Rainbow Dash dove into her makeshift snow trench just in time for a snowball to glance the tip of her tail. “Gotcha!” Scootaloo cheered from across the field.
Tucking a snowball in her wing, Rainbow peered over the edge of her trench. “No way! You missed by a mile! Try this one on for size. The Blizzard Blitzer!” She shot into the air, flinging the snowball far above her head. As it started to fall back down, Rainbow performed a series of loop-de-loops, accelerating with each one. After the third one, she fired out a hoof and slammed the snowball at Scootaloo’s mighty snow fortress.
For her part, Scootaloo just watched wide-eyed. Eventually she blinked out of her stupor and braced for impact, but the snowball was travelling so quickly that it caught fire and evaporated before it could reach her. She winked an eye open and smirked. “Awesome as usual, but you’ll have to do better than that to topple Fort Rocks!” She charged to the east tower and prepared the ballista—a bundle of twigs and leaves that somehow launched snowballs with impeccable precision.
Rainbow dropped from the sky. She formed a tiny snowball on the ground and began rolling it forward. Her serpentine movements allowed her both to avoid Scootaloo’s barrage and to build the snowball’s speed and size as it thundered towards the walls of Fort Rocks. Eventually it gained such massive size that it started blocking Scootaloo’s assault entirely, and Rainbow grinned. “Oh yeah! Here comes the… ngh… the Berserker… Boulder…” Unfortunately a sudden steep incline at the base of Scootaloo’s fort brought Rainbow to a lethargic stop. She stared at the gargantuan snowball suddenly looming over her, inching her backwards, and her pupils shrank. “Uh oh.”
“Run, Rainbow!” Scootaloo shouted. Rainbow turned tail and bolted down the hill, the snowball tumbling after her with impressive speed. She glanced over her shoulder quickly.
Her outstretched hooves slammed into something. The something cried, “Oof!” and Rainbow’s world turned a mix of white, blonde, and orange as she tumbled forward. A moment later, the ground fell out from under her and Rainbow plummeted into her own trench, landing smack on top of the something—something which turned out to be Applejack. Shaking her head and wiping the snow from her hat, Applejack glared at Rainbow. “Rainbow?! What in the hay were you—”
A giant snowball soared over the trench, rolling up the hill that lay beyond. It came back and leapt over the trench again, with much less speed this time. Finally it rolled back and came to a gentle stop on the very lip of the hole. “Huh,” Rainbow said, blinking at the snow boulder. “That was lucky.”
Scootaloo’s face popped into view above the icy titan. She smiled and said, “I win.” She disappeared behind the snowball, which promptly leaned forward and crushed Rainbow Dash and Applejack in a frozen tomb.
After minutes of flailing hooves and firm tugs, the two ponies managed to squirm their way out of the snow. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood waiting them outside the trench. Apple Bloom frowned and said, “Are y’all okay?”
“Never better!” Rainbow beamed and ruffled Scootaloo’s mane. “Way to go, squirt. That was a beyond awesome snowball battle!” Her smile went wry, and her eyebrows furrowed. “But of course you realize: this means war.”
Scootaloo grinned. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. Ready for round two?”
Applejack shook the last of the snow from her coat and spat out a piece of ice. “While that was, uh, fun and all, y’all should quit horsin’ around for a sec an’ come with us. The mayor’s called a meetin’ at town hall in five minutes.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Whoa, is it really that soon? Guess that snowball fight was more epic than I thought—lost track of time! Come on, Scoot. Let’s go see what all the fuss is about.”
All of the ponies got into step beside each other, trotting towards the center of Ponyville. Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom and asked, “What’s the meeting supposed to be about, anyway?”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Not sure, but Big Mac says there’s gonna be cake! That’s good enough for me.”
***
The four friends arrived at Ponyville Town Hall just as Mayor Mare stepped up on the stage, looking over a paper of some sort. They found Twilight and Fluttershy standing near the crowd’s edge and joined them. “Howdy, Twi. Fluttershy,” Applejack said, nodding to each of them. “Any word what this meetin’s about?”
Twilight smiled. “Not too sure, but something tells me it has to do with Pinkie Pie.”
Rainbow screwed up her face. “A town meeting about Pinkie Pie? I’m pretty sure everypony already knows not to give her too many Hearth’s Warming cookies. Not after last year.” The group shuddered as one.
“So many gumdrops…” Fluttershy said.
“I’m not talking about that,” Twilight said. “I meant—”
“Ahem,” Mayor Mare’s voice called. The crowd went silent and turned to the stage. Mayor Mare smiled and said, “Thank you all for coming to this meeting on such short notice. I’ll make your time here quick and just cut right to the chase. As many of you are likely already aware, Ponyville’s resident party planner Pinkie Pie has opted to spend this year’s Hearth’s Warming away from Ponyville, celebrating with her family instead. We wish her a very happy holiday, and she us. She has also baked a cake for everyone to share as a show of holiday spirit.” The mayor gestured to the side of the stage. Bulk Biceps and Big Macintosh trudged forth, dragging a cart which held a buttercream behemoth that nearly reached to the eaves of Town Hall. It sagged, but it looked delicious.
Mayor Mare turned back to her podium. “While we wish Pinkie Pie all the best this holiday season, this unfortunately leaves Ponyville without its chief Hearth’s Warming Decorator and Parade Coordinator. This is why I’ve called you all here today.” She panned her gaze across the crowd, grinning wide. “Each and every one of you, should you choose to participate, will have the chance to take over Pinkie Pie’s responsibilities this year. Starting from the end of this meeting, you will all have four hours to decorate your homes with as much festive spirit as you can muster. Lights, garland, ornaments—the works. Once all is said and done, whoever has the most well-decorated home as determined by myself and Miss Rarity—” Rarity stepped up on stage and did a quick curtsy “—will be the winner and will assume the title of Honorary Hearth’s Warming Decorator and Parade Coordinator.
