You've seen the Mane 6 as the Power Ponies, but do you know what the superhero team is really like? Find out as a new villian threatens their town!
You've seen the Mane 6 as the Power Ponies, but do you really know the super-heroines that defend Maretropolis? Find out as a new villain terrorizes their town on Hearths Warming day! Will our heroines stop the evil creature? Or will Hearths Warming day thaw over? Find out now on this issue of Power Ponies!
“It’s almost Hearths Warming!” Saddle Rager flew upwards, pinning a few lights around the Power Ponies Secret Headquarters.
“Ugh,” Fili-second groaned, rubbing her temple. “Can somepony please tell Saddle Rager to not be so cheerful at seven in the morning?”
“Oh come now, Fili-second. The joys of such an occasion must take effect even on you!” Zapp spoke with a large grin on her face as she zipped to the giant monitor placed in front of their hideout, lacing it with bells and tinsels.
“Sorry, Fili-second needs another millisecond of sleep.” The speedy pony grumbled, slumping her face down onto the huge circular table in the middle of the room. “Which in my terms, means hopefully two hundred more hours.”
At the right of the room, the loud ‘ding’ of the elevator echoed through the large and mostly empty hideout. As soon as the doors opened, a bright shine accompanied the pony trotting out of it.
“Now, how are the decorations com— oh my!” Radiance looked up at the decorations, holding a hoof to her mouth. “No! This won’t do at all! The tinsels are in the wrong places! And—”
“Oh great. It’s Drama Queen come to save the day!” Fili-second mumbled into the table, throwing her hooves up in the air.
“I’ll have you know that I take Hearths Warming decorating very seriously!”
“Radiance, you take every decorating occasion seriously.” Saddle Ranger landed to the ground, raising her right hoof in the air as she spoke.
“Exactly! This place must look absolutely and positively perfect!” Radiance stressed, created a few mistletoes and hanging them around the hideout.
“For whom exactly?” Zapp asked, giving Radiance a skeptical gaze. “Our hideout isn’t exactly known to those ponies that roam Maretropolis!”
“Yeah, the zero ponies that are going to visit are sure going to have a gawk over our decorations!” Fili-second joked, her face still plastered to the table.
“Hmph. I suppose I shouldn’t expect a bunch of ruffians to know the meaning of good decorating!” Radiance mocked, tilting her head upwards with her eyes closed.
“Mmhmm, sure. Can I sleep now?” Fili-second groaned into the table, letting off a huge sigh.
Radiance was about to retort when the ‘ding’ of the elevator rung once again. This time, Mistress Marevelous and the Masked Matterhorn stepped out onto the hideout floor.
“Girls, we have a problem,” the Masked Matterhorn walked to the big monitor, holding out a clipboard in front of her face. Mistress Marevelous trotted in the opposite direction, leaning against the wall at the back.
“Aww, on Hearths Warming Eve?” Saddle Rager grumbled, hanging a few more bells. “Speaking of which, where’s that Hearts Warming tree I ordered? I swear it was supposed to be here already!”
“Not really the time to worry about that,” Mistress Marevelous interrupted, pointing towards the big screen at the front.
“She’s right. Somepony’s terrorizing the city!” Masked Matterhorn sat the clipboard down, bringing her hooves to fiddle with the buttons at the base of the screen. As she did, her flowing blue mane fell over her left eye.
“One day we’ll go through a week where we don’t hear those four words…”Fili-second grumbled, lifting her head to stare at the screen with the rest, her silver mane in a mess.
The screen flickered as an image popped up, showing a giant pony dressed in a red and white suit rampaging through the town, grabbing and smashing all the decorations he trotted past. His size was definitely larger than any building in the area.
“Whoa, somepony needs a little happy pick-me-up!” Saddle Rager combed her short pink mane to the back.
“That’s Slay Bells, he appeared just a few minutes ago and has been destroying the town.” Marevelous swung her head to the left, causing her tangerine mane to flip to the side.
“Specifically, he’s been destroying anything Hearths Warming related,” Matterhorn corrected, clicking a few more buttons. “And it’s our job to—”
“Stop him. Yeah. I think we’ve got it by now.” Fili-second pushed herself up from the chair and onto the floor.
As the video on the screen continued to play, Radiance gasped loudly.
“Oh no! He’s destroying those well placed decorations I hung up on the museum! It took me forever to get those perfectly symmetrical!” Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth turned into a frown as she combed her purple locks straight up. “Oh, it. Is. On.”
