Hearth's Warming Eve: A Princess Promenade

Chapters

Winter Roll-Out
The Audition
Marigold, Pudding and Pie
The Opening
The Mysterious Stranger and the Ride of the Valkyries
Clover the Clever and the Heart of Fire

Winter Roll-Out

On a frosty winter morning in the hesitation before sunrise, Twilight Sparkle slipped out of the Golden Oaks Library and eased the door shut so as not to disturb Owlowisious and Spike. She paused to tighten her scarf, her breath puffing in clouds around her. The gravel path crunched under her boots as she trotted across the darkened market square, towards the light of the House on Sugar Cube Corner.

Another all-nighter, Twilight thought. Twilight, girl, you need to stop this. Yes, Princess Luna's recommended reading list is utterly fascinating, but you've got to slow down. If Ponyville has taught you anything, it's that the world doesn't revolve around old books. Slow down!

Tiny clumps of snow clung to the corners of the buildings and to the edges of the path, a reminder that Winter Roll-Out had come and gone and that the cold was deepening.

Twilight looked to her right and saw that a brightly-colored notice had been posted under a street lamp:

THE PONYVILLE PLAYHOUSE
presents
A BOLD AND AWE-INSPIRING NEW INTERPRETATION
of the immortal classic:

HEARTH'S WARMING EVE

A Moving and Educational Epic!
Music! Adventure! Intrigue!
(And a few SURPRISES!)
*F*U*N* for the whole *F*A*M*I*L*Y*

All Cast Members Drawn from the Proud Ponyville Community!
All volunteers for cast and crew are welcome!
See the sign-up sheet at Ponyville Town Hall!

"HEARTH'S WARMING EVE"
Written and directed by
Rainbow Dash

Twilight Sparkle halted, rattled her head and rubbed her eyes. Whoa! I must be tired. That couldn't have said what I thought it said!

Twilight looked at the poster again. It still read:

"HEARTH'S WARMING EVE"
Written and directed by
Rainbow Dash

No matter how long Twilight stared at it, the words just did not make sense.

This calls for research! she thought.

Then she shivered and her stomach rumbled. Maybe after breakfast. She trotted on towards Sugar Cube Corner.

Twilight had been so wrapped up in her studies, she had forgotten that Hearth's Warming Eve was only a few weeks away. She considered it. Maybe that's just what I need! Something to get me out of the Library for a while, away from the temptations of Luna's musty tomes!

The year before, Twilight had really enjoyed playing Clover the Clever, the famed apprentice to the illustrious Star Swirl the Bearded. It had been so exciting to be part of the company! The rehearsals, the laughter with the other players, the fretting of the hour upon the stage, the glow of the applause afterwards!

Yes! she decided. I will volunteer for the play. And maybe, I'll just look into what Rainbow thinks she's doing and offer her a little extra organization!

Twilight smiled to herself and trotted ahead, remembering her little time treading the boards in Canterlot.

Thump! Twilight was shaken out of her reverie by a collision with another pony. Twilight had been so lost in memory that she had stepped right into her.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Sorry!" Twilight exclaimed, dancing back.

"Ha ha! That's all right, Miss Sparkle," said Derpy Hooves. "I bump into folks all the time! Whoops! Ha ha!" The little gray pegasus pony checked that her mailbags were secure, then smiled warmly at Twilight, her golden eyes glowing in the dim light. "The bakery's not open yet."

"I know I'm a little early," said Twilight. She looked at Derpy. "Aren't you cold? You aren't even wearing a scarf."

"Naw, I'm fine," said Derpy. She offered Twilight a sly grin. "On cold mornings, I cheat a little. Look!"

Derpy held up one of her mailbags and showed Twilight the side of the pouch that she kept close to her. "This was my own idea!" Derpy said. "I made up these little comforters out of my old feathers that I cleaned up from around the house. When it's cold, I clip these comforters to the inner side of my bags and they warm me up! It's a big help on mornings like this."

"That's very clever," said Twilight.

Derpy smiled at her. "Thanks, Miss Sparkle." Derpy scuffed her hoof at the ground. "You know," Derpy said, "I really like your new wings. But you aren't using them right."

Twilight startled. She looked at her back. Her wings were clenched tightly to her sides, out of the way. "What's not right?" she asked.

"On cold mornings," Derpy Hooves explained, "you need to fluff them up! Like this, see? Feathers are warm! They keep the cold air away and hug the warm air in! Try it!"

Twilight spread her wings over her back and sides. Why! Derpy was right! The wings were like a blanket, holding in her body heat.

"Derpy! You're a genius!" said Twilight Sparkle.

"Naw, I'm a pegasus, silly," laughed Derpy Hooves. "Oh! Look! There's Mister Cake!"

Carrot Cake appeared in the window of Sugar Cube Corner. He waved at Derpy and Twilight, then went to the door.

"Come on, girls. Get in here, out of the cold!" he said.

Derpy and Twilight ran inside. The bakery was always warm.

Twilight paused at the threshold to breathe. "Ah, the bakery smells so good this morning! Are the cinnamon buns ready? I would love a hot chocolate and a cinnamon bun!"

Carrot Cake said, "I apologize, Your Hi– Twi– Miss Sparkle, but the cinnamon buns will take a little more time. But I could prepare a cup of hot chocolate for you right away! Please, take a seat and I will be with you directly."

"May I have a hot chocolate, too?" asked Derpy.

For a moment, Carrot Cake almost glared at Derpy. Then he remembered himself. "Of course. Of course. Two hot chocolates, coming right up."

"And an apple muffin?" asked Derpy.

Carrot Cake glanced towards Twilight Sparkle, then looked into the amber eyes of Derpy Hooves, his most reliable customer, and surrendered.

"Fifteen minutes, okay?" he said. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little distracted this morning."

"Yay!" exclaimed Derpy.

Twilight and Derpy went back to sit at the little booths that Sugar Cube Corner kept for morning customers. Derpy set her bags down. Carrot Cake returned shortly with two steaming stoneware mugs of chocolate with big dollops of whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Twilight accepted her cup, warming her hooves around it.

In the darkness before dawn, Twilight Sparkle scrubbed the mist from the window of Sugar Cube Corner and saw the market ponies silently setting up their booths and stalls. Not so many, so late in the season, she thought. When the first big snow hits, the market will be empty.

Look, there's Big Macintosh, putting his apple stand together as he does every morning, she observed. Oh Celestia and Luna, I admire him so much! He is so like my brother! Strong and diligent. And gentle, as only the strong can be gentle.

In the sky above her, a light flashed, and she wondered if even Rainbow Dash was getting an early start on a busy day.

Twilight heard bright bubbles of Pinkie Pie's laughter floating from the kitchens. Twilight smiled. You were my first friend in Ponyville. Have a great day, Pinkie.

I am stupid. I have always been stupid, thought Twilight Sparkle, as she sipped her hot chocolate and looked out at the morning. Treasures have been arrayed before me, but I was always blind to them. Bless you, Celestia, for guiding me to Ponyville.

"You know what's really great about wings?" asked Derpy.

Twilight Sparkle looked up.

"Hugs. Wing hugs," said Derpy. There was a tiny bit of whipped cream on her nose. "When I'm at home with my family, I can spread my wings over them and keep them all warm and safe. You should try it. Wing hugs are the best!"

Twilight Sparkle regarded Derpy Hooves. The little gray pegasus was absorbed in her chocolate, anticipating muffins.

You should be the Princess, not me, Twilight thought. I swear to you, Derpy, that your wisdom will guide me, today and from now on.

***

Finally, Carrot Cake arrived with a tray of fresh apple muffins and cinnamon buns. Derpy eagerly collected two of the former while Twilight satisfied herself with one of the latter.

Carrot Cake stood fussing with the tray for a bit, hovering over Twilight. Then there was a loud crash and louder laughter from the kitchen. Carrot Cake apologized to Twilight and retreated to his domain.

Twilight looked after him sadly. I'm still Twilight Sparkle, Mister Cake. You once asked me to foalsit your babies, remember?

She turned back to her cinnamon bun. After they had nibbled a bit, Derpy Hooves spoke up. "Oh, Miss Sparkle, are you looking forward to this year's Hearth's Warming Eve play? I know I am!"

Twilight Sparkle laughed. "I was thinking about that on the way over here. Derpy, I've decided to volunteer for the play."

"Oh, yay!" Derpy applauded. "Me, too! Guess what? I'm in the cast! I'm actually going to be on stage!"

"Really? Wow! Good for you, Derpy! What role do you play?" Twilight took a big sip of her hot chocolate.

"Commander Hurricane," said Derpy.

There must be a spell for this! Twilight thought. This hot chocolate is either going up my nose or out over the table. Think, girl!

In the end, she managed to choke down the hot liquid (ow!) and did her best to smile at Derpy.

"Really?" Twilight said.

"Yes!" exclaimed Derpy, bouncing with excitement. "Director Dash told me I was the most authentic actor for the role!"

Director Dash? "Authentic?" asked Twilight.

Derpy tossed her blonde mane. "Director Dash said that the real Commander Hurricane was a blonde, like me!"

Twilight plucked at her cinnamon bun and considered that. "It's true that Clover the Clever, in her Commentaries, described Hurricane as 'Sun-blessed,' and that may mean she was blonde. But the ancient biographers often depicted great generals as 'flame-tressed' or 'shining-haired.' Some even described them as having fires or stars burning upon their brows. You see, Derpy, in their formulation of the Heroic archetype, the writers sought to demonstrate illumination, in the sense that...."

Twilight glanced up to see Derpy looking cross-eyed at her.

Twilight nodded. "Blonde. Blonde is good. Authentic."

Derpy shivered with excitement. "I've been studying up! I usually don't read that much, but my family has been helping me. I want to understand Hurricane and her world. Her life. Try to think like she did. Woo! It's challenging! But I'm going to do my best for Director Dash. And for Ponyville!"

