Take a look at the description of the story for a reminder of who are the background ponies featured in this story.
***
Pre-reader/editor: MrMinimii
Canterlot’s disastrous Winter Wrap Up
Comfortably sitting in his large chair, Fancy Pants opened the newspaper and chuckled lightly at the second headline.
“Sir Jokey is once again trying to get elected as mayor of Manehattan…Can you believe that, Fleur?” he asked.
“Mh…”
He glanced at the mare who was sitting in front of him, eyes fixed on one of her mode magazines and he shrugged. Fleur enjoyed talking politics, but once she was caught in her reading it was impossible to get her to have a conversation. He tried to go back to his own article, but the amount of sheer idiocies that got out of Jokey’s mouth and were reported through these lines caused him to lose interest very quickly. Fancy Pants knew that Jokey would never get elected. He was just a puppet of the media, barely giving people a good laugh in between dozens of others serious candidates that were probably much more suited for presidency, but also much less amusing to hear talk. Fancy Pants put down his newspaper and took a look outside the window next to his chair, admiring the view.
Even though the day of celebration had since long passed, Hearth Warming’s Eve spirit hadn’t yet totally left Canterlot’s streets: snow was still blanketing the tops of the luxurious houses and the pines’ branches in the gardens. No exception either for the high towers of the castle which were also disappearing under the white, soft powder.
A movement on his right attracted his attention and he turned to see a cup levitating next to him.
“Thank you, Fleur,” he said, holding the cup with his own magic before taking a sip. “Ah! Mint tea, my favorite!”
“There is no better time and weather for tea than now,” Fleur de Lys declared, putting her own, half-empty cup on the table next to her closed magazine.
She looked dreamily at the snow covered streets.
“That is most true, my dear,” Fancy Pants conceded. “And as such we should particularly enjoy that cup since it will probably be the last we will get to drink before the end of winter.”
“Oh…Yes. I had forgotten that Winter Wrap Up had been planned for tomorrow,” Fleur said, sounding a bit dejected. “Already…”
Fancy Pants chuckled.
“Yes, dear, tomorrow already. But don’t be sad, we’ll trade our cups of tea for some delicious, refreshing lemonade. I say, we shall have a delightful time welcoming spring!”
“Could we buy that dress I saw in Hoity Toity’s Best Mode’s magazine?” Fleur de Lys asked, suddenly retrieving her usual cheerfulness and clapping her forehooves together. “It would do a magnificent ‘welcome spring’ gift.”
“Of course, we’ll go to Hoity Toity’s,” Fancy Pants assured her and smiled when he saw the mare rejoicing.
He always loved to see her so eager. He knew that Fleur always felt a bit nostalgic with the passing of winter and thought of a way to make the coming hours a bit more agreeable. He went back at admiring the view and noticed the slowly declining position of the sun.
“Why don’t we go out and enjoy our last evening in those marvelous looking streets? Would it please you to have dinner at the Palace?” Fancy Pants asked, knowing very well an evening at Fleur’s favorite restaurant would raise her spirits.
She reacted exactly the way he was expecting.
“Of course, darling!” the mare answered with obvious pleasure. “The fabulous view on the castle, a candlelight dinner…You know I’m not one to decline an invitation to the Palace!”
“Then, shall we go?”
He left his comfortable chair and went to the door, using his magic to catch his scarf that was suspended on a hanger and waited for Fleur de Lys to join him after she had put on her fashioned winter-saddle. Once next to him, the mare gave him a trained look for a moment before her horn lit and she used her magic to move his scarf a bit on the side, putting it neatly around his neck.
“Here, you look perfect, Fancy Pants,” she said before she pecked him on the cheek.
“And you’re stunning, as usual, Fleur.”
He opened the door and they both stepped outside, joining the others ponies who were taking a stroll in the city’s streets, enjoying the fresh air and soft lighting of the late afternoon.
******
“Vell girls, dat’s enough for today.”
Hairspray and Powder Rouge put inside a closet the box full of winter clothes they had been carrying and joined Photo Finish and the other assistants in the backstage of the studio.
“Powder Rouge, vas dat de last box?”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Good. Tomorrow, ve vill put back de new season’s dresses in display in de showcase, und after dat ve’ll go to the gardens to take our first photo shoot of spring. I vant you all here by 8am. No delay!” Photo Finish suddenly shouted, startling them.
The photographer dismissed them and they all took the direction of the hall to leave the studio. When Powder Rouge and Hairspray walked outside they shuddered, their small scarves and work blouses not enough to protect them from the bite of the cold wind.
“Well, I’m glad to be done with it,” Powder Rouge said as she walked very carefully to avoid the ice patches on the ground. “Today has been quite boring.”
“Same here,” Hairspray announced. “I hate this whole ‘clean up before spring’.”
She suddenly bent down to dodge a snowball coming from a group of foals and fillies playing a bit further away.
“And I’m also glad that we’ll soon be done with that weather. I like all the decorations and the lights, but the cold is killing me,” she stated, trying not to sound too whiny.
“Pinny Cushion said it’s even worse in Ponyville. Sometimes there’s so much snow it’s impossible to use their roads," Powder Rouge commented.
“Well, if she’s having fun down here, good for her. I’ve had my share of snow for the next twelve months.”
Snow was good in small quantity, but big amounts of it tended to annoy Hairspray, who always got cold quite easily since she was a filly.
They saluted Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lys, who were walking on the other side of the street. Powder Rouge suddenly laughed under her breath and Hairspray looked at her, wondering what was amusing her.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. You complaining about the weather just made me think of that one particular time, last week…”
“No!” Hairspray interrupted her immediately, face flushed. “We said we wouldn’t talk about it again!”
