A Hearth's Warming Eve Carol
"Oof!" gasped Twilight Sparkle, bumping into Scootaloo. "Watch where you're going!"
"Sorry, miss." Scootaloo backed away slowly, then ran off.
"Hmph," the unicorn sighed, sticking her nose in the book once again. She didn't need to watch where she was going. Everypony avoided her anyway. Twilight didn't mind. As long as she could read her books in peace, that was all she ever needed.
The fluffy snowflakes brushed her muzzle as she made her way to the library where she lived. It was almost dusk, and Twilight didn't want to be out here after dark. It was bad enough in winter, but tonight was Hearth's Warming Eve.
"Oh, howdy, Miss Twilight!" called Twilight's assistant, Applejack. "I was just thinkin'. My family and I are in awful need of a Hearth's Warming feast, so I was wonderin' if I could have a little raise, for the holidays...?"
"A raise? A raise?" Twilight fumed. "I could be using the money you're paid normally to get more books for my library. Why should I give you more for a small matter like Hearth's Warming?"
"Hearth's Warming Eve is no small matter, Miss Twilight," Applejack said quietly.
"What did you just say, Applejack?" Twilight snapped.
"Nothing, Miss Twilight." Better to keep her in a good mood, the earth pony thought.
Suddenly there was a knocking at the door.
"Go away!" Twilight called.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Auntie!" cried a pink mare happily, bursting into the room.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Skyla." Applejack smiled. Skyla, Twilight's niece, was the unicorn's exact opposite.
"Applejack! Don't you say that phrase!" Twilight barked.
"But Auntie, I wanted to invite you over for Hearth's Warming dinner, with me and my family and friends!"
"No," grumbled Twilight. "Now, good evening."
"Auntie-"
"Good evening."
"But-"
"Good evening."
"Please-"
"I said good evening, now get out!" Twilight snapped irritably.
"Your choice, Auntie...but you're always welcome at our table," Skyla said hesitantly. "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve!"
"Good evening!" Twilight curtly shut the door in her face. "And you too, Applejack!"
"Yes, Miss Twilight," Applejack muttered before walking out into the snow.
"Thank Celestia," the unicorn sighed when she was gone. "And now for some peace and qui-"
"Hello? Is this the Sparkle residence?" called a voice from outside.
"Ugh!" groaned Twilight.
When she opened the door, she was greeted by two faces; a light green unicorn and a creme-colored earth pony.
"Hi! I'm Lyra, and this is Bon-Bon, and we're from the local charity fund helping the poor!" said the green one merrily.
"Yeah? So?" Twilight was unimpressed.
"So, would you like to donate something on this special night of the year?" Bon-Bon asked.
"No." Twilight tried to shut the door, but Lyra put her hoof into it. "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses? Send them there!"
"The workhouses are all full, and we can't just send innocent ponies into prison!" Lyra's smile disappeared.
"Without help, they'll die!" cried Bon-Bon.
"If they're going to die, then they'd better do it, and decrease the surplus population!" snapped the unicorn. And then she promptly slammed the door in their faces.
Turning back to her work table, she buried her nose in the book once more.
Twiiillliighhhhtt.... moaned a voice.
"Huh? Who's there?" demanded Twilight.
Twiiillliighhhhtt.... the voice moaned again.
"Show yourself!"
TWWWIIIIILLLLIIIIGHHHHHTTT! ARRRGGGGG!
Suddenly, the door flew open. Twilight ran to shut it, but as soon as she did, all of the books flew off the shelves.
"Show yourself!" she repeated, rapidly shoving the books on the shelves while holding the door shut. She tried to use her magic, but it wouldn't work. "Show yourself!" she repeated.
Twilight gave up trying to put the books back and ran up to her room. The door stayed shut, but she locked it anyway.
Locking the door to her room, she huddled in her bed. Here she was completely in the dark about what was happening out there.
Clunk. The front door swung open. Twilight heard what appeared to be the rattle of chains. Clunk. Rattle. Clunk. Rattle. Twilight shook with fear. The noises were getting louder.
Gong. The clock in her home struck midnight. Clunk. Rattle. Clunk. Rattle.
Gong. Two, Twilight counted. Clunk. Rattle.
Gong. Clunk. Rattle. Clunk. Rattle. Gong.
ARRRGGGGGG! shouted the strange voice.
