> How Pinkie Pie and her Friends Saved Santa Hooves
>  by The Diplomat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Origins of Santa Hooves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the land of Equestria, as the last months of the year herald the arrival of winter, everypony starts preparing for the chilly days to come. Earth ponies, who specialize in all sorts of agricultural activities, gather up their harvest as to avoid hunger during the cold season. They preserve their food in jars, urns, boxes and bottles; they prepare their fields for the next year with special seeds and magic tarps; and they start checking their tools and structures for any weaknesses.

Pegasi, who specialize in controlling the weather, start planning its fluctuations for the months to come. Uncontrolled weather is not welcome amongst ponies, and an untamed winter would cause problems for the nation, thus requiring the help of these winged ponies. They draw up charts, prepare cloud patterns, make calculations depending on various wind strengths, and give all the information needed to every town in the realm.

Unicorns, who have the ability to tap into the flow of magic that runs through the whole planet, have...a special set of tasks. But before we go any further into this final category, we must go back to the early days of the pony folk, to days where their civilization was not as advanced and united.

We must go back to the very first Hearth's Warming Eve.

Everypony knows of those dark and less civilized times. The three tribes were divided by their powers: only pegasi could control the weather, and they - along with earth ponies - didn't have the power to move the sun and the moon, unlike unicorns. But, as powerful as they may be, unicorns and pegasi weren't the best at growing food. That's where Earth ponies came in. This separation of powers caused both a vicious circle made of dependency and superiority, along with distrust and hatred. Said negative emotions caused the Windigos - spirits which live off nefarious energy - to unleash a long and harsh blizzard which made the three tribes fight amongst themselves, therefore making the spirits stronger, and so on and so forth.  

It was only thanks to the magic of friendship that these demons were defeated, and that the three tribes united to form one nation - which they live in to this day - named Equestria. Through equality and unity, the country blossomed and became an exemplary society. This is common knowledge in this country, and the tale is told from generation to generation. In this day and age, the three tribes help each other out: earth ponies give some food to unicorns and pegasi to help them if need be; pegasi work on controlling the weather to please everypony; and unicorns make use of their magic to help the fields stay strong, help preserve food, and maintain the weather in tandem with the pegasi if their help is sought out.

But although this is the most important part of the season, there is another story which has captured the hearts and minds of every pony in Equestria. I am, of course, talking about Santa Colt. The tale of the mysterious character follows the events which occurred after the unison of the three tribes, which I will describe immediately.

After the mass exodus that followed the tribe leaders' discovery, settlements were formed and relations improved - slowly but surely -  between the three tribes. The relations improved, but the settlements remained divided in their populations. Earth ponies stayed amongst each other, and so did the other two tribes, but the three of them were on good terms. And then they met the donkeys.

The first meeting was not an incident, far from it. One early morning, outside an earth pony settlement, a group of donkeys came to the edges of the town, set up a small camp, and waited until the first ponies came out. As the first earth ponies came out of their homes, they noticed these new creatures with astonishment. Who were these equines? Why did they look like ponies? Were they going to cause trouble? Nopony knew.

After much cautiousness and observation the three tribes came together, chose representatives, and sent them out to meet these newcomers. The representatives were named Smart Cookie, Clover the Clever, and Private Pansy. All three of these different ponies went to the camp, and simply stood there before speaking up. They started with a simple greeting.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

Shortly after, two donkeys came out with saddle-bags and walked up to them. One of them appeared to be a male, and the other a female. They looked at these ponies for a few seconds, and then the male smiled.

"Greetings, newcomers. My name is Dominic. Would you like to sit down and have a talk with us? We have food and refreshments if you'd like."

The three ponies stood there, befuddled. How direct, but how nice they were! After a few seconds of hushed discussions, they accepted the generous offer. The donkeys opened their bags to reveal a blanket, some bottles of water and fruit juice, some grilled hay, lettuce, and peanuts. They set the whole thing up, sat the ponies down, and served them before serving themselves. Then, they started to chat.

When the representatives came back to their people, they were delighted. These donkey folk were charming! During their talk, they shared some information about their respective cultures, their customs and traditions, and their histories. Apparently, the donkeys had come from a far-off land, where the climate was harsh and the landscape rough. They had moved to this land decades ago, and had established themselves quite well all over the country. They had explained that this kind of treatment was common in their culture, and that they were ready to welcome ponies with open forelegs. By the end of the day, the ponies were already planning on establishing relations with the donkeys.

Now you have to realize that the ponies had an opportunity to reject the donkeys, or even place them into servitude, as these creatures were less skilled and physically gifted as they were. A lesser species might have done that, but the ponies of Equestria had learned from their past mistakes and decided to unite with these new equines. Never again would a petty excuse as physical differences stand in the way of everyone's betterment.

And so it was the three tribes had integrated their equine cousins within their lives. The donkeys did not mind becoming part of the ponies' culture, as their adaptation skills and nomadic nature allowed to give and receive some customs and traditions. But one problem remained: donkeys lived amongst pony towns and their own villages, but the ponies stuck to their respective tribes. The donkeys agreed that they should let ponies handle their relationships, and only intervene if ponies asked them to. They lived amongst the ponies for some time, then the first Equestrian Winter came.

If there was one common custom between ponies and donkeys, it was the exchange of gifts during special occasions. Winter was not an especially joyous occasion for anyone, but the ponies had decided to try and help each other out for once and strengthen their bonds through common labour. And, as the year came to a close, something special happened. 

Some ponies say that a donkey had seen the divisions that still existed between the ponies, and decided to take matters in their own hooves to fill the gap that stood between the three tribes. Donkeys teach their children that one pony - some say an earth pony,  many say a pegasus, and most say a unicorn - took it upon themselves to bring everypony together once and for all. Ponies and donkeys alike say that a third party had decided to act in a selfless and generous way for the betterment of everyone.

Either way, the story is mostly the same. On that night, throughout every settlement of ponies and donkeys alike, a creature went from home to home to give gifts and food to the equines. The morning after, these people found these goods accompanied by an identical note. The Royal Canterlot Museum has framed one of these, and a message stands as an example to every pony.

To my fellow Equestrians,

I stand somewhere near you, both as a friend and an outsider, and watch the progress you have made. Your people have gone through different hardships to reach this beautiful land, and when given the choice to fight for supremacy over the land you both decided to come together, whereas weaker-minded species would have chosen to fight. For this, I applaud you.

However, even with this progress, your people remain divided. To ponies, I ask that you learn to live amongst yourselves, and stop this notion of tribes. You are all ponies, and you all need each other whether you have horns, wings, or neither. To donkeys, I acknowledge your fears that ponies might create divisions between yourselves, and that you have quickly accepted these ponies in order to cope with the guilt of leaving you cousins back home. I promise that I shall look out for them.

I am not superior to you in any way, but I do consider myself an arbiter. And as such, I say: no more. No more division, no more guilty consciousness. On this day, I leave you gifts so that you may learn that there are very few things out there than can rival the power of friendship and unity, and that you may have a common day dedicated to such wonderful virtues. You have a choice to be stronger than you already are, and I can only hope you will once again make the right decision. I will not judge you for choosing the alternative, but I will not approve either.

On this day, I leave you an opportunity to share and care for another, whoever you may be and wherever you may hail from.

Your watchful friend,

The Saviour from the Cold 

After reading this letter, the ponies asked for an explanation from the donkeys. It was revealed that the donkeys had left their home country because the conditions were too harsh to live with - which was a story ponies already knew - but their cousins, the zebras, had decided to stay in order to try and improve their land. The donkeys were somewhat ashamed because they left their land and neighbours to save themselves at a time when both needed their help. The zebras didn't stop the donkeys from leaving, as it was not in their nature to stop their friends from being free, but it was clear to the donkeys that they were disappointed. From then on, ponies decided to try and help the zebras as soon as they could.

