Winter was a time for snow and snowponies. It was a time for the earth and many creatures to rest until the warmth of spring, a time to be surrounded by family and good friends. Winter was a time to light the Fire of Friendship and to be a little kinder to fellow ponies. It was a time to gather and celebrate the gift of each unique snowflake and to remember the sweet pegasus who first created the special stars of snow. It was a time for fun and laughter and peace.
Well, except for this winter.
The grey unicorn with a veiled moon cutie mark shifted her white mane out of her eyes and read the letter again. Across the table from Misty Moonrise, her white pegasus friend with a rosy lily on her flank idly examined the tip of her golden ponytail for split-ends.
“Dear,” said Lilypad at length, “it’s highly unlikely the words will change simply because you will them to do so. Will you kindly reveal what the letter says?”
Not five minutes ago, Misty and Lilypad had met in one of Ponyville’s popular cafés for lunch. Before they could even place their orders, however, a mailpony with a walleyed stare and bubbles on her flank had winged up to them and delivered a large envelope to Misty. Inside, Misty had found six tickets and a letter from Princess Luna.
“‘My dearest apprentice,’” Misty read aloud. “‘With the winter holidays closing upon us, it came to my attention that I had neglected to acquire for you a worthy gift.’”
“Is she always so formal?” asked Lilypad when Misty paused. “I know she’s royalty, but not even Princess Celestia talks like that all the time, especially not to anyone close to her.”
Misty chuckled. “Some habits just stick, I suppose.” Returning her gaze to the letter, she read, “‘I remembered how you so enjoyed attending the symphony last year. Therefore, I have enclosed tickets for you and your friends, that you all may attend the Hearth’s Warming Eve performance of the renowned Sapphire Symphony. I hope to see you there. May your Hearth’s Warming be merry. Sincerely, Princess Luna.’” Misty slid the letter and tickets back into the envelope with a shimmer of magic. When she looked up, she found her friend was no longer sitting at their booth.
As was her habit when overcome with excitement, Lilypad hovered in the air above her seat. Despite the flutter of her wings and the curious glances from nearby café patrons, she seemed utterly oblivious of the fact that she was airborne. “My stars! The Sapphire Symphony?! We’re going to Canterlot’s premier classical concert for Hearth’s Warming Eve with a princess?! How perfectly glorious!”
Misty attempted to hide from the onlookers behind her draping mane. Being the center of attention, even being adjacent to the center of attention, was not her idea of a nice lunch date at all. “Lilypad, could you please come down?” she pleaded.
Lilypad blinked, finally realized she was flying, and alighted with a small giggle. “My sincerest apologies. I simply can’t believe it! We’re going to Canterlot to see the Sapphire Symphony! The Sapphire Symphony!” Her wings flittered against her flanks. Then she noticed Misty’s darkened humor. “Whatever’s the matter, dear? Don’t you want to go?”
“Well, yes, but…” Misty hesitated, averting her gaze. “I don’t know, maybe not this year.”
“And what sort of answer is that? I insist you tell me what is bothering you, as one friend to another.”
Blowing a stray strand of forelock out of her eyes, Misty sighed and admitted, “I don’t like the crowds, or the noise the crowds make. Every year, hundreds of ponies flock to Canterlot for Hearth’s Warming, and every year they clog the streets and fill the city with their clamor. I don’t want to go back, not even to see the Sapphire Symphony.”
“But Princess Luna wrote that you enjoyed the symphony last year,” reasoned Lilypad. “And you lived in Canterlot before coming to Ponyville—you must have encountered a few fracases then.”
“And I wanted to run away and hide every time I was outside.” Misty set her fore hooves on the tabletop and rested her chin on them. “The only reason I didn’t was that, if I stayed, I could study with Princess Luna as one of her students.”
“She said she’d meet us at the symphony. Wouldn’t seeing her again be reason enough this time?”
Misty shook her head.
Lilypad frowned. “I just don’t understand, dear. Why do crowds frighten you so?”
“I don’t know,” answered Misty, shrugging. “I’ve always been this way, ever since I was a foal. It’s just the way things are.”
Brow knitting, Lilypad straightened and lightly rapped a fore hoof against the tabletop. “Well, I, for one, simply refuse to allow one of my friends to miss such a grand opportunity. Misty Moonrise, we’re going to push you out of that tiny comfort zone and into society!”
