Chapter 1
A gentle, blanketing snow had finally begun to fall on Ponyville. The weather ponies had been hard at work preparing for the change in seasons, and the sheets of soft white frost spilling over the indomitable hills of Equestria were a testament to their efforts. Everypony was playing in the snow, practically splashing in the foamy, white mounds that turned to slush under one’s hoof. The little colts and fillies didn’t have to go to school and happily helped put up the Hearth’s Warming decorations around town.
“Ugh, already? We still have a week until the day,” Matt said, sneering at the decorations. His girlfriend, Applejack, turned towards him and rolled her eyes playfully.
“Oh, hush! I know it can be overwhelmin’ but you gotta admit, it’s nice seein’ everypony have such fun.” She looked around at the ponies putting decorations up, and her eyes trailed to the falling snowflakes. She smiled at the peacefulness of it all, then continued.
“It’s to remind us that Jesus Hooves gave his life to bring us peace, love and...well, y’know,” she said, turning back to him. “Everything Equestria stands for when ya think about it.”
Matt found a smile, grateful to have such an optimistic pony to be with, in spite of her blind dedication to some archaic myth. Even though he was always a bit sour during the holidays back home on Earth, he felt differently here.
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he been transported here. When he had entered, Twilight pleaded for his permission to study him, mentioning something about “reality-warping” and “Cronenberg,” but they had never figured out the complete story. He knew there must have been a logical explanation for all this, but the others were mostly content to say that it was just some wacky magic gone wrong.
Whatever it had been, he was happier here. He had friends, a girlfriend whose mind was as beautiful as her body, and freedom to do as he pleased, no longer burdened by unclehood. He was at least 20% cooler. He smirked to himself, chuckling a bit at the thought of the life he left behind. No one appreciated him or the effort he put in. No one ever listened to him there. But here, people listened.
The world he had been dropped into was saccharine, almost utopian. It was a stark contrast from the world he was born in, which was often cruel and unjust. Here, people cared about each other. Here, he never felt belittled or ashamed. Even in these cold months, he still felt warm, for he had finally found a place to call home.
Matt was roused from his moment of reflection by Applejack nudging him with her hoof. “C’mon Sugar-cube, the others are waitin’ on us.” and started to trot down a salted path, but stopped suddenly when she heard a crunch under her hoof and gave a subtle gasp.
Matt stopped and looked over. “Something the matter?” he said with a bit of worry in his voice.
“Naw, nothin’ just… I guess the weather ponies missed one is all,” she said, raising a fractured orange leaf on her hoof.
Autumn leaves were a very rare sight this late into the season, especially given that the ponies were tasked with manually removing every last one from Ponyville. “Well, they do have to do it on such short notice. Is missing one really that big a deal?” Matt asked.
“It really ain’t like them to be missin’ one,” she mentioned. She stared at it for a minute, then sighed. “Welp, you’re pro’lly right. Let’s keep on’a goin’.” Applejack continued on the trail, looking more worried than one would over a simple leaf.
Matt looked at the crumpled up leaf one last time before catching up with her.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Crystal Mountains, far from Ponyville, the dreadful Julius Grinch was watching from the balcony of his evil lair, scheming a terrible plan to end Hearth’s Warming Eve once and for all…
“Look at those ponies, prancing in their slum,” the bitter creature hissed. “Why are they cheery when I am so glum?”
“Wan! Wan!” yipped his little dog companion, chasing its tail with wild, spiraling eyes. Julius Grinch turned to cast his dreadful, mustard yellow glare at the animal, immediately capturing its attention with his hobgoblin leer. He turned slowly back around to stare at the twinkling lights in the distance, continuing his rant.
“Not a single skeleton or pumpkin in sight. It just isn’t respectful! It just isn’t right!” He hit his furry, clenched fist on the railing, a cloud of cheeto dust erupting from his dangerously cheesy carapace. “They feast and make merry and swap bits and bobs: compuzzlers, cumdumplers and fake plastic knobs.”
Dear reader, listen well as the horrific edifice of Julius Grinch is described in detail; a being of such raw hatred and evil power must not be underestimated. Head to toe the vile beast is coated in a layer of mottled purple fur, matted sweaty on his back and his bum where he sat on the couch for hours on end. His fiendishly curled mustache and Cheshire grin strike mortal fear into all those who bear witness to them, and late into the night, his wicked wheezing cackles echoed far and wide, poisoning the dreams of children and the elderly.
