Snowfall

by Golden Dragon

Snowfall Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The dark of night
Hides the past
Lit only by twinkles
Of stars in the sky

The next week was a blur for Snowfall. He filled his waking hours with physical labor, helping the ponies around town, as well as hanging out with Rainbow Dash when she had free time. He always kept an eye out for the brown colt, but he was either no longer watching Snowfall, or being much more stealthy about it. It was difficult, but he had managed to suppress the suspicions within him for the most part. He wanted these ponies to be his friends, needed them to be his friends, so he did his best to achieve that. Occasionally the dark thoughts forced their way to the surface, though.

Snowfall found another way besides working to banish these dark thoughts, thanks to one of the ponies he had helped -- Berry Punch. He had helped her haul casks of wine a few times, and she had repaid him by sharing it. He found that he had a fondness for the drink, not as much as Berry Punch herself, but he did like the feeling it gave him. It dulled his mind enough that the suspicions he felt about other ponies -- his frustrations at seeking his identity -- vanished, at least for a few hours.

"Thanks, Berry. This means a lot to me," he told her one night as they shared some wine.

"Oh it's no problem, Shnowfall," she slurred. "I like having a big, strong colt around to help. Big Mac is usually too busy on the farm." She pouted for a moment, staring into her glass of wine, before turning her gaze back to him. "But you're just as good as him, right?"

He shrugged uncomfortably, then drained his glass of wine. "I guess so."

"Oh! Your glass is empty! Let me refill that for you."

He blocked her attempt with a hoof. "No, that's alright. I've had enough for tonight." He had discovered his tolerance for the drink the hard way on the first night after he helped Berry. It was a thin line between how much would calm his mind and how much would upset his stomach.

She seemed disappointed as he bid her goodnight, but said, "Okay, Snowfall. Sleep well."

Twilight didn’t approve of either of his methods of burying the unwelcome thoughts.

“You should be resting, not working. How can you expect to get better if you don’t allow your body the time it needs to heal? All that wine can’t be helping either,” she admonished.

“I can’t do that, Twilight. Sitting still just . . . it makes me feel worse. I won’t figure out who I am laying around all day. And my mind gets stressed sometimes. The wine helps.” Did she want him to remain ignorant? No, that was a foalish thought, he told himself. He quickly turned his thoughts to the chores he would do tomorrow -- Applejack needed help repairing a hole in the barn roof caused by too much snow, Fluttershy wanted some winter-blooming herbs gathered from the Everfree Forest, and Rainbow Dash had the evening free to spend with him. She absolutely loved the fact that he hadn’t seen all her tricks and stunts like everypony else had, taking great pride in showing them off to him given the opportunity.

Concern etched lines on Twilight’s face. “I understand, Snowfall, but--”

“Do you?” he snapped. Twilight took a step back, her ears wilting. He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, it just came out that way. He softened his voice, “I’m sorry, but look, Twilight . . . I know you mean well, but please . . . let me handle this in my own way. You have no idea what I’m going though.” He walked past her, heading up the stairs. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”

* * *

The next morning, Snowfall could tell that Twilight’s opinion had not changed. As he headed towards the door she stepped forward, opening her mouth to say something, but she remained silent. He was a few steps outside when Twilight called from the doorway. “Just don’t overdo it. Please?”

Snowfall turned back to her and nodded, smiling. “I’ll try, Twilight.” He was still amazed at how quickly the residents had accepted him into their community. The amount of love and kindness they showed him was nothing short of remarkable. The thought warmed his heart, and he realized he was beginning to care for the ponies of this town as well; he had gotten to know many of them while helping around town.

Snowfall did his best to keep his promise to Twilight while working on Applejack’s barn. He hauled light loads of lumber while other ponies did the more dangerous work up on the roof itself. Applejack understood his desire to work harder; she explained to Snowfall that she had bitten off more than she could chew on more than one occasion, which caused nothing but trouble, not just for herself but her friends as well.

“Friends’r there to share your burdens with you. When ya let ‘em help, everything turns out better in the end,” she explained.

Snowfall saw the truth in her words, but physical burdens were one thing, sharing emotional burdens were another thing entirely. He wanted to open up to these ponies, to let his emotions pour out, but he was afraid. Everypony is so happy. How could they understand my sorrow? So he put on a brave face, keeping the knot of sadness around his heart.

Before he knew it, his part in the repairs was complete. He trotted up to Applejack to bid her farewell.

