Snow in Summer


                                            When I was a little colt, I always loved adventuring with my parents through the many deserts of my country. They taught me how to handle the Tatzlwurms that we used as means of transportation.

                                            I was fascinated with them, at first glance I thought they could fly, but in reality, they just are able to jump very high using their immense strength.

                                            My parents used to tell me many stories, but one specific tale about a legendary figure, only called "The Sand King", would one day return and cleanse the lands from the dangers of the desert.


                                            Soon enough, it was my 15th birthday. I was old enough to go on an adventure by myself as it was tradition for my family. My parents told me I could handle it as they had nothing more to teach me. They even gave me my own Tatzlwurm to ride around the desert.

                                            "Short, our son, it fills my heart with pride to see what an outstanding young stallion you have become. But now it is time to write you own story. Head off into the unknown and make us proud." My father said to me, his smile was as warm as the sun of the desert.

                                            "We also got you a parting gift, your very own Tatzlwurm. With this, nothing can stop you as long as you are within the limits of the Daraman desert." My mother said, hugging me.

                                            In the Daraman desert, you don't need a license to ride a Tatzlwurm as it was a century old tradition for my people, but you can only ride them within the confines of the Daraman as other deserts aren't suitable for them. If I wanted to visit other cities, which I most wanted, I would have to leave this Tatzlwurm behind somewhere some time, and hope it can survive without me.

                                            I wanted to know more about this land, to get to know more ponies and other creatures, learn more about alchemy and continue moving from place to place.

                                            With a smile on my face and my transport ready, I bid farewell to my parents.

                                            In all my 7 years of adventuring through the whole world, I haven't had a moment to get back to my home, but I do write them sometimes in my spare time.


                                            On one of my adventures through the city of Krailos, I got to know an interesting fella, it was an earth pony who called himself a barbarian. He was adventuring from way over the city of Ankrahmun. He was older than me and had more experience.

                                            He was my first friend.

                                            His name was Royal Mess and he was the chatty type... and very loud. The thing I remember the most from him was his irritating laughter and how he was using me as an alcohol factory since I used alcohol to make my potions.

                                            He was also very persuasive... At least he tried to be...


                                            "Come on Short, just give it a try! It won't hurt ta' drink a few wit' me!" Royal Mess blared at me, trying to invite me to drink with him in one of Krailos' watering holes. Grudgingly I obliged, mostly because it made him shut up.

                                            The place was filled with ponies dancing and singing, I wasn't really into these places, but Royal would just keep bugging me to come with him over and over until I accepted.

                                            "I just... are you sure I'm fine drinking it?" I stared at Royal but he wouldn't give me an answer, he was waiting for me to drink it. "Whatever... Might as well try it once."

                                            It tasted sweet and faintly reminded you of your mother's baklava. "Kinda nice" You thought, but as soon the golden liquid hit your throat, you began choking hard.

                                            "Ack! M-my throat is on fire!"

                                            "Wahahaha! First time is always the same! Just keep a' drinking more mead and by the third mug and so yer shouldn't have a problem wit' it! The honey should help passin' it down!" He gave me a strong slap on my back that nearly made me puke the mead I had just drunk.

                                            I was annoyed, but I couldn't help but smile.

                                            After that time, I started to get the hang of alcohol, but only drank if it was with my crazy barbarian friend.


                                            Raiding catacombs, doing quests, talking the night away at the bonfire and listening to his crazy stories... day after day, I was quite happy to have him along with me. He made me laugh and basically taught everything I needed to survive in this harsh world.

                                            Especially a legend he once heard fascinated me.

                                            "White covering everything the eye can see! Imagine it instead of sand! A whole land filled wit' white sand! Ain't it amazin'?" Royal laughed. "Rumors say it's cold an' edible! Others say that you can use it to make a tiny house! A house, Short! Hah!"

                                            I chuckled at my friend's story. But it was something he wanted to see by himself, a dream, even if it was unreachable.

                                            "Maybe one day we'll see it." I told him.

                                            "Yeah! And we'll drink ta' celebrate!"

                                            I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Don't we do that every day? Too much alcohol will be the end of us."

                                            "Nonsense! There is nothing about too much alcohol! Trust." He then proceeded to grab a barrel of rum. "Watch me drink all this and learn from th' master!"

                                            ...Wish those days lasted forever.

                                            But nothing lasts forever.

                                            One day, something terrible happened as we traveled toward the city of Krailos.

                                            I stared into the sky as various tiny drops of something small touched the sand below me.

                                            Like the story my friend gave me, for a moment I thought I was seeing snow like the one he told me about in his books.

                                            But the smell in the air wasn't right. That wasn't snow...

                                            "Ashes."

                                            A battle in the city had just started.


                                            "Come at me ya fools! Ya cowards!" Royal Mess was attacking a group of mercenaries with all his might. "You have no honor by attacking the innocent!"

