//------------------------------// // 1 - Hearth’s Warming Eve // Story: Warmth in the Snow // by Krickis //------------------------------// Chapter One Hearth's Warming Eve ⠀ ⠀ Sunset was freezing. She sat huddled on her couch, with an electric blanket covering everything except for one gloved hand, which was exposed only because it held a coffee mug filled with wine, without which the cold would be even worse. She passed the day lounging around, watching Christmas specials. They kind of reminded her of the Hearth’s Warming pageant she used to watch as a filly. She had actually always hated being dragged to the performance; the whole ‘fire of friendship lives on in our hearts’ thing had always seemed like the dumbest thing in the world. Even as a foal it seemed overly foalish to her. But as she aged and spent another year away from Equestria, she realized she wouldn’t mind seeing it again. Hell, after everything that happened in the past year, she’d pretty much resolved to never complain that anything was too happy again. But the closest she could come seemed to be drinking until Christmas and Hearth’s Warming weren’t separate holidays. She hadn’t made much headway in this endeavor, but the night was young and her bottle still mostly full. She took another gulp of wine. Her phone rang again. Sunset immediately recognized the ringtone, but still looked at it and groaned.  ‘Why is she still calling? How hard can it be to get the hint.’ Sunset stared at the picture on her phone as that frustratingly upbeat folk song played. Eventually it stopped and the pink haired girl was replaced by a grey text box stating ‘one missed call,’ which she swiped away. Another minute or so and it chimed to tell her she had six new voicemails. Sunset dropped the phone on the couch. ‘I’ll listen to them tomorrow,’ she told herself. She probably wouldn’t. She was way too miserable to hear Fluttershy’s voice, and one more day wasn’t going to change that. She downed the rest of her wine and refilled the mug.  Leaning back, she tried in vain to find the warm spot she had a second ago. She tried to pay attention to what the TV had assured her would be a wonderful life, but seemed to be a sort of miserable one. She was almost tempted to see what was so urgent, but she already had an idea of what Fluttershy would want, and she wasn’t ready for that. Unable to focus on the TV she debated turning it off and heading to bed. It wasn’t really late and she wasn’t really tired, but with enough of her wonderful drink she could solve at least one of those problems. It wasn’t like she had to work in the morning. She had requested the time off months ago, back when she thought she’d be spending it with two others. The thought made her take another gulp, and she spilled some of it when a knock on the door made her jump. Once she set the half full mug down she glared at the door as if it had been the one that decided to allow company to be on the other side. There were only two people who might show up unannounced, and thinking about it one of them would actually be a welcome sight. The other one… ‘Please be Applejack.’ She opened the door to find Fluttershy shivering on the doorstep. “I tried calling.” Sunset stepped aside to let the freezing girl in. “Sorry, phone must be on silent.” She shut the door against the cold, and turned to see Fluttershy take off her coat and walk to the bedroom to hang it up on the only coatrack Sunset owned. When she returned to the living room she held her arms open and smiled. Despite her worries, Sunset couldn’t resist smiling back as they hugged, even if Fluttershy was still damp from the snow. “So how’d you get here anyway?” Sunset asked. Fluttershy didn’t own a car. “I took a taxi,” Fluttershy said. “I know if I asked Rainbow to drive me she’d want to stay, and I didn’t want to make things uncomfortable.” It had been months since Sunset and Rainbow had gotten along, which upset Fluttershy quite a lot. “It would have been fine,” Sunset said. “I can behave myself.” She caught herself before finishing the sentence. ‘I can behave myself for you.’ Fluttershy smiled at that. Truth be told she was glad Rainbow hadn’t come, but there was no point in saying that out loud. Not when Fluttershy actually seemed happy to be with her. Sunset returned to the couch and Fluttershy sat next to her. “Oh, I love this movie,” Fluttershy said. “I kinda caught it halfway through.” Sunset offered half of the blanket which Fluttershy happily accepted. She had actually been watching from the beginning, but had been too preoccupied to really follow it too closely. “So I kinda get what’s going on, but why is this a Christmas movie?” “Well, it’s kind of Christmasy at the end,” Fluttershy said. “Sort of.” “What’s with the stars that keep talking?” “That’s God and one of His angels.” “Ah yeah, I guess I can see it,” Sunset said. Religion was one human custom that always struck her as strange. For years she lived as a human without ever giving it