Gong. Five.
The noises stopped, right outside the bedroom door. Twilight peeked over her blanket to see what was going on.
Gong. Suddenly, the doorknob turned. Twilight hugged her covers.
Gong. The door was locked. The intruder couldn't get in.
Gong.
"TWWWIIIILLLIIGHHHHTTTT!" The voice sounded more real now.
Gong.
"W-who's there?" Twilight stammered.
Gong. Ten.
Twilight heard the rattling sound again, and then a ghostly, green prison block trailed by a chain shot straight through the door at her.
Gong. Eleven.
More blocks followed, not damaging the door. Twilight sunk into her bed.
Ding dong, ding dong! shouted the clock. Midnight.
"ARRRGGGG!" shouted the voice. It sounded young, like a colt. Twilight recognized it from somewhere.
"Show yourself!" she demanded.
Twilight heard the clinking again, but she didn't care. What came through the door freezed her every nerve.
A dragon floated through the wood. It was a sickly green color all over, decorated with chains. It was small, just a baby.
"S-Spike?" Twilight stammered. "B-but how? You've been dead for seven years!"
"Twilight Sparkle, my old partner," Spike said with loathing in his voice. "I come with a warning."
"How can this be?" she demanded. "You can't be real!"
"Do you not believe in me, Twilight?" he asked. "Do you not trust your senses?"
"Not when the slightest thing can affect them!" the unicorn shouted. "You... you could be... an undigested piece of daisy!"
"What?"
"A sliver of hay! A crumb of cheese! A-"
"AAAARRRGGGG!" Spike shouted with anger.
"Forgive me, Spike. I see now that you are real." Twilight shook with fear.
"As I was saying..." Spike continued. "I have come with a warning. Three spirits will visit you. Expect the first tomorrow night when the clock strikes one. Expect the second the next night at the same hour. And expect the third... expect the third when the last toll of midnight fades off."
"Why can't they all just come on the same night?" demanded Twilight.
"LET ME FINISH!" Spike roared.
"Of course," the unicorn whispered.
"I cannot stay," Spike said. He started to float off to the window. His chains clinked.
"Wait, Spike!" Twilight gasped. "Why are those chains on you?"
"I forged this chain in my lifetime, link by link, yard by yard, and now I am forced to wear it in death." he said. "Your own chain was as long and heavy as mine seven Hearth's Warming Eves ago!"
"But, Spike, you always were a good dragon of business!" Twilight wailed at the receding spirit.
"A good dragon at making others miserable!" he spat. "Now, my time with you is over. Heed my warning!"
His call faded as he floated out the window.
"A ghost? Hmph. They aren't real. It was all my imagination," Twilight grumbled, climbing into bed.
And she drifted off to sleep.
Bong. Twilight woke with a start. Glancing at the clock, she saw it read one o' clock.
"It's one, and no spirit," she declared. "I knew it was all-"
"It was all what, Twili?" asked a familiar voice.
Twilight looked over to see who it was.
"S-Shining Armor?" she gasped.
He looked down. "Is that how you see me? I'm afraid I am not your brother; I am the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Past."
"Of Hearth's Warming long past?" Twilight guessed.
"No, of your past." The spirit smiled. "Come, fly with me."
"But I'm a unicorn!" Twilight protested. "I can't fly!"
"You can when you're with me," he said, and touched Twilight's chest gently with one white hoof. Immediately she began to float off of her bed. "Now, come. Fly with me."
Twilight really didn't have a choice. Her body rose against her will and flew out the window after Hearth's Warming Past.
It was amazing. As the unicorn glided on air, her fear faded, and her heart filled with the soft glow of the spirit.
Where is he taking me? she wondered.
"I'm taking you to a place that you will remember well," said the spirit, although Twilight had never spoken her question aloud. It was probably just one of the joys of being a spirit.
"Where?" she asked.
"There." He pointed a hoof at an old, empty schoolhouse. "This building is not quite deserted," he said gently. "There is one solitary filly, waiting for her parents that would never come."
They zoomed into the schoolhouse, when Twilight saw the filly. And it was... Twilight. A young, filly Twilight, sitting at a desk, staring out the window.
"This... this is me," the older Twilight whispered.
"Abandoned by her friends, all alone." The spirit's voice was full of sympathy. "Until her brother came to see her. Let's see another Hearth's Warming, shall we?"
