The Spirit of Hearthswarming
Note: This chapter is done in the style of Slice of Life(the episode), not really focusing on any of the main characters. I don't know how people are going to respond to it, but it's what came to me when I thought up this chapter.
A filly ran outside, closing the door behind her. She curled up into a ball, sobbing into her lap. She had just received the worst news ever.
She had been crying for a few minutes when she heard a voice talking to her.
“What’s wrong, little filly?”
The child looked up to see a stallion standing over her. “I’m sad,” she replied.
“I can see that. It’s Hearthswarming Eve. What could be upsetting you on this day?”
“I miss my daddy!” She sniffed, wiping her eyes. “He’s on a business trip in Baltimare. He said he was gonna be back in time for Hearthswarming, but Mommy said there’s a big blizzard there now, and all the trains have stopped.”
Her eyes clenched shut as she buried her head in her hooves. “T-t-this is gonna be the first Hearthswarming without my daddy! Tomorrow is also my birthday, so he’s going to miss both!”
“Oh my! You were born on Hearthswarming? That makes you extra special. No wonder your sadness drew me to you.
“Tell me something, little filly. Do you believe in miracles?”
She looked up, sniffling. “M-M-Mommy said it would be a miracle for him to come home. She’s been sad too. If she doesn’t believe he’ll make it then why should I?”
The stallion looked around left and right. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“I guess,” she replied without much interest.
“I’m not your ordinary stallion, Holly.”
She dismissed his comment at first, then she jerked. “Hey! How did you know my name? I didn’t tell you yet.”
“I told you. I’m special. I was called here because of your feelings.”
“Called here?” She gave him a confused look. “By who?”
He gestured with his hoof. “Give me your ear.”
She stared at him for a little bit before turning her head and pushing it towards him.
He got up right next to her. “I’m the Spirit of Hearthswarming.”
Holly backed up, staring at him uncertainly again.
“Hearthswarming is a time of beauty, love, and friendship. It’s a time of togetherness and a celebration of the display of unity that defeated the Windigo’s so long ago.
“When hearts ache, and sadness overtakes the joy of the holiday, then it falls on me to go out to see what’s preventing it and do what I can to fix it.”
She looked him up and down. She didn’t notice it before, but the stallion did seem to have a bit of an ethereal air about him. He wasn’t translucent, but he didn’t seem quite solid either.
“Do you want to see your daddy?”
She nodded hard, a hopeful look on her face.
“I don’t know. If you don’t believe in miracles then I don’t know if I should go out of my way to help.”
Her face fell. “B-but-”
“I’ll tell you what. If you promise me that you’ll believe with all your heart and soul that miracles can come true, then I’ll promise you that your daddy will be home by the time you wake up tomorrow.”
She jumped up to a standing position. “REALLY?”
“Really.”
She nodded hard. “I promise, Mr. Spirit.”
“Well, if you really want me to make it happen then I’m going to need something from you.”
“Anything!”
He gave her a warm grin. “I want you to smile. Give me the smile you’ll give your daddy tomorrow. Stop the tears and live the spirit of the holiday. After all, if you’re just gonna be miserable today then it means that you don’t really believe me when I say I’ll make it happen.”
She was so overwhelmed she couldn’t help but cry. The idea that she could still have a perfect Hearthswarming was so amazing she could hardly believe it.
After a short time she began to rub her eyes hard before shaking her head. “No!” she said strongly. “No more crying. I’m… I’m gonna save my tears for when I see Daddy tomorrow.” She wiped away another tear that formed when she said that.
With that, she gave him a pure smile, thinking of the three of them spending time together as a family just as they had always done.
“There it is,” said the spirit, his body starting to glow slightly. “I get strength from those who have the Hearthswarming spirit."
He put his hooves together, a sphere of light appearing between them. “This is the one you’re seeking, correct?”
Holly stared at it, and the face of a stallion appeared inside. “That’s my daddy!”
He nodded. “Strengthened by your belief I’ll make your wish come true. Just remember your promise.”
“I will, Mr. Spirit!” she said happily. “I’ll keep the spirit of Hearthswarming all day long if it means I can see my daddy tomorrow.”
He rubbed her head. “Glad to hear it. But, at least until tomorrow, keep our meeting a secret.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t think your mom is going to believe you until she sees the miracle for herself.”
Holly nodded. “Okay. I won’t tell anyone about you today.”
The door behind Holly opened, making her look back.
Her mother looked around. “Were you talking to someone just now?”
Holly looked forward, scanning the area herself. The spirit was gone. “Oh, um… no. Just… talking to myself.”
Her mother put a hoof on her. “Look, I know you’re upset, so I gave you a little time to yourself, but I don’t think you should be outside alone in the cold. It makes me nervous.”
