Hearth's Warming Eve

Today is the big day for everyone in the castle. It started with Justin waking up early to get a head start on baking. Wherein he found a surprise guest in Pinkie Pie already in the kitchen way before she was needed. His reaction to finding the pink mare already in his kitchen was just to shake his head and chuckle. The two had spent all morning getting all kinds of sweets made. Soon they were joined by Fudge and by the time noon rolls around the rest of the family shows up to split off into teams and tackle various other dishes on the menu.

Now, with the party just on the horizon, Justin is making last-minute checks, adjustments, and primping so he looks somewhat presentable. He's made sure any doors are locked to keep snooping ponies out, that the food is nice warm (while thanking both Twilight and Starlight for spells that kept them that way), that decorations are straightened out, tables are set, and stage at the ready. Twilight does round the corner with a warm smile on her face as she approaches him. Delicately placing her hands on his suit to straighten out some creases in his jacket. Her touch alone does wonders to quell the fires of his anticipation.

"You feeling all right?" She looks up at him.

"Just nervous." He says while placing his hands over hers. "Pretty damn sure everyone is gonna have a good time."

Twilight chuckles and boops his nose with her snout, she always found him adorable when he was nervous about something. "I know they will."

Justin smiles at the action, giving her hands a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, you're right."

The time is now upon everyone as the couple are standing near the doors, ready to greet their guests. Twilight uses her magic to open the large double doors to a sea of ponies. Excited chatter and multitudes of color in all shades quickly fill the room. Quite frankly, Justin and Twilight are thankful that Pinkie and Starlight ae helping direct their guests to the main room. It takes a good forty minutes for the crowd to thin out a bit and the last of the guests to arrive. More of the ones Justin invited personally. The first on that list to show up being Caramel, whom of which he greeted by locking their hands together and pulling one another in for a one-armed hug. The two caught up for little bit before the stallion decided to continue on to the party. The next one to show up is Derpy, who gives the human a crushing bear hug. After her in Vinyl where the two perform a very complicated handshake that even has Twilight confused. The seemingly last two are Priccess Celestia and Princess Luna, both of whom show their fondness for the couple with the sun alicorn greeting Twilight and he moon alicorn almost crushing Justin's lungs in a second time.

Then they wait just a bit longer and no Ember.

"Maybe she's running late." Twilight suggests as she closes the doors. "We should attend our own party until then."

Justin is a little saddened but nods. "Yeah. Sounds good."

As seen as the two enter the room where the larger party is being held, they break away from one another to go mingle with their own friends. Twilight mainly stays with her group of friends and sometimes the princesses. Justin stops to chat with a few ponies he knows or has seen around town. He does lose track of time for a bit until he happens to glance Twilight's way and notices a very distinctly blue and familiar character talking with the mare: Ember. He watches the dragoness take an unsure look around, either looking for him or still not quite comfortable being among so many ponies. She doesn't notice him this sweep and it works for him. Justin says his goodbyes before disappearing into the crowd, wading his way through the sea of ponies until he reaches his target. Thankfully still unaware, he slinks right up behind her with a quick glance from Twilight. His arms soon lock around Ember's waist before hoisting her into the air, and crashing her head into the floor.

Ember gets up with a snarl, ready to tear apart whichever of these ponies that have the gull to suplex her. Fortunately she's meet with the smirking gaze of Justin and her features soften to a playful glare paired with a smirk. Of course she should've known that it was him since he is the only one willing to rough house with a dragon while armed with the information she can take the blow. What she doesn't see is Twilight smiling at the man and waving for him to run while a crowd of surprised onlookers just stare with wide eyes. Ember is getting ready to wrestle by lowering her stance a bit.

"Oh, you are so on." Ember mutters to him.

"Well, you better start chasing, Imma make you work for it!" Justin tells her before running into the sea of ponies and somehow disappearing into them.

