“You are smug this morning,” Little said to Deke as they walked in for breakfast. “What has the brat gotten himself into.”

“Ha ha,” Deke grinned. “I got myself into nothing. Not anything. It found me.”

“Oh gosh,” Early Blossom groaned.

“He was bad last night?” Little asked, expecting to know the answer.

“He behaved himself like a good colt,” Cherry Tart smiled bringing plates over. “Very well behaved guest.”

“So you got them on your side,” Little shrugged.

Grandma Cherry Tart leaned over to whisper to Ruby Snow who was sitting next to her. “This isn’t normal, right?”

“They have been working together perfectly,” Ruby Snow whispered back. “Now that they are in civilization, it appears they are both peacocking. Showing off their feathers. It is as playful as it sounds, but there is an edge. I am as surprised as you. Little has been under my command for a while.”

Grandma Cherry Tart chuckled. “I am not sure what happened last night, but Deke has some new feathers to strut around and show off. I am going to keep poking them, it is fun.”

“Be my guest,” Ruby Snow smiled. “I can’t as their Captain, but I can enjoy it.”

“Cherry Tart dear,” Grandma Cherry Tart said. “I am not sure we can use the Lieutenants in the orchard. One is an airhead and the other is full of air.”

“Hmmm,” Cherry Tart said thinking. “I have been trying to solve that problem myself. Together, can they make half a pony worth it in the fields?”

Deke and Little began staring each other down as they ate.

Red and Big Red came into the kitchen from outside.

“I think the weather will hold,” Red announced. “Just long enough.”

“I bet it is scared of the Buttercup,” Deke replied.

“Only if you are behind the wheel though, right?” Little sarcastically asked. She wasn’t going to hold any sass back.

“No,” Deke scoffed. “Bronze Valve at the helm is the real nightmare.”

Little had no response to trump his.

They headed outside to begin. The sky was getting darker, the storm was obviously coming.

“That is one giant Derecho,” Deke said as he marveled at the sky.

It was laid out in one long line, looming over them, as the dark clouds grew higher and higher. An impenetrable wall, hiding it’s electrical charge, and carrying the wrath of the mountains. The storm below was going to be legendary for it’s severity.

Deke was surprised Red had said it would hold. Especially how he didn’t seem to care about what was on their doorstep. The only thing that mattered was the harvest.

“Lieutenant, you will be with Yellow,” Cherry Tart said. “My mom will teach you proper. Deke, sorry. Red will make sure you don’t hurt yourself. Lavender, we could use your help back here. Early Blossom and Parsley will help you. Sweet, can you show the Captain the ropes. I know he can pick it up easy and won’t need supervision for long. Big Red, Bronze, you know what to do. You are our power houses for the harvest.”

“Behave you two,” Ruby Snow ordered. It was an official order, but it would only stoke the fire.

Deke followed after Red. Little already had her head up high.

“I need to outperform her,” Deke said to Red. He was trying not to clench his jaw.

“I can only show you,” Red replied, holding back a chuckle. “How you perform is up to you and what you can handle.”

Little was having a similar conversation. “I have to be the best. Show me how it is done.”

“Don’t worry when you fall behind,” Yellow smiled.

“I think I can keep up,” Little replied confidently.

Yellow smiled at Little while she punched the tree she was under. The cherries fell perfectly into the buckets. Little lost all hope.

“I hope you can keep up,” Yellow said proudly.

Ruby Snow might be an old Cloudship captain, but he had a knack for the trees. He was keeping up with the others. It was frustrating Deke and Little even more.

“Relax,” Red coached. “You can’t get the power when you are that tense.”

“Can’t we just blow them off or something?” Deke asked. “Maybe we could use the engines on the Buttercup to knock them off.”

“That would damage the cherries,” Red stated. “Way to much power. You can’t generate enough of a force with your wings or lungs to knock them loose without stripping the tree. But the right kick shakes the tree, causing vibrations which magnify out to the tiniest branches and lets them neatly break free.”

