The eve of Hearth's Warming had drawn closer than expected. The long year had flown by as if a breeze on a cool summer's day, it felt as if the year had started only the day before, how time flies, many say as the topic comes up.
Ponyville was awash with white snowy flakes that chilled the fillies and colts to the bone on their bare coats, their colors changing white as the white frost water touched upon them like upon the soil they stepped.
The lights of the many buildings throughout the town cast yellow upon the snow, with grey clouds and a dark, overshadowing sky bringing out the bright in which little ones danced and played, as if a sunny day with the joyful bonus the season brings.
Decorations dotted the town. Tinsel hung between rooftops, lights outlined homes and storefront windows found little tree’s and hearts almost like a window frame on the glass. Passerby’s like Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were tickled with joy and warmth, as all around they spied ponies helping each other and giving gifts and cards, they smiled, and felt love and friendship abound in the wintery air.
Although, not everypony felt the joy and friendship. For some the season brought emotions of sadness, others felt bitter toward the season, and others were alone.
Ocean Blue, a filly whose name and colors went hand in hand, was one such pony who felt cold toward the happiest time in all of Equestria. She had nopony to call on, no mother to hug, no father to pat her on the shoulder, and no friends to call her own.
She sat in her little box home, a fire lit by a pile of sticks for warmth. She wore tattered garments, just from a glance one might assume were once winter wear, now barely keeping her warm and aware.
She let out this dejected sigh as a family walked by and out of view. Her eyes were little more than a glossy glaze of frozen tears, no light. She had bags under eyes, dark blue and careless, she laid her head down on her makeshift pillow and turned her stare to the flames, dancing and jumping in the winter breeze.
She found hardly any solace in the flames which was like a leaf compared the biting wolf that was the harsh winter breeze. She curled up and shuddered, teeth gritted and chattering mercilessly. How she longed for a warm hearth to lay by and a family to call her own. But alas, it was not to be, and it pained her.
She raised her head to look up at a passing group of fillies, talking together as they trotted past her alley way home. She wasn’t expecting much, just another group, walking by, happy as could be. But then she saw who it was. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ocean jumped up to follow, taking a few steps forward to follow, only to turn back and run through the alley to cut them off on the other side.
She didn’t know why she felt the urge to meet with them. Perhaps it was to satisfy her loneliness, maybe find some form of comfort among ponies celebrating a season unkind to her.
As she neared the alley’s second exit, she could hear faintly the voices of four mares, and slowly, as quick as her desire went away, her ears dropped and she slowed herself down, stopping to peek around the corner and see the girls speaking to their sisters and Twilight.
“Oh they look lovely, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity praised while Sweetie Belle blushed.
“You really think so? I just picked out the ones I thought would look good…” the young white filly replied.
“I know so!” Twilight exclaimed, “She’s never been one to turn down anything that might help brighten the place up.”
Clipped onto Twilight’s leg, was a wagon covered in a cream colored blanket, bearing edged, blocky shapes beneath. Rarity was holding up some winter wear in her magical glow, her eyes sparkled at the sight, while Rainbow Applejack watched on with smiles.
What could they be so excited for..? curious Ocean thought before turning away. Seeing the crusaders with their families only seemed to make matters worse for the young pony.
Instead of returning to the warm comfort of the fire by her box home between Spyglass’s Emporium for Eye wear, and the Luni-Moony Bakery, she went for a stroll throughout Ponyville, keeping mostly to the general area and staying away from the houses around the outskirts.
It’s not fair… she thought, kicking a stone in the path. Everypony has somepony, while I have nopony, it’s not fair! she huffed and paused, staring angrily at the ground with tears welling up in her eyes.
She sniffled and wiped her cheek just as the sky above Canterlot in the distance lit up in a fabulous display of pink, ephemeral light. A heart formed like a fire above the city, acting as a beacon for all to see across Equestria, brightened by the heady feelings of friendship and cheer, fireworks accompanied it in celebration and turned the white snow pink.
But Ocean watched on disdainfully, her tears falling against her wishes no matter how much she wiped them away, more took their place and fell from her cheek. Soon her glaring looks died and turned to somber stares.
It’s just… “...Not fair…” she sighed and strayed off the path and wandered up a hill to lay down in her misery.
The snow was cold as to be expected, and Ocean shivered slightly, but she didn’t let it get to her, she ignored the chill, and let herself be blanketed by the ever falling flakes.
“Ocean?” a voice called uncertain.
The filly’s ears twitched to the sound and she looked up and turned her head to see a Unicorn mare. Her coat was colored lilac, her eyes were aquatic blue and her mane was a mixture of raspberry and cherry. She wore saddlebags, groceries and party supplies sticking out from the side in a cartoonish manner.
“Oh… Hey, Lily…” greeted Ocean halfheartedly, “what are you doing out here?”
“I was just heading back back to the family, that’s all. Now that I have the supplies, dinner will go smooth, like smoothie crystals?” Lily giggled and beamed, much like Pinkie Pie, only she was tame and incapable of the feats Pinkie could pull.
But Ocean didn’t seem to pay much mind to Lily’s plans and turned her head away and rested it on her hooves. Of course, Lily was far from willing to leave the orphaned filly to a night of dreary retreat, she set her saddlebags aside, and came to sit down beside her.
