A thick and gray sky sprinkles the land with peaceful falling snow, covering the landscape in a blanket of whiteness. Cheerful voices break the silence, belonging to four little ponies who are trotting around the foot of a snow-covered hill, leaving a thick trail of hoofprints behind.
“...and after the last leaf finally fell out of its branch, Applejack finally lets me go,” Apple Bloom says with a groan, eliciting chuckles from her three companions. Her frowning features eventually turn into a happy one as she chuckles as well. “Thinking back, it was pretty funny.”
“So does that mean you'd let your big sister do it again?” Button Mash asks.
“Heck no!”
Another round of chuckles.
“Oh hey! We're here!” Sweetie Belle announces, smiling as she gazes at the solid lake a few hooves away.
Scootaloo suddenly gallops toward it. “Last one there's a rotten egg!”
“Hey, you're cheating!” Button Mash exclaims as he and the others run after the laughing pegasus.
“Yeah! No fair!” Apple Bloom adds.
But the pegasus doesn't slow down, until she remembers something. She immediately tries to stop, skidding until she's only a hoof or two from the lake. She sigh's in relie—
“Watch out—!”
Button Mash tries but fails to stop in time, colliding into the startled pegasus.
Applebloom collides into the colt.
And then a squealing Sweetie Belle collides into the earth filly, pushing all of them into the slippery solid surface of the lake.
As they slide in different directions, they try but fail to gain their balance, falling on their bellies and sides.
They stay still and wait until they stop their slide. Afterwards, they look at each other and laugh.
“L-let's not do that again,” Apple Bloom suggests, earning her friends' nods of agreement.
The foals slowly pick themselves up, wobbling once or twice until they're finally standing on their four hooves.
And then Sweetie Belle suddenly starts skating. “Bet you guys can't skate as well as I can!”
“Oh yeah?” Scootaloo says, skating after her. “Is that a challenge?”
The unicorn filly giggles. “Maaaybe?”
Apple Bloom rolls her eyes. She and Button look at each other and chuckle.
The colt then looks around. “So... Where are those fireflies?”
Sweetie Belle stops. “Oh yeah!” She ignores Scootaloo bumping into her. She and the other fillies then look around as well. “Huh...”
“I don't see anything but falling snow,” Scootaloo says.
“What do they even look like?” Button asks.
“That's a good question, actually,” Apple Bloom says.
“Wait,” Scootaloo skates and stops in front of her friend. “You mean you don't know?”
The young farmer shakes her head. “Nnnope.”
The pegasus frowns.
“Hey! Don't look at me like that!” Apple Bloom says. “You don't know what they look like either!”
“But you're the one who suggested we go and look for them!” the pegasus counters.
“Maybe they look like fireflies, but...” Button says, earning the three fillies' attention. “...snowy-looking?”
Three pairs of eyes blink.
The colt shrugs. “Well, I mean, they're fireflies, right? And it has ‘snow’ in their name, sooo...”
“Do you even know what fireflies look like?” Scootaloo asks.
Button opens his mouth to reply, but no words come out. He closes it, his ears drooping.
Apple Bloom slaps the pegasus' shoulder.
“Ow!” Scootaloo winces, rubbing her shoulder with a hoof. She throws a glare at her friend. “What was that for?”
“Hm...” Sweetie Belle hmm's, rubbing her chin in thought. “I dunno. Names don't usually mean what we think they mean.”
“What do you mean?” Button asks.
“Well...” the unicorn looks at him. “I read a book about animals in Twilight's castle library that one time, and learned that a ‘mountain chicken’ is a frog, and not a chicken.”
Silence.
“...Why were you reading a book about animals?” Apple Bloom asks.
“And about frogs, too,” Scootaloo adds.
Sweetie Belle shrugs. “It was for our play.”
“Ah,” Apple Bloom ah's in recollection. “I remember that. ‘The Filly and the Frog,’ right?”
“Oh, that,” Scootaloo says. “Pfft, that wasn't fun because each of us were assigned to different groups.”
