A Hearth's Warming Truth

I watched as the ponies from all over Ponyville walked into the castle, singing, cheering, and just having fun together. I walked to the edge of the balcony, and turned around when I heard Twilight’s voice.

“Hey, Starlight!” she called. “Ready to celebrate your first Hearth’s Warming Eve here in Ponyville?” she asked.

I rolled my eyes. “I was thinking I might just skip it,” I replied. Twilight and Spike gasped in shock, though, honestly, I couldn’t see what was just so surprising.

Spike spoke up, and with a look of horror on his face, too. “Skip Hearth’s Warming Eve?!?”

I almost laughed at his expression. “I just find it all a little… silly,” I said, dropping my smile and walking away. “It’s mostly a day dedicated to presents and candy, isn’t it?” I asked dully.

“And why would you deny yourself presents and candy,” Spike said, walking in front of me, and confusing me entirely. “That’s CRAZY talk!” This last part surprised me, but then Twilight pulled him away with her magic.

I watched in intrigue as she corrected him. “I think what Spike means to say is, ‘Hearth’s Warming is about more than presents and candy. It’s a time to spend with friends, and family, when we celebrate a very important day in Equestria’s history,” she explained, leaving me unimpressed at that last part.

“I think to most ponies it’s just an excuse for silly songs and fun!” I threw back, trying not to yell. Today was an important day, too important to just waste the rest of it singing songs around a fire. And no, it wasn’t Hearth’s Warming Eve. “Not a day to remember some old story,” I added, sounding a bit dismissive.

I continued to walk to my room, right before Twilight teleported right in front of me, almost giving me a heart attack. “Maybe you just haven’t heard the right Hearth’s Warming Eve story yet,” she said positively. I saw a bit of hope sparkle in her eyes.

I try to get back to my own things, so I quickly try to dismiss her. “Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns sing songs around a hearth to fight back an eternal winter, caused by the mythical windigoes?” I laugh. “Every foal and filly knows that story.”

I want to just leave this whole situation, but Twilight just won’t let me be. “Not that one,” she rejects. “My favorite holiday story: A Hearth’s Warming Tale.” I boredly lower my eyes, but Spike just has to run up to Twilight and support her.

“Ooh, I love that one!” he says, proceeding to beam at me. And for some weird reason, Twilight does too.

And so, Twilight tells me her favorite story, A Hearth’s Warming Tale.

“It all began many moons ago in Canterlot. Every home in Canterlot was filled with holiday spirit! Every home but one. It was said of Snowfall that she was almost as studied as Starswirl the Bearded! Almost, since everypony knows that Starswirl was an expert at everything from transfiguration, dimensional calibration, teleportation!” she starts trailing off, lots of excitement in her voice. She probably would’ve kept going if Spike hadn’t interrupted.

“We get it, Starswirl’s awesome.”

“Right,” she says blushing. “The point is, Snowfall was also a powerful unicorn. She wanted to be perfect, and anything that got in the way of that was a waste of time!” My ears went down as I heard this. Snowfall sounds a lot like who I used to be, and I don’t think I want reminders of what a terrible pony I was, especially not on a day like today.

Twilight kept explaining how Snowfall hated Hearth’s Warming, how she just couldn’t stand delays. And every time she described Snowfall, I couldn’t help but be reminded of everything that I had done in the past.

“‘Snow Dash!’ Snowfall called, and a pegasus flew into the room. Snow Dash was Snowfall’s loyal assistant,” Twilight read. And as Twilight explained how Snow Dash did everything for Snowfall, I kept thinking of how Double Diamond and the rest of my villagers did everything for me. Then, she sang a song that touched my bones.

“Happy Hearth's Warming, they say in the streets,” she started. I looked at Spike while Twilight continued singing her song. He casually shrugged when I shot him a look of confusion. I mean, I followed her here for a story, not a song.

“After today!” Twilight concluded.

“Once the spell is cast,” Twilight read, “all of Equestria will be better off. And they’ll have me to thank for it!” I gaped when she read this.

“Wait a minute,” I paused her, “Snowfall doesn’t like Hearth’s Warming Eve so she decides to cast a spell to get rid of it altogether? I don’t know. That seems a little extreme,” I said, rubbing my chin.