Deke bucked a tree. Nothing fell. “Neatly doesn’t seem to like me.”

“You will pick it up fine,” Red encouraged as he knocked all the cherries free with a casual kick. “I have been doing this all my life. Grandma Cherry Tart had to bring in a harvest with me cooking. That year also included several other cherry harvests and some other vegetables.”

“That really is all your life,” Deke said giving the tree a solid kick.

It was a pathetic amount that dropped off, but it was his personal best so he was happy.

“What about you and your parents?” Red asked.

“My parents, its a complicated past. I’ll leave it there.”

Deke’s frustration over the topic gave him the right power to knock the other half loose.

“Now use the same technique and breathing, but loosen up. I get the feeling you already know how we feel about our work.”

“Life of hard labor that you love,” Deke said as he started on another tree. He did significantly better. “But as hard as it is, your love overcomes all.”

“Most of the time,” Red chuckled. “But it can be a real drag. Checking the trees over and over, row after row, unable to change much, hoping they mature correctly. It can be a real strain. Especially in the winters.”

“No electricity,” Deke stated.

“Exactly,” Red chuckled. “Family makes or breaks a farm. That doesn’t mean you have to have a big family either. How you handle things together matters. Same on any other farm, in any other job, even as a soldier. Friends and family that keep your head up and with a smile on your face makes even the most boring and painful job, a good job.”

“That isn’t always easy,” Deke replied.

“No it is not,” Red said. “But what has your spirits up today? You went to bed on the low side, but the morning you were almost floating.”

“Shadow and his memory,” Deke sighed contently.

“How would Shadow deal with these trees?” Red grinned.

Deke’s mouth turned into a grin as well. “Like this!”

Deke was confused when nothing happened.

“Perfect!” Red praised. “Now do it on a tree that has cherries on it.”

They laughed and Deke began to channel Shadow. Or at least try and kick like he remembered him leap and bound.

Lunch was a nice break. Deke’s smile was as wide as it could be. Reconnecting with Shadow in his mind was powerful. But not as powerful as being better, much better, than Little. Ruby Snow was quietly outshining them, but they had found it a lost cause and were focusing on each other.

“Okay Captain,” Cherry Tart said. “I kept telling myself not to ask, but I have to. How in the world did you pick this up so easily?”

“Call me Ruby,” He smiled. “Truth is, I grew up on Pit Haven. The seventh in my family.”

“You black hearted rascal!” Grandma Cherry Tart exclaimed standing up. “The stakes just got raised Cherries. Heavens High.”

“Are you going to try and out buck me?” Ruby Snow asked.

“No!” Grandma Cherry Tart said. “I will!”

“Grandma, I am lost,” Early Blossom said. “The non Cherries are.”

“Pit Haven is on the east side of the Enclave,” Grandma Cherry Tart growled. Ruby Snow was just grinning. “They are homestead number 38. They are a worthless homestead and should have failed a generation ago! We did an arranged marriage to save them. They are our cherry rivals. Always have been.”

“Jam was a good thing for our farm,” Ruby Snow gloated.

“Why the rivalry?” Early Blossom asked, daring to push it.

“They were able to expand and seed half their region with orchards,” Grandma Cherry Tart spat. “Watered down what a real cherry is like with half baked cloud farmers.”

“Your homestead just couldn’t keep up with the expansion,” Ruby Snow smiled.

“No, we did a better job than you! We focused on building the community into a diverse region able to support itself and then to produce more and feed more ponies. You lost your roots. You lost your homestead because you give it all to the Enclave.”

“This got fun,” Deke chuckled as they stared each other down.

“Sadly you are right,” Ruby Snow admitted. His smile never faded. “My mother never talked about her home. They were too different. She missed the freedom you have.”

“You are Cherry Jam’s colt?” Grandma Cherry Tart stammered. She was trying to not get her hopes up.

“Yes I am,” Ruby Snow nodded.

“My sister had seven?”

“Eight.”

