How Two Monarchs Definitely For Sure Stole Hearthswarming (Definitely)

Chrysalis struts down the dirt paths of Ponyville-that most accursed of towns where her despised nemesi gathered in droves. The town had seen a marked pattern of growth recently, being the hometown of so many of Equestria’s greatest heroes as of late; as such, it was easy enough to blend in, there being enough newcomers that not even Pinkie Pie had been able to learn all of their names. At least, that was Chrysalis’ hope.

Speaking of nemesi… Chrysalis can only barely resist the urge to reveal her true form and attack with all her hatred at the sight of her most hated enemy at all, walking down the street on the other side. Starlight Glimmer.

Patience! Patience. She will get her just desserts in good time. Chrysalis reminds herself, managing to restrain her reaction for the most part, save only a spasm of anger that crossed her face in a heartbeat. Silently, she falls in line behind the pony in question; if anycreature in Equestria deserved to have their Hearthswarming ruined, it was her. She just needed to figure out how to go about it without ruining her disguise.

Surprisingly, the pony in question was on her own, rather than with those “friends” of hers; just a golden opportunity for infiltration, as far as Chrysalis was concerned. So when Starlight orders a mug of eggnog and sits down in a cozy little restaurant that had cropped up on the fringes of Ponyville, Chrysalis is right behind her.

“Mind if I sit down?” Chrysalis asks, feigning a warm smile to the unicorn, who was staring at the table seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

“Hrm? Oh, of course. I wouldn’t be much of a friendship school headsmare if I said no.” Starlight jokes, with a faint hint of melancholia in her voice as Chrysalis sits across from her. She has no idea that she’s staring her archnemesis in the face, right across from her! Oh, how I wish I could see her face if she knew. Chrysalis gloats internally, but keeps the sentiment firmly restrained from her mind.

Instead, she projects a face of surprise. “Oh! My apologies, I’m new in town. I didn’t realize you were such an important pony.” Chrysalis confidently lies, making as if to stand; If she could feed the ponies ego enough, perhaps she could use that to drive a wedge between her and her friends?

The reaction was not what she had intended, as Starlight just laughs sheepishly and rubs the back of her mane with one hoof. “Well, to be honest with you, I’m still not sure if I’m cut out for the job. I have big horseshoes to fill, you know.” She confesses. “I still feel like I’m floundering sometimes, I was just a student only a couple years ago and now I’m in charge of all the teachers!”

Chrysalis’s eyelid twitches just ever-so-slightly, though thankfully the pony across from her did not notice. Was her archnemesis suggesting she was incompetent? That would not do at all, if she had been defeated by an incompetent that would make herself worse than incompetent. Silently making up her mind that Starlight’s self-recrimination was in some way an insult to herself, Chrysalis sits back down and takes a sip of eggnog-It was surprisingly tasty, to be honest, though she would never admit to anycreature that she had thought that.

“Woah, you ascended to teacher that quickly!?” Chrysalis asks, pushing a tone of awe into her voice. “You’re in charge of the school that the new princess founded!? She must put a lot of faith in you!”

Starlight smiles faintly to Chrysalis. “Well, maybe, but in some ways things have only gotten worse since I took over. As much as I’ve been trying to expand our facilities, there’s just too many applicants nowadays, and we only have so many teachers. Not to mention, half the dormitory is full of orphans who came to ponyville seeking shelter now, so we can only take in so many students.” She explains.

Chrysalis cocks her head to one side, not having to feign curiosity this time; what was this about orphans? “Why are you taking in so many orphans? I thought it was a school, not an orphanage.”

Starlight Glimmer sighs. “It’s because of the new influx of residents. A lot of colts and fillies without any place to call their own heard about how Scootaloo got taken in by Rainbow Dash and decided to try their luck here. Most of them don’t have any place to go, and there’s no orphanage around here, so I decided to open the doors of the school to give them a safe place to sleep, at least.”

Savage interest gleams in the bottom of Chrysalis’s soul, and the changeling queen leans forwards. “Oh, that’s terrible! But it sounds like you’re doing all you can.” An idea intrudes upon Chrysalis’s mind; Desperate colts and fillies looking for a place to stay seemed like an easy group to infiltrate. Stowing that thought away, Chrysalis gives Starlight a somber, sympathetic look. “Plenty of business owners wouldn’t even think about using their resources to provide shelter to those down on their luck. I think you’re doing a great thing, even if it might cost you a hooffull of students.” She declares.

