On a lonely winter night, the figure of a stallion emerged from the last train of the day. He held a box on his back, slowly but surely making his way through Ponyville, doing all he could to hide himself from the sight of other ponies. The town was filled with festive decorations for everypony’s favorite winter holiday. Strings of multicolored lights were strewn across the roofs of every house, with giant candy canes sticking up out of the snow, and snow-ponies lining the streets. Everywhere, there were signs of festivity and fun. And why would there be anything else? Tomorrow was Hearth’s Warming Eve!
The stallion looked around town, trying to find his destination. This was his first time in Ponyville, yes, but a big crystal castle couldn’t possibly be that hard to find, could it? He scanned the horizon for the star that marked the top of the structure. Once it was in sight, he made a beeline for the place, balancing the box as best he could with his wings as he ran. At the main entrance, he stopped, looking back and forth between the box and the steps leading up.
He let out a resigning sigh, making his way towards the door. “I’m already here… No turning back.” He said, bringing the box forward. “Not like I’ll ever have a use for the darn thing, anyway.” He placed it in front of the door, pushing it away from himself. “For what it’s worth, happy Hearth’s Warming, little brother…” He turned away, starting his walk back towards the train station as his eyes flashed green, causing him to wince in pain and gallop all the way back.
The day everypony was waiting for had arrived. Pinkie Pie bounded through town in a pink and white robe with a wreath on her head, ringing a loud bell with her prehensile forelock as she called out to the townsponies.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, everypony!” She cried, shaking her head wildly so as to ring the bell. She greeted every pony in town as she made her way to all of her friends’ houses along the way to deliver holiday wishes, dropping off a festive yet unique cake at every residence. Finally, she made her way to the castle, four more cakes at the ready as she rang her bell. “HAPPY HEARTH'S WARMING, TWI-- Ooh! A box!” She looked at the plain brown box situated on the doorstep. She put the cakes down and picked the box up, shaking it. “I wonder who it’s from! Or who it’s for!” She knocked on the door as hard and as rapidly as she could. “Twilight! Starlight! Spike! Bolt! There’s a mysterious box at the door for you!!!”
The door opened with a magenta field around the handle, Twilight appearing to greet the party animal. “Good morning, Pinkie Pie! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” She greeted. She eyed the box in Pinkie’s possession. “Is this the box?”
Pinkie gave an enthusiastic nod, the bell ringing in the Alicorn’s ear. “Yup! And I brought everypony some cake!” She bent down and picked up the four cakes again, passing them off to Twilight’s magic. “Well, gotta go! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” She bounced a few more times, waving to her friend and speeding away.
Twilight smiled at her festive friend, bringing everything inside. The castle was elaborately decorated, ribbons, garlands, and hanging snowflakes everywhere. She took everything into the throne room, where a large pile of gifts was situated under a beautifully decorated tree. She sat in her throne, putting the cakes down and further investigating the brown box. After a minute of inspection, the door opened once more, Boltsinger coming in with a box under his wing while he belted out the song performed by the Spirit of Hearth’s Warming Presents in her favorite holiday story.
“And the reason is to be with your friends!” He sang, bringing his box over to the tree and placing it atop the pile.
“And the reason is to be with your friends~!” she repeated in her Pinkie Pie voice, trotting over and giving him a quick hug. “And where have you been?”
He motioned over to the box with his left wing. “Picking up one last gift. It’s been in the works for months, but it was ready just in time.”
Twilight peered at the box in question, her face lighting up with excitement. “Who’s it for?”
“Now, now, I don’t want to ruin the surprise.” He teased, the two moving back towards the map. He took a look at the brown box, curious. “So what’s in that one?”
“I don’t know yet. Pinkie found it outside.” She floated it over to him as she sat down. “What do you make of it?”
He poked it with one of his wings. “I don’t know. Add it to the pile?” He suggested. Twilight gave a nod and picked it up again, placing it next to the box that Boltsinger brought in. “So, what’s the plan for today?”
“We’re having a family Hearth’s Warming!” Twilight announced, rearing up excitedly. “My parents are on their way, along with Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry!”
Boltsinger gulped. “Your… parents, huh?” He tugged on his pendant with his wingtip. “Never met them before… Do they... know about…?” He motioned a hoof between himself and his special somepony.
Twilight laughed, pulling him close. “I sent them a letter about it right after we got together! Shining Armor knows, too. And Cadence… Well, she knew before we did.”
“What about Starlight?” the stallion continued. “She gonna be back from the Crystal Empire for everything?”
