Christmas Special: The Greatest Gift One Could Ask For
| Many Years Ago |
The sun rose above the winter stricken land. A wide landscape of tall trees covered in a bright blanket of snow. The lakes had been frozen over, several mammals had gone into hibernation, and all the birds had migrated to warmer climates. The sight of the sun’s solar rays confirmed the start of a new day. But this wasn’t just any day of the year, but a rather special one. The time of year that had become a yearly, worldwide tradition. A day filled with happiness, gratitude, and warmth. Today marked the beginning of Hearth’s Warming, the most wonderful time of the year.
As the sun rose, a small village hidden within the forest had awakened to its natural light. Snow covered the streets and buildings of the village as several ponies exited their homes. As the adults greeted each other and the children played in the snow, one house on the outskirts of the town lay mostly quiet. Unlike the others which had been decorated with lights, flowers, streamers, and other decorations, this small building remained mostly bare with only a reef hung up on the door.
Inside rested two adult ponies, one a tall, earth stallion, the other a shorter, but beautiful pegasus. The stallion laid on one side of the bed while the mare clung to his back for his warmth. While in their deep sleep, neither could hear the sound of pitter patter and light snickering as their bedroom door slowly opened. The stallion’s ear twitched before he slowly began to open his eyes. He at first expected to be greeted by his wife, what he didn’t expect were three, energetic colts all with wide smiles on their faces.
“Wake up, wake up!”, the three colts sang as one tugged on their father’s hoof and another climbed on to the bed.
“Wake up, Dad! It’s finally here”, said Angurius as he pressed his hooves against his father’s back.
“Hmm, sorry boys, but I think it’s too early to celebrate”, yawned Dagon. “Maybe we can skip this Hearth’s Warming.”
“What! No way”, replied Rodan as he hovered in the air with his wings. “Hearth’s Warming is the best time of the whole year! Nopony would miss it for the world!”
Dagon lightly chuckled as he looked down at the remaining colt that still held on his hoof. “What do you think, Gojira?”, he asked.
“I think you should get out of bed and help us build a snowman outside!”, he exclaimed.
“Nuh-uh, what we should do is open presents first”, retorted Rodan who flew back down to the floor.
“But I love playing in the snow. We only get to see it once a year”, replied Gojira.
“Yeah, but the snow can wait”, said Rodan. As the two older colts argued, Anguirus looked over toward their mother who had stayed asleep throughout the whole thing.
“Should I wake up Mom, Dad?”, he asked. Dagon looked to his left and saw the mare that he loved sound asleep as if she was completely unaware of the three children that had invaded their bedroom.
“Why don’t you three head off to the living room and me and your mother will meet you there”, advised Dagon.
“Ok, Dad. First one there gets to open presents!”, Rodan called out before flying through the door.
“You're on”, replied Gojira as he ran after him.
“Not fair, you both know I’m not fast!”, exclaimed Anguirus as he hurried after them. Dagon lightly chuckled before looking over at the sleeping mare laying next to him.
“Wake up, my dear, the children are awake”, he said softly. Velvet stirred awake as she was met with the smiling face of her husband.
“Merry Hearth’s Warming, honey”, she said as she greeted Dagon with a warm smile.
“Merry Hearth’s Warming”, he replied. Velvet scooted over as she rested her head against Dagon’s chest, his warm fur making a comfortable pillow.
“Let me guess, they’re already in the living room ready to open presents?”, she asked.
“Did you even have to ask?”, replied Dagon. Velvet smiled as she leaned to plant a kiss on her husband’s cheek.
“I’m sure they’ll be as energetic as ever”, she said as she let out a yawn.
“Heh, more than likely. But, at the end of the day, it’s still a holiday”, said Dagon. The two held each other in an embrace before Dagon broke away. “By the way, are you positive that you’re capable of handling today?”
“Honey, we’ve been over this, I feel fine”, said Velvet with her reassuring smile. “You’ve been asking me this question for the past week, the doctor himself said that my cold should go away with time.”
“But he said that almost a week ago and…”, Dagon placed his hoof against Velvet’s head, it felt abnormally warm, “not much has really changed”, said Dagon.
