Snowy Day

Lacey Ribbon woke up one sunny morning. The birds chirped outside, the smell of her log cabin, far from the other ponies of Equestria, seduced her, giving her a warm, happy feeling. Looking to her calendar, she noticed it was January 5th. Her birthday! She had almost forgotten that. "23 years now... Wow. I can't believe I've been on Equestria for 23 years."

Flashbacks came from the day she decided to build her log cabin. She didn't want to be around anypony else. They all reminded her of her mother, who had died from cancer.

"Mam-ma!" Lacey said, embracing her warm mother, feeling her fuzzy, warm, pink hooves holding her softly.

"DAMMIT!" she screamed across the room. "This is what I wanted to get away from." Lacey pulled out a trunk from underneath her bed. She opened up the latches, and looked inside. Pictures of her mother stared at her. Shocked, Lacey jumped back and screamed through tears. Hehe... Torture for 23rd birthday? Sigh... Check...

Trying to fix her mind on something else, Lacey Ribbon closed her trunk and put it away. She instead looked outside. "Still no snow yet, huh?" Lacey said, sipping her coffee, her brown hooves holding the mug. Even though it wasn't cold, she liked the warmness the mug gave her. The thermostat outside showed 52 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty warm for January. "Maybe some music..." she decided, turning on a stereo which played piano music. Instantly, her thoughts went to her mother, whose pink hooves played the keys, and touched them like nopony else could. "Violin sounds better!" she cried, fiddling with the stereo, quickly inserting a different CD into the ejection slot. Lacey Ribbon sighed, listening to the violin's soft strings. She never was a musical pony herself, but she often times listened to classical music, with no singing. Singing reminded her too much of her mother. Besides, just listening to one instrument was simple, basic, and bold. Just what Lacey enjoyed.

"Maybe... Maybe just maybe I could go out to Ponyville for breakfast this morning. It's just a short trot, after all. Besides, I have nothing better to do."

Lacey Ribbon put on her red scarf, grabbed her saddle bag, and left. She trotted away from her home, just on the outskirts of Ponyville. Once she arrived, she was bombarded with ponies everywhere. So many... Her agoraphobia started to kick in. Then, a pink pony approached her, smiling and giggling. Even though her mane wasn't blonde like her mother's, her pink coat was enough go set Lacey on edge. "GET THE BUCK AWAY FROM ME!" she cried, bucking the pony in the face. Despite the pink pony being an earth pony, Lacey was also an earth pony, so her strength neverminded the pink pony being another earth pony. Lacey ran away, looking for a place to eat breakfast.

Eventually, Lacey came across a place shaped like a gingerbread house. "Really? What is this, a tea party for foals?" she said, making a snide remark. Reluctantly, Lacey entered the building, the smells attacking her muzzle. "Smells pretty good," Lacey decided. She walked up to the counter. "May I please have a blueberry muffin?" Lacey asked the gray pony working.

"I knew you'd like the blueberry! So, I have it all prepared!" she said.

Lacey smiled, and handed her two bits, but noticed the mare's yellow mane. She quickly grabbed the bag, and ran into an alleyway. Crying, she remembered her mother everywhere now- in the walls, the ground, the food, the light, the dark...

Suddenly, it started to snow. Lacey exhaled naturally, and saw fog coming out of her muzzle. Her big green eyes blinked, and she smiled. All her thoughts went away. Lacey began to start her walk home, when she noticed a basic brown box sitting in the snow. It didn't appear to belong to anypony. There wasn't a mailing address or anything. Curious, she picked it up, and decided to take it home. She slipped it in her saddle bag.

Once Lacey arrived home to her log cabin, she set her saddle bag down on the wooden table. She took out her package from the gingerbread house and the brown box. It didn't have any tape on it, so she didn't need a letter opener or a knife or anything to open it. Lacey opened up the box. A small pegasus popped up, whom had a brown, messy mane, and a light gray coat, but big, beautiful red eyes. Even though she was wearing rags, she looked happy, and overjoyed when she saw Lacey Ribbon.

"Hi!" she peeped.

"Uh... Hi," Lacey said, confused. What was this little foal doing in a box in the alleyway?

"What's your name?"

"Uh... Lacey Ribbon."

"Oh. I'm... I'm uh... I forgot."

