Hearth's Warming Eve
Even though Donald and Goofy's vacation had ended within the next couple of days, the quickly returned after telling King Mickey their reasons for staying with Sora for a little while longer. They left out the details as to what happened to him, knowing just how upset he was after he turned back to normal. As the knight and mage came back to Equestria using the Star Shard, though Donald had come back with a bump on his head. It seemed as though his love, Daisy, sought him out when they came back and gave him a good wallop for forgetting his date with her a week ago. He was going to have to work hard to make it up to her, but after he helped his friend turn his frown upside down.
Today, though, everyone was going to head up to Canterlot, since tomorrow was Hearth's Warming Eve, and on the night, they were going to be taking part in the play depicting the events that made Equestria. Everyone got on board the train headed for Canterlot: Sora and his two best friends, Kairi, the Crusaders, Big Mac and Granny Smith, Spike, and the Mane Six. While the rest of the group talked excitedly about the mares performing tomorrow, all of them having taken up an entire car, Sora didn't seem to be in a festive mood. His thoughts still lingered on what happened a few days ago.
Winter was one of his favorite seasons, where he would always mark down the days on his calendar until Christmas was here, but he gave up doing that. Though the others had accepted that this was all just an accident, just like Kairi had when she overheard him, he believed he shouldn't be around them if it happens again. The pegasus sighed sadly, looking out the window as the land rolled by. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had noticed the stallion's depression after the young Apple filly told them he wanted to have a snowball fight with them, all three fillies having gotten sick at the start of winter.
"Apple Bloom, do you know what's wrong with Sora?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah. He's never been miserable before," Scootaloo said. "He's always wild and goofy, almost like Pinkie Pie, except not as random as her."
"He didn't come back to the house a few days ago. Ah think he was spendin' time with his marefriend." The trio of friends approached the depressed teen, sitting down in the seat in front of him. "Hey, Sora. Ya'll doin' ok?"
"Hmm?" He looked over at the fillies, all of them staring at him with concern and worry. "...Oh...Yeah, I'm fine...Just a little down."
"Did your marefriend break up with you?" Sweetie asked.
"No...It's just...something personal. No big deal." Sora tried to smile, but it ended up looking more sad than happy. "I'll get over it. Like a terrible...nightmare..."
"Ok." The four ponies sat in silence, the wheels on the train car clacking on the tracks as they began to slowly climb up the mountain to Canterlot. The Crusaders looked at each other as they thought of a way to get the old Sora back. "...So, you gonna be a part of the Hearth's Warming pageant, Sora?"
"...Uhh...I'm not sure. I don't even know much about Hearth's Warming." Sora scratched his head, the only similarity on this holiday with Christmas is mostly a day of being with friends and family, presents and sweets, though he did doubt that a jolly old fat man with a white beard wearing red and white comes around late in the evening to deliver presents all around the world. "I do like winter a lot, but if only it didn't involve a time where it's easy to get sick."
"What's 'Christmas'?" Apple Bloom asked. The teen looked at the earth pony filly as Apple Bloom and her friends were curious about a holiday he didn't tell anyone about in full detail yet. "Ah saw a calendar in your room at the farmhouse, and on the 25th, ya wrote 'Christmas'."
"Is this 'Christmas' a relative of yours that's coming?" Scootaloo questioned.
Sora laughed a little, shaking his head. "No. Christmas is...actually a holiday I celebrate where I'm from. It's kind of like Hearth's Warming, only with a few differences."
"What's it about?" Sweetie asked, all three eager to know what this other version of Hearth's Warming was about.
"Hmm..." The Keyblade wielder tapped a hoof to his chin as he thought about telling them. Just from seeing the fillies' eyes staring at him, wanting to know something that interested them and would be desperate enough to pounce information out of him, it reminded him when his mother told him about Santa Claus when he was little. Children have a curiosity that always made them want to know everything about something, especially when it was a day of free gifts from some unknown, magical old man. His smile was genuine this time as he decided to enlighten them. "Alright. I guess I can tell you about Christmas...and Santa Claus."
"Santa who?" Scootaloo asked.
"Santa Claus, spelled C-L-A-U-S," Sora said. "And he's the best part of Christmas. He's the one who goes around all of the world in his magical sleigh, pulled by eight reindeer that could fly through the sky, with a large sack filled with presents!"
"PRESENTS!?" all three exclaimed.
"Yes! Presents!" His excited expression turned serious as he gave the fillies a stern stare. "But, that doesn't mean he gives gifts to every little girl and boy. He only gives those who have been good all year round presents, and those who are naughty...get a big ol' lump of coal in their stocking."
"He gives coal to bad foals?" Sweetie Belle questioned. "Why?"
"To teach them a lesson: act mean to others, be selfish, and not care about those unfortunate than they are, then they don't get a new toy or game. That coal, depending on its size, shows just how bad you behaved." Sora gave an example of the size with his hooves, starting small, then spreading them wider. "I think Diamond Tiara would get a big lump of coal the size of this train for being a spoiled little filly."
"But how can he tell if there are...millions of foals he has to give presents to?" Apple Bloom asked as all three questioned how one person could tell how all the kids in the universe were being good or bad.
"He knows just from instinct," he said. "He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He even knows if you've been bad or good. So, you three better be good, for goodness sake." Sora ruffled all three of their manes, making them giggle. "And he makes sure he knows which boy and girl has made his super long list, always checking it twice before he sets off on Christmas Eve.
"And once he makes his runs, he flies to every single house in the world, making perfect stops on the roofs of the building. And do you know how he gets inside the house without disturbing anyone inside?" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo shook their heads, having no clue. "He slides down the chimney!"
They gasped, Scootaloo slowly raising her hoof to ask a question. "What if a house doesn't have a chimney?"
"He finds a way inside, since he's magical." Unknown to Sora, he seemed to be getting the others attention, too distracted telling the curious fillies about Santa Claus. "And before you go to bed and he shows up, it's nice to give him a little snack for him. Leave a little plate of freshly baked cookies, a glass of ice cold milk, and maybe some carrots for the reindeer. Delivering presents is hungry work, and boy can Santa wolf down delicious cookies.
