//------------------------------// // Fluttering Snow and the Seven Ponies // Story: Fairy Tales of Equestria // by VioletRose13 //------------------------------// Once upon a time in a small kingdom on the edge of the forest, there lived a beautiful young pony named Fluttering Snow. She lived with her father the King, thus she was called princess. She also lived with her stepmother the Queen, a mare called Abacus Cinch. This Queen was very beautiful as well as very clever, but she was also vain, spoiled, selfish, and cruel. Queen Cinch possessed an enchanted mirror that spoke nothing but the truth. So every day, 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 always reply: "You, my Queen, with your beauty so grand, are the fairest in all the land." This always made the Queen very happy with herself as well as her mirror, for she never thought of anypony else who was more beautiful than her. In any case, Queen Cinch was always known as the fairest of them all for many years. But one fateful day, all of that changed. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” The Queen asked as usual. “Abacus Cinch, my Queen, you are very fair, 'tis true, but… but there is somepony else who is fairer than you.” The mirror said nervously. “What?” The Queen whispered; she winced, her eye twitching as she breathed. “Yes.” The mirror replied. Through her gritted teeth, the Queen slowly asked, "Who… is it?" “It… it’s… Princess Fluttering Snow.” The mirror winced in fright as she spoke, waiting for the Queen’s reaction. Queen Cinch was enraged; how could her own stepdaughter be fairer than her? A new hatred for Fluttering Snow began to form and grow in the unicorn’s dark heart. Her eyes burned with anger as he glowered at the mirror before her. “Fluttering Snow?! That wimpy, pathetic, sorry excuse for a Pegasus is fairer than ME?! That can’t be true! I can’t believe it! I won’t believe it!” She shrieked. “My Queen, I speak nothing but the truth! You know that! Please, don’t hurt me!” The mirror squealed in terror. “Ugh! Spare me your exaggerated falsities, you worthless chunk of glass!” But then a thought popped in the Queen’s head. When had her loyal and true mirror ever lie to her? She calmed down, then tried to think of a plan. “But… if what you’re saying really is the truth, then I’ll have to get rid of that Fluttering Snow… and I know exactly how to handle it. I want the Hunter!” She yelled. And as if on cue, a Pegasus mare with a sky blue coat and rainbow hair came flying into the Queen’s bed chamber fast as lighting. She wore a deep green leather vest and hat with a bow, a few arrows, and a knife tucked in her belt. She kneeled before Queen Cinch. “You sent for me, Your Majesty?” The Hunter asked. “Yes, I did.” The Queen said, looking at the Pegasus before her. “Hunter Dash, I’m glad you’re here. I have an important task I need you to do for me.” “As long as you’re queen, your wish is my command, Your Majesty. What is it that you want me to do?” Hunter Dash asked. "That’s good. Right now, I want you to find Princess Fluttering Snow." "Uh-huh." "And take. Her. Out." “Yes, Your Ma-wait a minute. Wait, WHAT!? But-but-but… but Your Majesty, surely you don’t mean it! …Do you?” “Oh! Of course I mean it.” The Queen violently grabbed Hunter Dash by the neck with her magic. “And if you don’t want to get into any trouble with me, I strongly suggest that you do exactly as I tell you or else!” “But Your Majesty, I can’t hurt the princess! You have to understand! I’ll get in serious trouble with the king if I do this for you!” Hunter Dash managed to croak before her face nearly turned dark blue. “Who gives a hoot about that old idiotic king?! I have told you this once, I shall say it to you again: DO AS I SAY OR ELSE!” “Okay! Okay, you win! I’ll do whatever you want! Just don’t hurt me!” “Excellent.” The Queen turned off her magical choke hold and Hunter Dash fell to the floor, gasping and wheezing for air. “Now go. And once you’re done, I want you to bring me proof.” The Queen said. “Yes, Your Majesty.” Hunter Dash nodded her head and trotted out of the chamber. In the castle gardens, Hunter Dash was now searching for the princess and soon, she found her sitting on the grass playing with a few forest animals and