Winterspell

On the first day of spring, the land is filled with sound. From the first animals crying out to waken from slumber or wake others to ponies going about clearing away the winter and helping the spring to bloom. For summer, it is a time of great celebration. The Summer Sun Celebration stands as the height of such jubilation. In fall, the world slows down as all watch the trees change their colors to create a great work of art. But the sounds still fill the air.

But in winter, it is quiet. A time to reflect on the changing of life and the passing of time. Though little ones play and shout to the muffling snow, all else is quiet. It is on the day of the first snow that all grow quiet. And it is this day that Princess Luna loved the most.

Once, the sight and frost was a sign of ill omen and a harbinger of fear. When the conflicts of the past were still fresh in the mind. When ponies still feared the ice as a sign of strife and conflict. But it was Luna who changed it all.

It was the pegasi who brought the weather each day. They moved the clouds, brought the rain, guided the wind, and even brought the snow. But without Luna, the first snow would have never fallen. And ever since the first snow she had brought, she had made it her tradition to bring the first snow for each winter. To help ponies reflect on the past and look forward to the future.

She loved the winter. The quiet of the world. The touch of each blanket of snow. The longer hours of the night she worked tirelessly to make beautiful. The cool colors that calmed everything. Though the frigid temperatures chilled the body, it caused one to lean closer to others for warmth and brought them closer together. She loved the winter.

But for one thousand years, the winters had not been the same. She had fallen from grace and had been sent away in exile to the moon she carried across the sky. But now, her return had brought the first snow back to what they had been before. And now, it was more beautiful than ever before.

Luna looked over the soft clouds that bore her special snow. She brushed a hoof across the cloud and listened to the gentle chime of the snowflakes as they rang within. A gentle breeze brushed across her face and sent a small chill through her cheeks. The smell of mint, a special touch of hers, flowed into her nostrils.

Above the clouds, the moon shone full and bright down upon the land below. She had always ensured that the first snow fell on the night of a full moon. It always cast a wonderful blue glow on the snowflakes and the blanket that followed. A smile parted her lips. It was time.

Luna closed her eyes, letting the moment take over. She listened to the song of winter that went unheard by all others. It began soft and she moved with it, stepping lightly across the snow filled clouds and hearing the snow gently fall with its soft chime. Thus, the dance had begun.

Her steps were quick and light as she gently glided across the clouds. She descended into the light snowfall and watched the glittering flakes of ice glisten in the moonlight that shown through the few holes in the clouds. She sped up her movements and listened to the wind which began to howl with a musical tone.

With eyes closed once more, the song of winter crescendoed and took full control over the night princess. She glided with the wind and twirled with each change in direction. As the snow fell in greater volumes and the wind picked up, her dance only became more intensified. Each movement was guided by the song that the coming winter sang and the music that accompanied it. A song unheard by any save for Luna.

As she glided across the sky, she danced as though skating across the ice that fell in its beautiful display. Each step, each spin, in perfect sync with the song that now resounded in her ears. Thunder beat through the sky as great drums while the chiming of the snow mimicked other instruments. She even heard a great choir sing out the song that moved her.

There was no telling how far across the sky she flew. No telling how high the song took her before bringing her back down. All she knew was the song that she moved to. The gentle gliding across the sky to shower the world with a soothing blanket.

The first day of the other seasons were accompanied with celebration and cheers. Loud boisterous displays of approval and welcoming. But the winter was quiet. It came softly and quieted the world. Though the coming of spring and the celebrations that followed marked its end, the winter would still quietly fade away. Just as quiet as it arrived. At least, that was how it was for others.

The day of first snow was Luna’s favorite day. The day the snow first fell was always the loudest for Luna. The winter always sung its wondrous song that echoed across the sky and the land. It cheered and held its own private celebration. And Luna could only dance to the spell-binding song she heard.

As the song closed on its end, Luna’s dance was fervent such that she glided every which way. She twirled with the wind as snow fluttered about her. When the song ended, she stood upon the now white ground and looked up at the stars that filled the sky and the shimmering silver moon that they surrounded.

The snow gently bore her and muffled her steps as she examined her work. The clouds were beginning to dissipate, letting the moon shine with all of its might and the sky display a full array of twinkling stars. A contrast of white below and dark blue above with shimmering lights all around.

Although she stood alone in the field of snow, and had likely gone unseen as she danced across the sky, Luna would have it no other way. Other seasons seemed to crave attention and praise. The winter, needed nor desired such praise. It could sing its own praises. And it would do so for others more than for itself.

Luna loved the winter. She loved bringing the first snow. She wondered if Celestia had ever heard the song of winter in her time alone. Perhaps.

With the song over, Luna wandered the blanket of snow and marveled at its beauty.