“Hey, come on talk to me, Ya’not going to get better being like that, ya’know?” Lily said while stifling one of her many giggles.
But Ocean was intent on staying quiet and she turned her head away, stubbornly, as if that was going to deter the older pony who kept smiling. Lily looked up toward Canterlot and gasped loudly with a happy squeal.
“Look at that! The heart’s out, shining bright and pink! Pinkie would love to see that, don’tcha think?”
“I guess so...”
Lily looked at Ocean and grew quiet, her cheerful glowing lowering, followed by a few words: “I know what it’s like, to have nopony.”
Ocean perked up, she thought she was hearing things and looked at Lily stunned. “Y-You?”
“That’s right,” Lily answered, “I was an orphan like you.”
“But you are always so... happy and cheerful, not like me.”
“Well, I wasn’t always a cheerful foal,” a nervous giggle escaped Lily’s lips, “I was adopted by a wonderful family, and they would make me giggle almost everyday, but by the time I hit my teens I was a bit moody, and I lashed out, do ya know why?”
Ocean glanced around and her ears flattened against her head. “You had a family, and ponies to care about you.”
“Exactly!” the lilac pony giggled.
“But I don’t…” Ocean replied. “I don’t have friends, or a family, I don’t have anypony…”
Both ponies stared at each other for a long time. Ocean didn’t change, but Lily was deadpan, thinking, wonder, but then she smiled, it was soft, it was as if she had Ocean figured out.
“Well…” She stood up, letting out another of her famous giggles,
“I’m not going to let ya stay out in the cold t’be a frosty filly. Come with me, it’s better than being all alone out here with nopony to laugh with.”
Angrily, Ocean shot up to remind Lily: “I’ve tried to laugh with other ponies, I’ve tried to stand by other ponies, but nopony wanted to notice me… I have no friends, I have nopony!” she cried out and stomped her hoof childishly.
None of it swayed Lily, whose smile never wavered, instead of reprimanding the filly whose voice was loud and rude, Lily ruffled the filly’s mane and giggled.
“I don’t believe that.” She turned away and gathered her saddlebags further down the hill. “♫Come on, it will be fun, I won’t be able to enjoy this hearth's warming without you♫”
Once more, Ocean paused to ponder. She was reluctant at first, uncertain of whether she should go and if she would even enjoy it. But she looked at Lily who held out her hoof.
“I don’t believe that,” echoed in her head. To humor the older pony, and to satisfy her growing curiosity, Ocean took Lily’s hoof, and together they left the desolate hill top, and strolled back into Ponyville.
Ocean hadn’t even a clue as to what she was in for. Lily was smiling, humming a tune and giggling all the way, Ocean began to think Lily had a problem, despite having known Lily for a very long time.
Although, that was hardly the only thought on her mind, where are we going? Where is she taking me? she thought and tilted her head curiously.
Her thoughts would be answered in only a few moe hoofsteps. Down one of the town's streets, they both saw a large building, its front decorated with tinsel, streamers and bells, a big sign that bore the words “Happy Hearth’s Warming!”
“W-where are we?” Ocean asked with her voice trembling from the cold and her cautioned confusion.
“Home,” Lily replied and opened the large oak doors to reveal light which flooded out fo the large foyer and out onto the pair.
The interior was decorated to the ceiling, fillies and colts ran around with gifts, given to them freely by many of the older ponies in attendence of what appeared to be a party.
“Happy Hearth's Warming, everypony!” Lily cried out cheerfully, and received the same wish in reply.
But before Lily could join in with the festivities, she noticed Ocean hiding behind her legs, the filly was shaking like a leaf and seemed abnormally scared.
And softly, with her voice like a mother, Lily bent her head down to look at Ocean and said: “Hey now, what’s the matter?”
“T-there’s so many ponies… I-I don’t know if I can go in there. A-and you never said why we came here, or what this place was!”
“Why, we’re home, Ocean.”
“Home?”
Lily nodded and giggled once more. “Yes little one, this is my home, Ponyville orphanage. And it these ponies, Princess Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and the little ones, they are all your friends. We are all your friends.”
“B-but I have no pony,” Ocean replied no longer sure she was correct, Her perspective challenged, she looked at the happy and laughing ponies enjoying themselves in gay merriment.
“Oh my dear, you’ve kept yourself closed up so long, you couldn’t even see the smiling faces of friends who were always ready to lend a helping hoof if you only let them.”
And Ocean stepped out from behind Lily, and looked upon the faces of the many ponies who cared, the faces of ponies who could show her just what she had been missing the whole time.
“Lilly,” she said, “I think I want to try and open myself up some more, so I can smile alongside you and the others.”
“Ocean!” Sweetie Bell called and waved. “Come in, there’s a chocolate fountain.”
Leaving her reluctance, her reservations and her doubt behind, having seen what she has been missing out, hiding away in her own world, Ocean Blue joined the community in a celebration, and joined the family of foals who existed under the town's care.
“You’ve blinded yourself to all you could have, now you’ve opened your eyes and taken your first steps back into a world you left behind in your anguish.” Lilly giggled to herself, and held a hoof to her muzzle.
“Welcome home, ocean, and happy hearth’s warming.”
