The Hearth Warming Lesson
The Hearth Warming Lesson
This is written by RogueShadow Winterborn (aka Rogueshadow)
All of Equestria ponies were getting ready for Christmas, the earth ponies, pegsusi, and unicorns of the land. All working together, well mostly, to get ready for the much celebrated holiday in time so they are not late and everyone can have a fun time. Cloudsdale, Ponyville, Applelusa, Manehatten, Canterlot, and all over the land everyone was getting ready for the holiday. It such a huge holiday everyone has to work together, though sometimes that's easier said than done.
A Ponyville resident in a café getting warm from their job sitting at the counter was ranting in general about some of the pegasi being rude on the team he was and was assigned to. Some of the other ponies in the café agreed, some didn't and the rest just choose to ignore the old pony as much as they could so they wouldn't get dragged into the long old fight. This happened every year, always someone had to be and a scrooge pony.
"I don't understand why those Pegusi have to come from Cloudsdale to just help with the weather here! I mean we can do it ourselves." The old timer pony yelled who had just a bit too fermented apples.
Another pony spoke up saying, "We can't fly. We need them to help us and they aren't all bad. Most of them are pretty nice. There are some bad apples in a bunch, but that doesn't make them all bad."
Just then a Pegasus white as snow came in; it was offset by long black hair, and eyes as sky clear blue eyes. Head lowered slightly, she was tired, cold and just wanted something warm to drink before she got back out in the cold to go back to her room at the local inn. The last thing she wanted to do was get into some sort of complication at the end of the hard day. Unfortunately it doesn't look like it would be the case for the young mare, unaware to her she had just stepped into a heated argument.
The old man pointed out the young Pegasus filly with a hoof, "See! They even look weird! Who on here down on earth looks like that I can't think of any pony!"
The filly blinks surprised wings spread out in a startled manor she looks at the old earth pony and then speaks quietly, "Excuse me, sir, but I don't think it would be such a good idea to start judging, no matter what we are on the outside… we are all the same."
The old colt looks at his 'adversary' in defeat and goes to sulk off in the corner leaving the Pegasus to sigh in relief a bit as she exits the cafe thinking it would be a good idea. The pony folded her wings around her shivering as she went to her room in the inn for the night.
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A few days later the Pegasus was done with her work for Hearth Warming and finally saw some familiar faces from Cloudsdale. She squealed in happiness and ran over to them hugging them. A fiery red one that was dancing around all excited that they were done hugs the black and white filly. Another, obviously the bossy and classy one, was getting onto her for being so uncouth. Also the last one but not the brightest one was just laughing along with the white winged filly.
"Say Sakura," the fiery one asked who's name turned out to be Fira, "there has been some talk about you around this small town. Apparently you are an odd pony."
Sakura shrugged a bit looking around, "I'm used to it. Its not every day that you don't see a pony with just black and white apparently, I mean its not unusual for me but I live this every day."
"I don't understand earth ponies sometimes. I mean they ask our help from Cloudsdale and Canterlot with the weather, helping out in high places and then complain about it. We aren't like them or something stupid. Whatever happened to the love and tolerate we were taught in school?" the bossy Pegasus asked obviously annoyed.
It had been some years since Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had been around. They had grown old, like all heroines and heroes, and died but their lessons were now taught to everyone to maintain what they had tried to show the world. These days most ponies tend to be a bit disgruntled with each other because of one reason or another and no one knows why really. The conspiracy ponies think it's the ghosts of winter past trying to get hold of their reign once again to feed off of hate and sorrow. Others think nothing of it and go on about their lives among the many cities in Equestria. Some were in the middle. Sometimes Celestia herself would just shake her head and sigh at the state of the world she ruled with her sister Luna, even the princesses could not control what their subjects thought or did to other ponies. Including ones that were not the same as them on the outside.
Sakura looked around and then looked up sighing a bit, "You remember the Hearth Warming play? You ever think it could happen again?"
The bossy Pegasus laughed at Sakura "That's impossible! Some of us may believe in old stories like that but most of us don't. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna protect us ponies, despite everything."
