Pinkie and Bluie Twoie - A Pinkie and Bluie Hearth's Warming

Chapters

The weather outside is frightful
Meet the Pie-rants
At home with the Bluebloods
Hearth's Warming Eve
The Day of Days
A Hearth's Warming Miracle

The weather outside is frightful

It was near midwinter in Canterlot and the weather pegasus were busy covering the city with a thick white blanket like a smooth layer of icing on an inhabited cake. Snow coated every building and the night was cold enough that only the most pressing of missions would rouse the ponies safely ensconced within their warm nests into venturing out into the frigid night.

Within one such home, two ponies lay cuddled together by a roaring fire. The house was perched on the second tier of the city not to far below the imposing presence of Canterlot castle itself, indicating that it must be owned by one of the cities nobility, because only they had the wealth and influence to purchase such expensive real estate. Indeed the owner of the house was the Viscount Prince Blueblood, whose pedigree was amongst the highest in all of Equestria (if he did say so himself) even if his family's current standing and titles were not.

Wrapped securely in his embrace was his mare friend Pinkie Pie, third best baker in Ponyville (if she did say so herself), bringer of happiness, destroyer of frowns. She had no pedigree to speak of and no title, but Blueblood loved her dearly, for she saw the best in him even when he could not, and tried her hardest to make everypony happy even when they did not want to be.

Due to their respective careers, the two could not spend as much time together as either of them wished. Thus, they made the most out of the time they did have. Today had been spent in Canterlot. After (mostly) sleeping in until the late morning, they had ventured out into the city and wandered its vast shopping district. While Pinkie had happily bounced from stall to stall admiring each shiny bauble until another had caught her attention, Blueblood had followed on behind at a more leisurely pace, admiring the goods on offer and occasionally purchasing small treats for his date.

After a light lunch, the two of them had gone skating on a small frozen lake. Early in their relationship Blueblood had worried about the publicity their relationship might draw, but to both his shame and joy, they attracted little tabloid attention. Pinkie had proven surprisingly apt at the moving on the ice, spinning and flashing round the rink while Blueblood found that he had four left feet, spending more time on his frozen rump or clutching desperately onto fence at the side of the frozen area rather than gliding over it. Eventually after some teasing, Pinkie had taken pity on her stallion and took one of his hooves in hers, leading him across the ice and wheeling him about until the rest of the crowd became a blew and all he could see was her smiling face . As evening had moved in, the two of them had run back to his town house and spent the remainder of the night together with large steaming mugs of hot chocolate (Blueblood’s personal trainer would not approve, but he could go fly a kite, or even better, go jump in the frozen lake).

Blueblood hugged Pinkie close, using both her and the fire’s heat to drive the last of the cold out of his bones. He had never considered himself much of a hugger; he had generally tried to keep most of his previous lovers at arm’s length, literally and figuratively. But Pinkie was different; she was just so plush and soft and well, huggable. He enjoyed the feeling of her giggling softly within his grip while she snuggled up against him. She was never entirely motionless even when she was sleeping. He had found it a distraction to start with, but now he found it hard to sleep unless she was twitching gently next to him. It was quite paradoxical.

Pinkie twisted in her lover’s grasp and turned to face him, the firelight glowing through her curly pink mane. The ring of fire light around her head only served to make her look even more beautiful. The broad grin that covered that face was directed at him, which made his heart skip a beat to think that she seemed to, against all odds love him for who he was. It somehow raised her ranking above anything quantifiable.

“Hey Bluie,” she said, “I almost forgot. I’ve got us tickets for the greatest thing ever.”

“Oh, really? And what would that be?" asked Blueblood, unable to resist giving his mare a quick peck on the lips.

“It’s the Ponyville school Hearth’s Warming play!” she squealed, “All the foals will be working together to show the story of how Equestria was made. And Trixie will be helping with the special effects. I’m sure the windigo’s will be really windy and all the actors extra acty. Oh, I wonder who’s playing Pudding Head? She was a great leader, she could really think inside the chimney. I hope the story has a happy ending and the windigo don’t win.”

A brief look of discomfort flashed over Blueblood’s face as he thought of the tickets he had purchased at great expense to the Royal Canterlot theatre production of the Hearth’s Warming story. The production would be lavish with the best actors from all the land present, as would Princess Luna herself. True, the tickets were not the best seats in the house, but they were quite a coup as they would allow him free access to some of the highest members of the court for the night, giving his position quite a boost.

Pinkie noticed the look of irritation, “Or do you have other plans?” she asked, her ears drooping slightly. “We could do something else instead if you want.”

He considered his options for a moment. Pinkie would enjoy the Canterlot production, but she could get stressed about embarrassing him in noble company, she tried to hide it but it was there. Besides he was sure she would enjoy the foal’s version of the founding of Equestria more. “No,” he smiled, he couldn’t bear to see her unhappy, “I’m sure the foals will be very,” he searched for a word, “Interesting, to see on stage.” Oh, well. He could probably sell the tickets or give them to a fellow member of the Night Court in exchange for a future favour.

“Bluie, what shall we do for Hearth’s Warming?” she asked a little shyly.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well it’s our first together, so are we going to spend it... you know... together?”

Blueblood considered for a moment, then grinned. “Of course, we can go to the Ponyville play, catch the train back here, spend the day together, just the two of us. You can get the first train back to Ponyville if the Cakes need you the next day.”

“That sounds great!” she infused, “We can tear open presents and sing hearth’s warming songs and drink Eggnog. What is nog anyway? I know what eggs are but not Nog. Nog’s a funny word, Nog, Nog, Noggy, Nog.”

Blueblood tuned out his lover while she continued to sing the praises of Nog (a very important skill to retain your sanity around Pinkie). He thought further about his spur of the moment decision. His parents would be expecting him to return to the estate for the holiday, but staying here with Pinkie would be so much better than their icy silence, or worse the traditional screaming arguments between them.. His brother Marshal would be on duty for the holiday so there wouldn’t even be him to keep Blueblood company.

“But don’t you want to spend your day with your family?” asked Pinkie.

Startled that she seemed to have read his mind (he wasn’t certain that wasn’t impossible for her) Blueblood stared at Pinkie for a moment. “No, I’m sure they will be fine by themselves. I’m not very close with my parents. They will be happy enough without me, they will probably host a grand party for local dignitaries.” Which the local dignitaries will desperately try to avoid, he thought. “What about your parents?” he asked trying to change the subject, “Don’t you want to spend the day with them?”

“Oh, they’ll be fine,” said Pinkie, looking away from him nervously. “I’m sure they won’t miss me at all.”

Blueblood frowned “Are you sure? We can visit them if you want.”

“Oh, no. That wouldn’t do at all.” There was a note of incipient panic in her voice that worried him somewhat, and piqued his curiosity.

“Why?”

“Oh, umm...” Pinkie frowned, an expression that did not fit well on her normally round and joyous face. "They don't celebrate Hearth’s Warming you see, well not really.”

“That certainly is odd.” Blueblood was aware of a few groups of ponies who didn’t celebrate the founding of Equestria but they were certainly a rarity. Was Pinkie lying to him? She didn’t seem very convincing but it could be hard to read her emotions, it was much like trying to pick out one butterfly in a wind-tossed flock, or whatever they called big groups of butterflies.

“My family are a bit odd, not normal ponies like me. I’m sure they wouldn’t want me around getting in the way. It would be super-duper nice if we did have a Hearth’s Warming with them, but that wouldn’t happen.” She sagged slightly before brightening again. “Hey why don’t we visit your parents? I’m sure they’re extra normal and fun to be with. I’d really like to meet them, and I might have a surprise for them.”

“A surprise for them... For my parents...”

“Yep.”

I chill ran down Blueblood’s back. “Pinkie, you’re not expecting are you?” He’d tried to be careful but Pinkie could be very... spontaneous sometimes. He didn’t think he could look the guard outside Luna’s chambers in the eye again after he had interrupted them when Pinkie decided to surprise him while he was waiting for an audience. He was just lucky the audience chamber had such tall tables and that Luna had been delayed so that they’d finished before the meeting started.

“Oh, I'm expecting lots of things, more hugs and kisses from you, tomorrow to turn up, it's funny how it always does."

He kicked himself mentally. He should have learned by now that euphemisms didn’t work well around Pinkie. “No I mean, you’re not pregnant are you?” He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about the idea. His immediate reaction had been horror, but now he felt sort of excited.

“Nope, no bun in this oven,” she patted her stomach. “Well apart from the starter from supper.” She giggled.

He relaxed. “That’s good,” then tensed again, “Not that I don’t want children, just not yet.”

“I understand, I’d be really fun to raise our own little Blood-Pie’s but not for a while. Yuck! A blood-pie doesn't sound very tasty, but are foals meant to be tasty? I’ve been told fillies are made of sugar and spice and that’s really tasty...”

Blueblood relaxed again, letting Pinkie’s avalanche of words wash away his worries. Pinkie certainly seemed upset by her family not celebrating Hearth’s Warming. He was somewhat intrigued by the idea. Pinkie didn’t talk much about her family. She seemed closer to her employers, the Cakes, than her own kin. Maybe he should look into the matter further. It would probably mean a lot to her if he would convince them to visit. Still, that would be something for another night, for the moment he could just relax in his marefriend’s presence. With a sigh he put a leg over Pinkie’s body and pulled her closer, stopping her babbling with a deep kiss.

Author's Note

Welcome to my sequel to Pinkie and Bluie, I hope it turns out to be as popular as the original.

Many thanks to Georg for editing and proofreading as well as many wording suggestions as well as Housecarl of Clan Drops for suggestions.

Meet the Pie-rants

It took Blueblood a surprisingly long time to track down Pinkie’s family. His secretary eventually found them using various tax records and the details of the grant the Cake’s claimed for training and housing Pinkie. Blueblood felt a little stab of shame about investigating his very special somepony, shame was a relatively new emotion to him, and he salved the sting by thinking how happy she would be when he surprised her with her parent’s presence on Hearth’s Warming day.

The Pie homestead was listed as a ‘rock farm,’ but neither Blueblood nor his secretary were entirely sure what a rock farm actually was. Pinkie made it sound like they literally grew rocks from seeds but he was fairly sure she was being Pinkie. Maybe it was a mine or quarry of some sort?

The farm was in the same province as Ponyville but only just. It was a good day’s travel by hoof and most of a day by carriage, no train tracks ran near, it was rather remote. After considering his limited options, Blueblood decided to take a carriage. If things went well he could travel back through the night and get home by the morning. Business at the court was quiet at the moment so he was sure his office could deal with anything that arose, and if any questions were asked about his absence he could claim he was investigating the possibility of introducing rock farming to his province. Maybe any curious busybodies would be as perplexed at the idea as he found himself.

As the carriage bounced along the rough path leading up to the farm, Blueblood surveyed the area. It was mostly barren with a few unhealthy looking trees scattered here and there. All around him, bizarrely tidy lines of rocks of near uniform size were laid out in the fields. Maybe there was some truth to Pinkie’s stories. The whole area seemed so dull to Blueblood’s eyes he had difficulty believing that somepony as bright and lively as Pinkie had come from such an area. In the centre of the fields were a few buildings, a tall windmill, some small barns and a sprawling farmhouse. Telling the ponies pulling the carriage to wait, he stepped up to the house. Making sure his suit and tie were perfect he put on his most winning smile and knocked on the door.

It was quickly opened by a mare of Pinkie’s age, although with a soft coat of light grey adorned by a straight mane of darker grey. Only her eyes displayed a spark of colour, a soft violet one of which was nearly covered by her neatly trimmed mane. On her flank was the shape of a heart outlined with a wavy rainbow. There was a distinct family resemblance to Pinkie despite the lack of vibrant pinks. “Hello?” she called, then did an odd double-take while looking Blueblood up and down with a predatory smile. "Well, hello handsome. Are you here for me?" Even her voice held a trace of Pinkieness in it, although buried deep

Blueblood was rather taken aback by this greeting, but quickly recovered. “Good evening. I am Viscount Prince Blueblood. May I speak with your parents, please?”

“You’re Prince Blueblood?” gasped the mare, “You’re real? Pinkie didn’t make you up? Why does she get all the best toys?” she muttered under her breath before turning and yelling into the house, “Mother, Father, we’ve got a visitor.” She turned back to Blueblood. “You’d better come in.”

Blueblood entered the building aware that the mare was staring quite intently at his flanks as he passed, feeling much like a Blueblood-shaped carrot being paraded past a starving rabbit. The inside of the dull building matched the outside, with the same blocky construction on the interior walls, although somehow the dull greys and green paint that covered them seemed to be more concealment than adornment.

“What is it Blinkastasia?” came a scratchy feminine voice as an older mare entered the room, she was a few shades lighter than her daughter although nowhere near the colour white. Even her mane, drawn up into a tight bun, seemed drab and colourless. The old mare glared at the new arrival through the spectacles balanced on the end of her muzzle.

“This is Prince Blueblood. Pinkie’s Prince Blueblood,” said Blinkastasia sounding jealous.

“Pinkie’s beau?” asked the older mare sounding suspicious, her eyes narrowed. “What brings you here, Lord Blueblood? You haven't gotten my daughter in a family way have you?”

Blueblood was rather taken aback at the forthrightness of the question, “No, that’s not why I’m here. I want to speak with you about something else.”

“You’re not going to ask for her hoof, are you?” came a masculine voice. His first thought was that somepony had carved a rather skinny statue of an older stallion with an old-fashioned brown hat and straight tie, and placed it inside the room as a joke of some sort. The absurd sideburns were what convinced him otherwise. That, and the sour look on his face that no sculptor would ever consider committing to stone.

“No, of course not!” exclaimed Blueblood.

“And why not?” demanded the stallion, “Are you stringing my daughter along? I’ve heard how you nobles treat your consorts, discarding them once you’ve had your fun. At least you haven't had relations with her yet.”

Blueblood coughed while trying not to blush. “No of course not.” Pinkie apparently hadn’t been entirely honest with her family about their relationship that was a mixed blessing. He looked at the ponies around him. Pinkie’s parents were glaring at him while her sister was stifling a laugh. He had heard that his station as a noble was supposed to intimidate the common pony but it never seemed to work when he needed it. “You’ve all heard of me then?”

“Pinkie makes sure she sends us a letter at least once a week,” said the older mare with pride, “She’s told us all about you and her, including how she met you at the Grand Galloping Gala. Our little Pinkamina seems very taken with you. Hasn't said a bad word about you at all.”

A large grin began to spread across Bluebloods face.

“But where are my manners? I’m Sugar Pie, but please call me Sue. This my husband Clydesdale,” the stallion nodded, “And my daughter Blinkastasia.”

“Call me Blinkie,” said the younger mare, “My sister Inkie should be about here somewhere.”

“Inkabella is working in her room,” pointed out Clydesdale.

Trying to get the conversation back on line, Blueblood brought up the topic he had come here for in the first place. “I would like to invite you all to my townhouse in Canterlot for Hearth’s Warming day. Now I understand that you don't normally celebrate the holiday, but Pinkie would—”

“Who said we don’t celebrate Hearth’s Warming?” snapped Clydesdale, “We’re proud Equestrians. Why wouldn’t we celebrate the founding of our nation?”

“Pinkie said…”

Clydesdale sighed. “Oh Pinkie,” he tutted, “Rock farming’s a full time occupation. We can’t just take time off for a holiday, we have to work the fields each day. We always celebrate for a few hours after the chores are done. If Pinkie had her way, we’d spend all day partying, and we don’t have the time for that. I’m afraid you’ve wasted your time coming here Lord Blueblood, because we just can’t afford to visit you for Hearth’s Warming.”

“If money is a problem, I’m sure I can help. Maybe hire some extra help for the holiday.”

“Money is not a problem,” said Clydesdale icily, “We do well enough and I wouldn't trust some strangers with the farm. Rock farming is a highly skilled occupation, and some outsiders could ruin the whole harvest.”

“I meant no disrespect,” began Blueblood trying to calm the situation down.

Clydesdale open his mouth to reply but his wife butted in, “You must stay for dinner, Lord Blueblood. It’s the least we can do after you came so far to see us.” She glared at her husband who, knowing his place, backed down.

“There really is no need. I have a carriage waiting outside.”

“Nonsense, you can spend the night here and Clyde can give you a lift back to Ponyville in our cart tomorrow.”

“If you’re certain?”

“I insist. Now come along, the food is almost ready.”

Blueblood quickly excused himself and told his coach-stallions to go home, he would be making his own way home. So far things hadn’t gone to plan but he still thought he could turn things around, after all he was a Blueblood, once one of the most powerful families in Equestria. He was sure he could enforce his will on a few backwater farmers. Even if they were related to Pinkie.

He returned to the house to find quite a spread had been laid out in the houses small dining room. There was no cutlery, he assumed an earth pony family would have little use for it but the plates were china although they were a little chipped, presumably the families best set. At least Pinkie’s family were showing him some respect. The family was joined at the table by another mare of Pinkie and Blinkie’s age, but with a blue-grey coat and a grey-grey mane, although unlike her sister, it was cut in a more practical style ending just above her eyes. Her mark was a number of mathematical symbols.

“I’ve got the books up to date, mother,” droned the newcomer in a monotone.

“Inkabella has quite the head for figures,” noted Clydesdale with pride. “She gets that from her mother.” He nodded at Sue who blushed slightly. The older mare had just entered with a pie sitting on an insulated saddle on her back. Clydesdale took the pie and cut it into slices with a large knife.

“And what is it you do?” Clydesdale asked Blueblood passing a slice to him.

Blueblood though for a second. This was probably a trap. If Pinkie had written about him, she almost certainly mentioned what he did. “Well, I’m part of the Night Court,” he replied cautiously. He levitated part of the pie and took a tentative bite. Just like the farm, the pie was dry and terribly bland, almost like eating paper. He suppressed a brief coughing fit by taking a drink of water and glancing around the table, but nopony else seemed to be reacting adversely to the pie so he risked another bite. After all, he had eaten far worse while smiling at diplomatic receptions for some of the oddest ponies in Equestria and beyond. Lying in word and deed was good practice for this pie, and the expected compliment that was to follow.

"This is very nice, Mrs. Pie." The rest of the family looked up suddenly, looking between the pie and the guest as if he had said something wrong.

“Nice to see someone appreciates my cooking,” she replied, looking around at her family, all of whom promptly displayed a great deal of attention to their meal.

“Anyway I help run Equestria and administer the province of Hyasanguia,” he continued with pride. “Well my father does most of the day to day work with the help of various assistants. I mostly represent it at court.”

Inkie perked up, “I’d love to help run a province,” she announced, “The amount of paperwork and accounting involved must be astounding,” she sounded almost orgasmic at the prospect.

Blinkie rolled her eyes at her sisters reaction.

“Well, it sounds like you just order other ponies around,” pointed out Clydesdale, “Do you ever get your hooves dirty?”

“Well, I dug the first spadesful for a project to build a dam last month,” said Blueblood trying to make a joke.

“Like I thought. Nothing!”

Blueblood bristled at the insult but tried to ignore it, “Are you sure you can’t visit for Hearth’s Warming. I think it would really mean a lot to Pinkie if you did.”

“I’m sure Pinkamena is happy how she is,” mumbled Clydesdale, looking down while the rest of the family shuffled awkwardly. "She never really fit in here anyway. Moving away was probably the best for all of us, and I'm sure she doesn't need us cluttering up her life anymore." He sounded slightly unsure of himself.

Sensing a weakness, Blueblood pressed onward. "I think she really misses you. Wouldn't you like to be all together as a family for the holidays?"

“Maybe we could do with a holiday,” noted Sue, “The farm could probably survive without us for a few days.”

Clydesdale seemed to waiver for a moment, “No, what if there was a major shift while we were away? We could lose the whole crop and then where would we be?”

“It would be a major financial blow,” noted Inkie, “But with our accumulated reserves, it would only set us back a few growing seasons.”

“I’ve never been to Canterlot,” said Blinkie, “I’d like to see the sights.”

“No!” thundered Clydesdale, smacking his hoof against the table, “I’ve made up my mind.”

Blueblood held the older stallion’s gaze for a moment but Clyde did not blink. Discouraged Blueblood took another bite of the pie, it tasted like failure. What was he going to do now? he thought.

The rest of the night passed mostly in awkward silence, Blueblood’s attempts at light conversation were rebuffed by Clydesdale and Sue, although Inkie and Blinkie seemed interested in his tales of Canterlot and the Night Court.

Finally after the sun had set, Sue stood up and announced, "I think it's time for bed. We should show our guest to his room.”

“I can show him to his bed,” noted Blinkie excitedly.

Sue glared at her daughter, “I think Inkie should show Blueblood Pinkie’s old room.” Blinkie frowned.

“Come,” intoned Inkie leading Blueblood up to the second floor of the house and into a small room.

