//------------------------------//
// Hearth's Warming Allusions 
// Story: The Champion of Harmony 
// by Voxum 
//------------------------------//

Emerald sighed softly, resting his head on his hooves as he stared out the window.

The gently falling snow drifted through the air with the grace of a professional dancer, captivating all who held it within their sight. Carefully crafted flakes, made so lovingly by the many factory workers, fell harmlessly to the ground, adding a small, insignificant amount of snow to the already buried ground beneath it.

Sugarcube Corner had been closed today as a result of the twins catching a cold, likely a result of the recent increase in scheduled snow this time of year, which had the side effect of dropping the temperature. Unfortunately for Wisp, she'd been left unable to take advantage of such a thing, since the schoolhouse was still up and running despite the heavy increase scheduled for this morning.

The thought brought a small grin to his face, the memory of his little sister, all bundled up with a coat, hat, and scarf as she waddled out the door, grumbling to herself filling him with a, not unwelcome, warmth.

Though, not everything was so joyful.

He was alone, after all. Not even Bolero was there to keep him company.

During the week following the Gala, Trixie had started to pack up her things and prepare for a long-term trip around Equestria, stating that she'd spent much too long just sitting around, trying to find some other job when the perfect one was just waiting for her to get back up off her lazy ass.

Her words, not his.

Still, he and Wisp had been sad to see her go, but had held a small celebration, a farewell party, the day before her departure. Tears had been shed, by Wisp, threats demanding her to be safe, from Emerald, and promises had been made, by Trixie, and then she was off.

It had been several weeks since then, and they'd already received a letter, in which Trixie assured them that she was doing great already. Apparently her unplanned vacation had ended up making a backlog of ponies who wanted her show, and now she was booked for enough of them to last her well into next year. Not including travel time.

Now it was mid-December, and Hearth's Warming was well on its way, spreading a massive increase in cheer the town over, cheer that affected even him, if to a lessened degree.

More than once he'd entertained the, very few, carolers who arrived at his door for much longer than he would've a year ago, before sending them off with a polite goodbye, and a few bits for their trouble.

Yes, if he'd had any doubts before, that had erased quite a few of them.

He was becoming soft.

And... he didn't mind. Or he didn't think so, at least.

Although, the holiday's rapid approach had revealed another problem he hadn't expected, and one he honestly wasn't sure how to deal with.

Gifts.

The closest thing to a Nocturnian equivalent to Hearth's Warming was The First Night, it didn't have any sort of gift exchange, and even then, it was closer to the New Year Carnival than Hearth's Warming. Granted he didn't remember a lot of it, but he did recall that The First Night involved every member of every Clan to head to the Gathering House, where a massive bonfire would be lit, and sing.

He couldn't, for the life of him, remember what they used to sing, but he did remember that it had been beautiful to listen to.

But the problem of gifts had not been one that had ever come up before. A combination of a lack of time, a lack of knowledge, and a lack of care had ensured that Emerald never actively participated in Hearth's Warming, aside from making sure to spend time with Wisp and treat her to something sweet for the next few days as an apology, since she adored the holiday after Mother introduced her to it.

So, what was he to get for his new... friends?

Sparky. A book, most likely. Preferably something rare enough to be hard to get, but well known enough that she'd understand how special it was.

Fluttershy? Some plants? She did have a rather impressive garden... but that was mostly for the animals.

Applejack. Bits. No better thing to give when you had no idea what to do. Besides, more money for the farm, right?

Rarity? No clue. He doubted she'd take bits.

In hindsight, Applejack probably wouldn't either.

Rainbow? Well, he could ask Spits for a signed photo... or poster...

Pinkie? He could do the opposite of what he did for her birthday, and bring her family to Ponyville... No, they'd likely be busy on their 'rock farm'. He still didn't understand how that worked.

Dammit! He wasn't meant for this kind of thing! He was a fighter for fuck's sake! Not some gift-giving aficionado! He barely knew what Hearth's Warming even was, let alone how to fucking participate!

He forced himself to let out a breath, calming himself down.

He couldn't work himself up like this. Ignoring how strange it was that something this... insignificant was affecting him so, the doctors at Ponyville General had given him the order to relax for the next month or so to try and avoid anymore of those blackouts.

Given his occupation, that was, perhaps, the worst piece of medical advice he could have received.

He almost wished he'd turned around and headed to The Canterlot Medical Institution instead. Unfortunately he'd already been two-thirds of the way to Ponyville when he blacked out, and there was no way in Tartarus he would've risked another on the trip back.

So, in return for reducing the risk of another blackout, and potentially killing himself on the crash landing, he'd chosen the option of slightly, but admittedly, lower quality healthcare.

Thankfully, most of the stores around town were still open, despite the bad weather. Likely trying to take advantage of the recent influx of tourists.

Emerald scoffed slightly at the thought. All those ponies, cameras waving around, taking pictures of damn near everything. Why come to some little town like Ponyville?

Aside from the Element Bearers and the Everfree Forest, there really wasn't much. And since a lot of the information regarding the identity of the Bearers was kept secret from the public, he doubted it was them those tourists were here for.

Then again, after that annoying leak revealing that Ponyville was home to the Bearers, he supposed the mere possibility of meeting them, even without realizing, was tantalizing enough for some.

It was still stupid, in his opinion.

One of the bastards had even taken his picture!

A sudden knocking on the front door drew him from his thoughts, and caused him to frown, sparing another glance outside.

Who was visiting him in this weather?

He glared at the door for a moment, ears twitching, before striding over and wrenching it open,

"What are you doing here, Sparky?" he asked, almost before the door was even open.

Indeed, the familiar lavender unicorn stood outside the door, the same strange Winter clothes adorning her body the last time it had snowed like this, with the addition of a pair of saddlebags this time around.

She perked up now that the door was open,

"Good afternoon, Emerald!" she chirped, smiling, though she pulled her scarf closer, "I just came by with some great news! Princess Celestia invited us to Canterlot to act in The First Hearth's Warming during the annual Canterlot Pageant!" she gushed, smiling from ear to ear.

The First Hearth's Warming? Wasn't that the play that Wisp kept asking to see every year?

"Has she?" he asked, before stepping aside, "You might as well come in, first," he offered. Sparky blinked, and seemed to jump in place,

"O-oh!" she stammered, taking a hesitant step forward.

Rather than question her strange behavior, Emerald stepped away and headed into the kitchen, where he set up a kettle of water on the stove, before returning to see Sparky looking around the living room, having set aside her clothing by the door.

"So this is what your house looks like on the inside," she said, turning to him, giggling, "I was kind of expecting something a little... more if I'm honest."

"More?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a seat, "What does that mean?"

"I don't know," Sparky admitted, shaking her head, "Photos, awards, colours, just... something different," she said, looking around, "The paint job outside makes it look nice, but, honestly... it almost looks like no one even lives here," she added, frowning.

Emerald's lips quirked down as well, letting his eyes roam his home.

And... she was right.

Simple white walls and ceiling, beige carpet along the floor. A single sofa, which they were currently on, of an equally bland beige, a single, unassuming table sitting in front of it, and a pair of windows next to the door.

It looked... new, despite having three separate individuals and their pet bat living in it at one point.

His room was much the same, actually.

And so was the bathroom, and the kitchen, and... well, the only room in the entire house with any sort of decoration was Wisp's room, which had several posters hanging on the walls, as well as a few drawings she'd made.

He'd... never really looked at the house before now. Never had it in mind.

Until now, he wasn't sure its appearance had even registered to him. Not since the first time he looked at it, but, then, it had been covered in numerous party decorations that completely hid its... lack of existence.

Compared to the Apple Family House, the rooms above Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy's cottage, the Golden Oaks Library, even the everyday shops around town, his house looked...

Dead.

Like no one even lived here.

"I... suppose you're right," he said, burying the unease he felt, the realization stirring up... something within him.

"I-I'm sorry if that was... rude, I just... couldn't help but notice..." Sparky apologized, leading Emerald to shake his head,

"Its fine, Sparky," he waved it off, "You mentioned an invitation back up to Canterlot?"

"Yeah!" she chirped, latching on to the new topic, "Princess Celestia just sent me a letter asking the seven of us if we wanted to take part in The First Hearth's Warming! She says the six main actors all came down with something, and that she thinks we're perfect for the parts!"

"Really?" Emerald asked, raising an eyebrow, "Do you even know how to act? Do any of you know how to act?"

"Well, no, but it can't be that hard!" Sparky defended, then wilted, "Er... can it?" Emerald shook his head,

"Acting is basically pretending to be something you're not, Sparky. I doubt the Princess would actually have you and the others perform without having you lot go through an audition, or, at the very least, without some last minute tutoring." Sparky nodded,

"Yeah, that makes sense. But I think I'll be fine!" she exclaimed, "I've been watching The First Hearth's Warming with my family since I was old enough to walk!" she giggled, "Annnnnd, I get to play as Clover the Clever!" she squealed, "Did you know he was Starswirl the Bearded's apprentice before the Unification?!" she squealed.

"Uh... no," he admitted, frowning, "But what's this play about anyhow? Obviously the first Hearth's Warming, but..." he trailed off as his eyes met Sparky's wide ones,

"You don't know?!" she exclaimed, "How can you possibly not know about the story of the first Hearth's Warming?! It's how ponies came together and united as one nation!"

"Uhh... thestral?" he said, "We have our own holidays in Nocturne, you know?" he muttered, then shook his head, "Whatever. Is that what Heath's Warming is about? The Unification?" he asked, "I would've thought it'd be something more... interesting."

"What?!" Sparky near shouted, making Emerald flinch at the unexpected volume, "What could possibly be more interesting, while still being in season, than the story of how the three tribes came together peacefully for the first time in history?!"

"I don't know," Emerald snapped without heat, "The defeat of Discord, maybe? Wasn't that around Hearth's Warming as well?" he asked.

"Well, yes," Sparky conceded, "but the story of how ponies came together as a species is more important than how the Princesses beat Discord!"

"I feel like a lot of ponies would disagree with that," Emerald snarked, "I mean, the tribes didn't even know about the Windigos. There was no confrontation with those things, no battle, no-no anything! Those things are still out there today, back in the Frozen North you ponies left behind," he said, then scoffed, "Why are they even called Windigos anyways? We already have Wendigos, why make that confusing?"

"'Wendigos'?" Sparky asked, sounding genuinely confused, "I think I've heard of those..." Emerald sighed, and shook his head, only for the sound of a pitched whistle to echo through the house, prompting Emerald to rise from his seat,

"You really need to read a book about supernatural creatures," he said, returning with a pair of steaming cups of tea, "Spells are all well and good, but if you don't know anything about the monsters outside of the Everfree, then whats the point?" he asked. Sparky choked on her breath, an indignant expression on her face, even as she took the cup,

"'Whats the point?'! Magic is an art! It's one of the most misunderstood things in the whole world! We've had magic for almost as long as we've been a species and there's still so much about it we don't know! Learning spells and discovering new methods of developing and controlling magic is a field of study that almost nopony goes into, even though it's extremely important! Not only that, but spell-weaving is an incredibly delicate system of interwoven rules that we discovered, and it has the possibility to advance our entire society decades ahead of what it is now!" she gushed passionately, leaving Emerald honestly speechless.

"... Wow... you're very... passionate about magic, aren't you?" Sparky nodded resolutely,

"Of course I am! It's my special talent, after all," she stated, taking a sip,

"... Right." Sparky shook her head, fidgeting slightly,

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to rant," she apologized with a sheepish smile, "So... what are these... Wendigos, and how are they different from Windigos?" Emerald shook his head,

"They're not important. Wendigos are pretty rare. I doubt you'll ever encounter one, Sparky." he said, "Anyways, you said Celestia asked for the seven of us, but you mentioned that only six of the actors were sick," he pointed out, changing the topic again, with little issue,

"Oh, well, usually there's a narrator for the play, and usually Princess Celestia fills the part, but apparently there's been some big influx of crimes around Equestria, and she needs to sort through the paperwork."

That really caught his attention.

Crimes? And she hadn't mentioned it to him? Hadn't sent a letter?

Well, he supposed it made sense, in a way. He was currently on a job, but the Bearers knew about his position as a guard, so why...?

Unless, she was worried that these crimes were just some sort of guise for a potential foalnapping. It had been a long time since the attempt from the Nightmare Cult, honestly far too long, thinking about it.

It was a paranoid assumption to make, and altogether not the best one. After all, he didn't know the nature of the crimes in question. If it was just a series of robberies and the like, then it made sense as to why he hadn't been called upon. Anything bigger than that and she'd have definitely informed him.

Putting that aside, she wanted him to narrate this play? From the sounds of it, it seemed like it was a big deal, if it had an entire time slot dedicated to it during one of the biggest holiday events of the year, especially one so large. He was pretty sure the New Year Carnival was the only event bigger than the Canterlot Pageant.

Did she have that much faith in him?

Or was he the last minute option?

Whatever, not like it mattered. It would be a little odd, returning to Canterlot so soon after the Gala, but it would be a novel experience, since he'd never been a part of something like it before.

Then again, there were plenty of things he'd done since coming to this town that he'd never done before. It seemed to be a trait unique to this town, or, more accurately, the mares who called this town home.

"It certainly sounds interesting," he admitted, putting a hoof to his chin, "Narrating a play about the Equestrian Unification. I've never personally been to a play before, but Wisp's always wanted to go. This would give me a good excuse to let her see it..." he muttered.

"So... you want to come?" Sparky asked, causing Emerald to shrug,

"Yeah, why not?" he responded, smiling a bit as Sparky let out a little whoop,

"That's great! I've already talked to the girls about it, but I was worried that you wouldn't want to join!" she admitted, "Anyways, the Pageant is taking place the day before Hearth's Warming Eve, so we need to start practicing!" she announced, before she began to root through her saddlebags, "Thankfully, Princess Celestia sent along the scripts for us to look over together!" she said, pulling out a fairly large stack papers, before hoofing it over to him, "Since you're the narrator, you've got more lines than the rest of us," she remarked, frowning, "I hope it's not too much..."

Emerald shook his head,

"I'm sure I'll be fine. It's like a history lesson, in the end. I'd be more worried about your lines, since you're the ones playing actual characters, and not me. After all, reciting history is one thing, but pretending to be someone else is another altogether."

Sparky rolled her eyes at him,

"A little dramatic, don't you think?" she asked, and smiled, "Still, I can't believe that I'm going to be Clover the Clever, one of the foremost pioneers of magic!" she gushed, "... Behind Starswirl, of course," she added after a moment.

Emerald gave her a noncommittal grunt as he flipped through the pages of the script he was given, downing the rest of his tea. It was... smaller than he'd expected.

When she said he'd be narrating the whole thing, he had expected it to be rather involved. But if this thing was to be believed, then he mostly provided context and some background information on the events as the others acted them out.

That didn't mean it was a small script. It was still fairly long, but most of it was stage action, and what his cues were, oddly enough, which he expected to be the harder portion of memorizing this thing.

"We all agreed to meet up in the barn to start practicing!" Sparky added after a moment of silence, having chosen to nurse her tea for a minute, only to wilt slightly, "Then again... you don't really need to practice with us, since you're by yourself," she muttered, before she shook her head, "You can still watch though! And, maybe, give us some tips?" she asked. Emerald scoffed,

"I'm not an actual actor, Sparky," Emerald said, "I don't think I'd be of much help."

"You did a pretty good job pretending to be a normal pony," she pointed out, brow raised,

"Acting and lying are two different skills, Sparky."

