The Family of the Season

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 1
Chapter 9

Chapter 2

A guard came rushing in, "The royal chariot approaches, your Highnesses!"

"That's Cadence, Shining Armor, Skyla, and Aunt Luna!" Twilight exclaimed and just like before, she rushed out.

Flash merely said, "Here we go again…" He and everyone - except the children and grandparents - followed after her.

By the time they got to the door, the chariot was landing, but already Cadence flew out to meet up with Twilight as they chanted their favorite rhyme, "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" They giggled.

"Oh, Twilight! It's so wonderful to see you again, but should the Queen of Canterlot really be doing nursery rhymes?" Cadence said in a joking manner.

"I don't care. All I care about is seeing my favorite cousin again."

Skyla came up to her mother in excitement and looked up to Twilight, "Hi, Aunt Twilight!"

Twilight was all smiles, greeting her, "Hello there, Skyla. Did you have a fun time riding the chariot over here?"

"Uh-huh. I got to sit in Grandmama's lap all the way!"

Luna trotted forth and beamed at her granddaughter. Shining Armor joined them carrying two suitcases with his magical aura, but he was having a hard time keeping them up.

"If you don't mind Twilight, could you tell me where I should put these?"

"Oh, one second." She signaled for a couple of guards and instructed them to take the prince's luggage. They obliged.

Shining Armor smirked, "Well, you certainly got the queen role down pat."

"You may think so, but I assure you, I still have my doubts. Well, no use standing out here in the cold. Let's get you inside for some hot chocolate and cookies."

"Yay!" Skyla cheered while the adults around her laughed merrily.

Inside, Celestia and Luna were joyfully reunited and Celestia and Sombra gave a hug to their niece and grandniece. Then Skyla joined the other cousins who were talking in a corner, discussing the pageant.

"I hope I get Chancellor Puddinghead! Cause that's who my Mom plays every year!" Cotton Candy told them.

"No doubt I'll be Commander Hurricane!" said Whirl Wind.

"Ooh! I bet I'll be Princess Platinum!" Gemstone motioned.

"Looks like you'll be Clover the Clever, sis." Fire Spark looked at Starling.

"You think so?"

"Sure. That's who Mom is every Hearth's Warming Eve pageant."

Meanwhile, the parents were updating Shining Armor and Cadence of the changes happening this year.

"The kids are going to perform the pageant?!" she asked with wide eyes.

Rarity said, "That's correct, to keep them distracted from searching for presents."

Shining commented, "That's pretty clever. Who thought of that?"

Flash gestured to his wife with a smirk, "Who else but the pony that has played Clover the Clever for years?"

Twilight glared at him, "Very funny." She then smiled, "But true nevertheless."

Cadence asked, "And what of my other cousins? The trio and Sunset Shimmer?"

"I got a message from them saying they left Marendelle Harbor this morning, so they won't be here until tomorrow. As for Sunset… she responded back to my message saying she would arrive today, but I don't know when. I'm also waiting for a surprise that's supposed to arrive soon."

"What kind of surprise?" both Cadence and Shining inquired.

"That's what we would like to know." said Applejack.

"But she won't say a word on what it is." said Rainbow.

"Have you tried tickling her weak spot?" Cadence smirked.

Twilight gasped at her, "You wouldn't dare!"

"You have a weak spot?" Flash asked.

"That's new to us, too." said Dash as the other sisters nodded.

Cadence explained, "That's because only I know where it is. I was fortunate enough to find it one day while I was looking out for her as a foal. And she still has it to this day."

Shining suggested, "Well, then, you better spill that secret before Cadence has to…"

"No fair! That'll ruin the surprise and it's a really good one!"

"How can it possibly be that good?" Applejack questioned.

"Trust me. It is." Suddenly, there was a fanfare and Twilight's smile widened, "And here she is!"

"She?!" they all exclaimed.

A herald then came into the room and blew the trumpet, "Announcing the Countess Coloratura!"

The girls and Cadence gasped in shock, leaving their poor husbands completely clueless. As the mare walked in with her bright pink mane and veil draped over her face, the girls all shouted, "Ra-Ra?!" They immediately went to hug her.

The boys wore confused glances as Discord scratched his head and Spike said, "I don't… understand…"

Celestia held a warm smile as she touched the dragon's shoulder and explained, "Coloratura - or 'Ra-Ra' as the girls nicknamed her when they were young - is a member of nobility. Her family are old friends to me, my husband, and sister. When our children met their only daughter, they became the best of friends, but duty and hardship separated them until now. This must be the special guest Twilight was talking about who would be performing in the showcase."

"She's a singer?" Soarin' asked.

"The best from what I've heard across Equestria. But even as a young filly, I can remember her singing beautifully."

The boys kept on watching the reunion.

"I just can't believe you're here!" Applejack exclaimed.

Ra-Ra said, "Well, when Twilight gave me the invite, I couldn't refuse! I haven't seen all of you since well before Cadence suddenly vanished."

The pink alicorn blushed, "Yes, it's a long story. One best told over some cookies and cocoa."

After introductions were made to the rest of the family, the girls and Ra-Ra talked amongst themselves.

"Oh, you have such sweet children…"

Rainbow chuckled, "Make sure you don't say that around Whirl. He hates being called 'sweet'."

"And this idea you have of them being in the pageant is great."

"At first, it was to distract them from presents, but the more I think about it, it really is a great idea." said Twilight.

Just then, a guard came up and bowed before them, "Your Highnesses, a sleigh approaches. We believe it is carrying Princess Sunset Shimmer."

And just like before, Twilight gasped happily and ran out of the room followed by her sisters, leaving Ra-Ra confused. Cadence gave her a half-smile.

"A lot has happened since we last saw each other."

Ra-Ra just glanced at her as Cadence told the tale.

Troubleshoes pulled the sleigh in with Sunset on it. She saw her twin and older sisters waiting by the castle doors.

"Sun-Sun!" Twilight called out to her.

Sunset leapt off the sleigh and cried out as she ran, "Twi-Twi!" The two embraced for a long time before the other sisters had a chance to hug their long-lost sister. Sunset waved back to her old friend, "Thanks, Troubleshoes!"

"No problem. Anything for a friend."

Twilight asked him, "Won't you like to stay for a while?"

"Afraid I can't. I got family to visit just like the rest of my friends."

"I was his last drop off." Sunset explained.

"Have a good time." he turned to go.

"You, too!" all the sisters said.

Once he was gone from view, Twilight turned to her twin, "We have something for you."

"What?"

They all giggled as they led her into the castle and went to a room where a large fireplace was. On the mantel, Sunset noticed, were rag dolls each looking like a member of the royal family.

"Before," Twilight expressed, "there were only ten dolls on this mantel." She pointed to her older siblings, "They were of us, our parents, and Aunt Luna and Cadence. But once we got married, our family grew, as you can see from the many dolls, though Discord's looks more like a plushie than a rag doll… Anyway, you will have noticed there's not a doll of you up there. But that's about to change!" In a bright pink flash, a rag doll of Sunset Shimmer showed up. Sunset stared at it in wonder.

"Twilight…" She took the doll with her own aura.

Rainbow pointed, "Well, go on. Set it up there."

Sunset slowly went toward the fireplace. She felt so touched to be a part of the family she never knew she had to begin with. She gently set her doll next to her twin's. She looked back at them with near tears in her eyes. "Guys… this is so amazing… I never had anything like this…"

They stared at her in confusion. They knew that their sister had lived a life of solitude thanks to her terrible guardian, Starlight Glimmer, but surely not even Starlight would do something so awful as to not celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve… But still…

"Sunset, darling," said Rarity, "are you meaning to tell us you never celebrated Hearth's Warming Eve?"

Sunset bit her lip uncomfortably before saying, "Well… um, actually, yeah…"

Their mouths dropped in shock.

Sunset explained, "I've heard about it, of course, from the guys, you know: Sugar Belle, Double Diamond, Night Glider, and Party Favor. They told me about it, but Starlight forbade us from celebrating it. So this is the first time I've ever seen the decorations, the lights, candy, and even the pageant. I know all about Equestria's history, of course, but to see it being performed, I can't wait to see that."

Applejack held her hoof up, "I'm sorry. It's just hard for me to wrap my head around it, but… you seriously never celebrated Hearth's Warming Eve?!"

Sunset nodded, "Mm-hmm."

Pinkie was on the verge of crying, "But… but that's just so… terrible!" she sobbed.

"That really is terrible!" Fluttershy wept.

Rainbow Dash was speechless. She wasn't sure if there were enough words about how she was feeling toward her sister's misfortune of missing out on one of Equestria's biggest holidays.

"Oh, darling… I am so sorry…" Rarity hung her head.

Twilight was shaking her head, "I just can't believe she would…" Then she faced her twin with a determined look, "If that's how it was, then you know what? We're going to make this the best Hearth's Warming Eve ever!"

Chapter 3

Flash gestured to Sunset Shimmer after his wife and her sisters told everyone of Sunset's lack of Hearth's Warming celebrations, "Let me get this straight: you had never once had a Hearth's Warming Eve?!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing and neither could anybody else. Celestia, Sombra, and Luna exchanged troubled glances while Cotton Candy whispered toward her cousins, "Poor Aunt Sunset!" They nodded in agreement.

"Geez, Starlight really wanted you to miss out, didn't she?" said Spike.

Twilight wrapped a hoof around her twin's neck, "Which is why we are giving her the best Hearth's Warming Eve ever to make up for the ones she missed."

Everyone around her was smiling at this idea. Then she looked straight ahead to a pony she had yet to introduce to her twin. "Sunset, meet an old friend, Countess Coloratura, better known as Ra-Ra to our family. Ra-Ra, this is my twin sister, Sunset Shimmer."

"This is just so hard to believe. I mean, I never even knew…"

Sunset giggled, "Yeah, we all did. I had no idea where I came from until I met Twilight and it all started coming together."

"Cadence told me your story and it's so horrible to know that you were kidnapped."

"Yeah… So, um, you're a friend to my sisters?"

She smiled, "I am. Whenever my family had important matters of state with your family, I would go play with the others."

Twilight explained, "We would have lots fun together and Ra-Ra has the most beautiful voice there was, and that's why she's here. As I told you in my letter, our sisters and I would perform in the pageant every year, but we also added extra things like singing and skits. It ended up being a holiday showcase, so Ra-Ra will be performing a special number she wrote toward the end of the show."

"Wow…" Sunset was amazed. "I can't wait to see that and to see the rest of you in the pageant." She looked toward her sisters.

"The thing is, though," said Rarity, "there's been a change in plans."

"Oh?" Sunset furrowed her brow.

Cotton Candy then jumped in on the conversation, "This year, we're going to perform in the pageant!"

Sunset eyed her nieces and nephews, who were agreeing. She looked at Twilight, who whispered, "Yeah, sorry about it. I would have let you known sooner except the decision was just made shortly before you arrived."

"Hey, that's no problem. In fact, that's great."

"It is, actually," said Fluttershy. "It gives us more time to figure out what we're going to do for the showcase."

Rarity mentioned, "Fancy and I read this wonderful Hearth's Warming Eve story a few days ago and we wanted to make a skit based on it."

"What's the story called?" Sunset asked.

"'A Hearth's Warming Carol'," said Fancy, "a classic written by the famous author, Charles Nickens."

"I remember reading that," said Sunset. "Good choice."

Twilight nodded, "It really is one of the best Hearth's Warming tales we have in Equestria."

"Good luck on it." said Ra-Ra.

"We'll try." said Rarity.

"In the meantime," Twilight started heading for the door, "let's show you where the theatre is."

Moments later, the sisters arrived at the castle theatre. Sunset marveled at the sight of it.

"This is where most of our precious childhood memories come from." Rarity said.

"And every year, we perform a song or skit just before we start the pageant. Same goes in between it, and then finally, we have either a skit or song at the end." said Rainbow Dash.

Twilight mentioned, "Starting tomorrow, preparations will be underway and I have to start auditions for pegasi fillies to fill the role of Private Pansy and I have to decide between Screw Ball, Cotton Candy, and Apple Jewel of which earth pony roles they will get."

"But won't one of them get left out?" Sunset inquired.

"I know. I don't want to do that, but you can't change history. The pageant must proceed as planned."

"The wisest thing to do is to brace one of them for disappointment." said AJ.

The mothers nodded.

On a ship crossing the ocean, it waved Marendelle's royal emblem on top of the mast. Its passengers were members of the royal family, and the king himself was checking to see how the voyage was faring.

"How are we doing, Admiral?" Button Mash asked.

The captain replied, "Very good, sire. The sea is a calm mistress today and as long as the winds keep blowing on the sails, we shall hit land at morning's light."

King Button nodded in approval before something jumped on him. Once he saw it was his youngest daughter, he chuckled, "Feeling bored, are we?"

Princess Little Button - or "LB" as everyone called her - sighed dramatically, "There's nothing to do!"

"Haven't you been playing with your sister or cousins?"

"Snowy won't come near me and Roller Blade, Skater, Apple Butter, and me have already played every game there is on a boat."

"Hmm…" Button pondered as he glanced to where his firstborn was. Snow Pea was standing at the spar looking down at the water. She looked dejected. Button turned back his little daughter and said, "Here, why don't you go round up your cousins into the cabin and I will tell you kids a story my mother told me when I was a colt."

LB's eyes widened and she grinned, "Yay!" She rushed to where her cousins were at. Button found his wife talking to her sisters and their husbands. He overheard them.

"Are you going to do something for the show this year?" Scootaloo asked.

"Not this year, remember? Pip and I did that skit last year, so this time, we're going to sit back and watch the others." said Apple Bloom.

Pip nodded his head in agreement.

Scootaloo turned to Sweetie, "What about you and Button? You know that duet you two did a couple of years ago was one of the best performances we had in the showcase."

"Well… we probably would, but after everything that's happened with Snowy recently, I think it's best we keep an eye on her during our entire visit."

Button then jumped in on the conversation, "How is she holding up?" He asked Sweetie Belle as he looked to their eldest.

Sweetie followed his gaze and frowned, "She feels she needs to keep away from every pony she comes into contact with."

Apple Bloom said, "She can't possibly believe it was her fault. She just can't control her powers at the moment."

Scootaloo muttered, "Those stupid Windigos… If I ever see one, I'll pummel it to a snowflake!"

Button said, "It truly is hard to understand why the Windigos gave her these powers, but we're doing everything we can to help her gain control over her gifts."

Sweetie commented while looking to see her daughter was alone, "I hate to see her lonely like this…"

Button kissed her head and gestured, "Why don't you talk with her while I tell the rest of the kids a story? I promised LB."

Sweetie smiled, "Go, I'll take care of things here."

"And so will we," said Rumble as he looked at the others, who nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, guys," Button smiled as he went toward the cabin where his daughter, nieces, and nephew were waiting.

