The Favor that Changed it All

It had nearly been a month since Esbin and his best friends had kissed and make up for their little secret from each other, the warm days of Ponyville had now started to cool down as Heart Warming’s Eve came closer and closer. The Pegasus weather team had planned to pull together numerous amounts of cumulous clouds to form a large snow storm, large enough to cover enough for both Ponyville and Canterlot. It hasn’t started snowing yet and but the cold air certain foretold it was going to occur at some point during the week during the winter. The leaves had fallen, the lakes had started to freeze, and the air was cold enough that everypony could see their own breath. Pinkie Pie was dashing around looking for snow flacks to fall from the sky but nothing showed up yet, she continued looking until she spotted a brown coated stallion with olive green colored scarf around his neck. Pinkie Pie spontaneously gasped and chirped, “ESBIN, Happy Hearts Warming’s Eve!”

“Happy Hearts Warming’s Eve Pinkie Pie, still looking for snow flacks to fall?” Esbin asked raising an eyebrow with a happy smile.

“You bettch ya, I take it you’re on your way to Sweet Apple Acres to try some Applejacks hot apple cider?” Pinkie Pie asked as she trotted along with Esbin.

Esbin nodded and replied, “Yep, I was gonna purchase a jug of it for me and the family before the Hearts Warming’s Eve party starts at my house.” Pinkie Pie stopped dead in tracks a smile erupted on her face as she asked, “YOUR HAVING A HEARTS WARMING’S EVE PARTY?!” Esbin couldn’t help but feel nervous as the bubble pink pony dashed right up to his face, he replied, “Yah…we have one every year, remember?” Before Pinkie could say a word, she tapped her chin with her hoof and said, “OH YAH, that’s right! I had a feeling that if was supposed to do something today.” “What might that be?” Esbin ask with a gentle smile. Pinkie Pie then replied, “If I could join you and your family in your party?”

“Pinkie, we always invite you to our parties. In fact I was just looking for you, plus I wondering if could tell your friends that their invited as well?” Esbin asked.

“-Gasp- You can count on me Esbin! Expect me and my friends to be there at um… what time is the party?” Pinkie Pie asked after she saluted to the stallion in front of her.

“5:00 P.M.” Esbin said casually.

“Five o’clock! I’ll see you there Esby-boy say hi to your folks for me.” Pinkie Pie chirped happily before taking off in a pink colored swoosh. “–Sigh- I’ll never understand where that pony gets all that energy.” Esbin thought to himself. “Maybe it’s from all those sweets she eats or something like that.” He trotted along the path as he soon passed along his old school, it looked as inviting as it always did just like the days when he would walk up the steps every morning for class. Just as he was about to pass on by he heard laughter on his right side, Esbin turned to look down a hill to see several foals with their parents skating on the fully frozen lake, he smiled nervously and continued walking to Sweet Apple Acres. But just was he was half way down the path he suddenly felt cold beads of sweat run down the back of his neck, then without warning he heard a very familiar colt’s voice at the back of his mind screaming, “MOMMY!” And with that Esbin gulped nervously and took off in full gallop not daring to look back at the school house.

About several minutes later Esbin arrived at the farm as he trotted off the dirt path, he could see Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith sitting on the front porch of the house. “Howdy there Mr. Charles,” Granny Smith said while waving to the young stallion walking across the open area, “Mighty fine day we’re have ‘in.” Esbin sighed with a shake of his head and said, “It Esbin Granny Smith, I was wondering if you still have a jug of your hot apple cider in stock?” “We sure do,” Applejack said as she got off her chair, “Me and Big Mac were just take ‘in a break from bucking what is left of those apples in the orchard before it starts ta snow.” Big Mac moved from where he was and pulled a thick clay jug from the porch and placed it on the ground in front of him, Esbin then pulled out several bits from his saddle bag flung it over to the red draft horse.

“Why don’t ya pop a squat Esbin and have some cider ta warm ya up,” Applejack said, she poured a hot stream of cider into an empty mug next to her.

“Sounds like a plan, thank you.” Esbin said, he walked up the porch take a seat on the steps and kindly took the wooden mug from Applejack as she handed it out to him. As he took a quick sip of the steaming cider he perked up a bit and asked, “Say Applejack, were your little sister? I haven’t seen her since yesterday, is she around the farm?” Before Applejack could say anything, Esbins eyes were suddenly cover by something yet a cheery voice came from behind him, “Take a wild guess handsome.” Esbins expression of shock quickly faded into a smile and asked, “Could it possibly be one of my favorite mares in all of Equestria?” When Esbin turned his head as the darkness was removed from his eyes he could now see the friendly yellow earth pony facing him before planted a kiss on his forehead. As he stood up from the steps he could now see that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were exiting the house with their winter clothing on, “I didn’t expect to see you two here,” Esbin said placing his cider on the steps, “What are you up to?”

