“I’ll find a way. I have to. I'm the Princess of Friendship. I don't fail."
The first flakes of snow had fallen over Ponyville, blanketing its colourful cottages in soft white powder. Hearth's Warming decorations adorned every street - strings of fairy lights, wreaths on doors, ornaments of all shapes and sizes. Sugarcube Corner was no exception; its gingerbread-like facade practically glowed with festive charm.
Inside, Pinkie Pie was a whirlwind of holiday cheer. She zipped back and forth, hanging garlands and arranging desserts with her usual exuberance. But this year, the centrepiece of her display was something special she had brought back from her latest adventure.
“Ta-da!” Pinkie held up a sprig of glittering mistletoe. Its larger-than-average silver-tinged leaves shimmered as if dusted with frost and its crimson berries seemed to glow softly. “Straight from the snowy tundra of Yakyakistan! Isn’t it just perfect? And so sturdy – I carried it all the way home in my saddlebags and it’s completely intact for me to use as decoration over the counter!”
Twilight tilted her head, examining the sprig her friend held. “It’s ... unique. Are you sure it’s safe to use? Yakyakistan flora can be pretty magical, and not always in a good way.”
Pinkie waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, it’s fine! The yaks said it doesn’t bother them at all! It grows all around their houses at this time of year. Plus, I carried a ton of it back and I’m fine. And look how cute it is! It’s like Hearth's Warming spirit in plant form! So much prettier than the plain old mistletoe we grow in Equestria.”
Twilight was still wary but had to admit that Pinkie was right: it was indeed pretty, and mistletoe was a staple of Hearth's Warming Eve traditions. And Pinkie was indeed fine. She had been back for a week and suffered no ill-effects from her close contact with the plant.
“And I brought enough to decorate your castle for the Hearth’s Warming party!” Pinke gestured at the bulging saddlebag Twilight had come to collect so she could get started decorating. “It’s so super special awesome of you to hold it in your castle this year, Twilight!”
Twilight smiled. “Well, with all that room, it makes sense to hold it there instead of squashing everypony into Applejack’s barn. Warmer too. No matter how securely they rebuild that thing, the walls always let in cold air.”
“Oh, I don’t know if it’s all that bad.” Pinkie winked at her. “A little shivering is a good reason to snuggle up to somepony special – especially if that somepony happens to be under a sprig of mistletoe!” She puckered her lips, making kissy noises that had Twilight rolling her eyes good-naturedly. “Aw, c’mon. Isn’t there anypony you’d like to snuggle up with?”
Twilight bit her lip. “N-no.”
Pinkie’s eyes widened. “I knew it! Who is it? C’mon, tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me –”
“Oh, hey, look at the time!” Twilight scooped up the sack of decorations and saddlebag of mistletoe in her magical field. “I really have to get going. You’ll be open to customers soon and you won’t need me getting in the way!”
Pinkie stuck her tongue out. “Spoilsport!”
The new mistletoe was hung with great pride above the cafe’s counter. When he saw it, Mr. Cake promptly pulled his wife into a hug and kissed her soundly, making her blush and goggle like a mare half her age. As the day went on, ponies passing through could not resist stopping to admire the enormous sprig, some even kissing their own special someponies under it. Pinkie’s enthusiasm for all things Hearth’s Warming was infectious, and soon the entire town was abuzz with excitement for the Hearth's Warming party she and Twilight were planning.
Yet by the end of the week, ponies began to whisper of strange happenings. Mrs. Cake was the first to fall ill, her normally cheery demeanour replaced by a pallid complexion and laboured breathing. Her husband soon followed, leaving Pinkie Pie to take care of the twins on her own. Then it was Bon-Bon, who collapsed in the middle of her candy shop floor, coughing up phlegm that looked like it was dusted with frost. Then Lyra Heartstrings fainted in the middle of the town square while galloping to the hospital to see her sick wife.
By the time a dozen ponies had been hospitalised, the connection was clear: every single one of them had visited Sugarcube Corner and kissed somepony under the mistletoe above the counter.
And each of the houses where the infected lived had sprouted fresh mistletoe with glowing red berries above their doors.
Twilight paced the floor of her study, hooves clinking against the crystalline floor. Scrolls and books were strewn across her desk, open to pages detailing magical fungi, parasitic plants and arcane remedies. Spike hovered nearby, scribbling notes as Twilight muttered half to him, half to herself. In the corner, surrounded by her own pile of books, Starlight Glimmer snored, having fallen asleep after pulling an all-nighter trying to find out more about the Yakyakistani variant of mistletoe.
