Back in Whoville, things were heating up for the Whobilation. Everyone gathered at the Lou Who home in time for the lightning contest. After being ejected from the Grinch’s cave, the Mane Six and Spike were a slight peeved for several reasons. The first being that the old stubborn green guy wouldn’t even contemplate the idea of attending the Whobilation. The second being that he refused to tell them the whereabouts of Cozy Glow (Least not directly). Celestia knows he wasn’t fooling any pony, especially Applejack, especially when he claimed he ‘kicked her out’. She instantly knew right away that information was as false as her granny’s false teeth.
“Ah can’t believe that ol’ Grinch,” Applejack pouted angrily. “Lying to mah face.”
“What’d you expect A.J.?” Rainbow asked her marefriend. “Birds, or in this case villains, of the same feather tend to stick together after all.”
“I simply just can’t believe that brute wouldn’t even consider coming to the festivities,” Rarity said appalled. “Then again, I suppose all this cheer and goodwill would have been wasted on him anyway.”
“Come on guys, let’s not be so negative,” Starlight spoke up. “After all, this is supposed to be a time of joy and happiness.”
“Excuse us if we’re not exactly feeling in the festive mood,” Spike groaned, clutching his head. “Some of us just had a few heavy sandbags dropped right on our heads and dropped down a garbage chute… don’t ask me ‘how’, I’m too sore to think.”
“I feel so bad for the Grinch,” Fluttershy spoke sadly. “So many things have shrunk his heart almost to non-existence. It’s so sad.”
“Well he might not know it yet, but he will be showing up,” Twilight smiled.
This caused every pony and Spike turn toward her with confused expressions.
“What the hay are you talking about Twi?” Rainbow asked.
“The seeds of curiosity have already been planted in his mind,” Twilight explained. “Soon enough, he will be here.”
“Forgive me Twilight darling, but I don’t have a clue what you are talking about,” Rarity responded.
It was then Pinkie Pie and Tubby Nugget popped out of nowhere with huge smiles and party hats.
“What’s so confusing about it you guys?” Pinkie asked. “It’s so obvious what Twilight is talking about.”
Even Twilight turned toward Pinkie in confusion now.
“It is?” She asked.
“Absopositivolutily!” Pinkie nodded. “See we told Grinchy about the party and his award. He probably can’t stop thinking about it. And knowing Jim Carrey, he’s bound to show up and make a huge hilarious scene that’ll be both funny and disturbing. But then we’re all going to have super-duper, double looper, hoopty-hooper, fun time!”
“All the Grinch needs is some fun and a few new friends!” Tubby smiled adorably.
“I suppose only time will tell,” Twilight nodded.
While they were talking, all the Who’s were focused entirely on the lighting contest. Mayor May-Who himself was preparing the announcements for the competitors.
“And now the excitement of the Whoville lighting contest finals,” He said. “Put your hands together for your Martha-May Whovier!”
Every Who in the crowd cheered as Martha May stood atop her roof waving to the crowd. One push of the button on the remote control and a series of lights shined brightly on her home. Seeing the lights, everyone cheered louder as the judges wrote down their scores.
“And Betty Lou Who…” May-Who announced, with a bored tone. “Mother of the girl who invited the Grinch. Hit it Betty.”
From atop her own roof, Betty looked over toward Martha, who in turn stood on her own roof.
“Oh Martha, looks like you’ve beat me again,” Betty said sadly, before turning happy. “Except this old gal still has a lot more lights left in her lady. Come on boys!”
From down below, Stu and Drew both sat along two pedal bikes and began cycling away to power a huge generator. Then Betty hit a button on her own remote and her own lights shined just as brightly (If not more so) than Martha’s. Once again everyone cheered and clapped, especially Lou, Cindy, and the Equestrians.
Not wanting to be outshined, Martha May hit another button and even more lights started shining on her home, causing everyone to cheer for her. Both Martha and Betty kept lighting their homes with an assortment of different colored lights until the entire square was coated in light. The lights so bright many Who’s had to shield their eyes from the blinding glow. Eventually the judges passed their votes over to May-Who, who grabbed it and the microphone to announce this year’s winner.
“And the winner is…”
Unwrapping the envelope, looking at the name, it was very clear who won:
Betty Lou Who
May-Who frowned, as he looked back and forth between the crowd and Martha May herself.
