//------------------------------// // Hearth's Warming Eve, Day // Story: The Story of Crepuscularity Sparkle: a Hearth's Tale of learning Friendship // by The P Co //------------------------------// Crepuscularity awoke with a start, sitting in her chair with a book on her lap, wearing her pajamas. "Bah, I must have fallen asleep reading again, not that it matters much what I do." she looked up to the large painting above her fireplace, a painting of Seasonal Wind, her late wife. She looked so beautiful, with her ever-lengthy mane draped around her as she sat in the chair in the painting, she was wearing a modest dress that only served to amplify how lovely she was, from her wide eyes full of wonder for the world, to her gentle smile, to her buttery coat and pink mane, her caring hooves.... Her tinkling laughter, it still haunted Sparkle even ten years after the accident. Seasonal had gone out to do something, offering for Crepuscularity to come with her, but the lavender mare was busy arranging her brushes and hair trimmers. The yellow pegasus didn't return that night, or the next, or for the rest of the week, Sparkle didn't notice that her wife was gone until she had received a letter in the mail, the letter informed her of the funeral being held for her wife. The business mare had poured every resource possible into the event. The last time she saw Seasonal's peaceful face, that was the last time she felt happy. Now, Crepuscularity had grown cold and distant to everypony by this point, she had vowed to never brush or trim her mane or tail again after that, and it showed. Her violet magic placed her tophat on her head, putting on a sweater under her business coat, pants on her hind legs, she was ready to brave the cold. Whipping winds filled with frost and snow attacked her as soon as she stepped out of the Golden Oaks Library, she never liked the cold, it made her feel practically dead. Trotting through the streets, her presence halting all public displays of affection, smiles, laughter, even foals playing in the snow stopped where they were, only for some to fall to the ground due to being airborne when she arrived. 'Good, I hate all of this Hearth's Warming Eve joy and cheer, it makes me sick,' she thought, reaching the final road until she was at her offices. "Heeheehee, nice outfit Missus Sparkle." a peal of laughter followed, making Crepuscularity stop in her tracks. "Who dares laugh in my presence, even more so daring to laugh at myself?" she demanded, turning to the source of the giggles. It was Little 'Loo, as most ponies, including herself, called her, her real name was Scootaloo, but the nickname was more popular because she was smaller than the average ten-year-old. "Sorry Missus Sparkle, it's just that usually you rich ponies keep the 'wearing pajamas at all times' thing inside your houses," the orange continued laughing, pointing to the older mare's backside. Crepuscularity looked, finding that the 'pants' she though she put on were still her pajamas, what was even worse was that she had been wearing her wife's pajamas, the pale pink ones with little hearts and butterflies on them. Mortified, she looked back to the bit-less filly and said, in the most threatening tone she could muster "DON'T, call me, Missus," she commanded, making the violet maned pegasus shrink back in fear. Smirking at her success, she trotted the rest of the way to her offices, a place that used to be called 'Carousal Boutique' before she bought it up and made it the headquarters for her business empire. Throwing open the doors with her magic, she announced her presence with a "HO HO HO, Bah humbug, time is money, so if you're wasting time, get the buck out of here and find new employment," her words were filled with venom and wrath, looking at the group of ponies standing in a group, huddling together and talking quietly. "I SAID, get to WORK, MAGGOTS!" she yelled, she didn't often yell, just talking calmly and condescendingly. The value of this act made her workers jump in surprise, and Profit Spotter, her favorite advisor, came to her side as she walked among the desks. "Missus-" she was shot a deadly glare, "Right, sorry, Miss Sparkle, I and your associates have been crunching the numbers for a few minutes now, and-" she was cut off "Excellent efficiency, keep this up and I might actually give you that pay raise I joked about at that party you threw on my birthday, what was the offer again?" the amethyst eyed CEO tapped her chin in thought. "Doubling my pay, going from two bits an hour to four bits an hour, ma'am." the white unicorn reminded in a hopeful tone. "Oh yeah, I forgot, in that case I'm more than likely not going to do that, so, right, what was the result of these number crunches?" her tone gained the slightest hint of excitement. "Well, the time needed to