Hearth's Warming Helper - Lunaverse

by Talon and Thorn


Cheerilee (Talon and Thorn)

Grabbing a scrap of paper as it floated out of Trixie’s hat, Cheerilee quickly opened it. The paper revealed the wand and moon cutie mark of the illusionist herself. She snapped a few glances at her friends, hoping to get a glimpse of who they might be getting a gift for. Catching her gaze, Raindrops scowled and turned away from her. Cheerilee shrugged. Sure, the whole thing was supposed to be secret, but she couldn’t help being curious. A quick look around showed that everypony else was hiding their new secret just as well.

Forcing her mind back to the issue at hand, Cheerilee considered what she could get Trixie with only a day or so to prepare. Something relating to magic, either stage or unicorn, came to mind. Although she wasn’t sure exactly what. Trixie had some difficulty learning from spellbooks, so they were out of the picture. And anyway Ponyville, with it’s earth pony majority, had a dearth of such things. Of course Canterlot was only a few hours train ride away and almost anything could be purchased there. She thought over a few other possibilities. Some stage props? Fireworks? Something from Trixie’s hometown? It was unlikely there was much in the way of Neigh Orleans memorabilia nearby. How about something to eat? Trixie certainly seemed to enjoy cooking, including quite a variety of frankly bizarre creations. Or maybe something to drink...?

Cheerilee’s eyes widened. She had the perfect idea, if she still had it! “Good luck girls!” she cried out, quickly turning towards her home. “See you all tomorrow!”


“Where is it!” Cheerilee shouted, tossing aside a bundle of postcards which narrowly avoided meeting a watery grave in one of her many fish tanks. She flipped aside a colourful sweater with her mouth and started to burrow muzzle first into the pile of assorted junk underneath. During her younger ‘wandering’ days, she generally tried to travel light, rarely having more than a single saddlebag to her name. Still, she tended to accumulate various souvenirs as she went. And whenever she had the chance she’d sent them home to her parents who had generally stored them by shoving them into her room and forgetting about them. Of course when her baby sister had come along, her room had became the new arrival’s home and her stuff had all been moved into storage. Once she made it home and had gotten a place of her own, she collected all of it and ended up shoving it all in a cupboard. She meant to sort it out, maybe make some sort of map of her travels with an item from each town or something. But there never seemed to be the time until now. This particular item had been picked up during her travels, she’d intended to use it to celebrate something or other, but she’d never gotten around to using it. It would make a perfect Hearth's Warming gift for Trixie, if only she could find it!

She tossed aside a few books and gave a cry of victory as she found what she was looking for. It was a wooden box, maybe three hooves tall and about a hoof wide. The words burnt into it proclaimed it to be ‘Candle Stick special reserve bourbon, aged twenty years’. Cheerilee took a deep sniff, feeling the scent of the liquor reawaken memories. Gatecrashing a gala held by a noble, discovering one of the servants was embezzling from her master, hiding in the wine cellar to gather evidence. The bottle had been a reward for her work. She still got Hearth’s Warming cards from Salad even now. Good times!

She took another sniff, savouring the aroma. It was stronger than she expected and a gentle shake of the case gave the reason why. She quickly pried off the front of the case to reveal the bottle inside, or rather the fragments of what had once been a bottle. At some point in its transport between Salad’s mansion and her home, somepony had been less than gentle with it.

She sighed. Well, that was a brilliant idea down the drain. Slumping to the ground. she carefully closed the box and let it fall to her side. She rubbed her face with a hoof for a moment as she racked her brain for an alternative present when her eye caught on a note attached to the back of the box. It gave a brief history of the brand and some frankly rather purple prose extolling the quality and flavour of the liquid which had once been contained within. What caught her eye most of all, though, was a crude map of the place where it had been bottled, the slightly giggle-inducing township of Knob Creek. What was more interesting was that she recognised many of the locations on the map, particularly the Everfree Forest shown on the edge. Standing up again, she rushed into another room and rummaged through a bookshelf to obtain a map of Equestria. Unfolding it onto the floor she quickly compared it with the one on the box. The place wasn’t that far off, not exactly next door but probably less than a half-day’s train journey. And if it exported booze, it certainly had a station. If she left now she could be there and back by tomorrow.

Cheerilee considered other options for a moment. She could probably get a decent bourbon from her sister if she asked nicely, but not one as good as the destroyed bottle. And there was something about going on a trip, no a quest, to get a bottle. At the very least she’d get a good story to tell out of it. She quickly grabbed some bits and a warm coat before rushing out into the town and towards the train station.


