//------------------------------// // Fluttering Snow and the Seven Ponies // Story: Once Upon a Pinkie... // by Teyeson Bee //------------------------------// ...In a kingdom far far away, there stood a mighty, alabaster castle. And in this castle lived a queen by the name of Rarity. She had a coat as white as freshly fallen snow, a mane as luscious as the waves of the sea, and a crown with more gems on it than anypony could count, and it was shiny too. The queen was seen as the fairest unicorn queen in all the land, but there was one little problem; she had a very stuck-up attitude. She would treat others as if they were below her hooves, trampling over them, metaphorically speaking, as she passed them. She also tended to be quite jealous. When she saw something that she didn't have, she did anything in her power to make it hers. In short, she was a real meanie! Despite all of this, she only looked at herself as beautiful. Everyday was the same with Queen Rarity. The first thing she would do after she woke up was...well, shower and dress and brush her teeth and comb her mane. But after all that, she would go to her mirror, and talk to it. For you see, the mirror was a magical talking mirror that showed a pair of emerald green eyes and a purple, dragon-like face. So everyday, she would go to her mirror and say, "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" And every time, the mirror would reply, "Only you, my dear Queen Rarity!" This made Rarity happy, although it seemed that the mirror just liked to kiss-up. In any case, Rarity was known as the fairest of them all for a long time. But everything changed when the Queen heard an answer that she didn't want to hear. One day, the Queen went to the mirror as always, and started her words. "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the-" She stopped, however, when she saw that the face in the mirror was still sleeping. Rarity rolled her eyes and shouted, "WAKE UP!" The mirror jolted awake, shaking the entire stand as it did. "Sorry your majesty," the mirror said as it gave a mighty yawn. "Had a wild night last night. Man that was some party." "How do you even party?" Rarity asked. "You're a MIRROR! You don't even move!" "I don't ask you how you spend YOUR Friday nights!" the mirror replied. Rarity just huffed and shook her head, wiping the conversation away. "Never mind. Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" "That's easy," the mirror started to say, "Only-" The mirror suddenly stopped as its ear perked up and its spikes on its head started to shake, as if disturbed by something. This was the way of saying that the mirror was getting new information. Rarity frowned a bit as she watched the mirror's face drop. When the shaking of the spikes subsided, the mirror turned back to Rarity with a nervous expression. "Well?" Rarity asked impatiently. "What's going on?" "Um..." the mirror stuttered uncomfortably, "well...if I tell you, you have to promise not to get mad." Rarity's brow narrowed as she stared at the mirror. "Why?" "Just promise me!" the mirror begged. Rarity straightened up and lifted the mood of her face so she looked like her normal prissy self. "I promise." "OK well..." the mirror stammered, trying to think of the best way to say it, "you see...I just learned that...umm...how do I put this..." "OH JUST SPIT IT OUT!" Rarity shouted. The shout startled the mirror so much, it forgot to be nervous and just came out with it. "There's somepony else who's fairer than you!" Queen Rarity's expression changed in an instant. What was once a prissy face of self confidence, was replaced with a slowly scrunching face of anger that was trying to contain itself. The mirror watched nervously as the Queen tried to hold in the anger from the latest news. After a few minutes, Rarity had sucked in her anger and smiled at the mirror. Although the mirror could tell that the smile was incredibly fake and almost menacing. Then, through a gritted smile, the Queen slowly asked, "Who. Is. It?" "Uh..." the mirror winced as he spoke, "Fluttering Snow." That was enough. All composure was lost as Rarity started to grunt, grumble, and growl, trying her hardest to contain her newly found rage. She started to pace back and forth and tugged at her mane furiously as she contemplated what she just heard. For you see, Fluttering Snow was a common peasant that lived at the corner of the village. She wasn't that well-known, but she was one of the kindest souls in the entire kingdom. She