singing a lovely tune in the most beautiful voice Hunter Dash had ever heard. The princess looked so sweet and innocent; she couldn't even hurt a fly. But Hunter Dash knew she had a job to do, and like it or not, she was going to do it. Slowly, she walked up towards the singing Pegasus as she pulled out her knife with her mouth. Just a quick job, nothing more. All she had to do was plunge the knife into her back, and it would all be over; simple as that. The mare's heart was going at a mile a minute as he inched closer to Fluttering Snow. She was so close; she could reach out and touch her. Her breathing was so loud that Snow heard it from behind her. She also noticed that most of her animals ran back into the underbrush and she wondered why. Soon, she turned around to see Hunter Dash, knife in mouth, staring right at her. She gasped in shock. “Hunter Dash?!” Snow exclaimed before standing up. It was too much for her. The young Pegasus’s beauty and innocence blocked out the Queen's threats. She just couldn't bring herself to hurt a soul such as this one. Hunter Dash sighed in defeat as the knife dropped from her mouth. "I can't do it. Please forgive me, Princess Snow." She said. "I don't understand." Snow responded. "What's wrong?" "I was sent by your stepmother, Queen Cinch. She sent me here to… take you out." Snow stared at her, confused. "What?" "I mean she wanted me to… she wants me to get rid of you!" Hunter Dash finally blurted out. Snow gasped. “I’m sorry! I was wrong to obey the Queen like this! Please forgive me!” “What?! But I don’t understand. Why does she want me dead?” “It’s… because you’re more beautiful than she is. She’s jealous of you.” “I always had a feeling she didn’t like me that much. But I never thought my own stepmother could ask this. And why did you agree to do it in the first place?” “I don’t know. I guess I panicked. She told me to bring her proof once I finished the task. But I just can’t hurt somepony as innocent and beautiful as you.” “I understand.” “I’d really like to help you out, but the Queen has to think you’re dead.” “Oh, yes…” Suddenly, Fluttering Snow had an idea. “I know. How about I run away and never come back? That way, the Queen will never have to hear about me again. What do you think?” “That’s a great idea! But you should do it ASAP.” “Great, I'll leave right now. But before I go, I just want to thank you for sparing my life.” Snow said before giving Hunter Dash a quick hug. Fluttering Snow didn't waste any time in running into the forest when Hunter Dash left. 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 headed into the forest without looking back. Back at the castle, Hunter Dash had told Queen Cinch that her stepdaughter was dead. She gave the Queen a yellow feather and said that it was part of Fluttering Snow’s wings as proof. Queen Cinch took the little feather into her magical embrace and looked at it, not knowing it wasn’t part of Snow. “Splendidly done, Hunter Dash. You’ve certainly proven yourself.” The Queen said, turning away from the blue Pegasus. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Hunter Dash said, bowing her head. The Queen then wagged her hoof a few times before saying, “Now, get out.” “Yes, Your Majesty.” Hunter Dash said, trying her best not to laugh as she made her leave. ‘Now I’ll never have to see Fluttering Snow’s hateful little face ever again.’ Queen Cinch thought before bursting into maniacal laughter. Meanwhile, after what felt like hours, Fluttering Snow finally stopped running; she needed to breathe. She didn’t know how long she was running for nor where she was. All she knew was that she had to keep going; she didn’t want her stepmother to find out her trick. As Snow continued down the forest path, she found a small cottage deep within a quiet clearing. As she approached it, Snow thought that this house was adorable. She gently knocked on the door, but nopony answered. She tried the door and found that it was unlocked. “Hello? Is anypony home?” She called out, but heard no reply. She then opened the door curiously and looked inside. "Nopony is here. Well, I do hope they don’t mind if I go in." The door made a loud creak as it opened to the small interior that matched the outside. Snow smiled 