The Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present
The Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present
The clock rang, and Twilight heard a crash downstairs. She tossed back the blankets and sighed. “Luna?” she called, opening her wings and gliding down to the lower loft. “Did you get caught up in some chains again?”
A clatter of movement sounded again, followed by a bubbly voice crying back, “Don’t you have any cupcakes?!”
Twilight smiled to herself and headed down into the main room of the library and towards the kitchen. “Pinkie Pie? What’re you doing here in the middle of the…”
As she rounded the doorway, Pinkie Pie filled her vision. Her friend took up the whole room, stooping her head with her shoulders pressed to the ceiling, knocking over the table and chairs as she turned to Twilight. “C’mon in, so we can be friends!” she said, grinning at Twilight. “I’m the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present! C’mon in; I wanna be your friend!” She giggled lyrically, and the smile returned to Twilight’s face.
“You look just like my friend, Pinkie, spirit. You’re much bigger, though.”
“Oh, yeah, probably too big, huh? I’m such a silly filly.” As she spoke, the spirit shrank in size, stopping a few inches taller than Twilight. The extra height gave her a more robust build than the real Pinkie, but she exuded a sense of warmth and bounty to match the real thing. As Twilight looked her over, she thought this Pinkie was a few years younger than the first time she had met her friend. Not a filly, but in the dawning years of adulthood: cutie mark still new, with boundless possibilities at her hooves.
“I just get so excited, Twilight! It’s Hearth’s Warming Day right now! Carols, and jingle bells, and cakes, and hot apple cider! It’s so wonderful, and magical, and when I think about it I just start to—” She shot up another foot in height, giggling and dancing on her hooves.
Twilight joined the laughter, stepping into the kitchen. “I can see why you took the form of Pinkie Pie. She really is Hearth’s Warming come to life.”
“Well that’s just perfect then, because I’m the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present! Or did I tell you that already?” She frowned and tapped her chin, looking up at the ceiling as she shrunk back down to her smaller size. “I get so mixed up sometimes, because I’m so busy with what’s going on right now!” She scrutinized Twilight and grinned. “Hi! C’mon in, so we can be friends!”
Twilight laughed again. “I think we already are friends, spirit, but it’s nice to meet you pony to pony. Hearth’s Warming is one of my favorite holidays already.”
Laughing and dancing in place, the ghost nodded. “I know you love it, but you’re such a spacey casey that you still missed something important!”
Twilight let out an exasperated huff. “And you can’t just tell me what it is, either, can you?”
“Nope!” The spirit bounded past Twilight into the main room of the library. “So let’s get started! It’s already Hearth’s Warming Day!”
Twilight followed with a grin on her face. “But it’s the middle of the night, spirit, nopony’s awake—” The ghost flung open the front door and sunlight poured into the room. Twilight could hear the rustling of sleigh bells in the wind, and the excited chatter of ponies talking while crunching through the packed snow. “—Yet.”
“C’mon, let’s go see what everypony’s doing!”
Frowning, Twilight turned around and looked over at the fireplace. The logs crackled and cast warmth into the room, and there she was herself, curled up by the fire with a book floating in front of her muzzle and a hot chocolate steaming by her foreleg. She smiled at herself, but a squirming sense of discomfort entered her belly. “…I’m not blocking everypony out; I’m just having a quiet day to myself. I love my friends, and I’d never disappear into books forever. Everypony’s allowed time to themselves.”
The Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present grabbed her around the neck and pulled her outside. “Come on, silly, there’s stuff to do! Ponies to see! It’s Hearth’s Warming!”
Twilight grinned as the spirit let go and bounded off through the street. She followed behind, catching bits of carols and pieces of conversation as the citizens of Ponyville swarmed the streets, tossing snowballs and sharing news, exchanging last minute gifts, and taking joy in the holiday. A bounce entered her step as she went, and she hummed along with songs as they passed groups singing at doorways. Her stomach grumbled at the smell of chocolate, and she thought she might postpone her planned reading for the day when she woke up by going into town, finding a shop that was open, and getting a thick slice of fudge.
A call broke her reverie. “We’re almost to the first stop! Hurry up, slow-poke!”
Twilight giggled and sped around a corner to meet the ghost. “I was just enjoying the day; I love Hearth’s Warming and—”
“Rarity!” the spirit called out, running past Twilight towards Carousel Boutique. “I’m here, so get your lazy bones up!”