Like all creatures born of the void, his ire and hatred stokes an even more dreadful form hidden within him, for when his temper grows short a dastardly assortment of tentacles sprout from his body writhing in anger. Beware his shadow and the telltale pompadour; the unmistakable pointed, onyx black collar that hugs his throat. These are the marks of the beast, and only doom follows them.
“I’ll make them see the error of their ways. Gone are the happy, bright, sunny days. Goodbye gifts and tinsel; goodbye ornaments and trees! Soon, all of Equestria will be brought to its knees…” Julius Grinch trembled with excitement as he mused over his plan, stamping his stubby feet on the ground.
“Wan? Wan?” The inquisitive chirp of his pup brought the scheming villain to reveille, a sudden wry grin spreading across his face and exposing his razor-sharp teeth. “Why I’m glad you asked, my red-rocketed friend. I’d love to show you this dumb holiday’s end.” He picked up the animal by the scruff of the neck, waddling deeper into his lair.
“All this pomp and noise. A pox! And for what?” The Grinch continued to ramble. “So they can keep kissing the white horse’s butt? When my plan succeeds, their high spirits will dive. There’s nothing like fear to make you feel alive!”
From inside the mountain, Julius Grinch and his pet emerged at the summit. Already a wicked black storm swirled around the apex of the cragged peak, rumbling with thunder and ancient magics too obscure and unspeakable to understand. As it grew, it swept away snow and sprouted autumn grass in defiance of all natural laws, the dark clouds swelling and spreading faster and faster.
“This is my opus. Nightmare eternal! A land of monsters and demons infernal!” He held his familiar to the sky, arms outstretched, baptizing the little dog in the winds of magical horrors.
“The skies will darken and fill with bats. The streets will be flowing with blood and rats! The timberwolves will revel in their everlasting hunt.” He turned toward the royal castle, nestling the dog in the crook of his arm to shake his fist at it. “How do you like that, you stupid Sun cu-” He cut himself off, and sighed
As the nights dragged on, Julius Grinch would only grow in power, the storm proportionally increasing in size and magnitude. “To start off the fun, I’ll pull my first trick. I’ll go into town and smash those pony hicks!” He hawed and wheezed into the sky, believing that nopony and nothing would be able to stop him.
Matt and Applejack made their way back to the heart of Ponyville, where the others were waiting to continue running through the list of preparations left for Hearth’s Warming. Changing the seasons had been completed long ago, the various creatures of the lands surrounding Ponyville had been put to hibernation, and as the weatherponies scheduled out snowfall weeks ahead, the residents of Ponyville took up the Hearth’s Warming spirit more and more.
In town, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were directing the decoration of Ponyville’s more important landmarks. In front of the Town Hall, Rarity had established a veritable headquarters. Matt and Applejack were making their way to her battlestation, passing Pinkie, who was busy throwing decorations out of boxes and bags almost as fast as they went up on the building in front of them.
“No, no, no!” Rarity shouted at a helpless-looking pegasus. “I told them to put the yellow streamers on Highhoof Street, and the marigold ones on Long Trot! Oh, can’t anypony do anything right in this town?”
The pegasus nodded shakily, taking off at a flutter. Rarity turned back to her work, and saw Matt and Applejack approaching. “Oh, there you two are! I was just wondering how things were going over in the park!” She looked down at a stack of papers laying on a huge map, which she shuffled out of the way.
“Yep! All done there, Rarity,” Applejack said. “We got the bows on all the lightposts, and those canopies for the fair all set up, too, ‘long with ev’rythin’ else up there.”
“Good!” Rarity exclaimed. “We can finally start up the fair. Pinkie!” she shouted.
The pink mare seemed to pop into existence behind Rarity. “I can’t wait for such a big party!!!” she yelled directly into her ear, taking off with a zoom noise and an armful of things. She turned right back around and dumped it all on the table. “Wait, what are we doing for this one, Rarity?”
The white unicorn pushed as much of the debris off her table as she could before digging out some of the papers she had put aside earlier. Handing them to Pinkie, she said, “These are the plans. I already put in orders with Mr. and Mrs. Cake for the food, you just need to tell everypony where to set up.”
Pinkie took off again, shouting how much fun it would be over her shoulder to Rarity. While Matt watched her cute pink butt bounce away, he turned his attention to some trees in a small park near the town.
“Wait…” Matt caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. “Aren’t the raccoons supposed to be holed up somewhere?” He gestured to where he was looking and the two ponies followed his gaze.
“Well, darn, yer right, Matthew!” Applejack said. “Ah know they don’t hibernate or nuthin’ but why in Equestria are there raccoons out in the winter?” The creatures looked quite comfortable playing around in what very little snow was on the ground.
