Holiday spirit filled the citizens of Ponyville with cheer. Parading about in pairs and groups, they decorated the town, singing together merrily.
“Ponies’ voices fill the night! Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again! Happy hearts so full and bright! Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again!” The voices carried through the air, bringing smiles and laughter as everypony pitches in to prepare for the holiday.
Pegasi flew overhead, hopping across clouds to create the beautiful flurries. Unicorns used their magic to hoist décor up onto buildings and lampposts. Earth ponies pranced about, pulling carts of various goods all over town.
Galloping up the road, Shadow helped everypony in sight who needed it. He held ladders, pushed carts, directed pegasi, and even sang along as he began to memorize the tune in the air. It had been three weeks since the night he banished his nightmares, and the excitement of his first Hearth’s Warming made him livelier than ever.
“A day that’s filled with songs to sing! Ding-dong, ding-dong-ding! Cakes and pastries we shall bring! Ding-dong, ding-dong-ding!” continued the cheerful citizens, all working together.
Seeing a young unicorn struggle to lift a big wreath with her magic, Shadow trotted over behind her. Focusing on the decoration, his eyes glowed faintly and his horn emerged from his head. A magic spell was then cast that lifted the wreath up onto the post. Feeling like she had done it, the filly jumped with joy, and Shadow kept trotting with a smile on his face, his horn disappearing.
After coming out of his isolation, Shadow discovered that he was capable of controlling lower-level forms of magic, where a horn appeared on his head, and vanished after the spell had been cast. But that wasn’t the only thing that changed.
Up atop some stairs at the park, an elderly pony looked down at the ice covering them and swallowed, afraid to descend them. Shadow walked up beside her and offered a hoof. Taking it up slowly, Shadow lifted the pony onto his back and leapt out over the stairs. Dark silhouettes of wings appeared from his back and he glided over and down to the other side, letting the elderly pony down and continuing on his way, waving to them.
Twilight watched Shadow’s wings disappear like his horn did. It had astounded her a couple weeks back when he appeared with these powers, but his control over it made her ultimately dismiss any doubts in her mind. He had been using these powers to help just about everypony in town with, well, just about everything.
Trotting up to the princess, Shadow asked, “Are we ready to start decorating the castle?”
She nodded. “Sure are, why don’t you come lend us a hoof?”
“Yes ma’am!” Shadow replied, the two of them trotting over towards the crystal castle.
Up above, Starfall flew alongside Rainbow, bounding off of the clouds and making them begin to snow. Racing through the air, the two laughed as they plowed into a pile of snow, rolling and tumbling down through it all. Before they could rise, Rainbow pelted Starfall in the face with a snowball, sending him down onto his back.
While the rainbow-maned mare fell over laughing, Starfall scoffed and made his own snowball, throwing it at her. The blue pegasus dodged it and took back to the skies, followed by her partner. Soaring over the singing ponies, the two flew towards the castle as well.
Inside, Applejack and Fluttershy helped one another set up the floor decorations, followed by a small herd of helpers, setting up bows and bells all over. Pinkie Pie and Rarity worked together setting up the lights overhead; Rarity using her magic, and Pinkie just bouncing around, occasionally using her party cannon.
Entering the castle door and seeing everypony so full of cheer and joy made Shadow feel extraordinary. The warmth inside fueled his hooves as he galloped in and hopped about with Pinkie, who laughed and giggled all the while.
Twilight chuckled at the sight, turning to see Spike and Starlight coming down the staircase. Lifting her hoof towards the door with a wide grin, Spike’s face lit up.
Dragon Lord Ember entered through the door, accompanied by Scorch and Garble. Although her companions seemed a bit uncomfortable, Ember didn’t mind much, and her eyes honed in on Spike, who came sprinting across the floor to give her a hug. She hesitated only for a moment, hugging the little dragon back.
“So…” Ember said as the two friends separated. “This is Ponyville, huh?”
“Do you like it?” Spike asked excitedly.
Glancing around, it was difficult for Ember to hide how much he enjoyed seeing everypony so happy. “Meh,” she replied, shrugging her shoulders. “I could get used to it.”
