The first winter’s snow. This year it was all too literal. This winter’s snow included the very first snowflake, lovingly crafted over a thousand years ago by a young pegasus who was a dear friend of Princess Luna. A young pegasus named Snowdrop.
Princess Luna stood alone on the high tower of her and Celestia’s palace in Canterlot, watching as the first winter’s snow continued into the night. Celestia had retired hours ago after she had set the sun, and Luna had raised the moon. It had been even more hours prior that they had released Snowdrop’s last surviving snowflake. Luna had wanted to save it. She thought about what Celestia had said.
She wouldn’t have wanted that, Luna remembered.
Luna draped her head over the balcony’s railing. She looked down despondently and sighed to herself. Part of her did not think it was fair. In the dark days leading up to her fall into darkness, Luna felt that Snowdrop was the only pony who truly appreciated her nights. She was her only friend; a friend that left this world a thousand years before she could be freed from that darkness. And now that very last bit of her friend was gone. She couldn’t help going back to the last time she ever saw Snowdrop. It was not a pleasant memory. The last time she saw Snowdrop accompanied her final descent into darkness, the moment she became Nightmare Moon.
Princess Celestia had sensed something was amiss when the moon had ceased its trek across the sky at around midnight. Now it was nearly dawn and the moon still hung at the sky’s zenith. She couldn’t raise the sun until Luna set the moon. Worst of all, Luna was nowhere to be found in the palace. Celestia was worried about her. She had been voicing feelings of being unappreciated. Luna had done that in the past every so often. Celestia could always coax her sister’s troubles. However it had become more and more frequent after they banished King Sombra. Since then, her complaints had turned into rants. She went on and on about how the ponies of Equestria missed the most sublime beauty she worked so hard to craft into each of her nights by doing something as irrelevant to an immortal like Luna as sleeping.
What concerned Celestia the most was that even Snowdrop was having difficulty dealing with Luna. Snowdrop and Luna had grown quite close since the day they met her so many years ago. They watched her grow up into a beautiful young mare. She had become the belle of Cloudsdale. Snowdrop was now managing the Snowflake Factory in Cloudsdale. She inspected each and every snowflake by hoof to make sure they just perfect. Due to her position now, Snowdrop often spent a great deal of time with the Princesses, coordinating winter snowfall and Winter Wrap-Ups throughout Equestria. Even in her off-time she would spend time with them, mostly with Princess Luna.
Somehow Snowdrop could comfort Luna when she was in a fit of despondency over not being appreciated. Since Snowdrop couldn’t see, night and day did not make a difference to her. Snowdrop would comfort Luna by telling her how much she loved hearing the twinkling of the stars at night.
“You can’t do that during the day.” Snowdrop would tell Luna. That always seemed to make Luna feel better. Recently though, Luna appeared to be brusquely brushing off Snowdrop’s attempts to comfort her. Celestia remembered how she had found Snowdrop nearly in tears a few days prior. Snowdrop explained that she was trying to help Luna get out of another one of her funks when Luna just snapped at her.
“She told me…” Snowdrop began while fighting back tears. “'Only one pony appreciating my nights is just as bad as no pony appreciating my nights.'”
This is bad, Celestia thought at the time, but she never imagined that it could get as bad as what was presently transpiring.
If Celestia’s suspicions were correct and Luna did not intend for the sun to rise this day, then there was only one place she could be. Celestia ran to the nearest balcony in the palace. She launched herself and took off, flying towards the east at breakneck speeds. Before she reached her destination, Celestia stopped to collect the one pony she hoped could defuse this situation.
Moments later, Celestia alighted near the peak of Equestria’s easternmost mount. Just as she suspected, Luna stood before her with her back towards the horizon. She looked at Celestia with quite a grim expression.
“What took you so long?” Luna sneered.
Celestia could tell that the best thing to do in this situation was to be diplomatic.
“Luna,” Celestia began very calmly. “Do you know what time it is?”
“It would have been dawn,” Luna answered brusquely. Celestia did not like Luna’s choice of words. Celestia would have grimaced at Luna’s answer, but she continued to maintain her placid expression. She steeled herself, letting her pink mane billow majestically in the early morning breeze to give herself more of an air of authority.
“Luna, be reasonable.”
“You be reasonable Celestia!” Luna answered brusquely. “This is about your little ponies appreciating my night while they’re actually awake! If they’re going to spend my nights asleep then I’ll make my nights last until every pony’s awake!”
