A Royal Hearth’s Warming Eve
Chapter 1- Thinking BIGGER
It was that time of the year again. Snow was falling, decorations were being set up all over houses, trees were being purchased and brought into houses, and families were reuniting with each other for the holidays.
Hearth’s Warming was just around the corner!
As the moon rose and Hearth’s warming eve began to settle over the Kingdom, ponies all over the land bathe their families a fond good night and turned in to sleep. Eager to spend time with their loved ones the next day and open presents.
However, there were two ponies in Canterlot that weren’t going to sleep. In fact, their night was just getting started.
In Princess Celestia’s room, the sound of giggling could be heard. There were no guards at the entrance, however. Nopony that could hear it inside the castle. Inside, Princess Celestia was giggling wildly as she slid a fluffy red Santa hat over her head and wrapped a warm red scarf around her neck.
“Alright Lulu, I’m all set. Are you finished yet?” Celestia asked as she sat down on her hunches and began playing around with the fluffy white wooly ball on the end of her hat. Batting it around like a cat.
“Just a little bit longer sister!” Came Luna’s voice from inside the bathroom “I’m just getting on my scarf!”
Celestia giggled as she continued batting around her fluff ball while she waited. Next to her on the ground were two bags of presents. One of them had her cutie mark on it and the other one had Luna’s cutie mark. Since it was Hearth’s Warming eve the two of them had decided that they wanted to spend the evening delivering presents to all the good ponies of their Kingdom to show just how much the two of them loved their subjects. It was an idea that had been inspired though Shining Armor and Cadence. But they had hit a slight snag while they were planning; how could they possibly deliver so many presents all over Equestria in one night?
Well, the answer to that also came from their niece and nephew as well. While the two, Flurry Heart, and Thorax had been over for dinner one day they had accidently slipped and said that the only reason they had been able to do that was because little Flurry had unconsciously blasted them with a growth spell in her sleep. Causing them to grow to monumental proportions, easily out scaling their kingdom and the surrounding mountains. Instead of panicking, Shining Armor decided to make the most of the situation. Why not deliver presents all over the Kingdom instead of the Crystal Empire? And that is what the royal couple ended up doing.
Now, a year later Celestia and Luna decided to do the same thing. They wanted to become Santa Hooves for the night and deliver presents themselves. And because of their vast knowledge of magic the didn’t need to wait for an unsuspecting wayward spell form their dear grandniece to make them huge. They knew the spell themselves.
“Alright Tia I’m done!” Luna announced as she burst out of the bathroom in full holiday spirit. Luna was sporting a green scarf and her own Santa hat flopped down over her head.
Celestia cooed at how adorable her younger sister looked as she got up onto her hooves and gave Luna a bear hug “Awww, you look adorable Lulu! Look! We’re matching for the holidays!” Celestia gushed happily.
Luna’s face went red at the unexpected amount of attention she was getting. “W-well thank you sister,” she said as she shimmied out of Celestia’s iron grip and plopped down on the floor “Are all the preparations complete?” she asked.
Celestia giggled at Luna’s response to her affection as she answered “Yes Lulu. All the presents are inside these magic bags here and divided up between us, and I have the size spell ready. Sargent Shield Guard was kind enough to let me test it on him earlier today,” she said.
Luna raised an eyebrow “He let you test out that spell on him?” she asked
Celestia nodded “Yes. He allowed me to shrink him and restore his size to normal. Though he did request to stay tiny so he could enjoy that slice of strawberry cake more I gave him as payment,” she chuckled “I turned him back to normal after he had eaten his fill and sent him home to his family for the holidays, along with the rest of the guard and castle staff,”
Luna rolled her eyes with a smile “Well, at least you actually managed to part with your precious cake hoard for once,” she said, standing back up “Speaking of which, are you ready to begin now?”
Celestia nodded enthusiastically. Luna could practically hear the bells jingling around in her head “Uh-huh! I sent the entire staff and guards home with bonus holiday pay and all other preparations are a-go!” she announced
“Excellent! And while we’re at it, why not add a little wager on things?” Luna asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Alright, what’s on the line?”
“Whoever delivers the most presents first and make it back to Canterlot gets to relax while the other makes Hot chocolate!”
