All I Really Want For Hearths Warming...

by Ugly-Duckling123

Chap 1

Hearths Warming.

One of the best holidays Equestria celebrates, for not only was it a time for presents, harmony, and time off but it was a chance to be with your loved ones.

All the colts and filly's just can't wait for Hearths Warming morning to come, when they can rush down the stairs and see all the gifts under the tree that Santa Hooves left for them, and then have Hearths Warming dinner with their family and then scrunch up together on the sofa or go to the foals school pantomimes showing the story about the first ever Hearths Warming.

Everyone was so excited that they hadn't noticed that there was one little filly who for some unknown reason, lacked the Hearths Warming spirit.

~~*~~

"Hey Scootaloo!" her two best friends cried as they met up together in town a couple of weeks before Hearths Warming.

"Hey girls," Scootaloo said trying to sound happy and not act too suspicious. "So what Crusading are we going to do today then? I was thinking of trying zip-lining again, or..."

"Actually me and Apple Bloom were just about to write our Hearths Warming lists." Sweetie Belle said in her new pop-pop hat and woolen scarf.

"Yeah, I mean Santa needs to know what we want to give it to us for Hearths Warming doesn't he?" Apple Bloom asked rhetorically in her hoof-me-down-from-her-big-sister's old scarf.

""Oh..." Scootaloo said surprised. "Well, actaually I... I already sent my letter to him, err... Last week and err... Just remembered some chores that I need to do back... back home." Scootaloo said sighing slightly as she came to the end of that sentence. "But you go on and write your letters and whatever," she said walking off "Say 'Happy Hearths Warming' to everyone for me. Bye."

After Sweetie and Apple Bloom watched their friend walk off, they decided to head for the library to ask Twilight for help in writing their Hearths Warming lists so Santa could read them when they got to him.

"Well that was weird." Apple Bloom said as they set off.

"Yeah, but isn't she always like this around Hearths Warming?" Sweetie asked looking over her shoulder.

"Well yeah," Apple Bloom said "But she's never this down is she? I think we should go over to her house once we're done with Twilight and ask what's wrong."

"Good idea Bloom," Sweetie Belle said smiling then after a second. "Err... do either of us know where she lives?"

~~*~~

Scootaloo sighed as she looked up at her home, and slowly began to climb the steps not even bothering to look at the sign next to the door that read

Ponyville Orphanage

After she shut the front door she slowly went to the room given to her by the pony's that ran this place and shuffled through the bags she brought with her when she first came here seven years ago.

At last she pulled out what looked like a family photograph of two Pegasi, the mare had a red mane and tail in the same style as she did and violet eyes, while the stallion had a blue mane and tail and orange fur just like her. In their hooves together they held a little orange something with purple hair holding it so it could look down the camera, smiling along with it's parents.

Suddenly a knock came to the door and Scootaloo quickly hid her photo away and shoved her bag back under her bed, as Holly Leaf, one of the younger fillies in this dump poked her head around the door.

"Are you alright Scootaloo?" was the first thing Holly asked, cocking her head.

"Yeah," Scootaloo said sniffing. "Why wouldn't I be? It's Hearths Warming in a couple of weeks you know. Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Because Holly was new at this place she hadn't quite gotten to know that Scootaloo wasn't all that happy with this holiday, so she just shrugged it off and said what she came to ask.

"Can you take me to see Santa Hooves at the toy store?"

"Why you asking me?" Scootaloo asked as she got comfy on the bed given to her "I'm not in charge, am I? Go ask Mr. Crinkle to take you."

Mr. Crinkle was the Stallion that ran the orphanage, and looked after all the homeless, and family-less colts and fillies in Ponyville.

"He said he's too busy with that toy drive thing he does every year in the park to take me." Holly said looking down at her hooves "And said since your the oldest one here, who's not helping him with it to come and ask you."

"But... But..." Scootaloo said trying to think of something so she could get out of this.

"Pleeaassseee." Holly said making her eyes grow as big as they can get smiling and leaning towards her a bit.