Twilight smiled. "It's interesting, isn't it? Once you try to really understand another pony, there's so much you need to learn. It's hard to step out of your shoes and into another's. But if you can, the world just seems so much larger and richer."

"I know," said Derpy, nibbling her muffin. "Before, I only knew Commander Hurricane from the play. She seemed kind of mean. Grrr! But after reading about the real Commander Hurricane, she seems more complicated than I thought. You're really smart, Twilight. What do you think about Commander Hurricane?"

Twilight tapped the table in thought. "Her world and her biographers were not kind to her, I'm afraid. I think she was a great general, not because she won battles, but because she achieved victory without fighting, through bluff, intimidation or negotiation. Her Council of the Clouds, bringing the pegasus tribe into détente with the griffons, was a triumph. She always fought to conserve her troops and protect her folk. She was fiercely proud and always bore the Spear of Bellerophon, her grand-sire, the greatest champion of the pegasus tribe.

"In my interpretation, Derpy, Hurricane was driven by the needs of her tribe and her fear of not living up to the legacy of her family. And when she was at last driven to the edge by the Fimbulwinter, certain that the pegasus tribe was doomed, then and only then did she become a tyrant, in her despair.

"Hurricane never expected to survive the Fimbulwinter, you see. She went to Equestria to die for her tribe. It is almost cruel that she lived after Hearth's Warming Eve. In her Apologia, she acknowledges her part in the conflict that empowered the windigos. After Hearth's Warming Eve, she never carried the Spear of Bellerophon again. She eventually resigned her command and lived a quiet life in obscurity until her death. Her entire fortune went to the One-Winged Pegasus Society, that cared for injured veterans. She wasn't a bad pony. She just made some bad decisions."

Derpy sat back, eyes shining. "She was a mare of great valor," said Derpy quietly. "I will honor her with my performance. Hurricane will live again, in me. This, I vow."

Uh-oh, thought Twilight.

"Yeah, verily, now shall I go forth," declared Derpy Hooves, standing. She seized her mailbags and strapped them on. "To deliver these missives, so vital to the life and welfare of my people. This is my mission! May I never taste another muffin if I fail!"

She looked to the east, where the Sun would rise and the day begin. She stamped her hooves in determination and announced, "I go!"

Derpy Hooves marched out of Sugar Cube Corner. She launched herself into the winter sky, shouting, "Forward Equestria! Huzzah!"

Oh, dear, thought Twilight. Nothing good will come of that.

The Audition

Ponyville Town Hall smelled of sawdust. The carpenters were busily at work, setting up the seats and arranging the scaffolding required for the play's lighting and mechanical effects. Rainbow Dash buzzed around the Hall, encouraging, scolding and congratulating her crew.

Octavia looked about. All right, the orchestra pit is small, but my string quartet will be able to manage. Goodness knows, we've played smaller venues.

Vinyl Scratch called out: "Yo! RD! Where will I set up?"

"Be right there, Vinyl!" called Rainbow, as she fussed with a detail of the lighting.

Down on the stage, the auditions weren't going so well.

"No. No no no no no. No." Rarity the unicorn was quite clear on the subject. She stamped her hoof. "No!"

"But, Rarity!" said Twilight Sparkle. "I already have my costume." Twilight held up the brown cloak of Clover the Clever. She drew it over herself. "See? It even covers my wings. I look like a normal unicorn."

"Twilight, dear Twilight," Rarity began. "I simply cannot allow a Princess of Equestria to appear in public looking like a bag of turnips. Really, darling, it's bad enough that you wish to be a... performer.

"Your proper place is up there," Rarity said, waving towards the rafters. "Madam Mayor has set aside a lovely box seat just for you and your entourage. She calls it, 'The Princess's Booth.' From there, you may look down upon all of Ponyville."

To Twilight's eye, the "Princess's Booth" looked like the cheap seats in the nosebleed section. Twilight stamped in frustration. "I don't want to look down on anypony! I just want to be part of the show!"

Rarity stepped up to Twilight Sparkle and looked her in the eye, very seriously. "Twilight," Rarity said. "I respect you more than anypony I know. But you must understand this, dear: you are a Princess now. And being a Princess entails certain community obligations. You do not wish to 'look down' on anypony and I love you for that. But there are many who wish to look up to you! You inspire hope and greatness in others! Perhaps you do not yet realize how excited all of Ponyville is, to have you living among us! This is your destiny, darling. My most sincere apologies, Your Highness, if I have spoken out of place."

Twilight looked down. She's right. I'm an alicorn now. I'm not "authentic" like Derpy. Maybe I don't have a place in the show anymore. Maybe I should be happy to sit up in the booth and watch. But I still want to help! I could sell tickets, she thought. Or clean up afterwards. Hayseed Turnip Truck could probably use more volunteers for the maintenance crew.

I guess I've been too proud, assuming I'd be in the cast. I'm sorry, everypony. Maybe I just don't belong in Ponyville anymore.

Then Rainbow Dash flew down. "Twilight! Great! Glad you're here finally! You're my Princess Platinum!"

"I'm what now?" asked Twilight.

"I'm casting an actual Princess as a Princess! Is that authentic, or what?" Rainbow Dash squealed with excitement.

"Why, that's an excellent idea, darling," said Rarity. "I could whip up a dazzling gown for you in no time. Something traditional, yet splendid. Gobs of lace and rich brocade, but fewer jewels, to reflect the fashions of the period. Oh! And the capes and trains then were so long and delicious! And the most precious little shoes! Wonderful! If you must appear onstage, Twilight, you can at least present yourself as a proper Princess."

But I wanted to be Clover the Clever, thought Twilight. I've read her Commentaries, front to back. Across the centuries, I heard her speaking to me, mind to mind, as another apprentice to a higher power. But maybe this is what I was telling Derpy: stepping out of your shoes is hard. Maybe I will gain insights from being Princess Platinum.

"I'll do it," decided Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria. "I'll do my best! Let's get started! If I'm to play Princess Platinum, who will play Clover the Clever?" Twilight held out her brown robe to Rarity.

Rarity batted her eyes. "Thank you so much for thinking of me, darling. But as much as I would love to wear a potato sack in front of all of Ponyville, I am far, far too busy to properly represent the role. Ever since your coronation, the orders for copies of my gowns just keep pouring in. I'm glad to donate my efforts at costume design, but I can't fully participate in the company at this time. Please forgive me."

"Me! Me! Me! There's me!" called a voice from the wings. "Pick me!"

Lyra Heartstrings galloped onto the stage. The minty-green unicorn bounded across the boards and seized the cloak of Clover the Clever. She swept the cloak about her and posed dramatically. "At your service, Your Highness," she declared, bowing low.

"Well," said Rainbow Dash, tapping her clipboard. "You did audition for both Clover and Platinum. According to my notes: pretty awesome, but could be more awesome. I suppose...."

"Yes! Yes yes yes yes! Yes!" cried Lyra, jumping around Twilight. "You can count on me, Princess! I'll study hard! I won't let you down."

Twilight was touched by Lyra's undisguised enthusiasm. Was this was how Celestia felt when she chose me as her student? This pride? This joy for another?

"You will be a great Clover the Clever, Lyra," declared Twilight. "Come on. Let's study our lines together! I think I have an insight or two about Clover that I can share with you."

***

"Rainbow Dash!" cried Twilight Sparkle. "You simply can't do this!"

Oops. Trouble with the Talent, thought Rainbow Dash.

The set of Hearth's Warming Eve was coming along. The gross work, the seating, the lights and sound and the organization of the house, was complete. Now came the fiddly bits: the sets, the timing of the lights and music, the working of the mechanicals. The hours of rehearsal, discovering the sections of the play that didn't work, the revisions, the unexpected successes. And the part that every play director stressed over, since she couldn't quite control them: the actors.

Twilight Sparkle stormed across the stage, fire in her eyes.

"What's up, Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash with feigned innocence, certain of what was to follow.

"I read through your script. You've added a villain to the Hearth's Warming Eve story!" said Twilight Sparkle. "It's a story about the tender reconciliation of the three pony tribes! And you added a villain!"

Rainbow Dash nodded as she pulled Twilight aside. "Twilight, let me put this bluntly: the old Hearth's Warming Eve story is boring. We've all heard it before. 'You've got to care, you've got to share.' Bleah! Hearth's Warming Eve needs some punching up.

"Let's add some intrigue! Excitement! Suspense! Suppose, just suppose, that everything you know about Hearth's Warming Eve is wrong! Now, how do you feel? Excited, right?"

"No!" shouted Twilight. She brandished her script. "You made Star Swirl the Bearded the villain! How could you do this?!"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Scheming advisor to the Unicorn King. Evil sorcerer. It's a classic set-up, really. Plus, he's got a beard. I've examined the Daring Do novels closely, Twilight. The evil mastermind usually has a beard."

"He was a great wizard! A scholar! There's a whole shelf devoted to his works in the Canterlot Library!" raged Twilight.

"And yet!" Rainbow Dash said, raising a hoof dramatically. "He couldn't complete a spell about destiny and friendship. The very spell that you were able to finish. How about that?"

"Well, it's true," said Twilight, tapping her forehooves together. "As he grew older, Star Swirl the Bearded became more reclusive. Working alone in his library, far into the night, collecting secrets from ancient tomes." Twilight glanced away, with a worried inward look.

Rainbow Dash nodded, knowingly. "Villain."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Look, Twilight. It's like this: the audience needs a villain. Someone to carry away the bad things in the story, so they won't happen again. They need a villain to experience catharsis."

Twilight Sparkle blinked. "Did you just use the word, 'catharsis,' in a sentence?"

"I pronounced it correctly!" said Rainbow Dash.

Oh, how much you've grown, thought Twilight Sparkle. I couldn't believe, at first, that you would really write and direct a play. But look at you now! You've developed a theme (one I personally don't agree with, but still!) and are defending it intelligently. I'm sorry, Rainbow. I should have noticed earlier how much stronger you've become.

