Sparkles In the Snow

by Inkyarn

Chapter 2

Icy wind whipped against the thick glass. Moving at incredible speeds, the white, impending landscape passed by in a blur. Soft dots of snow smashed into the windows, blotting out sight. The train pushed forward against mounds of snow and ice built up on its tracks. With a shudder, it plowed on and sent the ponies inside tumbling in their seats. The car was itself not much better than the frozen land outside. Frost clung to the inside of the window and ponies' breaths came out in clouds. No one bothered to mill about the car as they sped toward the Crystal Empire.

Snow Sparkle sat hunched in her seat, a cove of four or five blankets draped about her and still, she shivered. Two scarves of brilliant colors draped around her neck, a furry knitted hat sat over her head and fuzzy earmuffs on top. Each hoof had a knee-length sock covered in the thickest pair of shoes she could find. Snow's entire girth was doubled, and yet she was the smallest filly in the car. Her bright blue eyes cast a furtive glance up at her mother. Twilight was leaned back in her chair, horn lit up and levitating several white parchments a foot from her face. Her quill bobbed around as she wrote.

Snow reached up and tapped her on the arm, bringing her hoof up to her mouth. She pressed it against her lips twice before pushing out her lip and pouting. Twilight looked at her and frowned sympathetically. Moving the papers aside, the Princess began projecting short, colorful symbols from her horn. Snow watched them attentively, interpreting. "There is no food cart on this train. You'll have to wait until we get to the Empire." Her brow furrowed.

"What the heck." She signed back. Turning back to the frosty window, she sunk further into her blankets. "Why are we going to the Crystal Empire anyway?" She had to repeat once she had her mother's attention again.

Twilight paused before answering. "Because..." She pursed her lips and looked up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "Don't you want to see Flurry Heart again?" A sly grin came to her face.

"Sure, it's not like I haven't seen her in the last month several dozen times." Snow's signing trailed off at her mother's glare. She shrugged and leaned up against the wall, wrapping her blankets back around her. "Why can't they ever come visit us in Ponyville?"

"Aunt Cadence is very busy ruling the Crystal Empire. So I make time to come and visit her and Uncle Shining as often as possible."

"Aren't you also busy running the University?" She saw Twilight's nostrils flare, her hoof came out and into her chest and she exhaled.

"Yes, but family is very important, Snow." Her signs were short bursts, all of them red in color. Snow bit her lip and buried herself further into her blankets. The car shuddered beneath her and there was a sudden jolt, almost knocking her off her seat. Ponies slipped off the bench and began moving forward toward the car door. Snow looked around before glancing up at Twilight.

The Princess had tied her straight violet mane back in a tight bun and had donned her reading glasses. Now those spectacles hung about her neck, attached with a string of blue pearls. That stack of papers levitated up and into a simple leather saddle bag but her quill was lifted up and stuck in the back of her bun. It looked quite festive, that single red feather sticking out from behind her ear. Snow Sparkle hesitantly left her nest of blankets and began folding them into her own saddle bag. Of course, several red quills spilled out from inside. Putting most of them away, she could not help but stick one in the back of her mess of curly hair.

The doors slid open and a rush of cold air greeted them. Snow shrank away from the open door, every hair on her tiny frame standing on end. "Why do we always have to come back here?" She didn't dare sign her thoughts. Holding her breath, she stepped out into the cold.

The train station was a bleak grey, sat against a backdrop of dirty white snow and a flurry of more fat round flakes to come. The frozen wood beneath their hooves was surprisingly soft, sinking in slightly wherever they stepped. A few Pegasi lit off the ground and peered down at the suspicious flooring. Twilight kept moving, her head high and her wings tucked neatly at her sides. Immediately after the train station were a massive pair of pink stones. They stretched up into the sky, mingling in the clouds and surrounded by smaller grey and blue stones. At the very top, almost obscured in the fog, they bent together and touched, making an arc. A haze of purple smoke surrounded the welcome gate, and as they passed through it all the colors around them sharpened. The pinks became beautiful rosy blossoms, sending showers of brilliant sparkles cast against the warm grass below. The cobbled street glittered underhoof, it too made of some strange crystalline rock. Every crack, every break, seemed to change hue so that no two spaces were alike and the whole entrance lit up like holiday lights.

