Weather & Plant Team

[SilverSwirl]

"I'm alright! My hoof stings a little but that's fine. You did an excellent job but we need to dry you off and get you warm again.", he replied to Silver Mint. He glided over to him and produced a towel from his saddlebag and handed it to Silver.

[Dunder]

When Dunder Blust saw Muggo and another green coated stallion go in for another attack, he joined too. He did the same thing again, flying as fast as he could before smacking the manticore in the face with the blunt of his sword. As he flew fast and turned around he could see the manticore fall and slam into the thin ice of the lake. After a few cracks and crashes, it retreated back into the Everfree.

Dunder Blust grinned, he felt accomplished knowing that he had helped the ponies force the manticore back into the Everfree. He also remembered the pony he had saw earlier. He turned back and flew towards Muggo', crying "Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" Happily the entire flight. He landed in front of Muggo' "It's good to see you!" He said happily as he gave Muggo' a hug by forcing Muggo' on his hind legs and wrapping his forelegs around him.

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

Silver Mint gratefully accepted the towel and began drying himself off. He then wrapped the towel over himself to act as a blanket of sorts. He nodded to the dark blue pegasus who had provided it. "Thanks," he said, holding out of hoof for a hoof-shake. "The name's Silver Mint." He smiled wanly. Nopony seemed too upset about the situation, or that he'd quite possibly put everypony's well-being in danger. He took the lack of cruel stares and rebukes as a good sign and decided to take in the entirety of the situation around him.

Numerous carts were positioned under snow-laden trees, many of them loaded with snow, and in various states of being taken to the resevoir to be emptied and refilled. So this town... (Ponyville, wasn't it?) WAS in fact cleaning up their Winter, but instead of doing it over the course of a few weeks like Canterlot and Fillydelphia, it appeared as though they were going to attempt a full clean-up in the course of a day. It seemed as though they still had a lot of work to do...

"Hey!" Silver Mint piped up, he turned to the Pegasus whose hoof he was still shaking. "It looks like you're all trying to clean up your Winter. Don't suppose you could use an extra hoof who could use a few bits, or even just some food...?"

[SilverSwirl]

(Silverbolt is dark blue coated actually Silver)

Silverbolt smiled and replied, "We could use all the help we can get!".

[RarityDash]

Cloudchaser watched with enthusiasm as the manticore fell into the collapsing ice. She clapped her hooves to the ground in applause as the beast began to fly away in defeat. A job well done, she had to say. Ponies could sure be amazing when they worked together.

"Is... is everypony alright?" the stallion who had thrown the snowballs asked the entire group gathered. Chaser gave a firm nod.

"Yup! I'm totally fine. Just a little cold..." Chaser said, shivering a little. The cold air made her wet coat even colder. It was a little worse than she'd admit, but eh, it wasn't gonna kill her anytime soon.

She looked toward the first pony who had arrived on the scene, the large stallion with the gray mane who had tackled the manticore. "Though I guess that's all because of this guy," she said giggling as she flew toward him. "Thanks a lot for saving me, pal! What you did, you know, throwin' yourself at that manticore like that, that was wicked awesome!"

"Of course, you were pretty amazing too!" she cheered, turning her head to the pegasus with the sword. "I've totally never seen a pony actually use a weapon like that before! Definitely cool!"

[Trilobite]

"Yeah, that was...wow!" Parhelion said to Dunder Blust, stumbling into a landing and holding out his hoof to the pegasus. He looks around at the others gathered here. "In fact, everybody was...was wow! I mean, wow! It uh, it won't come back, right?"

[MicroChip]

Page whooped with joy as the wet manticore flew off. He felt like he could take on the world, but that was probably just all the adrenalin talking, which was quickly wearing off.

Everypony around him was going on about the specifics of what pony had done what, but Page had been to caught up with the manticore that all he'd noticed was just the fact that there were other ponies. He did remember what he himself had done though.

He sheepishly wandered over to Cloudchaser.