Blueblood could at a glance tell that Pinkie had once lived here, her personality seemed to have seeped into the wall themselves. Unlike the rest of the house, the walls were painted in a faded pink, peeling in a few places where exuberance in painting had failed to match her skill. Under one window he saw an earlier version of the mural that now decorated her room in Sugar Cube Corner. The version here only had a few ponies on it and he now recognised them as her family although there were a few other ponies on it as yet unknown to him. Apart from the colourful walls, the rest of the room was almost as spartan as the rest of the house. There was only a small bed, a single chair, a large wardrobe and a dressing table with a small mirror on the top. A few streamers and piles of glitter completed the room. Despite the dusty outside of the house, there was not a speck of dust inside the room. Obviously the room was still cared for even though its occupant was not present.

“This is the room,” noted his host, rather unnecessarily.

“Inkie,” began Blueblood, “Is it alright, if I call you that?”

She nodded.

“How are things between your parents and Pinkie? She doesn't talk about them very much, but I understand she writes to them every week."

Inkie sat heavily on the chair, “I don’t think Pinkie wanted to leave. She was never entirely happy here, and once she got her cutie mark, it only got worse. Eventually Father more or less drove her off, he said she didn’t fit in and found her that job with the Cakes. She’s tried to visit a few times or asked that we visit, but Father always says we’re too busy.” She looked down at her hooves awkwardly as if she wasn’t sure if she should continue or not, “But we could afford to hire more farm workers based on the current projections of our future profitability.”

Did the old stallion really hate his daughter that much? thought Blueblood, to drive Pinkie away like that was almost unthinkable. Still, family was always difficult. Just look at my own.

“Thank you, Inkie. I should be fine for the night." He looked down at the bed and tried to hide his first reaction. It seemed just small enough to make him stick out a little at both ends, and the blanket seemed thin enough to be nearly transparent to the winter chill. Still, asking for more would not endear him with Clydesdale. He already thought Blueblood was a foppish noble, and was probably right.

“You should lock the door,” noted Inkie in her monotone passing Blueblood a key.

“I don’t think your father is going to attack me in the night.”

“It’s not Father than you have to worry about." It could have been an attempt at humour, but he didn't think so. As she passed through the doorway, she paused and looked back.

"How is Pinkie?"

Blueblood was somewhat taken aback. “Well, as you know, she’s… Well, Pinkie. She’s hard to describe. She’s happy. Well, I hope she is. I do what I can to make her happy.”

A faint smile passed over Inkie’s face, the first Blueblood thought he had seen from her. “Good. I miss her sometimes, we all do I think. Blinkie tries to be her, but I think she tries too hard at it, and Mother and Father miss her. Father more than Mother. I’m glad she’s happy.” With that she left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Blueblood dropped down onto the too-small bed which gave a worrying creak under his weight. He wasn’t about to just give up, there had to be some way he could make Clydesdale respect him. To get the old stallion to accept his offer, if only for Pinkie’s sake. Suddenly inspiration struck, no scion of house Blueblood would be beaten by a group of rock farmers, he knew just what he had to do, it couldn’t be that hard. Feeling happier Blueblood placed the key on the chair and curled up before shutting his eyes, he had a busy day ahead of him tomorrow.

Blueblood was aware of a warm body pressed against his own. With a sigh he snuggled closer to the warmth, the rest of the room had a distinct chill, “Pinkie,” he mumbled half opening his eyes and burying his head in his lover’s dark grey mane. It was at times like this that he felt completely at peace without a care in the world. Wait a minute, dark grey mane? Blueblood’s eyes shot open and stared at the mare sharing his bed, “Blinkie!” he gasped.

The Pie sister gave a fake looking yawn, “Blueblood? I guess I got the rooms mixed up after I got up to go to the bathroom.” Blueblood just continued to stare in shock, “I should probably go back to my own room right? Unless you’d like me to stay? This room can get chilly by yourself.” She gave a lascivious wink.

Blueblood finally regained control of his mouth, “I think you should leave.”

“Fine,” sighed the grey mare.

Several minutes passed in silence.

“I can’t help but notice that you haven't left yet,” pointed out Blueblood.

“Oh right, are you sure I shouldn't stay?” said Blinkie drawing one hoof down Bluebloods chest, across his belly and then further down to his...

Blueblood leapt back as if electrocuted, he slipped off the side of the small bed and fell onto the ground with a thump. “Miss Pie, that is not leaving,” he gasped, his voice several octaves higher than normal.

“Fine,” sighed Blinkie huffily, “I’ll be going then.” She hopped out of bed and strolled over to the door swinging her hips, “But call me if you feel cold.” Blowing Blueblood a kiss she closed the door behind her.

Breathing heavily Blueblood collapsed against the bed, he was beginning to think that Pinkie was right when she said was the normal one in the family. With slightly shaking hooves he walked to the door and locked it. He thought for a moment then moved the chair under the door handle. He returned to the bed for a moment then had second thoughts and spent several minutes dragging the wardrobe over to block the door. Finally feeling secure he collapsed back into bed. An hour or so later he was awoken by the sound of the door being unlocked, then a thump followed by some creative swearing. Blueblood smiled and turned over before returning to Luna’s domain.

It was still dark when Blueblood next awoke, he cautiously opened an eye but there was no sign of any intruders in his bed this time. Listening carefully he heard the sound of movement in the house below. Groaning slightly he stretched and felt his back complain at being compressed in the bed before standing up and dragging the impromptu barricade away from the door. He carefully made his way down the hall on the tips of his hooves towards the bathroom and quickly washed, not wanting Blinkie to ‘accidentally’ catch him there, before returning to the bedroom. He looked at the clothes he had discarded last night, they would not be suitable for his mission today so he descended the stairs naked. He found the whole Pie family crowded around the table eating porridge in silence.

Sue was the first to notice him, “Lord Blueblood,” she said, “We weren't expecting you up so early. Clyde can take you back to Ponyville a bit later when he’s finished his chores.” The stallion grunted in agreement, “Would you like some breakfast?”

“That is very kind of you Mrs Pie,” said Blueblood taking a bowl of the gloopy porridge and sitting at the table as far away from Blinkie as possible, she fluttered her eyelashes at him. “However, I will not be returning to Ponyville today.”

The rest of the family looked at him in shock and in Blinkie’s case hope, “You have been very kind accepting me into your house, sharing your food with me,” he took a spoonful of porridge, it was just as tasteless as last night’s fare. “I feel I need to pay you back.”

“We don’t need your money,” interrupted Clyde scowling.

“I know that and I am not offering any,” continued Blueblood raising a hoof. “As Pinkie is my very special somepony,” he stared at Blinkie as he said this and she shuffled a little uncomfortably, “I feel I need to know her life and family better, so I offer you my services on your farm for the day. Do with me as you will,” he announced crossing his forelegs over his chest.

Clydesdale’s mouth dropped at this.

“Let me prove that I am capable of hard work and am worthy of your daughter.”

Clydesdale closed his mouth, then opened it again, finally he managed to laugh, “You’ve got guts, I can see that but you wouldn’t last two hours in the fields, let alone a whole day.”

“Let me try. If I manage it at least think about visiting Pinkie and I for Hearth’s warming, if I fail then I will never ask you again.”

The brown stallion seemed to think for a moment, then nodded, “You’re on,” he agreed, “But don’t expect me to go easy on you.” He spat on his hoof and held it out to Blueblood who shuddered for a moment then repeated the gesture bumping the slimy hooves together.

“You still want to do this?” said Clydesdale to Blueblood.

The two stallions were standing in the middle of a field of rocks which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Every dozen feet or so a large stone about as tall as a mare stood arranged in neat lines.

“Yes,” said Blueblood, “Now what is it you want me to do?”

“Well each of these rocks need to be moved about two feet anti-clockwise around this field.”

Blueblood stared at his task, surely that wasn’t possible in one day? And anyway what would that achieve? Was the old stallion just having a joke at his expense? “Why?” he asked cautiously.

Clydesdale look at him with a smirk, “You don’t even know what rock farming is do you?”

Blueblood shifted awkwardly, “I’d always assumed it was like mining or quarrying.”

“Mining!” snorted Clyde, “There’s no art in that, it’s just picking up stones, practically stealing. Rock farming is an art. A big wig like yourself probably owns a fair number of enchanted items, lights and the like.”

“Yes, to make the magic last it’s linked to a special piece of crystal or stone.”

“And where do you think those crystals or stones come from?”

Blueblood looked around at the rocks littering the fields, “Oh.”

“That’s right, from here and other farms like this one. You’ve got to keep moving the stones to keep the background magic of Equestria running through them correctly, arrange that magic in different patterns and you get rocks good for anchoring different spells, or so I’m told. I don’t have much to do with the actual enchantment part. It can take years, decades even, to get a rock ready for harvesting. And if you want to do this fool thing, today you get to move the rocks around to match the magic.”

Clydesdale walked across the field, “Now Blinkie is the one with the sensitive hooves in our family but even I can feel the lay lines have shifted over the past few days.” Blueblood followed, he couldn’t feel anything in either his hooves or his horn so he had to take Clydesdale's word for it. “Nopony understands why the lines shift, maybe it’s the Princess’s will, maybe something else. I can tell you the biggest shift I ever felt was when Corona returned, make of that what you want. Now I’m needed on the south field so I’ll leave you to this, If you want to give up just go find me and I can see about getting you back to Ponyville.”

“I’m not going to give up,” boasted Blueblood.

“We’ll see,” said Clydesdale as he walked away.

Blueblood stood for a moment staring at the mass of rocks around him, then he began to power up his horn before pausing. Pinkie’s family were all earth ponies, would they consider using magic as cheating? He couldn’t risk it. Putting his shoulder to the nearest rock he began to push. Maybe this job wouldn’t be as hard as it looked.

It was much, much worse, thought Blueblood as, teeth gritted, he managed to move a further stone into position one painful grinding inch at a time. He wasn’t sure if they were just heavier than they looked or if some strange magic was holding them down but these rocks seem much, much harder to shift than their size alone suggested, and it wasn’t like they were small anyway.

Still Blueblood persevered, he’d thought of giving up several times, just calling it a day and telling these stupid farmers where they could shove their rocks, but something stopped him. Maybe it was his own pride that he would not let himself be beaten in this way, if a nothing like Clydesdale could do this all day then so could a scion of house Blueblood, knowing himself it seemed likely. But once or twice just when he was feeling like giving up he thought he saw Pinkie out of the corner of his eye cheering him on, telling him she was proud of him and then he’d find the strength from somewhere to move just one more rock, then another, then another. It was probably just the fatigue. Indeed once he thought he saw his nemesis Trixie Lulamoon willing on his failure, that had given him the strength to move a whole line of rocks.

Before he knew it the sun was almost overhead, despite the wintery conditions he had worked up a lather and was aching in places he didn’t even know he could ache.

“Not bad Lord Blueblood,” came a feminine voice, Blueblood looked up to see Sue standing next to him a plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade balanced on her back. “Come on, we should get under cover, it’s almost noon.”

Blueblood limped over to a small out building not far from the farm house, Sue pulled the door open and he staggered in before collapsing against one of the walls. Looking around to his surprise he saw a few decaying streamers draped over the beams.

“This was where Pinkie held her first party,” noted Sue her eyes looking back a decade. “Oh she’d helped out at her sister’s birthdays before and even got some tips from my mother in law but here’s where she held her first real Pinkie Party.” She lowered the food to Blueblood, who began to eat it in silence. “She hadn’t come home that night and when we found out we feared the worst,” she shuddered, “But no, she called us all in and she’d decorated this whole place and made food and everything, it was a bit of a shock let me tell you. Never did know where she got it from or what happened to her hair, she didn’t get that from my side of the family.” She smiled gently. “That’s when she got her mark, when she decided it was her job to make all of Equestria happy. That’s when I knew she wasn’t ever going to be content on the farm, that my little girl was going to go out into the big wide world and never look back.” She closed her eyes.

Blueblood was unsure what to do or say so he just rested an arm on the mares back.

“How is she? She seems happy in her letters, but I’ve always been afraid she’s putting on a brave face for us.”

“She’s... She’s Pinkie,” said Blueblood, “She’s always happy, she organises parties almost every day, she wants everypony to smile. She's spontaneous and crazy and annoying and beautiful and oh so very alive. She sees the best in everypony and makes me want to be better pony for her. She’s just so very Pinkie.”

Sue turned to the love struck pony, “Thank you,” she said, “I needed to hear that. I think Clyde needs to hear it as well in his own way.”

Blueblood snorted, “From what I have heard it was your husband who drove Pinkie away.”

Sue glared at him, “My husband had good reasons for what he did and those reasons hurt him and were for Pinkie’s best interests.” Her face softened, “Oh, Clyde might seem like a hard stallion but those girls have him wrapped around their hooves, he adores them, maybe a little too much sometimes. Blinkie could do with a little more discipline in my opinion, she’s the reason we can’t keep any help around for long, but that’s our problem,” said Sue.

“He certainly doesn’t show it,” said Blueblood.

“That’s not his way but he still feels, like when we sent Pinkie to Ponyville. We’d agreed to stay in town for a few days to make sure she settled in. That stallion just would not leave, two weeks we ended up staying, during harvest season as well, skulking around town keeping an eye on her making sure she was alright, I don’t know what the ponies there thought of us. But Clyde didn’t care, he just wanted to make sure our baby was safe and happy.” She sighed happily.

“If he feels that way, why did he send her away?” he looked out of the barn, above the sun was starting to make its way down the sky, at this time of year it would be dark in only a few hours now.

“You’d need to talk to my husband about that.” She picked up the empty glass of lemonade and balanced it on her back, she and Blueblood both exited the building and walked, or limped in Bluebloods case back into the fields. “I’ll leave you to your work Mr Blueblood, Oh by the way, you’re pushing them rocks clockwise round the field, they should be going anticlockwise.”

Blueblood stopped in his tracks and looked the endless lines of boulders, and swore very loudly.

It took Blueblood several hours to move the stones he had pushed out of position to the correct location then he started on the rest of the field. To his surprise it seemed his task was becoming easier, maybe he was just becoming more experienced, finding small tricks to moving the rocks or maybe the stones just wanted to be in their correct positions.

He looked up and realised that Blinkie was standing a short distance away watching him as he worked. The young mare was practically drooling as he exerted himself. Realising she was being watched she moved away with an odd shuffling gait.

“What are you doing?” asked Blueblood.

“Dowsing,” she replied walking over to him, “Using my hooves to feel the movement of the lay lines, I’m not as good as Pinkie was, she could feel it even before the magic moved, still I get the job done. There’s no reason I can’t enjoy the view while I do it,” she leered, “I have to make hay while the sun shines, we don’t get many visitors out here, and even less as handsome as you,” she sidled up closer. “Come on, how about a roll in the rocks? Pinkie wouldn’t mind sharing you,” she pressed against Blueblood, “Anyway, nopony would have to know,” she said breathily.

For the briefest of moments Blueblood was tempted, an old and decayed part of him rose and suggested that if he slept with her sister Pinkie would leave and they could return to how they used to be. He pushed that part aside with ease, “I would know Blinkie.”

She jumped back as if electrocuted, “You really do care for her don’t you?” she said with surprise.

“More than I once thought possible.”

“I wish I had somepony like you,” her face dropped for a moment then she turned and ran.

Collapsing to the ground Blueblood took several deep breaths to try and calm himself before standing and returning to his work.

By the time darkness was starting to set in every muscle in Blueblood’s body ached. It felt a bit like his workouts in his personal gym but those didn’t have any function except to keep him looking his best, this exercise actually had a purpose. He shoved a further boulder into position and led against it for a second before moving to the next.

“I think you’re done here for the day,” came Clydesdale’s voice.

Blueblood looked up to see the other stallion standing not too far away. The noble looked around he had relocated about a third of the rocks in the field, there will still many to go. “I haven't finished yet,” he said putting his back into moving the next stone.

“This isn’t a one day job, I’ve been working in these fields for over forty years, stallion and colt and I couldn’t get this done in one day. You’ve made a decent go at it.”

“So you accept I’ve done the job? You’ll visit for Hearth’s warming?”

“I said I’d think about it, there’s a lot of water under the bridge between my daughter and me. I don’t think it would be right for us to visit now, ‘cides we got a lot of work here needs doing.”

Blueblood scowled, “You won’t visit your own daughter because you need to move a few rocks around! Is Pinkie such a disappointment to you?”

Clydesdale’s eyes flashed dangerously for a moment and Blueblood though the older stallion might strike him. “Pinkie is a good girl, a good daughter, and I won’t let anypony tell me otherwise,” declared Clyde with fierce pride. “If she felt we needed her on the farm she would have stayed here and never complained, not once.” Then he seemed to collapse in on himself. “But it would have killed her, bit by bit, day by day. Rock farming’s a serious business, we enjoy ourselves when we can but that’s a rarity, Inkie thrives on organising this place and Blinkie at least enjoys the work. But Pinkie needed more than that to bring out her talent so when the sister in law suggested she move in with the Cakes we, I, made sure she’d stay away. They're good ponies, the Cakes, they treated Pinkie like their own when,” the stallion’s voice cracked for a moment and he blinked, “When I couldn’t.”

“You drove her away,” said Blueblood sadly.

“I told her we couldn’t have any dead weight on the farm and if she couldn’t give farming her all she should go somewhere else. It broke my heart but it had to be done.”

“You can’t let Pinkie go on thinking she’s a disappointment, if you won't tell her then I will.”

“No you can’t,” pleaded Clydesdale his composure cracking.

“I will or you will and I think you’ll put it in a nicer light than me,” said Blueblood staring down at the shorter stallion.

Clydesdale looked away, “You’re a hard stallion.”

“Comes with the job, I help run Equestria, it’s not for the faint hearted. Still it’s nice to see I have a secondary career if I need it, I think I’ve got the hang of this rock farming,” said Blueblood with a grin, “I did quite a good job.”

“Good job,” Clyde gave a barking laugh, “You’ve got most of them out of position by several inches and you even rotated some of them. It’ll take the better part of a week to fix your good job, you’ve put a whole field of rocks out of alignment.”

“Oh,” said Blueblood looking abashed.

“Oh, it aint that bad, rock farming’s not a job for amateurs and the biggest rocks are the least vulnerable, we break them down as they get charged. But I think I might have misjudged you, Prince, you put in an honest day’s work here and you didn’t complain, least not when you thought I could hear.” A smile broke across the stallions face. Maybe he really is Pinkie’s father thought Blueblood, “Still I noticed you haven't been using your horn, trying to impress me were you? Doing it the earth pony way?”

Blueblood nodded.

“Well that was dumb. It’s not like I farm with a hoof tied behind my back just to prove I can. Course unicorn magic can mess up a field if done wrongly, but done rightly you can improve a whole crop, many rock farmers are unicorns.”

“Well I didn’t just do it for you, I needed to prove to myself that I’m good enough for Pinkie.”

Clydesdale looked at the younger stallion, a range of emotions flickering across his face, “You might just be that Prince. You’ve forced me to do something I should have done a long time ago. Anyway, enough of my jabbering, let’s get you washed off and back to the house in time for dinner, Sue’s making a salad I’m afraid, but Blinkie’s making dessert so at least that will be edible.”

Blueblood looked at Clydesdale in surprise. “I sure didn’t marry that mare for her skills in the kitchen let me tell you. Course if you tell her that I’ll have to whup you.”

“I wouldn’t want that Clydesdale.”

“Call me Clyde, son. You know I don’t think I’d like it either.”

With a laugh the two stallions walked towards the farmhouse.

At home with the Bluebloods

Pinkie stared out of the train’s window watching the rolling fields whoosh by in a blur of green and brown. She really wanted to stick her head out of the window and feel the wind in her mane but she’d done that before and the conductor had yelled at her about getting her head knocked off and that didn’t seem so fun so she satisfied herself with just watching from this side of the window.

She’d never actually gone this far on a train before, Llamrei the primary city of Hyasanguia was over twice as far as Canterlot, her previous longest trip. It had been hard to sort out the time tables and changes but Auntie Scrolls had helped her plan the journey. Now she was on the last leg it was a little boring, maybe her fellow passengers would like to have a sing song? Then she remembered that Trixie and Bluie had both pointed out that not all ponies liked the same thing. Some might just want to read in silence or sleep and as they couldn’t leave the train she shouldn’t be too loud around them. Sometimes she got excited and forgot about things like that.

