Author's Note

Happy Hearth's Warming Everypony!

This chapter is not canon in a timeline sense. It is canon in a story sense, just not in the time it is happening. As you all know Sharp Shooter is helping with the harvest, so it would be a strange jump to winter out of the blue.

Still, I figured this would be a good special to make.

There will be no spoilers, just some small teases, but you can if you choose just decide this does not happen in the story, or you can decide it does happen to him later on.

Its up to you. Please enjoy!

Hearth's Warming Special!

Early morning, just like always.

Sharp knew too well he could sleep in as much as he wanted to today, but he simply could not. Today was Hearth's Warming, a day he for the last two years had been spending in Saddle Arabia. It was strange suddenly being home, celebrating this day in Equestria once again.

He moved in his bed, tilting his head to look out the window. It was snowing, something he hadn't seen for two years. Deep inside he could actually feel slightly excited, he used to love the snow. Still, that certain part of him was missing, that certain part that kept him from fully embracing the excitement.

Perhaps it was simply because it had been so long since he could celebrate at home, or perhaps he missed his fellow soldiers, trying to smile and be excited while at the same time preparing to go on another patrol. No, all of these things did nag at him, but it was not what kept him from being excited.

He knew why, and sadly, this house only made things worse for him. It was what Applejack had that he did not, a family.

His own was back in Trottingham, and although not on horrible terms, they had somewhat grown distant. Sharp knew full well he would need to write his mother and sister, in fact, he had already done so the night before. It was harder to write than he imagined, there was so much he wanted to say, but yet so much he wanted to keep from them. It made writing something personal hard, and so he stuck to some simple holiday greetings and a brief summary about his life at the farm.

The letters were just one part of the problem though, what bothered him the most was he no longer had that close family connection with them like he once did. Unlike Applejack and her family, his bond to his own was thin, or mild warm at best. He didn't blame them, he didn't hate them, things had just changed. Then again, he hadn't made any attempt himself to fix things, to make it better.

That was on him, but they too had not done anything to reach out. Again, he didn't blame them, he knew he himself was not ready to do so, and so understood if they too were not ready. However, this was a time for families to be close, to enjoy this holiday together, but here he was, away from his own, that's what hurt. He had no family to enjoy his first ever Hearth's Warming Eve back in Equestria.

It hurt more than he liked to admit. Before he had the whole camp, hundreds of friends, hundreds of like minded ponies who were all celebrating away from their families as well. Back then they could find comfort in one another, understand and be there to cheer each other up, because they were all in the same boat after all.

Here however, here he was alone, and Applejack and her family would only serve as a reminder what he did not have. Sharp sighed, having still not bothered trying to get out of bed. He didn't want to be a downer, didn't want to bring the rest of the Apple family down because of him. They deserved to enjoy this special day like a family without him getting in the way.

But what could he do? Maybe he could rent a room in town? Though the taverns were probably filled up with visiting family members, so getting a room might prove a bit difficult. Another option could be simply stay up in this room, get some food up here so he could make it through today without needing to go out much.

That just seemed foalish, and not only that, they would know he was up here, which would make them feel like they were excluding him, bringing down their mood. The third option was to just leave for the day, spend the day riding on the train to and from another place, he had done that before when he was a soldier, so it would not be that hard.

Sharp groaned, not really wanting to do anything. He didn't like any of the ideas, he just wanted peace, just wanted to sleep without nightmares, without having to worry about anything or any pony. Just peace and quiet..

Though as somepony knocked very excitedly at his door, he could tell that wasn't going to happen. Letting out another groan, he rolled out of bed, surprised that somepony else was up at this hour besides him. As he got out of his bed however, he glanced to the small clock, seeing it was almost seven.

How long had he been laying there just thinking? Apparently he was so deep in thought he had not noticed time passing by.

"Mister? Are you awake?"

Apple Bloom's voice asked through the door. Apparently the little filly was up early as well, then again his own little sister could never sleep in on this day either, so perhaps he should not have been surprised at all.

