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Lonely on Hearth’s Warming Eve?
Would you like to feel the magicofloveandfriendshipon the closest day of the year?
Have a Heart!™
Quills and Sofas™ in association with Rich’s Barnyard Bargains™ is giving YOU a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a Heart™!
Use as directed. Hearts™ sold separately. Batteries not included. While stocks last. Offer ends 11:59 PM eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. For ages 3+. Hearts and Heart logo are property of Quills & Rich. Copyright 2014 AD (After Discord). All rights reserved.
Quills and Sofas™ in association with Rich’s Barnyard Bargains™ are not responsible for any accidental deaths or injury pursuant to the use of Hearts is any manner other than instructed explicitly within article II, subsection IV, class C of the Proper Use and Operations of the Hearth’s Warming Eve’s Heart’s Warming Eve Heart™. Manual available with every purchase of a Hearth’s Warming Eve’s Heart’s Warming Eve Heart™.
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“I don’t believe this!” Twilight muttered as she paced around the cozy confines of the Ponyville Golden Oak Library. She had seen the advertising, everypony had. What she didn’t get was why nopony seemed to care.
As a testimony to this, Spike just shrugged and went back to sorting out decorations. Spike knew when he would have to let Twilight work the twig out of her mane herself. The last time he tried to help, it ended with three casualties: Owlowiscious, himself and Twilight’s mane. Spike lost hair in places he didn’t know he had them.
“They’re selling love and friendship! That’s just preposterous! How can you sell love and friendship? That doesn’t even make any sense!” Twilight trotted to a shelf and hoofed out a dictionary. She flicked through it. “You can’t sell emotions and concepts!” Twilight located the page she was looking for. “See? Right here. Love: a strong feeling of affection.” She trotted over to Spike who was busy trying to figure out whether the crystal bauble belonged to the throw away pile or the keep pile. Sure the bauble was old, but it was a classic.
Twilight pushed the dictionary in front of his face and he was forced to drop the crystal bauble anyway.
“Spike? What do you think?”
Spike drew a deep breath and put his hands on his hips. “I think you’re taking this way too seriously. Lighten up, it’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, someponies just want to make a few bits during the holiday rush, is that so bad?”
Twilight huffed. “But they’re commercialising our feelings. Don’t you get it? Hearth’s Warming Eve is turning into one giant commercial! I mean look at this, it’s six weeks before Hearth’s Warming Eve. Six weeks! I’m seeing advertising and candy canes and everypony is preparing for it. It’s way too early!”
Spike put a thoughtful claw to his chin. “Well, as you say, it’s never too early to prepare, right? What’s wrong with preparing a little early for the season?”
Twilight blew out a frustrated breath. It didn’t seem like her point was getting across effectively enough.
“I’m just so sick of this holiday commercialism, Hearth’s Warming Eve used to be all about the warm family tales, the spirit of generosity and friendship and the excitement of giving and receiving gifts.” Twilight sighed and pressed her muzzle against the cold pane of the window. She gazed at the snowflakes as they drifted lazily down. Winter had come early, because somepony at the weather factory had decided it would be nice to get some snow in advance of the season. They probably got paid off by some business. She watched the flakes drift lazily down. She tried to feel festive but it wasn’t the same.
Twilight sighed again. Was she being too cynical about the whole thing?
Spike coughed to get her attention. He wrapped a friendly arm around the uncertain mare. “Twilight don’t worry about it too much. We all know what Hearth’s Warming Eve is all about. If you’re that concerned about it, why don’t you go over there and ask them what it’s all about? I’m sure they won’t mind.” Twilight perked up at that. That made sense. If she was there she could see if those Hearts™ did everything they claimed to do.
“Yes!” she chattered excitedly, returning the young drake’s hug. “I think I’ll do that, thanks Spike!”
Spike smiled and waddled back to the decorations. He stopped and called back over his shoulder as Twilight put one hoof out the door. “Don’t forget your scarf and–” the door slammed with a resounding bang “–boots,” he finished lamely.
He shrugged and went back to sorting the decorations. “I hope she doesn’t come down with something,” he muttered, shifting a box to the side. He paused tapping his chin. “Then again, I’d better warm up some soup, just in case.”
