Libationby MuramasaChaptersPrincessCommanderChancellorPrincessThe Castle of the Two Sisters was once Equestria's most secure fortress. Riddled with traps and fortified by walls often sung to be impenetrable, it had stood for hundreds of years as Equestria's ruling power. And now, in the present day, it stood dilapidated, those traps long in ruins, those walls crumbled and strewn, the fabrics and tapestries rotting away. Equestria's most secure fortress had finally been bested by a primordial enemy — Father Time. And in the middle of what was once that fortress, in a decomposing room that could have looked like a dining hall if you squinted just enough, the castle's namesakes sat, using an errant block of wall as a makeshift table. Father Time had beaten down the Castle of the Two Sisters to a footnote. Celestia and Luna stood in its ruins without a scratch on them. "We didn't think to bring chairs?" Celestia asked, shuffling her hooves a bit. "I fear Silver Shoals has spoiled me." "It wasn't the thousands of years ruling Equestria?" Luna asked. Her horn glowed as she lifted a bottle from their makeshift "table" — a large bottle of Dom Ponyon champagne — and began to pour it into two silver cups, one for each of them. "If you'd rather be back home watching another damned founding pageant, be my guest." "And abandon our new tradition before it starts?" Celestia replied. "I think not. Do you know how much that champagne cost me?" "A trek by night through the Everfree Forest and the cost of the champagne is what ails you? Platinum would never." Both Luna and Celestia lifted the drink to their lips and imbibed. Despite being bubbly, it went down smooth, and Luna savored the taste for a moment. It was a familiar one, and when she closed her eyes, she remembered it tasting much the same way in this very spot over a thousand years ago. "Plat was drinking this here the night we met her," Luna said aloud. "She brought it with her. I can't believe she even shared it with us, given what she said after she poured it." "Always one for first impressions, wasn't she?" Celestia replied. She took another sip, and a slight chuckle escaped her lips. "Would it have killed her to simply be polite?" "Almost certainly," Luna replied, a ghost of a grin floating to her face. Her hooves were growing tired already — she leaned upon the slab of rock as she took another sip. "You wanted to strangle her for calling us blanks. She knew it, too. That mare was fearless. A real princess' princess." Celestia didn't respond immediately, at first. Instead, she started to look around the room, and the orange glow of the sunset that slipped through the cracks in the strewn and shambled walls washed over her as she did. Luna knew that look — she was thinking about something, be it Princess Platinum or this dining hall or something else entirely, so the younger sister resolved to let her do it. And as it turned out, it was Plat, befitting of the sisters' new tradition. "I think Plat was our first friendship lesson. Right in this room," she began slowly. "Our first real test as princesses — to find a way to get along with someone you truly could not stand. We'd have never known how wonderful and wise Platinum truly was if we hadn't tried after that day." "After a few days," Luna replied. "Plat was an acquired taste. But once you got her there was nary a more loyal friend. I'd like to tell you a story, Tia, if you do not mind. Could you walk with me? Bring your drink." Celestia raised her eyebrows — she certainly hadn't expected anything of this sort — and with a jump, she followed Luna as she walked out of the room, carefully levitating her drink in front of her as to not spill it (it wasn't quite time for that yet). Luna exited the dining room and headed right. There was once a number of hallways here, a maze spanning endlessly in every direction not unlike the castles in Canterlot in Ponyville did to this day, but those days had long passed the castle by. Entire walls and corridors had fallen, so the path to get anywhere in these ruins became a path of least resistance, with Luna and Celestia climbing and stepping over rubble as they walked through the once-hallowed ground. It was occasionally tough work, but a perfect breeze seemed to whisper around the place, and Celestia and Luna felt an odd sort of warmth from the setting sun hit their body throughout the majority of the castle that did not have a roof. It wasn't until the two sisters ducked around the main hall — which, in a perfect stroke of symbolism, was perhaps the only part of the castle that truly remained standing, banners and all — that Celestia knew where Luna was going. The Princess of the Night led her sister the Sun to a vast area that was mostly ruined, a wide open space where you could see out across the hill where the Everfree got thicker and thicker. Much like the rest of the castle, rubble was strewn about everywhere here, but the sheer size of the space and what little was left of the floor allowed Celestia to see this place, too, if she closed her eyes — and she did, as Luna spoke. "I always dreaded the ballroom," Luna started. "Do you remember the first gala we ever held here, sister? Neither grand nor galloping." Celestia looked up where there should have been a ceiling, instead pondering at a bright orange sky. After a few seconds, she looked back at her sister and shook her head. "You know, Luna, I don't," she replied. "A few of them in here blur together, somewhat. The Grand Galloping Gala feels like it's as old as the universe itself sometimes, and not in a good way." "I don't blame you," Luna replied. "Being here always meant exchanging pleasantries with nobles, dignitaries and bureaucrats I'd forget about in a day's time, too. But you could never forget Plat, could you? So I do remember our first gala here. It was a year or two after we'd been crowned, to cement our power to the tribes and other foreign ambassadors come to see the new Equestria. And for the dinner, everyone was sat, and then we'd come out last — you know this, of course, we still do it." Celestia nodded. Luna couldn't help but let her lips quirk up as she began to tell a story she knew would do well with her crowd of one. "We hadn't been princesses or royalty for very long, and I was worried about walking out. Can you believe that? I thought royals had to be dignified and proper. It was a really stupid thing to give a damn about, but we were young and suddenly princesses. I didn't know how a princess walked, so I looked in the mirror and thought about the only princess I really knew aside from you at the time. You remember how Plat used to walk? She glided across the floor with her dainty little steps and always kept her head up at