Swollen gray clouds permeate the starry blackened sky. Snowflakes gently fall from the heavens, floating along the wintry breeze. Each little frozen crystal cascades to the earth below, resting on mounds of chilled kin. The world is blanketed in a field of white, dazzling like little diamonds under the light of the full moon. Snow piles cover the trees barren of fruit and foliage. The entire grove is left like this, looking like an orchard of barked hands that are reaching to grasp at nothing.
This is the scene Apple Bloom sees as she stares out her window. Tucked in her blankets, only her head pokes out from the cocoon of comforters that she has weaved. It keeps a comforting warmth wash over her body, as she staves off the sand-pony’s spell. Her eyes get heavy, but she shakes her head to fight the call for slumber. Determined eyes continue to watch the window, ever vigilant.
“He’s real,” she whispers to herself. “He has to be real.”
While her eyes never look away from the chilled scene that sits just on the other side of the glass, her mind begins to wander. It reminisces of a time only a few days ago, just before the first snow began to fall…
Ice has already begun to frost the ground around the school yard. Not one of the many fillies plays outside, keeping warm within the four walls of their classroom. While they are attending school, the textbooks and lessons have been put aside this day. Instead of leading the students through a lecture, Miss Cheerilee takes charge with a rousing game for the holidays. Standing next to her is Snips with a cloth tied over his eyes. In between his bucked teeth is a pin with a paper flame. Laid out before him is an image of an empty hearth. Other ponies watch eagerly as he steps toward it. Completely left in the dark, he places it against the brick, pinning it in place. Removing his blindfold, he looks in dismay as other ponies snicker.
“That is a good try,” Miss Cheerilee says, before drawing her attention to the rest of the class, “Who wants to go next?”
Although most of the students rush for their turn, three friendly fillies hang toward the back of the classroom, out of ear shot of the others. The Pegasus, Earth Pony, and Unicorn are all huddled together with their matching Cutie Marks. Sweetie Bell picks her head up to make sure no one else is nearby, before joining her friends.
“This is what I saw,” she whispers to her friends. “I found that Rarity had my letter I wrote, and she had the post-pony deliver it to my parents.”
“So, what do you think that means?” Scootaloo asks.
Sweetie Bell whispers, “I don’t think there is actually a Santa Claws.”
“What!” Apple Bloom shouts, a bit too loud.
The teacher and some of the other students turn to look at them. Miss Cheerilee has a suspicious look upon her face as she stares them down. The Cutie Mark Crusaders hold their ground, serving her false smiles. Eventually their big grins fool her and the rest of the students, as they go back to the game. She hands Pipsqueak a flame pin to make his attempt.
Apple Bloom waits for a moment before saying, “How can that be true? If Santa Claws ain’t real, then who brings us presents on Hearth’s Warming?”
“Our families, of course,” Sweetie Bell Says. “I mean, if you think about it, the whole story is a bit farfetched.”
“Sweetie Bell,” Apple Bloom looks skeptical, “Our sisters have fought creatures with all sorts of crazy powers. Why is a gift-giving draconequus so unbelievable?”
“Well that’s exactly that,” Scootaloo jumps in. “We only know of one draconequus in Equestria. And I really don’t see Discord going out of his way to give gifts each year.”
“Doesn’t really scream chaos,” Sweetie Bell adds. “And besides, he only became good a few years ago, I doubt he was being nice before he was reformed.”
“Well, that may be true,” Apple Bloom looks a little disheartened. “But Apple Jack was the one who told me about Santa Claws. Why would she lie?”
“It’s not that she lied,” Scootaloo reassures her friend. “Maybe it is just like those scary stories Rainbow Dash told us a while back. He is like the Headless Horse; a fun story to tell fillies, but it is not necessarily real.”
“I, I guess,” Apple Bloom glumly says.
“Well,” Sweetie Bell starts to think a moment, “There is a way to know for sure.”
