Golden Bells
(A Hearth's Warming Special)
by Golden Flare
Today was a beautiful day in Ponyville, snow littered the ground and everypony was walking around town with big smiles on their faces, and with good reason, too.
Tomorrow's Hearth's Warming Day.
Yup, you guessed it. Today is Hearth's Warming Eve. A lot of the ponies in Ponyville are rushing into the stores to quickly finish their holiday shopping; Nopony ever wondered why they didn't just finish shopping before the rush, maybe they were late? No one really knew. The ponies who did finish ahead of time knew this: during the rush, all Tartarus broke loose.
But, I'm straying off topic here. Main thing is, everypony loved Hearth's Warming, not only because it was the day Equestria was founded, but it was also the day that friends and family could get together and have a good time.
But there was one pony in Ponyville who didn't like holidays like this...
And I know what you're thinking, no, this pony is NOT a scrooge. This pony disliked holidays like this because...
He has no family to spend it with.
Just sit back and relax as I tell you the story. I'm sure it'll all make sense very soon.
At the Ponyville Train Station, there was a purple Alicorn, anxiously waiting for two of her closest relatives to arrive from the Crystal Empire.
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! They said they'd be here!" The Alicorn impatiently said.
It was at that moment that the sound of a loud train whistle echoed through Ponyville, a train made from pure crystals made its way into the station. The door opened to allow a crystal pony guard and an orange pegasus guard to step out and present the prince and princess of the Crystal Empire.
"Cadence! Shining Armor!" The Alicorn called.
"Twilight!" The two rulers said, happily.
The two Alicorns, Twilight and Cadence, walked up to each other and performed their little dance,
"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They ended with a little giggle between the two of them.
"Oh my gosh, I've got the whole evening planned, first we're gonna go to the library and drink some hot cocoa, then, we're gonna..." Twilight's ramblings faded as she and her relatives walked away from the station.
In the distance, there was a stallion who witnessed the entire thing and sighed deeply as he walked away.
Do I even need to say it?
"Hey Goldie!" Pinkie said, popping up out of nowhere, "I just Twilight's brother and sister in law at the train station! Did you see them? Of course you saw them! Nopony in Ponyville would've missed a whistle as loud as that!"
Normally, her ramblings would've been music to his ears, but today wasn't good for him. He just barely noticed when Pinkie was poking him in his side.
"Goldie? Golden? Equestria to Golden!"
"Huh? What?" Golden said, snapping out of his trance.
"I was asking if YOU had any family coming here." Pinkie said, clearly not realizing how the word "family" shatters his heart.
"...No. I don't." Golden said, honestly.
"No? Why not?"
"C-Can we just change the subject?"
"Um... Is something wrong?"
He couldn't let her know, the truth is just too horrible. Nopony must ever know.
"Look, I've gotta be somewhere, I'll see around." He spread his wings and took off.
"But Golden—!"
Pinkie was too late as he was already out of earshot. Pinkie couldn't understand why Golden was upset on the happiest time of the year. But she was determined to find out.
"Nopony goes through Hearth's Warming unhappy on my watch!" Pinkie declares with proud determination, "But first, I'm gonna need some reinforcements."
She sped off into town to round up all of her friends.
Twilight, Shining, and Cadence were already situated in the library, drinking hot cocoa just Twilight planned. It was very peaceful for them—
BANG!
—Until Pinkie came bursting through the front door.
"Twilight, we need your help!" Pinkie said.
Twilight groaned, "Pinkie! Can't you see that we're having hot co- wait, did you say 'we need help'?"
At that moment, the rest of Twilight's friends came into the library; Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack.
"What's going on, everypony?" Cadence asked.
"Pinkie's telling us something's wrong with Golden, he's seriously bummed out and stuff." Rainbow answers.
"But why?"
"We don't know," Fluttershy answered, "that's what we're trying to find out."
"I gathered everypony because nopony should be sad on Hearth's Warming. Right, Twilight?" Pinkie asked.
Twilight looked upon all of them and that they all wanted to help their friend. She smiled and said, "You're right, Pinkie."
"Maybe we can help." Shining said, volunteering him and Cadence. "Where is he now?"
"I don't know, but I can go find him." Pinkie offered, "Why do you ask?"
"Because we're going to have him talk to us about this." Twilight stated. "Okay, everypony, here's the plan..."
Golden continued walking around town, seeing everypony enjoy spending time with their loved ones; fillies and colts smiling with their parents, all the ponies in the snowball fights, and everything in between. The sight made him sigh with depression. I'm gonna head home... this is too much for me...
Golden changed his route and headed towards his home...
"Hi Goldie!"
Until Pinkie somehow blurred into his path. I always found that trait lovable about her.
"What is it, Pinkie?"
"I just came to get you! We all wanna talk to you!"
"Wait, who—"
"No time! Let's go!"
Pinkie snatched up Golden and sped to the library, despite his protests.
Pinkie went into the library, calmly this time, and waltzed in with Golden on her back kicking and screaming.
