One Hearth's Warming Eve
The snow fell calmly on the silent breeze, riding the still waves of chilling wind until each flake found a new home amongst the many structures of the town. The sun rested on the edge of the horizon and waited for the moon to replace it for the coming night.
No pony remained outside, having gone back to their homes to spend the night with their families, or heading off to sleep early to prepare for Hearth's Warming Day tomorrow. All except one pony, at least.
Snow crunched and spouted small puffs of powder with each step the lone stallion took. White flurries nested in his dark brown mane, eventually melting and soaking his hair to be frozen in the night's chill. This would soon result in a terrible cold, he thought. But he didn't mind so much, it was just life as usual to him.
He kept on towards the town in front of him – Ponyville, he believed – at a slow walk. He didn't expect much of a change of pace in this town compared to the last. He'd just pass through the town, no pony would recognize or acknowledge him, and he'd find a mildly comfortable place to sleep for the night. Somewhere in there he would have to find food; whether that would be leftovers thrown away from that night's dinner or a "misplaced" loaf of bread just in hoof's reach, he didn't know.
The brown stallion sighed as he shuffled through the growing layers of snow. He hadn't always been like this: a wandering pony who had to steal to live. No, he'd once had friends, a wife, and a well-paying job to support her. But he soon learned that fate's wheels didn't always turn the way he would like.
Every window he passed was like a portrait of his past life; families conversed and erupted in joyous laughter, and every one of them paid no attention to the problems in the outside world. They were all happy and shielded by the love they all shared for one another.
Phantoms of his past memories would invade those homes, replacing the ponies that made up the scenes with those that he once knew. A simple family of three, huddled together by a cozy fire, were banished from his vision, replaced by his parents and a much younger him. His father read from a book, aloud so he and his mother could hear. It was all silent to the stallion, but he knew the story must have been funny because the whole family laughed. His younger self was the last to stop his giggling, but he kept his smile. His happiness.
The memorable scene faded, replaced by strangers. He tried to smile at their joy, but he couldn't help but frown at his own misfortune. That was no longer his life.
Window after window shared the same joyous, innocent scene of gathered families basking in their company's love. None of them paid the wandering stallion any mind. He was a ghost among the snow, an apparition that never existed in their lives.
He wanted to look away from the happy scenes, to just retreat into the numbing fog of ignorance. But even in the snow beneath his hooves he could see their smiles, so he would just look back to those portals to unreachable happiness in a hope that a little of their joy would reach him.
An aroma caressed the stallion's nostrils, wafted from across the wind and out of what appeared to be a large gingerbread house. It was quite an interesting design for a building, but, given that the pleasant aroma was that of baked goods, not surprising. Perhaps they would be charitable enough to offer him a small bite to eat?
He was hesitant at first, but a not-so-silent grumbling from his stomach urged him forward.
He approached the door and raised a hoof to knock, but stalled. Would they even answer? Well, of course they would. Somepony was obviously home. But how would they react? If it was anything like his pass through Canterlot, he'd probably be run off. Not everypony was unkind, and he knew that. But his last stop at a bakery had left a bad taste in his mouth, literally. The owner obviously had not been pleased with his reaction, because he was chased off with a broom. That baker's temper was hotter than his ovens.
It was unfair to assume that this baker, or their family, would be as unpleasant as that, but, still, he hesitated. It would save a lot of trouble if he just moved on.
With a sigh, he lowered his hoof and retreated from the doorway. He bowed his head and turned, ready to continue on his aimless voyage, but something caught his eye. In the window, a pony stared out at him. Her smile warm, and her blue eyes welcoming. Her mane was like cotton candy - as fluffy as a pillow, he thought.
The mare waved at the stallion, catching him off guard. He slowly raised his hoof and mimicked her motions. Her smile widened and she disappeared from the window. Well, so much for that. At least he was finally able to wear a genuine smile, even if it had been for only a moment.
