They arrived with an absence of fanfare, magically breaching the wall between realities to inhabit a planet unused to such creatures. At first, no one knew of their presence. Only their actions were visible, in the form of sudden, persistent snowfall, fierce gales that almost seemed to howl like animals, and bone chilling drops in temperature. Meteorologists were baffled by these weather patterns, which ran counter to all prevailing knowledge of climate by lingering for days above only populated areas. Not all populated areas, though, and some were stricken more harshly than others. Places like Germany and Sweden remained largely untouched by the mysterious blizzards, while other nations, such as Iran and Libya, were especially hard-hit.
During this time, those affected had no recourse but to simply shelter from the storms, hoping and praying for them to subside. Theories ran rampant as to why these blizzards were happening, some blaming a god or a devil, others global climate change. Some blurry photographs of blue shapes moving within the dark clouds began to surface online, but those who saw them as credible were few.
In the United States, only about half the territory was inundated by ice, and that half vocally cried out for reassurances from the government. So it was that President Donald Trump scheduled a live press conference within the White House, to address the people.
"—will get through this," he continued, gripping the podium. "Like with the virus, and everything else, the great nation of America will always triumph. All of the proud, hardworking people in our oil, coal, and natural gas businesses will keep pumping out what you need to stay warm for as long as it takes for these freak ice storms to blow over."
Trump paused, mouth set in a line, as he paused for the press. Reporters politely applauded as cameramen kept their lenses trained on the president. However, before he could resume his prewritten speech, a flash of magenta light burst next to him.
He flinched away in surprise as a form unlike anything mankind had seen before appeared next to him. A regal lavender horse with odd proportions, sporting a spiraling horn, large feathered wings, and a violet mane that twinkled, billowing in an unfelt wind. Everyone in the room stared in silent shock.
Then, she spoke. "Hello, everyone. If I might please have a moment to—"
"What the fuck is that thing!?" Trump exclaimed, pointing fearfully at the newcomer. "Shoot it already!"
The many Secret Service members on standby snapped out of their daze and lunged out of the shadows, levelling pistols at the unauthorized arrival and emptying their clips as they were trained. But their target was suddenly protected by a translucent sphere of pink light, the barrage of bullets proving totally incapable of penetrating the shield. The reporters screamed in panic, hiding under their chairs to avoid the ricochets. Meanwhile, the non-horse's expression turned from neutral to sour.
"Kill it, kill it!" Trump wailed.
As the agents motioned to reload, her horn flared again, and all the firearms were lifted out of their wielder's hands and snapped in half.
She sighed as many of them then tried to bum-rush her, tackling the sphere. Ignoring them, head held high, she faced the President. "I was hoping that the leader of the most prominent nation in this dimension would be more reasonable," she stated, gesturing to the remaining press with a hoof. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I came here to help humanity. If you'll allow it, I would like to explain exactly what is causing these persistent blizzards, and how to return your planet to normal."
A whirlwind of whispers overtook the crowd, more cameras whipping to face Twilight as the media recovered their composure, now spellbound by her words alone. Trump held up a hand, and the Secret Service backed off, forming a tight semicircle around Twilight. "Why the hell should I trust you? What are you, an alien or something? For all we know, this mess is all your fault!"
Twilight's brow tilted in pity. "I understand this must be quite confusing. Whether my information is to be believed or not is up to you. I chose to come to Earth in good faith, and reasoned that this was the best way for my message to reach as many as possible. All I ask is that you listen. Then, I'll go home." Here, she shrugged with her wings. "If the majority find me unwelcome, I won't visit again."
More murmuring, some growing louder and more excited. Advisors stepped forward, trying to sway Trump one way or the other. Eventually, he crossed his arms in annoyance and stepped away from the podium. "Fine, whatever. Do your thing. But you better not spout fake news, 'Twilight Sparkle'."
