Ice Crystal trudged through the snow away from Dream Castle, the powder
soft ice sticking to the feathered hair around his feet.
"Stupid Love Letter and her matchmaking." He grumbled to himself, "Bet she
hasn't even organised a date for herself, she's so wrapped up in other
people's business."
His musings were disturbed when he was hit squarely on the head by a very large snowball. He wheeled round, ready to give the expected baby ponies a piece of his mind when he came nose to nose with his friends Sunburst and Lightning. The orange and yellow mountain boys were grinning mischievously at their snow covered victim.
"So, Icy, why the long face?" Lightning tried to keep his laughter under control as Ice Crystal shook himself free of the snow.
"Love Letter's told me I need to find myself a date for the ball otherwise I have to go with a pony of her choosing." Ice Crystal moaned.
"Oh, so you're being forced to spend a romantic evening with a lovely female- wow Icy, what a nuisance (!)" Sunburst's sarcasm just put Ice Crystal in a worse mood. "Well, why don't you just ask that little earthling that we all know you have been pining after for the last year or so?"
"I'm going to," Ice Crystal protested, "But I don't like being forced into these things. And besides, she might say no." Ice Crystal dropped his head weakly. His two friends looked at each other and shrugged.
"Come on Ice," Lightning nudged the green pony in the shoulder, "You'll never know if you don't ask, and I don't think she has a date yet either."
"YET," Sunburst reinforced the message. "Just go and ask her. Go gettum boy- make the Mountain Boys proud!"
"Yeah! You're right," Ice Crystal spun around and started trotting away, "I'll go ask her. Hang on," He looked back at the other two Clydesdales, "Who are you two going with?"
Sunburst sniggered, "Lightning was asked by Gusty, he felt that he couldn't really say no!"
"Well, would YOU say no to Gusty? She scares me!" Lightning protested, but he did look slightly pleased with himself. "Besides, Sunburst has tried three times to ask Heart Throb to be his partner and every time has got so tongue-tied she can't understand a word he's saying."
Ice Crystal chuckled to himself and, leaving his friends to bicker, started trotting in the direction of the Crimp and Curl salon, most of the ponies would have gathered there in the build up to the ball, he was sure to find the pony he was looking for!
The salon was full of ponies doing their hair in complicated styles. Fifi was rushing around curling manes and trimming tails and hardly noticed Ice Crystal wondering around looking bemused. He ducked away from Paradise wielding some hair curlers and got hit square in face by a blast of perfume from Daisy Sweet. Blinking his eyes to get rid of the painful perfume he finally noticed the pony he was looking for, her pink hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon as she added some final touches to Posey's tail. Ice Crystal slowly edged himself closer feeling big and awkward in comparison to the small earthling.
"There you go Posey, I think it looks lovely. I hope you have a nice evening." Bow Tie smiled at Posey in the mirror and shyly looked down as the yellow pony went into excited squeals as she swept her tail admiring the job that Bow Tie had done. Bow Tie turned to her trunk of carefully folded ribbons and quietly started to pick out some colours that would go nicely with the green locks of Medley, who was now settling herself in the chair that Posey has vacated.
Ice Crystal gently cleared his throat and felt his stomach turn over as Bow Tie looked up at him and give him a small smile. She then blushed furiously and busied herself with the ribbons.
"Oh, Ice Crystal, are you wanting ribbons or maybe a tie of some sort? I'm afraid there's a bit of a queue at the moment but here, I have one necktie left." Bow Tie pulled a perfectly folded black silk tie out of her trunk and handed it to Ice Crystal.
"Oh, thank you Bow Tie, that's great." Ice Crystal managed to stutter out. He couldn't understand why it was so hard to get a few words out or why Bow Tie's modest smile and gentle speaking sent his insides on a roller coaster ride. "Actually, Bow Tie, there was one more thing," the dark blue pony looked up at him expectantly, "I was just wondering if maybe you might . . ."
"Happy Midwinter everybody! How are all the preparations going?" The door to the salon had been flung open and Love Letter had marched in followed by Powder and Moondancer. The salon erupted with calls of "Happy Midwinter" and "Oh, Love Letter we are so excited!" from the assembled ponies. In the confusion Ice Crystal found himself being pushed away from Bow Tie and was soon squashed against Powder. He smiled uncomfortably at the lavender unicorn and tried to stop a shelf of shampoo falling onto his head.
