Sheer Cold

Chapters

Chapter the First: Nightmare Night
Chapter the Second: Barber Shop Blues
Chapter the Third: Dreams to Make Spines Shudder
Chapter the Fourth: A Meeting of Minds
Chapter the Fifth: Heat Now, Cold Later.
Chapter the Sixth: Pink Snow Hunter

Chapter the First: Nightmare Night

Twilight Sparkle was quite content.

"I am quite content." Announced Princess Luna through mouthfuls of assorted candy treats. "I quite enjoyed this Nightmare Night. I thank you Twilight Sparkle; for helping me to make ... friends."

"It was my pleasure Princess!" the lavender unicorn replied happily. Resplendent in her StarSwirl the Bearded costume, she was in the process of rereading a friendship report to her royal guest's older sister and co-ruler of Equstria: Princess Celestia. Though normally it would have been sent by then; the baby dragon that was her assistant, Spike, had already fallen asleep, still in his dragon costume. Twilight chuckled at his sweet slumbering form, then used her horn's magic to remove his costume without waking him. She felt like keeping her own costume on for a bit longer. Although she had already removed the itchy and ill-fitting beard.

Princess Luna picked a particularly colorful piece of candy, admired it for moment, then began levitating it towards her mouth via magic. Suddenly, a pink earth pony broke the surface of a mountainous pile of treats a few feet away; surprising the alicorn, and causing her to drop the piece of candy. Reflexively, the pink pony spun in midair then slid on her back toward the princess; perfectly positioning her open maw under the descending kickshaw. The sweet landed square in the center of her tongue and she consumed it, licking her lips with a satisfied "Mmmmm..."

"Not to mention all the super duper yummy tummy candy we collected! You gonna eat that!?" the pink pony practically shouted as she started pecking at the relatively small pile of goodies in front of the princess.

"Pinkie Pie!" cried Twilight Sparkle in a scandalized tone. "That's rude! Princess Luna collected that candy for herself! Eat from you're own pile!"

"Sorry Twilight..." she said bashfully, looking apologetically at the princess. Luna however giggled softly.

"Worry not my friend," she said to Pinkie Pie; tentatively testing out the word as if she was wielding something extremely delicate. "The candy means nothing to me compared to your camaraderie. Please help yourself." Barely had the words escaped her lips before Pinkie Pie gave a cheerful *cluck* and began pecking away at the candy again; her costume's beak moving up and down so fast that it imitated a jackhammer. Appropriate, as she was quite literally demolishing the sweets before her.

"Ah'm plum sorry princess." said an orange earth pony; her flaxen mane peeking a few strands out of her scarecrow costume's facial opening. "Y'all can have a few more of mah caramel apples to make up for Pinkie's thievin'."

"Thank you AppleJack." replied Princess Luna, smiling warmly at the farmer. "But your caramel apples taste positively bitter compared to the sweet taste of your friendship!" A moment passed before the princess's eyes flew open, realizing how insulting the compliment must have sounded. "I ... I'm sorry! I meant..."

"It's alright princess." grinned AppleJack; sparing the princess her stammering. "Ah know what y'all meant. Thank yah kindly!"

"Yes, yes, of course!" recovered the princess. She accepted the caramel apple from the earth pony's extended hoof and took a large bite out of it.

One of the princess's escorts slipped up to her and whispered something in her ear. Twilight was a bit disturbed by the royal escorts. They were both pegasi, but unlike most, they had leathery bat-like wings and snake-like eyes; with slits for pupils. What bothered her most however, were their fangs. She had been told that only those of their particular breed of pegasus were allowed to be an agent under the personal command of Luna. Inquisitors they were called. She had heard rumors that the reason their teeth were so sharp was because they were actually carnivorous. The closest most ponies had ever gotten to the consumption of meat was in those tofu-dogs that Pinkie Pie was so fond of. But seeing as how Twilight didn't know what flesh tasted like, she could't tell whether they were accurate representations or not.

"I must go." said Princess Luna in a disappointed tone. "My sister insists that I adjust the moon ever so slightly so as to forego the flooding of a place called Stallion Springs. Twilight, would you mind telling me where that is? It must have been founded after my imprisonment."

"Actually Stallion Springs has been around longer than 1000 years. It's at the meeting of the Manessissipi river and Equestria's oceanic border." Twilight answered.

"Ah," said Luna, "I see, that town was called Echo Hollow back then."

"Really?" Inquired Twilight. "I had't read that in any of my books! Did I skip over it!? Or forget!? Maybe a page got torn out! Or ... Or..." The princess interrupted Twilight's hysterics.

"Calm yourself my little pony," cooed the princess. "That fact is actually fairly unknown; even by Ech-errr Stallion Springs' denizens. Only a very few ponies know it apart from the alicorns."

"Oh? Are there other alicorns besides you and your sister? And how does that relate to the changing of the town's name?" asked the unicorn, genuinely innocently curious. The princess however, didn't answer; giving off the aura of one who has said more than appropriate.

"I'm unsure as to whether I should..."

It was at this point that her inquisitor gave an impatient though not entirely impolite cough. The princess nodded at him and he exited the library to prepare the chariot.

"Thank you again Twilight Sparke, AppleJack, Pinkie Pie. I enjoyed this night very much, and look forward to spending many more like it with you; my friends."

Twilight and AppleJack nodded their goodbyes, Pinkie pie however was too obsessed with her obliteration of the Princess' candy collection. Luna made to exit, but paused right before crossing under the threshold. With a backwards glance towards Pinkie Pie and a sly look in her eye, she swiped a few pieces of candy from the chicken-costumed baker's now-neglected towering treat pile. "Farewell." she said before closing the door softly behind her.

"Well-a," yawned AppleJack, turning to Twilight, "Ah've got an early mornin' tomorrow, Ah've gotta get the apple stand set up in the square before the early-morning shoppers arrive. So Ah'll seeya later Twilight!"

She and her host said they're goodbyes; then the orange colored pony made her way out. The sound of the door closing a second time caused the other earth pony to look up. With Luna's treats now effectively erased from existence, Pinkie Pie too felt the urge to go home and get some sleep.

"Is it okay if I keep my haul here for the night Twilight?" she asked as she walked towards the door. "It's just a lot to carry and I don't want to lose anything in the dark." genuine concern for the well-being of her candy crossing her face.

"Sure Pinkie Pie. That's fine!" smiled Twilight.

"Ooh thank you Twilight! I really appreciate it! I ... I ..." Pinkie Pie's sentence faded off as she apparently noticed something very attention grabbing. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she turned slowly and menacingly toward her unicorn friend. "Twilight? ... Who touched my pile?"

Twilight chuckled and rolled her eyes as she shooed her friend out the door. She watched as the chicken-pony trotted down the path towards Sugar Cube Corner. Looking up towards the starry night sky, she noticed the cyan hoof of a still costumed Pegasus. Further inspection revealed it to be none other than Rainbow Dash: who was busily snoring away on a limb of the great tree that housed the Ponyville Library; one hoof dangling down.

"Hi there Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said loudly.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash woke with a snore still halfway out. She blearily tried to rub her eyes; but was impeded by the goggles she wore as part of her costume. She had to think for a moment why access to her eyes were blocked before realizing what she wore and where she was.

"Oh, hey Twilight. How's it going?" she asked groggily. Looking past Twilight into the library, she went on to ask, "Did everypony leave already?"

"Yes," answered Twilight. Why didn't you come in to join us Rainbow? We would have enjoyed your company."

"Oh ... No reason." the Pegasus said distractedly; looking around.

"Would you like to come in now?" asked the unicorn slowly, looking up into her friend's eyes; still darting back and forth.

"What's that? No thanks Twilight, I've got an early morning tomorrow; you know lots of weather jobs and stuff."

"That's right!" said Twilight brightly. "Tomorrow's the first day of winter right?"

"Yep," replied Rainbow Dash, stretching her wings, "we've got a lot of work to do for the first snow tomorrow, so I ought to get to sleep; you know how I need a solid sixteen."

"Goodnight then!" said Twilight cheerfully, chuckling at the truth in her friends words. She watched as the Pegasus leaped up and soared into the air; and into the direction quite opposite her cloud house. Twilight didn't give it much thought though. Instead, she leaned back on her haunches and rested on her home's front stoop. Looking up at the starry sky, she spotted one of the constellations that the subject of her costume had discovered. Her eyes slid along the beautiful sky to Luna's brilliant moon. It's beauty struck awe into her every time. But something else caught her eye too.

A lone snowflake drifted down in the cold autumn night. It floated serenely towards Twilight's face. It was at this point that several things happened at once; the snowflake landed on the tip of Twilight's nose, the clock tower chimed midnight: signifying the first seconds of the first day of winter, and a mysterious figure appeared from the mist at the entrance to the EverFree Forest.

It is here our story begins. Shall we ... ?