just the right angle." "Oh, no," Celestia interjected, the corners of her mouth now matching her sister's. Her eyes drew wide, astonished at herself. "Wow, Luna, I do remember this." "Of course you do," Luna continued. "I looked in the mirror in my chambers and did it just how I remembered it. Practiced it for an hour, I swear it. And then, when it was time for Princess Luna to arrive to the masses..." Luna began to walk down the middle of what was once the Ballroom, expertly balancing her cup with her magic while moving forward by what could only be described as stumbling like a doe that was learning to walk. Celestia tried her best not to break, but by the fourth or fifth step, it was simply too much, and she couldn't help but start to clutch her sides. Eventually, Luna finished her affront to walking, and she raised a hoof in the air like a stage actor as she spoke. "I looked ridiculous!" she exclaimed, Celestia's laugh infecting her, and she felt a chuckle escape her. "I got stares for the whole dinner. And since that was not punishment enough, I sat down at my seat trying to hide my face as everyone stared, and you'll never guess who was sitting right next to me." "Her face! Oh, her face!" Celestia said, her laughter dying down as the memories came flooding back. "Did she say something to you?" "Not then. That made it worse, honestly, like she was avoiding me for having embarrassed her," Luna replied. "But the gala went on, after that. I had a few awkward conversations, met with the ponies I was supposed to, and before long, they were clearing out and only the castle staff remained to clean everything up. I remember not what you were up to, but you weren't there — it was just me, the servants, and then Plat. She walked up to me and she told me to follow her." Luna began walking away. Celestia eagerly followed, trailing right behind her sister as they left the ballroom behind. Luna did not walk far this time, instead stopping right outside of where they just were. Luna looked down toward the south, and Celestia immediately knew that this had once been another of the thousand hallways the Castle of the Two Sisters boasted. "She took me out here," Luna said, "And she taught me the walk. The whole thing. How to put my hooves one in front of the other just so, how to keep your head up just slightly above eye level. She knew what I was trying to do, and she knew I was never going to learn it unless somepony taught it to me. So she did. And to this very day, Tia, I walk with her gait. She turned what should have been an awful memory into a shining example of how she was always looking out for us." Luna's glass, which had been hovering by her side, floated just above her head. It was time, they both knew, and Celestia did the same. She looked to Luna, but Luna nodded, waiting for her queue — so Celestia looked around as the sky began to dim and spoke aloud to their old friend. "This one is for you, Princess," Celestia said. "A wise ruler who stood by those who loved her, and a guiding light when we had been walking in the dark. Quite literally walking, in some cases, it would seem. Happy Hearth's Warming, Plat." Luna chuckled, and at that, the two tipped their glasses down and let the remainder of the champagne spill out onto the floor. The two were silent for a beat, more memories overtaking them as they idly stared forward, but it was Luna who finally broke the silence after their toast had been completed. "I wish you were here, Plat," Luna finally said. "So you could watch us waste this good champagne." CommanderPegasi were not buried. To put them six feet in the ground was heretical to their very nature. Instead — for those who follow the ancient Pegasi traditions, at least — Pegasi become one with their own domain upon their death. They are cremated, and afterward, their ashes are released high, high in the sky, left to join with the air like they did in life with every beat of their wings. Celestia couldn't quite wrap her head around how many pegasi had melded with the sky since Commander Hurricane had thousands of years ago, shortly after the only battle he'd ever lost. It was the same sky, she knew, but he wasn't here anymore — not really. The last of Commander Hurricane had long been recycled into something else entirely, but she couldn't help but look at every little snowflake falling all around her and think of them as him. For most months of the year, Cloudsdale would be at this very spot, hanging above the sky as a reminder of what he built. It wasn't here now, though — Cloudsdale was on the move, tasked to bring winter to every city in Equestria before returning just in time for the holidays. It was an idea he created at the head of the weather brigade many years ago, and while the exact means of delivery had certainly changed in hundreds of years, everything else — the route it traveled and the logistics from pegasi to pegasi — remained nearly the same. One with the snow in more ways than one. Celestia and Luna were perched on a cloud where the city should have been. It was cold, but the sky was empty, waiting to be conquered by a slew of coursing feathers — just as Hurricane would have preferred. He certainly lived up to his name. And so Celestia and Luna sat perched, both with glasses of the only thing in the world that could ever really calm him down. Pegasi Red, much like Hurricane himself, was not a gentle wine. It burned the back of your throat as it coursed through your body, but it was all the same delectable — that was probably why Hurricane had loved it so much, she wagered. Celestia had always loved the taste of it, and when she was (much) younger, she had always been fascinated by the way the Pegasi would grow their grapes in the ground and then finish the process in the clouds. Whatever it was, it didn't taste like any other wine, bursting with a fruity flavor while biting back all the same. Celestia loved Pegasi Red. But while her sister had certainly changed since her return, Celestia knew that one thing certainly hadn't. "Disgusting," Luna spat, cringing as she got it down. "If only the Pegasi could wrap up wine like they wrap up winter. Goes down about as pleasant as Hurricane's spear." "I didn't know you two were that close," Celestia quipped, taking another sip. She didn't get to savor it for long. She felt a hard shove from her left, which caused all of her wine to fly out of her cup and down to the earth below, far earlier than the sisters had intended to do it purposefully. The last bit of it joined the rest when Celestia doubled over, unable to stave off a furious bit of laughter, and when she looked up at her sister, Luna's poor effort to hide the corners of her mouth turning upward made her only laugh