Chapters It all started normally for Winter. He was five years old when it all began. Growing up, Winter wasn't exactly poor, nor was he rich. Most ponies would say Winter's family was below middle class. He was a good colt. His parents were nice ponies. At the time.
Winter always aspired to be like his distant ancestor, but he couldn't get the hang of making snowflakes. He tried and tried, but no matter how Winter practiced, nothing seemed to work. Little did Winter know, his life was about to change. Forever.
One day, Winter caught a split-second glimpse of somepony outside the house from the living room window. He wasn't able to discern what was unsettling about this pony. Winter squinted, his eyes working to catch the details of this strange pony. From the build, Winter deduced that it must be a stallion. He was unable to see much more before the stranger simply disappeared.
Not long after he saw the stranger, the house caught fire. "Okay, don't worry! We just need to get out!" His father urged his wife and son towards the door. The words his father said were in vain. The fire spread at magnificent speeds, eating away at the hallway leading out. Desperate, Winter and his parents turned to scramble through the back door.
As they clambered into the kitchen, Winter realized with dread that the fire trailed after them, like a predator tracking a helpless animal. The fire encircled the room, blocking the way out of the kitchen. They were trapped.
As if taunting the doomed ponies, the fire edged ever so slightly closer. Winter's father bucked furiously at the wall, hoping to create an exit. It wasn't long before the fire spread to them. His dad was the first to be engulfed in flames.
He roared in pain as the fire licked at his coat, singeing away his fur.
Winter found himself silently begging for it to end quickly. What seemed like hours later, his father stopped kicking, succumbing to the torture of the flames.
"Try to get out..." His mother cried in defeat, right before suffering the same fate as his father. Tears streamed down Winter's face as he watched his parents burn in front of him.
He sobbed as the fire inched towards him. Winter choked at the smell of burning flesh. As the fire approached Winter, he felt a dizziness take hold of him.
Maybe I'll pass out from all the smoke. Maybe I won't feel a thing.
Winter felt his eyes droop, and his legs ready to buckle. Right before he lost consciousness, a deep blue dragon appeared with a mighty crash.
"Come with me, kid." She ordered Winter in a mild but stern voice. Winter, in a state of shock, didn't register what was said to him. With a look of slight annoyance, she gingerly picked Winter up, and soared out of the opening in the roof of Winter's burning house.
The tears that rolled downed Winter's face were obvious. He didn't bother putting on a tough face. The dragon had its claws wrapped around Winter protectively.
The house soon faded from view, and Winter realized that the dragon wasn't just rescuing him; she was taking him somewhere. Winter felt a coldness spread inside of him. He was lucky to come out in one piece, he knew that; but what was going to happen now?
What Winter didn't know was that there was some kind of magic that kept the fire from harming him more than minor burns. Winter, traumatized by this horrifying experience, didn't recognize how the flames recoiled from his touch, as if afraid of accidentally scorching him.
As the wind blew into Winter's face, whipping his mane, he gave in to the growing exhaustion. His bloodshot eyes still wet with tears, Winter slipped from consciousness.
Chapter 2 - The Street To A Familiar Fate
As you may have guessed, Winter is now an orphan. Although he had no parents, he did have a blue dragon by his side. For many a few years, Glow has taken care of Winter. As long as he had Glow, he would be safe. Through these few years, Winter could not forget his traumatizing experience. With him being such a young colt, it was hard for him. Every day was hard. Luckily, he had Glow by his side. Glow was always off to find food and other things he may need. She protected Winter from any threat that came. Now he is ten years old.
Glow would never leave Winter. She cared about him too much. She knew something about Winter... something Winter didn't know about himself. She was always over protective for Winter. Winter cared about Glow. She was like the sister he never had. Winter would sleep by the train tracks but, it soon became time to find a safer place... like an ally.
"Are you sure about this?" Winter asked.
"It's safer than the train tracks." Glow replied in a soft gentle tone. Winter believes what Glow says... after all, she knows best. It's always been the same for Winter. Glow would find food and he would stay safe. Sometimes Winter would go and play with the other kids. It made him feel normal. He never let go of making snowflakes like his ancestor did. Although he could never get it right, it calmed him down. One night, things would change for Winter. Little did he know, what fate held for Winter.
"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Winter screamed as he slept in the ally.