The stallion turned back towards the road to continue his journey.
"HI!"
"AHHH!" the stallion shouted, stumbling backwards into the snow. He could hear giggling coming from in front of him.
"Did I scare you? I scared you, didn't I?"
The now-shivering stallion looked up at the giggling pony. She was the same mare he had just seen in the window, though now more clear. Her energy was contagious, willing him to get back on his hooves, and her smile... It was a beautiful sight in his dreary world.
She continuously hopped around him in utter joy. He cleared his throat nervously, causing this new mare to stop her hopping, mid-hop. "Uhm, who... Who are you?"
The pink mare plopped to the ground and smiled, "Oh, right, sorry! My name's Pinkie Pie! What's your name?"
"Pinkie Pie, huh? My name is... Well, it's Dream Chaser. But you can call me Chase."
"Oooh! Nice to meet you, Chase! I usually throw parties for new ponies in Ponyville! But you came to Ponyville so late, so I can't throw you a party because the twins are sleeping, but, hey! Why don't you come inside and I can at least serve you some cupcakes? I just finished baking a batch for tomorrow!"
A deep growl from Chase's belly answered that question far quicker than his words could. Pinkie giggled once more. "That sounds like a 'Yes!' C'mon in and make yourself comfortable! It's a lot warmer inside."
She wasn't kidding about it being a lot warmer. As soon as Chase stepped into the building, the ice in his mane began to melt away.
Pinkie walked in behind him, closing the door to the frozen world outside. "Huh? Why's there water on the floor?"
Chase glanced down at his hooves; a puddle continued to grow as water dripped off his thawing body. "Oops, heh, sorry."
The pink mare gave a carefree shrug and bounced passed the puddle towards a backroom. "No problemo! I'll have that pesky ol' puddle cleaned up in a jiffy!" She stopped and turned her head to face him, "Oh! Also, you kinda look like a mess. If you'd like, you can use the bath. It's just up the stairs and to the right. Don't make too much noise, though! The twins are kinda easy to wake."
A bath sounded like heaven to the stallion. Nice and warm, and relaxing. A chance to soak his aching hooves, and to just clean off a week's worth of grime since his last chance to bathe in a steady river. Yes, perhaps a good, long soak in a nice, hot bath would do him a lot of good. With a slight smile, he accepted his gracious host's gift and trotted quietly up the stairs.
There was something about this pony – this mare had brought him, a complete stranger, into her home with such joy. She obviously enjoyed having company, even if that company came in the form of a wandering pile of frost that was himself. She hadn't hestiated, even for an instant, to accept him as a friendly figure, and not a potential thief like so many others believed he was.
Chase stared at his reflection in the water; it lazily met his gaze with tired eyes, lacking any kind of energy that his host had. That had to change, at least for this one day where he could be an accepted pony again.
He sucked in a mouthful of air and plunged under the bubbly surface of the bath, only springing back up once his air supply ran out. Chase glanced back down at his panting reflection and was met by a different stallion than before. It looked like him, but his drenched mane was slicked down the back of his head, and his eyes... The icy stare must have melted away with the warm water.
He leaned back against the wooden rim of the bath and closed his eyes, eagerly accepting the curative powers of the water to heal the remaining aches in his travel-worn body.
A knock at the door broke him away from his near-sleep. A whisper followed, "Chase? You've been in there a long time; you didn't drown or anything, did you?"
The stallion sighed happily, "No, I'm fine, thanks. I'll be out in a sec."
A short moment passed before another whisper came, "Okay."
The stallion splashed away some approaching bubbles as he contemplated whether to stay a little while longer or to grab his meal. His stomach once again growled, as if the choice wasn't obvious enough. He shook his head and reluctantly hopped out of the water, breathing a silent farewell to it, and grabbed a towel from a hook on the wall. He quickly dried himself off before tossing the towel back to where it had been and opening the door.