Twilight trotted along the parade towards the store selling the Hearts™. Usually she would be delighted to see Davenport while purchasing a stack of quills, but right now she simply wasn’t in the mood.
As she approached the store, she spotted a gathering of ponies already clustered around the entrance. She slowed and stopped just short of the crowd. They were queued up, with the line curled up and a significant distance from the actual store.
“Hey Berry,” Twilight greeted as the warm plum-coated mare passed her by. “What’s going on?”
Berry raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear? Quill and Rich has gotten together to sell Hearts™, aren’t you here for that as well?”
Twilight shook her head. “I’m here to ask about the Hearts™, but I’m just going to ask about them, not buy them.”
Berry smiled. “Suuuure,” she replied, giving Twilight a sly wink. “That’s what we’re all here for. To ‘ask a couple of questions’.”
Twilight cocked her head. “That’s what I said, didn’t I?”
Berry huffed at her. “So you’re one of them, are you? Think you’re better than all of us since you’ve already got yourself a nice stallion to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve with?”
Twilight’s cheeks flamed as she spluttered her response. “N-No! Of course not! I don’t ha–” she stopped herself before she could dig a deeper hole. “You know what? Nevermind,” she muttered and joined the rest of the ponies in line.
Berry just smirked.
“Thought so,” she sniggered behind Twilight. Twilight studiously ignored her.
It would be a while until the sales were underway. During the waiting period Twilight was suddenly made aware of the biting cold as her fetlocks became numb and ears were starting to smart. Normally, she’d just give up and go back to the library to grab her boots and scarf but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Berry and a couple of other assorted mares and stallions were just waiting for her to do just that. She could feel their gazes bore holes in the back of her skull. Shrugging and hunching, she decided to just bear with it.
The soft sound of hooves in the snow snapped her out of her reverie.
“Twilight, dear! What are you doing outside without some winter clothing?!”
Twilight turned to smile sheepishly at Rarity.
“Hi Rarity. Oh, I just dashed out of the library without thinking about it and I got trapped in this line.”
Rarity put a hoof to her muzzle delicately as she gasped. “That simply will not do,” she pined and gently unwrapped her scarf and draped it across her neck. “A lady must take care of herself!”
Twilight bit her lip. The scarf was a little itchy but it was so comfortably warm. Twilight hesitated, she couldn’t let Rarity get cold too. “Rarity I can’t–”
“A ba-bup!” Rarity interjected, raising a hoof daintily. “I won’t hear a word. I would hardly live up to my Element if a friend was freezing her coat off in such horrid weather!”
Twilight smiled warmly at her friend. “Thank you, Rarity.”
“Think nothing of it,” the elegant mare replied. “Now I'm sorry my dear but I must be brief. There are some supplies for the store I must purchase urgently. It does get so dreadfully busy this time of year. I will see you soon!”
With that, Rarity left and Twilight snuggled warmly with the only measure of comfort in the biting cold. A few minutes later, the shop door opened with the distinctive door bell clanging, echoing around the nearly empty market square. The line lurched forward and Twilight was glad when she gradually approached the entrance. The store was heated and a gentle flow of warm air flowed out, encompassing the approaching ponies in a cocoon of heat. Several ponies in front of Twilight sighed in relief as they got closer.
Eventually, she was able to enter the store. As she did so, her jaw dropped. Agape, she took in the myriad of colours and dazzling shades and hues of spectral hearts. The crystal hearts all lined up on shelves ranging in all different sizes, shapes and colours. Most hearts were of a light pink or a deep red. Extra store personnel bustled around, constantly stocking and restocking the shelves with different hearts. Some that were glowing dully were taken away and immediately replaced with a brightly shining heart. As Twilight approached a crystal heart, they glowed and she felt a warmth and an indescribable feeling of security and safety. She leaned in closer to inspect the tag.
A Mother’s Protective Love, 200 bits.
Puzzled she perused the other types of hearts, reading each description in tandem. She felt excited, bubbly and happy, Young Love; she felt desperate, sorrowful and angry, Unrequited Love; she felt possessive, obsessive and aggressive, Crazy Love; she felt warm, fuzzy and included, Familial Love.