"Yes, I'm awake, Bloom." Sharp called back.

The door opened, and Apple Bloom stuck her head inside. "Happy Hearth's Warming!" She greeted with that big smile of hers. Before Sharp could answer, the little filly had made her way through the door, and hurried to him. "Granny said she wanted to talk to you about something very very very very very Important!"

She seemed to almost shake in excitement, clearly something important was up, but nothing bad. Sharp couldn't help to smile a little at the overly excited filly. "What does she want to talk to me about?"

Apple Bloom shook her head, starting to bounce in place like Pinkie Pie always did. "No, I can't tell you, it's going to be a big surprise!"

"But you know it?"

She nodded. "Yeah! But I won't tell, so come on!" The little filly took his hoof and started to tug him, trying to get him to come along.

"I'm coming, don't worry, but what about my bed?"

"That can wait! Come on, hurry!"

When finally out in the hallway, and the door to his room closed, Apple Bloom hurried down the stairs, seeming excited about whatever Granny Smith was going to talk to him about. Before he could move a muscle to follow however, somepony came up behind him.

"She seems more excited than a mouse alone in the pantry." Applejack chuckled, looking at Sharp. "Morning partner, you're up late."

It seemed like Applejack had noticed his early mornings was a constant, even if he could sleep in. "Yeah, well, I woke up hours ago, but I was sort of just laying in my bed, thinking."

"About your family?" Asked Applejack, knowing this time of year could not be easy for him.

"Among other things." Sharp confessed. "I've written some letters, but if I'm being honest, I did not know what to tell them. I just wrote some best wishes, and told them a little bit about this place, nothing more."

"Are you sad that you're not spending Hearth's Warming Eve with them?"

Sharp nodded, seeing no reason to lie about that fact. "Yes.. Its my first Hearth's Warming back home, and I had hoped I would get to spend it with my family."

Applejack nodded, understanding such a wish. She herself could not imagine being away like that, not being able to go home to her family and loved ones if she wanted to. Family was very important to Applejack, so it hurt her to see somepony having such a strained relationship with his own. That however was just something she needed to accept, not all ponies were as close with their own as the Apples were, that is just how things were.

She would have suggested taking the train, but even if he took the next one leaving in the direction of Trottingham, he would only get there when the celebrations had long since ended. "So, what are you going to do?"

Sharp shrugged. "I don't know yet, I'll figure it out."

"Shaaaarp! Come on!" Apple Bloom called from downstairs.

Applejack chuckled. "You better go before she gets into trouble."

Sharp just smiled and did as advised. Apple Bloom was a lively filly, and she had cheered him up a lot during these past few months. It was nice to have a sense of innocence, a reminder of simpler things, foalhood imagination and fun. It would be a lie to say Sharp hadn't grown closer to the Apple family, in fact, he had become quite fond of them all.

Granny was very supportive, always ready to lend an ear, or give advice. Big Mac, he had become a close friend, almost felt like a brother at times. He was helpful, ready to help with anything, or get something done. A nice pastime they had found was wrestling, or enjoying some cider by the lake, just doing small talk. Sharp had the feeling Big Mac talked more to him than anypony outside the farm.

Then there was Applejack, they had gotten off to a rocky start, but now they had spent several months together and the whole hostile air had vanished. He admired her spirit, her honesty and diligence. She was fun to be around, and the two had spent long hours working together, talking about this and that. She had even managed to get him to open up, no small feat if he had to say so himself.

In his private thoughts, Sharp had to admit she had become the sunshine of his day. Each time he saw her smile and laugh, it felt like being warmed up by the sun. When thinking back, he could come up with a few different moments during their time together that he might have started feeling this way.

Sharp however did not want to put a word on that feeling, not because he did not want to, but because something deep inside him feared admitting it..

Shaking his head, Sharp decided to try to put it all out of his mind and just focus on the here and now. He made his way to the kitchen, a wave of pleasant smells hitting him all at once. Granny was cooking and baking, dozens of things going on at once, but still the old mare made it look so easy and simple. Sharp could not help but look a little lost, he had seen battle that was less chaotic than this.

