//------------------------------// // Episode 14: Flames in the Snowy Night // Story: My Little Pony: The Days of New Equestria (Season 2) // by ScorchingFlamesInc //------------------------------// Distant bells in the distance rung, and could be heard throughout all of Ponyville. It was the perfect tone to introduce the atmosphere that Leo, Chrysalis, Starlight, Tirek, Cozy Glow, Sunburst, and Trixie all had while they set up for the Hearth's Warming Season in the castle. It was enough to cause Cozy Glow to break out in song, while Leo, Chrysalis, Starlight, Tirek, Sunburst, and Trixie all set up. When it's Hearth's Warming Cozy Glow: Holiday bells ring their jolly tune! Starlight: The time of cheer comes very soon! Chrysalis: Cold weather with the bright white snow! Trixie: A warm fire's surely the place to gooooo! Leo: Lights of all colors left and right! Tirek: Why need to worry for any plight? Sunburst: When you have friends and family, it's surely a treat! Everyone: When it's Hearth's Warming, how can that be beeeeaat? *Distant bell rings quite a few times. While Chrysalis and Tirek are decorating, Tirek intentionally sets up mistletoe above him and Chrysalis, and she blushes. She ends up flying up to him and gives him a quick peck on the lips. Others are shown decorating or enjoying their surroundings Princess Twilight and Spike were in their respective seats in the throne room.* Twilight: Once upon a time, pony kinds were at each others throats... While the coldness of the Windigos seeped through their cloaks and coats... Spike: But when they united, and changed history, The Windigos were cast away, ending misery... Twilight and Spike: What better way to celebrate, with gifts and feasts and friends? Proving harmony stays strong, even past the very end... *Bell rings once more, and the townsfolk in Ponyville proceed to sing* Townsfolk: Holiday bells ring their jolly tune! The time of cheer comes very soon! Cold weather with the bright white snow! A warm fire's surely the place to gooooo! Lights of all colors left and right! Why need to worry for any plight? When you have friends and family, it's surely a treat! When it's Hearth's Warming, how can that be beeeeaat? Just the Ponies: When history changed its course, it set our lives in stone, As times have changed and we all grew, we knew we weren't alone. Other creatures: And although it would be many years, until we joined the crowd, We help to have that friendship flame thrive under the winter clouds! Townsfolk: What better way to celebrate, with gifts and feasts and friends? Proving harmony stays strong, even past the very end... *Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, Leo, and Tirek all exit the castle, singing the chorus while the Townsponies sung* Leo, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, and Tirek: Holiday bells ring their jolly tune! The time of cheer comes very soon! Cold weather with the bright white snow! A warm fire's surely the place to gooooo! Lights of all colors left and right! Why need to worry about any plight? When you have friends and family, it's surely a treat! When it's Hearth's Warming, how can that be beeeeaat? Leo, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, Tirek, and the rest of the Townfolk: Holiday bells ring their jolly tune! The time of cheer comes very soon! Cold weather with the bright white snow! A warm fire's surely the place to gooooo! Lights of all colors left and right! Why need to worry for any plight? When you have friends and family, it's surely a treat! When it's Hearth's Warming, how can that be beeeeaat? When it's Hearth's Warming, how can that be beeeeaat? When it's Hearth's Warming, how can that be beeeeeeaaaaaat? ... Intro ... Everyone in the castle was hard at work trying to set up the castle for the evening get together for Hearth's Warming Eve. Starlight led the whole process, giving instructions as they went along. "A little higher..." she muttered, instructing Cozy Glow, who was hanging up some holiday-themed streamers. "Like this?" Cozy Glow raised the streamer. "Perfect!" "Starlight, how am I doing?" Leo asked, wrapping tinsel around the stair rail. "It's coming along real nicely." "Can you believe this Tirek?" Chrysalis said while she and Tirek worked together in their own area of setting up. "It's already our first Hearth's Warming together-" "That we'll actually celebrate and not typically brush off," Tirek finished. "Exactly!" "Back in my world, we had a holiday that was pretty much like this one," Leo explained. "The only differences were one or two different methods of practice, and the reason why the holiday exists in the first place." "Wow, really?" Cozy piped. "Well, we're sorry you can't celebrate your holiday back home." "It's fine, I guess..." Leo shrugged. "Just a shame I can't get much stuff I want... I'm missing out on a bunch." "There's more to these holidays than just gifts, you know..." said Sunburst. "Of course I know that!" KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK "I'll get it." Leo carefully set down the tinsel, and went over to the doors. Luster Dawn and Magma Burn were waiting for him on the other side. "Oh! Hey, Luster! Um... hey, Magma." Magma snorted. Any likely development Leo had with Magma definitely fizzled away a little after Nightmare Night... even though Leo did try to explain himself. That's when Leo also noticed Magma wasn't wearing any winter gear. "...Magma? You're not wearing any gear?... It's freezing out!" "Don't need it..." Magma