Snow Sparkle

by Inkyarn

Twinkle

The cottage rested atop a white shrouded mountain peak. One ledge stood out from the very point of the mountain and on this Snow Sparkle's cottage laid. From her perch higher up the mountain, she could see the faint glow of the candles on the porch. Often times she had ventured from her warm, cozy home and ascended the mountain around her. The snow was deep and treacherous but nothing she couldn't handle. As she climbed into the bleak white sky she cast fervent glances over her shoulder to be sure the snow wasn't avalanching.

The faint sunlight lazily streamed from behind the masses of grey clouds. The sun had to be high in the sky by the time her weary short legs stopped. She let her head drop for a moment as she surveyed the stretch of mountain still before her. Since she was young she had taken to venturing up this mountain top and each time she had forged farther upward. Now she could almost see the fuzzy white tip of the mountain.

She turned back and glanced down the way she had come. Already the path she had made was filling once more with snow. She turned her face to the heavens and closed her eyes, wishing the snow would stop. She was tired of the bland, frozen drops. Tired of the biting cold. Tired of the colorless landscape. Tired of the bundles of coats she was forced to wear whenever she left the house. She was sick of this constant winter!

Frustration surged through her and she kicked out, sending a drift of snow fluttering in the wind. She watched it blow away, her frown deepening. She hated snow; she decided that then and there.

Her eyes screwed shut and her horn suddenly began to glow. A burst of vibrant blue magic shot through the air all around her. Snow Sparkle's magic touched upon every living thing around her, forcing its way into their consciousnesses and allowing her this single shout: "I hate snow!"

A small flock of birds hiding in a secluded corner of her vision startled and frantically took to the sky. She caught their movements and felt their panic through her mind-connection. She watched them fly away through the clouds and disappear to other corners of the earth. A part of her heart went with them as they drifted out of her range and she lost their connection. Her frustration ebbed away and was instantly replaced by a heavy sadness. She had been stuck on this mountain since before she could remember. She had never seen any other home than her simple cottage. Of course she had seen other ponies; excluding her mother. Occasionally her mother's friends came to visit. There was a colorfully maned pegasus that came to visit once. And another yellow mare, along with a bright pink pony. Then of course there were the beautiful princesses.

Sparkle sent another hoof full of snow flying down the mountain side as she started for home. All those visitors had spoken of the beautiful Equestria. One would think that she could see the whole country from her perch high above it but she couldn't. All any pony could see from her cottage was an expanse of white and grey. A bleak world, nothing more; but the way they had described Equestria! Oh she desperately wanted to see it; to know all those wonderful sights and vibrant colors. She felt her shoulders heave as she slowly let out a breath. She would never visit Equestria, she knew this. Princess Luna had ordered her here not long after her birth. Luna claimed it was to help her become familiar with her destiny but Sparkle couldn't see how. All she knew was snow, and yet her every attempt to recreate Snowdrop's beautiful masterpiece ended in failure. She couldn't comprehend any of the sharp angles or intricate patterns. She could never find a comfortable position to hold the feather she used to sculpt the snow. Everything about carving the snow seemed uncomfortable to her.

She made it back down faster than she had gone up. She shook the snow from her coat as she entered the cottage. A burst of warm air hit her as she opened the door and her expression broke into a wide smile at the feel of it. She untangled herself from her many layers until she was left with nothing more than her beautiful blue coat. She shook away the melted snow clinging to her fur and stood admiring the small cottage.

It was an unimpressive place. Merely a single floor space with only one small enclosed area for the bathroom. There was a bed sunk into the floor so she needn't have to hop up; it was placed in the very center of the room. Across the far wall was a dresser containing a few odd trinkets Sparkle dared not throw away. Next to that, staring directly at her from right before her was an impressive book shelf. It was crammed with thick encyclopedias and other informational texts. In her solitude, Sparkle had found plenty of time to read each book through. She had gone over every text on four of the five shelves. She was partway through the fifth, currently working on a piece documenting the stars and their patterns. She found it quite intriguing. Next to the shelf was a little kitchenette that she hardly ever utilized. A few miniature tables were also scattered about the room, along with a worn old desk and plenty of warmly lit candles.

