The Second Revival of a Heart: Ponyville Days

by TheMessenger

Happy Hearth Warming (I)

Happy Hearth's Warming

"...and remember, Sweetie, you want to pack just the right amount of snow. Not too much now nor too little, that's it, perfect!"

Sweetie Belle beamed at her sister's cheers and held up their creation. A near perfect sphere of pure white snow (Rarity had been adamant about this little detail) sat in the filly's hooves that threatened to melt in the midst of her sunny smile.

"Now, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said as she gave the younger Unicorn a loving pat on the head, "how would you like to do the honors?"

Sweetie Belle gasped. "Can I? Really? You mean it?"

"But of course!" Rarity giggled. "You are the one who made it."

Grinning wildly, Sweetie Belle sat up and lifted the ball of snow above her head.

"Sweetie, please don't stick your tongue out like that."

"Sorry."

Taking a deep breath, the filly closed her eyes and swung her hoof down hard. The snowball soared through the brisk air until it struck Applejack's face, knocking off her hat.

"Consarnit, Rarity! Ah thought we were suppose to wait for Rainbow to say-"

"Go!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she and Scootaloo hopped out into the open and released a barrage of powdery missiles. Applejack made a hasty retreat behind her own makeshift snow fort.

"You alright, Applejack?"

The farmer spat out a mouthful of snow before nodding her head. "Don't worry 'bout me, Apple Bloom, Ah'm fine. Nice fort you managed to raise up by the way," Applejack added, her voice so thick with pride Apple Bloom struggled not to blush at the compliment.

"Shucks, Ah was just doin' what you taught me."

"Heh, well, why don' we show these vermin what happens when you mess with the Apple family?"

The two sisters shared a devious grin before releasing their own volley of snowballs, forcing their adversaries into cover. Snowball after snowball after snowball crashed and melted against the walls of snow, chipping away at the defenses. Rarity and Sweetie Belle watched in wide-eyed horror as the first turret of their glorious cold castle collapsed under the Apple family's attack.

Rainbow Dash meanwhile laughed as she huddled with her honorary little sister-figure behind the simple mound of snow the two Pegasi threw together. It was a crude design, ugly even, but it proved to be an effective shield.

"Is that all you've got AJ?" she roared, tossing her head up as she laughed. "Please, I've seen better aim on a-"

The rest of Rainbow's taunt went unheard as either a very well aimed or a very lucky snowball struck her jaw and knocked her back. Scootaloo quickly rushed to the downed Pegasus's side, shaking her and begging her to get up.

By this time, Sweetie Belle and Rarity had recovered and were responding with their own massive arsenal, forcing Applejack and Apple Bloom onto the defensive and cutting their attack short.

The two other fortresses of snow sat mysteriously quiet as the battle rage around them. A scaly head poked it's head out of one of them before ducking back down as a snowball flew dangerously close.

"I see you, Spikey-Wikey!"

Spike gulped and rushed to the two struggling Unicorns. "Come on, you guys," he said nervously. "Hurry it up."

"Don't rush me," Ash growled as his snowball crumbled into flakes.

"You said you did this before."

"I have," the stallion said shortly, throwing his hooves in the air in frustration, "with hands and small stones."

"Twilight?"

"This is a lot harder than it looks, Spike," Twilight sighed. She held up her own snowball. "I mean, look at it."

"Uh, looks fine to me." Spike looked to Ash, who nodded in agreement.

"Are you kidding? Look at those edges. How can you even think to call this a ball? Oh, I wish I had done some research before hand." Putting the defective ball in Spike's claws, Twilight groaned and began to roll out another one. "I should have predicted this. It's a snow day. Of course we'd have a snowball fight."

"Well, at least that's one more thing can cross off on your holiday checklist," Spike said as he sat down and began to make his own snowball. "Have an improv snowball fight, check."

"I don't remember having that in any checklist."

"Yeah, I added it after Rainbow Dash told us about the huge snowfall. Be prepared, right?" The little dragon and his guardian shared a small smile before they noticed the long shadow above.