"Look, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash. "You've got to trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Twilight smiled warmly at her friend. "I do trust you, Rainbow. I have complete faith in you. Lead the way!"

"Thanks, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash. "I appreciate your– Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you! Don't put those tools down on my stage! Somepony could trip over them!

"Sorry, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash. "I've got to go deal with this."

"It's okay," said Twilight, amused, as Rainbow Dash streaked off.

You've changed. But I think you still enjoy bossing other ponies around.

Marigold, Pudding and Pie

Miss Cheerilee had decided that the Hearth's Warming Eve play was a suitable project for her students, so the whole class had turned out.

Sweetie Belle proudly led the children's chorus.

Apple Bloom, also in the chorus, snuck around backstage, looking at the sets. She and Mister Breezy had a grand old time, discussing the details of the stage effects.

Scootaloo had been cast as Private Pansy. She trotted after Derpy Hooves everywhere.

The "cringing Earth Ponies" (Diamond Tiara and Truffle Shuffle, Serfs #1 and #2) had very little to do. ("We offer vegetables. We cringe. That's about it for us.") So Truffle was introducing Diamond to the subtleties of three-card monte and suggesting that Diamond put forward a few bits. Just to keep the game interesting, Truffle explained. Diamond, fascinated, opened her purse.

Snips, Snails and Twist, in their windigo costumes, tore around backstage making woo-OOO-ooo! noises at everypony. Featherweight took pictures and Pipsqueak laughed.

Out front, Madam Mayor Marigold of Ponyville trotted confidently to the center of the stage.

"Um, Madam Mayor... that's not your mark," said Rainbow Dash. "Your place is stage right. Can I get a baby spot for the Mayor? Great. There you go."

Marigold marched back across the stage. She tilted her glasses down towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow gave her the high sign.

And so the story began.

"The Zoning Committee has reviewed the proposed statute, limiting the height of hedges within the city limits of Ponyville and determined... wait! Are these the right notes?"

There was a pause as Marigold shuffled her stacks of clipboards.

Down in the audience, Spike grumped, "You coulda put me on stage."

"She gave me the Town Hall for a month," whispered Rainbow Dash, beside him. "What was I supposed to do? Stage the play in the Library?"

"Ah, here they are!" announced the Mayor of Ponyville. She cleared her throat.

And so the story began. Again.

"Once upon a time...."

***

The company was rehearsing "the Summit," the tempestuous meeting of the three tribes.

"Daughter of the Unicorn King, Princess Platinum!" announced the steward.

Twilight Sparkle stepped onto the stage, head held high, to the call of trumpets.

Of course I hold my head up! What choice do I have, with this much lace? Twilight thought. All this stiff brocade? And this cape?! I'm not a Princess; I'm a barge! And what's the deal with these little shoes?

Still, Princess Platinum remembered Rarity's lessons and sailed sedately on-stage, a ship of state. From the gallery, her folk applauded her. Her opponents, the ambassadors of Earth and Sky, sullenly gave way.

As every eye turned towards her, Twilight finally understood: I am not just myself anymore. I am Unicornia.

Spike had helped Twilight research her role. And Spike, bless him, had discovered Princess Platinum's Journals in a neglected vault of the Canterlot Library.

The early part of the Journals were, to be honest, tedious. Platinum was small-minded, petty and vindictive, obsessed with the tiny quarrels between the members of her court. She recorded only the little victories of this or that courtier and gloated on the disappointments of everypony around her.

But also, Twilight had noted, in light of Rainbow Dash's play: wasn't there just a hint here or there, of restlessness, of a rivalry between Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever? In her disparaging comments towards Clover, wasn't Platinum actually expressing her desire to be her father's faithful steward and councilor, and not just a decorative addition to his table?

Around the time of Hearth's Warming Eve, after a few complaints about the difficulty of obtaining this excellent fabric or that favored treat, the Journals broke off.

Then, more than a year later, the Journals resumed.

What a difference! Twilight had thought, as she swept through the pages. In contrast to the dull, rambling entries from before, the entries after were tight, concise and business-like. They were filled with decisions made and actions taken. Platinum was entirely devoted to developing Nova Unicornia (as she insisted on calling the new land) into a homeland for her folk. She faithfully recorded her conferences with the Table of Three, from which she, Vice-Chancellor Smart Cookie and Sergeant Major Pansy, would eventually publish the Declaration of Equestria, the foundation for the Nation of Three Tribes.

Hearth's Warming Eve freed her, Twilight had thought. It broke the narrow walls of her old life. She escaped and discovered her true destiny. And herself.

She changed. And she became stronger.

Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped onto the stage, head held high, to the call of trumpets.

I am not just myself anymore. I am Unicornia. I am the pride, power and purpose of my people. I am the vessel of their strength and hope.

I am not yet who I will be, she thought, as she looked haughtily across the stage. Now, I am small. When I am great, you will not know me then. So be it!

She glanced about the stage, at the Earth Ponies and the Pegasi, and favored them with her consideration.

Now, then, about the food. And the storm! she thought as she moved forward with determination. "Clover! Attend me!" she said.

As the rehearsal went on, Twilight couldn't help but grin to herself. Ah ha! I have guessed your secret, Princess Platinum! As much as you tried to hide it, beneath your manners and your fancy dresses: you were a good pony. You are worthy of respect. I will do my best to honor you.

***

"This hat's too big," objected Applejack.

"No, your head's too small," laughed Pinkie Pie.

The rehearsals for Hearth's Warming Eve continued.

On stage were Chancellor Puddinghead (Applejack) and Smart Cookie (Pinkie Pie). They were rehearsing the "Off to New Lands" scene, the "tent post" that would propel the rest of the drama.

The scene began with Smart Cookie, in a lonely peasant hut, blowing pensively into her bubble pipe. Suddenly, there was a disturbance on the hearth!

For the umpteenth time, Chancellor Puddinghead landed in the fireplace with a dusty phlumph. "Whelp! Here Ah am!" she announced unnecessarily, shaking her head.

"Ah! Puddinghead! Excellent!" observed Smart Cookie. Smart Cookie swept towards the fireplace. She paused to blow a few bubbles from her pipe. "My dear Chancellor, you have always had a flair for the dramatic entrance!"

"A flare?! Whut! Am Ah on fire?! Put me out!" Puddinghead jumped up, banging her head against the mantlepiece. She staggered dizzily across the floor, slipped on an imaginary banana peel and face-planted into the stage.

"Oh, well done, Puddinghead," applauded Smart Cookie. "Good show! So droll!"

Two rows back from the stage, Rainbow Dash sighed.

"What's wrong, Rainbow?" asked Twilight Sparkle, who sat beside her. "They're much better this time. Better than the last twelve times at least."

Up on the stage, Puddinghead wobbled to her hooves. She looked at Smart Cookie.

"Knock knock," said Puddinghead.

"Oh, come on," hissed Rainbow Dash.

"If I may be so bold as to ask, who is there?" replied Smart Cookie, cocking an eyebrow.

"Madam," said Puddinghead.

"Madam who?" inquired Smart Cookie.

"Muhdam' hoof is stuck in th' fireplace!" declared Puddinghead. She grinned expectantly at the imaginary audience.

Rainbow Dash thumped her head with her clipboard. "She is such a block of wood."

"Rainbow Belle Dash, be kind," cautioned Twilight Sparkle.

"Sure, sure, I'll– wait! Who told you my middle name?"

Twilight smiled. "I'm a princess. Princesses just know these things. Also, I talked to your Mom and Dad after the coronation," grinned Twilight Sparkle. "They had so many funny stories to tell me about their dear little Rainbow Belle!"

Rainbow Dash grimaced. "Dad! Mom! You traitors! No!"

"Oh, your secret's safe with me," said Twilight, batting her eyes. "As long as you obey!"

"C'mon, Twilight, I– oh, what is this, now?" exasperated Rainbow Dash, turning back to the stage.

"He-he. Y'know whut time it is when an elephant sits on yore fence?" asked Puddinghead.

"Can't imagine. Pray, enlighten me, dear Puddinghead," replied Smart Cookie, drily, examining her bubble pipe.

"Time t' build a new fence," laughed Puddinghead, grinning towards the empty theater.

"All right, that's it," said Rainbow Dash, tossing down her clipboard.

"Elephant jokes? Are you bucking kidding me?" shouted Rainbow Dash, charging across the stage. "Suppose there are elephants in the audience! When are you going to apologize to them?!"

"Ah got another joke," said Puddinghead.

"Okay, let's hear it," said Rainbow Dash, waving impatiently.

Puddinghead looked down and muttered something.

"What was that?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I didn't catch that."

Puddinghead cleared her throat. "Oh, sorry," the pony said in a raspy voice. "Ah'm a little hoarse."

"Ba dum," observed Smart Cookie, idly. "Tish."

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Applejack. Pinkie. C'mere," she waved to them.

The three ponies huddled.

"You know," Rainbow Dash said quietly. "I love both of you guys."

"Ah knows that," said Applejack, looking a little embarrassed.

"I love both of you more than a bubblegum quesadilla!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie.

"So let me be blunt: you guys stink," said Rainbow Dash.

"AJ, let's face it: you can come out here and tell corny jokes all night long, but nopony will ever think you are stupid or clumsy. You are amazingly competent at everything you do, from farming to building to baking to caring for your family and friends. And you can run a quarter-mile at a speed that impresses even me! So you are just not a very convincing Puddinghead.

"Pinks, I know you like to act the clown, but you are wicked smart and super-friendly! Twilight could learn a thing or two from you. Nopony who knows you will believe that you would just stand around detached, aloof, tut-tutting like some poncey Canterlot swell. Everypony knows you love being in the thick of things. You love to laugh. Watching you struggle to hold yourself in gives me a bellyache.

