• Published 18th Mar 2018
  • 3,751 Views, 474 Comments

Merry Chestnuts and a Happy New Fleur - Prane



Hearth's Warming is right around the corner, and Chestnut, Fleur, and Fancy Pants intend to make their first holiday as a family the best it can be.

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Chapter 15 – It’s the Most Magical Time of the Year

Fleur took a bittersweet moment to gather her thoughts. Her childhood memories returned, not in an overpowering fashion, but more like a tiny thorn, a single sting that didn’t matter throughout her adult life—but only because her teen self had once made an effort to ignore it. Yet, she didn’t weed it out, rather buried it six feet under, so it was still there. She felt the same sting at the boutique earlier today when Sassy talked about the magic and mystery of one’s younger years. She disregarded it then, but being around Luna made her much more invested in self-exploration.

“That, uh…” Fleur began hesitantly. “Well, Oriflamme’s my sister, older than me, and there’s indeed a connection between her and the presents. And the character, or the tradition of Santa Hooves too. I don’t know how much you’ve already learned from my dreams, but I’ll give you a background first.”

Luna nodded. “I’m listening.”

“The Prench are on principle proud, tradition-oriented ponies, and my family is probably the most traditional of them all. It’s not like they’re not interested in Equestrian culture, they’re actively disregarding it, especially my mother. Since she was the lead voice at our household, I didn’t get to celebrate Hearth’s Warming as Equestrians do,” Fleur said. “There would be no caroling, no special dishes or traditions, however, funnily enough, there would be a tree and the presents.”

“So it wasn’t all that bad.”

“Oh, it was, believe me!” Fleur assured. “The tree was there to fish for compliments when any visitors came, because it certainly was a marvel and the baubles were truly exquisite. Sounds good, right? The truth is, our tree had no soul whatsoever, and my parents would often just hire someone to pick it up at the store and decorate it, and then dispose of it when the season was over. It was nothing more than a piece of short-lived furniture to them.”

“I stand corrected.” Helplessness mingled with compassion in Luna’s eyes. “I suppose you’re rather enjoying the way we do it here?”

“More than you can imagine.” She chuckled. “More than I could have ever imagined when I was a child! Now, the presents. It will sound awfully materialistic of me, but I was looking forward to them the most, because without carols or a proper tree, Santa Hooves and the suddenly appearing gifts was the only magic of the season I could get,” she said. “Yes, I admit without shame that I once believed in a generous wizard-type of a pony who brings us presents. In fact, by being the only thing I could hold onto, he became synonymous with Hearth’s Warming itself.”

For all the bad light she was putting her parents in, Fleur had to admit they never once spoiled the mystery to her. They played along, and so if she wrote a letter and left it on a windowsill, it disappeared by the following morning. Her wishes were later fulfilled to the best of what was available at local stores, and properly wrapped packages somehow found their way under her bed. There probably existed an ulterior motive to their niceness, but still—hats off to Riva and Ancien for not being the worst.

Unlike Oriflamme, a voice in her head tried to say, but she didn’t like the sound of that.

Fleur’s musing brought her back to the table where a steaming cup of hot chocolate was waiting for her. She looked up to see a waiter in a tightly cropped red-green jacket and a matching pair of fake reindeer horns as he put a second cup in front of Luna, who quickly produced two shiny bits for his service.

“Drink,” Luna ordered. “The air is cold and I feel you still have more to share.”

“It went exactly as you’d expect.” Fleur took a warming sip. “My sister comes to me one day. ‘What did you ask mom and dad for this year?’, she blurts. I ask her what does she mean, that she’s being silly because it’s not mom and dad but Santa Hooves. She then says that I’m the one who’s silly and that she’s eavesdropped on our parents talking about our letters. I didn’t want to believe it at first, of course, but the seed of uncertainty was sown,” she sighed. “On the night when we would get our gifts, I made sure to not fall asleep and, unsurprisingly, I saw my father placing wrapped packages under my bed.”