From that event, earth ponies and pegasi and unicorns decided to come together on that day and exchange gifts, in honour of the one who had decided to act so selflessly in order to help them be happy. The message behind the note is still being studied, but nothing solid has emerged. The name "The Saviour from the Cold" - even though it seemed arrogant - was passed throughout the settlements, and eventually went through several changes. It became "Saint Hooves", which illustrated the stranger's stealthiness, and "Sent a Cold" by those who thought the writer had been wrong to pour salt on the wounds of the donkeys, and finally some people called this character "Santa Colt" or "Santa Hooves".

You may ask yourself why this event was not more important than Hearth's Warming Eve. That's because the next year, The Saviour from the Cold did not return; but pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies and donkeys came together nonetheless to share gifts and help one another, and the relations improved faster from then on, leading to several mixed settlements like Ponyville or Buckington. Eventually times changed, leading to mules and the tradition evolving into something new.

Or devolving, as some might say.

This aspect comes into play in a time where the faith of children in Santa Colt is dwindling away and where the spirits of older ponies are soured by real life, who end up believing that the day of sharing and caring has become dedicated to buying several overpriced goods. But on one peculiar Hearth's Warming, in the town of Ponyville, one pony will make sure that Santa Colt will be coming to town.





 

> Pipsqueak's Hearth's Warming Eve (Part 1 of 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Riiiing! Riiiing! Riiiing!


The hellish noise of an alarm clock echoed throughout little Pipsqueak's room as his day started at 8 AM. He rose very slowly, groaning and moaning the whole time. With an immense effort he lifted his hoof and brought it down on the agent of Tartarus, waking up to fight another day. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, stared ahead for a few seconds, then gave a jolt of excitement as he realized what day it was. One day left until Hearth's Warming.

He had waited for this day the whole year - as many children did - because it meant snow, good food, and presents. Lots and lots of presents. This year he wanted to do something special for Santa Colt, as thanks for bringing so much happiness to those around him. He climbed out of bed, combed his hair, then ruffled it up to make his bandana comfortable. Ever since Nightmare Night, he had grown very fond of that item of clothing, and it fit him really well - for a costume accessory.

He ran to his window and threw open the curtains. 

It never fails, does it?

Everywhere outside, great blankets of snow covered the houses of Ponyville. The sky was white, the ground was white, and every other colour stood out in a bold and beautiful way. He looked down at the ponies below, pegasi and unicorns and earth ponies, as they walked around wearing scarves, boots, hats, sweaters; some of them wore only a few of these, and others wore all of the above. He was glad to see such diversity as his original home, Trottingham, was mostly made up of pegasi, making him and the unicorns less numerous there. 

For a second, he felt a bit homesick and gave a sniff. Then he rubbed his nose a gave himself a smile.

I'll see that old place soon enough. For now, it's Hearth's Warming Eve in Ponyville!

He also saw that many of these ponies were carrying presents, wrapped in paper and ribbons of all colours. 

One might think that the cover was blown, but Pipsqueak knew better. Santa Colt only gave presents to colts and fillies, not stallions and mares, as they were now in charge of continuing the job that Santa entrusted them with. He knew this because his mother had told him, so it could only be true. Pipsqueak was proud to see that even though they were older, ponies still had Santa's trust in delivering presents to their loved ones.

He gave a shiver, as the cold finally crept up on him, and decided to go downstairs. He walked to the door, put his hoof on the knob, and gave a sniff.

She didn't...

Another sniff, longer and more pronounced, confirmed his suspicions.

Oh blimey, she did!

Pancakes. With syrup.

While it was a somewhat common meal here in Trotingham, it is a less common treat back in Trottingham, which is why young Pip was so excited. He ran down the stairs, almost tumbling over himself, and arrived on sliding hooves to the kitchen. The whole place was filled with Hearth's Warming decorations: holly was hung up on the beams above him, tinsels were set above the stove, and the holiday tree stood behind the massive wooden table, where ponies outside could see it through the window. 

The decorations which covered it, like candy canes and little snowponies, were reflected on the hard wooden floor beneath their hooves. His father always said - and still does - that a good home needed a good floor, which made him very proud of the polished floorboard. Then again, his Cutie Mark in wood sanding made the maintenance of his floor an extension of his job as a furniture restorer, and more of a hobby than a chore. 

The stove stood to the left of the table, and between the two his mother and father were busy cooking and setting up the table. His mother, a caramel coloured mare with dark brown hair, was busy making the treats while his father, a white stallion with sandy yellow hair, were happy to see their little colt so giddy these past few days.

"Hi ho, Mum and Da-" 

He was about to finish his sentence when he felt something thin beneath his front hoof. He lifted it to see a strand of red ribbon, which curled up at the end. He observed it, with his head cocked to the side. What was a bit of ribbon doing here? On the side, his parents gave each other a nervous look.

"What's this?" he asked, looking up at them. They looked at him with a curious expression. 

"That's...a bit of ribbon, Pippy," said his father, lightly tapping his hoof on the table.

"Well I know that, but what's it doin' here?" he asked again, showing them the intruder.

"It''s here because I was wrapping a gift for a friend of mine, to whom I gave a gift the other day. You know her, Pip, she's that mare who runs Sugarcube Corner, Cup Cake."

"Oh yeah, her! Right, I thought this was weird."

His father pursed his lips and gave her a look of small admiration, which she replied to with a wink.

"Oh boy, pancakes! Thanks mum!" he shouted, scrambling up his stool to face his plate.

"Anything for ya', lad!"

They all sat down, his father having hay bacon with eggs and coffee, while his mother had some oatmeal and a glass of apple juice - straight from the Acres. Pip, meanwhile, was busy stuffing his face with the spongy good, a bit of syrup dripping from his muzzle. 

"Fo wut aff wu gaffs doin' tuduh?"

"No eating with your mouth full, Pip. Also..." said his father, tapping his muzzle with a hoof before taking a sip of coffee.

"So what are you guys doing today?" he repeated, wiping the syrup off of his nose.

"Well I have to polish up a wardrobe for a mate of mine, since I owe him a favour. I'll still be there for dinner though."

"And I have to prepare the house for Santa Colt, and make dinner," she said, with a smile. Designing a house or a room, which happened to be her special talent, was an opportunity she took whenever she could.

"But Mum, I want to do something for Santa Colt! You told me he said he would love it!"

"And he willl, Pip, he will. And what about you, what do you have planned?"

"Well some mates of mine thought about playing in the snow on the hills outside of town, with sleighs and snowballs. Can I go?"

"Sure you can, love. Just be sure to take some clothes with you," she said with a smile, patting him on the head.

"Cheers, mum. Dad?"

"Be careful not to get hurt when you're playing over there," he said, cutting up his bacon.

"Thanks Dad! You guys are the best!" he shouted, putting his empty plate on the sink and going upstairs. Once he was gone, his father chuckled.

"That was so close. So very close. Good catch, by the way," he said, scratching his head.

"I know, I was so scared. I'm just glad he believed it," she said, giving a nervous laugh.

After a small moment of silence, she spoke up. It took him a few seconds to reply.

"How bad do you think he'll take it?"

"...Well he loves ol' Saint Hooves, that's for sure. But he's your son, so I think we'll be alright," he said, giving her hoof a small squeeze.


************


Dragging a sleigh behind him, Pipsqueak trotted through the snowy streets of Ponyville. He had a green sweater and a red scarf, and he was humming a small holiday tune as the snow crunched beneath his hooves. Being born from Trottingham, the cold didn't bother him that much. He was on his way to the hills outside of town when a wave of heat hit him from the right, startling him a bit. He had been so distracted he hadn't even noticed that Sugarcube Corner now stood right next to him. He was a modest colt, and usually didn't spoil himself. 

But, he thought, I guess I could grab something for the road. And something for the others while I'm at it.

With a smile, he left the sleigh outside and entered the store. As the warm atmosphere of the bakery made him feel slightly drowsy, he shook his head and walked up to the counter. He always liked coming here, but it always took him a minute to decide what he was going to choose. So many choices, so little time and bits. As he went over the baked goods, a familiar cheerful voice rang out.

"Well, would you look at that: little Pipsqueak! What can I do for you, my little friend?"

He looked up to see the very round face of Cup Cake. He really liked her: she was always nice, she was patient, and she always made him feel like a valued customer. Maybe that was because she knew how to talk to kids, seeing as how she had the twins and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie was fun too; a bit crazy, but fun.

