A blast of icy wind pierced the cozy warmth of the den, drawing everyone’s attention toward the door. In the open doorway, laden with bundles of chopped wood under each arm stood a dragon, his face mostly obscured by a heavy scarf that wrapped around his snout.
“Spike, hurry up and close the door, you’re letting all the heat out!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled, his words muffled by the scarf. He shuffled into the house and kicked the door closed with his foot. “Could you come help me with this, Gabby?”
The gray-feathered griffon bustled over and took one of Spike’s bundles, dropping it next to the open hearth where a struggling fire smoked and crackled. Spike dropped his directly in front of the fireplace, unwrapping his face before he cut the twine holding it together. He leaned forward and gently breathed some of his fire onto the logs, where they burst to life with orange flames of their own.
“Now that’ll be a good fire, don’t you think hon—” Spike glanced to the side where gabby had been standing. He spun around in search of her, coming up empty until he heard the clatter of a cookie sheet in the kitchen.
He chuckled lightly to himself. Gabby had been working extra hard to spruce the house up all day, and her efforts had transformed the normally basic living room into a festive space that would make both Rarity and Pinkie Pie proud. The tree in the back corner with a modest collection of gifts under it, garlands and wreaths tied with ribbons and tinsel, the little dolls of him and Gabby perched on the mantle with their little knitted claws intertwined. All of it tied their little two-bedroom home together into a lovely bouquet of holiday cheer.
“Spike!” Gabby called from the other room. “Can you put the cookies out? I still need to get the drinks ready and they’ll be here any second!”
“Sure thing, kitten,” he said, taking the adorably red and green tray from the kitchen counter and taking it to the coffee table in the den. As if on cue, someone knocked on the door just as he put the tray down. The accompanying panicked squawk from the kitchen made him laugh. Before he could walk to the door, a gray blur wearing a pink apron shot past him.
“Hi friends!” Gabby exclaimed, throwing the door open.
“Hey there, Gabster! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing into the house and latching onto the griffon in a crushing hug, only to immediately get crushed right back. Right behind her was her husband, the equally bouncy Cheese Sandwich, wearing a bright red stocking cap. He came up and greeted Spike with a more reserved hug.
“Good to see you, Cheese!” Spike said.
“I love the new place!” said Cheese, peering around at the room. “Really love the floor molding you got going on over here.”
“The baby isn’t even born yet and you’ve already got home improvement on the mind. You’ll make a good dad,” Spike said, slapping Cheese Sandwich on the back.
“I’m already planning on building a deck for Sugarcube Corner!”
Another chorus of hellos from the doorway turned Spike’s attention away from his friend. Craning her head down to fit through the doorway thanks to her height, it was none other than the Princess of Friendship herself.
“Twilight! Happy Hearth’s Warming!” Spike ran over and wrapped her in a hug. Even with her latest princess-related growth spurt, he had finally caught up to her in height a couple of years before.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming. I missed you!” she said, hugging him tight. “I swear you grew another inch since I saw you last.
“Twilight, I saw you last Tuesday.”
“The point still stands!” It had been three months since Spike and Gabby decided to move out of the castle and have a little home of their own. He knew she was going to have a tough time with it, but the separation anxiety had been bad. Like, Twilight showing up at two in the morning to make sure he brushed his teeth kind of bad.. She’d gotten better since then, but it was a slow process.
The guests filtered into the room and commenced talking amongst themselves. Gabby rushed back to the kitchen to finish preparing her array of snackage. That left Spike to tend to the fire before he joined in the pleasantries. Before he could do that, however, another set of quick, forceful knocks at the door pulled him aside. He recognized the pattern.
Rainbow Dash.
The slightest twinge ran through his nerves. Now was the moment of truth. The next few moments would determine the course of the evening for everyone.
He threw the door open and there she was, in all of her prismatic glory. Rainbow Dash had taken a few-moon hiatus from The Council of Friendship meetings thanks to a worldwide tour that the Wonderbolts had embarked on earlier in the year. She looked a little worn out, which was remarkable for a mare of her endurance level. That tour must have been tough.
“Hey there, Globetrotter,” he said.
“Sup, Squirt?” said Rainbow. They shared a fist-hoof bump and a laugh. “Dang, you been hitting the gym? Your arms are getting big.”
“A little here and here.” Spike’s attention drew a little to the left, and there he saw what he was afraid of. White feathers, brown fur, and bad news. “Hey, Gilda.”
