//------------------------------// // Showing Up // Story: A Family Holiday // by SaintChoc //------------------------------// "So... have you told them yet?" "Eh? Told who, sugarcube?" "Uh, your family. Duh." "What are you goin' on about? I told them the first day." "You—Whoa, what? Seriously?" "I tell my family everythin'. What, were you thinkin' I'd just be tiptoein' around them with this?" "...Nahh, you're right. That makes sense." "So... does this mean you haven't told your family?" "...Uhh." "Well, what're you waitin' for? Ya featherbrain." "Man, I dunno! I'll tell 'em, I'll tell 'em." "Don't tell me yer gettin' nervous about us, now." "Heh. No, AJ. Never." Twilight Sparkle walked down the stairs of the crystal castle, picking up speed as the knocking grew more fervent. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Yeesh," she said under her breath. She walked up to the front door and swung it open with her magic. Rainbow Dash trotted in, snowflakes dotting her hair. She shook herself off, scattering the light layer of snow off on the floor, where it quickly melted. "Pleh! It's cold, Twilight! It's cold!" Twilight pressed her lips together as she closed the door. "That tends to happen around Hearth's Warming, Rainbow." "I'm just sayin', you could walk a little faster, y'know?" she said, grinning. She looked up at the wreaths and lights scattered about the grand entryway. "Oh, man. You do good decorating work." "Well, Rarity helped with the arranging. Anyway—If it's so cold out, why would you wait for me at all? You know it's always been pretty much an open-door policy as far as you and the others are concerned." "Oh, right. Well… I mean, I know you and Spike have your own Hearth's Warming Eve traditions, so I didn't want to… show up randomly in your castle, just 'cause I want to hang out here. So I… uh. Showed up randomly at your door." She put a hoof up to the back of her head, rubbing awkwardly. "Oh! You want to join us for our Hearth's Warming Eve celebrations? Well, that's fine." Twilight paused, thinking. "Ohh, right… Applejack went to the rock farm, right? To spend it with Pinkie's family, like last year." She smiled sympathetically. "You just want to be with her, huh?" "What—No! How did Applejack even come up!? No one was talking about Applejack until you started talking about Applejack, and now the conversation's all about Applejack!" She waved her front hooves in circles in the air, some manner of visual representation that was obviously flying over Twilight's head. "Moving on! Have you guys started opening your presents?" Twilight chuckled. "No, not yet. Spike!" she called out, "Pour some more eggnog! We've got one more joining us!" "Oh? Who is it?" Spike emerged from a room and poked his head over a banister, far above the two ponies. A small orange yarn hat sat on his head. "Hey! Hi, Rainbow Dash!" he said, waving. "Hey, Spike!" Rainbow waved back. "Lookin' sharp!" "Never stopped!" Spike grinned and turned back to fetch more eggnog. Rainbow laughed. Twilight smiled. "Cmon. We'll meet him by the tree." She started to walk up the stairs. Rainbow stared off to the side for a few moments, unfocused, before following. Her steps were slow and heavy. The train's whistle blared into the open air as it pulled into the stone-constructed station. The doors opened, and Pinkie Pie bounded off, followed by Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh, lugging the family's clothing in a suitcase on his back. Applejack came out last, saddlebags draped on her back, straining. "What the hay did you pack in these, Granny? Nnh!" "Only the important a-thing-ers! Hearth's Warming's a special time, and there's a few a-thing-ers y'just can't do the holiday without." Granny Smith turned to see Maud slowly walking up the stairs to the boarding platform. "Well howdy there, Maud! Good t'see ya again!" "Hello," Maud replied. "I am pleased you all appear to have made it here safely." She blinked. "Omigosh! Maud's here to meet us at the train station! Just like last year!" Pinkie shouted, and hugged Maud tightly. "Our first official cross-family Hearth's Warming tradition! Wheeee!" Apple Bloom arched an eyebrow, smiling. "Pinkie, are you gonna call everything that happens to happen twice a tradition?" "Omigosh! Maud's wearing the same frock as last year! It's the traditional meet-the-Apple-family-and-your-favorite-sister-at-the-train-station frock!" Pinke bounded in circles around Maud. Big Mac looked at Apple Bloom. "Eeyup." Apple Bloom laughed. The train departed from the station, and Maud started to lead the group down the short path to the rock farm. Applejack lagged behind, trying to get the saddlebag straps more comfortable. Apple Bloom fell back to her. "I know you told me to stop talking about it—" Apple Bloom began. "And you said to yourself, 'Well, that was probably just a suggestion'?" Applejack said, gnawing at the straps on her back. "But I don't get iiiiiit!" Apple Bloom hopped up and down. "I know it's an 'intimate family event,' like you said, but Rainbow's part of our family now! Isn't she?" "Well, I'm sorry, but four months is a little quick to be sayin' somethin' like that, don't ya think?" "Why are you like this all of a sudden!? It's not like the Pie family doesn't know about you two, right? I'm pretty sure Pinkie Pie's letters home are, like, fifty pages long. And I've heard you two sayin' plenty of times that this was for real!" The path started to slope up as they drew closer to the farm. "You've heard us...? Okay, first of all, that's… creepy." Applejack looked at her, wary, then shook her head. "Look, it's not about that. This is… it's how things work when it comes to stuff like this. I'm just bein' pragmatic. You might not know what that word means, but that's just a sign that this is a grown-up conversation and you'll understand when you're older." Apple Bloom grumbled. "I know what it means…" She walked ahead, sullen, to rejoin Big Mac and Granny. Applejack stared off to the side, out into the snowy, rocky plains. She gritted her teeth and breathed out. "You'll understand…" She looked in the direction of Ponyville, deluding herself into thinking she could see Rainbow's floating cloud home if she squinted just so. "...right?" "Oooohh!" Pinkie's shout snapped Applejack back to attention, and she looked forward once more as the slope evened out, the rock farm coming into view. As with the year before, glowing rocks dotted the path, creating a wondrous vista. "I'm so excited!" Pinkie hopped backwards, shouting at each pony as she passed them by. "Are you excited, Big Mac? Are you excited, Granny? Are you excited, Apple Bloom!?" They all nodded their heads enthusiastically. "And are you excited, Applejack?" Pinkie hopped on Applejack's back right alongside her saddlebags, nearly knocking the wind out of her. "Our families' second Hearth's Warming Eve! Now that we know what we're doing, this is our chance to really seal the deal and make some memories! This is gonna be awesome!" "Heh… yeah. Awesome," Applejack replied softly. Pinkie Pie leapt off and trotted towards the rock farm, humming, as her parents and sisters emerged from the house to meet them. Applejack adjusted the straps once more, and continued on.