Spike’s smile diminished as Garble stepped up to him, his eye brow raising as his expression stayed serious. Spike was a bit afraid of what he would say, since he knew how much the red dragon hated ponies. His wounds from before now looked like battle scars, giving him a more intimidating look. Garble snorted out a puff of smoke, grinning down at the small, purple dragon. He ruffed up Spike’s head with his claw.
“Good to see ya, Spike.” He chuckled. Spike then went to hug him, but the red dragon stopped him with his hind claw, shaking his head. “Don’t even think about it, squirt.”
Twilight nodded to Ember, who did the same. Spike accompanied the three dragons through the castle to show them around as the princess remained at the door, greeting everypony who entered. Over by the massive fireplace, Trixie was showcasing her new magic tricks by making presents appear on the giant pile of them. Little bells chimed and the halls were filled with laughter and song.
Gilda and Gabby arrived not an hour earlier, and now flew about with Rainbow as Starfall landed on the floor, watching them chase one another up above. Gabby spotted the Cutie Mark Crusaders and zoomed down to them, the four sharing a group hug.
Just as Starfall spotted Twilight, Spike and the other dragons passed him by. He and Garble shared a cold stare, but the pegasus broke first, smacking the red dragon in the shoulder with his hoof.
“Good job protecting Ember.” Starfall congratulated him.
Garble snorted, smacking him back, and he chuckled. “Better than some frilly pony could, I know that.”
With a nod to their respected other, both Starfall and Garble continued on their way without another word. Ember smirked at Garble, who scoffed and shook his head, the three resuming their tour with Spike. Before Starfall could begin walking towards the princess, Rarity pranced in his way.
“Starfall, darling, could you lend Fluttershy and I a hoof?” she asked, having a strand of lights held midair with her magic.
“Sure.” Starfall replied, joining her as they walked to the other side of the room. He glanced over his shoulder at the princess as they went.
Welcoming pony after pony into her castle, Twilight spotted someone she didn’t expect to see so early. “Zecora!” she said happily. The zebra steadily walked up the stairs and to the door, offering a small smile in return. “So you’re all healed up? You look a bit shaky still.”
Nodding her head, Zecora looked flattered by the princess’ concern. “Healed to walk and well to roam, now I must make my way back home.”
“So soon?” Twilight asked, her head tilted. “Why not stay a while? We are almost done decorating, and we have so much fun planned!”
Zecora eyed the celebration and quivered a bit, hiding her discomfort with a smile. “I suppose I could stay a while and endure, however, I would like to be sure the amulet is secure.”
“Oh!” Twilight exclaimed, realizing she had never told Zecora about the safe in the castle. “Of course, here, follow me.” Walking towards the stairs, Zecora followed the princess, eager to be certain the artifact was safe.
Unlocking the door with her magic, the vault opened, revealing the Alicorn Amulet inside. Twilight stepped aside to let Zecora walk in. The amulet glowed red, the crystal at its center inviting the two closer.
“It will be safe here, you can count on us.” Twilight reassured her zebra friend.
Zecora looked up and around, inspecting the security. Smiling, she said, “I can see no weakness or fault, this truly is an impressive vault.” She turned to Twilight, her mind much more at ease. “Thank you so much for this favor Twilight, be sure to keep it here, safe and out of sight.”
Twilight smiled, happy to see that her friend was no longer stressed. “Will do. Now come on, let’s get back downstairs to the party.” Walking out from the vault, Twilight stood at the door and waited for Zecora, who exited momentarily. Locking the vault behind them and using the magic door to seal the chamber, the two returned to the festive celebration.
Vinyl Scratch had her loudspeakers set up and playing remix versions of Hearth’s Warming songs as Octavia played her cello along with the beats, making for a smooth, enjoyable atmosphere. Ponies were playing games and relaxing with one another, all having a great time.
Shadow was among the groups of ponies, and receiving a warm reception everywhere he went. When surrounded by greeting ponies now, he felt only joy, no fear or anxiety, even in the slightest. He partied hard with Pinkie and his new friends, dancing out across the floor with them to the beat of the music.
