A Second Hearth's Warming
Twilight tilted her head slowly, her eyes pinned to Pinkie’s face that had a wide, bright smile.
“A second Hearth’s Warming?” Twilight asked.
“Yes! Because what’s better than a holiday when you can celebrate it a second time!”
Twilight sighed. “Pinkie, you know my stance on too many celebrations. A party is special because it’s rare. What would make Hearth’s Warming special if we celebrate it one week after?”
“Silly Twilight,” Pinkie said as she laid a hoof around Twilight’s shoulders, “I didn’t say to celebrate Hearth’s Warming every week. I asked to celebrate a second Hearth’s Warming because we’re not celebrating it with each other!”
“We do,” Spike intervened, holding up a book. “See? Twilight gifted me it yesterday.”
“Like last year?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah… and the year before too…”
Twilight chuckled nervously. Maybe she should give him some gems as a present next year? Gifting a book didn’t make much sense anymore once one lived in a library, after all.
“But no, with each other I mean us six!” Pinkie explained. “You, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow and me! Isn’t it strange how we just… separate for this special holiday when it’s all about different tribes coming together?”
“Hm.” It made sense, as much as Twilight wanted to counter Pinkie’s wish for a second celebration. Sure, Hearth’s Warming is a holiday where each pony celebrates it with their family, but celebrating it with friends would be the core of the holiday’s meaning.
Besides, she liked the date chosen. It fell right on the night before a new year, giving a reason to gather together on a date change Twilight would like to be given more attention.
“You convinced me.”.
Immediately, Pinkie jumped in circles around her. “Yippie! A second Hearth’s Warming!”
Seeing her so happy, Twilight couldn’t help but share the same emotion. It was always interesting to observe how the happiness of the Element of Laughter was so contagious, but there were urgent matters to be dealt with.
“But we need planning,” Twilight said. “Less than a week may not be enough. Buying presents, setting up a—”
“Shhh,” Pinkie interrupted by pressing a hoof against Twilight’s mouth. “Don’t worry about it. You’re talking to the best party maker in Equestria! And I already have a theme in mind!”
“Oh, what is it?”
“The founding of Equestria!” Pinkie raised her hooves in the air, confetti appearing around her. “We dress up like in the past, do what they did, and also act like them!”
Twilight scratched her head. They already performed the whole founding and first Hearth’s Warm on a stage, so she didn’t like the idea of a second holiday themed around it again.
“But why?”
“Easy peasy, because it’s our very first Hearth’s Warming with friends!”
Twilight sighed in defeat. It all made sense, as much as she hated to admit it.
“The founding of Equestria it is.”
“Darling, I am all for being historically accurate, but don’t you think we’re overdoing it by not using this necklace?” Rarity asked.
“Come on, don’t you pay attention to details too when you design your costumes?”
Rarity rolled her eyes. Pinkie had her special episodes acting strange, and while suggesting a second Hearth’s Warming could’ve been predicted, the urge to “be like in the past” felt off. They would already wear clothes similar to what they had worn at the play, who cared if a small necklace wasn’t invented back then yet?
“Yes, darling, but we acted. We played roles. Should our first Hearth’s Warming together just be a show again?”
Pinkie lowered her head and looked to the side, trying to hide her frown. “I… I understand. But we don’t have to fully act like different ponies, right? Just because you wear all the dresses, it doesn’t mean you change yourself.”
Why did this idea get into Pinkie’s head? Why was it so important to her? It wasn’t that Rarity didn’t like the idea itself, but the focus on small details was… weird, but in a different way.
Whatever the reasons were, Rarity didn’t want to hurt Pinkie with her own stubbornness, and she was clever enough to find a solution to satisfy both sides.
“How about this,” Rarity suggested, “instead of this necklace, I take that one with amber. Just as beautiful, but already in use at the time of the founding.”
Pinkie raised her head, her smile so big it showed all her teeth. “That sounds great! Oh, you’re so smart!”
Rarity held a hoof against her chest. “Of course, darling. My work consists of knowing all the alternatives.”
Applejack had done her part. She had cut down a fir and dragged it to Twilight’s library. What was strange to her was that her task included “decorating it with apples”.
“Can’t we reuse your decorations?” Applejack asked Twilight. “Seems to me like a waste to use real apples.”