Sweetie Belle and her sisters went toward Snow Pea, who kept staring down at the ocean as they moved along aside it.

"Snowy…" her mother tried to wrap a hoof around her, but she was too quick.

"No, Mommy! I don't want you to get hurt!"

Sweetie gently said, "You're not going to hurt me, Snowy."

"Yes, I will! You should have forced me to stay home! What if I hurt Grandma Tia and Grandpapa?! Or Aunt Twilight?! Or anyone else that gets too close to me?!"

"That's not going to happen," said Scootaloo.

"What happened back on Marendelle wasn't your fault." said AB.

"My sister could have gotten hurt! All because these powers didn't want to cover the whole pond! Sometimes I wonder how much control I do have…"

The sisters glanced at each other, not sure what they could say at this point. Instead, Scootaloo thought it would be best to change the subject.

"Look, the important thing is no pony got hurt and that we're on our way to celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve. You love Hearth's Warming, don't you? The tree, the presents, everything about it?"

"I… do…" Snowy's voice was full of unease.

"And we do a show that's always the highlight of the evening!"

This time, her spirits were lifting and she said with intrigue, "Are you going to be part of the show this year, Aunt Scootaloo?"

Scoots blushed while her sisters smirked at her, "Um, well, um…"

AB kept smirking, "Yeah, Scoots. There must be something you haven't done yet for the showcase."

Scootaloo was still blushing, "Well… I do have something in mind, only…" She faced her husband, "…if Rumble is willing…"

Rumble frowned, "Uh-oh. What are you getting at, dear…?"

Scootaloo wrapped a hoof around him, "Let's just say that there's this dance I know that will be perfect for the showcase, but I will need a partner who knows the moves as much as me to make it work."

He was still frowning until he sighed, "It's the Nutcracker one, isn't it?"

She smirked, "You know I've wanted to do that dance for so long. I've already done 'Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy' when I was a filly, but to dance the 'Pas-de-deux' would be a dream come true! And to dance it with my favorite colt in world would make it even better!"

Pip furrowed his brow and questioned, "You do ballet?"

Sweetie, Apple Bloom, and Snow Pea looked at Rumble with interest.

Rumble moaned and sighed again, "It was my deepest darkest secret until now…" He briefly glared at his wife, but he kept explaining, "As you know, I was on my own a lot when I was a colt, so at one point while I was starving for food, a traveling ballet company took pity on me and gave me free dancing lessons. I was a skilled dancer to say the least, but eventually, I went on my way as always and had many more adventures on the way."

"He told me this a while back," pointed Scoots. "He was afraid that I would tease him, but honestly, I was excited, because during my royal years in Canterlot I was given ballet lessons. Of course, I didn't want Rainbow Dash thinking I turned into a girly-girl, but when she did find out, she encouraged me to perform. That's when I did 'Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy' at the holiday showcase all those years ago."

"I wish I could have seen that," Snowy smiled.

"Well…" Scootaloo smirked at her husband again. "If you can persuade your uncle to dance the 'Pas-de-deux' with me, I'm sure you can…"

Rumble glared at her, knowing what her plan was. He made the mistake of looking down at Snow Pea's face to see her round eyes were pleading.

She even said, "Will you, Uncle Rumble?"

He smacked his forehead, "Oh… alright." he chuckled, "I can't say 'no' to this pretty little face."

She giggled.

Sweetie Belle smiled at her brother-in-law and whispered, "Thank you… I haven't seen her smile in weeks…"

Rumble grinned back, "You're very welcome."

Sweetie said to her daughter, "Come, Snow Pea. Your father is in the middle of telling your sister and cousins a story. Let's go join them."

"Well… um, I guess so…" She gave a small smile.

Sweetie was still smiling as she led her daughter to the cabin. Once they were out of earshot, Apple Bloom and Pip were laughing their heads off, causing Rumble to glare at them.

Pip guffawed, "I can't wait to see you on stage wearing tights!"

Apple Bloom fell onto the deck, laughing away just picturing the scene.

Scoots wrapped her hoof around her husband, "Don't listen to them. We're going to do great. I just know it."

Rumble slowly started smirking, and then grabbed his wife's hoof and began twirling her around like the ballerina she was before dipping her.

"Well, then, we best get some practice…"

She smirked back at him before leaning in to kiss.

Chapter 4

The Countess was in her castle guest room that night. She had taken off her veil and the bright pink wig she was wearing. Her real mane color was black and it had a slight curl. She hated wearing the wig, but her family's traditions were that they impress every pony around them. She was about to get ready for bed when a knock came at her door and a voice called out.

"Ra-Ra? Are you in there?"

"Applejack?" she called back. "Yes, I'm here, come on in."

AJ entered the room and smiled at the sight before her, "Now there's the Ra-Ra we all know and love. When you first came into that throne room, I didn't even recognize ya."

"Sorry about that. But my grandmother insists I wear the wig. It's been passed down from generation to generation. So it was important that I kept up with the tradition."

"But you don't have to wear it all the time, do you?"

"Only to special events, like this one." she beamed at her friend.

"Aw, shucks," AJ blushed. "But you should know that we don't mind if you don't wear the wig."

"Which is why I am not going to wear it during rehearsals."

"Good for you!"

Ra-Ra giggled, "You know, out of all of your sisters, you were my best friend…"

"Aw, that's mighty sweet of you to say."

"It's the truth. We always played together even when the others were too busy. It's amazing seeing all of you like this, married and having children."

"You don't have any little brood to call your own?"

Ra-Ra shook her head, "I don't."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be, I'm fine. One day it'll happen."

"I sure hope so. If any pony deserves to be a mom, it's you."

"You're too sweet, AJ."

The two mares laughed as they recollected their times together.

"No, no, Cotton. It's 'I can also think inside the chimney. Can you think inside a chimney?'" Pinkie was telling her daughter as she was helping her for the audition tomorrow.

Cotton Candy headed to a chimney that was in the castle suite and started repeating the line, "Maybe for you, Smart Cookie. But I am a chancellor. I was elected because I know how to think outside the box. Which means…" She stuck her head inside the empty fireplace, "I can also think inside the chimney! Can you think inside a chimney?" She looked back to her mother, "How was that, Mom?"

"That was perfect, Cotton! Twilight's bound to choose you!"

Cotton bounced in excitement, wishing for tomorrow to come already.

The line of pegasi fillies lined up outside the castle. One-by-one, they were brought in to audition in front of Queen Twilight and her entourage of advisors. Before auditions began, Twilight handed her nephew, Whirl Wind, a script to read off Commander Hurricane's lines.

One of advisors shouted, "Next!" The previous try-out was escorted off the stage and the next filly was brought in. She was a little light brown pegasus with glasses.

"Hello." Twilight greeted her, "What's your name?"

"Um, Zoo-Zoo, Your Majesty."

"Well, Zoo-Zoo, as you are aware, we are looking for some pony to play Private Pansy in our pageant this year. My nephew, Whirl Wind, will be providing Commander Hurricane's lines while you do Private Pansy's lines. Got that?"

Zoo-Zoo nodded, "Uh-huh."

"Then let us begin. Whirl, whenever you're ready."

Whirl was getting tired of delivering the lines, but he knew he couldn't let his aunt and mother down, who was in the theatre watching. He took a deep breath and shouted out, "Atten-tion! Well, aren't you curious about how it went?"

Zoo-Zoo stammered while reading from the script, "Oh, Commander Hurricane, sir. How… how did it go, sir?"

"Horribly! Those other tribe leaders are so disrespectful! Don't they realize we are a mighty tribe of warriors and should not be crossed?! We have got to break ranks with those weak foals!"

"Good, now turn to page 30." Twilight directed.

They quickly flipped the pages and Whirl read out loud, "C'mon Private Pansy, let's get a move on. Hup-one, hup-two!"

Zoo-Zoo did a shriek just as the script had said.

"Get a hold of yourself, Private! We cannot let anything distract us from the mission at hand! To find, and if necessary to conquer, a new land!"

"Conquer, sir?"

"You never know where enemies might be lurking…"

"I don't see any enemies, Commander. Just snow."

"A-ha! Who's that?!"

"And… stop!" Twilight smiled toward Zoo-Zoo, "I think we have found our Private Pansy!" She turned to her advisors, "Wouldn't you agree?"

The advisors were nodding and muttering in agreement.

Zoo-Zoo's eyes gleamed, "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Twilight turned to a nearby guard, "Escort Zoo-Zoo home safely. Tell any remaining fillies outside gently that the role has been filled and that I am grateful for them coming and that I apologize for anyone who's upset."

The guard nodded his head to the command just as Zoo-Zoo ran off the stage all excited. Whirl Wind went to his aunt, "Man, you never told me Commander Hurricane had so many lines."

His mom went up to him, "All the more reason you should start memorizing."

"Thank you, Whirl Wind. You were most helpful." Twilight beamed.

Whirl rubbed his neck, "Aw, anything for you, Aunt Twilight."

"You go ahead and have some fun. Now that we have our Private Pansy, we can focus on the next audition." She called out, "Apple Jewel, Screw Ball, Cotton Candy, you're next!"

The girls came on stage as she handed them the scripts, "Jewel, I want you to read Smart Cookie's lines, and Screwy and Cotton, you will take turns reading Chancellor Puddinghead's lines. Cotton will go first, then Screw Ball. Alright, when you are ready, Jewel."

Apple Jewel nodded and started reading, "Wouldn't it be easier to use the door, Chancellor?"

Cotton gleefully read, "Maybe for you, Smart Cookie. But I am a chancellor. I was elected because I know how to think outside the box. Which means…" she looked around to see there wasn't a chimney, "Uh, Aunt Twilight, where's the chimney?"

"There isn't one, at least not yet. It still has to be built."

"Oh…" Cotton was disappointed until out of nowhere, a real chimney appeared behind the girls.

"Will this do, Aunt Twilight?" Screw Ball asked.

"Yes, that's fine. Thank you, Screwy. But make sure you get rid of it after the audition."

She nodded her head in understanding.

"Alright, Cotton, continue from where you left off."

Cotton inhaled a breath and went to the chimney, "Which means… I can also think inside the chimney! Can you think inside a chimney?"

"Uh…" Jewel read.

"I didn't think so."

"Ugh…"

"Oh, my gosh. Hold on to your hooves, I am just about to be brilliant!"

"That'd be a first…"

"I have decided that the earth ponies are going to go it alone!"

"Aw, so you mean the other tribes didn't come around? Shoot. I really thought we could get through to 'em if we-"

"Don't worry about them. We're the ones with all the food, right?"

"Actually, we're all out."

"Fine, then we'll have to go somewhere new where we can grow some new food. And with me as our fearless leader, what could go wrong?"

Twilight held her hoof up for them to stop, "Very good, you two. Now it's your turn, Screw Ball." But they could see she was not around, "Screw Ball?"

A voice suddenly said, "I'm in here!" It came from inside the chimney, and she popped her head out, "I'm just waiting for Jewel to say the lines!"

"Oh, alright, then, Jewel if you will."

Jewel spoke her lines just as Screwy landed out of the fireplace, "Wouldn't it be easier to use the door, Chancellor?"

Screwy read from her script as she had it floating in front of her while she acted out, "Maybe for you, Smart Cookie. But I am a chancellor. I was elected because I know how to think outside the box. Which means…" She stuck her head in the chimney, "I can also think inside the chimney! Can you think inside a chimney?"

"Uh…"

"I didn't think so."

"Ugh…"

"Oh, my gosh! Hold on to your hooves, I am just about to be brilliant!"

"That'd be a first…"

"I have decided that the earth ponies are going to go it alone!"

"Aw, so you mean the other tribes didn't come around? Shoot. I really thought we could get through to 'em if we-"

"Don't worry about them. We're the ones with all the food, right?"

"Actually, we're all out."

"Fine, then we'll have to go somewhere new where we can grow some new food. And with me as our fearless leader, what could go wrong?"

"Thank you, girls! Now give us a minute to reach a decision." Twilight turned to her advisors. From the fillies' point of view, they were in deep discussion and muttering something. Their aunt came back to face them with a happy but sad face. She looked at Screw Ball and Cotton, and she could see anticipation in Cotton's face. She cringed a little as she spoke, "You both did a wonderful job, but there can only be one Chancellor Puddinghead. But know that who doesn't get the part will be the understudy. And so we have decided that Screw Ball shall be Chancellor Puddinghead in this year's pageant."

"WHAT?!" the three fillies shouted out, though Cotton's shout was the loudest.

She jumped off the stage to face her aunt, "But, Aunt Twilight! My mom has always played Chancellor Puddinghead! I was going to carry on the tradition!"

Twilight gave a glum look, "I know… and I'm sorry, but it has been agreed that Screw Ball should play the part."

"That's not fair!" she started crying and ran off.

Screwy called out for her, "Cotton! Wait!" She was about to go after her until Twilight stopped her.

"She needs time alone, Screwy… and you seeing her might not be a wise idea. Cotton has to learn that ponies cannot get their way all the time. It's a hard lesson, but she has to realize that life will be full of disappointments. It's just a matter of accepting them."

"What if I dropped out of the play? Then Cotton can have the part."

Twilight gave her a small smile, "That is very sweet of you, but that wouldn't be fair to you or Cotton. Somehow, I don't think she wants the part by default."

A guard then came up to them, "Your Highness, we have just received word that royal family of Marendelle are on their way. They docked their ship this morning and have gotten into the royal sleigh we sent them."

"Excellent, thank you so much. Please go tell the rest of my family this. My parents will be very excited."

"At once, Your Majesty." he bowed and left.

"How long until they get here, Aunt Twilight?" Screwy asked.

"Hard to say. They still have a way to go before they get to Canterlot. One time, we had to use a flying ship to get here from Marendelle." She smiled at the memory. But Screw Ball and Apple Jewel were intrigued on hearing this.

"You were on a flying ship?!" Jewel gasped.

Twilight giggled, "Oh, yes," she said to Screwy, "and it was all thanks to your father."

Screw Ball chuckled, "Figures, Daddy always has a trick up his sleeves. When he's wearing something, of course."

They laughed at that.

Chapter 5

Cotton was bawling her eyes out as she lied on her bed. She kept herself shut in her room, leaving poor Pinkie and Cheese to stand helplessly outside and listen to her cry.

"It's my fault," said Pinkie. "I helped her get ready, making her think she was going to get the part." She frowned, "But I'm just as upset at Twilight. I really thought she would give the part to our sweet Cotton. After all, Whirl Wind got Commander Hurricane and that's who Dashie was. Gemstone is playing Princess Platinum, just like Rarity. So it seemed like the obvious choice at the time!"

"That's true, honey, but she did say she wanted to audition the girls, so there was no guarantee that Cotton was going to get the role."

"Oh…" She leaned her forehead to his. "Cheesy… what are we going to do?"

"I wish I knew, Pinkie… I wish I knew…"

On the other side of the castle, Rarity and Fancy met with Discord, Fluttershy, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Soarin' in their suite.

