A story of a filly lost in the harsh cold of the Frozen North and the the inner struggle she faces in the wake of tragedy.
She was lost in the ever-present blizzard of the Frozen North, cold and alone, for as long as she could remember...until he found her. A griffon, traveling from place to place on a spiritual journey. With help from this nomad, Snow Squall will try find the magic that lies within her and learn what brought her into an unwelcoming atmosphere. Will he be able to help the lonely filly find her home? Only time will tell.
The Frozen North is possibly the worst place I could have ever found myself as a little unicorn. I can still recall the feeling of the frigid air slamming against my coat, a chilling feeling a pony could not easily forget. There were no ponies; I was the only one. My only companions in that eternally brumal world were arctic wolves, snow leopards, polar bears and the like. Sounds never graced my ears...none save for the howls of the wolves at night, and the occasional struggle between predator and prey that I never ceased to distance myself from. There was no food, save for the scraps of fish left behind by polar bears and arctic foxes. On a meal a day, sometimes two, I wasn't the biggest filly, but that wasn't something I had to complain about. The world was blank, a desolate white sheet of snow covering nearly every inch of my vision, accompanied only by the mountains far, far in the distance. It seemed like every day, the air grew colder. And it seemed like every moment, the snow grew harsher.
And the cold air around me, the snow pounding away against my body...those are the first things I can remember. This is the story of how I left a lonely, cold world behind me.
I woke up to another cold day...or was it night? I couldn't really tell. Perpetual darkness was covering the world around me, and in this darkness I found solace for the first time in weeks. For as long as I could recall, I'd lived as a scavenger, surviving off of what little food the predators of the Frozen North left behind.
After gathering up rocks in a bag I found one lonely day, I set off from my cavern to try my hoof at gathering fish at a small pond that had frozen over long before my memories can recall. The wind softly blew through my icy blue mane for a moment, and I staggered for a bit out of fear that the arctic foxes had awoken, but when I turned around to check, nothing was there but the snow on the ground and the stars that gazed at me in the cloudless sky.
What seemed like hours passed, and I found my way to the frozen pond by following the patterns of snow the arctic wolves left behind with their steps. Though the water was frozen, the fish were lively and excited as always. I bit down on the bag around my back and set it down, pulling out a rock after doing so. If I knew how to speak, I'd tell the fish sorry for what I was about to put them through. I lunged my head back and sprung forth, throwing the rock right at the ice. However, despite my best efforts, the ice wouldn't break, nor crack. Though I tried again and again, it just wouldn't break.
In anger and sadness, I walked to the icy pond and stomped my hooves, left and right, left and right, and began to finally hear the ice crack. After a few more seconds, it finally gave way, but to my surprise, I fell straight into the water! My entire body was freezing cold with the water, and yet it burned me with fierce intensity. I screamed and shouted, but despite my cries, nobody came. I wondered for a minute if I was going to die as I lived, as a lonely filly, and soon, my consciousness faded away.
When I came to, a fire was rustling by me, and for the first time in my life, I felt warmth. It was the most wonderful sensation I'd ever felt, as if all of the troubles in the world were going to melt away like snow. But the sensation was short lived, as when I looked around, I quickly surmised that I was back in my cave, but something had changed since I was last here.
Something was at the entrance.
An arctic wolf.
It was entirely white, snow covering every inch of its lean body. Sharp black claws protruded from each of its paws, which shimmered like crystals. The eyes of the arctic wolf were perhaps its most frightening feature, as they were completely featureless, reminiscent of the black sky that hovered menacingly above us.I had seen arctic wolves before, but only in packs, and only from afar. Never before today did I even imagine having to confront one face-to-face.
I panicked for a second, and thought. Why would an arctic wolf even try to come in here? They're made of snow, so if they got near the fire, they'd surely melt. I calmed down at the thought, and decided to wait until it left. Apparently, having other plans in mind, the beast began to come my way. It even passed the fire, emitting a cold breath on it that froze the flame solid. My heartbeat sped up, and I tried to run, but there was nowhere to go. I had been cornered.
As the wolf approached, my breathing grew stronger and my heart raced, I began to think of all the days that I wasted not accomplishing anything, never even making a friend. I even began to cry. As the wolf came even closer, my horn began to glow bright blue, engulfing me in its luminescence, and the air around me grew cold and still. Out of nowhere, a blast of white light flew from my horn straight toward the wolf, letting out a shimmering white light that seemed like it would never fade. When it did, I sat on the ground, clueless as to what had just happened, and I panicked again, but the moment I feared for so much never came. When I looked up at the wolf, it, like the fire, had been turned into ice. Soon, the wolf simply melted away, and as it did, I began to wonder why it was frozen.
I released a thankful sigh, and took a moment to regain my composure, but that moment, too, was cut short as I saw another figure at the entrance, a silhouette, standing motionless. Was it yet another arctic wolf? I didn't know if I'd be able to do what I had done again. This figure, however, didn't move. Rather, I heard a voice.
"Have you always been this alone?" the voice said.
When it came forth out of the shadows, I saw a magnificent creature like no other! It had a head like the birds that flew through the sky and the body of the lions that roam the border of the arctic. Not once, in my wildest dreams, did I ever expect to see such a beautiful thing. When it approached me, I cringed, and with a claw out to me, the creature simply said:
"It will be alright, little filly. I won't do you any harm."
I was still afraid. With all my heart, I was afraid. What was this fabulous being? These sounds it was making...they weren't angry sounds. What were they? Why was it here? The questions raced through my head like falcons going in for the kill. Cautiously at first, and then with confidence, I began to find my footing and walked over to the winged creature. It didn't seem to have any ill will toward me. I took a note of that, for it was the first creature I had encountered in months to allow me to move freely. When it reached a wing out to me, I shivered, but allowed it to rest on me. It was so soft and welcoming, that for the first time in days, I managed a smile.
"Can you tell me your name, little filly?" The creature made its strange noises again.
Not knowing what the beast was doing, I simply stared at it.
"My name is Kalki." It pointed a wing at itself while it uttered these words. For a moment, I continued to stare blankly into its eyes.
"Kal...ki?" I managed to utter the name. I had never heard my voice so soft or calm before today.
"Little unicorn that has been alone for so long, I have watched you for days now. It saddens me to think that you have had nopony to talk to, or to learn from. But that will change. From this day forth, you will have me."
I didn't understand what this creature, Kalki, was saying. But something inside me said that it meant good fortune.
Kalki took his wing off my back and made his way to the entrance my home. He looked outside, somewhat solemnly, at the white world that lay just outside of my abode. There seemed to be no end to the snow that fell from the stars tonight, for in the snow, I could not see anything but white. I was trapped in my cave, and yet, with this winged beast at my side, I no longer felt alone. He turned to me with a smile, walking back over to me, and placing a claw on my shoulder.
"The magic that I witnessed you perform was strong, much like the snow squall that we are faced with outside of this cave. For this reason, I believe I will name you Snow Squall." He pointed a wing at me. "You are Snow Squall."
"S...Snow...sus..." I whispered the words to myself. The sound of my voice was beautiful. It was high-pitched, like the humming of the birds that perched on the branches of old fir trees, and held a certain grace to it, not unlike the falling of delicate snow on a calm day.
"Good. That was very good. Snow Squall, tomorrow, we will find food to eat. And if you feel afraid outside, you can find peace in knowing that I will lay down my life to protect you." Kalki walked over to the fire, which was still frozen in a block of ice, and smashed it with his hind paws.
"The ice forged from the breath of arctic wolves does not melt, for it has been enchanted. I believe you learned how to freeze the wolf by watching it freeze the fire, though your ice does melt." He sat down by the fire, taking two rocks out of my bag, which I could only assume he found along with me, and began rubbing them together until, finally, sparks formed a fire once more.
"We should sleep. The hour is late, and the creatures of the night are prowling." As he said this, I found myself yawning. He gazed at me endearingly, and sat next to me, a wing of his gently perched once more over my back. I lost myself in its warmth, and after just a few minutes, I found my vision fading to black.
The next morning, I awoke to find that Kalki was standing by the entrance of the cave again, this time looking at the sky which was an astounding sight for he and I both. Having not seen the sun in the sky for the last day, its reappearance shocked me. The sky was beautiful, full of white pillows that seemed to drift ever so slightly with the wind. After getting up, I walked over to Kalki, who spoke these words:
"I left early this morning and traveled to a far off city to learn more about the rising of the sun today. Apparently, a group of six young fillies were able to stave off a threat of eternal night and bring light back to the land. Mere fillies, and they've already accomplished much. I'm sure I'll be hearing more about them."
I looked up at him upon hearing these words, and asked him: "Morning?" He pointed out at the light blue sky and all the wondrous birds it harbored. There was one bird in particular that captured my eye, one with wings of white and brown, that spread out with such elegance that I almost felt unworthy to see it.
"That, Snow, is a gyrfalcon. It's the largest falcon in the land. Who knows? Some day you might meet one up close!" He looked back down at me with a slight grin.
It was a beautiful creature, the gyrfalcon, but not as wondrous as Kalki.
"Come, Snow, it's time to gather food!" Kalki shouted out for me, already beginning to walk out of the cave. I galloped his way, eventually catching up. Kalki looked happy this morning, like me when the snow leopards left behind entire fishes for me to eat! I wondered if it was me being there that made him smile the way he did. The more we walked, the more familiar I got with the path he was taking me down, until finally, I was sure.
"This is where I found you last night." And it was, back at the once-frozen fish pond that I nearly lost my life at just yesterday. "Snow, why don't you try to use your horn again? You could make it easier to catch the fish in this pond." He touched my horn.
Did he want me to turn the water into ice like it used to be? It was worth a try...But I had no control over what happened yesterday! I looked up at Kalki, who smiled warmly at me.