"Top o' the morning, miss Cake! I'm fine, how 'bout you?"

"Well I'm just peachy! Things are a bit hectic with Hearth's Warming around the corner, don't ya know, but I'm fine, thanks for asking! Or cheers, as you say in Trottingham. I do love saying that, 'Cheers!' Oh, but look at me, rambling on like that! So what'll it be?"

"I'll have...a blueberry muffin. Oh, and a bag of truffles, they're the best!" 

"Coming right up!"

As the older mare started picking out the baked goods, a pink blur zipped through the store and threw little Pip in the air. Torn between fear and laughter, Pip made a squawking noise before a pair of hooves grabbed him and spun him around the store. These hooves belonged to none other than Pinkie Pie, who gave a few snorts while giggling and laughing.

"Heya Pippy, Pip, Pudding Pop! How's it going?!" she asked, after putting him down.

Hi ho, Pinkie-o! I'm just here to pick some things up before meeting my friends so we can play!"

"Ooh, lucky you! I only get to play with my friends later on this week, but that's fine, 'cause I have my family to visit and work to do for my other friends! Are you excited about tomorrow, huh huh huh?! I know I am!"

"Pinkie, let him go, he needs to go see his friends! Here ya go, Pippy, 	and have yourself a merry Hearth's Warming," said Cup Cake, handing him two small bags.

"Cheers, miss Cake! How much do I owe you?"

"Oh we'll have none of that, will we Pinkie?"

"No siree Bob, nun 'a that! You get this one on the house!"

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Sure, it's Hearth's Warming Eve after all!"

"Wow, thank you both so much! Celestial sisters bless ya both!" he said, bowing his head.

They smiled at him, finding his excitement and his accent endearing. He was so polite, and still managed to be excited about Hearth's Warming. But just before he left, he turned to Cup Cake.

"Oh and by the way, I hope the gift my mum gave you was nice!"

About three seconds of silence reigned over the store, but that was enough time for Cup Cake to tilt her head to the side and let her smile falter ever so slightly.

"What gift?"

"You know, that gift she gave you the other day. With some red ribbon?"

"...Oh yeah, that! Yes, I remember that gift, sorry for being slow! It must be all that work, it's making me all silly in the head, don't ya know!" she said, giving a small nervous laugh. "Tell your mom I said thanks."

"Will do! Bye miss Cake, bye Pinkie! I might come back soon to buy something for Santa Colt."

"You do that!" she shouted, making him laugh. "See ya soon, Pip pop!"

The bell jingled, and the little colt was gone with his sleigh. The two mares gave a sigh, and the older one turned to the youngest one.

"Oh, I do not want to be his parents when the time comes for him to know the truth. I couldn't stand to see his cute little face when they tell him the truth about Santa Colt."

With a mortified expression, Pinkie turned to her employer.

"I've been lied to about Santa Colt?"

The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds in complete silence before the pink one giggled, gave a sigh, then patted Cup Cake's hoof with hers.

"I know, miss Cake, I know. It won't be easy for anyone on that day. But just one thing: there is no gift from his mom to you, is there?"

"No gift, and no red ribbon."

Pinkie nodded, and looked at the door to the store. When she had learned about the truth, her mane had lost all its fluffiness and she had been very quiet for three days. She had been twelve at the time, but here, in this day and age, colts and fillies seemed to stop believing in Santa earlier and earlier in their lives. Not only that, but gifts were more numerous than before. Either way, she put on a smile and got to work.

As long as people are happy, I guess Hearth's Warming is still alive.

The next few hours of the day were spent baking goods and serving customers. Some of them came to pick up their orders, which were usually chocolate log cakes, cookie houses, and even some some sort of pie, while others simply came by to grab a bite or say hello. Those hours made everyone smile, and even though Pinkie Pie herself was smiling and happy, she couldn't help but think about what Pipsqueak would go through when he would be told that Santa Colt, one of his heroes, was not real. 

Then, without warning, her left hind leg started shaking and she blinked several times for a few seconds. Once the twitches stopped, Carrot Top spoke up.

"So what's your Pinkie Sense telling you this time?...Pinkie?"

Pinkie kept staring at the door of the store with wide eyes. She was thinking of the time she had learned the truth, and the same signal had manifested itself even though she couldn't explain it. When it reoccurred just now, she knew it was that  sign.

No. It can't happen, not to him. Not today, of all days!

"Pinkie you're scaring me, what's wrong?"

"...It means I'm going to leave the store for a bit, Mister Cake," said Pinkie, grabbing her yellow scarf. She was determined to not let this happen, especially not to someone like Pipsqueak, because nopony deserved to go through this on Heath's Warming Eve. 

"Oh, well, ok. I guess we can handle it from here, and this does seem important," he said, knowing the Pinkie Sense was no laughing matter. 

Pinkie Pie stepped out of Sugarcube Corner, intent on preventing the truth about Santa Hooves from reaching Pipsqueak. Yes, he would learn, but not at the age of eight years old, and it was unacceptable to let it happen today. But just as she was about to head for the hills where he was supposed to be, she saw him galloping towards her with wide eyes. Inside, she was as afraid as he was of what might have happened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's the matter, Pip? Did something bad happen?"

He stopped to catch his breath, then looked up at Pinkie Pie. She had to restrain herself from hugging him when she saw that those eyes, which were usually full of light, seemed to be moist with tears.

"Pinkie...please tell me it ain't true...it can't be."

"...What can't be true, Pip?"

"Santa Colt...he's real, right?"

And there it was. The moment she had been dreading, the one she was trying to stop from happening, was now upon her.  But she couldn't have read the sign wrong: someone's faith was in danger of being broken. But it couldn't be gone, not already. As she thought about it, Pip saw this moment of silence as a bad sign. A single tear ran down each of his eyes.

"No...Pinkie Pie, please..."

And that's when Pinkie Pie had an idea. It might have been the best idea anypony ever had in the entire year, and that year had seen Princess Celestia decide to have Discord reformed. Granted it was an idea that would need a lot of luck, immediate action, and perseverance, and maybe a metal boot. But if she could pull it off it would be worth it. With that in mind, she gave him a big smile and leveled with him.

"Don't worry Pipington, of course he's real, and that's the truth! You believe me, right?"

Pip looked at her for a few seconds, and it seemed that he was having trouble believing her, until he wiped his tears away with his sleeve and gave her a small smile. He hugged her tightly, and she returned the gesture.

"Yeah, that's what I thought...cheers, Pinkie."

"Anytime, Pip, anytime. Now what made you think those silly thoughts?"

"I'd rather not talk about it just yet, if that's okay."

"Okey dokey, keeping it low-key. Do you wanna buy that special something for good old Santy Hooves now?"

"...Nah, not just yet. Anyway, I have to get back home now. Thanks again, see ya soon!"

"Later, alligator!" she said, waving at him as he continued running down the town's snowy streets.

Speaking of alligators, I have to prepare Gummy's gift, she thought, before the sound of hurried hooves reached her again. Turning around, she saw little Dinky, Ditzy Hooves' daughter, running towards her with a sleigh.

"Well hey there, Dinks! What's got you in such a hurry?"

"It's...Pipsqueak...he forgot his sleigh...after he ran away," she said, taking big gulps of air to keep talking.

"Yeah, I just saw him now. I cheered him up a bit, and he's heading home. He seemed upset, what happened?"

Dinky flinched at that question, and rubbed her foreleg with its twin.

"Promise me you won't be mad if I tell you?"

"I Pinkie Promise, and you can take that to the sugar bank, filly," she added, giving a grin and a wink. Dinky giggled a bit, then cleared her throat.

"Alright, so we were all playing with each other when Pip arrived..."


************


"...and that's when he ran. I saw that he had forgotten his sleigh, and decided to get it back to him."

"...Oh Dinky, that's such a bummer. But I talked to him, and he seems to be okay now. Tell you what: how about you go in there and tell Miss Cake that I offered you a muffin? I'm going to get this back to Pip Pop."

