Who Knocks at such Late Hour
With a spark of her magic, Twilight Sparkle lit up the last one of the forty two candles that weighed down the twigs of her Hearth’s Warming Tree. Magical candles, of course – she couldn’t risk having her beloved library home burn down if a brash wind or an overly enthusiastic Pinkie Pie were to knock over the seven feet fir tree that snug into the corner of the staircase.
“All done!”
Spike, who had been busy with putting up decorations on the table, looked up. “That’s amazing, Twilight! We never had a tree like this back in Canterlot.”
“Well, I didn’t have friends to celebrate Hearth’s Warming with, either.” She put aside the tome “Magic Decorations for all Seasons” and allowed herself to feel proud for a moment. Spike was right: it really was the most extraordinary, most beautiful tree she had ever put up. And while it still didn’t come anywhere near the tree in the ballroom of Canterlot Castle, being here with her friends was worth so much more than any amount of glitter in the world.
There was near nothing that could bother her right now – yet still, she had the impression that something wasn’t quite right. It was a thought that had come to her earlier that day and that had stuck with her like a nasty cold. Quickly, Twilight grabbed her checklist and went over it to double-check her decorations.
Soon they came. The first one was Pinkie Pie, bringing a metric ton of sweets and cookies to get them through the evening. Next was Rarity, in a not only warm but also fashionable coat that shielded her against the restless wind and the snow that was falling from the heavy, gray clouds that hung in the skies.
Applejack arrived twenty minutes later. She wore large boots that were crusted with ice and snow. As soon as she had put Applebloom to bed, she had left Sweet Apple Acres to fight her way through the storm towards Ponyville.
The last ones were Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy wasn’t able to make it through the weather on her own, so Rainbow had picked her up at her cottage, and together they had plowed through the snowy landscape.
They were all there, all of Twilight’s friends, to celebrate with her. When she looked at them, gathered here in her home, she was near tears. During her time in Ponyville she had grown used to them so much, but this evening, she was reminded once more of how lucky she was to have them.
The evening grew late. They had a blast, singing and dancing and laughing and eating cookies – lots and lots of cookies – but as enjoyable a time it was, it was also tiring them. Twilight wasn’t half the heartless pony to send them on their way home, so they got all the pillows and blankets they could find and made a cozy little nest on the floor. Soon, they were all lying next to each other with sleepy eyes, half dreaming already of their presents, of their friendship.
All of them, but one pony.
Twilight found no sleep. Here, with all her friends, there shouldn’t be a reason for her to frown, but she just couldn’t silence that one thought that still bothered her. Being with her friends made her happy, but it also made her sad.
Rolling around beneath her blanket Twilight earned a gentle kick from somepony, meant to remind her that she was supposed to sleep. But she couldn’t help it, there was no rest for her tonight. Finally, Twilight got up and walked towards the window, watching snowflakes blow against the pane.
“Twilight, darling.” She heard Rarity whisper behind her and turned around. Her friend stood there in her pajamas, her features dancing in the dim, flickering light of the still-glowing candles. “What keeps you awake? Is there something you want to talk about?”
Twilight turned back to the window, thinking for a moment.
“I was just thinking. It’s so amazing for me that all of you are here. I never had friends like you before.”
“Aw.” Rarity leaned closer to Twilight, and their coats brushed against each other. “I’m glad you feel that way, darling. I know what you mean. All crises and antics aside, I do love you all so much. But then, what is it that bothers you?”
Twilight tapped on the window pane with her hoof. “What about those who aren’t as lucky? Those who are alone, who have nopony to celebrate tonight with?”
“That is certainly tragic, isn’t it.”
“I feel like somepony should do something about it. Like I should do something about it.”
“Say, Twilight deary, are you talking about somepony in specific? Somepony you know?”
Twilight nodded.
“Hm. Hearth’s Warming Eve isn’t over yet, is it?” Rarity stepped up to her and took a glance at the white chaos outside the window. “On the other hoof, I wouldn’t recommend anypony to go out into that … brr! That awful weather. I guess in the end it’s your own decision. I, for once, am going back to bed.”
She hugged Twilight firmly. “Whatever you do, stay safe my dear. And have a happy Hearth’s Warming.”
⁂
The storm had calmed down a little, but it was still blowing cascades of snow into Twilight’s face as she stepped outside. All of Ponyville was coated with snow. The lights of the candles in the windows of the nearby houses glistened on its surface as if it were covered with a million little diamonds. The cold air bit Twilight’s muzzle. She pulled her scarf over her face and closed the door behind herself. On the table, in between cookie crumbs and gift wrap, she had left a note that told her friends where she was off to. Twilight faced the street. She was ready to go.
She walked and walked and walked, and soon she left behind her home town. The snow out on the fields was so high it was tickling her sides, and with every step she had to punch through it to move forward. It was exhausting. The wind grew angrier, making the thick snowflakes dance vigorously, and through layers of clothes, the frost was reaching for her.
She didn’t even know how long a way there was left to go – her surroundings were but a white plane as far as the eye could reach. She wouldn’t know if she were still headed in the right direction if it hadn’t been for the road under her hooves and, in the snow, even that was hard to keep track of.
Rarity was right: the weather was awful. Now that she thought about it, Twilight wished she had stayed at home. What was she doing out here? Alone, in the deep of the night? But now she had already come too far to turn back. She had to push through, want it or not.
