A Hearth's Warming Tail
Months passed as winter came around once again, that all joyous holidays from both in and out of Equestria were coming again as the world was scheduled with some gentle sprinkles of snow. After Sora, Kairi, Applejack, and Fluttershy returned from Las Pegasus, Twilight had asked Kairi what the other friendship problem was. Kairi was pretty vague about who needed help, a little embarrassed to admit that it was her and Sora's relationship problem they needed to fix, but it was resolved and everything between them was back to normal. Even though she, Applejack, and Fluttershy promised Sora to keep this new person who might or might not be his father in the dark with the others, he will tell everyone when he was ready, or if he decides to randomly pop up in Equestria or wherever Sora is.
Many sorts of crazy things happened before summer turned to fall, and fall into winter. There was a Daring Do convention Rainbow Dash went to, dragging Sora along as there was also a convention involving A.K. Yearling's fictional story, "Kingdom Hearts", which got quite popular the moment the first book in the long and overly complicated series hit off and the adventurous writer/archaeologist continued making more books during her downtime from her runs through ancient ruins. They had met with an overly critical fan named Quibble Pants, at first friendly and shared many interests in the Daring Do series, though things escalated when he only enjoyed the first trilogy of the books while the rest were more over-exaggerated adventures, convoluted traps, and so on, which angered Rainbow Dash when he had no idea Daring Do was real and these adventures were just as real, too. He didn't have much to say about Sora and how he looked like the dorky teenager on the first book, droning on about how the worlds were falling to darkness, the word "darkness" used way too much in the first book alone, and the fate of those worlds fell to a child with an unconventionally shaped sword that was also a key. Quibble got the thrill of a lifetime when it turned out that Dr. Caballeron had turned up at the convention, disgusted by the Daring Do cosplayers and souvenirs, and managing to kidnap Rainbow and Quibble Pants while Sora met with Daring Do, explaining about a relic found in ruins that weren't too far from the convention building that she needed to nab before her rival does. Quibble's complaints about this adventure being faked and some sort of Daring Do Experience Adventu-cation package quickly ended when he realized that everything they went through was one hundred percent real, that Daring Do and Sora were actually real ponies, and he was in actual danger the whole time. And despite all the danger as Daring Do successfully retrieved the relic and ran Dr. Caballeron off with a monstrous alligator-like reptile that guarded the ruins, Quibble Pants still didn't like the other series, to Rainbow's shock, but that didn't mean their dislikes of a series should get in the way of what they both did like about Daring Do's novels. Sora had teased Rainbow about her and Quibble eventually going out with each other with how much fun they had at the convention earlier, only to earn a hard punch in the shoulder in response while Quibble stammered and looked embarrassed at the assumption.
Then came some of the issues that came up in Ponyville. One of those was a traditional cart race for the students at the schoolhouse called the Applewood Derby, where they'd team up with a parent, older sibling, or older sibling-figure to build a cart and win in one of three categories as they raced: fastest, most traditional, and most creative. The CMC tried their luck at winning a medal for the three categories, though with surprising decisions: Sweetie Belle for traditional, Apple Bloom for speed, and Scootaloo for creativity. Unfortunately, their older sisters decided to build their own carts, ignoring their younger siblings' designs and what they want to compete for, and with them driving the carts instead of their sisters, which all the other foals were doing while their adult helpers sat passenger side. It took a massive pileup at what could possibly the worst designed racing course with several crossed sections that was begging for a crash to happen, along with the finally frustrated fillies to tell their sisters that the race was supposed to be for them while they ignored them and only focused on reliving their own foalhood years when they competed in derbies when they were their age. In the end, the derby started over with the foals' carts rebuilt, the CMCs with the carts they wanted with their sisters' help, and this time, the adults were forced to sit out riding and let their child/sibling take the wheel and have fun. It was actually a miracle no one ended up getting hurt in the crash, the Crusaders wishing Sora could help build their carts for them instead, though it would have been unfair for any of them if he could only help one of them.
And when Halloween/Nightmare Night was coming around, Rainbow Dash had become utterly unbearable toward everyone in Ponyville. She kept pranking everyone, most of them going a bit too far as they either ended scaring the daylights out of them, annoyed them, or even hurt them. As fun as it was pulling pranks on others, it's only funny if the victim at least knows it wasn't harmful and laughed along with them. A good one that came to Sora, and even Riku after Rainbow's childish prank of having Twilight sit on a whoopie cushion she didn't notice on her throne that he unfortunately laughed at along with the pegasus and got in big trouble with his girlfriend, was when Rainbow told her next prank to Pinkie about some cookies filled with a rainbow food coloring that'll turn someone's mouth a mushy rainbow mess. With several filly scout cookie boxes that would be sold to all of Ponyville by the CMC, Pinkie pretended to get ill after eating them when Rainbow visited her, then they waited until nightfall for everyone to begin the true prank. Everyone pretended to act like zombies, but instead of brains, they hungered for those cookies, actually scaring the hell out of Rainbow Dash. It was even worse when the other Keyblade wielders were in on it as well, turning into even more dangerous cookie zombies as they used their Keyblades to attack the pegasus, and even Rarity, Applejack, and the Crusaders when Rainbow tried to get them to safety. They purposefully missed, however, not wanting to hurt Rainbow as they taught her a lesson. Eventually, when they were corned in Applejack's barn with no way out, and Rarity, Applejack, and the Crusaders "turned", the whole town stalked her like helpless prey until they got an apology from her for all her pranking, ending the charade and getting her good. She stopped with the pranks, though they were now less harmful after realizing how awful her last pranking spree got.
Now, it was Hearth's Warming Eve, snow blanketing Equestria once again as ponies got into the festive spirit. Before the eve of partying began, Sora actually wanted to invite his mother to celebrate, provided he was given permission from Aqua. Aqua obliged the request, and Sora quickly ran to his Gummi ship to get her, bringing Kairi with him so they can transform her into Ocean Breeze. After a swift warp through space, the couple landed on Destiny Islands up on the hill overlooking the town they grew up in.
"I wonder how Manami's doing after last time," Kairi wondered aloud. "Was she as shaken up as you were after...you know?"
"Maybe, but if she was, she didn't show it," Sora said. "After dad died, she had to be tough for me...Well, she is, but it would have to take her heart breaking to make her break down, or worry to death over me and dad." They soon reached Sora's home, greeting their neighbors and old friends as they saw them pass. Sora knocked on the door, hearing Manami yelp and utter something, apparently not expecting company today. When she finally opened the door, Sora barged in and caught his mother in a hug. "Happy Hearth's Warming!"
"S-Sora!? Kairi!?" she said, her shock fading as she laughed and hugged Sora back. "Oh my goodness, you need to quit startling me like that. And...Hearth's Warming? Is that an Equestrian holiday?"
"Sure is!" Sora said. "You busy this month?"
"Well...not exactly," Manami said with some slight hesitation. "Why?"
"I talked it over with Aqua, and she's allowed me to bring you back to Equestria to enjoy the winter holidays," Sora said. "And since last year, we brought the girls over for Christmas, you could celebrate with all of us at the castle. It's going to be a huge party and everyone in Ponyville will be there. Including Pound and Pumpkin."
"Sora, are you trying to bribe me to coming along with you because those cute twin ponies are going to be there?" Manami asked suspiciously. Sora whistled nonchalantly, looking elsewhere with his hands behind his head while Kairi shook her head. Even though seeing the Cake Twins again easily won her over, she still hesitated, though Sora or Kairi barely noticed her subtly shifting eyes. "...Ok, I'll come. Just...give me a moment to pack some things. I have a feeling there's snow there, and I do not want to freeze to death and catch a cold!"
"Mom, you'll have fur when we turn you into a pony," Sora reminded his mother.
"And I want to stay warm BEFORE we land on Equestria!" she said, making her way to her room to gather some warm clothing. "I've never seen snow in all my life, and I want to have my first experience without getting sick!" While they waited for Manami to get some warm clothing, even though it won't do much since her transformation didn't include her clothing like theirs, Sora got a look at the dining room from the entrance. He noticed that there were two plates on the table, the remnants of a breakfast for two on the cleaned plates, though he found it odd since his mother wasn't even expecting him to visit today, nor was there anyone else he knew who came over to have a morning conversation with her over breakfast. She came back with a small suitcase of warm clothes, even though they probably wouldn't fit her as a pony. "Ok! I'm all set!"
"Uhh, was there someone over this morning?" Sora asked, pointing at the dining table.
"Someone else?" she asked, then looked at the table. She subtly winced, then turned to her son and his girlfriend with a nervous laugh. "Oh, no! No no no, no one came over today!"
"Then why were there two plates?" Sora questioned.
"...I...was really hungry," Manami said. "So I made myself a second plate."
"Why didn't you put the second portion on the plate you had first?" Kairi asked, confusing the couple. "That just gives you a bit more of a workload to clean up when you're done."
"Hey, when you live alone, you gotta keep yourself busy," the woman reasoned.
"But that doesn't make any sense," Sora said, Manami tapping her finger against her son's head.
"Don't question your mother, sweetie," she said, then pushed Sora and Kairi out of the house. "Now, come on! Time's a wasting! Don't want to miss that party!"
"But what about the dirty dishes?" Sora asked.
"I said not to question me, Sora," Manami said irritably. "I've got it covered!"
They were out the door before the couple could ask the woman anymore questions, finding no point in arguing with her before Sora reached a boiling point and got into trouble with his mother. As soon as the door closed, the dirty dishes on the table were lifted in the air by two plates of water appearing underneath them, hovering over to the kitchen and gently placed in the sink before fading away. Stepping into the kitchen, the mysterious figure approached the sink, turning on the water and cleaned the plates and silverware.
"...Is he ready to see me again?" he asked himself. "...I sure hope Manami knows what she's doing..."
Manami had already gotten used to the warp speeds of the Gummi ship as they quickly arrived in Equestria. As they landed, she was already amazed by the snow falling around Ponyville already, watching some of the pegasi moving snow clouds around and making them sprinkle thousands of snowflakes down to the ground. She was curious to know how the weather worked in Equestria, though she'll have to ask Rainbow Dash since she was more experienced with how the weather was done in this world compared to the natural way it's always worked back home. Kairi and Sora used their magic, transforming the woman back into her pegasus form to keep the other ponies from discovering her true self.
Sora carried his mother's luggage as the trio stepped out, Manami shuddering as soon as the cold air hit her. "Holy moly it's cold out," she said. "So this is what the weather's like when the temperature's lower than fifty degrees."
"It's probably around twenty or so for the snow not to immediately melt on the ground," Kairi said.
"Twenty!? How am I not freezing!?" Manami exclaimed. "Sora, pull out one of my sweatshirts!"
"Mom, you're fine," Sora assured. "It won't do much when your clothes won't fit you as a pegasus."
The mare grumbled, her body shivering as her hooves crunched on the snowy ground. "Can I at least get some pony clothes at least? I said I don't want to catch a cold, and if I'm sick, then you're going to have to take care of your ill mother, Sora. That means constant care, liquids, soup, saltine crackers-"
"Ok, ok," Sora interrupted. "We'll go see Rarity at her boutique and see if we can get you some warm clothes."
"Thank you," she said, smirking a little as she leaned over to Kairi. "See? Guilt trip your future children, and they'll wait on you hand and foot."
"That's not guilt tripping if you're constantly whining like YOU were the kid, mom," Sora said. The mares giggled as they continued teasing Sora, the stallion glad to reach the Carousel Boutique before he could be tormented by his mother and girlfriend. "Rarity! Help! Kairi's being mean to me!"
"Sora, haven't you heard of knocking?" Manami scolded. "It's rude to barge into someone else's home, even if they're your friends' homes."
"And so is my mom!" Sora added.
Sweetie Belle came downstairs as she heard her big brother whining. "Rarity's working on an outfit, but she'll be right-" When she saw Manami, or Ocean Breeze as her pegasus alias, the filly gasped and ran up to the pegasus mare excitedly. "Sora's mom!"
"Hello, Sweetie Belle!" Manami greeted, catching the unicorn filly in a hug. "It feels like forever since I last saw you or your friends!"
"Why are you back?" Sweetie Belle asked curiously, then gasped in shock. "Uh oh. Is Sora gonna get in trouble by bringing you to Equestria again?"
"No, I'm allowed this time," the mare assured, rubbing the filly's head. "I'm a little curious to see what Hearth's Warming is like. And I'm probably going to get dogpiled by the others right after I get myself some winter clothes from your sister. Oh, and while I'm here, just call me Ocean Breeze instead of just 'Sora's mom'."
"Ok!" Sweetie said. "Wait 'til I tell Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!"
As the filly ran to the coat hanger to put on her scarf, winter cap, and snow boots, Manami noticed that the filly's flank wasn't bare like the last time she met her. Sweetie Belle ran outside to find her friends and tell her the good news, leaving the two mares and stallion in the main lobby of the boutique.
"...When did Sweetie Belle get her cutie mark?" she asked curiously.
"The Crusaders got their cutie marks at the same time," Sora said. "The same kind with some slight differences, and all thanks to a former little bully named Diamond Tiara for not only bringing them together in the first place, but also helped them get their cutie marks by solving her own problem with the purpose of her diamond tiara cutie mark."
