The holiday season of Hearth's Warming was usually a time of wonder, amazement, and above all else joy for little ponies. Days (and often nights) spent with friends and family doing kinds of fun activities: Throwing snowballs, riding sleds down banks of snow, skating on frozen ponds, sipping hot chocolate while sitting around a fire, and maybe even singing carols or going to parties if they were lucky. All topped off by the opening of presents on the morning of Hearth's Warming itself.
However, for two young ponies (both of whom happened to be earth ponies by the way) this particular Hearth's Warming season had one not so small problem that would have to be taken care of before either of them could truly enjoy the holiday.
To put it simply, Diamond Tiara planned on formally introducing Pipsqueak to her family as her coltfriend. Since turning over a new leaf at school she had grown quite fond of the scrawny little colt from Trottingham. But she'd kept their relationship a secret from her parents until now for fear of how they might react.
It wasn't really her father Diamond worried about, she all but had him wrapped around her little hoof. Besides, he himself was all about looking past outward appearances given his business partnership with the Apples. It was her mother that was the big "If" for Tiara that made her hesitate.
"She seems to have changed much like I have," The rich filly thought to herself. "But does that mean she's willing to accept somepony as common as Pipsqueak as a suitor?" She had worried about this for a long time and if not for Pip's insistence that he come over to spend Hearth's Warming with her at her family mansion, she likely would've continued putting off the conversation she knew she needed to have.
So it was that the day before Hearth's Warming, with school having let out just the day prior, Diamond and Pip were approaching the Rich family mansion. The two of them all bundled up from head to hooves for winter's worst. Diamond wore a lovely pink silk scarf, and matching puffball hat and boots of the same color. Pipsqueak, on the other hoof, had just a worn wool coat that was a drab brown in color, and a simple hat and ear muffs that had clearly seen better days. The two seemed to contrast each other as a result.
Still, both knew that if they backed out of this planned meeting now they would never be able to work up the courage to do what needed to be done. So they held each others hooves for comfort and reassurance, as Tiara lifted a free hoof to rap gently against the front door a couple of times.
It swung open quite suddenly, but instead of either Filthy or Spoiled Rich the one who greeted the young ones was none other than Randolph, Diamond's favorite butler. He smiled as he greeted the two earth ponies. "Ah, Mistress Diamond. Nice of you to return home on time," He turned to Pipsqueak. "And you must be the young mistress' plus one as it were."
Pipsqueak wasn't all nervous around Randolph, especially since he knew how much of a tight bond he shared with Diamond Tiara (it was said that the old butler hung around in part because he cared for Diamond so much). "Yes, that is me." He greeted quite slowly.
Randolph bowed his head. "Please, do come in. Your presence has been expected for some time. Master Filthy and Mistress Spoiled have both been looking forward to your visit ever since Mistress Diamond informed them a few days ago," He gestured a hoof to the warm and cozy interior of the lavish mansion. "If you'll kindly step this way. And do take care not to step off the welcome mat until you've shed your outdoor attire. Mistress Spoiled does not wish to make the hired help work even harder, Celestia knows they work hard enough as it is at this time of year."
Both ponies stepped inside at the old butler's request, and as soon as he had shut the door behind them they shook the snow from their boots and hats, before taking them off and hoofing them to Randolph to hang up on a nearby rack.
Now finally getting to see the interior of the Rich family mansion with his own eyes, Pip was truly amazed by what he saw! The mansion had been decorated from top to bottom for the holiday: Reefs, figures of ancient ponies, lights, and in the center of the ground floor rested a magnificent tree adorned with ornaments and a star on the very top. To say nothing of how fancy the whole place was full of lavish shades of gold, silver, red, and white.
"Marvelous, ain't it?" A voice familiar to both ponies called out, quickly drawing their attention. Standing at the end of the hallway was none other than Filthy Rich himself. And by his side stood his wife, Spoiled Rich, looking unusually chipper if the smile on her face was any indication.
Immediately upon seeing Spoiled, Pip eeped and tried to duck behind Diamond for security.