"Fancy and I spent most of the night incorporating Nickens's book into a skit. It's almost done. All we need now are some players."

"We would be most grateful if you would consider acting out in our little play."

Rarity pointed, "I know Discord would make a fantastic Scrooge!"

"Oh, come on! It's because I'm old, isn't it? Centuries old! Perfect for an old geezer!"

The others tried their hardest to stifle their laughter.

Rarity shook her head, "Not at all, darling. It's someone with your… experience… that would contribute a lot into the character." She smiled hopefully.

Discord went deep into thought, "Well… when you put it that way…"

"Oh, yes, and you'll get to be on stage the whole time, since you'll be the star."

A smirk appeared on his face, "You sold me. What's my motivation?"

Fancy gestured, "First things first, old bean. We need to figure out who everyone else is playing."

Rarity mentioned, "Fluttershy will naturally play Belle, who is Scrooge's long-lost love."

Fluttershy glanced toward her husband and they held hooves.

Rarity continued, "I figured I should play the ghost of Hearth's Warming Past."

Fancy nodded and pointed to himself, "While I shall play Marley's ghost."

Rarity motioned toward Spike, "Spikey would be perfect for Scrooge's nephew."

"What are we going to play?" Rainbow pointed between her and Soarin'.

"I think you would work well for the charity workers that ask Scrooge for bits." said Fancy.

Soarin' shrugged, "I could work with that."

Rarity said, "But there is a matter of finding a ghost of Hearth's Warming Present, the Coltchits, Tiny Timberly, Fezziwig, and a few others. Although, I do think Pinkie would make an excellent Hearth's Warming Present and Cheese could be Fezziwig."

Spike asked, "Then why aren't they here?"

The unicorn gave a sad look, "You are no doubt aware of the auditions that Twilight had to do with the children?"

Fluttershy hung her head, "Oh, yes… Screwy told me. I was happy she got the part, but it is upsetting to know that Cotton is terribly sad because of it."

"Right now, their best place is to be with their daughter." said Fancy.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Rainbow mentioned, "I hope she gets better soon. I can see why she be upset. I mean, Whirl Wind is taking over my part in the pageant, and Gemstone and Apple Jewel are doing the same for your guys' parts." She pointed to Rarity and Applejack.

"That is true," said AJ, "Pinkie was always Chancellor Puddinghead, so it did seem like Cotton would get it."

"Now wait a minute! Are you saying my little Screwy didn't deserve that part?!" Discord demanded.

Rarity objected, "No! Of course not, darling. We only meant that Screw Ball and Cotton were equally matched for the role, but given our history, it would make sense for Cotton to have it."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, but nothing about me or my offspring makes sense!"

Rainbow muttered, "He's got us there."

"The important thing," said Fluttershy, "is that we give them some time."

"I would like nothing better, darling," pointed Rarity, "but the show is less than a week away. We have to go over the skit to practice before the showcase."

"We know what you mean." said a voice.

They turned to see Cadence and Shining Armor by the door.

"Oh? Are you two going do something for the show as well?" Discord inquired.

Shining nodded, "We are."

Cadence explained, "We found this amazing book called 'The Gift of the Mane-gi' in our Crystal Empire's library. It's about a couple who are poor, but they are determined to get a present for the other, even if it means trading away their most valued possession."

Rarity exclaimed, "How utterly romantic!"

The group chuckled until the trumpets blared and someone called out, "The royal family of Marendelle approaches!"

"That's Apple Bloom!" Applejack jumped off her seat.

"And Scoots!" Rainbow flapped up.

"And Sweetie Belle!" Rarity put her hoof her heart before the three made a mad dash out of there.

The sleigh was being pulled by two pair of guards as the family drew near to the castle doors.

"We're here!" AB pointed.

"Finally!" Skater shivered, "It's freezing out here!"

Roller Blade shivered with his twin, "No kidding!"

"Yeah, I need to get to a fire, stat!" Apple Butter motioned.

King Button whispered to the rest of the parents, "Next time, we request a carriage."

They nodded in agreement.

Snow Pea, however, was the only one of her cousins who didn't feel cold. In fact, she hardly felt cold during the winter and during the summer, when everyone else got hot, she actually felt cool because of her powers. That was actually the one good thing about them, but other times… she felt unsure about them.

Little Button was grinning, admiring the snow around them and the decorations on the castle. To her, everything looked so pretty. She glanced at her sister and asked, "Isn't this awesome, Snowy?!"

Snow gave a small smile, "It is…"

The sleigh then stopped just as Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity made their way out, but the kids who were cold ran past them.

Rarity held out her arms, "Sweetie Belle, darling!"

SB ran into them. Applejack and Apple Bloom did the same while Scootaloo flew up to Dash and received a hug and noogie. Then they switched sisters to embrace, causing RD and Scoots to come down.

"Did you guys have a good trip?" Applejack asked after finished hugging Sweetie Belle.

"It was fine." she answered.

"Of course, once we got to the mainland," said AB, "the kids started getting cold."

"Makes sense," said RD. "They live on a tropical island, after all."

Rarity nodded, "Quite. They're not used to the cold weather."

"I am," said Snow Pea as she went by her mother's side. "It doesn't bother me."

Sweetie smiled as she nuzzled her daughter, "Go inside anyway, Snowy. It was a long way from the docks to here. I don't want you getting sick."

Snow nodded as she went to join her cousins and sister.

The three older sisters glanced at their younger sisters in confusion.

"That's odd," said AJ. "Snow Pea is always so playful…"

"Now she's all proper and serious," mentioned Rainbow.

"What's happened to her?" Rarity questioned.

The trio hung their heads as their husbands wrapped their hooves around for support.

Button said to Sweetie, "Tell them…"

She nodded, "Yes, but when we're all together."

Once they were all in the throne room-minus the children and Ra-Ra-heartfelt reunions were all around until Rarity mentioned that Sweetie had something to say about Snow Pea.

Celestia questioned, "Has something happened to my granddaughter?"

"In a way…" Sweetie hung her head as she began the tale, "There was an accident about a month ago. She and LB snuck out of the castle late at night and they were playing with Snowy's powers until LB nearly slipped into the nearly-frozen lagoon and Button and I managed to hear her shrieks and saved her in time. But since then, Snowy has been distancing herself from her sister and I don't think it helped that her father and I told her where she got her powers from."

Twilight inquired, "You told her about the Windigos?"

Button pointed, "We thought it would help, but maybe we should have stuck to our plan of telling her when she was older."

"Well, it's too late now," said Rainbow.

Sunset turned to Sweetie Belle, "Does she truly believe that she needs to isolate herself?"

"Yes. And that's what worries me," she felt Sunset taking her hoof in comfort.

"Let me talk to her."

Sweetie wore an unsure look, but said, "Well… alright. What have we got to lose?"

The kids - except Cotton - sat in front of the fireplace as some played with their Hearth's Warming Eve dolls.

Roller Blade made his doll look like it was flying and Skater was doing the same.

Fire Spark saw them and knew why they were doing that. Like their mother when she was little, their wings were too short to let them fly off the ground. The twins wanted more than anything to fly in the air like other pegasi. Then he noticed Apple Butter was trying to reach for her doll, but she was so short, like her dad was when he was young. Fire decided to help out and handed the doll to her.

Snow Pea just kept her distance from her cousins on one side of the room as she watched them play. Then she heard her little sister ask their older cousins.

"So you guys are going to play in the pageant this year?" LB asked, noticing the scripts next to them.

The cousins nodded and did random yeses.

"I'm Commander Hurricane!" Whirl Wind gestured.

"I'm Princess Platinum!" motioned Gemstone.

"Clover the Clever." said Starling.

"Smart Cookie." said Apple Jewel.

"The Narrator." said Fire Spark.

"And I'm playing Chancellor Puddinghead." pointed Screw Ball.

"Really?!" the younger cousins exclaimed.

"Does that mean Cotton is playing Private Pansy?" Skater asked.

Dignity shook his head, "No, we have someone else filling that role."

Whirl said, "Her name is Zoo-Zoo and she's a pegasus. Cotton doesn't have it because she's an Earth pony."

"So… Cotton won't be in the show, then?" Roller questioned.

Screwy hung her head, "Well, when she and I auditioned for Chancellor Puddinghead, she had her heart set on it, but then I ended up having the part and she got to be the understudy. She's in her room right now…"

"Crying." Gemstone added.

Screwy glared at her, "Yes… thank you for making me feel worse than I already am."

Jewel mentioned, "It's not your fault Aunt Twilight chose you."

Whirl said and turned to their younger cousins, "Well, let's not think on that. So, what's been happening in Marendelle?"

Snow Pea then turned her head away as the twins and Apple Butter glanced at her, but LB was the one who spoke.

"It's been great! Of course, I nearly fell in the frozen pond Snowy made, but luckily, Mommy and Daddy saved me."

"WHAT?!" they ended shouting out and stared at Snow Pea.

"I didn't mean to!" Snowy defended herself. "I thought it was frozen solid!" She then ran toward the door and was about to turn until she bumped into some pony.

On impact, she fell back to see her Aunt Sunset in front of her.

Chapter 6

"And where are you going in such a hurry?" Sunset asked.

"Back to Marendelle." Snow Pea started to go forward, but the older unicorn held her hoof out to stop her.

"Whoa, there. Somehow, I don't think your parents would like that very much and just think how sad every pony would be if you weren't here on Hearth's Warming Eve."

"But I'm a monster! My powers… I'm putting everyone in danger!"

Sunset frowned, "Snowy, you are nothing of the sort…" She sighed, "You are no doubt aware of the story of how I suddenly became your aunt?"

Snowy nodded, "Mommy said you were kidnapped when you were a baby and you had no idea you were a princess and Grandma Tia and Grandpapa's memories were stolen so they couldn't remember you… But Aunt Twilight saved you from some pony and now here you are."

Sunset gave a small smile and wrapped a hoof around her, leading her to an empty room that had a balcony overlooking the kingdom.

"Well, Snowy, that some pony was named Starlight Glimmer and she raised me to think my parents abandoned me…"

"What?!"

"Oh, yes. She told me my parents just left me in the middle of woods where she found me. Of course, I found out later that was a lie. The point is… I grew up feeling lonely… It was just me and her for a while until she hired Double Diamond, Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor. With their company, I felt happy, but I was still forced to stay in the manor no matter what. I escaped one night with their help and that's how I met Twilight and your aunts. I didn't meet your mother until I was locked in my tower room when I sent a message asking for help."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"So you can understand that isolating yourself from your loved ones is not a good idea." She started singing, "As you go through life you'll see there is so much that we… don't understand… And the only thing we know is things don't always go the way we planned… But you'll see every day that we'll never turn away when it seems all your dreams come undone… We will stand by your side filled with hope and filled with pride… We are more than we are… We are one!" she took a pause before singing out, "Family, family, we are one…"

She gestured Snowy to join her and they both sang, "Family, family, we are one…"

Snow Pea sang, "If there is so much I must be… Can I still just be me? The way I am…? Can I trust in my own heart? Or am I just one part… of some big plan…?"

Sunset sang, "Even those who are gone are with us as we go on… Your journey has only begun… Tears of pain, tears of joy… One thing nothing can destroy… Is our pride deep inside… We are one!"

They both sang, "Family, family, we are one… Family, family, we are one…"

Sunset finished singing, "We are one, you and I… We are like the earth and sky… One family under the sun… All the wisdom to lead… All the courage that you need… You will find when you see… We are one!"

Snow Pea gave her a confused gaze.

Sunset merely smiled, "It's hard to understand now, but hopefully you'll realize how much you mean to your family… Don't think of yourself as any less… Okay?"

Snowy was still unsure, but she smiled and nodded.

Sunset said, "Come on. Let's go find your Grandma Tia. Maybe she has an idea of how to control your powers better." They left the room.

Twilight took a deep breath before she knocked on the suite door and her sister answered.

"Oh. It's you."

"Pinkie…"

"No, no. I understand that Screw Ball was better at the auditions, never mind that Cotton had worked hard all night long trying to carry on the tradition set by her mother before her."

The alicorn sadly looked at her, "Oh, Pinkie, there was a reason I had to do it…"

Her brow furrowed up in bewilderment, "There is?"

"The advisors and I agreed that Screwy and Cotton were both good for the role, but I knew I needed Screw Ball distracted because with her powers, she could have led the kids to the Hearth's Warming gifts. It was imperative to keep her busy with a leading role in the pageant. I'm sorry I disappointed my niece like this, but I had to do it."

Pinkie gave a deep sigh before she let Twilight into the room and they sat on pillows.

"I was pretty upset at you… but given your explanation, I understand… Besides…" She gave a small laugh, "I could never stay mad at any of my sisters, not after all we been through…" She gave a tiny smile.

Twilight returned it, "Thank you, and again, I'm really sorry, but it was necessary."

Pinkie just nodded.

"There's also another thing I came to talk to you about."

"Yes?"

"Rarity and Fancy asked Flash and me if we could perform in their Hearth's Warming Carol skit with them and they told me who their other casting choices were. They want you and Cheese to be in it, but they're not sure how to approach it after everything that's happened with Cotton…"

"What kind of roles do they want us to play?"

"Well, they think you should play the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present and Cheese would be Fezziwig."

"Hmm…" The pink pony pondered on this before she let out a huge smile, "I would love to! And I know Cheese would love playing his part, too!"

Twilight beamed, "Thank you. I will tell Rarity that we got two new players. And if you like, we could give Cotton a role too to make up for…"

Pinkie shook her head, "No, Twilight. Let her heal from this and isn't she supposed to be Screw Ball's understudy?"

"True, but the chances of something happening to Screwy is very slim. You know she has her father's immune system."

"Yeah, but it never hurts to be prepared."

Twilight giggled, knowing how true that was.

Meanwhile, most of the family was in the theatre looking over stuff in the prop room. Shining Armor and Cadence were going over boxes with their daughter's help.

"What are we looking for?" Skyla asked.

Cadence explained, "We're trying to find objects to go with our skit."

"Right," said Shining. "From that story we read, we want to find some things that would work well for us."

On the other side of the room, Rainbow was digging around with her husband and son watching until she emerged with a small black helmet and armor. "Ah-ha! Here it is! My old costume!" She blew dust off the helmet before setting it on Whirl's head. "How does it feel?"

"Awesome." he smirked.

Not far off, Applejack and Rarity were introducing the trio to Ra-Ra.

"More sisters?" Ra-Ra glanced at her old friends.

Applejack giggled, "Mom and Dad adopted them after Rare, Dash, and I presented them."

"You see," started Apple Bloom, "we were just orphans working in the castle. I was a kitchen maid under AJ's care."

"I was a maid for Rarity." said Sweetie Belle.

"And I was Rainbow Dash's assistant with her outdoor activities." pointed Scootaloo.