"Thank you, Mr. President," she acknowledged, dispelling her shield and taking position. The room was now completely silent, all eyes and cameras focused on Twilight. She cleared her throat. "An allied outpost recently alerted me that, due to a lack of food, the remaining population of creatures called Windigos fled my homeworld, Equestria, for this one. Windigos are spectral monsters, made up entirely of magic. Using their icy breath, they generate terribly frigid weather. This is beneficial for the Windigos, as their diet consists primarily of the hateful emotions of sentient peoples, and a lack of resources generates conflict. The only known method of repelling them is to purge such emotions from your heart and embrace friendship with your fellows. In our ancient history, ponykind was nearly wiped out, until the three pony races united in harmony and peace."
As she finished, Twilight was immediately bombarded with questions, her ears folding down. Only when Trump spoke did they quiet down enough for her to answer. "So you let these things come here, and drop another plague on us? I knew immigrants were a problem, but that's very, very bad. And now you're telling us we have to change our red-blooded, American values? Fat chance."
Twilight blinked. Hard. "That's your takeaway from all this? Not 'Huh, we should probably think long and hard about working for an inclusive society to prevent catastrophic loss of life' or even 'Oh wow, magic is real?' You're that obstinate?"
"I don't know what that word means, but I'm going to take it as an insult," Trump replied, scowling. "If you're done babbling extremist nonsense, you can get out of my country."
After staring at the leader of the 'free world' for almost a full minute, Twilight let out a weighty sigh. "Fine. I just hope some of the people watching this on those 'televisions' of yours were actually taking my compassionate guidance to heart. Farewell."
Then, with a blinding flash of light, she disappeared.
Twilight's message rapidly spread to every corner of the globe, even slipping past nets of censorship in places like China. It was translated into all spoken languages and printed in reams for areas without electricity, her words spread by the literate.
While some looked long and hard at themselves, vowing to atone for their sins, many refused to compromise on their bigoted values. They liked the power trip of being able to live above others, be they another race, ethnicity, religious group, social class, or gender, despite the suffering now being directed at them, instead of the aforementioned populations. Many, alternatively, had the means and the cold apathy to simply wait out the blizzards in the comfort of their homes, doing nothing to affect change.
However, the kind-hearted majority thankfully acted. Realizing quickly that convincing such stubborn individuals to better themselves was a futile effort, they simply left any areas the Windigos occupied for greener pastures, by vehicle or on foot. By working together, billions were evacuated from troubled cities and nations. Any small pockets of cruel individuals were quickly spotted, and issued an ultimatum: rethink your biases, and allow the rest of the world to live in friendship and harmony, or be exiled to dwell with your ice-bound kin. These hateful who remained in place were equal parts glad that the peoples they so loathed were leaving their rightful lands en-mass and annoyed that many oppressed workers would no longer toil in their service. At least, until the food began to run out, and the compassionate diaspora rescinded aid to those who were followed by the storms.
These ever-more-freezing bastions of rage responded, or course, with violence. They tried to shoot down the Windigos with fighter planes, anti-air artillery, and missiles. But they, as Twilight had told them, were beings of magic and emotion, unfazed by the attacks. So, naturally, they then tried to wage open war on those who fled to safety and true freedom. Their enemy, while willing to fight in self-defense, did not need to. The mere act of mustering for such campaigns was enough to feed and empower the Windigos so much that their armies and weapons were inundated with such piercing frost and tons upon tons of snow that they all perished before they could have the chance to attack.
Mourning and rejoicing in equal measure, the remaining peoples of the world rebuilt civilization from the ground up into a more just, socialist framework, where no voice went unheard and all were afforded the rights to health and happiness. As the ice slowly melted, the world of men knew true peace at last. Twilight Sparkle even paid a visit years later to share how immensely proud she was.
And the Windigos, more than sated and out of hatred to eat, flew off to the north and south poles, where the spirits could wait in comfort for the day humanity lapsed into fear once more. Hopefully, they would remain there for good.
