//------------------------------// // Bonus Chapter // Story: A Hearth's Warming Carol // by Nocturnal Reverie //------------------------------// It happened nearly a month into the new year, during the coldest part of winter. Snowfall Frost was burrowed into her covers, when her sleep was interrupted by a brash knocking. Stirred, but not entirely roused, Snowfall glanced at the clock. 2:31 Deciding she had simply dreamt the sound, she allowed herself to drift off again, only to hear it once more, harder this time. Sitting up, she looked around--a bit disoriented, mind you--to try and find where such a noise was coming from. It was then the bell--the very same bell that heralded Miracle’s arrival into her bedchambers--rang once, twice, thrice, then went silent. A horrid thought crossed her mind, and she couldn't help but call out to the silence of her room: "Miracle? Miracle, is that you?" She was met with silence. That is, until a different sort of tapping made her blood run cold. Whatever was making the noise was tapping on her window now. The very window Miracle had disappeared through, the very window where she had been taken to the past. She didn't want to look. What manner of spirit was paying her a visit now of all times? "Snowfall!" came a desperate hiss from the window. It was a voice Snowfall recognized, and it was certainly no spirit. Looking to the window, she found Snowdash, face pinched in worry, eyes glistening with tears—though Snowfall was unable to discern if this was from the cold or from whatever had brought the mare to her window at half-past two in the morning. It was then Snowfall registered the blanketed bundle Snowdash held against her chest, and heard the muffled sounds of a coughing foal. Instantly, she was up, her magic grabbing hold of the latches and throwing open the window. "What in Equestria are you doing out this early?" she questioned, half-shouting, as she beckoned the pegasus in. Her heart thundered when she heard the coughing, now louder, interrupted only by the desperate intakes of breath, the little filly in the bundle shaking as she attempted to fill her freezing lungs. "We-we ran out of coal," Snowdash shivered as Snowfall ran to light a fire. "I thought it'd be okay to let it die out and get more in the morning, but now she can't stop!" Snowfall gestured Snowdash over to the new fire, pulling away part of the blanket so she could observe Scootaluge. The poor filly's eyes were squeezed shut in pain, one foreleg hugging her chest, where no doubt she was experiencing the most agony, the other hoof held against her mouth. At her next cough, Snowfall felt her heart leap to her throat, noticing bits of blood pepper the filly's hoof. In an instant, she pulled toward them a blanket of a thicker sort, with which Snowdash replaced the thinner blanket. As Snowdash rubbed the foal’s back, moving closer to the fire, Snowfall Frost hurried to her cabinets, plucking out the proper potion book, and got to work on a mild healing tonic. As she worked, she listened to Snowdash's quiet voice as she spoke the best comforts she could to the choking foal. "It's okay, Scoots," she murmured. "Just try to breathe, okay?" Snowfall Frost added the ingredients into the pot, quickly measuring the precise amounts. The potion’s color changed to exactly what she needed, before a thought crossed her mind. After checking and cross-checking, she decided her final, extra ingredient would not harm the original recipe, and added a pinch of it. While she stirred, her ear pricked at Snowdash's breath hiccupping in her throat. The pegasus sniffed, the foal's hacking having not died down even a bit. Snowdash lowered her voice, unaware Snowfall was still within earshot as she spoke the only comfort she could to the filly. "If it's too much, Scoots," she squeaked, "you just fly away, okay? You fly away as fast as you can. It's okay." The mare sniffed as she began rocking the filly, planting a kiss on the foal's temple. Snowfall Frost swallowed the lump in her throat, her own tears threatening to fall. She shook her head. She wouldn't allow it. She’d make sure she’d be alright. Finally, the potion turned to the final green she needed, and she poured out the proper dosage, galloping to the filly. “Give her this,” she commanded her employee. Snowdash’s eyes widened in surprise, then did as she was told. Coaxing the filly’s hoof away from her mouth, she helped Scootaluge drink the combination during a lull in her coughs. Once she had drinken the concoction, the filly gave another cough, the potion already beginning to work, the