A Hearth's Warming to Remember

“Mother, I’m heading out!” the playful purple filly turned to call once again as she brought her scarf down around her neck with a quick spell. It was the first time her mother had agreed to let her go out in the snow, and she was nearly bouncing with excitement in every little jolt of a step she took. The electricity zipped through her as she lit her horn up, watching the door open in a white blizzard of fun.

Only it wasn’t.

“Mom, I think we’ve twaveled!” Twilight Sparkle, student to books and Mr. Smartypants, now stared at a wall of white. The usual dazzling exterior of the house held wonders to her: bird’s nests, left cold yet still beautiful; streets lined with hoof prints, followed directly by skid marks from their falling; and the most beautiful thing of it all was the clouds.

For an entire year she had been studying clouds, trying to comprehend all they represented, but it just didn’t make sense. For once, she could see them up close, grasp them in her little hooves, her time had come! But they weren’t in Canterlot anymore. “Well, Smawtypants,” she whispered under her breath, kicking at the wall of the cold substance, which she now recognized as snow. “It looks like our enemies have struck again, and this time bwutally.”

The doll nodded back at her. Smartypants was her second-in-command, her one-and-only, the confidant of confidants. No silly wall would take her out.

Twilight Velvet, ever-so-worried of her daughter, peeked in from the other room. “D-dear...Twily...that’s snow. It seems like we’re blocked in for the day! Sorry, sweetie, I know how much you wanted to go out.”

The blank look on Twilight’s face was as casual as any other. As curious as she was, once something intrigued her, it never stopped. “Smawtypants...the snow has declared war!” She gave a hasty salute to her lower officer before jolting off, leaving him sitting in the wind as she charged up the stairs.

Books flew and magic sparked around the large cave. To Twilight, everything around seemed ominous, something she had only experienced once before: The War of the Hay. A long, merciless battle against the forceful ingestion of the substance that controls the minds of Canterlot.

“No snow is gonna wuin my day…” she muttered, giggling at the toys and such she was throwing out. From jackets to mini science kits, Twilight knew she had all she needed to beat the icy door, all but one thing.

In the far crevices of her closet, Twilight lifted up a large mechanized object, placing it upon her tiny back and using magic to support it up. The fuel tank was full and Twilight was ready.

At least until an “icicle” from above dripped onto her. “THE ENEMY IS ATTACKING! WE MUST ESCAPE!”

Lumbering down the stairs carrying her weapon of mass destruction, she used her magic to hold up the pointy end to the door. “Stay back, Smawtypants, fwamethrowers are dangewous!”

Once more, unnoticed by Twilight, her mom peeked in on her, this time a look of jubilee crossing her face at her daughter, levitating a flashlight to the door as “Commander Smartypants” was kicked back into a wall, protected from collateral damage.

“Silly Twi…”