Anticipation
Hearth’s Warming Eve traditions vary from family to family, and even from tribe to tribe. New traditions begin and old ones fade away. But one thing stands true for foals all across Equestria: it’s the longest night of the year.
On a historic farm outside the quaint town of Ponyville, a blanket of snow covered the trees in the apple orchard. A gentle snow continued falling as a lone filly stared out her upstairs bedroom window on a silent vigil for Santa. Bedtime had been nearly two hours earlier, but Apple Bloom had slipped out from under her covers and gone to the window just as soon as the clopping of Granny Smith’s hooves had faded from her hearing. The snow and darkness combined their efforts to obscure visibility to a few dozen yards.
Downstairs the stockings were hung by the chimney with as much care as a rambunctious filly can muster. A glass of Apple Family apple cider and a plate of delicious apple cinnamon cookies awaited the pegasus and his reindeer helpers.
The anxious filly’s breath fogged the window every time she let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She had already made it twelve minutes longer than she had the previous year and she wasn’t feeling even remotely tired. She yawned. Nope, not tired at all. Tomorrow she would get a cutie mark in present opening, she just knew it.
*****
A short sleigh ride away from Sweet Apple Acres, a pegasus filly gazed out a second floor window expectantly. The streetlamps shed light over the empty streets of Ponyville, extending visibility several hundred yards. The last of the carolers had returned to their homes for the night. All was calm, all was bright.
The only sound in the orange filly’s bedroom was the excited beating of her own heart. She was sure this was the year she would finally catch Santa in the act and prove to her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders once and for all that Santa was really Rainbow Dash in disguise. No other pegasus could possibly be fast enough to deliver presents to all of the good little fillies and colts in Equestria, after all.
Downstairs multi-colored lights blinked on and off the decorated evergreen tree repeatedly. A picture of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash wearing matching red and white Santa suits sat on a table next to a half-empty plate of chocolate chip cookies and a bottle of soda. Surely Rainbow Dash wouldn’t mind sharing the cookies with her – they were almost sisters now that the older pony had taken her under her wing, after all.
*****
Across town a unicorn filly lay nestled under her blankets, curled up on her side so she could look out the window as best she could. However, she dared not get up to get a better view for across the room was a cot containing her sleeping older sister. How could Rarity possibly sleep on a night like this? Sweetie Belle watched as the older unicorn’s chest expanded and contracted as she breathed in and out.
It was already well past her bedtime, and she had stayed out late caroling, begging her sister to go to just one more house in a desperate bid to delay the inevitable. And just like last year and the year before that it hadn’t worked. Before she realized what had happened the rhythmic soft snores of her older sister had lulled her to sleep.
Downstairs an even dozen frosted sugar cookies rested on a plate next to a glass of milk. Out of sight in the kitchen was a garbage pail tucked under an end table, the charred remains of several dozen other cookies inside.
*****
Of course ponies aren’t the only sentient beings in Equestria, and baby dragons were no different than little fillies. Of course, Spike had the benefit of the library’s telescope, which he swung wildly from right to left as he scanned the horizon for any sign of movement.
Visions of delicious gems danced in his head as he waited. He turned to look at a chart laid out on Twilight Sparkle’s bed. It was a map of Equestria’s time zones, broken down from east to west in the most efficient route possible to maximize efficiency and minimize attention. By his calculations Santa would still be somewhere near Trottingham, hours away from Ponyville. Despite that he still couldn’t tear himself away from the window.
Downstairs a plate filled with granola bars and a glass of water waited for Santa. Spike had objected, but Twilight had rationalized that even Santa would need to cut calorie intake for his health. The mare in question turned her attention towards the plate and sighed. No, granola and water just wouldn’t do. She replaced them with a plate of carrot cake and a glass of milk, and then returned to her post at the window.
She had run the calculations enough times to know that there was no possible way Santa could truly exist. No pegasus could fly that fast and even unicorns with access to time travel spells would wear themselves out long before dawn. Yet she still couldn’t tear herself away from the window. Some things in life can’t be rationalized. Sometimes even big fillies need to believe.
*****
A pink face was pressed into the window so hard she could feel the glass straining against her cheeks. The pink mare was bouncing up and down so quickly she was nearly vibrating with excitement. Hearth’s Warming was her favorite day of the year – she got to spend time with her friends, her family, and eat lots and lots of tasty sweets. What could possibly be better? Oh yeah, the presents! The vibrating increased threefold.
Downstairs a gingerbread house lay on the table next to a can of Red Bull. Not a creature was stirring, except for a toothless alligator’s slow blinking.
*****
High above Ponyville a pegasus flew. Staying above the cloud cover, she was wearing a red and white dress and towing a sleigh filled with gifts. She unhooked the sleigh, leaving it atop the clouds as she dove and slipped unseen through the chimney of the nearest house. She set a few presents under the tree and turned her attention to the table filled with sweets. Ignoring them, she grasped the mouth-scrawled picture in her own teeth. One thing was for sure – the filly’s art was improving. She flared out cyan wings and flew back up the chimney. There was no time to waste; there were plenty of gifts left to deliver.