Winter had fallen, and a time of celebration is about to come to Ponyville. Indeed, Hearth’s Warming seems to be right around the corner, which means that many ponies are preparing themselves for the season, many going around to acquire decorations and presents. Of course, among them is the likes of Equestria’s own heroes, who’re each making preparations of their own. Unfortunately, among them is the owner of the ginormous castle, Twilight Sparkle, a relatively recent Alicorn to the land, and infamously obsessively compulsive pony that wishes to keep things nice and orderly, making sure everything’s orderly. Fortunately for her, she is not alone in this endeavor.
Twilight herself was currently in the process of hanging up various streamers and garnish over the halls, this process eventually leading her back to the chamber with the Cutie Map in it, the various thrones around dedicated to the heroes. And, fortunately for Twilight, her very own number one assistant, a small dragon named Spike, was in here setting up a few decorations, which was just right for the pony.
“Hey Spike, can I ask you for some assistance?” Twilight asked the dragon.
“I’m already setting up decorations,” Spike reasoned.
“Oh, I can handle this part myself,” Twilight assured. “But only if you can go out and pick up a few things for me.”
“I don’t know, it seems like it’ll be pretty busy today…”
“I promise to give you an extra special present if you do.”
“Well…” As he spoke, he looked around to the walls that stretched pretty high. He had wings so reaching the heights of the halls wasn’t too difficult, but it always meant pumping his muscles to the max to keep up there. Walking through a Hearth’s Warming-busy Ponyvillle might not’ve been too attractive a proposition, but if it meant resting his wings, then he couldn’t complain. “You know, I think I could go for that.”
“Great! Thank you!” Twilight cheered lightly. “Hang on real quick…” She reached into one of the many bags of decorations she carted around, before pulling out a list she’d hidden inside. Then, with her magic, she levitated the parchment over to Spike, who carefully grasped it before reading over it. “That’s a list of things I need for the holiday. Sorry, had to get things from all over here. They’ve already been paid for.” Indeed, the list seemed to take him just about all over the place, from the farm to the bakery, even to Fluttershy’s.
“Alright, I guess I’ll see you in a while,” Spike said. The two waved each other away, and Spike would head out towards the front of the castle. And as he walked, Twilight thought back to her list, before cheekily smirking to herself as she went back to putting the decorations up.
Spike made it to the front door, him wrapping himself up in a scarf and putting on some boots and a jacket. As a dragon, he could remain a little heated in the snowy outside, but that didn’t mean he was totally cold-proof. He’d step out, wincing slightly as the warm air of the castle was penetrated by the piercing gale of winter. He stepped out while closing the door behind, and could see many ponies walking around, shop to shop. Spike took out the list he was given before looking over it. First item on the list were many mitts from the Carousel Boutique, owned by none other than Rarity. Spike was thankful he got some shopping done early, he could only imagine how crazy the shops were right now.
Either way, he’s walking over to the Carousel Boutique, all while carefully maneuvering between the many ponies out. He’d eventually make it to the building itself, having just seen a few ponies come out. Fortunately, Rarity’s would be one of those locations that wouldn’t get too many visitors at once. Rarity’s work demanded a bit more time on her end to wrap up, so if someone wanted something out of there, they’d have to pay for the clothing far in advance. So, Spike entered, greeted by the very cozy interior, showing off many a pony clothing for visitors to check out, as well as a very well decorated interior. Rarity was a pony with an eye for fashion, and her abode was a good testament to that. Speaking of which, the white furred, purple maned unicorn had heard the jingle of the bell as the door opened up, before turning to spy Spike.
“Oh! Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity greeted.
“H-hey, Rarity,” Spike muttered as he approached the front counter. “Uh, I believe Twilight ordered something from you?”
“Oh yes, the gloves, correct?” Rarity said. “So nice of you to come and pick them up. Give me a brief moment, and just stand right here.” Spike nodded, and stood where he was. As he stood there, he slowly became aware of the difference in temperature between in here and outside, so he lowered his scarf and spread his coat out, him wiping his brow. After a while, Rarity returned with a small bag containing several gloves in them, each seeming to be color-coded to each friend Twilight’s expecting over at the castle soon. Pink for Pinkie, cyan for Trixie… there were even some specially designed for Spike’s hands.