always put others before herself, tried to comfort anypony who needed it, and was extremely kind to all of nature. Next to that, ponies would be lying if they said that she wasn't beautiful. She had a soft yellow coat, flowing pink mane, innocent eyes, and a voice that could melt steel. That being said, Rarity still couldn't understand how Snow could be more beautiful than her. "How is SHE fairer than me?" she asked the mirror angrily. "She's a peasant! She's not even that popular! I'm the QUEEN for Celestia's sake!" "Those are very good points your majesty," the mirror replied, "but you see, Fluttering Snow has not only outer beauty, but inner beauty as well. She's...well...more kind than you." Rarity shot him a dirty look. "No offense." "So just because she has a better attitude than me, that gives her bonus points?" Rarity asked furiously. "Pretty much," the mirror said. Rarity growled again as she turned away from the mirror and started to think. Though he didn't know what she was thinking about, the mirror was sure that it wasn't anything good. He knew the Queen far too well, and when she didn't have something, she got it by any means necessary. After a minute or so, Rarity turned back around with a mischievous smile on her face. "If she's out of the picture, then the title will belong to me again, correct?" she asked the mirror. "Well, yes," the mirror replied cautiously, "but what are you going to do?" "You'll know soon enough," Rarity chuckled deviously. "You're dismissed mirror." With that, the face in the mirror bowed its head and vanished, turning the image back to a regular reflection. Rarity didn't waste any time in what she was planning to do. Closing her eyes in concentration, her horn began to glow a white aura and she started to speak aloud. "Huntspony! I'm in need of your assistance! Report to me at once!" She opened her eyes as the horn's glow vanished. The spell that she used was a communication spell, which allowed her to speak to anypony she focused on within a mile radius. The Huntspony, who she had summoned, was her own hunter and gatherer. He was a strong-looking earth pony with a red coat, strong legs, and an apple half as a cutie mark. Though he didn't talk much, he was very good at what he did, which mostly involved hunting for food and gathering supplies. Within a few minutes, the doors to the chamber room opened, and in trotted the Huntspony, with his leather bag strapped around his midsection, a hunting cap with a red feather in it, and a small dagger sheathed around his left leg. "Ah Huntspony darling," The Queen greeted. "I have a little job for you to do for me. Are you familiar with Fluttering Snow?" "Eeyup," the Huntspony answered plainly. "Well, I want you to find her." "Eeyup." "And take. Her. Out." "Eeyu-huh?" The Huntspony's plain expression changed to worry. "You mean...KILL her? "GAH! You can't say 'kill' darling," Rarity scolded. "This is a children's story!" "Sorry," the Huntspony said. "You mean...'take her out' take her out? "Yes. I want you to find her, take her out, and bring me proof that you did so. Then I'll be the fairest in the land!" The Huntspony looked worried. He had never killed...oops, I mean, took anypony out before. He was just a simple Huntspony. "Uh...your majesty, I'm not sure if I could do this. I mean, my name may be the Huntspony, but I don't actually 'hunt ponies'," Rarity suddenly shot him a dirty look that made his spine crawl. "But...I'm sure I can figure something out." "Good," Rarity smiled deviously as she headed toward her throne. "Now go! And don't dare fail me." The Huntspony nodded and trotted out of the chamber. Huntspony didn't waste any time in heading over to the town to ask where Snow was. It took a while, but he finally heard somepony say that she was in the flower fields outside of town. Huntspony trotted quickly to the outskirts where the fields sat. As he neared the fields, he heard a soft, sweet tune. Somepony was singing, and he had an idea who. He headed towards the sound, and sure enough, there was Fluttering Snow, picking flowers and singing a lovely tune. She was so sweet and innocent. She couldn't even hurt a fly. But the Huntspony had a job to do, and like it or not, he was going to do it. Slowly he trotted up towards the singing yellow pegasus slowly as he pulled out his knife with his mouth. Just a quick job. All he had to do was plunge the knife into her back, and it would all be over. Simple as that. The Huntspony's heart was going at a