much of a thought, until about a year ago when she started reading up on it for Fluttershy, who was Christian. Sunset still didn’t believe in any of it, but she had a good grasp of the lore. “So why do they care about this guy?” “Because God cares about everyone.” If anyone else said something like that Sunset might have laughed. The idea that some great being spent his time taking care of individual humans was way too farfetched for her. But since Fluttershy was the one to say it, she just accepted it at face value. As they watched the movie Sunset realized Fluttershy wasn’t going to just tell her why she had come over. She almost didn’t dare question it, but her curiosity got the better of her. “So, Shy, I’m really happy to see you, but uhm… what’s going on?” Fluttershy smiled at her. “I knew you’d be home alone, and nobody should be alone on the holidays.” Sunset grinned. “Yeah, that’s nice and all, but it’s still almost a week until Christmas.” Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “I know, but it is Hearth’s Warming Eve.” Sunset’s grin changed into a real smile. “You… you actually remembered that?” “Of course I remember. Honestly, Sunny, just because we’re not dating anymore doesn’t mean you’re not still important to me.” Sunset wasn’t sure what to say. No one ever remembered she didn’t really celebrate any of the human holidays, let alone what day Hearth’s Warming was. “Thank you.” Fluttershy smiled warmly. “You’re welcome. So, what do ponies usually do for Hearth’s Warming?” “I don’t think it’s much different than Christmas, really. There’s a sappy Hearth’s Warming play every year, but other than that ponies just spend time with their families and friends. Eating, drinking, talking by the fire. That sort of thing.” She knew she didn’t have to remind Fluttershy she was welcome to anything in the kitchen, but she still felt guilty. For the first time ever she was hosting Hearth’s Warming Eve, even if it was for only one guest. “Sorry I didn’t make a big dinner or anything.” Fluttershy laughed. “Silly, you didn’t even know I was coming. I know it’s not the same as a home cooked meal, but how about I order us a pizza?” “Pizza sounds great, but I’ll get it,” Sunset said, trying to remember how much money she had in her wallet. “Not a chance.” Fluttershy pulled out her phone. As she ordered their usual – a large veggie pizza – she got up and walked to the bedroom. When she came back out she had one hand behind her back. “So do ponies give gifts for Hearth’s Warming?” Sunset eyed her suspiciously. “Yes. Tell me you didn’t get me anything.” Fluttershy pulled out a box. “Of course I did.” Sunset felt guilty accepting the gift, but she couldn’t deny being excited at the same time. She opened the box to find a necklace of yellow and red gemstones. It was simple, but still looked too expensive. “Shy, this is… you really shouldn’t have.” Fluttershy bowed her head. “Uhm… I know you don’t usually wear jewelry, but when I saw it I thought of you and… I’m sorry, you probably don’t like it. You don’t have to wear it if you don’t want to.” “No, I love it. But you probably paid way too much for it.” She stared at the necklace, afraid to touch it. “You should return it.” “Oh, uhm, it really wasn’t that expensive. It’s… to tell the truth, it’s costume jewelry, so it wasn’t too much,” Fluttershy said almost bashfully. “I’m sorry, you deserve better, but…” Sunset smiled and finally lifted the necklace out of the box. “No, it’s perfect.” She attempted to put it on but couldn’t get the clasps to connect. Fluttershy giggled. “Here, let me.” Sunset pulled her hair away and Fluttershy clipped the necklace in place. “How do I look?” Sunset asked as she turned around. “Beautiful,” Fluttershy said. She blushed and turned away. “Uhm… I mean… you know…” Sunset blushed too, more because of Fluttershy’s reaction than her compliment. She walked to the bathroom to look at her reflection and realized she was an absolute mess. She hadn’t been expecting company, so was dressed in her warmest pajamas. She grabbed a hairbrush and did her best to fix the unmanageable mess hanging from her head. At least the necklace looked nice. She debated putting on some real clothes to do it justice, but decided that it was probably too late for that. By this point, if she got dressed up it would look like she was trying to look nice for Fluttershy, which of course would be exactly what she was doing. She walked back to the living room and Fluttershy smiled at her from the couch. She looked like she wasted no time in returning to the covers. “You know, I got you something too. Should I get it now, or wait until Christmas?” Fluttershy thought for a moment. “I guess… let’s wait until Christmas.” “Sure thing,” Sunset said, joining Fluttershy under the blanket. She was a little disappointed, it had been so long since she could give a Hearth’s Warming gift, and not since she first became Celestia’s pupil had she actually wanted to. She had planned on