Cheerilee took another deep breath of the chill air and tried not to shiver. Despite her thicker than normal pelt and her winter coat, it was still bitingly cold. Although Knob Creek was less than a hundred miles away from Ponyville as the pegasus flew, no pegasus flew or train ran through the Everfree Forest. So it was well past dark by the the time she had disembarked.

Knob Creek turned out to be not much larger than Ponyville. The town was surrounded by fields as far as the eye could see, but given that it was winter they were barren, waiting for the maize to grow again next year. Most of the population seemed to have retreated to the town and were deep in their preparations for the holiday. Cheerilee quickly found that buying Trixie a bottle of bourbon would not be a problem here. It seemed like every shop sold the stuff, even sweet shops had bourbon flavoured confectionery. None of the rapidly-closing shops, however, seemed to stock the same brand as she had inadvertently destroyed. She’d asked and had been pointed towards a distillery a mile or so outside of town.

It was on aching hooves that she finally approached the place. It was easy to spot, being the only lit building around. Cheerilee was rather surprised to see a herd of ponies approaching from the opposite direction, exiting for the various buildings that made up the factory. They all seemed to be in rather high spirits, noisily chattering amongst themselves as they approached.

“Hey!” called Cheerilee as the crowd drew near.

“Oh, hi Miss,” replied a nearby stallion. He trotted over staggering slightly. “I’ve not seen you around before.” His breath suggested he’d sampled more than a little of the distillery’s product.

“I’m looking to buy some bourbon,” she explained, “Candle Stick brand.”

“We don’t normally sell directly to ponies,” he replied after a few moments thought. “Even one as cute as you.” The other ponies nearby gave good-natured laughs.

Cheerilee grinned. It was nice to be complimented, and made it more likely she could wrap him around her hoof. “Are you sure, handsome?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Sorry, I’d love to get you a bottle or two but we’re shut until the new year now. We’ve just had our Hearth’s Warming party,” a cheer went up from the crowd, “and now we’re taking it into town! I’ll buy you a drink or two there if you want.”

“Did you say ‘Candle Stick’?” asked another member of the crowd. “That’s expensive stuff, our best, we only make a barrel or so a year. Most batches are bought before it’s even bottled. Maybe come back in the new year?” she suggested.

“I only need one bottle,” said Cheerilee. “It’s for a friend of mine, and she’d really appreciate it.”

“Look, why don’t you come with us,” said the first stallion, looking away as most of the rest of the crowd started to shuffle past. “I’m sure we can pick up something in town almost as good. We can get something to warm you up as well.”

For a moment, Cheerilee was tempted. She didn’t really need to get Trixie this particular brand, did she? And she was cold and hungry after her long journey. Still, didn’t her friend deserve the best? The unicorn had worked so hard at being a good friend over the last year, that was worth a reward. “No, I really need to get some Candle Stick.”

The stallion sighed. “Our boss Jack Bean is probably still working back there.” He gestured towards the distillery. “Maybe he can sort something out? Probably not, but you could give it a try.” He shrugged and started off down the road after his companions. “Maybe see you later?” he called over his shoulder.

“Maybe,” muttered Cheerilee, looking over towards the lit buildings. She started to trot ahead, shivering again.


“This is our fault, then!” exclaimed a high pitched voice as Cheerilee approached the distillery. “All three of the tribes! We brought the snow to this land by our fighting and feuding! Now it... it...” there was a rustle of paper. Cheerilee’s ears twitched as she crept towards the sound. “It’s destroying our new land as well,” continued the voice, “just as it did the old!”

She peeked around the building. There stood an earth pony filly with an untidy green curly mop of a mane barely restrained by a shawl. A brown cape covered most of her off-white coat, completing the outfit.

“Smart Cookie?” asked Cheerilee, causing the foal to spin around and drop a pile of papers into the snow. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” She moved forwards to help pick up the script. “I played her in the pageant when I was your age, too.”

“We’re putting on the play tonight,” said the foal after a moment's pause. “I’ve almost got my lines down.”

“You sound good to me. I’m Cheerilee, by the way. I’m looking for somepony called Jack Bean.”

“That’s my dad!” exclaimed the foal. “I’m Lima Bean.”

