It was that time of the year again. Hearth's Warming was just around the corner and the streets of Fillydelphia were buzzing with activity. Ponies went from store to store, seeking presents for their loved ones and escaping from the cold that had settled over the city since the weather team had a series of snowstorms planned. The first was already under way; heavy, fat snowflakes drifted lazily to the ground, which was already covered in a few inches. But despite that, a peculiar unicorn filly skipped happily through the snow, humming a cheery tune while occasionally kicking playfully at the powder on the ground or holding her tongue out to catch a wayward flake.
Passing ponies glanced curiously at the unicorn as she passed, wondering why she was so happy when it was so cold out and why her parents had let her go out by herself. But none spoke to the filly, deciding that whatever her business was, it was none of theirs. As for the filly, she skipped happily to the edge of the city, where an expansive forest of evergreen trees lay. She traveled just a short ways down the road before stopping next to a cluster of bushes, where she examined a spot where the snow had been disturbed recently before glancing around suspiciously for a moment and then launching herself at the spot, her body wriggling as she squeezed through the gap at the bottom.
On the other side was beautiful grove, with snow lightly falling through the tree canopy upon the flora arrayed before the filly. There was a pond in the grove that was just big enough to skate upon and also a large clearing covered in pristine, unblemished snow. The filly looked around at the grove, a small smile on her muzzle until she looked down and noticed small hoof prints leading away and to a small cottage on the other side. The cottage was abandoned and in slight disrepair, but even so it had a warm, homey feel to it and a soft glow from inside beckoned. Her smile widened and she skipped happily to the door of the cottage.
She opened the door, snow swirling around her hooves briefly as she closed it behind her and began to shake her blue two-toned mane free of the accumulated powder on her head before removing her scarf. Then she removed her goggles and peered around the empty cottage until she saw flickering orange light coming from the next room. She grinned and skipped into it.
“Heya, Stowie! It’s really coming down out there; at this rate we just might get a snow day from school!” She chirped happily as she laid down next to a silver-coated unicorn colt with an orange mane and tail who in turn lay in front of the cottage’s fireplace, a soft fire burning in the hearth.
The colt didn’t respond, merely sighing heavily and staring distantly at the fire in front of him. The filly’s smile faded and she stared at the colt with great concern.
“What’s wrong, Stoic?” She asked, worry lacing her voice “It’s almost Hearth’s Warming, aren’t you excited?”
“Yeah… sure, Vinyl… I can’t wait.” He replied sullenly without looking at her. They were silent a moment before Vinyl spoke again.
“Your mom and dad are fighting again, huh?” She asked quietly.
“She’s my step-mom.” Stoic stated, a little forcefully.
“Right… sorry…” Vinyl replied dejectedly, causing Stoic to wince and look at her.
“I’m sorry, Vinyl, I didn’t mean to snap at you. Yeah, they’re fighting again.” He said sadly and then looked back at the fire again “I wish they’d stop…”
Vinyl wasn’t sure, but she could’ve sworn she saw the fire lean towards Stoic a little bit, almost like it was trying to comfort him. She shook her head; it must’ve been a trick of the light. She put a hoof on his shoulder and gave him a winning smile.
“Hey, I’m sure it’s nothing.” She said, her voice filled with confidence “I’m sure that tomorrow they’ll be all smiles and you’ll get a nice pancake breakfast, you’ll see!”
“My parents, making me breakfast?” He scoffed derisively “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“C’mon, Stoic, why can’t you look on the bright side for a change?” Vinyl pouted, giving Stoic a light push on his shoulder “It’s not healthy being doom and gloom all the time, y’know!”
He huffed and went back to staring at the fire which waved in a gentle, almost soothing pattern. Vinyl was worried; Stoic had days like these before but never this bad. She needed to change the topic away from his parents. She glanced around a moment before her eyes settled on the flames in the fireplace.
“Why do you always have a fire going when you're sad? Are you a fire nut or something?” She asked, a slightly teasing voice at the end.
He glanced at her briefly before looking back at the fire. He was quiet, staring almost forlornly into the flames in front of him, which bathed him in a soft, orange light. Eventually he spoke.
