The day before Hearth's Warming, and all through the plane, not a mortal was standing, that much was quite plain.
“Alright that's enough of that, you've made your point well. Who are you and how did you get here?” Discord stood on the green lawn of his floating island in a sea of chaos. He was currently engaged in an impromptu staring contest with a large black alicorn bearing a deep navy mane and a ragged burlap cloak. The alicorn had simply appeared in the void while Discord hadn't been looking.
“I am the Spirit of Hearth's Warming,” she spoke in a grand voice, “and I-”
“Impossible. There isn't one,” Discord interrupted.
“I assure you, the tale is quite real.”
“I know that. I AM a spirit, and I know every spirit in Equestria. Hearth's Warming has three spirits, not one.” Discord held up his talons to illustrate his point.
“Fine,” huffed the spirit, “I'm the spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come. The others are on break this decade, so I'm filling in all the roles. Now if I might approach my point-”
“And you're here to ask me for help with your extra work?” Discord pulled down a complex chart of no discernable meaning and squinted at it. “Well, maybe if it doesn't cut into my time with Fluttershy at the party tonight. Who're we going to be scaring straight?”
“I don't need your help, you blackguard!” they snapped, “You're next on my list!”
Discord blinked. The spirits stared once more. Then Discord laughed. “Really? I wrought terror on Equestria and then toed the line of just how much harm I could get away with for a year and you did nothing, but now that I'm actually trying to get along you're here to teach me to love my fellow creatures? You do realize I helped with the Hearth's Warming party last year?”
The spirit summoned a scroll before them, scanned it, and desummoned it once more. “You tricked a pony into bringing a giant angry beast to the party? That was your help?” The spirit raised an eyebrow.
“Whatever. I'm not interested in your little lesson, and that still doesn't explain your timing.”
The spirit looked down and replied in a sheepish voice, “You've been on the list since your return, this is simply the first opening that was available.”
“Well I learned to abide by the meaning of Hearth's Warming while you were busy,” Discord snapped. “If you're that late then you had better go deal with the next pony on your list.”
“No. You are next. Once on the list there is no way off other than to complete your appointment. I will be teaching you three lessons this night, and there is nothing you can do to dissuade me!” The Spirit of Hearth's Warming stomped her hoof where the ground should have been and waited for the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony's response.
“You really don't know me very well,” said Discord while the world around them seemed to grow darker and more sinister. “No-one forces me to do anything, especially cancel my plans with Fluttershy. You are no longer welcome in my domain.” And with a snap of his fingers the holiday spirit was banished from Chaos by the Lord of Chaos.
The spirit took in her surroundings. She was in a plain field covered in snow. “You may have won the battle Discord, but you must realize. This means war.”
Twilight's castle was a bustle with cheerful ponies milling about, putting up decorations, and of course, singing. For no holiday in Ponyville was complete without singing. Right after the song ended Spike saw Discord poof into being on one of the balconies above the entry hall where the festivities were being held. Discord opened his mouth wide... and disappeared without a sound.
“Well that was odd.” Spike waited a moment longer, shrugged, and returned to his task. There was no point in fretting about it. Either Discord would make his presence known or not, and nopony in all of Equestria could precisely predict him.
“Happy Hearth's Warming everypony!” shouted Discord inside a small cave with six ponies frozen in ice, with windigoes circling above. Across the cave stood a familiar black alicorn.
“You!” shouted Discord as one of the frozen unicorns horn started to shine pink. “Why do you care so much that I go through your stupid ritual anyway! I'm not even an Equestrian.”
“When you became the ruler of Equestria as the land was still new you became an Equestrian.”
As the Flames of Friendship, or whatever they were called, burned away the windigoes, another question arose. “And why are we here? Shouldn't we be in a memory from my past, rather than the origin of the holiday? Oh that's right, I never interacted with Hearth's Warming until after I became friends with Fluttershy. You have nothing to show.”
“Not quite so,” said the spirit, pointing behind Discord. When he turned around he saw a hazy window where the opening to the cave should have been. Through it watched a very familiar face.
“A shame,” said the past Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. “I rather liked the windigoes, but I suppose the ponies won't be having any more trouble from them.”
“Right from the start you not only opposed Hearth's Warming, but you did it aware of its full meaning. You actually wanted the windigoes to destroy the ponies.”
“Technically I wanted them to torment the ponies. Destruction would leave nopony around to amuse myself with later.”
“That is your defense? Art thou serious!”
“Not really. But then, if I was you would be in a lot more trouble. I don't need to defend myself. Now I'm headed to the party. Good day!”
“Yes, I think the party will illustrate my point well. A little rushed but I can work with that.” The spirit started to send them to Hearth's Warming present, but before she could finish Discord snapped his fingers. In a flash they were standing in a dark cave. At first the spirit was confused, but then she sensed the new path ahead and her eyes dilated til they covered almost her whole face. “Surely not even you would dare destroy an entire race of immortals from the First Age!”
Discord glared at the spirit. “Is that so?” He snapped his fingers and the cave lit up as bright pink fires quickly consumed every last one of the hibernating windigoes. “There. Now you can have an existential crisis and I can enjoy my evening in peace.” And with that he left the spirit alone in the cave with the smoldering remains of what had once been the most terrifying force arrayed against Equestria.
“I... I... How? Over a thousand... and he... in one wave of his hoof…”
There was an explosion of confetti and a white pegasus with a blond mane and tail, wearing a golden bedrobe, appeared on the scene. “Pluto! I told you not to mess with Discord. He is not a power to take lightly.”
“But he was next on the list.”
The spirit of Hearth's Warming presents sighed. “How do you think Cookie will take this?”
“She's always said not to destroy the windigoes in case the tribes require a common enemy to keep them unified. This is exactly the opposite of that! How do you think she'll take it Surprise?”
“It has been 800 years since we've needed to bring them out. Maybe Equestria has moved past needing them?” Surprise asked hopefully.
“What about this summer?”
“Oh yeah,” Surprise giggled. “I forgot about that. Well that just means we need to keep them together better than ever! I know we've got what it takes! Are you with me?”
“Of course. Even without the windigoes themselves Hearth's Warming still has a crucial role to play.” Pluto gazed into the distance. “Even I cannot say if it will be enough, but the world definitely needs it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now is not yet the time to fully reveal what is to come. The short answer is that what might have been now is set, and I forsee the end of our time.”
“Hearth's Warming, we three spirits, or Equestria?”
“Yes.”