Holly shook her head. “I’m not upset! Daddy is gonna be home tomorrow. I just know it.”
Her mother gave her a strained look. She didn’t want to encourage the filly to believe the impossible, but she was going to be miserable the next day either way. At least she could let her daughter enjoy today.
“Don’t you believe in miracles, Mommy?” Holly asked, pulling her mother out of her thoughts.
The question took her by surprise. “I… used to. But at times like this…”
“Didn’t you say you named me after a Hearthswarming decoration because I was born on Hearthswarming and that made me your little miracle? Miracles happen, Mommy!” Holly said strongly. “You just have to believe, and I will believe. I’ll believe as hard as I have to so that Daddy will come home tomorrow.”
Tears came down her mother’s eyes. She was starting to have second thoughts. “I guess anything could happen between today and tomorrow, but you shouldn’t… um… that is… don’t get your hopes up too high, dear.”
Holly’s expression didn’t change, and that only made her mother feel worse. She couldn’t bring herself to crush her daughter’s hopes, but she also knew if she was this resolute it would only hurt that much more the next day.
She wished she could be like her daughter, but sometimes reality was cruel.
“Well…” She drifted off, a somber look on her face. She pulled herself out, now wearing a small smile. “Well, either way it goes, we still have friends in Ponyville we can see, and some parties to visit. Even if it’s just the two of us we can make the most of it.”
Holly nodded. “Okay,” she said cheerfully.
***
A stallion walked with his head down through Ponyville, his stomach burning with guilt and a sense of worthlessness.
It was chilly, and he really should have bundled up, but he welcomed the cold punishing him.
“Hello there!” said a cheery voice nearby.
The stallion looked up, seeing another stallion standing in front of what looked like a department store. “Hello,” he responded in a dull voice.
“Names Spirit. What’s yours?”
“Slipstream.”
“Well, Slipstream, that’s not the look of someone in the Hearthswarming spirit. What’s got you down on this special day?”
“Just the weight of the world, is all.” He hung his head.
“Sure sounds like it.”
He made like he was about to continue on, then stopped. “Money has been tight this month. My wife was recently in an accident. She needed surgery. She’s okay now, but she’s not going to be able to work for a month or two.
“My boss has been cutting hours, making things even worse. On top of an expensive hospital bill I also have to pay rent and provide for my family.”
He let out a big sigh. “I don’t care about making due with less. It’s my two daughters that pains me. I’ve been desperately trying to budget, but we just don’t have the money to buy them any Hearthswarming presents."
His head drooped until it was almost touching the ground. “I’ve been wandering around aimlessly for the past two hours because I just couldn’t take hearing them guessing about the gifts they are going to get. I don’t have the heart to tell them there isn’t going to be anything underneath the tree this year. They might not feel that way, but I’d rather they be disappointed than hungry.
“We’ve been trying to shield them from how bad it is, but tomorrow they’re going to get a painful wake up. They’re only six. They shouldn’t have to deal with things like this.”
Tears formed in his eyes.
“Oh, my,” said Spirit. “That really is the weight of the world. I’m sorry to hear about your situation.”
“Thanks…” He sighed, wiping his eyes. “I guess I’m just going to wallow some more. Thanks for listening, anyway.”
Something caught his eye. There was a spinnable wheel divided into many sections on the table next to Spirit. “What’s that?”
“Well, I didn’t want to bring it up, considering your situation, but it’s a prize wheel. For ten bits you spin the wheel, and possibly win a prize. It’s divided into one hundred sections. One third is nothing. Another third gets you half your money back. The last third has either double or triple your money back.
“Then there’s the hundredth space. That nets you the secret grand prize.”
Slipstream let out a humorless laugh. “I just happen to have exactly ten bits left. I have nothing left to lose anymore, so might as well complete this failure train.” He went in his saddle bag and emptied his wallet on the table.
He grabbed one of the pegs separating the sections and pulled it down hard, sending the wheel spinning round and round, a miserable look on his face.
As it spun he didn’t even look at it.
“Aren’t you even going to watch?” asked Spirit.
“There’s no point. I already know I’m going to fail. I just don’t want to walk around with this false hope that if I had only given it a shot everything would have turned out just right.
“Even if I won the double or triple it would take a ridiculous amount of tries to actually get anything significant. Surely not enough to fix my situation.
“I just want to lose and get it over with.”
The wheel slowed down, and even when it sounded like it was seconds from stopping he paid it no mind.
He was jerked out of his apathy by a bell sound.
“Oh my!” Spirit called out. “I don’t believe it. You won the grand prize!”
“WHAT?” Slipstream called out, his head jerking towards the wheel. Sure enough, the wheel had landed on grand prize. “I… I actually won?”
“That’s right!”
“Wha… what did I win?”
“Come in, come in.”
They both went inside the store.