"Really? They got their marks by helping someone struggling to find out what their cutie marks mean? That's amazing," she said.
"Sorry for the wait!" Rarity called out as she came downstairs. "I just finished up my latest winter design...Oh! This is a surprise!"
"Rarity, nice seeing you again," Manami said, the fashionista prancing up to the mare and greeted her with a hug.
"It's been forever, darling!" Rarity said. "What brings you here?"
"I'm here to celebrate Hearth's Warming, apparently," Manami said.
"Oh, joy!" Rarity cheered. "It'll be just like last year when we celebrated Christmas at your home! Although, I was just on my way out to the castle with some decorations for the party this evening. What brings you all here?"
"My mom needs some winter clothes," Sora explained with a roll of his eyes. "She doesn't want to get sick. And she brought her own luggage of warm clothes, but forgot that even if she didn't wear any of them and they disappeared when we turned her into a pony, they won't even fit her."
He opened his mother's suitcase, showing Rarity the small pile of winter clothing she packed, or what was considered winter clothing for an islander. "Hmm...I can probably design similar outfits from what you brought...or create some new lines for you when you visit. Although, since it is Hearth's Warming, I'm officially off duty, but I have plenty of different outfits you can try out and wear!" Rarity rubbed her chin with her hoof as she examined Manami's body. "Maybe you can help model for me with some of my future lines along with Aqua or Kairi."
"What, me? Model?" Manami blew a raspberry, feeling flattered, though she didn't believe she was model material. "No! I used to look good before I was pregnant with Sora, and even though I try to keep in shape, I'm not that good looking nowadays."
"Darling, don't be so modest!" Rarity assured. "Unlike Sora, you definitely have the perfect figure; not too lean, perfect curves that can catch any male's eye, a beautiful expression, and if you were to flaunt around in the open, you could attract many stallions."
"Eww!" Sora exclaimed in disgust. "Don't make me imagine my mom being surrounded by other guys! And what do you mean she's got a better figure than me!? Mares nearly strangled me when we were in Las Pegasus a few months ago, and they were all over me!" His mother gave him a suspicious look, raising her brow and crossing her forelegs against her chest in a disapproving manner. "...Mom, come on. Like I would give up Kairi for someone else."
"I know. I'm just surprised you denied being around other pretty girls and Kairi hasn't killed you for meeting those female fans who 'strangled' you." Kairi giggled as Manami teased Sora, the stallion groaning as he blushed in embarrassment. "Boys will be boys, Sora, and boys have harder times controlling their hormones around pretty girls."
"Try telling that to the mares who wanted a piece of me," Sora grumbled, grabbing his hair and flaring out his wings. "Literally wanting a piece of me."
The mares laughed, making Sora groan louder as he stormed off and sulked in a corner. "Well, what say we go and find something festive and warm for you to wear, Manami."
"When I'm a pony, just call me Ocean Breeze," Manami insisted. "Helps me fit in a bit more."
"And yet mine and Sora's are a few examples of names that definitely don't fit in this world," Kairi said.
"Very well, Ocean Breeze," Rarity said with a small giggle. "Follow me and we'll see which ones fit your style!"
The mares walked over to where Rarity stored her winter line as they chatted amongst themselves, pulling out different outfits for Manami to try on. Sora let out a heavy sigh, having a feeling he was going to be waiting a long while until his mother finished trying on clothes before being satisfied with one outfit for the day.
The party was getting close to being officially underway as the sun began to set. After Manami found the right outfit to freely walk outside without risking getting sick, she was lead to the castle and got a quick lesson on how Hearth's Warming came to be. It wasn't exactly like Christmas, though it was an interesting history lesson on the founding of Equestria; all three pony races separated in tribes, hating each other as they struggled to survive, bringing the Windigos with their fighting and almost destroying the land, and the only saving grace were the three assistants to the tribes' leaders as they searched for a new home and almost destroyed it when they coincidentally found that same land and began fighting once again.
All of Ponyville was getting the town all set up for the holiday, working together as they placed decorations on their houses, lamp posts, et cetera. They even added some Christmas decorations for the holiday in a couple weeks, a catchy, upbeat tune playing around them as they sang while they worked.
[All]
Ponies' voices fill the night
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
Happy hearts so full and bright
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
Oh, what a sight
Look at the lights
All for tonight
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
Up in the air, pegasi were busy moving clouds around to create a perfect formation to sprinkle snow out from them all across town. Fluttershy was helping guide her friends in placing the clouds while Rainbow and Ventus flew over each cloud and pounced them to make them snow.
[Fluttershy]
Clouds arranged so they're just so
[Pegasi]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
[Rainbow and Ventus]
Gonna make some awesome snow
[Pegasi]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
[Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Ventus]
The chill wind blows
Making a show
Snowflakes aglow
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
Inside the castle, Manami was a bit confused with everyone singing and hearing the festive music ring in her ears, even though no one's playing any instruments. Everyone was busy setting up more decorations for the tree in the main foyer, cooking some food, even exchanging presents with close friends while singing merrily, and she was enjoying it despite this odd musical number out of nowhere.
[Pinkie]
A day that's filled with songs to sing
[All]
Ding-dong, ding-dong-ding
[Applejack]
Cakes and pastries we shall bring
[All]
Ding-dong, ding-dong-ding
We're so busy making merry
Windigos should all be wary
[Stallions]
As our mighty voices carry
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
Manami pranced over to the tree where Rarity was, the unicorn crafting festive hats for everyone with her sewing kit, while Aqua used her magic to decorate the tree with lights, ornaments, and all sorts of festive additions with the help of the pegasi making sure they were set in place and didn't bend the branches too hard.
[Rarity]
Decorations we shall make
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
[Aqua]
Perfection you just cannot fake
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
Aqua began looking around for a specific ornament she wanted to hang near the top, though it was taken by Derpy, who wanted to help as she had it in her mouth. Rarity had noticed the ditsy mare fluttering at the top, being extremely careful, though knowing her, she was bound to mess up in some way.
[Rarity]
Not one mistake
Don't let that break
As fate would have it, Derpy let go farther from the branch she was aiming for, dropping the ornament as it shattered to the ground and almost hit the white unicorn. Derpy gave her an apologetic grin and shrugged, having no clue what went wrong.
Oh, goodness' sake!
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once a-
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve
Sora come in through the entrance, pulling a cart filled with gifts while Apple Bloom and Granny Smith tossed them out to everyone they passed. Derpy felt bad for breaking the ornament, but she had a crazy idea that was sure to make up for it as she perched herself on top of the tree, her festive hat more like the topper for said tree as she became a living ornament.
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Once the last of the gifts were handed out as the song ended, Sora unhitched himself from the cart and carefully helped Granny Smith out while Applejack used his back as a step as she bounced out. The filly soon ran over to Manami, tackling Sora's mother and hugged her foreleg after hearing from Sweetie Belle that she was back to visit again.
"Goodness, I should have expected getting hugs from almost everyone today," Manami said as she hugged Apple Bloom. Pinkie Pie came out of nowhere and caught the mare off guard with a surprise hug of her own. "Ahh! I'm loved enough! I'm gonna suffocate on affection!"
"Can ya stay here forever?" Apple Bloom begged.
"I wish I could, but if I'm not around, I'd lose my house," she said.
"Then ya can stay with us!" Apple Bloom offered excitedly. "Sora used to live with us, but now he's got a room in the castle and is too good to be under the same roof as his family."
"Just be prepared for Apple Bloom to wake you up by trying to hit you with a hammer," Sora said, pulling Apple Bloom by her tail and holding her upside down. "And that's when she considers that a wake-up call."
"Ya dodged it before Ah even hit ya with it!" Apple Bloom argued.
"When you almost hit my skull while trying to 'help jog my memory'," Sora reminded, tapping the filly's muzzle. "Do I need to call Stitch again?"
"Yes, please!" Sweetie Belle shouted, overhearing Sora while she was with her parents at the other end of the foyer. She ran up to him, her tail wagging excitedly as she was dying to see the blue, fuzzy alien again. "Please bring Stitch! Please, please, please!"
"No! No more with Stitch!" Apple Bloom pleaded. "Ah swear his slobber gets stickier and stickier when he licks me!"
"Who's Stitch?" Manami asked. "Sora, when did you get a pet?"
"I'll tell you later, mom," Sora said.
He lowered Apple Bloom back down, letting her join Sweetie Belle to find Scootaloo. Starlight walked out into the main foyer, looking uninterested at all the festivities going on. She walked over to Sora, she noticed Manami, having seen her being given a tour around the castle earlier today, though she never got the chance to talk to her all day.
"Hello, there," Starlight greeted. "I've seen you around but never got the chance to meet you. I'm Starlight Glimmer."
"Starlight Glimmer?" Manami heard that name before, looking at Sora for a moment as she recalled hearing about his time traveling escapade in Equestria and who was responsible for causing him a lot of stress the several months after their return. She then leered at the unicorn, feeling skeptical as her motherly instincts for her young adult son kicked in. "So, this is the pony who Sora told me about? The one who tried to go back in time and almost destroy the future because she didn't have the courage to write to her old friend who moved away?"
"...I'm never going to live that down," Starlight Glimmer muttered miserably. "So, Sora's told you about me...Who are you?"
"I'm his mother," she stated, making Starlight flinch in surprise.
Glancing at the two of them, she could see the resemblance from the tan fur, blue eyes, and brown hair. "But...I-Isn't Sora a-?" She silenced herself as she found the answer to her halted question; the pegasus mare beside Sora from Destiny Islands and was a human like him. "...Oh...Heheh...Uhh, yeah...How much do you know?"
"Aside from what I said earlier, you're also responsible for giving my son so much anxiety about his fate as a Keyblade wielder by getting him killed in alternate timelines," Manami said. "And he's been so frazzled about knowing what really happened to his father several years ago because of your ridiculous time traveling scheme to give yourself a perfect future when all you did was cause nothing but destruction."
"Ok, mom, she gets it," Sora interjected. "Aqua already gave her the frozen shoulder for all that she did, but she's changed and learning from all of us about being an actual friend. And not using magic to give her the answers she needs. Right?"
"Yeah, I've definitely learned my lesson," Starlight assured nervously.
Manami continued to blankly stare at her, unnerving the unicorn before she smiled at her. "Well, good! Nice to meet you, Starlight!" she said cheerfully, catching Starlight by surprise as Manami hugged her. "Now, you listen here, missy. I know you're a changed pony, but if you so much as hurt my son emotionally or mentally, I will make sure your life will turn into living hell," she whispered threateningly in Starlight's ear. "He's already suffering from being unable to save my husband in the past when he supposedly died, and I know it's been eating at him for months. So, if you don't want your horn to be broken off and stuck up somewhere you don't want it, don't you dare try me. Got it?"
"...Crystal," Starlight uttered in terror.
"Good. Glad we understand each other," Manami whispered before dropping her distrust and laughed joyfully while patting Starlight's head, leaving her stunned in pure fear.
While Sora rolled his eyes, knowing that terrified look on Starlight's face when his mother gave someone a silent death threat, Twilight, Riku, Kairi, and Spike joined them. "Mana-I mean Ocean Breeze!" Twilight greeted.
"Hello, Twilight! Nice of you to finally see you join in after we did all the work," Manami teased.
"Well, I had presents I needed to wrap up," Twilight argued.
"Spoiler: all of them are books," Riku warned, earning a zap on the hind end by his peeved girlfriend. "Hey! Your gift ideas are too obvious for anyone: books, books, books, and more books."
"I'm ignoring you," Twilight grumbled. "So, Starlight, Ocean, are you two ready to celebrate your first Hearth's Warming Eve in Ponyville?"
"I'm certainly ready!" Manami said.
"Eh, I think I was planning on skipping it," Starlight said.
The group around Starlight gasped in shock. "Skip Hearth's Warming Eve!?" Spike exclaimed. "Does that mean you're going to skip Christmas, too!?"
"That other weird holiday I've been hearing the foals around town talk about?" she asked. "Honestly, they're both silly. They mostly seem like days dedicated to presents and candy, aren't they?"
Sora's jaw hit the ground, his eye twitching in his shock. The others noticed, Riku and Kairi backing away while Manami shook her head.
"Shouldn't have said that around Sora," the mother warned.
"...You...are going...to skip CHRISTMAS!?!?!?!?!?" Sora shouted. "What is wrong with you!?"
"Honey, calm down," Manami said, nipping Sora's ear and tugged hard, making him wince while embarrassing him as he was scolded like a child. "I think what my son is trying to tell you is that these holidays are more than just presents and candy. Even though all he could think about when he was a little boy was presents, presents, and even more presents."
"Both holidays are times to spend with friends and family, Hearth's Warming for celebrating an important day in Equestria's history, and Christmas a day for peace outside our world," Twilight explained.
"Maybe to most ponies with Hearth's Warming, but I think they think that as an excuse to sing silly songs and have fun, not a day to remember an old story," Starlight said.
