Once Upon a Winter Moon

by Shaded Blood

Rating: mature
Tags: Rarity, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Violence, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Sweetie Belle, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5693

"Sis, can you tell me a story?"

"Sis, can you tell me a story?"

As the pure snow drifts just beyond the windows to their warm home, two sisters begin to settle down for a night of restful sleep. The younger of the two, desperate to stay awake for just a little while longer, pleads for her older sibling to tell a story. Though reluctant, the young mare obliges her sister's wishes and weaves for her a tale of love and loss...

Published 2019-12-02 01:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-12-02 01:20:01 UTC

Two Sisters

~Once Upon a Winter Moon~

Many Years Ago

"Sis, can you tell me a story?" The soft voice of a small filly pleaded as she held the edge of her blanket close to her chin. A sound akin to the chime of small bells followed the request as a young mare climbed upon the surface of the bed to lie next to the little one. Small flecks of white cascaded elegantly past the nearby window, coming to rest upon a field of snow and ice beyond their view. The rapid flicker of the nearby candles cast aloft dim shadows across the corners of the room, her tired eyes mistaking the dark patterns and dancing shapes as mystical creatures and fantastical tales from her many dreams.

"I’m not so sure that you would stay awake long enough, dear." A light blue aura lit upon her alabaster horn as the silken sheets began to tuck themselves around the tired youngling. In an effort of protest, the filly began to wiggle herself, undoing her sister’s efforts and leading the two into a small game as the older fought to keep the younger tucked in. Their small bout of playfulness did not last however as a soft yawn broke through the myriad of giggles.

“There now, you should get some sleep, we can play all you want in the morning before breakfast.” Smiling with care and love, the young mare leaned forward and nuzzled her sister who could only return the affectionate gesture, struggling to fight off another yawn.

"But you promised..." Though her voice was laced with exhaustion, the smallest bit of a disappointed tone could be heard. Sighing into the filly’s mane, the young mare found herself chuckling at the filly’s desperate attempts.

“Alright, dear, you win. What story would you like to hear tonight?” Drawing away from her, the young mare watched as the filly wiped at one of her eyes with a hoof, clearly trying to stay awake. Clearing her vision, the young one’s eyes watched the dancing shadows as her mind wandered, trying to choose from any of the fables that her older sister had spun in the past.

“What about… the one with the sisters?” Raising a brow at this, the young mare’s eyes grew concerned as she crossed her forelegs over one another, her violet tail curling and coming to rest along her side. As though it were instinct, one of the filly’s hooves reached out and grasped ahold to it, bringing it closer.

“Are you sure dear? It is a bit frightful…” While nodding back to her, the young foal began to settle back against her soft pink pillows. The young mare’s eyes watched the filly closely before taking a deep breathe, releasing it slowly as she fought with herself. Was this truly a good idea?

“I’m not a foal anymore…” Raising her eyes, she found the small filly looking back at her, a small glint of something she couldn’t quite place danced within them alongside the candlelight. A smile graced her features as she reached forward and place a hoof upon her sister’s that held her tail close.

“Of course not… Let us begin then, shall we?” The wind outside began to pick up slowly as it carried the small dregs of snow through the air. Softly drifting through the dark sky, they cast themselves alongside the bright stars and the great crescent moon that shined above.

~ ~ ~

Two Sisters

Once upon a time, there were two sisters who lived together in the woods. Their home was that of a small cottage, surrounded by beautiful flowers and lush gardens. Though they had no mother that they could remember, their father, a homely stallion with a kind smile and a bright joy in his eyes, took great care to keep the girls safe and happy.

The two sisters had never known what it meant to be poor, as they were rich in both life and happiness. For them, the gardens that grew around their home provided them with plenty of food through the summer and winter months and the well that their father had dug for the family had always provided them with fresh water to drink. Occasionally their father would make the odd trip away, but he would always return with goodies for both of them. They could never be found wanting as the two of them could not be happier with their little family.

But it was not to be…

Tragedy struck in the earliest moon of winter on the year of the oldest sister's coming of age. Their father, the pillar of strength and kindness, had fallen ill. The older of the sisters did her best to reassure the little one, promising that everything would be fine. By the end of the third moon, their father passed in the night, leaving the sisters distraught at his loss. They sat next to his bed for the entirety of the following day, holding one of his hooves in each of theirs as they cried their sorrows.