"Sorry about running in to you. I was trying to get you out of the way before I realized anypony else was here."

[Snowshoe]

So that was that. Muggo' sighed and relaxed, not noticing how hard his heart had been beating. That had been close!

"Yeah. Think I might get a heart attack, but I be good." he said with a wry grin toward the other earth pony. "Ya did good there, b'y. Ya think quick on yer hooves, that's good." he complimented. He had no idea what he would have done had the manticore turned on him. Fought it, for sure, but that might end badly.

He looked up when Dunder arrived and grinned. "Well! Ain't that a surprise!" he said with a laugh, thumping Dunder Blust on the back while they hugged. "How ya gettin' on! Or better yet, how ya feel, gettin' to use that sword for once?" he said with a grin.

Muggo' Ale turned to the mare that had been stuck on the reservoir when the manticore arrived. He grinned and swept his hat from his head as he did a bit of a bow, before setting the bakerboy hat back in it's usual place atop his mane. "It's nothin'." he said modestly. As if. One wrong step, and his father would have gotten the bar back, and no more family business. Still, now he had a great story to tell...especially if he embellished it a little. "Couldn't leave a nice young mare like yerself high an'...well, high an' dry might not be the best o' terms, eh?" he said with a laugh. "Glad to see yer okay though. Try not to freeze up, not literally o' course, like that again." he said. When the mare's friend came over, he chuckled. "Ya did right, b'y. Gettin' her off the ice helped us get that biniky beast outta here." he told Page Turner, chuckling. To Parhelion's question, he also had an answer. "I hope not, b'y. But if he does, well..." Muggo' reeled back and bucked the air. "Douse him right in the face, I will."

[Dunder]

Dunder enjoyed the hug with Muggo', "It felt good using it again in a real situation." He hugged Muggo' tighter. He was overwhelmed with happiness to see his friend. Even if he was thumping him on the back enough to make it hurt a little. He just grimaced and smiled.

Dunder went back to all fours when Muggo' was done with the hug as well. He smiled at Both Cloudhaser and Parhelion. He knew he didn't deserve as much praise as he got when it was ponies like Muggo' and Silver who had helped more. When Parhelion held his hoof out, Dunder took it and shook it, "It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Dunder Blust. And thank you." He said to the stallion. "And thank you too." He said with a smile as he looked over at Cloudchaser. "And it was nothing. Of course I had to help fight off a manticore, what pony would I be if I hadn't helped?" He said.

"By the way, good job. Everypony. It was much easier to fight off the manticore with all you ponies helping." He said and smiled.

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

Silver Mint felt his face grow warm as he blushed in the wake of all the compliments. He hadn't been praised like that since he'd received his cutie mark as a foal, and that was years ago. "I just... well... I was only... I mean... thanks." He said; an actor at a loss for words. Then, finding he didn't feel comfortable standing amidst a large crowd of ponies he didn't know when he had just agreed to help them clean up their Winter. Without a word, but instead an encouraging smile, he made his way to one of the free-standing empty carts and hitched himself to it. He looked over the group of ponies he had just met, Dunder, Muggo', Parhelion, Page, Cloudchaser, Silverbolt, and the others who were standing by... all of whom he may have considered calling 'friends,' even though he had only just met them. He shook his head in a "come on!" motion, and began hauling the cart towards the nearest snow-laden tree.

His stomach roared as a reminder that he had yet to ingest anything since earlier that morning. He silently told it to keep quiet; if he helped these ponies clean up their Winter, then he'd get some food (or at least some bits to buy some.) He promised himself that he'd work hard to earn as much as he could, and that brought a genuine smile to his face.

[Trilobite]

Parhelion grins hugely. This band of strangers coming together to do what needed to be done, without thought and without selfishness, that's what life was all about. He flew over to the tree the green pegasus was standing under. "This guy has it right, everypony! Now that the little things are taken care of, let's get this place cleaned up!"