Spirit directed Slipstream to a large pull cart. “You win this cart, along with everything inside it.”
Slipstream blinked. “But… nothing is inside it.”
“Exactly! Go fix that. The grand prize is that anything you can fit inside that cart is yours. Toys, food, household items; as long as it fits in the cart there’s no limit to what you can take.”
Slipstream slumped against the wall, his legs going weak as he slid to the floor. He put a hoof to his face, sobbing in happiness. The dark clouds that had been suffocating him drifted away.
Spirit gave him a minute before saying, “Your family is waiting for you. Clearly, this was a holiday miracle, so stop beating yourself up and get into the spirit of the holiday.”
Slipstream pushed himself up, wiping his face. “You’re right. There has been precious little to celebrate lately. My wife is going to be so relieved when she hears about this.”
For the next while he grabbed all the things they needed. He found the toys his daughters had wanted the most, just imagining their expressions when they opened them.
When he had filled the cart as much as he thought it was safely possible he went up to the front to see Spirit hovering around the exit. The stallion directed him to a mare behind a table, offering free wrapping for the presents.
Maybe it wasn’t proper, but he gave the stallion a big hug. “Thank you so much! If you hadn’t talked to me earlier this would have been the worst Hearthswarming ever.”
Spirit didn’t seem bothered, returning the gesture. “You’re very welcome. Live this day and tomorrow to the fullest, okay?”
“I will.”
He left the store with pep in his step, returning home.
He found his wife sitting at the kitchen table, a melancholy look on her face. That wouldn’t do.
“Turn that frown upside-down, Silk!” he called out, making her look up.
She gazed up at him, surprised by his change in demeanor. “What happened?”
“I won!”
“You won… what?”
“Come here, come here.”
She got up, curious, following him to the front door where her eyes went wide. “W-what is this?”
“They were doing a lottery at this grocery store, and I won the grand prize: a shopping spree. All of this didn’t cost me a single bit.”
Just like he had earlier she got weak-kneed, falling on him as she held him close.
“It’s a miracle,” she said thickly. “Just a miracle.”
“It sure is.” He kissed her. “We are truly blessed.”
***
A filly, Topaz, was panting and wheezing as her parents bundled her up, her face red.
“She’s burning up,” said her mother Sapphire.
“Why now of all days?” said her father Iron Heart.
Through her hazy breaths Topaz said, “I’m… sorry… Daddy.”
His face went red. “Honey, I’m not blaming you for this. I just don’t want you to have to spend Hearthswarming in the hospital.”
She tried to put her hoof to her mouth when she coughed, but she just didn’t have the strength. Lifting one of her hooves only caused her to collapse to the floor.
“Are you alright?” asked Iron Heart.
“Not… really.”
Sapphire bit her lip. “I really don’t want to bring her out into the cold during one of her attacks, but what choice do we have?”
“Just make sure she wears her scarf so she’s not breathing in the cold air,” said Iron Heart.
When they finished bundling her up Sapphire helped get their daughter onto Iron Heart’s back.
As they were heading for the door Topaz said again. “I’m… sorry." She coughed. "I… know you… wanted to… party… today.”
Tears came down his eyes. “Topaz, you’re far more important to us than any party. You feel bad enough because you’re sick. Don’t beat yourself up too. Please!”
The trio went out into Ponyville, heading for the hospital.
It was like a stab in the heart… a scar continually being reopened. Their daughter had been sickly since just a few months after her birth. An unfortunate electrical fire had started in their daughters room. Thankfully they had smelled the smoke and gotten her out before she suffered burns, but she had inhaled a lot of it.
She had been living a fairly average life since then, but she had been asthmatic ever since. She couldn’t run. Even trotting caused her to get wheezy almost immediately.
During the winter months she had it the hardest. Though they gave her medication to take it was still difficult for her. She couldn’t go out and make snowponies or have snowball fights like her friends.
When she’d get sick, especially during wintertime, it would leave her bedridden for days or in the hospital.
Today was one of those days. She’d shown signs of a cold the day before, but it seemed to have escalated to the flu.
Even though they had put all her warm clothes on, as well as a scarf, the colder outside air still caused their daughters breathing to become even heavier. She was practically gasping in breath, coughing every so often.
Concerned, they increased the pace.
Iron Heart gasped himself when the weight on his back suddenly vanished. He spun around, only to see a stallion on his knees holding his daughter.
“Whew!” said the stallion. “That was a close one.”
Sapphire trotted over. “Oh, thank you for catching our daughter, but we really don’t have time to waste.”
“No one should have to suffer on Hearthswarming.”
“Well, life has other ideas,” said Iron Heart.
“And the spirit of the holiday disagrees.”
“Look, we don’t have time for wordplay. We need to get to the hospital.”
“Why is that?”
