A Misty Hearth's Warming

Following dinner, Mark and Mistybelle retired to the living room. She joined him on the couch and there, they sat close and gazed out at the lights on the tree. Mark let out a calming sigh as he draped his arm around her. Mistybelle looked at his arm and then over at him. “I gather this another gesture of affection.”

Mark nodded and smiled. “Yes. Something we mortals do when we want someone special to feel closer to us and in turn allows us to be closer to them.”

“Ah, I understand.” She smiled. Then, Mistybelle recalled something she read in one of his books. She slid a little closer and moved to rest her head on his shoulder. Like before, her head stayed on his shoulder and didn’t pass through. Mistybelle closed her eyes and sighed. “This would be a similar gesture, wouldn’t it?”

“It would.” He reached over and ran his hand along her electric blue mane. “So would this.”

Mistybelle nodded slowly and then she placed a hoof over his chest. “I never would have imagined affection could be this soothing. It’s very inviting.”

Mark placed a hand over her hoof and held it tenderly. “It is.” He looked back at the tree and noticed the watering can. “Aww man. Would you please excuse me for a moment?”

“Oh?” Mistybelle gave him a forlorn look as he rose to his feet. “Why are you getting up? Are we done relaxing?”

He looked back. “No. I’m sorry for spoiling the moment, but I forgot to water the tree earlier. It’s been a least a day since I last checked on it, and it would be a shame if it died.”

She blinked. “But isn’t that the inevitable fate of these trees?”

Mark shook his head and knelt down beside the tree. “Not this one.” He moved a few packages and pulled back part of the tree’s skirt. “See?”

Mistybelle placed an intrigued hoof to her chin. “It’s not cutoff or in a tree…stand?” She wasn’t sure if she had the terminology correct. After all, she had just started reading up on the two holidays.

“Nope. Normally most do their trees that way. But, I don’t want to waste such a lovely evergreen. That’s why this one is in a wooden tub full of dirt. Yeah, it cost quite a few bits more…but I think it’s worth it, because I can plant this in my yard and it will grow on. Then, next year I can decorate it outside my home and continue to enjoy having it.” Mark smiled.

She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes. A big smile formed on her face. “So, you like to preserve life?”

Mark poured some carefully prepared water, following the flower sister’s guidelines, and dampened the soil around the tree’s trunk. “Yeah, I know I don’t like to harm anything if I can avoid it…heck, I even feel a little bad when I have to squash an annoying insect or spider. Even they do their part.” He slid the small watering can back, then covered the tree, securing its skirt. “There.” Mark put the packages back in the pile around the tree.

“That’s a very noble attitude.” She smiled as he sat back down beside her.

Mark looked her way and smiled back. “We all have to at least try and do our part.”

“We do indeed.” Mistybelle resumed resting her head on his shoulder and placed her hoof back on his chest. “Now, shall we continue…cuddling, right?”

“Yes, you’re getting it.” He placed his arm around her and sighed. “Never would have guessed I’d end up cuddling with a wisp pony.” Mark smiled.

She looked up at him and her cheeks started to turn red. “Just as I never would have guessed I’d do the same with a mortal.” Mistybelle sighed as she lied there against him. “This is just as nice as the hug we shared.”

“It sure is.” Mark resumed caressing her mane and Mistybelle just cooed softly, not even entirely sure why she did, but somehow it seemed right. He looked her way. “I’m glad you’re here, Mistybelle.”

“So am I.” She nuzzled his shoulder.

* * * * * *

A few hours had passed. Mark and Mistybelle were still on the couch, continuing to cuddle. They chatted while staying close and would periodically adjust a bit, but for the most part the two were just enjoying each other’s company.

Glancing at the clock, Mistybelle checked the time. “Is it starting to get late?”

Mark joined her in checking the clock. “Hmm, a little. Oh, right, I do have to work one more day yet. Then I’ll have a few days off for Hearth’s Warming.” He smiled at her.

“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Mistybelle shared his smile.

“Nope.” Mark stretched and stifled a yawn. “Hmm, it’s already after ten.” He chuckled.

Mistybelle shared his laughter and giggled. “It’s been so nice having you home again.”

“Yeah. I’m glad we missed each other, it’s made this evening really great.” Mark stroked her mane.

“Mm-hmm. It has at that.”

Mark let out a yawn. “You know, maybe we should call it a night.”

“We could. Um, did you want me to keep an eye on you again?” Mistybelle looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

He nodded as he moved to nuzzle her mane. “Of course. Only tonight, you can start out resting beside me and share all of the covers. You should keep your spiritual energy up.” Mark looked at her half-lidded.

She smiled and nodded. “You’re right, I should. And I’d enjoy being a little closer to you.”

