> A Heart's Warming Eve Carol
>  by Broccoli
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Beginning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bell above the door to the Carousel Boutique rang. “Merry Heart’s Warming Eve,” said the two ponies who entered.
Rarity trotted to the front room of her shop to greet the arrivals. Two fillies were standing by the doorway. They had to stare a couple of seconds at Rarity in order to recognize her. The white pony did not look her usual self. Her blue hair was messy and stiff. She had dark bags under her eyes and her head was hanging low. “Sweetie Belle, your friends are here,” she yelled up the stairway. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other. Rarity was tapping the ground with a hoof while her eyes seemed to get more and more heavy. “Sweetie Belle!” This time she raised her voice. “She is not in a very good mood,” Rarity explained to the fillies. “She is probably sitting by the fireplace, moping. Like usual.” The white unicorn grinded her teeth before turning to the stairs. “I don’t have time for this. Either you come down here or I’m doing to have to ask your friends to leave.”
Once again Apple Bloom and Scootaloo made eye contact. They were sitting completely still on the floor, just waiting for the something to happen. Suddenly they could hear the stairs creak, and another pony with a snow-white coat appeared. “Hi,” she said to the carpet while strolling towards the fillies.
“Now, remember, I want you home before it gets dark.” Rarity turned around and was about to walk back to her workroom.
“It’s winter. It’s always dark,” Sweetie Belle said with a frown.
“That doesn’t matter. I don’t have time to go look for you if you get lost. Tonight is a very busy night.”
“Busy?” Apple Bloom looked at Rarity with a confused expression. “But it’s Heart’s Warming Eve. Why are you busy?”
“Apparently we are not celebrating Heartwarming Eve this year.” Sweetie Belle grabbed a small coat from a hook near the entrance door.
“What? Why not?”
“Rarity is busy.”
Apple Bloom looked from Rarity to her sister. “Well … you can come to our house. We have plenty of food and …”
“That’s quite all right, dear,” Rarity said. “I don’t want Sweetie Belle walking alone through the dark.”
“She won’t be walking alone. We’ll be there,” Scootaloo said.
“Still … I’m going to be worrying about her all evening. It’s best that you return home before dark, Sweetie Belle.”
The younger sister through her coat over her shoulders and walked out the door, slamming it behind her. “Well …” Apple Bloom looked at Rarity while smiling awkwardly. “See ya.” Then she and Scootaloo disappeared from where they came.
“Have fun, girls.” Rarity allowed herself to close her eyes for a moment. It felt so nice that she smiled unintentionally, but then suddenly she opened them again when she remembered all the fabric lying in her workroom just waiting to be turned into fashionable items. With a sigh she gaited drowsily deeper into the Carousel Boutique. Thanks to those three fillies she had completely forgotten where she was. Rarity shut her eyes again, trying to recall the design of the winter dress she was working on. She felt a shiver of please run down her spine at the mere feeling of having her eyes closed, and she wondered whether it would be beneficial to take a break. She would just relax for a bit. Maybe take a quick nap. And then it was back to work with more enthusiasm and focus than ever.
Rarity hit the wall in the hallway with her horn. The pain of the horn being pressed into her scull made her ascend to reality at once. She expressed her agony in a slight moan and rubbed the horn with a hoof as if that would help. I really should watch where I am going, she thought. Her face was squinted because of the pain of the subsequent headache. Maybe I do need a nap. Or perhaps this was destiny’s way of telling her to concentrate. After all, she couldn’t let this opportunity go down the drain. While all of her competition in Canterlot was celebrating Heart’s Warming Eve, she had an advantage. If she worked on her line of winter clothes tonight as well as the follow week, she could get them to the market before any of the big names in Canterlot. That would really put the Carousel Boutique on the fashion map, and perhaps she would begin to receive orders from the castle itself. Maybe from abroad. Rarity smiled at this thought. If it meant she would have to skip Heartwarming Eve one year, then so be it. It was not like the holiday wouldn’t come again.
The hours went by. Rarity continuously cantered between the pale beige pony manikin standing in the middle of her workroom and the bulletin board where she had hung large drawings displaying details of the outfit she was working on. Now and again she made a few adjustments on the drawings, deleted them, stared at the original design, made some other modifications, and deleted them also. She wrapped a brown scarf around the neck of the manikin and turned her head slightly to the left while covering her mouth with a hoof. “Should I really be using brown?” she asked herself out loud. “What is the color of the year? Oh, who cares? The year is nearly over anyway.” Rarity frowned intensely, and her headache was triggered again, which made it increasingly difficult to concentrate. A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead and was absorbed by the inside of her glasses. She groaned deeply and used her magic to remove the glasses from her face. Rarity looked around her. There were fabrics all about. Hanging on the walls, resting on stools or on desks. Though, they were all expensive materials, so she would never dream of using them to clean her glasses.
The kitchen of the Carousel Boutique was extraordinary scruffy. Rarity hadn’t had the time to tidy, and Sweetie Belle contributed more to the chaos than she helped clean up. There were day-old pans and pots in the sink. Dirty cutlery and spilled beverages decorated the kitchen table. A half-eaten pie was beginning to mold on the dining table. “Sweetie Belle, you’re such a pig.” Rarity carefully put down her glasses on the less repulsive area in the room. She magically levitated the pie while keeping her distance. Quickly she opened the trashcan with a hoof and ended the life of the pie. “Where is Sweetie Belle by the way?” Rarity turned around, trying to remember if she had heard the doorbell to the Boutique ring recently. She looked out the window. The moon was full and surrounded by black night. Rarity could not recall for how long she had been working. It had definitely been light outside when the three fillies had come to visit, but now the sun had already set. 
“Sweetie Belle!” There was no answer. Rarity walked to the front room of the building. She continued up the stairway. When she was halfway she yelled again. “Are you still mad, Sweetie Belle?” Rarity sighed. She hadn’t got the time to deal with her sister’s problems. “We will celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve next year. I promise.” She went all the way up the flight of stairs. There was no Sweetie Belle on the second floor either.
I told her to return before it got dark, didn’t I? Rarity walked to the window and looked outside. Ponyville was quiet. There was not a pony to be seen. Only the lights shining from the windows of the nearby houses indicated that the village was inhabited. Maybe Sweetie Belle had gone to Applejack’s in order to celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve after all. Even though Rarity had explicitly stated that she had to return before it got dark. Or maybe she was elsewhere. Maybe she was lost. Rarity exhaled tiresomely when she realized what she had to do. She would have to go to the apple farm in order to make sure that Sweetie Belle in fact was there. She could not bear the thought, let alone work optimally, knowing that her sister might be stuck in a pile of snow or wandering aimlessly in the blistering cold. The thought of winter’s breath caused Rarity to shiver. Applejack’s farm was so far away. She would have to transverse the half of Ponyville with icy wind in her face. But that was not the worst part. There was another reason why Rarity was reluctant to visit the apple farm. She could just imagine what Applejack would say to the fact that Rarity had chosen to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. She would never be able to leave the farm but instead spend the entire evening listening to her explain the importance of tradition and spending time with your family and other platitudes. And then Rarity would be further behind on her schedule. Why couldn’t Sweetie Belle just hurry herself and come home? Her sister was currently ruining Rarity’s plan about getting ahead on her design by working on Heart’s Warming Eve. Sweetie Belle could be very stubborn and self-centered sometimes.
Rarity frowned by the thought of Sweetie Belle’s disobedience, and once again she felt her headache hammer on the inside of her scull. Maybe she should lie down for a moment or two. Rarity turned around and eyed the divan in the corner of the room longingly. With hesitation she made her way over there. The white pony positioned on the soft cushion padding of the divan. She had forgotten how nice it was to lie down with her closed eyes. Rarity rested her head on her front legs and exhaled with a deep, long sigh. Then she smiled for the first time in many days. Though, after a few seconds she raised her head again. Wearily she opened her eyes. I have to find Sweetie Belle. But the divan was just too soft, and she allowed herself a few more seconds to rest.
The whole Carousel Boutique was silent. The quietness descended like a thick blanket on Rarity, making it hard not to lie completely immovable. But suddenly something broke the stillness. The sound was familiar, though a lot more clear and sharp than otherwise. Rarity arose from the divan and jumped to the floor. The bell had rung. Sweetie Belle had returned home.