“That was last month, right?” Button asks.
“Mhmm,” Sweetie Belle says, smiling at him. “You looked really great in that green outfit and hat of yours in your play, by the way.”
Button blinks, suddenly feeling strangely hot all over, mostly on his face. “Oh, um... T-thanks?” He looks away. “You looked nice in your princess costume, too.”
“Really?” Sweetie Belle asks, smiling. “Thanks! Rarity and I worked really hard on that dress, too!”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo look at each other, and then share a knowing smile.
The young farmer then clears her throat. “A-ahem, anyway,” she says, catching the other two's attention. “Snow fireflies?”
“Oh, right,” the unicorn filly says. “So...how do we look for them?”
“You said you heard it from Miss Shy, right?” Button asks.
“Yup!” Apple Bloom confirms with a nod. “Well... I only heard her talking about it while I was passing by.”
“So what did she say about them?” the colt follows up.
“Hm...” Apple Bloom taps her chin in thought.
“Don't tell me you forgot,” Scootaloo says.
“I didn't,” the young farmer replies, throwing a soft glare at her friend. “Anyway, Fluttershy said that they only come out when the lake is completely frozen solid.”
Her three friends stared at the solid lake under their hooves.
“Like how it is now?” the pegasus asks.
Apple Bloom nods her head. “Yup. She also said that they glow blue.”
“Blue?” the colt asks. “They should be easy to spot then.”
“Maybe,” Apple Bloom says, looking at the gently-falling snow. “But she also said that they only come out when the snow's not falling.”
“Oh.”
The snow then stops falling from the gray sky.
The foals look up, blinking.
“...Oh.”
They look at each other, and then look around.
Seconds fly by in silence.
“...You guys spot anything yet?” Scootaloo asks.
Apple Bloom shakes her head. “Nnnope.”
“I wonder if they only come out at night,” Button voices out.
“If they really are fireflies, then that would make sense, I think,” Sweetie Belle says as she and the rest look back at each other.
“Does that mean we'll wait until sundown?” Scootaloo asks.
Button frowns. “I'm not sure if mom will let me.”
Apple Bloom nods her head. “Yeah. And it's gonna be super cold around here, too, I bet.”
“Oh?” a new and quiet voice echoes.
The four foals' ears twitch. They turn towards the source and see a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane and tail standing by the lake.
“Oh hey there, Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom greets the newcomer as she skates toward her, her friends following close behind.
Fluttershy smiles a gentle smile. “Hello girls.” A pause. A blink. “And boy.”
“Oh, right,” Apple Bloom says. “Fluttershy, this here's Button Mash. Button, Fluttershy.”
Button awkwardly smiles and waves a hoof. “Erm, hello, Miss Shy.”
“Come on, Button,” Scootaloo says, elbowing him. “No need to be shy.”
The pegasus filly earns two sets of deadpans and a giggle from the unicorn.
Fluttershy simply shakes her head with a smile. “Nice to meet you, Button Mash.” She places a hoof on her fluffy chest. “And please, just call me Fluttershy.”
“Oh, okay Miss—I mean, Fluttershy,” Button says and follows it with an awkward nod.
Apple Bloom pats and rubs his head. “Don't worry, Button,” she withdraws her hoof, earning an annoyed look from the colt. “You'll get used to it in no time.”
“So what brings you here, Fluttershy?” Scootaloo asks.
“Oh, I was just out for a walk,” the mare answers with a smile. She looks around the snow-covered surroundings. “I got nothing else to do back in the cottage ever since my animal friends went to hibernate.” She looks back at the four little ponies. “I could ask you girls the same thing,” she says. She blinks. “...And boy.”
Sweetie Belle giggles.
“Don't worry, Fluttershy,” Apple Bloom says jokingly as she pats the mare's hoof. “You'll get used to it in no time.”
Sweetie Belle giggles some more.
Fluttershy rolls her eyes in amusement.