On one wall was a blazing fireplace. It drew her in as she made her way through the mess of padding and clothing she had just strewn across the floor. She dropped down before the fire and closed her eyes, letting the blissful warmth soak into her fur.

Her horn began to glow and she turned to find a mirror resting atop the dresser. Using it's faithful reflection, she pulled at the ties in her mane and tail, letting loose her blue and white curls. Her mane was much longer than it appeared, and much curlier. The curls came from her father; there was no doubt about that. She almost smiled as the thought drifted through her mind.

She set the ties aside and shook out her mane, then her tail. A little of her sadness had lifted since she set foot back inside the warmth of the cabin but as she looked about the small, lonely space her frown returned. Twilight rarely spent nights here, not since Sparkle learned to care for herself. No, Twilight was a princess. She was needed for more pressing duties than dealing with the young filly secluded in the frozen wasteland of the Canterlot Peaks. Sparkle rolled her eyes in distaste and trotted forward, plopping down on her bed. The fancy water bed squished and rolled beneath her, making her laugh. The sound did not ring in her ear but she could feel the bounce of her shoulders and the quick expel of air from her lungs. She rolled over and magically snuffed out the candles. The room suddenly pitched black.

She rolled back over and found the window. With a sigh she peered out into the darkness. This must have been what Snowdrop saw every day. Blackness. An impenetrable void of inescapable blackness that consumed all. Sparkle's lips pursed in thought. She squinted her eyes trying to see something, anything. By now her eyes should have adjusted to the dark but still she could not see. Her eyes snapped up to the ceiling and again the darkness swallowed her vision. She blinked, finding an odd sensation that perhaps her eyes had remained closed. This gave her an idea.

She screwed her eyes shut, wondering if that would help. She continued to force her eyes closed until spots of light danced across her eyelids. Disoriented, she opened her eyes again but to no avail. The darkness was complete.

Her shoulders sagged and she rested her chin on her hooves. Her eyes fluttered shut and she drew in a deep breath, letting it out as slow as possible. Here in this silent darkness she felt almost at peace. Here she felt almost reassured. This was how Snowdrop saw the world and it was in this black void that she had created a visual work of art. All because of a twinkle. Sparkle rolled her eyes almost automatically. A twinkle, she thought bitterly. A sound similar to the shimmering stars. Snow Sparkle had no hope of hearing such sound. Her frown deepened and she pressed her forehead into the bed between her arms. How can everypony think I'm going to succeed Snowdrop? Her horn glowed, alighting a nearby candle. Its light flooded across her and she blinked open her eyes to find herself staring at the corner of a thick book. Her astronomy book. She pulled herself forward and opened to her current page and began skimming through the texts. I can't hear a twinkle... I can't even hear the page turn. As though to demonstrate, she threw aside the next page, her brow furrowing in anger. I've never even seen a star! Her thoughts shouted. She paused, her eyes finding the wavering candle light.

She picked up the candle plate in her teeth and carried it to the window, craning her neck to peer out into the frozen world about the cottage. The clouds were still bunched in a big grey mass above her. Her heart sank as she vainly searched for stars that weren't there.

She had seen a star... Once. When her mother had pulled back the clouds to allow her a glimpse of the stars. But it wasn't the stars Sparkle had focused on. Nay, it was the gloriously brilliant moon that she had noticed; not the boring little flecks of white that danced along that black canvas around it.

A sudden flash of guilt sped through her. She returned to her squishy bed and blew out the candle, curling up on the pillows. She should have paid a little more attention to the stars...

Comments

[Unbridled Dolly]

Poor Snow. Why was she kept there? Why was she imprisoned there, kept away from Equestria and sunshine and happiness and a view of that which she was meant to recreate? Seems rather cruel, don't ya think?