Still Waiting For The Snow To Fall
"All These Lights"
The train screeches to a halt at the station. The whistle blows, and the doors are opened. Ponyville, finally. The stallion began to follow the other passengers off the train when a white mare weighed down by bags bumped into him.
"Oh! I-I'm sorry," she quickly said.
"There's no problem," the stallion said. "Say, aren't you Miss Rarity?"
"Why, yes, but how would you–" Rarity took a good look at the stallion's face, and instantly her eyes widened. "You're... you're back!"
"At long last." He smiled as the two of them got off the train together. "It seems you've been in Canterlot, Miss. I assume it's been to pick up presents." He gestured to the bags.
"Why of course! Where else would I get them?"
The stallion took a look around the station, as if to say "Why not here?"
"Er, yes, you're right, but, you see, I've been away for business reasons."
"Ah, I should have guessed! Business in Canterlot! Why else would you go there if not to somehow advertise!"
"Yes, I was attempting to find someone to advertise my dresses, but I didn't have such luck for a week. Finally, somepony pointed me in the direction of a colt named Straight Edge. He was a bit... odd... but he's a fantastic artist, so I hired him..." Rarity groaned in dismay. "It was then I realized I had neglected my Hearths Warming shopping!"
The stallion laughed, much to the fashionista's bewilderment. "I'm s-sorry," he said, catching his breath. "I found that funny for some reason."
"Er, yes," she said. "It actually is quite funny when you think about it."
The two of them stepped off the platform. "Well, we've officially arrived in Ponyville, miss," the stallion said. "Will you be needin' any help with those bags?"
"No, I assure it's quite alright." Rarity's horn began to glow, and several of the packages began to levitate, surrounded by a blue aura. "I am a unicorn, Doctor."
"Ah, Silly me, I forgot," he said with a chuckle. "Well, I'm off." He turned away from the dressmaker when she called out to him.
"There's going to be a Hearth's Warming Eve party tonight at Sugar Cube Corner," she told him. "Maybe you should bring her there." With that she left him alone, trotting off to Carousel Boutique.
Yes, I would. If she'll let me.
Oh, Time Turner, you dumb bloke, of course she will!
After being gone for half a year?
The air in Ponyville was so frigid, it could freeze a Windigo. Despite this, there was no snow. The weather pegasi were moving clouds around the sky as if they were getting ready to dispense some, but that wasn't going to happen. Fluttershy had heard from Rainbow Dash that the snow was scheduled for the day after Hearths Warming. Nevertheless, on her trek to the library, she could see some foals stare expectantly at the sky, eager to see a few flakes. It crushed her already delicate spirit to think about how they would react to a Hearths Warming without snow. The pegasi on the weather team didn't like it either, but these were instructions from Cloudsdale: No snow today, take Hearths Warming off, and let it snow the day after.
Despite the orders, there had been rumors that some of the team was planning to organize a little surprise. No one would mind, she thought. Hopefully the weather factory officials would overlook it if it were true.
"Hello, Fluttershy," a passing stallion said to her.
"Oh, hello, Doctor... Doctor?" Fluttershy stopped and turned to look for the brown stallion. She could have sworn it was him! He had been gone for such a long time, but now he was back? Or was it just her imagination? Whichever it was, she wouldn't know now – he was out of sight, having disappeared into the crowd. Wait, crowd?
At this moment, she realized that she had found herself in the worst possible position. Why now? She made it her mission to get out of there as fast as she could, weaving through the living obstacle course without attracting anymore attention to herself. It was an amazing stroke of luck that she escaped it without a problem.
"LOOK OUT!!!" Well, almost without a problem.
A blurred mass collided with her, and the both of them skidded side by side. The timid mare's heart was beating faster than a mouse's as she slid to a halt on her back. As for what – or rather who – collided with her...
"Oh my goodness! Fluttershy! I'm so sorry!" A panicked gray pegasus got up and tried standing her up. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I? Oh dear oh dear oh dear what happened? I just don't know what went wrong!"
Fluttershy caught her breath and leaned against the rambling pony. She was wearing a gray-blue and white scarf, much like Fluttershy's own pink and white one.
"I'm alright, Ditzy," Fluttershy assured the mare. "I'm just a little... surprised, that's all."