Twilight hummed in thought, coming up with an idea to help Starlight change her mind and get her pupil to have fun with everyone for Hearth's Warming, and maybe even Christmas if she's interested enough. "Well, maybe you haven't heard the 'right' Hearth's Warming Eve story yet."
"Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi sing songs around a hearth to fight back an eternal winter caused by mythical Windigos?" Starlight scoffed as she summarized the whole story of Hearth's Warming's history, although Sora grimaced when he actually saw the haunting equine spirits the one year where he and the girls played a part in the Hearth's Warming play in Canterlot. They were all too real, and he was glad they didn't show up again as the years passed. "Every foal knows that story, Twilight."
"Not that one," Twilight said, then used her magic to teleport a book in her aura. "I'm talking about my favorite story: 'A Hearth's Warming Tale'!"
"Ooh! I love that one!" Spike said excitedly. "It's a story about a unicorn who hated Hearth's Warming, gets visited by ghosts, and ends up changing their ways after learning about how important the holiday is!"
"That sounds a lot like a Christmas story back home," Manami said. "It's like 'A Christmas Carol'! Oh, I want to hear this story!" Her wings fluttered excitedly, though she ended up flapping harder than she thought and ended up flying, letting out a yelp as she hovered a few feet off the ground and fell. Sora managed to catch his mother before she crashed, the mare blinking as she got her first experience flying. "...Whoa...Was that what it felt like to fly?"
"More like hovering, but yeah," Sora said.
"...You have got to teach me how to fly properly," Manami said. "It's so thrilling and I love it!"
"Maybe later...and we start really low to the ground," Sora promised.
They soon made their way to a quieter room, Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Manami curious to hear the differences in story between the tales of someone who gave up on a joyous holiday, only to turn it around after being visited by spirits of the past, present, and future to show how they were back in their childhoods, what they're missing out on in the present, and the outcome of their decisions in the future. Once everyone got comfortable on the couches and got themselves a mug of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows, Twilight opened "A Hearth's Warming Tale" and read the story to everyone.
"'This is the story of a powerful unicorn named Snowfall Frost, who hated Hearth's Warming Eve,'" she began. "'It all began many moons ago in Canterlot...'"
The story of "A Hearth's Warming Tale" started in a small town set several centuries in the past in what was then Canterlot, many years before Princess Celestia and Luna ruled Equestria. Snow sprinkled down over the many old-fashioned homes as ponies went about their errands, greeted neighbors and friends, even finishing set up last minute decorations for Hearth's Warming Eve.
Every home in Canterlot was filled with holiday spirit, Twilight narrated. Every home...except one. One specific house in the middle of the town wasn't as festively decorated as the rest, where the main character of the story resides; Snowfall Frost. Starlight was envisioned as the serious unicorn character, her mane back in its old style when she was an equality-crazed dictator of Our Town, though her character wore a purple dress jacket with a white dress shirt underneath, a cravat, and a pair of small bifocals perched on her muzzle. The unicorn was busy working on an alchemic spell to change a simple rock into a chunk of gold, going through notes of the pony who discovered this spell and hoped to improve on it to create better minerals from lesser ones. It was said of Snowfall that she was almost as studied as Star Swirl the Bearded. Almost, since everypony knows that Star Swirl was an expert at everything from transfiguration, dimensional calibration, teleportation-
Twilight, we get it, Riku interjected. He's a genius. Either read the story or go off on a Star Swirl tangent in another room.
The alicorn grumbled, then cleared her throat as she continued. The point is, Snowfall was also a powerful unicorn. She wanted to be perfect. Anything that got in the way was a waste of time.
Snowfall walked over to her cauldron with a chunk of stone after carefully measuring the right weight for the alchemy spell to work. Her horn lighting up, her magical aura engulfed the rock, slowly turning it from grayish-black to gold. Her concentration soon got disrupted when she heard bells rung by a group of stallions from her window, dropping the stone and sending it crumbling to pieces upon contact with her wooden floor, unable to change into the harder, richer mineral she intended to make it.
"Well, that batch is ruined," the mare grumbled. "Shiva! Snowdash!"
Entering the room were two ponies heeding the unicorn's call. Rainbow Dash was envisioned as Snowdash, her wild mane combed to fit the character's look, wearing a purple vest jacket with a grayed-white undershirt, the bowtie around her neck slightly worn from age. Shiva was given Aqua's appearance, wearing an icy blue dress that dragged behind her, her long blue hair tied in a ponytail that draped over her left shoulder.
Shiva and Snowdash were Snowfall's loyal assitants, Twilight narrated as the duo noticed the mess Snowfall called them for.
"Let me guess," Shiva said. "Another 'interruption'?"
"Get this mess cleaned up," Snowfall commanded, ignoring the sarcasm in the blue unicorn's tone. "Those foolish ponies were ringing those blasted bells outside the window and made me lose my concentration!"
"Wow. Ponies actually enjoying Hearth's Warming Eve. Where did they get THAT crazy idea?" Snowdash muttered as she swept up the mess while Shiva picked up the scattered books Snowfall left in the askewed pile she made.
"Today is nothing to celebrate," Snowfall continued ranting. "Hearth's Warming is a menace. A dangerous day for all of Equestria."
"Dangerous?" Shiva questioned, appalled to hear the festive holiday was considered something that negative. "Hearth's Warming is a day where earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi came together to defeat the Windigos and stop an endless snowstorm. How is it 'dangerous'?"
"That stupid legend is the issue, Shiva!" Snowfall chided angrily. "Telling everypony that 'singing songs and being nice' will solve anything? I've spent years studying magic, and that's not how it works."
Shiva growled, harshly shoving the books back in their appropriate spots on Snowfall's shelves, Snowdash keeping quiet as she feared the unfortunate argument the two were going to have again. "And how do you know that's not helping!?" Shiva yelled. "Have you ever been nice at all in your life!? Ever since I started working for you for the past few years, you don't show any respect to us, or even praise us for how well we keep your home spotless and feed you before you starve yourself to death from working every single hour of every single day!"
"Working hard, learning, and using your skills to better Equestria," Snowfall quoted. "That is a worthy goal for any pony, and the same should go to you as well, Shiva. You have magical potential, yet you barely use it to aid me in my work."
"Maybe because I'm too busy raising my teenage son with my husband, who was born a pegasus and is physically unable to walk or even fly with both a limp hind leg and wing," Shiva stated in annoyance, as if she was reminding Snowfall for the umpteenth time. "Unlike you, I don't have free time to do what I want while Titan and I try to take care of Vale while earning enough bits to keep a roof over our head and put food on the table."
"Ok, Shiva, I think Snowfall gets it," Snowdash interjected, finishing her sweeping of the broken pieces of Snowfall's experiment. "...For the twentieth time."
"And considering it's Hearth's Warming Eve, a holiday, we deserve to have a day or two off so we can spend time with our family," the unicorn mare added. "Especially a bonus for how many hours both Snowdash and I have worked for you."
"Oh, well, by all means," Snowfall said sarcastically. "If you want to go home early, ignore all the work you have, and spend the rest of-"
"Sweet!" Snowdash immediately cheered, zipping off to enjoy the rest of the evening for the holiday.
Snowfall rolled her eyes, ignoring the pegasus as she turned to face Shiva. "I bet you want to go early, too?" she asked, receiving a nod from the blue unicorn. "...Good. Then you're fired."
"W-What!? Fired!?" Shiva questioned in shock. "Y-You can't be serious!"
"And don't expect to be paid for your services for this week," Snowfall added, only hurting the mare further as she was barely paid enough working under her employer. "You've gotten sloppier than Snowdash, and backtalking me like that definitely blew your chances."
"B-But...Where else am I supposed to work?" Shiva questioned. "Titan barely makes enough working the mines as it is."
"Not my problem," Snowfall said, not a hint of remorse in her response. "Now leave my property or you'll be spending Hearth's Warming in a jail cell."
Shiva glared at her former employer, letting out a disgruntled huff as she marched away. As she reached the door, she turned back to give the powerful unicorn some advice before she never had to see her again.
"You know, Snowfall? You're going to regret acting in this way in the future," she said. "When you grow old, you'll only die alone, and no one will be there in your time of need. Or even mourn for your loss should something happen to you, whether it's now, years later, or even in a couple weeks."
Snowfall ignored Shiva, scoffing as she turned to the window. "Bah, humbug." And with that, Shiva let out a disappointed sigh and left, dreading to tell her family the unfortunate news. Outside, Snowfall caught of glimpse of Snowdash speeding off to who knows where out her window, then watched as Shiva trotted off, angered and upset at her being laid off by her boss. She growled when she saw all the decorations around the house, ponies laughing and having fun for Hearth's Warming, a low dark tune building up as she expressed her disdain for the holiday. "I HATE Hearth's Warming Eve! All of Equestria would be better off if we just skipped the day altogether..."
[Snowfall]
Happy Hearth's Warming, they say in the street
Happy Hearth's Warming, they think they're so sweet
Words said so often that they lack any meaning
Why should I join in when I could be intervening?
Everypony loves this cursed holiday
But would they be better off with it out of the way?
Snowfall began gathering some materials as a sinister idea, shutting her windows and brushing aside some equipment on a table as she began building her concoction.
Well, okay
After creating a green mist from the mixed potions she poured in a bowl, Snowfall snuck out of her home and slinked around, stealing a few Hearth's Warming items for her plan to succeed: a wreath someone hung on her front door, some red ribbons a pegasus had just set up over the windows of a house, even taking a platypus doll from a colt without any guilt, just to name a few. And it was worse when it was in plain sight, but no one was able to do anything, knowing full-well who Snowfall was and how mean-spirited she was that they don't dare cross her.
Say goodbye to the holiday
With my magic, I'll erase it
The greatest gift that I give today
And everypony will have to face it
No more little games for you to play
After you say goodbye to the holiday
Making her way back inside, Snowfall carried the Hearth's Warming items in her aura and approached her cauldron, tossing in her "ingredients" as she used the bubbling green liquid as her base for her holiday-erasing spell.
Goodbye, Hearth's Warming, you had a good run
Goodbye, Hearth's Warming, it's over, you're done
Finally set free from your forced celebrations
No need to reply to your trite invitations
Calendar shorter by a single day
Is my magic up to the test?
Time to see, I can't delay
The mare's aura levitated several vials of differently colored potions from her shelves, looking over her big book of spells to make sure everything was perfect. She poured the potions in a specific order and amount, mixing it with the boiling liquid in the cauldron to let it simmer, the last of them creating some smoke that turned into a pair of the mythical Windigos that threatened Equestria many years ago with their icy-cold blizzard as they feasted on the ponies' endless fighting.
Say goodbye to the holiday
Prepare the spell, no hesitation
All memory shall fade away
See Equestria's new transformation
No more shall anypony say
Happy Hearth's Warming...
Hm hm hm hm hm...
...after today!
After today...
The smoky equine spirits flew around the unicorn as her wicked song came to an end, diving back into the cauldron as she stared at her brew with a sinister grin. "Once the spell is cast, all of Equestria will be better off, and they'll have ME to thank for it!"
Wait a minute...
"Snowfall doesn't like Hearth's Warming Eve so she decides to cast a spell to get rid of it altogether?" Starlight questioned, interrupting the story to state out the illogical reasoning the main character had. "That seems a little extreme."
"Gee, a power crazy person who wants to destroy and/or take over the world over something ridiculous," Sora said sarcastically. "Never heard that one before..."
Most of the group looked at Starlight as she was reminded of her role dictating other ponies after stealing their cutie marks. "I think what Sora means is that everypony has their reasons, even if some of those reasons were dealt with in the wrong way," Twilight paraphrased. Riku sighed and raised his hoof, having been there and done that with his poor choices in trusting Maleficent over his best friend. "Moving on, 'Snowfall was all set to cast her spell that would erase Hearth's Warming Eve for all time, when a voice from the hearth caught her attention.'"
As Snowfall checked over her book to triple-check her work, she was startled by a voice that came from the hearth where her cauldron was bubbling. "Ya sure ya want to go through with this?"
"H-Huh!? Who's there!?" Snowfall called out in surprise.
Rising up from the cauldron was a spirit, envisioned as Applejack, though her colors were unclear as her ethereal form showed mostly faint traces of white and pale blues, her outfit a very festive, western look with snowflakes pattering her dress along with an accessory of one in her stetson. "The Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past, that's who," the mare said. "And we've got us a little chat to do."
"A spirit!?" Snowfall exclaimed, only to gaze suspiciously at the ethereal earth pony mare. "I didn't cast any spirit summoning spells...Did I subconsciously cast another spell from that book again?"
The unicorn grabbed a book, though not her spellbook, not noticing the faint, ethereal outline coming from it. "You didn't need to cast any spells," another voice rung out, coming from the book as Snowfall yelped and dropped it. It stopped mere inches from the ground, floating back up as a light shimmered around the spiritual tome, creating the form of a pony. As the light faded, standing before the shocked mare was yet another spirit, though unlike the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past, the unicorn spirit radiated a white glow, her long mane billowing like a gentle flame flickering in the wind, wearing a simple white dress that blended with her ethereal coat and hair. She held the book in her hoof instead of in a telekinetic grasp like any normal unicorn, even though she is a spirit. "We're both here for a reason, Snowfall."
