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It’s too loud outside!

He hid underneath the blankets of the bed he was assigned to sleep in. The screaming and laughing outside brought him to the verge of tears. What kind of torture where they doing to force this much volume out of their slaves?

Stay inside! Don’t look!
If they don’t know about you, they won’t look for you!
Unless you want to experience this for yourself?

And thus he stayed, hiding from the horrors outside his safe place. Hoping the monsters would not find him. A knock on the door made him flinch and yelp, tears starting to form inside his eyes. He forced his eyes to remain closed—maybe if he couldn’t see it, he would also remain unseen.

Don’t look! Don’t move!

He heard the familiar screeching of the door, slowly opening before a familiar voice rang out from behind it. “Little Jewel?”

Slowly and cautiously, Jewel looked up from underneath his blanket. That was no monster, but a large pony. The one with a calming voice. With a coat the color of that cold food he was told was ‘vanilla ice cream’.

“P-papa?” he asked. For some reason, the colt insisted Jewel call him like that.

The colt came inside and crouched down in front of Jewel so he could look him in the eyes. “Are you scared?”

“Uh-huh.” Jewel nodded.

“What are you scared of?”

“The laughing monsters outside,” he answered, hiding his snout under the blanket. “The ones making the ponies scream.”

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“Bright… we should let him be,” Merryhoof said softly to her husband. “We can’t force him to participate. We can always wait for another year.”

“I don’t want this to be his first experience with the holiday —what if he will never be able to participate because of it?” Brighthoof asked, pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. “Who knows what she has made him do while under her hooves? What if he will never recover from it?”

Merryhoof looked at him worryingly. It reminded her about the first time she met him. The uneasy steps, quivering lips, and pacing back and forth. All signs she knew all too well.

Why would he subject himself to this? Why did he take him in?

She remembered the face of Firmhoof, how helpless he looked while his son experienced those phases whenever he remembered that mare. It had been such a long time since his last attack, Merryhoof dared to hope she managed to make him forget her.

Why didn’t I stop him? Why did I agree to adopt Jewel?

“Bright?” She called for his attention carefully, feeling like she was walking on eggshells. “You can’t force him to adapt… he is just a foal. We have to take things slow, at his own pace.”

“But if we take things too slow, he might never learn to live in pony society,” he retorted, biting his own hooves. “I want him to have a normal foalhood, Merry… I want him to make friends and run around with other foals.” He looked outside the windows, seeing foals and adults alike walking from door to door singing carols to strangers. Parents watching their foals in a snowball fight, and partners kissing under a mistletoe. Tears came into his eyes. “I want him to experience all the beautiful things that come with Heartswarming Eve, but I’m afraid his first experience might destroy it for him.”

Merryhoof looked at him, her heart aching at the sight. She wanted him to keep away from the hurtful memories, to keep away from the past and focus on the future. Too bad her worries were unfounded.

She slowly approached her husband and embraced him from the side, kissing him on his cheek. “I’ll try to help as much as I can, but you have to understand that we can’t rush things.”

Brighthoof hugged her back, leaning his head on hers. “I know… but…” He sighed. “I don’t know what to do… I don’t think I am ready to take care of a foal.”

“Then why did you decide to take him in?” she asked.

“He is my son… I couldn’t leave him to her now that I know of his existence.” He closed his eyes. “And he is so young… I can’t imagine what kind of damage she might have done to him.”

Merryhoof kissed him again. “You are brave, you know that, right?” She looked outside the window. “I don’t think I would be able to do this if I were in your shoes.”

She watched the foals outside run, joyful screams emanating throughout the streets. Laughter, singing, and love filled the air of the holiday. A sudden idea came into her mind, making her smile.

“Let me try to convince him,” she said. “He is my son, too.”

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“Jewel?” Merryhoof whispered into the room. “Are you awake?”

A soft “uh-huh” came from the bed, before Jewel’s head came out from the blanket.

“Are the monsters scaring you?” she asked, sitting on top of his bed.

“Mhm…”

“You don’t have to be,” she said, petting his head. “The monsters can’t get you while you are inside.”

