I was still a little jittery, even a full day later. And, unquestionably, I had a much better appreciation for the creatures in this strange world.

The jitteriness was only partly because of the spell that strange creature who called himself “Discord” tried to use on me. Whatever weird ability I had that absorbed magic typically left me feeling energized afterwards, but Discord's magic had hit me like a fairly-mild tazer shot, leaving the entirety of my upper body feeling slightly numb and twitchy. That in itself had been worth a letter to Twilight via Spike, and her reply less than five minutes later had thanked me profusely for bringing it to her attention.

That was half of the reason for how I felt the next morning. The rest came from being told just what Discord was, what he'd done in this world's past, and the power he still held with no sort of restraint aside from the rebuke of the most shy, withdrawn living creature I'd ever met. I'd told Sveti how insane I thought these ponies were, only to get a reply of “you just sort of have to learn to deal with it”.

There was a sort of silver lining to the situation, though. If these ponies could get used to a physical avatar of entropy and chaos being in their midst- even if they did give him a wide berth and make every effort not to get his attention- then maybe I could catch a break if I showed myself not to be the threat so many of these ponies still seemed to think I was.

The fact that my magic-nullification thing seemed to even work on Discord was also one hell of a balm to my spirit. I wasn't eager for any sort of "chat" alone with him.

Another balm to my spirit had been the wonderful dinner Applejack and her family had put together for Sveti and I. I might have expected that an entire meal based around apples would've ended up being bland and uninteresting, but every dish we were served had a new flavor and texture to it. Meeting Applejack's family had been an enjoyable experience as well; it turned out that I'd seen her little sister Apple Bloom before, as one of the three excitable foals that liked to run around and shout a lot, but her older brother- a huge stallion built like a brick outhouse, who seemed fond of one-word responses- and her world-wise, nap-prone grandmother were new experiences to me. Twilight had been right; Granny Smith had plenty of choice words to say about the ponies who'd reacted badly to me, and by the end of her diatribe Sveti and I had somehow become honorary members of the Apple family... and if the pictures on the walls inside their humble home were any indication, it was a pretty big family to be in.

I liked Big Macintosh, too. Despite his considerable size, he was about as aggressive as a bath sponge, and I could tell that he sympathized with how I was being treated; I had a feeling his rather intimidating height had probably caused him some issues in life. On her part, Sveti had enjoyed answering all of Apple Bloom's questions about griffins- she probably would've asked me just as many about myself, but Twilight didn't want me telling anyone about my true origin and I wasn't going to tell an innocent foal how I'd been treated in the sideshow, so I'd had to defer.

And then there was the question I'd wondered about but hadn't asked- what had happened to Applejack's parents? I didn't feel comfortable bringing up the topic to the family; Sveti only knew that they'd died several years ago, probably when Apple Bloom was very young. It was a sobering reminder that, for all that these ponies looked like they'd crawled out of some children's storybook, they were living creatures with problems and tragedies of their own.

Presently, I was taking a quiet, relaxing walk around the same area I'd been using as a vantage point to watch the town when I was on the run. With the first day of introductions and getting used to the place and its residents out of the way, I wanted a little time to myself to gather my thoughts, before Pinkie's “surprise” party that Rainbolt- or rather, Rainbow Dash- had advised me would happen that evening. Sveti was off with Diamond- no, wait, Rarity, I remembered- on a spa visit that the mare had graciously offered us both; I'd deferred, but had all but shoved Sveti out the door in order to give her some “girl time” and a little well-deserved pampering.

I was broken out of my thoughts by voices in the chilly late-morning air. Near one of the larger trees that edged the clearing, I spotted Bloom and her two friends- Rarity's younger sister and an orange pegasus who had a hero-worship thing going on with Dash- gathered around, staring forlornly up at the branches. “...told you you threw it too hard!” I could hear the pegasus- Scootaloo, if I'd understood her name right- said.

“It wasn't my fault! The wind caught it right after I threw it!” the little white unicorn- Sweetie Belle- grumbled.