“Sup, nerd?” She said it without a scowl. That meant Gilda was in good spirits, but he could read the trepidation in her eyes. She probably knew something was up.
Spike and Rainbow exchanged a quick knowing glance before he put on a big smile. “Great to see both of you. Come on in!”
Rainbow Dash and Gilda stepped into the house with visibly different levels of enthusiasm. Where Rainbow clearly had the edge of familiarity with Spike, Gilda lagged behind, taking more time to size up the room.
Rainbow noticed. “Come on, G. I told you, pony holidays are totally different from Blue Moon Festival. There’s nothing here but friends and good food.”
“You say that,” Gilda retorted. “The first pony that hits me up for money, I’m throwing through the window.”
“So, what’s got you in town, Gilda?” Spike asked. He already knew. Rainbow Dash had convinced her to come to Ponyville under the pretense of hanging out like old times and actually having an enjoyable holiday experience for once.
But the true intentions were more subversive—and centered around the griffon in the kitchen.
“Oh, you know. Just thought I’d shake things up this year and see how you ponies do things.”
“And how do you like it so far?”
She pointed at the big wreath over the mantle. “It’s about as soft as I expected.”
Spike chuckled. “Good to know that we’re meeting expectations! You guys can put your white alicorn gifts over by the tree for now.” As Gilda turned toward the tree, he spied the tray of scones perched between her wings.
Those were probably bound for the kitchen.
He gulped. Suddenly this all felt like a bad idea. He was about to ruin Hearth’s Warming for everyone all because he wanted to patch up a rift that wasn’t even his.
“I’ll take those scones to the kitchen for you,” he said, taking the tray from her back and speedwalking toward the kitchen, leaving Rainbow to let Gilda mingle.
As Spike crossed the threshold into the kitchen, his heart jumped. Gabby would recognize griffon scones instantly. If she saw what he was holding, she would know who was here. He needed to buy a little time so he and Rainbow could discuss their strategy.
“Hey Spike, could you serve up these drinks for me?” Gabby said, not looking his way.
Spike quickly tucked the scones behind his back and smiled wide. “Yeah, sure thing.” He shuffled sideways, carefully angling himself to keep the tray hidden from her view. He sidled up next to her and took a mug of hot cocoa in his hand, scooting toward the exit while facing her the whole time.
Sweating bullets, his eyes darted from side to side searching for anything he could use to hide the scones. A pile of used aluminum foil on the counter near the oven caught his eye, but he would have to double back toward Gabby in order to get to it. He swiped the foil sheet and slid the tray onto the counter.
“Spike! Princess Twilight is waiting for her cocoa,” Gabby said, suddenly appearing next to him. “That means before it gets cold.”
Still working to cover the tray behind his back, Spike searched for an excuse to distract her. “Oh, I’m on my way, But I just... couldn’t stop thinking about… how pretty you look in that apron?”
“Oh, this old thing?” Gabby blushed a little, but then quirked an eyebrow at him, “Hey, what are you doing on the counter—mmmph!”
Faced with no alternatives, he pulled her in for a long, passionate kiss. Despite his years of practice, multi-tasking between covering a tray of scones with foil and kissing a beak with a very sharp tip did not work together well. She kissed back for a few seconds, but when she pulled back before he was ready, she caught his lower lip under the tip, digging in like a knife point.
“Mmm!” he protested, pushing his face toward hers to unhook himself. Their faces separated without any semblance of grace.
“Spike, what was that all about?” Gabby asked. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to get frisky five minutes into the party.”
“Oh no, not at all. I just wanted to… practice for the mistletoe later!” He chuckled nervously, but his mission was a success. The scones were concealed. “Yeah, that’s it. Mistletoe. I’m gonna take the drinks now byeeee.” He took the mugs of cocoa and hot cider and ran before she could question him further.
The party was in swing now, the small den quickly growing crowded even with the modest number of guests present. Spike passed out the mugs and made no time for chit chat. He only had a few minutes to convene with Rainbow before the fireworks and feathers flew. Hopefully not literally.
Rainbow and Gilda were standing near the front window. “Hey Dash, can I borrow you for a second?”
“Sure dude, what’s up?”
He pointed her toward the hall that led to the bedrooms, where they could speak in private for just a moment. “Okay, am I the only one realizing that we didn’t think this through, like, at all?”