"Oh," she said, her ears folding against her head, "well, the offer is still up to come watch us!" she chirped. Emerald nodded,

"I'll definitely keep that in mind," he said, "But... I have some things I need to do today, besides."

"Really?" she asked, tilting her head, "Like what?"

"Nothing too important. Just some errands I have to run."

"Oh, alright. Do you... need any help?" she asked, peering at him curiously. Emerald regarded her for a moment, debating, before eventually shaking his head,

"No, I'll be fine. Thanks for offering, I suppose."

"Of course! That's what friends are for, right?" she asked, her cheeks flushing slightly, the sight bringing a small warmth to his chest as well.

"Right," he agreed, and glanced out the window, "Hmm, we might both want to head out. No point in getting snowed in here," he said, picking up his own saddlebag from beside the door, sliding his new script inside in the process.

"Right!" Sparky agreed, putting her things back on as well, "Don't wanna keep the girls waiting either!"

Emerald nodded, slipped his goggles on over his head, and opened the door, allowing her to pass by first, before he slipped out as well, locked the door, and placed the key in his bag.

He and Sparky started off towards town together, but stopped when they reached the outside of Sugarcube Corner,

"Are you sure you don't want to come watch us practice?" she asked once more, leading Emerald to nod,

"Yes, Sparky, I'm sure. Like I said, I have a lot of errands I need to run," he repeated, causing her to sigh,

"Well, alright. Hopefully this snow starts clearing up soon," she said, "Then we can get back to running that course," she flushed, "I... miss running it with you," she added, only to stiffen, "Er-I mean, you know, we run it together and stuff! Not together-together, of course, but, uh, ah-gottagobye!" she blurted out, turning on her hoof and all but sprinting away, leaving a slightly red, but more than slightly amused, Emerald behind.

He shook his head, a wry grin lighting his features, before he let it fall, and turned to the bakery.

He wasn't lying about the errands he needed to run. After all, he had a lot of unplanned visits ahead of him today if he wanted to figure out what to get everyone for Hearth's Warming.

...

Huh, when did his life develop into something so... mundane?

Whatever, this was the path he walked. And walk it to the end, he shall.

First of all, and possibly the hardest, Pinkie.


-----


"Emerald, what in the world are you doing here?" was the question that a very confused, and slightly irate, Mrs. Cake asked him upon opening the door, though it was only after Emerald had started knocking on the upstairs window, an unexpected sight that he was sure had nearly given her a heart attack.

Not that he blamed her. The sight of a fully grown stallion hanging onto the side of your house, peering through one of your windows was a sight that would unnerve any individual not fucked in the head.

"Hearth's Warming's in a few weeks and I have no clue what to get Pinkie," he said, getting straight to the point, since it didn't look like Mrs. Cake would appreciate anything else right now, "I was hoping you and your husband would have some tips." Mrs. Cake stared at him for a moment, before sighing, and opened the door,

"Come in. The twins finally got to sleep, so Carrot and I have some spare time right now."

He thanked her and stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind him. Mrs. Cake spun around sluggishly and made her way to the stairs, with Emerald right behind.

The Cakes' room wasn't much, in all honesty, and certainly nothing like Pinkie's room. In fact, aside from the obvious differences, it looked remarkably like the twins' room. Take out the bed and dresser, add a pair of cribs, and he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the two at first glance.

"Emerald?" Mr. Cake asked, rubbing the side of his face, "What are you doing here?"

"Hearth's Warming. Pinkie. No clue. Tips," he said simply, earning a nod from his male employer after a moment. Mrs. Cake climbed onto the bed with her husband, and faced away from Emerald, effectively leaving Mr. Cake to deal with the thestral by himself. He didn't seem bothered by this, though it's possible he hasn't noticed yet, given how tired he looked.

Part of Emerald wanted to feel guilty for keeping them awake, but the rest didn't.

"So... tips on getting Pinkie a gift?" Mr. Cake asked for confirmation, receiving a nod from Emerald, "Right... well, Pinkie's honestly more concerned with getting everyone else a gift to really care about her own. She's happy with just about anything, as long as your smiling, really," he explained. Emerald nodded along, the description sounding almost eerily accurate,

"I'd imagine she still enjoys getting them, though," he pointed out. Mr. Cake gave him a tired nod,

"Yeah... anything party related will go over well. Toys, games, anything you'd really get a foal would put a smile on her face. Food is also a really good idea, though it would be best to stick with desserts," he yawned, his jaw creaking slightly, "Anyways... that's really all I can think of," he said, "Sorry I can't help ya further, but the wife and I are really beat, so...?"

Emerald nodded distractedly, his mind already running through a hundred different possibilities,

"Thanks Mr. Cake, sorry for the interruption," he said through his distraction, body on autopilot as it led him outside.

Toys? Games? Desserts?

So simple, so obvious, and so natural that Emerald doubted it would have occurred to him without help.

She was a party-planner. An individual whose base identity was steeped in having fun and making everyone around her smile. And what better way to do than that by playing games and handing out something sweet for the sole purpose of teasing a smile from everyone around her?

Doing the opposite and having her on the receiving end would surely make a good gift. Now, he only needed to think of something to give her.

A dessert would be best from him, he believed. He knew less than nothing about Equestrian toys and games, and, unless she was an avid ice-skater, or secretly a weapons collector, Emerald doubted any thestrali variants would be good gifts for her.

But what kind of dessert to make?

Cakes seemed a little obvious. Ice cream was out of season, but still an option. Assuming she came to the same conclusion as him, which was possible given how long they'd known each other, Applejack probably had every apple-based product snatched up. Pies?

Hmm... baking a pie would be a good idea. Shame he didn't know any recipes.

He cursed his lackluster cooking ability, not for the first time. He was a Skies, dammit! His Father had drilled the importance of being good at everything he did into his head from an early age. It stung his pride to know that cooking was simply not his strong suit.

Or sewing. Or singing. Or playing any instrument. Or art.

Basically anything that didn't involve fighting or survival of some sort, really.

Aside from that, most of his skills were basic, to intermediate.

Not for a lack of trying, of course. He'd lost count of the hours he'd spent, desperately trying to improve himself in something other than fighting, but no matter what he simply did not improve.

Perhaps he could've asked for help. Perhaps he could've escaped that fact, and made progress.

But no. He refused to ask for help for things so mundane, so... unimportant, when there were greater things to worry about around him. He instead decided to spend every spare moment he had practicing. Moments that either Mother had refused to send him on a mission as a result of injury, sickness, or just flat out not having enough, or times where he hadn't needed to worry about feeding or watering the other thirty-one escapees during their suicidal escape. It would kill his pride to just let anyone see him struggling at anything.

...

Was that him being too prideful? Was the refusal to let anyone see him struggle arrogant? Foolish?

Whatever. It didn't matter anymore. He'd done everything he could to improve his skills over the years, but he'd long since hit a block on nearly all of them. A block that always stopped him long before anything even resembling mastery was achieved. Practice was worthless now.

He shook his head, refocusing on the main issue.

He'd decided to bake Pinkie a pie for Hearth's Warming. Okay, what kind?

Well... Pinkie did have a fondness for chocolate. Honestly, he'd lost track of the number of recipes Pinkie knew that involved 'extra extra chocolate'.

Alright, a chocolate pie for Pinkie. He didn't know any recipes, but he was sure he could snatch one from Sugarcube Corner. He'd have to remember to return it after, of course.

Onto the next subject. Rainbow Dash.

Simple enough. A quick letter to Spitfire for a signed picture/poster or two, and he'd be set.

Good, a third of the way already. Next up was Fluttershy.

Faust, who the fuck was he supposed to ask for this? One of her animals?

Emerald sighed, and let the small frustration building within him fade. There was no point in getting worked up about it.

His eyes flickered about the snow-covered town, taking in the many colourful decorations hung up, hoping for a splash of insirpation. Various strings of lights hung from many roofs, golden ribbon tied delicately around the nearby shop signs, elegant wreaths hanging from nearly every door, their deep green colour contrasting delightfully with the bright red of the holly berries. There were a multitude of large trees that were brought into town, also decorated with silver tinsel and gold ribbon, each one sporting a bright, cheerful star on top. Large poles had been erected sporadically around town, each sporting a massive purple banner with a pair of white and blue alicorns surrounding the sun and moon, the national symbol of Equestria.

It was still a bit strange to see so many decorations for just one day of the year. The First Night had no such decorations. It was only the one event during the day and the songs sung during said event, before the moon would rise and the first night of the new year began.

After that, things returned to their natural flow.

Work, work, and more work.

Harvesting. Training. Teaching. Crafting. Hunting. Entertaining. Building. Healing.

A never-ending cycle.

Compared to ponies, the lives of the thestrals in Nocturne were... lackluster. They seemed to lack drive and ambition when placed side-to-side next to the ponies, a species that seemed to keep growing without end. Then again, thestrals did have seven large mountains around them, preventing any idea of expansion from really taking root, as well as their low birth rates and high death rates preventing the need to expand.

But even so, this apparent lack of drive was false. Instead of living, like ponies strove to do, thestrals sought to survive in their environment, which meant constant, never-ending work to ensure their borders were well defended, their crops healthy and growing, their next generation trained and growing appropriately, and that they excelled everywhere the rest failed, and every spot between.

Something his Father had felt applied to his foals more than anyone else, which led to the inevitable lesson of 'be good at everything and you'll survive' he drilled into him and his sibling's heads. A mindset whose negative consequences were beginning to come to light, Emerald noticed.

Still, it probably didn't help that he ended up in the Facility, a place he really needed to be good at everything, or else lose the only family he'd had remaining.

He sighed, the fuzzy, but still present, memories giving him a headache. It had been hard holding on to everything he knew about Nocturne and thestrali culture. An effort that had required near daily recall, though it had proved mostly ineffective, considering he'd forgotten his native language, most of his family's features, their voices, and pretty much anything that wasn't a direct lesson or had some sort of connection to his current life. Though, he'd never forget the coughing, sniffling, shivering, and every other manner of sickness he'd managed to pick up in his young, frail body.

That fact he survived long enough to be foalnapped by the Facility was a miracle in and of itself, a miracle further stretched when they did... something and managed to bolster his immune system, before subjecting him to their twisted little tests.

He never did quite understand what the tests were for, and only figured out their end goal by sneaking into His office and swiping some of the papers there for the others to read.

He supposed it was a good thing for half-breeds like Fluttershy, though. To not have to deal with the abysmal climate and the difficulties that were present within.

...

Then again, she still didn't know a lot about Nocturne. Most of the information he'd given her was the same as what he'd told Sparky a few months ago. He hadn't covered things like holidays and the like.

Would... that be a good gift? Teaching her more about where she came from?

Or was something like that just... a thing to give? Something she deserved to have?

He sighed. Maybe he'd just give her two things. The information and a smaller gift to compensate. She'd probably like a dessert like Pinkie. Maybe a bunch of cookies?

Moving on, Applejack.

Thankfully, she had someone he could actually talk to for advice. Three someones, in fact. Only issue being that she and all the others were at the barn, where he'd have to go to talk to any of them.

Even so, it shouldn't be too hard to head over there in secret and get the information he needed.

Nodding to himself, Emerald set off towards Sweet Apple Acres, shaking off the small layer of snow that had built up on him whilst he was in his thoughts.


-----


Sweet Apple Acres during the Winter was both beautiful and almost... eerily quiet.

There were no animals or cows outside, the sound of hooves against wood was absent, and the rhythmic thudding of falling apples was nowhere to be heard. The orchard was completely and utterly empty.

But the sight of the falling snow, gingerly laying upon the bare branches of the many, many trees, and undisturbed layer of the white powder laying upon the ground was offsetting that empty feeling, if only slightly.

Sweet Apple Acres was beautiful to behold during the Summer, with its fields of green and red, and during the Fall, while bare of its red fruit, still provided a plethora of colourful leaves that were ever pleasant to look at. During the Winter, however, it bore little to no colour, but it still possessed a strange sort of... natural beauty. Like a calm forest clearing.

Which made it all the easier to spot the large red stallion making his way towards the main house of the farm.

His target sighted, Emerald quickly made his way towards the farmhouse, his hooves crunching silently in the fallen snow. He thought about calling out to him, but tossed the idea aside after a moment. He'd be there momentarily, so there was no point.

True to his thoughts, he stood before their door hardly even a minute later, and, after sparing a glance at the barn, gave the door a firm knock.

He heard a surprised grunt not too far away, before the door was opened by Macintosh.

Emerald blinked, and tilted his head up slightly, having forgotten that Mac was about a half head taller than himself.

He didn't look any different from the last time they'd met, and from the spark of recognition in his eyes, it seemed that Mac hadn't forgotten him either,

"Howdy," came the baritone greeting, a welcoming nod accompanying it, before he gestured his head towards the barn, "Aj's over in the barn, if yer here fer her." Emerald nodded,

"I know. I was actually here for you, and perhaps Granny Smith," he explained, "See, I have no idea what to get Applejack for Hearth's Warming," he added immediately, "Figured you two might have an idea."

Mac stared at him for a moment, and nodded, before beckoning him inside. Emerald followed along, shutting the door behind him as Mac gestured for him to wait, then disappeared up the stairs.

A moment passed, before he returned, Granny Smith hobbling along behind him.

"Who're you?" she asked almost upon sight, her aged eyes squinting as she stared at him, "Wait, I've seen ya befer... I think?" Emerald nodded,

"It's been a while, Granny Smith," he said, nodding, "Last time we met, I had been stronghoofed by your granddaughter to try your family's cider, if I recall." She stared at him for a moment, before nodding,

"Yeah, now I remember ya. Ya chasin' Aj yet?" she asked, a wrinkly smile appearing on her features. Emerald twitched,

"No," he stated flatly, "I was just hoping for some advice on a gift for Hearth's Warming, regarding Applejack."

Granny Smith nodded, though she made her way over to the old rocking chair rather than look at him,

"I get it," she said, groaning a little as she sat down, "Aj's always been a tough filly ta shop fer. S'why ya gotta make somethin'!" she exclaimed, strangely energetic for someone of her age, "Ain't no good jus' buyin' something. Got no heart, see? Now, makin' somethin', somethin' from the heart, ain't nothin' better than that," she explained sagely.

Emerald nodded at her advice, though it didn't really help much,

"Right... what should I make?" he asked,

"No clue!"

"Eh?"

"Well I can't jus' tell ya what ta make!" Granny Smith admonished him, wagging her hoof at him, "Ya gotta make somethin' from yer heart, and iffin I jus' tell ya what ta make, then it ain't from the heart, sonny!" she explained energetically.

Emerald grunted, but conceded as he turned and left, figuring he wouldn't be getting anything else from this visit. She did have a point. But that still left him with no idea what to give her.

Fact was, he didn't really know these mares. Aside from Sparky and Pinkie, he didn't know a lot about them. Most of the stuff he knew was from their profiles in the Archives, and some simple stuff they'd told him.

He knew what they wanted to do in life. He knew where they were each born, and some common likes and dislikes. But those were simple things. Things that they'd be fairly willing to tell even strangers, since none of it was too personal.

But he didn't know the things they kept to themselves. The things that they might not have told even each other. Those hidden little secrets were the key to figuring out what they wanted for Hearth's Warming, he believed. Problem was, he didn't have the time nor the motivation to hunt for those secrets, and he wasn't about to force the information out of them either.

Emerald let out an explosive sigh, his shoulders sagging minutely, causing some snow to slip off of him.

Well... he didn't have a lot of options when it came to making stuff. His skills in things like metal or wood working were paltry at best, and his art skills were even worse. He could sew something for her, like a new hat, but he lacked experience in sewing, with Rarity's dress being one of his only successes, and the only reason he'd managed to make Rarity's dress as good as it was, was due entirely to her extensively detailed drawings, and surplus of materials.

