//------------------------------// // Pipsqueak's Hearth's Warming Eve (Part 2 of 3) // Story: How Pinkie Pie and her Friends Saved Santa Hooves // by The Diplomat //------------------------------// Saving Santa Hooves is no easy task, not even for Pinkie Pie. After leaving Pipsqueak's sleigh in front of his house and hopping away, she constructed a plan to make him believe again. But she couldn't just make him believe again, no, that would require an air-tight plan. A plan in which he would have to be persuaded that it was real, in which no fault could be found in any detail of the scenario. She would need it to be real, and nothing less than that would be acceptable. When he would smile, it would have to be genuine. But how could she pull it off? Pip had been pretty shook up after all, from what she had been told, and making a bad plan could actually destroy what little hope he had left. She couldn't predict what his parents might do, so she had to plan with that in mind as well. Even I don't think a party is gonna solve this problem, and that's saying something. She stopped for a moment, and looked towards the hills nearby. She wasn't angry at those who had caused this, because not only was it not in her nature to be mad at people, but because those who had done this were misguided. She sighed, and trotted towards her warm home. The bell rang, and she quietly stepped in. As Cup Cake poked her head out from the kitchen to see who it was, she saw Pinkie and knew that a silent Pinkie was not a good sign. “What happened, Pinkie?” Pinkie Pie ran a hoof through her wild mane, and looked at her friend with a tired smile. “Nothing too bad, really. I just...need some time to think about it. I'll tell you all about it later, I promise, but for now this little Pinkie has some planning to do. If anyone asks for me, can you tell them I'm busy?” “Well...sure, but what about Pipsqueak? Won't he want to see you later when he's picking up his treat for Santa Hooves?” The pink party pony gave a little chuckle, and Cup Cake thought this was really bad. “I don't think Pip's coming by later on. Not unless I fix this.” And with that, she went upstairs, leaving a startled Cup Cake below. The clock struck 3 PM and rang throughout the quiet store. Pinkie entered her room, and closed the door behind her. She went into her closet and put on her thinking cap, grabbing Gummy from the windowsill and sat down on her bed, with her back against the headboard while petting her Gummy. Okay, Pinkie Pod. Let's go over this one more time... ************ Earlier that day, on the hills of Ponyville... Pipsqueak walked up the hill, dragging his sleigh behind him and finishing his muffin, when he arrived to receive a snowball to the face. He was so stunned he didn't react, merely wiping away the snow to see what had happened. He had been struck by a stray snowball coming from the battlefield in front of him. On his right, a trench had been built and three colts were throwing the snowy projectiles at a fort which stood to his left, where four fillies were throwing their own snowy bombs. “Hey, Pip! Stop standing there like a duck and get in here!” Rumble had called to him while his two friends, Snips and Snails, kept lobbing the snowballs at the enemy. Giggling madly, Pipsqueak ran to their position while avoiding a snowball or two and threw himself in the hole, landing next to his pegasus friend. Although the three others were older than him, Pipsqueak was considered as a 'cool kid'. While that term is as an oxymoron, it allowed him to hang out with them from time to time. “Ahoy hoy, Rumble! What's all this then?” “Well it all started when these two dummies said something involving Scootaloo and chicken, which I think was both funny and idiotic to be honest, and then,” he said, twirling a hoof above his head, “...this just sort of happened.” “I see. Well, better get started, eh? At arms, mate!” he replied, digging the snow beneath his hooves. Rumble gave a chuckle at this. “Aye aye, Captain.” The fight went on for about half an hour, until the last balls were thrown and a surrender was declared by Snips and Snails. The four fillies – Scotaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Dinky Hooves – unanimously voted to accept their surrender. Dinky was here with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders because she was their 'apprentice' as they put it, and the first Ponyvillian to join the group. Also, she was a nice filly overall and really smart, so that was always nice. “Well that was quite the fight wasn't it? Oh, and I almost forgot!” Pip went to his sleigh and picked up the bag of treats, which had remained intact throughout the battle. He offered each of them a truffle before popping one in his mouth, and they all said a word of thanks to him. “Nah, it's nothin'. It's Hearth's Warming Eve after all!” he cheered, throwing his hooves up. Everyone smiled at his enthusiasm and kindness. He was usually like that, and he was also funny and cute, but those were Dinky's thoughts and totally didn't mean anything at all. Really. “Alright then, who wants a ride on the sleigh?!” They all cheered and took turns, Pipsqueak letting all of them go first – which Dinky appreciated a lot – before going for a ride with the little filly. They played like this for some time, then started making snow angels and ponies, talking about this and that and what they had done or were going to do for the season. It was almost 3 PM when Pip started another topic of conversation. “So, what are you guys gonna get from Santa Colt?” “I'm asking for a book on fun and interesting spells that I saw in the library the other day, and my very own