Snow crunched beneath her boots and bone numbing wind tore through her starry mane. Princess Luna stopped for a moment on the mountainside, hunched over and squinting against the blinding scenery before her. Jagged mountain peaks to her right stretched toward the bright blue sky, obscured by some clouds. The sun shone harshly above her, yet she felt no warmth from its rays. A coldness had settled deep into her chest. The Moon was closer to the Sun now than she had been in ages, yet they were still so far apart.

Will things ever go back to the way they were? Luna sighed, bowing her head.

Down below her, a valley housed countless snow dusted pine trees. A frozen river glinted in the light, weaving itself through the forest. A small clearing to the left caught Luna's eye. She checked her matching winter attire, tugging her hat securely into place. Icy air filled her lungs then Luna leapt off the mountainside, fanning her large, bat-like wings. A strong air current took her by surprise, pushing her toward the mountain's rocky face. She growled, blinking snow from her eyes. Wings beating hard and fast, Luna forged on. The wind changed and was now at her back. She sailed toward the clearing.

Luna alighted in the shade near the forest's edge, eyes relaxing. The air was still, only Luna's frosty breath breaking the silence. The snow was littered with animal tracks and tall grass poked through its banks. The clearing was peaceful. Boring. Luna's eye twitched.

Where in Equestria is Celestia? Luna wondered. She had not been alone in coming here. In truth, the diarchical sisters had come to explore this vast wilderness during a rare instance of respite from their royal duties.

How had Celestia put it? Luna snorted. Oh, yes. Long overdue sister bonding time.

The long overdue part was an understatement. Luna could recall only a few instances where they had spent time together after assuming the throne, times when the crown had been light upon their brows. Each instance occurred years prior to Luna's banishment. With Luna ruling the night and Celestia the day, there was very little overlap in their schedules where they saw each other, and less time still when they were not actively serving the little ponies of Equestria. Even after Luna was once again in the kingdom's good graces, there had not been time for the sisters to reconnect and discuss the past. Luna didn't feel ready to open up to Celestia about the time during her banishment, to share her burden… She wasn't sure she ever would.

I certainly don't deserve to, I am a traitor through and throu-"No!" Luna interrupted her train of thought aloud. "Stop right there! These thoughts are demeaning and unproductive, and I shall not be reduced to a sniveling mess out here in the wilderness."

Luna nodded definitively, and with practiced ease reigned in the guilt and self-doubt; there would be time to evaluate these thoughts when she was alone and shrouded by the darkness of her Night. Luna pawed at the ground, idly noting that the powdery surface concealed compacted snow underneath. Her eyes widened slightly, a smile brightening her face. For the moment, the shadows of her mind melted away. Luna had thought of a way to make this trip memorable.

How delightful! Luna thought. Now if only I could find Celestia.

How had they gotten separated? Luna paused for a moment. That's right. Of course, she just had to be stubborn. 'No, Luna, I don't want to scale the mountainside' and the like. Quite foalishly, Luna had jumped ahead and taken off from Canterlot without her. The heat rising in her face was definitely from the cold.

Luna briefly closed her eyes, summoning the vast, untapped magic within her. Opening her eyes she began to weave a spell, one that would allow her to send a telepathic message to her sister. Her horn glowed a familiar turquoise, the same color as her eyes. As soon as the spell was complete, Luna knew Celestia received her message. She had very little time to prepare.

.

Celestia was coming; Luna could feel it. An alicorn as ancient and powerful as her sister was hard to miss, even without a visual. The power required to move a heavenly body such as the sun rivaled all of Equestria's unicorns combined. The very magical aura of the Sun Alicorn could be felt for miles around, if one knew how to look for it.

It was the moment that Luna had been waiting for. She smirked, legs splayed wide and magic at the ready. On either side of her, piles of snowballs lie ready for use. A cloaking spell hid her and the snowballs from sight. She was ready.

.

Time dragged on. A bird's shriek pierced the silence. Movement in the sky attracted Luna's attention; it was just a speck of a pegasus flying over Canterlot Mountain. Luna's joints were stiff with cold and her ears had long since gone numb. She shuddered as a strong breeze cut through her thick navy fur.

"WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH!" The Royal Canterlot voice burst forth from Luna's lips, cracking like thunder throughout the valley. A muted groan responded and gradually grew in volume. Luna crouched down, ears pinned back and eyes wide open gazing up at the mountains. Winter had hit the mountainous area hard, burdening the landscape with excessive snow. Suttle cracks formed in the mountains' white covering and the snow began to shift. At that very moment, a golden light much like the sun lit up the end of the clearing. A whisper of magic nagged at Luna's consciousness and tore her attention away from the sky. As she looked away, the groaning ceased. The snow loomed above her, awaiting another outburst. The valley was safe… for now.