“Damn,” Grandma Cherry Tart said falling back into the chair. “She really was good for you. Doesn’t excuse never sending a letter!”

“Well, after harvest you could go visit her. She was still kicking last time I was home, six months ago. Just like you. I haven’t heard anything since, so I assume good news.”

“I’m too old for a journey like that,” Grandma Cherry Tart groaned.

“Not if I pick you up in the Buttercup,” Ruby Snow smiled. “I have to head that direction shortly after the harvest to file the report on Deke so he can stop being on probation.”

“Damn it!” Little swore. “You already passed.”

“I only failed on the Lenticular because of idiots, not my actual skill,” Deke huffed.

“Social skills are part of the test,” Little shot back.

Deke just smiled.

“A visit would be nice,” Grandma Cherry Tart smiled. “But you better not warn her and you better be prepared to get your ass kicked in the fields!”

Ruby Snow nodded slowly. “Lets show the Lieutenants what it actually means to have a bucking contest.”

“If she breaks a hip I will break yours,” Cherry Tart warned.

“Fair enough,” Ruby Snow chuckled. “I can fly with a broken hip.”

“I do have a question,” Cherry Tart hesitated. “Grandma, you are old. And Ruby, you are past your prime. If you are seven of eight, how is Cherry Jam still kicking.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence dear,” Grandma Cherry Tart smiled. She dropped the smile. “But I’m not close to bucking out yet! I was first, Jam was fifth. Jam married early because it was arranged. So early they only married officially for a good year or two they were so young.”

“That is always the horrible talk,” Ruby Snow groaned. “The marriage talk. We don’t want to know the details. The fact that they shared a bed almost two years before they even cuddled, let alone… I’ll spare you my pain.”

“The sisters are alike when it comes to their love of giving marriage advice,” Bronze chuckled. “Not that Grandma goes into details. Her talks are sweet.”

“I can’t believe sharing a bed for two years,” Deke stated shaking his head. “Shadow got to me, but not that much. I just don’t, it doesn’t make sense. I had the fillies fainting as I passed by.”

“I doubt that,” Little interjected.

“No, they swooned,” Deke chuckled. His cheeks reddened. “I just don’t get it. I wasn’t the smartest colt when it came to the other side. I made my choices, but I wasn’t the dumbest either. Damn Shadow made me self conscious of all of it. Made it feel like my exploits were not normal. Told him all the stories, but damn, I can’t bring myself to do anything again until I’m married. I turned down offers in officer school!”

Little was visibly shocked.

“He is a special stallion,” Grandma Cherry Tart chuckled. She sighed. “One really special stallion.”

“I can’t throw him a ‘proper’ bachelor party anymore,” Deke added. “Ruined that too. Making me a noble sucker.”

“It makes you a real stallion,” Red stated. “One who cares. Truly cares about himself and how his actions effect others.”

Deke needed to shift the conversation off of him. He pointed at Red and Ruby Snow. “So that makes you two cousins.”

The two of them looked at each other and shrugged.

“Only technically,” Red replied. “He still is a Pit.”

Ruby Snow and Red laughed together.

“Blossom, are there any rivalries I should be aware of?” Cherry Tart asked.

“If there are, dad will have to tell us,” Early Blossom replied. “But every turnip farm got their seeds from us. They all owe us big. Not much room for a rivalry when you are clearly on top.”

“Your family is boring,” Cherry Tart complained.

“They certainly are predictable compared to yours,” Early Blossom laughed. “But we need to hit the fields.”

They cleaned up and were back at it. Grandma Cherry Tart knocked the rust free on the first kick and it was game on.

Red just shook his head at Deke. “She is bucking like she is half her age. Like I remember her growing up.”

“Its certainly scary,” Deke chuckled. “At least to me. I do not have a younger mare to picture.”

Red chuckled with Deke.

“I guess that makes you and the Captain about the same age,” Deke said.

“I’m older,” Red replied. “Buy a good bit since he is seventh. I’m first. He is tired. Stressed. It ages a pony fast.”