Spoiled just laughed. "There's no use trying to hide, Pipsqueak. You know I can see you, right?"
Pip emerged from behind Diamond very slowly. "M-M-Mrs. Rich. I..."
Spoiled threw up a hoof to interrupt the colt. "Come now, there's no need to be so frightened. You're a guest. And rich ponies always treat guests with the finest hospitality, regardless of past grievances."
Filthy added with a smile of his own. "We've been lookin' forward to your visit, Pip. And we hope you'll be stayin' the night. We've got a lot of fun activities planned."
"Like what?" Pip reluctantly asked.
Spoiled grinned. "Well for starters, you must be starving and it is almost dinner time. Surely, you would not object to a traditional Hearth's Warming meal, right?"
Diamond nudged Pip in his side. "That would be most appreciated, Mother."
"I suppose I am getting the slightest bit famished. A Hearth's Warming meal does sound good." The colt commented. He really couldn't argue with free food.
The small party adjourned to the dining room as Pip and Diamond sat down next to each other, directly across from Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich at one end of a large table that had the finest tablecloth you had ever seen. It had a lavish gold trim around the edge and was a fine ivory white in color. Needless to say, Pip felt even smaller than he usually did as a result of how massive the place seemed to be. Did the filly whom he hoped to continue being a romantic partner for ever feel this way too?
He wondered about this so much that he almost didn't notice Spoiled getting up from the table. "Where are you going, Mrs. Rich?" He asked her even though part of him wished he hadn't said anything.
"Why, to prepare the food of course," Spoiled gave the answer. "The hired hooves deserve a break."
Tiara blinked in surprise. "Mother, are you sure that's a good idea? Remember what happened the last time you tried to cook something? You burned everything."
At that Spoiled's pleasant mood faded, replaced by a scowl and a snort. "I'll have you know my cooking has improved considerably in the time since then. My husband practically forced me to take 'lessons' with that annoying pink pony. At least her employers were willing to give me some advice that was actually helpful. How they can live with such a chatterbox above them, I have no idea. Still, I suppose she's good for something. Her party planning skills are truly second to none."
"But are you sure you can prepare an entire Hearth's Warming meal all by yourself, hon?" Filthy inquired of his wife as even he seemed to have a bit of skepticism. "It's a lot of food to prepare in such a short amount of time."
"It is my treat. I thought I'd do everypony in this estate a service by giving them a well deserved break," Spoiled huffed further, as though insulted at the idea that she wasn't up to the monumental task before her. "But if you'd rather I made them all prepare the meal and wait on me front hooves and back hooves..."
Diamond immediately threw up her hooves. "No, no, no, Mother! That won't be necessary!" Then she got out of her seat. "But why don't I help you? You know, since you didn't let me help you with the cooking last Hearth's Warming when we visited Granny Sour."
"By all means, then, let us correct that mistake. The more hooves helping the merrier," Spoiled insisted. "But make sure you do as I say. Don't be getting any ideas about anything that involves touching a hot stove. Do I make myself clear?" She declared in a tone of voice that to Pip sounded as stern as any he could ever remember from the mare who was now supposed to have changed her ways.
Tiara nodded her head. "Crystal, Mother. Now let's get to baking! We haven't done that since I was a little filly, and we baked cookies together." She opted to leave out how they had tasted afterward.
With mother and daughter soon occupied in the kitchen with preparing the meal, Pipsqueak took advantage of the opportunity to engage in a little bit of idle conversation with Filthy Rich. The colt at least felt more comfortable around the business stallion than he did with said stallion's wife. "So, Mr. Rich," He began. "How did you and your wife... meet, exactly?"
Filthy Rich chuckled. "Oh, you ain't ever heard? I suppose I don't blame ya, Spoiled ain't exactly thrilled of where she came from," Then he cleared his throat and regained his composure. "When I first laid eyes on her, she was just a milk maid at her parents' dairy farm. Had nothin' but a scarf and the occasional hoof me down dress to her name. Back then she seemed so sweet and shy, especially around me. Then after she got her cutie mark, she went away and pursued an apprenticeship as a jewel maker. But when that didn't pan out, she came back to her parents' farm, and then she married me. The rest is history."