chemistry kit!” shouted Dinky, skipping around her snowpony. “Wicked! What about you lot?” There was a small moment of silence, where everything sort of stopped, the other foals standing there awkwardly while rubbing their forearms or scratching their necks or mane. Pip looked at them, his head cocked on the side with a curious expression on his face, until Snips spoke up. “You still believe in Santa Hooves?” Pip stared at him, blinked a few times, and gave a tiny little laugh. “Well, of course I do. You don't just 'stop' believin' in Santa,” he said, turning to his other friends. None of them spoke, or looked back at him. “...Right?” he asked, a tiny bit of fear creeping into his voice. “Well shoot, of course ya don't, right girls?” said Apple Bloom, turning to her friends and giving a sideways look at him. “Uh, yeah! Yeah, he's totally real!” said Scotaloo, a bit too loudly and enthusiastically. “I'm believing so hard right now!” yelled Sweetie Belle, looking away with a bright red face afterwards. Pip did not believe any of their loud confirmations. “Oh come on, guys, tell him. Look, Pip my little buddy, have you ever wondered why everyone's carrying gifts around town?” said Snails. “That's easy: they're giving gifts for those who are too old for Santa. Mum told me that,” said Pip, looking confident again. “Fair point. But have you ever seen Santa?” said Snips, moving towards him. “Of course I have. He was at Sugarcube Corner last year, I sat on his lap and asked him gifts, which he brought by the way.” “Okay. Have you ever seen two Santas?” “Well no, of course not.” “Well I have, in Canterlot. Also, where does Santa get all his gifts?” “...He makes them, in his workshop,” he said, hesitating a bit. “What are you saying, Snips? I know he's real, he was there after the first Hearth's Warming Eve,” starting to get annoyed and scared. “Guys, I think you should stop talking now,” said Rumble, looking very embarrassed. “No, he has to hear this. Pip, no one has ever seen Santa; all he left was a letter and he never came back after that.” “Yeah, and how do you think he goes all over Equestria in one night?” added Snails. “Well...he...uh, ummm,” said Pip, his fear growing. “Yeah, and you know what else? My mom told me he wasn't real last summer. It's the parents, Pip, they give gifts.” “Guys, stop that right now! It's not funny!” shouted Apple Bloom, getting in front of Pip, who had started shaking at this point; and it wasn't because of the cold. “No, he needs to grow up! Pip, you have to see the truth: even if he was real, he would have to be a gajillion years old now,” said Snails. “No... no you're lying! Tell them, Dinky!” shouted Pip, turning to his friend. She stared at the side biting her lower lip. “No. No, you're lying, all of you! Stop it! STOP IT NOW!” yelled Pip. He turned around, with his eyes moistening, and ran down the hill, almost tripping on the way down. After the fillies called out for him, they turned towards the boys with angry looks. “What the hay, boys?! Why are you so mean?!” shouted Scootaloo, poking Snips in the chest. “He needed to grow up! That's how you become a stallion, through pain!” said Snails, looking down at her. “That's not how ya grow up, ya dummy! He had to learn it on his own!” said Apple Bloom, glaring at him. They were about to keep going when they heard sobbing. Turning around, they saw that Dinky had gone to sit down on the sleigh and had her face in her hooves. The fillies went to console her, until she broke free from the hug and ran down the hill after Pip, pulling his sleigh after her. The CMC glared at the three colts. “Now look at what you did! You're all big meanies, except you Rumble, but you were just a chicken!” shouted Sweetie Belle, pointing a hoof at them. “Well I told them to stop, but they wouldn't listen!” “Well that wasn't enough, was it?! Come on girls, we gotta find Dinky!” said Scotaloo, prompting the three of them to run down the hill. The three colts stood there, one of them looking down at his hooves while the two others were trying to look confident. “Hey, listen guys I...I gotta go,” said Rumble, flying off without waiting for a reply. “Hey Snails?” “Yeah?” “Do you think we did the right thing, telling Pip the truth?” “Of course we did. Yeah, we had to...” said Snips, slowly going down into a small mumble. The snow kept falling, and they headed down the hill with troubled minds and slow hooves. ************ Silly colts. They don't grow up, they just get bigger. Pinkie sat there, petting her pet alligator and devising a plan – or attempting to, at least. She petted, and petted, and hummed, then petted again. Then an idea struck her. It was completely out of the fourth wall, it needed two opposite personalities and skills, and yet it could work. Not only for Pip, but for everyone else as well. She jumped out of bed. “Alright, Gummy Gums! We have some impossible work to do, so onwards!” She ran out of her room, down the stairs, and zoomed through the streets of the city. Zipping and hopping, she slipped or jumped past bystanders, shouting a quick 'Hello!' or 'Merry Hearth's Warming Eve!' to everyone, who replied with a similar expression or a word of thanks. She ran until she reached a house outside of town, which had no decorations or blinking light. The only outside sign of festivities was some holly hanging on the front door. “Alright, you lovable, cranky old grumpy-pants. We're gonna save Hearth's Warming,” she said, pumping a hoof up in the air as a sign of victory. She stayed frozen like that for a few seconds, grinning like mad and staring at the door with a big smile on her face. Then, she skipped over to the door and knocked on it.