Applejack looked puzzled. “Something just ain’t right. It hasn’t felt right all day.” She turned to look at Matt, and Matt stared back into her beautiful eyes. He nodded in agreement.
Rarity spoke up between them, “No, no! I don’t want anything going wrong,” she shook her head. “Everypony has worked so hard. Especially ME!” Matt’s ex-wife flipped her curls dramatically, continuing, “I don’t want to hear any more talk of this!”
Applejack went over to her and gently set a hoof on her shoulder. “We’re just thinkin’ out loud, sugarcube. I know yer stressed from havin’ to be in Canterlot tomorrow but here at home, I’m sure it’ll all be fine.” She gave her a reassuring smile. Rarity smiled back, and turned her attention to Matt.
“Speaking of. I hope I’ll see both of you in Canterlot for the play! I’m just riddled with excitement!”
Matt grinned. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Rarity. We’ll be there. But for now,” He brought them both in for a hug, “Let’s focus on the fun at home!”
Everything had been going smoothly, just as Rarity had planned. All of Ponyville was covered in Hearth’s Warming decorations, and it was time for the Hearth’s Warming fair she had been planning for a month.
At the Ponyville station, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Matt stood waiting for Rarity’s ride on the Friendship Express. About a third of the already small platform was covered in a field of her baggage.
“I’m leaving this in your hooves, Pinkie Pie!” Rarity said, a chauffeur dragging yet more piles of luggage and bags, all full of Rarity’s personal belongings. “I must leave for Canterlot immediately! I must direct the royal Hearth’s Warming Eve Pageant at the request of Princess Celestia herself! I fear with how late I’m leaving already there may not be time, so make sure there are no mistakes whatsoever.”
She turned to Twilight and whispered, “You know you’re really in charge, right? I wouldn’t trust Pinkie to not to turn this into an all-out rave while I’m gone.”
Twilight nodded. “Of course, Rarity,” she whispered back with much less poise. She glanced over her shoulder at Pinkie Pie, who was busy bouncing up and down and trying to identify everywhere luggage stickers on ponies’ luggage were from on a comically large and unwieldy map.
“Ah can keep a handle on anythin’ she tries to take too far,” Applejack chimed in. “Not that hard ta do, ‘specially ‘cause we already know each other very well.” She laughed to herself.
Everypony look up at the sound of the Friendship Express pulling into the station. The chauffeur visibly paled through his coat and struggled even harder to get bags onto the platform. As soon as it pulled into the station, he hurried to throw as many as he could into the car Rarity had reserved solely for her mass amounts of baggage.
As the flurry of luggage began shifting from the platform to the train, Rarity turned to her three ex-girlfriends and ex-husband. “I truly am sorry to take leave for such an important, dare I say intimate holiday, but duty calls. Any request from Canterlot’s royalty is a serious task, even if from those dreadful elites that take themselves as high and mighty as the princesses themselves.”
There was a shout as the chauffeur crashed into a couple boarding the train. His vision was obscured by the tower of bags he was carrying, and he brushed it off without so much as a glance at the flattened ponies.
Rarity trotted to her own dedicated car, seperate from her bags. As the platform finally began clearing up, Rarity got in and leaned delicately out of the window of the luxury suite she had reserved for herself. She called out to her three ex-girlfriends and her ex-husband, “I will miss you, but I’ll be back as soon as you can say je vous aime tous, j'aimerais pouvoir être avec vous pour toujours!”
As the Friendship Express began pulling away from the station with the last bag loaded, Rarity waved her fancy hoof-kerchief and let out kisses. “Mwah, muah, muah!”
Pinkie waved her own, calling out for Rarity to write home every week. She had somehow found an old 1940s housewife’s outfit for herself.
Later that evening, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were busy working out the final details of the light show that would kick off the Hearth’s Warming fair that night. A pegasus performance would be accompanied by both magical and practical effects from a team of unicorns on the ground, all held over the large fairground that everypony would gather in to watch.
They were just finishing practice of the final rehearsal before the big event as Matt watched. Bic Mac had come by that morning to get Applejack, and they had to go back to Sweet Apple Acres to help move the rest of the apple cider and assorted apple baked goods that the family, mostly Granny Smith, had prepared for the fair.
Just as Rainbow Dash flapped down from the air to Twilight, who was discussing the rehearsal with her unicorn team, Fluttershy appeared from down the road and trotted past Matt , greeting him quietly on her way past him. She stood awkwardly behind Twilight.
“Alright!” Rainbow Dash shouted from the air as she dropped in almost right on top of Fluttershy, not even noticing she was there. She caught a breath and leaned heavily on Twilight. “That went super well, don’tcha think, Twilight? I think that was even better than last time!”