Then she spotted him. "Ah, there you are sonny!" She exclaimed, and Apple Bloom came bouncing in from the side.

"Can we ask him now Granny? Can we? Can weeee?!"

Granny laughed. "Hold on now, take it easy little missy." She stroked the filly's mane in order to calm her a bit, then turned her head and looked with a grin towards Sharp. "Applejack tells me you have no plans for Hearth's Warming?"

"Uhm, no, I'm afraid not." He replied, thinking she might ask him to leave for today. "If you are going to have family over, I can find another place to sleep tonight?"

Granny grimaced, seeming a little confused, then almost offended, and then finally an understanding look came about her. She waved her hoof, as if to dismiss him. "Don't be silly, you live here, which means ya family. I just wanted to make sure you had no other plans for tonight."

Sharp was taken aback, he had thought she would ask him to leave. Not because of any ill will or anything, just to give them some family time, he could understand that. He really hadn't counted on her to ask him to stay. His surprise must have shown on his face, because Granny's smile seemed to grow.

"I, I don't know what to say. Thank you Granny."

Granny snorted, waved her hoof again. "Don't you fret none, you're family after all, and family is always welcome in this house."

He smiled, feeling slightly embarrassed, but happy as well. "Thank you."

Apple Bloom beamed, jumping up and down. "You're gonna stay! You're gonna stay!"

Before Sharp could reply or even try to calm the little filly, Granny cut in. "Then maybe you can help Big Mac and Applejack fetch a tree? I'm sure they would appreciate some help."

"Then we can decorate it together!" Apple Bloom cheered.

Sharp nodded. "Alright, I'll lend them a hoof," replied Sharp, then looked at Apple Bloom with a small grin. "Then we can decorate it as soon as we get back. Sounds good?"

"Yeah!" She bounced around, cheering, clearly excited for the day ahead.

"You better skedaddle, sonny. Otherwise I might not get my grandfoal to help me taste the cookies I've made." The older mare grinned, distracting the filly with the promise of cookies, and giving Sharp a way to slip out without much notice by Apple Bloom.

"I wanna bake, Granny!"

Sharp took the opening Granny had given him, and left while Apple Bloom were distracted. On his way towards the front door, he came across Applejack, she was sitting at a smaller table writing a card. She looked up, then sent him a knowing smile that made him stop.

"Did she invite you to stay?"

Sharp nodded, smiling, though be it a little embarrassed. "She did, she was quite insistent."

"That's great!" Applejack declared, standing up and trotted closer to him. "I'm glad that you're staying, if anypony deserves to enjoy tonight, it's you."

He chuckled, shaking his head a little. "Far cry from what you said the first time we met." Applejack winced a bit, and mentally Sharp scolded himself for bringing it up. Applejack had dwelled on it enough, so he shouldn't bring back old wounds. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I know sugarcube, but you're right, and I was wrong." She let out a deep sigh, but still smiled at him, though be it a little more subdued. "I'm not the kind of pony that can't admit it when she's wrong, you have more than earned your place here." She looked away, focusing on the window so not to look him in the eyes. "I'm glad I was wrong, and I'm glad that you're staying for Hearth's Warming Eve.."

Sharp blushed, feeling that warm fuzzy feeling return to him. "You are?"

She looked at him with a small amused smile, then nudged him with her hoof. "Of course I am, sugarcube. Ya part of the family, you have earned your place here." Then she blushed. "You're a hard worker, honest, strong, kind. We would feel mighty awful if we just went on and threw you out like that."

The two of them stood in silence, both of them trying to figure out what to do, or what to say. "Applejack, I.."

"Oh, look at that!" Applejack suddenly interrupted. "We better get going, standing around here all day will get us no tree, and we are losing daylight." And with that, she was out the door, leaving Sharp alone all blushing and confused.

"Go get her sonny!"