“Alright Lulu, you’re on!” Celestia said with a grin as she took her bag in her magic and slung it over her withers “Let’s grow!”
Celestia closed her eyes and activated her magic. Her horn began to glow gold, magic swirling around it as the sun princess began to cast the spell. Slowly she could feel herself begin to rise as her height increased. When suddenly-
“WAIT TIA!!” Luna’s shrill voice cut through Celestia’s concentration like a knife. Startled, Celestia dropped the spell, the two of them about the size of elephants now, with Luna a head shorter than her. “What? What’s wrong?” Celestia asked in alarm.
“Wouldn’t it be wiser to do this outside? This way we needn’t risk damaging the castle.” Luna pointed out
Celestia blushed in embarrassment. In her excitement she had completely forgotten about that “You’re right Lulu. Let’s go,”
But as the two larger than life royal sister tried leaving the room at the same time, they ended up getting wedged in between the door frame.
“Oh curses! Why isn’t this door bigger?!” Luna grunted as she struggled against the door on one side and her even larger sister on the other.
Celestia simply giggled at the predicament “Oh come now Lulu, all it takes is a little extra force!” she emphasized as she tore herself out from the doorframe with ease, sending woodchips flying out from the frame and cracks running up the stone walls.
Luna stumbled in place before falling to the ground in a heap at the unexpected freedom to her side. Grumbling, she picked herself up and glared at Celestia who was already using her magic to repair the damage “Really?” she asked eyeing up her big sister with annoyance.
Celestia smiled giddily “What? Nothing wrong with having a little fun before we head out,” she said as she turned around and set off down the hall with Luna right on her tail. After the two of them squeezed out the entrance of the castle they popped out into the courtyard. Luna shifted in place on the ground, her tail accidentally knocking over a nearby fountain as she and Celestia got to their hooves.
“Alright Luna. Now are you ready for this?” Celestia asked, preparing her magic once more. Illuminating a portion of the area with a warm golden glow from her magic. Luna nodded as she picked up her bag of presents in her magic and slung it over her shoulder “Indeed sister. Let us begin now,” she said.
Celestia closed her eyes and concentrated, the aura around her horn beginning to glow brighter. A beam of magic shot out of her horn and engulfed the two of them in a bright flash, cocooning the royal sisters in a soft golden light. And once more their forms began to increase. Their height rose first as big as the enormous doors of the castle, then to the size of a house, then building, and even eclipsing the castle itself.
Luna then casted a spell on the two of them as their frames continued to rise even greater still, teleporting them onto the ground below the mountain. After Celestia’s spell had finished they found their heads peering down at the miniature city of Canterlot and the fun sized castle down below.
Celestia giggled into her hoof “Well, I guess this gives a new meaning to that phrase ‘large and in charge’ wouldn’t you say so Lulu?” she asked as she lit up her horn once more and began levitating presents down towards all the tiny houses below.
Luna rolled her eyes with a smirk “Yes, I suppose it would, wouldn’t it Tia?” she said, once more slinging her bag over her shoulder and stared out at the horizon under the soft glow of the moon. All their little ponies were safely inside their houses by this point and fast asleep in their beds, awaiting Hearth’s Warming the next day.
“Well, I suppose it’s best we get a move on and deliver these presents,” Luna said as she began to walk off, sending tremors though the earth with each hoof fall “Hope you’re ready to make a ton of Hot Chocolate for me after I win this Tia!” she called back over her shoulder as her titanic form vanished over the horizon
Celestia smiled “On the contrary dear Luna, it’ll be the other way around,” she said confidently as she stepped away from Canterlot Mountain and began to walk off in the opposite direction, carefully stepping over a town after sending another wave of presents down towards it.
Meanwhile in the Crystal Empire
Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence poked their heads around the corner of a flower shop. Shining looked intently left and right before silently signaling to his wife. “Cost is clear honey. Let’s go!” he whispered before dashing off around the corner, darting over towards nearby house.
Cadence skittered behind him, toting two large brown bags in her magic
“Is this the next one on the list?” she asked
Shining nodded as his horn sparked up with his signature pink magic. It flashed and a large leather-bound book poofed into existence. Shining caught it in his hoof and began turning pages, reading the contents within.