"Oh, thank Celestia! I thought I really hurt you!" The gray mare gave a sigh of relief. Her eyes, as usual, were crossed, but at least they had a spark of joy in them. "The last thing anyone needs is to be hurt on Hearths Warming Eve!"
"Well, we're not hurt, are we?" Fluttershy asked.
"You're alright, I'm alright, so everything's fine!" Ditzy gave her wings a flutter before changing the topic. "So what are you doing today?"
"I was just going to the library to give Twilight her gift," the yellow pegasus said, nodding to her saddlebags.
"What did you get her?"
"Oh, I already gave her my gift," Fluttershy explained. "This gift is from Zecora, who is busy making something in her hut. She won't be able to leave her home until tonight. I don't know what it is..."
"Well, then what was your gift?"
"A book about something called 'Alchemy'. I don't think Twilight has it yet."
"Wow... sounds magical!"
Fluttershy smiled. "That's why I got it. So, what are doing today?"
"I just dropped Dinky off at their aunt's. Sparkler is there, and I was just going to get a muffin at Sugar Cube Corner, but it's closed." Ditzy looked down at the ground, disappointed. "I forgot they were closed until tonight."
"Tonight?" Fluttershy inquired.
"The Hearths Warming party, silly!" Ditzy answered. "You're going, right?"
"Oh..." Fluttershy looked away from the mare. "I don't think so..."
Fluttershy never liked going to the holiday party. The crowds, everypony laughing, talking... it just wasn't something she believed she could handle. Besides, there were family games there, and...
"Gee, that's too bad," Ditzy sighed. "You should try, though. It'll be fun!"
Fluttershy smiled warmly. "I-I... I'll see."
"Good." Ditzy spread her wings again. "Well, I have to go back to Colgate's. Might as well help with decorating there." Fluttershy nodded and took a moment to hug Ponyville's best mom before she took off. Wait a minute...
"Oh! Ditzy!" She called. Amazingly, the gray pegasus heard her quiet cry and turned. "I... I just wanted to tell you that..." She stopped. She didn't know how to tell her about him. Was there a simple way? Of course not, you can't just mention something like that out right... can you?
"What is it, Fluttershy?" Ditzy came back down and focused both her eye's on the yellow mare. "You can tell me."
I... I guess I can... "I... think I saw... umm..."
"Saw... what?"
"...Time Turner." There, she told her.
The gray mare didn't respond. Her eyes remained focus the entire time, comprehending what she just heard. "Fluttershy..."
"I-I'm sorry. You don't believe me..."
"No, I don't think you're lying," Ditzy said. "But... are you sure?"
"Well, no... but I swear It could have been." Fluttershy looked down at her hooves. "He passed me and said hello, but when I went to see if it was him, he disappeared."
"As usual..." Ditzy muttered. "Well... I keep an eye out for him. See you tonight, maybe?"
Fluttershy nodded. "I'll see if I can be there." She turned and walked away, heading to the library once again.
The sky was starting to get dark, but Ditzy kept scanning the ground for any sign of Time Turner. He came back... why? Six months of loneliness, and not a single letter or sign of him. He left without a word, and now he's back in the exact same way? Something was fishy about this. Why would he leave in the first place, leaving them behind? Not even his sister could answer that.
"Sometimes, he just walks out the door and shows up after a long time has passed like it's normal."
"Maybe it is," she whispered to herself. She never really understood that stallion.
She continued to fly, though a doubt in the back of her mind told her she wouldn't find him. As a last ditch effort, she turned towards the park... and there he was.
He was on a bench, staring down at a box laid out next to him. The scarf she had gotten for him years ago was tightened around his neck. So he held on after all... She came down and landed nearby, and it didn't go unnoticed.
"I tried the house," he said. "But you weren't there." He kept staring at the box as she approached.
"You're..." Ditzy shook her head. "Why?"
"Why am I here or why did I leave you?" Turner asked.
"...both." When she said that, he moved the box to the ground in front of him and gestured her to sit. She did so, slowly. After that, there was a long silence, and the sky became darker.
"Ever since I was a colt, I've been doing this," he explained. "I don't know why, but I find myself leaving the house without a word and coming back months later. I leave and... fix things. Dangerous things. This time was different – I don't even know what I fixed. I just woke up in an alley in Trottingham a few days ago and realized I had to come home."