“The fire comforts me.” He said, causing Vinyl to stare at him in confusion “Whenever I feel lost and alone, the fire makes me feel warm. Not warm like on a cold day, I mean like it cares about me; cares about how I feel and wants to make me happy again. Kind of like you, I guess.”
“Comparing me to a fire, huh?” Vinyl asked and then she gave him a sly grin “Are you saying I’m hot?”
“What?! Of course not!” He exclaimed in surprise, then blushed furiously and began to stammer “I-I-I mean, yes you are, I mean, I-I-I… gah!”
He buried his face in his hooves while Vinyl broke out into hysterical laughter. Even the fire seemed to crackle and pop in a manner that made it seem like it was laughing. After a moment, Vinyl got her laughter under control and Stoic re-emerged from his hooves, still slightly red but he had a smile on his muzzle.
“Okay, okay, I walked right into that one, Vinyl. Very funny.” He said with a small chuckle.
“Wasn’t it? Y’know, I sometimes think my cutie mark should’ve been for comedy instead of music.” She replied with a giggle.
“You’re only funny sometimes, Vinyl.” He said “Besides, I think ponies would get tired of you adding your precious ‘wubs’ to the end of every sentence.”
“Hey! I worked really hard to make those wubs, I think ponies are gonna line up down the street to hear ‘em!” She retorted and they were silent for a moment before laughing again.
Stoic loved these moments with Vinyl. She tried so hard to make him smile and it made him happy to know how far she was willing to go; he felt like he actually belonged when he was around her. They laughed for a little while longer until it faded away and they both turned smiles to the warm fire. Then Vinyl sprang up, an excited expression on her face and she began to try and lift him to his hooves.
“C’mon, silly colt! It’s a winter wonderland outside; let’s go throw some snowballs and make snowponies and all that cool stuff!” She exclaimed, managing to drag Stoic to his hooves “Let’s have some good ol’ fashioned foalish fun!”
“Sure thing, Vee!” He replied and they galloped outside, leaving their scarves behind so they wouldn’t get wet.
For about a couple of hours, Stoic forgot his troubles at home as he played with Vinyl. They had a snowball fight that they took into the forest slightly. Stoic though it was completely unfair as he snuck around, a few heavy snowballs levitating behind him. Vinyl had an almost pure white coat of fur, perfect for hiding amongst the snow despite that vibrant blue mane of hers. He stepped slowly forward, looking every way he could, when he was suddenly hit by a snowball from a random direction. He spun and magically threw one of his snowballs in that direction but it flew off and hit nothing.
He growled and looked around, but then a snowball flew out from somewhere. He ducked but the snowball had missed him anyway and instead exploded among his own snowballs with a wub and caused his snowballs to disintegrate. He sighed irritably and looked around at the trees again.
"C'mon, Vee, that's not fair!" He cried out. There was high pitched laughter in response.
"All's fair in a snowball fight, Stowie!" Her voice cried out to him and Stoic snorted.
Eventually their fight ended in a draw and so they returned and began working on snowponies with their hooves, laughing whenever one of them threw a hoofful of powder at the other. At the end, they managed a lump of snow that might’ve resembled a pony if one were to tilt their head and squint. They laughed at it but then shivered with cold because their coats were damp from snow so they went inside, shook the un-melted snow from their bodies and lay back down in front of the fire, which seemed to get bigger and radiate more warmth when they did.
After warming up a bit, Vinyl stood and went into the kitchen, where she began digging into the pantry they’d cleaned out a few months ago and had begun stocking snacks and stuff for when they were spending large amounts of time there. She came back holding a basket in her mouth that contained a tea kettle, a couple of bowls and some instant noodles. Stoic took the kettle and went outside for snow while Vinyl set up the bowls and put the dry noodles in each.
Ten minutes later, they lay underneath a large blanket Stoic had found and were eating the warm noodles in front of the fireplace, where the flames crackled and popped while waving gently. Vinyl ate with near wild abandon, shoving large forkfuls of noodles into her muzzle and slurping them up loudly while Stoic ate more conservatively, rolling a small amount onto his own fork, putting it into his mouth and chewing carefully before swallowing.