“Did you call him out right away?”

Non, I was petrified, I didn’t know what to do. I was mostly angry at Oriflamme as if it was somehow her fault that Santa Hooves was a ruse. Childish, I know. I tossed and turned all night, eventually fell asleep, but when I woke up in the morning I didn’t feel like opening my presents at all,” Fleur said. “Fast forward to the following year. I didn’t write a letter, just casually mentioned to my mother that I could use a new pair of ballet shoes or something, which I of course received. Around that time we also had a fight about how singing in the streets is a crime, apparently, and then Hearth’s Warming kind of lost its meaning to me. The customs were there, but…”

“…but the magic was gone?” Luna guessed. She took a moment to warm her hooves at the cup, stirred the chocolate inside and enjoyed another gulp. “Are you and your sister on good terms?”

“I like to think so,” Fleur replied. “She’s a police officer, so pretty close to everything our father always wanted in a daughter, short for maybe joining the army. She’s also the exact opposite to what our mother expected. She wanted an elegant lady, prim and proper and, forgive my vanity, she found that in me, but Oriflamme…” She trailed off for a few seconds, enjoying the pictures of her sister’s shenanigans until a smile brightened up her face. “Ori has always been a wild card, definitely outspoken, oftentimes too direct for her own good. If nature was smarter, it would just take what’s best in us both and put it all in a single child.”

In an afterthought, Fleur realized it would mean the Ori-Fleur hybrid marrying an Equestrian baker, which of course would make their parents oh so happy. Perhaps nature was smart and playing a pair was a clever form of damage control.

“Have you ever talked about the incident?”

“Now that think of it, non, we have not. I accepted the truth and moved on, and she never brought that up either. I used to think it was because she was ashamed, but now… I suppose she didn’t want to hurt me?” Fleur asked herself more than Luna. It sounded too noble to be true, but it wasn’t impossible to dream up a gentle and caring sister characteristic onto Oriflamme. She wasn’t evil or anything. “Do you think that’s why my dream went the way it went?”

“Possibly.” Luna’s tone and gestures went academic. “The inclusion of presents in your part of the Dreamworld must have triggered a response from a dormant—and may I observe, unresolved—regret regarding your sister. That must have drawn the nightmares and eventually caused your dream to collapse,” she said and sat up, looking far and beyond towards the sky. “Curious. It appears that one’s on me. Had I not come and tinkered with your ship, perhaps your night would have had a happier finale.”

“Apology accepted. The morning, day, and now the evening made up for any inconveniences. Thank you for the… casual talk.” They raised and clinked their cups, then swallowed whatever chocolate residue still remained inside. “I suppose you have a star to put on top now? As is tradition?”

“Much like you have your daughter, husband, and friends to return to, I imagine. Duty calls”—she leaned over the table—but before we part ways, I’d like to ask for a small favor, if you would be so kind to indulge me.”

“A-anything! I owe you for the snacks anyway and—”

“Write to Oriflamme.” She made her request perfectly clear. “Any regret you hold in your heart will eventually poison your soul.”

A true carousel of sentiments took a spin. First came joy, as expecting Luna’s request to be a playful one, Fleur preemptively cracked a smile and gave half a chuckle. The other half was quickly drowned in the seriousness which arose when it became clear that Princess Luna wasn’t joking around this time. Surprising, considering how cordial their chat had been, but alicorns were hard to read. A shiver. It was fear—Fleur judged that having your soul poisoned sounded rather unpleasant, if not straight grave. There was a hint of anger too: partially aimed at herself, for her lapse in manners in front of royalty, and partially at said royalty herself, for presuming to know how to solve old and forgotten sibling-to-sibling conflicts. She was clearly exaggerating, and Fleur wanted to drawl that sadly, some things cannot be unseen and some truths cannot be unlearned.