“Please to meet you Lima,” said Cheerilee, handing over the script to the young thespian. “Do you know where your father is?”

“He’s still working at the still,” said Lima, her ears drooping a bit. “But he’s going to see me at the show once he’s done!”

“Can you show me where he is? I’ll only need a minute.”

“Sure!” exclaimed Lima, rushing off towards a nearby building before Cheerilee could follow. After a moment the foal returned. “Um, this way,” she said, moving at a more reasonable speed.


The inside of the building was boiling compared to the outside. Cheerilee loosened her coat as she walked past row after row of copper vessels heated by the fires merrily burning below them.

Lima led her surehoofedly thought the maze until they came across a stallion, apparently the only adult pony still present in the distillery. He was a little shorter than average, with a green mane like his daughter that was rapidly receding on the top of his head, and a yellow coat. A bottle mark was embossed on his flank, and he was apparently carrying out his talent as he carefully decanted a barrel into a number of bottles without spilling a drop.

“Dad! Dad!” cried Lima, “This mare wants to talk to you. She’s called Cheerilee!”

The older pony didn’t seem to react at first, carefully topping off the bottle he was working on before closing the tap on the keg and placing the full bottle amongst it’s brethren. Finally turning, he gave his daughter a smile and Cheerilee a rather more suspicious look. “Good evening Ma’am. The name’s Jack Bean,” he said politely. “What brings you up here at this time of night? I’m afraid we’re closed for the holiday’s now.”

“Yes well,” began Cheerilee with a smile, “I was hoping I might be able to buy a bottle of bourbon from you, as a Hearth’s Warming present for a very dear friend.”

“I’m sorry, but we don’t sell directly to members of the public. We only sell in bulk to retailers. If you head into town I’m sure you can find somepony who can sell you something from our brand though.”

“Actually, I’m looking for something special, It’s called Candle Stick.”

“Candle Stick?” He let out a whistle through his teeth. “That’s our rarest, We only make a single barrel a year, and only then if the conditions are right. It’s sold out years in advance.”

“Are sure you don’t have any spare?” pleaded Cheerilee. “It’s for Trixie Lulamoon, you might have heard of her? The bearer of the Element of Magic? She helped to defeat Corona!” Cheerilee didn’t like trading on her and her friends fame, but she didn’t want to go home with empty hooves either.

“That so,” said Jack uncertainty, “well that sure is something. But I’m afraid I can’t.”

“Are you really sure we can’t come to some agreement?” Cheerilee asked, lowering her voice to a purr and flicking her tail. Maybe a little Black Cherry charm would work.

Jack’s body tensed He glanced down at Lima for a second before his eyes again locked onto Cheerilee’s. “Now it may be a few years since Gra... since my wife passed, but don’t think I’ll be taking leave of my senses for a pretty face!”

Cheerilee blushed and looked away, embarrassed. Maybe she had taken things a bit far. A touch of flirting often helped negotiations, but the stallion’s foal was standing next to her. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “I just wanted to get Trixie a good present.”

“Yes, well, like I said you can get all sorts of spirits back in town.”

“Why don’t you show her where she can get some when you take me to the play?” suggested Lima, hopping up and down a bit in excitement.

“Yeah, I,” Jack looked aside, “I meant to tell you. I’m afraid I won’t be able to take you to the play. With everypony else out celebrating, somepony needs to watch the stills and start on the New Year orders.”

“Then we can...” Lima continued until her father's words caught up with her. “But... but you said... you said you’d see me on stage! You promised!” she cried.

“Yeah, I, I know I did,” said Jack, still not able to meet his daughter's eyes. “But New Years is one of our busiest times and sales ain’t been what they could be. Maybe we can do something next month instead? Maybe after the wrap up?”

“You said that about Hearth’s Warming! I’ve been trying so hard to get my lines right! I wanted you to see me on stage!” The filly stomped her hoof on the ground, her eyes filling with tears.

Jack rushed forwards and knelt before her. “Look, yeah, I did,” he said, wiping her eyes. “But bourbon’s in our veins, has been since your great great grandpa’s time. This place,” he gestured around the building, “this is our home, our families home, and well sometimes in order to keep that home you need to work hard and you have to sacrifice some things. I’m really sorry I can’t make your play, but I really am busy.”

“I, I understand, Dad,” Lima quietly said after a moment.