Snow Sparkle followed her mother down the long, winding path into the heart of the city. Crystal Ponies went about their business in the early morning rays of the suddenly clear sky. As they walked, Snow slowly shed her winter gear, keeping only her one scarf and her socks and shoes. Everything was unceremoniously stuffed into her crammed saddle bags that left her scarf and the tail end of her blanket dragging across the ground.

The path led them through the very center of the city straight to the castle. White stones jutted up from the ground, the whole building made on a platform above floor level so that the only way into the castle was through a set of staircases carved into the marble stilts. Immediately beneath, set into a crystal blue pedestal, was the Heart. The single artifact that kept the Empire protected and kept Spring intact inside. Snow Sparkle peered at it around her mother, watching it rotate slowly.

When her eyes finally peeled away from the strange blue sculpture, she saw her Aunt Cadence already approaching them. Her lips were moving fast, almost as fast as Twilight's. They embraced and continued talking, ignoring her for the moment.

Alright by her, she just continued to stare at the Heart. Somepony must have carved that, she thought. Several thousand years ago, when the Empire was new and the Frozen North was descending, someone thought to take a hunk of crystal and carve it into the shape of a heart to infuse it with the magic to save their country. Or city-state; Snow wasn't entirely sure what the difference was or where the Crystal Empire fell into it.

Snow edged closer to it and watched it spinning. It was clearly hoof-carved. She could see every mark, every stroke of a chisel. Perhaps even horn carved, however it was not an expert piece. Its edges were jagged, its design was uneven, every scratch and error were plain to see; occasionally there would be an indent where the chisel accidentally struck the wrong place. This was no experienced carver.

A sudden draft caught her attention and she looked up to see a pink princess flying her way. Flurry Heart landed on the other side of the pedestal. Her horn lit up and pink swirls shot forth, bright red sparks flying off of them like fireworks, she looped them into letters and words instead of signs like she was used to. "Good morning."

Snow Sparkle pursed her lips, her horn lighting up but nothing coming out at first. She hesitated a moment and wrote back, "Hi." They smiled at one another, Snow looking up into the face of her older cousin. Flurry Heart was tall and strong, with her mane pulled back into a fun pony tail. Her powerful wings sat at her side and her pretty face was evenly brushed and her tail straightened and curled exactly how she wanted it. Snow glance up at her own tangled, curly bangs and discreetly looked to her tail. It was curled at the bottom as best as she could, but it too was irreversibly messy. A sharp pang hit her gut but she gathered herself, stepping around to stand by Flurry's side. "What do you want to do?" She wrote.

Snow's saddle bag suddenly lifted off her back. Its contents fell around and drifted through the air, caught in Flurry's pink magic bubbles. The blankets became neatly folded, as did the scarves and even the hats. That pang in Snow's chest began to burn and her ears fell back as her travel gear were neatly tucked back into her bag and settled once more at her shoulders. "We could perhaps straighten your mane," Flurry's writing suggested. She shrugged and reached out to tousle Snow's head. She ducked away from the touch and smoothed her ruffled scarf.

"No thank you. Maybe something to eat?" She caught a quick eye roll before Flurry Heart took to the sky, skipping the stair case and going straight for the main balcony. Snow Sparkle stood there for a second, watching her go. Her own wings tightened at her side and she moved to step forward, pausing as she did. Her mother and aunt had disappeared, leaving her alone in the little courtyard. She tucked her feathers back in and turned to the stairs, her head hanging low.

Snow's stomach rumbled, suddenly taut. Sitting down, she rubbed her belly and looked at the impending stair case. It stretched up roughly two stories high, just wide enough for two ponies to ascend together. It was a lot of climbing. She turned back to the open street and spotted the cheeky face of her cousin, hanging upside down from the lip of the balcony overhead. Her hoof motioned Snow Sparkle forward and she came, her body stiffening.

