The Kiss of Winter

by Skyblitz

Prologue: Conspiracy

The Kiss of Winter

Prologue: Conspiracy

---

"The cold winds are rising..."

---

It was night over the world, the great full moon gleaming down upon the earth like a watchful guardian. With it shone a thousand-times-a-thousand glittering gems, filling the darkness with order and light. No clouds hovered overhead either, making the darkened lands below shiver in an icy chill. It was winter in Equestria, and the ground from Canterlot to Baltimare was coated with a thick layer of white snow. The moonlight gleamed off its surface, lightening the otherwise dark night with a magical and enchanting luminescence. Few ponies were awake during this hour, but those who were laughed and skipped through the wintery wonderland.

Hearth's Warming Eve would soon be celebrated across the world, and the streets of Canterlot were adorned with holly wreaths and boughs of mistletoe this evening. The streets of Equestria's capital were filled with laughing foals, smiling nobleponies and festive merrymakers, glasses mulled wine in hoof. Icicles hung from the many street lamps which lined the snow covered paved roads, and the flickering candles in the windows of houses made the winter wrapped city look as if it was swarmed with faeries.

The mighty Royal Palace was no exception, and golden bells and silvered chimes rang in the darkness as a soft cool breeze caressed them. The wide statue lined plaza of the Court of the Sun and Moon was also blanketed in white, but the virgin snow was marked with hoofprints and chariot tracks. The beautiful carved fountain, portraying a member of each pony race dancing together in perfect harmony, was frozen solid, and the blue ice was streaked with skate marks where a number of bored Royal Guards had passed the time ice skating.

The grounds of the Princesses' royal abode were not silent, the constant sound of crunching snow everywhere as the Palace sentries made their evening rounds. In addition to their gilded plate steel armour, everypony also wore a thick woollen scarf and a set of hoof stockings beneath their horseshoes. Yet despite the cold, every pegasus, unicorn and earth pony guard kept high spirits. It was holiday season, and because nature hid itself away during the winter months, all of Ponykind seemed to make it their duty to make up for the lack of life with vibrant merrymaking and celebration.

Yet inside the glorious castle itself, one pony was not so content. High above the glittering city of Canterlot in the building known as the Solaris Spire, a certain white alicorn sat at her desk, staring grumpily at a gargantuan pile of letters. Princess Celestia was bored, and that boredom was so great she had gone through three bottles of mulled wine in the last two hours alone in an effort to ease the passage of time. But alicorns being alicorns, the alcohol had had next to no effect on her. The pile of letters, invoices, treaties and trade orders were still there, and nothing the Celestia seemed to do could make it any smaller.

Besides burning it all in the hearth. It is chilly in here, she mused absently to herself. Her body shifted in her seat, free from her royal regalia. If she could just get through this pile of papers, she could finally retire for the night and get some much deserved and wanted sleep. Stifling a yawn, she levitated another glass of warm red wine to her lips. The taste was soothing, and the smell warmed her up almost as much as the fire to her right, and the Princess let out a content sigh as she picked up her phoenix feather quill.

Of all the rooms in the Royal Palace, Celestia rarely came into her study at the top of the Solaris Spire. The tower itself was part of the Old Castle, built shortly after the first days of Discord. For many years it used to house her personal chambers and office, but that all changed after the construction of the far larger, and much more comfortable, Tower of the Sun. Celestia usually performed any duties of high office in her study there, but a old sense of nostalgia had brought her back here. A mistake.
The office here was cold and draughty, and Celestia had left the fire burning in the room for an hour before actually setting down to work. And even then, an icy breeze still cut through the old tarnished window frame behind her, making her efforts for naught.

"Every filly this side of the Silverline Mountains dreams of being a Princess, let's see how they enjoy this" Celestia muttered as she took another sip of wine. When she realised there was no one actually in the room with her, the Sun Princess sighed. The wine must be getting to her now. "Come on Tia, just, just focus."

