Author's Notes:

Part Two of the Weather Machine Arc!

Have an opinion, like to vent a little of your spleen, have some glowing praise? Then you're welcome to leave a comment! We won't bite. Hard…

Charm came back to the cabin that was his escape to seeing a whole slew of mares. He closed his eyes, counted to three, and opened them to see that the mares were still there. He growled silently to himself, walking past the orange Earth Pony mare, toward the door, and opened it.

“Will somepony please tell me why in tarnation we have more ponies here than there’s ever been? It looks like somepony went and got a whole slew of college foals and dropped them right in the middle of our place!”

“College foals?” Asked a golden Pegasus mare in a Pith helmet, “heh, it’s been many moons since I was in university, young colt. Sol be praised, I could be teaching you if took my class.”

“Relax, Charm,” Muddy called out, “there all here cuz of the Prince.”

Charm was going to respond when he saw a lavender unicorn mare, a pink Earth pony mare, and a bright yellow Pegasus mare all hanging around the Prince. Deciding that it was best to leave it as it was Charm grumbled, walked toward the group, and held out a pack.

“Yer pack was up in the tree, and I wrestled it away from an a young owlbear that thought it looked fun ta play with,” he breathed out and looked at all of them, “Look, yer friend is hurt purty bad, but I can have him healed enough ta travel in a couple of hours. I ain’t answering questions, and I ain’t toleratin’ no visitors any longer than we need ta. I got a ton of work ta do here, potions ta brew, and it’s gonna take time.”

The lavender filly spoke first, “Do what you need to do. My companions and I can wait outside; I think it might a good idea that we retrieve our wagons.”

Moondancer then piped in, “I’ll help. You still look a bit exhausted, Twilight. Casting any magic in your state would do more harm than good.”

“Uh, thank you,” Twilight began, then her eyes widened in recognition, “Moondancer?!”

“Finally, she remembers!”

“What she remember, Moonie?” Muddy asked.

“My name,” Moondancer replies, “come on, Twilight, let’s have us some girl talk.”

As the two unicorns depart, Dash has a singular thought, “What the buck was that about?”

“Let’s ask,” AJ answers, “but later. Come on, ya’ll, let’s give Mistofer Prince Charming here some room to work his magic.”

“It’s Charm!” The other Earth pony stallion cries back, “stupid townies.”

“Watch it, boyo,” Endymion says, “that mare is a whole lot stronger than you and could fold you over yourself if she got the notion. I’ve seen her take on a cohort of orcs with nothing but her fists and hooves; came out of that scrap with nothing worse than some minor bruises.”

“Dang, Charm,” Muddy exclaims, “sounds like the mare of yer dreams!”

“Oh, shut up, Muddy,” Charm counters, before added in a whisper, “well, she damn near is perfect.”

Outside, the rest of the party breaks up to find something to do. AJ and Pinkie decided to help clear some accumulated snow from around the cabin. Dash and Daring Do have an animated conversation about the latest A.K. Yearling book, and Fluttershy found some swampland animals to speak with. That left Moondancer and Twilight plenty of time and room to talk.

Twilight looked at Moondancer as they walked toward the old kitchen in the cabin. The cast iron wood stove was currently glowing a dark red, indicating that the wood inside of it was indeed doing its job of keeping the cabin itself warm. Following suit Twilight began to help as Moondancer began to make pancakes for everypony there.

“It hurt you know.”

Twilight looked at her unsure of what she meant, “What?”

“It was the first time I’d ever put myself out there, the first time that I felt like I had value, I meant something to somepony. You were my best friend, my very best friend in the whole world, and you just left. You left before the party I was going to throw, you didn’t even come and tell me goodbye, you just left.”

She sniffed and wiped her eyes, “I shut myself in after that, I figured that I didn’t matter, and if it hadn’t been Professor Flintheart I’d still be stuck in my little run down house on the outskirts of Canterlot not really doing anything other than studying.”

“I’m… I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I really didn’t.”

Moondancer gave her a half grin, “I figured that. Professor Flintheart had me come out here with a few other magi to collect Floom sap and seeds. We got out here and the first thing they saw was Charm and Muddy,” she hid her face a little, “I feel so bad because we all thought they were a couple of freaks.”

“They seem nice, although Charm seems to be a little high strung.”

Moondancer nodded, “He’s half Unicorn, and he gets all of our neurosis and none of the benefit. Well, that’s not exactly true. He is able to create potions that are actually far more powerful than most spells I can cast. I’ve seen him cause a seedling tree to grow into a two hundred foot giant, and then back into a seedling, from using a couple of potions he’d mixed up. He’s good, really good, and I think that he’d do well in the potions class, or would if he wanted to go. He just doesn’t. He doesn’t like being around a whole lot of ponies.”

