Cinematic Adventures: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

by extremeenigma02

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Comedy, Starlight Glimmer, Cozy Glow, Adventure, Crossover
Length: 72482

The Mane Six, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer are off on another adventure into the Multiverse. This time they find themselves in the small town of Whoville where the citizens are being terrorized by the Christmas hating creature known as the Grinch

Hearths Warming Eve has come once again in Equestria and all around, every pony is in a most merry of moods. Well...maybe not every pony. Sickened by the sickly sweet feelings of the holiday, Cozy Glow attempts to ruin the occasion by stealing the magical television from Twilight Sparkle to cause mass chaos. However, a magical surge sends herself through the portal and it is up to the Mane Six, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer to go after her and stop her from causing more destruction. This lands them in the small town of Whoville, where the citizens are readying themselves for Christmas time. But all is not as joyous and merry as is to be believed when the Christmas hating Grinch seeks to steal the very holiday itself.

Will our heroes be able to stop Cozy Glow and help the Grinch learn to love Christmas? Or are some hearts just two sizes too small to learn to love?

Published 2021-12-01 20:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2022-01-01 21:04:00 UTC

Hearth's Warming Horror

Disgust… hatred… the only two words which best described the feelings of one tiny little foal sitting and shivering in the darkness of the caves she called home since arrival. Cozy Glow shook vigorously, nearly freezing to death in the cold darkness. The land of Equestria had officially turned to winter. The usually dark, cold cave she and the remainder of the Dark Order resided in was now colder than ever, the freezing air blowing briskly through the caverns.

“I-I-I h-h-hate w-w-winter…” She shook.

“Oh, quit your griping, will you?!”

Cozy turned with a glare toward Tirek, who looked down upon her. The giant centaur merely glared back toward the little filly, as he walked off towards the center of the cave where the Dark Order usually met. Cozy picked herself upon her shaky hooves, strolling against the cold and followed closely behind him.

“You know Tirek, I personally hate the idea of Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Cozy told the centaur. “I mean… a bunch of ponies gathering around giving presents and singing songs. Like that really keeps the Windigos at bay?”

Tirek merely groaned while clutching his aching head. For the past few weeks, since winter arrived in Equestria, he’d listen to Cozy Glow complaining about winter and especially Hearth’s Warming. She just never seemed to shut up about how much she despised the season.

“I sear, if I have to hear even ‘one’ more complaint out of you over the season I’ll sew your mouth shut!” Tirek threatened.

“As if!” Cozy scoffed. “You know as well as I do the Benefactor needs all of us for what’s coming. Meaning you can’t do anything to me.”

“What is it you hate about the holiday so much anyway?” Tirek asked her. “Celestia forbid you don’t get enough presents overflowing in your own house.”

“I don’t know…” Cozy shrugged. “I just hate it.”

“Hmph… fine, I didn’t even want to know anyway.”

At that moment, the Mysterious Benefactor strolled into the area and as usually arrived with a robe covering every possible semblance of their being. Following behind the Benefactor was their newest addition to the group: Chickenstein. Following a successful experiment with the Randomonium, the seven-foot chicken monster was now their most obedient servant… a creature of very few words. Once the Benefactor stopped, Chickenstein loomed around and drew out a tiny brush from its inside vest pocket and proceeded to dust off the throne chair before the Benefactor could take their seat.

“Congratulations Cozy Clow,” The Benefactor told her. “You’ve been granted an assignment that will be just perfect for you.”

“Oh yeah?” Cozy perked, with interest. “What might that be?”

“You are to sneak to that wretched nest of filth they call ‘Ponyville’ and wreak as much havoc as possible.”

This made Cozy Glow’s face light up like the lights on a Hearth’s Warming tree.

“Now that sounds fun!” Cozy grinned maliciously. “So… what am I targeting exactly?”

The Benefactor grinned beneath their hood as they thought of the perfect place to strike to ensure some chaos. Somewhere chaos thrived itself into its very foundation and required to go less it brought everyone together to learn what they have in store next.

“Discord’s Theatre…”

<>

The crisp air blew a cold breeze across all of Equestria, as a thick white blanket of fresh fallen snow littered the grounds. In the town of Ponyville, a feeling of merriness and joy could be felt as every pony prepared for a glorious Hearth’s Warming Eve. Little foals raced amuck, playing games in the snow, and enjoying all the happiness the holiday had to offer. And such joy and splendor on this merry time of the year, as ponies decorated their homes with wreaths and lights or laying out fresh warm pies along the window, every citizen in town broke out in song.

In the midst of all the excitement for the holiday, a single small figure dressed in a heavy-set robe strode through the merry assembly of singing ponies and other creatures visiting for the holidays. The figure hardly paid little heed to the chariots carrying little foals delivering bags of toys for other kids in need or even the one group of Hearths Warming carolers in the midst of the square. Shadows loomed over the robed visitor, who quickly ducked along the side of a house and looked up.

Spreading snowing clouds across Ponyville, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were hard at work helping the other Pegasi set the clouds together for a light snowfall. Like the ponies passing across the surface below them, they too were dressed in winter coats to keep extra warm and were also happy knowing that with the arrival of Hearths Warming Eve it shan’t be long till the big day tomorrow. Rainbow Dash’s eyes soon spot something in town and dives toward the ground. The hooded figure froze anticipating she was coming to it. But instead, Rainbow zipped by and landed right under a mistletoe, where her dear mare-friend Applejack stood. They smiled upon seeing each other and gave a kiss to each other.

*SNAP!*

A flash of light and a click draws the pair around as Pinkie Pie stood within six feet with a camera in her hooves. She knelt it down and chuckled merrily as her two friends shook their heads with annoyance. Pinkie suddenly saw a passing Griffon strolling casually across town and quickly put on a Hearth’s Warming hat on his head before letting him go. And strolling by, other ponies were walking about carrying warm trays of pies and pastries to bring to their families for a lovely feast.

While every pony else seemed distracted, the tiny, robed figure tried to quickly pave their way through the swarm of merriment and cheer. In such a hurry they nearly bumped into a pony carrying a box of ornaments and other decorations. But the pony in question kept going as he met with another group in town square where a huge Hearths Warming tree stood. Every pony and every creature volunteering were hanging decorations and ornaments. And no other pony was more fit for the job than one Miss Rarity herself, with her husband Erik and sister Sweetie Belle helping out.

In town, there were two foals in particular enjoying this holiday: Pound and Pumpkin, the Cake twins. Currently, they were in the process of building a giant snow pony right outside Sugarcube Corner. The two little twins had certainly grown in recent years, from two tiny babies who once drove poor Pinkie Pie bonkers when she first babysat to the foal and filly they are now. Sure, they still drive the mare stark-raving mad occasionally, but now they were more mature and didn’t do so as often.

Currently, the two tiny ponies were wrapping up their work on their snow pony. Pound carefully placed two coal eyes on the face while Pumpkin wrapped a long orange scarf around it. Stepping back, the two children admired their work.

“Pumpkin, this just might be the best snow pony we’ve ever made!” Pound admired.

“You’re welcome,” Pumpkin smirked.

Pound turned and glared toward his sister.

“Don’t you mean ‘thank you’?” He asked seriously. “I’m the one who did most of the work!”

“Nuh uh!” Pumpkin shot back.

"Uh huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!"

This went on for a good five minutes before things between the twins quickly got physical. Pound leapt onto his sister, as they rolled about the snow passing the perplexed hooded figure (If any pony could see their face). It watch both foals duking it out, trying to gain the advantage over the other. But it was clear they were equally matched and yet it was such a spectacle the hooded figure could barely stifle a light chuckle.

“Ahem!”

All of a sudden, the sound of some pony clearing their throat put a stop to their senseless fight. The twins looked up and saw their mother and father glaring toward them. They quickly picked themselves off one another and dusted themselves off before grinning toward their folks with the biggest, most innocent smiles they could make.

“Hi mommy!” Pound greeted innocently.

“Hi daddy!” Pumpkin added.

“Now we’ve told you two time and time again,” Mr. Cake warned. “If you two can’t play outside without fighting, no playing outside at all.”

“Aww, but daddy—” Both twins whined.

“Your father’s right you two,” Mrs. Cake agreed. “If you can behave, you lose certain privileges. Now apologize to each other.”

Both twins groaned a bit before turning toward one another and mumbled a tiny apology. From behind Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Pinkie Pie arrived with Lil Cheese on her back. The little tyke was a year old now, so full of energy and just as rambunctious as his parents. From behind Pinkie, Cheese Sandwich and Diamond Tiara arrived.

Since the day the young filly chose not to follow her parents, the day they got banished from Ponyville, she’d been living happily with the cakes. When she ‘did’ hear from her parents, apparently the Riches set a new branch in Manehatten and were living as prosperous as ever. But Diamond Tiara could care less about their financial status, for she was much happier where she was now.

“Momma, snowy!” Lil Cheese babbled, pointing at the snow pony. “Snowy! Snowy! Snowy!”

“That’s right little cheesy-wheezy!” Pinkie said happily. “The biggest snow pony your cousins ever made.”

“Actually, I was the one that—” Pound started.

A quick glance from his parents made the young foal zip his muzzle shut before he got himself in further trouble. Diamond Tiara walked over to the snow pony, studied it up and down, and nodded with approval.

“It’s coming along nicely,” She complimented. “But there’s something missing.”

“There is?” The twins asked, in unison. “What?”

Diamond Tiara quickly raced back to Sugarcube Corner before coming back a minute later with a top hat in her teeth. She quickly chucked it up atop the snow pony’s head before stepping back and smiled with admiration.

“No snow pony is complete without a top hat,” She said.

“Not bad Diamond,” Cheese complimented. “But don’t you think it would be even more funny if it had big red shoes and crazy-looking hair. I mean when I was a wee colt, I loved making snow clowns for Hearth’s Warming. Funniest thing about them was rigging them to throw snowballs at passing ponies. One year, I got so creative I made one throw a snow ‘pie’ instead.”

To emphasize his point, Cheese Sandwich pulled out a cart of pies made entirely of snow and turned toward the twins and Diamond Tiara. The three all had wide eyes of fear before running away screaming, with Cheese running after them and trying to pelt them with pies. This caused everyone around them to laugh while watching Cheese and the children run amuck.

At that moment, the rest of the Mane Six gathered together in Sugarcube Corner, all dressed in their winter apparel. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked cute together, walking up with a big scarf wrapped around both their necks which practically held them together. Fluttershy was dressed in winter boots, a scarf, and a fuzzy pai of earmuffs over her cute little ears. Rarity was dressed in a fancy ensemble of winter gear that seemed to be made of some type of white fur, ‘fake’ of course but still fashionable. Twilight wore boots and a scarf, while her now much larger dragon assistant Spike wore nothing.

Being a dragon meant he was already warm enough himself.

Lucky guy…

“Hey guys!” Rainbow greeted. “How’s everything going?”

“Oh Cheesy’s just chasing the kids around with a cart of snow pies,” Pinkie replied casually.

“Sounds like somethin’ ol’ Cheese Sandwich would do,” Applejack nodded, with a chuckle.

“Madame Rarity!” A voice called.

Every pony turned quickly as Rarity’s assistant, Parfaite, raced towards them. The young mare had worked with Rarity since Applejack and Rainbow Dash found her half dead in the forest the year before. She’d been attacked viciously by Timberwolves and amazingly managed to survive the ordeal. From what she told them she’d been forced from her home in Prance and came to Ponyville looking to start a new life prior to the attack.

Rarity, being the generous pony she was, graciously offered her to stay with her in the shop and work as her assistant till she got back on her hooves. However, in the year she’d been living with her, Parfaite had come to learn she actually liked working with Rarity. Ergo, she decided to make her residence permanent to continue working for Rarity.

“Parfaite, why are you in such a rush darling?” Rarity asked her.

“Monsieur Erik asked me to bring zis to you,” Parfaite responded.

The cream-coated Pegasus handed Rarity a beautiful baby blue scarf that seemed to be made from a very fine fabric. Rarity smiled and took the scarf with her magic, wrapping it around her neck.

“Well thank you Parfaite dear,” Rarity thanked her. “I must have forgotten it in my rush.”

“Oui mademoiselle!” Parfaite nodded. “Your husband feared zat you might get cold without it. I ran as I could so zat I may get it to you on time.”

“Erik’s so sweet to think of my well-being,” Rarity smiled. “And you Parfaite are the sweeting thing ever, running all the way out here just to give it to me.”

“Sank you madame,” Parfaite nodded. “I suppose I should return to ze boutique now.”

“Oh, don’t be silly darling,” Rarity said quickly. “Why not stay with us awhile?”

“Oh, I vould not wish to be a bozer,” Parfaite shook her head.

“Ah don’t sweat it Parfaite,” Spike assured her. “You’re part of the gang now. You can spend as much time with us whenever you’d like.”

“Hey guys!”

The addition of another new voice drew every pony toward Starlight Glimmer walking behind them. The lilac purple unicorn mare with the matching mane and teal blue stripe down the middle trotted toward her group of friends decked out in her winter apparel.

“What’s going on Starlight?” Twilight asked her apprentice.

“I just wanted to invite you guys to my big Hearth’s Warming Eve party I’m throwing later tonight,” Starlight said excitedly. “It’ll be so cool!”

“Ooh! Ooh! Will there be cake?” Pinkie asked.

“You bet!” Starlight nodded.

“Balloons?”

“Yep!”

“Streamers?”

“Uh… yeah?”

“Punch?”

“Uh huh!”

“And—”

Before Pinkie could say more, Rainbow quickly shoved her hoof over her mouth.

“Pinkie, I think it’s safe to say anything you’d find at a party will be there,” She groaned.

“YIPPEE!!!” She cheered, muffled.

The party pony grabbed her son off her back, into her hooves, and spun him around excitedly much to the little colt’s amusement. Everyone else shook their heads yet smiled because in the end they love their rambunctious friend.

“Anyway, who’d have thought Starlight Glimmer would be hosting a Hearth’s Warming Eve party of her own this year?” Spike asked.

“It’s all thanks to you and Twilight for showing me how much this holiday really means to Equestria,” Starlight replied. “I realized I’d been a stick in the mud about it for so long… figured I’d make up for lost time—”

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!! FIRE!!! FIRE!!!”

Suddenly, all eyes turned, and their nostrils flared to the smell of smoke. The sound of screaming citizens drew the entire group to the side where they noticed a gigantic cloud of black smoke rising high into the air. And beneath the smoke, a bright glow came over the horizon.

“What’s going on over there?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t know,” Spike answered. “But black smoke and screaming ponies usually never ends well!”

“Let’s get over there fast!” Twilight said urgently. “Ponies could be seriously hurt!”

“Parfaite, run back to town as fast as you can!” Rarity instructed Parfaite. “Gather as much help as you can and meet us there.”

“Oui, madame!” parfait nodded.

Parfaite galloped at full speed through town as fast as she could. The Mane Six, Spike, and Starlight raced toward whatever was going on at the opposite end. Soon as they reached the grove and saw what was really going on, they were all horrified. Discord’s Theatre engulfed in a blaze of fire, flames rising high into the sky. Many ponies raced about in separate directions as they ran from the theatre just to escape the fiery blaze. The group quickly raced down the theatre, trying to help as many ponies escape as possible.

“What happened here?!” Twilight asked a stallion.

“A-A pony… in a hood s-showed up…” The stallion coughed. “Set the whole b-building on fire!”

“A pony in a hood?”

The stallion merely nodded, while coughing the smoke out of his lungs. After the group ensured every pony had been evacuated safely, they gathered together to investigate the reasoning behind the flame. While looking around, Spike spotted something caught under a burning piece of wood. Being a dragon, Spike was easily able to get it out of the flame and when he looked at it, he held a partially scorched hood as green as the bristles on a wintry tree.

Before he could come to some conclusion, Starlight noticed a tiny figure making their way down a dirt path behind the theatre. Upon closer inspection, she recognized a tiny filly appearing to be hauling a cart with all her might. And sitting in the midst of the cart was the magical television itself.

“Guys… it’s Cozy Glow!!!” She yelled. “And she’s got the television!”

“COZY GLOW?!?!?!” The group shouted.

“C’mon, every pony!” Applejack called out. “After her!!!”

Everyone charged behind Cozy Glow, who ran with all her might down the trail. But being so small, it did not take long for the group to catch up with her.

“Stop right there, Cozy Glow!” Twilight yelled.

The filly in question did indeed stop and turned back toward the group of ponies and the dragon standing behind her. A wicked grin spread across her face as she stared them down.

“Why Princess Twilight Sparkle, how nice to see you again!” She said sarcastically. “You know, I really have to say that theatre’s really cool. You might even say it’s the ‘hottest’ thing in town right now!”

“You’ve gone too far this time Cozy Glow!” Twilight spoke angrily. “Tormenting ponies is one thing but setting fire to an entire building of ponies is a crime even terrible for you!”

“Oh, I’m really going to enjoy bashing your flank kid!” Rainbow growled, cracking her hooves.

“Well… pretty tough to hurt me if you can’t… catch me!” Cozy smirked.

She quickly turned the dial on the television and the portal sprang to life. Cozy laughed madly as she jumped through the portal. Without hesitation, the group raced in behind her. To say that Hearth’s Warming was ruined was perhaps the biggest understatement so far, but they were determined to catch Cozy Glow and set things right. They screamed and flew through the portal, twirling and swirling in the winding tunnel of light and sparkles. They fell until all their bodies turned to microscopic size before they flew farther… and farther… and farther… till they flew toward… a snowflake?

Whoville and the Grinch

A flurry of fresh falling snowflakes blew through the air of a cold winter’s day where our story official began. Of the many falling snowflakes, one in particular was special in every way. For this very snowflake was no mere droplet of frozen water blowing across the wind. This snowflake held a story far greater than anyone could possibly imagine.

“Inside a snowflake, like the one on your sleeve, there happened a story you must see to believe…”

“You know I really must say we’re very glad to see you again old friend.”

“Haven’t seen you since the League’s last meeting together.”

“Indeed gentlemen. I’m quite pleased to make your acquaintance again as well. Now if you please excuse me, I must narrate the story as it progresses.”

“Oh pay us no mind, old friend. We’re just here to offer our own insists as we go.”

“Yes, well anyway… *Clears throat* Way up in the mountains in the high range of Pontoos lay the small town of Whoville: the home of the Who’s…”

Inside that very same falling snowflake laid a land vaster than anyone would originally believe. A giant mountain with a curved peak overlooking a tiny little town at the foot of its basin. This was Whoville, and its residents were currently in the process of preparing for their most favorite time of year ever: Christmas. Many Who’s traveled the streets with box and bags full of gifts, others decorated the town with many varieties of ornaments.

“Ask any old Who and they’ll have this to say: ‘There’s no place like Whoville around Christmas Day’. Every window was flocked, every lamppost was dressed, and the Whoville band marched in their Christmasy best.”

Through the snowy streets of Whoville, a band of Who’s walked the streets as they sang and played a variety of odd instruments. They waved at other Who’s as they passed by, and everyone would shout ‘Merry Christmas!’ to one another in such a friendly tone. The tuba player of the group walked on, casually playing with the rest of the band till a teeny, tiny little tuba player emerged from the instrument with a tiny trumpet and began to play. The tuba player rolled his eyes before sucking in on the tuba and the forceful air pulled the tiny tuba player back inside.

In the dead center of town, there stood a gigantic Christmas tree that reached high into the sky. A tree taller than even the tallest buildings in all of Whoville. It just really showed just how much the Who’s truly loved the Christmas season.

“Arbor Day was fine, and Easter was pleasant, and every Saint Fizzin’s day they ate a Fizz pheasant. But every Who knew from their twelve toes to their snout, they loved Christmas the most without a single Who doubt.”

Completely unbeknownst to the Who’s too preoccupied preparing for Christmas, a small ball of light fell from the sky just off Mt. Crumpit until it eventually fell behind a couple buildings. Soon as the ball of light faded, a very groggy group of ponies, and a teenage dragon, stumbled about in a daze. They travelled to many worlds in the past and it was certainly never easy. But this… this was entirely different.

Twilight Sparkle had the irises of her eyes spinning wildly as she stumbled about. Rainbow Dash practically had to hold in the vomit threatening to come out. And every pony else were dizzy beyond description.

“Okay, some pony stop spinnin’ the farm!” Applejack spoke dizzily.

“Ooh boy…” Rainbow groaned. “I don’t think I can—”

Before she could finish, she quickly raced off behind another building and emptied the contents of her stomach into a snowbank. When she came back out, every pony could see that the usually cyan blue coat was paler, and the sickly mare seemed completely out of it.

“Any pony got a mint?”

Pinkie Pie, the only pony who wasn’t dizzy, merely reached into her mane and pulled out a small wooden chest containing a large assortment of colorful mints.

“Let’s see,” She observed. “I’ve got peppermints, altoids, ice breakers, lifesavers, mentos, or if you’re looking for something really fancy I recommend—”

“Thanks Pinkie!” Rainbow answered quickly.

Pinkie merely smiled as she watched Rainbow grab a large amount of mints and shoved them down her mouth. As she placed the box back in her mane, every pony else took a moment to get themselves together before having a good look at their surroundings. Looking around together, to say they were a slight confused was an understatement.

All the buildings around them were much different than they’d seen in other realms before. Many of them shaped in weird curves and different shapes. The town itself seemed more cartoonish in comparison to the more realistic texture of their previous visits.

“Okay, it’s official,” Rainbow spoke up. “The places we go to are just getting weirder and weirder.”

“On that note I must agree with you dear,” Rarity nodded. “While I for one am a fan of the many different designs and layouts of this place, from an artist’s perspective, this place is most certainly odd indeed.”

“I like it!” Pinkie answered happily. “It’s all kooky, upside down, and all around! Just makes this place much more… funtastic!”

“Guys, I think we’re losing sight of the big picture here,” Twilight spoke up.

“She’s right!” Starlight nodded. “We need to figure out where Cozy Glow went before she causes all sorts of chaos and destruction.”

“Excuse me.”

A sudden voice from behind them made the entire group jump and turn with fright. Their worries quickly diminished upon noticing a little girl, no more than nine or ten years old, staring back at them. The little girl had the sweetest little face in the world, with two of the biggest blue eyes they’ve seen to date. Her blonde hair was done up in such a strange style of many braids and different shapes. She was most certainly a cute little girl, one who seemed very interested in the ponies and dragon.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you?” She asked curiously. “You don’t look like a Lorax, Sneetch, Yook, or even Zooks.”

“Uh… you’re not going to scream or run?” Spike asked nervously.

“Why would I do that?” The girl responded.

“Because we can… talk?” Fluttershy asked. “Aren’t you afraid?”

“Should I be?”

Every pony looked back and forth between one another, slightly confused themselves. Surely the girl had to have heard them speaking and yet didn’t seem either surprised or scared at all. Many folks in their previous adventures were so scared seeing colorful talking ponies and a dragon, but in this case it was weird to encounter a girl who didn’t seem to mind. Then again, why argue with the fact that for once someone wasn’t completely freaked out? So Twilight Sparkle decided to introduce herself and every pony else.

“I suppose not,” She smiled. “I’m Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer.”

“Wassup!” Rainbow nodded.

“Howdy little lady!” Applejack tipped her hat.

“Nice to meet you little dear,” Rarity bowed.

“Um, uh, hi!” Fluttershy whispered.

“How’s it going?” Spike waved.

“Pleased to meet you,” Starlight greeted.

Pinkie suddenly bounced toward the little girl and got right in her face with the craziest level of enthusiasm she could muster.

“Hi, how ya doin’?” She asked excitedly. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, the most super-duper party planner ever! Well, now me and my husband Cheesy are the ‘two’ best party planners in all Equestria. AnywaydoyoulikepartiesbecauseIlovepartiesandanyponywholikespartiesis—”

Twilight quickly encased the blabbering Pinkie in a magical bubble to put a halt to her constant ranting.

“You know I was actually going to suggest you do that,” Rainbow smirked.

The little girl merely giggled in response.

“It’s really nice to meet you all,” She spoke kindly. “My name’s Cindy Lou Who.”

“It’s really nice to meet you Cindy,” Twilight replied. “Um… by any chance, you didn’t happen to see another one of us come through here? Small little filly, pinky coat, blue mane, a Rook cutie mark on her flanks, and… crazy eyes?”

“Nope, sorry,” Cindy shook her head.

“That means Cozy Glow is still here somewhere,” Starlight observed. “We must find her and quick!”

“Is she a friend of yours?” The girl asked curiously.

“Uh… ‘friend’ is a bit of a strong word,” Applejack answered honestly.

“Considering she’s clearly spreading chaos by now, probably won’t be too hard to find her,” Spike added.

“Cindy Lou!”

Everyone turned toward the sound of yet another voice, as a man in a postal worker’s uniform came around the corner. He wore tiny round glasses over his eyes, which certainly made him look rather goofy.

“There you are honey,” He said to Cindy.

“Dad, I met some new friends!” Cindy told him.

The man in question looked at the pastel-colored ponies and the teenage dragon with wide eyes at first. But in seconds, they quickly went back to normal, and the man smiled with one hand out to them.

“Nice to meet you all,” He greeted. “Name’s Lou Who, but you can just call me Lou.”

One by one, the ponies and Spike shook his hand. They were still beyond confused over how he and Cindy seemed so cool with them being talking ponies…

Ahem!

… and talking Dragon.

“It amazes me how you can look at us without freaking out,” Rainbow said amazed. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good change. It’s just… so confusing.”

“Ah think nothing of it,” Lou assured. “After all, Whoville and the borders beyond have a variety of strange creatures. Believe it or not, you aren’t even the strangest we’ve seen.”

Lou looked down at the watch on his wrist and his eyes widened in shock.

“Oh gosh, look at the time!” He said urgently. “Come on Cindy, we’ve still got Christmas shopping to do before we get you to school.”

Cindy nodded toward her father, before facing the group of Equestrians.

“Would you guys like to come shopping with us?”

“That sounds really fun Cindy dear,” Rarity responded. “Sadly though, we’re in the midst of trying to find some pony.”

“We have to go through town in order to get where we need to be,” Cindy pointed out. “Seeing as we have to go through most of the town, maybe you’ll find who you’re looking for.”

Everyone looked at each other once more, contemplating over whether it was a good idea or not. After all, Cozy Glow was undoubtedly running rampant somewhere and the sooner they found her the better. Then again, they know nothing about Whoville so sticking with Cindy and Lou would be a good idea as far as knowing their way around. Ultimately, the choice was pretty much unanimous.

“Alright, we’ll go with you guys,” Twilight agreed. “But it’s mainly because we need to find Cozy Glow as soon as possible.”

“Remember every pony, we’re looking for Cozy and not going shopping,” Starlight reminded. “That means ‘you’ too Rarity.”

“Oh, don’t be silly darling! I’m perfectly capable of staying focus on the task at hoof.”

<>

“I MUST HAVE THESE!!!” Rarity squealed.

The whole group found themselves walking through a department store somewhere in Whoville, while Cindy and Lou were still Christmas shopping. The store was filled to the brim with an assortment of Who’s shopping as well. It was certainly a jam-packed placed where one could scarcely move. Not only that, but all it took was one step into a shop to send Rarity on a shopping spree.

Currently, Spike was lugging around a whole bunch of bags he held with each limb of his body. Being a bigger dragon meant he was more easily able to handle such a heavy load. But Rarity still wasn’t making it easy on him, as the dragon was nearly buried under a mound of bags.

“This is your idea of staying focused?” Starlight glared.

“I’ve combed every inch of this store looking for Cozy Glow darling,” Rarity defended. “If I happen to purchase a few items along the way, so be it.”

Meanwhile, Lou pulled out a list from his pocket to ensure he’d gotten just about everything they needed.

“We got a snoozlephone for your brother Drew and a snoozlephone for your brother Stu, a muncle for your uncle, a fant for your aunt, and a fandpa for your cousin Leon.”

Every pony else was completely confused with all the stuff he just listed.

“Did any pony catch anything he just said?” Rainbow asked.

“Hon, ah’ve pretty much given up tryin’ tah figure it out by this point,” Applejack sighed.

“The Who’s sure seem to take their Christmas shopping seriously, don’t they?” Fluttershy asked.

“No kidding!” Pinkie Pie agreed. “I mean I love, love, LOVE picking out Hearth’s Warming gifts as much as any pony else, don’t get me wrong. But even I have to say this is absolutely bonkers!”

For Pinkie Pie to actually admit something was crazy (Or any word reminiscent of ‘crazy’) was a very shocking thing to hear indeed. With Pinkie, nothing was crazy.

“So we just need—”

Lou looked around for his daughter, but quickly realized he’d lost track of her in all this chaos.

“Cindy?” He called. “Cindy Lou?”

He finally caught a glimpse of her behind a crowd of people holding a giant mound of wrapped Christmas gifts. It was honestly amazing the little girl was able to carry it all. He quickly walked over to her, pulled the middle box out of the jumble, and made a little window so he could see his daughter’s face.

“Dad?” She said.

“Yes honey?” Lou responded.

“Doesn’t this seem like a bit much?”

“This is what Christmas is all about!” Lou smiled. “Can’t you feel it?”

Cindy merely gave a tiny smile and a head nod; despite the fact she absolutely did not feel it in the slightest. To her, she had this feeling Christmas was much more than a whole bunch of presents. Speaking of which, she was surprised when a magical aura lifted much of the presents from her hands. She turned and smiled toward Twilight Sparkle, who was currently helping her carry the presents with her magic.

“Thank you Twilight,” She spoke gratefully.

“You’re welcome Cindy!” Twilight responded.

Then things ‘really’ started getting crazy in the store. The shopkeeper was having a truly difficult time keeping up with the rush of customers.

“Merry Christmas… thank you for shopping at Farfinles… wait a second… don’t forget your change!”

Then, a loud bell rang throughout the town. An elderly timekeeper read out how much time remained until Christmas.

“Another minute closer to Christmas!”

In addition, a Zoot suit Who standing in the street with a candy cane… cane was trying to drum up some business.

“And for the next five minutes only… 99 percent off!”

Things started to boil into chaos in the town with Who’s running left and right and to and fro. This left the Mane Six, Starlight, and Spike struggling to keep themselves balanced in all the commotion.

“How’re we ever going to find Cozy Glow in all this confusion?” Twilight asked.

“I’ve no idea,” Starlight answered. “I can only imagine where the hay she even is.”

“OUGHTTA MY WAY BOYS!!!” Rarity shouted, maniacally. “Those 99% off deals are mine! MINE! MUAH HA-HA-HA!!!”

The girls and Spike were taken aback as Rarity was running about maniacally, her eyes glowing red and her teeth seemed razor sharp. As if getting caught up in the insanity wasn’t bad enough, Rarity charged through the crowd and started bashing through other Who’s trying to get her hooves on anything she could snatch for herself. To say the group were slightly startled by Rarity’s maniacal side coming out was an understatement.

“This is going to be a long day,” Spike shuddered.

<>

“Yes, every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot, but the Grinch who lived just North of Whoville… did not.”

Up upon the north edge of Whoville laid the mighty Mt. Crumpit, which overlooked the tiny city in all its splendor. What the citizens of Whoville believed more than anything was that this mountain was famous, well ‘infamous’, for the terrifying entity within the mountain walls. A creature who hated Christmas with a passion, as it watched over them from the mountain. And this terrible monster was known simply as… the Grinch. Everyone in Whoville feared the Grinch immensely, so no one ever dared venture up the mountain lest they received the Grinch’s wrath.

However, that did not stop a select few Who teenagers from testing the myth themselves. Two such teenagers in particular were Cindy Lou Who’s older brothers: Drew and Stu. They, along with two other Teenage Who girls, Christina Whoterberry and Junie Who, were currently in the process of climbing their way up the mountain.

“Come on girl, all the good mistletoes at the top!” Stu called out. “Hey Drew, I’ll race you!”

“Not if I beat you first!” Drew called back.

“Last one to the top is a stinky old Grinch!”

They continued their ascent up the mountain, but very quickly Junie started to get a bad feeling about going further.

“You guys, where are we?” She asked nervously. “I think we should go back.”

Drew and Stu both looked at her like she was crazy.

“Wait?” Stu laughed. “You’re scared of the Grinch!”

Drew jumped off a rock toward the two girls, trying to scare them as part of a joke.

“They say he lives up here in a big cave,” He spoke menacingly. “And he only comes down when he’s hungry for the taste of… Who flesh!”

The last bit he said rather loudly, which made the two girls gasp.

“Oh Drew!” Christina groaned, lightly punching his shoulder.

“You’re scared of the Grinch!” Stu teased, climbing up. “You’re scared of the Grinch!”

“We are not!” Christina yelled.

“Are too!”

Junie tried to keep up with the group as best as she could, when her eyes caught sight of a flash of light. But by the time she looked up, it disappeared just as quickly. Seeing she was already falling behind; she resumed her run trying to meet with the others.

“Wait for me!” Junie called out.

<>

Along the edge of a cliff, a tiny head popped out of the snow with a heavy gasp. Shaking the snow off her blue mane, Cozy Glow struggled her way out of the snow until her little body was free. Brushing off the rest of the snow, she took a long gaze around her surroundings. Miles upon miles of snow were in every direction and mountains as far as her eyes could see. And the only sign of any situation at all came from what appeared to be a tiny town which would be a lengthy climb for normal Earth ponies… but maybe a simple flight for a Pegasus (Longer being she’s a mere filly).

“Snow! That’s all I need… more snow!” Cozy grumbled. “Should’ve known rushing would get me nowhere.”

A commotion stirred her back to reality and she realized a group was coming up the mountain. Thinking it might be Twilight and the others, Cozy quickly ducked along the sides of the mountain hoping to use a corner to hide. After a lengthy period of climbing, the Who teens had reached the top where they believed the mistletoes were abundant. But as the girls finally caught up, they noticed Drew and Stu standing there.

Judging by the looks of their figures, they appeared to be shivering very heavily. Their teeth chattered greatly as if the area around them was super cold even with their winter apparel. But being Who’s, they’re used to the chilly atmosphere during this time of the year so feeling cold was the last thing on their mind. No… instead what they saw before them made the two outspoken, rambunctious boys shiver… with fear.

Looming before them was a foreboding looking door, a ghastly green door with an even smaller door as if for a much smaller creature to emerge from. It was strange to see such a doorway along the side of a mountain but for these Who’s it also confirmed their worst fears. They had stumbled upon the entrance to the Grinch’s lair itself, ergo enough evidence that the Grinch was no mere ghost story. The boys tried not to show it to the girls, but they were actually terrified.

“Go on, touch it. Touch the door!” Christina coaxed. “Do it for me, Stu.”

The way Christina was flirting toward the nervous Stu, there was no way he was going to back out of this now. Gazing toward one another, the two brothers nervously approached the door while their girlfriends sat behind watching them. The anticipation was nerve-wracking, so much so that Junie was scared of what could happen next. Once they were close enough to the door, Stu timidly reached his hand out to either knock on the door… or at least touch it.

From her hiding spot, Cozy Glow watched all the activity before her wondering what these strange creatures were up to. She leaned in for a much closer look when suddenly…

*ROAR!!!!*

The door burst wide open and emerging from the cave, growling with hunger, a vicious beast appeared. Seeing the glowing red eyes, razor sharp teeth, green-fur, and a red tongue flapping about, the Who’s screamed in terror. Even Cozy Glow squealed at the sight of the monster and briefly ducked back, thankfully with all the commotion neither of them heard her. The boys, frightful for their lives, jumped off the edge of the mountain with the girls following in tow. And just like that, the Who teens ducked and rolled across the heavy snow screaming and hollering their way back to Whoville.

Peeking out of her hiding spot, Cozy Glow nervously made for another look at the monster. But when she was able to get a closer look, her expression of fear drifted to utter confusion. While indeed there was a head of a monster… something about its appearance seemed off. As she fluttered out of her hiding spot, Cozy was able to confirm that it was fake… like some prop that was hoof-made… or handmade… or whichever way this world used it. As she studied the prop head, which continued to make growls, she checked behind the head… and her suspicions were confirmed.

Connected to the back of the head, barking through a horn to emanate the effect of a roaring beast, was some form of mutt. Cozy did not know dogs rather well, so she couldn’t know what breed it was, but it was definitely the scruffiest one she’d seen. The dog at least had to be well-trained to even bark like that behind a prop.

“Are you what all the fuss is about?” Cozy asked.

The dog stopped for a moment and merely looked at her with a face that resembles confusion. Either the dog had never seen a talking pony with wings before… or the fact it was specifically talking to Max like giving any form of relevance. Either way, the dog barked a light reply.

“Pfft! Those goofs must be really stupid to be scared of you,” Cozy smirked. “Now then… where’s your owner?”

“Well done, Max!”

A deep voice drew Cozy Glow toward the entrance of the lair. Curious, the little filly fluttered off the ground and ventured inside the dark cave. The dog, Max by name, tried barking to Cozy as if trying to convince her to come out. But she was too far deep inside to pay much heed, for she wanted to meet the owner of this hidden lair in the cave with her own eyes. Looking around, the cave itself had this unwelcome feeling in the air which almost reminded her of home. Even the smells hanging in the air gave off a terrible air that disgusted her.

Her search for the mysterious owner led to a pile of trash of sorts, where rotted fruits and vegetables sat in a clump. Peering closely, she saw a creature of sorts digging through the pile and a most unusual creature at best. A furry, pot-bellied, pear-shaped, snub-nosed creature and entirely yellow-green.

“Serves them right, those Yuletide-loving, sickly-sweet, nog-sucking cheer mongers!” The creature muttered.

Finally, after digging through all the spoiled morsal in the pile the beast finally settled for what appeared to be an onion, possibly the only fresh treat in the mound. It lifted the vegetable toward its catlike face still thinking about those Who’s daring themselves to enter his domain.

“I really don’t like them. Mm-mmm… no, I don’t.”

The creature, most likely the Grinch, took one huge bite out of the onion and started chewing the bits of the smelly vegetable so messily. The scent emanating from the onion was so great Cozy cringed as she moaned from the smell. But that proved to be a big mistake, as the beast’s head quickly lifted up as if it managed to catch the faintest hint of her voice.

“WHO’S IN MY CAVE?!?!?!”

Cozy Glow’s eyes went wide, and at first she tried to take a step back. But the creature quickly turned around, his feet skidding along the cave, and spotted the little intruder before she could step farther. Cozy found herself standing there, frozen stiff, the rare instant where she seemed intimidated… if not scared of the creature before her. It stepped toward the filly till its feet was within inches from Cozy Glow’s, it then leaned forward eyeing her with a sinister glare and his hands on his hips.

“Well… look what we got here,” The Grinch sneered. “A bit early for a ‘filly’ cheesesteak… but maybe this day wasn’t a complete waste!”

The creature was about to reach out and grab the filly. That was when she quickly snapped back to her senses, knowing that there was no way she came all this way just to be some nasty creature’s mid-morning snack.

“Buddy… you’re making a very big mistake!” Cozy warned, cringing. “Urgh! And you clearly don’t know a thing about personal hygiene.”

The creature leaned back, as if slightly startled by this discovery as its eyes widened with surprise. That was when the Grinch was able to get a closer look at this pony seeing there was more that meets the eye. If not for the fact she spoke to him was surprising enough, he could clearly see some wings sticking out of its back… unless years living in a cave are flying playing tricks on him.

“Well… didn’t see this one coming,” The Grinch muttered, speaking aloud. “You better have a good reason why I wouldn’t think to eat you about now!”

“Because… I’m… cute?” Cozy smiled.

The Grinch merely stared at her for a few seconds, slowly blinking his eyes.

“Urgh… so sweet it’s sickening! Probably some Who’s prized Christmas pony who wandered off…”

“Christmas?”

The Grinch’s eyes rolled with annoyance, hearing the confusion in the pony’s lips.

“What? You don’t know what Christmas is?” The Grinch asked. “The yuletide holiday of… urgh, cheer! And goodwill towards—oh God, I can’t even finish it!”

“You mean like… Hearths Warming?” Cozy remarked, crossing her hooves. “Heh! No thanks! Can’t stand that holiday. And if this ‘Christmas’ thing is anything like the holiday I have at home… I’d want nothing to do with it.”

Hearing such talk from one so small and young drew a bit of interest out of the Grinch. Certainly none the likes of anything he’d been expecting. And yet he was not about to let his guard down so easily, no matter how adorable this pony tried to act.

“Do you not know what I am… little girl?” The Grinch asked. “They call me the Grinch… I am the most feared creature known through all of Who-dom! The very name itself strikes fear and terror to the hearts of even the bravest of creatures!”

“I’ve spent my living in a cave surrounded by the most vile, dangerous creatures in all Equestria,” Cozy Glow bragged. “You think I’d be standing in this cave, your cave mind you, and feel the least bit terrified of your presence. I don’t think so.”

“… I’m confused. Who sent you?”

“Like I said, I’m in league with a very powerful group,” Cozy continued. “They’re all into the scary business, every day running meetings plotting their next schemes. I hate meetings; I usually don’t get to butt in. They’d have me sitting in a corner, that’s boring. But my ‘boss’ dropped me off here, sent me to fulfill my share of the work… so I won’t cause mischief with the big boys. And buddy, sometimes I do get into mischief.”

The Grinch eyed the filly closely, who seemed to relish in her moment to talk a big game (Even if most of what she was telling the Grinch was a gross exaggeration).

“We all do!” Cozy smiled, shrugging.

“Hmm… so you like mischief huh?” The Grinch nodded slowly. “What’s your name little horse?”

“First of all, I’m a pony not a horse,” Cozy Glow corrected. “The name’s Cozy Glow! Mischief and Mayhem is pretty much my middle name. And buddy… after seeing those mean old Who’s trespassing on your land, disrespecting your front porch I might add, how can you possibly tolerate such delinquent behavior? Hmm?”

“Hmm… Cozy Mischief and Mayhem Glow? That’s a mouthful…”

It was then the Grinch turned toward the side.

“MAX!!!” The Grinch called out. “Get my cloak! Make that two!”

The dog Max went to fetch the cloak upon command as the Grinch himself made his way to the door, with the onion in his grip. The little pony, Cozy Glow, followed closely behind.

“You’re right about one thing pony girl,” The Grinch spoke. “I’ve been much too tolerant of these Whovenile delinquents… and their innocent, victimless pranks.”

As they made their way the door, Cozy Glow stood by and saw the dog Max trudging along carrying some cloaks dropping them by her hooves. Cozy took one cloak and gave a deep whiff out of curiosity… the filly cringed from the smell. But she knew it would have to do… ‘for now’. She turned toward the Grinch, who proceeded to rub a whole onion across his armpits before discarding the whole thing off the cliff.

“So, they want to get to know me, do they?” The Grinch continued. “They want to spend a little ‘quality time’ with the Grinch.”

He then turned toward Cozy Glow, so the pony could have a better look at his feline-like face.

“I guess I could use a little… social interaction.”

And then, one look into each other’s eyes, and a smile formed between the pair. As if they knew that somehow, they were both sharing the same crazy idea… for a little disorderly conduct.

Holiday Hi-jinx

Back in the town of Whoville, the denizens continued to go about their day as usual. Completely unaware that two terrors were currently walking amongst them, ready to spread chaos in their wake. One such figure was dressed in a dirt-colored cloak and a rubber Who mask covering his otherwise green, catlike face. A small mangy-looking dog followed his heels, as he slinked through the town. Accompanying the pair, also dressed in an old smelly cloak, was a tiny, pink-coated Pegasus filly. Normally she’d be taking to the sky and fly, but since she was trying to remain incognito she preferred walking behind her larger companion as a group of Who’s passed by.

“Merry Christmas!” The group said.

“Oh yeah, you bet!” Grinch spoke unenthusiastically. “Ho-ho-ho and stuff.”

“Yeah, and good tidings to all!” Cozy added, under her hood.

“Don’t oversell it kid!” Grinch quietly whispered.

The group of Who’s turned back toward the two suspiciously due to their unenthusiastic responses. However, in doing so they accidentally crashed into another group of Who’s and everyone went down.

“Oh my, someone has vandalized that vehicle!” Grinch spoke, in mock shock. “You see that, the city is a dangerous place.”

“No kidding!” Cozy replied. “To think that could’ve been us, run over by those careless Who’s. So… what shall we do to get back at these ingrates?”

“I’ve got a few ideas,” Grinch smirked.

The Grinch quickly snagged a hacksaw from a nearby hardware store display, hiding it behind his back as they continued down the street. Cozy had no idea what he had in mind with the hacksaw, but she knew it had to be good.

“The Grinch hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season. Now please don’t ask why, no one quite knows the reason.”

“Okay man, no offense or anything, but does ‘everything’ you say have to rhyme?”

“Pardon me my friend, but it’s all part of my presentation.”

“I really need to have a serious discussion with Seuss about this later. Carry on!”

The Grinch and Cozy Glow, with Max in tow, continued down the street passing many other Who’s in their path. The Who’s, being kind as they are, greeted them one by one in such a sickly sweet manner.

“Top of the day!” A policeman greeted.

“Flatfoot!” Grinch waved back.

As they trekked down the path, Cozy noticed two little Who girls skipping merrily along the street. Getting a nasty idea, she grabbed the hacksaw from the Grinch and handed it to the pair.

“Hello little cuties!” She spoke, feigning friendliness. “Here’s a little Christmas present for you! Now be sure to run real fast with it, okay?”

“Okay!” They said excitedly.

“Goody, now come on!” Grinch encouraged. “Double time! Let’s move, move, move!”

The two girls burst into a run down the street with the hacksaw, much to the amusement of the Grinch and Cozy Glow.

“Think they’ll be alright?” Cozy asked.

“Oh yeah, no problem at all,” Grinch scoffed. “Maybe missing a few fingers tomorrow, but they’ve got plenty more.”

Cozy Glow soon spotted a nearby grocery store and a devious idea formed in that twisted little head for one mean thing to do. She quickly marched her way into the store and spotted a smaller Who woman trying to reach a jar from a high shelf. She grinned wickedly before taking a quick peek around then used her wings to float her off the ground towards that top shelf. She grabbed the jar which the woman tried to reach for and examined it.

“Um, excuse me dear,” The woman spoke. “Are you going to buy that?”

“Hmm???” Cozy thought, looking at her.

Then with a smirk, Cozy Glow placed the jay back on the top shelf.

“Nope!” She answered smugly.

“Well! How rude!” The woman said.

Cozy Glow merely flew away, but not before bumping the top shelf with her hip and sent the jar falling off and right at the woman’s feet with a *SMASH!*. Cozy soon flew out the door and spotted the Grinch holding onto the bumper of a moving car, which pulled him across the way. Cozy Glow quickly made her way back beside the Grinch, who let go of the bumper and together they continued their walk down the street. Seeing a Who passing by with his hands full of presents stacked almost as tall as he was, the Grinch elbowed the man along the side and caused him to lose all control thereby dropping all his gifts.

“It could be perhaps that his head wasn’t screwed on just right; it could be perhaps that his shoes were too tight.”

“Why would ‘shoes’ affect the way you feel about something? I never got that—”

“But I think the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.”

The diabolical duo continued down the street before their paths were stopped by the Zoot Suit Who holding his cane in front of them.

“Hey there strangers!” He greeted. “Won’t let you go till you buy a chapeau!”

The Grinch glared at the Who beneath his mask before glancing over at Cozy Glow, as an idea formed in his own head.

“Wanna see something really useful kid?” He asked her.

“Let’s see it!” Cozy nodded.