“And makes you look ageless,” Deke chuckled.

Red shrugged as he kicked a tree. “I guess. We rarely see persistent stress like that. Only from a farm in trouble, and even then, the community is giving it their all. Big Red is my first, Cherry Tart is my third.”

“My fourth, Diamond Dawn, just got married and is working very had at her new home. Her mother in law died in childbirth, really hurting their farm. But she has been able to turn it around. It is amazing what fresh blood can do. But that is a big, long stress.”

“You are really proud of her,” Deke stated.

“I am proud of all my foals,” Red replied. “Equally proud.”

The day finished strong. Deke was proving to be a good farm hoof. Little had caught on just as well, but Grandma Cherry Tart was tearing it up. She wiped the floor with all of them. They had made a significant dent in the orchard, especially for the number of hooves in the field.

Lavender Mist, Parsley, and Early Blossom had worked just as hard sorting and cooking. They were no sorting color or destemming, just trying to get the bad cherries out of the mix so they wouldn't spoil the others. They needed to collect them fast and stall the real sorting for a few days.

The storm clouds continued to gather, but they never advanced. Equestria was holding them back to protect the harvest.

The reports coming in from the Buttercup’s crew were mixed. None were bad. At worst, they were neutral. Most farms were simply nervous. The crew gave them nothing to worry about and worked hard. The crew could see the storm on the horizon and saw the real danger it posed.

Lance and Black were able to get their harvests fully knocked out. They were going to head up to help Cherry Tart and Early Blossom. Rain Jubilee and Golden Harvest would be trailing behind after making food in the morning. So far, no injuries had been reported, which meant Dream Catcher would follow them.

Lunar and Buck were heading out, with the four crew members assigned to them, to a parsnip farm further out. It was large and in need of the backup. Rift and Spice had taken down over half of their harvest with only one helper. The rest would be in by lunch if they kept it up.

Deke was so stiff in the morning he couldn't be sore.

“How do you do this?” Deke groaned at breakfast. “I didn’t get this beat down in Basic Training. I guess their conditioning should really be bucking cherries, or apples, off trees. Then again, Shadow really would have cruised through that.”

“He has a lot to learn about bucking,” Cherry Tart chuckled. “He has to find that sweet spot with his small body. When he does, its easy work. But he is a lot better as a sorter. Fast eyes, faster wings and individual feather control means he doesn’t always have to remove them one at a time.”

“Of course that is his strong suit,” Deke sighed. “Only thing I beat him at is size, swagger and charm with the ladies. He has no clue what to do. If he gets a wife before me… I will be shocked.”

“You shouldn't count him out so early,” Lance said walking in. “Good morning Blossom, Tart, and everypony else.”

Lance and Black had no clue who was who from the Buttercup. They knew Deke from the pictures Shadow had shown them, but that was all. Introductions would happen shortly.

“Well he will have to do it in between deployments,” Deke replied. “That won’t be much time and I don’t think below is a promising place to find a wife for an Enclave Pegasus.”

“He should be deployed right now,” Lance said. “Judging from when he visited.”

“That supply drop had to have been for him!” Deke smiled at Ruby Snow and Little.

“Like I said before, we are staying out of it,” Ruby Snow replied. “And that is an order, if you were dense enough to not pick that up.”

Deke just grumbled but Lance’s look required a better answer.

“I know nothing Sir,” Ruby Snow stammered. “Every division wants in with the recon team for status. It means there will be infighting and the Third Fleet has our orders to stay out of it. We have enough to do. We actually have jobs like the reclouding. We do not need to jockey for something like that.”

“If they need a ship to go below for a resupply, pick up, or rescue, they will be sending either the Red Dawn or the Buttercup. There isn’t a Raptor that could do that job better than we can. It is part of what the Corvette class was designed to do. They probably won’t risk the Red Dawn yet either.”

Little read the concern left on Lance’s face. “It’s not going to cause a problem for the recon team. It just will create a mess around them. And even if infighting happens, their backups are already laid out. Its too late for most officers to get closer.”