“If you wish to opt into this little competition,” Mayor Mare said, pointing to a desk at the side of the stage, “please sign your name on the participants’ sheet over there. That is all for the moment, and I look forward to seeing what you all can come up with!”
“Wow us!” Rarity cried.
In a flash, both Rainbow and Applejack appeared at the signup table, the pen clutched between both their mouths. For a moment they just stared at each other, then Applejack let go of the pen and said, “Oh, come on, RD. You and I both know that ya only wanna sign up for this cause it’s a competition. I ain’t seen you decorate for Hearth’s Warmin’ once in all the years I’ve known ya! Don’t embarrass yourself an’ just let the real decorators compete.”
Rainbow bent down to the signup sheet and scribbled her name down. She spat out the pen and said, “Big talk for somepony whose name isn’t even on the list.”
Snatching up the pen, Applejack quickly signed her name. She leaned one hoof against the table and smirked. “Alright, Rainbow, you’re on. Now tell me: what makes ya think you even have a chance?”
Rainbow flipped her mane and flapped into the air. “Isn’t it obvious? My superior weatherpony skills will let me use snow and ice and clouds to effectively create the most awesomazing winter wonderland ever! I’m talking snow castles, mega flurries, and real-action moving ice sculptures! It’ll be totally unique, and way cooler than any lame wreath you put on your door, Apple-lack of creativity.”
“Oh, yeah?” Applejack tipped the brim of her hat. “That ‘lack of creativity’ has won us the title of Official Apple Family Decorate-Off Champions seven years runnin’, li’l missy. So while you’re off muckin’ around in the snow, my family’ll be doin’ the real, traditional decoratin’ that everyone already knows and loves. Ya don’t fix what ain’t broke, Dash!”
“We’ll see,” Rainbow said. “But you’d better bring your A-game, girl, ‘cause me and Scootaloo are about to show you just how ‘broke’ your traditions can be.” She reached an arm out and pulled Scootaloo up to her side. “Right, Scoot?”
“Huh?” Scootaloo blinked, then beamed at Rainbow, then grinned at Applejack. “Oh, yeah! Me and Rainbow are the team to beat! May the best decorators win!”
“I think my ears are burnin’,” Apple Bloom said, shuffling up to Applejack. She smiled at Scootaloo. “Somepony talkin’ about the best decorators? We always have the best decorated house in town, and that ain’t about to change. Right, sis?”
“You said it, AB.” Applejack ducked down, and Apple Bloom hopped up on her back. “Come on. We gotta start pullin’ the tinsel out the cellar lickety split!”
“Tinsel? Pft! Lame!” Rainbow grinned sharply at Scootaloo. “Let’s go! I know where to get the perfect thing to start us off.” Scootaloo climbed up on Rainbow’s back, and the duo shot into the sky in a puff of snowflakes.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Fluttershy just stood there and stared at the vacant signup table. Twilight turned to Fluttershy and said, “Wanna go to Sugarcube Corner? I hear the Cakes are testing out their new gingerbread-flavoured hot chocolate.”
Fluttershy smiled. “That sounds nice.”
***
Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh stood side by side in a line, perfectly unmoving as Applejack paced in front of them. “Alright, Apples, listen up!” she bellowed, slamming a hoof against the snow. “We’ve got just about four hours till Rarity and the mayor come round. Now that’s plenty o’ time to make Sweet Apple Acres the most festive spot this side of Equestria, but only if we all pitch in, y’hear?” The three Apples nodded simultaneously. Applejack grinned, her eyebrows tightening down. “Then let’s get to it!” She whipped her hoof and pointed at Granny Smith. “Granny, you’re house an’ barn patrol. I wanna see it all—the lights, the wreaths, the reindeer, everythin’. Work your magic.”
Granny stretched out her limbs until they cracked. “Hot diggety! Decades o’ the same task an’ I just keep gettin’ better at it! Plus I’ve been waitin’ since last Hearth’s Warmin’ to try out those star doohickeys your second cousin Sparklin’ Cider gave us.”
“Just don’t forget to put out every wreath, includin’ Great, Great Uncle Grapevine’s. Gotta make it count this year.” Applejack shifted her hoof to Apple Bloom, who stood up tall. “Apple Bloom, you’re on field duty with me. We gotta cover every inch o’ these trees in happy, holiday spirit, or die tryin’. You with me?”
“I’m with you!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Does that include the snowponies?”
“Darn straight. I want the best darn snowponies you ever saw in the same strategic points as last year. We’ll go over it again once—”
Apple Bloom raised a hoof and smiled. “No need. I still got the blueprints from last year in my room.”
Raising a single eyebrow, Applejack said, “Tinseltown, Charlatan, or Polar formation?”
Apple Bloom scoffed. “Like you need to ask.”
The corner of Applejack’s mouth rose, and she ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane. “That’s my girl.” Finally, she turned to Big Macintosh. “Big Mac, I saved the most important job for you. Head out to the northern orchard an’ bring back The Evergreens.”
The entire family gasped. “Applejack,” Granny said, “I know how bad you wanna win this contest, but I didn’t raise no fool, neither. You remember what happened last time we brought in The Evergreens, don’tcha?”
Applejack shivered. “Course I do. It’s what lost us the Decorate-Off eight years back. But the new ones have been growin’ just fine ever since, and I’ve been checkin’ on ‘em at least once a week. They’re a lot more stable than the old ones. I was plannin’ on bringin’ The Evergreens back this year anyhow, and this competition just seals the deal.” She looked her family over. “Y’all trust me, right?”
