December 14, 1085
Dear Diary,
It will be Hearths Warming Day soon. It will be the first one that I've spent without my best friends, and I don't know how it will go without them.
The first snow of Winter started yesterday as well. It seemed a little late, but I didn't mind. Spike was there next to me as I watched the first snow fall, thinking of my friends. I will miss them forever, no matter what anyone says.
However, I did get a bit of a surprise when I went back inside. I walked inside and let out a gasp.
Somepony had gone and gathered all of the relatives of my friends, just so we could all be together for the holidays. Pinkie Pie's ten great grandchildren bounced around, all of them singing a different Hearths Warming carol. Fluttershy's five great grandchildren all sat quietly around the tree. Rainbow Dash's three were flying around happily, and laughing at the antics of the Pie family. Apple Cider had brought her sisters, brothers, and cousins who were the closest to Applejack, including some of Apple Bloom's grandchildren. There were very very many of them. Shimmering had also done so.
On top of this, they didn't just bring the great grandchildren. They brought everypony, the grandchildren, my best friends' children, absolutely everypony. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo.
And, to my greatest surprise, Starlight Glimmer. It had been so long since I last saw my faithful student. Ha... I sound like Celestia.
I looked out upon the scene. Everypony smiled at me. Spike jumped up and said, "Surprise! I helped bring everypony here. They're all going to live in the Kingdom of Harmony, Twilight!"
I looked out upon the scene once more... and cried tears of joy, as I went out to hug everypony.
It was a amazing party, it really was. The Pies assured us that we would have a party just as big on Hearths Warming Eve. I had smiled and laughed at this. It was amazing how Pinkie and Cheese's love for parties had continued on in their family. It was likely helped by the Element of Laughter. Eventually, Reflection joined in the party, and the Pies had her play a game of impressions. It was much more fun when you could change into the ponies you were doing the impression of. Everypony got along with Reflection quickly.
Once the party started dying down, I pulled Starlight aside to speak with her. Starlight doesn't like talking about it, but she will live for an incredibly long time compared to most ponies, because of the time travel incident, her sheer magical strength, and an age spell she once attempted to cast on herself, Starlight didn't look nearly as old as my best friends when they... you know.
When I taught Starlight, she had decided that she wanted to spread friendship to all. So she would travel across the land to bring it. She enjoyed travelling in colder places better than warmer, and had gained many treasures from the places she'd explored. Sometimes, she'd be gone for whole years, spreading friendship and harmony around the world.
She told me at the party that she was going to continue doing that, but she would visit much more often. Fluttershy's funeral was the only one she was able to be there for, so she paid her respects after the party had ended.
I think that something may be a little bit wrong with Reflection as well. It looks like a friendship problem. I'll have to talk to her sometime.
-Twilight Sparkle
December 25, 1085
Happy Hearth's Warming!
Today is the first Hearth's Warming without my best friends. While it hurts without them, there are so many ponies that are there for me, and not all of them are their children.
The party we had yesterday was absolutely enormous. Everypony - and changeling - who lived in the Kingdom of Harmony was invited to the castle for one big Hearth's Warming Eve party. And everyone came, too. While the changelings had a little trouble adapting, they were able to manage - it was what they did best, after all. Change and adapt.
I won't go into full detail about the party - it would take all night to mark down every little detail. But the party had everything: Cider, presents, food, singing, decorations, jokes, friends, laughter.
And then there was Reflection.
She sat alone, on a balcony, away from the party. She had commanded the drones to not bother her, or speak of her. They were not entirely convinced that it was the best decision, but changelings listen to their Queens.
I found her though, and I spoke with her. And when I figured out what was wrong, I felt... awfully stupid, actually.
Reflection had no family, no friends, nothing. Only her drones, and me. Her mother, Chrysalis, was dead. She had no siblings. Her father was dead as well - she never knew his name. And I wasn't even considered a friend. Only an ally. And I felt the same way. Her mother had caused me and my friends so much trouble in the past (Chrysalis even imprisoned and impersonated Pinkie once!) that I saw her a bit like her mother.
And when I realized this, I did something a little strange.
There was a huge party inside, all for me and my subjects... and I stayed there with Reflection, and asked her questions.
I asked her what her mother was like when she wasn't the enemy. I asked her what her life was like in the hive. I told her stories of the past - of my friends and family and other things as well - and made jokes and laughed, and...
