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Description

My first big project on Manga Studio. Basically just trying to get the hang of the different tools. Took about 4-6 hours. Here's a short little story to go with it.. Excuse my writing... I've never been particularily good at it. All the same enjoy! :}

A snow day brought all the fillies and colts outside to sled, throw snowballs and have snowpony contests. Everypony gathered to a small field outside of town; it had all the open space they needed to play together. One little foal stayed off the playgrounds however.

He didn't like to play with the others, too noisy. They were always shouting at each other and laughing loudly. When they thought he wasn't listening they would whisper about him.
“There must be something wrong with him”

“Why doesn't he talk to anypony?”

“He's always alone...we should play with him”

“He doesn't play.. He just goes into the corner and pretends we don't exist..”

He didn't mind. In fact, they were right; he didn't really care for anypony at all...maybe momma and papa, but they always scolded him for being so “unsocialable”. That's why they made him come outside today, to play with those other foals...those noisy, rowdy foals. It's not like he didn't love the snow; it was his favorite time of the year, but he wanted to enjoy it by himself. So when he was sure nopony was looking, he slipped in to the forest on the edge of the field.
This was what he waited all year for. The calm still. Where nothing moved, where the only sound was a clump of soft snow that fell from a branch. He admired the bare trees covered in ice. The others would often talk of how they couldn't wait for spring to bring the leaves back on those dismal branches, but he preferred them this way. Now he could see all the little twigs and knots; their dark silhouettes contrasting with the glowing white sky behind them.
The noise of the other ponies drove him further into the woodland. He didn't want to hear anything; all that noise made his nerves uneasy. There was only one sound he enjoyed hearing, and that was his own gentle singing that he never rose above a whisper so that no others could hear. He loved to sing. It helped him drown out the clamor of the world... something he could focus his ears to. He eventually came to patch of evergreens with a clearing in the middle. It was completely silent. He closed his eyes. Bliss; not a single sound. It was like sleeping. When he opened them again he took notice of something in the distance. A figure, sitting alone under an evergreen.
At first he thought about leaving...the last thing he wanted was company, but there was something strange about her. So, quietly, he approached. She was tall with long hair that reflected like ice and blew abstractly like a swirling wind. Her body was white, and snow continually blew off from it.
“H-Hello?”
She didn't say anything...only sat in a miserable pose, staring ahead at the white covered clearing in front of them through cold, glass eyes.
He walked around to her side, and stared up at her. Then he traced her gaze ahead of them. Nothing there.

“What are you staring at?”

“Me.” She spoke in a soft tone so low that he almost missed it.
“Oh...” He looked again. The even blanket of white and ice covered trees were all that was there. “You're the snow?”
She didn't answer. They sat there together and stared in silence for a few moments.

“What's your name?”

“Cold.”

“Cold? That's your name?”

“They first call me that...cold...every year.”

“Oh...Well...what are you doing out here? Do you like being alone?”
“No.”

“Are you lonely?”

She took in a long, quiet breath; then let out a slow sigh. The wind rushed through the forest in that moment and sent a chill through his bones.

“I like being alone...ponies make too much noise...I like it quiet...”

“I'm tired of it.” She answered.

“Oh.”

He watched her for another moment. She seemed so empty. Her eyes only stared ahead, and they were always still...like they were frozen. Forever frozen with that mournful look to them. Perhaps there was something he could do to lift her spirits...what lifted his own? He started to whisper a tune...he wanted her to hear it...perhaps she'd like it as much as he did. He couldn't get it any louder though. After all he'd never wanted to be heard before. Trying to change that now was a daunting task. Still, his effort was enough to catch her attention.
“What is that?”
He hid his lips under his scarf. “Um...I was singing...”

“What is...singing?”

He looked up in surprise. “You've never heard of singing before?” A shake of her head answered his question. “Well...it's like a noise...you make it just for fun, because it sounds nice.”
That description was terrible...he tried to shake off the shame and try again, but when he looked back up to her she was taking a deep breath. She let the air out with a single note. it flowed from her mouth and filled the whole forest with it's echo. The wind rushed into the clearing and took the sound away, carrying it all across the sky. It shattered the silence of the trees, but by itself the sound was calm and peaceful. It was a soft note, like a faint whistle. She maintained it for a long time as he listened, struck by the beauty of such a unique voice. When she finished, she allowed the silence to return for a moment before she spoke.

“Like that?”
“Yeah,” He answered quietly, “You're really good at it”

“I've never tried anything like that before. Can you teach me more?”

He nodded. The two sat under the evergreen and sang together until he couldn't keep his little body from trembling in the cold any longer.

“I have to go home...but I'll come back tomorrow. Will you be here?”

She shook her head. “I'm only passing by.”

“Oh...well...you'll come back right?”

She nodded. “We can sing together...I like to sing. It doesn't feel so lonely”

He smiled, and ran off towards the village after a short goodbye through chattering teeth.

It was dark before he arrived. His mother was out searching when he came out of the field.

“Oh, my darling! Where have you been? We've been so worried. We've been searching all over for you ever since it started, that awful howling. It's been going on all day. Come inside dear, we're not coming out until we know we're safe from...whatever that is.”

He was puzzled. He never heard any terrifying howling. Then the wind blew, and with it came the song again, echoing from the distant clearing over the tree tops. His mother pulled him in close and rushed back to the house.

“Oh, there it is again. What a terrible noise!”

He looked down and muttered to himself.

“It's beautiful to me...”

EDIT: A buttload of grammatical errors..(<-this ellipse being one of them). I had my college sister take a look at it and she nearly had a stroke catching them all...