Bobbing her head to the tune in the air, Twilight tapped her hooves, giggling at the sight of Pinkie twirling Shadow around as he attempted to master dancing in a single night. Hearth’s Warming did its job in making her troubles fade away, at least for now. Taking this time to enjoy herself and not have to worry about a threat was very much needed. Besides; the Alicorn Amulet was perfectly safe, there was little to be concerned of in that moment.
“This is quite the party Princess Twilight,” Ember said, walking over to the alicorn and folding her arms. “You ponies sure do like to smile and hug a lot, don’t you?”
Twilight offered a shrug, saying, “Call it a habit of ours.” Glancing over at Garble and Scorch, Twilight just had to ask. “Has he been behaving himself?”
Ember looked over at the red dragon and nodded, looking rather impressed. “He has. Surprised me a bit to find him guarding me when I woke up; thought he had a concussion or something.”
The two shared a laugh at the comment, watching the party for a minute or so. The conversation that had to be made was looming above them, just waiting to be addressed. It didn’t take long for Ember to give in.
“The dragon thief,” she said with disdain. “This isn’t the first time he’s been a nuisance to the dragons.”
Twilight perked up at hearing this; she had practically zero information about the thief, and though she was enjoying the party, she wanted to know everything about him that she could.
“He was given the name Stormclaw by my father about seven years ago,” the Dragon Lord confided in the pony princess. “He had been caught trying to turn other dragons against my father, to start a war that would destroy our tradition of having a Dragon Lord. He was banished from our lands, and told that if he ever returned, he would be killed, which was my father’s most merciful punishment for such a crime.”
“Stormclaw.” Twilight echoed, deep in thought. She turned to her dragon friend, saying, “This is very helpful information, thank you Ember.”
Ember nodded in reply, and her eyes then drifted off to something behind the alicorn. She chuckled, shaking her head. “Wow…..just, wow.”
Twilight squinted at her in confusion, turning around to spot whatever it was that had made the Dragon Lord so impressed.
Starfall’s armor had the same crystal-like shine as the crystal pony guard armor, except it had more of a silver color to it instead. The intricate, rune-like patterns on its sides gave it a classical look as opposed to the modern, more conventional armors. His cutie mark was etched onto the armor over his flank, since his actual cutie mark was covered. His helmet was and he held it against his side as he walked. It was much like the captain’s helmet for the Canterlot guards, but again, covered with more symbols. Lastly, Twilight’s cutie mark symbol was on the chest plate’s center, polished and shining in the light.
Letting out a short breath, Twilight was greatly impressed by the design her brother had made. As her guard approached her, she stood up straight.
“Starfall….wow, finally got to wear your armor.” She said, glad to finally see it for herself.
“Yeah, figured I had to at least try it on.” Starfall replied. “I won’t wear it the whole night, just wanted you to see it before I put it back in my room.”
Ember chuckled at his decision. “Why? That armor looks pretty awesome.”
Starfall was about to reply modestly, but looking down at it, he said, “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?”
“Well,” Ember said, uncrossing her arms. “I think I’ll go see what Spike is up to. Good to see you again Twilight. Starfall.”
Nodding to the Dragon Lord, Twilight and Starfall watched her walk back to the group of dragons, who were critiquing Rarity’s choice of decorations. The alicorn and pegasus were left smiling as they watched the celebration thrive.
“So,” Twilight said, crossing her hooves. “Has Ponyville grown on you at all?”
Starfall chuckled, nodding his head. “I’d say it has, yes.” Tilting his head to the side, he managed to sneak in a look at the princess without her noticing. “I think the beautiful scenery is starting to get to me a little.”
“Oh?” Twilight asked. “Is it the view from the castle?”
Pausing for a moment or so, Starfall nodded, facing forward again. “Yeah, you could say that.”
Looking off into space for a moment, Twilight wondered what he meant. She dismissed the question as it was unimportant, and joined her guard in watching the festivities once again. Their smiles only became warmer at the sight of Shadow being among everypony on the dance floor.
Shadow felt more at home than he had ever been. Standing amidst the crowd of friends, he felt inspired by this powerful feeling. It was the very same from when he first felt sunlight, and so the words came to him like magic.