The walls melted, but were quickly replaced by new ones, if you could call them new. These walls were of the same building, but of another time. They were more worn and faded than the walls from before. The child Twilight disappeared also, replaced by a slightly older version of herself.
"Twili!" called a voice in the hallway.
"Shining!" Younger Twilight called back, running to greet her older brother.
Older Twilight was choked up. "That's Shining Armor, my BBBFF!" she said with glee.
"Yes... you loved him, I presume?" the spirit asked.
"Oh, yes, spirit, I loved him with all my heart!" Her heart was bursting.
"But he's gone now." The spirit looked at the floor, his warm smile fading.
"He died a stallion, with... with a child," Twilight stuttered.
"Your niece."
"Skyla."
Twilight turned her attention back to the younger Twilight, who was now dancing with Shining.
"Twili! Dad has been much nicer these past months!" Shining exclaimed. "I even got the courage to ask if you could come home, and he said yes!"
"Woo-hoo!" shouted Younger Twilight.
"Let's move on," said the spirit, and the scene melted again.
They were now in a castle throne room. On the throne, writing out papers, was a snow-white alicorn with a flowing mane.
Suddenly she lifted her head. "Twilight! Sunset!" she called.
Two unicorn mares came into the room, bowing their heads gently before beaming at the alicorn.
"It's Princess Celestia, my mentor! And Sunset Shimmer, my partner!" Twilight gasped.
"Now, what is this throne room missing?" Celestia asked teasingly.
"Guests!" Younger Twilight shouted.
"Food?" Sunset Shimmer sounded unsure.
"Both true, but the main thing it's missing is a..." Celestia trailed off.
"A Hearth's Warming party!" the mares shouted at the same time.
"Now, could you set it up?" Celestia smiled at her pupils.
"Of course!" Younger Twilight immediately got to work decorating the throng room, conjuring mistletoe and holly and hanging them on the walls.
"I'll get the food," said Sunset, and with a flash of teal light, she summoned a table overflowing with daisies, grass, punch, and all sorts of vegetarian foods.
"Excellent work, Twilight!" beamed the princess.
"What about me? I made the food!" growled Sunset.
"Oh, of course, Sunset, that looks delicious." The princess sounded absent-minded towards her pupil. "Now, we just need guests."
"Did someone say guests, sister?" asked a voice. Standing in the doorway was a dark blue alicorn, her blue eyes twinkling like stars.
"That's Princess Luna!" Older Twilight gasped again.
"I brought guests." As Luna stepped into the room, a wave of Canterlot high-society ponies flooded in, including a band.
"Excellent work, Luna!" Celestia said happily, and then began to dance with her sister.
Sunset went off to chat with some other unicorns, while Younger Twilight stuck close to her mentor. Older Twilight danced a little, too, but nopony could see her. The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Past had disappeared.
Suddenly, Younger Twilight bumped into someone. It was a young stallion wearing golden armor, reflecting his orange coat.
"Flash Sentry!" she gasped. "Uh... hi..."
"Care for this dance?" he said, holding out a hoof.
"Love to," laughed the unicorn, and strutted off with him.
Suddenly the spirit appeared at Older Twilight's side. "My time grows short. We must move on."
The party melted away into the library, where Younger Twilight was reading a book.
Ding ding, went the bell on the door, and Younger Twilight looked up to see Flash Sentry walk in, a stern look on his face.
"Oh, hi, Flash," mumbled Twilight, sticking her nose back into the book.
Flash stuck his hoof into the book and pulled it down. "Twilight, we need to talk."
"About what?" she asked irritably, wanting to get back to her book.
"Twilight, you've changed," he said, a tinge of sadness in his voice. "You're not the mare you once were; all you care about is your library."
"Is it a crime to like to read?" she demanded.
"No, but all you do is read. I wanted to spend time with you, but you always say 'No, I have to read this book.' That's why..." He sighed. "That's why I release you, Twilight."
"I have never sought release!" Twilight snapped.
"In words, no, but your actions speak for themselves. I see the way you treat everypony; I see the way you treat your employee, Applejack. I release you."
"No, Flash-"
"I release you."
Flash walked out the door, but Twilight didn't follow him.
"Spirit, why are you showing me this?" Older Twilight asked with horror.