“Sounds like a lonely life.”

She shook her head, “No, he’s got Muddy, and me. Muddy’s his best friend, and I’ve never met a smarter pony. He can remember anything he’s ever read, anything he’s ever seen.”

“That’s impressive, but he doesn’t seem that smart.”

She looked at her and rolled her eyes, “Muddy, what’s Haycart’s method?”

“Oh, that there is the method where Haycart, the former apprentice to Star Swirl, learned ta project his entire being into literature. He became a literary drawing and was able ta travel inta the realms of fiction. Nopony has been able to do more than six minutes in any work. ‘Cept for Cel Shade who creates the Power Ponies comics. He actually learned a way of redirctin’ it so readers could travel inta the comic itself. I kinda wanna do dat.”

“Thanks sweetums.”

Twilight stood there with her jaw hanging open, “He knows all of that?”

Moondancer grinned and nodded, “And more. He knows the entire history of Equestria, he’s learned a good deal of it from a trivia game that the Academy uses to teach students.”

She shook her head, “He’d pass an exam to get into the school.”

Moondancer shook her head, “Like you get him to leave his swamp. He and Charm love it here. They have a real- connection to this place. I realize a lot of unicorns, especially those from Canterlot, would look down on them, maybe even call them ‘mudponies,’ but the love they have of this marsh… It’s something I’ve never seen from anypony before.”

“You talk as if you know all this from personal experience,” Twilight states, “is the reason you stay here because of my neglect? Or am I being a little egotistical here?”

Moondancer laughs and says, “Yes and no, to both. When I was here the first time, I got separated from the Academy group. I had followed a trail that large grouping of immature Floom plants; getting samples from those is almost impossible, given how unstable the plant is at that point. When I turned around, I found myself lost. Then Muddy found me… I had been wandering for three days and two nights when he found me. Ugh, I was so haggard… But that’s besides the point. When I realized where I was and who found me, I’ll admit I was incredibly judgmental of them. It wasn’t until I tried to find my group again and got myself harassed by mature Floom plants that I came to really understand them.”

“That is such a turn around,” Twilight began, “also, I’m really sorry I missed out on that party. Looking back now, I can honestly say that I had my priorities mixed up. Can you ever forgive me?”

Moondancer took a long, solid look at Twilight as she transferred a flapjack to a plate, then said, “If you had asked me three years ago, I would slammed the door in your face. Now, now it’s a lot easier for me to say yes, I do forgive you.”

The mares shared a brief moment where there was nothing but a companionable silence, then they shared a brief hug. Some tears may or may not have been shed. Thankfully, no pancakes suffered due to this emotional moment.

Once it was finished Twilight noticed there was easily ten to twelve pancakes per pony. Not that she was going to complain about it, but usually she didn’t eat more than two or three. Moondancer seemed to see her confusion and shook her head.

“I know you’re kind of wondering why I fixed so many for each of us. It’s unnaturally cold, and the truth be told everypony is going to need the extra energy.”

Twilight thought about it, considering what she said, and it made sense. It really did. They would need the extra energy. Moondancer nodded toward a shelf and Twilight saw what she was motioning toward. She saw one of the biggest jars of fresh honey she’d ever seen in her life. Once it was down Moondancer carried the platter of flapjacks to the table, Twilight sat the jar down, and the both of them walked out to let everypony know that there was food ready.

Before she walked out she looked over to see Endymion, and she noticed that he actually looked better. She guessed that Charm had already given him the potion he was going to earlier. They opened the door only to feel the biting cold of the winter weather gathering. Fluttershy was ushering the animals she could find into a small cave, that apparently an owlbear family was willing to share, and she shivered as she looked at Twilight and Moondancer. Moondancer looked at Twilight and then at the others.

“Okay, let’s get everypony fed, and then I’ll teleport your wagons over here.”

It is well known that food has often been at the center of many, many important meetings. That food has well determined the stability between nations, helped forge new friendships, and even helped ponies fall in love. For something so important it can often be overlooked, and today, today a collection of flapjacks and some fresh honey was doing just that same thing. New friendships were being created between a couple of decent stallions and a collection of mares that happened to be looking for their friend.

Muddy looked at everypony as they were eating. He knew that he could recite just about anything he’d ever read, heard, or seen before, but it was difficult for him to put things into words to really express himself. He wanted to. He wanted to be able to tell everypony that he felt they were forming a bond of friendship that they would carry forever, and that he was so happy to see his marefriend making up with an old friend of hers.