mile a minute as he inched closer to Fluttering Snow. He was so close, he could reach out and touch her. Though she was picking flowers and singing, it didn't alter Snow's perception, and she suddenly stopped as she saw a shadow forming from behind. Knowing that somepony was behind her, she casually turned around to see the red Huntspony, knife in mouth, staring right at her. Although, the thought that he was there to murder her had not gone through her mind at that moment, so she smiled sweetly and said, "Good morning Huntspony. Beautiful day isn't it?" The Huntspony stopped. Her voice really was as sweet and soft as silk. He tried to not focus on her big, innocent eyes as he tried to remember mission, and what the Queen would do if he failed. "Uh..." he stammered through the knife as he tried not to look her in the eye, "it...is a beautiful day...indeed Miss Snow...I...I..." It was too much for him. The young pegasus's beauty and innocence blocked out the Queen's threats. He just couldn't bring himself to hurt a soul such as hers. The Huntspony sighed in defeat as the knife dropped from his mouth. "I can't do it. Please forgive me Miss Snow." "I don't understand," Snow responded. "What's wrong?" "I was sent here by Queen Rarity," the Huntspony explained. "She had sent me here to...take you out." Snow stared at him, confused. "Take me out where?" "No no miss," Huntspony said. "She wanted me to...you know..." He traced his hoof against his neck to signify what he meant, but Snow still looked confused. Huntspony grunted. "To kill you!" Snow gasped in horror. "You can't say 'kill!' This is a-" "Children's story, I know," Huntspony sighed. "Look, the Queen wants you out of the way so that she can be the fairest of them all! You have to get away from here!" "Where am I supposed to go?" Snow asked. Huntspony thought for a second, and then an idea came to mind. "I know! A while back, while I was walking through the woods, I saw a small cottage in a clearing. You could go there." He then pointed out towards the forest beside them. "All you have to do is take that path and you should reach the cottage." "Oh thank you kind Huntspony," Snow said, "but what's going to happen to you?" "Well, unless I bring proof that I took you out back to the Queen, I'm probably a goner," Huntspony answered as his expression dropped. Snow noticed this and felt she needed to do something to help, so she reached behind her and tore off an extension of her long, pink tail and handed it to the Huntspony. "Give THIS to her," she said smiling. "Hopefully it will help." "Oh thank you Miss Snow!" Huntspony said. "I don't know how to thank you enou...you wear tail extensions?" Snow blushed as she smiled embarrassingly. There went her big secret. The Huntspony smiled, not caring about the extensions. "Well, thank you anyways. Ya'll be careful now, ya hear?" "Thank you too kind Huntspony," Snow smiled softly as the Huntspony turned and headed back to town. Fluttering Snow didn't waste any time in running into the woods. She had never really been through the woods before, due to it looking so intimidating, but she had to get away from the Queen's wrath. So, without even thinking, Snow took to the path the Huntspony pointed out and headed into the woods. The journey down the path was definitely a tense one, as most light seemed to had been blocked out by the many trees, leaving only small streams of light shining through the leaves. As she traveled, Snow heard rustling sounds on each of her sides, as well as the hooting of the occasional owl. Snow tried not to think about the sounds as she continued to gallop down the path. The Huntspony said to just keep straight, so that's what she did. It seemed that the sounds were getting louder and louder as she galloped, only increasing her nervousness. All that fear disappeared though as Snow spotted an opening coming up in front of her. Snow galloped even faster as hope started to fill her. Sure enough, the trees split off as light shined down on the small clearing. And sitting at the center was a small cottage with a brown door and shudders, a tile roof, and a brick chimney. Snow had never seen a house so adorable. It was almost like a doll house. Snow trotted up to the door and knocked. No answer. She tried again even louder. Still no answer. Now normally, Snow never just barged into a house uninvited, but she was just so curious. She put her hoof on the door and slowly pushed it open. The door made a loud creak as it opened to the