A swamp hearts warming

by AgentKorpsman

Rating: everyone
Tags: Cherry Jubilee, Meadowbrook, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other
Length: 1941

Cattail tries to find what to do when his ancestors way of celebrating changes and is anything the same

Written for Comma Typer jinglemas 2023
Cattail doesn’t know what to do, his long lost ancestor is home for hearts warming but things are so different because now and 10,000 moons ago

Traditions change and they way there done but what’s truly the same after being trapped in limbo

Published 2023-12-26 01:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-12-26 01:10:00 UTC

A new friend

Cattail, descendant of mage Meadowbrook

Tis the holiday season of heartwarming gathering around the tree and celebrating when the ponies tribes joined together,

Ponies come and go through the weeks leading up to hearts warming day the meadow residents are getting ready for the holidays helping customers and getting the tree ready for the holidays but there is a slight problem with that, “cattail dear, do you know where. You put the lights from last year? Meadowbrook asks her descendant. He replies “Um they should be in that box labeled lights on your right” he replies

As meadowbrook with an embarrassed blush sees them and grabs them off the shelves. And comes back out with a old box of lights, as she blows off the dust and begins untangling the lights she discovers something wrong with them as she untangles the lights and discovers some of them have become waterlog.

As cattail comes over and ask “what happen to the lights?” He asks as meadowbrook replies “I found them with some dust and water on them but though it wouldn’t be a big deal since they worked last year so why wouldn’t they work again”

As cattail with a hoof on his face replies “no you can’t since they can’t work with water in them or else if we plug them in something then it will become electric but where did you even find these at wasn’t there another box of these?” He asks but meadowbrook with a nervous expression replies well there was but um..”

“Well what happen to them?” He asks getting more annoyed “well I kinda used them already since they were becoming a rotten same for those cherries since they had a bad smell and also kind of spilled them on the ground too”

As cattail absorbed this information he takes a deep breath and turns around grabs a satchel off the coat rack as he turns around and says to meadow brook “I’ll go out and get some replacement lights and some more cherries for the party tonight” cattail with sigh in his voice pulled the door closed on his way out and headed to town right at the beginning of the swamp.

*4 minutes later*
As cattail arrived in town he first stopped by to get some replacement lights, next he went to get some more supplies for meadowbrook some more seeds and all, and last of all he went to get some cherry’s.

Cherry’s ha, he said to himself he didn’t understand why meadowbrook liked cherry’s but every hearths warning since she came back she would always ask me to pick up some cherry’s before hearths warming day and it always led me to a wild goose chase until finally long since it was about to be night he finally after hours of searching he found a shop in town with cherry’s still left for sale and by the time, he got back to the hut it was night, all tired and worn out with running around town just to find what she wants.

But this time it seemed, that this hearth warming decided to smile in his favor as went he got to the first store he saw cherry being unload by a mare with a cherry colored mane and a cherry cutie mark, but while trying to remember where he had seen her before he bump into a pony carrying cherries into the store which in turn lead to the pony dropping the cherries tumbling to the ground.

But before the stallion can give a word off the mare who seemed to be in charge step between Cattail and the stallion.

“Um boss what are you doing?” Asked the stallion, while the mare replied “trying to stop you for wasting time with talking to him bout a couple of spilled cherries, it was just a small amount of cherries and you can get more from the wagon so go and get more while I have a talk with this stallion who bummed into you” with no replies back the stallion in turn gave a sigh then turned around and got back to work cleaning up the cherries and gabbing some more from the wagon.

“That was close” said cattail in his thoughts or at least he thought he said it in his head as the mare responded “yes quite close indeed, but I have to ask why you weren’t paying attention to where you were going somthing on your mind sugar?” The mare said with a hint of worry in her tone.

But before cattail could respond the mare again spoke up “Oh sorry where are my manners, my names cherry jubilee and your name would be stranger?” she said in a polite tone in which cattail responded “Um cattail miss jubilee but I must really get going before dark hits” said cattail in response to the question.