Mark rubbed her shoulder, then the two moved apart. He stood up and enjoyed an invigorating stretch. Mistybelle returned to her hooves and the two started back toward his room. “Hang on a sec.” Mark stopped and unplugged the tree. “There, I shouldn’t leave this plugged in too long.” He then took care of the remaining lamps in the living room, then joined her in the hallway.

The glow Mistybelle gave off was more than bright enough to light their way back the dark hall. Once inside his room, Mark turned on his nightstand lamp.

Mistybelle smiled as she made her way over to her side of the bed. “So, this is my side then?”

“It is. Just let me turn down the covers.” He smiled as he pulled the sheet and blankets back. “There we go.” Mark took care of dressing down, just like he did the night before. Once he was in nothing but his boxers, he crawled into bed.

Mistybelle stood there for a moment. Her face was filled with intrigue as she crawled in beside him. “It will be nice to rest beside you again. And you mortals do this on a regular basis?”

Mark pulled up the covers and offered her a generous portion. “Well, it can depend on a few things. Usually we do it on certain occasions. The most common being when we like to sleep close to a companion. There are other situations, but that one uh…is the closest to what we’re doing, I suppose.” He gave her a bit of a sheepish look, while Mark was growing fonder of her; there was still some hesitation in his eyes.

After covering herself, Mistybelle smiled sweetly at Mark, but her expression changed as she noticed the look in his eyes. “Mark, is everything okay?”

He blinked at her, then nodded. “Oh, yeah. You’ll have to forgive me.”

She looked at him funny. “Why?”

“There’s a part of me that still finds it hard to believe you’re really here. It’s wonderful, but before last night, I was alone.” He hung his head, almost like he expected her to vanish at any second.

Remembering earlier, Mistybelle moved over and carefully pulled Mark into a hug. “Come here, Mark.” She sighed softly.

Her touch and embrace were soothing as he reached out to hold her back. “Mistybelle…”

“It sounds like you’re still a little confused and even a little bewildered because of it.” She ran a ghostly hoof along his bare back. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

He gazed deep into her pale green eyes and took in a staggered breath. “You already are. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Mistybelle let out a quiet breath and smiled at him. “Hmm, I have an idea. It’s something I recalled from one of the other stories I read.”

“Oh, what’s that?” Mark gave her an intrigued look.

“Would you like to share a goodnight kiss? If you think it would be all right, maybe it could help as well.”

Mark kept his arms around her. “Yeah, it just might.”

Mistybelle smiled and halved her eyes. “Good, it’s another gesture of affection, isn’t it?”

“It is, um, did you want to kiss on the cheek or…”

Before Mark could finish, Mistybelle leaned front and planted her ethereal lips on his. Chills rolled up his back and left him shivering with exhilaration. Mistybelle’s lips reminded him of that of a mare’s, but at the same time there was something new and unexplainably wonderful about them too. He secured his arms around her and felt her forelimbs tighten affectionately around him as they pressed their lips harder together.

For a split second, Mark feared they might be moving too fast, however he couldn’t ignore the fact that she only had a short time to be in the mortal world. And this was only a kiss on the lips, so no need to overthink it. Instead of wondering or worrying, he decided simply to enjoy and savor this moment, just like they did on the couch a little bit ago.

It seemed like an hour must have easily gone by, but as they pulled apart, Mark caught a side glimpse of his alarm clock and saw that only a few minutes had passed. He took in a few breaths and looked her way with blushing cheeks.

Her cheeks were also red as she ran a hoof along his shoulder. “That was even more incredible than the hug and cuddling.” Mistybelle sighed deeply. “I can’t believe I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”

Mark blinked at her and gave her a bit of a dumbfounded look. “You mean to tell me, a spirit like you has never tried this with a mortal or another spirit? Gee…” He paused. “Do spirits even share love or affection?”

Mistybelle shook her head. “Not that I know of. I suppose some might, but none have ever asked me, and only a few spirits call me what you mortals would call a ‘friend.’ ”

He placed his hand on her cheek and smiled at her. “Well, I’m glad I can share this with you.” Mark reached out and caressed her mane. “I don’t know about you, but I do feel calmer now. I think I was just overthinking things.”

The happiness returned to her face. “Good, I’m happy you’re feeling better. Mmm, and thank you for sharing that with me. It was wonderful.”

“Anytime. Now, come on, let’s get some rest.” He gradually let go of her. Part of him didn’t want to let go. Mark chuckled to himself as he lied down and secured his covers. It seems he was definitely growing fonder of Mistybelle.

“All right.” She lied down beside him, leaving only a small gap between them, while she secured her share of the covers.

The two rested their heads on the pillows. Mistybelle giggled briefly, as she hadn’t used a pillow the night before and like so many things, it was just another sensation she was happy to indulge in.

