Chapter 1View OnlineA Very Batty Hearth's WarmingChapter 1I floated down on silent wings, pulling up as I swept across above an earth pony guard. He didn’t even twitch as my hooves passed by less than a heads height above his helmeted head. Of course, the invisibility spell I kept wrapped around myself likely helped. It was a difficult spell to keep going while flying, but it was going alright. Landing in the rafters, I folded my wings and looked around before silently jumping to the next crossguard with the skill of somepony that spent the last three years living in trees. Slower, but with less chance of discovery. Carefully, I ghosted towards the other end of the corridor, keeping close to the ceiling until I reached the tall doors at the other side, flanked by a pair of guards. Then I settled down to wait among the rafters. I didn’t need to wait for long, I had timed things well and I glanced back and down as I heard soft voices and the sound of hooves against marble. Grey Velvet and Celestia were walking towards the large doors, Velvet carrying a large stack of papers in her magic. “I agree,” Celestia said and nodded, “We’ll continue there tomorrow.” Grey Velvet smiled at her, giving her a small bow, “Of course, Princess. Good Night.” “Good night, Velvet.” With that, Celestia continued on and the guards opened the doors wide for her. I made my move, throwing myself down from the rafters, spreading my wings to sweep inside on silent wings, banking to the right once inside to pull up and land on top of a large bookshelf. Celestia let the doors close behind her and she took a deep breath, her wings rising wide as she stretched, flaring her pure white feathers and I took a second to admire the sight. I always loved Celestia's wings. They were… divine. Like the rest of her. She crossed over to the desk and shifted some things around with her magic, looking at a couple of papers before nodding to herself and heading towards the balcony, the doors opening by a touch of her magic to reveal the clear late afternoon night and whirls of cold air flowed into the room, fighting the warmth of the burning fireplace. The cold didn’t bother her, nor did the hoof deep snow on the balcony as she looked up at the sun, facing it head on as her horn ignited and she raised her massive wings high once more. Now. I quietly jumped off the tall bookshelf, my wings spread as I silently glided through the air, aiming at a thick rug. It muffled the sound of my hooves, marble was harder to land on quietly than wood. Being discovered at this stage would be bad. This last bit would be the most dangerous of all and I stealthily started to sneak closer and closer, moving slowly, keeping my head down. Okay, so I may have done something like this before and it may not have ended in an ideal way, but I had a good feeling about this time! Hoofstep after hoofstep, quietly along the floor and then onto the soft powder snow, I let my illusion drop, keeping low and back out of the princesses line of sight as I moved up next to her. Then I struck quickly, pressing my nose into the soft down beneath her left wing and blowing hard! Princess Celestia of Equestria, Alicorn of the Sun squeaked and jerked to the side, the sun jerked back up above the horizon in an S curve, moving almost to the zenith where it did a little circle dance before she got it back under control again. Celestia tore her horn away from the control of the sun and whipped her head around to look at me with eyes wide in surprise, “Page?!” I grinned at her, “Hi Sunshine, Happy Hearth’s Warming! I’m going to go say hi to my wife now, see you later!” and then I made my escape, jumping off the balcony, freefalling for a dozen meters to gain speed before diving away as fast as my wings would take me, banking hard around the curve of the tower before she could get a hold of me. “Get back here you infernal bat!” Still cackling to myself, I swooped around, heading for Luna's tower and the sun started to lower again. Pulling up, I beat my wings hard as I circled up to land on the balcony. By the time I did, the sun was almost to the horizon again and Luna was standing there, focusing on her moon. The mixed lights were playing through her mane and she was… so beautiful. I slowly moved up next to her and she glanced at me, smiling as she kept raising her moon as her warm wing settled softly across my back against the cold, “I suspect that the… astronomical anomaly just now was you and my sister?” she asked with a small smile. “How did you know?” Luna smirked, “I saw it… and I may have done the same to her in the past,” she said and let go of her moon as she turned her head to press her nose against mine, “Did you not learn your lesson on sneaking up on my sister?” “To do it better? Besides, if she’s busy handling something hot, she can’t fry me” I said and gave her a small soft kiss, “Thanks for keeping us coming a secret.” Luna smiled and held me closer to her side, giving me a kiss back, “I’m just glad to have you all here for Hearths Warming.” “...Me too,” I admitted and leaned against her, looking into her eyes, “We won’t be able to stay for more than