First Hearth's Warming in a millenium
Celestia stared at Luna who was lying on the floor in her chambers, surrounded by several pitchers of wine, most of them empty. The elder sister didn't utter a word, but her eyes, focused on the younger alicorn, were as eloquent as if she was reciting a speech. Luna rotated her ear towards Celestia and raised her head from the book she was reading. The Moon Princess winced.
"No, not like that, Tia. No need for telepathy, lets talk verbally, like our little ponies."
"As you wish." Celestia walked up to her sister and nuzzled her cheek, "Lulu, are you sure you want to spend Hearth's Warming holidays like that?"
"Why shouldn't I, sister?"
Celestia sighed.
"I remember you used to love having fun together with our subjects." She said, her tone radiated nostalgic warmth.
Luna closed the book and stood up. She walked past Celestia to the tall arced window in the tower wall. Luna stood there for a few moments, silent, looking at the Canterlot panorama below the Royal Palace.
"Yes, I used to." She said finally, "Because our subjects used to love that."
Celestia approached Luna again and placed her head onto her little sister's withers.
"But foals loved that Nightmare Night very much." She whispered. "You're an alicorn, you should have seen that clearly, as much as I would have."
"But adults did not," Luna retorted, matter-of-factly, "You're right, I am an alicorn, I saw it perfectly! I've been the source of fear for them. I, of all things--"
"It may have been worse, if they actually witnessed the ancient events." Celestia remarked, her tone sour.
Luna gagged on her words and coughed.
After a short pause she, however, continued, her tone bitter:
"The foals though... They loved not the fact I was there. They loved how the fictional scare was there but also kind of wasn't. At least the foals were ingenuous, so I kept my act."
Luna ruffled up her wings.
"They all, old and young, used to love me for what I am. For what I had done. Not some pretense of me. They used to love not to take fright when there is nothing to be afraid of. The fear used to be real, tangible thing. And they loved to celebrate that fear lying in shambles under my hooves, under my steel shoes!"
The Moon Alicorn flared her nostrils in irritation.
Celestia's face remained calm at all times during her sister's speech. She didn't take her head away from Luna's withers.
"Lulu, do you think they would've been happy the way you were leading them to, back then?" She asked quietly.
Luna opened her mouth to answer, but froze. She stood motionless, contemplating and silent.
Celestia was looking her in the eye for a few moments, without changing position. The Sun Alicorn squinted and nodded to her own observation.
"Is that why you aren't dreamwalking anymore?"
Luna dropped her ears at this.
"I am-- I am just-- simply--" She stomped and sighed.
Celestia bend her neck and slowly brought her muzzle near Luna's, inhaling her sister's breath.
"You're right." Luna said finally, "I was supposed to be the discreet one, making sure nothing lurks in the dark, behind us. We had decided so together. I shouldn't had been the one charging forward."
Celestia nuzzled her.
"Luna you are a compassionate one. I understand, you got carried away--"
"You have become better me than myself, sister." Luna's tone was full of sorrow, but it was at her own expense.
Celestia opened one of her wings and hugged Luna.
"That's only because I missed you so much."
Luna scrunched her face, to not betray her embarrassment.
"What are you talking about. It was just a thousand of... relative made up units. We are timeless, Tia."
"Yes. Timeless. That's why it felt like eternity, Lulu."
Luna didn't answer right away. She simply hugged Celestia back.
"It was yesterday..." The Moon Alicorn whispered, "For me it was yesterday..."
They both stood like that for a long time.
At last, Luna broke the silence:
"How do you think, would it be better to commission an artisan or just resort to mass conjuration?"
The moon reigned in the dark sky, surrounded by the myriad of stars, shining brightly through clear chilly winter air.
"Derpy, move it a bit to the left!"
Twilight Sparkle called from the ground.
A large fir stood in the center of the spacious plaza in the outskirts of Ponyville, as always playing its role as a focal point of the winter festivities. Derpy Hooves, floating above the fir, was holding a large golden sun decoration in her front hooves. She nodded vigorously at the Twilight's commentary and moved the decoration backwards instead of left.
"No, to the left, to the left!"
Derpy tried to refocus her eyes. After a moment she sighed.
"I'm sorry Twilight. I'd rather fly haul some more crates of decor. Better let Rainbow place the thing on the spot. By the way, where is she?"
"Yes, I wonder the same." Twilight looked around, "Spike, have you seen Rainbow Dash?"
Spike, who was here too, holding a check list, looked at her and shrugged.
Pinkie Pie was helping the Cakes to lay the banquet table, which was situated at some distance from the tree. The Ponyville bakers have prepared dozens of confectionary masterpieces. Pinkie heard all the exchange and as soon as Twilight began to search for Rainbow, the pink mare looked straight up, at the lone puffy cloud above the plaza. A faintly visible rainbow-colored streak was sticking out of it.
"Hey, Dashie!" Pinkie called in her joyful high pitched tone.
There was no response.
