but where is the fun in that? I mean, we may as well say that reunifying Equestria is a selfish goal at that.” He said, giving her a nudge. “I mean, if we consider our foal before later ones, isn’t this all for a lasting future?”
“I see your point,” Winter said with a laugh. “But we are going to make this a better future. I’ve been so worried about telling you that I haven’t even thought about what might be next for our family.”
“Well, you know I’ve always wanted to be a father.” Spectra pointed out and smiled some. “But we’ve just been rolling with the punches and it’s what worked for us thus far, why think about changing it. Like, this whole idea of throwing a Hearth’s Warming party, that hasn’t been done in like, 200 years, how could you have ever of guessed or known it would be a smash hit?”
Winter leaned in and whispered to her husband cryptically. “Winter always knows these things.”
Spectra couldn’t help but get a coy grin and leans against her, whispering “Really? Because I thought it was so that everypony could prepare, because Winter is coming.”
Winter laughed at that as she kissed him again. “Really, I just thought this party would be a good way to make myself look less, closed off to ponies. I’m happy this party has been such a success, even if I’m a bit nervous sometimes. Having you here though, that’s helped me a lot, thank you.”
“Hey, what are husbands for?” He jokingly asked. “Though really, aren’t you overdue for an address? I’m pretty sure I saw on the plan for the night. Our lovely president addresses her public and lets them know just what this party means for the Enclave and Equestria.”
“Right, it must’ve slipped my mind,” Winter said as she gulped a little and straightened her tie a little. “My tie isn’t crooked is it? Does my mane look okay?”
“Actually, I had an idea for something else.” Spectra said before he took her under his wing and guided her to a nearby room. Inside a mannequin dressed in a gown. “See, isn’t it tradition that the ladies of the party wear the gown? Can’t have you one upping my tux after all.”
Winter smiled a little as she examined the gown. “It’s lovely, well I suppose changing this once wouldn’t hurt,” she said with a chuckle as she kissed Spectra again. “Thank you Spectra, I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Die cold and alone in some run down corner of the capital?” Spectra said with a chuckle. “But we don’t have to worry about that because you don’t have to be without me.”
Winter smiled a little as she slid off her clothes before sliding on the gown. She looked at herself in the mirror, the gown sparkled in the light and the color went nicely with her blue coat. She turned around, examining herself as she did before she looked at her face again, her long mane falling in front of her eyes a little.
“How do I look?” She asked as she looked back at Spectra and brushed her mane back out of her eyes.
“Like it sucks you’re wearing a dress right now.” Spectra said, smirking at her before he’d open the door “Though M’lady, your public awaits.”
“Why do you think I always wear suits?” Winter pointed out with a chuckle as she took out her speech notes and gave Spectra one last kiss on the lips. “I love you Spectra, thank you, for everything.”
“Hey, I’d hope you married me for something more than my big pe-rsonality, yeah, personality, that’s totally what I was going to say.” Spectra said, chuckling a bit more.
“No, but that doesn’t hurt,” Winter said and leaned in and whispered in his ear. “And maybe I’ll give you a chance to use it after the party is over.”
“Oh now I totally look forward to that, madam president” he said, leaning into and giving her cheek a kiss. “Now I fear if you don’t get out there we’re never going to leave this room.”
“And how is that a bad thing?” Winter asked with a smirk as she turned and brushed the tip of her tail against Spectra’s muzzle. “But you’re right, I should get out there, I’ll be back soon though. Save me a dance.”
Winter headed out of the room and took a deep breath as Elegant Voice finished singing her last song. She looked at Winter and gave her a slight nod as she walked off the stage and rejoined Tornado.
Winter smiled a little when the singer leaned up and gave the Alicorn a light kiss on the cheek which made the tall blue Alicorn blush. Tornado was old, she had been part of Winter’s family going back generations, but she had never shown interest in another pony like that.