As the sun rose at the dawn of the next morning, the older sister dried her tears and began preparations for what she knew had to be done, but the younger sibling, still naive to the fate of those who did not wake, pleaded for her not to.

“Daddy’s just sleeping! He’s gonna wake up, you’ll see!” Her voice, laced with grief and sorrow, begged her sister to let him remain in bed. He would rise again when he had had enough rest. The older sister tried to console her, to help her understand that their father was not asleep, nor would he ever wake again. But she would not listen, fighting against her sister both physically and verbally as the older bore the weight of the responsibility for both setting their father to rest as well as the taking on the full brunt of her sibling’s sorrow.

Her younger sister would hate her… but she would bear it...

There was no service, there were no words spoken or lovely speeches to follow… The two sisters stood on opposite sides of the grave, the fresh mound of dirt was the only part of the ground beneath them that was not blanketed in the crystalline snow. Dark grey clouds hovered above them, the specks of ice lazily coming to rest upon their backs and manes.

Time would not wait for them…

In the following weeks, the older sister struggled to keep them both afloat in the harsh winter. The cold had set in firmly and the storms that came with it were doing them no favors. The cottage had begun to wear without constantly being managed, the young mare doing her best to make repairs with what little materials she could find. Sacrificing their father’s bed to keep their roof from leaking, dismantling her own dresser to cover up a hole that a fallen tree limb had created when it came crashing through their bedroom wall, and using what was left to keep the fireplace lit for warmth.

Both of their frames were growing steadily thinner, their stores of food seemed to be growing shorter a lot faster than they should be. No matter how hard she tried to find out why this was, the older sister could not come up with an answer. A horrible smell had also begun to set in within the storehouse, as though something inside it had turned rotten. It was no use trying to ask her sibling for help, she had not spoken to her since their father had passed…

While the older of the two struggled to keep their home in one piece, the younger was often found gazing off into the distance, a look of longing in her eyes. That was only when her sister even could find her. There were many times that she seemed to vanish, not to be found for hours at a time, but she always came back. She would not heed her sister’s calls for when meals were ready, nor would she take any time to try and assist her when something needed to be done. The older sister had given up asking for her to help after the first few days. But something else seemed off about the little one. Though her frame had grown thin like her sister’s, her cheeks seemed more hollow and her once pristine white coat now looked tinged with a sickly bone yellow. Though she did not speak, that was not to say she made no sound as every now and then she could be heard coughing roughly. The edges of her hooves were cracked and chipped, bits of dirt and rock wedged within the fractures.

The young mare made sure to sneak bits of herbs and medicine into her sister’s meals, always giving her the larger portions to try and help her. Worried for her sister’s declining health and the state of their home, the older sibling became obsessed with finding a solution. In searching the rest of their father’s room for answers, she made a discovery! A letter addressed to their father that had been hidden away at the back of his closet. It spoke of a village that was close by, mayhap a day’s travel at most. If she took a few of her things, she could possibly trade them for rations, even shelter if the opportunity arose. Thoughts of medicine and aid came to mind as her sister’s health jumped to the forefront. A plan took form and the young mare began to pack as many of her belongings that she could carry into saddlebags, anything that could have been of value.

Her sister watched her with sunken, glazed eyes as she packed, uncaring and unmotivated, her input that of the occasional hacking cough. Turning to her, the older sister informed her that she would be back by the next day and that there were rations waiting for her when she was hungry. Once more, she was met with silence from the filly. Her heart grew heavy with worry for her sibling, but she put it aside. This was more important right now. Donning a heavy coat and scarf, the older sister gave a tentative wave of farewell, before heading out into the harsh snow.

The little one watched as her sister trotted away through the cold ice and wind, pushing her way through the forest in the same direction that their father would travel on his trips away. Their father… the smallest glint of life returned to the filly’s eyes as she rose from her spot and made her way through the quiet home, passing through the kitchen and completely ignoring the food that sat upon the table. Exiting through the back door, the filly barely acknowledged the cold around her despite not wearing anything to protect her from its biting chill. She carved a trail through the thick layer of frozen rain, coating her bone-thin legs with ice as she went.