“Oh man I’ve been waiting for these!” he declared as he put those gloves back.
“Hm hm~ Well, just be sure to bring these back to Twilight and- Oh my!” Spike rose a brow at the sudden reaction. He noticed that at the latter half of her sentence, she was looking up at the ceiling. Spike himself looked up, seeing a strange little bundle of leaves with white buds hung directly over him, it bearing small white buds. This was a less often talked about tradition for the holiday, the mistletoe. The common tradition is that those under it are to receive a kiss from whoever was nearby. And the one pony nearby is… Spike’s cheeks went a bright red as he realized just what the implications here were.
“O-oh my!” Spike remarked, stumbling a bit. He brought his tail up and began to wring it, feeling a little self-conscious. “O-oh, I’m sorry about that. But, if you’d like…”
“Oh, no need to sound so sheepish,” Rarity assured. “I’m modest, but I’m not against tradition. Now, just sit still, and let me prepare myself.” Spike’s eyes widened in response to that. Was she actually gonna-? This is just a holiday thing. Just a holiday thing. There’s nothing more to it, Spike shouldn’t try to make it weird. He reached up to try and rub the red out of his cheeks, before brushing his chest a little and taking deep breaths. As he calmed himself, he’d hear from behind the counter “Here I come~!” Spike looked up, and rounding the counter, he’d gasp upon seeing her, her lips now painted a shiny red.
“H-hhwww-!” Spike grunted, quivering a little. Rarity looked gorgeous right now, not that she wasn’t usually. She was a very pretty mare, but now that she was prepared… He was too enthralled by the initial appearance, when he suddenly felt her wrap her forelegs around him and pull him closer to her. He felt her head loom above his head, her holding him close while looking upon him. And then, down she came, craning around to his side. He grunted as he felt her lips smack around a part of his cheek, suckling softly. He felt like he was going to be dizzy from all the butterflies in his stomach! And then, seemingly just as fast as the smooch came, she pulled away, leaving behind a rich red stain.
“Sorry to keep you, darling,” Rarity said. “Now, I suppose you’ll be on your way?”
“Hm?” Spike muttered curiously, still reeling from the smacker. “O-oh! Oh yeah, I should get on!” Spike began to turn and walk, though with a noticeable wobble to his steps. Rarity, however, would notice the bag of mitts still on the ground where he was.
“Uh, Spike?”
“Oh yeah, sorry.” Spike turned around and picked the bag up, before turning and walking, him still reeling while Rarity couldn’t help but giggle to herself.
After that, Spike looked over the list again. There were a few foods to get, so he figured he should get those last. Next, however, was to pick up some oils from Fluttershy. So, he’d have to go to the hazardous Everfree Forest, though it’s very calm now thanks to the winter. Spike was able to simply walk through, though he’d still have to keep an eye out just in case. He walked more and more, before soon spying the cottage itself, a cozy place with many a birdhouse around and on it, while several windows peered out in various directions. Spike approached, and softly knocked, so as to be respectful to the mare within.
“Wh-who is it?” a somewhat timid voice inside asked.
“It’s Spike,” the dragon answered. “Twilight wanted me to pick some fancy oils.”
“The door’s unlocked, come in.” With that, Spike carefully pushed the door open and stepped through, where he could see some fancy, colored canisters laid on a table and wrapped up in a nice bow. “They should be on the table.”
“I see them,” Spike answered. He approached and reached up, plucking the bundle and putting it under his arm. As he did, he’d notice, leading deeper into the cottage was a long line of animals. He sort of expected them to be cooped up in here during the weather, but now, they were lined up single file for some reason. He rose a brow, and approached. He’d try to go through and around, only for a bird to shout him away or a small mole to angrily chirp him away. He’d find they didn’t get upset if he was in the back, so he supposed he’d have to wait there.
