Heart’s Warming was coming and everypony could feel the spirit of the holiday in the air. The snow was falling and covering the ground and houses, leaving the beautiful Ponyville looking like one of those villages inside a snowglobe.
Twilight’s family came that year to spend the holidays at Ponyville. While they were unpacking, Thorax, who was staying with them, said:
“It’s so kind of you to let me stay here, while you’re in Ponyville. I would understand if you wanted your privacy.”
“Don’t be silly, Thorax” Twilight said. “Spike doesn’t really need his room anymore. He’s too big for it now. Why would we let you go when we have an extra room that can be used?”
“You’re our friend and we wouldn’t send you away” Blue added.
Those words really commoved Thorax who got tears on her eyes.
“That’s… really kind of you!” he exclaimed, extending his wings with great joy.
It was then that they noticed that they noticed that his wings were coated in crystal glitter. Both Twilight and Blue got surprised by that and the former asked:
“Thorax… but how and when did your wings became… like that?”
“I don’t know…” he replied, looking at his wings. “They just simply… became like this.”
“Fascinating…” Twilight said. “I wonder what may have caused this.”
“Please, Twily, try not to turn Thorax into one of your test-subjects” Blue joked.
That caused Twilight to blush a little. At that moment, the twins appear beside Thorax, looking at him with a great interest.
“Wow, we’ve never seen a changeling this close!” Sunny exclaimed. “Fascinating!”
“What is more awesome is the fact that you don’t feed on love” Midnight said. “How can you do it?”
“Yeah, and how come your wings are sparkling like that?” Sunny asked.
“Looks like you don’t need to try, as our daughters decided to do it for you” Blue commented.
That caused Twilight to drop a chuckle and then said to the twins:
“Come on, girls, try not to bother Thorax with all that curiosity of yours.”
Hearing their mother, the twins made an apologetic look and then said at the same time to the changeling:
“Sorry, Thorax.”
“No, it’s okay” he said to them. “It’s actually quite nice having ponies interested in me without having the intent of attacking me.”
Star came from his room, holding with magic a book that he was reading without apparently paying attention to what was around him.
“Star, why are you with a book during your holidays?” Blue asked. “Even your mom doesn’t do that.”
“I just trying to figure out what I’m going to do for my final project for Alchemy” Star said. “Professor Xenon said it will count most of our grade. I need something impressive to be able to impress him.”
“Son, I’m certain that whatever you pick, you’ll do great” Twilight said. “You don’t need to worry so much about that.”
“You’re saying that because you don’t know Professor Xenon, mom” Star replied.
“He’s not wrong” Midnight said. “That guy really is the meanest teacher we have.”
“Come on, Midnight, he’s not that bad” Sunny said.
“That’s because you’re good at Science and Magic and you can keep up with him, but most ponies are not like you” Midnight said to his sister.
Blue took Star’s book from him with his magic and told him:
“Come on, champ, why don’t you make a pause and go for a walk? You can go hang out with Jona.”
“That’s a splendid idea” Twilight said. “Although Moonlight is with Fluttershy and Dark Cloud spending the holidays with her grandfather at Cloudsdale, it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with your best friend.”
“And maybe you’ll get some inspiration for your project” Blue added.
Star thought about that and then said:
“Perhaps I could do that” Star said. “And I bet Jona would love to have an excuse to ditch some of his chores. Okay, I’ll do it.”
Taking his book back from his father, Star teleported the back to his room and then got out, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres, where Jona was cleaning the path of the farm.
“Of course we can go hang out, Star” Jonagold said, while holding the snow shovel. “Jest let me finish this an’ we can go.”
“I can do it in an instance” Star said, while charging his horn.
“Star, ya know how my dad is with usin’ shortcuts tah do mah chores” Jonagold said.
“We won’t know.”
“Believe me, somehow he does get tah know whenever I try tah use shortcuts fer dah chores. It’s like he can tell when magic is involv’d.”
“But, in that way, we can go to Sugarcube Corner earlier where we can meet the Cake twins” Star said.
Listening to that, Jonagold became tempted, but he knew what he had to do.
“Sorry, but Ah have tah do this” he said. “Mah grandparents are comin’ an’ Ah don’t want them tah think Ah’m lazy.”
“If that’s so important to you for not even want to see Pumpkin Cake, then I know I won’t be able to dissuade you.”
“Shhh, are ya crazy!” Jonagold said to his best friends. “Do ya want everypony tah know ‘bout my crush?”
“Did Ah heard it right?” a voice asked. “Mah dear nephew has a crush?”