"And...between you and me..." Sora lowered his head closer to the fillies and whispered to them. "I actually met him. Personally."
"No...way..." All three fillies stared at the grinning teen, feeling jealous as they had met what sounded like the greatest magical being in all the world.
"Oh yeah. I really did." While he gloated, the teen noticed that the rest of the car had been utterly quiet. Looking around from the seats, everyone seemed to look relieved to see him back to his oddball self. "...Uhh, what?"
Pinkie Pie suddenly dropped down from above him, being caught in his forelegs. "Tell me more about this 'Sandy Claws', Sora!"
"Yes, Sora. Why don't you tell us?" Kairi asked, smirking at him.
He dropped Pinkie, making the pink earth pony yelp as she landed on her rump. "...W-Well, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are the right age to know about this stuff. No older ponies are allowed to know."
"Says the stallion who acts like a colt." Sora sighed and drooped his head.
"If only the Poison Joke actually turned me into a kid and not a girl." Everyone laughed, Donald and Goofy more so than the others as the two imagined a female Sora fighting alongside them.
Sora's blushed in embarrassment, never going to have that moment be let down. And it gave Donald some more ideas to constantly tease him. Kairi approached the flustered pegasus and nuzzled him.
"Feeling a little better, Sora?" she asked.
"Kind of," he said. "I guess I needed something to get my mind off of the worst things that happened...But still-"
Sora was interrupted by a soft kiss from Kairi, quickly averting his thoughts away from his Anti Form. "Does that help too?" All the stallion could do was nod his head dumbly, grinning like a dope. "Good. Happy to help. Now, about Christmas...Got anything special for me yet?"
The pegasus blanched, snapped out of his daze as he darted his eyes back and forth. "Uhh...Yeah! I sure do!...It's..gonna be amazing, you won't believe what I got you!"
Kairi giggled and nuzzled her flabbergasted boyfriend. "It doesn't have to be something fancy. Or shiny. You still have some time left."
"I hope so." As the couple cuddled, Scootaloo was the only one who didn't like to see the mushy love between them, sticking out her tongue and gagging.
With Sora somewhat back to normal, he joined in on the conversations, even explained more about Christmas, the train slowly chugging along up the mountain up to the grand city of Canterlot at its summit. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were really excited, unable to wait to tell their friends back in Ponyville about another winter holiday where they can get presents. But that would have to wait until the pageant tomorrow.
The train made its stop in Canterlot, everyone stepping off onto the station and into the city. The city streets were heavily decorated for Hearth's Warming, the nobles all dressed in festive winter clothing, wreaths wrapped around light poles, and snow blanketing every single inch of the ground and buildings. Aside from the mares' worst variation of the game "I Spy", actually calling out everything they spy instead of giving hints, their main destination was the grand theater, where Canterlot hosts its performances, mostly opera pieces.
As the group all walked inside, Donald and Goofy staying with the Crusaders, Big Mac, and Granny Smith as they explored Canterlot, they saw some ponies working on the stage, creating the set for the Hearth's Warming pageant. Overlooking the crew setting everything for tomorrow was Princess Celestia, looking over what appeared to be the script for the play. She looked up from the many pages, spotting the performers for the major roles walking down the aisle.
"There you are. Right on time," Celestia said. "The costumes are all set and we're about to rehearse. Here are the scripts for each of you."
She levitated the several copies of the script to the mares, even one for Sora and Kairi. "Whoa. We're going to be performing too?"
"Of course. I added in extras for each member of the tribes that take part in the story, just to make the story a little interesting." Sora and Kairi both looked at the scripts, reading the names of the characters they would be playing as.
"Wait. All three tribes?" Sora asked. "I'm a pegasus. Kairi's a unicorn...But, who's going to play the extra earth pony?"
"Right behind you." They turned around and saw Luna, only she was now just as tall as Kairi was, no wings or horn, looking like a normal earth pony. "I am ready for my debut in the spotlight for my subjects to adore me."
"Easy, sister," Celestia warned. "Don't get an inflated ego."
"You're just jealous because you're the director and everypony will be looking upon me as I act out as part of the Hearth's Warming history," Luna said, flipping her normal mane as if she was a diva. "Come, Sora, Kairi. Let us away to practice our lines!"
Before the two could have a chance to voice their opinions, Luna dragged them off to the stage to practice with the others. The solar princess shook her head, amused by her younger sister's enthusiasm, even if she was trying to act like a showoff. While looking over the script again, she noticed Twilight approaching her, having probably memorized her lines.
"Princess, can I talk to you?" the unicorn asked.
"Sure, Twilight." Taking the momentary break from overseeing preparations, Celestia and Twilight headed for an empty room outside of the massive theater to speak in private. As she expected to hear something she learned in her studies, she didn't expect to see her student look upset. "Twilight? What's wrong?"
"...It's about Sora." The princess mumbled something, thinking she was reverting back to falling for the Keyblade wielder again. "It's not that! I've moved past that, I swear. It's something else about him."
Celestia sighed in relief, grateful to avoid that painful topic again. "Ok. So, what's happened?"
"Well...It's about what happened a few days ago...Please don't be mad with what I'm going to tell you, and you can't tell anypony else..." Twilight fidgeted, her ears drooping as she thought back to the past few days where Sora was downright miserable, hiding himself away from everyone as they wanted to help him. "...Sora doesn't want anypony else close to him to know about this."
"What is it?" Twilight began telling her mentor everything that happened a few days ago. Celestia was shocked to hear what had occurred as their magic lesson about the spells Sora, Kairi, and Donald knew and the pegasus's Drive Forms almost turned into a disaster from his transformation into Anti Sora. She explained how dangerous this dark form was from an accidental shift in his magical enchantments, releasing the Heartless that was kept in the darkness of his heart. The speed, the overwhelming power with each small slash of his claws, and the terror of his form brought a shiver down the alicorn's spine, and it was all from just the words of her student. "...My goodness..."
"His transformations are only temporary, and we managed to stop him." Twilight looked down at her hooves, still surprised to know that Sora had his own secrets that he wanted to hide. After everything he told her about keeping a problem inside, he doesn't exactly follow his own advice. "He may look better now, but I know he still blames himself...He distanced himself from us, thinking we're all going to turn him away after turning into...that..."