“I suppose requesting for a stop for hot chocolate would be a bad idea?” Zapp suggested as she hovered in mid-air. However, her suggestion was quickly met by angered stares. “I shall withhold my request for now then.”
“Come on Power Ponies, no time to lose! Let’s go!” Matterhorn urged, galloping out the door with the others following suit.
“Ho ho ho, where should I go?” Slay Bells slammed his hoof against the side of a building, ripping off the leaves that adorned it.
All of a sudden, a sharp ice bolt shot out from a rooftop, hitting Slay Bells square in his jaw and freezing it solid. Slay Bells released a large growl, causing the streets to shake.
“Slay Bells! Stop this at once!” Matterhorn shouted from the rooftop they stood on.
Slay Bells slammed his hoof against his frozen jaw, shattering the ice that had formed on it. “Power Ponies, such a pest! You’ll be turned into a mess!” Lifting his hoof, he slammed it back down onto the apartment, demolishing it in one fell swoop.
“You know, for someone called Slay Bells, you aren’t very threatening.” Fili-second spoke, resting in a laying position on Slay Bells’ shoulder. “And you’re wasting a lot of my sleeping time.”
Slay Bells raised his left hoof slowly, trying to get Fili-second off him. However, as soon as he slammed it down on his shoulder, the pony had sped back onto another rooftop, holding a glass of juice in her hoof.
Mistress Marevelous unhinged her lasso, twirling it before throwing it over Slay Bells’ right hoof. “Got you now you oversized Hearths Warming reject!” she taunted through the lasso in her teeth. Slay Bells struggled with his hoof, trying to fight with Marevelous’ strength.
“You dare destroy the Maretropolis style decorations that I so gracefully put up?” Radiance spoke with a scowl, created several hammers. “I will show you who's going to get removed you ruffian!”
Zapp circled upwards, gripping the necklace in her teeth as she ascended. “You shall terrorize our citizens no longer!” Biting down hard, she called upon a large storm, several thunderbolts already striking the ground and strong gusts of wind blowing her bright yellow mane all over the place.
“Want some hot chocolate?” Saddle Rager stuck her hoof out, gripping a small cup. “It’s really good! I’m sure it’ll make you less of an angry giant!”
Radiance sent her hammers forward, doing it simultaneously with Matterhorn’s fireblast.
Zapp raised her pendent as high as she could, preparing to send her lightning bolts as a quick follow-up. All the while Fili-second rested on the hoof, taking a sip of her drink. As the fireblast and hammers approached Slay Bells, a sudden jerk of his lassoed hoof caused Marevelous to fly towards a building, slamming into it at full speed. With his hoof free, he swung it towards the hammers and fireblast, destroying most of the projectiles, save for the magic flameball, which was instead reflected before striking Zapp.
“Nnngh!” Zapp gave a muffled scream as she felt the fire strike her chest, knocking her out cold. Zapp fell rapidly from the sky, the lightning she conjured going wild and striking Matterhorn, Saddle Rager and Radiance in their flanks, immobilizing them as they collapsed to the ground.
Fili-second dropped her glass and stood up on her hooves, her expression changed to one of horror as she saw her friends laying on the floor, all of them defeated. Fully distracted, she failed to notice Slay Bells’ hoof as he swiped her from the very hoof she stood on.
“Wha— Hey! Let me go!”
Slay Bells gave a deep laugh. “Ho ho ho, I found my own present. A test subject for my new machine!”
Fili-second struggled helplessly, in the tight grasp of his hoof. “Girls! Get up!”
However, her cries were met only with groans of pain. Before she could call out to her friends once again, she saw the buildings move past her vision rapidly as Slay Bells trotted forward, the image of her friends disappearing in the distance.
Zapp threw herself onto the round table in the hideout, holding her chest. “Ugh, that did not go favorably.”
Saddle Rager followed suit, throwing her back against a wall before sliding down. “Owie…your lightning bolts really aren’t just for show!”
“My apologies. After Matterhorn’s fireblast to my chest, I lost all control of my bolts.”
“Ow…sorry about that.” Matterhorn limped into the room, rubbing her flank.
Marevelous trotted in as well, holding Radiance in her hooves. “We should be more worried about Fili-second! S-she’s going to be used as a test subject for some machine!”
“I’m worried too.” Matterhorn tinkered with the machine at the front. “But until we get better, going against Slay Bells is suicide.”
