It was Hearths Warming Eve, and in Canterlot’s public theatre building, six mares were getting ready to hit the stage.
“Everypony got their costumes set?”
“Ah don’t see why Ah shouldn’t be Princess Platinum. Ah mean, that dress is just DIVINE, even for a cheap costume for a play!”
“Look, I know how some of you feel, especially you Pinkie-“
“Pinkamena.”
“But Princess Cadance herself specifically requested these respective roles for each of us when she asked us to perform today.”
“Couldn’t she have gotten proper actors tonight instead of...us? I mean, we’re not exactly experienced professionals.”
“Look, she’ll explain everything later, but right now, just think of this as something special for everypony. It is Hearths Warming Eve after all.”
“Alright, alright...”
“Okay everypony, get ready, curtains about to rise. Break a leg!”
Outside, a large crowd of ponies of varying ages sat and watched as the curtain rose, revealing the stage. Spike, Hidden from view, began to speak into a microphone, broadcasting his voice clealy throughout the room as he set the mood for the play...
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Many, many years in Equestria’s past, before the Princesses had even been born, the world was in chaos. As the forces of Chaos and Harmony thought for control of the world, the beginnings of pony society were settled far from the conflict. Since the Princesses were not around to unite the three races of ponies, the pegasi, unicorns and earth ponies each formed their own separate societies, but the three sides had grown to despise each other over the years, which was only made worse by the raging snowstorms that plagued the land and only grew worse. Eventually, the leaders of the respective pony races gathered together to discuss what they would do about their predicaments.
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Clover the Clever ran into the grand meeting hall where the leaders of the three pony races would gather. She had urgent news to give to her immediate ruler, Princess Platinum. Upon entering the room, she happened upon a familiar sight.
The three leaders of the three pony races sat opposite ends of a three sided table: the white unicorn Princess Platinum, the rainbow maned Pegasus Commander Hurricane clad in black armour with a plumed helmet that left his face framed in shadow and the pink, odd-minded earth pony Chancellor Puddinghead, who unlike the other two was flanked by his right hand mare, Smart Cookie.
“My people are running low on supplies, Commander!” Princess Platinum snapped. “They’re cold, starving and their desperation is reaching a fever pitch! There have been incidents of violence and rioting! Rioting!! I called this meeting so we could find a peaceful make a treaty, we need your and the Chancellor’s help!!”
Commander Hurricane looked his hoof over nonchalantly, offhandedly addressing the princess. “Why should we? You unicorns are, frankly, beneath us, same for the Chancellor’s earth ponies. A little snow and you’re starting to panic? Pathetic.”
“’A little snow’? It has been snowing and freezing for months! You pegasi may have natural resistance to the elements, but even you surely see a need for an alliance!” She turned to the earth ponies to her side. “Don’t you agree, Chancellor?”
“Confused non-sequiter.” Pinkamena, that is, The Chancellor, said boredly.
“We earth ponies don’t have any crops to spare, the winter is cutting into us just as much as you folk.” Sweet Cookie interjected. “This dang winter...it ain’t natural...”
“Surely we can offer you something to help you?” Princess Platinum asked hopefully. “Together we may survive this....”
Smart Cookie glared. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Bonehead? You’d like it if we started working under you, giving you our precious crops? We ain’t having it! We worked hard on those crops, and we ain’t gonna give any of it up to no lazy Boneheads who ain’t worked a day in their lives!”
The Princess gasped as if slapped. “Be reasonable! You said yourself you’re having trouble with your crops!”
“Exactly! We ain’t giving what precious little we have to you lazy, snobby needlenoggins! They are OUR crops, not yours, and we ain’t givin’ ya any!”
Commander Hurricane shrugged, shaking his head slowly. “Princess, all you have accomplished is waste the precious time of TWO races. The only reason you called this meeting was to save your own weak hide, and there is simply no need for either of us to intercede.” He gave the unicorn a dark stare. “Or did you forget the war between our three races less than 100 years ago?”
“But this winter will kill us all if we don’t act fast!” Clover the Clever interrupted, earning a glare from the Pegasus and an annoyed look from Smart Cookie.
“Princess, do you allow any common rabble interrupt foreign affairs?” Commander Hurricane scolded.