“I can’t believe you fell for that trick. That foal really got you.”
“Powder Rouge!”
“And your face, with the snow stuck in your mane… Do you know the surname Pinny Cushion gave you when she saw you after that?” the make-up artist went on, ignoring Hairspray’s indignant glare.
“No, and I don’t want to know!”
Hairspray let out a frustrated sigh and walked a bit briskly in front of her friend, nose high in the air, which only caused her to miss the ice patch in front of her. She slipped and tripped, falling under the amused stare of Powder Rouge. Before the other mare had time to open her mouth, Hairspray rose and glared at her.
“Not. A. Word.”
The corners of her mouth curled up, but Powder Rouge didn’t comment on her friend’s clumsiness and Hairspray resumed walking with as much dignity as she could muster. When they reached her place, she turned to say goodbye to her co-worker and froze when she saw her teasing smile.
“Now what?” she asked.
“I’m not saying anything, honey,” Powder Rouge said as Hairspray eyed her suspiciously. “Well, see you tomorrow then.”
Powder Rouge slowly trotted away, her small smile never faltering.
Hairspray was about to open the door when she suddenly heard her friend’s voice rising once more, almost shouting:
“‘Snowball’, that’s what your surname was!”
Oh, that…!
“I told you I didn’t want to talk about it anymore!” Hairspray yelled.
She fumed for a few instants, staring at her friend who was trotting away with a satisfied bounce in her steps and then smiled deviously when an idea popped into her head.
“Powder Rouge, wait!”
The other mare barely had time to turn around before a perfectly round snowball hit her right in the face.
“Now that’s a way of using snow that I love!” Hairspray said, laughing at her friend’s surprised expression. “Oops…” she only had time to add before she ran to get away from Powder Rouge who had darted after her.
She got inside the house and closed the door right before her co-worker could follow her inside.
“See you tomorrow!” Hairspray taunted through the door, barely keeping herself from giggling like a filly who just pulled the best prank.
“You’ll pay for that one,” she heard her friend’s muffled voice say from outside.
“I think not! Tomorrow is Winter Wrap Up…There won’t be any snow in the streets anymore!”
Hairspray heard hoofsteps as Powder Rouge abandoned her vengeful quest. She could just imagine her rolling her eyes and muttering about how foalishly she was behaving, and how that simply wasn’t a commendable behavior for two mares of their status and age. Hairspray giggled and went to the kitchen, planning to have a nice, hot chocolate. She laughed when she recalled the expression of her friend when she had struck her with the snowball.
Not commendable behavior? Probably not. And so what? She didn’t care that this kind of behavior wasn’t one expected from an assistant of Equestria’s most famous photographer. It was fun. And everypony was entitled to a bit of fun every once in awhile, right?
******
“How was your dinner, Fancy Pants?” Fleur de Lys asked as she daintily wiped her lips with her white napkin.
They were sitting at a small, round table in one of the corner of the restaurant’s main room.
“Most delightful, as usual,” Fancy Pants said as he lowered his glass of wine on the table. “I can’t recall any time I’ve been disappointed with any of the Palace’s dishes. I dare say, this is probably the most pleasant restaurant of all Canterlot,” he added when the waiter - a stallion wearing a black jacket and bowtie - came to take away their plates.
“Thank you, sir,” the waiter said with a nod.
“My pleasure. Would you be so kind as to bring us the dessert menu?”
“Oh, nothing more for me,” Fleur de Lys interjected. “I’m quite full already… But have some dessert if you’d like, Fancy.”
Fancy Pants looked at her quizzically. Fleur de Lys always loved desserts, a treat she didn’t often indulge in though, like a legacy of her past time as a model. But she always craved for the Palace’s special dessert and never missed to have some each time they had come. Oh well.
“I’ll just have a whisky, please,” Fancy Pants ordered after a bit of thinking.
The waiter nodded and trotted away with their empty plates as Fancy Pants eyed the mare sitting in front of him.
“Dear, is everything alright? This might be the first time I’ve ever seen you decline one of their Chocolate Swirls.”
“I’m very fine. I just can’t wait to go back outside and enjoy the last hours of winter.”
“I’ll drink quickly then.”
“Oh no, take your time, the snow isn’t going to melt suddenly.”
“Not before a few hours, at least,” Fancy Pants said as the waiter came back with his whisky.
He downed his drink quickly, and after paying the check they returned to the cold exterior, the snow cracking slightly under their hooves as they walked at a leisurely pace. There was no one else in the streets, everypony probably preferring to stay warm at home until the next day.
Fancy Pants looked down as Fleur de Lys leaned against him with a sigh of satisfaction.
“Are you cold, Fleur?”
“No, it’s just fine.”
They walked along closed boutiques whose showcases were illuminated to keep exhibiting their luxurious supplies, even during nighttime. Fleur de Lys stopped when they arrived near Hoity Toity’s shop and took a few minutes to admire the beautiful dress that was displayed.
“That’s the one you wanted, isn’t it, Fleur?”
“Yes. I’ll buy it tomorrow.”
“You’ll look fabulous wearing it. As always.”
Fleur de Lys chuckled with pleasure.
“We shall soon see. Thank you for that perfect evening,” she said as she leaned a bit more against him.
“You are quite welcome,” Fancy Pants replied with a nod.
“And I know just the right way to make it even better.”
“Really?” he asked as Fleur de Lys gently pushed his head until he was looking at the left side of the street. “Should I be watching something in particular?”
“Right in front of you, dear,” she whispered in his ear.
“Oh, this? I do see it but… A donut shop?”
Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow and looked down at the mare to see her smiling in a charmingly fashion.