Exchanging quick looks with one another, the three ponies nodded, and Big Mac said, “Eeyup.”
“Well, alright then!” Applejack beamed. “Let’s make this the best Hearth’s Warmin’ decoratin’ party ever! Apples, break!” With that, all the ponies charged off in various directions, hollering with glee.
***
“Red,” Rainbow said, holding out a hoof.
“Red,” Scootaloo repeated, putting a bottle of red-dyed water in Rainbow’s hoof. Rainbow promptly emptied the whole thing into a strange contraption—a golden, pony-sized box with a funnel on top and a tube sticking out one side.
She held out her hoof again. “Green.” A bottle of green water landed in her hoof, and Rainbow poured it into the machine. It whirred and ker-chunked, so Rainbow kicked it into silence. Extending her hoof, she said, “Blue.”
Scootaloo held up the blue water bottle, eyeing it oddly. “Why’d we have to dye this one? Isn’t water already blue?”
Rainbow shrugged “Not blue enough, I guess.” She snatched the bottle and emptied it. “Gold and silver.”
“At the same time?”
“It helps with the colour mixing process. Trust me!”
Scootaloo lifted one bottle in each hoof. “I’m not sure, Rainbow. Didn’t the instructions say—”
“Instructions, in-schmuck-tions.” Rainbow tapped a sticker on the side of the machine and looked at Scootaloo. “Read that.”
Squinting at the label, Scootaloo read aloud, “‘Property of Cloudsdale Weather Facility?’”
“No! It says—” Freezing, Rainbow looked back at the sticker which did indeed boast the words Property of Cloudsdale Weather Facility. Relocate only in case of emergency. Rainbow shifted her hoof to another label below that one and said, “It says, ‘This device is only to be operated in the presence of a trained, licenced weather professional.’ AKA, yours truly.”
Scootaloo quirked an eyebrow. “You have a licence for this thing?”
“Yep! Some sap left his next to the machine when I went to grab it, so I borrowed that too. Now—” She beckoned with her hoof. “Gold and silver.” With a shrug and a smile, Scootaloo gave the bottles over and Rainbow dumped them in. “Okay, let’s make some Hearth’s Warming magic!” Rainbow slammed a big red button on the side of the machine. It roared to life and jerked violently on the spot. A porthole on one of the walls showed the colours mingling with one another, turning into a whirlpool of festive brilliance. Rainbow and Scootaloo retreated a few steps as the machine hopped and sputtered more and more erratically. Smoke poured from the funnel in great billows. The machine screeched like a cat, looking ready to explode at any moment.
It stopped, and a puffy, technicolour cloud mass began oozing from the machine’s tube. Scootaloo and Rainbow cheered, bumping hooves. “That was so awesome!” Scootaloo cried. “Go, Rainbow Dash!”
“Couldn’t have done it without ya, squirt.” Rainbow rubbed Scootaloo’s mane. “And it’s about to get even awesomer! Check this out.” As the last of the cloud behemoth seeped from the machine, Rainbow dove under it and carried it into the sky. She shifted it into place above her home—the cloud was large enough to cast the entire house and then some in its shadow. Rainbow bucked the cloud, and snowflakes of every traditional Hearth’s Warming colour began sprinkling down.
Scootaloo went wide-eyed as the rainbow snowfall tumbled from the sky. “Whoa,” she breathed.
Rainbow landed next to Scootaloo, grinning up at their handiwork. “Beat that, AJ.” She beamed at Scootaloo. “Phase one is officially done! Onto phase two: ice sculptures! We gotta make the coolest, most rockin’ things out of ice that we can think of. But first—” She tilted her head to the cloud machine “—I should probably get this thing back to Cloudsdale before they find out it’s missing.”
“That’s cool. What should I do until you get back?”
Hoisting the machine onto a nearby cart, Rainbow said, “Try and think up some cool ice sculptures we can make in a few hours. And while you’re at it, maybe find somewhere where we can actually get the ice. Didn’t think that one through all the way.”
“No problemo!” Scootaloo puffed out her chest and saluted. “I’ve already got a wicked idea. Prepare to be amazed!”
Rainbow buckled herself to the cart. “Looking forward to it. Be back in ten!” she called as she dragged the cart into the sky.
***
Applejack stood at the end of the main road leading through Sweet Apple Acres. A gigantic strand of red and green apple-shaped lights was looped around her neck, and a harness around her midsection tied Applejack to the sleigh behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. “Ready, Apple Bloom?”
Popping her head up over the edge of the sleigh, Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes and smiled. “I was born ready,” she said, raising a big, plastic candy cane from the great bundle beneath her hooves.
“That’s what I wanna hear!” Applejack grabbed the loose end of the light strand in her teeth and tied it into a lasso. She swung the lasso in great circles over her head and, through gritted teeth, said, “Set the anchor!” Like a cannon, Apple Bloom launched the candy cane at the side of the road. It planted itself firmly in the snow, and Applejack launched the strand of lights at it. It looped around the candy cane and went taut.
“Yeehaw!” Apple Bloom cheered.
“Now that the easy part’s outta the way…” Applejack said. She lifted the strand in her teeth again, beaming. “Time for the fun part!” She reared up and charged forward at full throttle. As the sleigh jolted forth, Apple Bloom wasted no time in firing candy cane after candy cane into place at the side of the road—each one perfectly spaced, each one facing the same direction. Her arms became like pinwheels and only spun faster as the sleigh accelerated.
