A Cold Hearth's Warming Eve
It was a cold Hearth’s Warming eve. The white snow glistened in the lantern’s light, and at the corner of the street was a small chorus singing Silent Night.They were in absolute harmony, beautiful to listen to. Many ponies were out in the snow, laughing, leaning on each other for their warmth and comfort, sometimes stopping at the chorus to toss them a bit or two to reward them for their beautiful singing.
The past days had been filled with excitement and anticipation to the holidays, and now, at the brink of Hearth’s Warming, it’s even more so. Family and friends got together and celebrated their bonds, their friendships, their love. They would come together in front of the hearth fire and go through their own rituals of Hearth’s Warming.
Further down the street, sitting in the corner of a dark alley, almost away from the warmth and the light, was a little filly. Her mane was a dark yellow, nearly green, not at all coloring with the surrounding snow. Her coat was a matted green, and around her was a ratty hole-riddled blanket that was supposed to keep the cold away. Yet, it didn’t, and she was shivering in the cold.
Her brown eyes looked around the lessening crowd, smiling desperately. Her voice, not more than a broken whisper, tried to gain the attention from the passing ponies. Yet, none paid mind to her. She sighed again, trailing with her hoof through the snow, careful not to let the matches get wet. If they did, they wouldn’t be fit for selling anymore, and if she didn’t sell all her matches her father would get really angry and beat her. She did not want to disappoint her father again...
She shivered and sighed again and looked up to the sky. The moon was full, beautifully so. The Mare in the Moon looked down to the earth, quietly, but the filly imagined she was smiling at them. Maybe her grandmother was there too. Grammy always said that, when ponies would pass away, they would travel up, up, up, towards the Mare in the Moon, and she would assign you a place between the stars, depending on how good you were. If you were really good, you would be really bright and shine every night.
The filly smiled, looking up to the clear night sky, and searched for her Grammy’s star. There she was! She was twinkling bright tonight. The filly whispered a soft Hearth’s Warming wish, smiling, forgetting the cold for just a moment. But then, it came crashing down on her like an avalanche, and she pulled the blanket a bit closer around her shoulders, shivering heavily. She couldn’t feel her hooves anymore. She coughed softly.
Her father told her different stories about the Mare in the Moon, though. None of them were as happy and sweet as Grammy's. He told stories from his Grammy's Grammy's time, how there once was another princess, princess Luna, who was turned evil and defeated princess Celestia. She didn't really like the story, because her father always said if you were bad, Nightmare Moon will get you and turn you into one of her evil minions, and not even Celestia would be able to help you. She didn't want that to happen, so she tried to do her chores the best she could. She didn't always succeed, though...
Still, she really, really wanted to get inside, to go back home to the warmth… but she couldn’t, not until she had sold all the matches. So, she sat up bravely and tried again, her feeble voice trying to gain the attention of the ponies walking past. Again, none paid any mind. They were all caught up in their holiday happiness, too wrapped up in the warm embrace of joy to notice a little filly in the cold.
Something drew her soft, brown eyes. On the other side of the street, a family was having dinner in the kitchen. The table was beautifully set, with candy apples, pickled peaches, soft, cooked pears… all in honor of their beautiful land of Equestria. And, around the table, there were many ponies laughing, smiling, sitting there in the warm glow of the fire. She looked at the matches in her hoof, trying to imagine the warmth of the fire and ponies around. Out here, in the dark, in the cold snow, she found that she couldn’t. She coughed again, harder this time, shivering harder.
Surely, none would mind if one went missing? It was just so cold, so cold… Against all better judgements, she lit one of them up. The warmth radiating from that single little flame was invigorating. She smiled, her hoof warming up slightly, and she stopped shivering. Looking in the flame, she gasped. Grammy was there, sitting at the table, offering her a seat! All her favorite dishes were there and it smelled amazing.
Yet, the scene disappeared as the flame flickered and died. She sighed in disappointment, looking up to the sky again. The pegasi had brought in more clouds, and soon, the night sky was covered. But, a little flicker of hope remained in the little filly’s eyes as she could still see the flickering of Grammy’s star, up high in the sky. She smiled and looked to the remaining matches.
There were only a few left now, less than she had thought there’d be. Yet, there wasn’t a single bit in her lap. She shivered and nearly started to cry, but she bit her lip. Grammy wouldn’t want to see her cry, she would want to see her standing up for herself, bravely, and selling the matchsticks. She tried to raise her voice again, but nothing but a cough came out.
She slumped, pulling the blanket around her and sighed. Little festive lights lit up the snow at the corner of the streets, and the little chorus had started packing up their music and their bits. They were laughing merrily, talking about the prospect of a warm home and a nice dinner. She sighed, watching the lights that hung around the trees aside the streets until they nearly blurred together. She felt she had stopped shivering.