“Clover is my personal student of magic, I’ll have you know, and I won’t abide any insults toward her.” The Princess puffed up her chest haughtily.
“Either case, it’s just winter.” Smart Cookie said. “A little longer than usual, but it’ll pass eventually, and we’ll be able to take care of ours shortly, WITHOUT you arrogant sorcerers poking your noses into our business.”
“You earth ponies and you unicorns can’t handle a little cold, and you wonder why we superior pegasi look down on you.”
Commander Hurricane chuckled and got up and started to leave, turning to a pony hiding in the shadows of the exit near him. “Come along, Private.”
“Y-Yes Commander...” Private Pansy whimpered, and then whispered behind herself to Clover. “S-sorry....”
“For a full o’ himself Pegasus, I recon he has the right idea.” Smart Cookie got up, dragging Chancellor Puddinghead behind her.
“Wait!” Princess Platinum called out to the retreating ponies. “Don’t you two realise that we’ll better survive this if we cooperate!? This winter is not normal, it will destroy us all if we don’t stand together!” The doors slammed as the visiting ponies left, and Princess Platinum sat back dejectedly, turning to her student. “You had something you wished to speak to me about, Clover?”
The purple unicorn nodded nervously as she stepped over, laying a bunch of papers across the table: weather reports, mostly. “I have been studying the odd weather, trying to discern the nature of this...winter.”
“I assume you found something?”
“Yes I think...no, I KNOW the winter is unnatural, magical in nature. It’s probably why neither the earth ponies nor the pegasi noticed anything strange about it beyond duration: we all know they aren’t masters of magic, so naturally they wouldn’t notice the obvious.”
The Princess’ gaze grew stern. “Do not speak that way, you sound almost like Hurricane...”
“Eep! S-sorry Princess I didn’t mean anything by it...” Clover apologised.
“No it’s not your fault....it’s just....nopony seems to want to even try to get along, even considering the old war....”
Clover pointed to a map. “The winter seems to be concentrated in our lands. I think we’ll need to move out to warmer pastures.”
“You said the winter as magical, surely we could use magic of our own to stop it or at least redirect it? Surely we don’t have to do something as drastic as moving?”
The purple unicorn shook her head. “I’m afraid not princess. Even without the winter, the relations between the three races is a powderkeg. Between the war and border disputes and the like, tensions are rising, and the winter is only making things worse. The earth ponies are thick-headed idiots and the pegasi are arrogant fools, you know what will happen if we all remain here surely?”
The princess sighed. “But....if we move NOW, we will have to deal with the harsh winter regardless.”
“I’m afraid we know no magic strong enough to alter the weather, and even the pegasi with their much touted ‘weather control’ abilities couldn’t possibly be able to effect magic on this scale. No, the only option is if we move somewhere warmer, away from the other races.”
Princess Platinum sat there, looking over the papers her student had left on the table, then towards the purple unicorn herself before finally sighing. “I shall...think about it. I shall call a public address in the morning, and send word to the other leaders should I need to.” She got up and began to leave as Clover the Clever nodded and followed suit.
As the pair left the large room, a figure watched, hidden in shadow: Commander Hurricane. The military pony smirked in thought as he flew out towards the small area where the pegasi took roost.
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“S-so the unicorns are leaving?” Private Pansy whimpered softly in her father’s tower, where the Commander lead the pegasi race at all times.
“It appears so. The winter is too much for them, so they have decided to leave to warmer pastures.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Weaklings.”
“S-so what happens now father?” Pansy asked.
Quick as a flash Commander Hurricane dashed to his daughter and struck her hard with his hoof, making her stumble to the ground. “Never refer to me so familiarly. We must keep things in perfect order and follow strict regulations. You are a Private and I am your Commander, you obey my orders without question and with utter deference! You can only call me Father when you earn the right, though I doubt you ever will.” He growled as he looked at Private Pansy as she got up on her knees. “You’re weak. Pathetic. You do us a disservice by your repeated failures.”
“I-I’m sorry Fa- Commander.”
“Good, now, keep an eye on the Princess, ensure she doesn’t make any sudden moves.”
“Y-yes sir, but what about you?”
He smirked, fumbling with a gem he held in his right hoof: a silver lined purple pendant. “I have plans.”