"...I see." Celestia never expected someone like Sora to ever hide something this dark, or even have this dangerous secret at all. Twilight did tell her that it was a complete mishap, his transformation an unfortunate change that was out of his control. "I completely understand, Twilight. I know Sora's not a threat, and I hope you and your friends can help him in his time of need."
"I know, Princess Celestia," Twilight said. "I owe him after he and Kairi saved me when I lost myself with my darkness."
The unicorn shuddered at the memory, never wanting to have something like that happen to her again. The two headed back to the stage, the princess going back to supervising everything while her student went back to practicing her role. Even though Celestia swore to keep this knowledge hidden, she can't help but think she should speak with Sora's master about this dangerous form the teen could turn into by random chance.
After many hours of memorizing lines and practicing where each of the cast will be for the pageant, Hearth's Warming Eve was already here as evening arrived in the blink of an eye. Ponies from Canterlot and beyond, who wish to see the capital city's historical retelling of their kingdom's history, filled in the seats of the large theater building, awaiting the yearly performance with anticipation. It was a full house, every single seat taken up, Celestia up in the royal section along with her special guests from Ponyville, Applejack's family, Rarity's sister, Rainbow Dash's number one fan, and Sora's otherworldly friends. The princess was delighted to meet Donald and Goofy, now knowing where he got some of his silly behavior from.
Where the audience were ready to watch the play, backstage, however, was a completely different story. Sora, Kairi, and Luna were in their costumes, all set to play their parts, but the other mares ended up bickering with each other over minor things. Fluttershy was a nervous wreck, knowing there would be thousands of ponies that would be watching them, trying to hide in fear. The window outside opened and made the room freezing cold, but as Rarity asked Rainbow Dash to close it since she was closest, she was too busy pretending the crowd was cheering for her only. It was already mass chaos with the Mane Six all fighting against each other, something Discord would surely love if he was freed from his stone prison again.
"This is going to be a good play," Sora sarcastically said, deciding to close the window for them. "Judging from the script, Hearth's Warming is a tale of how all three pony tribes formed Equestria through friendship, yet we're seeing the opposite of that with them. And over a window."
"Alright, everypony! We're on in five!" the director announced, taking Celestia's place to oversee everything will run smoothly for the play.
"I'm pretty nervous," Kairi said. "I've never really performed anything before."
"Don't worry about it, Kairi. Just imagine everyone in the audience is in their underwear." Luna and Kairi stared blankly at the pegasus stallion. It took Sora a moment to realize his error. "...Oh. Ponies don't wear clothes...Pretend they're wearing underwear?"
"That's makes it even more awkward." Sora just grinned while Luna snickered, Kairi's nerves only getting worse as she began to take his "advice", imagining every single pony watching on the other side of the curtains were wearing underwear.
Eventually, the others had gotten into their costumes as the show was about to start. Spike entered stage left, being the narrator of the story, wearing a purple suit and hat, something that seemed to fit the old style of the past when the story took place.
"Once upon a time, before Celestia's rule over the land and the discovery of the kingdom, ponies did not know about harmony," the baby dragon began. "It was a dark time in the land back then, as the three tribes were torn apart by hatred toward each other." Some sets began to move out, the curtain sill closed to hide the major settings, some fake clouds with a group of pegasi flying in, a cliffside with a group of unicorns, and a patch of fake grass with a group of earth ponies. They each wore different styles of outfits, only furthering their cultures: the pegasi were more like warriors, the unicorns as nobles, and the earth ponies as peasants. "Each of the tribes - pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies - cared only for the well-being of their tribes, not the struggles of the others.
"Each tribe had done their part to try and compromise with living through their daily lives." The earth ponies behind Spike brought out a cart of fruits and vegetables, all the food fake, the ponies looking irritated as the pegasi and unicorns came down. "The earth ponies grew the food for all three tribes, pegasi controlled the weather, and the unicorns moved the sun and moon to change the time of day. In exchange for the unicorn and pegasus tribes to do their jobs, the earth ponies give them a portion of their harvests for perfect weather to grow more crops and to bring day and night to the land.
"Unfortunately, something unexpected happened, the three tribes' forced time of peace ruined as a terrible blizzard rolled onto their home." A gust of wind blew in from the right of the stage, fake snowflakes blowing in as the groups of ponies fled off the stage. "The harsh wind and cold made each tribe grow hungry and cold. The earth ponies couldn't grow any food, the pegasi can't control the blizzard, and the unicorns were unable to warm the land as they brought up the sun. All three tribes blamed each other for the terrible storms. And the more they argued, the worse the blizzard became.
"So it was decided that all three tribes held a summit to solve the issues and find out what was causing this horrible blizzard. Our story begins with the leaders of the tribes, along with their strongest of champions to defend their tribe from the dangers outside of their homes, meeting together and sparking the historical event known as Hearth's Warming." Spike stepped off stage as the curtains pulled up, beginning the events of Hearth's Warming's creation.
In the harsh blizzards of the land, the many members of the three tribes slowly entered a lone building in the center of their villages, far from their rival ponies. Inside, as a majority of the council were seated in the rafters above, all of them leering at the ponies not like them, their leaders and strongest of their tribe's defenders from any dangerous creatures entered. Each of the leaders and fighters were played by the casted actors playing their roles. For the unicorns, Rarity was Princess Platinum, wearing a fluffy purple and white dress with a platinum crown on her head, and Kairi was one of the added characters named Aurora, wearing a pink and fuchsia cloak with a white heart pinned to her chest, the symbols for the basic elements of nature circling around it. For the pegasi, Rainbow Dash played as Commander Hurricane, wearing black and bronze battle armor similar to the armor used by the soldiers of Equestria today, Sora marching in after her with all black armor and a short sword in a sheath attached to his hip, playing as another included character named Speedy Missile. And for the earth ponies, Pinkie Pie bounced in as Chancellor Puddinghead, wearing a brown and yellow outfit almost similar to Spike's, though on her head was a hat that was shaped like a cup of chocolate pudding, Luna walking in behind her and rolling her eyes as she wore an azure tunic while hefting a heavy looking sword on her back, playing the added character known as Lunar Eclipse.