"Hahaha, Pip Pop! Oh, right, muffins! Thanks Pinkie!"

"You go get it, girl," she shouted, giving the little filly a big grin. After the little unicorn had entered the building, Pinkie Pie took the sleigh and went into town, but she wasn't going to Pip's house. No, Pinkie's plan - albeit risky - was far better than that, and she was determined to make it work.

Because if Santa Hooves couldn't show up this year, Pinkie just needed to make another one.


> Pipsqueak's Hearth's Warming Eve (Part 2 of 3)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saving Santa Hooves is no easy task, not even for Pinkie Pie.

After leaving Pipsqueak's sleigh in front of his house and hopping away, she constructed a plan to make him believe again. But she couldn't just make him believe again, no, that would require an air-tight plan. A plan in which he would have to be persuaded that it was real, in which no fault could be found in any detail of the scenario. She would need it to be real, and nothing less than that would be acceptable. When he would smile, it would have to be genuine.

But how could she pull it off? Pip had been pretty shook up after all, from what she had been told, and making a bad plan could actually destroy what little hope he had left. She couldn't predict what his parents might do, so she had to plan with that in mind as well.

Even I don't think a party is gonna solve this problem, and that's saying something.

She stopped for a moment, and looked towards the hills nearby. She wasn't angry at those who had caused this, because not only was it not in her nature to be mad at people, but because those who had done this were misguided. She sighed, and trotted towards her warm home.

The bell rang, and she quietly stepped in. As Cup Cake poked her head out from the kitchen to see who it was, she saw Pinkie and knew that a silent Pinkie was not a good sign.

“What happened, Pinkie?”

Pinkie Pie ran a hoof through her wild mane, and looked at her friend with a tired smile.

“Nothing too bad, really. I just...need some time to think about it. I'll tell you all about it later, I promise, but for now this little Pinkie has some planning to do. If anyone asks for me, can you tell them I'm busy?”

“Well...sure, but what about Pipsqueak? Won't he want to see you later when he's picking up his treat for Santa Hooves?”

The pink party pony gave a little chuckle, and Cup Cake thought this was really bad.

“I don't think Pip's coming by later on. Not unless I fix this.” 

And with that, she went upstairs, leaving a startled Cup Cake below. The clock struck 3 PM and rang throughout the quiet store.

Pinkie entered her room, and closed the door behind her. She went into her closet and put on her thinking cap, grabbing Gummy from the windowsill and sat down on her bed, with her back against the headboard while petting her Gummy.


Okay, Pinkie Pod. Let's go over this one more time...



************


Earlier that day, on the hills of Ponyville...

Pipsqueak walked up the hill, dragging his sleigh behind him and finishing his muffin, when he arrived to receive a snowball to the face. He was so stunned he didn't react, merely wiping away the snow to see what had happened. He had been struck by a stray snowball coming from the battlefield in front of him. On his right, a trench had been built and three colts were throwing the snowy projectiles at a fort which stood to his left, where four fillies were throwing their own snowy bombs.

“Hey, Pip! Stop standing there like a duck and get in here!”

Rumble had called to him while his two friends, Snips and Snails, kept lobbing the snowballs at the enemy. Giggling madly, Pipsqueak ran to their position while avoiding a snowball or two and threw himself in the hole, landing next to his pegasus friend. Although the three others were older than him, Pipsqueak was considered as a 'cool kid'. While that term is as an oxymoron, it allowed him to hang out with them from time to time.

“Ahoy hoy, Rumble! What's all this then?”

“Well it all started when these two dummies said something involving Scootaloo and chicken, which I think was both funny and idiotic to be honest, and then,” he said, twirling a hoof above his head, “...this just sort of happened.”

“I see. Well, better get started, eh? At arms, mate!” he replied, digging the snow beneath his hooves. Rumble gave a chuckle at this.

“Aye aye, Captain.”

The fight went on for about half an hour, until the last balls were thrown and a surrender was declared by Snips and Snails. The four fillies – Scotaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Dinky Hooves – unanimously voted to accept their surrender. Dinky was here with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders because she was their 'apprentice' as they put it, and the first Ponyvillian to join the group. Also, she was a nice filly overall and really smart, so that was always nice.

“Well that was quite the fight wasn't it? Oh, and I almost forgot!”

Pip went to his sleigh and picked up the bag of treats, which had remained intact throughout the battle. He offered each of them a truffle before popping one in his mouth, and they all said a word of thanks to him.

“Nah, it's nothin'. It's Hearth's Warming Eve after all!” he cheered, throwing his hooves up.

Everyone smiled at his enthusiasm and kindness. He was usually like that, and he was also funny and cute, but those were Dinky's thoughts and totally didn't mean anything at all. Really.

“Alright then, who wants a ride on the sleigh?!”

They all cheered and took turns, Pipsqueak letting all of them go first – which Dinky appreciated a lot – before going for a ride with the little filly. They played like this for some time, then started making snow angels and ponies, talking about this and that and what they had done or were going to do for the season.

It was almost 3 PM when Pip started another topic of conversation.

“So, what are you guys gonna get from Santa Colt?”

“I'm asking for a book on fun and interesting spells that I saw in the library the other day, and my very own chemistry kit!” shouted Dinky, skipping around her snowpony.

“Wicked! What about you lot?”

There was a small moment of silence, where everything sort of stopped, the other foals standing there awkwardly while rubbing their forearms or scratching their necks or mane. Pip looked at them, his head cocked on the side with a curious expression on his face, until Snips spoke up.

“You still believe in Santa Hooves?”

Pip stared at him, blinked a few times, and gave a tiny little laugh.

“Well, of course I do. You don't just 'stop' believin' in Santa,” he said, turning to his other friends. None of them spoke, or looked back at him.

“...Right?” he asked, a tiny bit of fear creeping into his voice.

“Well shoot, of course ya don't, right girls?” said Apple Bloom, turning to her friends and giving a sideways look at him.

“Uh, yeah! Yeah, he's totally real!” said Scotaloo, a bit too loudly and enthusiastically.

“I'm believing so hard right now!” yelled Sweetie Belle, looking away with a bright red face afterwards.

Pip did not believe any of their loud confirmations.

“Oh come on, guys, tell him. Look, Pip my little buddy, have you ever wondered why everyone's carrying gifts around town?” said Snails.

“That's easy: they're giving gifts for those who are too old for Santa. Mum told me that,” said Pip, looking confident again.

“Fair point. But have you ever seen Santa?” said Snips, moving towards him.

“Of course I have. He was at Sugarcube Corner last year, I sat on his lap and asked him gifts, which he brought by the way.”

“Okay. Have you ever seen two Santas?”

“Well no, of course not.”

“Well I have, in Canterlot. Also, where does Santa get all his gifts?”

“...He makes them, in his workshop,” he said, hesitating a bit. “What are you saying, Snips? I know he's real, he was there after the first Hearth's Warming Eve,” starting to get annoyed and scared.

“Guys, I think you should stop talking now,” said Rumble, looking very embarrassed.

“No, he has to hear this. Pip, no one has ever seen Santa; all he left was a letter and he never came back after that.”

“Yeah, and how do you think he goes all over Equestria in one night?” added Snails.

“Well...he...uh, ummm,” said Pip, his fear growing.

“Yeah, and you know what else? My mom told me he wasn't real last summer. It's the parents, Pip, they give gifts.”

“Guys, stop that right now! It's not funny!” shouted Apple Bloom, getting in front of Pip, who had started shaking at this point; and it wasn't because of the cold.

“No, he needs to grow up! Pip, you have to see the truth: even if he was real, he would have to be a gajillion years old now,” said Snails.

“No... no you're lying! Tell them, Dinky!” shouted Pip, turning to his friend. She stared at the side biting her lower lip.

“No. No, you're lying, all of you! Stop it! STOP IT NOW!” yelled Pip. He turned around, with his eyes moistening, and ran down the hill, almost tripping on the way down. After the fillies called out for him, they turned towards the boys with angry looks.

“What the hay, boys?! Why are you so mean?!” shouted Scootaloo, poking Snips in the chest.

