//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - How I Decided To Come To Ponyville // Story: How Snowy Night Came To Ponyville // by SnowyNight //------------------------------// The winds blew hard against the shack. It was well-built, if not exactly comfortable, and kept the brunt of the cold out; the sound was the worst. Snowy Night shivered, though not from cold. From loneliness. It had been a couple of years since her mother had passed, and Snow - as she liked to be known, though she had no friends to call her by it - had managed to keep the shack from falling down around her, at least. In the four months when the snow melted, fresh hay and other tasty plants grew, and Snow knew many ways to dry them out so they'd keep for the other eight. Still, this being her second winter alone, Snow found herself desperately craving the company of other ponies. She remembered living in a village, once, when she was small; there had been other fillies there, and Snow had been happy. Snow hadn't been that happy in a long time, now, although she had come close when her mother was still around. Snow pulled her blanket up over her shoulders, shuddering. The wind sounded like malevolent spirits trying to break through the walls. Logically, Snow knew that couldn't be, but alone as she was, logic had deserted the blue pony who simply curled up and waited for the storm to end. That sound... footsteps? Was someone outside? The snow crunched under what could have been hooves... or claws. Shaking with fear, Snowy Night pulled her blanket over her head, drew her favourite stuffed animal (a pegasus) closer and hoped that whoever or whatever it was would leave her alone. The door burst open as... wait... knocking? Whatever it was was polite enough to knock at least. Slowly, Snow crawled out fron under her blanket, past a table filled with various writings and her RainbowBook, towards the door. Snow drew herself up enough to peer through the peephole. A... pony. It was just a pony. A pegasus, no less! Feeling significantly relieved, Snow opened the door, and the pegasus stepped in before too much cold could penetrate the shack. He had soft brown fur, and a dark grey mane, with green sparkling eyes. His cutie mark was an unopened letter. "Evening, ma'am," said the pegasus, a male, as he raised a hoof in greeting. "I have a message for a miss Snowy White... is that you?" "Snowy Night's my name," said Snow, blushing. Why did everyone make that mistake? "Apologies," said the pegasus. He pulled out a pair of spectacles and perched them on his muzzle, peering at a clipboard. "Ah! Yes. Snowy Night. Right there. Sorry, my eyesight's just terrible - still a fair flyer, though." "You must be, to have made it through this," said Snowy Night, drawing a laugh from the messenger. As if to punctuate her point, a gust of wind blew against the shack, causing the windows to rattle. "Anyway, it comes from a Pinkie Pie. You know 'er?" Snow shook her head, and the messenger continued. "She says 'Hey Snow! I was looking around in the library, and found a book on everypony's family, and guess what - you're my cousin! Well, actually, you're my second cousin..." The messenger's brow furrowed as he tried to remember. "Second cousin twice removed on my grandmother's niece's... well, you get the picture," said the messenger, and Snow nodded. "Anyway, she lives down in Ponyville and says you used to live there and wants you to come down and visit. I was told to await a response." "O-oh," said Snowy Night. On the one hoof, this was most fortuitous, as Snow had been intending to head south and seek out other ponies; however, she honestly had no idea who this Pinkie Pie might be, and the prospect of meeting family was daunting, as her mother had been the only relative she'd known; what would a cousin be like? Realizing that the pegasus had to go, Snow opened her mouth and said "Yes," surprising herself. "Excellent," said the messenger. "I, ah, don't suppose I could wait out the storm here? It was rough enough flying here, in all truth..." "It's fine," said Snow. "I wouldn't want you to catch your death of cold. Here - my blanket should be big enough to fit two." "Thanks, Miss Snow," said the messenger, which tickled Snowy Night. Miss Snow. I rather like that, thought Snow to herself. It was an elegant name, and however tomboyish Snow liked to act, she had her feminine side, too. The pegasus settled down onto the hay and Snow laid down next to him. It wasn't until the blanket was over them that Snow realized just how close she was to a pegasus... a boy pegasus, no less. She blushed again. "I-I didn't catch your name," said Snow, trying not to sound too awkward. "Oh, my name? It's Thundercloud," said the messenger, laughing a little. "Storms seem to follow me around... sorry if I brought this one here on you." "N-no problem," said Snow, managing a smile. The two engaged in some conversation until the storm grew too loud, at which point Snow tried to get to sleep. Thundercloud was asleep in three seconds; if storms truly did follow him around, Snowy Night thought, at