"Amazing…" Ra-Ra was impressed. "So you were just three maids until the King and Queen took you in as princesses, and…" She gazed at Sweetie Belle, "you eventually became a queen?"

Sweetie blushed, "Long story."

Ra-Ra sat herself down, "I would like to hear it."

Sweetie started telling the story as Scootaloo noticed her husband and kids were going through a box she knew well. She went over to them.

"I see you found my things from past Hearth's Warming Eve performances."

"Did we ever." Rumble chuckled as he took out a small pink tutu, "I take it this was from that dance you told me about?"

"'Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy', yes." She took the tutu and saw how much she'd grown since then.

Skater gestured, "So you and Daddy are going to do ballet on stage?"

Roller gazed at their dad, "Isn't that going to be girly for you?"

Rumble face-hoofed while his wife guffawed away.

Shining and Cadence were still looking when Skyla came across a golden harmonica and locket. She presented them to her parents.

"Will these do?"

Her parents stared at the objects before letting out huge grins.

"They're perfect!" Cadence took them with her magic.

Shining used his aura to grab the harmonica and blew into it, causing everyone around them to look. A sweet tune came out of the tiny instrument.

"I didn't know you played the harmonica, Daddy." Skyla mentioned.

Cadence tried to surpass a giggle, "Neither did I."

"My grandpa used have a harmonica just like this. He would let me borrow it and taught me how to play it."

Cadence nuzzled his head, "That's so sweet."

"Could you teach me, Daddy?"

"Well… I could try." He moved the harmonica close to his daughter, "Press your lips together and blow."

Skyla did as he instructed and a loud screech came out, causing everyone around her to cringe, even her parents.

Cadence, in a quick magical move, grabbed the harmonica away, "Okay, that's enough music lessons for today. Let's go find your grandma and watch her raise the moon."

"Yay!" Skyla bounced as she left the room with her parents right behind her.

Celestia was in her suite with her daughter and granddaughter. As Sunset explained to her mother, Snow Pea's powers were becoming stronger and needed help in handling them right. From what the former queen of Canterlot heard from the filly's mother in the throne room, she reckoned Sunset was right.

The tall alicorn faced the young filly, "Snow Pea, my darling, you are now aware that your powers come from an unusual source. The Windigos, as you know, are part of Equestrian history. They are the reason that Equestria came to be, after all. Their magic was fueled by fear, anger, and distrust. They are a force of nature and very little is known about them. Why they would choose you to harness snow and ice powers is beyond our knowledge from the time you were born."

"Especially since you were born on a tropical island. You should have been gifted with tropical powers." Sunset joked, but Snowy failed to see the humor.

Celestia said, "With every year that you grow, your powers will get stronger and you must tame these abilities. From now on, we shall train you to do that."

Snowy's eyes widened, "You… you will?"

Her grandmother smiled at her, "Of course, my darling. I remember training your Aunt Twilight, your Aunt Rarity, and even your own mother."

"Really?"

"Really. Because like you are now, your mother had a difficult time using the unicorn magic inside her. It took us a while, but your grandfather and I managed to help her. I bet the same can be said for you." She smiled, recalling her memories of teaching a young Sweetie Belle. At one point, she was trying to lift a broom off the floor, but it got out of control and Sombra had to duck from getting hit.

"Could… could you really teach me?" Snow's eyes gleamed at the thought of being taught by her grandmother.

"Of course, and I promise you will get a better handle on your gifts."

Snow Pea smiled.

"And I'll be helping." said Sunset as she smiled up to her mother, who returned the smile.

Cotton sat alone in her room until a knock happened and a voice called out.

"Cotton?"

Recognizing who the voice belonged to, she scowled and yelled out, "Go away!"

Twilight called back, "Cotton, please… You and Screw Ball really did a great job in the auditions. I was upset that I had to choose between the two of you, but with you as the understudy, it'll be important for you to attend rehearsals and copy every move Chancellor Puddinghead. If something happens to Screw Ball, then you'll have to go on in her place."

Cotton's eyes widened to this information.

There was silence as Twilight, Pinkie, and Cheese waited in anticipation to hear what the reaction would be. To their surprise, Cotton slowly opened the door and her head peeked out.

"So… if Screwy can't go on stage, then… I can play Chancellor Puddinghead?"

The grown-ups nodded, but Cheese quickly pointed out, "But that's only if Screw Ball gets sick or breaks her leg for real at the show."

"Right," said Pinkie. "But you have to watch every move she makes in case there's ever the strangest thing that you will be needed on that stage."

Cotton slowly nodded her head as she thought, There's still a chance for me after all… A smirk came on her face.

Chapter 7

The next day, everyone was in the theatre for the start of rehearsals, even those who weren't performing would be watching to see what everyone else would be doing. Twilight had her clipboard at the ready as she had her performers in front of her.

She said in a loud, clear voice, "Last night, I made the program, so here is how the showcase will go this year. We'll have an opening song and the first half the pageant. After that, we'll do Shining Armor and Cadence's skit, followed by Scootaloo and Rumble's dance recital, and then our Hearth's Warming Carol skit. Next, there'll be the second half of the pageant, and finally, the closing number by Ra-Ra. Are we clear on that?"

There were random agreements.

"Great."

But then, Discord raised his hand.

Twilight looked at him wearily, "Yes, Discord?"

"Just what is this opening number that you're talking about?"

"Oh, well…" she eyed her sisters and turned back to the spirit, "it's just something the girls and I have planned out."

"Really…?" he glanced at his wife. "Why wasn't I aware of this?"

The other guys looked at their wives, wondering the same thing.

Twilight quickly spoke on their behalf, "Just trust us. We have something ready, but we don't want to reveal it until the show." She then turned to the kids before Discord or any of the other guys can ask more questions. "Let's begin with the pageant rehearsals first. Since we have given our roles to the children now, they're going to need all the practice they can get."

Fire Spark, Starling, Whirl Wind, Screw Ball, Apple Jewel, Gemstone, and Zoo-Zoo immediately took to the stage. Cotton, in the meanwhile, went backstage to start observing.

Twilight called out to them, "Now, let's start at the beginning. Fire Spark, you will be narrating. The rest of you will wait for your cues. Okay?"

They nodded and Fire got the signal to start. He looked down at his script on a stand and his eyes widened in shock, realizing just how many lines he was going to have to learn within a week. He took a deep breath and read out, "Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia, and before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony."

A dramatic gasp came from his Uncle Discord, but Fire Spark looked down to see his mother rolling her eyes and shaking her head. The colt knew to ignore it and continued on, "It was a strange and dark time. A time when ponies were torn apart. By hatred. During this frightful age, each of the three tribes, the pegasi, the unicorns, and the earth ponies, cared not for what befell the other tribes, but only their own welfare. In those troubled times, as now, the pegasi were stewards of the weather, but they demanded something in return, food that could only be grown by the earth ponies. The unicorns demanded the same, in return for magically bringing forth day and night, and so, mistrust between the tribes festered, until one fateful day it came to a boil… and what prompted the ponies to clash?

"'Twas a mysterious blizzard that overtook the land, and toppled the tribes' precarious peace. The normally industrious earth ponies were unable to farm their land. The earth ponies were freezing. The home of the pegasi fared no better, the pegasi were hungry. And the unicorns were freezing and hungry. Even the unicorns' magic was powerless against the storm. Each tribe blamed the others for their suffering and the angrier everypony grew, the worse the blizzard became. And so it was decided that a grand summit would be held to figure out a way to cope with the blizzard. Each tribe sent their leaders. Daughter of the unicorn king, Princess Platinum. Ruler of the pegasi, Commander Hurricane. And lastly… leader of the earth ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead. Perhaps, the three tribes could finally settle their differences and agree on a way to get through this disaster."

Whirl took over, "All I wanna know is why the earth ponies are hogging all the food!"

Screwy read out loud, "Us? We're not hogging all the food, you are! Oh, wait… you're right, it's us, well, it's only 'cause you mean old "pegasusususes" are making it snow like crazy!"

Cotton humphed and muttered under her breath, "It's "pegasusususes"…"

Whirl read out, "For the hundredth time, it's not us. We're not making it snow, it must be the unicorns! They're doing it with their freaky magic!"

Gemstone recited, "How dare you! Unlike you pegasi ruffians, we unicorns would never stoop to such a thing! H-m-ph!"

Screwy delivered the next lines, "Well, if you non-earths aren't gonna stop using your weirdo powers to freeze us all, then I'm just plum out of ideas!"

Whirl then read off, "What a shocker, an earth pony with no ideas."

Dignity whispered to his parents, "Wow. Was every pony during that time really that mean to each other?"

Fancy whispered back, "Unfortunately, yes."

Gemstone read out her lines, "Commander Hurricane, please cease with the insults!"

"You're not the boss of me, your royal snootiness!"

"I beg your pardon, I am a princess! I won't be spoken to that way!"

Whirl read, "Well, I'm leaving first!"

Screw Ball read on, "No, I'm first!"

Fire Spark read his line, "And the blizzard raged on."

After Whirl and Zoo-Zoo delivered their lines like in the auditions, Gemstone said the next set of lines.

"Clover the Clever, I need you!"

Starling read her lines, "Yes, Your Majesty. Did the other pony tribes see reason as I predicted?"

"Those other tribes are impossible. I, for one, can no longer bear to be anywhere near those lowly creatures! The unicorns are noble and majestic. We will no longer consort with the likes of them."

Apple Jewel read, "Wouldn't it be easier to use the door, Chancellor?"

Screw Ball read out, unaware that Cotton was glaring, "Maybe for you, Smart Cookie. But I am a chancellor. I was elected because I know how to think outside the box. Which means… I can also think inside the chimney! Can you think inside a chimney?"

"Uh…"

"I didn't think so."

"Ugh…"

"Oh, my gosh! Hold on to your hooves, I am just about to be brilliant!"

"That'd be a first…"

"I have decided that the earth ponies are going to go it alone!"

"Aw, so you mean the other tribes didn't come around? Shoot. I really thought we could get through to 'em if we-"

"Don't worry about them. We're the ones with all the food, right?"

"Actually, we're all out."

"Fine, then we'll have to go somewhere new where we can grow some new food. And with me as our fearless leader, what could go wrong?"

"Where should I start?"

"The point is…"

Then all three kids playing the leaders said, "We must find a new land!"

They read out the rest of the play and they got to the end as Fire Spark said, "And they named their new land…"

They said together, "Equestria!"

There was clapping as Twilight said to them, "Great job! Now for the next few days you'll need to memorize your lines and attend every rehearsal."

"Do I really have to learn this many lines, Mom?" Fire pointed out.

"Yes, sweetie, you must."

He groaned.

Gemstone mentioned, "I'm with him. There's so many lines that Princess Platinum has to say. How did you do it, Mommy?"

The other kids nodded and did random agreements, asking their mothers the same thing.

Twilight and her sisters exchanged glances before she turned back to the kids, "I know it's a lot to ask, but we have faith in you."

Applejack gestured, "And we'll help you every step of the way."

Rainbow said, "We know this play inside out. If you have any trouble, come straight to us."

That seemed to set the kids at ease.

Twilight looked at her clipboard, "Thank you, kids. Now, let's move on to Cadence and Shining Armor's skit of 'The Gift of the Mane-gi'."

The kids went backstage as Whirl looked at his pageant partner, "You were great by the way, Zoo-Zoo."

Starling, Gemstone, and Apple Jewel agreed with him.

Zoo-Zoo blushed, "Oh, thank you, but Your Highnesses were just as great."

Screw Ball pffted, "Don't call us 'Your Highnesses'. Here, we're friends."

Fire nodded, "Screwy's right."

"So where in Canterlot do you live?" Gem asked.

"Oh, in the lower parts…" she felt embarrassed to admit that.

"Really? My daddy told me he grew up there until he came to the castle and met my mommy."

"He… he did?" Zoo-Zoo was intrigued.

Most of the kids surrounded Zoo-Zoo, asking her more questions and she gave her best answers.

Screw Ball watched on until she felt a tap and turned to see Cotton.

"Cotton!" she smiled, "I'm so glad to see you! After yesterday, I was so worried!"

"You were?" the young pink filly felt confused. She thought Screw Ball was thrilled getting the part.

"Yeah, I wanted to go to you, but I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me…"

"Well… I was pretty upset… I really thought I was going to get the part…"

"Me, too."

Her eyes widened, "You did?"

"Sure, it was Aunt Pinkie's role after all. I thought you would get chosen."

"Yeah…" Cotton slightly turned her head away.

"So… cousins?" Screwy held her hoof out.

Cotton gave a small smile and shook, even though she still had some envy in her.

"Hey, I have an idea. Since you're my understudy, you can see things from backstage that Aunt Twilight and I can't see. Maybe you can give me pointers of how to improve my act!"

Cotton eyes gleamed at the thought, "I would love to!"

Screwy beamed before she rejoined the others not, seeing Cotton's growing smirk.

She'll never know what hit her…

When rehearsals were over for the day, Sunset noticed her sisters were surrounding Ra-Ra as they complimented the countess on what a great song she wrote. Sunset knew it wasn't her fault she didn't get to know Ra-Ra like they did. She was, after all, taken by some pony who wanted payback for her parents. But the fact remained that she was left behind on what could never be.

Suddenly, she felt someone's hoof on her shoulder and she looked to see Flash and most of her brothers-in-law.

"You know… as long as they're busy," started Flash, "we could use your help on finding the right gifts for them on Hearth's Warming."

Sunset smiled as they led her out of the castle and into the snowy streets of Canterlot. Everything was just beautiful.

Spike said, "We saw that look you were giving to Ra-Ra."

Sunset replied, "It's not like I'm jealous of her, but I wonder what it would have been like to be in her place, that it was me growing up with them… We're sisters. I deserved to be with them."

"That you did, Sunset. That you did." nodded Fancy.

"We know how you feel." said Soarin'. "The girls have been spending most of their time with her and we don't know anything they're talking about."

"So we're in the dark just as much as you are." said Discord.

"But you got to admit: she's got really good pipes." motioned Cheese.

They all agreed to that statement.

Sunset decided to change the subject, getting back to why they were there in the first place, "So, you boys are looking for presents for your wives?"

Flash gestured, "We just don't like the idea of showing up empty-hoofed on Hearth's Warming in case they got us something."

Sunset smirked, "Good point." She saw a nearby store, "May I suggest we start here?" She led them in.

It was like that all afternoon, with them shopping and having some fun on the side. Cheese, at one point, started a snowball fight and as much as Fancy tried to stay dignified throughout the whole thing, he gradually let loose and became a fighting machine with the use of his magic, throwing three to four snow balls at a time.

Sunset was having so much fun with her brothers-in-law that she could see why each of her sisters fell in love with them. Discord and Fluttershy and Applejack and Spike were unusual pairs, but they were perfect for each other. The rest of the matches made sense, too. Rarity and Fancy were obvious; Twilight and Flash were sweet together; and Pinkie and Cheese…did she need explain? It's no wonder they took a chance on love when their mother was forcing them to marry other royals, not being aware of the pending danger.