"W-Who are you?" Snowfall dared to ask.
"The Spirit of Memories," the unicorn spirit said, opening the book as the pages flipped over, showing hundreds of thousands of drawings, which seemed to look like they were made by a filly with how childish they appeared. "Past and I had to do something after sensing this much magical power coming from such a spell you were creating."
"...Really?" Snowfall asked skeptically. "You're here because of my spell?"
"Ya think we wouldn't notice somethin' of this magnitude?" Past questioned. "Well, guess what; ya got all of our attention, and the rest of us have some pretty strong opinions about this here spell of yours."
"What do you mean, 'the rest of us'?" Snowfall asked.
"You'll see soon enough," Memories answered. She passed through Snowfall, the mare flinching as she felt a sudden chill despite her mane flowing like a gentle flame. "Your questions will be answered, but time is of the essence, and with memories, you have to make the time."
"Eeyup," Past agreed, the earth pony spirit moving Snowfall's top hat from the hook in the room, a matching purple like her clothing, placing it on the mare's head. "Now, let's get a move on. We got a ton to see and barely any time to see it."
"I'm not going anywhere," Snowfall declined. "I have a spell to cast, and I don't need a history lesson about Hearth's Warming Eve. Every foal knows about that dumb story, including me, so thanks, but no thanks."
Both spirits looked at each other, smirking as their plan didn't involve a lesson on the holiday. "We're not going to learn about Hearth's Warming," Memories said, opening the window while Past brought out her rope, tying it in a lasso before tossing it and catching Snowfall, shocking the unicorn. "We're going to learn about you."
"W-What!?" Before she could protest, both spirits flew out of Snowfall's house, the ethereal rope pulling Snowfall with her as she yelled in fear, flailing about as she was forcefully dragged through the air as bright and cheery music played.
Past and Memories trotted through the air casually while Snowfall tried to untie herself, but failed, even as she tried to pull the rope away from Past as it seemed connected to her by an invisible force.
[Spirit of Hearth's Warming Past]
As a young thing, life sure is somethin'
You go makin' choices large and small
Always growin' like a seedlin'
And playin' is like dreamin'
And before you know it, big and tall
In a flash of light as Memories tossed her book forward, the pages flipped rapidly as the trio were transported back to a point in time. Helpless but to let the spirits do as they please and show her what they wanted, Snowfall recognized the small town as they circled around a tree, time reversing as it shrunk back into a sapling. Once they landed, the rope around Snowfall disappeared as the three mares walked up the hill and looked over the town.
[Spirit of Memories]
And every single, little choice you make
Sends you down a path to who you are today
As they walked down the path, memories let her book flip open in front of Snowfall, showing what seemed to be a drawing of Snowfall as a filly, along with a few others in front of a building, holiday decorations set up and some yet to be placed in a cart beside the foals.
So let's take a little trip down memory lane
And see just what the past has to say
Fillies ran past them, unable to see them as they were nothing but ghosts to them and ran up to what appeared to be a school building. When Snowfall looked up from Memories's book, she gasped when the image she was shown was actually happening. By a cart full of decorations, and even some presents, she saw herself as a filly, wearing her old school uniform as she was actually happy in her life with friends. Her outfit was two shades of blue with red lines the waist and hem of the skirt and white collar, a red ascot around her neck, and a hat of similar colors with a red ribbon around the base. Memories's drawing was actually pretty accurate catching this moment, despite how crude it seemed.
"Aww, look at how cute you were," Memories cooed. "And it doesn't look like you're upset about it being Hearth's Warming Eve either.
The seeds of the past,
[Past]
They grow pretty fast
[Past and Memories]
Just look at who you were back then
Snowfall recalled her foalhood, feeling disappointed in herself as her past self would end up turning into her; childlike innocence and happiness turning into crotchety bitterness and spite, knowing exactly what the catalyst was that changed her outlook on life.
The seeds, as they grow
Look what they can show
Reveal the truth time and again
Memories's book flipped open again, taking them a little further in time as they now got a better look at the inside of the classroom in the school. Young Snowfall was humming a Hearth's Warming tune, levitating ornaments and wreaths to liven up the room and make it more festive. She didn't notice her teacher walk in, his appearance more haughty and depressing as he glared with an icy stare, Snowfall placing a purple star ornament over the gray unicorn stallion's horn. He wore a black coat and dress shirt, further emphasizing his serious, professional attitude, his long mane dark gray as a few strands draped over his eyes.
"And just what do you think you're doing, Snowfall?" the stallion asked, his tone even sounding like he was scolding her when she was doing nothing wrong.
"Decorating the classroom for Hearth's Warming Eve, Professor Flintheart!" the filly said cheerfully.
Flintheart used his magic to remove the decoration his student put over his horn, leering at it before looking down at Young Snowfall. "You said you wanted to be a powerful unicorn, did you not?" he asked, the filly nodding her head excitedly in response. "And what is the way that one BECOMES a powerful unicorn?"
"Work hard, learn, and use your skills to better Equestria," Young Snowfall said, quoting her teacher's words.
"Gee, I always wondered where you learned that," Memories said, flipping through the pages as the scene before them were already drawn up, knowing the results as she shook her head in pity. "Weren't those the same words you told Shiva and Snowdash? In the same exact tone as this heartless stallion?"
Snowfall looked down nervously, feeling ashamed at the disappointment in the spirits' faces. "And how do these help you to learn magic?" Flintheart questioned Young Snowfall, bringing the older Snowfall's attention back to the past memory, where the worst was about to come as her old mentor pointed at her old box of decorations.
"I want to be strong enough to stop Windigos and help ponies!" Young Snowfall said, expressing her dream to be strong enough to keep the mythical equine spirits at bay with her love of Hearth's Warming.
The answer didn't please the stallion, holding the ornament over Young Snowfall's head as the older mare braced herself for the heartbreaking response from somepony she respected as a filly. "That's just a story we tell little ponies. REAL magic takes time to learn." Using his magic, Flintheart shattered the glass ornament to pieces, dropping it unceremoniously in the filly's box of decorations. Young Snowfall was crestfallen, talked down as her holiday spirit was considered real magic. "It's your choice. Spend your time learning to become a powerful unicorn or play with your toys and make nothing of yourself."
Flintheart took down Snowfall's decorations, dropping them back in the box unceremoniously before kicking the box and leaving the filly to her sorrow. That statement was like a low blow, her own disgruntled teacher saying she was pathetic if she continued being merry and spreading joy than studying and practicing her magic each and every day.
[Memories]
Then some distress, words so careless
Standing there, you don't know what to do
[Past]
Feelin' helpless, you can't make it hurt less
So you go and change your point of view
Young Snowfall's sadness soon turned into anger, taking her professor's words to heart as the only way to ever be a powerful unicorn was through constant study and hard work, not childish games. Memories looked through her book as Snowfall's happy memories darkened, worn and torn as if sensing the mare's depressed thoughts as what should have been fond memories wanted to be forgotten as she watched herself turn into Flintheart, a stallion who probably didn't have a single ounce of kindness in his stone cold heart. The filly walked over to the window, her friends spotting her from outside and ran up to ask her to come out and play, but she refused, leering at them, closed the curtains, threw away her decorations, and grabbed several magic books and began studying.
And in that moment, though you didn't know it
Your defenses set up walls you built to last
[Memories]
Leading to the pony you've become today
And the spell you're about to cast
It all comes from your past
The unicorn spirit of memories showed Snowfall the cold memories of her youth, all of them just her sitting alone in grayscale studying, performing magic, not a single colorful, happy, and carefree tone that emphasized the disdain she's built for years, and resulted in the pony she is now. She hated herself, wishing she was able to tell her younger self not to listen to Flintheart and go back to spreading joy to her friends, but seeing how invisible she was as the spirits showed her her past she repressed because of Flintheart, she can't change the past no matter how much she wished to.
[Snowfall]
The seeds of the past
We grow up so fast
Some hurts never go away
[Past and Memories]
The seeds, as they grow
This we can't let go
All tied to this one holiday
Everything began fading to black as Snowfall watched herself study, not before seeing her younger self wiping away a tear as a pang of sadness for her dreams being smashed before finally throwing it away forever to continue studying. As a tear fell from her misty eyes after remembering how she became who she was, she heard it plop into the cauldron with her spell ready to be cast, back in her home in the present.
"S-Spirits?" she called out, looking around her study to find the two mares, but found no sign of them. "Wait! What am I supposed to-...Huh?"
Somehow, in the middle of the room, there was a giant present with different shades of pink with yellow polka dots and blue stripes with a pink bow on top. Confused, Snowfall walked up to it, only to leap back as the top burst open and a shadowy figure revealed itself.
"Snowfall Frost! It is I-!" Leaning down to finally reveal themselves, it was yet another spirit, this time in Pinkie's image, wearing a furry yellow coat with white fluffy cuffs and a wreath on her head made of what seemed to be cotton candy with hard candies like candy canes, peppermints, and other Hearth's Warming sweets decorating it. "-the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents!"
Snowfall's shock had quickly faded after hearing the spirit's name. "Wait, don't you mean 'Present', like the time?"
"Actually, that would be me!" another voice called out from inside the present, this time sounding masculine. The mare spirit yelped as she was shoved out of the top of the giant gift, plopping on her face comically as a pegasus stallion climbed out, envisioned as Sora, though his outfit seemed to be designed for a completely different winter holiday Snowfall wasn't aware of: his fur coat was red with white fluffy trimming, leaving enough room for his wings to freely stretch even though he's a spirit as well, a red hat with similar fluffy trimming and a white ball of fluff at the end, a normal wreath wrapped around the trimming of the hat, and held a cane that was striped like a candy cane, though it's design was shaped more like a hook-toothed key and almost seemed to be like a sword with its red and green hilt, a mistletoe hanging off the end of the pommel like a chain. "I'M the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Present. She's 'Presents', but to avoid confusion, just call her Gifts. It means the same thing regardless."
"Two spirits again???" Snowfall questioned, flabbergasted by what she was experiencing today.
Present leapt out of the box, brushing off some confetti from his coat. "That is the last time I travel by present just to have a grand entrance, Gifts. That looked far more bigger on the inside than it did on the outside."
"I wanna be called Presents!" the pink spirit whined. "It wouldn't make much sense for the story!"
"We can't have two characters be called 'Present', because that's only going to cause some confusion for everypony," Present argued. Snowfall tried to interject, but the stallion pressed his cane-like sword against the unicorn's lips, which oddly smelled and tasted like a candy cane. "Yeah, hang on, one second, Frosty. Excuse my cousin. She's...new to this gig."
"But presents are important for Hearth's Warming as well!" Gifts argued back. "Like toys, a Hearth's Warming doll, cupcakes!" The mare soon began pulling out random gifts from out of nowhere, handing them to Snowfall as she only stared in bewilderment. "Here, try one! They're good!"
"Yes, cous, I know that," Present agreed with a roll of his eyes.
Growling in frustration, Snowfall pushed the stallion's cane away and tossed away Gift's presents. "Ok, I get it! You're Present, and she's Gifts. Though she seems pretty pointless considering gifts are pointless things ponies waste their time on."
Gifts let out an exasperated gasp in shock, making Present roll his eyes. "Oh boy, here we go," the stallion muttered.
"Snowfall, how dare you?" Gifts questioned. "It's not what the gift IS that matters, it's what the gift MEANS!" She then pulled down random gifts and began explaining what they meant just from a glance, even though some of them don't seem to make sense. "Sometimes a cupcake means 'I love you!', or a toy means 'Hi, how're you doing?' A book means 'Your mane looks amazing!', and a scarf...well, a scarf usually means you look cold. That's an easy one."
Snowfall was utterly speechless, unable to fathom anything Gifts was saying. "...I...don't understand..."
"Basically, what Gifts is trying to say is that giving a gift is the thought that counts, not what the receiver expects to wish to get from you," Present explained.
"But it's just stuff!" Snowfall argued. "They don't mean anything!"
Present chuckled, tapping the unicorn on the nose with his cane as if he was teasing a filly by booping her nose. "I'm not sure you recall what you were like in the past before Professor Buzzkill made you into such a Scrooge, when you gave out presents to your friends? But we're not dwindling on the past. Not my department. We're here to discuss the present, the here and now, and what you've been missing out on for the last decade or so."
Snowfall grumbled, pushing the stallion's cane away. But before she could walk back to her cauldron to finish her spell, Gifts suddenly yelped and began twitching and shuddering randomly.
"Uhh, what's happening to her?" Snowfall asked, having no idea what to expect from the earth pony spirit of presents.
"My Spirit of Hearth's Warming Presents Sense is going off!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "That means a song is coming on!"
"Yeah, I think a musical number's in order," Present agreed, ignoring his cousin's change in title with a roll of his eyes. He let out a whistle, spinning his cane as he lead the way with Gifts pushing Snowfall after him. "Hit it, boys!"
Suddenly, an upbeat tune began playing the moment they stepped outside, though Snowfall was unsure if they could be seen this time since they weren't going to another time while being dragged through the town. Present and Gifts want to show the mare what's been going on outside her home and all the fun she could have had if she wasn't such a grump staying inside on a holiday she used to love back then.