The six ponies approached the table in the center of the room, the leaders taking off their headgear as they looked at each other. They were silent for a while, just staring each other down, while their champions looked at each other, none of them seeming to hold ill will during a moment where they need to come together to solve this blizzard. Finally, the leaders spoke, only to try and shout over each other as they complained, making the three warriors groan.
"I demand to know why the earth ponies are hogging all the food!" Rainbow yelled, slamming her hooves on the table. "We're starving, and you're holding out on us!"
"We're not hogging the food, you are!" Pinkie yelled back, Luna smacking her forehead in annoyance.
"Chancellor, we do have the food in storage," the blue "earth pony" corrected. "But the reason why is because there is barely enough to trade to your tribe and the unicorns, let alone feed ourselves."
"Oh. Right," Pinkie said. "But still, we can't grow anymore food until you pegasususesususes get rid of this storm!"
"Chancellor, we've tried to stop this blizzard," Sora spoke up before Rainbow. "No matter how many clouds we destroy, more and more snow clouds keep appearing, and the storms just keep getting worse for us to handle."
"Hey, Speedy, I'm the commander here! Stand down or I'll demote you down to Private!" Sora sighed and remained quiet, leering at his "commanding officer". "Besides, I'll bet its the unicorns and their freaky magic causing this stupid blizzard!"
"How dare you!" Rarity shouted. "We have nothing to do with this at all! You think we enjoy freezing ourselves to make you all miserable!?"
"Granted, some of the more powerful mages, such as myself, know some blizzard spells, but they are only used in retaliation to the threats on our kingdom," Kairi explained. "My own magic isn't enough to cause a blizzard of this magnitude. Just directly at my opponents."
"Oh great," Pinkie groaned, slamming her head on the table. "If you non-earth ponies have no clue what's going on, then I'm out of ideas."
"Big surprise. An earth pony with no ideas, just about as useless as a unicorn in combat!" Rainbow's words began sparking another argument as the leaders bickered again.
Sora, Kairi, and Luna, all three of them shaking their heads simultaneously, left their "calm and collected" leaders to their argument as they headed into a quieter room. "Urgh...I am so sick and tired of taking orders from Commander Blowhard. Every time he speaks, he makes so many more issues."
"Be glad your leader is not so blindsided with...wild antics," Luna said.
"Please. Princess Platinum is a spoiled brat," Kairi said. "She barely even helps the rest of us unicorns raise the sun and moon. And she's very demanding, in an annoying way."
The three champions laughed, surprised to know that they each hated their leaders. They soon grew silent, unsure of what to say, knowing they all should hate each other because of the different races they were.
"...Uhh, so...Name's Speedy Missile," Sora introduced. "First lieutenant of the pegasus army and, unfortunately, Commander Hurricane's second in command. Or I should say not in command, since he makes all the decisions."
"Lunar Eclipse, strongest earth pony of the tribe, and head of the defenses for our village," Luna introduced as well. "Though don't let the giant sword on my back make you think I am a barbarian. I'm a good strategist when on the battlefield, not a simpleton like Puddinghead."
"I'm Aurora, the unicorn's strongest mage, only second to Star Swirl the Bearded," Kairi said as she introduced her character. "I was able to master the strongest of elemental spells we knew at the age of ten, and appointed as one of her highness's personal magicians...Unfortunately, I'm more of a servant to her than a guardian."
"...Wow. Seriously?" Sora asked the pink unicorn. "Hey, why don't you show me one of those spells? Try it out on me?"
"Y-You actually want me to strike you with a spell!?" Kairi blanched, even shocking Luna.
"Just use a spell that's got some lightning in it. Pegasi are pretty resilient to getting shocked from lightning clouds. Fire away!" The pegasus warrior stood still, awaiting the spell.
Taking his word, Kairi charged her horn up to cast one of her magical spells on the stallion. She fired a powerful lightning bolt that shot out from above him, shocking Sora and making his skeleton show through the flashes of light from the magical attack. As soon as it stopped, his spiky hair stood up more, body lightly scorched, his limbs twitched as small electric shocks coursed through his muscles.
"Goodness, Speedy Missile. You still stand?" Luna asked.
"Did I overdo it?" the unicorn asked as she feared her spell was too powerful.
"...Whoa," Sora finally said after some silence. "That was powerful alright." With his muscles finally stopped spasming, he shook himself to get some feeling back in his limbs. "Far more powerful than a bolt from a cloud."
"...You're a strange stallion, Speedy Missile," Kairi uttered.
"You can just call me Speed, Miss Aurora." The mage was quite surprised by the stallion's behavior, unlike the rough pegasi she's always been told about in her youth.
Their friendly chat ended abruptly as Rainbow Dash slammed the door open. "Lieutenant! What are you doing fraternizing with the enemies!?...And why are you burnt!?" Before Sora could explain what happened, the commander smacked him upside the head. "We're heading back to the base. And you're going to be on cleaning detail for trying to flirt with a filthy earth pony and a stuck up unicorn!"
Luna and Kairi looked insulted, even Sora as he was forcefully dragged off by his commanding officer. Eventually, the other two leaders called their champions back to them as their meeting had ended with them fighting over who would leave the building first. Their mutual friendship was short lived as the trio of fighters split up with their leaders, heading back to their homes. Little did any of them realize the ghostly equine apparitions floating in the sky, hidden in the thick clouds of the snowstorm.
"For the last time, commander, I was not flirting with those mares," Sora said as he and Rainbow flew across the skies in the blizzard, the pegasi village of clouds seen in the distance. "I was told to keep quiet around you, so I decided to move away from your arguments with the other leaders, and it was a coincidence that the other two wanted to get away from you three."
"And what is that supposed to mean!?" the pegasus actor questioned, flying in front of her lieutenant. "Are you disrespecting my authority!? You're looking at severe punishments for insubordination!"
"No, Commander Hurricane," the stallion sighed.
