//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4~Days of Snow~ 
// Story: The snow mare 
// by pegasis23 
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                    Winter sat in silence,watching the ponies outside burning away what was left of her aunt's possessions,all joyous that Nightmare was gone for good. They did not know of the pony who kept them safe from nightmares,or kept them safe from creatures of the night. 


Winter used her powers to summon a brooch from her mantelpiece . The silver moon and the glittery dark sapphire on the brooch shimmered in her magic's grasp. Thanks to magic training by Celestia,she had learned a number of spells she could use with her snow powers. The brooch was given to her by Luna,on her seventh birthday. 


A snowflake cutiemark glittered on her flank,newly acquired during her latest lesson with her teacher.  Smiling a little,she fixed it on her dark blue cape,feeling relieved she had a piece of her beloved aunt with her,glad that she didn't hand it over to the ruffians that call themselves nobility outside. 

Winter pulled over the hood and looked about,her things already packed into trunks and  chests. Winter looked over at a chest she personally packed. It was filled with flowers Winter plucked from her garden that she magically preserved within balls of crystals. 


"Ready to go?"Sweet Tea materialized outside of Winter's door,seeing Winter sitting by the crystals and gingerly touching each crystal with a hoof.  Sweet sighed,and softly touched the shoulder of the depressed filly,gaining the attention of Winter successfully.


"No..How can I let go of this?"Winter whispered,clutching on to her brooch and holding it close to her heart,"Auntie Luna.."

"The Princess will be fine.Everything is going to be alright,'kay?Trust me." Sweet coaxed,bringing Winter to her hooves and closing the chest gingerly.   

"But.-No buts,we must leave now. The carriage to Canterlot awaits your presence."Sweet interrupted Winter's protests and escorted the filly up along with Celestia into a big carriage as big as a small house,drawn by many strong stallions provided by the guard.   







The carriage stopped by a clear lake with pure water and ducks and swans for a break. Sweet and Winter went off to sit right in the scenic lake. 


"So,this is Lake Silencio Auntie Luna was talking about,right?"Winter said,holding tightly to her brooch that shimmered in the sunlight. 

"Yes."Sweet's voice was as soft as a gentle breeze that rolled by the calm river. Pain flashed through Winter as her brain randomly replayed all the happy moments she had with her aunt. At once,the lake turned into a frozen wasteland of ice and snow.  


"It's because of me,isn't it?"Winter whispered.

Sweet was taken aback by her sudden withdrawal and soft voice and responded uncertainly," I..don't know,Princess."

"It's because of my nightmare!"Winter yelled across the wasteland,"She was banished because of me!"

"Winter,calm down.."Sweet commanded but it sounded more like she was begging as Winter enunciated the words in pain and anger,the words stabbing Sweet and a blizzard was quickly forming between the two ponies. 


"Please,just let me help you."Sweet pleaded as she tried to make her way towards Winter to comfort her filly. 

Winter tried to curb the terrible cocktail of feelings in her but as Sweet made her way through,the more difficult it was to hold her powers back. 

Just as Sweet was within a few hoof steps away,the blizzard suddenly swirled around Winter and hit Sweet in the heart ,causing her to stumble back. As the attack subsided,Winter turned  around to see Sweet on the ground.

"Sweet!"Winter cried,rushing up to her foalsitter.  Sweet gasped,her breath taken away from the attack. 


"I'll go get Celestia."Winter said,rushing off to search for her mom while Sweet lay on the snowy ground,getting a little weaker as time drew by. When Winter returned,Sweet Tea was barely holding on. Celestia saw the terrible landscape and quickly and correctly guessed what was going on. Celestia lit her horn and used the warmest heating spell and defrosted the lake,all but the frozen heart. Another streak of white made its way down onto Sweet's mane. 


Celestia knew that she couldn't save the pony as Sweet held on to her chest,still gasping from the effort of staying alive.

"Sweet..I'm sorry...Don't go..Don't leave me here alone.Please,I love you"Winter pleaded as Sweet began to show signs of turning into a frozen statue. 