He wanted to let them know that they’d be welcomed out here, as far as he was concerned they could visit at any point and it wouldn’t bother him a single bit. But the words just wouldn’t come to him. His brow knitted together as he tried to think of how to express himself, and instead he looked at the honey. Muddy’s Dam, his mother, had been an earth pony in every regard. She practiced the Earth Pony Way, and she ensured that he practiced it as well. Always share the burden, never let another pony carry the weight of their problems on their own back without sharing the load, and never, ever, ever act better than anypony.

Part of the Earth Pony Way was to offer what you had to others. He looked at the honey, and then at those who were eyeing it, but too far from where it was. He took the jar, walked toward them, and poured it for them. It was a simple gesture. A kind one that most would overlook, much like how important food was to a situation, but one that if somepony took a moment to really think about it would see how important it really was. This gesture was expressing everything he wanted to express, and it was doing it wordlessly. He took a seat, and it was the two earth pony mares that instantly looked toward him. There was something understanding in their eyes.

They got what he was doing. They understood the message, and their warm smiles told him that they accepted. He looked at the pegasi and he felt so bad for them. They appreciated the gesture, but they didn’t get what it meant. To them he was just being nice. It wasn’t their fault. Most of them simply didn’t speak the unspoken Earth Pony Language. They couldn’t understand it. Moony got it, but he knew that was because she was actively trying to learn more about the Earth Pony Way.

The meal slowed, and soon everypony was full. Muddy began gathering up the plates, taking them to the kitchen to wash. As he started that way a small buzz of conversation began at the table. Smiling, he carried it on into the kitchen, placed the plates on one side of the old sink, grabbed two pots, filled them with water, and then placed them on the wood stove. He was about to begin to wash the dishes when he heard the mention about adventure again.

Endymion looked at Charm. His ribs felt fine, his back was better, and he could move his legs without feeling an unforgiving amount of pain. Whatever was in the potion he had been given, it had done better than most healing spells that were taught at the Magic Academy.

“So, yer a sayin’ that this machine that’s controlling this weather is just past the swamp?”

Muddy poked his head out, “Naw, they said it was in Stargazer’s old place. That’s past the swamp and up the mountain. Gonna have ta take the caves.”

Twilight looked at him, “Which caves?”

“Oh, ya know, the ones that he made when he first made his home. They’re all through the mountain, and he made a lot of fake ones, so ya have ta stick ta the real ones.”

“Muddy, do you know the real caves?” Moondancer asked.

“Well, yeah, mostly, I mean nopony really knows the full way through. I jest happened ta come across the map once in the trivia game, and I thought that it were purty interesting.”

“Hold your horses,” Daring growled, “you mean to tell me there’s a map of the Mount Oblivion cave system? And it’s hidden in a trivia game?!”

“Yeah, purty much,” Muddy replied, “I’m surprised more ponies don’t know about it.”

“That’s my stallion,” Moondancer beamed, “he sees things most others would overlook.”

Muddy blushed, saying, “Shucks, it ain’t a thing.”

“Hold on,” Charm piped in, “jest how were ya’ll gonna get to Stargazer’s place, ennyway? Just trot around the swamp, in a pair o’ wagons?”

“That was originally the plan,” Twilight admitted, “but, if your friend Muddy says there’s another way…”

“Sure as shootin’ there’s another way!” Charm exclaimed, “And a damn sight better than marching through the Jack’s Lanterns fields. Sol and Selene, it a wonder ya’ll ain’t friquise right now.”

“Hold on there fella. Ah dun been through the swamp a few times, delivering pies, and Ah know a thing or two ‘bout it.”

Charm looked at the very fit mare across from him. He shook his head, “Yer passin’ through the Jack’s Lantern’s fields, and that means that ya don’t know the safer spots ta cross. Muddy and me dun lived out here fer a long time, and we’ve dun found the best places ta get around in the swamp without touchin’ the fields, finding the RUS, or runnin’ inta the rock ravens.”

“Charm, maybe we could lead ‘em ta the mountain?”

“Muddy, you have you lost yer Sol cursed mind?” Charm asked, “We got enough goin’ on here, what with the potions I’m brewing and the renovations to that ole wagon ya got out there. If we take anymore time gettin’ that stuff done, it’ll be winter all over again.”

“Not to criticize on you stellar use of logic there, Charm,” Moondancer breaks in, “but, it’s kind of winter now! I just checked the thermometer and it’s dropped fifteen degrees in the last hour. At this rate, even with the stove burning at capacity, we will freeze to death. And passing around the swamp isn’t going to get this party to Mount Oblivion any faster.”

“Moondancer, don’t you start on me-” Charm begins.