"Good. But you're still on cleaning duty for speaking out of line." Sora grumbled as they continued flying over the cloud village. They reached the army base, where Fluttershy in the same uniform as Rainbow Dash tried to destroy one of the snow clouds, but failed miserably. "Private Pansy!"
The pegasus yelped, actually kicking the cloud hard enough to destroy it and fell to the cloud ground beneath her, quickly standing up and saluting. "C-Commander Hurricane, sir! H-How did the summit go?"
"Our great leader just instigated a fight with the other two tribes, and insulted them." Rainbow leered at Sora, the stallion not batting an eye. "Well, you all assumed each other tribe is the cause of this blizzard, and you just pointed hooves at them instead of figuring out what to do."
"They disrespected us pegasi! They have no idea just how powerful we are as mighty warriors!" As soon as the cyan pegasus turned her head away from Sora, the stallion made rude faces behind her back. Fluttershy, as Private Pansy, snickered at the faces he made, making the commander turn back to face her lieutenant, who quickly ceased his mocking. She turned away again, unaware of Sora's tongue sticking out at her. "We won't be associating with those earth ponies and unicorns again! They should know not to cross with us, or else we'll bombard them all with lightning bolts!"
"Yeah. Sure. Great idea, oh mighty leader," Sora sarcastically said. "Instigate a war and take their land. That'll work. Say, how about something more rational? Like making a compromise and finding the cause of this endless storm!?"
"Speedy, your demoted to Private for backlashing." He facehooved, both Sora and Fluttershy groaning on the inside at their terrible leader's stubborn ego.
"You know what, Commander Hot Head, I'm resigning from being a part of your army and your irrational ideals!" Sora grabbed one of the many storm clouds, kicking it hard to drop every ounce of snow inside of it on Rainbow's head. "Pansy, I pray you leave this blowhard and get out of this blizzard before he brings an end to our kind!"
"Mutiny!" Rainbow shouted as she watched the stallion fly off. "Go on and run, coward! If you show yourself here, you shall face a death sentence!" He disappeared in the distance, leaving the two mares alone. "Forget him. We don't need that traitor."
"But, commander, Speedy Missile is our strongest soldier. What will we do without him if we're ever in danger from...wild beasts?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'll deal with them!" Rainbow exclaimed, pulling out her sword and thrusting it in the air. "Until then, we're going to find a new place to call home, away from this freak storm and those land-dwelling ponies!"
Walking toward a royal castle in the distance, Rarity and Kairi trudged through the storm, the unicorn mage creating a barrier around them to try to protect them from the icy chill of the blizzard. They walked inside the warm halls and headed through the corridor's to the princess's chambers. Inside, going through a few books was Twilight, wearing a brown cloak.
"Clover the Clever!" Rarity called out. "I need you immediately!"
"You're welcome, your highness," Kairi muttered, not thanked for escorting her ruler back home safe and sound.
"What happened, Princess Platinum?" Twilight asked, playing the role of Clover the Clever, levitating a tub of warm water for the princess to warm her hooves. "Did the other tribes see reason to band together to solve the crisis upon us?"
"The opposite, actually," Kairi answered for the white unicorn. "They ended up fighting with each other, Princess Platinum included, only making the situation worse with no answers to the blizzard's never ending reign."
"I had every right to yell at them!" the princess complained, shoving her hooves into the tub. "They accused us of causing this storm with our magic! We will not be associating with those filthy earth ponies and brutish pegasi...Though, I wonder what you were doing with that pegasus stallion and earth pony mare in that other room. Were you planning on turning your back on us after everything you've done for me?"
"We were just talking and getting away from the real problem in all of this, which just so happens to be you!" Kairi shot a blast of ice at Rarity's hooves, freezing them to the tub of now frozen ice. "I'm just going to come out and say this right now. Princess Platinum, you are the WORST excuse of a ruler in our kingdom! You're nothing but a spoiled brat, having your leadership handed down to you by your father once he stepped down! I protected you and our tribe from dangerous threats, yet a majority of you don't appreciate what I had done to save you all! In fact, you're so lazy to even use your own magic to help aid the others to raise and lower the sun and moon!"
"...And your point is, Aurora?" Kairi screamed in frustration, blasting another shot of magical ice at Rarity's hooves, making her more cold than how freezing it was outside.
"You are so dense! I'm leaving, getting far away from you and your mindless, irresponsible rule!" She turned to Twilight, pressing a hoof to the lavender unicorn's shoulder. "Clover, I know you're a smart mare. Leave Platinum before she causes the downfall of our tribe, and ruins any chances of you becoming a mage like myself. Farewell."
The pink unicorn stomped out of the room, slamming the doors shut with her magic. Twilight sighed, the unicorns having lost a valuable unicorn magician in their tribe.
"Forget Aurora," Rarity said. "She wasn't appreciative of my genius, anyway."
"Princess, Aurora was our strongest magic user," Twilight said. "She actually filled in for ten other unicorns that had gotten ill when we needed to raise the sun a few months ago. Without her, our kingdom will suffer under this blizzard, and any dangerous creatures that thrive in the tundra we seem to be permanently stuck in."
"Which is why we are going to move elsewhere, somewhere far away from those dirty earth ponies and warmongering pegasi. And if Aurora shows herself in our new kingdom, then she shall be thrown in the dungeons for life!" Rarity tried to pull a forehoof up, but her hooves were still frozen stuck in the tub. "...Umm, Clover? A little assistance? I can't feel my hooves."
"Yes, your highness," Twilight sighed, focusing on a spell to free her princess from the block of ice, wishing she had the guts to leave just like the pink unicorn had.
Inside one of the tall huts in the earth pony village, Applejack waited impatiently, wearing a brown tunic and hat. Her ears perked up when she heard something walking on the roof, then something sliding down the chimney. Plopping down onto the fireplace was Pinkie, covered from head to hoof in soot.
"Chancellor!? What in the hay were ya doin' enterin' through the chimney!?" the orange mare asked.
"Please, Smart Cookie. I'm the chancellor. If I can think outside the box,-" Pinkie poked her head up the chimney stack, ignoring more soot coating her body. "-I can also think inside the chimney."