"Girls, I appreciate that you wanted to swap your roles and mix things up. But for the sake of the show, I have to ask you to go back to the characters you played last year in Canterlot."

Applejack took off her Puddinghead hat. "Wull, t'be honest, it's a lot harder t'be funny than Ah thought. Don't rightly know how that one manages it," nodding to Pinkie.

Pinkie Pie hiccuped a spray of colorful bubbles. "It's a gift," she admitted. "And you're right, Rainbow Dash. The play would be a lot more fun for me if I could run around the stage and be more like myself. Two questions, though."

"Okay," said Rainbow Dash, with a wary look.

"Can I keep the bubble pipe?" asked Pinkie. "I really like it as a prop! I can point and gesture dramatically with it."

"All right," said Rainbow Dash. "Just don't blow into it when another actor is speaking. It'll distract the audience. Second question?"

Pinkie turned away briefly and turned back. She now sported a neat little black mustache. She gave Rainbow a questioning look.

"No," said Rainbow Dash. "Why don't you two take a break, swap your hats, study your lines and come back in an hour? We'll pick it up then."

"Okay!" said Pinkie.

"Thanks, Rainbow," said Applejack. "That's a big strain off muh withers. See you in an hour."

"Great. Thanks for understanding, guys."

Rainbow Dash trotted back to Twilight and slumped down, relieved.

"You did very well, Rainbow Belle," said Twilight. "You were beautiful."

"Oh, shut up," said Rainbow Belle Dash, embarrassed. "You'd better be ready to up your game! The show must go on!"

The Opening

"Apple fritters! Apple cider! Um, boy, they's good on a chilly night!"

Standing at her stall near Ponyville Town Hall, Granny Smith hugged her shawl around her and grinned at the happy theater crowd.

"Warm fritters... they's good eatin' in winter! An' hot cider... wull, it just ain't a good evenin' without hot cider! Come git some!"

"Mrs. Smith, I am appalled!" declared Rarity the unicorn, before Granny Smith's cart.

"Yer whut, now? An apple?" asked Granny Smith.

Rarity trotted around Granny Smith's cart, drew off her long, warm cape and tossed it over the older pony.

"There now," said Rarity, tugging the edges of her cloak around Granny Smith. "Isn't that better?"

"Aw, Ah wuz okay a'fore. Long as th' timberwolves ain't bitin', Ah gots no complaints," said Granny Smith, as she pulled the cloak more tightly around her. She squinted up at Rarity. "Say! Ain't you that fancy lady that's good friends with muh grandotter? Oh, she dotes on you! You should come up t' the house some time! We'd love t' entertain yuh! Winter's kind of a quiet time fer us.

"You might never guess it, but Big Macintosh sings. Thass right. Him an' Apple Bloom, they're quite a pair. Applejack is good on harpsichord an' banjo, but not like her Ma an' Pa, rest 'em. Ah do m'best t' keep up, but these tired ol' hooves, wull, they ain't too cooperative. Ah still miss muh Mister. Oh, he wuz a stallion t' consider! So big an' fine! Ah miss him 'specially, this time o' year.

"Whut can Ah get ya, dearie?" Granny Smith asked. "These are cellar apples, Ah'm afraid, since th' trees are a'sleepin'. Oh, but th' cider an' fritters are first rate!"

Rarity glanced down at her hooves, dressed in splendid shoes of silver, then looked at Granny Smith.

"Oh, Mrs. Smith, I am so glad that you are here!" Rarity said. "I have been so, so stupid. Oh, the shame! I have completely neglected the needs of the play's cast and crew! I forgot about catering! How ridiculous of me! Would you, I beg you, bring your cart inside the Hall? The children, the cast and crew, will be so thirsty and hungry during and after the show! Please, won't you come with me? I only have a little to offer."

Rarity levitated three gold solars from her purse and deposited them before Granny Smith.

Granny Smith's eyes lit up.

"And it would mean so much, to the company, to the children, if you would," pleaded Rarity.

"Wull, all right," said Granny Smith.

Rarity helped Granny Smith maneuver her little cart to the stage door. Once inside, the two of them set up a little concession area for the company. It only took a moment for members of the cast and crew to show up and help themselves.

"Thank you so much for your help, Mrs. Smith," said Rarity. "I can't imagine what I would have done without you."

"Wull, Ah wuz kinda hoping t' see th' show," said Granny Smith. "Both of muh grandotters are in it! Thass right! And Big Macintosh, wull, he's busy, movin' th' heavy sets around. Ah hope Ah can still find a seat!"

Rarity smiled. "I know of one empty seat. Come with me, dear! Let's see if you like it!"

And so Rarity the unicorn gently escorted Granny Smith to her proper place: a seat at the front of the Princess's Booth.

***

The night of the play, as the theater slowly filled with eager ponies, Octavia's quartet focused on soothing variations of Patchy Belle's Canon in D, warming up her strings for the musical challenges to come.

Despite the tranquil music, there was, understandably, some commotion when the Lord of Chaos entered the theater.

Discord, clad in a purple top hat and tails, waded through the crowd, grinning toothily. Fluttershy held his arm, trying to reassure everypony.

As the pair approached their seats in the front row, Director Dash flew out of the wings to confront them. "What are you up to, Discord?" challenged Rainbow Dash.

"Why, I'm only here to enjoy the play," said Discord. He consulted his program. "'Hot Swarming Evil.' It sounds delightful."

"The title is 'Hearth's Warming Eve,'" shouted Rainbow Dash.

Discord blinked. He looked down at his program and turned it right-side up. "Why, you are correct," he said, squinting at the program.

Discord turned to Fluttershy sadly. "Not even one little zombie?"

"No, I'm afraid not," said Fluttershy, placing one hoof upon his lion paw. "Maybe next time."

"You better not try anything," warned Rainbow Dash. "I've got my eye on you, Discord!"

Discord haughtily adjusted the monocle in his right eye. Then the second monocle in his left eye. He put on his pince-nez, to assist his third and fourth eyes. Then he settled his glasses over his fifth and sixth eyes.

"I don't know," Discord said. "Sometimes, I just want to make a spectacle of myself."

His head snapped back to its usual binocular form. He grinned wolfishly and winked at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Remember I'm counting on your good behavior. You better watch him, Fluttershy," she said, then fled away backstage.

"Oh, my," said Fluttershy. "Don't worry, Discord. I think she's just a little nervous right now about her play. Oh, here are our seats! Right down front, like you wanted."

Discord and Fluttershy took their seats, front row center. Discord used the opportunity to stretch his legs. Stretching them until they rested on top of the stage.

"Ah! That's nice," he said, wiggling his odd number of toes. "You know, until you've been encased in stone for a thousand years, you don't really appreciate flexibility."

"Um, Discord?" said Fluttershy. "If you could shrink down just a teensy bit, it would help everypony behind you to see the stage."

Discord twisted around. The seats immediately around the Lord of Chaos were strangely empty. Still, there were a few ponies behind him courageous enough to look annoyed.

"Oh, how thoughtless of me," said Discord. "Thank you, dear Fluttershy, for your advice."

Discord shrank down to the size of a young colt. Unfortunately, as he became smaller, his top hat grew taller, so that he still blocked the view of the ponies behind him.

"Perhaps you could take off your hat?" suggested Fluttershy.

Discord said, in a squeaky, childish voice, "Moi? A gentlecreature, bereft of chapeau? You wound me, Fluttershy. Still, as your friend, I will accommodate you."

Discord removed his top hat, which instantly telescoped down to normal size. Perched atop Discord's head was a very confused-looking rabbit.

"Angel?" asked Fluttershy, concerned.

Discord glanced up. "Ah, there you are, my little friend. I wondered where you had got to. Oh, you seem lost! Here, let me help."

Discord grabbed Angel Bunny with his eagle claw and threw him into the top hat. Discord then tossed the top hat into the air, where it disappeared. "Voilà!" announced Discord, with satisfaction. "Home again, home again, jiggity-jig."

Fluttershy patted Discord's lion paw. "Thank you, Discord. You are a good friend."

Discord gave Fluttershy a sideways glance. "I'm trying, Fluttershy. For your sake, I'm trying."

Fluttershy beamed.

Discord slouched down in his seat. "Hmmph. Bored now. Let's get on with this," he said. From the air, he produced a lollipop as large as his head and licked at it, sulking.

Director Dash signaled to Octavia. Octavia nodded and relayed the message to Vinyl up in the booth and to the other members of her quartet. The strings fell silent for a moment, then struck up the traditional opening to Hearth's Warming Eve.

The lights in the theater dimmed. The ponies quickly scrambled to their seats. (A brave few even sat close to Discord.) The crowd settled. And the play began.

The Mysterious Stranger and the Ride of the Valkyries

To her credit, Madam Mayor Marigold did a great job of getting the play started.

Almost everypony in Ponyville that wasn't in the cast or crew was there in the audience. Yet, she wasn't intimidated a bit. She trotted onstage full of confidence. Octavia's quartet quieted.

Spike had, happily, talked Madam Mayor out of the bells-and-motley that she had originally selected for her costume. "A jester isn't quite the same as a minstrel," he had explained, patiently.

Marigold, clad in emerald and sporting a smart cap with a jaunty red feather, hit her mark and declaimed:

"Playgoers, I bid you welcome! On this Hearth's Warming Eve, let us reflect upon our history and rejoice! For this is the tale of all of us, of you and I and everypony you know. And it begins with no more than this:

"Once upon a time...."

And so, Marigold spun the tale of Hearth's Warming Eve. Of the distrust between the tribes, when the Earth Folk desperately courted the favor of the Sky Folk in hope of rain and lived in terror of the Magic Folk, who controlled the day and night.

(Diamond Tiara broke character and waved to her father, Filthy Rich, who waved back, proud of his little girl.)