“How can somepony be so cranky during Hearths Warming!?” Saddle Rager angrily remarked. Marevelous sat Radiance on the table, sprawled out. “Look, we don’t have time to waste. Let’s just power through Slay Bells’ hideout and—“
“And what? Get captured too? We’re in no shape to fight!” Matterhorn interjected.
“And if we don’t, Fili-second could become some sort of monster! Who knows what might happen to her!?” Marevelous argued.
“Brute force isn’t going to win us the day, Marevelous!”
“But it’s the only choice we have!”
“We can wait and—“
“We can wait and next thing we know, Fili-second could be turned into some sort of monster! Matterhorn, you can’t always just sit down and think!”
“This isn’t your decision to make!” Matterhorn stomped her hoof on the floor, causing the whole hideout to rumble.
“And your decision isn’t the right one!” Marevelous slammed her hooves on the ground as well, resulting in a larger tremor.
Saddle Rager quickly trotted out of the room with only Zapp taking notice. The black-clad pegasus quickly took off after her friend.
“Saddle Rager? Where are you headed?”
“Away,” Saddle Rager replied coldly. “I need to walk, be alone.”
“On Hearths Warming? That is most unusual. I would assume you would be the pony to seek company the mo—“
“Well, you’re wrong, Zapp. I just… want to be alone. All this arguing’s bringing back too many bad memories.” Saddle Rager continued her trot towards the escalator.
“V-very well then.” Zapp gave a sigh before turning around. She was met with a sudden burst of the meeting room door as Marevelous stormed out of the hideout. “What in Maretropolis…”
Zapp rushed in immediately, seeing a furious Matterhorn firing off several ice beams around the hideout, creating large icicles and stalactites all around the area.
“Matterhorn! What did—“
“Why won’t they just listen to me!? I know what’s best! I do! That’s why I’m the leader!” Matterhorn continued firing off her barrage of magic.
“Matterhorn!” Zapp rushed up, holding her by her shoulders.
“I do! I know what’s best!” Matterhorn tried desperately to break out of Zapp’s grip, tears starting to run down her face. “I always know what’s best!”
Zapp pulled her into a hug as her speech slowly turned into mumbles and whispers. “I’m the leader, Zapp. I… I know what’s best for the team. I do…don’t I?”
At the docks in the city, Fili-second sat inside on the second floor of a warehouse, her hooves bound tightly to the side of her body with candy cane-colored rope. More rope wrapped her tightly around one of the pillars, pinning her helplessly against it.
Fili-second squirmed and struggled, hoping to get some sort of opening for her to break out, but none presented itself.
“Ho ho ho, your pony powers can’t save you now,” Slay Bells taunted, having to lower himself just to meet Fili-second eye to eye.
“Tell me something, blobby bells.” Fili-second grunted softly as she continued to struggle against her bindings. “You said I was supposed to be the subject of some sort of test machine. Are you taking your own sweet time? Or is your brain the size of a pea?”
“Oh, my little elf. I just needed to grab some resources,” he bellowed to the mare. From the lower part of the warehouse, he grabbed a hair-dryer looking object, lifting it up high. “Behold, the Hearths Warming Absorber!”
FIli-second gave a few confused blinks. “…I’m sorry, what?”
“Oh, snowstruck by the chilling design?” he spoke, rubbing the green-colored device.
“More of dumbstruck by your puns,” Fili-second taunted.
“Oh, taunt me all your want, but you can’t chill a pony who has a heart of ice, my elf.” Slay Bells lowered the device, the pointed end facing towards Fili-second. “As you can see, I have decorations for Hearths Warming around my warehouse!” he gestured around the hideout, where large trees, novelty objects and tinsels were hung. Lights covered the inner walls and cotton snow was strewn about the first floor. “But I’m afraid I don’t have enough! This device will absorb all the Hearths Warming spirit a pony may have and turn it into decorations!”
“Wait a minute, you weren’t destroying the decorations in the town… you were,” Fili-second’s eyes widened in realization.
“Collecting them. Yes,” Slay Bells released a maniacal laughter. “Well, have fun without having your Hearths Warming spirit!” He pulled the trigger, sending a red and green beam towards Fili-second.
Fili-second closed her eyes tight, turning away. However, the only thing she heard was a loud blasting noise and the smell of mint filling her muzzle. Once the beam had stopped, Slay Bells stared at the other end of the device in shock. “W-why aren’t there any ornaments coming out!?”