“So let's go up an' get it!” Bloom suggested.

“Nuh-uh, not a chance. Rarity said that if I come home covered in tree sap one more time, she's gonna start making me wear one of those special 'isolation suits' doctors wear.”

Scootaloo gave her a critical look. “And you think she'd actually do that?”

“I'm not taking the risk!”

I was too busy listening to the conversation to realize I'd been walking towards them until I was right next to them; as one, they turned to see me practically towering over them. The pegasus and unicorn yelped, tumbling into each other in surprise. “Whoa!” Bloom exclaimed. “Easy, girls! This is Peter. Remember th' mayor talkin' about 'im? He's really nice; he had dinner at mah house last night!”

To their credit, the other two fillies didn't take long to acclimate to me after Bloom's assurance. “What's wrong?” I asked them.

Scootaloo pointed up at the branches. “Our frisbee is stuck up there.”

I had to squint to see it; it was a small disc, bright blue, wedged in a branch about halfway up the tree. I surmised that if Scootaloo was capable of flying up to get it, or Sweetie could grab it with her magic, they would have already done so- and whatever experiences they might have had with tree sap in the past, letting a trio of young ponies try to climb that high didn't sit well with me.

So I took off my jacket, flexed my knees a couple of times, and jumped, catching the lowest branch and pulling myself up easily. I could see the kids watching me in awe as I carefully climbed up the tree, made my way to the disc and yanked it free. But rather than toss it down to them, I held on to it as I made my way back down, jumping from the lowest branch to land nimbly in front of them.

Then I twirled the disc a few times on my finger and gave them my best smile. “Go far.”

Their faces positively lit up before they zoomed off into the clearing, and the game was on.

(-)

“Hey, what's going on?”

Derpy came to a stumbling landing at the edge of the clearing, shaking her wings out before folding them at her sides. The small group gathered nearby hardly paid her any attention, aside from her best friend Rainbow Dash. “Oh, hey, Derpy,” she said, beckoning her over with a forehoof. “Check this out. Peter's playing frisbee with the Crusaders.”

She'd heard about the strange creature named “Peter”, still called “The Everfree Yeti” by some of the less generous-minded ponies she came across. She hadn't known what to think of him until the mayor had held her meeting- and the tale of a lonely creature given poor treatment by ponies who misunderstood him hit home especially hard for her.

With some effort, she got both of her eyes to focus on the scene in front of her. The tall, lanky biped was apparently playing catch with a trio of fillies- she recognized them as friends of Dinky's from school- out in the middle of an empty field. She watched as he flung the disc for them to catch, then raced after it when they threw it for him. “Wow,” she breathed. “I didn't think anything with two legs could run like that.”

“I know, right?” Flitter said from next to her. “It's kinda weird to watch, but... pretty cool, too.”

Cheerilee nodded in agreement. “I'll admit, I was a little worried about having a creature with that reputation here in town with all our foals. But... look at him playing with the girls; it's easy to see he's just having fun. He can't be the monster some ponies say he is.” She glanced over to her right. “Featherweight, are you getting good pictures of this?”

“I sure am, Miss Cheerilee.” The colt snapped another photo.

“Oh, hey, that's an awesome idea!” Dash exclaimed. “We can show everypony what Peter's really like in the papers. A picture's worth, like, a hundred words, right?”

“A thousand, as the saying goes,” Cheerilee replied with a smile.

“That's like five times better!”

Derpy only half-followed the conversation, her eyes following the game still going on in front of her. He looks so happy, she thought. Happy to just be playing a game. That's not a monster.

The crowd watched as one of the foals threw the frisbee at a high angle, with a sudden gust of wind catching it and lifting it even higher into the air. Peter broke out into a full run after it, pursuing it towards a fenced-off section with an abandoned garden of some sort. To Derpy's shock, he actually jumped onto the fence and then leapt from it, forelimb outstretched towards the disc as both it and he fell out of sight. “Oh my gosh!” somepony exclaimed. “He might be hurt!”