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Princess Platinum had returned to bed early for the evening, overwhelmed by the stubbornness of the other leaders as well as Clover’s plan.
Clover was a clever mare (in fact it was why she was known as such) but she had a tendency to only think of a single solution where others were available as well as fail to think of other variables, such as if the winter was actually localised and not covering the whole of the country, much of which was still unexplored.
She decided to sleep and clear her head...and as she slept...she saw something...something beautiful, magnificent, grand yet gentle, calming....and it gave her an idea...a new spell, one that had never existed before...one that might possibly end the winter.
She woke with a start and got dressed before she began packing, grabbing six large uncut round stones. They were plain and rather boring to look at right now, but something told her they were the perfect catalyst for her new spell. She carefully put the stones in a large carrying bag and silently moved through her castle, careful not to alert or disturb anyone: she wanted this done in secrecy.
As she started to head for the castle entrance, she spotted something following her, flying high enough for her not to have noticed at first, but the moonlight pouring through a window allowed her to see its shadow.
“Who’s there and why are you spying on me?” She asked, with no anger or fear, just curiosity and concern. “Please, come out here and talk to me.”
The figure hesitated then slowly flew down in front of the Princess so she could get a good look.
“Oh you’re that Pegasus that’s always at the Commander’s side.” The Princess looked her over, exclaiming. “Oh you poor dear, you’re hurt!”
Private Pansy inched away as the Princess lifted a hoof, bringing her own hoof up to her face to hide the scratch on her cheek. “I-Its quite fine...I-I’m a s-strong Pegasus like F-The Commander needs me to be...a-a little bruise i-is nothing...”
“Don’t say that, just hold still while I apply some salve.” The Princess interjected, the pegasus too timid to even try and stop her as she applied a cold salve to the wound, making her wince. The princess then applied a bandage to the wound and smile.
“There, it has been disinfected and should heal up quite quickly. Now, what is your name, miss, and why were you hiding?” Princess Platinum smiled encouragingly.
“I-I’m P-Private Pansy, a-and I’m the Commander’s right hand mare...I-I’m actually next in line for the rank of Commander should anything happen to him...well, I was supposed to be...” She shook her head. “B-but that’s personal matters, I’m not allowed to tell anypony that, especially not non-pegasi. The Commander ordered me to come here and make sure you didn’t do anything.”
The Princess smield wide. “Oh this is most excellent! Miss Pansy, I was just about to go and do something dreadfully important, in fact, the very fate of all three pony races hinge on what we do tonight!”
“R-really...? W-wait, we?”
“Of course! A big strong pegasus like you would be tons of help in my mission, and I am willing to repay you.”
“B-but w-we’re not allies....” Private Pansy said.
“I know the Commander doesn’t wish to exchange a hoof of friendship, but he’s wrong! This winter isn’t natural, its magical and it could destroy us all if something isn’t done!”
“A-are you sure? I-Is it really that bad?”
“I have a feeling its much worse than we both realise, Miss Pansy.” Platinum laid a hoof over Pansy’, her eyes pleading. “Please, if not for myself or my people, think of your own. Surely even this winter is too much for them?”
Pansy lowered her eyes in thought. She remembered several soldiers acting angrier than normal, starting fights for no reason, and several almost lost their wings to frostbite during scouting patrols. “I-I think...I think I should come...i-if only because I must watch you...”
The Princess smiled. “Thank you, Pansy.” She quickly donned a warm travelling cloak. “Now come, we have no time to lose.”
The unicorn raced out through the door and out of the castle, the timid pegasus following behind.
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Sweet Cookie walked out to inspect the crops, gasping as she saw something horrifying.
Normally, due to the harsh winter, the crops were protected under a large stone dome, a magical stone called a Sunstone acting a surrogate sun until the winter ended. However, the stone had been torn asunder and the crops had been exposed to the elements, now dead and useless.
In a panic, she ran through the area, trying to find anything salvageable. All she found was a small purple gem. It was a pendant, unmistakably unicorn jewellery.
She gritted her teeth angrily, clenching the pendant tightly in her hoof as she ran to the Chancellor’s house.
However, he was nowhere to be found.
“Where has that dunderhead gotten to now!? We got a crisis on our hands! Chancellor! Chancellor! Ya gotta get over here! Those unicorns declared war!”