Twilight blinked in surprise, and a second Pinkie Pie walked up giggling at her. “I do look like her, huh?”
Chuckling at herself, Twilight watched the real Pinkie bang on the door to her friend’s home. “You do. You look more like her now than you did earlier.”
“I’m coming, Pinkie Pie, calm down!” Rarity called from inside.
“But it’s Hearth’s Warming right now!”
Twilight laughed louder. “Oh, Pinkie Pie.” She turned to the spirit and smirked. “So are we watching them carol? Are you trying to guilt me because I said I wouldn’t go with them?”
“If I told you, I’d be chea~ting!” the spirit sing-songed, leaping forward as Rarity opened the door. She and Sweetie Belle stepped into the street in matching scarves.
“Honestly, Pinkie dear, nopony is going anywhere, and we’ll have plenty of time to carol.”
“I know, I know,” she said, bouncing in place, “but I wanna sing!”
Rarity giggled at her friend. “Well, where are the Cakes, then? We can’t get started without them.”
“Pumpkin and Pound were being grouchy-pantses. I said I’d dump a bag of flour on my head to get ‘em happy, but Mrs. Cake said they’d catch up in a minute.” She danced on her hooves. “But it’s been a minute now, and they’re not here yet, and I wanna sing!”
Sweetie Belle stared at Pinkie like she was about to catch on fire. Both Twilight and Rarity caught the look and stifled snorts at the same time.
Rarity cleared her throat primly, covering the unladylike noise. She looked out into the bustling streets and smiled. “Well, there’s no need to panic, that’s them coming now.”
Twilight turned to watch Mr. and Mrs. Cake approach together, bundled up against the cold and each carrying a twin fast asleep in a sling around their necks. They grinned at Pinkie’s constant bouncing, and waved at Rarity.
“Sorry for the delay,” Mrs. Cake said, casting an amused glance at her employee. “These two can be a hoofful.”
“Quite alright, Mrs. Cake. I know all about hooffuls.” She smirked and prodded Sweetie Belle in the shoulder.
“Hey!” Sweetie protested, sticking her tongue out at her older sister. “You’re the pain in the flank, not me!”
Rarity giggled. “I’m kidding, Sweetie dear; you are an absolute angel.” As Sweetie smiled brightly, she muttered under her breath, “Or demonic force; it depends on the day.” She turned back to the Cakes. “Will you be alright caroling with them sleeping like that, or will we wake them up?”
“Oh, they’re gonna be down for a while,” Mr. Cake assured, wriggling the sling. Pound jostled back and forth, the barest hint of a creased brow the only sign that anything happened at all. “Cup and I put them through the routine.”
Pinkie gasped. “I missed it?! I love the routine!”
Mr. Cake offered her an amused glare. “Yes, well, when you’re there it takes twice as long because you won’t stop laughing.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “The routine?”
Pinkie started giggling again, and Mrs. Cake sighed. “The best way to get the twins down is to laugh them to sleep, and they both enjoy slapstick, so Carrot and I came up with the routine to get them down quickly and thoroughly.”
As she spoke, Mr. Cake winced and rubbed a sore spot on his flank.
Trying to stifle her snorts, Pinkie said, “It’s so funny!”
Mr. Cake pointed an accusatory hoof and teased, “But if you’re the one laughing, the twins look at you like something terrible’s happened and won’t sleep!”
Tittering, Rarity locked up the boutique. “Shall we go singing, then? Poor Pinkie was ready to explode a moment ago.”
“Oh my gosh, I almost forgot; it’s Hearth’s Warming, let’s go singing, let’s go singing!” She bounded away, squealing in delight.
Rarity giggled and tapped her sister’s shoulder. “Are you ready to grace the town with your divine singing?”
Pink dots colored her cheeks, and she fiddled with her hooves. “…Thanks, sis.”
“No need to thank me; it’s absolutely true. Let’s go, before Pinkie notices we’re not following and starts dragging us by force.”
Twilight grinned as the group turned to follow Pinkie, watching Sweetie walk beside Rarity a little closer than normal while she shadowed them.
Mr. Cake’s hoof caught on a rock, and he stumbled sideways into his wife. A whine escaped from Pound while Mrs. Cake steadied him and they froze, holding their breath. He smacked his lips and nestled back into the sling. “Whew, that was close.”