Rarity yawned when she walked down the stairs. She remembered to put on a resentful expression. Her sister was about to get the scolding of a lifetime. What was her deal coming home at this hour? Why did she insist on postponing Rarity’s work while leaving her in a state of apprehension and uncertainty? But when Rarity entered the front room of the Boutique there was not a pony in sight. She looked at the bell above the door. It was tranquil and completely motionless like it had been frozen in time. “Sweetie Belle?” Rarity called, expected a quick response. But it never came. That’s strange. I could have sworn I heard the bell ring.
Rarity walked to kitchen. Her glasses rested on the kitchen table, watching her. She turned around and checked the other rooms. No Sweetie Belle. Although, one room remained unchecked, and Rarity moaned once she realized which it was. “I have told you! You are not allowed in my workroom.” When Rarity stormed into the room she saw that it looked exactly like it did when she had left it. The manikin was dark in the dim light and wore the half-completed outfit. Even though it didn’t have any eyes, Rarity felt it watching her like the glasses. “This isn’t funny, Sweetie Belle. Hiding will not make me less mad at you.”
Rarity twirled around in confusion. She had heard the bell ring. She was sure of it. Somepony had entered her store. But if it wasn’t Sweetie Belle … who could it be?
Then the bell rang again. Rarity felt her heart skip a beat. She galloped out the workroom and ran as fast as she could to the entrance room. But when she looked at the door to the Carousel Boutique she once again saw that the bell was straight and unmoving. And there was still silence and nopony to be seen nor heard. “That’s funny.” Rarity giggled with a fake sense of amusement. “I am not such a dreary pony that I cannot tell a well-crafted prank when I see one. You had me fooled for a while, I admit it, but I am on to you.” She looked from left to right, expecting somepony to show her face. “Come forward, Rainbow Dash.” No reaction. “… Pinkie Pie? Twilight?” Only quietness felt the void. Suddenly Rarity let out an annoyed moan. “Well, whoever keeps ringing by doorbell better cut it out. I have a mountain to work to complete and wishes not to be disturbed any longer.”
The bell rang once more. Rarity stared right at the doorbell as it was ringing, though it still didn’t move. Am I imagining this? Rarity rubbed her temple, trying to calm down her mind. Perhaps it was the stress. Maybe she had been working for too long.
Though, the doorbell didn’t stop ringing. Rarity closed her eyes, hoping to wake up from the dream that she must be experiencing, but it never happened. All of a sudden the constant high-frequency noise of the bell changed. It became deeper. Slower. It was more of a rattling sound than a ringing one. Rarity knew the sound, but she had a hard time distinguishing it. Then she realized what it was. It was the sound of chains clattering.
A shadow peeked from the hallway to her right. Rarity jumped at the sight. She inched away from the opening to the hall, watching as the shadow came closer. Somepony had entered her home. Twilight had once told her that burglaries were common in Canterlot during Heart’s Warming Eve, but Rarity had never heard on such an incident in Ponyville. Though, somepony had to be the first to experience it, she guessed.
Rarity aimed her horn at the hallway. The light from the hall casted a long shadow into the room. It was pony-formed, but also a bit misshaped. The sound of clattering chains became louder with the shadow’s growth. When Rarity saw the figure that entered the room, she gasped. Her jaw quickly went numb from her extensive gawk. Her eyes widened before she blinked with puzzlement. She rubbed them, thinking that she was hallucinating.
Rarity’s manikin was walking awkwardly towards her. Its movements were stiff and mechanical, but that didn’t chance the fact that it was mover closer and closer to Rarity, who automatically backed away in response. The manikin was still wearing the outfit Rarity was working on. Brown and white textiles dangled from the back of the figure. The sound of chains was deafening. Rarity covered her ears, scanning the room while wondering where the source of the noise was. Suddenly the manikin stopped and began to stare at her. Actually, Rarity wasn’t sure whether it was staring. It was hard to tell since the manikin had no eyes. But as its faceless head was in eye height with Rarity, it was hard not to imagine that it was looking straight at her. Just as the manikin stopped moving, the clattering of chains subsided.
“Rarity.” The manikin’s voice was a hissing sound. Like the howl of a winter storm through a small gab in a hut.
Rarity didn’t know what was more bizarre; the fact that it knew her name or that it could talk without a mouth. “Y-yes? What do you want?”
The manikin didn’t respond. It was just standing calmly before the pony as if it had never been moving or speaking.
“Who are you?” Rarity asked. “I mean … I know you’re not my manikin. You’re alive. Or have you … have you always been alive?”
“I am you,” the pony sized model answered.
“Me? That’s absurd. I’m not a manikin.”
“You will be. If you don’t change, you will be exactly like me.”
“How so?”
Once again the manikin took its time to respond. “Heartless. Faceless. Your only purpose in life is to wear pretty clothes. You are already well on your way to become me.”
Now Rarity was beginning to get irritated. She was not going to stand there and be insulted by her own work. “Such beastly accusations. Do you realize whom you’re talking to? Now, I don’t know what you are or where you come from, but I can assure you of one thing: I am not heartless.”
“If you don’t change, you will be,” the manikin repeated.
Rarity nodded, thinking to herself that this hallucination had gone far enough. “Whatever you say.” She looked at the manikin that glared back with its empty faces. Everything was so quiet that she wished the sound of chains would reappear. “I heard chain clatter earlier. Do you know anything about that by any chance?”
The manikin moved closer. And the rattle of chains could be heard once again. “I am wearing them,” it whispered.
Rarity moved a few feet to the left, inspected the manikin’s body. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see any …”
“It’s the clothes. They are like chains around me. They keep me from moving freely. They maintain me a prisoner. Forever. You do not wish to share my fate.”
“I sure won’t.” Rarity was about to add, who would want to be a stiff manikin? but thought that that would probably offend it. Then she shook her head. This isn’t real, she had to convince herself.
“Tonight you will be visited by three spirits. One will show you your past, one will show you your present, and the last one will show you the future.”
“Sure, whatever you say …” Rarity looked around the room. She still hadn’t given up on the possibility of this being a prank. But there were no strings in the manikin or anypony around to control it elsewise.
“Mark my words, Rarity. You will regret skipping Heart’s Warming Eve.”
Rarity descended her eyebrows. “Is this what this is about? Heart’s Warming Eve? Are you saying that I will become heartless just because I have decided to skip it for one measly year? Are you trying to make me feel guilty?”
The manikin kept staring with its non-existing eyes. Then it turned around stiffly and slowly. It returned to the hallway, and the sound of clattering chains reemerged.
“Wait. I’m not done talking to you. The only reason I’m not celebrating it this year is because I have so much work to do. It’s not because I don’t like Heart’s Warming Eve. I don’t have a choice.”
The shadow of the manikin began to diminish.  Rarity followed the creature, but when she entered the hallway, it was nowhere to be seen. She walked to the workroom. As she had expected, the manikin was resting on the pole like usual. She sighed with relief and rubbed her eyes again. It’s the stress. I have definitely been working for too long. Just to be sure Rarity poked the manikin with a hoof. It didn’t complain. She shook the scarf, but the only sound it made was a very faint sound of fluttering clothes. I need sleep.
	
> The First Spirit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity walked upstairs. It had all felt so real. The manikin’s voice. The sound of chains. The way it had told Rarity that three spirits would visit her. And apparently they each represented the past, present and future. She laughed to herself. Rarity had no idea she had such an outstanding imagination.
As she was strolling up the flight of stairs, she was met with yet another strange sound. It was laughter. A high-pitched giggle. Had Sweetie Belle returned home without her noticing it? Rarity ran to the second floor, but what she saw made her want to go back downstairs. Lying on her divan, a crystal white pegasus pony was cackling loudly with a book in its hooves. Once Rarity saw what book it was holding, she used her magic to rip it out of the stranger’s possession. “Who are you? Do you realize you are intruding a private property?”
The pony kept laughing. Its silver mane was long and curly. The coat was nearly the same shade as Rarity’s, although noticeably brighter. “You look so cute as a baby.”