Marigold told of the onset of the Fimbulwinter. Of the desperation of the Earth Ponies, bowed under the weight of snow. Of the confusion of the Pegasi, lost in a sky that had suddenly become hostile and strange. And of the bewilderment of the Unicorns, who burrowed into their books but could find no answers.

Then the tumultuous Summit, the hope of the three tribes, which ended in confusion and rancor.

At last, the painful decision to abandon home, hearth and field, and strike out to new lands.

"Yet even as the Great Migration of the Three Tribes began, the fate of all of ponykind turned on events in Unicornia where, in a black cavern beneath the Castle of the Unicorn King, dire deeds were unfolding...."

***

The stage was black. Slowly, a gray light illuminated a still figure center stage. The figure, bound and hooded, stirred slowly, then jerked as awareness returned. The figure struggled uselessly for a time, then calmed. It tilted its head, as if listening.

"Whoever you are," she shouted, "I suggest you untie me! I am Clover, advisor to the Unicorn King and apprentice to Star Swirl the Bearded! I caution you, they will be angered by my abduction! And I, blinded and bound though I am, I am not without resources! You would be well advised to release me at once! Do you hear? Answer! Are you there? Do not risk my anger; it is terrible!"

A feminine voice, silky, mocking, floated across the stage. "Threats do not suit you, Clover the Clever," she said. "You are well-known to be reasonable and kind-hearted. Your threats have no teeth."

A heavily-cloaked shape, vague in the dim light, paced slowly behind the helpless Clover. There was a faint sound of jingling bells.

"Do you know where you are?" asked the stranger.

Clover turned, trying to track her captor. After a moment, she replied, "I am in the long-abandoned mines beneath the Great Keep of Castle Unicornia."

The stranger laughed and stamped a quick tattoo of approval. "Well done, child! You caught the distinctive scent of mining dust and felt the worn ruts of the mining carts under your hooves. Well done! I am proud of you!

"And also, do you not, sense the heavy resistance of the walls around you. Resistance to your magic. A trick and a trap in these ancient mines. It's the residue, you see, of the gems that we tore from the flesh of the land. Stone is obdurate, enduring. And spiteful. The land hates us, you see."

The stranger circled Clover, passing between the prisoner and the audience like a dark moon, eclipsing her.

"We have always been diggers, we unicorns. Poking, prying, cutting, seeking the treasures in the darkest depths, the secrets in the black places. Arrogantly unconcerned that something in the black places might be hungry for us."

The stranger stepped nearer to Clover, not so much advancing into the light as drawing the shadows closer.

"In the dark, I discovered a great secret. And it devoured me. And I rejoice in this, because I am relieved of foolish hope."

"Oh, be silent, fool!" cried Clover. "Begone! You tire me. Your cant is less than that of a novice, terrified of her first glimpse of the Realm Undying."

"And yet, here you are, helpless," sneered the stranger. "At my mercy."

"What is it you want of me?" demanded Clover.

The stranger orbited close to her prisoner now.

"What do I want of you?" she asked. "Why, nothing. Precisely nothing. No secret. No spell. No word. No movement. All I need of you is your absence. Then all of my plans are complete."

There was a soft jingling of golden bells.

"Who are you?!" shouted Clover. "You cannot be who you pretend to be, monster!"

The stranger walked into the light at center stage.

"Of course I am. I can always be who I pretend to be," she hissed. "And now..."

The stranger abruptly snatched off her hood to reveal her face. The face of Clover the Clever, twisted with madness.

"I'm you! Ha ha! Bah ha ha ha! Bwah ha ha ha ha ha!"

The stranger stalked into the darkness, followed by the jingling of bells.

In an instant, the stage went black.

***

While the audience gasped, the crew ran to pull Clover off the stage.

Big Macintosh pulled off her hood. “Okay?” he asked, as the rest of the crew removed her “bonds.”

Minuette flashed her brilliant smile and nodded. “How did I do?”

Director Dash smiled. “Pretty well. The hood helped muffle your voice just enough, so that the audience never noticed the switch.”

“And my next scene?” asked Minuette.

Director Dash winked. “Your next scene will be historic.”

***

The house lights were down, but the stage was brilliantly lit. A thick carpet of fog moved uneasily over the boards while heavy clouds drifted slowly on wires across the set. Mister Breezy's effects crew wafted tufts of smoke over the stage, giving the set a sense of space and movement.

From a great distance, came the howl of the windigos.

Up in her sound booth, Vinyl Scratch set needle to turntable. Thunderbirds are go! she thought, gleefully.

Down in the orchestra pit, Octavia grimaced. Pre-recorded music! The idea! Still, she glanced at the other members of her quartet, let's add some richness to the production, shall we? Ready? And... now!

The Ride of the Valkyries swelled and filled the hall.

Commander Hurricane (Derpy Hooves) and Private Pansy (Scootaloo) swooped into the set, leveled off and soared.

As a practical matter, although both actors were pegasi, both "flew" on harnesses. One good, real flap would carry a pegasus completely off-stage and hovering in place would look ridiculous to anypony with wings. So the pegasi relied on skillful wirework to move them to their marks on stage while the actors mimicked convincing flight postures.

From the wings, Rainbow Dash watched intently, looking for flaws. Beside her stood Twilight Sparkle, ready, as ever, to lecture.

On stage, Commander Hurricane soared proudly. "Be alert, Private Pansy!" she ordered. "You never know where enemies might be lurking!"

Alarmed, Private Pansy fluttered this way and that, searching for enemies. But in the end, she returned to Commander Hurricane, puzzled. "I don't see any threats, Commander. Just... snow."

Hurricane turned. Her expression was masked by her great helm. Sotto voce, she said, "Private, we have been hunted since we left Pegasopolis. Prepare to fight well and, if necessary, to die well."

Out of the vapor that covered the stage, there arose... monsters. Lumpy, bumpy shapes (Snips, Snails and Twist, in costume) capered beneath Hurricane and Pansy. From behind the clouds, deformed creations of tooth and claw (Miss Cheerilee and Silver Spoon) threatened and mocked the travelers.

Other distorted animal shapes drifted across the stage, modeled by Rarity and Pinkie Pie, propelled by Mister Breezy's fans.

Commander Hurricane hefted her spear and stabbed at one. It burst like a balloon. But then others came, two, four, then a dozen, swarming towards the pair. Hurricane and Pansy hovered back to back, striking furiously with their spears, while the cloud monsters pranced and guffawed at their struggle.

"You understand," whispered Twilight Sparkle, in the shadow beside the stage, "that there were no real cloud monsters. Hurricane made no mention of them in her Apologia. They were the invention of later writers."

"I think I know about clouds, Twilight, sheesh!" replied Rainbow Dash. "When you spend as much time as I have working with them, you get to know them pretty well. But here's the thing: the shapes of clouds are funny sometimes. You look at them and see things. This one looks like a bunny, right, and that one looks like a tree. Eventually, you realize that their shapes aren't out there, they're in here," she tapped her head. "Maybe I don't know the right way to say this, but look what's going on here: Pansy sees only clouds and snow, okay. But Hurricane sees monsters: her failure, the shame to her family, the death of her tribe. Her mighty spear is useless, because she fights Fimbulwinter, a monster that cannot be slain, because it has no heart. Her soul is painted everywhere across the sky, because she can't escape herself."

Rainbow Dash hugged herself. "I've felt that way, sometimes. Like everyone can see who I am, except me."

Twilight looked at her friend. "You've thought a lot about her, since you played the role," she whispered.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Originally, I just wanted to write this little story about Hurricane and Pansy. About their relationship at this moment. They are separated by rank, class and caste," Rainbow Dash said softly, spreading her forehooves. "Yet they have eaten together, berthed together, fought and bled together. Strangers, yet closer than sisters. Hurricane, driven by duty and fear, is plunging into the depths of her soul and probably to her doom.

"And Pansy follows her. Quiet, mysterious Private Pansy. Pansy followed her, into the storm. Hurricane leads, not knowing where to go. And Pansy follows, knowing only that her place is beside Hurricane."

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I dunno, maybe that sounds stupid. But that seems very romantic to me. I guess I stink as a writer, so I went back to a re-telling of Hearth's Warming Eve. That's close enough, for me."

Twilight Sparkle was thoughtful for awhile. "I would like to read that story, Rainbow," she said.

Rainbow shrugged. "Maybe later. I've got work to do now. Look!"

Commander Hurricane was charging about the stage, stabbing, thrusting and slicing frantically with her spear at the cloud shapes. Private Pansy struggled to stay near Hurricane's side and poke at anything that looked threatening. But her most frightened looks were directed towards her commander.

The cloud monsters danced and mocked. The windigos roared. And still the strange cloud shapes came on, even larger and more twisted than before.

At last, Commander Hurricane could tolerate no more.

"Enough!" she shouted, tearing off her tall helm, glaring at the uncaring storm, tears streaming down her face. "Come at me! Kill me, if you will! But spare my people!"

The clouds parted and from the heavens a shaft of light shone upon Commander Hurricane and burned upon her brow. She hovered worn and gaunt amidst the clouds. Her eyes were amber; her mane, gold; her coat, the gray of thunderclouds. She held aloft the Spear of Bellerophon and screamed:

"My blood for my tribe! My heart for my family! My spirit for their safety! What ransom can I pay, that will let my people live?! I will give you all that I am: flesh, bone and honor! I, Hurricane of the House of Bellerophon, pledge this, if only you will spare my folk!

"I beg you! I... I beg you. Please!"

But the cloud monsters just laughed and danced about her while the windigos bellowed.

The clouds shifted. The light dimmed. Commander Hurricane grimly set her jaw and put on her heavy helm. She motioned to Private Pansy with the spear of her illustrious grand-sire. And the two of them flew on, into the endless, merciless winter.

***

The stage went dark.

After a heartbeat, everypony in Ponyville Town Hall began to stamp. Not raucously, not loudly, but slowly and with quiet dignity. They applauded Derpy and Scootaloo. But also they honored the memory of the doomed Commander Hurricane and her faithful Private Pansy, both of whom now lived again in their hearts.