“You just need to watch where you’re going, dear,” Mrs. Cake teased, bumping her flank against his.
Mr. Cake laughed and bumped her back. “I’m disoriented; there aren’t any rocks inside a bakery.”
Giggling, his wife kissed him on the cheek and pressed her side into him. “We do work too much, Carrot. Pinkie’s getting more reliable by the day…maybe we should consider giving her more time by herself in the shop and taking some time for us.”
Mr. Cake shivered. “I have faith in her baking, and she always has strong sales, but her cleaning leaves something to be desired. Did you know that after our last date night, I found a pancake cooked to the ceiling?”
Her steps faltered, and he pulled ahead. She rushed to catch back up. “What do you mean cooked to the ceiling?”
“It wasn’t just stuck; it was burned onto the stucco. I had to scrape it off. No, don’t ask me how, I don’t know.”
Mrs. Cake giggled and shook her head. “Maybe we can find somepony to help some days.” Her husband sighed, and she continued, “I know; wages don’t grow on trees.” She nuzzled his neck. “Getting out of the shop during the day sounds so nice, though.” She nuzzled again, strong enough to push him off-balance.
Mr. Cake grinned at her, and leaned in close. The whisper carried to Twilight, though she suspected it was a trick of the memory more than the wind. “Maybe we’ll just take longer lunches.”
His tone of voice, combined with Mrs. Cake’s knowing chuckle, brought a blush to Twilight’s cheeks. She stepped closer to Rarity and Sweetie Belle, thinking the couple deserved their privacy even if she wasn’t actually there.
“Hey, Rarity?”
“Yes, Sweetie dear?”
“Can I ride on your back?”
Rarity paused, and a hint of distaste wrinkled her muzzle. “You’re not tired already, are you?”
“No…” She looked down at her hooves. “I just…nevermind.”
As she looked over her little sister, a small smile spread on her lips. She held out a hoof to stop Sweetie, and lowered herself towards the ground. Sweetie squeaked and climbed up on Rarity’s back, hugging her around the neck. Rarity’s grin widened and she sped her pace to catch up with Mr. and Mrs. Cake. She could see Pinkie ahead at their first house, practically vibrating as she beckoned them closer.
Twilight turned to talk to the spirit, but the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present wasn’t following them. Creasing her brow, she scanned the street, and spotted the ghost standing at a vendor’s booth, smelling candied almonds. She chuckled and went back for her.
The ghost grabbed a hoofful of nuts and tossed them in her mouth. “Figure it out yet?” she asked between chomps.
Twilight paused in her step and frowned. “…Two families out and about, being together…how is this different from reminding me that Hearth’s Warming is about togetherness? And if I joined them, I’d be welcome like Pinkie, but it wouldn’t change anything for them. So…no, no I haven’t.”
The ghost swallowed her mouthful and let out a huff, pinning her ears down and giving Twilight an exasperated glare. For reasons Twilight couldn’t put her hoof on, the look reminded her less of her friend, and more of her mother.
Twilight glared back, and let out a heavy sigh. “What’s next? Watching Fluttershy watch her animals put on a Hearth’s Warming pageant, and seeing how close she is to all of them? Joining Rainbow Dash at the bonfire, and see all the families in attendance be close? Then close out the night by going to see the dinner I could be at by imposing on Applejack’s invitation?”
As the words left her mouth, Twilight straightened. “Or should we stop dancing around the issue and just go see Applejack first, since I know whatever this is about has more to do with her than anypony else.”
The spirit’s face paled, and she cast a nervous eye around. “I didn’t say anything about Applejack, no sirree.”
“No, but the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Past wanted me to pay attention to Applejack, and when I mentioned her again just now, your ear flicked. This is about Applejack, isn’t it?”
The spirit’s eye twitched. Twilight watched a coat button form on her upper lip, and her lower lip stretch up to fasten her mouth shut. Twilight huffed. “Okay, you can’t tell me if I’m right, which means I’m right. So let’s just skip the other parts and go see Applejack.”
The spirit’s eyes darted fitfully up and down the street, and she took a step back. Twilight scrutinized her, brow knitting and a thoughtful frown growing stronger on her face. “…We weren’t going to see Applejack at all, were we?”
Beads of sweat formed on the ghost’s brow.
“…Because if I see her…whatever secret she made Princess Luna Pinkie Promise to keep will be spoiled, and you’re worried that just showing me is tantamount to breaking the promise, correct?”