getting Fluttershy something for both holidays, but that was before money was so tight. The guy in the movie was running around town wondering why nobody knew him. “You know, this is kinda depressing for a Christmas movie,” Sunset said. Fluttershy laughed. “You should watch the whole thing some time. When did you get cable, anyway?” “Oh, uh… I kind of didn’t.” Sunset grinned sheepishly. “I figured out how to get it from my neighbor’s line.” She expected Fluttershy to lecture her about stealing, but she just rolled her eyes. “Well, now that you do, you should keep an eye out for this movie. It’s always playing on some channel.” While Fluttershy was explaining a bit more about the movie someone knocked on the door. Both women jumped up and ran to it, laughing and pushing each other out of the way. Sunset got there first and grinned victoriously as she opened it. “One large veggie lovers,” the delivery guy said as he pulled the box out of his thermal bag and handed it to Sunset. “Thank you,” Sunset said as she set the box down on a table. She reached for her pocket before realizing her pajama pants didn’t have pockets. She sighed and turned towards Fluttershy. “Hey, could you grab my –” “Nope.” Fluttershy pushed her out of the way. She pulled out her own wallet and paid for the pizza. “Keep the change. And happy holidays!” As she shut the door Sunset pouted. “I could have paid.” “Sunny, it’s fine. Could you please get us some plates?” “Yeah, alright.” Sunset went into the kitchen and grabbed two plates and two cans of soda. They ate as they watched the rest of the movie, savoring the hot food in the cold weather. “Uhm… Sunny,” Fluttershy said, breaking through a lapse in the conversation. “Do, uhm… do you need to borrow some money?” Sunset frowned. “No, I’m fine.” Fluttershy hesitated a moment before continuing. “You wouldn’t actually need to pay me back or anything…” Sunset set her half eaten slice of pizza down. “I’m fine, Shy. Thanks, but don’t worry about me.” For a second Sunset let herself believe Fluttershy would drop it, but then she caught sight of the other girl’s face. She was biting her lip and her eyes looked around as she tried to figure out how to phrase what she wanted to say. “You know, Rainbow’s parents don’t charge me rent… I, uhm, I wouldn’t mind if you still needed me to pay the gas bill.” “The gas bill’s paid. It’s bad enough you won’t let me pay for my half of the phone bill.” Fluttershy tilted her head to the side. “Then why isn’t the heat on?” Sunset rested her chin on her hand and looked off to the side. “Because the heater’s broken.” It wasn’t that Sunset cared if Fluttershy knew how she lived. Hell, she already knew better than anyone. But the last thing Sunset wanted was for Fluttershy to waste money on her. “Oh. Well how much is it to fix?” Fluttershy asked. “Maybe I can help.” “Shy, really, I’m fine.” Sunset insisted. “But it gets so cold at night. At least let me get you a little space heater until you can repair the other one.” “I don’t need any help!” Sunset said, much sharper than she had intended. Even as the words left her mouth she regretted it, and as Fluttershy flinched away she felt even worse. “Okay.” Fluttershy stared down at her hands, hiding her face in her hair. She moved a few inches away, making Sunset realize how close they had actually been. They didn’t talk for the rest of the movie, and left half of the pizza forgotten. ‘This is exactly why I’m all alone,’ Sunset reminded herself. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Sunset said. “It’s okay,” Fluttershy said. Sunset moved around her empty soda can. She thought about getting up to get another, but couldn’t feel motivated. “So, uh –” Sunset was cut off by a loud punk rock song. Fluttershy smirked as Sunset scrambled around the couch to find her phone. “On silent, huh?” “Well… okay, I was ignoring you,” Sunset said. She finally found her phone wedged in the cushions between them. She didn’t have to check who was calling, since only one person had that ringtone. “Is that Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah. Should I be worried?” Instead of answering Fluttershy took the phone and silenced it, setting it on the table. “She’s just being overprotective. I turned my phone off when I got here.” “You should probably let her know you’re alright,” Sunset said. “She’ll be fine. She knows I’m here, and I told her I didn’t know how late I’d be out.” For two months Fluttershy had been living with her surrogate sister. For just as long Rainbow had either ignored Sunset or talked to her just long enough to remind her to leave Fluttershy alone. “So why’d you ignore my calls?” Fluttershy asked. She didn’t look upset, just curious. “I guess… I thought you just wanted to pick up more of your stuff, and I was already feeling down about spending Hearth’s Warming alone.” Saying it out loud made Sunset feel silly. “I’m sorry, I should have tried calling before today. I… well, I wasn’t sure I wanted to come. I