[Spirit of Heart's Warming Present]
Take a look at everything around you
All the smells that surely will astound you
Open up your heart, it will surround you
In the magic of Hearth's Warming Eve
[Spirit of Hearth's Warming Gifts]
The little things that make it better
Little ponies spreading cheer
Give a toy, a hug, a sweater
Memories that last all year
Snowfall only got more confused when both spirits began to interact with everyone else in town, Gifts giving random gifts or hugs to ponies as they both seemed pretty real. However, they didn't notice Snowfall, either that or they ignored her knowing how bad of a reputation she has with the holiday.
[Present and Gifts]
The present's always filled with presents
Large, medium, and small
Sometimes the most important things
Aren't very big at all
The spiritual duo approached a little colt holding a crutch, using their magic to give him the ability to walk again and gave him a pair of tap shoes, the trio performing a tap-dancing solo with perfect synchronization. Snowfall was both stunned and impressed, though she didn't know if she was hallucinating or this was really happening. There was so much good both of these spirits did by giving gifts and sharing a catchy moment with a random foal as they danced, unchoreographed and in time with the beats of the song. Gifts suddenly appeared behind Snowfall as she stood by the window of a house, where a big party was being held inside.
[Gifts]
What a party, there's so much to see here
Can't believe you didn't want to be here
You'd have had a blast, I guarantee here
This is the spirit of Hearth's Warming Eve
Snowfall looked inside, finding Snowdash together with two of her friends Merry and Flutterholly, envisioned as Rarity and Fluttershy respectfully, along with Shiva and her family. Shiva's husband, Titan, who looked like Terra, only had a ragged brown scarf around his neck to keep him warm, his expression heavily exhausted, but he still had the energy to enjoy a nice evening. There was a sprig of mistletoe that hung from a line between the couple, held by their mischievous son, Vale, who looked like Ventus, though aside from the hoof-knit green scarf he wore, he also had one of his wings bandaged at his side and stood on three legs as one of his hind legs was held up, which happened to be the limp limbs Shiva had told Snowfall. The teen grinned as his mother shook her head, but the father took the initiative and caught his wife by surprise with a kiss on the cheek.
This was the first time Snowfall had actually seen Shiva's family since she hired her, though now she felt awful firing her after seeing just how tired Titan was and the poor colt limping over to his parents as the family hugged each other warmly. Before she truly felt any remorse, the song was still going as Present was now inside, interacting with the other ponies as he took the next verse.
[Present]
Cider's flowing, this is living
Come on and feel the beat
Life is better when you're giving
Each time you do it feels so sweet
Snowfall watched as both spirits were on the huge pile of gifts at the far end of the room through the doorway. None of the other partygoers even noticed her, no longer questioning how Present and Gifts could be seen and take part in the festivities with them, feeling a bit envious that she wasn't participating as she was practically the ghost while the two ponies were the life of the party.
[Present and Gifts]
The present's always filled with presents
So come on, open your eyes
Spend time with ponies just like you
And watch your spirits rise
The present's always filled with presents
Take a look around
The duo slid down the mountain of presents, sending some flying off and caught by ponies, each one conveniently catching the ones with their names on them as they landed.
The reason for the holiday
Is quite easily found
Yes, the reason for the holiday
Is quite easily found
Gifts soon popped up in front of the fourth wall at the song's end.
[Gifts]
And the reason is to be with your friends
The spirit then lifted her hooves, sending a blast of confetti raining down against the invisible wall.
"And the reason is to be with your friends!" Twilight sang, sounding almost like Pinkie Pie. When she looked up after singing, she caught everyone staring at her, most of them smirking in amusement while Manami seemed to be silently gushing, squishing her cheeks with her hooves with her opened mouth in a wide smile. "...What?"
"Oh my gosh, Twilight! You sounded like Pinkie Pie!" Manami pointed out. "That's so adorable! You sounded just like her!"
"W-What!? I was not!" Twilight denied, blushing heavily as she hid her face behind the storybook.
"Twilight, quit being adorkable," Riku teased, earning an embarrassed glare from the alicorn.
"Ooh. 'Adorkable'. I love that word!" Manami excitedly said. "Dorky and adorable! It suits you perfectly, Twilight!"
Twilight whined as the others laughed at her teasingly. "I hate you, Riku," she mumbled, his response draping a wing around her and giving her a light peck on the cheek.
"Admit it. You love it when I call you that," Riku said.
"You're sleeping outside in the snow tonight," Twilight grumbled, getting back to the story as she found where she stopped. "Anyway, the party was-"
"Wait!" Spike interrupted, making Twilight groan in protest. "Can we take a little break? I need to refill my cocoa."
"No, because then everypony's going to make fun of me some more!" Twilight complained. "And I am NOT adorkable!"
"Alright, fine," Riku said, the alicorn sighing in relief as the teasing stopped. "...You're a cute nerd who's adorably awkward and fun to pick on."
Twilight puffed out her cheeks, giving Riku a death glare before using her magic, tossing the stallion out of the room with a yelp and sending him crashing into the wall out in the hallway. "Refill all of our cups!" Twilight shouted, levitating everyone's empty mugs out and around the dazed pegasus. "He is definitely going to be buried in a blanket of snow tonight."
"And that's why I usually show Kaito not to mess with me," Manami said. "He pushes the wrong buttons, there will be consequences if he sets off the alarm. That's why us girls rule and we handle our men with an iron fist, and maybe a good kick in the hind end if they push us." The girls nodded in agreement sans Starlight, not wanting to be that mean to Sunburst if he did anything stupid around her. Sora and Spike, however, were offended by it, but Sora knows not to get Kairi too upset with him and Spike had willingly followed Rarity around and did her bidding because of his crush on her. "But Riku is right, you are adorable, Twilight."
"Mom, we're in a world of talking ponies who have big eyes and can use magic," Sora said. "Of course they'd be adorable, especially the foals."
"Babies are always adorable, no matter what they are," Manami stated. "Do I need to show everyone your baby pictures again?" Sora cringed and sank in his seat, Kairi giggling as the stallion shook his head in defeat. "Well, too bad, because I did bring your baby book with me in my luggage!"
"Mom, no, please!" Sora begged.
"Can I see them?" Starlight asked curiously.
"Of course, but right after the story," the pegasus mare said. "It's getting real good."
Sora whined helplessly as another pony was going to look through his baby pictures, though if the photo's changed like they had with the one of him and his parents in his room, then Sora was in for a long night of embarrassment. Riku finally returned with everyone's refilled mugs of hot chocolate, but Twilight forced him to sit by Sora while Kairi took his spot for admitting she was fun to pick on, and got back to the story.
With the party in full swing, the Spirits of Present and Gifts participation now completely forgotten at their song's end, Snowfall watched from the window at what she was apparently missing out on. Despite all the fun, Snowdash and Shiva were utterly miserable, no doubt due to Snowfall's attitude and hating Hearth's Warming because of her mentor, Flintheart.
"Snowdash!" Merry called out.
"Hey, Merry," Snowdash greeted back.
"Whatever is the matter, darling?" the unicorn asked.
"Was it the eggnog?" Flutterholly asked worriedly. "Oh, I knew I put in too much cinnamon."
"Oh, no, the eggnog's awesome, Flutterholly," Snowdash assured her friend. "I'm just a bit miffed at somepony complaining about how awful Hearth's Warming Eve is."
The other two mares didn't need any hints to know who the cyan pegasus was talking about. "Of course," Merry uttered. She looked over at Shiva, who seemed just as upset as Snowdash, sipping on some eggnog while her husband and their son tried to cheer her up. "And I guess Shiva got into yet another argument with Miss Frost?"
"Yup," Snowdash answered. "She said that Hearth's Warming Eve is just an excuse to party, and we'd be better off spending time working to make Equestria a better place."
The crowd jeered as they heard the pegasus's paraphrasing of the most hated mare in town. Snowfall cringed, hearing how everyone else felt about her and what she tried to accomplish in all her years of studying. The trio made their way over to Shiva and her family.
"What's the matter, hon?" Titan asked his wife, starting to get worried as her behavior shifted from cheerful upon seeing them to miserable as she downed another full cup of eggnog. "Everything go ok with Snowfall?"
"Clearly not, dad," Vale said with a huff. "She ticked mom off again. She always gets frustrated when Snowfall's always acting like such a-"
"Vale, don't you dare finish that sentence," Shiva warned, giving her son a stern glare.
"S-Sorry, mom," the teen apologized, looking down as he sat down, being careful not to hurt his bad leg.
"Not enjoying the party, Shiva?" Snowdash asked. She ruffled Vale's spiky hair as she approached her coworker. "Thought it would help brighten your day to get out of there."
"Yeah, well, I guess I'm going to be partying for a while," Shiva said despondently. "I got fired."
Titan choked on his drink and spat it out in shock, the others' jaws dropping at the terrible news. "You got WHAT!?" Titan exclaimed.
"Yup. Fired me," Shiva said. "Because I told her off about what Hearth's Warming Eve was supposed to be about after saying it was dangerous, and because of that, she laid me off and didn't even give me my final paycheck, so now I'm unemployed, broke, and I can't find a new job during a holiday that's supposed to be fun!" The more frustrated Shiva got, the colder the room got. It was literally getting colder to the point that the fire in the hearth wasn't able to warm the house and ice began to form where the mare was sitting, her horn sparking dangerously as she was on the verge of going into a magical surge. "I'm so sick and tired of struggling to make ends meet, and I hate having Titan do all the work and exhaust himself to near death in the mines when I can do nothing to help us or even help our own child!"
"M-Mom?" Vale tried to speak up, but his voice was lost as he had never seen her this mad before.
Titan was quick to react, quickly flicking her horn with his hoof. She yelped, the pain distracting her and stopping her mana flow temporarily, the room warming back up again as she rubbed her horn. When she looked up at her husband, she was thankful that he stopped her, only to tear up and break down as the stress finally got to her. Snowfall couldn't believe her eyes after witnessing such power come from Shiva, apparently a more powerful unicorn than even herself, and she had been hiding her magical strength from everyone. She watched Titan hold his unicorn lover as she cried, letting out all her pent up frustrations from her actions.
"Wow. That's pretty strong magic if her anger can turn anything around her into ice," Present commented, Snowfall almost forgetting she wasn't alone witnessing this. "She's kinda like the Windigos, only a living pony and only uses her power when outraged."
"Windigos don't exist," Snowfall said. "They're just made up creatures."
Both spirits looked at each other, shaking their heads at how the mortals of Equestria are clueless to the dangerous equine spirits and their existence. "Seeing is believing, Snowfall," Gifts advised. "And you'll see them soon enough."
"Sure," Snowfall muttered with a roll of her eyes, only to wince when Present startled her with a smack of his cane hitting the building, the hard clack barely alerting the other ponies.
"You may be book smart, Snowfall, but you've lost the ability to imagine the unimaginable," he said in a serious tone. "You even lacked the compassion you had as a filly after Professor Killjoy trashed your real dreams. Look at that family, and look hard." Snowfall did as she was asked and looked at Shiva, still embraced by Titan as she tried to calm down after her little episode. "What do you see?"
"...Somepony being comforted by their lover?" Snowfall answered.
"Yes, but more specific. WHY is she being comforted?" The unicorn didn't have an answer, unsure of what the correct response is with the two most random spirits she's ever encountered. "That is a broken mare, unable to take anymore pressure from raising her child, with a terrible physical impairment for an earth pony AND a pegasus, her and her loving husband struggling to make ends meet while also saving enough to make their son happy, keep their homes, and even eat a decent meal." Present pressed the flat end of his giant key-shaped cane against Snowfall's cheek, forcing her to look at him. "Do you know how difficult it is to work hard just to survive on a minimum wage, and working for a scrooge like you because of a holiday you used to love a bitter a reminder of what you wanted to be? 'Working hard, learning, and using their skills to benefit the future of Equestria?' What good have you done for anyone when you screwed her of having a fun evening with her family on the one day of the year where everypony deserves to relax, spend time with loved ones, and not have to worry about working overtime to make ends meet?"
Snowfall didn't answer, having no excuse as she knew how horrible she had acted. She looked back at the party when Present's cane was moved away from her face, Shiva calmed down enough as her husband continued comforting her. When she looked at Vale, she saw the grimace on his face as he leered at the ground.
"What is wrong with her?" he asked himself. "After everything mom's done for her, she only cares about herself. Whatever crawled up her plot, she doesn't need to take it out on everypony else."
"Well, don't let Snowfall drag your holiday spirit down!" Snowdash assured the colt. "Equestria's perfect right now, and so's this awesome party."
"And if you ever need a job, Shiva, I can see if there's something you can do for me when the holidays are over," Merry offered the unicorn.
"I appreciate the offer, Merry. Thank you," Shiva said.
The party was a bit more livelier now after that short moment of shock from Shiva's outburst, though Shiva still seemed down while Vale still held his disdain for what she did to his mother. "You know, Snowfall, a perfect Equestria is everything this Hearth's Warming Eve party has."