Passage to Yakyakistan to ask Prince Rutherford for more information was impossible now that the route was cut off by the yearly blizzards and all the yak students at the School of Friendship had long since gone home to evade that yearly event. Spike had tried sending letters until Twilight pointed out that the yaks had no way of replying with the roads blocked. They were on their own.
“Magical spores … symbiotic growth patterns … resistance to healing magic … the sprig from Sugarcube Corner didn’t burn when Pinkie tried that … UGH!” Twilight groaned and rubbed her temples. “Nothing matches! This mistletoe doesn’t behave like any plant I’ve read about. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it’s almost malicious!”
“We could ask Princess Celestia for help,” Spike suggested cautiously.
“I already sent her a letter. She’s consulting with the royal botanists, but even if they find something, it might take too long to synthesise an antidote and get it here to Ponyville. We’re running out of time. Who knows what this infection could do if left unchecked?” Twilight glanced at the map of Ponyville pinned to the wall. Red dots marked infected homes. The illness was spreading fast. There was no telling how far it may spread. If ponies who had visited Sugarcube Corner went home and infected other ponies there, who then went on to infect other ponies, who then –
Twilight shook her head to dislodge the thought-spiral. There was nothing else for it. Safety precautions had to be taken.
“I’m going to put a shield spell around Ponyville, like my brother did around Canterlot before his wedding, so the infection can’t get out. Until we find out a way to remedy it, the entire town is on lockdown.”
“But Twilight -” Spike started.
“No, Spike. I don’t often do it, but I’m putting my hoof down as a princess of Equestria. Ponyville is officially under quarantine. Send a letter to Mayor Mare letting her know of my decision.”
“I … okay. But she won’t be happy about it. A lot of ponies head out of town for Hearth’s Warming Eve, and they’ll be trapped inside the shield spell.”
“She’ll be even less happy if this illness gets out of town with them.”
Twilight headed up the tallest tower in her castle, summoned all the power she could, and let a pink bubble billow outward from her horn until it encased all of Ponyville. It used to take all her strength to cast this spell but since becoming an alicorn it required only a fraction of her power to cast and maintain. Satisfied that there were no gaps in her shield, she headed back to her study.
Just as she arrived, however, the window slammed open and Rainbow Dash flew in, her mane windblown and her face grim. Starlight Glimmer startled awake and Spike let out a startled plume of green fire.
“Twilight!” Dash panted. “Sweet Apple Acres! Help! S’bad.”
“Rainbow Dash! Take a breath!” Twilight’s heart sank. None of her friends had fallen ill yet. Was that about to change? “What happened?”
Rainbow Dash took several deep breaths and pointed back out the window with one hoof. “Big Mac’s infected. He collapsed in the field this morning and is looking worse every minute since they got him home. Sugar Belle’s sick too, but worse and faster. Applejack says they need you. She doesn’t know what to do since it all happened so fast. They were both fine this morning.”
Twilight’s wings drooped. “Okay.” She steeled herself. She might not have had any miraculous breakthroughs in her search for a cure but Applejack needed her. Twilight knew how hard it was for Applejack to ask anypony for help. That she had done so now was testament to how desperate she was. Twilight could not let her down. “Spike, keep working on the antidote research with Starlight. Rainbow, get Fluttershy and Rarity to help set up a quarantine zone around Sweet Apple Acres to keep rubberneckers away. I’ll go to Applejack.”
Yet as she followed Dash out of the window, Twilight hesitated. The air was heavy with a strange, sweet aroma, like burnt sugar and overripe berries. She shook her head and hurried to catch up with Dash, heart pounding.
Snowflakes swirled lazily in the breeze of their passing, but something else drifted with them, almost invisible and unnoticed in their haste to go help their friend: tiny, glimmering specks like frost dust.
At Sweet Apple Acres, the scene was grim. Rows of apple trees stood bare; their branches weighed down by clusters of mistletoe that had seemingly sprung up overnight. Twilight gaped. This was not a few sprigs over a doorway like in town. The farmhouse windows were shuttered and a crude quarantine sign had been nailed to the front door. Ponies milled about in the lane, seemingly drawn by morbid curiosity.