But before anypony could think to go in to check, the disc rose up out of the field, with a furless paw gripping it. “Got it!” Peter called out.

Derpy broke out into giggles, and the rest of the crowd laughed as well.

(-)

“Darling, you look positively radiant. When was the last time you've been pampered like this?”

Sveti pulled her gaze away from the mirror to look back at Rarity. “To be perfectly honest, never,” she answered. “It's not that I couldn't- there's a spa or boutique on almost every corner in some places in Canterlot- it's just that I never really thought about it much.”

“More's the pity, dear. You are an exemplar of griffin beauty.” The unicorn smiled when Sveti blushed. “And you look so much more relaxed, as well!”

“Those twins know how to perform massages.” Sveti lifted her wings a little, still marveling at how loose and refreshed the muscles felt. I never thought hooves could be so gentle, she thought.

“Well, I daresay that you most definitely deserved it, my dear. A shame that Peter chose not to join us- he no doubt would've benefited as well.”

“I agree, but he's had a lot on his mind... I don't begrudge him wanting a little 'alone time' to sort things out.”

“Quite true. But I suppose we should catch up with him, and let him get a good look at how lovely you are with some proper care and attention.”

The hen could feel herself blushing again. “Err, right,” she said. “And I hope he's feeling better as well.”

“You and I both!”

It was a short walk to the clearing where Peter had said he'd be, but what awaited them there surprised Sveti- he was sitting against a tree at the edge of the clearing, working on his sketch pad, with three fillies curled up against him, napping. Nearby was a small group of older ponies sitting and chatting with each other. “Goodness,” Rarity said. “What's going on here?”

Dash looked up at their approach. “Oh, hey girls!” she said. “You missed it, Sveti. Peter and the Crusaders were playing frisbee for, like, an hour. Then the girls got tired, so he had somepony go get his drawing pad from where you guys are staying and he was showing them how to draw, but then they fell asleep on him. Literally.” She snickered, before giving Sveti a second look. “Whoa, you almost look like a different hen,” she commented. “Guess the spa was good for you!”

“Yeah, I almost feel like a new hen, too. Thanks.” She chuckled as she made her way over to where her friend was sitting. It seemed as though his impromptu play session had been good for him as well- he looked a bit tired, but more relaxed and content than she could recall ever seeing him. She quietly trod her way to his side, not wanting to wake the foals still snoozing by his side. “It looks like you had fun,” she said.

“Yeah, it was-” he looked back at her and immediately stopped, staring at her for a moment with his mouth hanging open. “...you look great,” he murmured.

It was a wonder that the heat of her blush didn't set her plumage on fire. “Thanks,” she replied, just as quietly. “Um... you do too. I take it you enjoyed yourself?”

“Yeah. I really did.”

She moved to sit down next to him, on the opposite side of the foals, and took a look at what he was sketching. It seemed that he was just putting the finishing touches on a portrait of the three fillies, all of them smiling towards the viewer. “That looks incredible,” she told him.

“Thanks.” He added a few more details, then closed the pad and tucked the pencil away. “You have fun at the spa?”

“It was really relaxing.” She gently leaned against him. “You should've come. You deserve some pampering yourself, I think.”

“Another day, I promise. Today... just wanted be outside, thinking. Though I got bit... sidetracked.” He chuckled.

“That's fine, so long as you enjoyed yourself.” She ruffled his hair, watching as a cold breeze made it wave around a bit afterwards. “It's getting chilly out,” she noted. “Might be time for us to head back to town.”

He nodded in agreement, gently rousing the sleeping fillies and then getting up himself, pulling his jacket back on. “Winter coming, definitely,” he said quietly.

“Oh, that reminds me. Ponyville is going to be seeing its first snowfall this week. How do you feel about snow?”

“I like it.” He chuckled. “So long as I not have to get to work in it.”

She smirked. “You're on vacation now, so you don't have to worry about that.”

