A Ponyville Hearth's Warming

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."