"May I have the next petitioner, please?" Twilight said.
A pony entered the throne room. She was a mint green unicorn mare with a distinctive golden lyre as her cutie mark. Like many of the petitioners before her, she was wearing a scarf, hat, and heavy winter coat. Nevertheless, she still seemed to be suppressing shivers. When she reached Twilight's throne, she sunk into a deep bow.
Twilight smiled sheepishly. Ever since she had become a princess, ponies insisted on coming to her, instead of Mayor Mare, with their problems. By Celestia's suggestion, Twilight had decided to set up "court" every so often so that she could address them. Given that Mayor Mare was busy enough with paperwork and political relations with other towns, she was glad for this new arrangement and happily promoted Twilight from “Ponyville Librarian” to “Public Relations Manager.”
And every time they came, ponies bowed. Twilight had insisted that ponies not bow to her unless she was in the company of the other princesses. Even so, many ponies found it more comfortable to always bow to royalty and address them "properly," no matter who it was. Twilight let it happen. After a few seconds, she spoke up.
"Rise, Lyra. We're all friends here," Twilight greeted, smiling as Lyra got back up. "So, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Yes, Princess. Why is it so cold and dark today? The renovations on Town Hall started today, and I wanted to help, but it looked like it was still nighttime. And the moment I stepped out of my house, I had to go back inside to bundle up more. Even with my heaviest winter coat, I don't think I could spend more than a few minutes out in the cold. I was lucky that the cart that brought me here was heated." Lyra shivered and wrapped her coat tighter around herself. Even inside the warmed castle, it seemed that Lyra was still feeling the chill.
Twilight sighed. This was the same question she had received countless times earlier today. The repetitiveness didn't change the harsh reality, however. "It's because of an asteroid, I think. I've been tracking one for a few months now because it was orbiting our world quite closely. Yesterday, I couldn't see it with my telescope, but I saw a shooting star over the Badlands. That was probably the asteroid."
"But how does an asteroid cause the sky to go dark and the air to grow so cold? It's freezing out there!"
"I know it's cold out there, Lyra. I've been told that all day," Twilight said. "The truth is, a large enough asteroid, when it hits the ground, can raise a blanket of dust into the atmosphere. That's probably why the sky is so dark; the dust is so thick that it's blocking out the sun."
Lyra backed up, a worried look on her face. "A-and if the sun isn't getting through the dust . . ."
Twilight nodded grimly. "It's not warming the earth. That's why it's so cold."
"Can you fix it, Princess?" Lyra looked at Twilight pleadingly.
Twilight hesitated. "I . . . I don't know. There's so much dust that I don't think I could destroy much of it. It's not a cloud, so pegasi have no power over it either." Twilight shook her head and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Lyra. I'm still working on a solution."
Twilight turned around and went to the large floor-length window in the throne room. She placed a hoof on the crystal, feeling the icy condensation that had formed on the inside. "I don't know when, or even if, I'll be able to fix this. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to solve this problem tomorrow, or the next day, or even soon,” Twilight sighed. “I just don't know."
Twilight turned back and fixed Lyra with an authoritative look. "The days are only going to get colder. Until I find a solution, please tell everypony you can to stay inside as much as possible and to keep a fire going at all times. That goes double for you, Lyra. You're a unicorn, which means you're more susceptible to the cold than most."
Lyra shivered again. "I know! It's so cold out there that I can feel my horn trying to freeze off!"
Twilight shuddered. She didn't want to know what that felt like. "It's alright, Lyra. I sent a message to Princess Celestia about this a few hours ago. She'll be able to help us, I'm sure," Twilight said, sitting back down on her throne.
"Oh, that's good. Thank you, Princess." Lyra sunk into a bow again. When she rose, Twilight saw her eyeing the ominous weather outside through the window behind Twilight. With the dust obscuring the sky, the ground was lit in a dirty brown light. The wind had picked up, blowing flurries of snow around. It would be even colder now than before.
Twilight saw the look. "Will you be okay on your walk back home?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah, maybe? I hope so?" Lyra shrugged, uncertain.
Twilight shook her head. She stood up, lowered her head, and with a grunt, surrounded Lyra with a bright red glow. When she stopped the spell, the glow dissipated, and Lyra was left with a pulsing pink aura surrounding her figure. Twilight let out a huge breath and collapsed back on the throne. "There," she said, gasping, "that will help stave off the cold. Please travel quickly, Lyra; I don't know how long the spell will last."
Lyra had her mouth open, amazed that Twilight would go to such lengths to ensure her safety. Closing her mouth and bowing quickly, she ran out of the room.
When Lyra left, Twilight took a few moments to catch her breath and then sat up straight. She cleared her throat and called out, "Spike? Send in the next petitioner, please."
"That was the last one, Twilight. I think we're done," Spike called back.
Relieved, Twilight slumped back down to her throne, exhausted. Thank goodness, Twilight thought. I don't know how many more times I could cast that spell. Even as an alicorn, she found that particular spell exhausting. Twilight's heat shield spells required that she transform her own energy into heat. To counter this much cold, even for just a few minutes, it took an inordinate amount of energy.
Spike emerged from behind the doors of the throne room and closed them. He jogged up to Twilight and sat on the smaller throne next to her. He frowned. "You did the heat spell again, didn't you, Twilight?" he scolded. "You can't keep doing that. You're gonna die of exhaustion!"
"I have to, Spike," Twilight said, panting. "How else will unicorns and foals make it home safely? I can spare some energy for them."
"Not if you keep doing it," Spike said. He shook his head and, clearing his throat, spit out a scroll. "Here. The Princess got back to you a few minutes ago, but I didn't want to interrupt you."
"Oh!" Exhaustion forgotten, Twilight took the scroll in her magic and hastily unrolled it:
Princess Twilight Sparkle,
I have read your theory on what has happened recently, and you are correct: an asteroid has indeed hit Equestria in the Deep Badlands. As it is uninhabited, there have been no direct casualties by the impact, but I cannot say the same about its secondary effects. The dust it has raised has clouded Equestria and beyond. The professors at Canterlot University tell me that they estimate the cloud to be at least a mile tall and thickening . . .
"A mile?" Twilight gasped, shocked. She never imagined the dust to be that expansive. If there was any hope of destroying the cloud of dust before, it was gone now. Twilight kept reading.
. . . and the dust is so thick already that I cannot pierce it with the sun without fear of igniting the world. This is, without a doubt, the worst natural disaster that Equestria has ever seen.
Cadance, Luna, and I have tried destroying the dust ourselves and met with little success. There is too much dust for our efforts to make a meaningful difference. We again consulted with the university professors and tried their ideas. They were unsuccessful. I have since made that research a top priority and maximized their funding for environmental catastrophe research. Nearly every professor in Canterlot now is trying to find a solution. A Foalbel Prize will go to the one, whoever it may be, who finds a solution to this problem. I am sorry that I cannot help you further.
"No . . . There's no solution?" Twilight looked out the window in worry. What do I do now, then?
Discord is a remarkable being, but even he is a being. I have relayed your dust transmutation ideas to him, but he has expressed his doubts. His chaos magic is powerful, yes, but he claims that the cosmic origin of the dust has repelled his own magic. I have no reason to doubt him. At the moment, he is helping us with Canterlot's emergency preparedness and relief efforts.
This is a terrible calamity, Twilight, and it will test the limits of our leadership abilities. Luna's, mine, Cadance's, and yes, yours as well. In lieu of Mayor Mare, who has told me that she is unfamiliar with these situations, you must remain strong for the citizens of Ponyville. They are lucky to have a princess such as yourself in their town, and you must lead them through this storm. Lead them, protect them, give them hope, and be the princess I know you can be.
This will, unfortunately, be my last missive to you for a while. I have grounded all pegasi for safety reasons, so I cannot send you letters by traditional mail. Dragon magic, like chaos, is impeded by dust, and I fear it will soon be too thick for Spike to send me your messages.
But I have faith in you, Princess. Good luck.
Celestia Sol Refulgens
Twilight put the letter down slowly. "I have to lead Ponyville out of this?" she said, trying to come to terms with reality. She had been holding court and accepting petitioners for a while, but she never imagined she'd be thrust so quickly into the leadership of an entire town. Twilight's tail twitched in apprehension.
The next two days passed as Twilight feared. With every day that went by, the dust cloud grew thicker. Eventually, it became an impregnable blanket of brown dust that kept those under it shrouded in a murky darkness. The air grew colder by the hour.
Soon, by Twilight's court and word of mouth, everypony in Ponyville knew why the sky was dark and what to do until the dust cleared. They stayed inside of their homes to conserve heat. Taking precedence from Celestia, Twilight also expressly forbade any pegasi from flying or doing any postal or weather work for safety reasons. With no more ponies coming in to ask questions, Twilight and Spike were left alone in the castle.
As Celestia had predicted, the dust grew too thick for Spike's dragon magic to work anymore. After Celestia's initial message, Twilight had hastily penned a reply, and gave it to Spike to send. When he blew fire on the letter, the green wisp of magic escaped the castle, turned black, and fell to the ground in ashes several hundred yards away. Twilight was on her own. She had nothing left to do but experiment further on the dust to see if she could succeed where the greatest minds in Canterlot failed.