It seemed to go on for a fair bit, and to Spike, he could swear he could feel his scales get a little dead-er. The line would lead up a few steps, before soon reaching, of all places, Fluttershy’s bedroom. Spike is only more curious about the many animals lining up to it. They walk more and more, until Spike soon enters the room, where he can see the yellow furred, pink maned pegasus herself, Fluttershy, picking up whatever animal gets in front of her, before giving them a soft peck on the forehead. Spike’s curious and follows more and more. The one in front of Spike, Fluttershy’s close pet, a bunny named Angel, was soon picked up and given a peck to his forehead. He hopped away, and soon the pegasus found herself looking down at the purple dragon, at which a blush turned glew on her face.
“O-oh my…” Fluttershy muttered. Spike rose a brow and tilted his head in confusion.
“Hey, uh, what exactly’s happening here?” Spike asked. Fluttershy hid behind her pink mane a little, though knew she owed him an explanation. She can only bring herself to point up. Spike glanced up, and his eyes widened when he saw a very familiar plant: mistle toe. “W-woah. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize- I-I just saw all the animals and-“
“Oh, there’s no worry,” Fluttershy assured as she tried to brush her mane away. “This is just tradition, and I suppose I should give you what you’re owed.” She then reached down, and cradled just under Spike’s cheeks, squishing his face slightly as she began to lift him. And as he found himself looking up, he was suddenly aware of the soft yellow lipstick on her lips. Looking towards Angel, sure enough there was a bright yellow mark on his forehead, sticking out like a sunburn. Spike squirmed slightly, though Fluttershy lifted him a little more, pulling him upon her hindlegs as she leaned in. He blushed gently. He hadn’t quite paid attention to the pegasus before, but she was awfully pretty honestly. Her hold was tender, and she seemed to practically radiate a warm aura as she leaned in close, before planting a soft smooch right on his forehead as her wings curled behind him in an almost hug. It was quick yet thorough, and he could feel the makeup stick.
And then, off she went, her lips giving a soft pop off of him before she spread her wings off of him and set him down. Spike reached up and softly tapped his forehead, feeling the makeup on him. Fluttershy, meanwhile, blushed and shied away, hiding behind a wing.
“U-uh, you should probably get going,” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Spike said, now getting up on his feet.
“Do be safe out there,” Fluttershy said, waving him off. Spike waved back and nodded, before heading down, making sure to grab the bottles before heading out. Now’s probably a good time to head towards the farm, he decided.
He began walking out of the cottage. For now, this’d require him going back to Ponyville to go around towards the farm. A simple enough trek, he figured. So, he walked and walked, still making sure to look side to side. However, what he failed to do was keep an eye on his back, at least until he heard the sound of something zooming near.
“Outta the way!” was the last thing Spike heard before he looked back, and was slammed in the spine by a fast-moving projectile! He grunted as he was hurled forwards, his limbs almost flapping in the wind as he was tossed, before the two of them came tumbling to a halt, hurtling through the snow before landing in a heap at the base of a tree. Spike’s vision was awash with colors swirling and struggling to form what was actually in front of him. He placed a hand on his head to try and steady himself, and began to understand the scene. And now, he could see a cyan-furred, rainbow-maned mare in his field of view. This must’ve been local speedster and thrill seeker: Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow?” Spike pondered. “What just happened.
“You got in my way, bud,” Rainbow explained. “I was trying to go through a more hazardous terrain, but you popped up out of nowhere. What’re you doing out here anyways?” Spike rubbed at his now stinging back as he stood upright before sitting down on a nearby root.
“I was visiting Fluttershy, Twilight asked me to pick a few things up,” Spike said. “A-and, what’re you doing blaming me for that?” Rainbow shrugged in response.
“Whatever, I gotta take a breather anyways,” Rainbow said with a shrug. She then sat down on the root next to Spike, a fair bit of distance between the two of them.
“So, uh, how’re you doing these holidays?” Spike asked.
“Not much to talk about,” Rainbow admitted. “Already wrapped up things with family, now all’s that left is to spend the celebration with the rest of the friends. How about you and Twi?”
“She recently went to Canterlot to visit family and the alicorns, Celestia even organized it to have Cadence, Shining, and Flurry over so they could enjoy each other’s company.”
“Nice to see how relaxed Celestia is, I guess,” Rainbow shrugged. “Ah well, guess things’re going along smooth enough.”
