Bitsy scooped a hoof-ful of snow into the canister she held, the ancient pipbuck tied on her belt clacking madly in the cold wind. An eerie, mournful howl rippled distantly through the air around her, and she quickly tucked the canister back into the pockets of her suit. Her nose was feeling numb, but she had to collect one more sample before she could go back to safety. Counting softly, she scooped another few hooves of snow into a new canister, her hoof beginning to burn from the radiation poisoning even through the protective layers of the rad-snowsuit. The howl surrounded around her again, closer this time and pale, glowing snow began to fall. It left small smoking marks on her clothes, and the rad-meter in her pipbuck began clicking faster, the little arrow rising quickly into the red. Slogging her hooves through the snow, Bitsy began to hobble back to the crevasse in the cliff face that hid the entrance to their stable, casting fearful glances behind her. That howl meant a blizzard was on its way, its crest ridden by the fearsome creatures of nightmare, Wendigos. She could see the clouds billowing and darkening rapidly, moving unnaturally fast against the sky blanket. These were not the beings of the silly foal tales the elders spun to thrill and scare, but real, undead monsters that even the bravest warrior fled from.
The wendigos of old were like a spring summer day compared to what awaited the stable ponies within the howling storms. These creatures were half formed from snow and ice, irradiated and foul, skin hanging from skeletal bodies. Their unseeing, glowing eyes seeking out new prey as they pranced through the howling blizzards, fading in and out of existence like some ghostly mirage. The blizzards surrounding the Crystal Mountains were not tame, pretty tufts of clouds like in foals storybooks, with hoof crafted snowflakes gently cascading down. They were screaming, rumbling swathes of black and grey nothingness blanketing all in sight with necromantic, radioactive snow that burned to the touch. Getting caught in a Crystal Mountain blizzard wasn't just death, your soul would be absorbed into the ice, trapped in the vortex of hatred and misery that fed the unending appetite of the Wendigo swarm. It would never end, and there was no escape.
Needless to say, Bittersweet Cider ran like Nightmare Moon herself was behind her, tripping and stumbling through the deep snow drifts that built up at the bottom of the mountain. She could see the dark, wrapped form of Peppermint standing by the shielded stable entrance, her bundled up head turning to and fro, frantically searching the building storm for her friend.
“Minty!” Bitsy cried out, falling down in the snow. She shouldn’t have been out so late, the storms always came at night, as if the Wendigos knew that there were ponies hiding in the depths of the mountains. She had to get the samples right before dark, the Professor wanted to test to see if the necromantic properties spiked at dusk, and she was his assistant. It was her job.
“Bitsy!” Came the response, and the dark figure vanished back into the cave. Bitsy could feel the cold leeching the movement from her legs as she flailed about in the snow, but she knew that rescue was coming. She just had to hope the blizzard didn’t arrive before her friends did. Anger and fear began to gnaw at her belly, the wendigos were close. Their arrival was always heralded by a deep and primal fear. The older ponies said it was a call back to the days before Equestria, when the lands were covered by ice fueled by the three tribes hatred. It was how the Wendigo hoard spread.
Hooves scraped at her sides, and Bitsy felt her sluggish body being lifted into the backs of the Plower brothers. Relief surged through her, and she closed her eyes against the tingle of passing through the protective blue shield that held the worst of the weather at bay, the storm nipping at their hooves. Raising her head wearily, she could see the wendigos smashing their frail bodies against the force field that protected the entrance the their stable with wet thuds, they had only just made it in time. The twins must have run like hell to get her back before the storm hit. One of the creatures pressed its skull right against the field, its glowing eye staring right through her with clear malice. Its mouth opened against the shield, biting uselessly against it. drool and black ichor spattered across the thrumming magical shield. Bitsy shivered and turned away, wrapping her hooves tighter against Durk’s neck. The beast almost looked like her momma, who had been lost to the storms long ago. Durk knelt down, slipping her off him.
“What were you thinking?” Minty’s voice cracked with fearful sobs, her hooves peeling off the heavy snowsuits. “You could have died, or worse!”
“I’m sorry!” Bittersweet’s poofy mane cascaded out from under the helmet, surround her like a cloud. “The professor has been testing the snow, he thinks if we can monitor when it’s at its worst then we can open the pass for more than an hour! Just think, we could actually bring trade here instead of going all the way to the nearest town.”
Durk’s shaggy head shook, the earth pony looking at her with a soulful eye. “I don’t think so, Bitsy. Ponies ain't gonna wanna bring them wagons up through snow that melts the wheels.” Dayle, his twin brother, nodded solemnly, shaking the snow off his suit. It was warmer in the cave, the mysterious pale blue shield that protected their stable thrummed with its own heat and light.