process the paperwork for the profits gained from today, being Hearth's Warming Eve, today's shopping done by the citizens, would not be worth the coal in the furnace to keep the office lit and warmed," Spotter nervously suggested. "I understand what you are saying, you're saying that it would be more profitable to close the office for today than get the coal for the furnace to keep it running and have the place open?" Sparkle re-worded "Yes, if we were to gather the files for today, then we would be able to work it out a few days from now," Spotter clarified, still nervous and now twiddling her curly indigo mane with her hoof. "A few days from now?.......... wait a second, are you trying to get extra time off? Because you spent your one day this season to have your birthday, and I'm not going to pay ponies for slacking and lollygagging." the suited mare's tone turned spiteful. "Please, I beg you, we all beg and grovel at your hooves, Miss Sparkle, please let us have this holiday off, we worked through Heart's & Hooves Day, didn't wear green on Saint Pine's Day, didn't play pranks on April Foal's Day, Mother's and Father's Day, forewent eggs on Bunny Day, stayed silent during Harmonization Day, we worked extra hard on Labor Day, didn't wear costumes on Nightmare Night, worked till two in the morning on Black Friday, took down the flags on Veteran's Day, brought our own items on the nice little get together at the end of the day on Thanksgiving, can we please, please please please have this Hearth's Warming off from work?" Profit broke down crying, wallowing on the floor at her boss's hooves. "Ugh, well, since you provided a good point on profits, as you always do, Spotter, and you have worked every day of the year thus far, and given your immaculate record of service, I shall prove my benevolence and allow you both today, and tomorrow, off from work," she finally agreed, getting a round of cheers in response. "I will, however, expect you to return December the twenty-seventh, ready to continue your filing and signing again," she continued, receiving several enthusiastic nods. "Alright, now get out of here before I change my mind, I need-" her employees galloped past her, exiting to the streets to return home, "-to lock the doors," she finished, her face deadpanning as she fumbled around in her coat pocket for her keys. "No need, darling, I have a set right here," Profit informed, levitating out a key-ring with her light blue magic. "When did I give you that?" Crepuscularity asked in confusion. "I... I live here, remember darling? This used to be my house before you bought it, my sister and I live upstairs." the blue-eyed advisor pointed to the mostly unused second floor. "Oh yeeeeeaaaaah, I forgot, right, well, get yourself something pretty," the lavender CEO directed as she levitation-tossed a measly four bits over to her employee. "Thank you, Miss Sparkle, thank you," the alabaster advisor said in gratitude as she pocketed the money. "Don't mention it," Sparkle replied, stepping outside, she spun around and quickly added, "Seriously, do not mention this to anypony." at that, she slammed the door shut. Walking down the street, feeling less cold than before for some reason, she suddenly heard "Hey again, Miss Sparkle, nice you see you're still rockin' the jammies." the young pegasus giggled. "Shut up, 'Loo, why do you bother me so much?" the amethyst eyed widow queried, rubbing her temple in mental pain. "I don't have any friends, everypony always picks on me because I'm so small." Scootaloo sadly answered, looking at the ground with a frown. "Oh, well then, I could be your friend." Crepuscularity offered, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Really? You would really do that? Be my friend?" the orange filly perked up in hope. "No, I would not 'really do that', I am not your friend." the lavender mare shot down the hope with a fiery bolt of magic and despising. "Oh, *sniff* I see..." Scootaloo slowly walked away, on the verge of crying. Crepuscularity turned her nose up, before a snowflake landed on it and melted, she shivered, feeling like she was freezing. Why was it so cold out here? "Bah humbug, it's all simpleton's rubbish, Hearth's Warming and good cheer and snow, they don't realize that bits make the world go round, and I control the engine," she cursed the season, the holiday, and the weather all in one go, trotting faster to get to the bakery before too many other ponies got there. She was right about one thing, she was the richest mare in the whole world, she had monopolized all of Steurope and Haysia, in fact the only place in all of Equus that she didn't own was the Castle Canterlot, home of Celestia and Luna, the princesses of night and day. "CAKES, where's my melon?" she demanded the lowly bakers her lion's share of the food. "We're