The two colts turned around and saw Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle approaching.
“See?!” Jonagold said to Star. “That’s what Ah was talkin’ ‘bout.”
“Hey, you’re the one who admitted to have a crush” Star defended himself.
“Okay, ya have tah tell us all ‘bout that gall ya have a crush on, Jona” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah, maybe we can help you to win her heart” Scootaloo said.
“Ya mean like when ya guys help’d Pa get together with Miss Cheerilee?” Jonagold asked.
“Wait, yer dad told ya about that?” Apple Bloom asked, while the other two Crusaders blushed a little. “An’ Ah was thinkin’ Big Mac would have some siblin’ sympathy ‘bout dah awkward moments ov dah past.”
“Don’t worry about that” Scootaloo said. “We’re way much more mature than back then.”
“Girls, don’t be like that” Sweetie Belle said. “Love isn’t something you can force. I talk for experience. I mean, what I have with Spike was something unexpected and is something good. Oh, I can’t wait for see him for Heart’s Warming. Hey, Star, when does he come? Do you know that?”
Hearing her making that question, Star made a strange look and then said:
“Okay, this is awkward.”
“What is awkward?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Well, you see, Sweetie Belle…” Star started. “My mom got a letter from Spike where he says that he may not come.”
“Wait, what…” Sweetie Belle said.
“Apparently, there has been some problems with the few dragons that remained loyal to the former Dragon King, mainly that one called Garble” Star told. “Ember said that she could handle it, but Spike thought it was for the best if he gave her a claw.”
“You mean that I’ve been hopeful to see my boyfriend after being months away from him, only to having him skipping the only time we could be together?” Sweetie Belle asked, with her breathing starting to get heavier.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo traded a look, as they both knew what that meant.
“Why don’t we go to a place with more… privacy?” Scootaloo said.
And she and Apple Bloom took Sweetie Belle away.
“Okay, that was weird” Jonagold said.
After a moment of silence, Star asked Jonagold:
“Can you pass me that shovel?”
“Why?” the young earth stallion asked to his best friend, while extending him the snow shovel.
Star took it with his magic and then used the duplication spell on it, creating a perfect copy of it.
“The path will be done faster if you have some help, won’t it?” he said.
“Oh, thanks buddy” Jonagold said. “Ya’re really dah great.”
And the two friends continued cleaning the path.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo took Sweetie Belle to the barn where she started to hyperventilate her own frustrations:
“I can’t believe he’s doing this to me… again! At first, I thought it was fine, because, you know, he’s a newly king and he has to deal with all the problems regarding the rebels who still side with the former Dragon King. But now he’s clearly putting me on second plane. And the worst part is that he even doesn’t have the guts to tell me face to face. I had to know from Star that he wasn’t coming. Heart’s Warming was a day to be spent with the ones you love. I was counting with this day to see him and be with him. Uh, this is so irritating!”
She then stopped, while taking a breath and Scootaloo asked:
“Are you done?”
That question earned her a cold look from Sweetie Belle that caused her to swallow dry.
“I think I will withdraw my question…” the pegasus mare said.
“Sweetie Belle, please, ya need tah calm down” Apple Bloom said. “Everythin’ is goin’ tah be fine…”
“Everything is going to be fine?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Are you kidding me, Apple Bloom? What are you going to say next? That I’m overreacting?”
“Yeah, kind off…” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said at the same time.
“Sweetie, we understand what ya’re feelin’, but ya have tah understand Spike’s side” Apple Bloom said. “He’s overwhelm’d by his duties as king. An’ tha dragons need him tah make things right between them, if they want tah have a stable peace.”
“Oh, so now you’re on his side” Sweetie Belle said.
“Ah’m tryin’ tah be dah neutral side here” Apple Bloom said. “Ah understand that ya’re frustrat’d, but Ah bet with ya that Spike is frustrat’d too, and…”
“You know what, I think I need to go away before I say something I’ll regret” Sweetie Belle said, starting to go to the exit of the barn.
“Sweetie Belle, where are you going?” Scootaloo asked.
“To Las Pegasus” Sweetie Belle replied. “I’ll go to Rara’s apartment, see if I can find that magical watch. With it, we may travel to Neverland and rescue all the kidnaped talents. Maybe if I focus on the mission, I can get my mind off all this… situation.”
“We can go with ya…” Apple Bloom said.
“No, I want to do this alone” Sweetie Belle said. “Besides, you all need to be with your families… and I don’t want to upset mine’s holiday.”
Having said that, she got out.
“Wow, she got really mad” Scootaloo said. “It’s the first time I see her like that.”