Pinkie's tail suddenly stretched up, reaching all the way to the cloud and yanked the rainbow streak.
"Ow! What the hay?!"
Rainbow Dash fell down through the cloud. She immediately stabilized her flight and now was fluttering above, her face full of displeasure.
"Rainbow, take the crest and help us decorate the fir!" Twilight called.
"But I need to take a nap to be as awesome as I can during the night!"
"Communal work will make you even more awesome, at any time of the day." Applejack laughed. She was unloading her cart of apple goods onto the another large table near Pinkie's one.
"Right, right." Rainbow grumbled and darted to the fir. She took the golden sun crest from Derpy and began to adjust it at the top of the tree. Derpy flew away, towards the municipal storehouse.
"Ok, Rainbow, now move it slightly to the right." Twilight instructed.
"Why won't you adjust it yourself? Why won't you move it yourself altogether with your telekinesis, for that matter?" Rainbow called back.
"Because I can't ensure the ideal placement from my point of view."
"Yeah, sure." Dash didn't seem convinced by Twilight's words, but took the task anyway. After a few moments of adjusting she finally stuck the decoration on the top of the tree. It looked placed decently enough.
Meanwhile, around the plaza, foals waged a snowball fight. Little colts and fillies laughed happily, smacking each other with cold white chunks.
Their coats were glistering with droplets of thawing snow.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon coerced Snips and Snails to build a snowfortress for them. While the two colts were working in a relative safety of the half-built wall, both Tiara and Spoon suffered greatly from the constant barrage from Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"No! Stop, you darn mesohippuses!"[1] Diamond Tiara shouted, trying to dodge incoming snowballs, "It's against the rules to engage while we aren't behind the fort!"
"It's mesohippoi, you stupid!" Scootaloo shouted back. "Learn some pegasian!"
And the hail of snowballs intensified.
At the outskirts of the snow battlefield, near a campfire, stood Fluttershy. She was overseeing a large simmering pot over the fire.
From time to time she called near one or several foals, whose coat became too soaked in her opinion, and treated them with hot tea, a candy and a thorough rub-over with a huge towel. A couple of raccoons were helping Fluttershy.
After a warm-up the foals ran back to their mates to continue the fun in the snow.
Among all this festive hubris, ponies almost missed a loud 'Pop' of teleportation bubble.
Major Mare, who gladly delegated the general supervision to Twilight Sparkle and now was observing the plaza from the periphery, looked at the source of the sound and gasped.
Princess Luna was standing in front of her, on the empty lot, in the center of a completely de-snowed circle. The ground was cracked and slightly deformed under her hooves.
Major Mare bowed promptly.
"Y-Your Majesty! What an unbelievable honor again, all of s-sudden!"
"We greet thee, Major!" Luna smiled at her and stepped forward.
She cast her gaze around the place, marveling at the busy adults and carefree foals playing in the snow.
Luna half-closed her eyes and smiled. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled deeply, as if the fun she witnessed was a physical sensation for her.
"Hail-" after a glance at the ponies busy with holiday preparations she adjusted her volume up, "Hail, good citizens of Ponyville!"
The whole huge plaza froze. Ponies stopped whatever they were doing.
Luna walked forward, through the crowd, towards the holiday tree. Around her, grown ponies were busy bowing. Foals simply stood and gawked.
The Princess eyed the fir approvingly and nodded.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Our dear subjects! Your Princess decided to--"
At that moment Derpy Hooves was returning from the storehouse. She saw Luna, gasped and lost her grip on the crate of decorations clasped in her hooves. The crate plummeted down.
Luckily, there were nopony beneath her.
Luna, without turning her head, without even twitching her ear, caught the crate in her aura and simultaneously stopped Derpy from crashing into the tree. Both the crate and the mare slowly descended and gently touched the ground.
"--Decided to join you to participate in the festivities together!" Luna finished her line.
Derpy looked at the dark alicorn with awe and gratitude.
The crowd emitted careful cheers. Foal voices were more cheerful and loud, they remembered the previous Nightmare Night fondly.
"Princess Luna!" Exclaimed Twilight, her face adorned with a smile.
Pinkie Pie was standing near the table, staring at Luna intently, her eyes wide. She let out a loud gasp.
Twilight winced at that and opened her mouth to say something, but Luna's eyes simply darted to the pink mare and the Princess stared at her with perfect calm and serenity. After gazing into alicorn's eyes for a moment, Pinkie's expression changed from a comically shocked to an embarrassed one. She rubbed back of her head with her tail and smiled sheepishly.
Twilight coughed.
Luna turned to her.
"Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. Whatever art thou preoccupied with at the moment that I can help?"
"We are decorating the holiday tree, my Princess."
"Ah, splendid!"
Luna's horn lit up slightly and numerous holiday decorations flew up from Derpy's crate and all other crates stashed around the tree as well.
