A Ponyville Hearth's Warming

Chapters

A Frosty Foe
The Fire of Friendship
Decoration Disaster
Too Much of a Sweet Thing?
A Dash of Snow
The Gift of Prediction
Winter Eternal
The Battle of Hearth's Warming
Friendship is Magic

A Frosty Foe

"And then I said: 'If you keep building your house out of ginger bread, no wonder it crumbles every year!"

Fluttershy laughed so hard that she snorted eggnog out of her nose. She sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye. "Ginger bread ha!" Fluttershy giggled as she collapsed back into a fit of laughter.

Her cottage was decorated for the festive season, with candy canes, mistletoe and ornaments hanging on the walls. Bright lights happily shone throughout Fluttershy's home shining joyous pinks, reds, greens and blues. Discord and Fluttershy both sat plush couches in the living room, enjoying eggnog and cookies. A fire crackled in the hearth, providing a warm glow for the two friends.

"Oh Discord I'm so glad you decided to visit today! I hoped the others would come by, but everyone is so busy preparing for the Hearth's Warming Eve party at Twilight's castle. Everyone wants it to be just perfect because Princess Celestia is attending this year."

Discord finished drinking his eggnog glass and waved his paw dismissively. "Oh big deal Princess Sunny Buddy is showing up. It's not the end of the world!" He snapped a talon and a little wind up Celestia toy appeared in his paw. Discord cranked it a few times and it began mechanically flying around the room. "Though from what I hear she eats through the Hearth's Warming Eve cake so quickly that they make extra at every party she attends." The wind up toy began chomping its way through a large pink cake that floated over Fluttershy's head. She looked up at the plastic alicorn and sighed.

"Try telling Twilight it isn't a big deal. When we got the letter that Princess Celestia would be coming, she went into a nervous breakdown for hours!"

Discord raised an eyebrow. "Says the pony who locks herself away every Nightmare Night?" A paper Flutterbat appeared in the air and began zooming around, biting all the red ornaments in sight.

"Point taken I guess. I just hope it's all worth it in the end and the Hearth's Warming party turns out perfect."

"Oh Flutters, I've been around centuries and let me tell you: nothing turns out perfect. In fact, when ponies try to make things perfect it makes the Chaos that ensues all the more hilarious!" Discord chuckled. Fluttershy didn't look too amused but said nothing. Suddenly Discord froze and sniffed loudly. "Doth my senses deceive me?"

"What is it Discord?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"It appears another Spirit has decided to pay Ponyville a visit." Discord narrowed his eyes and pointed at the window. The curtains flew open to reveal the snowy streets outside. There was barely anypony outside as most ponies were in the market buying gifts, taking advantage of the last minute Hearth's Warming sales. Discord's eagle talon was pointed at a particular pony slowly trotting along the empty road. The pony was an average looking light blue unicorn stallion, with a snowflake cutie mark. He seemed to be taking his time, looking around at the many Hearth's Warming decorations ponies had put up.

"Hmm, I can't say I've seen him in town before, but he looks... normal. He doesn't look like a spirit."

"Look again." Discord said with a frown.

Fluttershy squinted. The stallion seemed to shimmer, as if he wasn't completely solid. He trotted up to a large candy cane standing in front of a house and lightly laid a hoof on it. Slowly ice began to spread across the candy cane, until it was completely covered. Without warning, the candy cane shattered violently, spraying ice across the road.

"Who is that?" Fluttershy gasped.

"Jack Frost, spirit of ice and snow, lord of winter and king of the windigos." Discord explained. "He's an old spirit, used to be very powerful during the time of the three tribes. Hasn't shown up much recently except to bring in the occasional blizzard. But I guarantee whatever reason he's here, it isn't a good one."

"Can you do anything?"

Discord shrugged. "I guess I can try." He popped out of existence and appeared outside. "Hey frosty! Long time no see!" Fluttershy peered out the window, trying her best to listen to their conversation.

The blue stallion turned around, his eyes glowing white and power streaking off of him. Once he saw who it was he quickly returned to normal. "Ah if isn't the tamed spirit of Chaos." he said in an impish voice. Fluttershy found it strange that a stallion had such a squeaky voice, but then again, this wasn't exactly a normal stallion.

"I choose to take that as a compliment Jacky." Discord lazily flew in the air. "And what brings an icy fellow like you to Ponyville?"

Jack casually flicked his hoof and a miniature blizzard flew toward the nearest house, destroying it in seconds. "I've come to herald the next ice age, what else?

Discord chuckled and snapped his talons, repairing the house and adding a few Discord shaped decorations to it. "Can't say that I'm surprised but why now of all times?"

"Too long my windigo subjects have been kept at bay, for there is no hatred and distrust for us to feed on. This 'Hearth's Warming Eve spirit' has made the Fire of Friendship burn so bright that most of my brethren are driven to the furthest corners of the planet."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said you didn't deserve it." Discord sighed. "Though your antics were enjoyable all those years ago, even I see that these ponies have a lot more to offer than being an emotional food source or simple amusement. Why not try friendship and love instead? I hear they taste great with oats."

Frost hissed. "You are nothing but a fool as always Discord."

"A fool? Me?!" Discord said with mock surprise. He was wearing a red jester hat with jingling bells.

"Long ago I whispered to the mind of a powerful unicorn almost convincing her to cast a spell that would erase Hearth's Warming forever. Were it not for the interference of those three meddlesome Hearth's Warming spirits I would have succeeded." Frost said bitterly.

"Hearth's Warming Presents was always a real sweetheart back in the day. Presents would always have such prescience that every Hearth's Warming she'd always be present with a present." Discord grinned as Jack Frost stared at him in utter confusion.

Frost shook his head and continued, "This year however, the Hearth's Warming spirit seems to be particularly weak in Ponyville. Once I crush it completely by ruining Hearth's Warming, my windigos will finally be able to feed on these miserable ponies and take over all of Equestria." He laughed manically, which sounded more like hiccups with his squeaky voice.

Discord looked skeptical. "Really?"

"And I suggest you get out of the way Discord."

"Right you are Frosty... well tootles!" Discord waved and disappeared with a pop.

Fluttershy was startled by a small pop behind her and turned around. "Well how was that?" Discord said nonchalantly.

"Um Discord, by do something I meant, you know... magic?" Fluttershy said softly.

Discord grabbed another cookie and began munching on it. "Oh that's what you meant! Well I can't make him leave. My magic doesn't affect him."

"But he's going to ruin Hearth's Warming and bring back the windigos! Oh what do we do what do we do?" Fluttershy panicked.