“Yeah…” Apple Bloom replied. “I hope she doesn’t get in trouble during her visit to Rara’s apartment.”
In Las Pegasus, by nighttime, Sweetie Belle, after getting the right intel from some of Rara’s friends, arrived to her apartment and, using her magic, she was able to get inside. Remembering what she had told her, Sweetie Belle went to her room and started to look around for the magical watch, but she wasn’t having any luck.
Suddenly, she felt something. She could heard somepony there, breathing. Noticing that Sweetie Belle was onto him, the mysterious stallion revealed himself, coming out from Rara’s wardrobe and running towards the open window.
“Who are you?!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, while trying to catch him who jumped out the window. “Come back here!”
She then saw him running away using the fire escape towards the rooftop, noticing that the mysterious stallion had a hook instead of a left front hoof.
“You leave me with no choice” Sweetie Belle said, while summoning her dreaming cloak. “You surely picked up the wrong day to piss me off.”
She started the pursue of the mysterious stallion who was already jumping from roof to roof. It was obvious that, despite lacking a hoof, he was very quick and agile, but, with her powers, Sweetie Belle knew she could get him. The mysterious stallion got to know that and tried to mislead her, but the young unicorn, although a little lost for a few moments, was able to find him. But he wouldn’t let her continue to pursue him, so he decided to make her busy with another thing.
Approaching a water tower, he kicked it over, causing it to start to fall. Sweetie Belle saw that the water tower was about to plummet a mare with her two kids. Reacting to that situation, Sweetie Belle used her wind nature to smash the debris of the water tower, saving the three ponies. When Sweetie Belle turned her attention back to the mysterious stallion, she didn’t see him.
“He’s gone…” she said, feeling frustrated for having failed to capture the talent thief.
Later, she was walking around the city when someone suddenly closed her eyes from behind and a voice said:
“Guess who is?”
Hearing that voice, Sweetie Belle froze.
“Spike?”
It was him indeed. Spike was just in front of her, smiling with a tender smile.
“Did you miss me?” Spike asked.
Despite the happiness she was feeling for seeing Spike at last, Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but feeling bitter towards him. Turning her face away from Spike, she started to move away. The young dragon made a disappointed look and followed her, while asking:
“Sweetie, what’s wrong? I thought you would be happy to see me.”
“I would be happy if you didn’t take months to come see me” Sweetie Belle said.
“But you know that I’m the Dragon King and that the aftermath of the war caused the dragon society to suffer a lot of changes, mainly with the rogues still mining my authority and Ember’s and trying to put Flame in charge” Spike said.
“And I guess you couldn’t get just a little time for your marefriend” Sweetie Belle said cynically.
“Come on, Sweetie, don’t be like that” Spike said, taking flight for a moment to then position himself in front of Sweetie Belle, so that she would stop. “You know you very important to me. Believe me, it pained me to be far from you. I even thought that I wouldn’t be able to come to Ponyville for Heart’s Warming. Fortunately, Ember took over the situation and made possible for me to come. As soon as I got free from my duties, I flew as fast as I could.”
Hearing that, Sweetie Belle started to feel less angry on Spike.
“So, am I forgiven?” the dragon asked.
Sweetie Belle took a few seconds to answer that question, but eventually a slight smile appeared on her face and then said:
“I guess I could forgive you… as long you promise that we’re going to see each other more often.”
“It’s a promise” Spike said, making an oath gesture.
Soon after he said that, Sweetie Belle gave him a kiss on a cheek, causing Spike, who was not prepared for that, to blush a little.
“Then you’re forgiven” she said to him.
Spike smiled and the two lovebirds shared a hug. After the hug, Sweetie Belle asked:
“How did you know that I was in Las Pegasus?”
“Apple Bloom and Scootaloo told me” Spike said. “I still don’t know why you came for Las Pegasus of all the places. You know how I hate coming here. Please tell me you’re not planning in going to Gladmane’s resort.”
Sweetie Belle giggled and then said:
“Don’t worry about that. The truth is I came here to take care of some business of urgent matter and I forgot to get a room. Perhaps we can find a place and have a nice night… together.”
“That sounds… perfect” Spike replied. “But first…”
And he took Sweetie Belle and told her:
“…we’re going to have a romantic flight together.”
The young unicorn kissed her boyfriend and said:
“It sounds perfect.”
So Spike took flight, heading towards the sky, and the two lovers enjoyed that ride, savoring the wind passing through them and watching the night sky, with Sweetie Belle holding tight to Spike, now certain of the love he felt for her.