The Best One Ever
* * * * *
“Shh!”
“C’mon Twilie...we’re not gonna wake Mom and Dad up this far from their room.”
“You said that last time and we got caught!” The floorboard of the Sparkle home creaked loudly as a young colt put his weight down on a step, snapping the two foals into shocked silence in the near pitch black of early morning. Freezing in place, the two dared not even breathe for a solid three minutes, waiting breathless for any movement through the slumbering home.
“Phew...” the purple unicorn whispered. “Now come on, silly, we’re gonna get caught if we make any more of a racket.” Each step was taken with extensive care, fearful of any misplaced weight alerting their sleeping parents. Yet, all the while, the smaller unicorn lectured the larger white unicorn colt in a sharp whisper.
“Shinie, we got caught last time because you tripped over the train set. And we got sent back to bed.” They reached the bottom of the stairs, approaching the glowing embrace of a brightly lit room. The verbal punishing continued. “And if we’re caught again, mom and dad are gonna...”
The lecture came to an abrupt halt as the two foals rounded the corner.
“HEARTH’S WARMING IS HERE! IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE! IT’S HERE!” the purple filly squealed at the top of her lungs, rousing her house and the neighbor’s as well. “THIS IS THE BEST HEARTH’S WARMING DAY EVER!”
* * * * *
“Sorry ma’am,” a dour-faced earth pony behind the Ponyville Station’s ticket window nickered. “But an avalanche has the rail line up to Canterlot totally blocked.”
“But...!” his customer, a purple unicorn with a brilliant streak of color through her mane bleated. “I need to be in Canterlot by Hearth’s Warming! My schedule is going to be...I’m going to miss my family for...”
“Really sorry, Miss Sparkle,” the ticket pony said with a sympathetic nod. “Lotta folks are stuck because of it, but it’ll be cleared soon. You’ll just have to make do, I’m afraid.” Seeing the unicorn’s head lower in a frustrated sigh, the ticket taker offered a final, “happy Hearth’s Warming,” before the ticket window snapped closed before her. For her part, Twilight Sparkle was utterly stunned. Not only was she stranded away from her family on Hearth’s Warming, not only was her carefully-drawn itinerary in tatters but she now had the dizzying prospect of managing such a large holiday alone. The final thought struck hard as she turned to leave the train office and her eyes fell on a small dragon kicking through the snow. His welcoming smile melted into one of concern when he saw Twilight’s crestfallen expression.
“Uh, what’s wrong, Twilight?” Spike asked, trying to play the disappointed look of his friend off easily. “Bad seats or something?”
“How about no seats? The whole line is buried, Spike.” Her baby dragon assistant pursed his lips, slowly taking in the unhappy news.
“So no comfy train ride to Canterlot?”
“Nope.”
“No royal suite in the palace with your family?”
“Nope.”
“No complimentary bathrobes provided...”
“The robes never fit anyway, Spike.”
“Not exactly my point. So instead of these things, we will be...?”
Twilight sighed heavily, the sound alone saying that she had no idea. It was the night before Hearth’s Warming, there was little to do and Ponyville was already nearly shut down as the last errands before the night were finished. Stores shut early and very few townsponies roamed the streets, the comforts of warmth and holiday. “I’ve never actually had to do Hearth’s Warming before, Spike. I was always the one enjoying it,” Twilight explained as they rounded a bend towards the Ponyville Library. “This would be my first. So I really...don’t....” Twilight paused mid-complaint when she saw Spike looking at her. A distant part of her realized that Spike, still young, had no idea of them beyond the great events with her family in the past. Spike had been just as much a part of the family ever since Twilight hatched him. And now he looked upon her for better news. “But,” Twilight shook her mane. “That doesn’t mean I can’t try to make something. How hard could it be? My dad did it all the time!”
* * * * *
“Ow!” A full-face wall of pine needles shanked devilishly into Twilight’s face.
“Go left, Twilight!” Part of the wall yelled complex and confusion directions to her, mimicking Spike’s voice perfectly.
“OW!”
“No! Not YOUR left, MY left!”
