“Do you have everything you need?” Thunderlane asked Rumble. “Lunch? Spending money? Scarf? Boots? Books to read? Your comb?”

Rumble groaned and turned his head away from his brother. His face turned red when he heard the sounds of fillies behind him giggling. “For the last time, yes!”

“I’m just making sure!” Thunderlane said. “I want you to have a really fun time, Rumble. And I want you to promise me you’ll be careful out there.”

Rumble backed away as his brother tried to hug him. “I’ll be fine! Now stop fussing already! You’re embarrassing me,” he added quietly, trying not to make eye contact with his brother.

“Is it embarrassing for a pony to care so much for his younger brother that he worries when said younger brother goes away to a ski resort for two days and nights?”

“… Yes.” Cheerilee called all foals to the train platform to start boarding. “Look, I’m going now. Stop worrying so much! Go have fun with Blossomforth or something.” Rumble began to run off, leaving his brother sulking at the lack of a goodbye hug. “And stay out of my room!” he quickly added. “I’ll know if you moved anything!”

As he joined the other foals at the platform, he heard a filly giggling to his right, and turned to see Berry Pinch standing beside him. “What?” he asked, not seeing what she found so amusing.

“I think it’s sweet of your brother to care for you so much.”

“He only cares because of you,” Rumble said, a little more harshly than he meant to. Berry Pinch frowned and faced the floor with a downcast look, and Rumble mentally kicked himself for snapping at her like that. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Actually,” Crunch Berry, who was standing behind Berry Pinch, said, “He wouldn’t have gained such loving feelings for you, if he hadn’t had some love for you in the first place.”

Rumble’s eyes widened. “No way,” he said. “All we ever do, or did, was fight and argue over little thing.”

Crunch Berry laughed and shook her head. “Find me two siblings that don’t, and I’ll give you the right to marry my granddaughter.” Both foals blushed, and exchanged a quick glance, before looking away from each other. “Just kidding. Even if you do, I’ll never hand her over to somepony like you.”

“Will you people stop it with that already?!” Rumble shouted.

“‘You people’?” Crunch Berry questioned.

“… You, Archer, and practically everypony else in our class. Why do you keep on insisting that we like each other.”

‘Because it’s so obvious, you moron,’ Crunch Berry thought, before letting out an exasperated sigh. “Well, I guess I’ll be on my way now. You have fun, Pinchy dear.”

Berry Pinch nodded, but still refused to face her grandmother until the redness of her face had died down a bit. Crunch Berry extended her wings, and took off into the sky, leaving the two foals alone. “… She’s totally watching us, isn’t she?” Rumble asked, receiving only a shrug from Berry Pinch.

“Maybe…”

Rumble sighed. “Great. Just great.”

“It is, isn’t it?!” an excited voice called out from behind the two foals, startling them both and causing them to jump and turn around suddenly. They saw Junior standing behind them, a large smile on his face. “This is so nice! Parents up in Canterlot are so high-strung, they don’t like the idea of their precious little children going on field trips outside of the city. You Ponyvillians are definitely more laid back, that’s for sure!”

Rumble regained his composure, and gave Junior an even stare. “So, this is your first time going on a real field trip?”

Junior nodded. “Well, I’ve been to Manehatten and Los Pegasus before, but on official changeling hunter business only.”

Berry Pinch laughed nervously, and tried to shy away from the energetic colt. “About this ‘changeling hunter’ stuff,” Rumble started, “Are you for real? I mean, aren’t you a bit young to go around fighting changelings?”

Junior grinned and shook his head. “Au contraire, my fine fellow. I assure you, I am a fully licensed changeling hunter, trained in all arts of detecting, capturing, and exterminating changelings.”

‘And might I just say, you’re doing a fine job of that first one,’ Rumble thought, shifting his gaze over to Berry Pinch momentarily.

“Besides, I have my reasons for wanting to hunt down changelings.”

“And what’s that?” Berry Pinch asked, slowly moving behind Rumble as she did so.

“… I was attacked by a changeling once,” he said, shocking both of the foals before him. “I don’t remember much about it. In fact, nothing at all. My father told me that changelings erase the memories of those they feed off of, in order to cover their tracks. It’s a scary thought, yknow? I was attacked, and I don’t even recall it happening. And for the next month, my father and I were forced to be distanced from each other, because all of my love him was sucked out by that… that monster.

“Ever since I had recovered from its feeding effects, I dedicated myself to becoming a changeling hunter, so that I could protect the citizens of Equestria from suffering the same fate.”

Berry Pinch felt a pang of sympathy for Junior after hearing his story, and Rumble looked over at where his brother had been standing moments ago. ‘If Berry Pinch was a regular changeling, would she have targeted Thunderlane’s love instead? His love for his marefriend, Blossomforth? … But instead, she increased his love towards me, and kept his other feelings the same. And yet, I’ve done nothing but complain about the new Thunderlane, all this time…’

“Well, that’s my story!” Junior said, snapping Rumble back to reality. “So, how about you, Miss Berry Pinch?” Junior knelt down before the red filly, and grabbed one of her forehooves with his own. “May I have the honour of knowing more about you, my beautiful little rose?”