The Grinch turned back to the Who and raised his mask just above his mouth. He released a huge, nasty belch so vile a ‘literal’ cloud of a greenish stench emerge. He blew it right into the Who’s face, sending him falling to the ground completely unconscious. Cozy Glow laughed her little hooves off seeing it all happen before her eyes.

“OH MY FAUST!!!” She laughed breathlessly. “That’s the best thing I ever saw! Talk about killer breath! Ha-ha-ha!”

“That’s nothing kiddo,” Grinch chuckled. “Now let’s go. We’ve got places to be, lives to mess with~”

<>

Meanwhile, back in the department store, a blaring alarm suddenly went off. Everyone around the store looked around in complete confusion, determined to see what set it off. The ponies and Spike instantly assumed their fighting stance.

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked.

“If I had to guess, it’s Cozy Glow causing trouble!” Rainbow answered.

“Wutever that lil’ devil’s up to, we ain’t lettin’ her get away with it!” Applejack said determined.

“Guys… I don’t think you have to worry about anything,” Cindy Lou assured.

“What do you mean Cindy Lou?” Fluttershy asked.

Cindy Lou merely pointed to the checkout counter where the clerk and the manager were both smiling at Lou.

“Lou!” The manager called out. “Congratulations, you’ve maxed out another credit card!”

Instantly, everyone in the store came up front to congratulate Lou. The ponies and Spike merely stood with looks ‘beyond’ confusion.

“That’s what the fuss is about?” Starlight asked.

“And how exactly is that a good thing?” Spike asked Cindy.

“In Whoville, maxing out your credit card on Christmas means you love Christmas most of all,” Cindy responded.

Hearing this made all the ponies, and Spike especially, shake their heads in disbelief. Up at the front desk, everyone still praised Lou for even more debt he now found himself in.

“I’ll be paying this off for years and years,” Lou said proudly. “Plus you know I’ve got the ‘worst’ interest rate.”

Everyone once again burst out laughing, cheering for Lou even while Cindy and her new friends just stared in bewilderment.

“How exactly is putting yourself in excruciating debt supposed to show your holiday spirit?” Starlight asked.

At that moment, Rarity walked toward the rest of the group with a cart loaded with shopping bags and boxed. Her eyes twitched madly, and her mane stuck out in certain places.

“Don’t ask me darling,” She smiled wickedly. “I personally have no idea how any pony could spend so… much… money… heh-heh. Ha-ha-ha-ha! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!”

<>

After finally leaving the department store, the Mane Six, Starlight, Spike, Cindy, and Lou made their way down the streets with presents practically hanging off them. Spike ended up carrying the most of Rarity’s things.

“I still can’t believe you actually bought all that stuff!” Twilight spoke disappointed.

“I couldn’t help myself darling,” Rarity defended. “It was on sale. I said to myself, ‘Oh you simply must darling!” and of course I had to agree with myself.”

“And how, Celestia forbid, are you even going to get all that stuff home?” Starlight asked. “’If’ and ‘when’ we go home I might add.”

“That’s… actually a very good question,” Rarity admitted. “But I’ll figure it out!”

“At least she definitely cut back last time,” Spike groaned, under the weight. “This is definitely going to be my exercise for the day.”

Everyone shook their heads in disapproval. Applejack looked over and noticed Cindy Lou seemed lost in her thoughts.

“Somethin’ wrong, Cindy?” She asked.

“Well… there’s something I’ve been thinking about,” Cindy answered.

“Oh? About what, darling?” Rarity asked.

“About this… Cozy Glow. How did you ponies know her?”

The Mane Six, Spike and Starlight Glimmer looked toward each other in concern, at first unsure how to respond. Then Twilight Sparkle, deciding to answer, turned back toward Cindy.

“The truth is Cindy,” Twilight began. “There was a time that Cozy Glow… was a friend back in the day.”

“You mean you ‘did’ call her a ‘friend’?”

“Once,” Fluttershy admitted. “She was the sweetest little Pegasus filly we’ve ever met. She was a student in the School of Friendship.”

“Then one day…” Rainbow paused, nudging her mare-friend. “You tell her, A.J.”

Applejack glared at Rainbow for a moment but proceeded anyway.

“Right…” Applejack spoke, through gritted teeth. “The magic of Equestria was about to disappear for three days. We thought Tirek was behind it all, so we went to Tartarus to ask him some questions.”

“But it was all a trick and… A TRAP!!!” Pinkie said, loudly and dramatically.

Pinkie’s loud scream disturbed all the Who citizens, causing some of them to drop their presents on the ground. They all glared at Pinkie for a few seconds.

“Heh-heh, sorry…” Pinkie squeaked nervously.

“Then what?” Cindy Lou asked.

“We learned from Tirek it was actually Cozy Glow behind the magic’s disappearance the whole time,” Twilight continued. “It was she who trapped us in Tartarus just to get us out of the way…”

“That’s just what I said,” Pinkie said. “A TRAP!!!”

Once again, Pinkie’s loud scream disturbed the Who citizens nearby, one of whom slipped off a ladder trying to hang a wreath and was holding onto it for dear life.

“I’m done…” Pinkie smiled.

“Do you two deal with these type of shenanigans daily?”

“Welcome to our world…”

“But we love it, or we wouldn’t be here.”

“I’ll never forget that day,” Starlight reminisced. “Cozy Glow trapped me inside the orb containing all the magic she drained from Equestria. It was the scariest day of my life.”

“Oh my!” Cindy gasped. “And then what happened?”

“Thankfully, our students managed to stop Cozy Glow’s plan by removing the artifacts needed for the ritual. And shortly after, all the magic was restored in Equestria.”

“That’s a very interesting story… but it’s also a bit upsetting to have a ‘friend’ turn on you guys like that.”

“It was,” Rarity nodded. “But at least we still have each other.”

“This is why we ‘need’ to find Cozy Glow and now,” Fluttershy added.

“Right!” Spike agreed. “We may not know what she’s planning, but we need to keep an eye out for her.”

Continuing on throughout the streets, Lou seemed utterly giddy. Especially considering he was in horrible debt.

“Boy nothing beats Christmas huh?” He asked happily.

“I guess,” Cindy spoke, rather unenthusiastically.

“You guess?”

“Well, it’s just, I look around at you and Mom and everyone getting all kerbobbled. Doesn’t this seem… superfluous?”

“Well any more commercial around here, and some kid will start asking for real estate instead of toys or clothes,” Pinkie replied. “Next thing you know some dog will be decorating their house just to win a ‘Lights and Display’ contest or even a kid will write a letter to Santa just for tens and twenties~”

“Tens and twenties of what, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Exactly!”

“DAD! DAD!”

All of a sudden, the group turned toward the side as a group of Who’s trudged their way down the street. Before their very eyes, it was the very same ‘Whovenile Delinquents’ who had climbed Mt. Crumpit. Only now, the boys and their girlfriends were completely frozen in ice, as stiff as boards. So much so the boys could barely approach their own father, Lou Who.

“Whoa!” Rainbow gasped, wide-eyed. “They look like they just barely walked off a ski incident unscathed!”

“What happened to you?” Lou asked, concerned.

“It was… the Grinch!” Stu cried.

Then everything happened all at once. No sooner did Stu mention the beast’s name that all the cars bumped right into each other and the Christmas music playing over the loudspeakers screeched to a complete halt. All the Who’s bumped into each other, scattering presents all across the street and they all turned toward the teens in fear.

“Grinch?” The Who’s asked.

“What do you want?” Grinch asked.

Reacting quickly, Cozy Glow nudged her disguised cohort’s leg with a hoof and waved the other below her head not wanting to blow their cover.

“I mean… ‘Grinch? Oh, no!’” Grinch feigned fear.

“Not the Grinch!” Cozy cried dramatically, clutching his leg. “Save me Daddy! Don’t let the mean, stinky old Grinch eat me! Save me!”

“You’re really pushing it this time…” Grinch muttered.

Regardless, the pair quickly ducked aside to avoid the crowds. And just in time, for just emerging from one of the buildings, a rather pompous, well-dressed Who came to investigate all the commotion. This rather important Who figure, dressed in a fancy suit, was none other than May-Who, the mayor of Whoville himself… along with his sycophantic aide and servant, Whobris.

“Did someone just say… ‘Grinch’?” The Mayor asked.

The group turned toward the Who in question and instantly Lou seemed slightly nervous before his presence.

“Hello Mayor May-Who sir,” Lou greeted timidly.

Seeing a familiar face along the crowd, the Mayor rolled his eyes and ushered the postman Who toward him with a single finger. Lou quickly approached the Mayor, who wrapped an arm over his shoulder.

“Lou…” The Mayor spoke. “I don’t need to remind you that this Christmas marks the one thousandth Whobilation~”

“Whoville’s most important celebration!” Whobris emphasized.

“And the book of Who” The Mayor continued, pulling out a large book. “Says very clearly, ‘Every size of Who we can measure knows that Whobilation is a time we must treasure!’. Now Lou, please tell me that your boys were not up on Mount Crumpit provoking the one creature within a billion bilometers of here who hates Christmas!”

“But it was the Grinch!” The boys argued.

The boys were about to argue further, when Lou quickly approached his sons and covered their mouths just before they could stir any further commotion.

“No, sir, the boys didn’t see any Grinch,” Lou reassured.

“It was, and he came after..” The boys continued.

“I think they were up on the mountain playing with matches,” Lou interrupted, smiling nervously. “Or defacing public property, or…”

“Making their way to lover’s lookout?” Pinkie added.

All the Who’s quickly turned toward the talking Pink pony, gawking over the idea. Pinkie merely looked back toward the group not seeing the reason for their expressions.

“What? It’s where I would go with my husband!”

Among the Who’s looking toward the talking pony, the Mayor eyed her and her group of friends rather suspiciously. He had not seen talking ponies of their nature before, and they certainly were complete strangers in their town. But not wanting to cause too big a scene, at least not for the moment, the Mayor smiled with satisfaction over their answers to the boys ‘activities’… and ‘not’ what he suspected they were referring to.

“That’s a relief,” The Mayor sighed, calling out. “All right, you heard the man: There is no Grinch problem here!”

Everyone sighed in relief and the Who’s went on with their daily business. Just then, a giant spitball came from nowhere and nailed the Mayor right upside the head, much to his confusion. Lou started to pick up the Christmas presents, with some of the ponies helping him out. And yet one of the ponies, Fluttershy, turned toward Cindy Lou.

“Cindy… what’s a Grinch?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

“I… don’t know,” Cindy admitted.

She then proceeded to approach her father, hoping he knew the answer.

“Dad, who’s the Grinch?” She asked innocently.

“Oh honey, you don’t need to worry about that,” Lou said, dodging the question. “Miss Twilight, I’ve got to get to work. Could you and your friends make sure Cindy Lou gets to school?”

“Well, sure we could…” Twilight answered. “But, what about—”

“School—go on now.”

And just like that, Lou took off before either of the group could ask any further questions. The Equestrians found themselves in a bigger mystery than they were before. It wasn’t enough that Cozy Glow was somewhere in this peaceful town, running amok and causing trouble. Now it seemed this town was in fear of a fiercely, scary monster whom a group of boys claimed to have seen. They had no idea what this ‘Grinch’ was capable of or how dangerous this creature could be. But still, if this beast should get in their way of finding Cozy Glow and putting the spirit of Christmas at risk…

Celestia help us…

Post Office Panic

Later that very same day, all the Who’s were back to business, preparing for Christmas day as usual. Many Who’s were in the process of decorating the streets, plenty of Who’s were still shopping for Christmas gifts for others. While all this went on, a certain group of ponies and a teenage dragon were trying their hardest to locate a certain trouble-making filly to no avail. After taking Cindy Lou to school, they spent the remainder of the day searching for Cozy Glow. Thus far, however, their efforts to find the fiendish little Pegasus have been fruitless. Eventually, they all met back in town square, exhausted from hours of searching, for a status report.

“Any luck finding Cozy Glow yet?” Twilight asked the others.

“Not yet Twi,” Applejack answered tiredly.

“This is ridiculous!” Rainbow groaned. “Can’t we just use some spell of sorts to find Cozy Glow and be done already?”

“We ‘would’ use a locater spell if we could,” Starlight explained. “The problem is we need ‘something’ that belongs to the pony we’re trying to find. We use the spell on the item, the magic would take us to who we’re looking for. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone has anything that belongs to Cozy Glow.”

“So we’re stuck running all over until we find her?”

“Pretty much.”

Exhausted and tired, Rainbow finally put her wings to rest and plopped right onto a pile of snow. It was so cold, but at this moment she really didn’t care.

“I don’t see how we’re ever going to catch her like this,” Fluttershy sighed.

It was then, at that moment, the group noticed Lou Who heading down the street toward their direction.

“Well hello there everyone,” He greeted kindly.

“Hi there Mr. Lou Who sir!” Pinkie waved excitedly. “How’s your day going? Is it super-duper, loopty-looper, spectacular today?”

“Just another old day in Whoville,” Lou smiled. “Anyway, I’ve got to go and pick Cindy Lou up from school. Would you all like to join?”

“Well, we might as well,” Applejack shrugged. “Seein’ as we ain’t nowhere near findin’ Cozy Glow at the moment.”

“What Applejack means to say is we’d be delighted to accompany you, Lou,” Rarity said kindly.

With that in mind, the ponies and Spike followed Lou towards the local schoolhouse. Walking through its halls, they eventually found the class Cindy was in. Just then, the final school bell rang and a barrage of Who children raced out the door. They noticed, however, that Cindy was not leaving like the rest of the children. She just sat in her chair, looking toward her father and new friends with sad, puppy-dog eyes. Her teacher, Ms. Rue Who, turned toward Lou with a rather heated glare.

“Uh Ms. Rue Who, I understand that you’re keeping Cindy after school,” Lou spoke nervously.

“Sit down Lou!” Ms. Rue Who demanded sternly.

“Yes ma’am,” Lou said, taking a seat.

Ms. Rue Who turned toward the ponies and Spike, who were currently standing at the door. She couldn’t exactly make heads or tails about them.

“What are you all?” She asked confused. “And what are you doing here?”

Sorry for disrupting anything madame,” Rarity apologized. “We’re just friends of Mr. Lou Who here, coming to bring Cindy back home.”

Ms. Rue Who seemed as though she wished to question the matter further. But ultimately, she was far from a curious mood at the moment.

“Then it seems you all get to join us as well,” She replied, pointing toward the desks. “Have a seat!”

Looking back and forth between one another, every pony (And especially Spike) slowly made their way toward the individual desks and took their seats.

“Sheesh! Like my first day of flight school all over again!” Rainbow grumbled.

“No talking!” Ms. Rue Who spoke sharply.

Rainbow sent a glare at the Who teacher, sticking her tongue at her without her knowing. She folded her hooves and plopped her head against her arms, while Ms. Rue Who looked directly toward Lou.

“Mr. Lou Who, you’re daughter… well… she said… oh my!”

It was then Cindy finally decided to speak up.

“All I said was—”

<>

Earlier that day…

Cindy was addressing her class.

“I plan to write my Wholiday report on a mysterious Christmas figure… the Grinch.”

No sooner she mentioned the name, all the window shudders instantly rolled up quickly and loudly. This startled the entire class, as well as Ms. Rue Who, who gasped loudly. Cindy merely shrugged with a tiny squeak.

<>

Back in the current time…

Ms. Rue Who glared at Cindy, who just sat in her desk looking away.

“That’s what you’re in trouble for?” Starlight spoke up.

“Seems like a mighty small thing tah be in trouble fer if ya ask me,” Applejack added.

“I must agree with Applejack and Starlight,” Twilight agreed.

“Well in Ms. Rue Who’s defense ladies,” Lou told them. “We really shouldn’t be mentioning… the Grinch.”

Once again, the shudders rolled up instantly and loudly causing everyone in the room to jump. Lou stood straight up from the desk only to find it was now stuck to him. Granted, Lou Who was not a particularly thin man. He tried to shake it off, pulling roughly to get it off… but with no success. Every pony else bit their lips, trying to hold back the laughter threatening to spill out over the hilarious sight.

“Now uh Ms. Rue Who, surely we can come to some sort of understanding,” Lou told the teacher. “I mean you can probably remember what a goof off I was in school and now look at me. I’m the postmaster of Whoville.”

“By the way, did you ever find my package?” Ms. Rue Who asked.

“No… no we haven’t.”

Ms. Rue Who rolled her eyes before looking back at Cindy, then back toward Lou before releasing a relenting sigh.

“Very well then, I will let Cindy off with a warning this time,” She said.

“Thank you very much Ms. Rue Who,” Lou thanked her. “I promise you will never hear the name—”

“Don’t push it Lou!”

“Yes ma’am…”

Lou motioned for Cindy and the Equestrians to follow him quickly through the door. They all obliged and practically scurried themselves out the door.

<>

After leaving the school that day, everyone followed Lou to the Whoville post office, where he worked. Not surprisingly, the post office was loaded with people trying to mail off Christmas gifts and cards. Seeing Lou so overwhelmed by all the work, Spike and the girls offered to help out with the mail. Thankfully, they helped Derpy a few times at the post office in Ponyville more than enough to know what they were doing.

“Heck of a rush!” Lou remarked, stamping a box. “Merry Christmas folks! Heck of a rush.”

After stamping the boxes, he’d throw them over his shoulder where Twilight and Rarity would catch them with their magic and pass them off to Spike and Applejack, who’d sort them out before handing them to Fluttershy and Rainbow, so they’d float them over into the correct sorter. Yet even with all the helping, it was still hectic to say the least.

“Lou, I need this there by tomorrow!” A Who said.

“I need this there today!” Another spoke up.

“I need this there yesterday, Lou!” Another added.

“Sheesh! Ah though Derpy had it rough back home!” Applejack shook her head.

“Suddenly, I have a whole new respect for postal ponies,” Rarity added breathlessly.

“Aww come on lazy bones!” Pinkie piped in. “A little manual labor never hurt no pony. If you’d join me every morning for jogging, maybe you’d keep up.”

“Pinkie, since when did ‘you’ start jogging?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, I’ve been doing it ever since I was an itty-bitty, twinkie Pinkie! Why’d you think I eat so many sweets and still be in great shape?”

“Because you’re… Pinkie Pie?” Spike spoke up.

In the midst of all the discussion, Cindy Lou watched her dad carrying loads of presents up a ladder and having it glide across the room towards the sorting machine.

“But Dad, I just don’t understand something,” Cindy Lou said. “Why won’t anyone talk about the Grinch?”

“It seems the name alone has everyone in this town scared,” Starlight observed. “We can’t help but feel concerned.”

“You kids and the Grinch…” Mr. Lou Who sighed. “You see, Cindy, the Grinch is a ‘Who’, who, well… is actually ‘not’ a Who. He’s… more of a—”

“A what?” Cindy asked.

“Exactly, honey!” Mr. Lou Who replied. “He’s a ‘what’ who doesn’t like Christmas. Take a look at his mailbox, sweetheart.”

Cindy took a peek to see a single mailbox on the shelf filled with cobwebs and looked completely old and rotten.

“Not a single Christmas card, in or out,” Mr. Lou Who continued. “Ever.”

That’s when Starlight came alongside Cindy and noticed the old mailbox.

“Not a single Christmas card?” She asked. “That’s horrible! I remember when I used to be practically the same way. Now I can’t even imagine how not getting a Hearth’s Warming card feels like.”

“But why?” Cindy asked.

“Well—”

Mr. Lou Who was about to explain, only to be interrupted by the impatient, frustrated customers.

“Uh… I’ll be right there!” He smiled nervously. “All right, we’ll straighten this out.”

Starlight rolled her eyes, once again people were avoiding the subject of the Grinch. Nevertheless, for right now, they had other things to worry about.

“Alright, so what do we have to do here?” Starlight asked.

“I usually help Dad sort the mail or place presents where they need to go,” Cindy Lou explained. “Something weird is going on though. I don’t think I’ve seen this many mismatched presents and letters before.”

Starlight looked over to what Cindy was talking about. She noticed that much of the mail in the boxes were either mismatched or completely swiped around. This did not go unnoticed by a certain alicorn Princess.

“Did someone say… the mail is mismatched?” Twilight asked, one eye twitching.

“Somebody’s been messing with the mail alright,” Starlight confirmed suspiciously. “And I think I know who…”

<>

Meanwhile, on the other side of the post office, Cozy Glow and the Grinch laughed as they were in the midst of messing with the mail. To Cozy Glow, it seemed like such a childish sort of prank. But certainly it was one that would drive the citizens of Whoville bonkers.

“It’ll take them years to sort this out,” Grinch chuckled. “This is his and now it’s yours. And this is her and now it’s his—”

“No offense big guy, but doesn’t this seem a little… childish?” Cozy asked honestly.

“Whatdya mean ‘childish’?” Grinch scoffed. “What could cause more chaos than tampering with the mail? Everyone’ll lose their minds trying to figure out who gets what.”

“I know, and it’s a great idea. I just feel it could a little more… flair, you know?”

Cozy Glow started rummaging through an assortment of mail and pulled out a couple envelops. As she looked through them, a devilish wee smile spread across her face.

“How about these to cause some misfortune?” She suggested.

Grinch stopped messing with the mail for a moment to approach and look over what she was referring to. When his beady eyes scanned over what she had in her tiny hooves, the same sort of smile came upon his face.

“Oh… now that’s wicked…” He chuckled.

He quickly snatched a few of the letters from Cozy Glow and they both proceeded back toward the mailboxes.

“And for the rest of you—”

Grinch started to expertly chuck the mail into each individual slot. Even Cozy Glow followed with her own letters, throwing at an accelerated rate.

“Jury duty, jury duty, jury duty—” Grinch listed off.

“Blackmail!” Cozy listed.

“Pink slip!”

“Chain letter!”

“Eviction notice!”

The two mischief makers continued throwing letters into a whole bunch of other compartments, they chuckled and laughed madly over their little prank.

<>

Completely unaware of what was happening in the back room, the Equestrians along with Cindy Lou were busy trying to sort the mail. Due to the antics of a mischievous pair, they found that nearly every slot was in such a disorganized state. It’s like giving the group ‘one’ thing to do and the whole thing went kaboodle.

“If we get through today, I’ll never complain about Derpy mixing up the mail again!” Rarity sighed.

“Totally, I’ll never give her a hard time,” Rainbow agreed.

“She gets an extra-large muffin basket for Hearth’s Warming!” Pinkie declared.

“How are you doing, Twilight?” Fluttershy called out. “Uh… Twilight?”

But before Fluttershy’s very eyes, the expression on the Princess’s face was completely wide-eyed. Twilight was so hyper-focused that her magic violently rearranged all the cards and boxes not in their proper places.

“Must reorganize! Must make efficient!” Twilight rambled. “Must appease the checklist Gods!”

“Um… I think Twilight’s kind of busy,” Starlight muttered.

“Uh, excuse me, Princess!” Lou butted in. “As much as I appreciate help from you and your friends, I should point out it’s a federal offense for anyone but a designated member of the Whoville postal service to handle the mail…”

One glare from Twilight Sparkle, with ‘Lesson Zero’ crazy eyes, and he immediately started to rethink his statement.

“… But the rules never mentioned pony princesses. Please continue!”

“Smart move!” Applejack nodded.

Seeing that a majority of the ponies were preoccupied at the moment, Lou turned his attention toward Cindy and Spike. He held out some envelopes in his hands.

“Would you mind helping me take this to the back room?” He asked, offering the cards. “Be careful of the sorting machine, right?”

“Yeah,” Cindy answered softly.

“No worries, Lou ole buddy!” Spike saluted. “We’ve got this!”

<>

Later, Cindy Lou led Spike toward the backroom of the postal office. Alarms blared as an assortment of gift-wrapped presents slid from a conveyor belt into a large trap door. The trap door itself was piled with an insane amount of presents yet to enter the sorting machine. All around them were other presents that were stacked up high and they seemed to just keep growing and growing. It’s amazing even for Spike how such a slightly small little group of people could obtain so much stuff.

“Sheesh! Talk about overload!” Spike remarked. “No wonder Lou couldn’t find your teacher’s package.”

Just then, a sound resembling something smacking the floor made the pair gasp. Spike and Cindy Lou quickly turned around and spotted what appeared to be an ugly plastic mask, of a face that’s meant to resemble a Who but looks more like a creepy gopher. Curious, Cindy picked up the mask to examine it with Spike following behind.

“Somebody’s definitely late for Nightmare Night,” Spike replied. “Cindy… does anyone else work in the mail room besides you and your dad?”

“No…” Cindy answered.

Little did they know, spying from above, the Grinch held himself in place on a corner of the upper section of the mail room. He held Max tightly with one hand while Cozy Glow clung to the dog’s neck. She growled silently when she saw Spike with that little girl Who. Even though he was slightly taller than she remembered, those purple and green scales were not hard to miss. Course, if he were here… that would only mean the other ponies must’ve followed her too. They kept watch over the pair, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

After a while of examining the mask, Spike and Cindy Lou turned toward one another. With a shrug, they proceeded to go back to where they dropped the envelopes and put them in their proper place before leaving. For a moment, the Grinch and Cozy Glow released a quiet sigh of relief thinking they gave the pair the slip… until Max sneezed.

“Gesundheit!” Grinch spoke.

“Grinch…” Cozy Glow whined silently.

But it was too late. The moment Cindy Lou and Spike turned around, they screamed in unison while the Grinch and Cozy Glow screamed back. Hearing the ruckus, the Equestrians (Minus Twilight Sparkle) rushed into the back room to investigate.

“Wut in tarnation’s goin’ on—” Applejack began.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!” Fluttershy squeaked, pointing.

The other ponies looked up and they too screamed their heads off at the ugliest sight they’ve ever seen. While the Grinch just gave some high-pitched screams at the sight of more talking ponies, while Cozy Glow just looked at him with a ‘Really?’ look. Eventually, after they stopped screaming, the Grinch himself soon dropped down and the Equestrians could see how greatly the beast towered over them.

The Grinch, so green, furry, and menacing looking, glared back slightly while Cindy Lou looked scared seeing him up close.

“You’re the-the-the…” Cindy Lou stammered.

“The-the-the…” He mocked. “THE GRINCH!!!”

“Ooh, called it!” Pinkie cheered.

“Called what?!” Rainbow shouted.

The extreme close-up of the beast made Cindy Lou scream and lose her balance. Before the eyes of the girls, and Spike, the little Who ended up falling backward into the pile of presents. Which wouldn’t be such a bad thing except… they were leading into the sorting machine!”

“CINDY!!!” The girls and Spike screamed.

“Well… that worked out nicely,” The Grinch smirked.

Cozy Glow tried to hover away, only for Starlight Glimmer to quickly spot her.

“YOUUUU!!!!” Starlight pointed.

“I’m oughtta here!” Cozy called out, flying away.

“WE GOTTA STOP THAT BRAT!!!” Rainbow called out.

“What about Cindy?!” Fluttershy pointed out.

It was then our heroes found themselves in a pickle. As if it wasn’t enough they discovered Cozy Glow in the presence of the legendary Grinch, their new friend Cindy Lou was in her own predicament. The more she struggled to break herself free of all the gifts, the deeper she was sinking through the pile. And right below the bottom was where all the presents were sent to be pressed with a ‘FRAGILE’ notice on the wrapping paper. And if she fell in there, the pressure from that machine will squash her flat.

“Rainbow Dash! You take Fluttershy and Spike after Cozy Glow!” Starlight instructed. “Me, Applejack, and Rarity will free Cindy Lou!”

“You got it Starlight!” Rainbow saluted. “All right you two! Stay on my flank!”

The trio quickly took off into the air after Cozy Glow. The little Pegasus squealed with fright before taking off as fast as her wings could take her. Soon she found herself flying around and around the back room while her enemies were right behind her. Applejack, thinking fast, used her lasso to wrap around Cindy Lou’s legs as she tried to haul her out. But all the packages around the girl made it near impossible to pull her out. So Rarity and Starlight resorted to digging their way through, using their magic to pull the presents aside. But more and more just kept coming at an alarming rate.

“Pinkie Pie! Go get Twilight!” Starlight called out. “Pinkie?!”

Starlight Glimmer looked around rapidly but much to her shock found her talking with the Grinch, who stood perplexed before another talking pony.

“Wow… Jim Carry!” Pinkie smiled. “Such a great casting choice for this role! Can I have your autograph?”

“Kid, I have no idea who this Jim Carrey fellow is… but he sounds amazingly talented!” The Grinch smiled.

“Yeah! And totally hilarious!” Pinkie agreed. “Especially as a pet detective!”

“Right…” The Grinch answered awkwardly. “Max let’s go. Our work here is finished.”

Having had just about enough of this tomfoolery, The Grinch was just about ready to leave… when he scrunched his face in pain. The dog chomped on the Grinch’s butt, trying to force him back. The Grinch merely glared at his dog.

“That is not a chew toy!”

“I think he wants you to pull her out,” Pinkie suspected. “Just speaking from context.”

But the Grinch merely growled at Max, struggling to walk away while trying to shake the dog off. Max, however, stubbornly refused to unclamp his jaws from the Grinch’s… posterior.

“Stop it, Max!” The Grinch ordered. “Get that out of your mouth! You have no idea where it’s been!”

In the midst of all the chaos, while the other ponies were either busily digging out presents or trying to capture their enemy, Cindy Lou’s head just peeked out toward where all the packages go. The moment she saw where she was heading, the little girl screamed in fright. This drew the Grinch’s attention as the machine started to hiss and Cindy Lou was getting closer and closer to getting pressed.

“HELP!!!” Cindy Lou cried out.

“Hang on, Cindy darling!” Rarity cried out, digging faster.

“Please Mr. Grinch sir!” Pinkie begged. “It’s the only way to get Max off you!”

The Grinch sighed with a roll of his eyes as Cindy Lou kept screaming for her dear life.

“Bleeding hearts of the world unite!” Grinch grumbled, marching forward.

“Grinch! What’re you doing?!” Cozy Glow cried out.

“Get back here, you!!!” Rainbow shouted.

Cozy just saw Rainbow coming toward her and quickly zipped to the side… *WHAM!!!* Rainbow crashed face first into a wall and fell back with a moan. Fortunately, Fluttershy and Spike caught her before she could hit the floor as they turned back towards the machine.

“Out of the way!” The Grinch shouted.

The Grinch shoved the ponies aside and stood before the mound of presents. He hurled one hand through the pile until he managed to pull Cindy Lou out to safety. The poor girl stood still before the Grinch, clutching onto that Who mask as the Grinch tore the lasso off, breaking it and hurling it aside.

“Hey! That was my rope!” Applejack shouted.

But the Grinch ignored that remark and grabbed for his mask.

“There! Give me that!” The Grinch shouted, toward Cindy. “Don’t you know you shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you? What’s the matter with you? You some kind of wild animal? Huh?!”

“This coming from a guy who’s freely switching the mail…” Rainbow muttered, her eyes rolling. “Yeah…”

“Well… you did drop that mask first!” Spike pointed out.

Seeing Max had finally let him go once Cindy Lou was saved, the Grinch decides he’s had enough.

“Let’s go!” Grinch ordered, walking away.

“Thanks for saving me!” Cindy Lou piped up.

The Grinch skid to a halt, his furry hand grasping against the window of the exit door. His hands slid against the glass making an ear-wrenching squeaking sound. He slowly turned toward Cindy Lou, whom the Equestrians stood in defense for. He merely stared at the group, squeezing the mask in his hands.

“Saving you?!” The Grinch spoke slowly. “Is that what you think I was doing?”

Fluttershy and Cindy Lou nervously nodded their heads quickly, the pair rather frightened by the ghastly sight. But the Grinch seemed to find the sight rather amusing.

“Wrong-O!” He remarked, waving a finger.

With a mischievous look on his face, the Grinch grabbed for some red wrapping paper close by the door and slowly loomed toward the group. The ponies took a fighting stance, ready for anything.

“I merely noticed that you were improperly packaged, my dears,” The Grinch remarked.

“You wouldn’t dare—HEY!!!” Rainbow yelped.

Suddenly, Cozy Glow zoomed in from nowhere and wrapped some of the paper around the group before the girls or Spike could properly react. Soon she along with the Grinch proceed to wrap the group in wrapping paper and tape at a rapid pace.

“Hold still!” The Grinch shouted. “Max, pick out a bow!”

To which the dog barked in response.

“Can I use your finger for a second?” The Grinch asked.

“Oh sure…” Spike replied.

With the Equestrians and Cindy Lou ‘wrapped up’, the Grinch, along with Max and Cozy Glow proceed to take their leave. But not before Cozy Glow turned back toward the group with a toothy grin and delivered a loud raspberry toward them before fluttering off in a huff. Through the wrapping paper, Rainbow’s eyes barely peeked through.

“I REALLY despise that filly!” Rainbow growled.

“Hello! Hello!” Cindy cried out.

“Twilight!” Spike shouted. “A little help here, please!”

By the time the Grinch and Cozy Glow left, Mr. Lou Who and Twilight Sparkle came in to find them since they’d been gone for some time.

“Cindy?” Lou called out.

“Girls? Spike?!” Twilight called out. “Where are you?!”

“Dad! Twilight!”

The Who and the pony turned to see a rather strange lump covered in wrapping paper. Hands, hooves, and a pair of claws tried to dig their way out of the wrapping paper.

“Twilight!” Starlight gasped. “Mr. Lou!”

“What the hey…?” Mr. Lou gasped.

“Guys?” Twilight remarked, unwrapping her friends. “This is no time to be playing with the wrapping paper!”

“What took you so long?” Spike muttered.

“Dad, it was amazing!” Cindy Lou gasped.

“You’ve been practicing your Christmas wrapping!” Mr. Lou Who smiled. “I am so proud of you!”

“Uh… sure…” Spike shrugged. “You could say that…”

“Now that’s holiday!” Mr. Lou Who beamed.

“Sweet little Cindy and her new friends didn’t know what to do. In their heads, bum-tumbled a conflict or two.”

“Huh… if this Grinch was so bad, why save the little girl? Why not harm the ponies and Spike when he had the chance?”

“Who knows? Maybe he wasn’t so bad. Maybe… just maybe…”

“Come on, let’s go home,” Mr. Lou Who told his daughter.

It was then Lou turned toward the group of ponies and teenage dragon, who were still discarding some wrapping paper off after that frantic experience.

“I don’t suppose you all would like to stay with us in the meantime?” He offered.

“Ooh… that’s very kind of you Mr. Lou Who,” Rarity replied. “But we wouldn’t want to take advantage of your hospitality—”

“Ah nonsense!” Lou brushed off. “We got plenty of room at my house. We’re not going to let you sit out in the cold. Besides, it’ll be getting dark very soon and no sense looking for your little friend at this hour.”

“Not… a friend…” Rainbow corrected, slowly.

“Maybe Lou’s right,” Twilight sighed. “We’ll rest up at their house and we can start the search again by morning. If we’re lucky, maybe Cozy Glow is much closer than we think.”

“Ooh… you have no idea…” Starlight remarked.

Mt. Crumpet

Author's Note

Alright everyone, I got this chapter updated now. I want to give thanks to theovine93 and Wanda92 for the great quotes in this chapter

Mt. Crumpet

Later that same evening, following a series of strange events at the post office, Lou, Cindy, and the Equestrians return to Lou Who’s house. Shortly after Lou pulled the car into the driveway, everyone stepped out and each of them lent a hand (Or hoof) in carrying the gifts. As Lou picked up the gifts, he looked toward the house.

“No lights on in the house,” He observed. “Your mom must be shopping.”

All of a sudden, the lights come on so bright the group nearly went blind. A woman in a striped robe appeared on the roof. This was Betty Lou Who, Lou’s wife and Cindy’s mother.

“Oh good! I’m so glad you’re home!” She called out. “Oh, I can feel it Lou. This is the year when ‘every’ Who asked, ‘Who has the greatest light in all of greater Whoville?’. They’re going to cry out Mrs. Betty Lou Who!”

Lou could tell Betty was really in the spirit, judging by the pile of other lights and picked one up.

“Isn’t this the chandelier from the Dining room?!” He asked.

“It’s all for the cause dear!” Betty responded.

It was then Betty turned toward a group of ponies (And Spike) standing below the house. They all gazed toward her curiously.

“Ooh! Are these new friends of yours Cindy?” Betty asked her daughter.

“Sure are mom!” Cindy nodded.

“It’s very lovely to meet you, Mrs. Lou Who!” Twilight called up.

“Oh sweetie, please! Call me Betty.”

“My, oh my! You certainly have a lovely house Ms. Betty!” Rarity complimented. “I love what you’re doing with your lights. Makes the house quite festive indeed.”

Hearing such compliments over her lights was certainly enough high praise for Betty. Of course she tried to act as though it were no big deal at all.

“Why thank you so much dear!” Betty responded. “What brings you all to Whoville?”

“Well, that’s the thing honey!” Lou called up. “They are kind of stuck here while they’re searching for a missing friend of theirs…”

“Not a friend…!” Rainbow corrected.

“… I offered them to stay with us until they find her,” Lou continued. “I hope that’ll be alright.”

“Of course it is!” Betty nodded. “You’re all free to stay as long as you’d like.”

“Mighty kind of ya Betty!” Applejack thanked.

“Would you by any chance require some assistance with your lights?” Starlight offered.

“Oh, I do love decorating for the holidays!” Rarity replied. “I’m quite good at this sort of thing.”

“And perhaps I can help too!” Fluttershy added.

“Well, I certainly am not one to turn down help,” Betty smiled. “Come on up and I’ll show you what I need help with. Oh, and Cindy! Can you or your friends be mommy’s little helpers and unscrew the bulb from the refrigerator? Somehow I missed that one.”

“Okie-dokie-lokie Ms. Betty ma’am!” Pinkie said excitedly. “We’ll get that bulb and any other lights you forgot! No bulbs go unnoticed when Pinkie’s on the job!”

*DING!*

A light bulb appears over Pinkie’s head, which she looks up and takes from out of the air. Cindy and the others looked toward Lou, who merely gestured them to go on. With a shrug, she makes her way inside with the others (Minus Rarity and Fluttershy).

“Your mom certainly seems pretty cool with us staying here,” Starlight pointed out.

“She’s just focused on winning the Christmas light contest,” Cindy replied.

“Does she usually go so far as to turn out every light in the house just to win?” Spike asked.

“Actually… she can be a lot worse sometimes,” Cindy sighed.

“Wow, that’s right on the border between dedicated and cuckoo crazy!” Rainbow chuckled.

“Like you ain’t never done somethin’ so crazy tah win nothing?” Applejack scoffed.

<>

Meanwhile…

Back on the roof, Fluttershy and Rarity did their best to help betty with the Christmas lights. The task proved quite difficult seeing as how Better acquired so many strands of lights that it was tricky just to maneuver properly. In fact, Fluttershy could hardly take a single step without tripping over a strand or two.

“Oh my! Why must you have so many lights Mrs. Lou Who?” Fluttershy asked.

“Please call me Betty dear,” Betty replied. “The reason is because every year our neighbor, Martha-May Whovier, always has the best lights.”

“Judging by the tone of your voice seems you’re tired of her getting all the glory,” Rarity guessed. “Ergo, you’re looking to finally shine as bright as these lights?”

“You can say that again,” Betty replied, sorting the lights. “This year I am going to beat that prim, prissy, little…”

“Betty!”

Betty and the two ponies all gasped toward the sudden voice. Turning over, they saw Lou Who’s neighbor, Martha-May Whovier, standing in front of her house waving toward Betty.

“Hi!” She greeted.

“Martha!” Betty gasped.

“My, I’ve never seen so many beautiful Christmas lights, Betty Lou.”

“Well, I’d blow every bulb to try and keep up with you Martha-May.”

“You can clearly tell those two are trying to keep their rivalry civil,” Rarity whispered to Fluttershy.

Then Martha pulled out some old-looking glass chime.

“Isn’t this antique darling?” Martha asked, smugly. “It’s hand crafted and almost a hundred years old.”

“I must admit that’s quite a charming piece indeed,” Rarity nodded. “I give her credit for having exquisite taste in antiquities.”

“How nice!” Betty muttered sarcastically. “I’m really impressed.”

“This, however, is new!” Martha continued.

Martha then pull a large sheet off some weird-looking device, which appeared to have lights attached to it. Turning it on, Martha proceeds to fire Christmas lights and hung them along the house. Betty was in shock seeing the light-hanging gun at work, so amazed by this she started leaning toward the edge with the lights in her clutches. Lou, spotting this, called out to his wife.

“Whoa, whoa! Hey Betty! Betty sweetie!”

Fluttershy flew in front of Betty and held her steady while Rarity grabbed the back of her robe with her teeth.

“Oh Betty, please snap out of it!” Fluttershy pleaded.

“This is very difficult as it is!” Rarity muttered, through her teeth.

Betty gave no response whatsoever, still in shock that she tipped over the edge near frozen. Eventually, Martha completely put an end to the workings of her device and turned it off blowing smoke away.

“Well goodnight Betty!” Martha-May called out.

And to which both Betty and the ponies waved goodnight, albeit feebly.

<>

Later that evening…

*RING! RING!*

The telephone rang loudly in the living room of Lou Who’s house. Both Lou and Betty, dressed in their robes, reached for the phone to pick it up. But Lou ended up being the one to answer first.

“Hello!” He greeted.

A muffled voice on the other end could be heard.

“Is my subzero chillobrator running?” Lou asked confused.

The muffled voice came again as if confirming that was indeed what had been asked.

“I suppose.”

<>

“WELL THEN YOU BETTER GO CATCH IT!!!”

The Grinch slammed the phone back onto the receiver so hard, it actually made Lou reel back a slight. Grinch laughed at his supposedly ‘brilliant’ crank call.

“Oh, that’s a good one!” He complimented himself. “That is rich…”

Suddenly the Grinch turned toward Cozy Glow and Max, neither of them laughing with him.

“… What?”

“You call that a crank call?” Cozy asked. “That was lame… no! Lamer than lame! That’s just… Lamey, Lamey-lame! And I’m a kid; I’m supposed to think any crank calls are funny! Even the ‘stupid’ ones!”

“Harumph… like you can do better?” The Grinch challenged.

“Gladly. Watch and learn, Grinchy.”

Taking a coin from the Grinch, she placed it into the payphone and randomly dialed a number. After ringing for a few moments, an elderly woman’s voice (ala Betty White) could be heard on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Good evenin, ma’am!” Cozy called, in a disguised voice. “You’re our one-bazillionth caller, which means you have won the Whoville Clearing House Lottery for our three-kajillion Christmas jackpot!”

“I won?... I won?! Ed! ED!!! I just won us three kajillion—”

“Please hold for one of our representatives,” Cozy continued. “So stay on the line no matter what! Thank you!”

Shushing the Grinch, who looked on in disbelief, Cozy slowly and quietly hung up the phone before facing him again with a smug smile.

“That is how you do a crank call!” Cozy said.

“Hmm… long-term hold on a festively facetious phone call?... Genius!” Grinch complimented. “Why didn’t I think of it first? Oh, you reprehensibly repulsive runt! You know… you oddly remind me of a younger, albeit more… saccharinely sweet… me! Oh, you’re just like the demented, disobedient devil-child I never wanted!”

“Yeah? Well you’re like the black-sheep, ex-convict uncle my family never wanted me to know about!”

They stare at each other in silence for a moment… then immediately the two burst out laughing while Max practically raised a brow over their behavior.

“So, when do we call the crone back?” Grinch asked.

“Not just yet,” Cozy answered. “You know that little moment when people’s hopes die a little?”

“Are you kidding? That’s what gets me up every morning!”

“We milk that call for what it’s worth, and then… SMASH! A thousand upon thousand tiny pieces. Poof! Gone with the wind, but only after building it up so long. I’ll cue you when we break the old lady.”

“Works for me!” Grinch nodded. “Let’s go home.”

The Grinch soon approached a corner to a nearby trash bin with a button that said, ‘Dumpit to Crumpit’. Cozy Glow peaked inside for a moment and her face cringed after one whiff of a foul stench coming out.

“You’re kidding me!” Cozy groaned, facing Grinch. “You’re joking right?”

“Less you’d rather ‘fly’ all the way up the mountain?” The Grinch remarked.

But Cozy Glow, knowing how high the mountain was and how far from the town, was not going to argue over it. Moaning, Cozy Glow and Max were about to climb into the tube when the Grinch stopped them.

“Fleas before beauty. Thank you.”

Cozy Glow and Max groaned as they allowed the Grinch to enter first.

“Come on, hurry up, slowpokes!” Grinch called out.

The pair hopped in after the Grinch without another word. When all were together, Grinch slammed his furry hand on the button and a great force of suction pulled the trio down the chute on a winding, twisting path up the mountain with all the bits of trash around them.

“Why… couldn’t… we go… a better… WAAAAAAAAAAY!!!” Cozy Glow screamed.

<>

After a long, bumpy ride towards the peak of Mount Crumpit, a lid opened up releasing the Grinch, Max, and the newest addition to the do-no-goody group, Cozy Glow. Out from the trash tube, they landed into the junkyard, the majority consisting of contents from Whoville’s Christmases past. While the ride up the tube was dizzying, the landing was short and somewhat painful, especially for the Pegasus filly first-timer.

The girl shook herself from the harrowing ride before rubbing her sore hindquarters.

“Ugh… you guys have landings like this all the time?”

The Grinch, however, sat up like he just woke from a short nap.

“You get used to it,” He shrugged. “The worst part is the traffic on the way up here. Why a car could have paid for itself by now.”

As she was recovering, Cozy was suddenly hit by a thousand sights and smells, overwhelming her sensitive nostrils to the point of gagging.

“And you have to land—urgh—here each time? A smelly junkyard?!”

“I know…”

The Grinch took a big whiff, breathing in the noxious fumes like fresh air.

“It’s one of the things I look forward to when I get home. Nothing better for the lungs than good old stale air.”

“So, you’re just living up here… with the Whos’ trash and a dog? That’s sad, even for a villain like you.”

His eyes widened as the Grinch faced the filly.

“Are you kidding? I love it up here! Seven-minute distance from the dump, living space enough for one, outfitted with a lovely vantage point from which to plot out my unmerry machinations… and once in a while, those candy-cane-craving cravens usually dump out something very nasty to my liking!”

“Like what?”

Suddenly, the tube began to rumble, indicating the arrival of another load of trash, which made the Grinch slightly giddy.

“Oh, goody! Another load comin’ down!”

The Grinch shoved Cozy aside, the filly landing in a large pile of stained, horribly designed Christmas neckties. Meanwhile, the Grinch was greeted with another load of fresh trash, including a few big red bags with the same label. One of which landed in his arms and closed to his face.

“Ooh… what’s that stench?” He cringed, then turned giddy. “It’s fantastic!”

Cozy shook off the last of the ties for a closer look at one bag near her hooves.

“’Hazardous Waste’?” She read.

Her eyes widened with fear, as she backed away with a shriek! She proceeded to grab some neckties and rub furiously against her hooves to remove whatever substance was in that bag.

“My favorite kind of garbage!” Grinch said happily. “Second only to ‘biodegradable’, of course. Max, kid! Grab a bag! We’ll come back for the rest!”

He grabbed a couple bags before standing up and working his way up the path towards his door. This left Cozy Glow and Max trailing behind with a bag each.

“Of course, when I say ‘we’, I mean ‘you two’.”

Cozy naturally groaned as she found herself resorted to grunt work.

“Why do you even… want these bags?”