“We on vacation.” He tapped her beak. “I have fun if you do. Deal?”

How could she not smile at that? “Deal.”

(-)

I awoke to a chilly bedroom on my fourth day in Ponyville. The vacant home we'd rented out was cozy enough, but there was only so much the building could do to shut out the cold- which was probably why the beds had come with such thick comforters, one of which I bundled around myself before I put on some slippers and made my way to the small stove in the corner. A bit of wood and the push of a button- which operated some sort of automatic flint, apparently- gave me a quickly-building fire that served to chase the chill out of the room while I took a nice hot shower. Odd that they've worked out hot water heaters but not radiators, I thought. Or maybe it's a logistical thing? They can create enough hot water for a daily shower, but not enough to use to for heating homes?

Once cleaned up and dressed, I went downstairs to find Sveti, who had already gotten the main fireplace filled and a nice fire burning. She greeted me with a smile. “Have you looked outside yet?” she asked.

I hadn't, so I went to the nearby window and opened the curtains- to find myself greeted by a blanket of white over everything and a thick flurry of snow still falling. “They got started early, didn't they?” I commented.

“Seems so. I hope you packed warm clothes.”

“Of course. Boots too.”

“Well, that's good. What do you feel like for breakfast?”

“Bacon.” I chuckled. “But there's not much of a chance finding that here, so maybe we can go to where Pinkie works for some donuts? I think some hot chocolate would hit the spot as well.”

“So Sugarcube Corner it is, then.” Unlike me, Sveti was content with tossing on a scarf- gryphons were a mountain-dwelling species, she'd told me once, and could handle far lower temperatures than this without need of clothing- and we headed out into the snow.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, watching the steam rise into the air and dissipate. “It's quiet out,” I noted. “I guess most ponies are staying in until after the storm?”

“It seems like it.” She lifted her head. “You're right, it is quiet. There's usually a lot of wind at higher altitudes. It's kind of a nice difference down here.”

Unlike the streets, Sugarcube Corner wasn't quite empty. Two of Ponyville's residents were seated at a table inside, while Pinkie stood bright-eyed and alert as ever at the counter. “Hey, Petey!” she called. “Hey, Sveti!”

“Good morning, Pinkie,” Sveti replied, while I gave her a wave. I still had a little trouble interacting with the hyperactive pink mare; I knew she meant well, and in her own way she was an absolute sweetheart, but her constant effervescence and tireless cheerfulness were a bit unnerving to me.

I recognized the two mares that were at the table; Lyra, the green-coated unicorn who was one of the few ponies to welcome me warmly- maybe a little too warmly- from the start, was seated with her... friend? Domestic partner? I didn't know- Bon-Bon, the cream-colored earth pony. “Hey, nice to see you two out and about!” Lyra called, waving a hoof at me from her oddly human-like sitting position. “Enjoying the town's first snowfall of the winter?”

It caught me a little short to actually have it said to me that it was winter; with everything that had been going on, the passage of time hadn't really been on the forefront of my mind. This wasn't the time or place to reflect on it, though, so I just smiled slightly and nodded. “The town looks nice with snow cover,” I answered.

“It's like a layer of frosting on a cake!” Pinkie added with an enthusiastic nod.

Sveti and I had a seat at the next table over from the two mares, and Pinkie was there in a flash- almost literally; I didn't even see her move from the counter- to tell us about the daily specials. The cinnamon-swirl donuts she ended up selling me on were absolutely fantastic, and the hot chocolate she made right there in front of us was a perfect compliment. Sveti likewise enjoyed the mint brownies and cocoa she ordered.

We chatted a bit with the two mares as we ate, but something odd seemed to develop while we did so. Ever since I'd made her acquaintance, Lyra had been playfully flirtatious with me; after encountering the same thing from both Ensemble and the young stallion whose name I thought was Quick Service, I'd learned to just shrug it off- ponies, or at least some of them, seemed to be quite a bit more open about things like attraction and flirtation than I was used to. That morning, though, the mint-colored unicorn seemed eager to take it to the next level, and her subtle innuendo had taken a sharp turn towards the realm of outright propositioning.