Misty gulped. What terrible reckoning had she just unleashed?
* * *
Lilypad led the way toward Ponyville’s town square, where a great fir tree had been erected for Hearth’s Warming. Most of its frosted branches were still bare of the traditional ornaments, but that would soon be remedied. It looked like most of the town had gathered to help decorate the towering conifer, including Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Everypony was cheerful and chatting excitedly, creating a rippling sea of ponies abuzz with laughter and gaiety.
They had not even reached the outskirts of the community event when Misty balked. She ducked her head and retreated a few tentative steps. “It’s not a big deal, Lilypad,” she said. “You and the others can go to the symphony without me. I won’t mind.”
“Nonsense!” Lilypad fluttered closer to her grounded friend, smiling. “We’ll start with the thinner rank and file, and then we’ll ease into the thick of the throngs. There’s nothing to be afraid of, dear, trust me.”
At least you can fly away, worried Misty Moonrise. Nevertheless, she followed her friend a little closer to the festivities. Lilypad was taking the time to help her overcome one of her phobias, and Misty should appreciate Lilypad’s efforts and patience. Of course, that did not stop her from growing ever more anxious with each step.
“See?” said Lilypad, once they were amid a scattering of ponies in warm winter wear. “This isn’t the least bit scary, now is it?”
Misty glanced at the masses waiting ahead of them, ears drooping. “I suppose not…”
Unfortunately, Lilypad did not appear to buy it. She swooped down to hover right in front of Misty. “Don’t worry about them, dear, just look at me, all right?”
Nodding, Misty did as she was told. She could still see the ponies they passed in her peripheral vision, but, now that she was not focusing on what lay ahead, she felt a bit of her fear thaw.
“That’s it! You’re doing splendidly! Keep on just like that! Now, is this really all that bad, hmm? I told you there was nothing to fear, dear. A little courage and a step in the right direction, that’s all you needed. We’ll be ready for the symphony in no ti—oh, I’m so sorry!” exclaimed Lilypad upon flying into somepony. She flipped around to apologize to the fellow, fretting and fussing and generally making a big to-do over very little. “My stars! I really must pay more attention. Did I hurt you, dear? Oh, I am dreadfully sorry, it wasn’t my intention to…”
Then Misty Moonrise saw what surrounded them. She had been so focused on Lilypad that she had not even noticed when they had entered the heart of the festivities. Instead of a few ponies here and there, now there were ponies everywhere. Bodies shifted in waves, packed together tightly and ushering whatever lay in their path along with them. Voices clashed in a deafening cacophony all around; individual conversations were all but indistinguishable. Hooves added to the cheers and shouts, clomping and stomping through the powdery snow. Every hue imaginable flashed past in a textured blur.
The world seemed to be spinning. Misty squeezed her eyes shut to stave off the dizziness, but she could still feel the whirling confusion beyond her eyelids. Her heart pounded in her ears no matter how hard she tried to block it and the world out. It felt as if something were squeezing everything inside her into a tiny ball, as if she were caught in the clamps of an icy vice. Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe? Everything was going mad!
* * *
A magical charge filled the air, ruffling Lilypad’s feathers and sending a tingle up her spine. She turned toward the source of the disruption to find a sapphire aura blazing—not sparkling, not glittering, but blazing—around Misty’s horn. Sparks of magical fire flew from the white-hot tip, and a frigid wind clawed in a dome all around her. It was such a fearsome display of magic that everypony nearby, even Lilypad, backed away. Misty herself had shrunk to the ground, making herself as small as possible, but soon an explosion of stardust hid her from sight. When the shimmering flecks had settled, Misty was nowhere to be seen.
Lilypad alighted, gaze still frozen on where she had last seen her friend. Around her, startled murmurs sprang up to fill the void left by the unexpected scene. “Oh, dear, dear,” she muttered. “Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”
“What in the name of Purple Dart is going on?” demanded a familiar voice. A burly, mahogany pegasus stallion with a silver shield on his flank and sepia hair landed beside Lilypad.
“I think I’ve made a mistake, Steel,” Lilypad replied. “I was trying to help Misty face her fear of crowds. It… didn’t work quite as planned.”
“I could have told you that,” snorted Steel Shield.
Something about Steel always seemed to rub Lilypad the wrong way. She liked him well enough, but did he really have to be so boorish all the time? Ugh, stallions! “For your information,” she stated primly, “Princess Luna has invited us to attend the Sapphire Symphony on Hearth’s Warming Eve, and Misty doesn’t want to go because she’s afraid of the raucous crowds.”