FIli-second gave a small smirk. “I hate to break it to you but you can’t steal something that I don’t have.”
“W-what!? But that’s impossible! Everypony in Maretropolis is always so happy during Hearths Warming!”
“Sorry, but your definition of everypony doesn’t include me! Trust me, I’m not happy in this holiday.” Fili-second turned away, whispering the next few words under her breath, “though I wish I was.”
“Hmm...interesting. Tell me, elf. Would you like to join Santa in retrieving all the decorations for the city? Then we both could have the best Hearths Warming ever!” Slay Bells lowered his hoof to Fili-second.
Fili-second stared at the hoof in front of her, silent for a few seconds. Soon, she shook her head violently. “Sorry Beauty, I don’t work with villains who don’t take showers.”
Slay Bells smirked, retracting his hoof. “Well, no matter. You appear to be useless to me now.” With a light tap to the floor, the ropes around Fili-second tightened significantly, causing her to grunt loudly from the pain. “Enjoy your stay here, it’ll be your last!”
Fili-second watched as Slay Bells trotted out of the warehouse through the huge front doors, feeling the ropes around her hooves tighten with each passing minute. Trying to shout, she merely let out a gasp and mutter, “P-power ponies…Somepony…help…”
Saddle Rager kicked the cans on the cold, empty streets. Staring up, she saw only the twinkling of the stars. She turned her head back down, sighing loudly as she continued to trot.
“Saddle Rager?” a voice called out to her from behind.
“Huh?” Turning around, she saw the familiar blue and red colors of a dear friend. “Hum Drum?” “Yeah!” Hum Drum ran with his short legs, gripping several bags in his claws.
“Where did you go? Matterhorn said that—“
“I went to get gifts for all of you!” Hum Drum stopped in front of the pink-maned mare. “See! I got one for you…here!” he spoke, pulling out small box wrapped in rose wrapper.
Saddle Rager recoiled a little, giving a soft smile as she grasped the package. “O-oh, Hum Drum. You...you shouldn’t…”
“Heh, it was no trouble, Saddle Rager!” Hum Drum said with a grin. “I know I’m not the most useful sidekick when it comes to your plans but I just wanna say that—“
Saddle Ranger leaned it, kissing Hum Drum on the nose. “Hey, you’re a great sidekick. You always give all you can, and that’s all we can ask for!”
“Heh heh,” Hum Drum’s cheeks turned a tinge of red. “Tis the season!”
Saddle Rager’s smile grew wider. “Tis the season...”
“So where’s the rest of the family?” Hum Drum asked, picks up the bags.
“…Family?” Saddle Rager gave an inquisitive stare.
“Yeah! Radiance, Zapp, Mistress Marevelous! Where are they all?”
Saddle Rager paused for a moment as her eyes grew wider. “Family…” In one fell swoop she scooped the tiny dragon up. “Hum Drum, our family is a little broken right now. But we’ll fix it. First thing’s first, I need you to find out where Fili-second is being held, she’s been captured by a villain known as Slay Bells.”
Hum Drum gasped. “What!?”
“Right! She’s in serious trouble! Go!”
Hum Drum gave a quick nod, before zipping down the streets.
“As for me, I’ve got some patching up to do,” Saddle Rager galloped from where she came, her eyes wide with determination, beaming from ear to ear.
“So let me get this straight, Fili-second has been captured and could be subjected to Celestia knows what right now. Mistress Marevelous has ran and so has Saddle Rager and we have no idea what Slay Bells is up to?”
Both Zapp and Masked Matterhorn gave a sigh before nodding.
“Oh dear… then we better hurry,” Radiance stood up from the table, turning towards the door.
“Radiance! Where are you going!?” Matterhorn shouted, causing Radiance to turn back around.
“I’m going to help Fili-second and Maretropolis.”
“But Marevelous and Saddle Rager aren’t with us. We can’t just charge at Slay Bells ike that. If all five of us couldn’t do it, what chance do we have?”
“True, our chances are slim, but by sitting here doing nothing, our chances decrease to none. What’s more, Fili-second needs our help and I’m sure as Celestia am not going to sit around and wonder what’s happening to our dear friend.”
Silence filled the room as Radiance turned back around, continuing her trot towards the door.
