For Whom The Jingle Bell Tolls
Silver clouds lined the sky gleaming like the fresh snow on the ground, their thick puffs blocking the sun’s warming rays. All the animals were in their burrows hibernating for winter, the air was frigid, and all of Ponyville was out and about doing last minute Hearth’s Warming shopping.
Octavia admired all of this as she sat in town square, Vinyl and Lyra next to her. She held a book of Hearth’s Warming sheet music, trying to get a feel for the holiday music before caroling throughout the town. Still, the freezing cold world around her did little to help her concentrate.Scooting closer to Vinyl, Octavia tried to gather in as much warmth from her as possible.
“Hmm?” Vinyl let out, wrapping a hoof around Octavia. “Cold are we? Well, you’re not the only one, Tavi.” Vinyl laughed before continuing, “Quite the winter we have this year, I swear those weather pegasi make it worse every year. I think they have it out for us, with how much we complain about the weather.”
Instead of replying, Octavia just chose to snuggle closer, her hoodie doing little to stave off the chilling air. This only prompted Vinyl to rest her head on top of Octavia’s, making ponies that walked by look on with interest at the intimate moment the two shared.
“Ehem,” Lyra coughed, getting the attention of the two love birds. “Don’t we have some musical arranging that needs to be done?” She asked rhetorically, “Hearth’s Warming Eve only comes once a year, y’know, so we should really get this show on the road.”
There was silence for a second before a soft whine and whimper could be heard.“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Lyra,” Octavia grumbled, as she parted from her lover's embrace. “Could at least let me fetch some more clothes to wear, it’s unbearable out here!” Sighing, she looked back the the sheet music in front of her, though her focus was still drawn to finding some way to fight back against winter’s icy grip.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I think it’d be pretty cool if we tried something a little different this year.” Lyra stated, giving Octavia and Vinyl toothy grin. “Like, we do the same thing every year, so why not try something a little different?”
“Yeah, I feel you there. What’d you have in mind, anyway?” Vinyl asked in return. She set down her sheet music on the bench they sat on, the action followed by Octavia as they both found their interests peaked.
“Well, as you may know, I was in a jazz ensemble when I was a filly.” Lyra started, but was interrupted by the groans of Octavia. “Umm, sorry?”
“Not to be rude or anything, but I’m not sure jazz really sets the mood of the holidays. When I think of snow, and cheer, my mind doesn’t drift to brass instruments, and bass guitar. I think more of flutes, and softer things. Something like a warm blanket to wrap yourself in from the cold, though I may be projecting here.” Octavia hugged herself tighter, “I think we should encapsulate the feeling more than have a funky tune.”
“But we do that every year, Octavia. A change of pace is needed.” Lyra continued to push her idea. “What do you say, Vinyl.”
Octavia looked towards Vinyl with a pout, as she saw her face contort into a grimace. “Don’t tell me, you want to bring some of your wubs to the holiday?”
“Sorry to say, Tavi, but she does have a point. Besides, I actually do want to get some of my wubs into the holiday. The kids will love it, trust me, they’re into it. I know exactly what we could do: mix some of your tunes with my turntable, and put on a show in the center of town.” Vinyl all but jumped in excitement.
“Or we could be much more personal, and go door to door singing the classics. You have a real nice singing voice, Vinyl, I’ll have you know. I mean Lyra could play her lyre as we do a duet for everypony, and caroling would certainly set the mood.” Octavia felt herself instinctively move closer to her mate.
“Aww, Tavi,” Vinyl rubbed the back of her neck as she felt a blush begin to set on her face. “I appreciate that, really, but I do think we should mix things up a bit like Lyra said.” Vinyl frowned as she saw the peeved look Octavia gave her. “Don’t be like that, I thought it was a good idea. Honest!”
“I just, well, I think with how music has began to shift over the years, returning to a tradition such as this isn't such a bad thing.” Octavia got up from her seat, getting a good head above Vinyl and Lyra. “I think maybe we should honor this, much like how Ponyville honors Winter Wrap Up traditions every year.