“By… split decision…”
This caused everyone to face each other, wondering what the Mayor was talking about. Even all the judges looked back and forth toward one another and toward their votes. Both Betty and Martha stood waiting with anticipation over the announcement.
“… Martha May Whovier!!!”
Everyone cheered once more, except for poor Betty Who. Her face fell deeply in sadness having been beaten once again. From the sidelines stood the rest of her friends, among whom Applejack growled directly toward the Mayor.
“Why that lying piece of manure!” She seethed.
“Applejack!” Rarity scolded.
“Well ah’m sorry fer mah language Rarity, but that lying corrupt May-Who done just lied about Martha winnin’ the contest.”
“So you mean Betty actually won?” Fluttershy asked.
“That’s exactly what ah mean!” Applejack nodded.
“A.J.’s got a point there!” Pinkie agreed. “It’s so plain and obvious the Mayor has such a big crush on Martha, that he’d do anything to have her reciprocate his feelings. Like that one night back at Betty’s house. Remember Rarity? When the Mayor showed up?”
“Yeah—wait what?”
<>
It was the night when Rarity and Fluttershy agreed to help Betty Lou with the decorations, and just after Martha May showed off her new decorating cannon. Around that same hour, Mayor May-Who and his lowly assistant, Whobris, arrived by car and pulled up near Martha’s house. Martha May Who, in her Mrs. Claus outfit, turned around and saw the Mayor himself waving from the car.
“Hello Martha!” The Mayor greeted.
“August!” Martha responded, with a curtsy. “To what do I… owe the pleasure?”
As the Mayor stepped from his car, with Whobris following behind, he meant to express to Martha what manner of ‘business’ he had with the lovely Who. But of course, the Mayor was so captivated by her beauty that he was practically speechless and stumbled over his own words.
“Uh, well… I, um…” The Mayor chuckled nervously. “I was out and about, and uh well… I uh… I thought I’d uh…”
“Ask you out!” Whobris finished.
“You know this is sort of my deal!” The Mayor frowned, with disapproval.
“I won’t be a third wheel.”
Despite Whobris’s attempt to help his boss/friend, suffice to say the Mayor was not ‘happy’ with the assistance. He chuckled nervously toward Martha, who merely gazed upon the Mayor rather quietly. Eventually, the Mayor turned back toward Whobris and a desperate idea formed in his head.
“Ooh look! Your buttons coming off your… coat!” The Mayor spoke, forcibly removing them.
With Whobris’s coat buttons in his hand, the Mayor hurled them down the street. It took a moment for Whobris to realize the Mayor’s motivation and suddenly ran off to collect them. And thus that left the Mayor and Martha ‘alone’ for the time being, though the matter of their attraction to one another was clearly… up in the air.
<>
“Well now that Pinkie mentioned it,” Fluttershy pondered. “I did notice something was going on with those two that night.”
“Should we report this to the judges or something?” Spike asked.
“Even if we did, it’s our word against May-Who,” Starlight shook her head.
“Don’t y’all worry none,” Applejack assured. “He’s getting’ his comeuppance soon enough.”
<>
The Grinch groaned as once again he landed upon his armchair via personal zipline. In his hand was the very invitation Cindy-Lou and the ponies left behind. Once they were sure they were truly gone, Cozy Glow flew from her hiding place along the cavern ceiling and flew towards her cave-mate.
“Hey… thanks for not ratting me out,” Cozy thanked the Grinch. “I owe ya really big for this.”
“Don’t mention it…” The Grinch replied. “Ever…”
“Right, of course! So… what are we to do now that those Who-ligans have invited you to be this ‘Cheermeister’ guy… what even is a ‘Cheermeister’ anyway?”
“Eh… a little rusty on that, but it’s like this whole M.C. deal for the Whobilation. Starting contests, cutting ribbons, kissing disgusting Who-foundlings, the whole she-bang! But… if it’s to do with Christmas, I want nothing to do with it. I won’t even bother going~”
Cozy’s eyes widened with shock. She needed more time to ‘peruse’ the Grinch’s blueprints for her own plans. But with the Grinch staying in his cave, she needed to think of something fast. So Cozy Glow decided to put her plan into action…
“But Mr. Grinch… if you don’t go, you’d be missing out on an opportunity to enrich the overall experience of the ultimate Grinching we’ve been talking about…” She remarked cutely.
