The Snowman Is Alive!

so lay me down in golden dandelions 

One by one did they come, some hanging back along the edges and some showing no fear or hesitation, bounding right up beside him. Coupled with the company and the season, listening to the birds singing all around and feeling the snow crunch beneath his hooves, the Dawn Court Emissary in a jovial mood, even more so than usual for the expressive youth. There was no better way he could imagine spending his day of rest! He hummed softly to himself as he rolled the same ball of snow back and forth through the snow, watching it gradually grow bigger and bigger as he did.

As the bespeckled youth drew nearer, his curling wings reminding him vaguely of someone he’d met, quite some time ago now, Ipomoea finally lifted his head from the snow to meet his similarly pink eyes. “I’m looking for decorations,” he responded eagerly, emphasizing his point with another hoof pawed at the ground. “Wanna help? I need some shiny rocks and maybe some branches…”

Ipomoea’s voice trailed off as he was already moving, nose pressed against the snow. “It’s a snowman! I’ve… never seen one with feathers, but I’m sure it will work just as well!” In fact, Po couldn’t remember the first time he had built—or heard of—a snow man. Perhaps it had been with those merchants, who had traveled with him from the sands of Solterra to the peaks of Veneror? They had had all kinds of strange traditions and stories to tell, surely these funny-looking mounds of snow had been just another thing he’d learned during his time spent with them. Nonetheless, he invited the gangly, ear-winged youth to add as many decorations as he'd like. After all, the more the merrier! This could be as much @Cynix's creation as Po's, or anyone's for that matter.

He hardly gave the dragon-like @Isorath a second glance, accepting his appearance without question as he glided down the hill on silent wings. “We’re building a snowman!” he nickered, not thinking to offer an explanation of what exactly constituted a snowman. “Help us! We need some branches for arms… oh maybe a scarf for his neck…” The vision of his perfect snowman was racing through his head, hurrying his steps as he trampled the snow around his creation. The arrival of more equines only further fueled his excitement, so that Ipomoea was nearly overcome with the sheer joy of company.

“Hello hello!” he called out to the short, tawny @Tamran lingering by the trees; to the unicorn, @Adelheid, who joined him; and to the golden-hued couple, @Eden and @Leviathan, who wandered in next.

“Hello, @Messalina!” he called with a smile that crinkled up the corners of his eyes, prancing over to meet her in the snow. “And you match the snow,” he joked, nuzzling briefly at her crest. “It suits you!”

With a toss of his head, he trotted back to stand in front of his snowman. Ever so gingerly did he set the final stone into place, his stare intent as he twisted the rock this way and that way until the nose was perfectly centered. His smile now was smaller and self-satisfied, taking a step back to survey their work. “Be-e-a-you-tifull!” each syllable was exaggerated and lilted, a singsong tone accompanying the many vowels. “But something else…”

For a moment, he was quiet, forgetting the many equines that surrounded him as he studied his snow sculpture.

“Oh! I know!” Po twisted his neck to rummage around in the pack across his withers, home to the many keepsakes he collected during his travels around Novus. Even Alorus hopped from between his ears to help, and slowly they pulled a thick, black velvet hat from within its depths. The rim was curved slightly, its crown high and cylindrical. It seemed almost comical, and far too formal to be anything Po himself would wear. He had been hesitant to receive it, in fact, when the old Night Court man had offered it to him. ’A gift for the friend of our Court.’ Perhaps this would be the perfect use for the accessory.

With a smile and a flourish, Ipomoea settled the hat lopsidedly on top of his snowman. “Now it’s perfect!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the addition of the top hat, the snowman seemed to shiver, the twigs that made up his arms shaking visibly. The symmetrical pebbles beneath his brow appear to shimmer, snowy eyelids blinking over them and opening to reveal eyes! His mouth stretches and yawns, a hearty ’Ho ho ho’ing laugh booming through the clearing. With a shake of his head, the snowman fixes his eyes first on Po, then on the surrounding horses.

“I guess you’d all like to hear a joke, eh?” He swiped one wooden arm across his brow with a smile, hopping through the snow a bit to get situated.

“Alright, then! Why do seals swim in salt water?”

He looks expectantly at the gathering around him, nodding his head enthusiastically. Once it became clear he wasn’t going to get an answer, he finished his joke anyway. “Because pepper water makes them sneeze!”And with that, the snowman is overcome with laughter, nearly knocking himself over with the force of his guffaws.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ipomoea looked cautiously at the snowman, reaching one tentative nose out to sniff at him. Was he dreaming? This was his fourth winter thus far, and never had he seen a snowman come alive! His cerise eyes glanced quickly amongst the faces gathered with him, at a loss for words as the snowman continued to laugh at his own joke. His legs seem to move of their own accord, carrying him backwards a few paces and closer to the other outliers. Only now does he realize just how many equines have come to his clearing, from the spotted Cynix to the group of Solterrans to the sooty Night Court pegasus. There’s a whole group of them now, and their similarly-shocked faces seemed to reassure him. It would seem impossible that he was going crazy, if they were all seeing it, too… right?