Once their meal was finished and the bowls set aside, Vinyl brought one more item out of her basket; a tin container full of butter cookies. They continued to lie in front of the fireplace, munching on the cookies, when Vinyl finally spoke.
“So Stowie; you got a dream for when you grow up?” She asked, then gazed at the ceiling with a dreamy smile “I’m going to be the greatest musician ever; everypony’s gonna know my name from here to the other end of the universe! I’ll make loads of bits and I won’t have to follow somepony else’s rules; I’ll do what I want, when I want. I’ll be as free as a pegasus flying through the sky!”
She laughed and looked at Stoic, her expression falling. He stared distantly into the fireplace as he thought about what she had asked him. He didn’t want to tell her since he knew she wouldn’t like it, especially after what happened a year ago. But it was what his heart had been telling him for a while now and he wasn’t going to keep secrets from his best friend.
“I want to be a Guardspony.” He stated and Vinyl’s expression froze. Eventually she managed a half-smile as she spoke.
“A-a Guardspony? I… suppose that’s cool.” She replied hesitantly “But are you sure that’s really what you want?”
“Are you going to be like my step-mom and tell me I’m wasting my time, that they don’t take average ponies like me?” He spat angrily, narrowing his eyes at Vinyl.
Now Vinyl understood what was going on. Stoic’s step-mother was a nice enough mare but she made it clear that she favored her own foals more and did not want Stoic being better than them. It didn’t help that his dad rarely ever stood up for him, opting instead to retreat into a different part of the house to wallow in his sorrow from the passing of Stoic’s mother which meant her friend was often left to fend for himself. She sighed and placed a leg around his shoulders, drawing him into a friendly hug.
“Hey, hey, Stoic. You know I’m behind you one hundred and ten percent, right?” She said and he nodded “If you wanna be a Royal Guard, I say go for it. I’m just worried about you, that’s all; you’re my friend and I don’t want you to get hurt like before.”
“I know, Vinyl. I just… I wish they’d recognize how hard I’m working and be proud of me for once.” He said, his voice despondent. Vinyl smiled and squeezed him lightly.
“Stoic, I'm sure your parents are very proud of you." Vinyl said and Stoic huffed.
"My step-mom puts me down and my dad does nothing." He retorted irritably "If they're proud of me, they have a funny way of showing it."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm proud and I'll have your back no matter what you want to do." She replied confidently, which made Stoic smiled at her.
“Thanks, Vinyl. I’m glad you’re my friend.” Stoic said. The fire flickered warmly as Vinyl and Stoic finished their cookies.
They lay in silence for a while, the only sound being the crackling of the fire as it wrapped them in its warmth. However, Stoic still seemed hesitant about something. Vinyl wanted to ask him what it was, but she felt she'd been pushing him to speak too much. This time, he needed to speak for himself. Eventually he took a deep breath and looked at her.
“My step-mom wants to move to Canterlot next year after school lets out." He said and Vinyl blinked at him in surprise "It's one of the things they've been arguing about. Dad wants to stay but my step-mom won't take no for answer. They don't know that I know, though."
“That doesn't sound so bad; Canterlot's pretty cool and who knows, maybe you'll get to see the Princess!" Vinyl replied enthusiastically.
"I don't care, I don't want to go." Stoic replied fiercely.
"Why not?" Vinyl asked though inwardly she didn't want him to go either.
He look forlornly at the ground "Because I won't have any friends in Canterlot... I'll be all alone again..."
She stared at him in thought for a moment before rising and galloping into an adjacent room, re-emerging with a saddlebag in her mouth which she lay next to Stoic. He glanced at it curiously as she lay down next to it and fixed him with a serious expression.
“Okay. I wasn’t planning on giving this to you until Hearth’s Warming, but I think now’s a better time.” She said and used her magic to open the saddlebag and pull out two amulets.