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 there didn't take good care of their residence. "Oh my, what a mess. Maybe I should clean up a little." She said to herself. She knew it was going to be a busy job, but Snow didn't mind. There was much work to be done, so Snow grabbed a broom and started to clean. A few hours passed and the tiny house was finally clean. She wiped some sweat from her brow and yawned. She decided to look around the house to find a place to nap when she discovered a bedroom on the second floor. In this room, there were seven tiny beds, too small for Fluttering Snow to fit. Her eyes widened and she smiled as she had an idea. Hours passed and the sun had already set. It was almost completely dark in the forest clearing and soon, the owners of the house were coming home. They were seven ponies who were just the size of children. They were all carrying either a pickaxe or a shovel on their backs and they each had a saddlebag was strapped to their backs. They all traveled in a single-file line as they trotted down the path to their humble cottage. "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 an Earth pony, had a yellow coat, a pinkish red mane, and a big pink bow, was looking towards the cottage. They looked and saw that the door was open. "Did somepony forget close the door before we left?" Everypony turned around and looked at the pony in the very back, who was a bit shorter than the others, but had a shocked expression on her face. She was an Earth pony wearing big purple glasses and had a cream coat and a curly red mane. "Don't look at me, you guyth. I wathn't even the latht one out thith morning!" She said with a lisp. "You're ALWAYS the last one out, Twisty!" Another Earth pony said. She had a light pink coat, a somewhat curly white and purple mane, and wearing a small tiara. "That’s not true, Dazzley! I was the last a few days ago." A unicorn with a white coat and a curled pink and purple mane said. "Never mind that. All we know is that there's an intruder in our house!" The lead pony said "W-w-w-what if it's a monster?" A frightened short Earth pony with a white and brown spotted coat, a messy two-toned brown mane, and a slight British accent asked. "There’s no way it could be a monster. Those things don’t even exist." The Pegasus with an orange coat and short purple mane sighed. "There's always a first time for everything, Scootsy. What if Pip IS right and it's just waiting in there to catch us and eat us for its dinner!" An earth pony with a light gray coat, a gray mane, and glasses shuttered. “C’mon, you guys, don’t be scared. I say we go check it out and kick them out.” The lead pony said. “Yeah, let’s go.” The Pegasus and the unicorn agreed. The others shrugged their shoulders and reluctantly agreed. They slowly approached their house and looked inside. When they got in and turned on the lights, they saw that their house was completely clean. The floor was swept, the table was scrubbed, the windows were washed, the trash was picked up, and there wasn’t even a little thing out of place. The group’s eyes widened in surprise as they all walked around the room. “W-w-w-what happened to this place?” The unicorn with curls asked. “I don’t know. It… it’s so clean.” The pony with the bow said. “Are you sure this is our house?” The Pegasus asked. “I think so.” The lead pony answered. “It must be.” The pony with the tiara added. “I’m not so sure.” The silver pony said. “It doesn’t look like our house.” The spotted pony commented. “Doethn’t thmell like our houthe, either.” The pony with big glasses added. “Hey, guys!” The Pegasus exclaimed as she pointed her hoof at the staircase. “I hear something coming from upstairs. Come on!” The group of seven made their way up the stairs in a single-file line until they made their way into the bedroom. They saw lying in three of the seven beds Fluttering Snow sleeping peacefully. They each let out a silent gasp as they walked towards her. “Oh my Celestia, who is that?” The silver pony whispered. “I don’t know.” The pony with the tiara answered. “Where’d she come from?” The unicorn asked. “How’d she get here?” The pony with the bow added. “She’s beautiful.” The tiny pony commented. “Maybe she’th lotht.” The redheaded pony added. “Maybe we