A Hearth's Warming Tale

Pony's Log Number 211: Sometimes it take a story about our history to reminds us what the holiday season is all about...

It was wintertime on Equestria. The snow was falling calmly from the sky as a train gave a whistle as it clickety-clacked up a hill towards Canterlot.

"We're getting closer!" said Twilight as she stuck her head out of the train window.

"Oh yeah!" Mario added as he peeked out from Twilight's window.

"I can hardly wait!" Rainbow added as she poked her head out of a window.

"I'm so excited, I-I feel like shouting!" said Fluttershy before letting out a soft, "Woo-hoo!"

"Hoo-wee!" Applejack added as she poked her head out of the window of the next train car in front of the other four ponies, "Canterlot, here we come!"

"Oh, I do hope I look festive enough!" Rarity wondered as she poked her head out of a window wearing a festive tree hat.

"There it is!" Pinkie shouted as she popped out of Rarity's hat, "Canterlot!"

"Ooh..." the seven ponies as their train approached the royal city of Canterlot. Many might be wondering what the big deal was. Well this just wasn't just Canterlot.

It was Canterlot during the Hearth's Warming season!

It wasn't much longer before their train arrived at Canterlot Station and the main seven made their way across the platform into the main city as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had traveled with them, ran by in the background.

"Oh, isn't Canterlot wonderful this time of year?" Twilight asked everypony as they made their way into the streets, which were all decorated with holiday decorations.

"Yeah, I wish it was Hearth's Warming Eve every day," Rainbow said excitedly.

"There's so much to look at!" Applejack added, "I feel like my durned eyes are gonna pop out of my head!"

"I have an idea," said Twilight, "Let's play "I spy with my little eye" as we walk!"

"Great idea Twilight!" Mario replied.

"I'll go first," said Twilight, "I spy...an eight foot candy cane." They all looked and saw Scootaloo and another filly with their tongues stuck to the giant candy cane. Mario chuckled before using a warm washcloth from his saddle bag to free them.

"I spy a snowpony!" Rainbow replied as there was another pony putting a hat on the said creation made of snow. Hoping it would come to life one day. (Heehee)

"I spy somepony eating a gingerbread house," said Pinkie as she rushed into a nearby shop. The sound of cash register ringing was heard as Pinkie came out and gobbled the treat up, "...and it's me!" Everypony stared and then laughed.

"This holiday season is going to be something special," Mario said to himself.

(Main theme)

The mane seven were soon at the Canterlot theatre where a stage was set up for a special holiday play. Hundreds of ponies from all over Equestria had arrived to come and watch the live performance. The interior was already decorated for the holidays and the orchestra was busy warming itself up. Backstage, the other ponies were chattering and getting ready for the big performance. This also included the mane seven, who were getting ready for the performance.

"I can't believe that Princess Celestia chose us to put on the most important play in the season!" said Twilight excitedly as Rarity, already dressed in the costume, was busy putting on the purple pony's makeup, "Do you guys know what an honor this is? For all of us?"

"Oh, I wish she hadn't honored me quite so much...I can't go onstage," said Fluttershy nervously as she looked at herself in the mirror, "I don't want everypony looking at me!" Fluttershy then made a mad dash for a nearby box with some leftover props and jumped inside with just her tail sticking out.

"Fluttershy, darling, there's nothing to feel nervous about," said Rarity as she walked up to the trembling yellow Pegasus.

"No?" Fluttershy asked as she peeked out of her hiding place and Rarity quickly rushed the yellow Pegasus towards the vanity mirror.

"Of course not," Rarity answered as she got to work brushing Fluttershy's mane, plucking her eyebrows, "All across Equestria, ponies are preparing their own pageants for Hearth's Warming Eve in their own towns. It's tradition."

"So you're saying they'll be too busy to come to our play?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

"Well, no. We're in the Canterlot pageant," said Rarity as she put some make up on Fluttershy, "the biggest and most important production in all of Equestria. A lot of ponies will come to watch us." Meanwhile, Applejack was trying on her hat and another Pegasus helped Pinkie finish getting into her own costume. Twilight was also examining herself in the mirror.

"A lot?" Fluttershy groaned as she felt her fear coming back.

"Hundreds," said Rarity.

"Hundreds," Fluttershy repeated as she began to tremble. Rarity then gasped.

"Maybe even thousands!" Rarity exclaimed.

"EEEK!" Fluttershy yelped as she ran and hid herself back into the box. Rarity just looked annoyed when a cold gust entered the room and began to blow Rarity's mane about.

"Oh, my hair!" Rarity exclaimed as she saw Applejack putting on the rest of her costume, "Applejack? Be a dear and shut those windows, will you?" Applejack made a face before stomping over to the opened window when she saw Rainbow actually preening at herself in the mirror.

"Aaah! Rain-bow-Dash!" the blue Pegasus chanted with her helmet on, "Rain-bow-Dash! Aaah! Thank you, thank you!" Applejack just growled at her as Mario, who was already dressed in his costume, which will be revealed soon, walked by.

"It's a reenactment of the founding of Equestria," Applejack reminded her sternly, "It's not the "Rainbow Dash show"."

"Well, it should be the "Rainbow Dash" show!" Rainbow protested, "I'm the star!"

"Give me a break," said Mario annoyingly, "This show is about all of us. Even if there was a Rainbow Dash show, it would get canned before it was ever allowed to appear on stage." Applejack laughed as Rainbow glared.

"Oh and I suppose you're the star?" Rainbow retorted.