Her wings fanned out and she flapped hard, feeling the air tickle her fur and the warm Spring breeze lift her feathers. She flew straight out and turned around, flapping as hard as she could to get the right altitude. Flurry Heart was at the balcony, her own powerful wings beating the air and hovering there seamlessly. A smug look on her face made Snow's burn. She concentrated and flapped harder, faster, shooting forward and landing on the edge of the railing. She kicked off and skipped across the floor, tucking her wings in as quickly as she could. Her heart was racing in her chest, her breaths coming out in short gasps, her throat searing. After a minute, her horn lit up and she wrote, "What do you have to eat?"

With her cheeks hot beneath her fur, she followed Flurry into the Castle and toward the kitchen.

Somewhere on the fifth floor was where the Castle had its living space for the Princess and her family. It was lined with carpet and the walls covered in wood paneling instead of crystal stone or marble. The space was much smaller, much more homey than the rest of the building. Through the door, the kitchen was massive. It held warm, inviting smells and quaint, family decorations like pictures, craft projects from Flurry growing up, a couple others that Snow Sparkle contributed to and so many coffee cups. Two entire cupboard spaces were lined with coffee cups, each of a different size, each with a different design.

Snow Sparkle chose a mug that had a decal of a little puppy on it and some freshly squeezed apple cider. They sat in relative silence while Flurry fired up the stove and started on pancakes. Snow Sparkle thought for a moment and wrote out a sentence, making it as small as she could and putting it in front of Flurry's face, "Did your dad teach you how to cook?"

"Yeah," she wrote back, "He isn't the best cook, but it was our way of bonding when I was your age." She scooped a measuring spoon full of batter into the pan. Snow saw little sparks shooting off into the air. "Did Uncle Flash ever teach you how to cook?"

Snow laid her head in her hoof. "Not really. I learned how to burn things pretty well." She saw Flurry's shoulders bounce with humor. "Neither of my parents can cook very well. I asked Applejack to teach me once, but she said I'm too little."

"Too little, or too young?" Flurry cast her a quick, sly glance.

"Oh shut up." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not too little to kick your tail!" She shot forward, her wings unfurling to give her a boost, and scooped up a spoonful of batter.

Flurry turned to her and shook her head. "Snow, a real princess doesn't fight." She lifted her snout and puffed out her chest. "Fighting is something common fillies do in the streets, getting their manes all filthy and..." The sparkly words ceased and Flurry continued on with her mouth. It flapped in that strange way mouths do and Snow's brow furrowed. She watched for a moment longer, picking up on something about the words pride and pose. Snow Sparkle was never very good at lip reading.

She leaned forward, resting her head in her hoof again. A slow, lazy grin spread across her face and she lifted the spoon. Flurry Heart closed her eyes and continued to lecture and Snow let go. A wad of cold, gooey pancake splattered across Flurry Heart's face. She stopped mid-speech and her eyes shot open. She glowered at Snow and stepped away from the breakfast bar.

Flurry shot forward, snatching the bowl off the counter. "OH THAT'S IT!" She wrote, all caps.

---

Princess Luna pushed open the kitchen door to find absolute chaos. Beige goo hung from the ceiling and stained the walls. It was smeared across the hardwood floor. Two fillies sat locked onto one another, rolling about the floor like children. Snow Sparkle's jaw wide, clawing the floor with her hooves as Flurry Heart mercilessly shoved her hoof into the filly's head. Taunts were thrown back and forth in bright red writing, Flurry Heart spelling hers out and Snow Sparkle signing incomprehensibly.

Luna's horn lit up and covered them, yanking them apart. The two looked up and each with a different expression. Flurry Heart was mortified, scrambling to collect herself and brush pancake out of her mane. She mouthed apologies again and again as she tried to tidy up. Snow Sparkle instead pumped her hoof, signing something about backup and leaping over to Luna's side.