The mare shook her head. “Nope. She’s gonna spend Hearth’s Warming with Sunburst.” She picked up the cakes and started for the kitchen. “Wanna help me make breakfast?”
“You really have to ask?” Boltsinger replied with a grin. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen!” He flared his wings and took off down the hall, leaving a dust cloud in his image behind.
At the Ponyville train station, Twilight, Spike, and Boltsinger stood on the platform as the train pulled up. Twilight magically held up signs featuring two Cutie Marks, one featuring three purple stars, and the other featuring two crescent moons.
“Twiiily!~” A mare’s voice called from the crowd. Twilight flew up above to search for the source of the voice. Jumping up in the middle of the mass was a white Unicorn with blue eyes, her mane looked similar in style to Twilight’s, but had a ringlet hanging from the back, with a light purple and pure white alternating pattern and a Cutie Mark of three purple stars. Next to her stood a blue Unicorn stallion with a darker blue wavy mane and tail. He had gold eyes and the Cutie Mark of two crescent moons. “Over here!”
Twilight let out a happy squee and dove at her mother, giving both of her parents a big hug. “Mom! Dad! It’s so good to see you!”
The happy parents laughed as their royal daughter pulled them in. Her father looked around the crowd. “So, where’s Spike? And this stallion I’ve heard so much about?’
Twilight broke the hug, turning back towards town. “Oh, they’re over there.” She made her way over to them, parents following closely. “Mom, Dad, this is Boltsinger!” She announced, motioning to the stallion as soon as he came into view.
Boltsinger gave a nervous wave with one of his wings as they approached, Spike resting on his back. “Hello!~” He started. “Nice to meet you.”
“So, you’re the stallion that won over our Twilight, huh?” Her father asked, putting a foreleg around the Pegasus. “She told us you were a Pegasus, but you’re still… not quite what I expected.”
Boltsinger laughed to himself. “Yeah, I’m never quite what anypony expects.” He confirmed. “You… need any help with your luggage, Mister Sparkle?”
The father smiled, lighting up his horn as the saddlebags that sat on his and his wife’s back floated onto Boltsinger’s back, causing his legs to buckle slightly under the weight. “Thanks! The name’s Night Light!” He patted the Pegasus on the back, making his knees buckle some more.
Twilight’s mother trotted over to Boltsinger. “I’m Twilight Velvet!” She started. Boltsinger cocked an eyebrow. “I know! It can get confusing. You can just call me Velvet!” The Pegasus’ face calmed down.
“Well…” he strained, turning towards the town. “Let’s get these bags to the castle!” He started the walk, one strenuous step at a time. “So, when are Cadence and Shining Armor supposed to be here?”
“Right now!” a stallion’s voice called from behind him. Boltsinger raised his head and looked back. Shining Armor trotted over from the train and patted the Pegasus on the back, causing him to fall to the ground. “Good to see you, Bolt!” He knelt down beside him. “You need some help with that?”
Boltsinger worked his way back to his hooves. “Nah. I’m good.” He said, knees still shaky. He looked back at Twilight’s parents. “How much did you pack?” The two Unicorns smiled and stepped aside, motioning a foreleg each to a large pile of bags. Boltsinger’s face sank as he walked over to them, taking a look back at Shining Armor. “You know, I think I’ll take you up on that offer…”
Shining Armor laughed and lit his horn, the entire stack rising up into the air and moving them forward. He trotted past the straining stallion, whipping him on the flank with his tail as he passed by. “Good choice. Mom and Dad go a little ‘overboard’ with the presents on Hearth’s Warming.”
“And how many of those presents are for Flurry?” Boltsinger inquired, getting used to the weight.
“Oh, only about half of them!” Velvet answered. “By the way, where are Cadence and the baby?”
“They’ll be along. Flurry wouldn’t stay in her stroller, so those two got off to fly here when we passed Canterlot.” Shining Armor explained. “Twily, can you handle Flurry’s things?”
Twilight nodded and lifted one more large pile of luggage along, Spike picking up a few things that fell behind them. “Oh, I just know we’re gonna have such a good time today! We’ve got a lot planned!”
Thanks to the wonder of Unicorn magic, at least a wonder from the perspective of a certain Pegasus, getting everything into the castle wasn’t difficult in the least. After an hour of rest and a wonderful Spike-made lunch, the sound of landing hoofsteps could be heard on the balcony above.
“They’re here!” Twilight shouted, shooting out the door and up to meet her sister-in-law. Boltsinger smiled and followed suit, arriving just as the Princesses had just finished their traditional greeting. “How was your flight?”
