Gallus the griffin nearly sabotaged his friends’ opportunity to return home to their families for the holidays due to his own lack of one. Though his friends opted to stay in Ponyville with him, Sandbar recognized that this was only a temporary fix for a more permanent problem. On the morning of Hearth's Warming, Sandbar gives Gallus a present that he hopes will make his Hearth's Warming, as well as the rest of his life, the best it can possibly be.

Written because I wanted to write a Hearth’s Warming story that wasn’t so much in the same vein as Die Hard like Lion Hearted was. Plus, I’m planning another story involving the Young Six in the near future and I thought this story would be a good way to dip my toes in with them, so to speak. Happy holidays, everyone!

In preparation for the holidays, you may be looking for a heart-warming Hearth's Warming story to read over between the gift-buying and feast-cooking. "Blood of the Covenant" is a short story that can easily fit between the modern holiday craze. It's a family-friendly story that follows up on where the show leaves the Young Six during the Hearth's Warming episode.

I've studied a few years literature in uni, so I'll clear some of my essential check boxes first. The author has a fine control of language, lacking grammatical and structural errors. The dialogue-driven plot cleanly presents itself to the reader as the author is able to express a control over both narration and dialogue. From the a technical viewpoint, this story is well written and pleasant on the eyes.

As for themes themselves, the story builds up to something genuinely sweet, albeit somewhat simple or straightforward. Simplicity isn't bad. It plays into the motif of holiday miracles, though the miracle this story presents is made more significant through the contributions of all the characters. As a result, you get a light read that touches the sombre tones just enough to have significance, but without it weighing the reader down with more serious inspection.

If you want some holiday cheer with real connections to people who live in the show and outside, the message of acceptance in this story will be a nice one to sit down with while you take a sip of coco. But don't relax too much. After all, you have to get back to buying a gift for that cousin you always forget about.