“WUAAGHH!” Below her, solid footing gave way to a dangerous fall as she struggled up the two steps into the library. With a final heave of shoulder, aided by no subtle amount of magic, the tree shunted into the library, gracing the immaculate floor with a fiesta of needles. While the battle with the library door had ended, the new struggle arose as the unicorn and dragon attempted to dance the unwieldy fir into a small metal stand. The tree slid left and the stand slid right, the distance growing.
From her perspective, Twilight wrestled with a beast of immense size, and it had no way to get more than a passing glance at its destination before being lost in a sea of spiky and remarkably aggressive needles that shredded into her eyes, face and to such depths of her nose that Twilight was not aware of their existence to this point.
With a final thump, Twilight set the tree into the stand and wiped her brow. “Phew! At last, I don’t think I ever dealt with a Hearth’s Warming tree that big and branchy before!”
“Uh...Twilight.”
The tree barely reached Twilight’s horn. And the few scraggly branches betrayed its state of ‘last tree for sale on Hearth’s Warming Eve.’ Twenty minutes to get in in the door, twenty more to get it stood up.
One of the branches snapped off, joining the mess of needles on the floor.
“See?” Twilight groaned, trying to hide her discouragement. No problem! “
The tree drooped.
“Best...tree...ever...” she repeated, without much conviction.
* * * * *
“Wooow daddy! This one has got to be the best tree ever!”
“Well, only because I have the best helper in the world, Twilie,” the purple unicorn’s father beamed as the fifteenth box of ornaments opened up to slide onto the tree. “What do you think about putting these here this year?”
* * * * *
Hearth’s Warming morning pulled light into the library. Without any ornaments, the scraggly tree only had the pale light of dawn to bring any kind of cheer to the home. From her loft, Twilight gazed glumly down at her ad-hoc Hearth’s Warming tree. It really was nothing more than a sapling. The library had no decorations, she never thought to buy any in the past, but Spike had woven some old scrolls across it in an attempt to bring some festivity to it.
Groaning, the purple unicorn rolled awake with a heavy heart. She was supposed to be in Canterlot. She was supposed to be surrounded by her family. She was supposed to be tearing up the gifts left under the Royal Hearth’s Warming tree like a filly with her brother, a decorated Captain who would be just as eager. Instead, she stared up at the cold dark ceiling on a Hearth’s Warming morning so early that she forgot she used to be up hours before then. There was no spark this morning. She couldn’t even think of what to do today other than work.
Turning, Twilight watched the dragon slumbering in his basket, realizing for the first time that this was the first time she was the most responsible one for the holiday cheer. Every year up to then it was either her parents, or Celestia in her palace that did all the work. But now that she stared it down herself, she had no idea what to do. Everything in the past was so simple; just needed to wake up and everything was handled. Hearth’s Warming was provided by smiling parents.
Rubbing her forehead, Twilight racked her brain, dredging through memories of what her parents did, hoping to find some kind of guidance or tradition that would fix everything.
What did Mom and Dad do when they were up?
Despite all her straining, Twilight found only two solid memories. The largest were of stunning Hearth’s warming trees, hung by her family or the Royal Tree Decorators. The other...was the smell of bread.
Bread?
* * * * *
“Mister and Miss Sparkle? What are you here for? It’s Hearth’s Warming!”
“So sorry to invade the Royal Kitchen, Princess Celestia! But it’s tradition to bake bread on the morning. How many loaves are we making this time, hun?”
“Well, gotta make one for the Princesses, that’s for sure. And I know Shining Armor’s guard friends love it, so that’s at least three more.”
Princess Celestia stood, eyebrow raised incredulously as the two unicorns, her guard captain’s parents, rushed through the Royal Kitchen, looting it for flour, salt and every other supply as if they knew it like the backs of their hooves. They needed no recipe, they knew it by heart. They just needed a reason and recipients.
* * * * *
“Okay...no problem!” Twilight muttered as she unsteadily balanced the cookbook above the library’s tiny kitchen. For a unicorn who rarely cooked more than a sandwich, baking bread seemed an act of magic beyond any spellbook. Flour and salt floated in individual packets of purple magic, mixing in erratic and unconfident swirls.
How the hay did they remember all of these without needing a book?!
