The wind howled and snowflakes traveled through the frigid air as Ponyville was currently experiencing a heavy snowstorm the day before Hearth’s Warming. Ponies were advised to finish all their Hearth’s Warming shopping the day before Hearth’s Warming Eve as the pegasus had warned everypony to stay indoors due to the conditions of the storm. While this had disappointed many carolers and fillies who wanted to go sledding down large snowy hills, everypony seemed to have accepted it and stayed inside their warm cozy homes with their families. Well, except for Trixie.
While Trixie was inside like she had been told to, she was alone. This wasn’t any surprise to her however since she normally spent her Hearth’s Warming’s alone. She hadn’t celebrated with anypony since last year and that was with her best friend, Starlight. The mare wasn’t exactly close with her family anymore ever since she left her old home so she normally just bought herself a gift such as a new deck of cards or some other new stage prop. Being alone on Hearth’s Warming didn’t really bother her so she didn’t really reach out this year to Starlight. Besides, she didn’t exactly want to be turned into a solid ice block the minute she stepped outside into the freezing snow storm.
“Darn it..I know I saved another one of those hot chocolate packets. Where is it?” Trixie mumbled to herself as she dug around a big box full of little trinkets and objects.
As the unicorn leaned over the large box, the wind blew at her wagon’s windows, causing them to fly open and allow cold air and snowflakes to pour in. She shivered as she felt the air touch her back and she turned around, noticing her windows blowing back and forth.
“I thought I just closed those.” Trixie said in a bit of annoyance as she shut the windows.
The unicorn sighed as she sat down on the ground, shivering a little. She didn’t really realize how cold it was in here until her windows had flown open. Her wagon didn’t exactly have any heating so the only things she had to stay warm were a very light blanket that didn’t bring much warmth and hot chocolate which she unfortunately couldn’t find at the moment.
She threw her wizard cloak and hat on and then threw her blanket over herself as she sat down on the floor shivering. It wasn’t helping much but it was better than nothing. Perhaps tomorrow she could go into Ponyville and buy herself a nice warm blanket. But that would be tomorrow..She would have to wait a whole night and suffer through the cold. Would she be able to make it by then?
She jumped a little when she suddenly heard a knock at her door. She carefully got up, making sure her blanket still hung on her back as she slowly opened her wagon door. A little red box with green ribbon tied around it was sitting at her steps, gathering snow on top of it. She looked around, trying to see if she could see anypony walking away but spotted no one. She shrugged and levitated the little gift inside and shut the door behind her.
“I wonder if Starlight gave me a gift. I hope not..I haven’t got her anything yet.”
She sat down on her bed and placed the present on her lap. She used her magic to gently undo the ribbon around the box and took the top off. Inside was a bunch of colored paper, covering whatever gift was inside. On top of it all was a little folded up letter with the words “Read me first” on the front of it. She opened the letter and began reading.
“Hello my dear, Trixie Wixie. I hope you’re reading this first and haven’t decided to skip this little letter and open your present first. You better not have done that or you’ll be in big trouble, missy!
Jokes aside, I hope you enjoy it. I’m not one to celebrate pony holidays but I couldn’t help but notice you seem to be on your own this year. Well, I simply can’t have that! I’ll be over in a little while with more gifts for you and of course, myself, to spend the holidays with you. I have to stop at Fluttershy’s first to drop off her presents but I’ll be there soon!
I’d imagine your little wagon is rather cold in this season so make sure to bundle up with the gift I left you. I wouldn’t want you to catch a cold so close to Hearth’s Warming!
From your charming and loveable boyfriend, Discord.”
She snickered a bit as she read the letter before placing it down beside her and looking down into the inside of the box. She levitated all the colored paper out, gasping in surprise at what she saw at the bottom.
“That idiot, he must have been watching me from the window!”
Trixie quickly went to shut all the curtains, pausing for a moment and looking around outside at all the fluffy snow to make sure nopony was casually taking a peek inside and watching her. Once she shut them all, she sat back down again in front of her gift and levitated it out of the box.
A large fluffy blue blanket floated in the air from Trixie’s magic as she looked it over, grinning in excitement and gratitude for Discord knowing exactly what she needed right now, (despite the fact he had been watching her through her wagon’s windows to know what she needed.) She covered herself with the large blue blanket, immediately feeling a lot warmer and more comfortable.
“As much as he’s a pest sometimes, I still love him..A lot.” Trixie said to herself, blushing a little as she closed her eyes and relaxed under the blanket.