least he'd have had plenty of opportunity to get used to them. Sighing, Snow laid her head down and tried to sleep, despite her pounding heart and the howling winds. Snowy Night woke up the next morning ill-rested, but the storm appeared to have blown over. Thundercloud was already up. "Mornin'," he said as Snow stood up. "Figured I should show you the way to Ponyville, since I'll be heading back there anyway. Have you ever been there?" "When I was little," said Snowy Night. "I don't remember all that much about it." "Not to worry," said Thundercloud easily. Everything he does is easy, thought Snow before catching herself. "You'll love it. Nice and warm, for one, with plenty of good ponies." After a short breakfast, Snowy Night and Thundercloud left the little shack, with Snow having packed away what scant few belongings she wanted to take. As she walked through the snow, Snow cast one last glance back at the house where she had grown up. It had been hard, but there had been good memories; her mother teaching her to bake on a campfire, learning how to gallop... a tear trickled down Snowy Night's face before she could stop it. Wiping it away, Snow turned her attention to the path, and to the handsome pegasus above. "What's this Pinkie Pie like?" asked Snow. Thundercloud didn't answer right away, but just before Snow was about to ask again, he said "She's... really energetic. All the time. She works at Sugarcube Corner - that's Ponyville's bakery - and she throws a lot of parties." "I... see." "Don't worry - you'll like her. I don't think it's possible NOT to like Pinkie Pie." Something about his tone made Snow glance up sharply, but he was just flying along, as far as she could tell. Why did his face have to be hidden! The two walked on in relative silence, until lunchtime - Snow had thought ahead, packing away many of the dried fruits and grains before leaving. She shared these with Thundercloud, who complimented her on her cooking. While they ate, Snow watched Thundercloud for some sign of what he'd said about Pinkie Pie before, anything - but no signs were forthcoming, and soon enough the two were back on the trail south. At one point, some snow leopards came sniffing around, but Thundercloud scared them off by flaring his wings and kicking up snow. The two made fast tracks south after that, finding a hollow under a tree to sleep in for the night. Once again, Snow found herself sleeping close to Thundercloud, but it didn't feel quite as uncomfortable as last night. Soon Snow found herself falling asleep to the gentle rhythms of his breathing. Three days later, Thundercloud and Snowy Night arrived at the entrance to Ponyville. "Thank you," said Snow. "I would never have known how to get here if it hadn't been for you, not to mention those snow leopards." "No problem," said Thundercloud. "I really enjoyed the company. Sorry I can't stay - gotta report in and get my next job. See you around, eh?" With that, Thundercloud flew off, leaving a flummoxed Snow to be greeted at the gates. The first time Snow saw Pinkie Pie, it was as a pink blur, running towards her; she ran off to the side before the blur could run her over. It stopped, and the blur solidified into a pink pony with a curly mane and three balloons as a cutie mark. "Hi there!" she said, and Snow winced involuntarily at the high pitch of Pinkie's voice. It brought back memories of when she'd lived here before. "You must be my cousin, is that right? Oh, we have such a party prepared for you! Come on!" Pinkie left rather quickly, leaving Snow to trail in her wake. The library had been overtaken by what seemed to be every pony in Ponyville - Snow remembered little of the night itself; many different faces, and as many names with no way to connect the two; all sorts of baked goods made far too sweet; but mostly Snow remembered the sheer volume of ponies, on all sides, making such a large amount of noise Snow wondered how she hadn't heard them up north. Finally, Snow was taken to Sugarcube Corner, where she would be staying with Pinkie Pie during her visit (which translated to "until you find a place of your own"). Snow wanted nothing more than to sleep, but Pinkie kept her up late into the night, asking questions endlessly. Finally, Snow said, exasperated, "I need some sleep!" and heard something she hadn't heard since entering Ponyville: silence. "Well why didn't you say so?!" said Pinkie, almost causing Snow to fall over in disbelief. Soon enough, Pinkie was asleep, with Snow lying next to her, staring at the ceiling. In less than a week Snowy Night's life had turned completely upside down. From hermit to socialite in one evening. All Snow could feel was relief that she was finally away from all those ponies. Turning, Snow looked at Pinkie, her cousin. Pinkie was loud and obnoxious, not to mention way to energetic; however, she had taken Snow to Sugarcube Corner when Snow had said she was getting tired, and had stopped talking when asked. Not sure quite what to make of her new relative, Snowy Night drifted off to sleep, cuddling her favourite pegasus plushie as she did.