//------------------------------// // Hearth's Warming Special ~ the Nutcracker Part 1 // Story: Longma // by JeckParadox //------------------------------// This is another non-canon chapter, meant to celebrate the holidays! So, similar deal. This chapter is out of the normal timeline of the main story, and none of the events that occur will have an effect in later chapters. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hearth's Warming, etc. Let's get on with the show! "Rarity, I'm not sure about the scale of this thing..." "Don't worry Darling, it's great, I've always wanted to have a Hearth's Warming Ball in Ponyville, but there's always been nowhere to hold it!" "You don't think it's too much?" "Darling, darling, darling. It's going to be wonderful. It's a Hearth's Warming Eve party for goodness sakes." Twilight nodded, flexing her wings slightly. "...what about the guests?" Rarity frowned slightly, her holiday spirit temporarily tempered. "Well, that's where most the trouble will come from I suppose. Pinkie and I have offered open invitation to everypony in town, but at the same time many lesser Lords from Canterlot will be making the journey down here because they couldn't get a ticket to Celestia's ball quick enough, and there'll be quite a few Longma and Crystal Pony dignitaries... it's a shame your brother and Cadence couldn't come." "Well, I suppose it's one of the unspoken duties of an alicorn that you need to hold several stressful balls every year in your house. I'm beginning to envy Luna up there, apparently Longma Hearth's Warming is very quiet, respectful feast day. She won't have to deal with a thousand Lords dropping 'subtle' hints that they wouldn't mind becoming a prince." Rarity began giggling, and Twilight found herself caught up in it a little while later as well. Twilight took a deep breath and entered the room, bowing as her guests greeted her with an applause. She was wearing a regal Hearth's Warming themed gown, and a Tiara made to look like ice. She saw each of her bodyguards wearing their own white vests and gowns, clashing harshly with their dark colors. The hall was packed with many more ponies than she could remember. She went and mingled for a little while, forced herself not to faint as a charming Longma couple vowed their loyalty on their once not red dress and suit, and admired the massive Hearth's Warming Tree in the center of the room, surrounded with presents. It had been a Longma tradition, apparently, that everypony who came to a gathering brought several gifts with them, and left them under the tree anonymously. The traditional number was three gifts; something expensive, something useful, and something old. They would be wrapped similarly as possible, in order to keep other guests from immediately going after the expensive presents. Twilight loved the idea, and made her way over to the tree to lay her three gifts down as subtly as possible, as Oscuridad had told her. She understood why, she supposed. Most of the ponies there would have liked to be able to brag that they received a Hearth's Warming present from Empress Twilight Sparkle. Her three gifts were the most recent Daring Do novel (rather expensive, having sold out in the first few days of publication), a favorite cookbook of her's (most useful), and a book on obscure unicorn history (which had been given to her, unopened, by her number one assistant, personalized 'Happy Hearth's Warming from your friend Twilight Sparkle, thanks for being such a great assistant for so long' written on the inside cover, which she had to painstakingly remove from the book in order to give it out anonymously, all in all, being regifted three times should qualify something as 'old'). She rejoined the party, had a few drinks, went outside with everypony else to see the Ponyville Elementary's Hearth's Warming Eve play, and came in to mingle a bit before the final toast. After that, the most looked-forward to time of the evening; presents and dinner. Twilight was spooked suddenly "Hello, Princess." She turned around and raised an eyebrow as she looked up at the large unicorn. "Oh, hello, Prince Blueblood. This is unexpected, I didn't know you'd be attending my little Ponyville ball. I assumed you would want to go to the big Canterlot one." "I figured I could do with something a little more.... quaint, this year." "Hm. Well, I hope you're enjoying the party, if you'd excuse me-" "I am, in fact. Ah, that reminds me, Princess, I'd like to present you with a gift." He levitated a small, beautifully and professionally wrapped box. Twilight felt a little uneasy by it. She gave a nervous smile. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but this year I'm trying to follow the Longma tradition of gifting anonymously." She levitated it into the pile of presents. Blueblood frowned and levitated it back over to her. "I already placed down my three gifts, I want to give this to you. It's a horn ring." "..." "I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I've decided, you're the mare for me." "...and suddenly the others all seem subtle in comparison..." "Excuse me?" "Nothing, just remembered something..." "Alright, well anyway. I'm the most eligible bachelor in Canterlot, and I can't help but notice you're not with anypony at the moment. Think about it, every mare wants to marry a prince. Why wait for some other commoner to inherit the title by marrying you, when you could marry a genuine prince?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "We two are of the most noble blood in Canterlot, you being an alicorn and protege of Celestia, and now with your own little Empire, and I with my divine blood and fine breeding. What more could you hope for in a stallion? And what time is more romantic than Hearth's Warming Eve?" Twilight stared at him for several seconds. "...are you proposing to me?" "Yes, of course. Won't it be a great announcement at the toast?" "...Prince Blueblood." "Yes Twilight?" "I'm... sorry? ...But I understandably want a little while to think about it." "Well, of course, Princess." He smiled smugly. "Though you may not want to wait too long, you know every mare in Canterlot will jump at the chance should you refuse." "heh... heh... yeah." She glanced in every direction, hoping for any possible reason to stop talking to Blueblood. "Oh! I'm sorry, but my Captain needs to speak with me!" She dropped the little box in the pile of presents. "I'll put thought into your offer, try the punch." She said nervously, turning and moving quickly toward Oscuridad. "Hello Captain!" "How may I be of service Princess?" "Pretend to speak to me about something urgently so that I don't have to talk to Prince Blueblood." "Prince?! Prince of what?" "He's a descendent of Celestia, distantly I hope... he just proposed." Oscuridad's expression became unreadable. "...proposed what...?" "Marriage." "...with?" "Me." "...should I have Crow sneak him into a closet and slit his throat?" "What?! No!...wait... actually... no, still no. We don't do that, remember?" "Of course. Should I have him ejected from the window?" "What?" "I mean the premises, for disturbing you." "...." "Princess?" "I'm thinking." She frowned. "...no... it would make to much of a scene. I think it'll be much less awkward for everypony if I simply avoided him the rest of the night, and then forever." "Likewise." Oscuridad said, bristling. "Ahem." Twilight said, clinging her glass a few times. "Hello everypony, thank you, thank you. Now then, I'd like to say a few words before we all open our gifts and begin the feast." She glanced down at her notes. She didn't need them of course, having memorized it as she wrote, but all the same they were comforting, as well as an excuse to turn away from the hundred-something pairs of eyes in the room. "I'd like to thank, first of all, my dear friends Rarity and Pinkamena, for organizing the details of this wonderful ball. I'd like everypony to give them a hoof. Then, to Sanguine, my personal bodyguard, for suggesting the wonderful gift-giving process this evening, for those unfamiliar with it." Another glance down. "And finally, to all of you, my guests, who gave me the honor of visiting my ball. Friends and neighbors, my loyal draconic subjects, and visitors from Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, and Manehatten alike. Please, begin opening your presents." There was another applause for Twilight, but it was cut short by another glass ringing. "Excuse me, pardon my interruption, but just as it is tradition for everypony to leave their three presents anonymously, it is also tradition that the host of the feast should have the first pick." Oscuridad said proudly, gesturing for Twilight to approach the tree. She thanked him, and was surprised to see the group of ponies clear a path for her. She walked up to the tree and smiled at the many decorations. She looked down and saw a single blue box, night blue, with turquoise ribbon. It was a very humble-looking present, considering who was at the party. But she had a good feeling about this box. As long as it didn't contain a horn ring with a note saying 'from Blueblood with love', she'd be satisfied. She slowly opened the packaged and carefully undid the ribbon and pulled off the paper. She then emptied the box and gave a soft smile at the beautiful little toy inside. It was a nutcracker, though the inscription on the bottom read "Nussknacker". It was a wooden figure of a simple Earth or Crystal Pony, sitting on it's haunches with a beautiful red and gold suit. She carefully opened and closed the large jaw, grinning at the black beard and mane, and the large painted-on teeth. It had two blue glass eyes, and charming curved painted-on moustache. On top of his head was a wooden crown painted gold. "To the pony who gave up this beautiful nutcracker, thank you. I'll treasure it always." She announced to the crowd.