"Fine," Scootaloo said annoyed that this was happening. "But we're only going there, seeing him, and coming straight back. Understand?"

~~*~~

A little while later, Scootaloo and Holly were in line to see Santa Hooves at the toy store in town, one of them as bouncy as Pinkie the other as grumpy as Discord.

"Next please," the mare dressed up as an elf pony said cheerfully as she unhooked the rope divider between the line and Santa.

"That's us Scootaloo," Holly said nearly tugging Scootaloo along with her.

"Err... actually I think I'll sit this one out and wait for you at the exit, Holly." Scootaloo said pulling her hoof out of the other filly's and ducking under the rope.

"But you said you'd take me to see him." Holly said confused.

"And I have. You just go in there and you'll see him, I'll be waiting for you to come out again," Scootaloo said wearing a smile "Besides... What I want for Hearths Warming can't be shoved in a sack and then placed under a tree." with that Scootaloo set off toward the exit tunnel leaving a confused Holly going into the entrance.

The whole experience of seeing Santa took around five to ten minutes, because it wasn't only seeing him, it was going through his village too.

In that time, Scootaloo had some time to think about her last few Hearths Warming's and the wishes she made every year.

Dear Santa Hooves,
I don't know if you know me or not. I just one of the filly's brought into the home.
I'm the purple haired filly with the orange fur. You may not see me cause I'm always on my own.
I never come to talked to you cause that's never worked before, and you'll not likely to see this letter anyway.

But just in case there's something, you can do to help me out, I'll ask you one more time...

All I really want for Hearths Warming is someone to tuck me in, a shoulder to cry on if I lose, shoulders to ride one if I win.
Of all the things I could ask for, there's just one thing I need.
All I really want for Hearths Warming, is a family.

That had been her very first letter to Santa after she had been placed in the orphanage seven years ago. All through Hearths Warming that year, she was so looking forward to her new family Santa would give her.
Then Hearths Warming morning came, and went and no pony came for her.

The next year she tried again...

Dear Santa,
I guess I should go ahead and tell you now... if it's really true about that list you have.
Somehow I always just seem to end up in a fight. But I'm really trying hard not to be bad.

But may be if I have a brother, sister, or a dad to wrestle with, well maybe they could teach me how to get along.
And of all the things I heard, perhaps the greatest gift on earth, would be a... mom.

Every year Scootaloo asked Santa for this wish. Just to have a family but she never got it. Thinking that she was confusing him with how much and what she said, she narrowed it down the next few years.
Five years ago...

Dear Santa,
All I really want for Hearths Warming is someone to tuck me in, a shoulder to cry on if I lose, shoulders to ride one if I win...

four years ago...

...Of all the things I could ask for, there's just one thing I need...

three years ago...

All I really want for Hearths Warming, is sompepony that will be there...

two...

...To sing me happy birthday, for the next one hundred years....

one...

...It's ok if their not perfect or even if their a little broken. That's alright, cause so... am I.

Every year, Scootaloo asked for one thing and one thing only for Hearths Warming from Santa, the only pony she thought would have enough power to grant her that wish. And every year, he failed to give her what she asked for.

"I'm out Scootaloo," Holly's voice called out through the air making the older filly jump a little.

"Oh good," she said rubbing her eyes with the back of her hoof quickly. "Now... Now we can go home," she said turning to see Holly standing next to two 'From Santa' presents and the younger filly wearing a big smile.

"When I told him that you came with me but were waiting for me outside, Santa let me take two gifts from his sack so you could have one too. Here..." Holly said holding out the one wrapped in gold and tied with a red bow.

"Thanks Holly..." Scootaloo said smiling a bit, and taking it as they left the store and started heading back to the orphanage.

The next few days for Scootaloo were to her annoyance taking one by one, for some reason, all the younger colts and fillies to the same store to see Santa doing a different pony everyday.

After a week she decided to ask Mr. Crinkle if someone else can do it instead because she was getting really tired of it.

"I know you don't like Hearths Warming Scootaloo," Mr. Crinkle said to her quietly when she had got him away from the older helpers at the orphanage who were talking to the Ponytones about the songs they'll sing for this concert.