"Let's try this one," Twilight said, rising from her desk, scroll in hoof. It was a very long scroll, several yards long, detailing the newest spell she had conceived of. As she walked to the window to cast her spell, she passed her enormous wastebasket of failed spells and her even more enormous wastebasket of failed ideas.
Twilight stopped at the window. Studying the scroll one last time, she cast her spell. A tiny blue spark of energy escaped her horn and ascended into the dust cloud.
"Come on . . ." Twilight said, looking up into the blanket of dust in anticipation. Moments later, an explosion rattled the castle as the sky above was lit in a bright blue flash of light. It faded slowly, revealing . . . more brown. Despite the powerful explosion, the dust above the castle had not even visibly thinned.
Twilight groaned and slammed her head into the window. She balled up her scroll with her magic and tossed it into the wastebasket of failed spells.
"Again?" a voice behind her asked. Twilight turned around to see Spike, a frown on his face.
"Yeah," Twilight replied, wearily. "Honestly, I don't know what to do anymore. I've been trying spells for so long, but none of them work. The only thing left to do is . . ." Twilight raised her hooves in a helpless gesture. ". . . Wait it out."
"But how long will that take, Twilight?" Spike asked. "Celestia said the dust was a mile high, and it hasn't gotten any thinner."
"I don't know, Spike!" Twilight exclaimed. "I've tried everything! What else am I supposed to do?" Twilight sighed heavily in frustration and placed her head on the window again.
Twilight was interrupted by a knock on the door. Strange, Twilight thought. Didn't I tell everypony to stay inside? Maybe somepony didn't get the news. Twilight stood up and composed herself as best she could. She descended down the stairs to the vestibule of the castle where the grand entrance was. She opened the door to admit the pony outside.
"Oh! Hi, Rainbow Dash. What brings you . . ." Twilight trailed off. "Are you alright, Dash? You're coughing," Twilight asked, concerned.
Rainbow stepped inside the castle, and Twilight closed the doors behind her. Trying to suppress her coughs, Rainbow sputtered, "Dust is— —is too thick. It's gotten into my cloud home. I can't stay in there any— —any longer, Twilight."
"Oh no!" Twilight rushed to the kitchen of the castle, continuing to talk to Rainbow. "I'm so sorry, Rainbow. I didn't think the dust would be worse higher in the sky." She returned with a glass of water and gave it to Rainbow.
She accepted the glass and took a long sip before responding. "Yeah, it is. It's so dang thick that I could barely see a hoof in front of my face. Just today, it got really dusty and really cold, and I started coughing and shivering, like, nonstop. I had to grab Tank and get outta there as soon as I could, Twilight." Rainbow lowered the saddlebags on her back to the ground and unlatched it. Out waddled Tank, also coughing and sputtering.
Twilight put a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your cloud house, Rainbow. I don't think it's safe to live in anymore. You can stay in the castle until . . . well, until the dust settles, okay?"
"Until the dust settles?" Rainbow asked, askance. "How long is that going to take? You know that it's getting colder all the time, right? Ponyville can't deal with this 'until the dust settles.' By the time it does, we'll all be ice cubes!"
"I'm . . ." Twilight hesitated. There was some truth to Rainbow's words, after all; it would take quite a long time. No! Twilight's mind shouted in rebuttal. I can't start thinking like that. The dust will settle, and we'll be alright. We have to stay hopeful!
". . . I'm sure it won't take that long, Dash. If we just stay strong, I'm sure the dust will thin out, and things will resolve themselves," Twilight said, putting on a smile.
"It would be so much easier if you could just zap it all away like you normally do."
Twilight shook her head. "I can't; I've been trying all day. There's too much dust for me to do anything with. Even the other princesses can't do anything about it." Twilight shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, Dash. I've tried. There's nothing I can do."
Rainbow didn't respond. She merely looked out a window and swished her tail back and forth. Her wings were twitching.
"Please don't, Dash," Twilight said, thrusting her hooves out, trying to interrupt Rainbow's thoughts. "It's dust, not a cloud. If you could move it, you would have done that days ago."
Rainbow kept looking out the window. "Every day that Ponyville's under this dust, things are just gonna get harder. It needs to go."
Twilight turned Rainbow's head to face her own. Her face was sympathetic. "I know, Rainbow, I know. But there's nothing I can do about it, and there's nothing you can do, either. We just have to let time take its course."
Rainbow took in a breath, as if to argue further, then released it in a sigh. "Fine."
The two walked up to the throne room of the castle. Twilight opened closets and back rooms to gather the supplies she would need to set up a bed for Rainbow Dash.
"So, what should we do while we're . . . I guess, waiting it out, Twilight?" Rainbow asked.
Twilight paused. "I don't know. I suppose normally, Spike and I would be decorating for Hearth's Warming about this time but . . ." Twilight glanced at the weather outside. That was all that needed to be said.
". . . Yeah." Rainbow Dash said. She shuffled her hooves awkwardly.
Twilight resumed walking, trying to put some cheer into her voice. "The castle's a pretty big place. I'm sure we can find some things to keep up busy while we're waiting for the dust to settle." She put on a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Rainbow just nodded glumly. They both knew that it would be a long wait.
Twilight woke up feeling chills down her spine. That's odd, Twilight thought. She knew it was getting colder by the day, but she didn't expect it to come this quickly. Idly, Twilight looked out of her window. In addition to the brown clouds of dust in the sky, there was now also a shower of snow falling from it. Snow? How can there be snow now?
Twilight's heart thudded in her chest. If it really was snowing, their situation was about to go from bad to worse. It would make things wet, mushy, and even colder.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the slam of a door. Twilight's eyes widened. She herself burst out of her bedroom door, and found the doors to the throne room thrown wide open. She also saw Rainbow Dash flying for the door of the castle.
Twilight galloped to the vestibule of the castle, intent on catching Rainbow Dash before she did something foolish. The moment Rainbow opened the doors to the castle, she shot upwards . . . only to be brought back down to earth by the tail.
"Ow!" Rainbow exclaimed, rubbing her behind, which had just been slammed to the floor. "What the hay, Twilight! I need to stop the snowstorm!"
"No, Dash, you can't!" Twilight shouted back. Twilight hastily closed to the door to the castle. From the pile of snow that had fallen into the castle, it looked like it had been snowing for a while. "The dust is too thick and the snow clouds are too high. You'd suffocate or freeze before you could make a difference!"
Rainbow shook her head angrily. "You don't know that, Twilight! Besides, if I don't bust those clouds, things are only gonna get worse!"
"Please, no, Rainbow," Twilight pleaded. "I won't let you try your hoof at clearing the clouds in this kind of weather." Twilight gestured to the sky outside. The blanket of brown dust was opaque and nigh impenetrable. "If you go up there, you'll never come back!"
"And if I don't go up there, the snow's just gonna keep falling! Ponyville's gonna suffer even more for it, and I can't let that happen!" Rainbow flexed her legs in preparation to launch again, but again, Twilight's magic restrained her.
"I said no, Rainbow!" Twilight snapped.
Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "Twilight, either you let me go to get rid of those clouds, or you bust them yourself."
"Rainbow, you know I can't use magic to clear clouds! And I won't let you risk your well-being to stop a little snow!" Twilight released Rainbow and stepped back. She sighed, exasperated, and started pacing back and forth. "Why did this snow even have to start? That's the last thing we need right now."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "It's not like the pegasi did it! The storm probably blew in from the Everfree Forest. Normally, I'd be having one of my weather crew surveying the area to stop these rogue storms before they start." Rainbow stepped up and set her face to butt against Twilight's. "This is what happens when you keep us all inside!"
Twilight gasped. She narrowed her eyes, and glared at Rainbow. "I just want everypony to be safe, Rainbow!"
Rainbow refused to back down, and glared back. "Yeah, well, I want that too, Twilight!"
Both ponies pushed against each other, snarls on their faces. Eventually, after a few moments, Twilight relented. She took a deep breath, retreated from Rainbow, and sat down. "I'm sorry, Rainbow, okay?" she said. Twilight turned her head to the side and refused to look at Rainbow. A melancholy frown was on her face. "I just can't bear to see my friends get hurt."
Briefly surprised by Twilight's concession, Rainbow took the moment to calm down. Rainbow sat down next to Twilight. She scratched her hooves on the ground idly. "Yeah. I know, Twilight. I just don't want Ponyville to suffer for it."
The moment was interrupted by a timid tap on the door. Twilight wouldn't have heard it if they weren't sitting so close to the door. "I'll get it," Twilight said, getting up to answer the door.
Twilight opened the door quickly to let the pony on the other side in, and closed it right after. Only then did she look to see who came in.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight exclaimed. The pegasus was naked, save for a single scarf around her neck. "What happened? I told everypony to stay inside. Why didn't you listen and stay in your home?"
Fluttershy was shivering. She looked down and refused to lift her head. "I . . . I can't. Not anymore," Fluttershy whispered.
"Why? You know that it's safest in your own home."
"Because . . . Be-because . . ."