The two became silent. Mistybelle’s glow seemed to lessen, not that it appeared to bother the human in the least. His calm breathing filled the room and Mistybelle just lightly twitched. It was then that she softly moaned. She had already entered into her dormant state when her tail began to twitch. She faintly attempted to reach a hoof toward her flank. Little did she know that something wonderful was forming along her nether region.

* * * * * * *

Mark’s room was silent as the night continued its peaceful march. There was still a bit of a gap between him and Mistybelle. Part of Mark wanted to get closer to her, but he was never one to rush things too much, besides, he wasn’t with it enough to consciously think about sliding closer.

Mistybelle opened her eyes. She glanced around Mark’s room and just lied there. It was unclear as to why she awoke, but since she was awake, she decided to look over at Mark. She smiled as she saw him lying there. Reaching out, she very gently brushed a lock of his dark brown hair out of his eyes, making sure not to disturb him.

She sighed as she continued to watch him sleep. Mistybelle was still delighted at all of the wonderful relaxing sensations Mark had been sharing with her. The time they spent together began to make her realize that just like Mark, she too was lonelier than she imagined. As she continued to look upon him fondly, she started to understand why Mark was attracted to ponies. Recalling his dreams, she noted a few things he longed to do, but she wasn’t sure how she could help him. As far as she knew a spirit can only interact so much. Still, she could return to sleep and give it some more thought. Either way, as she stared at him, her ethereal body seemed warm and she was filling with a growing fondness for him.

Mistybelle gave him one more caress, then a sly smile formed on her face. She inched closer to him, then let her head sink back into her pillow. Closing her eyes, she started to wonder what else could they share. And then she also wondered, just how should she tell him about peaking in on his dreams. She drifted back into her dormant state as she gave it some more thought.

* * * * * * *

Before Mark knew it, the morning had come and he found himself back at work within the walls of Twilight’s castle. The day before Hearth’s Warming Eve was going slow. He had already completed the list of things she needed him to do, which wasn’t really much. Given the lengthy and thorough checklists Twilight usually gave Mark, this one was ridiculously short.

Now that the simple list of under a dozen tasks was completed, he sat as his desk and was just jotting down some thoughts or more accurately, a poem about Mistybelle. At first the words didn’t want to flow, then, they began to trail from his freshly dipped quill as he moved it along the clean sheet of parchment.

He’d been writing for a good twenty minutes and didn’t even hear the soft but audible hoof beats of Princess Twilight. She made her way into his office and walked up to his desk. “Ah-hem.” She cleared her throat. “Mark?”

“Huh?” He heard her voice and glanced up. “Twilight…uh, you’re highness, did I forget something?”

She shook her head. “No, I just thought you’d like to know it’s lunchtime. I was cooking something and wondered if you’d care to join me?”

“Lunch?” He glanced at the nearby grandfather clock. “Oh, right. I lost track of the time.” Mark grinned a bit sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine, and please, you needn’t be so formal when nopony else is around.” Twilight smiled.

“Of course…Twilight.” He chuckled.

“Ooh, what are you working on?” Twilight turned her violet eyes to the paper on his desk. “Oh, is this poem?” She snagged it in the raspberry glow of her magic before Mark could grab it.

“No, I mean it is, but…” He softly bit his lower lip.

“Ah, it is a poem.” Twilight read over it. “She shown a lovely blue, High up in the night sky. There so brightly she twinkled, That’s how she caught my eye.” Twilight looked at Mark. “I don’t want to seem nosy, but who’s this about? My guess would be somepony that’s caught your eye.” She grinned.

“Uh…” Mark was going to make up some story, but shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, it’s somepony special. Her name is Mistybelle. And, I just wanted to do something nice for her.”

Twilight nodded and smiled. “Well, this looks like a very nice poem. Hmm…” She muttered to herself. “Oh, you’ve already got nine stanzas?!”

Mark managed to take the poem back from Twilight. “Yeah, I had some trouble at first, but then, it just flowed like water.” Mark smiled at the princess.

“That’s great. So, care to tell me anymore about her?”

“Well, she’s a real free spirit. She’s a lovely pale blue with flowing electric blue hair and pale green eyes.” Mark’s face seemed to glow as he talked about her.

Twilight could definitely see a rosy color on his cheeks as he spoke about Mistybelle. “And when did you two meet?”

“Oh?” Mark placed a hand to his chin. “The other night, it was kind of late, we were both out heading home from the marketplace…that’s right.” He smiled.

“Hmm? Well, I guess I’ll have to tell Fluttershy not to bother introducing you to her one friend.”

“Huh? One friend?” Mark was just reading over his poem, then looked up. “If she went to the trouble of finding somepony, I can at least meet them. If nothing else, another friend would be great.” Mark made his way to the door. “Now, you mentioned lunch? That sounds great, I’m starved. Let me just go wash up in the little stallion’s room. And I’ll meet you in the dinning room.” He darted out of his office.

