Home Alone

The landscape was covered in a thick layer of snow, and everything was so still and quiet that you could hear the sound of your own breath. The trees, once full of leaves, were now bare and covered in frost, making them look like they were made of crystal. The branches were weighed down by the snow, creating a stunning contrast of white against the dark bark. The snowflakes were falling gently from the sky, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The sun reflected off the snow, making everything look like it was covered in diamonds. The morning star then began to set, and soon the sky turned into a shade of pink and purple, making the scenery look even more magical.

All over Equestria, everyone was getting ready for Winter Wishday. It was a holiday universally celebrated all over the land, and despite the many different traditions among the three tribes, they all had one thing in common. And that was to spread the message of love and spend time with the ponies one cares about the most. In Zepher Heights, the residents and other travelers were attending the Royal Carousel building as a concert was happening. The stars of the concert were none other than Princess Zipp and Pipp, as the siblings performed alongside the Royal Chamber Choir.

The fire is glowing
Friendship is flowing
It's the feeling of knowing
It will soon be Wishentine

Hooves on the rooftop
The ringing of the bells
Lights shining bright
On the carousel

Joyous, joyous Wishentine
Joyous, joyous Wishentine
The twinkling Wishing Star that shines
At joyous, joyous Wishentine

The crowd of ponies enjoyed themselves as the royal siblings' performance was stellar. From one of the VIP boxes, Sunny, Izzy, and Hitch, along with Sparky, were watching their friends' performances.

"I love this holiday! I can't believe it's already here!" said Sunny with an excited smile.

"Well, you know what they say. Time flies when you're having fondue," stated Izzy as she had a fondue in front of her and was using her magic to levitate some food and dip it into the dish. "Mmm."

"Izzy, it's fun," said Hitch as Sparky dipped a cookie into the fondue and took a bite.

"It is fun. You can dip anything in cheese," stated the unicorn as she dipped another cookie into the cheese before taking a bit of it, which Sunny and Hitch gave disgusted looks. "Broccoli, bread, my Sheriff badge."

"Hey, wait a minute, that's my Sheriff badge, Izzy!" said Hitch as he saw the unicorn dump his medal into the fondue.

"Ohh," groaned Izzy as she used her magic to fish out Hitch's badge.

The shining object was covered in sticky cheese as she held it before Hitch. He grabbed the badge and attempted to clean it off, which Sunny and Sparky chuckled. At that moment, hooves were stomped as the two mares looked back at the stage to see that Pipp and Zipp had finished their routine as they stood before the crowd and bowed with the curtains closing.

Following the performance, a huge after-party was held in the Royal Palace as many ponies mingled. As she crawled on the structure, Izzy raided the buffet table, downing anything that came into her mouth as many ponies had just walked away.

"Mmm, chocolate frosted pudding!" said Izzy as she licked her mouth covered in the dessert before continuing to chow down.

Soon, a pair of guards approached the unicorn as they tried to pull her away from wrecking the table and save some for the rest of the party guests.

"Next time, we're keeping a leash on her," stated Zipp as the others gathered nearby and saw the guards trying to restrain Izzy.

A shrub was shown outside the Palace garden as it scurried along. It zoomed past some guards as it reached a window, and the pony inside popped out as they looked in. The pony in question saw Sunny and the others as their primary focus was the small dragon on Hitch's back.

"Found them," said Misty as the necklace she was wearing began to open, and purple smoke came out.

"Excellent," snickered the alicorn that appeared. "Those naive little ponies celebrating their meaningless traditions. Now, remember the plan. Get that dragonfire at any cost! Am I clear, Misty?"

"Yes, Opaline," confirmed the unicorn as the amulet closed.

In the lair of the evil alicorn, the transmission cut off as the alicorn began to trot back and forth.

"Enjoy your magic while it lasts, Sunny. For once, I have what I need; you all will bow down before the mighty Opaline Arcana!" declared the fire alicorn as she spread her wings out to showcase her dominance. "While Misty handles acquiring it, I have more pressing matters. Now... where's that remote?"

The alicorn moved about her lair as she was in the kitchen and began to rummage among the cupboards. Several supplies levitated to a counter as the alicorn clicked a video as it began to play.

"Welcome to Cookin' with Sunny. And today, we're gonna be making a festive fruitcake. So, to begin, you'll need to make sure that you have all your ingredients and cooking utensils. Now, to start, get a medium bowl and mix..."