Burn insisted. "But, how do you not-" Leo stopped himself when he saw Magma light his horn. Leo briefly thought Magma was gonna do something to him, but then he looked down and saw steam surrounding his hooves, and the snow under him appearing to melt. "Well... point made!" Leo exclaimed. "Anyways, what are you two doing here?" "We're here to help you all set up for Hearth's Warming, of course!" Luster replied. "Of course, I had to drag Magma over here..." "...like you always do." Luster had to ignore Magma's remark. Although they were close, he was getting tired of being included into whatever his "enemies" were up to. And not just the reformed trio, or Leo. But Starlight, or Discord, and maybe even Princess Twilight herself on some extent. "Well, come on in you two!" Leo stepped aside. "We could use all the help we can get." Luster and Magma entered, but Magma slightly brushed past Leo. "Yipe!" Leo quickly rubbed the spot on his shoulder where Magma got him. It felt like his shoulder was really close to fire, which wasn't all too bad. "So, what do we need to do?" Luster asked. "Most of what we have is already done," Sunburst explained. "We just need to apply some finishing touches before we consider our work finished." "Like what?" "Anything, really," Chrysalis answered. "Ooookay..." "Come to think of it, last I checked, I think we could add a little more decorations to the outside," Cozy Glow began. "Then we'll go and do that." "Perfect!" Starlight smiled. "Everything is already out there (since Trixie never thought of bringing it inside). Good luck." "Thanks, Mom. Let's go, Magma." When Luster turned around, Magma Burn rolled his eyes before joining her. When they closed the doors, Luster decided to speak up about the situation. "Magma, I understand that all you want is justice, but I really think you should give your morals second-thoughts." "Listen, Luster, I just want you to be safe," Magma explained. "It seems like ever since those three came back, they've had something to do with the problems Equestria has been having?" "Are you listening to yourself? For one thing, they've had nothing to do with Grogar, aside from being cast out of Equestria for no good reason. If anything, they're the reason we're still here. And then Leo helped us out with defeating Grogar and his goons. Then, there's Nightmare Night. Sure, they attacked us, but I forgave them because it wasn't their fault. It was whoever was pulling the strings." "I don't forgive easily. Forgiveness is a sign of weakness." "You always say that!" exclaimed Luster. "You know what? This has gone on for long enough!" "What are you talking about?" Magma asked. "Unless you give them a chance... my mother, my friends, the Princess... I don't think we can be friends, anymore." Magma felt his heart shatter. Luster turned and went up to the supplies, and began to search through the box. "But..." Magma stuttered. "You're all I have!" Luster sighed. "Maybe you need to branch out more, then..." She pulled out some garland. "You can stay. Or you can go. You're right. I can't keep dragging you into things including my friends if you don't want to be included. I guess that's another friendship lesson I just learned." And even though Magma just stood there and watched, Luster didn't say another word. ... ... The sun went down, and everypony/creature began to gather, entering the castle one by one, some singing to themselves, and others catching a quick glimpse at the decor. Meanwhile, some of the ones that made it possible oversaw it all. "Does anyone think we overdid it with the decorations?" Trixie asked. "I think we did just fine," said Sunburst. "So remember Trixie," Starlight started. "When mingling time is over, you go outside on the balcony, and you do your thing." "Starlight, please, I got this," Trixie assured. "I know you do." "Is Magma Burn still outside?" Sunburst asked Luster. "I don't know. It's been a while since I checked. I can only guess that he returned home." "Will you be okay?" "Why wouldn't I be? Sure, he was among my first friends, but I really think he needs a wake-up-call right now." "That's fair, I guess?" Sunburst replied. "I'm gonna be honest with you though, you seem a little aggressive." "I'll be fine. Trust me." "Okay..." Downstairs, Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow went back inside the castle after running some errands. When they got in, they had to shut the doors as quick as possible since they were letting in cold air, and there was a large crowd nearby watching them. "Sorry, everyone," Cozy apologized. "The weather sure dropped down the past few hours..." said Chrysalis. Tirek made sure the doors were fully shut. "I'll say. I don't enjoy the wind, especially at this time of night and weather. But I suppose it's nice to experience it for the first time in years." "Trust me. It'll grow very old," Cozy Glow promised. "In a year or so, that first half of your sentence will be the only thing you say." "Well, that's what Hot Chocolate is for." Chrysalis took off her scarf and hat and hung them up. "I'll probably make some for the crowd later." "If you need help, then I'll surely be happy to help," Tirek insisted. "Are you sure?" "Certainly." "If you two do that, I'll go meet up with the others then," Cozy Glow said. "Very well. Tirek... to the kitchen we go!" *Meanwhile...