“We were here wrapping up some presents for Applejacks friends, Apple Bloom needed help so we decided on lending a hoof.” Sweetie Belle explained.

“Well why didn’t ask me for help, I would have be more than happy to assist you three.” Esbin asked with a half confused smile at the three mares on the porch.

“Well we…” Apple Bloom started but Scootaloo slapped her hoof on her mouth to keep her quiet.

“Trying to keep it a surprise, remember?” Scootaloo whispered into Apple Blooms ear.

“Just what are you three up to this time?” Esbin asked raising an eyebrow but with a smug smile. The three mares simply giggled in unison and they all said, “You’ll see.”

“Plans sack, there no tell ’in what you silly fillies are up to.” Applejack said as she returned to drinking her cider. Esbin let out a laugh said, “Ah well, whatever you three have planned, I can wait. It just makes all the more exciting. By the way girls, would you care to join me and my parents in a Hearts Warming’s Eve party at five o’clock?” The three mares looked at each other with smiles on their faces as they faced Esbin again.

“Sure thing,” Apple Bloom said.

“You bettch yah,” Scootaloo cheered.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Sweetie Belle chirped.

“Well alright then,” Esbin said with a wide grin, “Oh Applejack, before I forget, you and your closest friends are invited to join us as well. And by the way, keep an eye out for Pinkie Pie, I told her to tell you and her friends about the party so she’ll probably drop on by to let you know.” “Thanks for the heads up Esbin,” Applejack said rising her mug up, “But I feel like I’ll do that much good, that girl has a tendency to pop up when ya least expect her.” Applejack couldn’t help but look around her as if she was expecting Pinkie Pie to show up at any second, but nothing happened. Esbin took the large jug and packed it into his saddlebag before Scootaloo walked up to him and asked, “Hey Esbin, you know what would really make this Hearts Warming’s Eve the much more exciting?”

“What might that be Scootaloo?” Esbin asked casually.

“If, I BEAT YOU IN A RACE BACK HOME,” Scootaloo quickly called out as she instantly took off into the sky ahead of him.

“Wait WHAT?” Esbin said as he tried to understand the quick challenge.

“Meet ya back home slow polk,” Apple Bloom blurted out as she zoomed past the stallion. Sweetie Belle stayed alongside Esbin and said, “That’s alright Esbin, I’ll walk you back to your home.” Esbin smiled and brushed up against Sweetie Belles side and said, “Thanks Sweetie Belle, guess no matter how old we are I guess we’ll always be kids inside.” She giggled slightly as she rest the side of her head against his neck as they casually trotted after the two ponies that were still racing. “Boy ah tells ya Big Mac,” Applejack sighed, “It seems like only yesterday when Apple Bloom and her friends first introduced that colt of theirs. Kinda knew there was a reason why ah liked him.” Big Macintosh nodded and asked with a smug smile, “Correct me if ah’m wrong AJ, but didn’t you hog tie Esbin when ya saw him eating one our apples and thought a robber when ya first saw him?” Applejacks expression turned into harsh glare at her older brother while Granny Smith chuckled and said, “Ya sure did give him a first impression.” Applejack sipped her cider and turned her attention to Esbin and Sweetie Belle walking down the path as she tried to ignore Big Mac and Granny Smith laughing from the distant, yet vivid memory.

Scootaloo swooped down from the cloudy sky and landed at the front door of the Esbin resident, she turned around to spot Apple Bloom galloping down the street before she noticed that Scootaloo was already at the house. “When are you going to realize,” Scootaloo asked, “No pony can beat me in a race?” “Maybe,” Apple Bloom panted, “But Esbin sure as heck beat ya, twice.” Scootaloo looked like she was about to say something but she just couldn’t find the words, she merely swayed her head to the side upward let out a, “Humph.” “Speaking of which,” Apple Bloom perked up, “Where is that stallion of ours anyway? And where’s Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo looked both ways and shrugged, “Right here,” said Esbin trotting through the park across the street, “And for the record I didn’t feel like risking a bottle of cider after I just bought it.” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nervously chuckled as Esbin and Sweetie Belle trotted up the house and opened the door. “Mom dad, I’m back,” Esbin called out in the house.