“It had its share of turbulence.” Cadence admitted as Flurry jumped onto Twilight’s back. “But for her first long-distance flight, she did amazingly well!” She turned to Boltsinger, smiling. “So, shall we go in?” Twilight and Boltsinger nodded happily as they all made their way in.
The winged ponies all entered the throne room, where each other member of the Sparkle family was sitting in one of the many thrones around the map, Spike in his seat next to Twilight’s empty chair. Boltsinger guided Cadence to Applejack’s throne, closest to Shining Armor in Rarity’s. Twilight took a seat, while the one pony in the room without a horn flew over to Rainbow Dash’s seat. He looked over at Twilight, pointing to the empty throne nervously. Twilight gave a nod, letting the stallion take a seat in his flight coach’s throne. Flurry flew back and forth between the many ponies in the room, giving her grandparents big hugs and playing with Boltsinger’s wings.
“It’s nice to see you, too, Flurry Heart.” Boltsinger told the foal, tussling her mane with his wing. “Are you ready for Hearth’s Warming?” Flurry let out an excited noise, spinning in the air and landing in the middle of the map, standing on her hind legs with her forelegs spread wide, causing everypony to melt at the adorable sight.
After a briefing regarding the itinerary for the day, the ponies made their way into the library, where Boltsinger excitedly pulled out his favorite holiday book, A Hearth’s Warming Tail. He and Twilight sat together on the sofa and read through the entire story, alternating paragraphs. Every time they went into one of the more musical sections, the two would break into an impromptu performance, doing their best to match the tone of each scene while flying around the room. When they went into the part with Hearth’s Warming Yet To Come, Boltsinger did a solo performance in his deepest, scariest singing voice, Cadence reassuring her filly the entire time. When the performance was over, the two landed on the couch to the applause of the family around them.
Seeing the happy ponies, Boltsinger sat softly on the sofa, letting out a sigh as he leaned against the armrest. So this is what a real Hearth’s Warming is, huh? He pondered, quite pleased with the vision before him. I’d forgotten what it was like… He got up from the couch and made for the door while the family shared some stories amongst themselves. As he got to the large door, he heard a voice calling from behind him.
“Hey, where are you going?” Spike asked, coming up next to him. “We were just about to swap stories! Don’t you wanna hear any?”
Boltsinger grinned, looking back at the family. “I do, but… I want to give Night and Velvet some time without having to put up with the pony that ‘stole away’ their daughter. It’s the least I can do.”
“Don’t worry so much about it!” the dragon assured. “These are the ponies that raised the Princess of Friendship. If they weren’t friendly enough to include you, then Twilight wouldn’t have gotten where she is today!”
“You’ve got a good point.” he stated, looking back at the laughing ponies. “I guess I just feel like a…” He counted the number of ponies in the room, plus Spike. “An eighth wheel. Everyone else has this close family connection. I’m just Twilight’s boyfriend.”
“You want their approval, don’t you?” Spike asked, looking at him flatly.
“There’s that, too, yes.” Boltsinger answered, putting his rump on the floor. “I might be a little intimidated by them.”
“Well, suit yourself. I’m gonna go get some cocoa!” Spike ran out of the room, making a beeline for the kitchen.
Boltsinger smiled at the dragon as he left, looking back at the Sparkle family. Twilight brought up a foreleg, beckoning him back over. “Coming!” Boltsinger called back, walking back over and taking a seat.
“And that’s how Shiny-winy got his Cutie Mark!” Velvet finished as the Pegasus made his return. She looked over at the arriving pony. “So, you got any good stories?”
“I’ve got nothing.” He said, waving a hoof in front of him. “I never really did anything noteworthy until after I came to Ponyville.”
“Oh, come on, we know that you’ve been out helping ponies all your life.” Night Light replied. “There have to be a few times you’ve done something incredible in your day!”
“Well, I’ve never exactly been one for the limelight. I helped some ponies with performances at some points, other times I helped them get their Cutie Marks.” he continued. “They were the stars of the show each time. I just helped.” The Unicorns looked at him eagerly, as if demanding at least one tale. Boltsinger sighed, slapping his muzzle with his wings. “Okay, but I’ll warn you, this one is a doozy.” Twilight’s parents gave an understanding nod as the Pegasus began. His most notable story was the one where he got his Cutie Mark, and his wings took up their habit of whisking him away to different places. He followed up with the story of how he helped a Unicorn he now knew as DJ PON-3 to get her Cutie Mark, performing a number of sound tests and helping her fine-tune her sense of rhythm. Their mouths hung open as he finished, looking at one another, and then back at him. “And… That’s the best story I’ve got. What do you think?”