Celestia appeared a little apprehensive.
“How long do you intend this night to last before you end it?” Celestia asked worriedly. Luna just smiled wickedly.
“Who said anything about it ending?”
Celestia did not even bother hiding her shock. They were beyond that now. Luna had thrown down a gauntlet Celestia never thought Luna would be capable of doing.
“Luna, you can’t be serious! You intend to cast Equestria in eternal night!”
“How long have we been doing this Celestia?” Celestia hesitated she wasn’t sure if it was rhetorical or not. “One hundred years Celestia! One hundred years worth of nights that have gone unappreciated!” A maniacal grin spread across her face. “We have a lot to make up for.”
Celestia was not sure how to respond to all this.
“Luna,” she started, “every pony appreciates what you do…”
“Don’t give me that tired old line, Celestia!” Luna roared. “You really need new material. Don’t tell me that every pony appreciates what I do. Even you don’t! A put a lot of effort into this night for I intend it to last forever! You didn’t even notice that did you? You didn’t notice tonight is my masterpiece! You only noticed when it was time for it to end, and it didn’t.”
Celestia looked away guiltily. Luna had a point. She hadn’t noticed that this was a particularly beautiful night.
“No pony appreciates me. But you…” Luna looked at Celestia, seething with pure rage. “They just love you! You raise your sun up every day. They frolic and gambol. And when the sunsets, they go to bed. They completely ignore my nights! They completely ignore me! When you raise the sun again, they awake and do it all again. And they just love you for it!”
Celestia looked back up at Luna even more concerned. This had suddenly become personal. This was very clearly envy at work.
“When did this become about me?”
“It was always about you, Celestia!” Luna roared. “They don’t care about me like they care about you. They get to see you during the day. The only time any pony sees me is in their nightmares!”
Celestia knew Luna had another point. She did get the most attention of the two of them. Even when Luna appeared at court during the day sometimes, no pony ever really acknowledge her presence. Celestia couldn’t help but feel somewhat responsible. Sure it was her destiny to rule over the sun and the day. She had no control over her destiny. But no pony had to praise her so much for it.
“Luna,” Celestia began sorrowfully, “I never meant to slight you in anyway. You’re my sister, and I love you…”
“Shut up Celestia! Just shut up!” Luna turned her back to her sister. “This is the way it has to be if I’m ever to be appreciated! If you truly loved me, you’d let me have this! Let me have your little ponies’ love for once!” Luna morosely lowered her head. Celestia could hear the hurt in Luna’s voice. She had to bring this situation to a resolution. She had to bring out her trump card.
“I know one little pony who already loves you.”
Celestia’s horned lit up and was followed by a “pop” as she teleported a snow white pegasus to her side.
“Luna,” the pegasus stated simply. Luna’s head and ears shot up when she heard that voice. She turned back around.
“Snowdrop…”
“Luna, please don’t do this,” Snowdrop pleaded. “You’re just hurting every pony. You’re hurting your sister. And you’re hurting me. You’re my friend, Luna, and I love you. I love what you do. You make the stars come out at night. I hear them twinkle; that music that you make. It’s beautiful Luna. I might listen better than any pony in Equestria, and as hard as I’ve listened, I’ve never heard the sun twinkle. It’s only you who can do that Luna. Your nights are always beautiful.”
Luna’s heart melted at that. She closed her eyes while emotions warred in her heart. She just wanted to hug Snowdrop close to her. She wanted to wrap her forelegs and wings around her. She wished she could give her some of her immortality so she could just hug Snowdrop forever. She wanted to cry.
“I’m sorry.” Luna wanted to say tearfully. “I’m so sorry. I love you too, Snowdrop. I’ve always known how much you loved my nights. Just your friendship makes it all worth it.”
That’s what Luna wanted to say. She wanted to say it so badly.
But, there was envy in Luna’s heart. It darkened her heart. It made her hate everything. She hated every pony in Equestria for not appreciating her nights. She hated Celestia for being loved more than she was. But most of all, she hated Snowdrop. She hated that stupid, blind filly for trying to convince her that she appreciated her nights when she could not even see them! Her nights had to be seen, not heard! Her nights deserved to be seen by all! And the only pony who supposedly appreciated them could not even see!
“No,” Luna whispered. Her face contorted with an unspeakable rage, and she cried out, “NOOOOOOOOO!”