"Hey eggheads, think fast!"

Faster than any of the three could react, Scootaloo blanketed them with snowballs before Rainbow Dash flew her away to the safety of their base. Their cheers drowned out all of the flying accusations.

"You know, I'm beginning to think I preferred it when it was just me and the fillies," Ash grumbled as he struggled to pull himself out from under the weight of snow on his back. "Sure, I was an easy target and those three kept ganging up on me but at least I didn't have to deal with these shenanigans."

"Oh come on," Twilight giggled, brushing flakes out of her mane as Spike helped her up. Her snowball, which had somehow survived the aerial assault, caught her eye. She placed it in Ash's hoof. "The more the merrier, right?"

Ash regarded the childish weapon for a moment, ignoring the others that flew above. He let a small smile creep across his face and stood up. Turning from the snowball to Twilight, who gave him a nod of encouragement, to Spike, who threw his fist in the air, and finally to the battlefield, Ash pulled his foreleg back and swung it forward with all his might.

The snowball landed unceremoniously a few feet short of Rarity and Sweetie Belle's walls. Twilight and Spike winced as the Unicorn sisters answered with several well thrown snowballs that found their way into Ash's face with such accuracy, Twilight was almost certain Rarity had enchanted them.

The stallion wobbled for a second before falling onto his back. "No, no I don't think the more the merrier," he grumbled.

Spike rushed to the fallen pony's side. "Come on Ash," he urged. "Get up! We've gotta win this!"

"Spike, it's not a competition," Twilight said, ignoring the taunts that came from almost every direction. "It's just a game. The important thing is to have fun."

"There's no fun in being a loser," the dragon mumbled.

"Oh, what kind of attitude is that?" Twilight pulled her assistant close, throwing a leg around his small shoulders. "It's a beautiful day and we're here spending time with our friends. Where's your Hearth Warming spirit?"

Spike scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I guess-"

"Hey eggheads, think faster!"

The Pegasus duo flew away once more laughing, leaving behind two slushy sculptures that vaguely resembled an Unicorn and a dragon. The images did not stand long as within seconds the snow had disappeared into vapor, replaced by an actual baby dragon and a steaming purple pony.

"Um, Twilight," Spike began hesitantly.

"Spike, take a note."

"With what?"

"Dear Rainbow Dash..." As she spoke, several globs of snow floated into the air, molding themselves into icy orbs. Two of the orbs flew to Spike's opened claws, only giving into gravity's pull when the dragon had a confident grip upon both.

"...it has come to our attention that you have decided to completely disregard the rules of engagement," Twilight continued in the tone she normally reserved for lectures. "We had agreed no flying, no excessive usage of magic, no rocks, no fire breathing, and to respect the three feet distance minimum."

Ash felt the heavy white weight on his back vanish. He opened his eyes and stared as snow began to pile up and pack into the walls of their admittedly shoddy fortress until they were taller than him and probably just as thick.

"Rules are a very important part in any game; they keep everypony safe, maintain a smooth procedural process of operation, and ensures a level of fairness among the participants. In the midst of all the fun, however, it looks like you've forgotten all this and what kind of friend would I be if I didn't remind you the importance of following the rules. I'm sure you won't have any objections to this little reminder. Your friend, Twilight Sparkle. Did you get all that, Spike?"

Spike responded by leaping onto his friend's back, his snowballs raised over his head. He drew in a deep breath, held his head proudly, and screamed:

"CHARGE!"

Ash watched as the two rushed toward Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo's defenses, flanked by the walls of their fort which had sprung to life and charged forward with their owners in order to fulfill their destiny. He watched as Rainbow's jaw fell seconds before being pummeled out of the sky.

"Well then," he muttered to himself, pointing his horn toward the ground and squinting as he focused. Slowly, bits of snow rose into the air and began to pack together. Ash gasped and wiped away the few trickling beads of sweat as he gave his creation a weary smile. Sure it was nowhere near the size of the snowballs in Twilight's armory and was more egg shaped than an actual sphere but it would serve its purpose.