... Was it down to baking again?

Another sigh loosed itself from his throat.

While it wasn't his strong suit, he was beginning to improve his cooking ability. It wasn't much, but it seemed having to cook for someone other than himself had partially removed the block preventing him from getting better at things, at least.

Okay... a dessert for Applejack, along with Pinkie and Fluttershy.

So far, it seemed that Rainbow Dash was the only one he planned to give a real gift to. Funny, considering that it wasn't until recently that he'd actually begun to get along with the mare.

Which, thinking about it, was fairly odd. From the moment they'd met, Emerald had been certain he'd never got along with the mare, primarily due to the, admittedly, similar aspects of their personalities. Neither of them trusted particularly easily, and they were both stubborn in their own ways. Because of that, Emerald had believed that any sort of amiable relationship between them was next to impossible, and he'd been in zero rush to change that.

Yet it was though something had ended up pulling them together, and slowly, but surely, tore down that wall between them.

In hindsight, that something was probably Pinkie. She did have a way of bringing individuals together.

Emerald finally made it back into the town proper, finding ponies still milling about despite the decreasing temperature. It wasn't bad yet, but from the way the wind was beginning to pick up, the storm was likely to happen within the next hour or two, and he'd definitely need to wear his goggles all night because of it. Regardless of this fact, the townsfolk didn't seem particularly rushed to get their tasks done, moving about at casual speeds as they each wandered around between stalls and buildings.

It was just as his eyes passed by a shop that a sharp gust of wind caused the nearby flag, one of the ones sporting the Equestrian symbol, to start flapping around wildly, the movement instinctively drawing Emerald's gaze.

His eyes lingered on the banner for a moment, before a thought struck him.

He needed to get something for both Luna and Mother as well.

A string of curses slipped past his lips, though they were drowned out by the wind before any of the nearby residents caught them.

Today just got a lot more stressful, it seemed.





Twilight smiled, eyes roaming her script with a fervency only a bookworm like her could possess.

This was going wonderfully! All six of them had gone through their lines, by themselves, receiving critique from the five standing by, and now they'd just moved on to doing the dialogue between the three leaders.

"-inside the chimney!"

Twilight blinked. Chimney? That part of the script wasn't until later! Her eyes backtracked to that particular portion of the script just to be sure, and sighed,

"Pinkie!" she called, interrupting Rainbow's confused dialogue, "You haven't gotten to that part yet! You need to read the right lines, otherwise we'll never get this right!"

"But Twilight!" Pinkie whined, "This script is soooooo super boring!" she added, holding open her script to the lavender mare, which, she noticed, bore a large number of markings that it hadn't had before, all of which were made with pink crayon, 

"It's not boring!" Twilight countered hotly, "It's historically accurate!"

"Sooo... it's boring?" Rainbow asked, laying on a nearby bale of hay. Twilight rounded on the blue mare, intent on giving her a stern lecture about the importance of accuracy, when Rarity spoke up,

"Now now, girls, there's no need to start bickering," she said diplomatically, carefully extracting a strand of hay from her mane with her magic, before flicking it aside with a scarcely disguised grimace, "this is a play about the Unification, after all. Was it not arguing like this that brought the Windigos in the first place?"

"Please, if those things came back to Equestria we'd be able to take 'em out no problem!" Rainbow boasted, "I mean, we finished off Nightmare Moon! What's another bedtime story monster?" she asked,

"A monster that turned out all too real," Twilight intoned darkly, "She wanted all of Equestria plunged into eternal night. Do you have any idea how bad an outcome like that would've turned out?" she asked, casting her gaze around at each of her increasingly uncomfortable friends, "Equestria would've been turned into a lifeless wasteland without the sun to keep things warm! Plants would've died, then the animals, and then us ponies! All because Princess Luna was jealous! Imagine just how... terrifying the Windigos must be, feeding on all that negativity for so long..." she trailed off.

The group of six were quiet for a moment, that rather unsettling information sinking in, before-

"Then we'll just have to keep smiling and laughing, right?" Pinkie asked, tossing aside the somber mood without issue, "If being all angry and sad brought those mean Windigos around, then we just gotta be nice and happy! Right?"

The party mare's chipper attitude worked wonders to alleviate the strangely cold air, bringing grins back to the faces of the other five.

"Yeah, that's what this play's all 'bout anyhow," Applejack reminded them, "Jus' like Rarity said. It's 'bout the Unification, the time when everypony finally came tagether an' worked ta make Equestria how it is taday!"

"Applejack's right!" Twilight said, nodding firmly to herself, "Ponies from all across Equestria are coming to Canterlot to see the play, and we have to do it right!"

"... a-all across E-equestria...?"

"So let's do this girls!"

""""Right!""""





Things were not going well for Emerald.

Oh, quite the contrary, in fact.

After he'd come to the realization that he'd need to get something for both Luna and Mother, he further realized that he needed to get something for everyone else as well.

It most certainly did not help that he had very little idea where they all were, which required him to take off towards Canterlot to scour through the Archives in hopes of finding their current locations.

Thankfully that particular endeavor had proved successful, though it had taken around four days just to find them all. It took another two days to figure out how to send something, anything, to Starlight and Thorax without their locations, but, evidently, Mother had a way of doing so, though she hadn't told him how exactly it worked, leaving him with a little over a week to prepare the gifts.

Unfortunately, given the fact he hadn't so much as spoken to most of them for several years, his only option was to make each and every one of them something to eat.

Mercifully, Gustave had heard about his recent visits to the Archives and had come around to see what was going on, and had offered his assistance, claiming that he had thought of doing so as well.

In total, he had to prepare 38 different gifts, one for each of the Princesses, each of the Bearers, Wisp, Thorax, Starlight, Iron Will, Gustave, Trixie, Spitfire, Sapphire, and the twenty-three other survivors of the Facility.

The only consolation, so far, was that he and Gustave had gotten started immediately, and had those gifts sent out to everyone three days later, leaving him with only three days until the play.

On top of that, he still hadn't figured out what to get Rarity, Sparky, Mother, or Luna.

And so there he was, rushing through the busy streets of Canterlot, where he and the Bearers had been relocated to start formally rehearsing the play. They were currently on break, however, leaving Emerald with some time to go out like this.

"Dammit..." he growled under his breath, not-quite-slamming the door to his latest visit, a small bookstore known for having the occasional rare find. True to his luck, however, the store hadn't found anything for the past few months, leaving him on the hunt once more.

He'd been hoping that Canterlot would provide a great deal more to look at, and hopefully a great deal more to choose from. That didn't seem to be the case, since most of the better products were sold out, predictably. That didn't mean he'd found nothing, though. He'd managed to luck out and find some interesting little kits he could use to make Applejack something, as well as some animal cookbooks he had contemplated giving Fluttershy.

He had also spotted a small jewelry making instruction book, which had inspired him to make Rarity something of that sort. Now he needed to find some metal and gems, and see about using the castle's forge to make a set of earrings, or something. Assuming the forge-master would let him, which he doubted.

The quarry down near Ponyville was sure to have some hard to find gems, especially so if he went down into those caves the Mutts dug out.

And while he was at it, maybe he could forge something similar for Luna or his Mother?

No... Luna wasn't a fan of jewelry, and he'd yet to see his Mother wear any that weren't part of their normal regalia.

He groaned, and glanced at the nearest clock, before cursing and making a beeline for the castle.

This was really beginning to stress him out if he couldn't even keep track of time properly.


-----


Emerald forcefully straightened his back and walked onto stage as the play's director called for the next scene, which was thankfully the last one for today.

Narrating this play had turned out to be a lot harder than Emerald had initially expected. Repeating the necessary lines was fairly easy, and remembering the movements he needed to make just as so, but it was highly unnerving to be the only one currently on stage, talking to both no one and everyone within the, currently non-existent, audience.

He had to fight a small case of shivers as he turned walked off to the side, saying something about the three tribes not getting along, feeling unnerved as he felt their eyes crawling across his skin.

Ugh.

He'd initially thought acting on stage was no different than acting around regular ponies, but he'd been extremely wrong on that front. Stage acting was nowhere near as easy.

He couldn't even relax now that the focus was off of him either! He was still on stage, where he could be seen, and any sort of reaction of his not within the script would cause this particular director, some big shot named Motion Picture, to restart the whole thing, and he was not going to be the cause of that.

It was still fairly interesting regardless, watching this play unfold. He knew the history of Equestria -because who didn't?- but he'd never really paid it too much attention, mostly because it didn't really matter to him. But seeing these mares whose personalities he knew fairly well by now, acting so differently than usual was rather amusing to see. Not only because it was so out of character, but because, even despite them acting differently, he could still see faint traces of their normal personalities in their characters.

Then again, from what he learned from Mother and his own reading, it would seem that these six had personalities that were generally pretty similar to the founders. Thinking about it, that was likely the reason Mother had asked them to perform.

He didn't know why Motion Picture was okay with them acting out of script and not him, but he didn't bother to question it. It would take too much effort he didn't need to expend.

Eventually, Motion deemed their acting satisfactory for the night, and bid them all farewell, which gave them the okay to slip off backstage.

"Woo! We're killing it out there!" Rainbow boasted, bursting into the back room, the rest of them trailing in behind her, "Man, I can't wait until the Pageant starts up, I'm gonna look so awesome in this thing!" she added, holding up the costume she was supposed to wear that day, which was a set of replica armour.

"Neither can I, darling! I'll look simply divine!" Rarity agreed, rubbing her cheek against the purple robe and crown she was too wear almost greedily.

"You do realize that Princess Celestia is going to place a glamour on us to look like the actual founders, right?"

"Glamour?"

"An illusion spell. And not just any illusion spell!" Sparky gushed, grinning like a filly, "It was invented by Princess Celestia herself! Nopony else knows how to do it! It's a very complex spell, designed to mask our identities almost perfectly! Our height, weight, voices, everything changes! All we have to do is stay in character!"

Emerald rolled his eyes,

"The real thing isn't gonna be as easy as this, you know?" he reminded them, "I don't about you lot, but I wasn't exactly comfortable doing this. Who knows how bad it's gonna be with an actual audience?" he admitted,

"It's not gonna be that bad!" Pinkie assured him, giving Emerald a happy pat on the back, "I mean, even if you make a total fool of yourself, we're gonna be right there with you!"

"Gee, thanks Pinkie."

"No problem!"

Before Emerald could make another snarky comment, there was a soft knock on the door, before it was opened, allowing Mother to poke her head into the room,

"Hello everyone," she greeted warmly, easing the door open the rest of the way,

"Princess!" Sparky gasped, rushing forward to stand before her, "Wh-what brings you here?!" Mother giggled,

"It may be quite busy around this time of year, but I can still make some time to come visit my faithful student and her friends, can't I?" she asked, smiling further when Sparky started sputtering apologies, "Don't worry Twilight, I just came by to see how everyone was doing," she said, looking around at the lot of them, her eyes lingering once or twice, "I trust everything is going well?"

"Sure is, Princess!" Applejack answered,

"Totally! Uh, Your Highness!"

"Yeah!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Mother responded, her smile widening further, "The First Hearth's Warming is such a wonderful play. The retelling of how our great nation came together by accepting each other's differences and overcoming obstacles together is something I hold close to my heart," she revealed, holding a hoof to her chest, "It's such a beautiful story, in my opinion," she added.

"Absolutely!" Sparky agreed, "It also has a lot of good messages about teamwork and the importance of accepting other ponies regardless of differences!" she turned red, "Er-th-that's what my mom always said to me when I was younger..." she admitted,

"A wise mare, that Twilight Velvet," Mother said, nodding humorously, causing Sparky to flush harder, "I... must say, I do envy you all," Mother added suddenly, causing everyone's attention to snap to her, "I've always wanted to take part in a play, ever since I was a little filly," she revealed, smiling fondly, a faint colouring of her cheeks alluding to her embarrassment,

"Y-you have?" Emerald asked, his mind slowing to a crawl, before it rapidly started whirling. Could this be the key to finding a gift for her?

"Why, yes!" Mother confirmed enthusiastically, "Though I'm afraid I simply never had the time. After Luna and I left home when we were younger, we spent a lot of time traveling around the world, and we often didn't stay more than a few months in a town before leaving once more. Then the issue with Discord came along and that took up quite a lot of time. After that my sister and I were named the princesses and any free time I'd had then simply... vanished," she said. The room was silent after that admission, the seven other individuals all sharing unsure glances with each other,

"Wow..." Rainbow Dash breathed, "I-uh-... I never really thought of stuff like that... crud, how do you and Princess Luna not get bored?" she asked, ignoring the way Sparky whirled to face her, with an expression that just screamed 'Shut up!'. Unlike her student, Mother didn't seem to mind the question,

"I have managed to hold onto a few hobbies to keep myself happily occupied, such as cooking, sewing, poetry, and some other things over the years. Though, I'm particularly fond of assembling models," she finished, holding a hoof to her cheek, "Luna is rather partial to more physical activities, such as sword-fighting, exercise, and I believe I even once caught her attempting stunt-flying," she said, a mischievous grin playing across her features at the memory, "I still remember how that turned out, she was pulling twigs out of her mane for a week after that!" she said, giggling to herself, before taking a deep breath to calm herself, "If I recall correctly, she has recently developed a fondness for gardening. She's even taken the maintenance of the Maze and Gardens upon herself."

"Huh, so that's what she does when there's no one in Night Court," Emerald muttered to himself.

That was very useful information.

Gardening for Luna, and a model airship for Mother, or something similar.

Hehe, thank you Rainbow Dash for asking! He'd have to see if Spitfire would be willing to let him reserve some tickets to their next show for her as a way of thanking her.

Not that he'd ever admit that to either of them.

The clock on the wall suddenly chimed, starling the group,

"Oh my, that time already?" Mother asked, peering at the clock curiously, "Shame. Well, I'm afraid my little break is over and I need to return to Day Court," she said, "It was great to see you all again, and I hope to see a spectacular performance in a few days!" she encouraged, gently closing the door behind her.

"Well, that was mighty nice'o the princess," Applejack noted with a smile, "comin' ta check up on us like that."

"Indeed," Rarity agreed, "I can hardly imagine how dreadfully busy holding court must be, and for her to use her break to come check on us little ponies?"

"Yeah! She's great!" Pinkie cheered,

"Well of course she is!" Sparky announced proudly, "She's been taking care of Equestria for the past thousand years! She's kind, caring, and loves everypony who calls Equestria their home!" she added, eyes sparkling with a fierce determination, "And she's counting on us to make the Pageant play spectacular! So we'll have to give it our all!"

"""""Yeah!""""" her friends cheered, her determination infecting even Fluttershy,

"Yeah..." Emerald muttered to himself.

Things settled down quickly after that, with the seven of them vacating the room not much later.

The girls were all happily chatting to each other as they made their way outside, only to split up immediately after one of them mentioned 'gift hunting'.

That left Emerald alone back at the castle, chuckling to himself as he made his way towards the castle's forge.

He had visited it only once before, when Mother had brought him down to meet the forge-master to have him take his measurements for his custom spear several years ago. Despite that, Emerald distinctly recalled the many different tools and machines that the forge-master, one Steeled Hoof, had access too. He also recalled the forge-master's shitty personality.

At least his boasting had turned out to be well-earned, considering that his spear was serving him well, even six years later.

Emerald twisted through the castle's corridors, eventually coming to a set of stairs leading down, with the entrance to the castle's barracks not too far off. Chuckling to himself, he quickly began his descent.