Luna’s eyes shot open and flared red with fire. Her mane and tail burst into sulfurous flames. She screamed at the top of her lungs as her body seized and buckled. Her eyes became red like a serpent’s eyes. Her coat turned black as coal. She grew taller and lankier, heightened in haughtiness, and puffed with pride. Fangs shot forth from her mouth. Her mane and tail were consumed by the flames, leaving only the dark blue mist of the foggiest of nights.
Luna was no more. Now she was Nightmare Moon.
Celestia gaped at what she saw before her. She had watched her dear sister turn into a monster. Snowdrop was gaping too. She could not see Luna’s transformation of course, but she could feel it in her heart. Whatever Luna had turned into, it broke her heart. It broke Celestia’s heart too. She had managed to break both their hearts.
Nightmare Moon reared herself up. She unleashed a noisome cackle. It was a horrible sounding thing. It sounded like all the worst sounds one finds in their nightmares rolled into one. She flew off into the night laughing all the way. This was her night now, a night she had no intention of ever letting end.
Celestia and Snowdrop looked up as Nightmare Moon flew away. Tears were welling in Snowdrop’s eyes. Celestia could hear her sniffling as well. Snowdrop turned to Celestia.
“What happens now?” she asked as she sniffled.
Celestia let out an exhausted sigh. She knew what had to be done. She would have to wield the Elements of Harmony against her.
“I’m going to have to take care of her.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Snowdrop asked, worry in her voice.
Celestia lowered her head and answered regrettably.
“She will be, but it is going to take her a very long time. Much longer than you can possibly live Snowdrop.”
Snowdrop could not take it anymore. She finally let herself weep openly. She just let her tears for her lost friend pour out in rivulets.
“I’m never going to see her again,” Snowdrop cried between her tears.
“I’m sorry, Snowdrop.” It was all Celestia could say.
Luna looked at the snow that continued to fall through the night. She remembered that Snowdrop was the first thing she had asked Celestia about after she had been healed by the Elements of Harmony, finally casting away the darkness that was Nightmare Moon. Celestia told her that a few years after her banishment, Snowdrop got married and had children, those children eventually growing up and having their own children. Snowdrop though continued to manage the Snowflake Factory until the day she died, even continuing to hoof inspect each snowflake. Celestia expected no less from the pony that invented the snowflake. She lived quite a long life for a pegasus. When Snowdrop finally passed away, her grandchildren went on to run the Snowflake Factory. Some of their children continued to manage the Snowflake Factory. Others went on to other bigger and brighter things.
Celestia kept track of Snowdrop’s family over the past thousand years. Oddly enough, the two remaining branches of Snowdrop’s family both ended in Ponyville. At the end of one branch was Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. Luna remembered formally meeting Fluttershy for the first time when she visited Ponyville that one Nightmare Night. That did not go as well as she would have liked. She recalled the timid pegasus ran away from her in fright. She did get a chance to meet her on better terms at Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding the year prior. Fluttershy turned out to be a very kind and gentle soul. She had no doubt that such a sweet and kindly mare like Snowdrop would eventually beget the very Element of Kindness. The second branch ended with a cross-eyed mail-mare named Derpy Hooves. It concerned Luna a bit that ocular ailments continued to be a problem for Snowdrop’s family. Luna never had the chance to make this Derpy’s acquaintance. She was gladdened though to hear that this Derpy apparently had a daughter. Luna was happy that Snowdrop’s lineage would continue for the foreseeable future. It was probably the closest possible thing to still having her around.
Still, Luna wished that her last encounter with Snowdrop had been on better terms. She wished it very much.
Wish, Luna thought to herself. She could not help thinking then about why Snowdrop created the snowflake. She looked up at the snow cascading around her.
“She thought the snow could grant wishes like the stars in my night.” Luna felt somewhat silly voicing her thoughts to the snow. The snowflakes flew about almost like shooting stars. Shooting stars; wishes upon them were particularly strong. “Dost thou know my wish shooting stars of snow? I wish I could see my dear Snowdrop one last time.”
This line of thought had left Luna wearied. She decided that it was probably best to go to bed and perform her second duty as Princess of the Night. She lifted herself off the balcony railing and trotted back into the palace. She trotted down the halls, the occasional guard acknowledging her presence with a bow of their head. She eventually made it to her chambers. Her chambers were decorated like the night sky. She found it comforting of course as it was her element. Using her magic, she removed her royal garb, placing her crown on a cushioned pillar and the rest of her regal accoutrements on a series of pillars standing next to it. She pulled back the covers on her bed and laid herself down to sleep. Luna closed her eyes and soon enough she was walking in the realm of dreams.
