Winter Nights

by ArgonMatrix

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure
Length: 6737

Equestria is being threatened by a frozen force. Can our heroes stop it before it's too late?

Princess Celestia learns of an ancient threat to Equestria which is older than the country itself. Unable to confront the threat herself due to a strange, timeless rule, she must once again entrust the fate of Equestria to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. But this threat is more powerful than anything anypony has seen before, and will put their friendship to the ultimate test.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-11-25 01:59:34 UTC

Prologue - A Foul Wind Blows

Fall was quickly coming to a close across Equestria. The few remaining autumn leaves tumbled subtly to the ground, the encompassing air carried the distinctive chill of winter, and the once clear skies were slowly being overtaken by a phalanx of gray clouds, each one waiting ominously for the order to drop their frozen cargo. Beneath their looming gaze everypony was already clad in thick woolen garments as they bounced hastily from shop to shop in a frenzy of seasonal spirit. Hundreds of cities and towns dotted landscape, glowing brilliantly against the steadily dimming natural world beyond their borders. Winters in Equestria had always been a time for celebration and rejoice over the harmony of the world, each one trumping the last in sheer festiveness. This year promised to be no different.

Princess Celestia, in stark contrast with the shimmering populace she ruled, held a demeanor rather akin to the rapidly blackening weather. A frown contorted her face and her brow furrowed in frustration. Stoically she shifted her gaze to the window which revealed a night-bound landscape frozen in time. As the first flakes of winter fluttered past the window by way of the light zephyr outside, she pulled in an all too familiar breath before releasing it as a sidelong sigh.

Temperatures had always been bitter during the winter, to be sure, but Celestia's keen instinct made her wary of something else that the nipping arctic wind carried. It overwhelmed her with an unpleasant sensation characterized by feelings of malice and hatred, the source of which the monarch could not identify. Regardless of how desperately she tried to shake the feeling away, it clung tightly to her soul and spread through her body like frost on glass. Resentment for the tempest welled within her, refusing to die.

Knowing from personal experience that the gut feeling of an alicorn should never be taken lightly, Celestia was quietly perusing a modest amount of resources she had gathered from the shelves in the Royal Canterlot Library, hoping to find something to help confirm her suspicions. Among the pile heaped next to her were books of such diversity as A Warlock's Guide to Winter and History of Malediction, Volume II.

She skimmed attentively with bloodshot eyes over each inky passage, searching for any morsel of information that could help her pinpoint the cause of this aggravating worry: a long forgotten legend, an old mare’s tale, some sort of ancient wintry curse, anything that might ease her curiosity. Yet word after lifeless word yielded no satisfaction whatsoever or even the slightest bit of vaguely useful information. This lack of revelation was unsurprising, however, as Celestia's own immortal knowledge transcended virtually all of the library's contents already. Whatever this biting feeling was, the source of it was either not yet transcribed anywhere or tragically lost to the annals of time and memory.

Noticing the drastic jump which the small hand of the clock had made since she last looked upon it, the princess rose to her mechanically stiff limbs and started back towards her throne room; she hoped to rendezvous with the guard she had sent several hours prior to check on the status of Northern Equestria. Depression had been carved into her face by the wasted afternoon in the library and she prayed more than anything for some sort of lead to come from the arctic source of the winds of malice.

As she trudged down the candlelit corridors of the castle, Celestia begrudgingly considered whether the safety of her northerly subjects may be in jeopardy with this veil of unseemly winter weather descending upon the country. Instinctively this thought process caused her to begin pondering the most obvious source of the wicked feeling, one which she had allowed her mind to interpret so many times already, always coming to the same conclusion.

“King Sombra couldn't have returned so suddenly,” she considered, her thoughtful gaze boring into the floor as she walked. “The Crystal Empire has only just returned to its former glory, and all of the Empire's citizens witnessed his defeat first-hoof. Plus his presence wouldn't be nearly this subtle. He was one of the greatest wielders of dark magic for the last thousand years, and he knew it. He wouldn't hesitate to make a scene if he truly were planning an attack. No, this feeling must be something different.” Having reassured herself for the umpteenth time of the impossibility of King Sombra’s immediate return, Celestia continued silently towards the throne room, carefully noting the slight tinge of evil which penetrated her as she passed an open window.