Discord snapped his paw and a thick winter coat appeared on him. "Well this visit was lovely Fluttershy but I've got a party in Chaosville to get to. Me and smoozy are gonna set the dance floor on fire... literally!"

"But-" Fluttershy protested.

"Oh hey mistletoe!" Discord pointed upward at a small wreath. He picked up Fluttershy and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, leaving her blushing. He snapped his eagle talon and vanished into confetti.

Fluttershy felt slightly warm inside from the kiss, but that warmth was soon replaced by dread. That spirit was going to ruin Hearth's Warming and bring forth eternal winter and she was the only one who knew about it. She had to find Twilight... and fast.

The Fire of Friendship

Fluttershy looked out her window again and found that Jack had disappeared. She pulled on her snow boots and galloped out the door. After a few minutes of running, she finally reached the Castle of Friendship. The castle was abuzz with activity, with dozens of ponies attending to decorations, carting in food and arranging clouds. A big banner hung from the castle's crystal star, reading: 'Welcome Princess Celestia!' in colorful letters.

"Um excuse me?" Fluttershy asked a nearby pegasus. He turned from his decorating and looked at her. "Do you know where I can find Twilight-"

A pegasus carrying a large box of lights landed nearby. "Hey I got the next batch of lights. We gotta get this done chop chop!"

The pony Fluttershy was talking to turned his head to the pegasus and nodded. "Yeah we gotta get this perfect or Princess Celestia won't be happy. Man there's just so much to do! I wish we could just take a few minutes to relax. Ah well lets go." He flew off with his partner to continue adorning the castle with lights.

"Oh um okay you're busy. No problem..." Fluttershy mumbled as she slunk away. She asked several other ponies but was either ignored or blown off. In desperation, she even tried to be more assertive, but everypony was simply too busy with their tasks to care. Eventually Fluttershy gave up and decided to search the castle herself. The inside of the castle was even busier than the outside, with the central floor being so crowded that Fluttershy could barely see anything. At the center of the mass, Fluttershy heard a familiar voice issuing instructions.

"Cakes go over there! We need two decoration teams over in Ballroom A!" Twilight yelled over the noise, pointing her hooves frantically. Fluttershy flew over the crowd and landed next to Twilight. "Streamers and balloons in hallway 8! Where the hay is Pinkie... she should be back by now! Oh hi Fluttershy!" Twilight finally noticed Fluttershy standing next to her.

"Oh um hi Twilight Happy Hearth's-"

"Starlight!" Twilight called across the room to her student. Starlight looked up from the silverware she was organizing. "Can you take over for a few minutes?"

"Sure Twilight!" Starlight yelled back.

Twilight pulled Fluttershy's hoof and flew up into the air. "Ugh I've been organizing this thing all day. We have to get everything perfect so that Princess Celestia is happy when she arrives. She's probably used to much bigger celebrations in Canterlot, so I've arranged our party to be similar. It's alot of work but it'll be worth it."

"Um if you say so Twilight. There's something I wanted to-"

"Actually now that we have a few minutes, there's something really important I wanted to show you!" Twilight flew down a hallway and beckoned Fluttershy to follow.

Fluttershy struggled to keep up with her friend, desperately trying not to lose her in the massive castle. "Um Twilight there's actually something really important I need to-"

"Phew." Twilight panted. "We gotta make this quick, but here it is!" Fluttershy saw that they had reached a small door that said, "Roof Access Point". Twilight pushed it open and flew up a small tunnel. Fluttershy followed, and found that they were indeed on the roof of the castle. To her right, she caught the glint of the giant crystal star in the afternoon light. But that was not the most interesting feature. In front of her was a fiery purple heart about as big as two ponies. She hadn't seen it before because the banner had blocked it, but now it glowed fiercely, filling her with warmth.

"Is that-" Fluttershy asked.

"The Fire of Friendship." Twilight answered. "Every year it burns throughout Hearth's Warming over the place with the most love and friendship. Most ponies can't see it, but this year I used my magic to make it visible. It's normally supposed to be much bigger. I've been checking on it throughout the day, but it hasn't gotten any larger. In fact... it actually looks a little smaller than last time."

"Gee I wonder why." Fluttershy sighed, thinking about all the times she'd been ignored.

"Me too! We've been working to make this Hearth's Warming Eve party perfect, but the heart doesn't grow! Maybe once Princess Celestia arrives and we start the party it'll become bigger. Maybe everything is hinging on this party being the biggest, best, most perfect Hearth's Warming party ever!" Twilight had gone into full freak out mode and was breathing heavily.

"Um yeah, so Twilight there's this winter spirit who wants to ruin- "

RIIIINNNNGGGG! Fluttershy jumped three feet in the air. "Oh sorry Fluttershy, that's my task timer! It rings whenever it's time for me to start the next task on my checklist for this party." Twilight levitated out a small white timer from under her wing, and began to wind the hand again.

Fluttershy felt a cold wind that chilled her to the bone. Jack Frost materialized in the air, translucent in form. He chuckled impishly. "And the fun begins!" He pointed a hoof at the timer, and magic began to flow into it. Twilight didn't seem to notice, and instead finished winding the little timer and tucked it back under her wing.

"Well sorry Fluttershy gotta go... lots more left to do! See you at the party!"

"Twilight wait something's wrong with your timer!" By the time Fluttershy finished her sentence Twilight had already flown back down into the fray of ponies below.

"Oh... shoot!" Fluttershy sighed. She decided that Twilight was just too busy to listen right now... but maybe her other unicorn friend could help her catch the spirit. Fluttershy flew back down the roof access tunnel, and set off through the castle in search of Rarity.

Decoration Disaster

Luckily, Rarity was much easier to find than Twilight. Taking full advantage of her pegasus wings, Fluttershy flew over the bustling crowds in the castle, making ready for the grand celebration. Where there were the most decorations, there would be Rarity. Sure enough Fluttershy found her friend in the grand ballroom, fretting over an enormous Hearth's Warming tree.

Rarity was frantically directing a team of four pegasi flying around the gigantic tree, putting up hundreds of ornaments. "No no that one goes to the left! We have to do this perfectly, Princess Celestia herself is going to come see this tree! Oh come on Derpy that's the fourth ornament you've dropped!" Derpy shrugged sheepishly and grabbed a new ornament from the box she was carrying.

Beside Rarity were several boxes of fabric and stitching tools, levitated with finesse by the dressmaker. She knitted several red sweaters and hats with her magic at the same time, piling them up in wooden crates after each batch was done.

"Um hi Rarity."

Rarity gave a slight nod of acknowledgement her way and continued what she was doing.