Came the call from the kitchen. How she had heard, he had no idea, but he did as asked and hurried outside to join Applejack and Big Mac. As soon as he did step outside however, the first thing he experienced was the wave of cold that seemed to wash over him. A far cry from the warm cozy fireplace warm farmhouse, not to mention Saddle Arabia.

Sweet Apple Acres was covered in snow, and the snowflakes were still gently making their way to the ground. Sharp couldn't help but smile, he had seen snow in the weeks leading up to this day of course, but that feeling of wonder had still not left him yet. It had been two years since he last saw snow, and now he could enjoy it once again.

He stepped off the porch, his hoof making contact with the snowy cold blanket of white. It felt good, felt familiar, and so it did not bother him. Not that it would have otherwise, he was a pony after all, so walking in snow would not bother him until he had spent hours out here.

Making his way over to the barn, he spotted Big Mac loading some tools into a medium sized wagon. Applejack stood near the front, getting it ready for Big Mac to be hitched up to it. They hadn't noticed his presence until he was close enough that they could hear the snow make sounds beneath his hooves. Macintosh was the first one to speak.

"Mornin','' greeted Mac, giving Sharp a small nod. Sharp returned the nod, and Mac made his way to the front. "Applejack tells me ya gonna be joining' us tonight?" Sharp nodded again, earning him a smile from the large workpony. "I'm happy to hear it, but we should get going to fetch that tree. It's colder than a banker's heart on foreclosure day at the widows' and orphans' home."

It was true, it was pretty cold today, and Sharp almost regretted not getting a scarf like Applejack had, or a cap like Big Mac. Still, it didn't bother him enough to run back inside and get something, so he let Macintosh get hitched up to the wagon, and then followed them outside to the road.

After a little while Sharp spoke. "This will be interesting, I've never gotten my own tree before."

"Didn't you have Hearth's Warming trees in your home?" Applejack asked, casting a glance over at Sharp.

"Oh yes, we did. Though we always got them from a merchant down at the market, we've never gone out to get one directly from the forest before."

Applejack couldn't help but smile, Sharp looked more excited than he probably realized, some of the real him breaking through the cracks and emotional armor he had made for himself. Well, that was not really fair. Sharp was amazingly open when it came to himself, there were just certain things he would rather avoid talking about, which one could hardly blame him for.

But he always seemed to have a certain sadness about him, like something was holding the real Sharp back. Applejack had seen it before, had seen him being more himself. It was like he allowed his emotions to take over, like something deep inside him had been allowed out of its cell. It was hard to explain, but she liked that Sharp, the Sharp she worked with, the Sharp that made her laugh. She had feared he would close himself off today, but it seemed he was opening up to the idea of spending Hearth's Warming Eve with them.

They kept walking down the road, passing another farm before Macintosh suddenly turned, making his way through the snow and towards the treeline. Applejack followed, staying behind the wagon so Mac could work on clearing a path through the snow. Sharp in the meantime followed Applejack, he trusted they both knew what they were doing, and so did not question they had suddenly trotted off the road.

They kept trotting, moving farther into the forest. Sharp could smell the pine trees, hear the smaller branches crack beneath them at times. "Watch out for swinging branches, partner." Applejack warned, and Sharp looked up, just in time to duck his head out of the way of a branch that came swinging.

"So which one are we going to get?" Sharp asked.

Applejack smirked. "We have a place we like to go, sort of a tradition between us siblings." She explained, making Big Mac chuckle. "Apple Bloom is still not old enough, but I think next year she will be able to make it here without much help?"

"Eeyup," confirmed Macintosh from the front.

"Make it to where?"

"You'll see."

Both Applejack and Big Macintosh seemed very secretive, and yet excited to take him to this secret place they were talking about. He wasn't gonna argue, they seemed to be having fun and so why not jump into it himself? Allowing himself to immerse himself in the joy of it all? He wanted to, he knew he wanted to, but something deep inside just didn't feel like he should. It was like he was a guest, still. A guest that was still afraid of acting too freely, like he might offend his hosts.