harder. It felt like forever. Celestia could only faintly recall the old holidays with her and Luna thousands of years ago, but she imagined it was something like this. No pageantry. No formality. No speeches or state affairs. Just the two of them. After a spell, Luna silently floated her glass over to Celestia in penance. She took the swig she'd been robbed of, reveling in its thorns, before idly staring out into the vast, empty sky. "I was young and brash, once. I still was, after... after you'd gone. I was one of the two most powerful beings in the world, and then, suddenly, it was just me. Hearth's Warming had just begun to formulate around that time, once the tribes had been united for long enough, and I hated it. It was a day about spending time with friends, family and lovers — all things I did not have. I was surrounded by nobles and bureaucrats who showered me with gifts not because they really knew me or even cared about me, but because they felt like they had to." Another swig. It was strong, and Celestia began to feel the warmth of the drink embrace her now, after only two glasses — another favorite quality of hers. With a deep breath, she continued. "But one day — I don't remember what day, or when — I saw the snow. It may have been before Hearth's Warming, or Hearth's Warming Eve, or Hearth's Warming Day, or even after, but I thought about Hurricane. He always made it his duty to ensure that winter went smoothly. His weather brigade was his pride and joy." "Even on his deathbed," Luna replied. She gestured her hoof out, without looking at Celesta. With a coy grin, she floated the cup back to Luna, who took another swig of the wine herself. Celestia wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting, but Luna's face lapsed back into a scrunch like she'd rehearsed it. "Stricken with consumption, and still finding something to yell at Pansy about. That poor mare." "Yes, I... cannot say he was perfect," Celestia replied. "And yet he demanded it from his Pegasi. But on that day, I thought... I thought that it must have made him happy. To have everypony experience a white Hearth's Warming by the fireplace, with the snow gently falling down at their windows. It must have meant a lot to him. And he was harsh, yes, and I cannot excuse how he drove those under him at times, but Pansy and the others... I think it meant a lot to them, too. And suddenly, on that day, making all those nobles and bureaucrats happy and attending those plays and leading those ceremonies suddenly meant a lot to me." Luna floated the cup back to her. There was only a bit left, but it was just enough. "Thank you for this weather, Hurricane," Luna said as Celestia held her cup high with her magic. It was a serious moment, but Luna was once again trying to to laugh at the sight of a single goblet held high. "This Hearth's Warming Eve would not be the same without it. And thank you, too, to your weather brigade, who make these days special." After one final stare into the dark red swirls, Celestia poured the last of it out in front of her, to take the long, long, long way down to the surface in little droplets. But while their toast was finished, Celestia wasn't done. "You're lucky you didn't see Rainbow Dash's fiasco during winter season a few years ago," Celestia said to the Commander, wherever he was. "You'd have had her executed." "Or worse," Luna replied. "Sentenced to drink a bottle of your favorite wine." For the second time that day, Celestia burst into fits. Luna joined in willingly, this time, and the two let it ride once again, doubled over on their cloud for a moment in time as tiny little snowflakes floated all around them. As that moment died, the two sisters rose to their hooves atop their little cloud. Celestia stretched her wings, ready to head to their next stop, but as she did so, she was surprised to feel Luna's own wing wrap around her in an embrace. "Hurricane was one of the strongest ponies I've ever met. And I think he'd be proud of you," Luna said. "Now you have friends and family to share this wonderful holiday with under his snow, and I could not be happier myself." Celestia felt a wetness around her eyes she knew was not the remnants of a snowflake, but they dried up rather quickly when Luna finished her thought. "You still need to work on the 'lovers' part you mentioned, though," Luna told her. "The way you speak, it sounds like it's been on your mind lately." It was the older sister's turn to shove. And when she did, it was far less merciful than Luna had been. ChancellorThere were few finer ways to honor the memory of Chancellor Puddinghead than by doing something you weren't supposed to do. It was a small act of rebellion for Celestia and Luna today as the Hearth's Warming Day sun shined over them in the afternoon. They had set up a picnic at Sweet Apple Acres, perched underneath an apple tree in their winter scarves and hats with little snowflakes falling gently all around them as they looked out at the seemingly endless apple orchards up and down the hill. They could have simply asked the Apples if they could set up here for their picnic. But that was no fun, was it? A cold day like this demanded a warm drink, and the two sisters reasoned that Puddinghead, always adamant about celebrating a holiday the right way, would have wanted a seasonal drink. Eggnog, of course, was currently that seasonal drink in Equestria, but this was about tradition — and so the two sisters drank Posset, a milk beverage mixed with spiced wine that would have been more fitting for Puddinghead's time. This time, they did remember seats, so Celestia and Luna sat on two nice folding chairs as they enjoyed their holiday beverages. "Did we have to use Pegasi Red again?" Luna whined. Despite this, she took a good sip of her beverage, and Celestia knew Luna enough to know that she was secretly enjoying her drink far more than she was letting on. "Yes. I bought two bottles," Celestia teased. She took a sip of her own, floating the cup up to her lips, and she felt a wave of warmth across her body as she took it down. It was delicious, for her first try, and she was excited at the prospect of perfecting it for next year. She looked out to those hills again — the red apples on the trees seemed to almost glow amid the snowy backdrop. "Smart Cookie would have loved this place," Celestia mused. "No earth pony was connected to the soil like she was. She'd know exactly what makes these apples the best in the world." "We'll have to have some drinks with her and the others next year," Luna said, turning to her. "Cookie, Clover, Pansy. There are so many stories to tell." "Indeed there are," Celestia said. "I still remember when Twilight played Clover in a Hearth's