"Could be," said Mario proudly, "I did make a name for myself as an actor when I was a little pony!" He then said with the snooty accent was going to use in the play. "Oh the theatre, the theatre, what's happened to the theatre?"

"So this is the "Super Mario Super Show" now?" Applejack asked.

"Very funny," said Mario, "I still can't figure out who in their right mind wrote that I was supposed to be married to the Earth Pony leader! I'm a unicorn!"

"Well, I would have preferred you had kept your mouth shut!" Pinkie retorted, bitter that Mario had spoken up about the script mistake.

"Pinkie. You. Me. Amigos. Nothing more. Get over it!" Mario said sternly in her face. Pinkie snorted.

"Fluttershy, you've got to come out of there!" Twilight retorted as she tried to pull the frightened yellow Pegasus out of the box with her magic by tugging her tail.

"Curtain in two minutes!" Spike called and already dressed in his costume, which was a medieval style outfit.

"Twilight, let me handle this," said Pinkie as she bounced past Rarity.

"My hair!" Rarity exclaimed as the wind blew it about again.

"PINKIE!" Twilight shouted as Pinkie grabbed the purple pony by the head and then let go, causing Twilight to tumble into the box with Fluttershy.

"Want some-"

"NO!" Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie yelled.

"Okay then!" Mario snapped irritably as Pinkie then shivered from the cold air.

"The Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant is about harmony and friendship," Applejack told Rainbow as the two glared at each other.

"Shut the window!" Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Twilight yelled. Spike just flinched at all the tension and went back to the stage with a sigh. Mario groaned loudly.

"Do I have to do everything around here?" Mario snapped as he closed the window with a loud SLAM. Then he used his magic to lift both Fluttershy and Twilight, and made them tumble out of the box and carried it away. Finally, he tossed Fluttershy's costume at Pinkie's face.

"You're welcome," Mario retorted bitterly.

"BLEH!" said the six girls as Mario gave them all a loud raspberry and stomped off.

Soon it was time for the play to begin, the lights in the main room grew dim as the background music began to play. A spotlight appeared at the center of the stage. The front curtain opened to show Spike warming himself up at a prop fireplace and fire. Spike then turned around to face the audience.

"Once upon a time," Spike began using a faux of British accent to his voice as he walked towards the audience, "long before the peaceful rule of Celestia, and before the ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony. It was a strange and dark time. A time when poinies were torn apart...by hatred!" The audience gasped, especially the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who got front row seats for the performance.

"I know. Can you believe it?" Spike remarked with a hand to the side before returning to his narration voice, "During this frightful age, each of the three tribes - the Pegasi, the unicorns, and the Earth ponies - cared not for what befell the other tribes, but only for their own welfare..." As Spike spoke, the three spotlights showed the three types of ponies, all wearing olden time style clothing.

"...In those trouble times, as now," Spike continued as the three tribes snubbed each other, "the Pegasi were the stewards of the weather. But they demanded something in return. Food that could only be grown by the Earth ponies." Another curtain open to show Pegasi shaking a prop cloud to create weather and then the scenery changed into a farming landscape. The Pegasi arrive and put their hooves forward to demand food from the earth ponies. The audience began to whisper to each other. Sweetie Belle whispered a discreet comment, making Apple Bloom chuckle. On stage, the earth ponies growled before handing the Pegasi some of their food.

"The unicorns demanded the same," said Spike and moved forward toward the audience, "in return for magically bringing forth day and night. And so, mistrust between the tribes festered, until one fateful day, it came to a boil. And what prompted the ponies to clash? 'Twas a mysterious blizzard that overtook the land, and toppled the tribe's precarious peace." It was then the backdrop showed snow was falling and the earth ponies began to show that they were freezing.

Then the scenery became more realistic as the winds howled across the land.

"The normally industrious Earth ponies were unable to farm the land," Spike continued as several earth ponies were seen struggling to plant and grow any food. One Earth pony finds a small plant, only for it to wilt in their hooves, making them cry. The winds then blew down a nearby earth pony hut, making the family that was living inside shiver, "The Earth ponies were freezing." Then the scene changes to the olden home of the Pegasi, where it was snowing as well. Several Pegasi were flying about looking cold and irritable.

"The home of the Pegasi fared no better," said Spike as one Pegasi began to eat the top of his helmet, "The Pegasi were hungry." The view then shifted to a stone castle where some unicorns were huddled inside.

"And the unicorns were freezing and hungry," Spike continued as the shivering unicorns were forced to eat on a single bean each, "Even the unicorns' magic was powerless against the storm." Several unicorns try to use their magic to block out the cold snowy winds from entering the castle, but the winds are too strong and destroy the doors to the castle.

"Each tribe blamed the others for their suffering," said Spike as some ponies began to fight with other over what little food was available. The snow increased and the winds became more intense, "and the angrier everypony grew, the worse the blizzard became. And so it was decided that a grand summit would be held to figure out a way to cope with the blizzard." Several ponies of all three tribes are seen gathering at a large building. Inside the tribes sat together in three sections.

"Each tribe sent their leaders," said Spike as the flag of the unicorns is seen and trumpet fanfare is heard, it was then Rarity and (surprise) Mario took the stage, "Daughter of the unicorn king, Princess Platinum and her...bleh...handsome husband, Prince Emerald." Mario...I mean...Prince Emerald...gave Spike a discreet glare as he and Princess Platinum regally made their way to the center table wearing royal outfits and crowns. Then the Pegasi were shown with their banner and more trumpet fanfare was heard.

