//------------------------------//
// 308. Hearthbreakers - Part 3 
// Story: Blaze the Pony Tale 
// by Wolven5 
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The situation had turned bitter, as the Apples and Pies watched Party Favor vanish over the hill. Furrowing her brows, Granny Smith threw such a stink eye at Igneous and Cloudy, "Wha' in Faust's name is wrong wit' y'all?! Yer boy comes back after bein' gone so long an' instead o' welcomin' him back you drive him away!"

"He hath made it clear that he never wished to be a part of this family," Igneous responded, but he couldn't hide the shame he felt, "besides... I've done enough to that boy."

Granny Smith wasn't going to let them off that easily, but she looked to her granddaughters, saying, "Go after him, make him come back."

"Wer' on it, Granny Smith," Applejack nodded before gesturing Apple Bloom to follow her. 

As they left, Granny Smith looked back to Igneous and Cloudy, whom she noticed was tearing up, and said, "You din't raise him right, tha' much is obvious. Why?"

Igneous and Cloudy shared a troubled look and sighed as Cloudy admitted, "We were not prepared to raise a unicorn as a son... We couldn't believe our eyes to see our firstborn foal was not of the earth but of magic when our lineages hath always been earth ponies. We were uncertain, so..."

"So, we thought to raise him as we would any earth pony," Igneous said when his wife couldn't finish, sighing, "I foolishly thought if I could have him do things as an earth pony would then-"

"Ya can't make him something he ain't and ya shouldn't in the first place!" Granny Smith snapped, causing Igneous and Cloudy to flinch in response. "Now you listen here - Mah family, the Apples? Wer' a well-known an' widespread fam'ly o' earth ponies. We got Apples from practic'ly all corners of Equestria. Doesn't mean we ain't had our share o' unicorns an' pegasi born amongst us. But unlike wha' you've done t' tha' poor boy, we never made them feel like they had t' be anythang but themselves! We accepted them, whether they had horns or wings, cuz tha's what family does! 

"Not prepared t' raise a unicorn? More like unwillin' t' understand an' accept yer boy an' help him become the best of himself he could be! Well, it seems he was able t' do that just fine wit'out y'all, and more's th' pity. Ah've met mah share o' earth ponies tha' gave our tribe a bad name but you take the cake!"

For a long moment, the three stood there in comfortable silence, until Igneous pressed his ears down and said with regret, "We just... wanted for him to be what we-"

"And that was the problem..." Igneous looked to his wife as Cloudy shed tears but returned her husband's look with one of determination. "I stood by in accordance to our family's ways and let thee discipline our son for being what he is instead of what you wanted him to be. I was a coward, but no more, Igneous."

"Cloudy, I-" Igneous tried to say, only for Cloudy to raise her hoof to him.

"No more! Basalt was never the problem, Igneous," Cloudy stated, "We were. Now we have a chance to finally do right by our son, and we must take it. Otherwise... we lose him forever."

Igneous finally let the tears run as he collapsed to his knees in shame, and as Cloudy hugged her husband, Granny Smith nodded in approval as she thought, There may be some hope for these Pies yet.





Party Favor stood there on the platform of the train station, staring off into nothing. He'd meant to catch the next train back to Ponyville, but he'd forgotten the service was closed until late tomorrow. It was Hearth's Warming Eve, after all. 

What was I thinking...? he thought, feeling bitter but also miserable. They're no different now then they were then, just like their precious rocks. But then again, who am I to talk? I wanted to patch things up with them, but...

"Party Favor!" "Wait!"

Party's ear perked and he looked out the corner of his eye to see Applejack and Apple Bloom running his way. He didn't move but made no attempt to respond, as they hurried over to his sides, Apple Bloom saying, "Please don' run off, Party Favor! Ya don' wanna run out on yer fam'ly, no again!"

Sighing, Party Favor dejectedly said, "Look, I appreciate that you just want to help, but there's no point." 

"Well, we don' believe that, an' neither does Granny Smith," Apple Bloom insisted, "Ah betcha she's back there right now talkin' to yer folks about all they did wrong by you so they'll see sense!"

"So what? My parents will never change," Party Favor looked away from those big orange eyesful of sad, "It's not gonna help, like putting a bandage on a broken leg-"

"Now Ah know tha's not true an' deep down Ah think you know it too, Party," Applejack interrupted with a voice so bold, Party Favor couldn't help but look at her, "Now sugarcube, Ah can only imagine how hard it musta been livin' there. T' be honest, Ah've sorta gone through t' same thing. Not exactly, but even so! When Ah was around Apple Bloom's age, Ah left home cuz Ah thought Ah wanted more outta life than bein' a farmer. Ah went t' live with an aunt an' uncle in a big city where th' life Ah thought Ah wanted turned out t' be th' furthest thing from. 

"Then somethin' helped me realize how much Ah was missin' mah real home an' muh family, an' it led me back to `em straight n' true, an' Ah knew fer shor Sweet Apple Acres was where Ah was meant t' be. Cuz' when Ah got back home, Ah'd earned muh cutie-mark."