That’s when she saw it. Purposely or not, leaning forth left Princess Luna’s scarf unfurled for closer inspection. Fleur’s original opinion about too much wool and only decent craftsmanship remained unchanged, and although it clashed with the charcoal coat and was not at all fashionable, it had something special to it: a cleverly woven monogram of one “M-S-L”. Something told Fleur there existed a twin scarf sporting the letters “M-S-C” which instead of browns must have utilized some creamy colors—and that the first two letters were no mere honorifics.

“Oh? Ooh!”

“Yes.” Princess Luna said, intercepting Fleur’s bewildered stare. “I know all too well how it’s like to have an older sister. Now, will you accompany me to the front? I believe that’s where the ceremony will be held.”

Fleur followed her between the tables, stands and around the giant Hearth’s Warming tree.

“Oriflamme. Write a letter. First thing tomorrow! Also, your scarf is very nice, very appropriate, you could just use some”—she yelped and searched her bag frantically, much to the other mare’s amusement—“I remember! The scholar from my dream, well, you, when we talked about Santa Hooves and the presents, you said you wanted something to keep your ears warm.”

She presented a hastily repackaged bundle with the brown and orange crocheted earmuffs from the auction. Rarity always said it was all in the presentation, and ex-supermodels knew it like no other, but when the occasion to beautify someone’s look presented itself, Fleur wasn’t going to fight her cutie mark.

“Original, straight from Yakyakistan. One hundred percent yeti wool,” she assured. “Or so it says on the tag, anyway. B-but I’d like you to have them, as a token of my gratitude, a-and you could really use a pair I suppose. Because, uh, cold!”

“Oh? Indeed, I suppose it is a bit chilly. Thank you, I wasn’t expecting to”—a miniscule pause—"receive anything today.” Although she put them on right away, the awkwardness with which she accepted the package reminded Fleur of a certain batpony—and then, about the rest of her friends who were probably freezing off their bottoms while she was busy mingling.

They didn’t sound happy.

Linings and laces, Fleur, we haven’t got all night! Sassy’s demanding voice resounded in her head. Now that you’ve given her a seasonal bribe, she will surely share things she wouldn’t have otherwise. And since you completely wasted your audience on talking about dreams and boats—should have tried dreamboats, that would be a royal topic I’d put a pin in—you better learn something factual now. Time is running out.

She wasn’t wrong. Only a short distance separated Princess Luna from a crowd of ponies and a committee holding an ornamental star.

“You’re the expert,” Luna said, straightening her unruly scarf and fixing her mane under the earmuffs. “Do I look presentable?”

Presentable. Present-able. Look, she’s steering the conversation back to it! You’ve been searching for the meaning of Hearth’s Warming for so long, and Santa Hooves is the closest you have ever gotten. The truth is within reach, a few well-placed words and you will uncover the greatest mystery the Jewel of Equestria has ever seen.

“Very much so, Princess.” The crowd was getting thicker with their every step, and mares and stallions were calling for their friends to come closer for the ceremony. Thankfully this was about the star, not singing, because Fleur would not carry that. “Looks like we’re all eager to see the show. So many different lights, baubles and other decorations, and yet there’s one to celebrate in particular.”

Princess Luna stifled a giggle.

“When we were young, it was always Celestia who put the star on our tree. I used to sneak out during the night, take it down, and then put it back up myself,” she remarked quietly and stopped in her tracks. “This is it. The City Council demands my attention. Thank you for your insights and the lovely gift, Fleur. I wish I had something to give you in return.”

Ask her. Ask her now! You already know she was in your dream, so just open your bag, grab the silver-bound notebook and demand her to tell you if she’s Santa Hooves, if she’s the one behind all the mysterious presents of late. Do you hear me, Fleur? This is your last chance to learn the truth. If you don’t act now, you will never know who brought you your present. Never!

Exactly.

“You have given me enough, Princess. Thank you for the seasonal skin… and the magic.”