Moments later, the entire kitchen was covered in food and other splats. The stove and oven were also on, and a pot began to boil over as the sides spilled. Opaline was shown with tons of baking soda and glops of food all over her as she tried to stir a mixture while struggling to add sugar into a separate bowl.

"Then, once you've added your second batter, throw in a mysterious ingredient. And don't forget to take out your fruitcake!" said Sunny in the video as she was shown pulling out the fruitcake from the oven and adding her decoration.

Opaline tried to follow the mare's instructions, but it was proving tough. So much so that she didn't notice the smoke coming from the oven until she saw it and quickly pulled out a now burnt fruitcake. To make matters worse, the contents of the pot spilled onto the floor, and it soon caught on fire. The alicorn quickly fetched a fire extinguisher as she sprayed down the massive fire; the entire stove and herself were covered in the foam.

"Curse you, Sunny Starscout!!!!"

The alicorn approached a wardrobe as she looked at her closet. She began tossing pieces of clothing that she didn't find appealing.

"Nope. Nope. Definitely not!" stated the fire alicorn as she wouldn't be caught dead in the outfit she held. "Ah, perfect." The mare was now strutting before her mirror as she wore some festive PJs along her body and a matching green hat.

"Yes, yes! Now this... is perfect!" said Opaline as she looked at her reflection and felt powerful as she stood in her outfit.

"Dragonfire, Dragonfire, that's what I desire," sang the fire alicorn as she strutted to her throne. "Speaking of... I wonder what Misty's doing?"

Misty had managed to sneak into the party as she kept out of sight. The unicorn peaked from her hiding spot and looked about; she soon spotted her target: the small baby dragon was near some wreaths. He sneezed some dragonfire on them and transformed them into bells as they fell and rolled by his feet. The small dragon clapped his claws and cooed as he began to play with them.

"There you are, you cute little thing," said Misty as she slowly crept toward the distracted baby dragon.

Sparky was still playing with his new bells as Misty closed in. The unicorn's shadow appeared over the dragon as he noticed it and turned around just as Misty picked him up in her hooves.

"I've got you," said the unicorn in a cheerful tone with a smile.

"Sparky! Sparkooni!" called out Izzy as she looked for the baby dragon. "Oh, there you are!"

Sparky cooed at Izzy as he slipped from Misty's hooves and ran toward the energetic unicorn, who picked him up in her magic and nuzzled him before holding him in one arm.

"Oh, hi, Misty!" greeted Izzy as she saw the unicorn. "Thanks for finding Sparky. He's a spirited little thing, always wandering off on adventures. Oh, I'm so jealous."

"Uh, yeah. Glad I could help," the shy mare nervously responded, scrapping the floor with her front hoof.

"Izzy! Come on! We're about to play some board games!" said Sunny as the group was looking to leave the main ballroom to head to a private palace section to have some fun alone.

"Come on, Misty! Let's go have some fun!" said Izzy as she placed Sparky onto her back and began to skip away.

"Sure," said the unicorn, delighted to have some fun.

Back in Opaline's lair, the fire alicorn was busy with another important matter.

"Please, dear. Don't look at me like that," said a mare as she turned away from her husband while trying to hide her mane at how short it was compared to its usual length. "I had my mane cut off and sold. I just... I just wanted to get you a gift."

"You... sold your mane?" said the stallion as he approached his wife, who looked away and tried to hide the tears streaming down her face.

"Yes. But don't worry; it'll grow back. I just... I just wanted to give you something special, is all." stated the earth pony mare as she trotted past her lover and toward a window; she saw her reflection in the glass as her expression remained the same. "Please, forgive me."

The stallion looked at his wife as he approached her. He extended one of his wings and placed it on the mare's shoulder as he got her to look at him.

"Forgive you? Why would I ask that of you?" said the stallion, looking at his lover. "Even if with this mane style, my love for you is no less than when the day I asked you to spend the rest of your life with me. In fact... I... also got you a gift."

The pegasus presented the mare with a small box as she sat on her hind and opened the box. Inside was something that made her heart flutter and nearly cry on the spot. Inside was a lovely ladybug hairpin she had often seen in one of the windows she passed by and longed for. And now... here it was being presented by her husband. The earth pony mare was at a loss for words as she looked at her stallion to see he had a similar expression when she presented her gift.

"Darling... how did you afford..."

"I... I sold my amulet to get you that hairpin," confessed the stallion as he parted with his most valuable possession to have enough money to buy his wife a gift.