Stepping onto a now-familiar path, the filly followed it for a few more steps, before coming across her family’s storehouse. The small wooden shack was in as poor a condition as their home. It’s creaking frame barely held together as the surface was littered with cracks and holes. The faintest smell of something horrid wafted from deep within. Instead of opening the front door, the filly turned and trotted to the backside, where she quickly began to scrape away the fallen snow and revealed the doors to an underground cellar. A strange smile crossed her features as she opened it, taking steps down into the darkened room. Continuing past the empty barrels and crates, trotting carelessly through the fallen webs of long-dead spiders, she found herself facing a wall of wood with a strangely placed crate of bottles. It took a great effort for the filly to push the crate away, revealing a hole that had been roughly cut through the wall. The dirt beyond was carved away, the rusted tools that had long since been abandoned lay half-buried in the dirt, leading into a small alcove beneath the storehouse.

“I’m home daddy…” A hoarse and crackly voice whispered in the darkness.

~ ~ ~

The young filly shivered, clutching the tail of her sister tighter and whimpering. This, in turn, caused the young mare to stop her tale, worry creasing her brow.

“Now see dear, I told you this was too much for bedtime. You’re going to have nightmares and mother will never let me live it down.” Making to rise from her position, the young filly cried out in protest as she leaped forward and grabbed ahold of her sister’s foreleg instead.

“N-no! I can take it, I promise!” The older sibling shook her head.

“No dear, I can’t risk it. I won’t have you coming to my room later to crawl into bed with me.” Her younger sister would not have it, however, holding tighter as she threatened to be pulled from beneath the blankets that held her lower half in place.

“I won’t! I promise… please?” Looking up to her, the younger sister’s eyes welled with tears as they grew bigger, her ears folded back against her light purple and pink mane. Trying to fight the look, the young mare finally relented, allowing herself to be pulled back into her resting position.

“Very well… but if you wet the bed, it is your own doing.” The filly’s features looked aghast at such an accusation.

“Nuh-huh! I won’t wet the bed, I pinkie promise! Um, c-cross my he-heart… and.. hope to fly… st-stick a c-cupcake in my… eye?” As she went through the motions, the young mare smiled warmly, silently mouthing the words with the young one to help her through it. With a soft sigh, she shook her head and chuckled.

“Very well then, shall we?” Flicking her coifed tail along her barrel once more, the filly took hold of it and nodded vigorously.

~ ~ ~

The cold was biting at her as the wind grew stronger, pushing her back to where she came. No matter how many times she fought to gain ground, the icy wind would fight harder to keep her at bay.

It seemed as though no matter how hard she tried, the young mare was simply too weak from her lack of nutrition to fight against it. Slumping against a nearby oak, she wept openly, crying into the great wood as she released her stress, her sorrows, and her grief of the past several weeks. She cried at her failure to help their father and lamented over the state of their once cozy little home. She wailed out her frustrations of having the future of her sister’s well being having been thrust upon her so suddenly. It wasn’t fair, life just wasn’t fair.

Curled against the tree, the young mare’s sobs finally began to slow as she calmed herself. Having finally found release from her pent up sorrow, the world seemed so much clearer to her. Leaning her head against the great tree, she exhaled as the cold seemed to fade just a little. Looking up, she smiled as she found the tree, not unlike her father, was still strong and unchallenged in this harsh weather. It took the blows that the world had to give and although it would bend at times, it would not allow itself to break. Memories of the times her father had seemed sad or worried came to mind, but he always did his best no matter what came. Taking deep breaths, she watched as the air that left her mouth and nostrils formed great clouds of wispy smoke that billowed through the air. She sighed peacefully, perhaps life wasn’t as bad as it seemed. If her father could do it, so could she.

Looking back down the path to home, hope rose within her as she struggled back to her hooves. They would be okay, she just needed to be strong, strong enough for the both of them. Taking one step at a time, the wind to her back, the young mare shakily made her way through the woods. She hadn’t been gone for long as it was, hardly an hour would have passed, plenty of time was left in the day to try and spend with her sister. After that, she would take the tools that she could, and she would use her memories to follow in her father’s hoofsteps to repair the home. A trip to the village would still be needed for food and rations, but one more day wouldn’t hurt.

As she made her way, a warm thought crossed her mind and she decided to change direction just a little. Going a little way off the path, she found herself making her way to their father’s grave. If only for a moment, she could take solace in him, speak her thanks to him and everything he had done, and promise that she would take care of them just as he had. A solemn oath in her eyes, ready to be spoken at a moment’s notice, she came upon the place of their father’s final resting place, only for a scream to escape her lungs instead of a precious vow.