"Ruler of the Pegasi, Commander Hurricane," Spike announced as two Pegasi guards lowered their spear so the commander, played by Rainbow, could make her way to the center table, wearing her military uniform. Then some...kazoo fanfare was heard along with the flag representing the Earth Ponies.

"...leader of the Earth ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead," Spike announced, a bit wearily, as the chancellor, played by Pinkie, bounced her way to the center table. She was wearing a medieval style dress with a pudding hat on her head, hence her name. The four leaders then sat at the table, setting their hats down on it, raising a fore-hoof and glared at each other.

"Perhaps the three tribes could finally settle their differences, and agree on a way to get through this disaster," said Spike. There was brief silence that was filled with tension before all four leaders began to yell at each other at once, knocking their hats off the table.

"All I wanna know is why the Earth ponies are hogging all the food!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) added as she banged a hoof on the other Pegasi shouted in protest.

"Us?! " Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) snapped, but then blinked, smiled, and then glared at the Pegasus, "We're not hogging all the food, you are! Oh, wait! You're right. It's us. Well, it's only 'cause you mean old Pegasusususes are making it snow like crazy!" The Chancellor Puddinghead gave them an exaggerated expression.

"For the hundredth time, it's not us!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) snapped, "We're not making the snow! It must be the unicorns! They're doing it with their freaky magic!" Princess Platinum and Sir Emerald gasped is disbelief.

"How dare you!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) exclaimed and stamping her hooves, "Unlike you Pegasi ruffians, we unicorns would never stoop to such a thing! H-m-ph!" The other unicorns hmph in agreement.

"Our responsibilities," Prince Emerald (Mario) added with a voice that had a Scottish faux, "Is in the rising and setting of the sun. My wife and myself included don't involve our magic in controlling the weather. That is your job. If you can't do your job properly, that is nopony's problem but yours!" The other unicorns nodded in agreement.

"Well, if you non-Earths aren't gonna stop using your weirdo powers to freeze us all," Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) retorted, "then I'm just plum out of ideas." The other Earth ponies gasped.

"She calls us weirdos?" Prince Emerald (Mario) snootily as Princess Platinum rolled her eyes in agreement.

"What a shocker," Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) retorted sarcastically, "An Earth pony with no ideas!"

"Commander Hurricane, please cease with the insults!" said Princess Platinum (Rarity) sternly.

"You're not the boss of me, your royal snootiness!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) remarked as she hovered into Princess Platinum's face.

"I beg your pardon?!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) retorted offensively.

"How dare you insult my wife?" Prince Emerald (Mario) said angrily as he stood up.

"Well, what are you gonna do about it?" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) taunted mockingly, "You can't do anything to me!" The Pegasi oohed. Prince Emerald then did a stylistic double jump into the commander's back before landing gracefully next to his wife.

"HUZZAH!" the other unicorns shouted.

"Oooh! That's the move you used in the tournaments to win my hoof in marriage!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) cooed but then remembered the other leaders at the table, "Getting back on topic. I am a princess! I won't be spoken to that way!" Princess Platinum then put her crown back on her head, but didn't notice that she had put it on upside down. She grabbed Prince's Emerald's hoof to storm out of the building.

"Well, I'm leaving first!" said Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) as she got beside the two unicorns.

"No, I'm first!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) retorted as she stood in front of the door and opened it. The four ponies argued as they tried to squeeze out of the doorway at once and then stomped off in their separate ways.

"And the blizzard raged on," said Spike when high above the sky three ghostlike ponies watched the four leaders from above. They gave a loud whinnying noise as they continued to power the blizzard.

"So the summit of the tribes did not turn out as well as hoped," said Spike as he stood in the center of the stage. Behind him the four leaders each stood in different places on the stage (Well Commander Hurricane hovered but still had her own spotlight). They then separated as the scenery changed to another snowy backdrop. As the scenery becomes more realistic, we can see Private Pansy, played by Fluttershy, quivering in the cold just outside Commander Hurricane's headquarters as the blue Pegasus zoomed by.

"Atten-tion!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shouted as Private Pansy jumped and gave her a salute. Then fell through her cloud and into the snow

"Well?" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) asked sternly as she noticed her dazed comrade, "Aren't you curious about how it went?"

"Oh! Commander Hurricane, sir!" Private Pansy (Fluttershy) stuttered as she approached the staircase, "How did it go, sir?"

"Horribly!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) snapped as she kicked some snow off her porch, "Those other tribe leaders are so disrespectful! The unicorn prince had the nerve to stomp me twice! Don't they realize that we are a mighty tribe or warriors, and should not be crossed? We've got to break ranks with those weak foals!" Commander Hurricane went to shove off more snow, making Private Pansy lose her footing. She tried to regain it, but ended up tumbling back into the snow.

Back at the stone castle, Princess Platinum and Prince Emerald had arrived. As much as Prince Emerald tried, even holding his wife close wasn't enough to make her stop shivering from the cold.

"Clover the Cleaver! We need you!" Princess Platinum shouted as she plopped to the floor and the Prince stayed close by until Clover the Cleaver arrived, who was played by Twilight. She had also come with spare blankets for the two.

"Yes, your Majesties," said Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) as she put the blankets around the princess and prince, "Did the other pony tribes see reason as I predicted?" Prince Emerald snorted.

"You're predictions are as reliable as you keeping the library uncluttered," Prince Emerald (Mario) remarked.