“Magic? It’s not magic that makes ponies so seasonal this time of year,” Princess Luna replied. “Those are ponies themselves who make the season so magical. Always remember,” she added before an entourage of officials stole her away.

Fleur breathed a powerful sigh of relief. What a day that was! Without the galloping tempo and a checklist full of visits, auctions, social get-togethers and impromptu adventures, time seemed to have stopped for a moment—and by the stars, she savored it.

She raised her eyes and discovered Hearth’s Warming anew.

Whether its magic existed on one or the other end of the pony-season causality, the evening atmosphere was full of it. Fleur saw it all around the Victory Plaza, from the smallest piece of hoofcraft sold in the stands to the lavishly decorated tree towering above, but it was all about the ponies, just like Princess Luna said.

Not far from where she was standing, someone bought a tiny wooden reindeer from a local artisan.

“…very much. I’ll put it on my desk, the office looks so boring without those!”

“You’re welcome, sir. Merry Hearth’s Warming and a…”

Few steps to the right, a dashing stallion exchanged a painted decoration he himself made for the official commemorative bauble.

“…put it higher? I want my girlfriend to see it.”

“Not a problem! And here’s a little something from the Princesses and the Canterlot City Council. Merry Hearth’s Warming, be sure…”

There on the left, a kindhearted mare got to the front of a food stand queue, but did not forget about those outside of it.

“…me a favor, alright? Give the second to that quiet gentlecolt over there, the one in the ragged coat. Just don’t tell it’s from me.”

“That’s very generous of you, madam, I’ll send someone right away. Merry Hearth’s Warming to you and your…”

Extraordinary, that magic of Hearth’s Warming was. It radiated in smiles and goodwill, resounded in laughter and every amend made, and it was both flashy and modest, both ancient and refreshing. You wouldn’t see its aura sparkling around horns like it was the case with unicorn magic, but burning bright in pony hearts like the Fire of Friendship of old—and much like it had united the Tribes, it was now bringing together total strangers, but also friends, acquaintances, coworkers, colleagues, and of course mothers and daughters.

“Come on, mom!” Chestnut pulled her away from the center. “We’re all there, we found the bestest view. Everyone’s waiting!”

“Merry Hearth’s Warming, Nutsie,” she automatically said and discovered she had a cretin’s grin plastered to her muzzle. She toned it down a notch with some dignity. “Oui, of course, sorry it took me so long. How did you find me in this crowd?”

“I told you I’d be keeping my eye on you! You didn’t see me?” Chestnut gasped. “Wow, I must be getting good at stealthing myself!”

A vision of mischievous eyes shining in the dark between the giant tree’s twigs came to mind, and the silly grin was back Fleur’s face.

Chestnut navigated them to their crew—Fleur was enjoying this naval parlance—which consisted of Fancy Pants, Rarity, and Sassy stuffing herself with cake. Fleur didn’t dare to wonder if she’d taken it instead of a chocolate pinecone, or in addition to, especially since she seemed in a much better mood than the Sassy who’d shouted at her in her thoughts. She shook her head. Sassy shouting at anyone? Nonsensical.

“Sho, did you learn anyshing?” the said mare asked between the bites. “Was it Princess Luna who brought you the diary?”

“Well, she didn’t tell… but I don’t think it was her.”

“I asked around,” Fancy Pants said, “and I can confirm that this year a few unexpected gifts were given in a similar fashion to yours. All of them personal and meaningful. But if it wasn’t your original suspect, then, ah, whodunnit? A tough case indeed—perhaps calling for a detective is in order?”

“On the contrary, my dear husband. I think you will find the answer quite elementary.” Fleur smiled mysteriously. “Is it not obvious? Why, it was Santa Hooves!”