                                            Right as he said that, a shady figure sneaked behind him and raised their blade, but I managed to hurriedly assemble a frost vial and hurl it at them before they were able to bring it down on Mess' back.

                                            "Got your back, keep it up!"

                                            I was trying to support him as best as I could.

                                            The battle lasted for hours, but in the end, we were victorious.

                                            Or so I wanted to think. Various buildings were on fire and Royal didn't waste any time trying to rescue those that couldn't escape the flames of the battle.

                                            Despite his orders to not follow him, I decided to listen to my heart and ran right after him into the burning building. He was already tired from the battle but he still wanted to help, the damn bastard.

                                            If only others would have joined in our efforts... But apparently we were the only ones risking our lives.

                                            In the last building we were in, Royal gave me a foal who was coughing badly and told me to leave with her. He was going to keep looking more. I wanted to yell at him and say it was enough but... even if I said that it wouldn't change things. His damn empathy was too big to listen to my logic.

                                            "Come on... come out already..."

                                            I began to worry. He just wasn't coming out of the building. I looked down at the one elixir I had left. "If I were to look for him, I will need this just to survive. But..." I said to myself. "He will need it so much more."

                                            Tears began to form in my eyes and I took a deep breathe to calm myself down.

                                            "Screw it, I just have to tr-" But I couldn't finish my sentence as I heard the cry of a foal.

                                            I saw Royal Mess coming out of the building, coughing and with scratches all over his body. He was carrying on his back a mare and with one hoof he was carrying a baby. The mad stallion was a one-pony army.

                                            My worries were leaving me and I made haste to help him with the foal, but apparently fate had other plans for us.

                                            The building had been on fire for a long time and of course that took its toll. Just as I reached them, I heard a loud crack and a booming rumble from above us. My eyes went wide and my body froze in place as I looked up.

                                            "Watch out!" Royal Mess screamed and shoved the foal in my hooves, the resulting force pushing us into safety.

                                            With a big crash, the debris came down onto my friend and the mare he thought he just rescued.

                                            My mind went into autopilot and I ran to the pile of rubble Mess was buried under. I even dropped the foal as I later found out from one of the residents, but luckily it was unharmed.

                                            Hastily I began to remove searing hot bricks and still smoldering wood with my hooves, whatever little magic I had left and the help of some of the locals, until I nearly passed out from exhaustion and smoke poisoning.

                                            Some debris was moving and my hopes were starting to come back.

                                            "Royal! Answer me, come on!" I screamed and pushed the last bits of rubble away.

                                            The debris finally moved by the side as I saw the back of my friend. He was too damaged but still had little strength left to remove part of the rubble.

                                            I was surprised, to say the least, that the mare wasn't on his back anymore. Somehow, he managed to use his body to block the debris, the mare wasn't that much damaged. Not as badly as he was.

                                            The mare was crying and couldn't say anything but thank her rescuer, but his rescuer wasn't... answering back.

                                            "Royal, you did it, buddy...!" I reached him and, with my last bit of magic, I lifted an elixir that I was starting to open. "Here... just... my potion should... fix you... right?"

                                            Royal mess stared at the potion but rejected it with a smile.

                                            "You use it." His voice was weak. "I can't move."

                                            I tried pushing the potion to him but his lips wouldn't open.

                                            "Come on Royal... just a sip... I promise this day will... just be another... day!" I was too tired to talk, but I had adrenaline remaining from rescuing him.

                                            "Just give me the usual." Royal then tried saying something, but I couldn't hear it.

                                            "W-What do you want?"

                                            I got close to him and tried to listen to his weak voice.

                                            "Just need... alcohol." He then laughed coughing, and some blood started to come out from his mouth.

                                            "This isn't time for jokes! Just... drink the elixir." I weakly hit his chest. "Please... just... it's not fair."

                                            "Hey Short." Royal Mess said. "It's been fun, hasn't it?"

                                            I slowly nodded at him, smiling the best I could as tears were running down my face.

                                            My friend just stood there, with a smile staring at me. Only to never blink again.

                                            As the ashes from the destroyed building were covering the desert, I couldn't do anything but cry for the loss of my friend.


                                            It's been years now, sometimes I have nightmares of that day.

                                            I visit his grave each year and stay the whole day there, talking as if he was there.

                                            But I know that, as long as I remember him, his soul will never die.

                                            The townsfolks of Krailos share stories about a big stallion that saved as many lives as he could until his last breath.

                                            He wasn't from there. He had nothing to gain. Still, he did it.

                                            It was his way to live. That's how he died. Remembered as a hero.


                                            I made a vow to never travel with a partner and to look out for myself.


                                            And by the time I knew, I was... starting to drink. Each day I became an alcoholic with no care in this world.

                                            Was it for my leisure? Was it to remember my old friend? Or was it to forget about it and drink my sorrow away? Hell if I know.


                                            "Daraman blessings, my old friend. One day we shall see each other again." I finished my bottle and left a brand-new one next to his grave. "But that won't be anytime soon, just watch me from wherever you are."