"You know, girls," Twilight said, taking a contemplative bite of one of Pinkie Pie's grass-cakes, "I can honestly say this is the most authentic Hearth's Warming I've ever had."
"You said it," Starlight agreed, glancing around the desolate snowy hills, then back down at the improbable little circle of grass surrounding the hot spring. "Just our new little community, and the friendship and unity of the holiday. No distractions. No possessions. No walls. And most importantly —"
"No presents," the other seven chorused.
"Yeah, uh, heh heh," Starlight said, then coughed and changed the subject. "Though location's important too. I mean, earth pony magic only goes so far when the ground for leagues in every direction is frozen solid."
"S-s-speaking of which," Spike said, teeth chattering, "s-s-so c-c-cold."
Rarity smiled and walked over to the baby dragon, leaning against him until his shivers subsided. "Personally, darling, I find this strangely liberating," she said. "For the first time since exiting my dam's womb, I am free of clothing, accessories, and the means to make them. I have serious doubts that I could continue such an existence indefinitely —" she gestured with a shudder toward their increasingly mud-smeared communal sleeping circle — "but I am also quite confident that I have no need to entertain such questions until after the Hearth's Warming season has expired."
Fluttershy sighed. "I'm just sorry I had to ruin it by bringing this old thing in."
"Ain't your fault," Applejack said firmly.
"Yeah!" Pinkie bounded over and hugged her, being careful not to jostle the forelegs where Fluttershy was still clinging to the cider mug. "No revolution can free itself entirely of the bonds of the old order," she intoned, then giggled. "But I'm sure we'll hear back from Princess Celestia any week now!"
"You know, Glimmy," Rainbow Dash said, stretching in the last rays of the winter sun as Applejack lowered her muzzle to return to grazing at their grass patch. "I gotta admit, with what happened to the last type of government you introduced us to, I had my doubts about this colony. But your … um … archy-princessism —"
"Anarcho-primitivism," Twilight corrected, sighing happily as she sank a little deeper into the steaming water.
"Yeah, that," Dash said. "In the right context it's pretty cool."