Chapter the Second: Barber Shop Blues

Twilight Sparkle trotted briskly along Ponyville's town square. Continuing along her path: she regretted her decision to not wear a scarf. Even though it was the first day of winter the difference in temperature from that morning and the day before was astounding. She reveled in the small patches of sunlight that crossed her path, as even the small bit of warmth that they provided was very welcome. She saw her destination in the distance and picked up her pace, anxious to claim some relief from the bitter cold. For some reason the cold and light snow seemed much more biting than usual. Icicles had begun to form on the various rooftops and rain gutters. Though hardly any snow fell at all and the thermometers read only one degree below freezing, it felt more like one hundred below. She snapped out of her thoughts to notice that she was only a few steps away from ramming into the door of Clean Shave's Barber shop. She skidded slightly on the lightly frosted grass; stopping just before the door. She sighed as her face relaxed out of relief for avoiding the collision. Her face was then contorted to one of smushed confusion and pain as the door slammed open, squashing her between it and the shop window beside it. The young unicorns Snips and Snails galloped out of the building at full pelt.

"TAG! You're it!" cries Snips as he just barely manages to poke Snails in the flank with his horn. Immediately he took off in the opposite direction with Snails in hot pursuit. Twilight let out an exasperated grunt as she peeled herself of the shop window. Simultaneously the owner, Clean Shave, burst through the door; re-pinning her to the front window.

"Ms. Sparkle! I'm so sorry for what my son has done!" he cried, offering a hoof to help her down, which she accepted. Regaining her balance, she raises a single eyebrow at him. "And ... I guess I've just done the exact same thing." he chuckled apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh heh; uh, sorry ... Ms. Sparkle." he said quietly, lowering his head in shame.

"Don't worry about it." said Twilight comfortingly, "I know it was an accident."

"Thank you Ms. Sparkle, I appreciate that." he said, relieved. "I'll let you be on your way then."

"You can call me Twilight," she responded, "and I actually came to see you."

"Oh really?" asked the male unicorn. "Well in that case, come in; come in!" He eagerly held the door for her as she stepped inside.

"Thank you." she said, looking around once inside. It was a quaint little barber shop; and nothing like Rarity's salon. No shelves of assorted lotions and dyes. No colorful machinery, tools, or bottles. All the furnishings were carved from a very dark wood, with the exceptions of the barber stools which were stainless steel with black leather cushions. The wall was comprised of a very heavy-feeling deep green wallpaper, and the baseboards were of that same dark wood with the trims painted gold. Three mirrors and seats were positioned along the left side of the shop, one of which was occupied by an older colt with half his face obstructed by shaving cream. A few chairs were set in front of the large front window facing the rest of the shop. Two more stallions inhabited these chairs one with a lit cigar and the other with a puffing pipe. A dark wooden coffee table stood in front of them, littered with various magazines including, Twilight noticed with a slight blush, a few issues of Playcolt. The smoke added to the vibe of the whole space and, although Twilight let out a few small coughs at first, the overall effect was quite pleasant.

"So how can I help you Ms. Twilight?" Clean Shave asked politely, using his telekinesis to continue smoothly shaving the colt with all the cream on his face.

Twilight giggled. "Just Twilight is fine. Or Twilight Sparkle if you really must. But I was wondering if you could give a slight trim. My friend Rarity is sick, and she usually does it."

"Mmm, that's my wife's department, I only serve stallions you see. You can find her in the basement with her sister." Clean Shave said, gesturing to a door in the back of the room.

"Thank you Mr. Shave." The unicorn nodded at the two waiting stallions and they returned the gesture by politely raising their hats. She then tentatively continued to the door, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Don't worry Ms. Sparkle," said the barber with a smile, forgetting not to refer to Twilight so formally, "I hardly think that door will crush you as well."

Twilight smiled and proceeded to the door, where it promptly flew open and mashed Twilight against the wall. Ditzy Doo the delivery mare had thrown open the door in her rush to leave, clearly distressed and spilling mail out of her bag.

"My goodness! Twilight!" cried a panicked Clean Shave, dropping the straight razor he was magically wielding and rushing to help the poor lavender unicorn down from her mangled place on the wall.

"Ugh ... did you all plan this?" she groaned as she fell on top of the barber pony.

"What!? No, no, of course not. I'm so sorry Twilight! Let my wife know that whatever it is you need is on the house."

"Oh Mr. Shave, I couldn't possibly..."

"No no, I insist; I'll feel bad if you don't."

"Well in that case, thank you for your generosity Mr. Shave!" said Twilight, just a bit light-headed from the recent impact. She walked down the stairs and found Clean Shave's pegasus wife, Snazy Doo, sweeping up a broken vase with her wing. The mane-dresser noticed her new company and looked up.

"Oh! Hello dearie! You'rrrreeee Twilight. Aren't you?" asked the pegasus, struggling for a moment to remember her guest's name. She finished sweeping up the shards of glass and ceramic vases as well as the water that had filled them.

"Yes I am Mrs. Shave!" said the unicorn brightly, then gesturing to the mess she asked, "Is there anything I can do to help out?"

"What's that? Oh no, it's quite alright dearie. My sister's just a little clumsy is all. She always gets really upset when she knocks something over or breaks something." sighed the stylist.

"I could tell." said Twilight sheepishly, rubbing her still aching nose where it was hit three times.

"MMM ... Now, what is it that I can do for you?" she asked, suddenly adopting a more business-like tone.

"Just a little trim," replied the unicorn, as she sat in a salon chair; indicating what she'd like with her hoof.

"Hmm..." mused Snazy-Doo, tapping a hoof to her chin. "You know, I could definitely do something with this." she mused; running a hoof through Twilight's mane. "How'd you like me to give you a signature Snazy-Doo snazy new do!?" The amber-colored pegasus inquired excitedly.

"Oh, thank you kindly, but I'm quite content with my current ... um ... do." smiled Twilight.

"Oh nonsense! Everyone needs a new look every now and again! I'll tell you what: let me do my thing, and if you don't like it: I'll give you a FULL refund!" said Snazy-Doo, gesturing her hoof into the air for emphasis.

"That won't be necessary Honey-Bunches." said Clean Shave who suddenly appeared as he trotted down the staircase. "She'll be getting whatever you give her for free."

"Why's that?" asked his wife curiously.

"Because our son and you sister both did their best to turn our friend Twilight here into the proverbial pancake by way of our doors." responded her husband, levitating a spare bottle of aftershave from the closet, then making his way back up the stairs. "So I gave her a free visit."

"Oh my! You're not hurt are you dear?" asked the pegasus, genuinely concerned for her customer's well-being.

"Quite alright Mrs. Shave, thank you." answered Twilight with a smile.

"Well let's get started then!" said the pegasus excitedly. "I'll show you that you don't have to be a unicorn to make magic!" Her smile evaporated as she suddenly took on a very business-like and calculating face, grasping Twilight's face with a hoof to each temple; turning it this way and that, trying to see the unicorn's mane from every possible angle. Twilight was reminded heavily of Rarity trying to think up a new dress idea. An epiphany seemed to hit the amber hairdresser as her face lit up. She began to hold her hooves to her face, looking through the small rectangle they made to simulate peeking through a camera. "Alright! Let's get to it!" She approached Twilight, raising her wings, but paused just before starting. "Have you ever had your mane cut by a pegasus before?" she inquired.

"Well, no.." answered Twilight truthfully, "This will be my first time experi..." her sentence was cut off as a yellow blur flashed in front of her eyes. She heard what sounded like the *SHING* of a sword and saw a small bit of her mane drift slowly down in front of her nose.

"It's something; huh?" the pegasus asked with an all-too-understanding smile. "Oh dear, are you alright?" Twilight's eyes were open wide, her mouth agape in shock. She looked back at Snazy Doo, closed her mouth and gulped deeply, then nodded slowly. "Don't worry," smiled the pegasus, "you'll get used to it; and you may even like it." She raised her wings again and continued.

'I don't think I'll ever get used to this...' thought Twilight as more of her mane began to fall around her. But as the treatment continued, the unicorn found herself becoming more and more relaxed. Eventually, the two began chatting animatedly. Before either knew it: the two were three hours later in the day, too lost in the conversation to notice as the time whittled itself away.

"Ponies always called her 'Derpy' in flight school." Snazy-Doo went on, the topic of the conversation having fallen again on her sister. "The moniker never really bothered her; for some reason. She was actually quite fond of it to tell the truth; insisting that all her friends call her by it. In fact she's been thinking of legally changing her name to it. Don't ask me why though. If you ask me, I think being a postal worker is driving her a bit, well, postal. She tries her best though, and we love her for it..." the pegasus's voice trailed off as mor voices and footsteps were heard descending the staircase.

FlutterShy followed by two other mares: Bon-Bon and Junebug were descending the staircase. As Twilight Sparkle turned her head to watch the newcomers she noticed, with a sudden stone to her stomach, that the cream-colored pegasus that was one of her best friends was crying. "FlutterShy!" she exclaimed, leaping up from the chair. "What's wrong!? Did something happen!? Is somepony hurt!? Or one of your animals!?" FlutterShy's face was screwed up, trying to supress her sobs.