~ ~ ~

“Ar-are you... hungry d-daddy? We ha-have plenty of... f-food still.” The young one spoke, struggling to form words as she coughed in between them. Trembling, she reached into one of the many burlap bags that surrounded her, rations that she had been sneaking from the storehouse above. She held out a few potatoes from the sack, one in each hoof.

“P-pick one da-daddy.” The almost skeletal remains did not react, it’s hollow eyes staring back silently. She giggled softly and placed the largest of the two in the skeleton’s lap where a pile of rotten and ruined fruits and vegetables lay.

“Yo-you need to eat th-the big one… You won’t get... be-better without f-food…” Her eyes glazed over as she smiled at him, the boisterous laughter of her father playing in her ears. Here she was happy, here she could be with her daddy and her sister wouldn’t take him away anymore. She coughed heavily, her chest heaving as a trail of crimson dripped from the edges of her lips.

A voice called out from above, muffled and panicked. Eyes wide, the young filly scrambled to her hooves, eyes watching above her. The voice called again, closer with worry clear in its tone.

‘No… no, go away!’ The filly covered her ears, trying to drown out the worried and tearful cries of the mare above her. She did not hear the steps that came rushing down the cellar doors that she had left open. She did not hear the searching and worried hoof falls of her sister as she turned over crates and boxes. She fought to pull away from the warm forelegs that dragged her through the opening in the wall, away from her happiness and back to the cold and bitter world outside. Her sister struggled to keep her grip on the filly as she tried desperately to get back to her home.

“Let me go! Le-let me go! D-Daddy! Daddy help!” She cried through fits of coughing, the scarlet drops that leaked from her lips now pouring in rivers as her body began to fail her in her exertions. The older sister could do nothing but hold her close, crying in sorrow and desperation as the filly’s struggles began to slow, before finally growing still…

The young mare trembled in the cold cellar, holding her young sibling with all her might and crying into her mane. She cursed the illness that took her father and that now claimed her little sister, she cursed herself for trying to force her sibling to simply get over her grief and move on, but she cursed herself most of all for not seeing the signs…

Looking past the mane of her sibling, she wept as she spied the remains of their father, surrounded by the missing food that would have helped them through the last of the winter months. Turning her sister over in her hooves, she nuzzled into the nape of her neck, brushing along her sibling’s pale face softly with a single hoof as her tears fell unrelentingly. If only she had been there for her… If only she had given her more time to grieve properly…

Hours later, the young mare stepped out into the cold winter night, the cellar doors trembling in the harsh wind. A single burlap bag rested across her back, the frail hairs of a pink and purple tail just barely falling out of the opening. With trembling hooves, she traversed the shadows of the forest, the tears upon her cheeks frozen and her eyes glazed in sorrow.

A quiet cough broke the night air.

~ ~ ~

The young one’s eyes were watery as she held tightly to the tail of her older sibling, refusing to let go for even a moment. The flames of the candles were slowly going out now, one by one as their wicks burned themselves to the bottom. The older sister looked to her with worry, placing a hoof along the little one’s face for her to nuzzle into.

“Are you going to be alright, Sweetie?” The filly, Sweetie Belle, nodded softly into the hoof, sniffling quietly.

“Ye-yea… It’s just… sad… but still beautiful…” Her older sister, Rarity, seemed confused by her words.

“Oh? And how do you figure that?” Pulling away from the hoof, Sweetie stretched beneath the blanket, her eyes seemed lost in thought.

“I don’t know… it was just, the older sister really cared about her little sister… and even though she lost track of what was important… she eventually found it again… and, knowing that she could be sick too, means that when she passes away, her family will be together again…” The two fell into silence as Rarity contemplated the wise, if naive, words of her little sister. A soft smile gracing her visage, she leaned forward and nuzzled the little one, eliciting a fit of giggles from the filly.

“I think it’s time for bed then, how about you move over a little and make some room?” Pausing in her giggles, Sweetie Belle made no qualms about it as she rushed to clear space for her sister. Chuckling lightly, the young mare slipped beneath the covers and curled herself around the filly, once more returning her tail to the young ones embrace. Lighting her horn, a blue aura wafted past the dying flames of candlelight, casting the both of them in darkness.

“H-hey, sis?” Rarity hummed in response, lifting an eyelid to try and spy out her little sister beneath her.

“If… If I ever got sick… you wouldn’t leave me a-alone… right?” The young mare felt a shock through her body at such a horrible thought. The tale of the sisters came to mind, particularly how the older sister had neglected the younger. And though it was due to her trying to keep their home and health together, it ended in tragedy… Her answer was as clear as the cutie mark upon her flank.