Rumble started to grit his teeth at the display, and was about to move in to separate the two, when he felt a droplet of water land on his head. He looked up, to see a lone cloud hanging above him, with a pink mare sat down on it, glaring down at the colt.

‘… Right… Keep my feelings in check. But…’

“Heeeeey!” a new voice shouted out towards the group, drawing the three foals’ attentions. “Sorry I’m later! Did I miss anything?”

“Oh! Miss Berry Pinch’s friend!”

“It’s Archer,” Archer said, glaring at Junior as she reached the group. “And why are you holding Pinchy’s hoof like that?”

“I was merely asking her about her past. It is only natural, since I intend to make Berry Pinch my bride, one day.”

“W-What?!” Rumble and Berry Pinch shouted in unison.

“You can’t be serious!” Rumble shouted, pointing a hoof at Junior.

“And why not?” Junior asked, tilting his head at Rumble.

“Because!” Rumble started, but couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Because we’re still so young!” Berry Pinch said. “And, you can’t just make important decisions like that about me on your own! You can’t just… decide who I’m going to m-marry one day!”

“You tell him, Pinchy!” Archer cheered, wrapping her foreleg around her friend’s neck. “But, hey! On the other hoof, this guy’s father is a Prince, right? Marry him, and you’re Royalty, Pinchy!”

“That’s no reason to marry somepony!” Rumble shouted, and then flinched when he saw Archer grinning at him.

“Oh? Is there something you’d like to say, Rumble?”

Rumble blushed fiercely, but was saved by the final call to board the train by Cheerilee. “L-Let’s go! Before the train leaves without us!”

And with that, Rumble fled the conversation, along with Berry Pinch, who managed to worm her way out of Archer’s headlock. “Ah! Aw, darn it. Those two are so useless…”

“… Miss Berry Pinch’s friend,” Junior said, walking up to Archer.

“It’s Archer.”

“Those two,” Junior continued, ignoring Archer’s correction, “Are they… a couple.”

Archer sighed, and shook her head. “No, they’re not… which is why they’re so frustrating.”

Junior looked confused by that remark. “What do you mean?”

“… You seem like a smart boy. Figure it out.” Archer walked off towards the train, leaving Junior to his pondering.

“Ah! The train’s going to leave without me!” he shouted as he made his way into the train, carrying a large rucksack on his back as he boarded.

“Pinchy, to your left!” Archer shouted, taking cover behind a large tree trunk to dodge the three snowballs heading her way. “Hurry!”

Berry Pinch looked at Rumble nervously, holding a snowball in her hoof and looking around for a bit, before tossing the snowball in the colt’s direction. Rumble ducked down behind a small snow mound, and when he poked his head up, he was greeted to a barrage of snowballs heading his way, courtesy of Archer. He immediately ducked back down, and looked over at Junior, who was simply hiding behind a tree.

“A little help here?!” he shouted, covering his head with his forehooves.

“I told you, I can’t fight them!” Junior shouted back.

“Why not?!”

“What kind of a Prince would I be, if I attacked two fillies like that? No, I simply cannot bring myself to-” He was silenced by a snowball meeting his muzzle. Rumble rose to his hooves, and picked up a new snowball from the ground.

“Fine! If you’re not gonna help me, I’m with them!”

Junior gasped dramatically, and ducked away from the next snowball thrown at him. “Turncoat! I shall see you hanged for this heinous offence!”

“Yeah, whatever! Now come out here so I can pelt ya!”

Junior chuckled, and knelt down to gather up some snow to make into snowballs. “Fool. Against the girls, my hooves were tied. But against you…” Junior quickly rolled out form his cover, and threw three snowballs at Rumble, which the surprised colt was just barely able to dodge. “I am a changeling hunter! There is no way that I will lose to the likes of foals like yo-” Another snowball to the face silenced him, and this time, he could see that it was Archer that had thrown it. The blue filly was grinning mischievously, and walking towards the two colts.

“Hey, how about we call it quits now?” she asked, prompting Rumble to drop the snowballs that he had gathered. “I think we should go do something else, now.”

Berry Pinch couldn’t nod any faster if she tried. “Yes! I agree with that!” she said, running over to her friend and hugging her tightly. “Thanks, Archer!”

“N-No problem,” Archer said, trying to push Berry Pinch away before the other filly broke her neck.

“Well then, what do you suppose we should next?” Junior asked, hopping excitedly over to the tree where his bag was laying. “It just so happens that I have acquired a map of this resort area! There are so many facilities, both indoors and outdoors, that are open for us to visit at our leisure.”

Archer walked over to Junior, and eyed his bag curiously. “Say, what’s in that bag, anyway?” Junior turned to look at the filly. “I’ve been wondering since the train ride. It’s pretty big, and you’ve been carrying it around this whole time. Is it something important?”

Junior smiled, and rose to his hooves. “You want to know?” Archer, and the other two in their group, all nodded simultaneously. “Well, if you really want to…” Junior reached over to his bag, and opened it up. The other three foals gasped when they saw him pull out a large, jet-black crossbow, with the Blueblood family crest painted onto its side in gold paint. “This is my weapon, for hunting changelings. Custom made by the finest blacksmith in Canterlot.”