“That’s the spirit!” Rarity beamed and immediately started smoothing the creases on Fleur’s hat and scarves, as it to get an excuse to pat her on the head. “I’ve been telling you all that he’s very real, that he knows all about our dreams and desires, and he comes to the well-behaving ponies, such as you, Fleur. Good filly!”

Sassy gave a shrug. “I admit, I was expecting a straight answer, but I guess not knowing is part of fun. Makes me feel fifteen again!” she chuckled. “But, bundled baubles! Dear ladies—and sir—I don’t know about you, but the night is still young. How about we go to your place for a change? Get some snacks, cocoa, turn on the fireplace? I’ll have you know that I will freeze to death without it.”

“Have heart, dear sir, madam, and miss!” Rarity joined the plea in the most exaggerated fashion. “Look at this poor mare—also ignore that fabulous double-layered, fur-lined vest she’s wearing—she will freeze without your help. Tonight is Hearth’s Warming Eve. Won’t you accommodate two lonely mares seeking shelter?”

“Make that three!” Octavia, who suddenly popped out between them, exclaimed. Again this evening, she looked like she was running away from something. “I seek asylum. The more I stay here, the more forced my smiles and pleasantries become, and I don’t know if I can do another trip around the repertoire with Hyacinth in charge.” She shoved the songbook into Fleur’s hooves. “No more carols for a whole year, you hear me?”

“We will be happy to accommodate you all, of course!” Fancy Pants joined in. “Just don’t hold the state of our garden against us. I don’t know if even a frostbite could flatten the war damage that has been brought upon it this morning. Shall we, my dear?”

“Always a gentlecolt.” Fleur nuzzled him on the cheek. “Alright, crew! Let us set sail… for home.”

“Look!” Chestnut shot her hoof up. “The star!”

As Fleur watched Princess Luna fly up with the impressive piece of decoration in her hooves, she finally realized her fault. She tried to understand Hearth’s Warming, to discover its meaning and capture its purpose, whereas she should have been simply enjoying it like she in fact did today, throughout this long day filled with excitements. There were countless ways to celebrate it: seasonal outdoor fun, seasonal treats, seasonal clothes, things less and more material in nature, but that all wouldn’t be worth a broken bit if it weren’t for those who made it special. Or like some would say, magical.

High on the tree the star shined brightly on this wondrous night, and the ponies gathered in the Victory Plaza erupted in cheer. Fleur, her family and friends gladly joined in stomping and shouting, sharing joyful joy and wishes with each other and everyone else. In the end, it wasn’t about understanding the magic of Hearth’s Warming. It was about feeling it.

And for the first time in her life, Fleur could say with all the conviction that she felt it.

Author's Note:

Hello there! Thank you for reading my story. I am no longer writing pony fiction, but if you want to support my current creative endeavor, check out my content on Twitch! :raritywink:
---
That was some journey, for the characters and myself as well! As I look at the story today, it seems that I should have left some plot points for other tales, but the truth is this was my last (?) opportunity to present Fleur’s family or Chestnut’s fears. But, let’s leave stuff like that for the blogs, and let’s hear it for Andy Williams and his It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Thank you all who liked, bookshelved and commented throughout the first chapters of this story - while the spark of the idea was on my end, you were the force stoking the fire and driving me forward. And exactly because of that I felt indebted to you, and decided to make that penultimate push and finish the winter-themed tale of Fleur, Fancy Pants and Chestnut, the characters so dear to my heart. Thank you all for sticking around - the aforementioned blog will be posted soon, so as die-hard readers of mine you may want to look out for it. All the best!

Comments ( 60 )

I forgot this existed!
So happy to see it make a return :pinkiehappy:

What a lovely wrap up - great job! I hope you feel inspired again soon!

Woah, I forgot this story a bit. Going to read it again but thank you for the update!

Lovely seeing you again.

I love the stories you made it gives me a smile when I read them thank you for finishing it and will be looking forward to more stories in the future

Welcome back. Thank you for completing. I re-read this a couple weeks ago for the holiday. Glad to see it get the ending it deserves.

