//------------------------------// // Part 3: The Glimmer Of The Future // Story: Starlight In Snowfall Land // by TheSuperTransformerFan //------------------------------// When we last left Starlight Glimmer and Snowfall Frost, they were both hugging each other for warmth…and the wintery clouds were about to envelop all of Canterlot! Ponyville even! Both ponies’ futures were in big trouble! The spell hasn’t been cast! All hope was going to lie with Starlight now! “Why do we feel so cold all of a sudden, Starlight?” Snowfall asked, hugging herself. “What’s going on??” Starlight looked around, and shrugged as she could give no answer. They both walked a little closer, and were enveloped in the clouds. When the clouds disappeared, as they came through, Starlight gasped to see all of Canterlot covered in snow! “Oh, no!” She said, sad and horrified. “No! This can’t be! Where is Everypony?” “What happened here?” Snowfall asked, upon seeing the snowy area, getting more nervous. “Starlight, are you going to show me what the future of Hearth's Warming Eve is like?” “No. Because, there is no future Hearthswarming Eve’s!” Starlight said, turning to her. “Everypony is gone!” She bowed her head down. “And, it’s no mystery as to who caused it.” “Who…caused all this?” Snowfall asked, wanting to know. Starlight looked up to her furiously, eyes angry and teeth clenched. “It was all caused by YOU!” She snarled. “YOU caused all this to happen!” Now, Snowfall was really shocked at her double angry at her, as she gulped. “I caused this?” She asked, worriedly. “Yes.” Starlight said with a calm demeanour. “And, you’ll succeed in plunging this whole city into an eternal winter!” Snowfall was mortified now, realizing that her actions would cause all this. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.” She said, her expression faltering. “But, it did happen!” Starlight continued angrily at her, as she suddenly grabbed her head in pain. “Aaaah!” Snowfall was shocked at seeing her like this, as she rushed over to her. “Starlight, what’s wrong?” She asked frantically. “What’s happening?? I can help!” “I…don’t…know!” Starlight grunted, as she suddenly looked at herself, and saw that her hoof was vanishing. She gasped in horror upon seeing this. “Oh no!” She said softly. “Starlight, what’s happening to you?!” Snowfall asked, as she saw her hoof vanishing. “I think I’m starting to fade away!” Her double replied with fright. “What?!” She asked in horror. “But, you can’t vanish! You just can’t! If that happens, then…” “Don’t you get it?!” Starlight shouted at her, making her jump back. “If you cast the spell, not only Equestria will fall, but I will cease to exist!” Snowfall saw her still vanishing, and gasped. Was this what her actions would cause? “I’m your descendant! And if this happens, I won’t exist! I’ll never come to be!” Now, Snowfall was really shocked at all this! “You mean…?” She started. “Yes!” Starlight said to her. “Everything we do here in the past…even the smallest change…can snowball into an avalanche of trouble for the future! The fate of all of Equestria hangs in the balance…even our own lives!” She grabbed Snowfall’s wrist, and ignited her horn. “I don't know how important other ponies' friendships are to the future, but I can show you what the world is like without mine!” she said bravely, as the time bubble appeared above them, and without warning, sucked them both up, as they were out of the time zone. The time bubble spat them out onto the grounds of Ponyville…only they were outside, and there were many trees. Changelings were out there as well, zapping everyone in sight, as they frantically ran away from them. Both ponies were shocked at their appearances. “What’s going on here?” Snowfall asked in shock. Starlight took in a deep breath, and opened her mouth. “There have been a few alternate timelines that I have caused in the past.” She explained, pointing to this dimension. “In this one, the changelings took over Canterlot successfully and few ponies had managed to evade their leader…Queen Chrysalis, and set up a few resistance camps.” Snowfall really had questions now. “Who is Chrysalis? What are changelings?” She asked upon seeing the scene unfold. “Chrysalis is the changeling queen!” Starlight explained to her. “Changelings are bug-like ponies that take the form of somepony you love and gain power by feeding off your love for them.” Now, Snowfall was starting to get scared as she saw a few changelings approach her, and hiss and change into her. She gasped in shock, as she clung onto her double. “Get me away from those bugs!” She screamed, as the fake Snowfall came to her, and Starlight cast the time bubble, sending them out of this timeline, and into the next. The time bubble spat them out onto the ground again, only this time, they