"Snow, keep trying." He touched my horn again. Not wanting to disappoint him, I tried to concentrate hard...my horn started to glow like last time! I was so excited I would've burst if I could have. But my excitement got the better of me, my horn beginning to lose its glow bit by bit, until only a spark came out of it. I was so embarrassed, not to mention ashamed. I'd let Kalki down...
"You did well, Snow. I didn't think you could harness your magic, but you did. I'm so proud of you..." Kalki rested a wing on me and hugged me. "I'll handle dinner. You just watch." Kalki dipped his head ever so slightly into the pond and grabbed a juicy-looking fish in his beak. I couldn't wait to take a bite...until the fish jumped out and slapped him right on the beak! The sight of such a silly thing made me giggle, and soon, he started giggling too. He had a laugh that was deep, much like his voice. It was rich and sincere, like no laugh I've heard since. After a good laugh, he tried again and grabbed the same fish, but this time, he tossed it on the ground and clawed at it until it stopped moving. Once the fish ceased struggling, we made our way home.
Over the rustling fire, Kalki was preparing the fish for dinner. I'd never seen a fish in a fire, but then again, I only saw fire for the first time last night. The smell of the juices of the fish dripping was absolutely captivating, and by the time it was ready, I was literally drooling with excitement. Kalki took a claw and slashed the entire fish in half, and slid one half to me. I was so hungry that I dove right in, and once I started, I couldn't stop! It was the most delicious thing I'd ever eaten.
"Snow Squall, I have much to teach you. The world outside of your cave is vast, filled with ponies just like yourself. Someday you'll have to go into this new world and meet these ponies. I'll teach you all I can. Snow, I promise that as long as there is breath in my body, you will not feel sorrow." He seemed serious. I stopped eating the fish and walked over to him as he spoke, and took a seat in his lap. He smiled down at me, and started to pet my blue mane with a claw.
In the months that followed his arrival, Kalki began to teach me how to speak, how to hunt, and many other things. It seemed like every day, I was learning something new under his watch. Sadly, however, as the months went by, and Kalki continued to catch fish from the pond, their numbers grew fewer and fewer, until one day, there were only two left. On this day, we ventured back to the pond to play, and watch the fish interact.
"Kalki, why don't we just take one of the fish?" I stared at the cod with saliva on my tongue, just waiting for him to give me the okay.
"Because, child, those two need each other. Some day, they will need to be together, so that they might create new life in this pond, and create a new family. You remember what I told you about family, don't you, Snow?" He stared deeper into the pond, and for a second, I thought his gaze could have reached the bottom of the ocean. One of the fish began to circle the other, and soon, the second joined in, forming a perfect ring, swirling around the pond.
Mesmerized by the fish at first, I regained my composure. "You told me that when two creatures love each other, their souls become one, and from their combined efforts, they can bring new life into our world. You also told me that losing your family is a very sad thing to go through..." Realizing why these two were off-limits, I frowned, just a bit, and then smiled.
"Kalki, do you think these two fish will create life like you say?" I asked him with a curious tone.
"If they do not, then this pond will be devoid of life, and there will never be fish to swim in it again. So, though I do not know, I assure you that I hope they do."
Lying down by the pond, I began to wonder if Kalki had at one point known other beasts...griffons, he called them...that he could call his family. As he sat near me, I decided I would try to teach him something.
"Kalki...we may not be related like a brother, or a sister...but you'll always be my family. Maybe family isn't about blood. It's about caring a lot about another pony...or in my case, griffon." Upon saying this, I smiled at him.
"I guess so, Snow." He laughed a bit, and tousled my mane, eventually pulling me close for warmth's sake.
"Kalki, could you tell me the story of those six ponies again? It's my favorite story of yours, you know." I had my eyes fixated on the fish, whose movements, dancing around each other with such ease and grace, brought me a sense of calmness.
"Snow, this is the third time this week you've asked to hear that story!" He grinned, turning away from the fish toward me. "But alright." He cleared his throat and resumed.
"It was the start of the Summer Sun Celebration, the thousandth one to be precise. Do you remember what the Summer Sun Celebration is?"
"Oh, it's...umm...it's when the Princess, Celestia, raises the Sun to celebrate the longest day of the year!"
"That's right, Snow. This year, the Summer Sun Celebration was being held in a small town called Ponyville."
Soon, I began to lose myself in the tale he wove, a tale of manticores, and sea serpents, and evil unicorns with wings. And then, once his story was finished, I lost myself to a world of dream.
Kalki picked me up by his beak and tossed me over his shoulder, and made his way back to our little home, where I had warm dreams about a griffon I knew would never leave my side.
It has been one year since Kalki arrived at my makeshift home in a small cave far in the Frozen North of a land he called Equestria. I have learned how to speak, which truly was a boon, but I could still feel no magic inside. I was beginning to think that on that day so long ago, I simply used all of it up. The fish had returned to the pond, having laid thousands upon thousands of eggs, just as Kalki suggested they would. And today, a very interesting event took place that I was not exactly thrilled about.
"Kalki, come on! You can be really slow, you know!" I shouted to him from afar, my voice echoing throughout the empty land around us.
"Snow, you really must calm down, I'm simply enjoying the scenery," he said, looking from side to side as he slowly came my way,"which is looking particularly lovely today."
"Scenery? Kalki, you're so silly, there isn't anything to look at!" I rolled my eyes a little, and kept trotting toward the lake he had discovered some days ago. The lake was extraordinary, spanning what seemed like miles, and filled with amazing new fish I had never seen! There were some fish that shone like rainbows with lovely luminescent scale, and some that didn't shine at all - you could see right through their bodies! And we were going to get a big one today, I knew it.
"Oh, Snow, you're thinking about the here and now again. Someday, in many years, this land could be a forest, or a tundra. Nothing lasts forever, you know. One of these days, things are bound to change, and whether it is good for the environment or not, the animals will need to adapt. In a hundred years, ponies might come here during the summer, not in the winter as they normally do."
When he said this, I stopped on a dime. "Did you just say that ponies come here during the winter!?" I cantered back to him and put a hoof over his back. "Well why didn't you say so? Lead me to them!"
"They aren't here, Snow. They're very, very far away. I'm sorry, but as far as I know, we're the only two sentient creatures for no less than one hundred miles." He looked at me seriously for once.
"Oh..." I looked down in disappointment. "Kalki?"
"Yes, Snow?" He stopped in his tracks.
"You said we're the only two...I might not know why I've always been here...but how did you get here? As far as I can remember, I'd always been alone until you came to me. Are you somehow alone too?" I dug my hoof into the ground, waiting for his answer.
"Snow, this might take a bit of time. Let's keep moving toward the lake." I did as he said. I was overjoyed! I'd finally learn how Kalki came to be with me...but at the same time, I felt sorrow in his eyes.
"Many years ago, I lived peacefully as a monk in a land very distant from Equestria, a land where griffons rule. It was a very wondrous place, I must admit. Mountains covered much of our land, where we would make our homes, quietly waiting for our prey to unknowingly pass into our territory. I lived at the base of one such mountain, in a cavern similar to the one you've lived in, with my family."
"You have a family? So why are you here?" I looked into his eyes, for a moment having sworn that I could have seen a tear. Never once had I seen a tear even threaten to escape from Kalki's eyes!
"I had a family." His voice was deeper than usual, and much more forlorn. After a few seconds of silence, I knew I had to speak.
"Kalki? What happened to them?" I was getting increasingly saddened by Kalki's tale. Suddenly I didn't really know if I wanted to hear the end of it.
He stopped again, tears now visibly streaming down his face and down his cheeks. Using my hoof, I managed to wipe some away, but they just kept coming.
"The Simurgh took them away from me. That damn simurgh took them all away, just like that..." At this point, he took a seat on the ground, and I followed suit.
"Simurgh? What's that?" It sounded like the most horrid creature I could imagine.
"She's a magnificent creature with the body of a lion and the wings and head of a bird - much like myself, but many times larger. She lives in an enormous tree in the center of the Griffon Kingdom, and takes care of planting our crops, for it is said that whenever she takes flight, the seeds of every plant to have ever existed would scatter all the world over. We griffons had an agreement with the simurgh! If she planted our crops, we would not take the trees in her forest! But we became selfish...rumors spread about the trees, that she protected them because the leaves had healing properties. One day, a group of griffins gathered and took one of the trees from her sacred forest, and noticing this, she went wild, flapping her wings so hard that trees toppled in the far borders of the Kingdom. She decided that if someone would take what's hers, she would take some of our own. One morning, I awoke to find the Simurgh flying away with my beloved and our three eggs...there wasn't a thing I could do..." He clenched one his claws tight.
"Kalki..." I found myself beginning to cry, not exactly because of the story he told per se, but because, like he for his wife, I knew there was nothing I could do or say to help him...
After he wiped away one last tear, he continued. "So I left. I stormed out of my home, out of the entire kingdom, not caring where I went, as long as it was a place where I could be alone forever. After many days of near-endless flying, I found myself on the border of the Frozen Lands, a place I believed to be deserted, until I found you on your way to that pond. When I saw you fighting for your life in that pond as a little filly, I knew there was someone I could protect, so I took hold of you and brought you to the nearest shelter I could find, the cave you live in. I hope that answers your questions. Yes, Snow, I was alone for a time, but now, I have something to protect, and am alone no longer."
"Well, Kalki, I'm really happy that you want to keep me safe! As long as you're with me, I know that I can handle anything! Now let's keep moving, I'm getting hungry!" My stomach, which growled rather loudly, was followed immediately by another growl from Kalki's.