"Those other tribes are impossible!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) complained as Clover the Cleaver shut the door behind them. The princess sat on a chair as her husband sat beside her, "I, for one, can no longer bear to be anywhere near those lowly creatures! The Pegasi commander had the nerve to threaten me! But my hubby-wubby was there to show that ruffian a thing or two!" Princess Platinum nuzzled his neck with her head and gave him a cute smile.

"All in a day's work my love," Prince Emerald (Mario) replied as Clover the Cleaver made a very discreet look of jealousy and annoyance.

"The unicorns are noble and majestic," Princess Platinum (Rarity) continued, "We will no longer consort with the likes of them!" The princess then slammed her fore-hooves into the water to warm them up.

"So let it be said, so let it be done!" Prince Emerald (Mario) declared.

"Isn't it so let it be written, so let it be done, your majesty?" Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) asked.

"We don't have any more parchment," Prince Emerald (Mario) replied before muttering, "I was...hungry." Princess Platinum and Clover the Cleaver rolled their eyes as the snow continued to fall outside.

Inside of another building in the Earth Pony territory, some cinders and ashes come out of the chimney as Chancellor Puddinghead entered her home face first. Her assistant, Smart Cookie, played by Applejack, was waiting for her...by the front door.

"Wouldn't it have been easier to use the front door, Chancellor?" Smart Cookie (Applejack) asked curiously.

"Maybe for you, Smart Cookie," the Chancellor (Pinkie) replied, "But I am a Chancellor. I was elected because I know how to think outside the box. Which means..." Chancellor Puddinghead then stuck her head back inside of the chimney as Smart Cookie looked at her blankly, "...I can also think inside of a chimney! Can you think inside of a chimney?"

"Uh..." Smart Cookie (Applejack) stuttered.

"I didn't think so," said Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) smugly with soot covering her face.

"Ugh," Smart Cookie (Applejack) groaned when the Chancellor walked past and then froze.

"Ohmygosh. Hold on to your hooves!" Chancellor Puddinghead said with a huge smile on her face, "I am just about to be brilliant!"

"That's a first," Smart Cookie (Applejack) muttered under her breath.

You can say that again...

"I have decided that the Earth ponies are gonna go it alone!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) announced.

"Aw, so you mean the other tribes didn't come around?" said Smart Cookie (Applejack) sadly, "Shoot...I really thought we could get through to 'em if we-"

"Don't worry about them," Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) interrupted as she got into the orange pony's face, "We're the ones with all the food, right?"

"Actually, we're all out," said Smart Cookie (Applejack) plainly.

"Fine," Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) replied after just a single blink, "then we'll have to go somewhere new where we can grow some new food. And with me as our fearless leader, what could go wrong?" She then opened the doors to her house, only for a large mound of snow to bury her alive as Smart Cookie just looked unamused.

"Where should I start?" Smart Cookie (Applejack) muttered.

"The point is..." Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) replied, poking her head out of the snow as the other three leaders appeared around her, "We must find a new land!"

Up in the snowy and blustery skies, Commander Hurricane was flying quickly ahead, but soon found that she was alone and slowed down. She retraced her flight path since Private Pansy was having trouble flying through the strong gusts.

"C' mon, Private Pansy, let's get a move-on!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) yelled, "Hup-one, hup-two!" Some thunder then crashed, making Private Pansy yelp and "jump" into Commander's Hurricane's fore-hooves.

"Get a hold of yourself," Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) snapped as she dropped the yellow Pegasus, "We cannot let anything distract us from the mission at hand. To find, and if necessary, to conquer a new land!" The commander began to push the Private forward.

"Conquer, sir?" Private Pansy (Fluttershy) asked timidly.

"You never know where enemies might be lurking," Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) replied as she flew around the Private.

"I don't see any enemies, Commander," said Private Pansy (Fluttershy), "just...snow."

"A-ha! What's that?!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shouted as she saw a black cloud shaped like a monster and started to fight it. Private Pansy watched until she noticed a tiny little black cloud next to her.

"EEP!" she yelped and jumped into the commanders fore-hooves again.

"Okay. This is getting old," Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) muttered as she dropped the frazzled Pegasus once again.

Back on the ground, Princess Platinum, Prince Emerald, and Clover the Cleaver were venturing into some woods.

"Oh, this is simply taking forever," Princess Platinum (Rarity) complained as she raised a swollen fore-hoof. Prince Emerald (Mario) went to message it for her, "My hooves are killing me? How long have we been walking for?"

"About five minutes, your highness," Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) responded as she lowered a tree branch to show their castle home not too far away.

"Oh, I never imagined finding a new land would be so hard," Princess Platinum (Rarity) continued.

"Take it from somepony who once ventured far and wide my love," Prince Emerald (Mario) replied, "Yes, the journey will be difficult and very treacherous..." Princess Platinum whimpered.

"...but I know for a fact that my wife won't stop at nothing until she gets exactly what she wants," Prince Emerald (Mario) said confidently.

"Oh, quite true, darling," Princess Platinum (Rarity) replied with a chuckle, feeling her determination return. Clover the Cleaver just looked indignant as she walked behind the two unicorns.

"I actually think that the three tribes could've tried harder," Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) remarked.

"Sez you," said Prince Emerald (Mario) snootily as his wife shared the same facial expression.

"Stooooooop!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) shouted.

"What's wrong?" Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) asked worried.

"That is what's wrong!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) remarked as she showed the purple unicorn a rushing and raging...stream?