“So that’s why you didn’t want a desert at the Palace? You’d rather have a…donut?” he concluded with a slight hesitation.
“A mare has to be reasonable and can’t let herself indulge in two different desserts in the same evening…Thus she has to make some choices,” Fleur de Lys stated joyfully before trotting to the entrance of the shop. “Besides… you know I always was fond of those.”
A bell rang as she pushed the door and Fancy Pants followed her inside. True, he had always known his Fleur loved donuts, a pastry he himself wasn’t too fond of though – he found them a bit too greasy. He remembered that he used to like donuts as a foal, but hundreds of top quality dinners with sumptuous dishes had long since modified his prime, less refined tastes.
While Fleur was slowly reviewing the dozens of different pastries, Fancy Pants observed the inside of the shop in front of which he had often passed but never had set a hoof in until that evening. The decoration was colorful, warm. The only other customer in sight was a grey coated stallion whose eyes were gliding over the pages of the newspaper he held between his hooves. Every once in awhile he would extend a foreleg to grip a cup of coffee that stood on the table next to him.
Heavy hoovesteps could be heard and the seller appeared behind the counter, a smile illuminating his face when his eyes fell on the mare.
“Fleur, long time no see!” the baker exclaimed joyfully, seemingly not even noticing Fancy Pants’ presence. “Fancy seeing you here. How are you doing?”
“I’m very fine, Joe, thank you for asking,” the mare replied. “I just had the most sudden, biggest craving for some of your delicious donuts and couldn’t help but come here as soon as possible.”
“Aah, that’s really nice of you,” Joe said with slightly rosy cheeks. “Here, let me get you what you want. Can’t let a lady wait for what her heart yearns.”
Fleur giggled and turned her attention back to the donuts displayed beside the counter. Only at this moment did the baker seem to notice Fancy Pants.
“Good evening, sir!” he said. “Can I get you something?”
“No, thank you. Fleur will be the only one getting to taste those marvelous looking donuts,” Fancy Pants replied.
Refusal with flattery – the most effective type, in Fancy Pants’ opinion.
“Okay. Oh, sir,” Joe asked suddenly, as if he just remembered something important. “Winter Wrap Up is still planned for tomorrow, right?”
“Why yes, it should be done by 8am, as usual.”
“Great,” the baker said, a clear tinge of relief in his tone. “I’ve got that special ingredient coming from Ponyville by train… I hope it won’t be late like last year, I need it by tomorrow morning so I can use it in some donuts for the soirée I’m preparing.”
“A special ingredient? You’re making it sound so mysterious,” Fleur said, momentarily forgetting the donuts she had been observing.
“Well it’s supposed to be a surprise. I think you’ll love it,” Joe said with a wink.
“I look forward to it, then.”
Fleur took a few more instants before she finally pointed to a donut with her hoof.
“I’ll have this one, please.”
“Here you go…”
The donut floated in the air, at first caught in the green glow coming from Joe’s horn, before Fleur took hold on it with her own magic.
Fancy Pants levitated a few bits over the counter and in the direction of the baker.
“Here. And don’t worry, lad, the train will be here on time and you’ll get everything you need for your soirée.”
“Sure hope so! Will you come at the party, Fleur?” Donut Joe asked.
“I’ll try to, Joe,” Fleur de Lys replied with a nod. “Have a nice evening.”
“You too.”
The couple left the shop, Fleur biting delicately, but with obvious pleasure, into her donut.
“Now, is there any other way to magnify your evening?” Fancy Pants gently teased with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh no,” she answered. “Now it truly is perfect.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
Fancy Pants nuzzled her, a gesture he rarely allowed himself to do in public.
“Come, my dear; it’s getting colder. We should go home.”
The mare nodded and walked next to him, close enough so he could feel the heat of her coat. He raised his eyes to see nothing but dozens of stars shining brightly against the deep blue surface of the night sky. Not a cloud in sight that could mask to their eyes the magnificent, illuminated towers of the castle.
Tomorrow would be a most beautiful day.
******
Hairspray hadn’t felt this good since a long time.
The sky was blue, the wind was blowing softly against her coat as she walked in Canterlot’s streets, now free of any snow, and the light of the sun was warm on her back. She let out a small sigh of satisfaction as she trotted without care through the streets. Everything was well. Every –
Hairspray!
Her ears perked. What? Who was calling her? It was an eerie voice that sounded like it came from both close and afar from her at the same time. She turned around and saw no one.
Hairspray!
“Powder Rouge?” Hairspray asked loudly, thinking she had finally recognized the voice. “Where are you?”
Hairspray, look…
The hairdresser turned her head left and right, seeing nothing. Something suddenly appeared on a corner of a street, too far away from Hairspray for her to see what it was exactly. She squinted her eyes to try to distinguish what was coming down the road, in her direction. It was white, round…
Look what I’ve got!
…and enormous!
Hairspray screamed when she finally understood what it was. The big, several meters large snowball came down the street rolling at her, and she turned around, almost tripping on her own hooves before she started galloping in earnest.
“Oh my…!”
She ran faster and faster, and when she took a look over her shoulder she saw the gigantic snowball only a few meters behind her, rolling with a thunderous noise. Hairspray gasped and forced herself to accelerate, but her legs felt like they didn’t want to cooperate: they felt heavy and stiff, and she knew the mass of snow following her was getting closer. She could hear it, could almost feel the cold of the snow as it neared, ready to crash into her, ready to crush her, to smother her, to…
“No!!”
Hairspray awoke with a gasp, her chest heaving rapidly. She could feel her heart beating fast and, disoriented, it took her a few seconds to understand that it had all been nothing but a dream.
A very, very stupid dream.
