It was one month before hearths warming eve, the hole land looked like a white winter wonderland. The train to Ponyville was pulled by six strong stallions and a steam engine. The train came from Manehattan, it would come through Canterlot and would end in Stalliongrade, but the next stop was Ponyville.
One of the ponies on board was Hoity Toity, a designer from Manehattan, but not just any designer, he was famous for his work! Ponies all over Equestria were buying his clothing, his fashion shows were popular events, he made millions of bits every month and mares and stallion wanted him! Even Princess Celestia was a fan of his work! And right now, before hearths warming eve was his time! Soon he would reveal his new collection and ponies would buy it to give it to the beloved ones. Clothing, Jewelry, sunglasses, hairstyles, extensions and wigs, he designed everything and every pony loved it! Except for himself.
He made this ride to Ponyville every year since he knew Rarity. That white Unicorn had a real special talent for fashion! Working with her gave his own work a whole new thrill, she was talented and full of motivation and ardor, it reminds him of himself when he was younger. Working with her helped him to keep up his fashion line for the last years because some of her elation infected him too, but he already could feel him fell back in old lines. He was bored, of everything, like he couldn't feel any happiness or joy in his life. This time of the year made anything much worse, any pony seemed so happy around him and he couldn't understand it, hearths warming had lost its meaning to him, for Hoity it was only a time full of business and he started to hate his business. In his past, he was wearing his sunglasses and use a fan because he liked that style, but today he used it to hide his emotions. In his suitcase was his new fashion line for Hearths Warming, he wanted to show it to rarity and speak with her about it, but he knew it was not good. This line, like his last lines, was made without any passion, ponies would like it because his brand was on it, but he didn't like it himself.
Hoity Toity would end his carrier this Hearths Warming, this was his last fashion line and it was as bad as he felt.
The life of Doctor Whooves was good, he was the youngest stallion around with a doctor title, his physic studies and experiments were on plan, he had a wonderful wife and daughter and it seemed like nearly every pony forget his embarrassing birth name. He also had a nice home with his laboratory in the cellar, he and derby lived here with they daughter Dinky. Dinky was a good filly, she was already there when Whooves meet Derpy the first time, but he loved her like she was his own flesh and blood. Buying a Hearths Warming gift for Dinky was easy, she was a filly, she wanted to become a firefighter, so she will get a toy firetruck. Getting a gift for Derpy was more difficult, she was a good wife, always helping Whooves when he needed her in the laboratory, taking care of Dinky, making her job at the post office and helping out at the weather team. Maybe she was not the smartest mare, but she had the biggest heart and always did her best to help every pony. For Whooves she was like a super mare and only deserved the best, but she never asked for a thing, except muffins. She loved muffins, her family and muffins, hopefully in that order. But he already gave her a muffin baking machine, so this year he needed something else. And he already got it! He had this nice piece of this year's line from Hoity-Toity, all mares loved this stuff and this year Derpy would be the first mare with a piece of it. She would be happy at Hearths Warming Eve and that was the most important for Whooves.
The only thing he had to do is to wait for Rarity's call and as soon as she got the stuff, he could get there and get Derpies present. Doctor Whooves waited for this call, because Rarity told him, that Hoity Toity himself would visit Ponyville these days and he would be able to meet him and order a special piece just for Derpy.
“Maybe a nice necklace or a dress?” Whooves was thinking loudly while sitting in the kitchen and drinking tea. Derpy was bringing Dinky to school, so he was alone. He used this time when the machines in the laboratory were warming up to drink some warm tea and take a break, but his alone time was interrupted by the doorbell. He left the kitchen and frowned when he looked through the peephole. He opened the door and there was a pony in a cloak, the only other thing you could tell about it, was that it was holding something in its mouth, it looked like a screwdriver, but the tip was not sharp and pointy, it looked more like an orb with some lights on it. “awww screw it, its you? That means something bad happened, right?” and the old pony in the door nodded.
Hoity-Toity has left the train, in Canterlot, Manehattan or any other big city he would not be able to leave the train station without being surrounded by fans, but in this small town, it was easier. Maybe he should move to such a place after he left the fashion business? The only thing he had at his side now was a small suitcase with the designs for his last line. It was a bad line, he knew that and Rarity would see it too, this would be the beginning of the end. Somehow he was looking forward to this, finally ending all of this.
He could already see Rarity's house, just two more roads and it would be fine to face the truth. He was already thinking of how he should excuse to Rarity for this bad work when someone bumped into him. He fell on his butt and had to adjust his wigg and his sunglasses, when he looked for the Pony he bumped into he just saw a colt running away, with his suitcase!
