//------------------------------// // The First Gift of Hearths Warming! // Story: The Polar Express: Dual Blade's Journey to the North Pole // by TwinSwords79 //------------------------------// After the elves put the bells on the reindeer, everyone was silent then began to sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Dual kept looking at the bells on the reindeer, thinking to himself. "How can everyone else hear the bells...but I can't?" While thinking, he heard the elves cheer loudly again after hearing loud doors opening, Santa was finally here. The elves all jumped and cheered like crazy as Dual struggled to try and look at Santa. "DUAL, HE'S HERE!!! HE'S HERE!!!" Virtus yelled. "WHERE?!?!" "I SEE HIM, HE'S RIGHT OVER THERE!!!!" Dark shouted too, Dual kept moving left and right trying to see. "I CAN'T SEE HIM!!!!" The colt kept yelling, the elves still blocking his view. "I CAN'T SEE HIM!!!!" He then looked at the reindeer and saw they were jumping like crazy, they were excited just as much as the elves the bells still ringing silently to him. Just then he saw something launch in the air from the reindeer, he watched it slowly fly from them and land on the ice right in front of him. It was a stray sleigh bell from the reindeer, it still had the red ribbon around it. Dual looked at it with a sad look and slowly picked it up off the ground, he then shakes it near his ear but he can't hear the bell at all just the slow sounds of his beating heart and something whispering 'Doubter' in his ear as he kept shaking the silent bell. He looked at the bell again and sighed. "Okay...Okay...I'm won't doubt anymore..." He took a deep breath. "I believe..." He shook the bell again but it was still silent, he now closes his eyes. "I truly believe...in Santa Claus" He put the bell close to his muzzle and whispered. "I believe...in the magic...of Hearths Warming..." Dual put the bell to his ear again and shook it again, this time he opened his eyes and gasped, he heard the bell ring! He looks at the shiny silver bell that was in his hand, his eyes sparkling as the bell glistened in some of the lights. He then saw a figure's reflection on the bell and slowly looked behind him, his jaw dropped like a stone when he saw the stallion looking at him with a poker face...Santa Claus. Santa Claus' fur was the color of clean white snow along with his beard, he also had bright blue beautiful eyes, and a red and white suit with black boots, white mittens, and a hat that everyone knows will always belong to him, kept looking at the colt. "What was that you said, son?" The turquoise colt looked at him and started to stutter a little bit. "I-I...I b-believe..." The stallion raised an eyebrow as Dual kept talking. "I believe..." The colt lifted his hand with the bell towards Santa. "I-I believe that...this bell belongs to you..." Santa took the bell from Dual's hand and smiled at him. "Well...thank you, young man." "Pick Trixie Santa!!" shouted the azure unicorn, Virtus nudged her with her arm. "Trixie wants you to pick her for the first gift! The Great and Powerful Trixie demands 'The First Gift of Hearths Warming', right now!" Santa walks over to the arrogant unicorn and looked at her. "Little pony...patience." He said. "And being a bit humble won't hurt you either..." Trixie nodded as he now looked at Virtus. "And you...little Virtus Darkpaw...so full of free and wondrous spirit...Hearths Warming Spirit. Keep up the excellent work little one." Virtus smiles and nods. "Yes sir, I certainly will..." He looked at Dark. "And of course, little Dark...I see you've made some new friends.." The wolf nodded with a smile. "Yes Mr. C, I certainly have..." "Good, that's the true gift of Hearths Warming that brings us all together, friendship." Santa pats Dark on the head and looked out at all of the elves, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear. "AND SPEAKING OF GIFTS!!" He looks at Dual and smiles pointing at him. "Let's have little Dual Blade right here." Dual's jaw dropped again as he looked at Santa, then at his friends along with Conductor Shining who winked at him. Santa walked over and sat down in his sleigh, while some elves picked Dual up off the ground and carried him over to the magical white stallion, placing the colt down near the sleigh. Santa beckoned his hand towards Dual, which made the colt slowly walk towards the sleigh and climb on it. He then sat on Santa's lap like he used to do when he was younger at the mall, but instead of a pony dressed up as Santa, he was sitting on the actual real-life Santa's lap. "Now...Dual, What would you like for Hearths Warming?" Santa asked, his bright blue eyes looking into Dual's brown ones. "M-Me?" asked Dual, Santa nodded. "You." Dual thought about what he was gonna say and decided to whisper it into the stallion's ear, which twitched when the colt started to talk into it. After a few seconds, Dual stopped whispering and Santa nodded at him. "Why yes, of course." He then stood up with Dual at his side, his right hand on his shoulder and his left hand pointed upwards with the sleigh bell, yelling at the top of his lungs. "THE FIRST GIFT OF HEARTHS WARMIIIIIING!!!!!!!" The elves and The Polar Express passengers cheered loudly for Dual Blade, as Santa went on one knee to go on eye-level with the colt. "This bell is the most magic in all of Hearth's Warming...only those who truly believe could hear its sweet sound...keep this safe, my child." He places the bell into Dual's hand with a smile, a loud ringing could be heard and both ponies looked at the source, seeing that the large clock was ringing and it was 12:00. The white stallion looked at Dual again. "Happy Hearths Warming..." Dual nodded and looked forward, seeing Conductor Shining smile at him. "Better keep that in a safe place..." The colt put the sleigh bell safely in his pocket and climbed off the sled. The Conductor helping him a bit before taking the colt back to the rest of the passengers, who cheered for Dual's gift. "Awesome job, I'm so happy!" Virtus said, hugging the colt as Trixie and Dark came up to them with smiles on both their faces. The female wolf lets go of the turquoise colt and the kids heard a loud snap coming from the sled along with the sound of sleigh bells. They all saw Santa's sleigh fly off the ground and began to soar around The Square as the kids watched in amazement, hearing Santa speak. "Go on, fly Dasher! Good going, Rudolph! Dash away, faster, higher my beautiful reindeer!!" The reindeer listened and flew faster and faster for their owner. They then flew right over the kids, who ducked as their hair moved a bit from the sudden wind, smiling brightly as the elves cheered. "I can't believe this actually happened..." Virtus said. Trixie nodded. "Me either...Trixie never thought this was how she'd spend her Hearths Warming Eve!" Dark looked at Dual and asked. "C-Could all this be nothing but a dream?" The colt shook his head at the wolf. "No..." He looked back at Santa's sleigh soaring, smiling brightly. "This is real..." The sleigh soared by them again and when it flew by the tree, Santa used his whip to snap at the star at the top of it, making the whole tree shine brightly. The sleigh kept soaring around until it disappeared into magic dust, Santa's finally off to deliver the presents to everyone in the whole world. After a brief moment of silence, the elves took off their hats and flung them in the air, cheering loudly while starting to have a big dance party. Shining Armor took out his pocket-watch and shouted as the train's lamp turn back on. "ALL ABOARD!!!!"