But my ears perked up when Spike responded to that, sipping his cocoa as if it didn’t really mean anything. “Says the pony who tried to make everypony the same by replacing their cutie marks with equal signs.” And as he said that, I couldn’t seem to get over how right he was. I felt terrible, even when Twilight covered him with her wing.

“I think what Spike is trying to say,” she said with a glare in his direction, “is that everypony has their reasons for doing things. Even Snowfall.” Even me, I thought to myself. “And if I could continue the story, we might just find out what they are,” she hinted. As Spike pushed her wings away, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were. When Twilight told me all I needed to do was make a friend, she somehow showed me that I had overreacted, that I had gone for the hidden answer and not the obvious one. And for some reason, that was the clearest thing. So I grabbed onto it and held it to my heart.

I wondered if Snowfall had really bad reasons for doing things, or if they were tiny details that misguided her the way I was misguided.

“Proceed,” Spike said, which Twilight playfully rolled her eyes at.

“Snowfall was all set to cast her spell that would erase Hearth’s Warming Eve for all time, when a voice from the hearth caught her attention. ‘You sure you wanna go through with this?’” she voiced, sounding a bit like Applejack. “‘Huh! Who’s there?’ Snowfall asked, frightened. And then, a ghost rose up, out of her cauldron. ‘The Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Past, that’s who,’ it replied. The Spirit explained a bit about why she was here, and tried to convince Snowfall to come with her, but Snowfall refused. ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she scoffed. ‘I’ve got a spell to cast, and I don’t need a history lesson about Hearth’s Warming Eve.’ But the spirit had more to say. “We aren’t going to the past to learn about the holiday,’ she said, grabbing Snowfall’s attention. ‘We’re going to learn about you.’”

I was already attached to the story. And if this was my gift, I guessed that that was fine. But then, Twilight interrupted the story for yet another song.

“As a young thing, life sure is something.
You go on making choices large and small.
Always growin’ like a seedling,
And playin’ is like dreaming,
And ‘fore you know it, big and tall!” she sang.

Twilight explained how Snowfall used to love Hearth’s Warming, how her teacher yelled at her for liking it, how it hurt so badly.
“Then some distress, words so careless,
Standing there you don’t know what to do.
Feeling helpless,
Can’t make it hurt less,
So you go and change your point of view,” she crooned. I knew she was singing to the book, or about the book, but I knew deep inside that somewhere, that song was meant for me. Both for my past self, and my present self. The song reminds me of how I didn’t have anyone to care for me then, and I knew no one cared about me now. If they did, then just not enough. Twilight continued to carol, “And in that moment though you didn’t know it,
Your defense has set up walls you built to last.
Leading to the pony you’ve become today.
And the spell you’re about to cast:
It all comes from your past.”

At this point, I was already moven. I even joined in, singing with her.
“The seeds of the past.
They grow up so fast.
Some hurt, some never go away…”

I let Twilight take over again, because I was almost crying already.
“The seeds as they grow,
This we can’t let go,
All tied to this one holiday.” I hoped the next part wasn’t as sad, or else I’d have probably broken down in tears. Luckily for me, it wasn’t.

“Snowfall opened her eyes to find that the Spirit was gone,” she read. “‘Spirit?’ Snowfall asked with a quavering voice. ‘What am I supposed to-’ Snowfall stopped when she turned and saw a giant present box. She walked closer to the box, and just like that, it burst open. ‘Snowfall Frost!’ it chanted. ‘It is I! The Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Present!’” I’m lost dead in my tracks. Now she was starting to sound like Pinkie Pie. And my suspicions were confirmed when she started singing. Again.

“Take a look at everything
Around you,
All the smells it surely will
Astound you!
Open up your heart, it will surround you!
In the magic of Hearth’s Warming Eve,” she cheerfully sang.
“Yes, the reason for the holiday is quite easily found!
And the reason is to be with your friends!”

I laid back in my couch, a smug smile on my face. Twilight drops the book down and sees my face. “What?” she asked.

I almost giggled. “You know you’re doing your Pinkie Pie voice, right?” I told her.

She covered her face with the book, blushing. “I was not!” Spike did giggle at that, and I try to get the story back on track.

I leaned forward, wanting to know the whole story. “So… What happens next?”