The trickster spirits had flitted through the mountains too and fro, cackling with mischievous glee, pulling inspiration from here and there and twisting it to suit their whims. Finally satisfied, they wrapped it all up in a neat bundle and split it in two, placing each half inside an empty basket to develop on its own from there, before whizzing off to finish their game.
Mismatched eyes opened to velvety darkness. The filly blinked once, twice, the feeling of her lids moving and the tickle of eyelashes against her cheeks were the only things that indicated what she was seeing. She struggled to unfold her tiny limbs but she was wrapped so tight it was difficult to move. She was cramped, trapped, at that thought her heart started racing, her breathing came in short gasps as she struggled. This went on for what felt like ages, tears streaming down her face, the filly wondered if there was anything outside of her snug prison. She couldn't hear anything, smell anything, see anything. She kicked out violently and was rewarded with a sharp crack, the walls of her prison finally buckling under her small hooves. She kicked again and again, crying with relief when she was free, cold powdery darkness spilled in through the hole in her basket to surround her. She was confused, but happy for some change in the monotonous darkness. She wiggled out of her basket and began to nose and kick her way through the cold, it wasn't long before she emerged, gasping, into the night air. She opened her eyes to behold a great glowing globe overhead, sparkles of light were scattered across the sky. She looked around herself and shuddered, she had been buried alive.
Kicking herself free, she slid to the ground in a rush and stood there shaking and gasping, looking around. Shouldn't there be someone here? Instinctively she knew that she wasn't supposed to be alone. There had been another... She searched her mind for the vague dream that had seemed so real before she had awoken to the darkness. Something about spirits.... It was all fading now, but she felt sure she was missing someone. She looked around hopefully, her ears pricked up for any hint of a voice. She waited there as the globe moved through the sky, searching. Her stomach grumbled uncomfortably, hungry, she instinctively knew, but she ignored it for now, scared if she left to find food, the person she was waiting for would finally show up once she was gone.
Light touched the horizon, making her eyes blink and water. Slowly the sky warmed and bloomed with color, the air warmed a touch, birds started chattering as they greeted the morning. Warmed by the sun, the scant snow left on the trees began to melt, droplets plunking to the ground in a rhythmic beat. Finally, she moved, her muscles stiff from her overnight vigil, she needed to find food. Whoever was supposed to be here wasn't coming... She was alone.