"Yes, I'm beginning to get hungry as well!" We began to laugh, that is, until I saw something in the distance, a large, sky blue lake. The sight of the lake after hours of trotting made me just want to jump up in joy, because the appearance of the lake meant only one thing, and that was food!
"Kalki, look! There it is! We're here!" I yelled back at him, for by the time I finished speaking, I was already in a gallop toward the lake. Kalki wasn't far behind, flying far above me in the air. His flight had always been a beautiful thing to witness; when he spread out his wings and propelled himself into the sky, it was as if he was decreeing for all the land to know, "I am Kalki, and I rule the air!" Every flap of his wings was no less powerful or majestic than the last. For that reason, watching him fly was one of my favorite things to do.
When we arrived at the shimmering lake, my attention was immediately directed the school of fish in the northern section of the pond, whose scales glistened all colors of the rainbow, which, though I had seen before, was no less captivating. I made my way into the water, merely trotting so as to not frighten the fish. Kalki, meanwhile, watched from afar.
"Remember, Snow, when you use your magic, you must concentrate. Magic comes not from strength of body, but of mind. You must control it, or it will control you, and cause a rebound. You must use your willpower." His words echoed in my head. I'd tried to levitate the fish many times, but distractions always kept me from succeeding. However, today, I felt lucky.
I searched for a small enough fish, eventually settling on a rather plain looking white one that seemed to be detached from its school. Thinking hard about how much this spell means to me, not only because succeeding in using it would mean a meal, but because its success would make Kalki even more proud of me, I began to see sparks fluttering down into the water from my horn, and soon after words, a cerulean glow around the fish itself. Using my thoughts of impressing Kalki as fuel, I finally began to lift the fish out of water, when, just as its head reached the surface, it was swept away.
"Kalki! The fish flew away while I was casting the spell! Did I do it wrong?" I shouted back at him with confusion.
"What? But how!?" He leaped into the air and glided to my side, a few feathers departing from his wings to dance in the wind before settling on the surface of the lake. Looking down deep into the water, for just a split second, we saw something strange.
A pair of yellow eyes. Kalki turned to me and spoke simply:
"Snow. I'm only going to say this one time. Run."
I galloped away from the water as fast as I could, finding my way to a nearby edge of the lake. What were those eyes? Had he seen them before?
"I know you're in there." Kalki spoke these words, seemingly to the water. Suddenly, I heard...purring. Not from something small. This was big. Peering at Kalki simply standing there and believing he was simply being silly, I began making my way back to him slowly, when suddenly, a claw emerged from the water, threatening to slash at Kalki, who instantly matched it with one of his talons! I knew at that point that I should just stay back.
"Snow Squall, this beast is a snow leopard. They have the extremely handy ability of being able to dissolve into water, a tactic they often use for sneaking up on prey. Luckily for us, they aren't particularly friendly, so they often travel alone. Don't worry about me; I can handle this." Kalki clenched the striped paw of the beast even tighter, the leopard letting out a painful scream that seemed to reach the borders of the land. After a few seconds of allowing the leopard to writhe in pain in stillness, Kalki flung his body up, tossing the entire creature out of the water and into the air! For just a few seconds, as the leopard flew clumsily above Kalki, I caught a glimpse of its body. It had smoky gray fur with black spots scattered all about, and a tail like a snake that thrashed wildly.
As Kalki prepared the fly up to deliver a slash to the big cat, I saw something that instilled fear into my heart. It was another pair of those menacing yellow eyes, travelling quickly toward Kalki!
"Kalki, behind you! Watch it!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, fearing for him, as I once did for myself.
By the time Kalki looked back, the second snow leopard was already in mid-jump, and with a quick, but wide, swipe of its claw, Kalki ceased his flight, and soon afterward, went rocketing down into the shallow waters. As the first beast landed nearby, managing to get up, nearly unharmed, the second grabbed Kalki by a damaged wing using its fangs. I expected a scream to escape him, but there was no sound. I couldn't tell at the time if it was because he had given up due to his wound, or because he had simply lost consciousness.
At that moment, I felt something inside of me snap, and suddenly, I felt the magic return to me. With tears of fury building up in my eyes, I began to concentrate my energy once again, my horn beginning to glow after mere seconds. Just a few moments ago, I was fighting for food, and for myself. This time, I was fighting for him, for his life. And I wasn't about to let him down. Soon, the cerulean glow began to envelop my entire body. When the first leopard came back to Kalki, now hovering motionless in the air by a wing, I knew it was time to act.
Gritting my teeth, my veil of energy beginning to leak out onto the ground, I screamed:
"Why don't you two just leave him alone!?
All at once, the magic around me gathered in my horn, traveling to the very tip, and spread out like a wave onto the lake, freezing every inch of water into solid ice. As it approached the leopards and Kalki, driven by pure instinct and adrenaline, I ran along the ice, using what magic I didn't use to act as skates, just eager to get rid of the predators that had brought harm to my only friend. The leopards, not noticing the nearly-silent crawl of ice coming their way, were easily covered by the ice, but not before roaring a final time from the intense pain I had caused them, letting Kalki out of their grasp in the process. With one charge, I slammed my entire body into the frozen remains of the leopards, shattering them instantly. It was strange...I felt no remorse ending two lives to save just one.
Once the two beasts were demolished, I turned my attention to Kalki, who was now lying nearly motionless on the ground, turned on his side, which exposed the three long bloody scars that now ran down his back. Running to his side, I found myself overwhelmed by tears, and began to panic.
"Kalki, are you okay!? Kalki? Stop messing around! Stop messing with me! I ran around him in circles, waiting for a sound to slip out, an eye to open, anything. But nothing did. Noticing a small stream block off by the lake, I tried my hoof at the levitation spell from earlier, this time, with success, pouring it into Kalki's open beak. Soon, I heard a gulp. Next, a cough. Finally, he spoke faintly:
"Thank you, Snow. Your bravery will be rewarded with a big meal...tomorrow..." Upon saying this, he closed his eyes, and I laughed, just a little. Only he could say something like that after being bloodied.
As the sun began to give way to the moon and the animals began to fall asleep, I did my best to keep Kalki warm with my body, though I knew we were both beginning to freeze. As the night continued, so did the numbing of my body. Eventually, I could feel nothing. On that night, the time for sleep never came, but it was worth it to keep him safe.
When the sun rose, Kalki rose with it. He seemed to have a way of doing that every morning.
"Snow..." he turned his attention to me. I was barely staying awake thanks to the events of the night before, not to mention the strain of staying up all night. "Did you do all of this?" He pointed a claw around us, at the frozen lake.
"Yes...I did. You aren't mad at me, are you?" I was half-expecting him to scold me for being reckless.
"Of course I'm not mad at you, Snow. This just proves to me that your reserves of magic are no joke. Do you think you could freeze something else?" It almost seemed like he was asking me a favor. I turned my attention to the stream from the night before and focused my energy into my horn, recreating the glow from the night before, and after only a few seconds, the stream of water became a block of ice.
"Very impressive, Snow Squall! It looks like something happened last night that brought out your latent energy. It's wonderful, don't you think?" He looked around again, marveling at the result of my magic.
"Snow?"
When he turned around, I was lying on the ground, snoring.
He laughed for quite a bit. "You're still just a filly, I almost forgot." As he picked me up by my flank and tossing me on his back, I regained my senses long enough to hear him say:
"You've gotten so much bigger. I don't know how many times I'll be able to carry you like this."
When I awoke, I found that I was back in a cavern not unlike my own, that there was a fish in front of me, and that a fire was rustling, the sign of Kalki's dedication to my safety. After stretching out and taking a few bites out of the cod, I left the small cavern to find Kalki sitting by the lake in the distance, eating a fish of his own. Apparently, though my ice magic was stronger, it was still prone to melting, and he gathered fish from the lake after seeing this.
After trotting my way over to the lake, I suddenly came up with an idea, one that I knew would bring a smile to Kalki's face.
"Hey, Kalki, do you wanna see something cool?" A grin the size of all of Equestria sprouted on my face.
"Of course, Snow! What do you have in mind?" I could tell he was feigning enthusiasm, but ignored it.
"When I ran along the ice with the magic covering up my feet, I got really excited! I want to try it again, so if it's okay, could I freeze just a little bit of the lake?" I asked, giving him a puppy-dog face.
"That sounds fine, as long as you don't make it too thick!" He took another bite out of his delectable fish.
"Yes! Now let's see...how did I do it last night?" I began to focus my energy into my horn, the glow returning to it, and allowed the wave to spill out over the lake, stopping the flow of magic about halfway through the waters. Next, I relocated some of my leftover magic to my hooves. The feeling tickled at first, and I couldn't help but giggle.
With everything ready, I trotted my way to the icy lake, and began to glide, at first with hesitation, then with confidence, along the ice. The feeling was amazing - the wind flowing through my mane, the freedom that the ice gave me - I didn't want it to end. Soon, I began to skate around in circles, picking up speed with each passing second.
"Interesting...she's using the magic that covers her hooves as a physical barrier between her and the ice, like a pair of ice skates..." Kalki wondered where my idea came from, but I doubt I'd be able to tell him convincingly that I actually pre-planned anything that happened last night.
It wasn't long before I began to get bored of skating in circles. It was time to do something exciting, to really make Kalki cheer! After skidding to a halt, I resumed skating along the ice, building up speed. Once I had created enough momentum, I did something that, looking back, was a bit crazy, and began to levitate the ice below me as I skated along, slowly lifting me ever-higher into the air. There was no fear of falling - I had been taught to dispel such fears. Once I was about 20 feet in the air, I began to lift my front legs up, my balance rough, but still there.
Below me, Kalki was in awe of my prowess...just not in the best sense of the phrase.
"Snow Squall! Get down from there! You could hurt yourself!" He began to fly up, but I stopped him.