small interior that matched the outside. Snow sighed dreamily as she looked around at the cute pieces of furniture. The couch at the corner of the room, a medium-sized table with seven chairs around it, and even a little sink...almost overflowing with dirty dishes. The more she looked around, the more Snow realized how dirty the place was. Apparently, the ponies who lived here didn't take good care of their residence. "Hmm..." Snow thought, "Seven chairs...there must be seven ponies living here. Seven tiny ponies. Seven UNTIDY ponies by the looks of it. Tsk tsk. I've never seen such untidiness." Suddenly, an idea came to her head. "I know! I'll clean the house to surprise them! Maybe they'll let me stay!" It was going to be a busy job, but Snow didn't mind. She had much practice with cleaning, and could do it rather fast. There was much work to be done, so Snow hung her cloak on the door and started to clean. Later that evening, all was peaceful in the woods. Not a sound, except for the crickets, owls...and the traveling singing. Yes, seven tiny ponies were making their way down the path, singing a catchy tune. The ponies were just the size of children, but they all had a tiny beard. They were all carrying a pickaxe on their backs and a saddlebag was strapped to each of their sides. They all traveled in a single-file line as they trotted down the path to their humble cottage, their song echoing through the forest. "Neigh-ho! Neigh-ho! It's home from work we go! Dum dum dee dum doo doo dum dum dum! Neigh-ho! Neigh-ho neigh-ho neigh-" "Hold it guys!" The lead pony shouted out suddenly. The others came to a screeching halt as they looked forward to see what was going on. The lead pony, who was a pegasus, had an orange coat, and a short purple mane, was looking towards the cottage. A small stream of smoke was coming up out of the chimney and the lights inside were on. "Did somepony forget to turn off the lights before we left?" Everypony turned around and looked at the pony in the back, who was a bit taller than the others, but had a blank expression on his face. He was a unicorn and had an orange coat as well, but a teal mane. "Don' look at me guys," he said with a slow voice. "I wasn't even the last one out!" "You're ALWAYS the last one out Snails!" said another unicorn with a white coat and curly dark pink mane. "Not true Sweetie!" retorted the stubby unicorn with a teal coat and orange mane. "I was the last a few days ago." "Never mind that," the lead pony said. "All we know is that there's an intruder in our cottage!" "W-w-w-what if it'th a monthter?" asked a frightened earth pony with big glasses, a cream-colored coat, and a curly red mane. "Ah don' think there's such a thing as monsters," sighed the earth pony with a light green coat, red mane, and a big pink bow. "There's always a first time for everything Bloomy!" shuttered the shortest of the bunch. An earth pony with a white and brown spotted coat, a brown mane, and a slight British accent. "What if Twisty IS right, and it's just waiting in there to gobble us up!" "We are NOT going to let some monster stop us from reclaiming our cottage!" the leader shouted as the others came to attention. "I say we charge in, and give whatever is in there a hay-of-a-fight!" "Scoots is right!" the one called Bloomy stated, "We can't be afraid! We gotta take back what's ours! CHAAAARGE!" The seven ponies gave a great shout as they galloped into the cottage. It would've been a perfect plan...if they didn't come running out screaming in terror a few seconds later with Scoots shouting, "RUN AWAY!" The seven ponies ran behind a big oak, just in time for Fluttering Snow to come trotting out. Apparently, she was in the middle of cooking some dinner when the owners of the cottage came charging in. As soon as they burst through the door, Snow let out a horrible scream, and that set the ponies off that led them to run away in terror. "Oh please come out," Snow called to the seven. "I won't hurt you. I was just startled, that's all." The seven poked their heads out from behind the tree in curiosity. Though they didn't get a good view of whoever was in their cottage, they saw who it was now, and at that point, all of their fears went away. As soon as they saw that the monster was just an innocent, beautiful pegasus, the seven came out from behind the tree and trotted over to her. Snow took a look at the seven tiny ponies gathered in front of her. "Goodness me. You all are the size of children, but...you have