Tears in the Snow

by Chaos Phantasm

12: Tears in the snow.

Tears in the Snow

By Chaos Phantasm

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Chapter 12

Tears in the snow

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Nyx stared up at the large doors of Castle Canterlot. Two unicorn guards stood to the left and right of those large silver and gold doors. She felt nervous, and looked to her left, taking a deep breath and breathing a deep sigh.

"Why am I here..." Nyx wondered somberly. She sat on her haunches on the fresh green spring grass and let out another deep sigh, lower her ehad and looking down at the grass.

"Hello," came a young, sweet voice.

Nyx looked up slowly to a filly close to her age. Nyx's eyes widened in surprise at this filly's appearance. An alicorn but so much different. Eyes like fire, wings that were too large for a filly her age, folded at her sides and pressed there awaiting use. Her coat was a mixture of yellows, oranges and reds, giving it a feathery look. To Nyx, the alicorn before her looked much like a phoenix. Nyx was amazed more so by the filly's mane and tail, blue as the hottest flame, crackling and moving as if it was fire. The grass at her hooves sizzled with heat. This filly was not normal.

"H-hello..." Nyx replied softly.

The strange filly approached Nyx carefully. "M-my name is Serena, Serena Starfire. What's your name?"

"N-Nyx," the dark filly replied slightly more open with a stammer.

"You're the pony Aunt Luna and Mommy talk's about. You're just like me, different," Serena perked up and spoke excitedly. She pranced in place and giggled.

Nyx smiled and started to warm up to the filly. She stood up and approached Serena. "I like your coat, you look just like Phoenix."

"Y-you really think so? I mean I know I look different, but I never thought I looked like anything really..." chuckled Serena.

"You're really pretty, prettier then me."

"Are you sure about that?" Serena tilted her head. "Black is a beautiful colour, your coat has a lovely sheen."

Nyx smiled brightly and closed her eyes. "Thank you!" her smile became a grin.

Serena returned Nyx's smile with a wide toothy one of her own, a light giggle coming through.

"Well it's nice to see you two have met."

Nyx and Serena looked up at the large castle doors. Princess Celestia stood in the open doorway, looking down at the filly's with a warming smile.

"Mommy!" Serena danced happily, giggling and smiling and running up to greet Celestia while she descended the stairs.

Nyx watched on happily, though a little bothered that she had to spend the day with Celestia.

"Hello, princess...." Nyx said with a sigh.

Celestia noted Nyx's disdain and sighed. "I'm aware you are still unhappy with me for past mistakes. But please, I wish to become your friend, as Luna has become like a sister to you."

Nyx looked up to Celestia and breathed a sigh, a small smile forming. "O-okay, Princess Celestia."

Princess Celestia smiled and turned to a guard. "have my chariot prepared, I want to make it to the Royal Canterlot Cemetery before lunch time."

The guard stood straight and bowed. "Yes, your highness." The guard then left to prepare the chariot.

Nyx watched guard leave, then lifted an eyebrow. "Why are we going there?" She looked at Celestia curiously.

"You'll see very soon. Now from what I understand, Twilight sent you here because she felt it was unsafe for you to partake in the Ponyville winter wrap up."

Nyx looked down, her eyes glowed a brighter turquoise. "They still think I'm a threat, still think I am unsafe... They are wrong!" Her voice had gotten lower, a slight growl in it which Celestia took note of it. "Mommy sent me here to spend time with Luna while they cleaned up Ponyville... Last year was just fine, I don't understand!!"

A giant crack appeared on a nearby window. Celestia threw her head quickly in the direction of the sound, her eyes locking onto the large fresh spider-webbed scar. Nyx's eyes ceased glowing, and her voice went back to its melodic, fragile tone.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean that...." Nyx said with regret.

Serena frowned as she looked at Nyx. She turned her gaze to look up at her mother while she approached Nyx. Celestia folded her wings up and sat down on her haunches.

"Nyx... It's okay. I can understand your frustration. Though Luna understands far better then I do."

The chariot arrived nearby and Serena looked at it. Celestia heard it but kept her focus on the dark filly. Nyx looked up to Princess Celestia, ears folded back, wonder in her wide eyes.