As she relaxed under the blanket, she imagined herself in front of a fireplace that was crackling loudly with fire and fresh cut wood. She could feel the warmth from the fire radiating on to her, warming up her cold hooves and rosey cheeks. And there beside her was her lover, Discord. His large pegasus wing sprawled across her back and gently gripping her body closer to him. Her head rested underneath his chin as his white goatee gently dangled over her horn, tickling her forehead a little. She could hear a small sigh come from Discord as that familiar tingling feeling of butterflies started in her stomach. It felt so real and even though she knew that her and Discord weren’t currently like this, they could be..He was spending Hearth’s Warming with her so there would be plenty of chances to be close with him like this. They would be opening gifts together and drinking hot chocolate and..Wait..Gifts?
Her eyes suddenly shot open as her imagined scenario faded away into nothing. Gifts..She hadn’t got Discord a gift for Hearth’s Warming! All this time she had been thinking about enjoying Hearth’s Warming with herself and forgot to get her special someone a present. This was awful..Even Discord had got her tons of gifts and was planning to come by later with them.
She leapt up from her bed and threw open her curtains, the snow still coming down heavily outside as the wind swirled furiously. The storm hadn’t got any better since she last checked however the shops in Ponyville were only a short trot away. Perhaps she could quickly run in and buy a few gifts and then run back. She might not be able to out buy Discord but it was better than having him show up and see she had nothing for him.
She threw a scarf around her neck, a hat, some boots, and grabbed a bag of bits as she exited her wagon, running out into the snow.
It seemed like the storm had got even worse now that she decided to make a quick Hearth’s Warming shopping trip. The wind blew furiously at her mane, tossing it behind her as it waved back and forth. She held her hooves up high every time she took a new step through the snow because of how much had piled up, her hooves feeling like ice cubes. She was sort of squinting because of the amount of snowflakes smacking into her face, sort of blinding her vision. It didn’t help either that she couldn’t even see Ponyville square so she had no idea if she was going the right way.
“T-This..Is ridiculous..” Trixie said, shivering from the cold. “H-How dare the p-pegasi let something like this happen..A-A day before Hearth’s Warming..”
She could have sworn her ears were developing frostbite as they seemed to have gone numb. She tried to tuck them under her hat for warmth but even that didn’t seem to help much.
“C-Come on stupid..S-Shop..Where are you?..”
The unicorn kept going, despite the fact she just wanted to run back to her wagon and cuddle up under her blanket. It was too late for that now anyways. Even if she did try to go back, she would never find her wagon because the storm seemed to have covered everything and blocked it out of her sight. But if she couldn’t get back to her wagon, how was she supposed to get to the shop?
“I-Is anypony out here?...Anypony?..” Trixie asked, stopping and looking around.
The only response she got was the wind howling, trying to push her back and the snow smacking into her.
Suddenly, she felt her legs give out and she collapsed into the snow. The snow was freezing and it made not only her hooves hurt but the rest of body now as well. She panted as her breath turned into fog in front of her. She tried to get up again but she only fell down again and found herself lying back into the snow. She laid her head into the fluffy snow, too tired to try again.
“Dis..cord..Star..light...H-Help…”
Her voice was only a small whisper as she felt her eyes get heavy and her body going numb. The scenery around her started to blur into a big white mass of white except for one..A blue pony like blur in the snow..It looked like her but she couldn’t quite tell what it was for her eyes were unfocusing too much and her eyes were slowly shutting. She saw it galloping towards her before it suddenly vanished into darkness.
“Trixie?!..Oh no..Trixie, wake up! Come on..This has to be a prank. You can’t be..”
A voice she recognized echoed in the darkness but she couldn’t quite tell who it was.
“Get up! It’s freezing out here. You should know better than to pull something stupid like this out here.”
She felt something nudge her and push her body but she didn’t move, she just limply rolled back to the same place.
“Trixie..Trixie don’t you dare do this! I don’t believe you..Get up! I’m telling you to get up right now!”
The voice sounded like it was starting to get angry as her limp body got nudged even harder this time. Still..She rolled back to the same spot.
“Trixie..TRIXIE LULAMOON!”
The voice cried out in anger as she felt her body being kicked across the snow, rolling and then stopping once more. The sound of crunching snow came behind her as something ran up to her and then..Shaky inhales and exhales above her ear. She felt something wet like rain dripping on her before she was suddenly grabbed and put on to something fluffy and warm.
“D-Don’t worry Trix..I-I’m not giving up on you yet..Just hang on..”
And then..Everything vanished into darkness and she no longer heard anything again.
She opened her eyes slowly, finding herself inside a warm place again. She looked around her, recognizing that she was inside her wagon. She had a few layers of blankets wrapped around her and there was a little table beside her with a warm cup of hot chocolate, still steaming with little marshmallows bobbing up at the surface. What even happened?..
She suddenly heard sobbing and she looked to the right of her, seeing Discord sitting on her floor, hunched over so his head wouldn’t hit the ceiling with his paw and claw covering his face. Her ears folded, noticing he was upset. She couldn’t quite understand why but she wanted to help him.
“Dis...cord?” She spoke weakly, a look of tiredness and concern on her face.