Steel gagged. “Count me out, too. I mean, can you imagine me going to some snooty theater to listen to classical music?”
“It is quite the horrifying notion,” remarked Lilypad, earning an indignant glare from Steel. “Nevertheless, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and a little class never hurt anypony…” She looked Steel up and down. “Of course, there’s a first time for everything.”
“I resent that.”
“You’re still coming.” Lilypad spread her wings. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find Misty. The poor dear’s probably in such a state after all this.”
“Not coming,” Steel Shield argued.
“It’s formal attire only, dear,” she added as she took flight, “so be sure to wear your—well, in your case, be sure to rent a tuxedo.”
As Lilypad soared away, she caught Steel’s derisive snort and a disgruntled, “Ugh, mares!”
* * *
Somepony lightly nudged Misty Moonrise with a hoof. She cautiously opened one eye, saw that she was no longer surrounded by hundreds of ponies, and slowly uncurled herself. The owner of the nudging hoof stood beside her—a brown unicorn stallion with dark hair and eyes, and a white cloud and red quill on his flank. He wore a dark green knitted hat and matching scarf, both faintly speckled with snow.
“Are you okay, Misty?” asked Cloudy Day.
As he helped her to stand, Misty glanced around at the empty street. It appeared that she had teleported all the way to the other side of Ponyville. The hazy Canterlot silhouette on the distant mountains was clearer from this part of town, the waterfall pouring into Saddle Lake more distinct. “Now I am, I suppose.”
Cloudy cocked an eyebrow. “Something’s wrong. What’s happened?” he queried, removing his scarf and wrapping it around Misty’s neck with a wisp of silver magic.
Misty sighed. There was no fooling her special somepony. Walking with him, she explained about Princess Luna’s letter, the tickets, and Lilypad’s intentions of helping her overcome her fear of crowds. “I didn’t mean to disappear like that,” Misty finished. “It was… more of an instinct than a choice. It’s happened before, too—when I first met Lilypad and Juniper Berry.”
Cloudy chuckled. “Those two can be overenthusiastic at the best of times.”
“Exactly. Meeting them for the first time was overwhelming enough, but a whole city of ponies in one spot…” Misty shook her head. “I doubt I’ll ever be able to do it.”
They walked in silence for a while. It was not an awkward silence, but a peaceful, comfortable one. The fact that Cloudy Day did not feel the need to fill it with conversation was one reason Misty had been drawn to him in the first place. So many ponies whittled away the hours with talk and noise, but there was a soothing quality to quiet. The world felt larger and kinder, less intimidating.
Of course, silence could not last forever. Eventually, Cloudy Day spoke again. “You know that Lilypad’s heart is in the right place, right?”
Misty nodded.
“Then just trust her. She may have tried to take things too fast this time, but everypony makes mistakes. Give her another chance.”
A small smile tugged at Misty’s lips. Cloudy Day always managed to make her feel better. She nuzzled him affectionately. “I will. Thank you, Cloudy.”
* * *
It seemed like Lilypad had been flying for hours, although that was probably a subjective illusion. She had scoured most of Ponyville and had yet to find any trace of Misty. She had managed to find two other friends, though. Hopefully they had some idea of where Misty was.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Lilypad!” Juniper Berry said cheerfully as Lilypad alighted beside her. The blue earth pony, a sprig of berries on her flank, was in full winter regalia, from the jingling bell at the tip of her fluffy cap to her velvet boots. She had threaded mistletoe through her magenta and teal curls, and she wore a popcorn garland like a necklace. On Juniper’s other side, Nightingale smiled in silent greeting. The periwinkle earth pony, with a splash of white on her rump and a heart-and-music note cutie mark, was less festively decked, but she had strung her navy braids with little silver bells that tinkled softly every time she moved.
“Hello, dears,” replied Lilypad. “Have you by any chance seen Misty?”
“Nope!” Juniper shrilled. “But you can hang with us. We were just about to start a serious snowball fight!”
“Oh, thank you for the invitation, but…” Lilypad quickly explained the situation. “I just know there’s some way to help Misty overcome her fears,” she finished, “but I seem to have gone about it all wrong.”
