//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Snowflakes // Story: I wish, I hope, I dream, I pray // by TNBi //------------------------------// “Snowdrop?” On hearing Luna’s voice from behind, Snowdrop drew her attention from the work she had been busy working on, and turned around with an excited expression. “You’re back, Princess… Oh my!” The Luna before her eyes was in a total mess: one of her eyes was black and bruised, her body was covered in multiple grazing wounds, and her smooth feathers were also ruffled and twisted. “What happened?! How did you get hurt like that?” Forgetting about the snow she was working on, the little filly rushed to Luna’s side and asked anxiously — although she knew there was little she could do. “I… had a quarrel with my sister,” answered Luna simply. “Oh dear! Was it because of me that I delayed you from raising the moon? I’m so sorry… All of this was because of me!” Snowdrop said remorsefully and was about to break into tears again, but the moon princess interrupted her. “It wasn’t your fault. I’ve been suppressing my bitterness for way too long already. My overbearing sister never bothered to care for my feelings, and such a fight was bound to happen even if you were not involved at all. As for my wounds, there’s no need to worry — I am the Princess of the Night, and Night will grant rest and cure for everything.” As Luna said this, her horn started to glow. Before long, the bruise on her eye started to fade, and her wounds vaporized into a black fog before dissolving into thin air. Then she started to groom her ruffled feathers smooth again. “Although we were tied in the fight, my sister will need more time to recover. It’s still my victory for once,” said Luna bitterly, pouching her lips. Snowdrop fell silent at this for a while. Then, she remembered something. “Princess Luna!” she said happily and pulled one of her hooves, “I’ve made it! I’ve created beautiful snowflakes of my own!” “Really? Show me!” She followed the young filly to the winter zone, where there already sat a workbench with an engraving tool on it. She had told Snowdrop before, that she could also create objects in this dreamscape by thinking alone; but what she didn’t expect was that the colors were quite unique and interesting, for Snowdrop could not see those stuff in reality. Green workbench, yellow chair, black engraving tool. All looked like the masterpiece of a child who had just learned to draw. Everything was full of a monotonic solid color, without shading or outlines, only sheer shape and color. “Very interesting. Is that how you portray them in your head?” asked Luna. The younger one blushed a little, knowing that she must have made mistakes on the colors, or even shapes. “Um… Let’s put it aside for now, shall we?” She picked up a finished work from the workbench, and handed it to the night princess, “How does it look?” She waited nervously for the remarks. “Wow… This is… “ Luna was astonished at what she saw. “It’s so beautiful!” “I created it in the shape of a flower. After I studied the things of the four seasons, I found that the patterns of flowers are the most regular of them all. I wanted to bring the things of other seasons to winter as well, so I referred to the shapes of a plant, and carved the snowflakes in the pattern of flower petals.” After Snowdrop said that, she picked up another piece of snow. “And this… I carved the patterns from a leaf on it. And here’s more…” “These are… just amazing. They’re so beautiful!” exclaimed Luna, “I’ve never seen such delicate and exquisite carvings.” She eagerly lifted other snowflakes from the workbench, and held them floating in midair, as if it were snowing. “Are you sure you can make them all in reality?” asked Luna. “Yes, I’ve remembered the tricks to making them: actually I just need to repeat a shape in the pattern of flowers, and I’ll get a beautiful snowflake. Though at times, I might fail… for example, this one. “It’s not perfect, but somehow I still wanted to keep it.” “It looks like…” Luna studied this snowflake for a moment and said, “like the moment when a star twinkles.” “Really?!” Snowdrop’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Yes, a little.” “Twinkle… how I wish I could see a star’s twinkle.” Snowdrop looked at that snowflake intently, a gleam shimmered in her eyes. “So be it. Next time when I tread upon your dream, I’ll show you the twinkling stars.” “Really?! Let’s make it a deal!” Snowdrop reached out a hoof to Luna happily. But to her surprise, Luna just stared at her hoof with a confused look on her face. “You don’t know, Princess? It’s called a ‘hoof bump’ — all you need is reach out your hoof and bump it with mine,” Snowdrop explained and chuckled. “Is this some kind of oath keeping ritual?” “Well… not exactly. We often do this when we’re happy. We don’t need any reason, just for fun.” “For fun…” the night princess fell silent for a while, then reached out her hoof, and bumped it with Snowdrop’s. “That was not bad,” she said and grinned. Seeing this, the little filly smiled gladly. And thus, Princess Luna stood beside Snowdrop, chatting with her while watching her making more beautiful snowflakes with her eyes closed. “By the way… If we keep using the name ‘snowflakes’, we could get them confused for the old ones,” said Luna. “Have you considered a new name for them?” “I did think of that problem… Do you have a better name in mind, Princess?” “Well, seeing that they were based upon a flower’s petal pattern, what about calling them snow flowers? Winter is a season for everything to rest, and flowers can rarely be seen then. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some ‘flowers’ that bloom in winter?” answered Luna after some consideration. “Snow flowers… That’s indeed a beautiful name. Snow flower it is!” Snowdrop chuckled happily, gazing upon the “snow flowers” she just crafted. Somehow, the question that Victor had asked her popped into her mind. “Princess Luna, may I ask you a question?” “Go ahead; I’ll answer you if I could.” “Have you ever… wished upon a star?” “Wished upon a star? Yes, I have, when I was still young.” “Oh. Did that wish... Well… Did it come true at last?” Snowdrop asked nervously. “Not quite, as it’s still being realized.” “What kind of wish is it?” “A world at peace and harmony.” That was a serious wish, thought Snowdrop secretly. “Um, if we can wish upon a star, do you think we can wish upon the snow flowers too? Can they bear a pony’s wish and make it come true?” “Well… You could always try,” Luna answered her with a warm smile on her face. “All right, here I go.” Snowdrop closed her eyes, and started to speak her wish. “Snow flowers, O snow flowers… It’s my first time wishing upon you. And I wish… that Princess Luna could make peace with Princess Celestia.” Luna’s ears perked up — she didn’t expect that the young filly should make such a wish. “I don’t know what happened between them, or why they quarreled, but I can see that Princess Luna’s expression looked so sad. I’m sure Princess Celestia felt very sad all the same. Even though I don’t have siblings, and haven’t experienced anything like that, I have a mother that cared for me the most. The other day, we had a quarrel, and it really broke my heart. I thought I was the most unfortunate pony in the world, because my only parent couldn’t understand me at all.” Hearing this, Luna’s eyes widened a bit. “Until I heard her sobbing… She was sobbing silently in her room, because we couldn’t understand each other. She was so sad, because she didn’t know how she could cheer me up; as for me, I didn’t know how to let her feel relieved as well. “After considering for a long time, I finally worked up my nerves to entered her room, and apologized to her. And when we made peace again, I heard her laughter, and the burden on my heart was finally lifted. She forgave me, and I forgave her, and we talked so so much about what had been on our minds. From then on, we never had another quarrel because of not understanding each other.” The little filly opened her brightly shimmering eyes, and looked at Princess Luna. “So Princess Luna… Could you try to apologize to Princess Celestia, and tell her of your true feelings inside?” “…Well, I got it,” Luna sighed, “I’ll heal my sister’s wounds soon afterwards, and um, apologize to her. Still, I don’t think she’ll understand me — she’s been like this all the time.” “Well, we all have to try, don’t we?” Snowdrop smiled. “And I’m going to apologize… to those two as well.” They carried on their conversations for another while, during which Snowdrop asked Luna about the names of different plants. Finally, the dreamscape started to waver, indicating the end of her dream was near. At this, the two of them waved each other goodbyes. “Next time I’ll show you the night stars; until then, keep up the good work!” The moon princess said to the little filly before the dream had completely faded away. … “…Eh?” When Snowdrop woke up from her bed, she smelled something rusty in her nostrils. She wiped her nose with a hoof, and it felt a little bit wet. As she came off her bed, she felt dizziness struck again, and she had to crouch on the ground for some time before she could finally get to her hooves. She felt very tired, as if her body had received no rest from the sleep at all. Could it be the work she did in dream that used up her stamina? She couldn’t help but wonder. “Snowdrop? Are you still sleeping? … Oh my gosh!” She heard her mother Primrose walk into her room, who then exclaimed in agitation, “Your nose is bleeding!” That explains the rusty smell, she thought to herself. Primrose walked to her daughter’s side, wiped the blood stains on her nose with a tissue, then put a hoof on her forehead to feel the temperature. “You could be on a fever. I think you’d better have a day off and get some rest.” “What? No! I still have important things to get done, and I gotta be there!!” Snowdrop shook her head in protest, in fear that she’d forget about how to make those beautiful snowflakes she had created. “But you really should see a doctor, Snowdrop.” “I’m feeling better now! Really! It’s nothing serious at all, and I could go to the doctor’s later.” “Snowdrop—” “Please! It’s really important for me! Pleeeeeease!!” She pleaded. Primrose watched her in silence for a long while, and finally gave in with a sigh. “Silly child… I’ve seldom seen you being so stubborn. You may go to work, but should you feel anything wrong, you must tell your workmates immediately. You hear me?” “I will! Thank you so much, mom!”