Yay!

I really hope you make a sequel showing Chestnut growing into a Canterlot mare.

A sweet ending for a great story. I am going to keep an eye out for that blog post.

What a wonderful conclusion to a great story. This really made my day to read! :twilightsmile:

And excellent timing on a winter wrap to the story.

And now I wonder if ponies do cinammon pinecones for warming snacks too...

A very nice ending :twilightsmile:

Wonderful. Simply, wonderful.

Any chance we'll get some more Chestnut stories?

Congrats on finally finishing this.

Hey, it's done. And just in time for... Wait, no. Damn it!

10001451
Happy to hear it hit your favorites, I'm honored! I also wish you the best of luck, during Christmas time and for the rest of the year too! :yay:

10021149
I'm so envious, I've never got the luxury of forgetting this story - though it obviously may have appeared so. Not that I would want to forget it, never! Anyway, it's here now, so maybe finally those Canterlot Elite voices in my head will stop nagging me! :twilightsheepish:

10021180
Thank you! A lack of inspiration was never an issue for me, ideas keep flowing at a steady pace when writing this one, and there are multiple ways to develop any and all of the looser plot threads I left here. It's the time I lack, and will lack for the foreseeable future! :facehoof:

10021377
Thank you for returning to it when I updated it. May your read be enjoyable all the way through! :raritywink:

10021379
Je me souviens de toi - il y a une montagne que j'ai nommee d'apres toi ! :scootangel:

10021435
Smiling is good - it's probably the second reaction I want to evoke with my writing, right after "getting inspired"! :pinkiehappy:

10021441
It made it to your holiday reading list, it's awesome! Thank you very much for considering it worthy even though it wasn't complete. Now it is, and I hope you'll return to it in about eleven months from now to enjoy some winter adventures in Canterlot. :duck:

10021494
Adult Chestnut? I think she would be quite close to how Octavia turned out in the original story and this one, so dignified, elegant, still well into high society, but not tangled in the game the socialites are playing (i.e. if she wants to approach a weird pony at a party, she does it without worry). With a good dose of craziness and running away from guards and/or obnoxious ponies trying to up their social score. But that's only one of possible futures!

10021513

I'm still trying to piece together Chestnut's history involving Luna.

Yes, unfortunately there was no way I could answer it here without going way off track.

I am going to keep an eye out for that blog post.

Please do! It should land around the weekend if all goes well.

10021707
It's the dark of the night where I am right now, so reading kind comments like this may not make my day great - but I expect a bunch of happy dreams in the next couple of hours. Thank you!

10023359
Yes and it was very appreciated. But not as much as tour stories.

10021988
Chestnut is sitting right here with me and she told me to tell you that you're the bestest! :heart:

10022470
Are you kidding? Of course they do! Actually, to be so sweet and cuddly like they are they need to include a lot of sugar in their diet, so anything from frosted blossoms and cinammon pinecones to, I don't know, double-layered glazed chocolate-dipped peanut butter cup stuffed oreos are a must!

10023333
Nah, I know the feeling :derpytongue2: I have a story on Hiatus that I wanna finish, but have trouble finding the drive to get on with. I'll get to it some time... I swear!

But yeah, very happy to see my favourite little Thestral get on her adventures again :twilightsmile:

10023426

I have a story on Hiatus that I wanna finish

It's official then, I'm contacting The Canterlot Sun. Tomorrow's headline: 2020 - The Year Kapuchu Finishes The Thing!

10023393

Well...

What I was thinking was a story about Chestnut going to an upper-class school in Canterlot (as was discussed in the previous story). Seeing Chestnut battling prejudice among Canterlot's youth and struggling to find acceptance and friendship could be an equally hilarious and moving work.