With a tremendous amount of willpower, Celestia put down the jewelled wine glass, raised the scarlet quill, and stabbed the piece of parchment before her. This edict would be the first of the sheets before her to be defeated in a blazing charge of progress and determination, which would vanquish all of the Princess' documents in one fell sw-

The quill tip snapped.

Celestia dropped her head down on the desk with a resounding bang, followed a few moments by a deadpanned "ow." Rubbing her horn tenderly, the Princess frowned at the sight around her. The piles of brown and white paper stood there as if mocking her, laughing at her lack of focus, at their hold over her life. Giving in, Celestia finished off the bottle of malt wine with a single, long gulp. Time to retire, I think...I'll do it tomorrow.

The white alicorn stood up shakily from her desk, struggling to stand with balance for a split second. "Somepony help me..." she wailed, despair dripping from her voice like poison. With a little hiccup, Celestia stumbled towards the door of her study...and nearly fell completely down the flight of stairs had it not been for her reflexes. An immortal goddess, raiser of the sun and co-ruler of the Equestrian Diarchy... cannot walk down stairs after a few glasses of wine. She knew in truth it was more like a few bottles, but no one was judging.

Mumbling some incoherent complaint about the world as a whole, Princess Celestia staggered into her bed-chambers. Her two stationed guards turned to each other as the white sunwood door closed behind her. Luckily for them, she was already passed out on the bed when they started sniggering.

---

But across the great sea, far, far away from the heartlands of Equestria, over the Marelantic Ocean and across the vast pine forests of the far north, another nation basked in the night. But there were no carollers singing, no children playing, and no one out celebrating the winter festivals. Whereas cities all over Equestria shined with candlelight, only a few flickering flames glowed here, here in a forest so vast one could place the Everfree within it's borders eight times over. The snow lay here too, but the soft white blanket seemed to suffocate all sound - not that there was any to suffocate in the first place.

The Deer Realm of Cervidas was silent.

And yet in the heart of the woodland nation, a single beacon of civilisation flared bright in the murky night. Rising high above the black pine canopy, stood the single oldest and largest living thing in all the known world: the magnificent Reion Húr, the Father Tree.

The colossal tower of bark and leaves stood over a mile high, making it a landmark for thousands of travellers for over a hundred miles. The tree was said to be the source of all the forests of the world, and that a single seed could grow an area of woodland over a league in every direction in a heartbeat. Indeed, Reion Húr bore the leaves of every known tree across the world, from oak to palm, to ash to birch, to maple to suntree.

Thousands upon thousands of animals made their home here, even a number of phoenixes. But this tree also served as something far more than a home. Upon the twilight boughs of the colossal tree stood the capital of all Cervidas. The trunk of Reion Húr was ablaze with hundreds of candles and lanterns, shining and hanging from overhanging buildings crafted expertly from the tree itself. The Deer city of Concordia rose a third of the way up, carved from the heart of the Father Tree. In sharp contrast to the surrounding forest, the night was filled with laughter, cheer, speech and singing here.

All through this sanctuary city, Deer of all kinds revelled in their own winter festivals. Drums and flutes rang through the wooden city, filling the carved colonnades, sweeping lodges and pillared mansions with music and festivity. Yet though the crowds of Elk, Moose, Reindeer and Roe, one individual was not celebrating.

He stood tall for his race, a Fallow, and his head was crowned with a stunningly regal set of antlers. His coat was a light reddish brown, spotted with a few dozens patches of pearl white fur. His legs were stronger than most stags of his race and age, and his body was made up tight athletic muscles. Hanging around his elegant neck was a heavy silver medallion engraved with markings of high office.

The stag's destination was far from the commoners. It lay at the very summit of Concordia, higher than the Whitetail Pillars that held the weight of Reion Húr above the city proper. No, the stag's destination was only for the highest of the high, and he was considered one of them. A drunken Elk staggered out before him, blocking his path and almost striking him accidently with his expansive rack. The merrymaker took no heed to the noblebuck behind him, and waved his mug of honey mead around as he laughed thunderously at nothing in particular.