A pleasant aroma teased his senses as he made his way down the stairs to the dining area. A simple platter lay on one of the few scattered tables, by a window. Fresh cupcakes were neatly arranged on it and ready for consumption.
He took a seat at the table and stared at the plate of deliciousness in front of him. Each individual cupcake pleaded to be eaten, and his stomach grew more and more impatient by the second.
Chase tried to avoid the urge to grab one of the frosted treats. In a past time, he was quite the gentlecolt. But now, with all the alluring smells coming from those brightly-colored treats, he couldn't resist. He grabbed his first of many victims and chomped into it. He wasn't one for sweets, but the sugary frosting, coupled with the moistness of the cupcake, was a taste to behold. Or it could have been the fact he was on the verge of starvation, he couldn't quite tell.
He finished his first cupcake and reached for another, and then another, and, before he knew it, there were only a couple remaining. He looked down at the cupcake already in his hoof and sighed. His host was being kind enough to give him this food, and he couldn't even wait for her before eating all of his and half of her cupcakes. He made a mental note to apologize later.
The door to the backroom – what Chase assumed to be the kitchen – opened, revealing the smiling form of his gracious, pink host. "Oh, you're out of the bath now! And, WOW! You already ate all of those? You almost eat them as fast as me!" she giggled, reaching behind her and grabbing another platter of cupcakes that was balanced on her back. "Well, don't worry! I baked another batch for us!"
Pinkie placed the platter of rejuvenating pastries down in between them and took a seat. "You really liked those, didn't you?" she giggled.
"Oh, yeah, they were actually really good. Sorry for eating all... Wait, why are you laughing?" The answer came when he noticed his reflection in the window wearing a beard of many colored icings. "Oh." He blushed and reached for a napkin to wipe the mess away.
"Aw, no biggie!" Pinkie chirped, "It happens to me all the time."
Chase placed the napkin down and rested his head on his hoof and stared out into the white blanket outside. The snow had already exponentially grown heavier; his hoofprints from only an hour ago had already been completely covered in fresh powder. He silently thanked Celestia for this early Hearth's Warming gift.
He glanced back at Pinkie, who was happily munching away on her first cupcake. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, is this your place?"
Pinkie swallowed her treat and shook her head, reaching for another cupcake. "Oh, no. Mr. and Mrs. Cake own this place! I just live and work here."
"Ah, so I'm guessing the foals you were talking about are theirs?"
"Yepparoonie! I'm just their foalsitter. They're the cutest little things you''ve ever seen!" she exclaimed.
Her smile must have been contagious, because he couldn't help but do the same. He could tell this mare loved ponies. She was just so happy and carefree, and always seemed to be in high spirits. It was refreshing.
He glanced back out the window and watched the snow flakes fall. His eyes grew heavier as if the weight of the snow was building up on them. Soon, his eyes would collapse under the pressure and he'd be off to a land of dreams and nightmares. The supports that kept him awake slowly gave way, and his head began to slant downwards. That is until a new support was mentally placed in his mind: Pinkie's voice.
"So, where are you from, Chase?"
The stallion flinched and removed his hoof, "Huh? Oh, I... I'm from Fillydelphia."
"Oooh!" The mare whistled. "That's far away! How'd you get here? Oh, that was a silly question. You probably took the train!"
Chase sighed and slowly shook his head. "No. No, I didn't take the train, I walked."
"Walked?!" Pinkie gasped, "Why would you walk that far?"
"Because I decided to."
"But why?"
The stallion sighed. "Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I'd rather not talk about it."
"Okay, but I still don't know why you would walk that far."
"It's complicated," Chase said, burying his head into his hooves. "Please, don't make me explain it."
The pink pony sank back into her seat, ears wilting. "Okay."
The room grew quiet, an eerie kind of quiet that reminded him of lonely nights wandering the empty fields of Equestria. The only sound to occasionally break the silence was the whistling of the growing storm outside.