“He’s right, you know.” Minty took one of Bitsy’s leathery wings in her mouth, spreading it to massage life back into the cold membrane. “Iss ‘nuff we haff tra’ a’ all.”
Sighing in pleasure at her friend’s gentle touch, Bitsy leaned over and spread Minty’s wing to do the same back. She could still taste the fear radiating from her friend, even though the blue force field kept most of the negative effects of the Wendigos at bay. She knew that trade was the best way to help their stable thrive, and it was the Professor who would help them put stable seventy three on the map as a thriving marketplace. She just wished her friends could see that.
Cinna grinned at her reflection in the mirror, admiring the way the lights gleamed off her cutie mark. Today was the biggest day of the year, her favourite day. Hearth’s Warming Eve. She was so excited she could hardly contain herself!
A genteel knock came at the door, which opened softly to reveal the Overmare of the stable. Stooping, the tall mare stepped into the room, furtively shutting the door behind her.
“Today’s the day Glimglam! Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve!” Cinna was just about the only pony on the planet who could address the Overmare so casually. They had been secret lovers for a long time, friends even longer.
“I know Cinna.Happy Hearth’s Warming to you too, my love.” Gleaming Glamour shook her magnificent mane, wrinkling her nose at the pile of dirty stable jumpsuits on Cinnamon’s bed. “I’m worried.”
“About?”
“I don’t know how much longer the crystal heart is going to last. We lost power again last night. Only for a minute, but it was enough that the wendigos outside noticed. They can sense it’s weakening.”
Cinna’s heart sank, her jubilance leaking from her like a popped balloon. “Again? That’s the third time this year.” She kicked her laundry off the bed, pulling Gleaming down to her. Holding the larger mare was awkward, but Cinna always did her best. She began carefully stroking her mane, making sure not to mess up the intricate style. “It’ll be okay. We will do the Hearth’s Warming ceremony, power it up, and hopefully it’ll last long enough for us to find a way off this mountain. We have the trade route don’t we? You set that up.”
Gleaming rubbed her face in Cinnamon Spice’s fur, breathing deeply. “I am so tired. I don’t know if the trade route will be enough.Ponies are so resistant.”
The crystal heart was a strange artifact that had mysteriously reappeared at some point during the war long ago. Right when it had appeared, it was said that a great balefire bomb went off on top of it, destroying whatever had brought it back. Stable-Tec had somehow gotten a hold of it, and turned it into a power source for one of their most remote stables. All it needed was a simple ceremony once a year to power it up, and at the climax of the ceremony everyone’s coat would turn a beautiful translucent crystal, if only for a moment. No one in the stable knew of the true purpose of the Hearth’s Warming ceremony, they all thought it was simply a big party to celebrate togetherness, with the crystal coats a magic trick of the Overmare’s. If they knew that their happiness and joy was the only thing keeping away the necromantic wendigos at their door, it was unlikely they would ever be relaxed enough to feel true joy again. The only reason Cinna knew the secret herself was because the heart had begun to fail. Tiny, microsecond power outs that put every single life at risk. Her job as Head of Stable Morale was responsible for the joy of every pony in this stable, and so Gleaming had confided the truth in her in hopes that she could help with the problem. She had been horrified, but knew her marefriend needed her more than ever, so she had swallowed her fear and put ten times more effort into her job.
They were stuck on the Crystal Mountains, surrounded by necromantic snow and storms that held nightmares beyond reckoning. At noon, only for one hour, was the path clear enough that a small, lightly packed caravan could get down the pass to the trade route below. It wasn’t long enough to evacuate the entire stable, not with foals and elderly.
She stroked Gleaming’s neck, pushing her own apprehension away. “It will have to be. We will make it enough.” Cinna kissed Gleaming gently, then pushed her up. “Now, Overmare face on! Let’s go have breakfast so I can start my rounds. Unlike you who only has a speech later, I have an actual job to do.”
Gleaming smiled down at her, the vulnerability from earlier melting away into a familiar steely expression. “Very well. Will you join me for breakfast, Head of Morale?”
“Not if you are too slow to get there!” Cinna’s voice was already fading as she catered down the corridor. Gleaming couldn’t chase her, not without looking extremely unprofessional and giving their relationship away, but at the very least it would make her laugh. Cinna slowed, chewing on her lip in worry. Today was very important, the love that the ponies would offer would power their stable for the next year. The heart would only accept power on this day, they had to make it enough.