Luna wandered down the corridors of the palace. The corridors though were not quite like the ones in her and Celestia’s palace in Canterlot. At times, they seemed like the corridors of their old palace that now lay ruined in the Everfree Forrest. Other times it seemed like the palace that they grew up in. Along with that, she had no idea how she came to be wandering down this hallway. Such was the way of dreams. They were cobbled together from memories and always began in the middle. Ironically enough, although Luna walked the dreams of ponies every night, she rarely dreamed herself. This dream castle was merely her conduit to move onto the dreams of others. She only really experienced their dreams each night rather than any of her own. She thought it was a bit unfortunate as dreams could provide great insights. The ancients understood this well enough; they called it prophecy. Luna was wise enough though to understand that these insights could not be completely attributed to the supernatural, but she admitted there were some things about dreams that were beyond rational understanding. Dreams were often a realm of mysteries.
Luna came to a window and prepared to launch herself through it. Doing so would take her into the dreams of another where she would begin her nightly dream walk.
“Luna.”
A voice ethereally echoed throughout the dream palace. Luna stopped.
This is odd, she thought. It appeared she would be having her own dream tonight.
“Luna.”
There it was again. Luna thought there was something familiar about that voice but could not quite place it. She turned from the window and began to walk further down the hall with measured steps. She looked carefully to find the source of this voice. She did not see any pony.
“Is any pony here?” Luna called down the hall.
“Luna.”
There it was again even more clearly. Luna could tell that the voice was reverberating from around a corner at the end of the hall. She trotted down the hall in earnest now, curious to see what she would find. Finally rounding the corner, she gaped in surprise and gasped in disbelief. It was the last thing she would have expected.
“S-Snowdrop?”
Snowdrop stood before Luna. The lovely young mare looked as she had that last unfortunate time that Luna had laid eyes on her. But there was something different about her though. Remarkably, there were no cataracts in her eyes. They were clear and a beautiful icy blue color.
Is this what she would have looked like if she was not blind? ‘Tis unfortunate it was not so. Luna tried to focus. This was a dream. This was not her Snowdrop. She was just a memory; a hollow facsimile of her dear friend. Snowdrop looked up a Luna and smiled warmly at her.
“Hello Luna. It’s been a very long time.”
“Thou art not real,” Luna responded. “Thou art just a dream. A wish.”
“Oh, I am certainly a wish,” Snowdrop replied, “but I am real too.” Luna just shook her head at her. She was not willing to believe that. It was impossible. “You know the stuff dreams are made of. Look at me and see that I am not made of those things.” It was true. Luna knew very well what dreams were made of. They were made of cobbled together memories, hopes, inspirations, desires, and just a dash of impatience. She sighed heavily and took a good look at Snowdrop, expecting to find these things in her.
She did not find any of them. What she found was a real pony.
Luna was breathless in shock. She just gaped wide-eyed at a very real Snowdrop as she tried to compose herself.
“’Tis not possible. You died nearly a thousand years ago.”
“You wished on the snow,” Snowdrop explained as though that explained everything. “You wished on the snow that you could see me once more, and so here I am.”
This was an even more shocking revelation to Luna. Ponies believed that stars granted wishes. Some had come to believe that it was Luna who granted those wishes. But Luna knew full well that she could not hear wishes directed at stars, let alone grant them. She was powerful, but she was certainly not omniscient. It was an old pony’s tale that helped some ponies get by. But that was just it. It was only an old pony’s tale. And if that was so, it was even more unlikely for snowflakes to grant wishes.
“But how? It cannot be possible,” Luna asked.
“How are snowflakes possible?” Snowdrop answered. It was an answer that only made sense in a dream. It was the only answer that would do. Luna could not but accept that a very real Snowdrop was indeed visiting her in her dreams.
Luna’s heart exploded, bursting the dams in her eyes and unleashing the reservoir of her tears. She cried a flood of one thousand years worth of tears gone unshed.
“S-Snowdrop...” Luna sniffled. “I’m so sorry. I…” Luna sobbed, unable to speak for the moment. “I let envy consume me and turn me into a monster… I broke thy heart. I was going to plunge thou and this world into the same darkness that had taken hold of me. I… I hated you! It made me hate you, my dearest friend!” Luna continued to sob. “I cannot say it enough. I’m so sorry.” Snowdrop walked up to Luna and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.