“Dagon, I’m telling you, I’m fine”, said Velvet. “We only get so few holidays with our children and nothing is going to stop me from being at every single one of them.” She placed her hooves on Dagons. “You can trust me, right?”, she asked. Dagon stared at her deep green eyes, they were filled with sincerity and love. They reminded him why he first fell in love with this mare. Dagon leaned in and pressed his forehead against Velvets.
“There is no pony I trust more than you”, he said softly.
“Thank you dear”, replied Velvet. “Now come on, I’m sure the kids are waiting for us.” Dagon nodded as the two got out of bed. Velvet wrapped her wing around Dagon for all of his warmth. The gesture brought a soft smile to the gruff looking stallion’s face.
A few minutes later, the family was gathered around their tree. It was a relatively small tree with it being barely the same height as Dagon, but nevertheless, it was still decked out in all kinds of lights, ornaments, and tinsel. There were even a few gifts under the tree and each of the colts were hard at work, ripping away the wrapping to open up each of the boxes. Gojira and Rodan managed just fine, though Anguirus needed the help of his mother due to his smaller size. Most of the gifts contained toys, clothes, small goody bags, and treats. After a few minutes there were eventually only three presents left.
“Why did we have to save these for last?”, asked Rodan.
“Because your father and I believe that these gifts are extra special than your other ones”, said Velvet.
“Indeed, your mother worked really hard on them”, added Dagon.
Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus each opened their gifts at the same time. They ripped away the paper to reveal white boxes. They each opened the boxes to see its contents. Inside were wool, winter hats each having the first letter of each corresponding colt and their respective colors. The three brothers were each surprised by the gifts.
“Surprise!”, cheered Velvet.
“Wow, look at mine! Look at mine!”, exclaimed Anguirus as he pointed to his first initial that was woven into the cotton.
“No way mines better”, replied Rodan.
“You…made these for us?”, asked Gojira.
“Of course”, said Velvet.
“Nopony knits as well as your mother”, added Dagon. Although both Anguirus and Rodan seemed happy about their gift, Gojira seemed more split. This reaction caught the attention of his parents whose smiles were dropped for worried frowns.
“Is something wrong?”, asked Dagon.
“N-No, nothing is”, said Gojira as he looked over the hat again. “I just thought you were gonna use the wool for something you would want.” Velvet’s frown was replaced with a motherly smile as she lightly chuckled.
“Oh, no dear, I knitted these hats specifically for you three”, said Velvet.
“But, what about your cold?”, asked Gojira. Velvet had to hold back a scoff.
“Don’t you worry about me, I already have one man to do that”, said Velvet as she gestured to Dagon who replied with an eye roll. “And besides, I want what’s best for you three, something that lets you know just how much I love you little guys.”
Velvet bent down to hug both Anguirus and Rodan who both returned the hug. She extended her hoof for Gojira to join. He looked down at his gift, his mother’s style of knitting was present all over the hat. With a warm smile Gojira ran up and embraced his mother and his brothers.
“Thank you, mom”, the three said in unison.
“Your welcome, boys”, replied Velvet.
Dagon watched as his wife snuggled her children as tightly as she could. Dagon didn’t just see his family, he saw four ponies that he loved immensely. He saw four ponies that he couldn’t live his life without. He saw four ponies that he vowed to protect whether it be in health or not. His mind went back to the time he first laid eyes upon Velvet, their encounter happened by chance and the rest was history. History that Dagon was replaying in his mind and history that, little did he know, would go on for many more years to come. The youngest colt tugged in his father’s hoof, catching his attention.
“Can we go out into the snow now?”, asked Anguirus.
“Yeah! Can we, can we?”, asked Gojira, excitedly.
“Alright, go on boys, grab your winter coats”, said Dagon. The three brothers each ran off toward the coat rack with their winter hats in tow.
“It’s cute how selfless he already is”, said Velvet as she walked up to her husband. “He really is a lot like you.”
“Heh, yeah”, said Dagon. “Rodan and Anguirus are just like you.”
“How so?”, asked Velvet.