She sighed and looked down at her dress. Her new dress. When she’d told Rarity about this trip to see Bluie’s parents the fashionista had excused herself for a moment and calmly walked into the back of the shop before screaming for a few minutes that it should have been her. When she’d returned she’d quickly started to talk about wedding dresses and maternity wear. Pinkie wasn’t sure about that sort of thing but the white unicorn seemed to be enjoying herself so Pinkie played along and eventually came out with this dress. It was plainer than she normally favoured, the bodice was her customary pink, apart from a blue and white patch over her heart and frilly black sections over her shoulders. The actual dress was split blue on one side, white on the other with a few pink ribbons attached here and there, the bottom was covered with a ring of the designer’s trade mark gems. Rarity apparently thought it very important that she be wearing house Blueblood’s colours to this meeting.

When Bluie had first mentioned that he wasn’t close to his parents Pinkie had felt a little sad. Everypony should be loved by their parents, unless she was a big disappointment who was useless on the farm, but everypony else anyway. Unusually for her she’d actually spent several hours thinking about Bluie’s situation rather than just doing something about it. Bluie had taught her that, to think about things before she did them. He said he tended to do the same, to act without thinking but Pinkie thought he was much better at thinking than she was. She’d eventually decided that she should visit Bluie’s family personally and invite them to spend Hearth's warming with the two of them as a surprise to him. She was sure she could smooth over whatever problems there were and make them all be friends again and then everypony would be happy, especially Bluie he deserved it.

Bluie didn’t talk about his parents much although he did talk about his province. She suspected he thought she didn’t listen to him, but she did. She knew that Hyasanguia was named after his family or possibly the other way around and that it was mostly covered in farms, the green blurs outside proved that, it exported grain and hay to other provinces. Once she’d learned that she’d checked the bags of flour the Cake’s used and found that they came from Hyasanguia, that kind of faint connection made her feel closer to Bluie. Hyasanguia also had some mines where they dug up iron and coal to make things from, Bluie had gotten them to make her party cannon for her birthday.

A cry echoed down the train shaking her from her thoughts, “Next stop Llamrei, can everypony leaving the train at Llamrei collect their luggage and prepare to leave the train. Next stop Llamrei.”

Llamrai was a funny word thought Pinkie as she collected her small bag from above her head. It was apparently the name of one of Bluie’s ancestors, he seemed to have an awful lot of those, she’d been a general or something. The word looked different to how it sounded, she thought that someone had some spare L’s left over and just stuck them to the front of the name rather than throw them away.

Still considering the word she stepped out of the train and looked around, the city was huge! All around her ponies were bustling to and from the trains, yes trains plural, not like the single train in Ponyville but at least half a dozen at once. Beyond the station sat rank after rank of buildings most of them built out of white marble, (another thing Bluie said Hyasanguia produced) and stretching into the sky above her. She’d been to Canterlot, of course, and that city was probably even bigger but it had been built up and down whereas Llamrei was not just up and down but forwards and backwards and left and right as well.

Pinkie wandered out into the city in a daze. It teemed with so many friends she hadn’t met yet. Her brain immediately started to plan a party for them all, for the whole city! She began to visibly vibrate as she tried to decide which pony to shout a greeting to or shake hooves with first. Then she remembered why she was here, she had to talk to Bluie’s parents, she didn’t have time to say hello to all of the ponies in the city. With effort she pushed her excitement down into a big pink box and wrapped it up with a ribbon and kicked it to the back of her mind to unwrap again later.

A mare on a mission, Pinkie set off into the city.

It didn’t turn out to be very hard to find the Blueblood estate. It was a large compound set near the centre of the city and draped with the blue and white livery of the house of Blueblood. The grounds were expansive with rows of flowers and fruit trees stretching out to the high walls that separated the cities rulers from their people. Pinkie didn’t like the wall much, it didn’t seem right to keep ponies separated when they could be mixed together into a big glob of friendliness.

Despite the rustic charm the area was, like the rest of the city, a hive of activity with guards and servants moving here and there all dressed in the blues and whites of house Blueblood. There was even a guided tour taking place with several ponies being led around, their mouths open admiring the architecture. Trotting down the drive towards the main house Pinkie wanted to join in with them but she knew she had to keep her mind on the job at hoof. Don’t get distracted by the flowers Pie, she told herself, or the other ponies or the smells (is that nutmeg?), mind on the job, mind on the ooof!

Pinkie found herself on the ground before a pair of guardponies, one of them had been knocked to the ground his spear stuck into the wall next to him. The other was advancing towards her with his weapon held before him.

“Uh, hi,” piped up Pinkie springing to her hooves, “Sorry, did I bump into you? I’m looking for Mr and Mrs Blueblood.”

“Mr and Mrs?” said the guard in surprise, “What do you want with Lord and Lady Blueblood?” he asked pointing his weapon at Pinkie in suspicion while his colleague tried to pick himself up, his heavy armour making it difficult.

“I want to invite them to a party, silly!” cried Pinkie pulling one of the invitations she had made from her mane and shook it. Unfolded it was almost as big as a she was and had a picture of a group of ponies standing around a large heart shaped fire. It was covered in glitter and ribbons. The guards gawked at it in shock. “Oh and there was a song to go with it as well,” she cleared her throat and began to jump up and down: -

This is your singing telegram I hope it finds you well

You’re invited to a party ‘cause we think you’re really swell.

It’s Equestria’s birthday so help us celebrate

The cake will be delicious the festivities first rate.

There will be games, and candy, sing a song, cut a rug

And when the parties over we’ll gather ‘round for a group hug

No need to bring a gift being there will be enough

Hearth’s Warming means having fun not getting lots of stuff

It won’t be the same without you so I hope you will say yes

So please oh please RSVP and come and be our guests

The guards continued to stare at her open mouthed for several minutes.

“Why do you think the Bluebloods will want to come to your party?” asked one of the guards carefully as if he thought Pinkie might pull a knife at any moment.

“Because I’m Prince’s very special somepony, duh. We go to fancy parties and he buys me pretty dresses and we cuddle in front of the fire and...” she was suddenly grabbed by the guards who lifted her off of her hooves and bodily carried towards the estates gate, her bag fell unnoticed to one side.

“Another one,” sighed one of the guards, “What is it about the Viscount that attracts the crazy ones?”

“Is this the way to Mr and Mrs Blueblood?” asked Pinkie.

“I don’t know. I guess being a tall, handsome, rich noble, attracts the fillies for some reason,” said the other guard ignoring Pinkie, “But you just have to take the good with the bad.”

The guards came to a halt at the main gate and shoved Pinkie out, “And stay out!” cried one of the guards.

“Maybe you should get some help Miss,” said the other more kindly, “It’s not healthy to make up stories like this.”

“But I’m not making anything up, I really am...” the gate was slammed in her face.

“Ok,” muttered Pinkie, “I’m going to have to do this the hard way.”

Pinkie trotted around the perimeter of the estate, the unfriendly wall surrounded most of it but in addition to the main gate there was also a smaller entrance at the back where a group of ponies, each wearing the familiar blue and white livery of the houses servants, were gathered chatting to each other. Pinkie scanned the area, although the walls were quite tall she thought she could probably scale them, particularly if she could find a trampoline to give her a start, plus trampolines were fun! Once she was on the roof then she could locate the room containing Mr and Mrs Blueblood and drop down from the ceiling on a wire. If there were any guards about then she could use sleeping gas pellets to stop them throwing her out before finally delivering her singing invitation. Mr and Mrs Blueblood would be so delighted that they would come to the party and always want to be part of Bluie’s life for ever and ever.

Now all that was needed was a trampoline, a rope and some knockout gas.

“Hey,” came a call from the building, “Are you the new kitchen helper?”

Pinkie looked up at a frazzled looking orange unicorn in a servants uniform, “Oh, I can help in a kitchen,” she agreed, “I can cook all sorts of things, cakes, donuts, bread, cakes, croissants, cakes, scones, cakes and cakes.”

“I think you said cakes a few times there,” said the unicorn sounding dazed.

“I like cakes!”

“Well it sounds like you’re a little over qualified, we only need you to do the washing up.”

“Oh I can do that as well” said Pinkie nodding excitedly.

“Ok, fine, come with me...”

“I’m Pinkie!”

“That’s nice. Did you customise your uniform, are we allowed to do that?” she pointed at Pinkie’s dress.

“Oh, my friend Rarity made it for me. Isn’t it pretty?”

“I guess that’s alright then,” the two of them walked into the kitchen which was filled with rushing and shouting ponies. Pinkie was led to a side room containing tall piles of dirty dishes. “Here you are, you better get started.” With that the unicorn rushed off.

Metaphorically rolling up her sleeves Pinkie started on the dishes. Maybe once she’s finished she could find somepony who could get her a trampoline to help her get into the building.

It didn’t take Pinkie long to finish the washing up, she had plenty of practice from Sugar Cube Corner. In fact it took slightly less time than it took for her to realise that she was inside the estate and that there didn’t seem to be any guards looking for her. She stuck her head into the main kitchen but everypony seemed to be too busy doing their own thing to pay attention to her so she just bounced out of the kitchen and into the rest of the house.

She crept silently down the corridor, now she was in the house she just had to find out where Mr and Mrs Blueblood were and her mission would be over. However, she didn’t know how to find them, normally she’d just ask somepony but that might result in her being thrown out again and then she’d have to look for a trampoline to get back in again and that could take hours. So she would have to be extra stealthy and make sure nopony saw her.

“Excuse me, are you lost?” came a masculine voice from behind her.

“A little, I’m looking for Mr and Mrs Blueblood and I don’t know where they are, I would ask someone but I’m trying to be sneaky,” she replied continuing to creep down the corridor.

“Why are you being sneaky?” asked the voice with some amusement.

“Well the guards threw me out last time. I don’t know why, I only tried to deliver a party invitation,” she swung her head around hawkishly looking for any sign of her lover’s parents.

“What type of party?”

“A Hearth’s Warming party. I’ll be the best ever.”

“That sounds fun, I’ll be working this Hearth’s Warming though.” The voice sounded sad, Pinkie wanted to give it a hug, but it was only a voice, so there would be nothing to hold on to.

“That’s not fair. What do you do?”

“I’m an officer in the guard.” Pinkie came to an abrupt stop and spun around, there stood a unicorn stallion of approximately her age, maybe even a year or two younger. He had a blond mane cut short and a dark blue coat. He was short and heavily muscled and was dressed in a uniform Pinkie thought she had seen among the guard in Canterlot. His cutie mark was a castle tower.

“Hi!” cried Pinkie, “I’m Pinkie Pie, pleased to meet you! Could you sort of not throw me out? Maybe even thrown me in instead?”

“Hi,” said the stallion with a smile, “I’m Lieutenant Marshal of the royal guard.” He looked bemused for a second then his eyes lit up, “Your Heir’s mare friend!”

“No I’m Bluie’s mare friend, I’ve never heard of a pony called Heir.”

“Heir is my nickname for Prince,” said Marshal with a grin, “You know as in the Heir and the Spare? Of course once I found out how long he spends on his mane each morning that took on a whole other meaning.”

Pinkie thought for a moment, she was normally good with names, “You’re Marshal Blueblood, you’re Bluie’s brother!” she rushed forwards to give the stallion a hug.

“Guilty as charged. Heir didn’t tell me you were visiting, or that you were so beautiful.”

“Really? He says that sort of thing around me all the time. Sometimes I wonder if he’s looking at another mare.” She continued in a stage whisper. “I’m sort of here as a surprise to Bluie. He didn’t think his parents would want to visit for Hearth’s warming so I thought I’d come here and persuade them.”

Marshal frowned, “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, Mother and Father can be somewhat overpowering.”

“Of course it’s a good idea, Hearth’s Warming is all about families and coming together.”

“I suppose,” said Marshal still looking unsure, “Ok, I’ll take you to them. I only just arrived myself.”

The stallion led Pinkie through the twisting corridors of the mansion until they came to a large set of double doors. Marshal threw them open to reveal a grand dining room with a table long enough to seat several dozen ponies although at the moment only two were present. At one end of the table sat a unicorn stallion in his late middle age, his family relationship to Prince Blueblood was clear, they even shared the same mark. Pinkie remembered Baron Blueblood from his time as the Night Court representative to Ponyville. From his white coat and general build he was obviously an older version of his son although somewhat rotund her was still handsome. The most significant difference between him and his son was his mane whereas Prince’s was blond his father’s was silver. The source of Prince’s hair clearly sat at the far end of the table. Prince Blueblood’s mother, Prestige, was a unicorn at least a decade younger than her husband, her blond mane cascaded down her back and merging into her similarly yellow coat. She had sharp features seemingly made entirely out of edges and her flank was embossed with the shape of a half mask.

“Marshal, you’re late,” announced Prestige harshly, then her tone softened, “But it’s nice to see you dear.” She noticed Pinkie peeking around Marshal’s bulk, “And who is this?”

“Hi, I’m Pinkie,” she announced.

A look of shock passed over Prestige’s face. “Nice to meet such a fine figure of a filly,” noted Duke with a smile, “What brings you here?”

“She is the common trollop that your son is associating with,” said Prestige icily, “Which you would know if you bothered to talk to him once in a while or even read his private correspondence rather than just his official reports.” She turned back to Pinkie, “Now if you’re expecting to extort money from us, you are going to be disappointed. If you claim that any child is his you better have some very good evidence, we have excellent lawyers. Few of the papers will even touch such a story.”

“A bastard? I thought I taught Prince to take more care than that,” muttered Baron.

“Because you have such a good record on that front,” noted Prestige.

“I’m not pregnant silly and I don’t need any money. I just want you to visit us for Hearth’s Warming. I had an invitation but I dropped it, Oh but there’s a song..”

This is your singing telegram I hope it finds you well

You’re invited to a party ‘cause we think you’re really swell.

It’s Equestria’s birthday so help us celebrate

The cake will be delicious the festivities first rate.

“Stop! Stop!” cried Prestige. “A Hearth’s Warming party at our son’s townhouse? Out of the question. We are hosting our own party here, important ponies from all over the province and beyond will be present, we cannot possibly cancel it. Besides he has already told us he would be too busy to visit this year.” The mare looked hurt at her son’s behaviour.

“Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun but wouldn’t it be nicer to have a smaller party with Bluie and me? Hearth’s Warming is all about family after all.”

“Passing off a party where he could make such good connections, that son of mine is useless,” muttered Baron.

“I think the least you can do is invite Pinkie to dinner, she has come a long way,” said Marshal walking towards his parents, “She is almost family.”

Prestige looked as if she had swallowed something tasting very nasty, “I very much doubt that will happen.”

Apparently taking joy at his wife’s uncomfortableness Baron signalled to a servant who had waited unnoticed at the side of the room, “Actually that sounds a fine idea, set another place will you.” He smiled at the yellow mare who glared back.

“Oh, thanks,” said Pinkie bounding into a chair near the centre of the table while the servants started to place cutlery in front of her. Marshal walked around the table, giving his mother a quick nuzzle as he passed before sitting opposite the pink earth pony.

Now the entire party was seated the servants started to bring in plates of soup and placed them before the dinners. Pinkie took a deep breath inhaling the scent of the starter, it was good, she bent down to lap at it then paused and looked at Prestige and Baron. The former was staring at her while the latter was levitating a spoonful of soup into his mouth. Her eyes scanned the table and noticed the solid silver cutlery. Usually only unicorns used such tools to eat with, she noticed that her set was attached to elastic hoops, she’d seen these at some of the parties Bluie had taken her to. With a sense of satisfaction she strapped a spoon onto one hoof and began to shovel the starter into her mouth, she was tempted to stick her tongue out at Prestige but stopped herself, the older mare was Bluie’s mother, she couldn’t be all that bad.

“So Marshal, how are things in the guard,” asked Prestige as the servants brought in the main course.

“Well things are a lot busier since I graduated, given the whole Corona situation everyponies on edge.”

“Are you sure you won’t be able to make it back for Hearth’s Warming?”

“Sorry, as the new colt I get all the worst shifts. Maybe next year.”

“You’d think your father or brother would be able to do something about that,” said Prestige pointedly.

“Mother, I want to make my own way not have Heir or father helping me out all the time.”

“We just want the best for you dear, it’s not like the other officers don’t have patrons to help them out. Isn’t that right Baron?”

“What?” said the stallion who had apparently not been listening, “Oh, yes,” he sighed, “It’s just the way the game’s played.”

“What do you think Pinkie?” asked Prestige narrowing her eyes at the pink mare, ”Should ponies let their friends and families help them with their careers?”

“Oh yes, friends should always help each other out,” the younger mare nodded.

“I expect being with Prince has helped your career a lot hasn’t it? What is it you do?”

“I’m a cook! I’m learning to make the very best cakes and goodies in Ponyville, maybe all of Equestria.”

“And Prince helps you with that?” she sounded unsure, then certainty returned to her voice “He arranges for you to cook for his social functions? Introduces you to other nobles who might employ you?”

“Oh no, he tries what I make and tells me what he thinks of it. Did you know tabasco sauce cupcakes don’t taste very nice? Well Trixie liked them but Bluie wasn’t so keen, of course he says that I’m his favourite sweet treat so sometimes I cover myself with cream and he eats...”

“I don’t need to know what you make my son do to you!” screeched Prestige.

Both Baron and Marshal hid their laughter behind raised hooves.

“Okey Dokey Lokie,” said Pinkie, “Are you sure you don’t want to come to my Hearth's Warming party? This is nice,” she gestured at the small slice of cheesecake that had just been placed in front of her before inhaling it, ”Yumm! But I’m sure I can do better,” despite her chair not being on wheels she somehow managed to slide it to Prestige's end of the table, “The secret ingredient is smiles,” she whispered. “A happy chef is a good chef.”

“I do like a girl with a healthy appetite,” mumbled Baron, a dreamy look on his face, “How about breaking your diet for a change Prestige dear?”

“I’m sure you’d prefer to spend Hearth's Warming with Heir rather than another dull party here mother,” added Marshal.

“I.. well..,” muttered the yellow mare looking confused.

“How about we take this discussion away from the dinner table,” suggested her husband, “I could do with a drink.”

“You can always do with a drink,” scowled Prestige, “But very well.”

Pinkie hopped off her seat and started to walk towards the door, she made an odd chinking sound as she walked. She started to do a little dance.

“Thief!” squawked Prestige pointing at Pinkie.

Pinkie looked surprised then looked at her hooves, the cutlery was still attached to her fore hooves, “Ooops! I forgot about these.”

“Trying to steal the cutlery right in front of me! The nerve!” Prestige stamped up to her and used her magic to snatch the implements from her.

“Mother, stop overreacting,” cried Marshal.

“I knew she was nothing but a thief and gold digger. Guards!” she called.

“Oh, hi guys!” said Pinkie as the same two guards as she had met earlier seemed to materialise next to her.

“Throw her out this instant,” demanded the yellow mare.

“So are you coming to the party?” asked Pinkie as she was once again picked up and carried through the house. “Do you still have the invitation?” she asked her captors.

Without replying they threw her out of the front gate, she bounced a few times before coming to a stop apparently unharmed. “So is that a maybe?” she asked.

Once again Pinkie hopped around the estate to try and find an alternate entrance. This time even the rear entrance was well guarded and the guards had apparently been warned about her, they went on alert as soon as she came close. Time for plan B, find a trampoline. She looked up, the sky was beginning to darken and a team of weather pegasus were moving rain filled clouds into position. Maybe it would be best to wait until tomorrow, Mrs Blueblood might have stopped being such a grouchy pants by then.

Although she hadn’t been to Llamrei, before it didn’t take to long for her to find a hotel. It was a majestic building made of white marble stretching upwards for several floors. It looked rather expensive, she hoped he had enough bits, she had put most of her spending money in her bag. One leg quested for the container before she realised it wasn’t there. She spun around in a circle looking for it, then remembered that she had lost it when she had first been ejected from the Blueblood estate. She’s lost most of her money and worst almost her entire streamer supply! She rifled through her mane to find her purse, it wasn’t very heavy, she counted through it, just over a dozen bits. It also contained her train tickets so she could get home, although her return train wasn’t due until early afternoon tomorrow. There was another piece of paper in there, one that Bluie had given her, but she couldn’t use it, it was special. Oh well maybe the place wasn’t as expensive as it looked.

The receptionist looked up as the pink pony with the poufy hair bounced up to her.

“Hi!” said Pinkie, “How much is your cheapest room?”

“That would be one hundred bits a night, Miss,” said the receptionist in a voice that suggested she doubted Pinkie could afford it.

“What if I sleep on the floor? Or maybe hop in and out of bed all night so I only spend an hour or two there?”

“I’m afraid it would still be one hundred bits,” repeated the receptionist.

Pinkie pulled out a purse and counted the contents again.

The receptionist feeling a pang of sympathy leant across the desk, “Look, kid, maybe you could find something a bit cheaper down on the east side. Some of the places over there aren't too bad.”

“Thanks!” said Pinkie rushing towards the door. Just as she got there rain started to pour down outside, without stopping Pinkie continued into the downpour. The receptionist looked on biting her lip.