Muddy cuts him across, “No, you hold on, Charm. Moonie has a point. We cain’t just set here on your haunches and hope to Sol things’ll get resolved. We know this swamp bett’r’n anypony and these ponies and Prince are gonna fix it! Besides, the Flesh Golem up thataway only responds to you and that old feller what come up here a few years ago.”

“Wait, a flesh golem?” Endymion asked, “What in the name of Selene is a flesh golem doing out here?”

“Danged if I know,” Charm murmured, “I ain’t figured that one out myself, but it likes me well enough. Ya’ll might just plunge a sword in him or somethin’.”

“Come on, Charm, we can do this!” Muddy pleaded, “Let’s go and get ‘er done! Unless you wanna be a silly filly with a stick stuck up your plot.”

Charm looked at the group of them, a slight curse escaped his lips, “A’right, we’ll do it, but Imma doin’ it ‘cause I wanna get back ta work, and not fer any other reason.”

“Oh, that’s a load and you know it,” Moondancer grinned, “Besides, I think that it’d be good for you to get to know some other ponies.”

“What am I, a science experiment to you?” Charm asked.

“Now that you mention, I have been thinking a lot about my graduation thesis…” Moondancer mused.

“Hardy-har-har,” Charm deadpanned, “you’re so funny, I forgot to laugh.”

“Oo, is somepony having a comedy revue?” Pinkie chirped, “Cuz if so, I have an entire retinue of baby alligator humor that's most hilarious on this side of the Foal Mountains!”

“Wha- I- Huh?!” Charm babbled.

“It’s okay,” Endymion said, “I’m married to her and even I don’t get her sometimes. She Roamani, what do you expect?”

“Ain’t exactly sure what I was aspecin’,” Charm admitted as he looked at everypony else, “Alright, if'n we’re gonna go, then Ah better get ready.”

Leading them outside Charm walked behind the cabin to a smaller one. He opened the doors to reveal an older wagon that had a layer of dust on it. He grabbed, it and it became obvious while he looked like an earth pony he didn’t get their strength. The wagon groaned and finally began to move, but it was damned near everything Charm could do to pull it.

Once it was out, Twilight’s eyes widened. The name on the side was one of the most famous illusionist and potion masters she’d heard of when she was in school.

“Mistress Ia Cain’s Traveling Potion and Magic Show!” was proudly printed on the back of the traveling sales’ pony wagon. The Wagon itself was a deep rich green, the sign had a yellow backdrop with the letters standing proudly in bright pink.

“Muddy, ya mind to pull?”

Muddy shook his head, and walked toward it. He connected up the straps, secured the harness, and seemed to pull it with little problem. Seeing it was indeed able to go Charm walked back inside and came out with two large saddlebags completely full of roots, mushrooms, and opened the back of the wagon. When he stepped in old gas lamps lit on their own giving the place a wondrous glow. He grinned as he put the items he’d need for the potions they may need away. His mother’s own potions were still in here, everything from instant fireball to a teleportation potion. Unfortunately, the teleport potion could only teleport somepony where they could directly see, or a place they knew exceptionally well.

The teleportation potion might not be of use right at this moment, but if worse come to worse he could use it, with all of them touching him, and get them back to the cabin. He knew it well enough. Some other potions were stored in his mother’s old wagon, namely the will o’wisp, which would create a bluebell flame in any spot for half an hour. If kept in a jar or lantern, it would burn for longer, upwards of eight hours. There was also a spell book of his mother’s finest illusions. This had been secreted away shortly before she died; he had been wanting to pass this down to his son or daughter when they came of age, but that hadn’t happened yet.

He did harbor some attraction to the one they called Applejack. She was a fine filly, very strong, with wide hips and a bright smile. And the way she carried that great sword of hers, whew! He very nearly popped an erection when he saw her with it. His Earth pony half was what drove his mating instincts, he knew, and that mare was everything he could ever want in a mare. Of course, this wouldn’t stop his father from dropping in with a Pegasus or unicorn mare he thought would interest him.

It wasn’t like he was uninterested in them. Compared to his father, Master Chief, he was a stringy young colt lucky to have a beard. Master Chief was strong, broad shouldered, and with a deep resonating voice. He couldn’t carry a tune to save his life, but when he spoke, ponies listened. It was no wonder he was once an NCO in Her Majesty's Navy. That was all some time ago, though, and work with the Equestrian Trading Company was solid. It was more than enough bits to keep Charm in clothes, food, and books as needed.

Even so, his father was a monster of a stallion and Charm felt envious, even intimidated by his Dad. Charm was gifted but not in physical strength. His potions, even from a young age, were second to none in at least three counties. Only a Zebrica shaman could potentially best him in that.

