Windchaser shielded his eyes as the light in the foyer caught him by surprise yet again. The luminosity of the giant room had always come as a surprise to him and the others in his group when leaving Princess Luna's private meeting room on the top floor. It was the seventh day in a row it happened, right after lunch, but this time Windchaser was simply caught off-guard thanks to his tiredness.

For a second it was almost like a bad taste, as though he didn't enjoy the clear skies. However, in reality it was simply a reason that kept Princess Luna in doubt of the group's storm story. With no storms or even snowfall over the past week, the headmare seemed less and less convinced that something had actually happened, that there had been a downpour or thunder and lightning.

“Think she'll call us in again?” Bonfire asked, annoyed and tired after yet another hour-long group discussion.

Seven Seas, the last of the three in line, shook his head and mumbled something inaudibly. Windchaser did nearly the same, but managed to keep his thoughts in his head. Doctor Dramatico would have been their sides, trying to cheer them up somehow, but this time he had things to; apparently there was a minor injury to attend to.

“I think she will,” Bonfire said, answering her own question with a pessimism Windchaser remembered of her.

“I hope not,” Windchaser sighed. “This is, what, the seventh day in a row?”

“Eighth, me thinks,” Seven Seas corrected, though not proudly. “But then again, ev'erythin's startin' to blend together...”

He started to mutter again.

“Seven times it is,” Bonfire said. “You think she'd believe us, right? That there was a storm and that monster... thing, we were running from. I mean, what would we be lying about?”

“I'm not sure,” Windchaser remarked. “I want to think she believes us. Maybe she's calling us back in again and again to see if we're remembering more.”

“But we've all said everything we know,” Bonfire growled between clenched teeth. “I think we've painted a clear enough picture already. What's she getting at?”

Seven Seas began cocking his head about. “She's got the whole beginnin', clear skies and calm seas, then the writin' in that spooky cave, Dramatico's failed spells, and then that lion-thing that chased us all the way back here. There's nothin' more to say!”

The three collectively let out a frustrated exhalation.

“I don't get what more there is,” Windchaser grumbled. “I understand she's trying to get to the bottom of things to protect us better, but this is ridiculous.

“It doesn't help that there hasn't been a cloud in the sky since all that happened,” Bonfire whined.

“Ah, but the snow's all gone and spring is on the horizon!” Seven Seas cheered. “Ah, the season o' spring. No more of this cursed snow and horrible cold.” He suddenly stood on his two rear hooves and began waltzing, dancing, to the thoughts of the dreams that must have sparkled in his mind like some kind of trophy. “Just the sea breeze, and the sailin'; the coast and the call of the sea; the wide open-!”

“We've still got a week of sessions left, Seas,” Windchaser noted aloud. “Well, there was supposed to be, but given what's going on...”

The trio fell silent. All students had been informed on many details recently, from the monster Tempest to his very intentions. Windchaser thought it was obvious that the storm had been his doing; it came and went like no other. There was even a monster's head floating around in the rain. What Luna was trying to debate or disprove was beyond the young stallion.

It all had felt so real. Windchaser remembered the thunder ringing in his ears, and lightning flashing before his very eyes. There was no doubt he was in some kind of storm; the others had all seen and felt it, too. There was no coincidental craziness going on, unless it had all transpired in their minds like some kind of manipulative magic spell.

Realizing this, Windchaser had a new perspective, a new idea. However, looking at his friends, he could hardly begin to word his thoughts without feeling a bit of guilt. The other two were just starting their early-afternoon recovery from yet another long interview with the headmare, repetitive and exhausting as it was, and the last thing they needed was to be weighed down by more thoughts of the strange phenomenon.

In the racking his brain, Windchaser nearly ran head-first into another pony coming up the stairs. Initially the student was curious as to who else could have been so lost in thought or otherwise careless, but upon seeing the familiar blue colors and slightly bigger build – as well as a trademark pointy horn – Windchaser knew who he had just passed. The only strange detail was a cast around his friend's tail.

“Pokey?” Windchaser asked as he turned to see if it was, in fact, him.

The big blue stallion froze. Ever so slowly his head began moving around, just his head, arching in each and every direction. He still faced the opposite way as his body began to tremble.

“W-What's going on?”