For her part, Applejack manoeuvered her teeth in a way only a lasso-wielding rodeo pony could, swinging the strand of lights around each candy cane just as quickly as they appeared. By the sisters’ skills combined, a colourful, glowing fence soon lined one side of the road leading to Sweet Apple Acres.
The final candy cane thundered into place, and Applejack tossed the end of her strand at it. “Hold!” she cried, skidding to a stop. Apple Bloom collapsed onto the still-tall pile of candy canes as Applejack unhitched herself from the sleigh and trotted over to the last candy cane in line. She eyed it from one side, then the other. Eventually she reached out and prodded it, rotating the thing about four degrees in one direction. She smiled and wiped some sweat from her forehead. “Perfect! Let’s see Rainbow Dash do that.” She cantered back to the sleigh and leaned into the main compartment where Apple Bloom lay. “Doin’ alright, AB?
Apple Bloom wheezed, but she smiled regardless. “Better’n ever! Didja see when I almost missed one cause I didn’t wanna hit the squirrel?”
“Sure did. Good job throwin’ it just slow enough for the varmint to run outta the way in time.” Applejack fished another loop of light from the back of the sleigh and heaved it around her neck. “I think that was record time, too, but I reckon we can do one better. Ready for round two?”
With another pant, Apple Bloom pushed herself to a sitting position. “Yeah, yeah, I got this.” She picked up a candy cane, fumbled with it for a moment, and promptly dropped it.
Applejack frowned. She reached into a bag and tossed a water bottle at Apple Bloom, who gulped it down. “Still got a long day ahead of us, Apple Bloom, so don’t work too hard. Remember, we’re doin’ this to have fun and win, not the other way around. Ya got me?”
Apple Bloom tossed the empty bottle aside and smiled. “I got you. Thanks, sis. Now, for real this time.” She got up and tossed a candy cane at the other side of the road. It landed perfectly—just as all the other ones had.
Grinning, Applejack hooked herself back to the sleigh and lassoed the candy cane. The sleigh shot back towards Sweet Apple Acres, and Apple Bloom starting chucking candy canes again. The second half of the fencing quickly came to life along the road.
One of the candy canes bounced off a stray apple core, and Apple Bloom’s eyes shot wide. “I missed one, AJ!” she shrieked.
“Not on my watch!” Applejack tossed her lasso of lights aside and swerved on the spot. She kept galloping in the opposite direction until she spotted the wayward candy cane, lying on the road. She ducked her head, swiped it up, and passed it to Apple Bloom. “Make it count!” she cried, wheeling around again. “Our merriment depends on it!”
Her eyes narrowing and sweat trickling from her brow, Apple Bloom thrust the candy cane through the air with all her might. It landed on point, splitting the stray apple core in twain. Apple Bloom beamed. “I got it!”
“Great job!” Applejack grabbed the string of lights again and swung it around the cane. The sisters regained their rhythm, and the Hearth’s Warming fence came to life again.
***
Scootaloo paced back and forth while biting her lip. She stopped every so often to look up through the rainbow snow at the massive thing of ice next to her, then kept pacing some more. Grass was poking out of the snow beneath her hooves.
Something thudded in the snow nearby, and Scootaloo’s eyes snapped to it. Rainbow Dash stood a small ways away from her, staring up at the ice thing with pinhead pupils and an open mouth. “Scootaloo…” she breathed.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo bolted over to her. “I’m so sorry! I had this big plan to make a really cool-looking platform out of ice and I wanted to surprise you so I wanted to make it by myself and I thought ‘How hard can it be to use a hammer and chisel’ and it turns out it’s actually really hard when you’re using ice and I hit the chisel too hard and the ice started cracking and now it’s all jagged and bad and I ruined everything and now you’ll hate me forever and—”
“That,” Rainbow Dash said, “looks amazing!”
“Huh?” Scootaloo looked back at the ice sculpture. A thick, jagged spire extended from the ground beneath Rainbow’s home. It spread out into dozens of mangled tendrils at its tip, spider-webbing its way across the base of the cloud home and wrapping around its edges. The spiky limbs resembled the branches of a tree, and from those branches hung strands of broken ice chunks which swayed in the breeze. The whole sculpture refracted the sunlight magnificently, practically glowing in the rainbow snow.
“Seriously!” Rainbow Dash beamed and shot into the sky, flying around the ice tree and examining it from every angle. “I was just planning on carving some, like, big snowflakes or something, but this… this is what’s gonna win us the contest.” She landed and pulled Scootaloo into a tight hug. “Way to go, squirt!”
When their hug ended, Scootaloo frowned up at Rainbow Dash. “You really like it?”
“Heck yeah I do! I mean, have you seen it?”
Scootaloo looked at the sculpture one more time. Eventually, she smiled. “It does actually look really cool, even if I didn’t mean to make it look that way. I guess I was so worried that it would disappoint you because I messed up that I didn’t even realize how sweet it still looks.”
Rainbow frowned at her. “Hey now. Even if this thing didn’t look as insane as it does, I would never have been disappointed in you.”
Scootaloo’s ears perked up. “Really?”
“Duh! You were trying to help, and that’s all I care about. At this point it doesn’t even matter if we lose—not that that’s even a possibility, of course. Just working with my favourite little filly to make this happen—” Rainbow gestured to the scene at large “—that’s awesome enough for me.”
“Whoa,” Scootaloo said. “You not caring about winning? That’s a first.”
With a shrug, Rainbow pulled Scootaloo into a one-armed hug. “I have my moments.” The two of them sat in the snow, admiring the ice sculpture and colourful snowfall quietly. Suddenly, though, Rainbow wrinkled her eyebrows and looked at Scootaloo. “But where the hay did you get a hunk of ice big enough to pull this off?”