Feeling secure in that he had all he needed, and double checking to ensure that his mother’s wood and coal burning stove still had a full box of coal to burn through, he readied himself for the trip they were about to embark on. Muddy’s Parents, Spud and Pokey lived right outside of the swamp, and it had been Spud that taught him everything he knew about the place. The last time he’d been out of Fire Swamp had been to visit the two of them, and of course see his father.

That’d been nearly a year and a half, but his memories of how to get out was still fresh. He knew that Muddy knew the paths just as well, and while there was fewer that would allow for the wagons, they would still easily make it out of the swamp and to the base of the Mountain before nightfall. He walked up toward Muddy and gave his oldest friend a smile, “Yer sure ‘bout pullin’ this thing?”

Muddy nodded, “Comes down ta it, it’s gonna be a matter of practicality, and bein’ an Earth Pony just means that Imma better suited fer it. ‘Sides, it’s a nice wagon, and it pulls easy. Yer mama took good care of it.”

Charm nodded, “Okay, Moony, go ahead and get in, I’m going to ride up top, those of ya’ll pullin’ wagons get ‘hind us, and follow us out.”

Snow was building now, and even though Muddy had said he didn’t mind pulling Charm worried for his friend. It was getting deep, past the fetlock at this point and moving further up the legs all of the time. He could hear the sound of the a keening wailing cry, and the obviousness of it came to him. Master Chief talked about them once, a long time ago when his mother was still alive. One of the few times the three of them had been together.

His ship had actually traveled back to the old lands, before Equestria, the forgotten lands of their ancestors, and it was there that he heard the most mournful and sorrowful cries he ever heard. They looked beautiful, floating around the coast, their white transparent bodies promising anything, and everything, a sailor could ever want, but each cry brought more cold.

It was the cries of Windegos. The spirits of unrest, of cold indifference, and the very spirits that controlled winter in nature itself. Winter was a time that lead to rebirth, but only after death. His Earth Pony instincts told him that, and they told him that was needed, and necessary, but not at the moment. Now, right now it was dangerous, and it was threatening all that they held dear.

He could hear the snow crunching, no longer was it content to just be cold. The snow itself was now freezing over, becoming more ice like than snow. That made wagon pulling treacherous. Unicorns and Pegasi that insisted on pulling wagons would be worse off in this kind of weather. Neither of them had the connection to the ground the Earth Ponies did. Neither of them could sense how the ground leaned, where rocks were, where a dip and rut was at.

It would be like letting a newborn foal run loose with a loaded play wagon and blindfolding them. Right now the three earth ponies pulling were the ones that were best suited for it. The cold whipped around him, and he felt the biting cold from it. It hurt, really hurt, and he knew if it was hurting him then it was getting to Muddy, and undoubtedly it was getting to those other two earth ponies.

The keening wail of the Windigos raised in pitch, and became louder. They were crying out over something, something had dragged them from their home, from a place where they were welcomed and comfortable, and pulled them to a land they felt nothing but pain in. He could hear the pain in their voices, each time the wind carried it they were louder, their cries screaming for release, to be let go, to get out, and secretly he wondered if they were going insane. To hurt for so long, to be held captive for this length of time, it had to be driving them insane. By the time they left the Fire Swamp there was no more cover from the wailing. It was loud, and he could see them. By Sol he could see them. The mountain was still a fair stretch, at least half a day in good weather, and with the snow, maybe longer, but it was there. But around the top of it, he could occasionally see one, its body becoming solid for a moment, long enough for the wailing to echo down the mountain, to express the pain and suffering it was enduring.

His father had hold him that looking at a mess of them was like looking at a cloud, and if that was right, there had to be millions upon millions gathered around the mountain, following some strange trail that was forcing them to everywhere. The trail traveled over the swamp, toward the town that lay on the other side, beyond the mountain in every direction they were traveling, and they were crying out.

His mother’s gift to him, his more unicorn side allowed him to understand what he was seeing. He was seeing a perversion of nature, a desperate and horrific way of controlling the seasons, and done in such a hamfisted way that it was going to destroy everything and everypony if they didn’t get to the top and soon.

“Is it just me, or is the snow seriously intensifying?” Endymion asked.

“It’s not just you,” Rainbow shouted over the howls and screeching wind, “I don’t know if we’ll reach the base of the mountain in time for sundown. AJ keeps saying that the ground underhoof is getting more treacherous by the minute. I’ve seen her slip a few times; I’m inclined to believe her.”

“It’s too bad we didn’t stop and Ma and Pa’s place, Charm,” Muddy relays, “could’ve set a spell, gotten warm on their hearth.”