Starlight smiles and downs the last of her eggnog. “Thanks, that really makes me feel better. I should probably head back now though, I promised the orphans I’d be back after I visited my friends and explained why I couldn’t be there for hearth's warming this year.” She snickers lightly, in that infuriating tone that Chrysalis remembers. “Ha, maybe I am doing alright, after all.”

Perfect. Her archnemesis’s ego was restored, now all that was left was for Chrysalis to capitalize on the opportunity. “Do you think I could join you? I don’t have any family in ponyville, so I don’t need to be anywhere. If I could help take care of the orphans in any way, I would be honored.”

Starlight glimmer lets out a gasp of what sounded like relief. “Really? You mean it? Absolutely, you’d be welcome to come along, I could use any help I can get! Especially with all of the teachers out for the holidays, I just about ran my budget dry trying to find gifts for them all, and…”

Starlight Glimmer keeps yammering on, while Chrysalis tunes her out. Her plot is continuing apace; with malevolent glee, she nods along, plotting her next moves.

Sombra lurks from shadow to shadow, scouring Ponyville; stealth might not have been as much his forte as Chrysalis’s, but his ability to disappear into the darkness made it foals play to remain out of attention.

To be entirely honest, before he could seek to do anything-more to wipe that smug look off the changeling queen’s face than anything else-he was forced to do some reconaissance. It had been so long since he’d seen a normal civilization in action (That is to say, a civilization which wasn’t entirely made up of his own magically-dominated slaves), he wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking at half the time; many of the shops appeared strange and foreign to him, and the activities were even worse.

Some ponies appeared to just be sitting and talking-The inefficiency infuriated him, the lot of them should have been working the mines, growing food, or manufacturing weapons for the army. Specifically, his army. Putting that grumbling to the back of his mind, Sombra eventually decides to simply follow one individual pony; Once he learned how to thoroughly ruin their day, he would have a better idea on how to strike all of ponyville across the board without giving away his presence.

From his place in a dark secluded path between two of the buildings in downtown ponyville, the closest pony present was a dark green stallion with a black mane and equally black sack hung over one shoulder. Normally, such a shriveling worm wouldn’t deserve his attention for even a moment… But today, Sombra was feeling charitable. Silent as a ghost, he flitted between shadows as he followed the pony in question towards the newly-established ponyville bank; the pony in question seemed to be matching Sombra’s movements in a manner of speaking, also hanging to the shadows and fringes and glancing this way and that as if he knew somepony was following him.

Perhaps that was why Sombra had picked this target; somehow, he felt a vague sense of affinity towards him, though he certainly wouldn’t ever admit such a thing to himself. Entering the bank itself is, once again, foals play; Later on, he thought, he’d have to steal everything from the bank vault, just to put Chrysalis in her place if nothing else. His ability to move as a shadow made it extremely difficult to contain nor stop him, even when he wasn’t wielding the full brunt of his power.

The ponies he passes shiver and look around in confusion, wondering if the dark serpentine eyes they’d glimpsed in the shadows for just a moment were just their imagination. It’s all Sombra can do to resist the urge to cackling in his typical megalomaniacal manner, and stay fixated on his mark, who… was conspicuously absent.

Curses! A hex upon you, till the end of your days! How did you escape from- oh. Sombra’s internal rage-filled monologue is cut short when he locates the pony in question behind a pillar, pulling a mask on over his face before removing a small amulet from his pouch with a nervous gulp. The latter garners Sombra’s attention; Although it was little more than a paltry trinket to one so powerful as himself, it was laced with dark magic. A crude imitation at best, so far as Sombra was concerned, but unquestionably one intended to be used as a weapon.

Oh, ruining this fools day was going to be easier than Sombra had thought! As soon as the pony in question slipped the amulet around his neck, Sombra conjured a simulacrum of himself inside of the locket. As soon as the stallion looks down at the trinket, he finds himself mesmerized as Sombra’s form crystallizes within it.

“Fool!” rumbled the amulet, in a voice only it's intended wearer could hear. “Do you really think you can control my power!? I am the lord of the Dark, a snivelling pony such as yourself has no more use than as a slave! Come, place me around your neck! Let your servitude commence!”