"...Uh huh," Applejack droned, playing the part of Smart Cookie. She looked over at the front door, expecting someone else to come in with the pink mare. "And where's Lunar Eclipse? Wasn't she with ya?"
"Yeah, but she left," Pinkie said, exiting the fireplace as she shook the soot off her. "She said she had enough of my lack of planning, being lazy, and totally irresponsible as a leader. So she just walked out on the tribe, saying something about you doing the right thing and leave too."
"What!? Lunar left!? What about what happens when monsters begin attackin' the village!?" Applejack questioned.
"Never fear, Smart Cookie, for I got an idea. An idea so smart my head would explode into cupcakes if I even began to know what I was talking about." The orange mare groaned, unsure if whatever plan the chancellor had would actually be a good idea. "We're gonna move away from the rest of those non-earth pony jerks! We have all the food, and we'll find a better land to grow new food, and none of them will ever have any."
"So, negotiating with the pegasi and unicorns to find out what's goin' on with the weather was completely ignored?" Pinkie ignored Applejack as she skipped over to the door. She opened it, only to have a small avalanche fall down on top of her as it had blocked the doorway with a large pile of snow. "And that answers mah question since y'all ignored me...No wonder Lunar left..."
As the next couple days passed, the three ponies that escaped from their homes to discover a new land away from their incompetent leaders. They admitted it was selfish of them to leave the rest of their tribes behind, some of them not deserving to suffer under the terrible blizzard, but if they were to blindly follow the ones in charge, then there was no way to change their minds. They had soon discovered a peaceful land, far from the harsh winter winds of the deadly snowstorm that threatened to end their tribes' lives.
Sora floated around, relishing in the warmth the sun gave as he looked over the land on a fluffy cloud, which was just as warm as the rays of the sun. "Oh yeah. This is nice. No wild clouds filled with snow. Perfect temperature to bathe in the sunshine. And best of all, no taking orders from someone crazy enough to start a war over everything."
As he rested on a cloud, Kairi wandered into the land through the mountains, glad to be far away from the snow as she observed the scenery. "This is beautiful." She noticed some hidden gems from within one of the cliffs, levitating the sparkling gems up to her. "No more harsh winds. A bountiful amount of gems in the mountain region, many of them holding some powerful magical properties. Please tell me this isn't a dream."
Down below the mountain Kairi stood on, Luna looked around the grassy plains, scooping up some of the fertile soil around her. "This place is amazing. Warm sun, clouds free of snow, and the perfect land to grow bountiful crops. And with the seeds I've managed to save from the cold, I'll be able to grow food within the next few months."
"This is the perfect place for me to live!" all three said at once.
They were surprised as they heard others nearby, all three of them looking around and spotting their supposed enemies not too far away from each other. Sora flew down to the ground while Kairi leapt down the cliff, the three warriors meeting together, staring each other in awkward silence. None of them had any idea what to say, or if they should try to fight for land they had found.
"...So...I'm guessing you two had done the same thing I did?" Sora asked, finally speaking up after what felt like an eternity of silence. "Leaving our loyalty to our leaders and forcing the rest of our tribes to fend for themselves in the dangerous blizzards?" Both mares nodded, the stallion scratching his head at the irony. "...Huh...This is so weird."
"Yes. Quite the predicament." More silence, the three ponies staring at anything but each other.
"...Well, maybe this is a good thing," Kairi said. "Our tribes had been fighting for a long time. All over food, weather, and bringing the sun up in the sky. We're supposed to help each other, but we always end up bickering with each other because of our differences."
"Yeah," Sora agreed. "I mean, we're all ponies, right? We just have different appendages...or none at all. No offense, Lunar."
"None taken. Though I admit I am jealous I cannot fly or use magic, but without our knowledge on cultivation, none of our tribes would have survived." Sora and Kairi nodded.
"Right. And since all three of us have a few things in common, and we're not like our insane leaders, we can maybe...create a new home? With all three tribes combined together?" Sora and Luna thought about the idea, both of them nodding in agreement.
"That sounds like a good idea," the pegasus said. "Lunar Eclipse can teach us how to grow food, I'll keep the skies cleared for the food to grow and pour rain water on the land, and Aurora can use more of her amazing magic to aid the both of us."
"...Y-You think my magic's amazing?" Kairi asked the stallion, her cheeks tinting a brighter pink than her coat.
"Of course! You won me over with that...'shocking' spell." He winked at her, which made Luna roll her eyes at the pegasus stallion's attempts to flirt with the unicorn mage.
"A pegasus falling for a unicorn? Should I build you two a house for some privacy?" the blue mare asked, both her new friends and former enemies blushing at the teasing remark.
"Hey, we're all friends here! It's not my fault Aurora's beautiful for a unicorn." Sora quickly slammed his hoof against his mouth, pupils shrinking to pin pricks as he let his compliment slip out.
"I think that answers that question," Luna giggled as Kairi's blush deepened. "I say we celebrate our newfound friendship and claim this land as ours. Three pony tribes, united together instead of separate because of race. Any suggestions for a name to this land?"
Before they could think of what to call their new future land, they felt a sudden chill wind brush past them, snow slowly falling around them. The snow clouds came rolling in above them, the winds growing harsher and the air growing colder as the perfect, warm climate became just like their old home.
"Oh come on! Not again!" Sora complained.
"I don't understand. This place was free from the blizzard!" Their ears perked up as they heard what sounded like arguing coming not too far from where they met up. When they looked over to the shouting, their jaws dropped as they found their leaders fighting with each other, again, along with their subordinates. "You've got to be kidding."
"Did they follow us?" Luna asked, shivering as the harsh winds began dropping more in temperature.
"Knowing how dimwitted they are, they thought the same thing we did to get away from the blizzard, and it somehow found us! We have to find shelter, and as much as I hate to say it, we need to help our former bosses." The trio of warriors ran up to the tribe leaders and subordinates, surprising them as they finally stopped yelling at each other.
"So, you did follow me here, Speedy! You have a lot of nerve infiltrating Pegasopolis!" Rainbow shouted, oblivious to the blizzard around them.
"You want to yell at me somewhere where we don't freeze to death!?" The leaders finally agreed on something, seeking shelter to get out of the snowstorm.
