For over a thousand years, the Festival of Hearthswarming has been celebrated throughout Equus as a ceremony of harmony and friendship. On that fateful evening, long ago, two exceptional fillies were given to all of ponykind; the regents of the Sun and Moon. It marked the beginning of an era of peace and plenty.

But now, something has gone terribly wrong.

In a universe that is a twisted mockery of the one where Twilight Sparkle and her circle of friends carry out their lives' work, the only fires that burn are those spread by the Equestrian Solar Empire as it wages a pitiless crusade to bring about Perfect Harmony – both on this world and that of recently-encountered mankind.

As a new year dawns, Queen Celestia sends out her assassin to deal with the reindeer Spirit of the Holiday. Their confrontation tonight will decide the future of Hearthswarming. Perhaps it is destined to die and leave the worlds a colder, more cruel place. Or maybe, just maybe, will its true meaning live on in some small spark.

A tale set in the greater universe of Spectrum, formerly The Other Side of the Spectrum, though knowledge of those works is not required to understand this short story.

Co-written with the invaluable help of TB3 and Sledge115.