"So there's something really important I have to-"

Realization seemed to dawn on Rarity's eyes. Her needles immediately stopped stitching and she turned toward Fluttershy. "Oh Fluttershy goodness me I was so wrapped up in this knitting. A spell like this takes alot of concentration to pull off. How has your Hearth's Warming been darling?"

"Oh um actually not so good, see there's a spirit-"

"No Snow Flurry the gold and yellow ornaments have to stand out! She's the princess of the sun after all!" Rarity called out toward a dark blue pegasus with shovel cutie mark. He nodded and continued decorating. Rarity turned back to Fluttershy. "Ugh it's been a nightmare all day darling, so much to do. Twilight has put me in charge of decorations and sweaters! Normally I like to knit everyone a special personalized sweater, but with all the work I simply don't have the time. This red looks rather nice don't you think?" She levitated up one of the finished sweaters. The red was indeed festive, but the sweater looked rather plain and rushed to Fluttershy's eyes.

"Oh yes it looks good Rarity." Fluttershy stammered. "But there's actually something-"

Rarity's attention was already turned back to the tree, and she was yelling more instructions to the pegasi, urging them to move faster. Fluttershy waved her hoof to get Rarity's attention and the fashionista turned back to her. "What was that darling you were saying something?"

"I-" Fluttershy began. Suddenly she felt another cold wind ominously blow through the room. Jack Frost materialized in the air just above Rarity, chuckling mischievously. Fluttershy gasped. "Oh no." He pointed his hoof at the tree and a bolt of magic flew at it. There was a moment of dead silence until... CRACK! Every single ornament on the tree shattered at the same time throwing shards across the room. The pegasi flew out of the way and Rarity instinctively put up a blue shield over herself and Fluttershy. When the shards stopped raining down, there was a loud groan and the tree collapsed with a giant thud.

Fluttershy and Rarity were breathing heavily, utterly shocked by what just happened. "Is everypony okay?" Snow Flurry asked. There were four yeses from Fluttershy and the other pegasi.

Rarity simply stared at the tree, her mouth agape. The shield fizzled away, and she began to tear up. "My tree.... my beautiful tree... RUINED!" she began wailing and galloped out of the room. Fluttershy reached a hoof out after her friend but Rarity had already galloped down the hall and out of sight. This spirit wasn't just a prankster like Discord... he was downright evil!

Fluttershy wanted to go and comfort Rarity, but knew there was no time. She had to find somepony to help her catch Jack Frost before he caused anymore damage.

"Who's good at catching things..." Fluttershy wondered aloud. A memory sprang to mind of Applejack lassoing a runaway pig back at Sweet Apple Acres, after Apple Bloom had accidentally left the pen open. "Maybe Applejack can help me sort this out. Oh but she's all the way at Sweet Apple Acres! I'll never get there in time!"

"Actually Applejack is just downstairs in the kitchen. I think Twilight put her in charge of baking." Snow Flurry said as he and the other pegasi hoisted up the tree.

"Oh thank you!" Fluttershy said gratefully as she galloped out of the room to go find her farmer friend.

Too Much of a Sweet Thing?

As she neared the kitchen, Fluttershy delighted in the wonderful smells that wafted toward her. She peeked inside, and sure enough the baking was in full swing. The entire Apple family along with several baking assistants busily went from one task to another, mixing batter, laying out baking sheets and attending to the ovens among other things. A huge metal rack was stationed in the corner, supporting dozens of batches of cookies, cakes, and other confections. Another rack had all things apple, from apple pie to apple tarts and even apple bread.

When Fluttershy cautiously entered the room, a blast of heat immediately washed over her, caused by the several ovens that continued to spit out treats every thirty minutes. Applejack herself attended to a large cake in the center of the kitchen, decorating it with pink frosting. "When the hay is Pinkie comin back?" she asked Apple Bloom in an annoyed voice. "Ah can only do so much here! If we're gonna finish the big cake we need her help! If the cake ain't perfect, Princess Celestia ain't gonna be too happy. Hear she's really got a thing for cake, and if this cake ain't the best one in Hearth's Warmin' history then ah ain't an Apple!" Applejack threw her hat on the ground for emphasis, but immediately readjusted it onto her head.

"Ah don't know sis! She's still out buying gifts last ah heard!" Apple Bloom replied, carefully carrying a tray of caramel apples over to the metal racks.

"Well she better get back here! She could get all this baking done twice as fast." Applejack complained.

Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Um Applejack?"

Applejack turned around and gave her a warm smile. "Fluttershy! Happy Hearth's Warming sugarcube!"

"Oh um yes well Happy Hearth's Warming to you too Applejack. So-"

There was a loud chime as one of the ovens went off. "Ah'll get it!" Applejack called. "Sorry, just give me a minute." she said to Fluttershy as she pulled on baking mitts and galloped over to the oven.

"Okay but-" Fluttershy tried again.

Applejack rushed the steaming tarts over to the cooling rack, balancing them carefully on her hooves. She trotted back over to Fluttershy and shrugged apologetically. "We've been working all day to get these treats ready for the party this evening. And we've got to get at least sixteen more batches done! The Princess is used to large parties with huge buffets of treats. Nothin like the small stand we had last year! Everypony in Ponyville is gonna be at this party, instead of the usual family celebrations everypony does. That includes us Apples, and we're darn proud to do our part!" Applejack puffed her chest proudly and finished her speech by taking her Stenson off in salute.

"That's really nice Applejack, but I actually really really need your help." Fluttershy begged.

"Ah'm sorry sugarcube but no can do. Unless its a real emergency, ah've gotta get this baking done before the party. Ah made a promise to Twilight that I'd do everything I could to make sure this party turns out perfect."

"But it is an emergen-" Fluttershy was cut off by several chimes as more ovens went off.

"Say again?" Applejack leaned closer with a hoof to her ear.

Fluttershy felt the heat of the room turn icy cold. Frost popped into existence, hovering above the massive cake.

"Is it just me, or did it become really cold all of a sudden?" Applejack asked. Fluttershy trembled and pointed at Frost. "Uh ah don't think the cake has anything to do with it." Applejack said looking confused.

The spirit's eyes glowed white as he spread his forehooves, pointing at the ovens on either side of the room. Realizing what was about to happen, Fluttershy yelled, "Everypony DUCK!" as she threw herself onto the floor. Almost on instinct everypony else hit the deck just as the ovens burst open, spraying half baked batter everywhere. Frost grinned and faded away.