A whimper escaped the ghost’s muzzle. In a flash, she went stock-still and her face vanished from her head, leaving a blank field of pink in its place. Twilight gasped, then started giggling. “You have a terrific poker face. Well, I’m going to Sweet Apple Acres to see Applejack and get to the bottom of this. You aren’t taking me there, and if you follow me, it’s only because it’s where I’m going. Logically, then, you’re not the one who is spoiling the promise: I am.”
Pinkie’s face gradually faded back onto the spirit in a considering grimace. Twilight watched the laugh lines crinkle the corners of the ghost’s eyes as she rubbed her chin. The spirit nodded. “Alright, Twilight, lead the way.”
Smiling in satisfaction, Twilight turned around and set off through the street at a trot, the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present close behind her. As they weaved through town, Twilight’s cheerful mood returned, and she watched the ponies around her having fun. She considered changing her plans for the following day and joining Pinkie and the others for caroling after they stopped at the library, but she held off making the mental check mark until she got to the root of the dream. They crossed the stream, and headed down the road towards her friend’s farm.
Making their way through the groves, the leaves and fruit of all the trees replaced with snow, uneasiness tugged at Twilight. The look of sadness bubbling beneath the surface from the memory played through her head, and dark thoughts nagged at her. She let out a groan, fearing she had offended one of her best friends. If she had, Applejack had shown no sign to her since then, either at the dinner back in Ponyville, or any day since. She replayed every time she had seen Applejack in recent memory.
Applejack was nothing if not dependable. Twilight recalled countless times her friend had been there to help out around the library or when any of the others needed a sturdy pair of shoulders or no-nonsense plan of action, regardless of the season and chore load on the farm. When Applebuck Season arrived, Applejack came to them, asking for help, ‘but only if ya ain’t busy,’ and she had gladly returned countless favors over the course of weeks, clearing the heavy crop with Applejack, sometimes with the others, sometimes just the two of them.
Applejack always had a smile for her. In a city beset by constant dramatics, there was always one pony she could turn to who could help. Applejack planned the same way she did, with a different knowledge base, and stubborn where she could be panicky. They made a great team.
The fear that she had upset Applejack made her coat stand on end. She hurried her pace as the farmhouse came into view, and she passed through the door like it wasn’t there.
Twilight snorted, and she clapped a hoof over her face. Big Macintosh had a frilly pink apron tied around his neck as he moved with purpose through the kitchen, minding a variety of dishes as they cooked. Apple Bloom bounced next to him, helping where she could by chopping and cleaning up, glancing over her shoulder to check her flank after each task.
Granny Smith sat at her rocker, directing the work flow of the kitchen. Twilight grinned and watched them operate like an oiled machine, lifting a casserole from the oven and leaving it to finish setting, replacing it with a latticed pie, stirring stew pots, dicing veggies. Could she interact, Twilight would have jumped in to take orders, though she thought she’d probably just get in the way.
The door opened behind her, and Applejack stomped the snow from her hooves, carrying a load of wood on her back. “Howdy, y’all; I got the firewood all chopped.”
“Hi, sis! Big Mac’s teachin’ me how ta…jewel…julienne zucchini…” She turned to her brother, eyebrow raised, seeking confirmation. At a grave nod, she turned back to Applejack.
“Is that so?” She grinned, and dropped her load next to the fireplace. “Just so long as I get ta teach ya momma’s sweet potatoes.”
“You bet!” Apple Bloom beamed.
“I’ll be down ta lend a hoof in a few; lemme get some a’ these twigs outta my mane.” She headed upstairs. Twilight gave a quick glance around, and followed after her friend.
Applejack’s door sat open at the top of the stairs, and Twilight hesitated at the threshold. For a moment, she felt voyeuristic, peering in while her friend brushed out her mane in the vanity mirror, and she considered going back to the kitchen and waiting with the rest of the Apples for Applejack to return. As she turned towards the stairs, a sigh caught her attention.
Applejack leaned against the dresser, fiddling with something just out of Twilight’s view. She stepped into the room, rounding her friend to stand at the other side of the vanity. Applejack was looking at a photograph, tapping against the frame, making it tip back and forth on its stand. The photo was of the six of them, crowded around in front of a picnic on a summer day, grinning together, a group of friends to stand the test of time. Twilight smiled, but it fell as she looked Applejack over.