“Of course not dear, I won’t ever let anything happen to you.” The filly’s sigh of content was all she needed to feel her own reassurance and the two of them drifted off to sleep, a happy Hearth’s Warming just ahead of them.

‘I promise…’

~ ~ ~

Present Day

A cold wind whispered its way through the near-empty cobblestone roads, a bone-chilling wraith that caressed those that found themselves within its embrace. Slowly and silently, small bits of white drifted from the dark sky above, layering upon the frozen ground. The soft crunch of the snow could be heard from nearly every corner of town as the hooves of the infected carried them towards any signs of life. Broken and shattered forms shambled through the streets, their flesh falling away to reveal the rotted organs within. Aching groans escaped their lips as the smallest bits of air that could reach their lifeless lungs would be forced out with their movements, leaving an orchestra of despair in their wake. The few individuals left alive in the little town were hiding away in what shelter they could find, hoping and praying that salvation would come, that this nightmare would end...

The wind outside of her shattered window whistled as it blew past the broken glass, the only thing that broke through the sound of the infected’s moaning overture. Snow and ice flitted into the dark workroom of Carousel Boutique, coming to rest upon the trembling back of a single white mare.

Rarity’s once immaculately coiffed mane and tail were an absolute mess, frazzled in most places while trimmed jaggedly in others. Her downy white fur was sticking out as dirt and mud were splattered across her side, mixing with a dark red liquid that poured across her form and into a puddle upon the carpet. She shook as tears streamed from her eyes that stared down to the sole reason she was not trying to seek a more reliable shelter.

A soft gurgling choke escaped from Sweetie’s lips as she fought to keep it down. The scared and pained look in her eyes pleading to her sister, begging for the pain to stop. The dark lifeblood of her body flowed freely from her lips and nostrils, but none more so than the gaping wound in her neck. No matter what she tried, Rarity could not stop the bleeding, she could not stop the unimaginable pain her sister was in. Wailing openly as she clutched at the bloody mane of her little sister desperately, she cast her eyes around the room as she scoured the place for anything that could help, the still body of the infected responsible for her plight laying nearby in its own pool of blood, the shimmering and dented form of a clothing iron still lodged in its head.

“I-I-I-It’ll b-be okay, Swe-Sweetie! I-I p-p-promise!” Her voice, panicked and uncertain, tried to reassure her sister as she rocked both of them back and forth on the floor. Looking back, she found that Sweetie’s eyes were slowly rolling towards the back of her head, the grip of her pleading hoof loosening as the limb began to fall away. Rarity’s eyes widened as she began to scream for her to stay awake.

“S-Sweetie! No, op-open your eyes! Sweetie st-stay with me! SWEETIE OPEN YOUR EYES PLEASE!!!” Her voice devolved into a fit of garbled pleas and begging, but they were for naught. The filly’s head and body lay in her sister’s grasp, silent and still. Her pain had ended, but in no part due to her sister’s efforts. Rarity looked towards the ceiling of her home and screamed her grief to the world, mascara raining down her face and dripping from her chin.

Loud hoofsteps came stomping up the stairwell of the home before a violet aura encompassed the handle of the room’s entrance, the wall shaking with the force of the door’s swing as it was thrown open.

“Rarity! Rarity are you here!?” Twilight Sparkle cast her eyes across the room, worry in her voice and fear in her eyes. The wounds and bandages across her body were muddled with frayed ends and dark red spots. A set of saddlebags lay across her back, filled to the brim with various tools and makeshift weapons that dripped with the infected’s own essence. Floating alongside her, a large baseball bat hung in the air, its marred surface chipped and bloodied.

“Rar-” Her call came to an abrupt halt as her eyes finally landed on her quarry, their frames widening at the sight. Turning on her hooves, she retched into the hallway as the horrific scene burned itself into her memory. Once she could feasibly breathe again without feeling sick, she returned to the room, tears welled up within her eyes as she rushed to the aid of her hysterical friend.

“R-Rarity… I’m so, so sorry, but we can’t s-stay here…” She wanted to give the mare her time, give her the chance to let it all out. But every moment her friend spent crying away her grief was another moment the horde outside grew closer.