She took a deep breath as she got up to the podium as she set out her notes and took a deep breath as the crowd quieted down. She smiled a little as she saw Spectra standing with Harmony and Highwind. They gave her a nod and she took a deep breath as she got ready to speak.
“I’m glad all of you came out here,” she said as she looked out at the crowd again. “It’s been a long time since we had a real celebration of Hearth’s Warming like this, and this year I wanted to bring this back for a special reason. For the past 200 years we’ve allowed ourselves to be divided, ponies that consider themselves above those they see as inferior have built up walls between themselves and those beneath them, both literally and figuratively. But we are going to break down those walls, thousands of years ago the Hearth’s Warming came about as a unification of all the Pony races. 200 years ago, we separated ourselves from the rest of the world. These walls that we’ve built hold us all back, and because of this we’ve forgotten the true meaning of Hearth’s Warming. This party is to remind us all that we do not have to build walls, we do not have to live our lives in fear of that which is different. We must stand together with our cousins on the ground, we much return that unification that we had so many years ago, not with one race being above the others, but standing together. For the sake of our foals, and our foals’ foals, we must make this world better.”
She locked eyes with Morning Glory for a moment and smiled softly as she did.
“We must do better than we have in the past. The time has come for us to return to the surface, and help our fellow pony. That is our mission, Equestria will be rebuilt, and we will bring back the unity that we once lost. I look forward to working with all of you to make this bright future, together.”
Winter put away her notes and stood there in silence for a moment as she waited to see what happened next. It started small, just a few bits of applause mostly from her supporters and family, then more started up. She smiled a little as she took a slight bow and backed down from the podium and walked out into the crowd.
She locked eyes with Storm Watch who was watching the crowd. He lowered his head as if in defeat and pulled on a top hat as he walked out a door without saying a word to her.
“That was a nice speech,” Harmony said as Winter reached where she, Highwind, and Spectra were standing as Harmony gave her a hug. “You did a good job up there.”
“I just said the truth,” Winter said with a soft smile as she looked at Spectra and Highwind. “Do you think they listened?”
“I would hope they did, elsewise your job may really be cut out for you.” Spectra said with a chuckle. “I think they did though, I just believe they needed that nudge to understand this is good and to accept it.”
“Agreed, you did fine up there Winter” Highwind said with a nod before he asked jokingly. “Be careful or they might re-elect you in a few years.”
“Don’t even joke about that,” Winter said with a groan, though she wasn’t entirely sure if she wouldn’t be against the idea, she’d have to see how it went. She smiled a little as the band began to play a slow song and she offered a hoof to Spectra. “I believe you owe me a dance.”
“I uh… you know I don’t dance hun.” Spectra said with a nervous chuckle. “Not to mention I read somewhere that pregnant mares shouldn’t dance, yeah, it’s on… page 319 of the pregnancy handbook.”
“Really? Because that’s not in my handbook,” Harmony said as she smirked a little at Spectra and Winter laughed a little.
“Piece of advice, don’t argue with a mare,” Highwind said with a chuckle.
00000
Winter yawned a little as she walked downstairs. It was hard to believe that it had been a whole year since her Hearth’s Warming address as it had come to be known as. So much had changed since then, Storm Watch’s control over the industrial sector had ended with his announced retirement. With Morning Glory’s help they had started up a new Volunteer Corps, which once it was ready would start traveling into the Wasteland to make new allies, and more.
It was now Hearth’s Warming again, and she had made sure to make time for this day above all others as she entered the living room where Spectra was waiting with a sleeping light blue filly with a slightly spiked white mane.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” She asked with a yawn as she sat down next to Spectra as the filly woke up and looked up at her mom with blue eyes.
“Because you need rest, I got her.” He said, gently laying a hoof on her back. “It’s okay Callie, you can go back to sleep.”
The filly, Calypso or Callie to her family closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again as Winter laid her head on Spectra’s shoulder gently. She yawned a little again as she smiled at him.