“I never dreamed I’d be, living in a fantasy. No longer chained to the void of night.” he sang, the ponies around him stopping to listen. Twilight smiled almost as wide as Pinkie when she heard him. Looking around at them all, he continued. “Now that everypony knows me, I see their happiness. And all I feel is the warmth of light.”
Vinyl, with her hoof over her headphones, got in sync with the rhythm and began a catchy beat on her turntable. Shadow spun around and caught in touch with the tune.
“Dancing with a smile, and all my friends around me! Hearth’s Warming Eve becomes so bright!” Moving with a skip in his step, other ponies stepped forward, dancing with him. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be, than standing here beside you! Where all I see is the warmth of light!”
Feeling in harmony with their lead singer, everypony pitched in, their voices blending together. “The sun may set and darkness fall across the land! But the moon she rises and she guides us on!” Shadow twirled about, joining with other ponies as they paraded in a spiral across the chamber. “Have no fear, all together we shall stand! For the night is just as dark before the dawn!”
Spinning about on the dance floor to its center, Shadow came face to face with Fluttershy. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes and gently held hooves into a duo. Vinyl faded out the beat and Octavia took over with her cello, playing a more classical version of the song.
“I never dreamed you’d be....dancing here with me.” Shadow sang softly, the two slow dancing. “Your kindness makes my heart take flight.” Fluttershy blushed at hearing him, and she kept up her steps, smiling all the while. “For when your eyes meet mine, the truth is what I see.” Shadow trailed off, the two stopping. “All I ever want....is the warmth of light.”
Ending with a fading note, Octavia smiled to herself, honored to have played it. Fluttershy hugged Shadow, receiving one in return. The chamber erupted in cheers as everypony applauded Shadow’s song. Feeling all the emotions hit him like a wave, Shadow never wanted the moment to end.
It took no time for Twilight to applaud along with everypony. It was one of the most touching songs she had ever heard, and she was so proud of Shadow. He had come so far from when they first met, and now he seemed like a whole new pony.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were the first to gallop out and join in on the hug between Shadow and Fluttershy. Twilight and her friends then came forward too, followed by most everypony in the room.
While Ember was much more tolerable of friendship than any other dragon from her homeland, she still shivered at the sight of the mass hug. “Bit too touchy-feely for my tastes…” she said to herself.
Gilda stood next to her, nodding. “Tell me about it.”
Now able to see everypony in on the hug, Ember squinted, scanning the crowd. “Hey….wasn’t there a zebra here a minute ago?” she asked, looking around.
The griffon did the same, remembering seeing her too. “Yeah, where did she go?”
The halls of the castle may have been kept warm by the fireplace and cheer of everypony within, but the Everfree Forest was all the more ice-cold and dark now that winter had come. Freezing air rushed between the grim trees, and the snow fell heavily from the sky, for there was no hope in sight.
Hobbling along the snow-covered path, Zecora had no issue keeping on it, having memorized the route in case of such a scenario. She shivered as she trekked on, not used to the frigid cold temperatures. Whatever dangerous creatures that lied within would undoubtedly be seeking shelter, and therefore be no threat to her. Despite this reassurance she gave herself, the zebra was still very vulnerable, and eyed the darkness with a watchful gaze.
Deeper and deeper into the frozen forest she delved, knowing that she had little time left to spare. Useful as the nurse and doctor ponies were, they healed her much too slowly, and this was going to be cutting it very close. And even now she wasn’t fully healed, but she could no longer wait to act, for tonight was Hearth’s Warming Eve.
As she had predicted, Zecora remained undisturbed by the creatures of the forest, and arrived at her destination.
The Castle of the Two Sisters looked even more terrifying underneath a blizzard than it did a normal storm. Its spires were coated in thick snow, and the plain around it became a labyrinth of ice too dangerous to even want to cross. Whatever attempts Twilight and her friends had made to repair the castle had to have been within, for the elements were far too cruel to allow the ruins to be rebuilt on the outside.
Pulling her gaze away from the frozen ruins, Zecora looked down the crevice, leading to the cavern underneath the castle. Slowly and cautiously, the zebra traversed the icy steps, descending into the pitch-black darkness below. No longer lit, the cavern was completely void of light, but Zecora braved the shadows anyway.