“I have a friend who knows a guy,” Scootaloo said.
Rainbow blinked, then chuckled. “Works for me. Anyway, we still have tons of time before judging starts. How about we build some snow forts and snowponies down here to make this place look even cooler?”
“Alright!” Scootaloo tore away from Rainbow and made for the nearest snowbank. “Pony with the lamest castle is a smelly windigo!”
“You are so on!”
***
An eyeless snowpony stared at Applejack, and Applejack stared back. She hummed and hawed as she looked the thing over, occasionally nudging the snow around to fix the imperfections. Once she seemed satisfied, Applejack grabbed one of Big Mac’s spare pieces of wheat grass and shoved it into the snowpony’s mouth.
“Got the coals!” Apple Bloom ran up boasting two oblong lumps of coal.
“What d’ya think?” Applejack asked. “Is this one too fat?”
“It’s a little pudgy. Looks kinda like you.”
Applejack turned and glared at her. “Hey! That ain’t a nice thing to say, Apple Bloom. I—”
“Wait.” Apple Bloom cantered forward and jumped up on Applejack’s back. She shoved the two pieces of coal into the snowpony’s eye sockets, then she lifted Applejack’s hat and plopped it on the snowpony’s head. “There. Now it looks like you. Most gorgeous snowpony I ever saw.”
Still scowling, Applejack stared at the snowpony. Despite herself, she eventually smiled and gave a quick chuckle. “Heh, I reckon it does. I still ain’t that pudgy, though.” She beamed over her shoulder at Apple Bloom. “Well, that’s that done. All we got left to do is the tinsel, and we got time to spare before the mayor gets here. Let’s go see how Granny and Big Mac are doin’.”
“Carry me?” Apple Bloom said, collapsing against Applejack’s back. “I’m tired.”
“Looks like I don’t have a choice, now do I?” The sisters giggled, and Applejack started towards the homestead. “You’ve been doin’ good work today, Apple Bloom. The farm looks more amazin’ than any year I can recall.”
Apple Bloom nodded. “D’ya think it’ll be enough to win?”
“I know it will. But even if it ain’t, we can take pride in a job well done. Plus we had fun, and we got to spend the whole day together like old times!”
“And we looked good doin’ it,” Apple Bloom said.
Applejack glanced over her shoulder and smirked at Apple Bloom’s frayed mane and sweat-stained face. “That’s debatable.” They stepped past the last tree between them and the barn, and Applejack smiled at the homestead. “We’re back, y’all! How’s it comin’, Granny?”
Even without a response, Applejack could tell. Dozens of wreaths of every shape and size—including one made of grapevines which hissed and snarled and waved its tendrils about whenever somepony looked at it funny—covered the walls of the house and barn. Bright, colourful lights twinkled along the eaves of the buildings. Above those, on the peaks of the roofs, sat four-pointed golden stars that hummed with magical energy as they glowed and rotated. Finally, on the roof of the house stood eight plastic reindeer tied to a sleigh, silver bells lining their harnesses. Applejack smiled and sighed happily.
“Eh, what’s that?” Granny Smith rounded the corner of the barn, a stick in her hoof and Winona at her side. “Still at it? I finished an hour ago! Y’all’re slower than Cousin Apple Torte after his lard-eatin’ contest.” Granny grinned down at Winona, then tossed the stick towards Applejack and Apple Bloom. “Fetch, Winona!”
Barking once, Winona ran forward and leapt right past the stick, tackling Apple Bloom to the ground. She started licking Apple Bloom’s face profusely. “Hey!” Apple Bloom said through giggled. “Winona, heh, stop it, girl! That tickles!”
Applejack smiled sweetly. “We still gotta get trees tinsel’d, but that shouldn’t take more than ‘bout an hour. All that’s left after that is Big Mac comin’ back with—”
“The Evergreens?” Big Macintosh said. He strode around the corner of the homestead pulling a cart loaded with three tall, fallen evergreen trees. Growing from the trees’ branches were large, plump apples that shifted gradually between every colour of the rainbow. They looked like Hearth’s Warming ornaments from afar.
“Eeyup,” Applejack said. “Careful not to let any of the apples drop when you unload ‘em. I’d hate to have a repeat o’ that.” Big Mac nodded curtly and began the process of unloading the trees and planting them in the front yard.
Petting Winona, Apple Bloom looked up at The Evergreens with stark-wide eyes. “I forgot how amazin’ they looked. How do you grow ‘em like that anyway?”
“A whole lotta love and patience,” Applejack said. “And gunpowder. Mostly gunpowder.”
“What?” Apple Bloom said.
“Nothin’.” Applejack turned and started towards the barn. “Come on, AB. We still got work to do! Help me grab the tinsel, would ya?”
“Comin’!” Apple Bloom galloped after her sister.
Together they entered the barn and found their way to the cellar. Dust and grime and the stench of mildew exploded in their faces as Applejack yanked the doors open. They fell into coughing fits, and Applejack said, “Whoa, nelly! Didn’t realize how long it’s been since we opened this one. Hope the tinsel’s okay.” They descended into the darkness, and Applejack lit a wall lantern once they reached the bottom of the stairs. Even in the dim light, Applejack could see the twinkling tinsel in the far corner.
“Looks good as new!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. She ran up to the tangled mass of shimmering holiday spirit and grabbed one end of it. “Let’s tinsel it up! Those trees won’t know what—” At that moment, the entire bundle of tinsel collapsed into dust and filled the room with dry, acrid powder. The sea of dust cascaded over the ponies and all the other holiday decorations.
