Looking at myself in the mirror, I poke my pointy green hat to make sure it’s sitting just slightly tilted on my pink fluffy hair. As I push it aside, the sleigh bells attached to my leg ring, just like a box of measuring cups falling down the stairs. Not that I know what that sounds like. Nope. Anyway, the bells aren’t jingly jingling quite as jingly as they ought to be. A green thread tangled in between the bells is keeping them from jingle-jangling like they should! I turn to find a pair of scissors to cut the string and free the silvery drops of clankity-goodness. As I’m cutting that free, the bells reflect an image of Fluttershy hanging pieces of mistletoe from the ceiling.
‘Shy is glancing around to make sure nopony is under her, afraid of being pulled in close for a kiss by, well, anypony. Her cheeks are flushed a bright, rumbleberry red. I make her do this every year, because somepony always catches her before she finishes. Last year it was Big Mac, on a dare. I dance off to the kitchen to grab another armful of mistletoe, because her basket is almost bare.
Just over the threshhold, my tail starts twitching like crazy, tugging me backwards. Oh no! Fluttershy! I scramble back into the other room and hop over just in time to catch her basket, tucking my hoofful of mistletoe into the empty container as it lands. My bells ring loudly with each hop as I prance around in a circle, filling the room with cheerful clangor. She drifts down, blushing, but I give the mistletoe back to her with a smile.
“That was close, Shy! Wouldn’t want the mistletoe to fall apart before anypony can use it, right?” She turns redder, taking the basket gingerly from my hoof. I peck her on the cheek, and bounce away so that her little gasp is covered by my bells.
“This might just be the most amazing, most fantastic, most tinsel-y Hearth’s Warming Eve party I’ve ever thrown!” I exclaim, peering around at the decorations. The huge spruce tree in the corner was brought in by a group of earth ponies on a sledge two days ago so it could be decorated in time. I picked that tree out three years ago, and watched it over time to make sure it would be super duper perfect for this winter. Applejack chopped it down, then she and Big Mac pulled it into town. Huh, that rhymed.
Anywho! The sledge almost ran over a little filly who got too close, but Rainbow Dash sped to the rescue. Cocoa and hugs helped calm the filly down. No injuries. She’s getting a great present this year: Apparently, Rainbow Dash overheard her talking about her parents not being able to afford any presents at all, so Dashie bought her a shiny new scooter with some bits she’d saved!
The tree looks magically spectacular in its place of honor. Pegasi frosted the branches with powder, and hung tinsel carefully over the whole thing. Dash tried to just dump it on, but Fluttershy fixed it by delicately stringing some over every twig. She may not be a great flyer, but she can hover in one place pretty well! One pegasus managed to get her wings all tangled with tinsel and nearly crashed into the tree, but Dash swooped in to catch her before she went splat. Derpy was put on berry-squishing duty for the rest of the day after that. She’s happy with the berries, since she likes being helpful and squishing doesn’t involve flying. We also promised her a muffin smothered with jam. Anything to keep her safely away from the big, monster-sized tree that could squash her flat!
Huge gold and red ornaments scatter the big green monster-tree, speckled with beautiful candy canes that were donated by Twist. She’s starting her own business, and I’m happy to help my friend by showing off her hard work. I hope candy canes will eventually become a tradition, like the rest of these decorations. The tree originally helped ponies remember that winter was only a time for plants to sleep, not die, and having a tree inside celebrated the strength of nature. Adding shiny baubles came later, as ponies got more creative, standing for Celestia’s promise that the world would be warmed by sunshine again soon! Tinsel and powder were meant to stand in for snow, without all the cold and puddles. The presents were once meant to symbolize Spring’s gift rising up from the ground to make the land all new and growthy. Now they are just a way for ponies to show each other love.
Fluttershy lands quietly beside me on the carpet, breaking into my itty-bitty reverie. I try not to jump in surprise, but fail, and turn it into a bouncing hug instead. Hugging her face really tight should make her ignore my reaction, so she doesn’t have to apologize. She didn’t mean to spook me.
“Oh, it most certainly is, Pinkie. You’ve done a wonderful job,” Fluttershy declares.
What did I say? Is she talking about the tree? Oh no, I forget what I said.
‘Shy looks at everything around her with wide eyes, trying to take in the beautiful display before her. Twilight is busy across the room lighting the last of a row of candles, and the flames are sparkling off of every shiny surface. The entire room looks like Philomena flying around on a windy day. I smile proudly, knowing that this will make everypony’s jaw drop.
