A Winter Wishday Carol – Chapter One: One Snowy Eve

It was probably the strongest blizzard of that year. The cold winds were howling as it swirled around, caking everything in a white carpet of snow. The white snowflakes contrasted with the dark blue of the dusk skies. Any sensible pony would be tucked up safely indoors keeping warm round a fire with a hot drink or even snuggled up under thick quilts in bed. They wouldn’t be even stepping outside just for a brief moment to get a quick look at this snowstorm coating everything that dared get in its way.

Discord didn’t care. He’d never been one for feeling the cold. He liked watching the snow whirl round at a swift pace like this outside of his cave home, whipping through his hair and lifting up the skirt of his nightgown. Snowstorms were unpredictable and chaotic, just like him. It was like gazing at his younger self in a more abstract form.

His animal friends, particularly his possum Reginald Fursome and squirrel Hazel Nutkin, weren’t so sure. The winter season made them feel more tired than usual, so they had to go to sleep earlier. Discord was aware of this, and had set up a little corner in the cave with leaves, twigs and moss so they could cuddle up together and stay protected from the winter chill.

He knew it was time for them to go to bed, but first they needed something to eat. Upon heading back into the cave, Discord snapped his fingers and summoned some juicy berries from thin air. His magic wasn’t as strong as it used to be, but he was still capable of using it in some ingenious ways. One of the best things about having magic powers at this time of year, especially when you live in a cave, is that you don’t have to go all the way out into the cold to fetch food. You can just summon it inside your own home instead.

“Here you go,” he said, holding the berries out for his animal friends. “Don’t want any rumbling tummies keeping us up at night, do we?

Reginald scarfed his berries up within seconds, while Hazel took a bit more time to eat theirs. Discord smiled a bit while watching them. He always liked seeing them enjoy their food. And what’s more, Reginald was getting them all over the carpet for once.

“Discord!” came a voice from the cave entrance. This sudden noise would have made anyone else start, but not Discord. He turned his glance towards the entrance, knowing who that voice belonged to.

At the entrance was Izzy Moonbow, wrapped up in her winter attire, along with sunglasses to protect her eyes from the blizzard. Her cheeks were bright red from the cold that she had forced her way through in order to get to the cave and clumps of snow were in her hair. She looked somewhat exhausted, yet still excited to see Discord.

“You have to be a really crazy pony to travel through a blizzard like this,” he told her.

“I know, I know,” Izzy replied eagerly. “But I really wanted to see you and say hello to you. “How are things going?”

“They’re alright,” was Discord’s brusque reply.

“Glad to hear it! I’ve been getting on pretty well myself. I’m so happy it’s snowing this year - you know you can’t celebrate winter without snow! And I’ve been making snowponies with my friends and having snowball fights and enjoying hot chocolate by the fire…”

Discord rolled his eyes, but kept his head turned away so that Izzy wouldn’t take offence. He knew exactly what she was going to ask him. Every year on this day, she would make this inquiry, and every year he would answer no. Yet she would still persist in asking him, as if she assumed that she would eventually change his mind.

“So I was wondering, Dizzy,” Izzy said, moving a lock of her away from her face with a hoof. “Would you like to come and celebrate Winter Wishday with me and the others tomorrow? I think you’d like to meet Misty and Sparky as well-”

“You mean Hearth’s Warming,” Discord said curtly.

“Well, yes,” Izzy replied awkwardly. Discord had told her and her friends about Hearth’s Warming quite a bit over the previous years, about how he saw it as the superior holiday. “But...actually no. You see, Winter Wishday isn’t quite the same as Hearth’s Warming…”

“Of course it isn’t,” Discord cut in. “That’s the problem. It just isn’t like it. Hearth’s Warming was all about how ponykind united against the wendigos with the power of friendship and harmony, but Winter Wishday just focuses on winter and wishes. What do they wish for, I ask you? More presents? More snow? More magic? And what’s more, they don’t celebrate it together! Each kind of pony stays in their own little region with their own little traditions without any overlap.”

Izzy thought for a few seconds before answering. “Discord,” she inquired with concern. “Are you still upset about Fluttershy and the fall of Equestria? Is that why you don’t like Winter Wishday?”

“No, you know perfectly well I recovered from that grief a while back,” Discord retorted, though something in his eyes made Izzy think that this wasn’t entirely true. “It’s just that I find it ridiculous that ponykind doesn’t share the same traditions over the holidays. The earth ponies go about making cookies and watching some comet that only seems to have come into existence during the last few centuries, but do the unicorns do the same things? No, they decorate an absurdly giant Christmas tree and have something called a…Secret Couture? Secret Dasher? Secret Prancer?”

“Canter,” Izzy nervously corrected him.

“And the pegasi? They spend all their time shopping and attending some “royal” gala! Consumerist nonsense I tell you! Did the passing centuries turn them into some materialistic species around the holidays? I know for a fact that Fluttershy was never like that!”

“Discord!” Izzy was genuinely hurt by this remark. “You’re talking nonsense yourself! You know not every pegasus is like that! Zipp certainly isn’t!”

“I know.” Discord paused and let out a deep sigh. “It’s just…Winter Wishday is nothing like Hearth’s Warming. Hearth’s Warming was all about unity and Winter Wishday seems to be all about division.”

“It shouldn’t be. We still get to meet up with our friends and share memories together.”

“Sure, if you think so.” Discord turned his gaze away slightly. “The point is, I’m not interested. You celebrate Winter Wishday with your friends if you want. I’ll spend the day here.”

Izzy opened her mouth as if she was trying to rebuke this statement, but then let out a sigh herself. “Okay, if you say so.”

She turned towards the exit and started to head out, but turned her head to Discord with a wistful smile on her face. “I’ll still give you your gift. Even if I don’t get to do so tomorrow I’m pretty sure you’ll like it.”

“Sure, whatever.”

“Happy Winter Wishday anyway,” Izzy wished him, before finally heading back out into the snow. The blizzard had died down, but there were still some cold winds outside.

Discord simply tutted to himself as she left, before getting back to summoning more berries for Reginald and Hazel to eat.