NOTE: There are going to be spoilers for Landfall and WIndborn, and possibly Stormbound. If you haven't read those and you don't want to be spoiled, then I'm afraid this fanfic ain't for you :( sorry.

I haven't written a story in a WHILE!!!! I really haven't been motivated, at all to write for the past couple of weeks/however long I haven't written for XD BUT I got this idea yesterday morning, and thought it would make a cool fanfic!! This doesn't mean I'm abandoning The Astronomer's Apprentice and Stolen Dream... my status with them is just... confused at the moment XD ANyWays, this story is about twins Snowflare and Icefall, and starts in the beginning of Landfall when Nightwing wants Star's head. The chapters will alternate between the perspectives of Snowflare and Icefall. This first chapter is from Snowflare's perspective. Hope you like it!!!

Chapter 1: Snowflare ; Nightwing returns.

The call trumpeted through all of Anok, reverberating off of mountains, echoing through canyons, reaching the very edges of the land. It covered miles upon miles of territory, and lost not one bit of it’s monstrous volume. Nightwing had returned.

Snowflare shivered. His twin sister, Icefall, pressed herself next to him. “Is he back?” Icefall asked their mother Poppysun. The weanling twins had heard the adults, and even the yearlings, talking about Nightwing’s return. It seemed like tragedy after tragedy had struck SNow Herd recently. First the black foal was born, then their overstallion left the herd, the Blue Tongue plague struck, and now Nightwing has returned.

Poppysun wrapped her pale yellow wings around the twins and sighed. “I think so,” SHe said. Icefall and Snowflare trembled. Fear filled Snowflare’s heart. What will happen to him and his sister? The rest of his family? His friends? His Herd?

Another pegasus wrapped his silver wings around the twins and his mate. “Papa!” Snowflare bleated.

SLeetfire smiled at his foals, but it was tight, and his eyes weary. “Twistwing is having the army surround the territory so we’ll be ready when Nightwing comes.” He told them.

“When will he come?” Poppysun asked.

“We suspect within the next few days.” Sleetfire said.

“Please be careful,” Poppysun said, concern evident in her voice.

Sleetfire nuzzled her. “I’ll do my best.” He hugged Snowflare and Icefall, then flew off.

A large red dun stallion then descended in front of the herd, flaring his olive-green wings to get their attention. “SNow Herd,” Twistwing called. “Nightwing has returned. The army is surrounding the borders, and we hope to drive him off.” His lead mare, Petalcloud, appeared next to him.

SNowflare doubted the army could drive off Nightwing. The herd was extremely weak from the plague, half of the army either is sick, or was sick. Nightwing has the silver starfire, even in his weakened state he can kill just by breathing on someone. An exchanged, wide eyed glance with Icefall told him she was thinking the same thing.

***

Nightwing was massive. His eyes shone silver, and had a cruel look to them, showing no mercy. His wingspan was huge, and his hide crackled with starfire, silver smoke plumed out of his nostrils and mouth, and it shot off of his coat in sparks. He bared his teeth, ready to attack, and his eyes shone with malice. He could be seen from a mile away.

All the foals and weanlings immediately ran to their mothers, terrified. Poppysun wrapped her wings around Icefall and Snowflare, determined to protect them. “Mama, I’m scared,” bleated Icefall. Snowflare was trembling too hard to talk. What would Nightwing do to them?

Poppysun nuzzled them. “I know, dear. It’ll be ok.” SHe said comfortingly.

But would it be ok? SNowflare wasn’t sure. Sheltered in his mother’s wings, he couldn’t see what was going on around him, but he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to. It had only been two days since Nightwing had returned, and his calls only had kept getting stronger. Many pegasi had wanted to leave, unable to resist the power that following Nightwing would bring, but Twistwing executed anyone that considered it.

Nightwing roared, and there were screams. “RUN!” Someone screamed. Poppysun’s wings fell away, and Snowflare stared wide eyed at the destruction before him. Nightwing was shooting starfire at anyone that tried to escape, and he seemed to glow with silver electricity. POppysun pranced in place, trying to get the twins to run, but they were too terrified to move.

NIghtwing seemed to be searching for someone, as every few minutes he would survey the land, his malicious eyes sweeping over the land. Every time he does this, someone tries to attack him. They’re dead before they even strike.

