//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: The Story of Nyx: A Snowflake in The Wind // by RyanMagika //------------------------------// I own nothing! The world flashed in front of Nyx's eyes, dazing her. The library was dark and spinning. Nyx stumbled for a moment before steadying herself. Her mind was racing at a thousand miles per hour. Images of Snowdrop flashed through her mind. A huge migraine shot through her head and horn. Nyx proceeded to rub her temples with her hooves causing her to collapse chest first onto the ground. She sat up tremblingly and began to trot towards the stairs before placing her hoof on the first step. “NYX!” screamed a voice at the door. Nyx flinched horribly. She turned her neck towards to the voice which source became apparent. Twilight ran up to Nyx and wrapped her hooves around her daughter’s body tightly. “Nyx, where have you been!? I woke up this morning and you weren’t here or at Applebloom’s or Sweetie Belle’s! I had Rainbow Dash search the whole Everfree! Celestia knows all the letters I’ve sent and-and-and. Where have you been!?” Twilight’s concerned words sped at the speed of an angry Lupus. The extremely loud and fast words did not help Nyx’s pounding head. She shivered in pain in her mother’s hooves. Twilight noticed Nyx's discomfort. She was clearly exhausted and in pain., “Uh… let’s-let’s get you to bed.” Twilight lifted Nyx from the stairs and carried her up to her bed. She passed over the bed and lifted up the blanket placing Nyx underneath its embrace. Twilight lightly kissed her daughter’s forehead as the grandfather clock rang 5 o’clock. “I don’t know where you went Nyx”- she turned to the door-“But I need to find out.” ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ “Dinnnggg Donnngggg!” the clock strikes 7. Nyx opened her eyes to see the moon gently rising over the horizon out through the window. She raises her head and wiped her face with her hooves. She pushed herself up and looked at the room around her. The window had a warm breeze flowing through a crack and a light leaked through the door. Nyx turned to the bed post where a small note was tacked. She lifted the small note and read it. Nyx, I have gone out to inform Ponyville of your reappearance. Do not leave this tree young lady!  We have a lot to talk about. Nyx gulped slowly. A light tapping noise could be heard from the window. Nyx turned towards it to see the wobbling head of Applebloom. “Nyx! Could you le’ me an’ the girls in?” she said wobbling back and forth. Nyx jumped out of bed and opened the window. She pulled in Applebloom and soon after the form of Scootaloo hovered into view. She was flapping her wings like a hummingbird barely keeping in place. A small weak aura helped her slightly. Scootaloo jumped in and breathed out. “Few! Those lessons with Rainbow have been working!” exclaimed Scootaloo. “Wha’ you expect? She jus’ let you learn yourself after the Equestria games?” said Applebloom. “Forgetting someone?” called Sweetie Belle from the outside. Nyx proceeded to levitate Sweetie Belle through the window, “Thank you” she said. “No time for thank you’s, where’ve you been Nyx?! I saw Rainbow Dash go out with the Weather team to the Everfree to look for you! Twilight’s was in a complete mess and I heard the princesses were coming!” A twang of guilt hit Nyx. “Did I cause all this? Heck Discord would be proud!” “Then all of the sudden your mom says you’re okay and calls off the whole thing!” said Sweetie Belle. Nyx looked up at the trio. “Can you girls keep a secret?” The other members of the CMC looked slightly worried. “Course we can, right girls?” said Applebloom. “Yeah!” said Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in unison. “Pinkie promise?” replied Nyx. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye” the CMC said in unison following the movements. “FOREVER!” a voice rang out. Scootaloo flinched slightly. “I still don’t get how she does that” said Scootaloo. “Best not to question it” said Nyx as she walked towards the door. The CMC followed as they trudged down the steps. Nyx pulled the tarp off the mirror still next to the door. A few moments passed before Nyx continued. “I… I was here.” Nyx said staring at the skull engraving. The CMC just looked confused. “You were… staring at a mirror?” said Sweetie Belle. Nyx shook her head. “You were hiding behind the mirror?” said Scootaloo. Nyx shook her head again. “I was inside the mirror” she said. The CMC deadpanned. Nyx turned towards them, “The mirror is a portal. To a… a… I’m not sure what it was really.” Scootaloo’s eyes switched in between Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. “That’s where you girls come in. I need help. We need to find out about a pony named Snowdrop.” “Why is it that you need to know about that Pony, Nyx?” questioned Scootaloo. Nyx turned towards the other members of the CMC. “Because when I was in that ‘Avernus’ thing, the mirror, I met her”. A look of shock spread through the others. “You met her?!” said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle started to look nervous. Nyx nodded, “Yes, and she’s stuck in wherever it is  I ended up. I need to know about here so I could help her get out.”                                                                                                                                                                             Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle remained quiet and shuffled their hooves slightly. Applebloom however stepped forward. “Ah wanna help!” “Yeah me too!” said Scootaloo stepping forward as well. “And me!” said Sweetie Belle. Nyx smiled brightly. “Cutie Mark Crusader Researchers? “said Scootaloo with a smile. “Let’s do it!” said Nyx. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER RESEACRHERS YAY!” they all said in unison. ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ As it turned out Cutie Mark Crusader Researcher turned out not to be as much fun as the CMC had originally hoped. It mostly consisted of looking at dusty old tomes that were filled with boring old ponies that did something like vanquish a world eater or saved the world from a huge meteor by making the planet intangible. Only Nyx and Sweetie Belle kept their interest level up. While Applebloom looked for the book with the most pictures, Scootaloo attempted to hover as high as possible to try to retrieve books. Nyx flipped through three or four tomes at a time. “This is getting boring! Can’t we learn about this Snowdrop pony by asking your mom?” said Scootaloo slightly hovering. Nyx sighed and closed a book, “I know this is boring for you guys; if you want to go you ca-“ “I found something!” called Sweetie Belle. Applebloom sighed deeply. “Sweetie Belle, if this is another article about ‘Snowflake’, we don’t wanna hear it. I read too many newspaper articles about that behemoth!” she said. Sweetie Belle shook her head. She weakly levitated an old tome over to Nyx. Nyx picked up the book and read its contents out loud. 18 December 61 AN (After Nightmare) On the Year 458 AD (After Discord) the events of the Spring Sunrise festival took a strange turn of events when a blind Pegasus filly named Snowdrop presented a crystallized “star” as her gift towards the arrival of spring. This ‘star’ was a carved ice crystal. Despite its unusual circumstances the now dubbed “snowflake” has become a new part of Equestria’s Ecological cycle as a means of calming the harsh winter storms and to show the true beauty of winter. While the young filly died shortly after the Nightmare incident a monument to her diligence and creativity now stands within the currently in progress Canterlot Castle. Nyx smiled after finishing the last sentence. No sooner as she shut the book did the front door start to giggle as was somepony was trying to open it. “Crud! Your mom’s here!” whisper-yelled Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle began to panic and Applebloom looked for a non-existent exit. Nyx grabbed the book off the table and began trotting quickly towards the stairs. “Come on girls! Hide upstairs!” whisper-yelled Nyx. The other members of the CMC high tailed it up the steps with her. When they entered her room Nyx placed the book in her bag and turned to the still panicking CMC, “Quick! Hide underneath the bed!” “What! But it’s dusty and dark down there!” said Sweetie Belle. “No time for arguing!” said Scootaloo as she grabbed Applebloom and Sweetie Belle by the collar and popped underneath the bed with them. “Nyx? Sweetie, are you in bed?” called Twilight from the outside. Nyx panicked and jumped into bed, covering herself in the sheet. No sooner did Twilight enter the front door with her horn light. “Nyx?” questioned Twilight walking up the stairs, “Are you ok?” Nyx shook her head from the bed. She was turned away from Twilight. “Are you sure you are ok Nyx? You came in pretty hurt. I really think we should call Nurse Red Heart to check you.” Nyx shook her head again, “I’m fine” she said weakly. . Twilight sighed, “Alright Nyx, sleep well.” Twilight left the room and headed down the stairs and then into the basement. Once Nyx knew she was gone she got out of bed slowly and revealed the CMC from under the bed. “Come on out guys.” The CMC crawled out from under the bed albeit Sweetie Belle at a slightly faster rate. She wasn’t lying; the underside of Twilight’s bed was dusty. And spidery.While Scootaloo attempted to pull Sweetie of her spider induced trance, Applebloom talked with Nyx. “Listen Nyx, I’ma gonna take Sweetie over to her house