The tired grin became a confident smirk. "Guess it's time to do my part," he muttered before charging into the fray, his weapon held above his head by magic.

Meanwhile, at the urging of her pink partner's urging, Fluttershy shut her eyes and tossed her snowball in a random direction before diving back onto her belly and covering her head.

*****

"I still can't believe Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy of all ponies beat us," Rainbow was groaning as she nursed her hot cocoa along with five other mares, three young fillies, a dragon, and a stallion still trying to get snow out his eyes. They had been gathered around several tables had been pushed together, courtesy of the cafe's employees.

"I mean, I guess we all really should have seen Pinkie's party cannon coming a mile away," Rainbow Dash continued, poking at a bobbing marshmallow, "but who would have thought Fluttershy was a bonafide crack shot?"

The yellow Pegasus blushed at Rainbow's words. "It was an accident," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to hurt anypony."

"Well, that's why snow's soft!" Pinkie Pie laughed. A dark chocolatey mustache sat just above her lip and she made no move to remove it. "I mean, can you imagine what it'd be like if snow was hard? Snowball fight wouldn't be fun anymore, 'cuz they'd just be fights."

"Could you even make a snowball if snow was hard?" Sweetie Belle wondered out loud. "Wouldn't that make it, you know, too hard to pack together and stuff?"

The curious filly's question went unanswered for almost an entire minute as everypony turned from Twilight to Rainbow Dash.

"Wait, why is everypony looking at me?" Rainbow asked.

"You are captain of the Ponyville weather team after all," Twilight reminded. "If anypony could be an expert in this area, it'd be you. If I'm not mistaken, the reason why snow packs together is because it's just frozen water. I don't know if being hard or soft is a factor," the Unicorn admitted. "You know, that's a really interesting question. I think I have a few books on-ow!"

Spike whistled innocently as his bookish guardian rubbed her battered shin. Twilight gave the little dragon a quick glare that quickly dissolved into a look of embarrassment.

"But I suppose research can wait until after the holidays," she said sheepishly, much to everypony's relief. "Although I do have one last assignment to get out of the way. I had better go back to the library."

Spike scratched his head. "I don't remember any assignment."

"Oh, it's a boring one about, you know, boring stuff that's...boring. I'm not surprised you don't remember." The Unicorn laughed weakly.

"Huh. If you say so." The dragon leaped to his feet.

"Actually Spike, I have everything under control," Twilight said, gently pushing him back into his seat. "Why don't you spend the rest of the afternoon with everypony else?"

Spike opened his mouth but his protests never left the tip of his tongue. "If you say so," he said again, this time a little more sullen. "Maybe I can help you today instead, Rarity." Spike brightened at his own suggestion.

"Spikey dear, I couldn't ask that of you," the seamstress said. "There's just so much to do and I could never force you, or anypony for that matter, to waste such a lovely day on me just because I chose to leave everything onto the last minute."

"Hold on, didn't you finish your winter line, like, a while ago?" Sweetie Belle piped in. "I thought you sent the last orders out last week."

"Er, well, yes, I am of course referring to...a personal project. Yes, a personal project, one that requires the utter most privacy. In fact I must be heading back to the boutique-no Sweetie Belle, just me. You may spend the rest of the day with your friends. I even insist."

"But-"

"Sweetie Belle, this is a very, very personal project of mine," Rarity said, resting a hoof on her sister's shoulder. "I need some time alone. Is that alright?"

Sweetie sighed and turned back to her empty mug. "Okay."

"Yeah, Ah think we'd better get a move on too, right Applejack? Granny and Big Mac probably need our help."

"Um, Apple Bloom..." Applejack began to play with a dirty napkin. "Ah was thinking, why don't Ah just head on back home an' you can just stay here. It'll be no problem. Ah'm sure Granny and Big Macintosh are doin' just fine."

"Sis, are you feelin' alright?"