Warming Paegent a while back. She wasn't half bad, you know. All of them embodied their roles well in some way, but my goodness... Pinkie Pie truly was Puddinghead. She looks just like him, too. I imagine they would have gotten along so well." Luna let out a small chuckle. She brought her cup up to eye level and swirled it around, watching what remained of her Posset create a little vortex in her glass. Celestia looked at her with an eyebrow raised as Luna seemed to hypnotize herself with the action. "You remember how he used to drink orange juice in our council meetings, way back when?" Luna asked. "He'd swirl it like a damned glass of wine. Put it in a goblet and everything. One time we went to brunch with all the girls when they visited Canterlot a few years ago, and Pinkie poured herself a glass of orange juice and did the exact same thing." Celestia's eyes widened, and she practically jumped as she replied. "Yes! Oh, I was so mad at him whenever he did that," Celestia said, a grin of her own forming on her face. "He looked like a fool In front of so many important ambassadors and nobles and the other founders themselves." Luna stopped, bringing her glass back to her lips and taking another sip. "He did," she replied. "But that was hardly the worst of it. Remember when he made his speech at our coronation upside-down? He said it gave him—" "—A new perspective!" Celestia finished through laughter. "I was mortified!" The two looked at each other. And like sisters often do, they both knew exactly what to do. Quickly, they rose out of their chairs and repositioned themselves, putting their hooves up to the back of it and leaning over the front of them. Before long, the both of them were upside down, and Celestia and Luna couldn't help but note the beauty of the snow as it fell upward into their vision and the apple trees dangled above them like vines. Celestia turned to look at Luna, and even with a flipped point of view, she remembered her that day — a silver crown on her head that seemed only just too big, her eyes wide as everypony arrived at the dias and sang their praises. They'd prepared endlessly before their coronation, but when the day finally came, Celestia had felt like her stomach had dropped out of her body when she'd woken up that moment. And the moment she saw Luna for the first time, she knew that she had felt just the same. "...I was very nervous," Celestia finally said. "To be coronated. Of course I was. We were children." Luna was looking at her intently from her awkward angle, but Celestia hardly noticed. "Every compliment or promise from everyone who spoke before us felt like a nail. We had been told for weeks and months and years that we were destined to be great, and then it was finally time to be great, and I felt like I had no idea what to do. How was I supposed to go up there, after what everyone had said about us? How was I supposed to be that pony?" "And then Puddinghead came up to speak," Luna said, a grin infecting her visage. "And he did it upside down. Just like this." "Chancellor Puddinghead," Celestia replied. "He was always very particular about his title. I feel as if we've been failing him today." Luna chuckled, and Celestia couldn't help but do it too. It felt like they were doing that a lot these past few days. "I was, indeed, mortified. And then I laughed. And so did everypony else, and then suddenly, I wasn't so nervous anymore." "He had a way of doing that," Luna replied. She didn't dare take a sip of her glass like this, but she knew it was almost empty. If that was not an indicator enough, she felt a certain airiness wash over her that only made her more sure it was time. Puddinghead would not have wanted them to waste too much time, she knew. It was a challenge for both of them, and it should have been nigh impossible. They grabbed their glasses again with their magic and raised them up, but they had to keep in mind that they were upside down. Despite the odds, both of them managed to get it in front of their faces, and that infectious laughter won out yet again as they struggled to see the liquid in their glass fail to fall out when it looked like it should have. And even as Celestia struggled, she slowly began twirling the glass again. Luna's eyes widened, clearly impressed by her sister's antics, and she started her attempt to do the same. It wasn't working as well as Celestia's — little droplets were already flying out of her goblet — but Puddinghead was no quitter, and she wouldn't be, either. She spoke, her voice moving up and down as she concentrated on the absurd task at hand. "Chancellor, I... I think you're the one that held it all together, really," Luna started. "Plat and Hurricane could be... difficult. And sometimes, when it seemed like everything was falling apart, all it took was a joke or a prank to put it back together again. Things can seem hard, but sometimes... all it takes is a new perspective. Happy Hearth's Warming Day, Puddinghead." And just as Luna's shaking glass was about to give way, they poured the rest out, letting the last remaining drops hit the snow. The Possett was almost the color of it, so it seemed to disappear once the last of it fell out, and immediately, the two sisters collapsed from their hanging positions, bellowing as they awkwardly slumped over. The two didn't know how long they'd stood there, laughing. Even to this day, the mere thought of Puddinghead had the ability to do that. After the two stood up (carefully) and brushed the snow and dirt from their fur, Celestia looked to Luna and nodded curtly. Puddinghead had been the last one to toast to, but there was still one more thing to do on a day like this. It was a tradition as old as the holiday itself, and it would complete the two's newer tradition wonderfully. Quickly, Celestia used her magic to grab an object that had been propped up against their tree — a furled Equestrian flag attached to a poll. She brought it over to the two of them, hovering it right between them, and the flag unfurled with the slightest wind. The Equestrian flag was quite beautiful, Celestia thought — her and her sister, circling around their sun and moon. And without their old friends, it wouldn't have been possible. A day or two from now, the Apple family would see this planted in their orchard and wonder how in the world it had gotten there. And Puddinghead would have appreciated that, too, Celestia knew. "To Platinum, Hurricane and Puddinghead," Celestia declared. "And to this Hearth's Warming Season." Luna walked over to her sister and wrapped a wing around her. And with a swift glow of her horn, Celestia stuck the flag into the snow. Author's Note Happy Holidays, everyone! I had some trouble wrangling this idea in a bit, so I hope you enjoy it.