“They are loving, kind, full of life, have beautiful eyes and very supportive”, said Dagon. “And above all else, they make me the happiest stallion alive.” Velvet smiled as a faint blush formed on her face. Her eyes suddenly lit up.
“That reminds me”, she said before quickly running into the kitchen. After a couple of seconds she returned with a present. “I believe you should open this before you go.”
Dagon was a little surprised to see it, but nevertheless accepted the package and started to unwrap it. After tearing away the paper and opening the parsil, he was met with a sight that caused his heart to skip a beat. Inside was a long, carefully knitted scarf composed of deep blue wool; his favorite color. But that wasn’t all, on the end of the scarf, Velvet had knitted a couple of letters that read “For My Beloved” and on the other end depicted a symbol he knew all too well; it was the same one on his left flank. Dagon looked back up at his wife who wore a warm smile.
“I couldn’t wait any longer”, she said softly. “I didn’t really know what else to get you, and I know we don’t have a lot of money to spend so I-”
“I love it”, interrupted Dagon. Velvet’s eyes widened as she looked up at her husband who shared her warm smile.
“Thank you, Vel”, he said. The two locked eyes for a while before slowly starting to lean forward. Their lips were inches apart from one another until a sudden noise interrupted them.
“Ready!”, the three brothers said. Dagon and Velvet were caught off guard as they immediately retracted. Seeing it was just their children, the two shared a small laugh over it.
“Alright boys, I’ll meet you out there”, said Dagon. The three brothers ran toward the door, or in the case of Rodan, flew toward it. Before Dagon followed them, Velvet jumped forward and delivered a small peck on his cheek.
“Have fun”, she said. Dagon lightly blushed before wrapping the scarf his wife made for him around his neck and walked out the door.
No matter where one looked or where one stood, snow had covered every square foot of the village. The buildings, the lakes, the trees, even the sky was raining white, powdery crystals on to the land of Equestria. It was the perfect environment for a child’s imagination to run wild. And the Zawa family had three of them. The second the door opened, the three brothers ran outside on to the porch and took in their surroundings. They were amazed to see their once summer town completely taken over by a blanket of white.
“Alright, boys”, said Dagon as he walked outside. “What do we wanna do first?”
“Snow angels!”, shouted Anguirus.
“Snowball fight!”, exclaimed Rodan.
“Snowman!”, added Gojira. Dagon playfully rolled his eyes, he could tell they were gonna spend quite some time outside.
The three brothers each played in the snow for several hours. Anguirus made snow angel after snow angel until his arms had grown tired. By the time he finished, he had filled the entire front lawn with dozens of pony shaped angels. He was very proud of himself, even after his father made a snow angel of his own and it turned out to be more than three times larger than any of his. Meanwhile, Gojira and Rodan worked on their very own snowman. They each created the three large snowballs that were used to make the body of the snowman before running around the yard to find sticks and stones to make its arms and face. After a couple of minutes, they had a fully dressed and decorated snowman.
“Done, he looks good”, said Rodan.
“Yeah, I know”, said Gojira. “Let’s call him… Snowflake!”
“Snowflake, seriously?”, replied Rodan as he started to chuckle. Gojira shot a glare at his younger brother.
“Oh, like you could come up with a better name”, argued Gojira.
“Alright I will. We should call him…uhh”, Rodan scratched his chin trying to come up with a name. He looked around to see if anything would give him inspiration. Unfortunately, the only notable thing he saw was a broken tree branch buried in the snow.
“Branch…”, said Rodan.
“Real clever name, Rodey”, Gojira said with sarcasm.
“At least it’s better than Snowflake”, replied Rodan.
“Nu-uh”, said Gojira.
“Yeah-huh”, replied Rodan.
“Nu-uh”
“Yeah-huh”
“Nu-uh”
“Yeah-huh”
“Nu-uh”
Their argument eventually caught the attention of their own father. “Hey, boys, what’s all the yelling for?”, he asked.
“Gojira wants to give the snowman a dumb name”, said Rodan.
“But Rodan’s name is even dumber”, replied Gojira.
“Nu-uh”, said Rodan.