beards. If you don't mind me asking, what are you?" "We are dwarf ponies," Scoots proclaimed proudly. "We're a special kind of pony that are raised in the mines and dig for gold. We had just came back from a day's work, and what do we find?" "A pretty pegasus in our cottage?" asked Snails. "It was a rhetorical question Snails," Scoots sighed. "But never mind that, we haven't introduced ourselves. My name's Scoots, the leader of the group." "Ah'm Bloomy," the one in the bow said. "Sweetie," said the unicorn with the curls. "Pleasure to meet you." "And I'm Twisty," the one with the glasses said. "It'th thuch a pleathure." "Pipsy! At your service!" introduced the short one. "The name's Snipsy," said the stubby unicorn, "and the tall orange blockhead is Snails." "My head's not a block!" Snails snapped. "It's more of a pear shape." "He's not the sharpest knife in the place where they keep the knives," Snipsy whispered to Snow, who in turn, giggled. "Well, my name is Fluttering Snow," Snow introduced with a sweet smile. "It's an honor to-" "Fluttering Snow?!" the seven suddenly exclaimed with surprise. Snow nodded. "We've heard 'bout you!" Bloomy said. "Yer one of the nicest ponies in the kingdom! What are ya doin' out here?" Snow's expression drooped a bit. "I'm running for my life. Queen Rarity wants to get rid of me, so I needed a place to stay for a while. I didn't mean to invite myself into your cottage." "Are you kidding?" Scoots proclaimed with a smile. "We're honored to have such a wonderful pony in our cottage. And if it's to get you away from that wicked queen, then you're welcome to stay as long as you'd like!" The other six nodded excitedly. Snow smiled and nodded in thanks. Suddenly, a loud bubbling noise broke the silence as the ponies looked around, wondering where the bubbling was coming from. A realization came to Snow. "Oh goodness! I've left the stove on! I was actually in the middle of cooking some dinner before you guys came. Come on, there's plenty for everypony!" The seven dwarf ponies took in a deep whiff of the scent coming from the kitchen, and simultaneously let out a hungry sigh. "SOUP! HOORAY!" In the blink of an eye, the seven were all inside sitting around the table. Snow rolled her eyes happily and trotted into the cottage to serve the food. Meanwhile, back at the castle, the Huntspony had turned in the tail extension to Queen Rarity, and with luck, she bought it. She really thought that Fluttering Snow was gone. After the Huntspony took his hasty leave, Rarity didn't waste any time in going to the mirror to hear her favorite answer to her favorite question. After the head appeared, Rarity struck a half triumphant half stunning pose as she proudly said, "Mirror mirror on the wall, who NOW is the fairest of them all?" The mirror just sighed and shook its head. "Look your Majesty, you know you'll always be the fairest in my book, but I have to go with facts. And the fact is that Fluttering Snow is still the fairest one in the kingdom." "Oh no no no," Rarity chuckled. "Silly mirror. Fluttering Snow is gone! The Huntspony took care of her, and even brought me proof." She held out the tail extension to the mirror. "Behold! Her tail!" The mirror examined the tail very carefully, before he sighed again. "Uh...Queen Rarity, that's not her tail. That's just an extension. Fluttering Snow's still alive. I believe she's now living in a cottage in the middle of the forest with seven dwarf ponies." Rarity's smile dropped. It didn't fade into a frown. It dropped like an anvil. Her mood suddenly changed. Her proud expression was turned into a look of absolute fury. Her face became as red as a hot stove and she even started to steam up. When she spoke, her voice had also changed, making it sound more gravely. "What? WHAAAAAAT? A TAIL EXTENSION? THAT LOUSY HUNTSPONY TRICKED ME! I'LL HAVE HIS...Fluttering Snow has tail extensions?" The mirror shrugged, just as lost as she was. "I can't believe that lousy fool! He said he was going to take care of it, but he's been pulled in by her 'sweetness!' Well then, I wasn't planning on getting my own hooves dirty, but if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!" Rarity started to think again. Think of a way to deal with Snow once and for all. She paced the room back and forth as she thought. Suddenly, a devious smile came to her face as an idea popped into her head. An even better one than before. Rarity's horn began to glow as before as she called out, "Wizard! I need you!" Within