"Pinkie! Put me down—" Golden was silenced once Pinkie plopped him on the floor.
"Got him, Twi!" Pinkie said proudly.
Twilight nodded, "Thank you, Pinkie."
He quickly got to his hooves and glared at everyone in the room, "Will somepony PLEASE tell me what's going on?!"
"We should ask you the same thing!" Rainbow retorted. "Why are you such a sad sack on the happiest time of the year?"
"T-That's none of your business!"
"Golden, please," Twilight begged, "we're your friends, we know you're depressed and we want to help you."
"Yes, Darling, what ever could've happened to you that has upset you so?" Rarity asked.
Golden looked at everypony in the room, each of their stares saying one thing or the other: concern, intrigue, and patience. He began to walk past them while hiding his face.
"I... I don't know."
"Golden," Cadence began, "I promise that if you tell us what's going on, none of us will see you any differently than we do now, right everypony?"
"Uh-huh!" Everyone agreed.
Golden gave the group a sideways glance full of skepticism and turned away, sighing deeply, "Alright... I'll start at the beginning."
Several Years Ago...
I was a little colt back in the day, still trying to find my calling in life while living that junk town, Dodge Junction. I found myself enjoying reading books, and wondered what it would be like to write a book of my own.
"Is that seriously how you, a Pegasus, wanted to find his calling in life?" Rainbow asked in a deadpan expression.
"I'm sorry, who's telling this story?"
Rainbow sighed. "You."
"Then zip it and listen. As I was saying..."
Creating a story, making the characters, good and bad, it seems like the coolest thing in the world to me—
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? I'VE WAITING FOR HOURS!!"
"GET OFF MY BACK, WOMAN! CAN'T I HAVE JUST ONE DAY OF PEACE?!"
"I'M TIRED OF YOU ALWAYS DUMPING OUR SON ON ME!!"
"IT'S NOT LIKE I WANTED ONE! YOU WOULDN'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!!"
"DON'T YOU BLAME THIS ON ME!!"
—but then all of my thoughts disappeared when I heard my parents fighting... again.
This always happens, the only thing my parents would ever do is fight, I never got involved because I was worried what they would do to me if I interfered.
"That's it? That's why you're sad on this holiday? That's pretty lame, if you ask me."
"May I go on?"
"Wait, there's more?"
"Twilight... if you would."
Twilight cast a spell that turned Rainbow's lips into a zipper and zipped her muzzle shut, much to the latter's annoyance.
"Thank you."
I've put up with their fighting for a long time, but one day, I finally had enough. One day, I walked to them while they were in the middle of another one of fights and say something along the lines of,
"Mom! Dad! Please stop fighting! I want us to be a normal family! We don't have to keep doing this! Please!"
It was silent for the longest time, nopony said or did anything... until... until...
Golden stopped telling his tale and tried to recompose himself. He could feel tears dripping down his face.
"It's okay, take your time." Cadence calmly said.
Golden sniffled and began his story again.
My parents got so mad at me that they dragged me to the Dodge Junction Courthouse to... *sniff* legally disown me.
Everyone gasped in shock.
"The nerve! How could those uncouth ruffians do that to yo—" Rarity stopped when she saw Golden's annoyed look. She cleared her throat and said, "Please, continue."
We were at the front desk and they started looking over the paperwork. I begged and begged for them to stop, but they wouldn't listen to me. I kept trying and trying to wriggle out of their grip.
"Stop whining, you little brat!" My mom said.
"Yeah, it'll all be over soon." My dad agreed.
Before they finished signing the paperwork, I was able to escape their hold on me and ran out of the courthouse.
"Get back here! If you don't sign, it's not official!" I heard my mom call.
I ran, and ran, and ran, until I made it to the train station, luckily I had my bag of bits with me at the time. I forgot to set it down when I came home from school. I run up to the ticket clerk and say, "I need a train ticket, please!"
"You sure sound like you're in a hurry. Something wrong?"
"Just give me a ticket to someplace happy! Please!"
He saw the tears in my eyes when I begged him. For a moment, I saw something in his eyes, I didn't know if it was pity or worry.
"Come here, you ungrateful little!"
He and I turned to see my parents chasing me with rage in their eyes. Before I knew what to do, he hoofed me a ticket.
"I think I know just the place for you."
I quickly grabbed the ticket and tried to fish out some bits.
"No need. Free of charge."
I stared at him in awe and curiosity; was he doing this to save me?
"ALLLLLLLL ABOARD!!"
"You better get going!"
I snapped out of my trance and remember my parents were still behind me, hunting me down, "Um, right! Thank you!" And I rushed to the train just before the doors closed.
"Where is he?!" My mom demanded to know.
The clerk just scowled and reached up and slammed the metal door with a sign dangling from it.
CLOSED
My mom growled in frustration and made a beeline to the train doors and proceed to pound on them, "Open this door! You open this door right now, young stallion!"
TOOOOOOT!