“I’ll take care of the unwanted spectators,” Dash growled. “You go help Applejack, Twi.” She changed course and all but divebombed the onlookers. “Hey! Get out of here! Go home! Don’t you know that stuff is dangerous? Don’t get too close to it, you idiots!”
Applejack greeted Twilight at the farmhouse door, her hat pulled low and her face lined with exhaustion. “Thanks for comin’, Twi. I hate to ask, but … I’m worried we’re losin’ Sugar Belle. She’s deterioratin’ so dang fast. An’ …” She dropped her voice to a low whisper. “Sumthin’ is growin’ outta her horn an’ her mouth.”
Twilight’s stomach churned but she forced herself to nod. “I’ll do what I can for her.”
“Thank you, Twilight. You’re the best.”
Twilight tried to ignore the little fizzle of pleasure inside her at those words. Now was not the time for thoughts like that. As she had done many times before, she pushed them aside and focussed on the task at hoof.
Inside the farmhouse, the air was stifling. The sweet, cloying smell was stronger here, mingling with the faint coppery tang of blood. Big Mac lay on a makeshift cot in the living room, barrel chest heaving. Applejack was strong but evidently she had not been able to lift him up the stairs. Sugar Belle was in the bedroom she usually shared with him, gasping amidst sweat-drenched sheets on her bed. Green tendrils coiled from her mouth and nostrils, their tips blooming into tiny clusters of glowing berries. Her eyes fluttered open briefly, meeting Twilight’s with a look of silent pleading. At the tip of her horn, white petals had unfurled.
Twilight lit her own horn, scanning Sugar Belle’s body with a diagnostic spell. The results made her chest tighten with alarm. The mistletoe wasn’t just growing, it was merging with the unicorn’s flesh, feeding off her life force and especially her magic.
“Applejack, I –” Twilight began, but a sudden cry from outside cut her off.
She turned just in time to see Rainbow Dash dart away from one of the pony onlookers in the lane. The stallion collapsed, body convulsing. Dash flew into the sky, hiding behind a cloud. As he, Twilight and Applejack watched in horror, the stallion’s midsection swelled grotesquely, skin writhing like it was full of snakes. Then his belly and chest burst open, coils of mistletoe bursting outward in a spray of vines, blood and viscera. The other ponies around them screamed and fled, but Twilight knew it was already too late. A huge burst of sparkling dust had also erupted from the dead pony along with the vines.
Spores.
And they were everywhere.
By the time Twilight returned to her castle, night had fallen. Ponyville was no longer the cheerful town she loved. The streets were deserted except for the faint movements of infected ponies stumbling aimlessly, vines and berries sprouting from their bodies like monstrous Hearth’s Warming decorations. Every window was secured, every door locked tight. The only light came from the mistletoe itself, red berries glowing faintly in the dark. Glittering spores coated everything.
Twilight maintained the magical shield with which she had coated her entire body, dashed into the castle and slammed the doors shut behind her. She leaned against them, trembling. Spike ran up, eyes wide with worry.
“Twilight! Are you okay?” He already knew everything she did, thanks to her missive teleported to him from Sweet Apple Acres. “How are Sugar Belle and Big Mac?”
“I’m fine,” she lied. “And they’re both alive. But it’s worse than I thought. The mistletoe’s spreading faster than we can contain it. Even if I can’t find a cure, I need to work on a counterspell to hold it back before it infects and kills everyone in Ponyville. There’s no time to lose.”
Her friends were gathered in the map room, faces grim. Pinkie Pie sat in the corner, uncharacteristically silent, hugging Pound and Pumpkin Cake to her chest. Rarity paced anxiously, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash whispered quietly to each other. Starlight stared fixedly at a teacup for some reason Twilight could not fathom. They all looked up at her entrance.
“Any progress?” Twilight asked.
Rarity shook her head. “We’ve done everything we can to warn ponies to stay indoors, but I don’t think it’s enough. There’s too much panic, and too many are already infected. And the mistletoe is spreading faster than I would have thought possible if I had not seen it for myself.” She took a steadying breath. “I’m so grateful my family were already in Manehatten visiting relatives for the holidays. I’ve told them not to come home until they get word that it’s safe. They’re worried about me but … well …”
“Cloudsdale isn’t infected,” Rainbow Dash added after Rarity trailed off. “Yet. They’ve created a protective cloud layer to keep the spores out though.”
“That’s good.”
