Pipp found herself wandering how long the music had been going.
The brass band had been there when she, Zipp, and their mom had entered the theatre to start rehearsals, and were still going strong somehow. Had they stopped and taken a break, or had they been playing this entire time?
That was certainly some impressive stamina in the latter case. As they launched off into Carol of the Bells for what seemed to be the thousandth time, Pipp turned and looked down the snow covered streets, the silly soft stuff continuing to pour down from seemingly bottomless buckets in the sky.
Suddenly, there was a strange thing happening next to her, and Pipp turned, shivering despite her scarf and coat. "Is that you, Izzy?" She had long accepted the idea that Izzy could teleport about the place, and kept a close eye on the skies in that regard.
But what happened next could scarcely have been predicted by anycreature that day. A strange portal seemed to open up, and a greyish blue pony with a turquoise mane and tail stepped through, with a bow attached into her mane. "Hooray! It worked!" she said. The stranger spoke again, and she said, "Do not fear. I come from a timeline a long way from here."
"What worked?" Pipp said, now fully aware of the strangeness of new times.
"The time travel machine I built with some help!" said the pony. "My name's Flitter, by the way, and I guess this is the future. It's certainly not as bad as I'd thought. A street scene beats a nuclear wasteland any day!"
Pipp wasn't sure what this pony was talking about, but decided to keep rolling along as best as she could. "Well, nice to meet you, Flitter. I'm Pipp Petals, and I live here. I'm just taking a break from a concert we're preparing."
"Performing Hearth's Warming Music, are we?" Flitter asked.
Pipp blinked. "What's Hearth's Warming? It's Wishingtide right now!"
Flitter shook her head. "No, it's Hearth's Warming. You know, when the tribes came together and drove out the wendigos?"
"Nope, not ringing any bells. I'll ask Sunny to look that one up." Pipp looked at her phone screen. "Well, still some O'Clock, and we shall be at the end of the day. I've got a short break from the rehearsal, so I was wondering if you just wanted to wander about for a bit?"
"Doing what?"
"There's lots of windows on these streets that we can look through. We term it window shopping around here in Zephyr Heights, and trust me plenty of shopping happens around this time of year!"
"That certainly sounds fun," Flitter smiled, seemingly unaware of the extremely choppy dialogue. "You lead the way!"
Pipp nodded, heading off down one of the streets with speed and vigour. It was certainly good to be able to indulge in a much freer range of movement after several hours stuck in concert garb. Flitter, she noticed, had a relatively easy time keeping up, and soon they were on their way and down a street filled with glass in the windows.
Pipp, to those who knew her, was something of a seasoned shopper. It came with her status, after all. Being not only a princess but also a social media icon and pop idol meant that keeping up with appearances was absolutely vital if she wanted to maintain relevance. The particular street they were currently on, Krakowski Boulevard, intersected along its course with Cullen Row and Berrow Way, and these formed the core of Zephyr Heights' commercial district. That, and its easy proximity to the palace made it a popular route for both tourists and royalty for quick shopping runs.
"It's nice to be going down here again," Pipp commented. "I've been so busy with running my business down in Maretime Bay and preparing for this concert that I haven't really had much time to relax."
"It's OK," Flitter commented. "I mean, I certainly know what that's feels like. The build up to the start of Hearth's Warming is usually the most hectic time of the year. And when it does arrive, it can sometimes be a relief, as we can stop running about like headless dragonequi and enjoy ourselves."
"What's a dragonequi?" Pipp asked.
"Plural of dragonequus. A very strange creature. Don't you read the comics?"
"You have me very confused," Pipp replied, before spotting a convenient way of changing the subject. "Oh look! There are some carolers! Shall we listen?"
"It's not too different to my own time, then," Flitter said. "Where we go, singing is a big part of the culture. Music helped to drive the wendigos away!"
"If friendship was solely adopted to prevent these Wendigos from doing things, no wonder the three tribes fell out so easily," Pipp thought to herself. "Interesting," she said, as the carolers launched off into another melody which was slightly out of the range of the sopranos.
Having said all that, the effort was what counted. The journey through the shopping district continued unabated, but alas all things must come to an end. Devices that both pegasi were wearing suddenly began to beep.
"Looks like the time machine is out of time," Flitter said. "I need to head back in time and hope I don't mess up the future."
"And I need to get back to the concert. Boy is it a long one this year," Pipp replied. "Well, goodbye Flitter. It was nice getting to know you."
"You too, Pipp!" Flitter replied as she hopped back into a portal.
Pipp slowly made her way back down the street back towards the concert hall, her heart slightly low. But then her heart was raised by the rousing sounds of the musicians, and the city clocks striking the new hour, and of laughter and merriment in the street, and those whose joy burned bright in the lives of others.
And that was what Wishentide was all about. The cheerfulness inspired Pipp, and she returned indoors with something of a spring in her step. This may not have been her favourite thing owing to the absurd lengths of the performance, but it was worth it.
And Pipp was determined to give it her best shot.