“The furnace. I’ve been meaning to get some new things to burn… and these are perfect! It’s amazing what these Who’s can throw away! Oh well… one man’s toxic sludge is another man’s potpourri~”

Max barked, to which the Grinch interpreted as a question.

“I dunno, it’s some kind of soup.”

“Actually, potpourri is when you take nice-smelling things and use them to freshen up a room. Like flowers, herbs, and… other stuff,” Cozy pointed out.

“Yeesh!” Grinch uttered, in disgust. “Little horse, you got one sick, twisted brain, you know that?”

“Don’t blame me for finding the truth disgusting… and I’m a pony!”

<>

Late at night, back in Whoville, Cindy Lou-Who was all dressed in bed and sat in her room. While everyone else was fast asleep, she sat by what appeared to be a music box with a ballerina Who twirling around to a melody. With a flashlight in hand, she held a tiny stocking in her hand as her mind pondered with great thought. Not just about what happened at the postal office earlier today nor just the arrival of the ponies and their need to find this ‘Cozy Glow’. But instead her thoughts hung over something much bigger than herself… this festive season of which is supposed to be ‘Christmas’.

Cindy Lou-Who (Sings):
Where are you, Christmas?
Why can’t I find you?
Why have you gone away?

My world is changing
I’m rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too?

Poor Cindy Lou clearly had so much on her mind. She can only conclude that through all the hustle and bustle, she just couldn’t understand Christmas. She loved getting presents, making Christmas cards, and decorating trees were all well and good. Yet something was making her unhappy. And if not unhappy, she was indeed ‘confused’ like she didn’t know how she was supposed to feel. So much so even in her letter to Santa, she couldn’t decide what she wanted for Christmas, and it just sat there… completely unfinished.

Little did she know, not ‘all’ were asleep at this hour. Peeking out, Starlight Glimmer saw Cindy Lou gazing upon her own Christmas tree and even out the window where Mt. Crumpit loomed over. For this brief moment, the thought of claiming Cozy Glow suddenly didn’t matter to Starlight anymore. Instead, she felt sympathy for a little girl lost in what was meant to be the most joyous time of the year. In a way, the little Who child reminded Starlight of herself… when she was very young. And as she leaned against the back of the wall, hidden from Cindy’s view, she sang along with her whether she knew it or not.

Cindy Lou & Starlight Glimmer (Sings):
Where are you, Christmas?
Do you remember the girl you used to know?
You and I were so carefree
Now nothing’s easy
Did Christmas change or just… me?

<>

Meanwhile, as night fell over Whoville, the Grinch, Max, and Cozy Glow made their way inside the cave through the large door. Each of whom carried the bags of hazardous waste into the dark, dank cave. The Grinch pulled a nearby pulley which turned on a light, sighing quietly with exhaust before dragging a bag onto a nearby makeshift catapult, to which Cozy Glow was curious about.

“So… where’s the furnace? And why are you loading that trash onto that catapult?”

“It makes heating my home less of a chore, and one of my few pleasures… PULL!”

The Grinch pulled the lever, flinging the bag over toward what appeared to be an election poster featuring Mayor May-Who, asking viewers to vote him as something called a ‘Cheermeister’. Landing square in the face, the bag landed in what resembled a big funnel.

“Ooh… sweet~! Right on target! As usual.”

As the tube connected to the funnel shook, a similar suction sound was heard before the furnace began to whiz and whir from the new source of heat. Cozy dropped her bag near Max before flying toward the Grinch looking between him and the poster.

“Wait a minute…!” She gasped in realization. “Is the mayor… your archenemy?”

“Uh… no? He’s not my archenemy…” He remarked, sauntering toward a coat rack. “He’s just the number-one Who out of all those meddling merry-makers who makes me sicker than a 19-day old Grin-Itch Spinach, down to my green, mossy bones~”

Cozy Glow felt her heart quicken with anticipation.

“Mr. Grinch… that’s what an archenemy is… and that’s great!” She replied, following his trail. “Because I have archenemies too!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure you do.”

And The Grinch simply pushed her aside while ruffling her mane, not carrying so much as he hung his coat and sang.

The Grinch (Sings):
Be it ever so… heinous,
There’s no place like… home…

Walking toward a ledge, he belted the last word which echoed across the cave while he raised his arms. On cue, all the lights inside sprang to life revealing possibly one of the strangest, yet most complex, villainous lairs Cozy Glow had ever seen. So many gadgets, doohickeys, and thingamajigs that Cozy couldn’t recognize. One thing was certain for the young pony, as a tear came to her eye, that the sheer magnitude of what she just witnessed was…

“So evil, and yet… grotesquely beautiful…” She gasped.

Of course, Cozy saw the Grinch descending down his lair on a strange-looking step elevator (While Max took another way down) and flew after him for a closer look.

“First floor, factory rejects!” The Grinch called out.

On the way down, he turned his head only to find Cozy Glow floating right beside him. He let out a girlish scream of fright and nearly fell off the pedestal.

“How’d you sneak on the elevator?!” The Grinch cried out.

“I didn’t…” Cozy spoke, confused. “Pegasus? Wings? Any of that ring a bell?”

“Hmm…” The Grinch feigned thinking. “No, not really. If it ain’t related to Who’s, I sure as Hell don’t peruse~ That’s my motto!”

Cozy Glow merely rolled her eyes as she along one of the railings like a bird.

“I tell ya, though, some days… those Who’s are hard to frazzle!” The Grinch continued. “But! We did our worst, and that’s all that matters. Least we scared the bejeebers out of that little girl and her friends at the post office!”

He soon jumped off and headed towards a screen divider.

“They’ll be scarred for life, if we’re lucky~”

“… Yeah, they don’t scare easily,” Cozy Glow pointed out. “The girl and Spike, maybe. But not Twilight and her friends. Anyway, about what happened today… why save that little Who girl instead of letting her great crushed into a mound of mush? You are a bad guy, aren’t you?”

“… Of course I’m bad!” The Grinch retorted, offended. “There ain’t nobody badder than me, prissy! But if you must know… I was coerced into plucking that Who-poppet from the jaws of imminent doom by a certain fleabag who refused to let me walk away!”

The Grinch gave the stink eye to Max, who was still making his way down the rocky pathway to the bottom.

“Still… it all worked out in the end,” The Grinch continued. “Right after that little ‘wrap-up’ party in the letter room~”

The Grinch strolled behind the divider where Cozy could spot a silhouette of him humming incoherently as he slipped on some kind of robe… before acting like he was transforming into some kind of beast, making growling and guttural barks as he hunched his way out. By the time she could see him outside the divider, the Grinch seemed… well, what he’d define as ‘normal’.

“Funny she and those donkeys didn’t rat on us, though… must be afraid of reprisals.”

To say Cozy Glow was confused was an understatement. This Grinch was both intelligent and creative enough to concoct a secret lair like this. Yet clearly there were moments when the Grinch was like a man-child or some definition of a weirdo. Still, he was evil enough, and a little madness never hurt the cause. She, along with Max (Who made his way to the main floor), followed the Grinch towards what resembled a huge swing.

“Anyway, I think we did our dirt…” The Grinch stated, sitting down. “I feel bad, guys. Real bad.”

He grabbed a small sickle beside the swing as he made himself comfortable.

“I’m all… dead inside,” He added.

The Grinch soon released a weird, crazy laugh as he sliced the rope beside him sending him high into the air while dropping the ballast (An old safe) onto the ground. The Grinch released a loud ‘Wee!’ in his excitement, swinging back and forth like a schoolgirl as he was taken to the next floor, with Cozy Glow after him.

“You know… you’re so weird for a villain…” Cozy remarked.

The Grinch merely turned towards the little pony with a deadpan expression.

“You have no idea…”

Suddenly, something occurred to him so greatly his eyes widened.

“Wait… ‘Dead Inside’… that reminds me~”

Hopping off the swing, he headed toward another area on the next floor.

“Reminds you of what?!” The pony called out, following him.

In another part of the Grinch’s cave, the creature in question fidgeted with a strange device with some kind of screen. Turning it on, he grabbed the screen and pulled it over his chest, revealing itself as some kind of makeshift X-ray machine. As he finetuned the picture, Cozy couldn’t help but wonder what exactly the Grinch was up to.

“What’cha doing?” She asked cutely.

Of course, it was almost so cute the Grinch could barely stomach it.

“I’m trying to get my number in, so… scooty your booty, tutti-fruity~”

“… Number? On what?”

Before she got an answer, the screen became clearer. Before her the bones were blue outlines with something faintly small and red thumping along the upper-left of his body. The shape was what struck Cozy as odd: The Grinch’s heart. As the narrators from a few chapters ago suggested (‘You’re welcome!’), the Grinch’s heart was indeed so very small. And oddly enough… that’s how he liked it.

“Yes! Down a size and a half!” The Grinch cheered.

“Your heart gets smaller and you’re happy?” Cozy raised an eyebrow. “How is it you’re still alive with a heart so small?”

“Oh, silly horsey… I live off my hate, not my heart!” He remarked, patting her head condescendingly. “Ever since I was a little Grinch and first came to live up here… besides, if it got bigger, that would mean I’d have to do another week-long cruelty cleanse… urgh! Which of course means no messing with Who’s till I get my sizes down~! But it’s worth it to have a heart as small as can be~”

He then turned away, as if gazing for someone there (Where there wasn’t).

“And this time… I’ll keep it off.”

His face sagged with a bored look as he wandered off, with Cozy not exactly sure what she was hearing. But she fluttered after him anyway.

“Pony… not horsey!” Cozy grimaced.

Of course, Max finally approached the Grinch, who pretended he had a stick for Max to fetch. He ‘tossed it’, which sent Max running. Cozy lightly groaned from such entry-level wickedness.

“There’s no stick,” The Grinch remarked proudly. “I’m smarterer…”

The Grinch made a running start toward what seemed to be his bed, so rickety and squeaking with a weird-looking headboard. He lifted his head towards an old answering machine before turning his entire body towards it.

“Any calls~?”

He clicked the machine on, and an automated voice gave the following notification:

“You have no messages.”

The Grinch gazed at the machine as if something was wrong.

“Odd… better check the outgoing.”

He clicked a button which played back the Grinch’s personal message, to which he listened intently.

“If you utter so much as one syllable, I’ll hunt you down and gut you like a fish! And if it so happens to be Mayor May-Who on the line, then I’d like to add that I’ll also DUNK YOUR HEAD IN A PILE OF FRESHLY-PLOOPED WALVARK DROPPINGS!!! If you’d like to fax me, press the star key.”

The machine beeped, concluding the rather disturbing message which unsettled even Cozy Glow. First starting calmly, then briefly turning to anger… then returning to calm again. It was all over the place. Clearly the Grinch had more potential as a villain than she thought.

“Oh well!” The Grinch remarked.

Clearly he had no concern for his messages, probably just wanted to hear his own voice on tape. Reaching up, he grabbed a bar over his head and pushed himself out of bed, yelling like a wild man and riding on a zipline leading all the way down towards a well-used armchair, which he jumped onto. By now, Cozy was getting a little tired from following him place to place in his own cave lair and practically plopped onto the ground. Of course… the Grinch paid no mind to his new guest.

“That’s more like it~”

He began to sing quite incoherently again, lifting his legs up and tossing each sock off his furry feet onto the floor. They dropped near Cozy Glow, who was about to stand when she noticed the socks literally coming to life and inching away from the stench from their wearer’s feet. She then heard a loud crunching sound, to which Cozy found the Grinch eating the neck of a glass bottle, which made her shiver.

“Ugh… this guy must be part goat…” She remarked to herself.

After sticking a finger in his mouth, possibly picking a shard from his teeth, he gazed into the bottle he chewed on.

“Excellent year…” He noted, putting it down.

Seeing the Grinch eating caused Cozy’s own stomach to growl, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything at all today. But since clearly cuteness won’t work on the Grinch… she knew she had to be clever instead.

“Excuse me, Mr. Grinch…” She spoke, approaching him. “I know it’d be awful rude of me to ask after all you’ve taught me about mischief today, but… I was wondering if… you could spare a little something to—”

“If you’re so hungry, why don’t you bother Max?” The Grinch remarked, unconcerned. “He’s got plenty of dog food to share.”

This made Cozy growl a bit, the thought of eating what the dog ate. She nearly lost her cool before calming down.

“I understand… you don’t trust me in your own home. So it’s understandable you wouldn’t share your food with me. But I think it would be in your best interest to feed me properly if I’m staying with you. I mean… if I can help you ruin the Whos’ holiday more effectively than you would by yourself, my brainpower would definitely be worth feeding me, am I right?

“And if not, on the off chance you wanted to cash in on that ‘filly cheesesteak’ you were mentioning this morning, it’d be better to start with a fat filly than one that’s all skin and bone, wouldn’t it?”

Of course, Cozy had no intention on being eaten at all. But she knew if she could make him playing host beneficial to him, she’d make him do anything he wanted. The Grinch took a moment to think it over, and so far… it sounded like playing nice with her would be a win-win for him, depending on how it went.

“All right, all right. Help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge.”

Cozy grinned as she rushed toward the Grinch’s fridge. Upon opening it, she found it was not bare, but filled with foods she didn’t recognize. From cartons of both ‘Goose Juice’ and ‘Moose Huice’, a soup can of ‘Beelzenut Stew for One’, and even Tupperware filled with weird-looking croquettes covered in a greyish paste and coated with candied peanut shucks. She grimaced at the unusual food before finally recognizing a food she knew she had before: Eggs.

Though these were green-shelled, Cozy didn’t care as she grabbed the carton out the fridge and placed a nearby skillet over a hot stove. Of course, the first egg she cracked into the hot pan showed a green yolk in the midst of the egg white, which made Cozy stick her tongue out in disgust.

“Ugh… Grinch! Your eggs have gone bad! The yolks have gone green!”

“The yolks are green because they’re supposed to be!” The Grinch called out. “They’re green eggs! Philistine~”

Cozy groaned as she added a few more eggs into the pan, not really caring about the lack of bread. It became clear Cozy will have to make some changes around her, starting with getting food that she can eat. For now, as she cooked her make-do dinner, she heard the grinch remark:

“I tell you, people… I don’t know why I ever want to leave this place. I got ALL the company I need right here.”

“You mean your dumb dog?” Cozy asked smarmily.

“… No, I mean me. I am my own best company!”

Cozy turned around, curious as to what sort of crazy the Grinch was planning.

“I can even hold a conversation with myself, just watch!” He looked up. “Hello!”

“Hello!” His echo replied, greeting him.

“How are you?!”

"How are you?!"

“I asked you first!”

"I asked you first!"

Of course, while Cozy saw this conversation as stupid, the Grinch really got into it. So much he personified the echoes as someone trying to get under his skin.

“Oh, that’s really mature, saying exactly what I say!”

The Grinch waited for his own echoes to die before thinking of his rebuttal. He looked toward Cozy, who finished cooking her eggs and fluttered over to him.

“Watch this. Now you’ll see who’s smarterer…”

He turned back toward the ceiling and called out:

“I’m an idiot!”

However, instead of an exact echo as a response…

“You’re an idiot!”

Cozy’s eyes widened as the Grinch’s own echo changed, making the green creature agitated. He was no longer going to talk to his own echoes any longer.

“All right, fine!” He spoke, quiet yet clear. “I’m not talking to you anymore. In fact, I’m going to ‘whisper’. So that by the time my voice reverberates off the walls and gets back to me, I won’t be able to hear it…”

The Grinch smuggle looked toward the cave walls, thinking he’d hear nothing back.

“You’re an idiot!”

Dumbfounded by his own echo, not feeling the mood for another rebuttal, he grabbed the bottle he ate before and crushed it into tinier pieces. He poured the shards of glass down his mouth, gobbling them before looking down at the leftovers of his bottle, looking quite contemplative for once.

“… Am I just eating because I’m bored?”

He tossed the leftover glass into a nearby corner, with Cozy Glow looking at the Grinch with such disappointment. Not caring for manners, she downed the eggs straight from the pan before tossing it aside.

“Are you bucking kidding me? This is sad… I mean even for a villain!”

The Grinch sluggishly looked toward the miffed pony. For a brief moment he seemed in a malaise. Cozy Glow flew up, grabbed his face, and drew it closer to her own red face.

“Listen here, you sullen green giant!” Cozy continued. “I’ve dealt with a lot in my life, but you are without a doubt the most PATHETIC creature I’ve ever seen. You’re one of the evilest talents I’ve ever met, and yet instead… you waste your free time with weird comments and feeling sorry for yourself!”

“… It really shows, huh?” The Grinch admitted, defeatedly. “But what can I do? It’s always the same year after year. I do my business on those miserable Whovillians and yet they still find themselves happier than me. I’m left all miserable and alone… so what’s the point? I mean… It’s not like I can up and leave.”

“Well… what if you could leave? Leave all this Whoville and Christmas hoopla behind forever! Get a new start elsewhere! I believe I mentioned I’m in contact with some pretty powerful folk. I’m sure they’d be more open to letting you in our ranks~”

“Please… what could a Grinch like me have to offer these elite villains you keep rambling about?”

Cozy released his face to dwell on that note.

“Well… for one thing, you have the bestest evil lair I’ve ever seen, by far!”

“Right…” He raised a finger. “One thing.”

“You also got some cool gadgets and inventions. We need a gadget guy on our team, and you could be the one! Think of all the villainous devices those big furry hands could concoct…”

He gazed upon his hands for a moment, nodding a bit.

“They have made some pretty neat stuff…”

“And finally… you’re one of the most vicious, craziest, smartest… and grossest villains I’ve ever seen in my life!”

At that last adjective, the Grinch looked upon Cozy Glow as someone paying a heartwarming compliment.

“Really?” He asked, eyes sparkling. “You think I’m the grossest villain you’ve met?”

“Mr. Grinch, you’re so gross you make pigs look clean. Your stink eye peels the paint off entire buildings. Even a garbage dump smells nicer than you~”

“Aww… well, isn’t that sweet? Keep sweet-talking me, and I swear I’ll have cavities tomorrow morning. Actually… I think I feel one coming on right now~”

“So what do you say? Let’s leave this Who-Podunk town and let them drown in their own Christmas corruptions~”

“Yeah… you’re right!” He leapt off the chair. “Who said I have to stay up here? Punking the same seasonal stiffs year after year when there’s fresh meat to torment elsewhere?!”

“Now you’re talking!”

“Of course… if I’m never coming back…” The Grinch pondered. “I will want to leave… one last hurrah! Give those Who’s a Grinching worth telling their great-to-the-power-of-umpteen grand-brats about!

“All right! I made my decision! I’m joining your little evil social club, little horse… IF!”

“If what?” Cozy asked.

“IF… you help me come up with something to really stick it to those Who’s this Christmas. After that… I’ll get the closure to move on so I can torture new suckers! Deal~?”

He offered her his furry hand, to which Cozy offered her own hoof with an evil smirk.

“Deal~”

The two shook and the dark deal was sealed. Cozy gave an evil chuckle as she flew off for someplace to sleep tonight.

“You won’t be sorry, Mr. Grinch!” She called out. “It’s not like there’s someone in Whoville worth staying for, right?!”

“HA!” Grinch replied loudly. “Not a chance! I wouldn’t miss any of those Who’s. Not a one… except…”

Suddenly, he remembered something from his past as he thought long and hard over what Cozy said. Surely there’s not a single Who keeping him from leaving… or is there? The malaise briefly returned as he reclined back in his chair, laying on his side as he struggled with memories he just couldn’t touch… or hadn’t for a long, long time…

Peek into the Past

The very next morning, at the Lou Who home, Cindy Lou and the Equestrian gang all shared breakfast together. Applejack whipped up a batch of her famous honey apple pancakes for everyone and they all proceeded to chow down. They needed all the energy they could get for they had a very important mission today. They needed all the information they could gather about the Grinch, and hopefully find Cozy Glow if possible.

“Alright… we need to find someone who knows about the Grinch’s past,” Twilight explained. “But who would know about it?”

“I’m wondering that myself,” Rarity nodded in agreement.

“How about the Mayor?” Spike suggested. “The mere mention of the Grinch seemed to get his attention. He must know something.”

“That’s actually a good idea Spike!” Twilight complimented. “Any pony else have any ideas?”

“I heard Martha May might know something about him,” Fluttershy spoke up.

“How’d ya find that out?” Applejack asked curiously.

“Well last night, Rarity and I were helping Betty with her Christmas lights. I mentioned something about the Grinch, and that’s when I noticed that Martha May tensed up.”

“Well duh!” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Everyone’s afraid of that creep, except for me of course.”

“That may be darling but seems like she was tense because she ‘knew’ something,” Rarity added.

“Huh! I don’t remember any of this from last night,” Pinkie replied confused. “Then again, the writers have a knack of adding stuff on the spot and out of nowhere.”

Oh, like you’re one to talk Ms. ‘Does Completely Random Stuff For No Apparent Reason’?

“I’ve done a big of digging around and found out there are two old women in this town that knew the Grinch from long ago,” Starlight piped up. “Apparently they raised him.”

“And how pray tell did you find that out?” Rarity asked.

“I have my sources,” Starlight shrugged.

Pinkie basically stole the script from us, again, and told Starlight…

“Oh, don’t get so worked up Mr. Grumpy Pants!” Pinkie giggled.

Soon as everyone finished their breakfast, Cindy Lou quickly put her coat on, grabbed a recording device, and made her way out the door.

“If we’re going to have any hope of finding anything, we should get to work,” She declared determined.

“You’re right Cindy!” Starlight agreed. “The sooner we get some info on the Grinch and find Cozy Glow, the better.”

“So here’s what I’m thinking,” Twilight suggested. “Starlight, Cindy, and I will speak with those old ladies, Applejack will talk to the Mayor with Rainbow and Spike, and Rarity will meet with Martha May along with Fluttershy and Pinkie. We’ll meet up as soon as we’ve gathered everything we need~”

<>

It took a while, but soon Twilight, Starlight, and Cindy Lou were able to meet with the two sisters, by names Clarnella and Rose Who.

“Yes, we were wondering if you could tell us about the Grinch?” Twilight requested, holding a tape recorder. “We want to know what he was like before he became so… well, mean.”

“Oh, do come inside, dears,” The sisters beckoned, inviting them inside.

“The girls all had questions in their curious hearts.”

“Why does the Grinch hate Christmas?”

“Yeah, and where exactly did it all start?”

“Well thankfully with her dad’s Blab Recorder, Cindy Lou wouldn’t give an inch…”

As the girls sat down and removed their coats, Cindy Lou was already taking a head start with this investigation.

“In your own words, please tell us everything you know about the Grinch,” Cindy Lou began. “Where did he come from?”

“Oh, well… he came the way all Who babies come from,” Clarnella began, smiling in remembrance.

<>

On a cold winter’s night, many Who years ago, as the snow drifted downward across the land past the foreboding Mount Crumpit…

“Hold it!”

*DISC SCRATCH*

<>

“Is this really a conversation for kids?” Starlight asked, gesturing to Cindy.

“Starlight…” Twilight nudged before smiling. “Please continue.”

“Well, as I was saying…” Clarnella continued happily. “On calm nights, baby Who girls and tiny Who fells drift from the sky in their own pumbersellas~”

<>

… across the sky rained tiny little baskets hovering along the air with umbrellas, the Pumbersellas. And inside each Pumbersella, babbling Who babies, boys and girls alike, sat peacefully in their little beds as the wind drifted them off to meet their new families in Whoville. One such Pumbersella landed by the doorstep of one such residence, the one Who home with a stocking sign. As soon as the Pumbersella touched the ground, the door opened and a Who man came to leave an empty milk bottle outside when he spotted the basket.

“Hey honey! Our baby’s here!” He called out, peeking inside. “He looks just like your boss?”

<>

“Oh… so that’s how it works!” Cindy Lou commented.

“Mm-hmm…” Clarnella nodded. “It was Christmas Eve, and a strange wind blew that night~”

<>

Around that same night, Christmas Eve, a strange breeze indeed swept over the horizon. And on that breeze flew the dingiest looking Pumbersella, it’s umbrella nearly in shreds yet miraculously able to sail across the sky. From inside the Pumbersella was a creature that most certainly was no Who indeed… a baby Grinch. So small, so helpless, yet enjoying itself as it made the approach to Whoville along with all the other Who babies.

Suddenly, there was a slight shift in the wind, and it sent the Grinch’s Pumbersella on a collision course with the basket next to him and sent the Who baby crying as it was drifted off course. To which the baby Grinch merely laughed maliciously, as if to suggest the little tike may have done so on purpose. But to this day, since there were no witnesses to catch the act, everyone in Whoville remained blissfully unaware of the mysterious creature drifting down to their humble home…

“Everyone’s got their own way, I suppose…” Starlight commented.

“You mean like with Pinkie and Cheese, and how Lil’ Cheese was born?” Twilight asked her.

“Personally, I saw it as a cheap stunt to bring up the ratings.”

Eventually, the Pumbersella drifted down toward the street until it got caught in a tree. And there the little Grinch stood, babbling while hanging about outside one of the Who’s homes. In which case, it just so happened to be the home of the two Who sisters.

“We were having our annual holiday get-together,” Carnella continued.

Indeed, it was quite a get-together for the sisters… one of the wildest parties they ever hosted. Friends and neighbors coming together, laughing and dancing, having the best time of their lives. Full-grown adults nearly acting like kids and the Grinch had a front row seat right outside their window, all the Who’s completely unaware he’s even there. So busy drinking their punch, playing holiday games, and for some reason storing all their keys in a fish-bowl for some crazy game. The music was so loud, no one could even hear him bawling out in the cold.

“It was morning before anybody realized that he was out there, the poor dear,” Carnella spoke. “But you know what? We knew right away that he was special.”

“Other than the green fur?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, other than the green fur, dear,” Clarnella nodded.

Needless to say, despite certain ‘oddities’, Clarnella and Rose took the Grinch into their home as if it was their own child. And yet as it turns out, raising a Grinch proved not as easy as raising any ole Who child.

“Do you want a Christmas cookie?” Rose asked, holding the plate.

“Yes, which Christmas cookie would you like? Clarnella added.

“Santa…” The Grinch squeaked.

Suffice to say, that the Who ladies were surprised was a ‘huge’ understatement.

“His first words!” Rose gasped.

“Yes, that is a Santa plate!” Clarnella cooed. “Do you want to hold this Santa plate?”

The sisters offered the Grinch the cookie plate, which indeed resembled jolly ole St. Nick himself. The Grinch eyed the plate as if contemplating which cookie to choose all to himself. And then… *CHOMP!* the Grinch took one bite against the plate and tore a piece of Santa’s head clean off. The Who’s looked on in shock as the Grinch chewed the piece of the plate to itty pieces, on one hand astounded by the Grinch’s amazing jaw strength. But at the same time, found it rather…

“Santa, bye-bye!” The Grinch squeaked.

Disturbing…

“Oh, he was a wonderful… whatever he was,” Rose added. “And we raised him like any other Who child with a deep love of Christmas.”

For several years, they did indeed raise the Grinch and he lived amongst the Who’s trying to fit in. Attending their school, wearing the customary uniforms, and every holiday when not doing his studies the Grinch would draw a few pictures in relation to Christmas. And he did enjoy it… though his idea of art was Santa’s sleigh shot by a rocket and the big man falling to his inevitable demise… and he found it funny.

“I guess he had his own way of expressing holiday cheer…” Starlight commented.

“Doesn’t everyone?” Rose replied.

“I suppose that’s true,” Cindy admitted.

And yet this seemed to go a slight unnoticed by the schoolmaster, Mrs. Rue Who, a Who whom at the time had a slightly more ‘cheerful’ attitude.

“Don’t forget, tomorrow is our big Christmas gift exchange,” Mrs. Rue announced. “Everyone bring a special gift for a special someone.”

The young Grinch merely scoffed over the whole idea. Handing a present to some kid in his whole class, gifts that they’re likely only going to use one time. How can the Grinch find anything ‘special’ if he just didn’t get it. Even at his young age, he never understood this whole Christmas thing.

<>

Meanwhile…

Back at Martha May’s house, Rarity and her group shared an interview with Martha over a cup of tea.

“So, what exactly do you know about the Grinch darling?” Rarity asked.

“The… Grinch?” Martha asked. “He had no sense of color coordination. Although, I hardly remember him. I didn’t have time to socialize. I was far too busy with my… studies.”

<>

There was no mistake that years ago Martha May was truly in her ‘studies’ as she claimed. Her eyes locked onto the Grinch, as she licked the lollipop in her hand with a smile over her face. This did not go unnoticed as the Grinch glanced away from his work to catch Martha’s eyes. Needless to say he seemed a bit ‘confused’ over the way Martha was eyeing him. Did he think she was admiring him? Or did he find him funny to look at? Whatever the case, the Grinch found he just couldn’t… look away…

“Now class, is everyone almost finished?” Mrs. Rue asked.

Nearly finished… nope. They were not done staring at each other at any time.

<>

Rarity and her friends glanced toward each other, sharing a sneaking suspicion about Martha’s relationship with the Grinch. As it seemed, there was definitely more to this whole story than Martha was willing to let on.

<>

In another part of town, the Mayor, Augustus, was in the midst of his own interview with the Equestrians. All the while, his personal lackey was polishing the mayor’s shoes to make them so shiny that the brightest Christmas lights in town would sparkle over it. The Mayor too had his own stories to tell… about the Grinch.

“And if the truth be told, he um… he liked Martha,” Mayor Augustus informed. “Martha was my girlfriend~”

<>

As a kid, sitting near the front of the class, May Who did take notice of the way Martha had her eyes locked on the Grinch. And the Grinch himself waved toward the pretty little lady with a smile upon his face. Whether he was going to show it or not, the soon-to-be-mayor found their interaction together rather… sickening.

<>

“I don’t like discussing this Grinch so very close to Christmas,” The Mayor continued. “But maybe if you hear the truth, you’ll understand why—PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT!!!”

On command, his lackey rapidly polished the mayor’s shoes at a more accelerated pace. It wasn’t long till the Mayor’s attention returned to the curious ‘kids’.

“I tried to take him under my wing.”

<>

“You don’t have a chance with her,” Young May Who confronted the Grinch. “You’re eight years old and you have a beard!”

Class had barely even ended yet and all the students still in the room were laughing at the Grinch, especially the way he appeared. All the Grinch could do was glare toward May Who and his friend, presumably the Who who’d serve as his assistant. But when the Grinch looked at himself, the way he had hair growing on his cheeks, more so than on his own hands, deep down it seemed the Grinch felt rather ‘insecure’ over the way his classmate spoke to him that way.

<>

“Somehow I doubt that…” Applejack muttered.

Spike seemed to agree with A.J., and he too glared toward the Mayor. Based on appearance alone, it seemed the Mayor was more a bully than a respectable gentleman. Spike knew better than to judge someone based on appearances, but one look toward the Mayor… and the teenage dragon had a ‘feeling’ he couldn’t ignore.

“He had no hair,” Mayor Augustus continued. “Not pleasant. He shed… not right.”

<>

As all the students left the classroom, to return home to their families, the young Grinch approached Martha May Who and she turned to him with that same glowing smile.

“You know, Christmas is my favorite time of year,” Martha May Who replied.

The Grinch didn’t say a word, merely rolled his eyes. He had heard this same song-and-dance before, of how Christmas was everyone Who’s favorite time of the year. And clearly Martha May was no different from the other Who’s… and yet…

“I just love the colors,” Martha May continued. “The red… and the green.”

And before the Grinch knew it, Martha May brushed a single gloved hand over his hairy face, and he was taken aback by surprise. She had no fear of him, no resentment, and she caressed him with no hesitation. She waved goodbye to him with that same smile and the Grinch just stood there, touched in a way he never felt… least not in such a manner. And in a way, even for a boy of only eight years old… it made him feel… ‘warm’.

<>

“Did I have a crush on the Grinch?” Martha chuckled innocently. “Well, of course not.”

“Um, we didn’t ask you that,” Fluttershy replied.

“Oh… right…” Martha spoke.

“Ooh… plot twist!” Pinkie smiled excitedly.

<>

Something sparked within the Grinch that day, something that really got him excited. He had returned home after school and immediately started digging up the garbage in the trash can outside the house. If his legal guardians had taken notice of the Grinch, they would be surprised given this was not a common trait when it came to raising the rambunctious child.

“For some reason, when he came home that day…” Clarnella explained. “He really got into the Christmas spirit for the first time.”

Eventually, the Grinch found what he was looking for. In his hands he held some metal objects which appeared to resemble some discarded horns. To most Who’s, it would be considered junk and completely useless. But the moment the Grinch gazed upon it, in a way he felt… ‘inspired’.

“Perfect!” The Grinch smiled.

“I can imagine why,” Starlight commented.

The Grinch took off into the kitchen and ripped out one of the drawers. He proceeded to spill every form of utensil onto the counter: Forks, knives, spoons, anything metal. His actions certainly left quite a mess in the house.

“Whoopsie!” The Grinch spoke cutely.

In another drawer, he hurled several books aside until he found a tiny little box hidden away. Opening the lid, he found all the jewelry that the Who sisters had kept with them over the years. Many of which having been around since they were kids. Amidst all the treasures, the Grinch took out a necklace with an assortment of jewels.

“What a lovely family heirloom!”

*SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!*

With a hammer in hand, the Grinch started smashing the necklace with a hearty laugh to collect all the pieces he needed. Carefully picking up the jewels, he proceeded to lay them carefully on some grates stuck together as if made to resemble glowing wings. He then ignited the oven and caused flames to spew from the pot sitting there, holding up one of the utensils to mold it down to a specific shape.

“The fires of love!” The Grinch replied.

It was clear that through the Grinch’s rather unorthodox methods of arts and crafts, he was determined to create something special. The conversion of everyday trash into a work of art, to create something beautiful in his own image. If not to fully embrace the spirit of Christmas, but because he wanted to give something special for Martha for the upcoming gift exchange. Not a toy he could simply buy at store for high prices, but rather a homemade ornament made in a slightly spitting image of the one Who, the one little girl who admired him.

“This will be perfect on the top of her tree,” The Grinch spoke to himself. “Oh, Martha! Oh, Christmas!”

Finally, after hours upon hours of hard labor, the Grinch’s masterpiece was finally complete: A handmade angel with wings bedazzled with jewels. A piece of which when hung on top of a Christmas tree, it would glow as brightly as the smile of Martha’s face. After admiring his handiwork, he turned his gaze toward the mirror… and his smile dropped. One look at his face and he was reminded of the few words his teacher and classmates have been saying.

“I want you all to look your best tomorrow,” Mrs. Rue said.

“You don’t have a chance with her,” Augustus May taunted. “You’re eight years old and you have a beard.”

Despite how harsh the boy acted toward him, May Who did make a valid point. Clasping his face with his hands, the Grinch felt the beard all across his face. In a way, that made him feel less like a child but more like a tiny little man in boy’s clothing. How could a girl like Martha May possibly fall for a boy so hideous and ugly? Up till now, he didn’t care so much of his own appearances but now that he suddenly became more aware of himself… he truly did want to look his best, like everyone else. And then… he did something… very desperate…

Grabbing an electric razor off the bathroom counter, the Grinch held it over his face. He took one look back toward his reflection, then at the razor again. He had never shaven before, but he would do ‘anything’ to look clean and proper for school. One flick of the button and the razors began to spin. Slowly, he raised the spinning blades toward his face determined to prove that Martha deserves to admire someone… beautiful…

<>

*POOF!!!*

“WHOA!!!!!!”

Twilight Sparkle and her friends recovered their footing after suddenly being teleported in a flash of light. They took a look around finding themselves somewhere in Whoville. Only, ‘this’ Whoville was slightly different than the one they were just in earlier today.

“Wut in tarnation?” Applejack spoke, looking around. “How’re we here?”

“Technically, we’re ‘not’ here…” Starlight explained. “We’re still in Whoville; it’s a basic spell Twilight taught me.”

“Those were my lines…” Twilight gaped. “You really have been paying attention!”

“Ah yes, I recall this spell…” Rarity realized. “This is practically the same one I used to learn about Erik’s horrid childhood at the fair.”

“Uh, quick question…” Spike spoke up. “If we’re still in ‘Whoville’, why are we ‘here’… in Whoville? Wow I’m so confused.”

“We know for a fact that the Grinch is connected to the whole town, and I think these Who’s know more than they’re letting on,” Starlight began. “All right, what do we know about the Grinch so far?”

“Clearly May Who and Grinch never liked one another,” Applejack noted. “Especially when he was talkin’ over how threatened he felt with Martha payin’ attention to the green feller.”

“That’s a funny coincidence for bringing up Martha,” Pinkie spoke up. “Spoiler alert: It seems Martha has had the hots for the Grinch since he was eight years old. Course, I do find it a little weird given how they are supposed to be children, yet they are flirting like they’re practically pre-young adults. You know what I’m saying Flutters?”

“Uh… I guess so?” Fluttershy answered, uncertainly.

“Something definitely happened that made the Grinch despise Christmas so much,” Twilight pondered. “According to the Who Sisters, he was really looking forward to Christmas that year. So what happened?”

“That is why I brought ‘ourselves’ here in some form,” Starlight explained. “I think I know what’s going to happen… but we need to get to the school. C’mon every pony!”

Soon the Mane Six, with Spike and Starlight Glimmer, ran as fast as they could through the busy streets of Whovilles. The residents were completely unaware of the motley group passing by, but that was all according to the effects of the spell. They were ‘there’… except they were ‘not’ there. Soon they arrived back at the school, and one-by-one they peeked through the window. Inside, they could see all the children (Including the young Augustus and Martha May Who) exchanging gifts with one another, unaware that they were being watched.

“Look at them,” Fluttershy pointed out. “They’re exchanging gifts.”

“Just like we do on every Hearth’s Warming,” Applejack nodded.

“Hearth’s Warming and Christmas really are related to each other, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You could say that~” Twilight answered.

Meanwhile, Spike looked side to side across the window. But for some strange reason, he couldn’t see a trace of the young Grinch anywhere. Very odd indeed, given how difficult a creature like the Grinch could stand out.

“Where’s the Grinch?” Spike asked. “Are we even at the right school?”

“He’s got to be in there…” Starlight looked in. “This is where it all started…”

“Has everyone given their gifts?” Mrs. Rue Who asked.

All the children answered yes, until…

“I haven’t…”

Confused, all the children turned toward the corner in the back. Pushing his way through the coat rack, the young Grinch appeared with a paper bag over his head. To say that the teacher and students were confused was an understatement. In the Grinch’s hands, he held Martha May’s present: the handmade angel ornament. The ponies and dragon looking on outside were rather stunned by this scene.

“Oh my…” Rarity gasped, stunned.

“Merry Christmas, Martha May,” The Young Grinch greeted.

Martha May gazed toward the gift the Grinch held before her, unsure of how to process the display. All the other students behind her merely laughed, either because of the bag covering the Grinch’s face… or that appeared to be the worst Christmas ornament they’ve ever seen. Mrs. Rue, on the other hand, was more curious.

“Why do you have a bag on your head?” The Teacher asked.

“Probably because he’s embarrassed by that hideodorous gift!” Young Augustus teased.

This made all the children laugh along Augustus’s mean remark, all… except for Martha. She just kept her eyes on the Grinch, who put the present on his desk and made his way to sit down as if slightly ashamed.

“That’s not very nice!” Rainbow Dash frowned. “I oughtta go in there, and give that boy a piece of my—”

“SHH!!!” Starlight hushed, covering Rainbow’s mouth. “We’re supposed to just find out what happened. Listen…”

“Mr. Grinch, please take the bag off,” The teacher requested.

The Grinch quietly pointed toward the bag over his head as if gesturing toward himself.

“Yes, you. Take it off.”

The young Grinch did as the teacher asked, and he did remove the bag from his head. Only, he held an open book in front of him keeping his face hidden from any prying eyes.

“Put the book down…” The teacher ordered.

To which the young Grinch ‘did’ put the book down, only he kept his face hidden with his own foot. The teacher was clearly trying to keep her patience with the boy, but it was wearing rather thinly.

“And your foot…” The teacher emphasized.

The Mane Six, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer watched carefully through the window, looking on with anticipation. Reluctantly, the young Grinch finally put his foot down showing his face to the class. He still had the same face as clear as day, only… it had received a very ‘bad’ shave. While most of the beard was clipped away, several razor cuts were shown all across his face. The group outside the school were rather shocked by what he had done, while the students…

“Look at that hack job!” Augustus pointed out.

Soon, young Augustus and all the other children laughed at the embarrassing display, pointing at the young Grinch’s poorly shaved face. Even the teacher, trying not to laugh, couldn’t help but chuckle over the Grinch’s appearance. While Martha turned back toward the students, glaring over the way her classmates were laughing and saying so many cruel things. It was embarrassing not just for the Grinch… but for her…

“How dreadful…” Rarity gasped.

While all the other ponies shared the same consolation, staring sympathetically toward the young Grinch, they witnessed something terrible. In that very moment, something snapped in his mind and the young Grinch… was raving mad! Getting up from his chair, he grabbed Martha’s present and hurled straight toward the other gifts leaving everyone stunned and shocked.

“Stupid present!” He yelled, lifting the tree. “Stupid tree!”

The whole class stared in horror of the young Grinch’s mighty strength, lifting the tree over his head like it was nothing. The teacher, the children, and especially Martha gasped in shock.

“I… HATE… CHRISTMAS!!!” The young Grinch shouted.

<>

Meanwhile…

In the present day Whoville, the ‘real’ Twilight Sparkle and her friends had started to piece ‘everything’ together (Especially what their other selves have seen). The story of the Grinch seemed to go well at first: A young outcast initially excited about Christmas, trying to impress some girl with a crush on him, and then everything went downhill. According to Mayor May Who’s words, the Grinch shaved himself just look like the other students only ending up the laughingstock which further angered him. Of his classmates, of the winter holiday… everything.

“So let me get this straight,” Spike concluded. “The Grinch hulked out and trashed the school?”

“I’m not sure what ‘Hulking Out’ is, but pretty much,” Mayor May Who replied. “The anger…”

“The fury…” The Mayor’s lackey added.

<>

“The muscles~…” Martha gushed.

<>

The other Twilight and her friends watched as the children made a mad dash out of the classroom. Others had to duck for cover as the Grinch hurled the tree with a fierce grunt. The Grinch raced for the exit only to look back in anger and confusion. Martha May looked toward him, but no longer could she see the happy little Grinch boy… only a humiliated, pathetic creature with hatred stringing on his face. Without another word, he turned away and fled from the school before the authorities could arrive.

Soon Martha was among the few remaining in the classroom, approaching the presents laid out in a mess. But amidst all the gifts, she carefully picked up the pieces of the now broken ornament the Grinch had made himself… his present for her with the nametag to prove it. And now it was completely destroyed, not so much because the Grinch broke himself (Even if that was what happened)… but because ‘why’ he did it. This made the group of friends outside just as sad as young Martha, who looked back toward the open door with tears.

“It was a horrible day when they were so cruel to him,” Martha recalled. “And… I could hardly bear it.”

<>

The real Fluttershy and her group stared at the older Martha May, silently shedding tears after hearing her end of the story. And Martha, sighing softly, felt a tear slowly slip from her own eyes suddenly remembering of a bygone day when she met the most beautiful creature in all of Whoville… and now he was gone.

“Oh Martha… how horrible,” Fluttershy sighed tearfully.

From all across Whoville, amidst all hearing the story of the Grinch, the Equestrians felt terrible. Not so much the horror that have plagued Whoville all those years ago, and years still to come after, but because… they truly got to know the Grinch in some form. And just hearing what made him the monster so feared by all… it was so depressing. Amidst all the friends, Starlight Glimmer looked up toward Mount Crumpit, as a thought of the Grinch echoed in her mind…

<>

A young Grinch, angry and sad, climbing the cliffs of Mount Crumpit with nothing else but the school uniform keeping him warm (Aside from his fur). The young Grinch had no idea how high the mountain goes. He didn’t know what waited for him at the top or what he’d expect to find. All he knew was that he needed to be as far away from Whoville as possible, away from all the Who’s so cruel to him… who pretended to like him and treated him like a joke. He hated the Who’s, all of them, but there was one thing he hated more than anything else in the whole world…

“I hate Christmas! I HATE IT!!!” The Grinch shouted.

“And that was the last time we ever saw him…” Martha sighed. “The very last time…”

“I see…” Rarity sighed. “Thank you for your time…”

<>

Soon Cindy Lou and all her Equestrian friends returned to the very heart of Whoville where they said they would meet. Not a word was spoken between them, but their expressions told the whole story. It was not enough that they heard from the known Who’s most close to the Grinch, but they also witnessed the terrible tragedy that would make the Grinch as he is now. For while everyone else in Whoville galloped off in preparation for their own festivities, to await another joyous Christmas year, they knew not everyone would be enjoying it as they are.

One look toward Mount Crumpit, and it had slowly dawned upon the group. The young Grinch having spent so many years up there, all alone in the cold and isolated from a world that all but forgotten him. No doubt all those years, he had been very sad… perhaps lost… barely able to keep warm or finding enough to eat. A Grinch who would ‘loathe’ all the Who’s, all of whom despising him even when he ‘tried’ to bring his own holiday cheer to this town dedicated so much to the holiday. It gave this group all the time to think, especially a little Who lost in her own way this Christmas…

<>

Meanwhile, as Cindy-Lou and her friends contemplated the tragic origins that was the Grinch, along with his hatred for the holiday and the Who’s, the very subject of the Who-girl’s Wholiday project stood high up on his ledge. Way up on Mount Crumpit, the Grinch glared downwards toward the small Who village, breathing heavily.

“As the Grinch stood on his ledge, way up in the sky,
He was distraught, for he remembered why…
He recalled what happened on that Christmas from then,
He remembered all the pain he felt from way back when…”

Of course, the Grinch was not entirely alone. Cozy Glow stepped outside to check on her new evil cohort. Of course, this morning she learned full well that even someone as rude, crude, and bad-tempered as the Grinch had a daily schedule. And today was Snerzday (Which to her sounded pretty stupid), and the Grinch had it all planned out for the day: Rummaging through the Whoville dump, disorganizing his fridge and pantries, and working on some blueprints for his latest pranking inventions.

And right now, he was doing something the Grinch called, ‘Hateful Affirmations’.

“Still, whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes,
He’d stand outside his cave, hating the Who’s…”

Out of curiosity, Cozy Glow fluttered towards him.

“So… I guess this is your… ‘Hateful Affirmation’, then? Staring down at Whoville all day?”

The Grinch did not break the gaze once. He pulled out a phone book and thumbed through all the pages.

“Hateful gaze is just the start to get the bile flowing,” He replied. “Now I will vocally exclamate my deep-rooted hatred for those wretched Who’s… alphabetically.”

He gazed down his phone book, took a deep breath, and placed his finger upon the first name on the list.

“’Aardvarkian Abakeneezer Who’, I… HATE YOU!!!” He bellowed out.

Through the distance, his echoing roar made several nesting birds fly away in fright. Cozy leapt back from the yell.

“Geez! You do this for ‘every’ Who?”

“Eh… it varies. The louder I yell means the more I hate a certain Who. You’d be surprised how many Who’s are born every year…”

“So why do it, though?”

“Honestly… it makes me feel better from the stagnating mire and muck that is my toxic personality.

“Say…” He thought, presenting the book. “Why don’t ‘you’ give it a try? Beats conventional therapy~”

Cozy was a little unsure of what the point of this was… still she felt it was necessary to give it a try. She took one look toward the next name on the list.