Breakfast was a brief but noisy affair, Cinna spent more time greeting the smiling ponies than actually eating her peanut butter toast. Everyone was excited for today. Presents were being exchanged already, and the decor that the Department of Morale had spent all yesterday hanging up glittered and sparkled. Candy canes, tinsel, trees and great purple hearts were everywhere, hoof made dolls sitting on every shelf. Cinna slipped through the throng, flapping her leathery wings. First stop was the candy shop, where she would pick up supplies and also face her biggest challenge of the day.
The candy shop was bustling with ponies picking up last minute treats, and Cinna had to fight her way to the counter. Peppermint was there today, and she could see Sweet and his mother in the back, hurrying to finish everything before closing time at noon.
“Miss Spice!” Pepper smiled and flicked her wing tufts in the thestral greeting.
Flicking her own back, Cinna shouted to be heard over the mass of voices. “Hello Pepper! I’m here for my basket!” Pepper had already scooped up the heavy basket ladened with sugary hard candies, each wrapped with a Department of Morale ribbon, and placed it on the counter. Cinna leaned close, speaking in the high pitched thestral tongue so she could be heard properly over the noise. “Can you please send Sweet to me when he is finished? I want to have a word.”
“I don’t know if he will come, Miss.” Pepper squeaked and chirped back. “He’s been more reclusive than ever, he barely comes to work on time, let alone social events.”
Cinna frowned. Sweet Nothings was an enigma. No matter what she tried, he was sinking further and further into depression. They had tried everything from therapy to just leaving him alone, but nothing had worked. She would have to do something drastic, because depression was not going to protect their stable. Her mind began to tick over with a half formed plan. “It’s okay, tell him if he doesn’t come to me then I will come to him, and that I will be bringing Spooky.’
Pepper chittered, laughing. “He’ll come.”
Nodding, Cinna placed her basket on her back. Now she had to find Spooky Parties. The mare always had the best intentions, but her habit for celebrating the kinds of things ponies would rather forget was sure to put a dampener on the day. The last thing they needed was another “Congratulations on your miscarriage” party.
As she walked through the stable, she scooped candies from the basket on her back, handing them out to small foals, hiding them in nooks and crannies, slipping them into the pockets and manes of ponies. A little treat to be discovered later, bringing a tiny moment of joy. She felt the excitement of the ponies brush off onto her, and her own happiness fizzed through her like a sparkle-cola. She had gotten her own cutie mark on this day many years ago, right after planning a party for her family. It was then she knew that she only ever wanted to cheer up ponies, her passion was smiles. Wiggling in joy at the memory, she almost bumped straight into an enormous behind. Peering upwards, she recognised the nicked ear of Dayle.
“Greetings, Dayle!” She called, and the enormous stallion turned around slowly, placing his hooves carefully so he didn’t squash any smaller ponies that may have been under his hooves. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve! WHere is Dirk?” Dirk was Dayle’s twin brother, and both boys were extremely muscular and large but very kind and friendly.
“Hello Miss Spice,” Dayle rumbled in his slow manner. “Dirk is currently sitting on Spooky.”
Cinna paused in her effort to flick a candy into Dayle’s mane. “He’s what?”
“Sittin’ on Spooky. She was settin’ up some kinda party all sneaky like, so he sat on her. I was sent ta get you, but I got turned around. Can ya climb up?”
Holding her questions, Cinna scrambled on top of Dayle. The feel of his soft for and muscular body was delightful, she was pleased they had grown into such fine young stallions. She felt nostalgic for a moment, remembering the awkward young foals they had once been. All big hooves and gangly legs. Once she was settled, Dayle took off at a canter, moving faster than CInna could ever hope to, especially with her heavy basket. Seizing the opportunity, she hid some candies in his tail.
“Do you know what kind of party it was?”
“Nah Miss, but I have a feelin’ it has something ta do with young Banana Cream.”
Cinna sighed, sadness washing over her. Banana Cream had fallen down in the basement during one of her escapades, and had lost the use of her hind legs. So soon after getting her cutie mark in mountain climbing too! The last thing she needed was a “Congratulations on never being able to climb again” party.
They arrived in the maintenance wing, and Dayle lowered her back onto the floor. Peering through the door, Cinna took in the dark form of Dirk firmly planted on top of Spooky, who was struggling with all her might. Looking at the ceiling, she could see a half placed banner, and sure enough, it had Banana Cream’s cutie mark on it. Trotting into the room, she stared firmly down at the mare, who quailed under her gaze. Spooky was a member of the Department of Morale, but only so that Cinnamon could keep a hoof on her.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, Spooky and Dirk.”
“Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve Miss Spice.” They both chorused back.
“Spooky, did you have authorization for this surprise party?”
Spooky had the grace to look sorry. “No, Miss Spice.”
“Then why, why are you hosting it?”
“Because she looked so sad, Miss Spice!” Spooky looked up at her earnestly. Waving a wing, Cinna allowed Dirk to get off her hind legs. Spooky rolled over, rubbing them. “No one should be sad on Hearth’s Warming Eve!”
Cinna rubbed her nose with her wing. She had long given up trying to explain why Spooky’s parties made very few ponies happy. “Spooky, regardless of your intentions, there are protocols. We do not requisition supplies without filing the appropriate paperwork. I’m sorry, but you are to be punished.”
Spooky sighed, hanging her head. Cinna took a deep breath, the half formed plan from this morning solidifying. “But first, you will reformat these supplies. Instead, create a party for Sweet Nothings.”
The younger mare looked hopeful. “To celebrate his five hundreth sad day?”
Dirk and Dayle mutually face-hooved.
“No, Spooky, but good try. We are going to celebrate his departure from the stable. I have a job for him down the mountain.”
Spooky nodded, and began pulling down the banner.
Turning to Dayle and Dirk, Cinna smiled up at the big stallions. “Thank you for coming to get me. Are you able to watch her? I must return to my duties.” They nodded, knowing if they left her alone then Spooky would celebrate Sweet’s own death if she could. They loved their little sister, but her unique way of looking at the world was definitely going to get her in trouble one day.
“Sweets gonna leave?” Dirk asked slowly. Sweets may have been a miserable blight on the stable, but he was well loved.
“Only for a while.” Cinna smiled. “He has a talent that would be best used out there.” Dirk nodded in reply before turning back to Spooky.
Cinnamon Spice trotted back out the door, sucking on a peppermint stick from her own basket. Celestia knows she needed the sugar after dealing with Spooky.
The day continued, with Cinna making stops to check on friends, family and the progress of her Department’s preparations for the play and speech this evening. She was just supervising the set up of the stage when she felt a tap on her flank. Turning, she found Sweet standing there, looking apprehensive.
“Sweet! So good to see you! Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve!” Greeting him warmly yielded no results, he simply stared sullenly back at her while mumbling a half hearted reply. Cinna led Sweet Nothings from the stage area, hoping his listlessness had not been transferred to her busy little workers.
Pulling him into an office, Cinna turned to look at him. Sweet was gorgeous, with a short mane and adorable socks. He could easily be mistaken for a mare, which made what she was about to do to him even more perilous, but it had to be done to protect the stable. To protect them all from the monsters waiting outside.
“Sweet, I know you’ve struggled in finding happiness recently.” Cinna took a deep breath. “”Why do you feel this way? Please be honest with me.”
Sweet Nothings said nothing for a moment, watching her carefully. The silence stretched onwards. She was about to say something, but at last he spoke.
“I don’t know. I don’t see the point in anything here. Why’re you asking me this, today of all days?” Sweets kicked at the floor. Cinna flushed with guilt, steeling herself against her conscience. Gleaming was counting on her to protect their stable, and she knew that whatever Sweets was looking for, he wouldn’t find it cooped up on the mountain.
“I ask you because today is the day I want to ask you a very difficult favour. Your special talent is finding the exact right candy to match any pony’s tastes, something to brighten their day. You barely even have to know them and you can find what they will love. That’s not a common talent.”
“So? Ponies here don’t care, they have any candy they desire at their hoof tips. It’s not like it matters where they spend their money.”
Cinna’s heart pounded. “I know, I know. But it matters to the ponies out in the wasteland.” There. She’d said it.
Sweet’s brow creased in confusion. “What are you getting at?”
“I need someone on the outside to show ponies what they need from us. It’s the only way to establish a solid trade route. If you can give them exactly what they need but it only comes from our stable, they will want to trade more and more. I need you.” Plus it gets your gloomy self out of the stable, and it will help the trade route, she added silently.
“You want me to go down with the next caravan?” Sweet just looked puzzled. He wasn’t getting it. Cinna bit her lip again, then spelled it out.
“No Sweet,” She made her voice sound as neutral as possible. “I intend for you to establish a permanent trade base at the foot of the mountain, acting as a go between for the stable and caravans. It would mean leaving here, but it would be helping the stable in ways that would benefit our entire future. It would mean leaving.”