"Your Highness," Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) pointed out, "it's just a stream. We can cross it easily." Clover the Cleaver hopped across two small rocks to cross the stream without a problem, but the Princess would have none of it.

"I refuse to get my gown wet," Princess Platinum (Rarity) said indignantly, "I have no intention of arriving at my new land looking like a bedraggled Earth pony, or worse yet a rough-and-tumble Pegasus. I, for one, have no intention of stooping down to their level." The princess then turned her back against Clover the Cleaver with her nose in the air.

"Oh perish the thought my love," Prince Emerald (Mario) agreed before telling Clover sternly, "I refuse to venture another step forward until my wife can be properly transported across!"

"Why not you transport her, your highness?" Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) remarked, not hiding the irritation, annoyance, and jealousy in her tone as she rolled her eyes at them.

"Because that is why we have you," Prince Emerald (Mario) as a matter of fact.

"On the other hand," Princess Platinum (Rarity) said, seeing her husband's point, "I have no trouble watching you stoop down." Clover the Cleaver groaned as she was soon equipped with a bridle so Rarity could ride her across.

"And do watch the gown, darling," Princess Platinum (Rarity) remarked as they headed across the stream, "It's worth more than all the books in your library."

"If she does ruin it, what do you think is a more fitting punishment?" Prince Emerald (Mario) pondered aloud, "Selling all the books or magically locking her out of the place for...err...three to six months?" Clover the Cleaver squeaked with fright.

"I'll make sure her gown stays dry and clean," Clover the Cleaver said in an over the top cheery voice, "And I'll smile too!" She gave them a large squeaky smile before turning around and started sulking to herself. The Prince and Princess just looked very pleased with themselves.

Later, somewhere near some mountain paths where the sides were encrusted with gems of various types, Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie were exploring. The Chancellor had attached the map to her head and had cut holes out of it so she could see and breathe. However, it seemed as if they were just walking about the same area and even Smart Cookie was feeling most annoyed.

"Yes, yes," said Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie), "This is definitely the right direction."

"It feels like we're going in circles," Smart Cookie (Applejack) remarked, showing a trail of hoof prints in the said shape.

"But that's impossible," Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) retorted indignantly, "Are you suggesting that I'm reading the map wrong?"

"Absolutely not, your chancellorness," Smart Cookie (Applejack) replied, "It's just that there are holes in the map, and-"

"Of course!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) remarked as she stepped towards the edge of a cliff, "How else could I see where I was going?"

"Yeah, uh-"

"Or talk? I need to be able to talk!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) cut the orange pony off, "I mean how would we survive if I just suddenly shut up?"

I tell you how we would survive if you did...

(cue "Hallelujah chorus")

The world would be at peace!

Political leaders would actually get along and get things done!

No more food allergies to apples, nuts, and peanut butter!

We could build buildings with chocolate and streets paved with GOLD!

HUMANS COULD VISIT EQUESTRIA!

MONEY WOULD FALL FROM THE SKY!

"GIVE IT A REST! I ASKED SMART COOKIE, NOT YOU!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) shouted.

(music stops abruptly)

BLEH!

Smart Cookie just looked away from the pink pony.

"Heaven forbid that should happen, your chancellorship," Smart Cookie (Applejack) replied wearily, "Heh. It's just that...the map is upside down." The Chancellor blinked as Smart Cookie tapped the map with a fore-hoof.

"I got a newsflash for you, Cookie," said Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie), narrowing her eyes at her, "The world is round. There is no up or down."

You could never tell which end was up anyway.

"ZIP IT!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) barked before she walked away from Smart Cookie.

"You're right!" said Smart Cookie (Applejack), despite having no clue who the Chancellor was yelling at and wanted to make peace, "It's such a relief to me that you're in charge of this map..."

"Relief?" said Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) as she backed up, making rewinding sounds with her hooves, "You don't need relief! If anypony needs relief around here, it's me! I'm a chancellor! I'm a bigshot! You're just my, um...my, uh..."

"Secretary," Smart Cookie (Applejack) answered bluntly.

"Whatever," Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) snapped as she grabbed the map with her mouth, chewed it, and then spat it into Smart Cookie's face, "You take the map, while I enjoy some relief." She then took one step too many and fell off the side of the mountain.

"Yes, Chancellor Puddinghead," Smart Cookie (Pinkie) answered as she looked at the map indignantly. The Chancellor then just poked her head from below and smiled as the curtain closed for the next act.

It wasn't much longer before the front curtain reopened as Spike walked out to continue the story.

"And so, each leader encountered obstacles along the way," Spike said in his narration voice, "but eventually, they all arrived in a new and wondrous land. Nopony had ever seen paradise before." Another curtain open behind him to show a backdrop of a green valley surrounded by mountains and clouds. It was supposedly the future site of Ponyville.

The scenery turned realistic once more as Commander Hurricane was bouncing from one cloud to the next as Private Pansy hovered nearby.

"This is the new land we've been searching for!" announced Commander Hurricane (Rainbow).

"What a view..." remarked Private Pansy (Fluttershy), "I can see my future house from here."

"I proclaim this new land to be...Pegasopolis!" said Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) as she planted a flag into a nearby cloud.

Near the other side of a mountain Princess Platinum had just found a huge collection of gems and had put them into a pile.

"I've never seen such jewels!" said Princess Platinum (Rarity) excitedly, "This ruby is dazzling! This whole land is dazzling! I'm double dazzled!"

"We could build our entire palace out of gems!" Prince Emerald (Mario) told his wife and she squealed excitedly before reclining with her pile of gems next to her.