Cherry Tart shooed everypony out and into the orchard. Grandma Cherry Tart was again out with them and still showing them how it was really done. Even with the expanded orchard, they finished it up on day two.

Deke got a good laugh once he met Dream Catcher. She had easily surpassed Shadow in size and was shaping up into a very strong farm Pegasus.

Bronze Valve walked into the living room while they were taking a breather before bed.

“Excuse me. Captain, the crew has returned. No negative reports. Most are moving to secondary farms to finish the harvest. They estimate another day, maybe two.”

“Thank you Bronze,” Ruby Snow replied. “How are the locals handling things? Are they still nervous?”

“Many sir,” Bronze Valve nodded. “But most of those have their harvest’s in and wont be interacting with the crew anymore.”

“I hope it is one more day,” Red said. “I am concerned she will only hold out for another day.”

“Our systems can not explain why the front hasn’t moved in,” Bronze Valve stated. “By all accounts, it should have.”

“Equestria is granting us a blessing,” Grandma Cherry Tart smiled. “But it is going to be a bad one once it breaks free. The north has gotten angry and it is going to be nasty. We have seen it before.”

“Bronze, alert the crew to not take any weather risks,” Ruby Snow ordered.

“Yes Sir,” Bronze Valve nodded and departed.

“Good call,” Black said. “This storm may put us all in a dangerous position as we finish up the harvest. Every farm has been hauling it in with little sorting. I hope it isn’t as cold as it looks like it will be. We need to sort immediately after all the harvests are in.”

“We might need to knock the leaves off,” Cherry Tart said, shifting the topic.

The Cherry family exchanged looks. Ruby Snow had no idea what they meant.

“We start in the morning,” Big Red said, making the call. “They will be doing the same back home. Winter is coming early.”

They made final preparations for the morning and went to bed. It was going to be a very early morning.

Deke was tossed a rake. “What is this? I grew up in the city. I have never seen this before in my life.”

Little just shook her head at Deke, but kept her mouth shut. She had no idea what it was either. They explained the rakes and how to knock the leaves down. Deke was annoyed they got the rakes and the others would be doing flyovers.

“If you haven’t worked on aerial leaf duty, you stay on the ground,” Cherry Tart explained as she flexed her wings. “Too, close and you clip your wing or worse, break branches. To far, and its a wasted breeze. And the younger trees you have to be even more delicate and precise with. These are all young trees.”

Ruby Snow had never heard of knocking down the leaves. He grew up too far south. The aerial teams couldn't come in to the trees closest to the house. What was the first reason why the rakes were needed. The other factor was that the flyover would get a good chunk off, but not all, forcing the manual removal.

Early Blossom lined up with Red, Big Red, and Cherry Tart. She had been trained over the summer for this very reason.

Deke waited for them to come around.

“You are bouncing up and down,” Little poked.

“Yes,” Deke said with a bit of squeal. “Shadow Flare became a master of the sky. I want to see if his sister has any talent. Maybe it is in the family.”

Deke didn’t have to wait long as they came in low and fast over the house. They were laying their wings over the trees, gingerly cupping them. There was nothing careful about their speed as they screamed over the fields.

“That’s impressive,” Deke admitted. “Fuckers don’t even go to flight school!”

“I guess real life out here is a better teacher,” Lance chuckled.

“Makes me more depressed and it shouldn’t,” Deke chuckled. “I should feel better since its in the family, but I don’t. I have stood in his wake and watched him perform great feats in the sky.”

“Come on,” Lance said nudging Deke. “Lets get the rest of these leaves down. Not all of us can fly like that.”

They were working as fast as possible, but it still was early autumn. The trees were not ready to give up their beauty yet.

“She broke loose!” Black yelled from further down. “Lets get a move on things!”

The cold sliced through the air out of nowhere, dragging the wind with it.

“Captain!” Little called out. “If we are going to try and ride the storm we need to get her in the air!”