"Wow!" Pip exclaimed in amazement. "I always assumed Diamond's mum was born into luxury, especially considering her cutie mark. To think she was just a milk maid, and you were the heir to your family legacy."
Filthy smiled. "Yup. But I knew there was somethin' in Spoiled that I wouldn't find in any other mare. And I'm glad that much like my daughter, she's finally let her inner worth shine through instead of tryin' to hide it. Now if only she would look into gettin' her nose fixed back to how it was. She looked much cuter before she had that upturned snout."
Pip nodded his head. "Diamond told me about that. I didn't know upturned snouts were ever a thing."
"They were, for however brief their time was. Thank Celestia they never caught on," Filthy nodded his head. "Let that be a lesson to you, Pip. Don't worry too much about the latest trends, they can change faster than the seasons. When I was growin' up, my pappy didn't put too much stock into lookin' like whatever was in at the time. He understood that it's what's on the inside that'll draw ponies to ya and keep 'em comin' back. But enough about me, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself? What was it like in Trottingham? How come you and your folks moved to Ponyville?"
The scrawny colt cleared his throat. "Trottingham was nice. Very atmospheric. There were always lots of castles and lakes, which were often the places where ponies would go to hang out. Despite all that, though, we never celebrated Nightmare Night there. Ponies there lived in fear of Nightmare Moon and the Pony of Shadows. There was almost never a night life in the town while we lived there. As for why we moved," He paused a bit, drawing on what memories he could recall. "I didn't know many ponies in Trottingham, and school was hard to come by. Ponyville had a more suitable climate for education. And it helped that I learned they had things like Nightmare Night events and other parties. It really is true what the tabloids say: 'There's never a dull moment in Ponyville. There's always something going on.'"
"Ain't that the truth?" Filthy Rich chuckled in concurment. "I'd never even heard of things like Discord or Tirek, I always thought they were just tall tales made up to scare ponies."
"Thank goodness for Princess Twilight and her friends. Seeing them willing to risk their lives time and again to save us all was so inspiring. It's why I decided to run for Student Pony President in the first place. I wanted to make a difference the same way they had," Pipsqueak proudly declared as he puffed out his chest. "Thanks again by the way for agreeing to donate the new playground equipment."
Filthy just winked. "Thank my daughter for tippin' me off about the need. Spoiled wasn't too happy but she came 'round to it. Now even she says it was money well spent."
As if having heard her name be mentioned, Spoiled happened to poke her head from the kitchen at that very moment. She was adorned in an apron covered with splotches that mostly covered up the words: "Kiss the Cook" written on it in large, pink letters. "If it keeps my daughter and her associates happy, then I guess it's good for something. Besides, having been kicked off the school board I can't exactly complain about it," She declared and then changed the subject. "Now if you two are finished with your idle gossip, you'll be happy to know that dinner will be ready shortly. I hope neither of you have lost your appetite. And rest assured that everything is cooked exactly to how it should be, there will be no burnt meals this time."
Spoiled was as good as her word, as she wheeled out a huge cart full of delicious looking food such as seven layer bean dip, hot rolls, and double-baked pot pies among other things. It all smelled so savory and tasty, enough to make even the most reluctant of eaters' mouths water.
Diamond followed along, still adorned in an adorable chef's hat as she sat down next to Pipsqueak while Spoiled distributed the food evenly among the four who were to partake in the meal. Only once that was finished did Spoiled finally hang up her apron (setting it aside for cleaning later) and then sit down.
Pip's deep, reddish brown eyes eyed the food nervously and with a considerable degree of reluctance. It all looked safe and appetizing, but could he really be sure? What if Spoiled's behavior up to this point had all been a well crafted ruse to lure him into a false sense of security?
Spoiled's strong opal eyes seemed to be able to read Pip's thoughts as she told him with a light chuckle in her tone of voice. "Oh come now, it's not poison. Do you really believe I'd do something like that to you?"
"Well, I guess not, but still..." Pip trailed off as he hesitantly poked at his food with a fork.