“Yeah,” Twilight replied. She leaned into the rainbow-maned mare and smiled. “This is going to perfectly.” She left Rainbow Dash’s side to address her unicorns, as well as the pegasi that had gathered around.
“Okay, everypony! We’ll be ready to go in twenty minutes, so take a rest and get ready for tonight! Rainbow Dash will meet the pegasi over the hill like normal and meet the unicorn to get your suits completely ready with them. Good luck!” Everypony disbanded, headed in the direction of nearby buildings and tents before they had to perform again.
Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash and caught sight of Fluttershy, who was apparently caught staring as she turned red. “Oh, hi, Fluttershy! I didn’t notice you come over. You should have said something!”
Fluttershy squeaked meekly, nodding and glancing between the blue and purple mares who had turned their attention on her.
“Oh, um…” She trailed off before catching herself. “Oh, Twilight, you wanted to know about the raccoons, right? Is this a good time for it? Because I can come back, if you want…”
“No, of course it’s not a bad time!” Twilight exclaimed. “Tell me all about them! What did you find out about the forest? Did Zecora say anything about the Everfree? What’s going on?”
The yellow doormat looked almost run over at the barrage of questions. She took a breath and a moment to compose herself, then started her report. “The raccoon families are all confused about whether to come out or stay inside. They said it’s too warm to stay inside anymore, even though it’s only been a few weeks. The bears and groundhogs said the same thing.
“In the Everfree, Zecora said that everything’s going crazy. Plants that would normally die off or thrive in the winter aren’t doing that anymore.”
Twilight nodded, her expression changing to that cute one she had whenever she was thinking particularly hard.
Fluttershy glanced away to see Rainbow Dash smile, then continued “Everything’s growing out of control, actually. According to Zecora, ‘I do not know why these plants grow. If things have not turned, I will be even more concerned.’”
Rainbow Dash took off with a flap that barely missed Fluttershy, and shouted down, “Well, while you two figure that out, I’m gonna go gather up the pegasi for later!” She started towards the nearest group of pegasi, shouting to get ready.
Fluttershy gathered herself again and continued. “Zecora’s also seen timberwolves everywhere, wandering near her hut, even though she said she’s put something up to keep them out. She said it was almost too dangerous to come meet me today because of everything out in the Everfree now!”
Twilight’s expression became more concerned. “Thank you, Fluttershy,” she muttered after a moment. She looked up and into her eyes, seeming to snap out of her thoughts. “Well, whatever is happening, I’m sure It’ll clear up in a couple days.” She smiled and said, “I probably just missed some stars aligning in my cosmic calendar or something,” as she leaned in and kissed Fluttershy, who turned as pink as her mane.
Twilight smiled and turned to Matt, and was about to say something before somepony shouted from down the road. “Heya, Twilight! We’re all done down at the orchard!”
Applejack trotted closer to the group and came to Matt’s side, breathing hard. “We almost didn’t have ‘nuff apples for tonight, ‘cause so many were turnin’a mush down there. They were droppin’ like flies out there! Doesn’t make no sense.”
“That’s just fine, thank you so much for your family’s help with this, Applejack!” Twilight replied. “It just wouldn’t be a Ponyville celebration without it.” Even as she said it, a concerned look crossed her face.
Rainbow Dash dropped out of the sky nearly on top of everypony. Twilight was surprised to see her back, but before she could ask, Rainbow said, “Hey, Twilight, the unicorn down there said that it’s gonna be way too bright out for this show to work. Did you get the time wrong or something?”
Twilight grew even more concerned. “Things have seemed a little off recently, haven’t they?” she asked. Everypony nodded agreement.
“Yeah, ain’t it feeling a lot warmer’n normal?” Applejack said. “It’s been kinda weird fer days now.”
Matt chimed in. “Yeah, we found a leaf yesterday. Straight out of autumn, it was orange and still crunchy.” Everypony looked at him, which made him feel a little embarrassed he had said anything at all.
“Me too!” Pinkie Pie shouted behind everypony, even though they were in a circle. “There’s been party emergencies everywhere in Ponyville!”
After everypony recovered from the mild shock of Pinkie’s sudden appearance, Rainbow Dash asked, “What do you mean, Pinkie? What kind of ‘party emergencies’ could there be?”
“All sorts!” Pinkie shouted, leaning into the blue mare. “Parties, gatherings, get-togethers, fiestas, celebrations, plain old parties, pow-wows, ho-downs, you name it! I’ve been dealing with them for days now!”