Predictably, the stairway quickly grew darker, illuminated only by the light of the torches. Soon he came to a large metal door at the foot of the stairs, where Emerald could hear the faint sound of metal being struck just beyond it.

Taking a moment to steel himself, he easily shoved the heavy door out of his way, ignoring the obnoxiously loud screeching the door made, and peered around the room, slipping his goggles on in the process.

Despite being located farther down than the rest of the castle, the smithy was well lit, making it extremely easy to look around. He could spot several large anvils lined against the wall, each one with a large barrel sitting right beside it, presumably filled with water or oil. Off to the side, and taking up a large portion of the room, was a massive furnace. It stood tall enough to dwarf Mother, and was coated in a dull copper coloured metal. There were plenty of large vents coating its surface, each one with a handle allowing it to be opened and removed, which revealed a large open space in the center of the furnace, where Emerald could easily spot the white hot coals, usually blinding to a thestral like him, but thankfully reduced behind his Heavybolts, as well as feel the wave of sheer heat emitting from the large metal monstrosity.

And right there, standing directly in front of one of the open vents, somehow withstanding the heat with not a drop of thestrali blood in his veins, was Steeled Hoof.

He was a much older stallion than himself, somewhere in his fifties if he recalled. Steeled bore a dull metal gray coat, with not a hair on his head to match his dark gray tail. Despite his obvious age, his copper coloured eyes still blazed with the vigor of his youth, even behind the dark face-shield he wore. While he couldn't see it behind the smock he was wearing, Emerald knew the stallion bore a cutie mark of the very same furnace he was working with, only fit with a pair of hammers as well.

Hearing the loud screeching of the door, Steeled turned around, lifting his mask in the process,

"Alright, who's got the chutzpa to interrupt me while I'm workin'?! Eh?!" he called out, squinting his eyes in Emerald's direction. Emerald rolled his eyes,

"That would be me, Steeled," he said, stepping forward where the old timer could see him better,

"Huh?" was the response he got, "Who the-wait... Yeah, I 'member you," he said, scowling, "What, ya break that spear'o yours, brat? Couldn't fix it yerself?" he asked, before cutting Emerald off before he could even think of responding, "Course ya can't! Brat like you can't mold metal like I can! So where's the damn thing?" he asked. Emerald's jaw snapped shut with an audible click,

"My spear is just fine, thank you," he said, his body tensing as he held back a more violent response, he really didn't like this stallion, "I just need some help making some jewelry for someone."

"A gift?" Steeled asked, before laughing, "Ha! Ya really think you can jus' ask me, the best damned smith this side'o Equestria, ta make ya a gift fer some other brat?" he asked, before pointing past him, "Git the fuck outta mah forge!"

Emerald rolled his eyes, and ignored the 'order',

"I don't need you, you old fuck. I just need some of your tools," he explained, causing Steeled to relax, though he still held a scowl,

"Oh, fine. But ya better stay outta mah way, brat. I don't need any'a yer kind messin' up mah work," he snapped, before waving over to a shelf, which had been hidden behind the door when Emerald came in, "You'll find the tools fer makin' jewelry over there. Now grab what ya need and get outta mah shop the second yer done, got it?!"

Emerald nodded, fighting the urge to snap back at the old bastard, and only succeeded by the slightest margin.

Instead, Emerald spun around and did as he was told, eyes scanning the large shelves for the necessary tools. Pins, pliers, clips, and, from the looks of it, some metals as well. Shame the bastard didn't have any gems for him to use.

Glancing back at Steeled, who had turned back to his furnace, tending to something he'd just placed within it, Emerald quickly swiped the needed materials and made his way out, making sure to slam the door extra hard on the way out, hearing a satisfying yelp from the other side of the door.

Feeling particularly happy with himself, Emerald didn't bother wasting time and immediately made his way back to his room, where his bags had been hastily stored away before rehearsal. Once there, he quickly got to thinking.

Canterlot was a place that catered to its unicorn residents more than any other, which meant he'd be unlikely to find a lot of gardening supplies in the area. He could potentially find some modeling kits, but he doubted he'd find any in Canterlot. He'd have better luck in places like Manehatten or Las Pegasus. Faust, he was pretty sure Cloudsdale and Ponyville would hold better chances than this place!

Well, he knew there were a few places in Ponyville he could find gardening supplies of decent quality. Plus he was sure he'd be able to find a modeling kit or two in town as well.

He was sure he'd heard Trixie mention some place called Barnyard Bargains, or something of that manner.

With a plan in mind, Emerald quickly set about gathering his things, before nonchalantly jumping out the window, wings snapped wide open to propel him through the air, his sights set on the small speck in the distance he knew as Ponyville.





Emerald sighed irritably, adjusting his feather tipped hat with a grimace.

No one had ever mentioned that he'd have to wear something so fucking stupid!

A puffy, striped, purple shirt with a matching hat and feather. Coupled with a neck-piece that fanned out and choked him, he honestly felt like a moron. He didn't even get to wear his goggles under the thing.

He growled, and pulled at his collar,

"Hey!" a voice called out to him, causing him to turn, "Go tell our leads that the show is starting in five!" the pony ordered, not bothering to look away from her clipboard. Emerald rolled his eyes, but complied, slinking around towards the back half of the room. He came to a pair of red curtains, and pushed his head through.

What greeted him was... not promising.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were yelling at each other by an open window, which was blowing a plethora of cold air and snow from the storm into the room, Rarity was standing around, desperately trying to keep the wind from blowing around her hair, Fluttershy was hiding in a box of tinsel, with Pinkie and Sparky trying to pull her out, unsuccessfully.

"Oh Faust..." he muttered, before clearing his throat, "Hey," he called, only to be ignored, "HEY!" he snapped, causing the room to freeze, and the mares to whip their heads towards him, "Quit messing around, the play starts in five minutes," he said, before disappearing, a moment passed, and he stuck his head back in, "And shut that fucking window before you bury the place in snow!"

His reprimand over with, he pulled away and went over to the stage, where a fresh set of a homely fireplace was ready and waiting for him. He took his place, going over his lines, when Motion Picture called out,

"Places everypony! The show is about to begin!"





Wisp was practically bouncing in her seat as she waited eagerly for the play to begin.

She couldn't believe that Emerald had finally let her go see a play, and the Hearth's Warming one no less!

She remembered wandering around Canterlot a few years ago, having just finished a magic lesson with Miss Light, or Twilight as she repeatedly insisted. Emerald had been busy working and that left her to just wander around town, being discretely shadowed by the guard Miss Celestia had assigned to look over her when she was by herself. She had seen all these ponies flooding outside from this big building she hadn't recognized, and had gotten curious.

She hadn't been frightened of approaching one of the ponies in the funny looking red clothes, having seen others wearing it and assumed they worked there, and asked what was going on. That pony hadn't been very nice, making some remarks on her intelligence and how stupid she'd have to be not to recognize a theatre.

After that she had decided to approach the nice guard looking after her, the mare in question proving a lot more helpful in explaining what a theatre was, and then gone on to explaining what plays were and how they were produced.

That had been very interesting, especially to her younger mind, and she had excitedly asked if she could go and watch one, to which the guard, a pretty mare named Rosemary, said she'd have to ask her brother, as he was her legal guardian despite his age.

Emerald had said no, seeing no reason as to how something like that could be interesting.

Wisp didn't blame her brother for not understanding. She might've been young, well younger, but she knew her brother wasn't in the best health at the time, at least not in the head. That hadn't stopped her from asking him if she could watch the Hearth's Warming play every year, though.

And now it was finally happening!

Ooh, she couldn't wait! Rosemary had told her all about how nice plays were, and now she'd finally get to experience it for herself, in the front row as well! And if that wasn't enough, the first play she'd ever get to see had her big brother playing a part in it!

The lights suddenly dimmed, causing the entire theatre to fall silent.

A spotlight flashed, illuminating a scarlet curtain, before it was pulled aside.

"Once upon a time," a voice spoke as a figure was revealed, standing before a grand fireplace, "before the peaceful rule of the two sisters-" the figure turned to face the audience, revealing piercing blue eyes that scanned the crowd before him, "before ponies discovered the land that wouldst be known as Equestria-" he stepped forward, until he stood just before the crowd, "-ponies did not know Harmony."

The curtains closed behind him, leaving him standing before them all, his voice echoing loudly against the silent air,

"'Twas a dark time, a time in which ponies were torn apart," he spoke, his hooves producing no sound as he stalked across the stage, his eyes never once leaving the speechless crowd, even as the curtains silently opened behind him, "by a hatred pure and foul."

Wisp gasped along with the audience, though the Crusaders beside her were a little louder than the rest.

"Each of those three tribes- the pegasi-" a light flashed, illuminating a group of winged ponies toiling amongst the clouds, "-the unicorns-" a group of horned ponies standing proudly a top a treacherous cliff, "-and the earthen ponies-" a group of tired looking ponies staring hatefully up at those who stood above them, "-these three cared not for what befell the others, and only for their own welfare." he spoke, moving off to the side, while curtains closed once more, hiding those three tribes from sight.

"During those troubled times the pegasi tended to the weather, much as they do in our time," he began once more, the curtain flying open once more, revealing a clear blue sky slowly being covered by darkened clouds as the pegasi worked, "however, in exchange for such, they demanded food from the earthen ponies," the sky changed, becoming a grand field as the pegasi from before smugly took food from the tired and begrudging earth ponies, "the unicorns demanded the same, only in return for the presence of both day and night." Once more, a small group of horned ponies approached the earth ponies, demanding food. Upon receiving this small bounty, the sun, once standing proud amongst the blue sky, was replace by a waning moon and blackened and starlit sky. He returned to the center of the stage,

"As such, a tentative, but lasting, trust was forged between these three tribes. However, their hate for each other continued to fester, until one fateful eve, it came to a boil." An almost dark smirk took over his features, highlighted by a fierce fire in his eyes,

"And what caused this fateful clash between them?" he asked, his eyes scanning the crowd, searching, but never expecting an answer, "'Twas a mysterious blizzard that came in through the night, taking all by surprise, and toppling that false peace."

As he spoke, the scene of the three tribes was slowly taken over by the white flakes that began to fall, momentarily ceasing their bickering. It lasted only for an instant, before the hated glares returned as they all fled the area.

"The normally industrious earthen ponies were rendered unable to farm their land-" a scene of earth ponies vainly struggling to pull anything from amongst a land of snow appeared, only for their hopes to be dashed away by the never ending storm, "-and they began to freeze. The home of the pegasi did not fare any better, as they began to starve," a group of pegasi appeared on the scene, each one thin and haggard looking, with bones peering through their skin, "And the unicorns fared worse of all, as they froze and starved." An imperious castle came into view, as groups of unicorns dug through their stores of food, hoping, praying for even a scrap. Suddenly, a nearby door bulged inward, causing the unicorns to rush over, and begin pushing against it, only to fail as the door burst open, allowing a hail of snow and ice to bury them beneath its frozen wrath.

The curtains closed.

"Their magic proved powerless against this cursed storm. And of course, each of the three blamed the other for their suffering," his voice drolled out, "and the angrier they grew, the worse the blizzard became. Thus a decision was reached, and a grand summit would be held."

The curtains opened once again, revealing a large hall with two stories to be seen. Divided by sections, each of the three tribes stood along the lower and upper areas, all peering towards the lone, empty table placed directly in the center of the room.

"They sent along their leaders for this task. The daughter of the unicorn king, Princess Platinum-" a door was slammed open as trumpets flared loudly, a beautiful white unicorn with a flowing purple robe and light pink mane of equal radiance, "-the ruler of the pegasi, Commander Hurricane-" another door burst open, though it lacked fanfare this time around, admitting a bulky stallion into the room, wearing dark gray armour over his ragged midnight blue coat, "-and lastly, the leader of the earthen ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead." There were more trumpets this time around, though they sounded a bit off, before a pinkish purple stallion with a chocolate brown mane and tail hopped into the room, wearing a large hat resembling a dollop of pudding, and a plain set of brown robes.

"..." he shook his head, "Perhaps now the tribes can reach a conclusion, and make it through these darkened times," he spoke, before moving off to the side.

Wisp was pretty sure she heard him mutter something about 'damn directors and their stupid favouritism'.

She wondered what that was about.

Things were silent for all but an instant, as the three leaders immediately started bombarding each other with varied cries, all of which claimed the others responsible for the strange blizzard tormenting them all.

"All I want to know is why those stupid earth ponies are hogging all of the food!" Commander Hurricane demanded, pounding his hoof against the table,

"We're not hogging all the food, you are!" Puddinghead returned, then he paused, "Oh, wait, you're right! But it's only 'cause you mean old pegasusususes are making it snow like crazy!"

"We're not doing anything! It has to be those unicorns and their freaky magic!" Commander Hurricane protested, sending a poisonous glare towards the princess,

"How dare you!" Princess Platinum snapped, "Unlike you pegasi ruffians, we unicorns would never stoop to such under-hoofed methods! What would we have to gain from such a thing?!"

"It totally has to be one of you guys! You non-earths and your weirdo powers are responsible! Otherwise I'm just plum out of ideas!" Chancellor Puddinghead said, frowning petulantly,

"Surprise surprise, an earth pony with no ideas," Commander Hurricane sneered,

"Commander Hurricane!" Princess Platinum gasped, "You must cease with such baseless insults!"

"You're not the boss of me your royal snootiness!" the pegasus commander replied fiercely,

"How dare you!" the unicorn replied, placing her crown back on her head, "I am a princess! I shall not lower myself by humoring the company of such barbaric beings!" she declared, turning violently and exiting the room,

"Well who needs ya?!" Commander Hurricane shouted, making way towards his own door,

"Yeah! I'm leaving too!" came the chancellor's response.

The hall was silent as the three leaders each stormed out, no closer to reaching a solution than they had been before.

The curtains closed.

"And so, through their ceaseless anger and denial of events, the three tribes parted from each other, and the blizzard raged on. The summit ended in failure, and the leaders returned home to lick their festering wounds."

A world of clouds filled the stage, as an angry Commander Hurricane returned,

"Attention!" he called, startling a light cream pegasus nearby, who ended up falling through the cloud she was resting on, "Private Pansy, aren't you going to ask how the summit went?" he asked, staring down at the mare, who was brushing away the cloud caught in her two-tone red and cream mane,

"O-oh! Um, Commander Hurricane, sir, how did everything go?" she asked, saluting the commander timidly,

"Horrible!" he snapped, "Those other tribe leaders are so disrespectful! Don't they realize that we are a tribe of mighty warriors and should not be crossed?!" he shouted, causing Private Pansy to flinch, "We must break rank with those weak foals," Commander Hurricane added firmly, staring out towards the distant castle, before everything went dark.

Another spotlight shined onto the stage, revealing the interior of a worn down castle, with gray-ish green walls, bearing obvious signs of wear and age behind their large gem-laden tapestries, and a single red carpet leading towards an empty throne, lined with benches off to the side. The door to this particular hall burst open, revealing a shivering Princess Platinum, who unsteadily made her way inside,

"Clover the Clever, I need you!" she called, leaning against the door dramatically,

"Ah, Princess," a male voice called as a blanket flew to cover her, before a light brown unicorn stallion, with a darker brown mane and tail, though it was mostly covered by the tattered brown robe he wore, appeared beside her, "did the other tribes see reason as I predicted?" he asked kindly. The princess stood up roughly, and made her way towards the throne,

"Those other tribes are impossible!" she whined, instead laying down on the nearest bench, a pillow coated in the stallion's magic levitating a pillow beneath her, just as a washtub filled with warm water laid itself beneath her, "I for one can no longer bear to be anywhere near those lowly creatures," she added imperiously, "Unicorns are noble and majestic creatures! We shall no longer consort with the likes of them!"