After it was over, everypony slowly got their hooves and observed the destruction. The entire kitchen was a mess, with batter dripping off the walls and counters and baking supplies tossed everywhere. Worst of all, the metal racks had been knocked over, spilling the hundreds of pastries Applejack and the others had baked all over the floor. Several of them were smushed and more were soggy with batter.

"No no no no NO!" Applejack yelled. "We worked all mornin on those!"

"Oh Applejack, I'm so sorry!" Fluttershy patted her friend in a comforting gesture.

"It ain't your fault Fluttershy, I dunno what could've caused the ovens ta burst like that." Applejack hung her head dejectedly as she slowly trotted out of the kitchen. "Everypony who's up to it, get this mess cleaned up. Ah- ah think ah need to be alone for a while." Applejack choked back her emotions and left the room. "Some Hearth's Warmin this is..." she muttered sadly.

"Oh even Applejack can't help now." Fluttershy fretted. "Think Fluttershy think! Each time Jack Frost has been too fast to catch... I need someone who's just as fast! Someone who isn't afraid of that bully...aha!" An idea popped into Fluttershy's head and she raced out the kitchen door. "If anypony can catch him, it's Rainbow!"

A Dash of Snow

Fortunately, Fluttershy was able to avoid the crowds by the castle's main entrance by simply slipping out a window. Before looking for Rainbow, Fluttershy went to check on the Fire of Friendship Twilight had showed her. It still burned behind the giant 'Welcome Celestia!' banner draped over the castle. Inspecting it closely, Fluttershy realized it had grown even smaller than when she had last seen it. The fiery purple heart now only burned at a size roughly the same as herself.

Fluttershy gazed deeply into the fire, wondering how the fire could become so small, when everypony was pouring their heart and soul into making the holiday perfect. She felt the chilly wind that heralded Jack Frost's appearance blow across her back. Startled, Fluttershy turned around to see the spirit roaring (or rather squeaking) with laughter.

"You!" Fluttershy pointed a hoof accusingly.

"Oh this is just too much fun!" Frost giggled in his impish voice. He bowed with a flourish and grinned. "Jack Frost, lord of winter, bringer of ice and snow, king of the windigos at your service."

"Why are you doing this?" Fluttershy pleaded. "You're ruining a holiday everypony cares about!"

Jack pulled out a chocolate ice cream cone and began licking it. "Oh really??" he asked. "Even before I did anything it didn't seem like the Fire of Friendship was too big at all."

"But... but..." Fluttershy tried to think a reply but couldn't. For some reason this year, the holiday spirit was already weak.

"It was so much better in the old days. Everypony hating and distrusting each other! And the windigos frolicked around, bringing winter galore to every land!"

"You don't have to cause bad feelings just to feed yourselves! If the changelings can become creatures of love, then so can you."

That made Jack laugh even harder. "Aww wouldn't that be sweet. The cheerful windigos spreading love and friendship every winter. HAHAHAHAHAHA." He leaned in close to her, his eyes glowing. "We don't HAVE to little pony... we WANT to!"

"I- I'll stop you!" Fluttershy made a halfhearted grab at Jack but he moved with the speed of the wind. In an instant he was behind her, still laughing squeakily.

"You little ponies have gotten braver over the centuries haven't you?" Frost said in a sinister voice. He raised a hoof and Fluttershy felt a force drag her toward him. The spirit lightly pressed his hoof on her forehead. "What if I were to freeze you right now little one? What would you do?"

Fluttershy shivered as her legs suddenly began to turn to ice. She tried to scream but couldn't find her voice. Then as quickly as it appeared, the ice melted away into a puddle of water.

Frost raised his eyebrows and put a hoof to his chin. "Hmm that's troublesome. Looks like the Fire of Friendship still has a little spark left! But don't worry, I'll fix that soon." He shimmered and disappeared.

Her teeth chattering from the cold water, Fluttershy managed to get to her hooves. She had barely avoided becoming an ice statue... but how? 'The Fire of Friendship still has a little spark left.' That meant it wasn't over! There was still time to stop Frost and save the holiday! "He's too fast for me, but I bet he can't outrun Rainbow Dash!" she exclaimed hopefully.

With a renewed spirit, Fluttershy took off toward the fluffy white clouds that hung over Ponyville. Just like last year, most of pegasi were moving the clouds around and creating powdery snow. It was a delicate balance, there had to be enough snow to add to the ambiance and holiday atmosphere, but not so much that it became an inconvenience. Besides the amount of snow, the pegasi had to worry about texture, consistency and color. Nopony wanted slushy and muddy streets... especially when the Princess was arriving. Usually Fluttershy would volunteer to help with cloud positioning, but this year the mayor had only entrusted professional weatherponies with the job, as she wanted Ponyville's weather to be as perfect as can be.

When it came to weather, Rainbow Dash was definitely a natural. Fluttershy watched as Rainbow jumped from cloud to cloud, making snow flurries lightly rain from each one. Rainbow created weather with such grace and speed that she was able to manage her own patch of clouds. Despite her natural talent at weather making, Rainbow seemed especially frustrated. She kept rearranging the clouds, adjusting them this way and that shaking her head at each arrangement. Fluttershy batted aside a small cloud and flew over to join her friend.

"Hey Fluttershy! What's ugh! Up ugh!" With each word Rainbow bounced up and down on top a particularly large cloud. "How's ugh. Hearth's Warming?" She asked with effort. Before Fluttershy could answer, Rainbow groaned loudly. "No that doesn't look good either. I wish Rarity could fly, then she could do the arranging and all I'd have to do is create some awesome snow!"

"Rainbow listen, there's an emergency I need your help with." Fluttershy said, cutting to the chase. She didn't want to risk Rainbow running out on her too.

"An ugh. Emergency?" Rainbow asked, multi tasking between several clouds. "Like what? Twilight's counting on me to get this cloud arrangement just right... and it wouldn't be very nice if I just ditched it."

"But that's the thing, it's a real emergen-" she was cut off as Rainbow did a backflip onto another cloud, and accidentally sprayed snow in Fluttershy's face.

"Oops! Sorry Fluttershy!" Rainbow said with a sheepish grin.

Fluttershy wiped away the snow and tried again. "This is serious! There's a-" This time Fluttershy was interrupted by a howling wind.

"What was that?!" Rainbow yelled over the gale. Fluttershy tried to answer, but the gale only got bigger. She looked toward the direction it came from, and sure enough, Jack Frost was whistling loudly a few feet away. He grinned at Fluttershy and then pointed at Rainbow's clouds. One by one the clouds grew in size, unleashing torrents of snow on the ground below. "THAT'S WAY TOO MUCH!" Rainbow panicked. "The clouds've gone wild! Sorry Fluttershy but I gotta get the other weather ponies before this gets out of control!" She flew off toward the other pegasi as the wild clouds rampaged behind her.