“Yep! I just gotta get two more things, and wrap up decorating with Twilight!”
“Well, good luck there,” Rainbow said. She was about to get up, but peeked upwards, before scrunching up her face. “Aw man, seriously?” Spike rose a brow at her apprehension, before looking towards where she was. And up there was, for the third time today, one of those mistle toes.
“Who the hay would even put that out here?” Spike wondered. Then, he peered towards the pegasus beside him, who seemed to be blushing and turning away. “You know, we are alone, you don’t really have to if you don’t want.”
“What, don’t wanna go through with this?” Rainbow asked pointedly. At that, Spike was quick to snap his hands up defensively, as if she’d just pointed a weapon towards him.
“N-no, not at all!” Spike assured. “I-I just…” However, he’d be interrupted by a deep sigh from Rainbow, before she swiveled around to pick him up, a little harshly, and setting him on her lap. Unlike the other ponies, she didn’t have any lipstick, and honestly Spike would be more surprised if she did. She was a fairly gruff pony that didn’t put much stock in the more fashionable parts of life, nor the more romantic stuff. So, as she held the dragon, he expected it to be quick, her leaning to his side to kiss above his ear fin. It was as sudden as a bullet, and seemingly just as soon as it started, she’d picked him up and set him down.
“Alright, don’t you go blabbing about that! I gotta go back to practice!” she explained, before extending her wings and flapping, rushing away from the scene. Spike, meanwhile, could only sit there in confusion. He tapped above his ear fin, as if searching for any sign of Rainbow’s kiss. All there was was a small memory. Spike was almost certain he’d just imagined this whole scenario for whatever reason, maybe even that weird mistle toe. Whatever the case, he was weirded out by all of that, and would try to walk the confusion off and instead head to Ponyville.
He soon made it without incident, before wandering around to the trail to local farm, Sweet Apple Acres, the quarters of the Apple Family. One of their hardest workers, and close friend to Twilight and others, Applejack, was preparing some apple pie for the occasion. Work was a little harder at this time of year, though the Apple family members were making due with the colder atmosphere. Spike walked more and more, before arriving at the field of many apple orchards, large barn, and farm house, while tons upon tons of snow had been scooped away to make work slightly easier.
He walked towards the farm house, and noticed the currently empty rocking chair. The Apple family’s elder would probably be sitting and rocking on that were it any other time of the year. Spike knocked the door and waited, before the door opened up. And greeting him was a pony with orange fur, yellow mane, and a trademark cowboy hat on her head. This was the honest and family-oriented farming mare, Applejack.
“Oh hey there, Sugarcube!” Applejack greeted, though she couldn’t help but notice his decorated face. “Didn’t expect t’see you up here.”
“Hey Applejack!” Spike greeted. “Twilight wanted me to pick up some food from here.”
“Oh yeah, she did ask me to prepare somethin’,” Applejack said. “I was willin’ to bring it up, but if you’re here, then that’s ok. C’mon in!” Applejack backed away from the door, and Spike followed her in, quickly greeted by the warm air of the inside. It felt nice after spending such a long time in the snow. “It’s over in the kitchen, c’mon.” The farmer mare led him in, and Spike followed behind. “You look like you’ve been awfully busy, haven’t ya?”
“Hm?” Spike pondered. Applejack motioned towards his head, and he reached up, suddenly remembering the little lipstick on him. “Oh yeah. Yeah, happened to get caught under the mistletoe a couple of times.”
“Ah, that silly thing,” Applejack remarked. “Well, as long as it’s good fun and all.” They came in more and more, before reaching the kitchen. And once there, Applejack heads to the storage, before taking out a pie tin, this one being awfully big, probably on account of being for many ponies. “It’s cold right now, so tell Twi to heat it up.”
“Of course!” Spike cheered as he accepted the tin. Though as he held it, he couldn’t help but notice the uncomfortable amount of weight on him. One arm’s holding the bag of mitts, another arm’s holding the bunch of bottles, and now he had to use two hands to hold this food.