Charles and Margret were hanging up some streamer-like banners around the ceiling of the living room when they saw their son walk into the house. “Wow that was fast,” Charles said stepping down from the stood he was on, “I take you got the cider we need for the party?” “You bet but I think it was the only one they had left,” Esbin said as he pulled off his scarf and held the door so his friends could walk in, “They only had just the one jug of cider. By the way I told Pinkie Pie to invite her and her friends to the party, I hope you don’t mind.”

“That’s quite alright Esbin, besides it never hurts to have guest around for Hearts Warming’s Eve,” Charles said with a smile.

“Don’t worry about the cider dearie; I’m sure it will be enough for everypony. Hello girls.” Margret said waving to the mares walking into the house.

“Hello,” Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo said in unison as they took off their scarfs and hats. Esbin walked into the kitchen and tried to find a spot to place the cider jug, but it was little hard to do on account of all the plates of food splayed on the counters. He moved some of the plates aside and set the jug on the open space, just as he was about to walk back into the living room, he noticed his mother’s famous lemon bars on one of baking sheets. After a quick look around to see if anyone was looking, Esbin took one of the bars and was about to take a bite out of it before he heard Margret call out from the living room, “Don’t even think about it Esbin.” Esbin shuttered in surprise for a moment, looked back at the living room and put the lemon bar back on the baking sheet with a disappointed look on his face. He walked back into the living room to see Scootaloo hovering off the floor to help hang the streamers around the room, while Apple Bloom helped bring out some framed photos on the shelves around the roaring fire place, and Sweetie Belle was talking to Margret about her previous Hearts Warming’s Eve celebrations. “This is going to be a pretty good celebration,” Esbin said to himself, on the mantle of the fireplace was a clock that read, 3:52 P.M.

By the time it was five o’clock, the house had become full with guest from around Ponyville to join in on the party. Twilight and all of her friends came to enjoy the party after most of them came from the Ponyville Theater watching a play about the origins of Hearts Warming’s Eve. The rooms of the house were filled by both music from the record player and the guest talking to one another. Esbin set a tray of appetizers on his back to the guest around the house, things seemed to be going well; Charles was having a friendly conversation with his boss from work, Margret was complimenting about Rarity’s new dress she made for this Hearts Warming’s Eve. Before he knew it Esbin felt something feeding from the tray he had from behind him, he craned his neck to see a blond hair Pegasus eating all the muffins off the tray. “Oh come on Ditzy,” Esbin exclaimed as the cross-eyed Pegasus stopped eating the muffins, “Save some of those for the guests!” Ditzy Doo smiled nervously and landed on the floor gently before she walked around the party guest. Esbin then looked at the tray he had to see that all of the muffins were crumbled; he sighed and made his way toward the kitchen to get more snacks for everyone.

Pinkie Pie had her face buried in one of the cakes she brought over with a thick frosting beard around her face, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack were drinking a mug full of hot cider talking about this month’s weather plan. Twilight could be seen in the next room dancing to the music with other guest of the party slowly walking away to avoid her. Esbin poked his head back into the living room to see Fluttershy attempting to snuggle up to Big Macintosh on the couch, Big Mac then shifted over to her causing her to blush brightly. Just then Esbin felt somepony looped their arm around the back of his neck which caught him of off guard; it was Applejack with a warm smile. “Boy Howdy,” Applejack said, “This celebration party yall have ‘in is pretty darn good. Here have a mug of cider; ya look a little thirsty there.” “Well thank you very kindly Applejack,” Esbin said taking the mug she handed him, “I just figured we could need a few more guest than just having me, my parents, and family relatives over this year. By the way have you seen my uncle?”

“I think ah say him playing cards with Granny Smith,” Applejack said pointing a hoof to the same room as Twilight was in.

Esbin sighed and said, “Thanks, I was wondering where he went. I think I’m gonna take a bit of a break for now and have a little bit of fun.” “Sure thing partner,” Applejack said as Esbin took a gulp of his cider and trotted around the party guest like a serpent. Just as Esbin waltz his way out of the guest room, he found himself yanked from the doorway and up the stairs by three pairs of colored hooves. He looked up to see Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo smiling down at him as they pulled up to the second floor and oddly enough, no pony seemed to notice them. Sweetie Belle only said, “SSSHHHH!” while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo covered his mouth to keep him quiet as they quickly dragged him up the stairs. When they finally entered into Esbins room, they let go of him and before he could utter a word, the three mares planted a kiss all around his face, one on his lips, his cheek, and one on his neck. Before he could stop to enjoy the lip kissing from Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo suddenly switched with her and started kissing Esbin on the lips; he could fell her tongue starting to wiggle its way into his mouth. Pretty soon, Apple Bloom began to swop from Scootaloo and she too began to pepper Esbin with kisses on his lips.