“’Aaron B. Benson Who’… I hate you?” She spoke uncertainly.

Of course, the Grinch simply looked down at the pony with a disappointing ‘Tsk, tsk, tsk’ even for a first attempt. His gazed turned beyond the fourth wall (Again).

“Oh boy… got my work cut out for this one…” He thought, then turned back. “No, no, no! That’s not how you do it! You gotta pull that bile right from your gizzard and push it up your throat. I mean really shove it up there~!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Cozy argued. “I can’t physically do that!”

“I was speaking metaphorically, kid. Just get that hate for those Who’s, and just… spew it out! Like you just ate one too many green eggs!”

“But that’s the problem! I don’t hate the Who’s as much as you do. Sure I find them annoying, but I don’t… well, hate them like you do. I barely even know them… least not yet.”

“Hmm…” The Grinch thought. “Seems we’ll need another approach… AHA!”

The Grinch quickly knelt down till his eyes were level with Cozy’s.

“What about those colored nags who’ve been looking for ya?”

Cozy’s eyes widened slightly; a bit of that aforementioned bile started to build up. The Grinch himself could clearly see just what he was looking for.

“Twilight Sparkle and her friends?” Cozy asked slowly. “What about them?”

“You don’t like them at all, right~?”

“Don’t like them? That’s the understatement of the millennium! All I ever wanted, since I was a little filly, was one little thing: To be the supreme Empress of all Equestria! Is that so much to ask? Is it?!”

“Not at all,” The Grinch replied. “Go on…”

“It was my lifelong dream, so much I wrote a letter to Lord Tirek, one of the most evil creatures in all Equestria!” Cozy explained. “And together, he and I came up with the perfect plan: I’d infiltrate Twilight’s School of Friendship, get ‘really’ close to her and her friends. And then, once I got what I needed, I tricked Twilight and the others into trapping themselves in Tartarus. This way I’d have all the time to drain all the magic from Equestria, leaving me to rule ALL! Everything went smoothly as can be… but you know what happened?!”

“Something went wrong?”

“Something went BUCKING wrong! Sandbar and his misfit friends foiled my evil plan and freed all the magic I went through all the trouble of draining! And the moment Twilight and her friends came back, she tried to trick me into believe friendship wasn’t about power! But I knew better! And what do I get for knowing the truth? They lock me away in Tartarus!! BUCKING TARTARUS!!! And they call me insane…”

“Really?” The Grinch stated. “Now that’s not fair~”

“Oh, I haven’t even mentioned the worst part!” Cozy Glow continued. “Eventually, Tirek and I were released from Tartarus from Grogar, supposedly the most powerful evil being in the world. We, along with Chrysalis, formed a pack together believing that if we teamed together we could take what we learned from Twilight’s previous wins and beat her at her own game… also that Sombra guy was with us too, but he ditched us on the very first day!

“It took some getting used to of this idea of being a team, even though I was the ‘perfect’ candidate in using my friendship skills to keep us together. And I’ll admit, for a moment… I felt like we had a thing going on, that we were like the family I always wanted. Together, we succeeded in retrieving Grogar’s bell, which supposedly can absorb ‘any’ powerful magic in Equestria. We were able to trick those stupid little ponies into being suspicious of one another through fear and paranoia, and when we finally had the means to defeat Twilight and her friends, all of Equestria was under my—I mean our control…”

“But…?”

“But…” Cozy Glow hissed. “Everything went wrong from the start. Turned out there was no Grogar, just some klutzy draconequus in some cheap magical disguise. A group of no-ponies convinced every clan in the nation to put their differences aside and be friends again! Somehow Twilight and her friends ended up defeating us with that ‘stupid’ Rainbow Bright junk… and if beating us wasn’t enough, they turn us into stone statues as punishment for bringing Windigos to Equestria!

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be a filly locked up in stone for years?!” Cozy asked rhetorically, frustrated. “It… is… BORING!!! Not to mention I’ve been fighting a Charlie Horse since I was finally free…”

While the Grinch allowed the little filly to ramble on, he was starting to like what was coming out from a pony so small.

“So you could say… you hate them?” The Grinch guessed.

“THOSE PONIES ROBBED ME OF MY TRIUMPH!!!” Cozy Glow ranted. “I was destined to be the supreme ruler of the most POWERFUL empire in the universe! Do I hate them?! No… I really hate them! I really, really, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hate them!”

The little filly stomped the very snow under her hooves with each mention of the word ‘really’.

“And now those nasty ponies are down in Whoville, probably having a gay old time with those Christmas creepazoids~!” The Grinch pointed out.

“Yeah… in fact, I didn’t think of it till now!” Cozy realized. “Those Who’s remind me of those ponies WAY too much! In fact, I… I… I…”

“Say it loud and proud, sister! Testify!”

With the deepest breath she ever took in her whole life, Cozy Glow released the biggest yell she could muster.

“I HATE YOU WHO’S! I HATE YOU, AND I HATE CHRISTMAS AND HEARTH’S WARMING AND ALL THOSE OTHER DUMB HOLIDAYS, WITH EVERY BUCKING FIBER IN MY BODY! WHEN I GET MY WAY, I’LL BOIL YOU ALL IN YOUR STINKING WHO-PUDDING, COOK YOU LIKE ROAST BEAST, AND WRAP YOU ALL IN YOUR FAUST-AWFUL GIFT WRAPPING! AND WHILE I’M AT IT, I’LL PUT YOU ALL ON A HOLLY, JOLLY SLEIGH RIDE TO TARTARUS!!!”

The yell alone produced the largest result imaginable. Not only were more birds scattering about, but the snow along the mountain began to rumble. Any longer and the whole town of Whoville would be swallowed up by an avalanche. But… Cozy breathed deeply, all red and shaky from her angry rant. The Grinch stared at her with wide eyes, such dark material she spouted… before giving her a proud smirk.

“That… is what we in the business call a proper ‘hateful affirmation’. How do you feel?”

“I… I feel… great!” Cozy answered, breathing deeply. “Wow! I’ve never felt so empowered in my life!”

“Wanna hate on those Who’s some more?” He asked, offering the book.

“Yeah~!” Cozy answered, with a nasty smirk.

She fluttered over as the two hateful creatures read off all the names of all the Who’s in the yellow pages.

“’Abahim C. Crumovich Who’… I hate you!” The Grinch yelled out.

“’Acrombob D. Drunjubba Who’… I bucking hate you!” Cozy followed.

“Hate, hate, hate. Hate, hate, hate—”

“Oh, you forgot that guy.”

“Double-hate, then~”

As the two kept their hatred spewing, the Grinch stopped over a certain name that popped up. One of which really boiled his inner bile.

“Augustus May-Who… I… LOATHE YOU ENTIRELY!” The Grinch growled dramatically.

“Oh, I loathe that guy too!” Cozy agreed. “But we’ll get back at him! We’ll get back at all those stupid Who’s and their stupider Christmas!”

Before the Grinch could add something, he lifted his head as if his ears caught something. His eyes widened in fear… for he knew something was upon them.

“Okay, then. How about this?” Cozy read. “’Averil Neyckerbaumb Who’, I—”

But before she could exclaim her hatred, the Grinch muzzled her mouth with his furry hand. He hushed her swiftly (‘Shh!’), trying to hear whatever sound he was picking up.

“Do you hear what I hear, said the Grinch to the horsey?” He rasped out.

Cozy raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she was supposed to hear.

“What?” She muffled.

“Do you hear what I hear?”

The Grinch released her muzzle and knelt down, grabbing the ledge while peering down the mountain towards Whoville.

“A song… A song, far below the Pontoos… with a joy as insufferable as can be!”

Before Cozy could even ask what craziness compelled the Grinch to think, her ears picked up a faint sound. Leaning closely, she could detect a sound similar to music, faintly coming from Whoville.

“What are those Who’s doing down there?” Cozy asked curiously.

The Grinch stood up, as he grasped his phone book quite firmly, the edge of which between his teeth.

“Nutcrackers!... It’s their Whobilation!” The Grinch realized. “The biggest… loudest… craziest… Christmasiest depravity ever devised by Who-minds…”

“You mean it’s like a big holiday party?” The young filly’s eyes widened. “Yuck! Who’d want to be around that? Well, at least we’re not down there, right?”

“That’s not the worst of it though…” He uttered. “The Whobiliation is always held… on Christmas Eve…”

“He snarled with a sneer…”

“Tomorrow is Christmas…” He remarked fearfully. “Why, it’s practically here!”

He tossed the phone book over the ledge and marched back toward his cave.

“MAX!!! FETCH ME MY SEDATIVE!”

<>

Initially, Cozy Glow thought the Grinch could not get any crazier. But as expected, she was wrong.... as soon as she discovered the Grinch’s ‘sedative’ was merely knocking himself out with a large mallet.

“Now to take care of those pesky memories…” He declared.

The Grinch had poised to strike himself, until—

“Are you crazy?!” Cozy spoke out. “Will hitting yourself really make you feel better?”

The Grinch seemed to register her words, switching his gaze between her and the mallet in his grip.

“You know… you got a point,” He agreed. “This is not a healthy way to solve my misery. I shouldn’t be knocking myself out with this mallet!”

Suddenly, he offered the mallet to Cozy.

“You better do it.”

Cozy had to rub her ears a bit, thinking she misheard him.

“Uh… did I hear that right?” She asked, taking the mallet. “You want me to knock you out with this?”

“Duh! Now, come on. Get on with it!”

He took the mallet end and nudged it at just the right spot.

“There! Right on the old noggin~!”

“You’re serious about this?”

“Do I look like I’m not serious? Actually… don’t answer that. I’m not spending this day listening to those happy-go-looney hoochers hollering their holiday hooplas! Besides, I’ve done this every year, and never had a concussion.”

Cozy raised her eyebrows over that last part. She was about to tell him ‘No!’ before it dawned on her. If the Grinch was knocked out… she’d have more time to peruse the Grinch’s blueprints. Of course she had no doubt the Grinch would be a valuable asset to the Legion. But, just in case, it wouldn’t hurt to have a back-up plan. She fluttered closer toward the Grinch, swinging the mallet like a golf club aiming for the forehead.

“Well… if you’re sure,” She remarked. “Just remember: This will hurt you more than it’ll hurt me.”

“Huh? Don’t you mean it’ll hurt ‘you’ more than it’ll—?”

*WHAM!!!*

Before the Grinch could finish the question, Cozy hit the mark and knocked the Grinch onto the floor unconscious.

“Nope…meant it as I said it,” Cozy remarked. “And it DID look like it hurt you more.”

Taking to the act of bodily harm quite well, Cozy tossed the mallet aside with a clatter and fluttered off toward the Grinch’s invention station.

“In the meantime… it wouldn’t hurt to come up with some ideas to help that guy for ruining this Christmas… maybe ‘borrow’ a few of his designs for the Benefactor. Now let’s see—”

Cozy Glow studied all the blueprints on the counter, which wasn’t easy because the Grinch had them all in such a disorganized mess. Some of them were covered in dust, like they hadn’t been touched in years. And any plans she could find proved to be… a bit of a disappointment, the like of which she tossed over her shoulder one-by-one.

“Boring! Lame! Not evil! Been done! Too… Discord…”

Suddenly, amidst her search, she grabbed one of the many plans… and stopped. Her eyes were drawn to the designs of this one blueprint and an evil smirk started to form.

“Ooh… perfect! Heh-heh-heh…”

Whobilation: Pt 1

Down in Whoville, the air was thick with the merry feeling of Christmas. All the Who’s came together to begin their annual Whobilation celebration. All throughout the streets, Who’s went about spreading their Christmas cheer in their own way. Singing songs, dressing up in festive attire, and all-in-all being merry. Walking down the main street towards City Hall, Cindy Lou, along with her equine (And dragon) friends walked amongst the chaos with Lou.

“So what do we do with the information we now know Cindy?” Twilight asked.

“I was thinking about something a little out there to help Mr. Grinch get back in the holiday spirit,” Cindy responded.

“What exactly do you mean by ‘a little out there’?” Starlight asked curiously.

“Don’t worry,” Cindy assured her. “It won’t be too crazy.”

“Trust me kid,” Rainbow patted her shoulder. “We know a thing or two about ‘too crazy’.”

She tilted her head to the side a few times gesturing to Pinkie Pie, who was merrily bouncing down the street alongside them. Cindy giggled in response and Rainbow ruffed her hair with her hoof.

As they continued down the street, Pinkie immediately came to a halt. Her eyes went wide as saucers; she stuck her nose into the air smelling a sweet familiar aroma. A huge smile formed across her face as she noted all the baked goods sitting on the stands. She literally levitated off the ground and floated towards the bakery they came from. When her hooves finally touched the ground, she stood before the local Whoville bakery where a number of cakes and fresh pastries were set up on display for all.

“Ooh… all sorts of wonderful goodies!” She smiled with glee.

“And tasty too!”

The sound of a small squeaky voice made Pinkie looked around to see who spoke to her. That’s when she felt a slight poke to her side and looked beside her. When she finally found the source of the voice, her mouth dropped, her eyes widened once more, and her pupils were replaced with tiny little hearts. For standing beside her was a tiny brown creature, with gigantically adorable eyes, tiny little stubs for arms and legs, and the most adorable smile in Whoville.

“Oh… my… Faust!” Pinkie squeaked. “You are just the cutest little thing I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life… except for my beautiful baby boy Lil’ Cheese. But you… you’re most definitely the ‘second’ cutest little thing ever!”

The little creature had a small red tint on its tiny little face, as it smiled up toward the pink party pony.

“That’s really nice of you to say!” The creature replied. “Name’s Tubby, Tubby Nugget!”

Tubby held out one of his little stubs and Pinkie held out her hoof. They both shook in respectful greeting.

“Pleased to meet you Tubby!” Pinkie said happily. “I have so many questions for you! What are you exactly? Where’d you come from? How are you so cute?”

Tubby released a small chuckle over the way the wacky pink pony spoke to him. Then Pinkie released a huge *GASP!* as she gazed upon the cute little creature.

“How’d you like to come and meet my friends?” She asked.

“I’d love too!” Tubby smiled. “I love making new friends!”

“Me too!” Pinkie said excitedly.

Tubby quickly climbed on Pinkie’s back, as the pink party pony proceeded to bounce herself and Tubby back towards the rest of her group. All the while, Cindy Lou thought of something serious on her mind for the Whobilation. Looking over toward the Who girl, Twilight could sense the mental wheels were turning and that alone peaked her interest.

“Dad?” Cindy spoke to her father. “I’ve been thinking about the Whobilation and I might do something drastic.

“Sounds great honey,” Lou responded, absently. “Ask your mother.”

Cindy looked around only to notice that her mother was curiously not around.

“Where is she anyway?”

The girls and Spike all looked around, trying to see where Betty Lou ran off to. But there were so many Who’s roaming about, they couldn’t pick her out.

“That’s weird,” Starlight cocked a brow. “I thought she was right here with us the whole time.”

“How can you even find ‘anyone’ in this gigantic crowd?” Spike pointed out.

“Honey!”

Everyone turned and spotted Betty rushing through the crowd towards the group. She appeared to be carrying something in her arms.

“Honey!” She called, coming closer. “Look I just found the cutest light for my Christmas display.”

Everyone got a good look over what she was holding. It soon dawned on them that she was carrying a traffic light, which made all eyes turn to Betty curiously.

“Is that a traffic light?” Fluttershy asked Betty.

“Why yes it is!” Betty smiled excitedly. “Don’t you think it’ll make a lovely addition to my lights?”

“Where’d y’all even manage tah get it?” Applejack asked.

“It was on clearance,” Betty responded quickly.

The sound of screeching tires said otherwise. Everyone quickly whipped around and spotted a car crashing into another, creating quite the collision.

“Hurry up, we’re gonna be late!” Betty said urgently.

Everyone quickly raced down the street towards townhall where a large gathering of Who’s were already assembled. From the crowd, Martha May and Mayor May-Who worked their way up the steps to the front entrance of townhall. Everyone cheered as they made their way up and May-Who stood at the podium to address the public.

“Well it’s that time of the year again!” May-Who announced. “The nominations for that Who among us who best typifies the qualities of Whodom and Whodery. The Whoville Holiday Cheermeister!”

Everyone cheered once more as May-Who’s stooge, Whobris, yanked a silken sheet off a giant trophy for all to see.

“Do I hear a nomination?” May-Who asked.

“I NOMINATE THE GRINCH!!!”

Everyone gasped and quickly snapped their heads toward the direction the voice came from. Many ho’s cleared a path right down the middle soon as they saw none other than Cindy Lou. The ponies and Spike all stood alongside her and even they looked surprised by what she just said.

“So that’s what she meant by ‘you’ll see’,” Twilight said shocked.

Back on the stands, Mayor May-Who just smiled awkwardly at what was just spoken.

“My, my, my, what an altruistic daughter you have there, Lou,” May-Who said.

“Thank you,” Lou responded awkwardly.

“Cindy, would you mind coming forward please? And if you would also bring your new friends as well.”

“Great, now we’re in trouble too!” Rainbow groaned.

Cindy and the Equestrian group made their way toward the front of the crowd, as May-Who climbed down the steps with the ‘Book of Who’ in hand.

“Let me quote a verse from the ‘Book of Who’,” He said. “The term ‘Grinchy’ shall apply when the Christmas spirit is in short supply. Now I ask you: Does that sound like our Holiday Cheermeister?”

“True, Mr. May Who,” Cindy nodded. “But the Book of Who says this too: ‘No matter how different a Who may appear, he will always be welcome with holiday cheer’.”

Everyone around was feeling the true sentiment of the young girl’s words, as they allowed them to touch their hearts and feel the kindness within them. Spike and the girls all nodded their approval, even Tubby Nugget (Standing in between) loved the idea. The only one who didn’t take kindly to it was May-Who, who stammered through his words as he flipped through the book for a loophole.

“Ah well yes, but the book also says, um—the award cannot go to the Grinch because sometimes get the… pipe lead… cinch.”

“Ah horseapples!” Applejack responded angrily. “That’s a whole load of hooey and you know it!”

“She’s right!” Cindy Lou agreed. “You made that up; it doesn’t say that.”

This caused everyone in the crowd to whip their heads in May-Who’s direction.

“No, no it does!” May-Who defended.

Everyone snapped back to Cindy and the Equestrians.

“Is that so Mayor Stink Brain?” Rainbow snarked, crossing her hooves. “Exactly what page was it on?”

Everyone snapped back toward May-Who, who seemed utterly speechless.

“Oh, uh—whoops I seems to have lost my…” May-Who stammered nervously. “My place… but it’s in here—”

“But the book does say: ‘The cheermeister is the one who deserves a backslap or a toast, and it goes to the soul on Christmas who needs it most’,” Cindy informed, facing the Who’s. “And I believe that soul is the Grinch, and if you’re the Who’s I hope you are, you will too.”

After hearing her emotional and inspiring speech, every single Who down in Whoville all broke out into cheers and applause at the very idea.

"Well if you people want to waste a perfectly good nomination, well that's up to you" May-Who told everyone. "But I am telling you, the Grinch will never come down."

"And when he doesn't, the Mayor will wear the crown" Whobris added.

"Well, more or less" May-Who said nonchalantly.

“Now we just need a way to convince the Grinch that Christmas isn’t so bad,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah!” Pinkie replied gleefully. “Christmas is all about getting together with friends and family.”

“Especially new friends,” Tubby nodded, hugging Pinkie.

“Uh Pinkie… who is that?” Rainbow pointed awkwardly. “What is that?”

“Ooh goodness, almost started a continuity error!” Pinkie smiled. “Girls and Spike, this is Tubby Nugget… Tubby, these are my friends!”

“Hi!” Tubby smiled.

“Aww!!!” The group sighed, then went back to business.

“Now here’s the big question: How?” Rainbow questioned. “How can we convince the Grinch to come to the party?”

“A very difficult question indeed, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity nodded.

“Well, I’ve got an idea,” Cindy announced.

“What is it, sugar cube?” Applejack asked her.

“Come closer and I’ll tell you.”

The Mane Six, Spike and Starlight Glimmer got closer, as Cindy began to whisper her plan to them. As they worked out their plan, the Who’s started to break out into joyous rapture.

Who's (Sing):
Deck your heart with jollity
Style your smile all Christmasy
Flick some flocking on the tree
Let there be Whobilation

<>

High among the caves of the mighty Mount Crumpit, Cozy Glow continued studying all the Grinch’s blueprints. She had seen quite a few she believed could really benefit the Dark Order moving forward with their plans. As she skimmed over the remaining plans, her ears twitched slightly when a melodious tune rang through the walls of the cave. It sounded an awful lot like a group of carolers singing.

Who's (Sing):
Bake the fruitcake, egg the nog
Feed the flaming Wholtide log
Baste the beast and gulp the grog
Let there be Whobilation

“What the hay is that racket?” She asked herself.

Stepping away from the table, with some plans in her arms, the tiny, demented filly floated off the ground towards the Grinch’s bedroom. When she finally made it to his room, she climbed onto the old moldy bed and looked down at her ‘partner in crime’ with a shake of her head. After knocking him out earlier with that giant mallet, Cozy and Max ‘somehow’ got the big green creature onto his bed ‘before’ she went off to look through the rest of his plans. The Grinch just laid in his bed, fast asleep, so lost in dreamland he didn’t even notice himself singing along with the Who’s.

Grinch (Sings):
Tick, tock, tick, tock
Counting down the Christmas clock
Old, young, big, small

“Hey, big, green, and ugly!” Cozy yelled. “WAKE UP!!!”

The Grinch let out a huge yell of shock before sitting straight up from his bed and turned toward Cozy Glow.

“What’s going on here?” He asked confused.

“Oh we needed a weekend away from the kids, you know just us…” Cozy responded sarcastically. “What the hay do you think’s going on genius?!”

Grinch listened about and could still hear the Who’s singing. Growling in irritation, he grabbed his pillow and held it over his head.

“Blast this Christmas music!” He growled. “It’s joyful and triumphant!”

“No kidding, Sherlock Hooves!” Cozy snarked. “What exactly is your plan to stop this?”

The Grinch looked at her for a moment before a few idea started racing through his head.

“Grab me as many screws and old iron scraps you can find,” Grinch told her.

Cozy nodded and quickly leapt off the bed just as the Grinch threw the blankets off himself and stomped his way down the cave. After a while, Cozy came into the depths of the cave with a few boxes of old rusty screws and iron work. She noticed the Grinch gathering a couple blenders and placed them all on the counter. Cozy set the screws and irons on the counter, as Grinch gathered them and started placing them in the blenders.

“Is that really going to work?” Cozy asked.

“Have to try!” Grinch yelled. “Must drown them out!”

The Grinch turned on all the blenders, which rattled the screws around and made a terribly loud noise. So bad that Cozy stuck her hooves deep in her ears. However, as bad as the noise was, it did little to nothing about drowning out the singing Who’s.

“Not working!” Grinch cringed.

“Jeez! I think that only made it louder!” Cozy shouted, annoyed.

The Grinch ran off to another section of the cave. A few moments later, he returned, and this time pushed a gigantic toy resembling a monkey playing the cymbals. He pulled a switch on the monkey and the giant toy started smashing the cymbals together loudly.

“Play monkey!” He yelled insanely. “Play!”

At this point, Cozy Glow didn’t really know what to do as she watched her partner run around insanely. She just flew her way toward Max, who sat along the ground.

“He’s losing it,” Cozy shook her head.

Max only whimpered what Cozy could assume was agreement, as the sound of a jackhammer caught her attention. She looked over and spotted the Grinch riding around on a jackhammer like a pogo stick. Both Cozy and Max nodded their heads rapidly as they watched the crazed Grinch riding around. The Grinch already seemed to have a few screws loose in that head of his, but this time it seemed he had really gone off the deep end.

<>

Meanwhile, Cindy Lou and her Equestrian friends were climbing up the side of Mount Crumpit, while the snow whipped around them in the winds. They all looked back over their shoulders as the tiny town of Whoville looked about the size of an ant colony considering how high they were.

“The winter winds whipped high above the Who town.
A trip or a slip and you’d slide all the way down.
But this girl had a mission, she knew what to do.
She’d invite the Grinch herself, that brave Cindy Lou.”

“Seems like a suicide mission climbing that snowy mountain.”

“Certainly not a good idea in the slightest…”

But eventually, they did make their way toward the door to the Grinch’s lair and stood upon a rug which read ‘Keep Off!’. Before the group could do more… they heard the sound of a crash followed by a moan (‘Owwie!!!’). All eyes turned to each other for a moment, wondering what the hay was going on. Spike, among the group, was very nervous over this whole idea of going to see the Grinch entirely. Cindy Lou, the one member brave enough to do it, proceeded to knock on the door.

“Mr. Grinch!” Cindy Lou called out, knocking again. “Mr. Grinch?”

But answer there came none…

“Well, nobody’s home!” Spike declared, turning around. “Guess it’s not going to work after all!”

But of course, the Mane Six stop Spike from leaving any further, Rainbow and Rarity practically grab the dragon by the tail and haul him back.

“Now Spikey, I know you’re scared,” Rarity spoke soothingly. “But we simply have to go in there.”

Spike turned back toward the door, then back toward Rarity with a nervous gaze.

“I know it’s what we have to do,” Spike whimpered. “It’s just not what I want to do.”

Curious as to what’s going on inside, Cindy Lou crawled partly through the doggy door and peeked inside the cave.

“Hello?” Cindy Lou called out.

It was then upon seeing the display that Rainbow had an idea.

“Brilliant thinking kid!” Rainbow smirked. “We can just crawl our way through that little door.”

“I dunno…” Applejack shook her head. “I don’t think the Grinch’ll take it kindly bout us breakin’ into his own home.”

“Unless you have any better ideas?” Rainbow asked.

Applejack didn’t answer right away. Instead she saw Cindy Lou crawl the rest of her way through the door, with an eager Tubby Nugget following behind. By now most of the Equestrians entered through the tiny door, even a very reluctant Spike (Being so skinny and all). Applejack turned toward Rainbow Dash who merely gave her a cocky smirk, to which earned an annoyed sigh from A.J.

“We jus’ need tah talk to the Grinch…” Applejack huffed.

Finally, Applejack crawled her way through the doggy door with Rainbow Dash the last to enter. Soon as they were all inside the cave, they all took a gaze around the cave. Not just breathing in the sheer size of the cavern around them, but also some of the rather ‘unique’ design choices surrounding them.

“Oh my… the Grinch certainly has an air of whimsy in his home,” Rarity admired.

“Uh girls… what’s with all the noise?” Fluttershy asked nervously.

It was then while investigating the cave they spotted the host himself. The Grinch, unhunched over, letting the giant toy monkey crash his head with the cymbals. Suffice to say, the whole team looked utterly lost for words at this rather unusual display. Pinkie Pie, on the other hoof, was rather fascinated (If not happy) about seeing a giant toy monkey. Even Tubby Nugget gazed upon it with heart-shaped eyes.

“Monkey!” Pinkie and Tubby cheered.

Fortunately for them, the Grinch hadn’t heard either of them. The Grinch was so busy getting his head crashed by cymbals, it was a miracle the dude was still alive. Slowly and cautiously, the team approached the Grinch wondering just how they’d get his attention. Little did they know, Cozy Glow wasn’t too far as she struggled to watch the Grinch hurt himself (While Max by now turned his head away).

Suddenly, the moment Cozy Glow spotted some familiar faces approaching in the cave she released a silent gasp and quickly fluttered as high above the cave as she could. Hiding behind a few stalagmites, she peeked out and just as she suspected it was none other than Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Her face turned red at the sight of them, but she knew better to stay hidden or else everything she worked for would be ruined.

Not even spotting Cozy Glow, the group’s attention was toward the Grinch who grunted and groaned with each whack to his head. Finally, Cindy Lou approached the Grinch and lightly tapped one hand against his hairy arm.

“Excuse me?”

“Hmm?”

The Grinch reeled up in an instant and clutched the cymbals. The force of which not only caused the monkey to stop playing but explode into sparks before completely malfunctioning. Then, as the machine died down, the Grinch slowly loomed toward the nervous group looking up toward him.

“Hello… little girl…” The Grinch spoke slowly, looking around. “Little ponies… and… whatever that is…”

The Grinch’s eyes turned towards Tubby Nugget, who sadly patted one stubby hand against the broken giant toy.

“Monkey…” Tubby whimpered.

“How dare you enter… the Grinch’s lair?” The Grinch yelled dramatically. “The impudence! The audacity! The unmitigated gall! You called down the thunder… now, get ready for the boom! Gaze into the face of fear!”

Despite how the Grinch’s cries echoed through the cave, despite getting in their face with the scariest face he could muster, neither Cindy nor any of the Equestrians (Or Tubby) were the least bit intimidated by the creature entirely. As a matter of fact, even Fluttershy stood calmly in the face of the Grinch.

“Mr. Grinch… my name is Cindy Lou Who,” She introduced herself.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight introduced herself. “And these are my friends: Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight Glimmer…”

“Ahem!”

Twilight felt a tug on her wing and looked down as Tubby Nugget hopped up and down excitably.

"Oh… and Tubby Nugget,” Twilight introduced last.

“Hello!!!” Tubby squeaked, waving.

“You see?” The Grinch smiled maliciously. “Even now the terror is welling up inside you.”

“Um… I’m not scared of this Mr. Grinch sir,” Fluttershy spoke honestly.

“Now that surprises me!” Rainbow pointed out.

“Denial is to be expected in the face of pure evil!” The Grinch defended.

“Yeah… I really don’t think so,” Twilight shook her head.

“Doubt? Another unmistakable sign of the heebie-jeebies!” The Grinch spoke maniacally. “Now you’re doomed!”

As if the Grinch couldn’t be more random, the circling around and making ridiculous faces, he popped to the side and returned a second later dressed in a white T-shirt. Before the confusion of the group, and some slight amusement, the Grinch slowly proceeded to tear the shirt around as if he was morphing into some form of hideous monster. But it was clear to the group he was ‘trying’ to scare them with his random impressions.

“Run for your life… before I kill again!” The Grinch cried, growling and muttering. “I’m a psycho! Danger! Danger!”

Suffice to say, the group felt less scared or not even close to being freaked out by the Grinch. If anything, they were more ‘annoyed’ than terrified after seeing ‘this’ side of the Grinch. Of course the Equestrians weren’t the only ones annoyed. From her hiding spot, Cozy slapped a hoof over her face seeing the Grinch embarrass himself before the group. And this was supposed to be the guy she was considering bringing with her to join the Legion.

“God… the Legion will never let me hear the end of this!” Cozy moaned quietly.

Finally, after a period of hopping around and growling like a dog (Even chewing the torn shirt), the Grinch finally took a pause… and found himself huffing and puffing for air. But much to his chagrin, if he was attempting to scare the intruders out of his house… he clearly ‘failed’.

“Seriously… stop…” Spike spoke, furrowing his brow. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“Maybe you need a time-out,” Cindy Lou suggested.

As the Grinch stood there flabbergasted, he heard some giggling and turn to the side. Sure enough, Pinkie Pie and Tubby Nugget could no longer take it anymore and started falling back laughing their heads off over the silliest display they’ve ever seen.

“You sir truly are the funniest guy on the planet!” Pinkie laughed tearfully. “How do you even write any of this material? I swear this was all practically improvised and you gave the script-writers a headache!”

While some of the ponies found the Grinch’s antics so amusing, the Grinch turned his gaze toward the camera with an annoyed expression on his face.

“Kids today…” The Grinch muttered. “So desensitized by movies and television.”

The Grinch paused in thought and then…

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?!”

“Mr. Grinch, we came to invite you to be holiday cheermeister,” Cindy Lou announced cheerfully.

“Uh… ‘Holiday Whobie-what-y’?” The Grinch asked.

“Cheer-meister, Mr. Grinch,” Twilight corrected. “We’re inviting you as the guest of honor.”

Twilight and Cindy displayed the invitation toward the Grinch himself. He turned his gaze toward the invite and read the words accordingly.

“’Cheer-meister… celebrate with friends…’” The Grinch read.

The Grinch laughed his head off at the invitation as if that was the funniest joke he ever heard in his life.

“That’s a good one!” The Grinch chuckled. “That’s rich! You want me to go down there?”

“Actually… yes…” Rarity replied.

Still the Grinch just laughed it off, as he leaned against the broken down toy monkey. He then grabbed what appeared to be a giant horn off the ground and from above Cozy watched as he placed the horn just over Cindy Lou’s head.

“Am I hearing you correctly?” The Grinch asked.

“To be holiday cheermeister!” Cindy Lou repeated.

Finally the Grinch hurled the horn away and drew a large breath. All at once, he suddenly gazed at the group with genuine surprise.

“Wait… you’re serious?” The Grinch asked.

“Yea!” Rainbow nodded. “So… are you coming?”

The Grinch snorted a bit, laughed even, but then he looked upon her with annoyance.

“Lemme think… no… oh wait… NAH!!!”

The Grinch makes the attempt to walk away when Twilight Sparkle suddenly flew right in front of him, taking the furried creature by surprise.

“Mr. Grinch, I understand this is a big shock to you,” Twilight Sparkle replied calmly. “I was just the same with my first party. But as the Princess of Friendship, I can honestly say what you need is—”

“Princess of Friendship?” The Grinch snorted. “They have a title for that sort of thing now?! What’s next? A ‘Prince of Dysfunctional Relationships’?”

The Grinch shoved his way past the Princess, who turned to him with a jaw dropped over the insult. Pinkie Pie merely hopped close to the Grinch, smiling and talking cheerfully behind him while she followed him.

“The Whobilation will be SUPER-DUPER Fun Mr. Grinch sir!”

“YEAH!” Tubby cheered, riding Pinkie Pie.

“There’ll be carols and fun games! Best of all, all sorts of sweet stuff they’ll have at the buffet table! Ice cream and snow-cones! Chocolate and ‘hot’ chocolate!”

The Grinch winced in utter disgust over all these descriptions. Pinkie, in the meantime, kept rambling on unaware of the Grinch’s complete disgust.

“There’ll be pudding and pastries and cakes!” Pinkie continued. “Even those cute little marshmallows in the hot-chocolate, and swirly candy canes~!”

Grasping his head in annoyance, the Grinch didn’t know which was worse—all these desserts or the fact this pink donkey-creature thing would never shut up.

“Oh GODS… make it stoooop!!!” The Grinch groaned.

“… and fudge, and fudge cake and fudge fondue too! Peppermints and sugar plums, gumdrops and cookies—OOH! Maybe even a pie and--!”

Finally, The Grinch turned around and silence Pinkie Pie with one raised hand.

“Alright, Imma stop you there for a sec, Cotton-Eyed Joe!”

The Grinch reached for something in a nearby pile and picked up a moldy onion. Hiding it behind his back, he turned toward Pinkie Pie with a false smile.

“Open please!”

Pinkie Pie opened her mouth wide, and the Grinch promptly shoved the moldy onion into her open mouth. Pinkie was taken by surprise, while the Grinch just smirked. The others looked especially shocked over the treatment.

“There we go!” The Grinch grinned, nodding. “I was wondering where the off-button was.”

Scrunching her face, Pinkie Pie finally spat out the moldy vegetable and gagged hilariously.

“BLEEGH!! PFFT!! PU-TOOIE!! YUCKY-YUCK!!!” Pinkie gagged, glaring at the Grinch. “HEY! I hate moldy onions!!”

The Grinch quickly turned around and glared at Pinkie Pie with one raised eyebrow.

“Oh, a picky eater, huh? You don’t hear me complain when I eat my vegetables~!”

*POOF!*

The Grinch suddenly disappeared before Pinkie’s eyes and suddenly he reappeared… right in front of the other Equestrians. The Grinch yelped in shock, looking around quickly.

“HEY! How’d the hay did I end up here?!” The Grinch shouted, staring accusingly. “You mules secretly witches in disguise?”

Her horn still glowing from the spell, Starlight Glimmer calmly approached the baffled Grinch and stared at him with a straight face.

“Mr. Grinch, we did not just come all this way to invite you to a party…” Starlight spoke calmly. “We know you’ve been sheltering Cozy Glow in your cave for some time. So tell us what you know… and we’ll tell you what we know.”

From her hiding spot, Cozy Glow’s eyes went wide as she quickly turned toward the Grinch. She nervously spied on the scene, praying silently for the Grinch not to sell her out.

“I have no idea what you’re saying, little donkey,” Grinch replied coyly. “Why not try speaking plain Who-ish?”

“Don’t play coy with us big guy!” Rainbow Dash warned.

“Coy? I’m not being coy…”

“Is he being coy?” Rainbow asked Applejack.

“Eeyup! That’s bein’ coy, alright,” Applejack nodded, facing the Grinch. “Yer being coy, Mr. Grinch. Now where is she?”

“Who?” Grinch questioned.

“Cozy Glow! Ya know… small filly, light coat, curly blue mane… acts super cute?”

“Hmm… OHHHHH… that was her name…” The Grinch realized. “Yeah, I saw her~”

Cozy Glow silently groaned to herself and placed her hoofs in front of her face.

“Don’t betray me… don’t betray me…” The filly prayed silently.

“But I kicked her out last night!” The Grinch continued. “No room in my utterly Grinchy lifestyle for cutesiness!”

Cozy Glow’s eyes went wide with surprised, and she turned back toward the Grinch. Could her ears be deceiving her? The Grinch, the self-centered, loathing sloth of a monster… was covering for her? Was he… protecting her?

“Why don’t ya try the Whoville pound?” The Grinch suggested sarcastically. “Or better yet, the zoo?”

“Don’t ya lie to us mister!” Applejack warned. “We know she helped ya with them dirty tricks yesterday!”

“Me?” Grinch feigned surprise. “Now, listen here Applesmack~”

“Applejack!” Applejack and Rainbow corrected.

“Whatever… the last thing I’d want around here is another mouth to feed! I already got two… one of them is me. I can’t simply spare the room. Why, there’s barely enough for myself! Why would I keep a cute pony around?”

“… Company?” Tubby replied cutely.

“I already got company popcorn chicken… me!” The Grinch clarified. “Max is just the hired help, but aside from him, that’s ALL I will ever need or want for all time. Now, if that’s all, go make friends with the door~”

Once more, the Grinch turned away and tried to leave. But clearly Cindy Lou would not be turned away so easily. She stubbornly followed the Grinch through his cave, while the Equestrians tentatively followed her. The whole sequence under careful observation by the curious eyes of Cozy Glow.

“Grinch, we know ‘why’ you hate Christmas!” Starlight spoke up. “We heard the whole story! But what if it’s all just some big misunderstanding?”

“Don’t care,” The Grinch answered bluntly.

“I myself am having some Yuletide doubts…” Cindy added.

The Grinch made some snoring sounds hoping Cindy would take a hint and realize she’s boring him. But she just keeps it up.

“But maybe if you reunite with the Who’s and be a part of Christmas…” Cindy Lou suggested.

“’Maybe if you reunite with the Who’s and be a part of Christmas’,” The Grinch repeated, mockingly. “Grow up!”

“Then maybe it’ll be all right for me, too!” Cindy Lou concluded.

“Ooh please, Mr. Grinch…!” Pinkie Pie begged. “It’s rude to deny an invitation to a party! There ought to be a law against that!”

“I’m sorry, your session is over!” The Grinch remarked. “Please make another appointment with the receptionist on the way out.”

“Grinch, please!” Starlight begged. “You’ve just got to accept the award, or we’ve come all this way for nothing!”

The Grinch suddenly stopped in his tracks and slowly loomed his head over upon mentioning of one ‘keyword’. And in seconds he stood face to face with the group, leaning so far forward they had to reel back (With the ponies keeping Cindy steady).

“Award?” The Grinch smiled. “You never mentioned… an award!”

“Yeah dude!” Rainbow replied. “There’ll be a trophy and everything!”

“And I won?”

“You won!” Cindy replied.

“You’re number one! Hey! Hey!” Pinkie cheered randomly.

“Hey! Hey!” Tubby cheered.

“That means there were losers…” The Grinch pondered.

“I guess so…” Fluttershy spoke innocently. “And maybe if you come—"

“A town full of losers!” The Grinch said aloud. “I like it. Was anyone emotionally shattered?”

But none of the group answered right away, least not as quickly as before.

“Come on, a minute ago I couldn’t shut you up!” The Grinch insisted. “Details, details!”

“Well, the Mayor wasn’t happy…” Cindy Lou admitted.

“Oh… no…” The Grinch feigned pity.

“And Martha May will be there,” Rarity added.

“I still find that very weird…” Spike spoke up.

*BONK!*

“OWWW!!!”

Spike massaged his shin after Applejack gave a light shin. He turned toward her in annoyance, and she just turned away with an innocent expression on her face which made Rainbow chuckle.

“She will?” The Grinch pondered. “And she’ll see me… a winner. She’ll be on me like fleegle flies on a flat-faced floogle horse.”

“Probably?” Twilight replied uncertainly.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Martha, baby!” The Grinch shouted randomly. “But the G train has left the station!”

“So, will you come?” Cindy asked hopefully.

“There are Who’s that know you and really miss you,” Starlight added, insistently. “C’mon Grinch, I think you should give this Christmas thing another try… please?”

All the ponies (And Nugget) formed the biggest puppy-dog eyes they could muster toward the Grinch, even Spike gestured his claws toward the door beckoning him to go out. The Grinch gazed upon the group for a brief second before he could give a straight answer.

“All right…”

For a moment, the group smiled as the Grinch appeared to be ready to embrace the Who’s once more. Speaking of which, he took one arm around Cindy Lou and beckoned her by the door with the group following closely along. Soon as they were close to the door, the group looked on as if they were seeing an entirely new Grinch who at last has seen the light.

“I don’t know if it’s that adorable twinkle in your eye… or that nonconformist streak… that reminds me of a younger, less hairy me,” The Grinch continued, seemingly touched. “But you’ve convinced me. Who knows? This Whobilation could change my entire outlook on life!”

“Really?” Cindy asked hopefully.

“No.”

Suddenly, the Grinch tugged on a cord hanging over the ceiling which activated the trap door beneath their feet. Cindy Lou and a few of the ponies (And Nugget) fell through the trapdoor screaming their heads off… all except for a select few. Twilight Sparkle, along with Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Spike were suddenly in the air before the group hovering over the now opened trapdoor.

“HA! Nice try Grinchy!” Rainbow teased. “But you’re gonna have to get up pretty early in the morn—”

*WHAM!*

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, some large sandbags crashed atop of the group of flying friends sending them hurdling down the trapdoor after their friends. By the time the trapdoor finally resealed itself, the Grinch and Max had the entire cave to themselves again… with one another. Fluttering out of her hiding spot, Cozy Glow sighed to herself with relief while spying the invitation which floated directly toward the ground between the Grinch and Max.

“Bad enough those ponies are still out to get me,” Cozy Glow pondered. “But they’d be naïve enough to invite the stingiest creature in Whoville to step out of his cave for a few hours to join a party? What an idea—”

Suddenly, it quickly dawned on Cozy Glow as a thought raced back to her head.

“What… an idea…” Cozy repeated slowly.

<>

Screaming and hollering, Cindy Lou and the group of Equestrians slipped and slid their way down the chute. Except Cindy was not screaming in fear, but rather she was laughing along like it was a fun little slip-and-slide. Even Pinkie Pie was having fun, shouting ‘Wee!!!” down the slide holding Tubby Nugget who raised his arms in the air. The rest of the group ducked and rolled along the metal chute, sliding around for what appeared to be a nonstop ride down the mountain.

<>

Later…

The ‘Dump-It to Crump-It’ lid in town opened up and spat out the little Who girl along with her Equestrian friends. They flew into the air and eventually landed in a pile along the streets of Whoville. But fortunately for the group, there was enough snow on the ground to leave a soft landing. They took a moment to catch their breath as they laid on the snow.

“Well that went pear-shaped fast!” Rainbow muttered.

“Were we just… shot out… through the trash…?” Rarity asked slowly.

“Try not to think about it, Rarity…” Twilight advised. “Just… try…”

“There you are!” Lou called out, approaching the group. “You can make snow angels later.”

“Uh, actually—” Fluttershy began.

“Come on!” Lou urged. “We can’t be late for the Whobilation!”

“You mean we’re missing the party?!” Pinkie asked frantically. “Now that just won’t stand! C’mon girls, I don’t want to miss any of the events!”

Pinkie Pie, with Tubby in tow, quickly zoomed off in a pink blur back to the town square where the party was taking place. While Lou took Cindy with him, the rest of the group slowly trudged their way back to town to meet with the rest of the family. The last to follow was Starlight Glimmer, who slowly turned her gaze up towards Mount Crumpit, where the Grinch himself resided.

“But I’m sure ‘someone’ is bound to miss the party…” Starlight sighed, before walking away.

Whobilation Pt 2

Back in Whoville, things were heating up for the Whobilation. Everyone gathered at the Lou Who home in time for the lightning contest. After being ejected from the Grinch’s cave, the Mane Six and Spike were a slight peeved for several reasons. The first being that the old stubborn green guy wouldn’t even contemplate the idea of attending the Whobilation. The second being that he refused to tell them the whereabouts of Cozy Glow (Least not directly). Celestia knows he wasn’t fooling any pony, especially Applejack, especially when he claimed he ‘kicked her out’. She instantly knew right away that information was as false as her granny’s false teeth.

“Ah can’t believe that ol’ Grinch,” Applejack pouted angrily. “Lying to mah face.”

“What’d you expect A.J.?” Rainbow asked her marefriend. “Birds, or in this case villains, of the same feather tend to stick together after all.”

“I simply just can’t believe that brute wouldn’t even consider coming to the festivities,” Rarity said appalled. “Then again, I suppose all this cheer and goodwill would have been wasted on him anyway.”

“Come on guys, let’s not be so negative,” Starlight spoke up. “After all, this is supposed to be a time of joy and happiness.”

“Excuse us if we’re not exactly feeling in the festive mood,” Spike groaned, clutching his head. “Some of us just had a few heavy sandbags dropped right on our heads and dropped down a garbage chute… don’t ask me ‘how’, I’m too sore to think.”

“I feel so bad for the Grinch,” Fluttershy spoke sadly. “So many things have shrunk his heart almost to non-existence. It’s so sad.”

“Well he might not know it yet, but he will be showing up,” Twilight smiled.

This caused every pony and Spike turn toward her with confused expressions.

“What the hay are you talking about Twi?” Rainbow asked.

“The seeds of curiosity have already been planted in his mind,” Twilight explained. “Soon enough, he will be here.”

“Forgive me Twilight darling, but I don’t have a clue what you are talking about,” Rarity responded.

It was then Pinkie Pie and Tubby Nugget popped out of nowhere with huge smiles and party hats.

“What’s so confusing about it you guys?” Pinkie asked. “It’s so obvious what Twilight is talking about.”

Even Twilight turned toward Pinkie in confusion now.

“It is?” She asked.

“Absopositivolutily!” Pinkie nodded. “See we told Grinchy about the party and his award. He probably can’t stop thinking about it. And knowing Jim Carrey, he’s bound to show up and make a huge hilarious scene that’ll be both funny and disturbing. But then we’re all going to have super-duper, double looper, hoopty-hooper, fun time!”

“All the Grinch needs is some fun and a few new friends!” Tubby smiled adorably.

“I suppose only time will tell,” Twilight nodded.

While they were talking, all the Who’s were focused entirely on the lighting contest. Mayor May-Who himself was preparing the announcements for the competitors.

“And now the excitement of the Whoville lighting contest finals,” He said. “Put your hands together for your Martha-May Whovier!”