The nine ponies quickly flew to one of the nearby caves in the mountain. They were unaware of the spirtual equines floating above them, circling the mountain they hid inside of. Even though the eight mares and stallion were safe inside, the freezing air managed to sneak inside the caverns, each group split up by their tribe. They were all in mortal danger, but the leaders continued to ignore the real threat outside that was slowly creeping in and focused more on their enemies.
"Commander Hothead, can you please get out of my royal space?" Rarity said as she tried to shove the pegasus leader away.
"Oh, I'm in your space, huh, you prissy unicorn!? Private Pansy! Outline Pegasopolis's territory!" Fluttershy meekly stepped forward and began dragging her hoof across their side of the cave slowly. Annoyed by the slow outlining, the commander picked up the private by her waist and dragged her along with her hoof. "This is Pegasopolis soil! No earth ponies or unicorns allowed!" Rainbow dropped the mare to the ground, turning her attention to Sora. "And no traitors!"
"And here we go again," the stallion grumbled.
"Well, we're not letting a pegasus on our territory! Clover the Clever!" Rarity called out.
"Smart Cookie! You too!" Pinkie shouted.
Both the followers still heeding the commands of their unicorn and earth pony leaders began drawing out lines for their territories. Sora, Kairi, and Luna all groaned in annoyance as they watched the unfortunate ponies still following orders from three incompetent leaders that cared more about what they want than the lives of their tribes. They soon began fighting over a rock of all things, their arguing growing worse and the chilling cold somehow getting worse.
"This is absolutely ridiculous," Sora mumbled as he and the other six watched Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity fight. "And why is it getting colder!?"
He got his answer as they all heard ice crackling at the entrance of the cave. It was being frozen over by a wall of ice that trapped them inside. Kairi cast her most powerful fire elemental spell at the ice, but none of it melted, somehow resistant to the burning fireball.
"W-What is happening!? My magic can't destroy it!" she exclaimed, the non leaders beginning to panic.
"Oh great! This is all your faults!" Rainbow shouted.
"My fault!?" Rarity asked. "You two deserve this fate! Not me!"
As the leaders continued yelling at each other, ice began to slowly encase the caverns from the walls, crawling up the leaders as they were still unaware of the dangerous, unexplainable phenomenon. The others backed up into the center of the cavern, Sora and Luna holding out their weapons as they tried to slice through the sheet of ice crawling toward them while Kairi cast fire spells to melt it away. Their efforts were in vain as it kept crawling toward them as they watched their leaders begin to turn to ice.
"Earth ponies are numbskulls!" Rainbow said as the ice finally froze her solid.
"Pegasi are brutes!" Rarity said as the same thing happened to her.
"Unicorns are snobs!" Pinkie said, also frozen into a block of ice.
"Well, at least they finally shut up!" The six ponies huddled close together, unable to escape their fate. They soon heard an eerie, ghostly roar from above them, three spiritual equines floating down and circled over them, making the cavern's temperature drop drastically. "What the hay are those!?"
"Windigos," Twilight muttered.
"What in the world are Windigos?" Applejack asked.
"Spiritual equines made of ice and snow," Kairi spoke up, her eyes focused on the spiritual demons getting closer. "Star Swirl had told me about them. These spirits feed off of the anger and hatred of their prey, bringing a harsh blizzard the worse the hatred becomes." They all looked at each other, now knowing what was the true cause of the blizzard and how the storm followed them when they left their homes. "...Our tribes fighting had caused this..."
"And our fighting has caused nothing but destruction upon our old home, and now this land as well..." The ice began to slowly creep up on them as they were about to become frozen statues just like their leaders. "We will all die because of our hatred toward each other."
"...You know what? I don't hate any of you," Sora said, surprising the mares. "Ever since I was little, I always wondered why our tribes have always stayed separated. We're all ponies, just born differently. I wished that one day, all three tribes can get over their differences and live peacefully, since we all need each other to survive anyway. The only one I hate out of all of us is Commander Hurricane."
"But, he's your commanding officer," Twilight pointed out. "You would rather despise him and risk being imprisoned for insubordination?"
"I'd rather rot in a prison cell than hear another word that comes out of his mouth!" Sora pulled his ears down, emphasizing his disdain toward the cyan pegasus trapped in ice. "I've risen up to the highest ranks very quickly at a young age, and I feel I could be a better commander than he ever would be. In fact, I appointed myself to protect my home from anything that could threaten us pegasi, and all he does is sit around, barking orders and trying to instigate a fight with the other tribes! It's so frustrating!"
"...He's right," Fluttershy said. "I really don't like Commander Hurricane...He's too loud and rude."
"Ya'll think he's loud? Try Chancellor Puddinghead," Applejack said, pointing a hoof at the frozen pink mare. "All of his ideas are so nonsensical that Ah'm the one who has to fix his mistakes!"
"And our food storages are always dwindled for our tribe during the trades because of our 'genius leader'," Luna added. "He eats more food than the rest of us. Combined."
"Princess Platinum is so demanding and obnoxious!" Twilight let out. "I have been doing all of her bidding for so long, all while under Star Swirl's tutelage to learn more about magic, and she's been holding me back and treating me like a servant, not a mage!"
"And not once has she ever been thankful for anything the unicorns do for her," Kairi said, putting in her two bits. "She thinks she rules everything because of her father's lineage, and she's done absolutely nothing productive to help our tribe. Just whining and complaining."
The six ponies, oblivious to how close the windigos were getting, all stared at each other. They all hated their leaders and realized the root cause to all of their suffering. They all grinned and began to laugh at the irony, three tribes who were supposed to hate each other, but there was no need to when they all had similar issues in their homes while also relying on the other tribes to survive. They huddled close together in a group hug as the ice slowly began to crawl up their bodies.
"Well, if this is how we're going down, then I'll go down saying I'm glad to have gotten to know you all," Sora said. "Better to freeze happily with friends than alone and bitter."
The rest of the mares nodded in agreement, all of them willing to die in the embrace of their new friends from rivaling tribes. "Speed?" The stallion looked over at the pink unicorn held under his left foreleg, noticing the blush on her face. "...If this is going to be the end...Then...I want to ask you one thing before it's too late."
