A chilling breeze swept through Ponyville. It was nearing winter and the pegasi were working hard to make sure it came just as it had every year. The average temperature was quite low but the breeze was what made it unbearable. Even a pony's natural coat was not enough to prevent a shiver from coming on. That kind of temperature made some ponies wonder if windigoes had made a return, or rather if anypony had been stirring up arguments of late.
Except for that small amount of wind, it was a clear and beautiful day. Perhaps that was what lured Dusk Shine into a rare outside reading session. He was laying in the plush grass beneath one of Ponyville's park trees. The leaves rarely fell without a helping hoof but an occasional orange or red one fell nonetheless. The well-read stallion had to brush off just such a leaf that had taken the fancy to fall on the page of a book he was reading.
The subject of the day was Thermodynamic Principles and Applications by Neutron. It was a fascinating subject and a welcome change of pace from the project management texts he had recently finished. Neutron was certainly a genius but Dusk Shine couldn't ignore the personal undertones that clearly affected his proposals for the various applications of his principles. Still, the scientific knowledge was very important if he wished to improve his magical abilities. After all, unicorn magic was not some mystical panacea for life. It took hard work to learn and use magic. If things like project management and general organization were his hobbies then magical research was his job. "Obsession" was entirely the wrong term to use.
A cool breeze blew by and threatened to turn the book's pages faster than Dusk Shine could read them. He placed a purple hoof between the pages to keep his place. At the same time the movement made him realize something. The breeze was chilly.
Even with his natural coat and two-toned purple scarf the wind was still giving him a shiver. Deciding that it would not at all be enjoyable to weather winter with a cold, he bookmarked his position and closed the book. So much for the literary foray into nature. He was trying to break old habits of holding up for days in a closed room while doing nothing but reading books. The book reading part didn't change much but the location did. At the very least, reading outside gave his friends the extra easy opportunity to interrupt his concentration and pull him into one of their crazy dilemmas. He couldn't dislike them for it, though. Dusk Shine had learned too much about friendship to consider it a bad thing and, in fact, enjoyed doing things together with his friends. Another draft swept by.
It must have been that breeze that was keeping most ponies indoors today. Dusk Shine had noted earlier the lack of other ponies and noted it again as he was getting up from his now warm spot in the grass. A new chill came on as his underbelly was now exposed to the cool air. He didn't want to think how cold it might be this year if it was so chill already. He could only hope that Barb had prepared the fireplace. It wasn't very wise to have a real fireplace in a library and much less one that was essentially a tree. Therefore, it was more prudent to use a magical fireplace as an extra source of warmth during cold times. All it took was a simple box of some sturdy material, such as metal or even porcelain.
It was going to take more than an indoor enclosure to remove the shivers he was getting. A book, blanket, and fire sounded particularly good to him now that his mind was on the freeze. He was graced one last time by the breeze before finally escaping safely into the library. The temperature changed only a little in the upwards direction and a makeshift fireplace box was set squarely in the center of the main room. Barb was curled up in front of it under several layers of blankets. She seemed to be asleep and Dusk Shine hoped it wasn't from the cold. He'd feel bad if Barb had shivered herself to sleep while he went out to do even more reading. It was a possible oversight he promised not to make in the future.
Dusk Shine levitated the Physics book to the floor near the fireplace box. Finding some additional pillows and sheets, he piled them beside the book. With a very small level of effort, his horn glowed with a purple swirl and a green fire poofed into existence within the box. Warmth immediately started radiating from it in a very controlled fashion. There was nothing quite like a cozy reading session according to his own logic. The Prince didn't expect a friendship letter every day so he figured today could just be a write-off.
Barb made a small squeak as she slept. Dusk Shine smiled at the little dragon as she mumbled in her sleep. She said something to the effect of being Elusive's number one fan. The purple stallion laid down in his own pile of sheets and opened the book again. The fire cast a soft glow on the pages. Somehow it felt familiar...almost nostalgic. The feeling made Dusk Shine pause before he continued reading from the paragraph he left off on.
Nostalgia was usually frustrating for him. It destroyed one's ability to focus while remaining ambiguous and without use. Unfortunately, it was also intriguing. After some thought and resting his hoof on the spot he meant to start reading at, Dusk Shine started to remember.
The feel of soft sheets were warm only from what little body heat could battle the fierce cold of winter. The glow of a flame from the fireplace made the colors of the room seem surreal. There was a voice...gentle... drowsy...