Fluttershy broke down into tears then and there. Twilight quickly coaxed her into the throne room and set up a bed for her with Rainbow Dash. Even though Twilight never received an answer from her friend, she asked no more questions. Fluttershy's wails of despair gave Twilight more information than she ever wanted to know.
"Why? Why! Why did the cold have to take you too? I'm sorry, Angel! Mama's so sorry!"
Rainbow hugged Fluttershy tightly while she sobbed. Meanwhile, she glared at Twilight. Rainbow's eyes said all that needed to be said from her. This is what happens when you keep us all inside.
The next day, Twilight was surprised by an urgent pounding on the castle door. Rousing herself quickly, she galloped to the door and threw it open. Before her stood Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. They all stepped inside the castle, and Twilight closed the door behind them. "What are you all . . ." she trailed off when she noticed the state that Rarity was in.
She was bundled up from head to tail. Even with a jacket, pants, leg warmers, boots, and a scarf, Rarity was still shivering. Her mane and tail lacked their usual curl, and her breathing was shallow. The beginnings of frostbite were present on her hooves and ears. It was clear that Applejack and Pinkie Pie were there to support her. "Rarity! What happened?" Twilight said.
Meanwhile, Rainbow had emerged from the throne room to see what all the commotion was all about. Seeing three other friends in the vestibule, Rainbow sped off to gather more supplies to set up three more beds.
Fluttershy also slowly walked out of the throne room, head drooped. When she saw the state that Rarity was in, she immediately perked up and flew down to investigate. Depressed or not, Fluttershy could never ignore a friend in need.
She rushed over to Rarity's side, nearly bowling over Applejack in the process. "Oh my goodness! Rarity, are you okay?" Fluttershy cried. She coaxed Rarity to move to the throne room, where there was a fire going.
"Hello, d-d-darling," Rarity forced out. Her voice was barely a whisper.
When they made it to the throne room, Fluttershy immediately pushed Rarity as close to the fire as she could. Rainbow Dash also raced back in, carrying a bundle of blankets. She draped some of them over Rarity.
Twilight asked Applejack again, "What happened?"
"You should'a seen it, Twilight," Applejack said. "We got to Rarity's, and we saw that there was a branch right through one of her windows. Storm must've snapped it right off the tree. The floor was completely covered in snow. Shoot, there might've been icicles hangin' off the ceiling, too. She didn't even have a fire going. Said that the snow put it out and made the wood too wet to relight. She had nothin' to fight off the wind neither, so she was just sittin' in the room freezin'."
Twilight looked to Rarity, who weakly nodded her affirmation. Rainbow glared at Twilight again, but she ignored her.
Fluttershy squeezed Rarity tightly. "Oh, Rarity, you poor thing! You must be so cold right now!" she exclaimed. "Let me make you some soup, Rarity. That will make you feel better." Fluttershy rushed off to the kitchen before anypony could react.
Twilight sighed, and turned her eyes back to Rarity. She had been sitting in front of the fire for a while, but she was still fighting off the shivers that refused to go away. Twilight addressed Pinkie and Applejack: "Thanks, girls. I'm really glad that you brought her here." Twilight put a hoof to her chin in contemplation. "But I thought I told everypony to stay inside."
"I had to go, Twilight," Pinkie explained. "My Pinkie Sense told me a friend needed my help, and I felt it coming from Rarity's house. You don't just ignore something like that, y'know? When I arrived, I saw that Applejack was already there. She must have been doing her rounds." Pinkie looked back at Rarity. "Good thing, too; I don't think I could have gotten her back here all by myself."
Twilight nodded as she took in the information. "I guess that makes sense . . . wait, rounds? What rounds?"
Applejack stepped forward. "My rounds, Twilight. I've been checkin' on ponies around town and sharin' supplies where they were needed."
Twilight blinked. "But I thought I told you to stay inside. It's safer that way."
Applejack lowered her hat. "No can do, Twilight. Y'might not know it, but lots of folks are running out of food or firewood. This cold took a lot of us by surprise, and we never expected we would need to stock up."
Twilight remained silent, but Applejack continued speaking. "Some ponies are havin' to move in with their neighbors when they run out of supplies. Lil' fillies and colts are getting sick too. The unicorns ain't handling it much better." Applejack looked Twilight in the eye. "Ponies are struggling, Twilight."
Twilight stepped back. She hadn't realized that so many other ponies were having trouble braving the storm. What can I do? Twilight thought. I don't want my friends 'making rounds' and risking themselves out in this cold, but I don't want other ponies to be hurt, either. Twilight shuddered. I don't even want to think about what would have happened to Rarity if Applejack or Pinkie hadn't found her when they did.
Ponyville isn't prepared for this storm. They don't have enough supplies to last much longer. Twilight started pacing back and forth worriedly. I guess the castle can shelter a few ponies, but how long will I be able to keep that up? It's not like I have massive quantities of . . . Twilight's eyes widened in realization. She ran down to the castle basement as she remembered the events that happened just a few weeks ago.
"Hi, Mayor Mare! I have to say that I didn't expect you of all ponies to come to me during my court hours! You know that you can always send a letter to me. What can I do for you?"
"Greetings, Twilight. You are aware of the Town Hall renovations that are due to start soon, correct?"
"Yes, I am. Do you need me to help with the planning?"
"No, Twilight, that won't be necessary. I have already arranged the events. However, I would like to ask a favor from you."
"Of course, Mayor! What is it?"
"The Town Hall will have to be cleared completely to make room for the renovations. I have no problem with moving most things there to my home for the time being, but the food stores in the basement are too large for me to do the same with them. Therefore, I would like to ask, Twilight . . ."
In the basement of the castle, Twilight found the food stores just as she left them: piles upon piles of canned food. They could probably sustain Ponyville for quite a while.
Okay, so food won't be a problem then, Twilight thought. But what about the firewood? Ponies will need a way to stay warm if they come, and Town Hall had no stores of firewood. I only have enough for Spike and I, certainly not enough for all of Ponyville!
Twilight's eyes turned to the only other item in the basement. In the corner, there lay a bundle of singed timber, leaves, and books. They were the remnants of Twilight's old library. She had kept them in the basement of the castle for months so she could salvage what she could from her old home . . . and because she couldn't bear to throw it out. The wood was special to her. The flammable wood.
I can't! Twilight shook her head vigorously. There are so many memories kept in that library. I can't just . . . destroy it like this! But if I don't . . . Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as Cadance had taught her a long time ago. She opened her eyes slowly. She pushed out the emotions held in her heart and looked at the remains of her library with the most practical mindset she could. Being a princess means making sacrifices. It's wood; it will burn, and it will keep us warm. It will buy us more time, and that's what we need right now.
Steeling herself—emotionally and physically—Twilight aimed her horn, and fired a magenta beam of energy towards the remnants of her library. The wood was pulverized into many smaller chunks. With each beam from her horn, Twilight broke the wood into smaller and smaller pieces.
Each beam was like a shot through her heart. Twilight gritted her teeth and continued. When she finished, the library was unrecognizable from an ordinary pile of firewood. Even her old bed and Spike's basket now lay as a pile of tinder. Twilight sighed. She walked up to the pile, kissed the wood gently, and retreated up the stairs.
When she made it back to the throne room, Applejack confronted her. "Twilight! I heard all this bangin' and crashin' downstairs. I thought you were apple buckin' or something! What were you doin'?"
"Preparing," Twilight said simply. "Thank you informing me of this, Applejack. I know what needs to be done."
Twilight slowly walked to the center of the throne room, and lit her horn in a magenta glow, concentrating. She threw her head back and sent a beam of energy straight up. It passed through the ceiling and the upper floors of the castle to hit the spire at the apex. The very air in the castle seemed to vibrate as Twilight spoke, the castle amplifying her voice so it could be heard in every house of Ponyville.
"Citizens of Ponyville. It has been several days since the asteroid struck Equestria, and the dust in sky is still as thick as it was the day it hit. Every day the sun fails to pierce the dust, the air gets a little colder. I realize now that it has become too cold for some ponies."
Twilight looked at Applejack and nodded. She continued speaking.
"I am now declaring my castle an open sanctuary. Any of those ponies who have found it too cold to keep living their own homes can seek refuge in the castle. We will personally see to your temporary living arrangements when you arrive, and we will provide you with food and . . . a-and . . ."
Twilight stopped, closed her eyes, and took another deep breath. Being a princess means making sacrifices for those in need. And right now, Ponyville needs my help more than ever. Twilight opened her eyes and steeled herself to finish her sentence.
". . . and firewood for as long as we are able. If you are out of either of those supplies, come quickly so that we may tend to you. And please, if your neighbor is a unicorn or has foals, know that they are very susceptible to the cold. If they would like to come, please help them make it here safely."
Twilight retreated again to gather her thoughts. Another part of being a princess was to maintain hope and morale and optimism, as Celestia had said in her letter. She spoke again.
"We will ride out this storm, Ponyville. This asteroid may have got us down, but we will endure until the dust settles and the sun and moon can shine again. Just hold out a little longer, and the bitter cold will retreat. Equestria may be battered, but we will not break."
Letting out the breath she didn't know she was holding, Twilight ended the spell, and sat down on the floor.