WHAT?! HOW COULD SHE FORGET HER OWN NAME? "Oh. How about... Snowy Day? Y'know, because I found you on a snowy day?"

"I like it! And your name will be... Mama!"

For once, Lacey didn't think of her mother when someone said "Mama." "I like it. It has a nice ring to it. Let's get you all washed up, hey?"

Snowy Day nodded and smiled. She followed Lacey into the bathroom, where she was stripped down, and put in a bathtub. Lacey had gotten the water just the right temperature! Her brown mane was scrubbed, and her gray coat turned white, her original color. While washing underneath her wings, Lacey found a huge scar, which looked like it came from a knife. Amazing what a bath can do!

Once finished, Lacey found an old pink dress of hers and put Snowy Day into it. She smiled and ran into the kitchen. She hopped up onto a wooden chair, smiling. "I'm kinda hungry, Mama," she informed.

Lacey took out the blueberry muffin, took a knife and split it in half. She gave Snowy the bigger half, and ate hers. "So, where did you come from?" she asked, trying to start a conversation.

Snowy dropped her muffin. "I remember being thrown against a wall, being hurt... One day... my father got mad at me because he had been drinking a lot. My mama had died, so he was very upset. She died of cancer..." That shook Lacey. So her mom died of cancer too... "He threw me against a wall, slamming my cheek, kicked my stomach a bunch, and took a knife and tried to cut my wing off. But he was drunk, so he stumbled and fell, slicing only my side. Then he pushed me hard and put me in a box, carrying me into an alley. I kinda just stayed there, hungry and alone. only for a few days, though. I remember the moon coming up 4 times."

"I'm sorry," Lacey said. She looked outside, seeing the moon in a blackish blueish sky. "I think it's about time for bed. Go brush your teeth and... Oh, I don't have a second bed. Just sleep in mine tonight, okay?"

Snowy nodded. She brushed her teeth in the bathroom, and got into some blue pajamas Lacey had laying out for her. They were a little bit big for her, but she smiled and hopped into Lacey's bed.

Lacey came to bed after cleaning up a bit. Once she did, Snowy snuggled up next to her. Lacey's eyes widened in surprise, but accepted the snuggles. "Goodnight, Mama," Snowy said cutely.

"Goodnight, Snowy," Lacey said. She really was her mama now, huh? Was she finally ready to accept the fact she was starting a family? Something was missing, though. I need to find a stallion or mare! she thought.

The next morning, Lacey adjusted herself out of bed as not to wake Snowy from her slumber. Lacey made some coffee, and as she waited for it to brew, she made some eggs for herself and Snowy Day. Would she have to send her off to school? Lacey herself had never been to school. Her mother taught her. Her mother for once, the thoughts went away. Lacey was okay with thinking of mothers, being a mother, etc. In fact, Lacey hadn't thought of her mother at all. Lacey plated up the eggs, and set them on the table. She trotted into the living room to do her work. To do so, she got out a book labeled Broken Mirror and began to write in it with a quill after dipping it in ink, which was held in a golden inkwell with a purple stripe on it. As I walked past the third corridor, I realized that a strange stallion stood at the end of it. "Hello?" I said. He didn't say anything in return. "Hmm..." Lacey sighed. Writing was so difficult, but it kept a roof over her head. And now Snowy Day's as well. "I'll need to find a partner. Otherwise it will be hard to take care of everything... and everyone. But where would I find somepony? I don't want any old pony! Somepony special..."

Lacey heard hoofsteps. She turned around to see Snowy Day walking up. "Morning, Mama," she said, smiling. Her muzzle smelled the eggs, and guessed them to be hers, so she hopped onto a wooden chair and began to eat them. "Thank you, Mama," she said, stuffing her muzzle full. It was now yellow from egg yolks. Adorable, but messy, so Lacey picked up a napkin and wiped Snowy's muzzle. "There," she said, once finished.

"Snowy," Lacey said. "I need to go out to town today. Do you wanna come with me, or stay here?"

Snowy thought. "I wanna come with Mama!"

"Alright," Lacey chuckled.

The two went into the bedroom, and Lacey put Snowy in a small green dress, and herself in an old white t-shirt and her red scarf. "Let's go," she said.