"O-of course Ah'm alright! Why wouldn't Ah be?"

"Well, your eyes are doin' that thing again. You know, the..." Apple Bloom shifted her eyes side to side in demonstration. "You know, that thing. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah, Ah'm fine, just have'ta get home. Alone." The farm mare sighed. "Listen, Bloom, Ah know you want to help but this is something only me, Big Mac, and Granny can handle."

"Why? Aren't Ah an Apple too?"

"Y-yeah, of course. It's just...just, uh..."

"It has to do with my personal project!" Rarity suddenly blurted out, attracting the attention from some of the other nearby customers. "Y-yes, Applejack is helping me with my own project, isn't that right, darling?"

Applejack nodded vigorously. "Y-yeah, that's right."

"But Rarity, you said you needed your privacy," Sweetie Belle said, giving Apple Bloom a quick dubious glance, which Apple Bloom returned.

"Well, yes, that's true, but I could use a second opinion from another mare..."

"Yeah, and everypony knows just how much you trust Applejack's sense fashion," snickered Rainbow Dash. Her smirk disappeared under the collective glares of Rarity and Applejack. "I mean, uh...hey look at the time! I'd better get going too."

"Wait, Rainbow Dash, you-"

"See you around, squirt," the Pegasus said, hovering over Scootaloo and punching her shoulder gently. "You guys got the tab, right? Then I'm out of here!"

The blue Pegasus flew off, ignoring the shouts and cries of the waiters, furiously pointing at the signs posted about that said 'No Flying Inside'.

Scootaloo let her mouth hang open for a few seconds. "But...she..."

"Ah'm sure Rainbow hasn't forgotten her promise, Scootaloo," Applejack assured. "RD is a lot of things but she ain't the kind of pony to break her word. Well, unless a competition's involved, then you've gotta watch your back..."

"She's pretty forgetful when it comes to overdue books," Spike said.

"I think she owes me five bits," added Pinkie. "And she's owed Fluttershy a new saddlebag for years."

"I-it was during our flight academy days. I-I don't think it really matters anymore..."

"What we're trying to say," Rarity jumped in, noting the growing crestfallen appearance on Scootaloo's face, "is that Rainbow Dash would never forget her promise to spend the holidays with you."

"You think so?" asked Scootaloo.

"Of course," Twilight said as everypony else nodded in agreement. "Rainbow Dash probably just had something to do first. Speaking of which, Rarity, Applejack, Ash? Could you help me fetch the bill?"

"Huh, but why...oh, y-yeah!" Applejack struggled up onto her feet. "Yeah, right."

The original Crusaders plus Spike all shared a confused look and turned to the remaining adults.

"Hey kids, wanna see if I can laugh hard enough to sneeze hot chocolate out of my nose?"

When they had placed a good distance between themselves and their table, Rarity pulled out a small pouch and slipped it tightly around Ash's neck.

"That should help you keep them distracted for at least an hour," she said. "No, I insist, consider it payment for babysitting," Rarity interjected before Ash could protest. "We can't thank you enough for this Ash. I want to make sure Sweetie Belle's gift remains a perfect surprise."

"Same here," said Applejack. "Oh, it'll all be worth it seein' little Bloom's face on Hearth Warming mornin'."

"No problem. It's the least I could do after the decorating fiasco at the library."

"Well, we didn't lose any books in the fire so I'd stop worrying," Twilight said. "If Spike gets any mail, just hold onto it unless it's marked urgent or sealed by the Princesses."

"Alright then. Anything else I should know?"

"Try to avoid buying candy," Rarity said. "I'd rather not deal with a hyperactive filly tonight."

"An' no matches!"

"Yes, absolutely no matches," the fashionista agreed. "Or fireworks or firecrackers-"

"Is there a difference?"

"-or anything sharp or pointy or anything from that questionable pony in that awful trench coat and scarf who calls everypony 'stranger'..."

