//------------------------------// // Present // Story: For Goodness Sake: the Last Hearth's Warming Horror Story // by Jade Ring //------------------------------// “The greater a child’s terror, and the earlier it is experienced, the harder it becomes to develop a strong and healthy sense of self.” -Nathaniel Branden //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////🔔/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Diamond Tiara peered out the window as the blizzard raged outside. She sipped carefully at her hot chocolate, relishing the twin sensations of heat on her lips and the ambient cold on the windowpane before her. It was a delicious contradiction, one of many that made this season such a delightful conundrum. By all rights, she of all ponies should have abhorred this time of year. Were everyday ponies to become privy to her history see how she partook in the traditions and celebrations of Hearth's Warming, they might question her sanity. 'How can she go about with holiday greetings on her tongue with such gusto when she's been through such trauma?' They would ask one another, likely with sidelong glances in her direction and hushed tones as she passed by. 'How can she bare to decorate her home so gaudily, and attend so many holiday gatherings?' The answer was as simple as it was sad. She did all these things because she had known first hoof what happens to those who didn't. She was no fool, and she was taking no chances. She looked away from the snowy vistas outside, so similar to that night that for years had haunted her nightmares and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror that hung above the house's fireplace. The last decade had been kind to her. She'd gone through the gangly phase of adolescence with no lasting damage and was now the very picture of a lovely young mare. The combination of her looks and the wealth she had inherited since... that night... made her one of the most sought-after singles in all of Canterlot. The few stallions and mares that caught her interest, however, were never too long by her side before the story of her past came up. And once that conversation came up? Her beauty and her money were not worth having to deal with the possible ramifications of that one night of her foalhood. She went to sip her chocolate once again and chuckled darkly. So, what if they ran? She knew that she was more well-adjusted than she had any right to be. She'd spent her time behind institutional walls, wrapped and sedated each time her sleep was interrupted by hideous red eyes glowing at her from the dark. She'd put in the work accepting that she bore no blame in what had happened to her best friend, her parents, and the residents of her hometown. She was the one who still saw a therapist twice a week and ensured she swallowed a huge pill each night that guaranteed a deep and dreamless sleep. If they wanted to see her as the broken filly laughing in the snow on that Hearth's Warming morning so long ago, then that was on them. She had at least two friends who knew the real her, and that would always be more than enough. "Button says that the cookies should almost be done." Sweetie Belle sighed as she stepped heavily into the living room, her own mug of hot chocolate floating beside her. If Diamond Tiara had grown lovely, then the former Cutie Mark Crusader was nothing short of gorgeous. Such a shame for the singles of Canterlot that her heart had never really been up for grabs. The unicorn, finally starting to show from the foal she carried, made her way to the couch and settled beside her friend with a pleased sigh. The mares clinked their mugs in a silent toast and took a drink. Her impending motherhood suited Sweetie Belle comfortably, it seemed. She bore none of the under-eye bags or tired looks of most soon-to-be parents. And was that really a surprise? What were a few uncomfortable nights and bizarre pregnancy cravings after what she had been through? She lowered her mug and looked out the window. "How bad does it look?" "We've seen worse." Diamond Tiara deadpanned, and the two mares giggled. Humor was a tried-and-true method of dealing with the past, as they'd found over the last few years. "Ladies!" Button Mash entered the living room with a flourish and presented a plate piled high with cookies still steaming from the oven. The nerdy colt Diamond Tiara had known way back when had emerged from a predictably awkward adolescence and had become quite the handsome young stallion. He even still had his old propeller-beanie... though it mostly stayed on a hook in the hallway these days. "I believe I've finally gotten the recipe right this time." The stallion beamed as his two friends applauded him. "As the old expression goes; the ninth time is the charm." "Yeah, okay." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes as she reached for a cookie. "I'll buy that." "They look great, honey." Sweetie Belle pecked her husband on the lips while she claimed a cookie for herself. The peck became a proper kiss. The third became a little longer, more heated, and Diamond Tiara was forced the clear her throat to break them up. "Oops. Sorry." Sweetie Belle giggled. "It's fine. It's your house, after all" Diamond Tiara sighed dramatically. She gave the baked disc a once over before saying a silent prayer. Button's last few batches had been so abominable that she almost would have preferred having her tail pulled out, hair by hair. Satisfied that he hadn't included the decorative BBs in the batter this time, she took a test bite. She chewed several times, then nodded to Button Mash in approval. He had indeed finally figured out how to bake basic sugar cookies. She swallowed and washed it down with another sip of hot chocolate. "So..." "So...?" The stallion set his tray down on the coffee table and eased himself to a spot on the carpeted floor by his wife's