"Let's get her, Aunt Luna!" She crouched low, grinning wide. "You're in for it now, Flurry!" She brushed her hoof on the floor, her nostrils flaring.

"Enough of this," Luna's mouth flapped as she signed for Snow Sparkle. "You have ruined this kitchen, the both of you!" The fillies before her backed together. "Immediately you shall clean this up, Flurry Heart." She glared at the teenage filly. Her mouth continued to move at Flurry Heart but she did not sign for Snow. Glancing up at her, she saw that Flurry Heart was properly abashed, her ears fallen to the side and shame in her eyes. She was nodding slowly, crossing her hooves politely. Snow Sparkle, however, did not meet Luna's gaze. Her head hung low, her ears pinned back and her brow furrowed. The filly bit her lip and signed nothing.

"Princess Luna, it will not happen again." Flurry began writing again, turning and gesturing to Snow. "Right?" She did not respond. "We will clean everything just the way it was." Taking her cousin's hoof, they began to turn.

"Be still," Luna signed curtly, "I came here because I have need of Snow Sparkle." Her horn lit up and took hold of the filly, pulling her aside. "I will return her to you when I am done with her, and then she can help you to amend your mistakes."

A pause cut between them and no one moved. Flurry Heart's eyes flitted between the two of them and she nodded, turning around and moving to the kitchen counter. Snow Sparkle faced Luna only to find that she had already disappeared. The door opened and she left the room.

Warm sunlight filtered down through the smoky, protective bubble around the Empire. It laid on Snow Sparkle's blue coat like a soft touch, the breeze ruffling through her feathers and tossing her mane. A few speckles of leftover batter dripped on the glittering street as the two of them walked. Ponies went about their days around them, occasionally pausing to bow to Princess Luna. Many pleasantries were offered, but they never paused. For several minutes, nothing was signed and not a single break came to Luna's stride. Her gait was wide and sure, Snow Sparkle struggling to keep up. Her wings pushed out to give her a boost.

The elaborate cottages around them began to thin out and fall away, leaving the sloping grass of the outer ring. A few bright little lambs leaped away at the sight of them, scattering across the hills. The cool sight of the welcome gate burst into view as they reached the peak of the last slope and came down upon the edge of the city. This is where Luna finally came to a halt. She sat for a moment, facing Snow and walking a circle around her. Lips pursed, eyes narrowed, Snow felt a bead of sweat rolling down her temple.

"So," her horn lit up as she signed, "what brings you here, Auntie Luna?" She tried to pass a smile but it was lost against the mare's stoic look.

"You are happening upon your eleventh birthday, aren't you?" Was her response.

"It was last week."

"Yes yes," she stood in front of Snow, looking down on her. "Eleven is an older age to be without one's mark." Her eyes cast quickly to Snow's plane blue flank. Snow arched her head to take a look at it, lifting her one wing.

"I guess. When did you get yours?"

"I was eight when I discovered my ability to access the night realm." A fleeting grin played at her lips.

"What about Auntie Celest?"

"She was five," her signs became a heavy green. She shook her head and smoother the emblem hanging at her chest. "How about you? Have you any inclination as to what your mark may be?"

Snow Sparkle thought for a moment. "Well, I really like going to school, I guess. Mrs. Notes just started a new series on mathematical equations that can measure the height of a flag pole based on the length of its shadow!" She beamed at her aunt, but the gesture was not returned.

"As entertaining as that would be, I am quite sure your talent lies outside of school work. Is there anything else that you enjoy?"

Snow Sparkle glanced at her hooves, running through her head a couple times. "I like pancakes. I'm not the best cook, though."

"Try again." Luna's hoof hit the ground. "Perhaps something seasonal?"

