Gabby arrived in Ponyville bright and early on Hearth’s Warming Eve. The locals had already decorated and the town had turned into a sensory overload with sights, sounds, and smells in abundance.
Gabby herself had gotten in on the spirit. Her grey plumage wasn’t festive on its own, but she’d replaced her usual feather tie on the back of her head with something more colorful. Maybe later she’d even add bells, if she was really feeling the holiday spirit.
“Ohmygosh, Gabby! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” A pink ball of what was either fuzz or cotton candy enveloped Gabby.
“Pinkie!” Gabby laughed, returning the hug. “Nice to see you.”
Pinkie Pie pulled back, grinning broadly as her mane fell in her eyes. “I wasn’t expecting you. I totally have to throw you a party!”
“I’d love that,” Gabby said. “I have to meet up with the CMC now, but I’ll be back later.”
“It’s a date!” Pinkie agreed. She waved goodbye and bounced away.
While griffons weren’t a common sight in Ponyville, Gabby had made a name for herself around town. That was what happened when one hung out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In fact, that was who Gabby had come to see.
The three fillies - Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo - didn’t seem to be in town, but Gabby had a good idea where to find them. Spreading her wings again, she took off for Sweet Apple Acres.
The old treehouse in the orchard had been converted into Crusader headquarters. It was here that Gabby had first met the Crusaders, and where she’d learned her true purpose in life.
She’d initially come to earn a cutie mark of her own, but that was a little difficult because griffons didn’t get them. Still, everything had worked out well, and more importantly, Gabby had made new friends.
The three fillies were happy to see her. They all shared a group hug, and Gabby opened her saddle bags to reveal some griffon scones she’d brought with her.
They caught up for a few minutes, eating scones, talking, and laughing.
“So what are you girls doing for the celebration today and tomorrow?” Gabby asked.
“The usual for my family,” said Apple Bloom. “We’ll make our crocheted dolls and hoist the first flag of Equestria.”
“I’m going with my parents and Rarity to visit our grandparents,” said Sweetie Belle.
“I’m having Hearth’s Warming with Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed.
“What about you?” Apple Bloom asked Gabby.
“Well, Hearth’s Warming isn’t as well developed over in Griffonstone,” Gabby explained. She smiled. “But I’m always willing to learn.”
“You’re old enough to have a date, right?” said Sweetie.
“I...I guess I am,” Gabby allowed. “I never really thought about it.”
“You’ve never had a special somepo-somegriffon?” asked Scootaloo.
Gabby blushed and rubbed the back of her head. “With all this helping others that you taught me to do, I may have forgotten about me.”
“Well, I wish we could do something.” Apple Bloom frowned. “But the three of us are just about to leave for other places.”
Gabby waved a foreleg. “Don’t worry about me. Dating is supposed to be personal, right? I can handle it.” A nervous look gradually slid across her face. “I think.”
“There has to be something we can do for her,” said Sweetie. “I know, we can at least help you learn the basics.”
“We don’t know the basics,” Scootaloo pointed out.
“Maybe there’s a book you can read?” Apple Bloom speculated.
“Hey, yeah, I know exactly who would know about dating!” said Sweetie. “Twilight Sparkle!”
“I don’t know anything about dating,” said Twilight. “But here’s a book.”
“Thanks!” said Gabby. She took the proffered book and glanced at it, cocking her head. “But I’m not sure what I’m supposed to learn from Advanced Biology.”
“It’s...very comprehensive,” said Twilight. Her tone changed and she quickly asked, “Are you going to the party tonight?”
“She sure is!” Pinkie shouted, popping out of a flowerpot and somehow bringing a Hearth’s Warming tree and a table full of confections with her.
“I mean...staying for the party, I guess,” muttered Twilight.
Guests were already arriving, having gotten the word about an impending Pinkie Party. Pinkie shoved a glass of punch at Gabby, seemingly still wearing the same grin from earlier in the day. “So how have you been?”
“I’ve been great,” said Gabby. “But I couldn’t wait to get back here. By the way, what are you doing for Hearth’s Warming?”
“My family has some ancient traditions for the holiday.” Pinkie rapidly listed them off. Each seemed to somehow involve rocks, but Gabby listened intently.
Pinkie stopped for breath and asked, “So how about you?”
“Well, I don’t have any, but I’m always willing to learn,” said Gabby. “I was even thinking about...getting a date.”
Pinkie gasped. “Ohmygosh, that’s so adorable! I can totally help you hook up!”
“Thank you!” Gabby gave her a quick hug. “So how does this work, do you just help me find someone, or…?”
“Do you have a preference?” Pinkie asked.
“I’m not sure.” Gabby put on a thoughtful expression. “I’ve never dated before.”
“Great, because that makes it way easier.” Pinkie pulled her closer, lowering her voice. “I’m going to hook you up with Applejack.”
