Dapnhe Crager trotted a little nervously to the front of the class in Miss Cheerilee's schoolroom. She was wearing a wide silver necklace bearing, in glowing enamel-work, a large red thistle bloom crossed by a great sword, both overlaid by a sheaf grain, all on a green field. Besides that she wore a sash over her left shoulder that was of green satin decorated with the three elements of the necklace ornament.
As she took her place, Diamond Tiara, daughter of one of Ponyville's richest ponies whispered loudly enough to be heard all across the room, “Dressed a bit fancy for an Earth Pony filly who's a mere servant, isn't she?” Diamond Tiara's many cronies tittered loudly.
Face flaming with embarrassment, Daphne lifted her head proudly and spoke as if Diamond Tiara hadn't said anything. “For my class presentation on the Meaning of Hearthwarming Eve, I have the honor to bring you all my mistress, Heather Bloom, Duchess of Red Hoof.” Pausing just enough to make her point into a harpoon, she added, “The richest pony in all of Equestria except for the Royal Princesses, Celestia, Luna and Cadence.
“The Duchess was born here, near Ponyville. She has consented to tell us about the beginnings of what we now celebrate as Hearthwarming Eve.”
Daphne gestured welcome with a hoof and a large, almost horse-like unicorn entered the room. From her upper jaw, there protruded two large canine fangs several inches long. Her coat was gray-green and her mane and tail pale green with darker highlights. Around her horn, encircling the top of her head, was the silver crown of a Duchess of the Realm and she wore a wide golden necklace with the same emblem as Daphne's. Her sash was cloth of gold and carried the same brilliantly embroidered patterns as Daphne's sash.
The Duchess of Red Hoof faced the class and smiled, widely. Her mouth full of razor sharp fangs showed. She said gently, “I need not hear it to know that ye are sayn' to yerselves, 'Changeling.' We are much alike, my sort and changelings.
“Yet there be a world o' difference between my kind and the changeling kin. My kind be called Heartkeepers. We look much alike for the cause that the Love Poison brought both o' us about and its taint carries in the blood with nay an end to it. If I have another foal she will be as me. If I was to have a colt, he would be as his sire and his line and blood safe.”
One of the young unicorns in Diamond Tiara's crowd sneered, “Daphne said that you were born near here. That's a lie. Ponyville is only about sixty years old. Granny Smith remembers it. If you were born near here we would have known it.”
Diamond Tiara clapped her hooves with a grin. “Answer that!”
Heather Bloom nodded as if the question were serious and said, “Carlene Daph, this wad be a good time to hand out the papers that we brought fer them, if ye would be so good.”
Daphne began moving among the restless but actually curious fillies and colts, laying bundles of parchments on each desk. She finished her task and returned to the head of the class, beside Heather Bloom.
Heather Bloom smiled gently at Daph and then said, “Now we can answer what was said. The top paper in yer packet is a map. Befer ye say that it be wrong, look to the second paper which explain the difference between Ponyville now and the land when that first map wa' made. Twilight Sparkle done the study to prove all that is written there.”
Apple Bloom looked up in surprise but nodding. “Swale Orchard on our farm is right where this map shows the river. This note says that the flood that changed its course happened in year FIVE of Celestia's reign. That means that the map is over a thousand years old.”
“Far more than a mere thousand years, Apple Bloom. Far more indeed,” agreed Heather Bloom. “None o us knows fer sure the age o the map. There are limits to even the best o magic, even that o the Alicorn.
“What can be proved is that this map is but little younger than I. That place on the hill near to Everfree Forest is the Great Hall O' Red Hoof, the place where I was foaled. The strange looking lines and marks show where invading armies o ponies were camped and the routes o their attack.
“I was young then, bare twenty o years. Just to the left, off o the map was the hall o Bright Mane and over here to the right barely on the map was the hall o Perchron. They both acknowledged the leadership o Jarl Natchin O' Red Hoof, my father, and one o the finest Earth Ponies ever to stride the land.”