10023343

:raritystarry: I hope that we see a sequel of the school life :derpyderp1:

10023432
Please don't! I don't need the extra pressure :rainbowlaugh:

10022510
Thank you! For the ending I imagined this beautiful sparkling shot of Fleur & Co.’s reflection in a red bauble hanging on the tree, then camera zooms out and follows Luna as she takes the star to the top. Round and round it goes, moves away only to get right behind the backs of our heroes as they look at the tree. Cut to a pan across their faces, one by one showing big eyes, big smiles, and ending at Fleur who, first deep in thoughts, gives a smile as well. Return to the camera overlooking their backs and the tree in the distance, they turn back and exit the scene towards where the camera is set, with the shot rising up and focusing on the star at the top of the tree. Fade to black!

...or something like that, but not every camera trick can be written down. :D

10022572
If you’re asking about feature-length stories, then it’s extremely unlikely. But if there are specific questions you’d like to see answers for, then I may be able to provide those, albeit on a smaller scale. I’ll go into details in the weekend blog post, stay tuned!

10023152
Happy to have finished it after all this time. Hearth’s Warming can’t last forever and has to end at some point after all, and so should a story about it!

10023173
I guess you wanted to say “just in time for Christmas”? Yeah... no, timing was never this story’s strong suit. It was published in March, a lot of it written during very hot months which have nothing to do with the winter theme, plus it was delayed a lot. But I suppose you could say “just in time for giving it first/another read”!

10023786 10023870
School life, university, first job, first love, setting down... to be honest, I would like to see her entire life step by step! :rainbowlaugh:

10024712
Don't forget going to Prance, Becoming a Wonderbolt, going on Adventure to save Equestria, causing chaos for the parents and being just cute.
Oh, maybe adopt another orphan so she can be an older sister!

Be funny if the grandparents setup a marriage for our little batpony for a tale. But hey there is a lot you can do! :pinkiecrazy:

What a wonderful, and thematically perfect, conclusion to a sweet, fun. And dangerously adorable tale.

i've waited eagerly for it, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

Thank you for it.

a wonderful ending. thanks

10028768
Thank you for your patience, Kettle! I’m glad I could wrap it up for you, everyone, and myself. :)

10029167
You’re very welcome! I’m quite flattered that a whole lot of you find this ending fitting, that it makes sense to you structurally and all - it’s the best reaction I could hope for after a longer break and then coming back to writing it. :)

Good stuff, this. Read the first story and this sequel back-to-back.

I do imagine there is a sequel in the works, whenever it happens, if you get around to it anyway. I'm curious about what it is about Luna that bothers 'Nutsie'.

Even if the sequel never gets made it's still solid enough of an ending between the first story, with this story you could consider a side adventure, even if it's actually the longer of the two XD

10038743
Happy to hear you liked it, and the original too! At the risk of disappointing - there is no sequel in the works and there won’t be one. Maybe I’ll use some of those ideas in a non-pony project, or maybe I’ll do something else entirely. Time will tell!

And yes, it indeed turned a bit longer - I wanted to pack as much as possible into it. :)

This was the wait more then worth.

Thanks for this great story:twilightsmile:

Thank you for finishing this story! I loved it. Fleur's coversation with Luna was perfect, and the story was beautiful. I hope there is more to come. Chestnut and her family are awesome!

10043632
Nice! If you find the quality proportional to the time we had to wait, then it's good I managed to finish it just when I did - a few months more and the quality would have to be truly god-tier to meet the expectations. Thank you for reading! :)

10047017
I'll be honest, I didn't think it would take that many words to cover Fleur and Luna talking. But it appears these two could be good friends, and I'm happy for them. Thank you for reading my story! :)

Your Welcome! Btw, I just finished a story myself. Maybe you would enjoy it:
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/458722/cinder-star

10047057
Congratulations, I’m happy for you! :pinkiehappy: On a side note, other people’s comment sections aren’t the best place to share and/or promote your own stories. It can be considered a faux pas - just letting you know so you don’t step on a mine one day. :)

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