“Hey! Stop it! This is mine!” he shouted after the kid and the colt looked around, looked him straight in the eye and only slapped on his own buttocks and showed him his tongue before starting to run again “I can't believe it! You impertinent little brat! Come back!” and so he started to chase. The wok in this suitcase was total crap, but it was the only thing he had left and he could not show up at Rarity with anything in his hooves! Hoity chased that colt around some corners before he lost track of him, but there was sitting an old stallion on some stairs, smoking from a pipe. “Excuse me, Sir, did you see a colt with a suitcase running this way?” Hoity was already heavy breathing but he had to find that colt! The old stallion just nods and pointed down the stairs into a cellar. Hoity was sure that he finally was able to get that little pest, so he followed the stairs.
He Entered a huge empty cellar. No, not totally empty, in there was a small blue both. He knew such both only from Manehattan, it had to do something with unicorn magic and he never used one of these, but now it seemed like his target was hiding in there. He walked over and opened the door, just to be grabbed by a young stallion and get pulled inside! Hoity nearly lost his sunglasses again and he felt the door of the both closed behind him.
“I am sorry.” that was a new voice. Hoity looked up and saw that young stallion, with a brown mane and a sand clock cutie mark “My name is Doctor Hooves.”
“What is going on here?”
“I have tricked you inside my time traveling machine.”
“Time traveling? Is that some unicorn hocus pocus here? I don't have time for this!”
“First of all, this is no hocus pocus, no magic, but pure science! I am a scientist and no wizard or such... and second, right now you have all the time you need.”
“Sir, I really need some explanations here... wait! Didn't we meet before?”
“Well, you sat on my face one time but”
“That colt! You look like that colt... and the old stallion with the pipe! What are you? Some kind of kidnapping family-gang? What do you want? Money?” Hoity was getting nervous, was he in trouble now? Was this the way he would lose his life?
“Hey, hey, calm down! I only want one thing from you, and that is to make my Wife happy!”
“I am sorry Sir, but I am not doing such things, making a mare happy is art and I can only perform this without any pressure.”
“not that... agh... just... just listen and do what I say and I swear you won't regret it!” Hooves had to rub his sleeves, this was always the hardest part. “You lost something, right?”
“What? You... you know about it?”
“You lost your inspiration and this Hearths Warming Eve you have no line, or something like this, right?”
“How could you know about that!? Are you some kind of creepy stalker?”
“No! I am a Scientist! I troubled back in time to warn my self about what you would do! And now I am here to help.”
“that sounds like total nonsense! I go now!” Hoity turned around and opened the door, but he didn't saw the cellar from before, he saw an endless whirl of energy in all colors, twisting around like a firestorm, he nearly fell over but Hooves pulled him back inside.
“We are already on our journey. Hey, please man, just this time, I promise this will be good for both of us. You will not be too late.” This Doctor seemed very motivated and it looked like Hoity had no chance, so he nods.
A bell rang and the door opened again. This Time Hoity saw the familiar streets of manehattan, covered in snow! He saw the Hearths Warming Eve decoration on the trees and buildings and could smell the scent of fresh caramel apples and marzipan with the usual scents of the city.
“Wait! Is it already Hearth Warming Eve!?” Hoity gasped.
“It is, or better said, it was.” Said the doctor and put a strange tool, that somehow looked like a screwdriver in Hoity Toity's wigg “It is Hearths Warming Eve 25 years ago in Manehattan.”
And then there was that colt again, the brat that had stolen Hoitys suitcase, he really looked like Doctor Hooves, but much younger! “Here you are finally, it was getting cold already.” Said the colt “I thought your timing would be better.”
“And who are you?” Asked Hoity
“I am the Doctor! We know each other already, I just brought you here, to show you the Hearths Warming Eve of your past!”
“What? But he said he is the Doctor.” Hoity pointed at Hooves
“I am, but I can't show you what you have to see. So myself from the past will guide you from here.” He gave Hoity a little push and he stepped outside. This here was real! He could feel the cold snow under his hooves and the cold air in his nose!
“now follow me,” said the colt Hooves “Or you will be trapped in endless time wrap!”
“For real!?” The Designer gasped, he was indeed scared, he had seen that energy around them both and don't want to be trapped in something like that.
“Maybe... not really... but you could get lost and stop your own existence so... better come with me.”
And so he did. Hoity followed the colt through this familiar streets. He slowly starts to believe the Doctor, because he knew some of this houses, he remembered them! This was the streets in which he grew up! He saw the park in which he was playing and his old school building. When he looked through some windows he saw the faces of forgotten neighbors and friends, but it seemed like nobody of them could see him.
“Don't be worried, they can't see or hear us, we are not even here! I am in my bed in Great Bridle and sleep and you are... right, you are up there!” The colt pointed at a house at the end of the street and Hoity had to gulp, this was indeed the house of his parents! The place he grew up! “Let's take a look.” The colt just walked through the door, as it was just air and pulled Hoity with him.