“I tried to reason with Pinkie, but she insisted on it,” Twilight replied. “Plastic wasn’t invented yet at the time.”
“If you ask me, the performance messed her up,” Applejack said as she took off her hat. “She probably enjoyed it so much that she wants to feel like there again.”
“That would explain her obsession.” Twilight scratched her chin, thinking for a moment before continuing, “But your theory has holes. We’re not recreating the story, just the first Hearth’s Warming, which we didn’t perform.”
“Well, then Pinkie felt like this was missing in our play.” Applejack muttered these words rather as a random thought, but once they were out, they started to feel right. A very first Hearth’s Warming party, celebrated together by two of each pony race, and it wasn’t performed on stage.
Of course she would want to recreate it in some way.
“In that case,” Twilight said as she raised a box of apples with her horn, “why not start decorating our tree.”
Applejack nodded and put back on her hat. It may not need much for them, but if it meant the world to Pinkie, their friend, she was willing to follow along.
The last day of the year approached, but the preparations for the second Hearth’s Warming didn’t seem to end. Granted, a week was a short time to prepare, but Twilight wouldn’t have expected Pinkie to struggle so much with getting ready.
“The bread! I forgot the bread!” Pinkie yelled and ran to the oven, but the smoke coming from it revealed it was too late. “No, no, no, I need to make a new one!”
Twilight sighed. It was stressful. Pinkie wanted to make sure that even the food was historically accurate, so it meant she had to make almost everything herself. Twilight helped her, but by the looks of it, they would only begin when the sun had already set.
“Are you sure we can’t just buy some bread from the bakery?” Twilight asked. “We don’t have to be—”
Twilight went silent when Pinkie turned her gaze to her and stared her deep in the eyes. There was no smile on her face, and her lowered eyebrows told Twilight that she was angry.
“Let me open the windows,” Twilight said quietly.
For several minutes, Twilight didn’t say anything as she continued to assist Pinkie in making the food. Once she had calmed down, maybe some sense could be talked into her.
“The jam,” Pinkie asked, stretching out her hoof.
“You know, Pinkie,” Twilight dared to begin as she gave what Pinkie asked, “on our play, we weren’t exactly historically accurate.”
“Yes, we weren’t,” Pinkie replied.
“No, we were. For example… Wait, what?”
“Clean the pots, please, I’ll need them soon.”
“But, if you know we weren’t completely historically accurate, then why do we have to be now?”
“Because we agreed to it? Celebrating as if we celebrated the first ever Hearth’s Warming?”
The coldness in Pinkie’s tone frightened Twilight. She was dead serious. She was keen on being historically accurate, but at the same time, she knew that their performance wasn’t.
Nothing made sense, but there just had to be something else, a reason why—
“The pots, Twilight!” Pinkie yelled.
“Sorry, on it!”
Maybe it was just Pinkie being Pinkie after all.
Late in the evening, the sun as predicted already set and all the preparations were finally done. They all had gathered together in Twilight’s library—Pinkie even made sure to remove from the room any books that weren’t written yet—and were talking and joking with each other. In particular, Rainbow embraced her role as the commander again, although she referred to herself by her real name.
“And thus, by my genius strategy, the pegasi managed to defend against the cruel attacks of the griffons.”
“Such barbarism,” Rarity commented as she adjusted her crown. “But what to expect from the race that defines their values by brutalism instead of intellect.”
“At least we fight with honour, and not with bits by buying off land!”
The two looked at each other, squinting their eyes, before erupting in laughter.
It was a good mood. Twilight, while not sure if others shared the same sentiment, started to appreciate more and more the accuracy of the historical first Hearth’s Warming. The food, while slightly unusual, was different in a good and interesting way with tastes she would like to try again in the future, and the overall mood made the first winter holiday with friends memorable.
“And now, my dear guests,” Pinkie announced, “I’d like to propose a game I’m sure anypony will enjoy. The Earth ponies have a game they call Hoodpony Blind. Somepony gets their eyes covered with a hood and has to catch other ponies.”
“Do you mean… um… Cloudpony Blind?” Rainbow asked, clearly coming up with an alternative name. “We have a similar one, but we blind the chaser with a dark cloud. You know, us controlling the weather?”
Twilight rolled her eyes at the attempt to boast, but she had to admit, it was in character.