Her friend looked stricken, pained. Another sigh escaped Applejack’s muzzle, and she pulled the photo closer, running a hoof across the glass.
“Oh, Twilight,” Applejack muttered to the picture. “When’re ya gonna notice me?”
Twilight blinked.
“I know I ain’t the most excitin’ pony in town. I don’t know nothin’ about Canterlot, or royalty, but…” Applejack sighed and shook her head. She did up the ribbon in her mane, and slapped her Stetson back into place. As she stood, she cast a look at the photograph, and slid it back into place. Her hoof lingered on the frame for a moment, and she set off for the staircase.
For a while, Twilight stared at the empty spot in front of the simple vanity. She realized her mouth was hanging open, and she shut her jaw with a click. Head whirling, she walked back to the kitchen in a fog, sitting away from the table and not taking in the conversation around her. She stared at Applejack.
“Notice you?” she mumbled to herself. “Why would you think I haven’t noticed you? You’re one of my best friends. I don’t go a full week without seeing you, and we spend so much time together…just being friends. You’re…you are my best friend, Applejack. The first one I ever made. Why would you think I haven’t noticed you?”
Twilight stared at her friend. As cooking wound down, Applejack helped carry the dishes to the table, pushed Granny in her rocker to the head of the table, and took her own seat. Big Macintosh sat at the foot, Apple Bloom on the side facing the door, and Applejack facing the back wall. An empty chair was next to her, and she cast a glance at the door before turning to the food and conversation.
Twilight looked at the empty chair. “…That’s for me.”
Her thoughts a storm of confusion and images, puzzles and ideas, she grabbed snippets of the meal’s discourse: memories of the previous year, hopes and dreams for the next, triumphs and good times, failures and hardships. Throughout the meal, Applejack’s eyes drifted to the empty chair, then back to her family.
A hoof settled on Twilight’s shoulder. “Figure it out yet?”
“No!” Twilight jumped to her hooves. “Why would Applejack think I don’t notice her? Why was she so sad in Canterlot? What does this have to do with Hearth’s Warming?!”
Twilight screwed her eyes shut. She pushed the haze away from her mind and focused on everything she’d seen, looking for a pattern, looking for an answer. She had many jigsaw pieces, but didn’t know the overall image they would form. “Okay,” she rambled to herself, “first was home with my family, then the pageant, but that was to highlight something else, so I’ll discount it for now. Then I saw Rarity and her sister, and the Cake family…” Twilight opened her eyes, and glared in thought. “Family. It’s all been scenes of families.”
Her frown deepened, and she looked around the table. “This is a family, too, but I don’t see what that would have to do with me, unless Applejack wants me to…”
Her eyes widened. For several moments, she sat completely still, cut off from the dinner, putting the puzzle pieces together in her head. “…Hearth’s Warming isn’t just about the friends and family you already have…it’s forging new friends…and making new families…”
Twilight staggered, struggling to keep from falling to her belly. She gaped at the back of Applejack’s head. A flurry of memories from the previous months, recently analyzed to look for signs of insult, played back through her head, overlaid with new understanding: every stutter in Applejack’s cadence, every odd shift of her eyes, every bit of hidden vulnerability, tiny blush, or little smile.
“Ya wanna grab dinner with me back in Ponyville?”
“She…she was asking me on a date,” Twilight breathed. “She…”
Twilight bolted up, and fled the house, charging through the intangible door and galloping through the orchard. The snow didn’t crunch under her hooves, and the wind didn’t bite at her, but her lungs burned and her eyes watered. She ran with no purpose or direction, weaving between trees, plowing straight through them, racing from her discovery, from the knowledge that the look of sadness on her friend’s face came from a wounded heart.
She collapsed to her belly in a clearing, far off in the northern orchard. The sun had marched across the sky, and as she panted ragged breaths, the last of its light vanished behind the horizon, leaving her in darkness broken by snow glittering in the moonlight. She pulled herself back up to her haunches as the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Present wandered into the clearing.
Twilight shook her head and looked at the spirit again. Laugh lines had been joined by a network of wrinkles, and Pinkie’s dark mane had bleached white, brighter than the snow. Her voice came out creaky with age. “Now you figured it out. You’re such a silly filly.”
“Yes.”
“I’d talk to you about it, but…” The spirit sighed, a wistful and somber sound, and sunk down to her haunches, rubbing at her back. “My time’s almost up.”