"I am... not sure that is wise, my Princess," Clover began hesitantly, "co-existence is key for our survival. We know not how to grow food as well as the earthen tribe, nor can we maintain the weather as the pegasi do," he cautioned. Princess Platinum would not have it, however, as she violently kicked aside the washtub, scattering water everywhere, before trotting off, leaving her aide to clean the mess, just as the light faded away.

Moments passed, before a third spotlight appeared, illuminating a lone cabin interior, where a mare stood, patiently waiting beside the door. She wore simple clothing, a brown vest with orange sleeves and a white collar, and bore a brown conical hat with a singular orange stripe upon it. Her reddish-brown mane hung in loose curls, complimenting her deep yellow coat.

There was a sudden rustling from the chimney, before the familiar figure of Chancellor Puddinghead flopped out and landing roughly on his rear,

"Uh, wouldn't it have been easier ta use the door, Chancellor?" the mare asked, raising a brow at the stallion's strange actions,

"Maybe for you Smart Cookie, but I am a Chancellor! I was elected because I can think outside the box!" he proudly announced, before taking a step backwards into the chimney, "Which means I can also think inside the chimney!" he added, "Can you think inside the chimney?!"

"W-well, uh...?" Smart Cookie tried to say, but found herself unable to come up with anything,

"I didn't think so!" the Chancellor said, smugly walking past her, before he let out a loud gasp, "Hold on to your hooves, I am just about to be brilliant!" he exclaimed.

"That'd be a first," Smart Cookie muttered to herself, "Uh, what is it, Chancellor?"

"I have decided that the earth ponies are gonna go it alone!" Smart Cookie seemed surprised as his declaration,

"Oh? I was hopin' that things turned out okay. I thought we'd be able ta get though to 'em if we-"

"Don't worry about them!" Chancellor Puddinghead interrupted her, "We're the ones with all the food, right?"

"Uh, not really."

"Oh," the Chancellor replied, then shrugged, "Then we'll just have to find someplace else to grow more food! And with me as our fearless leader, what could go wrong?" he asked, throwing open the door, only for a mountainous pile of snow to come crashing atop him.

"Yeah... what could go wrong?" Smart Cookie repeated sarcastically. Chancellor Puddinghead popped back out of the snow,

"Well, the point is-"

The other two spotlights shined once more, and the three leaders on stage puffed up their chests and announced-

"""We need to find a new land!"""

The curtains closed, and all but one spotlight disappeared, illuminating the lone stallion, who had returned to the center of the stage.

"And so began the search. Each of the three leaders and their aides set out on a perilous expedition to search for a land they could call home, a land far away from this cursed snow, and their troublesome neighbors. "'Twould not be easy, however, for they knew not how long such a search could take, nor if they could find any land that met their needs or desires."

He took his place off to the side once more, just as the curtains opened, the upper half of the stage was lit, revealing Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy soaring through the skies as a heavy wind pushed against them.

"Private Pansy! Hurry it up!" he yelled at the timid mare, before lightning flashed, startling the mare, "Get a hold of yourself Private!" Commander Hurricane yelled once more, "We cannot allow anything to distract us from our mission: To find, and if necessary conquer, a new land! Now move it!" he snapped furiously pushing the smaller mare against the heavy wind.

"C-conquer, Sir?" Private Pansy asked, looking rather worried,

"Yes, conquer," he repeated, "You never know where enemies may be lurking, after all."

"B-but I don't see any enemies, Commander," she added, "Just... snow," she said, casting her gaze around.

The stage dimmed, before a forest was lit, just in time for Princess Platinum and her aide, Clover the Clever to emerge from the foliage,

"Ugh," the princess moaned, "this is taking foreverrrr!" she shined, "My hooves are killing me! How long have we been walking?" she asked, looking haggardly towards her court mage. Clover merely raised a brow at his princess,

"About five minutes total, Your Highness," he replied simply. Princess Platinum blinked, before turning back around,

"I never imagined that finding a new land would be so hard!" she whined once again, "But even so, I imagine it will be quite worth it, don't you think?" she asked as they continued their trek,

"Actually Your Highness, I believe the three tribes could've tried a lot harder to make peace," Clover responded, only to be halted by his princess screaming at the top of her lungs,

"STOOOOOP!!"

"What's wrong?!" he asked, bounding forward to look for whatever sign of danger his princess had surely spotted, only to be disappointed as she pointed at the lone stream ahead of them,

"Look! That is what's wrong!"

"Your Highness," he began kindly, already crossing the miniature body of water, ignoring the small bit of water that drenched the hem of his cloak, "it's only a stream, we can cross it easily."

"I don't want to get my gown wet," the princess retorted, acting much like a foal, "I refuse to arrive in my new land looking like a bedraggled earth pony, or worse, like one of those rough and tumble pegasi. I have no intention of stooping down to their level!" she declared, before turning to him with a knowing grin, "On the other hoof, I have no complaint about watching you stoop down."

Clover stared at the princess for a moment, before sighing. With a sarcastic air about him, he returned to his princess' side, and stooped down, withholding a grunt as she climbed onto his back,

"Do watch the gown, Clover. It's worth more than all the books in your library."

And so, Clover carried his charge across the stream, disappearing through the foliage ahead of him, just as the lights dimmed once more.

Another light shone on a small path along a mountain, laden with many gems, and revealed both Chancellor Puddinghead and Smart Cookie, seemingly... walking in circles?

Upon further inspection, it was revealed that the Chancellor in question was... wearing the map like a mask, having two holes cut into the paper for him to see through, and a third for him to speak through.

"Yes, yes," the Chancellor suddenly muttered, "this is definitely the right direction!"

"Are ya sure?" Smart Cookie asked, raising a brow at her superior, "it feels like we're walkin' in circles."

"Are you suggesting that I'm reading the map wrong?" he asked, turning on her,

"Absolutely not, your Chancellorship," Smart replied flatly, "it's just... there are holes in the map," she pointed out,

"Well duh! How else could I see where I was going?" he asked, walking dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, "Or talk? I mean, imagine if I couldn't talk, how would we survive if I just suddenly shut up?"

"Heaven forbid," was Smart's sarcastic reply, "but the map is also upside down."

"Lemme tell you something, Smart Cookie. The planet is round," Chancellor Puddinghead replied, as if she were a mere foal, "there is no up or down."

Smart Cookie just stared at the Chancellor for a moment, before smirking,

"Why, you're right! My, it's such a relief ta have someone like you in charge'a that map," she said, her smirk broadening as the Chancellor suddenly zipped back over to her,

"Relief? Relief?! If anypony here needs relief it's me! I'm a chancellor, a big shot! You're just my, uh... my...?"

"Secretary."

"Whatever!" he snapped, before taking the map and throwing it right into his secretary's face, "Here! You take the map, while I enjoy some relief!" he declared smugly, already walking off.

Smart Cookies visibly rolled her eyes,

"Yes, your Chancellorship," she remarked, scanning the map.

Once more, the curtains closed.

"Despite the... obstacles barring their path, each of the tribes continued their journey is search of a new land," the stallion spoke up, "and soon, their diligence was rewarded, as they each stumbled across what they could only describe as Paradise."

"Look at this new land!" Commander Hurricane's voice cut through the momentary silence, just as a spotlight flashed onto him and Private Pansy, just in time to witness him bouncing between clouds,

"Oh my, it's beautiful here," Private Pansy said, "Oh! I can even see my future house from here..."

"This land is perfect!" Commander Hurricane stated, producing a flag from... somewhere, "I hereby declare this land: Pegasopolis!"

At the same time, however....

"My my! I've never seen so many jewels before!" Princess Platinum announced, gazing around the gem-dotted cliff they had arrived on, "They're dazzling! This whole land is dazzling!" she nodded to herself, "In the name of the unicorns, I dub this land: Unicornia!" she shouted, planting a flag into the dirt as Clover watched on.

And not only that, but...

"The air!" Chancellor Puddinghead shouted, spinning around, "These trees! This dirt!" he yelled, pounding his hooves against the ground, "This is the dirtiest dirt in the whole dirt world!"

"And fertile too!" Smart Cookie added, "Perfect fer growin' plenty'a food!"

"In the name of the earth ponies, I think I'm gonna call this place... uh... Dirtville!"

"How 'bout 'Earth'?" Smart suggested,

"Earth!" he agreed, "Congrats to me for thinking of it!"

"""We found our new home!""" the three leaders cheered, before suddenly becoming aware of the other's presence.

"Wha- I planted my flag first!" Commander Hurricane immediately yelled,

"No, I did!" Princess Platinum argued,

"I planted mine earlier than first!" Chancellor Puddinghead called happily, only to go mostly ignored,

"You riff-raff are trespassing on Unicornia!" the horned monarch shouted,

"The name is Pegasopolis!"

"Earth!"

"Pegaspolois!"

"Unicornia!"

"Oh yeah? I say we fight for it!" Commander Hurricane suggested, smirking, "Last one standing wins!" Princess Platinum scoffed,

"That's barbaric," she said, using her magic to drag her court mage in front of her, "Clover the Clever, throw that brute into the dungeon!"

"Uh, what dungeon?" he asked, before shaking his head, "Look, perhaps we should all just calm down before things get too escalated?" he suggested,

"I agree!" Smart Cookie said, "Calmin' down sounds like a good idea."

"I vote for calm," Private Pansy added, only to flinch away as her commander turned on her,

"I'll have you court marshaled for insubordination!" he snapped, unaware of the snow that began to whirl around him, "We'll decide this on the battlefield!" Commander Hurricane quickly became aware of the snow rapidly piling around him, as Chancellor Puddinghead struck him with well aimed snowball, causing the princess to laugh as well, before she to was struck down.

"Wh-who dares strike royalty with a snowball?!" she demanded, only for the Chancellor, who had quickly done away with his weapon of choice, to take notice of the unfortunately familiar substance,

"Hold on, where'd all this snow come from?"

"What?" Commander Hurricane asked, rapidly spinning around, his fears becoming realized as he took notice of the blizzard, "Oh no, not again!"

And so, the six tribes members quickly began to panic, but no more could be seen as the curtains closed once again.

"And so," the stallion spoke suddenly, "that paradise was lost to all, buried beneath a blanket of familiar snow, as the blizzard they knew all too well threatened them once more," he strode across the stage, the spotlight never once leaving him as the audience followed his every move, "They were forced, for perhaps the first time, to work together to find appropriate shelter from this oncoming storm. They searched high, they searched low, but the only shelter for miles was a cold, desolate cave, and of course, they were forced to share it," he said, smirking as the curtain behind him opened once more, "They were not happy about it." he added, before disappearing off to the side once again.

All six members of the tribes were now huddled inside of a small, dark cave, whose dank and dreary walls provided to illusion of comfort or safety, as the storm visibly raged on outside.

"Please, Commander Hothead-" the resident princess began, only for said hothead to cut her off,

"It's Commander 'Hurricane'," he snapped through gritted teeth. The princess smiled sweetly, and spoke in a tone reserved for inept foals,

"Then please, Commander, would you back up a bit and give me my royal space?"

"Oh?" the commander asked, taking a large step forward, until he was uncomfortably close to the princess, "Like this?"

"Most certainly not!" she snapped, pushing him away, "Do you see this invisible line?" she asked, pointing at the ground, "That is my space, and you are not to cross it!"

"'Your' space, eh?" Commander Hurricane asked, before turning to Private Pansy, "Private! outline our territory!" he demanded, spurring the timid mare into action.

Slowly, she set about digging a line into the dirt with her hoof, only for her impatient commander to grab her, and drag her along with him, and she ended up digging a line that split the small cave into near perfect halves.

"Do you see this real, not invisible line?" he asked, "That is our territory, and none of you unicorns or earth ponies are allowed behind it!" he snapped, "This is the sovereign territory of Pegasopolis!"

This was not met well by the other leaders.

"Clover the Clever!"

"Smart Cookie!"

Soon all three of the annoyed aides were drawing lines in the dirt like bored foals, occasionally running into each other, and discreetly backing away to avoid having their superiors yelling at them. Or at least they did, until-

"What are you doing?!" Commander Hurricane snapped at the Private, who had ended up running into a rock, and having decided to go around it, "Don't go around it?! Go over it! I'm not giving up an inch of territory to them!" he snapped, but was much too late as Princess Platinum took advantage,

"Ah, ah! That rock is clearly on Unicornia territory! It belongs to us!" she shouted, before turning around, and whispering to her annoyed court mage, "Who knows, there might be jewels inside!"

The sound of hoof against rock, however, caused her to turn around, only to find Commander Hurricane kicking that same rock onto his side of the line.

"I hereby declare this rock property of Pegasopolis!"

"How dare you! Unhoof that rock this instant you scoundrel!"

"Oh!" the sudden exclamation from the Chancellor caught both leaders off guard, as he appeared and snatched up the rock they were arguing over, "You found my rock! I was looking for it everywhere!" he claimed, and darted back over to his side of the line.

"Wha- you invaded our territory!" Commander Hurricane accused, pointing at the earthen leader,

"Finders keeps losers weepers!" was the response he got.

Growling, both the commander and princess approached the lone chancellor, neither caring about the lines and 'territories' they'd had drawn,

"Give me my rock!" one of them shouted, before lunging at the chancellor, who immediately jumped out of the way.

Soon, the three leaders had devolved into a group of foals chasing after one another, screaming at each other for various reasons. That left the only remaining ponies to shake their heads at the juvenile scene playing out before them, none of them even bothering to try and stop it at this point.

However, unbeknownst to the bickering three, the wind had suddenly changed, now making its way into the cold cave and dropping the temperature even further than before. Not only that, but the entrance to the cave was rapidly freezing over, something that Clover the Clever immediately made known.

"Look everyone, the entrance!" he announced, pointing, horrified, at the scene before him, and slowly backing away. It was only now that the three stopped arguing, but it would not last.

"Great, now we're stuck in here!" Commander Hurricane snapped, stomping off towards his false territory, somehow not acknowledging the wind whipping against the, despite the lack of access point for it to enter.

"You two deserve this horrible fate!" Princess Platinum said, "All the two of you ever do is argue and fight with each other!"

"You've been fighting too, Your Highness!" Commander Hurricane snapped, using her titles sarcastically,

"Yeah, and worse!" Chancellor Puddinghead added, not noticing the ice slowly creeping up his legs, nor the horrified look on Smart Cookie's face as she back away, "I haven't been fighting nearly as much as you two!"

"That's ridiculous!" Princess Platinum argued, unaware that she was suffering the same fate as the chancellor, nor aware of Clover's reaction, "A unicorn never stoops to fighting!"

"That's only because you wimpy unicorns know you're going to lose!" Commander Hurricane snapped, even as Pansy whimpered at the sight of the encroaching ice.

The ice continued its work, rapidly coating each of the three, but just before it could cover them entirely, each one had one final sentence to say.

"Earth ponies are numbskulls!"

"Pegasi are brutes!"

"Unicorns are snobs!"

And thus, all three had been rendered completely and utterly frozen, with scowls forever in place.

This unwittingly left the three survivors in the center of a large circle of non-frozen ground, though it was slowly beginning to shrink. Suddenly, there was a loud, deep roar coming from seemingly everywhere at once, prompting the three to look up from their huddled position.

There, surrounded by a nebula of twisting and toiling clouds were three ethereal creatures, reminiscent of ponies, but having long since lost what made them alive. Vast churning manes of never-ceasing winds, and hooves of eternal ice, these creatures slowly began to descend, their frozen icy bodies betrayed by the fiery hate in their eyes.