Lacey held Snowy's hoof through the busy roads of Ponyville. A little into their path, they saw a market square. They saw a unicorn selling fresh produce. The mare had a beautiful pink mane, and a silky gray coat.

Lacey walked up to her, and smiled. "Uh... Uhm, hi! I'm Lacey Ribbon, and this is my daughter, Snowy Day," she introduced.

"Oh, hi!" the mare said, smiling in return. Her voice was very soft and sweet. Like cake, but not cake. "I'm Cherry Top! Nice to meet you both." She stuck out a front hoof to shake Lacey's. Lacey shook her hoof. Cherry turned to Snowy, who shook her hoof. "So what's up?"

"Well, uh... I was walking one day and I found Snowy here in a box. I decided to take her in, and now I need help raising her. I'm kinda... looking for a relationship," Lacey explained, hoping Cherry would be okay with it.

"Are you asking me out?"

"Yes..?"

"Okay!" Cherry said. She packed up her things. "I'm done anyways. Where do you live? I'm currently living on my friend's couch, waiting to earn enough money," Cherry said, sadly.

Lacey nodded. "Of course! You can stay with us! Although, we'll need new furniture. Any ideas of where we can get a bed?"

"Really? You'd do that for me? Oh, there's a bed store across the road from here," Cherry said. "I'll show you."

This was working out perfectly. Lacey Ribbon had never had such great luck before. Perhaps Snowy could have something to do with it? Nah!

Once the party arrived to the building, Cherry mentioned she had just enough money to buy a bed they needed. Snowy made a comment that surprised Lacey. "Can I get my own bed? It might be cheaper if we got a smaller one, and Mommy and Daddy always slept in the same bed, so I'm sure you two want to too!"

Lacey shrugged in surprise. "Sure! But I don't know if we're ready to get married or anything. We're just dating!"

Cherry entered the store. "Pick out a bed, Snowy, dear."

Snowy looked all around the store. Her little wings picked her up and carried her throughout the store, trying to find a bed, but once she did, her scar showed, catching Cherry's attention. "What happened?" she whispered to Lacey.

"She's had a rough past. Her dad tried to cut off her wing while he was drunk, but he missed and slashed her there. He packed her up in a box and threw her in the alleyway. That's where I found her."

"Wow," Cherry exclaimed, surprised. "It's really nice of you to take her in like that."

Lacey blushed. "I did what I thought was right." The two followed Snowy throughout the store.

"This one! This one!" Snowy screamed.

Cherry and Lacey went to the bed Snowy was screaming about, and looked at the price. "2000 bits!" Cherry exclaimed. "I only have 1600..."

"It's okay!" Lacey said. "I have a few extra bits. We can split the price, okay?" Lacey walked up to the counter, and swiped her credit card. Cherry hoofed the clerk 1000 bits, and levitated the bed, mattress, and bed set with her to the house, which was really heavy, so they had to stop a few times.

"How far away is your house? Shit!" Cherry said.

"We're almost there. Quit complaining!" Lacey joked. They finally reached the house, and Cherry Top set the bed in the bedroom, which was fairly big. "I'll set it up," Lacey said, unwrapping the fitted sheet, and fixing it to the mattress. Then she put the regular sheet on. "Snowy, dear. Can you please put the pillows in the pillowcases here? The pillows are in the closet." Lacey adjusted the bed's position. Snow came into the room with the pillows in pillowcases, and put them on the bed. Cherry got a blanket and put it on the bed.

"My horn's so wiped out..." Cherry commented.

"I'll show you around the house," Lacey said. She went into the kitchen, which held a refrigerator, a stove, microwave, cupboards, a table with four chairs around it, and a flower pot hanging above everything. "The kitchen/dining room." Next, they went into the living room, which held a big black couch, which had a TV in front of it, and in between a coffee table. On the coffee table, there was a quill, book, and inkwell. "Sorry for the mess- the living room." The three walked into the bathroom, which was just like any other bathroom. "The bathroom." Next, the bedroom. "The bedroom, which you've already seen." Another room followed, which had a desk, a computer, a stereo, and a sofa. "My office. Please don't come in, I don't like people coming in here," Lacey warned. They went into an empty room. "I guess this can be your room, Snowy. Nothing's in here, anyways. We can buy you some furniture, and get you all set up!" Lacey smiled. "That's the house." It's gonna be a busy week...