The feeling confused him, he had been living with them for months now, and that feeling had largely passed, so why did it come back to haunt him now? Perhaps because he felt this was different, Hearth's Warming was a time for family, but was he really family? They said that he was, they meant it too, he knew that. It was just that little voice inside him, that one that told him he did not quite belong.

"We're here." Big Mac declared, stopping in his tracks and unhitched himself.

Sharp seemed to have been spacing out again, not noticing how far they have walked, or where here even was. He looked around, found that they were in fact standing on top of a steep hill. Didn't seem to bother the two Apple siblings none, in fact, they seemed excited.

Applejack could see Sharp looked a little confused. Chuckling, she trotted over to his side. "You gotta look this way to get a better understanding, sugarcube." Placing a hoof under his muzzle, she gently turned his head to look at the view from top of this hill.

Sharp gasped, his mouth hanging slightly open. "Wow.." From on top of this hill, they had an amazing view of the pine tree forest. It looked majestic, especially with all that snow, it was like something straight out of a grand painting. "It's beautiful." He admitted, a smile growing on his face. "I can understand why you like coming here."

"The view is just part of it." Applejack replied, turning away from him and trotted to the wagon where Big Mac was getting something out. Sharp followed, curious to see what this was about. When he got closer, he saw Big Mac had brought out three sleds. Now he started to get the picture, although he looked down the hill, it was very steep. Applejack noticed the look, smirked and nudged him with her hoof. "Don't you worry none, we do this every year."

"Eeyup."

"But you understand why I wanted to wait bringing Apple Bloom out here?"

Sharp nodded. "Yeah, I see your point."

"Pa used to take me up here." Big Mac said, looking at the biggest sled, which was understandably for him. "Took me out here for the first time when I was ten."

"Then Big Mac took me when I hit the same age.. Since, Pa only got to take me once."

Both of them became silent, their eyes looking at the landscape around them with a new spark. Sharp knew they were remembering, seeing things he could not, remembering a happy time, and he did his best to stay as quiet as possible. He knew what they were feeling, he himself felt like that at times when thinking back to his old friends, living or dead.

Sharp looked at them both, staying in the background so not to disturb their moment. However as he looked at Applejack, seeing her looking around, recalling every detail she could about that one time her dad took her here. She looked vulnerable, alone, and even though he was not sure it was his place, he trotted up beside her, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

His touch surprised her, but she didn't move away. Instead she looked at him with eyes that gave him the sense that she was grateful. Happy to know he was there if she needed support, and yes, he would be there to give it if she needed it. In response, she took a step closer to him so they stood side by side, closer than before. Neither of them spoke, because no words were needed.

How long the three of them stood there, they did not know, but suddenly Big Mac seemed to recover. "Well now, let's not stand around here all day." He gave his sled a small push with his hoof, bringing it in front of him. "Any of you fancy a race to the bottom?"

Both Applejack and Sharp looked at him, then at each other, both started to smirk, turned around quickly to get their sleds, and 3, 2, 1, and they were all off, racing to the bottom of the hill.

They zoomed down the hill, Sharp was a little taken aback by the speed at first, but quickly got used it. He leaned forward, letting as much air pass over him as possible. Applejack passed him on the way down, laughing. "Yeeehaaaw!"

Sharp was about to yell something after her, when suddenly a red rocket seemed to pass him. It was Macintosh, dashing through the snow, and with a speed that would have made even Rainbow Dash jealous, he passed his sister and reached the bottom of the hill 6 seconds before Applejack, and 14 seconds before Sharp Shooter.

Only one problem, Sharp had not tried to sled down such a steep hill before, and never with so much speed. The Apple siblings were used to turning the sled, and digging into the snow in such a way they would stop, like skis. When Sharp tried, he dug in too deep, as a sled was not a pair of skis, it was a bit more tricky, and so when he did so, his sled came to such a sudden stop he himself was thrown off!