"Did you see that?! Best. Entrance. Ever!" Jack chortled. He blew a small kiss toward Fluttershy, which turned into a massive wind. She barely managed to stay in the air as Jack's air current passed.

"You'll never get away with this!" Fluttershy said desperately.

"But I will. Even with all the speed in the world, you'd never see me coming!" Frost taunted. "Well seeya round! Got lots more Hearth's Warming to ruin!" He vanished in a flurry of snow.

"Oh he's right! If he keeps popping in and out like that, I'll never catch him because I never know where he's going to be. I need to be able to predict his next move..." Fluttershy racked her brain. "Who's good at predicting stuff?"

The Gift of Prediction

The sun was steadily setting as evening approached. Fluttershy guessed that it would be an hour or two at most before Princess Celestia arrived. She flew toward the marketplace, scanning for a particular pony. "If anyone can predict where that mean spirit is going to appear next, it's Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy said confidently. Activity in the market was slowing down, as most ponies had finished their shopping and headed over to the castle to await the party.

From the air, Fluttershy spotted a pony running between several stores at an impossible speed, balancing on her back a sack at least three times her weight. Fluttershy chuckled and landed in the market center. A pink blur whizzed past her into the nearest store. "Pinkie? Pinkie!" Fluttershy called.

The blur stopped next to her, coming into focus. "Hi Fluttershy!" Pinkie exclaimed, smiling. She wore a red hat and robe, matching the festive season. Defying the laws of physics, a huge sack of gifts stayed perfectly stable on her back as she bounced up and down in excitement. "If Twilight sent you tell her I'll be back in a little bit. Gotta buy a few more gifts... wanna see what I got so far??" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"Oh um actually Pinkie I-"

Pinkie Pie dumped out the huge sack or presents, squealing with excitement. "I spent all night coming up with the perfect presents for everypony because this party is superduper important and it has to go perfect or Twilight will totally freak out and nopony wants that everypony should be calm and relaxed and-" Pinkie rambled on and on almost unaware of Fluttershy trying to interject.

"That's great but-"

"And I got Twilight this awesome book on prank spells! Maybe she'll come with me and Rainbow on one of our pranking sprees heehee. There's a really cool wonderbolts sports bottle for Rainbow, a really rare yakyakistan fabric for Rarity, an awesome new rock pouch for Maud, an apple recipe book for Applejack, oh and here's you gift!" Pinkie picked up a small present in yellow wrapping. "That's a surprise!" Pinkie whispered, giggling.

"And I really appreciate it Pinkie!" Fluttershy finally interjected. "But I really need your help, there's an emergency!"

Pinkie put her hoof to her chin hesitantly. "I dunno Fluttershy. If everypony doesn't get a really good gift they won't be happy." Pinkie grinned nervously. "And I really really really want everypony to have the most perfectest Hearth's Warming ever!"

"I do too, but if we don't do something, nopony is going to have a good Hearth's Warming... because there won't BE a Hearth's Warming!!" Fluttershy cried.

"Oki doki loki." Pinkie nodded in understanding

Fluttershy sighed in relief. "There's an evil spirit named Jack Frost who's going around trying to ruin Hearth's Warming-"

"You mean like the one about to appear over your head?" Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy felt a warning chill wash over her as she looked up fearfully. Jack Frost materialized in the air, cackling wickedly. "And a merry Hearth's Warming to all!" He pointed a hoof at Pinkie Pie's gifts. In seconds, the carefully wrapped gifts melted into piles of goo. Fluttershy looked between him and the gifts, utterly horrified. "See ya real soon kiddo!" He gave a mock salute and vanished.

Pinkie looked devastated. Tears began to form in her eyes, and her mane went flat. "No-nopony is gonna have the perfectest Hearth's Warming ever. Without gifts, everypony is going to feel neglected and... sad." Pinkie Pie sat down in the snow, looking sadly at the remains of her presents.

"I-I'm sorry Pinkie I tried to stop him..." Fluttershy said sadly.

Suddenly, Pinkie's head jerked upward. She began wiggling and writhing, as if several parts of her body were twitching. "Pinchy knees, shaky tail, wiggly mane... it's a doozy! A scary doozy!!" Pinkie said in alarm.

"Where?!" Fluttershy asked.

"At- At the castle!" Pinkie declared.

"Then we've gotta go back! Cmon Pinkie!" Fluttershy grabbed her friend's hoof and began galloping back to the party.

Winter Eternal

A huge crowd was gathered in front of the castle, excitedly awaiting the party. Many ponies held up signs welcoming Princess Celestia. Others rang bells and sang carols, getting themselves in the festive spirit. The sun had almost finished setting, giving off beautiful rays of light as the sky darkened. Fluttershy remembered that Princess Celestia said she'd arrive as soon as she finished lowering the sun, and that moment seemed to be only a few minutes away.

Pinkie and Fluttershy made their way to the front of the crowd, and saw the castle doors were locked and guarded by a few security ponies. "What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked, wondering how they were going to get past the guards.

"Duh!" Pinkie exclaimed and marched them right up to the doors.

The security stallions barred their way. "Halt! Nopony is allowed inside until the party starts by order of Princess Twilight!"

"Oh um I'm so sorry we'll just go back and-" Fluttershy mumbled nervously.

"Um hello it's Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy? Council of Friendship?" Pinkie waved her hoof.

Recognition seemed to dawn on the stallion's face. "Sorry miss Pie! Let them through boys." The guards unlocked the door and let them in.

Fluttershy trotted into the entry hallway, and found her four friends looking completely miserable. Rarity was bawling on the floor, greedily eating ice cream for comfort. Rainbow Dash leaned against the wall panting with exhaustion, while AJ sat next to her with her Stenson angled over her face to hide her emotions.

Twilight was the only one moving, pacing back and forth nervously. She noticed Fluttershy and Pinkie enter and ran over to them. "Pinkie you're back! Please tell me you have the gifts?" she asked with a hint of desperation.

Pinkie's mane flattened and she looked down dejectedly. "They- they melted..." she said as she slumped down in defeat.

"T-Twilight what-" Fluttershy began.

"What happened?!" Twilight yelled going into a full breakdown. "My timer didn't ring when it was supposed to! I missed five whole things on the checklist! FIVE!"

"We ain't got enough food either. Most o' it was ruined by that freak oven accident." Applejack sighed.