"Kalki, you should stay down there! You might miss my finale!" Knowing him, he was probably steaming was rage at my apparent recklessness.
Once my hooves were in the air, I began to reform the blocks of ice surrounding me into a large disc, and spun countless times in the center. The feeling of seeing the world flying around me with such speed was truly exhilarating, I must say, but the frigid air blasting against my body was overwhelming, and after not long, I lowered my platform to the ground and began to regain my balance, which took a surprisingly small amount of time. I expected Kalki to be infuriated. Instead, he came forward to me, taking a break from his meal.
"Very well done, Snow! I worried, but it seems you were able to handle that little feat just fine!" He turned his attention to my flank. "And it seems you've accomplished an even greater feat. Why don't you take a look at your flank?
As he requested, I peered into my reflection in the ice to find, to my surprise, that my flank had changed, the image of a pair of blue figure skates seemingly having been imprinted onto it. Shocked by the strange image and the manner in which it suddenly appeared, I exclaimed:
"Kalki? What's going on? Is something wrong with me? Is this some strange disease? How do I cure it? Should I -" He cut me off, placing a talon over my mouth.
"Nothing is wrong with you, Snow. Quite the contrary, actually. It seems you've earned your cutie mark." He gave me a warm smile. "Congratulations!"
"Cutie mark? What's a cutie mark? Does it give me special powers?" I was absolutely brimming with excitement at this point.
"I'm afraid not, Snow. But what it does do is indicate that you have discovered your one true talent, what makes you special and different from everypony else. In your case, it seems your special talent is your ability to skate gracefully across the ice." He grinned at the mark on my flank, my "cutie mark". "This is the first time I've ever seen a pony gain a cutie mark. It simply came slowly into view as if it had always been there, waiting for you to find it yourself."
"You think I'm special?" I was simply waiting for additional praise at this point.
"Everypony is special, Snow. You're just special in your own way. Now that you've earned your own cutie mark, would you mind showing me a few more tricks?" Kalki walked back to his fish, awaiting my first true performance.
I began to gracefully land one trick after another, and for the remainder of the day, the sounds of laughter and cheering would permeate the air in glorious harmony.
"Hey, Kalki! Watch this move!" I crafted a makeshift ramp out of snow and jumped off it, performing a perfect backflip in the air before gracefully touching the ground again. In the week since I earned my cutie mark, I had become more and more enamored with skating, practicing new moves at least twice a day every day. Today, however, I performed my first move without ice, instead compressing snow into a more sturdy state using my magic. Even my mentor and friend was taken aback by my feat, one that I had been trying to master for at least four days.
"Snow, that was incredible!" I could see a genuine twinkle in Kalki's eyes. After he witnessed my clean landing, he walked over to the ramp and gave it a fierce kick with his hind legs, and to his surprise, it didn't budge.
"I had no idea you could do that. You've grown to be very proficient with your magic since I found you." The compliment made me want to sing.
"You really think so, Kalki? That really means a lot, I've been doing my best to improve." I beamed at him and walked to his side, where we gazed at the mountains together. The more I looked out at the world around me, the more I began to wonder if other places existed. I shrugged off the thoughts, and focused my attention on a small circle in which snow had not fallen, instead covered in little green blades.
"Kalki? What's that over there?" I pointed my hoof northwest to the patch of the unknown substance. A bit confused, he answered:
"That is called grass. Have you not seen it before? It covers the land, you know." He waved his claw to the the horizon.
"It smells...delicious." I trotted to the grass and began to eat.
"As it should, Snow! Ponies are usually vegetarian, meaning they only eat things like grass, hay, and flowers, but never animals." He walked over to me and tousled my mane. "I'm glad you enjoy it."
"Wait...if ponies are vegetarian...am I...different?" I stopped eating, suddenly realizing my diet was less than diverse and that I really was a strange filly.
He wrapped his claw around me. "Snow, you're not any less of a pony than I am a griffon. You're just that much more special, in my opinion. Now, there's grass underneath all of this snow. Would you like find some more?" He began to walk away, nodding his head in the opposite direction.
"You know I do! Let's find some!" I exclaimed, cantering my way to his side. The world around me was vast, with only the trees nearby and the mountains in the distance providing any scenery. I quickly took notice of the green needles on a fir tree as we passed it, and turned to my mentor.
"Hey, Kalki. Those little blades on that tree...is that grass? Can I eat that?" I began to smile.
He laughed. "No, Snow. Those are leaves. The trees need the leaves to live, just as the grass needs the soil in the ground."
"One more question. Why are we walking?" I sincerely wanted to know. He remained silent for a moment as we continued to walk, and after a while, when he suddenly stopped, he answered.
"I was looking for a patch of snow that was thin, where snow had not completely covered the grass. Snow, do you think you could levitate some of this out of the way?" He waved at the ground.
"Just some snow? That'll be easy. Hold on." I concentrated my magic into my horn for the task, and after a few seconds, surrounded by my blue aura, the snow lifted off the ground, revealing a small but lush field. After tossing the snow into a pile, I began to skip through the field.
The landscape was wondrous, with grass covering nearly every inch of my vision. Little yellow flowers swayed with the wind, inviting me into their territory. Everything looked and smelled so...fresh, unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Almost instantly, I trotted over to one of the flowers and took a sizable bite, allowing its ripe sweetness to drain into my mouth before swallowing it in one gulp.
"Kalki, this thing is delicious! You have to try it out!" I shouted at Kalki, who was about thirty feet away, simply standing, watching me have my snack.
"That's a snow crocus! Very rare, they actually thrive in snow. And I'm not particularly fond of flowers, sorry." He called the words back at me.
"Well, I don't care what it is, it's good." I walked back over to him and took a longer moment to look out at what I could only call our land.
"Isn't it pretty? All the grass and flowers are so beautiful..." I smiled with a bit of pride in what I'd done. After a moment of silence, I began to trot off to get more flowers to eat.
"Yes, it truly is." As I continued my little feast, he looked upon the world I had uncovered, smiling at first, then looking with wonder at the ground on the ground. "Snow! Come back here, now!" I hadn't heard him speak with such urgency since the night of the snow leopard attack. I rushed to him post-haste. Whatever this was, I knew I was in for something unusual.
"What is it, Kalki? Snow leopards? Another fox? A water buffalo? I can take 'em!" I was ready for a fight.
"None of that, Snow. Look."
Before my eyes, caressed by a bed of grass, I saw a small binded book, brown and faded by age. On the cover, I saw a picture of three ponies, all unicorns, in front of a luxurious building. One, a stallion, was a white like a star in the sky, with a short, brown mane that hardly reached his neck. He was smiling, looking at another unicorn, a mare, close to him. She was gorgeous, with a beautifully coiffed blue mane that curled its way nearly to her hooves. Her coat was equally well groomed, white, just as the stallion was. Her eyes were like amethyst, shining with violet light into the eyes of her lover.
But the two lovebirds weren't what I was primarily focused on. In their hooves, they held a small filly with a snowy white coat and cerulean hair that dangled ever so slightly over her face. She had eyes that matched her hair, ones that were filled with wonder. She had her small hooves raised into the air, as if wishing to grab something right out of the air. As I looked at the photograph, a small feeling of nostalgia stirred in the back of my mind, but I brushed it away.
"They all look so happy, Kalki." I lost myself in the eyes of the playful little filly. There was something irking me about the couple, as well.
"Yes, they do. This looks like a journal...would you care to read it with me?" Kalki carefully opened the book, so as not to damage it with his talons.
"But wouldn't that be rude? It looks kind of personal." The feeling the photo gave me told me I probably wouldn't want to read this book.
"Under all of this snow, way out here, there's no way that the pony who wrote these entries would ever be able to find this journal again. There's not much point in not reading it, knowing how unlikely it was that it'd ever be read again." He looked at me rather sternly.
"Well...alright." I sat down and, with some reluctance, began to read with him starting from the beginning on a page marked "Entry #1".
"Well, it's official...we're expecting! I can't believe it, I really can't. Diamond Dust and I went to a colleague of mine and he confirmed that she's pregnant with our first little pony. After all these years, we've been trying for much too long, and frankly, I was about to give up, but it's finally here! I tell you, I couldn't be more excited. I'm really hoping it's a colt, fillies seem like they'd be a lot of work. Anyway, Diamond needs me for dinner. Gotta go!" - Peridot
"So, this is the journal of a father-to-be..." Kalki smiled warmly as we read through the entries, detailing Peridot's daily life with his wife and his eagerness at the fact that he was going to be a father.
"It's a girl! We were able to get a look at an ultrasound, and it's true. Truth be told, I really was hoping for a colt, but Diamond sure was thrilled. I actually caught her looking for bedroom decorations earlier today, like the baby is just going to be born tomorrow! She can be so silly when she gets worked up like this, but I guess that's just how mares are. Who knows, maybe next time, it'll be a colt? Or maybe our little filly will be a tomboy, I wouldn't mind. I just want a foal to play catch with, so I guess it doesn't matter. I wonder what we're going to pick for a name...since it's a girl, I should at least get to pick it out. Diamond Dust can't have it all, you know!" - Peridot
The rest of the page was filled with crossed-out names, ideas for the name their little filly would take. The hours passed, and we continued to read, becoming more and more enamored with this stallion's life. Apparently, he and his wife were doctors at a small hospital in a bustling city called Canterlot, full of unicorn ponies like me.
Eventually, we came upon "Entry #42."