“I agree with Radiance,” Zapp spoke out, standing up from her seat. “I shall not sit idly by and wait until it is too late,” she galloped to catch up with Radiance. “Matterhorn, as a leader, I admire you greatly. However, our friends and Maretropolis is in danger. I did not become a Power Pony to watch. I became a Power Pony, much against my will at first, to act. And that is precisely what I shall do!”
Matterhorn chuckled a little, turning her attention to the table. Using her hoof, she felt the small Power Pony icon where she sat, her own name inscribed in the very table itself. “You two are crazy. But…in a good way. If I’m going to lead you guys, I’m going to have to learn.” Using the table as a support, she pushed herself up. “Let’s go. We have no more time to waste.”
Once she had joined with the other two mares, they sped towards the elevator. Suddenly, the elevator gave a loud ‘ding’ and the doors opened, revealing Saddle Ranger, a wide grin on her face.
“Saddle Rager!” the three cried out in unison.
“The one and only! I came here to hopefully get you three back on your hooves. Looks like you all don’t need my help after all.”
Radiance gave a firm nod. “We need to move quickly, who knows what Slay Bells might be doing right this instant!
“Got it.” Saddle Rager pushed the button on the elevator, sending it rocketing upwards. “I also met Hum Drum, I’ll tell you all on the way.”
Hum Drum pressed himself against a warehouse wall. “Ponies say they saw a large pony in a red and white costume coming through here.” Leaping upwards, he caught onto a ladder and pulled himself up. “Let’s hope I’m not too late!” he whispered, gritting his teeth together as he climbed.
Once he was at the top, he peered into one of the windows. “I can’t see anything with all this dust!” With a mop of his claw, he cleared away the thick layer of dirt that had accumulated. Sticking his eyes into the window, he let out a loud gasp.
Fili-second was still tied to the support beam, her face white as a ghost. Hum Drum didn’t need any super-powers to see how much pain Fili-second was in, desperately clamoring for any bit of air she could. Wasting no time, Hum Drum unsheathed his claws and sliced a hold in the glass before smashing it open with his elbow.
Fili-second heard a sudden crash coming from somewhere in the warehouse, however, all her focus was drawn to surviving this ordeal rather than any ambient noise that may occur in this large place. The ropes tightened even more, starting to squeeze any remaining air from Fili-second’s body and making it impossible for her to gasp for more. Only when she saw a familiar blue and red figure in her vision, did hope reignite in her.
“Hu— Hel—“ Fili-second tried to stammer out, her vision fading quickly.
“Come on! Break free!” Hum Drum shouted, pulling at the ropes as hard as he could, but the bindings would not as much as budge. “Come on Hum Drum! If there’s a moment to be useful, this would be it!”
Fili-second closed her eyes, feeling the bonds tighten one more time and feeling the last bit of air escape her.
“Fili-second! Don’t give up! Come on!”
Without warning, another loud crash echoed through the warehouse. Hum Drum turned his attention to the source and saw a shadow zip pass before landing beside him.
“Mistress Marevelous!” Hum Drum shouted in joy. The Mistress didn’t reply, quickling taking out her hoofrangs and slicing the ropes from FIli-second, causing the mare to fall to the ground coughing and gasping violently. Some parts of her suit had been ripped badly, and bright red marks left on her coat from the device.
Both Marevelous and Hum Drum picked Fili-second off the floor, holding her softly.
“Good. Just in time.” Marevelous spoke, lassoing a glass of milk from a nearby table and feeding it to Fili-second, who drank it up fervently.
“How did you fin—“ Hum Drum tried to ask, but was almost immediately interrupted by Marevelous.
“Followed you,” she swiftly replied, tilting the glass of milk to Fili-second until she had drank it all.
Once she had finished drinking, Fili-second gave a nod to both superheroes, signaling them to lift her up onto her hooves, where she stood shakily.
“You sure you’re alright, Fili-second?” Hum Drum asked, still holding onto a hoof.
“Other than the near-death experience.” Fili-second gave a loud cough. “I’m fine.”
“Did Slay Bells tell you what his plan was?” Marevelous locked her eyes on Fili-second, ready to react at the slightest need.
“Yeah. He’s not trying to stop Hearths Warming.” Fili-second rubbed her forehoof. “He’s seems to be trying to take Hearths Warming for himself!”
“That would explain all the Hearths Warming decorations here.” Hum Drum peered over a nearby railing, staring down.
