Twilight marveled at the beauty of the city. Snow dusted the cobblestone streets, and lay thick in Central Park, where foals cheerfully dove from one mound to another. Every windowsill boasted glittering icicles hanging in a pretty row as if sculpted by a master artisan.
She admired the brightly colored decorations lining both sides of the street as she walked. It was Hearth's Warming Eve, and Manehattan seemed to celebrate more vibrantly than Canterlot ever did. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear trumpet arrangements of old holiday classics roaring through the chilly air.
The mare would have loved to take a closer look into the joyful gatherings at every storefront, but she had somewhere to go first. Her showmare friend, Trixie, was due back in town today after a week's trip performing in Vanhoover, and her other friends had agreed to meet at Pone Station for her arrival.
The morning was still young. Twilight had left the library early, giving her time to pick up a gift for Trixie. She had ordered something special; a wand of blue mahoe, with runes engraved meaning "friendship" and "laughter". The wand promised to improve positive channeling, and as an extra little bonus, it had a hidden compartment in the base. Her dragon assistant, Spike, now held the box in his claws.
As she drew near the station, the unicorn could see that it was abuzz with activity. Of course, this was to be expected on holidays unless a weather malfunction caused the tracks to be unsafe, as everypony had travel plans. She hadn't expected it to be quite so busy, however.
With minor difficulty, she wove her way through the throng of ponies and arrived in the main waiting room. There, she found the crowd beginning to concentrate around the far stairs. She approached the area curiously and slipped into a small opening at the front of the crowd.
The scene there was not exactly what she had expected to see.
A pair of young fillies danced around a cerulean unicorn mare with a frost-colored mane done in an abnormally fancy style, atop which bounced a gleaming crown. The mare was singing a song, throwing back her fur-lined violet cape as she danced on her hindlegs.
It's a very special time of year
To fill yourself with cheer
And celebrate with all of ponykind
So grab some cocoa and some gingerbread
Gather up your friends
And have yourself a really festive time
Now keep an eye out for that elusive mare
The one with gleaming eyes and silver hair—
Platinum!
She's bringing lots of toys
So little colts and fillies can have seasons full of joy
Platinum!
If you've been good, she knows
She'll come and visit you today!
Platinum!
Riding at a fast clip
With Hurricane and Puddinghead aboard their magic ship
Platinum!
She won't let your home slip
Expect good news from her today!
"Trixie?" Twilight stepped forward. "You haven't been waiting here long, have you? Your train wasn't supposed to arrive yet."
"What? Oh, no, no," the blue mare replied, "you have the wrong pony. Princess Platinum arrives precisely when she means to."
Twilight chuckled at this. "Right, okay, Princess Platinum," she amended with a wink. "It's good to have you back." She gently retrieved the gift from Spike's grasp and held it out for her friend. "I got you a little something to welcome you home."
The other mare took the package and gave it a bemused look. "That's not how this is supposed to work," she asserted. "And it won't get you your present early, either." She picked up a sack behind her and slipped the box inside it.
"Okay, I get it, you're in character," Twilight said, grinning. "Don't mind me, I can wait."
A fluttering of feathers beside Twilight heralded the arrival of Blossomforth. The white pegasus alit beside her, looking from one unicorn to the other. "Hey, she's here," she observed. "Am I late?"
"No, she's early," Octavia assured her, sidling closer through the thick crowd. "I think she's got something planned. Though I confess I still have trouble understanding her."
"I was just about to tell my story, in fact," the showmare explained. "Tell me, who here is familiar with the story of how Equestria was founded?"
Almost every hoof in the audience went up at that. "Oh, I see you're well-educated," she commented. "But how many of you know what happened after that?"
There was some mumbling, and hooves began to drop.
"Well, obviously," Blossomforth said, "after the leaders of the three tribes understood the importance of friendship, they stood together, giving us the peace and prosperity that lasts to this day, right?"
A breezy laugh flowed from Trixie's lips. "Oh, if only it had been that easy."
"Actually, I think I can fill in some details," offered a voice a few feet away from Twilight. Honey Do stepped forward, making herself visible. "Not long after Equestria was founded, the leaders of all three tribes disappeared, right? That was right at the start of the Discordian Era, and nopony's heard from them since."
"Very good," Trixie congratulated her. "But still only half the story."
"Okay, so what happened?" Honey was getting that digging-in look on her face, like she smelled a tantalizing mystery.
Trixie took a deep breath and raised her hooves, wrapping herself in her cape. "One thousand years ago—"
"We already know that part," somepony in the back commented.
"I'm trying to ease into it!" she replied indignantly. That brought on a momentary pause. "Are we ready to continue? Okay. One thousand years ago—"
"So did all that stuff happen in a single year? Because that seems like a lot to happen in that short a time."
"It was a very busy Saturday! Now please!" Trixie beckoned desparately for silence, then cleared her throat. "One thousand years ago, Princesses Celestia and Luna ruled over the newly formed Equestria. Their first days were turbulent, fraught with conflict, but there were always allies they could turn to.
"It was not long, however, before the true threat emerged. The fearsome Discord struck suddenly, hoping to sieze control before the nation could be built into something that might oppose him. I gathered my house to me and told them to flee, taking as many citizens of Canterlot with them to safety as they could. Then, I marched together with Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead to confront the enemy atop Mount Canterlot.
"Our battle lasted seconds, if that. Discord snapped his fingers, and we were an ocean away from home. We found ourselves falling from the sky, straight into a village in a distant mountain range. The inhabitants of the village had no horns or wings, but unlike an earth pony, each had eight legs. We had met them briefly in Equestria, and we knew them as the sleipnir, the ponies who pushed the tides."