Of course, that just reminded her of what she had missed while being hidden away from the world. Had she grown up with them, would the same thing have happened to her? Finding love? And ended up having children at this point in her life? The thought escaped her as a snow ball hit on the side of her face and she glared at whoever threw it.

Discord was laughing his head off.

Sunset slowly grinned snidely before she used her magic to make a large snowball. The rest of the boys gaped at the size of it.

Discord's eyes widened and slowly backed away, "Now, Sunset. Let's not be hasty… Don't do something you might regret…"

Sunset took a couple of steps forward as they waited to see what she might do. Then she softened her grin, put the large snowy mass down, and started shaping it into a pony.

"Had you going there for a second, didn't I?" She smirked at the spirit while the others laughed.

Discord pouted, "Humph! I knew what your plan was all along, Sunset Shimmer! You didn't fool me for one bit."

Spike muttered, "Sure, you did." He nudged Soarin' and they snickered, but stopped when they saw Discord's deathly glare.

Fancy then summoned a pocket watch, "I say, it's getting late. We best return to the castle."

They mumbled in agreement.

As they were nearing the castle doors, Sunset quickly went in front of them.

"Hey, thanks for letting me hang out with you. It was a lot of fun."

Flash said with a shrug, "What's family for?"

She smiled as they got back inside.

Chapter 8

Ra-Ra saw how the girls greeted their sister and husbands as they came back from whatever it was they were doing while she and the girls were reliving old times. The minute they came inside, the girls rushed to them and Ra-Ra stepped off to the side to give them their privacy. So much had changed since she last saw them. They had families and discovered a long-lost sister. She, on the other hoof, fulfilled the duties that were required for a countess of her stature. She started heading upstairs when a small voice said.

"Aunt Ra-Ra?"

She turned back to see Applejack's daughter, Apple Jewel. Ra-Ra thought how much Jewel was a splitting image of her mother.

"Can we call you 'Aunt Ra-Ra'?"

Ra-Ra smiled, "Of course, you can." She saw how the other royal children were peeking their heads out of the room.

Jewel took Ra-Ra's hoof and led her into the room.

"Were you and our mommies really best friends?" Gemstone asked.

Ra-Ra giggled, "Uh-huh."

"Do you have kids?" Screw Ball asked.

"Are you married?" Starling questioned.

"What's it like being a countess?" Cotton inquired.

There were so many questions that Ra-Ra had a hard time keeping it all straight, so she answered the ones she managed to get. At that point, Applejack was sent to find the kids, only she found them and Ra-Ra together. She stood by the doorway, listening in.

"Well, no, I don't have children and I am not married, but I was once engaged. As a countess, I have an important job serving Equestria's royal families and watching over the kingdom where I live."

"Who were you engaged to?" Apple Jewel asked.

"Well, I was actually betrothed to a stallion of my parents' choosing. They thought he was some pony that was looking out for my best interests. But a few weeks before our wedding, my servants warned me how he was just using me and my family and I saw they were right. Thankfully, my parents chose to listen to me and our engagement was called off."

AJ's mouth gaped at learning this new information about her old friend. It wasn't that long ago when she and her sisters came that close to marrying stallions they knew nothing about. She decided then to get back to what she was doing in the first place and cleared her throat before entering the room.

"Sorry for disrupting you, Ra-Ra, but we were wondering if the kids would like to make some Hearth's Warming Eve treats for dessert tonight." The kids gasped in excitement as AJ chuckled, "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Go on ahead to the kitchens, then. Your mothers are already there and so is your grandma."

In what seemed like a stampede, the kids rushed out of the room and Ra-Ra was calmly making her way out until Applejack came up to her.

"I didn't mean to pry, but from the sound of it, you got away just in time before marrying some pony you hardly even know. Who was that creep?"

Ra-Ra sadly sighed, "Baron Svengallop… He tricked my parents into thinking he was going to be a good husband for me by looking out for my needs and giving me protection. Luckily, my servants told me what his true nature was and with their help, I exposed him for what he really was. My parents learned a valuable lesson and they are now letting me choose who I marry."

"Good call. I don't need to tell you how close we came in a similar situation."

"I know. I think when my parents heard about your mother's proclamation of asking for suitors for her daughters, they thought they needed to do the same for me."

"And we haven't been the only nobles that it's happened to. You remember Sweetie Belle's tale of when she met her husband?"

Ra-Ra sadly shook her head before starting to smile, "At least we were lucky to escape a loveless fate."

"You got that right." She quickly hugged her friend before motioning, "Now come on. We can use the extra help in the kitchen to make those goodies."

"I'm right behind you."

They laughed as they made their way to the kitchen.

The royal mares and the children were all busy making treats such as Equestria flake crepes, Windigo frosted snowcones, and Chancellor Puddinghead puddings. To Cotton, though, the puddings were just a bitter reminder of a part that could never be hers unless her cousin was to get sick or give up the role. There were also gingerbread pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies on peppermint sticks. It was quite a mess in the kitchen with bowls of batter and dough still laying on the countertops. Some of the mares and kids had batter and flour on their faces and hair. Those ponies were Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack, Luna, Cadence, Apple Jewel, Skyla, and Cotton.

Whirl Wind, Screw Ball, and Gemstone ended up playing with the ginger ponies.

Whirl holded up his ginger pegasus, "Hey! Aren't you the guys that aren't sharing the food?!"

Screwy held her earth pony, "Well, aren't you the one causing the freaky weather?!"

Gemstone levitated her unicorn, "Well, one of you is responsible and it certainly isn't us!"

Dignity commented, "Well, that's certainly one way to get into character."

Whirl mentioned, "Hey, we need all the practice we can get. Do you know how many lines we each have?!"

"We got to get it just right!" said Gem.

"Or else we're going to be stuck with one lousy pageant." pointed Screw Ball.

In a corner, the twins, Little Button, Apple Butter, and Snow Pea were licking their lips as they were about to snack on the crepes until their mothers noticed and Sweetie magically grabbed the treats out their grips.

Apple Bloom gestured, "You know you have to wait until after dinner, kids."

Apple Butter used her pleading eyes, "Aw, Mommy, can't we just have one little crepe?"

"Please…?" the kids pleaded as well.

The mothers were unfazed.

"That may work on your dads…" said Scootaloo.

"But not on us." said Sweetie.

They groaned.

Not far from them, Cadence was showing her daughter how to be careful around the oven while she put a batch of fresh cookies in.

Skyla asked, "When can I put cookies in the oven?"

"When you're older," both Luna and Cadence said.

Next to them, Applejack, Ra-Ra, and Apple Jewel were hard at working making the snowcones.

"Does this look good, Mommy?"

AJ chuckled, "It sure is."

Ra-Ra complimented, "You're a natural at this, kiddo."

Jewel blushed. Next to her, Fire Spark and Starling were cutting the flattened dough into shapes of the three pony tribes as Celestia helped them. Near them, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Rarity were working on the puddings.

In another part of the kitchen, Twilight was mixing a bowl full of batter, but Sunset was next to her and she stated, "No, no, no."

"What?" her alicorn twin inquired.

"You're not mixing right. Here." She took the bowl with her aura and started mixing in a different way.

"What's wrong with the way I did it?" Twilight crossed her hooves.

"Nothing, except I noticed the batter was looking lumpy."

"Hey!"

"Lucky for you, Sugar Belle taught me a few things."

Twilight scowled until she saw a piece of batter on the counter and, with a playful smirk, decided to throw the batter in the bowl, causing it to spatter all over her sister's face.

Sunset gasped and saw Twilight whistling innocently, but she knew better and smirked in return, "Oh… so that's how you want to play it…" She got ready with a ball of dough.

Twilight went, "Uh-oh." She made a run for it.

"Come back, you coward!"

"You got to catch me first, Sunny!"

"Oh, it is on, Twily!" She threw the dough, but at the last second, Twilight ducked underneath the counter and the dough hit the back of Rainbow's head.

There was a gasp as everyone stood silent. Finally, with a smirk, Dash threw the batter at Pinkie, who widely smiled and yelled out, "BATTER FIGHT!"

The chaos ensued as batter and dough was thrown across the room. Celestia and Luna were particularly aiming at each other while Rarity and Gemstone were keeping their heads down to avoid getting their manes and coats messy. There was laughing and yelling until a voice shouted.

"Cer du mont! What have you done to my beautiful kitchen?!" Chef Gustave Le Grand was standing at the doorway. He could see batter all over the floor and walls.

The royals stopped with what they were doing and Celestia addressed the chef, "Forgive us, Chef Gustave. We simply got carried away with all the fun. Please, allow us to clean the kitchen to make up for the mess."

Twilight nodded, "It's the least we can do."

"If that is what Your Highnesses wish, but it is quite unheard of for royals to clean."

Rarity muttered, "It certainly is…"

"We'll clean up the mess." gestured Twilight.

After mops and rags were given to them, they spent most of the time getting the cleaning done. In no time, the kitchen sparkled. The same could not be said for the mares and the kids, who were covered in grime from all the cleaning.

"Well, one thing's for certain," said Applejack, eying the kids, "we know who's getting a bath before dinner."

The younger ones moaned, "Bath? No!"

The mothers giggled.

Sunset pointed herself and her sisters, "Well, they're not the only ones."

Rarity said, "Quite correct." She cringed at her dirty hoof.

Celestia motioned, "We shall all get cleaned up first, and then meet for dinner."

They agreed as they headed out and went straight to their rooms.

When it was late at night and when they knew their children and grandchildren had gone to bed, Celestia and Sombra sat in front of a blazing fire in the large fireplace where the royal family kept their Hearth's Warming Eve dolls on.

Husband and wife snuggled close to each other.

"Remember our first Hearth's Warming Eve? Before the girls were born?" Celestia said softly.

Sombra gave a deep chuckle, "How could I forget? It was shortly after we were married. It was just me, you, and Luna."

Celestia giggled, "Back then, there were only three dolls on that mantle…"

"But when Fluttershy came, it was one more…"

"Then Rarity, Cadence, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Sunset, and Twilight…"

They sighed.

"As happy as those Hearth's Warming Eves were, there were ones of sadness…" Celestia admitted.

Sombra somberly nodded, remembering all those Hearth's Warmings he spent alone in that old castle while under the curse.

"It just wasn't the same without you and Cadence, and even though we couldn't remember our darling daughter at the time, it felt like something or some pony was missing on that special day…"

"Like Twilight with her dreams, we must have known deep down that we were missing Sunset."

"Thankfully with our memories returned, I can remember the twins' first Hearth's Warming together." she giggled.

Sombra chuckled as well, "They certainly were the highlight of the day."

They nuzzled their heads affectionately before going into a deep kiss.

Chapter 10

Hearth's Warming Eve was fast approaching. It was now the day before the show, and the kids had managed to memorize all of their lines and steps. Now it was dress rehearsals and the kids acted out the entire play. Cotton watched on with pride as Screw Ball would occasionally wink to her when she used a movement that her cousin thought of, which was perfect for a scene she was in.

They were now at the cave scene as Whirl said his lines.

"Great. Now there's no way out. We're trapped!"

Gemstone said, "You two deserve this horrible fate. You've done nothing but argue and fight with each other!"

Whirl pointed, "You've been fighting too, Your Highness!"

Screw Ball motioned, "Yeah, worse. I haven't been fighting nearly as much as you!"

"How ridiculous! A unicorn never stoops to fighting!"

"That's just 'cause you wimpy unicorns know you'd never win. Earth ponies are numbskulls!"

"Pegasi are brutes!"

"Unicorns are snobs!"

Suddenly, in the audience, Snow Pea felt a tickle in her nose and started to begin sneezing, unaware of a bright blue glow coming from her horn. When she sneezed, the glow shot out a blast of ice and instantly, it hit Whirl Wind, Gemstone, and Screw Ball, causing them to be frozen. Everyone gasped at the sight.

"Gemstone!" Rarity rushed on stage, followed by her husband and son.

"Screwy!" both Fluttershy and Discord shouted out and went to their daughter.

"Whirl!" Rainbow and Soarin' flew in to see their popsicle of a son.

The frozen ponies tried calling out for help, but the ice around them made it pointless. Snow Pea was horrified that how her cousins got frozen because of her powers. While everyone was too busy with the ice-covered kids, she ran out of the room.

"Don't worry, sweetie!" Rarity shouted. "We'll get you out of there!"

"And I know just how to do it!" Discord proclaimed as he popped on a heat jumpsuit with a heat mask on and started using a blow-torch.

"DISCORD!" the adults yelled in protest.

"Absolutely not! That's far too dangerous!" Fluttershy firmly pointed.

He got rid of his attire and the torch, "Humph. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"What I want to know is how exactly did this happen?" Twilight said.

Sweetie Belle looked back, but saw that one of her daughters was missing, "Snow Pea? Snow Pea?! Has anyone seen Snow Pea?!"

Sunset gasped, "She must have accidently cast a freezing spell on the kids and now she probably thinks it's her fault and has run away!"

Twilight frowned, "We got to find her, and fast."

Moments later, the family was searching high and low along with a few guards Shining Armor recruited. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow were the only ones who didn't join the search as they kept close to their children, finding ways to break them free from their icy prisons.

Sunset was with Sweetie Belle and Button as Sweetie started to fret more.

"What if we'll never find her?!"

Button wrapped his hoof around his wife, "We will." They started heading outside, looking around the snow-covered gardens, when Sunset heard faint sniffling.

"You two look over there. I'll look here."

They nodded as they went on and Sunset was getting closer to the sniffling. She saw a tree and slowly went around it. To her luck, she found the filly she was looking for.

"Oh, Snowy…"

Snow Pea gasped and jumped back, "Stay away from me, Aunt Sunset! I told you I was dangerous! I was right!"

"Just what happened that caused the freezing spell?"

"I sneezed."

"You sneezed?"

"Mm-hmm. Now you know I'm right."

"Snowy, that was just an accident."

"Everything is an accident with me! I'm the princess of disaster!"

"You're just beginning to control your powers… You'll see in time that training you is a good idea."

"Tell that to Screw Ball, Whirl Wind, and Gemstone… After this, they'll never forgive me!"

"Snowy, we really need you back in the theatre. Only you can lift the freezing spell."

"What?"

"Yes. Only you have the power to free your cousins from the ice."

"But how?!"

"Don't worry. Twilight and Grandma Tia will help…"

Snow still felt unsure, but she followed her aunt back to the castle. Once Twilight and Celestia were summoned, Snow Pea hung her head in shame.

"I'm sorry. I never wanted this to happen… Please believe me…" A tear fell down her cheek.

Celestia spoke, "Of course we do, my darling Snow… You would never intentionally hurt your cousins."

The ponies in the ice-blocks mumbled something as if agreeing with that statement.