“Hmm?” A sphere of light surrounded them. The area around them was warm now, the outside seemingly shut out.
The stallions horn lit up, Topaz floating into the air. He pointed at her with a hoof, a beam of light coming out and surrounding the child.
“H-hey!” Sapphire called out. “What are you doing to her?”
The stallion just chuckled as he set her down.
The light surrounding her flashed before disappearing.
Topaz blinked, coming back to full alertness. “What the-” After a few moments she smiled. “I feel all better!”
The pressure, the feeling that something was always squeezing her lungs, had faded. She began to laugh, taking in full breaths.
Sapphire and Iron Heart stared at their daughter incredulously before turning their gaze to the stallion. “W-who are you?” asked Sapphire.
He chuckled warmly. “Just the spirit of the holiday made manifest. This is our gift to you: health for your daughter.”
Sapphire looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes. Not just her current sickness, but the spirit had also cured her asthma.
“Of course, I do expect something in return for this.”
“Like what?” asked Iron Heart cautiously.
“Have the best Hearthswarming you possibly can. After all, this is my holiday, and I want to see to it that as many as possible get to enjoy it.”
“That’s… that’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Iron Heart looked at Topaz now. The redness in her face had vanished, and she looked perfectly content. He began to cry too. “If that’s your price then I’ll gladly pay it.”
He turned back, bowing deeply. “Thank you!”
Sapphire mimicked the pose. “Thank you!”
“Now, now,” said the spirit. “Don’t bow to me. Just hurry up and pay what you owe.”
“Of course.”
She went over to her daughter, giving her a hug. “Honey, make sure you say thank you.”
Topaz went one further, trotting over and giving him a big hug. “Thank you for saving me, Mister!”
He patted her head. “You’re very welcome, little filly. It was my pleasure.”
After a few seconds he pushed her away. “Well, the day is young and I’m sure there is more misery about souring this wonderful day. I have to go.”
Topaz waved. “Goodbye!”
All three of them stared as the stallions body dissolved, starting from the head and moving downward until he was gone, the particles making up his body swirling around before heading off into the distance.
If they had had any doubts about what that stallion was they had faded. Teleportation was one thing, but they didn’t think even the princesses could dissolve themselves like that. It had to be something greater.
The warmth disappeared, bringing back the cold, but it barely mattered to them.
After a little while Topaz said, “I want to party! That’s what you agreed to, so let’s do it!”
Sapphire and Iron Heart both hugged their daughter. This truly was a Hearthswarming miracle.
“Yes,” said Sapphire. “I’m truly feeling the spirit now.”
“Me too,” said Iron Heart. “Let’s go fulfill our end of the bargain.”
“YEAH!” screamed Topaz.
***
Holly’s mom, Harmony, was drinking her morning coffee. She felt disturbed. She just couldn’t seem to get her daughter’s question out of her head.
“Don’t you believe in miracles, Mommy?”
Life had been a wonder since her daughter had come into her life. She had always wanted to be a mother, but for a long time she wondered if she was infertile. Despite their efforts they had failed to conceive over and over.
It had been the most wondrous news when she found out that it had finally happened. She was actually pregnant. Her daughter being born on this day only seemed to confirm that something greater, bigger than themselves, had happened to them.
She hadn’t cared about the sleepless nights or the temper tantrums. Just finally having a child of her own made even the worst days worth it. She had named her daughter after something Hearthswarming related simply because it was a most miraculous day. The day that the three pony tribes finally put aside their differences and discovered the magic of friendship.
When had she forgotten what it was like to believe in the impossible? Forgotten what a miracle really was?
Interrupting her stupor was the sound of rapid hoofbeats. Holly came running in.
“Mommy!” she called out.
“Good morning, Holly. Happy birthday!”
“Oh, I just woke up, and I’m so excited. Is he here yet?”
“No… not yet.”
All the excitement drained out of her. “But… but…”
She had done just what the spirit asked. She had kept her promise, so why wasn't he here?
She looked on the verge of tears.
Harmony picked her daughter up, setting her on her lap. “Don’t let your faith be shaken so easily, Holly! Maybe I’m just getting my hopes up for nothing, but I want to believe too. If there’s any way for your father to make it here today, then he’s going to come.
“As you said to me yesterday, you really are my little miracle. And you’re proof that miracles really do happen.”
She rubbed her daughters head. “So don’t give up on that belief of yours. You made me remember when I used to believe. So let’s keep hoping together, okay?”
She remembered what her mother had said yesterday about not believing anymore. Hearing that she had changed her mind, and hearing her mother’s encouragement, settled her emerging feelings before they could really take hold.
She took in a deep breath, thinking about her promise. She couldn’t lose all hope just because her daddy was a little late. The spirit had told her he would be there when she woke up, but she had only been awake for a minute. As soon as she had arisen and remembered her promise she had felt full of energy. Maybe he just didn't expect her to wake up so soon.
