A Heart's Warming Eve Carol

by Broccoli

The Second Spirit

The doorbell didn’t ring once Rarity entered the store. She found it lying on the floor along with crumbled pieces of the wall, and she suddenly regretted loosing her calm and destroying it. The white unicorn shook her body once again. Flying through the cold winter night had caused her to obtain an uncontrollable shiver. She needed some hot tea in order to fix the issue, so she walked to the kitchen in haste.

Rarity forgot all about her freezing body once she saw that there was a pony, whom she had never seen before, standing in her kitchen. It was a male earth pony, and he was enormous. Probably three time the size of Rarity. His coat was dark green and the tail short and brown. The head of the pony was hidden behind the refrigerator door. A few grunts and sniffing noises could be heard from him now and again. Rarity observed the stranger with a wrinkle on her nose. She scanned him from hoof to back, wondering how he had managed to get into the house. “Can I help you?”

The green pony peeked from behind the door of the fridge. He blinked in confusion like he was surprise to see Rarity standing in her own kitchen. As if he was the one living here and she the intruder. “Are you back already? That was fast.” The pony closed the door. “You are Rarity, I presume.”

“Yes, I am Rarity. But who are you, if I may ask?”

“Don’t you have anything to eat?” The earth pony opened a cupboard above the kitchen sink. The metal pots rattled as he searched the inside with his gigantic snout.

“You must be the second spirit,” Rarity reasoned. Then she sighed exhaustedly. “Good. Let’s get this other with. After you there are only one spirit left, and then I might have time to return to my work.”

“We are not going anywhere until I get something to eat.” The spirit put down his hoof to show that he meant it. “It’s Heart’s Warming Eve. You ought to have a whole feast prepared. Or at least some marshmallows or a candy cane.”

Rarity shook her head. “I haven’t had time to shop for food. There is a pie in the trashcan, but I’m afraid it has gone bad.”

The pony jumped to the trashcan and opened the lid. He ransacked the black plastic bag with a hoof and withdrew an almost eaten pie, which had a slight greenish layer on the top. Rarity had to look away as he ate it in one mouthful. The pony’s burp sounded like a thunderstorm. “It’s a shame you don’t have anything good to eat. Don’t you get hungry?”

Rarity had to admit that she was beginning to feel a slight craving for food. But her determination to finish her work was even stronger. She could eat in the morning when she hoped to be done. Though, if her desire to be finished with the design before dawn was to be fulfilled, she had to resume working soon. “Look, my time it short, and⎯”

The earth pony cut her off by chuckling with a deep, resounding belly laugh. “You know, I have known you for less than a minute, but I can already tell what kind of pony you are. You’re always busy, always in need of a schedule. I mean, you have mentioned the word time three times by now. Why don’t you stop worrying about time and start living in the present?”

Rarity descended her eyebrows. I can already tell what kind of pony you are as well. You are as rude as you are large. “If I say that I have learned my lesson now, will you leave my home? Oh, and be a dear to tell the last spirit not to bother me as well.”

The other pony chuckled again. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not doing this for myself. I’m only here to help you. As the spirit of Heart’s Warming Eve’s present I can show you what you’re missing out on, and then you might think twice about skipping the holiday.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Why do I need a spirit to show me the current Heart’s Warming Eve? I am already in the present. I can just go visit my friends and family any time I want.”

“Then why don’t you? Are you afraid that your hooves will get wet by the snow?”

Rarity couldn’t disagree that the mere thought of going out in that cold again caused a slight tremble down her spine. “Because I’m busy. I have gotten a whole lot behind on my work thanks to a certain time-travelling pegaus.”

“So you’re choosing your work over your friends?”

Rarity huffed indignantly. “I’m not choosing anything over anyone. It’s not like I’ll loose my friends because I spent one single night working. I can just see them any other day of the year.”

The second spirit nodded understandingly. “True. But still … it must be troubling you a bit, right? To know that all of your friends are having fun without you. They are having a time of their lives while you sit in here. Alone.”

“Spending time apart is essential in every friendship. Understanding and support is more important in a friendship than the mere gesture of showing up to a gathering. They know I take my carrier seriously, and I’m sure they understand my decision about skipping Heart’s Warming Eve perfectly.”