"She was just telling us about something she saw last night." explained JuneBug, guiding the weeping mare to a chair and sitting her down. "She said ... Well to be honest I don't really know what she said," she lowered her voice a bit, "she was a bit hard to completely understand, you know, being so upset."

Twilight looked down at her distraught friend. She lowered herself so that she was eye-level with her pegasus friend. She rested a hoof on her friend's knee and waited until her sobs subsided to small whimpers. "FlutterShy? FlutterShy..." said Twilight in little more than a whisper. The object of her attention quieted down enough to open her teary bloodshot eyes and look up at the unicorn - Twilight always did have a special way of calming her. "FlutterShy..." the unicorn cooed, "What's the matter? What happened?"

The pegasus gulped down a few large pockets of air and looked around at her audience, she didn't really want anypony but her best friend to hear what she was about to say, but knew it would be far too rude and ... *gulp* ... confrontational to ask them to leave. "Well..." she finally managed to emit, her voice still wavering a bit. "It was exactly midnight..."

Interested yet? I do so hope so...

Chapter the Third: Dreams to Make Spines Shudder

FlutterShy wiped her eyes as she prepared to tell her tale. "Exactly midnight," she repeated. "I was awake because I had had a nightmare. First it was just a n-normal dream, I was in a field, picking f-flowers, except-t they were also a-apples; I'm s-sorry if this sounds crazy... I can stop; if you want..." the pink-maned pegasus averted her gaze from the lavender unicorn, embarrassed by how stupid she knew she must have sounded.

"Oh no no," cooed the unicorn, "please FlutterShy, go on. I'm interested in what you have to say."

"You-you are?" asked FlutterShy incredulously, looking up meaningfully into her magical friend's eyes. She had such lovely eyes... Wait - what? FlutterShy shook her head to focus herself, then continued. "W-well, I was picking the apple-flowers, then I suddenly noticed that it got all dark; and black; and scary and stormy out. Then Nightmare Moon came jumping out at me from the dark clouds. She leaped at me. She h-had such big f-fangs..." the pegasus let a slight whimper slip out. "A-and she was p-pouncing at m-me ... And just as she was about to grab me, she just kind-of ... *poofed* ..."

"Poofed!?" asked Bon Bon in a manner that sounded slightly mocking. "What in Equestria does that mean?"

Twilight Sparkle glared angrily up at her, then returned her gaze to the cream-colored pegasus. "It's okay FlutterShy, you're doing great! But um, could you be a bit more ... specific?"

"S-sure thing, sorry Twilight. I guess she just kind-of ... evaporated? She turned into a like a mix of snow and mist. And when it hit me I felt really cool and refreshed, and like my brain could think so clearly!" FlutterShy, who's tears were mostly gone now, positively swelled as she remembered the feeling; her face aglow. "I felt ... I felt ... Enlightened! Like I could understand so much!" the pony's face suddenly grew darker, "But then I just felt cold. So cold. And all the knowledge I had gained: I didn't want it anymore... It started to hurt... And I felt almost... almost..." She looked up and stared deeply into her beautiful friend's entrancing eyes. FlutterShy's mind went blank. By a remarkable coincidence the word that swam into her head was the very same one that she had meant to say before becoming distracted. Though when she did utter it, it was accompanied by a very different train of thought. "...Heartbroken..."

"Heartbroken?" repeated a puzzled Twilight.

"What?" stammered FlutterShy as her cerebellum snapped back to it's original state. "Oh, right yeah, heartbroken. I felt that the knowledge I had learned was something very sad, and I wish I never knew it. But at the same time... I felt like if I didn't know it I would have been more unhappy, but without knowing it. Oh..." FlutterShy moaned as she buried her head in her hoofs. "Does this even make any sense?" Bon Bon scoffed at the question, JuneBug scratched her chin with her hoof, and Snazy Doo swapped confused glances between the two of them. Twilight however, rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Great knowledge? Who wouldn't want that? But once you have it ... You don't want it anymore. Hmm..."

"That's right," went on FlutterShy, "and that's when I woke up. I was in a cold sweat, and the I still felt the way I had felt in the dream. My head was all woozy, so I went downstairs to get some water, and when I did, I just sort-of looked outside towards the EverFree Forest; I don't know why I did, but I did. And when I did ... I saw ..."

"Yes?" coaxed Twilight, leaning closer and quite intrigued by her friend's story.

"... I saw ..." FlutterShy tried again. She gulped deeply, tears just beggining to well up in her eyes again. "... I saw ... a stallion, but he was very ... i don't know, strange I guess. I couldn't really make him out that well; every time I tried my eyes started to hurt. Then he looked at me. I couldn't see him, but I saw his head turn and I felt him looking at me. By Celestia Twilight, it felt like my head was ripping open. He just stood there looking at me, I felt like I was being frozen from my mind out. I felt really cold! And then I ... I fainted. But as I was passing out I heard a voice in my head say: 'You never really wanted to know.'

FlutterShy looked up at her friend, not sure what to expect. "Do you know what he could have done?"

Twilight pondered this, this sounded like magic, but like magic she'd only ever heard of. She pondered this; so deeply in fact that she hardly noticed as Snazy Doo used her wings to slice a final strand of Twilight's mane off.

"Well I'd say we're about done here dearie." the mane-dresser said. "And I hate to have to say so, but the sun is setting, and the I still have to get to some shops before they close."

"Oh! Right! I'm sorry Mrs. Shave! We didn't mean to keep you so long!" exclaimed Twilight, peering out of the open window to find that the sun was indeed setting; and had even disappeared behind some of Ponyville's taller buildings. "We'll be going now." she gestured to her pegasus friend to follow, which she gladly did. "Good-Bye Mrs. Shave! Thanks again for everything!" the unicorn waved goodbye to the other earth ponies before proceeding up the staircase with her pegasus pal in tow.

Clean Shave looked up from the mane trimmings he was sweeping up in time to see the two fillies crossing under the threshold. "How did my wife treat you Ms. Spark ... errr ... Twilight? Were you 100 percent satisfied?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, thank you Mr. Shave I quite enjoyed it." Answered Twilight Sparkle absentmindedly. Her thoughts were still on FlutterShy's story, mind buzzing with questions. What kind of magic was this? She'd never heard of any such spells preform-able by ponies. Where did this stallion learn such things? Did he maybe invent them himself? Was it perhaps possible for her to learn these abilities? Did she even want to? She saw what kind of effect that raw power had on FlutterShy, and she just only witnessed it. Could she handle that kind of power?

"I um, really like your mane Twilight."

The soft voice of her friend snapped Twilight back to reality, and making her jump about a foot into the air. "Whoa-oh. What? Oh .. um, thanks FlutterShy." She hadn't even realized that they had left the shop. Looking back, she saw that they had actually already walked several blocks away. Turning to the nearest shop's window, she studied her image in the reflection. Her mane was teased up in a bun, and there were elegant waves and curls all around in different places. With a hoof, she twisted a small springy curl that hung in front of her ear. While she did have to admit that the do did her justice, she didn't think she would wear it more than a day or two; maybe just long enough to let Rarity see it. She'd stick to her normal mane-style: nice and simple and orderly and efficient; just like her.

"You look really beautiful in it." whispered FlutterShy so that just her unicorn friend could hear, just the faintest hint of scarlet creeping up her cheeks.

"Thanks!" the lavender mare smiled. "It's not often you can say that about me huh?" FlutterShy looked as if she made to say something else, but never did; Twilight took this as a good opportunity to take her leave. "Well I've got to be going; a new episode of 'The Alfred Hoofclop Hour' will premiere tonight and it should be starting soon." The cream-colored pegasus didn't say anything, only stared at her friend with a look that the unicorn found quite unreadable. "Sooo ... goodnight FlutterShy"

"Goodnight ...Twilight." the pink-maned pony said quietly as she watched her friend turn and walk away. She sighed softly as she outstretched her wings wings and took off towards her forest-side cottage.

Twilight arrived home just as the east side of the sky slowly turned from a pink, the same shade as the streaks in her mane, to a light purple, the exact same shade as her coat. The western side of the sky was just beginning to reveal a few faint stars as the unicorn strode up to the library's front door and opened it.

Her number one assistant Spike was inside, busily tidying up in anticipation for his master's arrival. He looked up from the table he was dusting as Twilight closed the door behind her. "Hey-a Twilight! Nice mane-cut! I'm just about done with today's cleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaannnnnnniiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnggggggggg." he said, trying and failing spectacularly to stifle an enormous yawn as he spoke.

"Spike, that's rude," chided the librarian as she removed her boots, "you should at least cover your mouth."

"Sorry Twilight," he sheepishly replied, folding his hands behind his back, "I'm just really tired todaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy." Seeing Twilight's glare mid-yawn, the baby dragon attempted to cover his mouth, forgetting that he still grasped the feather duster in his little right claw. The resulting noise was something between a yawn, sneeze, cough, hiccup, and burp; and it's nature is still debated by many top scientists today.