Pinkie spent several hours bouncing from hotel to hotel through the city but they were all too expensive. She had spent most of the money she did have buying donuts in a cafe but they had closed for the night and she’d had to leave, then she’d tried to huddle under an awning of a nice shop but the owner had told her she couldn’t stay there so she’d moved on. Finally her hooves aching, soaked to the bone and her smile attached to her face only by the thinnest of threads she slumped down in a dark alleyway next to a bin which gave her the slightest bit of cover from the rain. At least there was no pony telling her to move now. In fact most ponies had cleared the streets and the few that remained scurried past keeping their eyes averted.

Pinkie sighed and then shivered as a trickle of rain water from some guttering above her splashed onto her back. It wasn’t supposed to have gone like this, she was supposed to have met Bluie’s parents and they would have read her invitation and listened to her song and seen how silly it was not to spend Hearth’s Warming with their son and not be jerks so she could have spent the night in a nice warm bed and everpony would be happy. Still, she thought hugging herself tighter, it would be light in another four or five hours and Granny Pie always said things looked better in the daylight and then she could figure out how to get Mr and Mrs Blueblood to listen to her and everything would be alright, just another four or five hours. She wished Bluie were here with her, then the cold wouldn't be so cold or the rain so rainy.

She was suddenly aware of the sound of hooves approaching, “Hey, there cutie,” came a masculine voice. She looked up two seedy looking stallions, one an earth pony one a pegasus, slowly walking down the alley towards her.

“Hi!” she squeaked, maybe she could make some friends after all! But a small rarely used part of her warned that she didn’t want friends like these.

“Hey, what are you doing here? Nowhere to go?” asked the earth pony.

“I meant to get a hotel but I didn’t have the bits,” she explained, “I’m Pinkie Pie by the way.”

“Pinkie, that’s a very pretty name,” said the pegasus smiling to reveal several rotted teeth, “Say Pinkie, do you want to come to a party?”

“Party?” she hopped to her hooves, “I love parties.”

“That’s good,” said the earth pony grinning a grin better sited to a wolf than a herbivorous pony, “The three of us can party all night long.”

Pinkie backed away slightly looking worried, she loved parties and both of her new friends were smiling but it didn’t seem right to her. She bit her lip, “Maybe I should stay here.”

“Who’d want to stay out here in the rain? We can take you where it’s warm,” said the pegasus reaching out with a hoof and grabbing Pinkie by the arm while his friend circled behind her.

“I’m afraid that filly is with me gentlemen,” came a third voice, the ally’s other occupants turned to see a large white stallion carrying a cane and wearing a rain cloak.

“Bluie?” asked Pinkie a smile flashing across her face.

“In a manner of speaking,” said Baron pulling down the hood of his cloak.

“Push off old man,” said the earth pony, “We found her first.”

His more observant friend let go of Pinkie, who slumped to the ground shaking in shock, and started to tug at the earth pony’s arm, “Dude, that’s Baron Blueblood.”

“So? That just means he’s loaded, we can take him and then we’ll be made.”

“I don’t think so,” commented the older unicorn, with lightning speed his cane flashed out and caught the earth pony on the side of the head knocking him over. Deciding discretion was the better part of valour the Pegasus bolted into the sky. The earth pony staggered to his hooves and looked back and forth between the unicorn and his cane before running after his friend.

“Are you alright Miss Pie?” asked Baron unclipping his cape and gently wrapping it around the shivering mare.

Pinkie flopped forwards into a hug with Barron, “You..You.. kn-know I don’t think they really wanted to go to a party,” stuttered the shocked pink pony.

“Come on, my coach isn’t very far, let’s get you out of this rain,” said Baron leading her away.

Once in his vehicle Baron had opened the bar built into the back and poured Pinkie a small measure of brandy and himself a rather larger drink. “You know,” he said as the coach pulled away, “I didn’t think I had that in me.”

“Thank you,” said Pinkie holding her drink between her hooves staring into it but not imbibing.

“It’s not me you should be thanking it's Marshal. He was worried about what would happen to you when he found out the guards had your bag. Why is it full of streamers?”

“In case of streamer emergencies of course,” Pinkie looked up and smiled although it was a wan thing.

Baron took a gulp of his drink, “Fair enough. Anyway he finally persuaded me that we should try to find you before anything bad happened. We spit up, he’s searching the outer districts, but this," he indicated the compass mark on his flank, "found you first. Nothing bad did happen did it?” he asked with concern.

“No, you saved me,” she said with a somewhat watery smile.

“I had hoped you’d get a room somewhere, but I guess you didn’t have any money.”

“Well, I did have this,” she produced her purse and took out a piece of paper, “But I couldn’t have used it, it’s special.”

Baron looked at the paper in astonishment, “This is a cheque from Prince, it’s for thousands of bits, you could have used this to stay anywhere in the city.”

“No I couldn’t, look at the back,” she passed the cheque to him, there was writing on the back, he recognised it as his son’s.

“This doesn’t invalidate it.”

“Blue gave it to me for my birthday, he told me to buy something, but I could never give it away.”

Baron slowly read the message

‘Dear Pinkie

I want you to be happy on this your special day and all of your days

Why?

Because you were there when I needed you the most.

Because you make me happy

Because you are fun to be with.

Because you remind me I can be a good pony.

And most importantly, because I love you.

Bluie’

“Oh,” was all he could say before passing the cheque back to Pinkie who carefully folded it up and placed it back in her purse.

The Baron poured himself another drink and stared at the rain pouring down outside the coach for a moment before turning to Pinkie and staring at her big blue eyes “Does he really love you?”

As he watched the fire seemed to return to Pinkie’s eyes. “I think so, although probably not as much as I do, because I love him this much,” she spread her forelegs as wide as they would go, her drink fell to the ground to be caught by Baron’s aura and added to his own, “Probably more.”

“I can’t say I know much about love.”

“Of course you do. You love your wife and children don’t you?”

“Ah, Miss Pie, if only things were that simple. Did you know that my brother married for love?”

“That’s wonderful, did he live happily ever after?”

“No he was disowned by my father, lived in poverty for the rest of his life and died in a random pointless accident.”

“But was he happy?”

“What?”

“Was he and his wife happy?”

“I.. I think so,” muttered Baron.

“Then that’s all that matters. We all die eventually, well except maybe Luna, but all that matters is that we’re happy while we're alive.”

“That sounds like a very good philosophy Miss Pie.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you really think he can be a good pony?” said Baron changing the topic and taking another drink.

“Of course, everypony can.” She paused for a second, “Who are we talking about?”

“Prince.”

“Of course, everypony wants to be a good pony, it’s just that some ponies get it wrong. It’s not like I can make him a good pony, he does that himself, I just point him in the right direction occasionally.”

“Then maybe Prince can be a far far better pony than I ever was.” He paused for a moment. “I tried so hard to make him a bad pony, I thought I’d succeeded.”

A look of utter confusion passed over Pinkie’s face, she turned her head to one side.

“I started with so many good intentions I’d just became part of the Night Court you see, finally out from under the old bast... my father’s hoof. I was going to make a difference, make everything better, become Luna’s favourite, reclaim my families honour, everything. It seemed so simple. Then time dragged on and I found out that things aren't that simple, I had to compromise to get anything done, then I had to cheat and lie because that’s what everypony else did. Then all of a sudden I’d been there ten years and I wasn’t fighting against the system, I was the system. It was disappointing, and it hurt and I crawled into a bottle to sooth the pain. By then I was a father and I didn’t want my son to go through the same thing, I wanted to protect him. So I started to train him to do what he would need to get ahead in the court, I didn’t whitewash it, I told him just what the court was like, what you had to do to get ahead. He was such an apt pupil he soaked it all up like a sponge. Then one day I turned around and he was me, only younger and a bit less handsome,” he smiled bitterly, “And I saw what I’d done to him and I hated him and hated myself for what I’d doing it to him.” He turned away in shame hiding the tears flowing from his eyes.

Pinkie reached over and put her hoof on the stallion’s. “You were just trying to help your son, you just did it a bit wrong but it’s alright, Bluie is fine, I’m sure he forgives you.”

The older stallion sobbed quietly for a moment before Pinkie drew him into a hug. “Don’t be sad, Marshal’s turned out to be a wonderful pony as well, you should be proud of both of them.”

Baron gave a sad smile “He’s not my son you know.”

“Who?” said Pinkie in surprise.

“Marshal. It was part of our marriage agreement, Prestige would bear one child with me, my heir. After that we’d stay together officially but we were both free to do what, and whom,” he laughed a little without humour, “We wanted. I have no idea who Marshal’s father is, I suspect a member of the military, Prestige does love a stallion in uniform. Oh, I’ve hardly been faithful, there are at least two of my bastards running around that I’m aware of, you might even know one of them, at least Prestige's been more subtle than me. You see marriage is just an agreement, it’s got nothing to do with love, it’s better that way, cuts down on ambiguities,” he said bitterly.

“I don’t think you believe that.”

“Why not?”

“Because you love your sons and want the best for them.”

“I told you Marshall isn’t mine.”

“Being related to someone’s got nothing to do with family, or love. The Cakes are sort of my parents and I love them and they love me, even when I test out my party mortar inside and mix up the streamers with the cake batter. Once the little Cakes are fully baked they’ll be my brother and sister even if we don’t share blood.”

Duke knocked back the last of his drink and sat brooding for a few minutes, slowly a smile spread over his face. “I’m not sure if you’re right Miss Pie, but I want you to be.”

“Bluie said the same thing.” The coach came to a halt outside the manor house.

“Come on Pinkie, we better get you dried off before you catch your death” said Baron leading her into the house.

“Prestige you have to listen to this mare,” announced Baron as he threw open the doors to the bedroom he shared with his wife. She was lying awake in her bed set against the far wall.

“What are you talking about?” she spied a freshly washed and dried Pinkie peering around the door. “What is that creature doing here?” she screeched getting out of bed.

“Talking some sense into me, that was the best conversation I’ve had for years.” said Baron rounding his own bed and walking towards his wife.

“Oh, Baron did she get to you as well,” she sneered, “She just had to bat her eyelashes or spread her..”

“No,” said her husband with finality, “She just made me see that Prince is a far better stallion than I thought and you know what, so am I.”

Prestige sniffed the air “You're drunk,” she said.

“Yes, but that doesn’t make me wrong. Prestige, you may never have loved me but after living together for all these years you should at least recognise when I’m telling the truth, it’s rare enough.”

“She’s just another gold digger trying to get her hooks into our son.”

“No she’s not! I found her in the streets soaked to the bone, she had a cheque from Blueblood on her but she wouldn’t cash it.”

“Why?” Prestige looked like the bottom was dropping out of her world.

“Because our fool of a son had written that he loved her on the back and that was more important to her than her own comfort and safety. If I hadn’t found her when I did she would have been… Something very bad would have happened to her.”

“She could have set it all up, it could have been a trick,” cried Prestige desperately.

“It wasn’t,” said her husband shaking his head. "Pinkie show her the cheque."

Somewhat shyly Pinkie once again opened her purse and passed the small piece of paper to the yellow unicorn. Prestige eyes widened as she read its contents. "This... He.... Loves," she mumbled.

Baron stepped forwards putting a arm over his wife's back, "She's undoing everything I did to him."

"But she a nopony from nowhere she wont help his social position."

"I know that you would much rather have your children happy than successful despite what you might say."

Prestige froze in place for a moment looking backwards and forwards between Pinkie and Baron, then she collapsed forwards towards the young mare, “Oh, Oh, I’m so sorry my dear. I’ve misjudged you terribly, haven’t I?”

Pinkie leaned forwards and hugged the older mare, “Don’t worry, you just made a mistake, nothing bad happened.”

“What can I ever do to make it up to you?”

Pinkie thought for a moment then rushed for her bag, she pulled out a large glitter covered piece of card and thrust it towards Prestige. The she began to bounce up and down excitedly.

“This is your singing telegram I hope it finds you well

You’re invited to a party ‘cause we think you’re really swell.

It’s Equestria’s birthday so help us celebrate

The cake will be delicious the festivities first rate.

There will be games, and candy, sing a song, cut a rug

And when the party’s over we’ll gather ‘round for a group hug

No need to bring a gift being there will be enough

Hearth’s Warming means having fun not getting lots of stuff

It won’t be the same without you so I hope you will say yes

So please oh please RSVP and come and be our guests”

Prestige looked astonished for a second then a smile spread across her face, “We accept,” she said.

Hearth's Warming Eve

It was Hearth’s warming eve and Prince Blueblood was carrying out the last of his preparations for the big day. He had just dispatched a message to his caterers to ensure that the additional food required for Pinkie’s family would be delivered tomorrow morning. His cook had the day off but his stallionservant Duty Bound would be able to deal with presenting the meal once it had been delivered, he sometimes wondered what he would do without the old stallion.

Once that was done he prepared to head off to the station to meet with the Pie family. They were due to arrive this afternoon and spend the night at the Canterlot Royal Hotel. They would then turn up and surprise Pinkie just before noon on Hearth’s Warming day before returning to the farm the next day.

Before he left he made one last check of the decorations around his house. He generally preferred a somewhat understated effort, just the careful positioning of a few discreet (but very expensive) decorations. The only thing he allowed himself to go over the top with was his tree. Every year he had a twelve foot pine tree (any larger would just be showing off, it wasn’t like he had anything to prove) imported from the crystal empire and planted outside his house before it was decorated in the grandest style money could buy, it was quite the talk of the neighbourhood.

This year, however, was different. This year Pinkie was involved, her style of decoration was rather less minimalistic than his, thus there was scarcely a square foot of house which did not contain a candy cane, a wreath, a star, bell or other decoration, many of them hoof made by Pinkie. It certainly wasn’t a boring house any more although he found it all a little overpowering.

Pinkie had recognised this and had let him continue to organise the tree himself, although she had insisted that they put every decoration on personally. He had been unsure about it to start off with but as the day had worn on he had found it quite enjoyable clambering through the branches to place the decorations and although the final result might not have been as perfect as normal he felt a strong feeling of pride at a job well done.

Smiling up at the tree he left his house to meet his guests at the station.

Although the streets of Canterlot were clogged with early revellers Blueblood made good time to the station and arrived at the same time as the Pie’s train. He walked onto the platform just as they were leaving their carriage. The entire family was heavily burdened with full saddlebags. Inkie and Pinkie were looking around the station in astonishment, although Inkie was at least making some attempt to hide it. Blueblood assumed this was their first visit to Equestria's capital.

“How was your trip?” he asked stepping up to the family.

“Fine thank you,” said Sue, ”Although we almost missed the train because Clyde spent so long giving orders to the farm hands you supplied.”

“Well you know what the north field's like, the lines drift almost every day, they have to know to keep an eye on it,” grumbled the stallion.

“Do we have the time to do some sightseeing?” asked Blinkie, her eyes glued to the flanks of a guard as he wandered past.

Inkie raised an eyebrow at her single minded sister, “There are some places I’d like to see as well,” she said.

“I’ll take you to your hotel to get settled in then the rest of the afternoon is your own. I’m afraid I’ve arranged to meet Pinkie in Ponyville this evening for the Hearth's warming pageant there so I won’t be able to show you around myself.”

“Ah the pageant. Do you remember when you used to put on those for us girls?” asked Sue with a smile.

“Pinkie was always Pudding head,” said Inkie.

“And you were Smart Cookie but I made an awesome Platinum,” continued Blinkie.

Clyde reared up and let out a growl causing Inkie and Pinkie to jump in surprise, “And I was the Windigo, Woooo!” he gave a moan and waved his forelegs around before remembering where he was, he settled back down his face colouring, “But that was a long time ago.”

Blueblood tried not to grin at the stallion’s discomfort, “This way,” he said, “My carriage is waiting.”

The trip to the hotel went without a hitch and he made sure his guests were made comfortable. The concierge seemed somewhat put out that a group of rock farmers were staying at such a high class establishment, However, after Blueblood quietly took him aside and made sure he understood how important the family was to him, and what effect a bad word from him to the owner could have on the concierge’s career, the hotel had decided to provide the Pie’s with a few complimentary bottles of champagne.

Blueblood was just about to alight on his carriage when he saw a strange sight. Well to him it was a normal sight, but in a strange context. There just across the street was his servant, Duty Bound, he was used to seeing the black unicorn most days but this was probably the first time he had seen him out of uniform. The old stallion was walking down the street with a younger dark blue pegasus stallion by his side, and most bizarrely, a young sky blue pegasus colt balanced on his back.

His curiosity getting the better of him Blueblood made his way across the street to get a better look, “Duty,” he called.

The old stallion stiffened and turned towards his master, “Sir,” he replied. The colt shyly ducked down behind the older unicorns head.

“What are you doing here?” asked Blueblood.

“It is my afternoon off, sir,” said Duty somewhat reproachfully, “I was spending it with my family, this is my son Homeward,” he indicated the older pegasus.

“My Lord,” said Homeward respectfully lowering his eyes.

“And this is my grandson Freedom,” the colt shyly waved a hoof before burying himself in his grandfather's mane.

Blueblood was flabbergasted, it had honestly never occurred to him that his stallionservant had a family. He had always seemed more like an item of furniture than an actual pony with his own likes and loves. Blueblood was struck by what he had come to think of as one of his, ‘what would Pinkie do?’ moments. Since meeting Miss Pie he had occasionally found himself questioning if what he was doing was something she would approve of. He had originally found them annoying, they had caused him to cancel several potentially profitable, if not entirely ethical plans. But over time he had come to accept them as the small cost of being with Pinkie.

“You’re on er.. duty tomorrow aren't you Duty?” he asked already knowing the answer.

“Yes sir,” said the servant, “You have asked me to manage your party.”

With a sinking feeling Bluie realised that by organising time with Pinkie and her family he was stopping Duty from spending time with his own family. He considered for a moment, he could probably arrange the party by himself although it would make the day more stressful than he had planned. He imagined a version of Pinkie wagging a hoof at him in disapproval. Blueblood swore internally, why did having a conscience have to make his life so hard?

“I think I will be able to do without your services tomorrow,” said Blueblood with some effort, “Hearth's Warming is a time for families isn’t it?”

“Sir?” said Duty looking astonished.

His son although no less stunned reacted quicker, he reached forwards and grasped Blueblood by the hoof, “Thank you sir, Luna bless you. I’ve always wanted dad to have a proper Hearth’s warming with the missus and the kids.”

Something strange seemed to be happening to Duty’s face he was grimacing, his face contracting and his mouth curling upwards. A shocked Blueblood realised that the older servant was actually openly smiling, he didn’t think he had ever seen that look before on the dower retainer.

The old stallion stepped forwards and for a second Blueblood thought he was going to hug him, then the servant regained some of his composure, “Thank you sir,” he intoned, “Thank you so very much.”

“Think nothing of it,” said Blueblood somewhat unnerved by the stallions reaction, “You’ve served my family well for longer than I can remember, you deserve some time to yourself.”

“Come on Dad,” said Homeward grabbing his fathers arm, “If you’re going to spend tomorrow with us we have more shopping to do.”

“Thank you again,” said Duty starting to be led off by his son.

“Thanks!” piped up Freedom from his place on Duty’s back waving a hoof at Blueblood as they moved off.

Blueblood found himself waving back for a moment. “I’ll see you the day after tomorrow,” he called watching the trio leave. Once they left his sight he made his way back to his carriage somewhat buoyed by a vision of a happy Pinkie hopping around in his head. Sometimes having a conscience felt good.

“A happy Hearth's warming to both of you,” said Blueblood raising a glass of wine in toast.

His trip to Ponyville had been uneventful and he had met Pinkie just as Sugar Cube Corner was closing for the holiday. She had vaulted over the counter and the last few customers as he entered, and enveloped him in one of her trade mark hugs, before kissing him deeply. She had then rushed up to her room to wash and change ready for their night out. It was still an hour or so before the play started so he had been persuaded by the Cakes to have a drink with them while they waited for Pinkie to get ready.

Pinkie’s employers and surrogate parents had originally been suspicious of Blueblood but over time they had come to trust him more. Carrot Cake in particular had become quite chummy, the two of them had found that despite their radically different backgrounds they had a mutual interest in hoofball. Although the lanky stallion had a doleful taste in teams Blueblood still enjoyed discussing matches with him, he suspected his fellow stallion was somewhat starved for male company living with both Pinkie and Cup Cake. Mrs Cake still remained distrustful of Blueblood, suspecting he was going to break her surrogate daughter’s heart, but she had thawed somewhat over the months. In fact today she was downright affectionate, although Blueblood suspected that might be down to the pregnant mare’s hormonal situation.

“And a Happy Hearth’s Warming to us all,” toasted Mr Cake raising his wine glass, the others followed him (Mrs Cake was drinking cranberry juice although she did sneak the occasional longing look at the wine bottle).

“How are you spending tomorrow?” asked Blueblood.