"In the name of the unicorns, I hereby dub this land Unicornia!" Princess Platinum said boldly as placed the flag down nearby. Clover the Cleaver just smiled.

Down at the ground, Chancellor Puddinghead was examining the land.

"The air! The trees! The dirt!" she exclaimed as she looked up, popped out, and poked about, "This dirt is the dirtiest dirt in the whole dirt world!" She began to shift her hooves into some dirt contently as Smart Cookie stood nearby.

"And fertile too," Smart Cookie (Applejack) added as she held some dirt and a small plant started to grow in it, "Perfect for growing food."

"In the name of the Earth ponies," Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) declared, "I think I'm gonna call this place...uh...Dirtville!"

"How about "Earth"?" Smart Cookie (Applejack) proposed.

"Earth!" Canceller Puddinghead (Pinkie) repeated, "Congratulations to me for thinking of it." Her pudding hat then fell off her head and the Earth Pony flag popped out of it.

It was then the four leaders shouted: "We found our new home!" But then they realized that they had all "discovered" the same land. They looked at each other in shock for a moment.

"I planted my flag first!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shouted.

"Did not!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) and Prince Emerald (Mario) shouted back.

"Did too!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) retorted.

"I planted mine earlier than first!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) shot back.

"That makes no sense!" Prince Emerald (Mario) yelled, "You make no sense. No wonder you Earth ponies are so inferior!"

"All of you riffraff are trespassing in Unicornia!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) told the others.

"The name is Pegasopolis!" Commander Hurricane said (Rainbow) sternly as she got into both of the unicorns faces.

"Earth!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) shouted.

"Pegasopolis!" said Commander Hurricane (Rainbow).

"Unicornia!" shouted Princess Platinum (Rarity) and Price Emerald (Mario).

"I say we fight for the land," Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) challenged as she made eye contact with the unicorns, "May the best pony win!" It was then a cold wind blew past but nopony noticed it.

"That's barbaric," Princess Platinum (Rarity) said indignantly and pushed the purple pony in front of her, "Clover the Cleaver? Throw that brute into the dungeon!"

"What dungeon?" Clover the Cleaver asked puzzled.

"This dungeon!" Prince Emerald (Mario) shouted as he fired a magic blast at the commander, which instantly covered her wings in sticky black ink. This prevented her from flying, making the blue Pegasus shriek as she hit the ground, "Now whose next?" The prince glowed his horn for a second shot as Chancellor Puddinghead gritted her teeth angrily.

"Look," said Clover the Cleaver (Twilight), "perhaps if we all calmed down."

"I agree," Smart Cookie (Applejack) added nervously, "Let's all calm down."

"I vote for calm," Private Pansy (Fluttershy) agreed.

"I'll have you court-martialed for insubordination, Private!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) threatened as she cleared her wings of the ink, "We'll settle this on the battlefield!" It was at this time the snow began to fall around them.

"You mean like this big mouth?" Prince Emerald (Mario) retorted as he sent a snowball right into the Pegasus's face. Princess Platinum laughed...until the Commander pelted her and the Prince in the face. Commander Hurricane laughed as the two unicorns growled angrily at her.

"Who dares throw a snowball at royalty?!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) shouted. Chancellor Puddinghead went to toss a snowball when she realized something.

"Wait a minute," Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) pointed out, "Where'd all this snow come from anyway?" The four ponies all look around to see the snow had managed to cover the new land they had discovered. The three ghostly like ponies had followed them.

"Oh no. Not again," Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) groaned as the winds blew and the ghostly ponies roared.

Back inside the theatre hall, the curtains were closed as Spike took the spotlight solo as the rest of the ponies listened quietly.

"And so the paradise that the ponies had found was soon lost," Spike continued in his narration voice as he moved about the stage, "buried under a thick blanket of snow and hard feelings. Instead of beautiful, it was blizzardy. Instead of wonderful, it was wintery! Instead of spectacular, it was snow-tacular! Instead of-"

"We get it!" a pony named Shoeshine shouted, "Move on!" Spike just laughed nervously and cleared his throat.

"Everypony was forced to seek shelter," said Spike as the curtain opened to reveal a cave inside of a rocky hill, "They searched high and low, but the only shelter for miles was a cold and desolate cave. And, of course, the three tribes had to share it, and nopony was too happy about that." As the scenery became realistic, the snow and window continued to howl outside the cave as the seven ponies were sitting inside. The leaders had every irritated and indignant faces while their assistants looked more worried.

"Please, Commander Hothead," Princess Platinum (Rarity) began.

"It's Commander Hurricane," the Pegasus (Rainbow) retorted to the unicorn's face.

"Whatever!" Prince Emerald (Mario) remarked as his wife cleared her throat.

"Please, Commander, could you just stand back and give us some royal space?" The princess (Rarity) asked as she brushed the commander back a bit.

"Please do what my wife says, Commander, your breath stinks," the Prince (Mario) added snootily as he held his wife by a forehoof.

"You mean like this, your highnesses?" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) retorted angrily as she stamped a hoof to the floor, making both unicorns look down at the ground.

"Indeed not!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) retorted, "You see this invisible line?"

"Private?" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shouted, "Outline our territory for everypony to see!" Private Pansy walked over to start marking the ground, but she moved so slowly that the Commander grabbed her from above and dragged her sideways to mark a straight line.

"See this real, non-invisible line?" the commander retorted, "No unicorns or Earth ponies are allowed to cross it! This is the sovereign territory of Pegasopolis!"