“Uhh, yup. This one is the Radiant residence,” he answered, once more poofing away the book containing all the addresses of the Crystal Empire residences.
Cadence nodded as she stealthily undid the lock on the door. She quietly pushed the door open and trotted inside, Shining Armor right on her heels.
“Alright Shiny, let’s get the gifts,” Cadence whispered as she opened her sack and rummaged though it. Shining Armor doing the same with his. Together they each pulled out their respective gifts and set them underneath the Hearth’s Warming tree. They all had a personalized tag on them to the recipients with a message form the royal family. It said “Thank you for your love and support. Happy Hearth’s Warming!” Behind the tag was a picture of Shining Armor, Cadence, Flurry Heart, and Thorax all sitting underneath their Hearth’s Warming tree and waving at the camera.
The royal couple smiled fondly at each other at their deed. Now that their job was done it was time to move onto the next house. Though they did snag a few of the cookies that were left underneath the tree. Once outside they began walking over to the next house
Cadence and Shining Armor had both decided to deliver their secret Santa gifts again this year. Though, much to their disappointment, Shining’s especially, they were unable to deliver gifts to the entire nation like they did last year. The previous year had a very unique set of circumstances surrounding it. They had originally planned to just deliver presents to the crystal empire. However, when the first began, they went to their children’s room and accidentally got hit by a stray blast of magic by Flurry in her sleep. After being flung out into the hallway they found, much to their shock, that it was a growth spell. Cadence hurriedly teleported the two of them outside just as the spell went into effect. The royal duo soon finding themselves looming over the entire Kingdom and mountains surrounding it. Cadence had initially panicked at first. How could she not? Once wrong step and the Crystal Empire would become the Crystal Crater, pancaked ponies included. Thankfully Shining acted fast, casting another spell on them, giving them light hooves. A useful spell he had learned in the guard for stealth missions.
While Cadence had initially wanted to return to her normal size immediately, Shining stopped her. They could panic and wait for Sunburst to find a counter spell. Or they could use the time and continue delivering presents. But this time take it nationwide. They certainly had been big enough to do so. Cadence eventually agreed. Partially because her inner nature as the Princess of Love spurred her on, and partially because she knew Shining loved tiny things. And he would love the opportunity to gush over seeing the kingdom from his new perspective. It wasn’t till after they had finished delivering gifts all over Equestria did Sunburst find the counterspell and shrink them back to normal. But they never forgot that unforgettable night.
“We’re almost done,” Cadence said, adjusting her scarf as she glanced over her book. She closed it with a nod and magicked it away “Cheer up love, I know we can’t deliver presents to all of Equestria this time but at least we can do so in our own Kingdom,”
“I know,” Shining sighed “But I still miss the feeling though. It felt great doing that last year. Don’t get me wrong though, I still love doing this, but last year was really special you know?”
Cadence giggled and leaned over, pecking him lightly on the cheek “You’re such a silly goober you know that? That’s why I love you.”
Shining smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek too “And I love you too Cady,” he said. The two made their way to the Market center and consulted their book one last time “It looks like we only have one more house to go,” Shining Armor stated “We should hurry. That way we can get back to the castle before Flurry wakes up in the morning,”
Cadence nodded “you’re right, let’s go,” she said. But as the two of them began to set off again, they began to feel tremors quaking the ground. Shining blinked and looked around in confusion. Cadence doing the same “What was that?” she asked. Shining just shrugged.
But it didn’t end there. The shaking continued, increasing in their frequency and intensity. The two of them began to bounce around on the ground from the trembling as the entire Crystal Empire shook. Suddenly, Shining felt Cadence poking his shoulder. He turned to her “What is it?” he asked over the rumbling
“Shiny look up there!” Cadence cried out, point up into the sky with wide eyes.
Shining Armor looked up as well and a second later felt his jaw drop.
Standing well over 10 miles tall was the gargantuan form of Princess Luna walking out in the distance. Her size so great that her head and torso were easily clearing the cloud line. Miles of hills and mountains disappeared under her hooves as it came down, consumed beneath it, and replaced by the flattened land inside a huge crater left behind in her hoof print.
The two watched in shock as they saw their colossal aunt cease her walking, the earthquakes gradually stopping as the titanic alicorn stood in place, towering high over the world as she looked around. Her mighty gaze sweeping over the landscape.