“I don’t think that’s a very fair comparison, Octavia. I’d like to think music is a little more malleable, though I do agree we shouldn’t use EDM as a way to express the holiday spirit. No offense, Vinyl, but I think it’d be a bit too harsh of a sound.”
“What, are you kidding?” Vinyl shouted, “You gotta be kidding, cause EDM is more than just loud noises. There are different genres, y’know?” Vinyl felt herself growing as heated as her marefriend from the backhanded comment. “I can make a festive mix, you’ll see.”
Lyra stood up with the two of them, all three effectively all on a even playing field. As they had themselves a stare down, ponies that were once carrying out their business began to stop and look upon the scene. It was a small crowd, but it was enough to grab the attention of the three ponies.
“What are you all looking at?” Octavia asked all the ponies around her and her friends. “This conversation doesn’t concern you.”
“That’s not a very Hearth’s Warming attitude you have, lady!” a stallion yelled back, making Octavia turn red with fury.
Vinyl stood in front of Octavia before she could do anything rash, looking back at her before giving the stallion a piece of her mind. “Hey, she’s right, this is none of your business. Still, happy Hearth’s Warming Eve and all, but could we please have our privacy?”
Octavia walked up beside her guardian, “Vinyl, I’m not a little filly anymore, you don’t need to speak for me. You do this all the time, and honestly, it’s a bit annoying.” In the heat of the moment, she didn’t see Vinyl visibly deflate at her comment as she paid more attention to the crowd.
“But I was only trying to help, Tavi,” Vinyl said weakly.
“I understand, but I’d like it if I could fight my own battles. I know you’re only trying to protect me, but sometimes it’s just a bit much, love,” Octavia replied, returning her look to Vinyl. She was no longer concerned with how cold it was outside, as her mood shift was creating enough heat to bypass the feeling.
“Not gonna lie, that was rather rude,” Lyra added, no longer playing a role as a bystander. “You could at least say sorry.”
“Our relationship is none of your business!” snapped Octavia, as she began to walk away. “Come, Vinyl, I’m sure we can arrange something worthwhile if it’s just the two of us.”
“But can’t we all just work together on this?” Vinyl asked in a pleading voice, hesitantly taking a step towards Octavia.
“Apparently not,” Lyra huffed she too beginning to make her way through the mass of ponies. Vinyl then watched as the crowd grew grumpier with gossip, before they as well left. Their minds plagued with sour thoughts.
* * * *
Octavia found herself walking faster than she thought as she almost shoved the ponies in her way onto the ground as she passed them by. She was so angry, so full of spite, that everything around her turned into a blur. She had no idea where exactly she was going, and was just walking for the sake of it all.
Snow began to fall from the sky. As the sun set in the horizon the world was greeted with an orange glow from the sunset, and it cast a resplendent hue onto the snow below. It was almost like staring into a painting, more so than an actual event taking place. It got Octavia to slow her pace, and just admire the view.
“Urgh...” She rubbed the bridge of her snout, trying to let out any last frustrations she was feeling. Closing her eyes, she then shook her head rapidly, and the snow that had landed atop her head went flying in all directions.
“The nerve,” Octavia murmured quietly to herself. “I can’t believe she’d butt into my personal relationship problems.” She looked back out at the horizon, and felt a compulsion to chase it just then. Not one to deny such a feeling, she indulged it and began to walk again, this time with a goal in mind: catch the sunset before it faded away.
Each step felt therapeutic in a way; it was like the stress she felt was being washed down her legs as she kept pushing on. Time now seemed to move by at a quicker pace than she was able to move, the sun already dipping lower and lower. She knew she had to hurry if she were to have a chance at holding the shining orb in her hooves, so her walk became a sprint as she made her way out of town.
“In the name of Celestia!” Octavia shouted as she made it to the edge of town, the sun no longer in sight, and the street lamps lighting up to fill the darkness left in its wake. She sighed, and walked across the bridge the left town anyway, taking a look over the edge to see her reflection in the creek below. Something was missing, she knew it within her being that something should have been there beside her, but couldn’t quite figure out what.