"And the clouds totally went wild! They dumped snow on everything and made the streets slushy and muddy!" Rainbow complained.

Rarity briefly stopped her crying and looked up. "And- and all the ornaments are totally shattered! The Hearth's Warming tree is a mess!" She buried her face in her hooves again and started sobbing loudly.

Fluttershy couldn't bear to see her friends so sad. "It- it can't be that bad right girls?"

"I'm afraid it is." Twilight said dryly. "I hate to say it, but I think we're going to have to cancel Hearth's Warming eve this year."

"But-"

"Spike and Starlight already sent a message to Princess Celestia not to come. We've got to face facts. We tried our best to give Princess Celestia a perfect party... but it wasn't enough. I'd better go outside and make the announcement." Twilight sighed. Before Fluttershy could protest, Twilight opened the doors and trotted outside.

"We'd better go too." Rainbow decided. "We can't let her take all the blame..." Everypony nodded and trotted outside, leaving Fluttershy sitting alone in the hallway. She could hear cheering as the crowd saw Twilight come outside. They probably thought she was going to start the party.

Unsure what else to do, Fluttershy flew over to the roof access point. Making her way up onto the roof of the castle, Fluttershy gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness of the evening. Her eyes were drawn to the only source of light on the roof... the Fire of Friendship. The purple heart was little more than the size of an acorn.

Below her, Fluttershy could hear Twilight speaking to the citizens, her voice probably amplified by magic. "I know many of you worked your hardest this year to give Princess Celestia a warm welcome." The crowd cheered loudly.

Fluttershy gazed into the flame sadly, remembering the joy of last year's Hearth's Warming eve. Everypony gathered in Twilight's castle that night. They sang songs, drank eggnog and simply enjoyed each other's company. Even Starlight had managed to loosen up and join the fun.

Twilight sighed in defeat. "However due to unfortunate circumstances... we will have to cancel Hearth's Warming eve this year." The reaction was instant. Everypony went into an uproar, angrily demanding why the party had been cancelled, arguing about who's fault it was and even directing a few insults at Twilight and her friends. The Fire of Friendship dimmed and sputtered until finally, it disappeared, leaving Fluttershy in darkness.

The sky began to crackle and giant clouds gathered over the entire town. Snow and hail began pelting down at alarming rates, as everything began to freeze. Jack Frost's loud squeaky laugh shook the sky. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! I WIN! I WIN!!! Hearth's Warming isn't just cancelled this year little ponies! It's cancelled PERMANENTLY!" Fluttershy flew down to join her friends as ponies began to run for their lives, screaming and grabbing their loved ones.

"Fluttershy! What the hay is going on?!" Twilight yelled over the blizzard.

Frost appeared in the air above them, taking on a giant form. The howls of Windigos echoed as the snow got heavier and heavier. "Feed my minions! After we destroy this pathetic little town, the rest of Equestria is on the menu!" Ponies began to freeze up, turning into ice statues as the windigos fed on their panic and fear.

"I've trying to tell you all day!" Fluttershy yelled over the storm, straining her voice. "That spirit is Jack Frost, the lord of winter. He's the one that ruined the party!"

"I'm sorry we didn't listen Fluttershy!" Rainbow said, hugging herself to preserve her body heat.

"We were just so caught up in making sure the Princess got a perfect party. We didn't mean to ignore you darling..." Rarity looked down shamefully.

"This is our fault." Applejack realized. "Because we didn't listen..."

"The windigos are going to bring eternal winter to all of Equestria." Twilight completed.

"Well this is an interesting welcome." a voice said behind them.

"Princess Celestia!" everypony said in unison.

The Princess of the Sun stood before them, smiling. "B-But I thought you weren't coming?" Twilight stammered.

"Twilight I wouldn't miss celebrating Hearth's Warming with you for anything!" Celestia replied. "But before we get started... those windigos look a bit cold don't you think?" She lit her horn with a blinding glow. "Let's warm them up."

The Battle of Hearth's Warming

Princess Celestia shot a huge beam of sun energy directly at Frost's face, causing him to howl with pain. The spirit lit his horn and a wall of ice blocked Celestia's continued attack. "You may move the sun Celestia, but I am the LORD OF WINTER!" A huge wind buffeted everypony back against the castle walls.

"Looks like we'll have to step it up!" Celestia yelled in a commanding voice. "Twilight you're with me! Rainbow and Fluttershy try and destroy as many of those snow clouds as you can! Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie, give us some cover fire!"

"Sure thing Princess!" Applejack agreed. Pinkie Pie grinned and pulled out her party cannon from seemingly nowhere and Rarity levitated some ice from the ground with a vengeful expression.

Starlight and Spike ran out of the castle to join them. "What about us?" Spike panted.

"Spike remember how you destroyed that ice cloud at the Equestria Games? You think you can do that now?" Twilight asked.

"Well sure... but the clouds are up there and I'm down here." Spike answered with a puzzled expression.

Rainbow grinned. "Not for long!"

Twilight levitated a surprised Spike onto Rainbow's back. "Um Twilight are you sure about WOOAAAAHH!" Rainbow took off leaving behind a cloud of vaporized snow.

Grinning, Twilight turned to Starlight. "You ready?"

"Oh yeah!" Starlight replied with a grin of her own. Celestia, Twilight and Starlight all took off toward the sky, shooting beams of magic at Jack.

Fluttershy gulped in fear, but began to fly towards the mass of clouds as well. She saw Rainbow and Spike zipping around, kicking and vaporizing the aggressive snow clouds. Attempting to do the same, Fluttershy gave the nearest cloud a halfhearted kick. Rather than disappearing, the cloud thundered angrily and hurled snow and ice. Fluttershy yelped and flew away as fast as she could. The cloud gave chase, flying after her with palpable fury. Out of options, Fluttershy dove towards another snow cloud and hid inside, hoping that her pursuer wouldn't be able to find her. She felt a sudden wind around her as the cloud she hid in ejected her out into open sky. Shivering in fear, Fluttershy found herself caught between the wrath of two angry clouds, racing toward her from opposite directions. Flapping her wings as hard she could, Fluttershy shot upward, hearing a loud crash below her as the two clouds collided with each other and dissipated.

Sighing with relief, Fluttershy looked on at the rest of the battle. From the ground, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie were dissipating dozens of clouds. Applejack whipped at the vapory villains with a lasso, crying out, "Take that ya varmint!"

Rarity used her magic to throw ice at the invaders with equal ferocity, angrily yelling, "That's for my fabulous tree you fiends!"