Suddenly Pokey wheeled around and revealed a terrified look on his face. Windchaser stepped back, surprised, and after a pause watched Pokey's frightened expression melt away to his usual contented look.

After a pause, Windchaser tried the greeting once more. “Hey, Pokey Pierce.”

“Windchaser! For a second I thought you were a ghost,” Pokey replied. “What are you doing up here?”

“Just got out of a session with Princess Luna,” Windchaser said.

“Another one?” Pokey asked slowly. “But you've seen her every day for the past week.”

“Yeah, it's not anything special- well, I mean, it is, actually. I guess it's not all that rare anymore for us, though.” He motioned to the other two that joined him. Seven Seas waved cheerily, and Pokey nodded with a smile. Bonfire just stared. “What happened to your... uh, tail?”

Pokey turned around in circles as he tried to catch a glimpse of it. Due to his inflexibility, though, he never quite caught up to it. He stopped after a few dizzying rounds and let out a defeated sigh.

“I missed the cushion again.”

The three facing him paused.

Bonfire repressed a laugh as best she could. “You... you mean you missed sitting... in your classroom seat?”

Pokey shrugged as if it were nothing. “I'm used to higher chairs, not these fancy little pillows. You can climb on them all sorts of ways to get on. It's almost like an art.” He stopped, and the others exchanged confused looks. “With the little seats here, they're too close to the ground. I can't lower myself very good; I've never had practice before.”

“You mean, you never just... sit down?” Bonfire asked, this time her laughter was crackling into sputters.

Windchaser elbowed her. With a grunt and wipe of her face she shut her mouth, though her body continued to pulsate. Pokey seemed hardly affected.

Tapping his muzzle Pokey replied, “Hmm, I guess I never thought of it that way! Thanks, uh...”

“Bonfire,” the mare replied uneasily. “Don't, uh, don't worry about it.”

Seven Seas stepped forward and raised an eyebrow at his friend.

“So, Pokey Pierce, what are ye seein' the headmare for?” he asked. “Special appointment, eh? Ye earned yer special badge o' honor, some kind o' achievement?”

The stallion replied, “Something about cleaning.”

“Blimey! Yer in t-trouble!?” Seven Seas asked in shock. “B-But yer one o' the most innocent, kind-hearted-”

“Oh no, Princess Luna's asking every group about taking part in this year's Winter Wrap-Up!” Pokey answered calmly. “Our group's getting assigned first. We've got to clear the island of all that ice and snow, you know. Wake up all the hibernating animals, and-”

Bonfire didn't seem to care, “Are there even animals living on this island-?”

Windchaser elbowed her again, but this time she protested with a nudge back of her own. The two began squabbling until Seven Seas distracted Pokey with a good turn-around and directing toward the headmare's chamber doors.

“Ye just have fun with that then,” Seven Seas said merrily. “Sounds like it'll be a jolly good time, matey.”

Pokey nodded. “I sure hope so. We might not be in Ponyville, but I think we'll still get to do something similar for Winter Wrap-Up.”

“Yes, be rid of all this cursed snow, all this wretched ice and freezing air-”

“Do you know... how long it takes to get all the snow off a castle?”

Seven Seas blinked. “Eh, ye do know we're probably usin' magic, right?”

Pokey took his turn in blinking in surprise.

“Oh! Really?” he exclaimed. “Well, I'll be. How will we be able to prepare?”

“Eh... how do you mean?”

“Well, don't we have to start getting all the tools ready? Build the nests, get fit for ice skates-”

Seven Seas cut in as kindly as he could, “Well, er, like I just said, it'll all be done with magic and what-have-ye.”

“So... no shovels?”

Silence. Seven Seas gave his friend a push.

“Maybe it'd be best if ye asked Princess Luna all yer questions,” he said with a forced chuckle. “Gar, tell me how it goes later, understand?”

“But aren't you going to be participating?”

Seven Seas rolled his eyes, but quickly followed with a hearty laughed. “Sure, but we're not meetin' yet. I better take care o' these two bickerers, or we'll be back in there soon enough. Enjoy!”

“Okay,” Pokey mumbled over his shoulder. “See you later!”

