The snow gently fell in Hope Hollow, and Kerfuffle’s head was buried deep into a fashion magazine.
“The key to a perfect Hearth’s Warming Eve party, by Rarity” she read aloud. She couldn’t help but giggle as she read on. “Have it on the day prior to Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
She looked up at her home, which was decorated to the nines with streamers, festive decorations, presents, peppermint, and of course pictures of all the wonderful things that have happened since Rarity and her friends brought color back to Hope Hollow.
“Check!” She cheered. “Two, make the perfect punch to liven the mood.”
She sped over to a bowl out on her table of sweets and treats that had a beautiful blue color.
“Ponies are going to LOVE my blue raspberry punch!”
She dug her head back into her book.
“And most importantly,” she read. “Be surrounded by all of those you care about and love the most.”
She looked up to the empty room, and paused. She then looked back down into the book.
“But I did,” she said aloud, her voice somewhat deflated.
A loud cheer sounded off in the distance.
“It’s not my fault that the Winter Color Festival was today…”
And it was. She could hear it going on right now off in the distance. And of course, she would be hearing stories about it for weeks. Except now with… more than two or three ponies in attendance. As she sat back down in her seat, she couldn’t help but look down at the magazine in some sort of confusion.
“I don’t get it,” she mumbled. “I’m doing everything I can to have a good holiday. I’m doing everything the magazine is telling me. But I still…”
She paused, thinking she heard somepony at the door. But the door remained still.
“I still feel… empty.”
She sighed and looked up to her creations in the window. Beautiful dresses pinned with poinsettias were the centerpiece of her fashion line. She mentioned them to Rarity in a letter after she had designed and created them. The dress impressed her so much that she bought two of them. One for her and one for her little sister.
Kerfuffle looked to the letter that Rarity wrote back to her, framed on the wall.
“I don’t get it,” she said. “My dresses are great. I have all the bits I’ll ever need. But why is it so hard to find cheer during the holidays?”
She rose to her hooves and looked outside to the lights and festivities in the distance.
“I’ve done everything the magazine told me to,” she said. “But I still don’t…. Get it.”
She looked from her magazine, to her coat. She felt a sort of nudge in her chest. Why should she spend all night here hoping that somepony might come? It wasn’t any different from last year.
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to see what’s going on at least.”
Kerfuffle approached the festival with a light dusting of snow in her mane and a squeak in her artificial limb, and couldn’t help but look from sight to sight. The barrels were deep in an epic snowball fight with one another, laughing as they were dodged or pelted by their respective twin. Mister and Missus Hoofington were handing out warm mugs of coffee and hot chocolate to the different families of Hollow Hill.
“Hey there, Kerfuffle,” said a familiar voice.
She turned, and approaching her was Mayor Sunny Skies.
“Heya, Mayor,”
“I was almost thinking we wouldn’t be seeing you tonight,”
“Yeah,” she chuckled. “Me either.”
“What made you come out?” he asked. “Weren’t you having your own party this evening?”
“Yeah,” Kerfuffle said. “But nopony came.”
“Really?” he asked, with genuine surprise in his tone.
“Yeah,” she said. “I was surprised. I followed all the instructions that my magazines told me, but…”
She trailed off, looking around at the ponies talking and laughing around her. The warmth of friendship and community in the air was strong enough even to keep the gentle chill in the air at bay.
Sunny Skies nodded and seemed to understand what was happening.
“You know, when Twilight and her friends came through Hope Hollow, I had to learn a lot of lessons. And I had to learn them really fast.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he continued. “And, I don’t want to sound like I’m presuming anything by any means… but I think one of the most important things I learned from them was that… Finding purpose… the reason for the season. Whatever you want to call it. It isn’t something that will just happen to you. And sometimes, even if you do everything just right, just like a recipe in a cookbook, it doesn’t mean it’ll turn out perfect.”
Kerfuffle turned to Sunny with a confused expression on her face.
“What do ya mean?”
“Well, for instance. I probably would have never worked up the courage to ask Petunia to marry me, for one. I just hoped that if I waited long enough, or did what was the safest thing to do, that happiness would just find me. But it wasn’t until I stepped forward and found a way to ask for what I wanted, that I found how to be happy.”
Kerfuffle looked from Sunny, to Petunia, who was accidentally just clobbered with a mis-aimed snowball from Pickle Barrel.
“I see,” she said.
“So what is it that you really want?” he asked. “What would make you happy tonight?”
Kerfuffle smiled to herself and chuckled.
“Well, it was to be surrounded by the ponies I care about on Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
Mayor Sunny Skies stepped forward and placed a hoof on her back.
“It seems to me like you came to the right place. And I think that’s what everypony else here wants too. Are you surprised that they’re here?”
“Yeah,” she chuckled. “And all it took was following my heart. Not some dumb magazine.”
“What’s that?”
“Nothing,” she said with a smile. “Thank you, Mayor.”
“Of course. Now then, if you will excuse me, I think I need to fetch Petunia a hot chocolate.”
As Mayor Sunny Skies galloped off, Kerfuffle took in the scene around her. Her community. Her home.
Author's Note
As someone who has several family members with disabilities, I tried to stick to a tone where her disability never really impacted her life. But I hope I didn't focus on it too little. Happy Holidays Flashgen
