For Braeburn, there was truly no better time of the year than Hearth's Warming. So what if the holiday itself only lasted for a day or two? The whole run-up to it was a time of year that, to him, seemed more magical and more wonderful than any other time of the year. Even all the way out in Appleloosa, the holiday was something to look forward to year after year.
So it was that, with the holiday fresh in his mind, Braeburn couldn't help but gush about it in the many letters and cards he sent out to friends and family alike. One of them was a very personal friend: Little Strongheart of the buffalo tribe. Ever since the land dispute had been settled, the buffalo had been coming to Appleloosa more and more often. And every time they did, Little Strongheart often came with them. And even when she didn't, she and Braeburn stayed in touch through letters.
This time of year was no different, Braeburn was just finishing up his latest letter to the daughter of the tribe's chief. It wasn't much, just a simple exchanging of pleasantries and asking how she was. Really, it was only the last few sentences that made the letter at all interesting. The sentences read as follows:
It's almost Hearth's Warming once again. It's my favorite time of the year! I really wish you could see it, but I don't know if they celebrate it in your tribe.
I know it probably doesn't sound like much at first glance: It's a holiday meant to celebrate when the three pony tribes united as one. A day to celebrate friendship and togetherness. But there's just something about it that feels so magical! I can't really explain it, the holiday just seems to bring out the best in ponies.
About the only thing that would make it better is if it snowed. But it never snows out here in Appleloosa, the pegasi never bring it this far. I'm not really sure why, there must be a reason. Still, Hearth's Warming is Hearth's Warming, with or without snow. One of these days, I'd really like it if you could experience the holiday for yourself. But I'd also be curious to know what sort of holidays and traditions your tribe has.
When the letter was finished, Braeburn sealed it into an envelope and sent it off to the post office for delivery. He then went about the rest of his day with a smile on his face, and a spring in his step. He figured it would probably be a day or two before he got a reply from Little Strongheart.
So imagine the earth pony's surprise when, the very next day, there came a knock at his front door. Suspecting nothing, he went to go answer it. And when he opened the door, there, to his surprise, was Little Strongheart herself!
For a moment, Braeburn found himself rendered speechless!
Little Strongheart seemed to snicker ever so faintly. "I hope you don't mind. After all those letters you sent talking about how great Hearth's Warming is, I just had to come and see it for myself. Everything you ponies do is so fascinating."
Regaining his composure ever so slowly, the stallion managed to force out. "Does your father know you're here in town? I wouldn't wanna get into any trouble with him."
Little Strongheart nodded. "Of course he knows. I had to get his permission to leave the tribe. He says I'm not old enough to not need permission," Then she smiled. "So for today, I'm your guest. I look forward to seeing just what it is about the holiday that makes it so special to you ponies."
Braeburn adjusted his hat, shaking his head to collect his thoughts and steady himself. "Well then, I guess there's only one thing to do. Let's go out and see the town! I bet you've never seen Appleloosa like this before!"
"I would be delighted." Little Strongheart bowed and offered a hoof to the stallion.
Braeburn quickly took hold of Little Strongheart's hoof, and the two set off with no particular destination in mind.
After wandering around town for a while, admiring the bright lights and beautiful decorations in a rainbow of colors, pony and buffalo eventually made their way into the very heart of Appleloosa itself. There, right in the middle of town, was a gigantic tree. But it wasn't like the many apple trees growing in the apple orchard. This tree was different. It seemed much more sturdy, its branches were thicker, and most noticeably it had lights, bulbs, and colorful ornaments hanging from its branches. Resting at the very top of said tree was a large star.
Braeburn happily explained to Little Strongheart. "This here's our Hearth's Warmin' tree. Had it shipped all the way over from Ponyville: Express delivery and everythin'! 'Course, it's quite a challenge to keep it healthy. Trees like this aren't really meant to live in the desert. But with a little TLC and a lot of hard work, we make sure it doesn't dry out."
"Why not just use one of your apple trees instead?" Little Strongheart proposed. "It would serve the same purpose, wouldn't it?"
Braeburn shook his head from side to side. "A Hearth's Warmin' tree should be one of a kind. It's what helps bring the magic of the holiday to life. Besides, you can't really put lights and ornaments on an apple tree. And we need every apple tree we can spare, never know when you might need a few extra crops to make it through some hard times."
"I see." Was all Little Strongheart could bring herself to say. Her eyes were busy studying the tree in very close detail, nothing was too small to be overlooked. Seeing something so brightly and lavishly decorated, it was enough to make her smile just a little bit brighter.
Braeburn then chuckled. "It gets even better, you know. The night before Hearth's Warmin', everypony puts their gifts right here under the tree. Then, in the mornin', we all come here and take turns openin' up the gifts," With a wink he added. "I've already got all my presents wrapped. I've even got a special one just for you."
Little Strongheart immediately saw fit to ask. "What is it?"
But the stallion just winked again, insisting. "It's a surprise, I can't tell ya what it is. You'll just have to find out for yourself when you get it."
The young buffalo blinked. It had only now occurred to her that if gifts were wrapped up and placed beneath a tree, ponies probably didn't intend for whatever was inside to be known ahead of time. She found it odd that ponies would gift things to one another in secret. But apparently, that was just something they did for Hearth's Warming.
Then Braeburn took Little Strongheart by the hoof again. "Come on, we've still got a whole lot more to see!" And he led her away.
Allowing herself to be led along by the stallion, Little Strongheart let her eyes drift and observe the various lights and displays set up throughout Appleloosa. It seemed like everywhere she looked: There were bright lights, large ribbons and banners, or even tiny paper snowflakes and stars plastered on windowsills. Occasionally, she would see a reef hanging on or over a door, with a red ribbon underneath it.