sorry, Mistress Sparkle, we have the cake you wanted, but as bakers, we don't grow fruit," the poorly couple profusely apologized, laying the stiff box of cake before her. "Bah humbug, I suppose if you had a third pony working here with you, you would do better?" she guessed. "Yes, yes we would, oh please if you know of anypony who can fit this role, we would be ever thankful," they pleaded, hoping that the rich mare would at least take pity on them. "I know nopony of the sort, goodbye and keep your Hearth's Warming away from me." she spat before departing, telekinetically grabbing up a random pony sitting in the corner and hitching him up to a cart placed outside. "Pull this, I don't want my cake getting damaged, you got that?" she instructed, turning away from the stallion and leading him to her next destination. Sweet Apple Acres, a rather large farm run by three ponies, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Applebloom, she had ordered a pie from them for her Hearth's Warming dinner. The air seemed to be like anti-fire, consuming her with coldness and frost. The exchange was made, they could have used, nay, absolutely needed another pony to help them, but she did not know of any pony to help. With the pie, as wide as her foreleg was long, and literally pulled straight out from the oven onto her cart, she led the poor stallion to her home. Grabbing the easily carried baked goods in her telekinesis, she turned to the dirty furred, puppy-dog-eyed stallion, looking at her as if wanting some money for his service. "You can go now," she said, destroying his hope, turning to her door, throwing it open, and trotting inside without another word. The stallion frowned, his gaze falling to the ground as he walked away, sighing. Crepuscularity placed the cake and pie on her mahogany wooden kitchen table, lit the fireplace in the living room with her magic, stripped out of her business clothes, and sat in her chair in front of the fireplace with a book. "Ah, a nice book to read on a night that I don't want to think about, it's perfect," she sighed, looking up at the painting of her beloved before looking back down at her book, tears threatening to come out of her eyes and stain the pages. *knock knock knock* "Ugh, who in tartarus is knocking?" she groaned in frustration as she trotted over to the door and opened it. On the other side, was Scootaloo, looking up at her with wide, hopeful eyes, a small, gently smile, and gently grasped in her hooves was the bottom half of a broken bottle of apple soda. She had apparently been using it as a cup, as it had a few copper bits in it, even a silver in the mix, "A little bit of good will for the homeless?" she asked, her voice soft and filled with trepidation. The rich widowed mare looked both down at, and down on, the orange filly, had cheery young Little 'Loo really been reduced to common begging? Oh but how she looked so much like Seasonal, if her colors were lighter, she would have passed for a filly version of the dearly departed pegasus, she felt like she was in the presence of her wife reincarnated, and that vain hope made her groan in pain. "Get away from me, your presence fills me with emotions that I hate," she spat, her voice filled with the most potent venom she had ever dished out, "And you should give up on begging, because begging will get you nowhere," she added, knocking the makeshift cup out of the orphaned filly's hoof, sending the bits lost into the snow and the glass shattered against the exposed cobblestone street. Scootaloo failed to contain her sniffling and crying this time, trudging home to the orphanage with empty hooves and wet eyes. *WHAM* the door slammed shut. Crepuscularity sat down in her chair again, looking at her book before practically tearing it open to read it. The lavender grouch read for almost an hour before hearing another knocking on the door. *knock knock knock* "Ugh, I said stop begging, begging gets you nowhere." she complained to the pony behind the door. She looked out the window, it was light out, but a look at the clock told her it was the evening, so it should have been dark. *knock knock knock* "Alright, alright, I'm coming, hold yourself." she assured, walking over to the door and throwing it open. The widowed unicorn blinked in surprise at the sight, rubbing her eyes to make sure she was seeing right, and biting her foreleg to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She was neither on drugs nor asleep, nothing was affecting her perception of reality, but she was still seeing this... sight. "Hello honey, it's been a long time," Seasonal greeted her still-alive wife, her teal eyes shone in the dim light, her wings were larger and more powerful, and her ghostly giggle was even more beautiful and angelic than when she was alive. Crepuscularity promptly fainted.