"It happened today...our little baby was born at the Canterlot Hospital today at 3:52 P.M., and we couldn't be happier. She's a bit of a runt, and she might have to stay here for a few days, but we both have faith that she'll be fine. She has the coat and mane of Diamond, and she has my mother's eyes...she's gorgeous. Next week, when we're all out, I think we'll actually head out to that little town south of Canterlot, Ponyville, or something like that. I heard there's a pink pony there that throws the best birthday parties around. It's been about an hour since delivery, and I still just can't believe our baby is finally here. We settled on a name, too, by the way. Her name is Lapis Lazuli. By settled, I mean Diamond begged, and I couldn't say no. Anyway, the baby is about to take a nap, and I want to spend the day with my wife...I'll write again as soon as I can." - Peridot
Taped to the page, there was a picture of the newborn filly, who was sleeping without a care in Equestria. Being a newborn, her mane was short, but it was gorgeous nonetheless. Again, as I peered at the foal, I felt a strange memory...this time, I was a little bit more sure of my assumption, and a little bit less willing to continue reading. The next entry we caught ourselves in was just a page ahead, "Entry #43."
"It's been a while since I've picked this up, huh? Lapis is growing up great. She's actually starting to learn how to walk, but she isn't showing any progress with speaking...I guess some ponies are just late bloomers. I'm sure she'll be able to someday. Speaking of Lapis, I'm taking her up north with me. We've got a terribly sick patient at the hospital, and he needs a Blizzard Lily, so I have to go up to the border of the Frozen North. Diamond says I should leave her here, but honestly, she worries about everything lately, on the count of Lapis' speech problem. I say Lapis should see the world, so that's what she's going to do. I've already packed my saddle bag, and we're leaving tomorrow. I'll be taking this along with me in case anything interesting happens, as if it would. Until then!" - Peridot
My heart sank. Any doubts I had about that little filly had now been cast aside, and my suspicions had been confirmed. I knew who she was. Reluctantly, we turned to the last entry in the journal, which was left without a number. The entire page was blotted with slightly noticeable dark spots, apparently left by tears.
"She's gone. Lapis is gone. It's all just gone...Diamond was right, I shouldn't have brought her here. We came all the way up to the border, and I searched at least half of it, but the Blizzard Lily wasn't there. I talked to the locals, and they all told me that I'd have to go further in, so that's what we did. Lapis was so happy...she saw all the birds on the border and couldn't help but smile...as for the Lily, I couldn't even find it. We'd been in this frozen place for just a few hours, and a blizzard came along...she saw something and cantered off just before it came...and then she never came back. I've been searching for her for at least four days and nights, and she hasn't appeared yet...I don't even care about this damn flower, I don't even care about the patient anymore. I just want my little filly back. How am I supposed to come back home alone? How in Equestria am I going to tell Diamond? It's all so wrong. I don't even want to think about this. I just want it to end...but I have to go back home. Diamond has to know...but this book...I can't even stand it anymore. The memories are too much...I'm going to throw this damned book away, and go home, and somehow, I'll fix this...I know I can..."
The rest of the entry was slurred, unsigned, and unreadable, not only because of Peridot's tears, but of mine, which flowed mellifluously before falling to rest on the forlorn page. That filly...it was...me. I just knew it. As the tears continued to fall, I felt a wing embrace me with unusual warmth, and I turned to my only friend.
"Snow," he spoke in his deep, solemn voice, "you can let it out." And I did, smothering his body with my face as I let the tears escape.
"He left me here, Kalki...he abandoned me." I wiped away a tear as I shakily spoke.
"He did not abandon you! He searched for you for four days! He was committed to having you back." He tousled my already-scraggly mane and looked into my eyes, his own silver ones peering straight into my soul. Taken aback by his sudden action, I thrust myself away from him.
"He could have found me faster, he could have tried harder!" I could feel my voice rise out of a steady loss of control.
"No, he couldn't have, Snow! I found you by accident, and I can fly. He couldn't fly, so he had a harder time, you've got to understand that!" For a change, Kalki seemed displeased with the manner in which I was acting, but I was too caught up at the time to notice it.
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter now! I don't even know this...Peridot. You're a better dad than he was, Kalki." I pushed myself away from him, and took a moment to let the final teardrops descend.
"But he was, or is, still your father, and that's something I only wish I could say." He extended a jet-black wing in my direction. "But I can keep trying to be one." I allowed his wing to engulf my body once again, its warmth permeating throughout my being.
A wave of realization swept through me. Kalki wasn't my dad. He'd never be my dad. His being with me in itself was only a matter of circumstance and coincidence. And this dad that supposedly loved me could be somewhere far away...he might not even remember me. Even with Kalki here, keeping me safe and warm...I'd never felt so cold and alone...
"Snow, you should eat up. We need to get back home." He lifted his wing off of me and raised himself up. "Have all the grass you'd like."
"I'm not really that hungry right now, Kalki. I'm sorry for the trouble." I kicked my hoof into the ground and pouted. "Let's just go home." I lifted the book up with my magic, and got up slowly, the sorrow within me weighing me down. After taking a moment to look out at the lush field one more time, we turned our backs and began walking home.
Most of our little journey back to the cave was silent, much like the world around us. Every now and then, we'd see a gyrfalcon, but what caught my eye was a smaller bird, one with an orange beak that perfectly complemented its white feathers and black head. Kalki almost looked surprised himself as the bird flew overhead. Upon seeing the bird, he broke the silence that filled the air.
"That, Snow, is an arctic tern. Every year, they fly from here to the Antarctic, southernmost area of our world, far south of Equestria. The fact that they're here must mean it's time for them to mate." I could hear a certain air of tenderness in his voice.
"Kalki...why do they go such a long way? Is there even a point in all that?" I started to slow down, and he followed.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure. I've never been to the southern, Antarctic area of this world; it's too far for these old wings to fly. But I can assume it has to do with food. No creature would ever travel such a long ways if they didn't have a reason to, especially if that meant venturing into dragon territory, like the tern does. I'm sorry I can't answer your question well." He began to walk at a quicker pace again, and I did the same. As we watched the tern fly out of our vision - or at least my vision, as I could see Kalki peering its way for at least fifteen seconds after I stopped trying to find it.
"It's alright, I learned something, and that's what counts, I suppose." I smiled, and let his words echo in my head.
"No creature would ever travel such a long ways if they didn't have a reason to."
I thought about that for a while...Why didn't Peridot search for me for more than just four days? Was I not worth it to him? Did I simply not matter? The questions piled up, and with each new one I asked myself, I found my smile deteriorating until it was simply nonexistent. Before I knew it, the sun had rested over the mountaintops, illuminating the sky with a scarlet light, and we had found our way back to our home.
That night, I opted not to eat fish, instead helping myself to a small bit of grass outside. While I was busy eating, Kalki decided to read through Peridot's...my father's journal again. We found ourselves unusually silent on that particular night; after I finished my meal, and the fire had been created, I went straight to sleep, while my guardian continued to read by the light and keep watch over me. After about half an hour after I drifted off into my slumber, dreams began to cloud my mind.
I found myself back out of my cave...but how? The snowflakes were falling gently, dancing around my figure before reaching the ground, unlike the days I remember, where snow seemed to force its way at the soil. In my somewhat hazy vision, I saw a figure, a white one, galloping toward me, and I panicked, trying my absolute hardest to move...but no matter how hard I tried to gallop away from the intimidating figure, I just sat in place. All at once, as the figure rushed toward me, its features became clear. It was a pony, a white one, with a short, spiky brown mane and eyes like sapphires.
"Lapis? Lapis!!! Don't worry, Lapis, I'll get you! Just don't worry, don't move! Daddy'll have you back soon!!! Lapis...Lapis..." The voice began to fade away. I wanted to scream, to shout out that I was okay, and let the pony know where I was, but a word never escaped me. When he finally reached me, I was finally able to get up, and I began to gallop toward him, and I jumped to embrace the pony. However, when my hooves surrounded the stallions neck for an embrace, they simply passed through it, and I hit the snow face-first. Even as I tried to hold him, even when he was right in front of me, I still allowed him to leave me alone...and he kept calling my name, the name I was given. All I could do was listen as his cries for a lost daughter grew weaker and weaker. When the sound of Peridot's voice had faded entirely, all I could do was scream at the top of my lungs.
And suddenly, I felt a warmness, which upon checking, had come from a black wing which came seemingly out of nowhere. It was at that moment that I ceased my screaming and began to shed tears. Almost immediately, my world began to crack, shards of the sky crashing down to the earth around me. But I wasn't afraid anymore, simply shocked. When the last semblance of my world was no longer existent, I awoke, and found the wing resting on me again. It, of course, belonged to my friend. He had put down Peridot's journal, and was sitting next to me. As I felt a tear roll down my face, I felt him wipe it away with a wing.
"You were screaming." He put it simply.
"Kalki, I'm sorry...I had a horrible dream..." My voice was weak, partially from my bout of crying, and partially from my screaming.
"Snow," he said, "would you like it If I helped you sleep tonight? Like I used to?" More tears attempted to trail down my cheeks, and again, he wiped them away.
"I'd love that." I whispered softly, letting the final tears get brushed away by the tip of his wing.
I willed myself over to him, and nuzzled my body against his own, ever-so-gently. As I began to smile, I felt one wing cover me, and then another, and finally, I found myself grinning, now surrounded by warmth. After a few moments, I felt myself drifting off, and soon, I found myself in better dreams.
When I heard a sinister voice say this to me, I found myself awake in a flash. A feeling of warmth instantly overcame me, that of Kalki's wings, still wrapped gently around my body. He was snoring very uncharacteristically loud for such a stoic creature, almost like a lion, and being right next to me didn't exactly help my ears. Outside, I could see that the Sun had not yet risen; the Moon still ruled over the sky. I wondered what was so special about the sunrise - I'd only seen it a few times, and those were before he came to me. Maybe today could be the day that I finally learn what makes the sunrise so special.