Braeburn eventually skidded to a halt in front of one building with a rather large window right next to the door. He was now peering in through said window, apparently eyeing something on the other side of it.
"What are you looking at now?" Little Strongheart asked her host.
Momentarily turning away from the window, the earth pony's smile was so big and so bright it looked like it could fall right off her face. "Take a look for yourself!" He happily encouraged. "Trust me, you'll love it!"
So the young buffalo did so, trotting up to the window and all but pressing her snout up against the glass to peer inside. She saw what appeared to be some kind of miniature village, complete with a much smaller scale version of the tree she had seen in the center of town earlier. Some kind of white substance was used to simulate snow, which was on the rooftops of every building as well as on the ground. And circling around the outside of the whole thing was a miniature railway: Complete with a toy locomotive pulling flat cars filled with boxes wrapped in bright colored paper.
"It's not Hearth's Warmin' until I get to see this display," Braeburn cheerfully admitted. "It makes me feel like a colt again. I remember that I used to have somethin' just like that when I was younger, before I came out here to Appleloosa. The toy train was always my favorite part: I'd always imagine I was ridin' on, journeyin' to far away places with only a mug of hot chocolate for company."
"Is that why you eventually moved out here to Appleloosa? To journey to a far away place?" Little Strongheart questioned.
Braeburn chuckled. "Nope. I outgrew my adventurin' and journeyin' phase when I grew up. I learned that for all the far away places you long to go to, there's nothin' that beats home sweet home when's all said and done. Appleloosa called out to me for a different reason, even if it meant I wouldn't be livin' in the same place I'd grown up in. But home is where your heart is, and that's somethin' that'll never change."
Little Strongheart eyed the display closer. "What is with you ponies when it comes to snow and Hearth's Warming? What's so special about it?"
The earth pony stallion fondly recalled. "Well, it's hard to explain when you ain't seen it before. But snow is just so magical. There's just somethin' about it. And when it comes durin' Hearth's Warmin', it just adds to the magic of the holiday. 'Course, we here in Appleloosa make do without snow," He then pondered. "I wonder what sort of holiday traditions you have back in your tribe. There's probably holidays you celebrate that ponies have never heard of before."
"I... don't think there's anything we do that you'd find interesting," Little Strongheart nervously replied. "Mostly, we just have holidays related to stomping, or setting up campsites, or sometimes both."
Braeburn smiled again. "So? Just 'cause you think they don't sound all that interestin' doesn't mean they aren't. And even if they are, gettin' a chance to learn more about you and your tribe sounds like it'd be a nice change of pace. Maybe for some time next year?"
The young buffalo hesitantly replied. "I'll... think about it."
Braeburn then turned his attention away from the window display. "Well, come on, now. Let's do a little more sightseein' before we head back to my place. We can talk more about our plans for next year some other time."
So it was that the two friends spent at least another hour and a half wandering from place to place throughout Appleloosa. Braeburn would stop on occasion to point out something of notice, and Little Strongheart would observe it as best she could. There was so much more to the holiday of Hearth's Warming then she had initially thought. She was certainly going to have a lot to tell to her tribe (including, of course, her father) when she returned to it.
Eventually, however, Little Strongheart followed Braeburn as he returned to his house. It wasn't anything fancy, it seemed no different than many of the other buildings throughout the town. Even the decorations were the same as they had been elsewhere, inside and out.
"Ya hungry?" Braeburn asked his guest once they both were inside.
"I guess I am, just a little bit." The young buffalo replied once she had a moment to think.
Hanging his hat up on a small rack, the stallion then declared. "Good! I'll whip us up somethin' to eat. I know it ain't Hearth's Warmin' just yet, but I reckon there's no harm in preparin' a traditional Hearth's Warmin' feast for ya. Once you've had a taste of it, you'll wonder how you ever went through your life not knowin' about it."
And Braeburn was as good as his word. It wasn't long before he had whipped up a truly magnificent, sweet smelling, savory assortment of dishes for him and his guest. He set the dishes down on a table near the kitchen one at a time, the aromas wafting through the air.
Little Strongheart was initially quite hesitant to try the food, as inviting as it seemed.
"Go on," Braeburn encouraged without hesitation. "Help yourself. I made all the traditional favorites: Rolls, six-layer bean dip, mulled cider, and of course double-baked pot pie." He was soon digging into the dishes and licking his lips to clean his face of crumbs and stains.
Little Strongheart ultimately gave into the temptation, starting with the rolls. When she had tasted them, her eyes lit up like stars! Braeburn was right, how had she gone her whole life without knowing about food such as this?! And the same was true of everything else she tried. Each dish was more tasty and savory than the last.
In no time at all, the two friends had polished off every plate. There weren't even crumbs left.
"So, what do you think?" Braeburn asked his guest afterward. "Was that the best thing you've ever had or what?"
The young buffalo nodded. "It most certainly was," Now it was her turn to smile. "Thank you so much for doing all of this for me, Braeburn. I can see now why you love the holiday of Hearth's Warming so much."
Braeburn blushed ever so faintly. "Aw shucks, it was nothin'. I'm glad you came to visit me, that alone was one of the best gifts I could've ever asked for."
Little Strongheart then insisted. "Well, I know just how to repay the favor. You can come visit me at my tribe someday, and I can teach you all about my traditions."
Braeburn happily nodded. "I'd like that very much."
Author's Note
A nice little one-shot for the holiday season. A simple story about visiting friends and taking in the sights. I'm aware that there's ship fuel for the two, but I wanted to keep it purely platonic here.