“Now for the final touch. Where’s Dashie? I need her to put the star on top of the tree!” I look around, but Dash is nowhere to be seen. The huge, eight-pointed star sits in the center of the floor like a great ball of fire. It’s just paper mache covered with paint, but it looks like solid gold from far away. I worked for three days on it, and my hoof got stuck to my face on day two. Applejack got my hoof free with some orange stuff, but I lost a patch of fur near my eye. Luckily, nopony thinks it’s weird for me to be wearing an eyepatch.
“INCOMING!” Rainbow Dash yells super loudly as she blows past us, spinning Fluttershy around and tossing her on her butt. Dashie snatches up the star and blasts up to the tree top, plunking it into place and making sure it’s stable before zipping back out of the room. Her back hooves are tied together with ribbon for some reason, and there’s tape on her nose. She must be wrapping presents at the last minute, as usual. Silly Dashie.
Oh no! Presents! I forgot my presents! I race out the door, leaving a confused Fluttershy sitting on her backside in the middle of the floor, a swirl of ribbon draped across her nose and curling up around her left ear.
~~~
I can barely lift all seventeen boxes at the same time. The huge white one with gold glittery ribbon is half my size. The slightly smaller blue and silver one sits on top of it nicely, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to carry them back to the party on my own. Thank goodness they cleared the snow already, because trudging back through it carrying these wouldn’t be very much fun at all. I can see town hall glowing with candlelight all the way across town, and see the star on top of the tree through one of the upper windows.
Ponies who are out and about tonight are all bundled up in scarves and hats. Some of them are shoveling their doorsteps and others are closing up their shops after last minute shoppers finish their purchases. In a few hours, they’re all going to be in that big hall, laughing and drinking punch. I can’t wait! My friends are making the last few preparations before the princesses arrive. I know my friends can do the last parts without me. Twilight is so good at organizing everypony. I hope their highnesses like everything. We’ve worked so exceptionally, stupenderifically hard to make this special. For Luna especially! This is her first Hearth’s Warming Eve in a really long time, and I tried to make it as amazing as possibly possible! That’s also why I bought a special gift, just for her, even though most royal gifts are officially given to both of them.
Wandering back into the building and placing my gifts under the tree, I can see that something’s not quite right. But what is it? I inspect the entire room, but I can’t put my hoof on the problem. The presents are stacked up in ribbony piles, the food steams tastily on the table, and the decorations all look perfectly placed. Glittering rows of fake icicles hang from every rafter. Candles send reflections back from each and every one; the whole room sparkles with tiny silvery disco balls of light.
Dash has placed her messily wrapped presents behind a stack of packages that looks like they were done with a ruler and compass. One group has flowers instead of bows, even in the dead of winter. Another has brown, plain wrapping paper. The last is absolutely covered in twisty bows and ribbons of perfectly matching complementary colors. My presents, of course, each have a sleigh bell and are secretly filled with a layer of confetti.
Why do I feel like something is still wrong? The buffet table is brimming with snack crackers, cheese, confections, and fifteen varieties of berry puddings. The candles behind them are making the jellies shimmer, and I smack my lips to keep from drooling at the sight. One of the candles must have blown out when I opened the door. Twilight relights it quickly, frantically rushing across the room just as the sound of large wings beating outside signals the arrival of their highnesses. No, that wasn’t it. I wrinkle up my nose and scan the room again.
There! Across the hall I spot a sniffling little filly trying to push her presents behind another stack. Her presents are plainly wrapped, and the wrapping isn’t straight, but the creases are sharp and I can tell she really tried to make them perfect. She shuffles away from them, but as she glances around, she meets my eye. I stare at her. She cringes. Then I pull up my eyepatch and wink. As I bounce away to open the doors, I hear her giggle.
The front doors open with a swirl of tiny snow cyclones, and Celestia enters the room. Her smile is serene as she gestures for her sister to join her by the fire. Luna’s eyes are bright from the candlelight, and she can’t stop grinning as she takes in each new delightful piece of Hearth’s Warming Eve tradition. I definitely nailed it.
The princesses stay by the fire, separated by an area of open floor but still able to watch the whole room. Luna quietly hums along with a flautist who strikes up a very old tune. Her eyes glow with tears of joy. Flutist? Flute-a-pony? No, I think Rarity called it a flautist.