Hoity looked around in the house, he remembered all of this! The old pictures at the wall, the smell of his mother's perfume and the music from the old gramophone. It made him smile to see his younger face sitting in front of the chimney and drawing with his color full pens while his mom was in the kitchen, preparing dinner. “I remember this day” he spoke to the colt Hooves “School was already over and mom was preparing our favorite dinner, also she already had prepared our best clothing for the Hearths Warming Eve play... this is the evening before the Hearths Warming Eve when I was four years old!” he gasped “the day I got my cutie mark and... and the day...” he became pale “N-no! Boy! I don't want to remember this day!”
“But you have to! Look at the clock! Your father will return home soon.”
The door opened with a creek and a stallion came in. He stumbled a bit, seemed clearly drunk. The colt Hoity Toity jumped up and run over to his father, he wanted to show him the picture he just finished, but his father just shoved him aside. He walked straight up to Hoity mother.
“You are drunk again!” gasped the mother “you promised you would not drink anymore!” for this words she earned a slap from her husband.
“Shut up!” he shouted and little Hoity jumped behind the armchair, hiding and shivering in fear. “You think you are something better than me? Shut up!” he grunted and grabbed a bottle of liqueur from the shelf “I drink when I want to drink.” He took a huge gulp from the bottle “they closed the factory today... I have no work... we have no money... so I drink... and what is this?” he looked at the pan and sniffled at the food “since when do I have to eat Horse Apples!?” he grabbed the pan with his mouth and threw it away, the spoiling hot oil and the food covered the good clothing on the sofa and the pan smashed the old gramophone. He then walked upstairs with the bottle and left behind his crying wife and son.
Young Hoity Toity was still hiding behind the armchair, covering himself with his arms and hooves. His mother was the first to get up, still shaking. She walked over to the clothing, they were totally ruined, it was the only good clothing they had. The Hearths Warming Eve Play in Manehattan was very elite and they were not allowed to watch without fancy good clothing.
She lost some tears but wiped them away before walking over to her son. It was not Hoitys fault, she always did her best to smile for him, even when she got slapped from her husband. She gently hugged her son, kissing his forehead. “I am sorry we can't go to the play this year... but we will have a nice Hearth Warming Eve anyway.” she smiled at him and she gave all her strength to make it an honest smile. She picked him up and put him inside his bed and he saw her sad expression when she looked at the ruined clothing.
“My father was a nice Stallion” Explained Hoity Toity to Hooves, looking at what happened “Just when he drunk he became like that and he swore to my mom he would never drink again... but this day, when he lost his job, he broke this promise... I guess as a small colt I never realized that my mother suffered way more than I did.” He had lost some tears too, luckily his eyes were covered by the sunglasses. “Why do you show me this, I don't want to remember him.”
“But you have to remember this day, it is important to you.” Was the answer got and indeed he had forgotten what happened later.
The colt Hoity Toity had left his bed when he was sure his parents were asleep and sneaked back in the living room. He had the sad face of his mother in his mind when he took the scissors and the yarn she usually used to repair clothing. He had a plan and had the will to pull through it. He cut the stained parts of the good clothing and sewed it all up again. This night he made his first dress, a dress for his mom. And it looked like a total mess, but his mother too kit with a smile, spreading tears of joy and she was wearing it and told him, that it is the most beautiful dress. She hugged him and the colt could feel his mothers love, regardless how hard the times were, and he was able to make her happy. It was the moment he got his cutie mark.
Hoity had totally forgotten about that moment, this was like the happiest memory he had and he had suppressed it because of his father?
His father was sleeping the whole next day and he and his mother went to the Play. Of course the, guards didn't let them in, but his mom managed to get a place at one of the windows and so they could watch from outside. It was a cold day, but she holds him and warmed him, with her body and her love. He didn't care for the colt, the most important was that he made it here with his mom, the most important was the love they shared.
When Hoity and Hooves left and went back to the both he had to take off his sunglasses and look back, losing a single tear. Back in the machine Hooves took his strange tool back. “So... how do you feel now?”
“I... I don't know... Sad? Happy? Hurt? My heart feels different.”
“We are on our Way back now.” The both shut again. But this time, when Hoity opened the door again, he looked into the whirl of energy. It seemed like he saw something different in there now, he put his sunglasses aside and looked with sparkling eyes, before the doc pulled him back again “You really should shut the door when we enter and leaf the flow.”
When they have returned to the cellar, Hooves gave back the suitcase to Hoity Toity, but the designer refused “no, I don't need this anymore... thank you, Doctor.” with these words he left and walked back to Rarity. No, he didn't walk, he runs! He had so much to do right now! So much to do and much less time! He had lost the inspiration for his work because he had forgotten why he did it, why he started to design clothes and jewelry and other stuff, not for money or for fame, it was to bring love and joy to the people, to share the love his mother shared with him. He would do his best to do his part of Hearth Warming Eve.
