Running Up That Hill
Mar. 6th, 2016 11:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twilightponyTrue to her word, Rainbow Dash rounded us all up and herded us to a tall hill just outside of Ponyville for a day of sledding. Fortunately for us, this is Dash. She slept in long enough for us to have breakfast and do our morning routines before she began pounding on our doors. Spike came but Fluttershy declined the invitation, so there were six of us ploughing our way up that hill. Sledding, especially on a hill this steep and with this many trees is more excitement than Fluttershy can easily bear. She stayed home to play checkers with Angel and a few mice overwintering at her cottage.
Cloudsdale has moved on to snow on another region and the air has warmed up. I could see my breath but I was fine in just my scarf, boots and saddle. Rainbow Dash was pulling a racing sled, the raised kind on runners, with a steering bar connected to two small skis. Applejack was wearing hers as she climbed the hill, it was some sort of giant salad bowl. At least it was bowl shaped, and big enough to fit one big or two small ponies in it. Pinkie was dragging a party toboggan. Rarity's sled was like a box on skis, with a cushioned seat and reins. I had a two-pony toboggan, big enough for me and Spike.
We were the first to arrive at this hill and we went up and down a few times before anypony else from Ponyville arrived. Rainbow Dash had to abandon her racing sled at first, it just wasn't picking up speed in the fresh deep snow. The same went for Applejack's bowl and Rarity's seat on skis. But Pinkie's Party Sled had room for everypony. We all climbed onto that.
To fit, first you put the nuttiest pony in a crouch in the front. We let Pinkie, Dash and Applejack fight it out as to which was the nuttiest of the bunch. That pony does the steering. The rest of us get on one at a time, laying down with our heads on the back of the pony ahead of us and holding on to their hindquarters and the sled ropes for dear life. A little push, and we become a multicolored meteor plummeting down the side of a dangerously steep slope, kicking up gouts of powder at every turn, screaming and wild-eyed while some nut in the driver's seat sets a path zigzagging through the trees. This is why Fluttershy stayed home.
We did that all morning long.
By noon, we were all raspy and dry in the throat. It might have been from the screaming. We picked up our gear and stopped for a hot lunch at Café Hay.
Café Hay offers a complementary copy of the Ponyville Express to patrons, and while we were waiting for our table, the headline on the top of the fold caught my eye. It was news about professor Clarity Quest's cave discovery. I picked it up and brought it with us so we could all read the news. Dr Clarity Quest was one of the ponies we had rescued from Winter's clutches and I knew my friends would be interested in her discovery.
The paper claimed that Dr Quest had discovered a treasure trove of ancient pony writings on scrolls in a desert cave, along with the remains of a lone pony scholar who had died thousands of years ago. The newspaper claimed that the collection of scrolls told legends that had long ago been forgotten and that the small earth pony skeleton may have been the last direct descendant of Epona, The All Mother. To avoid disturbing the site, the newspaper said Dr Clarity is keeping the location of her dig under wraps for the time being. On page two there were a few pictures of the finds, including the same picture Moondancer had shown me of the pony skeleton. I showed them the picture and they all froze. I fought the urge to see if my mother was near and I noticed all my friends, except Spike, were doing the same. I put away the paper, and we all ordered something warm to drink.
After lunch we went back to the hill to sled some more. By now several packed trails snaked their way down the slope, perfect for the smaller sleds. Rarity did her best to zoom down the hill in elegance and style on her cushioned seat on skis. Rainbow Dash pitted her racing sled against Applejack's slippery bowl, and Pinkie squeezed in with me and Spike on our sled. Our combined weight gave us an advantage. We beat Rainbow Dash and Applejack even though we weren't really racing them. That annoyed Rainbow Dash.
Mid afternoon I called it a day. The hill was now swarming with ponies and the trails were getting icy. We stopped to drink a hot chocolate at Sugar Cube Corner, raising our mugs in toast to Epona, The All Mother, before going home to rest.
Cloudsdale has moved on to snow on another region and the air has warmed up. I could see my breath but I was fine in just my scarf, boots and saddle. Rainbow Dash was pulling a racing sled, the raised kind on runners, with a steering bar connected to two small skis. Applejack was wearing hers as she climbed the hill, it was some sort of giant salad bowl. At least it was bowl shaped, and big enough to fit one big or two small ponies in it. Pinkie was dragging a party toboggan. Rarity's sled was like a box on skis, with a cushioned seat and reins. I had a two-pony toboggan, big enough for me and Spike.
We were the first to arrive at this hill and we went up and down a few times before anypony else from Ponyville arrived. Rainbow Dash had to abandon her racing sled at first, it just wasn't picking up speed in the fresh deep snow. The same went for Applejack's bowl and Rarity's seat on skis. But Pinkie's Party Sled had room for everypony. We all climbed onto that.
To fit, first you put the nuttiest pony in a crouch in the front. We let Pinkie, Dash and Applejack fight it out as to which was the nuttiest of the bunch. That pony does the steering. The rest of us get on one at a time, laying down with our heads on the back of the pony ahead of us and holding on to their hindquarters and the sled ropes for dear life. A little push, and we become a multicolored meteor plummeting down the side of a dangerously steep slope, kicking up gouts of powder at every turn, screaming and wild-eyed while some nut in the driver's seat sets a path zigzagging through the trees. This is why Fluttershy stayed home.
We did that all morning long.
By noon, we were all raspy and dry in the throat. It might have been from the screaming. We picked up our gear and stopped for a hot lunch at Café Hay.
Café Hay offers a complementary copy of the Ponyville Express to patrons, and while we were waiting for our table, the headline on the top of the fold caught my eye. It was news about professor Clarity Quest's cave discovery. I picked it up and brought it with us so we could all read the news. Dr Clarity Quest was one of the ponies we had rescued from Winter's clutches and I knew my friends would be interested in her discovery.
The paper claimed that Dr Quest had discovered a treasure trove of ancient pony writings on scrolls in a desert cave, along with the remains of a lone pony scholar who had died thousands of years ago. The newspaper claimed that the collection of scrolls told legends that had long ago been forgotten and that the small earth pony skeleton may have been the last direct descendant of Epona, The All Mother. To avoid disturbing the site, the newspaper said Dr Clarity is keeping the location of her dig under wraps for the time being. On page two there were a few pictures of the finds, including the same picture Moondancer had shown me of the pony skeleton. I showed them the picture and they all froze. I fought the urge to see if my mother was near and I noticed all my friends, except Spike, were doing the same. I put away the paper, and we all ordered something warm to drink.
After lunch we went back to the hill to sled some more. By now several packed trails snaked their way down the slope, perfect for the smaller sleds. Rarity did her best to zoom down the hill in elegance and style on her cushioned seat on skis. Rainbow Dash pitted her racing sled against Applejack's slippery bowl, and Pinkie squeezed in with me and Spike on our sled. Our combined weight gave us an advantage. We beat Rainbow Dash and Applejack even though we weren't really racing them. That annoyed Rainbow Dash.
Mid afternoon I called it a day. The hill was now swarming with ponies and the trails were getting icy. We stopped to drink a hot chocolate at Sugar Cube Corner, raising our mugs in toast to Epona, The All Mother, before going home to rest.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-07 02:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-07 11:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-07 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-07 11:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-08 12:45 am (UTC)