A Day Off

"Ahhh," His eyes had twinkle as he lifted his head a bit, letting turn to meet eyes with the mare. "The pursuit of Happiness. The goal you must always run after, but never from. A one sides name of tag in a way!" He lifted his hooves merrily as the firefly flew from her hoof into her mane from the sudden rush of wind.

"Happiness has many forms. Love, Accomplishments, Self-fulfillment, necessity and my personal favorite. By chance." He grinned widely itched the back of his head for moment. "Perhaps you'd like to go on a little trip with me to see Foal Mountains" He pointed north east, where the mountains were almost in sight far in the distance. "They're beautiful this time of year."

She smiled as the firefly landed in her mane, and shook it gently so it could join the others that were making their intricate dances in the air. Her ears perked up at the thought of adventure. A trip, to Foal mountains. Sounded like a good time. And the excitement made the smile on her face, thus her answer to the question quite clear. To see more of Equestria with a new friend, and to learn more about new places. There was a warm feeling in her chest, one she was not used to. Perhaps this is what people called happiness?

"Of course!" she chimed happily. "When do we leave?"

"If you have nothing holding you here.. then I'd say morning time." Stormy wore a grin as the fireflies floated back into the forest and the moon shone above with it's burrowed beauty as Stormy opened his bag, removing a folded up hammock and began fixing it to two trees. "Meet me here in the morning and off we go! Though your welcome to stay if you feel the lust for the wild. I have a blow up mattress."

Stormy grinned as he neglected to mention she would have to blow it up as he hummed to himself setting up his bed.

(You post and then we'll time skip to the next day)

The next morning, she came trotting with her saddlebag filled with items she felt they would need for their trip. She smiled at the prospect of going on an adventure with a friend. She found him with his hammock that he had set up the night before. Thinking that he might still be asleep, she tip-hoofed quietly until she got close enough to the hammock and rose up, her shadow in the morning sun casting a long shadow over the pony. She gave a loud snarl, like a bear's, to try and startle him awake.

Stormy yelps as he hopped out of his hammock and was looking around half asleep as he seemed shocked and dazed as he touched his head with upset, but slight grin. "Been quite a awhile sense I have gotten a scare." He paused as he rubbed the sleep from his eye with a yawn. "I suppose it's a good thing." He sat as he tried to collect himself, looking about as he smacked his lips a few times before half staggering to the hammock and wrapping it up and cracking Dr.Pony to drink to get a bit of sugar in him.

He looked in his pack, removing a banana and chewed it as he got everything together and started to feel the sleep wear off. "Now to Foal Mountain!"

Excitedly, Shadow nodded like a little foal herself. Her smile foretold the adventure she had always wanted. She watched him chew the banana and used her magic to levitate a fresh apple in front of her face as she chewed through it in less than a minute, before tossing the core and aside and burping slightly, which caused her to blush. She grinned sheepishly, excusing herself and stepped beside him, ready for him to lead the way.

Stormy grinned as he discards the banana peel, overjoyed at the fact it was no harm to nature to do so as he lifted his bag onto his back. "Then off we go my gas filled companion!" There they started there journey.

Pass the rolling hills of Ponyville they marched, pass the mountain where Sister's castle hold them on high. The snow falling in piles as Stormy began seeing his own breath as they began a ascension to the Foal Mountains. For a three days they walked, seeing the snowy white peaks like a second rising sun as they woke each morning. Soon they saw themselves in deep snow as they now stood at the high part of the mountain, seeing the world from atop. "What a sight." He said, taken fully by the view.

As the snow fell gently at the top, her breathing wafting small puffs in the cold air, she marveled at the beautiful simplicity that the view held. It had a sort of magic spell, as she grinned like a foal who received her first soda. "Oh my sweet Luna..." she whispered, looking around at the splendid view. "This is incredible."

"It truly is." Stormy drank his chilled soda as watched the girl act a foal as mountain nearby had small, peaceful looking avalanche. "You know I do this all the time. Seeing places and wonders Shadow. It's one of the purest forms of Escapism I have found in this world. Traveling, never sticking to one place. Never burdened by what staying makes you have to too do, or the limits it puts on you."

He removed a heavy coat from his bag, throwing on himself as he removed one for her, with was surprising a filly heavy coat for the winter. Why he carried one on him is a mystery. Perhaps he was one to plan ahead for such things.

She was stunned at how he could carry such big coats in the saddle bags. She opened her mouth to say something, but instead she just closed it and refused to ask. Some things were just better left unsaid. With that being the case, she just smiled and said thank you to him, pulling the coat closer around herself as she took a seat in the snow. As her name sake, she magically conjured a flare of pink fire to keep them warm.

"Would you mind keeping that coat? It's rather burdensome on my back. Uahggg." He makes a crack as he collapses into the snow, rolling about it in it. He had bought the coats the night before when he was buying his camping gear. He had a lovely chat with a counter mare. She told him a tale about her grandchild. To make it short let's just say that there house turned a different color then intended.

Stormy drank in the cold air, letting the steamy breath drain from him as he looked over at Shadow. "I do so love the snow. Lived in the mountains with a group of delightful earth ponies for a few years. Rough and tumble, but honest and rambunctious! Ahahahahahaha. They knew how to enjoy a evening."

"I can see from how you are reacting, my strange little friend," she replied in fake mockery. Meh, she thought, why not enjoy this to the fullest. She let herself fall back into the snow and began to move her legs, making a sort of pony snow angel. When it was deep enough, she got up and smiled at her work of shoddy art, then used her magic to levitate some snow from the ground into a ball. After that, she proceeded lop a snowball at Stormy.

The snowball slid off his face as he had a look of surprise as he looked over at the mare. His hoof moved a wad of snow and packed it softly as he stood up with a grin. "Shenanigans!" He hopped back a bit, spiking a snowball at her with a hold of his tongue to steady his aim. His uncle when he was foal always told him to hold his tongue when he aimed, or when he was learning to write his name.

The snow was a few feet deep with plenty snow around them, making a ideal spot for a snow throwing contest. The mountain winds lightly pushed the air about, making breathing crisp and pure.

When he threw the snowball, she laughed when it hit her square in the face. Grinning, she used her magic to levitate several small ones. She packed them full, making sure they retained enough weight to make a decent impact, and lobbed them at him with a little force, aiming mostly for his torso and feet.

He laughed his jolly laugh as he dodges one, ready to gloat when the others impacted his torso and he fell backwards into a deep part of the snow disappearing from line of sight. The snow shuddered a bit as he tried to climb out, looking completely silly as his hooves would at times grip the edge and off again.

She laughed, pointing at him and giggling. "I gotcha. See if you can do any better than me!" she challenged.

"AHahahahhaa! You got quite a lot of spirit." He climbed out of the hole as he lifted up his snowball. "Though. You have to be able to back up your ideals with skill, which lucky me I have gotten through experience." He aimed his snowball, throwing at the branch above her, letting a pile of snow come crashing down to bury her in soft powder.