“Are you?” The earth pony grinned. “You cannot know for sure what they are thinking about. How they think about you.”

“And I don’t need to.”

“Really? Aren’t you curious about what your friends are doing? Perhaps they talk about you in this very moment.”

Rarity frowned and raised her voice. “What kind of shallow, insubstantial pony do you take me for? I don’t need to know what my friends are saying behind my back.”

“Come on. I know you want to.”

The unicorn turned away from the spirit. “If I do decide to visit my friends, it will be without you there.”

“You won’t be invisible without me. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Rarity. Not only will you find out what you’re missing out on, but you’ll discover what your friends truly thinks of you.”

Rarity glanced over her shoulder. The spirit’s wide smiled rippled across his face, and she knew that she wouldn’t get rid of him if she didn’t accept. Maybe he was going to steal something from her home like the first spirit had if she gave him a displeasing answer. She closed her eyes tiresomely and said, “I’ll get my coat.”

The snow was falling lightly over the houses of Ponyville. It crunched beneath the two ponies’ hooves and created deep round holes, portraying the route they had taken. The moonlight glistered in the surface of the white landscape, and the stars in the black sky twinkled peacefully. Rarity was more eager now to see her friends than she was at the beginning of the trip. She couldn’t deny that it would be somewhat interesting to hear what they were talking about when she wasn’t around. Even though it was a violation of their privacy, she couldn’t shake the feeling of curiosity off her.

The spirit stopped once they had reached the library. Rarity remembered receiving an invitation about celebrating Heart’s Warming Eve at the library even though she had already explained to Twilight that she would be too busy with her work. The light from the windows made the snow shimmer with a yellow color. Pinkie Pie was busy making snow pegasi on the ground just outside the front door. The earth pony and Rarity walked towards the building.

Pinkie Pie arose from the ground and shook her body, which created a cloud of powdered snow, before entering the library. Rarity and the spirit used the opportunity to whoosh inside as well right before the door closed behind them.

Everything was as Rarity had expected. A pine tree with minor decoration took off most of the space in the room. Hearts and garlands hung from bookshelf to bookshelf, and there was a strong smell of burning wood as well as an embracing warmth coming from the fireplace. Pinkie Pie’s wet hooves created a trail of round discs of water on the wooden floor as she walked to her friends who all sat closely to the fire. They were all there: Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight. Even Granny Smith as well as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were huddled together before the fireplace. Rarity’s gaze stopped at the latter. So that’s where she had been. All this time Rarity had been worried sick about why Sweetie Belle hadn’t come home yet, and now it turned out she had just been sitting in front of a cozy fire without a care in the world. If she could see Rarity in this moment, she would not have been looking so peaceful.

“Two hundred thirty-five snow pegasi are currently located all around Ponyville. That better show Santa Clops that we mean business!” Pinkie said while shaking water off her body.

“She does realize that there is no Santa Clops … right?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight who was sitting in an armchair with a long backrest. Twilight shrugged.

“Would you look at this!” The spirit began to stroll dreamingly towards a long table standing near the stairway. He licked his lips while staring fascinated at the food on the table. Rarity couldn’t deny that her mouth started to water as well. There were all sorts of dishes presented before her. All of them sparkled from the light of the fireplace, and they were all completely untouched. There were cupcakes with frosting of all the colors in the rainbow showcased on elevated plates. One kind even had rainbow frosting. There were candy canes, fresh baked pies, caramelized apples, and even small chocolate ponies. All of the wonderful smells from the table caused Rarity’s stomach to rumble. She bent down and was about to snatch a purple grape with her mouth when the spirit said, “We are not allowed to take anything.” He was looking so intensely at a tall chocolate cake while talking that Rarity wondered if he had been speaking to her or the cake. “But you can come back later.”

She abruptly turned away from the table. “It’s going to take more than candy and cake to make me celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve.”

Rarity observed her friends. They all seemed happy and fine without her, but Rarity didn’t mind that. That was what she had expected. But then for no reason Sweetie Belle sighed. She had her eye half closed while looking down at the carpet. The corners of her mouth pointed downwards, and even though nobody of the ponies surrounding her was looking directly at Sweetie Belle, it was clear that they sensed she was troubled. They had all stopped talking with each other after her moan, and now there was a deep silence over the room. Almost as thick and cold as the snow outside.