“Yeah-huh”, retorted Gojira.
“Alright, that’s enough from both of you!”, exclaimed Dagon as he stepped in between the boys.
“But we have to give it some kind of a name”, said Gojira. Dagon thought about it for a quick second before an idea flew into his mind.
“I know exactly what we should do. We’ll have ourselves a little contest. The winner will be allowed to name the snowman”, he said.
“Contest? What kind of contest?”, asked Rodan. A cheeky smile formed on Dagon’s face as he slowly walked over to a small pile of snow.
“Oh, I was thinking maybe a…SNOWBALL FIGHT!”, he exclaimed before throwing a snowball toward both Gojira and Rodan.
The snowball completely missed since he wasn’t trying to actually hit them, but the thrill was enough to cause the brothers to run in opposite directions. Anguirus even got in on the action as he too joined in the snowball fight. Just like that, their peaceful front yard had turned into a battlefield as the three brothers and their father ran back and forth sculpting and throwing snowballs at one another.
Due to his larger size, Dagon was an easy target for the three brothers and it wasn’t long before he was pelted with snowballs. Meanwhile, Gojira and Rodan were primarily focusing on one another. Rodan’s flight made things much harder for Gojira, but when Rodan did fly he wouldn’t carry many snowballs with him. But that wouldn’t stop him from chasing his brother down with snowballs in his hoofs.
“I got you now!”, exclaimed Rodan. In a last ditch effort, Gojira lept behind a tree and when Rodan followed him he found nothing behind the tree. Rodan scratched his head in confusion.
“Where’d you go?”, he asked himself. Little did he know, Gojira was hiding behind the very snowman they had built. Gojira lightly chuckled at his younger brother’s confusion.
However, as he laughed, the sound of laughing caused his ear to perk up. It sounded like several ponies were laughing at something which made Gojira look around. From across the street, he noticed several other young colts and fillies having their own snowball fight but with igloos and other snow forts. They seemed to not only be incredibly happy, but appeared to also be having way more fun than the snowball fight he was currently in. Gojira didn’t know why, but he started to wonder if they would mind if maybe he and his brothers could join them. He was about to run over and ask them, until a snowball collided with his back.
“Gotcha!”, shouted Rodan in triumph. Gojira almost forgot about his thoughts as he shook his head from the cold snow.
“No fair, I was distracted!”, exclaimed Gojira in protest.
“Doesn’t matter”, replied Rodan as he flew back down to the ground to gloat. “And with that, I’m now allowed to finally name the snow-”
Rodan’s very words were brought to an abrupt halt as he felt a snowball hit him in his rear. He clutched his bum from the extreme cold before turning around to see who had thrown it. Only to be met with the happy look of his younger brother in the form of Anguirus.
“I win, I win!”, cheered Anguirus as he hopped up and down.
“Good job, Aang, you’ve earned the privilege to name the snowman”, said Dagon as he congratulated his son. Rodan stood in complete shock.
“What! But that’s not fair, I was distracted”, he retorted. The only one to reply was Gojira with a scoff.
“Doesn’t matter”, Gojira replied.
“Cheer up boys, we can make more snowmen that you both can name, but for right now, your younger brother can name this one”, said Dagon before turning to the youngest child. “So, Anguirus, what should we call him?”
“Umm…how about…Jeffery!”, exclaimed Anguirus.
“Jeffery it is”, said Dagon. Although Anguirus seemed happy with the name, Gojira and Rodan couldn’t do much but grumble.
“Ok, now what should we do?”, asked Rodan. Dagon pondered for a little while before looking up at the sky. The falling snow gave him an idea.
“Kids, I’m gonna show you how to catch snowflakes”, he said. The three brothers looked confused.
“Catch them… with our hooves?”, asked Anguirus.
“Nope, with our mouths”, replied Dagon. “Just stick out your tongue and wait for a snowflake to fall on it.” Dagon demonstrated by sticking his tongue out and allowing a few snowflakes to land on it. The three brothers glanced at one another, all three wore determined faces.
