"I spy with my little eye something... white."

"Snow?"

The filly sighed as she let her head fall on top her brother's. Her muzzle was covered with a two-toned scarf that matched her brother's gray coat. Specks of snow coated her turquoise fur, the same color as the scarf covering her brother's muzzle. Her brown mane was done in a bun with a red flower sticking from it. Her tail was splayed over her brother's back as she sighed in boredom.

"I spy isn't fun in the winter," she stated as she blew a lock of her mane out of her eye, "What time is it?"

Her brother chuckled as his horn lit up with his white magical aura. The aura stood out against his black mane. Not a second later, a silver pocket watch levitated out of a fold of his scarf and opened in front of his ice blue eyes. On the inside was the clock on one side and a picture on the other. The picture showed the two in a busy plaza in a pose much like they were in currently.

"It's, hmm... I don't think I can read this. Care to help sis?" he asked, levitating it up in front of his sister's purple eyes. Her own magic, also white, took hold of the watch from her brother as to properly examine the device. This included turning it in six different directions as she 'hmmm'ed in thought.

"It's..." came her muffled voice. It then peaked in excitement as she lifted her head, "It's two-two!"

"Close," her brother replied, his scarf covering the smile on his face, "It's two-ten. Remember that the long hand causes the big lines to mean increments of five. Five, ten, fifteen, so on."

"Hmph," grunted the filly as she laid her head down again and let her brother take back the watch, "I don't see why I need to tell time."

"Telling time is important to know, Jewel. It helps you know when you need to be somewhere or how late it is when you can't see the sun," he explained.

"Like now!" Jewel exclaimed as she stood up with her forehooves atop her brother's head.

"Yes," he chuckled, "Like now."

The filly's brow scrunched into a frown as she looked down at her brother's eyes, "But I don't need to tell time cause I'll always have you around. Right Granite?"

Granite frowned at the worry in her voice. He pulled down his scarf so that she could see the reassuring smile on his face.

"I'll never leave you Jewel," he said as said filly nuzzled his mane. He pulled up his scarf as a smirk replaced his smile, "You still have to learn how to tell time though."

The filly gave a flat stare into the distance, "Darn."

Granite's laugh was swallowed by the snow as he continued his march.

-------

Applejack was a very simple mare when all was said and done. She would wake up, tend the crops, hang out with friends and family, and then go to bed just to repeat it the next day. This wasn't counting any wacky adventures that might spring up.

'Course, that was when there was a crop to tend. Winter meant no crops which meant that a huge portion of AJ's day as gone. So, with nothing to do, she had offered to help around town. Mostly this meant making sure the roads were clear of the white fluff that came with winter. So, everyday she could be found out and about armed with a trusty shovel.

She was just finishing up today when she heard... singing coming from opposite of the direction from town. The singers, a stallion and a filly from the sound of it, came from the other side of the hill. AJ knew that the only thing out that way, though, was open road heading Fillydelphia way.

"Now what in tarnation are ponies doing out there?" she asked herself as she set her shovel aside and began the trek to the top of the hill. The cold caused a shiver to go down her spine. After this she was gonna head straight to Twilight's and take up on her offer for hot cocoa 'fore heading home.

As she got closer, she could hear the stallion start a new song. The stallion was off key but the joy he sang with made AJ smile. AJ paused at the filly's voice. It was... majestic. The way she sang reminded the farmpony of Sweetie Belle. The joy just added to it. It was at this point that the two, formerly unknown ponies, crested the hill. This allowed the farmpony to see that it was indeed a stallion and a filly. The stallion was gray with a black mane and light blue saddlebags. A turquoise scarf was wrapped around his neck. His face, like the filly's, seemed to be cracking by the size of the smile he had. The filly was turquoise with a brown mane. The scarf around her neck was gray and the saddlebags she wore were purple. She noticed that both were unicorns. She also noticed that the stallion was well-built for a unicorn.

"Oh, Granite, look!" exclaimed the filly, who was now pointing at AJ with a hoof. The stallion turned from the filly to look at AJ as well. His smile lessened some but he still seemed to be happy so AJ didn't question it.

"Don't point Jewel," the stallion muttered.

"Why?" the filly, Jewel, asked innocently, causing AJ to chuckle.

"It's rude," Granite replied, causing an "Oh" from Jewel as she dropped her hoof.

"Howdy partners," she greeted, tipping her hat, "What are y'all doing out here in the cold?"

"Traveling!" Jewel answered excitedly as she jumped up and down.

"In the snow?" AJ questioned, pointing her look at the stallion.

The stallion shrugged, "A lot better out here."