Rarity snarled. She looked at the photo album, which floated in the air before her, and saw herself sitting in a cradle while wearing a diaper. Her head was bald expect a small tuft of purple hair which grew on her scalp like a discolored piece of weed. Then she tucked the book back underneath the divan where it came. “How did you break in?”
“I didn’t.” The pony flapped its wings and hovering in the air just above Rarity. “Didn’t the manikin bring you up to speed? I’m the spirit of Heart’s Warming Eve’s past. I’m here to help you remember some of the things you have forgotten.”
“Well, I don’t need your help. What I really need is some sleep.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. You can sleep later.”
Rarity sighed. “For your information I’ve been working all day. And as a result I’m seeing walking manikins and pegasi claiming to be spirits. Which is why I have to sleep. Now.” She threw herself on the divan and shut her eyes tightly, trying to block out the world around her. Hopefully the white pegasus would disappear eventually, just like the living manikin had gone back to normal.
“You are all about work and sleep, aren’t you? When was the last time you reflected over things? Over your life? Over your past?”
“I do that all the time,” Rarity said with her eyes closed.
“Your past is fading away from you, Rarity. In time you will have forgotten it completely.”
“That’s what the photo album is for.”
“You mean this thing?” Rarity felt a breeze in her face, and she opened her eyes at once. The pegasus grabbed the album from beneath the divan. “You haven’t been looking at them that often, it seems. The pictures are all very dusty.”
“That’s because they are old.” For the second time tonight Rarity jumped off from the divan after being abruptly disturbed. She breathed like an angry bull while staring at the pegasus who was flying in circles around the room. The photo album rested on its stomach, and the pony wetted a hoof before turning a page. “Give that back. It’s private.”
“You’ll have to catch me first.” The white pony disappeared down the stairways like a gust of snowy wind. Its invading giggle could still be heard. Rarity snarled and galloped after the sound of laughter in hot pursuit.
Downstairs Rarity heard the doorbell ring. She dreaded the noise so much that she fired a blue spell which caused the bell to break off the wall before falling to the ground along with a crumbled pile of dust. Rarity stormed out of the Boutique. Once she was outside, she was hit in the face by a fierce gust of wind. The weather had worsened. A violent snowstorm was currently ruling over Ponyville, and both the storm and the night greatly limited Rarity’s view. She used her magic to light up the area around her, though it only proved to be minor effective. She could not see the pegasus. Even if was flying just two feet from her face she probably wouldn’t have noticed. Its coat was white like the snow, so it was pointless to look for it. Rarity listened for a giggle in the distant, but she could only hear the sound of the whooshing stream of air, which flew right past her ears.
“Oh? I didn’t think you would come.” 
It was the pegasus' voice. Rarity was sure. “What have you done to my album?” She turned around on the spot without knowing where to look.
“You’ll get it later. First I have to show you something.” 
Rarity felt something wrap around her front legs. Before she could react she was pulled upwards by force. The ground disappeared beneath her hooves. She looked down and saw the Carousel Boutique grow smaller and smaller. She screamed.
“Relax. It’s all part of the process.”
Even though it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, Rarity twisted her body in order to escape the pegasus’s grip. “Let me go, you ruffian!” The pony, who was holding on to Rarity, continued laughing cheerfully.
Rarity shut her eyes closely. She was stiff of the coolness of the storm and of fright. But after only a few seconds she felt snow-covered ground under her hooves once again. Rarity opened her eyes carefully and saw the pegasus land right next to her. She was shaking of cold and grinded her teeth.
“If I catch a cold, it’s because of you,” she snapped. “And I don’t have time to catch a cold.”
The pegasus waved a hoof in front of her. “We have all the time in the world.”
“Look what you did to my mane!” Rarity grabbed a lock of hair in her hoof and stared at it with terror. The mane was full of snowflakes and completely ruffled by the wind.
“Now we look alike.” The pegasus shook its head, swirling its frizzy hair.
“Where are we?” Wherever the pegasus had chosen to transport Rarity to, it was someplace where the storm wasn’t. The wind was silent. The only sign of winter was the powder-like snow underneath her hooves. The white unicorn and pegasus were standing before a light brown house with black timberwork. A lantern above the only door colored the snow a warm yellow color.
“In the past.”
Rarity snorted. “Yeah, right!” She looked around. It was hard to see much in the dark night. Were they still in Ponyville? The pegasus couldn’t possibly have flown to a different town in the short time they had been in the air.
“Don’t you remember this house?” The pegasus pointed at the building. Rarity squinted. She had a slight recollection about the place, but she couldn’t say for sure. There was a stone stepladder to the front door. A Heart’s Warming’s decoration hung on the wooden door. A braided ring of green pine branches with a red bow on the top. She remembered having seen the decoration somewhere before, but that didn’t prove that she knew the house. A lot of ponies had that sort of decoration. After a while she shook her head. “Really? It’s from the photo album that you seem to be so interested in.”
The pegasus stroll to the left. She rounded the corner of the house, and Rarity followed. At this side of the house there was a window behind which a gleaming yellow color originated. The pegasus walked to the window and looked into the house. Rarity sighed. “Breaking into other people’s houses and peeking through strangers’ windows … is that a typical Heart’s Warming Eve for you?”
“I’d watch this if I were you.” The pegasus pressed its face against the glass, glaring into the house. She was not being very discreet. It would only be a matter of time before one of the residents noticed her.
“What is it?”
“It’s you.”
“What?” Rarity joined the pegasus at the window. She only planned on looking into the house for a second, but once she saw what was behind the window, she was glaring as intensely as the pegasus.
It was true. Rarity was sitting on the floor before a flaming fireplace. The thick red carpet she was resting on looked cozy. She sipped on a teacup, though she was holding it with her hooves and not by magic. This Rarity was a lot younger than the real one. She was roughly the same age as Sweetie Belle, but there was no doubt that it really was her. Rarity could always recognize herself. But how could that be possible?
Rarity pulled herself away from the window. “Have we really been travelling back in time?”
The white pegasus nodded. “I told you. I’m the spirit of Heart’s Warming Eve’s past.”
“What does that mean?” Rarity looked into the eyes of the pony next to her. “I mean, why are you here? Why did you bring me back in time?”
“Only you can answer that question for sure.” The spirit continued to watch the younger Rarity. “This was your last Heart’s Warming Eve as an only child.”
Rarity scanned the room. She could not locate Sweetie Belle anywhere. But she did see her parents. They were entering the room through a door in the left end. Her mother looked at the window, and Rarity ducked swiftly.
The spirit giggled again. “They can’t see us, silly. Don’t worry.”
Rarity peeped through the window once again. Her younger self smiled at the sight of her parents who joined her at the fireplace. She stretched her body and leaned against her father who lay down beside her. She rested on his white coat and slowly closed her eyes. Her mother was levitating a book before her. She sat in a chair and began to read the story of the very first Heart’s Warming Eve in a gentle, warm voice. “I don’t have a cutie mark,” Rarity noticed. “This was before I realized what I wanted to do with my life.”
The pegasus nodded. “You look so joyful. So innocent. It’s almost like looking at one of the pictures in the photo album.”
Rarity concurred. “I suppose it’s sort of charming in an old fashion kind of way.”
“I think that Sweetie Belle would like this kind of Rarity. A Rarity who isn’t obsessed with her work and just takes a moment to relax.”
“What do you mean? I relax all the time.”
“That wasn’t my point. I am saying that it’s rare that Sweetie Belle gets to see this side of you.”
“And what side is that?”
The pegasus shrugged. “The side that shows that you appreciate being with the one that you care about. That you enjoy spending time with your sister without it involving some sort of schedule or a plan.”
“What are you talking about? I do plenty of things like that with Sweetie Belle.”
“You do,” the spirit admitted. “But only because you have to. Not because you enjoy it. Just look at yourself.” The Rarity behind the window was lying flat on her stomach while directing her ears towards her mother. Her father had wrapped a large hoof around her. “Don’t you remember the feeling of security? Of just letting go of all your troubles and live in the moment.”
Rarity huffed. “It’s not very hard to let go of your troubles in that age. Fillies don’t have any worries. They don’t have bills to pay or any real work to do.”