“I know you do. You’re a good filly,” Jack said, rubbing a hoof through her mane. “And I really will make it up to you in the new year, I promise. Now, I asked Miss Mortarboard to take you to the play in my place. She should be here soon. Why don’t you go outside and wait for her? Have a good time at the play.”

“Yes, Dad.”

“Love you,” Jack said, kissing Lima on the forehead before letting her slouch away. “Now,” he said, standing and turning back to Cheerilee. “As I said, I’m sorry I can’t help you. I have a lot to do tonight, so I’d like to ask you to leave.”

“Is it all really that important,” Cheerilee asked, eyes narrowed, “that you can’t spend one night with your own foal?”

“Don’t you judge me!” Jack snarled. “I want to leave her something more than I had. That girl could go far, but schooling don’t come cheap. I’ve got plans for this place, but they’re going to need hard work and sacrifice!”

“And are those plans really going to be worth more than the memories of spending Hearth’s Warming with her?”

Jack couldn’t meet her gaze. “I’ve got a lot to do,” he said.

“Maybe I could...” she began.

“Get out!” he yelled.

She slowly backed away. “Very well, but think about it. Don’t do something you’ll regret later.”


Once outside, Cheerilee took a deep breath of the frigid air. Lima was huddled by the door. “Are you alright?” the teacher asked, hunching down beside the smaller pony.

Lima nodded and made a small affirmative sound.

“I’m sure you’ll still have a good time at the play with all your friends.”

“But I wanted him to see me!” Lima exclaimed. “Why are all the grown up things so important? Aren't I important, too?” She stared up into Cheerilee’s eyes.

Cheerilee sighed. “Lots of things seem important when after you’ve grown up, but sometimes we forget the most important things along the way.”

“You’re a grown up. Can’t you make him come to the play?”

“I’m sorry. Things don’t work like that,” Cheerilee said, grinning lopsidedly. “He really does love you.”

“I know but, it’s just not fair.” Lima stomped a small hoof. “He promised. He always promises, but then he’s always busy!”

Cheerilee glanced away, and saw an older mare and a small herd of foal approaching, most of them wearing costumes. “Don’t give up hope. I’ll see what I can do to get your dad to come to your play.” Cheerilee stood up, hoping she hadn’t just lied to the child. Her father didn’t seem like the easiest stallion to convince, but she had a few tricks up her sleeves.


Jack growled to himself as he started to carefully apply the labels to the latest batch of bottles. He made sure they were even and wiped away any excess glue. Once finished, they could be crated up and be ready for shipping once the holidays were over. He knew it was important. He’d be able to get a day or two’s head start on his competitors, but then he couldn’t help thinking of the disappointment in Lima’s eyes. He shook his head. No, he needed to concentrate. He wanted the best for his little girl, and that cost money. She’d understand when she was older.

His ears pricked up as he heard the clink of a bottle striking the ground. He quickly turned, looking for the source of the sound. There shouldn’t be anypony else around the place. Maybe an animal had gotten in and was looking for somewhere warm to spend the night? As he passed one of the stills, he checked the pressure gauge. Everything seemed to be normal. He caught a glance of his reflection in the copper vessel. Something moved behind him. Eyes widening, he started to turn when something was slipped over his head. Everything went black.

Panicking, his instincts were to kick out at whatever was attacking him. His hooves met only air, though, and he stumbled. Something grabbed at his flank and pulled him to one side, causing him to flail out again.

“Careful,” came a somewhat muffled voice from somewhere near his ears. “Some of the stuff around here looks breakable.”

“Get off of me!” he cried, trying to push away whatever was covering his face with his forelegs. Before he could reach it, something wrapped around his hoof, yanking it towards his barrel. The same happened to his other foreleg a second later. With a yelp, he pitched forward, headfirst towards the ground. But his assailant gently caught him and lowered him out onto the floor. He tried to kick with his hind legs, but once again they were tangled in something. He struggled wildly, but found himself entirely immobile.

“Huh, fifteen seconds,” said his captor. “Not a personal record, but fairly impressive given I’m out of practice.”

“Help! Help!” screamed Jack.

“There’s nopony around, I’m afraid. At least it means I don’t have to silence you. I only carry a ball gag around for very special occasions-” there was a sigh “-and it’s been a while since one of those. Unless one of the girls gets me a stallion for Hearth’s Warming.”

Jack tried to calm himself and return his breathing to a somewhat normal rate. He had to think! What was going on? Why were they doing this to him? The voice of his attacker sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. “There’s nothing here for you. I don’t keep much money on the premises, ” he pleaded. “If you want our stores, just take them! Please don’t hurt me! I have a foal!”