only made up my mind earlier today. I kept thinking about you being alone, and, well… I realized how sad I’d be if you didn’t want to see me on Christmas…” Sunset grinned. “So is that an invitation?” Fluttershy giggled. “Of course you’re invited. Uhm, if you want to come over, I mean.” “Wouldn’t miss it,” Sunset said. Fluttershy beamed, which made Sunset feel warmer than she should be able to in this weather. “And thanks for coming, Shy. It’s been too long since we got to just hang out.” Fluttershy moved a little closer, recovering the lost inches from Sunset’s outburst and then some. “Yeah,” she said as a cartoon started on the TV, one even Sunset was familiar with. “You know, you could have gone back to Equestria. At least everyone would be celebrating there.” Sunset shrugged. “I guess. But I don’t know… I mean, I’m sure Twilight would be okay with me coming over, but I’d feel a little intrusive. Her and the other Fluttershy are hosting Hearth’s Warming at Twilight’s place this year and her whole family's gonna be there. Besides, I don’t know if Celestia will be there or not, and I have no idea how that conversation’s gonna go.” She left out that she had actually been invited. She even thought about accepting, but as always found every reason to avoid her foalhood home. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be that bad,” Fluttershy said. Sunset never used to talk about her life in Equestria, but over the past year Fluttershy had gotten her to finally open up about it. If she found it weird her ex-girlfriend used to be a pony she never said so. Getting used to the idea that there was a pony Fluttershy had taken some time, but eventually she’d grown accustomed to that too. Sunset smiled at her. “Maybe, but then I wouldn’t be with you.” Fluttershy smiled back. “I’m glad you stayed.” Sunset’s text message tone went off. She checked it to find it was from Rainbow, just as she knew it would be. “Is Fluttershy still with you?” Sunset read aloud. “Let me answer it,” Fluttershy said. Sunset handed her the phone and she typed a message. She turned the phone off and set it back on the table. “So how late are you staying?” Sunset asked. “Not that I mind, I’ve got nowhere to be.” “School’s closed for the holidays, and I don’t have work tomorrow, so I can stay for a while,” Fluttershy said. Sunset celebrated internally. “So how’s work going these days anyway?” Sunset asked. “It’s been pretty busy lately. Winter is always a big time for us, we’ve found homes for so many lucky little animals.” Once Fluttershy had to get a job the animal shelter she had volunteered at offered her one immediately. “I just hope all their new families really understand how big a responsibility it is to own a pet.” Sunset grinned. “Something tells me they probably have an idea.” After she saw how many people brought back animals in the months following Christmas, once they became too big or started scratching at the furniture, Fluttershy had become very thorough in lecturing potential adopters on what they were getting into. She had scared away more than a few, which initially upset her boss, but once they saw how many fewer animals were returned they changed their minds. Now they liked to get Fluttershy to talk to every new pet owner whenever possible. “So how’s your job going?” Fluttershy asked. She was already using the everything’s-going-to-be-okay smile before Sunset even had a chance to complain. “Busy, which unfortunately just means more idiots.” Sunset shrugged. She had been stuck in the same dead end retail job for ages. The store she worked at valued customer service, which apparently meant letting the customers walk all over the employees. She wanted to leave, but a lack of anything beyond a high school education, coupled with a record full of petty crimes from before she’d turned over a new leaf, meant that few places would take her. She had only gotten that job because Flash Sentry’s uncle was a manager. Thankfully breaking up with his nephew didn’t seem to be enough of a reason to fire her. Fluttershy put a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. She didn’t have to reach far, as without realizing it they had been moving closer each time either of them shifted positions. Even if she enjoyed it, realizing how close they were made Sunset a little nervous. She decided to get up and get another drink after all, but shifting the blanket changed her mind. Instead she reached for the still half full mug of wine, but before she could drink it Fluttershy grabbed it from her hand. “You drink too much,” she said, before finishing the wine herself. Sunset grinned. “You’re one to talk.” “Please, I don’t drink that much.” Fluttershy refilled the mug and took another sip. “You know… that’s probably a really bad idea. Us drinking together, I mean.” Some of her best memories had begun with drinking with Fluttershy, but so did some of her worst. “Hmm.” Fluttershy took a large drink, leaving the mug half full, which she handed