" Just try not to get any of those four too suspicious," Twilight said. "Rainbow will be back in an hour after she's done with her own present to pick up Scootaloo and take her home but if you could chaperone everypony else home that'd be nice."

"Got it," Ash said, raising his hoof to his forehead in mock salute. "Uh, what exactly did you get a baby dragon anyways?"

Twilight grinned. "Looks like you'll have to find out on Hearth Warming morning."

With a wave, the three mares left the cafe and Ash returned to their table, brushing past a fuming server drenched in liquid chocolate.

*****

"...and then I said, 'oatmeal, are you crazy?' But by then all the muffins were already gone so we really didn't have much choice." Pinkie sighed. "Third boring-est brunch in my life."

The fillies and baby dragon laughed as they were ushered into Sugarcube Corner. A huge line extended from the front counter all the way to the entrance of the bakery. A gangly stallion in a stained apron and a lopsided cap was working furiously, taking down orders and tossing little paper bags of treats at the customers, along with short apologies to the slower ponies who ended up catching their orders with their faces.

"Looks busier than usual," Ash said as he searched for a free table, "though I suppose that's to be expected, considering it is the holidays."

"I don't think it was this busy last year," Sweetie Belle said. She turned to Pinkie Pie. "Was it?"

"Oh no, it's never this bad. Or is it good? I mean, it's good business but Mr. Cake looks like he's gonna fall apart any second, and I'm pretty definitely sure that'd be bad." Pinkie shrugged. "It's just that this year Mrs. Cake's great aunt's second cousin twice removed's niece up in Canterlot has the feather flu and Mrs. Cake's the closest relative so she has to take care of her while Mr. Cake's stuck here running the shop and taking care of the twins all by himself without any help."

"Um, but don't you work here too?" Fluttershy whispered. "I mean, I don't mean to, well, say anything rude or make any false assumptions, but aren't you help?"

"Not today," Pinkie replied cheerfully. "Mr. Cake gave me a break today after I saw Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Pegasususus prepare the snow and wouldn't sit still and ended up burning the first batches of cookies because I couldn't pay attention. But I'm sure Mr. Cake's got it all under control. Right, Mr. Cake?"

Shrilled screeches came from upstairs. The baker turned toward his family's living quarters only for an annoyed cough and a pound on the cashier counter by an angry customer to pull him back. Desperately he pleaded to the pink Earth Pony with eyes that were far better suited for Pinkie Pie or perhaps one of the children accompanying her.

"...but, I guess this break's been a bit long," Pinkie chuckled weakly. "Sorry ponies, but I'm gonna have to cut this party short." She reached into her chaotic mess of a mane and pulled out her own apron. "Duty calls!" she screamed, rushing forward and pushing Mr. Cake away from the cashier and toward the stairs. "Now, you ordered half a dozen banana nut muffins, you ordered a miniature gingerbread house and two medium size gingerbread ponies, you wanted the holiday cupcake, and you're just that no good loiter from last week who tried to take all our candy cane decorations..."

"Let's try here again later, when it's less crowded," Ash proposed, prompting Fluttershy, Spike, and the Crusaders toward the exit. While Fluttershy followed obediently, the fillies and baby dragon took one last longing look at the display of pastries before deciding that a cupcake wasn't worth the hour long wait.

"So where to now?" asked Scootaloo, who had pushed into the front of the group. "The Everfree Forest?"

"No! I-I mean...wait, I do mean no!"

"Agreed," Ash said, much to Fluttershy's relief. "No dangerous forests."

"No Sugarcube Corner either," Scootaloo grumbled.

"No Sweet Apple Acres," Apple Bloom sighed.

"No Carousel Boutique," said Sweetie Belle.

"No library," Spike snorted.

"Are we still banned from the bowling alley?" Sweetie Belle asked, to which Apple Bloom responded with her best imitation of her brother:

"Eeyup."

"Well, there's the frozen lake," Fluttershy suggested. "I-I suppose we could all ice skate, if we wanted."

"That sounds boring," Scootaloo groaned, rolling her eyes. "We don't want to do anything like that, right Spike?"

