‘Cause there’s love in your lies

You’re so thinly disguised

You couldn’t tell right from wrong if you tried

Blue Oyster Cult- Goin’ Through the Motions

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It was a cold, clear morning in December, sunlight glistening over the numerous drifts and fields of snow. Throughout Canterlot, the streets were buzzing with festivity. The decorations were in place, the shopping was done, and the only thing left to do was sit back, relax, and enjoy the holiday. For parents, lovers, and all the stallions and mares in between, it was a perfect day to relax and spend time with their loved ones. A day to curl up in front of the fireplace, a blanket over the shoulders and a cup of cocoa in hoof.

Well, that’s how it felt for the adults. For the children, it was anything but relaxing. No, it was a day of irrepressible anticipation and impatience. When time crept by so slowly they almost believed the clocks had stopped. When brightly-wrapped presents taunted them with their mysterious contents. When the excitement was so unbearable they almost wanted to yank their manes out.

Spike paced back and forth across his mother’s sitting room, arms crossed and claws tapping impatiently. It felt like he’d been waiting forever, and it was still hardly past noon! He wondered if maybe his mother was prolonging the day to punish him for sneaking an extra candy cane last night?

Desperate to pass the time, he hummed every carol he knew, then counted each light and ornament on the tree, then finally tried reciting all of his lines for the play later that night.

“The end,” he finished proudly. Covering his eyes, he turned to the large clock standing against the east wall, eager to see how much time had gone by. It had to be at least an hour, right? Maybe even two! Well, he had sped through his rehearsal a bit, so maybe not that long. Yeah, he’d guess one hour just to be safe.

He groaned pitifully and flopped back onto a pillow. “I’ll never make it…”

Unfortunately, his wallowing in misery only lasted another few minutes before restlessness claimed him once again. With nothing better to do, Spike trudged over to the massive pile of gifts and looked them over for the thousandth time.

The presents were of all shapes and sizes, wrapped in bright, sparkly paper and tied with gold and silver ribbons. Reading each of the tags, he found ones for him, for his mother, for Cadence and Bluebood, even a few for Twilight when she’d come visit in the morning. Lifting up one of his own gifts, he tried to imagine what lurked under the bright red paper. It might be a new blanket, or a whole bunch of gemstones, or one of those cool helmets that all the guards had!

His claws twitched, aching to tear into the wrapping and uncover its secrets. Maybe… maybe if he made a really small cut, he could peek inside and then tape it up before anypony noticed? He quickly looked behind him. The room was deserted. He glanced out the window. No eavesdropping pegasi. He stared at the box unblinkingly, almost wishing he could bore a hole through it with his vision as he began his dastardly deed.

Suddenly he felt a warm breath against the back of his neck, and then a voice whispering into his ear.

Spike yelped and dove into the pile of presents. But before he could begin burrowing deeper, the warm sound of laughter made him pause. Peeking out from underneath the boxes, he saw his mother with a hoof to her mouth, giggling at the success of her little joke.

The alicorn gave him a smug look. “Now don’t you take that tone of voice with me, mister. After all, I caught you red-handed.” Lifting the present, she waved it back and forth as evidence.

Celestia grinned. “Good, because I’m sure you remember what happened the last time.”

“And I can do it again too,” she teased, her horn glowing. “In fact, maybe I already have!”

Spike burst out of the pile, waving his arms frantically. “No, no! I’ll be good, promise!”

Celestia gave him a skeptical look. “Oh, really? You’re not exactly off to a good start.”

“Very well,” she laughed. “If you can be good for the rest of the day, you won’t get any socks.”

As relieved as he was, Spike couldn’t help but try and milk it a bit further. “And if I’m really, really good, will you let me open one present early?”

Celestia gasped. “Why, you little mercenary! Trying to make such a deal with your own mother!” Spike gulped, hoping that he hadn’t already failed in his promise to behave.

“Although,” Celestia continued. “I suppose it could be a good lesson for you on taking responsibility for your actions. And it is Hearth’s Warming Eve… so alright Spike. It’s a deal. If you can be very, very good, I’ll let you open any present you want after we come home from the play.”