Every Who in the crowd cheered as Martha May stood atop her roof waving to the crowd. One push of the button on the remote control and a series of lights shined brightly on her home. Seeing the lights, everyone cheered louder as the judges wrote down their scores.

“And Betty Lou Who…” May-Who announced, with a bored tone. “Mother of the girl who invited the Grinch. Hit it Betty.”

From atop her own roof, Betty looked over toward Martha, who in turn stood on her own roof.

“Oh Martha, looks like you’ve beat me again,” Betty said sadly, before turning happy. “Except this old gal still has a lot more lights left in her lady. Come on boys!”

From down below, Stu and Drew both sat along two pedal bikes and began cycling away to power a huge generator. Then Betty hit a button on her own remote and her own lights shined just as brightly (If not more so) than Martha’s. Once again everyone cheered and clapped, especially Lou, Cindy, and the Equestrians.

Not wanting to be outshined, Martha May hit another button and even more lights started shining on her home, causing everyone to cheer for her. Both Martha and Betty kept lighting their homes with an assortment of different colored lights until the entire square was coated in light. The lights so bright many Who’s had to shield their eyes from the blinding glow. Eventually the judges passed their votes over to May-Who, who grabbed it and the microphone to announce this year’s winner.

“And the winner is…”

Unwrapping the envelope, looking at the name, it was very clear who won:

Betty Lou Who

May-Who frowned, as he looked back and forth between the crowd and Martha May herself.

“By… split decision…”

This caused everyone to face each other, wondering what the Mayor was talking about. Even all the judges looked back and forth toward one another and toward their votes. Both Betty and Martha stood waiting with anticipation over the announcement.

“… Martha May Whovier!!!”

Everyone cheered once more, except for poor Betty Who. Her face fell deeply in sadness having been beaten once again. From the sidelines stood the rest of her friends, among whom Applejack growled directly toward the Mayor.

“Why that lying piece of manure!” She seethed.

“Applejack!” Rarity scolded.

“Well ah’m sorry fer mah language Rarity, but that lying corrupt May-Who done just lied about Martha winnin’ the contest.”

“So you mean Betty actually won?” Fluttershy asked.

“That’s exactly what ah mean!” Applejack nodded.

“A.J.’s got a point there!” Pinkie agreed. “It’s so plain and obvious the Mayor has such a big crush on Martha, that he’d do anything to have her reciprocate his feelings. Like that one night back at Betty’s house. Remember Rarity? When the Mayor showed up?”

“Yeah—wait what?”

<>

It was the night when Rarity and Fluttershy agreed to help Betty Lou with the decorations, and just after Martha May showed off her new decorating cannon. Around that same hour, Mayor May-Who and his lowly assistant, Whobris, arrived by car and pulled up near Martha’s house. Martha May Who, in her Mrs. Claus outfit, turned around and saw the Mayor himself waving from the car.

“Hello Martha!” The Mayor greeted.

“August!” Martha responded, with a curtsy. “To what do I… owe the pleasure?”

As the Mayor stepped from his car, with Whobris following behind, he meant to express to Martha what manner of ‘business’ he had with the lovely Who. But of course, the Mayor was so captivated by her beauty that he was practically speechless and stumbled over his own words.

“Uh, well… I, um…” The Mayor chuckled nervously. “I was out and about, and uh well… I uh… I thought I’d uh…”

“Ask you out!” Whobris finished.

“You know this is sort of my deal!” The Mayor frowned, with disapproval.

“I won’t be a third wheel.”

Despite Whobris’s attempt to help his boss/friend, suffice to say the Mayor was not ‘happy’ with the assistance. He chuckled nervously toward Martha, who merely gazed upon the Mayor rather quietly. Eventually, the Mayor turned back toward Whobris and a desperate idea formed in his head.

“Ooh look! Your buttons coming off your… coat!” The Mayor spoke, forcibly removing them.

With Whobris’s coat buttons in his hand, the Mayor hurled them down the street. It took a moment for Whobris to realize the Mayor’s motivation and suddenly ran off to collect them. And thus that left the Mayor and Martha ‘alone’ for the time being, though the matter of their attraction to one another was clearly… up in the air.

<>

“Well now that Pinkie mentioned it,” Fluttershy pondered. “I did notice something was going on with those two that night.”

“Should we report this to the judges or something?” Spike asked.

“Even if we did, it’s our word against May-Who,” Starlight shook her head.

“Don’t y’all worry none,” Applejack assured. “He’s getting’ his comeuppance soon enough.”

<>

The Grinch groaned as once again he landed upon his armchair via personal zipline. In his hand was the very invitation Cindy-Lou and the ponies left behind. Once they were sure they were truly gone, Cozy Glow flew from her hiding place along the cavern ceiling and flew towards her cave-mate.

“Hey… thanks for not ratting me out,” Cozy thanked the Grinch. “I owe ya really big for this.”

“Don’t mention it…” The Grinch replied. “Ever…”

“Right, of course! So… what are we to do now that those Who-ligans have invited you to be this ‘Cheermeister’ guy… what even is a ‘Cheermeister’ anyway?”

“Eh… a little rusty on that, but it’s like this whole M.C. deal for the Whobilation. Starting contests, cutting ribbons, kissing disgusting Who-foundlings, the whole she-bang! But… if it’s to do with Christmas, I want nothing to do with it. I won’t even bother going~”

Cozy’s eyes widened with shock. She needed more time to ‘peruse’ the Grinch’s blueprints for her own plans. But with the Grinch staying in his cave, she needed to think of something fast. So Cozy Glow decided to put her plan into action…

“But Mr. Grinch… if you don’t go, you’d be missing out on an opportunity to enrich the overall experience of the ultimate Grinching we’ve been talking about…” She remarked cutely.

“Eh?” The Grinch faced the filly. “What would being this Whoville Holiday ‘Snoremeister’ got to do with giving those Who’s their comeuppance?”

“Think about it: They still don’t know I’m helping you, right? If you’re down there playing nice during their party, I could stay up here and come up with a few ideas for when you come back to plan out your Grinching. Plus... you could take this as an opportunity to catch the Who’s off-guard…”

The Grinch thought as he stared toward Cozy Glow, her eyes lowered with a mischievous smirk. For the moment, the Grinch seemed ‘interested’ in Cozy’s idea.

“Go on, little pony girl…”

“Just imagine it: You’re down there, pretending to have a good time.”

“And then?”

“And then… as you accept that big trophy, with the Mayor playing nice for the papers… you announce to every one of those Who’s you’ll be turning over a new leaf, giving up Grinching forever. And those idiots, so innocent and trusting… they’ll buy it more than one of their stupid gifts at a Christmas discount~”

“Hee-hee… they are quite a gullible lot… and then?”

“And then… when they’re all sleep before Christmas morn… we hit them hard with your ultimate Grinching! And before they can round up a mob or whatever, we’ll have left this stupid world and we never come back again!”

“Hmm… that is quite tempting… especially the mob part…”

Cozy smirked quite smugly, figuring she had him hooked herself a sinker.

“However!”

Her smirk broke as she gave an audible growl in frustration.

“I’m still quite peeved…” The Grinch continued. “The nerve of those Who’s, inviting me down there, on such short notice! Even if I wanted to go, and ESPECIALLY even if what you said makes a bunch of sense… my schedule wouldn’t allow it!”

“Okay, now you’re just making excuses!” Cozy rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Oh… am I?” The Grinch asked.

He opened his datebook and shoved it right into the pony’s face.

“Read it and weep, sister!”

Cozy softly growled as she grabbed the book and began to read the Grinch’s remaining Snerzday schedule.

“’Four o’clock, wallow in self-pity. Four-thirty, stare into the abyss. Five o’clock, solve world hung—'”

She stopped with a look of horror toward this one sentence.

“You’re solving world hunger?! That’s horrible! What are you--?”

“Read the next page, skimpy skimmer…” The Grinch pointed.

Cozy read what was on the next page… which made her sigh with relief.

“Oh, that makes more sense. At five, you’re solving world hunger and not telling anyone about it. Now that’s wicked~”

Clearing her throat, Cozy Glow continued to read.

“’Five-thirty, jazzercise. Six-thirty, dinner with me.’… aww, you arranged to have dinner with me?! That is so—"

“Eh… no!” The Grinch shook his head. “It says, ‘Dinner with me’, as in me, myself, and I. And I just can’t cancel that again.”

“Of course…” Cozy rolled her eyes. “’Seven o’clock, wrestling with self-loathing’… and it all goes on like that for a while.”

And just like that, she sealed the book before tossing it into the Grinch’s lap.

“What can I say? I’m booked~”

“Oh, come on~! You’re the Grinch! Since when do you care about keeping a schedule? That makes you almost as bad as Princess Schedule-Per-Second earlier.”

The Grinch shifted his eyes between her and the planner in his lap.

“Eh… you might have a point there.”

“Plus… there’s one thing the Whobilation has that your schedule doesn’t~”

“And what’s that?”

“Seven-thirty… payback against May-Who!” She remarked, leaning closely. “Think about it. When’s the last change you’ll get to see the Mayor eating crow as he watches you beat him at something at last?”

“… I don’t know about ‘eating crow’, the Who’s banned the consumption of the Crumpit Corvids months ago~”

“… I was speaking metaphorical.”

“Oh… yeah… it would be a nice cherry on top for my big pile of victory Schlop. To not only be a winner, but to watch the Mayor being a loser for a night~”

“So what do you say, huh? Take a victory lap before the grand finale on those Who’s. You deserve it~!”

“Yeah…” He examined his planner. “Well… I suppose if I bump the loathing to nine, I could still have time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling, and slip slowly into madness…”

But alas… another thought came to halt the Grinch’s decision.

“But what would I wear?!”

He looked around a bit before noticing his dressed table. Sitting up from his chair, he marched over to the table, grabbed the tablecloth and pulled it out without disturbing the cans on top. This amazed Cozy so much she clapped her hooves.

“Whoa, nice trick!”

“Wait, I’m not done.”

The Grinch turned back around the table, knocking everything off and onto the floor, followed by flipping the table on its side.

“Now you may clap~”

Of course, Cozy no longer clapped though she wondered what the Grinch was thinking.

<>

A moment passed before the Grinch came out showing Cozy and Max his ‘outfit’: A long skirt made from the tablecloth. He posed in front of his set of broken mirrors, trying it out.

“Well, what do you think? Come on, be brutally honest~”

Cozy was unsure of what to say. Before she could say something, Max barked a few times, which translated into something mildly insulting to the Grinch.

“It’s not a dress, it’s a kilt~!”

He tore the ‘kilt’ off, revealing his left leg had an oddly feminine leg garter.

“Sicko!”

He walked off to change, leaving Cozy Glow mildly disturbed.

<>

The Grinch returned in a different outfit, looking like he just took apart an old furnace and slipped it on himself. Cozy just looked on in confusion.

“Well… that looks… trend-setting?” She remarked.

“Yeah… but it doesn’t fit like it used to…” The Grinch rasped.

He opened the grate of his ‘outfit’, revealing a roaring flame which unsettled Cozy, before closing it again and walking off.

<>

Once again, the Grinch was in a different ensemble, though instead of junk… he rushed out wearing a bee beard all over his body with what looked like the bees’ hive on his head.

“Uh… you can say it’s an all-natural look, heh?” Cozy assumed.

“Eh… I dunno. This feels more like a spring look,” The Grinch replied.

“Maybe… plus the bees would probably freeze in the chilly air,” Cozy added.

In a matter of seconds, the Grinch headed back out (Likely to get the bees off and check for stings).

<>

Later, after a few more outfits, Cozy and Max watched the Grinch rummaged through his pile of clothes for something to wear tossing out all the rejected pieces.

“Stupid… ugly… out of date!”

The Grinch stepped out, looking quite frustrated.

“This is ridiculous. If I can’t find something nice to wear, I’m not going!”

Cozy’s face started to glow a bright red, as she can feel her patience growing thin. Just as she was about tell the Grinch off, an unfamiliar sound echoed across the cavern walls… yodeling. The Grinch and Cozy looked around before looking at each other and gave each other the same knowing smirk.

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’, kid?”

“Hmm… depends. Wanna gag-and-tie him or just conk him out with your mallet?”

“Oh… what they hey! Why not both?” The Grinch suggested, pulling out a makeshift cane.

<>

Out along the peaks of Mount Crumpit, a Swiss-esque Who yodeled his Who-heart out while holding onto a giant horn. In the midst of his artful yodeling, he failed to notice the cane reaching out to snag him. The cane pulled him in, prematurely ending his mountain song which was concluded with a loud *BONK!*.

<>

A moment passed after handling their ‘guest’, the Grinch came out. Only this time he sported the yodeling Who’s lederhosen, socks, and shoes. He began to pose like he was a supermodel in front of the mirrors. Cozy Glow flew out to see the Grinch enjoying his new outfit.

“So… how’s it feel?” Cozy asked cutely.

“Oh yeah, baby… this feels like it was made for me~ Plus, it does hide my problem areas and flatter my butt well~”

“Yeah… you’ll rally catch a lot of eyes at the party. You ready?”

“Eh… no, that’s it. I’m not going.”

“OH, COME BUCKING ON!!!”

<>

Back in Whoville, the remainder of the Whobilation and its festivities were well underway. The time had come to declare the new Holiday Cheermeister and everyone in town was waiting with anticipation. The Mayor made his way back to the podium, tested the mics with a tap of his fingers, and soon all the talking and fanfare became silent and still.

“Well, it’s time for our Holiday Cheermeister of the Year Award!” The Mayor declared.

All the Who’s cheered with great excitement that the time had finally come. Amidst the excitable crowd, Cindy Lou and her family stood waiting for the declaration to commence with their Equestrian friends close behind. But in contrast to the parents’ excitement, Cindy Lou seemed rather down. The Equestrians shared the same sentiment with the little Who girl. The party had gone on most of the night and the Grinch still hadn’t arrived. All they could do at this point was hope he was just coming fashionably late.

“Congratulations, Mr. Grinch!”

The Mayor turned to his right with one hand out… except that spot was empty. Not a sign nor trace of the Grinch to be seen. The Mayor feigned surprise, but somehow the Equestrians knew he was happy the Grinch was not coming and pose a risk to claiming ‘his’ award.

“He isn’t here,” The Mayor spoke. “What? He didn’t show… who could’ve predicted this?”

“I really don’t like that Who…” Rainbow muttered.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy sighed.

“Aww…” Tubby pouted, as Pinkie tapped his back.

Amongst all her friends, Starlight Glimmer looked up toward Mount Crumpit as if hoping to catch a glimpse of the reclusive beast in some form.

“Come on Grinch…” Starlight whispered. “Please come…”

<>

Following a ton of ‘will or won’t’ back-and-forth, Cozy finally managed to persuade the Grinch into going.

“All right, Mr. Grinch. What are you going to do tonight?”

“All right…” He spoke, taking a deep breath. “I’ll swing by for a minute, allow the people to envy me, grab a handful of popcorn shrimp—”

“And the award! Don’t forget the award and the Mayor!”

“Oh yeah… accept my award, rub my shiny trophy into May-Who’s stuck up schnozz, and then blow out of there~”

“Great! You’re ready!” Cozy remarked, leading him to the door. “Now have fun, don’t stay out too late, and please… do anything I would do~”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” The Grinch brushed her off.

The Grinch made for the door, but before he could grab the handle… he stopped. He turned back toward Cozy Glow, away from the door.

“But what if it’s a cruel prank?”

“Grinch…” Cozy growled.

“Or worse… what if it’s a cash bar? How dare they…”

“Uh… what’s a cash bar?”

“Basically… they make you pay for the drinks rather than having them included with the ticket~”

“Not even a free first round?” Cozy gasped, in shock.

“Not a drop. All from your pocket change~”

“Okay… now that’s pretty bad. Still, you’re not drinking anyway, right?”

“Yeah… I guess. All right, I’ll go. But! I’ll be fashionably late, because of how important I am. No. Yes, no, yes. No! Yes!”

The Grinch struggled to make a decision, his raised finger moving side-to-side with each ‘yes’ and ‘no’. He took a breath before settling on…

“Definitely not!”

“Ugh, come on!” Cozy Glow groaned. “If you don’t go, the Mayor claims the prize as runner-up! Go, go, go! Will you please just go now?!”

“ALL RIGHT!!! You know… you need to mellow out. Maybe try one of them horse tranquilizers, little girl.

Cozy flicked her ear a bit in frustration, as the Grinch still interchanged ‘pony’ with ‘horse’. But she was in no mood to correct the Grinch again.

“Any who… I’ve made my decision,” The Grinch decided, walking toward the door. “I’m going! And that’s that! That’s all I wrote, no turning back, that’s the end of it, no further discussion needed…”

He soon took quick notice of his hand.

“Oh. Had my fingers crossed.”

Before the Grinch could say more, the trapdoor used on Cindy-Lou and the ponies earlier opened under him. The Grinch plummeted down the tunnel leading toward Whoville. And who was at the trigger? Why none other than Cozy Glow herself.

“Boy… that guy can’t keep to a plan, can he?”

She turned when she heard Max barking at her a few times.

“What? No, that wasn’t too harsh!” Cozy argued. “What’s wrong with sending him down to some town he hates, to accept some award he doesn’t care about, some folk, ESPECIALLY their mayor, that hate him?!...”

Suddenly, one brief look of horror spread to her face, and she lightly tugged her eyelids.

“Oh no!!!” Cozy Glow groaned. “I’m beginning to understand the mutt!”

<>

Down the tunnel, the Grinch slipped and slide down the metal pipe down to Whoville. Through the twists and turns, he stumbled and fumbled about as he was made to work his way to Whoville and its Whobilation whether he meant to go or not.

“MAYBE I SHOULD FLIP A COIN!!!” The Grinch shouted, screaming the whole way down.

Whobilation Pt 3

Back in Whoville, as the Whobilation was underway, Cindy Lou and her Equestrian friends all stood together in almost disappointed and sadness. The festivities were nearly over, and the Grinch still hadn’t shown up (Not even to claim his award). It seemed his hatred for Christmas was indeed far greater than they could ever have imagined.

“Well, I guess that’s it,” Starlight sighed disappointed. “He’s not coming…”

“Why are you so bummed Starlight?” Rainbow asked. “It’s not your fault the not-so-jolly green giant didn’t want to come.”

“I know, but I just hoped he would.”

“Why?”

Starlight closed her eyes with a heavy sigh before facing all her friends.

“I care so much because when I look at the Grinch, it was like looking at myself all those years ago,” Starlight explained. “Back when I didn’t ‘care’ about Hearth’s Warming Eve at all.”

Twilight Sparkle approached her apprentice/friend and placed a comforting hoof over her shoulders.

“You were hoping he’d change his mind like we changed yours?” She asked.

Starlight merely nodded her head in response.

“That was a noble effort Starlight dear,” Rarity spoke up. “But I’m afraid you can’t make ‘everyone’ change the way they view things.”

“If the Grinch wants tah sit up on that there mountain and be some stickler we can’t change that,” Applejack added.

All we can do is try to spread the joy and jubilation both Christmas and Hearths Warming brings to every pony,” Fluttershy smiled.

Just then, Pinie Pie and Tubby Nugget popped out of nowhere with trays of freshly baked Christmas cookies.

“Not to mention the super-duper tasty treats it offers,” Pinkie said happily. “There’s chocolate chip, peanut butter, snickerdoodles, oatmeal, macadamia nut…”

“We get it Pinkie!” Spike interrupted.

“I love, love, love, love everything about this special time of year!” Tubby said, snuggling Pinkie’s head.

Meanwhile, up on the stage, Mayor May-Who continued to address the crowd gathered at the Whobilation.

“Well I guess the award goes to the runner-up,” He spoke, with false disappointment.

“That’s right!” Whobris spoke up. “A man for whom Christmas comes not once a year but every minute of every day!”

While Whobris built up May-Who, the way an architect constructs a pedestal, the mayor himself just smiled in faux surprise.

“A handsome, noble man. A man who’s had his tonsils removed twice!”

Hearing this made a bunch of Who’s snicker (And perhaps a pony or two). May-Who, on the other hand, merely laughed nervously.

“That’s actually a funny story,” He spoke nervously. “You see what happened was…”

But before the Mayor could finish that sentence, the sound of rumbling drew everyone’s attention to the ‘Dumpit to Crumpit’ bin which slowly opened. Out of that bin, the Grinch flew out screaming as he soared across the sky and crashed into a giant drum. The impact of which caused him to fly backwards and ricochet off a giant banner which propelled him forward right into Martha May. Both went crashing down upon the cold floor, with Martha looking heavily shocked especially by the manner of Grinch’s… landing.

“Hello Martha,” The Grinch muffled a greeting.

“He made it!” Cindy yelled happily.

“Well… that’s certainly one way to make an entrance,” Twilight observed.

“Eh, I’ve done better,” Rainbow shrugged.

“Cindy! Honey!” Cindy’s parents called out.

The parents didn’t very far when the Grinch quickly reeled himself up, sending every Who reeling back with shock and fear. While Martha laid back on the floor, catching her breath, Mayor May Who slowly approached from the stand. But the moment the Grinch turned around, facing the Mayor directly, the head Who himself froze. The Grinch slowly climbed the steps toward the podium, a gasp escaped the mouths of every Who with each step.

Slowly, the Grinch turned toward the gazing crowd with a sour, grinchy scowl. All the Who’s, even the Equestrians, eyed him nervously waiting anxiously to hear what the Grinch had to say. The Grinch’s eyes scanned the crowd silently and no one dared to break the silence. The few Who’s the Grinch’s eyes caught sight he seemed to recall them from his childhood while all the rest are relatively new. A few agonizing seconds passed until at last the Grinch uttered a single syllable…

“Boo!”

One word was more than enough for the Who’s to reel back with fear. Even Fluttershy squeaked nervously before hiding behind Rarity, shivering more than the cold around her. And yet the Grinch merely just stood on the podium, staring at the crowd.

“Tough crowd… tough crowd…” The Grinch muttered. “I believe I’m here to… accept an ‘award’ of some kind. And… the ‘child’… mentioned a check?”

The Grinch held out one hairy paw towards the young Who girl and the Equestrians faced her with an incredulous look.

“You paid the Grinch to actually show up?!” Pinkie gasped.

“No, I didn’t!” Cindy objected.

“Pinkie Pie, we were all at the cave when we asked him to come,” Starlight frowned, in annoyance.

*WHA! WHA! WHA!*

A nearby trombone player blew out those three notes in the background, while Pinkie Pie stood in an awkward pose surrounded by her friends.

“I knew that…” Pinkie smiled awkwardly.

“All right, then, give me the award!” The Grinch demanded impatiently. “Come on, while I’m young!”

“Don’t you worry, Mr. Holiday Cheermeister, you’ll get your award,” Mayor May-Who assured. “But first… a little ‘family reunion’!”

“Where’s he going with this?” Spike asked.

“They nursed you… they clothed you… here they are: Your old biddies!” The Mayor announced.

All eyes turned as an eruption of fanfare bellowed throughout the streets. Strolling casually through the crowd, Clarnella and Rose Who slowly approached the podium all giddy and happy to be reunited with the very Grinch they raised as their own Who offspring. Suffice to say, the Grinch himself was not entirely ‘pleased’ to see the pair.

“Are you two still living?” The Grinch asked.

“We missed you!” Rose squealed, much to The Grinch’s disgust.

“Rose, the sweater!” Clarnella ushered. “The Sweater, Rose.”

“Sweater? What are you talkin’ about?” The Grinch asked.

And then before the eyes of all the Who’s and the Equestrians, Rose took out a hand-knit Christmas sweater and presented it toward the Grinch. Before he realized it, all the other elderly female Who’s approached the podium to ‘help’ him into the sweater much to his objections.

“No, I can’t! I can’t do that! Don’t touch me there!”

In a matter of swift seconds and struggle, the Who’s paved way and before everyone’s eyes the Grinch was now decked in the new holiday sweater. With Candy Cane sleeves and a huge Christmas tree with a star right in the very center. As if it couldn’t be big enough, the ‘ornaments’ on the tree glowed with gleaming lights. The grumpy Grinch looked down and shrieked with horror at the display before him. The one Equestrian actually feeling for the Grinch was Rainbow Dash herself, who’s face scrunched with disgust at the design.

“That has got to be the ‘ugliest’ Christmas sweater I’ve ever seen…” Rainbow remarked.

“Oh yes…” Rarity smiled. “Isn’t it just lovely?”

Several eyes turned toward the fashionista, who kept her gaze upon the sweater. Leave it to their marshmallow friend to take delight in anything fashion related.

“Put him in the Chair of Cheer!” A random Who announced.

All of a sudden, a few Who’s made their way toward the Podium carrying a throne of sorts toward the Grinch. To say the dude was confused was a major understatement.

“Chair of Cheer? What’s the Chair of Cheer?” He asked, facing the group. “You didn’t tell me about the Chair of Cheer!”

“We didn’t know about the Chair of Cheer!” Spike called out.

“Please, Mr. Grinch!” Cindy Lou begged. “Please!”

“It’ll be fun!” Tubby cheered.

Soon all the Who’s had the ‘Chair of Cheer’ ready for the Holiday Cheermeister to take his seat. But The Grinch was not making it easy for these Who’s.

“No, no, no! I can’t do it, honestly,” The Grinch insisted. “I’m not ready. It’s too much, too soon!”

But the Who’s plopped the Grinch onto the chair anyway, much to his chagrin. And soon the Who’s were hauling the Grinch all the way through the streets of town, while everyone else looked on and cheered for their Holiday Cheermeister.

“It’s that time of year!” The Mayor announced. “The Cheermeister’s ride in the Chair of Cheer!”

“Put me down! I mean it!” The Grinch shouted. “I’ve got a lawyer. There’ll be Hell to pay!”

“He’s not enjoying himself,” Twilight observed worriedly.

“Maaaaybe it gets better later on?” Pinkie Pie guessed.

“First, you’ll put your taste buds to the test… as you judge the ‘Who Pudding Cook-Off’!” The Mayor announced.

“Who Pudding Cook-Off!” Whobris repeated.

“A WHO… PUDDING… COOK-OFF!!!” Pinkie Pie gasped.

<>

Sure enough, the Who Pudding contest was underway. Who’s across the town shared a spoonful of their signature Pudding dish forcibly down the Grinch’s mouth. The poor fellow found himself forced to swallow every serving of every different color of pudding imaginable… or the like he hardly ever tasted before.

“Mine first!” A Who shouted.

“I really don’t know…” The Grinch muttered, between bites.

“No, mine’s the best!” Another Who offered.

“You’ll enjoy this!”

“This is ‘not’ pudding!” An elder Who offered.

“What is it?” The Grinch asked, spitting it out.

“What the hay even is that?” Rainbow asked, from the sidelines.

A few servings later, the poor Grinch was practically in tears trying to stomach every spoonful of the sickening sweet pudding these Who’s can dish out. Even when he refused to eat any more, the Who’s kept shoving their recipes down his throat determined to have the best Pudding in town.

“This is mine! Yummy, yummy, yummy!”

“Aww… lucky!!!” Pinkie Pie whimpered, lips quivering.

<>

“Christmas conga!”

True to the event, all the Who’s (And the Equestrians) were all dancing a holiday rendition of the ‘Conga’ line all across the streets. And who else should lead this most festive dance, whether he liked it or not, was the Holiday Cheermeister himself… the Grinch. While everyone was having a blast (Especially a certain pink party pony), the Grinch tried to find a way out of this.

“Look at the time,” The Grinch checked his wrist. “I really should be getting back—AAH!”

“C’mon, Grinchy!” Pinkie shouted gleefully. “Shake a hoof!”

“All right!” The Grinch shouted, forcing himself to dance.

In the midst of all the excitement, as they danced the night away, Rarity caught a glimpse of something off the corner of her eye. From the sidelines, Martha May looked on as the Conga line passed those looking on. She was watching the Grinch taking the lead, her head bobbing along the sides to the beat. Without a word, and being keen to detail, Rarity nodded with a ‘Hmm…’ knowing full well what was on that one Who’s mind.

<>

“Fruitcake, tra-la-la!”

As if the Grinch couldn’t think to stomach anymore sweets, now these same Who’s were offering their fresh-baked pieces of fruitcake for him to try. Try as he might to refuse, muttering ‘No’ between bites, they kept shoving all that fruitcake down his throat forcing him to swallow even the crumbs. It didn’t help that he was soon brought back onto the ‘Chair of Cheer’, the Who’s hopping him up and down as he tried to keep his ‘lunch’ from coming out the front end.

<>

“Fudge Judge!”

The poor Grinch looked worse for wear by the time that the fudge judging portion of this event was underway. Judging by the very expression upon his face, he looked as though he were about to explode at any time. Oblivious of well-being, the Who’s carried on with the festitivites. Each of which brought their own fudge recipe for the Grinch to try. Some more ‘interesting’ than others.

“Made it myself!”

“Yeah? Mine are homemade too!”

By this point, the Grinch didn’t even bother to object to the Who’s offerings (Though he tried to take a bite against a Who’s hand). He welcomed all the fudge these Who’s could dish out at him, trying all his might to fit as much as his jaw can hold. From the sidelines, poor Pinkie Pie found herself hyperventilating seeing the Grinch having all the ‘fun’ while her friends tried to keep her steady.

“Why does this guy get ‘all’ the best offerings?!” Pinkie whined, pawing the ground.

“Okay! Put it in!” The Grinch challenged. “Bring it on! Is that all you got? Is that all you got? Come on!”

<>

“And finally… ‘Nog-All’!”

The very last portion of these food-related challenges, much to the Grinch’s relief, seemed very simple enough. All the Grinch had to do was consume as much Eggnog these Who’s could serve to him. One particular Who proceeded to pour down a large serving of the beverage down a contraption where the drink flowed down a tube, which in turn led to the Grinch’s mouth. The Grinch forced himself to swallow all the eggnog down his throat guzzling it down despite his already portly stomach expanding greatly by the hour.

The Equestrians watched this display before their eyes and some mixed emotions came out of it. Some of Twilight’s friends were astounded the Grinch could stomach this much, while others looked sick to their stomach. Ponies like Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, were rather envious seeing the Grinch partake in this event. And somehow, the Grinch was able to swallow the entire serving of eggnog much to the awe of all the Who’s at the gathering.

“The ole Whoville record… HAS JUST BEEN BROKEN!!!”

All the Who’s and the Equestrians cheered for the Grinch, a feat which a few of the ponies find rather perplexing. The Who serving all the Eggnog, a member of the Whoville band, shrugged his arms with a smile.

“I guess I can’t hold on the crown forever!”

“That’s it!” Pinkie shouted, taking out a paper. “I’m adding a new goal onto my list for next year!”

“Pinkie, y’all really need a new hobby…” Applejack remarked.

And a good thing this was the very last of the eating portion for this Whobilation because seeing the Grinch back on the throne, clutching his stomach, he looked as if he were forcing himself not to throw up. But just in case, Pinkie passed along a few umbrella hats to the group and prepped them open… in case of sickness emergencies.

<>

Soon the Whobilation sack race was now underway with the holiday Cheermeister himself competing against the Who’s (Mostly the children). The Grinch was actively determined to win this race barreling past all the participants. Course these Who youngsters weren’t the only ones playing, few of the Equestrians actually took part in the race to get in on the fun. Course, neither one counted on the fact that the Grinch turned out to be ‘very’ competitive.

“Out of the way, slow-mo!” The Grinch shouted, shoving Spike.

“WAAAAH!!!” Spike cried out.

The dragon was shoved so hard he was flung from his bag into the gathered crowd. Fortunately for him, Twilight Sparkle was able to catch her assistant/brother with her wings opened like a net. While Spike recovered, his eyes rolling with visions of the Grinch, Twilight looked on as the contestants neared the end of the race.

“Excuse me!” Grinch said, bumping Rarity.

“GOOD HEAVENS!!!” Rarity shouted, falling aside.

Finally, by the end of the race, the Grinch gave himself one massive hop and practically flung himself over the finish line. All the Who’s cheered, including Cindy Lou and her family, even the few Equestrians gave a shrug and clapped their hooves for the Grinch. Martha May nearly cried out loud seeing the Grinch won, but she stopped herself before drawing too much attention. As the Who’s helped the Grinch to his feet, one of the Who’s presented the first place ribbon for their Cheermeister.

“He’s number one in the sack race run!”

“Number one! I’m number one!” The Grinch cried out. “I’m number one! NO child can beat the Grinch! I beat you!”

As the Grinch celebrated his own triumph, passing all the losing participants, the one the Grinch called out was none other than a grumpy Rainbow Dash. Being teased in such a manner, the feisty Pegasus was more than tempted to give the Grinch a good bop on the nose. Which she would’ve gotten away with if not for Applejack and Starlight Glimmer holding her back.

“Just let him have this one hon!” Applejack urged. “Let ‘em have it!”

“I… hate… losing!” Rainbow muttered.

But regardless of the circumstances, this was a big night for the Grinch indeed. Whether he knew it or not, he was bathing in all the cheer and praise, along with all the benefits, of being Holiday Cheermeister. He truly felt on top of the world more so than in his own home in Mount Crumpit. Watching the Grinch make a spectacle of himself, the Mayor looked on with annoyance seeing the way he carried himself off and all these Who’s buying into it.

Eventually, the Grinch found himself back on the pedestal beside Mayor May-Who himself. By now, the Grinch had a wreath like hat over his head which he wore like a crown. And he didn’t mind it in the slightest, as it somehow made him feel like a King. The Whobilation was reaching its end which could only mean one thing…

“And now it’s time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” The Mayor declared.

“Yes! My award!” The Grinch smirked. “Write the check.”

“There’s no check.”

“Are you sure? Because I thought I heard someone mention a check.”

“I said, there’s no check!” The Mayor repeated, annoyed. “And now it’s time… for Present Pass-it-on! As always, we start with our Cheermeister.”

With the announcement of Present Pass-It On, all the Who’s gathered together to form one big circle that nearly took up a fraction of the town. Wanting to get in on the action, the Equestrians decided to join in on the event to take part in the holiday tradition. Based on keen observation, they noted that each of the Who’s had a present of their own which apparently was a requirement to offer to the Who (Friend or neighbor) beside them.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped. “Seems in our excitement, we forgot to bring presents!”

“Got ya covered there, Fluttershy!” Pinkie smiled.

She reached into her hoof and proceeded to pull out a present for each of her friends one by one.

“I always keep a few presents handy… in case of ‘Present’ emergencies!”

By this point, neither the ponies nor Spike bother to question Pinkie Pie’s antics as if suggesting moments like this don’t really surprise the group anymore.

“Ready?” The Mayor asked. “Here we go! And… Martha May Who.”

Martha May proceeded to kick-off the event by offering her present to the Who next to her (In which case, the only police officer in town). She gave the Who a ‘Merry Christmas’ to which the Who Officer thanked kindly. The process would proceed with this Who, followed by the next and next. Each Who receiving a present from the Who next to them, wishing one another a Merry Christmas along the way. The Grinch looked on twiddling his fingers when he noticed Martha May facing him. He chuckled nervously toward the practically perfect Who.

“Present Pass It On…” The Grinch smiled. “I ‘almost’ forgot!”

But judging by the poor attempt of searching himself for a gift or two, the truth of the matter was quite contrary to his initial saying.

“He forgot about ‘Present Pass It On’ didn’t he?” Spike asked.

“Eeyup!” The group answered, in unison.

Present Pass-It On was going about at a near rapid pace, presents passed along from one to the other. A zany process indeed that a Who practically hurled a present to one off a ledge overlooking the city and it proceeded from there. The whole time the Grinch searched himself trying to find a means of presenting a ‘gift’ of sorts for Martha May, who every so often chanced a glimpse toward the zany creature doing all these silly things beside her. The Grinch could see time was running out, the presents were slowly making their way toward his direction. Even the Equestrians looked on nervously wondering how the Grinch would squirm his way out of this one.

By the end of the line, it all came down to the Grinch and the Mayor gestured for him to pass his gift to Martha.

“My turn?” The Grincha sked sheepishly.

Quick as a whip he held his left furry hand and in his grasp… was the fanciest looking watch in all of Whoville.

“There you are Martha,” The Grinch smiled. “Sorry I didn’t have time to wrap it!”

“That’s my watch!” The Mayor spoke, taking it back.

“Oh, so all of a sudden everything on your wrist belongs to you?” The Grinch asked, mockingly. “Well then you better take back your cufflinks too!”

The Grinch threw the tiny bits of jewelry back toward the Mayor, to which he in turn handed to Whobris for safe keeping. The Equestrians groaned at the display, slapping themselves in the face with their hooves/claws. Mayor May-Who decided to take advantage of this rather awkward scene.

“He got nothing!” The Mayor announced.

“That’s not true!” The Grinch objected. “I, um… ordered from the catalog. But they’re all backed up and… stuff.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Mr. Carrey!” Pinkie called out. “I’m sure I’ve got a spare gift you can share with Martha! Lemme just—”

Pinkie Pie reached into her mane, but her face showed confusion as she swiveled her hoof through her mane. She seemed to be struggling to reach for something, a rare thing to occur for a pony of Pinkie’s character. She proceeded to shake her tail around as if thinking she left it in there (For… reasons). But all she seemed to accomplish was make herself looked sillier in front of all the Who’s staring awkwardly. Watching this, The Grinch slowly leaned toward the Mayor’s side.

“I seriously never met her before in my life…” The Grinch muttered awkwardly.

“Well, don’t worry,” The Mayor assured. “We brought something ‘for you’.”

“Wut in tarnation is that there Mayor up to?” Applejack wondered.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” Starlight spoke nervously.

Whobris offered a gold present toward the Grinch, who cheered with glee. He proceeded to lift the lid right off the box and tipped the box into his open palm. The glee on his face dropped instantly the moment he recognized what he carried in his clutch… an all too familiar electric razor from his childhood.

“The gift… of a Christmas shave,” The Mayor concluded.

All the Who’s suddenly broke out in laughter, either because it was a rather funny joke, or it reminded several of them of that one particular day at school when the Grinch lived amongst them. The Equestrians and Cindy Lou turned toward each other nervously. They recalled the story of what drove the Grinch to madness, and they could tell the Grinch was not happy. The moment the Grinch pushed the button, watching the razor blades whir rapidly, it took him back to the ‘worst’ Christmas of his entire life…

“Look at that hack job!”

The infamous words that started it all. He remembered holding that same razor blade up to one side of his face, determined to shave the beard off just to look his best for all his classmates… and especially Martha. He remembered the painful sensation of the blades cutting the skin on his face, as he shaved every bit of hair he could. He remembered the faces of every classmate of his laughing at him, mocking him, Augustus May being the worst of them all. He remembered every emotion he felt that day: Anger, confusion… sadness. Every negative emotion happening to him all at once. Memories the Grinch longed to forget, only to be reminded of what led him to hate Christmas.

“Ah yes, yes, yes, good times!” The Mayor smiled, patting the Grinch’s back. “Good times.”

All around the Who’s kept laughing, and just when he couldn’t do anymore, the Mayor proceeded to rub an extra bit of salt on whatever wound he opened on the Grinch.

“And now, I have a little something for the love of my life.”

The Who’s suddenly went silent as a drumroll proceeded to play. Whobris proceeded to pass a tiny box into the Mayor’s hand, as the Mayor proceeded to bend on one knee before Martha May who looked rather surprised by the turn of events. The Grinch stood on the side, watching with anger as the Mayor proceeded to slowly open the box and reveal the special surprise he has for the dazzling Who woman: A dazzling wedding ring.

“Martha May… please become Mrs. Augustus May-Who!” The Mayor proposed.

Everyone gathered gasped with shock, but none more so than the Grinch who realized what the Mayor was doing… right in front of him. The sight of the ring nearly took Martha’s breath away, for this was no ordinary wedding ring. It appeared to have three diamonds, one on top of the other, as if Augustus spared no expense with finding the ring he ‘knew’ Martha couldn’t resist. There it sat glittering under the holiday decorations, Martha couldn’t take her eyes away.

“Augustus…” Martha uttered.

For a moment, Martha turned away from the ring and she was silent again. The Grinch eyed her with shock, thinking that she was actually going to say ‘yes’ despite all the feelings he had for her. As if being Holiday Cheermeister meant nothing to her… that the Grinch had attended this whole party… for nothing. No words could best express how the ponies feel seeing the Grinch in this position, shaking their heads as they felt empathy for the green furry creature.

“If you agree to be my wife,” The Mayor continued. “Along with a lifetime supply of happiness, you’ll also receive this…”

Suddenly, the proposal suddenly turned into one big extravaganza. With music playing like something out a game show, the Mayor beckoned toward the street where a shiny red Who car sat in full display for all eyes to gaze upon (Especially Martha’s eyes). Whobris stood beside it basking his arms over the car like it’s the most beautiful treasure worth buying.

“It’s a new car!” The Mayor announced. “Generously provided by the taxpayers of Whoville! What do you say, Martha? You got 20 seconds on the clock.”

"What is this? A Price is Right episode?" Pinkie remarked.

True to his word, the Whoville band started to play a jingle indicating to Martha how much time she has to decide. All the Who’s waited anxiously to hear what decision Martha was bound to declare for them all. Just then, Starlight Glimmer caught a glimpse of the Grinch slowly making his way toward the crowd and inching right to the car.

“What’re you doing?” Starlight thought.

“Well… I…” Martha spoke. “These gifts are quite dazzling~”

Before Martha could give her answer, a loud, grating *SCREECH!* was heard throughout the crowd like a nail harshly scraping against the chalkboard. Every Who and pony turned toward the source A long, green hairy finger digging against the red paintjob of the Mayor’s gift to Martha. Soon as the finger pulled away, all eyes now faced the Grinch, their Holiday Cheermeister, scowling toward the crowd.

“Of course, they are…” The Grinch growled.

All went silent almost instantaneously, no Who knew just what to say in response. Starlight Glimmer, on the other hoof, was the first to approach the Grinch.

“Is everything okay?” She asked nervously. “Look… I know how it must look, but—”

“I’m… just… peachy, pony!” The Grinch calmly enunciated.

Starlight Glimmer reeled back from the heavy emphasis on the ‘P’s’, all the spit flying toward her direction. As he cleaned herself up, the Grinch slowly stalked toward the podium.

“I mean… that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?” He remarked uncharacteristically happily. “It’s what it’s ALWAYS been about!”

The Grinch started laughing as he slowly walked towards the crowd.

“Gifts! Gifts…”

His approach toward the Who’s sped up along with the tone of his voice. By now it became much gruffer, as he pointed toward every single Who, frightening them.

“Giftsgiftsgiftsgiftsgiftsgiftsgiftsgifts!”

He slowly pulled back into a state of calmness just like that. Starlight followed the Grinch’s trail, trying to calm him down.

“Mr. Grinch, I understand you’re upset,” Starlight spoke calmly. “But maybe you should take some time to—”

“MAYBE you should let your ‘Holiday Snoremeister’ have his say, nag!”

The force of the Grinch’s voice propelled Starlight directly into a nearby snowbank before the Grinch turned his attention back to the Mayor and Martha.

“Now… back… to your… gifts,” He scowled. “You wanna know what happens to ‘em? They all come to me… in your garbage. You hear what I’m saying? IN YOUR GARBAGE!

“I could hang myself with all the bad Christmas neckties I found at the dump!”

As he mimicked holding a noose around his neck, his gaze never left the pair standing at the podium.

“And the avarice…” The Grinch pointed, ranting. “THE AVARICE NEVER ENDS! I mean, really! I want golf clubs! I want diamonds! I want a pony, so I can ride it twice, get bored, and sell it to make GLUE!”

The Grinch’s pantomime of the Who’s, an attempt at proving his point, made everyone around him gasp out loud. The loudest of all were Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the pair fainting over the thought of ponies turned into glue. Twilight and Rarity tried to revive them as they kept their eyes on the Grinch. To say ponies like Rainbow Dash was confused was a major understatement.

“What do you suppose he meant by that?” Rainbow whispered to Applejack.

“Who knows?” Applejack replied, uncertainly. “Probably just another bout of Grinchy hooey. Best not think on it~”

“Look, I don’t wanna make waves,” The Grinch continued. “But this WHOLE CHRISTMAS SEASON IS… STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!!”

With every ‘stupid’ uttered, The Grinch pointed toward the faces of every random Who in sight. The crowd fell silent of his hatemongering outburst, beginning to remember why they were so afraid of the Grinch in the first place. Even Cindy, Twilight, and the others felt afraid compared to the Grinch’s previous efforts to scare them prior.

Suddenly… the Grinch’s anti-holiday rant turned more… appreciative, in tone.

“There is, however… one… teeny-tiny, Christmas tradition… I find quite… meaningful…”

Once the Grinch was close enough, he plucked the holly from Martha May’s ring box before facing the crowd and hung the holly over his head.

“Mistletoe… an unspoiled, ever-living holiday symbol of love… Who-hood… and friendship…”

There was a sense of confusion as they were wondering where the Grinch was going with all this.

“And we all know what happens when you catch someone under it, don’t we?” The Grinch asked slowly. “Now PUCKER UP AND KISS IT, WHOVILLE!”

And just like, he turned away while waving the holly over his own… well, behind. This uttered great shock from the crowd as Martha May, and especially Rarity, fainted from such a crude action with a once-innocent Christmas decoration.

As the Grinch pushed the town over following his little mistletoe-based insult, he grabbed ahold of the Mayor and used his ‘gifted’ razor to shear the middle of his head leaving him partially bald as his victim screamed with fear.

“Uh-oh. Someone’s… FABULOUS!” The Grinch exclaimed.

He proceeded to land one disgusting smooch on the paralyzed Mayor’s cheek before spitting it out and shoved him aside.

The Whoville Whobilation turned to a night of horror, festively dressed Who’s tried to run away from their very worst nightmare. All the while, the Whoville law enforcement tried in vain to calm the public into leaving in an orderly fashion. The Grinch, in the meantime, tossed away his Cheermeister crown and tore away his Christmas sweater, revealing the lederhosen he came down wearing. He then jumped off the podium and towards the Who’s, causing them to scatter in sheer terror.

The Lou Who’s were so busy trying to get their daughter to safety, they completely ignored her pleas to not do so. The ponies did the same for their frightened friends, while Spike tried to find them through the sea of frightened Who’s. The Grinch caught sight of a long-bearded Who, walking towards him and pulling his beard over like a scarf.

“Excuse me, old-timer!”

The Grinch grabbed an ‘XXX’ bottle from the elder Who’s satchel.

“Mind if I wet my whistle?”

Before the old man Who could answer, the Grinch popped the cork to pour the contents down his cheeks and tossed the bottle onto the ground, breaking it.

“That’s my good stuff!” The elder Who complained.

Meanwhile, Spike just spotted Twilight and the others. Just as he was about to rush towards them, the Grinch caught the dragon by the back of his neck and pulled him towards his captor.

“Hey kid… got a light?” The Grinch asked.

“What are you talking abo--?”

Before Spike could retaliate, the Grinch stomped on his foot and the dragon uttered a painful howl while green fire came out on reflex. The Grinch spat out the ‘Christmas Cheer’ through the flame towards the giant Whoville tree, fully igniting it and setting it ablaze to the horror of the Who’s and ponies, especially the ones slowly reviving from their fainting spells.

As they gasped and watched, the green flames climbed further up the tree before fully engulfing it and the flammable décor.

“Burn, baby… BURN!” The Grinch shouted.