Minutes after Twilight finished her announcement, Applejack went back out into the blizzard to go fetch her family and any other ponies who were having trouble coping with the cold. It wouldn't take long for ponies to start trickling in.
Twilight took this time to prepare her castle. Lighting her horn, Twilight opened every room of the castle, priming them for their future occupants. For whatever reason, when her castle was created, it came with far more rooms than Twilight could occupy. As a result, many of them were empty and did nothing but gather dust. Now, Twilight finally had a use for them. Every family that arrived would have a room to stay in. There were probably enough rooms in the castle to house all of Ponyville inside.
Twilight and her friends had already taken up lodging in the throne room. She could also make public announcements from that room if necessary, so Twilight reasoned that she would stay with her friends there.
Twilight went down to the basement and began hauling firewood and food up to the entrance vestibule of the castle, where they would be in easy reach. After several rounds, Twilight heard someone shout to her.
"Twilight!" Pinkie trotted down the staircase of the castle to join Twilight. "What are you doing?"
"I need to prepare the castle for Ponyville's arrival." Twilight replied. "I don't know how many ponies will come, so I'm preparing for the worst."
"Why didn't you ask us to help? We're here too, you know!" Pinkie cocked her head at Twilight.
"Well, Rarity's in no shape to help right now, and I don't think Fluttershy wants to be away from her for too long. Rainbow . . ." Twilight shook her head. "We had a fight, Pinkie. I think she needs a little time to cool off right now." She turned to head back downstairs for some more firewood.
"No way, Twilight," Pinkie said, following Twilight. "Rainbow said to me that she wanted to help, so how about letting her help? It looks like you have a lot to do." Once they made it to the basement, Pinkie spied the large mountains of wood and food that still needed to be moved. "A lot to do."
Twilight looked at the pile herself, and she sighed. "I guess you're right, Pinkie. We're friends, and we should help each other. I can't let something as silly as a little argument get between us and Ponyville's safety. Pinkie, would you mind . . ." Twilight trailed off when she looked beside her and saw that there was nopony there. It looked like Pinkie had already gone to fetch Rainbow. Twilight shrugged, and brought another load of firewood upstairs.
When she returned to the vestibule, she saw Pinkie smiling with Rainbow Dash beside her, fidgeting. Twilight dropped off her load and looked at Rainbow. They nodded simultaneously, agreeing to put a truce to their quarrel and work on their task together.
With Pinkie and Rainbow's help, the food and firewood was brought upstairs much more quickly. Just in time, too. When they were finished, Twilight heard a knock.
Upon opening the doors to the castle, the first thing Twilight felt was the cold wind. It wasted no time in rushing inside and stealing some latent warmth within. Twilight ushered everypony inside, and quickly closed the door. Only then did she survey the ponies that came.
Applejack led the group with Applebloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh standing behind her, shivering to various degrees. Behind all of them stood the Carrot and Doo families, among other ponies. In the very back was a big bundle of coats. When the bundle moved, Twilight saw a flash of a golden lyre cutie mark that she remembered well.
"Thank you for coming, everypony." Twilight said. "I know that it's really cold out there, and I want to make sure that Ponyville is safe for as long as possible." Twilight gestured to the many open doors behind her. "You can choose any room to stay in with your family." She then pointed to the piles of wood and food. "This is the stockpile of supplies that I have in the castle. Take what food and wood you need, but please be considerate. I don't know how many other ponies will be coming, and we need to conserve."
Murmuring words of thanks, the ponies in front of her began to shuffle off to various rooms in the castle, some of them taking food and firewood from the stockpile. Applejack took her family upstairs and set them up right beside the throne room. Once the ponies in front of her cleared, the pony in the very back shuffled up to Twilight.
"Hi, Lyra. Are you alright? Did you make it here safely?" Twilight asked, concerned.
A muffled voice emerged from the bundle of coats. "I think so," Lyra said. Shedding a few outer layers so that she could move more freely, Lyra examined herself. She found that the very tips of her ears and horn were inflamed red and felt numb. Upon poking them a few times, Lyra winced as feeling came back with an intense burning sensation.
"Frostnip," Twilight whispered. "You're lucky that you made it here quickly enough, Lyra. Frostnip will resolve on its own eventually. Rarity . . ." Twilight glanced back upstairs worriedly. "I don't think that Rarity was as fortunate."
"I guess I can thank my heritage for that," Lyra said, still poking her ears. "My parents were earth ponies. I think Rarity's the only unicorn in Ponyville with two unicorn parents, so she's worse off than most of us." She walked up to the pile of firewood and lit her horn to lift some of it. She cried out when she did, staggering backwards and dropping the firewood. "I don't think that frostnip was good for my horn, though," Lyra forced out through gritted teeth.
"No, I don't think so," Twilight replied, shaking her head. "You should probably avoid doing magic for a few days, Lyra. Some warmth would do you good though and help you recover faster." Twilight turned her head and called, "Rainbow? Could you set Lyra up with a room and bring her some firewood? She'll be much better off if you help her right now."
Rainbow duly saluted and grabbed a bundle of firewood from the top of the pile. She fluttered off to the nearest room, Lyra following behind her.
Nodding, Twilight turned her attention to the pile of firewood. Though it was barely depleted from the shares that Rainbow and the other ponies had taken, Twilight anticipated that many more ponies would come, and they would all need firewood. I can't risk having anypony go outside to get more firewood, so this is all we have. I need to make it last . . . Twilight thought solemnly.
Her reverie was interrupted by another knock on the door. Twilight went to answer it again.
The trickle of ponies grew into a stream, then a torrent. Only three days after Twilight made her announcement did the influx of ponies finally slow down and stop. Twilight thought that the entirety of Ponyville was now housed inside the castle. Nearly every room was occupied.
The increased number of ponies in the castle came with an increase in the draw on her resources. Though there was ample food for everyone, firewood was becoming extremely limited. As more ponies had need of it, the pile of firewood shrank at an ever-increasing rate. Twilight now made a point to always have someone she trusted monitoring the pile to ensure that the firewood went only to the ponies that needed it most.
"Hi, Cheerilee," Twilight said, addressing the pony who had just came up to her. "Do you need some firewood?"
"Yes, Twilight, I do. The foals are getting cold again, and the blankets aren't helping enough."
Twilight glanced behind herself at the pile of wood, wondering how much she could spare. Cheerilee had taken to looking after the foals who had no parents of their own who could take care of them. "You've completely burned the wood you have, right?"
"Yes. N-not even ashes left." Cheerilee wrapped her overcoat tighter around herself as she shivered. Though she would never admit it to them, she felt the advancing cold just as much as the foals did.
"And you have no other way to keep warm?" Twilight asked.
"No. And I fear if I wait any longer, some of the foals will get hypothermia."
Twilight nodded, and stepped aside. "Okay, Cheerilee. Take what you need, but not anything more. There's only so much firewood left."
"Of course, Twilight." Cheerilee stepped past Twilight to the pile and put several logs on her back. Suppressing another shiver, she nodded to Twilight and walked back to her room.
Twilight watched her go. Every day that went past, Twilight had to get more and more parsimonious about the remaining firewood. Even so, the cold outside was as inconsiderate as it always was, and every day that went past, the air grew colder and colder still, despite Twilight's attempts to combat it.
The cold had already invaded the castle, and it was slowly, inexorably making its way to the heart of everypony inside. The frost on the windows and gathering in the corners of hallways and rooms were worrying signs. Part of the reason why Twilight was often the one looking after the firewood was because she was an alicorn; she didn't feel the cold quite as much as everypony else did.
As much as she wanted to, Twilight couldn't cast her heat spell either. To cast it even once and make it last for more than a few minutes meant that she would be so drained of energy afterwards that she would have nothing left to fend off the cold from her own body.
Looking around, Twilight found everypony had at least a coat, scarf, and hat on, if not more. Twilight herself was dressed in a heavy winter cloak. Nevertheless, the cold was merely delayed by these additions. Every day that passed made the cold stronger and the ponies weaker.
Even with all the firewood, overcoats, blankets, and bodies inside the castle, everypony knew that they were fighting a losing battle. Nopony, however, would admit it.
Twilight saw Spike coming to the mountain of food. Upon seeing her, Spike turned and jogged up to Twilight. He said, "Twilight, why don't you let me take over for a while? You've been standing there for way too long. I can see the bags under your eyes! When did you last go to sleep?"
Twilight blinked. When was the last time I went to sleep? I think it was . . . I . . . I can't remember.
Spike frowned, guessing at the conclusion Twilight had come to. "Twilight, you've been so busy trying to take care of others, you forgot to take care of yourself. Go upstairs, take a nap or something. I'll handle this."
Twilight hesitated. "But . . . Are you sure, Spike? It's really cold here, and I don't want you to get hurt. You're not even wearing a coat!" Twilight exclaimed.
Spike sighed. "I'm a dragon, remember? We're not really susceptible to hot or cold."
Twilight stepped up to Spike and put a hoof on his shoulder. "I just don't want any of my friends to get hurt," Twilight reiterated. "This cold is dangerous."
"I'll be fine, Twilight. I'm not a baby anymore. Cold never bothered me anyway." Spike placed his own claw upon Twilight's chest. "Go take a nap, Twilight. I'll take care of things here."