“I have an idea,” Twilight said. “Why don’t we tell a story? I’ve read a great one recently about a sphinx.”

“What’s a finx?” Apple Bloom asked with a puzzled expression.

“A sphinx is a mythological creature that looks somewhat like a lion. It enjoys riddles and conundrums.”

“Oh.” Apple Bloom sounded disappointed.

“Don’t you know a story that has a bit more adventure and action?” Rainbow asked. “You know, something that’s not about riddles.”

“Not that I can think of,” Twilight responded.

“I’ve got one.” Pinkie Pie raised a hoof. “It’s about a pegasus who flies so fast that she travels forward in time!”

Applejack snorted. “That sounds like a terrible idea for a story.”

“Not to mention scientifically impossible,” Twilight added.

“Well … what about the one we usual tell?” Fluttershy whispered. “The one about the first Heart’s Warming Eve.”

Again the library was filled with a quietness that seemed to go on forever. The only sound was the clock ticking in the corner. Every pony at the fireplace stared down at the floor. Fluttershy seemed regretful that she had brought up the idea. Rainbow broke the silence. “We usually tell that story when we are all together. It’s not the same without Rarity.”

Twilight frowned while poking the side of Rainbow Dash with an elbow. She looked at Sweetie Belle who glanced into the dancing fire with an empty face.

“That’s it!” Applejack ascended from the floor and trotted towards the entrance door. “This has gone on for far too long already. We cannot allow her to spend Heart’s Warming Eve all by herself.”

“No, Applejack,” Twilight murmured. “Rarity was very clear when she told me she wanted to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. If that’s her choice, then there’s nothing we can do to chance her mind.”

Rarity looked triumphantly at the spirit. “You see? They respect my decision; or at least Twilight does.”

“We have to try,” Applejack argued. “Nopony has to be alone on this night.”

“She wants to work. You how important her carrier is to her. And if that means that we come in second, then that’s just something we have to accept.”

“Come in second?” Rarity turned around to look at Twilight. “You don’t come in second. I’m not choosing you over my work. I hope you understand that.” Rarity was half-expecting an answer even though she knew that Twilight couldn’t hear her. She had guessed that being around the spirit meant that Rarity was inaudible as well as invisible.

“She can be really stubborn sometimes,” Applejack continued. “If we don’t make her come over here, she is not going to visit us on her own.”

Twilight sighed. “Then she is not coming. We can’t force her to do something she doesn’t want.”

Suddenly Sweetie Belle huffed, and all of the ponies in the room looked at her. “You’re right about that. If there is something Rarity doesn’t want to do, then don’t count on her to do it. She only wants to spend time doing the things she enjoys.”

“That’s not fair, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said. “I do plenty of things that you want to do. Just last week I took you to that bakery sale, even though I loathed it.”

The spirit sniggered somewhere behind her. “I bet you had no trouble telling Sweetie Belle your honest opinion about that bakery sale.”

Rarity stared at him with a scowl. “How would you know? You are a spirit of the present, not the past. Besides, Sweetie Belle and I are sisters. Are you saying that I shouldn’t be completely honest with my own sister?”

“There is a difference between the truth and the naked truth.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to reason that it’s okay to lie?”

The green pony shrugged. “All I’m saying is that the truth is a big world. And there is no need to continuously focus on the negative part of that world. You could have told your sister that you enjoyed spending time with her instead on focusing on the fact that you hated the bakery sale. I’m sure Sweetie Belle was aware of the latter.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Alright, I think I have learned my lesson now. Can we go then?”

From the fireplace Sweetie Belle jumped to her hooves. “She works every day of the year. Why can’t she just let go for once and start to relax for one night?” The young pony exhaled deeply. “I actually fooled myself into believing that that night would be tonight.”

“Don’t worry, Sweetie,” Twilight said. “I’m sure Rarity will come around. You know that she cares about you. She just needs some time …”

“Well, how much time does she need?”

“I don’t know. We will talk to her about this tomorrow.”