She groaned and put the pillow over her head, hiding under it. That one dream could probably go right to the top of the five most ridiculous dreams she ever had, but it still got her heart beating.
Hairspray was tempted to try to go back to sleep but knew there probably wasn’t much time left before she had to get up, so she decided to be reasonable and sat up on her bed, yawning.
What a stupid dream…Must be because of that snowball I threw at Powder Rouge yesterday…Oh well. I’ll have to be careful or I might end the same way I did in my dream.
She suddenly remembered what day it was and rejoiced. Winter was gone. Spring was here. Which meant she could go out without fear of any retaliation.
Well…not the snowy kind, anyway.
Hairspray jumped out of her bed with renewed vigor. After a quick shower she took care of her mane and applied some light make-up, being careful not to mess it up lest Powder Rouge would tease her about it.
Going into the kitchen to have breakfast she got the impression that something wasn’t right, but couldn’t exactly determine what. Something with the…atmosphere…of the room. Seeing nothing particular, she shrugged it off and ate her toast while reading the last number of the Canterlot’s Mode magazine. A quick look at the clock told her she was a bit early but she decided not to wait: for once she would’ve the possibility to take her time going to work instead of rushing because she was scared of being late.
Humming a tune, she went to the door and opened it, walking straight outside.
“Ouch!”
A strong shock sent her tumbling backwards and she felt like she had hit a wall. Puzzled, she slowly brought a hoof to her face. Her muzzle hurt and, to her great confusion, was wet.
“What the…”
She stood there for a moment, completely still, trying to figure out what she was looking at.The entrance of her house was blocked by a white, cold matter against which she had crashed head first when she tried to get outside. She went closer and poked it with a hoof, carefully. Was it… No, impossible! But still, that familiar smoothness, the dampness… Could it be…
“…Snow?”
She stood there a few seconds, bewildered, looking at the white wall blocking her path to the outside. Maybe she was still dreaming. She tapped a hoof against her forehead a few times to make sure she was awake and came to the conclusion that she definitely was.There was no doubt: that white powder was snow. But how could it be?
Maybe Powder Rouge brought it here? She was quite furious yesterday…
Hairspray dismissed that idea: it was unlikely Powder Rouge would’ve taken it that far and kept her co-worker from getting out of her house – after all, she wouldn’t want Hairspray to miss a day of work and be forced to take care of the models all by herself.
But…where did it come from then? There can’t be any more snow today! Hairspray thought as she poked the big white mount again. It looks…deep.
She began to dig her way through the snow, hoping that it wasn’t nearly as thick as it seemed, but was thoroughly disappointed when even more white powder greeted her way. The only thing she had managed to do so far was to cover the floor of her room in big chucks of snow which slowly melted under the heat.
How am I supposed to get out?!
Well, it was a good thing she wasn’t claustrophobic.
Suddenly, Hairspray heard muffled voices coming from outside and she yelled. “Hey! Can you help me, please? I’m kind of stuck in here!”
She hoped the voices belonged to unicorns; with their magic, it wouldn’t take them long to get her out of the snow. Unicorns or not, they didn’t even stop to help, going on their own way even after Hairspray called out again. They probably didn’t hear her.
That was disturbing.
Hairspray suddenly got an idea and ran to the kitchen. Since she couldn’t get out the traditional way, maybe it was time to try a new – maybe a bit less dignified – way. She approached the window, opened the curtain in one gesture and froze. Nothing could be seen from the outside since most of the glass was covered by snow, except the very top through which a piece of blue sky was visible. With no idea of what else to do, she tried opening the window but stopped immediately when the snow started to fall inside. There was way too much of it.
Hairspray fell on her haunches, contemplating with despair the snow that looked like it was trying to assault her house.
She was stuck.
******
“Whoa, whoa! Be careful!”
“Where are the ones in charge of wrapping up winter? This is an outrage! An outrage!!”
Fancy Pants turned in his bed, trying to get the voices from his dream to go away and let him sleep a few more minutes. When it didn’t seem to get any better, he noticed that he actually was quite well awake and the voices were nothing but real. He slowly rose on his bed, ears perked to try and understand what the commotion was about. He felt Fleur stir beside him, probably also annoyed by all the noises coming from the streets.
Fancy Pants got up and levitated his monocle from the nightstand before approaching the window to take a look outside. What he saw was all it took to wake him up perfectly.
“By Celestia!” he said under his breath, his monocle almost falling.
The streets of Canterlot looked like a cold storm had been ravaging the city during the night. There was snow everywhere, and in greater amounts than Fancy Pants had ever seen in all his life. Ponies were wandering outside; half of them looking stunned and unable to do anything other than stare dumbly at the new environment, the other half voicing loudly their disapproval on the situation. He saw mares and stallions trying to walk without damaging their precious clothes, legs covered in snow up until their knees. There wasn’t a single house whose roof wasn’t covered by more than half a meter of powder, and the castle of the Princesses wasn’t in better conditions. As for the mountain behind the city, it was almost completely hidden under a white mantle.
“Fancy? What’s going on?” Fleur de Lys asked, still lying on the bed, a concerned look on her face.
“Well…” he paused, not knowing how to put it exactly.
The mare joined him beside the window and gasped when she saw the chaos in the usually very tranquil streets.
“Oh dear!” she exclaimed, raising a hoof to her mouth as a big chunk of snow fell down from a roof to land on an unlucky mare walking beneath. “What happened here? All that snow…”
“I know. I’ve never seen anything quite like that… Not in Canterlot, anyway. It appears the teams in charge of winter’s wrap up have encountered some… problems. I’ll go and ask them myself.”
“I’m coming with you.”