“Eh?” The Grinch faced the filly. “What would being this Whoville Holiday ‘Snoremeister’ got to do with giving those Who’s their comeuppance?”
“Think about it: They still don’t know I’m helping you, right? If you’re down there playing nice during their party, I could stay up here and come up with a few ideas for when you come back to plan out your Grinching. Plus... you could take this as an opportunity to catch the Who’s off-guard…”
The Grinch thought as he stared toward Cozy Glow, her eyes lowered with a mischievous smirk. For the moment, the Grinch seemed ‘interested’ in Cozy’s idea.
“Go on, little pony girl…”
“Just imagine it: You’re down there, pretending to have a good time.”
“And then?”
“And then… as you accept that big trophy, with the Mayor playing nice for the papers… you announce to every one of those Who’s you’ll be turning over a new leaf, giving up Grinching forever. And those idiots, so innocent and trusting… they’ll buy it more than one of their stupid gifts at a Christmas discount~”
“Hee-hee… they are quite a gullible lot… and then?”
“And then… when they’re all sleep before Christmas morn… we hit them hard with your ultimate Grinching! And before they can round up a mob or whatever, we’ll have left this stupid world and we never come back again!”
“Hmm… that is quite tempting… especially the mob part…”
Cozy smirked quite smugly, figuring she had him hooked herself a sinker.
“However!”
Her smirk broke as she gave an audible growl in frustration.
“I’m still quite peeved…” The Grinch continued. “The nerve of those Who’s, inviting me down there, on such short notice! Even if I wanted to go, and ESPECIALLY even if what you said makes a bunch of sense… my schedule wouldn’t allow it!”
“Okay, now you’re just making excuses!” Cozy rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Oh… am I?” The Grinch asked.
He opened his datebook and shoved it right into the pony’s face.
“Read it and weep, sister!”
Cozy softly growled as she grabbed the book and began to read the Grinch’s remaining Snerzday schedule.
“’Four o’clock, wallow in self-pity. Four-thirty, stare into the abyss. Five o’clock, solve world hung—'”
She stopped with a look of horror toward this one sentence.
“You’re solving world hunger?! That’s horrible! What are you--?”
“Read the next page, skimpy skimmer…” The Grinch pointed.
Cozy read what was on the next page… which made her sigh with relief.
“Oh, that makes more sense. At five, you’re solving world hunger and not telling anyone about it. Now that’s wicked~”
Clearing her throat, Cozy Glow continued to read.
“’Five-thirty, jazzercise. Six-thirty, dinner with me.’… aww, you arranged to have dinner with me?! That is so—"
“Eh… no!” The Grinch shook his head. “It says, ‘Dinner with me’, as in me, myself, and I. And I just can’t cancel that again.”
“Of course…” Cozy rolled her eyes. “’Seven o’clock, wrestling with self-loathing’… and it all goes on like that for a while.”
And just like that, she sealed the book before tossing it into the Grinch’s lap.
“What can I say? I’m booked~”
“Oh, come on~! You’re the Grinch! Since when do you care about keeping a schedule? That makes you almost as bad as Princess Schedule-Per-Second earlier.”
The Grinch shifted his eyes between her and the planner in his lap.
“Eh… you might have a point there.”
“Plus… there’s one thing the Whobilation has that your schedule doesn’t~”
“And what’s that?”
“Seven-thirty… payback against May-Who!” She remarked, leaning closely. “Think about it. When’s the last change you’ll get to see the Mayor eating crow as he watches you beat him at something at last?”
“… I don’t know about ‘eating crow’, the Who’s banned the consumption of the Crumpit Corvids months ago~”
“… I was speaking metaphorical.”
“Oh… yeah… it would be a nice cherry on top for my big pile of victory Schlop. To not only be a winner, but to watch the Mayor being a loser for a night~”
“So what do you say, huh? Take a victory lap before the grand finale on those Who’s. You deserve it~!”
“Yeah…” He examined his planner. “Well… I suppose if I bump the loathing to nine, I could still have time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling, and slip slowly into madness…”
But alas… another thought came to halt the Grinch’s decision.