Coughing and sputtering, Applejack poked her head up above the surface of the dust. “Sweet sugarplums! This ain’t good! This is not good!”
Apple Bloom puffed from the dusty swamp too, shaking her mane about which only served to spread more dust around. “How was that even possible?” she said between coughs.
“No time to think about it,” Applejack said. She reached extended a hoof to Apple Bloom, and they started swimming towards the stair together. “We’ve only got an hour left, and we ain’t about to win this competition with un-tinsle’d apple trees! We gotta go buy some more and put it up faster than you can say—”
“Mayday!” Apple Bloom screamed as she sank below the waves of dust churning around them.
Applejack arrived at the stairs, reached back, and pulled Apple Bloom out of the fossilized tinsel. She stooped down and said, “Hop on!” Apple Bloom leapt onto her sister’s back, and the two of them shot up the stairs, out of the barn, and down the road towards Ponyville.
***
A flurry of snowballs soared at Rainbow Dash, so she dove into the nearest igloo for cover. Breathing heavily, she gained a glint in her eye and shouted, “Is that all you got?”
“Not even close,” came Scootaloo’s muffled reply. “Quit hiding and come meet your maker!”
Rainbow grinned. She quickly amassed a mound of her own snowballs and wrapped her arms around them. A pile taller than herself lay in her arms as she soared out of the igloo into the twilit valley beyond. She veered right to dodge Scootaloo’s preemptive strike, then she spiraled around the ice tree and made a beeline for the tower where Scootaloo stood. “Bombs away!” Rainbow cried. The heap of snowballs dropped from the sky, casting Scootaloo in their shadow. The filly went pale.
“Whoa!” She dove from the tower and rolled into a snowbank. A snowpony stood nearby, so Scootaloo jumped behind it and started launching more snowballs at Rainbow Dash.
Ducking and weaving with the agility of a hummingbird, Rainbow Dash manoeuvered through wave upon wave of snowballs. “Come on, Scootaloo!” she shouted, punching one snowball right out of the sky. “Stop trying to hit me and hit me!”
Scootaloo faked a toss to the left, then actually tossed a snowball left. Rainbow swerved to avoid it, but it curved perfectly into her path and smacked her in the face. She plunged from the sky, pushed right through the snowpony, and caught Scootaloo in her crash. The pair rolled until the hit the great pillar of ice, and a multicoloured pile of snow fell from above and smothered them. They poked their heads out, looked to each other, and broke into laughter. “Nice aim,” Rainbow said. “That time it only took you two hundred and sixteen shots to hit me.”
Scootaloo beamed. “Only gotta step up my game by two hundred and thirteen more to beat your record against me!” Rainbow chuckled and ruffled Scootaloo’s mane. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree, exhaling a soft sigh. Eventually, Scootaloo said, “Rainbow Dash?”
“What’s up, squirt?” Rainbow asked, pulling her close. “Ready for the next round?”
“No. Well, yeah, but…” Scootaloo looked at their surroundings, then at the distant horizon, then back at Rainbow. “I mean, not that this isn’t fun and all, but judging starts in like an hour, and it’s getting dark.”
“Yeah, and?”
“Won’t it be kinda hard for us to win if the judges can’t, you know, see our decorations?”
Rainbow’s expression went flat, and she swept her gaze over their surroundings too. Long shadows covered all of their snow creations, and the darkness made it difficult to tell what colour the snow was anymore. “Whoa,” she said. “You might be right. We should probably hang some lights from the ice sculpture or something.”
“Great idea!” Scootaloo hopped to her hooves. “I’ll get started. Where do you keep your Hearth’s Warming lights?”
A sudden chill struck Rainbow’s chest, and she blanched. “Uh… I guess I don’t really… have any…” Silence hung between them as if it were waiting for crickets to join in. Rainbow looked at Scootaloo, and Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash. They blinked at the same time. Then they blinked again. Then they yelped. Rainbow bolted to her hooves and shouted. “Get on! We gotta hurry!” Scootaloo climbed atop her back, and the duo shot off to Ponyville.
***
As the sun set over Ponyville, the door to Sugarcube Corner opened. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Discord filed out into the street, the latter rubbing his comically ballooned stomach. “Thank you most sincerely for the invite, Fluttershy,” Discord said. “I do love a good bubble gum croissant. Shame I had to provide my own gum, though.”
“Usually Pinkie provides it,” Twilight said, throwing her scarf back on. “Although I can’t honestly say I see the appeal. The hot chocolate was great, though.”
Discord shrugged. “I found it rather blasé, myself. Not nearly as scrumptious as my own hot chocolate—or, should I say, my chocolate hot!”
Fluttershy smiled and clopped her hooves together. “Ooh, I love the chocolate hot! You should show Twilight.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Why do you call it—” With a snap of Discord’s tail, a mug of hot chocolate—literally a mug made of hot chocolate—appeared in the air before Twilight. She grabbed it in her magic and stared, watching the liquid flow and ooze around while still maintaining its shape. She peered into the mug and saw a chunky golden liquid that smelled of marshmallows. She took a sip, and a mix of sugar, cocoa, and bliss flooded her mouth. “That is fascinating.”
“And shockingly healthy!” Discord said. “It’s part of its own food group, you know. I call it—”
At that instant Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo came to an abrupt stop in front of them. They had come face to face with Applejack and Apple Bloom, and the two pairs were now staring each other down. Applejack and Apple Bloom were covered in what looked like sawdust while Rainbow and Scootaloo were dripping with bits of snow and ice. The silence lingered, and eventually Rainbow and Applejack smirked at each other.
Fluttershy blinked. “What do you think they’re doing?” she whispered.
Discord leaned down and replied, “I believe it’s called ‘wasting my time.’”