“I’m glad you remember her now! I guess just taking something would be an option,” the attacker said. It sounded like she was moving around the room. “But I think Trixie would prefer her present to not be stolen.”

“Wait, Cheerilee!” he exclaimed, finally pinning down the identity of his captor. Who was this crazy mare? What was she going to do to him?

“Now, is there anything around here which is going to go boom if nopony looks after it for a few hours?”

“What?”

“Well, there’s all these stills and things bubbling. Is there anything likely to go wrong without you?”

Jack tried to swallow through a sudden dryness in his throat. “Um, well no, probably not. Everything's just ticking over at the moment. I was just planning on putting labels on bottles for an hour or so,” he babbled, before cursed himself internally for his honesty.

“Good, then you and me can go on a little trip.” He felt something nudging at his belly. It felt like a head. His eyes widened in shock before he felt himself levered into the air and onto his captor’s back. He rocked around a bit as Cheerilee apparently staggered under his weight.

“Why did you have to be so heavy?!” she complained.

He bit back a retort. There was no need to antagonise his foalnapper, and he had let himself go a bit over the last few years.

“Right, off we go then,” Cheerilee exclaimed. he started to trot, causing Jack to groan. “If you hurl onto my mane I’ll drag you instead,” she threatened.


Jack’s mind raced as he tried to figure out what his captive was going to do with him. She hadn’t hurt him, yet but there was no guarantee she wouldn’t. He had no idea where Cheerilee was taking him, either. Judging by the temperature, they were outside. He tried to count her steps, but quickly lost concentration. They couldn’t have travelled more than half a mile. Surely somepony would notice, even with most of the local population being inside celebrating. He tried to remember what they said in plays about being foalnapped. Were you supposed to make a connection with your captor, or keep quiet?

“So, do you do this often?” he tentatively tried.

“Once or twice,” came a cheerful reply. “Do you often let your daughter down?”

Was that what this was about? Was this some sort of demented punishment for how he treated Lima? There was actually a part of him that agreed that he deserved it. “More often than I want to,” he admitted. “Look, when Mom handed the distillery over to me, we were almost broke. I had to work till my hooves bled to make that place a going concern. There’s no way I’m going to make Lima do that, no matter what I have to sacrifice!” He struggled at his bonds again, causing Cheerilee to stagger a bit.

“Stop that!” she exclaimed. “If I drop you, you’ll land on your thick head! Has it occured to you that there might be some things just too important to sacrifice? More important than just making money and being successful?”

“Sometimes,” he mumbled.

“Glad to see you’re not entirely lost then.” She sighed. “Sure, I understand wanting the best for your child.”

“You’ve got foals?” he asked.

“No, not exactly,” she said with a hitch in her voice. “I’m a teacher. I know it’s not easy to try and balance things, but I don’t think raising a child is meant to be easy. I have a friend. She’s raising her daughter alone, too. She works so hard and she’s got so little, but she still manages to be there when her daughter needs her.”

“She sounds like a regular flutterpony,” Jack bitterly said. “I know I’m not that good a father, but I do what I can to make sure Lima gets what she needs!”

“Have you asked her what she really wants? Do you think she’d prefer you to get her more Hearth’s Warming presents, or for you to come to her play?”

“I... I don’t know,” Jack admitted. He could make out the sound of various voices in the middle distance. Were they getting closer to the town? “She’d probably prefer I come to her play, but she’s just a kid. She doesn’t know how important the things I can get her are. I’m sure I’ll be able to see her next year. We’ll be less busy then.”

“Yeah, now she’s just a kid. You turn around in a few years and she won’t be any more. You’ll have missed it all.”

Jack tried to stop himself from shuddering as Cheerilee’s words echoed some of the thoughts he’d recently had. Lima did seem to be growing up so quickly. “Why are we talking about this, anyway?” he asked. “You’re my foalnapper. What are you planning to do with me, anyway?”

“Stop you from making a terrible mistake. Now which one is it?” she mumbled, coming to a stop for a moment.

“Which one is what?” he asked, confused. The sound of nearby ponies was getting louder. Should he shout for help or something?

“Never mind. It must be this one. So you’re happy to just abandon your child so you can make more money?”

“It’s not like that! I’ve made some decisions.” Was it his anger, or had it suddenly gotten warmer? “Maybe bad decisions, but it’s too late to change my mind now!”

