The blizzard howled around them.
The team of Alicorns was robed in the thickest snowsuits that they could commission, complete with furry boots and covers for their horns that still permitted them to use magic.
In the sky were their targets: the Windigoes. Freed from their prison in the northern ice cap, they swirled around and around, creating a massive icestorm. For days the heroes fought against them, and it seemed hopeless. The team of country leaders, filled with the greatest magic of all the world, still struggled. The Windigoes had been feeding for far too long on far too much hatred. In order to save the world, the Six Elements of Harmony--the ponies who now embodied them, that is-- had to reach the heart of the storm in order to halt it. Besides those six brave mares, there was a brave, young dragon with them, faithful and true, as well as the Princess of Love from the Crystal Empire, The Princesses of the Sun and Moon from Equestria, The Sandstorm King from Saddle-Arabia, The Printsessa of Ice and The Tsar of Ice Of Konlya, The Kirin Emperor of the Sea of Rikuma, and the Kirin Emperor of the Earth and the Zuoji nation.
This was not a mere national emergency. This was a disaster affecting the entire world. All nations were involved. Any leaders who didn't have strong enough magic were currently holding down the line at the Crystal Empire, securing the throne and the Crystal Heart. At the very least, ONE country on this planet would survive.
Of course, the Windigoes knew their time was coming, and they pushed back with the force of a hundred thousand winds, pounding hail and ice shards on the heroes, who raised their magic shields and deflected them all.
“THERE’S TOO MANY!” Twilight Sparkle, the youngest royal, shouted as she pushed her head forward to help steady her magic beam.
“DON’T THINK OF THEIR NUMBERS! THINK OF ALL THE CREATURES DEPENDING ON US!” Celestia shouted back as she folded her wings down at an angle and spread out her legs a bit to steady her own stance.
The two Kirin emperors braced in the snow, and their curved horns blazed first with magic, and then with fire. Together they launched explosive fireballs at the Windigoes. BOOM went the flames. CRASH went the hail. SCREECH went the wind.
After what seemed like an eternity, the hailstorm paused, and the Windigoes regrouped, allowing the heroes to breathe a quick sigh beneath their collective shield.
“Everyone, I want you all to know that I'm honored to be standing here among you, as a fellow leader. No matter what happens, remember this hour, and remember me.” Luna gasped, feeling all the strain from the magic use wearing her down.
Twilight’s eyes widened and she gulped from behind her facial scarves, afraid to even think about such a thing. Remember Luna, as in, a funeral memory? Twilight's mind reeled. Just a few years ago she helped redeem Luna, freeing her from Nightmare Moon, and bringing her back to Equestria. After all Luna endured and overcame, was this to be her end? Twilight Sparkle couldn't believe it. Her six loyal friends, Pony and Dragon, all gasped in equal dismay.
"DON'T TALK LIKE THAT, PRINCESS LUNA!" Rainbow Dash shouted above the wind.
"Yeah! WE STILL HAVE A CHANCE!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
"Please don't give up yet," Fluttershy said in a soft voice, barely audible in the wind.
"Princess Luna! We're still fightin'! Don't you go talkin' like you're dead already!" Apple Jack snapped as she put one hoof on her thick hood, trying to keep the snow out of her face.
"Heavens, no! I didn't walk all this way in tacky clothes and freezing hooves just to plan a funeral!" Rarity wailed, filled with both frustration and despair.
Celestia and the older royals, meanwhile, had calmer, accepting looks on their features.
"Luna, we will remember you. Of course we will." Celestia promised with a solemn nod.
"Cousin, It is indeed an honor to stand with you today. I only regret that the Great Sea separated us all this time." It was Zima Veter, the Printsessa of Ice, who spoke next. She unfolded one wing and laid it across Princess Luna's back in a grateful embrace.
"We were separated for many ages, but at the least, we can die together," Her father, Tsar Ledyanoy Ukryvat said with a soft smile to his two nieces of the Sun and Moon.
Twilight couldn't believe her ears. Luna's family was going to embrace death.
Another voice cut into the wind.
“Remember: Friendship and Love is their weakness! We must have every one of our attacks powered by the love we have for our nations, and not by hatred for the Windigoes!” Cadence reminded them, “In fact, if we could find some way to sympathize with them and feel some gentleness to them, surely we’d win!”
Zima turned away, and again focused on keeping shields up. Her pale blue eyes glowed in the same color of her magic. As she studied the snow, she noticed thin, red streaks being buried by new flakes.
“They bleed like us,” She finally realized. She had learned such a thing from ancient legend, but now she saw it first hoof.
The others became more quiet at that. Indeed, before their eyes, the seemingly-immortal, heartless beings were bleeding just like any pony could bleed. If they had blood, they had hearts. If they had hearts… perhaps they had souls.
If they had souls…
“Sympathize? Love? How can one love a monster!?” Karam snapped, shifting his dun-colored wings beneath his heavy blankets.
The Sandstorm King of Saddle-Arabia had the worst temper. In all his centuries, he had been a fierce king, defending his lands from monsters, and warring neighbors. He could not imagine himself loving the enemy, but these past few days forced him to try. With all he had, he knew he had to love, and be kind, for the sake of the world. Still, it conflicted with all he'd done and seen so far. These Windigoes were hatred-eating, world-destroying entities, not fellow creatures.
Paradoxically, he had to be compassionate toward these beasts, even though they seemed incapable of love.
Quietly, Celestia thought back on all the entire world had been through, and the question echoed in her heart and mind, too.
“How, indeed,” was all she murmured as she looked at Karam, who paused and looked back at her.
How, indeed.
How, indeed?
How? Indeed.
For the sake of the world, they HAD to. This was not a small, isolated blizzard. Already two continents were freezing over, and the sea itself was capping with ice, gallons more each minute. Ponies, Horses, Gryphons, Minotaurs, Dragons, Kirin--EVERYBEAST, yes, every single beast, down to the smallest mouse, was counting on these magic-wielding national figures for hope. If this team fell, it wouldn't be long before the other teams holding back the snow all fell too.
Nevertheless, how could anyone love such a cold-hearted enemy? And... how did this happen? For centuries, the world had its skirmishes here and there, minor wars a-plenty, but now everything was dying. After so long of relative stability, the entire planet was suffering. How was this possible?
Princess Celestia thought back across the events. She strained hard, contemplating the beginning of it all. Perhaps there was no exact beginning… perhaps it all began at the start of the world, building on one bad event and one mistrust after another, but, no, she didn't waste time going back that far.
She returned to the day the message arrived. In the middle of this blizzard, she remembered the letter.