Her head shot up, "You know, I do have a favorite season." Luna finally smiled again, rearing back as her mouth flapped. "Fall!" She dropped back down, grin fading into the a worried frown. "My favorite part is all the warm sweaters I love to wear, the Running of the Leaves. Oh, what if I could have a job as a professional runner! Or maybe a pony who collects the leaves at the end of the race, or even if I could just sit and appreciate the beautiful trees and shrubs and everything and pumpkin spice, with a little-" Luna's hoof on her forearm shocked her from her ranting. She looked up and pulled back, ears falling. "What?"

"Do you not enjoy the winter?" Luna signed with large blue symbols.

Snow's nostrils flared. "The winter?" She shook her head. "I mean, Hearths Warming is fun and all, but I can't stand the cold. Or ice."

"Your birthday is in the winter."

"But it's always too cold to go do anything. Mom always refuses to use her magic to create a little bubble of spring for me. The Crystal Empire can do it, so why can't she? What good is all that alicorn magic if you can't make it just a little-"

"Snow Sparkle, please." Luna held up a hoof. "I do not need another lecture on your perceived waste of our powers." She cast a glance out into the barren world beyond the shroud of smoke. "I have a favor to ask of you," She cast a sly look back, "I need to find a single flake of snow."

"What?" She signed, taken aback.

"Do you know how snowflakes are made?"

"Tiny drops of water are collected in little dishes at the Cloudsdale Weather Factory," she began, "when frozen to the right temperature, they become little icicles, which are passed through a machine and pressed into the snowflake trademark before being passed through to the collection department where they're shipped off to rain down across the country," She rolled her eyes, "Duh."

"Do you know how natural snowflakes are made?"

Snow Sparkle glanced at the wall of raging snow behind them. Her eyes widened and her horn lip up, spilling everything out of her saddle bags in search of parchment and paper. "No, tell me!" She beamed expectantly.

Luna's shoulders bounced and she sat down, unfurling one wing across Snow's shoulders. "In Equestria, we are the shepherds of our lands and we nurture it with our harmonious talents of natural magic. However, not every land is this way, such as the Frozen North here." Snow's quill bobbed around diligently as Luna signed. "In a natural weather cycle, water vapor is pulled from the ground and up into the sky."

"How?"

"The earth has its own magic. When there is enough vapor in the sky, it rains. However, if the temperature is cold enough, instead of rain the droplets freeze and fall down as snow." The little filly was sure to mark everything on her page. "With the Frozen North being so cold, it never rains up here and instead, it is only snow."

Snow Sparkle looked over her two pages full of notes and quickly doodled diagrams. "So, why do you want a natural snowflake? Couldn't you have brought a pretty one from home? It's just about the middle of winter."

"Alas," Luna lowered her head, "I forgot to snatch one before embarking on my train. That is why I need you to go out and find me a snow flake."

"Alright!" Snow jumped to her hooves as reached for the piles of ice immediately outside the halo.

Luna tapped her shoulder, pulling her back. "Wait, I have another request." Her face pulled back into a grin, quickly shoved down by the simple, regal expression common to the princess. "I want the snowflake you find to have a pattern like the ones at home."

Snow paused, her heart leaping into her throat. "Do natural snowflakes have a pattern?"

That smirk returned for only a moment. "Very, very rare." Luna straightened up and offered her hoof. "Can I trust this mission to you?"

Snow fought the urge to turn back to the barren, bleak, patternless blizzard behind them. "Of course, Auntie." She took the hoof and shook a deal, trying to draw herself up. "But first, I need to go back to the Castle and help Flurry Heart clean up all that pancake."

"Naturally, Snow. Your kind heart tells many tales of your ancestral nature." She lowered her head and fanned out her navy wings, lifting off the ground smoothly and soaring up and over the hills, melting away into the city with even strokes.

Snow Sparkle hesitated at the edge of the Empire, trying not to turn around but unsure of her journey back. She considered the heavy, enormous wings at her side and started down the path, flapping them slowly as she trotted. Halfway through the outer ring, she tucked her wings back in to catch her breath. She exhaled forcefully and lowered her head. "Flurry Heart had better be done by now."