"But we're all really busy setting up this toy drive for you and the other children to have toys and gifts for it. Besides isn't this something a big sister would do to her younger siblings?"

And in just that last sentence, Mr. Crinkle said, everything snapped for Scootaloo.

"Ok first off old man," Scootaloo said standing tall and causing the room to go silent "I don't 'Don't like Hearths Warming'... I THINK IT'S THE MOST STUPID BUCKING HOLIDAY THAT EVER EXISTED!" she cried shocking everyone there and causing some of the younger foals to give questioning looks to each other and gather outside the door.

"Next, you don't need to do this dumb toy drive this year, cause they're all getting their gifts from that fat old guy in the red suit at the toy store I have to continuously take them to every bloody day.

"And finally... No one here, not you, or Natty, or Frostbite, or Christian," she said naming the helpers "Or any of those colts and filly's who bug me everyday to take them to see Santa are my family, so you have no right to say that last line to me because I am not their sister, and I am not your daughter for you to lecture me about this. My parents are dead. You know that, I know that, all of Cloudsdale knows that. You want to know why I hate this stinking holiday?" she asked panting slightly.

"It's because it's when everyone is with their families while I'm out on my own. Every year I ask Santa to give me one, but nothing ever shows up, even in the years when I'm the nicest filly here, I get nothing. Hearths Warming is just a stupid holiday that business pony's use as an excuse to make even more money."

And with that Scootaloo went over and jumped out the open window, thankful that Mr. Crinkle's office was on the ground floor, went to the orphanage's back door, rushed up the stairs, gathered her things and scooter and set out for town, the darkening sky and hardening snow, not bothering her at all.

Author's Note:

Hope you like my Christmas story

Not sure where it will go, or how many Chapters it will have, or when it will be done by...
But I'll try and keep it short, and done before Christmas.

Comments

[Fervidor]

It's actually Hearth's Warming, as in a fireplace.

Given the theme of the episode, it's probably meant to be a pun on "heartwarming" - I think there's like a rule that every episode title has to have a pun or wordplay of some kind.

[GeodesicDragon]

A good start, but you really need an editor. I saw so many mistakes, but none that were too jarring.

[TheGreatEater]

All the colts and filly's just can't wait for Hearths Warming morning to come,

"But we're all really busy setting up this toy drive for you and the other children to have toys and gifts for it. Besides isn't this something a big sister would do to her younger siblings?"

"Next, you don't need to do this dumb toy drive this year, cause they're all getting their gifts from that fat old guy in the red suit at the toy store I have to continuously take them to every bloody day.

"And finally... No one here, not you, or Natty, or Frostbite, or Christian,"

"It's because it's when everyone is with their families while I'm out on my own.

move down a line.
_________________

In their hooves together they held a little orange something with purple hair holding it so it could look down the camera, smiling along with it's parents.

Hearths Warming is just a stupid holiday that business pony's use as an excuse to make even more money."

Move up to the previous sentence.
____________

as Holly Leaf, one of the younger filly's in this dump poked her head around the door.

Mr. Crinkle was the Stallion that ran the orphanage, and looked after all the homeless, and family-less colts and filly's in Ponyville.

fillies
____________

So many errors. ZOMG! But it still has potential. You really need to go through and look at your paragraph structure. Move down lines that need moving, and connect paragrpahs that you broke off. Onto the next chapter.

[TheGreatEater]

What I want for Hearths Warming can't be shoved in a sack and then place under a tree.

placed
______________

The next few days for Scootaloo were to her annoyance taking one by one, for some reason, all the younger colts and filly's to the same store to see Santa doing a different pony everyday.

fillies
____

Sorry I'm a bit late getting started on this. Someone got there knickers in a twist over a comment I made, and it took me a while to comment back. But I'm on this fic like I promised.

[Phoenix Nebula]

5679008

That might have been me. I think I did complain about you being a bit strict when you point out flaws in other stories. If that wasn't me and I'm thinking of some one else then never mind.

[Fluttershyisacutegal]

man, I feel bad for scoots!