They both hurried to the entrance, snow falling inside the house and landing on their very beautiful – and expensive – carpet as they opened the door. They carefully stepped in the street and winced when the white matter made contact with the coats of their legs.
“Well that’s not what I had in mind when I thought of welcoming spring,” Fancy Pants commented as they looked around.
He noticed the members of his inner circle a bit further away, looking just as dumbfounded as Fleur and him.
“Pish Posh, Swan Dive, Van Vendington,” he saluted them with a nod once they had joined the three. “Would you be so kind as to give us some clues on what has been happening here? If you have any, that is.”
They were all wearing their spring clothes; the mares with their trademarked pink and yellow dresses and hats firmly tucked on their head, and the stallion with his usual tuxedo. They faced the couple before glancing at each other, waiting for the others to answer.
“We don’t know, sir,” Van Vendington finally replied. “It’s been like... this since we got out. Snow everywhere…and ice as well. The entire Northern Street is covered in it - you could practically ice skate down the street! I’ll bet many ponies are already on their way to the infirmary with broken limbs.”
“It is even worse near the gardens,” Pish Posh added with a desperate look. “Some houses down there have been entirely covered by snow. I was supposed to meet my mother at her place, but there was so much snow I couldn’t even get near her door!”
“It is a disaster! Look at it! My hat is completely ruined!” Swan Dive exclaimed, tears in her eyes as she showed them her sky blue hat on which a great amount of snow had obviously landed. “What am I going to wear at my dinner party?”
“And I had a charity auction planned for this morning,” Van Vendington added. “How am I supposed to lead it if nopony is able to come?”
Their loud complaining and whining attracted other ponies on the street and soon they were all gathered around Fancy Pants and Fleur, many of them voicing their opinion on the matter.
“I’ve always said those teams in charge of wrapping winter weren’t effective,” Jet Set declared contemptuously.
“Now now, I’m sure they have been doing all they could,” Fancy Pants said. “That was probably a matter beyond their capabilities to resolve.”
“Of course, they always work so hard to clean up the streets, we dare not complain about them,” Upper Crust stated, obviously trying to make it up for her husband’s bad choice of words.
As more ponies started talking Fancy Pants cleared his throat, immediately gaining their attention.
“Ladies and gentlecolts, please try and stay calm. I’m sure this is nothing but a minor delay. Everything will soon be back to normal. After all, this is nothing a little bit of magic can’t take care of…” he said as some snow fell down from the top of the house beside them and landed on his shoulder. “All we need to do now is find the chief of the team and…”
He interrupted himself when he noticed the snow on his shoulder wouldn’t budge, even though his magic was grasping at it. Fleur chuckled.
“It seems you’re a bit tired. Let me do it…”
Her own pink glow was soon replacing his dark blue one and she gasped when she wasn’t able to remove it either.
“Fancy, what’s the meaning of this? Snow not responding to our magic? What kind of…sorcery is that?” Fleur asked, a concerned look on her face.
Fancy Pants brushed the cold matter with a hoof.
“I…I don’t know,” he admitted, resulting in worried whispering between the ponies, some of them contemplating the white powder with a defiant look, like it might bite them. “Has anypony else tried to move snow magically?”
“I tried several times,” Van Vendington said. “It simply wouldn’t budge. What are we going to do?”
All the muttering died down as everypony was eagerly waiting for Fancy Pants to give them the answer that would save them all. He was Fancy Pants. He always knew what to do. If there was a pony that could help them, it was him.
But right this instant, Fancy Pants found himself at loss of what to say. Canterlot was literally smothered under snow that wasn’t responding to their magic, and they knew no other way but magic to get rid of it.
“Well…” he finally said as they were all listening with great attention. “It…seems like we have a situation here.”
They all jumped back a bit, looking extremely shocked that he wasn’t able to come up with a solution to their problem.
“But…but…what are we supposed to do?!”
It was Jet Set who had talked, his nervousness very apparent. Several other ponies in the assistance wore the same worried expression.
“Get some warm clothes,” Fancy Pants stated.
He stared at the snow he was standing on.
“I’m afraid we’re going to need it.”
Pre-reader/editor: MrJoshy
***
Fancy Pants, followed closely by Fleur de Lys and a group of twenty or so ponies slowly made his way through the snow covered streets of Canterlot, heading for the castle. He was prepared to face a great number of situations, but magic that was rendered useless against a heavy blizzard wasn't one of them. Seeking advice from the Princess seemed to be the most reasonable thing to do.
There were two guards blocking the entrance to the castle - two bulky pegasi, faces unreadable. When Fancy Pants approached they opened the door of the castle but refused to let Fleur and the others follow him inside, simply shaking their head “no.”
Well, that was to be expected.
Apart from big occasions - like the Grand Galloping Gala - the castle wasn't opened to anypony. You had to be a very important pony to be allowed inside. Fortunately, Fancy Pants was just that.
"We will wait for you here," Fleur de Lys said. "I'll try and calm them down," she added softly with a nod towards the agitated crowd of aristocrats behind them.
"All right dear. Thank you."
Fancy Pants entered the castle and the doors closed behind him, shutting down the voices of the others and letting him walk in silence. He made his way to the throne room that was also watched over by two guards who let him pass without saying a word. The Princess was standing next to one of the windows of the room, a heavily armored earth pony whispering something in her ear, to which her only answer was a nod.
"Princess," Fancy Pants said with a bow, obtaining the attention of Celestia who looked at him in her ever benevolent manner. "I imagine you are aware of the situation our city found itself in since this morning?"
"Yes, and I trust it is the reason of your visit? It has been a very long time since you last had to come to me for advice."
Fancy Pants bowed once more.