“But what if they can?”

“Even if they could,” Merryhoof smiled. “They are too afraid to try. Do you know why?” Jewel shook his head, his eyes wide in anticipation. “Because I know their biggest fear.”

“You do?” Jewel’s voice turned a pitch higher, yet Merryhoof sensed his caution.

“Oh, yes…” She nodded. “It’s something that makes them completely powerless against me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s something very simple: joy!” She smiled at him.

Jewel blinked. “Joy?”

“They hate it when ponies are happy, since they feed on fear,” she explained. “They love how fear tastes, and will only come back again and again after they tasted it!” Jewel started to slowly retreat back into the safety of his blanket. “But they will go away if you do just one simple thing. When you see a monster, all you have to do is to laugh!”

Jewel slowly dropped the blanket, looking at her wide eyed. “Really?”

“Oh, yes!” She nodded, opening her eyes very wide. “Laughter scares them. They scream and run away when they hear it.” She pointed toward the curtain that blocked the view outside the window. “That’s why you hear those sounds. It’s not the monsters that are laughing, but the children driving them away!”

Jewel turned his head toward the window, his uncertainty plain to see. “The screams are from the monsters?”

Merryhoof noticed he was trembling, so she hugged him. “Yes.”

“Will—“ He hesitated. “Will mother be angry if I scared the monsters?”

Merryhoof bit her lip, trying to keep her emotions hidden. “Yes, she will be very angry.”

Jewel flinched and looked at her fearfully. “Then mother will—“

“Jewel!” Merryhoof interrupted him, her voice firm. “Please stop calling her mother.”

“B-but…”

Merryhoof hugged him even tighter, hiding his face in her embrace. “No real mother would ever hurt her foal. She is no mother, but a monster.”

“M-monster?!” Jewel yelped.

“I won’t allow her to hurt you, Jewel.” She stopped hugging him to look him directly into his eyes. “I will protect you from her.”

“You will?”

Merryhoof smiled and kissed his forehead. “There is nothing to fear, Jewel. I can promise you that.”

Jewel looked down, his eyes losing some spark. Merryhoof noticed it, so she quickly stood up and opened the curtains. “Look, Jewel,” she told him, stretching her hoof toward him. After he hesitated, she added: “I will protect you if anything happens!”

Hesitantly, Jewel approached the window and looked at Merryhoof. After she gave him a nod, he looked outside. The sight was something out of a fairytale.

He saw foals as they played, ponies singing, and colorful ribbons spread above the street. He watched as the foals ran around, screaming and laughing at the same time.

“Why are they screaming?” he asked Merryhoof.

“Because they are happy,” she explained.

“Screams can be… happy?” He looked back up at her, his eyes wide. But this time, it was wonder she saw in them.

She smiled at him. “Screams do not need to be out of fear, Jewel. They can be out of anger, sadness, and yes, even happiness.”

“What is everypony doing?”

“They are celebrating Heartswarming Eve,” she explained to him before she approached the door. She reached out her hoof, asking him to follow her. Jewel looked outside for a moment before he decided to follow her to the living room.

He saw a beautifully decorated fireplace, socks hanging above it and a green bush looking circle hanging above the doors. He was bombarded with reds, yellows, and greens, stunning him as he looked around with mouth agape. He had never seen anything like it before; it was nothing like the gray, dark corridors he was used to.

Merryhoof smiled at Brighthoof. She made a motion as if she was drinking something and Brighthoof smiled, happily vanishing inside the kitchen and coming up with a cup of hot chocolate. The three of them sat in front of the fireplace, watching Jewel drink from his cup.

“What is Heartswarming?” he asked them, looking from one to another. Merryhoof embraced him with her right leg, keeping him close to her side while she looked up at Brighthoof.

“Let me tell you a story, Jewel,” she said. “A story of monsters, fear, and the love that overcame it all."

“The story of Heartswarming Eve…”

Author's Note

Happy Heartswarming.

I wish you the courage to overcome your fears and the never ending love and support of your friends and family!

I hope you enjoyed this Holiday Special!
Thank you for reading.