PrincessThe Castle of the Two Sisters was once Equestria's most secure fortress. Riddled with traps and fortified by walls often sung to be impenetrable, it had stood for hundreds of years as Equestria's ruling power. And now, in the present day, it stood dilapidated, those traps long in ruins, those walls crumbled and strewn, the fabrics and tapestries rotting away. Equestria's most secure fortress had finally been bested by a primordial enemy — Father Time. And in the middle of what was once that fortress, in a decomposing room that could have looked like a dining hall if you squinted just enough, the castle's namesakes sat, using an errant block of wall as a makeshift table. Father Time had beaten down the Castle of the Two Sisters to a footnote. Celestia and Luna stood in its ruins without a scratch on them. "We didn't think to bring chairs?" Celestia asked, shuffling her hooves a bit. "I fear Silver Shoals has spoiled me." "It wasn't the thousands of years ruling Equestria?" Luna asked. Her horn glowed as she lifted a bottle from their makeshift "table" — a large bottle of Dom Ponyon champagne — and began to pour it into two silver cups, one for each of them. "If you'd rather be back home watching another damned founding pageant, be my guest." "And abandon our new tradition before it starts?" Celestia replied. "I think not. Do you know how much that champagne cost me?" "A trek by night through the Everfree Forest and the cost of the champagne is what ails you? Platinum would never." Both Luna and Celestia lifted the drink to their lips and imbibed. Despite being bubbly, it went down smooth, and Luna savored the taste for a moment. It was a familiar one, and when she closed her eyes, she remembered it tasting much the same way in this very spot over a thousand years ago. "Plat was drinking this here the night we met her," Luna said aloud. "She brought it with her. I can't believe she even shared it with us, given what she said after she poured it." "Always one for first impressions, wasn't she?" Celestia replied. She took another sip, and a slight chuckle escaped her lips. "Would it have killed her to simply be polite?" "Almost certainly," Luna replied, a ghost of a grin floating to her face. Her hooves were growing tired already — she leaned upon the slab of rock as she took another sip. "You wanted to strangle her for calling us blanks. She knew it, too. That mare was fearless. A real princess' princess." Celestia didn't respond immediately, at first. Instead, she started to look around the room, and the orange glow of the sunset that slipped through the cracks in the strewn and shambled walls washed over her as she did. Luna knew that look — she was thinking about something, be it Princess Platinum or this dining hall or something else entirely, so the younger sister resolved to let her do it. And as it turned out, it was Plat, befitting of the sisters' new tradition. "I think Plat was our first friendship lesson. Right in this room," she began slowly. "Our first real test as princesses — to find a way to get along with someone you truly could not stand. We'd have never known how wonderful and wise Platinum truly was if we hadn't tried after that day." "After a few days," Luna replied. "Plat was an acquired taste. But once you got her there was nary a more loyal friend. I'd like to tell you a story, Tia, if you do not mind. Could you walk with me? Bring your drink." Celestia raised her eyebrows — she certainly hadn't expected anything of this sort — and with a jump, she followed Luna as she walked out of the room, carefully levitating her drink in front of her as to not spill it (it wasn't quite time for that yet). Luna exited the dining room and headed right. There was once a number of hallways here, a maze spanning endlessly in every direction not unlike the castles in Canterlot in Ponyville did to this day, but those days had long passed the castle by. Entire walls and corridors had fallen, so the path to get anywhere in these ruins became a path of least resistance, with Luna and Celestia climbing and stepping over rubble as they walked through the once-hallowed ground. It was occasionally tough work, but a perfect breeze seemed to whisper around the place, and Celestia and Luna felt an odd sort of warmth from the setting sun hit their body throughout the majority of the castle that did not have a roof. It wasn't until the two sisters ducked around the main hall — which, in a perfect stroke of symbolism, was perhaps the only part of the castle that truly remained standing, banners and all — that Celestia knew where Luna was going. The Princess of the Night led her sister the Sun to a vast area that was mostly ruined, a wide open space where you could see out across the hill where the Everfree got thicker and thicker. Much like the rest of the castle, rubble was strewn about everywhere here, but the sheer size of the space and what little was left of the floor allowed Celestia to see this place, too, if she closed her eyes — and she did, as Luna spoke. "I always dreaded the ballroom," Luna started. "Do you remember the first gala we ever held here, sister? Neither grand nor galloping." Celestia looked up where there should have been a ceiling, instead pondering at a bright orange sky. After a few seconds, she looked back at her sister and shook her head. "You know, Luna, I don't," she replied. "A few of them in here blur together, somewhat. The Grand Galloping Gala feels like it's as old as the universe itself sometimes, and not in a good way." "I don't blame you," Luna replied. "Being here always meant exchanging pleasantries with nobles, dignitaries and bureaucrats I'd forget about in a day's time, too. But you could never forget Plat, could you? So I do remember our first gala here. It was a year or two after we'd been crowned, to cement our power to the tribes and other foreign ambassadors come to see the new Equestria. And for the dinner, everyone was sat, and then we'd come out last — you know this, of course, we still do it." Celestia nodded. Luna couldn't help but let her lips quirk up as she began to tell a story she knew would do well with her crowd of one. "We hadn't been princesses or royalty for very long, and I was worried about walking out. Can you believe that? I thought royals had to be dignified and proper. It was a really stupid thing to give a damn about, but we were young and suddenly princesses. I didn't know how a princess walked, so I looked in the mirror and thought about the only princess I really knew aside from you at the time. You remember how Plat used to walk? She glided across the floor with her dainty little steps and always kept her head up at just the right