The two of them ate breakfast and washed the dishes together.
Just as they were heading to the living room they heard a rapid knocking on the front door.
Harmony felt a jolt in her heart. She didn’t know if she was really ready to open that door, as it might not be her husband, but it would do her no good to put it off.
Holly jumped up and down repeatedly. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!”
They both went to the front door, Harmony unlocking it and opening it.
Her eyes filled with tears, hardly believing it. Her husband really was standing right there before her.
“DADDY!” Holly screamed, running over and throwing herself at him. “You made it!”
He hugged her. “It’s so, so good to see both of you. You have no idea.”
Harmony added her hooves to the hug. “Same to you, Spark.
“So… the storm let up?”
He pulled away from her and set Holly on the floor. “Let’s get out of the cold.”
“Right.”
They went inside, and he closed the door behind him. “I… don’t know how to explain it. I’ve never seen the likes of it in all my life.”
“What happened?”
“It was still snowing. The blizzard hadn’t let up a bit. I was staying at the station in some vain hope that there would still be a possibility something might go my way.
“Then, right before my eyes, the snow began to melt… but only on the tracks.”
“What?” asked Harmony.
“It blew my mind. The tracks and the train both became devoid of snow, and nothing else.
“For a while no one knew what to do. It was just so surprising. But eventually the conductor decided that if the tracks were clear, no matter how it had happened, that he’d make the trip if there were those who needed it.
“It just felt like a miracle directing me back home to both of you.”
“Of course it was!” said Holly. “He kept his promise.”
That got both her parents looking at her strangely. “Who are you talking about?” asked Harmony.
“That’s who I was talking to yesterday. It was the Spirit of Hearthswarming.”
Her parents glanced at each other now, unsure of how to respond to that.
Holly ignored her parents reactions. “He came to visit yesterday when I was all sad. He knows when ponies aren’t in the holiday spirit, so he came to cheer me up.
“He said that if I didn’t cry, and stayed happy, and believed with all my heart that a miracle could happen, that he would bring you back home to me by the morning.”
Harmony bit her lip. “Look, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but that was probably just some random stallion from around town that wanted to cheer you up.”
Holly shook her head. “Nuh-uh! It was a miracle spirit. If that was just someone in town then they couldn’t have done anything all the way in Baltimare. No one’s magic could travel that far except maybe the princesses, and that was definitely not a mare talking to me.
“If it wasn’t a spirit then how do you explain what happened to Daddy’s train?”
Neither of them had an answer for her.
Eventually Spark said, “Well, who knows? Maybe it really was a spirit or maybe it wasn’t. However, I think what we can all agree on is that a miracle certainly happened today.”
Holly nodded. “It’s okay if you don’t believe, Daddy. I know the truth.
“I… I kept to my promise.” She let out a shaky breath. “I didn’t cry all day yesterday, b-b-because I said I was gonna save all my tears for when I saw you again today.”
She hugged him again, breaking down in happy sobs.
Spark held her back, happy he hadn’t missed his daughter’s special day.
Harmony added her own hooves to the mix, adding her heart to theirs.
***
Slipstream sat by the fire next to his wife, sipping hot cocoa as his daughters played with their new toys. The massive weight that had been on his shoulders had finally gone. He had finally been able to truly share in his two daughter’s enthusiasm about their coming presents, teasing them about it. When they got to open their presents they were overjoyed.
He knew he wasn’t completely in the clear, but he felt like the worst was over. That unexpected windfall had gotten them back onto solid ground. It no longer felt like his next step was going to break the earth underneath him and sink him into an endless abyss.
Maybe it really had just been blind luck that he had gotten the one in a hundred grand prize, or maybe the owner had intentionally let him win. He had been too bereft of hope to even look at the wheel the whole time it was spinning, so it was certainly a possibility.
After Silk took a sip of her cocoa she said, "I've been thinking. Where did you find that place where you won all that stuff yesterday?"
He didn't remember the exact location, but he described some of the stores he had passed by.
"It's strange, isn't it?"
"What is?" he responded.
“Ponyville is a relatively small town. The majority of the stores are small and specialize in a particular thing. When did we suddenly get a big department store?"
Now that she had brought it up he felt similar confusion. He hadn't recalled ever seeing anything like that before, except in big cities like Canterlot and Manehatten. In his depressed state he hadn't thought twice about the unusualness of it. It really seemed like he would have heard about something like that being built in Ponyville.
Silk gave him a playfully serious expression. "Be honest with me now. You went and robbed a whole bunch of places, didn't you?"
He chuckled. "Could be, though that would be pretty brazen walking around with a cart full of stolen items."