Kalki wouldn't be awake for hours, I thought, and it would certainly be foolish to try and go anywhere with his wings surrounding me. The only things I could possibly do at this point in time would be thinking and sleeping, and, mainly because of the strange voice I heard just a moment earlier, I chose to think. What was this strange thought, just then? It wasn't mine, but another pony's thought...but how? Time for what? The sunrise? I didn't understand what was happening at all...
After mulling over the possibilities, not only on who the voice might have been, which took almost no time at all, given that I only knew of two creatures, and Peridot's voice in my dream could have easily been manufactured by my mind, but on what the meaning of the thought was. "Enjoy him while you can?" Would he leave me? Would Kalki do that to me? I didn't know, and honestly, I didn't care as much as I should have.
Suddenly, an idea came to me. What if, in order to leave the cave, I didn't have to open up Kalki's wings and startle him? If I raised myself out of his grasp, perhaps he wouldn't wake up. Knowing what I had to do, I mustered up some magic - less than the usual amount, perhaps due to my sleepiness, and surrounded my body with it, cloaking me with the typical cerulean aura. Once the glow reached the sky blue tip of my scraggly tail, I found myself not knowing what to do. Did I simply need to will myself up as I do with any object? I gave it a try, and sure, enough, I found myself moving slowly away from the ground. "Can't do this too fast, or he'll wake up." I thought this to myself as I felt my hooves start to slip out of his grasp, when suddenly, I heard him laugh. I'd forgotten about my tail, which tickled his face as I hovered into the air. After properly rotating to brush my tail out of his way, I took a moment to chuckle with him, and brought myself to the ground nearby.
On my way out of the cave, I found something interesting on the ground: a sharp, black crystal that seemed to let off a shadow, even in this night. Noting that there must be something special about the stone, I lifted it up with my magic and brought it to the old saddle bag which had once accompanied me everywhere I went. For a moment, I wondered if it could have been Peridot's, but I tried my best to rid myself of the cumbersome thought. Once I'd found the saddle bag by a crevice on the east side of the cave, I opened it up to pack the crystal inside. Inside the bag, however, there were strange objects - a wrinkled sheet of paper and a strange device that seemed to point east. I'd seen these things in the bag before, but thought nothing of them. Today, however, things were different. I wondered what they were for a moment before proceeding.
After setting the crystal down next to me, I carefully removed each object from the bag, and proceeded to put them each back inside, starting with the crystal and followed by the paper and the device. After packing everything away, I resumed my plan, slowly found my way out, making sure to take light steps, so as not to wake Kalki. When I was entirely out of our home, the first thing that caught my eye was a pack of wolves running across the snowscape...from far away, they didn't look so scary...almost beautiful.
An hour or so passed, and at last, I saw the sun begin to peek at me from the mountaintop, sending a shiver down my spine and a wave of scarlet and cream color into the air. In the far distance, for just a moment, I thought I could hear a song of celebration for the new day, courtesy of the local warblers. A few minutes into the sunrise, my protector rose from his sleep and slowly came to my side, the sounds of his back paws hitting the ground echoing throughout the limestone structure.
"Snow, what're you doing up so early?" He opened up his wings as he yawned.
"Oh...no reason, really. I heard something outside and came to see what it was, that's all. I can see why you get up for the Sun every morning...it's so pretty." I smiled at him, then at the sky.
"Yes, it certainly is. Where I once lived, it was a common sight to see dozens of our friends and neighbors rise with the Sun every morning, and I carry on that custom now. I do miss them...sometimes I simply wish to return home." Upon saying this, he extended his left wing my way, tickling my cheek with it, letting his feathers dance over me, and I giggled.
"But if I returned home, I'd have to allow that laugh to fade from my mind, and I could never allow that." I smiled warmly at him and rested my head on the side of his slender body. After a few more moments, I could see the full extent of the sunrise, the pastel orange and cream sky fading into a lively, yet nearly clear, blue one.
"Well," I said jubilantly as I lifted myself off of Kalki's body and began to skip away, "would you like to play?"
He grinned. "You can play all you like, Snow. Maybe I'll join in next time. Where are we headed today?" He spread open his wings and started to fly over me, like a guardian angel.
"Well, there's always the lake...I'd love to try out a new trick. But we don't have to go if you don't want to, Kalki." I looked up at him and shouted.
"The lake sounds perfectly alright with me, Snow. By the way, would you prefer it if I came down?" He didn't raise his voice; he never did.
"You know, that really would be helpful for talking to you!" Again, I shouted up to him, as he swooped down to my side. I felt a quick gust of wind blow my mane forward into my face...had it really gotten that long? I pushed one side out of my eye and chortled.
"Wow, Kalki...you can be quick when you want to be!" I brushed the rest of my mane behind me and looked up at him. As always, he smiled back.
"I suppose I just feel like this is going to be a good day. Where I lived, seeing the sun rise into the air was a sign of a good luck, so I watch it every morning in hopes of brighter days. Knowing that you've seen it, I can tell that our day is going to be wonderful."
After our little exchange ended, we walked silently for a few moments, marveling at the vastness of the day's cloudless sky. Everything was at ease today...the wind was all but dead, the snow was light and slow, and we hadn't seen another creature in days. Today really might be wonderful, I thought to myself. Even so, I would have liked it if my companion could just speak instead of simply staring off into the sky. Tired of the silence, I exclaimed:
"So, Kalki, you're really smart. How big do you think the sky is? Is there anything above the sky, or is it like the ceiling of the cave, where no matter how many times you hit your head, you can't break out? If there's anything above it, what do you think it is?" The questions shot out of me with lightning speed. He was stunned for a moment, needless to say, but he responded:
"Calm yourself, Snow!" He chuckled. "I'm not sure I can properly answer those questions. How big is the sky? Well, I'd say it's so big that not even the borders of Equestria can hold it all in! As for the "ceiling" question, there is a way to get out of the sky, but you need to get very high up. Once you get out of the sky, it's called "space". That's where the Sun and Moon are. Do you remember what I told you about the Sun and Moon, Snow?"
"Well..." I began to reply. "You said that the Sun is why we have the daytime, and every morning, a princess brings it up into the air. And at night, the Moon comes up, raised by another princess."
"And their names? Do you remember?"
"Their names are so pretty, how could I forget? The princess who raises the Sun is Princess Celestia, and the princess who raises the Moon is Princess Luna."
"Good girl." He smiled at me. I hadn't been paying attention to our path, but when I looked ahead, I could finally see the lake come into view. It looked more pristine than ever before; each droplet of water seemed to glisten in its own way, which was breathtaking enough for me - but together, as a whole, I felt as though I was looking at a shimmering blue crystal.
"Kalki, it looks-"
"Gorgeous, I know. I told you today would be a wonderful day. You go play; I'll be enjoying every moment." He grinned ever-so-slightly at me and nudged my body toward the lake.
As I'd always done, I started by freezing a majority of the lake, leaving enough room to allow the fish below the now-icy surface to jump out as they pleased. As my magical ice creeped over the lake, I felt a sudden chill in the wind that never ceased to make me shiver, if only for a second. Next up on my list of preparations were the "skates". For some reason, this step always took a bit more concentration. After gathering a sufficient amount of magic energy in my horn, I allowed it to flow downward, tickling my face as it divided into four parts at the neck before traveling to the tip of each hoof.
I started my warm-ups by skating ten laps around the lake - the texture and overall flexibility of my ice was never the same, so I used these laps to judge what it was like. On some days, I focused too much, and the ice because stiff. These were the days when I couldn't use my magic to help me with aerial tricks - the days I found myself grounded. Other days, mainly the ones in which I found myself too distracted to focus on creating the ice, I found it to be too thin, and occasionally, I would break the surface and fall in.
The feeling of plunging into the ice was all too familiar for me. The moment I'd hear the ice crack, I would realize my mistake - my folly, and I would had to come to terms with the fact that once again, my suffering had been my own fault. Then came the fall - a split second of disappointment - a fleeting moment I almost wish I could spend shedding a tear. All of this, and the feelings that came with it, led to the moment I dreaded - the feeling of the arctic water surrounding me, a frigid reminder of the day he came to me. When it surrounded me, all of the wonderful colors of the world seemed to drain away into an ebony void. These days, if I fell, I could manage to get out of my predicament by myself. However, I never stopped wishing that he'd extend his talon my way.
Today, thankfully, I was fairly sure that I wouldn't need to worry about falling. The ice felt perfect - hard enough to carry my weight, yet soft enough to be bent by my will. Maybe today was the day that I'd perfect my newest trick...
I began my routine with the usual jumps off of magically-formed ramps, simply to warm up my horn for the impending finale. Next came a few sets of spins, which I had usually found rather difficult due to having to keep only two hooves on the ground. Everything about skating was invigorating...the feeling of excitement that came with an aerial spin, the feeling of the frigid air dashing by me as I skated along the ice at maximum velocity, each were amazing feelings. Yet, despite the intensity of these emotions, they paled in comparison with that of having my guardian as my audience. As I skidded by Kalki, who was watching my every move, I couldn't help but smile.
Next, a combination of my previous efforts seemed only suitable. I'd done aerial 360s before, but never with a ramp. I'd done jumps off of ramps, but never with a spin. Perhaps if I did my spin off of a ramp, I'd get more out of it. After circling the lake a few more times to gather my plan, I stopped on a dime near the edge of the ice and began to accelerate toward the center.
In the ten seconds or so before I executed my trick, I assembled both my magical energy and my speed, and once I neared the center of the lake, I thrust my head skyward. With this action, a large chunk of ice rose up from the surface of the lake and formed a large ramp. As I approached the slope, I thought to myself about my upcoming finale. When I reached the gradient, I quickly reconfigured my stance, raising my front hooves up to stand on only my back two, and when the slope ended, I jumped.