Ember is dumbfounded for a full minute minute. Never in the time that she's known him to just run from her, usually taking her head-on like she does him. The change in strategy and demeanor does activate something more primal inside of her. Without much of a thought, she unfurls her wings and thanks to the high ceiling is able to take flight. The full minute stun may have given him a bit of a head start on putting distance between with what's to come, but she's about to close it, and fast. Ember quickly picks his hairless patooty out of the sea of multicolored madness, going in for the dive. Justin, for his part, takes the hint when ponies make way, for not only him, but for the diving dragon too. With a large enough space cleared, the human turns around just in time for the head of a dragoness to crash right against his chest. The combination of her weight and speed is enough to knock the wind out of him and right on to the ground. Once he cracks open an eye and sees that she is victoriously smiling down at him.

"Feeling better?" Justin asks between breathes.

"Yeah." Ember replies.

"Told ya you'll be fine." He chuckles as she gets off of him then helps him back to his feet.

"Thanks for that."

"Fillies and Gentlecolts," An announcer from somewhere near the stage begins as the lights in the room start to get low, "please turn your attention to the stage for a special performance by the Prince and his special guest!"

Just as the announcer finishes, a spotlight hits the stage to light up Justin and Pinkie in similar suits. Almost unsurprising that the pink mare has an instrument, what's perplexing to any onlookers is that fact that the human had time for a wardrobe change and has a microphone in his hand. He has his head tilted down with a wide brim fedora covering his eyes from the world and a smile that sends a chill up certain mares in the crowd. Then he speaks.

"Hit it, Pinks!"

Right on cue, Pinkie starts the tempo. As the beat continues, Justin's suit looks like it's starting to freeze over with ice, snow accumulating on his shoulders, his skin starts to change color from its normal shade to a light blue. He reaches up and throw his hat behind him as his hair starts to turn to ice an his eyes go white. Soon he starts to sing in tune with the music, his movements keeping in time as he moves across the stage, his voice having changed to something a bit higher pitched that what it is normally. His hand raches out as if to grasp something and what looks like a snowball forms in his palm before he chuckles out and pelts Pinkie with it. She only giggles as the illusion harmlessly falls off her. Then he repeats the motions with some background voices instead of his own, repeating the same motions until he picks up the main chorus again.

Then the middle of the song hits, the tempo and timing change to something a little more fast paced. Almost as quick does his suit and hair ignite in a fiery blaze in a spectacle that calls for an applause from the audience. Flames harmlessly lick at the suit and his body while his skin tone has changed back to its normal shade, maybe a little darker. This time he does go through his motions a little faster to match the pace, with the difference being that when he reaches his palm out, it also ignites into a ball of fire for a short time before he lobs it over the crowd and it bursts like a firework. Many in the crowd 'ooh' and are put in awe at his display. One thing is going through his mind at this moment: Rarity, Twilight, an Starlight have really outdone themselves. The crowd is in an uproar by the time the performance ends with the spotlight going right out and lights coming back in full, leaving an empty stage.

After the Party

Justin sits in the living room surrounded by those closest to him; Caramel, Ember, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Starlight Glimmer, the Crusaders, Fudge Dipp, and last but not least, his wife, Twilight Sparkle. He had them gather around for a smaller get together, Photo for his collection, and gift exchange. Thankfully he got the photo while Celestia and Luna were still here before they left back for Canterlot. Running a country and all that jazz. Right now though, he's looking around the room at all the torn up wrapping paper, a group of sleeping fillies laying around and off a loveseat. Caramel is out cold on a sitting with his new joke mug in hand. Rares, Dash, AJ, and Flutters all sit close to the fire with their gifts neatly organized in a pile. Ember leans against the back of the couch, idly chewing of a gem he got her, but she also got him something or made him something rather. His eyes drift towards the floor in front of him where his new chest armor lays at his feet. He'd move his head to look at it but Twilight is leaning right up against his side with her head on his should and his cheek against her head. Ember said something about his armor almost being complete. What else is there? She made him gauntlets first, then boots, now a chest plate. He doesn't get to dwell on those thoughts for too log as a pink hand lays itself on his other shoulder, causing him to look up at Pinkie.

"You done good, Aunt Pinkie is proud."

"I'm pretty sure I'm older than you, but thanks." He nods his thanks to her, but what happens next is less than expected.

"THIS WAS THE BEST HEARTH'S WARMING PARTY EVER!" Pinkie all but screams, waking everypony else that isn't and nearly blowing out the human's eardrums.

"Pinkie!" Both Twilight and Justin yell back at her.

Author's Note

Better late than never, yeah?