“He needed to grow up! That's how you become a stallion, through pain!” said Snails, looking down at her.

“That's not how ya grow up, ya dummy! He had to learn it on his own!” said Apple Bloom, glaring at him.

They were about to keep going when they heard sobbing. Turning around, they saw that Dinky had gone to sit down on the sleigh and had her face in her hooves. The fillies went to console her, until she broke free from the hug and ran down the hill after Pip, pulling his sleigh after her. The CMC glared at the three colts.

“Now look at what you did! You're all big meanies, except you Rumble, but you were just a chicken!” shouted Sweetie Belle, pointing a hoof at them.

“Well I told them to stop, but they wouldn't listen!” 

“Well that wasn't enough, was it?! Come on girls, we gotta find Dinky!” said Scotaloo, prompting the three of them to run down the hill.

The three colts stood there, one of them looking down at his hooves while the two others were trying to look confident.

“Hey, listen guys I...I gotta go,” said Rumble, flying off without waiting for a reply.

“Hey Snails?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we did the right thing, telling Pip the truth?”

“Of course we did. Yeah, we had to...” said Snips, slowly going down into a small mumble. The snow kept falling, and they headed down the hill with troubled minds and slow hooves.


************


Silly colts. They don't grow up, they just get bigger.

Pinkie sat there, petting her pet alligator and devising a plan – or attempting to, at least. She petted, and petted, and hummed, then petted again. Then an idea struck her. It was completely out of the fourth wall, it needed two opposite personalities and skills, and yet it could work. Not only for Pip, but for everyone else as well. She jumped out of bed.

“Alright, Gummy Gums! We have some impossible work to do, so onwards!”

She ran out of her room, down the stairs, and zoomed through the streets of the city. Zipping and hopping, she slipped or jumped past bystanders, shouting a quick 'Hello!' or 'Merry Hearth's Warming Eve!' to everyone, who replied with a similar expression or a word of thanks. She ran until she reached a house outside of town, which had no decorations or blinking light. The only outside sign of festivities was some holly hanging on the front door. 

“Alright, you lovable, cranky old grumpy-pants. We're gonna save Hearth's Warming,” she said, pumping a hoof up in the air as a sign of victory.

She stayed frozen like that for a few seconds, grinning like mad and staring at the door with a big smile on her face. Then, she skipped over to the door and knocked on it. 
> Pipsqueak's Hearth's Warming Eve (Part 3 of 3)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean, 'no'?! Cranky Doodle, you have to help me out here, this colt really needs help!"

"And I told you, I refuse to help save a rotten holiday!"

Cranky Doodle was a conservative donkey. He wasn't against things like inter-species relationships or Equestria having a new Princess dropped on them unannounced - which was happening frighteningly often these days - but he did not approve of changing traditions. One could say he was a traditionalist, rather than a conservative - which is a bit of a nasty word. 

So when this traditionalist donkey, throughout his long life and his travels, saw how Hearth's Warming was becoming a very commercialized and superficial event that aimed at buying more and more; and that the ideas of "sharing and caring" and 'loving your family and neighbour' were now just words thrown out there to justify this wave of greed which had taken over the country and to give one-self a fake sense of righteousness, he decided he had nothing left to do with this even and distanced himself from the whole mess. To his credit, he tried a very long time to accept this evolution, but time eventually won over persistence.

"Please? Please, please, please, please please! This isn't about Hearth's Warming Eve, it's about saving a little colt's faith in Santa Hooves. Come oooon!" she begged, running around his table. 

After knocking came from the door, Cranky Doodle the donkey opened it to find his first friend in a long time, Pinkie Pie, and gave her a little smile, which was surprising given his...cranky personality. They were now sitting down in his little kitchen, with two cups of hot chocolate each. When she had told him what had happened and exposed her plan to him, he refused with a simple 'no', which baffled the party pony.

"Oh yes, the faith in Santa Hooves. Well you know what, Pinkie? Say I do it. Let's say I go through this insane plan 'a yours and it succeeds. Then what? All that's left is a bunch of colts and fillies asking even more and more gifts than they already do, and I won't have that happen while I'm still alive! I see what you're trying to do, I really do, but have you considered that by making children believe Santa is real on one night you make things worse? Also, how long could you keep up the illusion?"

"But we have the means, and I told you how this would work, what's not to believe?"

"I don't believe that one child's faith in Hearth's Warming is worth destroying the holiday as I remember it!"

"...Why do you hate Hearth's Warming so much?" she asked quietly. He looked at her with wide eyes, prepared to yell again, then his look softened and he sighed.

"I don't 'hate' Hearth's Warming, Pinkie. I just...don't approve of what it's become. You're too young to know, but this holiday used to be exclusively about sharing. All that was needed was a small gift, like a tie or maybe a box of sugar cubes, and that was plenty. Those were good times, and back when I was still traveling I met some friends my age at some point. On this night so many years go, we went out of our camp and into the nearby village, from street to street and inviting the whole neighbourhood to come and spend the night with us. Of course a bunch declined, but many accepted, and that night was spent without any gift of any kind. All there was that night was cheering, singing, eating, drinking, and sharing.

"Then...something happened. I don't know what it was or when it happened, but whatever it was made Hearth's Warming all about big fat gifts that children get tired of in a month or so. Ever since then, I ask myself the same question every season: what happened to my Hearth's Warming? And to this day, I still have no answer. So there."  

They both sat quietly after that, with Pinkie looking into her hot chocolate and Cranky turning his back on her, looking miffed. Even though she didn't like it, he was right: having him pose as Santa Hooves for Pip was not going to cut it. She needed something that could last, something massive, and something that would affect all of Equestria, and all she had was her Pinkieness and an unwilling donkey.

Darn it! If only I had more time!

Time...Time!

And that's when it hit her with the speed of a wild Wonderbolt.

"Oh...oh!...Cranky! Cranky, be careful!"

"What? What is it?" he said, looking alert. Then she jumped on the table and got all up in his face, staring straight into his eyes.

"I'm going to be absolutely, terrifically, and superoonaly BRILLIANT!" she exclaimed, throwing her hooves up in the air. When neither moved for a few seconds, Pinkie pulled a hat out of nowhere and starting skipping around.

"Here's the thing: no one has ever seen Santa Hooves, right? All he left all those years ago was gifts and a letter. That's what started the holiday, right?"

"Yes..."

"And you're bitter because something happened that caused the holiday to stray away from its purpose, right?", she asked, patting his back.

"...Yeah," he grumbled.

"Then what if we take the whole thing...and start from scratch?" she giggled, taking his face in her hooves.

"...What?!" he sputtered, looking at her as if she was from another planet.

"You heard me, Cranky old buddy. I'm saying we make Santa Hooves appear every year from then 'till now! I'm saying we make Equestria believe again! For that I need you, and you know who else," she finished, with a triumphant grin on her face.

They stared at each other for a long time, and the clock struck 5PM.

"Oh, I see...I don't agree with his methods," he said, crossing his arms.

"I know, and you have every right to think that, but I'm asking you to bear with him until we fix this whole thing up. So...please? If not for me or Pipsqueak, then do it for closure?"

He glared at her for a bit, then sighed and rubbed his face in his hooves.

"Alright Pinkie, you win. I'll do this for Heath's Warming...so when do we start?"

"After chocolate. You never start anything without some good chocolate," she smiled, taking a sip from her beverage. Then, she had a bit of a grimace on her face.

"Or just...some chocolate."


*************


Pipsqueak sat in his room, nervously waiting for something fantastic to happen.

Ever since he had come back from his encounter with Pinkie Pie, Pip felt somewhat better. He came in, put on a smile, and went around doing whatever his parents asked him to do or anything to distract himself. But try as he might, he couldn't get what the colts had said out of his mind. His belief was still there, but it was slipping. 

What they said seemed to be pretty true...no Pip, that's not what you should think. Santa Hooves is real. He's real, he's real, he's real...

This pattern repeated itself several times, and when he asked his parents about Santa they had a very subtle look of panic, followed by a big smile.