“Oh, okay. See you in a few, Mark.” Twilight walked to the doorway of his office as she watched him zip down the hall. “That’s odd, and that one line of the poem. There’s no way he’s talking about Luna, besides nopony has ever called her ‘Mistybelle’. Hmm.” Twilight placed a hoof to her chin. “I wonder. Hmm, but I’m sure Mark’s just acting weird since he’s totally crushing on this new pony.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Oh no, lunch…it’s still simmering. I’d better go make sure it’s not burning.” Then, like Mark, Twilight hastily departed his office, heading for the kitchen.

* * * * * * *

The remainder of Mark’s day didn’t drag on and went by quicker than he expected. Thankfully, Twilight didn’t ask him too many additional questions about Mistybelle. He wasn’t sure he wanted to tell her that she was a wisp pony or for that matter if he really should tell anyone else about Mistybelle. As he made his way home, he concluded it might be a good idea to ask her about that. Besides, being cooped up in his house, she just might want a chance to go out and explore.

As Mark turned the corner and continued walking to his house, he began to wonder if Mistybelle could make herself invisible. If she could do that, then there just might be a chance she could leave his place, if she wanted.

He stepped in out of the cold and closed the door behind him. The warmth of his home was more than welcoming. Mark stood there for a minute as he let the heat warm him, before he removed his coat and hung it up. It was then that the smell of something tasty wafted its way up his nose. “Mmm, what’s that smell?” Then he gave a funny look toward the kitchen. He had no idea who would be cooking, unless Mistybelle was somehow able to.

“Mistybelle, I’m home. Where are you?” Mark looked around the living room and saw no sign of her.

“I’m in the kitchen. I have a surprise for you.” Her voice was joyful and angelic; the same as Mark has started getting use to.

He smiled happily as he made his way to the kitchen. There, he found her standing near the stove. “Mistybelle…you’re cooking?” Mark raised a brow.

“Yes, I read a book that mentioned some interesting dishes, and I found a cookbook as well.” She turned to smile at him. “And it seems I can interact with the items in your kitchen and pretty much anything in the house now.”

“That’s great.” Mark grinned as he spied the two small pots each filled with something hot and bubbly. The one was covered and lightly steaming, while the other was open and gave off a large wave of steam. He gave a good sniff and his face lit up. “Are you making spaghetti and pasta sauce?”

Mistybelle turned her head his way and nodded. “I am. When I checked your pantry for ingredients, I noticed you have an abundance of pasta and jars of sauce. It seemed an easy enough recipe to do for a first try.”

“Yeah, and it’s one of my favorite dishes.” Mark smiled as he walked up to her and placed an arm around her. “It’s good to see you.”

She leaned her head against his. “And I’m delighted to see you. Oh, and I hope you won’t be disappointed, but I wasn’t able to find any meat for the sauce. But, I did find a few varieties of cheese in your fridge I can use to add some extra flavor once this is done cooking.”

Mark ran his hand along her side. “That’s fine, and truth be told, I’m out of meat at the moment. But plain Marianna sauce and cheese is more than fine enough for spaghetti.” He looked at the warming pans on the stove and then looked at her. “What made you decide to try cooking?” Mark gave her an intrigued look.

Mistybelle saw to stirring the contents of both pans, then turning to him, she placed a hoof around him and pulled him close. “Well, in much the same way I decided to make your bed yesterday, I thought I could help make your evening simpler by making dinner. After watching you cook last night and reading up on it. It hasn’t proven to be too difficult. Of course I have no way to smell or taste it.”

“That’s okay. I can and it smells amazing.” He leaned against her and nuzzled his cheek along her ghostly mane. “Thank you. Mistybelle, you’re wonderful, and I’m so glad to be home.” Mark sighed.

She moved so she could nuzzle her cheek to his and let out a calming sigh. “You’re welcome, Mark, and I’m glad you’re home.” Mistybelle looked at the contents of the stove. “I’d better finish these up. Dinner looks to be just about ready.”

“Great. Oh, that’s right.” Mark gave her a bit of a sad look.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, you can sit with me at the table, but I gather wisp ponies don’t eat.” He scratched his shoulder.

“Oh, no, we don’t. All we need to sustain us is spiritual energy.” She smiled. “But, I can enjoy your reaction to the food as I sit with you. It might not be the same, but…” She placed a hoof on his hand, Mark clasped it. “We can still keep each other company.”

Mark smiled up at her. “Yeah, that’s a good point. And at least you’ll get to see first hand how things went.”

“Yes. Um, let me just finish up here.”

“Okay, I’ll go get a plate and some silverware.” Mark continued to smile as he left her to finish with the pasta and sauce. As he went to get a plate, he nodded as he had the perfect idea for how they could spend some time together after dinner.