//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Happy hearths warming! // by Featherclaw //------------------------------// The day before December. Today was a lovely day. The leaves on the trees were warm colors, with splotches of brown, and the wind was a factor of the up-coming snow. Except, that today was the day before December! 21 days before winter starts, and 25 days before hearth's warming comes and goes. Well, this is a picture perfect scene, with a great oak tree, and with a lying pegasus on the ground. This year, the butter-colored pegasus promised herself that she would get the hearths warming decorations out early, so she could be the first to get the hearths warming spirit. "*sigh* What a lovely day. Autumn is beautiful, isn't it, Angel?" The pegasus asked her little bunny. Yep. It would be even better if I got carrots. Angel the rabbit told his owner, Fluttershy. "Well, I could make you something, as long as you dig the carrots up yourself. Wouldn't that be great?" She turned her head to look at her pet's face. Ugh. fine. Angel rolled his eyes as he was told to actually work. "No Angel, don't you roll your eyes at me! With that kind of attitude, you will not be getting any extra carrots tonight, in fact, I won't give you any tonight. Come on, we should be getting back home. We wouldn't want to get too cold." Fluttershy said as she got up from her spot and started walking towards her house, with Angel hopping next to her. This day was perfect for a picnic. Maybe she could invite her friends to join her. Of course, she would organize a beautiful picnic underneath that great oak tree. Grr... I can't believe Fluttershy banned me from carrots... Hmph! Angel mumbled. "Angel, if you keep up with that attitude of yours,-" Fluttershy started. You'll do what, Fluttershy? Ban me for a month without carrots?! Angel lashed out. "No, mister, I'll give you the stare!" Fluttershy turned around and stared so intensely that if looks could kill, Angel would be dead by now. Of course, as any animal would do, they would shrink at her sight, and obey Fluttershy. So, he did. "Yes, you are grounded! You stay in your bed, until I tell you too!" Angel's eyes almost watered by how much assertiveness was in Fluttershy's gaze. So he quickly ran towards the door, but with Fluttershy crying, "Angel no! The door is-" *Crash!* "Locked!" Fluttershy quickly glided towards Angel who was holding his head. "Oh poor poor Angel. I'll get you an icepack." Fluttershy flew inside, (after unlocking it,) and set Angel down on the couch and she quickly filled up a bag with cold water and ice, and gave it to Angel. She then decided what she should do for the rest of the day, since she had to stay with Angel. Hmm... how about putting up the decorations? Angel looked at his owner, who's eyes caught his, and who heard his voice. "Good idea Angel! Also, could you try not to talk? Please?" Fluttershy looked at her pet with worry. *groans* I'm not hurt at my jaw! It was my head! Also, you should really stop worrying about me so much. Angel rolled on his side. "Oh, but that's what mothers do! Wait. I'm not your mother, but I'm still your owner, so I have every right to care for you." Fluttershy decided to stop the conversation by going upstairs to the attic space with the hearth's warming decorations. Ehh... Whatever... Angel murmured as he drifted off to sleep. "It sure is musty in here... and dusty..." Fluttershy wrinkled up her muzzle as she stepped carefully to reach the box labeled, Hearth's Warming. She was almost close to reaching the box with her hoof, then all of a sudden a rustle went from behind her, and she jumped out of fright. She immediately grabbed the box she was aiming for, and she dove towards the attic door, closing it as she went down. Sighing with relief, she put the box on her back and she trotted down the stairs to start decorating. "Now, where to get the perfect tree..." She wondered out loud. Fluttershy got the perfect evergreen tree from a pony called Everbreeze, then put the little candle-light streamers around the tree. She got the ornaments out one by one, reciting a memory from each one. Picking a red one with white swirls around it. "Oh I remember this one when Pinkie almost mistook this ornament for a peppermint!" Fluttershy then giggled at the memory. Fluttershy got another ornament after putting the first one on the tree, and this ornament was fully blue. "The last ornament from the box that fell down the stairs. Silly me." This repeated as she put on the ornaments, one by one, as she does every year. She came across the six ornaments that represented her friends; apples, balloons, diamonds, sparkles, rainbow lightning bolt and of course butterflies. This reminded her of the picnic that she should plan. So she quickly placed the ornaments on the branches then grabbed a random scarf from her basket of scarves. This scarf just happened to be the scarf that Discord gave her, which was crocheted with purple dots, gray areas, swirls, and dice crocheted at the ends of it. Fluttershy smiled at the sight of it, Discord gave this to her for hearth's warming last year. She tied it around her neck and she opened the door to see heavy winds blowing across the field! She looked up at the sky to see big and heavy clouds, blanketing the sky. She quickly decided not to go out, for the fear of being left out there, in the howling winds. She sighed as she closed the door, not noticing the tiny flakes of snow swirling outside. Winter, was certainly coming.