“It’s a little late for that now,” Charm replied, “but maybe, if we can get up the mountain a little ways, we can use one of the caves for shelter. It’s gettin’ awful dark awful fast.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Endymion shouted, “Twilight and I are going to blast some flames ahead. Should keep us moderately warm as we make our way and clear some of the worst of the snow. It won’t last us long, but maybe we can make a clear enough path to hasten this leg of the trip.”

“Do it,” Moondancer said, “I’ll help out from up here.”

In short order, a trident of fire rushed forward, melting the snow and providing light to the dying day. The path that Muddy was taking improved drastically, now that most of the snow and ice had melted, but it was necessary for Twilight to keep a small furnace of flames working behind them. The air was getting colder and much of their efforts froze almost instantly after it was cleared. Her small furnace put out enough heat to muddy the trail without icing it over immediately afterwards. It was draining, she wasn’t going to lie about that, but it was worth it. It was worth it because it kept them going, and it kept them heading in the right direction.

Hours passed, and the wind had went from sharp, but weak, to sharp, filled with frozen rain, and strong as an Earth Pony. Finally they had reached the mountain, finally they had made it past the base, and finally they had found the old cave system that Muddy had talked about. They pulled into the cave, and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Daring Doo quickly helped the Earth Ponies that was about to collapse.

Charm helped with Muddy and AJ, getting them into one wagon or another, getting them on a bed, and laying them out. He’d never admit it, but he took a little longer to leave that orange mare than he normally would. There was an overpowering urge to get to know her, to try and impress her, and finally to let her know that he was a good stallion. It was the kind of urge that was hard to quiet down, and he knew that it was part of his father in him.

There was a sound from deeper in the cave, and when the realization that they were not alone, but a bear and her cubs were there as well things became a little more interesting. Fluttershy herself talked to the bear, getting her attention off of the ponies, explaining that they didn’t mean her harm, and that her cubs and herself would be safe.

“I know, Mrs. Bear, and we’re sorry, but the wind and snow is getting worse outside. If you would allow this shelter from the elements, we’d be forever grateful.”

The bear grunted and groaned in response. Fluttershy nodded and “hmmed” as the bear vocalized.

“No, no, I understand,” Fluttershy replied, “I promise you that we mean you no harm. And I find your cubs so cute, so I promise that neither I nor my companions will cause your cubs any harm.”

The bear grunted once more.

“Okay, we will. We’ll build up the fire so we can ourselves and your family warm. Is that okay?”

The bear nods.

“Thank you, Mrs. Bear,” Fluttershy said, “do you need any help? Is there anything I can do for you?”

The bear shook her head. Fluttershy smiled and shook the bear’s proffered paw. Sh returned to her companions, beaming.

“Mrs. Bear is going to allow the use of this cave for tonight. We may need to built up the fire to warm up the rest of the cave, but I promised her we would keep her and her cubs would safe.”

“A fair trade,” Charm said, “Muddy, go get some tinder.”

“Already got it,” Muddy said, “and that pink filly has some good stuff, too.”

Charm looked and the one called Pinkie Pie had a sizable pile of tinder. He didn’t even see her lay it down.

“So, let’s build up this fire,” Endymion said, “and then we’ll turn in for the night. I may not have pulled the cart but the frost has sapped me of whatever strength I’ve recovered.”

Everypony agrees and the fire gets built up more, along with a second fire constructed further down the cavern for the mama bear and her cubs. After the fires were built up and some interdiction was constructed against the wind, everypony settled down for the night.

Moondancer groaned as she crawled into the old green sales pony wagon. It was beautifully made, it really was, but right now she was more concerned about getting some sleep than she was about the craftponyship of the wagon she was in. She looked at Muddy, and pulled her clothes off. With the stove, and the shelter offered by the cave, it was finally warm. She lifted the blanket and looked at the stallion she fell in love with.

Many wouldn’t see past his exterior. They’d see a hillpony, somepony that wasn’t fit for polite society, but she saw so much more. He was gentle, kind, intelligent, and a very giving lover. She felt his coat and her heart ached. He was so cold. She slid next to him, pulling herself against him, feeling the cold leaving him and pulling onto her. She felt him shift, his off blue eyes opened, and she saw a hint of a smile cross his lips. He leaned over to her, kissing her cheek.

“Sorry, I know that Imma a c...cold right now…” he managed to get out through his teeth chattering.

She shook her head, “It’s okay. I want to warm you up, and let you get some well deserved sleep.”

She lay her head on his chest, listening to perhaps the sweetest heart in all of Equestria. "Muddy, have you thought about foals?”

“Eeeeyeah, I have a couple times. Thought, ‘bout havin’ a few with ya. I figured that they’d purty near be perfect with ya as their mama.”