As minutes turned into a pair of hours, the weak sunlight gained strength, bathing the library in a tepid and nervous light. The kitchen, too, had grown into a full-blown disaster as each failed loaf was tossed aside, ingredients dumped as a scatterbrained novice baker tried to keep pace. However, coated in flour, Twilight squealed as the timer rang out and she hesitantly opened the oven door. Like handling some delicate piece of art, Twilight lifted her first loaf of bread onto a cooling rack. It wasn’t pretty, with a decided sag on one end, but the smell was perfect.
“Maybe not the party, but...” Twilight whispered, pausing to draw the scent in and savor the rush of memories it brought back. “It’s not bad.” Retiring to her favorite couch with a slice, the unicorn ate in appreciate silence before more thoughts rose. It was never just one loaf for the Sparkles. It was loaves for everypony in the neighborhood, or the castle.
An idea began to grow as Twilight finished her bread. She had plenty of ingredients left, and more than a handful of ponies who could be suprised. She paused only to pen a short note to leave with the sleeping dragon before returning to the kitchen.
Spike,
I’m off on a Sparkle family tradition. Help yourself to the bread and the turquoise I got for you. Sorry, but you know how I am with gift wrapping. I hid it in the Pony Romance shelf. Happy Hearth’s Warming.
Twilight
* * * * *
“Twilight!” The pink earth pony was delighted. “Hey! Happy Hearth’s Warming! Didja come to sing carols? But carols are usually for the night. Didja come here to bring presents? Hey why ARE you here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be in Canterlot?”
“Well, yeah I was Pinkie. Avalanche thought I’d be better off here.” Twilight explained as her friend bounced tight circles around her. Beyond her, inside Sugarcube Corner, the Cake family waved warmly. “I thought you’d be home too?”
“Well, we never really did anything for Hearth’s Warming. Besides, I got to make sure that the babies are as super duper excited as I am!” She smiled with an inordinately pleased beam. Behind Pinkie, the two Cake foals delightedly rolled through torn up wrapping paper, still too young to appreciate the toys, but amazed with the color, festivity and Pinkie’s infectious energy. “Hey! What’s that smell?”
Twilight smiled sheepishly and opened up her saddlebag. Wrapped in a slipshod mass of paper was one of her loaves of bread. “It’s a family tradition that I learned from my parents. We always deliver bread to our friends in the morning.” The unicorn felt a small shine of pride as the wrapping came off and its wafting, still-warm, scent drew the attention of even the clearly ‘up far too early’ Cake parents.
“But we don’t have anything for you, Twilight!” Mrs. Cake protested. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure, just enjoy it,” she said, more memories of her father adamantly refusing any counter-gifting that his bread drew. “That’s the fun of it all! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” As she turned and closed the door behind her, the sound of Pinkie, Pound and Pumpkin’s delighted holiday squeals resumed, reminding her of the cries she and her brother shared when they dug through the parties.
* * * * *
“Oh it’s so nice when you both can get home,” Twilight’s mother sighed blissfully as her two children rested around the family’s Hearth’s Warming tree. “Between your Ponyville work and Shining Armor’s work at the castle, we almost never get together as a family!”
“”That’s true, hon,” her father added, looping a foreleg around her as they watched their two children with undisguised pride and affection. “But when we do get these chances, they are all the better.”
* * * * *
Twilight’s next stop was a home a few blocks from Carousel Boutique. She heard her destination long before she even reached the door when a piercing wail of undiffused bliss snapped through the chilly morning stillness. Rarity’s home.
The piercing cry belonged to Sweetie Belle, who Twilight spotted through a frosty window, rolling on the floor in abject delight, clutching a plush Sapphire Shores. Faintly beneath the filly’s cries, the singing doll could be heard. Twilight respectfully waited until it had died down before she knocked on the door with a hoof, holding another wrapped loaf of bread snugly in the other. Putting on her best smile, Twilight began her explanation as soon as the door opened.
“Oh that is simply dreadful, darling!” Rarity cooed sympathetically as she ushered her friend in. Beyond the main room. “And you and Spike are all alone this Hearth’s Warming? That’s simply dreadful to be without your family!”