Sweet Nothing gaped at her, and his flank dropped to the floor with a smack. “You want me to leave?”
“Not permanently, just long enough to use your talents where they would be most useful.”
Sweet stared. He stared at her, at the office, at everything. Her mouth was dry, and she swallowed nervously. If he didnt take the job, then he would stay and she’d have to find another way to help him, because the longer he stayed, the higher the risk the ponies around him would worry and that would mean it would be harder for them to experience true joy, and the more the crystal heart would stop protecting their home.
The silence was broken by the cheering of the crowd in the atrium, the play must have started. Sure enough, she could hear the high squeaking of a foal denouncing a pegasi for being too stubborn to clear the clouds.
“Can I think about it?” Sweet Nothings asked. Cinna felt hope fill her with its warmth from wingtip to wingtip. He didn’t sound upset or depressed. He genuinely sounded like he was considering it!
“Of course! Just let me know before next week so we can start making the preparations!”
Cinna practically skipped back to the stage, that was the first time in years that Sweet hadn’t sounded like he was made of air! She was really worried about him, but she had to put their home first. They had elderly, disabled and children here who wouldn’t make it down the mountain in an hour. But if it also helped him get better, then Praise be to Luna!
Finding a seat next to a lovely older couple, she handed out more of the candy from her almost empty basket. The play was filled with adorably tiny foals who were wearing too big costumes, speaking grandiose lines in archaic speech. So cute. Munching down, she sat back to enjoy the show.
It was over all too soon, and the foals received a thunderous applause from the stable. They were adored, and it showed. Cinna found herself wooping with joy and excitement, chanting “Equestria” along with the rest of the crowd. The play was always popular, it reminded them of a time when ponies weren’t at war. When the world wasn’t destroyed.
Gleaming Glamour stepped onto the stage and Cinna’s heart fluttered. Her marefriend was so beautiful, but they had to keep their relationship hidden in order to maintain a professional appearance of boundaries. Once they started a family and one of them stepped down from their role, they could go public. Gleaming’s eye’s briefly met her own and they shared a warm look.
“Citizens of Stable Seventy Three!” Gleaming Glamour had a rich, sonorous voice that commanded attention. “ Equestria was founded on moving past our differences, and it was our differences that caused it to fall. Each year we come together and put aside our differences once more. Each year we are reminded that the Final Day of the war was not the end of Equestria! One hundred and forty years ago, we lost many lives in what is now known as the Great Calamity.” Gleaming looked sombre. “But we do not forget those who fought and lost. We are the descendents of those who lived, and it is our task to remember them all, zebra, pony, yak, thestral, dragon and all the species in between. It matters not what sparked the war, only that we here, hidden away in this mountain, survived! We survive and we remember! Division may have brought the Calamity, but here, in this stable, we have overcome! Thestrals live alongside earth ponies, zebras and pegasi share home and hearth! All are welcome in our stable, all are safe in our home.” Cinna shifted in her seat. The moment was coming.
Gleaming tossed her head back, seeming to stare at each of them equally. “Think back to a time, a moment this last year where you embraced someone different to you. Remember their warmth, the shared memory and safety. Remember their smiles, their laughter, their tears. Remember their friendship! Hold that memory in your heart now as we bend the knee to those who came before us, those who sacrificed much so that we may live. Remember them and they live on in us!”
There was no cheering, but as one the crowd lowered their heads, bowing to the stage where Gleaming bowed back. A chiming echoed through the stable, reverberating from floor to floor. Elsewhere, those who couldn’t make the play also bowed, the chime sending the message that the moment to share their joy had arrived so they could all participate, regardless of work. The grey metal floors of the stable glowed a vivid and bright blue, almost blinding against their closed eyes. Beautiful joy seemed to radiate from each of the ponies, shooting out of them and off to where Cinna knew the heart lay. Blue sparkling magic washed over the stable and ponies were left with glittering coats seemingly made of crystal, but the effect dissipated within a moment. The effect lasted for less and less time every year. A great sigh of contentment rose from the crowd, and there was shifting as everyone stood to their hooves.
Gleaming stood tall and beautiful, her coat still slightly glittering. “Happy Hearth’s Warming Eve, every pony!”
A song started up from behind them, and soon the crowd turned to join in. Cinna felt that her heart would burst with happiness, and she lifted her voice high in song.
“The fire of friendship lives in our hearts, as long as it burns we cannot drift apart...”
Somewhere below them, the Crystal Heart was spinning brightly between two columns, thrumming with energy. A soft crunch echoed in the chamber. A tiny crack had appeared in its depths.