The rich mare just laughed further. "Do you think my little Diamond wouldn't catch me in the act if I were to even attempt such a thing?" Without waiting for a reply she declared. "Regardless of how I may have been in the past, I would never do something that could reflect badly on my reputation."
"Or anything that could be traced back to you." The scrawny earth pony thought but didn't dare to say it out loud. He was still a guest of the Riches, and his parents had taught him that was it never polite to raise one's voice at the host without reason. Seeing that no one else shared his skepticism of the food, he reluctantly dug in as well.
As soon as the first bite reached his tongue, Pip found himself transported into a world of flavor he had never known before! Never in all his life had he ever tasted anything as delicious as this! And there was so much more where it had come from, an entire course worth of savory dishes prepared for him by an unexpected pony.
The rest of the meal passed in silence as the Rich family and their guest consumed everything on the table. Politely of course, they were not the type of ponies to stuff themselves either in public or in private.
"That was truly delicious, Mother!" Diamond happily exclaimed as she dabbed at her face with a napkin. "Thank you! And I mean it sincerely!"
Spoiled just smiled and winked. "It was my pleasure, Diamond Tiara. I trust that your..." She paused briefly, as though searching for a word other than the one that came to her mind. She soon found it when she said. "Plus one enjoyed it as well?"
Pip nodded his head very slowly. "I most certainly did, Mrs. Rich," Then he rose from the table rather suddenly. "However, now I... er... need to use the washroom. If you'll kindly excuse me."
Diamond got up as well and followed after the colt. "Pip, wait!" She called out to him, promptly catching up to her coltfriend out in the hall. When she was certain there was nopony else around to overhear them she pleaded to the colt. "I know you're still very nervous about Mother. But I assure you it's not an act, she has changed. Now she really isn't a, well... witch is probably the polite way of describing it."
"You're absolutely sure? I mean, she seems sincere so far. But that's the problem, she's too convincing," Pip commented to Tiara. "I want to believe it's true what everypony says. It was nice of her to cook the traditional Hearth's Warming dinner for us. But I still don't know."
"Please, Pip," Tiara pleaded further as she unleashed her patented puppy dog eyes on him. "Just give it a little more time and I'm sure you'll see that Mother is sincere about her change of heart. If I could change my ways than so can she, right? Right?"
Try as he might, Pipsqueak could not resist the look he received from his fillyfriend. "Oh, alright," He sighed. "It would be rude to leave so suddenly. I guess I'll try to stick around for a little while longer, my little princess. But sooner or later we need to tell her about us," Then he blushed. "Also, I really did need to use the washroom. It isn't urgent but I still would like to tend to it if you wouldn't mind."
"Oh, okay. Do you need help finding it? This mansion is pretty confusing to a first timer." Diamond offered.
Pip shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure I can find my way. Worse comes to worse I'll ask a butler or maid for directions." And he trotted off.
Pip exited the washroom a short time later feeling refreshed and renewed in more ways than one. But he was still worried in spite of himself about Spoiled Rich. The last time he'd remembered seeing her had been during the Hearth's Warming party Princess Twilight had hosted at her castle. Back then Spoiled hadn't seemed to have even cared for the holiday at all. Yet now suddenly she seemed to have embraced the holiday spirit.
He found Diamond with her parents in the living room on the first floor, the three curled up on a huge sofa near a crackling fireplace that had just been lit. The glow from the fireplace provided a much brighter source of illumination than the lights, not that anypony seemed to mind.
"Wow, I almost forgot about this one!" Diamond happily exclaimed, her eyes fixated on a huge photo album that had been brought out. "That was the last time I ever went ice fishing."
Filthy Rich just chuckled. "You and your mom were never quite as big into outdoorsy stuff like that the way I was."
"I had far more fun just tossing snowballs at tin cans and empty milk jugs," Spoiled declared with a slight huff. "Pretty soon, there wasn't a pony around who could throw snowballs better than I could. Came in handy plenty of times."
"Except all those times you let me win in our fights," Filthy ribbed at his wife as he prodded at her side with a hoof. "I always preferred buildin' snowponies instead of makin' snowballs."