“No!” Black yelled. “That isn’t a good idea. Too late and its going to ice you out. Feel that cold! Its worse than I thought.”

“BACK TO THE HOUSE!” Cherry Tart ordered.

After seeing the storm on the horizon, building, Deke thought it was much further away. They were slammed with a mix of hail, freezing rain and sleet before they could get halfway back. Deke stumbled into the house, ice all over him.

“I feel I’m back at Basic, Lieutenant Marble Falls screaming at us, as she forces us to fly into ice storms over and over, to learn how to handle it while flying. I never learned. Just look at the ice on me.”

“You had her?” Little chuckled. “Lieutenant Razzleberry had us watch Black as she iced them out for kicks.”

Deke yelped as Red’s hoof came down on his back, shattering all the ice and dropping it to the floor.

“Like I was going to say,” Deke shivered. “Of course you had Razzleberry.”

“Big rivalry between the Barracks,” Little chuckled as she explained. “Which was best, Blue or Black, for the aerial combat training segment. And the two instructors have a very fierce rivalry.”

Ruby Snow had business to deal with. “Black? Lance? Red? Cherry Tart? Any idea on how long this storm is going to ground us?”

“No idea,” Lance replied. “Last time this happened I was a colt. We lost most of that harvest and actually turned in losses for the tax.”

“Yes, I remember now,” Black said. “We were stuck inside for three days, and then everything was ice. Everything. But that was in January. There was no way to foresee the ice or cold coming this early in the year. And We had to do major irrigation work after all that ice melted. By now, your ship is frozen to the clouds.”

Red nodded his head in agreement. “I would say a good foot when this is over.”

“The trees,” Cherry Tart screeched, tears coming up. “I don’t have the… I can’t afford this.”

“You got the harvest in dear,” Yellow said pulling her in for a hug. “We are getting slammed back home too. We will survive. We will survive.”

Deke shivered. “Will it help to brave deicing them every so often?”

“No,” Big Red said, hold back his own tears. “Its better if they stay iced. It will build up and support itself like a bigger branch. The problem will be the thaw.”

Cherry Tart slipped out of Yellow’s hug and dashed up the stairs. He cry was deeply disturbing. Early Blossom scrambled after her.

“Your house?” Lance asked Black.

“I’m worried about yours,” Black said. “That left wall you have been keeping an eye on.”

“I hope Buck and Lunar are safe,” Lance replied. “I could see Buck trying it.”

“I agree,” Black sighed.

The house groaned and everypony froze.

“It’s okay,” Black said after a minute. “Its just settling. Its never had a big storm yet. Last year was a dry winter.”

“Okay, we have wet and cold ponies,” Rain Julie said with a cheery voice. “We can’t stand here in the washroom. Lets take care of that first. We need to stay dry and warm.”

“I’ll cover that,” Dream Catcher said. “One by one. Kitchen”

“I’m on blankets,” Golden Harvest added.

“You ladies are on top of this,” Lavender Mist marveled.

“We deal with this enough,” Rain Jubilee smiled as she joined Golden Harvest. “But the Stallions are not useless.”

Deke hadn’t notice Red and Bronze were not in the room. They came in loaded down with firewood.

“One load inside,” Bronze said. “We should be able to make it.”

“Deke, you’re up,” Little said coming out of the kitchen. “Go dry off.”

“Wings up,” Dream Catcher ordered. “I’ve seen it all on my rounds.”

In one smooth move Dream Catcher ripped the uniform off, leaving Deke naked. That is where his concern was, not his cold, wet coat. The next thing he knew the towel whipped over his entire body and he was being kicked out of the kitchen, dry.

“Cloaks for you sensitive city ponies,” Red said tossing a cloak to Little and Deke.

Deke wanted to deflect it with humor, but the cloak was around him faster than his mind could think.

“The fire looks nice,” Little sighed. “I can’t wait for the heat to kick on through. It is getting cold in here faster than I expected.”

Deke was the only one able to respond. “They don’t have heat. They barely have electricity. They don’t even have phones.”