"Why of course he is, Pippy! What makes you say that?" They would say, and he gave them some lame reason so that they would drop it. But it was enough: he was now doubting his parents' words. During the dinner, he was all smiles and cheerful, enjoying the food his parents had prepared and giving them both a big hug. But once he was alone, he decided that he would need to prove the theory to find some sleep. And so, he waited. He left the table at around 9, and stayed awake for about an hour before he fell asleep.

It was around Midnight when he heard a noise downstairs. Jolting awake, he stealthily went down the steps and listened. He heard hushed voices, and the sound of something heavy being moved. At some point, he caught a bit of conversation.

"Egads love, be careful!"

"Sorry. I don't think he heard anyway."

That...sounds like Mum and Dad.

He crept down the stairs, as slowly as he could, until he reached the end of them and saw light coming from the kitchen. He crawled forward, stood against the wall, and peeked around the corner of the door-frame. What he saw almost made him cry out in horror. His mother and father were putting gifts at the foot of the tree, and they held hooves after they had finished. 

"Oh boy. I was really hoping he would learn later."

"I know, sweetie, I know. But that's the way things are today: we tell our kids Santa Hooves isn't real earlier and earlier as the years go by. You just have to embrace it. I just hope he won't take it too hard."

"When do we tell him?"

"...Next year. He deserves this Christmas."

Santa Hooves isn't real. Isn't real. Isn't. Real.

He bit down on his hoof, and angry tears burned stung his eyes. They had lied to him, making him believe that there was somepony out there who actually gave out gifts for free on one day of the year, simply out of good will and generosity. Not caring whether he was quiet or not, Pip ran to his room, closed the door, and started weeping in his bed. All those years, nothing but a lie. A big fat lie.

Why? Why, why, why?!

He punched his pillow several times, then fell on his mattress and wept a bit louder. The clock was five minutes away from marking the start of Hearth's Warming, and in five minutes it would all mean nothing for him. What would being good and nice do, if his good behaviour or his bad behaviour weren't checked by this imaginary character. And it felt so right, believing in Santa Hooves. Sure, Pip had had small doubts before, but the ribbon, Cup Cake's reaction and his friends' arguments were the final nails in the proverbial coffin. He just wished that Santa Hooves, all those years ago, had bothered to show his face to the world and say he wouldn't return in the first place.

He looked at his alarm clock, and saw that it was Midnight. He bit the pillow, and scrunched his eyes up so tight it hurt.

Why Santa? WHY?!

Then, he heard a sound. It was a great big whooshing noise, and it was getting louder.

At first he looked at the window, thinking it was the sound of the winter wind from outside, but it was locked. He looked at the foot of his bed, and something wondrous happened. There, out of thin air, a red carriage slowly appeared in his room. It was just that: an ordinary carriage, a private coach to be exact, pretty average by all accounts and it was crimson. And just when he thought things couldn't become stranger, the door opened.

A deep blue light shone out, making Pipsqueak wince and cover his eyes with a foreleg. When it safe to look, he lowered his hoof and stared at the sight before him. Standing there was an equine shape, with a droopy hat that ended up resting on their shoulder and a big brown saddlebag on his back. His robes were deep green, and the only thing they didn't cover were his hooves and his head. This head had two large ears, and an old face looked at him with a smile.

"Hello there, young Pipsqueak. I believe you called me."

 
> Bringing Back Hearth's Warming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?"

Pip could not squeak out a single word. He sat there, on his bed, staring at the apparition before him. It was real, it was actually real. Santa Hooves was standing just there, giving him a smile and sitting on the steeps of his flying red carriage, just like in the pictures he had seen in the books his parents read to him as a smaller child. And speaking of parents...

"You're not real."

"Is that what they've been saying these days? That's not very nice, although I was gone for...what year is this?" asked the donkey, clasping his hooves together.

"...It's the second year of the Celestial Sisters' rule. That might change though, we just got a new princess."

"Oh, that's when we are. I have been gone a while, haven't I?" he replied, scratching his chin with a hoof.

"People don't believe in you anymore. I just stopped, at least."

"Hmmm...so it seems. I sense as though we're getting off on the wrong hoof here. I'll start: hello Pipsqueak, my name is Santa Hooves. Or Colt, if you prefer, can I call you Pip?"

"...Why are you here? You're not supposed to be real," he said, crossing his arms.

The old donkey did nothing for a moment, simply staring at the colt in front of him, before he laughed and got up.

"Well then, I suppose we'll have to fix that shall we? Yes, I think it's high time Equestria started believing again, don't you? Come along."

Santa Hooves went into his carriage and disappeared into the light, leaving the door open for Pip to follow. The little colt wasn't sure what to think at this point: his faith had been strengthened in the morning, broken in the afternoon, and had both shattered and been fixed almost in the same moment. But he felt it, in his bones, that this was real. So he went up the small stairs of the carriage, and gazed in awe at what the light revealed.

He was standing in an immense room, bigger than the carriage should have allowed it to be. High above him, massive gears of all shapes and sizes turned around in perfect synchronisation, making a low rumbling and clanking noise. Steam floated around, and he could see some pipes blowing out smoke of every colour.

In front of him, a small metal platform connected his walkway to another, which split up in the shape of a Y. At the point where the Y split, a small set of stairs led up to a massive glass pillar, which contained a large crystal. The pillar was surrounded by a set of boards, which were covered in all sorts of thing: levers, buttons, knobs, handles, and what appeared to be a hotplate. Standing at the top of those stairs was Santa Hooves, looking down at the colt with a proud smile.

"Welcome to my workshop, Pip. What do you think?"

Before Pip could reply, the donkey hushed him.

"Actually, don't answer that. I hate it when they say that. Now then, we're off. Come up here."

Pip took slow steps forward, looking over the rails to see what was below. The metal platform in front of him seemed to be an elevator of sorts, and down there a massive vault was connected to the platform where Santa was standing with several pipes. In those pipes, colourful liquids rushed up underneath the platform to a pool, which was covered by the platform, where many crystals were glowing. The pool seemed to be connected to the boards, go up the pillar, and make the largest crystal grow several colours. He saw it turn blue, then red, then green.

"I'm glad I caught you on time, Pip my boy. After dealing with some nasty business, I decided to check in on Equestria and saw that things had taken a strange turn in my absence. Tell me: what do I mean to the ponies of your time?"

Not bothering to really understand the question, Pip looked away with sad eyes.

"The only people who really believe in you now are the foals. Adults make us believe you're real, but the fact is they're the ones who give gifts. Lots and lots of gifts," he said, then turned to the donkey. "Why are things this way? Why did you leave us all those years ago?"

Santa Hooves looked down at the colt with a sad expression of his own, then closed his eyes and gave a sigh.

"I'll explain everything to you on the way," he then turned his gaze up to the ceiling, and called out in a loud voice. "Let's go, then!"

The place stayed still for a moment, then it started to shake. The glass pillar pumped up and down, and the crystal shone a bright white colour. Pip lost his footing and just had time to grab a nearby railing when Santa, who had also grabbed the railing and stood next to him, started talking.

"I know you know of the pixies and elves that help me make gifts, so I won't go into too much detail. What happened all those years ago, after we had given the gifts to every settlement in Equestria, is that we started preparing the next one. But then their world was attacked by the Windigos, as they were angry at us for making everypony happy. I had to help them Pip, I had to, they had helped me so much. By the time we had sent them away and I came back, things had changed. I saw you on the hill with your friends, your pink friend, and what happened downstairs. I'm sorry."

"...It's okay Santa, I forgive you. But where are they now, and where are we going?"

"They're back in their world, resting after a long fight with those nasty spirits. As to where we are..."

As he said those words, the room stopped shaking and the pillar had stopped moving and glowing. Santa Hooves walked over to the door, and held it open.

"Take a look."

Cautious, Pip went to the door and looked up at him. After receiving a nod, he went outside, and what he saw amazed him.

They were standing above a tall hill, where the grass went high and wild trees and bushes marked the edge of a dense forest. Below them, at the foot of the hill, a small village made of huts and dirt roads glowed from torches and Hearth's Warming lights. He could see ponies moving below, none of them were flying, but they were all going towards the center of the village, where a tall Hearth's Warming trees stood proud and shiny, covered in decorations. Santa Hooves joined him, his weathered brown bag on his shoulder.

