The Darʞ Snow

by Lack of Tact

1: Off White/On White

Day 1

. . . . .

"We'll be back come next week, maybe before y'all even known it!"

Shick.

Shick.

Shick.

Hooves pressed against padded tufts of whitest white, each step a light, visible breath from my muzzle. A shiver waiting in the back of my throat with each intake of cold, stabbing air.

Dollops of snow would land on me from beneath the frozen thick, covered branches of dying trees and I'd stave a sneeze with the pit of my foreleg. I hated this. I hated how they always left me. Why couldn't I come with them? I'm old enough, I'm twelve! I hated being alone! It was the same at school, it shouldn't be like this at home, not during winter of all times.

This was the time for our family to be together, for us to be together! It was really the only time we could be. Applejack and Big Mac didn't need to go to Manehatten for business, they didn't need to leave me here. By myself—with the dog—alone. Last year was different. Back when everything was good and nice and Granny hadn't gone someplace better, wherever that was.

Applejack says we'll see her again, but I'm starting to doubt it. She, Granny that is, left us. Applejack, Big Mac did too, but for this time, it's temporary. So they say. They'll leave too. Everypony does. Words aren't of much use to stop it. If there were any to say, but there were none to speak. Not to them. They were already gone and I was alone.

The dreadful word, when it echoed and thrashed in my skull, chilled me even further in my contemplative silence. The rest of the long trek back from the station was quiet. The road home, while usually bridled with nonsensical gossip and unwanted sibling-squabbling, was empty.

Barren of all but snow.

. . . . .

When I was younger, I used to love to play in the snow.

I didn't grow up with friends,—not really any I'd be able to keep anyway with the farm work, so I'd come up with things to do when able. Every year, when the stars aligned—and when Pegasus were requested to provide via weather factory—I would laugh and adventure in the fine powders. I used to build two snowfillies to be my friends for the coming winter. Right outside of my window, and I'd talk with them and plot. I still remembered the names I gave them, almost on a whim.

My old imaginary buddies, the last two remaining members of the overly ambitious: 'Cutie Mark Crusaders.'

The shorter one, made of fluffy, pure white snow, was Sweetie Belle. She was a Unicorn of... sub-par magicks. I made her first when I was around six years old. She'd been my very best friend since. Sadly, very much recently, my biggest shame as well. The other one, a pegasus, made of a lanky and more compacted snowy material. Almost always seen missing the lower left side of her jaw, was Scootaloo. She was my aggression outlet and also was my other best friend. I never gave them faces, snowpony faces always scared me.

That way, they never talked if they could... or hear or see for the matter.

Applejack thought that was funny for the most part. That was last year, I'm older now. I didn't want to build a snowmare anymore. I shook my head. I supposed I ought to have readied supper for the night. With a trembling shiver of my body from the cold, I figured I shouldn't worry about such childish things as snowmares. With that, I propped open the door to my family's house.

It creaked unwelcomingly loud.

As and after I took my first step, I kicked my fetlocks against the frame free of any of the vast white amongst white. It sprinkled and peppered the welcome mat before melting from the heat the house had emitted. My hooves found purchase on the sturdy, oak flooring of the home. I had felt safe, I had felt warm, I had felt... alone.

I sighed quietly through my nose as I moved to let the door fall back, shutthudthud.

I nearly screamed when two sudden knocks sounded directly after. My voice somehow caught itself and I turned and faced the wooden barrier. No more knocks had followed. Nothing, silence. Maybe it was nothing? No, the door had never slammed that loud before. "Hello?" My voice found my bravado and spoke for me before I could stop it.

I didn't expect an answer, nor did I want one. It undoubtedly came. "Applebloom, Applebloom, may I warm by your fire?" I don't respond as I felt my heart hammer in the back of my throat. I struggled to choke down my sudden fear. Its voice was as if ice itself; broken, shrill, familiar. It sounded almost exactly like I'd imagined Sweetie Belle's voice to sound like, "it is so very, very cold in the snow," and I hated it.

I moved a quaking, trembling hoof towards the handle. I froze when I felt the frog of my hoof do the same. My foreleg almost willed itself away from the handle as it jolted against the chilling touch. The voice had finished speaking and had I noticed, everything became so incredibly quiet after it did. I loosed a shaky breath as I pulled down on the metal knob. The door opened and revealed nothing on the other side. Except for the snow. I could hardly make out light coming from the barn's waymarker lantern. Other than that, just empty, empty white.