"To teach you a lesson," he said. His face was grim. "Our time here is almost over, Twilight. You must return home."
"What lesson? I have already learned all lessons!" Twilight snapped.
"Not all lessons," he whispered.
"Tell me the lesson or be gone, spirit!" shouted Twilight.
Bong! Twilight gasped, sitting up suddenly, and falling off her bed in the process.
"Uhh..." she moaned.
"Hee hee hee!" giggled a voice in the next room. Twilight registered a glow from under the door, as well as music
and that strange laughter.
"Who's there?" she asked, pushing the door open with her hoof gently.
"It's me, silly filly!" said the high pitched voice. It laughed again.
Twilight opened the door into the forum, and her heart skipped a beat. Grinning at her was a pink earth pony mare with a curly mane and tail. The whole room sparkled gold, with holly decorating the bookshelves.
"Who are you?" Twilight asked the mare.
"I'm the Ghost of Hearth's Warming-"
"Present," Twilight guessed.
"Did somepony say present?" the spirit jumped up and down excitedly. "I love parties!"
"Uh..."
"Oh! I'm the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present, but you can just call me Pinkie Pie!" the spirit giggled. "That's what all my brothers and sisters call me, anyway!"
"How many brothers and sisters do you have?" Twilight asked kindly. Better to stay on the good side of this spirit.
"About two thousand and fourteen!" Pinkie laughed. "My mom sure had a hoofful, that's for sure!"
"Uh... yeah... So, Pinkie... could we, you know, get on with the visions thing? I'm a very busy mare, and I need my sleep, so..."
"Of course, silly filly!" Pinkie grabbed Twilight's hoof, and they disappeared in a shower of gold sparkles.
Twilight didn't fly this time, and for that she was disappointed, but she didn't dare to argue with this spirit. Who knows, her happy attitude could be hiding something, and if I make her mad, she'll change, the unicorn thought, but then stopped, remembering what Hearth's Warming Past could do. Pinkie didn't react to it, but Twilight. still tried not to think.
They were teleported right into a house. A warm fire crackled in the hearth, while ratty socks were pinned over it. On the small table was the tiniest Hearth's Warming feast the unicorn had ever seen.
"What is that?" she demanded, seeing the daisies. "Those are miniscule!"
"Watch," said Pinkie, directing her gaze onto the three ponies coming into the room.
"Big Mac, do AB a faver and pull up one of them chairs, won' you?" asked an old, green pony. "And, uh, while yer at it... could you get me one, too?"
"Eeyup," replied a big, red stallion. He pulled a little yellow filly off his back, and set her onto one of the benches next to the table. Then he pulled the seat at the head of the table out for the olden pony.
"Where are we?" Twilight asked quietly.
"In the home of your employee, Applejack," Pinkie replied. Twilight did a double take. What is that in her mane? she wondered. Is that lock... straight? She shook her head to clear it. It was probably her imagination.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and Applejack came through. Everypony cheered when they saw her.
"Well, shucks, I wasn' expectin' this!" the earth pony said, bowing her head. "Y'all didn't have to do this for me!"
"Applejack, it's not just for you!" giggled Apple Bloom. "It's for all of us!"
"Eeyup!" shouted Big Mac.
"How can they be so happy?" Twilight gawked. "They're so poor!"
"And?" Pinkie sighed. When Twilight looked at her, she could have swore she saw more straight locks in the cotton candy mane. She shook her head again. Nothing, she thought.
"Well, what do we have here?" Applejack teased. "Oh, Granny, you did even better than last year!"
"Oh, my..." Granny Smith blushed. "Applejack, you work so hard ev'ry day, and yet yer still're so kind to everypony. I don't know how you do it."
"I don' either!" piped up Apple Bloom.
"Nope." Big Mac shook his head in agreement.
Applejack blushed. "Well, thanks. But let's stop chitter-chattering away and eat all ready!"
The whole family whooped, and started dishing up the treats. There was a pie the size of Big Mac's hoof, four apples, a daisy sandwich, and a small jug of cider.
"Look at the little food they have!" said Pinkie sadly. Twilight turned to see the entire bottom half of her mane had gone straight. "And they're youngest daughter is deadly ill."
"What's wrong with you?" Twilight gasped.
"My time grows short. Watch," was all she said.
"But what about Apple Bloom? Will she live?"
"If these shadows remain unaltered by the future... the filly will die."
