canterlot One Frosty Evening(Elderflower, All others PM to join)

[IceStorm]

 

My how the weather in Canterlot had changed. Just a few weeks ago, Ice Storm was happily in her element. It was still nice and cool, bitterly cold for most ponies. That was then though. Now it felt like the Canterlot Weather Team was trying to get an early start on Summer and skip spring completely. It was really, really hot, and very, very balmy. So much to where Ice would start sweating the moment she walked outside of her shop. True, she was a mare that was equipped to counter this type of extreme weather for a short period such as an evening or two, but there were others that wouldn't.

 

Then again, she also understood that there were ponies out there that would find this kind of weather acceptable. In fact her wife was one of those ponies. With her being a fire mage, she could handle the temperatures in the upper extremes just as easily as Ice Storm herself could be at ease in extreme cold. It definitely had some perks, and sometimes it was impossible to see inside their windows. She also really couldn't say to much about it either as they did have some really, really cold days this winter. Cold enough to where the mare of ice herself was feeling a bit chilled. It was only fair that there was some warmer days as well for normal ponies to recover from such a cold spell.

 

Having just finished in her shop for the evening, and not having to go into the observatory tonight, Ice Storm started making her way towards the park. She would probably head towards the observatory at some point that evening anyway. She loved being there. There was so much to look at and take in. Most ponies would call it studying, but she called it inspiration, and a desire to know. She could see so much more of the stars and the sky from the observatory that the constellations that were here from the surface of Equestria while grand, were minimal in comparison. The more she looked through everything though, the more she realized just how lucky they were that things worked the way that they did here. From what she had studied, most planets orbit their systems stars, but that didn't seem to be the case here. Deep inside she wanted to know why, but at the same time, she didn't care. There was a balance here, and things that could be know that, in the grand scheme of things are better left unknown. The one thing that she knew right now though, was that it was just out right hot! She might have to go the the observatory anyway just to be inside.

 

A small flick of her magic, and anypony that walked by her would instantly see a sheen on her coat from the moonlight. That sheen would be caused by the reflection of the moon off of the thin sheet of ice that was constantly coating her. It was just thin enough to be sustainable without any issure, and the fact taht it was made with her magic meant that she could allow it to conform to her body, and be flexible instead of rigid like ice usually is. It was the perfect way to keep cool on a balmy spring evening in Canterlot as she made her way to the hill that she grew up on when she first came to the city. She didn't know why, but she was always drawn to this hill. No matter where she went, or how far away she was. This one spot in all of Equestria constantly spoke to her, pulled at her, and left her to ponder on the events that led her to where she was today. There wasn't anything fancy about it either. Just a standard oak tree, and a hill that overlooked most of the park. Yet once again she found herself in its presence.

 

She gave a gently smile as she laid her blanket out on the grass. This was even more important now so that she wouldn't get grass in the ice that she was channeling and ultimately get it stuck in her coat. She could easily get it out with a shower, but she'd already used all of her hot water for the shower she just took and knew there wouldn't be any left by the time she got home. A small part of her couldn't help but wonder if it was the steam from her shower that helped make it so muggy outside tonight. Surely one two hour shower wasn't enough to do something like that right?

 

Once she was satisfied with her placement, she laid down herself on the blanket and looked to the stars, zoning everything else out as much as a professionally trained tactician and scout could. She was almost always completely alert to her surroundings and ready for most any surprise. However, that sometimes made it hard to relax because she was always on guard to expect something. It was Equestria after all. There was never a dull night. She had enough secret missions under her belt to acknowledge that. In fact, that would be what she would reflect on tonight. AS she looked up to the stars, she reflected back to the time that she was in Whitescar, right after WRAITH had released what she now called the Rage Plague on Askr, turning their allies into mindless, enraged, monsters.

 

However, just like every disease, it always has a cure if you're willing to work hard enough to find it. Thankfully they did before it created too much of a catastrophe. She remembered taking a good hit that fight as well. She was good at defenses, but that was when she learned not to be over cocky with her defenses. Just because she can manipulate the density of the ice around her, and can make it stronger than most steel, doesn't mean that it can't be broken. She found that out the hard way in that fight, but even then her hoof was force, no one on that team looking back had much in the way of any good ideas with how to deal with the infected bous. With a small sigh, she let her head hang while she lay next to the tree, still deep in thought.