“Anyway,” Apple Bloom says, looking back at the lake. “We came here looking for snow fireflies.”
“Oh?” the mare says, blinking.
Scootaloo looks back at the lake as well. “It doesn't look like there are any right now.”
Sweetie Belle's ears perks up, catching Button's attention. “Oh!” She turns to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, do you know where they could be hiding?”
Scootaloo looks back at them and nods. “Yeah. Button says that maybe they only come out at night, but we don't really wanna wait that long to see one.”
“And you know a lot about animals,” Apple Bloom says. She blinks. “And bugs, I think. And I did hear about them from you, after all. So do they only come out at night?” she asks the fidgeting mare. “I don't really remember you saying that they do, but if they're fireflies, then it'd make sense, right?”
Fluttershy's ears droop. “Um...well...” She bites her lip, looking at four pairs of blinking eyes. She takes a breath and sighs. “Oh, I'm so sorry, Apple Bloom.”
“Huh?” the filly asks, tilting her head in confusion. “Whatever for?”
“Well...” the pegasus mare starts, “I was just sharing to your sister Applejack about a fairy tale my animal friends shared to me...” She frowns an apologetic frown. “I'm so sorry. I must have not noticed you when I was telling the story.”
“Oh,” Apple Bloom says sadly, her ears drooping, but she smiles at her anyway. “Heh, well, I guess it was my fault for not asking what it was about.”
“So we all came out here for nothing?” Scootaloo asks, sounding a little annoyed.
Apple Bloom turns to look at her friends. “I'm sorry, everypony. If only I asked more about it instead of—”
“Meh, forgiven,” Scootaloo suddenly blurts out.
The young farmer blinks. “Huh?”
The young pegasus waves a dismissive hoof. “Don't worry about it, AB.”
The unicorn filly nods her head with a smile. “Yeah. Besides,” she spins on the spot. “At least we got to do something else other than throwing snowballs with Button Mash.” She stops spinning and smiles at the colt. “Right?”
There's that strange, hot sensation again. “O-oh, uh, yeah!” the colt stammers, before nodding his head.
The other two foals look at each other and share a smile of their own.
The pegasus mare chuckles. “Well,” she says, catching the four's attention. “As an apology for the trouble, would you like to join me for tea back in the cottage?”
“Tea sounds good,” Sweetie Belle quickly says.
Apple Bloom nods her head. “Thanks, Fluttershy. We all could use something hot to drink.” She turns to her friends. “Right?”
Button Mash nods his head.
Scootaloo makes a face and shakes her head. “I'm not really a fan of tea.” She looks at the mare. “Do you have cocoa?”
Fluttershy nods her head. “Of course!”
“Alright!” the pegasus filly cheers. “Lead the way, Fluttershy!”
“Could you tell us about the snow fireflies, Fluttershy?” Sweetie Belle asks as she and her friends follow the mare.
Fluttershy nods her head. “Of course! Oh, but it's just a short fairy tale anyway.”
“We'd still like to hear it, if you don't mind, that is,” Apple Bloom says.
Her three friends nod in agreement.
“Of course,” the mare says with a smile. “I'll tell it over tea and cocoa.”
“Actually,” Apple Bloom says, “we kinda wanna hear it right now, if it's alright.” She looks back at her friends. “Right?”
Two fillies nod their heads. A colt simply shrugs.
“Well, alright,” Fluttershy says. She stops and looks back at the frozen lake, the four little ponies following suit. “But I should warn you: it's a sad tale.” She takes a breath. “They say that when the lake completely freezes up, and the snow stops falling, they start to appear. Nopony really knows what they really are, so they simple called them ‘snow fireflies.’
“They glow in a beautiful hue of blue, so soft and gentle, and they fly and glide over the frozen lake. They're more beautiful to look at during the night, because their gentle lights dance in total darkness, and the lake acts like a hazy mirror, reflecting their soft glows, adding more to the beauty and serenity of the place.