As she entered the throne room, Celestia found that the unicorn guard scout she had sent up North had returned and was standing importantly in the center of the room. The only thing which differentiated him from the other guards present was an old and decrepit tome which lay on the ground before him, its musty turquoise binding contrasting harshly with the gentle surroundings.

“Your Majesty.” The guard bowed before continuing. “Based on my observations as well as witness testimonial, there seems to be no immediate threat prevalent in Northern Equestria. Aside from the Crystal Empire, the land is no less barren than is usual for a tundra. And the citizens of the Empire itself seem to be adequately prepared to handle the harsh Northern climate.”

This news eased Celestia’s mind somewhat. One of her main fears had been that the Empire had succumbed to some ill fate and was now pervading that feeling across all of Equestria. “Thank you,” the princess said, somewhat mournfully, “your information is ve—”

“However,” the guard interrupted. It was quite out of character for a guard to interrupt his monarch, but Celestia didn't protest. "The librarian of the Empire highly recommended you consult this book.” He held the aforementioned book aloft in his gray magic. “She claims that it is the oldest in their library, possibly in all of Equestria, and that it may hold valuable information.” With that, the guard lowered the book to the floor in front of the alicorn and returned to his prudent stance, awaiting dismissal.

“Your information is very much appreciated,” concluded Celestia, eyeing the book curiously. “You are dismissed. Have a good, warm night.”

“Likewise, your Majesty.” The guard bowed once more before making his way to the exit, shutting the massive double doors in his wake. Celestia gracefully commanded the other guards to follow suit, leaving her alone in a silence disrupted only by the muffled whistling of the gale glancing off her windows; she wanted to be alone to contemplate this peculiar book she’d been gifted.

Levitating the book in her distinctive magical grasp, Celestia slowly paced towards the head of the room, examining the book carefully as she did so.

Normally the claim of being the “oldest book in all of Equestria” would have been outlandish and hyperbolic, but this particular book was clearly burdened with a heavy temporal load. The outside cover was practically mummified and it seemed as though the whole thing would crumble to dust upon being handled by even the daintiest of hooves. Thin crevasses criss-crossed the leather spine, stretching boldly onto the cover like the tendrils of an untamed plant. It reeked of death and decay, tainting the otherwise pleasant aroma of the room. Yet despite its antiquated appearance, Celestia could just barely make out the few runic symbols which adorned the front cover. Faded as they were, the smooth silver symbols shone delicately against the blue darkness of their background, appearing more ornamental than legible. They shied away from the bleak and menacing outer edges of the book, creating a safe haven for the eyes of the beholder. It was as though the book itself was fighting a savage battle to hide the emblem, ashamed of the blemish of light in a perfect atmosphere of darkness.

Unable to truly translate the symbols due to their decrepit nature, the princess couldn't even begin to guess at what the title of this manuscript was. Giving up on the cover, Celestia sat herself down on the golden plateau before her throne and carefully opened to the first page of the book, an act which caused an opaque dust coating to leap ferociously from inside cover which has been holding it prisoner for so long.

Gazing down at the opening of the book, the princess' violet eyes simultaneously noticed two rather unusual things. Most notably, a crimson rendition of the long retired royal crest of Equestria had been proudly emblazoned on the zeroth page. Despite having been extinct for an immeasurable period of time, the blood red mark came instantly to the forefront of Celestia's memory. Bewilderment overcame her as her mind registered the full age of the crest, noting the two adolescent mares which served as its centerpiece. Nostalgia still brimming her pupils, she collected herself and nodded in comprehension.

The second oddity of the book—subtle yet noticeable—was the inconsistent quality the leaves of parchment held compared to their heavily bruised binding. Practically glowing under her gaze, the pages were so immaculate that one would be hard pressed to find a book just one decade old of equal quality. Doing a double take, the princess sensed a very unique magical presence about the pages, a quality which informed her that they had been imbued with a distinctly powerful magic in order to firmly protect the knowledge they harbored. Slowly the pieces clicked together in the back of her mind and Celestia soon realized that this protection spell was no ordinary magical seal.