And, slowly but surely, I would befriend Queen Reflection.
Not just an ally. A real, good friend.
And I learned something new, as well.
I don't just see Elements of Harmony within my friends' children... I can see them in everyone. I can see what their Elements would be, if they were bearers. Having an Element made someone more real to me, more capable of friendship, and everyone had one.
Not everypony. Everyone.
Loyalty.
Reflection had Loyalty.
And it was perfect. So, so perfect and fitting. For a drone. Not a Queen. That's what made her special.
-Twilight Sparkle
January 1, 1086
Dear Diary,
Today is the first day of the new year! The Pies threw yet another party in the castle, and it was, somehow, bigger then the last one.
Since nothing more important came up, like Reflection having an issue, I will try to go through as many details as possible this time. And it was a big party, with so much going on.
Bon Bon's great granddaughter brought many sweets, which all of the Pies took as a bit of a challenge. They had asked me permission to use the kitchen in the castle and didn't tell me why. And when I asked, they all just used a very powerful form of 'weaponized cuteness' using their eyes and begged, "Plleeeeeeeaaaaaaaaassse?"
I said yes. I'm still trying to figure out if that was a bad idea. They all cheered, and bolted to the kitchen.
I was never able to figure out how Pinkie did what she did - seemingly teleport, run faster then Rainbow Dash can could fly, pull several items out of nowhere that I could swear she didn't have before... but there was nothing more terrifying in my entire immortal life (so far at least) then learning that her children had gained the ability as well. I was in my lab for a whole week trying to figure out how they did it, until Spike managed to snap me out of it. The only conclusion I ever managed to reach was a theory, and that was that it had something to do with how friendly and happy and playful they are - friendship is magic, after all, so maybe because of how many friends they have, they have an oversupply of magic which they use to do all that. That's just a theory of mine, anyway.
But that's not the point.
The point is I will never figure out where they got all the ingredients to make sweets and candy that didn't come from my own kitchen.
I walked into the kitchen to figure out what they were up to, and-
There was sugar and flour everywhere, sugar on the floor, the counters, the cabinets, the walls, even on the ceiling, which I don't know how it would've gotten there unless they, purposefully or not, flung it around.
There were Pies everywhere, of two different kinds - the ponies related to Pinkie and the baked treat, in all possible flavors.
There was an enormous eight layer cake in the center of the room, soon to be a ten layer cake from the looks of it, which appeared to be an improved version of the Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness (or MMMM for short), which had improved a lot over the years. Last I heard from Pinkie, it had nine layers, but she couldn't find a way to fit a tenth. I guess her children found a way, as there was a ninth layer nearly done baking, and a few Pies were getting the next started. While the cake would normally take moths of planning, Pinkie had decided to make it a family recipe, so it was something that must be learned if you were a Pie. Therefore, there was much less planning required.
There were trays and trays of cookies laying around everywhere, including the floor and one that was SOMEHOW attached to the ceiling, the cookies defying gravity and staying on the upside-down tray. They were of many kinds, including chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, peanut butter cookies, and much, much more.
And then there was the candy machine.
I don't own a candy making machine, but it was there, and there were Pies involved, so it was not to be questioned.
Taffy, lollipops, licorice, more candy then I could possibly name was there, chocolate and malted and everything.
And then Blueberry Pie, one of Pinkie's great grandkids, noticed me, waved, and said, "Hiya Twilight! We made sweets!"
I don't think I will ever hear an understatement as big as that one.
So anyways, I called everyone (there were changelings there too... And Spike.) over to see the incredible chaotic mess that the Pies had created. There was laughter, and dropped jaws, and several Apples saying that they 'were gonna go get som'ore cider for this' and soon enough Bon Bon's descendants were in a baking war with the Pies.
I couldn't possibly explain everything that happened during The Baking War. It's all just a blur to me now. But I know that by the end of it, my kitchen was one of the biggest messes I've ever seen. It topped the time Rainbow Dash crashed into the Golden Oaks Library and spilled every single book onto the floor. It was that messy.
And Blueberry and Raspberry were going to come over after the party and clean up the whole thing. They Pinkie Promised. Nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise, especially a member of the Pie family. And so, it would be done.
It's getting a bit late, so I'll write more about the party tomorrow.
-Twilight Sparkle