a few minutes, Queen Rarity's Court Wizard entered. She was a unicorn with a purple coat, purple mane with pink highlights, and a group of stars as her cutie mark. Though her name was Twilight, Rarity never called her by name, mostly out of never getting to know it. As soon as she entered the chambers, Queen Rarity was in her face. "Wizard! I need a spell!" "What kind of spell your highness?" Twilight asked. "Do you know any...powerful sleeping spells?" Rarity responded. "Why yes your highness," Twilight replied. "I happen to know a sleeping spell so powerful, it would make it seem like the pony was dead. Only one thing can break the spell, but it is VERY unlikely that they would have one at that time." "Perfect!" Rarity snickered. Her horn suddenly began to glow again, as a shiny red apple came hovering through the air and landed in Rarity's grasp. "I want you to put that spell into this apple. Call it...an experiment that I'm working on." "Very well your highness," Twilight said. She took a few steps back as she closed her eyes to focus. Soon, her horn began to glow with a purple aura as she aimed at the apple. And then, in a split second, A beam of light shot out of the horn and hit the apple directly. Though the apple still maintained its red, delicious appearance, inside, the spell had been put in place, and was ready to put anypony to sleep who bit into it. "Well done Wizard!" Rarity congratulated. "You may go." Twilight bowed as she left the room. Rarity eyed the apple with a devious smile. "Now, all I have to do is make sure that Snow bites the apple, and all my problems will be over!" "But how are you gonna do that?" the mirror asked. "She probably knows that you tried to take her out once already." "Ah simple mirror, "Rarity scoffed. "The best thing about Fluttering Snow is that she's so forgiving. And naive. No mistakes this time. Tomorrow, Fluttering Snow will sing her last song for a very, VERY long time." Morning had come as the warm sun beams shown through the spaces in the trees and to the middle of the clearing. The cottage stood peacefully in the center, and inside, seven happy dwarf ponies were eating a delicious breakfast prepared by Fluttering Snow. Scoots smiled big as she cleaned off her fried oats. "Miss Snow, that was some of the best fried oats I've ever tasted!" "And not only that, but you are a wonderful housekeeper!" Sweetie chimed in. "I mean, I've never seen this place so clean!" "And thanks for singing us all to sleep last night," Pipsy said happily. "It was beautiful." Snow smiled sweetly. "Thank you guys. It was no trouble at all. You all took me in, so it's the least I can do." As Snow got up to clean the dishes, there was a sudden knock at the door. "Now who could that be?" Bloomy asked. The others shrugged as Snow went to answer. As soon as she opened the door though, her face changed to that of worry. The dwarf ponies noticed this and went to see who was at the door. When they saw who it was, their faces changed to that of pure terror. There was Queen Rarity, standing with a smile (obviously forced), right in front of Snow and the others. An awkward moment of silence passed as the ponies just stared at each other, until Scoots broke the silence. "What the hay are YOU doing here Queen Rarity?" she asked rudely. "Yeah! Yer not welcome here!" Bloomy chimed in. "Please please," Rarity answered calmly, but elegantly. "I'm just here to talk to Snow. To...apologize." It was obvious that she had to swallow her pride to even say "apologize" to Snow, who looked at her with confusion. "Apologize?" Snow asked. "Y-yes," Rarity answered, "I-I shouldn't have tried to take you out. I just let my jealousy get the better of me is all. I'm deeply sorry. And to show my apology," Rarity's horn glowed again as she levitated her poisoned apple out of her saddle bag up in front of Snow's face, "I brought you a peace offering." Snow eyed the apple curiously. She knew she should've been acting more suspicious, but she lived by the philosophy that everypony deserved a second chance. Plus the apple DID look tempting. Snow smiled softly and took the apple while the others looked on with worry. "You thure you wanna eat that? Twisty asked. "You don't know what sthe did to it!" "It's ok Twisty," Snow said sweetly. "I'm willing to bury the hatchet and give the Queen a second chance. We've all made mistakes." Rarity chuckled deviously as she watched Snow take the bait. Snow turned back to the apple and slowly opened her mouth as