“So you do miss it!” The pegasus smiled at her expectantly.
“Miss is a strong word.” The Rarity who was lying before the fireplace raised her head. She peeked towards the right end of the room where a large pine tree was standing. Its dark green branches took up a lot of space. They were decorated with balls in red, blue and yellow colors. A star on the top shined in a glowingly golden color. But it was bottom of the tree that Rarity was most interested in. A large package with purple wrapping could be seen underneath a protective branch.
“I notice you didn’t have a tree in your house back in Ponyville,” the pegasus said.
“I haven’t had the time to find one. Besides, I have never understood the purpose of planting a tree in the middle of the living room. It looks so untidy and out of place. Not of mention all those pile needles you have to clean up afterwards …”
“The younger version of yourself seems to disagree.” The Rarity on the other side of the window looked towards the tree again. Her face lit up in a smile before she repositioned her head on her father’s fur, still smiling. “You are rather interested in that purple package.”
Suddenly Rarity laughed. “I know what this is about.” She turned around and walked away from the window. “Look, I realize what you’re up to, spirit. You want me to come to some sort of revelation. You want to teach me a lesson about the importance of Heart’s Warming Eve, hoping that I will change my mind and begin to celebrate it this year. Well, guess what. It’s not going to work. Don’t get me wrong. I do appreciate the gesture, but I’m afraid that I’m immune to that sort of thing. I’m a big pony. Skipping Heart’s Warming Eve was my own decision, and I stand by it.”
The pegasus shrugged. “I’m just here to show you your past.”
“And that’s rather kind of you. But I’m sorry to say that it has been in vain. Now, would you be so kind as to transport me back to Ponyville and my own time?”
“We’re not done here.” The spirit returned to the window. “That package means a lot to you. Look how happy it makes you.”
“Your mind games are not going to work on me, dear.” Rarity smiled confidently. “If you plan on making me feel guilty you have come to the wrong pony. You can’t expect me to suddenly change my decision just by showing me myself sitting before a fireplace. I have been thinking long and hard about skipping Heart’s Warming Eve and carefully evaluated the implications. It was a rational choice, and very difficult for me to make. Don’t you think it hurts me to have done it? Do you think I want to work on a holiday?”
The spirit nodded. “It’s not always about you, Rarity. Your sister deserves the kind of joy that the Rarity in this house is experiencing right now.”
“Sweetie Belle can survive skipping Heart’s Warming Eve one year, don’t you think? That would only make the next one even more special. Besides, my sister could have chosen to spend the holiday at my parents’ house, but she didn’t. That’s not my fault.” The pegasus didn’t answer. She didn’t even smile like she used to but just stared into the glow created by the fireplace. Rarity rolled her eyes. “It can still be a pleasant holiday for Sweetie Belle. I have bought her a present for tomorrow, of course. And I’m sure she is going to like it the same way I have enjoyed the package underneath that pine tree in there.”
“The gift itself is not important.” The spirit turned it gloomy eyes towards Rarity. “It’s the excitement that you’ve enjoyed more than the present itself. That’s the whole reason of wrapping it in. If you knew what it was, you wouldn’t be wondering.”
Rarity snorted. “And are you saying that Sweetie Belle cannot be wondering what I have bought her?”
“It’s hard to wonder when your mind is full of worry.”
The unicorn stepped a few feet back and looked at the pegasus with a perplexed expression. “Sweetie Belle has nothing to worry about. I told you that earlier. She is a filly. Fillies have no real worries like us adult ponies.”
“Whatever. Let’s just go back now.”
“Thank you.”
The pegasus trotted towards Rarity with a low-hanging head. Her cheerfulness from earlier had been vanished like a candlelight in a storm. She observed the unicorn before her with a frowning face before saying, “Do you recall what was in that purple package?”
Rarity nodded. “It was my first ever sowing machine. Without which I would never have discovered my true purpose in life.”
The spirit flapped its wind. It grabbed Rarity underneath her front legs and lifted her upwards. In a few seconds the pegasus and unicorn were high in the chilly evening air. Rarity had to close her eyes because of the wind in the face. She only opened them again when she was standing save and sound on the firm ground. Her face was stiff, and her hair was a tangled mess. She trembled in the cold breeze, turned around and found herself standing before the Carousel Boutique once again. The white pegasus was nowhere to be seen, which Rarity was rather grateful for.
> The Second Spirit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The doorbell didn’t ring once Rarity entered the store. She found it lying on the floor along with crumbled pieces of the wall, and she suddenly regretted loosing her calm and destroying it. The white unicorn shook her body once again. Flying through the cold winter night had caused her to obtain an uncontrollable shiver. She needed some hot tea in order to fix the issue, so she walked to the kitchen in haste.
Rarity forgot all about her freezing body once she saw that there was a pony, whom she had never seen before, standing in her kitchen. It was a male earth pony, and he was enormous. Probably three time the size of Rarity. His coat was dark green and the tail short and brown. The head of the pony was hidden behind the refrigerator door. A few grunts and sniffing noises could be heard from him now and again. Rarity observed the stranger with a wrinkle on her nose. She scanned him from hoof to back, wondering how he had managed to get into the house. “Can I help you?”
The green pony peeked from behind the door of the fridge. He blinked in confusion like he was surprise to see Rarity standing in her own kitchen. As if he was the one living here and she the intruder. “Are you back already? That was fast.” The pony closed the door. “You are Rarity, I presume.”
“Yes, I am Rarity. But who are you, if I may ask?”
“Don’t you have anything to eat?” The earth pony opened a cupboard above the kitchen sink. The metal pots rattled as he searched the inside with his gigantic snout.
“You must be the second spirit,” Rarity reasoned. Then she sighed exhaustedly. “Good. Let’s get this other with. After you there are only one spirit left, and then I might have time to return to my work.”
“We are not going anywhere until I get something to eat.” The spirit put down his hoof to show that he meant it. “It’s Heart’s Warming Eve. You ought to have a whole feast prepared. Or at least some marshmallows or a candy cane.”
Rarity shook her head. “I haven’t had time to shop for food. There is a pie in the trashcan, but I’m afraid it has gone bad.”
The pony jumped to the trashcan and opened the lid. He ransacked the black plastic bag with a hoof and withdrew an almost eaten pie, which had a slight greenish layer on the top. Rarity had to look away as he ate it in one mouthful. The pony’s burp sounded like a thunderstorm. “It’s a shame you don’t have anything good to eat. Don’t you get hungry?”
Rarity had to admit that she was beginning to feel a slight craving for food. But her determination to finish her work was even stronger. She could eat in the morning when she hoped to be done. Though, if her desire to be finished with the design before dawn was to be fulfilled, she had to resume working soon. “Look, my time it short, and⎯”
The earth pony cut her off by chuckling with a deep, resounding belly laugh. “You know, I have known you for less than a minute, but I can already tell what kind of pony you are. You’re always busy, always in need of a schedule. I mean, you have mentioned the word time three times by now. Why don’t you stop worrying about time and start living in the present?”
Rarity descended her eyebrows. I can already tell what kind of pony you are as well. You are as rude as you are large. “If I say that I have learned my lesson now, will you leave my home? Oh, and be a dear to tell the last spirit not to bother me as well.”
The other pony chuckled again. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not doing this for myself. I’m only here to help you. As the spirit of Heart’s Warming Eve’s present I can show you what you’re missing out on, and then you might think twice about skipping the holiday.”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Why do I need a spirit to show me the current Heart’s Warming Eve? I am already in the present. I can just go visit my friends and family any time I want.”
“Then why don’t you? Are you afraid that your hooves will get wet by the snow?”
Rarity couldn’t disagree that the mere thought of going out in that cold again caused a slight tremble down her spine. “Because I’m busy. I have gotten a whole lot behind on my work thanks to a certain time-travelling pegaus.”
“So you’re choosing your work over your friends?”
Rarity huffed indignantly. “I’m not choosing anything over anyone. It’s not like I’ll loose my friends because I spent one single night working. I can just see them any other day of the year.”
The second spirit nodded understandingly. “True. But still … it must be troubling you a bit, right? To know that all of your friends are having fun without you. They are having a time of their lives while you sit in here. Alone.”