“This is nice,” she said as she smiled a little at the dolls of the three of them on the hearth. “I’ve got the two most important ponies in Equestria to me right here.”
“Yeah it is.” He said with a soft sigh, looking to that sleeping filly. “You know, I thought last year when everything went over perfectly that things weren’t going to be getting any better… I’m glad I was wrong.”
“I guess Spectra doesn’t know everything after all,” Winter said with a giggle as she nuzzled her husband gently. “But I agree, things have gotten better, and hopefully things will just keep getting better. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re going to make it, I just know it.”
“I couldn’t imagine.” Spectra said, his voice as soft as a whisper. “With everything going so well, the Enclave opening up and accepting your ideas and beliefs with minor struggles, and her… What’s left? I feel like I’m already in Elysium.”
“What’s left? Honestly, I don’t know,” Winter admitted. “With the Volunteer Corps, we’ll hopefully find ponies who are receptive to our ideas. Other than that… I honestly don’t know, but I know one thing. We’re going to face it together, all three of us, as a family.”
“Absolutely.” Spectra said, turning his gaze from that sleeping filly to his wife, leaning over as best he could without disturbing their foal, giving her a sweet kiss to the cheek. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Winter.”
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Spectra,” Winter said as she nuzzled Spectra gently. She smiled a little as she saw Calypso’s eyes opening a little. “And you too Callie.”
She gently wrapped her wing around Spectra and the three sat together in silence for awhile as the snow fell outside. They didn’t notice two figures watching the family from a window who vanished just as they started to stir again.
“Is everything ready for dinner tonight?” Winter asked finally. “I want everything to be just right for Callie and Serenity’s first Hearth’s Warming.”
“Everything is as ready as it’ll ever be, considering this our first time actually doing this.” Spectra said with a chuckle. “Though, I could definitely get used to this more than a party every year.”
“Oh, didn’t I tell you? We’re having another party tomorrow,” Winter said with a teasing smirk. “And this time you have to dance, Presidential order.”
“Too bad I have to address the class of new recruits then huh?” Spectra said, teasing right back. “Guess you’ll have to dance with Storm Watch instead.”
“He wishes, though maybe I’ll see what Morning Glory is doing, she’s pretty cute…” Winter said with a laugh as she kissed Spectra gently. “I love you Spectra, don’t worry, no party this year. Family is what this holiday is about, and we’re going to celebrate it this year like it should be done.”
She closed her eyes as she laid her head back on Spectra’s shoulder and sighed happily. She was just happy to have her family with her, no matter what the future held for them she knew that they really were going to face it together.
For now, she just wanted to spend time with them and enjoy it for as long as possible.
00000
Outside in the area of Coltlumbia called Emporia, two ponies walked together through the snow. They were Unicorns who looked almost identical with blue coats and brown curled hair as they walked past the Pegasi who barely noticed them.
“Curious is it not, brother?” The mare, Beyond said as she looked around. “A simple thing like one ship’s presence in a battle changes everything.”
“Indeed, sister,” her brother Infinity said as they looked around. “For want of a nail, the ship was lost. It’s interesting that so much would change because of something as simple as a technological issue in one timeline.”
“Indeed,” Beyond said. “Perhaps there will be more changes we have yet to see. But Madam Breeze has already proven herself as being worthy of this role in this universe as well. But what else changed I must wonder.”
“A question we will have to wait for an answer to I am sure,” Infinity said with a shake of his head. “Just because this changed does not mean the constants won’t be there. There may yet be a man, even if it is not Winter Breeze or Cloud Chaser.”
“Indeed, constants and variables,” Beyond agreed. “Perhaps we won’t be needed here, at least not in this city.”
“Agreed,” Infinity said as they turned into an alleyway where a hole was in the wall. Beyond it was a laboratory with a visible window behind it that looked out into an underwater landscape. “Shall we continue our search?”
“We shall,” Beyond said as the two walked through the hole and it shut behind them.