“Thanks for the help, sugarcube,” she smiled. “Here’s a little token of my appreciation.” She put some apples into Snowfall’s saddlebags. “Yer welcome here any time, ya know. How ‘bout you come by tomorrow and see the finished roof?”

“I’d like that,” he smiled. “And . . . thank you.”

“For what, sugarcube?”

“The advice, it . . . helped.” With that, Snowfall departed, making his way to Fluttershy’s cottage. There were medicinal plants that grew in the Everfree Forest -- a place most ponies, Fluttershy included, feared to tread -- that she wanted gathered. Snowfall hadn’t heard the stories told about the forest, so he had no such fears and was happy to help. He arrived at the cottage early in the afternoon to find Fluttershy preparing some drawings of the plants she needed.

“This one is called Luna’s Tears,” Fluttershy explained, pointing to a drawing of a small bushy plant with many small blue blossoms. “It tends to grow near stones. It’s useful for treating rashes.” Fluttershy pointed to a drawing of a tall, slender plant with a single white blossom at the top. “This one is called a Winter Lily. You can find it in the more open areas of the forest. I can use it to treat upset stomachs. If you could find as many of these as you could that would be a great help.”

Snowfall examined the drawing until he was sure he could recognize the plants, and then carefully tucked them into his saddlebags. As he and Fluttershy made their way to the forest’s edge she shared her knowledge of the various medicinal plants that could be found in the forest throughout the year: a fern called Pegasus Feathers that aided in closing wounds; the root of a plant called Mare’s Sorrow -- Fluttershy didn’t know why it had that name, but even the oldest books Twilight could find used it -- which was useful in easing pain; and a rare blossom called Dragon’s Flame -- Fluttershy had never seen one, but it was described as having petals of a red so vibrant they seemed to glow -- that was said to be able to bring a pony back from the most dire of injuries -- Fluttershy didn’t believe it, but it was a nice thought nonetheless.

As they reached the edge of the forest, Fluttershy turned to Snowfall. “T-Try not to venture too deep into the forest, I, um, I don’t want you getting lost, and you don’t want to be here after the sun sets.” Fluttershy shivered momentarily at the thought.

Snowfall nodded, smiling. “I’ll be fine, Fluttershy. Don’t worry.” Snowfall had spent little time alone since his arrival in Ponyville, but he figured he could use the opportunity to ruminate on Applejack’s advice. Snowfall bid Fluttershy farewell as he entered the forest.

Despite being the dead of winter, the forest felt alive. The scent of pine permeated the air; bushes rustled as he passed, dead leaves crackled under steps that were not his own; the feeling of being watched was strong, sending a shiver up his spine; in the distance a strange animal cried out, a mix of anger and pain. He could only imagine how much worse the effect would be during the summer, when the shadows cast by the trees would be deep. For all the life the forest had, it was still difficult to find the plants Fluttershy requested.

Alone with his thoughts, Snowfall pondered the advice Applejack gave him. Maybe . . . maybe they don’t need to understand my pain to help me though it. Maybe they’ll know what to say. Maybe just letting my feelings out will help.

Lost in thought, Snowfall wandered deeper and deeper into the woods. The sun had moved noticeably lower in the sky when thought to turn around, afraid he might have ventured too far into the forest. As he glanced around to get his bearings, he noticed a clearing through the trees, and walked over to investigate it. Flat paving stones sticking out of ground dotted the clearing, remnants of a plaza long since lost to time. The center of the clearing held a fountain -- a massive circular basin, the center of which held a statue of a unicorn rearing up on its hind legs, raised above the basin on a pedestal. Although time had smoothed away the finer features of the statue, it was clear that great care had been used in its construction. Luna’s Tears surrounded the fountain, their blossoms a vivid blue against the browns of the grasses that filled the clearing. Vines climbed up from the basin, wrapping around the statue’s legs as if to prevent it from escaping.

Amazed, Snowfall stopped in his tracks at the sight. Likely very few, if any, ponies had seen this place in centuries. Snowfall could do little else but admire it breathlessly for a few moments. As he entered the clearing, he got the same feeling as he had when he looked at Rainbow Dash -- as if he should know this place, but the memories were just beyond his reach.

As he began to gather the blossoms the feelings struck more strongly than ever, pushing away all other thoughts. Images danced through his mind; Rainbow Dash, the connection he felt to her tugging at him; the fountain, radiating a need for his presence; a moss-covered tower rising above the forest canopy, green eyes in the darkness, fear and desire clashing in his mind. Darkness.