"That is true, Princess. I have to admit feeling rather...inconvenient, today. Have you ever heard of such ordeal? Snow that isn't reacting to our magic!"
He joined the Princess by the window and peered outside.
"I do not know what to tell them," he said as they watched the small dots that formed ponies on the streets below. "What should we do, Princess? I thought about looking for the chief of the team in charge of wrapping winter, but it will most probably not be of any help. If we can't use magic to remove the snow, then neither can any of the team. And there's still the question of from where does all this snow comes from?"
He looked sideways to the Princess who kept silent for a moment before responding quietly.
"I cannot provide you any answer. This is as much a mystery to me than it is to all of you."
"Then what should we do? The rest of Equestria is already in spring..."
"We will get rid of the snow, like everywhere else."
"But...how? We can't remove it with our magic."
Celestia chuckled lightly.
"There is another way, Fancy Pants."
He remained silent, thinking while she kept looking at him, her small smile never faltering. Then it dawned on him and he recoiled a bit.
"Princess, you can't mean..."
But her amused look told him that it was exactly what she was meaning.
"I'm sure you will all manage. I have faith in every single pony of this city to do what is best for Canterlot."
Fancy Pants forced a smile upon his lips. He wasn't sure he shared her faith.
*****
**
Ooh, what am I going to do? Photo Finish is going to kill me!
Hairspray had tried everything but she simply wasn't coming closer to getting out of her house. The front door was definitely not a possibility - it was entirely blocked by a mountain of snow. The windows of the kitchen and the living room were in no better state, threatening to spill snow from outside if she even tried opening them a bit.
Hairspray paced in the room, her mind in turmoil. Photo Finish was most likely at the studio, fuming about her tardiness, and there were few worse things in the world. An angry Photo Finish wasn't one you wanted to come near to, unless you had some masochistic tendencies.
She let out a big sigh, ears flattened against her head as the only thing that seems left to do was to resign herself for having a good chance to be screamed at by her employer - if not worse.
And what am I supposed to do, now? Did anypony even noticed my house was surrounded by snow?! They should have come already, why –
Scritch
...What was that?
Her ears perked up and she tried distinguishing the muffled noise.
Scritch
Scritch
There it was again. She rose and stopped by the door, in front of the wall of snow where the strange noise seemed to come from. She put her cheek against the snow blocking the path and listened very closely. Yes, it was coming from here. And not only that: it seemed to be coming closer…
What could it – AH!
She only had time to jump back before a portion of snow was suddenly expelled inside the house, leaving in its place a hole that was slowly growing larger as the head of a shovel made its way through. It took Hairspray a few seconds to realize what was happening.
Somepony’s coming for me!
Almost shaking out of excitement and relief, she watched as more and more snow fell inside her house as the shovel pushed again and again through the cold matter until a fair coated muzzle could be seen holding the handle of the shovel. A very familiar face soon followed and Hairspray couldn’t help but jump like a filly as Powder Rouge let go of the shovel she was holding in her mouth and finally made her way outside the tunnel she had dug. The hairdresser threw herself at her friend as soon as she had her hooves inside the house.
“Powder Rouge, I’m so glad to see you!”
“Obviously,” the make-up artist managed to say in a strangled tone as Hairspray’s forelegs held her in a tight grip.
Hairspray finally let go of her friend and took in her quite disheveled appearance: Powder Rouge’s coat was soaked and her mane covered by some patches of snow here and there. The small, red scarf around her neck had offered no real protection against the cold while she was digging her way through the snow. Hairspray ran in her bedroom and returned with a cover that she quickly wrapped around Powder Rouge whose shivering decreased after a few moments.
“What happened?” Hairspray finally asked, pointing at the partially holed wall of snow still blocking the path outside. “I woke up this morning and just found out I couldn’t get out! How can there be snow out there today?!”
“I have no idea. When I got out this morning the streets were covered in snow, everywhere… I came here to see how you were doing and saw that you’d have some trouble getting out. I took the shovel and ran back here. All the houses near the gardens are entirely covered under snow.”
Powder Rouge shivered again and clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering.
“Do you want some tea?" Hairspray asked. "You’re completely frozen…”
“I’ll be fine. Let’s just wait a few minutes before going outside. Snow and ice everywhere when we’re supposed to be in spring already…” Powder Rouge said with a sigh.
“How is that even possible? Something must’ve gone terribly wrong with Winter Wrap Up…”
“Indeed.”
Hairspray slowly made her way to the doorway, taking a peek inside the snow tunnel Powder Rouge had dug. It was quite narrow, with only enough room for a lean pony to fit in. Wanting to see for herself what was happening outside, she braced herself and started crawling inside the tunnel, her entire body shaking as the cold hit her. The tunnel was just a few meters long, going slightly upwards, and it only took her a couple of minutes to reach the opposite opening. She blinked a few times when the sunrays blinded her as she got out the tunnel, finally finding herself outside.
Hairspray blinked once more, this time out of bewilderment at what she was seeing. She almost couldn’t recognize the street she’d been living on for years. Snow everywhere, almost entirely covering her house and those of her closest neighbors. The branches of the trees in the Canterlot gardens threatened to break under its weight. Hairspray took a look left and right, saw the ponies shivering and trying to make their way through the impracticable streets and knew exactly what she had to do.
She crawled back inside the tunnel and was back inside her house in a minute, almost bumping her head against Powder Rouge who had been standing at the opposite opening.
“I have a suggestion to make,” Hairspray said as she brushed the snowflakes out of her pink mane.
“Please do tell.”
“I suggest we stay here for the day - or rather, we stay here until they found out what happened and until things are back to normal.”