to Sunset. “Maybe, but you’re not going to stop me.” Sunset finished the rest of it. “Well, no. But I did warn you.” She looked at the bottle. “So should I get another cup?” “Probably.” Sunset steeled herself to face the cold and threw the blanket off, then threw it back on. “But it’s cold out there.” Fluttershy giggled and scooted close enough that she was touching Sunset, so she could reach the wine bottle better. She refilled the mug and didn’t move away once she set the bottle down. “I’m sure we’ll be fine with one.” She drank some before handing it to Sunset. As Sunset drank one of the elves on the TV started yelling at a smaller elf. “How does elf society even work?” Fluttershy laughed. “What?” Sunset gestured to the TV. “So he wants to be a dentist. Who fucking cares? I mean, do they not have dentists or something? They apparently know what dentists are, so you’d think they’d have some around. What about doctors? I mean, does every elf do nothing but make toys? How can a whole society possibly run on only one job?” Fluttershy shook her head and smiled. Her hand wrapped around Sunset’s arm. “Sunny, it’s just a cartoon.” “So? It’s ridiculous. Don’t some elves have to make food, at least? And then what do they even eat? It’s not like they can grow food in the snow, and all the animals are sentient.” Fluttershy let her ramble about the TV for a while as they passed the mug back and forth. “You’re so weird,” Fluttershy said, taking the mug from Sunset and finishing it. “Hey, you gotta admit I make a valid point,” Sunset defended. “I guess so. I kind of miss the way you see everything. How you always notice stuff no one else pays attention to.” Fluttershy refilled the mug. “You know what I kind of miss?” Sunset asked as she watched Fluttershy take another sip then turn to her expectantly. “You.” “Sunny…” Fluttershy looked down, but didn’t move away. Sunset turned back to the TV. “Sorry. I shouldn’t say that. I’d blame it on the wine, but it’s just me being dumb.” Fluttershy swirled around the wine before drinking the rest. “No, you’re not dumb.” She poured the rest of the bottle in the mug and drank it all, then set it on the table. She leaned against Sunset who put an arm around her. “I miss you too.” Sunset expected Fluttershy to pull away, but she didn’t. Instead she wrapped her arms around Sunset and just watched the TV while using Sunset’s chest as a pillow. On some level, Sunset knew she should be panicking, that this was exactly what she wasn’t supposed to do with Fluttershy. But through the haze of the wine, the feeling of their bodies next to one another felt so natural that she barely thought about it. She hardly noticed when the movie came to an end. “You still awake?” Sunset asked. Fluttershy was facing away from her and hadn’t spoken since they shifted positions. Sunset kind of hoping she wouldn’t get an answer. “Yeah,” Fluttershy said. She knew she should suggest Fluttershy call a cab to take her home, but couldn’t think of a single reason why she should do that. “Hey, Shy… do you think things could ever work for us again?” “I don’t know. Probably not.” “Yeah. You’re probably right.” Fluttershy slowly sat up, but she didn’t move her arms from Sunset’s body. She looked up and didn’t try to put on her comforting smile. She looked just as sad as Sunset felt. Sunset put one hand behind Fluttershy’s back and pulled them closer as she leaned in and kissed her. After pulling away for a second Fluttershy leaned in and kissed her back. As they kissed Sunset’s mind raced back to months ago. This was their home, and Fluttershy was her girlfriend. Sunset’s hand slipped under Fluttershy’s sweater as she began kissing Sunset’s neck. Her hand began traveling up Fluttershy’s back, pulling up her sweater with it. Fluttershy grinned and pushed Sunset down against the couch, holding her arms down as she leaned in and kissed her again. Sunset smiled while looking up at her, and Fluttershy just grinned mischievously. She moved down slowly, kissing Sunset’s neck. Occasionally she’d bite it softly as her hand wandered down lower, stopping at her hip before moving back up to her chest. Sunset again pulled at Fluttershy’s sweater, and this time she allowed her to take it off. She traced her hand along Fluttershy's body, smiling as she moved over her shoulder, where Fluttershy had a yellow and red sun tattooed; the same place where Sunset had a pink butterfly. Shivering slightly, Fluttershy pulled the blanket up higher before returning to Sunset. She moved her hand slowly across Sunset's body, and began pulling off her pants until an obnoxiously loud commercial made her jump. Fluttershy started laughing first, then Sunset joined in. Sitting up Fluttershy found the remote and turned off the TV. She kissed Sunset one more time then stood up. Without a shirt she shivered, which caused Sunset to laugh again. “Shut up,” Fluttershy said, but she started laughing again too. She walked into the bedroom. “And bring the blanket!”