Both were the same; a small disc that was silver on one side with Stoic’s cutie mark, which was a shield emblazoned with a flame with twin flames stretching out to either side, and white with Vinyl’s cutie mark, that of a musical note, on the other. However, the positioning was different on each with the silver side facing forward on one, which Vinyl slipped around her neck, and the white side facing forward on the other, which she put around Stoic’s neck.
“Vinyl… cutie mark jewelry is really expensive. Where’d you get the bits for something like this?” Stoic asked as he held his amulet up, turning it from side to side in awe as Vinyl giggled.
“I’ve been saving up the allowance I get from my mom. She says you’re welcome to come over for Hearth’s Warming if you want.” She replied and Stoic looked at her in surprise.
“Why would you give me something like this?” He asked her and she smiled at him.
“Because we’re friends and no matter how far away you go, you'll never be alone and we'll never forget each other.” She replied.
“But what if I lose mine?” He asked, his voice filling with despair “I don’t want to forget you, Vinyl.”
She hummed thoughtfully a moment before smiling again “Okay. My mom says that memories are like links in a chain that surround our hearts, and that the memories we make with our friends and family are the strongest links in the chain. She says that even if we lose the memories in the darkness in our hearts, the memories will never be truly gone and that all we need is one tiny thought in order to remember. She also says that if a pony really cares about something, the memories shine really bright.” She says calmly and her smile widens “I bet if the memories shine bright enough, they’d be a snap to remember.”
He looked down at the amulet and felt truly touched but at the same time he felt terrible; his best friend had gone to painstaking effort to get him such a great treasure, and he had nothing to give her in return. What kind of friend was he if he couldn’t even scrape enough bits together to get her a new scarf or something? Tears began sliding down his muzzle and he tried unsuccessfully to choke back sobs.
“Stoic, what’s wrong?” Vinyl asked and he looked away from her.
“I’m a bad friend…” He sobbed “You’re giving me such a great gift and I’ve gotten you nothing for Hearth’s Warming… you probably hate me now.”
“What’re you talking about, Stowie? Of course you got me a Hearth’s Warming gift!” She exclaimed and Stoic looked at her in confusion.
“What?”
“The necklace isn’t the Hearth’s Warming gift, Stoic; it’s just a symbol of our friendship.” She replied with a wide grin “Our friendship is the real gift, and I couldn’t ask for a better Hearth’s Warming… or a better friend.”
“Thanks, Vinyl.” He said as he and his friend hugged again, then he wiped his eyes and smiled sheepishly “I still wish I could’ve gotten you something, though.”
“It’s alright, dude, I’ll let it pass this year.” She replied confidently, then lowered her voice in a mock threat “But just this once, you hear? I want something extra special next Hearth’s Warming.”
“I’ll do my best, Vee.” He said and they broke out into laughter but were swiftly interrupted by knocking at the door.
They froze and looked at each other before looking towards the front door as the knocking resumed. This was supposed to be their secret hiding spot, a place they could go to get away from the world for a few moments; no pony other than them was supposed to know it existed. Stoic trotted cautiously to the door and opened it to find one of the last ponies he wanted to see at the moment. Stoic’s father, Stalwart Shield, looked carefully down at his son and when he spoke, it was with a calm voice.
“Hello Stoic, I thought I might find you here.” He said “May I come in?”
Stoic said nothing, his face falling into a flatly neutral expression as he stepped to the side and allowed his father to trot in. His father, a large stallion with a silver coat like Stoic’s and a jet-black mane and tail, stooped slightly so he could pass the threshold. When he trotted into the main room, his eyes immediately looked to the flame and the ghost of a smile appeared before it faded. He then looked at Vinyl who stared up at him nervously.
“Thank you for keeping my son company, Vinyl Scratch, but could you give us a moment alone so that we can talk?” He asked her. Vinyl glanced at Stoic, who gave a very small shrug, then nodded and went into a different part of the house.
Stalwart went to the spot where Vinyl had been laying and sat on his haunches while Stoic did the same across from him. They spent several moments like this until Stalwart finally spoke.