Twilight wandered through the night longer and longer, growing more and more desperate. This was a bad idea! Why couldn’t she strife to make the world a better place at another time of year, say, on a nice summer day with blue skies and sunshine and flowers alongside the road? Why now?
But then, what was Hearth’s Warming Eve about?
She remembered a year ago, when she and her friends had been honored with the task of performing in the Hearth’s Warming play in Canterlot. In the traditional story, the three ponies of the three tribes had been locked together in a cave, having nothing left but each other. But in the cold they had sung, they had laughed, and their voiced were said to have pierced the ice and reached the stormy heavens, ringing ever forth. The memories of the play were as vivid as if she had performed in it just yesterday. It made Twilight think of the evening that she and her friends had just shared, joined in laughter, in friendship. A certain warmth spread inside of her. Her steps became more confident again, cleaving through the snow with each beat of her hooves.
It didn’t take long after that until the town came into sight. It was small, much smaller than Ponyville. Just outside its edge, there was a caravan. Its roof was covered by as thick a layer of snow as everything else. Snow was surrounding it, was reaching up to the windows like the greedy hooves of a windigo. Dim candlelight, flickering, seeping through the curtains.
Twilight left the road and headed for the entrance. She knocked firmly on the split door, hoping that her journey would not be in vain. A few seconds passed. Inside the caravan, steps pounded on the wooden floor. The top half of the door swung open, and the face of a unicorn appeared in its frame.
“Who knocks at such late hour at the door of the Great and Powerful Trixie?”
“It’s me, Twilight. Can I come in, please? I made the whole way from Ponyville through the snow.”
Only now Trixie recognized her, and her usually so arrogant features began to totter a little. “Sparkle? What the hay are you doing here?”
But seeing Twilight shiver before her doorstep, Trixie set aside her question and opened the door, and Twilight hurried to get inside. The place wasn’t big – it was a mobile home made for only one pony. But Celestia, it was warm! Peeling off her clothes with stiff limbs, Twilight let the heat sink into her. It was radiating from an oven in the corner of the room, right next to what seemed to be Trixie’s bed. There was a small table with one stool, which Trixie, still aghast at Twilight’s sudden appearance, gestured for her to take place on, herself settling down on the bed.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Trixie!” Twilight blurted out before her host had the chance to say anything.
“What?”
Twilight smiled softly. “I came to wish you a happy Hearth’s Warming.”
“To do what?”
Twilight laughed. “Come on, it’s not that hard. The big holiday that everypony’s celebrating …”
“I know what Hearth’s Warming is, Sparkle –“
“Please, call me Twilight.”
“Ugh, if you insist. But why are you here? Don’t you have friends to be with?”
Twilight nodded. “We celebrated together earlier this evening. I’m so lucky to have those girls as my friends, you know. To know that there are ponies who care about me and appreciate me for who I am. Whom I can turn to when I feel down.”
Twilight could see that Trixie was trying her hardest to appear indifferent, but even years of stage experience suddenly let her down. Her lower lip was trembling, her legs shaking, and the light of the candle in the window glistened in her eyes.
“If you’re here to rub into the Great and Powerful Trixie’s face what a great life you have that she hasn’t, then know that the Great and Powerful Trixie is well aware of that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Twilight said hastily, “that’s not what I meant to say. It’s just … I thought that you were probably all on your own tonight. So I came to keep you company!”
Trixie tilted her head, not seeming to trust Twilight’s words. “Why would you do that?”
“Because … because I think that nopony, and certainly not you, deserves to stay alone on this evening. Because I thought it would make you happy.”
“Make the Great – Make me happy?”
“Yes. I know we had a rough start and, to be honest, your showing off is hard for me to deal with, but you are a showmare – it’s your life, and I can respect that. So I thought that maybe we could start over. I though that maybe we could still become friends.”
By now, Trixie’s facade had broken entirely. “Nopony has ever wished to be Trixie’s friend …”
A tremor went through the mare’s body. Twilight went over to her bed and wrapped her forelegs around Trixie, holding her. In that moment she couldn’t believe that the fights between them had ever happened.
It took a while until Trixie stopped sobbing. Twilight sat down next to her to give her the feeling of closeness that she felt the mare needed so much.
“I’m afraid I don’t have a present for you, though.”
“Don’t worry … after all, Trixie hasn’t been a nice filly, have I.” Trixie sniffed.
Twilight reached for her saddlebags. “But there were plenty of leftovers from earlier, so I did bring cookies. You have to try those, Pinkie made them herself. And then, I don’t know … it’s kind of cold outside and, if it doesn’t cause you any trouble, I would prefer not to go back outside tonight.”
“You can stay, it’s no problem. Please, stay.”
And so they sat with each other and talked, and eventually, they started laughing. At first only Twilight laughed, but soon Trixie joined her, and didn’t stop anytime soon. And before they went to sleep, crawling into the small bed next to each other, Trixie hugged her new-found friend warmly and said, “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Twilight.” And Twilight smiled at her, knowing that she had lit up another heart with the fire of friendship.
After all, that was what Hearth’s Warming was about.
Author's Note
This is my christmas/ hearth's warming surprise. As in, I surprised myself by suddenly writing it yesterday evening at 1 am. Oh well. Needless to say that this is neither throughoutly edited nor proofread.
I hope you all have nice holidays, and please don't walk into snowstorms like Twilight does!