“What do you mean?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“They’re griffons.” Spike waved a hand desperately for emphasis. “They don’t just discuss things like ponies do. They have a lot of sharp edges and I’m pretty sure Gilda isn’t afraid to use them if they start fighting.”
“Dude, you’re overthinking this. A lot.” Rainbow looked over her shoulder at Gilda. “Maybe she would have when we were younger, but she’s mellowed out quite a bit. She owns a bakery in Griffonstone now. She’s a lot less rough and tumble than what you remember.”
“Still, what if they get in a fight? Verbal or not, that’s gonna ruin the party for everyone else. We should have at least talked about this outside of letters before we decided to get all up in their business.”
“This is kind of the perfect time to get them together,” said Rainbow. “I doubt they’d agree to just go to lunch together. Gilda probably wouldn’t have even showed up if she knew you two are engaged.”
“Well still, should we even do this?”
“Dude, we talked about this. The story Gabby told you is pretty much the opposite of what Gilda told me. It's a classic misunderstanding. The map used to send us on missions over stuff like this all the time.”
“But here? At a Hearth’s Warming party? This is such a bad idea.”
Rainbow’s ears fell. “Yeah, you’re right. But you know what? We’re committed. Unless I hightail it out of here with Gilda right now, they’re gonna see each other at some point. And if I do, that’s just gonna raise more questions.”
Spike wrapped his wings around the sides of his head. “So what do we do?”
Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment. “I dunno.”
He facepalmed. “Thanks, very helpful.” He poked his head out of the hallway and glanced toward the kitchen. Gabby was still working on food prep in there, now with some additional help from Pinkie Pie. Gilda was still standing in the den, off to the side by herself. “Well we have to keep control over the situation. Letting nature take its course will just make things worse.”
“Then let’s just get it over with,” said Rainbow. “Rip the bandage off. See if you can speed Gabby along in the kitchen. I’ll handle Gilda.”
Before Spike could protest, Rainbow Dash trotted out of the hallway and rejoined the gathering. Spike watched as she brought Twilight over to chat with the griffon. He took a breath and steeled himself before walking to the kitchen. Gabby was probably going to be mad at him, but this needed to happen. For her sake. “How’s everything coming in here, ladies? Anything I can help with?”
“We’re just finishing up, but thank you Spike!” Gabby took a sip from her own cocoa mug.
“Then I’ll take care of the dishes when the party’s over.”
“You picked a good one,” Pinkie whispered, giving Gabby a nudge on the shoulder.
“It’s not like I’m Twilight’s number one assistant or anything, “ he said with a shrug.
“Oh yeah, he’s the best assistant I could ask for!” Gabby said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. The trio started making their way out of the kitchen, Pinkie leading the way as they filed out into the den.
It didn’t take Gabby a second to notice who the mystery guest was. She stopped in her tracks, making Spike bump into her from behind. She whirled around and grabbed Spike by the face, pulling him down to her level and getting right up in his snout.
“Spike.”
“Yeah?”
“What is she doing here? Did you invite her?”
“Well…”
“Yep, you did.”
“You see—”
“Why did you do this to me? This was going to be such a fun party and now she’s here and I—”
Spike cut her off with a hushed whisper. “Too late here she comes—Hey there Gilda, how’s the party treating you?”
“She loves it!” chimed in Rainbow Dash as she appeared at Gilda’s side.
“Gabriella,” said Gilda.
“Gilda,” said Gabby.
“Spike! Wow, it’s been so long since we had the whole group together. What’s it been, four years?”
“Three and a half,” said Gilda curtly, her glare locked on Gabby.
“Yeah, long time.” Spike laughed, poorly attempting to hide his nerves. “How’s Grampa Gruff doing these days anyway?”
“Dead.”
“Oh, that’s not good at all.” Spike shot a glance at Rainbow, begging her to rescue him from his attempt to break the ice.
“Yeah, he was… old,” Rainbow said awkwardly. “Anyway, it’s been so long since I’ve been back in Ponyville. Why don’t you tell us all about the house, Gabby?”
“It’s made of wood,” Gabby spat.
“Yeah, sure is!” Spike punctuated his sentence with a forced laugh. “She wanted to find something less flammable because of my fire breath, but I used to live in libraries. She’s just… oh boy.”
Gabby’s hackles were raised. This was going nowhere good. “How’s business in Griffonstone these days?”