“As it’s the last we’ll have with just the two of us we thought we’d keep it quiet,” said Cup Cake, “We’ll have enough excitement next year when the foals are here.” She rested a hoof on her bulging abdomen.

“Plus with the problems we had last year we could do with a rest.” said Carrot Cake.

“What happened?” asked Blueblood.

“The in laws,” said Carrot with a grimace.

His wife gave him a gentle kick, “Mum and Dad weren't that bad.”

“I suppose not, but it’s stressful. I always feel like they're judging me, I’m sure your father’s just waiting for an excuse to take me out back and give me a beating.”

“You think that’s bad, your mother couldn’t say one good word about my cooking.”

“She said she liked it.”

“No she didn’t she said she liked it, in a way that suggested she wouldn’t let a dog eat it.”

Not liking the way the conversation was going and already somewhat worried about the Pie’s visit Blueblood decided to avoid this argument. “I’ve just remembered,” he said, “Here are a few small gifts from me,” he levitated over a pair of envelopes tied up with blue ribbon.

“Oh you shouldn't have, dearie, we didn’t get you anything,” said Cup, giving Blueblood a quick hug.

“Think nothing of it. Consider them a reward for looking after Pinkie so well.”

“Wow, season tickets!” exclaimed Carrot tearing open his envelope, he examined the pieces of paper, “Wait a minute, Llamrei United!” he stared at the tickets as if they might grow fangs and bite him.

“You can take the foals to see a team that might actually win for a change,” said Blueblood with a grin.

“The Everfree Foresters are doing very well this season.”

“Yes, they might avoid relegation, whereas United look like they're going to be promoted.”

Mr Cake looked like he might explode for a second before his face broke into a smile and the lanky stallion laid a hoof over Blueblood’s back.

Mrs Cake opened her own present, “Vouchers for the Spa? Oh Luna bless you.”

“You did mention your hooves get swollen, I thought a hooficure or massage might help.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” said Mrs Cake her eyes tearing up and hugging him tightly.

Blueblood felt a little uncomfortable as the pregnant mare gripped him, then he felt another two pairs of hooves wrap around him. He looked up to see that Pinkie had pulled all four of them into a group hug. “I don’t know what this is about but it’s fun!” she exclaimed.

Mr Cake managed to extricate himself from the group, “You better get going if you want to make the play,” he said looking up at the shops clock.

“Okie, dokie, lokie,” agreed Pinkie rushing towards the door.

Blueblood noticed that she was wearing her dress from the gala, which brought back some memories, but its look was ruined by the heavily burdened saddlebags laid over it apparently filled with food. “You know you don’t need to bring all that,” he said, “I’ve ordered enough for tomorrow.” More than enough now he’d arranged for extra for the Pies as well.

“Oh you know how my appetite can be,” said Pinkie looking a little shifty, “You can never have too much food!”

Blueblood knew better than to argue with his marefriend when she was being strange (most of the time really).”Very well then, but at least leave them here, we can pick them up on our way to the station, the play doesn’t end that late.”

“Alrighty then,” said Pinkie shucking off the heavy bags and shoving them into the corner.

As he was leaving Blueblood looked back at the Cake’s silhouetted in the door frame and waving as the two of them left. He was glad his relationship with Pinkie’s employers was going so well, he could only hope her parents would get on with him as well.

The queue to the foal’s play was surprisingly large. It seemed like most of the population of Ponyville were waiting to enter the large tent that had been erected for the play next to the representative’s residence. Most of the crowd paid no attention to Blueblood although one or two gave him looks of disdain as he passed, his part in slowing the flow of aid to the stricken town had not been easily forgotten by some. Pinkie, however, was almost always greeted with delight which she returned several fold.

Inside the tent a rather substantial stage had been set up at one end with ranks of seating facing it. Blueblood spotted most of the element bearers already seated near the front, apart from the school teacher Cheerilee, who he assumed would be involved in the production of the play, and Trixie. He could not see the representative anywhere and that made him nervous, her dislike of him was well known. He scanned the crowd but couldn’t see the blue unicorn. To his surprise he saw another familiar face though, a white unicorn mare with a red mane he had seen around court, she was sitting in the front row munching her way through a large bag of popcorn. He screwed up his face for a minute but couldn’t put a name to the face, it would probably bother him all night now.

“Here are our seats,” pointed out Pinkie hopping over several seated ponies to get to the right place. They were about halfway back and off to one side but the view of the stage was uninterrupted. Blueblood trotted over and sat down.

“I’m so excited,” said Pinkie vibrating in place, ”I hope the Windigo get defeated and Equestria founded this time, it’s so sad when it isn’t.”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow and was about to ask her about this when the lights darkened indicating the start of the show.

A single spotlight blazed into light highlighted one side of the stage, there stood a yellow unicorn filly with a purple mane, she shuffled uncomfortably in the gaze of the crowd and looked like she was going to be sick. She screwed her eyes shut and opened her mouth but no sound came out. She opened her eyes again and looked out at a spot in the crowd where a unicorn and pegasus couple sat smiling on with pride. The nervous filly relaxed slightly and opened her mouth again, with more success this time, “Once upon a Time,” she began in a weak voice. “Long before the peaceful rule of Luna, and before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony.” Her speech began to grow in strength, “It was a strange and dark time, a time when ponies were torn apart. By hatred.” Next to him Pinkie gasped in horror and clutched at his hoof. Below the curtains opened to reveal small crowds of Ponies of different tribes arguing with each other. A pair of colts seemed to be taking their roles rather too seriously and a small scuffle had broken out between a unicorn and an earth pony.

To Bluebloods astonishment a pair of wings flicked open on the ‘unicorn’ narrators back. An alicorn! No wait, it must be a unicorn / pegasus hybrid, “Pinkie,” he whispered, “Who’s is that?”

“That’s Alula, she’s a pegacorn, or is that unisis, unipeg?” Blueblood tuned out his marefriends babbling for a moment. Whatever, she was called she was a rarity and looking like an Alicorn had its advantages, if he could get control of the filly she would be useful in court, imagine how it... His train of though was derailed by a gentle smack to the head by Pinkie’s hoof. “Ow.. What was that for?”

“You had your schemie face on,” she explained, “This is a no scheming zone, we’re just here to watch the play.”

Rubbing his smarting face Blueblood turned his head back to the stage. The leaders of the tribes were being introduced. The orange filly clad in tin foil armour playing Commander Hurricane was playing the role bombastically, as per the normal interpretation of the national hero although to his surprise the young actress cast as Private Pansy played her role with the same if not more volume, several ponies in the front row flinched as the cacothenus filly bellowed her lines.

For the Earth pony delegation the Chancellor was played by an orange filly with a red mane and a pink bow tying her hat onto her head while her secretary was played by an unhappy looking pink filly wearing for some reason a crown on top of her otherwise simple robes.

The small purple filly playing Princess Platinum seemed to have thrown out all the usual subtlety of character shown in most Canterlot versions of the performance in exchange for pure scenery chewing. “How dare you!” she screeched as the commander of the pegasus accused her people of using their ‘freaky magic’ to influence the weather. For a moment it looked like she might physically attack the orange filly before turning to the door and flouncing away with her nose in the air. Unfortunately she tripped on her robe and fell into part of the scenery which collapsed with a thud. The actors all froze for a moment and there was some desperate hissing from offstage before they carried on again as if nothing had happened.

As the three leaders abandoned their summit Pinkie leapt to her hooves booing and hissing for all she was worth, causing Blueblood to almost fall from his seat. At any other performance Pinkie’s behaviour this would likely have resulted in her being ejected from the proceedings but the population of Ponyville seemed to be used to the behaviour of their eccentric member and only a few eyebrows were raised as the curtains closed signalling the end of the first half.

The lights were lit again and the crowd fell into chatting about the performance so far. Pinkie leapt up saying she needed the little filly's room. Blueblood decided to leave his seat and stretch his legs while he waited for his date to return. To his surprise the white unicorn mare he had seen earlier made her way to him, it bothered him he still could not remember her name.

“Lord Blueblood,” she began, “I did not expect to see you here, I understood that you had tickets for the Royal Canterlot performance tonight.”

“Well those performances can become somewhat samie after a while... Moonbeam,” he finally remembered her name although he still couldn’t recall what position she held, “I thought a change might be better.”

“The same for me, I tend to find the larger productions so stuffy, plus,” she stuffed a hoof full of popcorn into her mouth, “They don’t serve this at the Canterlot play. I don’t know why I like it so much, it tastes like sweetened cardboard. Would you like some?” She trust the container under his nose.

“No thank you,” said Blueblood backing away slightly from the suddenly manic mare.

“I’ve heard they even serve it with salt, I suppose there are some plays that would be better if you were half baked,” She mused. “Anyway,” she seemed to calm down with some effort, “What do you think of this performance.”

“We’ll the foals certainly put their all into it.”

“Yes, it’s good they seem to understand the meaning behind the play, it certainly gives one hope for the future.”

“I was worried about the poor narrator to start with but, she certainly seems to have come into her own.”

“Yes. Although I’m rather fond of the actress playing Pansy myself she really reminds me of the original Pansy, she really didn’t live up to her name,” she faltered for a moment, “Or so I’ve read.”

Pinkie bounded up to Blueblood and draped herself over his back, “Hi your majesty,” she grinned at Moonbeam.

The unicorn blinked for a second, “I’m afraid you are mistaken, I don’t even hold a noble title.”

“Oh sorry I must have you mixed up with somepony else,” apologised Pinkie, “Come on Bluie, we better get back to our seats, it’s about to start again,” she grabbed her stallionfriend and began to drag him away.

“Goodbye,” muttered Moonbeam, “You are a very sweet couple.”

Returning to his seat Blueblood found that the second half of the story played out as expected, the three tribes set off to settle what would later become Equestria and then fell into fighting again. It was a fairly pedestrian interpretation of the traditional play, thought Blueblood, although the young cast certainly did put a lot of energy into it. The use of foals to play the scenery such as trees and flag poles was unusual to say the least, a certain grey filly did not seem to be very happy to be playing the rock that the tribes were fighting over.

The only truly unusual part of the play were the suggestions of romance between ‘Smart Cookie’ and ‘Hurricane’ as the earth pony spent much of the play staring at the pegasus leader with a silly smile on her face, as the latter marched around the stage trying to out volume her assistant. Blueblood assumed that the classes’ teacher had read the recent ‘historical novel’ ‘A Hurricane of the Heart’ by the well-known author Bodice Ripper, while she had been directing the play. The book reported a similar attraction between the two historical figures although it described the relationship in a rather foal unsuitable level of detail.

By now the play was coming to an end, the leaders had been encased in ice (had frozen in place on the stage, although 'Pudding Head’ had frozen on two hooves and after desperately trying to maintain her balance for a few minutes had collapsed to the ground and remained lying there.

On stage the windigo were unveiled as the source of the ice. The aforementioned creatures were represented by a number of colts hanging from the ceiling by wire and slowly rotating around, presumably the class had a lack of pegasus to play them. Despite their lack of reality the appearance of the winter spirits caused Pinkie to clutch him close and bury her head in his mane for comfort, so it wasn’t all bad. To Blueblood’s surprise the fire of friendship itself was rather more impressive. Instead of the spotlight effect he had been expecting a large tower of fire seemed to erupt from the horn of the orange foal playing Clover the Clever forming into a heart shape above the stage. Around him much of the crowd gasped, Pinkie, who had produced darkened glasses from somewhere, cried out in excitement.

Unfortunately the effect was so impressive that it entranced the actress playing Clover and she forgot her lines, having to be prompted by her fellow cast members several times before she managed to spit out an adlib that fire was cool. Meanwhile the foals suspended from the ceiling playing the Windigo were wheeled away looking rather queasy.

Once again the spotlight was trained on the hybrid narrator standing at the edge of the stage. She seemed to have overcome her earlier stage fright and stepped forwards to give the closing monolog. “The three leaders agreed to share the beautiful land and live in harmony for ever after, and together they named their new land... Equestria.”

The entire cast trooped out on stage to take a bow they were joined by Cheerilee and Trixie, Blueblood assumed that the fire effect had been her work. The crowd whooped and stomped. To his surprise Blueblood found himself expressing his appreciation of the play as well. Although it was not up to the Royal Canterlot production it had been just as enjoyable, maybe even more so in its ramshackle way. Next to him Pinkie was leaping up and down, screaming in joy.

Above the crowd music started to play, Blueblood recognised the famous Hearth's Warming carol and he joined in singing with the rest of the crowd. Below he noticed that Moonbeam had grabbed several neighbouring ponies and was singing along with gusto.

The fire of friendship lives in our hearts

As long as it burns we cannot drift apart

Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few

Laughter and singing will see us through

We are a circle of pony friends

A circle of friends we'll be to the very end.

It was getting late by the time that the last train from Ponyville drew into Canterlot station. Pinkie and Blueblood dismounted and the white stallion started to hail a carriage to take them to his house. He had just stopped one when Pinkie seemed to remember something, “Oh, you go on ahead, I’ve got a thing to do.” she said.

“What kind of thing?” asked Blueblood.

“Oh you know just a thing, not a very important thing, but it needs to be done or we’d be without a thing and what would we do then, we’d be thingless,” babbled Pinkie.

“We can both go to do this ‘thing’ then.”

“NO! I mean it’s Gummy’s thing.” A small green reptilian head poked out of one of Pinkie’s bulging saddlebags. Blueblood leapt back in shock, he really didn’t like Pinkie’s pet alligator. There was nothing he could put his hoof on but he felt that the little creature really despised him for some reason. He’d had nightmares that the creature would attack him in his sleep and, well he didn’t really know given it lacked teeth, smother him or something. Gummy stared up mindlessly at Blueblood blinking one eye then the other causing the stallion to break out in a cold sweat. “I forgot his favourite rubber ducky and he won’t be able to sleep without it.”

“Will you be able to get one at this time of night?” said Blueblood fixing his eyes on the reptile incase it scuttled away.

“Oh don’t worry I know all of Canterlot’s rubber ducky shops inside and out.” Pinkie gave a reassuring smile.

“Very well, I’ll see you back at the house then,” Blueblood backed away from Gummy, not fleeing just moving away from the creature as quickly as he could before vaulting into the carriage and telling the driver to drive away, now!

After watching the coach disappear into the distance Pinkie turned back to the train station and checked the time table before hopping over to one of the platforms. A few minutes later a train pulled in and Baron and Prestige dismounted, their luggage carried by a porter.

“Hello!” cried Pinkie bounding over to them, restraining herself she only gave each of them a quick gentle hug. “I’m glad you made it!”

“You know I’m sure that journey used to be longer,” said Baron.

“That’s because you slept for most of it,” said Prestige before turning to Pinkie, “The journey was acceptable, are you sure my son does not know we are here?”

“Uh huh,” said Pinkie nodding furiously, “It’s going to be one of the best surprises ever. Where are you staying?”

“Given the lateness of our booking we had to stay at the Canterlot Royal Hotel.”

“That’s pretty swanky,” commented Pinkie.

“We could normally do better,” said Prestige sticking her muzzle in the air, “Still, it will have to do.”

“Ok, I’ll see you just before noon tomorrow. This is going to be the best Hearth’s Warming ever!” With that Pinkie bounced away.

“That girl just doesn't have an off switch, does she?” commented Baron watching her go.

Prestige smiled for a moment before turning to her husband, “You should get us a carriage, I’m sure I saw one of those ruffians,” she pointed a hoof in the direction of a group of pegasus, “Eying our luggage.”

“Yes, dear,” sighed Baron sticking out his hoof to summon one.

The journey to hotel went well and both of the Bluebloods had a chance to admire the holiday finery that the streets of Canterlot were decked out in. “It’s been too long since I’ve been here,” sighed Baron soaking in the atmosphere.

The Bluebloods arrived at their hotel and checked in. Prestige was supervising the transport of their luggage to their rooms when they passed an earth pony family coming the other way. One of them, a young grey mare, staggered into their porter causing him to drop several boxes.

“Do be more careful!” snapped Prestige at the mare.

“I’m sorry,” said an older mare steadying the younger pony, “My daughter’s had a little too much to drink.”

“I’m not used to champagne,” noted the grey mare, “The bubbles tickle my nose,” she giggled a bit.

“That is all right,” said Baron taking the older mare’s hoof and kissing it, “I can forgive a lot from a pretty girl and her prettier mother.” The mother blushed looking flattered, her husband looked less than pleased and quickly hussled his family down the corridor.

“Did you have to do that?” asked Prestige as the porter picked up their luggage again.

“I’m allowed to have fun you know,” pointed out Baron.

Prestige sighed as they came to their suite. She didn’t think much of the standards of the establishment if they allowed commoners to stay here. Still at least she and her husband were only staying a few nights. There was no reason she would ever have to see those peasants again, she thought.

By the time Pinkie got back from her errand Blueblood was preparing for bed. It was relatively early but he wanted to be fully rested for tomorrow, particularly now that Duty Bound would not be around to help out. Pinkie bounded in carrying a rubber ducky which she claimed was the most duckie ducky ever but to Blueblood looked much the same as any other. She entered the on suite bathroom to put Gummy in his specially created habitat. After she had first brought the creature to stay Blueblood had insisted he create a place for the alligator to sleep and had made very certain that the beast would not be able to get out under it's own power.

Blueblood settled into bed, “Are you looking forwards to tomorrow?” he called.

“Of course,” came Pinkie’s voice from the bathroom, “Hearth’s warming is one of the most fun days ever.”

“Yes, it’s a shame it will just be the two us though. It’s more of a thing for families don’t you think?” he said with a smile.

“Yes,” said Pinkie sounding surprised, “Families are nice, it’s a pity yours can’t make it isn’t it?”

Blueblood shuddered at the thought of having to spend time with his family, “I suppose so, but no point getting upset about that. Who knows maybe your family might make it one year.” He bit his tongue, no point giving away the surprise at this late stage.

“I’m sure they're happy enough on the farm, they don’t need me there,” said Pinkie her voice a little strained.

Blueblood had to fight the instinct to rush into the other room and comfort her, at least her father should at last be able to tell her the truth tomorrow. “No need to think about that now, although I’m sure they would love to have you there. Still think of all the good things we have to look forwards to.”

“Yeah, we can have food and games and singing and dancing and presents tomorrow,” said Pinkie, her voice returning to its usual happy tone. “In fact,” she sashayed out of the bathroom wearing an intricate creation made from strips of silk which highlighted rather than hid her figure, all four of her legs were covered in striped white and pink socks. “I’ve got one for you now, would you like to unwrap it early,” she asked her eyes lidded.

With a grin Blueblood started to use his telekinesis to do that very thing.

The Day of Days

Pinkie awoke, unlike most ponies she didn’t pass through a hazy middle state between sleeping and being awake she just switched straight from one to the other. Opening her eyes she gazed into Blueblood’s sleeping face, his mane was matted and he was drooling slightly but he was still the most handsome stallion she knew. He was still asleep probably tired out after last nights ‘special private party’. She just lay there for a few minutes watching him and wondering how somepony so powerful, handsome, important, rich, fun and talented could be with somepony as normal as her.

Gazing around the room she realised the sun had already risen. Unless they got started soon the rest of the Blueblood family would turn up before she had a chance to get things ready for them. Careful not to wake her lover Pinkie wriggled out of his grasp and onto the floor. Blueblood screwed up his face one hoof questing for the now missing Pinkie. She quickly slid a pillow into his grasp and he settled down again.

Quietly whistling a cheery tune she hopped down the lavishly decorated corridor towards the kitchens. She was a little surprised not to see Duty Bound but she assumed the old servant was busy somewhere else, maybe he was coming in later after giving his grandfoals their presents, she hoped Freedom would like his kite.

She was starting to put together the ingredients for a special Hearth’s Warming breakfast for Bluie when there was a knock on the back door. Balancing a mixing bowl on her head she bounded over the door and flung it open, “Happy Hearth’s Warming!” she yelled.

The pair of liveried delivery ponies on the other side of the portal jumped back in surprise before steadying themselves and returning her greetings. “Food delivery for the Blueblood residence,” one said.

“Ooh thanks,” said Pinkie as the stallions started to bring in trays of ready prepared meals. “This all looks yummy. It’s a pity you have to work on Hearth’s Warming though.”

“It’s not that bad, the pays good and you’re our last but one delivery anyway. Then we’ve got the rest of the day with our families,” said one worker.

“I always like that last delivery,” said the other, struggling with a crate of snacks, “We serve the orphanage, the look on the foal’s faces just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy.”

“It certainly makes you feel good about yourself,” agreed the other, “Can you sign here Miss?” she asked passing over a clipboard.