“What!?” gasped Gabby. “Apple Bloom’s sister?”
“What’s the deal?” said Pinkie. “She’s your age. She’s totally your opposite, and opposites attract, right? And hey, even if it doesn’t work out, at least you had a date for today, for Hearth’s Warming. And most importantly, she came to me about this exact same thing!”
“Okay,” Gabby agreed. She looked across the room, easily spotting the hat-wearing Applejack inspecting the pies on the refreshment table. “I guess I’ll just go talk to-”
“No!” Pinkie pulled her back. “There needs to be some intrigue, some mystery. You two need to naturally come together as if we didn’t just plan this.” She pulled out a folded slip of paper and gave it to Gabby. “This treasure map contains all you need.”
“Okay…” Gabby glanced at the paper and put it in her bag. “I’ll get started.”
“And one more thing.” Pinkie pulled Gabby back again. “You need to remember this. It’s important. Applejack doesn’t know that wood comes from trees.”
Gabby blinked. “Wait, what? How can a farmer, one with an entire orchard full of apple trees, not know that wood comes from trees?”
“Applejack loves trees, Gabby.”
“And she doesn’t-?”
“No.” Pinkie took Gabby’s face in her hooves. “This is important, Gabby. Don’t ruin this. Applejack can never know. No matter what you do, don’t let her know that wood comes from trees.”
Gabby nodded. “Okay, I got it.”
She disengaged and squared her shoulders, ran her talons through the feathers on her crest, and made her way across the room. Behind her, Pinkie grinned and waved.
Applejack wore her trademark hat and a knitted scarf. She held a mug of warm cider. She saw Gabby coming out of the corner of her eye and turned. “Hey there, Gabby. Apple Bloom said you stopped by earlier.”
“That’s right,” Gabby confirmed. She tried to hide her nervousness and plan how she would steer the conversation.
“Oh, and Pinkie was looking for you,” said Applejack.
“She found me,” Gabby said.
Applejack grinned. “She can be a bit much sometimes, huh?”
“She sure can,” Gabby confirmed.
“She was goin’ on about something earlier, something about a treasure map,” said Applejack. She pulled out a piece of paper.
“Oh, Pinkie gave me one too,” said Gabby. She unfolded the paper Pinkie had given her.
The two of them stared at the pages. Unfolded, they appeared to be two halves of a map. Slowly, they brought each side together, meeting in the middle where it had been cut.
“What’s this?” Applejack wondered, her voice low.
“Was Pinkie serious about a treasure map?” said Gabby.
They glanced at each other and then back at the map.
A dotted line traced from Ponyville up north into the mountains. It crossed rivers and climbed hills. It eventually ended on a lone mountain top. At the X-mark, there was a small drawing of a tree and the caption Best Hearth’s Warming Tree of all Time.
“Well, that sounds impressive,” said Applejack.
“Wow, I wonder if we could get there by tonight?” said Gabby. “I mean, what if we could somehow-” Her thoughts stopped suddenly. Applejack didn’t know wood came from trees. Did that mean she had never cut down a tree? Did she love trees too much to hurt one? If so, bringing the tree back to show to everyone on Hearth’s Warming day wasn’t going to happen.
“We could go look at it,” Gabby finished.
“Sounds good,” Applejack allowed. “Maybe we could-” she paused in thought. “No, all my family already has plans. All my friends, too.”
“I’m your friend, and I don’t have plans,” Gabby offered, heart hoping.
Applejack smiled. “Well I guess that’s right. You want to go see that tree?”
“I sure do!”
The two of them finished their drinks. Pinkie appeared. “Hey you two, going somewhere?”
“We’re going to follow the treasure map,” said Applejack.
“Cool! Well, I packed some snacks for you to go.” Pinkie gave them a bundled package. “Have fun!”
Gabby and Applejack walked out. It was still daylight, but the shorter winter days meant that wouldn’t be true for too much longer. Their breath hung in the cold air.
“That looked like a fair hike,” said Applejack. “If we hurry, we can get there and come back by nightfall. The pegasi hadn’t scheduled any weather today.”
“Sounds good,” Gabby said. Neither of them noticed a few snowflakes falling.
They headed out of town. Gabby stole a look at Applejack. Could this be her date? Was it a date if Applejack didn’t know it? When would be a good time to discuss it? Was it something that needed to be spoken? She began to realize that maybe this dating thing was going to be more difficult than she thought.
“So how are you getting along with the CMC job?” Applejack asked, startling Gabby out of her introspection.
“Oh, I’m doing just fine. Griffons can be a little standoffish, but I can be stubborn too.” Gabby laughed.
“Well, I suppose we have something in common there,” Applejack chuckled. “The whole family’s been trying to tell me how to run my life lately.”