“Well, duh!” Juniper Berry giggled, jangling her bell. “You can’t just throw somepony like Misty into the middle of a gargantuan party—of course she ran away. You have to distract her so she doesn’t realize she’s in a crowd at all.”
“But I tried that.”
“No,” put in Nightingale, “ye tried one way. Jes’ lookin’ at ye ain’t ’nough t’ hold anypony’s attention fer long.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Lilypad asked.
“Talk her up!” said Juniper Berry. “Right, Nightingale?”
“Do buffalo like a good stampede?” Nightingale agreed. “But ye cain’t jes’ jaw ’bout any old thin’. Git her int’ a conversation ’bout somethin’ she’s int’rested in.”
“Stars are good,” Juniper offered. “Stars, space, and everything in-between will get Misty through a hundred million ponies.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know very much about any of that,” Lilypad said, rustling her wings. “How am I going to engage her in conversation if I don’t know enough to even converse?”
“Ye don’t need t’ know nothin’, hon,” Nightingale assured her. “Jes’ ask her questions, ’n she’ll take care o’ the rest.”
“Splendid!” Lilypad hopped into a hover, beaming. “I simply can’t thank you eno—” She paused as a pair of ponies turned a nearby corner, both familiar and one the missing unicorn herself. “There you are!” called Lilypad, landing before Misty Moonrise and Cloudy Day. “Oh, I am terribly sorry for rushing you into that rabbling horde, Misty. Are you all right?”
“It’s fine, Lilypad,” Misty returned. “You were just trying to help.”
“And it all went horridly. However…” Lilypad’s wings fluttered, and a hopeful grin spread across her face. “I think I have the perfect solution.”
* * *
The brakes squealed as the train ground to a halt at the Canterlot station. Through the frosty panes, Misty could see the restless multitudes she had predicted. Ponies filled the winding, paved streets, and their voices rebounded off the tall edifices in mind-numbing volume. The platform was less densely packed, but the threat beyond the station gates remained.
“Firefly’s feathers!” Steel exclaimed, drawing Misty’s attention back inside the train car. Lilypad was smoothing the lapels of his tuxedo for perhaps the hundredth time, and Steel seemed to have had had enough. “Cut it out, Lilypad! I look fine!”
Lilypad, herself in an elaborate gold gown with an even more elaborately styled mane, pressed her lips into a thin line. “Hmm, I doubt you’ll ever look fine, Steel Shield, but I suppose this will have to do.”
“I think he looks terrif!” piped Juniper Berry, practically bouncing in place. Despite wanting to wear all of her “best” holiday apparel, Lilypad had convinced her that a black-tie event would not… appreciate red-and-green-striped garments wired all over with blinking multicolored lights, but they would, of course, appreciate a cheery ensemble of soft pink with white snowflake embroidery. “Besides, girls can’t resist a stallion in a snazzy tux.”
Steel Shield rolled his eyes. “The second we’re back on this train, the monkey suit’s coming off.” He glared pointedly at Lilypad. “End of story.”
“Aw, quit yer bellyachin’,” Nightingale drawled. She still had the little silver bells in her braided mane and tail, but this time she also wore a silver gown and earrings to match. “Steel, take a less’n from my Pappy ’n don’t lose yer teeth o’er the li’l thin’s. Lilypad, don’t try t’ fix nothin’ that ain’t broke.”
“Yes, I suppose natural disasters do take the longest to clean up,” Lilypad acquiesced after a last adjustment to Steel’s black bow-tie.
Then Cloudy Day joined Misty by the window, attempting to smooth his uncooperative forelock with a tendril of magic. Unlike Steel’s modern tuxedo, Cloudy had opted for a set of evening tails, complete with a silk top hat, white bow-tie, and short, white scarf. It was somewhat out of place amid the contemporary fashions, but Cloudy did not seem to care. He finally gave up on his hair and just settled his top hat over the misbehaving cowlick to hide it. “Well,” he said, “how do I look?”
“Very old-fashioned,” Misty answered, smiling. Although it was not in her nature to dress up in any sense of the phrase, Lilypad had somehow persuaded her to don a simple, deep blue gown peppered with glittering silver flecks, giving her the appearance of wearing a piece of the night sky. She had even combed her normally disheveled hair, which was not something Misty often remembered to do.
“I like old-fashioned,” rejoined Cloudy, returning the smile.
“So do I.”
