This story takes place three weeks after Of Lilies and Chestnuts
Hearth's Warming, the ponykind celebration of unity is right around the corner. Every moment is a chance to spread winter cheer as Canterlot far and wide, and Chestnut, Fleur, and Fancy Pants intend to make their first holiday as a family the best it can be.
Easier said than done, especially when you are a known socialite with a recent party foul on your tab. Or a freshly made mother learning the ropes. Or a Prench for once trying to figure out how to approach this strictly Equestrian holiday.
Merry Hearth’s Warming, Fleur. Merry Hearth’s Warming.
Chapters (15)
Hello to Merry Chestnuts and a Happy New Fleur!
First of all, let’s all pretend it’s December. It’s snowing outside, super cold, and you’ve just finished shopping for gifts for your friends and family. What better way to celebrate than a cup of hot cocoa and a Christmas-themed story? Secondly, some of the OG readers may remember that this story’s title is the pun I made back in 2013 (!), so, like, I’m having fun and you can’t stop me!
While described as something that happens after the original story, I wouldn’t call it a sequel. It is more of a “holiday special”, so you can bet on some of the characters returning in their winter attires, a few good bits of holiday-related lore I’ve come up with, and perhaps even discovering the greatest secret of Hearth’s Warming along the way...
Enjoy, and of course merry Christmas because that’s totally coming in a week or two!
Die Hard is best Christmas movie.
8804436
Followed closely by the first Home Alone, another must-have in cable TV. Though I admit, the older one gets, the more one appreciates yippee-ki-yay-ing over Kevin’s shenanigans.
Nuh-uh. Nightmare Before Christmas is best Christmas movie.
Yay more Chestnut!
8804522
It certainly has a great soundtrack, that’s for sure! Danny Elfman sure did a wonderful job.
8804531
...and Fleur, and Fancy Pants, and someone who’s into fashion, and someone who’s gone out of fashion, and many more. But if you’re looking strictly for Chestnut, you will certainly find her pulling all those characters together and wrapping them with a pretty bow!
Hurrah! I will pretend it is indeed December.
8804643
Hey Trump, that’s the right attitude, thanks! Sorry I’ve made you and everyone wait so long.
...Why does the bat pony in the cover art look horny?
Wait a sequel!!
Fleur and
RarityArrity as sky pirates/fashion police? I think I need this as its own AU.Great start!
HOORAY! CHESTNUT SEQUEL!
8805391
I second this!
I'm unapologetically happy about this sequel, and will have no issue whatsoever to get into s Christmas mood to enjoy it.
There's even enough snow here.
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That, my friend, is strictly a function of how much one enjoys watching Daniel Stern get hurt.
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I know I would read it.
8804758
Heh, it never occurred to me to interpret her smug face in that way (but I guess that’s what I get for using recolored vectors, which in themselves are limited in number and may/need be interpreted in many, many ways).
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Happy to hear you’ve enjoyed it! While the rest of the story is more down-to-earth, this opening chapter serves as both a metaphor-esque reminder of what was up with Fleur before this particular story, and a cheeky reference to the original, where she also dreamed of pirate adventures.
She’s been dreaming in pirate recently, in fact. She is not sure why.
8805496
And/or Joe Pesci.
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Hey CodeG, thanks for dropping by! And I always wonder if comments with so many Pinkie Pies involve copying the code or just mashing her face furiously in the emoticon panel...
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AND IT ONLY TOOK FOUR YEARS!
And then the silly, happy dream turns into a nightmare
8805476
Thanks - please enjoy the story!
So, Fleur is addicted to Coco Pebbles?
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Because she rescued a damsel in distress?
8805481
If we're being honest here, we've had a couple of warmer days in Poland last week so everything melted. Then this weekend came, and now all I'm seeing outside is white. I figured if that's not a sign to publish the story, then nothing will be.
Hey Kettle, what's up?
8805498
I'd love to read that too, VD! Step one: let's find someone to write that, because I sure as heck have my hands full with regular timeline to go into alternates.
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For me, copy and paste as im too lazy to use the mouse.
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You look genuinely shocked, Platinum. But I am shocked too that this is happening. So it's all good!
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The Dreamworld is a strange place. It's fluid, and a single unwarranted thought is enough to stir the calmness in one's dream...
As for Fleur's love for Coco Pebbles, well, you know how they say that every author puts something of themselves in his or her characters? As it happens, I've been eating mostly Nesquick cereal for the past fifteen years or something, every week, every day (Sundays excluded). So I'm definitely addicted, but Fleur, even as an ex-supermodel, she indeed does vary her morning diet!
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NOPE!
Lethal Weapon is.
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You clearly hail from the glorious Keyboard Master Race, not some filthy mouse plebeian.
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I admit, there is some perverse pleasure in seeing other people get hurt... I mean, uh, that's what I heard, obviously. Yup.
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Heard nothing; you know it's funny when other people get hurt, and the more badly they get hurt, the funnier it is.
Well, i have plenty of snow outside. I'll just pretend it's christmas decoration in the bushes instead of easter...
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Please compliment the bushes on participating in our make-believe December, it's appreciated. ;)
8806202 ALL depends on the person
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Alive and kicking. As for the weather, same situation here, but it's not that I'm actually that far away from Poland anyway.
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Yea, then I just found out u did a prequel story that I missed... Man, I really enjoy this story
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Well, Operation Wonderbit certainly isn’t going anywhere (linking it on the off-chance of someone stumbling upon this comment and discovering the prequel like you did, heh) - though not necessary to understand the main adoption arc, it shows just how peculiar the Canterlot Orphanarium is.
And it has Spitfire herself (cue sick guitar solo). What more to ask for?
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I’m gonna throw a guess... Germany, perhaps?
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So, I saw the title in your comment, googled for second opinion, and was once again amazed by the internet. There are videos, blogs, articles debating what constitutes a Christmas movie, and people are fighting over it - I didn’t know that topic was a thing!
*insert that The More You Know gif*
A brilliant way to intro the new story.
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Got it in one
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Thank you! One of the challenges while writing this one was that I needed a clever way to remind readers about the setting - who Fleur is, what are her interests, what was her state before and after helping out a stowaway (i.e. adopting Chestnut). Most of the info needed should be present in the opening as pirate-y metaphors. Yarr!
Oh well. Merry Christmas in March.
8808402
And Merry Christmas to you. March or not March, we can always say it's the thought that counts and that all wishes are applicable to all months.
I just have to. I cannot resist...
Chestnuts roasting by an open fire...
Frost bite nipping at your toes...
Something something something. I can't remember the rest of the words.
8808914
You may be onto something!
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