“He also created some sort of device that’s meant to suck all Hearths Warming passion from ponies and turn it into ornaments.” Fili-second bent down, stretching. “Then we can’t wait. We need to—“
“Already ahead of you.” Fili-second pulled both of them close. “Hang on tight.” She smirked, disappearing in a blink of an eye.
“How hard can it be to spot a 50 foot pony!?” Matterhorn turned around, gazing up at each building.
Zapp turned to the left, staring up and noticing a figure just above her. “G-girls…I have acquired our target…”
The remaining 3 ponies faced where Zapp was facing, seeing Slay Bells just a short distance away.
“Ahh, more ponies. Delightful!” Slay Bells bellowed, aiming the gun at them.
“What in Luna’s— whoa!”
As Slay Bells fired his gun, the ray only struck the streets where his targets once stood, leaving nothing but a fresh minty smell.
Fili-second sat all five of her friends down on the ground. “Don’t get hit by that.”
“What in all things Maretropolis does that weapon do?”
“Takes away your Hearths Warming spirit.”
Slay Bells shifted his aim once again.
“Look, Marevelous. I’m sor—“
“Later.” Marevelous gave a nod to Matterhorn, who only smiled in return.
“Hearths Warming shall be mine! And mine alone!” Slay Bells roared, squeezing the trigger once again.
“Time to Power Pony up!” Marevelous shouted as the Power Ponies rapidly dispersed. Marvelous threw her lasso on a fire escape, pulling herself upwards to the rooftop behind Slay Bells.
Radiance and Matterhorn ascended the rooftop to Slay Bells’ left, while Fili-second and Saddle Rager remained on the streets below.
“Woo hoo! Meanie!” Saddle Rager mocked, waving her hooves frantically in the air. “Over here!”
“Hey! Word of advice! When you leave a pony for dead, make sure she’s dead!” Fili-second screamed.
Slay Bells shifted to see the two ponies mocking him on the ground. “I shall end you once and for all! Tis the season to be deadly!” He yelled, pulling the trigger once again. Fili-second reacted immediately, pulling her and Saddle Rager behind Slay Bells.
“Woo hoo! Over here Mr Bells!” Saddle Rager jumped on the spot, grinning.
As the commotion was happening, Zapp and Hum Drum stood a distance away with the pegasus soaring up in the air and gathering clouds.
“Zapp, what’re you doing?”
“I am collecting the thickest cumulus clouds I can!”
“Need any help?”
“It is not required!” Zapp waved her pendent around, a large black mass gathering up above her. “Though I did wonder where you went, Hum Drum!”
“Oh I went to get pres—Oh Luna! My presents!” Hum Drum sprinted off, causing Zapp to roll her eyes.
Marevelous prepared her lasso, spinning it before tossing it around the head of Slay Bells. “Come here.” She tugged hard on the lasso, pulling Slay Bells and causing him to collapse at her building. “Gotcha.”
Matterhorn charged her horn, causing it to glow a bright blue before discharging a large ice shackle to Slay Bells’ forehooves, pinning them to the building. Radiance prepped herself to do the same, however, a large shattering sound drew her attention to where Slay Bells sat.
“I can’t do anything! He’s way too strong, not even my hardest ice can hold him!”
“Then we need to weaken him!” Radiance shouted, creating several objects.
“Saddle Rager!” Hum Drum called out from the streets below, scampering as fast as his could, piles of presents piled up in front of him.
“H-Hum Drum!? Hum Drum wait!” Saddle Rager called out when suddenly, a small rock caused the dragon sidekick to fall forwards, the presents spilling everywhere.
“No!” Hum Drum reached out, trying to grasp all the presents that was in his reach.
Saddle Rager darted towards Hum Drum, preparing to pick him up when her eyes saw Slay Bells standing up and, unknown to him, crushing a familiar rose-colored present under his hoof.
“N-no…” Saddle Rager whispered, utterly devastated. Turning her head downwards, she closed her eyes and gritted her teeth hard, “…You.”
“Uh oh.” Radiance immediately caught notice of Saddle Rager’s sudden change in tone.
“Everypony out. Now!” She commanded as her friends swiftly dispersed.
Slay Bells turned to the crying mare on the street. “Puny pony! I shall—“
“Shut. Up. Who do you think you are, hm?” Her right hoof started to grow significantly.
“Just…stomping out the symbol of generosity like that?” Her left hoof had begun to enlarge as well.
Slay Bells eyes grew wide as he took a step back.