“How?” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom says simultaneously.
“We stay up on Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Sweetie Bell says, “And find out who actually puts out the gifts.”
“Fine with me,” Apple Bloom whispers sharply. “We will share whatever we find the next day, alright?”
Both girls nod in agreement.
Weary eyes look up to the clock hanging from her wall, seeing the time inches closer to midnight, the last minutes of Hearth’s Warming Eve coming to a close. Still the inviting warmth of sleep tries to pull her onto the pillow. Shaking her head, she decides to throw off the comforter. A chill ran through her body, making her mane stand up on end. She trots over to her closet at a brisk pace, finding a scarf and coat to keep the cold away.
As she wraps the warm cloth about her neck, she hears a sound coming from outside. Quickly, she races to the window. The glass is blocked by a wall of smoke, as all she is able to hear is a hiss of steam. Metal screeches against metal, as something large is pulled to a stop. After some time, the billowing smoke lessens, allowing the little pony to look down. Tracks have suddenly appeared, arching their way through her family farm. An enormous steam engine with metal as black as the night itself sits just outside her front door. Dozens of train cars line behind it, with the end lost in the trees.
That is when she sees a pony standing in the snow, looking right up at her. A gray unicorn dressed in blue holds a lantern aloft with the magic of his horn. He appears to be shouting, but the walls snuff out his voice. Apple Bloom, throws open her window. Wind slaps her in the face, along with the outside world.
“Are you coming?” the unicorn asks.
“Where?” Apple Bloom wonders.
“North,” he says. “You want to see him for yourself, right?”
“Who?”
He looks at her in disbelief, “Santa Claws of course. Now, are you coming?”
The little filly looks at him with wide eyes, “Yes, yes, I want to go.”
Before she knows it, she has her hooves deep in the snow, standing before the conductor with his lantern. Offering his hoof, he helps her onto the steps of the front car. As soon as she has them planted, he jumps on, and wraps a hoof around her.
“All aboard,” he shouts to the engineer. “All aboard the Pony Express. Next stop, the Crystal Empire!”
Her hooves clang on the metal platform as she walks to the door. Suddenly, the train lurches forward, causing Apple Bloom to stumble. A patch of snow lands under her hoof, as she slips. Before she falls off the train, the conductor reaches out and snatches her up.
“Now-now,” he says with a hardy laugh, “We don’t need you hopping off just yet missy.”
Apple Bloom gives him an embarrassed smile. The steam engine spews smoke from its stack while the pistons pump slowly. Ice slicks the tracks causing the wheels to spin wildly in place before it finally catches the rail. While in the hooves of the conductor, she watches as the Pony Express drives itself through her farm. The mysterious track seems to weave perfectly through the groves of apple trees. Branches scrape the sides of the cars, sending snow onto the roofs. While watching her home start to shrink, she looks to the back of the train. She feels the conductor hold her tighter, ensuring she does not fall. Looking through the snow, she finds that the tracks have seemingly disappeared from the front of her house.
“Yes, missy, this is a magic train,” the conductor says as if reading her thoughts. “A very powerful magic that is only conjured once a year.”
“How come?”
“Well, miss, it is due to a special kind of magic that is conjured during Hearth’s Warming that allows for enough magic allow the Pony Express to travel through all of Equestria.”
Apple Bloom looks out, watching the scenery change as the engine continues to pick up speed. The tracks reach the edge of Ponyville, as the crystal castle slowly shrinks away into the background. As the train continues to hasten down the rails, the wind becomes unforgiven, slashing at her with icy claws. She cowers, hiding her face as she shivers. The conductor looks down.
“Come now,” he says, walking up to her. “Let’s head inside before you catch a cold.”
Putting a hoof around her, he leads her as the door opens with a spell. Light splashes over her face, momentarily washing her sight in an orange glow. After a few blinks, she sees that the car is filled with little ponies. From their attire and mane-styles, they appear to be from all over Equestria, as the colt said. Some make a quick glance in her direction as she is lead up the aisle, but return to conversing with those they are sitting by. Others do not even bother to waver, the majority happily interacting with each other.