"No!"
"Watch."
"Let's make a toast," said Applejack. "To Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight's breath caught in her throat.
"Why should we drink to her health?" demanded Granny Smith angerly. "She starves us, treats you like dirt, and for what? Her precious little library. Why, I wouldn't do that if my life depended on it!"
"But, Granny, she gives us work," Applejack protested.
"Oh, I'll toast, for you, Applejack," the earth pony grumbled. "But she doesn't deserve one bit of it!"
"To Twilight!" she called.
"To Twilight!"
"Let's move on," said Pinkie.
The scene melted, instead being replaced by a mansion, filled with guests.
"Let's play a game," suggested little Skyla. "How about a guessing game? I'll go first. Here is my hint: it is a rabid
feral animal."
"A Timber Wolf?" asked a white pony with a royal purple mane and tail.
"No." Skyla grinned.
"Uh..." asked a grey pegasus. "Is it a potato?"
"I said it was rabid and feral, Ditzy."
"I know. A rabid, feral potato."
"Anyone else?" Skyla giggled.
"Oh! I know! It's your aunt Twilight!" shouted another guest.
Twilight's heart sank. Don't say yes, don't say yes, don't say-
"Yes!" laughed Skyla, her eyes bright. "It's my aunt Twilight!"
"I still think it's a potato," mumbled Ditzy, and everyone laughed.
"I propose a toast!" said Skyla.
"To who?" asked Rarity.
"To Twilight. After all, she has given us plenty of laughs!"
"To Twilight!"
"Pinkie, why are you showing me this?" Twilight cried. The spirit didn't answer. "Pinkie?"
Twilight turned to see that she had disappeared. With a shimmer of light, Twilight was sucked into a dark tunnel, with gears and wires turning. The clocktower. She looked to see Pinkie, her hair completely straight, gazing at her with dead eyes.
"Pinkie? What happened to you?"
"My life grows thin. I can only stay in this world for one day, and then I pass away," she said mournfully.
"What? No!" Twilight said. "You're supposed to help the poor! Can you do nothing?"
"I can show you this." Pinkie reached behind her, and pulled out two fillies, a grey one and a pink one. "The pink one is Ignorance, and the grey is Want."
"Are they yours?" Twilight asked quietly.
"They are ponykind's!" the spirit cried, the last waves disappearing from her mane by the instant. "Beware the pink one."
The two fillies moaned pitifully. "Can't you help them?" the unicorn wailed. "They'll die!"
"Then they'd better do so, and decrease the surplus population!" Pinkie snapped. Twilight shook with fear.
"Can't you help them?" she repeated.
The two fillies stood up.
"Are there no prisons?" taunted Ignorance in the most annoying voice possible.
"Are there no workhouses?" demanded Want.
Pinkie laughed, a sick, evil laugh.
"Prisons?"
"Workhouses?"
"Prisons?"
"Workhouses?"
Twilight sunk to the ground, covering her ears with her hooves. "Mercy!" she cried. The two fillies danced around
her, while Pinkie's laughter slowly faded as she died.
"AAHHHHH!" Twilight screamed.
Suddenly, the noises stopped. As Twilight gently lifted her head, all she saw was her shadow, trembling on the ground.
Bong! The first strike of midnight.
"Oh, no," the unicorn whispered. Expect the third... expect the third when the last toll of midnight fades off. Spike's words resounded in her head through the silence.
Bong! Two.
Twilight continued to stare at her shadow, the trembling, black mess. She probably looked just like it, except with
sheer terror on her face.
Bong! Three.
The suspense was horrible. When would the twelfth strike come already?
Bong! Four.
Twilight sat up. No point in looking like a nervous wreck when this spirit comes.
Bong! Five.
She wiped the tears off of her face with one grimy hoof. I need to take a bath when I get home.
Bong! Six.
Twilight got up and walked around. She couldn't take her eyes off of that shadow.
Bong! Seven.
She looked at the spot where Pinkie had lain. The unicorn just couldn't get that laugh out of her head, and it was really creeping her out.
Bong! Eight.
The laugh got louder in her head, along with Spike's warning. Twilight shook her head again to clear it, but it just made the forming headache worse.
Bong! Nine.
Twilight lay back down. The headache was overtaking her, driving her down to the ground.
Bong! Ten.
