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Stave 1-Tirek's Ghost2,331 words
Stave 2-The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Past1,434 words
Stave 3-The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present1,507 words
Stave 4-The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come1,190 words
Stave 5-The End?1,099 words
Credits45 words

Stave 3-The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present

Awakening a few hours later, or at least what seemed to be a few hours later, Grogar was not terribly surprised when he awoke to see the hands on the clock move onto the stroke of one and sound the hour. Not a moment passed, and his room was flooded with a surge of bright and glorious light, coming through, underneath, over, and around the door. Confused, although recalling the similarity to which the first spirit had come to visit him, he climbed out of bed and headed over to the door, opening it with his mouth and stepped forth into the chamber he called his living room.

It was his room, alright. But it had undergone a surprising transformation in the time he had been asleep. Gone were the old and worn items of his usual passage. In their place sat wreaths, misletoe, holly and ivy, and so much living green hung from the walls that the place looked like a forest. The table was covered in food from end to end, apples, pears, and many other fruits proudly adorning that wooden furniture piece with such pride that it groaned under the weight of fruit and vegetables. Grogar rarely had griffon or dragon guests, so he saw no need to have no meat. Come to think of it, he rarely had guests at all.

Which made the being before him all the more baffling. Sitting next to a roaring fire was a creature who looked like a pony, and yet was not one. Their tail was like a brush, hanging off the back, and their mane hung around their neck like a scarf. Scales adorned the front of their face, and the back around the hips too, and a brown horn with red chevrons sprung forth from their forehead. They had a gigantic smile upon their face, and the moment they noticed Grogar, they called out, confirming this being to be female. "Come in, and know me better, ram!"

Grogar shuffled closer, and looked upon this creature with a mixture of alarm and amazement.

"Oh, there's no need to be scared!" she replied. "I don't bite. I see that you've never seen a Kirin before?"

"No," Grogar admitted. "I daresay I rarely go to the Peaks of Peril. Are there many Kirin like you?"

"Oh, there must be thousands!" the Kirin replied. "I am the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present."

"Truly a tremendous family to provide for!" Grogar smiled. "Spirit, I was taught a lesson last night by a fellow of yours, and I believe that lesson to be working now. If you have something to teach me tonight, let me profit by it."

"Oh, of course!" the Ghost smiled. "Take my hoof, and we shall go and see what we have to learn!"

Grogar did as she instructed, and in that instant they teleported out of the room and into the streets.

The pair found themselves in a narrow street in Canterlot, in front of an old home that appeared to have seen better days but nontheless glowed with Hearth's Warming merriment. Inside, a number of beings bustled about, all of them seemingly hybrids of ponies and changelings. Grogar knew this place. It was Sandbar's home. Sandbar had but few bits himself, and yet the spirit came by and blessed his home and those who lived there!

Inside, overseeing all, was a changeling of chitin blue, with a red carapace and a whispy pink mane. She happily trotted about as she monitored the stove, something or over cooking upon it. A vast meal had been prepared, impressive for their meagre wage, when the door flew open and another half changeling entered, her face warm and smiling.

"There you are, Labrum!" called the changeling, whom Grogar now recognised as Sandbar's wife, Ocellus. "Where were you?"

"We had a load of creatures to help at the soup kitchen, mother," Labrum replied. "We were overrun by at least a half hour!"

Ocellus smiled, her blue eyes shining in the dingy light. "Well, you are here now, and that is all that matters. Sit ye down at the table, we're almost done here!"

No sooner had Labrum shut the door, then the door opened again, and Sandbar entered, with a small half changeling upon his back. He looked tired and weary, yet smiled to the heavens and his eyes shone with light. He entered through that doorway a victorious hero, that rectangular spot of entry as fine as any archway for a returning conqueror. "Good evening," he said, as he placed the half changeling down upon a chair, and turned to gently kiss his wife, and hug his older daughter.

"How was Lakeheart?" Ocellus asked her husband.

"As good as gold, and more," Sandbar smiled, "and yet more. He a very thoughtful soul, and fine too, and hoped that all remembered that, upon this very day all those years ago, beings myriad and many came together in a single voice to form our nation, and that now we had a chance to do that again with all the races present."