she moved the apple closer to her teeth. Rarity and the dwarf ponies watched in anticipation to see what would happen next. As Snow bit down, a loud CRUNCH was heard as she chewed the apple with a sweet expression, obviously liking the taste. "Mmmmm," Snow hummed happily as she swallowed. "It's really good. Nice and juicy. Thank you your Majes-" Suddenly, Snow's expression changed. Her sweet smile quickly faded into a slight frown. She felt her eyes starting to get heavy as they started to close. Her legs then gave out as she dropped to the ground, her eyes finally closing completely. Rarity couldn't hold it in anymore. A maniacal laugh started to build up as she looked at Snow's now unconscious body. What started as a chuckle ended up as a full out cackle as the dwarf ponies ran to Snow's side, an expression of horror on each of their faces. The started to shake Snow, but she wouldn't budge an inch. "What did you do to her?" Sweetie snapped at Rarity. "I simply put little, innocent Fluttering Snow into a deep deep sleep," Rarity responded, still smiling sinisterly. "It's finally done! Now I'M the fairest of them all!" "That's what this was about?" Scoots asked disgustedly. "You poisoned Miss Snow just so you could win a popularity contest? She gave you a second chance and it was all an act for your own benefit? You...you...WITCH!" Rarity stopped her laughing as she heard the word "witch" reach her ears. Normally she didn't let words get to her, but something about being called a witch hit her in a way that she never felt before. "Now now. Don't you think that's a bit harsh?" she asked. "I don't think it's harsh enough!" Snipsy snapped. "I'd say she's a MONSTER!" That hurt even more, but the others chimed in with some more. "You're desthpicable!" Twisty shouted. "Absolutely horrid!" Pipsy growled. "This is why NOPONY in the kingdom likes you!" Bloomy said. "You're nothing but a heartless dictator who doesn't care about others feelings!" "You're mean!" Snails chimed in. Simple, but effective. These words sank into Rarity like quicksand. She never heard others talk to her like that, but then again, she never took the time to listen to them. Was it true? Was she despised throughout the entire kingdom? Was she nothing but a heartless dictating monster who took out whoever got in her way? Rarity's cocky smile faded quickly as she looked at the glaring dwarf ponies before her. A sudden pain came to her heart as a realization came to her; she WASN'T liked at all! Her outer beauty was hiding an inner demon all along. She never had any real friends, or even real fans. She just threatened those who would go against her. What was the point of being the fairest of them all if she was all alone. Just then, Rarity felt something else. Something sliding down her cheek. It was a tear. She was actually, truly disgusted with herself. Fluttering Snow deserved the title Fairest in the Land, because she had kindness in her heart, something that Rarity was missing. She had let her jealousy drive her into doing something inhumane. "W-w-what have I done?" Rarity mumbled as more tears started to show. The others' expression changed to that of confusion when they saw the Queen crying. "What have I done? I-I feel so horrible! Why couldn't I see it before! Oh Snow! I'm so sorry! I'm so so sorry!" "Well if you're really sorry," Sweetie said, "then tell us how to wake her up!" "I-I seriously don't know," Rarity replied. "I was never told. I don't know how to wake her!" Everypony hung their head in defeat as they looked at Snow's sleeping body. There was no known way to wake her up. The dwarf ponies started to cry too as they started to mourn the fate of their old friend. "Hey! What's wrong with everypony!" Everypony jumped at the new high-pitched voice. They all turned to see a smiling pink face standing behind them. The pink stranger looked from Rarity to the dwarf ponies to Snow as she observed the situation. "I was just walking along the path when I saw you guys gathered around this sleeping pegasus. Is something wrong?" she asked happily. "Something terrible madame!" Pipsy squeaked as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Miss Fluttering Snow has fallen asleep because of a poisoned apple, and we don't know how to wake her up!" "Well, can I try?" the stranger asked. The others looked at each other with confusion, wandering if a stranger who they just met would know anything about lifting a spell from a poisoned apple. However, they were willing to try