should let her sleep, ya’ll. We’ll find out more in the mornin’.” The leader said. The seven ponies were good hosts so they let Fluttering Snow have the three beds and they doubled up for the night. In the morning, they were all up bright and early and Fluttering Snow woke up to find the seven little ones looking at her with curious eyes. “Mornin’.” The lead pony greeted softly. Fluttering Snow abruptly sat up and gasped when she saw the little creatures before her. “Oh my goodness! You startled me!” “It’s okay.” The spotted pony said. “If you don’t mind, who are you?” Snow asked. "We’re dwarf ponies." The leader with the bow proclaimed proudly. "My name's Bloomy, the leader of the group." "I'm Scootsy." The Pegasus said. "Sweetie. Pleasure to meet you." The unicorn with curls said. "I'm Twisty. It'th a pleasure." The one with the lisp said. "Pip! At your service!" The short one introduced. "My name's Dazzley." The pony with the tiara said. “And I’m Spoon.” The last pony said. "Well, it’s nice to meet you all. My name is Fluttering Snow." Snow introduced with a sweet smile. "It's nice to—" "Fluttering Snow?!" The seven suddenly exclaimed with surprise. Snow nodded. "We've heard about you! You’re one of the nicest ponies in the kingdom as well as the princess! What are ya doin' out here?" Bloomy asked. Snow's expression drooped a bit. "I'm running away. My stepmother, the Queen, wants to get rid of me and I need a place to hide from her. I didn't mean to let myself into your cottage." "Are you kidding?" Scoots proclaimed with a smile. "We're honored to have a real princess 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. Back at the castle that night, Queen Cinch was staring into her magic mirror admiring her beauty before asking it, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, NOW who is the fairest of them all?" “My Queen Abacus, you are very fair, ‘tis true, but Princess Fluttering Snow is still much fairer than you.” The mirror answered nervously. Queen Cinch’s eyes widened in shock as she back away from the mirror. “What?! But how can that be?! Fluttering Snow is gone!” “Isn’t it obvious, Your Majesty? The hunter lied to you.” “But how could she?! She gave me a yellow feather, for crying out loud!” “Ugh, it was the feather of a canary.” “But she said—” “And you believed her?” “Yes!” “Well, I don’t know what to tell you, except that you’ve been tricked. Duped, fooled, played for a sucker. Nothing more.” The Queen screamed and threw a jewelry box against the wall in rage. “THAT IDIOT OF A HUNTER TRICKED ME! I'LL HAVE HER HEAD FOR THIS! Ooh, when I find her, she’ll learn to never trick me! I can't believe her! She said she was going to take care of it, but she's been pulled in by that pest’s 'sweetness'! Well, I wasn't planning on getting my hooves dirty, but if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!” She turned back to the mirror. “Where is she?” She asked, gritting her teeth. The mirror gave a sigh of remorse. “She’s currently in a cottage in the Everfree Forest with the Seven Dwarf Ponies.” “Well then, you’re lucky I already have a plan.” The Queen thought for a moment, then she smiled wickedly, she had the perfect plan. The next day at the Dwarves’ cottage, the group of seven was about to leave for work, but not before telling Fluttering Snow something important. “Now, listen, pardon our paranoia, but that ol’ Queen Cinch could be anywhere. Ponies say she’s a tricky and sneaky one.” Bloomy said to Snow. “Right! So don’t let anypony in.” Sweetie added. “Nopony whatsoever.” Dazzley said. “No one knows you’re here, but you have to promise you’ll be careful.” Scoots assured her. “Of course. I promise.” Snow said, nodding her head. “Great. Thee you tonight, Thnow.” Twisty said. “You know where we’ll be.” Pipsy added. “Don’t worry about me, everypony. I’ll be fine.” Snow said before waving goodbye to her little friends as they headed towards the mine to work. The second the Dwarves were gone, Queen Cinch crept out from her hiding place in the trees of the Everfree. She always had a few tricks up her sleeve, and now she was going to take care of Fluttering Snow once and for all. Inside the house, Snow was sweeping the floor when she heard a knock at the door. She then heard an