"It's too bad Sweetie Belle didn't have enough magic to make ours come to life last year," Tiara commented to herself. "Maybe it just needs a different kind of magic, though. Like a magic hat or something? Maybe I could find one?"
Pipsqueak coughed into a hoof, making himself known to all. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
Spoiled sincerely smiled, gesturing a hoof to an open spot on the sofa. "Not at all, Pip. There's plenty of room for you here. And I'll bet you've never had anything so comfy and cozy in all your life."
Pip shook his head as he hopped up, scooting close to Diamond (he just barely resisted nuzzling into her, such a display was best saved for later). "This is quite nice, Mrs. Rich. Even back in Trottingham, my mum and dad usually just had blankets and lanterns to keep us warm. Old habits die hard."
"Well you're just in time, Pipsqueak," Spoiled spoke up as a rather goofy grin started to form on her face. "We were just combing through old family memories and photos. I'm sure you would love to see Diamond's baby pictures. Oh the stories I could tell."
But Tiara, blushing redder than the embers of the fire, slammed the photo album shut. "Mother, now is really not the best time for that. You should save it for the grand kids. You know, if you ever live to see any."
"Fair point, Diamond. After all, your granny enjoyed showing off my baby pictures," The mare with an upturned snout concurred. "And grandkids would certainly be nice. I'm not getting any younger, you know. Besides, I think Granny Spoiled has a nice ring to it. Don't you agree, dear?"
Filthy shook his head. "I ain't nearly old enough to have anypony start callin' me grandpappy! Celestia knows it's hard enough just havin' ponies not call me by my first name. I really don't know why my folks called me, ain't anythin' dirty or dishonest about me."
"Your name really doesn't do you justice, Mr. Rich. I've heard ponies talk about how well you run Barnyard Bargains." Pip commented to the stallion.
Filthy adjusted his tie. "Barnyard Bargains became what it is because of the reputation of the ponies who've run it since day one. And I'd sooner die than betray its foundation. Fortunately, I know my little Diamond will make sure the family legacy lives on. Although, if she decides her callin' lies elsewhere I ain't gonna argue."
"What about you, Pip?" Spoiled inquired. "What do you aspire to be in life? Something simple, I would assume?"
But the scrawny little colt shook his head, and with a fiery look in his eyes he told both of the Riches. "Nothing simple about it! I wanna grow up to be a royal guard and serve under the princesses! I wanna fight bad guys and protect the realm like Princess Twilight and her friends have done! It's not right that they should have to do it alone time and time again!" Then he added. "Although if possible, I wanna grow up and serve under Princess Luna. She's really my favorite. Sometimes she even comes to visit me in my dreams because she's so nice."
"When she wants to be. Other times she sure knows how to give ponies nightmares." Spoiled thought and briefly shuddered as she remembered her time with the princess of the night from that fateful Hearth's Warming Eve a few years back.
Filthy, for his part, just smiled and patted Pipsqueak's head. "That's a mighty fine dream you've got there, kid. Maybe someday you will be a royal guard. But I don't think they have any openin''s for a pony of your..." He coughed into a hoof. "Stature."
Pip just snorted slightly. "I'm sure I'll hit a growth spurt in time. Besides, Mum and Dad say size doesn't matter, because inside I'm bigger than anypony!"
"I don't care if you grow up to be bigger than Apple Bloom's big brother, or stay your fun sized yourself. You'll be a fine royal guard, Pip. And I'd say any princess would lucky to have you watching over them," Diamond smiled, before a thought struck her. "Actually, in a way you kind of already are a royal guard. There's one princess you protect."
"You're talking about yourself, aren't you?" Pip innocently questioned and he got his answer in the form of a nod.
"Ah, so you finally admit it. How nice," Spoiled declared in a rather blunt tone. "Filthy and I were wondering when you two lovebirds were going to tell us."
Diamond and Pip exchanged gasps and worried looks! "You knew?!?" Tiara inquired of both her parents.