Pinkie carefully scanned through the content, Mr Pie had taught her to always read everything before signing after the mistake when they got five hundred sacks of flour rather than fifty. “There’s a mistake here,” she said, “We only need food for two not six. Although Mrs Cake sometimes says I eat like two ponies, but to be fair she’s eating for three and there is only one of me, most of the time.” The extra food she had brought from Ponyville should be fine for the Bluebloods, this would just be too much.

“Are you sure?” said the work pony trying to follow her babbling.

“Yep, only the two of us here, me and Bluie.”

“I’m sorry about the mix up, what should we do with the extra food?”

“Just give it to the orphans, I’m sure they could do with a little more,” she suggested.

The two ponies gathered up several of the trays, “That’s very nice of you,” said the younger as they left.

Smiling to herself Pinkie shut the door, retrieved the mixing bowl from her head and returned to her cooking.

Prince Blueblood was slowly drawn back to consciousness by the wonderful scent of freshly cooked pancakes. He opened his eyes to see Pinkie entering the bedroom with several plates laden with breakfast goodies balanced on her head and back.

“Happy Hearth’s Warming,” she cried.

“Happy Hearth’s Warming,” he replied struggling into a better position in bed and using his magic to remove the food from his marefriend. Pinkie bounded onto him and kissed him deeply. When they separated he levitated a chunk of pancake into her mouth.

“Yummy,” she commented as she swallowed, “Oh, I’ve got a topping for them,” she reached into her mane and brought out a small container of some sort of purple paste, “It’s blueberries and pinkberries all sort of smushed together. I’m sure it will taste great.”

Blueblood had to smile at Pinkie’s somewhat obvious metaphor, “I’m sure it will. Now I’ve got something for you here,” he levitated a large box from under the bed, it was wrapped up in colourful paper and held together with a pink ribbon.

With a squeal of delight Pinkie tore into the package. Blueblood looked on indulgently, he knew Pinkie enjoyed unwrapping presents as much as getting them, possibly more. She’d probably be perfectly content with an empty box. She pulled open the box and threw aside a layer of tissue paper. Lying there was an exquisite set of pink saddle bags with her cutie mark embroidered on the side.

“Oh Bluie, their wonderful,” she ran a hoof over them.

“Hoof stitched,” he commented. “But that’s not the best bit.” He picked them up and thrust a leg into them up to the shoulder. “They’re magically enlarged to be able to contain more things and anything you put into them will stay the right temperature, hot or cold. I helped enchant them.” That was a bit of a fib, his magical knowledge was nowhere near the level needed for such complex spells, he was slightly below average in that regard and it irked him. He had however helped supply the energy needed to enchant them, a process he now knew required a number of farmed gems sewn into the seams. It had been a draining process which had left him with a headache for several days, but seeing Pinkie’s face made it more than worth it. “You can use them to store whatever you want, food, party supplies.”

Pinkie stuck the bag over her head disappearing almost up to her withers. “Or yourself,” he continued lamely.

“Echo, echo,” she called her voice sounding distant. “Oh, this is the bestest Hearth’s Warming present ever,” she infused. “Now I can hold two, maybe three parties in a row without having to stop to stock up on supplies.” The leaned over and gave Blueblood a kiss.

“Oh, I got you this.” She stuck an arm into her mane and rummaged around. Blueblood didn’t know why he’d bothered with the bags really her mane seemed to have the same properties naturally. She pulled out a package about the size of her head but flatter, ribbons and bows hung off of it.

Blueblood carefully unwrapped it to reveal a large book, it looked hoofmade. On the cover was a white splodge with a yellow line on top which if Blueblood squinted and turned his head to the right angle looked a little like himself, Pinkie was an enthusiastic if not skilled artist. Written in large cheerful letters and covered in glitter were the words ‘Bluie is a good pony’. He tentatively cracked open the first page of the book, there stuck to the centre of the page was a small newspaper cutting announcing his birth and declaring how happy his parents were. Somewhat confused he flipped through the pages, each contained one or more newspaper cuttings of his life. There was a report of his first day at court, here a motion he passed to improve mining subsidies, on another page the founding of a shelter for homeless ponies.

“Pinkie, what is all this. Where did you get it all?”

“It’s you silly, it’s your life and all you’ve done with it. I looked through all the newspapers in the library, it made my head hurt but I found everything that had your name in it. I was going to tear them all out myself but Twilight said she’d send me to the sun if I did that, but luckily she had a spell which could copy them so I asked her to copy all you’ve done so I could make the book.”

Blueblood closed the book, “This is very nice and you’ve put a lot of effort into it but this doesn’t show that I’m a good pony.” He opened it again at a random page, “I only had this canal built to spite Lord Song, he wanted it to take a different route.”

“It still employed a lot of ponies and allowed medicine and food to be brought to Manechester when it was hit by a rogue storm.”

“And this one, I lobbied for raising the subsidies for grain harvesting because it benefited my province.”

“So it helped the ponies of your province, that’s your job. And it helped others as well, things weren’t going well for the Cakes, without the cheap flour they might have lost Sugar Cube Corner. Lots of small bakers were in the same boat. What about this one?” she pointed at an article announcing a grant to investigate Sudden Foal Death Syndrome.

“Well my secretary had lost her foal to it, I felt I had to do something to help.”

“See, you did it because you felt sorry for her, because you're a good pony. All these things you’ve done, even if you didn’t mean to they helped other ponies and that’s not the best thing,” she flipped through the rest of the book, most of the pages were empty. “There’s plenty of space left for you to fill with all the good things you’ll do in the future.”

He put down the book and looked at Pinkie who was grinning at him, “Thank you,” he said, “I sometimes think you see another pony when you look at me. I’d like to be that pony someday.”

“You already are, you just don’t know it yet, but you’ve got plenty of time.”

Smiling Blueblood hugged Pinkie again and the two of them laid back on the bed, limbs entwined. They led there together in each other’s embrace for a few minutes until Blueblood unwillingly separated himself from his lover. “I think we need to get up, the food will be delivered soon.”

Pinkie grabbed him and pulled him close again, “Oh, you don’t need to worry it arrived ages go. They actually brought too much so I told them to take the rest to the orphans.”

“That’s nice,” mumbled Blueblood into Pinkie’s mane. Then what she had said caught up with him and a chill passed down his back. He pulled away, “You gave away the extra food?” he stuttered in shock.

“Yes, there was oodles, even more than I could eat, I’d get a belly ache. Although in the spirit of scientific investigation I would be willing to try.”

Blueblood leapt from the bed, “NO! No! No,” he cried.

“Bluie? What’s wrong?” said Pinkie looking worried.

“The extra food was for your family. What will they think of me? I’m supposed to run a province and I can’t even feed a single family of rock farmers,” he continued ignoring her.

“MY FAMILY!” Pinkie screeched at such a volume that Blueblood was knocked back, “No!” she continued, “They can’t be here, they don’t like Hearth’s warming, they're busy on the farm, they don’t need me, they don’t want me, they can’t be here!” She leapt into the air seeming to hover there for a moment before coming crashing down and running in a panicked circle, throwing bedclothes around the room.

Horrified by his marefriends reaction Blueblood forgot his own troubles, “Pinkie!” he cried, “Calm down! It’ll be alright.” Pinkie didn’t seem to hear him and continued to run around in small circles gibbering in panic. Blueblood took a deep breath, “STOP!” he bellowed.

Pinkie froze in place instantly coming to a halt. She remained completely immobile for a second before her head rotated jerkily to face him. “Why are my family coming?” she asked in a small voice.

Blueblood tried to organise his thoughts, “I invited them Pinkie. I thought you’d like them here with us so I went out to their farm and asked them to join us.”

Pinkie’s ears twitched a few times “Ok,” she said in a strained voice. “Oh, I wish you’d told me all about this, it’s such a shock.” Then she seemed to remember something. “Oh, err, I might have sort of invited your parents to come as well,” she looked awkward. “Surprise?” she mumbled.

Blueblood staggered back at this news, “My parents are coming, here? Now? In the same house as your family?” Horrible thoughts ran through his head, he couldn’t see any way that his parents and the Pies could be in the same space for any length of time without his mother's head exploding.

Pinkie began to giggle, it was a familiar sound but something sounded a little off about it.

“What?” asked Blueblood.

“Your face. You look like Corona and Luna both arrived to tell you that you were a naughty colt. Your parents won’t be a problem, they’re big fluffy kittens underneath. Only not really, they're ponies, if they were kittens then you would be as well,” She looked thoughtful, “Unless you are a kitten in a pony suit,” She began to prod Blueblood in various spots apparently looking for a zipper.

“Pinkie! Stop that,” he giggled as she tickled him. “I suppose your parents aren’t going to be a problem either. I got on quite well with them.” Eventually, he thought. “Maybe we’re just getting worked up over nothing.”

“Yep,” she nodded, one of her eyes twitching a bit. “We just have to put together the best meal in the history of Equestria for both of our families with what we have to hoof in only a few hours. It’s not like your parents are going to judge me based on how well this meal goes.” Her ear twitched again.

“Nor yours,” he grinned. The smile slowly dropped off his face, “They wouldn’t right?”

Pinkie was already running to the kitchen.

By the time Blueblood arrived in the kitchen Pinkie was rushing here and there trying to do everything at once. A mixing bowl was balanced on her head while she chopped potatoes with one hoof, filled a saucepan with another and turned on the oven with a third while hopping in place on her remaining limb.

“You’ve got plenty of food in store,” she said juggling several eggs before cracking them into a bowl. “I just need to get it all ready in less than three hours and make the best meal ever in the history of the world so that our parents are extra happy and think I’m not a hopeless hostess,” she explained.

Blueblood starred as the pink blur zoomed around the kitchen seemingly carrying out a dozen tasks at once. “What can I do to help?” he asked.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine once Duty turns up, he’s a really good chef.”

Blueblood frowned, he didn’t know his servant could cook, “Er, I have given Duty the day off, he’s staying with his family.”

Pinkie froze in mid stride a rain of sprouts falling into the ground around her as she dropped a bowl. “Duty’s not coming?” she asked in a distant voice, her pupils shrinking to tiny dots.

“No,” said Blueblood nervously, “Hearth’s Warming is a time for family right?”

Pinkie’s expression seemed to flicker back and forth between pride and anger for a few seconds, “Okey. Dokey. Lokey." She said slowly grinding her teeth, "I’ll just have to do it all by myself, I’ve heard there’s a magic pool where you can make copies of yourself, if I need any help I’ll go there,” she said grinding her teeth. “Anyway I’ve always got Madam Le Flour to help me,” she nodded to a large bag of flour sitting on a table, for some reason a party hat was strapped to it.

Blueblood was beginning to worry about his marefriend, “Are you sure I can’t do anything to help?” he asked nervously. He’d watched Pinkie cook a few times, it didn’t seem that hard.

“That’s sweet but I’m sure I can get it all done in time,” she threw a head of lettuce into the air slicing out seemingly at random with a worryingly large knife and quickly moved a bowl into place to catch the remains as they fell.

“Why don’t you just get washed and set the table. I’m sure I can fix this all. Afterall I’m a chef.” She gave a lopsided grin as she lashed out once more with the chopping knife dicing several mushrooms and burying the blade deep into the chopping board.

Blueblood beat a hasty retreat.

An hour or so later Blueblood was feeling rather better, he’d washed, prepared the table for his guests and picked out a few excellent bottles of wine. There didn’t seem to be much else for him to do so he took a seat in the living room and poured himself a drink. If nothing else he did have a copious store of alcohol for the festivities, although it might be an idea to make sure he kept his father away from it. From the kitchen he could still hear the sounds of frantic preparation, he was just going to get up and once again ask if he could help when the door was thrown open to reveal Pinkie. Her coat was splattered with countless food stains and her normally buoyant mane was hanging limp.

“I can’t fix this,” she cried, “There’s too much to do, it’s all going to go wrong and your family will come and they’ll be unhappy and my family will come and see how much of a disappointment I am and they’re all laugh at me not with me and.. and...”

In that moment all the joy seemed to drain out of her and Blueblood didn’t think he had ever seen her looking less like herself. He was out of his chair and next to her in a flash, for a moment he didn’t know what to say or do, then he remembered what she had done when he was like this, “Hug?” he said.

“You think a hug can fix this?” yelled Pinkie trying to push him away.

“A hug makes everything better,” he reached forwards and engulfed the smaller pony in his grasp holding her tight.

He was right.

A hug makes everything better.

“You are not a disappointment, to anyone,” he said fiercely, “There was a,” he sought for the right word, “misunderstanding. Your father wants to apologize for what he said.”

“But he said I was useless on the farm,” she sobbed.

“He should be here in a few hours, just talk to him, he’ll explain it to you.” He so wanted to tell her what he'd been told but she should hear it from her family.

“Oh, I can’t do it all. There’s too much still to do. I have to make the best meal ever, I have to show your parents I deserve you and show my parents I’m not a disappointment and there's no time,” her voice slowly increase in pitch as she continued.

“Pinkie, stop,” commanded Blueblood. “There’s no need to make the best meal ever, anything you make will be fine. You’re the third best baker in Ponyville remember.”

“But Mr and Mrs Cake are better, maybe I should go to Ponyville and get them?”

“Take a deep breath and tell me what you still have to do.”

She took a deep breath and began to unleash a stream of baking jargon that Blueblood didn’t understand a word of.

“Can you make that simpler?” he asked.

“You are useless!" she shrieked, "Why can’t you do anything but talk and spend money?” then she realised what she had said and shoved a hoof in her mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” she babbled.

Her outburst hurt but he knew she wasn’t in her right mind. “That’s alright,” he hugged her again, “I should have paid more attention to what you do. When all of this is over you can teach me how to cook, maybe if I make Luna a cake she’ll listen to some of my ideas?” he tried to smile.

Pinkie stared at him for a moment, then started to laugh, she fell to the floor and began to roll around, “Maybe if you make a marble cake or a rock cake she’ll let you export more stone, or you make a cobbler and she makes everyone wear shoes, or...” she dissolved in a fresh cacophony of giggles.

There was the sound of something boiling over from the kitchen and she struggled to her hooves, staggering into the other room she turned down the hob. Blueblood stared at the kitchen, the walls were covered with splashes of food and the sink contained a pile of dishes reaching almost to the ceiling, the bag of flour had been slashed open and its remains laid in a corner, its content had been used to write the message ‘I must not talk so much’ on the floor. Blueblood decided to ignore that for the moment. However, the kitchen also contained dozens of plates of completed or part completed meals lined up on the tables. “You did all this in an hour?” he asked in amazement.

“It’s not enough, this has to be perfect.”

“It already is, you made it. Now is there anything really, really simple I can do? Remember to use words of one syllable of less,” he added with a smile.

“Well I suppose you could chop the carrots,” she said pointing at a cutting board with a knife driven at least an inch into it.

“I think I can do that,” said Blueblood looking a little concerned, before starting his assigned task.

The next few hours passed like a blur, Pinkie set Blueblood a near endless stream of simple tasks while she prepared the more complex dishes. Prince even persuaded her to take half an hour off to clean herself up and she returned looking much more like herself, her hair even regained its normal frizz.

To both of their surprise most of the dishes were almost finished by the time there was a knock from the door. A quick check of the clock revealed that it was likely one of the other of their families.

“It looks like it’s showtime,” commented Blueblood straightening his bowtie.

“You keep them busy. I’ll finish off the dinner,” said Pinkie rushing him out of the room.

Steeling himself Blueblood approached the front door as if it was about to grow tentacles and attack him. He wasn’t sure if we was hoping it would be his parents or the Pie’s. He was at least used to his parents behaviour but he had gotten on well with the Pie’s the last time he had seen them, and surely Blinkie would tone down her behaviour if her sister were present.

He pushed open the door to reveal his parents dressed in their finery. “Prince!” cried his mother with a smile, she leaned forwards and muzzled him. “Merry Hearth’s Warming. Now this might be a surprise," she examined her son's face, "This isn't a surprise is it?"

"Pinkie told me you were coming a few hours ago,"

"Well I’m so glad you invited us... Oh wait you didn’t your delightful marefrend did.” She scowled slightly.

“I thought you would be too busy with your own party, and you know how busy I am here in Canterlot,” he lied.

His father stepped forwards and the two of them cautiously shook hooves, “Nice to see you son,” said Baron somewhat stiffly, Prince was surprised that it seemed his father hadn’t started drinking yet. Looking into the older stallions eyes Prince saw something odd, the slight look of contempt his father normally gave him seemed to have been replaced with, could it be hope..?

“Now where is Pinkie?” asked Prestige, pushing past her son.

“She’s in the kitchen working on the dinner,” said Prince.

“What about the servants?” she asked sounding confused.

“I gave them all the day off.”

“Even old Duty?” asked Baron, “I’ve not known him to have a Hearth’s Warming off in forty years.”

“Then I think he was about due one,” said Prince shutting the door and ushering his parents into the sitting room.

“You should probably make sure the windows are all locked dear,” noted Prestige. “There was a group of commoners sniffing around in the street outside, probably planning a robbery.”

Prince froze, “Were there four of them? A stallion, an older mare and two younger mares?”

“Why, yes. I think I saw them at our hotel, a bunch of drunkards,” she said looking pointedly at her husband who had started to pour a drink.

Maybe he should have given better directions, thought Prince. “Say here,” he instructed before rushing out of the house. The chill hit him as he ran out into the snow. Looking around he saw the Pies just turning the corner. “Clyde! Sue!” he called. They stopped and turned towards him. The four members of the Pie family were dressed in what Blueblood assumed were their best clothes. They looked better than he expected they would, Clyde’s suit was well cut although its style hadn’t been fashionable for twenty or more years, Blueblood had a feeling he might have gotten married in it. Inkie’s dress was a practical dark grey which suited her and to his relief Blinkie’s dress was not as daringly cut as he had feared, although it was far more colourful than the rest of the family.

“Ah there you are,” noted Clyde leading the family towards Blueblood, “We must have missed you.”

“I said we should have asked for directions,” said Sue.

“Glad you could make it,” said Blueblood leading the family into his house, they gazed around at the decorations.

“I see Pinkie’s had her hoof in this,” said Clyde with a smile.

“Where is my daughter anyway?” asked Sue.

“She’s in the kitchen right now, I’ll go get her in a minute. I’ll just show you to the sitting room. It’s rather unexpected but my parents are here as well,” he explained.

“I’d like to meet them,” said Clyde. “I hope they’re regular folks, not like some of the snobs at the hotel. There was this one couple, the stallion had his hooves all over Sue,” he growled, “As for the mare, she was rude to Blinkie and acted like she had a stick up her plot.”

“Pleased to meet you too," said Prestige from across the room staring daggers at the Pies as they arrived, "Has your daughter sobered up yet?”

Blueblood fought against the instinct to curl up into a little ball and weep, “Mother, these are Pinkie’s parents Clydesdale and Sugar and her sisters Blinkastasia and Inkabella. Clyde these are my parents Baron and Prestige.”

The two families stood staring at each other. This is going to be a very long day, thought Blueblood. “I’ll just see how Pinkie’s doing in the kitchen shall I?” he asked. No one replied. “I’ll be back with her in a minute. Just make yourself comfortable.” The two families continued to stare. Blueblood fled the room as quickly as his hooves would carry him.

The kitchen was still a hive of activity with Pinkie rushing between the various almost completed dishes.

“Who was it?” she asked not taking her eyes off of a cake she was carefully squeezing a glaze of pink icing onto.

“My parents... and then yours, they’re all in the sitting room.”

Pinkie’s ear twitched again, “And are they having a super fun time?” she mumbled around the icing bag in her mouth, “Have they become the best of friends ever?”

Blueblood so wanted to lie, but such a deceit would be obvious once Pinkie left the kitchen to enter the black hole of awkwardness that the sitting room had no doubt become. “They haven't had the best of starts,” he said cautiously, “Apparently they’ve met before at the hotel, and not under good circumstances.”

Icing splattered all over the wall. “We’ll it’s a shame I can’t see them, I have so much to do in this kitchen. Where they aren’t,” squeaked Pinkie hopping to another dish.

“Pinkie you have to come and see them, they’re your family.”

“I can’t hear you, I’m cooking,” she sang.

“Pinkie, please. It won't be that bad, I’ll be with you.”

“But I’ve got so much else to do,” she pleaded desperately.

Blueblood muzzled his lover, “You can spare a few minutes to meet your family. You’ve done a marvellous job, most of it’s finished.” He gently led her towards the door to the sitting room.

“But... but..”

“Come on, we can do this together,” he gave her a slight tug with his magic.

“I can’t do this,” she whined.

“Come on,” he said forcefully and he increased the power of his magic slightly, however, in his nervous state he miscalculated and suddenly Pinkie was catapulted through the door. She grabbed onto him as she passed and they were both sent sprawling into the other room in a collection of limbs.

Blueblood tried to pick himself up but Pinkie had landed on him pinning his back to the ground. She was apparently frozen in place straddling him, staring at the surprised faces of her family. Her grin was even wider than normal but didn’t reach her eyes.