The Fallow stag was not amused. With a single stamp on the ground, he stunned the reveller from his stupor. Upon his hooves were a set of shining silver hoofguards set with blue gemstones, each of which glowed very faintly in the twilit arboreal passage. The Elk's eyes widened at the sight of the Fallow, and he fell away fearfully, bowing and muttering apologies.

Stupid commoner, mused the noblebuck was he passed, the medallion around his neck bouncing against his chest. The stag raised a foreleg to his neck piece, holding the circular pendant tenderly, almost as if to reassure himself it was still there. The symbols engraved on the silver almost seemed to hum as his hoof brushed over them.

The ascent was less eventful from then on. Buck, doe and fawn parted to make a path for him through the crowds, until there was finally no one to bump into a all. The upper galleries of Concordia were off limits to the common folk, and merry Deer were replaced with stalwart and silent armoured guards. They were stags all, many of them Moose and Elk, enlisted purely for their great strength and expansive sets of antlers. But many Reindeer stood with them, clad in silvered plates of overlapping steel set with snow diamonds. They were the magic users of the much renowned Antler Wardens, with power enough to rival any unicorn.

If all went as plan in the following weeks, they would be needed against such creatures.

A pair of Elk guards parted their heavy halberds to make way for the decorated stag, the heavy silver blades engraved with symbols of strength and war. No matter how many times he came here, the noblebuck still had his breath taken away by the beauty of this part of the city.

Past the guards stood a massive, incredibly beautiful archway carved from the wood of Reion Húr itself. The intricate pattern criss-crossed itself over a series of four pillars, carved in the likeness of smaller trees. In the centre of the gate was set a colossal chunk of crystallised amber, set into the shape of a heart and gilded with white gold. Mighty braziers stood at the base of the archway, set far enough away as not to burn the wooden building. Beside the outermost pillars stood a pair of wooden statues, crafted in the form of rearing stags.

Another set of guards parted as the Fallow passed beneath archway, finally arriving at his destination.

Before him lay a cavernous sanctum, carved from the heart of the Father Tree itself in the likeness of a great, cathedral-like dome. The ceiling was set with hanging braziers carved in the likeness of winged does. A series of irregular pillars ran around the cavernous chamber to give the impression of roots, and were draped with thick vines that bloomed white flowers despite being inside away from the sunlight. But the most impressive sight were the great number of regally dressed Deer of all types sitting in elevated benches around the room.

In between the root like pillars sat a large number of curved benches, set in a rising pattern which allowed their many occupants to look down upon the centre of the room. There were representatives from every major city across Cervidas tonight, from Fawntaine to Equadoe, Estagna and Elksburg, not mention the entirety of Concordia's own council.As the noblebuck entered, he was immediately noticed.

"You're late, Blizzard Charge. This session of parliament started two hours ago, and you've missed much" came a rumbling voice from the Fallow's left. The speaker had been a stately dressed Moose sporting a long beard. The Fallow commander ignored the jab and trotted towards his place: on the right hand side of the ruler of all Cervidas. At the opposing end of the council chamber stood a gloriously elaborate throne made from white winterwood, set with gemstones the colour the night sky, surrounded with symbols proclaiming Deer dominance over the northern continent and beyond.

And upon it, sat the one simply known as the White Hart. He was impossibly old, his coat the colour of snowflakes with age, and sported a great beard which fell over him ancient yet strong shoulders like silk. His coat was painted with celestial symbols and spirals, showing that he was blessed by Heaven and it's Powers. His antlers were colossal, larger than any Moose or Elk by a larger degree. They climbed high towards the ceiling, reaching above the assembled court like the branches of a tree. A dozen silver bells hung from each major prong. But his eyes, his eyes were alive and wild. It was as if his body had aged whilst his gaze still remained that of a powerful young buck.