She put her hooves over her head, the noises getting louder and louder with each ring.
Bong! Eleven.
It was unbearable now. She waited for the spirit to come and relieve her of this torture.
Ding, dong! Ding, dong! Midnight. Nothing. The noises faded, and she gingerly lifted her head.
The shadow. The shadow was moving on its own. Twilight gasped as it took the shape of a pony draped in a black cloak, with glowing yellow eyes.
"A-are you the spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come?" she stammered. Cold sweat beaded her brow. The spirit remained silent.
"Take me where you will, kind spirit," she said quietly. It remained silent.
Twilight was getting irritated. "Well, get on with it, spirit, I don't have all night!"
Suddenly the shadow-pony jumped out at her with hooves like bone. Twilight's scream was muffled by the endless black cloak.
There were no magical sparkles, or flying. It was all darkness. Twilight's world was the inky blackness of the spirit's cloak.
"Mercy!" she cried. "I didn't mean it, I swear!"
The spirit released her, dropping her onto the cold, damp street. The unicorn shook the mud out of her fur, then looked back to her shadow. "Where are we, spirit?"
It simply pointed to three ponies walking up the street. Twilight didn't dare ask any more questions. This spirit was simply too dangerous.
"Doctor, I have something for you to see," said a grey mare casually.
"Yeah, me, too!" a white unicorn chimed.
"Alright, ladies, let's see what you have for me today." The brown stallion was very smooth with his words. The unicorn only rolled her eyes, but the earth pony blushed.
"Well, Doctor, I got these covers," she said.
"Hmm... Well, Octavia, these aren't particularly valuable, but I can see why you'd want them. They're very pretty," the doctor added quickly, seeing Octavia's glare.
"What about me? What about me?" the unicorn butted in.
"Vinyl!" scolded Octavia, but Vinyl disregarded her.
"I got this cool statue, and these gems!" she said.
"Well, the statue is made of wood, so it's just for decoration, not much value. But those gems..." Whooves eyed the crystals greedily.
"Well, how much are they worth?" the mare demanded.
"I'll give you thirty bits for it!"
"Thirty? I want at least fifty!" Vinyl snapped.
"Well, then I believe we've reached a standoff."
"Who died, spirit?" Twilight asked nervously. "These ponies wouldn't be robbing the house if the pony was alive."
The shadow pony said nothing, just pointed down the street. Twilight gingerly trotted along the desolate road, not daring to say anything.
It pointed to a poor, run-down house that looked like any other. Twilight stepped inside, and looked at the family inside.
Applejack was crying quietly, hugging Granny Smith. Big Mac just stood in a corner, shaking his head and muttering "Nope, nope, nope..."
Apple Bloom was no where to be found.
"Spirit?" Twilight asked quietly. "Where's Apple Bloom?"
The spirit simply pointed.
If these shadows remain unaltered by the future... the filly will die.
"No..." the unicorn gasped. "It can't be..."
The shadow just pointed.
"Don't show me this, spirit," Twilight pleaded. "I can't bear it!"
Those yellow eyes bored into her soul, and she filled with dread.
"Spirit, please, tell me this one thing. Are these the shadows of things that will be, or of things that may be?" she asked.
The shadow pony whisked its cloak, and the scene disappeared. It was replaced by a graveyard. The spirit pointed to a grave that was covered in snow.
"Spirit! Are these things that may be?" she demanded through the snow.
It pointed to the grave again, whisking snow off of it.
Twilight Sparkle
"Spirit, kind spirit, please tell me that I can change the future! I want to change! I will change!" she cried, tears running down her face in fear.
The shadow pony pointed again at the grave.
Born: 1/15/01
"Spirit!" the unicorn wailed. "I will honor Hearth's Warming Eve!"
Died:
She continued, "I will uphold the past, the present, and the future!"
Died: 12/
"The spirits of all three shall live within me!"
Died: 12/25/
"I don't want to die!"
Suddenly, the ground around her hooves began to clear. The hole formed a clear rectangle, and at the bottom was a coffin, glowing with red light.
"Spirit!" she pleaded, grabbing hold of a root. "Please!"
The coffin sprung open, and the root started to retreat into the earth.
"AHHHHHH..."
"...HHHH!" Twilight yelled, shooting up in her bed.
She was so startled, she fell off of the bed. "I...I'm home?" she stammered to herself, wiping cold sweat from her
face. "I'm home!"