It was meant to be a fun activity, but the three brothers saw it as another competition. Not before long the boys ran around the yard to see who could catch the most snowflakes. Though Anguirus was having fun, both Gojira and Rodan were incredibly competitive. Once again, Rodan’s flight came in handy, however that wasn’t stopping Gojira from catching as many snowflakes he could. One particular flake that Gojira had his eyes on was blown around in the wind. Not wanting to give up, Gojira gave chase to the fluttering flake as it eventually landed on a metal pole.
Without a second thought, Gojira pressed his tongue against the pole thinking he had finally caught a snowflake. He was proud of himself and was about to pull away to catch some more. Unfortunately, when he tried to pull away, his tongue didn’t move from the pole. He tried again and again before eventually stopping as his tongue started to ache.
“Uw oh…uwwww, Dad?”, called out Gojira. Dagon noticed his son not moving and ran up to him.
“Gojira, what’s the mat-”, Dagon was cut off when he noticed what kind of predicament his child got himself into. To say the least, he had to hold back a laugh that nearly escaped his lips.
“What happened?”, he asked.
“I was ‘hasing a snowwake and gyout my youngue stuck to a holl”, said Gojira, though his words were barely understandable. Both Rodan and Anguirus walked over to see what was happening. Although Dagon could hold back a laugh, Rodan and Anguirus didn’t even bother.
“What h-happened”, laughed Anguirus.
“You could’ve at the very least waited till dinner to satisfy your appetite”, added Rodan.
“Stawp lauthing at me”, said Gojira as he tried to glare at his brothers.
“Cut it out you two”, scolded Dagon as he looked at the younger brothers. “Now then, Anguirus, head back inside and fetch a glass of warm water.”
“Ok, sorry Goji”, said Anguirus as he ran back to the house.
“Oh, and also, if your mother asks why, just say you were thirsty”, added Dagon. Anguirus nodded before walking inside the house.
“Are we onna hel mum apout dis?”, asked Gojira.
“Don’t worry, she won’t find out”, reassured Dagon.
The four continued to play outside until the sun was slowly starting to set and they were forced to come inside. The three brothers immediately went to play with some of the new toys they got while their parents prepared dinner.
“So tell me, did you boys have fun in the snow?”, asked Velvet.
“Yep, the boys seemed to have been enjoying themselves”, said Dagon.
“That’s nice to hear, it rarely ever snows in this town”, said Velvet.
“They probably would’ve stayed outside for the rest of the day had it not been for the promise of your delicious cooking”, said Dagon. A smile crept on to Velvet’s lips.
“Well now, someponys been acting extra sweet today”, she teased.
“It is the most wonderful time of the year”, said Dagon. He set the fully cooked food on the dining table. There wasn’t a wide variety of contents, but enough to feed the current family of five they had.
“I’ll go gather the boys”, said Velvet before leaving the kitchen.
“Alright, don’t take too long, my mouth’s just watering looking at your cooking”, said Dagon.
Velvet playfully rolled her eyes as she walked into the living room. However, before she entered, she stopped as all she heard was the sound of laughter and innocence coming from her children. She peeked around the corner of the hall and watched Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus all play together and act out adventures with their imaginations. Velvet smiled over the sight but something about this particular moment on this particular day made it feel different.
Velvet couldn’t recall a time in her life that made her feel this way. All she remembered was when she was filled with anxiety. Dark thoughts would plague her mind over the uncertainty of where her future would lead. It was here when she met someone who changed her life forever; she could still remember that night when she saw a tall, gruff looking stallion by chance. After so many years of running, searching, and struggling, they had finally found a place that Velvet couldn’t say she ever had before: a home.
This was her home, she had her own family with her own children and significant other. She had finally found an environment where she felt comfortable and safe, an environment that had ponies that loved and appreciated her, an environment that made her past feel like a bad dream; one that when she woke up, she was in the arms of someone she cherished so heavily. And this day, the day filled with happiness and love was when she finally felt it; a magical feeling of warmth. A similar warmth to that of a fireplace with her family around her, sharing the same love they had for her that she had for them.
She was broken out of her trance by the sound of someone taking a deep breath. She tried turning around only to feel herself being pulled into a deep hug. She was taken aback until she saw her husband wearing a sympathetic expression on his face.