anything, so they nodded and cleared a path for the stranger. The pink earth pony hopped over to the sleeping body as she observed it closely, trying to see what could be done. Suddenly, all the ponies present gasped as they saw the stranger start leaning her head down towards Snow's. From the look of it, it looked like she was getting ready to KISS her! Would that really work? The others watched with anticipation as the stranger's lips drew closer and closer to Snow's. Closer and closer and closer. Their lips were millimeters apart when... BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAM! The sound of an air horn shook the clearing as the stranger held it right next to Snow's ear. Everypony jumped from fright, but not as much as Fluttering Snow. Not only did she wake up almost instantly, but she got so much of a fright, she blasted off ten feet into the air before gently coming down. Everypony rubbed their ears in pain as the stranger quickly said, "Well, there you go! Glad I was able to help! See ya around!" And with that, the stranger was hopping down the trail, singing a happy tune. Nopony knew what to say. How can anypony respond from that? A stranger just...comes out of nowhere and is able to break a powerful sleeping spell with an AIR HORN? They didn't even get the stranger's name. But it didn't matter, as Fluttering Snow was back to normal! All the dwarf ponies ran to her and gathered for a big group hug as they continued to cry, but with happy tears. "We're so glad you're alright Miss Snow!" Sweetie sobbed. "Don't leave uth again!" Twisty cried. "WE MISSED YOU!" Bloomy and Pipsy said together. Snow smiled happily as she looked over the sobbing dwarf ponies. Still, something didn't seem right, like there was somepony missing. She then looked up to see Rarity leaving the clearing with her head hanging. Snow broke through the others and trotted up to her. "Your Majesty?" Rarity turned around with a sad look on her face, tears still lingering in her eyes. Snow wrapped an arm around her as she used her other one to wipe the tears away. "You don't have to leave yet." "But...but why would you say that?" Rarity asked with utter confusion. "I tried to take you out...twice! And I lied to you. And you STILL forgive me?" "Everypony makes mistakes," Snow responded with a caring smile. "Nopony deserves to be alone. It's natural to let emotions get the better of you, for better or for worse, but that doesn't mean you're a terrible pony. I'm willing to forgive you if YOU can forgive yourself." Rarity looked at the smiling pegasus in front of her, and couldn't help but feel...in awe. Fluttering Snow really WAS the fairest in the land, and Rarity was alright with that. For the first time, she was alright with that title belonging to somepony else, because she deserved it. "I think I learned an important lesson today," Rarity said softly. "That inner beauty is just as, if not more, important than outer beauty and that you shouldn't let jealousy get the better of you because it just leaves to you hurting those around you, not to mention that there's no point in being fairest if you're all alone?" Snails said out of nowhere. Dead silence filled the air as everypony, jaws literally dropped down to the floor, stared at Snails in utter shock and confusion. "What?" Snails asked as he looked at everypony. "Every now and then I have my moments!" And that's the story of Fluttering Snow and the Seven Ponies. If you're wondering what happened to everypony, Fluttering Snow continued to live in the cottage, looking after her new friends. Queen Rarity returned to the throne as a newly developed ruler. She started treating others with pure kindness and generosity, and in time, she became much loved throughout the kingdom, proving once again that inner beauty is what counts every time. And as you probably guessed, they all lived happily ever after. THE END. As Pinkie ended her story, she looked up to see the Cake twins sleeping like a rock. Pinkie smiled softly as she went over to each of them, kissed them on the foreheads, and headed for the door. As she turned the lights off, she heard a slight grumble from behind. She turned around to see Pumpkin, sitting up, looking at Pinkie. "Thanks for the stories Aunt Pinkie," she grumbled drowsily. "Do...do you think we can hear some more tomorrow?" Pinkie smiled even bigger. "You bet kiddo," she said sweetly. "Goodnight." She then quietly closed the door, and headed off to her own room, humming as she trotted.