“Rarity… please, we have to go…” Stepping around the pool of Sweetie’s blood, she made to get closer to the mare, placing a hoof on her whithers. Suddenly, a soft grunting began to rise from beneath. Startled, Twilight looked around in a panic, raising her bat for a defensive stand. Nothing was visible, there were no infected in the room, well besides the body she hadn’t noticed earlier. Watching the remains carefully, it made no attempts to move or get up, the glinting shine of the impromptu weapon nestled within its skull. The grunting came again, this time louder and more vocal. A chill ran down her spine as Twilight slowly turned back to Rarity, or more specifically, the body that now began to struggle in her grasp.

“Rarity… you n-need to let her go…” The Element of Generosity ignored the star pupil of their ruler, choosing instead to only hold onto her charge even tighter, crying helplessly into her blood-soaked mane. Sweetie’s eyes slowly flickered open as the now grey and unseeing pupils dilated and swam around in her head, searching until they locked onto the mare that held her captive. Rarity’s grip tightened like a vice as Sweetie began to gurgle and growl her attempts to reach her, limbs flailing about to find purchase.

“Rarity let her go!” Twilight yelled desperately, trotting to the front of the mare in a vain hope to get her attention. The distraught unicorn refused, gripping her sister close and holding her struggling frame against her. At a loss for what more to do, Twilight clenched her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face in heartache and regret.

“I.. I’m sorry Sweetie!” Her trusty bat raised itself at the ready before she turned and with a scream of determination, she swung with lethal force.

Rarity’s eyes snapped open at the sound of Twilight’s cry, her sapphire orbs locking onto the form of one of her best friends bearing down on her with a weapon… no not her… the path of the bloodied tool was fixated lower like it was heading towards… All thought disappeared from her mind as rage took the place of grief and her horn flashed with the bright blue of her magic, its intensity almost a shining white. A single, sharply cut stone of turquoise sapphire thrummed in place nearby as the aura overtook it.

A deafening crack of thunder erupted within the home, shaking the very foundations and shattering what windows remained intact.

Wood collided with the carpet as the bat fell from its place in the air, bouncing momentarily before falling still. The echo of released pressure still reverberated through the small room.

One step… two steps… Twilight’s body collapsed into the puddle of Sweetie’s blood, her eyes unseeing as a veritable fountain of crimson nectar flowed through a gaping hole just beneath her horn. The wall behind her was now splattered with a cascaded work of morbid art, the scarlet tapestry painting an image of loss and fury. A single hole pierced the wall, the smoking and shattered remnants of the jewel buried within.

Rarity’s bloodshot and furious eyes glared daggers at the space where Twilight had been standing. Sweetie’s attempts to claw and bite her were all that drew her attention away from the scene of the murder she had just committed. Slowly, her rage dampened and the grief returned, it’s cold reality draping itself around her. A quiet thought drifted through Rarity’s mind as she held the filly close, perhaps it was time for one last bedtime story… she hadn’t told her sister one in ages it seemed… but which one…

“Sw-Sweetie… w-w-would you like to h-hear a sto-story?” Her voice, hoarse and crackly, echoed in the darkroom. The sister’s only response was that of her growling voice, trying desperately to reach the neck of her sibling. Rarity only nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips as her horn lit up once more.

“I-I know j-just the one… It w-was always your fa-favorite…” Slowly, her blue aura began to shine all around her, covering the workbenches and desks before slowly making its way up the walls of the home. Her eyes grew heavy with strain, and the pain in her head grew tremendously, but she pressed on. The home began to tremble, wood and stone cracking as it fell apart around them. Carefully pulling her sister closer to her, she pressed her firmly against her chest as she strained with her magic, tears pouring from her eyes and dropping into the little one’s mane.

“O-Once… upon a ti-time… There were tw-two s-sisters...” The heavy stone and wood above finally gave way as it came crashing down...

Author's Note

Shaded: "Whoo, this one's been in the works for a good while now, I just hadn't managed to get around to it with all my focus having been on The Power of the Equinox. That said I hope you all enjoy the rewrite of this as much as I did writing it! If you want to read the original version of this you can find it -> Here <-."

Twilight: "You gonna mention the Test Audience? You know they work pretty hard to help keep your stuff in top shape."

Shaded: "Oh! Right!" *ahem* "A special thanks to my Test Audience readers and my Proof Reader Kuunlehti! And while I'm at it, why not show your own support by liking this story? If you would like to participate more with other readers of my works, check out the Discord link below where you can also find my Facebook Page and Twitter links!"

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