“Velvet, what’s wrong?”, asked Dagon. Velvet was confused at first until she felt something trickle down her cheek. She placed her hoof against her face to confirm that she had been crying without realizing it. She looked up at Dagon who still looked worried. Fortunately, that look faded when Velvet smiled brightly.
“Nothing”, she said, “I’m just so thankful.”
She wrapped her hooves around Dagon who reciprocated. The two were locked in a tight embrace with neither wanting to break it. Velvet allowed a few more tears to escape as she hugged tighter. The images of a past filled with fear, sacrifice, and pain had faded into a future filled with hope. After a minute which felt more like a lifetime to Velvet, Dagon eventually backed away.
“I was hoping to save this for later tonight, but…”, he pulled out a fully wrapped parser with a bow on top, “I think now is as good a time as any.”
Velvet was surprised before accepting the present. She flashed Dagon with a smile to show her gratitude. She opened the box and removed the surprising amount of paper inside until she revealed the innards. One look and her mouth was agape. She pulled out what appeared to be a specially crafted piece of pottery that had been painted in the same color as her mane with the phrase “Happy Hearth’s Warming” engraved on the side. In the walls of the pottery were several, small carvings of a symbol, the same symbol that was on Velvet’s flank.
“Wh-Where did you…?”, she asked.
“I found somepony who works in ceramics”, said Dagon. “She told me that you need to put a candle inside of it and then you…”, he trailed off when he saw a few tears start to form on his wife’s face.
“Velvet?”, he asked with concern. Not a second later, Velvet jumped toward Dagon before embracing him in her arms.
“I love it, so much”, said Velvet. Dagon took a sigh of relief as he returned the hug. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m glad you like it, honey”, said Dagon.
“Not just the gift”, said Velvet. “I’m so thankful that you’re part of my life and for everything you’ve given me.”
Dagon lightly smiled. “I want what’s best for you, something that shows just how much I love you”, he said. The two broke their embrace, only to lean in for a passionate kiss.
“Ewww, love”, said a trio of young voices. The parents broke their kiss to see their children standing in front of them, having seen their heart-to-heart moment. Dagon couldn’t but lightly chuckled.
“Come here you little rascals”, he said before grabbing each of the brothers in his arms. They each squealed with laughter as they tried to break free from their father’s grasp before eventually returning their father’s hug. Both Dagon and Velvet stared back at each other before sharing another kiss.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, Velvet”, said Dagon.
“Happy Hearth’s Warming, my beloved”, replied Velvet.
With the snow falling to the ground and the moon having risen from the horizon, the night of Hearth’s Warming commenced as the Zawa family prepared for dinner. Here they shared stories about the day with one young filly accidentally mentioning a particular event that caused their father to laugh nervously as their mother glared at him.
Nevertheless, when the plates were cleared and the dishes fully cleaned, the family gathered around the tree. Dagon set a candle inside of Velvet’s new gift before setting it alight. Though none of the family members were unicorns, the resulting light emitted from the pot was nothing short of magical. The boys tried to stay awake for as long as they could until sleep took over their small bodies. With the brothers put to bed, their parents sat next to each other in the living room, spending what they didn’t know would be their last Hearth’s Warming together.
Many years passed and the very same brothers, now grown up and matured, gathered every day on the night of Hearth’s Warming to light that very pot which was now the centerpiece of a memorial. Surrounding it were the winter hats their mother knit and the scarf that used to belong to their father. Here they would pay their respects to the very mare and stallion that gave them the best childhood memories one could ask for.
With the warmth of a fireplace spreading through each of their hearts, Gojira, Rodan, and Anguirus could feel the presence of their loved ones around them. Their mother had made a promise their last holiday spent together, nothing would stop her from being at each and every Hearth’s Warming that they celebrated. Little did she know that her own husband had made that same promise. And as the candle started to die out, another Hearth’s Warming had come to an end. Dagon and Velvet got to see the smiles on their sons; the greatest gifts they could’ve asked for.
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Shouldn’t the three brothers all get an OC tag?