As Rarity tried to foist a cup of tea in front of Twilight, the purple unicorn looked over to see Rarity’s sister and parents looking on sympathetically. Despite their closeness, Rarity’s parents were always away from town, leaving her to care for Sweetie Belle most of the time. The family had love to spare, but it rarely could be focused with all of them in the same place. Of all present, Sweetie Belle was by far the happiest, even without the Sapphire Shores doll.
“But darling, you and Spike have nowhere to go this year! I insist you come here at once!” Rarity insisted, breaking Twilight from her reverie.
“Oh, I can’t. Not with your family here, Rarity,” Twilight smiled, sliding her bread across the table with a surge of magic that sent a waft of fresh-baked smell through the home. “Happy Hearth’s Warming, everypony!” Twilight called out as a volley of well-wishes hit her from behind.
* * * * *
Twilight’s father let out a small chuckle. “What do you mean sweets?”
“Dad, you know what I mean.” His daughter circled around with another bag of Royal Canterlot Flour. “I mean, I know it’s tradition to make a mess and bread for all our neighbors, but this is the palace! How are we gonna make bread for everypony? We gotta have a plan!”
“Oh, don’t you worry, your dad’s always got a plan.” His grin was indomitable. “If we run out, we make more. Hearth’s Warming shouldn’t go off perfectly anyway. It always works out that way, but isn’t because I planned it out, y’know.”
* * * * *
From the gate of Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight froze, fearing that she was entering something far darker. Applejack had always been proud that her home was the family gathering point of choice, and bragged of the boisterousness of her family, but from a distance, it sounded like an outright war going on in the house. Dozens of voices fought for dominance with increasing intensity and volume, though they regularly diffused and filtered down in laughter for a moment before starting over to rise menacingly again. Outside the door, Twilight hesitated, when the voices rose, it sounded like it was mere seconds away from spilling out into the yard to be settled more directly. Waiting until a lull in the voices, Twilight gingerly knocked the door.
With a cringe, Twilight heard the arguments rise sharply moments after he knock, and after a long pause, the door swung open, revealing a face that was equal parts laughter and irate irritation.
“Now I’ll deal with yer crazy thoughts jus’ as soon as I-TWI!” Applejack immediately brightened on seeing her friend. “Thank Celestia ya’ll are here, yew were just the smart, reasonable-minded pony that we need in this house!” Before she could speak, offer the bread or make some excuse not to become embroiled in a family war, Twilight was tugged into the ranchhouse. Inside was madness; Applejack always had a huge family, but to see it amassed in a single place was a marvel of pony-packing. The fillies and colts held position around a robust tree, small pockets of children crouched behind furniture as full-scale war of toy apples and foam darts filled the room. But Twilight only had a passing view of this battle before being led into the main dining room around which crowded a dozen members of the Apple family, all engaged in vicious argument.
“You are out of your harness if that makes any sense!” a voice called, followed by a hoof slamming down. “Braeburn makes the better case!”
“My hoof he does!” The voice of dissent followed. “How does a wheel being ‘fast’ even make SENSE?!”
Just as the absurdity of the argument drew to a climax, Twilight noticed the opened card game on the dining room table, and the family members all clutching cards. Leaping upon her seat, Applejack raised a hoof.
“Now if ya’ll are done hooting and hollering, I managed to bring in an expert on all things smart.” Applejack grinned down at Twilight. “An’ I know she can sort this whole game out WISELY.” The purple unicorn felt a growing sense of being guilted into something.
“What?!” Braeburn protested. “That ain’t fair, cousin! No outside experts!”
“My house!”
“I just wanted to drop off some-” Twilight attempted to explain.
“Shh! Twi, I’m about to win here and ya’ll are messin’ it up!”