Everypony looked around. “As much as I’d like to figure this out now, we do still have a show to put on,” Twilight said, turning to Rainbow Dash. “It’s nearly dark now, so we’d better get going!”
The two winged mares backed up from the gathering and took off to where they would meet the performers. Everypony looked at each other.
“Well, let’s go find a good seat ‘fore they’re all gone!” Applejack said to the rest. “Sure to be a good view left if we get there now!”
It was soon dusk. Nearly everypony in Ponyville was waiting for the Hearth’s Warming kick-off to begin as it grew darker and darker. They milled around, watching the skies, the dark treeline of the woods before the Everfree providing a jagged horizon.
Then, there was a great flash in the sky! A bright cloud of smoke billowed out from a fading point of light, and a pointed formation of pegasi burst through, each adorned with a magically glowing suit. The single group split into two, pulling up into the sky parallel to each other as each began releasing a stream of magically lit and colored smoke.
Individuals from both groups began pulling away and heading back down as the others flew higher, until they all reconverged and flew across the crowd below, releasing a fantastic magic lightshow as they made their way over. Music and sounds of magical origin began playing throughout the sky, adding to the experience.
The perfectly straight lines of smoke they left behind were beginning to smear in a gust of wind, while the higher portions were blown away completely. Some magical lighting was dimmed or flickering, and some was outright missing. Winds buffeted the performers, who struggled to keep their place in the air without taking one another out.
Still, the performing ponies continued. They moved through the air gracefully as the crowd below cheered each time they passed low overhead. As the performance continued, more and more magical lights were placed in the sky, where the grand finale would see them combine into the huge majestic form of the Fire of Friendship, representing the triumph of love and harmony over coldness and division.
Nopony really remembered what it meant, despite Twilight’s in-depth research and use of symbolism in the performance. They just thought it was a pretty light show that meant it was the beginning of Hearth’s Warming celebrations!
As more and more magic filled the sky, the smoke wiped away by the mysterious wind instead of how it was magically planned, the performing ponies came up to the center of lights as they became larger and larger in their own pattern. Everypony watched intently, waiting for the best part. Every light came together, all combining into one, each suited pegasus wating to add accent to the display…
A noise took over, covering all others that were provided by the magic in the air. It was screeching, sinister, scratching into everypony’s ears. The lights in the sky created a distorted image of a fractured heart, glowing red instead of the intended pink. The lights fizzled out quickly, and those in the crowd looked around, assuming it was over. No doubt an interesting end, but they didn’t care. It was time to celebrate!
Julius looked out over the town of Ponyville, so close to the Everfree, and so unsuspecting of his plot. He rubbed his little paws together, happy with how smoothly things were going. Nopony suspected a thing, as the darkness spread through the Everfree and leached into the poor little town.
He turned, preparing to fuel the encroaching gloom with his own magic. He released the flow from his body, channeling it into those terrifying woods…
The fair was going well. Nopony was left out or having a bad time, they were festivities that could make even the grumpiest pony smile and make out with each other, which they were doing all night. Matt was having a great time with his girlfriend Applejack and their circle of friends, those who had remained in town that night.
Matt had even encountered famed celebrity Matt Hoofson. He was the most kissable pony Matt knew of, and despite meeting him for the first time in real life, Hoofson having no idea who this guy was except that he was super cool and attractive, let Matt kiss him full on the lips.
Everypony was enjoying themselves…
Except Twilight. She spent her time analyzing every little detail of the fair, from the stalls and booths in the Hearth’s Warming market to the decorations around town to even the townsponies themselves. She was convinced that something was wrong, that there was something external causing problems. Magic can easily go wrong, but when it does, it doesn’t distort or warp in the way it did with the magic show she had so carefully prepared and meticulously triple- and quadruple-checked.
She took measurements with instruments ranging from innocuous to intrusive, scanning every object and space and orifice. She found that the corners away from the lights were unusually dark, and the shadows flickering from everypony were more erratic and distorted then they should have been. Even with gusts and breezes, shadows would jump around more than they would become distended like that.
“Aw, would you calm down, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as the group approached a hot chocolate booth late that night. “You’ve been running all around town, pretty much turning it upside down for what?”
Twilight checked the booth of everything she could as she waited for her drink, from the planks it was made of to the vendor’s license laminated and pinned to the back wall.
“You’re suspicious something’s wrong, tonight? Have fun! Come on, I haven’t even been able to kiss you once…”
Twilight took her hot chocolate and set it on a table, magically retrieving a lab table’s worth of chemistry, including pH strips, a complicated, tubey setup of connected flasks, drip tubes, filters, and condensers, a small sampling of assorted chemicals, and various other liquid-oriented tools that she all set to work rigorously testing the innocent hot chocolate.