“Spending time apart is essential in every friendship. Understanding and support is more important in a friendship than the mere gesture of showing up to a gathering. They know I take my carrier seriously, and I’m sure they understand my decision about skipping Heart’s Warming Eve perfectly.”
“Are you?” The earth pony grinned. “You cannot know for sure what they are thinking about. How they think about you.”
“And I don’t need to.”
“Really? Aren’t you curious about what your friends are doing? Perhaps they talk about you in this very moment.”
Rarity frowned and raised her voice. “What kind of shallow, insubstantial pony do you take me for? I don’t need to know what my friends are saying behind my back.”
“Come on. I know you want to.”
The unicorn turned away from the spirit. “If I do decide to visit my friends, it will be without you there.”
“You won’t be invisible without me. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Rarity. Not only will you find out what you’re missing out on, but you’ll discover what your friends truly thinks of you.”
Rarity glanced over her shoulder. The spirit’s wide smiled rippled across his face, and she knew that she wouldn’t get rid of him if she didn’t accept. Maybe he was going to steal something from her home like the first spirit had if she gave him a displeasing answer. She closed her eyes tiresomely and said, “I’ll get my coat.”
The snow was falling lightly over the houses of Ponyville. It crunched beneath the two ponies’ hooves and created deep round holes, portraying the route they had taken. The moonlight glistered in the surface of the white landscape, and the stars in the black sky twinkled peacefully. Rarity was more eager now to see her friends than she was at the beginning of the trip. She couldn’t deny that it would be somewhat interesting to hear what they were talking about when she wasn’t around. Even though it was a violation of their privacy, she couldn’t shake the feeling of curiosity off her. 
The spirit stopped once they had reached the library. Rarity remembered receiving an invitation about celebrating Heart’s Warming Eve at the library even though she had already explained to Twilight that she would be too busy with her work. The light from the windows made the snow shimmer with a yellow color. Pinkie Pie was busy making snow pegasi on the ground just outside the front door. The earth pony and Rarity walked towards the building. 
Pinkie Pie arose from the ground and shook her body, which created a cloud of powdered snow, before entering the library. Rarity and the spirit used the opportunity to whoosh inside as well right before the door closed behind them. 
Everything was as Rarity had expected. A pine tree with minor decoration took off most of the space in the room. Hearts and garlands hung from bookshelf to bookshelf, and there was a strong smell of burning wood as well as an embracing warmth coming from the fireplace. Pinkie Pie’s wet hooves created a trail of round discs of water on the wooden floor as she walked to her friends who all sat closely to the fire. They were all there: Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight. Even Granny Smith as well as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were huddled together before the fireplace. Rarity’s gaze stopped at the latter. So that’s where she had been. All this time Rarity had been worried sick about why Sweetie Belle hadn’t come home yet, and now it turned out she had just been sitting in front of a cozy fire without a care in the world. If she could see Rarity in this moment, she would not have been looking so peaceful. 
“Two hundred thirty-five snow pegasi are currently located all around Ponyville. That better show Santa Clops that we mean business!” Pinkie said while shaking water off her body.
“She does realize that there is no Santa Clops … right?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight who was sitting in an armchair with a long backrest. Twilight shrugged.
“Would you look at this!” The spirit began to stroll dreamingly towards a long table standing near the stairway. He licked his lips while staring fascinated at the food on the table. Rarity couldn’t deny that her mouth started to water as well. There were all sorts of dishes presented before her. All of them sparkled from the light of the fireplace, and they were all completely untouched. There were cupcakes with frosting of all the colors in the rainbow showcased on elevated plates. One kind even had rainbow frosting. There were candy canes, fresh baked pies, caramelized apples, and even small chocolate ponies. All of the wonderful smells from the table caused Rarity’s stomach to rumble. She bent down and was about to snatch a purple grape with her mouth when the spirit said, “We are not allowed to take anything.” He was looking so intensely at a tall chocolate cake while talking that Rarity wondered if he had been speaking to her or the cake. “But you can come back later.”
She abruptly turned away from the table. “It’s going to take more than candy and cake to make me celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve.”
Rarity observed her friends. They all seemed happy and fine without her, but Rarity didn’t mind that. That was what she had expected. But then for no reason Sweetie Belle sighed. She had her eye half closed while looking down at the carpet. The corners of her mouth pointed downwards, and even though nobody of the ponies surrounding her was looking directly at Sweetie Belle, it was clear that they sensed she was troubled. They had all stopped talking with each other after her moan, and now there was a deep silence over the room. Almost as thick and cold as the snow outside.
“I have an idea,” Twilight said. “Why don’t we tell a story? I’ve read a great one recently about a sphinx.”
“What’s a finx?” Apple Bloom asked with a puzzled expression.
“A sphinx is a mythological creature that looks somewhat like a lion. It enjoys riddles and conundrums.”
“Oh.” Apple Bloom sounded disappointed.
“Don’t you know a story that has a bit more adventure and action?” Rainbow asked. “You know, something that’s not about riddles.”
“Not that I can think of,” Twilight responded.
“I’ve got one.” Pinkie Pie raised a hoof. “It’s about a pegasus who flies so fast that she travels forward in time!”
Applejack snorted. “That sounds like a terrible idea for a story.”
“Not to mention scientifically impossible,” Twilight added.
“Well … what about the one we usual tell?” Fluttershy whispered. “The one about the first Heart’s Warming Eve.”
Again the library was filled with a quietness that seemed to go on forever. The only sound was the clock ticking in the corner. Every pony at the fireplace stared down at the floor. Fluttershy seemed regretful that she had brought up the idea. Rainbow broke the silence. “We usually tell that story when we are all together. It’s not the same without Rarity.”
Twilight frowned while poking the side of Rainbow Dash with an elbow. She looked at Sweetie Belle who glanced into the dancing fire with an empty face.
“That’s it!” Applejack ascended from the floor and trotted towards the entrance door. “This has gone on for far too long already. We cannot allow her to spend Heart’s Warming Eve all by herself.”
“No, Applejack,” Twilight murmured. “Rarity was very clear when she told me she wanted to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. If that’s her choice, then there’s nothing we can do to chance her mind.”
Rarity looked triumphantly at the spirit. “You see? They respect my decision; or at least Twilight does.”
“We have to try,” Applejack argued. “Nopony has to be alone on this night.”
“She wants to work. You how important her carrier is to her. And if that means that we come in second, then that’s just something we have to accept.”
“Come in second?” Rarity turned around to look at Twilight. “You don’t come in second. I’m not choosing you over my work. I hope you understand that.” Rarity was half-expecting an answer even though she knew that Twilight couldn’t hear her. She had guessed that being around the spirit meant that Rarity was inaudible as well as invisible.
“She can be really stubborn sometimes,” Applejack continued. “If we don’t make her come over here, she is not going to visit us on her own.”
Twilight sighed. “Then she is not coming. We can’t force her to do something she doesn’t want.”
Suddenly Sweetie Belle huffed, and all of the ponies in the room looked at her. “You’re right about that. If there is something Rarity doesn’t want to do, then don’t count on her to do it. She only wants to spend time doing the things she enjoys.”
“That’s not fair, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said. “I do plenty of things that you want to do. Just last week I took you to that bakery sale, even though I loathed it.”
The spirit sniggered somewhere behind her. “I bet you had no trouble telling Sweetie Belle your honest opinion about that bakery sale.”
Rarity stared at him with a scowl. “How would you know? You are a spirit of the present, not the past. Besides, Sweetie Belle and I are sisters. Are you saying that I shouldn’t be completely honest with my own sister?”
“There is a difference between the truth and the naked truth.”
“What is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to reason that it’s okay to lie?”
The green pony shrugged. “All I’m saying is that the truth is a big world. And there is no need to continuously focus on the negative part of that world. You could have told your sister that you enjoyed spending time with her instead on focusing on the fact that you hated the bakery sale. I’m sure Sweetie Belle was aware of the latter.”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Alright, I think I have learned my lesson now. Can we go then?”
From the fireplace Sweetie Belle jumped to her hooves. “She works every day of the year. Why can’t she just let go for once and start to relax for one night?” The young pony exhaled deeply. “I actually fooled myself into believing that that night would be tonight.”