Chase sighed and let his hooves drop back to the table. He looked up; Pinkie was staring helplessly down at her side of the table. He shook his head; there was no way he was going to get out of explaining this.
"So, you really want to know?" he asked.
Pinkie's eyes shot up, "I don't wanna force you if you don't want to."
He sighed and dropped his gaze, "I might as well. I've blocked it all off for long enough as is. Maybe it'd do me some good to get it off my chest."
He looked up at her with sad eyes and took a deep breath. "Several years ago, I met this beautiful mare from Manehattan. Her name was Starshine – a pegasus. She had been visiting her relatives in Fillydelphia and, by chance, I met her at a train station, waiting on the next departure.
"We hit it off pretty well. Found out she was an artist – her art was almost as beautiful as she was." He smiled faintly. "Anyway, we got to know each other and, after a few years, she moved to Fillydelphia to live and we got engaged. About eight months later, I graduated from the Fillydelphia Institute of Economics, and then Starshine and I got married."
"Awww!" Pinkie smiled. " That doesn’t sound bad at all. Where is she now?"
Chase lowered his gaze. "I don't know."
"Wait, what? Why not?"
"We're... no longer together." Chase raised his head to meet Pinkie's intent gaze once more. "Because I messed up, big time.
"I had gotten a job working as a financial adviser for the mayor of Fillydelphia. The city had been hit with some financial problems and I was tasked to turn the deficit into a surplus. Well, I thought it would be easy. With the mayor's approval, I managed to cut some services that were being wasteful, and corrected existing loopholes in the system."
"But," Pinkie said, "that sounds like you were doing well."
"Heh, at that point, I was. I was proving to be a great asset for the mayor, and the city. But what I did wasn't enough to reach a surplus. We were still hurting for money and there was nothing left to fix. We had to start bringing bits in.
"Well, I was a huge fan of the Wonderbolts shows, having seen one once in Manehattan when I went to visit Starshine. The stadium there had so many seats, and every single last one of them was filled with adoring fans. That was my inspiration for the plan that would bring in money to Fillydelphia: a stadium that would match, or exceed, the scope of the Manehattan stadium.
"I brought the plans forth to the mayor, and he was intrigued, but also very apprehensive of it. You see, a stadium of that magnitude would bring in ponies from all across Equestria, true. But it would also cost a whole lot of bits. Millions of bits, easily. So it was a risky move. But the mayor had faith in me. He gave the okay."
Pinkie placed the cupcake she had been holding back onto the plate, having lost interest in it. "What happened?"
Chase clenched his eyes shut. "I messed up. I worked with many ponies on choosing a space for the stadium, and signed the check. Well, on day one we had problems. The wrong materials were bought and delivered to the construction site, so we had to buy more and put what we had away in storage. The problem with that is we spent more money than we needed on supplies, and we had to rent a space for the unused ones. That costs money overtime.
"One problem led to another, and then to another, which was beginning to spell out disaster. There was an accident on-site that resulted in a few ponies getting injured; no deaths, thankfully. But that had been costly to us, as well. We paid for their medical bills and our project fell further off track. When it was all said and done, we finished the project several million bits more in debt, and failed to meet the target completion date. To top it all off, the stadium failed to bring in the income needed. The city was in a very bad state financially. Because of this... Because I was the one to sign the check, I lost my job."
Chase slammed his hoof against the table, causing the remaining two cupcakes to tip over on the platter. "Having something like that on my resume made it impossible to find more work. Nopony wanted such a risk taker under their employment. Eventually, Starshine had had enough. All I could see in her eyes were pain and sadness. She didn't want to live that way anymore. So, one day she just up and left, and she never came back."
Chase felt something touch his hoof and he looked up. Pinkie's eyes no longer showed the happiness they once had, and her smile was long gone. Her hoof patted his softly, comfortingly.
