• Published 24th Feb 2020
  • 18,643 Views, 3,928 Comments

Spike The Brony Dragon - red4567



A human in Spike's body will do whatever he can to change the future for the better.

  • ...
127
 3,928
 18,643

PreviousChapters Next
Chapter 28 (Hearth's Warming Eve)

The next couple of months were rather uneventful, despite the fact we’ve gone from fall to winter already. But once the Hearth’s Warming Eve decorations were up, that’s when things have gotten interesting.

I’ve always been a fan of Christmas. The cool decorations, the joyful songs, the exchanging of gifts. I know I sound sappy about this, but it was truly a holiday I enjoyed.

It was only a couple of weeks before this holiday when Twilight and I got a letter from Princess Celestia. She invited us to act in this year’s pageant. We both couldn’t say no at that. Right after we accepted, the Princess sent us our scripts. I was going to be the narrator, while Twilight was going to be Clover the Clever, Princess Platinum's royal advisor and Star Swirl the Bearded’s apprentice. This was when the episode “Hearth’s Warming Eve” took place, but there was nothing I could change.

“Did you know back then, mares played the roles of stallions?” Twilight asked me. “It was because most stallions were either training in the army or working at their shops, so finding those who can act was pretty seldom in those days. It wasn’t until much later that stallion actors became more common.”

“But there’s still female actors playing male roles today, like you acting as Clover,” I said.

“I said more common, not as common.”

“That’s really interesting, though. What about those scenes that involved kissing?”

“They were just stage kisses.”

It took us a few days for us to remember our respective lines. About a week before Hearth’s Warming Eve, the girls and I hopped onto the train to Canterlot.

“Now, remember, Spike,” Twilight said. “We’ll be arguing in the play, but these are fake arguments. So don’t lose your temper, okay? This is a rare opportunity for us, and we don’t want to mess it up.”

“I know, Twilight. I know,” I said. "Not all arguments anger me."

We arrived at Canterlot in a flash. After admiring the city's decorations, we headed to the theater to suit up for the play.

Something I’ve always wondered in the show was those windigos. Did they actually appear in the play, or was it just special effects? I guessed my answer would come soon.

I slipped into my “narrator uniform.” It felt slightly uncomfortable, but I knew I wasn’t going to wear it for long.

“The play starts in two minutes, girls!” I called out. I saw the girls arguing, and I kept my cool. “Nice argument! Very convincing!”

I hurried to the front of the stage. I adjusted my outfit, and the curtains opened.

I cleared my throat and said in a British accent, “Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Celestia and Luna, and even before ponies discovered our beautiful land of Equestria, ponies did not know harmony. It was a strange and dark time. A time when ponies were torn apart by hatred!”

Gasps filled the room.

I stepped closer to the audience. “During this frightful age, there were the three tribes: the pegasi, the unicorns, and the earth ponies. They all cared not for what befell the other tribes, but only for their own welfare. In those troubled times, as what we call it now, the pegasi were the stewards of the weather. But they demanded something in return: food that could only be grown by the earth ponies.”

I stepped aside and watched as the ponies unveiled what I narrated. The special effects were almost unrealistic, but this was a play, not a movie.

I continued, “The unicorns demanded the same, in return for magically bringing forth day and night. And so, mistrust between the tribes festered until, one fateful day, it came to a boil. And what prompted the ponies to clash? It was a mysterious blizzard that overtook the land, and it toppled the tribes' precarious peace.”

Fake snow fell onto the stage.

I clenched my fist. “The earth ponies were freezing. The pegasi were hungry. The unicorns were both freezing and hungry. Even their magic was powerless against the storm. Each tribe blamed the others for their suffering, and the angrier everypony grew, the worse the blizzard became. It was then decided that a grand summit would be held to figure out a way to cope with the blizzard.”

The scene changed to the interior of an old building. There were paintings of angry ponies on the top half looking over a balcony. A table and chairs were placed in the middle of the stage.

“Each tribe sent their leaders. Daughter of the unicorn king: Princess Platinum.”

Rarity appeared on stage wearing a purple crown and cape.

“Ruler of the pegasi, Commander Hurricane.”

Rainbow Dash showed up in black armor.

“And finally, leader of the earth ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead.

Pinkie Pie pronked onstage wearing a noble outfit.

“Perhaps the three tribes could finally settle their differences, and agree on a way to get through this disaster.”

Sadly, this was not the case. Platinum, Puddinghead, and Hurricane argued non-stop and kept blaming each other for the lack of food and bad weather.

This is just a fake argument. This is just a fake argument. This is just a fake argument…

After the leaders were done arguing, I took a deep breath and continued my narrating.

“So the summit of the tribes did not turn out as well as hoped, and the three leaders returned home to lick their wounds.”

The background changed to a cloudy setting similar to Cloudsdale. Rainbow reappeared on stage.

“Attention!” Rainbow shouted.

