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// Chapter 1 
// Story: A Heartwarming Eve. 
// by Dsanders17 
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It was a chilling winter night in Equestria. However, it was not like any other typical winter night; this night was special. It was the night before Hearth's Warming Eve. Princess Luna's favorite time of the year; when the nights are longer and the days are shorter. The night relished in its quarterly reign and its stars and constellations were shining brighter and more brilliantly than ever before. The coolness of the soft howling breeze, along with the luminous glow of all the celestial bodies, collectively provided this night with a lively and tranquil atmosphere.

Layers of snow covered most of the land, from the now vacant streets of Canterlot to all the rooftops in Ponyville, there was not a single bare spot. Snowponies were visible along many of the streets, along with various impressions of snow angels, slowly vanishing in the ongoing breeze. Most of the once colorful and brightly lit lights throughout every town and city had been put out and the once active wildlife were either sleeping or in hibernation.

The Everfree forest from the outside, seemed completely empty and lifeless. Its trees were covered from top to bottom, from all of its branches to all of its leaves, by a thin layer of frost. It was quite an unusual sight looking from afar; the Everfree forest rarely ever looked this tranquil and tamed. But on this night it was just that. Calm, peaceful, and silent. It was the complete ambiance of the winter night that made this night an astonishingly beautiful sight. The superlative quality of this nightly atmosphere, the majesty of the celestial bodies and the earth below, was enough to bring tears of joy to Luna's eyes.

In Canterlot, cool gushes of wind were flowing briskly down from the top of the mountain it was anchored on. The waterfalls and streams flowing down from the mountain through parts of Canterlot were still as vigorous and ever-flowing as usual. The relentless mountain breeze danced through the streets and alleyways of the castle, bringing the local air down to blistering cold temperatures. Some ponies could have very well said, "It was cold enough to make windigos shiver!"

On the winter solstice, Canterlot was amongst the cities most susceptible to its immense coldness. With each passing moment, the temperatures were dropping more and more drastically. On the castle's windows, small patches of frost were beginning to form as they glistened subtly in the moonlight. They reflected and dispersed much of the moonlight, making the top of the castle shine brightly over the city like the light beaming out from a lighthouse.

It was a glorious rare sight, an annual beauty almost never seen by anypony. It was for these very reasons, that Luna often felt neglected for her efforts in creating such a beautiful winter masterpiece. Most of the ponies in Equestria were sound asleep within the comfort and warmth of their homes during these late hours. Throughout every city, throughout every town, there was a complete lack of wakefulness. However, unbeknownst to the Princess of the Night, despite the seeming lack of wakeful life in Equestria there were two special souls that were still awake at this very late hour.


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