"...But Applejack, I got my cutie-mark because I left the Rock Farm," Party Favor reminded, "I would never have figured out my purpose in life was to make ponies laugh and happy if I'd stayed there."

"But ya wanted t' come back!" Applejack reminded him back, "Ya came here cuz deep down ya wanna make right wit' yer kin. Only as you got into it, ya lost sight o' that."

"...You're right," Party Favor sighed deeply, the shame washing over him as he fell back onto his haunches, holding his hoof over his face. "I mean- Oh Faust help me, I... It's just when I was reminded of those traditions we did for Hearth's Warming, I guess the bitterness came back. It reminded me of all those times I felt like an outsider in my own family."

Then he felt somepony hugging him and looked to see it was Apple Bloom, giving him as nice a smile as she could, "Tha's why ya gotta stop holdin' onto th' past, an' think of all th' fun you could still have with yer folks n' sisters!"

Applejack smiled proudly at Apple Bloom as Party Favor sighed and then said, "I dunno, after all the things I said, how can I face them?"

"Well, sugarcube, we don' know fer sure whether th' Apples n' Pies truly are related or not," Applejack said while putting a foreleg around Party's shoulders, "but tha' don' matter, cuz we love Pinkie Pie like she were an Apple born n' bred. So, Ah guess tha' makes you part of our family too."

Party Favor felt so touched by those words but it was what Applejack said next that convinced him, "Go back there an' speak t' yer folks again, Party Favor. We'll be right there wit' ya."

Party Favor gave it a thought a few moments longer before furrowing his brows and standing up. 





The Pies faced their wayward member, who had Applejack and Apple Bloom at his sides while Granny Smith stood at the sidelines, ready to intervene if things turned ugly again. Pinkie's hair had inflated just a little with hope, but she was afraid of things going bad again, Marble kept trying to work up the courage to pull back her mane, Limestone looked as sour as always, and Maud... looked like she felt nothing. 

But Party Favor was looking at his parents and saw they had a wrapped present between them, their faces wracked with uncertainty. As much as the Apples wanted to help, they could not interfere at this critical stage. 

"Oh for pony's sake!" Limestone couldn't take it anymore and everypony flinched from her irate tone as she stepped forward and looked her brother in the eye before sighing and saying, "Alright, listen up, Basalt! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I was such a lousy sister when we were foals, always ratting you out to Pa and Ma, getting you in trouble, and-and..."

Limestone held back the tears as the shame and guilt finally bubbled to the surface but she refused to break down emotionally as she said, "...and I'm sorry that I contributed to making you feel so miserable that you ran away. I guess... I guess I was jealous of you."

"Jealous of me?!" Party Favor flabbergasted.

"Well, you're the oldest!" Limestone explained, "Pa was always so hard on you because he hoped that you'd be the one to inherit the Rock Farm one day. So... I thought if I made you look bad and worked harder, he'd choose me instead. Well, I got what I wanted, and all it took was driving my brother away, breaking our folks' hearts, and depriving Pinkie and Marble of a chance to grow up knowing their big brother. And me?"

Limestone sighed and finally shed a tear, "I get to run this farm, feeling lower than dirt for all I did." 		

Party Favor was just speechless. Every word  of his sister's apology had been from the heart, he could tell. From the  emotion in her voice and in her eyes, however much she tried to look  tough.  

Then Maud stepped forward, Party looking to her, and she  said, in a voice none of them heard, full of emotion and her imperfect  side, "I want to apologize as well, Basalt. Or if you'd prefer, I can  call you Party Favor. I'm not perfect....but I want to be there for  you."

"...Whichever you're comfortable with," Party Favor shrugged.

Maud  nodded and continued with, “I understand that I'm not exactly the  easiest pony to understand, and I didn't do anything to make your colthood easier. But...standing by and doing nothing can be just as bad  as actually doing something that hurts somepony, sometimes even worse.  Believe it or not, I didn't really understand much of what was going on  back then. Pa had you and Limestone doing chores outside, so I was often  inside, helping Ma.”

“And that's something we can agree on,”  Party said with a nod and a small smile. “Now, I believe I've done enough chopping down of emotions.  Let's enjoy this time together. After all, Family is important.”

“Tha's good o' you,” Granny Smith smiled proudly. “Findin' perfection in imperfections.”

"Though..." All eyes turned to Igneous and Cloudy as the mare and her husband stepped forward, looking deeply humbled and regretful, "There is yet more to say, especially from us."

Taking a deep breath, Cloudy gave her son a solemn look, "Basalt, Party, son... To say that we are sorry does not begin to amend for all of the wrong we've done to thee. But for now, it is a start, and I hope that thou shalt allow for us to continue making up for the past."

Igneous nodded, grimacing before taking a moment to gather himself and add, "The blame is mine, and I realize how wrong I was to refuse to accept thee for what thou are, to fail in understanding just how unique thou are and always have been. I cannot change the past, Son."