angle." "Oh, no," Celestia interjected, the corners of her mouth now matching her sister's. Her eyes drew wide, astonished at herself. "Wow, Luna, I do remember this." "Of course you do," Luna continued. "I looked in the mirror in my chambers and did it just how I remembered it. Practiced it for an hour, I swear it. And then, when it was time for Princess Luna to arrive to the masses..." Luna began to walk down the middle of what was once the Ballroom, expertly balancing her cup with her magic while moving forward by what could only be described as stumbling like a doe that was learning to walk. Celestia tried her best not to break, but by the fourth or fifth step, it was simply too much, and she couldn't help but start to clutch her sides. Eventually, Luna finished her affront to walking, and she raised a hoof in the air like a stage actor as she spoke. "I looked ridiculous!" she exclaimed, Celestia's laugh infecting her, and she felt a chuckle escape her. "I got stares for the whole dinner. And since that was not punishment enough, I sat down at my seat trying to hide my face as everyone stared, and you'll never guess who was sitting right next to me." "Her face! Oh, her face!" Celestia said, her laughter dying down as the memories came flooding back. "Did she say something to you?" "Not then. That made it worse, honestly, like she was avoiding me for having embarrassed her," Luna replied. "But the gala went on, after that. I had a few awkward conversations, met with the ponies I was supposed to, and before long, they were clearing out and only the castle staff remained to clean everything up. I remember not what you were up to, but you weren't there — it was just me, the servants, and then Plat. She walked up to me and she told me to follow her." Luna began walking away. Celestia eagerly followed, trailing right behind her sister as they left the ballroom behind. Luna did not walk far this time, instead stopping right outside of where they just were. Luna looked down toward the south, and Celestia immediately knew that this had once been another of the thousand hallways the Castle of the Two Sisters boasted. "She took me out here," Luna said, "And she taught me the walk. The whole thing. How to put my hooves one in front of the other just so, how to keep your head up just slightly above eye level. She knew what I was trying to do, and she knew I was never going to learn it unless somepony taught it to me. So she did. And to this very day, Tia, I walk with her gait. She turned what should have been an awful memory into a shining example of how she was always looking out for us." Luna's glass, which had been hovering by her side, floated just above her head. It was time, they both knew, and Celestia did the same. She looked to Luna, but Luna nodded, waiting for her queue — so Celestia looked around as the sky began to dim and spoke aloud to their old friend. "This one is for you, Princess," Celestia said. "A wise ruler who stood by those who loved her, and a guiding light when we had been walking in the dark. Quite literally walking, in some cases, it would seem. Happy Hearth's Warming, Plat." Luna chuckled, and at that, the two tipped their glasses down and let the remainder of the champagne spill out onto the floor. The two were silent for a beat, more memories overtaking them as they idly stared forward, but it was Luna who finally broke the silence after their toast had been completed. "I wish you were here, Plat," Luna finally said. "So you could watch us waste this good champagne."
CommanderPegasi were not buried. To put them six feet in the ground was heretical to their very nature. Instead — for those who follow the ancient Pegasi traditions, at least — Pegasi become one with their own domain upon their death. They are cremated, and afterward, their ashes are released high, high in the sky, left to join with the air like they did in life with every beat of their wings. Celestia couldn't quite wrap her head around how many pegasi had melded with the sky since Commander Hurricane had thousands of years ago, shortly after the only battle he'd ever lost. It was the same sky, she knew, but he wasn't here anymore — not really. The last of Commander Hurricane had long been recycled into something else entirely, but she couldn't help but look at every little snowflake falling all around her and think of them as him. For most months of the year, Cloudsdale would be at this very spot, hanging above the sky as a reminder of what he built. It wasn't here now, though — Cloudsdale was on the move, tasked to bring winter to every city in Equestria before returning just in time for the holidays. It was an idea he created at the head of the weather brigade many years ago, and while the exact means of delivery had certainly changed in hundreds of years, everything else — the route it traveled and the logistics from pegasi to pegasi — remained nearly the same. One with the snow in more ways than one. Celestia and Luna were perched on a cloud where the city should have been. It was cold, but the sky was empty, waiting to be conquered by a slew of coursing feathers — just as Hurricane would have preferred. He certainly lived up to his name. And so Celestia and Luna sat perched, both with glasses of the only thing in the world that could ever really calm him down. Pegasi Red, much like Hurricane himself, was not a gentle wine. It burned the back of your throat as it coursed through your body, but it was all the same delectable — that was probably why Hurricane had loved it so much, she wagered. Celestia had always loved the taste of it, and when she was (much) younger, she had always been fascinated by the way the Pegasi would grow their grapes in the ground and then finish the process in the clouds. Whatever it was, it didn't taste like any other wine, bursting with a fruity flavor while biting back all the same. Celestia loved Pegasi Red. But while her sister had certainly changed since her return, Celestia knew that one thing certainly hadn't. "Disgusting," Luna spat, cringing as she got it down. "If only the Pegasi could wrap up wine like they wrap up winter. Goes down about as pleasant as Hurricane's spear." "I didn't know you two were that close," Celestia quipped, taking another sip. She didn't get to savor it for long. She felt a hard shove from her left, which caused all of her wine to fly out of her cup and down to the earth below, far earlier than the sisters had intended to do it purposefully. The last bit of it joined the rest when Celestia doubled over, unable to stave off a furious bit of laughter, and when she looked up at her sister, Luna's poor effort to hide the corners of her mouth turning upward made her only laugh harder. It felt like