“It’s okay, Luna,” Snowdrop said. “I forgave you a long time ago.” Luna sniffled. She composed herself. Luna took a good look at Snowdrop’s now healthy seeming eyes. She took her hoof and tilted Snowdrop’s face higher towards her own so she could get a better look.
“Thine eyes,” Luna began. “Canst thou see now?” Snowdrop nodded.
“You’re more beautiful than I ever imagined you’d be.” Snowdrop moved closer to Luna and threw her forelegs around Luna’s neck in an embrace. Luna returned the embrace and threw her wings around her as well.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Snowdrop told her.
“I missed you so much,” Luna said. “There was a part of me still inside that nightmare. Trapped on the moon, I could tell the time passing by. I knew after a century passed that even if I could somehow return, you would be gone. That part of my heart that could still feel broke knowing I would never see you again. But now you are with me again! We have so much time to make up for, my friend. And now we have all the time we could ever want.”
Snowdrop was silent for a moment.
“No, Luna we don’t.”
“What?!” Luna said almost exasperated. Tears began to well in her eyes once more. “No, Snowdrop! I just got you back. I’m not parting with thee again!” She held Snowdrop even tighter to herself, as if holding her tighter could prevent her from ever leaving her again.
“Your wish was to see me one last time,” Snowdrop responded, a bit of sadness in her own voice. “That’s all it’s going to be.”
Luna finally let go of Snowdrop. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes with her hoof. She looked at Snowdrop questioningly.
“But even that was impossible. Can you not stay with me somehow?” Snowdrop smiled sadly and shook her head.
“Even the impossible has its limits,” Snowdrop answered. She smiled at Luna in earnest. “Besides I spent my entire life making sure that I will always be with you.” Luna appeared confused.
“What?” Luna asked. Snowdrop just continued to smile.
“Do you have any idea how snowflakes are made?” Luna shifted guiltily. Even though she was a princess and should know the goings on of everything in her kingdom, she had little practical idea how snowflakes or any kind of weather was made. She did though once wander into a young pegasus filly’s nightmare which made her think it would be advisable to more thoroughly inspect Cloudsdale’s Rainbow Factory.
“All the snow that’s melted during the Winter Wrap Up is collected and used to make next winter’s snow,” Snowdrop explained. “All the snow’s recycled.” Luna looked at Snowdrop quizzically. It had yet to dawn on her where Snowdrop was going with this. “When I worked at the Snowflake Factory, I inspected every snowflake by hoof. Do you have any idea why?”
“Thou wert dedicated to thy craft,” Luna answered.
“That’s true,” Snowdrop replied, “but it also meant I touched every snowflake with my hooves.” She held up her fore-hooves for Luna to see. “A tiny little piece of every pony is left on everything they touch." Luna nodded in understanding. "That means that a tiny little piece of me is in every snowflake. And when the snow melts, all that water is used to make the next year’s snowflakes. So a bit of me is still in the next years’ snowflakes even if I didn’t touch them myself. Every snowflake that has fallen since my time has had a tiny piece of me in it. Every time it snows, I’m there. Every time it snows, I’ll always be with you Luna.”
Luna was touched by Snowdrop’s explanation. Tears welled in her eyes anew.
“Oh Snowdrop,” Luna cried. It comforted her more than any pony could know that her dearest friend had taken such means to make sure she would always be with her. Luna looked into Snowdrop’s eyes. She looked back with the most beautiful, ice blue eyes Luna had ever seen in her supermillenial life; eyes that could now fully focus on her. Her eyes reminded Luna of the question that had been lurking at the back of her mind since this experience began.
“Snowdrop,” Luna began to ask, “how is it that thou canst see now?”
“In death, there is renewal of life,” Snowdrop answered. She then looked down a bit unsure if she should make the request that had been on her mind since the beginning of this encounter. She looked back up at Luna. “All my life, I’ve always wanted to see what one of your nights looked like Luna. Could you show me one?”
There were no words to describe how happy that request made Luna feel. There were no words with which she could respond. More tears welled up in Luna’s eyes, and she merely nodded in response. Luna closed her eyes in concentration. Her horn glowed with the dark blue aura of her magic.