“Oh, what do you mean?”
“Well…we had some plans made for Hearth’s Warming. Big Macintosh, my brother, was going to bring his marefriend. Granny Smith is pretty traditional, but I think it’s mostly that she just wants to help. She started to practically throw colts at me. I couldn’t stand it. A date isn’t something other people plan for you, it has to come natural.”
“Oh.” Gabby’s heart felt like it was seizing.
“So what did you have in mind for Hearth’s Warming?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, uh, nothing.” Gabby quickly took the initiative. “So I’m glad you invited me on this little adventure!”
“Heck, you practically invited me,” Applejack laughed.
They started through the forest indicated by the map. Even though the sun was up, the thick trees made it seem like dusk.
“What do you think this tree is like?” Gabby said.
“Good question,” said Applejack. “It must be pretty good, though. Even if Pinkie made that map herself.”
Applejack suddenly came to a stop. She threw out a hoof, blocking Gabby’s path. Gabby turned her head to ask why, but saw Applejack’s ears straining.
Applejack gestured with a hoof and lowered her body to the ground. Gabby mimicked her, still wearing a confused look.
And that’s when Gabby saw what had Applejack so concerned. Three timberwolves passed through the trees up ahead. It was a fair distance, Gabby’s eagle eyes had only just barely spotted them.
“Timberwolves,” she whispered, just a hair louder than breathing.
Applejack nodded imperceptibly and replied just as quietly, “I didn’t think they were in this part of the forest.” She paused, and then added, “You can see them?”
Gabby nodded.
The two of them remained there for a minute, until neither could detect the timberwolves.
Applejack let out a breath slowly. “We’re almost out of the forest. Do you want to keep going?”
Gabby nodded.
They hurried along.
The air was turning colder as the sun dipped closer to the horizon. Gabby and Applejack had made it out of the trees and started across the bare snow of the side of the mountain, climbing towards their goal. The wind was mercifully low.
“We don’t have to go all this way,” Gabby offered, glancing up the slope.
“We’re already halfway there,” Applejack pointed out. “And the sooner we turn back the sooner we might run into those timberwolves again.”
“You never know. The CMC were teaching me a few things after all the trouble they’ve gotten into. We may get lucky and be able to make friends with the timberwolves.”
Applejack chuckled. “You sure you aren’t a pony? That sounds like something Fluttershy would say.”
“Well, you’re the one who wants to keep climbing a mountain in the middle of a winter evening,” said Gabby. “You remind me of stubborn griffon.”
“Well, I guess you’re still here too,” Applejack said, nudging her side.
The two of them traded amused looks, eyes lingering together.
The snow started to deepen as they pushed on. A place where the wind had blown the loose snow clear showed ice beneath.
“Is this a glacier?” Gabby said, glancing at it.
“Is it?” Applejack asked.
“I think so, it’s all ice under here. Glaciers form where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation and just builds up into a pack that can last for centuries.”
Applejack’s eyebrows went up.
Gabby blushed. “Sorry, I studied glaciology with your sister and friends when we were trying to get cutie marks.”
Applejack waved a hoof. “I don’t look down on intellectuals. I just never needed to know much besides apple trees.”
“You know a lot about trees?” Gabby asked, keeping the conversation going.
“I reckon I know everything there is to know about trees,” Applejack allowed. “I’ve been workin’ with ‘em all my life. I like it. I never was looking for more. I guess maybe you don’t feel the same. Apple Bloom tells me you’ve tried just about everything, getting yourself well rounded.”
“Well, I like apples too,” Gabby quickly put in.
“‘Course you do.” Applejack grinned. “But there ain’t nothing wrong with doing your own thing.”
The two of them suddenly stopped short, hearing a low rumble. There was nothing in sight but endless snow and darkening sky.
“What do you-” Gabby began but was cut off when the ground beneath them suddenly collapsed.
She fell into the hole first. Applejack tumbled over and managed to hook her forehooves on the edge of the ice, spitting and shaking her head as loose snow dumped on her. Flailing, Gabby managed to catch Applejack’s tail. The package of sweets Pinkie had packed for them fell out of Gabby’s pack and down into the abyss.
Applejack grunted in pain but held fast. Gabby looked upwards, blushing in spite of the situation. They hung precariously in the ice fissure that had opened up. “This crevice is too narrow to spread my wings!”
“Can you climb?” Applejack panted, still hanging on but beginning to slip.
Gabby reached up and caught Applejack’s back leg. She then grabbed the other one before shifting her grip to around Applejack’s hips right over her cutie marks. Pausing to catch her breath, but only briefly, she continued on up.
Making it out on top, Gabby braced against as much of the ice as her claws could catch and hauled Applejack up. The two of them fell backwards, breathing hard. Sweat quickly turned to ice the longer they laid in the snow.