"Winter, wake up." Glow murmured as she went to comfort Winter.
"Get it away from me..." Winter gasped as he woke up.
"Winter, it's just a dream." Glow reassured him.
"...It was him." Winter sighed heavily. "I always have that dream about the pony I saw when it happened." It was obvious Winter was afraid. After five years, he was still traumatized from what happened. The horrifying images of his parents burning always appeared in his mind. Sometimes, he would even have hallucinations of the experience.
What did I do to deserve this?
"I just can't forget." He said. Glow was about to say something when a pony appeared. Masked by the darkness of the alley, the mysterious pony could not be identified. Suddenly a ball of fire came towards Winter from the mysterious pony's direction. Alarmed, Glow pushed Winter out of the way and took the hit from the fire. The flames bounced harmlessly off of her scales.
"Winter, you need to run!" Glowed yelled. The mysterious pony reached for something. Faster than seemed possible, a dagger shot out of the dark, impaling Glow in the chest. Glow shrieked, the hit taking her by surprise. Startled, Winter raised his hoof, and he felt a surge of immense power. Suddenly, an ice shard shot out from the tip of his hoof, missing the strange pony by a few inches. In a blink of an eye, the strange pony turned and disappeared abruptly. Winter ran to Glow, who laid there, writhing on the hard ground.
"Glow, a-are you ok?" Winter eyes darted in a panic, unsure how to help.
"Winter, I won't last long. You must know this." Glow rasped, fighting for breath.
"N-no, I can get help." Winter insisted.
"I can't be saved... Listen, Winter... that shard of ice that came from you is a special power... you are the one, Winter..."
"The one for what!?" Winter cried.
"You are the one to carry the stone... the Stone of Seasons..." Glow uncurled her claws, reaching to give Winter the stone. As Winter grabbed the stone, Glow went silent. Any life she had left was gone. Glow was dead.
Winter sat silently, mourning the lifeless dragon. Winter wished he could cry, but all his tears had run out long ago. He raised his head, his eyes burning into the dagger lodged inside of Glow. What magical impurities it took to possibly kill a dragon.
"I will find this pony... I will kill him..." Winter whispered to himself. Suddenly there was a voice from the stone.
Find the others... join them.
Winter knew what that meant. He knew that there must be more ponies who carry a stone. Winter turned to leave. Somepony would find Glow eventually. He couldn't afford to wait any longer. With a stoney look on his face, Winter put on his stone and set off on his journey.
Winter woke up to an unfamiliar feeling. For the first time in years, he was inside a house and in a safe bed. He got up and went down stairs to see what in Equestria was going on.
"Good, you're awake!" The colt with a blue mane said. "That was quite a hit to the head you took!" He added. Winter suddenly remembered the event that took place. And unfortunately, the pain that came with it.
"Awake already?" A young filly asked.
"Yea, he woke up just a minute ago." The colt told her.
"Well, I'm Hope, and that's my coltfriend Pez." Hope said, gesturing to Pez and herself.
"I'm Winter." He said quietly, but loud enough to be heard.
"So, where are you from?" Pez asked Winter offering him a Pepsi.
"Well, I use to live with my parents, but they died when I was five, then I was living in an alley with a dragon named Glow for five years." He replied grabbing a nearby can of soda.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did these deaths happen?" Hope asked him.
"My parents were killed in a fire that someone started, and Glow was killed by a magical dagger owned by that same pony who killed my parents." He told them.
"That's just horrible!" Pez winced. Winter noticed the fireplace in the living room.
"No." Winter simply stated.
"What's the matter?" Pez asked him as Winter shot some ice at the fire as if afraid, dousing it on contact.
"Keep that away from me." Winter replied.
"Don't tell me you're actually afraid of fire!" Pez said, trying not to laugh.
"I'm actually afraid of any form of heat." Winter deadpanned.
"He's been through horrible experiences, Pez!" Hope reiterated.
"Wait... Earlier you said a pony killed your parents. Was he wearing a cloak?" Hope asked.
"Yes, he was." Winter told Hope.
"We gotta go after him!" Pez said as they all rushed out the door ready to find the one who caused the tragic events. This their chance to find out who the culprit is.