Snowfall blinked. What just happened? The shadows had lengthened considerably; the sky glowed orange. The sun was setting! Panic rose in Snowfall’s chest, his heartbeat quickening, his breathing shallow. He began to hurry back the way he thought he came. It was difficult, however; much of the forest looked the same and the waning light made the going treacherous, rocks and roots looming out of the shadows causing him to stumble. As the shadows lengthened, the air of menace grew. He could see no tangible reason for this fear, but he felt it all the same.

He finally emerged from the forest some distance away from where he had entered, the sky now a deep purple. He breathed a sigh of relief, his heart finally calming down, the feel of the forest no longer pressing down on him. About a hundred feet away he saw Fluttershy pacing, occasionally turning towards the forest and taking a step before quickly backing away and resuming her pacing. He started toward the yellow pegasus, who hurriedly approached the moment she noticed him.

“Snowfall, you’re okay! I was so worried. You were gone for hours and it’s getting dark out. I was afraid something had happened.” Unshed tears glistened in Fluttershy’s eyes.

“Relax, Fluttershy. I just got a little lost, that’s all.” If Fluttershy heard the lie in his words, she didn’t show it. I can’t tell her the truth about that, she would just worry even more. Snowfall looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry I worried you like that.” He gave Fluttershy the plants he had managed to gather before bidding her good night and heading home.

When he arrived at Twilight’s house, Rainbow Dash was waiting for him. “You’re late! I can’t show you my trick now; it’s too dark out.”

“Sorry Dash, I got lost in the Everfree Forest. Ended up spending more time than I intended in there.” Snowfall wasn’t ready to tell anypony the truth of what happened in that clearing. He didn’t fully understand it himself. He did, however, feel he was ready to tell Rainbow Dash everything else. And so he did. He took all the emotions, all the pain that he had knotted around his heart in the last week and a half, and released them; he spoke of how he still felt he was a stranger, even to himself; of how he feared he would never regain his past, but also feared what he past held.

At first as he talked he paced back and forth, but as the emotions took hold and he began to cry he lay down by the fire. Rainbow Dash just keep glancing to Twilight, a perplexed look on her face. She wasn’t used to dealing with such outpourings of emotion. At Twilight’s urging, she sat next to him, muttering encouraging comments, but Snowfall could tell she wasn’t entirely sure what to say to him. That was fine, though, as her presence was enough to comfort him as he wound down. She quietly left as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

That night, he dreamt of the clearing. He stood in the clearing, his back to the fountain in the center, staring out at the treeline. Only the nearest trees were visible; everything beyond was shrouded in unnatural shadow. The forest was completely still, silent. A cry of alarm brought his attention to the fountain. Instead of the statue, the pedestal held Rainbow Dash. Vines writhed up the pedestal -- thornier than those he remembered -- binding her hind legs.

“Snowfall! Help me!” Rainbow Dash cried out, struggling against the vines, digging the barbs deeper. The vines were moving quickly, beginning to wrap around her wings. Blood oozed from numerous cuts caused by the thorns.

Snowfall wanted to help, but the pedestal was out of reach, his wings refusing to obey his commands. More vines twisted their way up the pedestal, lashing out at Rainbow Dash’s forelegs, their barbs gaining purchase in her flesh. Rainbow Dash cried out again as the vines tightened their grip, constricting their thorns into her flesh. As the vines began wrapping around Rainbow Dash’s neck and head, Snowfall leapt into the fountain’s basin, tearing at the vines where they grew from the soil. More vines sprung from the soil whenever his hooves tore one up, some climbing their way up the pedestal, others wrapping around his legs, binding him in place as well. He looked up to see that Rainbow Dash was now nearly completely enveloped by the vines. Blood dripped from them, pooling on the pedestal. Rainbow Dash managed to get out one last anguished cry before the vines completely enveloped her.

Snowfall awoke with a sharp intake of breath, struggling against his bindings until he realized that it was a blanket, not vines. He breathed heavily, his heart pounding in his chest. He looked around. He lay in front of the fireplace, the room dark but for the orange glow from the dying embers that remained. Gradually, his breathing slowed, his heart calmed. Just a dream. Sleep was slow to take him this time.