filly blinking sleepily as her coughs died down almost immediately. Snowfall watched with concern as Scootaluge fell asleep quicker than she had expected. Her expectations were at least better than Snowdash’s, whose breath nearly halted as the foal’s attack seemed to cease far too suddenly. “Sc-Scootaluge?” Snowdash squeaked. The potion fell from her hoof, and she desperately tried to rouse the filly. “Scoots?!” “It’s okay,” Snowfall reached out, halting Snowdash’s ministrations. “She’s asleep. I added a pinch of sleep-aid to give her some peace, it just worked better than I thought it would.” The panic in the pegasus mare’s eyes flickered, dying away slas her shoulders slowly relaxed. She pressed an ear to the filly’s mouth, all tension melting from her body once she felt and heard the filly’s breath. “What was that stuff?” Snowdash asked breathlessly. “A mild emergency healing tonic,” Snowfall explained. “From the looks of it, her lungs were extremely irritated, which was causing the cough.” As Snowfall launched into her explanation, Snowdash couldn’t help but stare at the genuine concern she found on the mare’s face. A welcome change of pace from the usual scowl she wore, Snowdash couldn’t help but wonder: “What made you change?” “Hmm?” Snowfall snapped out of her tirade. “What…” Snowdash croaked. “You…you changed…what…what happened? You said yourself that you didn’t care whether or not other ponies died, and yet…just now, you…you saved her life, what…?” Snowfall gave the stammering pegasus a small smile. “Let’s just say…an old friend visited me and helped me change my mind.” Snowdash gave a chuckle through her nose at the cryptic answer, figuring that was the best answer she would receive to her query. Another rose in her mind, one that had been bothering her for quite some time now. “If, uh…if you don’t mind me asking…” “Go ahead,” Snowfall encouraged. Snowdash bit her lip, absentmindedly adjusting her grip on Scootaluge. “What did you say to Rose Bloom on Hearth’s Warming?” Snowfall’s heart skipped a beat, the events of that fateful night flashing in her mind all in one go. Gulping down the majority of the truth, she answered, “I…heard through the grapevine, um, about her sister.” Snowdash’s eyes widened, mouth dropping open in surprise. “I was just…giving her some encouragement in the matter.” A pang shot through her heart, and she added, “I know what it’s like to lose a sibling.” Snowdash gave the mare a smile. “Well, thank you for trying to help her.” Snowfall smiled, taking note of Snowdash’s crestfallen gaze. “Would you mind telling me about her? Uh…Applerose?” The pegasus looked up at Snowfall, surprised at her interest. “Uh…sure.” Snowdash shuffled in her seat, clearing her throat. “Applerose was a really good friend of mine and Flutterholly and Merry. She, uh…” Snowdash blinked tears out of her eyes. “She loved Hearth’s Warming, and had this thing about saving the traditions of her family and passing them on. She always insisted on wearing her mother’s old dresses during the holidays.” With a chuckle, she added, “Her favorite was this light yellow one with apples all over it, with green lace on the hems. Said it reminded her of every pony in her family.” Snowfall smiled warmly, unable to shake the image from her mind, lining up far too perfectly with another presence she knew. “How…how did she die?” Snowdash hesitated, batting away a falling tear. “We aren’t really sure. Rose Bloom swears up and down that she was taken to the spirit world—especially the first Hearth’s Warming after it. We’re pretty sure it’s just the trauma talking.” “Trauma?” Snowfall asked, immediately regretting the question once it was out. Snowdash hesitated once more, eyes trained on the fire. “She got really sick around Hearth’s Warming. She had a really bad night, but seemed to bounce back. Even though she could barely stand on her own, she made all of us think she was gonna get better. On Hearth’s Warming, she was even more adamant about sharing stories and holding onto her family’s traditions. She hugged us all tighter than she ever had, and told us she loved us so many times.” Snowdash’s voice trembled with her jaw. “Part of me thinks she had to have known that would be her last day with us.” Snowfall Frost closed her eyes, the weight of the story threatening to send her to tears, as well. Snowdash took in a shaky breath. “She said goodbye to all of us when we left, and fell asleep with her brother and sister beside her. The next morning…” Snowdash made a shrugging motion with a raised hoof, eyes blanking, “…she was gone.” With