"And... I sold my mane to get you your gift," responded the mare as she now realized what each other did to be able to give their significant other something special for Wishtine. "Oh, darling. I can't believe you gave up what means the most to you... for me."

"Darling... you're the only thing I would ever need on this special holiday," said the stallion as he wrapped his hooves and wings around the mare to pull her closely. "No matter what, I will always love you."

The mare was now letting tears of happiness roll down her face as her husband wiped some away before she leaned her head against him as the pair looked out of the window to watch the snowfall.

"Ugh, so pitifully. If I were her, I would look for another stallion," commented Opaline, as she wasn't too pleased with what she was watching. She grabbed the remote to change the channel.

"Spirit, please... I beg of you. What is to come of me tomorrow!" asked an elderly stallion as he stood before a large figure wearing a black cloak that hid their entire body.

The spirit didn't say anything but merely extended a hoof as if it were pointing at something. The stallion looked behind him as his surroundings changed to that of a graveyard, and he was looking at a huge gravestone. The stallion cautiously approached the gravestone and looked down at a hole made, deep inside was a coffin. The spirit the stallion was talking to appeared by the tombstone as it hovered above the giant stone. The pony tried to read what the stone said but couldn't comprehend what was written.

"Spirit, tell me. What does it say? And whose grave is this?" asked the old pony.

The spirit who had remained silent this whole time finally spoke.

"Why... yours!" spoke the spirit in the most sinister and cold-blooded tone.

The stallion was taken aback by seeing his own name written on the gravestone as the spirit pushed him into the deep hole as he screamed. He was approaching the coffin as the spirit pried it open, and fire from the gates of Tartarus appeared as well. Many souls reached out as if to claim the stallion for all his wrongdoings. The stallion let out a blood-curdling scream as thunder boomed.

The stallion awoke as he fell out of bed with the covers on him. Daylight broke through his window as it shined over the elderly pony. The stallion grunted as he threw the cover off his head and rubbed it before processing his surroundings.

"My own room. I'm alive!" said the stallion, letting out a chuckle. The sound of bells ringing caught his attention as he quickly rushed to the window to fling it open and spotted a small colt walking past his house. "Hey, you there, boy!"

"Me, sir?" said a young colt as he ceased running and turned to look at the old stallion calling to him from his window.

"What day is today?" asked the older stallion.

"Why, it's Winter Wishtday, sir!" said the young colt.

"This got critically acclaimed reviews?!! It's nothing but propaganda for a false and commercial festival!" stated Opaline as she changed the channel again.

"Keep the change, yer filthy animal!" said an old stallion in a trenchcoat.

"Cheapskates!" responded the delivery pony.

"Hey, I'm gonna give you to the count of 10 before I start blasting!" stated the pony inside the house. "One, two, ten!"

"Overdone!" stated Opaline as she flipped the channels again. "Nope! Nope! Seen it! Fell off after the first movie. The sequel was better! Ahh!" The fire alicorn threw the remote as the TV shut off; Opaline got up from her couch and began to walk away toward her throne. "What is taking Misty so long?"

"Seven!" said Misty as she had thrown a set of dice and moved her little figure.

"Ohh, another railroad?" said Izzy as Misty's player landed on another property.

"My turn!" said Zipp as she grabbed the dice and shook them in her hooves before tossing them. The two cube objects rolled along the board before coming to a stop.

"One, two, three, four, five, six!" said Zipp as she moved her figure and landed on a property with four hotels.

"Ooh, payday! You owe me 2,456 bits!" smiled Izzy as Zipp landed on her most expensive property of all the board and the one that would cause her to be bankrupt.

"Goddangit!" shouted Zipp as she let her anger boil over and instinctively used her hooves to flip the board over, causing everything to scatter.

"Zipp!!!" said the others at the mare for rage quitting.

"Bow before me, little ponies!" stated Opaline as fire shot out from behind her while spreading her wings. "Mmm. I should shorten the length of 'before' and emphasize more on the 'bow' part." The fire alicorn cleared her throat as she stopped her hoof again to make the fire shoot out from behind her. "Bow before me, little ponies! Oh, that one was good."

Watching the fire alicorn were a few Bunnycorns as they applauded Opaline's performance by clapping their ears together.

"Oh, you're too kind. But keep praising me," instructed the fire alicorn as she relished in all the attention she was getting. "Now, where's my cape?"

Several Bunnycorns appeared as they brought the fire alicorn to her outfit; she held it and noticed a stain. She touched the stain with her hoof and brought it to her mouth before looking at the Bunnycorns responsible for it.