“Don’t worry, Sweetie,” Twilight said. “I’m sure Rarity will come around. You know that she cares about you. She just needs some time …”
“Well, how much time does she need?”
“I don’t know. We will talk to her about this tomorrow.”
Sweetie Belle stared at Twilight with irate eyes. “I already know what she is going to say. I promise that next year is going to be different. We’ll celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve next year. But you know what? I bet you that next year is just going to be the same.”
“Then forget about Rarity.” Apple Bloom put a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s shoulder. “You can always spend Heart’s Warming Eve with us.”
With a grunt Sweetie Belle knocked Apple Bloom’s hoof off her back. “You don’t understand. I was actually looking forward to spend this time with my sister.” She walked away from the fireplace and continued towards the entrance door.
“Sweetie Belle, where are you going?” Rarity followed her sister with a frown on her face. “I hope you’re not …”
Her sister opened the door and a cold gust of wind hit their faces. The storm had risen again, sending large snowflakes into the library. Rarity was right behind her and managed to get out before Sweetie Belle slammed the door shut.
“Haven’t I told you not to walk home on your own at night? Especially not when there’s a blizzard! You are going to catch a cold or the flu. And then I’ll have to nurse you.” Even if Rarity weren’t mute to Sweetie Belle, she would still have a hard time hearing her sister. The howl of the wind drowned all other sounds. It made it impossible to see where one was going, but that didn’t stop Sweetie Belle. She strolled through the snow with a compressed facial expression, concentrating on moving forward.
Pinkie Pie’s snow pegasi had nearly been erased by the wind. Rarity’s teeth clattered because of the freeze, and she couldn’t stop shaking. She wondered how her sister could stay so rigid and unaffected by the storm.
“Sweetie Belle! Don’t walk away while I’m talking to you.” Rarity tried to keep up, but the storm was hard to counter. Suddenly she felt a large hoof on her back.
“Let her go,” the spirit said.
“No.” Rarity kept walking with her face turned to the left. Her right eye was closed because of the wind, so it was difficult to locate Sweetie Belle. She used her magic to light up the area, though her sister was nowhere to be found.
“If you don’t want to remain invisible, you better do what I say.”
Rarity yelled of frustration. “My sister is mad at me, and I need to go talk to her. So you better make me visible again, otherwise I’m going to turn you into a pile of dust so fast that you don’t know what hit you!”
The spirit shook his head firmly. “There is still one spirit left.”
“I don’t need another spirit! I get the point. I’m a terrible sister. I should never have decided to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. My friends think I’m selfish, and Sweetie Belle is wandering around in the storm all alone. Now please, turn me back to normal, so I can make everything okay again.”
“You say that you want to make things right, but really you mean that you want it all to go back the way it was, am I right? You don’t get it, do you? It’s never going to be different unless you change.”
Despite the invading coolness around her, Rarity could feel her blood grow warmer. “You are a very judgmental pony, do you know that? Just because I have made one bad decision in my entire life, you think you know me, but you don’t. The fact that I chose to skip Heart’s Warming Eve doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. And it certainly isn’t going to turn me into a manikin.”
The spirit looked at Rarity through motionless eyes and a stiff face. Like Sweetie Belle he didn’t seem to be affected by the storm. “You are right,” the spirit said with a thundering voice. “This night alone is not what will transform you into a manikin, but it will get you one step closer towards it. It’s much like this storm, in fact.” The pony gestured around him. “One snowflake is not going to create the icy cold that surrounds us. But in time they pile up. One by one they contribute to the cold, growing stronger and fiercer. And in time it’s too late to do anything.” The spirit turned around and walked against the wind of the storm. Rarity could still hear his voice. “I wonder what will become of you next year, Rarity. And the year after that. And the year after that.” The pony’s green coat began to become less and less noticeable through the shower of white snowflakes.
Rarity blinked. “Wait! You can’t leave me here.” She tried to follow the pony, but his legs were longer than hers, and the wind knocked her backwards.
“And the year after that, and the year after that.” The voice of the earth pony was carried by the wind. It was completely clear in Rarity’s ears, even though the pony himself was hidden behind the snowstorm.
“Slow down. Am I still invisible?”
“And the year after that, and the year …” suddenly the voice started to diminish, and only the cry of the blizzard was heard.
Rarity stopped to catch her breath. She squinted in order to locate something green in the sea of snow. “Mr. Spirit?” she tried, but no one answered. She turned around without knowing what to do. “You can’t just leave me here … I don’t know where to go.”
> The Third Spirit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Step by step Rarity inched forward through piles of snows. She kept her head down in order to minimize the impact from the storm. Where is a pegasus when you need one? “Would someone please stop this hideous blizzard?” She called skywards, wondering if any pegasi were working tonight. Who am I kidding? I’m the only one who works on Heart’s Warming Eve. But then, as if someone had heard her, the storm began to subside. The snow was still falling in thick flakes, but at least the wind was almost nonexistent now. 
Rarity looked around. She still had no idea where she was. The dense layer of snow made it look like she was walking through a forest of white trees. She could barely see a hoof in front of her face. Any minute now she would walk headfirst into a building.
All of sudden there was a change in the dull whiteness. A black figure could be spotted through the curtains of snow. It was not very tall. Nor that familiar either, but Rarity ran towards it nonetheless. As she got closer, she noticed that it looked similar to the shape of a pony. The figure shared comparable properties to Rarity, though it remained completely black even when she was only a few feet away from it. A white layer of snow was piling on top of it. The pony-like figure was standing so still that Rarity considered that it might be a statue. But that couldn’t be true. There were no black statues in Ponyville. Rarity noticed that it was wearing a black cloak with a large hood that covered its entire face. She tried to peek underneath the hood, though there was only darkness to be seen.
“Hello,” Rarity greeted.
The hooded pony did not answer. It just continued to stare at Rarity from beneath the cloak. Slowly it turned around and walked away.
Rarity didn’t follow it. She just gazed in fascination at the sight, unable to move. When the pony looked behind its shoulder, Rarity pointed at her chest and said, “Do you want me to join you?”
The hooded pony nodded. Then it looked ahead and resumed its walk. Rarity wandered beside it, still staring captivated at the pony.
“Are you the last spirit?”
No answer.
“You are going to show me the Heart’s Warming Eve of the future, right?” Rarity politely awaited a response, but it never came. When she had been dealing with the second spirit she had thought that she would appreciate a spirit that didn’t talk. Now she realized that silence was worse than anything he had said. “The first spirit was a pegasus, the second an earth pony. So I’m guessing that you are a unicorn.” The third spirit still wouldn’t talk. “Well, as a fellow unicorn I bet that you can comprehend the implications of the creative business. It’s not easy, I tell you. This season is terrible for my field. It’s so difficult to come up with a design that’s both practical and fashionable.” The silence that followed quickly grew awkward, so Rarity decided to speak again. “So what if I’m choosing to skip Heart’s Warming Eve one year? Yes, I understand why Sweetie Belle is mad about it, but she’ll come around. As soon as I’m done with my work, I’ll do something she enjoys.”
The two ponies walked for what felt like half an hour. Rarity saw that the snow around her began to glimmer in a slightly blue shine. She looked to the sky where the moon was gleaming brightly, unhidden by clouds.
“It has stopped snowing,” Rarity said. She was able to perceive her surrounded and noticed that she was in the middle of Ponyville. Town Hall was right in front of her, covered by snow just like it was when Rarity and the second spirit had walked to the library. Everything was tranquil and silent. The spirit had stopped moving and now it was staring ahead like its mind was heavy with thoughts. “Are we in the future now?” Rarity asked carefully. Unsurprisingly the cloaked figure said nothing.
Rarity had to close her eyes and clamp her jaws tightly in order to keep her frustration restrained. At least the others spirits were not shy to give her some information. Like whether or not she had been travelling through time. One thing was to delay her work. Another was to keep quiet about it.
“On the bright side you’re not going to preach to me about what a horrible person I am.”
Suddenly there was a sound. Rarity twitched her ear and tried to locate what it was. It was girly voices, and they were coming closer. She turned around and saw two ponies walking through the snow while talking. Rarity strolled towards them while craning her neck.