“In any way,” Rainbow continued, “I, the commander of all pegasi, offer myself to be the chaser. But only blinding myself would still be unfair to you, so to even the chances, I offer to also be deafened.”
“Even the chances?” Applejack replied, mockingly throwing her head back. “Even with full eyesight, you wouldn’t be able to catch me.”
“Bet on it?”
“May the game begin!”
Rainbow rolled a pair of napkins to put them in her ears, while Pinkie gave her a hood to cover her eyes.
“I will catch all of you in seconds!” Rainbow exclaimed and ran straight forward into a wall.
The game progressed for a while, and Twilight had analysed the best position to be against someone who’s blind (and deaf, in Rainbow’s case) and laid down on a cabinet. As such, she could watch over the whole room in a heightened position and read a (smuggled) book. It was, however, a book written before the founding of Equestria, so she didn’t feel any guilt despite it being a recent reprint.
However, as she eyed up the playing scene, she noticed Pinkie slowly opening the door and leaving. It didn’t even lead to another room, but to outside. Where was she going?
Twilight climbed down and sneaked past the chaser, but once she reached the door and glanced outside, she couldn’t see Pinkie anymore.
“Got you!” Rainbow exclaimed and took off her hood. “Your turn!”
“But—”
Before Twilight could protest, Rainbow put the hood on her and turned her in circles. “Now it’s your turn!”
Twilight wanted to protest, but everything happened too fast and the spinning made her head dizzy.
It took a while, but Twilight managed to catch somepony, and after taking off the hood, saw it being Fluttershy.
“Uhm, I guess I’m the next one,” Fluttershy said and closed her eyes. “Please don’t turn me around too quickly.”
However, Twilight took a look around the room. “Girls, where’s Pinkie?”
Just as she asked that, the door opened. The pony in question stood at the entrance; heavy wind and snow blowing into the room so cold that Twilight shivered despite her costume. However, what caught Twilight’s attention was the small filly that stood next to her.
“Get in, get in,” Pinkie urged the filly to enter. “Here, it’s warm.”
Twilight watched as Pinkie led the filly before the fireplace. The filly wore just a small, blue dress and a saddle packed full with matches, clothes that wouldn’t defend her against any cold.
Where did Pinkie find the filly? Ponyville didn’t have orphans running around at night in winter, and the saddle itself seemed too simple, brittle and weirdly designed to have been from recent—
Oh. Ohhhh.
That’s why…
Once the shock of seeing a freezing filly passed, each ran to her to help out as they could. However, Fluttershy, due to her experience in treating animals, knew exactly what to do and took charge.
“Don’t put her before the fireplace! It’s too hot there! Twilight, get some spare blankets and warm them up. Only lukewarm though! Rarity, help me take off her wet dress!”
Rarity nodded and approached the filly, but the filly lowered her head and bowed.
“N-n-no need, your Highness,” the filly said, her teeth clattering from the cold. “I-I’m nothing b-b-but a simple, p-poor Earth pony.”
Rarity froze, perplexed by the sentence. Why did the filly think she was royalty? Sure, she wore a crown and was dressed like a princess, but there were only two princesses in Equestria, both being alicorns. Besides, the comment about being “just a poor Earth pony” felt… obsolete.
“Let me help instead,” Twilight offered. “Princess Rarity, you may take your seat back.”
Rarity tilted her head. She was missing something, wasn’t she? A glance at Rainbow got only a shared confused shrug, and Applejack scratched her head dumbfounded too.
“But Twilight—”
“Don’t worry, they’ll take it from there,” Pinkie interrupted Rarity. “Let’s get ready for our dinner!”
“But we already had—”
“I said dinner!”
Rarity followed her, along with Rainbow and Applejack. Only then she realised why Pinkie was dragging them to the table: To get them away from the filly.
“What’s all that about?” Applejack asked, seating herself.
“And Rarity being a princess?” Rainbow asked. “I thought we just pretended—”
“Shhh!” Pinkie shushed Rainbow and leaned her head forward to them. “Please be quiet. She cannot know we’re just pretending!”
“But why?” Applejack asked.
“She’s a ghost.”
“What?” Rainbow burst out, only to get shushed again.
