Trixie’s body hazily slumped to the floor from her bed. Her head was pounding and her muscles ached from last night’s adventures.
Trixie groaned.
She knew that no matter how fun that was, she will probably almost certainly, never do that idea ever again. She tried to get up to her hoofs but each motion of trying to right herself up intensified her head pain even more. After much trying and many casual swears to herself to help push her body up, Trixie was able to stand straight on her four hooves.
Trixie looked around the room with her eyes drooping and immediately facehoofed herself.
Argh, I’m so stupid! I forgot the tree, and all the decorations! Trixie thought with anguish. Indeed, she was so caught up in her nightly affairs that she completely overlooked to decorate or even try to fix her home in the least.
She stopped venting as soon as her eyes locked with the table in her home. Panic struck through her chest and filled her very core with shock. She galloped towards it, nearly knocking it over, and began to look on, over, under, through, and around it with shaking hooves. Trixie knew she left her outfit on the table when she came back, she couldn’t have lost them! To no avail, all her efforts were amounting to dust.
Trixie started to well tears in her eyes, though it was carefully masked with a fit of raging shouts.
NO! It can’t be gone, it can’t, it can’t IT CAN’T BE!
It may have seemed strange, that a unicorn was tearing apart her home with crying eyes, all for a simple festive outfit she shortly used. Truth was, that unicorn was very fond of that silly hat and its matching red and white clothing companion. It wasn’t the fact that she was going to do this again anytime soon, or she developed some sort of withdrawal system from not wearing it the moment she woke up. She loved that outfit the same way she loved to always wear her trademark wizard clothes.
There were memories behind them.
And being unable to find them meant to Trixie that they were forever lost.
In a fit of rage, Trixie took a mug and slammed it against the wall, it shattered into pieces and scattered across the hardwood floor. The last of anything organized or unbroken in Trixie’s home was gone. She slumped into a chair and tilted her eyes towards the ceiling in the aftershock of her tantrum. Trixie’s hoof dangled down past the chair leg and felt something rugged and tattered. Her eyes turned to see what it was.
It was the sack, the very same sack she had gotten from Pinkie, the very same one she had dumped, collected, and gave out presents with, the one which originally held the outfit. Trixie shrugged, if she wanted to destroy everything in her home then the sack would be the final piece. Her hoofs grabbed onto the ends and she pitifully shook out everything, if anything, from inside.
A box fell out.
W-what…..? Trixie could hardly believe her eyes. Her hoof got the box from the ground and held it close to her eyes to observe all its details.
It was a dark-blue box, like what one might see when looking up in the sky at night. It was decorated with stars, swirls that seemed to contrast with the paper as if they were trying to explode outward, and finally a simple red and white striped box held the gift firmly and together. It looked like somepony had really spent a lot of time working on getting the gift to look this good.
Yet, Trixie was still in disbelief. I already gave all the gifts I had last night. I didn’t miss one, the Great Trixie would never miss a gift! There was nothing in there in the end, Trixie was sure of it!
The box was still held in her hoof, it wasn’t an illusion or a hallucination for Trixie. It was a real present. Trixie took a closer look on a small note to see who was supposed to receive this.
“To Trixie… TRIXIE!?”
Trixie’s name was right on the present, she hastily yet nervously undid the wrapping to see what was inside. Her eyes glowed in surprise to see what it was.
The festive outfit, packaged nicely in the box, it glowed and looked even better than the day she first found them. Immediately she put them on and felt their warmness, but she immediately questioned herself.
Why?
There was a note also inside the box and Trixie eagerly took it and began to read.
"HO HO HO! I hope you like your gift Trixie! Not only is it washed from all that chimney powder (believe me; those first couple of centuries were a NIGHTMARE to get the stains out!) but you’ll never have to clean it again! Isn’t magic wonderful sometimes? Even I don’t know how it all works yet!
You’ve been a wonderful helper, and I promised last night that your hard work will not go unrewarded. I believe you’ve earned to keep these clothes; after all, you’ve been a most wonderful helper tonight. I would love to get into detail about how they ended up in Ms. Pie’s sack of gifting, but I’m running out of paper here. Have a Merry, MERRY Hearth’s Warming, my helper!"
- Noel Hooves
Trixie felt happy after reading that. It seems she wasn’t forgotten this Hearth’s Warming. She happily adjusted her hat and trotted, no, skipped towards her front door. The moment she opened it a purple hoof came down and knocked her on the head.
“Ow, watch where you’re knocking! You knock on the Door of Powerful Sturdiness! Not Trixie!” Trixie huffed in annoyance after rubbing her head. Her eyes looked up and she was surprised to see it was Twilight Sparkle who was at her front door; she too had a look of surprise.