"...Uhh, sure, Aurora." Kairi's blush deepened as the others around them watched, Luna's lips turning into a smirk, knowing what the pink unicorn mage wanted.
"...I've...never really met a stallion like you who's actually appreciated my magical talents, and didn't treat me harshly like the rest of your tribe because I'm a unicorn." Sora chuckled as he grinned, hearing what the mare had to say about him. "And...because of my studies and protecting my tribe, I've never had a chance to...relax. Find romance...So...when we freeze...will you kiss me?"
While the other mares' jaws dropped, excluding Luna, Sora's cheeks turned bright red, his wings flaring out in surprise. "...U-Uhh...K-Kiss?" Kairi nodded as the others giggled at the stallion's bashfulness. "W-Well...Since we're gonna freeze...Oh, what the hay? You only live once."
The pegasus stallion and pink unicorn mare moved their heads closer, their lips pressing together in a gentle kiss. Their eyes were closed, ignorant of the other mares watching them and the ice slowly covering them all. They were all soon frozen by the windigos deadly magic, forever locking the newfound lovers in their kiss. The spirits of ice seemed to have succeeded, only for their grins to disappear when they saw the two unicorn mages' horns begin glowing, a powerful blast of white and lavender fire shooting out from them, melting the ice covering them.
The magical flames burned the windigos, screeching in pain as their power had failed and sent them fleeing from the sudden fire. Twilight's and Kairi's horns stopped glowing as the flames began to form together, shaping into a purple and white heart, melting the ice around them, freeing them from the ice wall that trapped them in the cave, and quickly warmed them all up. The two unicorns stood up after having this unexpected magic come out from them, all six friends looking up at the heart of fire.
"What kind of magic was that?" Luna asked.
"I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before," Twilight pondered. "...But I think I know that it wasn't just me, or Aurora. It was all of us, joined together in love and friendship."
"Well, I definitely felt love in that," Sora said, wrapping a wing around Kairi. "I guess our dying wish has turned into a blessing for the two of us. Right, Aurora?"
"...Yeah. I think so." She suddenly grabbed the stallion's cheeks, turning his head to face her. "Pucker up, you 'brutish' stud."
Kairi mashed her lips against Sora's, the stallion flailing in surprise from the sudden kiss. Eventually, he relaxed and kissed her back, pulling her closer and deepening their kiss. The white flames on the heart had increased in temperature, further warming them all up and unleashing warmth outside of the cave. They began powering the heart as they spent time getting to know each other more, telling jokes, singing songs, enjoying each other's company. Eventually, the fire of friendship and love melted the leaders from their icy imprisonment and all the snow outside. Not only were they rescued, but the coldness in their hearts against the other tribes had melted, changing their perspectives toward the other leaders. After making amends, the nine ponies walked outside, seeing the calm and peaceful land they all had found free of snow and frost, the magical fire of friendship saving them from their fate.
"And so, the fire of the six ponies' friendship and the love shared between Speedy Missile and Aurora melted the land of the windigos icy blizzard and freed their leaders from their frozen fate!" Spike narrated as the main cast stood together as they set up Equestria's national flag on the fake patch of land on the stage. "With the pony leaders now united together, agreeing to share this beautiful land and live in harmony, they named this land-"
"Equestria!" the main actors exclaimed, the audience cheering as the pageant has come to an end.
The ponies and dragon all took a bow as the crowd applauded their spectacular performance. Music began to play around the theater as one of the Hearth's Warming songs would always be sung after the end the play every year.
(All)
The fire of friendship live in our hearts
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart
Though quarrels arrive, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through (will see us through)
We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end
With the play now over, everyone began to get out of their costumes backstage. Sora had decided to get some fresh air outside of the theater, letting the icy chill of the cold cool him down from the warmth of the building.
"That was kind of fun, playing a part in the Hearth's Warming pageant. Though I highly doubt the characters Luna, Kairi, and I played were actually part of that historical event." The teen tapped a hoof to his chin as he looked up at the night sky, clouds gently sprinkling snow beneath them. "But...those windigos in the story...Do they really exist?"
He soon heard an eerie whinny come from above the clouds. Looking up, he gasped as he saw the ghostly equine spirits from the story floating around, his ears twitching to the sound of arguing from the window in the the theater's backstage. They were getting closer, bringing the temperature down further as they got closer to the bickering. Sora quickly summoned his Keyblade, flew up at them and cast several Firaga spells, the flames around him making the windigos flinch and fly away from the otherworldly magical flames that threatened to burn them.
The spirits fled, staying far away from Canterlot and disappearing in the distance. "Well, I guess anything known as legends in this world aren't really legends after all. Good thing fire magic outside of this world also scared them off like the Hearth's Warming flame."
After scaring off the windigos, Sora flew back down to meet up with the others to spend the rest of Hearth's Warming Eve with his friends. Even though he had a depressing few days, he was back in the holiday spirit, enjoying playing a role of a character for a show and even explaining to the Cutie Mark Crusaders about Christmas. If Santa doesn't really come around for the holiday, he wanted to at least spread some of the Christmas spirit to Ponyville at least. And he couldn't wait for Christmas Eve to come around with what he had planned.
Stats
Page generated in 0.035 seconds
Total duration
901 users online
1,133,729 hits today, 2,314,256 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
a mlp chirstmas chapter oh itersing plus didyou see this yet?
7290367
Thank you.
7291211 Riku will appear soon...but not yet. And what he will be?...I don't know.
You'll have to find out when he does show up. 
7291332 Riku's appearing soon huh?
Hmmm...if its this part of the mlp story then...maybe Riku will be a changeling! That would be cool!
Sora said YOLO lol
and they all friendshipped really hard
I gotta look up Windigo in another story. I totally forgot about what they do. Not a bad chapter
Oh HELL YEAH!!! Sora pwning the wendigos is DEFINITELY my favorite part of this chapter.
I love this story!!!!!
8245606
well sora and kairi were originally friend shipped and i do not regret the joke
nightmare before Christmas reference.
Well Twilight made the mistake of saying anypony not anyone. And yen sid isn't a pony.