She took a two-pronged box with a dial on it that read “Magic Level” on it and stuck it into her cup and took notes, testing the pH of both the whipped cream and the drink itself, then poured a measured amount into the flask setup.
“There’s no harm in making sure everything is going well, right?” Twilight mumbled, focusing on how the drink reacted to one of her various tests.
Everypony sighed, annoyed that Twilight was still on to her obsessive thoroughness. As much as she told them that it was to make absolutely sure her fears were struck down, it seemed more like she wanted this particular fair to go perfectly.
It was still rather busy as everypony took their time having their fun that night, and the neurotic princess stuck out among them as probably the only pony in town not focusing on the festivities and having fun by doing so.
The next day, Twilight was busy analyzing last night’s findings. She had been up most of last night, and wandered out to gather more data from time to time.
Rainbow Dash stood at the looming entrance to Twilight’s castle at the edge of Ponyville. The nearby school was closed for winter, and the castle itself was imposingly graceful enough to not need Hearth’s Warming decorations, save for the lights leading to the entrance and a comparatively tiny wreath on the door.
The blue mare stood at the doors, and knocked hard. “Hey Twilight! I know you’re worried, but come on!” Rainbow Dash shouted into the crystal. “Can’t you do this later or something? I need to talk to you!”
Twilight flew overhead, onto the large balcony above the entrance. She missed Rainbow Dash entirely, who mumbled something to herself about “waiting” and “ten minutes,” and flew up after her.
“Hey, Twilight! Hey,” she said, catching Twilight’s attention as she landed. “I have to-”
“Not right now, Dash,” the purple alicorn said, trotting inside to the room she had converted into a full-sized experimental laboratory. There were huge chambers and machines, gizmos and gadgets everywhere, piles of readouts spilling everywhere from monitoring machines reporting various variables from around Ponyville.
“I’m busy,” Twilight told Rainbow Dash. She dumped a hoofful of gathered material in the least cluttered part of the lab, which happened to be the floor.
“But I need to tell you, Twi, I gotta go.”
The purple mare turned to the blue one. “Go where, Dash? You didn’t need to ask me for permission or anything.”
“No, Twi, I have to leave. Like, actually leave.” Rainbow Dash maneuvered her way over to Twilight through the field of things on the ground. “Cloudsdale’s calling me in to help figure out what’s going on with the weather. Apparently there are a ton of rogue stormclouds dumping rain everywhere, and the winds are going crazy. They really need me over there to help round ‘em up and stuff.”
She nuzzled the other mare. “I really do wish I coulda spent more time with you, Twi, but sorry. I gotta go. It’ll probably be ‘til way after Hearth’s Warming, too.”
Twilight turned to face Rainbow Dash. She sighed, and said, “Oh, Dash, I really wish I did, too. I guess I got too worried this time. I should have listened to you last night.”
As they pulled apart, Twilight asked, “Do you really have to leave now?”
The blue mare sighed. “Yeah, right now. No time at all.” She stole a kiss from Twilight before taking off towards Cloudsdale.
Twilight took herself a little easier as they day went on. She was certainly suspicious, but she let herself spend the quality time everypony else was with her friends. As the day continued, the weather over Ponyville worsened. Wind and rain drove ponies away from the outdoor celebration, unlike the snowfall they were expecting would have done. Many events were cancelled, but ponies persevered and continued indoors.
Matt, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight all gathered in the Castle of Friendship that evening, which was surprisingly warm and dry for being so large and made of crystal. They were waiting out a particularly bad burst of pounding rain. Looking outside, the skies were all grey, extending as far as the horizon allowed, and seemed even darker farther away.
Everypony was gathered in the common area of the castle. The crystal furniture was surprisingly comfortable, but the normal furniture was much more so, and was arranged nicely around a table.
Matt and Applejack sat on a wide seat together, while Twilight and Fluttershy sat on their own, with Pinkie Pie bouncing around the room and generally ignoring her seat despite participating in their conversations just as much as the others. They all had a wonderful time making out with each other.
At some point, Pinkie shot past everypony else, planting a kiss on each one, and bolted through the door, shouting, “FUN EMERGENCY 34.19224, -118.34631 SAN FOAL-SE I’LL SEE YA LATER!!!”
Everypony felt inexplicably uneasy.