“Stoic… I know I haven’t been the best father to you lately. I’ve allowed your step-mother to run rampant in our house and worst of all I’ve allowed her to put you down in favor of her own foals.” He said and Stoic looked up at his father, surprise breaking through his neutral expression “Before your mother left I promised her I would protect you, but so far all I’ve done is neglect you because of my own pain… and I’m sorry for that, Stoic.”
“Do you really think an apology is going to make me forget everything that’s happened, Dad?!” Stoic retorted bitterly and his father sighed, his face becoming sorrowful.
“No. Because of my neglect, I’ve let your mother down and I’ve let you down.” He replied in a sad voice “I can’t take the past back, Stoic, but maybe I can make your future just a little better.”
“Yeah, and how are you going to do that?” Stoic asked.
“For starters, if you really want to be a Guardspony, I’ll support you as best as I can.” He replied calmly “Also, if you tell me your wish for Hearth’s Warming this year, I will do everything in my power to make it come true.”
Stoic thought about what Stalwart had told him. He honestly didn’t know if he could trust what his father was telling him since he’d never been there for him before. But at the same time, there was something that told Stoic to give his father another chance. He thought about it for a moment before nodding and looking up at his father.
“I want to go to Vinyl’s for Hearth’s Warming.” He said and his father blinked in surprise.
“Is that all?” He asked and Stoic nodded. Stalwart smiled at his son and nodded as well “Alright then. It might be best if you got out of the house for a few days regardless. Your step-mother and I are going to… talk about her attitude towards you. I’ll talk to Vinyl’s mother later and see if she’ll take you until everything’s settled, okay?”
“You… you’d really do that for me?” He asked in awe and his father nodded. Stoic’s muzzle stretched in a wide smile and he sprang to his hooves excitedly “Thank you, Dad, I’ll never forget this! I’ve gotta go tell Vinyl, she’ll be so excited!”
“Wait Stoic, before you go, I have one more thing to tell you.” Stalwart said and his son looked up at him curiously “No matter what happens, always trust in your friends. Even when it feels like the whole world is against you and everything seems like it is hidden, the truth will always lay with those closest to you. Don’t ever forget that, okay?”
“Okay, Dad.” Stoic replied and turned to leave but he paused and looked back at his father “Aren’t you coming?”
“I will soon, son, but I’d like a moment alone if that’s alright.” He said and Stoic nodded before going into the other room with Vinyl.
He waited until he was sure Stoic was gone before turning and lying down in front of the fire. The fire in turn seemed to wave gently in his direction, which caused him to smile fondly at it.
“Hi, honey. It’s been a while since we talked and even longer since we were last here, yet it feels like it was just yesterday we’d taken shelter from the rain. This place used to be really run down, remember? You couldn't even tell it had been a cottage with its collapsed roof and decayed walls. But despite how miserable we were, it was one of the best days of my life simply because you were there with me.” He spoke softly to the flame, which flickered gently with his words. His smile then faded to a frown and his tone became sad as he continued “I really messed up, Seeri… I’ve let our son, our precious little colt suffer so much pain. Maybe if I was a better father you could sleep in peace... I'm grateful you were there for him when I wasn’t.”
The fire went still for a moment before doing something that a fire didn’t normally do. It curled in on itself briefly before blossoming out into the shape of a beautiful flower. Stalwart’s mouth dropped in surprise before it became a sad smile and a tear slid down his cheek.
“Still so gentle, even when you should be angry.” He said but then a tongue of flame shot out and licked him on one cheek, just close enough to singe a few hairs “Ouch, I guess you are a little bit angry, huh?”
The flame stayed as a flower a minute longer before it resumed its natural shape, flickering gently in the fireplace. Stalwart stared into the fire for a moment and then spoke once more.
“It’s startling, sometimes, to see how alike the two of you are. He wants to be a Guardspony, though I’m certain you already know since he most likely talks to you, even if he doesn’t know it’s you. Probably thinks he’ll protect the whole world someday… kind of like his mother.” He said softly. He turned his head to look out in the direction Vinyl and Stoic went before continuing “I know I’m asking a lot right now but… could you watch over him for just a little longer? You probably won’t need to do much, since he’ll be with that loyal little friend of his, but I’d feel better knowing you were with him too.”