The train began to take off and my mom lost her balance when her forehooves were still on the doors. She picked herself back up and ran with the train.
"NO! NO, DARN IT! NOOOOOO!!" She screeched.
The train left the station and I along with it, leaving my mom and my late arriving dad to shake their forehooves in the air in a fit of rage while screaming possibly rude things that I couldn't hear, being in the distance. I sat in complete silence as the scenery flew by through the window.
"Tickets! Tickets, please!"
The voice of the unicorn conductor caught my attention, he approached my area with a hole puncher in his magical hue.
"Hello there, youngster."
"H-Hello..."
He held his hoof out, "Ticket, please."
I gave him my ticket and he punched a hole in it and gave it back to me.
"I saw what happened." I stiffened when he said that, "The town you're headed for... I think you'll be in good hooves there."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
He smiled. "You'll see."
BOOM!!
We both turned our attention to the window when we saw a strange sight: a rainbow colored explosion.
"Well, that's... unusual." The conductor said.
"And to make the rest of a long story short, I arrived in Ponyville, the conductor was kind enough to use his lunch break as an excuse to help me over to the Town Hall, he talked to the mayor, and strangely enough, she adopted me."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rainbow interrupted when she unzipped her muzzle, "Mayor Mare ADOPTED you!?"
"It was a short time thing, I grew up, I moved out, and I bought my own piece of property to live in. She and I still talk regularly."
"That was ah mighty sad tale ya just told, Golden." Applejack said.
"Now you know... happy?"
Before Golden could get up and leave, everyone in the room gathered around him and put him in the middle of a group hug. To Golden, it was very warm and comforting, like the weight of his world was lifted off of his shoulders. When they broke the hug, Twilight spoke up, "I know we're just your friends, but maybe... we could be your family, too?"
That suggestion took him by surprise, he had his jaw hanging wide open.
"She's got a point," Shining Armor agreed, "everypony here has been nothing but nice to you since you've been here, well, according to what Twily told me. As far as I'm concerned, we're your family just as much as we are your friends."
"That's right, Shiny." Cadence smiled.
Golden slowly hanged his head and began to cry; never in all of his life has he had a real loving family, well, besides Mayor Mare.
I should pay her a visit soon. Golden made a mental note.
Pinkie snuck up behind him and planted a kiss on his cheek, "C'mon, Goldie, no more being all frowny-wowny! It's Hearth's Warming Eve! And we're all here, as friends AND family!"
Golden looked up and at everypony in the room, each with sincere smiles upon their face, which are actually contagious as he smiled himself while tears of joy still dripped from his face.
"Thank you... All of you..."
Twilight levitated a mug of hot cocoa over to him and he reached and took it, taking a small sip.
"Merry Hearth's Warming, Golden." She said.
"Hearth's Warming Eve, Twilight." Golden and Pinkie said in unison, causing them to look at each other and laugh afterwards.
"Jinx! You owe me a soda!" Pinkie said.
Golden looked confused, "Where did that come from, Pinks?"
"From the cheerleader who saves the world, duh!"
Golden and Twilight glanced at each other and began to giggle, which turned into a full-blown laughter with everyone joining in.
"What?" Pinkie asked, "What did I say?"
The Next Day...
Mayor Mare was sitting in her humble home, sipping hot cocoa as she watched the little colts and fillies play with the toys they've gotten on Hearth's Warming Day, a sight that made her happy and sad at the same time; happy because all of the little children get to have fun in the snow with their trinkets, and sad because it reminds her of a certain adopted son of hers.
I wonder how he's doing. She thought.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking at her front door, "Now, I wonder who that could be?"
She got up and walked over to the door to open it...
...And she saw somepony that she never expected to be there during the holidays.
"G-Golden?" She asked.
"Yeah." Golden answered and held out a small rectangular present, "Merry Hearth's Warming... Mom."
She gaped at that last word, she never thought that Golden would call her "Mom". She took the present from him and began to unwrap it, revealing the box containing her gift and opened it. She held her free hoof to her muzzle when she saw what was inside; a diamond necklace with the diamond cut perfectly into the shape of a quill and a small gold chain adorning it.
Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks as she stared at her gift and she turned to smile at her son, "Golden... Thank you."
"No, thank you... for being my mom." Golden smiled.
Golden Flare and Mayor Mare shared a tender embrace. At long last, both mother and son can be finally be at ease during the holidays, it's never about the gifts, it's about spending time with your loved ones, friends and family. If we could all be just a little nicer to one other, there may one day be world peace and good will towards all.
Mayor Mare broke the hug and asked, "Would you like to come in for some hot cocoa?"
Golden smiled warmly, "Sure, Mayor-I mean, mom."
She giggled, "That's going to take some time to get used to."
"Well, we have all the time in world."
They walked inside house to grab their mugs for some cocoa.
"Yes, we do, Golden... yes, we do."
THE END
Author's Note
Merry Christmas and Merry Hearth's Warming, everypony! 