Twilight’s brow knit, and she stepped closer. “Are you going to die?”
The spirit smiled at Twilight. “Hearth’s Warming’s only a day long. But every new year has a new Hearth’s Warming, and ones that are gone are always remembered.”
Twilight nodded, and looked at her hooves. “What do I do, spirit? I know why Luna did this now, but…what do I do?”
The spirit laughed, and the age fled her voice, just a bright and bubbly Pinkie Pie laugh. “You’ll figure out what you want to do. You’re silly, but you’re sharp, too. And even though my time is up, you have a whole ‘nother ghost to meet.”
“I’m so confused, spirit. Applejack’s…in love with me? Why me? What do I do? What am I supposed to say? How do I—?”
The spirit’s hoof settled over her mouth. “You don’t have to know what to do or say at all, Twilight. You’ve got all the way ‘til morning to figure it out, and even if you don’t know then, nopony can tell you when you need to know what you’re gonna do. Maybe seeing a Hearth’s Warming that hasn’t happened yet will help.”
Twilight sat back and took a deep breath, drawing her hoof to her chest, and pushing it out as she exhaled. “You’re right. Thank you, spirit.”
The ghost grinned at her. “I’m glad we could be friends.” The white of her mane flashed, and Twilight watched as her body broke apart, scattering into motes of snow twinkling in the moonlight. A breeze rushed through, and Hearth’s Warming Present scattered to the winds.
Twilight closed her eyes and took another breath. A bubble of panic rose in her belly, but she shoved it away, sitting still, waiting for the final ghost to show her memories of a Hearth’s Warming yet to come.
Twilight opened her eyes to find a cloaked pony sitting in front of her. The face peering out from the hood was like looking into a mirror, with bangs cutting across the mare’s forehead broken only by a horn. In the low light of the moon, the mare’s coat could almost be mistaken for purple, but as Twilight looked her visitor over, she saw it was a dusky green.
“You’re…you’re Clover the Clever, aren’t you?”
The spirit gave her a wry smile.
“Okay, fine, you’re the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Future. But you look like Clover the Clever.” The ghost nodded and stood. Twilight got to her own hooves. “Will you not speak to me?”
The spirit shook her head, the smirk growing.
“Well, that’s sort of a downer.” Twilight took a steadying breath and straightened up. “Okay, spirit, I’m ready to see whatever you have to show me, and try to learn from it.”
At a nod, the ghost turned around and walked into the trees. As Twilight followed, the trees blended together to a swirl of darkness. The Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Future disappeared into the blanket of emptiness, and Twilight paused at the threshold, glancing back towards the farmhouse, new thoughts and fears plaguing her. She quieted her troubled mind and stepped into the portal.
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Oh, Twilight.
Can't wait for more, bats.
So much love for this right now...
Only one glitch that I saw:
The idiom should be "Applejack was nothing if not dependable."
3613860
Hate that idiom.
Fixed now.
Give the mare a cookie, she figured it out. Let's see how our resident princess tackles this.
Very nice. I was worried for a second there you were going to cram two ghosts into the chapter. Thank goodness.
4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8A6JL3-iuY/Twf6oxSP_HI/AAAAAAAAAR0/MUBsnpbzHQ0/s1600/muppets_christmas_carol_11.jpg
Come forth, and know me better Mare!!
Beautifully sad chapter, I'm getting teary-eyed now
did twilight just completely derail (when she went to see aj) the plot of the story through sheer force of will or am i forgetting something
"....and how do I tell her that I don't swing that way and that I only like stallions?"
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
Sweet Celestia, finally she get's it! I almost thought that she won't realised until she wake up the next morning!!!
this is really well done!
i have an idea as to what will happen but truth be told you have a way of not doing what i think will happen...
so.... i really cant wait for the next chapters
Ahh, finally... took her long enough.
Also,
I don't know if it's just me or the overall ghost/spirit theme, maybe a combination of both and something else, but what came to my mind the literal moment I read that?
th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/282/8/9/don__t_cross_the_stream_by_metrukuta-d4ccs3c.png
And why did I think that Discord would represent the future... I mean, I know it's chaotic and in constant motion, but a mute role does not really suit him... besides, it would kill the mood...
Keep up the good work!
Edit:
Hardly ever do I read the most updated chapter only to get another one after a refresh. I think this is the second time since I signed up on this site. Nice!