* Fluttershy was leaning forward to the cage, listening to Ollie's chirps. "Ollie says he's been enjoying his stay so far," she explained. "Glad to hear it," said Leo. "It's great to actually know what they're saying. Birds sometimes have this sense of mystery... they're cute, but mysterious." Fluttershy didn't say anything. Leo decided to toss in another sentence. "But that's just my take." Fluttershy decided to change the subject. "I'm not Rarity, but I will say that you all did a great job decorating for Hearth's Warming, this year." "You think that's all we did? Please. We got quite a bit left in store. In fact... what time is it?" Fluttershy and Leo both glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost time for the speech. Let's go." Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. "Speech?" "You'll see." Leo and Fluttershy left to go down the hall. Fluttershy intended to rejoin the crowd, while Leo intended to meet up with Cozy Glow. Meanwhile, Chrysalis and Tirek returned from the kitchen after a second trip, carrying two large teapots and a bunch of cups. Chrysalis raised a sign to give the ponies notice that the Hot Chocolate was ready to be served. Immediately, some ponies already started to form a line. Chrysalis and Tirek proceeded with carefully passing out two to four cups at once. Starlight also arrived. "Are you sure you'll be able to serve this whole crowd hot chocolate?" Starlight inquired. "You don't need to worry about us," Chrysalis assured. "This is no different than when we sold phones to plenty of guests a few months back, or just holding a very popular stand in the marketplace." "Besides, some of the guests won't have hot chocolate, anyways," said Tirek. "You're right. Carry on," Starlight said. "But we're pretty close to our big event." Chrysalis handed a cup of hot chocolate to a Hippogriff, and at the same time, a second cup to a random pony. "You keep thinking about what happens before the event. We plan on serving more Hot Chocolate afterwards." Nearby, Leo finally rejoined with Cozy Glow. Fluttershy was already back with the crowd. "You nearly ready?" he asks her. "Almost." "Are you nervous?" "No." Cozy shook her head. "No I'm not." "Well, then... you know what to do. I think we're pretty much set to go." Cozy Glow smiled, opened her wings, and hovered into the air, a few feet above the crowd. She lit her horn, and cast a spell on herself to amplify her voice, since she didn't have a microphone. "...Hello? Can I have everypony and everycreature's attention?" A large majority of the crowd turned their head upon hearing the filly, but the rest of the crowd needed to be reminded by others that their attention was needed. "Can everyone hear me?... Am I too loud?... Great! So... before I begin, I would like to let all of you know, if you don't know already, that Chrysalis and Tirek are over there giving away Hot Chocolate, so if you would like some, then feel free to get it before you leave for the night. :Anyways, you all probably know me by now. Cozy Glow. One of Equestria's former threats-turned-protectors, you could say. Now, I'm not going to get all sappy and tell the same exact story yet again... you all probably know it by now if you've been keeping up with the news for the past couple months. I'll just cut to the chase... "Harmony is something that keeps everything tied together into a neat Hearth's Warming Bow. Harmony is the reason I am a completely different filly than before. Harmony is the reason why ponies and non-ponies live together, in what I hope is eternal friendship. Harmony is the reason why the different pony tribes formed... making friendship, and harmony the reason why Equestria exists in the first place. "I'm happy. I'm thankful. And I know I'm not the only one. Although a majority of you weren't anything like me, I think we can all agree that when Harmony thrives, we are all much happier, and much better examples of who we should be. An example of how peace makes us much happier than if we were focused on bitter rivalries or destruction. So let's allow Harmony to continue until the end of time!" Everyone clapped and cheered. All of Cozy Glow's close accomplices smiled. "Now, although the get-together is far from over, we've all prepared a special surprise for everyone! Please make your way out of the castle, and gather around the front. Thank you." Cozy Glow reversed the spell, and she took the path to get outside. Leo followed, and so did the crowd. It was slightly chaotic, but there weren't any incidents as all the guests make their way through the castle, and eventually out the door. Meanwhile, Starlight rushed to the balcony, eventually deciding to teleport to the balcony, which caught Trixie and a few dragons they hired (two of them being Smolder and Spike) off-guard. "GAH!" Trixie yelped. "Sorry, Trixie," Starlight apologized. "But the show is about to start. Are you all ready?" "As ready as we'll ever be!" Smolder raised a small bottle of red liquid. "Bottom's up, fellas!" Smolder, along with another dragon, drank their own bottles of red liquid. Another dragon, however, drank green liquid instead. Spike didn't drink anything. "Lucky for me, I don't need any," he said. "We know. You said that already," said Trixie. "Thanks for agreeing to do this, by the way," Starlight thanked. "No problem." "Where's Twilight?" "Right here!" Princess Twilight landed on the balcony. "You didn't think I was going to miss this, did you?" "Of course not!" Starlight exclaimed. "Will you be up here, or..." "I think I'll just watch from the crowd. The view is better. I just wanted to thank you, Sunburst, Spike, Chrysalis, Tirek, and everyone else for doing