"Edelweiss, wanna come watch Nana Lulu raise the moon?" Neoma called. There was a flash of white as seven-year-old Edelweiss suddenly appeared next to her grandmother and mother on the castle's tower, her wings raised in excitement.
"You know I watch every night, Nana Lulu," Edelweiss giggled. "It's my favorite part of the day." She closed her eyes and raised her head, her ears flickering as she took a deep breath. The crisp, cold evening air carried a smoky aroma that usually preceded snow. Steam puffed from Edelweiss’ nostrils as she exhaled. "The stars sound so beautiful tonight, don't they?"
“Wha—Della, what do you mean?” Luna’s eyes widened at her granddaughter’s words. Only one other pony had ever spoken to Luna about the sounds of the stars. Luna’s throat tightened as she stared at Edelweiss and pictured another white pony standing in her place. The filly looked so much like an alicorn version of Luna’s old friend.
“Della,” Luna said, concerned, “how are your eyes? I mean, can you see well?” She had never had any doubt that Edelweiss had perfect vision, but she needed to hear it from the filly herself. When Edelweiss nodded confidently, Luna sighed with relief.
“I can see perfectly, Nana,” Edelweiss assured Luna. “The doctor told me I have twenty-twenty vision. I’m the best reader in my class, too!”
“Then, how can you hear the stars, honey?” Luna asked the foal. “I am thousands of years old, but I only know of one other pony who could hear the stars twinkling, and that pony was blind.” As Luna told Edelweiss the story of Snowdrop, the little white filly listened intently, her eyes wide with fascination. After Luna had finished the story, a thoughtful look crossed Edelweiss’ face.
“Hmm,” the filly said, “so that’s why we wish on snowflakes now?” Luna nodded as tears filled her turquoise eyes.
“Snowdrop was, and still is, the only pony who has ever fully understood my night. She saw the beauty in it, though she really couldn’t see at all.” Tears clung to Luna’s thick eyelashes, and she sniffed and reached up to wipe her eyes. “Though she has been gone for over two thousand years, I still miss her terribly.”
“I’ve always loved your nights, Nana,” Edelweiss said softly. “I like to stay up late and look at the moon, and I love it when you send shooting stars across the sky for me. Nighttime is the most magical time of day, because that’s when the most beautiful things happen. I mean, when mom sends the northern lights into your night sky, it’s a breathtaking sight. When your moon shines down onto newly fallen snow, everything turns silver. Your nights are spectacular.” Luna smiled and nuzzled her granddaughter lovingly.
“You are wise beyond your years, little one,” she told the filly. “If only all ponies thought of the night that way.” Luna turned and her horn began to glow as she brought the full moon up into the black sky. With one effortless swoop of her horn, she sent the constellations into their places, then dotted the rest of the dark abyss with billions of winking stars. Finally, Luna looked over her shoulder and nodded at Neoma. The turquoise alicorn’s horn lit up, and she began to paint the expanse above them with a colorful river of light that streamed upward from her horn. Edelweiss watched in awe at the light show that the two alicorns had created. Though Neoma and Luna did this together every night, Edelweiss never tired of watching her mother and grandmother at work. As the soft moonlight combined with the bright display of colors that swam across the sky, Edelweiss wondered what her own talent would be.
How will I ever make as big of a difference as my mom, grandma, aunt, and great aunt do? she thought. I'm just a blank flank. What good is being an alicorn if I don't even have a cutie mark? Edelweiss sighed and followed Neoma and Luna inside, shivering at the chill of the brisk winter night. She yawned as she walked to her bedchamber. Unlike her mother, Edelweiss had not inherited Luna's nocturnal tendencies.
As Luna walked through the streets of Ponyville, she felt a knot form in her stomach, even though she had cast a spell that disguised her as a pale yellow Earth pony with a baby blue mane and tail. Why am I doing this? she asked herself. Why now? Thousands of years had passed since the death of the pure white pegasus who had been such a dear friend to her, but Luna felt a relentless urge to find out about Snowdrop's descendants, who they were, and what kinds of abilities they possessed. Most ponies inherited some of their parents' powers, but some did not; still, it was quite common for generations to continue where past ones left off with their special talents. Whether Pegasi, for example, nearly always inherited their abilities from their parents. Luna headed straight to the Weathermakers' Village, where all the weather Pegasi lived. In the center of the village, Luna was greeted by a huge silver statue of Snowdrop standing on a snowflake with her wings spread. A lump grew in Luna's throat as she approached the statue and read the plaque in front of it:
"For every flake of falling snow, make a wish, and I shall know." This statue is dedicated to the memory of Snowdrop by Her Majesty The Princess of the Night.
Luna had personally commissioned the memorial's construction a few days after her return from the moon, and she had dedicated the statue after it was built. She walked to the cemetery on the outskirts of the village and immediately found Snowdrop's grave, which was marked by another elaborate silver statue of the Pegasus. Snowdrop's cutie mark was prominently displayed on the pedestal below the statue, above her name, date of birth, and date of death.
