"Waiting. We...are waiting for Santa Hooves."
"It cannot be much longer..."
"...Surely he has flown over Canterlot by now!"
Luna fidgeted in her permanent stance in front of the glowing Hearth's Warming tree, a look of concern and a touch of annoyance falling upon her elegant features. It was just a tick past midnight, and she had waited for hours, yet no sign of the jolly old reindeer. She stood up and stretched her long limbs, trotting over to the chalkboard in the corner of her room that still held her notes from earlier that month when she had just begun researching Hearth's Warming.
"The stockings are held by the chimney with care..." She briefly remembered that at least several of the chimneys dotting the castle had at least a minimum three socks nailed over them, awaiting the goodies to be stored in them for later.
"In return for the gifts that he brings, Santa Hooves loves a plate of cookies and milk..." The kitchen staff had gone all out, baking dozens of types of cookies and every type of milk imaginable had been imported, from soy to skim to rich and full eggnog, plates set up over tables across the castle halls and stationed by every chimney, tree, and exit. Luna herself was tempted to sneak a little munch of the treats, but she had withheld herself from the temptation, and scolded any guard or servant who she caught reaching for a plate. She could only facehoof when Celestia had taken an entire plate to her room.
"The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads..." The moon princess paused as she contemplated this next set of notes she had scribbled down. Perhaps Santa Hooves had not come because he knew she was still awake? Surely if he could keep track of every foal in Equestria, then he knew that she awaited his arrival. Luna quickly moved to her bed and leapt into it, wrapping herself up amongst the covers and many throw pillows, making sure she was as comfortable as possible. She was a nocturnal creature by nature, but for Santa Hooves, she would try to sleep at night to awaken in the morning.
She closed her eyes and allowed the haze of sleep to overcome her, yet it never did. She tried to think of sugar-plums, but they weren't her favorite treat, and they always stuck to her teeth when she bit into them. She fidgeted in her bed, moving the blanket around to have it snugly wrapped around her, but every bit of softness seemed to flee from her when she moved about and tried to get comfy.
"Blast it!" She hopped out of her bed with an angry little snort. Obviously sleeping wouldn't work. She would just have to wait once more.
With a sigh, the princess moved to the balcony that jutted outside her room, stepping out onto it and into the crisp, cold air that winter brought. She breathed it in and released a small puff of breath, the wisp of air visible. She looked up to the starry night sky, the moon brilliantly shining over the land. Luna briefly smiled at her hoofwork, she wanted this Hearth's Warming Eve to be perfect. The stars glittered every so often, a light breeze kicked up every now and again, and only the sound of the cold night echoed through the air...that and the sound of running hooves and a merry laugh.
Luna bolted upright at the sound, her eyes of blue turning to the inky sky.
There, high above and outlined by the silvery faintness of moonlight, a jolly large figure flew through the air, in tow a sleigh right behind it. The figure was antlered, and a stream of red and green sparkles dissipated behind the outline as he flew through the night sky.
"Santa Hooves." She breathed dreamily before shaking herself back to reality. "Wait for us, dearest Santa Hooves! We must meet thee!" She shouted, taking flight with a powerful flap of her wings.
She was in the air nary seconds later, zooming through the sky, the cold frost all around cutting deep into her bones, but she couldn't be called the princess of the night if a little chill got in the way of her goal. With her speed, she caught up to the sleigh-puller in a short amount of time, his head snapping to attention at the sight of the grinning blue alicorn beside him.
It was just like the children's stories had said. He was a large reindeer of an earthy brown with several cream-colored spots dotting his fur, his build mostly bulk and muscle instead of fat, his cheeks and nose a jolly red, his eyes aglow with the Hearth's Warming spirit, and his mighty antlers jangled with the many bells tied to them. Upon his frame was an equally bright red and very comfy-looking coat. Attached to him via a sleigh pullstring, the carriage containing bundles upon bundles of gifts for those who had been nice floated behind him.
"Princess Luna." The reindeer greeted with a small nod, his voice calm and wizened, but holding a certain tone of joy beneath it. "Forgive me for not bowing, considering that we're in the air and I have a schedule to keep."
"Tis forgiven, Santa Hooves." She replied with a faint hint of glee in her voice. "We have so many questions for thou!"
"I know," He nodded in reply, continuing to lazily fly across the night sky, Luna keeping a pace beside him with her own wingflaps.
