Twist was in her element. Excitement bubbled through her mind and the smell of candy and mint filled the air along with the quiet background noise of the town square bustling just the other side of the counter and candy salesroom.
Everywhere within her kitchen lay the half-started pieces of candy that had struck her on a whim to create. Small striped drops, large striped lollipops on candy string necklaces and more lay in various stages of completion all about.
In the midst of the chaos, juggling twisting loops of peppermint, spearmint and evermint, Twist danced about with yet more strands of the soft taffy-like Ever Pepper Spearmint hung bundled together around a high neck-guard.
An incautious visitor was like to lose an eye while Twist was creating her signature candies. She glided through her kitchen, tossing the loops around her neck high and catching them between cloth booted hooves to spin and fling them again up again with a toss of her head to start again with the next strand before any one of them could cool too much.
Over and over, she repeated this process, building up what would become a giant candy cane for Hearth's Warming Eve. She could already see it in her mind's eye.
Though the hot strands of candy were still flexible and tacky and lacked their shape, already the green and red and gold bands were appearing, distinct and brightly festive, as she stretched and thinned it, then looped it together and twisted it about again.
This one would be especially intricate, with five or six bands of alternating colors running the entire length of the cane.
A visitor did come by, but didn't stop her in her creation process. She didn't recognize the young colt, but she laughed as he stared at her with his mouth agape while she danced about her kitchen.
She was almost done. She winked at her young visitor and sped up the pace of her dance, putting the last flourishes at the top of the cane, inspired in the moment by the appearance of the colt. But one piece, she left unworked at what would be the bottom.
This wouldn't go into the finished product, she decided. Instead, she would would make it for him. Just a little taste of Hearth’s Warming eve ahead of the holiday; a little bit of extra happiness in these cold winter days.
She whipped the long strand into the air and caught the end before it could crash into the ceiling. With a deft twist and a flourish, she rolled up the very tip into a neat ball and snapped it off before catching the strand and looping it around her neck again.
She stopped her dance, and posed for him, one hoof holding up the small lump of candy cane. She laughed again and clicked her hind hooves together when he stomped his hoof approvingly.
“Thank you! Thank you!” She bowed with a flourish of the ball of candy.
Only then did he ask he ask her, "What are you making, Twist?"
She held the still gooey ball of Ever Pepper Spearmint out to him.
"Twists, candy and happiness. Want some?"