This magnitude of protection spell had been nothing but a faint memory for the past millennium. It wouldn't be surprising if this book was the only remaining thing to have such an enchantment in the entirety of Equestria. The rarity of the charm was due to the fact that it transcended time itself, a magical characteristic so illustrious that only alicorns and unicorns with very advanced arcane abilities could muster the strength required to call upon it. Even then it was a celestial gamble as to whether or not the Property of Timelessness would truly adhere to a spell; it would often bind itself to the caster's life force, disappearing when said life force ran dry. In addition to this limitation, Princess Celestia herself had made such magic illegal to perform without proper authorization due to its dangerously irreversible nature. This property, combined with a tragic incident in which the spell had been cast upon living creatures, had been reason enough for the monarch to forbid the use of such powerful magic.

To Celestia, this spell was a clear indication that the book’s words were absolutely critical and that she would need to read every word of the relic in order to accrue as much knowledge from it as she could. But one pesky, frustrating barricade stood in her way, clear from the very first passage of text.

Primordialus Chirographum.

It was the first written language ever used and took use of very elaborate techniques which caused the writings to resemble abstract images more than words. Despite being one of the most beautiful lattices of language ever conceived, it had been deemed too difficult to interpret and was reinvented just a few years after its introduction. Celestia was required to know every language written and spoken throughout her empire, but this language was so scarcely seen and confusing to understand that even her ability to translate it was severely limited.Evidently there would be no dictionaries written for the language either, so—barring the use of time travel to find a suitable interpreter—the princess merely hoped that her limited knowledge of the script would be sufficient in helping her understand the key points of the book.

Annoyed, Celestia turned her gaze momentarily skyward and drew a calm, resounding breath from the air above her. Time and space seemed to freeze like this for a blinking moment before she locked her eyes dutifully on the book and began deciphering the complex symbols, the ambient noise of the room transforming into nothing more than the ruffling of parchment and the mysterious hum of the wind biding its time outside.

“...Sister?”

Princess Luna’s gentle voice shattered the silence which had been omnipresent for the past few hours. Celestia glared one last time at the stubborn page which had not turned for half an hour. Sighing internally, she peeled her half-shut eyes from the literary enigma, set down her weary quill, and raised herself to address her fellow princess. “Good morning, little sister. I hope the nighttime air was not too shrill.”

“I’ve experienced worse,” replied Luna, somewhat absent-mindedly. She pretended to gaze out the window in interest, but even feigning interest was too boring; her curiosity begged her to ask a lingering question. Quickly returning her gaze to her sister, Luna implored,“Wert thou truly awake all night reading that musty old tome?”

Celestia remained speechless, allowing her sister to instead read the bashful smirk which she failed to withhold.

Luna chuckled. “Goodness sister! I would expect such a thing from the inquisitive Twilight Sparkle, but from thou?" Her mouth formed into a playful grin. "I do hope that such restlessness was worthwhile.”

She lowered her eyes minutely to examine the book sprawled blatantly on the ground. The pages of the book were split roughly in half—the keen mare gauged the split stack to add up to approximately two hundred pages cumulatively. A curious expression smeared itself across her face. “Pray tell, what knowledge doth that scripture contain, anyhow?”

At that question Celestia’s light and tired expression shifted to one of grim worry, dragging the atmosphere of the room down with it. She averted her dark eyes from her sister's to face the bright snow-covered landscape outside the frost-gilded window. The snow was still gingerly tumbling down from the sky as it had been all night, scattered across the land by the merciless wind. An indiscriminate, distant point gripped her focus. “Sister, did you notice anything... peculiar about the night air? Something off-putting or ominous about it?”

Clearly this question struck a chord with Luna as the younger sister’s expression quickly grew more dire and guilt-ridden than it had been moments ago. Her teal pupils fell halfway between the ground and her sister and she spoke with mild hesitation in her voice. “I merely accredited the feeling to the unabashedly chilling night air and shrugged it off. Despite this, I did notice how exceptionally... strange it felt. Doth thou think this feeling important?”

The elder alicorn bowed her head allowing the faint light of the morning Sun to outline her mane. Her concern was undeniable. “I wish I could take this burden upon myself,” thought Celestia, “but there is no other way.” Straightening herself into a regal posture, she turned her whole body to face her sister, an uncommon mask of sternness covering her worry. “Luna,” she commanded, “tell the guards to prepare a chariot. We must be in Ponyville as quickly as possible. There’s no time to waste.”