His lips shuddered lightly. "I never found work, and eventually lost my home. I was in a bad mood for the longest time, and ponies began to dislike me. Who could blame them? I was just so angry after all of that; I took it out on anypony around me. I began to wander, hoping to find opportunity. But I never found it. Never found any place to go."
He took a deep breath and tried to force a smile, "So, I guess to answer your question from earlier, I didn't take the train because I couldn't afford it."
Pinkie hopped up in an instant, wrapping him in a hug that seemed to last an eternity. He felt sobbing in his shoulder. "Oh, Chase, I'm so sorry."
He pulled away from her and shook his head. "No, don't be. I don't need anypony feeling sorry for me."
"Chase, it's not right for anypony to be abandoned. Especially by those you love. I've had a feeling like that before." Pinkie sat back in her seat across from him and gave him a heartfelt smile, "Stay here for the night, Chase. Tomorrow you'll have more fun than you've ever had. I'll make sure of it!"
"Nah, I couldn't ask you to-"
"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer," Pinkie said sternly. "Because nopony should spend their holidays alone."
Chase smiled from his bed as he gazed out the window on the far side of the room. His vision wasn't as good as it once was, but even in its failing state he could still clearly make out the flurries of snow falling passed his window. He looked at his sitting guest beside him and cleared his throat to speak once more.
"She kept her promise, too. Every moment I had doubt, she would blow it away with reassuring words." He laughed, "Hay, I remember meeting her friends, though I can't quite recall their names. But there was this one yellow mare... She seemed to be more afraid than I was."
He broke out into a coughing fit, his guest springing up to check on him. He shook his head and held up a hoof. After a moment he recomposed himself and inhaled, "I'm fine now, Nurse Hearthwind."
The nurse nodded and reclaimed her seat. "If you're sure, Mr. Chaser. Do you need any water?" Chase shook his head in response. "Okay, please, continue."
"I remember the snow being as cold as it had been the night before, but it was different. Being around Pinkie and her friends was all the warmth that this stallion needed to be comfortable. It was the first time in what felt like years that I actually felt... accepted."
Nurse Hearthwind smiled. "They all sounded like very nice ponies."
"Oh, they really were. There was this one spunky one, Rainbow something another. She was quite the competitive pegasus. She just trotted up behind me with a snowball in hoof and caught me off guard. And you know what I did?"
"What's that?"
Chase chuckled, "I picked up a snowball and threw it right back at her. Only difference was she was rolling on the ground laughing when I did it. That shut her up real quick! So, the two of us just started throwing snow at one another. It was great! Then the others joined in, followed by Pinkie and this cannon filled with snow."
He shook his head, smirking at the thought. "It was pretty unfair, you know? Bringing a cannon to a hoof fight. But the snow hit everypony but me, and she just winked. The others didn't stand a chance!"
He broke out into another laughing-cough fit, this time accepting the invitation for water from the nurse. He took a sip from the glass and sighed, giving it back to Hearthwind. "Thank you."
Hearthwind nodded and placed the glass back down on the tray by his bed.
"The rest of the day was filled with the same excitement and laughter. By the end of it, Pinkie and I were the only ones left. I told her like it was: I had had the best day of my life." He smiled at his nurse. "How could I not say that? Coming from such a terrible ordeal, I'm sure you'd think the same thing.
"But, as we sat beneath the protection of a tree, she told me something. She said that I should follow my heart. It was a totally different tone than what she first had when I met her. But, still, it made sense. So that's what I decided to do. My heart told me to find Starshine, to apologize for everything and try to restart my life."
"That's very nice." Nurse Heartwind smiled. "Did you?"
"Nope, I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Because that's not what my heart really wanted. I only thought it did," he sighed. "Pinkie didn't want me to go at first, but I felt I needed to. Maybe it was to complete myself, I have no clue. But, before I left, she told me she would find me again to make sure I found my happiness. She made a Pinkie Promise on that."
