//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Just a normal winter's day... // Story: War of the Frozen Fillies // by Harbinger Of Mist //------------------------------// It's a wonderful morning in Canterlot, or at least it's about to be. Celestia gazes in bliss at her sun as she rises it into a large clump of clouds, forming a beautiful orange light that gracefully engulfed the land. She peers down to look at all the thick snow that fell overnight. 'Tis the beginning of winter, and she was about to enjoy as much as she could of it. Celestia returned to her bedroom and flung open her closet doors. Being a monarch of well over a thousand, she has collected many memorable pieces of cloth from throughout the eons to chose from. She stepped inside and strolled through the surprisingly open corridor of her closet with hundreds of things to wear on each side. Celestia finally comes to near the back of the closet where all her winter apparel rested and waited to be chosen. She selected but a single scarf that immediately caught her eyes. A simple pattern of large purple, brown, and black squares to offset the bright colours of her natural coat. Nearly 600 years old, this humble roll of fabric, yet it still looked brand new. She wrapped it around her neck and felt that oh so cozy feeling; as if she was locked in a hug from her sister. Speaking of which, Celestia figured she would go outside and hopefully catch Luna before she started her morning walk around the castle garden. Celestia knew her sister always liked to stay outside for a moment or so to bask in the sunlight. Odd how the princess of the night enjoyed the sun's rays. Perhaps it was simple notion that she was bathing in the warmth of not the sun itself, but her sister. Celestia makes her way out the rear doors of the castle and toward the garden. However, she is promptly met with a colossal white mass on the east side of the grounds. It looked similar to a castle, but was too crudely designed, and even had a flag flying in the breeze at the top that was foreign to her. Her walk would have to wait, as she decided to approach the enormous snow fort with a serious, yet noticeably amused look. "Halt! Stop right there, trespasser scum!" One of Luna's guards flies down and lands neatly between Celestia and the entrance of the fort. "What business do you have treading on the soil of the Lunar Empire?!" Celestia could hear the falter in the guard's voice as he apparently struggled to keep a straight face when he finished speaking. She knew right away that this was a game, and she decided to play along. With a stoic expression, she responded, "I am here for my sister. I suspect that she has something to do with this... eyesore." She specifically chose that last word and blurted her entire statement to get the immediate attention of her sister. "Excuse me?!" Mission accomplished. Luna bears a kiddingly shocked look as she leans over the wall of one her fort's towers 100 feet above ground. She gasps at her sister's blasphemous words. "This 'eyesore' is the epicenter of my new empire! And I am NOT about to let it be stifled by the words of lowly commoners!" She extends and shakes her hoof in her sister's direction. Celestia was quite excited by Luna's playfully posh attitude and was roaring with laughter inside her own head. She could tell she wanted to have some fun, but she figured it would be appropriate for her, the big sister, to be the party pooper and see how Luna responded. She sighs, "Luna... It was cute when you were little, but you're an adult; a figure of royalty, no less. Now please leave this fort behind, and how about you come along with me for a walk around garden?" "Begone, wench! Unless thou wishes to bear witness to the phenomenal power and will of the Lunar Empire, you must make haste and turn back! Or suffer a force as cold as thy heart's!" Why am I finding this so adorable? Celestia did her best to stay serious. She sighs, "oh Luna... There are so many other things you could be doing: royal duties, um... and other royal duties." "To be trapped in a wormhole of endless boredom is precisely why this castle and empire was established. A place where rulers and subjects alike can relish in a sanctuary without fear or care of any responsibilities." Luna leans far over the balcony of the tower and sets her eyes dead on her sister's blank stare. "You could have immediately joined and left your frivolous title and deeds behind in favour of prosperity!" She proclaimed as she stood up straight and fans out her wings and front legs. She returns to the ledge, "but for your harsh words and crimes against the peace and sanctity of our empire, you are not welcome!" Several more of her guards form a barrier to block off the entrance to the fort. "You can fight and be taken prisoner, or surrender to become a slave!" Okay, NOW it's starting to get ridiculous. Celestia rolls her eyes. "Okay, Luna. Go ahead and have your fun; I won't stop you. I'll leave." She turns and begins to walk away to another area of the garden where neither of them will disturb each other. Luna hops down to a sloped roof just above the front entrance. "'Tis too late, sister!" She levitates a snowball and drops it into her hoof. "For I smiteth thee!" She winds her hoof back and aims. It took only a split second for Celestia to register that remark, turn back to face Luna, and receive a face full of cushy ice. She just stands there motionless as the snow drips from her mug. Luna breaks her character. "Oh my goodness! Tia, I'm so sorry! I was trying to hit your flank, but then you turned around and..." She cuts herself off at what she saw in front of her. Most of the snowball slid off of Celestia's face to reveal a rather angry looking face. However, her angled and overly-pursed lips suggested something completely different. Celestia didn't speak, she only stared intently back at her slightly worried sister as she lifts herself off the ground. She continues to lock eyes and sustain her expression as she flies backward and disappears behind some hedges. Luna was slightly confused, but then she instantly got an idea of what might be coming into her sister's fruition. She softly shouts to her guards, "barricade the front entrance!" and returns back inside her fort.