She grinned, hearing his praise, feeling his breathing, he was the sweetest stallion. Her hand touched his bare chest, moved down, and found his stallion hood. His eyes widened as she began to stroke him, “I’m not in heat, not yet, but I want them too. So, I’m not going to cast any birth control spells this time.”

Despite being cold, despite being tired, and despite being far away from the cabin he’d called home for several years now, Muddy felt himself hardening in Moondancer’s grasp. She continued until he was stiff, and then she slowly crawled until she was straddling him. There was no lying that Muddy was well fed, he did eat like he was two Clydesdales, but there was a ton of muscle there as well. She felt it in his chest, his arms, and she slid down onto him.

“Oh Sol…” she moaned, “Muddy…”

“Moonie,” Muddy groaned, “what are ya’ll doin’?”

“You’re cold,” Moondancer explained, “I may be tired, but I’m not too tired, so I thought I could try to warm you up the old fashioned way.”

“Dang, filly,” Muddy exclaimed, “are ya sure you ain’t got some Earth pony in ya?”

“Well, I do now,” Moondancer answered coyly.

“How we gonna do this without wakin’ up Charm?” Muddy asked, just stopping himself from laughing.

“Oh,” Moondancer began, “a little birdie taught me a special charm that will allow us to raise all the Mustang we want without anypony hearing a peep.”

All Muddy could do was smile.

“Remind me ta thank that ‘lil birdie’ later,” he retorted, then he wrapped his arms around Moondancer’s waist to bring her closer to him…

Muddy’s last words of the night were, “Share the wealth, that’s what Pa always said.”

The next morning, after certain ponies untangled themselves from their partners, the mama bear called Fluttershy over for a discussion. According to the Sol Priestess, Mrs. Bear had seen some odd comings and goings in a cavern northwest of their current position. Muddy produced a map and showed the party which cave that might have been and Mrs. Bear confirmed the location through Fluttershy.

It seemed that Muddy and Charm had mapped out the majority of the caverns in Mount Oblivion; the route that would take the to Stargazer’s Tower was the cavern system Mrs. Bear said was showing an increase in activity. Mrs. Bear also warned the party that there were some strange creatures hanging out along that route. She hadn’t seen them before and for as long as she had lived on this mountain, this was the first time any being had seen such in these parts. Fluttershy thanks Mrs. Bear for the warning and shortly afterward, the party set off again.

“I think I need a small refresher on my magical history,” Endymion commented, “but what was it that Stargazer did again?”

Twilight replied, in true to form lecturing style, “Stargazer the Elder was Starswirl the Bearded’s older brother. While he wasn’t as accomplished as his younger sibling, he was the stallion responsible for determining the thaumatic influence of innate Pegasi spellcraft involved in manipulating the weather. He was also the pony who created the earliest weather models, of which some are still in use today, although more modern models are far more accurate and waste less resources. His research into weather manipulation, though, got him into a lot of hot water. Many of the top arcane researchers of his day decried his work; they often posted editorials about his experiments, often calling his research some of the most ‘banal and dangerous labors outside of war games.’ Even his own brother begged him to stop his experiments. Stargazer persisted, and most historians agree that he continued working on his weather spells as a way of bolstering unicorn pride. He was a known tribalist, unlike his younger brother. One of his most disastrous experiments brought on such a terrible drought to the Greater Grasslands region of Equestria that it didn’t recover from it for at least two hundred years.”

“Wow,” Rainbow said, “he sounds like a prize. So, he figured out Pegasi could walk on clouds and bring storms to areas but he failed to reproduce the effect with his artifice? Weak.”

Everypony started at Dash as she finished her statement. The mare took on a confused look before huffing indignantly.

“I may seem like a simpleton to many ponies, but I’m no idiot,” Dash retorted, “do you honestly think the Weather Service Bureau recruits stupid ponies?”

“Well, no,” Twilight replied, “you’ve just never showed any academic inclination.”

“Because it’s all a bunch of hot air,” Dash shoots back, “why talk about something when you can do?”

“I can understand what yer talkin’ ‘bout,” AJ says, “but even so, there are times when a well thought out plan is better than just rushin’ in, crossbows ablaze.”

“I get that,” Dash said defensively, “I just some ponies wouldn’t act like being direct about what they think or mean is an affront. I don’t like hiding behind words or theories.”

“Well, now that we’ve heard from the peanut gallery, no offense Dash,” Moondancer said, “shouldn’t we press further on? This weather isn’t correcting itself.”

“Agreed,” Endymion said, “although, I do have wonder something.”

“And what’s that?” Charm asked.

“I wonder if Stargazer built this blasted weather machine as either a rebuke of his academic adversaries or as a testament to his magical prowess?” Endymion mused.