Chapter 6 - Ancestor Spirit
Winter laid in the ally, severely depressed and full of regret. Everything he lost, the memories, and his new friends... all in vain! He didn't know what to do. He felt as if he failed himself, Glow, and his parents. He felt that he couldn't go on anymore. He had no happiness inside him, just hatred towards himself.
"I'm not doing this anymore." He said to himself as he began to write a message to his new friends. "It's over."
If you are reading this, you must know that you may never see me again. You will probably be left wondering where I went, so I will tell you. I am going to no longer be in this world, because I am punching my own ticket. I apologize to the ones I hurt by doing this.
Winter picked up the dagger and began to point at himself, but before he could end everything, a voice interrupted everything.
"Winter, what are you doing?" The mysterious voice asked. Winter looked behind him to see a light blue mare, but she was also transparent to the point where Winter could kind of see through her.
"W-who are you!?" Winter asked in a startled voice.
"I am Snowdrop, your ancestor." The mare replied as she slowly took the dagger from Winter's hoof and threw it into the wall.
"Just leave me alone." Winter demanded.
"No, I need you to tell me what's wrong." Snowdrop's spirit stated.
"Just look at me, I'm just some worthless colt who can't even avenge the death of the ones I care about, I am nothing." Winter told Snowdrop.
"Why would you see yourself as worthless?" Snowdrop asked.
"I can't do anything right! I can't avenge their deaths, my friend is hurt because of me, and I can't even be just like you." Winter answered as tears started to stream down his face.
"Winter, I've felt worthless back when I was living millenia ago, I've been at a point where I wanted to give up, but I realized my purpose, and now it's time you realized your own purpose." Snowdrop said to Winter.
"But what about when you go back up there and I'm on my own?" Winter asked.
"Yes, I will be going back up there soon, but I will be with you." Snowdrop said.
"But how will I talk to you?" Winter asked with another question.
"Winter, you can find me in the twinkly sounds of the stars and the snow, I am never gone." Snowdrop answered as she slowly faded out of Winter's sight. Winter realized that Snowdrop had a point, he had to keep going, he had to avenge the deaths, he had to make things right once again. He shredded the note and left the ally, leaving the dagger behind.
Chapter 8 - Letters From A New Friend
When Winter made it to Pez's house, he knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, but there was still no answer. He didn't know what to thing until he noticed a piece of paper on the ground. He picked up the paper only to notice that it was a note.
Winter, if you see this, then that means the mysterious colt has found us.
Do not come for us, if you do... he will kill you. He is too powerful for any of us.
He is a pony of complete darkness.
- Hope
Winter is usually one to respect one's wishes, but this time that wasn't an option. Winter has lost two friends, he wasn't just about to let himself lose two more. First, he needs to figure out where they went. The young pegasus went back to where Stephen was totally annihilated by an over sized rock.
What Winter found there was rather incomprehensible. Stephen was standing there, totally undamaged. This guy should've been mutilated by that house sized rock! How does someone survive that?
"I'm not sure if you are extremely durable or just outright Gary Sue," Winter said to Stephen, impressed and baffled at the same time.
"I'm a bad guy, I'm allowed to be Gary Sue." Stephen promptly replies.
"Well, can you tell me where Stephen is?"
"No, he'd kill me."
"Why do you work for this guy?"
" He's forcing me to."
"How about I deal with him if you tell me where he is?"
"Considering if you win, I'll be free... sure."
"Where is he?"
"He lives in a blue house south of the school." Stephen told Winter who didn't reply. Winter trailed off to find Stephen.
Winter was definitely afraid. He was alone... he didn't have that blue dragon by his side, he had... nothing. Soon, it was too much. All he could do was break down and cry. He just couldn't handle it.
"Hey, are you alright?" Said a voice. It was a colt. His fur was white and his mane was a dark blue. The colt knew there was something wrong. After all, Winter was having a meltdown. "Listen, you need to tell me what's wrong. I may be able to help." He added.
"It's just... I lost someone... someone important." Winter replied as tears ran down his face. "S-she was a dragon... she always protected me and she was murdered! She was my only friend..." He stuttered to the colt in between tears.
"Strange, I'm not the brightest, but I'm pretty sure the killer must be very powerful to kill a dragon." The colt muttered.
"How would you know?" Winter asked.
"I'm dovahkiin... a dragonborn." The colt confessed to Winter.