“Apple Bloom?” she suddenly hears a familiar voice. “Apple Bloom!”
Two heads poke from a seat toward the rear of the car. One pony with a coat of orange and purple mane has a smile reaching across her muzzle. The other has a matching face, but has a duller shade on her coat. Before Apple Bloom can speak, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle leap across the aisle and nearly tackle her. The gray conductor staggers back to not get wrapped up in their little pile.
“What are you girls doing here?”
Sweetie Belle is the first to talk, “I was sitting outside Rarities room to see if she would get the presents when this train showed up outside the boutique.”
“Same thing happened to me,” Scootaloo adds.
“Ahem,” the conductor clears his throat, forcing the three to look up at him. “If you would hurry to your seat, please, refreshments are about to be served.”
Smiling weakly, the three ponies hurry to the back of the car to find the only unoccupied space around. As they do, the conductor trots to the front of the car. Floating in front of him is a pocket watch that he is attentively staring at. Giving a nod to himself, it is snapped shut before floating back into the pocket of his coat. All at once the chatter seems to die down, as the little ponies turn their attention on him. The only sounds that can be heard are the clacking of the metal wheels as the train travels over the tracks.
“Now my little ponies,” he speaks in a booming voice, “Our next stop is in the northern tundra. But before we reach our destination, we have a bit of a treat for you. A sweet treat if you will.”
Suddenly the rear doors burst open as a pink flash streaks to the center of the train car. Apple Bloom and the others stare in somewhat disbelief as Pinkie Pie stands there with a strange device on wheels. From a glance, it looks like four large pipes leading to a large globe. Steam slithers from each of them. Before anyone has a chance to make any sort of movement, Pinkie smashes a button. The device starts to spin like the blades of a helicopter. Cups of hot chocolate fly out, landing in the hooves of the little ponies. Steam rises from the mugs while little marshmallows float in the thick brown brew.
The crazy pony starts pulling her strange device back out of the car when Scootaloo grabs her.
“Pinkie, what are you doing here?”
“It’s my job, duh,” she says nonchalantly.
“Wait, what?” Sweetie Belle looks confused.
“I come on the Pony Express every year,” Pinkie answers. “It is the best place to use my Coco Cannon.”
“So, this isn’t a magical train that is going to take us to see Santa Claws,” Apple Bloom looks down.
“What, of course we are going to see him. Where else would we be going?”
“But, you are…”
“I come here every year to try and get the first gift.”
“The what?” Apple Blooms looks confused.
“Santa Claws gives one good pony any gift they want. He tells me I’m too old to get the gift, but I come every year just for that chance.”
Scootaloo raises a brow, “And what would you want if you got the first gift?”
“A big Hearth’s Warming Party for all of Equestria,” Pinkie Pie smiles.
The girls giggle at the thought.
“Now what are you waiting for?” Pinkie shouts, “Drink the hot chocolate before it gets cold!”
The girls do as the older pony says. A warm, rich brew titillates their taste buds as chocolate explodes in their mouths. The sweet marshmallow dissolves on their tongues. They continue to drink, not stopping until the last drop passes their lips.
Apple Bloom happens to look out the window. The train has rocketed across the frozen landscape, and something starts to appear across the horizon. A tower shoots up into the starry sky. Northern lights create a rainbow in the heavens, swirling about in their majesty. She watches as the crystal towers grow closer, which seems to bring a frown to her face.
“We will be arriving at our destination in the next ten minutes,” the conductor announces.
“But,” she looks in dismay, “That’s just the Crystal Empire…”
Pinkie Pie speaks up, “Yes, but just like the Pony Express, something magical happens once a year.”
“What?” the Cutie Mark Crusaders ask.
She winks, “You’ll just have to find out.”