"Why?" Ditzy asked again.
"It's Hearths Warming Eve!" he stated. "Ponies should be with their family. I should be with my family!"
The two of them sat in silence. One wanting the other to say something to break the frozen air between them. Finally, there was.
"If I had a choice, I never would have left." The stallion raised a hoof to her face and looked into her eyes, which were focused again. "Please... believe me. I never want to do it again."
"I know," Ditzy said, smiling weakly. Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she brought her face to his neck. "I missed you so much! We all did! Dinky couldn't stop crying when you left!" Time Turner could feel her tears in his coat, and held her. She continued to cry into him for some time. The sky became dark, and a bright light lit up nearby, getting their attention. Lights of many dazzling colors sparkled on the fountain, as well as many of the trees. Turner looked over to Ditzy, and saw that she was smiling with joy. Tears still glistened in her eyes, but she was finally happy. She looked up at him, eyes once again crossed. I forgot how cute she looks when she does that.
"I love you, Ditzy," he told her.
"I love you too," she told him. The two of them drew their faces together, and...
"Wait a moment," the stallion said, eyes widening. "We can't kiss here!"
"We... why not?"
"Well, there's a Hearths Warming party going on!" He got off the bench and began to wave a hoof around dramatically. "We should kiss in the proper holiday spirit: under the mistletoe!"
The pegasus giggled. "That sounds wonderful. Oh! Dinky, Sparkler, and Colgate will be there!"
"Lovely! That makes it better, then! Why not give them the greatest Hearths Warming present of all?" He picked up the box and put it back in his saddlebags. "Shall we, madam?"
"Yes, let's." The two of them trotted, side by side, away from the bench, their way lit by lights.
Fluttershy was trotting back home when the lights came on, startling her. She stopped and looked at the view, all lit up with reds, blues, greens, and yellows. Truly, Hearths Warming Eve had officially begun. But why was she leaving the town, heading home?
At the library, she had seen all her friends. Twilight's parents had come over from Canterlot, even Rarity's family was together. Applejack was their with her siblings and Granny Smith. Pinkie's sisters had come to visit for the holiday, and Rainbow Dash had Scootaloo, even though she wasn't related by blood, she was still like a little sister to Dash. who did Fluttershy have?
No one, really. Angel and all the animals proved to be her only family, but they weren't ponies. They all had their families together at the party, and if what she saw was real, even the Hooves's were together again. She had no one. No siblings, no parents, not even anyone she could call a sibling in spirit. Why bother going to a party that has families together when she had none herself?
A flutter of wings and the sound of hooves landing on the ground behind her got her attention. It was Rainbow Dash, carrying Scootaloo on her back.
"Where're you off to, Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked.
"Oh, I was just–" she began, but she was interrupted.
"Going home?" Rainbow finished. The timid mare looked down and nodded solemnly.
"Well, that's dumb," Scootaloo commented. The older mare gave her a look and she settled down.
"What Scootaloo meant was why aren't you coming to the party?" Rainbow asked. "Did you even consider coming this year?"
"I... yes. I did," Fluttershy answered. "But I think it's best if I–"
"Well, why aren't you coming?" the blue mare asked. "Don't tell me it's because you're nervous around everypony there! You've got us – your friends!"
"But... I don't have..."
"Don't have what?"
Fluttershy took a deep, frozen breath. "...Family."
Rainbow looked stunned by the statement. "You know, I'm gonna quote Scoots and say that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
"W-what?" Fluttershy looked up at Rainbow with surprise.
"Fluttershy," Rainbow started. "If I believed one thing about you, it's that you're like a mother to everyone."
"I... am?"
Rainbow sighed. "Remember when I got hurt a while back? I was out after I crashed, but I heard you were the first pony to help me. When Rarity needs a model for a dress, she has you. When AJ has a sick cow, she gets you. When Twilight and Spike need to reorganize the library twice every week, you help them. When Pinkie has a new recipe for us to try out, you dive right in and tell her if it's good or not. You see? We're your family."
"Yeah, Rainbow Dash is right!" Scootaloo agreed. "You even helped clean up my cuts when I ran into that tree last week!"