"WHooa!!" He yelped, landing in the snow, tumbling down the hill the last few meters, but funny enough had not lost any speed. If anything, his speed only seemed to have been increased thanks to the sudden send off from his sled. Looking up at him, he must have looked like a giant snowball.

It all happened so fast, Sharp had no idea how far he was from the bottom, or which direction he was going. Though for a moment as he rolled around, he was sure he saw something orange.

Then he heard it. "WHAT IN TARNA-OOUFHHH-WHHOOAA!!!"

He collided with something, or somepony. Sharp could feel it, but it did nothing to slow him down. He felt somepony else bump against him more than once and before he knew it, he was stuck to the pony as they were both pressed into the center of the snowball of doom.

It was all a big mess of confusion, so he was not able to focus on who it was, or what the buck was going on, but then suddenly, everything stopped, and it was like the snowball exploded! The sudden stop shook them free, but still buried them in the snow.

Laying on his back, Sharp panted, after a few seconds however, he noticed he was not the only one. He opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he found Applejack holding onto him, her head pressed into his chest, her Stetson hat gone, her mane and tail free from the bands she had placed.

When he finally had gotten his heart rate under control, this time not going into a panic attack, something he didn't even think about right now, he gently poked Applejack. "Hey, Applejack, are you okay?"

She opened her eyes, those beautiful green eyes of hers. They looked up at him, making his heart flutter. It took her a few moments, but soon enough she realized she was on top of him. "Oh, y-yeah, don't you worry partner. Are you?" She blushed, but made no move to get off.

Sharp nodded, and like her made no move to get up. "Yeah, I just made a bad attempt at slowing down."

Applejack let out a small laugh. "You don't say?" Both of them laughed a little, though still did not move. "You got to be more careful, sugarcube, I might not be around to slow you down next time."

"I'm pretty sure you did not help the situation." He smirked, adjusting his position. "But point taken." Sharp looked her over, feeling warm despite being surrounded by snow. "Your mane.." He pointed out, and she noticed the bands had come off. Little chance of finding them, so she would not bother. "I like it like this."

She blushed. "Thank you.."

"Are you two coming out? Or should I tell Granny she should be expecting great grandfoals anytime now?" Big Mac yelled from outside their snowy nest.

They both looked at one another, their blushing increasing to the point Sharp was almost sure they could melt the snow around them. It was Applejack however who broke the silence, and she did that by breaking free of the snow. She burst through, looked around for a few seconds, then spotted her brother smirking at her.

"Don't you dare, mister! And why didn't ya come and help us out?!"

Mac laughed. "You seemed okay enough to be having a conversation, didn't want to intrude."

Applejack blushed even more. "You heard that? Why you!" She picked up some snow with her hoof, quickly forming it into a ball. Big Mac seeing what she was doing quickly ran for cover behind a pine tree. Just in time too, the ball hit the tree with such force the snowball exploded into pieces.

She wasn't done though, quickly she got out to pursue her brother, but he was already forming up his own ammunition. In the meantime, Sharp sat up, a little confused, but seeing the siblings in an all out snowball fight did make him smile. He was about to get up when he suddenly spotted Applejack's Stetson hat. Knowing she would want it back, he picked it up and looked in the direction of the battle.

"Hey Applejack, I found-Oufh!"

No one is spared in a snowball fight.. Snowball fights, they never change...

A lot of time was spent in the snow, Sharp almost felt like a foal again when he and Pin would run around in the snow, throwing snowballs or sled down the many hills of Trottingham. Before they knew it, it was long past lunch, and they could all start to feel the cold.

It helped when Big Mac found the tree they were going to take. When they took turns using the long saw, their bodies quickly heated up. Even so, all of them would not mind the warmth of the fireplace right about now. So right after securing the tree to the wagon, and hitching Macintosh to it, they were on their way home.

Big Mac followed the path they had taken before, leading the group towards the road once again. Applejack and Sharp followed behind, both of them exhausted, but in a good way. Both of them had lots of fun on the sleds, and it had turned into a snowball war or two at times.

Sharp, despite himself, could not help but smile. Applejack glanced at him, smirked, giving him yet another nudge. "You better be careful or it will get stuck like that."