"Exactly!" Gifts added cheerfully, only to express a sense of dread as both spirits backed away into the growing fog that began appearing out of nowhere. "Too bad it'll be the last one ever...ever...ever..."
As Gifts's voice echoed as they disappeared, Snowfall panicked, having no idea what was happening as the fog got worse and everything around her began to disappear. "Wait, spirits! What do you mean!?" Snowfall called out. A harsh wind suddenly blew around her, now trapped in a blizzard as the fog began lifting, leaving nothing but a wasteland of snow around her. As she turned around, she gasped, startled by two tall figures, their bodies concealed by cloaks, one dark blue with black splotches similar to Luna's fur colors while the other was completely black, the first one with spread wings and a horn that glowed an ominous blue light that stuck out from their hood. "W-Who...who are you?"
"I am the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come," the first one responded with a dark, feminine voice.
"...Ok, so the Future spirit," Snowfall figured, then looked at the other spirit, feeling greatly intimidated as their face was concealed from her. "...And you?"
"You know who I am, Snowfall Frost," the other said, masculine in tone and just as sinister.
Fearing to respond back to the second spirit, she looked back at the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Future. "Are you here to show me what future Hearth's Warming Eves are like?"
"No, for there are no more Hearth's Warming Eves for me to show," Future said.
"Why not?" Snowfall asked.
"You will have succeeded in erasing the holiday, just like you always wanted," the other spirit answered with a menacing glee in his tone.
Snowfall gulped, not expecting something like this to happen as a dark and foreboding melody haunted the wasteland. "And...what happens?"
[Spirit of Hearth's Warming Future]
I see a cold wind blowing through
Waving a hoof out to the landscape, Snowfall could see many of the houses in town were buried under several feet of snow, many of them destroyed by the harsh blizzards as they practically stood over the roofs of many of the houses from the snow alone.
[???]
I see days neither fun nor free
[Future]
We see a future caused by you
Future pointed at Snowfall accusingly. The mare backed away in fear of facing whatever judgement the spirits would give her.
[???]
We see a path not meant to be
Snowfall yelped as she felt a gust of wind from behind her, looking back to see herself almost fall off a cliff that she didn't know was there. She'd rather take her chances with the spirits before her than fall to her death. Future weaved her magic around, the aura woven in her hooves thrust out and formed two ethereal pegasi, a mare and stallion dancing together to emphasize what Hearth's Warming was like before the endless blizzard destroyed everything.
[Future]
The future should be filled with magic
Dreams and wishes brought to life
The other spirit began looming over the dancing figures, his concealed his set on Snowfall as the blame for this loss was all on her.
[???]
But the days ahead are dark and tragic
No time for hope when all is strife
He stomped his hooves down on the two ponies, dissipating the aura as it drifted off in the wind.
Whatever might have been
[Future]
All the dreams that ponies share
[Future and ???]
Because of you, Snowfall Frost
Now the future is a cold nightmare
Before she could express her remorse for causing this future, a haunting whinny echoed in the empty land. Looking up, Snowfall saw the mythical spirits who had almost destroyed their kind from their fighting before Hearth's Warming and Equestria was founded: the Windigos.
"Windigos!? B-But they aren't real!" Snowfall exclaimed. "I-It's just a little filly's story!"
"They are all too real, Snowfall, and your actions will allow them to return," Future said, her form shifting away from the unicorn as she began to disappear. "The future of Equestria shall be bathed in a blanket of eternal snow!"
"No! I never meant for this to happen!" Snowfall said as she tried to chase after the Spirit of Hearth's Warming Future. "I didn't understand, or see how important Hearth's Warming Eve really was!" Unable to catch up with the mare spirit, she turned to the other one, watching in amusement at her hopeless pleas of forgiveness. "Spirit, please, I haven't cast the spell yet! I still have time to stop myself from doing this! Please!"
"It is already too late, Snowfall Frost," the stallion said. "This is what will happen. And you have no idea how many lives you'll have ruined, or destroyed, by erasing a holiday such as this."
"W-What do you mean by that?" Snowfall dreaded to ask. The spirit pointed his hoof at something behind the unicorn, which she turned around to see what it was. She gasped when she did find someone else aside from the Windigos flying above them. "Shiva? Shiva!" The unicorn didn't respond as she sat before something. Snowfall ran up to her, but before she could ask her what had happened, over the hunched over unicorn's shoulder, her eyes widened in shock as she saw several gravestones before her. She sat before two of them, the remains of two scarves that were worn by Shiva's son and husband in her hooves, and on the graves were their names, Vale and Titan. "...No...T-They...They died?"
"Young Vale's life was taken as soon as you destroyed Hearth's Warming's existence," the spirit explained. "The winters grew harsh, and ponies got even more ill as the cold dropped significantly with each passing day. Unable to afford medicine to stave off his cold, the pegasus's condition grew worse until he passed away in his sleep, stabbing a dagger straight through the parents' heart the next freezing morning."
"...A-And Titan?" Snowfall asked, looking at the empty expression on the mourning Shiva's face.
"He had to work twice as hard to struggle to survive while his beloved unicorn wife was suffering from their loss," he said. "Unfortunately, his exhaustion from working in the mines took its toll on him when he was out scavenging for what food could be found, passing out, and with no one to save him, the cold ended up stopping his heart and suffered from hypothermia." He then pointed his hoof at Shiva, the mare unaware of their existence as she sat there, almost like a statue, though she was still alive. "Shiva found his body when he didn't return, the only two ponies in her life since this disaster now gone, taken away by the Windigos power as the cold embraced them into the afterlife."
"...No," Snowfall uttered in disbelief. "No...No! I don't want this! I don't want to be responsible for anypony else to die in this blizzard!" She tried to hug Shiva and apologize, but her body phased through the mare. Shiva was like a zombie, unaffected by the cold due to her element, forced to live the rest of her life in misery. "Shiva, I'm sorry! I never meant this to happen...Please, you have to hear me..."
"She can't, Snowfall," the spirit said as Snowfall helplessly watched Shiva slowly stand up, sadly tie the brown and green scarves together, and tie it around her neck to hopelessly warm herself as she walked away with her hung held low.
"Snowfall," Shiva muttered. "Why would you do such a thing...?"
"...I'm sorry," Snowfall weakly apologized, sobbing as she regretted ever arguing with her, for turning out the way she did because of her old mentor, and seeing the outcome of her spell. She looked at the spirit with a tearful gaze, groveling at his hooves as she begged. "Please, take me back. I want to fix this...Please, spirit."
"Like I said, it is already too late." He pointed at something else, and when Snowfall looked at it, it was another grave, sitting all alone compared to the others in the wasteland of a cemetery.
As she moved and got a closer look at what it read, she gasped when she saw her name written on the face of the gravestone, with no important features about the mare for anyone else to remember her by. "What? My grave!? B-But, how!? How did I die!?"
"See...that's the funny part," the spirit said with a dark chuckle. "Your spell was perfect. Flawless, even. However, there was one key ingredient that you neglected to notice before you cast it."
"I-Ingredient?" Snowfall went through the mental list she had that created this spell in the first place, but she didn't miss anything.
"A spell to erase one day on a calendar requires something much more than a pinch of salt or an ounce of a certain chemical. You're a smart mare, so I think you can figure it out." Snowfall took a moment to think, but it came to her when she took account of her grave in front of her. Her jaw hung open in shock, her skin crawling in terror as she slowly turned back to the spirit, hearing him chuckle even harder as she could feel the grin on his muzzle rising at her expression. "That's right, Snowfall. Your sacrifice made this possible. Now, care to take a guess at who I am now?"
Her pupils shrunk, slowly shaking her head as her heart seemed stop for a moment, finally figuring out what kind of "spirit" this stallion was. "...N-No...You...You can't be..."
His laughter became more sinister and blood-chilling as her face told him the answer she discovered. He lifted his hoof, a dark puddle of aura forming on the ground where his hoof was held out, and rising up from it was a long scythe, the long hilt a dark black while the curved blade was dark blue and red.
"But I am," he said. Lifting his other hoof, he pulled off his hood, revealing his skeletal face to Snowfall, his yellow eyes piercing through the empty eye sockets while his silver mane blew in the breeze of the blizzard. "I am the Spirit of Death, and with your spirit still remaining after your demise, I must right this wrong and take your soul with me."
"No! Please! I'm not dead!" Snowfall begged, yelping at the insane speed the Spirit of Death had as he suddenly appeared in front of her and slashed his scythe down.
She managed to jump out of the way of his swing, the blade slicing through Snowfall's gravestone clean in two. She fled, looking back to see him with wings sprouted from his back through his cloak, though they had black angel feathers, which was a contrast to the skeletal spirit's form.
"You can run, but you can never escape death, Snowfall!" Death called out, flapping his wings as he gave chase. "Everypony's number comes up sooner or later, and nopony can avoid it! Not even you!"
"I can fix this!" Snowfall begged, panting heavily as she ran through the snow, avoiding the Windigos as they flew down to try to stop her, almost as if Death was silently commanding them to dive down on her. She barely avoided another slash, the wide, diagonal swing slicing through the earth itself. She realized she was running right toward that cliff she almost walked off earlier, stopping by the edge before stumbling as the earth shifted from Death's slice. She wasn't able to escape as she fell, hearing Death's cackling as he dove down after her with a manic grin plastered on his bony face. "I don't want to get rid of Hearth's Warming Eve anymore! I'll change! I'M SORRY!!!!"
"Time to join the rest of your fellow ponies who suffered from your actions, Snowfall Frost!" Death said, laughing insanely as he caught up with the unicorn and swung his blade straight through her.
"NOOOOO!" Snowfall screamed, letting out a grunt as she hit the ground. She panted and looked around, sweat matting her head as she found herself back in her study, no scar on her body that stole her soul. She sat up, her room as it was before she was whisked away by the spirits who dragged her along for the crazy ride they gave her. Quickly running up to her window, she opened it, finding the town just as it was with no harsh blizzard or Windigos destroying Equestria. Everything was exactly the way it was, as if the spirits hadn't appeared before her to teach her a lesson that she definitely learned. "Oh my gosh...There's still time...There's still time!"
Looking back at her cauldron, she used her magic to lift it out of the fireplace, dumping its contents safely down a drain, destroying the dangerous spell that would have ruined the kingdom. After that scare, she was dead set on changing her ways and getting herself back into the holiday spirit she had as a filly. No more constant studying or bitterness toward everyone who "wasted their time by partying and having fun". Before she left, she grabbed a few things and wrapped them with some leftover wrapping paper Snowdash or Shiva brought with them earlier. She headed for the party, wanting to show everyone she's changed and right the wrongs she's made.
She finally arrived at the party, catching a glimpse of Shiva with her family through the window before walking in unannounced through the door, catching a few ponies' attention. "Snowfall Frost?" Flutterholly said.
"I was hoping I wasn't too late for the party?" Snowfall asked, a little unsure of herself as it felt like forever since she was ever this festive. "I brought gifts."
As Snowfall was mentioned by the yellow pegasus, Snowdash and Shiva were just as shocked, though the latter leered at her while slightly confused by her change in behavior. "What are you doing here?" Vale questioned aloud in a spiteful tone.
"Vale, shush," Shiva chided, the teen silencing himself, but still glared at the unicorn. "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be busy studying to make Equestria a better place?"
"I was wrong about Hearth's Warming Eve," Snowfall admitted. "It's not all about singing and presents. The singing and presents are all about celebrating the ponies in our lives. The ponies we should listen to more often: our friends." Shiva was a little surprised by Snowfall's outlook on Hearth's Warming now. She had no idea what happened in the last few hours, but even if Snowfall had a change of heart, she was still considered a fired employee. Snowfall levitated a present to Vale, the teen staring at the wrapped gift in confusion. "I know apologizing won't be enough for what I did to you Shiva, but I take it back. You're not fired, and you and Snowdash deserve a raise."
She then levitated a pair of envelopes to her employees, confusing the mares more. "...I'm not fired?" Shiva asked. "...Is this supposed to be a joke?"
"I know you don't believe me, but...just open your envelope," Snowfall said.
Going along with whatever scheme she expected, Shiva opened her envelope. She pulled out the paper inside, her jaw dropping as her eyes widened in shock as she saw the written check she had just been given. Noticing his wife's shock, Titan looked over her shoulder, looking just as shocked when he saw the amount Shiva was given.
"By Chancellor Puddinghead's pudding head!" he exclaimed. "Is that a raise or a huge bonus!?"
"A little of the former, but more on the latter," the unicorn said.
"Oh my goodness," Shiva uttered. "T-This...This is enough for Vale's medical bills, and much more..." She looked at Snowfall, bewildered as she couldn't believe her boss, having rehired her, was giving her so much. "...Why?"
"Let's just say...I was listening to you when you talked about your son, but I didn't really believe it until I big realization struck me with what I was going to do," Snowfall said. She ignored Snowdash, who opened up her envelope and whooped at the bonus she got. "You had every right to be frustrated with me for how I behaved...When I was a filly, I actually loved Hearth's Warming. I repressed those happy memories because I followed a philosophy my harsh teacher I studied under crushed my dreams by working hard, learning, and making Equestria a better place through studying, not spreading cheer and being jolly while celebrating the holiday. And...you might not have seen me, but I know how powerful you can be if you lose control of your emotions." That had shocked most of the party knowing Snowfall had witnessed Shiva's magical surge earlier. "It's a long story, and you probably won't believe me, but I do apologize for putting you through even more stress than I had before...Can you forgive me, and we can start over?"