“One night, a blizzard has ravaged a small town. In one of the homes, a pony family of three were huddled underneath a thick blanket, in front of their hearth. Their little foal was ill, and they were running out of firewood.
“The blizzard was strong and the winds were howling, but the father knew that if they run out of wood, they'd be in trouble. So when they finally did run out, and the blizzard was still going outside, he started throwing their wooden furniture like chairs and tables into the fire. But soon, they no longer had any more wood to continue the fire, yet the blizzard wasn't showing any signs of stopping any time soon. The father looked at their shivering little foal, and he knew that he needed to do something.
“So he grabbed his thick jacket and marched towards the door. The mother tried to stop him, but the father wouldn't listen. And then their little foal asked him not to leave. His heart ached, but he needed to go out to get more wood. He kissed their foal's head goodbye and promised that he'll return.
“But the minutes became an hour, and the fire was already out, but the blizzard was not. The mother and foal were shivering from the piercing cold. The foal was having trouble breathing. The mother hugged her foal, trying her best to keep them warm.
“Time passed, and the blizzard finally stopped, but the mother's cries and sobs didn't. The father didn't return, and the foal wasn't moving anymore. When the neighbors learned what happened, they tried to revive the foal while the others started looking for the father.
“But neither of them returned to the mother.
“One quiet night, as the town embraced sleep, the mother walked out of her home and started wandering around town. Hours later, she slipped. She found herself on a frozen lake. Despite the darkness, the tiny slivers of moonlight poked through the gray clouds, and she saw her heartbroken face.
“She cried. She cried and cried in the darkness. She wiped her teary eyes with a hoof, and when she looked up, she saw them.
“She saw her family.
“She ran through the orbs of gentle blue light towards them. She threw her hooves to embrace them. But she ran through them. She turned around, took a closer look, and the realization made her cry once again.
“The father and foal, wearing sad smiles, walked up to her and embraced her. The mother looked back at them as they started to fade. She didn't hear it, but she knew that before the father and foal had completely disappeared...
“They said they love her.
“And the mother watched as the gentle blue orbs flew up towards the sky, as if she was Princess Luna, sending her stars to the heavens. And with a sad smile, she told them that she loves them, too.”
Fluttershy sniffs and wipes a teary eye with a hoof.
Apple Bloom does the same thing too, before turning around to her friends.
Scootaloo has her back on them, probably the entire time the story was being told, but she's trembling, if only slightly.
“Waaaaahhh!” Sweetie Belle wails, burrowing her crying face on the startled colt's shoulder.
Button Mash nervously and awkwardly pats her back.
“Geez, Sweetie B-Belle,” Scootaloo speaks up, her back still on them. “It wasn't even that s-sad!” She sniffs. “I'm not crying!”
Fluttershy quietly giggles as Apple Bloom rolls her teary eyes with a small smirk.
“Come on, everypony,” Fluttershy says, catching their attention. “Let's head back to the cottage for some tea and cocoa, and then I'll walk you home.”
Apple Bloom nods. “Thanks, Fluttershy.”
As Apple Bloom and Scootaloo follow the mare, Sweetie Belle finally pulls her head off of the colt's shoulder, sniffling.
“Um...” Button Mash says, trying his best to speak. “Y-you okay?”
“Y-yeah,” Sweetie Belle answers with a slow nod. She sniffs and giggles. “Sorry for using your shoulder as a tissue paper.”
“D-don't worry about it,” Button Mash says. He looks ahead and notices the growing distance. “We should probably start following them.”
Sweetie Belle nods. “Yeah.”
The two walk after the three ponies ahead. Seconds later, the colt slows down until he stops completely. He looks over his shoulder, staring at the frozen, quiet lake.
“Button?”
His ears twitching, the colt looks ahead and sees Sweetie Belle a few hooves ahead, blinking at him. “Sorry.” He catches up with her and the two then walk after their friends.
A gentle blue orb quietly falls on the frozen lake, glowing and dimming, watching the departing ponies for a second or two before it disappears.
And then the snow gently starts to fall once more.