Suddenly, the castle corridor they had been standing in disappeared around them. Luna and Snowdrop now found themselves in a wide open pasture, dotted by the occasional tree. The night sky above them was dark and blank. It was a canvas awaiting its painter’s first brushstrokes. Snowdrop looked up expectantly. She was finally going to see the stars that she had spent her whole life just hearing their twinkles. Luna bowed her head in concentration. After a moment, bolt of magic shot from her horn into the center of the night sky. Then the stars began to appear scattered throughout the sky. Snowdrop’s ears rang with an all too familiar sound.
“That’s the twinkle!” Snowdrop cried. “Those are stars.” Luna remained in concentration, but nodded in response.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Luna's effort was doubled. As more and more stars appeared above them. Snowdrop could see the patterns of the constellations emerging between them. Stars joined in the great swirling bands of galaxies. Stars fell in great meteor showers. Comets streaked across the sky. Stars burst in chromatic supernovae. Even the aurora borealis began dancing across the sky. It was every conceivable phenomenon that had ever graced the night sky all rolled into one. It was truly Luna’s masterpiece.
Snowdrop was almost overwhelmed by the sights bombarding her eyes. But most of all, she was captivated by the sounds of Luna’s night. The stars no longer twinkled. The stars sang. They sang in a great celestial choir a song of celebration. Their song of celebration though did have a hint of a lament.
The magic aura around Luna’s horn faded finally, and Luna looked up at her handiwork. She smiled at her masterpiece. It was certainly worthy of Snowdrop’s eyes. She turned to Snowdrop.
“What do you think?” Snowdrop turned to Luna completely awestruck.
“I think it’s the most awesome thing I’ve ever experienced!” Snowdrop ran up and embraced Luna once more. Luna returned the embrace. She had a feeling this would be last chance she would ever be able to do that. Snowdrop released her and took a step back. She looked up at Luna’s eyes with a sad look in her own. As much as Snowdrop knew the end was upon them, she could not bring herself to say it. Luna looked back at her and understood.
“I guess this is goodbye then,” Luna spoke, tears welling in her eyes anew. Tears welled in Snowdrop’s eyes as well, and she could only nod in affirmation. “I’ve said goodbye too many times in my long life,” Luna began. “It never gets any easier, and you fear getting jaded and too used it. But I can still say it. I can say it for the both of us.” Luna swallowed, and the tears welling in her eyes began to fall. “It has been so wonderful seeing you again. Goodbye, Snowdrop.”
Snowdrop nodded. Tears in her eyes also began to fall and struck the ground. She steeled her resolve and looked Luna in the eye.
“I feel the same way too.” Snowdrop sniffled. “Good... goodbye, Luna.”
All of a sudden, the wind began to blow. Luna looked about in confusion as she was not the cause of this sudden breeze. Luna looked down at Snowdrop. She had her eyes closed, and the wind was circling around her. Snowdrop slowly dissipated into snowflakes. The snowflakes that were once Snowdrop were carried by the whirlwind towards the night sky above her. Luna looked up and followed the snowflakes as they made their way up to the night sky. With that, Snowdrop was gone again. Luna breathed in a great rattling breath and openly wept once more. She lamented that just as she had gotten Snowdrop back, she was gone. Her only friend, her dearest friend was truly gone.
Then she noticed the spot where Snowdrop had been standing. A flower bud had appeared there. Luna heard a twinkling sound from above her and was surprised by what she saw.
Snowdrop’s first snowflake was falling from the sky.
Luna followed the snowflake as it fell gently from the sky. It came to a rest upon the flower that now stood before her. A snowflake on a flower, Luna thought. Just like Snowdrop’s cutie mark. Just as the snowflake landed on the flower, it immediately bloomed.
“A snowdrop,” Luna said to herself as she gazed upon it in wonder.
“Luna.”
Another ethereal voice echoed throughout Luna’s dreamscape, accompanied by a small tremor and cracks appearing in the night sky. This time Luna knew the voice all too well.
“No!” Luna cried in panic. “Not yet! I still do not understand what this means!”
“Luna.”
The voice roared again. This time the tremor was more intense, and the cracks in the sky widened. Bits of the sky began to fall around Luna. Luna could now see faint sunlight in the cracks.
“No, please, no!”
“Luna!”
The night sky broke apart at the cracks. Sunlight flooded in and melted away Luna’s dreamscape.
Luna awoke with a start, breathing heavily. She looked around her and saw Celestia standing before her bed already ready for the day. She had a concerned look on her face.