“Trixie! I’m so sorry! I was about to knock on your door, but then it opened, and your head came out, and—”
“It’s quite alright Twilight. Now, why would you come here on the doorstep to see the Great Trixie? You’ve come to feast your eyes on the outfit that the Charitable Noel Hooves has bestowed upon me for my good deeds to this town?” Trixie boasted. Twilight looked annoyed, but before she could say anything Trixie laughed.
“I’m sorry! I couldn’t help myself!” Trixie laughed again.
Twilight hadn’t actually heard Trixie’s laugh (not the times where Trixie was scoffing at others because that just sounded, evil) this was a pure genuine laugh, and strange enough for Twilight, she liked it and joined in.
“Hahaha— okay but seriously, why did you come to my cart?”
“I just wanted to wish you a Merry Hearth’s Warming,” Twilight started to say. “Aaaaand, I was wondering if you wanted to head outside for a bit. The Hearth’s Warming Party was postponed because of some ‘neighborhood issues’ that need to cleared up and actually for some reason….”
“I really have no idea but I was compelled to come to your home… strange?” Twilight gave a shepish grin, a red blush tinged across her face.
"Well, there’s no need to make anything awkward anymore Twilight. I, the Great Trixie will ‘hang out’ with you for Hearth’s Warming and we will talk about the many misadventures I had during the last night!”
“Oh right, that’s the biggest reason I came here,” Twilight giggled before both of them left Trixie’s home and trotted down the frosty chill of Ponyville in snow, with their friendship and Hearth’s Warming spirits to keep them warm.
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Twilight Sparkle was shocked, from what a simple conversation starter of ‘I woke up today with a present in between my hooves’ has exploded into a mass amount of Trixie boasting. Actually, Twilight was even more shocked to hear that Trixie was telling her about falling into chimneys, breaking into ponies’ houses, and delivering presents to every single household in one night, and that it was all one-hundred percent true. Trixie’s boasting wasn’t boasting: it was the truth.
“I don’t even know what was in the boxes when I first gave them out. That pink pony ran into her building to fill the sack up and I never got to see anything that was inside them!” Trixie said almost casually and noticed that Twilight wasn’t as casual in her reply.
“Bu-But… That gift you gave me… it was a manual on how to organize manuals! You can’t have just pulled a gift out from your bag—”
“Actually, yours was the last one the Great Trixie gave,” Trixie replied with a smug grin.
“That. Can’t. Be. POSSIBLE! The odds of you correctly handing out every single gift to the right pony without even knowing what’s inside is IMPOSSIBLE!”
Twilight was freaking out and started to question herself aloud, Trixie was able to take a small break and look around Ponyville. It was strange, but all she could see was snow, she didn’t even see another pony today apart from the now mentally unstable unicorn next to her.
“Twilight?” Trixie tried to ask her but Twilight was completely lost in thought.
“What if I carry the one? No- no, then the percentage equation will just be flipped…”
“Twilight?”
“Factor in wind velocity? Why would wind be a factor to begin with? UNLESS it’s a conspiracy! No— wait, that wouldn’t make sense.”
“Twilight!”
“Of all the things, how could Trixie—”
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” Trixie’s great and powerful voice boomed in between Twilight’s ears loud enough to rattle her brain and break her thoughts. Twilight made a sheepish smile, but lucky for her Trixie was only annoyed and not angry as she let out a sigh of relief. “Good, I was wondering if you were going to keep talking to yourself while I tried to get in a question.”
Twilight nodded to Trixie, letting her know that she was okay now. Trixie took in a breath and was ready to ask her the question, “Where is everypon—”
“TWILIGHT!”
OH WHAT NOW!?
The duo turned around to see a small purple dragon trying to run through the snow towards them. In both his hands, he held a large decorated box over his head. Trixie was steaming through her ears in anger for being interrupted, but immediately regained her composure remembering that she was a changed mare now, and as such she should act like one.
“Spike? What is it? I thought you were still working on the—” Twilight started to say but Spike quickly made a few coughing noises and Twilight’s eyes went wide as realization hit her face. “I..uh mean… um… say, what’s with the box Spike?”
“It was an unopened gift you missed this morning, I checked and the nametag says it’s for you!” Spike cheerfully replied as he handed Twilight the box.
“What? But I thought Trixie only gave me one gift!”
Trixie rolled her eyes, “Of course Twilight. I may have been giving, but everypony got their fair share of presents.”
“If not from you, who?” Twilight asked. She flipped open a small tag that was hanging by the side of the box. “From: Noel Hooves” it read.
Twilight’s face immediately sank into a mental snap of despair. Her thoughts waged a war inside her purple unicorn head. Noel Hooves was just a folktale, yet here was this box that was addressed specifically for Twilight. Perhaps nothing made sense anymore, or maybe it made sense all this time. Nevertheless a worried look came from the purple dragon and the light-blue unicorn standing near her.