Shining and Cadence audibly gulp and flinched as they saw Luna presumably stare in their direction. Her giant eyes falling on the miniature crystal empire
“W-what’s she doing?” Shining whispered to Cadence as out in the distance they saw Luna’s horn begin to power up. “I have no idea,” Cadence replied.
But their answer came almost immediately. They watched as thousands of tiny, multicolored shapes fly out of a humongous brown sack that they somehow didn’t spot Luna carrying with her and fly down towards a town that was near her hoof.
“Wait. Is she…delivering presents?” Cadence asked as she and Shining Armor watched the rest of the wrapped-up boxes finish descending down into the town. “Oh, my goodness she is!” Shining cried indigently “Auntie Luna stole our idea! And she’s huge now too! This is so unfair,” he pouted, crossing his hooves together as he sulked
“I’ll bet both she and Auntie Celestia are both in on this,” Cadence said as she watched Luna walk away from the town and right up to another one in a few steps, earthquakes once more shaking the land “Auntie Luna is probably coving this side of the Kingdom and Auntie Celestia is doing another side.”
“You presume correct dear niece. But don’t think I didn’t see you two all the way down there. How adorably tiny you’ve both become,” Luna’s silvery voice echoed over the land. Soft yet powerful at the same time. Her voice alone carrying a massive weight and presence behind it that shook the royal couple to the core.
Shining and Cadence went pale as those words reached their ears. They slowly looked up to reveal that out in the distance, hundreds of miles away, Luna was looking right at them. Her deep blue irises were illuminated in the dark with a piercing blue light as they both could practically feel her gaze zeroed in on their diminutive forms. They both flinched as they watched her gargantuan form slowly turn around and walk towards them. Each one of her steps were slow and deliberate, sending a shock through the fragile earth with each impact of her city sized hooves. Cadence and Shining slowly drew closer together unconsciously and hugged each other out of fright as Luna got closer. Now not even being able to fit in the field of vision as her image got larger and larger until finally, she stopped right in front of the empire.
Her dark blue hoof landed with a THOOM! Right in front of the city, big enough to completely flatten it underneath. Shining and Cadence were still shivering fearfully at the imposing figure looming high above until:
Pop!
Shining blinked as a brightly colored and decorated box landed in his hooves. He and Cadence just stared at it in confusion. The tag on it read Happy Hearth’s Warming Shining, Cadence, Flurry, and Thorax. From Princess Celestia and Luna.
Silently they stared back up at the towering form of Luna, who in turn, was gazing down at them with a gentle smile on her face.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming dearest niece and nephew,” Luna thundered kindly, her voice shaking the ground despite her trying to talk as softly as possible. Shining and Cadence waved up to her with uncertain smiles on their faces. Luna magically levitated hundreds of gifts from her humongous gift bag and down towards the houses and castle below Even the final gift Cadence and Shining needed to deliver was levitated out of their gift sack and joined in with all the other gifts. All of them floating down chimneys and settling down underneath Hearth’s Warming trees.
With her job done, Luna waved down to her tiny family members and began to depart, as she needed to move onto her next stop. Shining and Cadence watched slacked jawed as Luna’s kingdom sized hoof in front of them lift up, once more shaking the world as it did, and arch upward as Luna stepped over the Crystal Empire. Her hoof landing miles away behind the kingdom with a tremendous BOOM! Cracking the earth as the colossal princess of the night strolled away.
Another shadow covered the sky as Luna departed with the air itself practically rumbling. Cadance and Shining stared up and watched as Luna’s moon sized gift sack was levitated over the empire. Blotting out the sky as it traveled before reuniting with its owner now hundreds of miles away.
The rulers of the Crystal Empire sat in the middle of the road silently, with the faint sound of Luna’s gigantic hoof falls echoing though the air as their minds tried to process what just happened. The two of them staring blankly at the kingdom sized hoofprint Luna had left behind.