There it was again...the euphoria. It came to me every time I took a leap, filling me to the brim with elation and anticipation. A wonderful feeling, unlike any other, as if I could simply sprout wings and soar off into the horizon, never to be heard from again. The sad truth was that I couldn't; gravity had other plans. However, to me, that was only an incentive. I'd make this ephemeral moment last for an eternity in my heart, if in no other way.
While I glided through the air, spinning all the while, I could feel my extensive mane thrashing about wildly. Sights came into view and then out in the blink of an eye. Everything was blurry for a moment, but my sights quickly became apparent, and I looked down...Kalki...a fallen fir tree...and a black stone...Kalki...the tree...the stone...Kalki...the tree...the stone...Kalki...the tree...the stone...four spins. Four times did the anxious countenance of my friend grace my vision.
My landing was less than smooth, most likely because I was too busy focusing on all of the rushing pictures to ever consider landing. When I hit the ground hooves-first, I half-expected the ice to shatter under the pressure of my body...but it never did, although it did send a shock through me that sent me to the ground for a moment. Once the initial shock had faded, I found my way back on all four hooves...
and immediately fell again. Apparently, the my lack of concentration while in the air had caused the magic on my hooves to dissipate.
After recomposing myself and transferring a small amount of magic back to my hooves, I slowly made my way back to Kalki near the edge of the lake and returned my magic to the tip of my horn, storing it for later. Walking to his side with audible exhaustion, I decided to ask for a review of my performance:
"So, what did you think of that run? I had a big finish planned where I'd do two or three backflips, but I think I'm okay with my performance..."
"Well, I rather enjoyed the finale you gave me. Tell me, was it difficult?" I sat down as he spoke.
"Difficult? What does that...oh, I remember. Yes, it was pretty tough, my head is still spinning a little..." I felt my stomach practically bark at me. "And I guess it worked up my appetite, too!" Kalki's stomach barked back at my own.
"Well, I suppose it's time for us to eat! Could you kindly remove the ice, Snow?" He got up and began to stretch his wings.
"No problem!" I went through the usual procedure for breaking the ice - transferring magic energy into my legs. Once both of my front legs were entirely surrounded in my cerulean aura, I made my way over to the edge of the lake and stamped my hooves on the glimmering surface of the lake with as much force as my small body could muster.
All at once, every square inch of the ice that once graced the lake with its presence simply shattered into crystals that seemed to fade away as they made their way into the water and sunk into its unknown depths. When the last shard of ice, a small spear-like piece, attempted to descend into the lake, I reacted quickly, channeling the energy around my legs into my horn and casting a levitation spell, keeping it in midair. After I had brought the shard to my side, Kalki questioned me.
"Good timing, Snow. That one almost hit the water. Now, do you want to do the honor today, or is today another day of letting me catching our lunch?"
"I always end up either hitting the smallest ones or not hitting one at all...that's why I let you do it, you know. I mean - not that I can't get a big one! It's just hard. Can you remind me again of why can't I just pull the biggest one out with my magic? That'd be so much easier." Sharpening the ice was probably the hardest part about the fishing process - I had to get the tip perfectly pointed. As I chipped away at the edges of my makeshift knife, Kalki replied:
"Well, that'd hardly seem fair. You, with all of your magic, against them? They deserve a chance to survive. And in addition, if you just were to just lift it out with your magic, we'd have to wait for it to pass on. You should think about this - what if you were an Earth pony or a Pegasus? If you didn't have your magic? It would be much harder to catch these fish. You should also consider that though magic may help you in completing tasks, you shouldn't use it to take advantage of a weak, defenseless creature."
Once I'd crafted my weapon into the proper shape, I simply answered, "I guess you're right." After trotting back to the edge of the water, Kalki began to provide advice from the sidelines.
"Now, Snow, focus on the biggest fish you can find." A gorgeous fish, at least a full foot long, caught my eye as it flaunted its many luminescent black and orange scales. Still watching its body flow along the edges of the lake, I called back to my friend.
"Hey, I found a really big one! I think he might be a salmon!" I heard the crunch of footsteps against the snow as Kalki came to my side to view my proposed meal. After pointing out the fish to my friend, he clarified:
"Oh that? That isn't a salmon, Snow, it's called an arctic char. But it does look very much like a salmon, does it not?"
"Yes..." I replied. "It's so pretty!" An ebony scale glistened in the sunlight as I stared at my prey. When I saw how it shone, I almost wanted to allow its bearer to live. After checking my weapon one more time for efficiency, I prepared to obtain my meal.
"If you're ready, focus your attention on the char once more. Keep track of its movements - you might be able to sense a pattern and determine where to throw your shard." For a good, long moment, I followed my sage friend's advice, and sure enough, I was able to determine, as the fish swam about, that it was moving around in a way that reminded me of the number eight.
"Kalki, I think I see the pattern!" I remarked.
"Then toss your shard at the fish! Remember, you've only got one chance to do this. Killing this fish takes force, and with force comes speed. If you miss, your weapon is going directly to the bottom of the lake." Kalki reminded me of the same mistake I'd always made.
Doing my absolute best to hold my concentration on the char, I prepared to telekinetically launch my dagger straight at the fish. Everything was quiet...I could almost hear the sound of the wind gently blowing a feather away from the wing of my friend. After determining exactly where to throw my weapon, I launched it. At this point, the silence was broken, not by the sound of impaling, but by a splash of water. I missed. Again. At almost the same instant that I released the weapon from the grip of my magic, the char broke its pattern and swam just out of reach. As I watch the fish swim away, I let out a sigh that was all too common in my fishing experiences.
"It's nothing to worry about, Snow. You'll catch an even larger fish tomorrow. Now, I'll take care of the fish. Why don't you gather some grass for yourself? He placed a black wing on my back as he spoke.
"Fine...but tomorrow, I don't want any help! I've got it now!" He took his wing off of me, and after gliding into the water, proceeded to effortlessly hunt down his meal, stopping the char dead in its tracks with one talon and striking it down with the other. As always, I simply brought the fish back to the lakefront via my magic.
After setting the fish down in the snow, I walked for about fifty feet away from the lake, searching for an easy patch of snow to lift up. Once that had been found, I raised up the snow and released a small wave of magic energy, slicing the blades away from the ground. Now that I had gathered my half of the meal, I raised up the grass, dropped the small blanket of snow, and returned to the lake, where Kalki was sitting by the toppled tree I had seen while skating. I wouldn't be able to eat this grass right off of the ground, seeing as how it would be covered in snow, but I could use it as a delicious garnish. Once I had reached the tree, I began to take notice of its features.
This particular fir tree had to have been the largest I'd seen so far - not to mention the closest to the lake, only about one hundred feet from the lake. Among all of the other trees we'd taken on the way to the lake, we never really had a need for one so close, until today. This particular fir tree had to have been at least eight feet tall, as it looked as though it once towered over the both of us. Many trees in the North were often toppled by the nearly bi-weekly blizzards that plagued the land, and this was no exception. As I marveled at the unparalleled size of the behemoth tree, Kalki reminded me:
"Snow, you know what to do." Suddenly remembering why we needed the tree, I released a pair of energy waves that sliced through each side of the tree, lopping off many of the branches. Once Kalki had rotated the tree a bit, I released another pair of waves, separating the rest of the the limbs from the fir. As my final step, I expelled three final blades of energy, slicing the log that remained into four smaller chunks of wood. Exhausted from the extreme amount of magic I'd already used in the day, I fell to the ground, taking a moment to breathe before returning to all fours.
"If it's okay with you, Kalki, I think I'd like it if we carried the logs back to the lake today..." I muttered, almost incoherently. I'd never used so much magic in one day, and the sun hadn't even begun to set.
"Snow, you need to learn to use your magic a bit more sparingly. You may be a tough little unicorn, but you're still a filly, remember? And don't worry about the firewood, I've got it under control. Just follow me - I only need you to use your magic once or twice more today. However, I can't simply put the firewood on my back - could you attempt to do that much for a moment?" Once he had spoken these words, I lifted a block of wood onto his back, followed by another, and I followed him lethargically back to the site of our meal, where we dropped off the wood and went back for the rest.
Once we had completed our second trip back to the lake, Kalki arranged the firewood side-by-side and gave me the signal to start the fire. Hopefully, this would be the last time I used my magic today; I was utterly drained. I took two last blades of magic and began to grind them against one another. Somewhere among all of the sound and friction, a spark ignited, and fire was born in midair before falling gently onto the firewood, giving us our heat source for the fish.
"Alright, Snow. Now just hold the char over the fire..." I followed his command. Almost immediately, I could hear the crackle of the fish as juices began to drip...heat began to fill the area surrounding the fire, and as it did, I felt a smile the size of a polar bear spread across my face. Warmth was a wonderful feeling - It was a shame that it wasn't something I could feel every day.
When the char had thoroughly browned, Kalki gave me the signal to remove it from the fire, and I did so, setting the once-orange fish down on snow that seemed to melt the instant the two entities met. After Kalki had thoroughly sliced our mid-afternoon meal up, we began to eat. Taking the first bite, I allowed the juices to rest on my tongue before sizzling away. After swallowing, I turned to my mentor and asked him:
"Kalki, that dark crystal, over there..." I pointed my hoof at the faraway stone. "Have you seen it? What is it?" After taking a bite out of his own part of the char, a bit puzzled, he looked at the crystal with a spark of wonder.
"I'm...well, I'm not sure. It appears to be some sort of tourmaline, a very dark stone. But..." His attention turned to its shadow, which was completely black, almost as if it had swallowed the ground it covered whole. "This shadow...it appears to have magical properties. Magical crystals don't simply grow in a few days time. These were created by something...I'm sorry that I can't tell you by what, though."