“But what would I wear?!”
He looked around a bit before noticing his dressed table. Sitting up from his chair, he marched over to the table, grabbed the tablecloth and pulled it out without disturbing the cans on top. This amazed Cozy so much she clapped her hooves.
“Whoa, nice trick!”
“Wait, I’m not done.”
The Grinch turned back around the table, knocking everything off and onto the floor, followed by flipping the table on its side.
“Now you may clap~”
Of course, Cozy no longer clapped though she wondered what the Grinch was thinking.
<>
A moment passed before the Grinch came out showing Cozy and Max his ‘outfit’: A long skirt made from the tablecloth. He posed in front of his set of broken mirrors, trying it out.
“Well, what do you think? Come on, be brutally honest~”
Cozy was unsure of what to say. Before she could say something, Max barked a few times, which translated into something mildly insulting to the Grinch.
“It’s not a dress, it’s a kilt~!”
He tore the ‘kilt’ off, revealing his left leg had an oddly feminine leg garter.
“Sicko!”
He walked off to change, leaving Cozy Glow mildly disturbed.
<>
The Grinch returned in a different outfit, looking like he just took apart an old furnace and slipped it on himself. Cozy just looked on in confusion.
“Well… that looks… trend-setting?” She remarked.
“Yeah… but it doesn’t fit like it used to…” The Grinch rasped.
He opened the grate of his ‘outfit’, revealing a roaring flame which unsettled Cozy, before closing it again and walking off.
<>
Once again, the Grinch was in a different ensemble, though instead of junk… he rushed out wearing a bee beard all over his body with what looked like the bees’ hive on his head.
“Uh… you can say it’s an all-natural look, heh?” Cozy assumed.
“Eh… I dunno. This feels more like a spring look,” The Grinch replied.
“Maybe… plus the bees would probably freeze in the chilly air,” Cozy added.
In a matter of seconds, the Grinch headed back out (Likely to get the bees off and check for stings).
<>
Later, after a few more outfits, Cozy and Max watched the Grinch rummaged through his pile of clothes for something to wear tossing out all the rejected pieces.
“Stupid… ugly… out of date!”
The Grinch stepped out, looking quite frustrated.
“This is ridiculous. If I can’t find something nice to wear, I’m not going!”
Cozy’s face started to glow a bright red, as she can feel her patience growing thin. Just as she was about tell the Grinch off, an unfamiliar sound echoed across the cavern walls… yodeling. The Grinch and Cozy looked around before looking at each other and gave each other the same knowing smirk.
“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’, kid?”
“Hmm… depends. Wanna gag-and-tie him or just conk him out with your mallet?”
“Oh… what they hey! Why not both?” The Grinch suggested, pulling out a makeshift cane.
<>
Out along the peaks of Mount Crumpit, a Swiss-esque Who yodeled his Who-heart out while holding onto a giant horn. In the midst of his artful yodeling, he failed to notice the cane reaching out to snag him. The cane pulled him in, prematurely ending his mountain song which was concluded with a loud *BONK!*.
<>
A moment passed after handling their ‘guest’, the Grinch came out. Only this time he sported the yodeling Who’s lederhosen, socks, and shoes. He began to pose like he was a supermodel in front of the mirrors. Cozy Glow flew out to see the Grinch enjoying his new outfit.
“So… how’s it feel?” Cozy asked cutely.
“Oh yeah, baby… this feels like it was made for me~ Plus, it does hide my problem areas and flatter my butt well~”
“Yeah… you’ll rally catch a lot of eyes at the party. You ready?”
“Eh… no, that’s it. I’m not going.”
“OH, COME BUCKING ON!!!”
<>
Back in Whoville, the remainder of the Whobilation and its festivities were well underway. The time had come to declare the new Holiday Cheermeister and everyone in town was waiting with anticipation. The Mayor made his way back to the podium, tested the mics with a tap of his fingers, and soon all the talking and fanfare became silent and still.
“Well, it’s time for our Holiday Cheermeister of the Year Award!” The Mayor declared.