[Elderflower]

 

 

Whoa! The weather in Canterlot was heating up much more quickly than Frostlace could have imagined. The Stallian Countess was in town to purchase property in order for one of her family-owned cheese shops from Stalliongrad to open up a location here in the city where the highest of high-brow ponies of Equestria called home. After all, who loves fancy cheeses more than fancy ponies?

In truth, Frostlace had mixed feelings about Canterlot. The culture here was...suffocating, almost as much as the heat and humidity were. Though she was born into a life of culture and privilege, Frost rarely felt comfortable amongst the “elite” ponies she was technically one of. Give her loud folk songs belted out to the beat set by slamming a tankard of beer on a table, or a rowdy game of cards with the ponies from her shipyards. Give her cheap beer and unrestrained laughter and fun - then she’ll be in her element.

But structured conversations, political games, creating this illusion of perfection that every “elite” aimed for: all these things put Frostlace seriously ill at ease. Which was why, as the stars began to dot the darkening sky, the white mare found herself briskly trotting further away from the city and its stuffy citizens, to the quiet of a large and gloriously empty park. The moment the cobblestones gave way to soft, plush grass, the tension that had been holding the unicorn taught all night finally gave way. She stopped for a moment and shifted her weight, enjoying the soft feel of moist earth and grass beneath her hooves. The smell was intoxicating too: fresh, green, and full of the perfume of blossoming flowers. Spring was certainly in the air!

With a toss of her long, luxurious mane, the white mare began walking further into the park, and eventually broke into a run. There was nopony around, so she was free to be, well, Frostlace! Grinning, she dashed and pranced across the field and up a hill until-

Oh. Frostlace stopped in her tracks and tilted her head curiously to one side. Looks like there was somepony else here! And a familiar one at that!

“Blue!” the Stallian mare called out, almost laughing, before she bounded towards the mare and swept her up into a friendly embrace, whirling her around and around, “How good it is to be seeing you!” It had been some time since the two had met! Frostlace hadn’t changed much, admittedly, but she was sporting her stylish and lovely new tattoo from her varg, Inkbrand. And Blue, though she looked the same, seemed...a little different. Something Frostlace couldn’t quite put her hoof on...

[IceStorm]

 

 

Still keeping herself deep withing the confines of her own mind, Ice Storm continued to ponder on things. It was quite serene this evening despite the balminess outside. The night was peaceful, and quite for the most part. There were a few hoof steps off in the distance and some giggles from ponies that were passing at a distance from the park, likely on their way home to their families for the evening. One that she would repeating here in a bit. For now though, she would remain here. She thought back to the time that she was in the Crystal Empire, and the event that transformed her life and made her become what she is today. A mare that actively fought for the good of the cause, and one that made sure that nopony threatened her homelands. Sure, there was the REA that was on the front lines, and then of course Twilight and her friends that were there when things really got desperate, but armies, nor the elements of harmony were needed to solve every problem.

 

She thought back to the moment in the spire when she chose to get the other ponies out of the spire instead of staying to fight like she was originally debating. Looking back at it, getting everypony out was the best course of action that she could have taken. If she were to stay and fight, everypony would have still been trapped inside when the spire fell. Instead of being here to reflect on the events, and being able to prevent such events from transpiring again, she, and everypony else would have been among the casualties. There would have been no way that anypony that was caught in the upper portion of the spire survived the collapse. If they did, then Ice would have been very surprised.

 

As soon as she looked back up to the stars, she heard a voice that pulled her from her thoughts. A familiar one at that. A voice that, she was actually just thinking about and was oddly perfect in it's timing as she looked over to a unicorn mare. She was the same icy white that she remembered her, and still had the same golden threads that flowed their way through her mane. One thing that she did notice was that on her left hind leg was a tattoo of sorts that she didn't remember having before, but it had been almost three years since they had seen each other. She could have easily changed a lot since then, so this being the only visual change was well, a relief honestly. Meant that she had for the most part kept herself out of trouble. Which is a lot more than she can say considering that she was usually diving head first into trouble. It was somewhat of an occupational hazard for her.

 

She had just enough time to stand up as Frostlace bound towards her before grabbing onto her and twirling around with her before giving her a soft smile. She didn't know why, but blue had always been their thing. She wasn't really sure how it stuck, or how she remembered it, but she was happy that she did. "Hey Frost! Surprisingly enough I was actually just thinking of you. More in a round about way, but still. I was thinking back to the events of the spire and how they shaped me into what I am to what I am today," she smiled returned the gentle embrace, definitely feeling a bit more tone than before.