unfamiliar voice say: “Excuse me, could somepony open the door?” “I’m sorry, but I’m not supposed to let anypony in.” Fluttering Snow whispered. “It’s alright, dear, I understand. But why don’t you come to the window instead, hmmm?” The voice asked. “A-alright.” Snow replied as she walked towards the nearest window. She opened the window and she saw a pony she didn’t recognize walk closer to her. The pony seemed to be a unicorn mare wearing ragged clothes and carrying a basket filled with many different kinds of apples. What Fluttering Snow didn’t realize was that it was Queen Abacus Cinch, only in disguise. “Good morning, miss.” The Queen said in a disguised voice. “Hello.” Snow said nervously. “Can I interest you in some fresh, delicious apples today as a house warming gift?” “Oh! No thank you.” “Are you sure, child? These apples are fresh from my farm.” “Ma’am, I’m really sorry, but I’m not supposed to let anypony in.” “I understand. But you should at least try one of them. Why don’t you just take a quick peek?” The Queen set her basket of fruit down to let the Pegasus look inside. Only one of them caught Fluttering Snow's eye, it was a big, bright, and beautiful looking apple that was sitting right smack in the middle. It looked ever so peculiar to her; one side of the apple was as white as snow while the other side was as red as rubies. “Oh, I see you’ve seen my extra special treat.” The Queen said before taking out the apple and showing it to the Pegasus before her. “I found this one at my orchard this morning, I thought it was only worthy of a beautiful young mare like yourself. Won’t you like it?” “It does look good, but no thank you.” Snow said. “It's alright, it's safe to eat. See?” The Queen said. Queen Cinch cut the apple in half with her magic and took a bite out of the white side. She swallowed the bite if apple before she said, “Mmmmmm, delicious! Won’t you like to try?” “Well… I don’t know.” Snow said hesitantly. “Oh! Come now, child. It’s perfectly harmless. Just one little bite? Pretty please?” “Well… alright, if you insist. It does look good, just one taste.” “Wonderful. Here you go, take it. It’s all yours.” “Thank you.” “Enjoy.” Fluttering Snow took the red side of the apple in her hoof, raised it to her lips, and hesitantly took a small bite. But as soon as the yellow Pegasus tasted the apple, she fell to the floor and lost consciousness. For the apple the Queen had given Snow was poisoned and it had no known antidote. The Queen ripped off her disguise and laughed at the catatonic mare at her hooves. “Now we’ll see who’s really the fairest in the land.” She said as she ran away from the cottage, laughing triumphantly. When the Dwarves came home later that day, they were shocked to find Fluttering Snow lying on the floor, stock still. When they saw the red half of the apple next to her, they knew what happened: Queen Abacus Cinch. The Dwarves were devastated, they thought Snow was dead but they couldn’t stand to bury her because of her beauty. Instead, they built a coffin out of glass and they laid her down in a small clearing in the forest under a willow tree, to which they frequently visited. Time passed and the clearing Fluttering Snow laid in never changed, it was always springtime. One fateful day, about a year after Snow’s supposed “death”, a young handsome Earth pony stallion happened to pass by and he discovered the strange sight. He walked towards the clearing, looked inside the coffin, and saw the lifeless Pegasus mare inside; the stallion instantly fell in love with her. ‘Boy howdy. You alright, miss? Who are you? Are you asleep?’ The stranger thought. As the stallion sat there gazing at the sleeping mare, the Dwarves arrived and they quickly discovered him. He looked, saw the group of seven tiny ponies, and his eyes widened in surprise. “Who are you?” Bloomy asked, stepping forward. “McIntosh.” The stallion answered simply. “Wait. Are you some kind of prince?” Spoon asked, stepping forward with Bloomy. “Eeyup.” “What are you doing here?” Scoots asked. “Nothin’.” “You want to know who that mare ith?” Twisty asked. “Eeyup.” “That’s Princess Fluttering Snow.” Dazzley said sadly. “A princess?” “Yeah, pretty awesome.” Scoots answered. “She was the most beautiful and the kindest