The three shapes of the Windegos loomed above us. Phantoms that seemed content and safe in the blizzard ridden night.

"Ponies!" I cried, meeting the monsters gaze with my own.

The crowd of Ponies who were scavaging firewood muttered to each other, but otherwise silence yielded to my voice.

"Tonight you are not of your homeland! You are not of Unicornia! You are not of Pegasopolis! And You are not of the Clans!" I shouted for all to hear.

The Windegos shifted, slowly circling the camp and its now blazing fire.

Tia knew her craft well.

"Tonight you are brothers and sisters in arms! You fight for no crown or general!" I roared, not taking my gaze from the monsters before me, almost as if they would disappear if I took my sight off them.

A Windego nickered, sounding like somepony dragging chains over permafrost.

"Tonight you fight not for the Sun! You fight not for the Earth! And you do not fight for the Wind!"

The front legs of the Windegos pedaled and stamped restlessly in the air, obviously irritated.

"Tonight you fight for each other! You fight for your homes and families! For kin and comrade!"

The Ponies at my side were totally silent, their eyes also fixed on the Windegos above, their makeshift weapons pointed at the monsters like spears.

"Tonight you will fight together or you will die!"

The largest Windego snarled, and howled.

N̷͙̳͓̟͇͍̣̣̆͊̋̅͘Ę̸̯̬̞͐̈́́̌̕͘I̷̼̓͛̽̌̚-̶̨͔̠̫͈̀̐̇̈́͐̀̓͆E̸̬̦͎̙͖̭͋̌̃̏̈́̿Í̷̞͘-̵̯͍̜̪̭̂̂̃̈́͠Ȅ̵̝͓͔͜I̶̙̊̐̂͌̎͝-̵̦̪̓̏̐È̷̢̼͔͚̭̘̑͛̍̀̒͝I̴̧̡̛͉͚͖͌͛̄͐̎̚͠G̵̨̡̼͔̘̈́͐͒H̸͍͇̻̥̪̜͇̘́̽͒!̵̡̨̤̫̦͇̏̒̾͑͜͝

"For our homes! For our families! For our friends!"

I brandished the Unicornian sword.

The Windegos descended with the vengeful fury of tempest gale.

As one, what few Unicorns we had launched spells to meet the oncoming monsters. Individually, they were minor things, with barely enough strength to throw a pot across a room. But collectively, it was enough to keep the monsters from reentering the camp and ruining Tia's efforts of keeping the fires lit.

The Windegos wheeled through the nightsky, beaten back, but not defeated.

One flew the sky with purpose, its chest inflating with breath.

Whoooooosh!

A blast of artic air came blowing out of the beast's pressed lips!

The Pegasi wasted no time, they took to the sky and beat their wings in calm, steady, but forceful strokes, sending the visibly colder blast of wind off harmlessly to the side.

The lead beast nickered as its underling dashed underneath it. It then turned its baleful gaze back to us.

Instead of targeting us directly, it dove at the base of the windbreak, intent on smashing the fragile snow embankment into its composite dust.

Several of the Earth Ponies who must've helped build the mighty fortress I had seen just that morning, jumped off the back of the windbreak, not to retreat, but to use their superior strength to bolster the windbreak however they could.

WHUMP!

The Windego slammed into the meager fortification! But with the Ponies behind holding it up, it held true.

Ṇ̸͌̽Ḛ̸̊Į̴̬̍͘-̶͔̣͗É̵̡̪Ỉ̶͚̕G̴̟̊̽Ȟ̵͓͓͝!̴̙̺͛

The monster staggered up into the air, somewhat drunkenly.

"Get it!" I exclaimed, pointing at the weakened beast.

The nearby Ponies wasted no time, diving at it with shovel, grass scythe, and rake.

The large WIndego made one last trumpet as the improvised weapons slashed into its ethereal form.

Ň̵̠̳̻͈̳͙̰͍̖͈͔̼̳̩͊͜Ê̸̡̡̢̛̘̟͉̳̩̺̟̣͔̠͎̱̣̍̈́͗̒̌Ḯ̸̧̱̱̹͇̟͌͂-̴̞̖̞̈́͆̆͝Ḛ̶̢̧̡̨̨̭̖͍̱͍̠̪͈̻̑̈͛̂̂̇I̷̛̥̻̓̌̽͗͆͊̓͆̆̃̀̈́͘̚-̴͇͕̙̟̱̰̜̥̉͗̀̈́̅͌͒͂̍̾͂̚͠ͅĘ̵̨̛͉̞͔͉͚̬̪̊̃͊͑͗̑̾I̶̢̛̦͕͎̞̩͠͝-̵̬͎̼͎̜̬̟͇̪̅̑̓́͌͛̕̕͝͠͠

It faded away, its last howl echoing into the night.