Berry Pinch shook as she saw the weapon before her, and Rumble took a step closer to her to try and calm her down. Archer whistled, and moved closer to the crossbow in Junior’s hooves. “So, this is what your Cutie Mark means?”

“Indeed. Miss Berry Pinch’s friend, your Cutie Mark is also for ranged weapons, isn’t it?”

Archer nodded. “My father taught me archery at a young age, and as it turned out, archery was actually my special talent.” A thought crossed Archer’s minds, and her face lit up. “Hey, they have a target range at this place, don’t they? Let’s go have a contest, you and me!”

Junior put a hoof to his chin. “What about the other two? I wouldn’t want them to be bored whilst we compete.”

“They’ll be fine!” Archer said. “They can go do something else, if they want.”

“Then in that case, I shall have to decline!” Junior declared. “For I wish to spend the day having fun with all of my new friends, and especially with Miss Berry Pinch.” He winked at the Unicorn filly with his last statement, causing her to back away shyly in response.

“What, you chicken?” Archer asked, prodding Junior with a forehoof.

“C-Chicken?!” Junior asked, shocked by the allegation. “How dare you accuse me, Prince Blueblood Junior, of being afraid of a challenge!”

“Then, let’s go!” Archer shouted, grabbing one of Junior’s hooves with her own and pull him along.

“Wait, I never said-”

“C’mon, it’ll be fun! Unless you’re afraid that you’ll lose to a filly.”

Junior narrowed his eyes, and felt his blood boil. “… Fine then, but don’t regret it when you lose,” he said, placing his crossbow away and slinging his bag over his back.

As Archer walked past Rumble, she leaned over to whisper into his ear: “Now you can be alone with her. Don’t mess this up.”

Rumble groaned, and turned to glare at Archer, who continued to drag Junior along back towards the resort cabin. Rumble and Berry Pinch were left alone in the snowy field, and, after a few moments of awkward silence, Berry Pinch asked Rumble what he would like to do next.

“… How about… we just go check out the ski slope?”

Berry Pinch nodded. “That sounds fun.”

Crunch Berry groaned as she glared at the clock above her head. “I can’t believe you,” she said to her daughter, who was happily downing a glass of wine next to her. “I also can’t believe you actually managed to stop me from following them…”

“You’re damn right I did!” Berry Punch shouted, slamming her bottle down onto the table as she finished it. “Thoshe two need some alone time, if they’re ever gonna finally confessh to one another!”

“… That’s exactly what I was trying to prevent. You know as well as I do, that ponies and changelings cannot-”

“Damnit, shtop being such a downer an’ jush ‘ave a drink or two!”

Crunch Berry sighed, and reached over for her wine glass, which she had barely touched since pouring her drink into it. “Honestly, you’re such a fool. It’s a wonder you’ve gone this long without being discovered…” Crunch Berry took a sip of her wine, and her eyes widened in surprise. “This is… pretty good.” She downed the whole glass in one go, and reached over to the bottle to pour herself another drink.

“Um… I’m starting to have second thoughts about this,” Berry Pinch said as she stood at the top of the ski slope. “This seems a lot higher than it did from the bottom.”

“Do you wanna go back down? You know you’re going to have to take the ski lift again, right? And you didn’t exactly seem too fond of it on the way up, so…”

Berry Pinch gulped, and looked over at Rumble. “D-Do you… wanna ski down?”

“Well, yeah. That’s why I came here.”

“…” ‘H-He wants to ski down. If I go back down on the ski lift, will he escort me? I don’t want to ruin his fun, just because I’m afraid.’

“Listen, if you want to take the ski lift, I’ll-”

“I’ll do it,” Berry Pinch said, taking a brave step forward. “Come on, let’s go!” she said, running forward and beginning her descent down the slope.

“H-Hey!” Rumble shouted, “Wait for me!” He chased after the filly, and also began to ski down the slope, gathering enough speed to catch up to the screaming Berry Pinch, and then slowing down so that two were side-by-side.

Rumble helped Berry Pinch get used to the various techniques for controlling her movement whilst skiing, and soon, the filly’s screaming had slowed to a stop, and she was now laughing alongside the smiling Pegasus colt, enjoying herself thoroughly… until she felt a familiar feeling pass through her brain. A sudden headache struck her, and for a moment, her vision became blurry.

“Berry Pinch, watch out!” Rumble shouted, but was unable to stop the filly from steering off course, and into the sectioned-off woods to the side of the ski slope. There was a slight gap in the fence, just large enough for the filly to go through, and before she knew what was happening, she found herself screaming as she swerved left-and-right to avoid trees in her path.

“R-RUMBLE! HEEEEELP!”

Berry Pinch clenched her eyes shut as she neared a large rock in front of her, and waited for the end to come. She felt herself slowing to a stop… but felt no pain. She heard a pained groan in front of her, and opened her eyes to find out what had happened. She gasped as she saw the familiar grey Pegasus colt in lying on the ground, in-between herself and the rock, with blood trickling out of a few wounds across his body.

“R-RUMBLE!”