Luna raised a hoof and opened her mouth to retort but, upon locking eyes with her sister’s serious, unblinking glare, she merely nodded in trustworthy comprehension and cantered out of the room in the direction of the barracks. Celestia stared openly at the frantic reading setup displayed at the foot of the throne. "I pray there's enough information for you to work with." Breaking her thought process, she proceeded to make haste in gathering her book and notes into an organized pile on the floor before disappearing in a blinding flash of golden light.

Not a moment later, the regal alicorn reappeared in a room all too familiar to her. The bright colours of the great hall mimicked the throne room vividly, but the stained-glass windows which littered the walls told very different tales. Tales of heroic battles won by those precious few who were courageous enough to have harnessed the very power which these walls served to protect. Normally veneration would fill the heart of anypony who stood in this sacred chamber, but time was of the essence, and priority eludes tradition.

Completely unphased by her rare act of teleportation, determination flowing through her veins, Celestia immediately lowered her horn to the solar crest which marked the center of the door before her and broke its tight magical seal. Cyan light danced vibrantly across the pastel walls of the room as the door shone open to unveil the gemstone encrusted lavender box which sat nobly behind it. Its contents preceded its beauty.

Seizing the case with much less care than it deserved, Celestia composed herself once more and flashed out of sight, thereby leaving the room without purpose.

Chapter 1 - One Last Party

The Sun sat crooked in the winter sky forcing its beams proudly through the thick grey mesh of clouds. It slowly bent westward, its glow shifting from a strongly tinted yellow to a supple, soothing orange as it threatened to disappear beyond the horizon. Snowflakes danced swiftly in its caressing light as they made the journey from their heavenly homes to the alabaster white sheet which coated the ground beneath, jubilance radiating. A tempest raged across their path distorting their motion and creating an opaque, chaotic mist of snow and ice which stretched to infinity. The pure white specks fought invisibly against the tyranny, helpless to prevent the onslaught of disorientating winds which mangled their flow. Yet as violent as their movement was, the blizzarding flakes still managed to maintain an air of grace as they shimmered and reflected the Sun’s rays in every direction like infinitesimal beacons which dotted the dreary landscape in a matrix of glitter. Even the inch-thick crystallized lattice of snow which coated the streets of Ponyville shimmered as an ever-changing mosaic of hopeful luminescence. Unreasonably cold arctic winds still dominated the atmosphere in a harsh stranglehold, but the magic of winter shone through all the same.

Shielded from the picturesque landscape outside by the thick wooden walls of her Golden Oaks Library sat Twilight Sparkle, asleep face first in a sea of off-white parchment which obscured her mahogany desk. White candles sat at her either side filling the surrounding chamber with a dim orange glow which blended seamlessly with the darkness. The fragrant aroma of apple cider permeated the air, free from its wax-walled prison and infused with the subtle warmth of the peaceful twin beacons. It effortlessly wound its way into Twilight’s nostrils causing her to grin pleasantly in her torpor. Every inch of her body became blanketed in a delicate heat which sapped the tensity from her muscles, freeing her from all the pressures of the world. Perfectly weathered from a constantly developed relationship with its master, her oaken chair complemented the increasingly lovable atmosphere as it held her body in a loving embrace. She was at ease knowing that her cozy abode of knowledge protected her, putting her in a virtual nirvana of peace and quiet.

This overwhelmingly relaxing atmosphere, in combination with the exhaustion she felt from having triple-checked the checklist which sat helplessly under her cheek, was the perfect recipe for sleep—a recipe which could’ve made even the most energetic of ponies doze for a dragon’s age. Her blissful slumber was not eternal, however, as a tiny purple claw slowly emerged from the near-darkness of the chamber and jostled her awake. Twilight fluttered her eyes halfway open and took what felt like hours to pry her head away from the table. Rubbing her eyes delicately and taking a drawn-out, calming breath—only now did she appreciate the fragrance of the candles wholly—she turned listlessly to her right and smiled sweetly as a familiar blur of amethyst and jade filled her field of vision ushering in nostalgic memories. “What’s up Spike?” she muttered softly, breaking the cocoon of dryness which the warm air had created around her vocal cords.

