A Winter Tale

A Winter Tale

By Blue Eyed Melloon

Chapter Two: New Jacket

ooOooooOooooOoo

The sunlight filtered through the light clouds that protected the bedroom window. It slowly crept up the floor, and clung to the edges of the bedspread, crawling its way across the blankets and finally reaching its goal: the calm face of Soarin Stormcloud.  His mouth was illuminated first; it was slack and open just a crack through which gentle breath escaped. Next came his cheek, just the left one since he was laying on his side. Finally the ultimate goal was achieved. His eyes cracked open in response to the light, and he groaned, rolling over and letting out a yawn. Sunlight. Winter must not have come in the night like he originally thought. As he rolled from his bed however, he was immediately struck by a wall of cold air.

He let out another groan, shivering and shaking out the kinks in his legs. Moving to the window, he saw that his ice home was coated in a layer of frost, and the sunlight that had penetrated his sleep was weak and couldn’t melt the frost that had taken hold of Equestria in the night. The ground below sparkled with ice, and the ponies of Ponyville had yet to rise to greet the day. Soarin yawned tremendously, stretching his wings before moving to the bathroom for a nice warm shower.

Refreshed and slightly warmer, the light blue colt went downstairs to the kitchen, pouring a bowl of cereal as opposed to making a full on breakfast. It was too early and he was too lazy. As he munched, he contemplated his activities for the day. Other than getting fitted at Carousal Boutique, he really had no other plans. Perhaps we would see what Lyra and Bon Bon were up to… It was strange not being at work. His body was ready to go, to fly and tumble and protect Equestria. His mind however, was firmly aware that he was on vacation, and intermittent yawns snuck out between bites. Finished with breakfast, he took another minute or two to stretch before leaving home and following the same path as the day before down to Ponyville.

His flight down to Ponyville left him shivering as he touched the ground. The tattered scarf that hung around his throat waved feebly, as if to shoo away the cold that nipped at Soarin’s nose. He hustled to Carousel Boutique, blowing on his hoof before knocking on the brightly colored door.

He was greeting by an ivory mare with a flowing mane of deep purple. Despite the early hour, Rarity was already awake and primped; not an eyelash or hair was out of place. She ushered him inside was an expertly manicured hoof, saying “Soarin dear! You are in town? How could I have not known?”

He let her lead him to the fitting room, saying “I just got here yesterday. I have the entire winter off.”

“Really?” came the reply, tinged with a slight accent. Soarin always thought she sounded like she belonged in Canterlot rather than Ponyville.  Her horn glowed as she wandered the room, gathering pins, measuring tapes and a clipboard. “I didn’t know the Wonderbolts could take an entire season off.”

“They can when they haven’t had a sick day in four years.” He said, smiling. Soarin faced the mirrors, saying “I was hoping you could fit me for a new jacket. The one I have is…”

“Last season!” Rarity chirped, levitating the measuring tape over the get the length of his legs while Opal, a fluffy white cat, twisted through her master’s legs with expert ease. “I know exactly what you mean! A trendsetter like you should be in the latest fashions. Why on my last visit to Canterlot, I saw this chicest jacket and vest set that you would look smashing in...”

“Actually.” Soarin interrupted, chuckling. “My last jacket fell apart at the seams. I was just hoping to get a replacement in the same style.”

There was silence, followed by Rarity’s large eyes staring at his through the mirror reflection.

“Oh dear! Don’t they teach you how to take care of clothes?” a mildly horrified Rarity said, pausing to write down her measures. “Or did you buy it from some shoddy work horse who doesn’t know a top stitch from a blanket stitch?” Opal meowed in agreement, playing with one of the discarded measuring tapes. “To think that somepony would sell such unfinished work to a celebrity like you! Why if you told me who they were, I have half a mind to -”

“I actually bought it from you.”

There was a long pause.

“….Oh…w-well then you must have worn it too much..yes, that’s it. You wore it too hard!”

