'Twas the night before Hearth's Warming, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...
...except for Applejack, who was swirling a spoon in a mug of hot cocoa.
Hearth's Warming was always a special time for the Apple family. It was a time to be together; to consider how lucky they were to have each other, and this year it was extra special - they were welcoming a new member to the farming family, a cyan pegasus.
Applejack smiled as she brought the mugs over to the old couch she and her marefriend were sharing. On any other night, a shared sleeping surface would've spelled out a night of...well, fun, but tonight it was different.
Tonight was about simply enjoying each other's company.
Applejack passed a mug to Rainbow, who accepted it with a smile as warm as the drink itself, before getting onto the couch herself and leaning against the pegasus.
She gazed across the room at their Hearth's Warming tree, adorned with apple-themed ornaments - plus a couple cloud-themed ones - and silver tinsel, lit up by the dim orange candlelight, a couple of gifts already underneath it.
The scene was so picturesque. Nothing could ruin a moment like this.
Buuurrrp!
Except that.
Applejack gave Rainbow a flat look, who returned with a sheepish grin.
"Err...the cocoa made me do it?"
Applejack chuckled softly, and shook her head.
"You sure are somethin', Dash..."
"An incredibly handsome something, that is!" Rainbow replied, her usual cockiness retuning briefly, before taking a more romantic turn, "With an equally handsome marefriend"
"Always the sweet-talker, ain'tcha?"
"What can I say? I'm the sweetest pony around!"
Applejack smiled softly before nuzzling into Dash's chest. "That you are, RD, that you are..." she mused, not bothering to rebut her marefriends claims.
As her eyelids closed, Applejack thought back to the Apple family's past Hearth Warming celebrations. The entire Apple clan got together for lunch, and this year Sweet Apple Acres was hosting the event.
Applejack sighed inwardly. There was still a lot of preparation they had to do, and although Twilight Sparkle had offered to be the event organizer, and the rest of their friends offering to help in setting up, it wasn't going to be easy.
It would be even harder without her parents.
This time, Applejack sighed out loud, prompting a blue wing to stroke up and down her side. Ever since their passing, Hearth's Warming had a bittersweet tinge to it. On one hand, Hearth's Warming without parents was like an apple orchard without apples. On the other hand, it reminded the remaining four Apples just how important family was, and made them appreciate the holiday all the more.
"Hey sis?" a young voice asked from the doorway.
Speaking of family...
Applejack opened her eyes and sat up, seeing her younger sister walking into the room. It wasn't very late, so Applejack couldn't really expect her to be in bed already; however she was hoping there wouldn't be any distractions for her and Rainbow.
"Yeah? Y'alright?"
"Well, yeah, it's just that...Ah kinda gotta question for ya"
A million possibilities ran through the orange mare's mind. Why is the sky blue? What's a dangling participle? Where do foals come from? What was that noise coming from your room last night? Why does -
"Is Santa Claus real?"
To be honest, she should've expected that. It WAS Hearth's Warming Eve, after all - the night young colts and fillies associate with presents under trees, and the great mystery of the pony putting them there.
But that didn't make it any less surprising.
"Uhh..."
She turned to look at Rainbow, hoping she would have a cocksure grin on her face, ready to explain Apple Bloom enough to get her to leave, her curiosity satisfied, without breaking bad news to the filly.
The look she got, however, was one of concern, confusion, defeat, and most problematic of all, was exactly the one Applejack herself was wearing.
"Err...what...makes ya ask that, lil' filly?"
"Well, I heard some of the other foals talking today, and one of them said Santa Claus wasn't real and that it was actually his mom and dad putting the presents there. That's not true, right?"
"Uhh..."
Applejack wasn't ready for this. Why now? Why couldn't she slowly figure it out in a few years?
"Well, AB, you see..." Rainbow chimed in, trying to buy Applejack a bit of time to think of something. "It's...kinda hard to explain. I...um...well...it..."
"It's not quite as black 'n' white as that" Applejack finally mustered.
The matter of Santa Claus had been complicated ever since...well, her parents. The first Hearth's Warming afterwards, Granny Smith had pulled Applejack and her brother aside, spilling the beans on what really happened on Hearth's Warming Night. It had been hard to take, but Granny had left her with a few words that rung in her head.
Suddenly, she knew what to say.
"Well, you see, Apple Bloom, ponies give other ponies things, or do things for ‘em, because they love ‘em, or because of their generosity, or both.
Hearth's Warming is a time for ponies to express love, kindness an’ generosity to one another. That's why there are presents under our tree, and all the other ponies' trees.
Now, Santa is a...'vehicle', Ah guess, for those presents getting under the tree, but there's a lot more to it than that - he represents the spirit of Hearth’s Warming, an’ those feelin’s that ponies have.
So, it doesn't matter if Santa is something, or somepony, physical, that ya can touch. What matters is that you believe he's there - because if it weren't for him, there wouldn't be any gifts under the tree, or anywhere for that matter."
Applejack paused, looking into the wondrous eyes of the young filly before her.
"An’ I reckon that makes him pretty real."
Apple Bloom reflected on this briefly, before grinning. Applejack wasn't sure if her sister had even understood what she had just said, however her doubts were dispelled when she was pulled into a tight hug.
"Thanks, sis” she said.
Applejack returned the hug, opening an eye to look at Rainbow, who was wearing a smile, small, but full of pride, as well as because of the cuteness of the scene in front of her. Rainbow joined in the hug too, although only briefly, as Apple Bloom soon let go and hopped back down to the ground.
Applejack and Rainbow both exchanged glances, both feeling a lot better than they were a few minutes ago.
As Apple Bloom began to leave, however, she turned around, and said "Oh, one other thing...
Where do foals come from?"
Author's Note
My first attempt at story-writing, outside of doing prompt fills.
I'd love some feedback on this, in case I ever pursue writing further. Let me know any problems/mistakes you saw, or any general things for me to consider.
Hope you enjoyed it!