“But what if some spores got into the rainclouds?” Fluttershy asked. “Won’t they be transported all over Equestria?”
“Not if I can make a counterspell to neutralise them,” Twilight said grimly. “Now that I know that’s how the infection is spreading, I have a basis to work from. At least my shield spell over the town is holding. It’ll keep the spores from getting further than the borders of Ponyville.”
Fluttershy’s voice was barely audible. “Twilight, what happens if … if we can’t stop it? What if it’s already out there?”
Twilight did not answer. She did not need to. The dire truth was written all over her face.
“I’ll find a way,” she said finally. “I have to. I’m going to go cast the shield spell now. You all stay here where it’s safe. I’ve hermetically sealed the room so no spores can get in. Don’t let anyone aside from me in or out until I tell you it’s safe.”
Her friends nodded, though the tension in the room was palpable. Twilight retreated to her study, the weight of the world pressing down on her.
Hours passed as Twilight poured over botany texts and magical formulas, quill scratching furiously. Her study was silent except for the occasional crackle of the fireplace and the buzz of her horn powering the shield spell. The clock ticked ominously, each second reminding her how little time she had to fix this problem.
A knock on her study door startled her. She has specifically told her friends not to leave the map room.
“Come in,” she called without looking up. It was probably Spike. She had not eaten or drunk anything in a long while and his desire to help her sometimes outweighed his desire to follow her instructions. He was her number one assistant for a reason, after all.
The study door creaked open. Instead of dragon claws, she heard hoofsteps behind her. Twilight turned and blinked in surprise.
“Applejack? What are you doing here? I thought you were staying at Sweet Apple Acres with your family.”
Applejack stood in the doorway; her hat clutched in her hooves. Her mane was dishevelled and her eyes shimmered with something Twilight couldn’t quite place – desperation? Sorrow? Guilt?
“I needed to see you.” Applejack’s voice was tremulous. She swallowed. said, her voice low. “Big Mac …”
Twilight’s ribcage changed into a beartrap around her lungs. Oh no. “Is he …?”
Applejack squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. “Sugar Belle too. Just like that stallion in the lane.”
“Sweet Celestia. Applejack, I’m so sorry.”
“They were … they were reachin’ for each other as they died … she got outta bed an’ crawled downstairs when she felt it comin’ … she didn’t want to be without him in her last moments.”
Twilight frowned. “You were in the room with them? Applejack, you shouldn’t have –”
“I know,” Applejack interrupted. “My nephew got away from me an’ ran in to see his parents. I chased him but I didn’t get him out in time.” She took a step closer, voice trembling. “Twilight, I need to say sumthin’. I … I might not get another chance.”
Twilight’s blood turned to ice. Not another chance?
“I’ve been thinkin’ about this for a long time. Seein’ Big Mac an’ Sugar Belle at the end like that, I can’t keep it in anymore. Twilight Sparkle … I’m in love with you.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and bittersweet. Twilight’s eyes widened, mind racing. She had hoped in her most secret heart of hearts, but had never thought – had never wanted to risk their friendship by even entertaining the idea –
Before she could respond, Applejack closed the distance between them and kissed her.
It happened so fast that Twilight’s mind short-circuited. For a moment, all she could feel was the warmth of Applejack’s lips, the feel of Applejack’s hoof against her cheek, the sight of Applejack’s green eyes closing to savour the kiss. For one sweet, shining moment, Twilight lost herself in the press of the other mare’s mouth; in the what-could-have-beens.
But then a strange, tingling sensation curled through her mouth, like a dozen tiny cold tongues unfurling against her teeth and palate. One reached down her throat, and Twilight broke the kiss to pull back, coughing violently.
“Applejack, what…?”
That’s when she saw it. Tiny green tendrils were already beginning to sprout from Applejack’s lips and nostrils. Her eyes were bloodshot and her breathing was laboured. Now that she had stepped into the firelight, Twilight could see that her whole body was covered in dried blood and glittering spores.
“I’m sorry,” Applejack choked out, tears streaming down her face. “But it’s too late. It’s too late for all of us. We’re already dead, Twi. There ain’t no cure that’ll save us. So, I had to see you, one last time. I couldn’t die without tellin’ you that I … th-that I- …”
Applejack’s body convulsed. She collapsed onto her side with a terrible groan. Blood that looked like it was dusted with frost seeped from her nose and tear ducts.
“Applejack!”
