//------------------------------// // Day 1: I'm Okay, Not Too Sure About Ponyville, Though // Story: The 25 Days Of Hearth's Warming // by Sparkle Productions //------------------------------// The 25 Days Of Hearth's Warming Day 1: I'm Okay, Not Too Sure About Ponyville, Though Sparkle Productions A day had passed. Twilight Sparkle's royal guards sprinkled salt and tried to shovel as much as they could. Good news was that they shoveled a almost clean path from Apple Jack to Rarity. Bad news was that they hadn't shoveled much else. Just above Ponyville was a cloud mansion, Rainbow Dash's place of residency. Today was exactly December 1st. After a day of careful consideration, Dash realized that participating in Pinkie's 25 Days Of Hearth's Warming Challenge wouldn't be that bad. After all the first activity was making Hearth's Warming cards. Since today she would write a few letters, it was basically the same as making cards. Right? And how hard was making cards anyway? She stretched before hopping out of bed, and gliding downstairs. What awaited her was the scent of freshly made pancakes and coffee, along with hash-browns and hay bacon. "I see somepony was up early making breakfast," Dash said. Soarin set up the table, "I couldn't really go to sleep. Somepony's snoring kept me up." "I doubt it was that. I barely ever snore," she washed her hoofs before taking a seat in one of the two chairs. "Probably was from sleeping in a foreign place. No place is like home." "Probably was," it wasn't but Soarin was in no mood to argue. The breakfast was delicious. Rainbow ate her pancakes with confectionary sugar and strawberries. Soarin had his pancakes with syrup and chocolate chips. After the hearty breakfast they were ready to take on the day and it's challenges. ☆☆☆☆☆ Twilight had the letter station already set up. In Town Hall there were six tables with jars of quills and ink. Scrolls were set up on empty bookcases, courtsy of the furniture store. All that Twilight was waiting for were the citizens to arrive. She wouldn't have to wait for long. Ponies lined up waiting for Twilight to open the doors. When she did a selected few eagerly wrote letters to family, explaining the situation. Even with how fast ponies were going in and coming out, the line was still ridicously long. The delivery process was another story. It took the mail ponies forever to deliver the letters before coming back for more. Even with pegasi pitching in to help - making it a delivery team of 30 - it still took a long time to deliver the letters. Soarin and Rainbow arrived at 12:33 PM and were appalled at the length of the line. After all the doors had opened at 12:15 PM. They took their place at the end of the line and waited. "This line is so~ long~," Dash whined out, bored. A few ponies glanced at her from the unexpected noise, disrupting the quietness. Soarin glanced at Dash as well, surprised at how impatient she was being. "You do realize that we've been in this line less than five minutes, right?" "Only five minutes. It feels like it's been an hour all for one stupid letter!" "I don't think informing your family not to visit is unimportant, Rainbow." "Fine. It is important. I'm just so bored." Soarin thought for a moment what they could do while waiting when an idea hit him. "How about I spy?" Dash rolled her eyes, "That game's so stupid." "If you don't want to be bored, you have an odd way of showing it," the line inched forward as three ponies exited while six more ponies entered. "Rejecting the only source of entertainment you have." A forced smile appeared on her face, "Let's play. I spy with my little