“Mebbe he built the darn thing as a big buck you to his brother,” AJ said, “this Stargazer feller sounds like he might the prideful sort, by mah reckonin’.”

“Ya ain’t far off,” Charm added, “you should see his tower. I ain’t never seen so many busts of any single pony in my life. Talk about narcissism.”

“Charm is right,” Moondancer said, “I’ve seen the inside of the tower. It’s practically a monument to himself. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t had himself entombed there. I do remember there being a mausoleum somewhere in there.”

“Third sub-basement,” Muddy said, “just below the old geezer’s laboratory. There’s also some weird contraption on the same floor because that’s where the flesh golem resides.”

“Good to know,” Twilight responds, “that will save us plenty of time searching for it.”

“Awww,” Pinkie whines, "but that’s always the best part!”

“Hey, everypony,” Muddy calls out, “quiet, ya’ll, we’re near the cave system.”

“And we do need ta be quiet, sugarcube?” AJ asked.

“There’s something in there that ain’t supposed to be,” Charm replied, “now how in the name of Sol did timberwolves get up in here?”

“Timberwolves?” Moondancer asked, “Wait, I don’t think those are timberwolves…”

“What do you mean, moondancer?” Twilight questioned, and Pinkie added, “Yeah, whatcha talkin’ ‘bout, Moonie?”

“Endymion, can you feel them?” Moondancer said, “The magic, it’s- it’s different.”

“I can feel it,” Charm said gravely, “an’ I think yer right. These ain’t timberwolves, Muddy. We ain’t seen these boys in a while.”

“No,” Muddy said, coming to a full stop, “you ain’t talkin’ ‘bout-”

“Yep,” Charm replied, “I can hear them chains now. No doubt they’ve come back.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Dash roared.

“Kludde,” Muddy answered, “demon dogs with wings, surrounded in blue fire. Don’t let ‘em get behind ya!”

“Why not?!” Applejack inquired.

“Cuz they’ll tear a pony to epics if they can,” Muddy explained, “Charm ran ‘em off with his potions a while back but there ain’t much he or I know that’ll keep ‘em off us fer long.”

“Twilight, let’s cast a shield spell between us,” Moondancer suggested, “it might protect us long enough to get through the caves.”

“Already on it,” Twilight replied.

“Are we going to need to make a run of it?” Endymion asked.

“Yep,” Charm answered back, “in fact, we shoulda been runnin’ five minutes ago. Muddy HOOF IT!”

Even with the snow and ice, Muddy’s hooves begin to pelt ahead, rushing onward as the rest of the caravan picks up steam. As Twilight and Moondancer’s combined shield is erected, the first sight of the kludde arrives, a pack of devilish canines wreathed in pale azure flames. Even for as fast as the combined efforts of Muddy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack are, the kludde come just as quickly, running right on everypony’s fetlocks.

Endymion was the only one who could offer any defensive measures at that moment, so he started slinging spells at the demonic creatures. Anything that would come to mind he cast back at them, although many of his spells didn’t have much affect on them. Then Charm came out from his wagon with a case of potion flasks. He hefted one, which contained a sickly green potion inside, then threw it. Endymion saw it was going to fall short and bounced further along with a burst of telekinesis. He saw the contents of the flask turn from a vomitous green to a pale golden yellow. When it struck the ground behind them, the liquid bubbled and steamed, in spite of the dank chill of the cave. A kludde attempted to jump over the puddle but as it flew through the steaming vapors, it dissolved.

“Acidic vapors,” Charm called out, “a speciality of my mom.”

“I thought your mom was an illusionist?!” Endymion shouted back.

“She was,” Charm replied, “but she was also a Black Cloak. She and Flintheart were a team. It was what she did fer a livin’, ‘sides a travelin’ sideshow. She died protectin’ ponies from harm.”

“Well, thank Sol for that,” Endymion commented, “how many you do you have of those?”

“More than enough for all of ’em!” Charmed cried, “Come get sum, ya sonsabitches!”

More vials were tossed and more kludde were dissolved like so much salt in water. The caravan sped it’s way, following in Muddy’s hoofsteps, through the cavern system. The kludde followed close behind but the combined efforts of Twilight, Moondancer, Charm, and Endymion kept them at bay. In no time at all, they saw the exit for the side of Mount Oblivion they needed to get to. A single spire, pearly white in the winter gloom, speared the sky as winds cycloned around it.

“There it is ya’ll,” Muddy announced, “The Tower of Stargazer th’ Elder. Hope you packed some extra britches, cuz things here is gonna make you wanna plop a few loaves, if you catch my meanin’.”

The kludde, which had chased the caravan throughout the caverns, stopped at the mouth, unwilling to chase their prey into the frostborn maelstrom.