weren’t in Ponyville. Also, it wasn’t day…it was night! And they weren’t in just any old town. They were in…the Everfree forest! Snowfall got up, and saw the sky. “Why is it night?” She asked. “…and, why are we still in the forest?” She was confused. “We’re in the Everfree forest.” Starlight replied, as she looked up, and gasped. “It’s where plants grow, animals care for themselves, and the clouds move all on their own!” Snowfall saw a few clouds move, and felt like she was starting to faint. However, Starlight caught her. “Are you gonna scream?” She asked, as her double shook her head. “Good.” She released her. “So, what happened in this timeline?” Her double asked. “Well…Starlight started, as she suddenly gasped at seeing a castle in the area. It wasn’t Canterlot Castle, but it was… “The Castle of the Two Sisters!” she said in silent shock. She then heard a growl, and saw a few wolves trying to get at her. “Timberwolves!” She screamed, as she grabbed Snowfall as they both ran closer to the castle. They made it inside, slamming the door behind them. “Are you okay?” Starlight asked her double. She nodded. “I am a little scared right now!” Snowfall answered. “Why are we here? Who has taken over? And why were there timberwolves chasing us?” She looked up. “And why is it night?” Starlight felt a chill, run down her spine. “Oh, no.” She said quietly. “It can’t be!” She was right, as a dark blue alicorn had materialized over them, and was now looming over them. Both mares’ ears flopped, as they knew her…but each knew her differently. “Nightmare Moon?!” Snowfall asked. “Princess Luna?!” Starlight asked, as they looked at each other. “Oh, come on! I said Moon that time!” “No, you didn’t!” Snowfall grunted. Starlight only rolled her eyes, as they saw her above them. “Has my sister sent me a few snacks?” The alicorn hissed. “As graceful as the gesture is, it will not work. The night will last," she threw her head back as she cackled evilly—“FOREVER!” Both mares were really scared now, as her jaws were open at them! “Get us out of here, Starlight!” Snowfall shouted, shaking her. The time pony held her in place, as she cast the time bubble, and sucked them out of the timeline. The armored alicorn was shocked to see that her enemies were gone. “What?! No! Noooooo!“ she bellowed, as stomped the ground in rage, as she missed her chance to strike at them. And, she never would as she angrily returned to her throne. The time bubble spat the out again, and this time, it was dusk, as they landed. They both got up, and were instantly shocked to see an array of black crystals sprouting up from the ground. A few armored troops were even scouting the grounds, as a phantasmic pony king materialized on the pile of Crystal, laughing evilly. “What…what happened?” Snowfall asked. “Sombra happened.” Starlight confirmed. “When the Crystal Empire returned, it brought King Sombra back with it. And it didn't take long for him to force every one of his subjects to fight for him against Equestria.“ she pointed to a few armed subjects take on Celestia’s troops as they tried endlessly to fight him. “And even with Princess Celestia leading the charge, it still takes every last pony in Equestria doing their part, working day and night, to keep up the fight.” She finished, as Snowfall was just bewildered at this. “This is the most darkest future I’ve seen!” Snowfall said in horror. “I don’t want to envision my future being something like that!” She shook her double. “Take me back! I don’t want Equestria to wind up like this!” “If you insist.” Starlight said, as she revved up the time bubble. “But before we head back, there’s one more thing I want you to see.” “Am I going to like it?” Snowfall asked. She shook her head. “Then, I don’t want to see it!” “You don’t have a choice!” Starlight said, as they were flung through time once more! The time bubble spat them out onto the air town Cloudsdale, as both Twilight and Starlight fought each other for the fate of the rainboom! As past Starlight zapped young Rainbow Dash, past Twilight and Spike were sucked in a time bubble. The two mares got up. “Where are we?” Snowfall asked. “Cloudsdale?” Starlight asked in wonder. She scanned the area, and was surprised to see herself fighting her own mentor. She gasped. “What is it?” Snowfall asked, as she went to her double’s side. “That’s me!” Starlight said, pointing to her past self, as Twilight and Spike returned! Snowfall was stymied at the fact the she saw her mentor, and her past self. “Up for another race-ending fight, Twilight?” Past Starlight smugly asked her. “No. You were right.” Twilight said, her head bowed down. “I can't stop you.” Snowfall was shocked at who else was there with her past self. “That’s you?!” Snowfall asked, as her double nodded. “And, who are they?” She pointed to