“Shiny?”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s head back to the Castle. I think that was Auntie Luna’s way of telling us to go to bed and let her and Auntie Celestia handle the gift giving tonight,”
Shining nodded numbly “You’re probably right Cady. Let’s go,”
Elsewhere in Equestria
Celestia giggled softly as she watched the city of Cloudsdale float past her chest. Reaching her hoof up under it, she was pleased to see the entire city fitted neatly in her hoof almost like it was a toy. If it wasn’t for the fact that Celestia knew she was currently hundreds of miles tall she would have assumed it was. Celestia’s horn lighted up and sent down hundreds of presents floating down towards the residence. After over a thousand years of being a ruler, Celestia prided herself on being a good princess. That was why, when she and Luna were making the gifts for their subjects the two of them wanted it to be personalized for them. Not some random simple object like a gift certificate or candle they can mass distribute. This way they felt like they can show just how much they loved them all.
Luna used her dream walking magic to speak to all their subjects and get an idea of their likes and needs. Celestia using that information to personally procure items that fit the bill. And lastly the two of them worked tirelessly though the day and night to write their own letters to each one of their subjects inside. It had taken a while but both of them knew it was worth it. Celestia and Luna cared about all their subject and wanted to express that to them any way they could. From the richest noble pony to the poorest. Everyone deserved their attention.
Celestia looked down at Cloudsdale with a warm smile before leaning down and gently nosing it out of the way with her titanic muzzle. Celestia tried not to laugh is she watched the entire floating city get moved though the sky by her nose. Setting the city off the side, the Princess of the day continued her massive trek. She constantly sending down gifts to whatever towns she passed. Celestia was in the more rural side of Equestria by this point. Cities where very sparse, all she could see were the few villages sprinkled around by her hooves. Though she did have to admit, at her great height the settlements were getting a little hard to see.
“Though I guess that is to be expected. Hardly any lights around here like most cities would have and I can’t see in the dark nearly as well as Lulu. I’d better be careful, the last think I want is to accidentally squash a village because I’m not being careful,” Celestia thought.
she gently set her bag of gifts down as softly as she could, trying to minimize any possible earthquakes. “Ok Tia old girl, just set it down nice and easy,” She thought to herself as she did so. With her meteor sized bag on the ground, Celestia herself quietly kneeled down next to the faint pinpricks of light clustered around dark spot. Something that she assumed to be a forest. Her horn flashed and Celestia magicked a magnifying glass into existence. She held it up to her eye and peered down at what was below her.
“Ah, perfect,” she thought with a smile. Down below her under the lens of her magnifying glass was indeed a town next to a forest, just as she suspected. Celestia sent down the presents to their respected recipients while she herself was busy inspecting the tiny town. She felt a warm spark of appreciation ignited in her heart as she noticed something she would have missed had she not have the town directly under her watchful eye. There were Hearth’s Warming decorations all over the town. But better yet there were decorations featuring Luna. Not just Celestia alone as all of Equestria had previously done.
“Oh thank you my little ponies,” Celestia thought with appreciation “It’s only been a little while since my darling Lulu has retuned from her banishment and you’ve all warmed up to her so quickly,”
As Celestia slowly got back up and continued on her way, her thoughts turned back to Luna’s first ever appearance to the public after she had returned from the moon and had been cleansed of Nightmare Moon. Fear, anger, and panic had been the most common reaction to Luna that day. Very much mirroring the same reactions Luna had felt before her banishment. But now their ponies had a very valid reason to be afraid of her after the Mare in the moon debacle. All Celestia could do was plead with them to give her sister a chance. Her darling Luna. To help give her the love and support that Celestia and the rest of Equestria had failed to give her all those years ago.
But after seeing what that town and several other towns along the way had done, featuring their own Luna themed decorations, Celestia was hopeful that the sigma on Luna was beginning to fade away and that their ponies were finally starting to accept her as the Princess of the night.
Celestia sighed and checked over her bag. There was only one more place left for her to go: Ponyville. “Somehow that quaint little town always ends up in the spotlight,” she thought with a chuckle as she passed some mountains.
She reached Ponyville in a matter of seconds at her elevated size but soon realized that she wasn’t alone. “Luna?” Celestia asked with a questioning smile “I was pretty sure that Ponyville was on my list of places to stop at, not yours.”
Luna flushed in embarrassment “It’s not what you think Tia! It’s just…There’s a few presents here that I was to deliver here myself. It’s my way of thanking the recipients for their kindness,”
Celestia looked at her with an amused smile “One of those recipients wouldn’t happen to be young Pipsqueak would it? You’ve grown quite fond of him ever since Nightmare night.”