“Good idea,” Powder Rouge said with a nod, sounding relieved. “I’m pretty sure I caught a cold already.”
Hairspray smiled sheepishly, feeling a bit ashamed. She really did owe one to Powder Rouge for coming to her help.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this. I don’t know what I’d do without you…”
“You wouldn’t survive very long, obviously.”
“…Let’s leave it at that. Are you still cold?”
“No,” the make-up artist answered as she slowly took off the cover Hairspray had put around her. “So…we stay here until everything gets better outside?”
“Do you have any other idea?”
Hairspray really hoped her friend wouldn’t change her mind. She’d seen enough to know exactly what she wanted to do: stay in her house and let the others decide what to do amidst this chaos. She let out a sigh of relief when her co-worker nodded her assent.
“I guess there’s nothing else we can really do,” Powder Rouge said.
“And Photo Finish will understand that we can in no way show up for work today.”
“I guess she can.”
They kept silent for a moment, trying to decide what they could do now that they were to stay hidden inside for Celestia knew how long. They could have a nice cup of tea or a hot chocolate, open one of their favorite magazine and comment on it like two gossipers. They could –
“Dere you are!”
They both jumped a few inches in the air as a loud, familiar voice was suddenly heard and they turned to the door, heart beating fast in their chest. Photo Finish’s head appeared through the opening of the tunnel.
“Hairspray! Powder Rouge! Move your lazy flanks out of dere! Now!”
And then she was gone, as swiftly as she had come. Hairspray and Powder Rouge looked at each other, stunned, until the make-up artist finally voiced what appeared to be inevitable.
“Well… Looks like we’ll be working today after all.”
Hairspray said nothing at first, still trying to get her mind around the situation. Powder Rouge sighed and pushed her forward, forcing her to start walking. As they entered the snow tunnel, Hairspray finally found her voice back.
“…She knows where I live?!”
******
Photo Finish lead the way in one of the main streets of the city, looking very much displeased. Well, actually, her face wore the same neutral expression as always, but Hairpsray had worked with her long enough to notice subtle details that betrayed her boss's inner state of mind. The photographer was perched on her usual pedestal, held up by two stallions who carried her around. It seemed a bit more of a delicate feat than usual, though; the stallions took careful steps to ensure they wouldn't slip on a patch of ice and, forced as they were to keep their gaze lowered, their walk was hesitant and wobbly, threatening to throw Photo Finish off and send her sprawled on the ground.
Maybe that's why she looks tensed, Hairspray thought.
Hairspray and Powder Rouge were following, a few steps behind. Hairspray was completely baffled by the state of the city and she asked her friend how she had made it outside and to her place.
"I couldn't get out through the door, so I went upstairs and jumped from the window,” Powder Rouge said. "There was enough snow outside to land without hurting myself."
"Tell me about it, I've never seen so much in my entire life."
They joined a large group of ponies near the castle's entry where several groups of ponies were reunited, talking to each other and complaining about their situation. All of them fell silent though when the doors of the castle slowly opened and Fancy Pants appeared.
***
*****
He had no idea how to tell them. Fancy Pants was fairly certain there was no way to make his annoucement without chaos erupting among the aristocrats. He looked at them, noticing that others had come during his time with the Princess. Donut Joe had joined the group, just like Hoity Toity who managed to look very displeased even with almost half his face hidden behing his usual glasses. He also spotted Photo Finish a bit on the left, standing on some sort of pedestal, carried by two stallions. Most of Canterlot's citizens were here, actually - except maybe those who where still probably stuck inside their houses. He barely kept himself from sighing audibly, feeling almost tired already; he knew those ponies, they had grown up being told they shall never have to make any effort to gain what they wanted and most of them despised hard labour.
They weren't ready for what he was about to say.
But it has to be said nonetheless.
Fleur de Lys approached, as if sensing his distress.
"Did you meet the Princess, dear?"
"Yes, and she was most... useful."
Van Vendington joined them, nearly bumping into the couple's personal space.
"What did the Princess say?"
"Well..."
Fancy Pants hesitated as the whole crowd's attention was on him.
"Please, dear," Fleur de Lys encouraged her husband who seemed stuck. "Tell us what she said."
She was supported by a chorus of approval coming from the aristocrats.
"Princess Celestia is as much at loss than we are," Fancy Pants finally said. "But she suggested that we all work together to find a solution and bring back spring."
"So...what should be done?" Jet Set asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We shall wrap winter up ourselves."
"...Ourselves?"
"Yes, ourselves."
At this point Jet Set wasn't the only pony who looked perplexed.
"But... Magic isn't working!" Swan Dive objected with despair.
Fancy Pants cringed, fearing his next words' impact.
"Indeed, our magic won't be of any help. That is why we are going to wrap winter..."
He braced himself.
"...earth pony way."
One of the most dreadful silence he ever witnessed followed his declaration. A few, very long seconds passed by painfully slowly until he could hear a small whimper - and then the distinct sound of somepony fainting in the assistance. Then everypony bursted in loud complaining, their voices quickly joining in an indisctinct blur.
"You cannot be serious!"
"You can't be actually considering the possibility that...that..."
"This is a disaster, an absolute disaster!"
"Never! I shall never work like a low earth pony!"
"Hey, watch your mouth, I'm an earth pony and –"
"Honey, let's go home and pack, we're leaving for Manehattan!"
Deciding whatever he'd say in the next ten minutes wouldn't make things any better, Fancy Pants chose to let them vent and stood slightly outside their circle, noticing that nopony was paying any attention to the mare who had fainted just a few moments ago and who still laid on the ground. Fleur joined him, a light frown on her fair face.
"Did the Princess really suggested we remove the snow ourselves?"
He nodded.