The next day, the third and final of the Hearth’s Warming fair, the skies were much more foreboding, clouds so grey as to almost turn the day to night. Despite having no rain nor gusts to speak of, ponies kept inside much more than the day before, as if spooked away from the outdoors. At least, until the evening, when the finale of the celebration came, and that night was spent as the last major social event before the intimate time of Hearth’s Warming.
Fluttershy was called out to the Everfree, because some ponies who ran an animal sanctuary there were dealing with panicking animals, before she had to visit Zecora. They were having a hard time keeping the animals safe from themselves, let alone whatever may have been spooking them, and the conditions in the Everfree were turbulent to say the least; despite Ponyville being eerily calm, the Everfree Forest was brutally pounded by driving rain and wind, seemingly at the edge of an advancing wave of clouds.
Matt, Applejack, and Twilight remained in Ponyville. They spent their time with each other well, in a way that only a special holiday like Hearth’s Warming could: kissing and cuddling in Twilight’s castle, taking breaks to go out and eat.
As what was barely day turned to night, everypony in Ponyville came out to gather for the end of public festivities as they made way for private celebrations. That night would be one final gathering before the winter’s coldest grasp would take hold, until Winter Wrap-Up brushes it away.
It was pitch black outside, without the moon to light the town streets it was up to weak streetlights to illuminate the alleys and deep black corners on the outskirts of Ponyville. Ponies were meeting in the fairgrounds that had hosted them days before, with magically sustained bonfires both keeping ponies warm and leaving no marks on the grass, absent the snow that usually covered the ground.
Matt, Applejack, and Twilight gathered themselves to head to the fairgrounds from a cafe in the heart of town. As they stepped outside and began down the street, Spike rushed at them, shouting for Twilight. He had been keeping himself busy “inspecting” booths, mostly the ones that sold chocolate or treats, to make sure they were running properly. Or something like that, Twilight had honestly forgotten about him.
“Twilight!” The dragon shouted as he got closer, panting from the run. He must have forgotten that he had wings, or maybe he was so panicked he had just ran the entire way there. He had probably forgotten.
“What is is, Spike?” Twilight asked as he leaned over himself to catch his breath.
“In the park, where everypony is, there’s- there were-” He let out a heavy breath. “Oh, Twilight, you gotta hurry, it’s crazy down there! There are tons of timberwolves everywhere! They’re chasing ponies down all over the place!”
“What?” Twilight yelled, taking off at a gallop down the street, dragging the dragon along in her magic. “Spike, what do you mean, timberwolves?”
“They came out of the Everfree! They just showed up! I don’t know why, but they’re here!”
The group bolted down the streets of Ponyville, encountering a wave of fleeing ponies in the opposite direction. Twilight took to the air and flew over the crowd, leaving Matt, Applejack, and Spike to catch up.
As they raced up the path to the fairgrounds, what they saw was chaos. Shredded tents were collapsed near the buildings they were erected by, and a dozen timberwolves prowled the field, searching for anypony to hunt before they would enter the Ponyville streets. Twilight hovered above them, gathering strength of magic and channeling it through the enchanted bonfires.
She drove a stream of fire at a group of timberwolves, the magical flames sticking to their bark and spreading through their shells, completely destroying them. More timberwolves moved in from another direction, leaping up into the air to snap at Twilight, while the shapes of other creatures approached from the distant darkness of the Everfree.
Matt and Applejack had no idea what to do. They could only watch as Twilight tried to manage the timberwolves. They found their way inside to avoid being seen.
More and more creatures appeared from the forest. They were not as dangerous as timberwolves, but were threatening all the same.
Many of the Everfree threats retreated. Only those vicious enough to lock on to Twilight’s defence remained as they were eliminated one by one.
Matt, Applejack, and Spike rushed out to meet the exhausted alicorn defender.
“Twilight, that was amazing!” Matt exclaimed, embracing her. He held her for as long as she let him.
“Yeah, of course,” Twilight said. “How could something like this happen? What made them do it?”
“Ah dunno, Twilight, but that was mighty impressive,” Applejack said. “How long’ve they been goin’ crazy, those timberwolves? I remember Fluttershy sayin’...” She trailed off.
Matt snapped to attention, as Twilight gasped.
“Fluttershy!”
The group of ponies, plus Spike, raced into the Everfree, desperate to see their dear friend safe. The forest was almost impenetrably dark, even with the strong magic light Twilight conjured to guide them.
As they neared their destination, they saw a path of toppled trees cut across the path, moving alongside it as it neared Zecora’s residence. Before long, the ponies encountered their yellow friend, under the paws of a feral Ursa Minor.
Twilight stopped the group as she again took the role of powerful defence, this time for her closest friend. It had been years since she had encountered it, but she had grown older, even smarter, and had conveniently turned into a nearly all-powerful alicorn, with some practice.