Chase caught Hearthwind's sky blue eyes in his stare. "It'll be thirty-two years ago this Hearth's Warming Eve, and she never found me. I don't know if she just forgot about me and moved on, or what. But I know I never forgot her. I never could forget her, even during my travels."
Hearthwind brought a hoof up to her chin. "Did you ever write her a letter?"
"I did. Several over the years. She never replied. I'd like to think she just never received them, but I'm not sure."
The old stallion sighed and sank into his covers, laying his head on the pillow. "I think I found my happiness on that day. Life was so simple in Ponyville, and I was accepted there. I left my happiness behind when I left that town. When I left Pinkie Pie."
He rolled over on his side, closed his eyes, and sighed. "What I wouldnt give to see that pink mare once more. Just one more time before I leave this place."
Nurse Hearthwind looked at him and smiled sadly. "Maybe one day, Mr. Chaser."
Days came and gone, exchanging the sun for the moon and moon for sun. The window, Chase's unreachable gateway to the outside world, showed the same thing each morning: the steady stream of snowfall as was common every winter. But as the snow fell, so did the old stallion's morale.
He knew the end would come soon. His health was in a rapid decline, but the only solice he had was in that of a single dream: seeing that pink mare from so long ago.
Chasing dreams was nothing new to him. Just as he had in Fillydelphia so long ago, when he dreamt of the success of the stadium that would one day ruin his life, he continued to dream. His life was built off of chasing dreams, not catching them.
As the time passed, Nurse Hearthwind grew more anxious, constantly checking the window. Chase didn't know why, but he didn't care much either as spikes of pain began to rattle his body. All anypony could do was leave him to the will of pain medication, which occasionally worked.
The Eve of Hearth's Warming proved to be the most difficult for Chase. Not because his shattered health threatened to fail him soon, but because it finally hit him that the pink pony from so long ago would never show up. He closed his eyes in resignation. He was tired of chasing after unreachable dreams. It was time to rest and succumb to his fate.
Whispering tickled his ears. His mind must have been failing him now. That voice, it sounded like... No. Just hallucinations from the medication, or perhaps just a final kind gift from Celestia to ease his pain.
"Chase?"
His eyes shot open and darted to the door. It opened and, by just the view of the fluffy, pink mane, he knew: she'd actually found him.
She stared at him with teary eyes, but also that smile he remembered. He cracked a grin in response.
"Chase," Pinkie whispered, walking to his side, "what... happened to you?"
She didn't bother to wait for any response. She grabbed him into the softest hug she could for the fragile stallion.
Chase took a ragged breath and spoke to the best of his ability. It was barely decipherable at first, but, after a couple more tries, he managed it. "You came."
Pinkie sniffed, pulling away from Chase and sitting in the bedside chair. "Of course I did, silly."
She leaned forward. "You know, I never forgot the day you walked by the shop. I spent these thirty-two years looking for you nonstop." She smiled. "Because I never break a Pinkie Promise."
Chase spent his remaining hours in the comfort of Pinkie Pie's company. Giving ragged chuckles at the mare's jokes and listening to her stories as intently as his mind would allow. Until his final moments were upon them. Pinkie held his hoof in her own, wiping away his tears, and fighting back her own. But, for his sake, she held onto her smile.
And as he closed his eyes for the very last time, he treasured that smile. The very same smile that had changed his life on that one Hearth's Warming Eve.
Author's Note
Featured on Equestria Daily: January 8th, 2013.
This was a semi-quick fanfic I wrote after hearing Aviators' "One Hearth's Warming Eve". As you could probably tell, it's a story based on that song. I really can't say if I did it justice or not, but all I can do is hope.
I'd also like to thank Aviators for continuously inspiring me with his music... It's an honor to call you my friend. :)
Cover Art by Tellab: http://tellab-art.tumblr.com/
Thanks to watermelonpizza and Green_Dragon_Iris for being pre-readers!