“Luna, you overslept. It’s past dawn,” Celestia stated, worry clearly in her voice. “Are you alright? Have you been crying?”
Luna felt the lower part of her eyes with her hoof and noticed that they were indeed quite puffy. She looked down at her pillow and noticed a wet streak where tears had freely flowed.
“I was crying,” Luna explained. “In my sleep. I had a dream.” The look on Celestia’s face clearly showed how odd she thought it was for the dreamwalker to be dreaming.
“What did you dream about?” Celestia asked.
“I dreamt of Snowdrop,” Luna answered. “But it was more than that.” Luna looked Celestia in the eye with all seriousness. “She was not a dream. Snowdrop was truly in my dream. Somehow Snowdrop was dreamwalking!” She had expected Celestia to be surprised or to question Luna’s claim and possibly her sanity. Instead, Celestia merely nodded.
“I suspected that was possible,” Celestia responded. Luna looked back at Celestia quite taken aback.
“You suspected it? How? How is such a thing possible?”
“Snowdrop left a major impact on Equestria,” Celestia explained. “Because of her, winter’s snows became gentle; behaving the weather teams wishes. Changing the world like that requires a certain kind of magic. A deeper magic from before the dawn of time. A magic I do not yet fully understand but, from what I have seen, capable of doing the impossible.”
Luna absorbed and mulled over everything Celestia had said.
“Snowdrop is privy to a deeper magic that we are not privy too.” Celestia nodded. Luna thought over the implications of that. She found she really could not conceive it in any reasonable way. It was beyond reason. And Luna’s reason told her that if it could not be understood by reason, it was something she just had to accept.
As her mind wandered over these thoughts, Luna noticed that there was something beneath her pillow. She magically lifted her pillow and gasped in surprise at what she saw. Celestia noticed the shocked look on Luna’s face.
“Luna, what is it?” Celestia questioned. Luna magically lifted up the thing she had found beneath her pillow and turned to show it to Celestia.
It was a flower.
A snowdrop.
“This flower,” Luna began, still in shock. “T’was in my dream!” This time, Celestia was also shocked.
“Now that I did not expect.” Celestia’s shock and surprise was then replaced by a smile. “See. Capable of doing the impossible.”
Luna continued to gape in awe, but then reality finally began to settle in.
“Wait,” Luna began. “Did you say that I overslept?” Celestia nodded. “Then We must set the moon so thou can raise the sun lest the populace panic.” Celestia smiled and nodded. She turned to leave.
“I’ll be waiting for you on the balcony of the east tower,” Celestia spoke as she trotted out of Luna’s room. Luna got out of bed, but before she dressed herself in her royal garb, Luna sought a vase. Once she found one, she put the snowdrop in it and placed it on her night stand. Luna hastily dressed herself, but before she left, she turned and looked at the snowdrop in the vase. She smiled at it and finally left.
Celestia and Luna stood on the balcony of the east tower of Canterlot castle. The first snow of winter had continued unabated through the night and into this new day. Luna watched the golden aura of magic around Celestia’s horn as the sun slowly rose beyond the horizon, filling the morning with as much of its light that could get through the snow clouds. Once the sun had arose, the magic faded from Celestia’s horn. Luna turned to her sister.
“Another dawning well done, sister,” Luna commented.
“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia replied. Just then, a pegasus royal guard with an orange coat and blue mane trotted onto the balcony.
“Princess,” the guard said, “I am to inform you that breakfast is prepared.”
“Thank you, Flash. We’ll be there in a moment,” Celestia responded. The dismissed guard made his way back into the castle. Celestia turned and was making her own way back into the castle when she noticed that Luna was not following her. She looked back at Luna.
“Luna, aren’t you coming to breakfast?” she asked. Luna turned to her.
“I’ll be there soon. Just give me a moment.”
Celestia nodded and continued on her way into the castle. Once she was alone, Luna looked up at the snow cascading around her. She knew now they were as much Snowdrop’s snowflakes as much as those she had originally crafted and inspected. And every snowflake into the future would be as well. Snowdrop had insured that she would always be with her. As long as there was snow, there would be Snowdrop.
“I love you Snowdrop.” Luna quietly spoke to the snow. She listened intently as the wind began to blow.
“I love you too, Luna.” Luna heard in the wind in a still, soft voice that was unmistakably Snowdrop.
Luna smiled at the snow. She bowed her head slightly. She rose up, turned, and made her way back into the castle. She was glad she still had her dearest friend.