"W-where is Luna?"

~~~

The Royal Canterlot Cemetery.

Still covered in blankets of snow, its gate rusted with age, icicles hanging off of the yellowed and orange bars that ran horizontal through the vertical bars of the Gothic looking metal gates surrounded by a large equally Gothic looking fence. Many of the headstones had been chipped and cracked, the words on them faded by the weather, rain and snow over the years. Yet in the center, the grave and statue of Snowdrop remained untouched.

In front of the stone sat Luna, staring down at some Galanthus nivalis that grew at the front of stone filly. A wind blew, freeing some fresh leaves that grew on a nearby tree, Nyx stood at the opened gate behind Luna, watching with her dragon eyes. Luna could sense Nyx was there and stretched out her wing, sighing to a guard beside Nyx to leave, then motioned to Nyx to come over to her.

Nyx took a deep breath, then stepped toward the princess of the night through cold snow beneath her hooves. She got beside Luna, then sat down on her haunches beside the princess.

"You've never been here before, the Royal Canterlot Cemetery. Final resting place of the great Lady Snowdrop. This is the only thing left of her, this statue is the only thing ponies today can use to get an idea of what she looked like," Luna smiled with conflicting emotions.

"I don't know if I should be happy or sad... I had said goodbye to her once before... as if it were a dream... though last night, I saw her again..."

Nyx's ears fell back. "Luna..."

Princess Luna shed tears which fell into the snow at her hooves. Nyx saw this and could help but feel sympathy for her adopted sister. Nyx rubbed her head against Luna's leg, closing her eyes and letting tears fall.

"Luna.... f-for the past three months... I... I've been—"

"Seeing Snowdrop..." Luna interrupted.

Nyx opened her eyes and looked up to Luna as though she had just said something truly shocking, and it was. Months of keeping secrets, and now it was all going to end. But how had Luna known? Luna looked down at Nyx, an eyebrow raised, a neutral expression on her face which brought Nyx to worry.

"H-how..? I-I kept it a secret... y-you couldn't have know... Twilight didn't tell you.." Nyx started to hyper ventilate. "P-please... d-don't take these memories away..."

Luna chuckled benevolently. "You misunderstand me Nyx... When I took my memories and power back after the Long Night, I kept some memories for you, memories I already had... memories I had copied and gifted to you willingly. I knew all along that you were seeing Snowdrop, I didn't act because I intended this from the start."

Nyx was calmed by this, but confused. "B-but why? Why would you?"

"Because Snowdrop was the first pony to make me feel true happiness.... more true then anything I had ever felt before... or since... even you Nyx cannot ever bring me the same joy Snowdrop did... but you bring me a joy that is unique all on its own. I left you those memories so that you wouldn't be tempted by darkness... It was snowdrop that kept me from turning to the dark sooner... But it didn't last; you know the rest."

Nyx took it all in. She felt inferior to Snowdrop now, but she was overjoyed she made Luna feel something, even if it did not compare to the filly of ages past. When Luna mentioned her reasons for keeping the memory, it made sense, Twilight alone was enough to raise her to be kind and nice, but it wouldn't be enough to stop her from turning to darkness as Luna did. For somepony of Nyx's age, a memory of the good things Snowdrop did, was all it would take to lock somepony on a permanent path of light.

Then Nyx clicked to Luna's words, she was talking as if Snowdrop was just that... a memory. "L-Luna..?"

"Hmm?" Luna looked down at Nyx from the corner of her eye.

"W-why do you speak of Snowdrop as though she was never there... as if she was just a memory? I saw her... we played together.... my friends, her and I..."

Luna closed her eyes and breathed unsteadily, her eyes becoming misty. "Because Nyx... Snowdrop's memory was so strong it became real... a ghost of its former self but real... Snowdrop was alive again as a memory. She crossed over the first winter I had experienced after a thousand years... I saw her... she said goodbye and I cried..." Luna grit her teeth and started to sob.

"I miss her... By the moon I miss her so terribly Nyx, it hurts... And I've wished on so many stars that I could take back the years I wasted watching her, and being Nightmare Moon.... if only to see her again!!" Luna's tears flowed like waterfalls and dripped off her cheeks constantly, melting the snow beneath.

Luna lowered her head until she hunched over, her head touching the ground. She wailed and sobbed for a while. Nyx shed tears for her, a dormant pain that came with memories triggering the same feeling of loss that hurt Luna so deep. Nyx hugged the princess, and she lifted her head to look at the filly.

"Y-you're not... alone Luna.... I feel as you do, we are apart of the same pony, the same mare. We are each other, and I share this pain, so much worse, just as worse as you. And just like you... I want to see her again, because she was my friend too. She's our Snowdrop! Our friend!"

Nyx's tears flowed. Sniffling, Luna sat up straight and took a deep breath. She removed a hoof from her shoe and touched the cheek of the statue of Snowdrop. Her hoof sat there for a moment, then slowly slid off of it and back on the ground bellow. She took a deep breath and sighed, her tears continuing to flow.

"S-she had a saying... you know? Before every wish she would pray... she would say words with meaning, from the heart and filled with love. That was her greatest strength Nyx, love. If there were an element for that she'd be the most perfect of choices... no doubt about it. S-s-shall we say it together, Nyx? Snowdrop's famous words...?"

Nyx nodded with a small smile. She approached Luna and sat beside her, clearing her throat and breathing deeply. Then together they said:

"We wish... we hope... we dream... we pray. By the princesses' rule, light our way."

A warm wind washed over Nyx and Luna, their manes and tails flowing in its passing. Its warmth was soothing, and even more gentle then any wind ever. A single snowflake came to rest on the Snowdrops at the two ponies hooves, making a twinkling sound that rang loudly.

"Farewell, my friends."

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Comments

[PrinceFive]

That ending was beautiful. Great story

[jbwjr]

that was cute and all but aren't you forgetting something? that "shade" from earlier or does that mean... sequal? Anyway I figured it would end like this I figured Luna would find out eventually, plus I didn't think Nyx really had anything to fear in first place Luna would never do that. Good job Chaos Phantom. I approve

[reprovedhawk]

Who's the other Alico filly.

Shame I only read this story and km crying. It resonates hard because I lost my best friend when I was 16 to cancer. He had it all his life, but I was away at boy scout camp teaching and never got to save goodbye.

I'll use her words to wish on snowflakes now

[Greatazuredragon]

Beautiful story, well done.