"Uh..."

"Well...let's see..." Ash looked around. "Not enough snow for another massive snow war...might be enough make a small snowman if we want..."

"What's a snowman?" asked Apple Bloom, running up next to the grey stallion.

"Mare. I said mare. We could..."

"Actually..." Spike raised his claw slowly into the air. "Can we make a quick stop here first?"

Everypony looked toward the store Spike had been pointing at. A large sign with the picture of a large red love seat and a single feather pen hung above the door. Like most of the buildings, this store had colorful lights aligning the edges of its windows, along with a small decorated tree sitting on the windowsill, a miniature model of the magnificent pine that sat in the center of town, naked until very recently.

"The sofa and quills store?" Ash and Apple Bloom said together.

"The quills and sofa shop?" Fluttershy and Scootaloo questioned in unison, half a second behind Apple Bloom and Ash.

"Why?" asked a lone Sweetie Belle.

"I-I just need to get something first, t-that's all."

"Twilight has plenty of quills. You bought an extra set of spares only a couple of days ago, remember? Plus, I don't think the library has room for a sofa." Ash was prepared to move on but as he turned his eyes met Spike's. The dragon fell to his knees and grabbed the Unicorn's front.

"Please? Just real quick. There's something I wanna see. Please?"

...a dragon has no business looking that cute.

Ash shrugged and sighed. "Alright then," he relented. "Fluttershy, can you keep an eye on the others for a bit? This shouldn't take too long."

"Um, I guess so. Just...try to hurry please."

The dragon and the Unicorn pulled the store's door wide open, moving to the side as a young couple brushed by carrying a plush sofa similar to the one on the shop's sign. A tan stallion wearing a white and blue shirt and a festively green and red cap waved cheerfully.

"Welcome, customers," he greeted. "Welcome to my store, where we sell all kinds of items such as sofas and quills."

"I was under the impression that was all you sold," Ash said, looking around. There were certainly sofas. Perhaps the quills were hidden underneath them.

"Er, yes well, if you've got a sofa and or quill emergency, there's only one place to find the remedy. Hey, I know you." The shopkeeper pointed at Spike. "And you've brought an adult. Good, good. So ready to make your purchase?"

"I sure am!" Spike exclaimed excitedly. "It's still here, right? You didn't sell out, did you?"

"You're in luck, kid." The stallion walked past some of the more expensive looking pieces of furniture with Spike and Ash following closely behind. "We got a few left."

They stopped before a display case holding a single pen. Unlike the ones Ash had grown accustomed to seeing in the library, this one was silver, with the very tippy tip coated golden. He couldn't tell what kind of bird the feather came from, or if it even was natural.

"Well?" Spike asked smugly. "Aren't you gonna ask me what it is?"

"...it's no sofa."

"And it's no ordinary quill either, buddy," the manager chuckled, grabbing Ash's neck and pulling him closer to the glass. "I'm told that this here is from the feather of an Alcyo'nide. Their feathers are supposed to be as hard as diamonds and can only be found in the winter, just around the Hearth Warming season. This quill is the quill designed to outlive all other quills, lasting years before the tip needs resharpening."

"Really?" Ash said, throwing the pen a skeptical glare as Spike all but drooled over it.

"Of course, provided that the workload we're looking at is, ahem, reasonable."

"Ah, so it's just a novelty item."

"More of a collector's thing really," the stallion admitted. "They've been rather popular ever since the latest Daring Do book came out, Daring Do and the Mighter-than-a-Sword Pen I think it was called."

"Daring Do and the Titanium Tome," Spike corrected. "Fans just like referring to it like that because of this one scene where Daring Do fights off a bunch of armed thugs with a magical quill, just like this one."

"Well, I don't know if it's magical," the manager laughed, "but it's sure to make a wonderful gift."

"Gift? Oh, so you're buying it for..."

"Twilight." Spike pulled out a small pouch similar to the one around Ash's neck and began to fish out coins. "She goes through so many quills so quickly, I'm hoping this one will last her for a while."