There was a moment's silence which stretch into two, maybe two and a half moments before Pinkie’s mother reacted by rushing over to her daughter and lifting her off of Blueblood and into a hug.

“Pinkie!” she cried spinning her daughter around, giving Blueblood time to pick himself up. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Mama!” sobbed Pinkie.

Inkie and Blinkie joined their mother and sister in a group hug, Clyde remained at a distance looking awkwardly at his family. Blueblood caught sight of his mother out of the corner of his eye, her normally icy facade cracked at the sight of the joyful reunion then a second later her mask was back in place.

Eventually the ball of Pie mares split apart and Pinkie awkwardly trotted towards Clyde, “Father,” she said shyly.

“Pinkamena. Good to see you. You’ve grown,” he said awkwardly.

“Upwards and outwards,” joked Pinkie.

They stood a pace apart for a moment then Clyde stepped forwards and gave his daughter a gentle hug, “Happy Hearth’s Warming,” he said. She froze for a second before returning his affection with interest.

Clyde eventually had to extract himself from his child’s grip. Pinkie’s smile lit up the room, for the first time in several hours is seemed genuine. “Oh, this is going to be the best Hearth’s Warming ever,” she cried, “We’re going to have games and music and dancing and presents and food and everything. Wait food! I’ve got to get back to the kitchen.”

“Maybe I could give you a hoof dear?” asked Sue.

Both Pinkie and Blueblood thought about the elder Pie’s cooking for a moment, “No!” they both cried out.

“I mean, you’re our guest, we couldn’t possibly have you help,” said Blueblood after glancing at Sue's hurt expression.

“Uh huh,” agreed Pinkie nodding rapidly, “It’s almost done anyway. Just a few more things to do,” she explained before hopping off back into the kitchen.

“Would anypony like a drink?” asked Blueblood.

“What have you got?” asked Blinkie.

“Are you sure you should?” asked Prestige, “We’ve all seen how you were last night.”

Blinkie glared at the older mare, then gave an insincere smile “I’m sure I’ll be fine, I’m still young, I recover quickly. That’s a nice dress by the way, not many mares of your age could pull it off.”

Baron gave a laugh which he quickly hid with a cough as his wife turned her gaze to him.

“So drinks?” said Blueblood again, starting to sweat.

“I’ll have a cider,” said Clyde.

Blueblood desperately searched through his almost legendary drinks cabinet, it was larger than Luna herself and contained over two hundred bottles, he had to have something as simple as cider. Ah, there it was between a bottle of fifty year old whisky and the absinth. It was an Apple Trust special blend, he’d been given it when they started to plant a new orchard in Hyasanguia. He cracked open the bottle and poured it into a large glass.

“I’ve always been more of a spirits stallion,” said Baron joining his son at the drinks cabinet, “Cider always seems such a common drink. Still each to his own, I suppose.”

Blueblood felt like facehoofing, his father probably hadn’t been trying to be insulting, probably. Still it was clear from the darkening of the earth pony stallions face that he was less than happy about the unicorns comment.

“There’s nothing wrong with a cold cider at the end of a hard days rock farming,” Clyde growled.

“Rock farming? Is that a pretentious way of saying you’re a miner?” asked Prestige.

“No, it is not,” fumed Clyde putting down his drink, “Any fool can be a miner, rock farming takes skill.”

“I’ll have you know that many of my subjects in Hyasanguia are miners,” said Baron.

“Oh, it must be nice to have fools, I mean subjects to do everything for you,” cut in Sue.

“I thought Prince was the ruler of Hyasanguia,” said Inky seemingly ignoring the arguments breaking out around her.

“Since my retirement from the night court,” said Baron. Prince winced, the scandal that had caused his father to drop out of his position was a sore point for the older unicorn. “Prince acts as the provinces spokespony at court but I still administer the province itself.”

“And what exactly does administering mean you do?” asked Clyde, “Sitting in an office all day letting others do all the hard work?”

Blueblood had had enough, “All of you stop acting like foals!” he hissed, glancing towards the kitchen door. “This is supposed to be a day for families to come together not bicker and argue.” He passed his gaze over the ponies in front of him, none could meet his eyes, “Now Pinkie has been working very hard to make this the best Hearth’s Warming ever, she nearly had a break down over it. Now you apparently hate each other for some reason but at least try to just pretend to be able to tolerate each other for one day!”

“Now see here,” blustered Baron, “You can’t talk to me like this.”

“I can and I am Father. You had your chance to run this family and you blew it. I’m in charge now and you will listen to me. Is. That. Clear.” Baron nodded looking ashamed, “Good, if it were my choice I’d have thrown all of you out already but I’m doing this for Pinkie and she deserves the best Hearth’s Warming ever so she’s going to get it. Have I made myself clear?”

Everypony nodded.

“Good, now I’m going to see if she needs any more help in the Kitchen and when I get back I want to see some perfect families.” With that he turned and strolled from the room, rather proud that he hadn’t thrown up.

Blueblood returned to the kitchen to see Pinkie loading dish after dish of food into her new saddle bags, he was glad to see that they were being useful.

“How is everything going? Are they getting on like the bestest friends ever?” she asked.

“Like a house on fire.” Lots of screaming at each other, he thought.

Pinkie froze in place, “Oh, I forgot to make bread sauce, who has hearth’s Warming without bread sauce?” She ran off to the back of the kitchen again.

“Pinkie,” called Blueblood, “I don’t like Bread sauce.” He didn’t even know what it was, it didn’t sound appealing, “And neither do my parents,” he lied, “Do yours?”

“Well... no. It even makes Inkie sick.”

“So I think we can do without it don’t you?” he said patiently.

“Ok.”

“Good, now I’ll help you take the food to the dining room, I’ve laid out the places.”

Pinkie slipped on her saddle bags staggering a bit at the weight which was not reduced by their enchantments while Blueblood lifted the remaining plates in his aura. The dining room was designed for larger gatherings and Blueblood had positioned them and their guests near the centre of the single long table, he had placed himself between his parents with Pinkie opposite flanked by her parents as well ensuring Blinkie was well out of hoofs reach.

They placed bowl after bowl of goodies on the table until almost the entire space was filled.

“Pinkie, I think you might have gone a little over the top.”

“I had to make sure everypony had their favourite so I had to make everything," she explained. "I hope they like it.”

Blueblood nuzzled his marefriend, “I’m sure they will love it.” They better, he thought darkly.

Still holding Pinkie Blueblood walked through into the sitting room where the two families were sitting staring at each other in silence. At least it was better than the bickering. “Dinner is served,” he announced holding the door open for his guests to pass through.

Each pony took their indicated places and sat awkwardly for a moment. A bead of sweat rolled down Blueblood’s neck.

Pinkie broke the ice, she reached out for the various dishes and started to pile food onto her plate. “Cooking always makes me hungry,” she said, “Sometimes I eat more ingredients than I cook, but not this time,” she noted.

Rather more cautiously each pony started to select morsels from the dishes around them. Prestige levitated a fork full of potatoes and took a mouthful. “Do you like it?” asked Pinkie with a slight quaver in her voice.

Prestige swallowed then opened her mouth before closing it again and smiling in astonishment. “They are wonderful. So fluffy and what is that taste?”

“It’s garlic, you mix in lots of garlic butter and let them sit for a while before cooking,” announced Pinkie with a smile.

“You really must give my cook the recipe.”

“Pinkie’s always been a wonderful cook,” noted Clyde with Pride, Pinkie glowed at the compliment.

Blueblood let out a deep sigh, maybe they could get through this meal without a small war breaking out. He noticed his father staring across the table at Sue who was eating directly from her plate. The stallion opened his mouth to speak but his son caught his gaze and shook his head before leaning forwards and taking several chunks of parsnip into his mouth.

“The weather in Canterlot has been excellent don't you think?” asked Prestige making conversation.

“Yes,” noted Sue, “We don’t get much snow on the farm, it’s so expensive these days.”

“You pay for your own?”

“We’re too far out of the way for most of the weather service beyond the bare necessities. Not that the farm needs much but storms and the like can help the rocks.”

Much to Blueblood’s surprise polite conversation seemed to be breaking out over the table. Maybe this would be a success after all. He beamed across at Pinkie who smiled back and gently tapped his legs with her own under the table.

Soon the main course was over and Pinkie and Blueblood cleared away the remaining food (there was quite a lot) before replacing it with mountains of cakes, cookies and cheeses. Last of all was the traditional Hearth’s Warming cake, a heavy fruit cake cut in the shape of a heart. Arranged on top were figures of the various pony tribes made out of icing, they were exquisitely carved, Blueblood wouldn’t have been surprised if they had started to move about.

“You made all that this morning?” he whispered.

“Well I brought most of it with me last night but I wanted to make everything perfect. Now watch this.”

Pinkie carefully measured out the contents of several of the bottles from his drinks cabinet, biting her tongue in concentration, before splashing the resulting mixture over the cake.

“Light it up,” she ordered.

Unsure what was happening Blueblood generated a spark from his horn. With a whoosh and a flash the cake was illuminated by a pink flame hovering over the cake in the shape of a heart. Everypony looked on in astonishment. “Happy Hearth’s Warming,” cried Pinkie.

“I don’t think I’ll ever need to eat again,” grumbled Clyde dropping heavily onto a chair.

“Me too,” agreed Baron, “Although you could always do with more meat on your bones dear,” he continued indicating Prestige who scowled.

After their colossal meal the guests had retired back to the sitting room, Pinkie had originally said she was going to wash the dishes but Blueblood had encouraged her to leave them for the staff tomorrow and to have a rest after this morning’s exertions so she was sitting next to him on a settee.

“That was really an excellent meal,” said Prestige, “My compliments to the che.. I mean to you. Now my husband and I brought the two of you a little something.” She levitated two large boxes from among the luggage they had brought with them. They bore the seal of Trot Oldhoof on them.

Pinkie tore into them revealing the contents. Prestige flinched a bit as wrapping flew everywhere. Inside were a matching suit and dress done in blue and white. “I do hope they fit,” said the unicorn mare, “I had to guess your size and I don’t see my son often enough now a days to know if he’s changed.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be perfect,” squealed Pinkie laying the material over herself, “Thank you!” she leapt over and hugged Prestige, the older mare looked shocked for a moment then returned the gesture in a more reserved fashion. Pinkie moved on to Baron who in turn squeezed her tightly.

“I can see why my son likes you,” he commented, “You’re very huggable, plush even.” Pinkie giggled and untangled herself from the older stallion.

“We got you something as well,” noted Clyde, he produced a small wooden box and passed it to Pinkie.

She opened it carefully, within was a small pebble about the size of a starlings egg, the outside was painted in intricate swirls of pink and blue and wire was wrapped around each end, forming a sort of necklace. “The girls decorated it,” explained the stallion.

“Oh gosh,” gasped Pinkie, “Is that a heart stone?”

“Yes,” said Sue with a smile.

“Bluie,” cried Pinkie excitedly, “Put your hoof on the stone.”

He obeyed looking confused and Pinkie did the same, with a crack the stone broke into two equal halves revealing glittering crystals inside. Blueblood drew his hoof back worried that he had damaged the present but nopony else seemed upset.

“Now you wear it,” said Pinkie placing one half around her neck, Blueblood followed suit.

“Now if you think about Pinkie the stone will tell you where she is,” explained Clyde.

Blueblood closed his eyes and concentrated on Pinkie, her energy, beauty and uniqueness, everything that made her her. To his surprise the necklace seemed to tug a bit towards the seat next to him and he could sense a certain warmness where he knew Pinkie was sitting.

He opened his eyes again, “Thank you Mr and Mrs Pie, Inkie and Blinkie too.”

“Me and the wife have one,” said Clyde pulling his tie aside to reveal a slightly larger and drabber stone.

“It’s only a rock,” mumbled Prestige.

Sue turned to the other mare, “A very rare rock,” she snarled, “We only produce one like that every few years. It’s probably worth almost as much as your present, and it's more useful as well.”

“Well, I never,” exclaimed Prestige.

Next to him Blueblood felt Pinkie stiffen, the smile on her face becoming pained, he rested his hoof on hers. “I’m sure neither of you mean to be insulting,” he said through gritted teeth. “Both of your presents are wonderful, thank you.”

Both of the mare’s settled back down into their seats muttering slightly.

The minutes ticked by as the two families sat facing each other in silence. Blueblood tried to restart a conversation but it quickly died, next to him Pinkie’s hair seemed to slowly deflate.

Suddenly there was a loud knocking from the front door. Blueblood waited for a moment for a servant to answer it, then he remember they were all on holiday and stood up to do it himself, “Excuse me,” he said and headed for the front door leaving a black hole of awkwardness behind him.

A Hearth's Warming Miracle

Relief flooded Bluebloods system glad to have an excuse to get away from the sitting room, at least for a few minutes. Still he had no idea who it could be at the door, he wasn’t expecting any more visitors. He opened the front door to reveal a small group of ponies in guard uniforms.

“Citizen!” barked their leader, a blue coated stallion wearing a fully concealing helmet, “We have received reports of a disturbance in this residence, I will have to ask you to step outside so we can fully investigate.”

“What!” cried Blueblood totally confused, “I don’t... What’s going on?” he asked.

“Step outside now! Or I will have you arrested!” commanded the guard.

Being arrested and taken away from the party had a certain attraction to Blueblood at this point and he strongly considered just letting himself be taken away. Then something clicked in his brain and he recognised the stallions voice, “Spare?” he gasped.

The stallion lifted his visor to reveal the grinning face of Marshal Blueblood, “Happy Hearth’s Warming Heir.”

Blueblood punched his now laughing brother on the shoulder, “Ow,” exclaimed Marshall, “Assaulting an officer of the guard won’t make things better.”

“What are you doing here?” asked Prince.

“Well we’ve been told to patrol the city and I thought to myself ‘where is any illegal activity going to be taking place?’ Then I thought of you. Me and the squad might have to spend a few hours here just to make sure nothing suspicious is happening.” He started to push past his brother into the house.

“Wait Spare, Mother and Father are..” began Blueblood but his brother had already started to enter the sitting room. There the Pies and Bluebloods were sitting opposite each other in a tense silence. Pinkie standing between then trying to keep the peace.

Prestige looked up to see her younger son enter and gave a rather unlady like squeal, “Marshal,” she called leaping to her feet, “It’s so good to see you, I didn’t think you could make it for Hearth’s Warming.” She nuzzled up against her child.

“Mom,” muttered Marshal turning red but not pushing his mother away, “Not in front of the troops.” Behind him the first of his soldiers were entering the room and grinning at their leader’s discomfort.

Pushing past the amused guards Blueblood made his way into the room, “Everypony,” he addressed the Pies, “This is my little brother Marshal. He and his, um, command have decided to visit for a few hours.”

As he had feared Blinkie’s eyes lit up taking in the various ponies in uniform. To Blueblood’s surprise Inkie’s eyes widened as well and she stared at Marshall before looked away shyly.

Blinkie stood, “Maybe your brother can show me around your house,” she suggested grasping one of Marshals arms.

Inkie jumped up as well glaring at her sister, “He could show me around as well,” she said taking another of the unicorn’s arms.

Somewhat overwhelmed the Blue stallion tried to extricate himself from between the two mares while his mother looked on scowling, “I don’t really know Heir’s place that well,” he explained, “I’ve only been here a few times.”

Prestige batted the two younger mares aside, “I think I should get to spend some time with my own son on Hearth’s Warming don’t you?” She guided the younger unicorn to one of the seats, “Now how have you been for the last few weeks dear?” she asked. Inkie dropped into a seat next to him.

Blinkie scowled and grabbed one of the soldiers, “I guess you can show me around then,” she said.

“Um, I’ve never actually been here before,” he replied nervously.

“Then we can explore together,” she explained as the two of them left the room.

“Its super fun to have all of you here,” said Pinkie hopping up from her seat and towards the troops, “Parties are always better with more ponies and we’ve got lots of food left over from dinner so you can all help yourself.”

One of the squad turned to Marshal, “Can we, Sir?” she asked.

He turned away from his mother's attention for a moment, “Yes, go on. You can have a drink as well, but only one. I'm sure Heir has quite the selection around the place.” Blueblood gestured at his drinks cabinet. There was a small cheer from the soldiers who firmly believed that if armies did indeed march on their stomachs then they should be full and preferably slightly drunk ones. Pinkie bounced off leading them into the kitchen.

"Your brother seems nice," said Sue, "No offence but he seems less uptight, than the rest of your family."

"Spare's always been a bit of a joker, he's never taken things vary seriously," replied Prince with a grin.

"Why do you call him Spare?" asked Clyde.

"Well in noble families you have the first born, the Heir who will inherit the title and the second born the Spare who only gets the title if something happens to the Heir," he explained.

"Isn't it a little insulting to keep rubbing that in his face?" asked Sue a little unsurely, "It not like we point out to Pinkie that she's the youngest all the time."

"By five whole minutes," mumbled Clyde.

"Me and Marshal don't think of it that way. It's more that he's my backup, that he'll always be there to help me out if I need it. He's got his own life and career anyway."

Clyde and Sue seemed to ruminate on this. While they were thinking Pinkie burst into the room again, followed by a trail of guard clutching plates of left overs. She came over to Prince and dropped into the seat next to him, "It looks like everypony is getting on now, I knew this was going to be a great party."

Blueblood looked around, Prestige and Inkie were listening to Marshall talk about his work while Baron was apparently napping and Sue and Clyde were chatting amongst themselves. He was amazed, it actually looked like a normal domestic scene. Where had that come from?

Half an hour later to Blueblood’s continued astonishment war had still not broken out between the various groups at the party, most of Marshal’s squad had planted themselves around the room and were chatting with each other and the other guests (the one that had gone off with Blinkie was still missing he should probably be worried about that). Pinkie was still a little more subdued than her normal bubbly self which worried him a bit, although she seemed happy enough talking to her parents quietly. Baron had awoken from his food coma and was telling some story or other to a group of young troopers, one mare was looking up at him worshipfully, Blueblood really wished that wouldn’t last.

“What I really find interesting about the guard is the logistics,” said Marshal.

“That nice dear,” droned Prestige glaring at her husband.

“Oh it’s not as glamorous as fighting off invading griffins, but it’s just as vital if not more so to our nation's survival. Making sure the troops have all that they need, it’s a lot of paperwork but it’s worth it.”

“Tell me more,” said Inkie moving closer to the young officer until their flanks touched. Both of them looked away shyly for a moment before making eye contact again.

“How about a game of cards?” asked Sue loudly, she had found a deck somewhere. A few of the guards looked up in interest.

“That sounds a marvellous idea,” infused Marshal.

“Oh, me! Me!” cried Pinkie lifting a hoof high in the air and bouncing up and down. Blueblood was glad to see her acting more like herself.

“Inkie you’re in,” ordered Sue.

The grey fillies ears dropped, “Do I have to mother? I was having an interesting conversation with Marshall.”

“Yes.”

“I can play for a bit,” offered Marshal, “Me and the squad will have to get back to patrolling soon, we don’t want to be missed.”

“I’ll see if I can find Blinkie, you know she loves a game,” said Clyde slipping out of the room.

“Good,” said Sue leading the small herd of players into the dining room.

“Don’t be too hard on them,” whispered Blueblood to his father as the older unicorn left the room. The elder Blueblood was a famously good card player.

“I make no promises,” grinned Baron.

The gamblers settled around the dining table and Sue dextrously shuffled cards between her hooves, “Now the game is Stud Horse Poker, aces are high..”

Not interested in the card game and feeling exhausted by the days events Blueblood wandered the house looking for a quiet spot to rest for a while. He opened the door to his bedroom then shut it again very quickly his face a rosy red. Blinkie was ‘entertaining the troops’ in there, at least two of them, possibly more, he hadn’t had the time to count the hooves and other body parts involved. It was a shame he’d quite liked those new sheets, now he’d have to burn them, it was just a shame he couldn’t burn the memory as well.

“Prince,” came Clyde’s voice from off to one side making Blueblood jump, “Have you seen Blinkie?”

The noble put his back to the door, he didn't want to know what the old stallion would do if he caught his daughter in that position, “No not recently,” he lied, “Maybe she went out for a walk?”

“Maybe,” said the stallion uncertainly.

There was a groan from behind the door and Prince tried to cover it with a cough, he was glad he’d had soundproofing installed in his room since Pinkie had started to visit.

“Well, if you do see her, warn her about her mother’s card game.”

“I’ll tell her to join in if I see her,” he reassured Clyde.

“No! Don’t do that, tell her to keep well away, her mother can take that sort of thing far too seriously. I’m going to find somewhere to lay low until she’s done, you should to if you value your money.”

“Oh look, I win again,” announced Sue laying down her cards and drawing a pile of coins towards her.