“You want to have Hearths Warming to yourself?” Saddle Rager’s voice lowered into a roar. “Well…fat! Chance!” Letting out an earth-shaking growl, Saddle Rager grew thrice her size, ripping apart her suit and charging towards Slay Bells.
Once she had reached him, she proceeded to slam straight into the giant pony, sending him careening towards a wall and shattering it into dust. Saddle Rager continued her relentless assault, shouting with each punch she delivered. “You! Need! To! Learn! The! Meaning! Of! Hearths! Warming!”
Jumping off, Saddle Rager released a menacing snarl as the rest of the Power Ponies galloped forward, using their powers once again to pin Slay Bells down fully.
Hum Drum moved towards the crushed present, picking it up. “Umm…Saddle Rager?” The muscular pony turned towards Hum Drum and, upon seeing his look of anguish, felt herself grow back to her normal pony self. “Hum Drum…I’m so sorry.”
Saddle Ranger grasped the package in her hoof, unboxing the top. Reaching in, she picked up a small silver chain and pulled it up slowly. As she lifted it, she saw a shattered green gem hanging from the bottom, many pieces of it left in the box.
“H-Hum Drum… this is… this is beautiful!” Saddle Rager’s frown turned into a wide grin, slipping the necklace around her neck. She brought her hooves around the dragon, grasping him close. “Thank you so much.”
“I just wish it wasn’t broken.” Hum Drum exhaled.
“Hey, you know what? I like it better this way.”
“R-really?” Hum Drum looked up, a glimmer in his eyes.
“Really. It shows kinda the hardships we’ve went through. Plus, I prefer things a little worn in any way!” She gave Hum Drum a wink.
“Gather around the table everypony! It’s gift opening time!” Radiance yelled, moving towards the table in the middle. At each of their seats sat a present, all except for Saddle Rager’s.
Once they had all sat down, Saddle Rager was the first to speak, “you know what I don’t get? Why did Slay Bells wanted Hearths Warming all to himself?”
“After a bit of research, I found out that Slay Bells never had a chance to spend Hearths Warming proper. He lost his family to a snowstorm on the way home on Hearths Warming Eve, by the time he woke, Hearths Warming was over.” Matterhorn twiddled her hooves.
“The bitterness he held for the holiday never truly went away. I guess he thought he needed to make everypony feel as bitter as he did so he could, comparatively, have the best Hearths Warming ever.”
The table went silent, all of them staring at their presents. “All he wanted…was a good Hearths Warming?” Fili-second questioned.
“Yeah, but don’t worry. I made sure that even in jail, just maybe he could find a little joy today.”
Slay Bells lifted the Hearths Warming tree with his little finger, smiling as the ornaments sparkled under the starlight seeping in through his jail window. His cell occupied two stories high and 3 normal cells wide.
On the tree hung a small little note that he could barely make out but he finally did, he couldn’t help but smile, even just a little.
‘Happy Hearths Warming.
No matter your size, beliefs or past, I believe that they should always enjoy Hearths Warming.
“I shall gladly go first!” Zapp called, unboxing her present already. “Oh this is most exciting! My first Hearths Warming present! I am most joyous!” She lifted up a small marble statue of a pony wielding a lightning bolt, aiming it towards the sky. “A statue of Strikee! The ancient God of Weather! Ha! Much thanks Hum Drum!”
“Eh heh, no problem!” Hum Drum swung his claw in front of his face.
Saddle Rager leaned into Spike’s ear. “Is that really one of Strikee?”
“No! I had no idea who Strikee even was! It’s a statue I found that reminded me of her so…” Saddle Rager lifted her left hoof to her mouth, chuckling softly.
“I guess it’s my turn.” Marevelous lifted the lid to her gift and brought out a brown hat. “A Stetson hat eh? Trying to get me back to my heritage eh Humdrum?” The left side of her mouth grew into a smirk as she slipped the hat on her head. “Not a fan of my past but you know what? I like it. Thanks.”
“Oh, I can’t take the suspense any longer! I’m so going next!” Radiance shouted, lifting the lid and in it, she found several gems in various colours, laid out in an ornate box. “Oh…oh my. Hum Drum…”
“I know how concerned you are about color. So…I thought it’d be nice if you had several to choose from the next time you pick up after my mess!” Hum Drum gave a confident grin and was met swiftly by a peck on the cheek.