Twilight was breathless. "I still can't believe that's Derpy! I thought she was joking when she told me that you had cast her for the part of Commander Hurricane. But I was so wrong! She's amazing!"

"I knew that Derpy was perfect for this role as soon as I heard her first reading," whispered Rainbow Dash. "Do you know why? Because Derpy is not afraid to make a fool of herself in public. She will take risks, put everything she has inside of her on stage and dare anyone to laugh.

"Derpy is braver than I am," admitted Rainbow Dash. "She's not afraid to lose."

***

"Derpy? Hi!" said Twilight Sparkle, approaching the little pegasus backstage as she rested.

"Miss Sparkle! Hi!" said Derpy. For a moment, she was her usual self, smiling cheerfully, amber eyes bright. Then Derpy faded and shrank back into herself. She nibbled at a crust of bread and sipped some water.

She's lost so much weight! thought Twilight. Derpy had always been delicate, but now she looked so frail.

"I was very, very moved by your performance, Derpy," said Twilight hesitantly.

"Thanks, Miss Sparkle! I did my best! For you and for Ponyville!" said Derpy. And, again, the embers in her eyes flared up feverishly then faded away.

Scootaloo galloped up. "Miss Hooves! I found some apple juice for you! You should drink this! Apple Bloom brought this down tonight just for you, fresh from the farm! She added a few things Miss Zecora gave her to make you strong! Please! Just drink a little!" Scootaloo danced around Derpy with a worried look. She glanced up at Twilight. "Make her drink this, Your... Twilight! Please!" Scootaloo looked desperate.

Derpy gently pushed the cup away and cradled Scootaloo's face between her hooves. She smiled. "You have been such a good friend! In my worst moments, you have made me laugh! When I fall, I beg you, take my spear! For one sunrise only, hold it high, in memory of me. Then cast it aside and forget. Forget me, because I have killed everything I have ever loved."

Scootaloo looked confused and scared.

"Commander Hurricane! Attention to orders!" said Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Derpy, tired, sad and drawn, pulled herself to attention.

Twilight Sparkle looked down on Derpy sternly. "As your Princess, I command you! Drink!"

Without a second thought, the good soldier drank Zecora's potion.

After a moment, Derpy smiled. "Wow! That was good!"

Finally, the lights in Derpy's eyes came on and stayed on. Scootaloo rushed forward to hug her.

"Ha ha ha! Hay, Scoots," laughed Derpy, hugging her back. "We did okay, didn't we? You were great!"

"Miss Hooves..." Scootaloo began.

"Derpy," corrected Derpy Hooves.

"Derpy, you were awesome!" exclaimed Scootaloo.

"Ha ha! Thanks, Scoots! Hay! Why don't you get yourself a fritter and some cider? Right over there, go on!"

Scootaloo cast a backward glance at Derpy, smiled, then trotted towards the concession table.

"She is such a good girl," sighed Derpy, looking after her.

Twilight Sparkle approached Derpy Hooves. "How did you do it?" she asked. "How did you immerse yourself so much into the character of Commander Hurricane?"

"It was easy, Miss Sparkle," said Derpy. "I just imagined those mean ol' windigos trying to hurt my family and I got angry. Really, really angry. Angry enough to just throw myself at them and do, well, bad things. So I guess I understand Commander Hurricane a little bit.

"Still, I'm happy that this play will be over soon, 'cause I'm kinda tired of being so angry and upset all of the time. Commander Hurricane must have felt like this through all of her trials. Imagine that!

"Muffin top?" Derpy offered. "I can't eat this. The role, you know."

Clover the Clever and the Heart of Fire

"So," declaimed the Mayor, "the three tribes searched to find a new land to nourish their peoples."

Madam Mayor told the story of the discovery of paradise: a bright, green land of brilliant blue skies and sparkling rivers. The brown soil, redolent of fertility; the dancing white clouds; the stony places, that offered treasures and secrets.

"They found this green and pleasant land, untouched by the snows. But, sadly, not long untouched by distrust!"

Madam Mayor spoke of the acrimony of the three tribes and of the blizzard that followed them.

"In the end, the leaders of the three tribes collected into a tiny cave, where their anger exploded!"

***

Commander Hurricane was the first to enter the cave.

"So this is where my journey ends," she whispered. "In the dark, under the ground. That my life has come to this...!"

"Commander?" asked Private Pansy, entering beside her.

Hurricane straightened. She pulled back her shoulders and tidied her wings. "It is nothing, Private. I will fight to the last. To the very last. For me, even this small ground will be Pegasopolis. For a time. Come! Attend me!"

(In the orchestra pit, Octavia signaled her quartet. They turned as one to the tense strains of Luna Aeterna.)

The pair advanced into the cave, followed by Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever.

"It's small and... untidy, yes," declared Princess Platinum, glancing about haughtily. "But as the seat of power of the Princessipality of Nova Unicornia, it may suffice."

"I am sure it will, Your Highness," replied Clover. "Once we rid ourselves of these... interlopers."

Platinum batted her eyes. "Yes, we shall have to do something about that, shan't we?"

Clover bowed.

They entered the cave and settled opposite the pegasi.

"Caves! I love caves! Do you crave caves? Caves are my faves!" exclaimed Chancellor Puddinghead. "Y'know, Smart Cookie, I was born in a cave that I built with my own hooves!"

"Really, your Chancellorship?" asked Smart Cookie.

"No!" grinned Puddinghead as she bounded into the middle of the cave, followed by her advisor.

A chill, blue light infiltrated the chamber. From without, came the voice of the windigos.

The three tribes sullenly regarded each other.

"We oughta' try t'make friends with them, your Chancellorship," said Smart Cookie.

"Smart Cookie, give me your hoof," asked Chancellor Puddinghead, sweetly.

"Wull, okay, but why..." said Smart Cookie, proffering her hoof.

Puddinghead forced Cookie's hoof down. Hard. Painfully. Then she released it.

Smart Cookie smacked herself in the face.

"Stop hitting yourself," Puddinghead laughed.

"That's what happens, when you hold out your hoof," said Puddinghead, suddenly very, very serious.

"Here's the problem," Puddinghead said quietly. "We can't grow food in a cave. We need land, Sun and water. And these ponies," she nodded towards the pegasi and unicorn groups, "are in the way. We have to get rid of them."

Private Pansy paced the cavern, uncertain. She looked back at Commander Hurricane, then scratched a border between herself and the other ponies in the cave. "This is New Pegasopolis," she said, mostly to herself, close to tears. "This black space, below the Earth."

She encountered a small stone and thoughtlessly moved it aside.

The unicorn and earth pony parties were furious.

"We cannot allow this incursion into our territory," hissed Clover the Clever. "Do not give them even an inch or you will appear weak!"

Princess Platinum held her head high and declared, "That rock is clearly on the Unicornia side of the cave and it belongs to us! There! I claim this, and all its precious jewels, for the mighty Kingdom of Unicornia!"

"I claim this rock for my people!" shouted Commander Hurricane, standing beside Private Pansy, scuffing it back to her side.

"Oh! You found my rock! Give it here!" exclaimed Chancellor Puddinghead, seizing the stone. "Sedimentary, limestone, interesting inclusions," she noted, looking at it critically. She blew thoughtfully into her bubble pipe. "But otherwise it's just MINE! MINE! MINE! Because, well, EARTH PONY: ROCK, DUH!"

"You groundwalkers are just so stupid!" shouted Hurricane.

"You cloudwalkers are brutes!" insisted Platinum.

"You weird guys are just weird, so that's that!" declared Puddinghead.

The cold, blue light pressed against the ponies. The windigos at last appeared, over the ponies' heads, cantering like the souls of the dead in the weird shadows. And, inexorably, the entrance to the cavern closed, covered in ice, turning the chamber into a tomb.

"Okay, that's it, we're screwed," said Chancellor Puddinghead, hunkering down inside herself.

"No! Please, no!" cried Private Pansy. She battered herself against the wall of ice, to no avail. "I can't die this way! Under the Earth, away from the sky!"

"Private! Compose yourself! Attend me!" ordered Hurricane.

Shamefacedly, Pansy returned to her commander's side.

Hurricane embraced Pansy. "Let us face the end together. If you see me in Elysium, raise a cup to me, my beloved comrade."

"All hope is lost," whispered Clover the Clever to Princess Platinum. "Now, think only of our people, Princess! In this dark time, let the other tribes fend for themselves!

"Let them all die," hissed Clover.

Princess Platinum rounded on Clover, enraged. "I hate you! I have always hated you! You usurped my place with my father! You whisper and poison everything around you! I only want my folk to live and be happy and yet for days you've only spoken of death, death, death! Monster!"

"S'cuse me fer buttin' in," said Smart Cookie, trotting forward. "But that ain't Clover, Ah reckon. Not th' real Clover. Ah've been watchin' you an' you just ain't right. Ah've read all of Clover's work. She is smart an' kind. You are not.

"And yer shadow's all wrong, too, ain't it? Don't turn away! Ah've noticed how you stay away from th' light. Ah gots no quarrel with changelings, but y'oughta 'fess up now. Who are yuh?"

Clover the Clever chuckled. She walked forward to the sound of golden bells.

"Smart Cookie," she said, shaking her head, "you are the one that I always feared most. The rest of you are too stupid," she glared at Princess Platinum, "to look beyond the ends of your noses.

"But now that I've won, what's the point in games? Behold! Behold your master!"

With a flash, bang and a cloud of smoke, Clover vanished. To be replaced by:

"Star Swirl the Bearded!" cried Princess Platinum. "My father's most trusted advisor!"

The audience gasped.

I hate this, thought Twilight. Star Swirl was introverted and eccentric, sure, but he deserves to be treated better than this.

"Yesss!" hissed Star Swirl, flinging his starry cloak around him, the bells on his hat and cape jingling maniacally.