"I love you too,Winty."Sweet weakly smiled as she drew her breath sharply. The two friends shared their last smile before Sweet turned into a frozen statue. 


Winter's heart then broke into a million pieces at her nurse's death. Celestia looked sadly at her stepdaughter and uncomfortably suggested,"There's one thing that I might be able to do." 

Without waiting for a reply,Celestia aimed her horn at the frozen statue,defrosting the coat and mane but unable to get the heart defrosted to get it pumping again. Using her magic once more,she made a boat and laid the body in it. Celestia then pushed it to the lake and using a fire spell,let the body burn in the boat. 


Winter understanding the actions of her mother,could not stop the tears flowing freely down her muzzle as the fire burnt on. The two silently returned to the carriage,but not before Winter noticed a heart shaped pin that Sweet had dropped on the forest floor. Picking it up,she fastened the pin on her mane and rushed to keep up with Celestia.  


Winter looked back at the boat,watched as the last of the burning embers burnt out. From that day forth,Winter knew nothing was ever going to be the same again.








Winter sadly mourned,unfastening the pin and placing it upon her dressing table. In a clear cabinet,were the very crystal balls with the flowers she preserved that morning. 

Winter shut the door and locked it. Sitting in the middle of the room,Winter began to cry once again,turning the room into another winter wonderland.and putting off the flames at once . Was it just this morning she was talking to Sweet Tea? It felt as though she had went through at least a month of pain.  Winter then took her favorite pony doll and began to make it look like Sweet. It took several hours to paint her doll and using her magic and with difficulty,started a spark in the fireplace. Feeling better that Winter managed to clear her room of snow,she tucked her doll into a doll bed and began to sing the song she had made while she rode over to Canterlot


"Fate had been cruel and feelings unkind.
How could I have killed you by mistake?
The blame was my own,the ending is yours.
I'm so sorry for my mistake.

But into the dreams,I'll sing you my song,
And I will your company keep.
Till my lullaby and your sleepy eyes
Have carried you gently to sleep."

Winter voice cracked at the last note,into something she knew Sweet will love.The kind that will make birds fall silent and stumble over each other to sing with.

"Once did filly whose cool as the snow,
Looked upon  her nurse and sighed
She smiled and sang surely there is nopony as lovely as my Sweet Tea.

So great was her love,so brilliant her warmth 
that big was the void she made.
Which that makes the filly  want to cry when she left
In pain and sorrow for the death she had made

Lullay ,my angel,goodnight friend of mine.
Rest now in afterlife's embrace.
Bear my love,winds of my world.
Through clouds and through sky and through space.

Carry my peace and the coolness of snow,
And carry my grief in kind.
Sweet Tea ,your loved so much more than you know.
Forgive me for my crime."

Winter's tears streaked down the familiar path right down onto the blankets as she continued her song.

   "Soon after the filly's beloved aunt was gone.
Banished away to the moon.
And she harboured the feelings of darkness and grief.
Foalishly thinking she could keep it in check 

But such is the way of the feelings,
taking over her little senses
And that foalish filly did nothing to stop
The destruction of one she loved most.

Lullay,my darling,goodnight friend of mine
Rest now in afterlife's embrace.
Bear up my love,winds of my world.
Through cloud and through sky and through space

Carry my peace and the grief of mine.
And carry the pain inside.
Sweet Tea,your loved so much more than you know 
May my love will reach you  in space.


Please remember ,the times we had. 
Happy and loved
I never imagined
I'd face my life on my own.



I want you right here.
Here by my side.
Building a snowmare.
In the moonlight.
I love you,I miss you
All these miles away.


And when I dream,I'd fly away,and meet you here.
Dream...Dream...."

Winter held the last note,her tears drying as she rocked her Sweet Tea doll to sleep. Calmed by her own lullaby,Winter finally fell asleep,wistfully dreaming of her Sweet Tea back with her again.