There was a loud boom as Pinkie's cannon fired cotton candy at the clouds, causing them to stick together and explode with snow buildup. "Mmm... candylicious!" Pinkie said happily as she scooped some of the pink candy into her mouth.

Meanwhile Starlight, Twilight and Celestia were engaging Jack himself, shooting powerful beams of magic at the spirit's giant form. The magic seemed to have little effect, merely making Jack angrier and angrier. He summoned blizzards, shot ice and rained hail, but the three ponies were simply too fast. They zipped around him, casting spell after spell with little success.

"Why isn't this working?!" Starlight yelled over the storm.

"I don't know!" Twilight yelled back. "My most powerful spells aren't doing anything!"

"The only way he could become this powerful is if he was feeding off of negative emotions!" Celestia answered. "But how is that possible?! The spirit of Hearth's Warming should be making him weak!" She shot a well timed bolt right into Frost's eye.

"Argh!" Jack screamed. "Windigos! Destroy them!" he commanded. The air erupted with howls as hundreds of the translucent beasts charged toward them. Everypony swerved and dodged the windigo's icy breath.

The windigo's only seemed scared of Spike, whinnying with fear at his fiery breath. "Yeah come on!" he threatened. "Who wants some more huh?!" Rainbow seemed to be doing her best to keep them moving, but the cold was slowing her down.

Fluttershy heard a loud winnying nearby as two of the ice spirits galloped toward her. She stared at them hard, trying her best not show fear. Most animals would lose their aggression if they realized you weren't afraid, and would be more willing to listen. Fluttershy hoped the windigos worked the same way. The spirits seemed to hesitate, slowing their gallop to a trot. They looked at each other in confusion and began backing away, whinnying loudly. This time, Fluttershy thought she heard some sort of guttural speech in their cries. She caught the words "the Fire still inside her!"

As her two would be attackers galloped away, Fluttershy pondered for moment. "The Fire still inside her?" What did they mean? She had seen the Fire of Friendship sputter out with her own eyes! What were the windigos still afraid of?

In the distance Fluttershy saw her friends putting on an impressive display, holding their own. A circle of sun fire emanated from Celestia's horn, vaporizing any windigos who dared to even get close. Inside the circle's protection, Starlight and Twilight shot bursts of fire from their horns, destroying wave after wave of windigos that came to do battle. Despite their efforts, the windigos simply seemed to keep coming, re-forming themselves out of the snow clouds.

"ENOUGH!" Jack yelled, stomping his hoof angrily. Fluttershy felt the very air around her thicken as if responding to Frost's command. Without warning, she felt herself hurled forcefully from the sky. She flapped her wings, trying with all her might to stay airborne, but it was no use. Luckily, Fluttershy managed to land in a thick pile of snow near the castle, shaken up but not injured. She heard a loud crash as Spike, Rainbow, Starlight, Twilight and Celestia plummeted into the snow beside her.

Applejack galloped toward them with Pinkie and Rarity by her side. "Are y'all okay?" she asked. Everypony managed to get to their hooves and nod in response.

The sky boomed with Jack Frost's mirthful laughter. "Did you pathetic little ponies think you could stop US? We are forces of nature!" The windigos howled in agreement, gathering by their master.

"Y-You will not prevail." Celestia managed, her teeth chattering due to the cold.

"After we freeze you, there will be NOPONY to stop us! Everypony in Equestria will be demoralized at losing their ruler, providing a feast of emotions for us!" His minions howled with glee, some licking their lips in anticipation. "We will blanket this world in eternal winter, and rule forever!" He pointed a hoof at them, and Fluttershy noticed ice begin to creep up her legs, showing no signs of stopping. Her friends began to suffer the same, struggling uselessly as the ice began to encase them. Jack giggled squeakily. "So ends the LAST Hearth's Warming in Equestria's history!"

Friendship is Magic

As the ice slowly entrapped them, everypony hung their heads in resignation. Even Rainbow had stopped struggling and looked at the ground sadly, maybe contemplating life as a popsicle. Spike tried his fire breath to no avail. This wasn't normal ice, but magical ice caused by a powerful spirit.

The only sound around them was the howling of the thousands of windigos encircling Ponyville, freezing every last mare, stallion and foal and feeding off of their emotions. Frost meanwhile seemed to have disappeared, becoming part of the blizzard itself. If Fluttershy listened closely, she thought she could hear his squeaky laughter almost permeating the air.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy." Twilight said grimly, breaking the silence among the group. "We should've listened to you when you were trying to warn us. We weren't being very good friends..." Everypony else except Celestia nodded their agreement and apologized. "And we owe you an apology too Princess." Twilight turned to Princess Celestia who looked very calm despite the situation.

"Oh? If anyone is to blame for this, it's the windigos, not you my little ponies." Princess Celestia smiled sadly.

Twilight shook her head. "We tried to make this Hearth's Warming special Princess. We planned the perfect tree, the perfect food, everything you're used to in Canterlot. I- we wanted to make this party something you could be proud of but.... I failed you." Twilight looked away sadly as the ice began to reach everypony's neck.

To their surprise, Princess Celestia chuckled. "Oh Twilight, I should've been more specific in my letter... you always did work yourself too hard. The reason I came to Ponyville to celebrate was because of all of you... not the food or the tree."

"Really?" Twilight asked with a look of confusion.

"Those Canterlot celebrations are so big and overdone that nopony ever actually gets much time to talk to each other. And whenever I attend one everypony is always competing to try and talk to me, just because I'm, well, me. I wanted to come to Ponyville this year because I knew that I'd get time to just relax with all of you and enjoy the holiday." Celestia explained patiently.

"I guess we failed on that count then." Rarity sighed. "We each got so wrapped up in our party planning that we didn't really talk to each other much did we? Except Fluttershy that is..."

"And now it's gonna be the last Hearth's Warming ever." Rainbow said sadly. The ice had almost reached their heads now, making everypony look like a living ice sculpture.

"Well..." Fluttershy said hesitantly, "At least we're together now..."

"Hey that's right!" Pinkie grinned with excitement.

Twilight smiled. "Before we freeze... I just want all of you to know that you're the best friends anypony could ask for. Happy Hearth's Warming everypony." Tears stung at everypony's eyes as the ice finally covered Twilight's head, leaving her completely frozen.

Next to her, Spike looked surprisingly calm and blinked his tears away. "Thank you, all of you, for showing Twilight that there was more to life than just books. And Rarity-" Before Spike could finish his sentence the ice froze him as well, causing Rarity to sob.