Fluttershy, who was dressed as Private Pansy, trotted nervously on stage. I was surprised she was able to do it given how she reacts to being in front of a large crowd.

“Well? Aren't you curious about how it went?” Rainbow frimly asked Fluttershy.

Fluttershy saluted. “Oh! Commander Hurricane, sir! How did it go, sir?”

“Horribly! Those other tribe leaders are so disrespectful! Don't they realize that we are a mighty tribe of warriors, and should not be crossed? We have got to break ranks with those weak foals!”

Rainbow and Fluttershy left the stage. The backdrop turned into a royal hallway similar to the one in the Canterlot Castle. Rarity entered the stage shivering.

“Clover the Clever! I need you!” Rarity called out.

Twilight entered wearing a brown, hooded robe. She handed Rarity a towel.

“Yes, your Majesty,” Twilight said. “Did the other pony tribes see reason as I predicted?”

“Those other tribes are impossible! I, for one, can no longer bear to be anywhere near those lowly creatures. The unicorns are noble and majestic. We will no longer consort with the likes of them!”

If only they had a dragon with them...

Next, it was Pinkie’s and Applejack’s turn to enter. The scene changed to a fireplace. Applejack showed up on stage as usual, while Pinkie entered through the chimney like Santa Claus.

“Wouldn't it have been easier to use the door, Chancellor?” Applejack asked.

“Maybe for you, Smart Cookie” Pinkie replied. “But I am a chancellor. I was elected because I know how to think outside the box. Which means I can also think inside the chimney. Can you think inside a chimney? I didn't think so.”

Applejack rolled her eyes.

Pinkie wiped the ash from her face and gasped. “Hold on to your hooves! I am just about to be brilliant! I have decided that the earth ponies are gonna do it alone!”

Applejack bit her lower lip. “Ya mean the other tribes didn't come around? Shoot. I really thought we could get through to 'em if we—”

Pinkie interrupted her. “Don't worry about them. We're the ones with all the food, right?”

“Actually, we're all out.”

“Fine, then we'll have to go somewhere new where we can grow some new food. And with me as our fearless leader, what could go wrong?”

Pinkie as a ruler in real life would be kinda scary, and that’s if she’s not an alicorn.

“So the three rulers, along with their assistants, decided to journey along to find new land to claim." I said to the audience. "Each leader encountered obstacles along the way, but eventually, they all arrived in a new and wondrous land. Nopony had ever seen a paradise like this before.”

The backdrop of the new land dropped down from above. By sheer coincidence, all the leaders have found what was going to be future Equestria. They were not amused by the fact that the other leaders have arrived. They’ve argued with each other once more, and fake snow fell once again.

“And so, the paradise that the ponies had found was soon lost, buried beneath a thick blanket of snow and hard feelings. It was just like their respective land back home. Everypony had been forced to seek shelter. They searched high and low, but the only shelter for miles was a cold and desolate cave. And, of course, the three tribes had to share it, and nopony was happy about that.”

The background was changed to the interior of a cave. Like in the show, everypony kept arguing. Soon, snow fell once again on stage. Fake ice, which was just cardboard cutouts of ice, was placed in front of Platinum, Hurricane, and Puddinghead. Cardboard cutouts of windigos hung from above.

So it was just special effects. Good to know.

“My mentor Star Swirl the Bearded taught me about the windigos,” Twilight said. “They're winter spirits that feed off fighting and hatred. The more hate the spirit feels, the colder things become!”

“Then...this is our fault,” Applejack said. “We three tribes...we brought this blizzard to our home by fightin' and not trustin' each other. Now it's destroyin' this land, too.”

“And now our bodies will become as cold as our hearts. All because we were foolish enough to hate.”

Fake ice appeared in front of Clover, Pansy, and Cookie. They talked about how they liked each other. Clover’s horn glowed and out came a heart of fire. And this wasn’t a prop. The fake ice disappeared. The group realized that the heart was formed from them all joining together in friendship.

I continued my narration. “All through the night, the three ponies kept the fire of friendship alive by telling stories to one another and by singing songs, which of course became the winter carols that we all still sing today. Eventually, the warmth of the fire and singing and laughing reached the leaders, and their bodies began to thaw. And it even began to melt their hearts.”

The fake ice disappeared from Hurricane, Puddinghead, and Platinum as well.

“The three leaders agreed to share the beautiful land, and live in harmony ever afterwards. And together, they named their new land...”

“Equestria!” the girls and I announced in unison. The Equestrian flag was placed in the center of the stage.

Ater we sang the song, the crowd gave us a round of applause.

We all went backstage to remove our costumes. Soon, I saw the girls arguing about the open window.

“Hey! HEY!” I yelled. “Stop practicing! The play’s over!”

“Uh...we weren’t…” Rainbow started to say, but the roar of a windigo interrupted her. “You know what? I got it.”

Rainbow quickly closed the window. We were honored to star in the Hearth’s Warming play. I bet Celestia enjoyed watching us. She does have a thing for theatre after all.

PreviousChapters Next