"For too long," he declared, pacing about the stage, "have I suffered the follies of lesser folk! Smaller minds! Little ponies," he sneered.

Wow, Lyra's really getting into it, thought Twilight. She looks good with those bushy eyebrows and that little beard.

"I found the windigos, starving and afraid, in one of the dark corners of Tartarus. I raised them up! I freed them! Oh, my children, what music you make!"

The windigos bellowed and pranced, circling closer and closer to the leaders of the Three Tribes.

"I have used my knowledge and the wealth of the Unicorn Kingdom," said Star Swirl, "to breed distrust among the tribes. It was so easy. Your hatred of one another was a flower that only needed a little care to bloom! A word here or there was enough. My delicate windigos battened on your fear and anger and grew strong!"

Now we all give our little speeches, join together and have a big fight with Star Swirl. Once he loses his "magic hat," he loses all of his powers and we save the world, sighed Twilight. Oh, Rainbow! I had hoped for better than this from you.

Star Swirl gloated. "Now you are all gathered here into a tiny place where I can control you all! The snows will sweep over the world! Then my legions of fire zombies will emerge from their hidden barrows and cover all the lands with hot swarming evil!"

"'Fire zombies,' what?" blurted Twilight, startled out of character. This isn't the way we rehearsed this, Lyra!

"Aren't they delightful?" exclaimed Star Swirl, tapping his forehooves. "They're like regular zombies, but on fire! Ha ha! Ha ha ha! BWA HA HA HA!"

Lyra! thought Twilight. What are you doing?!

Then a hooded figure appeared at the mouth of the cave. With a flash of light, the ice burst into a snowy cloud.

"Liar! Impostor!" shouted the figure, stepping inside.

"Oh, what is this, now?" said Star Swirl, annoyed.

"It is I, the true Clover!" declared the newcomer, pulling down her hood. Lyra Heartstrings trotted proudly onto the stage.

How did she do that? wondered Twilight. She looked at Star Swirl, baffled. Minuette, is that you? But how did you switch places? Do you know a teleport spell?

"How did you escape my dungeon?" snarled Star Swirl.

"If I told you about the weaknesses of your prison," smirked Clover, "that wouldn't be very 'clever,' now would it?"

Star Swirl the Bearded rushed forward to stand over his apprentice.

"I will not be mocked! Bow down before your master, child!" thundered Star Swirl. "I raised you up from nothing! You are no more than a rock farmer's daughter with a speck of talent! How dare you challenge me?"

"Because I know you for who you truly are..." said Clover, as she suddenly swept off Star Swirl's hat.

Star Swirl had two mismatched horns: those of a goat and a deer.

"Discord!" exulted Clover.

The audience gasped. As did the cast and crew.

***

The shape of Star Swirl the Bearded fell away, and grew, length upon length, into the serpentine form of the dreadful draconequus: Discord, the Great and Terrible.

"BWA HA HA HA HA!" bellowed the Lord of Chaos. "BWA HA HA BWA HA HA HA HA!"

Discord wiped a tear from his eye. "I do love a good 'BWA HA HA.' So relaxing."

(Down in the front row, Fluttershy looked to her left. She discovered that Discord's seat was now occupied by an adorable button-eyed Discord plushie. Fluttershy clutched the doll to herself and looked back to the stage, confused and alarmed.)

Twilight Sparkle fired up her horn. No time to retrieve the Elements of Harmony! I'll do what I can to protect everypony! she thought, desperately.

"Clover the Clever," sneered Discord. "You would have done better to cower in a hole with your master! You will beg for mercy before I am done with you!"

Twilight startled. Wait! Is Discord... acting?

"You cannot conquer me, villain, as long as I wield this: the Crystal Heart of Fire!" Clover held aloft a heart-shaped crimson gem. "Drawn from the roots of the Crystal Mountains, blessed by the Sun and Moon, illuminated by Love and powered by Friendship," she cried, "there is no evil it cannot overcome."

Discord snatched at the gem. He flipped it around and held it to his eye. He even gave it a thoughtful lick. He smirked. "Do you think this tiny bauble will conquer me? Powered by friendship, is it? Oh, reaaa–ly?"

He clutched the gem in his eagle claw. "You disappoint me, Clover. Truly, you do, child. I had such plans for you, but you have fallen into hope and foolishness, much like your master. You are ridiculous! Look around you! There is no friendship here!" Discord swept his lion paw around the cave. "Look at yourselves!"

Discord stalked around the ponies and pointed at them, one by one, mocking.

"There is no generosity there, only avarice! No nobility in that one, only pride! No leadership in her, only folly! No wisdom, only cunning! No loyalty, only cowardice! No honesty, only expedience!"

Discord stood in the middle of them and roared, "How can you think to deny me, to turn away my windigos? We are your guests! You invited us in!"

The blue light of the cavern nearly covered them all. The windigos celebrated.

Commander Hurricane trotted forward. Her expression was dark and fell. She raised her spear. Then she knelt swiftly and laid down her spear before the assembly.

"I will fight no more forever," she said, quietly. "I have hurt my people with my pride. My family suffers because of my anger. I, Hurricane of the House of Bellerophon, surrender to my sisters gathered here. Command me, I beg you." Hurricane lifted her great helm and tossed it aside.

Princess Platinum advanced and knelt near Hurricane. She said, "I know I have been petty and selfish. Vast treasures have been arrayed before me and I only desired more, while I ignored the greatest treasures of the world: my people. I have loved no one and liked myself even less. Now I, Platinum of the Unicorn Kingdom, cast away my old life and will try with all of my heart to become a good and generous Princess. From this night on, I will live for the prosperity of my people and for all of ponykind." Platinum set aside her crown.

Smart Cookie looked at Chancellor Puddinghead.

"What?" responded Puddinghead, indignantly.

Smart Cookie tilted her head.

Puddinghead rolled her eyes. "Oh, fine!" She tossed away her hat and plopped down between Hurricane and Platinum. "That was a pretty nice hat," she said, wistfully. "But I have to admit I only became Chancellor because Mom and Dad and my focus group told me it would make me more popular. Now I, Prunella of the Puddingheads, give away my really, really nice hat and promise to try to get ponies to like me just for myself! All I've ever wanted, really, was to gather together with lots of good friends and celebrate our lives! Just like tonight. I love all you guys!" she exclaimed, hugging Hurricane and Platinum.

"Ouch!" said Discord, looking down at his eagle claw, dropping the stone.

The Heart of Fire burned.

The gem, now glowing brilliantly, ascended. Its warm, rosy glow threw back the icy blue. The cave, once so dark and oppressive, was transformed at once into a great hall, full of life and merriment.

The circling windigos quailed before its light and fled.

Pansy stood beside Hurricane and lightly stroked her back. Hurricane wept.

Clover crouched beside Platinum. Platinum cried and pulled Clover close.

Smart Cookie and Puddinghead just glanced at each other and grinned, knowingly.

All six of them looked around the circle and found only their loving sisters looking back.

And the Heart of Fire blazed.

Discord hissed and twisted like a serpent before its light. Desperately, he tried to bat the flaming gem away, but he could not bear its brilliant glow.

"Away! Take it away!" he shrieked. "Its light pierces my heart! My very soul! Oh, woe! Take it away! Great treasures I will give you! All the kingdoms of the world shall be yours, if you spare me this!"

"I'm sorry, Discord, truly," said Clover. "But Fimbulwinter has taken away everything we had, even our sins. We have nothing left to offer you but our friendship."

Discord squirmed and cried, his claws clutching at the black, uncaring skies, "NOOOOOOOO (gasp! gasp! gasp!) OOOOOOOO!

"All of my devious schemes, exposed! All of my dastardly plans, undone! Curse you, Clover the Clever, for you have defeated me! Curse all of you little ponies, until the end of days!"

Discord writhed like the mad thing he was, spinning across the stage until he collapsed into a panting heap. He struggled to rise. Fell. Struggled to rise again, but only slumped to the ground. He shivered and shook, then seemed to shrink and whither beneath the brilliant light of the Heart of Fire.

"All of my beautiful wickedness!" he sobbed. With that last painful cry he fell back and lay still.

The stage was silent. "Is he... is he...?" began Private Pansy.

Suddenly, Discord heaved and gasped. "Oh, why is it so dark? Mother? Father? Is that you?" he called, piteously, clutching at the air. "I hear your sweet voices! Do you hear me? Your baby is coming home!"

Discord crawled desperately to Chancellor Puddinghead and drew her close. He made one last anguished attempt to express his soul so that he might finally be understood.

"Pickle barrel," he whispered.

Discord collapsed onto his back. A white lily sprang up from his chest. His long tongue unrolled from his mouth as black X's appeared over both eyes.

A bucket manifested beside his goat leg. He kicked it. And lay still.

After a moment, Smart Cookie stepped forward. "Well, Ah guess he's...," she said.

Then Discord's inert form began to rise. And glow.

Oh, for goodness sake, thought Twilight Sparkle.

As Discord's body ascended, he was transformed. He now wore a robe of glittering samite. A harp appeared in his lion paw and he plucked at it gently with his eagle claw. His mismatched wings flapped as he drifted upward, a sad yet beatific expression on his face. A tiny halo appeared over his head.

And then, finally, Discord touched the Heart of Fire and winked out.

Madam Mayor Marigold looked up into the lights, uncertainly, as if afraid that Discord would come plunging back down. After a few heartbeats, he didn't, so she continued.

"Um, well, then. After the defeat of... Discord, the six ponies gathered together in sorority, and kept the Heart of Fire alive with their tales of adventure and humor, and with the songs that became the winter carols we all sing today!

"At last, the ice receded. The snow melted, as did their hearts.

"The three leaders and their trusted advisors vowed to live together in harmony in the new land. And together, they named the new land...."

"Equestria!" shouted the audience, crew and cast.

***

After the curtain fell, the actors came out to receive their applause.