The three disappeared down the staircase back to the main floor of the foyer, leaving Pokey all alone before the giant doors. He looked up at the dark doorway in front of him, its entryway opened a crack to reveal a mysterious darkness waiting inside. It looked as though it were evening or nighttime within. Baffled, Pokey stepped back and looked back up at the foyer ceiling where wonderful light streamed in through the giant panels of glass. He scratched his head and fell into deep thought.

Wait, what time of day is it again..?

“Pokey!” came a call from the stairwell behind him. The stallion turned to see Quirky Q smiling as she made her way towards him. “Ready to see what Princess Luna has to propose?”

“I'm sure excited for Winter Wrap-Up,” Pokey stated. “Do you think we'll be using shovels?”

Please say yes.

Quirky gave an uneasy laugh. “Well, um, maybe? I think we'll be using mostly magic, though.”

“Magic shovels?”

Quirky nodded. “Sure, Pokey! Magic shovels. Who knows, when it's Winter Wrap-Up-”

“I heard somepony say 'Winter Wrap-Up'!” came another voice from the stairs. The two turned to see Colgate beaming, standing as though the conqueror of some tremendous feat.

“I think Quirky did,” Pokey said.

“Well that's good, I'm not going zany just yet,” Colgate said as she drew near, energetic as usual. Quirky gave an expression that seemed to disagree. “We've got one heck of a holiday to celebrate. Just us three doing our thing with magic and stuff, and those... other guys... helping..?”

The excitement quickly died out, but Pokey couldn't tell why. The two mares were no longer looking in the huddle, but rather back at the stairs again. Pokey wondered if he had missed yet another introduction, but when he too peeked at the stairs he spotted none other than the remaining two of their accountability group from the shadow magic class.

“'Other guys', hmm?” said the first, Regality, a slim, shining white stallion with yellow hair and a thick rich-pony accent. “That's a bit uncharitable, don't you think, Tall Tale?”

The other one, a portly cyan stallion with a silvery mane and tail, snickered. “Some ponies're just jealous, I s'pose.”

“All right then, how's 'Piggy Bank Jr.' and 'Oink Oink'?” Colgate sneered.

“Come now, come now,” Regality remarked with fake remorse as he approached, “can't we have just one day where we get along? I thought class this morning went rather swimmingly between the five of us, wouldn't you agree?”

“Except when you moved the cushion from underneath Pokey,” Colgate growled.

The two stallions laughed, their chortling similar to a couple of pigs' snorting.

“You can't blame his clumsiness on us all the time, you know,” Tall Tale remarked as he lifted his nose. “I saw the whole thing, after all: he went and plopped himself down right in front of where his seat actually was... again!”

The two fell into laughter again, barely managing to stand upright. As they collected themselves and walked by they flicked their tails in Pokey's face with one final roar to end their chat. They made their way to the grand doors but took a moment to briefly look back.

Regality grinned as he locked eyes with the blue stallion who sat staring dumbfoundedly at the two.

“Don't worry, Pokey Pierce, we understand you're – what do they call it now – 'special'? Uhaw haw haw!”

And with that they entered into the chamber, through the crack in the giant doors, leaving the three standing and staring.

Colgate, for one, was fuming. “Pokey! How could you let them just do that to you!? Every single day they do that!”

Pokey blinked. “Do what?”

“That! That incessant mocking!”

“But he called me special-”

“I'm sorry, Pokey,” Quirky cut in gently, “but that wasn't exactly a compliment.” She sighed as Pokey merely stared, clueless. “Well, I guess we should head in, too. Hopefully they'll behave with Luna around. She can see everything, after all.”

“Everything?” Pokey asked, suddenly shaking like a stick in a storm.

The other two, confused, stared at each other for a moment and shrugged.

“Don't worry, Pokey, we'll just be talking about Winter Wrap-Up and get out of there,” Quirky said, trying to heighten their spirits.

“Yeah, let's do this!” Colgate cheered as well as the two helped Pokey back onto his hooves.

With smiles the three headed for the door as well, and Pokey could already see the darkness inside. The dimness of the room was slightly intimidating, but even scarier was the thought of Princess Luna. Pokey had never managed to feel at ease in the slightest when around her.

She can see everything! Luna just keeps getting scarier...

Next Chapter: Chapter 40 (Episode 11): Happy Pokey Estimated time remaining: 15 Minutes