"Snowdrop," Luna whispered as her eyes filled with tears, "I'm so sorry I left you, my friend. I'm sorry I allowed my heart to darken. I have a beautiful granddaughter now, and she looks just like you. Please watch over her when her parents and I cannot. Guard her with the love and care that you once gave each of your snowflakes. I know you can hear me, Snowdrop. Please keep her safe."
"Excuse me," a voice said softly. Luna jumped and whipped around to see a small light blue Pegasus mare with a mane and tail as white as snow and eyes of icy blue. She wore a light pink knit hat and scarf. Her cutie mark was nearly identical to Snowdrop’s, apart from the fact that the flower intersected with a crescent moon. Luna felt her heart skip a beat as she took a step closer to the mare.
“Oh, I’m so sorry I scared you,” the mare said softly. “My name is Faith. What’s yours?”
“Uhh, I’m Selena,” Luna blurted. “What brings you here tonight?”
“Well, Snowdrop is my great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother,” Faith said. “I come here a lot to talk to her, and maybe to seek her wisdom. I often feel her presence here. What about you, Selena?” Luna’s chest tightened as she stared at the mare before her. Without thinking, she changed herself into her true form. Faith gasped, staggered backward and curtsied deeply.
“Your Majesty,” the mare breathed, her eyes wide. “Forgive me, I—“
“It is quite all right. You didn’t know,” Luna assured her. “I knew Snowdrop quite well thousands of years ago. She and I were very close friends. She was a wonderful pony who changed history for all of us. I should have listened to her…” Luna’s throat tightened once more, and she looked down. “I should have heeded her words when she told me not to allow my heart to harden. Maybe if I had, I could have been there for her during her final days.”
“What was she like, Ma’am?” asked Faith, venturing closer to Luna and sitting down next to her in front of Snowdrop’s headstone. Luna felt her hot tears returning as she turned to look at Faith.
“She was a sweet, kind, gentle soul,” the alicorn said. “I longed to heal her blindness, but I never could. She tried to stop me from resenting my sister, but I refused to listen to her. Snowdrop was the only pony who ever truly knew my night—apart from my eldest daughter, Princess Neoma, and my granddaughter, Princess Edelweiss.” Luna smiled. “Della is so similar to Snowdrop in so many ways that I recently asked her if she could see clearly.” She regarded Faith curiously. “Are you a weather Pegasus, Faith?”
“I am, Your Majesty,” Faith replied. “In fact, I am in charge of making snowflakes, just as Snowdrop once was. Each snowflake is unique, but I brand every single one with a microscopic image of Snowdrop’s cutie mark; i do it to honor her. She made a lasting impact on Equestria.”
“That she did,” Luna agreed. “I like to think she lives on through my little Edelweiss. Della is so sensitive, delicate, and in tune with the world around her; she is such a gentle soul, so much like Snowdrop. Della also looks just like her, only in alicorn form. She is as white as freshly fallen snow, and she has ice blue eyes. My granddaughter is hauntingly similar to your ancestor. I had to meet one of Snowdrop’s living relatives, and it makes me so happy to know that a part of that little pegasus still exists.” Faith smiled at the kindness of Luna’s words, thanked the princess, and left Luna with a profound sense of peace.
Nestled in Luna's hooves, the tiny alicorn filly slept peacefully. Luna marveled at how blindingly white her newborn granddaughter's coat was; not even Celestia's coat could boast such a striking resemblance to snow. In fact, Luna only knew of one other pony who shared that trait with little Edelweiss, and that pony had died well over a thousand years ago.
"What does the night sound like?" Luna asked Snowdrop as they sipped tea in one of Canterlot Castle's many drawing rooms. The white mare stood silently and walked towards the French doors that led to the castle gardens, motioning for Luna to follow. Luna obliged, and once the two mares had found a spot in the center of the gardens, Snowdrop raised her head, her ears swiveling daintily as she listened. The moon was full, a glowing white orb in a royal blue ocean of stars. After a moment, Snowdrop spoke.
"It sounds like a concert," she said. "The moon is like a choir of a thousand singers in a massive cathedral, singing works by history’s greatest composers. None of the sections overpower each other; as the sopranos add light, the basses add coolness and depth. The stars are like an orchestra, and they complement your moon perfectly. Your night sounds beautiful, Princess." A lump formed in Luna's throat at Snowdrop's explanation.
"If only everypony could see my night the way you do," she said. "Others eagerly await my sister's daylight. They don't seem to realize that the most beautiful magic is made in moonlight. Couples fall in love beneath my night sky. New foals are created under my moon. Young lovers meet under the cover of my night, and they share secrets and wish on my stars. It only more ponies could appreciate the beauty of my stars, my moon, my northern lights." She sighed in frustration and turned to walk back inside.
Suddenly, the foal stirred, rousing Luna from her memories. Stretching, Edelweiss yawned and began to fuss, her small whimpers quickly crescendoing into full-on cries as she opened her ice-blue eyes.
"Sssshhh, little one," Luna cooed, rocking the filly. "Nana Lulu is here, but you want your mama, don't you?" She smiled and gave Edelweiss to her waiting daughter, Neoma, who promptly began to nurse the foal.
As she walked out of the nursery, Luna unsuccessfully tried to return her painful memories to the most desolate recesses of her mind. Her life couldn’t be any better, so why was she dwelling on the past?