Glancing around, Zecora wanted to be sure no one else was down there before she made a light. Using some flint over a few dry sticks she had brought, a small flame lit the cavern in dim torchlight. Waiting a moment to see if there was a reaction, Zecora saw none. Taking out a pouch, she tried emptying it over the flame, but it was empty. Peering down into the small leather bag, there was a hole in the bottom, and it had all fallen out.
The initial response would have been anger, but she was much too tired. She sighed, falling into a sitting position with her head stooped low.
“Please, allow me.” Echoed a voice in the darkness.
A flamethrower struck the pile of sticks and it erupted into a massive fire, lighting up the entire cavern. The black dragon had been standing just out of sight the entire time, looking down at the zebra with a surprisingly calm look in his scarlet eyes. Zecora looked up at him, still shivering.
“You look cold,” he said, walking around the flames to her. He reached for her, but stopped as she winced away from his claws. “Come now, I thought you’d trust me more.”
Scooting herself closer to the flames, the zebra scoffed. “The last time your claws touched me, I had to stay in a hospital for over a month to recover. I can manage by myself.”
“I had to make the attack believable. It truly hurt me to harm you.” He said, trying to sound considerate.
Zecora chuckled to herself, a smile on her face. “Oh, I doubt that.”
Watching her expectantly, the dragon crossed his arms. “You’ve been hiding for much too long, I can tell. We are alone, you can relax now.”
Looking over at him, her eyes shined another color for a moment. A torrent of green light erupted up from the ground and engulfed her. Rigged rings of magic sparked across her body, transforming the zebra Zecora into a creature of pitch-black color with holes in her hooves, wings, and tail. A jagged horn appeared from out her head, and there, on the floor of the chamber before the fire, Queen Chrysalis appeared.
The black dragon smirked at seeing her again. “Much better. A more beautiful queen couldn’t be asked for.”
“Spare me your flattery Stormclaw,” Chrysalis hissed, turning back to the fire for she was still cold. “I just need a moment to-”
“Of course, take all the time you need.” The black dragon replied, walking back to the other side of the fire. “I hope you know that harming you was difficult for me to do.”
Chrysalis only managed a nod, no longer looking at him. Now able to do so without fear of being caught, she began using her magic to heal her body. All it took was one set of eyes to see while she was in Ponyville and their plan would have been foiled.
“What became of the zebra anyway?” she asked, curious as to the fate of Zecora.
“She is alive and well.” The dragon put down his satchel and unfolded his wings, grabbing one of them gently. “My lair is far from civilization, none will find her there.”
Chrysalis eventually looked up at him, who was inspecting his wing.
“Did they find you?” she asked.
“Yes.” Stormclaw answered, feeling the scar on his wing membrane.
“But you have all that you were looking for?” she continued.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Yes.” He repeated.
His smile discomforted her and she looked back to the fire. “Good. Then at least this was all worth it.”
Eyes remaining on the changeling queen, the dragon released his wing and walked back around the fire, standing behind her. Instinctively, Chrysalis tried standing and turning to him, but he stopped her with his claws.
“What are you doing?” she demanded of him, although her voice trembled a bit.
Feeling the deep cold in her, he lifted his chin, saying, “Not used to having someone care about you, are you?” His claws became extremely warm and the feeling was strange to the queen. The warmth purged the cold from her like an inferno, and he released her. Her eyes watched him as he sat beside her.
“I don’t want your care.” She hissed.
Stormclaw managed a chuckle. “Oh, I doubt that.” He teased her.
Chrysalis had never needed help from someone else before. Her drones had followed her every beck and whim, but now they were gone. Relying on this dragon was strange; strange because they were equals in this evil plan of theirs, and that was something the queen had never needed to do before.
When first they met, she had tried to assert her control over him through magic, but he was unaffected. She was so weak after her fall to Starlight and Thorax, that she knew that he could have easily ended her, but he didn’t. Instead he came to her with a plan, a brilliant one really, one that would place her upon the throne of all Equestria and give her the vengeance she sought against the unicorn that had destroyed her future.