Sweetie Belle stared at Twilight with irate eyes. “I already know what she is going to say. I promise that next year is going to be different. We’ll celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve next year. But you know what? I bet you that next year is just going to be the same.”

“Then forget about Rarity.” Apple Bloom put a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “You can always spend Heart’s Warming Eve with us.”

With a grunt Sweetie Belle knocked Apple Bloom’s hoof off her back. “You don’t understand. I was actually looking forward to spend this time with my sister.” She walked away from the fireplace and continued towards the entrance door.

“Sweetie Belle, where are you going?” Rarity followed her sister with a frown on her face. “I hope you’re not …”

Her sister opened the door and a cold gust of wind hit their faces. The storm had risen again, sending large snowflakes into the library. Rarity was right behind her and managed to get out before Sweetie Belle slammed the door shut.

“Haven’t I told you not to walk home on your own at night? Especially not when there’s a blizzard! You are going to catch a cold or the flu. And then I’ll have to nurse you.” Even if Rarity weren’t mute to Sweetie Belle, she would still have a hard time hearing her sister. The howl of the wind drowned all other sounds. It made it impossible to see where one was going, but that didn’t stop Sweetie Belle. She strolled through the snow with a compressed facial expression, concentrating on moving forward.

Pinkie Pie’s snow pegasi had nearly been erased by the wind. Rarity’s teeth clattered because of the freeze, and she couldn’t stop shaking. She wondered how her sister could stay so rigid and unaffected by the storm.

“Sweetie Belle! Don’t walk away while I’m talking to you.” Rarity tried to keep up, but the storm was hard to counter. Suddenly she felt a large hoof on her back.

“Let her go,” the spirit said.

“No.” Rarity kept walking with her face turned to the left. Her right eye was closed because of the wind, so it was difficult to locate Sweetie Belle. She used her magic to light up the area, though her sister was nowhere to be found.

“If you don’t want to remain invisible, you better do what I say.”

Rarity yelled of frustration. “My sister is mad at me, and I need to go talk to her. So you better make me visible again, otherwise I’m going to turn you into a pile of dust so fast that you don’t know what hit you!”

The spirit shook his head firmly. “There is still one spirit left.”

“I don’t need another spirit! I get the point. I’m a terrible sister. I should never have decided to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. My friends think I’m selfish, and Sweetie Belle is wandering around in the storm all alone. Now please, turn me back to normal, so I can make everything okay again.”

“You say that you want to make things right, but really you mean that you want it all to go back the way it was, am I right? You don’t get it, do you? It’s never going to be different unless you change.”

Despite the invading coolness around her, Rarity could feel her blood grow warmer. “You are a very judgmental pony, do you know that? Just because I have made one bad decision in my entire life, you think you know me, but you don’t. The fact that I chose to skip Heart’s Warming Eve doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. And it certainly isn’t going to turn me into a manikin.”

The spirit looked at Rarity through motionless eyes and a stiff face. Like Sweetie Belle he didn’t seem to be affected by the storm. “You are right,” the spirit said with a thundering voice. “This night alone is not what will transform you into a manikin, but it will get you one step closer towards it. It’s much like this storm, in fact.” The pony gestured around him. “One snowflake is not going to create the icy cold that surrounds us. But in time they pile up. One by one they contribute to the cold, growing stronger and fiercer. And in time it’s too late to do anything.” The spirit turned around and walked against the wind of the storm. Rarity could still hear his voice. “I wonder what will become of you next year, Rarity. And the year after that. And the year after that.” The pony’s green coat began to become less and less noticeable through the shower of white snowflakes.

Rarity blinked. “Wait! You can’t leave me here.” She tried to follow the pony, but his legs were longer than hers, and the wind knocked her backwards.

“And the year after that, and the year after that.” The voice of the earth pony was carried by the wind. It was completely clear in Rarity’s ears, even though the pony himself was hidden behind the snowstorm.

“Slow down. Am I still invisible?”

“And the year after that, and the year …” suddenly the voice started to diminish, and only the cry of the blizzard was heard.

Rarity stopped to catch her breath. She squinted in order to locate something green in the sea of snow. “Mr. Spirit?” she tried, but no one answered. She turned around without knowing what to do. “You can’t just leave me here … I don’t know where to go.”