"But...but we have no idea how to...we've never..."
She stopped, not even managing to put words on their situation. Fancy Pants couldn't blame her; he wasn't exactly thrilled himself at the prospect of spending his what-should-have-been first day of spring removing snow from the streets, but he knew they had no choice.
Around them, the ponies kept complaining.
"Why, why did it have to happen like this?!" shouted a unicorn mare whose dress was already half soaked by the snow.
"I've heard the train is stuck somewhere between Ponyville and Canterlot, we can't even go away!"
"Maybe you should say something," Fleur suggested as the discontentment grew.
"Let them talk, they're simply getting rid of the stress induced by a very unusual situation. We can't blame them," Fancy Pants said as they kept watching the crowd vent.
"I demand an audience with the Princess!"
"Shut your muzzle, earth pony, why don't you start working right away?"
"We will never be able to do it!"
"You see my hoof? You see it? I'm going to smash it on your horn if you keep –"
Fancy Pants recoiled slightly as the venting got a bit too vicious for his taste.
"Erm...You're right, Fleur. Maybe I should."
He climbed the few stairs leading to the entry of the castle, finding himself slightly above the others.
"Your attention, please..."
Somewhere in the back of the crowd, Hoity Toity had found Photo Finish and both were quarrelling rather vehemently, the photographer bending from over her pedestal to spit venomous words to the grey stallion's face. From what he could hear, Fancy Pants was pretty sure their fight had nothing to do with the current situation.
He cleared his throat loudly but nopony paid any attention.
"Everypony, listen to me please..."
Still nothing.
"Everypony!" he exclaimed much louder this time, and actually managed to catch the attention of the aristocrats on the first row of the crowded place. "Better," he let out under his breath before starting again, speaking loud enough to keep eyes on him. "Please, my friends, be reasonable. I have faith in you and in your capacity to do what is best for our beautiful city. The Princess is watching us… Let us show her that her subjects know how to behave accordingly when they are facing adversity, be it in the shape of a malevolent snow."
It seemed his little inspirational speech had worked - to some extent. Most of the ponies were now listening, though their expressions were still somber. He was about to continue when they could hear some noise coming from inside the castle, behind the closed doors. There was a muffled scream ("But...but auntie, I don't want to!") and then some ruckus as somepony was obviously being dragged around while resisting quite fiercely. The doors of the castle suddenly opened and Princess Luna appeared in the doorway, followed by two pegasi guards who were pushing forward a very panicked Prince Blueblood. He was forcefully thrown outside and immediately tried getting by the guards to go back inside the castle, but the pegasi simply opened their wings and blocked the path.
"Citizens of Canterlot", Princess Luna started, ignoring her nephew's antics behind her. "You have seen the doom that has befallen on our city. Princess Celestia and I are currently investigating to discover the reasons of this tragic fate. Answers will come, but in the meanwhile we shall all try and rid Canterlot of the snow. We have faith in your dedication to help getting the city back as it should be."
"Princess," Fancy Pants started with a slight bow. "We were already preparing our course of action for the next few hours. We are quite motivated to make Canterlot go back to its original - and rightful - state."
He shot a warning look over his shoulder. Jet Set had seemed ready to protest - almost reflexively - but he shut his mouth as soon as Fancy Pants gazed in his direction.
"Very well," Princess Luna said. "We know we can count on you."
"Of course, Princess."
"We will leave you to it then. The Prince will stay to help as well. We will come back as soon as we have more information on what has happened."
Luna turned her back on the crowd only to have Blueblood almost plunging at her hooves.
"But auntie, why do I have to stay here?!"
"Because you are the Prince and must show support to your people," the Princess declared sternly.
"But...but..."
The ruler of the night turned and headed back inside the castle. Blueblood tried to follow her and almost made it past the guards but then his entire body was suddenly grasped in a dark blue glowing light as the Princess used magic to drag him back and sent him flying in the middle of the aristocrats, letting him land face first in the snow.
The doors closed and Fancy Pants decided to take advantage of the Princess's words to further motivate the others. Even their self-centered nature wouldn't allow them to dare defy one of their ruler's order.
"Well everypony, it seems very clear now. The Princesses are both expecting us to help our fellow citizens who are unable to get outside their houses. And this is precisely what we are going to do."
None dared protest this time, but all faces were somber and some heads hung low.
Right at this moment, the mare who had fainted a few minutes ago slowly rose on shaky legs and brought a hoof to her forehead, still looking quite dizzy.
"Ooh...I had the worst dream ever... There was still snow and we were asked to work to get it away..."
Nopony seemed to have the heart of telling her the truth. Swan Dive even laid a comforting hoof over her shoulder to show her she shared her pain.
Fancy Pants turned as he felt Fleur leaning lightly against him.
"Do you think we are up to the task?" she asked with a worried expression.
"My dear, I am absolutely certain we will make wonders and get Canterlot back to its original state in a very short time."
He tried to ignore the sounds coming from behind him - it seemed there was a bit of a scuffle between some earth ponies and unicorns.
"Now..." he went on. "May I suggest you go back to our place and change your boots? I'm not sure these will keep you warm enough."
"Always the gentlecolt," Fleur said with a chuckle.
"Why of course, dear."
He watched her go after a last nuzzle, and then turned his attention back to the large crowd. He furrowed his brow at the ponies who were back to violently complaining now that the aura of obedience following the Princess' appearance had been dissipating.
At least they were still there.
Now let us pray to Celestia that nothing else goes wrong.
Author's Note
9 months since the last chapter... So sorry guys, I got caught up in some real-life stuff and couldn't find the time to write as much as I wanted to.
Hope you'll enjoy the chapter even if it's rather short :)