Before he could dwell on it further the fire suddenly sparked, catching his attention.
Out of the fire came an envelope, propelled upward towards the ceiling before gently drifting downward in his direction.
He blinked, dumbly reaching out his hoof for it and catching it. Despite seemingly coming out of the fire it wasn't charred at all, nor warm to the touch.
"What was that about?" asked Silk.
"I have no idea," Slipstream responded.
He stared at the envelope for a little while. The outside was blank, so he turned it around and opened it, taking out a small letter. It only consisted of a few lines.
Dear Slipstream,
Sometimes life can drag you down. That's when you need a miracle to lift you up.
Enjoy the gift and live to the fullest with your family.
Signed,
The Spirit of Hearthswarming.
Slipstream read the last line a few times to be sure he was reading it correctly, then read it out to her.
“The ‘Spirit of Hearthswarming,’ huh?" asked Silk with a bit of wonder. "So yesterday you had supernatural help?”
His logical mind was trying to reject the notion, but things just didn't add up if he just thought of the mundane. The store that seemingly shouldn't exist, the letter popping out of the fireplace unharmed right when he began to question things...
He glanced upward. “Well, whatever you are, you were a lifesaver. The least I can do for you in return for saving my family from misery is embracing your holiday, Mr. Spirit.
“Thank you.”
***
Sapphire woke first in the morning. She could remember dancing and chatting and playing games, but she also felt a bit unsettled. Some part of her couldn’t help but wonder if what had happened yesterday was actually real.
Their daughter had certainly been suffering, but was she that bad off that it needed supernatural intervention?
She shook her husband awake, and shared her concerns when he was alert enough to listen to her. Surprisingly, he felt the same way.
They both went to their daughters room, seeing her still fast asleep.
They got close to her bed, but didn’t wake her yet. They just listened for a while to the sound of her breathing. After caring for her condition most of her life they were pretty familiar with it sounding off. Her breaths were usually shallow, or accompanied by wheezing. She’d usually have to sleep slightly elevated, and would sometimes be woken up several times a night coughing up a storm.
They were concerned enough they still had a baby monitor in her room, just in case she needed them and couldn’t make it to their room or call out. They rarely got a full night’s sleep either. Even when she stayed with other family they still couldn't sleep completely soundly. They'd worry about being woken up and hearing their daughter had another attack.
Last night was the first time they had slept through the night since the accident. They hadn’t heard a peep all night. They couldn’t hear any sign of a wheeze, and she was taking in long, slow breaths.
It was almost overwhelming to know that their daughter was truly at peace for once in her life.
They couldn’t bring themselves to wake her up, disturbing her first uninterrupted deep sleep.
They looked at her with tender eyes, gently crying joyful tears.
Everything was really okay now.
***
Fluttershy hummed a Hearthswarming tune, feeling content. Discord had gotten her a nice, warm sweater, while Mayhem had given her a coupon for “one million free hugs.” If it had come from Discord it would have been a bit corny, but coming from Mayhem It was charming.
In a joking voice she said, “You went out an awful long time looking for the ‘perfect present’ yesterday. Didn’t see anything you wanted to buy?”
Mayhem shrugged. “I think the best present is love.”
Discord rolled his eyes. “Ugh.”
Mayhem just stuck his tongue out at him.
Fluttershy giggled. “You know, you’ve been acting strangely ever since you came home yesterday. You’ve been real giggly and smiley.”
“Oh… you know… just getting into the spirit of things.”
She gave him a questioning look at the emphasis he put on the word. He also had a bit of a mischievous smirk on his face now.
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” she said, still with a lighthearted tone. “It sounds like you and Discord got up to something while looking for my present.”
“Don’t look at me,” said Discord. “I got your present a while ago. I don’t know what he was doing yesterday.”
“Hmmm.” Her expression grew serious as she looked back at Mayhem. “I thought you told me that Discord was taking you around to go shopping. So you lied to me?”
Mayhem got an awkward look on his face. “Well… I mean… I’m part of Discord, so it wasn’t really a lie.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “A truth on a technicality might not be a lie, but it’s still dishonest.
“Is there a reason you couldn’t have just asked for Discord to accompany you rather than go out by yourself?”
“Well, I just… didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Why is that?” She glared down at him.
“I thought Twilight might get upset with me if she knew what I was really doing.”
Discord scratched his chin. “Why on earth would Twilight be upset at you buying a Hearthswarming present?”
Mayhem sighed. “I guess I can’t hide it any longer.
“I lied because I thought it would make you happy, Mommy. Not the lying bit, of course, but what I was really doing.”
Fluttershy gave him a questioning look. “First you say you didn’t want anyone to know what you were doing, but now you’re saying you wanted to make me happy? Which is it?”
“Both.”
Her eyebrow went up. “Both?
