Candy Is Magic
“Here you go, guyths,” said Twist, as she handed over a package of candy canes.
Volunteers for the Celestial Army had set up their red kettle outside the Ponyville train station, and Twist kept them supplied with sweets. Every donor would get a candy cane whatever the size of the contribution. Everypony came out ahead in what was nearly a win-win perfect storm of good will. Ponies enjoyed getting one of Twist’s special candy canes almost as much as they enjoyed contributing all their loose change to the needy. The volunteers enjoyed rewarding generosity with the candy canes. And Twist enjoyed seeing her craft-work put to good work, even more than she enjoyed making the sweets.
This was saying quite a lot, as Twist loved to make candy. She had gone a little overboard.
“Thanks, Twist, you’re a dear,” said the Celestial Army commander. “But this is more than we need.”
“Are you thsure?” asked Twist. “There’s thstill a few days before Hearth’s Warming Eve…”
“I’m sure.” He indicated the little red wagon the filly was towing. It held a stack of carefully wrapped candy that was taller than Twist.
“I might have gotten a bit carried away,” admitted Twist, shyly. “But I kept thinking of more flavors I wanted to try, and the batch kept getting bigger and bigger…”
The volunteers laughed. “We’ll be handing them out two or three at a time as it is. Take some home for yourself. If we need more we can always find you at Bon Bon’s. Happy Hearth’s Warming, Twist.” At that, Twist got a round of enthusiastic bell ringing as a salute.
Bells still ringing in her ears, Twist slipped the extra candy into her saddle bag. She was about to head home, but she noticed a lone buffalo calf, waiting for his train all by himself. He was paging through a book, clearly not actually reading it. Twist had never met a buffalo, so it was difficult for her to tell, but she was sure that he was hardly older than herself.
“Hi,” said Twist. “I don’t mean to be rude, but are you travelling all alone?”
The buffalo was startled out of his reverie. “What? Oh, yeah. I had entrance exams up in Canterlot, and I had to travel alone.”
“Entrance exams?”
“Yes. I will be the first of my tribe to study at a pony school in the big city.” He spoke with great pride. “My name is Gathers Herbs, by the way.”
“Pleathed to meet you, Gathers. I’m, Twist. Just Twist. Wow, Canterlot mutht be a long way to travel for you?”
Gathers noded. “It is really, really far. Our village school is quite good, but if I cannot get the science courses I need back home. So I need to get into a good boarding school, then I can get into the University. I want to be a chemist.”
“A chemist?”
Gathers eyes grew wide with enthusiasm. “I am apprenticed to the village herbalist. My people know a lot about which herbs work; we have been collecting the lore for generations and generations. But we do not know a lot about why the herbs heal. If I could find that out someday maybe more ponies would take out medicines more seriously...oh, sorry, I am going on and on. I get excited about this stuff.”
Twist giggled. “I know all about getting excited about thtuff!”
“I still should not bore you,” said Gathers. “But...I...I have not had anyone to talk to all day.
Twist was shocked. “So, you’re really alone?”
Gathers nodded. “The tribe pooled their bits, and all the pony settlers chipped in, too, but there was not enough time to raise the money for a train ticket for both me and my father. Canterlot is a long way to travel. But I have a letter to show the conductors that I am allowed to travel unaccompanied. It was signed by the mayor, and the sheriff, and the station master, and my chief. It is still scary, traveling all by myself. But I have been taken good care of. Except for the long layovers switching trains. Those get really lonely.”
“Oh. OK, at leathst you’ll be home in time for Hearth’s Warming.”
“Yes, thank you. Twist.” Gathers nodded, sadly. “A lot of us join in and celebrate Hearth’s Warming with you ponies. We think it is kind of a neat holiday. But traditionally we celebrate the New Sun. That is the first sunrise after the longest night.”
Twist thought about this. They had just been covering the winter solstice in school. “Oh, no! That’s today!”
Gathers just nodded.
“Um...well, here…” Twist pulled the extra candy canes from her saddlebag and offered them to Gathers. “Happy New Sun!”
“Wow,” gasped Gathers, his eyes shining moistly. “I did not expect anyone to say that to me today.”
“Try the blue thtriped ones, they’re winter-green.”
“These are delicious! I wish...oh, here…” Gathers rummaged in his bags until he found two leather pokes. “These are all I have, but you might like them.”
The aromas had Twist drooling before she even opened the bags. “Thethe are just wonderful! I recognise wild lavender, but what’s the other?”
“Pineapple sage. I am afraid that smells better than it tastes, but it is still quite tasty.”
With this, the pony candy maker and the buffalo herbalist found common ground, and they talked excitedly about flavors and aromas and the properties of green growing things for what seemed like hours.
It ended when Gathers noticed that the sun was setting.
“I will have to say my prayers soon. I found a quiet place to pray at sunrise, but it just did not feel right. This is a time of gathering, and the chants and prayers are made for more than one voice.”
“How many voithes?”
“At least four, for the harmony,” said Gathers. “Five is better.”
Twist grinned from ear to ear. “I know where I can find three more thsingers.”
Twist found the Cutie Mark Crusaders were at the Carousel Boutique, where they were planning their next adventure.
“I have a job for you,” said Twist. “It involves thsinging.”
“Will this get us our cutie marks?” asked Scootaloo.
“Maybe,” answered Twist. “I can guarantee that it’s something you’ve never done before.”
“We’re in!” cried the Crusaders.
“I really appreciate what you are doing,” said Gathers, as he hastily wrote down everypony’s part. “But where can we do this?”
“I know just the place,” said Twist. She lead them to the park outside the Ponyville town hall.
“Here? Right out in public? Will not someone complain?”
“The carolers perform here, so why not us? Don’t worry, Gathers, it’ll be fine.”
And so they held an impromptu New Sun celebration to observe the sunset, in the middle of town where everypony could hear. It was astoundingly beautiful, especially so as the fillies had been given their parts only moments before they had to sing them. Gathers lead them with his rich baritone, and the fillies complimented him with their sweet voices. Even Scootaloo proved she had a lovely voice, so long as she wasn’t trying to shriek like a metalhead. And Twist surprised them all. Her speech impediment disappeared when she sang.
They celebrated the sun, and thanked it for returning after it’s long night’s rest. As the light faded, they sang of their optimism that they would see the sun return tomorrow, and they welcomed the rising moon.
The park filled with appreciative ponies who stopped to listen. Everypony felt better for being part of it. When the young singers had finished the applause was thunderous.
Even the Crusaders didn’t mind all that much, when cutie marks for “cultural ambassadors” didn’t manifest.
Gathers almost burst into tears when he saw all the cheering ponies. “Girls, I want to do one more song.”
After a moment to confer with the fillies, they all faced the crowd and Gathers lead them in the Hearth’s Warming Carol.
Then they had to rush to get Gathers to his train.
There were hugs all around, and promises to write. Gathers thanked them all, and continued to protest that he couldn’t thank them enough no matter how the fillies insisted that he didn’t have to. It went on as long as the conductor could stand it, but eventually time was up and the train had to leave.
“Happy New Sun!” they called, as Gathers boarded.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming!” Gathers answered, from the door of his passenger car.
He continued to wave until the train chugged out of sight.
Author's Note
This story was originally part of this collaboration here which you really should check out.