"Hi again Ice Crystal," Powder wiggled painfully as her tail was stood on by the crowd, "Are you wearing that tie to the ball? It'll look lovely I'm sure."
Ice Crystal smiled down gratefully at Powder and, realising that there was no way he was going to get Bow Tie on her own again in this rabble he excused himself and made his way back out into the snow, not realising that he was being carefully watched by both Love Letter and Bow Tie.
In the confusion Moondancer had found her way over to Bow Tie and was asking her a favour. "It's my turn to baby-sit the newborn ponies this evening and I wouldn't mind doing it, it's just that Sunbeam has asked me to be his date for the ball and I would really love to go, would you mind terribly standing in for me Bow Tie? That is unless you have already arranged to go with someone?"
Bow Tie looked sadly towards the door, which Ice Crystal had just walked out of, and sighed softly, "No, I don't have a date. I'll baby-sit the newborns tonight, I don't think I'd have enjoyed the ball that much anyway."
Love Letter slipped out of the salon and galloped after Ice Crystal. "Ice Crystal! Wait a second!" she called out. The Clydesdale turned around and waited for her to reach him.
"The pony you were going to ask was in that salon wasn't she?" Love Letter slyly observed. "I saw you talking to her and I saw you smiling at her!"
"Well, considering that half of Ponyland was in that salon it wouldn't have been hard to work that out." Ice Crystal griped. "So what, you saw me talking to her, does it really matter anyway- there's no way I can get back into that swarm and ask her to be my partner this evening."
"Well, that's easy!" Love Letter exclaimed, "Now that I know who it is, I can ask her for you!"
"Really?" Ice Crystal looked closely at the earthling, "Would you really do that for me Love Letter?"
"Of course, it would be my pleasure!" Love Letter pranced excitedly on the spot. "We'll meet you at the Bridge at sundown. You go and get ready!"
Ice Crystal cantered off and Love Letter turned back to the salon to find Powder. "Oooh, everything is going perfectly, Powder and Ice Crystal will have such a lovely time tonight. It'll be the most wonderful Midwinter Ball ever."
His musings were disturbed when he was hit squarely on the head by a very large snowball. He wheeled round, ready to give the expected baby ponies a piece of his mind when he came nose to nose with his friends Sunburst and Lightning. The orange and yellow mountain boys were grinning mischievously at their snow covered victim.
"So, Icy, why the long face?" Lightning tried to keep his laughter under control as Ice Crystal shook himself free of the snow.
"Love Letter's told me I need to find myself a date for the ball otherwise I have to go with a pony of her choosing." Ice Crystal moaned.
"Oh, so you're being forced to spend a romantic evening with a lovely female- wow Icy, what a nuisance (!)" Sunburst's sarcasm just put Ice Crystal in a worse mood. "Well, why don't you just ask that little earthling that we all know you have been pining after for the last year or so?"
"I'm going to," Ice Crystal protested, "But I don't like being forced into these things. And besides, she might say no." Ice Crystal dropped his head weakly. His two friends looked at each other and shrugged.
"Come on Ice," Lightning nudged the green pony in the shoulder, "You'll never know if you don't ask, and I don't think she has a date yet either."
"YET," Sunburst reinforced the message. "Just go and ask her. Go gettum boy- make the Mountain Boys proud!"
"Yeah! You're right," Ice Crystal spun around and started trotting away, "I'll go ask her. Hang on," He looked back at the other two Clydesdales, "Who are you two going with?"
Sunburst sniggered, "Lightning was asked by Gusty, he felt that he couldn't really say no!"
"Well, would YOU say no to Gusty? She scares me!" Lightning protested, but he did look slightly pleased with himself. "Besides, Sunburst has tried three times to ask Heart Throb to be his partner and every time has got so tongue-tied she can't understand a word he's saying."
Ice Crystal chuckled to himself and, leaving his friends to bicker, started trotting in the direction of the Crimp and Curl salon, most of the ponies would have gathered there in the build up to the ball, he was sure to find the pony he was looking for!
