> Frozen Hearts
>  by Ruby Sunrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


First attempt at a story in a long while, and it is quite safe to say this if my first MLP one. I'm just messing with an idea I pooped out awhile ago, so I'm doing my best to write it all out for your enjoyment~! No Fluttershy yet unfortunately, but she'll be in the next chapter, don't worry~

Without further ado, I present to you the Prologue of Frozen Hearts~


~


Cold, dark, stormy. This was how it had been for months on end, never letting up, and never settling down. In the blizzard, it was hard to depict the snow-covered remains of the old pegasus home that General Hurricane had left long ago for sunnier lands, and despite the causes of all the cold having been defeated, the valley now had a new snow-bringer.

"Brimstone, bring the soup please."

Deep inside one of the many decorative homes carved into the mountain side, a small, cozy fire was all that warmed a company of several ponies -- a stallion and two mares, none with any blood relation to the other.

The only stallion of the group was a steed of dark grey, eyes a darkened amber with a spark of determination always alight. He slowly reached a hoof over to the fireplace and to the ladle next to it, and cozily poured a dark, creamy liquid into a small stone bowl. With extreme care, he passed it to the mare sitting next to him, a brown pony with a sparkling creamy colored mane and sunny colored eyes.

She gave him a tired smile and took a few sips of the soup. "Brimstone, is her her Highness awake yet?"

The grey stallion shook his head, gently tossing his black mane to and fro.

"Can you go check? I'm getting really worried about her. . . " The brown mare hung her head, staring into her meal. Brimstone let his eyes wander into the back of the room and onto a long and slender pony covered in lavish blankets of many hues.Her cool white mane was sloppily lain about her light blue body. Brimstone tried to get any sign of her being awake, but since she was turned away and wasn't visibly moving, he couldn't.

"Sure." He muttered.

With stiff movements, the grey stallion was on his feet and trotting towards the laying mare. He shivered, despite the gentle warmth of the fire bouncing around. The three had been there for days without much interaction. If Cheerful Oak hadn't lightened up to him, Brimstone swore he would have gone insane with the silence and even though Oak was a soft spoken mare herself he was grateful beyond comprehension for her company.

Yet, the social atmosphere was still as icy as the outside.

It honestly wasn't much of a distance he had to walk, but in the silence many random thoughts entered and exited Brimstones mind. The amber-eyes pony remembered brighter times in the small little valley. Everypony was a lot more social about a few years ago, and there was tons more sun. Oh yeah, tons more sun. Young fillies and spry colts were pretty large in numbers, and talking wasn't as awkward. Just a few years ago, he was a young adult himself. A brand new graduate of the Guard Academy! Of course, all that had to end when the Queen died and left her only daughter to rule. He secretly hated the princess for all that she had caused.

"Princess Snowberry, are you awake?" He gently prodded the sleeping form with a hoof. No response. ". . . are you dead?" He then callously asked. The princess's head turned towards him in response, her eyes freezing and venomous.

"I know how much you wish for it, but unfortunately not."

Cheerful Oak lifted her head instantly in response to the other mare's voice. Life was instantly restored in the small pony's body. In the fastest second that had passed in that room since they had decided to rest there, Oak had galloped to Snowberry's side eyes wide and mouth nearly cracked in the warmest smile Brimstone had ever seen the pony make since he had met her.

"Princess, you shouldn't worry us like this!" Oak simply beamed, all her worries worn away. She didn't even get a smile in return from her Highness. With an indignant 'pfffffft' the princess laid her head back down and away from the both of them, burying it lightly in her velvet pillow. Brimstone hurt on the inside watching the joy in Cheerful Oak's heart slowly fade away. Her eyes gently begged for more acknowledgement. Brimstone gently nudged her and motioned with his head to the giant wooden doors that lead out.

Oak dejectedly nodded in agreement. The grey stallion began walking away from the royal's bed and towards the exit, but before she began to follow Oak quickly ran to get her soup and brought it to the Princess's bedside, gently laying it on the hard stone ground. "Please, try to eat this when you can. I won't forgive you if you don't!" She tried to joke, attempting to smile once more. Again, the princess snorted. The brown mare frowned and trotted to join Brimstone as he opened the door, letting in a huge puff of frigid air.

Once the two were both outside and the door closed, Brimstone let his eye wander around, enjoying the new change in scenery. Oak and Brimstone found themselves in a huge corridor, adorned with fiery red tapestries bearing the image and symbol of their kingdom: an alicorn surrounded by falling snowflakes, rearing up and legs stretched out into the sky all embroidered by icy blue thread for contrast. On the ground lay a tattered and long rug that stretched to another, but slightly ajar, door. The cerulean colored floor decoration remained the only thing other than the tapestries to cover the stone brick walls and floors. It would have been entirely dark as well had it not been for the blue light seeping in through the open door. It was definitely a more welcome sight than the amber lit room of her royal Highness that Brimstone was stuck to endure for days on end.

"Let's go check on how the others are doing." Brimstone urged Cheerful Oak who stood there shivering relentlessly. "It might cheer you up."

The somber mare gave a weak nod and the two trotted in silence down the hall and into the next room.

The next room they entered into was barely more impressive in decor than the corridor, but much more impressive by the stone carving that lay in the ceiling, walls, columns, and floors, all of which were depictions of great pegasi battles that were won ages ago by the pegasi that once lived there before they abandoned it. The room itself was a giant circle that had a swirling staircase at it's center that led to another floor.  On their current floor there were two other wooden doors, both left slightly ajar. Between them was an even large wooden door, which was the only thing barricading them from the raging blizzard outside.

Despite the relief Brimstone was feeling, the chill around him slowly started to seep into his bones despite his thick and long pelt. He could only have imagined the pain from the cold Oak would have been feeling, not having the pelt made for the frigid area they were in. He nudged the mare once again, towards the doors closest on the left which he knew lead to the dining area.

"Maybe . . . maybe the chefs will have something that will liven the Princess up!" Cheerful Oak suddenly piped up through chattering teeth. Brimstone kept his eyes ahead of him.

"Don't get your hopes up." He groaned.