Spike stepped away from Twilight and took up post next to firewood. Twilight conceded. "Alright, Spike, thanks. I love you."
"Love you too, sister." Spike said. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, shooing Twilight away.
Twilight nodded, and walked away from the vestibule of the castle. She went up the stairs, across the hall, and into the throne room. Before she could rest, however, Twilight wanted to check up on one last pony: the one who was worse off than any of them.
"How's Rarity?" Twilight said.
Fluttershy raised her head from her charge, just long enough to shake her head once before looking back at Rarity. From the flash of her face that Twilight saw, Fluttershy was scared.
Twilight walked to Rarity to examine her. She was bundled up in blankets and facing a roaring fire. Twilight was especially generous with firewood for her friends, but it didn't seem to be doing anything for Rarity. Rarity was still shivering constantly. The frostbite on her ears and hooves had also advanced, turning those appendages pale and waxy. The beginnings of frostbite were even showing up on the tip of her horn.
Twilight didn't want to admit it to herself, but her brain was giving her the only rational conclusion. Despite everything she had done, Rarity was getting worse.
Twilight looked around the room. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity were huddled by the fire. Applejack was at a desk, working over a ledger of ponies that were hurt by the weather, and thinking on how best to tend to them. That only left Rainbow.
"Rainbow? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked. "Shouldn't you be out helping other ponies get settled?"
Rainbow was looking out the window again, and that worried Twilight. So did Rainbow's tone of voice. "Maybe I would be if there were any ponies left that needed to get settled." Rainbow turned to Twilight, face contorted into a scowl, acid in her voice. "Or if it made a difference."
Twilight backed up, forced on the defensive. "Of course it makes a difference, Rainbow! What are you saying?"
Rainbow scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like helping ponies get comfortable into their own rooms is gonna make everything all better." She rolled her eyes in sarcasm.
Twilight had her mouth open in confusion. This wasn't like Rainbow Dash at all. "Rainbow, what has gotten into you?"
"Nothing, Twilight!" Rainbow snapped. "But the cold is gonna get into everypony here if you don't do something about it!"
"I am, Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed. "What do you think I've been doing these past few days?"
"Not enough, obviously, since it's still getting colder!" Rainbow advanced closer to Twilight. "Ponyville would be so much better off if you could just poof away all the dust."
Twilight was flabbergasted. "Rainbow, we've been over this! I can't do anything about the dust. I couldn't move or destroy enough of it to make a difference!"
Rainbow advanced closer still, the venom in her voice strong enough to kill. "Don't give me those horseapples, Twilight. You're an alicorn, for Celestia's sake! A little dust should be no match for your kind of magic!"
"Please stop fighting . . ." Fluttershy whimpered. She, Applejack, and Pinkie had turned their attention to the argument in the middle of the room. Neither Rainbow nor Twilight paid any heed, however.
"Well, yes, a little dust would be no match for alicorn magic, but this is not a little dust. Even Celestia and Luna together can't keep the skies over Canterlot clear!"
"Well, nothing, Twilight! You're the most powerful pony here. Why can't you do anything?"
"Rainbow . . ." Applejack warned, getting up from her seat.
"Because I can't!" Twilight yelled. Her frustration had reached its flash point. "Why don't you understand? No pony, no magic, no princess can do anything about this!"
"Yeah, right." Rainbow snarled. She butted her head against Twilight's. "I bet you're just too lazy to help anypony. Least of all your friends."
Twilight gasped and staggered backwards, stricken. She was too hurt by the accusation to even think of a response.
"Rainbow!" Applejack yelled, stepping in front of Rainbow and forcing her back from Twilight. "Lay off her!"
"Stop being such a meanie-pants, Dashie! You're hurting Twilight's feelings!" Pinkie added, her face a pout.
"Twilight's been doin' more than any of us, Rainbow, and you should know that!" Applejack continued. "What've you been doing lately, Rainbow? You've been sittin' up here, staring out a window and complainin' while Twilight was bustin' her chops! You got no right to accuse Twilight of anything!"
"Yeah, well . . . well . . ." Rainbow struggled. Applejack was still fixing her with a dark look, Pinkie with a sad and disappointed one. Fluttershy was covering her face with her hooves and refused to even look at her.
And of course, Twilight. Still reeling from what Rainbow had said, her face bespoke of hurt and betrayal.
"Forget it!" Rainbow Dash screamed. She bolted out of the room.
Rainbow's disappearance finally shocked Twilight out of her stupor. "Rainbow, wait! I . . . I . . ." She stared at the spot that Rainbow had been standing in seconds before. "Why did you say those things, Rainbow . . ." Twilight whispered.
The silence dragged on for minutes.
Finally, Fluttershy's soft voice cut in: "I'm sorry, Twilight. But . . ." Fluttershy bit her lip. "Could you go and find her? She's hurting right now; I can tell. I know Rainbow said some mean things, but . . ." Fluttershy looked down, and scuffed the floor with her hoof. "I-I'm sure she didn't mean them." Fluttershy looked up at Twilight earnestly.
Twilight's thoughts were reeling. Rainbow was very, very mean, and she hurt me with what she said. I don't know if I could face her again. Twilight looked up at the rest of her friends. They were all staring at her in concern.
But she's my friend. She's Rainbow Dash: the same pony who helped me defeat Nightmare Moon and Queen Chrysalis. The same pony who pleaded me to defeat Tirek over saving her own life. Twilight looked at the door to the throne room that Rainbow had burst out of. Rainbow's been a true, loyal friend . . . up until now, at least. Twilight stood up, determined. And maybe it's time to give some of that loyalty back.
Twilight nodded to Fluttershy and exited the throne room in search of Rainbow Dash.
As well as Twilight knew the castle, Rainbow was proving to be rather difficult to find. Back rooms, closets, dead-end hallways, Rainbow could not be found anywhere. The only consolation was that Twilight never heard the main doors open or windows break, so she knew that Rainbow was still somewhere in the castle.
After exhausting all the rooms and hallways of the castle, Twilight sat down to ponder. Where does Rainbow go when she's stressed? I guess she would normally be sitting on a cloud, but there aren't any clouds here. So, what's the next best thing? Twilight looked up.
In the rafters of the castle, in the tallest hollowed spire, in the very corner, Twilight saw a bit of rainbow tail peeking out.
Flexing her wings, Twilight flew upwards into the rafters. Twilight eventually alighted on Rainbow's perch, but Rainbow simply stared at a wall, refusing to acknowledge her. Twilight waited.
Eventually, Rainbow spoke, "Leave me alone, Twilight. I'm sure you've got some important princess-y things to do."
"I have something important to do right here," Twilight responded adamantly.
Rainbow sighed and said, "You just don't understand, Twilight."
"Then, please, explain it to me."
Several more minutes passed, but Twilight refused to leave. All that time, Rainbow still stubbornly refused to look back at her.
When Rainbow finally found her voice again, it was little more than a whisper: "I'm supposed to be the hero, Twilight. I'm supposed to be better than this. I wanna make sure that Ponyville makes it out of this okay, but right now . . ." Rainbow punched the wall in front of her. "I just feel so useless."
Twilight put her hooves out to Rainbow and tried to hug her. Rainbow shuffled away before Twilight could. She put her hooves down and sighed. "You're not useless, Rainbow. You've been fetching blankets and firewood, starting fires, and just going to ponies who need the help. Look at everything you've helped do!" Twilight said, gesturing to all the ponies below them, all of them safely—for now—taking refuge inside the rooms of the castle.
Rainbow didn't even glance down. "I haven't done anything that matters. So what if ponies are comfortable now? The weather outside hasn't changed. Splitting firewood and finding blankets won't solve the bigger problem looming over our heads." Rainbow turned her head to look out a window for the umpteenth time. The brown dust was just as thick as it ever was, and the incessant snow continued to accumulate, forming massive snowdrifts. The front door was so blocked by snow that Rainbow couldn't go outside now even if she wanted to.
She turned back, and looked at Twilight for the first time. Rainbow said, "I'm the fastest pony in Equestria. I'm the Element of Loyalty. I swore I'd never leave Ponyville hanging." Rainbow dropped her eyes to the beam she was sitting on. She whispered, "And all that I can do right now is watch Ponyville slowly fail."
Twilight sighed, realizing the pain and stress that had been mounting on Rainbow for so long. "Trust me, Rainbow; I've felt it too." Twilight reached out for Rainbow again, and this time, she let Twilight embrace her, though made no move to reciprocate. "I've long since conceded to doing anything to the snow or dust directly. So the best I can do right now is help ponies endure the cold. I'm sorry if you feel like I'm not doing enough, but I'm doing everything that I can."
"I know, Twilight," Rainbow mumbled. "Believe me, I know now. I just thought that I wouldn't feel as bad if you could just . . ." Rainbow gestured feebly to the dust outside. "Make everything better."
Twilight clutched Rainbow closer to herself. "I wish that I could. And I know that you wanted to clear the clouds outside yourself, but I can't let you martyr yourself for something that won't make a difference."
"I just want to help, Twilight. Really help. I don't even care if I get hurt if it helps Ponyville." Rainbow turned her head to Twilight's ruefully.