She lifted a hoof, and Spike quickly shook it, his smile reaching from ear to ear.

The smile dropped off his face, and he looked up at her uncertainly. She’d be deciding? He didn’t like the sound of that.

“But, don’t I just have to stay out of trouble and not look at the presents,” he asked hopefully.

“That’s just to get your presents tomorrow,” she corrected with a grin. “But if you want one tonight, it’s going to take much more than that to get into my good books.”

Okay, so maybe this deal was a bad idea. Even though he dreaded the answer, he had to know what she was planning.

The alicorn put a hoof to her chin, seeming to think it over. Spike grabbed hold of his tail, squeezing nervously. Maybe this deal wasn’t such a good idea after all. What if she made him practice his claw-writing for the entire day, or had him write an essay on the history of Hearth’s Warming to get his mind off the presents? What if she made him eat nothing but boiled asparagus for dinner, or had him wrestle a cockatrice? His mind whirled with scenarios, each more horrible than the last, until Celestia’s smile turned devious and she leaned over him.

“I want you to have an extra helping of carrots with dinner, and do a good job in the play tonight. Once the play is over, I expect you to actually socialize a bit instead of just hiding behind me or running off with Twilight. I also want you going to bed on time, no trying to stay up until midnight so you can open your presents as soon as the day begins.”

Even though he wasn’t looking forward to being fawned over by all the well-wishers, none of her conditions were that extreme. It looked like he was worrying himself over nothing.

“The one thing you absolutely must do is… give your mother a hug,” Celestia said.

He sagged in relief, hardly able to believe his luck. Rushing into her embrace, he nuzzled her chest, completely ecstatic as he debated which present to open.

That was until he heard the telltale hum of magic being cast. He twisted his head around just in time to see a bright, blue glow settle over each of his presents.

“Just a little extra security,” Celestia said. “Those barriers should keep you from peeking while I’m off at Twilight’s lesson and meeting with the council later.”

Spike pulled away from her hooves and dropped to all fours, curiously approaching one of the presents. Extending a claw, he carefully poked the glowing box, yelping as the blue field flashed into a bright and angry red.

“What’s it doing now,” he asked in amazement, watching the field revert to its original blue.

His mother grinned. “It alerts me whenever you try and get past it,” she explained. “That red glow means it’s sending me a mental warning that some little dragon is being naughty.”

“But what if some other pony touches them,” Spike protested. “Like if Cadence comes in and kicks it on accident! Am I gonna get in trouble for that?”

Celestia laughed and ruffled his Spines. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m not trying to cheat you, Spike. A spell to keep anypony from touching them would have taken far more time and energy.”

Reaching out, she gave the present a light tap. The field remained blue and undisturbed.

Well, that was a relief. At least now he wasn’t going to be framed if somepony came in and rearranged things. Still, there was something about that blue field that drew his attention.

Sitting beside the present, he peered closer at the swirling magic. It looked exactly like that barrier that was at the entrance to the twisted pony’s cave. He wondered if it was the same spell?

Spike frowned a bit at the thought. Did that mean that if Crystalia touched it, the same thing would happen? Would it glow red and tell Celestia what was happening? If it did, would his mother come running down to that cave to stop her? But why was she trapped there anyway, and if his mother was the one who did it, why?

So many mysteries, and each one only raised further questions. It made Spike’s head hurt just thinking about it, and he tried to focus on something else. Unfortunately, his mind kept wanting to stray back to either the mystery of the twisted pony, or the mystery of his presents.

Horrified realization washed over him. He hadn’t gotten her anything for Hearth’s Warming. He looked back over the pile, heart sinking as he thought of how he carefully he had picked out gifts for the rest of his family. He knew that he would be crushed if it turned out that Cadence or Blueblood had forgotten about him like that.

The guilt only worsened as he remembered that he was the twisted pony’s only friend. She wouldn’t get presents from anypony else.

Spike wasn’t stupid. He knew the twisted pony was lonely, that she was sad and wanted to be free of that cave. He’d seen the disappointment in her eyes whenever he left, had noticed that her smiles never reached her eyes and her laughter always seemed forced. And he’d tried, really he had, to make her happy whenever he visited.