"Yeah, brother said we should go find a new home!" The filly added, causing the stallion to give a sad smile at the filly.

"W-well," AJ was shocked by their answers. How could the open road in winter be better than there home? "You couldn't have come upon a friendlier town!"

"Really?" asked the filly, turning on her brother, "Ya hear that Granite? Think that we can stay here?"

"We'll see," he said as he got low to the ground, "Climb on."

Happily, the filly climbed on her brother's back and walked up to his head. She then planted both forelegs on top of his head and laid her head on them, the smile still present. AJ smiled at the sight. It made it even cuter that Granite's horn seemed to bisect her face.

"Care to lead us to the inn, Ms...?"

"Oh. I'm Applejack and I think you look like you're in need of some hot cocoa," she said, leaving the bait for the filly.

"Hot cocoa!" screamed the filly, jumping to her hooves. Unfortunately, her forehooves ended up planted on top of her brother's head. AJ had to give him credit; he didn't seem the least perturbed by it. The filly then pushed her forehead into her brother's horn, getting her face as in front of his as she could, "Can we Granite? Please~?"

"Sure. I don't see why not," he replied with a smile. While the filly 'squee'd!' and withdrew her face, Granite shot AJ a look that spoke volumes of how far he would go to protect her. AJ offered him a reassuring nod before turning back to town.

"This way. My friend won't mind a couple of visitors," she stated as she began to trot through the town. In a whisper she added, "Might do her some good."

As they walked through town to the library, AJ would sneak glances back. The first brought a smile to her muzzle. Every other kept it there. The filly was going back and forth on her brother's back, looking at everything with a childish awe. The stallion seemed to be looking at everything as an effort to not look at AJ. Even though he tried, the farmpony caught him once or twice.

It wasn't long though before they were standing before the library. The sing in front of it named it the 'Golden Oaks Library'.

"Your friend works here?" Granite asked while Jewel had laid her forelegs on his head and her head on her forelegs.

"Lives, actually," she replied, smirking at his raised brow, "Come on."

The farmpony then walked into the dark library, a knowing smile unseen by the stallion or the filly. The siblings looked at each other and shared a shrug before following the friendly mare inside.

"Why is it dark?" Jewel asked.

"SURPRISE!"

Two things happened as the lights came on and the many ponies came out from hiding. One: Jewel screamed and jumped down behind her brother. Two: Granite dropped his front and lowered his horn, a snarl on his muzzle. The aftereffect was a frozen library.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Jewel yelled as she shoved her way between her brother's legs to come out between his forelegs. This forced him to raise his body and helped disarm the little standoff. The filly was unaware of this though as a large smile adorned her muzzle.

"HI!" greeted a pink mare that suddenly appeared in front of them, causing the filly to 'EEP' and shrink back a little, "I'm Pinkie Pie! Sorry for scaring you but it wouldn't be a SURPRISE party without the SURPRISE! Hehe, now would it? You may be wondering how I knew you were coming! Well, I woke up today and-hmph!"

Granite silently thanked the cyan hoof that was now blocking Pinkie's method of babbling.

"What she means is 'Welcome to Ponyville'," explained the owner of the hoof, which was one cyan pegasus with a polychromatic mane and tail. She smiled at the two, "I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!"

"I'm Precious Jewel, umm..." her face then scrunched up in thought.

"Laziest filly in all of Equestria," Granite stated with a smirk.

"Hey!" Jewel shouted as she sat in front of his forelegs and crossed her forelegs.

Granite chuckled before offering a hoof to Rainbow, "I'm Cut Granite, her brother."

"Nice to meet ya," Rainbow said, removing her hoof from Pinkie's mouth so that she could return the hoofshake with her other hoof. She then backed up and waved a hoof at four other mares. From left to right there was a lavender unicorn, a white unicorn, AJ, and a yellow pegasus that was standing behind AJ with her mane covering one eye.

"That's Twilight, Rarity, AJ, and Fluttershy," she introduced, pointing at them in order, "You've already met Pinkie."

"Hiya! Again!" exclaimed the pink earth pony.

"We've already met as well, Rainbow," Applejack stated with a nod.

"Oh, I love how color coordinated you two are! It's so cute!" squee'd Rarity, causing a blush from Granite and a large smile from Jewel.

"Welcome to Ponyville," Twilight greeted with a smile.

"Um...hi," whispered Fluttershy.

Granite nodded to each while Jewel waved. In a burst of confetti, the pink pony was suddenly between the siblings and the four mares. An almost manic smile took up most of her face.

"It's time to PAR-TAY!" Next Chapter: Friend Making and Job Choosing Estimated time remaining: 20 Minutes