I did my best to gently discourage her, although she was either too set on success to notice or too stubborn to give up. Bon-Bon didn't look happy at all with it, though thankfully she was reserving her ire for Lyra instead of taking it out on me... but what caught me by surprise was that Sveti's reaction was almost identical, if somewhat more muted. Rather than waste time trying to work out what that meant on the spot, I decided that extrication from the situation was in order, and feigned being full as an excuse to get the rest of our breakfast bagged up and us back out the door.

It was an uneasy silence that accompanied us back to our rented home. I could tell that Sveti was upset, but she seemed unable to put it into words for me, and I feared that the wrong question would make things worse. But an idea percolated in the back of my mind, and once our food was stashed away for later, instead of taking off my snow gear, I ushered the gryphon back outside. “I want to show you a tradition from where I'm from” was the only explanation I gave her as we made our way back to the very same open field I'd played an unexpected game of frisbee in two days prior.

The field was pristine, untouched since the snowfall had begun, and the pure white expanse seemed to mesmerize Sveti; I guessed that it reminded her of her own home. She trod out into it a short way, gazing out across it...

...which meant that she never saw my gently-lobbed snowball coming.

thud

It caught her in the center of her back, and she yelped, practically taking off on the spot before whirling around and seeing me standing casually, whistling softly to myself with my snow-covered gloved hands clasped behind my back. And there she stood for just a moment, her expression unreadable... until a playful glint crossed her eye, and as quick as thought, her claws scooped up a wad of snow and packed it into a ball, then sent it flying my way, and only a quick dive to the side saved me from impact- and by the time I was back on my feet, she was already preparing a second strike, a wickedly playful grin on her beak.

Our snowball battle went on for more than half an hour as we carved trails and furrows in the white-covered field, snowflakes still dancing around us as we jockeyed for position and dodged expertly-aimed throws, until she dove into a particularly high snowbank and vanished from my sight. I backed up from the spot towards a tall tree with branches heavily-laden with snow, a snowball in each hand ready to throw, waiting to see where my target would spring up-

fwoomp

-but not expecting her to come flying towards me from dead ahead, practically exploding from the snow with wings spread wide and claws reaching out. I let out a genuine yelp of surprise as she tackled me, not painfully hard but with enough force to take me off my feet and send my snowballs flying from my grasp, and she landed on top of me as my back hit the snow with a soft crunch. She grinned down at me, her claws gently pinning my shoulders to the ground, and little melting clumps of snow dripping from her crest. “Interesting tradition your people have,” she panted.

I couldn't help but smile up at her. I could see the steam from our breath mingle in the short distance between us, and the hands I'd reflexively placed on her sides could feel the quick, even beating of her heart even through my gloves; she was trembling a little, and I knew it wasn't from the snow still covering her soft, golden coat. I saw her begin to lean down a little towards me, her golden eyes beginning to close, her wings starting to flare open...

...and a veritable wall of white dropping down at us from above.

THWOMP

By the time we'd dug ourselves, laughing all the while, out of the pile of snow that had fallen from the tree, we were both absolutely caked in cold, wet snow. But as we trudged our way back home, things seemed to feel much warmer between Sveti and I than they had before.

(-)

That mare. I swear, that mare!

Bon-Bon's anger was nearly hot enough to melt the snow around her, it seemed, and she swore she could see the shimmer of heated air if she turned her head fast enough. Lyra crossed the line today, she thought, grinding her teeth together as she cantered through the snow-covered streets. Goddesses know that I've done enough to indulge her little fantasies- I can walk on my hind legs almost as well as a Diamond Dog, now- but now that she sees a biped that isn't a smelly mongrel or a minotaur who's just much too large in every way, she's all but throwing herself at him!

“Psst. Bon-Bon.”