mare in the land.” Pipsy said sadly. “Is she sleepin’ or… did somethin’ happen to her?” Prince McIntosh asked. Though it caused them great emotional pain to remember the tragic tale, the Dwarves told the Prince what happened to their dear friend. When their story was finished, Prince Mac had felt as if he had known Fluttering Snow forever. “I’m sorry.” He said as he stood up and turned his head to look at Snow again. “But, if it’s all the same, I’d like to give the princess a little kiss before I go. Just to say goodbye.” “I don’t see why not. Girls? What do you think?” Pipsy asked. “Okay.” The rest of the group said, nodding their heads. The Dwarves walked to the coffin and carefully removed the translucent lid to allow the stallion to kiss their friend. He walked closer to Snow’s face; he looked at her longingly and softly touched her cheek with his hoof. ‘Oh, Fluttering Snow, if only I could’ve met ya sooner, none of this probably would’ve happened. Goodbye.’ He thought. Prince Mac then leaned in and gave Fluttering Snow a kiss on the lips. After he pulled away however, the piece of poison apple was dislodged from Snow’s throat and she opened her eyes. Everypony gasped and looked at her as she sat up and rubbed her head. “Snow! You’re back!” The Dwarves cried with joy. “Ugh, what… what happened?” The confused Pegasus asked. Then she saw the stallion in front of her and she gasped. “Oh my goodness. Who are you?” “That’s Prince McIntosh, Thnow! He kithed you and broke the thpell!” Twisty said, smiling. “A spell?” Snow asked. “Yeah! It was the Evil Queen.” Dazzley said. “But we don’t care about that now. We’re just so glad you’re back.” Scoots added. “My princess. I’ve found you! Will ya please come with me to my home with me so we can marry?” Prince Mac asked, holding Snow’s hoof in his own. “But Prince Mac, we just met and I hardly know you as it is.” Snow said. “Say yes, Snow!” The Dwarves chanted behind the Prince, smiling excitedly. “Well… I know it’s a bit sudden, but… oh, whatever! Of course I’ll marry you, Prince McIntosh!” The Earth Pony Prince was so happy that he took Fluttering Snow in his embrace and they passionately shared a kiss while the Dwarves excitedly cheered and jumped for joy. Later that day, Prince Mac took Snow back to his kingdom and there they were married that very afternoon. The Dwarves were even the flower girls or the ring bearer at the ceremony. It was probably going to be biggest and grandest wedding in all the land. Back at the castle, Queen Cinch heard all about the royal wedding and was invited. But before she left, she asked her magic mirror: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" “My Queen, you have been most fair, quite true, but the Prince’s bride is far fairer than you.” The mirror answered smugly. “What?! That can’t be!” The Queen screamed. “Oh, it can and it is. If you don’t believe me, go to the wedding and find out for yourself.” The mirror insisted. “Alright, I will!” At Prince Mac’s castle, the reception to the royal wedding had already begun and everypony was having a splendid time while watching the newlyweds dance in the middle of the ballroom. But then, Queen Cinch arrived. And when she saw the new royal couple dancing together, she was shocked and enraged to see none other than Fluttering Snow herself alive and well. She gasped. “FLUTTERING SNOW?! How can she be alive?! My spell failed?!” But as she was about to approach the dancing happy couple, two unicorn guards came out of nowhere and grabbed her with their magic. “What?! Hey! What is the meaning of this?! Let go of me! What are you two doing?!” The Queen demanded. “You’re in big trouble, Your Majesty. Princess Fluttering Snow and her little friends told us everything you’ve done. You’re coming with us.” One of the guards said. “What?! No! Stop! Let me go! You’re making a huge mistake!” Queen Cinch screamed. Nopony knew what happened to the Queen after she was dragged out of the ballroom by the guards but no one really cared. The important thing was that Fluttering Snow was safe and her evil stepmother was long gone. Princess Fluttering Snow and Prince McIntosh were married, Queen Abacus Cinch could never bother them or anypony else ever again, and they all lived happily ever after.