forever. Celestia could only faintly recall the old holidays with her and Luna thousands of years ago, but she imagined it was something like this. No pageantry. No formality. No speeches or state affairs. Just the two of them. After a spell, Luna silently floated her glass over to Celestia in penance. She took the swig she'd been robbed of, reveling in its thorns, before idly staring out into the vast, empty sky. "I was young and brash, once. I still was, after... after you'd gone. I was one of the two most powerful beings in the world, and then, suddenly, it was just me. Hearth's Warming had just begun to formulate around that time, once the tribes had been united for long enough, and I hated it. It was a day about spending time with friends, family and lovers — all things I did not have. I was surrounded by nobles and bureaucrats who showered me with gifts not because they really knew me or even cared about me, but because they felt like they had to." Another swig. It was strong, and Celestia began to feel the warmth of the drink embrace her now, after only two glasses — another favorite quality of hers. With a deep breath, she continued. "But one day — I don't remember what day, or when — I saw the snow. It may have been before Hearth's Warming, or Hearth's Warming Eve, or Hearth's Warming Day, or even after, but I thought about Hurricane. He always made it his duty to ensure that winter went smoothly. His weather brigade was his pride and joy." "Even on his deathbed," Luna replied. She gestured her hoof out, without looking at Celesta. With a coy grin, she floated the cup back to Luna, who took another swig of the wine herself. Celestia wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting, but Luna's face lapsed back into a scrunch like she'd rehearsed it. "Stricken with consumption, and still finding something to yell at Pansy about. That poor mare." "Yes, I... cannot say he was perfect," Celestia replied. "And yet he demanded it from his Pegasi. But on that day, I thought... I thought that it must have made him happy. To have everypony experience a white Hearth's Warming by the fireplace, with the snow gently falling down at their windows. It must have meant a lot to him. And he was harsh, yes, and I cannot excuse how he drove those under him at times, but Pansy and the others... I think it meant a lot to them, too. And suddenly, on that day, making all those nobles and bureaucrats happy and attending those plays and leading those ceremonies suddenly meant a lot to me." Luna floated the cup back to her. There was only a bit left, but it was just enough. "Thank you for this weather, Hurricane," Luna said as Celestia held her cup high with her magic. It was a serious moment, but Luna was once again trying to to laugh at the sight of a single goblet held high. "This Hearth's Warming Eve would not be the same without it. And thank you, too, to your weather brigade, who make these days special." After one final stare into the dark red swirls, Celestia poured the last of it out in front of her, to take the long, long, long way down to the surface in little droplets. But while their toast was finished, Celestia wasn't done. "You're lucky you didn't see Rainbow Dash's fiasco during winter season a few years ago," Celestia said to the Commander, wherever he was. "You'd have had her executed." "Or worse," Luna replied. "Sentenced to drink a bottle of your favorite wine." For the second time that day, Celestia burst into fits. Luna joined in willingly, this time, and the two let it ride once again, doubled over on their cloud for a moment in time as tiny little snowflakes floated all around them. As that moment died, the two sisters rose to their hooves atop their little cloud. Celestia stretched her wings, ready to head to their next stop, but as she did so, she was surprised to feel Luna's own wing wrap around her in an embrace. "Hurricane was one of the strongest ponies I've ever met. And I think he'd be proud of you," Luna said. "Now you have friends and family to share this wonderful holiday with under his snow, and I could not be happier myself." Celestia felt a wetness around her eyes she knew was not the remnants of a snowflake, but they dried up rather quickly when Luna finished her thought. "You still need to work on the 'lovers' part you mentioned, though," Luna told her. "The way you speak, it sounds like it's been on your mind lately." It was the older sister's turn to shove. And when she did, it was far less merciful than Luna had been.
ChancellorThere were few finer ways to honor the memory of Chancellor Puddinghead than by doing something you weren't supposed to do. It was a small act of rebellion for Celestia and Luna today as the Hearth's Warming Day sun shined over them in the afternoon. They had set up a picnic at Sweet Apple Acres, perched underneath an apple tree in their winter scarves and hats with little snowflakes falling gently all around them as they looked out at the seemingly endless apple orchards up and down the hill. They could have simply asked the Apples if they could set up here for their picnic. But that was no fun, was it? A cold day like this demanded a warm drink, and the two sisters reasoned that Puddinghead, always adamant about celebrating a holiday the right way, would have wanted a seasonal drink. Eggnog, of course, was currently that seasonal drink in Equestria, but this was about tradition — and so the two sisters drank Posset, a milk beverage mixed with spiced wine that would have been more fitting for Puddinghead's time. This time, they did remember seats, so Celestia and Luna sat on two nice folding chairs as they enjoyed their holiday beverages. "Did we have to use Pegasi Red again?" Luna whined. Despite this, she took a good sip of her beverage, and Celestia knew Luna enough to know that she was secretly enjoying her drink far more than she was letting on. "Yes. I bought two bottles," Celestia teased. She took a sip of her own, floating the cup up to her lips, and she felt a wave of warmth across her body as she took it down. It was delicious, for her first try, and she was excited at the prospect of perfecting it for next year. She looked out to those hills again — the red apples on the trees seemed to almost glow amid the snowy backdrop. "Smart Cookie would have loved this place," Celestia mused. "No earth pony was connected to the soil like she was. She'd know exactly what makes these apples the best in the world." "We'll have to have some drinks with her and the others next year," Luna said, turning to her. "Cookie, Clover, Pansy. There are so many stories to tell." "Indeed there are," Celestia said. "I still remember when Twilight played Clover in a Hearth's Warming Paegent a while back. She