“Spike… can you take this box back home? I… I need to think through this later,” the unicorn asked her assistant and he happily took the box and hurried home.
Trixie had a smirk on her face after soon realizing who had given Twilight the gift. “Well Twilight Sparkle, it seems simple ‘imaginary’ legends have a habit of… surprising you when you least expect it. Noel doesn’t care if you do or don’t believe in him, just as long as you’ve been a caring pony who’s been nice and takes other’s needs into consideration.” Trixie patted a hoof against her friend’s shoulder, “Don’t be so scared, at least you’re not on the naughty list this year.”
Twilight couldn’t help but laugh and Trixie laughed along with her. Twilight still won’t know for certain if the patron of Hearth’s Warming exists until more evidence shows up, but Twilight learned (as well as many times before) that she should keep an open mind to ‘simple imaginary legends’.
The two laughed for minutes on end, the snow around them as well as the chilling wind didn’t seem to bother them at all. As much as Twilight wanted to enjoy laughing with Trixie in sub-zero temperatures, she still had one last thing to do.
One very important thing to do.
“Trixe…?”
“Yes?” she replied.
“Could you follow me for just a second? There’s something I want to show you.”
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Well this was a wonderful predicament, after walking for about ten minutes following Twilight to who knows where, Twilight told her to close her eyes as they walked the rest of the way to who knows where. On the way Trixie snuck a peek a few times, but Twilight noticed and made a temporary spell on Trixie's hat to cover about half her face and force her eyes to stay shut. Trixie was not enjoying it at all.
“Twilight, just what are you doing? I can’t see anything!” Trixie said with annoyance as she bumped her hoof against a bench and nearly tumbled.
“Don’t worry Trixie, we’re almost there.” Twilight said with a sincere voice. One more minute of careful guiding and suddenly they stopped.
“Twilight, why did we—”
“We’re here Trixie… you may open your eyes now.”
This better not be some kind of trick. Leave the stage tricks to the professionals, Trixie thought to herself as she could feel the effects of the magic tear away from her eyelids.
She brought the hat up properly back up and opened her eyes.
Her mouth hung agape at the sight before her.
“MERRY HEARTH’S WARMING TRIXIE!”
Practically every single pony in Ponyville roared the greeting right in front of Trixie. All of them had gathered around the area where her cart was stored. Left and right, up and down, these ponies were everywhere, and all of them had smiles on their faces. Trixie, though still shocked, was able to notice something connecting the buildings above. It was a sign; “Thank You Trixie” was what was written on it.
Trixie tried to form words, but she was speechless, she had to use some body language to get her question over to Twilight. Twilight laughed, it seems she wasn’t the only pony to have a mental breakdown, despite the two versions being completely different.
“These are all the ponies who you gave a Hearth’s Warming Eve present to.” Twilight quickly leaned into Trixie’s ear, “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them just HOW they got their gifts, the important thing was that they were delivered.”
“You… You planned this?” Trixie asked, and Twilight nodded her head.
“But wait Trixie, there’s more…” Twilight said to her with a smile before signalling to six ponies (who Trixie immediately recognized as Twilight’s friends and that pink pony… that pink pony… Trixie will need to talk to her one day about the whole ‘magical sack and outfit’ that the pony ‘coincidently’ gave her).
The ponies were standing in front of Trixie’s cart and quickly moved out of the way with beaming smiles.
Trixie’s eyes went wide, and she put a hoof to her mouth in surprise.
Her cart.
It was repaired, it looked better than it ever did before. Everything that was once broken shined with pristine light, none of the old lingering signs of abandonment or disrepair could be seen, the cart looked almost new like the time Trixie had first bought it.
Tears started to form in her eyes, and one rolled down from her blissful irises and onto her cheek. Trixie couldn’t stop staring at what these ponies have given her.
A new chance.
Twilight came over to her and pulled Trixie into a soft side-hug. Twilight had this all planned the night before, the moment Trixie left the house all the ponies began work, they were volunteers, they wanted to do this, they wanted to say thanks to Trixie, to accept her apology.
Trixie had finally understood what the Spirit of Hearth’s Warming finally met; all these acts of kindness, giving, compassion, and being with your loved ones and friends to make the unbearable cold of a winter’s night that much warmer. Trixie realized she wasn’t as alone as she once thought. She will always cherish this feeling forever.
This was indeed, a great and memorable Hearth’s Warming that neither the light-blue unicorn nor the other ponies will soon forget.
Trixie’s voice was inaudible to the festivities of the loud ponies cheering and partying around, but Twilight could hear Trixie’s whisper perfectly.
“Thank you.”