Before she knew it, Twilight stood as arbitrator for the most bizarre of games. Members of the Apple family presented cards with random words or ideas or famous names of Equestria, arguing how closely they matched an adjective. And the ultimate case stood before her:
What is more representative of ‘Fast’? Spitfire or Wheels? Arguments and cross-examinations flew until Twilight meekly made her opinion. “We-well, I’d say Spitfire, since she can actually move fas-”
“HA!” Applejack crowed. “Told ya, Braeburn. Lucky for ya’ll, my friend brought her booksmarts for Hearth’s Warming. Say...why are ya’ll here anyway, Twi?” Happy to finally speak, Twilight managed to offer up the bread and her meek well-wishes, only to be assaulted by the Apple family style of holiday cheer. For nearly an hour,Twilight was bustled around for hugs, hoofbumps and impromptu stints of taking board game turns for absentee family members. The experience was dizzying, like being thrown into a roller coaster of familial warmth. It didn’t matter she was not part of the bloodline, she was welcomed just as if she were one of their own. The only regret the purple unicorn had was that she only brought one loaf of bread, and as she finally made her way clear of the steamy warmth, she noticed that it had been opened and every last crumb devoured already.
* * * * *
“Oh come on, mom,” Twilight laughed. “You can’t be telling me you don’t have a recipe for the family bread! You do it so perfectly every year. It’s always the same!”
“Nyyyope, sorry Twilight but it’s the truth,” her mother giggled as she made another scoop of flour into the bowl. She paused only long enough to gaze at the cup and shrug. “Close enough.” Turning her attention back to her daughter, she smiled. “It’s not about baking the perfect recipe anyway, perfect is what you make of it, sweetheart.”
* * * * *
The approach to Fluttershy’s cottage was a stark contrast to the wild hooplah that covered the farm. The only sign of any life at all was a single burning light in the window. But what really drew Twilight’s attention were the trees and fence lines. All around the cottage, everything was wrapped and lovingly presented in delicate and exquisite decoration. Even out in the middle of nowhere, where nopony would normally roam, the cottage was done up brilliantly. It was not as showy as the blazing light shows that ringed Ponyville every year. These decorations were not done for display, but out of a love for the season.
Still many haunches away, Twilight stopped short as the door to the cottage swung open, revealing a cerulean pegasus’ confused expression.
“Twilight?”
“Rainbow Dash?”
“What are you doing here?” they asked in concert.
Moments later, Rainbow Dash spoke in between chewing mouthfuls of bread. Snug in the cottage, Twilight savored a chance to warm up after a long walk through the cold while Fluttershy busied herself with fresh cups of tea and occasional bits of fussing over snow in Twilight’s mane and the foolishness of walking out in the cold without a scarf.
“Yeah, Fluttershy and my families always got together for Hearth’s Warming. This year, we were all supposed to meet up in Cloudsdale, but the same storm that probably blocked the train left us here. It’s not a big deal,” the cerulean pegasus explained before wolfing down another hunk of Twilight's bread. “We’ve done this before. I think Fluttershy likes it this way, she loves her family and all, but when our families get together, well.” The pegasus smiled. “Well, things get crazy and we start trying to out-stunt one another. It’s all in good fun, but Fluttershy just isn’t into it. She prefers the quiet of Ponyville.”
“Oh yes,” the yellow pegasus finally spoke, seemingly content with every little detail of her guests’ comfort. “I love my family, but I’m just happier here. They are okay with it, once their party is over, they always come here. I’m so sorry that you are mis-”
“Tut!” Rainbow Dash tapped a hoof on Fluttershy’s nose before she could finish, crunchingf a bit of bread against her muzzle. “I told you already, Fluttershy, I’m fine. Those guys couldn’t even hang with me anyway. And nopony ought to be alone on Hearth’s Warming.” Twilight looked up to see Fluttershy letting out a giggle that was half-apology, half-thankful and all-shyness and felt a certain sentiment. This Hearth’s Warming did not match any of her memories, she never had to deal with a Hearth’s Warming like this, but right in front of her, two close friends were making it work. They gave up for one another and that’s all that mattered.
“Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I better get back to-”
“Not without us!” Rainbow Dash grinned, bounding off her seat and hauling the yellow pegasus with her. “You heard me, nopony needs to be alone, so we’re adding you to OUR Hearth’s Warming.” The cerulean pegasus spoke with the same matter-of-fact tone that made it abundantly clear to Twilight that she had no choice in this matter. If she was to be so brazen as to bring her traditions of friendship to theirs, by Celestia she is going to be smothered in affection, too!