with Scootaloo” Applebloom whispered, “If you need anything don’t hesitate askin’.” “Thanks Applebloom. Listen; try to keep my mom calm if I disappear again alright?” Nyx whispered back. “What! Again!? Nyx you’re not going to go back there, are you?” whispered Scootaloo leaving Sweetie Belle for a second. Nyx nodded in confirmation. Scootaloo sighed, “Alright. But try not to let your mom freak out the whole town if you can.” Nyx nodded. Scootaloo headed towards the window with Sweetie Belle partially on her back. “And one last thing Nyx!” she said turning towards her with her hooves on the window sill. “Yeah?” “I hope you help that mare-friend of yours.” Scootaloo jumped out the window laughing in hilarity while Nyx blushed furiously. Applebloom sighed.“Uh Nyx , a little help?” she said with Sweetie Belle holding tightly on her back. Nyx’s horn glowed and Applebloom was lifted out the window and gently down to the road below. Nyx sighed in frustration at Scootaloo’s comment. She trotted to bed and pulled herself under the covers. Hopefully she could get some sleep before she headed back in. ¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ “Dinnnggg Donnngggg!” the clock strikes 12 as 11’s hour ends. Twilight decided to sleep early tonight after all the stress from the day before. Nyx waited for Twilight’s breathing to regulate before she crawled out of bed. Luckily Spike was in Canterlot with Peewee. Phoenix social meeting with Philomena or something. Nyx slowly crept down to the main room of the library in an attempt to not wake up Twilight. Finally she approached the device of her… friend’s... imprisonment. The Avernus. In her saddlebag was the book containing lore about Snowdrop (Nyx later discovered it was written by a ‘Meredith S.F.S. Sims’). She charged up her horn and sent a good amount of magic into the mirror. “Alright, Snowdrop Liberation Take Two”, she said before diving head first into the mirror. The trip this time around was far harsher than the flash and appearance of the last visit, this one was far more volatile. Nyx flew through a spinning red vortex of … stuff. Timey-Whimey stuff. A large blue object shot past Nyx at one point along with a very strange pony with a scraggly brown mane. Finally she reached her destination in a flash. When the bright light died around her she turned around to hopefully see the form of Snowdrop. Granted she saw her, just not where she was originally. Over in the distance she saw Snowdrop. “Ugh! How’d she end up over there!” complained Nyx. Nyx began the tiring process of kicking and flailing herself in the direction she needed to go. As she got closer Nyx noticed some things. “She’s curled up like I found her again. That can’t be good.” Nyx thought, “There are even tears floating around her! How long was I gone for her?” Nyx was soon about twenty meters away from her. “Her mane is sticking out! And are those… feathers? Has she been molting?” Finally Nyx was right behind Snowdrop (Again). Nyx thought about nudging Snowdrop, but decided against it. “Uh… Snowdrop?” she asked. Snowdrop tensed up slightly and turned slowly towards her. “N-Nyx?” Snowdrop said. No gasp, no sudden turning, just… questioning. “Yeah Snowdrop! It’s me, Nyx!” she exclaimed. Snowdrop didn’t respond. Nyx stared worriedly at Snowdrop’s face. Her eyes were bloodshot. “Listen Snowdrop, I’m sorry. There was nothing I could do! I had to-“. Nyx was interrupted by Snowdrop as she tackled in her in a tight hug. She held on to her as tight as she could. “I forgive you.” She said, “Just… tell me when you leave.” Nyx blushed slightly, luckily Snowdrop couldn’t see it. Soon Snowdrop let go of of her bone crushing hug. “I read up on you while I was gone!” Nyx said pulling out the large tome that described the events of the Spring Sunrise Festival. “I have to say what you did was amazing! You created the Snowflake! I learned about that in school! You’ve done so much for Equestria!” Snowdrop giggled. “Yeah I guess I have” she said half-heartedly. “She looks tired…” thought Nyx, “How long have I been gone? For you at least.” Snowdrop frowned slightly. “It’s been about four hours Nyx. Why?” Nyx gulped silently. “Nothing.” Snowdrop smiled and [air]scooted over to Nyx side. She nuzzled her head up to Nyx’s shoulder and yawned slightly. Nyx blushed furiously (again). “I can go if you want-“ Nyx started to say. “No! Uh… I mean could you uh… stay for the night?” If Nyx’s blush wasn’t red as Big Macintosh before it sure was now. “I...uh... I. Um… Sure?” Nyx stuttered. Snowdrop nuzzled in Nyx’s side pushing her into a lying position. Snowdrop wrapped her hooves around Nyx’s side and fell into a calm sleep, probably the first one she has had in ages. Nyx sighed. “Let’s hope I can get you out of here Snowdrop, Let’s hope.”