"You want to know the true meaning of Hearth's Warming, don't you?" He raised a shaggy white eyebrow and laughed a little, his symbolic 'Ho-Ho-Ho' ringing across the night and waking a few expectant children to wonder at the sound.
"Why, yes!" Luna nodded eagerly.
"Hmm..." He scratched his chin with his foreleg before his eyes lit up. "Come, follow me." He motioned down towards one of the houses right below them. He descended, and with all the efficiency of one who had done his job for many years, landed upon the rooftop without so much as the snow crunching.
Luna, on the other hand, put her full weight into her hooves as she slammed down onto the roof, sending the entire blanket of white to crash to the ground below. Santa Hooves only shook his head slowly as he unfastened himself from his sleigh, picking up several presents and carrying them upon his back. He slipped over to the chimney as silently as a mouse, and quick as a winter's breath, was down the chimney, only the small puff of soot in the air over the chimney hole.
The princess walked over to the chimney and stared down into it tentatively, curious as to what she should actually do next. She rolled her eyes and pulled herself into the chimney, her large size sending a few bricks loose as she plummeted down.
She landed in the empty fireplace entirely covered in ash, while Santa Hooves didn't have even a speck upon him. She shook her second black coat off and trotted over to him just as he had placed the presents under the tree.
"What dost thou wish to tell us? We are ever so eager!"
"Ssh!"
"We are ever so eager..." She whispered in a tinier voice.
Santa nodded and gave another wave of his hooves, motioning for her to follow him once more. They tiptoed down the hallway, their hooves barely backing a sound, Santa's from years of practice, and Luna's from a little handy thing called a silencing spell. They moved into a small room at the end of the hall, and there illuminated by the window in moonlight, a small filly laid in her bed, her small body slightly rising up and down with each breath.
"What do you see here, princess?" Santa whispered.
"A small child."
"Look closer."
"...A small child holding a stuffed human toy?"
"...Closer. Think about it."
"..."
"Imagine what this child is going to see, going to feel in the morning."
"We imagine she will be most joyous at the gifts you have brought."
"Yes, but the gifts are secondary."
At that, Luna had to pull a confused expression. "We believed Hearth's Warming to consist of Equestria's founding...and gifts."
"No," The old reindeer shook his head, his large white beard swaying ever so slightly. "It's all about the spirit. What are you going to do with that spirit? Do you just keep it to yourself? Or do you go out and spread it to all you see?" He smiled widely. "That it was I do, that is what Celestia blessed me with so many years ago. I get to bring wonder to everypony across the land, filling them with the same spirit that's just brimming inside me."
"...We...do not follow."
"It is the hope...the joy...the wonder that Heath's Warming time brings. Yes, there are many who are not as fortunate as others, but it is our responsibility to bring the same joy to them that we have. The true meaning of Hearth's Warming is not about the caroling or the candy canes or the presents. It is about thejoy of giving rather than receiving, the wonder of spending time with your loved ones, and the hope of a better day...tomorrow."
"We feel all...tingly inside. This is the spirit, correct?"
Santa chuckled, leaving the room and Luna following behind with an odd grin on her face. "And on that very day, Princess Luna's heart grew three sizes they say!" Santa chuckled as he hoisted himself up the chimney with ease, Luna deciding to leave via the front door instead. She met him back in the air, the two flying once more.
"Now do you know, princess?"
"Indeed we do." She smiled, enjoying the feeling within combined with the crisp cold of winter all around them.
"I'll just check you off the 'received' list then." He guffawed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have little over half a million other children to attend to with only a few hours until sunrise."
"Godspeed, Santa Hooves." Luna nodded in reply, veering away to leave the reindeer to his work.
"Merry Hearth's Warming, Princess Luna!" His voice echoed as he furthered away into the distance.
"To you as well, jolly fat reindeer man!"
"Ah..."
Luna returned to her chambers with a sigh and a stretch of her body. With her question finally answered and her gift received, she decided to call it a night. She tuckered herself into her bed, this time rest coming much more easier with her cleared conscience.
A few hours transformed into a few minutes as seemingly out of nowhere the sun rose.
"Rise and shine Lulu, it's Hearth's Warming Day!" Celestia called out happily, opening the blinds to allow a burst of golden light to come streaming forth, sending the royal princess to come tumbling out of her bed in the most unroyal of ways.