It was close to Hearth's Warming in Equestria, a festive and cheerful time of year where ponies and other creatures celebrated the virtues of companionship, friendliness, and thankfulness for what they had. Most years, they were especially thankful as usually some crazed villain with strange magic had been defeated, and peace had been restored once again.
The School of Friendship had just let out for winter break, and Smoulder was looking forward to returning home. She liked Ponyville and the school, as it meant she could hang out with her friends, but at the same time it was incredibly cold and finding a coat that wouldn't rip on her scales was extremely difficult. Instead, she was looking forward to returning home and having a lava bath. She'd suggested having one installed in the School, but apparently the engineering would be too complex to make it possible. She had packed her bags and was hauling them to the station. They'd seen most of the others off earlier. Sandbar lived locally, so he could easily pop back home, and the others had caught their trains yesterday.
Smoulder arrived on the platform, narrowly avoiding knocking Meadowbrook over (who had been in Ponyville for a conference of the Equestrian Doctor's Alliance). She popped her bags down and sat back on a bench, shivering in the cold.
One train arrived and went, and Smoulder glanced to the departure board to see when the next train was due in. Her heart sank when she read the text on the board.
TRAIN CANCELLED
This was then followed by an announcement over the station PA;
"We regret to inform all passengers that the 09:40 Ponyville to Dragon City express service has been cancelled. All services to the Dragonlands are cancelled as of this time due to a landslide in the Badlands. We apologise for the inconvenience and will resume services as soon as we can."
"Great," Smoulder grumbled. "The one train I need to get is cancelled, stranding me here. Garble's probably already writing a poem about it. The great landslide of Hearth's Warming!" She glanced across the empty platform to see that many ponies and other creatures were turning away, presumably equally disappointed.
"Hey Smoulder!" said a familiar, childlike voice. Smoulder glanced over to see Spike trotting over, not using his wings to get about for some reason.
"Hey Spike!" Smoulder replied. "I hope you're having a better time than I am right now."
"What happened?" the smaller, purple dragon asked, landing next to Smoulder, who had by this point decamped to an empty bench on the platform.
"My train got cancelled," Smoulder huffed, small jets of steam coming out of her nostrils as she did so (although it was unclear whether that was due to the cold or her notoriously fiery temper). "Rockslide blocked the tracks and they haven't finished clearing it. I'll be stuck here until they clear it."
Spike listened intently as Smoulder finished. Truth be told, he'd been listening already, but that is ultimately not the point. "That's a shame," Spike said. "But look on the bright side."
"What bright side?" Smoulder asked.
"That you're stuck here and not there in the middle of nowhere! I'm told the hills and gorges are quite lonely at night."
Smoulder nodded. "You have a point. Kinda sucks it's just me, though. All my friends have gone away already, back to their respective homes. I miss them already." She crossed her arms across her chest and huffed again, producing another jet of steam and smoke. "Wow. I guess being around non-dragons really has changed my outlook on things. I wouldn't have given two bits about others a few months back."
"Adjusting to a new society isn't easy," Spike admitted, resting a claw on her shoulder. "I had the same experience when I came into contact with dragons for the first real time. I was effectively raised a pony, despite not being one."
"Seems we have more in common than I thought; we're both fish out of water." Smoulder hopped out of the bench and looked about. "Oh well. No use sitting around here and crying over spilt milk. I could do with getting something to drink. Cold blooded reptiles do need their source of heat, after all."
"Sugarcube Corner are currently open," Spike suggested. "Fancy getting something there? After that, we could always go back to the Castle if Twilight permits it."
"Great idea!" Smoulder replied, suddenly grinning from horn to horn.
"Ponies' voices fill the night
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Happy hearts so full and bright
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Oh, what a sight!
Look at the light!
All for tonight!
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!"
"So that was the tune Sandbar was singing last time," Smoulder replied. "You know, when Gallus ruined the tree?"
"I think Sandbar was trying to fill you guys in on a little bit of his culture, just like you and the others did in return."
"Celly even tried to join in, but her throat was a bit sore and she had some difficulty staying in tune," Smoulder said. "I don't think I'll ever get quite used to it though."