“Oh, it’s great,” Gilda said, a smug grin on her beak. “I’ve been selling scones like hotcakes. Lines out the door. You should see it.”
“Maybe I will sometime,” Gabby said, the words dripping with passive aggression.
“Yeah, that’d be awesome!” said Rainbow, stepping forward to put herself a little more between the two griffons. “Hey Gilda have you tried this cider? This might be the best it’s ever been.” Rainbow led Gilda away from the conversation, shooting an apologetic glance over her shoulder.
“Spike, why did you bring her here?” Gabby asked after a few moments. “You know what happened.”
With a sigh, Spike knelt down to Gabby’s height. “Because I know that losing the bakery hurt you and I wanted to fix it.”
“How on Earth would bringing her here fix that? She pushed me out, Spike. We were business partners and she betrayed me.”
“Have you ever asked her why?”
“Well, no. But I don’t need to. She made it clear that she doesn’t want me around.”
“Maybe you should,” Spike said, pointing toward the other side of the room where Gilda and Rainbow were probably having a similar conversation. “I don’t think you have the whole story.”
Gabby started to protest, but she changed her mind at the last second. “What do you know, Spike?”
“You should hear it from her, not me.”
Gabby looked over to Gilda and sighed. “Alright. Fine. I’ll play along, but I’m doing this for you, not for her.”
“That’s fine.” Spike said.
Reluctantly, Gabby led the way across the room to where Gilda and Rainbow were standing near the front door.
“Oh hey, you guys are back,” said Rainbow as they approached.
“Yeah, we’re back,” said Spike. “Gabby wanted to ask you a question, Gilda.”
“Oh yeah?” said Gilda, cocking an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I never got the chance to know because I left Griffonstone so fast. But after all I did to help you open your bakery, why did you force me out?”
“Force you out?” Gilda asked, her eyes going wide. “I didn’t force you out! I thought you wanted out.”
Gabby took a step forward. “Then why did you change the locks right after we got into an argument?”
“I didn’t! I had an appointment to get better locks put on after the break-in we had a few weeks before.”
Gabby’s beak fell open. “There was a break-in?”
“Yeah, we were making good money in Griffonstone. It’s kind of inevitable.” Gilda laughed, a rare smile crossing the normally reticent griffon’s beak. “Wow, that’s crazy. I thought you just threw in the towel and left me hanging.”
“Oh my gosh, Gilda!” Gabby shouted, throwing her arms around Gilda, who just stood there like a statue, unsure of how to react.
Spike nudged Rainbow Dash with his elbow, “Maybe we should let them catch up.” With a pair of relieved laughs, they left the griffons alone to talk.
The rest of the party went smoothly, even through an intense white alicorn gift exchange. The spirit of Hearth’s Warming wasn’t dampened at all by Spike and Rainbow Dash’s plan. In fact, it only made the evening better. Old friends reconnected, and the festivities went well into the night. Slowly, as the evening wore on, the guests left one by one, until only two remained: Rainbow Dash and Gilda.
“Thanks for coming, you two!” Spike said as they walked to the door.
Gilda had gone a little too heavy on the cider, her steps wobbly as she made her way out of the house. “Yeah, that was sure better than any Blue Moon Festival ever thought about being.” She was surprised from behind with one last hug from Gabby, which she actually returned this time.
Likewise, Spike caught Rainbow in a quick one-armed hug. “Next time you’re back in town, let’s hang out some more.”
“Totally,” said Rainbow. “Maybe next time with lower stakes?” she shook her head toward Gabby and Gilda.
“For sure. You sure Gilda’s good to fly back to your place?”
Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, she’s been worse. I’ll be watching her close though.”
“Alright then. You two fly safe!” Spike waved them off with a grin, and the griffon and pony pair disappeared into the night sky.
Spike closed the door behind him and sighed. He didn’t know when the next time he would see Rainbow would be, but it was nice getting to hang out with her again. He walked over to the couch and flopped down on the cushions, letting out a sigh of relief.
A pair of warm arms latched on to his midsection. “That was nice.” she said, nuzzling her soft cheek feathers against his side.
“Yeah, it was,” said Spike, running his claws through the feathers on the back of her head. “It could have easily been a disaster, but it all worked out.”
“Yeah, the timing could have been better.”
“Sometimes my dumb plans work out after all.”
“You are an idiot,” said Gabby. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. “But you’re my idiot.”