“N-no!” Luna said defensively
Celestia’s gaze lingered on Luna, the smile never leaving her face
“Alright, it is!” Luna confessed, finally cracking under the pressure.
“That’s very kind of you Luna,” Celestia remarked as she set her gift sack on the ground next to the town and began to take out the remaining presents “What did you get him?”
“Simply a telescope and some comics. If I recall, he and dear Spike are currently reading the same series.” Luna said, tapping a hoof against her chin as she searched her memory “Power Ponies I believe the name was.”
Celestia nodded “Very well Luna. I’ll finish giving out my gifts and you can do yours,” she said.
Luna nodded and very delicately raised her hoof and set it down in the center of Ponyville. She winced “Careful…careful,” she thought. Her hoof alone towered over every single structure in the town. The houses, city hall, and Twilight’s Castle, all measured up to only a millimeter off the ground from her perspective. Luna looked around feverishly, trying to spot where Pipsqueak’s house was.
“Ponyfeathers! It’s all too small! I can barely make out any of these houses,” Luna grumbled “It all looks the same!”
“Need some help Lulu?” Celestia asked softly over her shoulder as she was busy sending gifts down to the homes below
“No, I am determined to do this myself,” Luna said. Squinting, she peered back down at the miniature town, peering around carefully before finally spotting it. A bright smile graced Luna’s face as she tip hooved over to where the tiny structure was. Luna activated her magic and sent down her final presents. The ones addressed to her dear friend Pipsqueak and his parents. Luna nodded, satisfied and quietly stepped over to where Celestia was.
“Alright sister, I’m finished. Are you ready to head back to-” Luna stopped once she reached her older sister. Celestia was standing next to Twilight’s castle and holding something in her magic. It wasn’t a present. It was a small purple speck.
Luna blinked and leaned in, squinting. Trying to see what Celestia was holding.
“Is that..?” she asked.
Celestia nodded gently tucked the purple speck against her fluffy coat with her magic and nuzzled it. “Young Spike here heard some commotion outside and decided to investigate. Though unfortunately it appears he’s still half asleep,” she said softly, still nuzzling the baby dragon.
Luna looked down at her speck sized nephew with an amused smile. She leaned in and nuzzled him as well, her horn glowing once more “Sleep new dear Spike,” she said “Have pleasant dreams and a good night’s rest. You have an exciting day tomorrow, be sure to tell me all about it,”
Luna watched as a sleepy smile etched it’s way onto Spikes face. Chuckling, she took Spike from Celestia and into her hoof. Luna then reached down towards Twilight’s castle and peeled off the roof of it like it was a doll house. She reached down and tucked Spike back into bed and set the roof back onto the castle. Resealing it with a spell.
As she stood back up she snuck a glance over at Celestia who was trying to contain her laughter “What?” Luna asked.
Celestia was plopped down on her rump with both hooves covering her mouth, shaking with mirth. She snorted and managed to get out “Goodness Sister, a tad bit extreme wouldn’t you say? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you manhandle a castle like that before. Good thing Twilight, Starlight, and Spike were still asleep or else you would have given them a heart attack,”
Luna rolled her eyes “Yes, well, I couldn’t very well stick my hoof through the window now could I? I would have knocked the castle over,” she said sticking her tongue out at Celestia. Which only prompted her to laugh harder.
Once she had settled down, save for the occasional giggle and snort, Celestia spoke up “Shall we return to the castle now?” she asked, wiping tear from her eye.
Luna nodded “Yes, let us go. We did both finish delivering presents at the same time so I believe it is only fair that we both make hot chocolate and cookies together. How does that sound?”
Celestia smiled and wrapped her wing around Luna “That sounds wonderful Lulu. Let’s go home,”
And with that, the two giant royal sisters headed back to Canterlot, eager to make a mountain sized cup of coco. Thus, ending the second year in a row the royal family delivered presents to all of Equestria.
Author's Note
Happy Holidays to everyone. Here's a quick little story I put together that serves as a mild continuation of the previous years. Hope you enjoy the silly antics the Princesses get into.
Thank you to Hereward for the cover art!