"Oh Spike..." Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes and suppressing a smile; "what am I going to do with you?"

"Well, Owlicious won't be here to help you tonight, so that's a really good question." responded the baby dragon as he replaced a few books to their corresponding shelves. "I understand if you need me to stay up to help you tonight." the reptile went on in a tone somber enough that it wouldn't have been out of place at a funeral.

Twilight however, took pity on the little guy. "Oh, that's alright Spike, I probably won't do much tonight other than curl up and watch Alfred Hoofclop." Spike's gratitude showed as he ran forward and leaped int an embrace with the purple pony.

"Thanks Twilight! Also it's really cold out tonight; is it okay if I light a fire?"

"Sure thing Spike, just so long as there's not a repeat of last time." answered Twilight in a semi-stern tone. The baby dragon chuckled apologetically as his foot unconsciously slid across the hardwood floor to cover a rather conspicuous black burn mark. He thanked Twilight again before running up to the fireplace and lighting it with a small jet of green flames from his mouth. Once the flames were adequately high enough, he jumped straight into the heart of the fire. He snuggled up among the logs as the flames licked his scales; heating him up immensely. For a dragon: a crackling fire is better than any blanket. A small contented 'Ahhhhh' was heard before the reptile emitted a barrage of noisy snoring. Twilight telekinetically grabbed a cushion from her futon and made her way down into the basement. Once there she fluffed up the cushion and set it down in front of a crystal ball. Squeezing by some complicated electrical equipment, Twilight grabbed the orb and began to rotate it in it's stand.

"Oh come on, it's a clear night. I should be getting better reception than this." she grumbled as the mist withen the crystal ball began to form a picture. "There we go." she sighed as she settled down onto her pillow. She let out a great yawn as the programs familiar theme music began to play. Lying on the pillow, she suddenly felt as tired as if she hadn't slept in years. 'Man, Spike's yawning must have really gotten to me...' she thought as her eyelids began to droop. She really was quite eager to watch the program, the portly Alfred Hoofclop's random monologues always gave her a good chuckle; the way he would open his mouth so wide when he spoke: as if stretching it. But she scarcely made it past the "Good Evening..." before losing consciousness.

Good Evening...

Twilight was staring into two large bottomless pits. As she did so a cool breeze blew up from the both of them; it seemed to penetrate her head and wrap around her brain. The sensation could best be described as having a spearmint lightning bolt try to make savage love to her medulla-oblongata. It was remarkably pleasant, as she felt her brain filling up with knowledge the same way a glass might fill with water. A small blue fire suddenly appeared before her. The flames split and it formed a face. It spoke in a voice not dissimilar to Discord's.

"A difficult choice is yours to make,

There is no correct solution, each a colossal mistake.

One is knowledge: which will make your heart ache

the other is ignorance: which is easier to take."

The flame dissipated and reformed into a large white wooden door. In brass letters, an inscription read: Enlightenment. A faint knocking could be heard from the other side. Twilight strode forth towards the door, preparing to open it; when suddenly another unfamiliar voice echoed from nowhere: "But do you really want to know?" Twilight grasped her head in her hooves as a terrible headache suddenly ravaged her. She closed her eyes and felt the world around her dissolve; but the knocking could still be heard.

Knock

Twilight's eyes flew open. She was looking up at her crystal globe. A few hours hd evidently passed, the broadcast day must have ended as there was nothing but mist inside.

Knock

"Spiiiiiiike? Could you get that?" called the unicorn. As if in answer, she heard a loud snore just a moment later.

Knock

Twilight stood up groggily, steadied herself, and began to walk up the basement stairs. Who would be calling at this hour?

Knock

As Twilight reached the door, she suddenly realized that she was being chilled by an icy wind. Where did it come from though? Her library was magically protected from drafts.

Knock

Twilight grasped the handle, turned the knob, and allowed her jaw to drop at what she saw. Or rather, what she did not see...

"Good Evening ... Ms. Twilight Sparkle I presume?"

Do you feel adequately chilled yet?

Chapter the Fourth: A Meeting of Minds

Twilight Sparkle found herself quite distressed. Before her stood the most curious pony she had ever met. A terrible snowstorm raged behind him; fiercer than she'd ever seen; and it let in a wind that was colder than a Hydra's heart. The figure stood in the shadow of the tree just outside of the blizzard's wrath. He wore a simple black cloak that concealed everything but his face; the hood's shadow did that. His deep growly voice sent shivers down her spine even more effectually than the snowstorm's influence had as he once again spoke.

"You are Ms. Twilight Sparkle are you not? Caretaker of this fine library?" he repeated. Though Twilight could not see his face, she could tell (as the hood shrouding it wrinkled a bit) that it had been turned slightly to it's side. A circular glint could be seen within the hood for a fraction of a second before the figure spoke again. "Ah, but I can see I've awoken you," he said, indicating her out-of-place mane with a hoof. He retracted it back beneath the cloak just before She managed to have a glance at it. "Please accept my utmost contrition if I've disturbed you. I'm quite the night-owl you see, always conducting my business at night. Sometimes I scarcely stop to think of other ponies' schedules when I become lost in thought." Twilight didn't know what to say. The stranger spoke in pleasant tones. He had the air of high-class socialite straight out of Canterlot. However his overall demeanor lacked, well, everything. His voice held about as much personality as a glass of water. It was as grey, and as bleak, and as forgettable as they come. Not to mention just plain cold.

It simply fascinated Twilight.

"I do so hope I'm not to seem as frightfully uncouth as I must appear to be, but would you mind ever so much if I were to just take a brief turn about this fine establishment? To admire it's collection? I do sincerely beg your remission if I you find this impertinent, but what say you?"

"Err..."

"Thank you most sincerely." Said the stranger vapidly, striding past Twilight without waiting for her reply. "As much as I love the cold, and believe me, I do so love the cold; It's nice to be out of the storm. Ah ... there we are." he sighed as he shed his cloak and hung it on the hat rack. It was at this point that Twilight was able to get a good look at him ... sort of. For some unknown reason, her eyes began to sting as soon she the stranger's figure came into an unobstructed view. She had to turn away and squeeze her eyes tightly shut as she did so. A small gasp of relief escaped her as she did so, catching the stallion's curiosity.

"Are you quite alright?" he asked, his voice betraying no sense of any actual concern. "It must be this dry night air that makes your eyes water."

"Ugh... what the...?" Twilight groaned as she rubbed her eyes. the stinging was not quite as severe now, but her headache was building in intensity.

"Just blink a few times. You'll be grand." he said flatly. Twilight did as instructed, opening her eyes overly-wide before slamming them shut. "There now, no reason to fret." The unicorn looked up at her company, who had suddenly donned a top hat.

'Where did that come from?' wondered Twilight as she looked the new comer up and down. He was a pegasus, with a tall muscular body, he stood roughly the same height as Big Macintosh; if a bit taller. His coat was of the deepest blood-red she had ever seen, and his well-combed mane was dazzlingly white. So bright in fact, that it appeared luminescent. Unlike most colts, his bushy tail was long and un-cropped. He wore a fancy embroidered vest which was an extremely dark green with gold trim. He wore cuffs around each of his hoofs with fancy gold links in the shape of snowflakes in each. A well-tied bright red bow protruded from underneath his collar and a gold pocket watch chain could be seen hanging from his vest's pocket. to top off the whole affair; a gold monocle adorned his right eye. Twilight found the entire ensemble rather absurd, and it didn't help that he had the most ridiculous little mustache she had ever seen. She betrayed this feeling with a small stifled giggle; which prompted the stranger to lift an eyebrow.

"Do you find humor in my appearance?" he asked with a small teasing smile. Something and nothing had changed about him. His voice seemed normal, well, slightly less odd at least. It held emotion in it. It sounded intelligent, jovial, and just a bit pompous. There was still something off about him however ... while looking at him no longer caused Twilight's eyes to sting they did feel oddly ... compressed? As if they were not getting enough oxygen and drying out. Something about this stranger disturbed Twilight deeply; she just could't tell what.

"Why are you talking like that?" she asked.

"Hmm? I'm not quite sure as to what you are referring."

"You're ... you're ..." Twilight thought for a moment as how to best put it; the headache was starting to get to her now. "... mannerisms."

"I'm still not sure of your conundrum. I do try to conduct myself with the utmost aplomb and equanimity. As well as to be consummately erudite and articulate in all elocution; as well as confabulation." Twilight stared vacantly at him with her mouth slightly ajar. Had he just ... use a word she didn't know? No, no he didn't ... he had used several words she didn't know! Never before had anypony used a word or term that she didn't know or couldn't guess the definition to. This was unprecedented! Is this how Spike felt when she dictated her letters?