Twilight stroked Rainbow's back. She closed her eyes, and said, "You would have gotten so hurt that you'd never recover. And you would have only delayed the inevitable. The cold would have come back even stronger eventually. That's why I want you inside, where I know you can do some good, and where I know you'll be safe.
"And no matter what you say, you're not useless," Twilight continued. "Everything you do helps Ponyville survive a little longer, and gives everyone a little hope. I know it's not what you were expecting . . ." Twilight glanced down at the ponies below her again. "But it's all we have right now."
The words and the hug and the stroking must have weakened Rainbow. With that final line, Rainbow collapsed into Twilight's forelegs, weeping quietly. The few tears Rainbow shed rolled down her cheeks and soaked into Twilight's fur.
"Twilight . . . will we make it out of this?" Rainbow whispered.
"I . . ." Twilight wanted to say I'm sure we will, as she had been doing with every other pony that asked, but Rainbow was smarter than that. She deserved the truth.
"I don't know, Rainbow." Twilight resumed stroking Rainbow's back. "But we have to believe that we will."
Rainbow and Twilight comforted each other for several minutes. After the long and tearful hug, Rainbow wiped her eyes and separated. They nodded, and flew down from the rafters to the throne room, showing their friends that their quarrel had ended.
Fluttershy opened her arms to hug Rainbow, who stepped into Fluttershy's embrace. "I'm so proud of you," she said.
"Yeah, good work there, Twilight," Applejack said.
"Thanks, Applejack. I was just—" Twilight was interrupted by her own yawn. She suddenly remembered her own fatigue and what she had originally come up to the throne room for.
Applejack nodded in understanding. "Why don't you take a rest, sugarcube," she said, gesturing to Twilight's bed. "You've had a long day."
Twilight nodded, and wriggled into her bed. Her mind was spinning with thousands of thoughts and worries, but her latent exhaustion caught up to her, and Twilight fell away from the waking world.
"Twilight!"
"Twilight!"
"Twilight!" Spike hollered into Twilight's ear.
"Wha!" Twilight exclaimed. She fell out of her bed and landed on the floor with a thump.
Spike quickly scampered around the bed to Twilight again. "Twilight, we have a situation!" he said.
"Wha?" Twilight said, still trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.
"We're out of firewood!"
"Wait, what?" Twilight said. Surely she hadn't heard that correctly. "What did you say, Spike?"
"We're out of firewood."
Twilight wasn't sure if it was the temperature or her heart that dropped, but she felt a chill down her spine. Twilight scrambled to her hooves and flew down to the vestibule of the castle as quickly as she could.
Sure enough, the pile of firewood was gone. Not even splinters remained. Beside the empty space, Twilight found Rainbow and Applejack arguing with other ponies, telling them that there was no firewood left.
Twilight looked around the castle. With no more sources of heat, the temperature had dropped even further. The frost that was once in the corners of rooms had advanced like an angry tumor, and was covering almost everything. It wouldn't be long before the entire castle was frozen.
Twilight looked out a window in worry. Brown and white. The same sight that had greeted her day after day.
"What do we do, Twilight? Ponies won't last long without fire!" Spike said.
Twilight caught herself hyperventilating. Now was not the time to panic. No, Ponyville needs rational thought, and a rational leader. I need to think of something rational, Twilight thought. She closed her eyes in contemplation.
Heat energy is lost through the body. A group will lose heat slower than an individual because the group has more heat energy to pool and less surface area to lose it from. So that means . . . Twilight opened her eyes, and looked over to her friends in the distance. "Rainbow, Applejack! I need your assistance!"
Rainbow and Applejack ran over as soon as they were able. "What do we do, Twilight?" Rainbow said. "There's no firewood left!"
"I know, Rainbow. This is the plan. We need to move all the ponies we can into as few rooms as possible. Huddling in groups means that we'll lose heat slower." Twilight looked straight at Rainbow. "And speed is of the essence. We need to move quickly. I know that this is not ideal, but can I trust you to help me with this, Rainbow?"
Rainbow only needed to look at the shivering ponies she was just talking to to have her answer. She turned to Twilight and nodded confidently.
"Good. Then we haven't a moment to lose."
Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Applejack split up to coax everypony to pool their resources, move in with neighbors if possible, and huddle for warmth. When as many ponies went into a room as was possible, they closed the door to trap in the heat.
Eventually, job finished, Twilight and her friends found their way back to the vestibule. Now, it was bereft of both firewood and pony. "Is everypony in their rooms?" Twilight asked.
"Think so," Rainbow said. "The ponies I found still walking the halls were heading to the rooms, anyway."
"You packed 'em in there awfully tight, Twilight," Applejack said. "Y'sure it's necessary?"
"Yes." Twilight nodded firmly. "The closer together we are, the more heat we conserve, and the better off we'll be." Twilight looked around again, surveying the area. "I think that's everypony. Should we head back?"
"Yeah," Rainbow and Applejack agreed. With a nod, they all started to head back to the their room.
Along the way, Twilight fretted about how Ponyville would continue to endure with no firewood. With no fuel to burn, we can't generate any extra heat. This huddle strategy is only going to work for so long. We aren't penguins; the cold is going to seep in eventually. Twilight took a nervous glance out a window to the blanket of dust still hovering outside, finding herself doing that more and more often. This dust really needs to settle soon.
But when Twilight opened the door to the throne room and saw the scene inside, she forgot all about her own worries.
Pinkie was by the fire, furiously fanning it with a blanket to try to keep going. Her eyes darted frantically between the fire and the bundle of blankets on the ground. Fluttershy was beside the bundle. Upon seeing her friends' return, Pinkie shrieked, "Twilight! Come quick! We need your help!"
Twilight ran over to Pinkie, Rainbow and Applejack right behind her. Pinkie pointed to the bundle of blankets with a hoof, continuing the fan the flames with another. What she saw made Twilight's eyes widen in horror.
Rarity was pale, paler than any pony with a white coat had any right to be. The hints of blue on the tip of Rarity's horn had spread to bind the entire thing. Her heart was weak, and her breaths were shallow and irregular. Rarity's eyes were closed, looking as though she was in a worryingly deep sleep. But perhaps most worrisome of all, Rarity wasn't shivering anymore.
"No . . ." Twilight shook her head, almost not believing the sight in front of her eyes. It can't happen, it just can't! Not to Rarity, she fretted. Twilight looked to Fluttershy. She was hugging Rarity tightly, desperately trying to warm her friend. Tears leaked from her eyes. Half of them soaked into the blanket she was on while the other half froze solid, still on her face.
"Fluttershy, what happened?" Twilight asked. The fear that gripped her heart made her voice weak and shaky.
"R-Rarity, she . . . I don't know, Twilight!" Fluttershy cried. "Sh-she just stopped shivering all of a sudden." Fluttershy clutched the bundle she was holding tighter. "Rarity, please! Please wake up! You can't, you can't, you j-just . . . please don't . . ." Fluttershy continued to babble while trying to wake up the unresponsive Rarity.
What do I do, what do I do? Twilight's mind could not calm itself, and it searched frantically for a solution. Rarity's hypothermic; I know that, Fluttershy knows that, but how do I fix it? We need to warm her up; that's the only way! Twilight scampered up to Rarity and sidled up next to her, trying to contribute her own body heat. Rarity's body was terrifyingly cold to the touch.
"C'mon, y'all," Applejack said, beckoning everypony else to join Twilight. They all lay as closely as they could to Rarity, trying to make a circle of warmth and hopefully revive their fallen friend.
As they huddled together, Twilight's mind spun in a panic. She had never been in this situation before. Twilight had always been the tip of the spear and had always succeeded in leading her friends out of any problem. But now, she was left huddling next to an unresponsive Rarity. Like Rainbow did, Twilight herself felt helpless.
How did it come to this? I'm supposed to be a princess. I'm supposed to lead our friends, and Ponyville, out of this mess. It shouldn't have come to this! I should have been more prepared. I should have moved everypony in here sooner. I should have been able to keep Rarity well. Twilight pushed closer to Rarity, desperately trying to warm her with what heat she had left.
Twilight looked at Fluttershy. She had been tending to Rarity all this time, and she was clearly exhausted. Having expended all her energy, she had none left to fight back the cold and was shivering constantly herself now. The rest of Twilight's friends also felt the chill. They tried to hide the signs, but even Applejack, the strongest among them, was shivering every so often. Even Twilight herself, who embodied the strengths of all three pony races, was feeling the cold slowly make its way to her core.
After many minutes huddling around Rarity, she still showed no signs of improvement. Twilight's heart tried, and failed, to deny the conclusion her mind had come to. It's not working. She's not warming up. She's not waking up.
She's not going to wake up.
It was too much for Twilight to take. She broke down.
Her friends cried out when Twilight let out a great wail and curled into a ball. They quickly moved to bring Twilight to the center of the circle with Rarity.
Twilight cried. Twilight, the one who had saved multiple worlds innumerable times, the one who had helped purify an un-redeemable villain, the one who had revived centuries-old magic to save her friends from a destiny of pain. She was the Element of Magic; she was a Color of the Rainbow; she was the Princess of Friendship.