But now, here it was, Hearth’s Warming Eve, and he didn’t have anything to give her. He felt like the worst friend in the world.

But maybe it wasn’t too late. There were still lots of ponies shopping now, weren’t there? He remembered Twilight’s mother complaining about how her husband always waited until the last minute.

He leapt to his feet, rushing over to where Celestia was examining her lesson plans.

The alicorn looked down at him in surprise. “But whatever for, Spike? And why the big hurry?”

Spike rocked back and forth on his feet, wringing his hands frantically. “I… I forgot to get one of my friends a present! I need to buy her something before it’s too late. Please momma, can we go?”

Celestia sighed, giving him that soft, patient smile that he could never quite decipher. “I’m sorry Spike, but I just don’t have the time now,” she said regretfully. “Twilight’s lesson will be starting soon, and after that I have one last meeting with the council. By the time it concludes, I’m afraid all the stores will be closed.”

Spike’s face fell. What was he going to do now? He couldn’t just visit and bring nothing! Maybe… maybe he could take one of his own presents for her? But what if it wasn’t something she’d like?

“However, I might be willing to let you go without me, provided I can find an escort and you’re on your best behavior.” Celestia finished. His head shot up, face breaking into a hopeful smile.

“Can I, please? I promise I’ll listen and be polite and do whatever they want!” He already had an idea for where to look, and exactly what to get.

Celestia chuckled at his enthusiasm, levitating a bag of bits into his claws before turning to the door. “Very well then, let me see if Aegis or Phalanx will be willing to accompany you.”

She paused halfway into the corridor, then turned and fixed Spike with a stern look. “And make sure to bundle up,” she ordered. “If I come home and find you have the sniffles, I am going to be very disappointed.”

Spike beamed at her, too excited to even think of arguing. “Yes, momma,” he said before rushing to his closet and starting the long, tedious ordeal of changing into his winter clothes.

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The city above was swirling with positive emotions. If she closed her eyes and focused, she could just barely pick out individual flavors from the mix. The spiced, smoky flavor of a newly-wed couple on their honeymoon. The warm, weary relief of a traveler returning home. The rich and soothing comfort of visiting friends.

It could only mean some type of Equestrian holiday or celebration. In days past, those brief tastes would have nearly driven her mad with hunger and desperation. She would have hovered at the very roof of the cavern in hopes that drawing an extra inch closer would let her sate her appetite.

But no longer. Now, she shared in that feeling of anticipation. Because this time, she would finally have a holiday feast of her own.

The thought of it made her mouth water. The past few months of work would soon begin paying off. She had been careful and very patient, eating a tiny bit more each day, but never taking enough of his life-force to cause any discomfort. And her efforts had been rewarded. Little by little, his tolerance to her feeding increased, with his appetite and metabolism adjusting to compensate for the energy he unknowingly lost.

Hopefully this would be the day she could finally ingest a full meal. And then, then she could begin using the surplus energy to recharge her magic for an eventual escape.

Chrysalis chuckled; she still found herself amazed that their little routine had progressed so well. She contented herself with a few wickedly vengeful daydreams concerning Celestia. Oddly enough, she stuck to more painless methods of humiliation and torture this time around, because obviously Spike wouldn’t want her to… wait! Why did she care about how Spike would feel?

Shaking her head, she quickly banished the thought. With a lazy, sensual stretch, she clambered off the bed and trotted towards her bathing pool, heating the water with a quick surge of magic. She didn’t know why, maybe all that holiday cheer was contagious, but she found herself putting a bit more work into her appearance. And why not? Can’t a girl pamper herself once in awhile? So what if her coat would be a bit softer, her mane a bit silkier? It certainly wasn’t as though there was somepony she wanted to impress.

But two hours later, a wide smile spread across her face when she caught the sound of footsteps from the tunnel. Reaching up with a hoof, she brushed a strand of mane from her face and waited, eagerly sampling the emotions as they drew closer and closer. Oh yes, room service was spoiling her today: mostly excitement, as well as the usual happiness he felt whenever he visited. Strangely enough, there were tiny bits of trepidation, and even the smallest dollop of mischievousness thrown in. Hmm… was her little Spike up to something?