Ponies looked with wide eyed wonder at many dozens of items: glass spheres, covered in elaborate ornaments, glass cones, stylized after pine and fir cones, hanks of glittering multicolored tape; all of it hanging in the air, governed by a single will.
Luna smiled.
"Come, Our children. Tell me where on the tree do you think each item would be placed more appropriately."
While for the adults around it took a few moments to realize that 'children' spoken through the lips of an ancient eldritch being doesn't relate solely to the foals, said foals took the lead and crowded the fir and Luna, drowning the scene in happy vociferation.
Luna was laughing merrily, listening to them.
"Indeed, my dears? Very well, it shall be done."
She was answering seemingly to every one of them at once, hitching the glass toys to the fir branches, managing to somehow take into account every suggestion. Soon enough the tree was covered from the top to the roots in the festive apparel.
Luna's horn blinked and all the the decorations made with natural gems began to shimmer with a faint light, corresponding to their color. Foals emitted loud 'whoahs' of wonder.
Meanwhile, the adults finished serving the tables.
Twilight approached Luna.
"Princess Luna, the dinner is ready. Would you like to join us?"
"Most certainly, Twilight Sparkle. But before that..."
Luna's horn lit up, becoming bright like the moon itself, and the air around literally exploded with mass teleportation.
Everypony cried up in surprise.
Above them, in the grasp of Luna's aura, were floating a several hundreds of objects at the very least. Hundreds of packages wrapped in colorful paper and ribbons.
"Again, Merry Hearth's Warming, my dear subjects! My dear little ponies." Luna said with a calm, radiant smile.
She began distributing the presents, adamant that every particular package wound up going to a particular pony.
Before long, everypony had their hooves full.
They all stared at Luna, waiting what's next.
Luna giggled and made a circular motion with her ears.
"Please, open them up if you want."
Right away, loud shuffling sounds arose from everywhere. Ponies were busy opening their presents.
"Oh hey! I've been wanting to get a hammer with shock absorption like this for a while!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Muffins!" Derpy cried up from near the fir.
"Oh my, these seeds! I wanted to try them but missed them at the agricultural fair!" Carrot Top gasped.
The more presents were being opened, the more ponies recognized things they dreamed of and wanted to get for a long time.
Everypony, old and young alike, gathered around Luna, thanking her. Foals rushed to hug her long legs. Luna laughed and spread her black wings wide, scooping as many fillies and colts as she could, like a caring hen.
"Well, let us feast!" Luna urged the foals and strode to the banket tables, making adults follow by example, Twilight Sparkle and her friends among them.
Twilight walked with a dreamy smile, contemplating on what a splendid friendship report the whole situation will constitute.
Soon enough the joyful Hearth's Warming party has begun.
Celestia stood on the balcony of her tower, marveling at her, or more precisely her and Luna's now, capital city.
The enormous city glistened in the rays of her sun, strangely quiet for this time of day, streets covered in confetti and ribbons after the whole night of celebration.
Celestia smiled and turned around, returning to her chamber. Philomena squawked from her perch, acknowledging her august companion. Celestia nodded to the phoenix and walked to her favorite spot on the antique carpet. She bent her legs, lying down and moved her desk closer, ready for another day of her eternal work.
The Sun Princess sensed her sister's approach a millisecond before teleportation bubble exploded behind her in the air and Luna's hooves landed on the floor.
The little sister was mindful of the carpet.
Startled Philomena let out loud screech and took flight around the room. Then, seeing that everything is alright, she returned to her perch.
"Good morning, sister." Celestia greeted.
"Yes, most excellent!"
Luna basically radiated joy, obvious even for someone who couldn't shift into ethereal plane to see a soul naked.
"I'm glad I considered your judgement, Tia. Recoinassance is a great thing."
"Now you agree that you can be a hero without leveling whole mountain ridges, Lulu?"
Luna extended her neck and nuzled Celestia.
Celestia inhaled Luna's breath, fragrant with a mixture of sweets and hard cider. She clicked her tongue.
"But... Say, did you simply teleport there and back?"
"Yes."
"Lulu, you should have taken a chariot, otherwise that's not exactly what I would call discreet."
Luna laughed.
"Sorry about that. But everything went alright. Nopony asked anything, even your unicorn protege. Ponies decided I left the chariot at the outskirts of the town and teleported from there."
She then run her eye over her sister's desk.
"By the way, I have meant to ask since the return, where did this yellow diamond came from? Dragons rather perish than agree to part with even a small chunk of such a gem."
It was Celestia's turn to smile sheepishly.
"The Dragon Lord gifted it to me."
Luna's expression became skeptical
"Tia, come on, I know the way dragons are..."
Celestia giggled.
"I simply talked to him."
"Indeed?"
"Yes. I made him an offer he couldn't refuse." Celestia answered, with a chilling calmness.
Luna laughed out loud and hugged the larger alicorn by the neck.
Author's Note
[1] An extinct ancient species of proto-horses. Here used as Equestrian equivalent of 'Troglodytes!'