Spike wore a sincere, toothy grin, an expression often linked to his blatant anticipation. “Sorry to wake you, but it’s almost time to go!” Twilight gave him a blank, befuddled look, slightly smothering his spirit. “You didn't forget, did you? Pinkie Pie’s holding a Winter Start-Up party today to celebrate the new season! We’re supposed to be over at Sugarcube Corner in just fifteen minutes!”

Shaking her head vigorously as she quickly tried to compose herself into her usual state of alertness and punctuality, Twilight opened her eyes wider and exclaimed, “Oh my gosh, I completely forgot! I guess we’d better hurry up and get ready; we don’t wanna leave the girls hanging!" She gazed haphazardly out the nearby window only to be greeted with an unbroken wall of white. "Grab your coat Spike, looks like we've got a doozy of a blizzard to deal with.” The lavender mare hopped to her hooves and started towards her closet, rubbing the last of the sleep out of her eye as she did so.

Bouncing giddily, the small purple and green dragon zipped excitedly for the same closet, reaching it almost as fast as Twilight could’ve teleported him. Twilight smirked warmly as she trotted casually towards her young assistant, watching him rummage busily for his winter wear.

Spike had scarcely ever attended a party with his pony friends due to him being constantly busy with chores and errands. He'd always managed to be preoccupied with some mundane task whenever the chance to do something fun or exciting arose, his dedication preceding his desire. This time, however, he had been adamant about attending the party and had finished his duties in record time to ensure his free schedule; the library looked immaculate as a result. Seeing that this opportunity meant more to him than all the gems in Canterlot, Twilight overlooked her own excruciating fatigue and complied with his strong desire to go to the party. The sheer amount of work she had mustered in the organization and execution of this year’s Winter Start-Up procedures—not to mention the absolute zero winds which has been battering the village relentlessly since the first day of winter—had taken a lot out of her. Truth be told, she probably wouldn't have attended the party at all had it not been for Spike’s enthusiasm, but she refused to complain. Coping with exhaustion was no foreign task to her task-oriented brain, and Spike deserved this reward after having worked so hard and waited so patiently to earn it.

The pair of friends donned their respective outdoor clothing in harmonious, radial silence. Spike slipped into a puffy hazel parka with a frayed white trim around the hood, a gift Rarity had sewn for him at fall’s end. Twilight casually put on her two pairs of banana-yellow boots, a periwinkle saddle with a cloudy white trim, and a rose and pink striated scarf. Perfectly suited for the harsh elements which stood between the library and Sugarcube Corner, the two of them made for the door.

A magical magenta hue delicately extinguished the two candles on the table before shifting to the front entrance and forcing it open, a task rendered much more difficult by the frozen gale which pounded fruitlessly against the seal. For the brief moment the door stood ajar a barrage of airborne snow attempted to screech past the threshold in protest, but the duo was quicker to the trigger and heaved their way out into the icy domain, slamming the door tightly shut before any lasting damage could be done. Undaunted, the friends started along the familiar path to the treat shop, locking the library in their wake.

“Wow, this blizzard sure is nasty! Especially for being so early in the season!” Twilight exclaimed. Spike apparently couldn't hear her over the howling wind, however, as he continued to trudge through the barricade of snow which pelted his unprotected face without acknowledging the remark whatsoever. "Guard your eyes Spike! We're at serious risk for snow blindness!" She followed her own advice and saw that Spike had done the same, diverting the snow with a raised forearm.

Taking a brief glance backwards, Twilight noticed that the library had already been obscured by the opaque curtain of snowflakes despite them having left not one minute prior. Concern began to plague her conscience further as she found that there were no buildings visible whatsoever. If she didn't know any better she'd think they were walking in a white oblivion. Somewhat anxious about getting lost in the pseudo-tundra of Ponyville, the unicorn tried to think of any way to make the trek to the party less hazardous. Hastily arriving at a conclusion, she levitated her small parka-clad companion onto her back without warning.

“Hey! What’re you—” Spike began, confused by the unprecedented momentary loss of gravity.

“Just hold on tight!” warned Twilight. Confident that the dragon was familiar with this procedure by now, the mare flicked her eyes shut and concentrated carefully on the threshold of Sugarcube Corner. A familiar warmth welled up from somewhere in her subconscious for but an instant before fading mysteriously. She lifted her eyelids to see that the image in her mind’s eye had taken shape in reality, an assurance that the teleportation spell had worked as advertised.