"What you are looking at is an Earth Pony settlement, in the year two after BoE, or Birth of Equestria if you want. And we, my young friend, are going to give them gifts."

"You mean...we traveled through time?"

"That we did, lad, and I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago: show up for Hearth's Warming."

"...Santa Hooves...is this real?" asked Pip, looking up at the magical donkey. He stared at his young friend, and grinned.

"Pip, my colt, this is as real as it can get. Now let's go, we have gifts to give," he said, walking back into the carriage. Pip ran after him, and stood next to him in front of the boards.

"No, no, Pip. You stay at the door and watch what happens. Leave the door open, and hold on tight."

Following his instructions, Pipsqueak stood next to the open door and waited. A buzzing noise could be heard, and then the area shook once more. The carriage went up the air, and slowly flew over the town before standing still, hovering the houses from two meters or so. 

"Right then, let's start," said Santa, walking up to Pip.

"But Santa, we're not going to jump down there are we?"

"Oh, I could have done that when I was younger, but not today. Look," he replied, pointing at their hooves.

When Pip looked down, he saw that the steps of the carriage had grown to go all the way down to the roof of the house below them. Pip stared at them, mouth open, before a hoof closed it and ruffled his hair, Santa giving a chuckle at the boy's reaction. He walked down, the leather bag still on his back, and waited until Pip had joined him to walk towards the house's chimney.

"Hold on to my robes Pip, and don't move."

Pip did as he was told, and looked at the donkey. Santa went into his pocket and took a few seconds to pull out an empty snow globe, which he stared at with a frown. Then, to Pip's great surprise, the house that they were standing on appeared in the glass ball. Before he could ask how that happened, there was a small flash and they found themselves in a dark, empty living room. In front of them, a small tree with a few decorations was devoid of gifts, and Pip had to shake his head a bit to clear his vision.

"Before you ask, that was magic and let's leave it at that. Now then, come help me with this. These gifts aren't going to set themselves down."

"But Santa, you don't have anything in there."

"That's what you think. Watch this," he said, with a wink. The, from out of nowhere, he pulled out a small teddy bear. After putting it down, at the foot of the tree, he pulled out a small toy carriage and placed it next to the stuffed animal. He followed the two items with a pair of green slippers and a red mare's saddle. Pip watched the whole thing in silence.

"There we go. Onto the next one," said Santa, picking up his bag.

"How...did you do that?"

"Magic."

"What you did was impossible, even for magic."

"Understand this, Pipsqueak: nothing is impossible. If there's a will, there's a way. Now hold on."

Pip clutched the donkey's clothes, and they popped back up to the roof. To their left, a walkway appeared to make a bridge between their roof and the next one. Pip looked up to see Santa Hooves eating a carrot and drinking a glass of milk. Once he was done, he put the snow globe in front of the glass and it flashed out of existence.

"There we go, next one!"

"Wait, wait wait! Santa!" said Pip, reaching out to the donkey, who turned around to watch the boy fidget. "...How do you travel like that? In time, and from the elves' world to mine?"

The donkey gave a small humph, and knelt in front of the colt to give him a warm smile.

"Pipsqueak...do you really want to know?"

"...Nah. Let's go give these ponies their gifts!" said Pip, skipping over to the bridge. Santa watched him go, and chuckled.

"Me neither."


************


And so they went from house to house, the colt and Santa Hooves, dropping off gifts and eating the milk and treats left on their plates. Pip would help as much as he could, and shared the food that the ponies had so generously left for them with Santa Hooves. They popped from home to home, hiding in a corner to avoid some very close calls when someone went to see what the noise in their house was. Strangely enough, none of the ponies seemed to see that they were hiding there, and never went to check. They made small talk with each other. Santa Hooves told Pip of the pixies and the elves, while Pip told him of his time and what had happened in his absence. The whole time they were smiling, enjoying the feeling of bringing joy to these people.

After they were done with the houses, they stood in front of the carriage, both a bit tired but happy to have done a good job.

"Wow, that was great!" laughed Pip, skipping around Santa.

"Yes, that was very enjoyable, I had forgotten how nice that was. Now then, onto the next stop?" he said, getting back in the carriage.

"Oh by! Are we going to another town?" asked the colt, watching Santa go to the boards.

"...Yes, yes we are. Onwards!" he said, flipping a switch.

The room shook again, and they arrived to their destination rather quickly. Pip ran ahead, eager to see where or when they had landed, and flung open the doors, only to be confused. He was looking at his dark room, the alarm clock showing one minute past midnight. Why was he back here?

"This is where we part ways, lad. Thank you very much for your help," said Santa, looking at the boy with a warm smile.

"You mean...I can't help you anymore?" he asked, feeling his eyes moisten.

"My boy, you've helped me so very much I could call you an elf," said Santa with a chuckle, patting the boy on the head. "But I couldn't ask you to help me more. I have hundreds of Hearth Warming's to catch up on, and you need your sleep. You have presents waiting for you downstairs, after all."

"Yeah, my parents bought them for me," grumbled Pip.

"Oh, I have no doubt about that, but you'll come to find that it's not so bad. Be glad for what they give you, and never show any sign of this night to them. One last thing before I leave: you might want to visit the Royal Canterlot Museum when you get the chance. I think you'll find it to be a nice reminder of what we did tonight."

At this point, the colt knew that Santa Hooves had a tendency to be vague and mysterious, so he just nodded. He hugged the old donkey, his thanks muffled by the sleeve of the robes. Santa returned the hug, and went back to his carriage. Just before he closed the door, he looked back at the boy.

"Do you believe in me, Pipsqueak? Do you think I can fix this mess?"

"Yeah I do! You're real and you want to after all!" said Pip, giving his friend a big smile.

With a chuckle, he closed the door and left Pip to watch as the carriage faded away with a rasping noise. The colt rubbed his eyes dry and climbed in his bed, feeling the work they had done catch up to him. Before he fell asleep, he had a big smile on his face and a single thought that rang through his head.

He's real. He was always real.

And with that, he went to have wonderful dreams of him and Santa, sailing the seas in their pirate outfits, throwing gifts at their ship mates and laughing heartily.


************


"Come along, children! I have a feeling you'll like this part!"

Cherilee led her students through the Royal Canterlot Museum, keeping an eye on each and every one of them. They were following her, albeit in a somewhat organised fashion, and all speaking in hushed voices. A month had passed after Hearth's Warming, and their teacher had actually received an invitation from the museum's curator to visit their establishment as part of a school project on Equestrian traditions. They had passed the galleries dedicated to Nightmare Night and had just entered the section concerning Hearth's Warming Eve.

Pipsqueak was part of the group, and happily trotted alongside his teacher. He kept thinking about that magical night he had spent with Santa Hooves, and the his final advice he had given him. Now that he was in the museum, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign from the old donkey. After walking through the part of the museum dedicated to Hearth's Warming Eve, Cherilee called out to her students.

"Alright children, let's take a look at the letter from Santa Hooves!"

Pipsqueak snapped at attention, his curiosity suddenly spiked by his teacher's words. The group of colts and fillies huddled around the glass casing, and Pip had to squeeze through his peers to take a look at the message. He knew what the letter said, and yet for some reason he knew he had to see it one more time. As he reached the casing, his eyes roamed the words written there and widened as he reached the end. The message was familiar, but a part of it had changed.


[...]

On this day, I leave you an opportunity to share and care for another, whoever you may be and wherever you may hail from.

If I were to request one thing of you, it would be this: do not forget me. I humbly ask that you do not forget that my actions will be a symbol of sharing and caring for one another, and not merely gifts. I encourage you, by all means, to show tokens of affection. Just not too many.

And last, but not least, I would like to tell my little elf that none of this would have possible without him. And I would like to tell him, and every Equestrian throughout the realm, to know that I will return. I cannot say when or how, but I will return, and I hope to spend as much time as I can with you wonderful folk.

