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// Chapter 3 
// Story: A Heartwarming Eve. 
// by Dsanders17 
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A few hours passed after they fell into slumber and a light was already beginning to penetrate the distant horizon. Celestia was at work here, slowly raising her sun as the seemingly endless night was finally coming to an end. Equestria's snow-covered land glimmered brightly as sunlight was beginning to shine upon it. A light fog permeated the cool morning air around the mountains and the only thing to be heard within a few miles of the cabin were the soft whispers of the gentle wind. Equestria still seemed quite lifeless. Not a soul was awake, with the exception of the Princess of the Sun. However, the whole land was now beginning to transition from a state of lifelessness to one blossoming with life.

It wasn't long before a rooster along the nearby outskirts of Ponyville began to crow, instigating a chain reaction for the rest of life to wake up from its nightly sleep. Minutes after the rooster's crow, a few songbirds began to flutter around a nearby cottage along the outskirts of Ponyville. They sung and whistled a beautiful morning melody that awoke more nearby woodland critters. Eventually, throughout all the towns and cities, the awakening of the pony residents followed. And so it was, the beginning of a brand new day and there was a great atmosphere of excitement and anticipation in the air. The clamorous bells began to ring, excited fillies and colts began running outside to play in the snow; Hearth's Warming Eve had finally arrived.

Light clouds were beginning to thicken and form throughout the mountainous regions around where the cabin was situated. The temperature was beginning to drop further once again and by the looks of the accumulating weather, it was going to snow hard. A calm but chilling morning gust of wind swept stealthily through the woods, gently swaying the trees, causing many of the dwelling birds to flutter away.

Inside the cabin, Orion Skies was the first to wake up as the coolness of the breeze seeped into the interior of the cabin. His body slightly shivered for the moment but immediately calmed down, feeling extra warmth as Pink Mist's sleeping body hugged him tighter in response as if by impulse. His eyes gradually opened and he let out a silent yawn as his body was beginning to regain energy. He smiled as he noticed Pink Mist was still snuggling with him like she had been doing since the other night.



As Orion's eyes continued to scan the room, he was surprised but delighted to notice that the nearby fireplace was still brightly burning. Though it was much more dim than it was when he first kindled it the other night, it still provided a light radiance of warmth. He stared at the flame for a few minutes as he began to think reflectively to himself.

He thought about last night, when he was sitting alongside Pink Mist on the mountain summit, gazing endlessly at the astonishing scenery of the land. It was a beautiful moment for the couple, and perhaps the most cherishable one yet thus far. It felt almost ethereal for Orion to not only have the grand opportunity to feast his eyes upon the magical and mysterious beauty of the night, but also to be able to share it with someone he truly loved and cared about.

However, what was really rather bothersome to him was remembering back to the moment when he asked Pink Mist that one question: "What was your greatest Hearth's Warming Eve memory?"

He remembered the pink mare's initial reaction as he asked her that question; the disappointed expression on her face; her depressing answer.

He remembered her impulsively lashing out at him and then immediately after, looking at him apologetically before crying on his shoulders as he hugged her hoping to give her comfort and compassion. He remembered how he felt; he was shocked to see her like that, and it was almost heartbreaking for him to endure. He was painfully saddened to hear the surprising revelation, that she never had a real Hearth's Warming Eve. She barely even knew about the holiday and her parents, for whatever ridiculous reason, never even gave her the chance to know what it was like. Her overall past seemed awfully rough.

Orion could easily relate. He remembered his own past as clear as if it was just yesterday. It wasn't happiness and sunshine in the very least. As sad and painful as it was for him to admit, he never really had a real childhood. He was stuck inside a ginormous library for most of his youthful life, and not once was he allowed by his parents to go outside. All of his elementary, compulsory, and secondary education was spent in a huge and mostly empty mansion in Canterlot. It was one of the finest and most luxurious places in the city, but Orion never saw it that way. It was more like a prison to him, and his parents acted like jailers. His only true gateway to the outside world was through a large window in the library that he used to stare endlessly through every passing day.

Though Orion did know a lot about Hearth's Warming Eve, the holiday and all its traditions, his parents were never present whenever that time of the year arrived. He had no choice but to celebrate it alone, within the confinement of a very empty house. As the years passed by, he grew more and more lonely and cynical. He failed to see any point in celebrating the special occasion, unless he had someone he could share and cherish the moments and memories with. But he had no one. He was a lonely child, his parents were usually away, on vacation or traveling to who knows where.

It was only until a year ago, after he ran away, when he was finally able to walk around in the beauty of the snow.

It felt amazing for him to finally be free to roam around in the winter wonderland of Equestria's alpine wilderness. He immediately fell in love with the winter season and nature as a whole; the mountains, the forest, the clouds, but what he admired most of all, was the frosty coolness of the season's ethereal nights. He quickly grew to love Princess Luna even more than ever before, as he was finally able to dwell in the fullness of her tranquil atmosphere and gaze endless at the ubiquitous stars of her nightly sky. But for some reason, he still felt a void in his heart. There was a lack of completeness in him, despite the entirety of the free land around him. He hated to admit it at the time, but he was still alone and he had no one he could share his moments, memories, or adventure with.

That was his life before meeting the very mare who changed it all.


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