Such eyes regarded Blizzard Charge, the captain of the Antler Wardens, wearily as he took up his seat. Once the silence descended on the court once again, a Roe minister on the left hoof side of the White Hart motioned for the current speakers to continue. It was then that Blizzard Charge noticed who was actually petitioning.
In the centre of the room stood a pair of White Tail stags, one scarred across the face from an old attack. They wore the uniform that marked them as high ranking members of the Cervidas War Orders by the golden sashes across their chests and shoulders. One stood taller than the other, but it was clearly the shorter who had the authority. Blizzard Charge regarded the speaker with keen interest as he cleared his throat.

"Senators, I urge you to reconsider this opportunity for the Realm. By doing this, the assault that the Changelings are preparing for on our southern borders would be crushed. The Commanders of the War Orders are giving us a chance to make us stronger than ever before! It would be madness to reject it."

The stag's name was Commander Ashencrest, a decorated military general and veteran of two Changeling wars against the Deer races. But while a heavily respected leader, the High Council never saw him as a politician. He was brash, impatient and blunt, and possessed none of the tact and subtlety needed to weave oneself through the ranks of government. But Blizzard Charge listened intently. He knew where the commander was heading with his speech.

"I beg you not to let doubt or politics interfere with this reformation. By letting the military take control, the Changeling swarm would face an organised army so strong that not even Equestria would be able to stand in our way!"

"That's enough!" rumbled a Roe Deer senator loudly. "The decision has been made. The military does not dictate policy in Cervidas. The High Council and the White Hart himself have considered your proposal and rejected it. We will continue our defense as we have always done, and we will send the Changelings back to the grey wastes they come from! Do we make ourselves clear?"
Commander Ashencrest puffed his chest out proudly, but made no attempt to retort. His partner simply bowed and gave a curt "yes sir" before turning to leave. Ashencrest looked at the unmoving and unspeaking White Hart briefly before turning. As he left, the commander shot a knowing glance to Blizzard Charge. Both knew what had to come next.

"Are there any more speakers? No?" asked the Roe senator. "Then the next order of business is open trade negotiations with Camelu. As you know, the Red Deer haven't been filling their lumber orders for months now, and the Zebras have cancelled their requests..."

Blizzard Charge wasn't listening. he couldn't at a time right now. As Commander Ashencrest left the council chamber, he knew what had to be done. With a look of steel determination, he removed the silver medallion from around his neck. Using his magic, the captain of the Antler Wardens moved the magically binding locks on the pendant, causing the engraved symbols to glow faintly with an eerie blue light. The locks continued to undo themselves, and the pendant unfolded and opened to reveal its secret.
At its heart, a single ice blue crystal pulsed with a life of its own, humming a low harrowing tune, drawing the attention of a few councillors on the lower benches. All eyes however turned to the Fallow stag when he stood up, holding the opened amulet outwards towards the crowd of assembled ministers.

"Captain Blizzard Charge, what are you doing? What is that charm?"

"Forgive me senators, but... it is necessary for our people to survive" the Fallow stag proclaimed.

"Commander..."

"Forgive me!"

"What are you doing?"

Blizzard Charge's antlers glowed brightly as he channelled his magical power through the amulet, causing several magically attuned senators to shout in outrage. They could feel the magic in the air, and the reason behind it...

All at once, a terrible shriek erupted from the magical charm, bringing everyone to the ground in pain. The braziers hanging from the vaulted ceiling were snuffed out in a heartbeat, and the temperature suddenly fell dramatically. A howling wind smashed through the chamber, knocking half the Deer councillors across the room. The entire chamber fell into darkness as the icy blizzard whipped from the mystical amulet, coating the sanctum with numbing frost and ice.
The fury of winter assaulted the assembled governors of Cervidas, freezing their bodies with cruel talons of snow and rime. And no magic from any Deer could halt the power of this crystal. Blizzard Charge closed his eyes as he heard the screams, the cries of pain was the sweeping snowstorm raged through the upper sanctum, drowning away all warmth and life. The High Council of Cervidas died then and there, the blood in their veins freezing solid as the fell storm ripped the warmth from them with icy claws.

