A Very Witchy Holiday

by Witching Hour

Pt. 7 - Squad Zero Hearth's Warming Orphans

“This is cold, Doc…” complains the dark blue stallion, holding up a bright blue collar with a gold bell on it.

“So stop practicing your stealth in the Training Room, and I won’t ask Treble and Vellum Trace to hide sound makers in your flight suit too,” Witch retorts with a smirk from her couch across from Squad Zero. Shine Struck grabs the collar and attempts to put it on Swift, abandoning her perusal of her new painting supplies, while Witch looks on in amusement. Bliss had already wrapped herself and PlayBitz in her new plush green blanket. Bitz has his new flight goggles perched atop his head, though they were knocked slightly askew from his wife’s antics to get him cocooned in her blanket with her.

From where he is sitting in front of the couch Witch is on, a light blue stallion is smiling at a generic holiday card with an added "To make your stay in Canterlot a little more bearable. Happy Hearth's Warming, Witching Hour" written in Witch’s looping scrawl. Included with the card, and gently placed to one side, is a punch card that states it’s redeemable for three free tea blends each month for the coming year.

“Thanks for the tea subscription,” the stallion says brightly, looking up at Witch, “you’re right, it will make my stay here in Canterlot a little more bearable.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Calm Wind,” Witch replies, smiling in return. “Most use it for a breakfast blend, a dessert blend and the monthly special, but that’s by no means a requirement.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Calm agrees. “Would you be willing to recommend any, or do you want me to figure it out for myself?”

Witch’s smile turns into a lopsided smirk. “Well you know I love the house blend black tea… But really, if you want recommendations, I’d have to point you to my mother. I took more after my father when it comes to herbs…”

Smiling sheepishly, Calm nods. “Okay, I’ll have to ask her when I go in for my first three.” He then blinks and blushes a little, scooting slightly closer to where Witch is seated. “Oh! Um… Here,” he says, revealing that he’d had a present tucked under his wing that he passes to Witch, who smiles brightly.

“Thank you Calm Wind. You didn’t need to do this though,” she responds as she takes the gift in her magic and sets it beside her on the couch for the moment. “I’m just glad that all of you have had a good time here,” she adds, as she starts carefully removing the wrapping paper.

“Well,” he starts hesitantly, a blush tinting his cheeks bright pink, “you’ve been really nice to us… And I’m sure you went through a lot of trouble to get this party together so…”

“Oh my goodness!” Witch exclaims, pulling the softbound book out of the gift wrap. “I haven’t seen Twenty-six Istallion Arias for High Soprano in years!”

“Do you like it?” Calm asks hopefully. “Bliss suggested it…”

Witch nods, already eagerly paging through the sheet music within. “My grandparents enrolled me in voice lessons. I only stopped when I started working in the Bromley Clinic…” Despite herself, she cringes and pushes those memories away with a shake of her head. “Didn’t have time for it anymore,” she continues with a hasty smile. “Where’d you find this? My old voice teacher didn’t let me near her copy until I was thirteen!”

Calm scratches the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. “Well… It wasn’t easy…” he begins but his ear twitches at the sound of Bliss and Bitz snickering from their couch across from him and Witch.

“Hmm?” Witch queries, following his gaze to fall on her boss and his friend. Bliss pokes a hoof out and points to the area over their heads, drawing the pair’s gaze up to a small sprig dangling overhead, held by a honey golden aura. “Trick Step…” she sighs, looking over the back of the couch to spy her adopted son crouching down with a wide grin as he looks up at her.

“Hi Mom!” Tricks says brightly, his smile growing. “I was just practicing my magic, like Uncle Leaf and Auntie Yearling told me to!”

“Uh-huh… And they gave you that to practice with, didn’t they?” Witch retorts, casting her gaze beyond to spot Daring and Leaf ducking back around a pillar and chuckling.

“Yeah! They said it’d help you and your friend if I placed it over your head,” Tricks answers dutifully. “Not sure why, but Auntie Yearling is an adventurer and she says she knows lots of secrets!”

“Well, I won’t argue that it will help these two,” Bliss chimes in, a smile on her face as she gestures with the hoof she had been pointing with. “Well, you two got caught under it, might as well get it over with.”

Witch and Calm exchange a wide-eyed glance, and Calm blushes brightly.

“I fail to see how this helps two friends, Bliss…” Witch quips smartly at her fellow unicorn before turning back to Calm with a sheepish smile and an embarrassed blush. “Sorry about them. I really don’t know why everypony keeps seeing romance everywhere…” She sighs softly before placing a hoof on his shoulder and leaning up to place a quick kiss on his cheek. “Thank you very much for the present. I love it,” she says, quietly so only Calm could hear her.

Tricks’ foalish giggling draws Witch’s attention away from her friend.

“Give it!” Swift says loudly, jumping up and missing the sprig of mistletoe as it levitates away.

“No!” Tricks laughs, continuing to move the sprig around.

“Hey, Swift!” Shine shouts as she attempts to pounce her squadmate from behind. “Hold still!”

Witch just sighs and shakes her head, catching Calm’s eyes briefly to share a brief amused smile.

Author's Note:

Squad Zero ponies and Bliss do not belong to me, though I love their characters.

And with that... I'm done with AVWH.

It'll be a while before the PtH-concurrent sequel starts... Lots of Life Stress = Witchy not writing... And, honestly, it may need to be adopted by one of my Trolls... But we'll burn that bridge when we cross it.

Again... Thank you all for reading. I hope you've enjoyed this small holiday-based interlude.

Comments

[harts fire]

awww I like it a vary good chapter to end a good story with.