The unicorn started dancing around her room, singing Hearth's Warming carols and hugging her sheets.
"My sheets! Back where they belong!" she cried in happiness. "No Shining, no Pinkie, and no Pony of Shadows!"
Outside, there was a rumble. Twilight thought she saw a flicker of shadow under her bed.
"I mean... no Pony of Shadows presently!" she said. "The spirits are always within me!"
Twilight ran over to the window, gazing out with a warm smile on her face.
Something caught her eye on the ground. "Hello, little filly!" she greeted Scootaloo.
"I'm so sorry for bumping into you yesterday, I didn't mean it, please don't hurt me!" the filly cried.
"Why in Equestria would I want to hurt a sweet little filly like you?" Twilight demanded teasingly. "Now, could you do me a favor and tell me what day it is?"
"It's Hearth's Warming Day! How could you forget?" Scootaloo replied.
"No reason. Um, Scootaloo, could you do me another favor?"
"What? I've got some important flying training to attend!"
"Could you go to the nearest store and get me the prize apple pie?"
"What for?"
"It's a gift," Twilight explained. "I'll give you fifteen bits, and if you get back here in less than five minutes, I'll give you twenty!"
Scootaloo's eyes brightened at the prospect of earning some money for her family, and soon all that was left of her was a trail of snow from her scooter.
Twilight sighed. "Fillies."
Galloping down from her bedroom, her heart leapt in excitement at the way she would show the Hearth's Warming spirit.
"Excuse me, miss, but could you spare a bit or two for charity?" asked a green unicorn.
"Uh, Lyra?" said Bon-Bon nervously. "You shouldn't ask that pony..."
"Why?" Twilight demanded crossly.
"Oh, uh..." Lyra backed away. "Sorry."
Realizing her mistake, Twilight sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped, and I came to apologize."
"For what?" asked Bon-Bon cautiously.
"For treating you like trash. It was wrong of me, and I want to donate some money to make up for it."
Both mares gasped. "You...you're sure?"
"And you can expect many back payments to come!" Twilight nodded. "Happy Hearth's Warming, to everypony!"
The business-mares trotted off to talk about this new deal, giggling nervously.
"Twilight! Twilight!" called Scootaloo, zooming through the streets lugging the biggest pie Twilight had ever seen. "Can I have twenty bits? I think it was a new personal record!"
"Here you go," said Twilight, handing her the cash. "And a Happy Hearth's Warming to you!" she called.
"Woo-hoo!" the filly whooped, scooting away. "Best Hearth's Warming ever!"
Carrying the pie on her back, the unicorn trotted to a familiar house. She knocked on the door with her hoof.
"C'mon in!" said a warm, welcoming voice. The door was opened by Applejack. As soon as she saw Twilight, she gasped. "T-T-Twilight?"
"Yes, may I come in?" The unicorn nodded her head politely.
"What're you doing here?" Granny Smith growled.
"I heard how your family was suffering-"
"No thanks to you for help."
"-and I brought a gift!" she finished. Even Granny's eyes widened at the pie now resting on her table. It took up almost the whole surface.
"That's one heck of a pie!" said Apple Bloom, throwing her legs around everypony.
"Eeyup!"
Twilight laughed as Applejack divided up the pie for her family.
"Don't you want a piece?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Sorry, I've got somewhere to be right now." Twilight's heart melted at the little filly's eyes, gazing up at her.
"Fanks for da pie!" said Applejack with a face full of apple-y goodness as Twilight exited the room.
"Eeyup!"
Twilight trotted down the street to a mansion with lights hanging everywhere.
"I know; a rabid, feral potato." said Ditzy Do.
"Anyone else?" giggled Skyla.
"Oh, I know! It's your aunt Twi-" The guest was abruptly cut off when she caught sight of Twilight. "Twilight!"
"Auntie!" Skyla said, trotting over to give her aunt a hug. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"How could I miss out on my own niece's Hearth's Warming dinner?" the unicorn asked kindly. "It is not in the Hearth's Warming spirit!"
"Well, you're just in time for dinner!" Skyla announced, and led her to the table.
Twilight was more than loyal to her word. To Apple Bloom, who did not die, she was a second sister. And the filly
told the tale over and over and over again, ending it with:
"And may Celestia bless us all!"
THE END.