“Hey now, no rush here you seemed to be occupied with your thoughts about something so come let’s sit down somewhere and talk please” cherry said while moving over to a bench outside the store. So with no other options cattail reluctantly begin to follow cherry to the bench and said down as cherry asked again what aids him before hearths warming.
So he responds “while it’s my um, hmm well it’s a relative of mine is what aids me today” cattail said, while cherry asking “ why does she ale you? Is she being mean to you or what sugar?” Cherry asks cattail in a worried tone

Cattail in response says” well she not that it’s just that well ever since she’s been back it hasn’t been easy for her every hearths warming since where she from have um moved on, and understanding some traditions here in equestria since they are very different from where she’s from” cattail reply’s.

Cherry ever so curious asks” well that can’t be all bad I mean how long has she lived with you for?” Cattail answers immediately to the question,

“Two years since she been living with me, makes me laugh a bit just thinking about it ”

Cherry reply’s “oh so you do get along with her If you been able to have her around for two years” cherry implies

“Well yes but it gets difficult on the weeks leading up to hearths warming I mean she does her job still but whenever no one’s looking or on break she goes to the supplies room and grabs an old book of her’s, looking at old photos with some families, hanging up stockings or what looks like stockings being hung, and such”

Cherry with some hints decide to ask something else “Cattail what’s your relative name exactly if you don’t mind me asking?” Cattail with a hint of nervousness in his voice “Um h-her name is um meadowbrook” which as soon as cattail said that name it felt like cherry world just cracked a bit when she learned that cattail relative was meadowbrook mage of the pillars of harmony who returned two years ago after twilight brought them back with star swirl journal and almost destroyed it from what she hear that it also brought back the shadow pony along with them in which he almost brought darkness onto the world but was banished back to limbo with the person inside being pulled out from him.

But now it all made sense of what cattail said the sadness in the weeks leading up to hearths warming and looking at an old book.

It reminded her of when she visited her grand mare, she doesn’t have any one that’s left from where her home is all of them either moved to somewhere else or pasted away.

“Um cattail sweetie I think your um relative misses people that used to live where she was but now she only few left to remember them and the traditions they had and her own traditions that she did with her family but since you are the only one left I’m guessing that she feeling a little sad that she doesn’t have any thing to remember them by” cherry said with a soft voice to cattail

“That does make a lot of sense miss cherry since I see that some of the pictures are in the same place as the abandoned houses that are now over run with weeds and moss” cattail said in a rough tone, do you have any advice I could do miss cherry?” Cattail asks

Cherry suggested that cattail should make new memories from the old ones or some of the traditions that was shown in the pictures.

As cattail got up and thank her for talking to him he realized the sun was about to go down and the store had no cherries left for sale so he had to gallop to the different stores in the area to find some cherries for meadowbrook but just before he took off cherry pulled him back and handed him a jar of cherries for him to take.

But cattail asks” what’s this for miss cherry?”
As she responds it’s for talking to me and to help you get home early sugar so run along now” as cattail thank her as he headed back home to get everything set up for tomorrow.

Hearth warming day
After studying the photos, he noticed that there was a group gathered around a mare as she looked like to be telling tales from long before, so before meadowbrook got up he had everything set up for her even the book.

As meadowbrook came down out from the guest room she was greeted to a sight she hadn’t seen in a long time her descendant cattail with a book in hoof sitting in a chair as he noticed her he stood up and yelled “ happy hearths warming meadow brook” cattail said in a happy tone.

“But cattail why did you do this I mean you didn’t have to do this” meadowbrook replied with a shock still on her face
Cattail replied “I did after I noticed you being sad up to the weeks of hearths warming and on breaks, so I set this storytelling up to help you with reliving one of your traditions” but meadow brook with a soft smile replied” I appreciate but you really didn’t have to” as cattail shocked from what he heard, asked “but why?”

“Because my dear descendant I already have a new tradition by spending time with you every hearths warming leading new ways things are done.” Cattail hearth warmed but this revelation came out of the chair and hugged his ancestor, but before he let go of meadowbrook “Besides I do still have one of my old traditions still with me” Said meadowbrook to cattail.

Cattail ever curious decided to ask “really what tradition” as she replied “having iced cherry tea on hearth warming but since you’re here I could teach you how to make them?”
Cattail following behind her into the kitchen “sure why not after all it is time to make new traditions from the old” said cattail with a tone of joy in his voice as he entered the kitchen ready to make or at least try to make a new drink from his ancestor directions.

Author's Note

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

And yes it is a little bit sloppy but pleas be easy on me it was my first time doing somthing like this so yeah, but criticism is still welcome.

But hope you all had a good Christmas and a happy new year