“Funny you should say that,” Cheerilee said as she suddenly slumped to the side. Jack braced himself as he expected to drop to the floor, but instead found himself on some sort of bench or seat. “I guess this is just a Hearth’s Warming miracle then.” The hood was jerked from his head, and he blinked at the sudden brightness. He shook his head, trying to get his eyes to adapt. He was in a crowded room. Many of the ponies were staring at him, but they looked away in apparent embarrassment as he met their gaze.

“What? Where am...” He looked around. Cheerilee sat to one side, holding her coat in her mouth. That must have been what she had used to cover his head. Tossing it aside, she held a hoof up to his mouth.

“Hush, it’s about to start. Be nice and I’ll untie you at the intermission.”

He looked around in confusion. He noticed a raised platform at the front of a room covered with a curtain, which was suddenly pulled aside. Behind it stood a number of wood and paper constructs which, if you squinted just right, looked a bit like trees. The grey-maned figure of Miss Mortarboard appeared to one side and cleared her throat. “Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of the Princess, and even before ponies came to our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony,” she proclaimed. “It was a dark and evil time. A time when the tribes were torn apart... by hatred!”

A number of foals began to shuffle onto the stage. Jack’s gaze was immediately drawn to Lima in the costume she’d put so much effort into, while he’d had to work. His daughter looked downhearted, her hooves dragging as she moved to her place on the stage. She looked up into the crowd and her gaze met with his. A smile instantly filled her face. It was like the sun rising after the darkest night. He realised it had been so long since he had last seen her completely happy. If he hadn’t been bound, he would have waved a hoof at her. She straightened and readied herself for her lines.

“Thank you,” Jack whispered to Cheerilee, unable to drag his eyes from the stage.


Cheerilee couldn’t help but smile as she saw Lima gallop from the back of the stage over to her father now that the play was over. The filly practically leapt over the intervening crowd to get to him, her mouth running a mile a minute as she tried to express her excitement. Jack knelt down to hug her while. Cheerilee turned away, feeling that she shouldn’t interfere any further with the touching reunion. She trotted out of the town hall where the school play had been held and glanced up at the clock tower above. The last train for the day would have left by now but she could probably find somewhere to rest for the night before she caught the first one back to Ponyville tomorrow.

“Um, Miss Cheerilee,” said a voice from behind her. She turned to see Jack Bean standing there, Lima more or less attached to his hind leg. “I’d like to thank you for what you did for me earlier,” he looked back at his daughter. “For both of us.” His voice hardened. “Although foalnapping me might have been a step too far.”

Cheerilee winced. Maybe she’d let things get a bit out of hoof. It had seemed a good idea at the time. But now, thinking back on things, well there was a fair chance she could have spent Hearth’s Warming in jail. She still could. “Yes well, all’s well that that ends well?” she suggested with a painful grin.

“Yes, I suppose you're right. I was stubborn and didn’t have my priorities straight. I don’t think anything else would have turned me around.” He reached back and rested a hoof on his daughter's head. “I’ve talked to Lima and we’re going to have a real big Hearth’s Warming party together this year, and I’ll take more time off so we can do things together.” He tousled her mane.

“We’re going to Whinny World next year!” announced Lima.

“That’s nice,” Cheerilee said with a grin. “I hope you both have a good time. Do you know if there’s a good hotel in town or a guest house?” she asked. She should probably leave them alone to reconnect.

“There’s one, but don’t you want to pick up a bottle from the distillery first?”

“A bottle?”

“The Candle Stick you asked for?”

“Oh.” She’d actually forgotten about her present for Trixie. “I thought you said you didn’t have any?”

“Well, I keep a special collection, one bottle from every batch we make. My mother did the same and her father before her, got almost a hundred years worth,” he said with pride.

“I can’t break up that tradition,” she said, holding up a hoof. “Can you recommend something else?”

“No, you can have the Candle Stick. You’ve taught me a lesson about what’s important,” he glanced back at his daughter, “and what isn’t. It’s just some booze, and if it makes a friend of yours happy then I think it will be a good cause. Besides, once you’ve got what you came here for and I’ve put Lima to bed,” the filly pouted but she was clearly starting to flag, “I thought we could try a few samples from the other batches as well. Maybe do some talking?”

Cheerilee smiled. “That sounds like a perfect Hearth’s Warming present.”