this." "I'm glad you're liking it already," Starlight smiled. "Good luck. I'll be up when the show's over." "Thanks again." "Bye, Twilight!" Spike waved farewell. Trixie waved too, but she just genuinely smiled. Princess Twilight flew off, and went to join the crowd where the New Mane 4 resided. Starlight stepped back and nodded at Trixie. It was time! The four dragons flew off into the night sky, and began to do an assortment of things, while they each proceeded to breathe fire... Smolder and one dragon breathed red, and Spike and another dragon breathed green. They swirled around in the sky, went around in a halo-like circle, went at each other before flying off to the side at the last second, and many other things. And the whole time, Trixie's horn burst out red, green, and white sparks, swirling up into the sky. Eventually, the sparks and swirls of magic became booming fireworks, which the dragons weren't even affected by in the slightest. The massive crowd watched with wonder and excitement. The show was massive, and exciting, and it felt like it was lasting forever... which was something that no one cared about. But, all good things had to come to an end, and the show soon came to its massive conclusion. Amplifying her voice, Starlight made sure to remind everyone about the Hot Chocolate, before everyone made their way inside. Luster was, of course, with her friends and the Princess in the back. "That was phenominal!" she piped. "They did so well!" "Yeah, it was one of the biggest things that we had to plan for the night," Chrysalis explained. "It definitely went off with out a hitch..." Luster stopped listening. She stopped. Nearby, in the faded dark, she could see Magma Burn sitting in the snow, his back hunched, and his face hidden. Everyone else seemed to notice too. Luster wasn't sure if he was there all day, or if he came back and had to sit, but either way, she decided to do something about it. She was going to go talk to him. "Would you excuse me for one moment?" Luster didn't bother with hearing their responses. She just went off, intent on hopefully finding out if Magma Burn was worth keeping around, and having as a friend. ... ... Luster wasn't sure if Magma Burn would be aggressive to her, but she was cautious anyway. He didn't move or speak, which scared her, but at the same time left her curious. But when Luster Dawn was close enough, Magma Burn finally managed to speak. "...All I wanted is to keep Equestria safe," he started. "...keep the innocent safe... and keep you safe." "But I am safe!" Luster exclaimed. "I, like many others, feel safe around them... my mother, the reformed trio, Discord, all of them! They've done so much to help save Equestria in their own ways. They've rarely done anything. Okay, yes, Discord made some slip-ups, but... everything's okay!" "And you're certain they're not just... waiting... to pounce?" "It's been well over a couple of months since our last incident, and everything's been fine." There was a sound of hoofsteps in snow, and Luster and Magma saw Chrysalis, Tirek, Cozy Glow, and Leo walk up to them. They didn't say anything however. Instead, they allowed the conversation to carry on. "Listen. One of my most recent friendship lessons was that we don't have to agree with everything to be friends. And it's true. We don't have to agree on everything. But your vision of justice isn't like different opinions on a story. It's holding onto the past, which isn't just harmful to them, but harmful to me... and even you! This is Hearth's Warming! A time where we celebrate Harmony! Not a time to want the worst for those who have changed. Maybe, yes, the reformation of Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow was among the most unlikely... but it happened! Same for Discord, same for everyone else. And if my mother never changed... then I wouldn't even be here today." "I've been around you plenty of times... especially when we were stranded," said Leo. "Considering it's obvious that you still have a grudge with me, I can pretty much say that you're simply not giving them, or us, any chance at all. You're not willingeg to take time to get to know us. And when we're together, you're here because you don't have a choice." "Come with us, Magma," Chrysalis encouraged. "Open your mind. Calm your beliefs. And if you get to know us, maybe you'll feel different..." Leo was the one to extend his hoof as a sign of a peace offering. Magma stared. He felt the same urge he always had to ignore the offer, and leave. Yes, it came with a cost... he'd lose his closest friend. But what if... what if he tried something new? Maybe it would open a door. It was a risk. But Magma Burn took risks before. He took Leo's hoof, and he stood up. "Let us proceed," Tirek said. "We'll go inside for some Hot Chocolate, and go from there." "Do you by chance have any... specific pastries?" Magma Burn asked. "Like what?" inquired Chrysalis. "Maybe some... donuts, perhaps?" "I have some leftover's from Pony Joe's," Cozy Glow shrugged. "You could have some if you want." What happened next was a surprise. For the first time, they all saw Magma Burn smile. "Yes..." he starts. "I like that a lot..." And they all went aside, but for a few extra moments, Leo stopped when some snow began to fall. He looked up, and watched as the night-time Hearth's Warming Snow began to fall. From the distance, he could see some Pegasi kicking the clouds to allow the snow to fall. Just then, he heard his name get called, and he quickly retreated inside.