wasn't half bad, you know. All of them embodied their roles well in some way, but my goodness... Pinkie Pie truly was Puddinghead. She looks just like him, too. I imagine they would have gotten along so well." Luna let out a small chuckle. She brought her cup up to eye level and swirled it around, watching what remained of her Posset create a little vortex in her glass. Celestia looked at her with an eyebrow raised as Luna seemed to hypnotize herself with the action. "You remember how he used to drink orange juice in our council meetings, way back when?" Luna asked. "He'd swirl it like a damned glass of wine. Put it in a goblet and everything. One time we went to brunch with all the girls when they visited Canterlot a few years ago, and Pinkie poured herself a glass of orange juice and did the exact same thing." Celestia's eyes widened, and she practically jumped as she replied. "Yes! Oh, I was so mad at him whenever he did that," Celestia said, a grin of her own forming on her face. "He looked like a fool In front of so many important ambassadors and nobles and the other founders themselves." Luna stopped, bringing her glass back to her lips and taking another sip. "He did," she replied. "But that was hardly the worst of it. Remember when he made his speech at our coronation upside-down? He said it gave him—" "—A new perspective!" Celestia finished through laughter. "I was mortified!" The two looked at each other. And like sisters often do, they both knew exactly what to do. Quickly, they rose out of their chairs and repositioned themselves, putting their hooves up to the back of it and leaning over the front of them. Before long, the both of them were upside down, and Celestia and Luna couldn't help but note the beauty of the snow as it fell upward into their vision and the apple trees dangled above them like vines. Celestia turned to look at Luna, and even with a flipped point of view, she remembered her that day — a silver crown on her head that seemed only just too big, her eyes wide as everypony arrived at the dias and sang their praises. They'd prepared endlessly before their coronation, but when the day finally came, Celestia had felt like her stomach had dropped out of her body when she'd woken up that moment. And the moment she saw Luna for the first time, she knew that she had felt just the same. "...I was very nervous," Celestia finally said. "To be coronated. Of course I was. We were children." Luna was looking at her intently from her awkward angle, but Celestia hardly noticed. "Every compliment or promise from everyone who spoke before us felt like a nail. We had been told for weeks and months and years that we were destined to be great, and then it was finally time to be great, and I felt like I had no idea what to do. How was I supposed to go up there, after what everyone had said about us? How was I supposed to be that pony?" "And then Puddinghead came up to speak," Luna said, a grin infecting her visage. "And he did it upside down. Just like this." "Chancellor Puddinghead," Celestia replied. "He was always very particular about his title. I feel as if we've been failing him today." Luna chuckled, and Celestia couldn't help but do it too. It felt like they were doing that a lot these past few days. "I was, indeed, mortified. And then I laughed. And so did everypony else, and then suddenly, I wasn't so nervous anymore." "He had a way of doing that," Luna replied. She didn't dare take a sip of her glass like this, but she knew it was almost empty. If that was not an indicator enough, she felt a certain airiness wash over her that only made her more sure it was time. Puddinghead would not have wanted them to waste too much time, she knew. It was a challenge for both of them, and it should have been nigh impossible. They grabbed their glasses again with their magic and raised them up, but they had to keep in mind that they were upside down. Despite the odds, both of them managed to get it in front of their faces, and that infectious laughter won out yet again as they struggled to see the liquid in their glass fail to fall out when it looked like it should have. And even as Celestia struggled, she slowly began twirling the glass again. Luna's eyes widened, clearly impressed by her sister's antics, and she started her attempt to do the same. It wasn't working as well as Celestia's — little droplets were already flying out of her goblet — but Puddinghead was no quitter, and she wouldn't be, either. She spoke, her voice moving up and down as she concentrated on the absurd task at hand. "Chancellor, I... I think you're the one that held it all together, really," Luna started. "Plat and Hurricane could be... difficult. And sometimes, when it seemed like everything was falling apart, all it took was a joke or a prank to put it back together again. Things can seem hard, but sometimes... all it takes is a new perspective. Happy Hearth's Warming Day, Puddinghead." And just as Luna's shaking glass was about to give way, they poured the rest out, letting the last remaining drops hit the snow. The Possett was almost the color of it, so it seemed to disappear once the last of it fell out, and immediately, the two sisters collapsed from their hanging positions, bellowing as they awkwardly slumped over. The two didn't know how long they'd stood there, laughing. Even to this day, the mere thought of Puddinghead had the ability to do that. After the two stood up (carefully) and brushed the snow and dirt from their fur, Celestia looked to Luna and nodded curtly. Puddinghead had been the last one to toast to, but there was still one more thing to do on a day like this. It was a tradition as old as the holiday itself, and it would complete the two's newer tradition wonderfully. Quickly, Celestia used her magic to grab an object that had been propped up against their tree — a furled Equestrian flag attached to a poll. She brought it over to the two of them, hovering it right between them, and the flag unfurled with the slightest wind. The Equestrian flag was quite beautiful, Celestia thought — her and her sister, circling around their sun and moon. And without their old friends, it wouldn't have been possible. A day or two from now, the Apple family would see this planted in their orchard and wonder how in the world it had gotten there. And Puddinghead would have appreciated that, too, Celestia knew. "To Platinum, Hurricane and Puddinghead," Celestia declared. "And to this Hearth's Warming Season." Luna walked over to her sister and wrapped a wing around her. And with a swift glow of her horn, Celestia stuck the flag into the snow. Author's Note Happy Holidays, everyone! I had some trouble wrangling this idea in a bit, so I hope you enjoy it.