Soon as the flames capped off the top of the tree, all that remained was a charred trunk and branches, a few surviving ornaments, and the tarnished star tree topper. The remnants briefly held their height before falling apart, the star falling down with a great *CLANG!*, all as the Grinch danced happily and clapped his hands, dropping the drained Spike, whose muzzle was slightly charred and smoky, his inner fire temporarily burned out from his involuntary fire breathing. The Who’s soon resumed their fleeing of the scene of seasonal carnage.

Martha, who just regained consciousness, was for a moment stunned.

“Oh wow…” She gaped, dazed.

The Grinch relished the absolute chaos he was creating, waving his arms in the air.

“OH… THE WHOMANITY~!” He cried out, with false pity.

And just like that, the Grinch made his dramatic exit and raptured over having ruined their celebrations so effectively.

“Do something!” The Mayor instructed Whobris.

“Right!” He replied.

Whobris rushed off leaving the Mayor t watch the Grinchy carnage. He heard the sound of the razor and turned to the side… spotting Whobris taking the razor and shaving the middle of his head off like May Who’s. The Mayor internally groaned over the incompetence of his own aide. They were drawbacks, after all, for putting a sycophant Who in an elected office.

“The Grinch is getting away!” Twilight Sparkle called out.

“We’ve got to catch him!” Starlight urged. “He’s our ticket to finding Cozy Glow!”

“Oh, we’re on it!” Rainbow took off. “C’mon Fluttershy!”

“Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy whimpered, flying after her.

The Grinch raced through the streets of Whoville, as police officers called out for reinforcements to find and capture the delinquent Grinch. Looking across the street for a means of escape, he spotted a passing cab coming down the road.

“Taxi!” The Grinch raised a hand.

But the taxi driver nearly sped away from the Grinch, as he frowned in his spot.

“It’s because I’m green, isn’t it?”

The Grinch scoured the streets, as all the Who’s ran passed him. He saw a mode of transportation weaving its way toward him and he held out one hand before him.

“Halt!”

The car screeched to a halt… a rather tiny Who mobile, made for Who’s many inches smaller than the normal sized Who. The kind of car that looked more like something a kid would drive with a remote control. The tiny Who couple stared in fear towards the gigantic Grinch.

“Evening, folks,” The Grinch greeted. “Mind if I read along? You might want to scooch over.”

The Grinch prepped himself to sit his ‘caboose’ into the seat of the car. The tiny Who’s screeched wildly and fled in sheer terror, as the Grinch sat himself along the entire car with a sigh.

“You did the right thing!” The Grinch called out.

The Grinch prepared to start the car when Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy spotted him from the air.

“THERE HE IS!!!” Rainbow called out.

Skidding onto the street, Applejack appeared from behind the Grinch and with the lasso in her mouth she twirled it about over her head. After a few seconds, she hurled the lasso with a mighty ‘YEE-HAW!’ and the rope slipped around the tiny car wrapping on tightly. The Grinch turned toward the country pony for a moment, sneering while waving his tongue at her. Then he put the ‘pedal to the metal’ and skid the car at a rapid pace forward. Applejack tried to pull the rope back with all her might only to find herself skidding along with her hooves against the snow like a water skier.

“Out of the way!” The Grinch waved a hand.

The Who’s tried desperately to get out of the way, amidst all the chaos of the Whobilation rampage. Applejack held onto the lasso tightly as the Grinch drove on the stolen Who auto. Several Who’s had to jump out of the way to avoid the Grinch, while one landed face-first against the window of another car. Just then, the Grinch soared high over a hill with Applejack holding on. They screamed until the Grinch rammed through one of the Who’s homes…

Inside, a certain Whovillian was on hold with the phone over her ear. For a moment, the Grinch drove by with Applejack now lying on a loose door with her mouth clutched against the rope. He backed up a bit to address the Who, a Who entirely devoted to her call.

“Stuck on hold?” He asked.

The Who didn’t even turn, merely nodding in response.

“I gotcha,” Grinch nodded. “Hate it when that happens.”

“Good luck with that…” Applejack spoke, dizzily.

“BANZAI!!!”

The Grinch continued to drive through the house, crashing through the other side, with Applejack holding on.

“This is gonna hurt in the mornin’…” Applejack muttered.

The Grinch turned back briefly, seeing the stubborn mare holding onto her rope. But the moment he looked ahead, his eyes went wide as he saw Pinkie Pie, with Tubby Nugget on her back, scurrying around the streets with a large tray of Who Pudding. The moment they saw the Grinch heading their way, the pair screamed with fright.

Gasping with shock, the Grinch turned the wheel heavily to avoid crashing into the random pair. But his actions sent the car spinning around the icy road and Applejack twirling round and round in the air with tears spilling from her eyes. They spun about, screaming wildly, until the car crashed, and the force sent Applejack flying into the air screaming. Rainbow Dash, quickly seeing Applejack in danger, zoomed quickly and managed to catch Applejack in her grip… before crashing into a nearby shop… full of Christmas pies. Much to Rainbow’s chagrin, while she and Applejack had a soft landing, the Pegasus found herself covered in pie crust and fruity fillings.

“Urgh…” Rainbow groaned. “Pies…”

As for the Grinch, he laid on the ground slightly unconscious while the car had just crashed into a fire hydrant. As the Grinch slowly regained consciousness, fuel started to leak from the pipes of the car and a spark caused the Grinch to reel back in an instant. For he knew what was bound to happen.

“IT’S GONNA BLOW!!!” The Grinch screamed.

The Grinch quickly got back on his feet and made a break for it, running as far from the car as possible. Fire started to erupt from the engine, as everyone around the car ran as far as they could from the area. The Grinch ran and ran, huffing and puffing, until finally the tiny Who car exploded right behind him, and the Grinch was propelled forward by an eruption of fire.

<>

Moments later, after the massive explosion and as the chaos died down, a whole bunch of Who’s stood in the town square. All eyes looked amongst all the carnage left behind by the Grinch himself. Cindy Lou, along with all her friends, stood just beside the ashes of the once giant Christmas tree until Lou came up and stood alongside May-Who and Whobris on top of the ashes.

“I’m hurt Lou,” May-Who said. “I’m hurt and I don’t hurt easy. But you and your family, I’m so very disappointed.”

“Wait a minute!” Rainbow Dash interrupted, approaching the Mayor. “Don’t pin this on Cindy! Everything was going just fine till you pulled that stunt with the razor!”

“And proposed to the girl he’s loved since childhood!” Applejack added.

“What?” Martha May asked, shocked.

“Darling, surely you’ve noticed how he acts around you,” Rarity told her. “Don’t you remember the Christmas angel he made for you at school? He made that with his own hands; if that’s not true love, I don’t know what is.”

“I can vouch for that!” Spike nodded in agreement.

“That’s enough! I’ve had it with you little creatures!” May-Who spoke angrily. “I want you lot out of my town by tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow?!” The group spoke, in unison.

“But sir… tomorrow’s Christmas!” Fluttershy argued.

“Exactly!” The Mayor nodded, putting on the crown. “And we’re going to carry on from this travesty and get back to Christmas the way it should be: Grinchless… pony-less… noexceptions!”

And just like that, he turned back toward his public shouting ‘Merry Christmas’ to all the Who’s. The ponies bowed their heads in shame, while Spike and Tubby Nugget felt especially worse. The rest of Cindy’s family, even a couple other Who’s, turned toward Cindy and her group of friends.

“I just wanted everybody to be together for Christmas,” Cindy said sadly.

“It’s not your fault Cindy,” Twilight assured her. “You did everything you could; you almost pulled it off.”

“Don’t blame yerself Sugarcube,” Applejack agreed. “If you wanna blame any pony, ya can blame that there mayor ah yers.”

“Yeah, it’s his fault all this happened!” Spike nodded. “He just couldn’t stand the fact that for once someone else was getting some glory. Felt like he had to do something to bring the Grinch down again.”

“I ought to ring that slimy May-Who like a big old rusty bell!” Rainbow growled.

“Normally darling, I’d scold you for thinking such violent thoughts,” Rarity remarked. “But this time, I don’t blame you.”

As all her friends chattered away, Starlight Glimmer looked out toward the mess left behind in the Grinch’s way. So much disaster and destruction all in one night, and on Christmas Eve of all nights. They did everything they could to bring the Grinch closer to the community, to encourage him to see what the holiday means to all the Who’s. Now they find themselves responsible for unleashing a monster on the whole town and made to leave this town by morning. A single tear fell down Starlight’s face as she gazed out looking toward nothing in particular.

“We did everything we could think of…” Starlight sighed to herself. “I guess the Grinch will never have the Christmas spirit.”

<>

Meanwhile, the Grinch himself returned to the ‘Dumpit to Crumpit’ bin. He felt very proud of himself for all the damaged he caused relishing in all the chaos that followed. It felt like a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“I quite enjoyed that,” He smirked. “I hope I get another invite soon.”

He chuckled to himself, as he turned back to admire his handy work one last time before deciding to return home. But the moment he did, the Grinch froze. His eyes went wide when he noticed the Who’s still laughing and smiling. A number of them brought in another huge tree that greatly resembled the first.

“Good thing we have a spare,” May-Who said.

“Suffering snorkelblads!” Grinch cringed. “They’re relentless!”

It was then the Grinch decided that he’s finally had enough. He slammed his hand on the side and fell back into the bin as it closed, and the Grinch was sucked back toward the very top of Mount Crumpit as far from the Who’s as possible.

A Wonderful Awful Idea

Meanwhile, as the Who’s busily repaired and replaced the damaged decorations courtesy of the Grinch’s destruction at the Whobilation, Cozy Glow herself had been busy. Since the Grinch’s departure, she already made copies of ‘all’ the Grinch’s blueprints for the Benefactor to peruse. With the extra time, she designed and invented some gadgets that might help the Grinch with his ‘Ultimate Grinching’, and of course… making herself familiar with all the Grinch’s currently existing inventions.

Right now, the devilish filly stood at the Grinch’s observation deck, checking both the sound detection and hidden camera systems, which allowed the Grinch to keep an eye on intruders over the years spent living up here. However… as she was observing, she noticed one of the screens (Labeled ‘Dump Cam’) showing the Grinch dropping in from the trash tube… and he did not look happy at all.

“Oh golly… he must be in a bad mood,” She remarked, feigning sadness. “Something awfulmust have happened to him back at the party… what a terrible turn of events…”

Before long, the ‘cute’ filly donned a more ‘sinister’ smirk toward the audience.

“I love a terrible turn of events,” She continued. “Maybe I can do something to cheer him up, now that we can get to the big plan we talked about. Just can’t wait to talk about how we’ll—”

Suddenly, her eyes widened with realization. In the midst of all her other plans, she had completely forgotten the plan for the Grinch’s ‘Ultimate Grinching’.

“Oh, buck me! I knew I forgot something! What do I do? What do I do?! Okay, okay… maybe I can make something up. Ooh, I hope he’s not in too bad a mood to listen to me.”

She fluttered away from the security system and glided towards the front door, opening it and looked out for the Grinch. She soon spotted him, his eyes ablaze like fire, his scowl having reached maximum Grinchiness. His seething breath could be seen through the cold air.

“Evening, Mr. Grinch… was the party that awful?”

The Grinch merely ignored her, as he stomped towards the ledge. His eyes glared toward Whoville in the distance.

“I’ll take that as a… ‘yes’?”

“The Grinch ignored her words with a sour Grinchy frown
As he glared his eyes hatefully down at the Who town
For he knew every Who down in Whoville beneath
Would soon be busy, hanging a holly-Who Wreath…”

“Mr. Grinch? Hello?!” Cozy called out, through the winter winds. “Aren’t you gonna say something?!”

Soon, the Grinch slowly turned around quite menacingly toward the foal, who felt like freezing as she found herself looking into his cold gaze.

“You want me to say something? You wanna know what happened? Fine!!!”

On one foot, he spun himself towards the young filly and walked menacingly towards her.

“I tried to be nice… I tried to be friendly… I tried to be just like every other Who down there who was spoon-fed with Christmas cheer and goodwill since they were drooling brats! As it turned out, no matter what happens, I’ll ‘never’ fit in cockadoodie Whoville! And you wanna know why?”

Cozy was afraid to answer, but the Grinch unfortunately grabbed her head and walked her back over the ledge.

“Christmas is the reason!!!” The Grinch shouted.

To her shock and horror, he held Cozy over the edge of the cliff. It appeared as if he were about to drop her from such a dizzying height.

“Look at them, little horse. All nice and toasty in their little Who-houses, putting gifts under their Who-trees, hanging all their Who-stockings and Who-wreaths… all of them waiting for Santy Clausto come by just to drop off more Christmas junk. And you know what?”

Cozy trembled as she began to fear if those Who’s pushed the guy off his rocker enough to actually kill.

“Um… what?”

He pulled her back, positioning her face very close to his face.

“I’m sick of it all. All the cheap commercialism… all the meaningless materialism… all the endless avarice!”

“You think Christmas Eve is bad now?”

“He snarled with a sneer…”

“Tomorrow’s Christmas. It’s practically here!” He snarled.

He lowered the pony down, but not letting her head go. His fingers roughly drummed against Cozy’s forehead as he rambled.

“Then he growled with his fingers furiously drumming…”

“Grr… we must find some way to keep Christmas from coming!”

Grinch (Spoken):
For, tomorrow, I know all those Who girls and boys
Will wake bright and early and rush for their toys!
And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
One thing I truly hate! All the NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!

As the Grinch spoke each ‘noise’, his drumming against Cozy’s head grew harder and harder to the point her eyes shook from the vibrations sent through her skull. Eventually, his hand dropped her back on the ledge and as she looked up she saw the Grinch switch from rage to crazy.

Grinch (Spoken):
And they'll shriek squeaks and squeals, racing 'round on their wheels.
They'll dance with Jing-Tinglers tied onto their heels!
They'll bang on Tong-Tinglers! They’ll blow their Foo-Flounders!
They'll crash on Jang-Jinglers! They’ll bounce on Boing-Bounders!
They'll blow their Floo-Floobers! They'll bang their Tah-Tinkers!
They'll blow their Who-Hoobers! They'll bang their Gah-Ginkers!
They'll beat their Trum-Tookers! They'll slam their Sloo-Slonkers!
They'll beat their Blum-Blookers! They'll wham their Who-Wonkers!
And they'll play noisy games like “Zoo Zitta Ka Zay”,
A roller-skate type of lacrosse and croquet!
And then they'll make earsplitting noises deluxe
On their great big Electro Who-Cardio Shluxe~!

Cozy continued to tremble to the pony she wouldn’t even think to ask what the Grinch was even rambling about. All these toys and gifts with strange names, a pony her age can’t keep up. The pantomime stopped as the Grinch switched back to anger.

Grinch (Spoken):
Then the Who’s, young and old, will sit down to a feast,
And they'll feast! And they'll feast! And they'll FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!

The Grinch jumped up and down the ground shook over every ‘feast’. Cozy toppled backwards before landing her flanks in a shallow hole. Soon the tiny filly herself found herself struggling to push herself out of.

Grinch (Spoken):
They'll eat their Who-Pudding, and rare Who roast beast!
Which is something I just cannot stand in the least!

Cozy had finally gotten herself out of the hole and was about to fly back towards the door… but not before the Grinch leapt right in front of her and she released a horrified scream. He slowly crept towards the filly as she crawled backwards, his eyes almost with a murderous intent.

Grinch (Spoken):
And then!...They'll do something I hate most of all!
Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small,
They'll stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing!
They'll stand hand-in-hand, and those Who’s…will start singing!
And they'll sing! And they'll sing! And they'll SING! SING! SING! SING!!!

At each ‘sing’, he could not help but spit in Cozy’s face before he stopped just when Cozy reached the ledge’s edge again. Cozy felt genuinely scared of her Christmas-hateful compatriot as she stared toward his angry face.

“Are… you done?”

The Grinch said nothing at first… before releasing a huge breath as he stood back up, seemingly calming down.

“Yeah… I’m done. Sorry about that. I was in a mood, and I made you take the brunt of it. But… I’m cool. Let’s get back inside.”

“No problem,” Cozy sighed, sitting down. “But if I may say so, that is by far one of the best villain monologues I’ve heard in my life. Had me super scared just now. It didn’t hurt you even made most of it rhyme.”

“Well, when you’ve been Grinching as long as I have, you learn how to—”

Suddenly, the Grinch froze just in front of the door and slowly turned to Cozy in fear.

“What did you say?”

“That was… one of the best monologues I heard?” Cozy answered.

“After that…?”

“It scared me?”

“And after that~?!”

“It… didn’t hurt that it all rhymed?”

The Grinch’s eyes widened more like saucer plates, realizing all the words he combined in his rage.

“Oh no… there’s one thing I hate even more than Christmas… and it’s speaking in RHYME!!!” He blubbered.

The Grinch crawled back toward the ledge, releasing a shout of devastation following a deep breath.

“BLAST YOU, WHO’S!!!”

The Grinch fell forward, his head hanging over the edge as the Grinch continued to blubber in a state of defeat.

“And the more the Grinch thought on what Christmas would bring,
The more the Grinch thought…”

The Grinch lifted his head up and stiffened his back as he declared:

“We must stop this whole thing!”

He stood back up as his anger slowly returned before making his way for the door.

“Why, for year after year, I’ve put up with it now! We must stop this Christmas from coming! But how?”

He gasped with momentary surprise, as he rhymed again before attempting to salvage it.

“I mean, in… what way?”

He looked down toward Cozy Glow, who clearly was not impressed at all.

“Let’s get inside before you end up turning poet on yourself.”

“Yeah…”

The two ne’er-do-wells headed back inside. Of course, as they entered the cave, they were met with loud Christmas rock music, much to the Grinch’s horror! He immediately turned toward the foal with a growl.

*Deploy gif here*

“Don’t look at me!” Cozy argued. “I was busy with stuff today!”

Before he could call her out, his head turned toward his faithful dog Max… dancing to the music on his hindlegs. His doghouse was completely decorated with Christmas lights. However, strangely… instead of getting angry… the Grinch gave a weird yet obviously fake smile, raising his hands together like Max and hopped towards him the way Max was dancing. The partying mutt was surprised by his master’s sudden return, who merely gave a deathly calm air with a toothsome smirk.

“Are you having a holly… jolly… Christmas…?”

<>

“WRONG-O!!!”

The door opened violently before Max’s doghouse was sent out flying, followed by the poor dog himself.

A point of inquiry to note that no actual animals were harmed in the making of this C.A. scene.

The Grinch emerged, with Cozy following from behind, leaning over the rock to see Max’s doghouse half-deep in the snow. Inches away, a hole shaped like Max’s point of impact and a soft whine was heard from that very hole.

“You should have known that was coming, Max!” Cozy called out. “What’d you expect?”

“Quiet~ Time to remind a certain canine who’s the master in this complex relationship,” The Grinch uttered.

He made his way over to the hole, bending out and reached in to pull the dog by the back of his neck, his maw covered with snow.

“Now listen, fleabag! If you’re not gonna help me… then you might as well…”

But before he could continue, his harsh face softened as he gazed upon the snow-covered mutt. As if… he was struck by inspiration.

“Then he got an idea, an ‘awful’ idea…
The Grinch got a wonderful… awful idea…”

He slowly turned toward Cozy before flashing her the classic Grinchy grin.

“I know just what to do…”

Cozy raised an eyebrow as he walked past her, carrying the dog back towards the cave. She quickly followed him back inside.

“What?! What’d you think of?!”

“Why, the ultimate Grinching, my dear…” He explained, facing her. “The biggest payback on those Who’s, and their season of sorrow… instead of ruining their Christmas… this year… we’re gonna STEAL it~!”

As the Grinch made it known, thunder and lightning bellowed behind him… though it was just faulty lighting and his voice echoed in the cavern walls.

“’Steal Christmas’?” Cozy Glow raised a brow. “How do you steal a holiday?”

“By stealing what makes Christmas what it is to the Who’s~”

He dropped Max as he walked down towards the first floor of his cave. He then sharply turned back to face Cozy.

“We take all their trimmings… all their trappings! All their gifts and garlands! Every last holly, mistletoe, wreath, and tree! Down to their last lousy ornament! And then… when they wake and see it all gone… then Christmas, along with all their unearned joy and happiness, will be gone as well! Hah!”

Cozy couldn’t help but feel a bit envious. She had ‘all’ day to come up with something, and the Grinch had his idea on the spot. It made her feel… undermined.

“But that’s just me,” The Grinch shrugged casually. “What was your plan while I was away?”

Snapping out of, Cozy knew she had to think of something quick… before she figured out a way to save face.

“Actually… I kind of came up with a similar idea, sneaking into town and stealing all their stuff so we could push it off the mountain later. I even made some gadgets to help in that, but I thought, ‘What would be the motivation for doing it?’ and kind of put it on the backburner. But after hearing you explain your vision just now… well… now I’m more than convinced that great minds like us think alike! Heh…”

She gave a sheepish grin as the Grinch looked at her suspiciously, his eyes narrowed like pinpoints.

“You really came up with an idea similar to mine?”

Cozy nervously nodded, hoping the Grinch would buy it.

“That… is… quite a lucky coincidence!” The Grinch smiled.

She released a silent sigh of relief.

“You know, you don’t really fit in with those ponies…” The Grinch noted. “But you’d probably make a pretty decent Grinch… well, not better than me, but… in your own way, I suppose~”

Cozy’s eyes widened as if she were receiving a compliment.

“Really? Me? A Grinch?”

“Yeah… say… why not?”

“Why not what?”

“Be an honorary Grinch!”

“Me? An Honorary Grinch?” Cozy asked, surprised.

“Yeah! Here… raise your right hoof and repeat after me the Grinches Oath.”

She raised an eyebrow as the Grinch raised his right hand, but otherwise did as she was told.

“Okay… what’s the Oath?”

“Repeat after me… ‘A Grinch is unhelpful, unfriendly, unkind’.”

“A Grinch is unhelpful, unfriendly, unkind?” She recited.

“’With ungracious thoughts, in an unhealthy mind’.”

“With ungracious thoughts, in an unhealthy mind.”

“’A Grinch is uncheerful, uncouth, and unclean’.”

“A Grinch is uncheerful, uncouth, and unclean.”

“And now, we say this together…”

“’I’m frightfully mean!’” The Grinch and Cozy declared.

The Grinch and Cozy (Spoken):
My eyes are both shifty
My fingers are thrifty
My mouth will not smile –
Not even half an inch
I’m a Grinch…

“I… am a Grinch…” The Grinch spoke.

“I’M A GRINCH! MUAHAHAHAHA!!!” Cozy declared, cackling.

The fault lighting made lightning go around her, the filly’s laughter echoed throughout the entire cave.

“That’s my little monster~” The Grinch remarked proudly.

Cozy Glow rewarded his compliment with the same grin she saw on the Grinch many times. For what’s been said was all true. Truly, deep inside, she was fully… Grinchy.

“Now then… what’d you have in mind for stealing Christmas~?” She asked.

<>

“The Grinch knew just what to do, as he laughed in his throat
And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat
And he chuckled and clucked at this great Grinchy trick…”

“With this coat and this hat, I’ll look just like Saint Nick,” The Grinch spoke. “Ho-ho-ho!”

“Mr. Grinch, you’re so evil, I just can’t stand it!” Cozy Glow said. “In fact, you’re so evil, you should have your own theme song!”

“Well then, mind if I start it off?”

“Be my guest~!”

<>

Shortly after the sleigh was complete, following a rather ‘catchy’ sing along, Cozy Glow presented the Grinch all the gadgets she’d been working on (Or rather ‘re-purposing’ for the goal of ‘stealing Christmas’). The Grinch had to admit that they looked mighty Grinchy considering they were pony-made.

“Now, for your mission, I couldn’t help but craft a few ingeniously insidious devices to help you. First off…”

She paused for a few seconds, as an imaginary drum roll played.

“I give you my De-Decorating Hermit Grabbers!”

All the fanfare built up was decreased when all the Grinch saw… were a line of upside-down buckets.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for?” The Grinch grumbled. “You hardly did ANYTHING with those buckets!”

Cozy gave a calm smirk as she pulled up a remote and pressed the big red button. Suddenly, the buckets instantaneously sprung to life as tiny mechanical legs popped out to uphold them. From each rim popped out two larger appendages, a crab-like claw just for grabbing and a malleable plastic tube, complete with a pair of metal antennae.

This surprising army shocked the Grinch before Cozy pressed another button. At attention, the crustacean-like droids crawled towards Max’s decorate doghouse (Which was dug out and still had some snowy spots). Like clockwork, two of the robots began to use their legs to climb on the doghouse, their claws to loosen the Christmas lights, and their tubes to vacuum the lights inside, slurping the lines of lights like saucy spaghetti.

In a matter of seconds, Max’s doghouse was… well, de-decorated.

“While we steal Christmas from the inside, these babies will steal the Christmas lights and decorations outside every Who home, thereby cutting our stealing time by half,” The foal remarked.

“Nix what I just said. I LOVE ‘em~! What else you got?”

Cozy fluttered toward the next invention: A pile of small metal stars.

“To the naked Who eye, your average tinsel decorations,” She explained. “But in Grinchy hands…”

She proceeded to pick up a couple of the stars before directing herself towards a ‘tree’ made from metal scraps and tossing the stars at it like shuriken. The stars spun around the prop before releasing red ribbon that wrapped around the ‘fronds’ before pulling them together, turning the ‘tree’ into more of an umbrella.

“I figured in case you had a large tree but a tiny chimney, these would resolve the problem.”

“Hmm… I like, I like~ Anything else?”

“Well, I think you’ll be happy with this~”

Cozy pulled out for the Grinch a large, modified T-shirt cannon with a large cannister at the top.

“This baby works like so: Fruitcake, Who-Pudding, cookies, and other sweets go in the canister. Then you pull the trigger, and all those Christmas goodies are ground up and pureed into something really gross, which then comes out through the cannon.

“So basically… along with stealing the Who’s feast, we could use it as ammo for possible vandalizing after?”

“That’ll give those Who’s something to gripe about.”

As Cozy put the cannon down, she pointed toward a sack filled with crudely-wrapped gifts, all signed from ‘Santa Claus’.

“I also figured if we’re taking things from them, in the ‘spirit of the holiday’… we could ‘compensate’ their sadness with even more misery from those bad gifts~”

“Oh? What kind of gifts are we talking here?”

“All the rotten garbage that those Who’s have been dumping here over the years~ What better way to get back at them than with their own holiday garbage? And, for an extra surprise, in one of those gifts, I put into it the biggest, long-range stink bomb ever created using all the rotten food at the dump and in your fridge! I don’t remember which gift has the bomb, but once that’s open… Whoville becomes Spewville! Wha-ha-ha-ha!!!”

“Spewville, home of the Spews!” The Grinch chuckled. “Now that’s a proper name, I tell you what~! We’re just about ready. And right about now… the man in the red suit will be done right about now~”

“Oh! I almost forgot!”

Cozy fluttered towards the sack of prank gifts, reaching inside to rummage for something. Pulling her hooves out, she held before the Grinch what appeared to be a strapped beard of curly white hair.

“I thought I’d make a little something for your outfit, and you can’t be Saint Nick without the proper whiskers~”

“It’s… it’s perfect~!” The Grinch gasped with delight. “How’d you make it?”

Cozy stiffened as her eyes darted side to side.

“Let’s just say those Who’s throw out some pretty weird gifts. Suffice to say, you shouldn’t as what you don’t want an answer to.”

“Eh… good point,” The Grinch appeared, taking the beard.

<>

Way back in Whoville, all the Who’s were getting ready to bed after such a hectic Whobilation. Inside one of these homes, one of many with glowing Christmas decorations, the Lou Who family were all getting ready to turn in for the night. So excited to get to sleep before Christmas, the brothers, Stu and Drew, made a competition just to see who gets to bed first and gets to sleep.

“I go to sleep first!” Stu called out, getting in bed.

“No I do!” Drew retorted.

The boys quickly tossed and turned into bed, digging themselves deep into the sheets. Eventually, the boys did eventually get to sleep with the lamp turned off and anything. And who’d be judging to see which of them made it first, why that was none other than two of the most competitive ponies in Equestria: Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Stu fell asleep first!” Applejack remarked.

“Nah-uh! He clearly woke up to check on his brother!” Rainbow argued. “Drew clearly fell asleep first!”

“Well Stu closed his eyes first!”

“That doesn’t mean he was napping by then!”

“Oh you would know a thing or two about napping! You nearly sleep during the middle of the day!”

“I had a very tiring session at the Wonderbolts training course! Not all of us can stand putting in the amount of work all day!”

“You can be so arrogant sometimes!”

“Stubborn mare!”

“Buck you!”

“Buck you!”

“BUCK YOU!”

“BUCK… YOU!”

“Shh!!!!”

The two mares turned seeing the boys had just woken up to the sudden disturbance.

“Would you girls keep it down?” Drew asked. “Some of us are trying to sleep!”

“Sorry…” The girls apologized sheepishly.

The girls kept still as they watched the brothers go back to sleep. They slowly turned toward each other, waiting to see who spoke first.

“Mah room… ten minutes…” Applejack smirked.

“Deal!” Rainbow Dash smiled, raising her brows.

<>

In the garage, Lou Who was hard at work preparing a special swing-set for the family (Specifically for Cindy Lou). Though he had his hands full working with all the gears, he fortunately had a bit of help. Twilight Sparkle and Spike decided to stay up a little late to fix up the set making sure it looked perfect for tomorrow (Even if the Equestrians had to be gone the next day).

“You really didn’t have to stay up on my account Princess,” Lou Who assured.

“Oh it’s no trouble at all Lou,” Twilight replied. “The least we can do is leave Cindy with a nice present before we have to go. Not like we had anything else to look forward to.”

“Although pray-tell, ‘why’ are we building this swing set anyway?” Spike asked.

“Why it’s for little Cindy of course!” Lou replied. “Figured she can invite a few friends from school and give them something to do.”

“I dunno. After that fiasco at the Whobilation, I doubt ‘any’ kids are going to want to play with the girl who invited the Grinch.”

“We have to do what we can Spike,” Twilight replied. “We’re all responsible for what happened; the least we can do is chip in before Christmas.”

“I suppose…” Spike sighed.

<>

Right next door, Martha May had just added her Decorating Contest trophy on the counter. There was no doubt in any Who’s mind that she had the nicest house in all of Whoville. And yet as she got ready for bed, it was plain to see that she was rather lonely. All this stuff that she could own in the world and no one to really share it with. Of course, Augustus May did ‘propose’ to Martha earlier that night… yet she hadn’t committed to a decision on whether she’d say yes or not. So she decided to sleep on it, clapping her hands to turn off the lights hoping that come Christmas morning she’d know how to answer.

<>

Tubby Nugget had been keeping watch with a telescope until the lights turned off at Martha’s house. He handed the telescope back to Pinkie with a nod and the party pony placed the telescope back in her mane. She then turned towards Fluttershy and Rarity nodding her head which cued the girls to take a stroll through the house.

“I truly feel for Martha girls,” Pinkie replied. “She owns so much that Whoville can offer her, yet so little at the same time. If that makes any sense.”

“I try not to think about it, Pinkie,” Fluttershy answered.

“I’m just so worried about Betty,” Rarity spoke up. “She worked so hard decorating her house for all of Whoville to see only to have her moment taken away by Martha. Not that I have any issues with Martha myself, but still~”

“I wonder how Betty’s handling all this anyway,” Pinkie pondered. “You better go check up on her Fluttershy.”

“Well… okay…” Fluttershy spoke softly.

“Yeah! Yeah!” Tubby nodded quickly. “Maybe we can do something to cheer up!”

Fluttershy took a peek around the corner looking inside the living room. She soon spotted Betty herself, wrapping all the gifts for the family. Suffice to say, to even suggest that Betty was upset about losing the contest was being ‘very’ polite. By now she was aggressively slapping stamps on one particular present, channeling her age through her wrapping.

“I was soft!” Betty muttered. “I didn’t want it enough! Next year I train harder! I start earlier! I start the day after Christmas!”

Wide eyed and nervous, Fluttershy squeaked backward and slowly turned toward her friends.

“I… don’t think Betty wants to talk…” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Hmm… quite so,” Rarity nodded in understanding. “Well, I guess we better give her some space. Maybe she’ll be in a better mood in the morning.”

“Who knows? Maybe the Mayor will change his mind about banishing us and at least let us stay for Christmas dinner?” Pinkie suggested.

The two girls merely turned toward Pinkie Pie and Tubby Nugget with a ‘Really?’ expression on their faces. Pinkie and Tubby merely smiled with a chuckle, but deep down they knew the truth: Once the Mayor set his mind to something, he stuck with it.

<>

In her bedroom, Cindy Lou was just getting ready for bed all while she peered out the window toward Mount Crumpit. Sitting next to Cindy, Starlight was reading the paper surrounding the Grinch and she silently stared toward picture with a sad sigh. Eventually she turned back toward Cindy, who’s eyes kept watch over the town.

“I hope you get everything you want for Christmas, Mr. Grinch,” Cindy spoke silently.

Starlight Glimmer stared sympathetically towards Cindy, slowly nodding her head. Despite ‘everything’ the Grinch did, this one Who child still kept faith in a creature so despised by the entire town. It made her think of Cozy Glow as well. How despite all the crimes she’s done over the years, despite how evil she acted, and despite locking her in a magical bubble, this filly was still a ‘child’ and all Starlight wanted to know… was ‘Why?’. Why would Cozy go through so much trouble to spread terror wherever she went? And why against Christmas?

Even Starlight couldn’t understand the motivations behind Cozy Glow’s madness, even as Starlight had ‘her’ share of sinister moments starting with her own childhood. Either way, she decided it was best not to think about it. So as Cindy tucked herself into bed, Starlight Glimmer lifted the glowing candle with her magic and proceeded to snuff out the light so they could share one last sleep before Christmas… before they all have to go away.

<>

Moments after loading the last of the gadgets into the sleigh, all that was left for the Grinch and Cozy Glow to do was wait for Santa Claus to finish his route in Whoville. That way, the Grinch could swoop in and undo all the Christmas cheer that was brought. The Grinch watched as Santa dropped off the last of the gifts, spying on the man through his binoculars. Cozy Glow and Max waited for the cue before proceeding.

“Well, can we go now?” Cozy asked anxiously. “Can we? Can we?”

“In a moment…” The Grinch raised a finger. “Fat Boy should be finishing up any time now…”

“Ugh… you know, that’s one thing I don’t get. Whenever I try sneaking into someone else’s home, they call it ‘breaking and entering’, which is ‘illegal’. And if I leave something in a stranger’s house, I’m called a ‘stalker’. But this Santa guy sneaks into people’s homes every Christmas, leaving unsolicited items for them and people don’t pay any mind? Talk about your double-standard of the season.”

“I know all too well…” The Grinch lowered his binoculars. “Talk about a recluse. He only comes out once a year and he never catches any flackfor it! He probably lives up North just to avoid the taxes…”

He raised his binoculars to keep an eye on the jolly man. As the Grinch watched him take off, with his reindeer and sleigh, wishing all the Who’s a ‘Merry Christmas!’… his binoculars lowered again quite swiftly, revealing his eyes were quite widened with shock.

“Oopsy…”

“What?” Cozy asked, confused.

“I forgot to account for something.”

“What could you forget? We got the suit, the hat, the beard, the sleigh, the gadgets, your ‘sack of gifts’. You even got the belly, and that was ‘before’ you decided to steal Christmas~ What could you be missing?!”

“… I forgot about the reindeer…”

Cozy’s eyes widened just the same as the Grinch’s, the severity of the situation struck her like a ton of bricks.

“Buck me…” She quietly muttered.

“The Grinch and Cozy thought a while as they looked around,
But since Reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found…”

“Hmph!” Cozy crossed her arms. “Not even at least ‘one’ Reindeer who looked as if he ate the other seven!”

As the Grinch and Cozy pondered, both their eyes landed on Max… and a stroke of genius struck them both. They turned toward each other, slowly growing a smirk as they realized they had the same crazy idea.

“But did that stop Cozy or the Grinch?... ‘No’, they simply said…”

“Well… if we can’t find a reindeer…” The Grinch began, slowly reaching for Max.

“We’ll have to… make one instead…” Cozy finished, pulling out a rope.

Of course, Max had a feeling they were up to something. The dog scampered off before the Grinch or Cozy could pounce. This frustrated them both… but the Grinch merely looked up and decided to call his dog back down as sweetly as possible.

“…Oh MaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXXXX!!!” He called out furiously.

<>

In the Grinch’s cave, he decided that enough was enough. Just as he was about to drag Max out, however, Cozy a different idea in mind. Something subtle… something keen… something quite ‘covert’. She stood outside Max’s hidey-hole, marked with a metal door that read ‘Do Not Disturb’ and gently knocked on the door.

“Max? Could you come on out, please?” Cozy asked cutely. “Your master and I are very sorry we tried to make you one of Santa’s reindeer. He’s out right now, trying to find something else to compensate for it. He wished he could tell you himself, but he said apologies make his stomach queasy. Won’t you please come out?”

The dog’s answer was a few barks, which Cozy got right away. Though whether they meant ‘No!’ or in the less-polite terms ‘Drop dead!’ hung in the air.

“Oh, come on, Maxie… would you forgive me if I gave you a wittle doggy tweat? I got a nice hambone just for you~”

The door opened slowly as Max peered out. His eyes saw Cozy Glow waving what resembled a giant bone right in front of him.

“Look at the bone, Max~ So big and fat and… mmm… meaty! Won’t you come out and accept my apology? Pwetty pwease…?”

Max found himself unable to resist the cutest look the little filly could form. Not realizing the danger, he slowly emerged and ventured towards Cozy.

“That’s it, a little closer… little more… NOW!”

The Grinch pounced from above, right behind Max, and scooped the dog in his arms.

“Good work, kiddo!” The Grinch smirked, facing his dog. “As for you… you’re going to be a reindeer, come hell or high water!”

“That’s right dumb dog!” She called out, tossing the bone away. “Can’t outthink two smarties like us, eh Mr. Grinch~?”

Cozy laughed quite heinously at the small victory before the Grinch scooped her up too.

“Hey! What’re you doing?!”

“Ya know… a thought just occurred,” The Grinch replied. “I could always use a little elf minion to do all the work… lucky for me, I found one~”

“AN ELF?! Let me go, you big green palooka! When I get out of here, I’m gonna~”

<>

The Grinch approached a trophy of reindeer antlers, tearing one and stripped it down to make it light enough before approached what resembled a Who-made elf mannequin, stripping all its clothes off (Except some questionable Christmas undergarments). The last thing he grabbed was a spool of red thread. He soon approached Max and Cozy Glow, the pair bound with ribbons, and proceeded to give them a ‘makeover’…

“So, he called his dog Max, and he took some red thread
And he tied a big horn on the top of his head.
And for Cozy, the Grinch slipped her into an elf doll’s attire
Which of course only fueled her ever-growing ire…”

Soon as the Grinch stepped back, Max had a small antler tied atop his head and a red clown nose on his snout. As for Cozy, she was dressed in all green with red pointed shoes on her back hooves, a pointy green hat, and wore what resembled red blush on her cheeks… which she was NOT happy about.

The Grinch, however, was giddy as he switched from his Santa hat to a black director’s cap which read ‘WSS Whoville’ in yellow up front, portraying himself as a director.

“All right. You’re a reindeer and an elf. Here’s your motivations: Your name is Rudolph, you’re a freak with a red nose, and nobody likes ya~”

“Ooh! I’m liking this already…” Cozy nodded, with intrigue.

“And you!” The Grinch pointed at Cozy. “You’re Hermione the Elf. You don’t like making toys; instead, you wanna be a—”

“Wait! Am I an evil elf?” Cozy asked excitedly. “A mean-spirited elf?!”

“No… you’re an elf who wants to be a dentist~”

“A reindeer with a red nose… and an elf that wants to be a dentist?” Cozy asked plainly. “Wow! Sounds like some cheap Christmas buddy comedy pair.”

“Don’t patronize my directing!” The Grinch frowned. “Any who… one day, ‘Rudolph’, Santa picks you and you save Christmas. And you, ‘Hermione’, Santa lets you open your own dental office after Christmas~!”

Cozy and Max faced each other quite strangely, before turning back toward the Grinch.

“No, forget that part. We’ll improvise. Just keep it kind of loosey-goosey… the point to remember is… you both hate Christmas! You’re gonna steal it! Saving Christmas is a lousy ending. Way too commercial.”

The Grinch stood up and walked towards the director’s chair, sitting down. He then picked up a large megaphone, making the call.

“ACTION!”

“This… is… stupid, even for you,” Cozy retorted dryly. “How about you, mutt?”

Max said nothing, merely pushing the false nose off his snout with his paw.

“BRILLIANT!” The Grinch called out, approaching the ‘actors’. “Cozy, you were terrible. Very stiff acting. But you, Max… you were marvelous! You rejected your own nose because it represented the glitter of commercialism! Why didn’t I think of that? Cut, print, check the gate. Moving on.”

The Grinch soon left the ‘set’, leaving the two simply dumbfounded.

“… I need a new agent…” Cozy Glow muttered.

Holiday Heist

The Grinch, Cozy Glow, and Max had finally gotten themselves into the rocket sleigh. The Grinch was warming up the sleigh, humming as she pushed a few lever to start the engine, turn on the radar, and one… for the vibrating sleigh seat. Frankly, the Grinch rather enjoyed the vibrations against his behind.

“… Thaat feeels goood…” The Grinch uttered.

“The terrible trio were made ready for their big trip,
With the Grinch as captain at the helm of his great ship.”

The Grinch began patting down the gas pedal with his feet, starting up the fans that would make his great vehicle airborne. Cackling at the fans working, he flicked another switch, turning the many headlights on to light the way.

“Engine is running! Air-lift mechanisms are fully functional! We have visual from the lights!” Cozy declared, over the engine roar.

“All that’s left is the thrust!” Cozy continued, checking the take-off list. “You sure we got enough from the boosters?!”

“Only one way to find out, kiddo!” The Grinch exclaimed, gleefully. “Here goes nothing, hot dog! Hee-hee!”

He flipped another switch, releasing two heavy streams of fire behind the sleigh. They both looked behind to see the vast flames hitting the metal door. The boosters were definitely giving more than enough thrust, as they turned back to face the front.

“Wow…” The Grinch and Cozy uttered, in awe.
“They were soon ready for launch, to take off like a shot
So the Grinch declared…”

“Well, baby, let’s show ‘em what you got!”

He pushed up the spatula gear-shift, turning on the gas gauge… slowly lifting the sleigh into the air. As they were becoming airborne, the Grinch was simply delighted, chuckling loudly as he clapped his hands with success.

“Mr. Grinch, we have lift-off!”

“I know! This… is… NUTS!”

He then stood up, as if to bid his imaginary reindeer forward.

“On Crasher, On Thrasher! On Vomit and Blitzkrieg!”

Before he could continue, the sleigh blasted from the ledge on Mount Crumpit, propelling them forward and downward, pushing the Grinch back into his driver’s seat. The Grinch and Cozy screamed with terror over the sudden descent.

The Grinch quickly manned the steering wheel as he tried pulling the sleigh up and steady it. However, the sleigh had touch off one of the hilltops on the ride down, causing the sleigh to spiral causing the Grinch and Cozy to scream even louder. The sleigh spun round and round, with Cozy and the Grinch terrified from this ride. Max fell out only to begin spinning around by the ‘safety leash’ the Grinch put on him.

“Ahh! Why did we not think this through?!” The Grinch exclaimed, terrified.

Cozy could not answer as she was screaming for her life, questioning her every decision since arriving here. She briefly turned to face the Grinch, only to see him wearing a Grogar head mask, laughing maniacally in some fear-induced hallucination.

“AHHHHH! Why did I ever land on your mountaintop at all?!”

“We’re gonna die! We’re gonna die!!” The Grinch shouted. “I’m going to throw up, and then WE’RE GONNA DIE!!!”

“Mommy, tell it to stop!” Cozy Glow bawled. “I wanna live! I WANNA LIVE!!!”

Soon though, the sleigh began to stabilize its flight, landing Max right back in the sleigh… with a fear stricken Cozy Glow latched onto the Grinch’s side. They both trembled with fright and the Grinch slightly blubbered from the ordeal, until he looked around… saw everything was okay… and sighed with relief.

“Heh… almost lost my cool there…” The Grinch remarked, like nothing happened.

He soon noticed the filly grabbing his side.

“Hey! Unless you’re giving happy endings, hooves off!”

The yell shocked Cozy out of her trance before realizing who she was grabbing. She made a look of disgust as she got back into her seat.

“All right! This never happened, okay? You tell no one, I tell no one!”

“Grinch’s honor, kiddo!”

With the sleigh now fully stabilized, their descent to Whoville was unhindered.

“And down the three came on their great fateful ride
Toward the good homes of Whoville and the Christmas inside.
Yes, they planned it and prepped it, big detail to small,
And they would soon get rid of Christmas, once and for all.”

<>

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. Except… a little pony who was still up on this very night. Starlight Glimmer struggled to sleep, but the events of the Cheermeister celebration still lingered on in her head. The way the Who’s mocked the Grinch just made her heart break out of sadness. This was supposed to be the greatest holiday ever, where kindness was given to all… instead she felt sad.

“Oh Christmas… where are you?” Starlight spoke sadly.

Just then, Starlight heard the sound of a door opening. The unicorn turned her head and saw Cindy Lou wide awake and stepping out of her bedroom.

“Can’t sleep?” Starlight asked quietly.

“Yeah…” Cindy replied. “I got thirsty and wanted a cup of cold water.”

Starlight walked toward the little Who and wrapped an arm around her.

“I couldn’t sleep either,” Starlight admitted. “I’ve been thinking about the Cheermeister disaster, how the Grinch was mocked and humiliated by everyone. It was so cruel… and on a joyful holiday no less.”

“I agree,” Cindy nodded sadly. “I just don’t get it. One minute, they welcome him with open arms, and they hate him the next. I feel people have forgotten how to show love for others no matter how or what they look. All they care about is buying the best presents and the fanciest lights… it just feels hollow.”

That was definitely something Starlight could agree upon. What’s the point in buying gifts, with the best tree to put the lights up on if they’re no meaning to any of it? It makes the whole season feel… pointless. Then Starlight spotted a small gingerbread man hanging from Cindy’s stocking. Using her magic, she lifted it into the air and held it in front of Cindy Lou Who.

“It’s like this Gingerbread Man Cindy,” Starlight explained. “You got all the ingredients to make one, the right shape for it to be a man, but everything we do must come from the heart. And when it comes to the heart, it means its full of love and care. Maybe one day… Christmas will be like that again.”

Cindy felt slightly better through this little chat with Starlight Glimmer. She hoped for that one magical Christmas day again, and thanks to her new friend she has more hope than ever.

“Thanks Starlight,” Cindy smiled happily.

“You’re welcome Cindy,” Starlight replied. “Now then, why don’t I come down with you to get that cup of water? I could use a drink myself.”

“Actually… if you would, that would be nice. Thank you.”

And with that declared, the little Who and her pony friend worked their way downstairs for a quick drink before bed.

<>

Several seconds earlier…

“All their windows were dark; quiet snow filled the air.
All the Who’s were all dreaming sweet dreams without care…
When he came to the first little house on the square.”

“Welcome to Whoville, folks!” The Grinch declared.