Spike relinquished his claw grip on his friend’s purple mane and hopped to the ground, brushing his parka ruggedly as if the spell had tarnished it in some way. “Thanks Twilight, that wind was pretty terrible. Thank goodness for this parka, otherwise I would’ve been a dragon-sicle the moment we stepped out the door! Just another reason to love Rarity.” He swooned.

The lavender mare giggled. “C’mon lover boy, let’s get inside with the others.” Twilight knocked more forcefully than normal, eager to escape the glacial atmosphere which entombed them. The fierce wind was much less noticeable with the surrounding wall of buildings to block it, but the cold still nipped at the unicorn’s extremities.

Not half a second later the door to the treat shop swung wide open and a pair of powerful pink hooves wrangled the two into the building, inundating them with warmth. Twilight noticed a sudden and distinct aroma of cotton candy, a clear indication of exactly which pony was currently hugging her. Releasing the clamp of happiness she had on her two newest guests just as fast as she had applied it, Pinkie Pie slammed herself against the door which was still ajar, creating a tight seal against the chilly outer world.

“Twilight! Spike! Thank goodness you made it!” the pink party pony exclaimed, enthusiasm ringing in her voice as usual. “I was so worried that you had gotten lost or blown away or something coco-loco like that! Then again, it might be really fun to get blown away in the wind! Whoosh! You could pretend you were a pegasus, or a kite, or a balloon! But a balloon might pop with all that chilly-willy air out there, unless the balloon was covered in something super warm like a scarf, or hot fudge! That would be a waste of fudge though, and a waste of a balloon, not that I don’t have LOTS of those! Have I ever told you about my super secret balloon vault? It’s hidden way away in a place no one would think to look, not even me! But wait! What if I don’t know where it is either?! Oh no! That would be just like the time I forgot where I put Mrs. Cake’s special Spicy Carrot Cupcake recipe and—” The frantic mare had only been rambling for about five seconds when Twilight shoved a hoof in her mouth to silence her.

Grinning and chuckling lightly, Twilight replied, “No need to worry Pinkie, I wouldn't miss one of your parties for the world!” “Spike made sure of that,” she thought.

Lowering her hoof, confident that Pinkie wouldn't continue her long-winded story, Twilight glanced across the room to see three of her best friends sipping a violet fruit punch and laughing merrily amongst themselves; she also noticed that a jaunty song—one of the six friends’ favourite jams—had been playing loudly the whole time, reverberating throughout the entire building with the force of a miniature earthquake. While a full spectrum of confetti and streamers carpeted the floor, the predominant colour of the room remained a bright, bubbly pink. Sugary aromas wafted through the air in every direction tempting the senses with a supreme overabundance of sweets and pastries which conquered the tables. All the pleasantries of the room melted Twilight's exhausted spirit and happiness tugged at the corners of her mouth. She was glad came.

Glancing around the room, however, she noticed a distinct lack of somepony. “So is Fluttershy still on her way?”, Twilight inquired as her scaly companion ran off to join the fun.

“Dunno,” Pinkie heartily admitted, “I thought she mighta been coming with you. I sure hope she can still make it. But who knows, maybe she got caught up with something super-duper-party-trumping important. Like a tea party! Or a bubble bath! Or hide and seek! Or—”

Tuning out her friend’s airy ramblings, Twilight accredited the pegasus’ absence to her being too frightened of the weather to leave her home. “And for good reason,” she thought, considering all of the animals who would undoubtedly be freezing without Fluttershy's assistance. An image of the kind caretaker snuggling up next to a fireplace with Angel and the rest of her animal friends formed in Twilight's mind, warming her heart. Surely her cottage would be nothing but a haven of welcoming warmth until the blizzard subsided.

Interrupting Pinkie as she started talking about beekeeping or something, Twilight said, “I’m sure she’s just fine, probably just held up by the weather. Now how about we go join up with the others?” And with that, the two companions trotted merrily over to the chortling group of friends across the dance floor.

“Ah, Twilight!” exclaimed one of the friends—a gorgeous white unicorn with a well-styled, royal purple mane. “We were ever-so-worried that you might not make it with this unbecoming weather. I was lucky enough to finish tidying up the boutique a bit early thanks to a little help from Sweetie Belle, so I didn't get caught in the worst of the storm. It seems to have escalated to a rather dastardly level now, though.” Rarity glanced worriedly out the nearby window seeing nothing but a vicious white wall of airborne snow and ice, a motion mimicked by the group of six. Shadows seemed to form a shallow bubble around the window's frame, eating away at the surrounding colours unabated.