How he had found her, she did not know, but he knew everything, and it worked to their advantage. Sure his personality would take some getting used to, but he had asked for almost nothing in return for making her the most powerful monarch in the world.
“Why are you helping me?” she asked him, earning his gaze once again. The question had come to her before, but she never asked. “What you offer is far greater than what you asked for, so why help me against the ponies?”
Looking into her eyes, Stormclaw was difficult to read for the queen. “We all have a purpose in the world. You were meant to be a ruler, and you are very good at it. I, on the other claw, am no leader. I am meant for something great, but it remains outside my grasp. So, since you agreed to help me, I shall make sure that you are made the Queen of Equestria.”
He wasn’t lying, she could tell. He had a stubborn way of helping her even though she doesn’t ask for it, so it made sense that he was driven on by some ulterior goal. Even he didn’t really seem to know what it was, and so there was no reason not to accept his help. He asked for no extra reward, or even any assurance that she would do her part, so she felt inclined to give him what he asked for, despite any mysteriousness on his intentions.
“I take it you brought them then?” he asked, folding his claws together under his chin.
Chrysalis looked down at the bag she had brought the flint and sticks in, using her magic bring out the Alicorn Amulet. Twilight was such a fool; she had switched the real amulet with a fake she made while the alicorn’s back was turned, it was too easy. Levitating it over to him, he held it gently in his claw, smiling down at it.
Placing it down on the cavern floor, he looked back up at her. “Now that we are here, may I have yours?”
The queen hesitated, but then used her magic to lift the small crown from off her head. He had told her before that he needed the Changeling Crystal, but was willing to wait in order to have it. This crown meant a lot to Chrysalis, but not more than revenge. She levitated it over to him as well.
Finally having the changeling artifact in his possession, Stormclaw felt relieved. He didn’t think Chrysalis would double-cross him, but he had been waiting to hold each of these relics for years now, and it filled him with determination.
“Don’t worry,” he told her, knowing she had an attachment to the crown. “When the time comes, I’ll give you an even better one.”
“Alright, you have your treasures.” She said to him, ready for him to hold up his side of the bargain. “Now let me see it.”
Glancing down at the two artifacts, his eyes passed over his satchel, seeing the other three inside. Five down, one to go. Stashing the Changeling Crown away with the others, he smiled at the queen. “As you wish.” He answered, pulling out a smooth, deep red horn.
Chrysalis eyed the magic horn, knowing that all her patience was finally going to pay off. “So…” she said, looking back up at him. “How do you know this will even work?”
“I have my ways.” Stormclaw replied, picking up the Alicorn Amulet. “Over a thousand years ago, a great unicorn created this amulet using powerful, dark magic.” With a smirk on his face, the dragon held them closer, the crystal on the amulet beginning to brighten. “Casting an ancient, long-since forbidden spell, his soul became temporarily tied to it, as a way to allow him to return in case death befell his body.”
The crystal began to vibrate, the glow intensifying as the entire cavern became coated in the crimson light. The horn sparked with dark magic, a veil of shadows beginning to swirl around it.
“Let the resurrection begin.” Stormclaw chuckled, letting go of them as they hovered in the air, he and Chrysalis backing away.
The swirling shadows sparked more wildly, growing into a mini-tempest of dark magic. The crystal of the amulet turned black for an instance, and then its shadow on the cavern floor passed over into the shadow of the horn. The crystal’s red color returned and it fell to the floor. The horn’s shadow became absorbed into it and the maelstrom of dark magic went haywire, filling up the entire cavern.
Chrysalis shielded herself from the whirling abyss of darkness, but Stormclaw stood fast, watching every moment of it without flinching, a dark smile on his face.
The storm of shadows continued for a few moments, but then suddenly, all of the darkness was then sucked into the horn and a pitch-black sphere of chaotic magic appeared levitating off of the ground. It shaped itself into the form of a pony as it slowly lowered to the cavern floor. By the time it reached down to the stone, the resurrection was complete.
The unicorn had purple magic spiraling out from the edges of his eyes. When finally he opened them, their green and red colors focused on the dragon and changeling before him. With a twisted smile, his fanged-mouth opened and let out a breath.
“Much appreciated….my friends.”
…..to be continued.