side, leaning his head against her swollen belly. "So, when is this..." She tugged at the space beneath her chin, referencing the orange shock of hair that now sprouted from Button's own. "Going away?" "I like it!" Sweetie Belle protested through a mouthful of cookie, laying a hoof on top of her husband's head. "My editor suggested it." Button Mash smiled, unoffended. "Said that since I won't wear the fake spectacles, I should grow some facial hair. Says that it'll make the author photo stand out more." Button Mash and Sweetie Belle. Diamond Tiara had thought about it before and had come to the conclusion that if the two were not her best friends in the whole world, she might be a little jealous of them. They had avoided the lengthy stay in Canterlot's finest mental institution. They had managed to stay close somehow, even when living in separate cities with distant relatives. They had visited one another as often as they could, solidifying a bond that had grown organically beyond foalhood puppy love and into something much stronger, much deeper than that. Button Mash was now a rising novelist, the heir apparent to the Drake the Daring media empire, and Sweetie Belle was more than happy with her work in crisis counseling. They had been one another's rocks in the years since that terrible Hearth's Warming Eve. They had saved one another, and Diamond Tiara was happy for them. And... maybe just a little bit jealous. As the lovebirds cuddled, Diamond Tiara found her eyes drawn once again to the blinding white just outside the window. Had it really been ten years now? Ten years since a simple foalhood argument had become the catalyst for a disaster that had not only altered their lives, but wiped an entire town off the map entirely? And now here they were, the three of them. The last survivors of Ponyville. The survivors of... that night. There was one whose absence was sorely felt, but they respected it. Hadn't she lost more than any of them? Hadn't she lost not only her entire family, but her entire world? Her family's legacy? She was the only one who had not remained or returned to Canterlot in the intervening years. She'd remained in Manehatten, alone. They'd reached out to her, of course, with letters, cards, and wedding invitations. But her responses were always short, the excuses for not being able to attend understandable. Diamond Tiara, Button Mash, and Sweetie Belle had all, for lack of a better term, found some way of moving on from what had happened that frozen Hearth's Warming Eve. Apple Bloom, sad to say, had not. A sudden rapping at the door broke the otherwise comfortable silence. "Who in Equestria could be out about in this weather?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I'll find out." Button Mash stood nimbly and headed for the front door. "Hello? Can we help you?" He called out as he approached. No answer, save a further three short knocks. Button Mash looked uneasily back at his friends. "Should I... open it?" "Well, we can't just leave them out there to freeze, whoever they are." Diamond Tiara admonished him. "Besides, it's Canterlot. It's not like it's going to be anypony dangerous." "Can't argue with that logic." Button Mash reached out and turned the handle. "How can I help...?" The black robed figure on his doorstep cut off his question. It bounded in from the snow and wind, forcing Button Mash to recoil in shock. Freezing air filled the room, and a howling gale silenced the cheerful crackle of the fire. For a moment, the figure stared at the stallion from within a midnight black hood, then kicked the door shut without looking back. Silence descended as the three ponies stared in shock and mounting horror at the profile that had haunted their dreams for the past decade. Panic kept them frozen, and chaos would have likely descended had the hooded figure not tossed back her hood and offered them the most earnest and pleased smile any of the could ever remember seeing. "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, ya'll." Apple Bloom said. The moment broke, and the trio rushed their long-lost friend as one. The sudden group hug caught the earth pony off guard, and soon the four found themselves in an accidental cuddle-pile on the floor. They didn't care. They laughed. They cried. They held one another. For the first time in ten years, the circle of survivors was complete once again. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Apple Bloom washed down her third cookie with her hot chocolate and gave a satisfied sigh. "Sweetie Belle, did you know this fella could cook before you married him?" "Unexpected fringe benefit." Sweetie Belle nestled deeper into her husband's embrace on the loveseat. The newly arrived earth pony had removed her heavy cloak and was laying on it near the fire. She looked across to where Diamond Tiara sat in Button Mash's recliner. "How've you been, Di?" "Never mind how I've been." The heiress had not been able to stop smiling since Apple Bloom's arrival. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since..." "...since you got discharged." Apple Bloom's smile was small and sad. "And I didn't." Diamond Tiara's smile faltered. "I... I didn't mean to leave you there." "I know that." Apple Bloom waved her off. "I wasn't ready to go. Back then, I mean. Had more processing to do." She looked around the room. "How did ya'll know I got out? And how'd you know where to send your letters and such?" "Princess Celestia." Came the unified reply. Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah. That makes sense." She looked at Sweetie Belle. "I... I'm sorry I missed the wedding." Sweetie Belle shrugged sadly. "I knew you had your reasons." "There's no excuse. I just..." Apple Bloom sniffled. "I just wasn't ready." She reached up and ran a hoof through her snow-white mane. "I didn't feel like I deserved to be happy, and part of me... part of me resented that you were able to be. It was like a double-shot of guilt. I... I couldn't take it. I couldn't..." The tears began to flow in earnest. Sweetie Belle crossed the room in an instant and hugged her oldest friend close. "It's okay, Apple Bloom..." "It's not!" Apple Bloom barked hoarsely. "I let... I let what happened control me. I let... I let him control me. When I think of all the time I wasted staying away from you all, staying away from everypony, just... just sitting in my house and watching the world go by... That's not... that's not what Applejack saved me for. That's not..." And then she was crying into Sweetie Belle's coat, years of bitter tears flowing in an unbroken stream. Sweetie Belle cried with her. Button Mash and Diamond Tiara shared a look and an understanding nod. Here was a level of friendship they would never be privy to, but that was alright. Apple Bloom pulled away and wiped her muzzle clean with a hoof. "Sorry. Think I leaked a little on ya there." "It's fine." Sweetie Belle wiped her own eyes and cleared her throat. "I'm sure I'll deal with worse once little Pixel gets here." At the mention of the impending foal, Apple Bloom looked from Sweetie Belle's stomach up to Button Mash and grinned. "Didn't waste any time gettin' on that one, did ya game-boy?" "Hey, she wanted the foal." Button Mash grinned. "I just... helped out a little." "To hear Sweetie Belle talk about it, it sounds like you helped out a lot." Diamond Tiara sniggered. The four friends laughed together; their bond reaffirmed. Button Mash went around the room refilling their mugs with chocolate before claiming another cookie for himself. "So... can I ask a personal question?" "Shoot." Apple Bloom blew into her chocolate. "Ask away." "What changed? I mean... why come back tonight?" Apple Bloom didn't answer at first. She just stared into the depths of her mug, letting the steam float around her face. "I went back last year." Diamond Tiara stared at her. "Back?" "To Ponyville. Or Apple Valley now, I guess. But it'll always be Ponyville to me." She looked around. "To us." When they nodded in agreement, she asked. "Have any of you been?" Diamond Tiara and Button Mash shook their heads, but Sweetie Belle gave a small smile. "I went out the day I graduated. I felt like I needed to. It was spring, and everything was green and warm. Birds were singing... it was nice. Peaceful. For a minute, I..." Her lip trembled at the memory. "For a minute, it was like I could feel Rarity there next to me." She shook her head and cleared her throat. "But it was just a feeling. Everything else? It was like there had never been a town there at all. But I left a marker, so no one will ever forget there was something there once. I got permission from Princess Celestia to put it up. It says..." "'This is where the magic happened.'" Apple Bloom recited. "'This is where the magic lived. Dedicated to the memory of Ponyville, and all who dwelled therein.'" "So, you found it." Sweetie Belle laughed slightly. "I had to word it carefully. Princess Celestia didn't want any reference to Gr... to the blizzard." She swallowed hard, like she was trying to pull the word back into herself. "To the tragedy." "We don't say his name here." Button Mash answered Apple Bloom's question before she could ask it. "Why not?" Apple Bloom scoffed. "Do ya'll really buy what Celestia is sellin'? That if we forget about him, cover up everything, that he'll just go away and never come back?" "You don't?" Diamond Tiara asked. "A'course not." Apple Bloom sipped her chocolate. "He's been coming back every year. To check on things." "To check on...? Apple Bloom, what are you talking about?" Sweetie Belle cocked her head in confusion. Apple Bloom finished her drink and sighed. "A few years back, three stallions on a hike found themselves campin' in Apple Valley on Hearth's Warming Eve. They... they saw somethin.' Somethin' that scared them something awful. Scared 'em so bad that they refused to tell anypony about it." "So how do you know about it?" Button Mash asked. "One of 'em didn't like the dreams he was having. Nightmares that were somethin' awful. He wrote about 'em to me." She smiled at them. "That's how I've been surviving in Manehatten. I have a column in one of those supermarket rags." "You don't mean Up Close and Out There, do you?" Sweetie Belle gagged. "Ugh. Those covers are the worst. 'My Husband Left Me for a Timberwolf.' 'I Think My Parents are Changelings.' 'Best Fashion Advice for Your Alien and You.'" "Hey, the articles are pretty funny." Button Mash muttered into his cup. "One of those stallions wrote to me about what he saw in Apple Valley." Apple Bloom continued. "I knew Celestia would never let me print it, so I went to talk to him myself. I had to pay him every bit of my savings, but he agreed to take me back out to their campsite in the Valley to check it out for myself." "Well?" Diamond Tiara leaned in. "What did you find?" "Leaves." Apple Bloom smirked. "Singing birds." The smirk dropped. "Apples." "So, his story was bogus?" Button Mash asked. "Not exactly. See... he refused to go back anywhere close to Hearth's Warming, so we had to go in the fall. That was fine, because I just needed to know the approximate spot. Then I could come back out on Hearth's Warming Eve by myself." "What?!" Sweetie Belle blanched. "Why would you go back there then? Of all the nights?" Apple Bloom said nothing, so Diamond Tiara reached for her. "Apple Bloom?" The earth pony's gaze turned to the window, and to the storm blowing outside. "Why'd I go out there on Hearth's Warming Eve? In therapy, I'd tell them it was to put the past to rest. Bitter Root? I told him it was research for an article based on his experience. But the truth?" She looked back at her friends, and a single cold tear slid down her face. "The truth is... I went out there to die."