"It's alright, even you don't have the answer to everything. And it probably isn't important anyway. It's just that I saw another one in the cave, that's all."
"Oh, you did? Well, after our meal, let's head back to the cave and get a closer look at this crystal, shall we?" He smiled and tousled my mane.
"Yeah." I beamed back and let out a little giggle as he tossed my mane around, and we continued to eat what was, looking back, the best meal I'd ever had. When we were each sufficiently stuffed, we started to walk home, admiring each sight that came into our fields of vision. We had been walking for about half a mile when a sharp pain introduced itself to my pastern. After attempting to stave off the ache for about one-hundred feet, I asked:
"Hey Kalki, could you carry me the rest of the way? I don't know if I can make it," I recall saying. Hearing this, Kalki laid down on all fours and allowed me to crawl onto his warm back. After struggling a bit to raise himself up, he laughed and said:
"Alright, Snow, but this is the last time!" With these words, we made our way home through a sky that begot no snow. As we neared our destination, from the atop Kalki's back, I could see darkness creeping over the sky.
When we reached the cavern which we had for so long called home, Kalki lowered himself again, and I carefully stepped down from atop his back. We sat in silence, my body pressed against his own, peering up at the sky, as we did at times, just waiting for something extraordinary to happen. Tonight, something did. It had taken at least fifteen minutes, but finally, we saw something beyond comprehension.
In the complete darkness of the night sky, fading into view, we saw two nearly transparent waves of green light, flickering, fading into view. It only took this to make my jaw drop. As the two waves grew closer, I could see the light grow stronger and stronger before they completely merged and formed a streak of bright green that reached across the sky like a bolt of lightning. As we continued to look on in amazement, the streak wavered and danced, almost whimsically.
"What is it? It's so pretty..." I managed to turn and ask in my astonishment.
"I believe that is the aurora equestrius. Its appearance, long ago, had a strong connection with a great empire. However, the empire fell centuries ago, and it currently only occurs in nature every few decades, lasting only an hour at the most, at that. I've never seen it before...it is wonderful. Look! It's morphing again!"
I quickly looked back up to see the streak separate. I expected the two streaks to break completely apart, but instead, they seemed to bond, and as they floated away from each other, a sheet of the neon light began to form a blanket in the sky. An orange light faded in and out of view, as if playing hide-and-seek with me. A purple light followed. The experience quickly became surreal as I saw the blanket of green light begin to dance again, this time with the grace of water, as it flowed left and right.
In the middle of the light show, I turned up to my friend once more, and told him:
"You know, Kalki...I'm really, really glad that I get to see this with you. He looked directly into my eyes and responded.
"And I with you, Snow." With a smile, I rested my head on his body and continued to watch the lights.
As the lights continued to dance and astound me all the while, I continued to hear a voice in the back of my mind. I couldn't make out what it said, but what I did know was that it was the same dark voice I had heard that morning. However, I didn't particularly care. I had my guardian, and if anything bad were to happen, I knew for sure that we'd be able to handle it together.
The aurora was coming to an end, it seemed. It had only been about thirty minutes - Kalki even told me at that point to expect an amazing crescendo. However, the green lights simply began to condense into a shining orb near my peripheral vision. The violet lights followed, coating the orb with stripes of purple. Finally, the orange, which formed rings around the ball, one horizontal and one vertical. Kalki was as shocked as I when something began to happen to the lights. They changed...glowing brighter and brighter, until what remained was a shining white light. The voice...again, the voice appeared. Not in my thoughts, but right before us, the voice cried out:
"The aurora...the aurora is here..." The voice faded in, the bright orb in the sky releasing a burst of light with each syllable.
"It's the voice...Kalki, that's the voice I heard this morning." We both stood up and marveled at the sight. I never received a response to my statement.
"The spell...it worked..." It spoke again, the deep, sinister voice booming in my ears. A menacing eye appeared directly in front of us, seemingly out of nowhere, before finding its way to my saddle bag, which I turned my attention to immediately. The voice boomed once more.
"My crystals...come to me..." I watched in shock as the crystal, accompanied by a black aura, seemingly levitated itself out of my bag. As it floated by us, I could catch Kalki shaking a bit out of the corner of my eye. The crystal planted itself in the ground about fifty feet away from the cave. To my surprise, in the distance, I could see other crystals grinding against the ground, traveling toward the light. After a short time, the crystals met under the glowing sphere. There must have been a hundred of the crystals; they all met in under the light, forming a perfect circle.
'The empire...is mine..." The voice spoke these words, and Kalki and I watched in awe as the orb of light lowered itself into the center of the circle of crystals before completely merging with the ground. A beam of white light shot up from the center, reaching into the heavens...but the light lost its color. In mere seconds, the white light became completely black, electricity spiraling around the tower. After another moment, the black tower receded back into the ground, and an eerie feeling creeped over both of us.
"Snow, get back. I'll investigate this," Kalki said as he walked toward the crystals, which were now leaking the strange black aura I had only moments ago seen for the first time. As he approached the circle, I found myself wanting to scream to him, telling him to come back immediately - however, I was unsure of what would happen...I wasn't sure of anything at that moment.
After he had stood at the rim of the circle, he turned to me and began to run back to the cave, where I stood waiting. "Snow, I don't think it's dangerous," he said as he ran. "It's simply -" My eyes grew wide as he stopped speaking to see what I had just noticed...a jet-black shadow, wrapped around his leg. He didn't speak...he simply tried to run to me. The more he struggled to run, the further backwards he went toward the crystals. Eventually, when he neared the crystal ring, he attempted to fly away - however, a second shadow shot out and wrapped itself around his other hind leg. As he was slammed face-first into the ground, I couldn't help but whimper. While his nearly motionless body continued to move toward the ring, he called to me:
"Snow, I want you to go as far back in the cave as you can. If you don't, you'll just get hurt." I shouted back:
"No! I'm not just gonna leave you here! I want to make sure nothing bad happens to you!"
"You always were a bit stubborn...I'll miss that."
"Don't talk like that! I'll fix this!" I harnessed as much of my remaining magic I could and released it, shooting an ice-cold bolt at the ring. The surrounding area froze...but nothing else. The shadows continued to pull Kalki toward the circle, and I cried just a bit.
"I'm really sorry, Kalki. But don't worry! You'll be safe! You're tough, you know that!"
"Yes, Snow, but I'm a bit old for heroic escapes."
Finally, Kalki stopped moving. Just as I feared, he was placed directly in the center of the crystal circle. The eerie feeling crawled over me again as the voice boomed for the last time.
"My first treat...in a thousand years..." Shadows sprung out from the ground and binded Kalki's neck, followed by his forelegs and wings. I heard him shout in the distance:
"Snow, I'm truly sorry I couldn't stay longer. I would have loved to finally meet your parents, to tell them how magnificent their daughter is." I smiled for a moment. "I haven't been as happy as I was with you in years, you know. I'd love to spend a few more years with you...but my time is up. Just stay safe and live happily, Snow. That's all I ask." A tear escaped the griffon's eye as the shadows binded themselves even tighter against his body. Choking on his own breath, he told me one last thing.
"I love you so much, Snow." Tears slid down my cheeks as I watched what transpired next.
A shadow shot up from each crystal in the ring, electricity crackling along each one. After only a short moment, the group of shadows came together in the air directly above Kalki and formed itself into a large, strange, lightless mass. At the peak of the amorphous creation, I saw a pair of eyes open. They were catlike and red, surrounded by an eerie green. The second these eyes opened, purple streaks extended from their edges. A pair of shadows in the circle creeped up to Kalki, prying his beak open.
Finally, it happened. The mass of darkness condensed itself into a small ball, emitting a strange bubbling sound as it did so, and flew directly into Kalki's now-open beak. From the entrance to the cave I could almost hear him try to scream, but no sound escaped him. A strange white light began to glow at the center of the circle - coming from Kalki, I imagined. There was a stillness in the air that haunts me to this day...I could swear for a moment that I heard the call of a bird, somewhere far away, as a white orb of light exited Kalki's mouth, followed by the black orb. As the dark sphere reshaped itself into the hulking mass it once was, I wondered what the white light was. Suddenly, I heard another voice...my friend's...It spoke across the wilderness and into the heavens.
"I was told by my father to always keep hope in my heart. Snow, I hope that you will remember me for as long as your time in this world allows. I hope that some day you might find the solution to all of the challenges that cause this world of yours such strife. I hope that you seek to love everything in the way that you loved me. I hope that you might find your loved ones, and I hope that they are awaiting you with all of their love. But above all, I hope that you never lose your smile. Promise me that you'll always smile, Snow."
With tears rolling down my cheeks, I simply nodded my head and watched as the white light attempted to scatter before being engulfed by the mass of darkness. I almost ran to his body at that moment - to see if he was truly gone. However, in my fear, I took my guardian's advice and headed to the back of the cave, where I waited patiently for the darkness to leave both the vicinity and my life. A few moments passed and I ventured back outside, the shadow long gone, where Kalki remained in his initial position - all four legs spread out, wings resting lifelessly. I rushed to his body, trying my hardest not to tear up, and spoke:
"Kalki, are you there?" No response. "You gotta stop messing around with me Kalki, that looked really bad! I was even seeing things!" A tear escaped my eye, streaming down my cheek and falling onto his neck. Still no response.
As tears flooded my vision, I called to him one more time: "Stop it! Wake up, Kalki, I know you can..." My words became unintelligible. I slapped a hoof across his face in a last-ditch effort to wake him up...but there was no life left. Realizing what had just happened, I simply turned my friend over onto his stomach and sat by his side for the rest of the night.
The air that night was colder and stiller than it had ever been, and it seemed I was going to be alone to face it.