Shiva looked down at her pay, still uncertain, but she sighed, willingly giving the unicorn a chance. "...Everypony deserves a second chance, even when they don't seem to deserve it...Whatever made you change, I guess you did listen to me after all."
"Scared out of my mind, but I'm willing to listen now." Snowfall held out her hoof, Shiva following suit as she took her boss's and they both shook, now with a much better start to their friendship.
Vale had no idea how much his mom got, but he got a free gift from Snowfall. His curiosity outweighed his spite and ripped open the wrapping paper, his present a jar filled with a clear purple liquid with a picture of a reptilian nail on it.
"Dragon toenail?" Vale questioned, eyeing the odd liquid.
"You got our son dragon toenail as a Hearth's Warming present?" Shiva questioned skeptically.
"I was in a hurry," Snowfall admitted bashfully. "I'll do better next time."
"...Well, it's...a lot different than the kind of gifts mom and dad give me, if they have enough to get me anything," Vale said. "But...it does look pretty cool. Is it like an actual dragon nail blended up, and the remains turn into a purple goop?"
"That's...actually an alcoholic drink, son," Titan said. The teen grimaced, feeling a bit disappointed, making the stallion laugh at his face. "You want to try a sip?"
"Titan!" Shiva scolded.
"Uhh, I don't think I want to," Vale said, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "Probably tastes as bad as it sounds."
The adults laughed, the rest of the partygoers welcoming Snowfall to the party as they let her join in, seeing the new mare in a better light after revealing her reasons why she was so bitter in the first place. She kept the meetings with the spirits a secret to everyone, not sure if they were real or a hallucination from her spell concocting earlier, but after everything that she saw, it all felt real regardless, and they scared her straight. Little did she realize that the spirits were real as they all stood outside the building, watching the party take place.
"Well, I'd say that was a job well done," Present said. "Although, Death, did you have to scare that pony THAT badly?"
"Hey, it was all an illusion at the result of how the future would take place," Death argued. "I can't play the part in the spell Future still had and scare somepony about the prospect of being dead? I'm called Death for a reason, Present."
"And these two are best friends?" Past asked, Memories sighing and nodding her head.
"If you can believe it," the fiery-maned spirit said.
The spirits disappeared and moved on to scare another pony to let go of their "bah humbug" attitude toward Hearth's Warming, Snowfall swearing she caught a glimpse of them when she looked out the window. She shook her head, focusing on the party as she got back into making Equestria a better place by spreading happiness and Hearth's Warming cheer like she had as a filly.
"And from then on, it was always said of all Hearth's Warming Eve celebrations, Snowfall's was the Hearth's Warmingest," Twilight narrated as the story came to its conclusion.
"The end," Twilight finished, then closed the book.
"...Wow. That was a bit of a darker story than 'A Christmas Carol', but that was pretty interesting," Sora commented.
"And six spirits instead of just three," Kairi added. "Wow."
"I loved it regardless of how different the plot was compared to what we know," Manami said. "How someone as angry as characters like Snowfall and Ebeneezer Scrooge are, just a look back on their lives as children, what they never realized in the present, and how their futures will be if they continued acting how they've been in the now can change their outlook on the rest of their lives."
Starlight noticed Sora's mother had looked at her when she summarized the character developments of two similar characters, almost like she was comparing them to her in a way. Twilight lowered the storybook and sat up.
"Thanks for letting me read this story for you guys," the alicorn said. "Well, Starlight, I guess you can call it a night. We'll head back downstairs and continue partying, but you'd be welcome to join us if you want to."
"I hope Pinkie didn't eat all the cookies downstairs," Sora said. "She's like a black hole, that pony, especially with sweets."
"Don't you eat tons of them for Christmas when you pretend to be Santa?" Riku asked as the group left Starlight in the room.
She looked down at the book, having enjoyed it ever since the spirits came in to Snowfall's life and showed her what they wanted. Hearth's Warming really was more than that, just as the main character had moralized at the end. The songs ponies sing and the presents they give each other may seem pointless, but the togetherness and the act of giving was what mattered the most. Her mind made up, she decided to leave and join the others in the foyer. Up on the balcony, she saw everyone enjoying themselves, hanging out with family or close friends while exchanging gifts and being together. If Christmas was similar to Hearth's Warming, then she was willing to give this holiday from another world a chance and enjoy it.
"Welcome to the party!" Twilight greeted as she looked up and spotted her pupil. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Starlight."
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Twilight," Starlight said back, heading downstairs to join everyone as the earlier evening's song was reprised.
[Starlight Glimmer]
Hearth's Warming Eve is filled with presents
Some take you by surprise
A story shared by your good friends
That makes your spirits rise
Sometimes you just let go of the past
Enjoy the present while it lasts
And really it's not that much to ask
With good friends by your side
After Rainbow, Sora, Riku, and Ventus finished setting up the last of the lights in the foyer, they turned them on and lit up the massive room. Even Derpy, who was still sitting on top of the tree, had her festive hat lit up as well, how it and her body was glowing like the lights was beyond everyone, but they didn't question it as they enjoyed the evening.
Now it's time to celebrate
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
[Starlight Glimmer]
All together, feeling great
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again
[Starlight Glimmer]
Can hardly wait
We'll party 'til late
Our favorite date
[All]
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once a-
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve
Happy, happy Hearth's Warming Eve
Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!
Late in the evening, the party was slowly winding down. Colts and fillies fell asleep while the adults stayed up longer until it was time to leave to put their foals to bed or they were partied out. The ones who lived in the castle and their families who came were all that remained, leaving the decor, food, and drinks out until they could be cleaned up later in the morning. While Manami sipped on a cup of cider courtesy of the Apple family, she saw Starlight snacking on a cupcake, surprising to see any left if Pinkie Pie didn't scarf everything down.
"Looks like you had fun after all," Manami teased as she approached Starlight. "And here I thought you would have ended up another scrooge, only less angry and spiteful toward others having fun."
"Yeah, but I did have that similar experience, though with learning of my past less and the changes of the future on several occasions from Sora and Twilight," Starlight said. "I'm still reminded of what I've done, and I know I still have a lot to improve about myself...In all honesty, I should have just lost the ability to use magic by having my horn cut off and thrown in a dungeon for the rest of my life, but those two gave me a chance and spared me."
Manami nodded, knowing Sora couldn't turn a blind eye to someone if there was a chance for them to be redeemed if he learned more about them. "My son can be a bit too forgiving at times," she agreed. The two were silent, looking at the decorations before the pegasus mare spoke again. "Starlight, I know earlier today when we first met, I was a bit harsh on you."
"More like you were giving me a death threat," Starlight paraphrased.
"Yes, true, but there's a very good reason why," Manami said. "You see, ever since my husband, Kaito, died out at sea, before I even knew his death was caused by Heartless of all things, I had to act as both the mom and dad to Sora, as much as I possibly could to fill Kaito's shoes...Sora may be strong, but he's really sensitive when it comes to something emotionally traumatized. It hit him hard when we both found out the unfortunate news, and he lashed out angrily. It's understandable when you lose someone you love that you grieve in different ways, but he loved his father so much that...his life spiraled downhill greatly. I try to be strong for him, but there were times where I was too depressed to get out of bed or even get him ready for school, or even if I tried to be motivated, he was too upset to leave the house or play with Riku and Kairi."
"...I guess I noticed that when we finally confronted each other in the past one more time," Starlight said. "I was mad at him for trying to ruin my plans, and when he flipped me over and pinned me down, I saw that frustration on his face that told me he's had enough of my horseapples and the experiences he's had in the alternate futures we kept making...It wasn't until I saw them through their eyes in the throne room with those enchanted crystals that I immediately regretted creating them in the first place...And that eerily calm state he was in after telling everypony what really happened to his dad...I knew it must have hurt worse than anything he's experienced before when he found out the truth."
"It was awful," Manami agreed. "But, knowing Kaito, he would have been proud to see his son fully grown and taking on responsibilities that far outweighed ours as parents raising him. And, if my son is willing to give you a chance at redemption when you felt like you didn't deserve it, you have no idea how lucky you are to have him as a friend." Starlight silently agreed, always wondering why Sora was so forgiving, but if he was anything like Pinkie Pie and her random antics, he shouldn't question why he was too nice, since it was his driving force to protect the ones he loves, including who were once his enemies and are now allies. "So, forgive me if I switch into 'protective mother' mode earlier. I know Sora's an adult now, but there are times where I want to keep him safe and coddle him when he's upset."
"No, it's fine. I completely understand," Starlight assured. "So, does this mean we're friends?"
"I think we can work something out," the mare said. Starlight held out her hoof to shake Manami's, but the pegasus brushed it aside and surprised Starlight with a hug. "No hoofshakes when it comes to ponies! I hug them, because, to me, you guys are so freaking adorable!"
"Uhh, ok?" Starlight uttered awkwardly.
"Sorry if I come off as awkward, but for me, it's like living a childhood dream of being around colorful ponies who look so cute that I could just eat them if you were made of candy," Manami said. "Do you by any chance have a brush? I wanna brush your hair!"
"...I need an adult?" Starlight said, highly confused whether she does or doesn't need an adult.
"I am an adult acting like a little girl!" Manami said.
She yelped as Sora pulled his mother away from Starlight, saving the unicorn from being hugged to death by the older pony-loving human-turned-mare. "And this is why you don't get left alone with my mom, or else you'll be cuddled to death."
"Let me have my moment!" Manami whined, flailing her hooves comically as she pouted. When her son let go, she stood up, ignoring the laughter coming from the others after the scene they witnessed when the mare was going to give Starlight the worst punishment a pony could get around a human. After brushing herself off from being dragged away by her son, Manami looked at Sora as she was curious about the time. "What time is it right now?"
"Almost one in the morning," he said.
"That late, huh?" After learning of the time, she figured now was a good time to show Sora something important, something she hoped he would like after all he's been through. Looking over at the others, considering they were told of Kaito along with Starlight, she sighed, wanting them to come along as well so they could know as well. "...Sora, I have an early Christmas present for you, though I wanted to wait until it was late to show you."
Sora winced, wondering what kind of odd gift his mother got him if she needed to show him late in the evening. "Mom..."
"Relax, it's nothing embarrassing," she assured. "The others are going to come with us to see it."
"Mom!" Sora warned nervously.
"Oh for the love of-We're going outside to see it!" Manami said irritably. "Just...Just follow me."
Still worried about his mother's surprise gift, Sora sighed and followed after her. The others were just as curious, though some like Riku and Rainbow were waiting to see what it was so they could tease him. After putting on her new winter clothing, a baby blue turtleneck sweater with a pair of stylish green winter boots, and a blue scarf around her neck, Manami lead the group out of the castle and headed out of Ponyville and into the fields. After walking as far away from town as possible and no one else could notice, the older mare stopped, then turned around to face everyone with a sigh.
"So...where's my surprise?" Sora asked. "You didn't bring anything, and you didn't go to your room to get whatever was in your luggage...aside from my baby book you had enough time to grab before leaving this morning."
"Well...it wasn't something I could wrap up or put in a box," Manami said. She fidgeted nervously, but after calming herself, she was ready to show him. "Sora, I know you've gone through quite the emotional roller coaster for several years, and I've always been there to help bring you back from your sadness as best as I could...Ever since your father died, I never sought anyone else because not only did I feel like betraying him and the memories he gave us, even if he would want me to remarry or find love anew, but I was so focused on raising you that I never found the time to find someone else."
Confused, Sora looked at his friends, then back at his mom as he tried to put the pieces together with her opening speech before revealing her surprise. "...So, you found someone you like and want to be with them?" he asked. Manami nodded nervously. "...Well, I guess I'm happy for you. As long as he makes you happy and doesn't do anything to hurt you. If he so much as does anything to you..."
"I am perfectly happy," she said. "Though...you're going to be in for a surprise with who it is..."
Sora grimaced, taking her words the wrong way. "...Oh...So...it's another...another woman?"
"What? No!" Manami exclaimed in shock. "Sora, for goodness sake!"
"You're not being specific!" Sora argued with a frustrated groan. "Just tell me who it is! If it's someone back home that I know, that's fine!...Unless it's Tidus's dad, because I know he's still married and likes his wife more than his son-"
"No, it's not Jecht!" Manami was next to groan, shaking her head as she rubbed her forehead with her wing in exasperation. "It's...easier if I show you. He should be here by now."
That began raising brows and a lot of questions on everyone's mind. "...What did you just say?" Sora asked. "'He should be here by now?'...W-When did you-?"
"I said you'll see for yourself!" Manami exclaimed.
Suddenly, a portal of darkness appeared behind the mare, surprising everyone as the Keyblade wielders instinctively readied their Keyblades, expecting an ambush from one of their foes. A moment later, a hoof stepped out as a stallion dressed in a black coat walked through, the portal disappearing behind him as he stood before everyone. Manami grinned, able to recognize the scent of the ocean on him even with the hood concealing his face.