a grimace, she added, “Rose Bloom was the first one to wake up, pressed right up against her chest. She—“ Snowdash pressed a hoof to her muzzle, tears streaming down her face. “She woke up in Applerose’s forelegs, and couldn’t hear her heart beating.” Snowfall bit her lip. “That…sounds awful. I…I had no idea…” Attempting to wipe her tears, Snowdash added, “She wouldn’t talk for the first year after that. Then all of a sudden, on Hearth’s Warming morning, she started singing all these old songs Applerose used to sing, and kept saying she saw her the night before. None of us really knew what to think, and we tried to get her some help, but nothing’s changed.” Frowning, Snowfall Frost suggested, “Maybe…you could look when she does? What if, since she’s so adamant about it…what if she’s right?” Snowdash blinked. She stared for a moment at Snowfall, before the hints of half of a smile found her face. “Well, if you believe her…maybe I will.” The pegasus smiled nostalgically down at Scootaluge. “You know, my parents used to say our loved ones never leave us. They stay by our side as spirits until we join them.” She ran a hoof through the little filly’s mane. “I always like to think about that every once in a while.” Snowfall smiled at the sentiment, her brow creasing as she picked up a small detail. “‘My’?” Snowdash glanced up at Snowfall curiously. “You said ‘my parents’, not ‘our parents’.” The pegasus paused, the observation catching her off guard. She looked down a moment, before nodding to herself and once again meeting Snowfall’s eyes, smiling at the unicorn as if she were peacefully confessing a secret. Snowfall was expecting a correction of speech, an amendment of sentence, a chastization of the self. She was not expecting to be proven right. “She’s...not your sister,” Snowfall realized slowly. Snowdash’s peaceful smile gained a sad undertone. She looked back down to the sleeping filly in her forelegs, allowing Snowfall to grapple with her thoughts. “Is…” Snowfall tried, “is she your daughter?” Snowdash hesitated, before answering, “No.” Snowfall tried to piece together the fractured pieces of information she was being given. “So, then...what is she to you?” The pegasus’s gaze never left Scootaluge. “That’s...an interesting story.” The lilac unicorn hesitated, before she smiled at her employee. “Well, I’d love to hear it...if you’re willing to share.” Snowdash’s stare finally found Snowfall’s, and she returned the smile, though only one side of her mouth turned upward with the notion. “I...haven’t told anypony this before.” “Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want--” “No, it’s fine,” Snowdash interrupted, holding up a hoof. “I trust you to keep a secret. You’re not one to gossip, even before Hearth’s Warming Eve.” Snowfall chuckled warmly, neither taking offence nor holding the reference against her clerk. Snowdash let out a long sigh through her nose. “Well, it was about...twelve…?” She glanced down at the filly, brow wrinkling in concentration, her exhaustion finally beginning to show through. “Yeah...twelve… “About twelve years ago, on Hearth’s Warming Eve, I was heading home from a party. We had just finished a round of caroling all around town, and it was almost midnight when I got home.” Snowdash’s gaze rose to Snowfall, and she held tears in her eyes as she continued. “Right when I was about to go in, I just so happened to notice this little box that hadn’t been there before at the entrance of the alleyway…” Snowfall felt her heart fall, her mind already beginning to fill in some blanks. Snowdash carried on, “It was...just a box. Just...sitting there. I don’t know what told me to look inside, but I did.” Her voice wavered as tears rolled down her cheeks. “And when I opened it...I found a newborn pegasus filly.” Sniffing, she looked back down to Scootaluge, beginning to rock the foal as she slept soundly. “She was so still...she was so cold...I thought she was dead.” As the clerk continued, Snowfall swallowed against a lump in her throat. “I pick her up, take her inside, wrap her in a blanket, and make a fire. I sat there for hours trying to warm her and wake her up.” Snowdash stared back at Snowfall, face melting in her memories. “I prayed, and prayed, and prayed. I prayed so hard...more than I ever had in my entire life.” Her breath hiccupped, the mare barely holding back a sob as tears dripped down her face. “And right when I was about to give up, the sun rising on Hearth’s Warming morning...she moves. And she cries. She cries, and she cries...and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard in my life.” Snowdash’s voice dissolved as she began to weep, holding her foal close and burying her face into the little neck as she rocked back and forth, overcome with her memories. Snowfall’s heart clenched at the sight, and she discreetly wiped away her own tears as Snowdash pulled herself from the filly, trying her hardest to compose herself. “I thought she’d be fine, but…she’s been sick almost her whole life, and…” Snowdash scrubbed her hoof into her eyes. “The cold brought her to me; and ever since, the cold’s been trying to take her away from me…and I don’t know why…” Snowfall Frost let her gaze fall to the peacefully sleeping filly. “Maybe…it thinks you took her from it, and it’s still trying to take her…” She gave her eyes to Snowdash. “But I promise…I’ll do everything in my power to help you make sure she stays right here.” A peaceful smile caressed Snowdash’s face, and the pegasus’s fatigue only seemed to multiply. Concerned for her clerk, Snowfall offered, “Why don’t you get some sleep?” Snowdash hesitated. “No, it’s okay…I…I’m fine, really…” “Snowdash,” Snowfall Frost insisted, “please, as your friend...get some sleep. Let me watch her tonight.” “Snowfall,” Snowdash protested weakly, giving the unicorn the best smile she could manage. “I’m fine, really. I’ve been doing this for years, I can…I can handle it…” To say Snowfall didn’t believe her would have been an understatement. “Then as your employer,” she amended, “I order you to go to sleep. I can watch her just fine for tonight.” This time, Snowdash hesitated for a different reason. Her head swayed a bit, and her eyes lazily drifted down to the filly she held before floating to the couch against the wall. “Are you sure?” “Yes, I insist,” Snowfall repeated. “Pass her over, and go to sleep.” The pegasus hesitated only once more, before she nodded, passing a hoof through Scootaluge’s mane. Snowdash gently passed the slumbering filly to her employer. She made sure she was secure in Snowfall’s forelegs before pressing a kiss to the little forehead, wobbling over to the couch, and falling onto it, almost immediately falling asleep. As if sensing her guardian’s absence, Scootaluge stirred, her brow crinkling as she made a little noise of objection. Snowfall began rocking the foal as Snowdash had, bringing her lips to the child’s ear and quietly shushing her tired protests, lulling her back to sleep. She glanced at the clock for the first time since her visitors' abrupt arrival: 3:34 She gave a soft sigh, which turned into a yawn. Now with both mare and filly sound asleep, she couldn't help but notice her own fatigue begin to creep back up to her. Deciding it wouldn't hurt to rest her eyes for a moment, she cast a precautionary barrier spell at the entrance of the fireplace, and let her eyes close. . . . . . "Miss Snowfall?" Snowfall Frost’s eyes flew open at the sudden, small voice, immediately coming face-to-face with the filly she held in her forelegs. She lifted her head, removing her chin from her chest and wincing a bit at the strain on the back of her neck. "Hello there," she smiled warmly at the filly. "How are you feeling?" The filly hesitated a moment as she thought. "Fine," she said with a small nod. "Feeling better?" Snowfall inquired, offering a more specific question for the sleepy filly to answer. "Mm-hmm," Scootaluge answered, nodding again. "Where's Snowdash?" "She's just over there." Snowfall Frost nodded in the direction of her employee, and Scootaluge followed with lazy eyes, landing on her caretaker, sound asleep on the couch. "Is she okay?" Scootaluge asked, Snowfall getting the sense it was more than just a question regarding physical stature. "She's alright," the mare smiled. "You gave her a bit of a scare, but she'll be fine now that you are." Scootaluge seemed to shrink into herself. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "You don't have anything to apologize for," Snowfall Frost insisted. "Your sister brought you here because she knew I could help, and I'm always happy to help the both of you." Silence fell between the two for only a moment, before an idea came to Snowfall. "How about we go get something to drink," she said. "Do you like hot chocolate?" Scootaluge gazed up at Snowfall Frost. "Can we put peppermint in it?" she asked, peeking out from her own shyness. "You bet we can," Snowfall replied with a chuckle, lightly tickling the filly. Scootaluge gave a giggle of her own, trying to shimmy out of the blanket. Snowfall pulled the blanket back around the filly and stood, levitating the little pegasus onto her