“I… don’t know what to say…” Velvet stated. “And you’ve been going everywhere thanks to those wings ever since?”
Boltsinger bowed his head. “Up until I crashed into a wall in Canterlot.” He tapped Twilight’s Cutie Mark with his wing, letting it linger for several moments. “Until I met Twilight and her friends.” Twilight smiled fondly, leaning against him.
“She does have a way of making ponies’ lives better.” Cadence stated, her husband smiling in agreement. “I’m glad one of those ponies got to become part of the family.”
Boltsinger looked questioningly at Cadence. “You think of me as part of the family?” He wondered. Cadence gave a slow nod of approval.
“I’m not the only one, of course.” The Crystal Princess informed him. She directed her attention to the filly on her back. “Right, Flurry?”
Flurry hopped up and down, nodding her head. She turned towards Boltsinger and jumped into the couch with him. “Bo-bo!” She cried, giving his stomach a big hug.
Night and Velvet turned to one another. “Well, that’s all the convincing I need.” The father stated, turning to smile at Boltsinger. Velvet nodded in agreement as Boltsinger wiped away a stray tear, returning Flurry’s embrace.
Shining Armor nuzzled his daughter and looked the Pegasus in the eye. “Hey, you alright?” He inquired. “You look like you’ve got a lot of ‘liquid pride’ ready to burst out!”
Boltsinger chuckled, releasing Flurry from the hug. “I’m okay. Just… feeling the spirit of things!” The ponies all got up, Twilight and Boltsinger headed for the kitchen, while Night and Velvet opted for a tour of the castle from Shining Armor.
“So, after dinner, we’re all going to open presents.” Twilight informed him. “I’ve got something special in mind, so be ready, okay?”
Boltsinger smiled at her. “You, too, huh?” He replied. “But first thing’s first, let’s feed those hungry ponies!”
As the tour of the castle came to a close, the guests to the castle came to the dining room, where a large traditional Hearth’s Warming dinner was laid out, Spike setting everything up while Twilight and Boltsinger came in, wiping themselves down after preparing the meal.
“Ah! Boltsinger!” Night started as he and his wife took their seats at the table. “Just the pony I wanted to see!”
“Oh? What’s on your mind?” the Pegasus wondered.
“So, we saw the hearth on our little castle tour, and I couldn’t help but notice something.” He continued. “You’re the only one who doesn’t have a Hearth’s Warming doll up there. Why is that?”
“Oh, I just don’t have one. Haven’t had a doll ever since I got my Cutie Mark.” Boltsinger responded. “I only went back to Vanhoover once since then, and… Well, it’s hard to stop by and grab mementos when you’re being run out of town.”
“Well, that’s sad.” Velvet commented. “We could make one for you if you want.”
Boltsinger shook his head as he sat down. “No, it’s fine. Let’s just focus on having a good Hearth’s Warming. One doll doesn’t make a difference.”
After dinner was all said and done, Twilight led them back to the throne room, each taking their own seats. Twilight lifted the gift pile, sorting out what she knew was going to specific ponies. Eventually, she came to the box Boltsinger had brought in in the morning, along with the one found outside the door, both placed in the center of the map. A multitude of books were unwrapped all over, Boltsinger looking excitedly at his. Flurry received a great many toys, leading to her lifting them all up and spinning them about the room with her magic to the enjoyment of her family. The piles got smaller and smaller as more and more gifts were revealed, coming down the the center boxes.
Boltsinger flew up out of his spot, flying over to the box he initially brought in. He brought it over to Twilight, putting it in front of her. “So, I’m pretty sure it was obvious who this was for.” He said, motioning to the box. It was a simple purple with a white star pattern. “I just wanted to save it for last.” He pushed it closer to her, smiling sheepishly as she leaned in.
Twilight lit up her horn, opening the box to reveal a brilliant pendant featuring an amethyst in the shape of a six-pointed star overlayed atop a white crystal in the same shape, looking much like her Cutie Mark. She magically lifted it out of the box, finding what looked like a clip on the back. “Oh my gosh…” She said, looking in awe at the jewelry. “It’s… beautiful!”
Boltsinger put his hooves forward, spinning it to let Twilight look at the back. “It’s also a hairclip! Just in case a necklace would get in the way, you can still have it on in a way that’s not… well, in the way!”
Twilight looked at it closely. “That’s pretty practical. Is this that side project you were doing with Rarity?”
“Yep. Originally, it was supposed to take just a few days, but she got so many orders that it took a few moons.” He admitted. “I wanted you to have something akin to the amazing thing you gave me. It’s not magical, but at least it’s multi-functional!”