“I’ve seen her on the same day each year,” Pinkie explained, whispering. “The weather around her would be a blizzard no matter what, and she would freeze and try to keep herself warm by burning her matches. I tried to get her inside, but once she finds out she’s from a different time, she realises she has died and runs away into the cold.”
Rarity glanced at the filly, who was now covered in blankets.
“I see,” Applejack muttered. “But why tell us it only now?”
Pinkie sighed. “I tried it once with the Cakes, but somehow, them expecting her made her realise it too—at least that’s my theory. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t risk it happening again.”
Such a poor filly. For how many years would she reappear, only to freeze each time? No, Rarity wouldn’t allow it to happen again. Pinkie prepared a whole second Hearth’s Warming for her? Rarity would make sure it would be the best of them all!
Only once Fluttershy could make sure she prevented hypothermia and any possible negative consequences, she could calm down. Not only was Amber, the name of the filly, frozen, but also visibly emaciated and quite possibly dehydrated, so Fluttershy took a bowl and fed her a warm soup.
In moments like these, she taught herself to not think about what led to this state, as it would only distract her, but this was different here.
This was a filly.
“Why are you out alone at night, Amber?” Fluttershy asked. “Don’t you have a home?”
“I… I have,” Amber replied. “But… I couldn’t sell any matches… so I feared… to…”
Fluttershy closed her eyes. There was fear in Amber’s voice. A fear that would rather freeze in the cold than go back to a family.
Disgusting.
“No need to fear anymore.” Fluttershy smiled, giving her a hug with one of her wings. “You’re safe now.”
“But… you’re a pegasus. Why help me?”
“Huh?” Fluttershy couldn’t understand why she’d ask this question.
“Because it’s Hearth’s Warming!” Twilight said, showing the room with her hoof. “Have you heard of it?”
“Ehm, I think I heard of it,” Amber replied. “Was declared last year as an official holiday, but we couldn’t afford to participate.”
Last year? But Hearth’s Warming was celebrated for—
Twilight clapped her hooves. “Then you can have your very first Hearth’s Warming with us! Isn’t that great?”
Fluttershy turned her gaze to Twilight, who seemed to go along with it. Shouldn’t she be the one who would correct anypony for a mistake like this?
“Someone unable to afford a Hearth’s Warming?” Rarity joined in. “Preposterous! I, Princess Rarity, command you to take part with us. No one under my watch is allowed to miss a holiday as important as this one!”
Fluttershy sat down. Why was even Rarity pretending to be..?
“Oh,” Fluttershy muttered. “That’s why.”
“And Fluttershy,” Rarity continued. “Please tell me once she can come out of the towels so I can dress her.”
“But I have my own,” Amber retorted.
“That hideous, ripped to pieces rag? Please, don’t hurt my eyes with it. No, you’re getting an appropriate one.”
The filly was shy and it took a while before she’d warm up to them. To be fair, there was an age difference between them, but Rarity would still say she’s very mature for her age.
“And here you do… oh, perfect! Like you’ve done it your whole life!” she praised Amber as she was making a doll from wool.
“More or less,” Amber said. “It’s like when we had to weave baskets during summer to sell them. I remember my hooves hurting from the sharp material.”
And of course, there were these glimpses of her past. It hurt Rarity to hear how none of them seemed to be happy. Their poverty forced her to work daily—may it be selling matches, baskets or berries they collected deep in the forest—and neither of her parents played with her or allowed her to play with others. Just work, work and work.
Her only fond memories were that of her grandmother, but as to seemingly take anything good from her, she died a few years ago.
Everything combined made Rarity feel uncomfortable, so she gulped. “But don’t worry, darling, these won’t hurt you.”
After a short silence, Rainbow groaned and threw her puppet away. “I can’t do it.”
“Can’t even do a simple puppet?” Applejack mocked her.
“Who cares about making puppets?” Rainbow said and stood up. “I’m a commander, a warrior! I should be fighting instead!”
“Now’s not the time to be at war, darling.”
“Maybe not, but you know what time it is?” Rainbow asked, then raised her hoof in the air. “Storytimes!”
“No way!” Amber exclaimed. “And you did that by yourself?”
“Oh yeah, I did,” Rainbow grinned.
“Something tells me Private Fluttershy took an equally important part in it,” Applejack intervened, looking up from her puppet.