Vines erupted from the earth pony’s chest and stomach, wrapping around her like a blood-soaked cocoon. Twilight screamed as she was thrown back, shielding herself with a magical barrier. Leaves, white petals and glowing red berries butted up against her shield as if trying to pry it away to get at her. Applejack’s wide, staring eyes disappeared from view.
When the chaos subsided, all that was left was a tangled mass of gore-spattered mistletoe, berries glowing faintly in the dimness of Twilight’s study.
Twilight staggered to her hooves. “Applejack … no …” she whispered, her voice cracking. “No, no, no!”
Moulding her shield spell around her body, she rushed to the mirror over the fireplace and opened her mouth. Inside, she could already see tiny vines coiling around her tongue, their tips blooming into miniscule red berries. The mistletoe worked faster on ponies with magic. And she had more magic than anyone else in Ponyville.
Panic surged through her. She had spent days trying to find a cure or counterspell, but now it was too late. The spores were inside her, feasting on her flesh, supercharged by her magical life force. She knew what would come next.
Twilight sank to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She thought of her friends, waiting in the map room to hear good news from her. She thought of Applejack’s final words, and the look in her eyes before the end. Applejack had known it was already too late. And she was right. Twilight’s chest tightened. It had been too late from the moment Pinkie Pie brought that damned mistletoe back with her. Of course it did not affect yaks negatively. They didn’t have nearly enough magic in them to trigger its worst effects. Ponies, however …
Quickly, she fetched a sheaf of parchment and began to write.
Hearth’s Warming Eve dawned cold and still. The Castle of Friendship stood silent, completely shrouded in vines. Mistletoe hung from every corner, crimson berries glowing like macabre holiday lights. In the map room, eight cocoons lay where five ponies, two foals and one dragon had fallen. The map table was spattered with so much red, it looked like it had been decorated too.
In Princess Twilight Sparkle’s study, the fire had burned out. A letter lay on the table.
Dear Princess Celestia,
By the time you read this, it may already be too late for me. The spores have taken hold and I know what’s coming. I’ve watched it happen. I’m not afraid to die but I am afraid of what will happen if the infection spreads beyond Ponyville. Unless you have found a cure for the infection, it’s too late for this town and the ponies in it.
The mistletoe spores are unlike anything we’ve ever faced. They thrive on warmth and magic, feeding on the very essence of life. The more magical a host, the faster they work. They don’t stop, they don’t relent, and they’ve already claimed so many. Even now, as I write this, I can feel them growing inside me. I don’t have much time so I must be brief.
I’ve placed a protective shield around the town, holding back the infected vines and spores as best I can. But the spell is tied to my magic. When I die, it will fail. When that happens, there will be nothing to stop the spores from escaping into the winds and spreading across Equestria. I will hold on as long as I can, but I don’t know how long that will be. You must act swiftly, Princess. When my shield drops, I beg you, use your magic to destroy Ponyville. Leave no trace of the town, the castle, or the mistletoe. Annihilate it all and salt the ground. The lives of so many depend on containing this infection here, no matter the cost.
I know what I’m asking of you. Ponyville has always been a place of love, friendship, and hope. It’s where I’ve grown, where I’ve laughed, and where I’ve lived some of the happiest days of my life. And I think it might have been more, had things been different. But if destroying it means saving the rest of Equestria, then I accept that fate.
I’m sorry I couldn’t save my friends. Please commemorate them. They didn’t ask for this, but they’ll pay the price for it along with the rest of the town. I’m not able to ask them but I’m sure they would agree with my request of you.
Thank you, Princess. For everything. For trusting me, for guiding me, and for teaching me what it means to be a leader. I hope that in my death, I can do one last bit of good in this world.
Please don’t hesitate. The moment my magic fades and Ponyville is revealed, you must act with precision, speed and lethal force. Promise me that you will.
Your faithful student eternally,
Twilight Sparkle
Beside the desk lay a tangle of vines studded with mistletoe. Twilight had tried until the end to do the right thing. She had fought with every atom of her being. But it had not been enough. The mistletoe had taken too much of her by the time she tried to send the letter. White petals bloomed from the tip of her glowing horn, snuffing out the last of her alicorn magic.
Outside, the shield around Ponyville flickered and died. The wind howled, carrying tiny silver spores that looked like dustings of frost far beyond Ponyville, across the empty sky.
Hearth’s Warming Eve would never be the same ever again.