* * *

The next few days Snowfall’s emotions were a tangle. Having emptied his heart of negative emotions, he found that there was now room for positive ones. He began to smile more; engaging other ponies in conversation. He even let himself relax, allowing his wing to better heal. Always in the back of his mind, however, lurked the dream . . . and the clearing. Telling himself that it was just a dream did little to comfort him. I have to find that clearing again. I have to know what this all means. When opportunities arose, Snowfall snuck off to the Everfree Forest. His searches proved fruitless, though, the clearing and fountain eluding him. If it weren’t for this broken wing I could fly over the forest and find it easily! Still, he kept trying, searching for answers.

* * *

Before he knew it, nearly a month had passed since his arrival in Ponyville. Life now held a semblance for normalcy for him. Not only that, but his wing was finally healed! Rainbow Dash came with him to visit Nurse Redheart to get the splint removed.

“I bet it feels good to get that thing off!” she grinned.

Snowfall tentatively stretched the healed wing out, then gave it a slow flap. Although the muscles were atrophied, they still felt strong. Once outside, he took to the air, slowly at first, but gaining speed as his wing demonstrated to him that it could take the strain. He alighted on a cloud, getting an aerial view of Ponyville for the first time. Rainbow Dash gently touched down next to him.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked.

Snowfall responded with the first thing that came to mind. “It’s home.”

Snowfall spent the next few hours simply enjoying the new-found freedom his healed wing gave him, flying around Ponyville with Rainbow Dash. He was the happiest he had been since his arrival waking from his injury. Snowfall’s wings began to burn with the exertion of flight and he landed, breathing heavily.

“That was fun!” Rainbow Dash laughed, landing next to him. “We should do it again sometime. Maybe I can teach you some tricks.”

Snowfall nodded, smiling. “I’d like that.”

After he and Rainbow Dash parted ways, Snowfall returned to Twilight’s library for rest and food. Sufficiently restored, he set out on his own to fly over the Everfree Forest, determined to find the clearing again. He flew slowly over the treetops, eyes watching the ground for any sign of the clearing. Eventually he found it, deeper in the forest than he thought he had ventured when gathering plants for Fluttershy. No wonder I couldn’t find this again on the ground. However, the sight that awaited him was not what he expected. Two pegasi stood in the clearing, having a conversation. One of them was the brown pegasus that had been watching him! Quietly as he could muster, he landed out of sight and listened.

“ . . . been a month,” one of them said. “I’m getting tired of waiting.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the brown one replied. It was obvious from his tone of voice that this was not the first time he had heard this complaint. “Once his wing heals he’ll find it quickly enough. He found this place before, he won’t be able to resist coming back.”

Snowfall’s breath caught in his throat, thoughts racing though his mind. They’re talking about me! He was tempted to walk up to these ponies and accost them -- ask them who they were, who he was, ask them about everything -- but something about them cautioned him. He couldn’t really explain it, but they felt . . . off, to him. I should get Rainbow Dash, she’ll know what to do. The other ponies continued to talk, but Snowfall, lost in thought, heard no more. Carefully, he walked away from the clearing until he felt he was far enough to take flight unseen by the mysterious ponies in the clearing.

By the time he reached Ponyville again, it was too late in the day for another trip into the forest, so he resolved that tomorrow he would take Rainbow Dash to the clearing. Even if those ponies were not there, maybe having the two things that seemed familiar would, together, trigger something more, and if they were there, Rainbow Dash would even the odds.

* * *

The next day, he sought out Rainbow Dash. He told her about the clearing he found, about how the brown colt that had been watching him was there, that the colts there seemed to know something about him, and that he was afraid to approach them alone.

“Well then let’s go!” Rainbow Dash shouted enthusiastically. “We might finally figure out who you were. Wouldn’t that be great?”

They set off, flying over the Everfree Forest. Snowfall found the clearing quicker this time. The two ponies from the day before were not in sight as they landed.

“Whoa. What is this place?” Rainbow Dash looked around the clearing.

Snowfall took a few steps toward the fountain. “I don’t know, but this place . . . it holds some kind of familiarity to me, as if I used to know it. Not only that, but . . . “ Here goes nothing. “I get that feeling with you, too, Rainbow Dash. I don’t --” A thumping sound from behind interrupted him.

Snowfall spun around to find the brown colt standing over the unconscious body of Rainbow Dash, a malicious grin on his face. Snowfall barely had time to wonder where the other one was when a blow to the back of his head sent him spiralling into darkness.

Comments

[Rudolf]

Looking good.