"I say, is that a Star-Swirl the Bearded costume?" the stranger suddenly asked with a step towards the costume, interrupting her thoughts. Silently, she cursed Spike for failing to put it away before retiring. "My, I dare say this is quite an accurate representation. Indeed, you even got the bells right." the stranger said cheerfully as he studied the costume. "Where ever did you get such a costume? Not that his discoveries were unimportant; but Star-Swirl the Bearded was one of the more obscure unicorns in history. I didn't think many ponies nowadays even knew he existed."

Twilight stared blankly at him for a moment before she even realized she had been asked a question. "Oh! Errr ... The costume! Right! Let's see ... err ... oh, I made it myself." She said proudly.

"Indeed? Well now, that's quite an splendid achievement now isn't it? Impressive, most impressive." He regarded the librarian with a smile, which faltered once he saw the look that she was giving him. It was calculating, and unfriendly, and he didn't like it. "Is ... everything alright?"

"Oh ... nothing," answered Twilight slowly, "I've just got a slight headache; that's all."

"Mmm, I see. Well I do hope you fee..."

"Actually, you know what?" Interpreted the lavender unicorn, her headache causing her to lose regard for being polite. "That's not all. Something about you is making me feel really uncomfortable."

"Oh?" He replied with a raised eyebrow, causing his monocle to catch the glare of the firelight and obscure the view of his eye. "And what may that be?"

"I don't know," replied Twilight frustratedly, "there's just something amiss about you; something about you I can't quite tell."

"Oh really? What can you tell about me; pray tell?" He asked with a slightly challenging smirk.

"Well, you're clothes and manners are exquisite; I assume you hail from the upper classes of Canterlot?"

"Ah, bien sur ma cherie." he replied slyly, with a small twitch to the sides of his mouth as he answering her back in the fancy language.

"And you know who StarSwirl the Bearded is, so that means you must have studied."

"Quidem. Scientia thesaurum pretiosissimum me." he answered in the scholar's speech.

"Err ... okay, where'd you come from?"

At this, he gave her a slightly suspicious gaze. "Far away." He said slowly, his tone giving a sense of finality to his answer.

"What are you doing her?"

"I already told you, admiring your libraries catalog."

"I meant here in Ponyville." snapped Twilight.

Again he regarded her with calculating look, "Research."

"What does that mean?"

"It means research." he answered in a mock tone of explaining something very sophisticated to somepony very dim-witted.

"What. Kind?" Twilight asked hotly through gritted teeth. This headache was making it hard to think. She got angry when she had a hard time thinking.

The stranger raised his eyebrow even further, so much so that his monocle was alarmingly close to popping out. He allowed a wry smile to lift one edge of his mouth before he answered, "Profitable."

'He's ... is he ... enjoying himself!?' Twilight asked herself. A small smirk seemed to confirm her suspicions. "Fine," she said in a near-pout, "have it your way." She made her way over to the sofa and slumped down on it, rubbing her temples with her fore-hoofs. This headache was getting on her nerves. It was dull, and thudding, and just enough to keep her from forming any coherent thoughts.

"Although to be perfectly honest," he continued, prompting Twilight to look up at him, "One of the aspects of Ponyville that first attracted me was your residency."

"Me?" asked the unicorn curiously. "Why?"

"Well you're princess Celetia's prized pupil. You're bound to know a thing or two." This statement peeked Twilight's interest.

"About what?"

"Oh," the stranger had evidently not expected this question, "about ... magic. And such."

"Huh, right. Magic and such." Twilight said, getting up and taking a few steps towards her company. "And why would a pegasus be interested in magic? And such? Pray tell." Twilight inquired sardonically.

"Oh I ... just an affinity of mine I suppose."

"Unh-huh. Yeah. Sure." retorted Twilight. "You know, I don't think I caught your name misterrrr...." she went on, pausing to allow him to introduce himself. All the while stepping closer and closer towards him, making him retreat backwards towards the bookcase.

"I err..." He murmured. He seemed to be getting more and more flustered. As he did, Twilight could feel her headache dissipating somewhat. Some strange works were afoot, that much she was certain. As his flank hit the bookcase with a soft *thud*, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Collecting himself and regaining his previous composure he said, "All in good time." Something had changed about him again; his eyes seemed blank, as did the rest of his features; and he spoke again in that same strange torpid drawl. He removed his top hat and Twilight's eyes began to sting again. She forced herself to keep them open however. "I am not a choleric colt." he said coldly, turning from Twilight and striding towards a bookcase some feet away, "but I'm do not hold the interrogation of guests in very high regard. Now If you'll just let me inspect your inventory..."

"Fine, go ahead." Twilight capitulated. She was too tired and too impatient to keep up her inquiry.

"Thank you." He replied shortly. As he passed in front of the fire, the strangest image met Twilight's eyes. His figure appeared to flicker; to glimmer as a glass would when held up to the sunlight. Intrigued; Twilight fought her natural instincts, and forced her eyes to look even closer, through all the tears. She squinted her eyes, the veins in her neck straining as she struggled to focus on the stranger. Though her vision swam before her, she did manage to discover one small detail about the newcomer. He had no cutie mark.

'How was that even possible?' wondered Twilight to herself. 'No, that can't be right. He's a fully grown stallion. He must have a cutie mark! I must have seen wrong! No ... no, I didn't see wrong! But how can that be?' She rubbed her eyes a bit before looking up to watch him some more.

He patrolled along the length of the bookcase; regarding it's contents with the most remarkable mixture of interest and indifference. The only sign of life from him apart from the movement was the occasional non-committal grunt here, or a slightly intrigued "Hmm..." there. Ok, seriously, this guy was creeping her the buck out. As if on cue, he spoke in that same voice of the utmost monotone.

"Well, I do believe a valediction is in order. I can quite clearly tell that my presence is causing you distress, ergo, I shall take my leave."

"Oh, I don't know if I'd say that..." Twilight said.

"Yes, I highly doubt you would have said it as nicely. That's not to say you're an impolite pony, but, well, there you are. Good night." He made his way to the door pausing only to readjust his bow tie and don his cloak. Twilight wasn't exactly unhappy to watch the stranger go; but still felt a small twinge of guilt at making him leave so suddenly. Twilight watched as he disappeared back into the blizzard, the door closing behind him; before proceeding back to the sofa and slumping down on it hard. She thought long and hard before finally coming to a decision about the new pegasus: She didn't like him. Neigh, she despised him. She hated the way his voice sounded like a load of gravel in a tumble dryer. She hated the way he smiled satisfiedly whenever he said something baffled her. She hated the way he pontificated like some pompous pedagogue. She hated his fancy clothes and his fancy monocle. And she especially hated that stupid little mustache.

"There's only one logical thing to do!" announced Twilight. "I'll have to study him!" she strode forward and flung open the door where she glared angrily into the snowstorm towards the direction she presumed he set off in. A small glint in the bottom left of her periphery caught her eye. Looking closer, it revealed itself to be the shining sticker seal of an envelope. Twilight opened the letter with her telekinesis and read it's contents.

Dear everypony,

Please come to a super-fun extra-cool snow-tastic party to celebrate the first day of winter! Hosted by yours truly, Pinkie Pie, at Sugarcube corner! There will be fun, food, dancing, games, fun, cake, balloons, streamers, fun, confetti, party favors, bubbles, fun, and most importantly: fun! Not to mention I'll be debuting my latest tasty creation! But shhhhh! It's a secret! So come on down tomorrow night! Everypony's invited, so all your friends will be there! Also there will be fun! FUN!

Lovey-Dovey with many X's and O's,

Pinkie Pie!

Twilight smiled to herself. If she knew anything at all about Pinkie Pie, she knew that before tomorrow's party, she will have found the mysterious stallion and forced him to come to her party. The unicorn chuckled quietly as she refolded the letter and tucked it back in it's envelope. 'Tomorrow then...' she thought as she closed the front door and made her way to her bedroom. Yawning and stretching, the librarian pulled an extra quilt from the closet and settled herself in her bed underneath it. With all the night's activities she hadn't even realized how cold she was.

Confused? You're supposed to be...

Chapter the Fifth: Heat Now, Cold Later.

Rarity made her way slowly along the pathway through Ponyville. A thick black cloak shielding her from the harsh weather. 'I mean really,' she thought indignantly to herself, 'I know it's winter now, but is a full-blown blizzard really necessary? I simply must write a sharp note to the weather patrol regarding this. Or maybe just have a word with Rainbow Dash at Pinkie Pie's party. This sort of weather is just plain inconsiderate.' She tightened the drawstring around the cloak's neck as she continued trudging through the foot-deep snow towards her query. Taking a turn down one of the back alleys, she spotted her destination through the fierce snowstorm; the familiar warm red glow of it's lantern causing her to glance nervously around her. She hadn't really expected to see anypony out under such conditions, but it never hurt to check. If anypony were to see her visiting such an establishment or consorting with such riff-raff; why, it could be the end of her entire fashion career! Checking her surroundings again, she proceeded forwards towards her destination. 'It's nothing to be ashamed of Rarity, there's nothing wrong with needing a bit of relaxation. You've been under an enormous amount of pressure lately, pressure that the spa just can't relieve; what with that big dress order from Canterlot due in a week, and Sweetie Belle staying for the next two weeks, and Opal being sick you could use a good bit of ... Errr ... stress release.'