“Did ya come out here without some sorta carrier?” Applejack asked. Spike couldn’t help but blush and turn away shamefully. He supposed he’d been a bit too fast to get started, and hadn’t even considered needing something like that. Applejack sighed, before saying “Come on, Sugarcube, I got something for you.” With that, she walked towards the front door, and Spike would follow, him being careful with the stuff he’s holding. The two were out and heading to the barn, where she leads him in through the barn door, several of the animals inside asleep.
“I got a wheelbarrow in the back,” Applejack explained. “As long as you promise to return it tomorrow, you can use it today.”
“Oh really? Oh thank you!” Spike cheered. “That’d make things a whole lot easier!” Applejack nodded in affirmation, and they soon made it to the back, where Spike’d see the tool she described: a wheelbarrow, indeed. Spike then approached, before setting the various stuff he’d collected on it. However, as he did, he’d hear a slight “um” from the earth pony that led him in. “What’s up?” Looking back, he’d see her pointing up. Spike looked up, and sure enough, there was more mistletoe. “Aw, again?”
“Heh heh, sorry, Sugarcube,” Appleack said as she wiped her brow. “But, y’know, rules are rules.” She gave a shrug, and began to approach.
“I-I mean, I’m kind of getting a little too covered-“ Unfortunately, it seemed like the pony was too willing to adhere to tradition. Simply, she brought her forehooves under his arms, and lifted him up. She scanned around his head, as if trying to decide on where she should plant her lips. And as she did, Spike couldn’t help but feel weird. He hadn’t quite been checked out before, and now he was feeling more and more exposed. This led to him blushing more and more, which made him feel even more exposed. And then, Applejack leaned towards the side, before kissing his cheek, and now Spike was suddenly aware of the lipstick on her.
Then, seemingly just as quickly, she popped off of him, leaving behind a rich orange stain. Applejack gave a soft sigh and set him down, and the smaller creature’d find himself stumbling back before falling on his hindquarters. Applejack couldn’t help but snicker a little bit at his reaction.
“Aw, you seem frazzled,” Applejack said. “Don’t ya gotta go home soon?” Spike shook his head, before snapping up to his feet.
“Y-you’re right! Sorry,” Spike said.
“Aw, not at all. Be seeing you!”
“Be seeing you.” With that, Applejack then stepped away, leaving Spike to his own devices. He rubbed at his still stained cheek, before grabbing the ends of the wheelbarrow, and then went on his way back to Ponyville, where his next destination was Sugarcube Corner.
The next thing to collect were a few desserts from Sugarcube Corner, a bakery that produces many a food. Spike made it back to Ponyville, and wandered the streets, where he realized there were far fewer ponies out than before. It seemed to be getting a little later than he expected. Well, it’s a good thing he’s wrapping up now. He approached a building whose architecture was designed to look like various foodstuff, from its gingerbread-like walls to the cupcake-like top. Spike dragged the wheelbarrow of things up the steps, before opening the front door and setting the tool inside.
Inside, he noticed a distinct lack of ponies inside; there didn’t even appear to be a pony out at the front cash register. He rose a brow, and stepped forwards curiously. And as he did, something fast whipped past him, him receiving a quick smackeroo to the cheek, before dashing away! It wasn’t a painful smack, more like an affectionate, squishy smack. Spike briefly pondered if he’d just been smooched again. He reached up, and felt a touch of lipstick on him. Bringing it around, he saw some hot pink residue on his fingertip.
He looked around for any sign of this mysterious attacker. Sure enough, he was alone, as far as he knew. He took a few cautious steps forwards, and so far, there was no further attack on him. However, after four steps forwards, he was struck with a smooch on his other cheek, the force causing him to stumble as the attacker sped the other direction! His eyes were wide and his jaw dropped as he struggled to get his feet down in place and stop himself from falling. He stood still for a moment, as if trying to register that he hadn’t fallen.
He crab walked to the side a little… Only to get struck on the tip of his ear fin! He spun around to try and catch sight of his assailant, only to catch the brief dash of pink. This process would keep on repeating, him trying to walk, only to have another part of his head or neck get smacked. By now, the smell of makeup was starting to get intoxicating. After much panting and much trepidation, he finally made it to the counter, him grasping onto it and panting as if he’d just outrun dangerous predators. He dug his elbows into the countertop to properly lift himself, where he could see a bubbly, pink mare with a poofy mane in front of him. This was one of Sugarcube Corner’s workers, and an exceptionally eccentric pony, Pinkie Pie.