The draconequus turned around, his eyes still full of tears as his mouth dropped, looking at her in utter shock.
“Trixie, you’re alright!” Discord shouted.
He ran over to her and practically jumped on to her, hugging her tightly and sniffling.
“I thought I lost you..You weren’t responding to anything..I-I thought you died..Oh thank goodness..”
“You..Thought I..Died?..W-Why would I...Oh..Right..I went to get you..A present.” Trixie replied weakly.
“A present?!” Discord said, letting go of her and looking down at her angrily. “You went all that way and almost got yourself killed to get me a present? What in Equestria were you thinking!”
“You..Got presents for me..And..I have nothing for you..I..Wanted to get you something..”
“I don’t care if you didn’t get me a gift. Although, it would have been nice but that idea is way off the table now. If I knew you were going to do this, I would have stopped you a long time ago. What you pulled was just stupid.”
Discord crossed his arms, staring down disapprovingly at her as Trixie looked away guiltily. Discord then finally spoke after a long silence.
“Well..There’s nothing we can do about it now so I may as well do what I came here to do.”
Trixie felt his magic levitate her and the blankets into the air. She was softly rested beside Discord on the floor, along with a cup of hot chocolate in her hooves.
“Here, drink this, my dear. It will help you warm up.”
And then, just like she had imagined, his large pegasus wing rested along her back and she was pressed into his warm side. A small blush appeared on her cheeks as she smiled, taking a sip of her hot chocolate which had just the right amount of soft marshmallows in it. He snapped and a tiny portable fireplace appeared in the wagon, instantly warming up the little space within seconds.
“Now, shall we open presents? I’m really excited for you to see yours.” Discord grinned excitedly.
“Maybe in a little while..I was hoping perhaps we could just..” Trixie started but couldn’t finish.
“Cuddle? What, are you afraid of the word?” Discord chuckled.
“No! That’s not it!” Trixie yelled, her face turning pink in embarrassment.
“Then what is it because you’re turning the color of my cotton candy clouds.” Discord replied, smirking at her in amusement.
“I’m not!” Trixie covered her face with her hooves.
Discord laughed and nuzzled his face into hers, making her blush even further. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”
“Shut up.” She hissed.
“Oh, being mean to ol’ Discord, ay? Maybe I’ll just go home and-”
“No!” She grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving.
“Oh? I thought you wanted me to shut up. I may as well leave if I’m so unwanted.” Discord grinned playfully, clearly knowing what he was doing here and how it made Trixie feel.
“Get over here you big idiot! I know what you’re doing.” Trixie said, pulling him back down beside her.
“Wow, you must be feeling better already if you’re insulting me for my size and my intelligence.”
“Just be quiet for once and let me do something.”
“And what is it you’re doing exactly?”
Suddenly, Trixie climbed underneath him, sort of pushing him upwards so she could sneak underneath him and toward his chest area. She rested underneath his fluffy chest, resting in between his paw and claw, resting her head on his soft lion paw. She closed her eyes and smiled. This wasn’t what she imagined before but definitely a position she enjoyed a lot.
“All this arguing for this? You are such a stubborn one, Trix.”
“Quiet, you talk way too much. Just appreciate the moment.” Trixie snapped.
“Fine, if I must.” He replied, sounding burdened by having to be quiet for a little while even though he knew he really wasn’t.
He brought in his paw and claw closer so it gated Trixie in, sort of protecting her in a way from any incoming harm, if there was any. He rested his head softly on hers and nibbled at her ear a bit. He noticed her ear twitch a bit in response but he continued anyways.
“Hey, quit that. Your teeth are sharp.” Trixie suddenly said.
“What if I do it a little softer then.”
She felt his teeth nibbling at her ear again but it didn’t hurt really this time. He seemed to be doing it more gently, taking her feelings into consideration. It was almost like it was tickling her ears. Not enough to make her laugh but..It felt sort of nice.
“I suppose that’s fine.” Trixie replied.
He continued to nibble her ears as she felt herself getting sleepy. And before she knew it, she fell into a comfortable sleep, along with her lover as the snow fell outside. And soon, it was Hearth’s Warming day and the crazy snow storm had passed. It was only softly snowing in the morning as Trixie opened her gifts from Discord, getting plenty of new props for her magic shows, books on her favorite magicians, and even new snow gear for the winter.
After that, she and Discord went to Ponyville to go get him some gifts. Although, since it wasn’t possible for her to keep his gifts a secret, she allowed him to pick out what he wanted and she would buy it for him. Discord ended up not deciding on what he wanted and ended up “buying” Trixie as a gift instead. (Which entailed him physically putting the unicorn on the counter and yelling to the entire store he wanted to buy her for Hearth’s Warming which made the pony dealing the cash register rather uncomfortable) So, in the end Discord never got a gift. Although, if it were him telling this story, he would say Trixie was the best gift he got.