Finally Applejack said, “Good luck.” She extended a hoof.
Rainbow bumped it with her own hoof. “Ditto.” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo reached over and bumped each other’s hooves too, then the pairs galloped on as if nothing had happened.
Discord waved after Rainbow and Scootaloo. “You’re welcome for that giant block of ice!” When no reply came, Discord rolled his eyes. “Some ponies.”
***
An hour or so later, a large crowd of ponies stood at the end of the path leading through Sweet Apple Acres. The group was headed by Mayor Mare and Rarity, both of whom held clipboards. Applejack, Apple Bloom, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo weren’t far behind—they all had bags under their eyes and walked with a faint slouch.
“Now,” Mayor Mare said, “we will take stock of the decorative qualities of Sweet Apple Acres. Best of luck to you, Apple family!” The crowd moved forward onto the path.
Ponies ooh-ed and aah-ed at the sights. Candy cane fences bound together by blinking red and green lights lined either side of the road. Snowponies sat just beyond the fences by the dozens, striking various poses and sporting a complete wardrobe of Hearth’s Warming attire. In the darkness the apple trees were largely silhouettes, but the holiday lights revealed bits of golden tinsel sparkling in the treetops. All the trees seemed to be joined together by a single, impossibly long strand of tinsel.
Rainbow Dash whipped her head around. “Gotta say, AJ, this ain’t half-bad. Definitely doesn’t stack up against ours, but—”
Applejack slung a hoof around Rainbow and whispered, “I wouldn’t go sayin’ anythin’ just yet, Dash.” She pulled away and allowed Apple Bloom to climb on her back. “Anyway, we gotta run ahead. Got somethin’ planned.” The two galloped ahead of the group, disappearing over the hill.
“I absolutely adore these colours,” Rarity said. “So very traditional.”
“Agreed,” said the mayor, “but it’s still lacking that wow factor. Something to really make it stand out above the rest.”
Rarity’s mouth slanted. “Yes, you do have a point there.” She made a mark on her clipboard. Rainbow Dash smirked at Scootaloo, who beamed in return. “There is quite a distinct possibility that the wow factor is still coming, though,” Rarity said. “We haven’t seen the actual home yet. Perhaps they’re saving it for a grand finale.”
The crowd rounded the last corner and arrived at Sweet Apple Acres proper, and Rainbow gawked. Every inch of the house and barn was covered in some Hearth’s Warming decoration or another. Lights and wreaths and stars and reindeer and garland and holly were all over the place, forming a haven of traditional merriment.
Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh stood in the front yard, each of them poised to buck one of three evergreens. “Happy Hearth’s Warmin’, y’all!” Applejack cheered. The Apples all kicked their trees, and the colourful apple ornaments fell to the ground. When they struck, they exploded and launched streams of white light high into the sky. Fireworks of every colour exploded and cast away all the darkness below, briefly illuminating the surrounding apple trees.
Both Rarity and Mayor Mare mouthed the word, “Wow.” Rainbow Dash shook her head to free herself from the trance, and only then did she notice the smell wafting by: fresh-baked apple pie with traces of cinnamon. It filled her nostrils with warm succulence, the sweet, heavy aroma drawing her forward like a siren’s call.
“Come on in, everypony!” Apple Bloom called, pulling open a barn door. “Granny baked enough pies for everyone to get a piece!”
From Rainbow’s side, Scootaloo charged forward and joined up with Apple Bloom. They exchanged a few words, both of them smiling, and walked into the barn together. Rainbow smiled and followed the crowd into the barn.
***
“I tell ya, AJ,” Rainbow said as the mob of ponies wandered closer to her own home, “it’s too bad this isn’t a contest for whose grandma can bake the best pies. No contest there.”
“Shoot,” Applejack said, bowing her hat, “that was just a li’l somethin’ Granny put together while we were tinselin’ up the trees. A nice gesture and a great way to end off the tour, I reckon.”
Scootaloo licked the last of the apple filling from her lips and said, “That tour was so awesome! I really thought me and Rainbow Dash were unstoppable, but after seeing that, I’m not sure who’s gonna win anymore. It’s, like, the closest race ever!”
“Don’t worry, Scoot,” Rainbow said. She puffed out her chest. “Sweet Apple Acres was cool and all, but I’m still absolutely, one hundred and ten percent confident that our place is gonna blow the top off this contest! Nopony’s ever seen anything like it!”
Both of Applejack’s eyebrows rose. “Golly. Y’all musta cooked up somethin’ mighty impressive to be boastin’ like that. Ya still ain’t got a chance at winnin’, but I’m plum excited to see it.”
“And for our final entry of the evening,” Rarity announced, “let us examine the decorative merits of Rainbow Dash and Scoo… ta… da…” Her mouth fell agape as the crowd crested the hill. Applejack looked forward and gasped with the rest of the ponies.
A giant tree made of ice reached far into the sky, holding Rainbow Dash’s cloud home in its branches. Tendrils of brilliant white lights hung from above, illuminating the tree with an ethereal, spectral glow. From somewhere far above, snowflakes of every Hearth’s Warming colour tumbled by, coating the ground in a blend of holiday brilliance. And to top it all off, snow sculptures of exquisite size and technique dotted the field beneath the tree. Snow castles, igloos, snowponies, and ornate parapets extended all around. It was a veritable city of ice and snow.
“My goodness!” Mayor Mare exclaimed, peering over her glasses. “Now that’s a wow factor if I’ve ever seen one. Very impressive, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo.”
“She ain’t kiddin’,” Applejack said, still staring wide-eyed at the scene. “Rainbow, this is… I don’t even… how did you—”
“This is amazin’!” Apple Bloom shrieked. “I ain’t never seen anythin’ like it! How did y’all get the snow to go a colourful like that?”