* * * * *
“Why did ya end up baking BREAD anyway? Seems weird for Hearth’s Warming.” Rainbow Dash pressed as the trio crunched through a layer of fresh snow. Twilight’s rounds around Ponyville had taken the better part of the morning and afternoon had settled in firmly by the time they rounded around towards the library.
“I don’t really know. It’s something my dad did and I just wanted to bring that little bit of the season back. Since I couldn’t do anything else, and I messed up the tree.” Twilight sighed. “And I left Spike asleep, he’s probably been wondering where I’ve been for hours by now.” The weight of responsibility hung on the unicorn again. “I never thought actually running Hearth’s Warming...rather than just letting it happen...would be so hard.” For the first time, Twilight realized just how exhausted she was. She was up early, baking, running through Ponyville and swooping through celebrations and parties trying to settle on a single landing place before ending up back home. Her eyes lidded and Twilight fought the pang of sadness of knowing that waiting for her was a cold library and tawdry tree, not to mention having to console her friend and assistant while swallowing her own loneliness.
“Twilight!” Spike’s voice was far more excited than she expected.
“Spike?” looking up, she saw the purple hatchling running towards her. Without saying anything else, he threw his arms around her neck, nearly bowling her over in a hug. “Woah! What happened?”
“Well, your whole plan happened!” he beamed.
“My...plan?”
“Yeah!” Spike’s enthusiasm grew and grew. “I don’t know how you did it, but a little while ago, everypony just started showing up to wish you a happy Hearth’s Warming, but you weren’t here so they decided to help make the library a little nicer, and now Pinkie is bringing in stuff from the Cakes’ place!” His words spilled out at a rapid fire pace, each one feeding the speed of the next. “And check this out! Rarity brought me this new necklace that matched the gem I gave her a while back, cool, huh?”
“Uh yeah...” Twilight stammered, looking past the dragon to the open door to the library as several heads poked out, Pinkie and Rarity each squealing as the guest of honor finally returned. “But I never...”
She never planned any of this! She just tried to do what her family did in the past! It wasn’t a plan to make Hearth’s Warming special. But...
Twilight sniffed once as the open door and her friends beckoned, both from ahead and from a pair of pegasi behind her. It may not have gone according to how it should, but it worked out just fine.
* * * * *
Hearth’s Warming day wore on as a steady stream of guests came and went and returned to the library, each with a plate of cookies, or a string of lights to add to the library’s exterior. At one point in the afternoon, Applejack came bearing the game that so agonized her family, and in no time, six mares and one dragon who were friends for life were locked in a debate so full of passion and heat that it threatened to tear the library apart before it melted away into absurd and blissful laughter. Fillies came with hastily assembled gifts for the librarian and her assistant, none of them fancy but all of them heartfelt. From a cold and lonely prospect, the library turned into the hub of Hearth’s Warming.
It was nearly perfect. From such a bad beginning, it was close to the best Hearth’s Warming ever.
As night fell, the guests slowly departed and trickled back to their families, with promises to return in the morning the help clean up, or to pick up another loaf of bread in Rainbow Dash’s case. As her last guest left, Twilight turned to the library. It was a disastrous mess, paper and decorations were haphazardly scattered everywhere. Spike was slumped into his basket, barely able to make it there on his own.
Tomorrow would be busy. The place was a mess and no doubt it would only get worse as Pinkie returned for round two of partying, and friends with departing families would seek out company there. She had to clean up the mess, but for once it could wait. The mess was part of the tradition, after all. Mom and Dad could wait for it, so could she. Standing proudly in the mess was her Hearth’s Warming tree. While house ornaments were easy to contrive, the tree did not quite hold the same ease. It still drooped unevenly, enlivened only by a tattered scroll that Spike thought would help. She smiled wistfully at it, it was nothing like trees from home, or Canterlot Palace’s Royal Hearth’s Warming Tree, but it was imperfect, but perfect. Just like the bread, it was imperfect, but perfect. Just like the Hearth’s Warming, it didn’t start out perfectly...
Outside, Twilight heard a sudden crunch and whirl of squeaking wheels.
“Twilie?” A white unicorn stallion’s frame appeared at the window. “Anypony home?”
But it was the best one ever.