"What?"

"Your smile." Applejack giggled. "You don't keep your smile so long, it suits you."

Sharp turned his head away, trying his best to hide the small blush forming on his cheeks. "Sorry, I guess I just forgot how to enjoy myself so much that the smile is still there when the fun is over."

"That's alright, hon." She assured him, giving him a smile of her own. "You just need more practice."

Sharp let out a snort of amusement. "Yeah, I guess that's true." They shared a laugh, then after a few seconds of silence he spoke again, his voice a bit lower now. "Applejack, thank you for today. I think I really needed that."

"Anytime, sugarcube." Applejack assured him, smiling.

A few minutes later they arrived at the farm. Big Mac got there first, having trotted a little faster than Sharp and Applejack in order to give them some space to talk. Already he was carrying the tree inside, when Sharp suddenly stopped near the gate to the farm.

Applejack stopped, turned around and looked at Sharp with a puzzled expression. His smile had vanished, and instead of looking at her, or at the farm, he looked down at the snow. "Is something wrong, Sharp?" She asked, her concern clear in her voice.

Sharp sighed, his breath showing in the cold winter air. "I don't know if I should join you. I don't want to intrude."

Applejack raised an eyebrow, this again? When was he going to understand he was part of them now, that he was not, and would never be intruding. She trotted up to him, standing so that she could look him directly in the eyes. "Now you listen here." She placed her hoof under his muzzle, moving it up so he would look at her. "You're part of this family now, and we would never be inviting a pony to spend this day with us if we didn't want them there."

"But-"

She placed a hoof over his mouth, shushing him. "You can be as stubborn as a mule, and as thick as a fencepost at times." Applejack chided, keeping her hoof over his mouth. "I know what you're thinking, but you're here now, and you made a promise to Apple Bloom, remember?" He nodded, and she removed her hoof. "Good."

"I just don't feel, I don't know, I guess I'm just still finding my place. My own family you know, then me being part of this. I feel like I want to be part of this one, but leaving the other behind is like betraying them." His ears flattened, he looked away again, ashamed of saying it, but it was what he felt.

Once again, Applejack's hoof found his muzzle, and she again guided him to look at her. Her eyes were filled with warmth, comfort and understanding. "Sharp," she started, her voice gentle. "Family ain't who you're related to, it's who you make it with." Sharp looked into her deep emerald green eyes, feeling himself warm up. "Besides, even though you are not there with them, it ain't like you have forgotten them."

She turned towards the farm, waiting for Sharp to join her again. This time he did, trotting up beside Applejack, giving her a grateful smile. She gave a smile of her own, and the two started to trot towards the farm, when suddenly she started to sing.

"When family cannot be here,
Havin' journeyed far and wide.
We sing a song to honor them,
To remember days gone by."

They trotted through the door, a wave of warmth hit them both, and Apple Bloom and Granny stood ready with a cup for each of them. They each got one, and the song continued like it was a well rehearsed event.

"So take your cup and raise it high,
Just as surely I'll do mine.
And laugh we will at stories told,
As we smile at days gone by,
As we smile at days gone by."

"For family not here, my dears,
Havin' journeyed far and wide.
For loyalty and kindness both,
We smile at days gone by."

"Our paths will cross again one day,
In time to reunite.
For family is always near,
Even when the seas are wide."

"So take your cup and raise it high,
Just as surely I'll do mine,
And make a toast for family,
And the tales of days gone by."

"For family not here, my dears,
Havin' journeyed far and wide.
For loyalty and kindness both,
Take joy at days gone by.
For loyalty and kindness both,
We smile at days gone by."

At the end of it, Sharp felt himself smiling, having helped little Apple Bloom decorating the tree as the song went on. He had gotten a hug from all of them, and by the end of the song, he had joined in along with Big Mac, raising their cups for their families.

Once ended, they all shared a good laugh, when Applejack suddenly came trotting up to him with a small flat package. "I got you something for Hearth's Warming."