Breaking the sudden gloom brought on by having acknowledged the weather, the rainbow-maned pegasus to Rarity’s right inserted, “ Yeah, this stuff’s almost bad enough to keep even ME grounded, heh.” She stretched out her cyan wings proudly before reiterating, “Almost.”

“Shoot, I mighta not made it neither if t’weren’t for Bic Mac offerin’ to handle mah chores for the day,” added the orange earth pony to Rainbow Dash’s right, continuing the common trend of conversation. Despite the warm smile which adorned her face, her honest green eyes still held a tinge of concern for her family.

“Sounds like we all got pretty lucky to be here today!” noted the lavender unicorn as she came to a standstill between Spike and Applejack. “Spike and I definitely wouldn’t have made it if it weren’t for my magic. That blizzard was way too blinding for us to walk here, so I did some last-minute teleportation instead.” She smiled a modest outward smile, one which she mirrored and magnified to herself on the inside. Bending spacetime, regardless of how easy it was for her to do on a small scale, had always been one of her favorite magical talents.

“I mean I understand the need for snow ‘n all,” Applejack continued, “but what I don’t get is why in tarnation the weather team scheduled this blasted blizzard fer so early in the season. Heck, it rarely even gets this bad in the late season!”

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, clearly frustrated by the off remark about her prized weather team. She rebutted, “I keep telling you it’s not our fault! Strange winds that we can’t control have been blowing down from the Crystal Mountains like crazy. Normally we only get a few gusts from up there, but for whatever reason they’re streamlining straight down across most of Equestria. Weird, I know, but we’ve had plenty worse winters than this! Like remember when Twilight charmed the clouds to drop all their snow at once? That was a disaster.”

“Well if someone hadn’t distracted me while I was trying to blast open a stubborn jar of pickles, maybe my spell wouldn’t have gone flying out the window!” Twilight’s dark purple eyes glared accusingly at the dragon to her right as her mouth contorted into a frown.

Desperate to draw the attention away from himself after the accusation—sweat beading on his brow as he twiddled his claws nervously—Spike quickly changed the topic. “I-I sure hope Fluttershy’s okay out there. Her cottage isn’t exactly built to withstand something like this.”

The ponies all mumbled in worried accordance, simultaneously craning their heads to look out the window at the thick storm which showed no signs of slowing; a curtain of bone white snow so opaque that anypony outside would have to be pressed against the window in order to be seen from the inside. Gentle rattling could be heard coming from the window’s frame along with the ominously muffled sound of the whistling tempest outside. It was a sound that could put one’s teeth on edge, even with the loud background music drowning much of it out.

Noticing the suddenly solemn atmosphere in the room, Pinkie Pie readjusted her mouth into a bright wide smile before saying, “C’mon everypony! If Fluttershy knew we were moping over her like this she’d be so upset! Besides, I bet she’s on her way right now, and we can’t let her get her only to see us NOT having fun. So let’s PAAARTAY!”

Returning their focus to the brightly-colored room, the friends all smiled at each other and cheered in agreement. Spike and Twilight quickly threw their winter wear—now soaking wet and giving off the smell of winter itself—to the side of the room and the six friends allowed the party to rage on, completely putting the frightening weather out of their minds.

Three authoritative knocks penetrated the door of Sugarcube Corner cutting through the air with immense gravity and catching the attention of everypony inside, including Mr. and Mrs. Cake who had been working in the kitchen. The party inside the building had been raging on for several hours and the six friends had gotten rather exhausted from the many fabulous dances they had danced, joyful songs they had sung, funny games they had played, and colorfully tasty treats they had eaten; Twilight seemed to be particularly worn out as evidenced by her having nearly dozed off on the dance floor three different times. As such, the volume of the music had lowered substantially and all the party goers were resting in a circle happily conversing and laughing with one another. It was clear that the party had almost run its course and was slowly coming to a close, which was why it was so surprising to hear this fanfare of a knock pierce the air.