Little was speechless. Half was trying to comprehend living without those ‘necessities,’ the other out of fear of freezing without a heater.

Ruby Snow and Lavender Mist didn’t need cloaks. They both had grown up with little more than cloaks. They neatly settled in on the floor without a second thought.

“What happens now?” Little said quaking a bit.

“We hunker down in the family room,” Grandma Cherry Tart smiled warming at her. “And camp out here under the blankets. Keeping warm together.”

“And the cherries?”

“Frozen,” Red replied. “Won’t be fresh, but they won’t spoil. That is the big thing.”

“Stories,” Deke grinned. “I want to hear about Rainbow Dash.”

Cherry Tart rolled her eyes as she walked past. She wasn’t ready to talk. She wasn’t ready to be out of their room yet. She didn’t have a choice. Their room was already freezing. Early Blossom pulled her in tight.

Before Deke and Little knew what was happening, they were wrapped up in a blanket together. Everypony had a blanket buddy. The married couples were easy to determine. Dream Catcher and Grandma Cherry Tart snuggled up together without a second thought.

“Well,” Deke nudged Little. “We did learn to sleep anywhere in Basic. And we can sleep in the chairs on the bridge. We can do this.”

“One plus,” Little sighed. She was already restless.

The house groaned again. This time with several clicks. Red, Black, Lance, Big Red and Bronze were on their hooves immediately. Cherry Tart was hounded with building questions. She had an answer to all of them immediately. She hard to force herself though it.

The stallions were out the a minute later to check on the outside. They were only armed with their simple cloaks. At least Lance had Shadow’s cloak, but it was little help against this weather.

“We will be fine,” Black said coming back in a little bit later. “She is just settling. But its got a good three inches of ice already. We need to get on some weathering though. The rooms to the doors are closed, but we need to break free the shutters and seal them.”

Cherry Tart groaned more tears. Early Blossom flipped the blanket over their heads for privacy.

“The outside doors and kitchen need it as well,” Lance replied. “We worked late into the night weathering our house. I thought those clouds were further away. I thought we would have more time before the cold.”

“Me too,” Black said as the stallions prepared to dash to the barn.

It was back outside to break free the shutters and close them. It was safe for them to ice over then. It was then inside for a break to deice and warm up a bit before heading back out to add on the winter doors to the outside of the houses. They were skilled at their jobs and done quickly.

“You guys are insane,” Ruby Snow said shaking his head. “I thought we had it tough. This is nasty. The weather teams made sure it didn’t get anywhere near this bad. I wonder what they are thinking about all of this.”

“They don’t think anything about this,” Lance sighed. “They do not care. They do not care. I checked years ago. But it is for the best. We grown better food because of it. It is more natural, organic. And it tastes better.”

It was quiet for a while as everypony warmed up and adjust to the winter arrangements.

“Hmm?” Deke asked Little.

“I didn’t say anything,” She replied softly.

“You said something,” Deke said nudging her.

She caved after a minute of his nudging.

“Fine,” She groaned. “I was saying, to myself, I need a hooficure. Mine were bad when we took you on board. We never had the time for me to hop over and get one done. They were booked solid. Not that I mind getting my hooves dirty, but they need a polish to take care of these chips.”

“Oh now dear,” Rain Jubilee giggled. “We can polish those up nicely. You didn’t think we let our hooves stay cracked and chipped did you? We are experts. We will get each one of your hooves polished up prim and proper.”

“You can’t work without your hooves,” Lance chuckled. “Although, keeping ours in good shape does typically fall to the ladies, we can polish ours up right. The stallions may have braved the cold, but the mares could do it just as fast.”

“Never discount theses ponies,” Deke whispered to Little.

“I get it. I get it,” Little said shoving Deke back.

She forgot they were wrapped up together and it just pulled her into Deke. Little pushed them apart as much as the blanket would allow. It was going to be a difficult few days.

Next Chapter: Chapter 58 - Brokenness Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 50 Minutes