"I see sleipnir sometimes," Orange Sherbet observed as she stepped into a place beside Honey Do. "A fair number stay in the hotel at this time every year."
"Supposedly they were very reclusive back then," Honey added.
"That would explain why they didn't seem happy to see us," Trixie mused. "Although more likely it was because we broke their rainbow road when we landed."
"Wait, you mean the one built by Bifrost?" At that, Honey looked shocked. "That would be the city of Valhalter, the ancient sleipnir capital! Scholars are still looking for it to this day! What next, you're the queen of Helheim?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that," the showmare said innocently. "But you see, that road was the only way over the mountains. It would take months to repair, during which time Discord would wreak untold havoc on our home. Seeing our situation, the sleipnir accepted us. We were ignorant of their customs and barely knew their language, but they were patient, and taught us a great deal. They were masters of crafts then unknown to us, and indeed they taught the pegasi how to work rainbows and the unicorns how to build airships.
"Together, we decided on a plan. We would combine the magic of our three races with that of the sleipnir to forge items that could spread harmony and combat Discord. We had seen the tricks he used on his helpless victims, and we concocted our own versions, designed to counteract his chaos. The sleipnir would create a vessel that would take us back to Equestria with unmatched speed. We would go and help everypony we could before we finally freed our home.
"There was little for us to do while the sleipnir worked. While we waited, steeling ourselves for the task ahead, the three of us, well, for the first time, we truly bonded as friends. We shared much of our lives. We talked about my fear of my father's shadow, Puddinghead's favorite tickle spots, and the fact that Hurricane had fallen in love with somepony back home."
"What!" Honey darted into the air, looking ready to tackle Trixie. "That could change everything we know about the ancient pegasi! Who was it? Was it P—"
"Honey, she's putting on a show," Sherbet reminded her. "She doesn't know that any better than you do."
"And in any case," Trixie added, "it would be unbecoming to reveal such a secret. I've already said too much, he'll be absolutely furious if I speak another word. What's important is that we knew what we had to do. And so, finally, on the very anniversary of the day Equestria was founded, we were ready. The sleipnir finished the vessel, and showed us how to operate it. We bid them farewell and flew off, expecting a quick victory.
"Of course, when we arrived, we found things were… not so simple."
"Yeah, let's see," Honey said, "Discord stayed in control for several more years, so I'm betting your visit didn't go over well."
"It depends on how you qualify it," the performer asserted. "After all, we came to help ponies in need, and there has never been more need in Equestria than in those days. But we didn't make much of a difference before Discord noticed us.
"We fought him with everything we had. We were able to neutralize many of his spells, but in the end, he simply overwhelmed us. He thought it was great fun, though, and so he laid on us a curse. 'Go back to where you came from,' he said, 'and for the rest of eternity, you'll come back here one day a year to try again.' And so it was. We were sent back to Valhalter, where we have lived for a thousand years since.
"When Celestia and Luna finally claimed the Elements of Harmony and overcame Discord, his curse remained. We still return one day a year, but now we spread togetherness and cheer, instead of fighting evil. The sleipnir have helped us in every way they can. They make special items to give to anypony who deserves them, and they are always inventing new ways to do our job better and faster—yet, even in years when Equestria prospers, there are more ponies to cheer up every year. It's sort of a miracle we're able to keep it up at all. Perhaps it's because we're not alone. Ponies like you were quick to learn the same lessons, and there's always plenty of goodwill around this time of year. So I thank you for that."
The crowd's murmuring resumed as the story ended. Twilight reflected that this was, without a doubt, the most elaborate version of the tale she had ever heard. Oh, she had been told as a filly that the three once-rulers brought gifts to good ponies every year, but there was little else to it. She had nearly forgotten about the story by now, and she wondered if Trixie had held it a little more dearly.
At that moment, a screeching sound interrupted her thoughts as a train pulled up to the platform. The doors opened, and the crowd of ponies streaming out drew the attention of the gathered audience.
"Ah, my friends! It's so good to see you all again!" called a voice from the direction of the platform.
Twilight turned to see an azure unicorn standing at the top of the stairs, beaming down at her, toting a number of bags. She wore a starry purple cape, and a matching hat atop her light mane, all of which looked to be very much in her usual style.
The disembarking mare's gaze wandered over each of her friends in turn, before stopping on the mare at the center of the rapidly thinning crowd. "What in Equestria…?"
The storyteller stared back for a minute. Just then, a cyan pegasus stallion clad in black armor darted in, straight over everyone's heads. "We gotta go!" he shouted. "There's a filly crying in Vanhoover!"
The regal unicorn nodded, and her horn lit up briefly. The wind whipped in from outside, blowing a faint powder of snow. It swirled around her and the pegasus, and in moments, they dissipated into mist, blowing away out the door.
After a moment, Twilight found her voice again. "Er... welcome home, Trixie?" she attempted.
"Thank you," Trixie replied. "Did I miss something important?"
"It's, um, hard to say," Blossomforth replied, scratching her head. "I think you just left?"
The actual showmare nodded slowly. "I see. Well, Trixie is going to go lie down until that makes sense. Oh, but Trixie brought back presents, so…" She levitated a bag from her luggage and opened it, then stared blankly. "Wait, what's this?"
From the bag, she lifted a small, slender box. Attached were two tags.
To: Trixie
From: Twilight
I told her she had the wrong pony~
—Platinum