"Who spilled jam on the cape? Fess up!" demanded the alicorn but got no response. "Whoever did it, step forward!!"

The Bunnycorns, looking at the alicorn, pointed at the one responsible as they ratted their friend out. The Bunnycorn responsible gasped as he turned to his friends to badmouth them before he was picked up by the fire alicorn and was turned around to stare her in the eye. The furry little animal had a nervous expression on his face as the stare from Opaline got more intimidating. The bunny then began to speak as he tried to explain himself to the fire alicorn.

"Never fear. Accidents happen all the time," said Opaline after hearing the squeaks from the bunnycorn. The bunnycorn nodded as he seemed to think that the mare understood. Opaline's caring smile turned into a menacing one as, within the blink of an eye, she yeeted the creature out of a window as it screamed through the air before dropping into the water below.

"But not to me, they don't!" declared Opaline as she approached the window and looked out below to shout at the animal swimming toward the shore. "You!"

The fire alicorn looked at another bunnycorn who pointed at himself before trying to run away, only for his friends to stop him and shove him toward the scary-looking pony.

"Get this stain out now!" demanded Opaline as the bunny nodded before quickly rushing away. "You, bring me my crown and don't drop it. You, make me some snacks. And you..." said the fire alicorn, pointing at a bunnycorn way in the back. "Go get my packages!"

The crowd of animals disbursed as they went to do their jobs and avoid suffering the alicorn's wrath.

"Now, that's more like it!" said the evil alicorn as she stood before her mirror and admired her latest outfit for when she took over. "You, give me a grape. And peel it!"

The bunnycorn near the food grabbed a grape and took off the skin before handing it to the alicorn as she ate it.

"You, pick up the pace!" said Opaline to the bunny fanning her. The bunnycorn saluted as he fanned the alicorn faster.

"Make sure you don't stain my hooves!" said the alicorn to the two polishing her hooves.

All about the lair, the evil alicorn made her small army of furry animals do her chores while she relaxed and waited for her naive minion to return with the desired Dragonfire.

"Now, this is the life! And once my powers are fully restored, I'll make all of Equestria my personal slaves. And as for Sunny and her pathetic friends, I will make them dread ever crossing me. Opaline Arcana! The most powerful fire alicorn to exist!" declared the mare as she stood up from her throne and let her voice boom throughout the room.

A group of the bunnycorns took that as their cue to applaud for the alicorn to avoid her taking her anger out on them. Opaline was pleased to hear that sound as she relished hearing it for all eternity when she took over. Just then, a thought crossed her mind.

"Mmm. There seems to be something I'm forgetting. But I can't quite place my hoof on it." said the alicorn as she tapped her chin with her hoof. She was trying to recall what exactly she was omitting.

"Opaline!" shouted Misty as she entered, bursting through the doors.

"Ah, Misty. Well, it's about time you return," said the alicorn, seeing her minion.

"Yeah, uh, were you doing something?" asked the unicorn as she pointed to all the bunnycorns doing chores.

"N-No. I'm just getting these disgusting little furry things out of my lair! Out!" shouted the alicorn as the critters all got scared from the mare and quickly hurried past Misty as they nearly stampeded her.

"Now then... how did your mission go?" asked Opaline.

"Oh, it was great!" said Misty as she perked up and smiled joyfully. "First, we had tons of food. Then we danced and partied..."

"Misty..."

"And then we sang some Wishtine songs. Played some board games, though Zipp did ragequit for almost all of them."

"Misty!"

"And the best part is the gifts. I've never seen so many beautiful things..."

"MISTY!!!" yelled Opaline as the unicorn looked at the alicorn, who glared and approached her. "Where is my Dragonfire?"

"Ooh, right, heh," chuckled Misty nervously as she realized the true purpose of her mission earlier. "I, uh, got distracted."

"You what?!!!!" shouted the alicorn as her voice echoed.

"The party was so much fun that I thought I could have some time to spare and still get the dragon, but..."

"Misty!!!" glared Opaline.

"Oh, I, uh, just remembered, they, uh, invited me to go window-shopping with them tomorrow. So I'd best leave if I'm gonna get that dragonfire Opaline, bright and early, you know," said Misty as she immediately rushed through the doors to avoid Opaline's wrath.

"MISTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted the fire alicorn as she was letting out her anger for her minion once again failing to deliver the one present she so desired.

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