And just as Esbin wanted to continue, he pulled away to catch his breath and said while panting, “You three –pant- are amazing! Do –pant- do ya know that?” The girls giggled from Esbins response, “Well ya sure are something special,” Apple Bloom said with a warm smile. “Speaking of something special,” Scootaloo added in, “we have little gift for you.” “Oh really,” Esbin said having an idea what it might be, but before they did anything, suddenly they heard Margret from downstairs call out, “ESBIN! Come down its time to do some caroling! And we need you to sing with us!” The hot mood in the room suddenly faded as they frown from the ruined moment they were having, Esbin trotted over to the door but then looked back and asked his marefriends, “Well, aren’t you girls coming?” The girls perked up and dashed over to Esbin as they walked down the stairs and into the living room where everyone cleared some space for them to started caroling. Just as Charles was about to start, Esbin said, “Hang one everypony…there’s ah… kind of something I need to say.”

“A speech,” Rainbow Dash called out from the corner of the room.

“Speech, speech, speech, speech, speech,” everyone started chanting to the stallion in the center of the room.

“Well I was really gonna go with a simple toast,” Esbin said causing some of the ponies to chuckle, he paused a moment to think as he picked up a fine glass juice and shortly continued, “Well… I…I just wanted to say, thank you to my dearest friends in all of Equestria. We may have had a few rough spots in our friendship, but we always pulled though in the end! But what I’m really trying to say is, thank you to my good friends: Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, if it wasn’t for you three I… I…” Esbin began to trail off and some of the ponies around him noticed that he was tearing up a little bit as he tried to continue on his toast. “…I probably wouldn’t even be here right now.” Esbin said as tear streamed down from the corners of his eyes, “To my friends, may our friendship never be tarnished throughout our lives.” There was a humble silence as Esbin raised his glass into the air as the others did the same to the three mares across form Esbin. “To friendship,” Everyone said in union.

“To love,” Said one pony around the room.

“To happy lives,” another pony called out.

“TO PARTIES,” Pinkie Pie cheered out while throwing some confetti into the air.

“To marriage,” Margret and Charles said softly together as the kiss under mistletoe.

Esbin looked around the room to see that everypony was calling out to their own toasts to various reasons, and as he looked at his lovers again, they walked up to him and they each said, “Happy Hearts Warming Eve Esbin.” He smiled and embraced them all in a hug, just then the clock on the mantle chimed loudly at the time, 12:00 A.M. Everyone looked at the clock and cheered, “HAPPY HEARTS WARMING EVE EVERYPONY!” With that everyone started singing various carols throughout the night, but the first song they sang was Auld Lang Syne. The celebrating lasted for about another hour before the majority of the guest head back home to turn in for the night, “Let me walk ya home Miss Fluttershy,” Big Macintosh offered generously to the nervous Pegasus. “OH… why…thank you Big Mac,” Fluttershy said trying her best not to blush in front of the draft horse, “That’s very…nice of you.” The two ponies finally left the house only leaving Esbin, his friends, and his parents along in the slightly messy house. “Before we leave Esbin,” Apple Bloom said while the stallion was picking up some of the small plates around the room, “We wanted to give ya your gift before it starts ta get any later.”

“Wait, right now?” Esbin asked a little taken back by this.

“Right now,” Sweetie Belle said as she and her friends started to walk closer to Esbin.

“You can’t be serious, right?! My parents are still here!” Esbin said trying to keep his voice down, he closed his eye to brace himself but then the girls said in unison, “SURPRISE!” Esbin opened his eye to see that all three of them were presenting one small present by all their front hooves, he blinked blankly for a moment and smiled softly at his lovers as he gently grabbed to present. It was a thin, rectangular shaped present that was wrapped in rice paper, he carefully tour the paper from one edge to another and pulled out whatever what was wrapped up. Esbins eyes widened with surprise and he smiled back at his lovers with joy and embraced them in another hug, when he let go he went back to look at the present he still had in his hoof. It was a simple wooden framed picture of him and his friends when they were still little ponies in front of their old tree house. “Thank you girls,” Esbin chirped happily, “I’ll treasure it forever!”

After saying their goodbyes and give their goodnight kisses, Esbin helped his parents clean up the mess after the party they had. When they were finished, Esbin lazily returned to his room with the framed photo in his mouth and closed the door behind him. He placed the photo on the nightstand next to his bed as he pulled the covers off and scotched himself into bed not even bothering to get himself into a completely comfortable way before he fell asleep. But before he did, he took one last look at the photograph and said, “Goodnight girls.” Just then, it began to snow outside as small icy flakes fell from the sky.