a week, but we missed it for two years. We all wanted to spend this one in Canterlot with you.” Luna nodded, “So where did you leave Sunset and Twilight?” I smiled, “They as well as Midnight and Tempest are stopping by Twilight's parents on the way. They’ll be here soon… but it gave me a bit of time to slip ahead.” Smiling, Luna bumped her nose against mine softly, her warm wing stroking along my back, “Missed you My Page.” “Missed you as well, My Sky.” The doors to Lunas quarters banged open inside, “Page! Get your tail out here!” “Oops, time to run!” I said and ducked out from beneath Lunas wing to jump off the balcony, “See you when Sunse-oph!” A golden glow surrounded me and turned me around, pulling me away from the edge to face a slightly annoyed looking alicorn of the Sun. I looked up at the miffed goddess. She looked down at me. I raised my hoof and tapped her nose, “Boop.” Celestias eyes narrowed for a moment before I squeaked in a very manly way as her magic started to tickle. “Luna, help!” I gasped, struggling. “Oh no, you got yourself into it, you get yourself out of it,” Luna said with a grin and moved up next to Celestia, “Do leave him in condition to attend dinner tomorrow?” she asked with a smirk before she walked past, moving inside. “No promises,” Celestia said and smiled at me, “Do you have any idea how many letters I’m going to get about that sun jitter?” “N-no?” I gasped as she stopped tickling. “Well, you will. Because you will help me answer each and every one of them… and help me write the announcement about the official reason for it,” she said and then turned to walk back into the warmth, floating me along behind her. Worth it!
Chapter 2View OnlineA Very Batty Hearth's WarmingChapter 2The inside of the changeling hive was warm and humid, especially in comparison to the winter air outside. “Here we are, sir,” the changeling drone said as he led me to a door, “The Queen and Princess are inside.” I smiled at him, “Thank you, Thorax,” and then put my hoof on the door, pushing it open as I entered the throneroom. Chrysalis looked up from where she was lounging on the throne, “You have returned to Canterlot, my little predator,” she said in greeting, looking away from Skitter who were standing by the base of her throne. I bowed to her, spreading my wings with a smile, “Queen Chrysalis, Princess Skitter,” I said, looking up at them, “Thank you. But it’s only for the holidays, we’ll return in a week.” Chrysalis slid off her throne, moving down the stairs from her throne to look down at me, “Why are you here, pony?” I smiled at her, “A couple of reasons,” I said, “The first is to invite you and your daughter for a visit back to Nocturnis. We can’t feed a hive long term, but we can handle a royal visit. I believe the climate will agree with you better than the cold of Canterlot.” The Changeling Queen regarded me dispassionately for a long moment as I smiled up at her. I knew what she was doing. She was thinking about every kind of possibility. Of it being a trap, an assassination attempt and a million other things. Chrysalis finally nodded, “Agreed,” she finally said, “It would be… nice to be away from the cold of the surface,” she then added much quieter. “And on that note,” I added and opened my bag, holding up a pair of wrapped gifts, “Presents! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” Chrysalis blinked at me with wide eyes as Skitter walked up next to us, “Presents, sir?” Skitter asked with a small head tilt. “Presents!” I agreed and floated one over to her as I held one up to Chrysalis. Chrysalis shifted slightly, one hoof scraping against the resin floor of the cave before she took it in her magic, unwrapping the paper. I smiled as I watched them unwrap a pair of matching emerald green and black, thick and fluffy scarves and winter hats. Chrysalis slowly turned them over in her magic, looking uncertain before glancing at Skitter. Skitter smiled, her wings buzzing as she wrapped the scarf around her neck and putting the hat on her head, carefully adjusting it over her antenna before letting the poofy tip hang to the side. She then looked up at her mother. The Queen hesitated another second before she did the same, wrapping the scarf around her neck, “We accept your offering, pony,” she said and put the beanie on her head, carefully adjusting it so it didn’t press on her antenna cluster. “Mother!” Chrysalis looked at Skitter for a long second before she sighed and turned back to me, “...Thank you…” I smiled at her, “You’re welcome. And you’re also invited tonight for our Hearths Warming celebration,” I said and then shifted my wings, “But so you know, everypony in the family will be there, including Princess Celestia,” I warned her, “I know you’re not comfortable with her.” Chrysalis glared down at me, “I am not afraid of the Princess of Fire!” “I didn’t say you were,” I told her seriously, “Just that you’re not comfortable around her which is understandable. You were enemies for a long time and I know she’s not comfortable around you either. But I wanted to invite you two as well. As will Princess Cadance and Shining Armor if they made