She gasped and exclaimed, “Of course!” She looked away from her reflection, and began walking back into town, knowing exactly where she was heading. “How could I have been so thoughtless.” She breathed airily as she harshly criticized her own actions. “Vinyl deserves better than that, I shouldn’t have been so stubborn.”
As she kept pushing forward to town square where she left Vinyl, the sound of an angelic lyre graced her ears, lulling her into a blissful contentment. She followed the familiar sound, somehow knowing it would lead her to where she wanted to be. Nothing in the world mattered, as everything faded from existence. All the was real in her mind was the music, and the pony who was playing it.
Turning a corner, she saw her mint-coated friend she argued with before sitting on a bench playing her lyre. The song was unmistakably ‘The Heart Carol’, it’s sweet tune washing away any stress she had left. Sitting next to her, she hummed along.
As the song carried on, the two musicians found themselves attracting a small crowd. The same ponies who were left upset from the last time Lyra and Octavia were together now gathered with smiles plastered over their faces.
When the song came to an end, Lyra decided to break the ice. “So, I guess this is the part where we apologize? Cause I’m real sorry over what happened earlier, it’s no way to act on Hearth's Warming Eve.”
“Likewise, I was being too stubborn for my own good.” Octavia looked around, “Say, you don’t happen to know where Vinyl went off to, do you?” She asked, getting more antsy the longer she was separated from her special somepony.
“No need to ask, Tavi, I’m over here,” called Vinyl. “Heard the sweet tune you guys were playing, and figured I’d find you guys back here. And yeah, I feel you guys... real sorry myself.” Vinyl was pushing a portable turntable through the ponies surrounding Octavia and Lyra.
Octavia bolted from where she was sitting, and tackled Vinyl into the ground. “You have no idea how sorry I am, love. Truly, I was being so mean earlier, I have no idea what came over me. Perhaps the stress of the holidays finally caught up to me?”
“Hehe, yeah. Say, I think I have some idea over how sorry you are, Tavi.” Vinyl planted a small kiss on top of Octavia’s head, eliciting a ‘awww’ from the crowd of ponies. “Now get off me goofball, so we can get to caroling for these ponies already.”
Octavia did as Vinyl said, and even helped her off of the ground below.
Vinyl went off to the side of the bench, and fully established her set-up there, making sure everything was in working order. “Not sure how well I can sing while making the beats flow, but I sure can try my hardest. I figured we’d do that duet you mentioned earlier, while Lyra over there continues her wicked skills on her lyre.”
Lyra nodded her head in response, plucking a couple strings to add onto Vinyl’s point.
Octavia beamed. “Say, I just had a thought of my own.” Turning to the sea of ponies that surrounded them, she smiled. “How about we all join in on this caroling? We’ll play some of our own, but you can throw in a few of your own favourites as well!”
Octavia was greeted with a loud cheer. it was all she needed to know that it got everypony excited and feeling the holiday spirit. Soon enough, Octavia found herself standing in the center between Vinyl and Lyra, preparing herself with the sheet music Lyra had given to her.
Breathing in, she began to sing. Backed by the sound of an electric symphony and the gentle melody of a lyre, it all melted together into a splendid mixture of sounds that was like candy for the ears of all the ponies present. It just fit, and that’s what mattered in the end. Everypony was together with those they cared for most, singing and having the time of their lives.
It carried on into the night, no pony wanting to leave for the life of them. It was like a slice of heaven, and nothing could break the happiness that welled inside all of their chests. Hearth’s Warming Eve that year was going to be one to remember for years to come.
Octavia found that even though those closest to you will get on your nerves from time to time, coming together as loved ones through the thick of it was what Hearth’s Warming was all about, the Fire of Friendship that sparked the holiday to begin with continuing its yearly cycle.
Author's Note
And a happy new year!
Thoughts? Compliments? Gripes, gropes, or moans?