Straightening up, Luna squinted at the light. Is it… coming closer? She wondered.

Luna's jaw dropped. The blinding light dimmed and Celestia appeared before her, light laughter filling the air. The golden aura surrounded her and made Celestia's pure white coat glow radiantly. Her multicolored mane rippled and swayed with the breeze and Celestia's eyes sparkled as she gazed in Luna's direction.

"Sister, there you are! Where have you been? I've been searching everywhere for you," Celestia's deep tone resonated.

Luna stood still for a moment. She's looking straight at me, she thought. How does she know exactly where I am?

Luna dared not breathe, only risking a glance to verify that she indeed was not part of the visible silence stretched on. Finally, Celestia's smile dropped and her eyebrows drew together. She began looking around the clearing and called, "Luna?" She took a few steps toward where Luna stood cloaked and slightly pouted, muttering, "-could've sworn she was right here-" Luna chose that exact moment to attack.

Luna dropped the cloaking spell and leapt toward her, fangs glinting in the light. Scores of snowballs hung suspended in the air, Luna's magical aura surrounding them; they began to rain down. None of them made contact. Celestia smiled again and knickered softly into her mane. Luna glared at her.

They were closer together now. The snowballs never made it past Celestia's golden aura-more like a shield, Luna amended- and now they were slowly sliding down the dome's sides. Luna sharpened her gaze, noting the water dripping inside the shield, originating from the snowballs- "Is that a snowball shield?"

Celestia laughed loudly, wiping tears from her eyes with a feathered wing. "Of course not, Luna. Why in Equestria would I summon a shield just for snowballs?"

Luna sputtered, then replied, "Then why is it letting water pass through but not snow, if it is a regular shield?"

Celestia paused for a moment, brows drawn together. "I never said it was a shield. You of all ponies should know what it is. I call it my celestial aura and it protects me from the cold every winter. It is kind of like a terrarium, which keeps the warmth in and the cold out. Or is that moisture?" Celestia pursed her lips and hummed. "Poor metaphor aside, you look a little chilled, Luna. Would you like to join me?"

Luna raised an eyebrow incredulously. "So you're a plant now, huh?" She quickly deflected the question. There was no way she would be swayed by the promise of warmth. Luna shot a quick glance above her sister. Most of the snowballs remained frozen in the air, awaiting her command. Luna needed to keep Celestia talking, figure out a way around her shield. For a shield it must be, Luna thought. Otherwise, the snowballs would have fallen right through. The snowballs blinked out of sight along with her magical aura.

"Well, if I'm a plant, then you are an icicle!" Celestia laughed.

Luna snorted. She opened her mouth to respond but snapped it shut as she glanced at Celestia's hooves. Her bare hooves were partially submerged in a puddle of water-no, a puddle of melted snow, Luna corrected stubbornly- surrounded by mud and grass. The longer Celestia stood in one place, the more snow melted around her. There was a narrow path stretching behind Celestia and something golden sparkled near her. Perfect! A diversion. "Yes, yes, very funny. Now let's move on to a more important topic." Celestia stopped laughing and scrunched her nose. Luna continued, "Is that one of your horseshoes over there, in the mud, Celestia? And where are your other ones?"

Celestia glanced behind herself, chuckling. "Oh Luna, why are you worrying about that? The ground under my bare hooves feels marvelous. Besides, I have another set at the castle."

Luna didn't miss the tinge of pink on Celestia's ears. "You ruined them, didn't you?"

Celestia spun around, eyes wide and mouth gaping. "No! That is to say-I mean, uh… In a way, yes." She cast her eyes down. "How'd you know?"

Luna was silent for a moment, surprise flickering across her face. She lightly cleared her throat. "Oh, what is that phrase ponies use nowadays? Ah, yes, sister's intuition! I admit it would have been hard to spot, what with your poker face and nonchalant attitude. Luckily for you, I happen to have more intuition than your average pony. You can't save face with me around!" Celestia barked out a laugh. Luna mercilessly barrelled on, "Sooo, how did you ruin your royal horseshoes?" Her sister sighed.

This is going exceedingly well, Luna thought. It feels so good to jest and tease! This shall be a memorable trip yet! I must thoroughly divert her. A plan began to form, and Luna allowed herself a small smile.