The two ponies wandered through knee-high snow next to the Town Hall. One of them was a pink earth pony with a green mane, the other a pegasus with long blue hair and a thick coat. “I really wish my husband has bought me that gown for Heart’s Warming. It’s so beautiful yet practical,” the earth pony said.
“I have heard that she is working on a new line of winter outfits.”
“Uh! Then maybe it won’t be that good if he has bought it, then. All her clothes are so expensive, and perhaps I’ll like the new line better.”
“Don’t worry. They are going to be sold in Canterlot first. I’ll take months before we’ll see them in Ponyville.”
“Canterlot?” Rarity sharpened her ears even more when she heard that word.
“Do you know if she’ll come home to Ponyville during the holidays?” the pegasus asked. “I mean; it’s not that long ago since she moved.”
The other pony shook her head firmly. “Don’t count on it. She hasn’t been visiting Ponyville since her breakthrough. You know, when she decided to focus on winter clothes.”
Rarity began to smile. There was no doubt that they were talking about her. And they had mentioned Canterlot. Rarity was going to be living in Canterlot in the future. The near future, it seemed! “It’s clear that these ponies has taste.” Rarity grinned to the spirit, though it kept ignoring her. Rarity didn’t care, though. Her body was tingling with excitement, and she continued to follow the ponies with a high-stepped canter.
“But it’s Heart’s Warming Eve. Her family lives in Ponyville. Isn’t she going to visit them?”
The earth pony shrugged. “Rarity doesn’t celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve.”
“She doesn’t?” 
“She hasn’t done it since her first international success. She spent one Heart’s Warming Eve working instead of celebrating and right after that her clothes became famous in all of Equestria. Now she believes it means bad luck to celebrate it.”
The pegasus laughed. The shill noise cut like ice in Rarity’s ears. “She is a bit weird, isn’t she?”
“All the best artists are eccentric.”
Rarity felt a cold hoof on her shoulder. She turned around in a snap. The cloak-wearing spirit was right behind her, resting a snow-covered hoof on Rarity. It turned around and walked the opposite direction of the earth pony and pegasus. Rarity saw them continue ahead into an alley. “If you want me to follow you, just say so.” She frowned while dusting snow off her shoulder. She strolled right behind the spirit who was sauntering slowly through the dark village. “So let me get this straight … I’m a successful designer. I am living in Canterlot and assumingly making a ton of money. That doesn’t sound like a manikin to me at all.” Rarity shrugged. “I don’t know why, but I had imagined that you were going to show me a future that I wouldn’t like.”
The spirit continued to a very familiar neighborhood. The distance between the houses began to enlarge, and Rarity understood where they were heading. They rounded the corner of a flower shop, and the Carousel Boutique came into view. The first thing Rarity noticed was Sweetie Belle. She wore a scarf to keep her warm as well as yellow boots. She hadn’t changed very much. Maybe she was an inch or two taller than usually, though despite this being the future, her sister pretty much looked like herself. Sweetie Belle was standing before the Boutique, glaring at the building without moving a muscle. There were shutters on the windows, and a wooden sign on the door read closed.
Rarity trotted faster towards her sister. She could not see her face, though Rarity guessed that she probably didn’t look too pleased. “What are you doing here all by yourself, Sweetie Belle?”
As if her sister had heard her, Sweetie Belle turned around. Her gaze was stiff and her face frozen in an empty expression. Even though she was looking towards Rarity, their eyes did not meet. “Hello,” Sweetie Belle whispered.
Rarity looked behind her shoulder and saw Apple Bloom walk through the snow. “Staring at the Boutique is not going to make her come.”
Sweetie Belle kept her head down and looked at the snow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Apple Bloom passed Rarity on her way to Sweetie Belle. “You must be freezing out here. Why don’t you come back to the farm? Rarity is going to return from Canterlot tomorrow, I’m sure of it.”
“Well, I’m not.”
“She promised you she would, didn’t she?”
“No. She promised me that she would come home tonight. Obviously she has forgotten.” Sweetie Belle ran a hoof across the snow.
“That doesn’t mean that you have to spend Heart’s Warming Eve all on your own. You have us, remember? Your friends.”
“Whatever.” Sweetie Belle turned around and walked away from the Carousel Boutique. Her eyes were slightly closed as she joined Apple Bloom, and the two fillies sauntered back to the village.
Rarity nodded resolved to herself. “Okay. I get it. When I become a star and open my fashion store in Canterlot I will find time to visit my sister more often.” She smiled brightly to the spirit. “Now can we go home?”
The spirit didn’t answer. Rarity imagined that it was staring spitefully at her underneath the hood of the black cloak. Her smile began to diminish, and she looked from side to side, awaiting something to happen. As nothing seemed to occur Rarity began to growl subtly in frustration. She started to stare at the cloaked figure with annoyance. “I’m serious. Seeing Sweetie Belle like this really makes me want to do something for her. I’m not going to skip Heart’s Warming Eve ever again. Do you understand? I have changed. Why don’t you transport me back to my own time, so I can prove that I mean it.”
The spirit merely stared back with empty darkness.
“Look, there is nothing more for you to show me. I get the picture. I have to visit my sister more often when I become a success. I will remember that. Honestly.”
The black robed pony raised a leg and pointed toward the façade of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity followed the line of the pointing hoof with her eyes. She walked to a window of her former home and saw a page of a newspaper attached to the inside of the window. Rarity quickly scanned the piece of paper and discovered that it was an interview between herself and a reporter of the newspaper. She read a few paragraphs until she met a section that had her eyes widen and her mouth go dry.
After your breakthrough last winter there has been rumors that you’re thinking of opening a department in Canterlot. Is that true? the reporter asked.
Of course it’s true, Rarity had answered. In fact, I’m in the middle of closing down my Boutique in Ponyville. I’ve already held my going away party, but that was disastrous to say the least.
Why was it disastrous?
Well, you know … Ponyville is a small town. It’s obvious that they do not appreciate the art of proper fashion. It’s nothing like Canterlot, you must understand. Ponies are just more envious in the village, I guess. None of my former friends seemed interested in attending my party. They grew distant from me ever since I became famous.
Rarity had to step a few feet away from the window. She didn’t believe it. Apparently her friends had decided to stay away from her farewell party. Much like she had decided to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. “Sweetie Belle doesn’t want to visit me in Canterlot,” Rarity said out of nothing. “And neither does my friends. They want me to come home. To be who I was.” She wandered away from the window, looking out over the village. The chimney smoke and light layer of snow on the houses hadn’t changed. Ponyville looked exactly like Rarity remembered it. “It doesn’t really matter that I decided to skip Heart’s Warming Eve,” she realized. “The amount of time I spend with my sister and my friends doesn’t matter. Nothing I do will change anything. It’s me who needs to change. Otherwise this will be my future.” Rarity looked at the spirit. “Right?”
The other pony nodded.
“Is this my definite future, then? Is there nothing I can do to make it all okay? I mean, I am who I am, and there is nothing I can do to change that. Is there?”
The spirit kept quiet like the night.
“Please tell me that this is not how things are going to turn out. There must be some way out of this. I don’t want to leave my friends nor my sister behind. If that is the consequence of my success, then I’m sure that I want to experience it.”
Suddenly the top of the black hood began to glow. A purple light was emitted from beneath the fabric, and when Rarity squinted she saw the outline of a unicorn’s horn. The purple light shot from the pony. Rarity closed her eyes and everything became dark.

The moonlight’s shine was the first thing Rarity saw as she slowly ascended her eyelids. Everything around her was painted in the same silvery color. It took her a while to figure out where she was. She had to blink a few times for her eyes to adjust. Then she saw that she lying down on the second floor of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity stretched her body and yawned. She found herself on the red divan, and all of a suddenly she remembered it all. The manikin. The white pegasus, the green earth pony. Not to mention the cloaked unicorn. Quickly Rarity looked underneath the divan and found the photo album in its correct place. She smiled to herself and jumped off the furniture. Only then did she discover that her head ache from earlier than returned. She put a hoof to the head in order to calm in down. 