He finally trundled into the cavern, and Chrysalis was horrified to find herself giggling at his appearance. The baby dragon had barely a scale showing, enveloped as he was by a thick and puffy coat, baggy snow pants, boots, mittens, scarf and even a fuzzy tassel-cap. Only his sparkling green eyes and the very tip of his nose could be seen. She had never seen anything so adorable in her life.

‘Ugh, did I really just think of something as adorable,’ she groaned to herself. ‘What is wrong with me today?’

She turned her attention back to Spike as he waddled up to her, pushing the scarf away from his mouth. “Hi Crystalia,” he said breathlessly.

She smiled back and leaned down. “Hello Spike,” she said, nuzzling his cheek. The sheer happiness in his energy made her eyes glaze over.

Shaking herself out of the euphoria, she looked him up and down, smirking at his attire. “Hard to believe there’s actually a dragon under all that,” she teased, poking his stomach. “You look more like a couch cushion.”

She feigned a gasp of surprise. “Oh, I completely forgot! Well, I’m glad you remembered at least. We don’t want you catching a cold.”

Her smile thinned, as it always did when Celestia was mentioned. Luckily, Spike didn’t notice. Instead, he seemed to be fidgeting with something behind his back.

Okay, she could play along with this. Dropping down to her knees, she leaned in and closed her eyes. Spike was trying to hold in his laughter, and she suddenly felt the mischievousness in his emotions increase. Now she knew he was up to something. Cracking an eye, she saw him draw back an arm… and what was that in his hand… something white?

The next thing she knew, something cold and wet struck her in the face. She shrieked in surprise, her eyes snapping open to see her neck and chest covered in snow. She wiped it away quickly, shivering as the freezing substance melted into her coat. Shaking the last traces from her mane, she glared down at the culprit.

Spike was rolling back and forth on the ground, clutching his stomach as he laughed. Obviously the little miscreant thought that beaning her with a snowball was absolutely hilarious. So hilarious, in fact, that he hadn’t even considered fleeing the scene of the crime.

He was going to regret that little lapse in judgment. It was time to pay him back in spades, she mused, gathering up the snow and molding it into a large clump.

“Spi~iiiiiike,” she crooned, stomping up to him with the snowball levitating before her.

The dragon’s laughter stopped, his eyes widening as he saw the changeling approach, her eyes gleaming malevolently. Recognizing the danger, he tried to stand and run, only to flop back to the ground as his bulky snow pants got in the way.

Thoroughly enjoying his frantic attempts to escape, Chrysalis slowed her pace, waving the snowball back and forth as she crept closer. Desperate, Spike kicked off his boots and began wrestling his way out of the other clothes. Feeling unusually sporting, she stopped her advance and waited until he’d pulled them all off and scrambled to his feet. With one last look over his shoulder, he began to run, giggling hysterically. With a feral grin, she pursued.

The ‘chase’ should have lasted only a few seconds. Spike had barely made it more than three feet up the tunnel before she overtook him. Seeing the vengeful queen hot on his heels, the dragon took a sharp left and headed down another passage. Chrysalis matched his pace, careful to stay only a few steps behind him. Every few seconds, she’d graze the snowball against the tips of his spines or swat at his tail with a hoof. Not to stop him of course, but just to make sure he never forget that she was right on his ass.

It wasn’t long before Spike’s pace began to slow, and Chrysalis decided that she’d played with her food enough for the moment. After all, she didn’t want to tire him out. A quick swipe of her hoof swept his feet out from under him, and she caught him with her magic and gently, but firmly pinned him to the ground.

Looming over the hapless dragon, Chrysalis slowly lowered the snowball until it hovered centimeters above his face. Spike gulped and closed his eyes, tensing up for the inevitable assault. She grinned to herself; as if she’d let him get off that easy after the stunt he’d pulled. Raising the ball several feet into the air, she watched and waited.