The money was exchanged and the tan stallion walked over to the other side of the counter. "Why don't you just get her a book?" Ash asked. "That seems like the most appropriate present for someone like Twilight."

"I thought about it," Spike said, rocking on his heels as they waited. "But we live in a library. Odds are, I'd end up getting her one she's already read. Besides everypony's going to get her something like that. I want my gift to be something special."

"Why does he need an adult to buy this anyways?" This time Ash's question was directed at the storekeeper who was wrapping the quill in light red tissue paper and placing it into a small bag. "He's bought plenty of quills before."

"The end is a little sharper than most quills," he answered with a shrug. "Don't know if it qualifies as a weapon but I'd rather not risk it. Here you are."

Spike tucked his purchase under his arm and led the way out of the store, humming as the two left.

"What about you?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to get us for Hearth Warming?" the dragon asked. "I mean, I know I'm not exactly suppose to ask but..."

Before Ash could respond, a yellow blur sped towards him, nearly knocking him over as Fluttershy appeared in front of him.

"Ash...they..." Fluttershy took a shaky deep breath. "They...they..."

"They...who? Wait, where are the Crusaders?" Ash's eyes grew wide as he noticed the lack of fillies before him. "What happened?"

Fluttershy removed her muzzle from the paper bag Spike had given her. "Please don't get mad at me. I'm already mad at myself and I don't know if I can handle so many ponies being angry at me at once. I'm really, really sorry."

"Y-you didn't lose them, did you?" The panic in Ash's voice was obvious. "Oh God, please tell me you didn't lose those three."

"Well, not exactly," Fluttershy said. "I know where they went anyways. Apple Bloom wanted to go to the toy store while Sweetie Belle asked me if we could go see the jeweler," she explained. "Scootaloo also wanted to look around market and, well, I'm sorry but I just couldn't say no. The minute I said they could those three ran off before I could tell them to stick together. Oh, if only I was a little faster."

"Alright, let's see...we need to find Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as soon as possible so, uh...okay, I'll check the toy store, which is..."

"That building," Spike pointed out. "The one with the giant toy bear in front."

"Right, okay. Fluttershy, do you know where Scootaloo is exactly?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "I saw the direction she ran in and she mentioned wanting to see something in the market but I don't where she actually went."

"Tch, alright...then, um..."

"Fluttershy could always fly and see if she can find Scootaloo from up in the air," Spike said.

"An aerial view...is that a good idea in this weather? Fluttershy, do you think you can fly right now?"

The Pegasus nodded confidently. "It's not snowing too heavily and the wind is dying down. If it'll help us find the fillies before they can get hurt, I'll do it."

"Alright then. You look for Scootaloo, I'll find Apple Bloom and...shoot, and Sweetie Belle...uh..." Ash ran a hoof through his mane, frantically turning his head in search for a solution.

"I could look for her," Spike suggested. "I know the jewelry store like the back of my claw."

"No, you're staying with me," Ash asserted. "The last thing I need is to lose the baby dragon."

"But-"

"Ash, we need to hurry," Fluttershy whispered nervously. "Splitting us up into three would help us track down the Crusaders much faster. I-I mean, I know Spike's just a child-"

"Not a child," the baby dragon muttered.

"-and I understand that you don't want risk losing him too but, well, maybe you should consider his idea. I mean, I fine with whatever you decide," Fluttershy added. "Just a thought."

"Fine. Spike, head to the jeweler's and see if you can catch Sweetie Belle. If you can't, stay at the store. We'll meet you there after we finish finding the other two."

"Okay."

"I'm serious. You'll meet us right there, at the jeweler's, alright?"

"Yes, got it, sheesh."

"Then let's go." With a final nod, Ash charged toward the small building dwarfed by the displayed giant teddy bear as Spike hurried in the opposite direction while Fluttershy took off.

Author's Note:

Apologies for the lateness. I hope you don't mind reading a Christmas chapter in January.