Ah yes, Opal being sick. If that wasn't one of the most stressful things to put up with. Rarity's cat, Opalescence, wasn't exactly a basket of rainbows personality-wise on a normal basis; but throw a an illness into the mix and she becomes downright unpleasant to be around. Rarity had purposefully told her friends that she herself was the one who was sick. And for one reason. FlutterShy.

Rarity had kept this secret from everypony for the express reason of preventing FlutterShy from finding out. Last time she told her friend of her cat being ill; the pegasus had become so worked up, that it was quite a wonder how she managed to form intelligible sentences. But boy, did she ever! What's wrong with her? How did she get like this? How long has she been spouting a fever? What other symptoms have you noticed? What do you mean 'none really'? How could you not notice? Why didn't you come to me sooner? What has she been eating? What has she been drinking? What has she been doing? Where has she been going? Who has she been seeing? What was she doing yesterday at 2 o'clock in the morning exactly? What do you mean you don't know? How dare you not keep hovering over her every single Celestia-darned millisecond of every single Celestia-darned day!? If FlutterShy ever found out that Rarity was keeping a sick Opal a secret from her; why, it wasn't entirely unlikely that she might kick the door down. The normally sweet FlutterShy had been known to get into quite a state over her animals; sometimes, scarily so.

Rarity shook such notions out of her head. She need a clear mind in order to relax, and simply didn't need such trivial bothers clouding her mind. 'After all, Opal's never been sick with anything serious before; who's to say this is any different? Probably just all this cold weather.' She had reached the front door of the building and opened it glancing up at the sign as she did so. It read: Ponyville Pleasure Parlor. 'Really,' Rarity thought, 'such a tacky name...' She pushed open the door and stepped inside. The place appeared just as it did upon her last visit. Red velvet curtains adorned the walls and puffy red hoofchairs and chaises were scattered evenly around the room, with a few love seats here and there. The gold and glass tables held decorative ceramic vases with varieties of roses or baby's breath or other similarly colored red or orange flowers. Intricately detailed Persian rugs covered the red carpeted floor, and orange lamps hung from the ceiling. A cherry-maplewood semi-circular desk stood at the far center of the room, behind it stood to ponies, one looking bored and indifferent, the other anxious and excitable. Almost every thing in the room was red or some similar shade thereof. Rarity always found it all incredibly tacky and overwhelming; but in such a quaint, innocent little town like Ponyville; beggars couldn't be choosers when it came to this sort of thing. Striding forward, Rarity removed her cloak's hood and approached the desk. As she crossed the room, she heard bits of the heated conversation from behind the desk; apparently the two hadn't seen her entering, or heard the tinkling of the bell.

"... think I'm just a piece of meat!? I may be in the business, but that doesn't mean I don't have feelings when it comes to this sort of stuff." The male pony was saying hotly; he had light brown coat and a slightly darker frizzy brown mane, like that of a lion. He was speaking to a female earth pony who rested her head in her hoof as she leaned on the desk, a look of supreme unconcern painting her face. Her coat was of a deep warm cherry red with her thick peach-colored mane arranged in luxurious waves and half-curls. "And just 'cause I'm a stallion doesn't mean I can't be selective with my clients! I'm not a colt-cuddler! And I'll be darned if I'm forced to ... to ..." he suddenly noticed as the newcomer walked up to the desk. "Oh ... Hi Rarity."

"Hello Pride Pallet." she replied brightly.

"Oh come now Rarity, you know you're supposed to call me 'Cummeleon'. 'Cause I've got the tongue of a chameleon and the wild side of a lion!" he said, flashing a winning smile and giving a wink. "And that tongue will make you co..."

"Pfft..." the unicorn interrupted playfully, "You do realize that a lizard isn't the most attractive animal to name yourself after."

"Hey, you'd be surprised at what some ponies in this town are into." His grin faded as he turned back to the other pony. "We'll finish this later; I'm taking the rest of the night off." He returned his gaze to Rarity, "Good night Rarity. Try not to wake me up this time, or the neighbors. Heh heh heh..." Rarity shot him a look as he retreated through a hallway to the left. The pony behind the desk slowly blinked her half-closed eyes before swiveling her gaze to the unicorn before her at the same speed of drying paint; seemingly just taking notice of her new customer that moment. Emitting a heavy sigh, she shifted her weight to the other hoof as she began to speak in an indifferent, torpid drawl.

"Oh, hello Rarity. what brings you here this," she glanced out the curtained window at the still-blowing blizzard, "fine, fine evening? Is your cat sick again?"

"Hello Amber Lamps." Answered the fashionista, her eyes falling upon her company's cutie mark; a miner's lamp with a soft red glow emanating from it. "Opal is sick again, and Sweetie Belle is staying over for a while, and I've got this huge order of..."

"MMM..." the earth pony interrupted, clearly uninterested, "and who may we be looking for today?"

"Well," pondered Rarity, "definitely a mare."

The madam's sloth-like movements made Rarity yawn as she reached towards a thick book and picked up a quill. "Let's see here ... We've got ... Lemon Hearts?"

"No."

"Prickles?"

"No thank you."

"Candied Apple?"

"Mm-nmm."

"How about Prickly-Pear?"

"Didn't you already suggest her?"

"No that's Prickles." Amber Lamps sighed inertly. "This is Prickly-Pear. She's a new filly. She took over after Sweet Treat left."

"Ah yes, that's right." Rarity said, remembering how Sweet Treat had left the service after she fell in love with Harpy; one of the other workers. "I do hope Bon-Bon and Lyra are doing well together."

"She's been well reviewed so far." continued the earth pony as if her customer had never said anything. "She's with a client now, but if you'd like me to set you up..."

"Hmm... No thank you." the unicorn answered. "Tonight I think I'd just like my usual."

Amber Lamps sighed again for apparently no reason. "Very well then, usual rate of one hundred bits, upfront, not including tip." Rarity was already ready; and pulled the prepared coin purse from her saddle bag and plopped it on the desk. "Go on ahead then. HONEY! YOU'VE GOT A VISITOR!" she called down the hallway to the right.

"Thank you, Madam Lamps. And as always; if we could keep this..."

"As discreet as possible. Yes, we know the drill." she droned as she reentered her state of near-suspended-animation.

Rarity nodded her approval as she made her way down the corridor to the fifth and last room. She pushed the door in slowly, peeking inside as she did. Inside the room sat a yellow earth pony. Rarity's eyes slipped along the supple curves of her body to her flank before resting it on her cutie mark; that of a few sections of honeycomb, with honey dripping from each. She sat in front of a large heart-shaped vanity as she brushed her thick honey-colored mane with a pink brush, humming tunelessly to herself. She stopped when she saw Rarity's reflection in the mirror and smiled. "Rarity! Hi! It's great to see you again!" She got up and met her client. They kissed each other's cheeks in greeting before holding each other at arm's length, allowing themselves to become lost in each other's eyes.

"It is so nice to see you again Honey! Or should I say Honey Suckle?" the unicorn asked slyly; prompting her friend to blush and grin sheepishly.

"Oh Rarity! Why do you always have to bring that up!? We're friends! You don't have to call me by my professional name! Call me by my real name!"

"Alright, Honeycomb." Rarity replied with a wink.

"So what's the word?" her friend asked cheerfully. "It's been a while since you came by; even longer since you've asked specifically for me. Is Opal sick again?"

"You've guessed it." the white unicorn answered walking passed her friend as she absentmindedly studied all the assorted books, magazines, knick-knacks, and make-up items that littered her friend's vanity, dresser, and bureau.

"And I'm assuming you haven't told FlutterShy?" the earth pony asked darkly.

"Again, right on the money." Rarity said; turning back to face her friend and speaking quickly; ready to vent her frustrations. "Plus my parents are away in Mannesota, so I've got Sweetie to take care of, and this huge dress order for Hoity Toity in Canterlot, and, and..."

"And?" asked her friend with a raised eyebrow. "I'm assuming you haven't talked to her yet?"

"Well I ... I ..." stammered Rarity. Honeycomb was one of the few ponies that could make her nervous. "... I ... no..."

"No." mused Honeycomb, reflecting on the word. She sighed and lowered her head before speaking again. "Rarity, you know you can't keep those kinds of feelings just bottled up inside. It's just not healthy."

"I know. I know!" she cried pleadingly. "But I can't, I just can't! I mean what if she says no?"

"Well then life goes on..." answered the yellow earth pony quietly, "I mean, we're still friends." she said, smiling sadly.