"How can she reverse the spell, Mom?" Sunset asked.

Celestia instructed the filly, "She must stand in front of those frozen and think with all her might that the ice will melt."

"Alright, kiddo. You ready?" Sunset asked Snowy.

Snow gave a timid nod and looked at her cousins once before closing her eyes, thinking, Please… let the ice be gone and my cousins be free… She felt a strange sensation coming from her head.

The adults watched as the ice slowly began to go away and the kids were able to move again. The ice then was all gone.

Snow Pea opened her eyes to see her cousins smiling back at her.

"You did it, Snowy!" Twilight exclaimed and everyone around them cheered.

Snow Pea could hardly believe it! Her eyes grew wide with excitement, "I… I did… I did it! I really did it!"

"See?" pointed Sunset. "This is what happens when you have training. You can control your powers."

Snow Pea was still smiling just as her parents came into the room. She rushed to them, giving them a huge hug. Button and Sweetie exchanged surprised looks. It had been a while since Snowy last embraced them. Sunset winked at them.

When everyone came back in the theatre, the cousins gathered around each other.

"I'm really sorry I freezed you!" Snowy told the three.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." said Screw Ball.

Whirl and Gem nodded.

"Still think of yourself as a monster?" LB asked her sister.

"Only if you don't think I am…"

"Never!" she squeezed her older sis.

Snowy squeezed back. She felt so happy to embrace her family again. The cousins joined in and it was one big group hug.

The adults gushed at the sight.

Twilight then took center-stage and announced, "Alright, every pony. Tomorrow night is the big show. Despite minor bumps in the rehearsals, I'm proud to say that we're set for tomorrow!"

Every pony cheered.

"I think this is one of the best shows we've put on!"

Rainbow yelled out, "You say that every year!"

Twilight replied, "And it helped every single one of our shows go smoothly!"

Applejack shrugged, "She's got a point."

"Let's go get some dinner and then get plenty of rest. We got a busy day ahead of us."

On that final note, they left the room.

The theatre was filling up with ponies, and Cotton poked her head out from the curtain to see the large audience gathering to take their seats. She rushed backstage to see her cousins, parents, and aunts and uncles getting dressed.

Screw Ball was wearing the Chancellor Puddinghead costume as she snickered at her father's costume, which consisted of a nightshirt and cap. He also wore a grey wig and reading glasses. Her mother was next to him, wearing a beautiful dark green gown. Gemstone was wearing her purple cape and crown as she watched her mother apply her father's stage make-up by making him as ghastly and ghostly as possible. They then placed the rubber chains around him. Fire Spark had his narrator outfit on and Starling had her Clover the Clever attire on. Apple Jewel had Smart Cookie's costume on, and Zoo-Zoo and Whirl Wind had their matching armor on.

Cotton joined the pegasi, "We got a lot of ponies out there!"

"We do…?" Zoo-Zoo gulped.

"Don't worry! You're going to do great! And just think: once you finish the pageant tonight, you get to have presents the next morning!"

"You mean present."

"Huh?" Cotton furrowed.

"Huh?" Whirl did the same thing.

Zoo-Zoo explained, "You see, my parents run an animal shelter and we don't get a lot of money… So every Hearth's Warming, I get at least one present."

Cotton and Whirl exchanged looks. Never had they heard something like that. But when one grew up in a castle and had so many family members around giving one gifts, one never had to.

Twilight then came up with her checklist, which was held by her magic. "This is it, every pony! The big night! We got a lot of ponies waiting for us! So let's get out there and put on the best pageant and holiday showcase!"

Everyone cheered.

Chapter 11

The theatre darkened as Sombra, Button, and Pip sat in front of the audience. Though they weren't performing something for the show, they wondered where their wives were, who were supposed to be with them. Suddenly, the overture started and the curtain parted. A large Hearth's Warming tree was standing in the middle of the stage with an assortment of presents around it. Twilight then came up as a spotlight landed on her.

"Welcome, loyal subjects of Equestria, and Happy Hearth's Warming Eve!"

The audience cheered.

"For those new to Canterlot, every Hearth's Warming Eve, my sisters and I performed the pageant of the founding of Equestria. We would also add extra performances of our choosing. This year, there are a couple of changes. Instead of us performing the pageant, that honor shall go to our children to start a new generation of performers so that the history of how Equestria started shall live on for years to come."

The audience applauded.

"So with that said…I give you the royal Canterlot family's holiday showcase!"

More cheers.

"The opening number shall be performed by me, my sisters, and our mother and cousin. Boys, this one's for you." Twilight winked at her father, Button, and Pip as they had wide eyes.

The husbands who were backstage watching exchanged confused looks with their wives, who just smiled.

The orchestra started playing and Sweetie Belle came on, causing Button to gape as she magically took a present from the tree and opened it up. She sang.

"On the first day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… A magical shell of the sea!"

Scootaloo then came on and unwrapped another present, singing out, "On the second day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Pinkie came on, "On the third day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Twilight came back on, singing, "On the fourth day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Rarity made her way on, "On the fifth day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cup-cakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Fluttershy was next, "On the sixth day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Six mice a-sewing!"

"Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Rainbow Dash zoomed in, wearing Wonderbolt wear, "On the seventh day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Seven Wonderbolts a-racing!"

"Six mice a-sewing!"

"Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Celestia then came on, causing Sombra to be shocked, "On the eighth day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Eight crowns a-shining!"

"Seven Wonderbolts a-racing!"

"Six mice a-sewing!"

"Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Cadence appeared, "On the ninth day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Nine roses blooming!"

"Eight crowns a-shining!"

"Seven Wonderbolts a-racing!"

"Six mice a-sewing!"

"Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Apple Bloom came on to unwrap her present, showing off a finished painting, "On the tenth day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Ten painters painting!"

"Nine roses blooming!"

"Eight crowns a-shining!"

"Seven Wonderbolts a-racing!"

"Six mice a-sewing!"

"Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

Applejack finally came on, singing out, "On the eleventh day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Eleven pies a-baking!"

"Ten painters painting!"

"Nine roses blooming!"

"Eight crowns a-shining!"

"Seven Wonderbolts a-racing!"

"Six mice a-sewing!"

"Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of the sea!"

The girls faced the audience and sang all together, "On the twelfth day of Hearth's Warming, my true love gave to me… Twelve jewels a-sparkling!"

"Eleven pies a-baking!"

"Ten painters painting!"

"Nine roses blooming!"

"Eight crowns a-shining!"

"Seven Wonderbolts a-racing!"

"Six mice a-sewing!"

"Five emerald rings!"

"Four storybooks!"

"Three cupcakes!"

"Two awesome scooters!"

"And a magical shell of… the sea!"

The music stopped and every pony let out thunderous applause as the girls took a bow. The curtains closed as they got off the stage and was dealt with smirking husbands. The scenery was quickly changed and Fire Spark got ready for his cue as the curtains opened again. He began to narrate.

"Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia, and before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria…"

The play went on and the kids performed their roles. Cotton was smiling throughout the entire production, but when she watched Zoo-Zoo, she couldn't help but feel bothered by what the young pegasus said to her.

Once Screw Ball and Apple Jewel performed their last scene together, the curtains closed and Twilight came back on to address the audience.

"Before we finish the rest of the pageant, here are some more performances by Canterlot's royal family. I give you Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor in 'The Gift of the Mane-gi'."

The curtains opened, revealing a living room setting of a small house and a couple wearing clothing that was old and ragged. Shining was playing the harmonica as Cadence smiled at him. When he stopped, she said.

"Husband, dear, whenever you play your harmonica, my heart sings."

He smiled as he said, "And whenever I see you, dear wife, with the locket that you wear with only a bit of twine around your neck, I can't help but think that it should be a golden chain to go with your beauty."

They shared a kiss and the audience sighed lovingly.

When they broke apart, Cadence sadly sighed, "If only it were so, husband of mine, but whenever I see that harmonica out in the open, it should be protected in a case so that its music shall be preserved for all time."

"Wouldn't that be something? Unfortunately, all our bits go to food and the house. We're barely making ends meet as it is. There isn't enough for anything extra." Then, the set went dark while a spotlight shined on him. He turned to the audience, "Of course, what my wife doesn't know is that I've been saving on the side so I can afford her Hearth's Warming Eve present this year."

The set lightened up again as Cadence sighed, "I know…" But then, it darkened again, only for the spotlight to be on her this time. "But what my husband doesn't know is that I found some bits this year and I've been saving them until Hearth's Warming so I can buy his gift."

The stage lit up again.

"Well, I'm off to work, dear wife." Shining got a scarf and hat.

"I'll see you for dinner, my love." They shared another kiss and he left the set. She turned back to the audience, "In the meantime, I have a present to get."

The stage went black and when the lights came on, it was still the same setting and Shining came on carrying a wrapped present.

"Darling! I'm home!"

Cadence came on as she carried a present as well. "Why, husband! Is that a…?"

"It is, and I see you have a gift, as well…" he smiled.

She giggled, "You know, Hearth's Warming isn't until tomorrow, but perhaps we could…?"

He smiled as they traded gifts and was opening them with joy, but once they saw what they were…

Shining took the harmonica case and unsteadily said, "Oh, wow… a case for my harmonica…"

Cadence took the golden chain out, "And… a chain, for my locket… Oh, husband, it's beautiful… but I… traded my locket for the case…"

He gave a troubled look, "And I traded my harmonica for that chain…"

She gasped, "You didn't! You… did?"

He gave a tiny smile, "You see, I thought I had enough to buy the chain, but it wasn't… so I had to trade in the harmonica."

"Oh, darling… I thought I had enough, too! But when the vendor demanded more, I had to sell the locket…" she humbly smiled.

Shining shook his head, "You know, it isn't the money or the objects. It's the love we share. That's far greater to me than anything else."

Near tears were in her eyes, "It is to me, as well…" They stared at each other lovingly before sharing a deep kiss.

The audience had tears in their eyes as did so many of the royal couples.

Shining and Cadence faced the audience, "Remember: it's not the presents that matter, but the heart behind them." They took a bow and the audience applauded.

The curtain closed on them just as Twilight and Flash made their way to them.

"Great job, you two!" Twilight complimented.

"Depends," pointed Flash. "How much of that was real and how much was acting?" he smirked.

Cadence said, "Does it matter?"

"Probably not."

Twilight checked her list, "Now where is my next act?"

"Right here!" Scootaloo went to her, wearing a gold and silver tutu. The Pegasus had her mane up in a bun and wore a golden tiara on top. "But my partner needs some persuading…" She pointed to a backdrop backstage that showed Rumble's silhouette. "He's having a difficult time facing a full audience."

"Well, he has to. You have to go on stage in two minutes!"

Rumble called back, "But every pony's going to laugh!"

Scootaloo went to him and started pulling on his hoof, "No, they won't!" She managed to drag him from the backdrop and it revealed his golden uniform top and white tights.

Cadence called back to them as she, Shining, and Flash moved to the side, "Break a leg, you two!"

Twilight came from behind the curtain and told the audience, "And now, I present to you Princess Scootaloo and Prince Rumble in the Pas-de-deux from Tchaicowsky's 'The Nutcracker'." She moved away as the curtain parted.

Chapter 12 Author's Note

For a better visualization on Scoots and Rumble's dance, check out this link: watch?v=2ZmF9h8tuuY on Youtube.

Chapter 12

Rumble danced on, followed by Scootaloo. They began the dance gracefully as the audience watched in awe, as did many of their relatives.

Pip whispered to his wife, "Got to admit: they're not bad."

They kept with the dance until they reached the end. The audience cheered and applauded as Scootaloo and Rumble took a bow.

The curtain closed on them as Twilight once again came on and said to the ponies watching, "And now, I present to you that Nickens' classic, 'A Hearth's Warming Carol'. And we begin with Scrooge sleeping in his bed, where he is about to receive a visit from a pony he once knew in life…"

There was applause as Twilight got off and the curtain parted to reveal a bedroom set. Discord was in the bed, snoring away. Whether he was acting or not, it was hard to say.

Suddenly, a voice moaned in a ghostly wail, "Scrooge… Scrooge…"

Discord grumbled in his sleep and started to toss and turn.

The voice kept getting louder, "Scrooge… Scrooge… Scrooge!"

Discord woke with a startle and saw before him a ghost! He let out a yell and crashed out of the bed.

Fancy rolled his eyes just as Discord came back up shivering and quaking.

"Who… who are you?!"

"You don't recognize your old partner, Jacolt Marley?"

"Marley? Marley?! Is that really you, old boy? I thought you were dead! And what's with the chains?"

"That I am, Scrooge… That I am… And I've come to bring you warning… Change your bad ways or else, you'll share the same fate as me…" he held out the chains.

Discord scoffed, "Oh, come on! When have I been ever bad?"

"Let's start with this afternoon, shall we?" He pointed to his left, where half the stage lit up to a counting house set. Discord sat at a desk while Flash sat in a small one close by, being hard at work.

Discord looked at the colt, "Coltchit! Have you used another piece of coal?! It feels warmer in here!"

Flash sputtered, "I'm sorry, Mr. Scrooge, but when I came in this morning, it was freezing! I had to add coal."

"That's the third time this week! You're lucky that you're the only bookkeeper I have who's willing to work at a low wage, or else I'd fire you right now."

Flash hung his head, "Yes, sir…" He resumed his work.

Just then, Spike came on stage carrying a wreath, "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Uncle Scrooge!"

"Hearth's Warming Eve… bah humbug!"

"Hearth's Warming Eve a humbug, Uncle?"

"Just what right do you have to be happy, nephew? You're poor enough."

"And what right do you have to be dismal, Uncle? You're rich enough."

"Just keep Hearth's Warming in your own way and let me keep it in mine."

"If you say so, but surely you wouldn't object to having Hearth's Warming dinner with me and my wife tomorrow."

"Oh? And what would you be serving at this dinner?"

"Oh, lots of stuff! And desserts that make your mouth water at the sight!"

Flash licked his lips at the thought.

"I see, well, thank you for the invite, but I need to watch my cholesterol. I am, after all, an old geezer!"

Spike sighed and set the wreath aside, "Well, if you change your mind, just come on by." He turned to Flash, "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Bob."

Flash smiled, "You too, Master Fred."

Once Spike left, in his place were Rainbow and Soarin'.

Soarin' spoke in a poor British accent, "Pardon us, sir, but would you be so glad as to offer considerable donations for those that are needy?"

Discord furrowed his brow, "What?"

Rainbow mentioned, "In other words, we're collecting for the poor."

"Ah…" Discord spoke in a sickly sweet voice, "Well, you do realize once you finish collecting, then the poor won't be poor anymore, and if there aren't any more poor ponies out there, then you'll be out job… Oh, please, don't make me have you out of a job, not on Hearth's Warming."

Rainbow gestured, "Well… when you put it that way…"

Discord grabbed for the wreath, "Good, now why you give this to the poor and be gone!" He put the wreath around them together and gave out a laugh.