back. "Ready?" she asked. At Scootaluge's nod, she headed for her bedroom door. On the way out, she glanced at her clock once more: 4:47 Line "Are you warm enough?" Snowfall Frost asked as she placed the filly in a chair in the downstairs kitchen. She had to admit: it was a tad chilly in the lower floor of the house. "Mm-hmm," Scootaluge answered, burying her muzzle under the blanket, where the air was warmer. Snowfall lit the stove, followed by the oven for good measure. Scootaluge watched the older mare in silence, her eyes peeking out curiously over the edge of the blanket. The two stayed silent as Snowfall worked, mixing the chocolate and adding the peppermint before she poured two mugs and gently passed one to the filly. “Don’t touch it just yet,” Snowfall instructed, “it’s pretty hot.” She gauged the heat of Scootaluge’s mug with her own, jerking away immediately once the scalding liquid hit her lips. Cringing, she played off, “See?” Scootaluge couldn’t help but snort. “You’re just as bad as Rainbow Dash.” “Oho, really?” Snowfall teased with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah,” Scootaluge nodded. “She tried to teach me to not touch the fire by…touching the fire.” This time, it was Snowfall who snorted. “Well, I suppose she’d rather herself get hurt than you.” “True,” Scootaluge shrugged. “But still, I think ‘Don’t touch the fire or you’ll burn your hoof off’ works just fine.” Giving a lighthearted chuckle, Snowfall returned, “Touché.” Another moment of comfortable silence fell between the two, Snowfall reaching out with her magic to stir Scootaluge’s hot chocolate. “So…” Snowfall piped up, trying to continue conversation with the foal, “uh, how–” She was interrupted by a thump over their heads. The two looked up as Snowdash’s voice called out, “Snowfall?!” “Oh, dear,” Snowfall breathed, trotting to the doorway. “We’re down here, Snowdash!” A flutter of feathers, a blur of rainbow, and Snowdash appeared right in front of Snowfall Frost. “Is she okay?” “She’s right in here,” Snowfall assured softly, steering the mare into the kitchen. At once, an exasperated sigh of relief flew from Snowdash, and she rushed into the room, enveloping Scootaluge in a hug. “Hey, kiddo,” she breathed. Scootaluge’s head ducked into Snowdash’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I scared you,” the filly mumbled. “Hey,” Snowdash returned softly, holding the filly’s face in her hooves, “you don’t ever have to apologize for that. You’re getting so much stronger, but you’re still healing. You’re gonna have bad days every once in a while until you’re completely better, okay?” Scootaluge nodded sadly. “Will the next one be that bad?” Snowdash’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know, Scoots. But we’re gonna go back to the doctor and see what went wrong, and we’ll get a different medicine, and things should start turning around, okay?” The filly nodded, swallowing her nervousness. “Okay.” As Snowdash pulled Scootaluge into another hug, Snowfall offered, “Want some hot cocoa, Snowdash? We kinda snuck down here to make some.” “Sure,” Snowdash chuckled. She tussled Scootaluge’s mane. “One night with my boss, and suddenly you’re an expert in giving me a heart attack!” Scootaluge giggled. “I said I was sorry for scaring you!” “Mm-hmm,” Snowdash hummed, rubbing her nose against Scootaluge’s own. Snowfall chuckled to herself, her mind presenting her with an idea that grew more and more appealing with every passing moment as she watched the two sisters. “What is it?” Snowdash asked teasingly. “Oh, nothing…” Snowfall trailed, swirling her mug. “I was just thinking…this house is, uh…a bit too big for just one pony. I think it could use a couple more residents.” She gave a pointed look to Snowdash as she took another sip. Snowdash’s eyes widened. “Snowfall, no,” she said, “you’ve done enough for us already.” “Oh, please, I insist,” Snowfall returned. She gazed out into the hall. “This house was never meant to be this empty…this cold. It…it could use some more life in it.” A small smile crept up Snowdash’s face. “Okay, but…only if you let me help with rent.” “The house is paid in full,” Snowdash quipped back. “There is nothing left to pay.” Snowdash’s shoulders slumped, the mare thinking for a moment before finally a small smile crept up her face. She squeezed Scootaluge, looking down at the little filly. “Well…what do you think, Scoots?” Scootaluge gave a shy smile, looking up at her older sister. “Okay,” she smiled contently. Snowdash returned it with a small nod, looking back up at Snowfall Frost. “Okay.”