Sure enough, the sleigh slowly made its descent down onto the roof of the first house in Whoville. The trio knew they needed to be absolutely ‘quiet’ if they were to pull off this ‘Stealing Christmas’ heist without a hitch. Absolutely ‘nothing’ could go wrong for them, and so they needed to be ‘extra’ sneaky on this holiday night.

<>

Back inside the Who house, which happened to belong to the Lou Who family, Lou was stirred awake by something against the roof of the house. Tiredly, he turned toward his wife.

“Betty? Betty?” Lou nudged his wife.

“What?” Betty asked tiredly.

“Did you hear something?”

They both paused for a moment to wonder just what that might be. Then it hit Betty like bricks…

“It’s Santa!” She whispered excitedly. “Go right back to sleep.”

Lou nodded and the two quickly laid their heads back to sleep not wanting to be awake when Santa comes climbing down their chimney… or so they think.

<>

With the sleigh sitting comfortably on the roof, The Grinch grabbed for his sack and turned toward his cohorts.

“Come on, fellow Grinch!” He smiled toward Cozy. “It’s our first stop!”

“This’ll be like stealing candy from babies!” Cozy chuckled sinisterly.

“The old Grinchy Claus and his elf hissed.
And they climbed to the roof, empty bags in their fists.
They’d slide down the chimney. A rather tight pinch.
But if Santa could do it, then so could Cozy and the Grinch.”

Cozy Glow carefully tied a holiday rope along the ankles of the Grinch’s feet ever so tightly, to secure her cohort for the big dive. Once the Grinch was properly secure, he prepared to make the dive first (‘Fleas before beauty’ as he’d say).

“He’s planning a double-twisting interrupted forward-flying 2-and-a-half…” Cozy informed Max. “With a combo tuck and pike. High degree of difficulty… a hundred percent!”

Cozy Glow and Max stood watch as the Grinch finally made his dive high in the air. He twirled about in the air several times before twisting himself into position for the dive down the chimney. He bellowed loudly and made his way down the chimney… only to slide down only halfway. To his shock, The Grinch Found himself wedged tightly in the chimney, his giant belly being the cause of it.

“He got stuck only once, for a moment or two.”

“Bit of a tight spot, huh Grinch?!” Cozy called out.

“Blasted water weight!” The Grinch grumbled. “Goes right to my hips.”

The Grinch struggled and squirmed trying to wriggle himself down the chimney, but it was clear to the naked eye that he was stuck. Cozy Glow slowly shook her head before facing Max.

“Looks like it’s up to Cozy Glow to save the day… again,” Cozy groaned.

She fluttered atop of The Grinch’s feet and proceeded to hop up and down trying to push him down the chimney.

“Urgh! All I’ve got to say is this ole Grinch better appreciate… THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSS!!!”

Suddenly, Cozy Glow felt the Grinch squeeze down the chimney and they both were sent falling through the brick-layered tube into the house. Fortunately, the fall didn’t last long as the Grinch struck his head on the yule logs at the bottom of the chimney, and he found himself hanging upside down. Though his vision was wrong, he could see that the living room area was empty.

“Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue…”

“Shh!” The Grinch shushed the narrator. “A little more stealth, please.”

“Who’re you talking to?” Cozy asked, in the chimney.

“Cozy…” The Grinch looked up. “Shut… up!”

“Where the little Who stockings all hung in a row.”

“These stockings…”

“He grinned…”

“… are the first thing to go,” The Grinch concluded. “Cozy, bring me the jar!”

Cozy Glow proceeded to hand The Grinch a jar containing a swarm of insects, probably moths.

“Okay, fellas. Show time.”

One twist on the lid, and the moths were set free to do their work. They proceeded to swarm over all the stockings hanging over the Chimney. In a matter of seconds, all the stockings were torn to shreds. While they went to work, the Grinch hoisted himself back up the chimney while Cozy Glow fluttered her way into the house. As she looked around the house, checking to make sure none of the Who’s or the Equestrians were up and about, her eyes caught sight of a rather extraordinary present.

Sitting by the Christmas tree in front of all the presents, she saw what appeared to be a giant swing set with a holiday theme to it. She found a card sitting on top which read ‘For Cindy Lou’. No doubt these silly Who’s wasted a ton of money putting together some playground equipment she’s likely to use only ‘one’ time. Still, the little filly had an idea in her devious mind.

“Fine workmanship…” Cozy replied. “AAAH-CHOO!!!”

One sneeze and a smirk was all Cozy Glow needed as she the swing-set toppled on its side and broke into a billion pieces.

<>

Unbeknownst to Cozy Glow, the disturbance in the house did not go unnoticed. Starlight Glimmer and Cindy Lou were just out of the bedroom heading for the kitchen when the crash froze them in place. Their eyes went wide, and they stood quietly as they slowly faced each other.

“What was that Starlight?” Cindy asked nervously.

“I don’t know,” Starlight answered. “Stay close.”

Slowly the pair made their way forward, with Starlight Glimmer taking the lead ever so cautiously. Just then, they heard a sound coming from one of the rooms inches away. They turned their heads toward each other as if attempting to read each other’s minds. Then Starlight Glimmer used her magic horn to cast an aura upon the doorhandle… and she swung the door open. Starlight Glimmer positioned herself for a fight… only for her face to turn red, her eyes widened, and her cheek twitched while Cindy looked over her shoulder curiously.

There lying in one of the guest beds, snuggled so closely together, and staring back just as awkwardly, Rainbow Dash and Applejack stared wide-eyed toward their two friends. Judging by the commotion under the sheets, their rather ‘awkward’ position, and Rainbow Dash wearing Applejack’s hat… it was obvious to Starlight what they were up to.

“Uh… can we have five more minutes?” Rainbow asked sheepishly.

Starlight Glimmer didn’t award that question with an answer, merely stared blankly toward the scene. She then slowly closed the door before turning away.

“What happened?” Cindy asked curiously.

“I’ll… let your parents tell you… when you’re older…” Starlight murmured, walking ahead.

<>

A large suction tube lowered down the chimney and flicking on the switch they proceeded to turn on the suction consuming as much holiday material inside like a vacuum. Everything from the gift wrapped boxes, to some holiday decorations, and tiny presents left from the remains of the torn stockings. It took a matter of seconds for the motley trio to steal as much holiday décor as they could, with Max keeping watch on the roof to make certain no onlookers would catch them in the act. All while the large sack slowly grew with all the gifts and ornaments inside.

Eventually, the Grinch returned to the living room to rendezvous with Cozy Glow. The two swarmed their way into the kitchen where ‘all’ the holiday meals were kept inside.

“Then they slunk to the icebox.”

“Slunk!” The Grinch remarked, hugging the fridge.

“Wow… real subtle Mr. Grinch,” Cozy muttered.

Ignoring the little filly’s remark, the Grinch casually opened the icebox, and both set of eyes scanned all the food sitting so comfortably in the cold. So much food for one big feast… or at least to feed the entire house. It would be such a shame if anything were to happen to all of it.

“They eyed the Who’s feast.
They took the who pudding; they took the roast beast.”

“Set!” Cozy Glow called. “Blue forty-two! Set—”

“Hike!” The Grinch shouted.

The Grinch proceeded to toss the beast backward like a football and Cozy Glow caught the beast with her hooves. As she proceeded to fly back up the chimney with the whole morsel in her clutches, the Grinch proceeded to clear out the rest of the icebox of all its treasures.

“They cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash.
Why, that Grinch and his elf, they even took their last can of Who hash.
Then they stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee.”

With the entire icebox and every cupboard in the kitchen ransacked, that left only one thing for the pair to clear away.

“And now…”

“Grinned the Grinch…”

“We’ll stuff up the tree!” The Grinch declared.

“I say we wrap this up and clear the stage!” Cozy added, bringing out the stars.

“Save your ammo, kiddo! I got this one!”

With great strength, the Grinch heaved the entire tree and its decorations off the floor hauling it toward the opening of the chimney. Nothing could possibly go wrong~

“And he started to shove…
When they heard a small sound, like the coo of a dove.”

“Yeah…” Cozy nodded, then blinked. “Wait, what?”

Sure enough, stalking their way down the stairs, Starlight Glimmer and Cozy Glow came down to investigate all the commotion in their house (Minus the activity they spotted moments ago). They peered over the ledge of the stairs, trying to catch a glimpse of who was intruding in the Lou Who family’s house.

“Excuse me?” Cindy greeted lightly.

The Grinch and Cozy Glow froze in place, realizing they had been caught. Briefly catching the pair at the stairs, they quickly set the tree up straight and quickly hid themselves behind it. They kept their mouths shut, not wanting to make another sound. They hoped the pair were just seeing things, would turn back up the stairs, and walk away. But Starlight and Cindy merely continued down the living room, driven by a sense of curiosity.

“The Grinch and Cozy had been caught
By this pony and tiny Who daughter…
The latter getting out of bed
For a cup of cold water.”

“Santa Claus?” Cindy spoke.

“If that’s who you really are…” Starlight added.

“What are you doing with our tree?”

Behind the tree, The Grinch bit his nails nervously and Cozy fluttered his wings at an anxiously fast pace. They knew if they didn’t act fast, they would be caught, and all their holiday schemes would be ruined.

“What will we do? What’ll we do?” Cozy whispered frantically. “What ARE we going to do?!”

“But, you know, that old Grinch and pony
Were so smart and so slick…
They thought up a lie,
And they thought it up quick.”

One look toward one another and smiles slowly formed on their faces, for they both knew they were sharing the same crazy idea. The Grinch raised a finger up his lips and Cozy nodded rapidly, then he hurled his arms out and threw in the best Santa Claus impression he could muster.

“Why… my sweet little tot!”

“The fake Santa Claus lied.”

“There’s a light on this tree… that won’t… light on one side,” The Grinch continued, flicking the light. “So I’m taking it home to my workshop, my dears.”

Grinch proceeded to chortle out some ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’s!’ chuckling just the way that Santa Claus would act. This actually stirred a chuckle out of Cindy Lou and Starlight Glimmer, for one reason or another. Either they were actually buying into the Grinch’s act… or they decided to let him play along as he was having fun with this charade.

“I’ll fix it up there… and I’ll bring it back here,” The Grinch concluded.

As the Grinch positioned his arms back behind the tree, Starlight Glimmer leaned her head towards Cindy Lou.

“That’s the Grinch trying to act like Santa Claus, isn’t it?” Starlight whispered.

“Uh huh!” Cindy nodded.

“Which means Cozy Glow is not far.”

“Probably…”

“We’re just going to play along, aren’t we?”

“Yeah…”

Once they emerged from their huddle, Cindy Lou cautiously approached the tree knowing there was one thing on her mind.

“Santa, what’s Christmas really about?” Cindy asked innocently.

“Vengeance!” The Grinch answered, peeking out.

The pair reeled back from the Grinch’s sudden answer. All was silent for a moment as the Grinch realized what an awkward position he stood in right now.

“I mean… presents…” The Grinch answered kindly. “I suppose.”

“I was afraid of that…” Cindy sighed sadly.

Starlight Glimmer turned toward Cindy, with a look of sympathy upon her face. She knew this was not the answer that Cindy was looking for nor was it the answer that Starlight herself hoped to hear either. But if even ‘Santa Claus’ were to say that Christmas, in the end, was truly all about the ‘presents’ and nothing more… what meaning was there to look for. It’s no wonder that the Who child seemed so discouraged.

“And his fib fooled the child. Then he patted her head,
And he got her a drink… and he sent them to bed.”

Starlight Glimmer and Cindy Lou made their way back up the stairs after confirming their suspicions with ‘Santa’. Cindy carried a cold glass of water in her hand, generously provided by ole Saint Nick himself. The Grinch and Cozy Glow still remained hidden behind the tree, waiting for them to climb up the stairs so they could proceed with their heist. Yet the Who child and the unicorn did not get very far when something else came to mind.

“We know you’re not the real Santa Claus,” Starlight Glimmer admitted.

“What?” The Grinch grunted, regaining his character. “What makes you say that? Just, uh… out of curiosity.”

“We’re old enough to know how this all works…” Starlight continued. “But we also know you’re working with him. That being said, we’d like for you to give him a message.”

“… Shoot.”

“Don’t forget the Grinch,” Cindy Lou requested.

The Grinch’s expression suddenly changed from annoyance to interest in a matter of seconds. To think this child, of all the Who’s, would be asking ‘Santa’ himself not to forget spreading Christmas to someone as vile and nasty as the Grinch himself. He did not say it, but his thoughts were begging the question, ‘Why?’. Why after ‘everything’ he’s done to these Who’s for years… why would she want Santa to give him a Christmas anyway?

“I know he’s mean and hairy and smelly,” Cindy Lou admitted. “His hands might be cold and clammy. But we think he’s actually kind of… sweet.”

“Sweet?!” The Grinch remarked, softening. “You think he’s… sweet?”

“My teacher and friend, Twilight Sparkle, taught me never to judge some pony until you’ve truly gotten to know them,” Starlight added. “I was just like the Grinch in my own way. I was callous, ill-tempered… and admittedly very ‘disrespectful’ to my fellow ponies… especially the royalty. But the moment Twilight reached out to me, even at my lowest point, she made me believe I could still be worthwhile… just as I feel someone should’ve done for the Grinch… and perhaps even Cozy Glow.

“So if you would please tell Santa… that instead of presents this year… my friends and I want Cozy Glow back.”

Now this stirred some confusion from the Grinch, while Cozy Glow silently shook her head and waved a hoof over her throat while mouthing, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no!’.

“Um… you sure you wouldn’t want… toys?” The Grinch asked.

“No toys,” Starlight shook her head. “Nothing but Cozy Glow. Despite everything she’s done, despite any creatures she tried to hurt or offend… we still want her back anyway so we could tell her… we’re sorry… I’m sorry…”

“You’re… sorry?” The Grinch asked slowly.

Cozy Glow’s eyes widened with confusion, wondering what Starlight Glimmer had to be sorry for if everything she did was on purpose.

“We know she’s not the nicest pony in Equestria,” Starlight continued. “We know she became obsessed with power and control; to be honest, we don’t really know why. We weren’t planning to send her to Tartarus initially… nor did we plan to turn her to stone… but we didn’t know what else to do. We couldn’t understand ‘why’ she acted that way, we knew ‘nothing’ about her at the time Twilight’s school opened… we don’t even know if she had a family… who probably miss her every day. She doesn’t have to tell us about the Legion, or what they’re planning, we just want to understand her. Even if we can never ‘forget’ all the crimes she took part in, putting Equestria at risk… we ‘are’ willing to forgive her… because that’s what friends do.”

“… Friends…” Cozy Glow whispered.

“Oh! And before I forget!” Starlight remembered.

“There’s more?” The Grinch muttered, under his breath.

“If you have the time… we’d like to have Discord’s theater back. Discord may be a lot of things… but he helped bring us all together to watch our adventures so they could share our experience in some way. And even though he can be mischievous, malicious even… he’s still our friend and he ‘has’ done good for us when it mattered. So, we really owe him that much. Okay?”

The Grinch stood silently hearing the whole speech from this one pony. Even though it sounded so naïve of her to think there’s any good to come from either himself or his little Grinch junior, the way she spoke out so honestly and sincerely… for a moment he felt… touched. Slowly, the Grinch shook his head from behind the tree.

“Sure…” The Grinch spoke. “I’ll, uh… I’ll see what I can do.”

“Merry Christmas, Santa,” Cindy Lou concluded.

“And a Happy Hearth’s Warming!” Starlight added.

The Grinch and Cozy Glow cringed with disgust, the former trying so hard to cover his ears despite already catching those words. Eventually, Cindy Lou and Starlight Glimmer decided to climb back up the stairs so the little unicorn can help Cindy Lou back to bed. The two villains kept their ears open, hearing the footsteps fading as they climbed higher and higher. Until at last, when they were completely alone, they had all the time to dwell on the words those two had said.

“And when Cindy Lou went up with her cup…”

“Nice kid…” The Grinch admitted.

“Bad judge of character… that’s all they are,” Cozy Glow muttered. “C’mon… we still have Christmas to steal!”

“Right!”

And so the Grinch and Cozy Glow proceeded to carry on with their dastardly, dirty plan… determined to see their plans through while trying to completely ignore ‘everything’ those two girls said of them.

“… they went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up.”

Quick as whips, they hurled the tree through the chimney and the tree itself soared high into the air for a moment or two. Seeing that it seemed there were nothing left to steal, they made their way back up through the chimney. Cozy Glow fluttered out first while The Grinch tugged the rope and pulled himself back up to the roof so they could continue their heist… but not before leaving with a few last minute ‘purchases’.

“And the last thing they took was the log for their fire.
On their walls they left nothing but some hooks and some wire.
And the one speck of food that he’d left in the house…
Was a crumb that was even too small for a mouse.”

With the Lou Who house completely empty, even taking the mouse itself for the road, our fiendish pair of thieves proceeded to continue their effort to steal Christmas… and there were tons more houses to explore and pillage from.

<>

“Then they slithered and slunk with smiles most unpleasant
Around each Who-home, and they took every present~”

In the living room of one Who-home, a giant saw came through the floorboard. It circled around a decorated tree, and the presents surrounding it. Once the saw made its complete trip, the tree and gifts fell through the giant hole. A moment after, the Grinch’s hands popped up to grab the edge of the hole. He pulled himself up while Cozy flew herself in.

“Clearance sale,” The Grinch uttered. “Everything must go~”

“Yeah… it’s like we’re doing them a favor,” Cozy Glow nodded. “Giving them more room to—”

“Put your hands up!”

An Irish voice from upstairs caused Cozy and the Grinch to fearfully put their hooves/hands up. They wondered if they just woke up a Who cop, as they heard footsteps coming downstairs behind them.

“Get out of the car, you… oh what, I’m not talking to you…”

They soon raised an eyebrow as they quietly looked at each other, clearly confused. They slowly turned around… to see Police Chief Wholihan in his pajamas and nightcap sleepwalking… and apparently sleep-talking down the stairs.

“Yes, I see it there… you think I don’t see it, eh?” Wholihan muttered sleepily. “Oh, yes… you think I wouldn’t notice, eh?

Wholihan was about to approach the big hole. Fortunately, Cozy flew up and began to whisper into his ear.

“Calling all cops, calling all cops!” Cozy imitated an officer. “We got a Grinchy emergency on Whistling Who Lane. All officers, please respond, over~”

“What the…?”

His foot was just about to step into the hole before he stopped for a brief moment. One leg stood raised before he slowly turned himself around.

“Chief Mulvaney Wholihan Who reporting in, ma’am… I’m on me way…” He yawned.

He changed directions towards his closet. Cozy let out a slight snicker as she opened the door, allowing Wholihan to walk right in before falling asleep against the back of his closet. Cozy quietly closed the door, locking it tight before facing the Grinch, who wiped away imaginary sweat.

“Nice save, kid~”

“No prob~” Cozy smirked. “Now… let’s see what other Christmas junk is lying around here~”

<>

At another Who-home, the great big vacuum tube sucked every bit of Christmas cheer and paraphernalia in the house including the tree, the presents, and the stockings. Of course… the vacuum proved ‘too’ successful, as it also absorbed any unnecessary items, like an angry Persian cat from its spot on the chair. The cat was immediately sucked through the tube, which led outside towards the Grinch’s sleigh, where all the stuff gathered inside a large sack.

Cozy was the first to notice the vacuum staring to jam up, even spotting some white fluff emerging from the lever slot.

“Mr. Grinch, we have a problem!”

The Grinch turned to see Cozy pointing to the vacuum.

“What… now?!” He scowled, unplugging the tube.

“Looks like something is blocking the flow,” Cozy observed.

“I’ll see about that,” The Grinch uttered.

He took the tube off and peeked inside. At first, it seemed like there was nothing… till his eyes widened as that angry cat jumped out with a loud shriek. The cat latched onto his head as he struggled to pry the cat off.

“Kid! Help me! Get this thing off me!” The Grinch yowled.

Cozy, however, had a different reaction. She sat back as the Grinch tried to pull the cat off his face.

“Why? This is my favorite show,” She remarked gleefully. “When Angry Cats Attack Grinches.”

She then pulled out a cup of popcorn from the sack, eating her snack while watching the cat do a number on her cohort’s face.

<>

Outside Martha’s home, while Cozy’s De-Decorator robots coiled at every one of her lights, the Grinch and Cozy snuck inside. As Cozy was busy clearing out the stuff from the lower level, the Grinch made his way into her bedroom. Though he was sorely tempted by any childhood affection for her, his Grinchy instincts re-took control as he shut the box holding her ring from the Mayor before grabbing it.

He quickly made faces at her sleeping form before leaving her room… only to find Cozy Glow, with a sack of Christmas joy, looking inward with a raised eyebrow.

“What?!” He asked quietly.

“Just making sure you weren’t going soft, Mr. Grinch,” She replied, fluttering off. “Just… making sure.”

<>

One of their next stops was a big one for the Grinch: Mayor May-Who’s house. Once again, while the De-Decorators got to work, the Grinch, Max, and Cozy would take the inside. Of course, the Mayor’s house was highly protected against any normal prowler… but the Grinch was far from any ‘normal prowler’.

Cozy watched with a befuddled look as she watched him latch his filthy lips against the glass of one of the windows before using his fingers to make a large circular cut against the glass. Soon as the tips of his fingers met, to Cozy’s amazement, the Grinch pulled his head away, revealing his lips acted like a powerful suction cup.

Once the glass was disposed of, the trio snuck their way in through the window. The Grinch led them all the way upstairs toward May-Who’s bedroom. He quietly pushed the door open, revealing the Mayor wearing some curlers and a strap around his head. Likely to remedy for the ‘big shave’ the Grinch gave him at the Whobilation.

As the Grinch softly chuckled at his handiwork, May-Who began to stir in his sleep, causing the Grinch to silence himself.

“Martha… have you ever kissed a man who lost his tonsils twice?” The Mayor muttered.

Cozy suddenly had a very wicked idea, one she quickly whispered into the Grinch’s ear. An idea which earned a very eager smile from her associate before she fluttered over next to the bed, lowering her voice to sound like Martha.

“Why, no… silly~! But I’ve always wanted to kiss someone as… as… incredibly handsome as you, Augustus~”

“Oh… really? Heh-heh… tell me more, Martha…”

“More? Let’s see… you’re tall… cultured… well-dressed…”

Cozy ushered the Grinch over, who picked up Max who gave an uncertain whine. Cozy leaned closely toward the Mayor, continuing her rather ‘saucy’ tone.

“Full of Christmas spirit… and your… combover is so… sexy~”

“Well… I do it all for you, milady…” May-Who sleepily agreed.

“And you know… we are under the mistletoe… you know what that means, right?”

The sleeping May-Who merely puckered his lips as the Grinch brought Max over towards his bitter archenemy.

“As I said… to kiss such a man, I never have done so. But it’s an experience that I always longedfor…”

The Grinch immediately turned Max around so his… well, ‘tail end’ faced the Mayor before lowering him close.

“Oh, pucker up, Augie!” Cozy beckoned. “Kiss me, you fool~!”

A loud *SMOOCH!* was heard and Max’s eyes widened, realizing what the Mayor just laid his lips on. The Grinch quickly pulled away, leaving May-Who seemingly euphoric and unaware of what he just kissed. Meanwhile, Max ran his behind along the floor to wipe away the awful experience as he whined with horror.

“You know… for kids!” Cozy Glow smiled sinisterly.

The Grinch soon pulled out a hook and rope, attaching it to the bed before handing the other end to Cozy.

“Strap that to the squad car outside~” The Grinch uttered silently.

“An unexpected wake-up call? I love it~”

With glee, she flew over to the window and opened it to attach the rope to the Mayor’s new ‘Christmas morning alarm’.

<>

For the rest of the night, the Grinch and Cozy Glow proceed to steal just about everything in Whoville. All the gifts under the tree; every gizmo designed just for the holiday. Everything that rang even an ounce of ‘Christmas Cheer’ did not go unnoticed by the two sinister thieves. They knew they wouldn’t be satisfied not until every last trace of the Christmas season was theirs for the taking. Their sinister laughter echoed across the streets, with no one in Whoville all the wiser.

“The Grinch and Cozy went to work, stealing every Who toy
They raced against time, and they fought against joy
Though they hit some snags as they made their way through
Like an angry Who-house cat… and even a sleepwalking Who.”

Speaking of which, during one stop, Cozy Glow opened the cupboard and her face dropped with shock.

“YOU~!!!”

The angry cat screeched and latched onto Cozy Glow’s face, sending her in a screaming fit. She flew around the house struggling to pry the vicious animal off her.

“GRINCH! GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!!!” Cozy squirmed.

And yet the Grinch just casually leaned on the counter, eating a leg off another Roast Beast from the house’s icebox.

“Why? This is my favorite show!” The Grinch smirked.

“GRINCH!!!!!!!!!!”

“They stole pop guns and bicycles, roller skates, drums,
Checkerboards, tricycles, popcorn and plums.
Gadgets and gizmos and toys with strange names,
Goofballs and shloof-balls and board games.”

The Grinch and Cozy Glow had many creative ways of stealing the holiday spirit from the Who’s using an arrow to catch a few presents and blast them out of a house. Even snagging some candy apples from the dreams of a sleeping innocent Who child. They plucked every object off a Christmas tree and every gift from every stocking one by one. There seemed to be no end to the antics as their goal was nearly met.

“Yes, they swiped, and they poached; yes, the stealing was on.
And this day they greatly hated, well… that made it begone…”

<>

After all the Who’s Christmas stuff was stolen, the Grinch took one of the lights from the giant tree in the center of town, twisting it counter-clockwise which caused every Christmas light throughout the town to go out. The Grinch laughed and snickered as he made his way back to the sleigh while Cozy was busy delivering the last of her ‘gifts’ to the last Who-homes.

“Well, we took all the gifts, trees, and lights,” The Grinch uttered, with spiteful joy. “We un-decked every single hall!”

“Well, golly! Looks like this year there won’t be a Christmas after all!” Cozy added.

She and the Grinch laughed evilly; of course, they soon realized they just rhymed. The Grinch attempted to salvage the mistaken verse.

“Uh… I mean, uh…”

“Oh, what does it matter?” Cozy Glow retorted. “We took all their Christmas, and I made sure to leave a nasty surprise in each home for their trouble! Let’s get out of here~”

“Why not? I guess I can let it slide… seeing I am in a good mood for once~ Now then… only onething left to do before my time in Whoville is done~ We take all this stuff to the top of Mount Crumpit…”

“And shove them all over like yesterday’s trash!”

The two continued to laugh as they made their way back to the sleigh. The Grinch started her back up, the engines began to whir, and the sleigh lifted into the air, carrying the heavy load as the Grinch and Cozy started to laugh maniacally at the success of their Christmas scheme. However, they just reached half-way up the dimmed Whoville Christmas tree when they heard the boosters sputtering.

“Eh?” The Grinch raised a brow. “Why aren’t we going any—”

Suddenly, the light, fans, and boosters stopped working with the sleigh in midair.

“… higher?” The Grinch whined slightly.

The Grinch and Cozy screamed as the sleigh came back down onto the ground, holding onto their load to make sure nothing spilled from the crash landing.

“Did we lose anything, kid?”

Cozy flew up to check the strapping and the giant sack.

“Nope!” She called out. “We still got everything!”

“What went wrong? What could we have forgotten?!”

Max barked a few times as he pawed at the gas gauge. The Grinch looked down to see that the gas level was no longer at ‘Full’, but instead went to ‘Not So Full’, ‘Going-Going’, and finally… ‘Gone’. Cozy fluttered down to see what the matter was.

“Out of gas?”

She slowly turned toward the Grinch with a furrowed look and a sour glare.

“I told you to make sure we had plenty of gas for the return trip!”

“What? No, you didn’t!” The Grinch frowned.

“I did! I even wrote it on your hand!”

“That’s ridiculous!” The Grinch argued, drawing his hand up. “There’s no way I remember you writing—”

However, as he checked the furry palm of his hand, he saw the words ‘Fill Up On Gas!’ written in black marker all over. The Grinch looked up and forward, completely dumbfounded.

“Oh crud…”

“Urgh! It’s too late now! Even if we could get more fuel… from the sound of that landing, the boosters and air-lift system may be heavily damaged. In other words… this sleigh’s grounded, thanks to you, Mr. Forgetful!”

The Grinch growled in irritation before Max barked some more at his master, causing the latter to face the dog.

“What are you laughing at… Rudolph?”

Cozy’s eyes widened as she realized what the Grinch was getting at.

“Oh yeah… we already got a reindeer here~ I’ll just strap Max in while we ride the sleigh back up, boss~!”

“Yeah… we’ll do that,” The Grinch nodded slowly. Except for one eensy-weensy, but ever so crucial tiny detail, my child…”

“What’s that?” Cozy asked, confused.

“I don’t have a reindeer… I have reindeer~”

“Huh?”

“I’m using the plural ‘reindeer’, as in ‘more than one’ stinking reindeer.”

“No… you don’t!”

“Yes… I… do…” The Grinch uttered, smirking.

He leaned closely toward her, with each word spat out. Cozy could not fathom what he meant until… it dawned on her. She made herself as ‘cute’ as possible, puffing her cheeks in hopes of dissuading him from what he was thinking.

“You wouldn’t make a wittle filly like me pull your big, heavy load, would you~?”

<>

“HE BUCKING WOULD!!!” She angrily shouted.

Against the howling winds, Cozy and Max groaned as they hauled the sleigh up the snowy mountain with harnesses attached to them. The Grinch mushed them forward and upward at the crack of his whip.

“It’s all you, Max! Move them hooves, horse!”

“Ten thousand feet up, up the side of Mount Crumpit,
He rode with his load, to the tiptop to dump it.”

After what seemed like hours, the dog and pony managed to tug the sleigh up to the very peak of the mountain before exhaustedly collapsing onto the snow. The Grinch eyed the two of them, seeing they’ve reached their limits, with Max whining ad Cozy panting as she complained.

“He’s… gonna… pay…” She vented between breaths.

Having reached the top, the Grinch cackled as he hopped off the sleigh and looked out toward the horizon, enjoying the view and the victory.

“We… DID I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-T!!!” He exclaimed to the heavens.

The Grinch proceed to dance around like a sore winning, chanting ‘We did it, we did it!’ in a sing-song tone while clapping his hands before dancing over to his dog and Cozy.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it, guys~?”

Max gave only a whimper. As for Cozy…

“That… wasn’t… fair…” She panted out.

“Come on~ A little hard work never killed anyone. Besides… imagine how much later it would’ve been if I just had Max do all the work~”

As the Grinch turned his gaze back toward the quiet Whoville, while Max lied on the snow, Cozy slowly found her legs as she stood back up. With the Grinch’s eyes off her, Cozy pulled out a small remote from her hat and pressed a button before quickly tossing it over the cliff.

“With the Grinch’s eyes off her, Cozy did pull out a gizmo,
An odd remote whose button she did press in one go.
Then she chucked it right over the cliff, the sour-bratten~
What sort of wicked scheme could Cozy be plotting…?”

“Oay… we got all their stuff…” Cozy sighed. “Now… let’s dump it all over the cliff. Then I’ll signal for a portal to bring us to headquarters immediately.”

The Grinch, however, was silent as his gaze was unbroken.

“Mr. Grinch? Did you hear me?”

“Yes… I did. And we’ll get to it… just not now…”

Cozy’s eyes widened like saucers as she fell back in the snow exasperated.

“Why not…?” She whined.

“We’ll get to it… after we see the rotten fruits of our nasty labors~”

“What rotten fruits?”

“Why, from the Who’s, of course~”

He turned to dance towards Cozy Glow, lifting her up like a rag doll.

“It’ll be quite a sight!”

“The Grinch was grinchily humming…”

He continued his dance of Grinchy joy, spinning the exhausted Cozy Glow around.

“Why, any second they’ll find out that noChristmas is coming. They’ll be waking up any time now… and I know just what they’ll do~ Their mouths will hang open a minute or two… then the Who’s down in Whoville will all cry… ‘Boo-hoo’…”

He stopped as he tossed her towards the ledge before walking himself over for a closer look on the horizon. Cozy slowly stood back up, recovering from being spun around before a pair of binoculars were dropped in front of her while the Grinch pulled out his own pair to look through.

“Oh… that is just the very thing we simply mustsee~”

Cozy groaned at the hold-up on their plan. However, she figured there was still some enjoyment in seeing others miserable. So she followed her associate’s lead and looked down toward Whoville. Any minute from now, the waterworks will start flowing… and at long last, Cozy Glow would truly feel like a winner.

Christmas Miracle

Author's Note

What a way to kick off the new year than to finish the last story of the previous year. A big hand that Mr Dramamaster829 for his amazing work on this chapter and all chapters before. And a happy 2022 to everyone

Christmas Miracle

Christmas morning had come about, but there was no joyous sounds of merriment from the usually chipper people. Instead, every Who down in Whoville simply walked about the snowy streets, all dressed in their pajamas and all rather depressed. Many of them gave a big ‘Boo-hoo’ as they walked sadly through the streets. Amongst them were the Lou Who family and their Equestrian guests. Cindy Lou looked about in confusion, as did all the ponies and Spike.

“Boy, without the decorations, this place is actually depressing,” Spike spoke honestly.

“I can’t believe this!” Twilight said shocked. “I mean, I knew the Grinch hated Christmas. But I never thought he’d actually take ‘everything’.”

“Why are you so surprised Twilight?” Rainbow asked. “Did you really think that big, green, and ugly would just let bygones be bygones after what happened at the Whobilation?”

“Well… no. But still, I hadn’t expected him to actually come down here in the middle of night and steal everything.”

“All I can say is you probably should’ve seen this coming.”

“You’re one to talk Rainbow,” Rarity spoke up. “After all, you and Applejack seemed a bit ‘preoccupied’ the other night to notice anything.”

Hearing this made both Applejack and Rainbow Dash freeze like deer in headlights. Their faces turned a bright scarlet red.

“Uh—I don’t, uh—what—what do you mean?” Rainbow stuttered nervously.

“Oh, don’t play dumb now darling,” Rarity replied. “I was literally in the room next door and you two certainly didn’t make ‘any’ attempt to keep quiet.”

Rainbow and Applejack both looked at each other rather awkwardly. Then they looked down to avoid any eye contact with every pony else and kept walking.

“I just feel so bad for all these poor Who’s,” Fluttershy said.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy,” Pinkie smiled. “I have a sneaky feeling things are going to turn around any moment. Like good things are bound to come crashing right into town.”

Little did they know, right across town, the Whoville police office raced out from his home and jumped into his police cruiser.

“What an embarrassment!” He muttered. “I’ve been robbed!”

The sirens of his car blared loudly as he pulled away from his home, completely unaware of the winch attached to the bumper. Meanwhile, inside the home of Mayor May-Who, the Mayor himself just opened his eyes when suddenly his bed was pulled with great force right through the wall of his home. May-Who was beyond shocked, scared even, as his bed was pulled behind the police car through the streets of Whoville as many onlookers stared after them. Finally, the police car pulled into the town square before coming to a stop and May-Who was whipped in his bed to a stop.

May-Who looked around in shock, as a whole bunch of Who’s gathered in the center staring at the Mayo, in his bed, right in the middle of the town. The cop leapt from his car and gasped the moment he saw May-Who.

“Mayor May-Who!” He gasped.

“Oh… my…” Fluttershy whimpered nervously.

May-Who turned over and saw Martha May joining the crowd. He quickly jumped from his bed, as Whobris ran right up and helped him into his robe.

Okay seriously, does this guy just sit in May-Who’s house waiting to be called upon or something?

I don’t know man. But it’s really weird, that’s for sure.

No kidding!

“Well, I wonder who could have done this,” May-Who spoke to the Who’s. “I tell you people one thing: Invite the Grinch, destroy Christmas. INVITE THE GRINCH, DESTROY CHRISTMAS!!!”

Everyone backed away in shock over the Mayor’s outburst.

“But did anyone listen to me?” He then asked.

“I did!” Whobris raised his hand.

“No…” May-Who replied, facing Cindy. “You chose to listen to a little, not to be taken seriously, girl, who hasn’t even grown into her nose yet.”

“Hey!” Applejack yelled. “Don’t ya’ll be blamin’ this on Cindy!”

“This is all your fault anyway!” Rainbow added.

“I thought I told all of you to be out of town by morning!” May-Who said disapprovingly.

“Well guess what? We ain’t goin’ nowhere!” Applejack responded.

“You are the most corrupt, hypocritical mayor I’ve ever met in my life!” Rarity spoke appalled. “And I’ve designed outfits for the Mayor of Manehatten!”

“You just couldn’t leave well enough alone!” Spike spoke up. “You couldn’t stand the Grinch getting back into the Christmas spirit because he was getting more praise than you were!”

“Oh please!” May-Who scoffed. “Cindy shouldn’t have even suggested the Grinch to even come down here in the first place! Now look at what it caused! Cindy, I hope you’re very proud of what you’ve done.”

Cindy spoke no words, but just looked rather sad. Lou could tell his daughter was already distraught enough and being so criticized was not doing her any favors. Rainbow made to fly over, intent on knocking the living daylights out of May-Who right now. But Lou stepped up before Cindy and even them.

“If she isn’t… I am,” He spoke.

Everyone gasped as May-Who whipped back around, hearing those very words.

“I’m glad he took our presents.”

“What did you say?” May-Who questioned.

Lou looked down at Cindy and the Equestrians before turning back toward the Mayor with a more determined look.

“Well, I’m glad,” He said.

“He’s glad…” May-Who told everyone. “You’re glad. You’re glad that everything is gone. You’re telling me that you’re glad that the Grinch virtually wrecked, no not wrecked pulverizedChristmas. Is that what I’m hearing from you Lou?”

“You can’t hurt Christmas Mr. Mayor,” Lou informed. “You know it isn’t about the gifts of the contests or the fancy lights. That’s what Cindy has been trying to tell everyone. And me, she’s been trying to tell me.”

“Way to see the light Lou,” Spike congratulated.

“He’s absolutely right,” Twilight nodded. “Christmas has never been about gift giving or who has the best Christmas decorations or even who makes the best fruitcake. Its about being with your family and friends, celebrating what brings us all together.”

“And the fact that only Cindy seemed to realize that makes her one of the smartest Who’s in this town,” Starlight smiled.

“What is wrong with you all?” May-Who groaned. “This is a child!”

Lou walked up to the point where he and May-Who were only a few inches apart.

“She’s my child,” He pointed to himself. “And she happens to be right by the way.”

To emphasize, Lou even poked the Mayor right in the chest before stepping back and wrapping his arms around his family.

“In fact, I don’t need anything more for Christmas than what I have right here: My family.”

Lou then turned over toward the Equestrian group and gestured for them to come closer. The ponies and Spike happily obliged, joining the big group hug with everyone as all the other Who’s looked and smiled. Many of them even starting to get the idea as they too embraced their loved ones and friends.

“Merry Christmas everybody!” Lou told everyone.

“Mery Christmas!” The Who’s responded.

“Merry Christmas, you hunk of burnin’ Who!” Betty smiled toward Lou.

And before any Who knew it, Betty planted a big wet one against Lou’s lips with all the other Who’s bearing witness to it all. Drew and Stu felt like they were going to puke and walked off to the side, while Mayor May-Who was less than pleased.

“Give me a break,” Mayor May-Who muttered, walking away.

And while everyone came together to celebrate, Cindy Lou and the Equestrians all snuck off to the side.

“Isn’t this great Cindy?” Pinkie asked her. “Looks like everyone finally sees what you were trying to tell them all this time.”

“Yeah… except one,” Cindy spoke, looking towards Mount Crumpit.

Everyone else followed her gaze before Twilight Sparkle herself smiled.

“Well… maybe it’s not too late,” She said.

The Princess of Friendship gestured towards every pony and soon they all, even Spike and Cindy…

Ahem!

… AND Tubby Nugget… held onto each other closely. Twilight soon lit her horn, an aura building all around her, and they all instantly vanished in a bright flash of purple light. Soon as the light flashed again, they were all back up on top of Mount Crumpit and they fell… right into the pile of Christmas garbage. All eyes turned toward Rarity, who merely gave a deep breath while maintaining what’s left of her composure.

“You know what? It’s happened so many times this doesn’t surprise me…” Rarity sighed.

While they helped each other up from the mound of trash, Cindy Lou’s gaze looked up towards the peak of the cliff itself.

“Mr. Grinch?” She called out. “Mr. Grinch?”

“We’ll go up ahead Cindy,” Starlight advised. “You better wait here while we do the talking.”

“Better keep a firm eye out too!” Applejack advised. “If the Grinch’s here, then surely~”

A slight moan stopped Applejack mid-sentence and the group slowly turned to the side. Emerging from the corner, a certain tiny Pegasus, dressed like a Christmas elf, was stretching out her limbs while walking very slowly. She looked up for one moment and then froze in her tracks, her eyes widen. Like a deer in headlights, she stood there staring right toward the Equestrians and their little Who friend. For several seconds, they just stared at each other in silence.

“Oh…” Cozy muttered.

*WHAM!*

Before Cozy Glow could finish, a bright blue blur pounced on the evil little mastermind forcing her onto the ground. Rainbow Dash planted her full weight atop of the tiny Pegasus, who struggled in vain to crawl herself out of the hold. Soon the other ponies, even Fluttershy, piled atop of Cozy, who only then realized there was no escape this time.

“We finally caught you Cozy Glow!” Rainbow Dash declared. “This time you’ve gone too far!”

“First ya go and burn down our town’s theater, now ya go and try wreckin’ every pony’s holiday?!” Applejack glared. “Have ya no shame, young’un!”

“What’re you talking about?” Cozy Glow muttered.

“No more lies Cozy Glow!” Applejack pointed accusingly. “You ain’t weaslin’ yer way outta this one!”

“Now that we’ve finally caught her, what’ll we do with her?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“I say we do exactly what she’d have done to us,” Rainbow suggested. “We’d shave her mane with a razor! Dye her coat with blue spray-paint maybe~”

“I say we ‘smash’ her face with an iron!” Pinkie added excitedly. “Shove some ornaments up her flank; maybe pull out her little feathers one at a time!”

“PINKIE PIE!!!” The group shouted.

“We’re just supposed to take her back to Equestria!” Starlight corrected. “We’re not doing any of that stuff!”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes blinked before she turned back toward Cozy Glow, who’s eyes went wide, and she was practically shivering as if she were suddenly more scared than she ever felt.

“Ooh… heh-heh, sorry about that,” Pinkie smiled sheepishly. “Almost went ‘Smile HD’ for a moment. Didn’t mean to scare you little filly.”

“Scared?!” Cozy forced a chuckle. “C’mon, don’t make me laugh! Ha… ha… ha…”

“Before we leave, where’s your boss?” Twilight asked Cozy Glow. “We know you’ve been with him this whole time; what is he up to now?”

“Hah! Nice try princess!” Cozy smirked. “I don’t work for no-pony; I’d never tell you anything!”

“That’s fine, you don’t have to talk,” Starlight nodded, looking up. “Because I have a rough idea as to where he is.”

All eyes looked up and sure enough the large sack of stolen goods was sitting right in plain view of the group. A grunt emerged from Cozy’s lips, as her face plopped in the snow.

“Told ‘em we should’ve just blown it all up while we had the chance~” Cozy muttered.

“I heard that!” Rainbow called out.

“We better make sure that this little rascal doesn’t try to get away,” Spike suggested. “Care to do the honors Rarity?”

“Ooh… I might have a few ideas in mind,” Rarity feigned pondering.

The aura on her horn glowed brightly white, as several garlands and even Christmas ties hovered over the wintry air. The moment Cozy’s eyes saw what she were up to, a squeak escaped her lips and her eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks.

<>

Up near the uppermost part of Mount Crumpit, the Grinch stood upon the ledge waiting impatiently. On one hand, he was still hoping that the Who’s were up by now bawling their eyes out over losing their Christmas. On the other, it had been several minutes since Cozy Glow took a walk and she still hadn’t returned. He raised his wrist over to his eyes, as if checking the time until finally he refused to wait any longer.

“Ah forget this!” The Grinch muttered. “I’ve waited ‘years’ for this moment and I won’t stand to sit out another minute.”

The Grinch swiftly turned toward the sleigh and the enlarged sack sitting right atop it. His expression turned to glee knowing what sick pleasure he had in mind, his one final hurrah before he can bid all of Whoville, soon to be ‘Spewville’, behind forever.

“Now for the final note in my symphony of downright nasty not-niceness!” The Grinch declared. “The crescendo of my odious opus!”

With a great heave, the Grinch pushed his whole weight against the sleigh ready to send the whole thing rolling down the edge of the mountain. He could just envision it now: The sleigh barreling down the rocky surface, ornaments shattering into pieces as they fly off into the air. And by the time the sleigh hits a hard stone, they’ll all explode into a fiery blaze and burn away into smoldering ash. More importantly, he could just imagine how ‘all’ the Who’s will act when they discover what happened.

“The wailing and the gnashing of teeth,” The Grinch grumbled to himself. “The bellowing of the bitterly bummed out! It’ll be like music to my ears!”

“THAT’S ENOUGH, GRINCH!!!”

The Grinch stopped midway when he heard an all-too familiar shout. He stared ahead and sure enough Twilight Sparkle and her friends appeared in a flash. Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle had their horns a-glowin’. Fluttershy, Spike, and Rainbow Dash hovered high in the air. Applejack and Pinkie Pie stood pawing the snow with Tubby Nugget waving it’s stubby arms fisticuffs style on the latter’s back.

“Step away from the sleigh, Grinch!” Twilight instructed. “It’s all over!”

“Curses! You meddlesome ponies are so persistent!” The Grinch grumbled.

“Yeah… that’s ‘kind of’ our schtick Mr. Carrey,” Pinkie smiled innocently. “It’s become a running gag at this point.”

“My name is not CARREY!!!” The Grinch shouted. “And where’s the littler one?! She’s my maniacal sidekick, not you… average-heighted ones.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble Grinchy, but Cozy Glow’s not available,” Pinkie replied. “Let’s just say she’s all… ‘wrapped up’ with other things.”

<>

True to Pinkie Pie’s word, Rarity had just completed wrapping a certain pony elf-minion back in the garbage pile. The little Pegasus found herself similarly wrapped in the same manner as she helped the Grinch back at the Whoville Post Office. Only Rarity made absolutely certain that the little filly had no chance of breaking free.

“And perfect!” Rarity declared. “All wrapped up and ready to be delivered back to Ponyville!”

“Lemme out of this you marshmallow, dress-crazy pony!” Cozy cried out, struggling. “Just you wait till I get out of this! You’re going to be sorry you ever messed with~”

Finally having enough, Rarity slapped a ‘Don’t Open Till Xmas’ stamp right on Cozy’s mouth completely silencing her.

“Hmph! Some ponies can be so dramatic!” Rarity remarked, flipping her mane.

<>

Meanwhile…

“You’re raid against Christmas is over, Grinch,” Starlight spoke gently. “What’re you planning to do?”

“I’m going to destroy this despicable holiday once and for all!” The Grinch grinned maniacally.

“C’mon Grinch! No, no, no~”

Starlight Glimmer cautiously approached the Grinch, who stopped her with a swift point of his furry finger.

“STAND BACK, MULE!!!” The Grinch shouted. “I’m a Grinch on a mission!”

“Look, this is how accidents happen!” Starlight spoke. “I understand how frustrated you are~”

“Just stay back and don’t move!” The Grinch warned. “I’ll push this off the cliff! Every last ounce of it!”

But Starlight Glimmer merely held her ground, staring at the Grinch while all her friends anxiously waited.