the other two. “Those are Twilight Sparkle, and Spike my mentor and her assistant in the future.” Starlight answered, as Starlight gasped. “That’s your mentor?!” Snowfall shouted so loud in the heavens, that almost everyone heard her…well, except for her past self and the other two. Starlight shushed, her and nodded. Snowfall was shocked, as she watched the scene unfold. “But you can't stop me from trying, and we could be stuck doing this for all eternity!” Past Twilight continued to say, as Past Starlight zapped her, as she dodged. “If that's what it takes to keep you and your friends from getting your cutie mark connection, then I'm game!” Past Starlight said, as she ignited her horn. Snowfall was horrified that Starlight was fighting her own mentor. She turned to her present self. “Why are you fighting her? Shouldn’t you stop her?!” She pointed to her past self. She shook her head. “I was just like you in this timeline.” She replied, as she revealed her backstory. “Somehow, after my filly friend, Sunburst got his cutie mark, I didn’t make another friend, because I was worried that another mark might take them away too.” She bowed her head down, as Snowfall gasped. “So, I started a town to make ponies give up their cutie marks, but when Twilight and her friends interfered, that plan fell through. I returned to fight her to stop her friends from ever meeting, and I almost led Equestria to it’s total destruction.” “You tried to destroy Equestria?!” Snowfall asked, hushed. “That seems a little harsh!” “It was…” Starlight admitted. “Until, Twilight taught me how to make new friends.” The two watched the fight unfold, as Rainbow Dash got zapped and another time bubble opened above Twilight. “I don't know how important other ponies' friendships are to the future, but I can show you what the world is like without mine!” She said, as she tackled Starlight, and they got sucked in. “Come on, Snowfall.” Starlight said, as a time bubble opened above them. “Let’s get out of here.” They were swept up as the time bubble vanished. They arrived back into Snowfall’s timeline, and once again saw the snowy future. “But, nothing’s changed!” Snowfall said with worry, as she looked around. “Shouldn’t the future have changed?!” Starlight facehoofed angrily. “HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!” She bellowed as her voice became as loud as the Royal Canterlot voice. Snowfall backed away in fright, as she heard her voice, and was wondering what she would be taught. “I don’t know who’s side you’re on, but it isn’t mine! I wish I could say I was surprised.” Starlight said to her. “But every world Twilight has come back to is worse than the last. She and her friends are so important to Equestria! And so are me and you!” She touched her hoof, seriously. “Everything in the past affects the future, even the tiniest act. And what you're doing will lead here!” Starlight continued. “Everything is dark, snowy and desolate! And because of you, Snowfall Frost…my own double from the past, the future will now be a cold nightmare!!!” She ignited her horn, as icy transparent horses whizzed by both ponies, and swirled around nonstop. Snowfall couldn’t believe what she was seeing! They were really windigoes! And they were no myth! They were definitely real! She got more colder, and colder, and more frightened, as she saw their evil glow in their eyes. “Windigos?!” She asked in horror. “They aren't real! It's just a little filly's story!” “They are all too real, Snowfall!” Starlight said in her Royal voice! “…and your actions will allow them to return if this keeps up! And as as result, the future of Equestria will be bathed in a blanket of eternal snow!” She ignited her horn, as the windigoes got closer, and closer and they got colder and colder. Snowfall was more horrified at this horrible vision! Starlight calmed down. As her horn ignited less, and her eyes went from pure white to normal. “Is this what you want?” She asked, as they looked at the horrible vision of the future. “No!” Her double exclaimed in fear. “This isn’t at all what I want! I never meant for this to happen! I didn't understand! I didn't see how important Hearth's Warming Eve was, OR your future!” She pleaded, as she got on her knees. “Please, Starlight! I haven't cast the spell yet! Is there still time?!” She took her double’s legs, and shook them. Take my back to my own time! Just take my away from all this! I’m sorry!” She sobbed in her arms sadly. “If you must!” Starlight said, smiling as she ignited her horn, and zapped the windigoes, making them shriek as they disappeared! She cast her time bubble, as they were swept through, and were out of the horrible snowy future! As they vanished, the last thing they saw was a blinding white light enveloping them as they went back to the present!