"Clover the Cleaver?" Princess Platinum (Rarity) and Prince Emerald (Mario) shouted.

"Uh...Smart Cookie!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) shouted at the same time at the unicorns. Clover the Cleaver and Smart Cookie walked in front of them with annoyed faces.

"I know, I know," said Smart Cookie (Applejack) as the two began to draw their own lines. It wasn't long before the two assistant pony's lines met each other. Rather than fight, the two just sigh before they changed directions to continue drawing. Private Pansy was also drawing a line until she saw a rock and started to go around it.

"What are you doing?" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) snapped, "Don't go around the rock, go over it! I'm not giving up an inch of territory to the enemy!"

"That rock is clearly on the Unicornia side of the cave," Princess Platinum (Rarity) declared as her prince stood beside her, "and it belongs to us!" She then added under her breath to her husband, "Who knows? There could be jewels inside." Prince Emerald nodded in agreement. The blue Pegasus groaned.

"I claim this rock for Pegasopolis!" said Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) as she dug up the rock and pushed it towards her territory.

"Unhand that rock this instant, you scoundrel!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) demanded.

"Want another round of ink in your feathers, Commander?" Prince Emerald (Mario) challenged with his horn glowing and ready for another magic blast. It was then Chancellor Puddinghead arrived between them.

"Oh, look, you found my rock," the chancellor replied, "I've been looking for it everywhere!" She then took off, leaving everyone dumbfounded for a moment.

"Hey! You invaded our territory!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shouted.

"Finders keepers, losers weepers!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) taunted as she set the rock into her territory. Prince Emerald fired his magic blast as her instead, but the shot missed...several times.

"Miss me! Miss me! Now you gotta kiss me!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) teased.

"Disgusting! My royal lips would never kiss such low-class riffraff!" Prince Emerald (Mario) said with a face. Chancellor Puddinghead gave Mario a raspberry. She did the same at Commander Hurricane just to get under the Pegasus's skin.

"That's the last straw!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shouted furiously and stomped a hoof the line towards the pink pony and the two unicorns did the same.

"Give us that rock!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) demanded and they were soon arguing furiously at each other as they chased the Chancellor about the cave. Clover the Cleaver just lightly slapped a fore-hoof to her forehead as Chancellor Puddinghead stood in front of the purple pony and taunted the other leaders again, making them stomp their hooves and continue to argue with each other. They were arguing so much that they hadn't noticed until too late that the cold winds had entered the cave and a ominous cloud had formed above them and was starting to freeze the inside of the cave from the roof downward.

"Look, everypony!" said Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) as she looked up at the roof, "The entrance!" With the sound of cracking ice, the entrance out of the cave was sealed shut and then continued to creep down the walls of the cave. The four leaders could only glare and stomp away from each other.

"Great. Now there's no way out!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) remarked, "We're trapped!"

"You two deserve this horrible fate," Princess Platinum (Rarity) retorted, "You've done nothing but argue and fight with each other!"

"And get in our faces and talk complete and utter nonsense!" Prince Emerald (Mario) added.

"You've been fighting too, your Highnesses!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shot back as he stood next to Private Pansy.

"Yeah! Worse!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) added, "I haven't been fighting nearly as much as you!" The pink pony hadn't noticed that her the ice was beginning to encase her body as Smart Cookie backed away.

"How ridiculous! A unicorn never stoops to fighting!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) added as she started being encased in the ice.

"We just tell it like it is!" Prince Emerald (Mario) added as he was being encased in the ice as well. Clover the Cleaver backed away from them.

"That's just 'cause you wimpy unicorns know you'd never win!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) added as she was now being incased in the ice and Private Pansy backed away.

"I took you down twice! I can do it again!" Prince Emerald (Mario) shouted before the ice encased him completely.

"Earth ponies are numbskulls!" Commander Hurricane (Rainbow) shouted as she was encased completely.

"Pegasi are brutes!" Princess Platinum (Rarity) added before sharing her husband's icy fate.

"Unicorns are snobs!" Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie) yelled before she, too, was encased completely in ice. With the four leaders now frozen solid, that left only the three assistants at the mercy of the creeping ice. They tried to back away from it until they bumped into each other and gasped. They looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. Until the roaring the three ghostly ponies above them made the three scream and hold each other fearfully.

"W-W-What is that...thing?" Private Pansy (Fluttershy) asked fearfully.

"They must be...windigos!" Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) answered.

"Windigos?" said Smart Cookie (Applejack) and Private Pansy (Fluttershy) together with frightened looks on their faces.

"My mentor Star Swirl the Bearded taught me about them," Clover the Clever (Twilight) explained, "Their winter spirits that feed off fighting and hatred. The more hate the spirit feels, the colder things become!" The three windigos continued to circle the three ponies.

"Then...this is our fault," Smart Cookie (Applejack) realized, "We three tribes...we brought this blizzard to our home by fightin' and not trustin' each other. Now it's destroyin' this land, too."

"And now our bodies will become as cold as our hearts," Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) added, "...all because we were foolish enough to hate." The three ponies huddled up close as the ice slowly began to make its way towards them.

"Well, I don't hate you..." Private Pansy (Fluttershy) admitted, "I actually hate Commander Hurricane a lot more than I hate you guys." The other two girls giggled as the windigos snorted.

"Actually, I don't really hate her," Private Pansy (Fluttershy) continued, "I just really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, dislike her." This made the other two girls laugh as the ice began to slowly encase the three of them.