Somepony that had been through more winters...more Hearth's Warmings...
· · · · ·
It was that special holiday and the pony with the drowsy voice was Gleaming Shield. She had woken up at Dusk Shine's overeager beckoning. It was Hearth's Warming, after all, and the young foal had no patience to spare. There were presents to be opened. Nevermind categorizing and organizing them by size and shape - he had done that the moment he had gotten up. The presents were always stacked messily under the tree and he never understood why that was such a standard.
Gleaming was certainly looking forward to the day ahead but her excitement was nowhere near comparable to her little brother's. She just gave half-awake mumbles as Dusk Shine managed, by some supernatural strength, to drag her out of bed. Thump.
Gleaming's head pounded. Her head had hit the floor when Dusk Shine dragged her out of her cozy sanctuary. Still, she couldn't hate him for it. Somehow, the beaming look on his face was more enjoyable than the presents she undoubtedly would get. Maybe it was the kind of feeling only older siblings ever got to experience.
The purple foal almost bounced back into the living room. The sun was barely a glow on the horizon, so the room was lit mostly by the twinkling colors of the tree lights and the soft glow of their fireplace. Beneath the branches laid an orderly assortment of wrapped gifts. They were so orderly, in fact, that they might have been mistaken for a choir of ponies lined neatly in rows based on height. It was truly scientific in appearance.
"Happy Hearth's Warming," Gleaming Shield moaned groggily as she dragged her hooves into the room. Everything seemed hazy to her. Either it was the sudden awakening, bump on the head, or the surreal glow cast by room's peculiar lighting. Dusk Shine was a blur for all she knew. He was moving so fast in front of the presents...was he trying to give a hypothesis as to what item was contained within each one? She never caught any of it - at least not in intelligible words. Her hearing was as half-asleep as she still was.
Dusk Shine might have been quick to books and slow to friends but it was hardly obvious when he was around his sister. There was hardly a time when they didn't have fun together. Gleaming's heart swelled when her hearing cleared up in time to catch her brother's next statement. He was pointing excitedly to one of the largest presents. It was addressed to her and it was from the little purple unicorn himself.
It was probably some self-made present. He liked to read how-to books and then make things for her. He considered "book sis" to be perfection incarnate. While his grammar had improved lately, those remained his two favorite things. Well...besides Hearth's Warming. Just about any young foal would consider this holiday to be the most important time of the year. Their very world revolved around it.
Suddenly, Gleaming's eyes widened. She sat there before the tree now fully awake by way of a miniature panic attack. Did she send off that present to Prince Tempo?! She darted back to her room and found the gift missing from its place. She had sent it off. A heavy sigh of relief bled through the house and Dusk Shine peered back into his sister's room, not knowing what the fuss was about.
There was another present sitting in her room, however. It was her own gift to her little brother and this, of course, did not escape his attention. Gleaming levitated the gift up out of his reach with some simple magic and floated it into the living room to join the others. It was swept up as fast as lightning when it hit the floor. Dusk Shine used his own magic to situate the gift in its proper categorical place. She didn't know it but the system he was organizing by had put her gift in the most important place.
Gleaming Shield smiled as the sun started to take more of the horizon. Her brother was already capable of quite a lot of magic for his age. Silently, she was relieved to have Tempo as his foalsitter. There was hardly anypony else that she could trust him to - even if it was more their parents' decision.
Dusk Shine turned towards the house's other remaining bedroom. He wanted so badly to wake the parents up and start the day in full. He was stopped only by the magic of his older sister. "We should let them sleep a bit longer..." she explained.
"Bu-" he started to complain.
His sister was skillful in redirecting the young one's attention, however. "We can play a game until it's time. How about Go Fish?"
"Oh oh!" he bounced around, totally forgetting his unspoken argument. "Chess!"
Gleaming Shield groaned inside. Dusk Shine was far too intelligent for his age. Most ponies praised such early and advanced learning...but chess? He beat her every time.
As luck had it, he beat her this time as well.
· · · · ·
Dusk Shine opened his eyes again. The recollection had been very stark. It had to have been some sort of unintentional magic that unicorns occasionally encountered. He recalled having at least one book on just such a topic. Still...
They had a magical fireplace warming the room - the room from his memories. It was not, however, what the current fireplace reminded him of. Rather, it was the soft glow of those tree lights. Neither did the soft and warm sheets remind him of his old bed. They reminded him of the life he had back as a foal - spending every Hearth's Warming with his loving family.