“Why don’t we stop dancing around the issue? Just what were you up to?”
“I feel like I’m a really lucky person. I have a great mother, amazing friends, and a great teacher in Twilight. My life is going super well, even if I do miss my old friends.”
Mayhem looked down, pushing a claw and paw together. “When I thought about how good I have it, and how special so many days have been, it just made me think about the ones who aren’t so lucky.”
Tears started to come down his eyes. “Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean everyone is happy. Sometimes people have problems. I know I can’t solve everyone’s problems for their whole life, but I really felt like this day should be special no matter who you are.”
Fluttershy felt like she was starting to see where this story was heading, her glare fading to a more neutral expression.
Mayhem wiped his face. “Twilight told me that she doesn’t want me becoming too well known around town because then everyone will just come to me to fix all their problems instead of doing things they can handle themselves, or become too comfortable with the idea that they’ll never have any bad times so long as I’m around.
“That’s when I got the idea. Rather than just make something happen seemingly out of nowhere, or going up to people as myself, I’d take advantage of this being a holiday and play the part of the Spirit of Hearthswarming. I’d let people chalk up the impossible to some magical, sacred being rather than chaos magic.
“I… I did invade their privacy a bit. Whenever I saw someone sad and miserable I’d look at their minds to see what was causing their distress, and manipulate things to fix it.”
He looked up now, tears coming down again. “There were quite a few people having a horrible Hearthswarming Eve. One of the people I helped was someone who was going through financial problems and couldn't even afford any presents for his children. Another had a daughter that had caught the flu and was asthmatic, barely able to breathe.
"Not counting their family, I think I helped like eight or nine people, and every time just seeing the cheer on their faces made my heart swell.”
Fluttershy felt choked up now. “So you snuck out on your own… in order to spread kindness and generosity to those most in need?”
He nodded. “I’ve watched you for a long time. You always show kindness to everyone you meet, so I wanted to be just like you if you had this kind of power.”
Discord gave a sincere clap. “That is extremely noble. However, why all the secrecy?”
“Because no one needed to know it was me. I didn’t go and help people just so I could brag and have everyone pat me on the back about how nice I am. I did it because I wanted to help.”
Fluttershy felt extremely moved. She lifted up her coupon book. “I’d like to start redeeming my present.”
“Okay, Mommy,” said Mayhem, floating over to her and giving her a big hug.
She held him back, happy tears coming down her cheeks. “I am so, so, so proud of you, Mayhem. I know you weren’t in it for anything more than seeing others happy, but now that I know I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you how much joy you’ve brought me by helping others.
“That’s an even better present than this coupon book.”
"Well, that was going to be my secret present to you. I didn't want to just give you nothing, so that's why I gave you that book, but that was always the real present. I already knew that you care more about the heart inside the present more than the present itself."
She nuzzled his face. "That's very true.
"Well, now that I know the secret will you tell me about yesterday? I want to share in the good feelings too."
"Okay, Mommy, but I have to do one thing first."
He poofed upstairs. "She won't hear me up here."
He began waving to you. "Hello, readers! Can you believe this author? One hundred and sixty six chapters of a story involving me, Discord, and Pinkie Pie, and the only time he breaks the fourth wall is during a possibly non-canon holiday special? For shame!"
He shook his head. "Oh, well. I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday, and got to share in a little bit of the happiness I brought to others even if you're not having the best holiday yourself."
"Mommy's waiting for me, so I'll say goodbye for now! I'll see you in the next chapter." With a last warm smile he headed downstairs.
This was a bit of an unusual chapter for me. I've never done a holiday themed chapter before, and it didn't even focus on any of the main characters except Mayhem's bit at the end.
I don't know if I'm going to make this canon, as it may break the sequential aspect of the story. It might not matter in the end.
I'm not sure why I never add in fourth wall breaking antics in my stories, even with the ones that are known to do it from time to time, so I just threw it in here for fun and as a personal message.
As Mayhem said, I hope you felt some heartwarming feelings and my story could make you feel just a little bit better if you're not doing your best at this time.
Until next time. 
Stats
Page generated in 0.035 seconds
Total duration
954 users online
1,144,703 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
WAAAAAHHH!!!
That was so good! Such a great chapter!
That was an interesting ending. It slightly changes the whole story but still retains the whole theme and most importantly the message. I think Clarence Oddbody would approve what the methods used here.
woah that was an awesome chapter
10002482
I'm glad to hear it. I was pretty nervous about how people were going to react to a chapter that seemed to have nothing to do with Pound and Pumpkin Tales throughout it unless they stuck it out to the end and saw Mayhem's portion.
10004700
Thank you so much!
10002878
When you say "the whole story" are you talking about THIS holiday story, or like the entirety of Pound and Pumpkin Tales? The first time I read it I thought it was the latter, and it had to do with the fourth wall break. Like, "hey, Mayhem's self-aware he's in a story."