eye something that's white." Soarin glanced around for a moment, "The snow?" "Yeah, you got it!" Dash said with faux excitement. "That was easy. I spy something that is purple." Rainbow looked around, "Twilight letting more ponies in?" Soarin nodded. "I spy something that's black." "That weird black dragon and his entourage?" "Yeah, what a weirdo." Dash noticed a gold chain on his neck saying the oddest of things. Soarin thought about what he would say, his eyes settling something a soft yellow"I spy something that's yellow." "Fluttershy?" Soarin nodded a yes. "I spy something that's orange." He checked out his surroundings, "That frog with the body of an orange?" She shook her head signifying no. "Applejack walking over here?" "Yeah," Dash turned around to greet her friend. "Hey AJ! Wanna play I spy?" "Well Ah'd reckon Ah have nothin' behtta ta do. Let's play!" Applejack pretended to look around even though she already knew what she was going to say. "Ah spy with mah lil' eye somethin' that's blue." Rainbow took a quick glance over her surroundings, "The sky?" Applejack refrained from laughing, "Tha sky looks more like a dusty gray color. Especially with all them clouds." Soarin was next to guess," Dash? Me?" "You've got it!" "Which guess?" "Ah'm not tellin'." Dash rolled her eyes at Applejack's antics. "The joke's supposed to be that since we're both blue, there was no definet answer." "Ding! Ding!" Applejack joked, "Rainbow takes the win! Haha!" "Oh," Soarin said as he realized this. "Joke's not funny to anypony but you." ☆☆☆☆☆ After an hour of playing I spy they were about to go in. "Ah had fun with y'all. We should do that more often," Apple Jack sat at an empty seat. "Sit nexta me." Rainbow sat next to her and Soarin sat next to Dash. After writing her letter Dash reviewed it. Dҽαɾ Mσɱ αɳԃ Dαԃ, Sσ Ⴆαʂιƈαʅʅყ Pσɳყʋιʅʅҽ ʂυϝϝҽɾҽԃ α ԋσɾɾιႦʅҽ ʂɳσɯʂƚσɾɱ. Wҽ, ƚԋҽ ƈιƚιȥҽɳʂ, ƈαɳ’ƚ ʅҽαʋҽ αɳԃ ɳσ ρσɳყ ƈαɳ ҽɳƚҽɾ ҽιƚԋҽɾ. Bҽƈαυʂҽ σϝ ƚԋιʂ ρʅҽαʂҽ ԃσɳ’ƚ ƚɾყ ƚσ ƈσɱҽ ʋιʂιƚ. Mαყσɾ Mαɾҽ ʂυʂρҽƈƚʂ ιƚ’ʅʅ ʅαʂƚ υɳƚιʅ Hҽαɾƚԋ’ʂ Wαɾɱιɳɠ αɳԃ ɱαყႦҽ αϝƚҽɾ ƚԋαƚ. Tσԃαყ ιʂ ƚԋҽ σɳʅყ ԃαყ ɯҽ ƈαɳ ɯɾιƚҽ ʅҽƚƚҽɾʂ ʂσ ԃσɳ’ƚ Ⴆσƚԋҽɾ ɾҽʂρσɳԃιɳɠ. I’ɱ ʝυʂƚ ιɳϝσɾɱιɳɠ ყσυ ʂσ ყσυ ԃσɳ’ƚ ɠҽƚ αɾɾҽʂƚҽԃ. I'ɱ σƙαყ, ɳσƚ ƚσσ ʂυɾҽ αႦσυƚ Pσɳყʋιʅʅҽ, Tԋσυɠԋ. Lσʋҽ ყσυ Mσɱ αɳԃ Dαԃ. Sҽҽ ყσυ ʂσσɳ. Lσʋҽ, RαιɳႦσɯ Dαʂԋ ☆☆☆☆☆ Applejack wished them farewell, before going to the farm. Soarin and Rainbow Dash flew throughout Town Square. Groups of ponies scattered about, some having already finished their letters. Others on their way to do just that. "What do we do now?" Soarin asked, bored. "My challenge! My challenge!" Pinkie appeared from seemingly no where. "I have a Hearth's Warming Challenge, y'know!" "Yeah, I guess we could do your challenge. Don't have nothing better to do," Dash said casually. "Besides, it might be fun." "Let's get the list then," he said. "Dontcha worry 'bout that!" Pinkie pulled the from her poofy cotton candy mane. "I always keep a spare!" Dash hesitantly grabbed the list, "Thanks," her eyes glanced over the almost book. "First activity is to make Hearth's Warming cards. Easy enough." ☆☆☆☆☆ "What are you drawing?" Rainbow glanced at Soarin's card. It looked like a collection of scribbles. "Us spending Hearth's Warming together," Soarin pointed his hoof at a particular area, "That's your friends." His hoof moved somewhere else, "That's the citezens of Ponyville." Soarin pointed to the center of the card, "And that's me and you." Dash scribbled some more on her card, "That's cool. I'm drawing the cool Hearth's Warming party that happens every year at Town Square." "Who's your card for?" "It's a secret. Yours?" "Mine's too."