Igneous stepped up to Party, hesitantly placing his hoof on Party's shoulder, especially when he saw the burn scar on it, "But if you will give me the chance, I promise to be sincere and true in my efforts to make things right by thee. My pride and my foolishness tore a great rift in our family. There's no one to blame but me... I am all but certain I do not deserve it, but...Will you give me this chance, son? Can we be a family again? Can we mend our bond?" 

Again, Party Favor was struck speechless as he looked into his father's eyes. He reflected on all those unhappy memories, forced to do things the earth pony way, denied the chance to be the unicorn he was, derided, condescended. In that corner of his mind where those memories dwelled, the bitterness and animosity simmered, only to be washed away with something he had all but given up on.

Hope. 

He smiled and said, "Happy Hearth's Warming, Pa."

Igneous finally let the tears flow freely, his heart swelling as he pulled his boy into a hug, and the rest of the family, Pies and Apples, all joined in. 





The holiday celebrations were back on track, and this time they were warmer and livelier. The Apples and Pies cooked together, making another Hearth's Warming Dinner, with pot pies, buttered rolls, vegetable soup, salad, cider, and snow flakes made from rock candy as a holiday desert. They crocheted Hearth's Warming Dolls and included pieces of geode crystal to represent the dolls' hearts. Working together, they formed a pillar from natural rock, and Apple Bloom hung the flag. And when night fell, it was time for bed. 

Before going to sleep however, Party Favor took a moment to be with Pinkie and Marble. He sat before them in their room, feeling a little awkward, especially how Marble was still shyly hiding behind her mane a bit. 
"Pinkie, Marble? I'm sorry, to both of you."

"What for, Party?" asked Pinkie, "Everypony's happy again, and now our family is finally whole."

"Mmhm," Marble nodded.

"Yes, it is," Party Favor sighed, "but Pa wasn't the only one who tore a rift into our family. I ran away before the two of you were even born, so... I'm sorry. Sorry that I wasn't around, to be the big brother you should've had, to see you grow up. But I'm glad to see you both turned out all right, especially you, Pinkie."

"Remember what Granny Pie always used to say, big brother!" Pinkie giggled, the feeling of the words in her mouth feeling so right. 

Party looked at her, and then at Marble, who managed to smile and pull her mane out of the way, as they all smiled and said it together.

"Giggle at the ghosties."

They all laughed, before Party Favor stood up and gave his two baby sisters as warm a hug as he could, "I love you both. Happy Hearth's Warming."

"Happy Hearth's Warming, Party," Pinkie replied, Marble uttering another 'mmhm', as Party Favor moved for the door.

"Sleep well."





Hearth's Warming Morning was announced by Pinkie Pie bouncing around the house, telling everypony to wake up. Once everypony was awake and in the living room, they shared more holiday treats and for the first time in the Pie house, they exchanged gifts. Pinkie Pie had been especially glad to give the present she'd gotten for Applejack and see her face light up after she opened it to reveal... a Rock. But to Applejack, it may as well as been a lump of gold, because it came from somepony she loved as both friend and family. 

When it was Party's turn, he was happy to show them the present he'd brought and made for the family. 
"Pa, I'd like for you to open it."

Igneous smiled deeply as his son levitated the large present to him as his wife and daughters crowded around him to see. He tore away the wrapping, and when he opened the box... out floated a bunch of rocks shaped like balloons, each one carved with the name of one of the Pies on it. Igneous's rock balloon was literally made of igneous rock, Cloudy Quartz's of quartz, Limestone's of limestone, Maud's was sandstone, Pinkie's was rock candy, and Marble's was smooth and polished marble. Each of the Pies marveled at the gift they'd been given and Party Favor chuckled.
"I know I didn't appreciate rocks all that much when I was little. But that doesn't mean I can't understand what they mean to you all. These rock balloons will always float and will be drawn to each other, representing the bonds of our family."

The Pies all teared up at Party's words, even Maud cracked a bit, and they came together in another family hug, and the Apples proudly looked on to see the family Pie was whole again. 
"It's still a tad surprisin', Granny Smith," Applejack whispered, "Ah never would'a thought Pinkie had a big brother too. An' t' think we met Party in a bad situation an' look where he is now."

"Life's funny sometimes, honey," Granny Smith agreed, "full o' twists n' turns, ya never know where it's gonna take ya. But tha's what makes life so dang interestin'."

Giggling, Applejack agreed, "Eeyup."

"Attention, everypony!" called out Apple Bloom, "Maud wants t' sing some Hearth's Warmin' carols tha' she wrote!"

Everypony chattered excitably as all eyes and ears turned to Maud Pie, who stated, "The first one is about rocks."

Then she added in that stony monotone she was so well known for, "They're all about rocks."

She pulled out the paper she'd written the first one on and began to recite, "Hearth's Warming is great, like Calcium Silicate. What a wonderful day, as good as Mica or Clay..."