A few seconds passed.
“Thanks,” Applejack muttered.
“Thank you,” Gabby replied.
The two of them got up. The crack in the ice was just wide enough to jump across.
“Bad luck in a shifting glacier,” said Gabby. “They usually don’t move so much. We can get back.”
“We’re practically there,” said Applejack, pointing up the slope.
“You seriously want to keep going? It’s dangerous up here!”
“I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine,” Applejack offered.
Gabby looked at her, and flicked her eyes towards the top of the mountain, barely within sight and lit by the setting sun. “Alright. I’m in. But let’s take a break first.”
She went for her pack but saw that it was open and the snacks were missing. “Sorry, all I have are scones.”
“I’m sure they’ll be just fine.”
The two of them ate quietly, but quickly. Daylight was running out.
Finishing, Applejack got up. “Thanks, that was great. I’ll have to make you an apple pie some time.”
Gabby smiled. “I look forward to it.”
They kept walking.
As the two of them climbed, the sun sank even lower. Gabby found herself increasing her pace, trying to get to the top of the mountain before it set.
A figure of something came into view. It began as a dark shape, taking on a triangular appearance as they got closer. It was the tree.
Both of them began to walk faster. If anything, it helped keep them warm. The wind had started to pick up. They detoured around a shallow cave, winding their way to the very top of the mountain.
The details of the Hearth’s Warming tree emerged as they approached. A fuzzy red blanket swaddled the trunk, spreading out like a rug on the ground. Gold and red tinsel was strung in spirals and shiny ornaments the color of the whole rainbow were hung on the branches. Soft lights twinkled among the needles. A brilliant star adorned the peak, reflecting the light of the setting sun.
“Ain’t that something,” Applejack breathed.
“Yeah,” Gabby agreed, too struck to say anything else. “How did all this stuff even get here? It took us all afternoon to walk to the top of the mountain.”
Applejack just shook her head.
The two of them turned, having arrived just in time for the sunset. Princess Celestia might have known they were watching, as much art as she put into it this evening. Gold, to orange, to red, to finally purple as the sun set for the night.
Gabby turned back, seeing the tree again. If anything, it looked even more beautiful at night. However, the wind picked up again, reminding her of the chill in her extremities. “This is lovely, but we need to get going.”
“That’s a long hike to make at night,” said Applejack. “Especially if we fall in another hole or meet some timberwolves.”
“We can’t stay all night up here,” Gabby pointed out, fighting to keep her beak from chattering. “You’ve got to be cold.”
“Yeah,” Applejack acknowledged, rubbing her shoulders to stimulate warmth. “I didn’t want to say anything. You seemed to be enjoying yourself so much.”
“So that’s it? Freeze or face that kind of danger again, but in the dark?”
“There was that cave a little ways back,” Applejack said. “We could hunker down there for the night. Maybe build a fire.”
“Build a fire with wha-” Gabby came up short. She glanced around, her eyes fixing on the lone tree in the middle of the snow. “No, we can’t do that.”
Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “But then how-”
“We can’t build a fire,” Gabby insisted. “Here, grab that blanket.”
They disrobed the tree and hurried for the cave.
“I don’t know if this is going to be enough,” said Applejack, looking at the cold stone with a dusting of snow on the floor.
“We’ll...we’ll share our body heat inside the blanket,” said Gabby.
Applejack nodded. “All right. I guess we’ll have to get close.”
“I-I don’t mind,” said Gabby.
The two of them huddled together. Gabby tucked her wings around Applejack, pulling the blanket over them both. They carefully lay down at the deeper, less snowy part of the cave out of the wind.
“Well, it ain’t exactly a palace,” Applejack murmured.
Gabby laughed quietly. There was no need for volume, the two of them were so close together.
“I didn’t know feathers were this soft,” said Applejack.
“I...can actually poof more, if you want,” said Gabby.
This time it was Applejack’s turn to laugh. Even wrapped together under the blanket, there was room to get closer, and she did.
“Thanks for today,” said Gabby. “I really appreciate that you came with me.”
“I appreciate the invitation,” said Applejack. “I really liked getting to know you.”
“I like you.” It slipped out before Gabby could stop herself.
“I like you too, sugarcube.”
It was too dark to see, otherwise Gabby was sure she would have been wearing a blush. But she didn’t think Applejack would mind.
Outside, the snow blew around as the night got colder. It didn’t matter. Under the blanket was warm.
Some time later, Applejack heard a tiny sound on the wind and opened her eyes. Gabby was breathing steadily, their bodies still intertwined under the blanket.
Applejack turned her head just far enough to see the entrance of the cave. Through the darkness, she saw a pair of green glowing goggles with a pink, poofy mane above and white teeth grinning below.
She winked and smiled at Pinkie before snuggling back into Gabby.