“Hiya, Spikey!” she greeted cheerfully.
“U-uh, hi,” Spike greeted back. “I think you got something weird darting around here.”
“Something weird, did you see what it looked like?”
“I couldn’t get a good look, it was too fast.”
“What’s it doing? Is it causing a ruckus? A fuss? A mess?”
“I-I think it’s been kissing me?” He heard a snort as Pinkie held back her laughter.
“That’s pretty silly! I dunno what creature’d do that, but I’ll keep an eye out!” Spike supposed it did sound awfully silly. After all, it’s not like this weirdo is attacking him or anything. Besides, he has other things to do. He shook his head before turning up to face Pinkie.
“Twilight wanted me to pick up some desserts here,” Spike answered.
“Oh those things? I got them ready well in advance! I sorta figured Twi’d want me bringing something early on!” With that, she quickly reached under the counter, hindquarters up as she peeked down, before pulling it up and placing it on the counter. There, Spike’d see a wide assortment of sugar cookies, gingerbread ponies, and a few cupcakes. They appeared freshly brought out of the oven, Spike still able to smell the nice oven-y smell wafting off of them.
“Ah, those smell delicious!” Spike cheered as he took up the platter all of that stuff was on. With a careful pick-up, he was able to lift them off the counter and hold it in front of him. “Thanks, Pinkie! I’ll just head on back, and-“
“Hey, I know it’s getting late and you kinda wanna get home faster, buuuuuut…” Pinkie pointed a hoof up towards the ceiling, though notably, not over Spike. The dragon looked directly overhead anyways, and saw nothing but ceiling. Looking towards the ceiling more into the middle of the shop, however, revealed what appeared to be tons upon tons of mistletoe hanging, almost forming the walls of a maze. Spike’s eyes widened and he blanched when he saw all of that.
“Wh… wh… why…?” Spike stammered out, suddenly feeling like the trip out was going to be significantly more troubling than he’d prefer. “Why…? who’d even…?”
“Well, guess I’ll see you later!” Pinkie said with an enthusiastic wave, before dipping out of sight. Spike peered back, as if hoping she’d give him answers, only to realize she was already gone. Then, he took a deep sigh, before progressing. He found an “opening” beneath the mistletoe, and crossed it, and as he did, he briefly considered if he was just being really silly right now. Avoiding mistletoe? Really? He released one of his hands on the platter, before reaching to the side, moving it under one of them. And then, that pink blur zipped past, planting a smooch right on the palm of his hand before dashing away.
Suddenly, Spike was reminded of just how dangerous this section was for poor ol’ him. So, he ran, now trying to adhere to the path left in the negative space between mistletoe. He managed to avoid more strikes, but would end up getting another on his eyelid, on the tip of his nose, or his spines, especially as he ended up having to dash through little “dead ends” created in the maze. Eventually, though, he made it to the front door, near the wheelbarrow, and with his face looking a whole lot more pink than when he entered. He sighed, placed the goods in the wheelbarrow, before proceeding out the door.
After that, it seemed like an easy enough trek. The streets of Ponyville were a lot less crowded than earlier, so he didn’t have to worry about bumping into anypony. Eventually, he made it to the castle in question, before letting himself in. And while there, he found Twilight apparently waiting for him in the lobby. She couldn’t help but crack a slight smile.
“Looks like you’ve been busy,” she joked.
“Yeah, seemed like everypony had weird placement for mistletoe today,” Spike said. Twilight cheerfully sighed while playfully rolling her eyes.
“Well, why don’t you go clean up. You’ve had a long day. I’ll set up the other things.”
“Thanks, Twilight.” With that, Spike broke from the wheelbarrow, before traveling through the annals of the castle to reach his personal bathroom. Meanwhile, Twilight couldn’t help but smirk to herself as, what sounded like, the day panned out just as planned.