“That’s it I’m out,” announced one of the soldiers, "You've got all of my money now."

“Well that’s some nice armour,” said Sue with narrow eyes, “I could front you some jangles for it.”

Before the stallion could answer Marshal butted in “No, you’re not doing that again Spear, you know what happened last time.”

“Yeah, but I was drunk then,” muttered the trooper.

“One more hoof then we have to be off,” announced his superior officer.

“So soon,” asked Prestige looking up at the clock.

“I’m afraid so, the brass is fine with squads ‘disappearing’ for a bit on Hearth’s Warming but not for too long.”

“Ok, last hoof then ladies and gentle stallions,” said Baron dealing the cards.

The players carefully examined their cards, a few folded while others pushed various piles of coin into the centre.

“Ok, I call,” said Sue.

The cards were turned face up on the table.

“Do you have Mr Bun the baker?” asked Pinkie.

“Wrong game,” pointed out Inkie.

“Well phoie, all I have are all these pictures of ponies then,” she tossed her cards onto the table.

“That’s a royal flush, dear,” noted Sue, “It means you win.”

“Goodie then,” announced Pinkie pulling the coins towards herself.

“How does she do that?” asked one of the guards.

“Okay, that is it,” announced Marshal, “We have to leave now. Spear, see whether you can find where Clover and Shaft have gone.”

The squad organised themselves in the hall where they met with their missing members who were looking rather ruffled and were hastily strapping their armour back on. Behind them floated a satisfied looking Blinkie a wide grin on her face and her mane dishevelled.

“Do be careful,” called Prestige giving her younger son a muzzle, “And write when you can.”

“I will Mother,” said Marshal with a long suffering sigh, “Good night Father,” he nodded to Baron. “And if you want to hear more about the guard... or anything else Inky you can send letters via Prince,” the grey mare grinned widely. Finally he turned to his brother, “Have a happy Hearth’s Warming, Heir,” he said.

“You to Spare. If you’ve got some leave this place will always be here for you.”

“Thanks, and look after your mare friend, she’s something special.”

“Totally unique,” said Blueblood hugging Pinkie.

“Bye Marshall,” squealed Pinkie, “Tell me when you’re coming next and I can hold a special all guards all the time party.”

Marshal stuck his helmet back on, “Ok, move out, we’ve got a lot of city to cover.”

Grumbling slightly the troops marched out into the snowy streets of Canterlot.

“Well back to the game then,” announced Sue.

“I think I’ll drop out,” said Prestige looking a little pale despite her yellow coat. “I’ll sit down somewhere quiet for a while.”

“Are you alright mother?” asked Prince.

“I’m fine,” said the unicorn mare as she headed deeper into the house.

Clyde found himself in the house’s small library. It didn't look very interesting but it allowed him to avoid having to play cards with his wife, she could take that sort of thing far too seriously, he had spent a week on the couch the last time he’d had the temerity to win a game. He browsed through a few titles not recognising most of them, they seemed to be mostly genealogies and histories. He searched for something a bit more practical, an almanac maybe, when to his surprise Prestige rushed in, she turned away as soon as she saw him but he noticed her face was wet, had she been crying?

“I’m sorry,” said Clyde averting his face, he felt like he was intruding. He was just about to leave the room when his curiosity got the better of him, “What’s wrong?” he asked.

The unicorn mare was quiet for a moment, he could almost hear her mask drop into place. “Nothing’s wrong,” she began regally, “I just wanted some quiet, I’m not used to this kind for gathering, my parties are usually so much more civilised.”

Clyde turned his face set in a scowl. “I’m sorry my family upset you,” he barked.

For a moment Prestige's true face showed through, “I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice. “I miss my boys,” she admitted.

“Well Prince is about here somewhere and Marshal only just left,” said the brown stallion in confusion.

“I know but I hardly see them anymore. Prince is always so busy and Marshal is stationed in Canterlot.” She slumped down in a reading chair.

Clyde sat down facing the mare, “I know that feeling,” he said, “I haven't seen Pinkie for years, she was just a little thing now she’s a grown mare.”

“I know they grow up so fast don’t they? It seemed like just last year I was washing and dressing Marshal, now he’s a grown stallion and an officer.”

“I always heard that rich folk had others to look after their kids for them,” said Clyde in surprise.

Prestige glared for a moment then her face softened, “If you could employ someone to help you with your children wouldn’t you?”

“Mam, I raised triplets. There was a whole year I didn’t know what sleep was. If someone had offered me a hoof I’d have taken their whole arm.” They both smiled. “Besides, you should be proud of your son, soldiering’s a fine profession. Or so I’ve heard.”

“But it’s so dangerous, what if something happens to him? What with Corona and the like. Sometimes I lie awake at night wondering if my baby’s alright, and he’s so stubborn he won’t let me help him with his career.”

“You’ve got to let them go sometimes, even if they don’t want you to,” said Clyde darkly, “Pinkie wasn’t ever going to be happy on the farm, she needs something bigger. A place with more ponies. Just look at today she’s arranged this whole shindig herself. Inkie aint going to be happy spending all her life on the farm either, that girls got brains, she can make numbers sit up and dance.” He sighed, “She didn’t get that from my side of the family that’s to be sure, my wife’s sister went to Sharpwhinny Academy so that might explain it. Still it don’t matter if they live to be a hundred or live on the opposite side of Equestria, their still your children.”

“True,” agreed the mare. “I just wish I was closer to Prince. I’ve always got on with Marshal, knew what he wanted but Prince is too much of his father’s son. Well like his father used to be when he was young, so driven to get as far at court as he could. I tried to be proud of him, but he just seems so distant, he didn't even want to visit for Hearth's Warming. I think your daughter's done him a world of good.”

“Thank you, she’s a very special filly. But I know what you mean, I just don’t know what to do with Blinkie. She used to be such a quiet child, we used to think of Inkie as the talkative one,” he laughed, “Then her sister left and I think she took it upon herself as the oldest to try and fill the gap, acted out to get attention, then she discovered,” he shivered slightly, “Colts. She’s going to get in trouble one of these days, I just don’t know how to reach out to her anymore.”

“Have you told her you’re proud of her?”

“She knows that, she’s amazing at sensing shifts on the farm.”

Prestige sighed, “I think that’s the problem she doesn’t just want to be thought of as an unpaid servant. She needs to know that you’re proud of her, not what she can do. She wants to know her parents love her as herself not as a collection of skills, that’s why she’s trying to be her sister, she’s jealous. Pinkie got to go away and live her dream and she’s still stuck at home.”

Clyde sat back and thought for a moment, “How did you get so smart at this?” he said.

“We all have dreams, I didn’t always want to help run a province you know.”

“Oh,” said Clyde. “I better be off then, I’ve got a pair of fillies to talk to. Thanks for the advice Mrs Blueblood.”

“You’re welcome, and call me Prestige.”

Baron took a mouthful of his drink. He had been trying to pace himself, he didn’t want to embarrass his family but he did need something to get him through the day. The battle had been long and vicious as one opponent after another had fallen before him or his nemesis. The younger players couldn’t take the heat and had left in an giggling huddle a while back leaving just the two of them locked in conflict. She was a whilie one, he had thought he had a chance for a time but she had just been playing with him, giving just enough to get him overconfident before springing the last trap on him. “Wherever did you learn to play like that?” said as he pushed over the last of his coins to the victor.

“It's not all rocks on the farm you know,” said Sue stacking her money. “I have monthly poker nights with some of my neighbours and I don’t like to brag but I normally win.”

“Both beautiful and talented then.” He grinned his most charming smile, “We could do wonderful things together Mrs Pie.”

Sue blushed, “My husband is around you know, as is your wife.”

“Oh, they don’t matter,” said Baron lightly.

“They most certainly do,” snapped Sue, “I love my husband.”

He examined the grey mare’s face closely, “You really do, don’t you? How did you meet?”

“He was earning a little extra as a day worker on my family farm. My family were considered quite the big shots you know, big fish in a small pond. A few lucky harvests meant we were moving up to better things, Dad was thinking of selling up and moving to the big city. My parents were not happy about me dating an itinerant.” She smiled wistfully, “But I don’t know, there was something about him, he didn’t talk much, just got his work done. Then I caught him staring at the sunset one day, he was actually crying. I asked him why, he said he was crying for the dying of the light, inside that hard exterior there’s a sensitive soul. Anyway after we’d been together for a while he inherited the Pie farm. The first few years were hard but we survived, then the girls came along, triplets were a surprise to both of us.” She shook herself, “Anyway how did you meet your wife?”

Baron looked down, “She was chosen for me by my father.”

“What?” Sue was shocked.

“She was a good match, it benefited both of our houses, so it just happened.”

“No love at all.”

“There was some passion early on, we were both young, well her younger than me. Since then we’ve settled into a sort of mutual understanding. Tradition and our children keep us together.”

“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but that sounds horrible.”

“We keep ourselves separate much of the time, mostly just keeping up appearances. It was easier when I worked away from her and she ran the province but it's still tolerable. Anyway this is supposed to be a celebration and we're just depressing each other,” he finished his drink. “So what are you going to do with your winnings?”

“Well I was considering going on a holiday to an exotic island, or buying a fantastic new dress to make my neighbours jealous. However, as we were playing for jangles, I might buy a cake.” She examined the large pile of coins in front of her, “A big cake.”

“I’m sure your daughter would make that for free.”

“I’m sure she would, she’s very talented.”

“Made with love apparently.”

“Pinkie has never been lacking in love. She’s certainly fallen for your son.”

“And him for her. I do think that’s the better way of doing it rather than the agreement Prestige and I have. Not as good for the family name though.”

Sue looked sceptical, “And that’s important is it?”

“Really. No,” the stallion shrugged, “It seemed important when I was young. Reclaiming the family honour from being besmirched by its association with Corona, but it was a thousand years ago. If we didn’t keep the name alive no one but the Princess would remember Viser Blueblood by now. Plus in that time the family fortunes have waxed and waned so many times we have much greater horrors to atone for. Of course after all this time there probably aren't any blood ties left to Viser anyway. Mostly it’s just an excuse as to why we need to get as much power as possible without thinking about what we’re supposed to do with that power.”

“So stop.”

“Were that it was so easy Mrs Pie. There is a lot of momentum behind the family by now, quite a few cousins willing to take over if we stop.”

“The rest of my family upped sticks and moved to Fillydelphia, apart from my sister and she’s out of the rock trade. There was some friction but we still talk, I made my decision and they had to live with it.”

“Well I had my chance, it’s up to Prince now, he’s in charge and you know I think he may be making a better job of it than me. I don’t think he really cares about the family name any more, well not in that way, all I really think he cares about is your daughter. I’m quite proud of him.”

“Have you told him?”

“What?”

“That you’re proud of him.”

“Oh, we don’t really talk that way. I’m sure he knows.”

“Knowing and hearing are two different things.”

Baron leaned back in his chair, “I’ll think about it.”

“Well don’t think too long, you don’t know when something might happen to either of you and then all you’ll have is regrets.”

Clyde found Pinkie in the kitchen preparing a supper for her guests. He stood watching her for a moment as she happily hopped from dish to dish singing to herself. “Do you need a hoof?” he asked.

Pinkie halted in mid hop and seemed to fade a littler her colours becoming less bright. “I’m fine Father,” she said.

Clyde winced at the formality, “Pinkie, I need to talk to you about why I asked you to go live with the Cakes.”

“Oh, I know why. You told me you didn’t want me on the farm because I wasn’t very good at rock farming. I’m sorry I tried really hard,” she sniffed a bit.

Her reaction made Clyde hate himself even more, how could he have done this to his daughter? “No it wasn’t that, you’re better than anypony I know at detecting ley shifts. You would be amazing on the farm, but you wouldn’t be happy there. It’s your mark.” He pointed at his daughters flank, “Balloons, you don’t get balloons on the farm.”

“Some rocks are balloon shaped,” Pinkie pointed out.

Clyde blinked his train of thought derailed.

“But they don’t float, I tried,” continued Pinkie.

“No rocks don’t float, but you do,” he said, grasping the metaphor and running with it, “Like a balloon you needed to float to somewhere where you could live your mark. Where you could have parties and meet new ponies and just be Pinkie and that couldn’t be with me. I know you wanted to do it, when you used to stare away from the farm each night, but you wouldn’t leave.”

“You needed my help.”

“Not as much as you needed to be away from the farm.”

“So you sent me away.”

“I thought it was for your own good. I’m sorry I should have talked to you about it but you were so young and I.. I don’t think I wanted to think about it myself. I had to make you want to stay away, because if you came back I don’t think I could ever let you go again.”

Pinkie stared at her father for a moment, “Oh, I knew that.”

“You did?” said Clyde in astonishment.

“Well sort of. I knew in my noggin that you sent me away for my own good but my heart was all sort of flippy floppy about it and when you know something in your noggin but not your heart it can feel bad. It felt bad,” she whimpered.

Clyde leapt forwards pulling Pinkie into a hug, “I’m so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?” has asked.

“Of course,” she said brightly, “What sort of Pinkie would I be if I didn’t forgive my own father?” She pulled away for a second, “But two conditions... One: I can visit you and Mama and Inkie and Blinkie as often as I want.”

“Of course.”

“And Two: You play tonight.”

Clyde froze for a moment, “I don’t know. The Blueblood’s are here,” he said fearfully.

“I know Mama made you bring it, I saw it in your saddlebags.”

“I don’t know, I’m not very good..”

“Pleeeeaaassseee!” begged Pinkie staring up at her father her eyes huge.

Clyde felt his will weakening, “Very well, but only the once.”

“We’ll see,” said Pinkie bounding off into the sitting room.

The families were both gathering in the sitting room as Pinkie shoved the furniture to the sides of the room.

“What’s going on?” asked Prince.

“You’ll see,” said his marefriend.

Clyde had removed a box from his discarded saddlebags and opened it to reveal a fiddle. He played around with it for a few minutes making sure it was tuned before rearing up onto his hind legs to play. He closed his eyes for a second then drew the bow across the strings and began a jaunty tune. Blueblood looked on in astonishment, he was amazed the tough looking stallion could play so well.

“Come on Bluie,” called Pinkie as she grabbed him and dragged him into the centre of the floor before starting to twirl around laughing. “Dance silly.”

He joined in as best he could but he was unused to the music and he thought he must have looked fairly silly, he could hear Inky and Blinkie giggling behind him. He wanted to stop but then he saw Pinkie, the grin on her face was so wide and she was laughing too, not at him but with him. He took her in his arms as the two of them cavorted around the impromptu dance floor. All too soon the music came to an end.

“Another, another,” cried Pinkie.

“Now I only said I’d do one,” argued Clyde.

“Please!” she begged.

“Very well. Just for you.” The old stallion reared up again and started on another tune.

This time Pinkie dragged Baron and Prestige onto the floor, “Come on and party,” she cried.

“Now I really don’t know how to dance to this,” protested the yellow mare.

“Oh I don’t know, you used to be able to cut a rug,” said her husband holding out his arm.

Crumbling in the face of both Pinkie and Baron Prestige finally acquiesced, “Very well.”

The rest of the guests joined them as well and soon they were all spinning around the floor.

The second number came to an end and Clyde slumped forwards massaging his back. “I’m afraid I’m out of practise for this,” he said.

“No problem,” said Pinkie rushing from the room and returning a few minutes later with a record player on her back. She placed it carefully on the floor and give it a few cranks before placing a record on it, happy, if somewhat tinny, music began to blare from the horn. “Come on every Pony, Party!” she cried.

And they did.

A short while later Prince was resting his hooves and watching Pinkie dance with her father when Baron glided up next to him. “I have something I need to say to you,” he said, “Next door.”

Prince furrowed his brow but followed his father into the hall.

Baron awkwardly shuffled his hooves as Prince shut the door to keep out the sound of merriment beyond.

“Now what is it you wanted to talk about?” said the younger Blueblood.

“I wanted to say sorry.”

“Sorry for what? How you behaved earlier? Things seem to have worked out alright despite that. I’m sorry I shouted at you.”

“No. You have nothing to be sorry for, what you said was entirely true. I’m sorry for well.. everything. How I raised you, what I taught you to do. I didn’t want you to have to go through the same things that I did, the same disappointments.”

Prince opened his mouth to speak but Baron held up a hoof for silence.

“I was an old fool. I’d forgotten what it was like to be young, to think that you could change the world, that you could make it all better and to maybe be stupid enough to actually do it because you don’t know it’s impossible. I’m sorry I took that away from you, that I tried to make you into a copy of myself.”

“Father... Dad, you taught me what I needed to know, how to stand up for myself, how to be confident, how to get things done. I’m the stallion I am today because of you. You only showed me the way, it was my own fault I decided to follow the rest of the court.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you how,” he voice almost cracked, “Proud I am of you, son. You’re a far better stallion than I ever was. I did just what my father wanted, I married the mare I was supposed to, became a player in the night court just as ordered. But you, you’re your own stallion you’ve found a wonderful mare, you don’t know what she was willing to go through for you. She even put up with your mother and me,” he smiled, “Keep her close and never be afraid to show her you love her back.”

“I don’t intend to,” said Prince with a smile, “Pinkie is definitely a keeper, if she’ll have me.”

Baron moved forwards and awkwardly wrapped one arm around his son, “If you ever hurt her you’ll have me to answer to, right?” he joked before releasing his grip. “Now let’s get back to our mares shall we?”

All too soon the day was over and the oncoming dark mean the two families had to leave for the night, of course as they both stayed in the same hotel they could continue the celebrations but they felt they should leave their beleaguered children to rest.

“Thank you both for a lovely day,” said Clyde, “Visit us as soon as you can Pinkie.”

“I sure will,” said Pinkie hugging her father, “I’ll be there before you even notice I’m gone, maybe even sooner.”

“Are you sure you don’t need help washing up,” said Sue.

“Thank you but I have people to do that for me,” said Prince, “You’d be taking their jobs if you did it,” he joked.

“I’ll be seeing you all the time now,” said Pinkie to her sisters, “It’ll be just like old time, the Pie triplets, getting into trouble and solving crimes. We’ll have such fun.”

“If you could give this to your brother,” said Inkie passing over a letter to Blueblood which he noticed was written on his own stationary.

“You two seem to have really hit it off,” he replied with a smile.

“He’s so interesting,” she gushed her hair seeming to puff up a little, “I mean I never knew the guard could be so interesting, all the paperwork that needs doing.”

Blinkie stepped forwards giving Prince a hug, “You might need to tidy the bedroom a bit,” she whispered.

“I noticed.”

“Like I said I don't get many visitors. I have to make hay while the sun shines.”

“Well maybe you could make that hay in your own field rather than mine.” The blue pony grinned as she stepped back.

“Now look after my son,” said Prestige to Pinkie, “Make sure he’s happy.”

Pinkie saluted, “That’s what I want to do for every day ever.”

“And Prince, keep an eye on your brother you’ll see him more than me. Look after yourself as well, of course. You could visit more often as well.”

“Yes, mother,” said Prince rolling his eyes.

She muzzled him gently, “I love you.”

“Me too,” he replied.

“Keep up the good work,” said Baron shaking hooves with his son. ”Remember what I said.”

“I will.”

“And make sure you treat this ravishing young filly well,” he hugged Pinkie, “If I hear anything bad I might just have words with you, you aren't too old for me to lay you over my knee you know.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, if I ever hurt her I’ll do much worse to myself.”

The two families trailed out into the snow talking amongst themselves.

“Happy Hearth’s Warming,” Pinkie and Bluie cried as they shut the door.

Within a house in the great city of Canterlot, two ponies lie cuddled together by a roaring fire. Outside it is cold but inside, more than just the flames warm them.

“That worked out better than I thought it would,” said Blueblood kissing Pinkie’s mane.

“I wasn’t worried for a minute,” said Pinkie.

He laughed, “Really a remember a few minutes where you looked rather upset,”

“Pish posh,” mumbled Pinkie, “Oh, I like that pish, posh, posh, pish, pash”

Blueblood silenced her with a kiss. “I did tell you they would love your food.”

“And there’s so much left, I’ll have to show you what I can do with leftovers, bubble and squeak here we come. I love that and not just because of its name. Anyway I wasn’t worried because my family are the best family ever and yours can’t be that bad because they made you, and I love you.”

“And I love you to.” he said tenderly before sighing, “I suppose we’ll have to do it all again next year though.”

Pinkie stiffened in his grasp.

“Maybe you can just hold me for the moment then,” she squeaked.

“That I can,” he agreed with a smile.

And he did.

Author's Note

Well that's it then.

I apologise for the poor state of these last few chapters, there was literally written last night and as I'm going to be out of communication for the next week I had to put them up today.

Given more time I probably could have improved them but they the story wouldn't be seasonal.

A always feed back is very welcome.