Diamond Tiara and Truffle Shuffle trotted out first, followed by Miss Cheerilee and the rest of her students. Silver Spoon, Twist, Snails and Snips made woo-woo noises. Truffle kissed Diamond's cheek; Diamond blushed.

The audience laughed and stamped.

Twilight Sparkle trotted out, holding her head high. But the applause grew louder as Lyra Heartstrings and Minuette took the stage.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack walked out and did a bit of business, juggling the helms, hats and crowns between themselves. Everypony laughed.

Derpy Hooves came out timidly, pushed along by Scootaloo. They held each other as Ponyville cheered.

But when Discord came out, the crowd thundered. Everypony in Ponyville Town Hall stood and shook the hall with their approval.

Discord was taken aback. "Hello-ooo! I'm evil," he said, waving. "You all kind of hate me, remember?"

But the Ponyville audience loudly stamped their approval and welcomed him, cheering. And Fluttershy was the loudest of all, jumping and hooting with delight.

Discord faced the applause of Ponyville and the Lord of Chaos blinked.

"Oh, well played, Ponyville," Discord said quietly, rubbing some dust from his eyes. "I suppose I'll just have to start looking out for you little ponies. You're so... entertaining."

And so, with the rest of the company, Discord bowed to his friends in Ponyville.

***

Rainbow Dash was the last to come out, pushed on stage by Mister Breezy and Big Macintosh. She smiled, embarrassed, as Ponyville applauded.

One more bow, and then it's over. If you're going to do this, girl, now's the time, Twilight Sparkle told herself.

She took a deep breath and pushed herself forward. She loosened the strap that kept her wings hidden under her gown. She advanced to the front of the company. Princess Twilight Sparkle spread her wings before all of Ponyville.

"Everypony!" she called. "May I have your attention? Please?"

"Princess!" "Your Highness!" "Princess Sparkle!" The crowd cheered.

This is who I am now, she thought. I am Ponyville. I am more than myself. Head up, girl! Stand tall! These are your friends. Hug them with your wings, as Derpy would.

"Everypony, thank you," began Twilight. "Speaking as one of the company and crew of Hearth's Warming Eve, I am warmed by your appreciation. We will hold your approval in our hearts forever."

Go on, she told herself. "But, if I may, I'd like to share something personal."

Twilight Sparkle folded her wings. Under the lights, she appeared small. She took another deep breath and revealed her soul.

"You are all my strength and my heart," she said. "I bless Princess Celestia for leading me to you. Here, in Ponyville, is the dream of Hearth's Warming Eve made real. Ponies of the Sky, of Magic, of Earth, we live together in love and tolerance. Every morning, I awake, excited to have one more day in Ponyville, the best place I can imagine. I am a part of Ponyville. And Ponyville will always be a part of me.

"Since I first came here, some things have changed." Twilight fluttered her wings and the audience laughed quietly.

"My friends have become stronger." Twilight smiled down at Fluttershy, in the front row, clutching her Discord plushie.

"Ponyville has become stronger." Twilight glanced at Applejack and Pinkie Pie, who winked back.

"I have become stronger, because of the wisdom, the caring and the friendship you have given me."

Twilight Sparkle stepped up to the edge of the stage. "I'm a little scared right now. What do these mean?" Twilight shook her wings. "What kind of princess will I be? Celestia and Luna are as different as, well, day and night. I have known Cadance since I was a filly, yet there is an ineffable aura of mystery about her that confounds me. In such illustrious company, who am I?

"May I ask a favor of you all? Please, in the new year, help me learn who I should be. Help me to become even stronger. Help me to be a good princess."

The audience was silent for a moment. Everypony looked at each other, thoughtfully.

Then, from the Princess's Booth, a voice exclaimed: "Wull, a 'course we'll help! Yer darn tootin', we will!"

The audience exploded with laughter. YER DARN TOOTIN', WE WILL! they cried as one. Of course, we'll help! Twilight! Princess Twilight!

My friends, Twilight wept. You are all my friends.

Down in the orchestra pit, Octavia looked at little Sweetie Belle and her children's chorus. "Go on, dear," she encouraged. "Now's the time."

Sweetie Belle looked uncertain. "Are you sure, Miss Octavia?"

Octavia smiled. "Even in Canterlot, it's always like this. Ponies are just ponies. Go on. Princess Twilight, all of Ponyville, needs you now."

Sweetie Belle straightened her robe and stepped forward. She nodded to Apple Bloom, Pipsqueak and the other kids. She began to sing and soon the rest joined in, as, eventually, did the entire audience, cast and crew:

"The fire of friendship lives in our hearts
As long as it burns we cannot drift apart
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through (will see us through)
We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end!"

Then there was laughter and hugs and some in the audience realized, joyfully, that Hearth's Warming Eve was not about some ancient characters in a silly play, but about themselves, right here, right now.

So, in the Ponyville Town Hall, the three tribes embraced. Laughed. And went out for warm muffins, strudel, sweet cider and cocoa.

***

"Was that authentic or what?" squealed Rainbow Dash. "I cast Discord as Discord! Top that, Canterlot Theatrical Society!"

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle stood out on the steps of Ponyville Town Hall, under Luna's brilliant winter night and paused for a moment, just to breathe.

The happy crowds were gone. Miss Cheerilee had ordered her students to their homes. Big Macintosh had collected Granny Smith and his sisters, singing to them as they all plodded home. Derpy had gently asked Scootaloo to spend the night with her and her family and Scootaloo had agreed.

"Okay. You. Discord. Spill," commanded Twilight Sparkle to Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash bounced gleefully and grinned. "Originally, I just wanted to do a re-telling of the Hearth's Warming Eve story, but with 20% more oomph. More heart. More drama. Y'know, like in the Daring Do books.

"But when I invited Fluttershy to audition for the play, Fluttershy told me she couldn't be in the play because she would be in the audience, escorting Discord! Discord had told her something about wanting to see the play so he could get caught up on 'current events.' (Discord is way old!)

"I knew I had to do something.

"I think I know a show-off when I see one, Twilight, and Discord is a major show-off. The only thing he likes better than his goofy gags is an audience. I think that's why, although he's been pretty darn mean in the past, he hasn't physically hurt anypony. He needs ponies around to laugh at his jokes and to give him applause.

"If Discord had just been sitting in the audience, he would have become, I dunno, restless eventually and made a mess of things, just to get attention. So I brought him into the show and gave him a sweet part, so that he would want the play to succeed. This was the same trick that Daring Do used with the bad guy in The Skull of Yorick, if you recall.

"But I wanted it to be a surprise, a twist ending, right? Dunn Dunn Dunnn! So I stuck Star Swirl the Bearded into the play as the bad guy, so that all of you in the cast would think that he was the villain. Only me, Lyra, Minuette and Discord knew the truth.

"And I think Discord did great!" Rainbow Dash laughed, jumped up and did a barrel roll.

Princess Twilight Sparkle felt humble. She stepped forward and embraced Rainbow Dash. "Discord did great," she said. "You did great. You are both amazing."

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight quizzically. "Um, duh! Rainbow Dash! Rhymes with awesome. Look it up!"

And they laughed together, then went back inside for warm apple fritters and hot cider.

***

The morning after the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant found Twilight Sparkle once more at a cozy table by the window in Sugar Cube Corner.

Derpy Hooves had already come and gone, clutching a big bag of muffins. She winked and laughed at Twilight Sparkle, before she leapt fearlessly into the winter sky. May the Sun shine warmly upon you and your family, my friend, thought Twilight.

She sipped her hot chocolate.

Twilight heard the clatter of tiny hooves on the stairs. She looked up to see the toddler twins, Pound and Pumpkin Cake, tumbling into the room.

The twins spotted Twilight and stopped in astonishment.

"Twi'woo!" exclaimed Pound, the baby pegasus.

"Spickle!" agreed Pumpkin, the baby unicorn.

"Hee-he-he-he!" they both laughed as they charged across the bakery towards her.

"Now why are you two up so early, hmmm?" asked Twilight, collecting the two eager, bouncing children. "Come up here and sit by Auntie Twilight. That's right. Uh-oh! Somepony needs to blow his nose! Okay, here's a paper napkin. Big blow! Good! And another one! Good job! How are you doing, Pumpkin? You're fine? All right!

"Now, since you are both being so good, Auntie Twilight will give you both a treat." Twilight broke off two small morsels of her cinnamon bun and gave them to Pumpkin and Pound. The twins chortled happily as they munched.

Very slowly, so as not to startle them, Twilight Sparkle spread her wings and used them to draw the children close to her.

"How is that, now?" she asked. "Are you warm enough?"

Pumpkin cooed with delight. Pound regarded Twilight's wings with awe. They both snuggled up against her, warm and safe.

Derpy was right, of course, thought Twilight. Wing hugs are the best.

Twilight hesitated for a moment, then chanted, softly:

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!
"Here comes Pound and Pumpkin Cake!"

The twins giggled and wiggled beside her.

That was how Carrot Cake found them: Twilight Sparkle quietly sipping her hot chocolate while his children peeped out from beneath the warm blanket of her wings.

"My apologies... Twilight," Carrot Cake said. "These little rascals are so rambunctious these days." He stood shaking his head ruefully at the twins.

"It's perfectly all right, Mister Cake," said Twilight. "It's wonderful to have a little visit with them."

Pumpkin and Pound looked at each other smugly.

Carrot Cake stared at his shoes for a moment, then stood up straight, squared his shoulders and said, "If it's all right, Twilight, I'd like to ask a favor. We've got a big catering order today. The new year, you understand. Pies, cakes and new bread. Me and the Missus and Pinkie will be awfully busy trying to fill it while also managing the store. It would be a big help if you could, maybe, look after the little ones for a few hours, this afternoon?"

Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville looked up at Mister Carrot Cake and, from the bottom of her heart, she smiled.

"Thank you, sir. I'd love to."