It was then that I heard the most peculiar sound.

At first, I thought it was one of the remaining Windegos. But A quick glance revealed that they were merely watching from the darkness, their baleful eyes gleaming as their leader was slain.

"As dawn shines on us every morn!"

What was that noise? Who was singing now of all times?!

"The fire of friendship is reborn!"

I cast my gaze back inwards towards the firelight.

The scavenging Ponies had formed a bucket brigade, passing anything that could be burned between them, before passing it finally to Tia, who would throw the flammable item into the fire.

"And all the friendships we have made!"

My eyes chanced upon the form of Clover the Clever, whom sat on her haunches before the main fire, her eyes closed peacefully, but her mouth open and singing loudly, as muffled as she was with distance.

"We cherish in every way!"

Pansey and Smart Cookie joined at her sides, and picked up the song with her.

What were they doing?! Couldn't they be doing anything more use-

"Loyalty binds us and makes us strong!"

The Windegos flinched.

It was a subtle, quiet thing, but their gaze of burning frost wavered with every syllable uttered by the trio.

"Honesty shows us that we belong!"

She had figured out what she needed! And now that I knew what she was doing, I felt the urge to join her with the swelling of the oncoming Heartsong!

I had never even seen one, but the bedtime stories told by Mother when I was still a filly in Queensford told of the great swelling of emotion as the compulsion to join the song couldn't have been more clear.

They were one of the last gifts left by the Alicorns before their flight.

"And kindness shared will unite us through each day!"

"Everypony!" I exclaimed as the Windegos began to come around for another attack "The Heartsong! Join the Heartsong!"

It took a moment for everypony to realize what I had said, but once they became aware they understood.

"The fire of friendship lives in our hearts!" our voices rose as one into the dark night sky.

The pair of spirits dove once more.

"As long as it burns we cannot drift apart!"

The notes rose through the air like a wave of heat, crashing into the two remaining Windegos like a wave on the riverbank.

"Though quarrels arise their numbers are few!"

With the monsters disorientated, I took a moment to glance backwards.

"Laughter and singing will see us through!"

Tia and the scavenging Ponies stood with mouths agape in surprise.

"We are a circle of Pony friends!"

But even they could feel the growing magic of the ancient Alicorns.

"A circle of friends we’ll be to the very end!"

Tia looked to me and our gazes met.

I nodded.

"Winter brings all this cold and storm!"

They joined in with gusto, resuming their task of keeping the fire fed with the bucket brigade.

"The glow in our hearts keeps us warm!"

A Windego had recovered, and dove at the Ponies on top of the windbreak, its teeth flashing.

"The friends we now call our family!"

The Ponies bunched together, their farming tools bristling as surely as if they were true weapons.

"Will always see us through!"

The Windego leapt! Directly into the waiting embrace of the waiting Ponies!

"Loyalty binds us and makes us strong!"

The farming implements hacked and slashed! Driving into the Windego as if it weren't there at all!

"Honesty shows that we belong!"

Just like its two departed fellows, the half real monster evaporated into inert mist as it died.

"And kindness shared will unite us through each day!"

The last beast flew the air angrily, huffing and stamping as it looked for a weakness amongst the Ponies.

"The fire of friendship lives in our hearts!"

Its eyes landed on me.

"As long as it burns we cannot drift apart!"

I was the one who told the Ponies who were fighting to sing. I was the one who united these Ponies to one purpose.

If nothing else, the beast would have its vengeance.

"Though quarrels arise their numbers are few!"

The Windego lunged towards me! Its teeth also flashing in the bright firelight!

"Laughter and singing will see us through!"

My sword kept the beast's teeth off my neck, its bitterly cold breath causing my coat to stand on end. I grunted and pushed, physically lifting the deceptively heavy specter up, and throwing the beast towards the harshest thing I could think of.

"We are a circle of Pony friends!"

Whoosh! The spirit landed in the central fire, sending hot embers and charcoal dust into the air!

"A circle of friends we’ll be to the very ennnnnd!"

The final, lonely howl of the last Windego joined in with the last note, echoing long into the now peaceful night.

You all know what's coming

The vibe! https://youtu.be/bar1bceClIE?si=9iYU0HwfX1Vkyp8C