“My stars, look at the time!” Lilypad gestured to the clock on the front panels of the train car. “We’d best hurry if we want to reach the concert hall in time.” She led the way off the train and onto the platform outside.
Misty’s ears and spirits fell as she stepped into the chilly winter air. This was a bad idea. I should have stayed in Ponyville where it’s nice and quiet. There are just too many ponies in Canterlot, especially at this time of year. Maybe I should just wait on the train…
“Oh, Misty, dear,” said Lilypad, interrupting Misty’s thoughts, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. I saw this absolutely marvelous star last night just after sundown, but I can’t for the life of me think of its name. Do you happen to know?”
Misty’s ears pricked up. “Where in the sky did you see it?”
“Well, I’m not sure exactly, but I believe it was somewhere in the patch of sky above Foal Mountain, or at least what we can see of it from Ponyville.”
“That’s Capella. She’s only forty-one light-years away from Equestria, and her apparent magnitude is zero-point-zero-eight, so she’s extremely bright and easy to spot.”
“How splendid!” exclaimed Lilypad. “Tell me, what does this ‘apparent magnitude’ you mentioned mean?”
“Magnitude is a measuring scale,” explained Misty Moonrise. “It was invented by Hippocampus, an astronomer from Ancient Equestria. He started to measure and compare stars by their brightness, and then created a ranking system in which a magnitude of one represented the brightest stars and a magnitude of six represented the dimmest. Princess Luna worked with later astronomers such as Star Catcher and North Star to refine and extend the scale. Now we measure stars that are brighter and fainter than Hippocampus’s original magnitudes. An apparent magnitude is how bright a star appears in the sky to ponies like us on solid ground. It’s a bit arbitrary and many apparent magnitudes are variable, with a margin of error or uncertainty of at least twenty percent, but all stars are variable to some extent.”
“If there’s an apparent magnitude, is there some other sort of magnitude as well?”
“Actually, yes, there is! There’s absolute magnitude, which is how bright a star would appear from a distance of ten parsecs—about thirty-two light-years. If we measure by absolute magnitude, some stars can even have a negative ranking, which means they are some of the brightest stars known to ponykind. Betelgeuse, in the constellation Orion, has an absolute magnitude of negative seven-point-two, and so does Deneb in the Cygnus constellation. They’re the closest stars to Equestria besides the sun and they have one of the highest absolute magnitudes.”
“Well, no wonder they’re so bright! Oh, look, we’re here. My, how time does fly!”
Misty blinked and looked around. They were no longer outside. Instead, they were in the magnificent lobby of an opera house. The familiar crystal chandeliers and gold-painted statues must have undergone restoration recently, for they gleamed in the candlelight in flawless splendor. The milky marble tiles were covered with velvet runners of deep crimson, contrasting the surrounding gold and filigree. A number of ponies in smart uniforms stood passing out playbills, greeting new arrivals and checking their tickets, taking coats and shawls, and politely ushering ponies to their seats. Most of the ponies in the lobby were there for the performance, and the greatest number were flooding through the doors on the ground floor into the concert hall. Misty Moonrise and her friends stood at the top of a grand staircase leading up to the balcony and tier boxes.
“What? But how…?” Misty sputtered, eyes widening.
Lilypad tittered merrily. “Oh, it was nothing, dear, really. Nightingale and Juniper Berry suggested that I try distracting you in conversation while we navigated the multitudes, and it worked absolutely splendidly!”
“We just walked through the entire city on Hearth’s Warming Eve?”
“Indeed!” Lilypad hooked a foreleg around Misty’s shoulders in a hug. “I just knew you could do it, Misty! There’s no reason fear should stop you from having a good time with friends, and now we can all enjoy the symphony together!” She eyed Steel. “Well, most of us.” All of them laughed at that, even Steel Shield.
A new pony approached the group of friends, taller than most and immediately recognizable by her flowing starlit mane and onyx crown, deep sapphire coat and crescent moon cutie mark. “Ah, here you are,” said Princess Luna with a gentle smile. “I was beginning to worry that you would not come.”
Misty glanced at Lilypad with a smile and replied, “So was I.”
“Come,” the princess continued, leading the six ponies into her private box. “’Tis nearly time for the symphony to commence.”
As they took their seats and the musicians, assembled on the stage below, prepared their instruments, Misty whispered in Lilypad’s ear, “Thank you, Lilypad.”
Lilypad smiled and ruffled her wings. “Not at all, dear, not at all.”