The purple mare pushed as much magical energy through her horn as she could muster, concentrating on incapacitating the beast. A magical force took hold of the Ursa Minor for just a few moments as Fluttershy was yoinked from beneath the beast.
With the trembling pegasus in their safety, the group took off back down the way they came, hoping to make it back to Ponyville before anything else could happen.
As they returned to the fairgrounds, at the edge of the Everfree Forest, a creature appeared before them, magically imposing the image in front of the ponies.
“Hello there, you pathetic heroes,” he said, his voice tinny and distant through the projection. “Before you even ask, yes, I’m causing your woes.”
Everypony had stopped in their tracks, ramming into each other at full speed in their single-file line. They nearly toppled over each other, but caught themselves just in time.
“What do you mean, you’re causing it?” Twilight demanded. “Caused what, the timberwolves?”
“Why yes, you ugly horse. And you have yet to see worse! I know you hold the Elements of Harmony, but that is no obstacle for my plot. You’re too weak to stop me, all of you sots!” The purple ball of fur that reached roughly to Twilights shoulder moved around in front of them, shifting closer.
“I’ll tell you right now, my dear, sweet princess. I’ll tell you how, with fear, I’ll make ponies helpless! I will turn Equestria to autumn, and bring Nightmare Night to them!”
He spun, cackling with glee. Smiling and laughing, he turned back to the ponies. “A paradise of horror, that is for sure! The world I have loved, now to be lived! Filled to the brim, monstrous and grim…”
Looking her in the eye, he spoke directly to Twilight. “You will never end your festivities and Hearth’s Warming, so consider this your only warning: It is impossible to stop me, so don’t even try, please. I, Julius Grinch, will succeed in this pinch!”
With that, his image faded out, leaving Twilight, Applejack, Matt, and Spike with a heavy and clear impression. They needed to stop Julius.
Julius started towards an archway from his all-seeing overlook, from where he had watched the panic in Ponyville, taking in the terror, the fear on everypony’s face, the grief and sorrow of loss and destruction, the mourning of the citizens as a dark shadow fell over the land. Emanating from the crystal beacon was a blackness that carried the feel of dread and nightmare, an ancient phobia that all those affected embraced.
“See now the strength of my hand, the power I hold over this meek pony land. How they embrace the autumn, and the allure of the fearsome! They shall bow to my whim, and to horror succumb. They shall all fall grim, and-”
The soft-furred, pudgy creature toppled over. “Oh crumbs!”
Picking himself off the floor, Julius looked and saw the dog he had tripped over. “I swear, almost every day, haven’t you learned to move out of the way?” The zany little creature spun to the door. Juilus opened it and went inside from his balcony.
Inside was rather cozy. It was dimly lit and spooky, sure, but that was just an aesthetic. There was a spooky mask on the wall, and a funny little hat on the table. Flopping onto the couch, across from a television playing an old VHS he had been watching, the purple creature sighed and smiled to himself. “I know I’ll succeed, but there’s just one thing I need.”
Almost as if it knew what he meant, the pressure of a voice weighed in Julius’ mind. “You know, it’s kinda silly that you rhyme everything like that.”
“It’s a force of habit!” Julius exclaimed.
“Well, not kinda. It is silly you do that. It seems like you just want to be imposing or fancy or something.”
“It’s fun, and I’d rather have it.”
“Uh huh. Sure.”
Julius sat up. “I need something from you. Something only you can do.”
The voice gave a soft, almost uneasy laugh. “What you did earlier, it was a little extreme, mister.”
Julius stood, and looked at the huge mirror spanning one wall. “You live in the depths of my mind. This is something only you can find.”
Ding Dong’s white, cartoonishly proportioned body rested on the couch in the reflection. He was playing Mega Man X. Keeping his eyes on the screen, he replied, “So you do wanna do it? Like I told you before, it’s pretty dangerous. I’m not sure I could do it exactly the way you want. I’m not sure you’d even be the same afterwards.”
“By any means possible, even if I become vile. I must fulfill my purpose, even if you put up a fuss.”
“Hey, that was close!” Ding Dong said, pausing his game and getting up. “Those didn’t rhyme very well. I think you should work on that.”
The white creature stepped through the door in the reflection, saying, “Okay, okay, I’ll do it.” He paused in the doorframe, looking back to Julius. “Whatever makes you happy, I’ll do it.”
Plopping back on the couch, the purple, gerbil-like creature made himself at home.
“Hearth’s Warming day will see the end,” he muttered to himself. “This will be worth it then.”
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