"Wh-what are those things?" Private Pansy asked, shaking against the other two,

"They... they must be Windigos!" Clover announced, his eyes widening in panic,

""Windigos?!"" the two mares asked as they backed away, looking around with fear in their eyes.

"My mentor, Starswirl the Bearded, told me about them," he began, "They're Winter Spirits. They feed off of hatred and conflict! The more hate they feel, the colder everything becomes!"

"Wait!" Smart Cookie said, "Wouldn't that mean that we brought this thing?!" she asked, "The tribes, all our fightin' and arguin' caused these things ta come ta us, bringin' that blizzard and freezin' everything'?!" she said, then looked up, "Now it's destroyin' this land too!"

Clover nodded, and swallowed,

"And now our bodies are going to became as cold as our hearts," Clover said, closing in on the the others to avoid the ice, "All because we were foolish enough to hate."

As the three of them began to huddle closer, in some vain bid to prevent the inevitable just a bit longer, Private Pansy spoke,

"... Well, I don't hate you," she said, startling the others for a moment, "To be honest, I hate Commander Hurricane a lot more than I hate you two," she admitted with a faint smile. Clover and Cookie were both taken aback, but laughed after a moment.

Unseen by them, the Windigos began to panic, speeding up their freezing process.

"Well, I don't really hate him, I just... really really really really dislike him," she corrected herself, not bothered by the ice that already reached her wings, causing them to laugh harder.

"Well, I don't hate ya'll either," Smart Cookie said,

"And neither do I," Clover added with a smile.

"Yeah, I mean, we're all ponies, ain't we?" she asked, smiling softly, even as the ice finally completed its mission, and encompassed the three remaining ponies.

All that remained was a small portion of Clover's horn, but that too, would soon be-

The ice stopped.

In a blinding flash of light, the ice encasing them was shattered as Clover was overtaken by a surge of magic, casting great purple flames that threatening to burn away the Windigos. Their pained screams echoed throughout the world, before they disappeared, and the magic Clover had channeled suddenly stopped, only to form into a glowing, crystal-like heart.

"W-woah!" Smart Cookie gasped, "I didn't know unicorns could do that!" she said, looking at Clover, amazed,

"Well, I... I didn't either!" he admitted, "Nothing like that has ever happened before!" he added, before suddenly smiling, "But there was no way that that was only me! I never could've done something like that without you two! The three of us joined together in friendship!"

The three laughed and put their hooves together, as a sign of their newfound friendship.

All of a sudden, the light refocused, until it landed on the stallion once more, leaving the three aides and their frozen superiors in the background.

"Throughout the night these three kept that fire of friendship alive, by telling stories to each other, and singing the songs that would become the Winter carols that are still sung to this day. Eventually, that warmth, from both the fire and the new friends, reached the leaders, thawing their frozen bodies and warming their cold hearts. They agreed to share that land with each other," he said, smiling as those six ponies suddenly walked out from behind, until they all stood beside their dear narrator, and their appearances flickered, revealing six brand new ponies, all of whom were mares, "And they named that new land of theirs-"

All at once, everyone with the crowd spoke, erupting the once quite hall into a cacophony of sound-

"EQUESTRIA!!!!"

All at once the seven of them bowed to the audience, all smiling as the hall erupted into applause, confetti and streamers being launched into the air by hidden devices, before they all began to sing.


~The fire of friendship lives in our hearts!~

~As long as it burns we cannot drift apart!~

~Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few!~

~Laughter and singing will see us through! See us through!~

~We are a circle of pony friends!~

~A Circle of Friends we'll be to the very end!~






Emerald let out a rather uncomfortable sigh, peering dejectedly at the five boxes laying in front of him.

Each one was wrapped in green paper, with a fine silver ribbon tying them shut. The only real difference between the lot was the coloured card attached to each, baring the name of the pony it was meant for.

He'd managed to find/make nearly every gift he'd wanted to, but, unfortunately, he was one short.

He had a new hoof-made necklace for Rarity.

Some new cookbooks for Fluttershy, each filled with animal treats.

A carefully wrapped extra chocolate pie in a box for Pinkie.

A large, autographed poster of the Wonderbolts for Rainbow.

And set of hoof-made work boots for Applejack.

He'd been unable to figure out what to give Sparky, and had been tempted to just bake her something like he had for Pinkie, but decided not too, the thought having felt... hollow.

He felt guilty for being unable to find something for her, not just because it was an Equestrian tradition to hoof out gifts to close friends and family, but because she'd done a lot for him ever since he'd arrived in town.

To be unable to repay that, even by the smallest margin, was a blow to his pride.

He huffed, glancing upwards at the clock, and frowned.

Time for the party.


-----


"Happy Hearth's Warming!" was the highly excited cheer that Pinkie had greeted him with upon entering the Golden Oaks Library.

After the play's conclusion, the seven of them had grouped together back stage, and, predictably, started planning the next day.

To no one's surprise, Pinkie was the one to suggest a party, but, to everyone's surprise, she had suggested a small party for the seven of them alone. Her reasoning had been that everyone was going to celebrate with their families that day, so why take that away from them and plan some super big party, when she could make her own little one?

Thus it had been decided. They would all gather at the library, since it would be closed to the public, and Pinkie and Sparky would set up their own little soiree.

"Happy Hearth's Warming, Pinkie," he replied, just as Pinkie snatched up the boxes and gently slid them under a large decorated tree sitting snugly in the corner, all the while keeping her distance from him, for some odd reason.

The library certainly had quite the overhaul. With bright, colourful tinsel lined along the hundreds of shelves, large bulbous ornaments hanging off of each one by the dozens. There was a large, lush wreath hanging on the door as well. To top it all off, the star on the tree nearby was bright enough that he doubted they'd need to light any candles as the day went on. Though he did notice a strange green plant hanging just above the door, with a small red ribbon tying it together, matching the few berries on it.

"This place looks nice Pinkie," he complimented, "You did pretty good."

"Thanks!" the party pony chirped, "But most of it was Twilight," she admitted, tilting her head, "I was gonna hang a bunch of lights outside, but Twilight said that it would blind anypony who looked at it," she said.

"Must've been a lot of lights."

"Not much. Just a thousand or two!"

"Right," Emerald said, choosing to ignore that, "so where is everyone?" he asked, glancing around. It was just him and Pinkie in the room, and he couldn't hear Sparky or the hatchling upstairs, "Am I that early?"

Pinkie hummed to herself, already hopping towards the kitchen,

"Kinda! Twilight and Spike just went out to grab some stuff, and they left me in charge of the food!" she gushed, whirling around, "This party's gonna be amazing! I'll make cupcakes and cookies and cake and pudding and pies and-!"

"I get it," he snapped, but proceeded to follow after her, "How about I help you?"

"Thanks!"

Almost an hour had passed, during which he and Pinkie had managed to successfully produce every one of the goods she had mentioned, as well as plenty of extras which they had then lined on a nearby table, though where she had gotten it Emerald hadn't seen, before setting it out in the main room.

Admittedly, Emerald had felt a little out of depth while he watched Pinkie zip around the kitchen like she did, and more than a tad inadequate when he recalled how long it had taken him to get that damned pie done correctly.

Regardless, within that time the other mares had arrived, leaving Sparky and the hatchling as the only ones not currently there.

"Happy Hearth's Warming everypony!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing back into the room, with Emerald behind her moments later,

"Happy Hearth's Warming, Pinkie," was Rarity's response, as she levitated a few boxes off of her back, "Where shall I put these?" she asked, though she was beaten by Pinkie nabbing them and placing them where she'd put his earlier, "Ah, thank you."

While Pinkie was busy talking to the other three, Rarity made her way over to Emerald,

"Happy Hearth's Warming, Emerald!" she greeted,

"Happy Hearth's Warming to you too, Rarity," he replied, nodding at her, "Need something?" he asked. Rarity shook her had,

"Oh not at all," she began, smiling daintily, "I'm merely a tad excited. Hearth's Warming is such a beautiful time of the year, don't you think?" she asked. Emerald blinked, but nodded,

"Yes... it does possess a lovely sort of... aesthetic," he agreed hesitantly, "Though the colour white can only be seen so many times before it gets annoying." Rarity tittered,

"Oh my, I certainly hope I'm not the one getting annoying," she jested, holding a hoof to her cheek as she swayed dramatically,

"Hmm.... we'll see."

Their banter was cut off as one of the girls by the door yelped, Rainbow Dash specifically, and she practically dived away,

"Jeez, Pinkie! You gotta warn a pony about that!" she snapped, glancing up at the ceiling above the door, before groaning, "Great, now I'm gonna be stuck looking up this whole time!" she grumbled.

Rarity started giggling beside him, but Emerald was much more concerned with something else.

What was she talking about?

His eyes raked the ceiling, but all he could find was the one plant above the door. There was nothing else on the ceiling aside from that, but... he recognized the plant in question as being harmless. It produced no odor, no toxin, no defense mechanism, nothing. One could eat the berries on it with no troubles whatsoever. So what was it that had caused such an extreme reaction from her?

Judging by everyone else's reaction, it seemed that he was the only who didn't know.

Great.

Things got moving after that, as the last of the mares set their gifts down by the tree. The six of them hadn't really begun the festivities yet, as they were still missing one of their number, but that didn't stop Rainbow and Pinkie from stuffing themselves, of course.

It was, perhaps, another ten minutes before Sparky appeared, walking through the door with an utterly bemused expression on her face.

"Oh my gosh! Everyone's here!" Pinkie squealed, "Now we can PAARRRTAYY!!" she shouted, bolting over to the record player, causing an unfamiliar, but clearly festive, song to play.

Sparky shook her head at Pinkie's antics, even as Pinkie and Fluttershy began dancing. She took the time to place her own gifts by the tree, and made her way over to the snack table, where Emerald decided to meet her.

"So, anything interesting happen before you got here?" he asked, having noticed the lack of a certain dragon accompanying the bookish mare. Sparky giggled,

"Well, I don't know about interesting, but it was kinda funny," she said, earning a raised brow from the thestral,

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"The Crusaders," she began, causing Emerald to understand immediately, "The three of them ended up coming by and started talking about a small celebration that Cheerilee is holding for the foals at the schoolhouse," she said, "Since Spike is around their age, they thought he should come along."

"Hmm, that explains why Wisp asked to make cookies," Emerald said, "And here I thought she was just taking advantage of the season to sate her sweet tooth, the little demon."

Sparky giggled,

"Well, I wouldn't call her a demon, but she does have a bit of a manipulative streak in her," she noted, smirking faintly, "I've caught her tricking Spike and even Owloysius into helping her clean up after our lessons more than once," she admitted, causing Emerald to chuckle,

"Hehe, I'm not surprised. She always did look up to Trixie, and she's a magician. Manipulation is part of the trade." Sparky hummed, taking a bite from one of the cupcakes lined on the table,

"I hope it doesn't become a habit. She's such a nice filly. I wouldn't want her to end up as anything bad," she said, frowning.

"Speaking of," Emerald said, "How are the lessons going? She doesn't often talk about them, and I rarely ask,"

"Wisp is a very smart filly for her age," Sparky admitted, smiling, "I'm really happy that she wanted me to keep teaching her," she said, but frowned, "Though, she seems to be leaning towards more... violent magic," Emerald nodded,

"Makes sense," he said, much to Sparky's surprise,

"Ow! What?!" she asked, her head snapping to face him, her neck cracking in the process, "How in the world does that make sense?!" she asked, giving him a disapproving look, though it only caused Emerald to chuckle, "Why are you laughing? She's just a little filly, she shouldn't be interested in that kind of magic!" Emerald shook his head,

"Little filly or not, she was foalnapped and held hostage for around four years. Even if she doesn't remember a majority of it, that doesn't change the fact that she was traumatized at a young age," he said, his words calming Sparky down, though they also caused a small pit of guilt in the mare's stomach for not remembering, "She's done very well to grow past it, even better than I have," he admitted, with no small amount of pride in his voice, "but that doesn't change things. The Facility was not a peaceful place, and it was even worse during our escape. I'm honestly not surprised that Wisp is trying to learn more dangerous spells. She might look up to Trixie, but I'm her role model, her guardian, and I've never tried to hide how cruel and dangerous the world can be to her," he said, and chuckled, "I've trained and had others train her in basic defense, both physical and magical, but, like you said, she's only a filly. I'm not sure she ever took it seriously," he admitted.

"Well, she's taking it seriously now," Sparky said, frowning, "I've tried to avoid the subject and lean more towards utility based magic and the basics, but she's stubborn..."

Emerald chuckled,

"Yeah, she can be," he said, smirking, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure where she got that from..."

"Really?" Sparky asked, raising a brow at him, "You have no idea?" He shook his head,

"None whatsoever."

Sparky sighed,

"Well, what should I do?" she asked, surprising him, "I mean... I don't know much about battle magic. I only know one spell that be classified as battle magic, and even then it's not much. Just a Bolt spell. I don't want to disappoint her, though..." she said, frowning, "I could ask Shiny for help..." she muttered, and shook her head, "But it's your decision, in the end, of whether she's allowed to learn that kind of thing." Emerald regarded the mare for a moment,

"You're... okay with that?" he asked, honestly a tad surprised. He'd've thought a regular pony like her, Element of Harmony or not, would've been heavily against teaching someone potentially dangerous magic. From what she was saying, it almost sounded like she was willing, but there was no way-

"Well, yeah," Sparky admitted, unwittingly stumping the stallion she was talking to, "I mean... it's not wrong to learn battle magic, and like I said, I do know a spell designed for that. I don't mind teaching her about it, I'm just worried I can't teach her enough," she admitted. Emerald stared for a moment, before chuckling,

"Well... you're certainly full of surprises," he said, smiling, then nodded, "As both a member of the Guard, and as her older brother, I would very much appreciate it if you could teach Wisp battle magic," he said, holding a hoof to his heart, "I won't be around to protect her forever, at the very least I might just be able to pass on if I know she can keep herself safe."

Sparky shook her head,

"I don't think any of us are going to have worry about you d-dying any time soon, Emerald," she said, though her voice had hitched slightly. Emerald shrugged,

"It's not a plan, but you know what they say: Plans never survive first contact with the enemy." Sparky regarded him with worried eyes, but a certain pink party mare prevented them from speaking further.

"Okay!" she shouted over the music, though it wasn't that loud to begin with, "Since we're all here, it's time for us to have some real fun! C'mon everybody!" she shouted, producing a small box, labeled 'Party Games' in pink marker, "Let's PARRTAY!"

And thus, Pinkie dragged the lot of them into some of her games, not that could have stopped her of course.

And so, for the next few hours, the six of them were subjected to increasingly vibrant games, ranging from simple board games like Monopony and Candied Land, to more elaborate team based games, like Charades and Pictionary, where he demonstrated his inability to draw for shit.

Strangely enough, he and Sparky were partnered up for every game they played that required partners. It was strange, since neither of them had attempted to cause such a thing, and, in Emerald's case, had even tried avoiding it a few times, only to somehow end up as the only two who lacked a partner, despite the fact that there were seven of them.

It didn't help that Rarity was constantly staring at the two of them, her eyes darting up towards that strange plant in the ceiling and back to them nearly every other minute. Rainbow's earlier reaction and Rarity's current one were really beginning to paint that stupid plant in a terrifying light.

Just what weird pony tradition was that thing related to?!

Eventually, the moon finally arrived in its favoured position in the sky, leaving Emerald with only another hour or so until his patrol was due to begin. Holiday or not, he was working as he always had.