Ponies begin streaming in from outside in twos and threes, shedding their winter things and piling presents for each other under the tree. Punch is poured into crystal glasses, the ruby light reflecting off of them warming the winter coats of the revelers. Derpy sits down by the bowl, proudly showing her prized muffin off to Mrs. Cake. I prance around jingling like a present-mad foal to make some fillies giggle. I growl like a pirate and swagger a little to pull a chuckle from the colts. I sample the jellies to make sure they’re perfect, and to keep myself from getting dizzy. I don’t remember the last time I ate a full meal. I’ve been so busy!
Rarity passes out a bunch of crackers. A foil-wrapped prize that you have to pull apart, and it makes a loud pop. Sweetie Belle needs help, her delicate hooves are too small to pull hers to pieces. I grab one end in my teeth and tug hard. She squeaks when it explodes, a shrill little sound between shock and delight. The look on her face is adorable. The little paper crown inside is easy to unfold, and I place it on her head as if she were a princess herself. I bow to her, then wink at Celestia who is laughing along across the room. Twilight smiles at me and shakes her head, giggling at my bright green pointed hat and shoes. The eyepatch definitely makes the outfit. I might wear it every year from now on.
Applejack trots over and hands me a cup of punch, then calls for a toast to their highnesses. Everypony drinks a sip. The punch is delicious, and tastes strongly of berries. Fluttershy has a punch mustache, and Dashie snickers instead of telling her. What a perfect night. I love my friends. I’m so happy we’re all together.
Twilight is busy trying to get a paper hat over her horn, and Rarity is straightening the crown I put on Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo is hovering around Dash, trying to get close but mostly sticking to Applebloom’s side. Her parents aren’t here. What a shame, I’d hoped they would come this year. They haven’t come since she was a filly. Scootaloo looks a little lost, so I scamper over and place my pointy green hat on her head and flick the bell hanging from the point. She snickers, and does a silly little jig for me. I love her to pieces. She’s so fun!
I wheel a cart of eggnog cups in from the back room, careful to grate a little nutmeg over each one before passing them around. Settling down with mine at last, I watch as each pony shyly passes around his or her gifts. Lots of ponies smile, and lots of ponies cry, but everypony seems to be having fun!
The princesses reach for my presents at the same time, and I nod encouragingly, a big grin plastered across my face. They pull on the ribbons, and- BOOM, CONFETTI! Celestia laughs at her own surprise, and blows on a piece dangling from her sister’s nose. Luna just sits there, mesmerized by the tiny bits of colorful paper falling all around her.
That sparks a free-for-all, with everypony diving for their presents from yours truly. Confetti fills the air in a cascade of rainbows. It takes several minutes for the room to settle down, too busy batting pieces out of the air or throwing hooffuls at their friends. Everypony gets covered from nose to tail, and a few couples use it as an excuse to brush one another clean and smile adoringly at their partners. What fun!
Celestia loves the new sweater I made her, and Luna cries when she opens her stocking and finds an orange nestled in the toe. Twilight lended me a book that talked about old traditions, and apparently fruit used to be rare this time of year. Luna won’t stop hugging me, so I hug her back just as tight. Luna’s really nice, and I’m glad she’s my friend now. The princesses are both covered in lots and lots of confetti, because I saved the biggest batches for their gifts.
When every single present has been opened and every scrap of food gulped down into happy pony tummies, somepony shouts for me. I cheer my friends, and the whole room joins in applauding them. Fluttershy turns so red I can hardly tell where her punch-stache begins. The fire is burning low now, the refreshment tables covered in crumbs and empty dishes. Scraps of wrapping paper and ribbon litter the floor. The scared filly I noticed earlier has presented her presents to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and they’ve pulled her into a huddle in the corner. I think they have a new member!
Soon enough, ponies begin to trickle out. I dance around in my bells, playing carols with my gamboling moves, the sound following them long after they leave. Scootaloo dances with me, her bells adding to the racket. The princesses thank us for the wonderful time, nuzzle Twilight, and walk outside. We can hear them lift off, their great wings brushing snow in every direction, like tiny tornadoes.
Finally everypony else has left, and I’m alone with my very best friends. The Cutie Mark Crusaders take off to the other room, plotting goodness knows what. Scootaloo gives me back my hat on her way out, and I make sure they each take a slice of pie with them for extra planning energy. I drop my sleigh bells in a pile near the tree, placing my hat on top so I don’t forget them. My friends and I curl up together by the fire and tell stories to each other, about our adventures and the days before we became friends. One by one my friends drift off to sleep, and I lay my head on Twilight’s back, staring deep into the fire as it burns low.
My eyes close as the last log crackles and collapses. I got exactly what I wanted this year. Not the presents, or the food, or even the whole party itself. I got to spend time with all of my friends, and make them happy. That will always be enough for me.