Coming back to this again now it sounds like the former and it's about the spirit actually just being Mayhem in disguise.
As an aside, do you think this chapter would have turned out worse without Mayhem explaining his mindset for doing things? My initial plan was to end on Mayhem's pun of "getting into the SPIRIT of things," thus cluing the audience in.
10005065
Sorry I should’ve clarified I meant the chapter. Having him explain why he did it sealed it for me.
Pretty easy to figure out the secret, but it doesn’t detract from my enjoyment. This chapter was so soft and heartwarming!
Well, technically it cost him 10 bits to join the lottery. But who's keeping track?
Well, I've never spent the holidays in a hospital (unless you count that one Thanksgiving). But I've come close (spending 3 weeks in the hospital, and coming home on Christmas Eve). And I once had a fever of 104 on Christmas, meaning that I couldn't go to the family Christmas party. But that was also the year my grandmother died, so it was the first Christmas without her, making that Christmas party not as cheerful as it could've been. I also had a bad cough during that holiday season, getting so bad that I ended up losing my voice. So, I can sympathize with Topaz about having a fever.
Okay, I can relate with Topaz a little too well in my opinion. And my mother can probably relate a little too well with Topaz's parents. Being an epileptic, I actually had a baby monitor in my room until I was 21 (when I moved out). And I'm pretty sure I've been the cause of my mother not getting a full night's sleep, and worrying when I stayed over at a friends or something.
In fact, the similarities between me and Topaz are creepy. I mean, my issues are far from as frequent as her's. But it's still creepy, including just how many of those issues revolved around my epilepsy. Spending Thanksgiving in the hospital was the result of generic epilepsy meds not doing their job. My tongue is scarred from how many times I've bitten it during seizures. Three weeks in the hospital and almost missing Christmas was the result of an allergic reaction to an epilepsy med (which I'm pretty sure I have internal scarring from the blistering, which I'm pretty sure is why I didn't do well in gym class because my lungs probably weren't as strong as they would've been otherwise). The fever... was just the flu. Nothing epilepsy related there. But technically, Topaz's flu wasn't related to her accident. Her accident just didn't help her any.
Personally, I'm not a fan of stories that have characters breaking the 4th wall, because more often than not, they don't do it right. I mean, I can enjoy some of those stories. But most people who have Pinkie or Discord breaking the 4th wall do so in a way that demonstrates how little they know about breaking the 4th wall, specifically the fact that there are different tiers. Most people do a version that you don't actually see in the show. This version is the one where the characters are aware of the fact that they are in a fictional universe and sometimes will involve interaction with the audience. This is what's known as "Breaking the 5th Wall". The way the characters in the show break the 4th wall is primarily through 4th wall jokes and cartoon logic. These version of breaking the 4th wall involve the jokes and cartoon logic. But the characters still believe that the universe they live in is real. That's what most people don't understand about breaking the 4th wall. One of my favorite 4th wall jokes was Pinkie Pie saying that she thought Rarity's middle name was Tabetha.
And most people even take the proper usage too far. For example, they often don't realize that there's a difference between breaking the 4th wall, and just making a 4th wall joke. A 4th wall joke can still be considered breaking the 4th wall. But to take a title from Linkara, I'd like to refer to it as being "Atop the 4th Wall", since it doesn't actually "break" any barriers, it's just an Easter Egg style comment.
Breaking the 5th wall, or just the more extreme of breaking the 4th wall, I don't mind that kind of stuff if it works for the story, or if the chapter is non-canon. That's why I would make the argument that this chapter should be non-canon. That and the time it takes place seems forced in my opinion, since last we saw, I think it was implied that it was still summer, or maybe early autumn. And even though he has a new group of friends, I feel like he'd be able to see his old friends by now, or at least some of them.
Although, I wonder what it would be like if he did his weekly wish granting session, but everything was Heath's Warming themed.
P.S. I actually predicted that it was either going to be Mayhem or Discord early on.
10032468
Shoot, bro. I didn't know you had it that bad.
As to the fourth wall thing I think it's just a lot harder to pull it off well in a written medium. There's no "camera" to wink at, and it just feels awkward to say "she winked at you." Or things like Pinkie breaking out into the void of the closing of the episode to complain about how she was still missing her mouth from the Trixie episode.
As to the timeline, I'm not really sure where we are, though I'd wager we're somewhere in Spring. Thing is, I don't mention time all that often. Every new chapter comes chronologically after the one before it, yeah, but I usually don't specify how far one chapter is from a previous one between arcs. I think the big one is simply Pound learning to fly with Drill Bit.
Time also just isn't as important now. I thought each era of PAPT would cover a year of their lives, but it doesn't have to be that way.