The set went dark and it was back to Discord and Fancy.

"See? If you don't change your ways, then the chains of greed and wickedness shall remain with you for all eternity!"

"That's what happened to you?"

"Indeed. In my uncaring ways, I did not know of the chain that was forming around me until it was too late, but you, you still have a chance… Tonight, three spirits shall visit you and help you."

"What could they possibly do to help me? They're just ghosts!"

"Nevertheless, you must listen to them, or else…" The stage darkened and Fancy was gone.

"Humph! Humbug! I'm just seeing things. Must have been that leftover gravy I ate for dinner…" He set himself down and closed his eyes. But suddenly, he heard jingling bells and he opened his eyes. To his surprise, there were three ponies standing by his bed.

One of the ponies was pink with poofy hair and wearing a green robe. She wore bells as she shook them.

"Wake-up, Scroogy!"

"What the…? What are you three?!"

Rarity, wearing a sparkling blue dress, cleared her throat, "I am the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Past."

Pinkie jumped, "I'm the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present!"

Applejack wore a black hooded cloak and said, "And I am the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come."

"So, you're the spirits that were coming to me this evening. Alright, let's get this out of the way. Tell me, oh wise apparitions, what is it you need to teach me?"

"Why, the importance of Hearth's Warming, of course!" Rarity exclaimed.

Applejack then smacked over his head, "And that you need to get it through your thick head that everything is not about you!"

"Ow!" he whispered. "Easy, AJ, we are only acting here!"

She smirked and whispered back, "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

Rarity spoke, "Now, we haven't a moment to lose." Her horn glowed for effect, "Come, Scrooge. It's time we took a peek into your past." The set darkened, but then it lit up again for a party going on.

Cheese was on a stand playing with a fiddle, "Alright, every pony! Swing your partner around and dance to the beat!"

Discord was on the sidelines with Rarity as he said, "Good old Fezziwig. He may have been my boss when I was younger, but he threw the best parties around!"

"Hmm, everyone else seems to be dancing but you…"

"True, but that was about to change…"

On that cue, Discord ducked behind the scenery and did a quick costume change to be a younger Scrooge and he came back, sitting on a box. It was then Cheese and Fluttershy came up to him.

"Ah! There you are, Master Scrooge! Belle, I want you to meet one of the best apprentices an employer could ask for! And Scrooge, this is Belle, an old friend of the family. Well, enjoy yourselves!" He dashed off.

Discord and Fluttershy smiled at each other as he took her hoof to kiss it.

"I'm very pleased to meet you."

She giggled, "The pleasure is mine, good sir."

"Would you, um… honor me with a dance?"

"I would love to!"

He whispered, "Ooh, a little bit anxious, darling?"

She blushed, "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Not at all, my sweet. Come, let us show these second-rate dancers some real moves…" They made their way to the middle of the stage as they moved in a graceful waltz. Fluttershy and Discord did nothing but stare into each other's eyes until the music stopped and the ensemble around them clapped.

The couple held on just as Rarity said to Discord, "There was, of course, another Hearth's Warming Eve with this young mare…"

Discord looked back and said, "Oh, spirit, no. I beg you, don't show that memory."

She gave a sad smile and the scene darkened as it changed to a park bench and Fluttershy and Discord sat in it, looking sad and gloomy.

Her head was turned away as he said, "Please, my love, don't do this…" He had near tears in his eyes.

She shook her head, having tears in eyes, as well, "I can't… I can't go like this… I wait for the day that we would be wed, but you always postpone it…"

"Because I'm trying to give us a life… a house and investments…"

"But that's all you care about now… I'm sorry… I have to go…" She ran off.

Discord tried to call back to her, but instead he put his hands to his face, demanding, "Spirit, why torment me with these memories?!"

Rarity came up to him, "These are but shadows of the past, Scrooge… They have already happened. You have only yourself to blame."

They back in the bedroom with the other ghosts.

"Well, I have had enough hauntings for one night, so the rest of you just leave me alone!"

"Sorry, Scroogy," said Pinkie. "We're not done yet!"

He groaned.

"Don't worry. I think you're going to like this." She pointed to a part of the stage that was lit and it showed a kitchen set where Twilight, Flash, Skater, Roller Blade, Snow Pea, and Little Button were gathered around the table.

"My employee, Bob Coltchit?" Discord said in confusion.

"Yup, having dinner with his family."

"That's dinner?" He noticed how meager the feast was.

"Uh-huh, and he has to feed all five of his kids, too!"

"Five? I only see four." But he spoke too soon when he saw a small filly walking with a clutch under her arm. Apple Butter took her spot at the table.

"Tiny Timberly…" said Pinkie.

"What's… wrong with her?" Discord acted out of concern.

"All I can say is it's not good. She's a pretty sick filly."

"Huh… I wonder why Bob never mentioned her before…"

Pinkie gestured, "Hmm, maybe because you were acting like a big meanie pants and that you wouldn't even care."

"Well, um… I suppose you're right… I mean I never cared about anyone but myself…" He looked back at Rarity, "Most days I often regret letting go of Belle… I hated to admit it, but she was right… I thought I doing her a favor, but really, I was denying her needs…"

"So in that result, you denied the needs of your fellow ponies." said Pinkie.

"Tell me, spirits: what is to become of Tiny Timberly?"

Applejack spoke, "If these shadows remain unchanged, then… I see an empty chair where Tiny Timberly once sat in…"

"No!" he got on his knees and begged before the girls, "I'll change! Really change! I'll help ponies! I won't ever think of myself ever again!"

The stage darkened and when the scene changed, Discord was holding on the bedpost, yelling, "I'll change! I'll change! I'll-" He looked to see he was back in his room and grinned widely, "It's morning! Which means it's Hearth's Warming Day! I haven't missed it! Quickly, I must rush over to the Coltchits and give Bob a raise and a better Hearth's Warming feast! Then I'll find those charity workers from yesterday and give them a huge sum for the poor! Then I'll stop by my nephew's for dinner! Oh, this is going to be a wonderful day!" With a skip in his step, he left the stage, having Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack come back on to address the audience.

"And so, Scrooge took the spirits' lessons to heart…" started Rarity.

Pinkie said, "Not just for Hearth's Warming, but every day after!"

"And to Tiny Timberly, he became a second father… and because of this, she didn't die!" Applejack beamed.

All three said, "And that is the story of Scrooge!" They took a bow, causing the audience to cheer and every single one of the skit performers came on to bow.

Once the curtain came down on them, excitement ran through.

Discord said to his wife, "You know, darling, when we did that scene, I could have sworn those were real tears…"

"Oh, I didn't mean to, but… it reminded me so much of how I forced you away when I told you about the suitors coming…"

"Oh… yeah… I nearly forgot about that."

"It made me realize just how close we were to having a broken relationship like Belle and Scrooge… it was very sad…"

Rarity pointed, "Come to think of it…" She faced her husband and sisters, "That could have been all of us!"

Mouths dropped when they realized she was right.

Pinkie exclaimed, "Wow! Had we not gone after them and showed them the magical kingdom, who knows where we'd be now!" She clung to her husband, "Why, you could have been a Scrooge yourself!"

Cheese gulped, wondering if that could have been true.

Twilight raised her hoof, "But that didn't happen! What matters is that we are all together and nothing is going to change that!"

AJ motioned, "Twi's right! We're here now, so we have nothing to worry about!"

Everyone gave random agreements as the couples clung together.

"Now, come on. It's time for the kids to deliver the second half of the pageant, so we have to get off." Twilight told them.

They left just as she looked back at the audience. "And now, ladies and gentlecolts, the rest of the pageant!" There was cheering.

Fire Spark came on and narrated, "And so each leader encountered obstacles along the way, but eventually, they all arrived in a new and wondrous land…"

"…And they named their new land…"

All the kid actors shouted out as they raised the flag, "Equestria!"

There was a great cheer as the curtain closed and Twilight was on, "And now, for the final performance of the evening, I give you Countess Coloratura!" There was applause as she got off and the curtain opened revealing Ra-Ra at the piano.

She started playing and slowly, she began to sing, "Dancing bears… Painted wings… Things I almost remember… And a song someone sings… Once upon a December… Someone holds me safe and warm… Horses prance through a silver storm… Figures dancing gracefully… Across my memory!"

A choir behind her went, "Ahhhhh! Ahhhh!"

"Someone holds me safe and warm! Horses prance through a silver storm! Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory! Far away, long ago! Glowing dim as an ember! Things my heart used to know… Things that yearns to remember… And a song… someone sings… Once upon… a December…" She held the last note until she stopped.

There was silence over the audience until all at once, a great cheer let out. The streamers then popped out and the bells started ringing, having every pony that performed on stage come to sing with the audience.

"Oh, the fire of friendship lives in our hearts… As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart… Though quarrels arise… Their numbers are few… Laughter and singing will see us through… will see us through… We are a circle of pony friends… A circle of friends… we'll be to the very end!"

With another round of applause, the curtain came down, ending the show.

Chapter 13

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 1

"We're hunting presents…" Screw Ball held the binoculars to her swirly eyes as she, Apple Jewel, Gemstone, and Cotton Candy were hiding in the dining hall, which was near the Hearth's Warming tree that was in their Everfree Castle. "Target sighted…" she said, spotting the presents under the tree, "Now on my signal, we move in three-"

"One!" Cotton Candy shrieked as she jumped out and ran toward the presents. She was about to land on them until the presents disappeared in a flash. "Oof!" she looked around and exclaimed, "Hey! What happened to all the presents?!"

There was chuckling and the parents came in the room.

Cheese Sandwich gestured, "You know the rule, Cotton…"

Applejack motioned, "And that goes for all of ya."

The kids came out from their hiding spot and groaned.

"Why do we have to wait until Hearth's Warming?" Gemstone inquired.

Rarity answered, "It's a tradition that goes back a thousand years."

"Where did you send the presents, Daddy?" Screwy asked with pleading eyes.

Discord started, "Well…" But his wife gave him a warning glare and then he smirked at their daughter, "Nice try, but you're just going to have to wait."

She groaned.

Rainbow Dash then whooshed in, "What's taking you guys so long? The sleigh's all ready!" She whooshed back out.

"Wonderful!" Rarity exclaimed as she led her family out.

They got out to the front of the snowy castle to see a sleigh large enough to fit them all while two pairs of guards were attached to the sleigh to pull it. Shortly after they were all in, it started moving. Fluttershy, who was up front with her husband, said, "I can't wait to see Twilight again!"

Pinkie pointed, "I know! It's been four whole months since we last saw her!"

"At least Uncle Flash, Fire Spark, and Starling were able to come stay with us a few times." said Whirl Wind.

"I can't wait to see Star!" said Gemstone.

Unbeknownst to them, Discord had snapped his tail and a nearby tree branch suddenly had mistletoe on it. And they were about to go underneath it.

"Heads –up!" he said. "Mistletoe straight ahead!" Then he twitched his eyebrow at his beloved, who blushed but giggled. All of the other couples glanced at each other and then right as they were going under the mistletoe, they all started kissing.

The kids glanced at who they were sitting next to - such as Screw Ball and Whirl Wind were near each other - but once they realized what the mistletoe was for, they gagged at the thought.

While half of the royal family was a sleigh ride away, Queen Twilight Sparkle of Canterlot started fretting in her throne room that not every one of her family members was going to be here.

Flash saw his wife pacing the floor as he sat in what was the previous king's throne. The previous king was Twilight's father, King Sombra. Flash kept watching her as did their children, who were also in the room.

"What are you so worried about, Mommy?" Starling asked.

"Oh," Twilight stopped for a moment to look back at her daughter, "sweetie, I'm just worried that your aunts and uncles and your cousins might not get here safely. What if something were to happen, like an avalanche, or a huge blizzard that came out of nowhere?! Or maybe…"

"Mom! Calm down!" Fire Spark flapped to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. Flash shortly joined them.

"I'm sure they're fine, honey… You know they always are…" he smiled.

"I know… but I can't help worrying. Ever since I took up the duty to care for all of Canterlot and some of its surrounding areas, I feel like something bad is going to happen on my watch."

"Mom, it's almost Hearth's Warming Eve. You should relax a little and enjoy the season." said Fire Spark.

"With all our relatives coming, that should help you." Star faced her mom.

Twilight had a grin grow on her face and moved her children closer to her.

"You are the best kids a mother could ever ask for."

Just then, the predecessors of Canterlot came through the door.

"Are they here yet?" Celestia asked her daughter.

"Not yet," replied Twilight. "But hopefully soon."

"But when they do get here, will everything be ready for the holiday showcase?" Sombra asked.

Twilight beamed, "I've spent weeks preparing! As you know, ever since we were little fillies, we always play the lead parts of the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant. But as we got older, we felt bored of having to do just the pageant and decided to add on more performances like songs and skits before, between, and after the pageant. It our favorite Hearth's Warming Eve tradition! This year, it'll be extra huge with Sunset coming and I've invited a special guest to come perform."

"Special guest?" Celestia said with intrigue. "Who?"

"It's a surprise," Twilight smirked. "One I know my sisters will love."

Sombra and Celestia smiled at each other.

Up high on the castle's watchtower, a guard was looking through a telescope until he spotted something coming. He shouted to another guard that was stationed on the tower steps. "The royal sleigh approaches!"

The guard on the stairs then passed the message to the next guard nearby, "The royal sleigh approaches!"

This was a chain reaction until a guard was near the throne room and ran in. "Your Highnesses! The royal sleigh approaches!"

Twilight gasped in excitement, "They're here! They're here!" She ran out the room, followed by her husband and children.

The sleigh was nearing the castle doors and Applejack pointed out, "There it is, home sweet home."

Pinkie said, "I think you mean 'castle sweet castle'."

Apple Jewel questioned, "I thought the Everfree castle is our home?"

Her mother responded, "It is, but Canterlot is our home too."

"We get two castle homes!" said Rainbow.

Pinkie mentioned, "I can't wait to see Twilight's face when she sees us!"

"That might be quicker than you think," her husband gestured to the purple blur that rushed out the castle doors just as the sleigh stopped.

The sisters gave out shrieks of joy as they hopped out to tackle the alicorn. It was one big embrace as the husbands stood by to admire the scene and Flash greeted his fellow brothers-in-law while the cousins met up to catch up with each other.

"She's been looking forward to this moment for weeks," Flash mentioned.

"So have they," said Fancy Pants.

Discord questioned, "So are we the only ones to have arrived?"

"So far," answered Flash. "Cadence and Shining Armor should be arriving by chariot soon and it's hard to say when Sunset will get here."

The cousins were chatting away as Screw Ball said to Fire Spark and Starling, "We were so close to getting those presents!"

"Yeah!" said Cotton, "until Uncle Discord made them all go poof!"

"I believe my Dad hid the presents somewhere in this castle, and we need your help to finding them."