"Well, I don't hate you guys either," Smart Cookie (Applejack) said with a smile.

"Nor do I," Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) added as they huddled up close, making the windagos make a whinnying sound.

"No matter what our difference, we're still ponies," Smart Cookie (Applejack) said as the three closed their eyes and, with smiles on their faces, the ice encased them as well. But not completely, part of Clover the Cleaver's horn was left exposed. Just enough to make the unbelievable happen. Her horn suddenly glowed and from it erupted a massive burst of magical power from it, making her eyes glow as the ice surrounding her, Private Pansy, and Smart Cookie to shatter. The two ponies backed away in shock as the windigos were pushed out of the cave and away from the land. The magic then shaped itself into a magical heart-shaped flame. Clover the Cleaver was feeling a tad drained when the others approached her.

"What was that?" Private Pansy (Fluttershy) asked.

"I didn't know unicorns could do that," Smart Cookie (Applejack) added in amazement.

"I didn't either," Clover the Cleaver (Twilight) answered, "Nothing like this has ever happened before. But I know it couldn't have been just me. It came from all three of us, joined together, in friendship." They each extended a fore-hoof as a declaration. A declaration that they were now friends.

"All through the night," Spike narrated, "The three ponies kept the fire of friendship alive by telling stories to one another, and by singing songs, which of course became the winter carols that we still sing today." The three ponies are shown sitting together talking and laughing with one another. Then they are sitting together as they sing. All the while, the ice around the cave slowly began to melt.

"Eventually, the warmth of the fire and singing and laughing reached the leaders, and their bodies began to thaw," Spike continued before adding in his normal voice, "and it even began to melt their hearts." As Spike spoke, Commander Hurricane was the first to awaken from her icy prison, followed by Princess Platinum and Prince Emerald. Smart Cookie helped a drained Chancellor Puddinghead out of her ice prison. The pink pony quickly shook off the excess melted ice before giving Smart Cookie a big hug. Princess Platinum and Prince Emerald sandwiched Clover the Cleaver in a loving hug. Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy shared a friendly hoof-bump. It was then the ice around the cave entrance melted and the seven ponies made their exit out of the cave to see that the snow had almost completely melted away from the new land. Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie smiled excitedly, as did Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy, Princess Platinum and Prince Emerald held Clover the Cleaver close as they smiled as well.

"The three leaders agreed to share the beautiful land, and live in harmony afterwards," Spike narrated as Prince Emerald and Commander Hurricane set up the flagpole. Commander Hurricane winked as Chancellor Puddinghead and Princess Platinum raised up what was today's modern national flag, "and together, they named the new land..."

"Equestria!" the seven ponies shouted at once as they stood before the flag and showed it to the audience. The audience cheered for them loudly as the curtain closed to end the show. Then it reopened as the mane seven stood before the audience with warm smiles on their faces. Spike stood with them before they all made a head bow and confetti shot from behind the stage and some bells began to ring. It was now time to sing an annual Hearth's Warming Carol. (feel free to sing along!)

[Chorus - the song is led by the mane seven. The rest of the audience joins in on the singing. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are shown as they sing, Scootaloo putting a fore-hoof around Apple Bloom as the yellow filly did the same for Sweetie Belle. Applejack and Fluttershy hold each other. Rarity, Twilight, and Mario hold each other. and Pinkie literally glomped Rainbow.]

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart
Through quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through (will see us through)
We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end!

The curtain closes for the final time that evening as everypony cheered loudly that anypony walking by the theatre could hear.

Backstage, everypony was in good spirits as they finished cleaning up for the evening. Applejack and Mario had walked off to help with clean up as Twilight spook to the rest of their friends.

"We should be so honored that Princess Celestia chose us!" said Twilight happily, "She must really think we exemplify what good friends are!" Pinkie couldn't help but wrap her fore-hooves around Rarity for a hug, even sticking her tongue out to look silly as she smiled happily. Then the moment was gone with the wind. Literally. The cold wind began to blow Rarity's mane about again and Pinkie was literally blown away.

"Applejack, I thought you closed all the windows," Rarity retorted.

"Don't blame me, Mario is the one who didn't close 'em properly!" Applejack replied as she got into Rarity's face, making Mario glare as he stood behind the orange pony, "Rainbow Dash should've flown up there and shut it. After all, she's got wings." Rainbow was now glaring at Applejack from behind as well.

"Why do I always have to do all the high up chores?" Rainbow complained as she flew toward Twilight, "Why can't Twilight use her magic for a change!" The seven ponies began to argue as they gathered closer together when...

ROAR!

...the sound of a roaring windigo made them all stop fighting and making their eyes wide.

"Y' know what?" said Rainbow timidly, "I got it." Rainbow then quickly flew over and shut the window." The others all laughed.

"Like the carol said, quarrels may come, but the fire of friendship in our hearts will always prevail through them," said Mario as the others smiled in agreement, "I love you guys." The girls awed and sandwiched him in a group hug.

"We love you too!" they all said at once and then added, "Ya big dork!"

"Good grief," Mario muttered with an eye roll but still smiled as the six girls laughed.

Outside the theatre, one could see a large heart of fire illuminating the winter night sky.

...

"Hey there everypony!" said Mario, "The narrator said I can close up today's chapter with a very special message to you all!

(Ahem)

With the magic of friendship, Hearth's Warming will always be very merry indeed.

You have a Happy Hearth's Warming too!

Peace Pony Fans and Happy Holidays!"