He turned and kicked the branches of the tree he was hovering by, an inexpert blow at best. Snow fell everywhere: in the cart, on the road, and on the poor dollar-green earth pony with the theater-mask cutie-mark. Parhelion blushed. "Oh. Sorry."

[SilverSwirl]

Silverbolt was smiling widely at how well they had worked together to drive the manticore away. He flew back to the cart he had been sleeping in and began to push snow off the roof and into the cart.

[RarityDash]

"Sorry about running in to you. I was trying to get you out of the way before I realized anypony else was here." Page said somewhat shyly.

Chaser giggled. "Ha. It's cool, Page. Means a lot that you came rushing over here for me. Thanks a lot!"

"Couldn't leave a nice young mare like yerself high an'..well, high an' dry might not be the best o' terms, eh?" the gray-maned pony with the cool accent started with a laugh. "Glad to see yer okay though. Try not to freeze up, not literally o' course, like that again."

Cloudchaser laughed. This guy was fun. "You got it, pal! And believe me, I've seen enough manticore for a lifetime now. I'm never doing something like that again!"

"And it was nothing. Of course I had to help fight off a manticore, what pony would I be if I hadn't helped?" said the sword pony who introduced himself as Dunder Blust.

"No need for modesty, dude. You know you were awesome with those sweet sword skills you showed," Chaser chimed as she started to mime like she was sword fighting. "I mean, everypony was pretty cool just now, but what you did, that took style!"

Chaser smiled. Indication was they'd be returning to snow clearing soon. While that sounded kind of boring after all that had happened, after that level of excitement maybe she could take some

[SilverSwirl]

Sunrise had heard the commotion and said to Applebloom, "I think they have it covered....", spotting the fleeing manticore and ponies dispersing back to their assigned duties, "See? It's been handled!". She continued to pull the wagon with Applebloom as they reached the reservoir. "Time to turn this cart around and unload...", Sunrise said with a smile as she pulled to the right, turning the wagon around.

[Snowshoe]

Muggo' swept off his hat and sat right there next to the reservoir to take a short break. All that excitement had drained his energy. He looked up at Cloudchaser and grinned at her little joke, then stood back up, thumping Dunder gently on the shoulder. "I think ya might have yerself a new friend, b'y." he whispered, chuckling. He stretched and looked around. "I'm right famished, anywhere I can get me some food?" he asked. He just now noticed how hungry he was, from working and fighting off an angry manticore. They still had work to do, but it looked like it was getting done quickly...he could spare a few minutes to eat a bit before going back at it.

[Dunder]

Dunder grinned and laughed at Cloudchaser's pretending to fight. He blushed a little at the praise, but didn't notice. "Please, please! All I did was fly by and smack with with a sword...I didn't do anything special." Dunder said. He wasn't used to this kind of praise and he didn't know how to respond to it besides just smiling and nodding.

That's when Dunder heard Muggo'. "I think I might have." Dunder whispered. He didn't look at Cloudchaser, fearing to raise suspicion. He backed up from Muggo when he stretched and wondered if he could get any food. "I have some spiced hay left over. Also an apple, I believe." Dunder said. He pulled off his saddlebag and opened it. He pulled out a bundle wrapped in cloth and bound in rope. He pulled the string and the bundle opened to expose the half-eaten pile of hay. "You can finish this... If you want. Otherwise, we could go buy food, but this is free."

[Trilobite]

Parhelion settled to the ground once more, glancing briefly at Silver Mint, who was still hitched to the wagon and possibly covered in snow from Parhelion's earlier actions.

With Dunder and Muggo' discussing food, his stomach rumbled. "In Stalliongrad there's a big feast after Winter Wrap-Up," he says. "Maybe they do the same here?"

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

Silver Mint yelped aloud as he was spattered with snow from above. He shook himself dry, flinging bits of snow off his body. He laughed as he pictured how he must have looked. Alright, that had been enough time wasted. If he was going to eat, he had to earn that food! As quickly as he could, he began hauling the cart towards the now ice-free reservoir.