Brother and sister glanced at each other before Fire said, "We may live in the castle now, but we still don't know where everything is."

"It's so huge!" Star cried out.

"So I don't know if we would be of much help. Our parents know the place better than we do."

"And we can't ask them for help… Darn it!" Screwy grunted.

The mothers were still in a tight embrace when Twilight said, "I'm so glad you got here all safe and sound, because I got a surprise that I know you will adore!"

"SURPRISE?!" the sisters all shouted out.

Pinkie had big eyes and a huge grin as she asked, "What kind of surprise?!"

"That's the thing. It's not here yet, but it will be soon. But for now, let's get you guys inside to warm up."

Everyone followed after her as they made it inside the castle. The kids were trailing right behind their parents as they eyed the walls, ceiling, and rooms for possible signs of hidden gifts.

Once they made it to the throne room, the girls and the children were embraced by Celestia and Sombra, who were happy to see their beloved daughters and grandchildren. Servants brought in cocoa and cookies for all of them to snack on.

"It's hard to believe that all of you are growing up so fast," Celestia told her grandchildren.

"We are grown up!" Whirl Wind proudly said.

Sombra chuckled, "You certainly are. You are all growing up into fine princes and princesses."

"Thanks," the kids simultaneously said.

While the grandparents were busy with the children, the parents gathered around Twilight and Flash and told them of their present dilemma back in the Everfree castle.

"Screwy has been looking for presents ever since the beginning of the month." explained Fluttershy.

"And the others gradually joined her." said Rarity.

Soarin' mentioned, "We've been able to waylay them until today."

Pinkie went up to Twilight's face, "Cotton was this close to jumping into all the presents."

"That's why I'm glad Discord teleported them all." said Cheese.

"Where?" Twilight raised a brow at the draconequus.

"Someplace Screw Ball would never find them." He leaned down and whispered the location in Twilight's ear.

"Hmm… But surely with her powers, she could find them again…"

Rarity pointed, "What do you suggest we should do?"

"They need a distraction, one that won't make them think of presents. Something that would keep them busy until Hearth's Warming Eve…" Suddenly, her eyes widened, "Wait a minute… That's it!"

"What's it?" everyone around her asked.

"The pageant! They could perform in the pageant!"

They had confused glances as Rainbow said, "Uh, Twi? Don't we usually perform the pageant? It's kind of our thing every year."

"Yes, but girls, we were their ages when we first did the pageant for all our subjects to see. Don't you think maybe it's time we let a new generation take it over?"

The sisters had wide eyes until Applejack smiled at her little sis, "I reckon you're right, Twi. It's time we let the kids take the reins."

"Absolutely!" Rarity agreed enthusiastically.

Fluttershy beamed, "If it keeps Screw Ball out of trouble, then I'm all for it!"

"Sweet! I can't wait to see them in action!" exclaimed Dash.

They turned toward the children with smiles on their faces and Twilight called out, "Oh, kids!"

The children turned around to see their parents with weird smiles on their faces.

"Yes, Mom?" Fire inquired.

"How would you kids like to be in the pageant this year?"

"WHAT?!" they yelled. "BUT WHY?"

Rarity spoke then, "We figured it was time that you were old enough to perform and are able to carry out the tradition we started."

Rainbow smirked, "So, think you're up for it?"

Whirl flew up in exhilaration, "You know we are!"

Twilight gestured, "It shouldn't be hard as to who should be who, but we have one earth pony too many and we're short a pegasus. We'll have to hold audition who gets what part and to find someone who can play Private Pansy. I'll have messengers out to deliver the news. This isn't what I was expecting for this year's pageant, but I think it'll be even better! Wouldn't you agree?"

The adults all agreed, but some of the children felt uncertain.

Chapter 9

Over the next few days, rehearsals were going smoothly. The kids in the pageant quickly learned their lines as they practiced their steps. Screw Ball was getting coaching from Cotton, but sometimes, Cotton would get picky and give strict instructions.

Twilight had asked for Star and Gem to come up and rehearse their scene from when they start on the quest to find a new land.

Gemstone said her lines without the use of the script, "Oh, this is simply taking forever. My hooves are killing me! How long have we've been walking for?"

Star also delivered her lines without the script, "About five minutes, Your Highness."

"Oh, I never imagined finding a new land would be so hard, but it'll be worth it. Don't you agree?"

"I actually think that the three tribes could've tried harder."

"Stoppp!"

"What's wrong?"

"That's is what's wrong!"

"Your Highness, it's just a stream. We can cross it easily."

"I refuse to get my gown wet. I have no intention of arriving at my new land looking like a bedraggled earth pony or worse yet, a rough-and-tumble pegasus. I, for one, have no intention of stooping down to their level. On the hand, I have no trouble watching you stoop down." She jumped on to Star, who grunted. "And do watch the gown, darling. It's worth more than all the books in your library."

"Good! Very good!" Twilight clapped.

Star glanced up at her cousin, "Uh, Gem? Could you please get off?"

"Uh? Oh, sorry."

They left the stage just as Screw Ball and Apple Jewel came on to do their scene.

Screwy held the map to her face, "Yes, yes. This is definitely the right direction." Off to the side, she saw Cotton making hoof gestures to her.

Jewel said her lines, "It feels like we're going in circles."

"But that's impossible, are…" She saw Cotton was doing more signals, causing her to be distracted, "you… suggesting… that… I'm… reading… the map… wrong…?"

Jewel's brow furrowed, but said, "Absolutely not, your chancellorness. It's just that, there are holes in the map, and-"

"Of course, how else could…" Screwy got distracted again, "I see… where… I was going?"

This time, Apple Jewel briefly looked behind her to see Cotton on the sidelines, moving her hooves. She turned back to Screw Ball to speak her line, "Yeah, uh-"

"Or… talk? I need to be… able to talk, I mean how… would we survive if I just… suddenly shut up?"

"Heaven forbid that should happen, your chancellorship. Heh. It's just that the map is also upside down."

"I got a… newsflash for you, Cookie… The earth is round… there is… no up… or down…?"

"You're right. It's such a relief to me that you're in charge of this map…"

"Relief? You don't need relief…? If any pony needs… relief around here, it's me… I'm a chancellor… I'm a big shot… you're just my… um…"

"Secretary."

"Whatever. You take the map… while I… enjoy some relief."

"Yes. Chancellor Puddinghead."

Twilight spoke, "Good girls, but Screw Ball, it seemed you were fumbling with the lines. I'm sure with some more practice, you'll be fine by the show. That will be all for today. Thank you, kids. You may go. Ra-Ra, you're up."

Screwy and Jewel went off to the backstage where the rest of their cousins in the cast, along with Zoo-Zoo, met up with them. Ra-Ra's piano playing in the background drowned out the noise.

"Cotton, what were those signals you were giving me?!" Screw Ball demanded.

"I was trying to help your act better!"

Jewel pointed, "Look more like you were trying to mess her up! Screwy knew her lines by heart. I know 'cause we spent the night practicing!"

Whirl said, "Yeah. From what I saw, you were distracting her, not helping her with hints."

Starling motioned, "What's this really about, Cotton?"

Cotton gritted her teeth and scowled, "Alright, fine! I deserved the part of Chancellor Puddinghead, not Screw Ball! The night before the auditions, I was working hard to make sure I would get the role! But when I became the understudy and Screw Ball thought I could help her, I decided to make sure she didn't want the part anymore if I pushed her enough!" She panted heavily from her ranting.

Around her, the kids were troubled by this statement, but it made Screw Ball furious.

"You mean… you were trying to make me quit the play?!"

"Yes." Cotton huffed.

"How could you do this to me?!"

"Well, it's not my fault I'm a better actress!"

The others gasped.

Cotton's face turned boiling red, "That's it! We settle this once and for all!"

"Totally!"

"Fine, I challenge you… to a skate-off! Whoever wins plays Chancellor Puddinghead!"

"You're… on!"

In a haste to leave the area, Cotton bumped into a lever just as Twilight called the end of rehearsals, making everyone leave for the day. Sunset was on the stage just as Ra-Ra was preparing to leave when suddenly, a trapdoor gave way and they both fell in.

"Where… where are we?" Ra-Ra asked as she looked at her surroundings of a tiny room.

"I think we're underneath the stage." said Sunset.

"How did we get here?"

"We must have stepped on a trapdoor."

"Can we get out?"

"Hm… I don't see a door anywhere, and the trapdoor is too high for us to reach… I hate to say this, but I think we're stuck here."

They exchanged worried glances.

The kids went to a nearby frozen pond that was close to the castle. Screw Ball and Cotton wore red, shimmy skating outfits and skates. They were on different sides of the pond, glaring at the other. Fire Spark called out on the sidelines.

"The rules of the skate-off are simple. Each pony gives off their best skating skills and whoever shows the better skills wins the contest. There should be at least one judge who should be impartial. Zoo-Zoo, since you haven't known us for long, you can decide who the better skater is."

"Oh, wow, I'll try."

"Great." He turned back to the competitors, "Skaters, are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" Screwy declared.

"Well, I was ready before I was born!" Cotton proclaimed.

"Alright, then. Screw Ball, you're up first."

Screwy smirked as she got into position, "Watch how a pro does it…" She got on two hind legs and skated in circles before twirling a couple of times. Most the cousins cheered her on.

She skated to a halt in front of Cotton, who bitterly glared at her.

Fire pointed, "Okay, Cotton, your turn!"

With her head held high, Cotton skated on the pond using all four of her hooves, twirled up in the air, and did a somersault before making a perfect landing. The cousins gasped in amazement and cheered. Screw Ball's mouth gaped, but she quickly closed it before her show-off cousin could see it. She knew she had to up her game if she wanted to win this.

Cotton watched as Screwy put up a ramp and a row of barrels.

The kids gasped at this.

"Is she crazy?" Starling whispered.

"Her name is Screw Ball, after all." mentioned Whirl.

Screwy smirked as she moved at fast pace and lifted high into the air as she did a couple of poses and flip-flops. She landed on the ice with perfect tact as she flashed a smile.

Cotton bared her teeth as she headed for the ramp and barrels. She then took a blindfold out and placed it around her eyes.

Screw Ball and the others gasped.

"Don't do it, Cotton! It's too dangerous!" Screwy yelled out.

"Says you! You're only saying that so I can't win!" Without another word, Cotton skated on to the ramp, flew up into the air, and did somersaults. When she thought she was going to land, she fell out of sync. She took off the blindfold and screamed.

Screwy knew she had to do something and fast. She made a trampoline in place of the barrels and Cotton bounced off it. Screwy quickly summoned a large pillow, where Cotton softly landed on. She rushed over to her cousin's aid as everyone else stood in silence.

Cotton was hyperventilating from her scare.

"Are you alright?" Screwy asked her.

"You… you saved me… You could've had the part all to yourself…"

"Now why would I want a dumb old part when I could've lost my cousin?"

Tears welled in Cotton's eyes, "Oh, Screw Ball, what a fool I've been! Can you ever forgive me?!" She sobbed.

Screwy wrapped her arms around her cuz, "There's nothing to forgive… I'm just glad we got the old Cotton Candy back…"

Cotton embraced the hug and nodded. They skated back to where the others were. "The skate-off is off."

"And how…" Screw Ball got rid the ramp and barrels before sighing, "What was I thinking?"

"What we were thinking…?" Cotton gestured. "I let my petty jealous get in the way of what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. I feel so ashamed… You really are the best pony to play Chancellor Puddinghead."

"Maybe, but I certainly could use some help to improve." she smiled.

Cotton grinned, "And this time, I won't make such a big fuss."

"You know, as long as we're all here, how about we rehearse some more?" Fire suggested with a smile.

But everyone around him groaned.

"If you don't mind, big brother, I'd rather have some fun at the moment."

The kids randomly agreed.

"Skates for everyone!" Screwy announced and the next thing they knew, every pony in the group had skates on.

For the rest of the afternoon, the kids had fun skating around.

Sunset and Ra-Ra were searching endlessly for a way out, but nothing presented itself.

"It's no use…" Ra-Ra slumped in despair.

"Don't say that. There's also a way out. I should know."

She looked up in interest, "Was that when you were kidnapped?"

"Pretty much, only growing up, I didn't know I was kidnapped. I was always told that I was abandoned."

Ra-Ra gasped.

"Yup. Starlight wanted to keep me away from my family, so she made up that lie so I wouldn't want to seek them out. She made me think I had nowhere else to go."

"That's horrible!"

"Well, it's horrible now that I know I missed out on something that I never knew I had…" She sighed and turned away so she didn't have to face the pony next to her, "Whenever I see you and my sisters together, I can't help but wonder if that had been me… growing up with them…"

Ra-Ra put her hoof to her heart, "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way…"

"It's not you personally. It's just… I missed so much with them… my family…"

Ra-Ra slowly went forward and gently touched the princess's shoulder. Sunset slowly faced her.

"I never meant to take your place… but I can see in this day and age that your sisters love you. You're someone they haven't seen in so long, and they are joyful that you're here now. Never had I seen them so happy."

"You… you mean that?"

Ra-Ra nodded, "Honestly, when Twilight asked me to come for the show, I thought I was going to see my old friends again. Never had I imagined I would meet their husbands, children, and long-lost sister. So much has changed since I last saw them. Of course, I too have changed… I almost married a stallion who was just using me. He only cared about himself, never about me. So seeing them with their families makes me a little sad because I want a family, too…"

Sunset was gob-smacked to hear this.

Ra-Ra gave a tiny smile, "I guess we both feel a little left out."

A smile grew on Sunset's face, "That's true."

"Maybe we could start over and become the friends we should have been?"

The unicorn held her hoof out, "I would like nothing better." They shook on it. Suddenly, they could hear muffling shouting above them.

Twilight and the girls came back into the theatre when they realized Sunset and Ra-Ra were nowhere in the castle. They called out their names.

Applejack shouted, "Ra-Ra! Sunset! Where are you guys?!"

Pinkie cried out, "Ra-Ra! Ollie-oxen-free! Sunset! Ollie-oxen-free!"

AJ was about to call again when suddenly, she could hear muffled yells. She quickly told her sisters, "Shush! I think I hear something!"

They were quiet until they heard the faint yells more clearly and went straight to the trapdoor. Pinkie found the lever and it opened the trapdoor.

Sunset and Ra-Ra could see a light above them, and Twilight and Applejack's heads poked in.

Twilight questioned, "Are you guys alright?"

"We've been looking everywhere for you two!" AJ exclaimed.

Shortly after they got the two ponies out, they explained how the trapdoor must have been set off and that they got stuck underneath until they were rescued.

"I'm just glad to see you're alright, darlings." said Rarity.

"Oh, we would have been fine. With Ra-Ra as company, we could have stayed there for days!"

"Ditto." Both mares laughed, causing the others around them to be confused.

Rainbow rubbed her neck, "Did we miss something here?" Her sisters could only shrug.