Nightwing found who he was looking for. Twistwing flew toward NIghtwing, ready to fight to the death to defend SNow Herd. Nightwing called up his starfire, and blasted Twistwing in it, burning him alive. All that remained of the overstallion was a pile of ash.

Caught now in the middle of the fight, Poppysun, Snowflare, and Icefall had nowhere to run. Poppysun sheltered the weanlings in her wings and covered their eyes so they didn’t have to see the horrible scene any longer. SNowflare trembled, terrified. He was thankful he didn’t have to watch any longer. Now all he could see were his mother’s pale yellow wings, her legs, and his sister. Icefall and SNowflare stared at each other in fear, their eyes wide and troubled. They pressed against each other for comfort.

The sounds of galloping hooves surrounded them, and then bursts of starfire just barely missed the small huddle. Even without being able to see it, SNowflare knew what was going on. NIghtwing was killing anyone who ran away. Every time they heard the starfire, the smell of smoke and blood grew stronger, threatening to suffocate them.

It went like this for a long time, just SNowflare and Icefall sheltered in their mother’s wings, with the screams and smoke of their now deceased herdmates ringing in their ears and wafting into their nostrils. Please make it stop, please end this….SNowflare pleaded to the Ancestors.

Then it all stopped.

Poppysun’s wings fell away, and she knelt to the ground, surrendering to Nightwing. SNowflare and Icefall mimicked her, not sure what else to do. Around them, the survivors were doing the same thing, not wanting the same fate as the rest of the herd. There were piles of ash everywhere, with smoke still rising off the top. The ashes had a slight tint of color to them, given from the colorful but pale feathers of SNow Herd.

Nightwing landed, and folded his wings. His jet black coat sizzled with starfire, his eyes glowed with greed. “SNow Herd,” He called over them, his voice commanding their attention. He paced back and forth in front of the steeds. Silver starfire shot off of his body in sparks and made popping noises.

“I have the offer of a lifetime. I would like to make a pact with your leader. If you follow me, I will give you power beyond belief, and will protect you from the rebels. I have killed the black foal, but I require one more thing. His head.” NIghtwing looked among the herd, his lips curling in distaste when he saw the weanlings that survived.

SNowflare trembled, and fought hard to keep from crying in terror.

Nightwing looked at Petalcloud, who appeared to have been hiding during the attack. She held her tail up high, and she looked at Nightwing, assessing how she would gain from this pact. “What will I get if I accept?” SHe asked.

NIghtwing fanned his wings. “Power. The leader of the group that brings me STar’s head will co-rule all of Anok with me.”

Petacloud’s eyes widened at this opportunity. Snowflare knew the lead mare would take. He had seen evidence of how power-hungry she was for as long as he had been alive.

“Has anyone else taken this offer?” Petalcloud asked, her eyes suspicious.

“A mountain herd steed named Frostfire.” responded Nightwing.

Petalcloud’s eyes darkened at the mention of her colt’s name. SNowflare knew the story well, the elders told it to the foals every year. Petalcloud left her home herd of Mountain Herd many many years ago, but her sire, Rockwing, had only allowed it because she gave him her firstborn colt, Frostfire, in exchange. Now Petalcloud rules SNow Herd, and wants to rule all of Anok, as well. SHe didn’t care about her son.

“I accept.” She said.

Nightwing smiled evilly.

Snowflare and Icefall shared a wide-eyes look. Snowflare had a feeling that his sister was thinking the exact same thing he was: their lives were going to change a whole lot in the next few moons...

Characters:

~Snow Herd~

Twistwing- overstallion. Red dun stallion with olive-green feathers, black mane and tail.

Petalcloud- lead mare. Power-seeking gray mare with violet feathers, silver mane and tail, one white sock, wide blaze on face.

Sleetfire- captain. Grullo stallion with silver feathers, ice-blue eyes, white-streaked black mane and tail, thin blaze on face.

Poppysun- buttermilk buckskin mare with pale-yellow feathers, amber eyes, black points, black mane and tail, four small socks.

Snowflare- light grullo colt with light-silver feathers, black mane and tail streaked with white, dark brown eyes.

Icefall- light grulla filly with pale-yellow feathers tipped in dark-silver, black mane and tail streaked with white, black points, bald face, ice-blue eyes, two hind stockings.

~Jungle Herd~

Nightwing- black foal. Ancient stallion, solid-black with black feathers. Born to Jungle Herd. Known as the Destroyer. Immortal.