//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: An Icy Heart 
// by LolianTriforce 
//------------------------------//

After the previous adventure in the Crystal Empire, Princess Celestia had assigned Ornate Harmony and Sombra, the previous King of the Crystal Empire, to explore the untamed areas of Equestria.
Their first assignment was to head to the snow capped mountains north of Equestria. There had been strange activity going on up there, and they were going to get to the bottom of it.
As they climbed the side of the mountain, a snow storm was raging all around them. The snow was blinding and hard to traverse through. Sombra was leading them. As he walked, the rope around his waist was tied to Ornate’s waist as well, helping her up the mountain.
“There’s nothing up here!” He called. “Maybe we should just go back!”
“No!! We’re almost there!” She called back.
He began to continue up the mountain with Ornate following close behind. He began to feel the snow begin to fall less and less. He quickened his pace and found the end of the steep cliff. He helped Ornate up, as well.
Ornate looked up and gasped. On the cliff was an ice palace. It gleamed in the sun, which was now mysteriously shining in the sky. She glanced at Sombra and began to start walking towards the palace.
Sombra followed her and walked by her side. He looked up at the ice palace. It was very tall and didn’t look comforting. He couldn’t imagine what might live in such a place. They climbed a small set of stairs up to the giant doors of the palace. They stopped in front of the doors, glancing at each other with doubt.
Sombra slowly held up his hoof and knocked on the door. Nothing happened. They looked at each other in worry. Sombra reached up to knock again, but that’s when the doors opened; fast and loud. Ornate jumped back in surprise. Sombra glanced inside. Finding nothing that would endanger them immediately, Sombra walked inside with Ornate behind him.
The room before them was a giant hall. It was all made of ice. They walked down the hallway, looking around at the ice decorations. The only door was the one at the end of the hall. Around them were vases with ice flowers. There were pictures of famous paintings recreated in ice. The sight was chilling.
They reached the door at the end of the hall to find it opened as they approached. They walked past the door to find a throne room. Once again, it was made of ice. At the far end there stood a large throne with two ice ponies on either side. They were tending to a light blue pegasus with white hair and a blue robe. She wore a purple tiara and a pendant around her neck. The pendant was a green cat’s eye with a purple pupil. The pegasus on the throne was busy talking, well, at the ice ponies.
She stopped suddenly and looked at Ornate and Sombra. She eyed them carefully, studying their appearances. But when she looked at Sombra, she smiled. She ushered the ice ponies away and stood up.
“What brings you here to my mountain?” she asked.
“We were sent here,” Ornate explained.
“By Princess Celestia,” Sombra finished.
She narrowed her eyes at the mention of that name, but she quickly shook it off. She continued to smile.
“Well,” she began, “How may I serve you?”
“Princess Celestia said there was a magic imbalance detected here,” Ornate started, “Many ponies would travel up the mountain, but they would never come back. We wanted to know if you have something to do with it.”
The pegasus immediately looked offended.
“I hope you don’t expect me to have anything to do with this?” she asked.
“No,” Sombra interrupted, “Of course not. We just wanted to know if you would help us figure this mystery out.”
The pegasus stared at them with intent. She eyed them suspiciously. But when she eyed Sombra, her face softened, and a smile crept on her face.
“I will be more than willing to help,” she responded. “You will stay here for the time being.”
“Thank you,” Ornate replied, smiling.
The pegasus stomped her hoof twice. Two ice pony guards walked into the throne room and accompanied Ornate and Sombra down the hall to their rooms. Ornate looked at the guards. They were not real ponies; they were made of ice. Their glares were stone cold, and they showed no emotion. She wondered how much they could trust that pony.
They stopped at a door down the hallway and turned their heads towards Sombra. He looked at them hesitantly but nodded and entered the room. As soon as the door shut, the guards turned their heads back down the hallway and began to walk again. Ornate quickly followed.
They stopped at a door right next to Sombra’s room. They looked at Ornate. She shivered a little at their glares, but quickly walked into the room. She looked around at the room before her.
The ice room was more than one would expect. There was a fireplace with a nice, roaring fire burning within it. On the other side of it, stood a queen sized bed with transparent curtains hanging down on all four sides. The blankets were made of wool and fur. By the bed were a small nightstand and a desk. The nightstand had a lamp and an unlit candle on it with a box of matches. The desk had a quill pen and parchment. The chair in front of the desk was made with ice, but the seating was made of fur.
She walked into the room and over to the fireplace. There were chairs and a couch in front of it. She sat down on the couch and took off her bag and cloak. Her old burlap cloak was all she had left from their previous adventure in the Crystal Empire. She had been wearing it since she had run away from the orphanage. She had kept it in good condition since.
She opened her bag to see all that Princess Celestia had given her for the trip: food, rope, matches, warm clothes, an ice pick, and a hair brush. She grabbed a piece of bread and a slice of cheese and began to eat. She was hungrier than she had realized.
She finished her meal and walked over to the bed. She pulled the curtains on the sides of the bed and climbed into the comforter. It was quite warm. She began to relax, knowing the next day was not going to be as easy.