A minute passed before Spike seemed to realize that his pate had yet to be pasted, and he cautiously opened his eyes, still gasping for breath. Chrysalis flicked her eyes upward, and he looked up just in time for the falling snowball to land on his face with a loud splat.

Spike coughed and sputtered, still giggling as he beamed up at the triumphant changeling. “Okay, okay, you got me! But I still got you first,” he exclaimed.

Chrysalis laughed. Not one of her usual malignant cackles, or even one of the patronizingly forced chuckles she had used in the past. It was a natural, joyous sound that she scarcely believed herself capable of creating.

Spike looked just as astonished by the sound, but then his smile returned, even wider than before. “That sounded nice. I like it when you laugh.”

Somehow, that observation managed to shock her even more than the snowball. Chrysalis averted her eyes, wondering how it could affect her so much. Maybe she just wasn’t used to being complimented in her normal form, or maybe it was the honesty and admiration in Spike’s voice. Whatever it was, it was giving her a fluttery feeling in her stomach that she didn’t understand.

Before she had a chance to dwell on the matter, Spike’s face scrunched up and he let out a massive sneeze. A jet of green flame erupted from his mouth, and she barely had time to leap backwards to avoid being accidentally char-broiled.

‘Actually, wouldn’t that have sent me to Celestia?’ She remembered Spike mentioning his ability to send and receive letters, and wondered if living beings could also be transported. Wouldn’t that be a riot, for her to pop out of thin air and land in the alicorn’s lap? Celestia’s reaction would almost be worth the consequences. Come to think of it, that might not be a bad way to begin her escape…

Mumbling an apology, Spike began cleaning the snow off of himself. But even with the snow cleared away, the damage had already been done, leaving him wet and shivering cold. She might’ve felt sorry for the poor thing, maybe even the slightest bit guilty, until she recognized what a fine opportunity she had been handed.

“My, my,” she teased, levitating Spike onto her back. “I think I’d better get you warmed up. It looks like you’re about to become a drakesicle.”

“Ye… yeah… wonder who’s fa… fau… fault that is,” he stuttered, pressing himself against her warm fur.

“Hmph. I’m not the one who decided to smuggle a snowball down here to get a laugh at YOUR expense.”

“I thought it was a nice surprise,” Spike tried to argue. “I mean, you probably haven’t seen snow in a long time, right? I thought you might like to see some again!”

“See it, yes. Hit by it, NO,” she shot back, thoroughly enjoying the banter as they headed back up the tunnel.

“Still, I totally surprised you, right? You never saw it coming,” he pressed.

Chrysalis sighed. “Yes, I suppose you proved yourself to be quite the devious dragon. Poor innocent me, awaiting the visit of her friend, never suspecting that such a betrayal was approaching.”

Spike propped himself up on his elbows, and she could almost feel him glaring at the back of her head. Trying to look intimidating, no doubt. She had to stop herself from looking back. She’d most likely be unable to contain her laughter, and she didn’t want to bruise his ego.

“You make it sound like I was trying to be mean,” he said. “I wasn’t, honest! That’s not even why I came down. I have another surprise for you, a real one this time!”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Another surprise? Forgive me if I seem ungrateful, but the last one was bad enough.”

“Aww, come on! This is a good surprise. I picked it out myself, just for you. Pleeeeaaaaase? I promise you’ll like it.”

His previous enthusiasm was back full-force, making Chrysalis stop in her tracks. Looking back over her shoulder, she carefully examined Spike’s emotions, looking for any sign of that mischievous glee that heralded his earlier prank. Finding nothing, she blew out a frustrated breath. She wanted to just refuse and get on with her plan. All these delays were wasting time.

But the smile on his face and the gleam in his eyes were impossible to resist. And this surprise was for her, after all. How could she say no to that?

“Fine,” she grumbled. “But I’m warning you, if this is another snowball, I’m stuffing it down your pants and then forcing you back into them!”

The threat didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest. Wonderful, apparently she’d gone so soft that she couldn’t even scare baby dragons. Talk about a blow to her pride.

Spike pointed towards the entrance tunnel, almost bouncing in his excitement. “Up that way, just past the barrier!”