Well, "quickly" was a relative term, as hauling a cart wasn't exactly Silver Mint's specialty. While he could keep the cart going at a fairly solid pace, his road-worn legs weren't exactly happy with his choice of labor. "C'mon, legs" Silver Mint urged, "Just a few more hours of work, and we'll be able to eat, and maybe even have a place to sleep for the night. Just stick with me..."

[MicroChip]

Page slowly walked out of the group. While he was more then happy to talk to new ponies, having attention directed at him wasn't something he was used to. He was still blushing as he reached his cart.

Page shook his head as he saw the green stallion get covered in snow. He knew exactly how he felt. Speaking of which, where was his partner anyway? He waved to get Cloadchaser's attention, then beconed her up to the top of the reservoir. While a lot of the other ponies looked like they needed to just rest for a bit, Page had worked on his endurance for several years, often walking for entire days. For him, the excitement hadn't left him wiped, but energized.

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

It took a while, but Silver Mint began getting used to the weight of the cart, he emptied it into the reservoir, and made the much-easier journey back up to the snow-laden trees. There, he saw the tan-coated pony from before, also waiting by the trees with an empty cart. Silver Mint's legs were sore, but he knew the best way to beat soreness was a distraction.

"Hey!" he called to the other pony. "Once these carts are loaded up, care to see who can make it down to the reservoir first?" Silver Mint smiled. Some friendly competition should be all the distraction he would need to both get the work done, and overcome his tired muscles.

[Snowshoe]

"Thanks, b'y." Muggo' said when Dunder offered some food he had left over. He started to eat, then looked up at Parhelion and nodded down at the hay. He wasn't going to eat all of it, and he figured Dunder wouldn't mind sharing a bit more of it. "Dunno. I don't remember a whole lot of me first Winter Wrap Up. I fell asleep before the end of it." he explained. When he was done eating he straightened up and thanked Dunder again for the food.

"Let's get back to work, eh?" he said to Parhelion and anypony else around him, stretching and stamping his hooves to get himself ready for the last push. They were almost done! Everything looked a lot more like spring, which was good.

"Just a bit more to go."

[MicroChip]

"Once these carts are loaded up, care to see who can make it down to the reservoir first?"

Page looked over at the pony that called to him.

"You know what, " he replied with a glint in his eye, "that sounds like fun. You're on."

[SilverMint]

Silver Mint

"Alright... Ready! Set! Go!" Silver Mint cried aloud as he and the tan pony started hauling their carts towards the reservoir. It certainly wasn't a race that would draw fans and cheers, as the fastest either could go was at a strained walking pace, but the effort required to haul the carts laden with wet, heavy snow made every step feel as though they had run a furlong.

Now, while Silver Mint had a slightly stronger build than Page Turner, it was more than apparent that he had worked himself fairly hard already that day; traveling since the break of dawn, and fending off that manticore. Still, with a great amount of effort, he took a quarter-length lead over Page. A short ways ahead was the slope that led down to the reservoir where the snow was being dumped. If he could just get there before Page, the lead he'd take by letting the cart roll downhill behind him would be more than enough to finish in first!

Legs aching, stomach rumbling, but with a heart of determination, Silver Mint did his best to keep his narrow lead...

[RarityDash]

Cloudchaser watched as Page and the green stallion from earlier started to have a little race. How fun. A nice way to keep things nice and light after such an intense moment as the manticore encounter. She laughed and smiled as she watched the two.

"Go Page! You can beat this guy!" Cloudchaser cheered playfully as she watched them from midair. The green stallion seemed a little stronger built than Page, so she figured he could use the support.

"C'mon! You can do it!" she continued to cheer.

[Trilobite]

Parhelion swooped down next to the green pony racing with Page. "He's pulling ahead, he's pulling ahead!" He called out to the slightly larger earth pony. "Don't start slacking now, my friend!"