"Over my many years, I have seen, heard and done alot. However in just two years, all of you have taught me things that even Star Swirl the Bearded did not know. It is hard to be surprised when you've been around for thousands of years, but everypony here has managed to do so. I am very proud of all of you." Princess Celestia bowed her head and smiled her signature warm, caring smile before freezing over completely.

"I once believed that only ponies who were the same could be friends. But when nopony else would've helped me, you all showed me that true friendship is appreciating our differences and bonding over what we have in common. That's the best gift I could ask for this Hearth's Warming." Starlight said graciously as she froze as well.

As each pony said their goodbyes and thanked their friends, Fluttershy felt something warm inside her growing hotter and hotter despite the ice almost encasing her entire body. Finally, she found that she was the last one left, as all her friends were frozen with content expressions on their faces.

"Thank you everypony, for helping me, the shiest pony of all, embrace friendship and step out into the spotlight." Fluttershy whispered. "Even if you're all frozen and can't say it, I know you all love me and I love you as well. I suppose that's the true magic of friendship." She closed her eyes, waiting for the ice to finally take her.

Instead, Fluttershy felt a massive heat explode from within her, instantly melting her icy prison. She opened her eyes in surprise, and saw that a huge fiery purple heart had formed over her. The heart radiated its heat, whipping flames at each of her frozen friends. One by one they began to thaw with surprised expressions on their faces.

Twilight gaped at the massive heart. "Is that..."

"The Fire of Friendship." Celestia grinned.

"But it only appears over the place where friendship is strongest!" Twilight exclaimed. "And this year it was barely bigger than one pony. Now it's the size of a house!"

"I guess now that we stopped worrying about the perfect Hearth's Warming and instead just appreciated each other, we evoked the true magic of Hearth's Warming!" Spike reasoned. The air was filled with the angry howls of windigos as the spirits began to hurl everything they had at them. Ice, snow, hail and wind came flying at them but the heart's energy dissipated the attacks with ease.

Jack Frost materialized in the sky, looking enraged. "I DESTROYED HEARTH'S WARMING! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!!!" he screamed. He pointed a hoof and a massive tornado of snow appeared beneath him. It began uprooting houses, shattering decorations and destroying everything in its path as it raced toward Fluttershy and her friends. Jack laughed maniacally, "It doesn't matter. No magic you little ponies have can match the power of a spirit!"

"He's right! The heart isn't powerful enough to defeat him, it's only able to protect us!" Twilight yelled over the newly invigorated storm.

"We need to strengthen its power! Everypony gather around it in a circle and hold hooves!" Celestia ordered. "There's a spell that will amplify the heart's magic so that it can defeat Jack!" Everypony encircled the glowing heart and touched hooves (or claws).

"But most of us don't know any spells! And we can't do magic!" Spike said in a panicky voice.

"The words should be familiar to you, as this spell draws on the magic of friendship itself." Celestia explained. Jack's tornado grew closer, showing no sign of stopping as the heart began to flicker. "We must hurry my little ponies, or Jack's power will be too great to stop!"

"Draws on the magic of friendship... Starswirl's spell!" Twilight realized. "But not the one we used before, this one has to be much stronger!" Fluttershy felt herself begin to understand, as the warm glow within her formed itself into words.

Everypony took a collective breath and chanted, "From all of us together, together we are friends. Our hearts brought together, evil's might must bend!"

The Fire of Friendship exploded outward, hurling purple flames at the screaming windigos. Many of them were instantly vaporized and some luckier ones managed to flee. The tornado and snow clouds were melted away, resulting in torrents of rain splashing down onto the now thawed townsponies. Foals laughed and hopped around in the puddles while the adults got their bearings.

Jack roared in anger as his form began to flicker. "What's happening to me?!!" he yelled desperately.

"Your power is gone Jack! Despite your attempts to destroy it, the magic of Friendship will always be greater than you!" Celestia yelled back, glowing with sunfire.

"NO!" he hissed angrily in a deep, ancient sounding voice.

Celestia shot a blast of magic at Frost, causing him to shatter into thousands of pieces of ice with an echoing scream. Everypony looked up in awe as the spirit was destroyed.

Twilight hesitated, "He-he's not-"

"He is shattered Twilight. The force of winter must always exist, as it is a part of our world, however Jack Frost will never be able to take physical form again." Celestia replied.

"What about the rest of the windigos?" Rarity asked cautiously.

"Most likely they've fled back to the icy north and south." Celestia guessed. "But as long as we keep the Fire of Friendship going, they will never be a threat again." Fluttershy looked up and saw that the purple heart had risen higher in the air, glowing above Twilight's castle. In the storm, Princess Celestia's welcome banner had flown away, leaving the crystal star sparkling with moonlight.

"Well if we're gonna keep that fire burning, then it's time to paaarty!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

"Ah hate to be a downer, but the castle is still a total mess." Applejack pointed out.

Fluttershy raised a hoof. "I think I have an idea about that. Discord!" she called.

There was the distinct sound of talons snapping, and suddenly the entire population of Ponyville was transported to a giant dance floor (fortunately not on fire). A large disco ball lit up the room with dozens of colors, and creatures of all kinds seemed to be dancing in ways that defied physics. In the center, the Smooze bobbed up and down in midair, upside down. Fluttershy gave him a small wave and he smiled back.

"Welcome to the party!" Discord appeared above them, grinning widely. "Just one rule: be Chaotic!" Everypony cheered and rushed the strange dance floor, talking and laughing with each other.

"Well Discord you can certainly throw a party." Celestia said calmly. Twilight stood beside her, looking utterly perplexed as hundreds of ponies violated the laws of physics without a care in the world.

Discord floated upside down. "Aren't you going to join us Celestia?" he asked teasingly. "Or can the Princess not dance?"

"Is that a challenge?" Celestia said raising an eyebrow.

"I suppose it is!" Discord shot back.

Celestia gracefully flew onto the dance floor and began doing several complex spins and moves that Fluttershy had only seen professionals pull off before. Twilight's jaw dropped, as her brain probably hit its weirdness limit. She shook her head and trotted off to join the rest of their friends, leaving Fluttershy and Discord alone.

"So how did your "perfect" Hearth's Warming eve party go?" Discord asked.

"Well..." Fluttershy began.

"Say it." Discord demanded.

"You were right." Fluttershy said quietly.

"What was that?" Discord lifted his paw to his ear.

"You were right. Nothing ever turns out perfect." Fluttershy admitted. "Things didn't turn out like we expected but... they turned out pretty well in the end."

Discord grinned. "Happy Hearth's Warming Flutters." He picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"Happy Hearth's Warming Discord." Fluttershy replied happily, hugging him back. This Hearth's Warming, would definitely be one to remember.