The mare was so deep in her anger that she almost didn't register the voice directed at her. She stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder to see Goldengrape trotting towards her; he glanced from side to side as he approached as if watching for hidden observers. “Goldie, I'm not in the mood to chat right now,” she practically growled at him.

“You might be when you hear what I've got to say.” He motioned for her to follow him into a nearby alley, glancing behind them furtively. “Listen. A couple of ponies have noticed that your fillyfriend has been getting... well, maybe over-excited at the newest arrival to Ponyville.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I don't see how that's anypony's business besides hers and mine.”

“No? You're not interested in, say, destroying any interest she may have in that thing?”

She stopped short, tilting her head. “What the hay are you talking about?”

“Look. That creature's got a lot of us worried. It just walks into town with the reputation it's got, and half a week later practically everypony's fawning over it? What if it's using some kind of spell to fool ponies into liking it?”

“That's got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.”

“Didn't you have a bruise on your flank for a week after Princess Twilight's 'Want-It, Need-It' spell?”

Bon-Bon scowled again, but her heart wasn't in it this time. “Look, I'm not going to hurt a living creature just on some suspicion-”

“We don't want to hurt anything. But maybe you could help us with something we've got planned.”

“I want to know at least something about what your plan before I'll agree to anything.”

“We just need to do something to shock everypony out of this weird state of adoration. There's something unnatural going on here, and it seems to even have Princess Twilight and the other Bearers caught up. If there is, and we can break it, we'll be heroes!” He gave her a smirk. “Imagine what Lyra would think of you then, huh?”

Emotions warred inside Bon-Bon's mind, until one won out. “...what do you want me to do?”

“We're having a meeting tonight in a private booth at Berry Punch's bar. Don't say anything to her about it though; she's not in on this. As far as anypony else is concerned we're just a bunch of ponies getting together to talk. Be there at seven o'clock.”

“I will.” She watched as Goldengrape quickly cantered out of the alley... then, after a few seconds to make sure he was out of sight and hearing, she galloped in the other direction.

(-)

“Hi there!” Dinky smiled at the filly standing in the aisle of the general store. “Are you new in town?”

“Huh?” The other unicorn turned to look at her. “Oh, hi! Yeah, I'm just visiting Ponyville with my parents. I'm Dewdrop!”

“I'm Dinky! Welcome to Ponyville.” They shook hooves enthusiastically. “Where are you from?”

“Broncton! Believe it or not, we're visiting with Princesses! And a Captain!”

“You are? Really?!” Dinky's ears pricked. “That's pretty cool! How'd that happen?”

“Well, I'm not really sure; I just know that my dad met up with Captain Armor this morning, and Princess Twilight and Princess Cadance were with him! And they talked about the Everfree Yeti being in Ponyville and I asked if we could visit him, and the Princesses said yes!”

“The Ev- oh!” Dinky giggled. “That's not his name though. He's called 'Peter'.”

“Peter? That's a funny-sounding name. What's it mean?”

“I dunno.” Dinky shrugged. “But I know my mom likes him because he's super-friendly and good to colts and fillies.”

“Well, yeah! He saved me from drowning!”

“He did? Wow! How come I never heard that?!”

“I dunno! A lot of adults are saying bad things about him that just don't make sense, and when I try to tell them about how he saved me, they just ignore me!”

“Well, that's dumb. I hate when adults do dumb things and then treat us foals like we're the dumb ones. My mom's way smarter than that- she knows he's a nice creature.”

“Well, great!”

DInky would've said more, but she heard her mother calling her. “Oops, looks like I've gotta go. I hope I see you again, Dewdrop, but if I don't, have a great time in Ponyville!”

“I will, thanks! And if you ever come to Broncton, ask around for where Hammer and Dustmop live. They're my parents. I'm sure they'd love to have you over!”

“Okay!” Dinky trotted down the aisle, then turned back towards the other filly- only to see her talking to a vaguely-familiar mare, then trotting off with her. Her question already forgotten, Dinky shrugged and turned back towards where her mother waited for her.