"WHAT!? SO IT WAS YOU WHO KILLED HER! WITH THAT DAGGER MADE OF MAGIC!" Winter screamed.
"No! It wasn't me!" The pegasus pleaded in a worried yet defensive tone. He was paralyzed in fear as Winter grabbed and threw him against a wall.
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Winter screamed when suddenly a filly came from behind and knocked Winter out. The colt fell and got back up. He was obviously in shock of what has just happened.
The three ponies ran outside, but realized one tiny little problem. "So, how are we going to do this?" Winter asked.
"Well, obviously we should just... actually, I'm not quite sure." Pez muttered, realizing there was nothing to go off of. They had absolutely no way of knowing where this horrible stallion could possibly be.
"Well, this is awkward." Hope mumbled to herself. She was just about to suggest that they go back to plan when Winter noticed a strange pony in a dark cloak in the distance. It was obviously the one they were looking for. This right here was there chance to catch him, but unfortunately, Winter slipped up.
"HEY YOU!" Winter yelled at the stranger at the top of his lungs. "WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT ME FACE TO FACE, COWARD!?" He added. Suddenly the stranger appeared in front of the three, still hiding his face with his hood. Winter noticed a horn sticking out of the hood. He now knew that this stranger is most definitely a unicorn.
"Alright, I'll play it your way this time." The stranger said in an uncanny tone.
"Alright, how do you want us to face?" Pez asked Winter.
"I'm facing him alone, this is a personal matter." Winter replied sounding serious.
"But, what abou-" Pez was about to say something, but Winter interrupted
"I'm facing him alone." Winter told him in a more adamant tone. He lifted his hoof and summoned a shard of Ice, attacking the stranger with the intent to kill, but his efforts were fruitless.
"I'm not one you can just simply kill." The stranger stated as he summoned a dagger and shot it at Winter. Winter quickly dodged as it barely missed him and hit Pez impaling him into the side of Sugar Cube Corner.
"Now... you've done... it?" Winter said, only then noticing the stranger had disappeared as suddenly as he came. He rushed towards Pez who was still stuck to the wall by the razor sharp dagger.
"That's a pretty good shot." Pez said with humor despite the fact he was in pain. Though he was in serious pain, the wound was treatable.
"I didn't want it to end up this way." Winter told Pez.
"Don't worry about it, it's not fatal." Pez replied.
"It's not your fault, I'm going to take Pez home so he can recover." Hope told Winter as she somehow got him off the wall and carried him to his house. Winter didn't follow, he ran off with remorse and the loss of any confidence of stopping the one who killed his family and his friend, Glow.
Chapter 7 - Stupid Opponent
Winter was silent as he went off to go see Pez and Hope, more concerned for Pez. His only company was the cold. He was fine with that; it made him feel safe. As he walked by Sugarcube Corner, he heard an aggressive voice from the shadows.
"So, I was sent to kill you or something." Said the unicorn colt with gray fur, black mane, and sunglasses.
"Was it that guy in the cloak?" Winter asked.
"Yea, Nathan sent m-" He went silent as he noticed that he accidentally told Winter the name. "Oh no, he's gonna be mad unless I kill you!"
"So, before you do that... what's your name?"
"Stephen."
"Ok, then." Winter said as he hucked a spear of ice at Stephen.
Stephen was quick to dodge the attack. "Hey, I wasn't ready!"
"Seriously?" Winter said to Stephen, annoyed.
"Ok, I think I'm ready!" Stephen yelled as he shot some ball of magic at Winter.
Winter tried to dodge the attack, but for some reason it followed him. Winter was quickly hit, but he figured he could lick any wounds later. He shot ice at Stephen hoping to get a hit, but Stephen was quick. Maybe I can get him at a closer range, Winter mused.
Winter ran up to Stephen and did land a hit, but Stephen barely flinched. Stephen's horn glowed as he levitated a large boulder over his head ready to crash it into Winter. There was no way Winter would be able to take that.
"Now, I will end you quickly." Stephen droned, right before Winter flicked Stephen's horn making him lose focus on the magic.
"Oh crap." Stephen said right before being crushed by the boulder he held right above his head.
"Well, that's not a great way to go." Winter said as he walked away, the pain from that magic shot forgotten.
