Storm Cloud looked out at the snow outside the castle window. Glistening as it fluttered gently to the ground. It was such a strange thing. He’d seen it so many times but he once again felt the need to ask.
“Mom? Why does the snow look like the stars?” He asked.
Luna looked at the colt, “I couldn’t tell you If I wanted to,” she laughed,
Storm giggled, pulling on his socks and letting Luna wrap a scarf around his neck. He galloped out into the snow, tramping the mounds of fresh-fallen flakes into little hoofprints of packed crystal.
He trotted deep in the snow, rolling up and down the forest ground speckling his grey coat with little white dots. He stood up and shook off the powdery flakes looking Luna in the eyes with a bright smile. “Let’s go to the market mom!” He said gleefully.
Luna nodded and the two walked into the main market square, it was late in the day, so ponies were beginning to pack up stalls. Luna and Stormcloud trotted over to a hot cocoa stand just before the salespony pulled out the closed sign and ordered two cups. The pony gave the two their cups and closed up shop as they walked away.
Storm chugged the cup down as Luna gently sipped at hers.
“Mom! Help me build a snow pony!” He insisted, already deep in the snow.
Luna laughed, “alright!” She dashed into the snow after the colt and began packing together snow in the ground.
Luna started rolling up a ball of snow for the head as her son packed the body together. The two hoisted the head up on the body and shaped the ears. Storm fluttered up and placed some hay on top to make a mane.
The two ponies stepped back, admiring their hard work. Storm leaned onto Luna.
“I love you mom,” he said.
Luna nuzzled her colt, “I love you to Stormcloud.
The two sat down in the snow and made little drawings, the moon, the stars, ponies, all sorts of things. It was about half past noon when a young filly walked over towards the group.
“Hello there Stormcloud!” She called.
“Yes Maple Berry?” Storm asked, turning to the filly.
“You want to come and skate on the lake with me, Honeycomb and Star Sparkler?” She asked.
“I would love to, can I go mom?” Storm turned to Luna and asked.
“Where are you all going?” Luna asked.
“Just to Barrel Breeze Lake, just down the road from here a little ways.” Maple Berry said.
“Well I am not sure, are you going to be on your own, I need to be back at the palace…”
“We will be fine mom, I am an old enough colt to be on my own with other foals.” Storm said.
“You are right, I am probably just being paranoid,” Luna said, shaking off her worries.
“So I can go?” Storm asked.
“You can go.” Luna replied.
Storm did a little loop in the air, giving a whinny of joy.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you mom!”
“You are welcome,” Luna said, “I have to go now, be safe.”
Storm hugged his mom, “I love you mom,” he said holding her tight.
“I love you too kid,” Luna echoed the sentiment, holding her colt tight.
Luna walked back to the castle and Storm ran off with his friends.
“So where are Star and Honeycomb?” Storm asked Maple Berry.
“They are already at the lake, they asked me to go invite you.”
“Well that is nice! Thank you for bringing me!”
“No problem.”
The two foals skidded to a halt at the lake shore, the ice looked quite steady. A sign nearby read,
“Thin Ice, Dangerous Skating.”
“Hey, isn’t that a waring sign?” Storm asked.
“Yeah but it’s been there forever, foals have skated on this lake every year since ponies first came to this town.”
“If you say so,” Stormcloud said with a shrug, sitting down to pull some skates on.
Once he had finished both Star and Honeycomb were over by him and Maple Berry.
“Ready to go ponies?” Maple asked.
The foals nodded their heads. Maple gave a signal and they all jumped on the ice. Storm skated around in circles, spinning and leaping. He was a very good skater, he crossed the middle, jumped up and landed again.
Maple berry skated past him as he started a new lap, “you are really good at this.”
“Thanks! I’ve skated for a lot of my life!” He responded.
He dashed to the middle once again, skating a circle and spinning in the center.
He jumped into the sky, littered with falling flakes as the night sky was with stars. His rounded feathers pushed him just a tad higher as he hit them against the air underneath him. He turned his body facing his front hooves to the ground, ready to land.
But he didn’t land.
*crack, crack, crack*
The ice began to fall under the pressure. Storm looked down at the cracking ice fear sparking up in his bright purple eyes.
“Everypony off the ice! He called, pushing his skates as best he could to escape.
It wasn’t enough,
*crash*
*splash*
The world is falling, it feels cold and dark.
He is scared, but he is calm. He doesn’t understand this feeling, he wants to. But the water overtakes him before he can grasp it.
***
Luna sat in her room, staring out the window. It was so lonely without her kid, she wondered when he would get back.
She heard a knock at her door.
“Storm is the that you?” She asked.
Celestia opened the door with a gentle hoof.
“Luna…” her expression was grave, her eyes dark and telling Luna almost nothing.
“What? What is it!?” Luna asked, frantic fear piercing her gaze.
“…he’s gone… he fell through the ice, nearby ponies did their best but they couldn’t reach him.”
Luna heart dropped. The whole world just seemed, to stop. She felt dizzy, unaware, this wasn’t real, this couldn’t be real. She must be asleep, this must be a night mare.
*Wake up Luna! Wake up!*
But she couldn’t wake up, this was real.
Luna fell to the ground, tears pouring down her face.
“No…” she sobbed, “No!” She wailed, “not him! Not my foal!”
Celestia stepped back, “I’ll give you time…”
“Of course you will! That’s all you know how to give isn’t it! Just time for me to be alone! Never willing to sacrifice your precious glory time for anyone! Even your own sister!”
“Luna that’s not what-“
“Enough sister! Leave my room at once.” Luna glowered.
Celestia took a step back, but softly nodded. Stepping out of the room and gently closing the door.
“Oh why world, why him!? Why the only one who got me!”
Luna thought back to just one night ago.
*“The stars are my favorite”*
He had said.
*“They twinkle and they glow, and they make me think of my favorite pony”*
*”they remind me of you.”*
That sweet colt was all she had. And now, now the world had taken him from her. She’d had enough of this world.
He loved the stars, so the stars he would see, even in death. She wouldn’t let this go on any longer, ever only appreciated by one, without him, there was no one.
“If they don’t want me I’ll make them.” *she declared.
“The night will last forever… for you my colt…”
A swirl of darkness curled up from the ground. Surrounding her.
“All for you.”