Should the Nature Spirit get free in the next chapter?

So, I'm in a bit of a conundrum at the moment. You see Gerhardt has been in Equestria for quite awhile now. That in and of itself wouldn't be a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that the seasons have to change eventually. I want the seasons to match up with the cannon story so I don't accidentally screw up the timeline.

So with that in mind, I also need the Nature Spirit to be set free before Celestia decides to have Discord reformed. So that leaves me in a bit of a bind. As far as I see it there are effectively two options. The first option is that I have the Nature Spirit escape in the next chapter, then have a winter arc after she is freed, then have Celestia decide to have Discord reformed in the middle of spring or something. The second option is that I have a winter arc now, have the Nature Spirit be freed later, then finally have Discord be reformed at the end of spring or the middle of Summer.

What do you guys think? Should the Nature Spirit be freed in the next chapter or should the next few chapters be filler before the Nature Spirit is eventually released? Keep in mind if she gets free now then Gerhardt will have had effectively zero time to prepare and will not have his army of golems to help fight her. If she gets free later then Gerhardt will have had time to build up at least a few combat golems and other defenses. The consequences of this decision will very likely have a major impact on how the story develops from here on out and may impact the tone of the story.

If you want a darker story with potentially very harsh consequences for the characters then I would suggest voting for the Nature Spirit getting free in the next chapter. If you want a somewhat more relaxed story (though still dark in its own right) with less harsh consequences for the characters than I would suggest voting for the Nature Spirit getting free later on.

Here's a link to a strawpoll: Strawpoll Link