“No, she didn’t. Right, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy lowered her head, drawing circles on the ground with her hoof. “Um… well…”
“Oh come on,” Applejack groaned, “you can’t just use her shyness to portray yourself as the only hero!”
“Yes, I can!”
“Girls, don’t forget about your puppets,” Pinkie interrupted them. “How is your progress, Amber?”
“Almost finished!” Amber held her puppet up in the air. “I just need to finish her dress.”
“Great job! Keep it up!”
Pinkie smiled. Amber was here. She was still here! All the preparation finally paid off!
It took a load off Pinkie’s mind.
Three years ago she had found Amber in a dark alley, and only because she noticed how the wind from there seemed to be much colder. Once she led her to Sugarcube Corner, Amber realised that she had died before and ran away. No matter how fast Pinkie followed, once the snow blinded her, the filly was gone.
The next year, she and the Cakes prepared everything to appear like in the past—but as she had told her friends, Amber quickly figured out her past too. Was it the Cake’s lack of reaction upon seeing her, Pinkie not having been careful enough with being historically accurate, or something else, she didn’t know.
This year, she had to stake everything on one card.
And it paid off.
Amber was happy, celebrating Hearth’s Warming with them.
Finally! Finally, after all these years and worries, she managed to change the fate of a lost soul!
“Hey, Chancellor Pinkie,” Twilight ripped her from her thoughts. “Got any games afterwards?”
“Always!”
“And that’s how Equestria was founded,” Twilight finished the story.
“Wow,” Amber replied. “So beautiful.”
“Indeed it is,” Twilight said. “And that’s why we gathered here together. Hopefully, Hearth’s Warming will become a common holiday celebrated by everypony, across all of Equestria.”
“I hope it too. It was amazing with all of you!”
“Oh dear, look at the time,” Rarity said. “Thanks for the gathering, but I shall return to my castle.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, but couldn’t say anything.
“As for you, young filly,” Rarity continued, “I bestow you, as it shall become tradition, a gift. No, not your new outfit, as it already belongs to you, but something I want you to hold dear to yourself. A necklace to keep this Hearth’s Warming always in your memory.” Rarity took off her necklace and gave it to her. “Here. Take it.”
“But… I can’t,” Amber stuttered, getting red on her face. “We’re too poor for it.”
“Hogwash, it’s all yours! See this stone? It’s an amber, called just like you.”
One by one, they said their goodbyes and gave little presents to Amber, who went red by the amount of gifts. One could see that she wasn’t used to having this many possessions—or having someone be so nice and caring for her.
But it was worth it. Pinkie glanced at the clock. Almost midnight. Almost a new year. Maybe they should start making the new year its own celebration? Anyway, first she had to stay with Amber. Maybe by this time, she would be freed from her cruel fate of reliving her death by freezing.
“What about you?” Twilight asked her.
Pinkie looked around. Amber and she were the only guests left.
“I’d like to stay,” Pinkie replied and turned to Amber. “I found you, so I’d like to take care of you.”
Amber smiled, tears filling up her eyes.
“Why are you—”
Before Pinkie could finish her sentence, Amber hugged her and began to sob. Not sure what was happening, Pinkie hugged her back.
“Thank you,” Amber said. “Thank you for saving me.”
“Please, it was the least I could do.”
“No, you did… much more.” Heavy breathing interrupted her sentences. “Chancellor… Pinkie… Hehe. I may not… not know who’s the Princess… or the Commander… but I… I know our Chancellor Puddinghead.”
Chills ran down Pinkie’s spine. It couldn’t be. She made a mistake! Of course an Earth pony would know their Chancellor by their name!
“But… but it doesn’t matter.”
Pinkie held her breath. She couldn’t do anything but wait.
Amber stepped back, her sobbing having calmed down. “I can think what happened to me. But it doesn’t matter anymore.”
She smiled. Her eyes shined with light and warmth, happiness written all over her face. “You saved me, Pinkie. You showed me Hearth’s Warming. You and your friends… You showed me love and friendship.”
Amber went to the door and opened it. A warm breeze blew into the room.
“Now I can be with grandma.”
She left and closed the door behind. Twilight ran to it and opened it back, but Pinkie knew that she wouldn’t find the filly anymore.
A tear rolled down Pinkie’s cheek. A tear from happiness and relief.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Amber,” she said.