Puzzled, Scootaloo raised a hoof and asked, “Why aren't the lines of the attacking armies straight? I mean they are all sort of twisty. Were they hiding behind something that doesn't show?
Heather Bloom replied softly, “Nay, they had a reason different. What do yer tales tell o the land as they find it?”
Diamond Tiara smirked, “It was an EMPTY land with fine meadows of hay and grains. There were groves of fruits and nuts of all good kinds. There is NO mention of these phony pony places.”
Several of her cronies clapped hooves uncertainly and quickly quieted. A few were considering that there might be something more to come.
Heather Bloom gave Diamond Tiara a long look until Diamond Tiara began to squirm in her desk. Then Heather Bloom replied, “There is no mention o us fer a good reason. When those who tell o yer migration from famine to plenty arrive, we, who was here before yer ancestors come, were all either murdered by surprise attacks under the cover o darkness or driven from our ancestral homes. We were all fled or dead.
“It was near to the harvest and the armies trod careful to preserve the precious loot o food. That be why the marches be not straight.”
The big unicorn's powerful shoulders shook and tears ran freely from her eyes as she spoke. “I will never forget that night lit by the flames o the burning o Red Hoof. My father, Jarl Natchin, organized those o us trapped inside the burning hall to buck open the doors barred by our attackers.
“He stay to the last to be sure that all o our slaves, free ponies, Carlenes and Carls got safe first. As it is the duty o the lesser to serve the higher in time o peace, so also, in danger, it be the duty o the higher to save the lesser.
“A flaming beam fell upon him and he was trapped. My mother, Peach Tree, went back into the flaming hall to attempt the freeing of him but it was of no use. His bones were in many places broken and he was burned sore. Peach Tree used all her magic store o love to keep the pain o his dying from him. In the deed she was herself sore burned and had no power o magic left to heal her own body.
“We fled away as refugees into the dangers o the Everfree Forest as safer than trying to stay. As we marched deeper into the safety o the Everfree, we found survivors o Bright Mane and Perchron.
“My dear mother that should be standing here by me was burned so bad that three days march into the Everfree, we had to pause and wait her dying. To this day her Stone stand in the Everfree where we put her to the Earthen Lake.”
It only took a second for the young ponies in the class to figure out the meaning of the expression Earthen Lake. Some of the young fillies and colts looked miserably at one another.
Heather Bloom picked up her tale. “I, like Peach Tree, my mother, used up the whole o my store o love in the Sustaining o her and warding from her the pain o her passing. That brought me near to dying o starvation too.
“My clan's survivors would nay let such a thing be. They knew that a Heartkeeper such as myself is sworn to bring no injury to any living creature. Yet they were determined that the last o their leaders should nay die. It was they who chose a repugnant path and killed some creatures o the forest for my sustenance. I did eat o the meat but more than the meat it was the love o my clan and the others following our lead that brought me back from the brink o death.”
Heather Bloom sat on her haunches and looked slowly about the room at shocked fillies and colts. She nodded slowly and interrupted her tale to say, “There is a great difference between what ye can do and what ye actually do. Ye could steal and work other ruin on good ponies. Ye do not. So it is with me. Meat I can eat, yet do not. Heartkeepers like to myself are sworn to bringing no intentional harm to any other creature but in the defense o life or safety. Even then we must do as little o harm as may be.”
Diamond Tiara furrowed her small brow in concentration as she thought over what the class was being told. Suddenly she pounced on a single fact and retorted, “This is all very sad, I am sure, but it has nothing to do with Hearthwarming Eve. If it was near the harvest, it was mid summer, not winter. Hearthwarming Eve is at mid winter!”
To Diamond Tiara's surprise, Heather Bloom looked straight at her in approval and said, “At least one here has not left her wits behind.
“It was a bit past the mid summer that this befell. However, it does have everything to do with your Hearthwarming Eve and what we also celebrate at the same time. Listen on.
“We left Peach Tree's stone behind us and for twelve more days traveled the hidden ways o the Everfree.”