Sharp frowned. "For me, Applejack, you shouldn't, I haven't even gotten anything for any of you."

"Don't you fret none, sonny." Granny said, smirking. "Hearth's Warming is not all about presents, besides, having you join us is good enough."

Sharp knew she meant it, but if he was going to spend next year with them as well, he would make sure he had something for each of them. "Now it ain't nothing special mind you." Applejack noted, seeming a little giddy and nervous about it. "But it's from all of us."

"If it's from all of you, then it's special to me." Sharp assured them. He ripped the wrapping paper open, and after 3 seconds he found himself holding a beautifully carved wooden frame. It was only 8×10, but it was big enough for getting a large picture inside, which it did not have.

"Still missing the picture though." Granny said.

"But we're going to take a group photo right now!" Apple Bloom cheered, then put her hooves over her mouth. "Sorry, I ruined the surprise."

Big Mac chuckled. "I think Sharp would have figured it out already." The large stallion trotted away, and after a few seconds came back with the camera. "Now, all of you stand by the tree."

All of them gathered, and Sharp could feel something inside build up. It was hard to describe, but it felt like a bubble of a feeling that just wanted to burst, fill him with happiness and excitement. He put the frame down, then joined the Apples near the tree.

In front and center was Apple Bloom, she was the smallest one, so she should be front. Right behind her, on each side stood Applejack and Granny Smith, both of them smiling warmly. Sharp Shooter joined Applejack's right side, standing right beside her. Once the timer was set, Big Mac hurried over, and joined Granny Smith on her left side, smiling that usual calm country boy smile.

CLICK!

And that was that, Apple Bloom cheered, bouncing over to the camera. "I can't wait to see it!"

Sharp smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Thank you, all of you. I can't say how much this means to me."

Granny waved him off with a hoof. "Think nothing of it, sonny. The least we could do." She noticed he was about to move to get the frame. "Stop! Where do you think you're going? And you too Applejack!"

Both Sharp and Applejack stopped in their tracks, both looking confused. "W-what is it Granny?" Applejack asked.

Then Granny seemed to get this knowing grin. "Traditions are traditions, and we respect them in this house." She pointed to something above them, and both looked up.

Mistletoe!

Applejack blushed, looking shocked. "Wha? Huh? Th-that wasn't there before!" She said, looking to her Granny again, who was hoof bumping Apple Bloom, both of them giggling. "Granny! Apple Bloom!" She tried to scold, but it was no use.

Sharp looked at her, he himself blushing. "Applejack, it's not like we have to-Mffm?" Before he could finish it, he felt Applejack's soft lips meet his. Her eyes were closed tightly shut, her cheeks burning red. Sharp's heart fluttered again, his whole body warmed up, and his legs felt like jelly. Her lips were soft, sweet, with a hint of apples.

CLICK!

Not Sharp nor Applejack noticed it, instead, their lips departed slowly, both of them seeming to need a moment to slowly restart their minds. "Uhm.. Wow.." Sharp said in a low voice.

"T.. Traditions.." Applejack mumbled, trying to justify it in order to get back to reality.

"You know you could have kissed him on the cheek." Said Big Mac, smirking as he ate some cookies.

Sharp nodded. "That was what I was going to say, before you.." Applejack blushed even more as the realization dawned on her. She pulled down her Stetson, covering her face as much as possible. Feeling a little bad, Sharp did the same as she did to him, putting his hoof under her muzzle so she would look at him. He gave her a warm smile, and said. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Applejack."

She smiled, seeming to calm down. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Sharp."

They both just looked in each other's eyes, both almost seeming lost in the other's. "You know Apple Bloom took a picture of that kiss, right?" Mac chuckled.

That brought Applejack right back. "She did what?!"

Before Sharp knew what was going on, Applejack was running after Apple Bloom up the stairs. Mac laughed, and so too did Granny, who pulled out the camera. "Now we need to find the best picture for that new frame of yours."

Happy Hearth's Warming!

See you in 2021!