"Get used to what?" Spike asked, flying rather than walking so as to stay at Smoulder's head height.
"All the musical numbers," Smoulder said. "Not only do ponies seem to spontaneously burst into song at random moments and always know the words, harmonies and dance moves for the next part, they're always perfectly in tune with one another!"
"Celestia takes musical education very seriously," Spike smiled. "After all, in pony history, it was by singing songs and standing against the darkness brought by the wendigoes that pony society survived. That's why Hearth's Warming is such a big deal."
"I bet the retail sector also appreciates the time of year," Smoulder laughed. "All these presents going backwards and forwards must make them a lot of money."
Finally, they had arrived at their destination, passing a group of confused ponies singing the word 'carols' over and over like a stuck record.
Stepping inside Sugarcube Corner, both dragons' nostrils were assailed by the smell of freshly baked goods and hot drinks. "I could use a cocoa," Spike said. "Heartburn is really nasty stuff."
"Getting fire going down the wrong way isn't fun," Smoulder admitted. "A hot drink would be nice. Let's see of they're still serving." They walked up to the counter and tapped the bell.
"Just a moment!" called Mrs Cake, who then headed over to the desk. "Sorry for the delay. I had to help Sugar Belle with the mixer as it's struggling with the new ingredients. What can I get you two?"
"Cocoa for two, please," Spike replied.
"With cream?"
"Yes please," Smoulder replied. This whole system of money and economics was quite fascinating to her. Dragon society traditionally worked using a 'finder's keepers' model, which had left Garble very annoyed as a pony had stolen a shield he had found in Lava Lake. They took a seat as they were handed their drinks, and once they had finished with their drinks, they were on their way once more. The warm drink and the companionship had warmed Smoulder up considerably in every sense of the word. She was certainly feeling the Hearth's Warming Spirit now, and felt she could burst out in song if the needs required it to be so. Spike and Smoulder continued their walk to the Castle, which certainly looked pretty in this fresh blanket of snow that had arrived. Ponies were still speeding about, ploughing the streets, and Smoulder stopped to see Sandbar building a snowmare with his little sister.
"Hey Smoulder!" he called. "How are you?"
"Surprisingly good, given that the line back to the Dragonlands is blocked by a landslide," Smoulder replied. "Good thing Spike was hear with me, or else it would have been excruciatingly boring."
"That must suck," Sandbar replied, rolling up some more snow. "Do you want to build a snowmare?"
"No musicals, please!" Smoulder replied. She wasn't so sure on her singing voice yet.
"Sandy? Can we play again?" asked the little filly near Sandbar.
"Of course we can!" Sandbar grinned. "Catch you later, Smoulder! We're planning on holding a magic call on Hearth's Warming Day, so see you then!"
"Assuming the magic net even works," Smoulder replied. At long last, they had reached the castle, a stone's throw from the School of Friendship.
Twilight could hear two cheerful voices behind one of the doors of the Castle, and wondered who else was here apart from her. "Did you bring somepony over, Starlight?" she asked.
"Nope!" Starlight said, suddenly teleporting into view. "I've been busy clearing out the bakery. Who would've known that the spell made such a mess, eh?"
"Oh, that one." Twilight groaned as she recalled the time Starlight had mind controlled her friends to speed up friendship lessons. "You know, when the Police released Every Little Things she does is Magic, I don't think they meant for it to be taken literally."
"Noted," Starlight replied. "Well, I'm expected in Sires Hollow tomorrow, so see you after the break!" She trotted away, singing something about the sun.
Twilight pushed open another door to see Smoulder and Spike merrily playing Ogres and Oubliettes. "Hello!" she said. "Having fun?"
"Yep!" Spike replied. "Smoulder got stuck as her train was cancelled, so we've been doing some stuff together. She's really taken to this game like a drake to fire."
"We're both dragons," Smoulder replied. "But this game is pretty fun. For a day in which I'm stuck somewhere, it's been a pretty fun day."
And this was indeed true for Smoulder, as she'd found a fellow spirit in a place where she didn't expect, and even learned a litle bit about herself along the way.