She looked away and rolled her eyes. It just figured that he’d leave it in the one spot she couldn’t reach. That meant that not only would she have to break contact, but she’d be left waiting around at one of her least favorite places in the world.

Deciding to just get it out of the way, she carried him up the tunnel, muttering to herself with each step. She made sure to set him down a good distance from the barrier, the last thing they needed was for her to trip the field and bring Celestia down to investigate.

“Now you hurry up,” she said, helping him climb down. “If you wind up catching a cold, I’m not going to be happy.”

He gave her an enthusiastic nod and rushed through the barrier. A deep sensation of loss settled over her when his life-force pulled away, though the feeling was not merely physical this time. She wanted to go with him, get out of this cave and see how the world had changed since she’d been gone. But no, it was still too early. Even if Celestia had let the barrier weaken enough to only affect her, there was no telling how much power it would take to destroy. Much as it pained her, she had to wait.

Seating herself, she glared daggers at the force-field. She hated that wall of softly glowing light, hated it with every fiber of her being. It looked so flimsy, so damned insubstantial, like she should be capable of ripping it away with a single hoof. She clenched her teeth, desiring she could do just that.

Thankfully, Spike returned and prevented her from doing anything rash. She quickly returned him to her back, her mind growing calm from the return of his emotions. She wasted no time galloping back down the tunnel. Perhaps it was being so close to freedom, or simply having that magical reminder of her fate, but lingering near the entrance seemed to give her irrational thoughts.

She chuckled at her own ridiculousness. Imagine, wanting to jump the gun and ruin her entire plan! Why, if Spike hadn’t returned, who knows what she might have done? Probably tried to beg Celestia for pardon when she came to recharge the barrier.

“What’s so funny,” Spike asked, looping his arms around her neck and leaning around.

She shivered a bit from the contact. “Oh, nothing at all,” she said quickly before inwardly counting down from ten. She had to put all these thoughts aside: the strange feelings she had when thinking of Spike, questioning her plan of revenge, all of it. Freedom and vengeance, those were what mattered, and she would not accept one without the other.

Her confidence restored, they turned one last corner and entered her living area.

Compared to the rest of the cavern, the chamber was a complete anomaly, an oasis amongst the cold, grey rock. It was a small, enclosed space where the floor and walls had been magically smoothed and sculpted. Also present were the crude, but serviceable pieces of furniture she had carved the day after their first meeting. But for all her contributions to the space, Spike’s were far more impressive.

Shortly after his visits began, Spike had expressed his sympathy for how barren and empty her prison truly was. She tried to dismiss his concerns, but his charitable nature was undeterred. He declared, much to her amusement, that he was going to do everything he could to make the cave feel like home. She expected it to be a hasty promise in which he would quickly lose interest. She was wrong.

Week after week, Spike would arrive bearing some new furnishing. A mantle clock without its second hand, a number of frayed but comfortable pillows, lamps that could be charged with unicorn magic and remain lit for days, there seemed to be no limit to what the young dragon could provide.

Chrysalis, naturally, had been horrified. What was he doing, ambling into every shop in Canterlot and asking for handouts? Was he telling them it was for a friend who lived in a cave under the castle? The little dunce was going to get caught and spoil everything!

Luckily, Spike had explained that not only was his behavior normal, it was actually encouraged. Apparently all dragons had an instinctive need to collect and hoard possessions. This was what accounted for their protective, even obsessive love for gold and gems. However, it could also be quite dangerous. Until they became mature enough to control the urges, younger dragons could find themselves possessed by an overpowering and even violent sense of greed. The best way to prevent this was to periodically satisfy their greed before it gained strength, allowing the dragon to gather whatever minor items they could readily obtain. In this manner, the dragon’s greed was never allowed to build up to dangerous levels.

It seemed Celestia had fully endorsed this method, giving her son free reign to hoard whatever he chose, so long as no theft or manipulation was involved. And so whenever the desire struck, he scoured the castle, looking for any worn-out, discarded or unwanted items. Always eager to assist their prince, the servants and staff would happily provide otherwise useless junk, with which Spike would happily abscond.