Best I'd... I'd best start dinner now.

I shut the door and waited for a second in dread. I glowered at the flat surface and when nothing tried to rip open the door or me, my heartbeat reminded me of the knocking.

I wanted that to stop.

. . . . .

Dinner was quiet.

Hard not to be when it was just the dog and me. Winona wasn't much of a talker, since she'd been getting up there in age as of late. The old border collie turned thirteen, a whole year older than me a couple of months ago, and had started to lose herself to age. Clouded milk-brown eyes disconnected from mine as Winona lapped away happily at her water bowl. I chuckled softly at her single-tracked mind and I petted behind her ear as I did so. She didn't seem to mind much.

I'd moved Winona into my room last night, the day before AJ and Big Mac left. I told them it's because she was getting old, but that was just an excuse. I really just needed the company as it was scary dark during winter nights. The dog stared upward at me and noticed I was holding her dog food. A whimper sounded and I shook my head with a small grin, the levity of the situation had brought me out of my funk. Her other bowl pinked and plinked as I filled it up with her favorite kibble.

The spoiled lady.

I give her one last pet as I tossed the empty bag over to the other end of the room, its previous contents now quickly being devoured by the bitch. Winona munched and crunched in peace as I sat in my room at the end of my bed. I stared out of my window, mind drifted away from the house dog. With a full stomach and an addled brain, Sleep was right around the corner. Being on the second floor, I should find comfort in the height between the earth and me. A sense of controllable chaos, Applejack had said. Yet, as I'd started to look into the pale abyss, I couldn't help but think it was more everywhere than it should have been.

Exhaustion had begun to chip and eb away at the furthest corners of my eyes and I knew it wouldn't be too much longer until I'd embraced Lady Slumber once again. With wearied eyes, I scanned the dark, canvas-esque horizon one last time before I fell back with a light thud. I turned over in my sheets, my eyes closed loosely as I gave an idle shiver. I didn't think sleep would've come to me. The thin bedding did little to stay the cold, it was my blanket that worked the wonders. The grey, ugly little thing.

I did have that in the barn. Maybe I could grab that tomorrow? My wool blanket, I've had it since I was a foal Applejack said. It'd help more.

I figured I'd sleep on it at that and I yawned.

I turned over again in my bed and due to my insomnia, the absentminded action stirred my eyes open for all of a bitter moment. Right before they closed for the last time, they caught just a glimpse of white.

Off white on white, the silhouette would have been missed had it not moved to look right back at me.

Author's Note:

Bonjour nerds and welcome to the first installment of "The Dark Snow," a four-part horror story that was originally supposed to be a fucking one shot but I'm really bad at that.

Hope you all Enjoy! it so far!

i will edit it i swear

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

How'd you make the k in dark upside down and backwards?

[vinyldash23]

so... the cmc shit was just made up? Interesting.

[Pete100]

The dreadful word chilled me even further in my contemplative silence. The long trek back from the station was a quiet one. The road home, while usually bridled with nonsensical gossip and unwanted sibling-squabbling, was empty.

What word?

I sighed quietly through my nose as I moved to let the door fall back, shut thudthud.

That doesn’t sound good.

I didn't expect an answer, nor did I want one. It undoubtedly came. "Applebloom, Applebloom, may I warm by your fire?" I don't respond as I felt my heart hammer in the back of my throat. I struggled to choke down my sudden fear. Its voice was as if ice itself; broken, shrill, familiar. It sounded almost exactly like I'd imagined Sweetie Belle's voice to sound like, "it is so very, very cold in the snow," and I hated it.

Run

The spoiled lady. I give her one last pet as I tossed the empty bag over to the other end of the room, its previous contents now quickly being devoured by the bitch.

What did the dog ever do to her?

Off white on white, the silhouette would have been missed had it not moved to look right back at me.

I’m moving.

[ExplosionMare]

This was the time for our family to be together, for us to be together! It was really the only time we could be. Applejack and Big Mac didn't need to go to Manehatten for business, they didn't need to have had left me here. By myself—with the dog— alone. Last year was different. Back when everything was good and nice and Granny hadn't gone someplace better, wherever that was.

It would make more sense if you said “they didn’t need to leave me here” instead. The “have had” thing doesn’t make a lot of sense in this sentence’s context.