Author's Notes:

Any spelling, grammar, or other such errors you find should be written down and put in a comment for me to fine tune the chapter. Thanks!

Edit: Swapped around some of the banner lore. Fixed some speech, removed red paint. If you don't know about the paint, you don't need to. >~<

The tunnel I'm floating through has a green like grass wall, completely ice floor, even some white poking through the wall. It is all so beautiful to me. Curiously no one else goes about the complex tunnel system, why is it free of my siblings?

I look down from my observations of the walls. I'm still surrounded by the green glow of my mother's horn, my siblings say calling her Queen Rem is too formal. She prefers being called mother.

She has a grin on her face, almost prancing down the long hallway with me in front of her being levitated. She eyes me all the way, skipping steps in what I can only assume is excitement. "Do you think you can walk?" She asks half a minute into my questioning look at her. I give squinted eyes as my answer, she decides that is good enough and sets me down on my belly, the cold of the floor under me makes me feel more as ease. Why is cold good? I am quickly told by my sibling in the link that a colder the temperature the stronger our innate magic is.

She expectantly looks at me. Further prompting me to stand over the mindlink, it's comforting to have her in my mind I realized for a second time. "M-maybe, I-" I cut myself off. My voice, it's high-pitched and soft. It's only now I know how it sounds, and somehow...I like it. "Ooo-Aaa-Rumm." I sit here, making decidedly silly sounds.

But I hear a cough from in front of me, looking up I realize my antics. "Oh. Sorry. I-it's my voice! I like it." Mother makes a strange little snort, followed by snickering. A hoof goes to her face. What is this? Somehow I feel myself following with her, this feeling. My mouth opens and I laugh, I don't understand it completely, but the concept is easy.

It only lasts a few seconds before I calm down alongside my mother. She looks at me, pushing me to stand again. "No distracting yourself Light Step." She teases.

I look back down at my front legs, they are a smooth white. No disruptions but the lower section, I eye the curious indents in my hooves. But they don't seem to mean much so I soldier on to my task. I put my right fore-hoof on the ground firmly, followed by my left. I push myself up into a sitting position, I look back and see my hind legs patiently waiting for my command. I press them against the floor too, going into a stan- Ow!

"Owch." I'm laying flat on my face, apparently my front legs weren't ready for the weight shift. Dumb things. But I need to do it before my mother bursts out laughing.

I try again, lifting my whole body up at once. This seems to have better results based on my snout not hitting the ground. I look around myself, experimenting with my legs. I lift each hoof and stand a few seconds with each in the air. I think I can walk. "Don't sit there all day Swift Step! Your missing your birth celebration."

It only takes me a few seconds to start my stumbling and bumbling walk. Wait. Celebration?

I step and step, I tumble right. But am caught in my mother's green magic before I fall. I can see the end of the tunnel by now, it looks like a well lit chamber from here. We get closer and my motor systems seem to finally understand what I want and I walk with little difficulty. The chamber beyond this short hallway appears to be a huge dining room. Filled with pearly white chitin covered siblings, I notice I'm considerably smaller than them. As we enter I can feel the buzzing in my mind get louder, they all look my way. But I'm instructed by mother over the mindlink to keep walking toward the other side of the room.

As we walk through my brothers and sisters chitter and buzz their wings in barely held back wisps of energy. They all sit still for the most part, trying to look calm. But I can feel them in my mind. They all want to be jumping for joy right about now, all being held back by my mother.

All of them look quite the same. White and transparent fins on the side of the head, indented hooves, small framed and devoid of hair besides little tufts of white hair for fur. Each of them can only be told apart by their dented hooves, the patterns changing from one to one. I don't need to concentrate on them though, the mindlink informs me of who is who when I question.

We walk up to a wall of fog, the fog falls from above. A little slit that spews it can be seen at the top, the fog itself is so thick I can't see past it. But I am prompted to go through it by my mother's touch. I walk toward it, into it.

Cold. It's a curtain of cold, very cold and I love it. My body shivers from the feeling of pure bliss, but it comes to an end in a few steps. I'm in a chamber of pure white, no green. It looks like it was all carved. The throne made of ice carved at the end of the room.

The room is strewn in tapestries showing white wastelands and tundra with dots of green, all beautiful. One depicts a forest covered in snow as if the trees were made to live in snow, needled and tall. Another is mountains and hills with huge glaciers. One is a pink orb in the middle of a tundra. Wait. No. Something is inside the orb, I look right at it with wide eyes. "A city near us, the crystal empire. Don't bother yourself with it yet Swift." The voice of my mother drifts from my side.

Besides the throne and works of art I can see a banner not unlike the others above the throne, it shows a....horse? "No" one sister buzzes out a single word over the link. "Windigo" the banner in question portrays it rearing in the midst of a flurry, its face midsnarl at an off-picture enemy. I can't help but enjoy the seemingly chilled artwork. The one who made it could almost make me feel the air devoid of any warmth, how wonderful.

A small pop sound from hooves hitting the floor at my side again catches my attention. "That is a story for another time my little one." I hear her say.

Turning to look at her I see she is gesturing for me to sit on the right-hoof side of the throne. I move up the small three steps to the throne and turn left. Lowering my hindquarters to sit, but surprisingly I feel something soft when I sit. Looking down a see a cushion that had been levitated there by my mother. Humph, "It feels too warm!" I whine out.

"Well you'll like that more then. Besides the temperature it can be quite comfy." She says while taking her throne, sitting down. "Prepare yourself."

Prepare myself for wha- The buzzing from the link suddenly explodes in activity. I'm thrown right off my mental chair of control as the whole family comes rushing through the fog, hollering and cheering praise my way.

"Oh my..." I feel myself whisper.