He didn't mean to do it but a tear fell down and created a dot on the blanket below him.
This coming Hearth's Warming wouldn't be spent with his family. The Prince ordered him to remain in Ponyville for the holiday and he didn't know why at first. The realization came later when he was able to think more logically about it. It was the same reason he had been sent to Ponyville in the first place. The Prince wanted him to experience friendship. But why did that take priority over spending the holiday with family? At the very least, he wanted to have just one Hearth's Warming with his new brother-in-law. There was no way in Equestria that he didn't wanted to spend the holiday with his now expanded family.
A knock on the front door interrupted Dusk Shine's thoughts. He begrudgingly got up from his warm spot for the second time. He had no clue who could be at the door since his friends were all supposedly wrapped up in important matters. Barb stirred in her sleep but did not fully awaken.
The purple unicorn got a surprise when he opened the door but, of course, Bubble Berry had a knack for surprises. The pink pony practically shot into the library. Whatever sleep Barb might have still gotten was effectively smashed. The small dragon leapt from the sheets with a "who" and a "huh."
Perhaps what surprised Dusk Shine more was the fact that Butterscotch was also there. He entered with a quiet "excuse the intrusion."
"What are you two doing here?" the unicorn gave a quizzical look as he shut the door. Barb calmed back down when she saw who was around her. In fact, she huddled up again closer to the fireplace box and murmured a "too cold for this."
The pink stallion was the first to answer. "Butterscotch decided to come over to your house even though he has all the hibernating animals to take care of because he noticed you were acting odd lately even though it's getting close to Hearth's Warming when you should be all excited because-"
"Bubble Berry," Dusk Shine tried.
"-Hearth's Warming is like one of the best parties ever well at least if you do it right and I saw him going to your library while I was going to pick up streamers and-"
"Bubble Berry," Dusk Shine tried again.
"-I just knew I had to go with him because I thought it would be just horrible if you were feeling horrible and I can't stand for one of my bestest friends to be all down when he should be feeling up and-"
Butterscotch laid a hoof on Bubble Berry's shoulder.
"-that's why were here," the party pony finally finished.
"Do I really look that miserable?" Dusk Shine asked flatly.
Butterscotch miraculously managed to answer before the pink stallion could, "Well...um...no...not really...it's just that, well...it seems something has been on your mind. Ever since Prince Solaris ordered you to stay, that is. I mean, over Hearth's Warming, that is..."
Now Dusk Shine gave an even more confused look. "How did you know about that?"
Barb coughed and the room gained an awkward silence.
"I know it can be hard to be away from the people you're used to but a party is only what you want it to be," Bubble Berry broke the silence.
"I wouldn't necessarily call Hearth's Warming a party," Dusk Shine gave a lopsided expression.
"We'll always be there for you, Shine. Well...if you want us to be..." Butterscotch tried to encourage his friend.
The unicorn faintly smiled in return. "I already know I can count on you guys and I appreciate the sentiment. Really."
"We'll make sure you have the bestest Hearth's Warming ever!" Bubble Berry started to bounce around again. "Better than any you've ever had!"
The other two stallions nodded to each other. Dusk Shine's friends went out of their way, amongst busy schedules, just to tell him that he was looking down and that he shouldn't worry. He supposed it was partly true but it was very comforting nonetheless to know his friends were so considerate. The yellow and pink stallions had pressing matter of their own so they couldn't stay for any kind of refreshment or chit chat. They were out just as soon as they had come.
Barb started snoring as she laid sprawled before the fireplace box and, again, Dusk Shine began to think. Maybe he was getting discouraged because he wanted a past he could never go back to. Even without his loving family, he had five awesome friends that cared about him just as much. Perhaps the coming holiday had made him forget that.
He vowed to have Barb send a letter to the Prince when she awoke from her nap. It would detail the importance of friendship...particularly around the holidays...
· · · · ·
It was the next day that Dusk Shine received a letter back from the Prince. It was a response to the recent letter he had sent off. The contents surprised him.
To my faithful student Dusk Shine,
I'm pleased that you've come to this conclusion so quickly. You truly are a gifted pony in more things than magic. I would like you to adhere to my previous order and remain in Ponyville so that you may celebrate Hearth's Warming with your friends. However, I've informed your immediate family of your position. They may decide to visit you sometime on the day of question.
Your mentor,
Prince Solaris of Equestria
Dusk Shine took a walk after reading the message. Snow was finding its resting place across the town but, somehow, the breeze wasn't quite so cold anymore...