The pony in question shrieks loudly, dropping the locket with a clatter and backpedalling rapidly, attracting the attention of the few other ponies in the room immediately. “Oh dear Celestia, what am I doing!?” The stallion cries out, knocking the amulet away from himself and tearing off his mask. “That thing is cursed! Nopony touch it! I’m sorry, I promise I’ll be a good pony from now on!”

Sombra can’t help but let some level of villainous cackle release from his throat. Oh, this was too rich, look how easy it was to terrify the hapless creatures! A mere subtle illusion, and he was running scared!

As Sombra slips out from the building once more, he hears the clatter of hooves approaching; Somepony had signalled for the guard to come and dispose of the dangerous artifact. With any luck, the stallion Sombra had chosen to haunt would find himself in the slammer, and his Hearth's Warming would be utterly ruined!

“Just give me a second, I’ll get this door opened.” Starlight Glimmer states to the pony that was actually Chrysalis in disguise.

Chrysalis leers at the door with a smug smirk as it was unlocked by the unicorn. Yes, that’s right! Let me into your school, that I might feed on the care you show for your students! The thought almost made Chrysalis giddy; It had been too long since she’d fed well, and to be stealing the love from right under Starlight’s nose without the mare’s knowledge only made it so much sweeter. Soon enough, she was ushered into the schools courtyard.

There was… An air of magic here, sweet and delicious to Chrysalis’ unique hunger. The magical traces of friendship and mutual appreciation, now little more than an appetizer for the changeling queen. As she pauses to feel the vitality returning to her from the scraps of emotion left behind, she finds herself jostled back into awareness as Starlight Glimmer gently prods her.

“Hey, are you alright?” The unicorn asks in a concerned tone as Chrysalis opens her eyes once more, becoming aware that she had just stopped in the middle of the courtyard.

Chrysalis coughs awkwardly, clearing her throat. “Oh, ehrm, yes, I was just… Enjoying the ambience.” She hastily responds, her eyes darting over the ponish architecture. How paltry it was, compared to the infinite mutability of a changeling hive.

Starlight was, naturally, oblivious to what she was thinking; instead, the unicorn just pauses to take a look around as well, smiling. “Twilight really did do a great job on the place, didn’t she? Still hard to believe she got it built so quickly, even with magic.” Starlight giggles at that, before jerking with her head. “C’mon, they should all be in the parlor waiting for me. I’m sure they’ll be overjoyed somepony else decided to come visit for the holidays, too.”

“STARLIGHT’S BACK!”

Chrysalis didn’t know exactly what she expected, but she still finds herself somehow stunned when, as Starlight opens the door to the parlor, a dozen colts and fillies all immediately spring up and rush to encircle Starlight Glimmer as soon as the ringleader, a vibrantly colored pastel green filly, screamed her announcement to the world.

Even Starlight seems overwhelmed as the mob of eager youthful faces crowds around her. “Did you get any presents!?”, “The Reindeer must have stopped by, cause I found this watch under my pillow!”, “Who's the new pony?” and more questions all fill the air simultaneously.

It wasn’t that which was overpowering Chrysalis, however; rather, it was the surge of gratitude and excitement that filled the air and hits her like a train. In that moment, she feels as though she’d just devoured the love from half a dozen ponies, soaking up the positive energy the room had been filled with as soon as Starlight stepped through the door.

“Now come on everypony, quiet down!” Starlight tries to instruct the foals as she delicately fords her way into the middle of the room, where a large sofa had been set up in front of the fireplace. Streamers and other holiday decorations line the walls, complete with a nice big christmas tree; somepony had clearly gone through quite a bit of effort to make this place feel like home.

As Chrysalis follows her, she finds something stinging at her eyes. There must have been some kind of irritant in the air, as she soon finds water filling her vision. Most certainly, that was the problem, because there was not a chance in Tartarus that it was because the excitement of all the little ponies reminded her of the hatchery in her hive, back when she had still ruled over it. Not even a possibility.

“Whose this? Is she here to adopt!?” One of the orphans, a speckled grey colt with scrawny legs who seemed like he hadn’t been eating well until recently, asks, staring up at Chrysalis with wide eyes.