Thankfully, it seemed Pinkie was fully aware of this, and ended the games not too long after the realization had come along.

That didn't mean the party was over, oh no, after all, they still had to open-

"Time for presents!" Pinkie announced loudly, "C'mon everyone! Gather around the tree!" she yelled. Her excited attitude was normal, but there was something about it that just seemed to shine brighter than normal, and it seemed he wasn't the only to notice, as all six of them had quickly migrated over to the prettily decorated evergreen, and sat in a half circle before it.

"Okay!" Pinkie announced, and deflated, "How are we gonna do this?" she asked innocently, staring at the six of them.

"Tch. Figures you'd plan out everything but this, Pinkie," Emerald snarked, though the smile on his face didn't drop,

"How about we just hoof out someone's gifts ta everyone?" Applejack suggested,

"Or maybe have one pony open every one of their gifts, before moving on to the next?" came Rarity's suggestion,

"How 'bout we just open all of 'em?" Rainbow asked impatiently. She was ignored.

"I like Applejack's idea," Sparky said, "That way we all see how everyone reacts to what we got them at once,"

"O-oh! I'd like that!" Fluttershy stammered excitedly, "I-I get so worried during the wait..."

"Eh, why not?" was Emerald's response,

"Okay! Let's do that!" Pinkie cheered, already standing next to the plethora of coloured boxes, "Who's gifts first?" she asked, looking at them, "Oooh! Me! Mine first!" she added immediately, producing six bright pink coloured gifts, and leaving no room for argument, as she quickly distributed them to her flabbergasted friends.

Immediately, Emerald could smell whatever it was that Pinkie had put in the box she all but shoved into his hooves, hinting at its baked origin.

"Woah!" came Rainbow's stunned voice, producing a pair of blue goggles similar to his own from her already torn open box, "These are awesome!" she announced, fitting them on her head, "I've been looking for a new pair of goggles for weeks! Thanks Pinks!" she said, smiling brightly,

"No problem, Dashie!"

"Guess I'm up," Applejack said, carefully ripping open the box, when her eyes widened slightly at what was inside, "Oh my goodness, Pinkie, how'd you...?" she asked, staring up at the party mare in surprise. Pinkie only smiled, and mimed locking her lips shut and tossing the key, before ushering her on to show the rest of them.

Hooves shaking slightly, Applejack lifted a... picture frame? From the box.

It was gold in colour, and had a series of apple and vine themed designs along the border.

Despite the simplicity, it seemed that it was enough to drive the normally tough farm mare to tears.

"Pinkie, how did ya do this?" she asked once more, hiccuping slightly as she stared at her pink friend. Unlike the previous reaction, Pinkie smiled softly,

"You know that cranky old pony who runs the blacksmith in town?" she asked.

There was a blacksmith in Ponyville?

Damn, wish he'd known that...

"Well, I helped him throw a party for his niece, and I asked if he could fix that up for you!" she chirped.

Fix? Emerald's eyes darted back over to the simple picture frame. Yes... he could see it. Some of the metal used in it's making seemed a tad older than the rest of the metal, showing faint signs of aging, and even rust in one or two spots.

Couple that with it's design, and Emerald had a feeling that it was an old Apple Family treasure that had seen better days, and to think that Pinkie had had it fixed?

No wonder Applejack was tearing up. Family meant the world to that mare.

"Oh my, it's beautiful!" Rarity gushed, leaning a bit closer to look at it, "Such detail! My my, whoever made that must be quite the artisan!" Applejack swallowed, and nodded at Rarity's words,

"Yeah, mah Ma made it," she whispered, staring down at the frame in her hooves, ignoring the gasps of the others around her, "She gave it ta me befer she an' Pa passed away. A-always been good with 'er hooves, she wanted ta make sure I always had somethin' ta 'member her by in case I ever left home."

Pinkie smiled brightly, but ushered for the next one of them to open the gift.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy breathed, looking into her own carefully unwrapped box, before taking out a small stuffed bunny, "It's so cute!" she gushed, giving the small thing big hug, "It's just like Angel," she cooed.

Rarity was up next, giving a small, lady-like laugh as she revealed a new sewing kit from within the pink present,

"My, how thoughtful!" she said, nodding thankfully at Pinkie, "I must say, I've been meaning to stock up on new thimbles and needles for awhile now."

Sparky came right after, showing them a large book, titled 'Party Planning for the Party Impaired'.

The flat look on her face as she revealed the book to them roused a loud chorus of laughter from the group, one that she joined in moments later. 

That left Emerald with his gift, which he opened to reveal-

"A... chocolate pie?" he asked incredulously, staring at Pinkie, "But-! How did you-?" His attempts at speaking ended in nothing but inane gibberish as he tried, and failed, to understand how the fuck did she know he got her a chocolate pie?!

There was just no way it was coincidence that they got each other the same fucking thing!

Pinkie only smiled and shrugged at him,

"Alright, my turn!" Rainbow said, zipping up to Pinkie, gesturing for her to take her previous place, before passing out her gifts, all wrapped in blue paper.

Unlike Pinkie, none of her gifts sent any of them into tears, but that didn't mean she didn't get any reactions.

"What the hay is this?" Applejack asked, holding a small slip of paper, turning it over to peer at the back, "'Good for One Rain Free Day'? Dash, is this a dang coupon?" she asked, looking at the pegasus incredulously. Rainbow shrugged,

"Yeah, I mean, you always complain about the weather schedule and how it totally messes with your chores and stuff. I'm the captain of the team, and I talked with my boss about it and he's fine, so..." she trailed off. Applejack stared at it for a moment longer, and chuckled,

"I'll hold ya to it," she warned with a smirk, before they were distracted by Pinkie's shout,

"Ooh! New pranking supplies?!" she cried, staring excitedly at a small box, "Whoopie cushions, markers, paint-ooh! It even has confetti! I love confetti! Thanks Dashie!" she gushed, jumping forward to wrap her hooves around Rainbow's neck, nearly sending them both crashing to the ground,

"Gah! Pinkie, you're heavy!"

Tittering at the display in front of her, Rarity set about daintily opening her gift as well. Her eyes widened slightly, before narrowing in confusion,

"Rainbow Dash, is this one of your little pranks?" she asked, staring at the pinned pegasus with distrustful eyes, "I'll have you know that Opal is still coughing up smoke from your last prank," she added. Rainbow looked at her, pausing in her struggle to remove Pinkie, confused,

"What?" she asked, glancing at the box, before her eyes lit up, "Oh, nah. It's some weird type of cloud the Weather Station is trying out. It's supposed to be used as fabric or something for the station's uniforms, I dunno. Apparently even non-pegasi can use the stuff, too, but I have no idea how they managed that," she said, then paused, before continuing, "There's should be this jar with this white stuff in it too, and some bottled rainbow. The guy who sold it to me said that you have to coat the needles and thread you wanna use in the stuff or else they won't like work or anything. He said he put some instructions in there too, so..." she trailed off.

Still staring at her, Rarity reached into the box and pulled out a cloud.

Evidently she hadn't believed the rainbow-maned mare either, judging by the way her eyes widened at the sight of the honest to Faust cloud resting in her hooves. It was puffy and airy like most clouds, but since it didn't seem to like floating, and was also a slightly off-white colour, it was clear she wasn't kidding about it being a different type of cloud.

"Oh my goodness..." Rarity breathed, "It's... surprisingly warm..." she muttered, as her eyes began to sparkle madly, "Oh my! The things I can do with this kind of material! Jackets, coats, scarves, mittens! Oooh! It's the perfect material for cold weather!" she squealed.

The rest of the gifts weren't as extravagant, with Fluttershy receiving a new Winter hat, as her old one had apparently been shredded by some ornery cats, Sparky got a set of training weights, as well as a jab from Rainbow about needing to do it at home as well, and he'd received another set of goggles, with Rainbow explaining it simply as 'Everyone needs a back-up pair'.

He had agreed.

Fluttershy's gifts were well received as well, with every one of them receiving a small bag of treats for their respective pets, all hoof-made by Fluttershy herself, with Rainbow receiving a bar of soap meant for cleaning feathers, as she lacked a pet of her own.

Emerald had taken note of the grimace on Rainbow's face when her lack of a pet had been brought up, but thought little of it.

Applejack had given them all some form of apple-based product she'd made. Rainbow had received a bottle of cider, much to her delight. Fluttershy was given some fritters. Rarity had gotten a bottle of apple-based champagne, much to Emerald's surprise and slight disgust. Pinkie had gotten a set of cupcakes, which she had nearly begun to scarf down if it wasn't for the spread of food off to the side. Sparky received some apple jam that Applebloom had helped make, and Emerald, much to his amusement, had gotten yet another pie, only it was apple this time around.

Rarity's gifts had been about as extravagant as to be expected from a personality like hers. Each of them had received a brand new article of clothing. Fluttershy's had been the same white and blue outfit she had originally modeled for Photo Finish, with a few alterations to better compliment her. Rainbow had received a set of shoes, since the mare evidently didn't like her hooves being touched by others, while Applejack had gotten a new hat, though Rarity had stressed it was for formal occasions, so she didn't get her normal hat all messed up like the Gala. Pinkie's gift had been a bright blue cape with pink lining. According to Rarity, her inspiration for it had come from seeing her play around with the twins, and she'd made this for just that.

She had been crushed by one of Pinkie's hugs after that.

Funnily enough, both had and Sparky had received new scarves, though he had been a little embarrassed when he realized that his was a deep lavender the same shade as the stripe in her mane, while hers had been the same shade of green as his coat.

Sparky distributed her gifts out to them next, and, to no one's surprise, they all turned out to be books of varying subjects.

Rarity's had been about old Zebrican fabric weavers and their methods of turning even tough, unyeilding fabrics into soft clothing. Rainbow's had been about the history of the Wonderbolts, while Applejack's was about various farming techniques. She'd been a tad offended at first, but after some explanation from Sparky about turning a more profitable harvest, she'd been appeased. Pinkie's was a new cookbook filled with magical desserts. The look on Pinkie's face had... unnerved Emerald, causing him to vow to himself to be very far away when she tried making anything in it. Fluttershy had received a book on rare supernatural creatures. Fluttershy had opened it right away, to a page that had been suspiciously dog-eared, and yelped at the sight of the, extraordinarily well drawn, image of a Wendigo.

Her gift to him had been rather surprising.

101 Ways to Relax: The De-Stressing.

He.... couldn't tell if there was a joke in there somewhere or not.

Now, it was time for Emerald to distribute his own gifts. He could only hope they turned out well.

"Woowee!" Applejack cheered, holding out her new pair of work boots, carefully eyeing their simple, earthy design, "I've been savin' up fer some'a these for months now!" she announced, smiling at him, "How'd ya know?" she asked, already slipping them on. Emerald just shrugged,

"I didn't."

Chuckling at his response, Pinkie eagerly tore open her own gift, gasping happily as she revealed the chocolate confection,

"Pie!" she cried, before giving it a strong sniff, "Ooh! Chocolate!"

"Extra chocolate," Emerald corrected her, amused.

"So that's why you seemed so confused earlier," Sparky noted, smiling softly, "You two ended up getting each other the same thing."

"Great minds think alike?" was Pinkie's response. None of them could tell if she was being serious.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy breathed, carefully taking out the cookbook he'd gotten her, opening it up immediately, "Goodness! There's so many recipes!" she gushed excitedly, her eyes darting around the pages as she eagerly flipped through them, "So many treats! There's one for otters, and monkeys, and toucans, and kitties, and flamingos, and-!"

Emerald chuckled softly at his dear cousin's enthusiasm, but stopped paying attention as she continued to list animal after animal, until it got to the point where he stopped recognizing the species she was naming.

"Aw yeah!"

It seemed that Rainbow's gift went over well too.

"How'd you get this?!" she asked, staring at him with wide eyes, "These things've been sold out for months!" Emerald only shrugged,

"I'm the brother of the Captain of the Wonderbolts. I have to abuse that position at least once in my life, don't I?" he asked, smirking wickedly, earning a laugh from the rainbow mare.

A very soft gasp caught his attention, causing him to turn in Rarity's direction, finding her staring, open-mouthed, at the simple, silver necklace, inlaid with a single diamond, he'd crafted for her.

"Oh my..." she breathed, staring at it with sparkling eyes, "It's... beautiful..." she muttered, turning to stare at him.

It was? That was... a relief, actually. It meant that the kit he'd bought had very good instructions. Better than he'd hoped, even.

He shrugged once more in response,

"Eh, it's nothing," he said, "I didn't go to much trouble to make it."

"Make it?!" Rarity shrieked, staring at him in surprise, "You made this?!" she asked. Emerald blinked, and nodded, albeit a tad hesitantly,

"Yes? Just I like made Applejack's boots and Pinkie's chocolate pie," he said, pointing at the two mares in question, "Is that... bad?" he asked, a lump appearing in his throat.

Had... had he committed some sort of faux pas? Was giving jewelry considered something different to these ponies than it was in Nocturne?

H-he just thought it was a gift! Was it actually some sort of important tradition in Equestria?!

Oh sweet Faust, what did he do?!

"No!" was Rarity's rapid response, inadvertently calming the panicking thestral, "I was just... surprised. It... it looks wonderful," she repeated, "I-I just couldn't believe you made something like this..." she muttered, before her eyes widened, "Oh goodness, it must've cost a fortune!" she gasped, "Oh nononono! This is too much!" she said, suddenly leaping at him, and tried to force the necklace into his hooves, "You shouldn't spend so much just for a little gift you know!" she tried scolding him, though her voice was a bit stuffy, and he could see the faintest trace of tears in her eyes, "Even if it's a wonderful thing, it's just too much! I couldn't, in good conscience, accept something that cost you so much!"

"Wha-" he tried to argue, pushing her away, gently of course, "What are you talking about?" he asked, carefully taking a step back from the mare, "It's just a necklace!"

"It's a diamond necklace!" Rarity argued, "Diamonds are extraordinarily rare in Equestria!"

"You made a dress of diamonds! Which you sold to Sapphire, remember?!" Emerald retorted,

"I had to use my entire supply of diamonds for that one dress!" Rarity said, almost desperately, "The only reason I had as many as I did was because some of my wealthier clients decided to pay with one!" she added, "Diamonds are extraordinarily expensive! Just one is enough to buy my entire stock of dresses! The amount of money on the check that Sapphire Shores gave me nearly gave me a heart attack! It was enough to completely restock everything in my store ten times over!"

Emerald's anger, which had been steadily building, immediately fell at that argument.

"Oh. You literally meant the cost of the diamond," he said, and chuckled, "I went gem hunting in the mines those Mutts left behind. It took some time, but I managed to find one diamond in that mess, out of thousands of other gems," he explained, and sighed, "I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of it anyways. It's a gift. Do you know how rude it is to just return a gift like that?" he teased, relaxing back onto the floor, "Besides, you've given away quite a few outfits to me and the others for free. You don't get to complain about giving someone something that costs a lot of money, Rarity. Just accept it, and move on," he added, his voice turning a tad threatening towards the end.

She looked like she wanted to argue, even looking at the others for assistance, only to find the other five nodding along with his words, a few even looking a bit smug.

"Wha-but-I.... fine!" she said, trying to look miffed, but the smile that refused to leave her face kept any sort of malice from slipping through, "But don't think for a second that I'm letting this go, Emerald!" she warned, "I'll repay you, no matter what it takes!" she said, before an almost dark smirk overtook her features, "And I just might have an idea as to how..." she muttered, turning away from him.

"Well, that's everything!" Pinkie announced, bouncing into place before them, "So-!"