it. Cadence has already promised to behave if you are there.” Chrysalis shifted again, her wings moving on her back and one hoof scraping at the floor before she nodded, “Very well, we will attend your pony holiday. But we will not put up with any pony foolishness.” “Don’t worry,” I told her with a smile, “There will be chocolate and I think you’ll like the emotions on display as well,” I said and closed my bag, taking a step back, “Happy Hearth's Warming, Queen Chrysalis, Princess Skitter.” “You may leave, my little predator,” Chrysalis said and started to turn back to her throne. “Mother!” Skitter exclaimed, looking up at her firmly, stomping one hoof. Chrysalis paused and glanced back at me, “...Happy Hearth’s Warming,” she said and glanced at Skitter before looking at me again, “Page.” Smiling, I bowed deeply to them again before heading out to leave. One stop done, now to do the same to Silver Leaf followed by Swift Spear and his marefriends and then Thunder Cloud and his marefriend. I met Thorax outside the door again and the drone started to guide me back out of the hive, not that I needed help to find the way. I had gone there many times. Igniting my horn, I reached into my satchel and pulled out my cloak, scarf and hat, putting them on before also wrapping myself in a heating spell. Wasn’t as cold as last year outside, but it was way colder than I was comfortable with. “Thanks for the guide,” I told the drone and floated over a piece of chocolate, giving him a quick hug with my wing, “Happy Hearth’s Warming.” “Happy Hearth’s Warming, sir!” With that, I left a very happy changeling behind as I walked out the hive. On to the next objective!
Chapter 3View OnlineA Very Batty Hearth's WarmingChapter 3The snow fell thickly outside and the fire crackled in the large fireplace and I sipped my hot cider as I looked out over Canterlot below. Twilight moved up next to me, her side brushing against mine as she leaned softly against me, “This was a nice idea,” she murmured softly, her own cup of steaming hot cider floating before her. I smiled and turned my head to nose at her cheek, “Thank Sunset, it was mostly her idea you know.” “I know,” Twilight agreed, “But you got things going.” I winked at her, “How about we thank Sunny together later?” Twilight grinned and nodded, “I think Luna said something about that earlier too,” she agreed with a small blush before sipping her cider. Now that sounded like a great idea for tonight. I glanced back at everypony else gathered. Luna, Skitter, Sunset, Tempest and Midnight were gathered around one of the tables, a boardgame laid out between them. Midnight looked particularly smug right now as Luna glared at her. Tempest was already out of the game, but seemed content in just watching and providing morale boosts for her marefriend. Spike and Talon were by the fireplace, reading their brand new pile of comics. Closer to the fireplace Celestia and Chrysalis were facing each other across the battlefield of a chessboard. Neither has made a move the last ten minutes that I had seen, both studying the board but I think it was Chrysalis’ turn. Further on on a pair of couches Silver Leaf, Swift Spear, Thunder Cloud, Rising High, Minuette and Ocean Breeze were relaxing, a gramophone playing in the background as they talked. Took all of dinner for Silver Leaf and Rising High to relax… and to be honest, most of the rest as well. They were used to me and Twilight, but it was different with Luna and Celestia. Or Chrysalis. But a couple of drinks and some time had helped. In all honesty, it made me a bit sad. That was what came after this generation, wasn’t it? After everypony that knew before I grew wings were gone… would we be as lonely as Luna and Celestia? Twilight shifted, resting her head against my neck and I turned my head back, nosing at her closest ear. No. No we wouldn’t. We had two Princesses of Friendship. Twilight and Midnight, they wouldn’t let anything like that happen. Besides, it was a long time until then and thoughts like that didn’t belong today… and Skitter and Chrysalis would taste it. And Amber where she was hiding. Didn’t want that, especially not today. There was a knock on the door and I looked up as a unicorn maid appeared from… somewhere… to open it, allowing Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Sunburst inside. Followed by Night Light and Twilight Velvet, Twilight Velvet were currently taking up the rear as she herded a slightly sleepy but still excited looking Flurry along. Twilight smiled and pulled away, moving to meet them, “You made it!” Shining nodded and pulled her into a hug, “Sorry we’re late, Twily. We got delayed with the snowstorms.” Midnight joined them as she reached them, hugging Cadance before she and Twilight changed places. I moved to join them, “Considering how far you traveled, a couple of hours delayed by a snowstorm isn’t bad,” I said, tapping hooved with Shining and Sunburst before I looked down at Flurry, “Well, unless you decide to be the alicorn of storms. What do you say, little one?” I asked her with a smile. Flurry looked like she considered that for a moment before she nodded