Soarin laughed again as the elegant mare smiled sheepishly, choosing to hurry through the measurements instead of berating him further. After she had gotten the information she needed, Soarin gave her a few suggestions, and then left the Boutique with Rarity shooing him away, mannequin already floating towards her as she donned her red glasses and began to sew. The sunlight had be almost covered up; patches fell through the cloud cover here and there. The air felt heavy, as if it were going to rain. Soarin shivered, and wandered toward the nearest café for a hot chocolate. Ponies were starting to wake up and move from place to place. He waved at a few ponies that he knew, even stopping to chat with the local clock maker about how his business was faring. This turned into a meeting with his daughter and he was assured by the clock maker that she was "quite the catch and a good cook to boot!"

After the slightly awkward conversations with a stuttering filly barely old enough to be considered for dating, Soarin made his way back to his original plans. "After that I feel like I need some hard cider instead." he muttered to himself, plodding through the streets. The cafe was in sight now, the promise of a warm environment and even warmer drinks making him increase his pace.

On his way, he felt a tingle along the back of his neck. The kind of tingle somepony gets when they are being watched. Soarin kept his eyes trained ahead, determined not to give his watcher the attention she apparently needed. The tingle continued through his wings, and he resisted the urge to open them  to release the tension. When he entered the café, the buzz of the conversations inside was seconded only by the wave of warmth that washed over him. He hazarded a glance behind him. Sure enough, behind a tree, the shimmery blue mare was watching him with those eyes. Those eyes he couldn’t see. He turned away, finding a table and enjoying chatting with the waiter while drinking a lovely hot chocolate piled high with marshmallows.

He exited the café, and immediately saw that his watcher was still there, eyes trained on Soarin and Soarin only. He made a show of walking casually toward the building she was near, never looking her way until he was close enough to speak loudly.

“Hey.” He said, and his voice traveled slowly on the heavy air. “I don’t know who you are, but you had better stop running when I come to talk to you.”

The mare froze, eyes widening as she realized her mistake. Her breathing increased, and she took a tentative step backwards.

“I said don’t run.” Soarin said, noting her step. “Why won’t you just talk to me?”

The mare opened her mouth, eyes trained downwards. She looked as if she were trying to force words, sound, anything to come out of her mouth. Soarin took a step toward her, noting that her mane had the same shimmery quality as her coat. With his step the frost cracked, and the mare shivered, taking another step back.

“I’m……I-I-I’m s-sorry.” Came a soft voice, almost too quiet to hear. It was Soarin’s turn to freeze, her voice stopping him in his tracks. It was if she had whispered over a light breeze. Her voice carried a slight sing-song cadence. The mare felt her heart beating out of her chest; her whole body wanted to shiver and shake. Instead with a flash of frost and a steady rhythm, she turned tail and ran to the other side of town, leaving one very confused and intrigued Soarin in her wake. The Pegasus stood there for a minute or two, staring at the place where she had been standing. That voice…. He suddenly shook his head, unruly mane flapping back and forth along his ears.

“I’ll find out who you are.” He said to the wind, turning to his own direction and heading back the way he came. For the rest of the day he held conversations, but they didn’t interest him in the slightest. All he could think about was a pale blue mare with a soft voice like song.

ooOooooOooooOoo

Again the mare found herself running, running as fast as she could from Soarin. Oh Soarin.. Just the thought of the handsome colt being so close to her made her heart feel as if it were skipping time. It threatened to stop when she remembered his voice, asking why she didn’t speak to him. She stopped just shy of the schoolhouse and instead turned right toward a copse of trees. There she found shelter from the cold and from prying Pegasus eyes that might be looking for her. She lay among the fallen leaves and stubborn grasses determined to grow, and sighed, laying her head on her hoof.

Thinking about apologizing to him made her want to kick and scream. Why had she apologized? She hadn’t done anything wrong. She was just out taking a walk and happened to spy him.

The memory came back, and this time she smiled. He was so close to her. Spoke to her. The baritone of his voice made her very core shiver not with fear, but happiness. That core blossomed into warmth that took to her veins and filled her with something that she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Perhaps never . She pulled her body close, willing that warmth to stay with her forever. Just like the sound of his voice….