//------------------------------//
// Story of the Stars 
// Story: Snow Sparkle 
// by Inkyarn 
//------------------------------//

Dark storm clouds swirled overhead, giving a bland look to the barren space before her. Little specks of frozen white drifted from the heavens, pelting the foolish young filly standing in its midst. Her head peered into the gloomy sky and her eyes blinked rapidly as the snow settled into them. Her shoulders heaved and a frown drew heavily upon her face. She slowly, tentatively, reached out a hoof. Immediately the clusters of white powder began collecting around her hoof. She watched it pile up before she tipped it.

A short, brittle wind ran through the leafless trees, drifting around her and ruffling her mane. Snow drifted on that wind, floating indifferently away from her. She stretched out a hoof but the snow before her remained out of reach. 

The filly remembered the stories about the beautiful young Snowdrop who crafted a star onto a flake of snow. She knew the son of Snowdrop had eventually yielded a mare, who was her own father's grandmother. That made her a descendant of the beautiful and sightless Snowdrop. The mare who could hear the twinkling of the stars; the mare who heard the same twinkle in a single flake of snow. 

Snow Sparkle felt her shoulders droop in despair. Her ears flicked and she leaned toward the sky, eyes closing in prayer. She wished, she hoped, she prayed that she could hear that fabled twinkling. She strained her ears. She leaned until she was up on the tips of her hooves. Silence dominated her, as always. She sat back and lifted her mournful head to the sky. She wouldn't even know what a twinkle was if she could hear it.

Something drew at the back of her mind, an awareness that she had quickly recognized as her mother's approach. She turned to see an elegant Twilight Sparkle striding toward her. She stood and bowed her head and the regal princess dipped her head in return. Twilight sat beside her daughter and stared off into the bleak, gray world. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, a slight tug came at Snow Sparkle's mind and she turned to see Twilight's horn aglow. Sparkle bowed her head and closed her eyes.  This was how she communicated. Sparkle found that her magic could allow her to key into another pony's thoughts. "Snow Sparkle," Twilight spoke in their connected minds, "Why are you out in the cold? You'll freeze."

Sparkle returned her gaze to the snowstorm building around them. She found that her frown was growing deeper.

Her own blue horn began to glow, and Twilight alerted to Sparkle's consciousness. "Tell me my destiny."

Twilight frowned. "I've told you this story before." Sparkle asked again, flowing her sorrow and desperation through Twilight's mind. Her mother sent back a feel of exasperation and began the story Snow Sparkle had heard since she was a foal- "Your father's oldest known ancestor is the timid and beautiful Snowdrop," Princess Twilight began, "In her time the snow was nothing more than the flecks you see now. Little clusters of white spots. Back then, the ponies resented the winter. Until one day, during the Spring Celebration in Cloudsdale, the fillies in her class were meant to make special gifts to present to the princesses Luna and Celestia. Snowdrop didn't have a gift. For she was blind. But she could hear better than anyone else; she could even hear the twinkling of the stars. And one day, just before the celebration, a single tear rolled down her cheek. It froze instantly and fell to her hooves. And there she heard it. A faint twinkle, just like the stars." 

Snow Sparkle's horn began to glow and she sliced through Twilight's magical mental connection and began writing through Twilight's mind. Sparkle continued the story, "She suddenly knew what she had to do. She plucked a feather from her delicate wings and began scratching an image into the frozen tear and this is what she presented at the celebration. A star etched into a snowflake. And though she couldn't see it, she heard the snow twinkling within it just like the stars she loved to listen to. And thus became the snowflake." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, wishing desperately that she could hear the sound of the air escaping her lungs. She gave her mother a sideways glance. "Legends state that one of Snowdrop's descendants will be able to recreate that snowflake."

Twilight smiled and drew the filly closer to her, allowing them both to take a moment to pause. "And that descendant is you, Snow Sparkle."

Sparkle stamped a hoof, leaning away from Twilight. "How can that be?" Her mind shouted into Twilight's. The princess cringed as the furious words were forced through her thoughts. "Snowdrop discovered her talent when she heard the twinkling of the stars in the snow flakes she around her." Sparkle's head hung in shame. She kicked at a ball of snow collecting around her hooves. Her horn began to throb with the strain of her spell.

A warm, fuzzy feeling spread over her consciousness as Twilight tugged at her attention. "Snow Sparkle, what can you hear?"

Sparkle hung her head, glancing up at the swirling mass of clouds. Her ears pricked but nothing came to them. She strained to hear even the slightest sound. Still nothing. She turned back to her mother, profoundly upset. "Nothing. As usual."