firmly, “Yeah!” “Thought so,” I said with a smile before I looked at the rest and gave Twilight a poke with my wing, “Love, we should let everypony inside and something hot to drink? They have been traveling for a bit.” “Oh! Yes!” Twilight said and smiled a bit sheepishly, “Sorry! Come on!” I backed away, letting everypony get inside as the maid moved up to get everypony's drink and snack preferences. Picking up my drink again, I headed over to Luna, “So, who’s winning?” I asked her with a smile. “Midnight,” Luna sighed softly, resting her head against the top of mine. Sunset grinned, “Well, it used to be Luna, but then Midnight got one of her towns and well…” Luna looked at her, “Watch yourself, Sunset Shimmer. Your alliance with Midnight against Us will not be forgotten. I will have my revenge.” Sunset grinned and stuck her tongue out at the alicorn, “And when will that be?” Luna smirked, “I’m thinking tonight.” Suddenly Sunset didn’t look quite as certain again. Skitter smiled though from the other side of the table before she got up, “Well… will be a bit until Princess Midnight return, can I refill everyponies drinks?” “Oh no,” I said, “You’re a guest, Skitter. I’ll do it. Another hot chocolate for you?” I asked her. Skitter shifted a bit uncomfortably, “...Yes, thank you sir.” I nodded and looked at Luna and Sunset. Sunset smiled, “I’ll have another hot cider,” and Luna nodded, “Me as well, thank you.” I stepped back, giving them all a small bow, “I will return momentarily with your drinks, my ladies,” before I headed back towards the Sparkle family where they were still giving drink orders to the maid. I gave those orders as well as some others before the maid retreated to get it all and I joined Shining by the window, “Long trip?” “Long trip,” he agreed, nodding, “But worth it to see Twily again. We haven’t had a Hearth’s Warming with everypony together for… buck, we were foals still,” he admitted, “By the time Twily started to get older, I was off with the guard and the times I managed to get home to it, she usually was off doing something for Princess Celestia and then in Ponyville…” I nodded and sighed, “It’s… difficult to get everyponies schedules to work together. You know we kind of brute forced it this year.” “Yeah, but it was still a very good idea,” He agreed and held his hoof up. Smiling, I tapped mine against it, “But worth it.” “Worth it,” he agreed and rolled his shoulders slightly, “But I have to admit that it has been a long day.” I flicked one ear and suppressed a small yawn of my own, “Maybe you guys should just head and get some sleep?” “Not on your life,” he said and looked over to the couch Cadance and Sunburst had occupied with Flurry. Flurry already curled up deep asleep. The moment she stopped moving she was out like a light. “Fair,” I agreed as the maid returned with a large tray of drinks and a couple of plates of snacks and starting to distribute it all, “Excuse me,” I said and ducked to snag one of the trays from the unicorn maid, giving her a smile before I trotted over to Luna, Skitter and Sunset to deliver those, taking a kiss in payment from two of them before I continued on. I took Chrysalis and Celestia's hot chocolate mugs and replaced them with a smile, “So… who’s winning?” I asked. “I am,” Chrysalis said and moved a pawn. “No, that would be me,” Celestia said a moment later, giving me a small smile, “Thank you, Page,” she said and took the offered cup in her magic. “You’re welcome, Sunshine,” I said, smiling back as I looked back at her, meeting her eyes for a moment before I looked to the side as I caught Chrysalis looking at us, “What?” I then asked her. The Changeling Queen shook her head and then she turned fully to Celestia, “Your move, pony.” Celestia smiled and turned back to frown at the chessboard between them. I retreated, looking around. Midnight was back to the game, but now she had dragged Shining along with her. Crossing over to the couch, I jumped up next to Twilight where she was talking quietly with Cadance and Sunburst. “Hey,” Sparks said and gave my ear a nuzzle, “Tired?” she asked as I leaned against her. “Bit,” I admitted, resting my head against her neck, “It’s so bright, makes me sleepy after having gotten used to being nocturnal. Didn’t used to, but… last year or so…” I answered, shrugging a bit. “Makes sense for a batpony,” Sunburst said, keeping his voice down for Flurry, “Would sunglasses help?” “...Maybe,” I admitted, “We haven’t tried it. Normally I’m awake at night anyway so it's not usually a problem.” “We should try it anyway,” Twilight said with a smile, “At least make these visits easier for you,” she said, nosing my ear. “Fair,” I admitted and shifted to get more comfortable, “We’ll look into it tomorrow. Thanks Sunburst, good idea.” “Don’t fall asleep on me now,” Twilight teased quietly, slipping her wing across my back. “Mmmm… I’m not…” I answered, my eyes closed as it drew a small giggle from Cadance. Today had been a good day. Moments later, I was just as asleep as Flurry. Author's Note And with that we're done for now. Thank you all for reading and a Happy Hearth's Warming to you all!