Description

My first big project on Manga Studio. Basically just trying to get the hang of the different tools. Took about 4-6 hours. Here's a short little story to go with it.. Excuse my writing... I've never been particularily good at it. All the same enjoy! :}

A snow day brought all the fillies and colts outside to sled, throw snowballs and have snowpony contests. Everypony gathered to a small field outside of town; it had all the open space they needed to play together. One little foal stayed off the playgrounds however.

He didn't like to play with the others, too noisy. They were always shouting at each other and laughing loudly. When they thought he wasn't listening they would whisper about him.
“There must be something wrong with him”

“Why doesn't he talk to anypony?”

“He's always alone...we should play with him”

“He doesn't play.. He just goes into the corner and pretends we don't exist..”

He didn't mind. In fact, they were right; he didn't really care for anypony at all...maybe momma and papa, but they always scolded him for being so “unsocialable”. That's why they made him come outside today, to play with those other foals...those noisy, rowdy foals. It's not like he didn't love the snow; it was his favorite time of the year, but he wanted to enjoy it by himself. So when he was sure nopony was looking, he slipped in to the forest on the edge of the field.
This was what he waited all year for. The calm still. Where nothing moved, where the only sound was a clump of soft snow that fell from a branch. He admired the bare trees covered in ice. The others would often talk of how they couldn't wait for spring to bring the leaves back on those dismal branches, but he preferred them this way. Now he could see all the little twigs and knots; their dark silhouettes contrasting with the glowing white sky behind them.
The noise of the other ponies drove him further into the woodland. He didn't want to hear anything; all that noise made his nerves uneasy. There was only one sound he enjoyed hearing, and that was his own gentle singing that he never rose above a whisper so that no others could hear. He loved to sing. It helped him drown out the clamor of the world... something he could focus his ears to. He eventually came to patch of evergreens with a clearing in the middle. It was completely silent. He closed his eyes. Bliss; not a single sound. It was like sleeping. When he opened them again he took notice of something in the distance. A figure, sitting alone under an evergreen.
At first he thought about leaving...the last thing he wanted was company, but there was something strange about her. So, quietly, he approached. She was tall with long hair that reflected like ice and blew abstractly like a swirling wind. Her body was white, and snow continually blew off from it.
“H-Hello?”
She didn't say anything...only sat in a miserable pose, staring ahead at the white covered clearing in front of them through cold, glass eyes.
He walked around to her side, and stared up at her. Then he traced her gaze ahead of them. Nothing there.

“What are you staring at?”

“Me.” She spoke in a soft tone so low that he almost missed it.
“Oh...” He looked again. The even blanket of white and ice covered trees were all that was there. “You're the snow?”
She didn't answer. They sat there together and stared in silence for a few moments.

“What's your name?”

“Cold.”

“Cold? That's your name?”

“They first call me that...cold...every year.”

“Oh...Well...what are you doing out here? Do you like being alone?”
“No.”

“Are you lonely?”

She took in a long, quiet breath; then let out a slow sigh. The wind rushed through the forest in that moment and sent a chill through his bones.

“I like being alone...ponies make too much noise...I like it quiet...”

“I'm tired of it.” She answered.

“Oh.”

He watched her for another moment. She seemed so empty. Her eyes only stared ahead, and they were always still...like they were frozen. Forever frozen with that mournful look to them. Perhaps there was something he could do to lift her spirits...what lifted his own? He started to whisper a tune...he wanted her to hear it...perhaps she'd like it as much as he did. He couldn't get it any louder though. After all he'd never wanted to be heard before. Trying to change that now was a daunting task. Still, his effort was enough to catch her attention.
“What is that?”
He hid his lips under his scarf. “Um...I was singing...”

“What is...singing?”

He looked up in surprise. “You've never heard of singing before?” A shake of her head answered his question. “Well...it's like a noise...you make it just for fun, because it sounds nice.”
That description was terrible...he tried to shake off the shame and try again, but when he looked back up to her she was taking a deep breath. She let the air out with a single note. it flowed from her mouth and filled the whole forest with it's echo. The wind rushed into the clearing and took the sound away, carrying it all across the sky. It shattered the silence of the trees, but by itself the sound was calm and peaceful. It was a soft note, like a faint whistle. She maintained it for a long time as he listened, struck by the beauty of such a unique voice. When she finished, she allowed the silence to return for a moment before she spoke.

“Like that?”
“Yeah,” He answered quietly, “You're really good at it”

“I've never tried anything like that before. Can you teach me more?”

He nodded. The two sat under the evergreen and sang together until he couldn't keep his little body from trembling in the cold any longer.

“I have to go home...but I'll come back tomorrow. Will you be here?”

She shook her head. “I'm only passing by.”

“Oh...well...you'll come back right?”

She nodded. “We can sing together...I like to sing. It doesn't feel so lonely”

He smiled, and ran off towards the village after a short goodbye through chattering teeth.

It was dark before he arrived. His mother was out searching when he came out of the field.

“Oh, my darling! Where have you been? We've been so worried. We've been searching all over for you ever since it started, that awful howling. It's been going on all day. Come inside dear, we're not coming out until we know we're safe from...whatever that is.”

He was puzzled. He never heard any terrifying howling. Then the wind blew, and with it came the song again, echoing from the distant clearing over the tree tops. His mother pulled him in close and rushed back to the house.

“Oh, there it is again. What a terrible noise!”

He looked down and muttered to himself.

“It's beautiful to me...”

EDIT: A buttload of grammatical errors..(<-this ellipse being one of them). I had my college sister take a look at it and she nearly had a stroke catching them all...