Shrugging lightly the young Pegasus parted ways with her friends since she was requested by some of the Ponyville residents to hang up decorations last moment that someone had forgotten or lazy to do before hand. She flew off to go help them. Sakura saw that the person that needed help was the one old pony that called her weird the first few days she was in town. She sighed a bit wondering what sorts of trouble this will be. The old colt wasn't really a pleasant pony to be around after all. He was the one that started most of the hostility around town between the pegasi and the earth ponies.
The old colt looked at Sakura and he started to flail at her and then shoo her away, "No! I asked for help not for the circus to come into town. You would do nothing but get in my way. Pegasus go away!"
She sighed a bit and then looked up at him sitting down in the snow watching. She was here to help and even if its to watch.. Well that's what she was going to do. Its not her fault that the old pony doesn't want any help. Letting out another sigh she laid down in the snow to watch the old pony finish up his house for the holiday.
A few hours into her watching the old man she had made 4 snow ponies, a castle that looked like something from Canterlot, and also a few snow forts. She was in the middle of making her 5th snow pony when she heard the latter falling over because some pony knocked it over. She went to open her mouth to tell the old colt but she closed it knowing that all he'd do is just complain about her distracting him.
Just then the pony went to step on his latter that he thought was still there not even bothering to check it. He took a step onto the nonexistent latter. A yelp for help followed by a huge crack and thump on the ground! Sakura had broken the old pony's fall. she looked at the earth pony as she rolled him off her wing with a wince into the snow. She looked at him poking him with a hoof lightly. One wing spread downward looking like something had hurt it.
Sakura nosed the old earth pony lightly, "Sir, are you alright?"
He opened his eyes to see the Pegasus looking back at him concerned, "What…." then he blacked back out.
Some time later the old pony woke in the Ponyville clinic wondering what had happened.
"Well, its nice to see you have awaken Mr. Piper." a pony nurse said as she looked his way.
Mr. Piper looked around a bit blinking and then saw Sakura but this time she had a bandaged wing with a splint. He blinked a few, before his eyes got big and realized what had happened.
"You didn't move the…" Mr. Piper started to accuse.
Sakura shook her head no looking at him, "I saved you Sir. Some kid moved your ladder thinking it would be a funny joke. I didn't say anything because I knew all you would do was complain about me being there since I'm a Pegasus."
The old man chuckled a bit and sighed, "I'm sorry for being such an old grouch. Pegusus in my day stayed in Cloudsdale and never were really nice to us earth ponies. I guess times have changed. I do have a question for you, why did you help me out from getting hurt even though I've been such a mean pony towards you?"
Sakura giggled lightly, "It's the way how things should be, if people don't like you or not, you should be nice to them even if you don't always see eye to eye. So I helped you out knowing this, but it didn't matter. I didn't want to see you get hurt."
"But I hurt you…" he said pointing to Sakura's wing.
"True but again it's only a fracture. I will have an interesting getting back to Cloudsdale, but if I didn't at least break your fall things could've been much worse… I rather have a fractured wing then something worse happen." Sakura smiled lightly.
The old pony thanked Sakura for helping him out even though it wasn't the way that she had originally intended. For he had seen that not all people are bad despite how they look. Thus the lessons of long ago were reborn in some way. At least with Mr. Piper the old colt.
A few weeks later after Sakura's wing had healed. Her friends from Cloudsdale and her were packing up to leave when they were interrupted by Mr. Piper. He presented Sakura with a book of the Magic of Friendship. The story of Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle and their adventures.
"This is a children's book… but I thought you would like to have it. A Ponyville favorite here. They don't have it anywhere else from what I'm told. So I'm giving it to you Sakura. I figured you might want it. Its sort of an I'm sorry and also a thank you." Mr. Piper said sheepishly.
She smiled putting it in her saddle bag as she walked out of the room. Smiling at the old colt she gave him a kiss on the cheek and said thank you before she and her friends went back on their journey to their home.
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Merry Christmas, holidays, or whatever you celebrate. May your dreams come true. Also don't forget to love and tolerate!
Rogue Shadow