He turned his head back to the fireplace to see it still as a candle. It remained that way for a long moment, then a voice came to Stalwart and he smiled at the familiar warmth it held.
“Okay. But only because you asked.”
“Thank you, Seeri.” He replied and then rose to his hooves “It’s getting late; I should get the two foals back home. For what it’s worth, I promise to do better this time.”
“I will hold you to that promise. I will be watching… for our son.”
“For our son.” Stalwart agreed and then turned away “Goodbye, Searing Blossom. I’ll see you again soon.”
“Take care, my love…”
Stalwart trotted into the other room and found both Stoic and Vinyl waiting for him. Vinyl skipped forward and hugged his legs, grinning happily up at him.
“Thanks so much for letting Stoic come over, Mister Shield! I promise to take good care of him!” She chirped and Stalwart smiled.
“I’m know you will, Vinyl. And I’ll be counting on you to look out for Vinyl as well, Stoic.” He said warmly.
“I will, Dad, I promise.” Stoic replied with a determined nod.
Vinyl skipped happily into the hallway with Stoic and Stalwart following behind her. Stoic’s father helped both foals put their scarves on and followed them both out, where he took a moment to observe the chaos the two foals had created in the hidden grove. He felt a brush against his leg and saw Stoic looking up at him, a curious expression on his face.
“Dad?” He asked and Stalwart quirked an eyebrow at him “How did you know about this place? I didn’t think anypony knew about it except for me and Vinyl.”
“Your mother showed me this place and we came here often. In fact, we fixed it up so that we could have somewhere to escape when we needed it.” He replied, smiling at Stoic “And I guess it’s served as an escape for you as well, though now I have to ask; how did you find it?”
Stoic was quiet for a moment before answering “I saw it in a dream and a voice told me to come. It told me no pony would hurt me here.”
“Oh… I see.” Stalwart replied, his heart sinking at what his son had said “I’m sorry, Stoic.”
“It’s okay, Dad.” Stoic replied, smiling at his father though it faded and his face became curious again “Before we left, I heard you talking to somepony. Who was it?”
Stalwart bit his lip, trying to think of a way to answer his son’s question. He’d promised his wife that he would not tell Stoic the secrets hidden in the flame, which unfortunately included her. All he’d been able to tell Stoic about his mother was that she’d been the most beautiful mare he’d ever seen and also one of the most gentle.
“I was talking to an old friend.” He replied eventually, glancing back at the cottage one last time before the three of them left the grove behind.
Back inside the cottage, the fire continued to burn warmly for a few minutes longer before it shrank and faded.
Canterlot Castle
Many years later
Most of the Royal Guard were off-duty during the holiday season and those that were not out visiting relatives were gathered in the Mess Hall sharing stories, playing games or simply basking in the peace of the moment.
Except for one.
The off-duty Guardsponies all turned their heads at the rhythmic clopping of hooves as one of their newest members trotted past, dressed in guard armor designed for cold weather.
“Why’s he going out on patrol tonight? It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, there’s going to be nothing out there.” One pony whispered to another.
“Dunno. Bloke’s a strange pony, I’ll tell ye that much. They say he talks to fire whenever he’s alone, like it’s an old friend or something.” The other whispered back.
The pony trotted past them, uncaring of the words they spoke. He paused next to a lit lantern on the wall and took it in his magic before continuing onward. Once he was outside the gates of the castle, he paused and looked out on the snow-covered city before him. The fire in the lantern flickered gently, adding an orange hue to his silver coat and making his orange mane appear to be made of fire.
“I do it because somepony has to.” He murmured to himself, his orange eyes staring stoically forward.
He reached to his neck and pulled out a small amulet, a disc with white on one side and silver on the other. He stared at the white side a moment before tucking it back into his scarf. And then he trotted into the city to make sure everypony was safe in their homes. It was what he wanted, what his heart told him.
He would protect everypony… or die trying.