She looked at her hooves. Maybe, maybe a second match wouldn’t hurt? Although she had stopped shivering, her movements were still clumsy. Yet, she kept trying until the match was lit up. She smiled at the warmth, and she grinned as she saw her Grammy again, smiling at her, welcoming her. She was sitting under a wonderfully decorated Hearth’s Warming tree, a real one, like they always used to get. On top of the tree, there was a golden star, shining bright, casting a golden light over the interior, and her Grammy’s muzzle. But just as she wanted to reach for her, the flame flickered and died. The tree and her Grammy disappeared into the cold air. She slumped again, trying to focus as she felt tiredness go over her.
It had started snowing lightly, and less ponies walked past. She tried, just one more time, one more match… but to no avail. Her voice wouldn’t come. Little snowflakes covered her hooves, but she didn’t feel anything. They stayed on her blanket, covering her in a thin layer of pure white. The dirty green of her coat was a stark contrast to the beautiful snow. She smiled as she stretched out her hoof and watched as one of the little ice crystals fell on her hoof. She closed her eyes as she remembered other Hearth’s Warmings, happier ones. Ones where Grammy was still there.
She remembered how she and Grammy would make their Hearth’s Warming dolls together, sowing from leftover, dirty rags, yet still creating a beautiful, tiny replica of herself. She remembered making one for Grammy too, how she failed – yet, Grammy reassured her all was fine and that it was just as beautiful as hers.
She remembered how they would raise the Equestrian flag with her parents, her siblings, Grammy, and a few of the neighbors. While she and the neighbor’s kids were playing happily in the snow, the grown-ups would quietly discuss all the happenings, and finally Grammy would call them all in to raise the flag. They would all watch in silent wonder as the flag rose higher and higher to the night sky, the stars happily twinkling in the distance.
Smiling, she looked up. She thought she could see the stars through the cloud cover, including Grammy’s. She wondered if she were still making dolls of her and herself up there, of her siblings and her parents. She wished she could make them again with her, it was always so much fun to do so. Her smile faltered as a little snowflake touched her muzzle, and she closed her eyes again, feeling tiredness washing over her. She shuddered again as she snapped back into reality, looking around. The streets were deserted at this late hour, and most of the hoofprints left behind had started to fade with the falling snow.
She tried to sit up, but her cold limbs made it hard to do so. She grit her teeth and tried anyway, managing to bring a little life in her legs. She winced as she felt how much it hurt to do so. She needed to move a bit, but if she would stand up and run around, her place would be taken. Or worse: her blanket would be stolen. She breathed out softly, looking at the sole remaining match. She twiddled it in her hoof a bit. If she were to burn it up, she would surely be punished severely. On the other hoof, it would be nice to have a little warmth and comfort… but before she could decide, the little warmness she had left around her shoulders, suddenly was gone.
She shouted, but the thief, a small colt, was already running off, her blanket trailing behind him. She tried to get up, but she fell, her cold limbs unable to move. She cried out again, to get somepony to hold the thief, but before she could chase him, the colt was gone. She slumped down, but in a brief flash of panic, she remembered the match. She tried to find the small piece of wood, but it was like looking for a needle in the haystack – or here, a small match in the snow.
The cold of the snow reached the skin beneath her coat, sending a sensation like a thousand little needles going through her body. She whimpered a bit, feeling lost. What would she do now? She didn’t have any matches anymore. Neither to hold her warm, nor to sell. She couldn’t go back to her father now, not empty-hoofed. But she didn’t have any more tears to cry - they were all frozen – so she sat down with a sigh on her spot and looked up to the sky.
She wished the clouds were gone. Then she could see her Grammy again. She surely would know what to do. The longer she stared the more it seemed that the clouds really had gone away, that the little specks of falling snow turned into the stars and they all danced happily in the light of a nearby lantern. She couldn’t see Grammy’s star, though.
When she stood up again to see better, she felt something. Despite the numbness of her hoof, she could feel the general shape of something small. Something made of wood. She quickly pulled her hoof back, and there it was! Her missing match. Silently, she thanked her Grammy and Luna and she picked up the match. However, to her regret, the match had gotten wet. She tried to make it dry again, but to no avail. She blew on it, but this only resulted in a thin layer of ice. She wouldn’t give up now, she couldn’t, and tried to get the little layer of ice off. Eventually, she succeeded, and without a second thought, she struck the match again.
Almost like magic, she watched the little flame come to life, feeling the warm glow of the match greeting her happily. She was so relieved to feel the warmth again, feeling much more relaxed. She sat back, and as she looked up, to her great delight, she saw her Grammy standing in front of her! She was extending her hoof to her, inviting her to join her. She smiled, and willed herself to stand up one more time.
She reached to Grammy’s hoof, and finally, they met. She heard echoes of her voice calling to her, and suddenly, she felt so light, so warm! She jumped up, feeling as if a great weight had fallen off her shoulders. She flung herself in her Grammy’s arms, who smiled and hugged her close. As they hugged, the snowy, cold world disappeared under her hooves, and they flied up, up, up, towards their place between the stars.