The salon was full of ponies doing their hair in complicated styles. Fifi was rushing around curling manes and trimming tails and hardly noticed Ice Crystal wondering around looking bemused. He ducked away from Paradise wielding some hair curlers and got hit square in face by a blast of perfume from Daisy Sweet. Blinking his eyes to get rid of the painful perfume he finally noticed the pony he was looking for, her pink hair was tied back with a yellow ribbon as she added some final touches to Posey's tail. Ice Crystal slowly edged himself closer feeling big and awkward in comparison to the small earthling.
"There you go Posey, I think it looks lovely. I hope you have a nice evening." Bow Tie smiled at Posey in the mirror and shyly looked down as the yellow pony went into excited squeals as she swept her tail admiring the job that Bow Tie had done. Bow Tie turned to her trunk of carefully folded ribbons and quietly started to pick out some colours that would go nicely with the green locks of Medley, who was now settling herself in the chair that Posey has vacated.
Ice Crystal gently cleared his throat and felt his stomach turn over as Bow Tie looked up at him and give him a small smile. She then blushed furiously and busied herself with the ribbons.
"Oh, Ice Crystal, are you wanting ribbons or maybe a tie of some sort? I'm afraid there's a bit of a queue at the moment but here, I have one necktie left." Bow Tie pulled a perfectly folded black silk tie out of her trunk and handed it to Ice Crystal.
"Oh, thank you Bow Tie, that's great." Ice Crystal managed to stutter out. He couldn't understand why it was so hard to get a few words out or why Bow Tie's modest smile and gentle speaking sent his insides on a roller coaster ride. "Actually, Bow Tie, there was one more thing," the dark blue pony looked up at him expectantly, "I was just wondering if maybe you might . . ."
"Happy Midwinter everybody! How are all the preparations going?" The door to the salon had been flung open and Love Letter had marched in followed by Powder and Moondancer. The salon erupted with calls of "Happy Midwinter" and "Oh, Love Letter we are so excited!" from the assembled ponies. In the confusion Ice Crystal found himself being pushed away from Bow Tie and was soon squashed against Powder. He smiled uncomfortably at the lavender unicorn and tried to stop a shelf of shampoo falling onto his head.
"Hi again Ice Crystal," Powder wiggled painfully as her tail was stood on by the crowd, "Are you wearing that tie to the ball? It'll look lovely I'm sure."
Ice Crystal smiled down gratefully at Powder and, realising that there was no way he was going to get Bow Tie on her own again in this rabble he excused himself and made his way back out into the snow, not realising that he was being carefully watched by both Love Letter and Bow Tie.
In the confusion Moondancer had found her way over to Bow Tie and was asking her a favour. "It's my turn to baby-sit the newborn ponies this evening and I wouldn't mind doing it, it's just that Sunbeam has asked me to be his date for the ball and I would really love to go, would you mind terribly standing in for me Bow Tie? That is unless you have already arranged to go with someone?"
Bow Tie looked sadly towards the door, which Ice Crystal had just walked out of, and sighed softly, "No, I don't have a date. I'll baby-sit the newborns tonight, I don't think I'd have enjoyed the ball that much anyway."
Love Letter slipped out of the salon and galloped after Ice Crystal. "Ice Crystal! Wait a second!" she called out. The Clydesdale turned around and waited for her to reach him.
"The pony you were going to ask was in that salon wasn't she?" Love Letter slyly observed. "I saw you talking to her and I saw you smiling at her!"
"Well, considering that half of Ponyland was in that salon it wouldn't have been hard to work that out." Ice Crystal griped. "So what, you saw me talking to her, does it really matter anyway- there's no way I can get back into that swarm and ask her to be my partner this evening."
"Well, that's easy!" Love Letter exclaimed, "Now that I know who it is, I can ask her for you!"
"Really?" Ice Crystal looked closely at the earthling, "Would you really do that for me Love Letter?"
"Of course, it would be my pleasure!" Love Letter pranced excitedly on the spot. "We'll meet you at the Bridge at sundown. You go and get ready!"
Ice Crystal cantered off and Love Letter turned back to the salon to find Powder. "Oooh, everything is going perfectly, Powder and Ice Crystal will have such a lovely time tonight. It'll be the most wonderful Midwinter Ball ever."