“You don’t suppose that could be Fluttershy, do you?” wondered Rarity aloud. “I can’t imagine any pony in their right mind coming to the shop with this barbaric blizzard about, let alone a delicate little pegasus like her.”

“Nah,” Pinkie replied assuredly, “Fluttershy’s knock is more of a tap tap tap than a BOOM BOOM BOOM.”

Continuing the chain of conversation, Twilight added, “Besides, she knows better than to try and brave this storm. She’s more than likely just trying to keep her animal friends safe.”

“Yeah,” agreed Dash, “it’s probably just somepony who got lost in the snow or something. But whoever it is, someone should probably go answer the door and find out.”

At this remark, Applejack quickly motioned to get up, but she stopped in her tracks as she saw Mrs. Cake merrily strolling out of the adjacent room and towards the door. “Oh don’t worry about it dearies,” said the sweet-sounding shop owner, noticing the orange mare in mid-rise, “I’ll handle the visitor. You just keep having your fun!” Applejack returned to her sitting position as instructed, but the group of friends all continued observing the door in silence, curious to see which pony could possibly withstand the ever-freezing tempest which doomed the atmosphere outside. The angle at which they were viewing the interaction betrayed them, however, as none of them had a clear enough vantage point to see who or what laid on the opposite side of the pink entryway.

Opening the door briskly, the azure shopkeeper winced slightly and averted her face from the entrance as the roar of the winter gale struck her with an unforgiving chill. Regaining her composure, she returned her gaze to the portal in front of her as she merrily inquired, “Hello there! How can I he—” Suddenly, her characteristically welcoming and joyous expression turned to one of complete disbelief as her now-dilated magenta eyes focused on the pony beyond the threshold. Coming out of her shocked trance within moments, Mrs. Cake hastily bowed her head as she stuttered, “P-P-Princess Celestia! Please, d-d-do come in!”

The surprise in the mare’s voice echoed throughout the room and the world seemed to gain a dreamlike quality as the graceful and monolithic figure of the Princess of the Sun strode modestly into the room, a look of mild contentment beaming on her face. The exhaustion which had been gripping the minds of the five ponies and one dragon across the room was instantly shattered and replaced with a perplexed astonishment as their wide eyes followed the regal alicorn intently. At her presence the room seemed to fill with a sort of warm, pleasant radiance, a feeling diametrically opposed by the frozen wasteland from which she’d just escaped.

Stepping aside quickly to allow her royal guest passage into the center of the room, Mrs. Cake’s jaw hit the floor as she turned her attention to a second pony who followed shortly behind the monarch: a midnight blue alicorn with a glimmering ethereal mane and an image of a crescent moon emblazoned on her chest and flank. The doubly stunned shopkeeper instantly returned to her bowing stance as she addressed the Princess of the Night. “P-P-Princess Luna! B-b-both of you princesses? In m-m-my treat shop?! I-i-it’s an honor!”

As Luna nonchalantly moved to her sister’s side, an appearance of complete indifference mixed with a hint of concern shining blatantly in her expression, two more not-so-commanding-of-respect ponies crossed the entryway before a jittering Mrs. Cake shut the door in the face of the forceful tempest; it was noteworthy that not one of the four surprise guests who had just entered the establishment seemed even remotely fazed by the unparalleled cold which lurked outside, a characteristic which subconsciously puzzled everyone in the room. The two guards, one of whom carried a military green burlap saddlebag on his back, took their prudent stance between the princesses and the nearby wall, their common appearance of perpetual disapproval chiseled squarely into their faces.

Attempting to disguise her nervousness in her tone as much as she could, the quivering Mrs. Cake addressed her new guests, “C-can I get anything for you, y-your majesties?”

Celestia turned to face the shopkeep—still smiling warmly—as she responded, “No thank you, Mrs. Cake. Your hospitality is gift enough. If you could please excuse us, however. We need to speak with these young mares,” she smoothly gestured towards the group of friends across the room who had since stood up and were now somewhat less wide-eyed, having gotten over the initial stunning entrance of the royal sisters, “and I’m afraid we need to be alone to do so.”

“Of course, your highness...es. If you do need anything though, my husband and I will be at your beck and call in the kitchen!” The mare with the bubble gum mane scuttled nervously back into the adjacent room, leaving the six would-be partiers alone, face to face with the benign rulers of a windswept Equestria.