Twilight dove forward, catching Boltsinger in the biggest hug she could give, the two falling to the floor. “I love it!” She sat up, putting it on. “Almost as much as the pony who gave it to me.” As Boltsinger sat up with her, she leaned in and nuzzled him, causing her family to let out an affectionate ‘aww’ at the display. “Actually, I’ve got a bit of a surprise for you later. I promise you’ll love it!”
“So, what about this one?” Shining Armor asked, pointing at the brown box at the center of the map. “Isn’t there a label or something?”
“We never found one.” Twilight answered, floating it towards her. “Pinkie found it outside the door this morning.” She shook it a little, not hearing anything from inside. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.” She sat back in her throne, pulling the paper off of the box. Her eyes widened dramatically as she took a peek inside, dropping the box on the map. "Um… Bolt? You need to see this…”
Boltsinger walked over to the box, looking into the tiny opening. “This is… How… How did this get here?” His rump hit the floor, hard. He opened the box the rest of the way, pulling out a small doll of an orange pony with a blue mane and tail made of yarn, purple button eyes and tiny wings on its back. “My… my old Hearth’s Warming doll… But, only one pony could have even come close to having access to it…” He looked at the doll, his eyes filling up with water at the nostalgia. “Brightling couldn’t have… Did he come here?” He put the doll on the map, taking off outside and positioning himself just above the star at the top of the castle. “Brightling! Are you here?!” He called out, sending the sound of his voice as far as it could go in all directions, extending out to the farthest borders of Ponyville and into the depths of the Everfree Forest. “Brightling!!!”
Twilight and her family sat inside, looking up towards the voice that reverberated through every inch of the castle. “I’d… better go check on him.” Twilight told them, flying out of the room as fast as her wings could take her. She hovered in the air beside the Pegasus, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “Bolt… He’s not in Ponyville…”
Boltsinger hung his head, his heart and his body sinking to the ground and landing on his rear. “I know… I just… hoped maybe I could reach him.” He turned his head to face Twilight. “I know he’s the one that brought it here… He didn’t have a reason to, but… he did it anyway…” He looked out at the horizon, where the sun was setting. “I want to believe that… I dunno… Maybe he’s not a complete slave to Sparks’ influence... “ He faced the Princess again, eyes watery once more. “Is it bad that I have hope for him? Hope for me?”
Twilight gave him a warm smile, pulling him close and cradling him in her wings from behind. “Not at all. It says a lot that you still believe in him after all that’s happened.” She gave him a kiss on the forehead. “And I’m sure that your hope won’t go unanswered.”
Boltsinger leaned forward, coming out of the wing cradle and putting his weight on his forelegs. “Thank you…” He finally said. “I should… probably explain that whole situation to your family, huh?”
“Maybe not quite yet.” the Alicorn replied. “We don’t want Hearth’s Warming to get any more sad than it already is today.”
“Sorry about that.” Boltsinger said as the rest of the family came out to join them. “I don’t know about all of you, but I think I’m tired.” The other ponies all nodded in agreement.
Twilight turned to Spike. “Spike, can you show my parents to their room?”
“You can count on me!” Spike confirmed, making a salute and running ahead.
Twilight turned to her brother and his family. “You know where to go, right?” Shining Armor nodded, starting towards the room set aside for his family. Once the two were out of sight, she turned to Boltsinger. “Okay, now it’s time for my surprise for you.” She started into the castle, the stallion following close behind.
They made their way up the usual route, Boltsinger looking back as they passed his door. “Uh, Twilight? My room is back there…” He informed her, pointing a wing behind them.
Twilight shook her head. “Not anymore~!” She stated, a tone of excitement in her voice. They continued on, coming to the door to what the Pegasus knew for certain was Twilight’s chambers. “I feel like we’re ready to go one step further! We already live together, and I do trust you. So…” She opened the door, showing the room mostly the same, but with a few noticeable changes. The first of which was that Twilight’s various outfits were now squished together into one side of the closet, with a familiar Nightmare Night costume hanging on the far edge of the other side. The second of the changes that the stallion could see was the extra set of pillows on the large canopy bed. It looked as if it were made for two ponies, and had a second nightstand sitting by it, a stack of familiar books sitting on it. “Your things weren’t difficult to move, since you don’t have much stuff, anyway.” She looked hopefully in his direction. “What do you think?”
The response to Twilight’s question was not exactly what she had expected. With an unnervingly audible thud, Boltsinger’s head had hit the floor, fainted from the shock.