"Wait, what about Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, looking startled, "She didn't get to open Emerald's gift yet..." she pointed out,

"Oh yeah," Rainbow agreed, looking around, "Where is it?" she asked, prompting the other four to begin searching as well,

"Uh... th-there isn't one..." Emerald muttered, looking away from them, hoping the flushing of his face wasn't noticeable.

"What?!" Pinkie cried,

"Yeah, what the hay?" Rainbow asked, sounding offended, "What, is she not good enough for a gift or somethin'?" she asked,

"Of course she's good enough you moron!" Emerald snapped, before looking towards Sparky, then averting his gaze, "I just... didn't know what to get... I ran out of time before I could find something," he admitted.

Sparky sighed, and shook her head,

"That's fine. Hearth's Warming isn't about giving everypony gifts," she said, smiling as she looked around, "It's about getting together with friends and family. Honestly, just spending time with all of you? That's the best gift I could have ever received, and I did!" she announced, using her magic to draw the lot of them into a group hug.

"""""Aww...."""""

"Be that as it may," Emerald said, breaking away from the hug, "I do feel pretty guilty about it," he admitted, "so... name something, anything really. I'll make it up to you," he promised,

"Wh-what?" she asked, shaking her head rapidly, "Nonono! It's fine, really. You don't need to do anything special for me..."

"Nonsense," Emerald argued, waving aside her argument without issue, "Just tell me to do something, and I'll do it. There's no way I can just let something like this pass. You're... you lot are some of my first friends. Real friends, and it just doesn't feel right not to repay that in some way... so just... name something. Anything, and I'll do it to the best of my ability."

Sparky blinked, looking at him with a slack jaw,

"R-really?" she asked, sounding unsure, "A-anything?" she asked once more, her face turning an interesting shade of red.

He could've sworn he even saw steam pour out her ears as well!

"Anything," he reaffirmed, and glanced at the clock, "Why don't you tell me tomorrow? I have to head out on patrol," he said, slipping on his old goggles and new scarf, whilst also taking everything else he'd been gifted and slipping them gently into his saddlebag, "Deal?"

"D-deal..." Sparky stammered, seemingly distracted.

He nodded and made his way over to the door, only for Rarity to call out to him,

"Hold on a moment, darling!" he turned around, only to come face to face with a startled looking Sparky, "Oh, goodness, I'm sorry Twilight dear, I must've slipped!~" she sang, sounding strangely pleased with herself, despite just bodily shoving her friend into someone else.

"What the..." Emerald shook his head, and turned to Sparky, "You alright there, Sparky?" he asked, only to raise a brow at the mare's strange new behavior.

She was locked in place, stiff as a board. Were it not for her heartbeat, she just might have been mistaken for a well-crafted statue. Not only that, but her face had lit up like a bonfire, and she was steadfastly staring straight above them.

Confused, Emerald followed her gaze, finding that the two of them were standing directly beneath the strange green plant above the door, its red berries gleaming in the soft light of the library.

He directed his gaze over to the other mares, and was... further confused.

Pinkie and Rarity were staring at the two of them like fillies in a candy store, Fluttershy had promptly turned red and hid behind her mane, though he could spot a single teal eye peeking out and staring at them. Applejack's jaw had gone slack, and she was alternating her incredulous gaze between them and Rarity, while Rainbow had started cackling, laying on the floor and pounding her hooves against the wood like a mare possessed.

He was tempted to ask them what was happening, but figured it would be a lot smarter, and potentially safer, to ask the mare that seemed to be a victim of whatever plan Rarity had just let unfold explain it.

"So..." he began, trailing off when Sparky's blush deepened, "... what's this supposed to mean?" he asked.

And just like that, everyone in the room, a part from himself, froze.

Aside from the howling winds outside, the inside of the library was totally silent. If he didn't know any better, he'd've thought their hearts had stopped beating as well!

"Wh-what?"croaked Sparky, her voice coming out as a strange combination of relief and... disappointment, "Y-you don't know what standing under a mistletoe means?" she asked. Emerald blinked, and shook his head, further stunned the six mares,

"Not a clue. Is it.... important?" he asked, raising a brow.

""YES!!"" Rarity and Pinkie suddenly screeched in unison, ""IT MEANS YOU TWO HAVE TO-MMPH?!?!""

"Hug!" Sparky squeaked, her horn glowing brightly as she held the mouths of the other two mares shut, "It means we have to hug!" she explained, sounding strangely out of breath.

"Hug?" Emerald asked, his brow raising further, "Standing under a specific plant... means we have to hug?"

"Y-yes!" Sparky explained, "it's considered, uh, bad form not to, sooo...." she trailed off, her blush beginning to die down, though it hadn't quite disappeared.

A hug?

That's what that meant?

But... that didn't explain why Rainbow had been so against it earlier. Then again, she had been under it with Pinkie, and that mare could really squish someone, so...

He supposed it was possible...?

Then again, what were Pinkie and Rarity about to shout before Sparky cut them off?

A sudden shiver ran down his spine.

He didn't want to know.

"Riiiight," he said, not believing her in the slightest, but figuring it was the lesser of two evils, "If you say so."

He quickly reached forward with a hoof, and brought the flustered mare into a simple hug, giving her a small squeeze, before letting go, ignoring the heat swarming into his face.

"R-right, well, I have to head out now. You lot enjoy the rest of the party," he said, immediately slipping out the door, letting loose a sigh as the cool winter air caressed his skin, causing his blush to recede.

He shook his head, ridding it of some lingering thoughts, and set off into the night, already pulling out the familiar tools necessary for his patrol.

He steadfastly ignored the shouting coming from back inside the library.

Especially the part about mistletoe and kissing.


-



-


Within a darkened room, a single mare sat upon her throne. It was a dark thing, made completely of blackened stone and decorated by an equally dark finish. It was a twisted thing, with hidden effigies of the Eternal Darkness in a World Without the Sun etched onto its surface. It was a majestic thing, for only one blessed by the True Mistress of the Night could hold the privilege of sitting upon it, thus marking them as the Voice of the Nightmare, an Apostle of the Night Mother...

The Prophet of Nightmare Moon.

There she sat, draped in a skintight suit of blackest night. Her deep purple coat a sign of her exalted status, her dark rose mane a sign of her unending beauty, and her cold, ruthless opal eyes a sign of unquestionable authority.

The room she resided in was just as dark, with deep brown walls covered by tapestries of the Night's True Mistress, no windows around to allow in the wretched sunlight. Light was only provided by the ten lit candles, sitting harmlessly atop their pedestals, surrounding the deep crimson carpet that led to her.

The sound of hurried hoofsteps caused her ears to perk, and her head rose, just as the door was opened, admitting three of her dear disciples.

"You have returned."

Her voice was deep, but clearly feminine. The soft, almost seductive tones washed over her disciples, bringing them into a deep, respectful kneel.

"Prophet," spoke the center one, the only female of the group, "It is done."

"You have the pictures, then?" she asked. As expected, the mare hastily brought forth a small stack from beneath her dark robes, the metal symbol of their Dark Patron glinting softly in the candlelight.

A putrid green glow suffused the Prophet's horn, and the pictures darted forth.

"I see," she spoke calmly, her voice never betraying her inward thoughts, even as her eyes scanned each of the seven images, though they lingered heavily on the lone stallion of the seven, "... you have done well, my dear," she said, ignoring the pleasurable squirm the mare gave off as she turned her attention to the rightmost stallion, "and... your task?"

The stallion stood, though his eyes remained locked on the floor, for one such as he was not worthy to gaze upon their wondrous Prophet,

"The spells holding the draconequus proved stronger than anticipated, Milady. They were tricky to search through without alerting the heathens, but I discovered its method of recharging itself with the ambient magic in the air. I have successfully managed to damage that portion of the spell. It is only a matter of time before they are weak enough, and the foolish creature will be unleashed upon the heathens."

The Prophet nodded,

"Good," she spoke, and turned to the last remaining stallion, "and you?"

The third and final pony that knelt before her stood, though this one dared to look her in the eye,

"Milady, though it has taken time, I have successfully identified many of the spells lacing the door into Tartarus. The spells are far too powerful for even our most skilled spellbreaker to dismantle, however. I estimate it would take an entire team just to break one of the many spells on the door."

"I see," she said, and fixed him with a cool gaze, "... there is more you wish to say."

"Y-yes Milady," he agreed, clearly beginning to fidget, "I... I do not wish to question the words of our Prophet but... how is any of this going to help us revive Lady Nightmare Moon?" he asked, ignoring, with some evident difficulty, the wide-eyed and slack-jawed gazes of his fellow disciples.

The Prophet regarded him for a moment, before standing from her throne, causing the two silent disciples to hastily kneel back down, while the third began to backpedal,

"I-I apologize! Milady I do not mean to overstep my boundaries!" he stammered, his back hitting the door, long before their Prophet had even taken a step forward, "P-please, Milady! Have mercy!"

She ignored his desperate pleas, and merely began to stalk forward.

"It is only natural that you question our goals," she spoke, her voice, though scarcely more than a whisper, silenced all sounds coming from the panicking stallion, "Indeed, such is an inevitability," she continued, her slow steps echoing near silently along the carpet.

"You see, my dears, though our intentions of reviving our Dark Lady have most assuredly gained us her Favour, it matters not for we lack the strength and spells to bring her back," she said, "That wretched Princess of the Sun has done away with the rituals and dark magic necessary to bring her to us, thus, we must turn to the only place such spells remain... Tartarus. I know of an individual whose goals align with ours, that shall be more than willing to give us the strength and magic to summon her back to our realm, but that matters little if we are unable to enter, or are chased away by the ever-present guardian," she nodded as the stallion's eyes widened,

"Y-you mean...?!"

"Yes, that it why we must endeavor to make our way into Tartarus. Yet the Wretched Sun has placed numerous wards on the door, as she should have," the Prophet admitted, "that is why we require an adequate distraction. Such as... the return of a great evil. A tyrannical King of Chaos. His mere presence in the world will be enough to sufficiently weaken a majority of those spells, and our most skilled spellbreakers will be more than able to do away with the weakened remains, which will allow myself to enter and retrieve our ally."

Her words ended there, just as she finally stopped in front of her disciple, who stared at her with awe in his eyes,

"Of course, Milady. I sincerely apologize for doubting you, even for a moment. It shall not happen again, I assure you," he said, kneeling down.

The Prophet stared down at him, before a soft smile graced her otherwise stoic features.

"No, it shall not."

The room was filled with the scent of ozone for all but an instant, before the Prophet's horn lit up with a putrid green light, and a jagged beam of green electricity jumped form her horn into the unruly disciple.

"AGHHHHHH!!!"

His body flew back against the door, spasming violently. His screams of agony echoed through the building, growing in intensity, though the Prophet's expression remained the same.

"AGGHHHH-!*SPURT*

Finally his screams were silenced with the sound of exploding flesh, his head finally unable to take the magic being poured into it. Blood, gray matter, and bone splattered against the walls and floor, painting them a deep crimson flecked with white, and the carpet a deeper crimson. Smoke wafted into the air from the stallion's now empty neck, his spinal cord sticking out now that it was no longer hidden beneath tissue and skin.

A soft, shimmering wall of green faded from existence, causing the splattered fluid to splash wetly against the ground, and revealed the Prophet standing there, as clean as ever before.

"I shall not have my word being questioned," she spoke softly, her voice holding no scorn or contempt as she turned to the remaining disciples, "do take the body with you on your way out, and be sure to inform someone about the mess. I shall not allow the scent of blood to forever stain my quarters."

"O-of course!" the mare stammered, darting out of the room, lest she be next, leaving the remaining stallion to carry his old friend's corpse away, shuddering as he did so.

Now left alone, the Prophet turned back to her throne, and slowly made her way back into it, sinking deep into her thoughts.

She was so close now. Only a few more months at most, and then, finally, they would be reunited.

Her, and her beloved Master.

Oh, it had taken so many years, so many failed attempts, but now... now she was closer than ever before!

And to think, all she'd had to was trick some backwater town into believing in Nightmare Moon to get them to follow her word. It had taken a lot of planning to build up the necessary funds to get as far as they had, but her Master had taught her oh so very well.

Indeed, her Master was so generous to have taught her as he had, to have taken her on as his apprentice, to have accepted her when no one else would!

All because of that one day, that horrible, wretched day-!

But... that was behind her now... her Master had seen talent in her, potential, even. She had been scared at first, the prospect of his offer having been far beyond her tiny mind back then, but she had agreed, because he had promised her something, something that she wanted more than anything in the world.

A new horn!

Oh yes, and he had delivered spectacularly! It had taken several years, and many failed test subjects, but they had found an ideal match for her in the form of their only changeling test subject.

She shuddered, remembering the pure ecstasy of that moment, when her Master had grafted her new horn onto her, the pained screaming of the one who had kept it from her filling the background.

Her face twisted into a sudden sneer, her stolen horn lighting up once more, causing the once dropped pile of pictures to explode upwards, as one particular image was placed just before her eyes.

Him!

It was because of Him that she and her Master had been separated!

If only they had never taken that fool in, if only they had killed him off earlier on!

But... but no! No... no... he had been a valuable test subject. He had been the perfect candidate for their injections. He had reacted to them suitably well, his poor immune system having been bolstered, his weak and failing body having been rejuvenated to the point where he could survive more strenuous testing.

Oh that had been glorious! The excitement on her Master's face when their revitalizing serums had proved effective had been wonderful! It was a day of celebration the whole Facility over!

So many failed recipes, so many failed attempts, but that lone thestral's physiology had provided the answer and the perfect test subject!

They had been able to move on to further testing, regarding his physical and mental capabilities and so much more beyond that, but, fortunately for the loathsome brat, he had proven to be inferior when compared to the results of their other subject's individual field.

Oh he had been quite the specimen. His strength and vitality and been extraordinary for one his age and size, but others more suited for their purposes had been selected. His organs had been examined in detail as well, but others had proven more beneficial in the long run.

While a fantastic subject, in the end he simply lacked any individual qualities that made him suited for her Master's desires. It was as if his very species had been designed to excel while still being well rounded in nearly every area. It had been frustrating, but he'd been tossed aside for better.

Then that day happened.

She still didn't know what had caused that explosion, though she was certain her Master did. But whatever it had been, it had been strong enough to disable a vast majority of their security measures, and most of their test subjects had escaped in the frenzy.

It had been bad, yes, but it was salvageable. After all, their subjects were less than one hundred, while their staff ranged well above that paltry number. It would've been all too easy to deal with the escapees and cage them back up.

If it wasn't for Him!

Somehow the brat had managed to rally a number of their more exceptional subjects and killed off a vast number of their staff in the process, releasing more and more of their captured in the process. It didn't help that the fools had sabotaged a lot of their operations and caused further mess!

She didn't know when they managed to escape, but at some point they managed to find the only exit, seal it off, and make their way to who knows where. Her Master knew it was only a matter of time before the princess discovered them and had them all executed or shipped off to Tartarus, so he had come up with a plan.

And now, seven years in the future, it was finally about to come to fruition!

Her horn glowed once more, the picture in her grasp ignited, and she flicked it aside.

They would have their revenge! Nothing could possibly stop them! Only a few more months now! Only a few!

"Mhmhmhmhm...."

The Prophet started to laugh. A deep, loud, manic laughter that reverberated throughout the halls of their hidden base,

"HmhmhhehehehhahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!"

Her laughter grew only louder, soon drowning out the sound of crackling flames, as the picture she'd tossed aside continued to burn, and the image of the green stallion in disguise turned to ash.