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Snowfall in the Jewel of the North


Neoniie

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A/N: So, here's my entry to the December Writefriend for the theme: Winter in Stalliongrad (though I technically added some holiday hints in there, especially at the end). I tried to give Stalliongrad a sort of industrial revolution/Great Depression feel, as that was the first image of it that popped into my mind. I also went a wee bit over the suggested word count (by 31). Either way, I hope you enjoy it and some constructive crit is always welcome!

Snowfall in the Jewel of the North

Quantum Flux arrived just in time for the first snowfall in Stalliongrad. The light diamond dust contrasted starkly with the black smoke pouring out of several nearby smokestacks. Flux trotted forward slowly, repositioning her travelling cloak to better protect herself from the cold. Stalliongrad was much different than the snow coloured unicorn had expected. She had never formed a particularly poignant vision of the faraway city, but it's appearance was still quite novel. The buildings themselves were rather grey and industrial, much like the older building built during the Great Industrial era of Equestrian society. A thin layer of smoke surrounded the city, preventing a particularly detailed examination from Flux's current position.

When she reached the gates, she stopped and took in the structure for a moment. It was made of pure steel, ensuring that it would be cold to the touch. Bars ran between the two main segments on the top and bottom, allowing a view into the city itself. Above the gate was carved a motto, Machinae nostra lux - Machines light our way. Clearly, Stalliongrad was a highly mechanical city. Searching for an entrance of sorts, Flux spotted a tiny silver bell, almost transparent against the steel of the gates. Nudging it gently with her muzzle, a clear sound rung out. It was surprisingly loud for such a small implement and almost immediately a pegasus pony peaked his head out of a door that had suddenly opened on the side of one of the towers that flanked the gate.

"And what would you be doin' in Stalliongrad?" asked the pony, slowly trotting over to Flux. He was a sturdily built pony, obviously well muscled and born for guard duty such as this. He wore a thick coat to keep out the cold - a thing that the residents of Stalliongrad had managed to perfect over the years. He had a slight accent, one that was quite foreign to Flux's ears. She was more used to the rather high talking citizens of the Canterlot, but the sound was not unpleasant. It had a base, earthy tone that was gruff but not especially rough.

"I have come to rendezvous with a pegasus engineer. His name is Professor Cogsly," Flux answered quickly, not wanting to arouse suspicion.

The older pegasus chuckled. "Ah, ya must be from Canterlot with such official speak. 'T ain't an interrogation, Miss. We just need to try to monitor our comings and goings durin' the winter an' holidays. We can't have too many ponies in at once, y'see." Flux nodded, staying silent in anticipation. "Cogsly's a daft one, but he's brilliant when he gets it right. Go on in; I'll signal the guardsponies." The pegasus did so, giving a quick wave of his hoof. Sure enough, the gates slowly opened, revealing the inner city of Stalliongrad.

It was much less smokey inside the city itself, making seeing great distances much easier. The city was chock full of creatures of all descriptions. Griffons, cynogriffons, and pegasi flew overhead, several carrying building materials or holiday decorations as they went. Earth-bound ponies, zebras, and a few dragons traversed the streets, stopping at store windows to gaze in at expensive gifts and clothing. The streets were packed together, filled with high rising buildings, but the sheer size of Stalliongrad made everything seem more spacious. Flux stood in shock for a moment, unsure as to which direction to take. Eventually, she settled on east and trotted down a side-street.

Oddly, the side-streets were more spacious than the main roads, as though they had needed to fill out all the remaining space in the area. Many younger ponies were out in the streets, playing games such as hoofkey and snowball fighting. Stopping a wayward snowball quickly with her magic, Flux navigated around the excited youth as well as she could. With a small smile, Flux remembered her own enthusiasm about the winter season. It was one of her few “normal” excitement periods, though not for conventional reasons. Flux loved winter for two reasons. One: it was one of the few periods of seasonal change, meaning new phenomena to analyze. Two: at the time, Flux was a bit of a closet anthropologist. She was very interested in the new behaviour it brought forth in many creatures.

Shaking away her nostalgia, the red-maned unicorn trotted onward. She was determined to find Professor Cogsly before nightfall, at which time she would be forced to stay at an inn for the night. Flux's journey had been quite long and her travelling cloak let much to be desired in the area of dependable insulation. The chilly December air had already started to penetrate Flux's feeble defence.

Flux stopped abruptly, nearly tripping over something close to the ground. Upon further examination, Flux found it to be a very young cynogriffon. The hatchling was covered in snow, obscuring its golden coloured body. It looked up slowly at the unicorn, blinking its piercing blue eyes slowly. Flux looked around in an attempt to locate the cynogriffon's family, but there were only ponies in sight. With a quick levitation spell, Flux pulled the pony out of the snow, carrying the child high above her head, hoping that the slightly warmer air would keep the child relatively warm.

Unfortunately, a wind picked up and Flux transferred the child to a position just beneath her shoulder, sheltering the hatchling as best as she could. Trotting off through the streets, Flux travelled until the sun begun to set. Finally admitting defeat, she returned to the side-street to find a small cluster of cynogriffons calling out in the snow. Hope sparking in her once more, Flux approached the oldest cynogriffon.

“Excuse me,” she said, drawing the attention of a piercing golden gaze. “I found this hatchling earlier today, is he yours?” Flux produced the child from underneath its sheltering location. The cynogriffon's eyes sparkled with recognition.

“Oh! Wayfinder, there you are! We've got him!” The other cynogriffon's gathered around the child, all looking deeply relieved. “We're very grateful. How on Equestria can we repay ya?” Flux started to protest and insist that no reward was necessary and that she really ought to be going, but the cynogriffon spoke again. “We could let ya stay the night. We can tell you all about the cynogriffon traditions and Stalliongrad's history.”

Flux looked at the cynogriffon in confusion, causing the winged creatures to laugh slightly. “We can all tell by your speech, Miss. Ya ain't from here.” After a brief consideration, Flux accepted the offer with a smile and a thank you. Professor Cogsly can wait. I wouldn't be surprised if he forgot I was arriving today anyway, no harm done.

The group of cynogriffons, plus a recently added pony, strolled back down the side-street. Just as the fog began to obscure their forms, the sound of festive songs starting up could be heard. It was indeed a happy holiday.

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hi hi

I dig the descriptions of the city, they really make it feel like a cold, industrial place. :) As for the changes winter brings, these days it just tends to make me grumpy. I envy ponies who can waltz around with little more than a scarf, cause I can never seem to stay warm.

Also: Golden Retriever cynogriffon? cute! :)

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