“No, you won’t,” Starlight answered bluntly.

“O-O-Of course I am! Just look!” The Grinch gestured. “A few more steps and the whole supply chain goes kaboodle!”

“No… they won’t! If you were intending to destroy all of it, you would’ve done it before we got here! You don’t really want to do this!”

“You don’t know what I’ll do!”

“Maybe not. We haven’t had a chance we really know you, apart from all we’ve known. But I’ve been in the same shoes as you. I understand why you’re frustrated~”

“No, you don’t! You don’t understand, none of you do! I’ve spent years and years, all of my life, alone in a cave while you occupy yourself with your ideas of ‘holiday cheer’! Abusing your deals to buy an endless supply of gifts, showering your homes with all the fancy lights, and coming home to serve your family the fanciest feasts! You all have everything… while I had nothing!”

“But if you would just listen—”

“NOT ANOTHER WORD!” The Grinch interrupted. “If I can’t have Christmas, I’ll ruin it for all of you! And once I’m through with this whole thing, I’m leaving ‘Spewville’ behind me and be among the rank of those who actually appreciate me! The Who’s can take this holiday were the sun don’t shine and never take it out! Christmas is over!”

Just as the Grinch made for one last push, before all the other Equestrians can react, suddenly… there was a faint humming sound followed by a rather catchy tune. The Grinch stopped immediately, his face widened with confusion and all heads looked around for the source. Even Max, the dog sitting beside Fluttershy, looked around curiously.

“Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze
Welcome Christmas, come this way!”

“Mr. Narrators…” Pinkie whispered, looking around. “Is that~?”

“Then they all heard a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow.”

“Huh?” The Grinch uttered.

“But the sound wasn’t sad. Why, this sounded merry.
But it was merry. Very.”

The Grinch, Max, and the Equestrians slowly approached the edge of the cliff and looked down towards the town of Whoville. And sure enough, their eyes and ears undeceiving, all the Who’s had gathered around their Christmas tree despite the fact none of the lights were on. They stood around it, hand-in-hand, swaying left and right singing their hearts out to a yuletide holiday carol. They sung warmly… proudly… and perhaps even merrily.

“Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small
Were singing without any presents at all.”

Grunting in anger, the Grinch tore the hat off of his head and made his way down the mountain. The Equestrians and Max followed the Grinch’s direction, watching as the beast hoped from one section of the mountain to the next. Soon they followed the Grinch, stepping wherever he stepped, until they caught up with him. The Grinch stood on one part of the mountain, the very entrance to his own home. And all he did was stand there, folding his arms, digging his hands down his pits, and glaring toward the town.

“He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming. It came~”

“Somehow or other, it came just the same!” The Grinch concluded.

Unbeknownst to everyone, while they gathered around the Grinch, Cindy Lou and Rarity climbed up to the top of the mountain where the sleigh remained standing. The unicorn dragged Cozy Glow alongside her with her magic aura, the filly not even struggling yet glaring through the wrapping silently. They looked around for any sign of the Grinch and their friends, only to find nobody.

“Huh… where’d every pony go?” Rarity wondered.

“Mr. Grinch?!” Cindy Lou called out.

“Spike? Girls?!” Rarity called out. “Where are you guys?”

Their friends were not as far from them as they thought. Silently, the Equestrians stood around the Grinch and for a moment they said nothing as they watched him stand in his spot. His eyes watched the whole scene happening in Whoville, while his mind was itching for answers he couldn’t fathom. He just had no idea how his whole plan went so well… yet somehow it all backfired on him in a matter of seconds. He twisted the hat in his hands as if trying to relieve himself of any stress swelling up within him.

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch feet ice cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling, and puzzling~”

“How could it be so?” The Grinch asked himself. “It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you all along, Grinch,” Starlight told him. “Christmas is more than just presents, decorations, or the food. It comes from sharing the holiday between family and friends.”

“Starlight’s right, Grinch,” Twilight agreed. “Why even Cindy felt the same way.”

“And so does Max too,” Fluttershy added, facing the dog. “Isn’t that right boy?”

To which Max barked in what could only be thought as a confirmation. Either way, it earned him a light pat on the head as Fluttershy smiled toward him. Yet all the Grinch could do was turn back toward Whoville, the atmosphere around him filled with song and good cheer. And he continued puzzling, trying to uncover some hidden truth in their words.

“And he puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before…”

“Maybe Christmas…”

“He thought…”

“… doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more…”

All of a sudden, the Grinch clutched his chest and cried out in agonizing pain. A force so strong it thrust him against the wall of the mountain. He could feel his hearting beating at an acceleratingly, loud beat. The force of which startled the Mane Six, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Tubby Nugget. They had no idea what to do or what was happening to him.

“Twilight, what’s going on?” Spike questioned.

“I’m not sure,” Twilight responded.

One thing was absolutely certain: The Grinch was in a lot of pain. The poor fellow had no control over himself, his heart was beating so hard it felt as if his whole chest would explode at any moment. As he laid back on the cold floor, grunting and groaning in pain, he reached out a single hand toward Max, his one companion beside him now.

“Max!” He yelled. “Help me! I’m feeling!”

“Somebody do something!” Tubby cried urgently. “He needs some help!”

The Mane Six, Spike, Starlight Glimmer, and Tubby approached the Grinch side, watching as he laid along the snow. It was then, while they surrounded him, that Applejack noticed something rather weird happening. She could see the Grinch’s chest thumping and pumping rather rapidly. It was almost as if the Grinch’s heart seemed to be… growing.

“Hey, ya’ll,” Applejack pointed. “Check this out!”

“And what happened then,
Well, in Whoville they say,
That the Grinch’s small heart
Grew three sizes that day.”

The Grinch sat up in shock, a gasp escaped his lips, and all at once… he started to cry. He had no reason how or why he was suddenly upset, but it was as if he could no longer hold it in anymore. All the things that made him so sad, his entire misery, and the weight he’s been forcible carrying along his shoulders but no more. He bawled and he bawled, tears falling down his cheeks like a pair of waterfalls as he cried out to the heavens for the first time in many years. The Mane Six and all their friends had never seen the Grinch this upset before, but all of a sudden they felt emotional to.

“Oh please stop, Mr. Grinch!” Pinkie cried, tearing up. “You’re going to make me cry too! Oh wait… too late… here it comes! WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Pinkie Pie started to cry comically, like a certain beagle of a popular children’s cartoon. Everyone else just looked at her and the Grinch in confusion. Until finally, the Grinch stopped crying as he held his hands.

“What’s happening to me?” He blubbered.

Just then, a bright warm light peeked over the horizon drawing his attention. His face looked towards the sky as the sunrise rose high over the mountains. None could explain what was going on, but somehow this ray of sun enveloped everyone with this warm, pleasant feeling.

“I’m all… toasty inside,” The Grinch observed.

“I believe that’s what you call love… and happiness,” Twilight pointed out.

The Grinch soon placed a hairy hand upon his cheek. All at once, he felt this warm drop of moisture… a tear. He held it over his hand, observing it rather closely.

“And I’m leaking,” He smiled.

He then turned toward Max, with the warmest smile he ever shared.

“Oh Max,” He sighed.

And Max instantly perked up, hearing the most pleasant tone from his master. The rarest form he had ever heard in all his doggy years.

“I love ya!”

The Grinch soon held out his arms big and wide. And sure enough, Max eagerly raced into his arms and knocked him over. The dog began to lick the Grinch’s hairy cheeks, so much joy happening all at once. Seeing a master and his dog this affectionate made the Equestrians smile in happiness.

“All right, that’s enough,” The Grinch chuckled. “Knock it off… BEAT IT! Get out of here!”

And all of a sudden, the Grinch yelled out and shoved the dog aside leaving the group slightly stunned for a moment.

“One step at a time…” The Grinch grumbled.

“Well… at least he’s giving it a try,” Starlight replied.

“Right… baby steps,” Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

“Uh guys…” Spike realized. “Why do I get the feeling that we’re… forgetting something?”

Suddenly, they heard a groaning sound coming from up above the cliff. The Equestrians, Max, and the Grinch looked up. And sure enough, the sleigh with all the presents and décor was leaning to-and-fro. As if at any moment, that sleigh was going to slip off the very ledge and when it does…

“Oh no…” The Grinch realized. “The sleigh… the presents… they’ll be destroyed! And I care! What is the deal?”

“We’ve got to stop that sleigh!!!” Twilight called out, racing up the ledge.

“Wait!” The Grinch cried out.

Together, the group raced up the mountain as fast as they could. While Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash took the air, flapping their wings rapidly, the rest had to climb up the mountain randomly. It was a long, difficult hike back up the mountain, but they had no time to dilly… or dally…

“This can’t happen!” The Grinch muttered. “It shouldn’t! It couldn’t! It mustn’t! It wouldn’t! Not now, not then, not ever again!”

By the time they finally reached the top of the mountain, the wintry breeze was starting to pick. Little by little, the sleigh was reaching the point of falling down the mountain. They knew they had to stop the sleigh and fast.

“NOOOOOOOO!!!” The Grinch pointed dramatically.

“STOP… THAT… SLEIGH!!!” Pinkie shouted dramatically.

“WHY… ARE… WE… SCREAMING… IN… SLO-MO…!” Spike spoke slowly.

“DRAMATIC… EFFECT!!!” Pinkie answered.

Slowly the group raced towards the sleigh as fast as their legs could carry them (Or permit them to). The Grinch made a great leap for the sleigh, reaching as far as his arms could reach. He flew farther and farther, his fingers inches away… only to plop face-first into the snow. Unlike the Grinch, they managed to grab ahold of the sleigh. They pulled with all their might, Rainbow and Fluttershy flapping their wings trying to pull the sleigh back, while Starlight and Twilight used their magic trying to haul the sleigh back as hard as they could.

Recovering quickly, the Grinch crawled his way toward the sleigh and grabbed a hold of it from the rear. Together, they pulled and pulled with all their might… but the sleigh still kept leaning forward despite ‘every’ amount of effort they were putting into it. The Grinch had to shift positions and use his legs to try to haul the sleigh back, even pawing through the snow as desperately as he could. But it was no use, the sleigh was merely inching close to falling off the mountain. Moaning in frustration, the Grinch gave a loud ‘BOO-HOO!’ as he and his friends could feel the sleigh dragging them down toward the ledge.

“Why does this never seem to work?!” Rainbow grunted in frustration.

“It’s the movie!” Pinkie Pie cried out. “It’s not going to let us make it easy!”

“What movie?!” The Grinch cried out.

“Uh… that’s a long story!”

All seemed pretty dark for our heroes right now. Even with their strongest magic, all the muscle they put in their hooves and wings, it’s like some tremendous force was keeping everything in motion. Like the sleigh was going to fall toward the ledge regardless of what any of them could do. As if all they were attempting to do to keep fate from happening was all in vain.

“Oh well,” The Grinch sighed in defeat. “It’s just ‘toys’, right?”

“And the tinsel…” Pinkie added. “And the wreaths… and the food… and the ornaments… but other than that…”

“Hi, Mr. Grinch!”

The group suddenly looked up toward the top of the sacks and there was no deceiving neither their ears nor their eyes. For there was Cindy Lou Who, sitting on top of the sack of all the stolen Christmas supplies. But as it turned out, she wasn’t the only one… for whatever reason, Rarity was up there literally right beside Cindy Lou.

“Cindy Lou!” The Grinch gasped.

“Rarity!” The girls gasped.

“Rarity, what’re you doing up there?” Spike cried out.

“I was looking for you dears!” Rarity called out. “Then Cindy decided to climb up this giant sack and I was trying to get her down!”

“Where’s Cozy Glow?!” Starlight called out. “Did you lose her?!”

“No, she’s right over there!”

Rarity pointed with her hoof and the group turned toward her direction. True to Rarity’s word, Cozy Glow was lying along the snow tightly wrapped in gift wrapping and a stamp planted on her lips. She didn’t even move, she just frowned at the sight of the group.

“Ooh…” The group nodded.

“That explains it…” Applejack replied.

“Well, this is all hunky-dory but… what is Cindy doing up there?!” The Grinch shouted.

“I came to see you,” Cindy Lou answered. “No one should be alone on Christmas.”

“Well… that was partly the reason why we came up here,” Fluttershy admitted, straining.

“Aside from stopping you from destroying the gifts,” Rainbow added. “But yes… we decided we were going to spend Christmas with you, despite everything.”

The Grinch laid upon the snow, stunned beyond words. And yet there was truth not only in those words, but the way they looked at him. The ponies, the dragon… whatever Tubby was… and especially the Lou ho girl. The way she smiled toward the Grinch, so sincerely, it made the Grinch smiled to. Not because he felt he had to, but because… he just wanted to. And for the first time, he felt… glad.

“Uh guys…” Starlight spoke. “I hate to spoil the moment, but…”

The sleigh was now leaning dangerously close to the ledge, as both Rarity and Cindy Lou nearly lost their balance. It was then that the Grinch could see the danger that these two were in…

Wait, why doesn’t Rarity just use her magic to teleport them off the sleigh?

Dude… she can’t do magic… under pressure!

Oh… right! Moving on…

*Clears throat* It was then that the Grinch could see the danger that these two were in, and something swelled deep inside him. A fury burning inside him like a volcano about to erupt. Only this wasn’t out of pure rage… this flame ignited the need to be there for someone other than himself. He thrust his legs deep into the snow and pulled with all his might. The Equestrians and their friends looked in utter surprised as the sleigh was immediately lifted back from the ledge and the Grinch lifted the whole thing over his head like the biggest weight in the world.

“And so, the true meaning of Christmas came through,
And the Grinch found the strength of ten grinches plus two.”

“I got you, Cindy Lou!” The Grinch shouted.

“You did it!” Cindy cheered.

“YEE-HAW!!!” Applejack cheered, spinning her hat.

Max hopped on his hind legs with excitement, seeing his master perform one good deed in his entire life. The Equestrians clapped their hooves and claws (And Tubby’s stubby arms) for the Grinch, cheering for the beast who saved all the gifts. All were happy for the Grinch… except for Cozy Glow, who witnessed the whole scene before her. Her eyes ablaze with fury and her cheeks glowing red under the wrapping. As if one thing was made perfectly clear…

The Grinch Whole Stole Christmas… was ‘saving’ Christmas…

<>

Later…

The Equestrians and their friends bid their goodbyes to the Grinch, as he, Max, and Cindy Lou sleighed their way down the slopes back to Whoville (Along with all the Christmas stuff he’d taken). This left the ponies, Spike, and Tubby with an already wrapped Cozy Glow, keeping a close watch in case she had any funny ideas of escaping.

“Well darlings, everything seems to be working perfectly!” Rarity remarked. “All the Who’s Christmas stuff has been saved, and now the Grinch is embarking on a venture to return them to their rightful owners!”

“Eeyup!” Applejack agreed, a hoof on Cozy Glow. “And now that we’ve wrangled this little varmint, we can all start getting’ home to Equestria.”

“Looks like your plans to ruin Christmas has failed, little squirt!” Rainbow smirked cockily. “And you’re not getting away from us this time!”

Cozy Glow sounded as if she were trying to say something. Except her muzzle was stuck with that ‘Do Not Open Until X-Mas’ sticker.

“What was that?” Applejack asked.

To which Cozy muffled louder, or at least ‘tried’ to use words.

“Come again?”

Cozy went red in the head, as she muffled even louder. The ponies turned toward Rarity, as she was the one pony who put that sticker on in the first place.

“What? Thought she deserved it… oh, all right!”

She reached out to pull the sticker off her face, earning a loud *YOWCH!* from Cozy. But at least she could clearly talk again.

“Better…” Cozy Glow sighed. “Now… as I was saying: Fine, you caught me! Goody for you. But before you take me away to prison, can we at least stay to watch… the Christmas fireworks?”

“Don’t be silly!” Pinkie snickered. “The Who’s don’t use fireworks for Christmas. They use ‘em for Diffendoofer Day~”

“Actually… I was talking about the fireworks I set up while I was helping the Grinch with his ‘evil’ plan to steal Christmas~” Cozy corrected, with a slight smirk.

Twilight raised a single eyebrow, her curiosity piqued as she leaned toward the young filly.

“What are you talking about? You just took Whoville’s decorations, gifts, and food, right?”

“Yes, we did… AND in each Who-home I left a little something that would make this Christmas really go out with a ‘bang’~!”

To say the other ponies and Spike were confused was a major understatement. But they could only imagine just what horrors Cozy had planned for these innocent Who’s.

“Cozy… what did you do…?” Starlight asked.

“Well… if you must know, I used one of the Grinch’s own blueprints to plant each one of those presents… a bomb~” Cozy explained. “The Grinch called it a ‘Bitsy Big-Boy Boomeroo’; an explosive so powerful the likes of which has never been seen by ‘any’ creature~! I found the blueprint while the Grinch was sleeping~”

“YOU MADE A BOMB?!” The ponies and Spike gasped in horror.

“Correction: I made bombs. Enough for each Who-family in Whoville~ And the best part: Before you all came to stop us, I already set off the remote timer in ‘all’ those gifts.”

Cozy Glow proceeded to check her wrist as if she were looking at a watch.

“They should be going off in… fifteen minutes from now,” Cozy estimated. “And when that happens… KABOOM! No more Whoville, no more Who’s… and, just recently… no more loose ends~”

“You… you’d blow up an entire village?” Fluttershy gasped with shock.

“Hey, this kid thinks big~ Plus, it’s like my consolatory Hearth’s Warming gift to me~”

“And you’re telling me the Grinch knows ‘nothing’ about your scheme?!” Starlight inquired.

“Puh-lease~ He thinks I gave the Who’s garbage and a stink bomb. Truth is: Had he not gone soft on me, I had to make sure he had no point in going back after I took him with me to the Benefactor. But now that he wants to saveChristmas, well… I made sure it’d be the last one he’ll ever try to save~”

Twilight Sparkle stepped back with horror in her eyes.

“They’re heading right for a trap…” Twilight realized, facing Cozy Glow. “You… you…”

“That’s it!”

Rainbow Dash picked up the smug little foal, pulling her towards her face.

“You better put a stop to this, or I’ll—”

“You think I’d be able to stop it even if I wantedto?” Cozy Glow remarked. “The countdown can never be stopped! That said, you could try to retrieve all the bombs and save those stupid Whovillains. But guess what? You’d have to let me go because I’m the ‘only’ one who knows where all the bombs are. It’s your choice: You can take me to Equestria… or save those Christmas-loving creeps. You can’t do both~”

Well…

Dude, this chapter’s long enough as it is.

“Why should we believe you?” Spike asked skeptically. “After all, ‘you’ were the one who burned down Discord’s theatre. It’s your fault all this happened in the first place!”

“And to think we had the silly idea of giving you another chance because you’re still a child!” Pinkie added. “And every pony says I’m the crazy one behind my back!”

“You see… that’s the problem with all of you,” Cozy remarked. “You’re ‘always’ looking to blame some pony else even when they’re hooves are ‘completely’ clean.”

“What are you talking about?” Twilight asked.

“I never set that fire at Discord’s theatre,” Cozy confessed. “I was on my way to create some chaos, but some-pony beat me to it.”

“Who?!”

“I don’t know! The fire was already started when I arrived! But not wanting to go back to the legion empty-hooved, I merely took advantage of it and tried ‘stealing’ the television. Other than that, I’m totally innocent here!”

“She’s… she’s bluffing!” Rainbow faced Applejack. “She just has to be!”

“I dunno, hon,” Applejack spoke. “I know a bluff when I hear it, and this don’t sound like no bluff~ Twi… what do we do?”

Twilight Sparkle found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had this one opportunity for only ‘one’ of the following: Capture a source to the Benefactor and returning her to Equestria with the risk of Whoville’s destruction… ‘or’ rescue a town of innocents, even if it meant losing a valuable look into the Benefactor’s plan. In her heart… she knew what had to be done.

“You help us find the bombs, Cozy… then we’ll let you go!”

“What?!” Spike asked, surprised. “But we finally caught Cozy! We just have to take her back to—”

“I know! But Cozy’s right. We can’t risk Whoville exploding, especially if Grinch really wants to change. We can’t rob him of that. Besides… Cozy’s the only one who knows where she planted the bombs.”

Cozy smirked as they made the choice she knew they’d make.

“We need a way down the mountain~” Twilight declared.

“Ahem!”

Everyone turned toward Pinkie Pie, who ‘somehow’ made an ice sleigh, big enough to fit eight of them.

“Anypony up for a no-horse open sleigh ride down to Whoville?” Pinkie asked courteously.

Without hesitation, every pony and dragon hopped onto the sleigh including a still wrapped-up Cozy Glow. Pinkie Pie and Applejack proceeded to push the sleigh towards the incline, granting enough momentum to slide down the mountain. If luck be on their side, they’d make it down the mountain in time to save Whoville and their Christmas.

<>

“WHOO-HOOOOOOO!!!!”

With a cry and a holler, the Grinch skied behind the sleigh bounding down the slopes back to Whoville. While Cozy Glow and Max had a fun-filled ride from the safety of the passenger seat, The Grinch was having the time of his life. He rode along the snow like a professional water-skier, flying across the hills like an eagle.

“Spread eagle!” The Grinch called out. “Nailed it!”

He skied at a rapid pace, holding tightly to the rope connected to the back of the sleigh keeping his balance. Then his eyes went wide as they reached a curve on the mountain, and he found himself flying off the ledge. He held on for dear life, screaming his lungs out as he spun out and crashed… right into the gigantic sack. With a groan he fell back and landed hard in the front driver seat, right before the eyes of Cindy Lou.

“Are you all right?” Cindy asked.

“Are you kiddin’?” The Grinch replied. “The sun is bright and the powder’s bitchin’! Now scoot over! It’s my turn to drive!”

The Grinch worked his way into the driver’s seat, squeezing his way toward the steering mechanism. Soon as his grip was on the wheel, the Grinch drove the sleigh down the slopes toward the town of Whoville. They were making just enough time to reach the town… though the Grinch noticed that the sleigh was going a slight bit fast down these slopes.

“I’d better slow this buggy down!” The Grinch spoke.

The Grinch proceeded to pull the break handle, releasing the brakes… which was literally just a boot tied to a metal post to skid the sleigh to a halt. Unfortunately, the sleigh was going so fast that the break literally… broke off the sleigh. As the Grinch noticed the severity of the situation, the ice sleigh containing Twilight and her friends finally pulled up to the side drawing the attention from the Grinch, Cindy Lou, and Max.

“Girls! Spike!” The Grinch called out. “What’re you doing on that sleigh ride?!”

“We’re needed to come to Whoville with you!” Starlight called out. “Cozy Glow’s about to blow up the entire town with bombs!”

“WHAT?!” The Grinch shouted, facing Cozy Glow. “How diabolical can a child get?!”

“It takes one to know one you moron!” Cozy Glow shouted.

“We might want to slow down once we get to the town!” Twilight suggested.

“We can’t… the breaks are broken!” Cindy Lou called out.

“Aw great!” Rainbow muttered. “We’re going to crash… and explode!”

“Now you listen to me, young lady!” The Grinch pointed out. “Even if we’re horribly mangled… there’ll be no sad faces on Christmas.”

For a moment, the group seemed rather touched and they all agreed that even on Christmas they shouldn’t feel sad or hopeless. To which Cozy Glow cringed in disgust.

“You’re right… there shouldn’t be sad faces on Christmas,” Pinkie agreed. “But there’s definitely going to be SCREAMING FACES!!!”

The group looked ahead and proceeded to scream their heads off, as their sleighs flew at an accelerated pace down the slope. Here they were, two groups with a common of goal of saving Christmas for all the Who’s in Whoville. But unless some miracle were to occur, the next time these Who’s seem them will be a cluttered mess… BEFORE they all blew up.

<>

Meanwhile, back in Whoville, the entire Who population drew their attention to a commotion ringing in their ears. They all wondered what was going on when a familiar voice cried out in the distance…

“Help!” Familiar voices called out.

“Cindy!” Betty called out.

“Grinch?” Martha spoke.

Sure enough, sliding down the hill, a pair of sleighs were reaching toward the streets with no sign of slowing down.

“It’s Twilight and her friends! They’re going to crash!” Betty wailed. “With my baby!”

While all of Whoville tried to run out of the way, with one or two exceptions, Betty instantly knew what she had to do. Racing toward her house, she proceeded to pull down all the lights from her house. She soon spotted Martha May who approaching her side.

“Grab an end!” Betty instructed.

Martha proceeded to grab her end of the decorations, following Betty’s instructions thoroughly. And yet she couldn’t help but notice something with all these lights from Betty’s house.

“By the way, these lights match your outfit perfectly,” Martha observed.

In the meantime, the pairs of sleighs were reaching the entrance toward the town. But suffice to say they weren’t feeling confident with their chances.

“This could be more difficult to negotiate,” The Grinch observed.

“HEADS UP, WHOVILLE!!!” Pinkie shouted. “WE’RE COMING FOR A LANDING!!!”

“Hurry!” Betty cried out. “Here they come!”

The two female Who’s proceeded to pull the lights as wide as they could, hopefully it’ll be enough to stop the sleighs.

“Out of the way!” The Grinch shouted, waving his arm. “I have no insurance!”

“It’s true! I’ve checked!” Cozy called out.

The lights managed to catch the sleighs, which broke the ice sleigh to pieces and sent the Equestrians flying over the air crashing hard into the sack (Except for those who ‘have’ wings and merely hovered over). However, that didn’t stop the Grinch’s sleigh which instead dragged the pair of women down the streets. The group were in a tight pinch, as their one sleigh swerved across the streets and were inching their way close to where the Christmas tree stood. All the Who’s ducked for cover, except for Lou Who himself.

“Run for your lives!” The Grinch shouted. “Watch out, I can’t stop!”

But Lou Who, braving the odds stacked against him, held one arm out hoping to stop the sleigh himself and save his daughter.

“Daddy, move!” Cindy called out.

“Dad, move it!” Pinkie shouted. “Oh wait… he’s not my dad! Uh… LOU, MOVE!!!”

The Grinch tried to haul back the steering mechanism as tightly as he could, while all were desperately attempting to stop the sleigh anyway they can. The Who girls pulled the lights as hard as they could, while Lou kept a hand on the sleigh as it pushed him deep into the tree. And sure enough, somehow and some way, the sleigh came to a complete stop much to even Lou’s surprise.

“Thanks for the help!” The Grinch stuck a thumb up.

“Hi, Daddy!” Cindy called out.

“Hi, Cindy, honey!” Lou answered.

“Save the reunion for the later!” Starlight called out. “This whole town is about to blow up!”

“BLOW UP?!?!” The Who’s called out.

“All right kid, deal’s a deal!” Rainbow muttered, lifting the filly up. “You better start showing us where you planted those bombs!”

“Please! That operation nearly took me all the night!” Cozy retorted. “Even if I do, we don’t exactly have all the ‘time’ to search every house.”

“Hah! I can get those bombs in ten seconds flat!”

“Oh yeah… show me!”

With an eyebrow raised and a smirk, Rainbow Dash latched onto Cozy Glow and zoomed across the town at a rapid pace. The little filly screamed her head off, her mane flying all over the place, as Rainbow zoomed into each and every house in Whoville following Cozy’s instructions accordingly. Soon, Rainbow zipped to the center with a gift containing a bomb, made known only by the ticking noise inside. All heads turned several directions, trying to follow the rainbow blur’s direction as she rapidly collected all the bombs.

Eventually Rainbow Dash fully returned with all the bombs… a large stack gathered near the Christmas tree. And as for Cozy Glow, she was dropped back onto the snow and all the wrapping falling off her. But she was too dizzy to move for a moment, as her eyes rolled about, and her mane stuck up all over the place.

“What’d I tell you kid?” Rainbow replied. “Ten… seconds… flat!”

“Great… you got all the bombs,” Cozy muttered. “Now you just have fifteen seconds to get them out of Whoville.”

“FIFTEEN SECONDS?!?!” The Equestrians shouted.

“But I don’t wanna be blown away forever!” Tubby whined.

“Not to worry my little friend!” Pinkie replied casually. “There’s only one way to end this holiday with a ‘good’ bang.”

From her mane, Pinkie Pie proceeded to pull out the largest party cannon even her own mane has carried. And running about at her own unique speed, a pink blur carried all the ‘bombs’ and stuffed them into the cannon. She then turned toward the Grinch.

“Care to do the honors?” Pinkie smiled.

“You even need to ask?” The Grinch asked, clutching the rope. “POP GOES THE WEASEL!”

With a tug of the rope, the cannon shot its arsenal into the air. All the gifts soared high into the sky until… *BOOM!* A massive explosion ignited the skies with an array of colors like it’s New Year’s Day. All the Who’s went ‘Ooh!’ and ‘Aah!’ watching the sky explode with fireworks, while the Equestrians gave a hoof-bump mid-cheers.

“Merry Christmas… one and all!” The Grinch called out.

“Cindy!” Betty called out.

“Mommy!” Cindy cried out.

Mother and daughter reunited, as Betty hugged her little girl with tearful joy as Lou joined in on the reunion. The Equestrians watched the scene as the Grinch basked in the glory, chuckling like Santa Claus as all the Who’s applauded and cheered. But as everyone celebrated, Starlight Glimmer’s gaze turned and spotted a mount of wrapping leftover. It didn’t take long for Starlight to figure out what had happened behind their backs.

<>

Back at the phone booth, Cozy dialed the number as she eyed the Whovillian sleeping by her phone. Apparently, she’d been sitting by her phone all night waiting for a call from earlier. The phone picked up and Cozy donned her ‘adult voice’ again.

“Good morning, ma’am! How may we help you?”

She uttered the words so loudly it woke the old Whovillian, who tried to keep a hold of the phone… only to accidentally hang it up. Desperately, she picked it up hoping to still be on the line… but to no avail. Her face merely broke as she wept silently in her hands.

Cozy Glow gave a light nod as a portal opened before her. Before walking through it, a look of contemplation came over her face and she thought back on what Starlight said back at the Lou Who home. Could she ‘really’ be accepted by the ponies of Equestria again, even after all she’d done? Is it possible that maybe she could be… friends with these ponies again?

She quickly shook her head of any of those thoughts. She saw the way those other ponies acted toward her at the mountain, she knew no matter what Starlight said they only saw her as their enemy and nothing more. Instead, she looked back down the street where those Equestrians were celebrating with all the Who’s. Well… almost ‘all’ of them.

“It’s not too late to join us, Cozy Glow.”

She turned back and before her was Starlight Glimmer, standing six feet away from her. She stood there eying the filly with a serious tone, while her horn was already aglow in case the filly truly did make her escape.

“What’re you going to do, Starlight?” Cozy threatened. “You’re going to try to capture me? Throw me back in a cell? Zap me out of oblivion?!”

“Maybe I should…” Starlight answered. “I don’t know if you truly set fire to the theatre or not, but you did try to blow up this entire town! You’re a real monster Cozy Glow… and yet I’m still naïve enough to believe you still have a sense and a purpose!”

“I don’t need any pony’s pity!” Cozy hissed. “I never did…”

“Do you really believe that? Just look at yourself in the mirror… you still have a bright future ahead of you. I would rather you face your crimes justly, to be dealt with fairly… just like every pony else.”

“Don’t act like you’re suddenly better than the rest of us ponies, Starbright,” Cozy remarked. “You and I are not as different as you think.”

Starlight Glimmer stood silently for a moment wondering just where this malicious little pony was getting at.

“We both hate holidays like this for a reason,” Cozy continued. “If I was told correctly, you were going to skip Hearth’s Warming because you couldn’t find a point! And now you’re trying so hard to make it a part of your life to hide the fact you were once a villain! Who’s to say you can’t be again?”

“That’s not who I am anymore, Cozy!” Starlight argued. “I ‘chose’ to see the light, just as you have that choice!”

“I don’t have that choice anymore!” Cozy snapped. “You and your friends didn’t free me from that curse, the Benefactor did. I’m only free so long as the Benefactor wants me to be. I attempt to betray them in anyway, its back to my stony prison… and I can’t afford to fail the Legion! I just… can’t…”

For a moment, Cozy Glow turned away, but Starlight could catch a glimpse of tears trickling down her face. That despite the fact the child is unquestionably evil, there was still this manner of vulnerability threatening to get out. That despite being mean and slightly scary, there was this sad little child crying for release. And yet Cozy was clearly trying so hard to be in control.

“You know… the legion could use a pony of your talents,” Cozy spoke, facing Starlight. “You’re magic’s strong enough to overcome an alicorn! I already have the ‘plans’ so I don’t really need that Grinch… nothing but deadweight anyway. But you and I, we can do great things to shape Equestria our way. So we never have to ‘lose’ anything, that we can rule the entire continent and the multiverse. I could be like the ‘best friend’ you ever had… a friend who will neverleave you. All you have to do… is join me, Starlight Glimmer. Join me… and no force in the universe can stop us.”

Starlight Glimmer stood pondering over the offer, as Cozy Glow held her hoof out beckoning for Starlight to join her through the portal. On one hand, Cozy Glow was right about a few things. She did intend to skip the holiday only because she was still hurting back then. And she is a powerful unicorn, and the legion have ‘sought’ talents like hers to aid in their plot. If she were to join, she’d know where their hideout is, what the Benefactor is planning, and all she’d have to do was follow their plans. But on the other hoof…

“I have best friends…” Starlight Glimmer spoke firmly. “Their names are Twilight Sparkle… Trixie… Sunset Shimmer… Maud Pie… they’re allmy friends. And friends… don’t abandon each other for their own selfish needs.”

To which Cozy Glow frowned with disappointment, even though she knew that was the answer she was going to receive.

“So you’d choose ‘friendship’ over ‘victory’…” Cozy growled. “That’s why you’ll lose in the end!”

And before Starlight could react, shooting a beam towards Cozy, the little filly fluttered out of the way and hurled herself through the open portal. The last Starlight could hear of Cozy Glow was her chuckling, as the portal closed in front of her. Starlight stood where the portal was, sighing as a breath flowed through the winter breeze. But she had no time to dwell on Cozy’s absence, as she decided to return to her friends who were amongst the Who’s celebrating their safety.

“All right…” The officer interjected. “What do we have here?”

“You got me, Officer!” The Grinch called out, facing the Who’s. “I did it! I’m The Grinch That Stole Christmas… and I’m… sorry.”

The Grinch faced the Officer and held out his hands awaiting for his inevitable arrest. But for some odd reason, the officer didn’t do anything at all.

“Aren’t you gonna cuff me?” The Grinch asked, confused. “Put me in a choke hold? Blind me with pepper spray?”

“You heard him, Officer” Mayor May-Who agreed, approaching the pair. “He admitted it. I’d go with the pepper spray.”

“Yes, I heard him, all right,” The Officer replied. “He said… he was sorry. Besides, it looks like everything is all here and accounted for.”

The Equestrians sighed with relief as Applejack turned toward the rest of the Mane Six, Spike, and a returning Starlight Glimmer.

“Y’see, ya’ll. Everything turned out fine.”

“Great!” Pinkie leapt joyfully. “The Grinch is forgiven! It’s going to be a brand new start!”

“Help me out here, people!” May-Who begged, in demise. “Martha?”

“Merry Christmas, August May-Who!”

Mayor May-Who looked up and spotted Martha May atop the huge bag of decorations, toys, and a great many things that spell ‘Christmas’.

“I’m afraid I do have something for you!” Martha declared.

She sled down the sack with a ‘WHOOOOAAAA!’ into the arms of some Who citizens reaching out to catch her. Once she was on her feet, she approached Mayor May-Who and handed him back the ring box.

“Your ring back,” Martha spoke. “Sorry, but my heart belongs to… someone else.”

She looked toward the Grinch, who turned toward the Mane Six and their friends. He was clearly confused amidst all the Who citizens surrounding him. Yet of all the ponies, it was Fluttershy who approached the Grinch.

“Mr. Grinch, I think she’s talking about you.”

“Me?”

The Grinch looked toward Martha May, pointing himself as if asking ‘Is that true?’. Martha May softly nodded her head, confirming a ‘yes’.

“HAAAA!!!” The Grinch skipped joyfully. “Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!!!”

The Grinch skipped and cheered for his triumph till he was inches from the Mayor. They stared toward each other for a moment before extending a hairy hand toward the Mayor.

“No hard feelings?” The Grinch asked.

The Mayor reluctantly reached his hand to shake the Grinch’s and they shook hands. But then, the Grinch pulled the Mayor up to him and he laughed right in his face much to his chagrin. The Mayor merely stared with annoyance, having been made a fool of by the Grinch… again. Pinkie Pie casually leaned beside the Mayor with a smile upon her face.

“Ah, cheer up, Mr. Mayor dude,” Pinkie smiled. “It is Christmas!”

<>

Sometime later… the Grinch stood before the Christmas tree and casually turned one of the lights. In doing so, not only did the Christmas tree lit up in the center of town but everywhere they looked all the lights around every house were turned on like a heavenly glow radiating from the sky. The Who’s smiled in awe seeing life returned to their hometown. The Grinch smiled before them when he felt a tug against his suit and looked down spotting Cindy Lou looking toward him.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Grinch,” Cindy spoke.

“And Happy Hearth’s Warming!” Twilight added, smiling.

Cindy Lou then leaned toward the Grinch and planted a light kiss upon his cheek. The Grinch felt touched to receive such affection from a Who so small. And while it felt weird to him at first, something about this made the Grinch feel… happy. But it also left the little girl in a sense of wonder.

“Your cheek is so…”

“I know…” The Grinch sighed. “Hairy?”

“No…”

“Greasy? Stinky? Do I have a zit?”

“No… warm.”

The Grinch was stunned at first, but eventually he truly warmed up to the smiling Who child with a smile of his own. To which, the Equestrians looked on proudly seeing the Grinch truly open his heart out. Not just to the little Who child who gave him the benefit of a doubt, but the true meaning behind the season of Christmas (and Hearth’s Warming)… love. And then Cindy grabbed onto The Grinch’s hand and led him to join the circle of her friends and neighbors with the Equestrians joining beside her. And together, under the Christmas tree, they sung their holiday anthem together…

Cindy Lou (Sings):
Fah who foraze, dah who doraze

Cindy Lou & Equestrians (Sings):
Welcome, Christmas, come this way…

Group (Sings):
Fah who foraze, dah who doraze
Welcome, Christmas, Christmas Day
Welcome, welcome, fah who rahmus
Welcome, welcome, dah who dahmus
Christmas Day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to clasp…

The Grinch (Sings):
Fah who ray-moo ya-who hee haw

The Grinch & Martha May (Sings):
Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer (‘Cheer!’)

Group (Sings):
Fah who foraze, dah who doraze
Welcome all Who’s far…
And…
Near…

<>

Later that Christmas morning, all the Who’s of Whoville gathered together for a glorious feast in the last place anyone would have suspected: The Grinch’s cave. Only now, the entire cave wad decorated in Christmas decorations thanks to a little help from a certain fashionista. Everyone gathered around the giant table to begin the feast, with Fluttershy petting Max beside her.

“He brought everything back, all the food for the feast.
And he, he himself; the Grinch, carved the roast beast.”

“Yeah!” Grinch smiled, cutting the meat.

At his side stood Martha May, her hand upon his shoulder. Cindy Lou and Max both sat beside him, with the Equestrian crew sitting alongside them. They couldn’t believe how far the Grinch had come from being the green monster who hated ‘everything’ about Christmas to where he was now. The Grinch smiled at them all before going back to cutting the beast.

“Nothing like the holidays,” He smiled. “Who wants the gizzard?!”

“I do!” A Who responded.

“Too late!” Grinch yelled back. “That’ll be mine!”

Twilight Sparkle soon turned toward the Grinch, clearing her throat a bit to grasp his attention.

“Mr. Grinch, I know we all kind of gotten on the wrong hoof lately,” Twilight admitted. “What with you hating Christmas before and that mess Cozy Glow nearly caused. But now that we’re all starting on friendly terms, well, I feel like as the Princess of Friendship, that we can finally~”

“Oh, for Celestia’s sake, Twi~!” Pinkie shouted, lightly nudging her. “Just give it to him, already~!”

The Grinch raised an eyebrow, wondering what this pony was talking about.

“Give me what? Another ‘friendship lesson’? Listen, I already got one back in Whoville, and—”

“No, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Your present!”

She got really into the Grinch’s personal space, the latter taken aback by the wide grin on her face.

“Well… actually, your present is sort of a present you gave yourself, but… oh, what the heck?”

She pulled out of her mane a present wrapped in light green wrapping with a dark-green bow on the lid.

“Merry Christmas/Happy Hearth’s Warming, Mr. Grinch!”

She tossed the gift into his hands as he looked oddly at it. He shook it a bit, wondering what could possibly be in it.

“You… got me… a present?” The Grinch asked. “Wait a minute! What do you mean ‘a present I gave’?”

“Oh, hush up and open your gift!” Applejack remarked. “You’ll be mighty surprised, and that’s the honest truth~”

“Believe us, Mr. Grinch,” Fluttershy added. “We wanted to make sure your first Christmas with the Who’s after so long was worth remembering. So… oh, just open it and you’ll see.”

Now intrigued, the Grinch pulled the lid off his present. Peeking inside, his eyes widened over what was revealed before him. Slowly, he reached into the box and pulled out…

“Is… is this…?”

“It is, Mr. Grinch,” Starlight replied warmly.

In the Grinch’s hand was the very tree topper he made for Martha all those years ago. But last he recalled, he broke it in his rage after the shaving incident isolated him from the Who’s and Christmas in the first place. Only now… it was put back together again like it was good as new.

“Martha had the pieces, so… we asked if we could have them,” Starlight explained.

The Grinch looked up and faced Martha May.

“You… kept… my present?” He asked.

Martha smiled warmly as she nodded her head.

“It was the only present I ever received that show… true originality. It would have looked splendid on my Christmas tree.”

“We were actually going to surprise you at the Whobilation with this,” Pinkie chuckled. “Heh-heh… whoopsie.”

“To remind you of the moment you got into Christmas for the first time,” Twilight added.

“And with a little glue, some wire, and of course plenty of much-needed tender love and care, we managed to fix your charming tree topper,” Rarity pointed out.

“But… then you went on your rampage,” Rainbow Dash remarked. “You and Cozy tried to ruin Christmas, and… well, either way, better now than never.”

The Grinch was speechless at first. These ponies helped to fix the present he wanted Martha to have all those years ago… because they actually ‘cared’ about him. He couldn’t help but sob again, clutching his present so closely and tenderly.

“This… this is the most… thoughtful gift I ever got… ever…!” The Grinch blubbered.

“Oh no…” Rainbow Dash lightly groaned. “How long’s this gonna take~?”

“Well, he did have a heart that was too small for him to cry those feelings out,” Fluttershy whispered to Rainbow. “It’ll probably take time for him to start expressing himself on a healthier basis…”

Just then, a strange wind picked up in the cave. Everyone in the cave looked toward where it was coming from. Soon they all noticed the portal back to Equestria open up before them. Soon, the entire Equestrian gang stood up.

“Looks like it’s time we get back home,” Twilight observed.

“Aww… I was hoping to finally try some of that Who pudding!” Pinkie pouted.

“Don’t worry about that!” Grinch assured her. “Max can help with that.”

The dog in question approached Pinkie Pie and held a doggy bag in his mouth.

Ha! Doggy bag! Get it? It’s a pun.

Yeah dude, I think we all got it…

Pinkie Pie just smiled and grabbed the bag before placing it in her mane.

“Aww… thanks Maxie!” She smiled.

She patted the dog’s head with her hoof and the dog licked her cheek in thanks. Cindy Lou and the Grinch both stood up from the table. And together, they approached the Equestrians. The ponies and Spike all turned to face them, noticing the smiles on their faces.

“Thank you all so much,” Cindy Lou said gratefully. “None of this would have been possible without you.”

“Honestly Cindy, the thanks all goes to you,” Starlight responded. “You were the one that taught everyone what Christmas is really all about. All we did was help you out along the way.”

“You’re one really special little girl Cindy,” Twilight smiled.

“We’ll certainly miss you when we get back darling,” Rarity nodded.

Cindy went over and joined in a big group hug with all her new friends. Finally, when she pulled back, the Grinch walked up and knelt before all of them.

“You know, when we first met, all I wanted was for you to get the heck out of my life and leave me alone,” He smirked. “Now I can’t possibly thank you enough for helping me love Christmas again.”

“It was our pleasure Mr. Grinch,” Applejack said, tipping her hat.

“Just don’t go back to your old ways ya big green goof,” Rainbow joked. “Or else I’ll have to come back here and knock some sense back into you.”

Both she and the Grinch chuckled as the latter nodded in response.

“I’ll be sure to remember that.”

Everyone piled in for a big group hug with the Grinch included.

“Merry Christmas Mr. Grinch,” They all said.

“And Happy Hearths Warming!” The Grinch responded.

They all finally drew back from the hug and turned to walk into the portal.

“WAIT!!!”

Everyone turned as little Tubby Nugget raced towards them, with two suitcases in his little stubs.

“Wait for me!” He yelled.

“Tubby?” Pinkie spoke shocked. “What are you doing?”

“I want to come with you,” Tubby responded. “I’ve enjoyed spending time with you on this adventure; I want to have many more with all of you.”

“That’s very sweet of you Tubby, but are you sure about that?” Twilight asked. “Isn’t Whoville your home?”

“Oh no…” Tubby shook his head. “I was merely staying here till I could find a family I could belong to. And now… I finally found it.”

Soon as he said this, he looked specifically toward Pinkie Pie, the closet pony he’d been to since they met. Pinkie actually had tears of happiness race down her face as she came forth and embraced Tubby in a massive hug.

“I’d love for you to come back and live with me Nugget!” Pinkie said happily. “We’ll bake every day, and I’ll show you all my secrets for planning the best parties. I can’t wait for my whole family to meet you.”

“Oh boy, that sounds like fun!” Tubby smiled.

“This is going to be quite the ride,” Rainbow rolled her eyes.

Pinkie helped Tubby onto her back, as everyone turned toward their new friends and waved one final goodbye.

“Come on every pony, we’ve got a theatre to rebuild,” Twilight told them. “And we still need to celebrate Hearth’s Warming!”

“Oh my, that reminds me!” Rarity recalled.

She soon used her magic to conjure up all the packages she bought from the department store. Now they stood all wrapped up in gift wrapping.

“I can’t possibly forget the Hearth’s Warming gifts I bought for ‘every’ pony.”

“Wait a minute!” Starlight shook her head. “You mean you didn’t buy all this for yourself?”

“Oh please Starlight dear!” Rarity smiled. “You honestly believe I’d purchase all these magnificent gifts on Hearth’s Warming just for myself? I wouldn’t be the Element of Generosity if I did that now would I?”

Starlight just smiled and rolled her eyes.

“Only Rarity,” She chuckled.

Soon, with everything together and everyone ready, the Equestrians proceeded to enter through the portal one-by-one. Through the portal of which would take them back to Equestria. Pinkie Pie, with Tubby Nugget on her back, were the last to make their way through.

“Boy… if this is just the Grinch on Christmas,” Pinkie replied. “Can’t imagine what’ll happen on Halloween.”

“Tee-hee… indeedy!” Tubby squeaked, as they merged through.

Chorus (Sings):
Welcome Christmas. Bring your cheer,
Cheer to all Whos, far and near.
Christmas Day is in our grasp
So long as we have hands to grasp.
Christmas Day will always be
Just as long as we have we.
Welcome Christmas while we stand
Heart to heart and hand in hand.

The End