"Mom, get away from him!" Sora called out. He pulled his mother away from the mysterious figure, catching a whiff of the ocean air on him. "...You again?"
"Sora, wait!" Manami demanded.
"Why are you here?" Sora questioned, standing in front of his mother protectively as he pointed his Keyblade at the stallion in black. "You've got no chance trying to escape when you showed up in front of seven Keyblade wielders. And this time, I expect to get answers from you."
"Wait, let me explain," the stallion said as he held a hoof up in defense.
His voice shocked Riku and Kairi, a voice they haven't heard in so long that surprised them. "That voice," Riku uttered. "...He sounds like..."
"Kaito?" Kairi and Riku looked at each other, the latter confused while the former couldn't believe that what Sora said about this person was true.
"Wait, you're saying this guy sounds like Sora's dad?" Rainbow asked.
"But...his father perished...right?" Twilight asked, confusion written on the Mane Six's faces.
"Sora did say his father lost his heart to the Heartless during that storm," Aqua stated. "Upon learning about Nobodies, if someone loses their heart, they could leave behind a shell of their former selves with a mind of their own...And if someone were to have a strong heart, that form of Nobody could be created..."
"So...is it his father's Nobody?" Terra asked.
"...Maybe...if he shows us his face," Aqua said.
Manami walked past Sora, who tried to pull her away from him, only to have his hoof slapped away by the mare. "Sora, stop it!" she scolded. "He's not a threat."
"You can't trust him!" Sora yelled. "We don't even know who he is!"
"I do," she said, shocking the young adult. Manami surprised Sora even more when she approached the stallion, then nuzzled his neck. "He showed up at the front door a couple months ago when I got back from shopping one night. He knew who I was, and I had my guard up when he was acting like a creepy stalker, but when I saw his face, I immediately recognized him."
"WHAT!?" Sora shouted, his shock turning to rage as he glared at the stallion being nuzzled by his mother. "Mom, we can't trust him! He could be working with Xehanort! Those coats used to be Organization XIII's uniform, but now it's used by Xehanort's new seeds of darkness, and he tried to conform me into one of them during my Mark of Mastery exam a few years back!"
"You don't even recognize his voice?" Manami asked in confusion. "Sora, you were just with him a few months ago!"
"He showed up in Disney Town and 'saved' us from Pete!" Sora exclaimed, surprising the others aside from Fluttershy, Applejack, and Kairi, who were the only ones who knew about this mysterious stallion as he told them what happened when he left to hang out with his friends. "I don't trust him no matter how much he sounds like dad, or even fights like him!"
"...I am so confused!" Pinkie shouted. "What is happening right now!?"
"Look, I know you don't trust me, but I am not your enemy," the stallion said. "I've been living with your mother when I found her and where she lived. I knew her, and I knew you."
"You don't know anything about us!" Sora exclaimed. "Now, tell me who you are, or else I'll end your existence faster than you can say 'Oops'!"
"Sora, that is no way to speak to your father!" Manami scolded angrily.
"HE IS NOT MY DAD!" Sora shouted, then charged forward, only to be swept up in a stream of water from beneath him with a swift movement of the stallion's hoof, swirling around him and constricting his body in a sphere of water, not too tight to injure him and leaving his head free while he struggled.
"Sora!" Twilight called out as she and the other wielders tried to stop him, but they froze when Nobodies suddenly appeared before them.
A new type of Nobody barricaded their way, their body types burly, but reflexive enough to be agile. Though their skins were a silverish-gray like the other Nobodies, they had a bandanna over their head and covering their left eye while an eyepatch covered the right, an odd accessory choice as it made them blind. The only other clothing they had were ragged shorts with floral patterns on them, torn in some places like they were the outfit of an experienced pirate on the open seas. And their weapons were a silver cutlass in their right hands while a hook replaced their left hands. It confirmed Aqua's suspicions that the stallion holding Sora in the saltwater sphere was a Nobody if there were lesser grunts that worked under him, though these new Nobodies didn't attack the group; they had their blades up in defense, none of them making a single twitch that showed they were going to be hostile toward them.
"I do not wish to fight," the stallion said. "...Not with you, or your friends. I know you're strong. I've seen you fight those Heartless on that ship, which your mother said happened over ten years ago...I've seen it through my own eyes, along with other memories I don't believe really are mine."
"...W-What are you talking about?" Sora grunted, keeping his Keyblade firmly wedged in his mouth as he tried to swing it at the sphere keeping him trapped, though his neck soon became restricted by the stallion and his power over water.
"I was worried about revealing myself to you, because I didn't know how you would react back in that world," he said. "I don't want a confrontation...not when I know I will lose against your power."
"When you have me trapped with your water magic?" Sora growled.
"Sora, if you attack him if he frees you, you're going to have to deal with me," Manami warned, making the stallion wince at the threat.
He huffed, but silently agreed, even though he was going to hate this. The water freed him as it evaporated in the cold air, Sora keeping his blade in his mouth as he still gave the stallion the benefit of the doubt. The mysterious figure looked at Manami, the mare nodding her head in reassurance before looking back at Sora. He moved his hooves up and slowly removed his hood, showing his face to Sora and the others behind the barrier of Nobodies.
As soon as it was revealed, Sora's heart sank as his suspicions about this person were sadly right, gasps from Riku and Kairi heard behind the Nobodies in complete shock. Underneath the hood was the face of Sora's father, his shaggy brown mane, rugged facial hair, and blue eyes Sora remembered all too well. It was definitely his father, and he didn't need to bring the photo of his family his mother gave him to tell it was him. He dropped his Keyblade, disappearing in a flash of light as he never felt this shocked by this reveal like discovering Riku when he looked like Ansem back in The World That Never was. The only contrast between his father and this stallion were his eyes, an almost blank stare, though there was some emotion in them, just not as much as his late father. At least they weren't yellow, the same kind that Xigbar had back when he met him again in the dream realm that was a symbol of Xehanort's power given to the assassin and willingly accepted.
"...Dad..." Sora uttered, his legs wobbling as he sat down, shocked and bewildered at who the stallion before him really was. "...It is him...But...it's not..."
Manami was appalled by Sora's statement, but the stallion raised his hoof up, silencing any punishing words the mare wanted to say. "I know," he said, reaching his hoof out and rubbing Sora's head, a familiar gesture his other self had always given his son, the young adult pegasus flinching at the contact as tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm not your father...I am his Nobody..."
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Wow...just wow. I don't know what to say about this ending.
....Oh the ending its so heartbreaking.
Loved the ending, shocking but heartbreaking.
The ending though. Can a person break from so much trauma in their life?
Hmm....well, if Sora wants to get help with this, he does have two Nobodies he can get help from.
9043771
yep though not shocking to me there was a hint when sora went to get his mother but it is definitely very heartbreaking
Well, if there was EVER a way to tipRoxas and Xion ouyttjen this maybdo it!
As great of a surprise Hearth's Warming/Christmas gift as this is for Sora, it's definitely something he's gonna have to sleep on. Can't wait to see how this goes next chapter, because right now, Sora's reaction could go either really good, or really bad.
What started as a heart warming time with family and friends, turn into a confusion of answers as Sora now sees the new Nobody has Kaitos face and is now his mothers lover. But even though Soras friends are shocked from this, Kaitos Nobody proves to have Nobodies of his own and wanting to be their ally & let them hear what he has to say.
Will Sora & the other Keyblade wielders hear Kaitos Nobody out? How will Sora handle of his Mother in love with his fathers Nobody? Will Kaito be accepted as an ally to the Keyblade Wielders? & How will this effect Soras bond with his own Mother & Father? The answers to the Mystery continues, Next time on My Little Pony Soras misadventures in Equestria!
9048339
Friendship prevails over chaos!
A creature who can bend the fabric of reality...at will...Discord technically does have more power than Sora, but because of his personality, that becomes his biggest downfall when he begins underestimating everyone when he's on the verge of winning. So, if Discord was able to gloat less until he's allowed to when he finally wins, with no one to actually stop him, he can go all gung-ho and party to his heart's content...So, you are right. Sora is far stronger than Discord because, even though Sora does like to gloat as well, he actually has more focus on the battle and fighting to defeat his foe before going back to being the aloof goofball he is.
9048781
This is a question for when you get to the film, are the film chapters going to be separate from the main one?
9054662
If you mean it'll be a separate story on its own? No, it's going into this story. The movie is basically canon since the new characters and locations were mentioned, and even visited, in season 8, so I'm including it, and with how long it is, it's probably going to be in more multiple parts than the Equestria Girl movies or the two-part premieres and finales in the show.
9058208
I get if you don't like the story because of what I put in. So I don't please everyone. I'm fine with that, because I'm only doing this to see how others like my fics and entertain them with a story that I thought would interest some people. What I'm not really appreciating is all the negative comments that range from "this chapter sucks", to "I hate this story because 'insert reason here'". I can take criticism, and any pointed out mistakes in grammar and spelling I may have missed on these chapters I made last year, but don't insult me when I'm only writing these for fun and when I have nothing to do while I'm not working or busy doing something else at home that keeps me away from my laptop.
Also, this little comment you made really ticked me off.
9059303
Man that guy's an asshole, he probably just judges the whole caboodle before even dive deeper into the story's depths, if I were that shit-mouthed whiner, I'd criticize or if not, question a story of an issue as nice, unoffending, and delicately light as a feather.
Also, sorry to break it, but Twilight was never like this, being a, excuse me, a prissy, pricky, sassy bitch towards boys in the show, she would never be like that, of course this demeanor towards her boyfriend and Sora had quite worsened as the story piled on. But who cares, cuz who won the world, Girls!
9059513
If not, ok, maybe it's a bit too much, but I still keep her character as a studious, neurotic princess who panics at even the slightest hint of a terrible outcome to an easily solvable solution. But, I do agree with you about that last thing: the girls dominate the boys when it comes to relationships. One thing a man must never do is tick off their girlfriend, especially if that girlfriend is a unicorn (or alicorn in Twilight's case), and she has insane magical prowess that could obliterate a thousand acres of land if one little sensitive button is pushed too far. 
I had someone way long ago who constantly picked apart my story's logic with certain situations from the game's lore and characters, and kept arguing about it instead of imagining the different possibilities of what could have happened. Glad he's gone, but nitpickers and whiners like that who actually call me names and insult my knowledge on both MLP and Kingdom Hearts, the latter I'm a big fan of and want to be as accurate as possible with the research I do look up to make sure I'm doing both sides in the crossover right for this story.
Also, yeah, I kinda made Twilight a bit sassy, though she's exploring new things about friendship and romance she's never truly experienced when she was younger. Maybe that can slide?
9059682
Exactly why I prefer living a singular life than form a relationship with a woman, because as a certain Stark-Pym created murder-bot said whose principle I will take my whole life:
I have no strings so I have fun... I'm not tied up to anyone...
Unless you're a vicious rapist-murderer who kills his girlfriend mercilessly not wanting to be told what to do by a woman or an irasciable mutant with a healing factor and adamantum claws and relentless unfathomable fury who is not afraid to kill anyone regardless of gender, yeah you get over that.
9059827
Yeah, you should have been specific with everything you spouted first before you sent any comments. I've taken crap from another person calling me out on random nitpicks that got under their skin and tried to argue with me over how wrong I was about the lore and characters of Kingdom Hearts. They didn't like it because of what I did, over a fanfic, and that's not feedback to motivate me to improve and make the story better; it's outright whining not expecting what they wanted, and trying to prove he's right over a crossover fic where different possibilities can happen there's an alternate universe tag that not only changes how the MLP series slightly goes, but the Kingdom Hearts side as well. So, before posting more "comments", use the phrase "think before you speak", because that also applies through text when the written word can be more misleading than vocally telling someone.
9059682
yeah I can agree on that. Though I do admit, that Twilight feels like she & Kairi need to hold the sassy side back a bit so that it is not overdone if your trying to make it funny Codex. Cause I have seen some relationships in shows & games where the sass doesn't go overboard but more of a balance so that neither the Male nor Female is too dominate over the other. Though I feel like that might need to be a Lesson that Twilight will need to learn on.
9043909
Yeah. They can. That's actually one of the big things that can drive people to suicide. A person can only take so much crap, before it starts impacting their mental and physical well being, after all.
Extra "a"
In, I believe
So is the Spirit of Death Xehanort, Ansem, or Xemnas?
Absolutely disgusting and sexist; why is female-on-male abuse allowed and normalised? What happened to being "equals"?
Honestly, I'm starting to get seriously upset about the amount of spousal abuse in this fic. What is being portrayed between Kairi and Sora as well as between Twilight and Riku isn't a healthy relationship. It also isn't in any way in line with the canon portrayals of either show and only degrades the quality of the fic. I know that this part of the fic is several years old at this point but here is some advice for future fics. Regardless of whether you're into these types of relationships or not, leave them out of your fics. Unless you're trying to portray an abusive relationship, there is no reason to put those types of interactions into your fic right now and there was no reason to put them into your fic when this chapter came out.