"I know, but I just couldn't do anything to risk that friendship. What if she gets scared off and doesn't want to see me anymore? That could be downright dangerous for Equestria!" cried the unicorn, nearing hysterics. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Honeycomb placed a reassuring hoof on Rarity's cheek; and waited as the designer finished sniffling enough to look up into her friend's eyes. "Hey now," she said, allowing her eyes to become just a bit more shiny now too, "You still wanted to be friends with me didn't you? And in case you didn't notice..." the golden earth pony took a few steps back and raised her hoofs as she looked around the space impressively with a tone of mock pride, "things turned out just fine for me. And more importantly," she went on, nuzzling herself into the unicorn's shoulder. "things turned out well for me and you."

Rarity closed her eyes as she hugged her friend tightly. Honeycomb was always somepony she felt she could confide in; and more often than naught made her feel better as well.The tender moment was ruined somewhat as a great deal of thumping could suddenly be heard from the room next door. Rarity and Honeycomb looked up towards the offending wall as loud neighing and snorting joined the thumping. The hugging friends' gazes met and held for one uneasy second before they began cracking up.

"S-sorry about that," chuckled Honeycomb, wiping a tear from her eye as a particularly loud moan from next door was followed by a decrease in the rhythmic thumping. "Filthy Rich and Pineapple ... err ... Prickles, have been going at it again. He sure does earn his name, that colt; he has some nasty fetishes and he tips well. But still, coming to a place such as this with a wife and daughter like that! What a creep!" she said with a shudder.

"Double entandre." Rarity giggled.

Honeycomb smiled with a wink. Her voice suddenly took on a seductive tone as she laid herself out across the red silk bedclothes. "And now I'll show you how I earn my name. Professional name that is."

"Oh Honey Suckle!" said Rarity in a mock tone of being affronted. "You sure do know how to charm a filly!" She stretched onto the large heart-shaped bed and crawled sensually up to the headboard; watching her partner's eyes fill with hunger. She propped herself up with a pillow against the headboard so that she was in a position half way between sitting up and lying down. Once she had settled herself, Honey Suckle made her way slowly and seductively up Rarity's body; coming to a rest once her head met Rarity's neck. She gave her a quick peck before nuzzling into the unicorn and closing her eyes in comfort. "Honey?" Rarity asked tenatively.

"Hmm?" the golden pony acknowledged.

"Maybe ... maybe just the snuggling is all I need for tonight. You're such a good friend to me; all I really need is your warmth for tonight."

Honeycomb opened her eyes and looked at her friend with a small smile. "Sure thing." A few more minutes of warm comfort passed between the two before either of them moved. With a sigh, Honeycomb lifted herself up and positioned herself over her fashionista friend.

"Honey? What are you..."

"Oh Rarity," the earth pony giggled, quieting the unicorn with a soft press of a hoof to her lips. "I know you don't want anymore for the night. But if I know that, then you must know that I'm more selfish than that." She slowly and delicately dragged her chin down Rarity's stomach; finally resting her head between Rarity's thighs. With a last look up at her heavily breathing friend, she gave a wink and a smile. "And don't worry about tip," she said as tilted down her head and set to work, "tonight's a freebie."

Pride Pallet grumbled grumpily as he rolled over in bed. Rarity had woken him up again.

Heated up? Not for long...

Chapter the Sixth: Pink Snow Hunter

Scootaloo plopped softly down into the snow. 'Not again...' she thought dejectedly. The previous night had brought with it a harsh blizzard; smothering all of Ponyville in a blanket of snow almost three feet deep. This of course, rendered her usual mode of transportation, a small orange scooter, completely useless. In an effort to meet her friends at the park faster, she had attempted to propel herself above the rooftops with her wings; 'Just like Rainbow Dash!' she had thought in the few moments that her underdeveloped wings had managed to keep her aloft. This third time that she fell made her realize that she was losing more time than she could possibly be gaining. Hurrying along, she skidded on a few patches of compacted snow as she came into sight of Ponyville's park. She could just make her friends out near the center of the public place; evidently entangled in some argument. Scootaloo smirked as she realized how uncannily this made them look like their older sisters.

"Nu-unh!" Apple Bloom was saying.

"Yuhn-hunh!" came an immediate reply from Sweetie Belle. So this went on until Scootaloo got close enough to be noticed.

"Oh, hah Sootaloo!" said Apple Bloom cheerfully; her usual southern twang adding an aspect of adorableness to her already cute voice. Sweetie Belle smiled her greeting at the pegasus as well.

"What were you too arguing about?" the little pegasus asked.

"Oh nothing," replied Sweetie Belle. "I was just saying that maybe we could get our cutie marks in matchmaking! My sister's always bragging about fixed up all kinds of ponies back in her school days; and I figured we could give it a shot!"

"And Ah sayd," the red-maned earth pony interjected, pushing her unicorn companion away with a hoof to the face, "Thayt thayt wus a stupid ideyah!"

"It is not!" contradicted the pearl-coated unicorn. "The way Rarity described it, it's the easiest thing in the world!"

"Is nawt!"

"Is so!"

"Is nawt!"

"Is too!"

"Nu-unh!"

"Yuhn-hunh!" And so the argument started off where it had left off.

"Enough!" shouted Scootaloo before the rough escalated much further. She tapped a hoof too her chin as she thought and her friends quieted down. "Hmmm... I've got it!" she suddenly exclaimed. "How about this, if we can get two ponies to fall in love in time Hearts and Hoofs day, then you have to buy Sweetie Belle a treat from Sugar Cube Corner. Sweetie Belle, the same goes for you; but if we can't you have to buy Apple Bloom a treat."

"Hmmm ... that sounds fair." mused Sweetie Belle, turning to her friend. " I heard Pinkie Pie's come up with some sort of new pastry, I'd love to try that out when I win."

"Ha!" replied Apple Bloom with a smirk, "Yuu meen when Ah win?"

"Nu-unh!"

"Yuhn-hunh!"

"Girls! Girls!" cried out Scootaloo.

"Ah guess thaht sounds raght n' fayer. Buht how will we deciyed who tuh mayke fawl in luve?"

"Yeah!" Agreed Sweetie Belle, "We need an 'impartial third party'." the swirly-maned unicorn said, struggling to get the somewhat unfamiliar phrase out.

"I'll do it!" volunteered Scootaloo excitedly. "Hmmm..." She thought hard about the two ponies she would pick, allowing her eyes to glaze over. When she returned her attention to her vision, her gaze had fallen onto Sweet Apple Acres. "Big Mac..." she let out slowly, earning a gasp from Apple Bloom at the inclusion of her older brother and a laugh and pointed hoof from Sweetie Belle. "annnnnd..." she went on, once again allowing her focus to slip. She turned her body slightly and let vision fall upon again upon an unspecified building. Allowing her eyes to settle, she realized she was looking towards the Ponyville Schoolhouse. "... Miss Cheerilee." This time, all three of them gasped; Scootaloo included. Her decision was rather absent minded so it surprised even herself.

"Mah bruther!?" cried Apple Bloom.

"Our teacher!?" cried Apple Bloom. The trio sat and pondered for a moment before allowing their faces to erupt simultaneously into equally devilish grins. "Yeah, I could see that"

"Miss Cheerilee aynd Big Mac!" snickered Apple Bloom, her large pink bow wavering slightly with the motion. " Mah bruthur could use a nice fillyfriend. We could do it..."

"See!" bragged Sweetie Belle, "It's sweet to think of giving two ponies love. But if we're going to do this; what say we make it more interesting?"

"Whudya sayin'?" asked Apple Bloom.

"I'm saying let's up the stakes a bit. If I win; I want ... your bow."

Apple Bloom gasped so dramatically, you'd have thought she saw a spectre. "Nawt mah bow!" She pleaded, grabbing an end of the bow in each of her fore-hoofs; as if to shield it.

"But if you win!" continued the unicorn quickly, "You'll get ... this." Sweetie Belle pulled a hairbrush from within her boots.

"Ooooh...." admired Apple Bloom. The Earth pony's eyes widened hugely as she studied the object before her.

"It's very close to me," Sweetie Belle said as she passed the brush to Apple Bloom. "My parents gave it to me for my birthday two years ago. It's my only birthday they ever came to..." Sweetie Belle watched as her friends admired every inch of it. "It's carved from Timber Wolf hide," she went on, "and it's enchanted. Who ever uses it will be able to get their mane to be however they want it to look. I know your always saying that you'd like your mane to look just like Applejack's, but you can't get it just right; with this you'd just have to picture it perfectly and brush."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both marveled at the little brush. Apple Bloom imagined brushing her mane so that it looked just like Applejack's. Scootaloo imagined brushing her mane to look just like Rainbow Dash's. Despite her best efforts, she had been unable to achieve the perfectly windswept appearance that Rainbow Dash's polychromatic mane did. "Alright! I'm in!" Scootaloo announced. "I'll bet my scooter!" Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell turned to her with a look of surprise.

"Your ... scooter!?"