All the Who’s cheered with great excitement that the time had finally come. Amidst the excitable crowd, Cindy Lou and her family stood waiting for the declaration to commence with their Equestrian friends close behind. But in contrast to the parents’ excitement, Cindy Lou seemed rather down. The Equestrians shared the same sentiment with the little Who girl. The party had gone on most of the night and the Grinch still hadn’t arrived. All they could do at this point was hope he was just coming fashionably late.
“Congratulations, Mr. Grinch!”
The Mayor turned to his right with one hand out… except that spot was empty. Not a sign nor trace of the Grinch to be seen. The Mayor feigned surprise, but somehow the Equestrians knew he was happy the Grinch was not coming and pose a risk to claiming ‘his’ award.
“He isn’t here,” The Mayor spoke. “What? He didn’t show… who could’ve predicted this?”
“I really don’t like that Who…” Rainbow muttered.
“Oh my…” Fluttershy sighed.
“Aww…” Tubby pouted, as Pinkie tapped his back.
Amongst all her friends, Starlight Glimmer looked up toward Mount Crumpit as if hoping to catch a glimpse of the reclusive beast in some form.
“Come on Grinch…” Starlight whispered. “Please come…”
<>
Following a ton of ‘will or won’t’ back-and-forth, Cozy finally managed to persuade the Grinch into going.
“All right, Mr. Grinch. What are you going to do tonight?”
“All right…” He spoke, taking a deep breath. “I’ll swing by for a minute, allow the people to envy me, grab a handful of popcorn shrimp—”
“And the award! Don’t forget the award and the Mayor!”
“Oh yeah… accept my award, rub my shiny trophy into May-Who’s stuck up schnozz, and then blow out of there~”
“Great! You’re ready!” Cozy remarked, leading him to the door. “Now have fun, don’t stay out too late, and please… do anything I would do~”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” The Grinch brushed her off.
The Grinch made for the door, but before he could grab the handle… he stopped. He turned back toward Cozy Glow, away from the door.
“But what if it’s a cruel prank?”
“Grinch…” Cozy growled.
“Or worse… what if it’s a cash bar? How dare they…”
“Uh… what’s a cash bar?”
“Basically… they make you pay for the drinks rather than having them included with the ticket~”
“Not even a free first round?” Cozy gasped, in shock.
“Not a drop. All from your pocket change~”
“Okay… now that’s pretty bad. Still, you’re not drinking anyway, right?”
“Yeah… I guess. All right, I’ll go. But! I’ll be fashionably late, because of how important I am. No. Yes, no, yes. No! Yes!”
The Grinch struggled to make a decision, his raised finger moving side-to-side with each ‘yes’ and ‘no’. He took a breath before settling on…
“Definitely not!”
“Ugh, come on!” Cozy Glow groaned. “If you don’t go, the Mayor claims the prize as runner-up! Go, go, go! Will you please just go now?!”
“ALL RIGHT!!! You know… you need to mellow out. Maybe try one of them horse tranquilizers, little girl.
Cozy flicked her ear a bit in frustration, as the Grinch still interchanged ‘pony’ with ‘horse’. But she was in no mood to correct the Grinch again.
“Any who… I’ve made my decision,” The Grinch decided, walking toward the door. “I’m going! And that’s that! That’s all I wrote, no turning back, that’s the end of it, no further discussion needed…”
He soon took quick notice of his hand.
“Oh. Had my fingers crossed.”
Before the Grinch could say more, the trapdoor used on Cindy-Lou and the ponies earlier opened under him. The Grinch plummeted down the tunnel leading toward Whoville. And who was at the trigger? Why none other than Cozy Glow herself.
“Boy… that guy can’t keep to a plan, can he?”
She turned when she heard Max barking at her a few times.
“What? No, that wasn’t too harsh!” Cozy argued. “What’s wrong with sending him down to some town he hates, to accept some award he doesn’t care about, some folk, ESPECIALLY their mayor, that hate him?!...”
Suddenly, one brief look of horror spread to her face, and she lightly tugged her eyelids.
“Oh no!!!” Cozy Glow groaned. “I’m beginning to understand the mutt!”
<>
Down the tunnel, the Grinch slipped and slide down the metal pipe down to Whoville. Through the twists and turns, he stumbled and fumbled about as he was made to work his way to Whoville and its Whobilation whether he meant to go or not.
“MAYBE I SHOULD FLIP A COIN!!!” The Grinch shouted, screaming the whole way down.