She was Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Sparkle, and she was crying harder than she ever had before.
"I . . . I failed," Twilight whispered through her tears.
"What do you mean, Twilight? Why are you so sad?" Pinkie asked.
"I'm supposed to be a princess; I'm supposed to be a leader. I should be able to ensure the safety of every pony in Equestria. Princess Celestia chose me to be a princess because she thought I had the skills to be one." Twilight clenched her eyes shut. "She thought wrong."
"No, Twilight, you're a great princess!" Fluttershy said. "You gave up your home so ponies could be safe when it got too cold!"
"Too little, too late," Twilight said softly. The ground in front of her was a frozen puddle of sorrow. "Ponyville won't last much longer in these conditions, and it's all my fault. I'm a terrible princess." She looked to Rarity. "I can't even save my own best friends. I'm sorry, Rarity," Twilight sobbed. She turned her head back down to the ground, refusing to look at the friends that she didn't deserve anymore. "I'm so sorry, everypony."
Twilight didn't pay attention as her friends shifted around her. She did when Fluttershy reached forward and nudged her head up. "We forgive you," she said.
Twilight shook her head. "No, no, you can't. I did something horrible. H-how can you forgive me . . ." Twilight shakily pointed to everything around: the frost on the walls, the bitter cold, the pony in front of them that wouldn't last much longer. "For this?"
"Because we're friends," Fluttershy said without delay. "Because we're all friends, and we all forgive you."
"Twilight," Applejack said, turning Twilight's attention to herself. "I'm the most honest pony here, so take it from me: we don't blame you for any o' this. You did the best you could with the things you had, and you took action when it was needed. If Rarity were awake right now, she wouldn't blame you neither, I'm sure."
"And neither would Ponyville," Pinkie continued. "They're not sad that they have a princess that can't do the impossible; they're happy that they have a princess that brought them this far." Pinkie's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she wore a smile even now. "I smile because I have such a terrific friend. Why don't you smile, too?"
Fluttershy spoke again. "You didn't fail, Twilight; you took on the biggest problem any of us had seen when nopony else could. No one in this castle blames you for this. No one." Fluttershy looked to Rainbow, who hadn't said a word yet.
Rainbow shifted around uncomfortably before saying her part. "Yeah, Twilight. I don't blame you, either. I know what I said . . ." Rainbow shifted around again. "And I'm sorry. You're not lazy. You put this whole thing together when I was too stubborn to support you." Rainbow smiled grimly. "You were always the most level-headed of us, anyway.
"We're friends, Twilight. Friends until the end. If we're not getting out of this together . . ." Rainbow fixed all her friends with a determined stare. She looked back to Twilight, and nodded. "We're going out of this together."
Twilight sniffled a few times before extending her wings to encompass all her friends in an embrace. Even when faced with certain destruction, my friends still stand behind me. How lucky we all are to have such strong bonds between us. Even going into the void, we won't ever let go of each other.
Twilight sniffled again. Tears were still falling from her face, but she was able to fulfill Pinkie's wishes. She smiled. "Thank you, everypony." Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all extended their hooves to join in the embrace.
And as the wind blew mercilessly outside of the castle, Twilight sought to ensure that their last thoughts would be of friendship. She opened her mouth to sing:
♪ Snow lathers the ground at the end of the year,
♪ As the holidays are drawing near,
♪ Flurries of white cover coat and mane,
♪ Lots of time has gone, but not gone in vain.
Moved by the song of hope and simultaneous despair, Fluttershy broke the group hug and stood up. She began to harmonize with Twilight.
♪ We fought the darkness, we fought the unknown,
♪ Conquered inner demons, but not alone.
♪ Our friends are here at the end of the day,
♪ To shine their light and light the way!
Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash stood up as well. In a circle, they all began to sing as well in what might be their last song together. None of them noticed that the tears that that fell from their faces began to melt the swatches of ice underneath them.
♫ Sky . . . grows darker to behold,
♫ Wind . . . makes air grow cold,
♫ But . . . we're a circle of pony friends until the end.
Rarity remained wrapped tightly in her blanket, but she flinched when a bit of water soaked through it and wetted her coat. She cracked an eye open.
♫ Friends . . . together we grin,
♫ Warmth . . . comes from within,
♫ Cold . . . won't bother us when the bonds we hold transcend.
"Look!" Rainbow whispered, pointing beneath them. All the frost and ice beneath their hooves had melted away, and more importantly, Rarity's head was up and moving, gazing at the friends that had gathered around her.
Twilight gasped and looked on with wide eyes before turning them back to Rainbow Dash. Her face was determined. "Keep singing."
♪ No, we aren't perfect, we make mistakes,
♪ We fight and argue, and give and take,
♪ But what's important at the end of the day,
♪ We forgive each other, and friends we stay.
Rainbow looked at Twilight apologetically, but Twilight just shook her head. Now was not the time for apologies and regrets. She joined Rainbow in the next verse.
♪ Sometimes I'm angry, sometimes I frown,
♪ But I know who to turn to when I'm down,
♪ My friends will be there at the end of the day,
♪ To shine their light and light the way!
The entire circle beneath the friends and several feet beyond was thawed, and there was a curious warmth emanating from the center. Bolstered, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy rejoined the song.
♫ Sky . . . grows darker to behold,
♫ Wind . . . makes air grow cold,
♫ But . . . we're a circle of pony friends until the end.
Still cold and weak, but very much alive, Rarity felt the passion all her friends were exuding. Everypony's eyes lit up with hope when Rarity joined the song with her own voice.
♫ Friends . . . together we grin,
♫ Warmth . . . comes from within,
♫ Cold . . . won't bother us when the bonds we hold transcend.
Twilight took a break to look around. The entire throne room was devoid of ice and frost, and the air was suffused with a gentle warmth. Supported by Fluttershy, even Rarity had made it to her hooves. Twilight realized then that they were reliving the experience Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie, and Private Pansy all had over a thousand years ago.
Twilight knew that all her friends had come to the same conclusion because they were all wearing the same look of determination. Wordlessly and as one, they nodded. Twilight lit her horn to open the throne room doors as well as every room in the castle. Curiously, the ponies nearby leaked out of their rooms to gather in foyer outside of the throne room.
Twilight and her friends stepped forward and began to sing again. When they took their first step outside of the throne room, the frost underneath their hooves melted instantly.
♪ No matter the distance, no matter the story,
♪ Hold on tight to the Bonds of Glory,
♪ Friends will be there at the end of the day,
♪ To shine their light and light your way!
Everypony, having noticed the bubble of warmth that now encircled the entire castle, was in the foyer before the six. Some ponies had already begun singing along, but Twilight needed more. "We can do this! Sing, Ponyville, sing!" she declared. As more and more ponies joined the song, the air grew warmer and warmer.
♪ Sun . . . shines bright when we,
♪ Moon . . . glows soft when we,
♪ Are . . . . . . a circle of pony friends!
Twilight lit her horn in a burst of powerful magic and fired a shot straight up. Atop the spire of the castle, a rainbow ring of magic exploded to expand across all of Equestria. With that thunderous spell, Twilight ensured that the rest of the world was listening.
♫ Sky . . . grows darker to behold,
♫ Wind . . . makes air grow cold,
♫ But . . . we're a circle of pony friends until the end.
Outside the windows of the castle, Twilight noticed the cloud of dust was thinning and that spots of blue sky were beginning to emerge. Victory only a few steps away, Twilight broke off to sing her own verse.
♪ In the darkest of times, we cannot doubt,
♫ Friends . . . together we grin,
♪ Because with our friends, we'll make it out,
♫ Warmth . . . comes from within,
♪ Our voices are strong, rising over the din,
♫ Cold . . . won't bother us when the bonds we hold transcend.
♪ Together we will always win.
Twilight sat in the throne room. She looked out the window, as she had done so many times before. Yet today, the sight that greeted her was different. The darkness had passed.
She saw the sky showing its beautiful colors after a week behind the dust. She saw the sun loosing its strong, gleaming rays to warm the earth, now making up for lost time. She saw the massive mountains of snow on the ground slowly shrinking.
She saw the strongest pegasi in Ponyville outside clearing the clouds to make room for more sun to come through. Twilight only allowed them to work for a few minutes before coming back, however. It was still quite cold outside, and it would take more time for the sun to finally take away the bite of the cold.
Most of all, she saw a normal winter day. A day that Equestria had been longing for ever since the asteroid struck.
"Aaugh! Sweet Tartarus, Fluttershy, that burns!"
Twilight's reverie was interrupted by Rarity's scream. Even though the worst of the cold had passed, it didn't go away without leaving some casualties. After Rarity had woken up, she found that the frostbite on all her extremities needed treating.
"I'm sorry, Rarity! It's the only way!"
Luckily, Fluttershy knew how to treat frostbite. She had a tub of warm water prepared that one of Rarity's hooves was soaked in. Slowly, the ice in Rarity's veins melted, restoring life to the frozen limb. Unfortunately, it was no painless process.
"I know, but ponyfeathers, it still really hurts!"
Fluttershy stroked Rarity's back gently while she twitched and tried to bear with the pain. Her face was contorted into a grimace, her teeth were clenched, and she was breathing heavily. Fluttershy lifted her head and asked Twilight a question.