And over it all, the White Heart simply watched with his youthfully ancient eyes still and unmoving, as did the Antler Wardens around the chamber. Outside the gate, Commander Ashencrest gazed in with a wicked smile.
And Commander Blizzard Charge watched on, his face colder than the snowstorm he had unleashed. The root like pillars of the chamber buckled and snapped, creaking wildly as they shattered into frozen husks upon the fallen bodies of the Deer High Council.

---

"Ahh, best night's sleep I've had in weeks" Celestia sighed, the silken covers of her luxurious bed running over her pristine coat like quicksilver. The fluffy pillows around her caressed her mane lovingly, and the white alicorn wished she could just lie there all day and night, letting the winter winds blow and howl away outside.

A loud banging, resounding knock came from her bedroom door. Celestia groaned painfully. "Being a Princess. Whoopee do" she mumbled as she fell out of bed, landing on a soft white rug. Opening a glass cabinet to her right, Celestia levitated her golden jewelled tiara onto her head, her luscious mane dishevelled slightly from sleep. Her head hurt as well.
Approaching the door, Celestia composed her perfect mask of feminine charm and turned the gilded handle. The door opened to reveal a Royal Guard, his helmet removed and his face flushed from running.

"Your, Your Highness..." he breathed, "I have some important news from the far north, just arrived in this morning."
Celestia didn't show her boredom at the news. Such things came in from the north frequently nowadays. The Deer of Cervidas were always causing problems along the borders of Equestria, ever since the fabled Battle of Broken Horn Pass. The Deer nation had a tense relationship with the Equestrian crown, with the possibility of war only held in check by a truce, not a peace treaty.

"What is it, good sir?"

"The, the Deer. There's been some kind of political movement. The White Hart has called a meeting of all race leaders at a summit in Concordia."

Now this Celestia did raise an eyebrow at. "Summit, you say? Show me what you have there" she gestured to the package that the guard was holding on his back, a thick scroll bound with a dark green ribbon. The letter was sealed with a silver wax stamp, emblazoned with a stag's head. The seal of the White Hart.

"Thank you sir, you may go"

Celestia closed the doors to her chambers and broke the seal before laying down in front of her hearth. With a single spark of magic she set the logs ablaze, casting a cosy early morning atmosphere around her sanctum. Planting her body upon an expensive and padded couch, the Sun Goddess began to scan over the elegantly written text.

Her eyes widened.

Standing up briskly, she launched herself to the entrance of her room with a single flap of her angelic white wings and forced the door open roughly with her magic. The two sentries posted outside jumped a bit as she strode out into the richly decorated corridor, her hooves still clopping loudly on the marble despite the lack of horseshoes.

"Summon the ministers of the White Council and the city's Highlords, at once!"

Both guards bowed and sped off down the hallway, leaving the stunned alicorn pacing in the hallway.
This was too good to be true... there had to be a catch, something she was missing. The Princess levitated the scroll before her yet again, reading and rereading every word until the point she had almost memorised the whole letter. There was no hidden message, no concealed agenda within the text. If this was genuine...

Racing back into her chambers, she cast open the heavy crimson curtains, revealing a stunning white sky of snow clouds above the balcony. Lighting a candle with a flick of magic, Celestia say down at her desk and unrolled a piece of parchment. With steel determination, she began to write.

My Dearest Niece,

There is something which you and your husband must do not just for me, but all of Equestria. I have just received word this very morning of a summit of all racial leaders at the Deer capital at Reion Húr, called and signed by the White Hart himself. If I'm not mistaken, this is a diplomatic peace meeting.

Cervidas calls for peace, and I want you and Shining Armour to act as Equestria's ambassadors and emissaries. Take whoever you deem necessary, be they guards or secretaries. This mission cannot fail. If this truly is a peace summit, then the tension and unrest in the north of the world could be eased forever. I will be consulting with the Griffin Windlord and the delegates from Germaneigh and Prance.

You must not fail me, Cadence.

Love always,

Princess Celestia.