“Trade secret,” Scootaloo said with a grin. “But you have to have a licence. Oh, and you shouldn’t follow the instructions. It works better that way.”
Applejack’s expression puzzled. “What in tarnation does that even—” A cold, wet force slammed the side of her head, filling her ear with snow and knocking her on her side. When Applejack recovered and rose to a sitting position, she gazed up into the ice tree.
Rainbow Dash was sitting on a branch with a multicoloured snowball in her hoof. “Snowball fight!” she cried, lobbing one at Rarity. All of the ponies hollered and ran forth, scooping up snow and launching it at one another.
In her daze, Applejack watched as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took aim and hit each other at exactly the same time. They tumbled backwards into the snow and both emerged laughing. Applejack beamed, formed a snowball, and leapt headlong into the fray.
***
The next morning broke, and Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Applejack, and Apple Bloom were on their way towards town hall, arguing the whole way. “What are you talking about?” Scootaloo said. “You guys deserve to win way more than we do! All those sweet decorations, and the fireworks thing at the end? You guys win hooves down!”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “No way. Y’all were way more creative than us, and I still can’t figure out how ya made most o’ that stuff happen. The rainbow snow? The crazy ice sculpture? There’s no way ya can’t win!” The two fillies continued bickering as they followed Rainbow Dash and Applejack into town square. Rainbow rolled her eyes, and Applejack stifled a snicker.
The four of them were among the first ponies to reach town hall, but it didn’t take long for other Ponyvillians to congregate, and a crowd quickly formed. “You know, AJ,” Rainbow said, staring at the side of the stage where Mayor Mare and Rarity were whispering to each other, “I think I’m gonna be cool with this no matter which way it goes.”
Applejack looked at her. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded, then turned to Applejack and met her smile. “I had way more fun than I expected just doing this whole thing, and I think that’s gonna be the real takeaway. Not winning. Not losing. Just having some bonding time with Scootaloo and enjoying every second of it.” Rainbow’s face went blank, and she slammed herself in the face with a hoof. “Wow, that sounded lame. I’m so not good with words.”
“Heh, I hear ya, RD.” Applejack slung a hoof around her. “At the end o’ the day, it’s Hearth’s Warmin’ season, and what matters more than anythin’ is spendin’ time with your loved ones and havin’ fun every step o’ the way. That’s the right measure of a winner.” She gazed at Mayor Mare, who was ascending to the stage. She leaned close to Rainbow’s ear and whispered, “You’re still gonna lose, though.”
“You first,” Rainbow whispered back.
“Ahem,” Mayor Mare said as she and Rarity stepped up to the podium. The murmurs through the crowd fell silent, and the mayor smiled. “Fillies and gentlecolts! Thank you all for coming out to this special meeting this morning, and a special thanks to all the ponies who competed in Ponyville’s first ever Hearth’s Warming Decorate-Off. I can honestly say that every contestant put forth a great effort, and you should all be very proud of yourselves.
“In the end it was a very close call to make. Miss Rarity and I had to convene earlier this morning to continue discussing who the winner should be, and even after having slept on it we were both still torn.” She beamed across the crowd. “But a winner has been chosen, and I’m sure it’s one all of us can agree on. So without further adieu, Miss Rarity, if you please.” She stepped back from the podium and allowed Rarity to take center stage.
An envelope hovered up in her magic, and Rarity smiled over the crowd. “Thank you, Madame Mayor. It was an absolute honor and privilege being asked to partake in this competition as a judge. My discerning eye was put to a greater test than I would have ever thought possible. From the traditional to the chic. From the elegant to the rugged. From the colourful to the dynamic! You ponies brought forth the greatest effort imaginable, and finally—”
“Just tell us who won already!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
Rarity recoiled, and she glared for a heartbeat at Rainbow. She rolled her eyes and tore open the envelope, saying, “Very well then—the moment I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for. Fillies and gentlecolts, the winner of our very first Hearth’s Warming Decorate-Off competition, and the esteemed title holder of Honorary Hearth’s Warming Decorator and Parade Coordinator. A sincere congratulations to…”
Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Applejack, and Apple Bloom all breathed in at the same time. They held their breaths, staring up at the stage unblinking. The silence grew astronomically thick for a long few seconds.
At last, Rarity announced, “For their exquisite execution of traditional Hearth’s Warming decor: Applejack and the Apple family!”
Mighty cheers resounded through the audience, the thundering of hooves making the ground quake. Scootaloo threw a firm embrace around Apple Bloom, the fillies both squealing and jumping for joy. Applejack and Rainbow Dash shared their own quick smile and hug, then Rainbow Dash shooed Applejack off to the stage.
All of the Apples made their way up to the stage and took a bow as the crowd applauded even louder. Applejack took center stage and beamed. “Thank ya kindly, everypony! Winnin’ this here competition is a real treat. I reckon my family and I worked harder than any other Hearth’s Warmin’ on record to make this year’s decorations count, and I can honestly say that we wouldn’t have done half as good a job without this contest. Especially not without our toughest competition keepin’ us movin’ forward all the time, Rainbow Dash an’ Scootaloo!” She gestured to the pair in the crowd, and the rest of the audience cheered.
Rainbow Dash smiled and waved to the crowd—Scootaloo hopped up on her back and followed suit. When the applause died back down, the two of them turned back to the stage. “Can we do this again next year?” Scootaloo whispered.
Rainbow Dash grinned over her shoulder. She looked into Scootaloo's bright, hopeful eyes and said, “Heck yeah we can!”