This time it was Apple Bloom who raised a hoof and said in puzzlement, “The Everfree Forest isn't that big. It is dangerous, but you can cross it in only three days if nothing happens to you. Was it bigger back then?”
Heather Bloom nodded happily and said, “There is yet another who has not left her wits at the door. She also brought in with her courtesy.
“No, little Apple Bloom, the Everfree Forest has not changed in living memory, not even one so long as mine. The Everfree Forest is stranger than you do know. I did say we walked the hidden ways. Though it seem smaller, if ye know the hidden ways, you may find yourself in other and very different places indeed. We came out from the Weird Wood o what now be northern Prance. By different turnings we might have gone to the Mad Lands of X'ibian or many other distant places, all o ill repute.
“From there, we worked our way further north, coming at last to some mountains inhabited by a race o ponies who called themselves the Shet. They were o darker colors and small fer ponies, though fiercely strong. Most were o unicorn stock though their horns were stunted seeming. Some had no visible horn at all, yet wielded the magic still.
They did farm the dales and glens o the mountains where they lived but dwelt in deep mined halls. Down within their mine-homes they worked wonders o iron, steel, bronze, silver, gold and gems. In the spite o their strangeness, they were an honorable and good hearted race.
“The Shet's harvest was already in when we came begging to them. They allowed to us the gleaning o all that remained and we took it gratefully, though it was none enough fer our need.
“The winter that come was one o darkness, short days, heavy snow and bone deep chill. By Mid-Winter's Eve we were facing the end o all journeys. The Shet realized in the warmth and safety o their deep delved halls that others were o need.
“They braved the chill, snowdrifts and darkness to bring us enough o provision that we did live through until spring with nay a life lost. The spring came and we did see the Shet laboring o the planting and clear it was that the task one not at all to their liking.
“We did offer the planting and tending o the crops in return fer the right to make homes for ourselves in the dales and glens o the Shet Lands. They agreed at once.
“We raised a plentiful crop and o more kinds than what the Shet raised. As there was then no money to pay things, the Shet struck their bargains and took o food and other things according to their need. Always later, they come back and give us the things agreed upon. It all led to a good year indeed.
“That winter, at the night o the Shet saving us, we held a great feast with the Shet as our guests and so Starvation's Night came to be. We have celebrated our salvation from hunger's death with the Shet ever since.
“We have for all the ages between now and then, given freely what the Shet need o our crops. In turn, they give to us what is needful o metal works. And we celebrate together the goodness that bound us as friends on Starvation's Night, so long ago.
“At that same time, ye had a good harvest and then a near failure due to greed and disharmony. While yer rulers squabbled, yer good ponies o lower ranks did find the Elements o Harmony and that saved the day fer you.
“Thus, we are nay so far apart as might be thought. Ye find the Elements o Harmony through friendship and cooperation. We find our own goodness through friendship and cooperation.
“Ye have Hearthwarming Eve and we Starvation's Night. Both celebrate the salvation o ponies through goodness.”
One of Diamond Tiara's crowd bit her lip and asked uncertainly, “But our ponies killed your parents and stole your lands? Don't you hate us?”
Heather Bloom gazed gently at the filly and said, “Nay and nay. Ponies over a thousand years in their graves did those deeds. Ye bear no blame fer what another, ages past, has done. To carry hate to you for another's evil is itself an evil. Holding hate would make it impossible to keep the love that sustains nay only me but my dear Tam.
“Learn all that is good and bad from the past but never let the evil rule ye. Guide your lives by the good that ye learn o.
“Fer now, we shall come to yer Hearthwarming Eve and ye all have invitation to come to the new Hall O' Red Hoof come Starvation's Night and share celebration with us.”
The big unicorn-like Heartkeeper, Heather Bloom, Duchess of Red Hoof stood and said kindly, “Come Carlene Daph. We have a feast to supervise the making o for our friends.” Together, they walked sedately from Miss Cheerilee's classroom.