The meal was a most splendid affair. Such was the fine cooking of the vegetables and the hay, and the gravy, that all seemed to have eaten a banquet despite the meagre portions available. And all took to seeing the pudding, the prize of the evening, glistening in its bowl, covered in toffee and glowing like a red hot cannonball used to blow open a ship's hull. Nobody complained about how small it was. It would have been foolish to do so.

And so, with the dinner concluded, the family took to sitting around the fire. Sandbar filled the tankards with (non-alcoholic) apple cider, produced on the Apple farm at Ponyville. Sandbar had been a student of the current matriarch of the Apples, Applejack, when he had attended the School of Friendship. He raised his tankard, and spoke up. "A Happy Hearth's Warming, my dears. Faust bless us!"

"Faust bless us!" cried one and all.

"Faust bless us, every one!" called Lakeheart, his small, beady eyes filled with warmth.

Then Sandbar raised his tankard again. "To Mr Grogar, the founder of the feast!"

"That," Ocellus told him, "is a very poor choice of words. If he were here, I would give him a piece of my mind, and hoped he could swallow it!"

Sandbar shook his head. "My dear! The nymphs! Hearth's Warming day!"

"I cannot believe you expect us to drink to the health of such an odious, stingy ram!" Ocellus went on, her anger building. "You know that fact better than anybody, Sandbar!"

Sandbar merely indicated to Labrum and Lakeheart. Ocellus sighed. "All right, dear. I'll drink to his health for the sake of the day. Long life to him! He'll be very merry and very happy, I'll have no doubt."

The sentiment was clear. Grogar was the monster of the family, and his name cast a long shadow upon them.

Seconds later, Grogar was distracted from watching the scene before him by hearing a hearty laugh. As the scene suddenly changed to a home he knew somewhat well, he was astonished to see that the laugh belonged to none other than Discord! He floated in the middle of a living room, with many others watching him. Sat on one of the chairs was a yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail. Grogar soon recognised her as Discord's wife, Fluttershy.

"He said that Hearth's Warming was a humbug!" Discord laughed. "He even believed it too!"

"Well, shame on him," Fluttershy told him.

"He's a very odd fellow," Discord admitted. "He is wealthy, but he is something of a recluse, and he is at home today."

"He's missing out, that's for sure," said another figure sat nearby, whom was known as Zephyr Breeze, Fluttershy's brother.

"Shall we play a game?" asked another voice. "Would you care to lead us, Discord, in a game of Yes or No?"

"Of course," Discord smiled. He thought for a moment. "This being has my name, spelt backwards... but with all the wrong letters."

A number of answers were proposed, until suddenly one of the guests got the answer. "I've got it! It's Grogar!"

"I thought it was a bear," Zephyr sighed. "That has all the wrong letters too."

"Oh well," Discord smiled. "A Happy Hearth's Warming, and a Wondrous New Year."

Before long, the spirit and Grogar were on their way again. They travelled far and wide, all across Equestria and beyond. They sat in underwater homes in Seaquestria and saw seaponies play; in the sick-houses of Clugetown, and were at peace; into the flaming heat of the Dragon Lands, and saw drakes happy and merry; in every refuge of misery they brought happiness and peace.

Grogar suddenly found himself in the centre of Canterlot. He looked about him, and the spirit Kirin was gone. He looked up at the clock as it sounded twelve, and as he looked over, he remembered Tirek's words, and saw something draw close to him.

Author's Note:

Discord's clue is a reference to the MLP blooper reel, where John De Lancie messes up one of his lines.

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Foxhelm

Foxhelm #1 · Dec 23rd, 2019 · 1 · ·

A little too fast, but I grant you credit for not messing around

The Blue EM2

The Blue EM2 #2 · Dec 23rd, 2019 · · ·

10000535
This may seem quicker as it is based on the condensed version Dickens wrote for dramatic reading. I am more familiar with this version, as I have acted in productions of it several times (once as Tiny Tim, and then a few years later as Scrooge as I underwent a very dramatic growth spurt).

The Blue EM2