Twilight wrapped her arm around Sparkle's shoulders and drew her in. Twilight turned her face to the drifting snow. "Now tell me, what can you see?"

Sparkle looked up. Her eyes easily sliced through the flecks of snow that whipped across her vision. She looked past them all... But she couldn't see past the heavy storm cloud. She sent Twilight her disappointment and anguish. "Grey," She responded. 

Twilight laughed. Her horn glowed again but this time it wasn't for Sparkle. The young filly's attention was drawn to the sky, where the clouds were beginning to move. A single part opened in them and let loose a brilliant moon that showered the two in a silvery glow. Sparkle's jaw fell slack as the light washed across her. She glanced down at her ice colored coat to find it glowing white. Her blue hair was also becoming a milky white color. A grin slowly spread across her face and she closed her eyes, letting her body absorb the cool light.

Twilight nudged her cheek, beaming into her awestruck face. "Now what can you see?"

Sparkle could see the glittering stars in the sky surrounding the gloriously full moon. She had never seen it before; never witnessed its glory, it's beauty. Sparkle's cottage rested not in Canterlot with the princesses, from where Twilight assisted in the rule of the kingdom. Nay, Sparkle had been moved away from the princesses. Her cottage rested at the tip of the mountain on which Canterlot was built. The constant snow of the mountain peak made the ideal setting for the snowy filly. Up here the sky was always blotted out by clouds. Now, though, she could see the shimmering brilliance of the stars and feel the cold heat radiating from the moon.

"I see the stars," She transferred to Twilight, "And I see the moon." She squinted her eyes, peering directly into the silver sphere directly above her. There was something on its far away surface, something that seemed to etch an image into the moon. She couldn't quite discern it. She closed her eyes and used her magic to relay the image to her mother.

"The moon's scar," Twilight sent back, "Long ago Princess Luna was banished to the moon for the chaos she caused as Nightmare Moon." Twilight's eyes screwed shut, as though the memory caused her pain. "Celestia told me Luna became Nightmare Moon shortly after Snowdrop died. She resented the ponies who despised her night so she tried to create an eternal night time; as well as an eternal winter." Sparkle sat up straighter as those last words drifted through her mind. An eternal winter? Twilight went on, "Celestia harnessed the extraordinary powers of the Elements of Harmony and used them to defeat her sister; though it was a vicious battle. It took place on this very mountain." Twilight paused, giving the filly a moment to glance around. An epic battle between the princesses took place on this very mountain peak? "Celestia managed to stop Luna's eternal night before it consumed all of Equestria but to do this she had to seal her sister to the moon and thus became the Mare on the Moon." 

Sparkle looked up again and her brow furrowed. She could almost make out the shape of a mare's head in the moon's scar. 

Twilight continued, "On the thousandth year of Luna's banishment, those stars up there helped her escape." She nudged her daughter's cheek, "But by then, the grief of her dear friend's death and the jealousy and the anguish had gotten to her. She returned as Nightmare Moon. My friends and I once again discovered the Elements of Harmony and used them to defeat Nightmare Moon. We used the magic of friendship," She winked at this word, "To return Princess Luna to herself and reunite the sister princesses." A faint frown touched her lips. "But only shortly after, Snowdrop's last snowflake had to be tossed into the storm."

Sparkle hung her head. The story was mulling about in her brain. It had been interesting until the mention of Snowdrop. She wasn't sure of her destiny. How could she be when she couldn't even hear a door slam? She kicked at the snow again and let her worries flow through her mother's mind. Twilight magically transferred her humor to her daughter and drew her closer. Sparkle's lips pursed, "After one thousand years of attempts and failures, why does everyone think I can recreate Snowdrop's masterpiece?" Tears began to form in her eyes, "I can't even draw nicely!" Instantly, Sparkle's tears began freezing on her furry cheeks. They lifted off with the wind and floated softly to the ground. She watched them go with a miserable indifference. 

Twilight thought a moment before her horn again let out its lavender glow. "Snowdrop didn't make the snowflake because she heard it," Her tone was gentle as she drew across Snow Sparkle's mind, "She made the snowflake because it finally hit her that despite her blindness, she wasn't any different than any other pony. She heard that snow twinkle just like the stars she loved and she knew that she could shine just like her friends." Sparkle was lost. She glanced to her mother's beautiful, compassionate smile for help. Twilight nudged her daughter affectionately and kissed her forehead, "It wasn't what she heard that made Snowdrop create her first work of art. It was what she leaned." Twilight stood and directed Sparkle's attention back to the lonesome cottage a few yards from where they stood. As they began their short trek home, Twilight brushed her flank against Snow Sparkle's. "I know you can shine, just like any other pony in this world. And once you know it too, you'll understand."