Normally, these items were haphazardly piled in a storage room back in the castle. But now, nurture had beaten nature, and Spike was selflessly bringing his treasures to her instead of keeping them for himself. The result? The coziest, most comfortable cave a changeling could ask for.

Not that she needed it, of course. She had managed for the last several centuries just fine. But if it made Spike feel more at home, then her plans would run that much smoother.

Chrysalis smiled, surprised at how natural the gesture was becoming. Proof of her exemplary skills at deception, no doubt.

“Alright you, enough procrastinating,” she said firmly. “We need to get you warmed up right this minute.”

Brightening the lamps, she placed Spike beside her and began herding him over to the bed. But Spike planted his feet and refused to budge.

She turned sharply, about to berate him for yet another delay. But she paused at the sight of a box in the dragon’s arms, wrapped in bright green paper.

Her eyes widened, and she gently plucked the gift from his claws. She looked over the label that bore her false name in untidy but legible writing, and then the bright green paper and the white ribbon tying it. She didn’t even know what to think. She was no stranger to presents, of course, having received countless ones over the years from stallions she had hypnotized. But in those cases they had fawned over her while in the throes of mind control. This time, however, Spike was apparently giving her this purely out of his own desire.

“Do you like the wrapping? It’s the same color as your eyes,” Spike exclaimed, and she had to struggle to keep her cheeks from reddening. Damn it, why in the world couldn’t she stop acting like this?

“It looks wonderful,” she managed to say. “I can’t wait to see what’s inside.”

“Yeah, but it’s only Hearth’s Warming Eve! You have to wait until morning,” he said.

“Hearth’s Warming?” That must be the holiday that had everypony so excited. She’d completely forgotten to ask him about it.

The confusion must have shown on her face, because Spike was gaping at her in utter disbelief.

“You don’t know what Hearth’s Warming is,” he asked incredulously. Chrysalis just snickered and shook her head.

“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything. It’s a-” she quickly put a hoof to his lips.

“Not another word, Spike. You can tell me all about it when you’re not shivering your tail off,” she said with authority. “Bed, now.”

Knowing better than to argue, Spike trudged past her and burrowed his way into the pile of blankets. Wrapping him up snugly, she pondered how best to make her move. She needed to keep her actions from looking suspicious…

She knew just the thing. Taking care to remain out of sight, she gathered her magic and lifted one corner of the blankets away before sending in a cold draft.

Seeing the dragon shiver a bit, she leaned close. “Are you alright Spike? Are you feeling warmer,” she asked, trying to sound concerned.

“A… a little,” he said. “But I just felt really cold all of a sudden.”

“Hmm, well that won’t do.” She rubbed her chin, pretending to look deep in thought. “Ah, I know a way to make you all nice and toasty.”

Wrapping the blankets around them, she scooted over and cuddled Spike against her chest. He happily relaxed into the embrace, pressing himself against her warm fur.

“Anything for you Spike,” she whispered. It was time to see just how acclimated he had become. Normally she would drain him in scattered increments, taking a little every time they touched. But now she had the chance for one long, uninterrupted feeding, and she intended to make the most of it. Careful not to disturb him, she began to eat.

The intense mixture of emotion was as delectable as ever, and just as she’d hoped, the excitement and wonder of the festivities made it all the richer. Focusing intently on his life-force, she gradually increased the drain bit by bit, struggling to keep from losing control and fully devouring him. Several minutes of bliss passed before she came to the limit of his tolerance, feeling the telltale pang of discomfort from in his chest.

She withdrew, her stomach all but full. His tolerance was lower than she’d hoped, perhaps due to fatigue from their little chase. Or perhaps she’d waited too long to get him out of the cold, and the chill had adversely affected him? Whatever the cause, their progress was moving slower than expected, which meant her escape lay even further in the future.

Despite this unfortunate discovery, she couldn’t bring herself to feel disappointed. Eyes drooping in satisfaction, she lowered her head to rest against Spike’s shoulder, listening to the gentle sounds of his breathing and letting his content emotions ripple around her like heat from a fireplace.

In the moments before she dozed off, she absently decided that this must be what it meant to be happy.

The Twisted Pony

by Crosis

3. Thawing Heart