"Wasn't hard to notice. Ever since ya turned over a new leaf you wouldn't stop gushin' 'bout him, Diamond," Filthy explained to his daughter. "As for your mom... well, she has her own ways."
Pip gulped as he swallowed a lump in his throat. Suddenly he could've sworn that despite the heat from the fire, the room became as cold as the outside world blanketed with snow. He'd been dreading this all evening long, and now the secret was out.
Spoiled not so subtly scooted closer to Pip, looking him square in the eyes. "Now you needn't worry yourself too much," She told him even though her tone of voice sounded much the way Pip always remembered it being. "Everything Diamond has told you about me is true, including my change of heart. This isn't an act to make you look bad."
"It isn't?" The colt asked as a bead of sweat worked its way down his face.
The mare with an upturned snout just chuckled once again, this time throwing back her head for good measure. "Believe me, if I were still my old, cold hearted self you wouldn't be getting anywhere close to the kind of favorable treatment you've been getting tonight. I daresay there wouldn't be a thing you could say or do to make my old self like you or approve of you being my daughter's special somepony."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Pip nervously questioned. "Who are you and what have you done with Diamond's mum?! Are you that changeling student from Princess Twilight's school?"
"I doubt that changeling even knows I exist. I barely even bothered to set hoof in that school. Honestly, being turned down for the role of vice headmare was a blessing," Spoiled declared as she shook her mane. "It's the real me, the real Spoiled Rich. I can't blame you for thinking this is an act, or that I've been replaced by an imposter. But it's really me, I really have changed. My husband and my daughter can both vouch for it."
Filthy nodded his head very slowly. "I was just as confused as you are, Pip. Took me a long time to accept that a Hearth's Warmin' miracle had occurred, my wife had turned over a new leaf, the same as my daughter did. And when I realized that I became the happiest stallion in all of Equestria. Havin' you become my little Diamond's coltfriend was just the icin' on the cake."
"And you needn't worry, you have my approval to date my daughter as well," Spoiled told Pip as she pulled him closer still. "But let me make one thing one hundred percent clear. You are to treat my daughter with the respect and dignity that she deserves. She sees you as her royal guard and prince charming, so you'd better live up to that reputation for your sake. Because if you don't, there is nowhere in Equestria that can shield you from my wrath. Having seen how badly I treated my own fur and blood, I don't want to see anypony else repeat my mistake. So don't even think about breaking her heart. Got it?"
"Hun, there's no need to be so overly dramatic, you're gonna scare him half to death." Filthy told his wife as he gestured to a clearly shaken Pip.
"Well let's just say part of the old me still exists and slips out from time to time," Spoiled chuckled. "I am a work in progress after all."
"Just please don't scare him again! I don't think he can take much more," Diamond insisted and then hugged Pip tightly. "Come on, let's go out and have some Hearth's Warming fun while we still can! It'll be bed time soon, and we have yet to put your Hearth's Warming doll up on the mantle. You are staying the night, right?"
Pip nodded after he took a moment to compose himself. "Of course! My parents said it was okay, and it looks like your parents don't mind it. Lead the way, my little princess!" And the two young ponies dashed off to go fetch their outdoor attire.
Now alone in the living room, Spoiled and Filthy sighed happily as Spoiled not so subtly scooted close to her loving husband and nuzzled into his side. "They really do make a cute couple, don't you think?" She asked her husband.
Filthy nodded his head. "They sure do. They're as cute as we were when we first started datin'," He gave his wife a loving peck on the cheek. "I'm really glad to have you back to that sweet pony you used to be. For a time I truly thought that side of ya was gone for good."
"Well, I guess it's a good thing those special guests staged their intervention when they did," Spoiled declared. "I just wish I had the chance to meet them. I know it wasn't the princesses or that Discord creature who set it all up. Clearly they were working on behalf of someone else."
But Filthy only stroked his wife's mane as he told her. "Probably best not to look this here gift horse in the mouth, hon. We should both be grateful for what it gave us, not askin' to who we owe our thanks." Neither he or his wife could've imagined that they were being watched from afar by a trio of creatures they wouldn't have recognized.