Twilight was inspecting a strange obsidian-like heart tagged with Dark Love when she heard a familiar voice address her.
“Hello! Do you require any help?”
Twilight couldn’t help herself. She smiled warmly. “Mr. Davenport, it is nice to see you again,” she greeted back, grinning. It was funny, she was here for something, but she couldn’t recall… It just felt so good to be here, with all these feelings of love.
“I see you’re enjoying the finest of my products,” he continued, he gestured with a proud hoof to the rest of the store. “Finest love you can find in all of Equestria!”
Twilight nodded, smiling. “Of course, it’s amazing what you have here.” There was something on the edge of her mind… Idly, she scratched her neck, her scarf was a little itchy…
Her eyes widened. She remembered what she was here for!
“Mr. Davenport!” she yelped, looking around. Now that she could focus, she noticed something strange about the ponies scattered around the shop. They were staring at the crystal hearts, their gazes unfocused. The hearts were no longer any shade of pink or red, they were all black. A small stream of light streamed out from their chest tethered to the heart. Occasionally, they would break away and shuffle around to examine another heart. As soon as they focused on one, a glowing filament of energy would surge from their chest and into the heart.
“Oh so close,” a rasping voice distracted Twilight. She turned back in horror to see Davenport engulfed in actinic green flames to reveal black chitin, tattered wings and a pair of glowing blank eyes.
“Changeling,” Twilight growled, dropping into a defensive stance. Her horn lit up but the changeling flicked a hoof in a calming motion.
“Not so fast,” it hissed, its forked tongue flicking over its fangs. It gestured with its hoof to the other ponies in the room. “We’ve gathered what we can from you ponies. Allow me to leave unharmed and I will guarantee I will leave the others unharmed,” it offered, eyes studying Twilight intensely.
Twilight’s horn flickered. She narrowed her eyes, it flickered to Berry who was gazing catatonically at a dark heart. Finally, Twilight slowly relaxed and straightened up.
“Get out,” she ordered, her teeth gritted. “And don’t think this trick will work again, I’m sending a letter to the Princess.”
The changeling smirked. “Wise decision. We will withdraw this time.” It narrowed its eyes. “But we will be back.”
Several of the staff around the store lit up in green flames. They gathered the hearts and stashed them away in saddlebags. In minutes the changelings were gone. Twilight waited a few tense moments after they left and then cautiously approached Berry.
“Hey,” she said, trying to rouse the pony. “Are you okay?”
Berry shook her head, blinking.
“Huh? What was I doing?” Around the shop were similar questions from ponies around the store. Twilight smiled, looks like they would be all right.
The scroll disappeared in a bath of viridescent flames.
“So that’s why you’ve gotten that cold,” Spike commented, understanding dawning all over his draconic features. Twilight nodded, her teeth chattering. She sipped gratefully at the hearty vegetable soup that Spike had prepared for her.
Spike just shook his head.“And if it weren't for Rarity’s scarf,” he continued, “you would have had the love sucked right out of you!” He untied the apron he had donned and threw it on the kitchen table.
Twilight grinned at that. “I think I owe Rarity a lot more than just for the scarf.” She paused. “Would you like to take it back to her? I think she would like it back as soon as possible.”
Spike brightened at that. He saluted. “I’ll get it done right away!” Spike grabbed the scarf and darted away, the door slamming shut before Twilight could blink in surprise. She chuckled to herself and finished the rest of the delicious soup. With a yawn, the weary unicorn headed upstairs and slumped on her bed, exhausted from the day’s events.
“Spike has more heart than that whole store ever had,” Twilight muttered to herself. She curled up among the warm sheets of her bed and slowly drifted to sleep with a small smile plastered on her muzzle.
Oh well, at least I’ll have something to talk about at the Hearth’s Warming Family Dinner.
Author's Note
I wonder how close to December 25th I should actually post this? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Oh well. Whenever I guess.
I really liked putting those trademark symbols everywhere. Hearts™Hearts™Hearts™Hearts™Hearts™Hearts™Hearts™ yeeees.
Next Chapter: What are those changelings up to? Well we probably won't be able to find out.
As always, my scrutinising readers, thanks for reading!