"Sure; why not?" answered the pegasus. "It's not like I'll get my cutie mark in scooter-er-ing." She giggled a bit at the prospect. She knew that is was a cold fact of nature that her cutie mark just had to be somehow related to her idol Rainbow Dash. "I'll be in the middle; let's say that we can get them to get together but not stay together; then I'll win."

"Ah don't know," Apple Bloom went on cautiously, still cradling her bow in her hoofs. "These ahre all really sentimental ahtems. For each uv us. Maybe we shouldn't."

"Don't worry Apple Bloom!" said Sweetie Belle cheerfully. "I'm sure that Santa Claups will bring us all something just as nice on Clydsmas."

"You can't argue with that logic." said Scootaloo matter-of-factly, gesturing a hoof in Sweetie Belles direction for emphasis.

Apple Bloom thought for a moment before saying in a quiet but determined voice, "Alright, Ah'll do it."

"Great!" Exclaimed the unicorn. "But you've got to actually try to make them fall for each other! You can't just half-flank it so that we fail."

"Ah will! And thayt's an Apple Family promise!" She spat in her hoof and extended it toward Sweetie Belle; who returned the gesture, meeting Apple Bloom's hoof with an audible *clunk*.

"Miss Cheerilee aynd Big Mac!" Chortled Apple Bloom at the very idea. "Thayt's about ahs lahkley as Raynbow Dahsh readin' uh book!"

"Or Pinkie Pie not being able to make a friend!" The two friends giggled as they attempted to break the posture. However their hoofs had frozen together in the bitter chill. The duo shrieked shrilly as Scootaloo fell on her back laughing hysterically. The screaming two shot their friend a dirty look before plopping a large pile of snow onto her form.

"Why you..." She started angrily as her two friends trotted away in a sort-of impromptu seven-legged race; their shrieks now replaced with giddy and slightly maniacal laughs. Not for long though, as the two forgot that they could now longer run separately, and attempted to run on either side of a tree. Their connected hoofs swinging the pair's heads into each other's with a sound imitating two coconuts being bashed together. Scootaloo pounced ferally into the mangled mess of knots that was the earth pony's and unicorn's bodies. The three rolled about in the snow for a few seconds before they sprang up and took off; their direction unimportant: off on another random adventure.

Meanwhile, a pair of blue eyes watched the escapade from within a frosted shrub. Their owner breathed heavily as the eyes watched the Cutie Mark Crusaders disappear behind a building to plan their latest crusade, then allowed them to slide slowly back to the landscape before them. They scanned the Ponyville park with a very specific target they were searching for. An blue earth pony with a grey swirly mane trotted by. Nope. A unicorn with a yellow coat and a deep blue mane galloped by on the fair side on some urgent errand. Nope. A grey-coated pegasus flew awkwardly by overhead. Not it. The predator's heavy breathing paused for a moment as it noticed a black-shrouded figure suddenly emerge from a side street. The figure approached the bush where the concealed eyes observed it from. 'Just a bit closer...' their owner thought as the figure drew nearer. 'And here we ... go!'

As the figure passed by the push, what sounded like the roaring of a cheetah could be heard as the bush's inhabitant suddenly ponced upon it's prey. "Ahh! Ohh What are you... Ooh!" Squealed the figure shrilly. The two rolled in the snow as the momentum of the impact wore off. "Wait! Why are you ... Pinkie Pie!?"

"Rarity!? Rarity!" exclaimed the pink earth pony leaping off her unicorn friend as her hood fell off. "Hi Rarity!" the baker cried, waving an excited hoof less than an inch in front of the fashionista's face. "What are you doing out here!? This cold can't be good for your cold! Unless you were only pretending to have a cold so that you didn't have to tell FlutterShy that Opal's sick; is that what's going on? Huh? Huh!? HUH!?" the earth pony practically shouted as she tilted her head to either side and moved her face closer to Rarity's with every 'Huh?'.

"Pinkie Pie! Please! Lower your voice a bit! By Celestia, Do you want everypony to know my personal business?" Rarity asked indignantly, picking herself up and brushing herself off. "What are you doing out here? And hiding in the bushes like some prowler! Really!"

"I was looking for somepony." Pinkie Pie answered. Her eyes narrowed suddenly as they swept from side to side and her voice took on a more menacing tone. "There's somepony new in town, I can feel it! And I'm not going to rest until I find them and invite them to my party." she said darkly. Her face returned to normal as quickly as it had changed, "But you still didn't answer my question; what are you doing out here!?." the earth pony asked as her eyes popped and elongated themselves, stretching out towards the unicorn.

"For your information, I went to visit a friend yestereve and ended up spending the night."

"OOOoooOOOhhh! I see." said Pinkie Pie with a smile that was a tad too all-too-understanding for Rarity's tastes.

"Why, what ever do you mean, 'I see'?" Rarity asked hesitantly. Pinkie Pie raised her eyebrows and allowed her grin to become somewhat mischievous. "No." said the unicorn with a new-found sense of dread in the realization. "There's just no way that you or anypony could know." Pinkie Pies eyebrows lifted a bit higher. "Not that I have anything to hide..." Rarity continued quickly, prompting her earth pony companion to raise her eyebrows even further. "... or secrets of any kind..." Pinkie pie's eyebrows were now in danger of disappearing into her cotton candy-like mane. "... I ... just ... Oh promise me you won't tell anypony!" cried the unicorn, abandoning all attempts to lie to her friend.

"Don't worry Rarity! Your secret's safe with me!"

"Please don't tell anypony! Especially not ..." Rarity hesitated.

"Spike?"

"Errr ... yes; Spike. You promise?"

"Mmm-hmmm"

"Pinkie Pie Promise?"

Pinkie Pie nodded silently and did the familiar motion of crossing her heart and shoving a non-existent cupcake into her eye. Rarity let out a sigh of relief. She was more than certain that Pinkie Pie could never break her namesake promise. Or if she did, the universe would most likely explode the moment she did. She continued on her way and Pinkie Pie bounced next to her for a bit. "Why don't you want FlutterShy to help Opal?" asked Pinkie Pie curiously.

"Oh you know how overbearing FlutterShy can get." Rarity responded sadly. "I've been spending plenty of time with dear old Opal, making sure she's comfortable. She'll probably be upset with me for not coming home last night, and probably for even leaving in the first place!"

"But Opal could be really sick! You wouldn't want anything to happen to her!"

"Oh hush hush! Nothing ever has and nothing ever will." Rarity answered nonchalantly.

"Okay Rarity, she's your cat..." said Pinkie Pie uneasily.

"But that still begs the question," Rarity said, stopping and turning to her companion. how did you know all that about me?"

Pinkie Pie smiled as she answered, "I know all." She then faded back into the bushes as a slight breeze blew. Rarity decided not to question the physics of it as she strode away with a bit more ease in her stomach.

"'KAY BYE!" shouted a voice as a pink limb protruded from the bush and waved furiously. Rarity grinned and shook her head as she turned away and redoned her cloak's hood. 'Oh that Pinkie Pie!' anypony would have thought. Pinkie Pie however had already acquired a new target. Locking on, she once again pounced from the bushes, and snuck her way along as she homed in on what she assumed to be her original objective, emerging from the clock tower. She crawled her way to the top of a building like Spider-mare in the comic books, and peered over the roof towards her prey. Her query had stopped and was standing perfectly still in the center of the street. "B, C, C#, F, E..." thought Pinkie Pie as she prepared to pounce.

She leaped from the building towards the figure. At the very last second, the figure snapped it's hooded face towards the pink pony. An infinite number of sounds and images suddenly filled the baker's brain; and just as quickly were gone. Pinkie Pie collided with the pony, knocking him over. "Gah!" his deep gravelly voice cried. "Un-hoof me you ruffian!" Pinkie Pie pulled an envelope from out of the ether and swung it in front of the monocled stranger's mustachioed nose.\

"HI! I'MPINKIEPIEANDI'MTHROWINGAPARTYTONIGHTANDEVERYPONY'SINVITEDANDYOUREVERYPONYSOYOUREINVITEDANDYOURALSONEWINTOWNSOYOU'VEJUSTGOTTOCOMESOTHATYOUCANMEETALLYOURBESTFRIENDSFOREVERTHATYOU'VEEVEREVERHADTHATYOUJUSTHAVN'TMETYET!!!" Pinkie Pie gasped in enough air to fill the vacuum that was her lungs before asking, "So you'll come!?"

The stranger plucked the invitation from Pinkie Pie's mouth and opened it with his tongue. He studied the letter, then regarded the pony. Thinking deeply for a moment, he answered. "Indeed."

"Okay! Great! Bye!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie as she did a back flip off the stranger and took off at mach four towards Sugar Cube Corner.

The stranger watched her go in the direction of the confections store as he got up. "Hmm..." he pondered aloud as he readjusted his askew monocle, "Intriguing. What an odd little creature. Then again..." he continued as he proceeded on his way, "look who's talking."

Forecast: Freezing. Good weather for parties and secrets.