It was all a dream. Although, it had all felt so real. Her body was still cold as if she really had been out in a snowstorm recently. Could it really have been something she had imagined? What time is it? Rarity looked out the window. The moon was still high in the sky, and Rarity gasped. It’s still Heart’s Warming Eve. There is still time. Rarity galloped downstairs. Above the front door to the Boutique the doorbell hang where it used to. She cantered out the door without minding the hills of snow on the other side. I hope I’m not too late, she repeated to herself while sprinting towards the library.
Rarity stood before the door to Twilight’s home. She had raised a hoof, but she did not knock. Voices and laughter coming from beyond told her that her friends were still celebrating Heart’s Warming Eve. Rarity didn’t understand why she was being so hesitant. She had walked into the library a thousand times before. Why couldn’t she get herself to go in now? Finally Rarity took in a couple of deep breaths and knocked on the door.
A warm light escaped the library as the front door opened. “Rarity?” Twilight said surprised. “I thought you had to work.”
“Can I come in? If I’m not interrupting, that is.” Rarity looked down at her hooves while talking.
“Of course.” Twilight smiled.
The room grew silent once Rarity entered. All the ponies in the library had stopped talking and were now glaring at the arriver. There were so many ponies that Rarity couldn’t proceed very far into the room. She was standing beside the table of food, avoiding looking directly at anyone. “I just came over to see how everyone was doing. And to wish you a merry Heart’s Warming Eve.”
“I thought you had to work,” Applejack said with a wrinkled forehead.
Rarity sighed. “Not on this evening. There will be plenty of time to work in the future. But right now I think ...” She stopped talking.
Twilight looked around at the faces of her friends. Then she smiled awkwardly and said faintly, “Yes? What do you think?”
Rarity glared at the table on which dozens of plates with candy as well as cake stands filled with baking goods were standing. She lowered her brows while inspecting the food. A rumble coming from Applejack made her direct her gaze towards the pony. Applejack guiltily placed a hoof on her stomach. “You haven’t touched any of the food,” Rarity muttered suspiciously. Then she looked at the clock in the corner of the room. “And it’s way past midnight. You would think that there wouldn’t be much food left, but you haven’t eaten a thing. Even though Pinkie Pie is here.” Rarity pointed towards Pinkie who just watched Rarity with a frozen grin.
“Well, it’s lucky that we didn’t,” Rainbow said. “Because now that you’re here we can finally get started. Obviously we had to wait for you before we were could eat anything.” She crossed her arms while glaring at Twilight, who lowered her ears and chuckled nervously.
“What does she mean?” Rarity looked at Twilight. “You were waiting for me? Even after I told you that I would be working all night.”
“Well … you never know.”
“But that doesn’t explain why would couldn’t touch the food. It’s …” Rarity didn’t want to believe what she was going to say, though she said it nonetheless. “It’s almost like you expected me to change my mind and celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve.”
Applejack let out a loud grunt. “I told you she would find out. This whole idea was stupid!”
“We were so close, though.” Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Rarity. But we didn’t want you to be alone on this evening.”
Rarity felt her mind spin in circles. She stared at Twilight’s face, though she did not return her gaze. Then she looked towards the other ponies in the room. All of them avoided looking into Rarity’s eyes. Most of them were scratching her necks with their hooves. Others just smirked uncomfortably. Rarity felt her eyebrows descend as her confusion began to turn to anger. “It was you,” she hissed. “All of you. You planned this.”
“We were going to tell you, of course,” Twilight said to her feet. “Tomorrow.”
“But I don’t understand …” Rarity spoke with a slightly distressed tone in her voice as she walked towards Twilight. “How it is possible? Can alicorns travel through time?”
“No, of course not.” Twilight carefully lifted her head and looked at Rarity. “We just made it seem like you did.”
“But the first spirit … it made me go back in time.”
“No, that was me.” Rainbow Dash cautiously raised a hoof. “We were still in Ponyville when you thought that you had been sent back in time. I also controlled the weather to keep you from recognizing the place.”
“I altered her appearance so you wouldn’t recognize her,” Twilight said proudly.
“What about my parents?”
“There are in Ponyville as well. But they have gone to sleep now and will join us tomorrow.”
Rarity was relieved about that. She looked from Twilight to Rainbow Dash. “And I bet the snowstorm was your work as well.”
Rainbow shrugged. “We had to find a way to slow you down after the second spirit.”
“The second spirit.” Eagerly Rarity looked around the room. “Who was that?” She noticed how Big Mac was the only one who didn’t looked directly at her. “You?” Rarity squinted. “No, that couldn’t have been you.” The earth pony smiled shyly which caused Rarity to gasp. “Why him?” Once again she stared at Twilight with a discontent look.
“Because we needed your closest friends at the library. And he is a brilliant actor.”
Rarity had to agree on the last part. “And the last spirit?”
Twilight grinned. “I had an old costume from Nightmare Night. Did you like it? I thought if I didn’t say anything it would add a more creepy atmosphere.”
Rarity frowned. “I can’t say I’m too pleased.”
“I also controlled the manikin. Applejack did the voice.”
“And I rattled the chains and rang the doorbell!” Pinkie erupted. “I was really fun. You should have seen the look on your face.”
“Fun?” Rarity twisted her face in a disgusted grimace. “Fun! It certainly wasn’t fun for me. You had me walking through that snowstorm countless times. I am going to spend the next couple of days in bed. Not to mention the fact that you have disrupted my work!”
“Well, it didn’t seem like you were working when we visited you,” Rainbow said. “You had fallen asleep. Otherwise we would never have done it.”
“That is not the point. You have tormented me this whole night! And for what?”
“We just wanted you to celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve with us,” Twilight said. “If we had done nothing you would still be sitting at home all alone. I knew that we could never make you visit us by force.”
Rarity scowled at Twilight. “This whole devious charade was your idea, wasn’t it?”
Twilight shrugged. “Actually it wasn’t. I got the idea from a book I read a long time ago.” That answer didn’t seem to please Rarity. She kept staring dissatisfied at the alicorn while a pulsating blood vain before her right eye seem to grow bigger and bigger. “In my defense nopony seemed interested in following my script. I think I was only one who stuck to my lines. We didn’t plan on it to get so personal as it got. I’m sorry.” Twilight looked down and sighed. Then she added, “Though, we didn’t do it only because we wanted to spend time with you.”
The sound of small hooves walking on the wooden floor of the library caused Rarity to relax her face. She looked down and saw Sweetie Belle who cautiously sauntered towards her sister with her neck slightly bent. “Sweetie Belle? Are you still mad at me.”
“Mad at you?” her sister replied with a squeaky voice. “I thought you would be mad at me.”
“Are you kidding me? I am the one who has been insensitive. I should never have decided to skip Heart’s Warming Eve. I realize that now.” She ran a hoof up and down her left leg. “This holiday is not about me. It’s about us. About spending time with each other. And not just because we have to, but because we want to. I really do want to spend time with you, Sweetie Belle. Don’t think otherwise.”
Twilight smiled. “Even after you discovered that the three spirits were all a hoax you still want to celebrate Heart’s Warming Eve with us?”
Rarity nodded. “Do you still want me to change?”
Twilight pondered a few seconds. “No. You are perfect the way you are, Rarity. I think I underestimated you.”
The unicorn smiled. “Don’t worry, Twilight. Even if I one day move the Carousel Boutique to Canterlot, I will not forget you.”
“Does this mean we get to eat soon?” Sweetie Belle asked. “I’m starving.”
“Me too.” Rarity hugged her sister before they both turned to the table. The cake frosting and smooth surfaces of the candy canes glistered in the light from the dying fireplace. Rarity mouth began to water, and she took a large mouthful of a cupcake.
“I was you, by the way,” Sweetie Belle said proudly while biting off the head of a chocolate pony. “In the house that the first spirit took you to. That was me on the floor.”
“Really?” Rarity laughed with her mouth full. “I would never have guessed that. I actually believed that it was the former me who was lying before that fireplace.” Her sister’s smile gleamed radiantly. “You know, I would not be surprised if you get an actress cutie mark in the future.”
Suddenly Sweetie Belle’s smile disappeared. She eyes shined as she looked at her older sister with a half open mouth. “Do you think so?”
Rarity shrugged. “Only time will tell.”