“Thank you most sincerely. I shall make sure my fights will dazzle the opponents and leave them blind with beauty!”
“Well, there’s only the two of us left, Fili-second. Do you want to go first?”
Fili-second shook her head, gesturing to Matterhorn as she sat back in her chair.
“Alright then.” Matterhorn lifted the lid, revealing a blue captain’s hat and a golden medal.
“What…” Picking up the medal tenderly, she flipped it around to see the words ‘Power Ponies Greatest Leader’ inscribed on the side. Tears in her eyes, Matterhorn levitated Hum Drum over, grasping him tightly.
“Ack! C-can’t breathe! Need oxygen!” Hum Drum jokingly acted as he hugged Matterhorn back.
“You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“If its equal to your hugging power, I think I can gauge!”
The table erupted into laughter, all of them either giggling or chuckling. Once the laughter had died down, Matterhorn sat the hat on top of her head. “How do I look?”
“Like a leader.” Marevelous answered, a soft smile on her lips. Matterhorn could only return the gesture with one of her own as their eyes met.
“I have to be careful giving you gifts, Matterhorn! I don’t wanna suffocate!” Hum Drum stretched as he sat back down.
“Ahem.” Fili-second coughed. “Someone talking about suffocation?”
“Heh, I’m just fooling. I’m thankful you got me a gift, sidekick. I’m surprised you got me something at all!”
“Well, it was nothing.”
“Oh we’ll see.” Fili-second unboxed her present, undoing the bow like the rest had done. Reaching inside the box, she felt something soft and warm. Once she had a good grasp on the object, she lifted it up, finally seeing that it was a green coat with red highlights for the collar and sleeves. She gave a hearty laugh.
“Do you like it?” Hum Drum asked nervously.
“Y-yeah. A lot actually. I like the colors.”
“It’s to represent Hearths Warming whenever you wear it!” Hum Drum beamed. “Because we all know about…” he stopped himself as Fili-second turned to him, the smile vanishing for just a second before returning.
“You know what? You’re right.” Slipping it on, her grin grew wider. “It does remind me of Hearths Warming. Cozy, nice and warm.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, are you actually being…sappy, Fili-second!?” Saddle Rager remarked in disbelief.
“Yeah well, I guess Hearths Warming has a tendency to do that to everypony.” The others looked at each other before nodding in agreement. “Hum Drum, we actually have a present for you.” Matterhorn reached under the table, pulling out a small rectangular box.
“Huh? Y-you guys got me something?”
“Yup. Open it!”
Hum Drum grasped his claws at the side, pulling off the top and inside, amongst various papers, sat a small picture encased in a glass frame with bright gold edges. Lifting it up with shaky hands, he saw that the picture displayed all seven of them grouped together, smiling towards the camera.
“It isn’t much, but we hope you like it nonetheless.” Saddle Rager leaned forward.
“You’re wrong.”
All the looks of the ponies at the table turned to one of sorrow and worry, all of them glancing at each other before looking back at Hum Drum.
“This is more than any other item you could’ve given me.” Hum Drum dived into Saddle Rager’s hooves, wrapping his claws around her.
“Oh, a group hug!” Zapp stood up, rushing towards the two and hugging as well.
“Oh if I must.” Radiance jokingly rolled her eyes, trotting forward and hugging as well.
“Well, I think I filled my sappy quota for the year.” Fili-second hugged them as well.
“Last time we had this back in my house, it was a lot less…genuine.” Marevelous grasped her friends tightly.
Matterhorn took a moment to gaze at the sight of all her friends hugging together before joining in herself. All of them remained silent, letting the moment sink in.
“Now what?”
“Well, I saw a Hearths Warming Tree waiting outside…” Fili-second started.
“Hey! My tree is here!” Saddle Rager gleefully yelled.
“Yeah. And...I guess we could decorate it or something right?” Fili-second blushed a little, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof.
“Yay! Let’s do it!”
“Oh, I could prepare some ornaments with my bracelets!”
“Oh most delightful! My first Hearths Warming tree decoration event!”
“I’m helping.”
“I’ll come in a bit girls!” Hum Drum sat, grasping the picture in his claws. With a smile, he muttered under his breath.
“I finally found a place to call home and ponies to call family. Happy Hearths Warming Eve.”
“Hum Drum! You coming?” Saddle called out from the kitchen.
“Be right there!” Hum Drum leapt off his chair, racing towards the kitchen with a grin on his face.