"I... I did, didn't I?" Fluttershy said, taking all the facts in. "But... you're all my friends... why wouldn't I?"
"Well, why can't friends be family? Besides, it isn't right to be by yourself on Hearths Warming Eve!" Rainbow said, taking Fluttershy by the shoulder. "Come on, please come?"
There was still some doubt in her mind, but there was always a doubt there. She looked back towards her cottage, then looked at Rainbow and Scootaloo. "I... okay. Let's go."
"That's the spirit, Fluttershy. Trust me, you're gonna have a great time!"
As they approached Sugar Cube Corner, the sounds of music, ponies having a good time, and other festivities reached their ears. Fluttershy looked at the door that led to the party and stared. Something moved in the corner of her eye.
"Hey! Isn't that Doctor Hooves?" Rainbow asked. "He's back? And that's Derpy! They're together again!"
"I knew it," Fluttershy whispered to herself.
The two ponies in question were trotting side by side, occasionally looking at each other lovingly. As they passed under a lamp post, Time Turner stopped. Ditzy looked back at him curiously, when he pointed a hoof upward. There was a small branch of mistletoe hanging from the lamp, and a pink pony vigorously tying it to the bar while balancing on the lamp itself. When it was secure, Pinkie gave the couple a wink and jumped off the lamp, gliding in mid air to the door of the bakery and entering.
The two faced each other. "Finally," the stallion said. "We've been waiting for this long enough."
"It's been too long," the mare said, closing her eyes.
Under the mistletoe and Hearths Warming lights of Ponyville, the two kissed. The kiss felt as if it lasted forever, and they wished it would, but they were separated by the sound of clapping hooves. That was when they spotted the second group coming to the party.
"You're back!" Rainbow Dash said. "At the best time of year, too."
"Yes, it is indeed, the greatest time of year for a reunion," the Doctor said with a nod, pulling Ditzy close.
"Dad?" Everyone turned to the bakery door to see a young unicorn with a purple mane sticking out. "Dad!"
"Daddy!" An even younger unicorn ran out from under her older sister and leapt at Turner. "You're back!"
"And I'm never leaving again," he said as he hugged his youngest daughter. The older daughter came up and joined them.
"Hey, bro," a blue mare at the entrance said. "About time you showed up, you never spent half a year away. I honestly thought you weren't coming back."
"Well, Minuette," the father said, emphasizing his sister's birth name with a smirk. "I suppose I should apologize for worrying you."
"Who said I was worried?" Colgate asked, turning to Ditzy. "Did you?"
"No, but it sounds like you were." The blue unicorn facehoofed, and everyone around laughed. Even Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle, until she saw something float down in front of her.
"Snow?" At the mention of snow, everyone looked up to the sky. Ponies started coming out of Sugar Cube Corner to stare. Big, fat flakes of white came down around them. "But this wasn't on the schedule, right Rainbow?"
The weathermare grinned. "I pulled some strings."
"That's so awesome, Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
The Hooves family was staring happily at the sudden change in weather, when the stallion suddenly remembered something. He took off his saddle bag and shuffled through it. Pulling out the box with his teeth, he gestured to his daughters. The oldest took it out of his mouth with her magic.
"Open it," he told her. "I got it for the two of you in Trottingham." The eldest sister did so, and when she saw what it was, her eyes became as wide as dinner plates. So did her little sister's when she floated it out of the box.
It was a snow globe, featuring Trottingham all decorated for Hearths Warming. The lights of the town actually lit up. With a shake, the "snow" swirled around the miniature town and fell in a wonderful blizzard.
"Do you like it? It's your Hearths Warming gift, you two," their father said.
Sparkler looked right into her father's face. "But Dad... you're our gift."
"The best Hearths Warming gift ever!!!" Dinky shouted, hugging her father even more tightly than before.
He smiled. "I suppose I am." He hugged his daughters. "And I'm here to stay. Happy Hearths Warming, you two."
"When you're still waiting for the snow to fall,
it doesn't really feel like Christmas at all."
Author's Note
In this story, Doctor Hooves's full name could be thought of as "Doctor" Time Turner Hooves. Just to make things clear.
This was written in five hours with no editing. On Christmas Eve 2012. Basically, it's my first ship fic, and my gift to all of you.
Happy Hearths Warming.