"Do you know any painkilling spells, Twilight? I don't like seeing Rarity hurt like this."
As morbid as it was, Twilight was glad that Rarity was hurting. It meant she was feeling. Twilight would be far more worried if she wasn't hurting. Twilight smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Fluttershy, I don't. Unicorn doctors and nurses have to spend years training to learn those kinds of spells. Doctor Stable might know a spell like that, but he's very busy with other patients right now."
Fluttershy nodded silently. She gently placed another of Rarity's hooves into water, and hugged her tightly when she twitched in pain.
Twilight winced in empathy. They would be at this for a long time, it seemed. Twilight said, "Do you need anything else, Fluttershy? I have other things to do, but I need to know if you'll be okay first."
Fluttershy glanced at the pile of medical supplies beside her. She had gauze, towels, alcohol, salve, and splints at the ready. Addressing Twilight, she said, "I have everything I need. I'll be fine."
Nodding, Twilight turned her attention to the patient. "And you, Rarity? Will you be alright if I leave you here? Should I go find Doctor Stable to cast a pain spell on you?"
"No, Twilight dear, I'll be fine. Don't—augh!" Rarity gasped in pain as Fluttershy took one of her hooves out of the water and dried it off, preparing to wrap it in gauze. Rarity forced a smile. "Don't bother. The pain isn't t-too bad. Doctor Stable surely has more important patients to worry about than me."
Worried for her friend, Twilight moved to speak again. "But you're important to me, Rarity. I really think—"
"I'll be fine," Rarity said.
"But—"
"I'll be fine."
Twilight wanted to protest again, but was interrupted by Rarity's stare. Determined and unmovable, it offered no room for debate. Leave it to Generosity . . .
Sighing in defeat, Twilight nodded and exited the throne room.
Twilight made her way around the castle, entering rooms and visiting the ponies inside to make sure they were recovering from the ordeal they had all endured. Despite the fact that the dust had cleared, it was still too cold for most ponies to exit the castle. Taken along with the fact that many houses were damaged in the snowy weather, and Ponyville's residents were happy to stay inside the castle for the time being.
Of course, it could also have something to do with the temperature inside the castle, too. Even though the firewood had been depleted, the castle was still filled with a curious warmth that refused to recede.
Twilight eventually made it to the vestibule. As expected, she saw Rainbow and Applejack, among other ponies, zipping back and forth, ferrying water and medical supplies to the ponies most in need of them.
What she wasn't expecting was Pinkie Pie in middle of the room, serving cupcakes.
Confused, Twilight walked up to the impromptu cupcake stand Pinkie was standing behind and asked, "Uh, Pinkie, how did you find the means to make cupcakes? And for that matter, why?"
"Uh, duh!" Pinkie exclaimed, a bubbly smile on her face. It was as if the ordeal they had experienced never happened. "It's Hearth's Warming, silly! Everybody deserves a treat this time of year! Did you forget?"
Twilight blinked. "Oh."
Pinkie gasped. "You did!"
Twilight grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Pinkie. It's just that so much has been going on these past few days. I guess Hearth's Warming just slipped my mind."
Unfazed, Pinkie just grinned again. "Well, that just means we'll have to party twice as hard!" Reaching underneath her booth, she inexplicably produced another tray of cupcakes.
Twilight stood in place, dumbfounded, waiting for her brain to catch up. Did Pinkie just . . . She shook her head.
"Hi, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie said, addressing the other pony who had just walked up to her booth. "Want a cupcake?"
"Oh, don't mind if I do, Pinkie!" Mrs. Cake said, picking up a green and red sprinkled cupcake and biting into it. Swallowing, she said, "Delicious! Thank you, Pinkie."
"You're welcome, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie replied. "Happy Hearth's Warming!"
"Oh!" Mrs. Cake's eyes widened in surprise. "I forgot all about that. I've just spent so much time worrying about Pound and Pumpkin that I haven't taken the time to think about what time of year it is. I forgot about everything else." She shrugged, and smiled. "Oh well. Happy Hearth's Warming, Pinkie!" Cupcake in hoof, Mrs. Cake trotted away.
Pinkie turned back to Twilight. "You see? I've been getting that all day! Ponies have been so worried they haven't had time to celebrate the holidays." Pinkie tossed a cupcake to Twilight, who caught it in her magic. "Hearth's Warming might be just what Ponyville needs to cheer up!"
Thoughtfully, Twilight took a bite out of her cupcake. We all have been wound up very tightly these past few days, Twilight thought. She turned her gaze to the center of the vestibule. Splinters were still on the floor, remnants of a once-large pile of firewood. Without the pile, the giant room of the castle just seemed . . . empty.
And I know just what could fill it back up, Twilight thought. Speaking to Pinkie, she smiled, and said, "I think you might be on to something."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack were still busy ferrying things back and forth. Calling out to them, Twilight shouted, "Rainbow Dash, Applejack! I need your help with some moving!"
It is not an appropriate tree, Twilight's mind said. It was a deciduous, rather than the traditional conifer; it was completely dead; and it was far smaller that Twilight had wanted, given the size of the room she wanted to fill. Still, it was the only tree that she had access to.
Rainbow and Applejack had chopped down the small tree only moments before and dragged it inside the castle. Despite it being a bundle of branches only three ponies tall, it was about to become a Hearth's Warming tree.
"Let's go, girls," Twilight said. "Let's make this a Hearth's Warming tree to be proud of!"
With that, Twilight righted the tree into a large flowerpot and set it in the middle of the vestibule. She, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Applejack started decorating the tree with traditional Hearth's Warming ornaments . . . or, at least, the closest things she could find to traditional Hearth's Warming ornaments.
Eventually, other ponies, when they saw the tree, were also reminded of the holiday they almost missed and set to help decorate the tree. It wasn't long before the entirety of Ponyville was celebrating Hearth's Warming with their own little tradition.
On any other year, the ponies of Ponyville would have been in town hall, decorating a massive multi-story tree with colorful garlands, blown-glass ornaments, and small gifts. The underside of the tree would have been littered with hundreds of presents. Every year, the tree seemed to get larger and more spectacular.
As Twilight and her friends retreated, they surveyed the work they and Ponyville had done on their tree. It was slung with all manner of odds and ends, none of which could be called appropriate Hearth's Warming ornaments. There were emptied tins of food, bits of gauze, blankets, and even a couple cupcakes speared on the branches. The tree was nearly folded over by the weight of its accoutrements. Its underside was filled with nothing but broken twigs.
It was, by far, the ugliest Hearth's Warming tree Ponyville had ever made.
Twilight looked around. It seemed like every able pony in Ponyville had gathered around the tree to celebrate. Only the terribly injured and those tending to them, like Rarity and Fluttershy, were absent. Twilight addressed the crowd:
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Ponyville. I know that this tree isn't exactly like what we usually have," Twilight said, gesturing helplessly to the heap of things she was trying to pass off as a Hearth's Warming tree, "but I hope it's sufficient.
"Ponyville has gone through a lot, but this is something we've never experienced before. These past few days have been very hard. At the very least, this tree reveals the hardship we experienced to make it to this day, and that's something worth appreciating." Twilight smiled hopefully.
Ponyville cheered. Ponies stomped their hooves on the ground in applause. Some even bowed to Twilight, almost in thanks for the holiday. Twilight shuffled uncomfortably before speaking again.
"I know that Mayor Mare normally makes a speech this time of year about friendship in an attempt to curb the fighting that always happens." Chuckles rose from the crowd, and Twilight brought her eyes to where Mayor Mare was standing. She smiled sheepishly. "But I think this year, that's unnecessary. By the fact that we were able to chase away the cold, I think it's clear to see that the Magic of Friendship lives in all of us."
In the very back of the crowd, Twilight saw Fluttershy supporting Rarity as they walked slowly down the stairs. Twilight smiled brightly. It looked like Rarity had recovered enough to join the rest of Ponyville. Twilight gestured for Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack to follow her to the bottom of the stairwell. When Fluttershy and Rarity made it down, and their circle of friends reunited, they all joined in a group hug to the roaring applause of Ponyville behind them.
When they separated, Twilight turned to face the crowd and finish her speech. "We have no Hearth's Warming pageant. We have no Hearth's Warming banquet. We don't even have Hearth's Warming gifts."
Twilight looked at the ponies beside her: five ponies who would give their lives for hers, and for whom she would gladly do the same.
"Even so, I hope you all know what the most valuable gift in the world is."
Author's Note
This project has been a very long time in the making, so I'm glad I can finally post it. I have a lot of people to thank that helped make this happen.
First, shiita64, who drew Twilight Sparkle - Quiet Determination, the cover art to this story and music.
Second, Nosnibormada for help mixing and mastering Bonds of Glory and my friend AJ (not Applejack) for pre-listening to the song.
Third, palaikai, Aimereta and an anonymous friend for editing and proofreading the story text itself.
Last, and most importantly, wingedalpha, the one whom I've worked with for the length of this project. We conceived of this idea together, and we collaborated on it for almost two months. This story and song would not exist without her help. If you feel like following me because you liked this story, toss a follow over to wingedalpha, too!