“This is…” Starlight glimmer pauses, blinking. “...I didn’t ask for your name yet, did I?”

A plan quickly begins formulating in the back of Chrysalis’s mind as she waves a hoof. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m Emerald Gleam, I own the estate just past the township’s boundaries.” She explains. The orphans eyes grow wide at that, fascination growing apace.

“You mean you live in that big mansion over near the mountains!? You must be as rich as the Rich’s!” The colt exclaims with characteristic lack of discretion, and immediately half the other orphans turn their attention from Starlight to also stare at Chrysalis with wide pleading eyes. Chrysalis takes a step back, blinking back tears once again; whatever was in the air must have been Quite. The. Irritant. It really was the only logical explanation.

Starlight quickly herds the orphans away and chuckles nervously, clearing a space on the couch for the so-called Emerald Gleam. “Sorry, sorry, I know it can be a bit overwhelming. They just don’t get a lot of visitors.” She explains, before clapping her hooves together. “Now! I think it’s about time to open presents, don’t you?”

“But it’s not even hearthswarming yet!” A filly, surprisingly, protests.

Starlight gives them a sheepish smile, “But we’re all gathered together and in a festive spirit, so isn’t it as good a time as any? Besides…” With a blast of magic from her horn, the clock suddenly accelerates all the way into the next day, and the magical calendar sitting on the wall readjusts itself. “There! Now it’s hearthswarming. It’s just going to be hearthswarming two days in a row!” She offers with a goofy smile.

A cheer goes up amongst the colts and fillies, as they all settle in. For Chrysalis’s part, taking a position on the couch, she ponders how best to go about this; This wasn’t a proper orphanage so there probably wasn’t a very detailed procedure for adoption, though she is sure Starlight wouldn’t let them go with her if she didn’t put on a good face. So, reluctantly (or so she insists to herself, at least), the changeling queen settles in for a cozy day of visiting fillies and colts.

King Sombra can’t help but note something is decidedly off about hearthswarming this year, though he can’t quite figure out what it might be. At first he tells himself it’s just because he had certainly never engaged in this ridiculous holiday, and as such had no basis of information about it, but it was still nagging him on the back of his mind.

Only after he ran into a certain rainbow-maned, azure pegasus carrying a shovel and whistling to herself did he get a chance to figure out exactly what was the problem. “C’mon Tank, the weather factory broke down! There’s no snow, so you can come out and spend Hearthswarming with me!” Rainbow Dash shouts out, hopefully.

Ah, of course-These foalish ponies controlled the weather from their flying city, did they not? Unlike in Sombra’s homeland, the frigid ice and snow were not year round and rather were specific to only the winter- and doubly unlike in Sombra’s homeland, the terrain is presently relatively warm, sunny, and decidedly bereft of cold water crystals.

Sombra’s face twists into a darkly gleeful smile; this would be the easiest thing to mess with of all! He remembers quite well how the ponies fled and cowered before the onslaught of the windigos up north, surely bringing that same fate here would horrify the ponies to their core.

For this, he needed to go someplace a bit more out of the way where he could perform his magic unseen; Finding his way to the shade underneath the trees on a hill overlooking the town, Sombra grins with malevolent glee as he channels all his mystical might. Shadows swirl around him, before becoming paler and paler taking on the color of snow. No other pony was his match in crystalline magic, and he could exert such granular control to even take the water from the very air and force it into a crystalline shape. To his savage delight, he can even defy one of the most basic traditions of an equestrian winter, by making every single snowflake exactly uniform!

The clouds take form, swirling into a shape like a reverse cyclone, drawing in fresh air and water before spiralling off into the sky to fill the blue yonder with frigid, icy clouds; within minutes, snowflakes and fine, powdery snow began filling the air. Sombra grins in villainous delight-Already, he can hear the screams and shouting of foals in the town in the distance! In horror, he can only assume. Dusting himself off, Sombra stands over Ponyville, confidently, watching the plain weather give way to the dangers of ice and snow. Foalish laughter echoes through the hillsides as the snow piles up- He can only assume it was nervous laughter, after all someponies laughed when in distress, no?

Satisfied with his work, Sombra steps away to return back to the manor, where he could gloat of his accomplishments that day to Chrysalis.