Best of luck from your watchful friend,

The Saviour from the Cold 

Pipsqueak stood there, flabbergasted, staring at the message before him. He couldn't understand: how could he have forgotten the contents of this letter? To answer his question, he signaled the wisest pony in the room.

"Miss Cherilee?" he asked, waving a hoof in the air.

"Yes, Pip, how can I help you?"

"Can you tell us more about this letter?"

"Why yes, I can," she said, pleased to see her students paying so much attention. "This is the original letter left by the mysterious character known as Santa Hooves, who - according to legend - went from settlement to settlement at the beginning of the Birth of Equestria to unite ponies under one nation. This letter has taught our ancestors that presents are far bigger on the inside of the box they come in: it's what they are about, what they represent. That's why there aren't many gifts on Hearth's Warming day: if we were to have too many gifts, we wouldn't appreciate them as much."

"Well said, miss Cherilee. My thoughts exactly," came a new, deeper voice.

The whole group, including the teacher, whirled around to find Princess Celestia walking towards them with a serene smile. They all bowed, which made the monarch giggle.

"Rise, my little ponies. I won't have my guests bow to me in my museum," she said, making them get up immediately.

Princess Celestia was, indeed, the curator of the Royal Canterlot Museum, and made many visits to the galleries in order to keep the memories she had stored here alive, for her and her subjects. She always enjoyed seeing her people look in awe at items she had picked up on a whim or to preserve many years ago, not knowing it would make such an impact. Yes, this place was very dear to her, and she was glad to share it with everypony.

"And what about the elf?" asked a filly in the group.

"Good question, Honey Bun. The elf mentioned in the letter refers to Santa Hooves' assistant, Santa Colt. Many philosophers and writers have published their work on these two characters, but no clear evidence was ever found as to who they were. But although no one has actually seen them, several sketches and drawing show them going from roof to roof. Would you like to see those?"

The children all gave barely contained cheers, and quickly walked over to the rest of the exhibits. Meanwhile, Pipsqueak stayed in front of the letter, shaking his head with scrunched up eyes. He felt his memories shift and change, saw Hearth Warmings he had loved fade away to make way for new Hearth's Warmings, which felt better than the old ones. He remembered now that Santa Colt and Santa Hooves were actually two different ponies, and all the tales he had been told about them. He was confused, slightly sad, but very relieved overall.

"Are you alright, little one?" asked the Princess, looking down at him.

"Er, yes ma'am - I mean, your Majesty Princess Celestia," he said, straightening himself up with a blush.

"That's quite alright, Pipsqueak," she said with a smile.

"You- you know my name?" he whispered, staring up at her in awe.

"Indeed I do. I have heard good things about you from my sister, Luna, and how you said she was the 'best Princess ever'," she replied, giving him a look of disappointment.

"Oh, um...well, yeah, about that...see-"

"I'm just teasing you, Pipsqueak, I know what you mean. Now, would you care to accompany me to those depictions of the Santas?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he said, giving her a salute before trotting ahead. She giggled, shaking her head.

Oh, Hooves. Your elf is a riot, just like you said.

She walked through the great halls to see the good teacher show her students, along with Pip, a tapestry of two equine-like figures standing on a roof below a carriage, holding a star in their hooves. She showed them a painting where the two Santas were hidden in a corner, while a pony stood at the bottom of a staircase with a candle in their hoof. She watched them with a small smile, and had a thought.

He'll be here soon, won't he?...Oh yes, this very year I think.

She walked with the group for the rest of their visit, and waved goodbye to the colts and fillies as they left her museum. As Pip turned around one last time to look at the place, he saw the Princess give him a wink, and held a hoof up to her muzzle in a gesture of silence. Grinning, he saluted her again and ran towards his classmates.



************


"Pip, look out!"

The colt ducked, narrowly avoiding the snowball as it whizzed over his head. He was standing along with his friends on the hills of Ponyville, many months after their visit to the museum, and they were having a lot of fun. When he asked about the talk they had last year, his friends didn't know what to reply. They couldn't remember a particular incident, and didn't understand why Pip looked at them with a happy smile after that.

It never happened. Thank the Sisters, it didn't happen.

"Here I come, ya scoundrels!" he yelled, throwing a ball of his own at Snips. The colt sidestepped to avoid it, and gasped as he saw hit it thin air and explode. They all froze, staring a the debris of the snowy bomb floating behind him. How could it be? None of them were suing any magic or trick, so how did the snowball stay in the air?

Then, slowly but surely, they saw an extraordinary sight. The space around the ball seemed to glow red, and a crimson carriage could be seen appearing before their eyes. For a second, nobody breathed. After a few seconds, with a creak, the door of the carriage opened and a jolly voice rang out.

"Well then, what's this? Is Santa Hooves going to engage in another snowball war?"

There he was, clad in his green robes, the magic donkey which had brought them so much joy. He looked at his vehicle with a mock frown, and looked from child to child. When he spotted Pip, he narrowed his eyes.

"It was you, wasn't it?" he asked pointing a hoof at the colt. Before our hero could reply, the old donkey threw his hooves up.

"Quickly, children! We must fight the enemy! Attack!"

And with that, he scooped up a block of snow, molded it into a ball, and threw it at Pip, who dodged the projectile while giggling wildly.

"Arr, t'was I indeed, ya old buzzard! I be boardin' ya!"

"You'll never have my ship, you scoundrel! Help me children, quick!"

With great big grins and youthful determination, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Snips, Snails, Rumble and Dinky, started hurling snowballs at the devilish pirate while crying out with epic war cries. The pirate avoided each throw narrowly, laughing his piratey laugh and throwing his snowy bombs as if Discord had possessed him. When the battle ended, the old donkey cleared his throat.

"Now then, children, can anyone tell me what day it is?"

"It's the day after Hearth's Warming Eve!" they cheered.

"I see! And did your parents give you nice gifts?"

"Well, I didn't get any," said Dinky, hopping up and down," but that's nothing, because I got to spend the whole day with my mom and dad!"

"Very nice, and what did you do?" he asked, crouching to meet her gaze.

"We told stories, and baked cupcakes, and went ice-skating, and we made snowponies, and then we had hot cocoa around a nice fire!"

"Well that sounds like a wonderful time, and I'd be glad to hear all of your stories, but I must meet your parents now! Yes, yes indeed, I have finally returned to Equestria, and I have so many things to see and stories to tell! Run along now, tell everyone you see that Santa Hooves has returned!" he shouted, laughing merrily.

With wild cries of joy, they all ran down the hill babbling excitedly and running as fast as their little hooves could carry them. All of them, except for Pipsqueak. As soon as his friends had left, the colt ran up to the donkey and gave him a hug, which was returned in kind.

"Thank you," said Pip, wiping his eyes on the robes.

"No, lad, thank you. It seems we all needed this. You, me, and everypony else, seemed to have forgotten what Hearth's Warming was about. Now then, little elf, shall we go?"

"Yeah!" shouted the colt, and ran down the hill while his friend climbed aboard the carriage, and flew it towards Ponyville Square.

What happened to my Hearth's Warming Eve? thought Cranky Doodle, sitting on the steps of his flying carriage while looking down below.

...I guess it never changed, in the end. It happened at one point, and always has been there, I suppose.

And with that thought, he grinned the biggest grin he had ever grinned in his long, long life.





> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie Pie stood in front of Sugarcube Corner, waiting for her friends to arrive. From what had happened on this day, it seemed she had been successful in her mission. She gave herself a pat of the back - literally - and waited some more. In the store, which had been cleaned after the celebrations, the clock struck midnight.

As soon as the bells rang, the wind picked up. In front of her, the air warped and a great whooshing noise could be heard. When the crimson carriage finished materializing, Pinkie grinned and knocked on the door, which swung open a few seconds later. She walked in the spacious room and walked up the stairs of the platform to find a stallion and a donkey drinking hot chocolate and smiling at her.

"So boys, how'd it go?" she asked, leaning on the boards of the glass pillar.

"Oh, it went quite well, actually. Although I'm really too old for this," said Cranky Doodle, grumbling and rubbing his legs.

"Nonsense, Cranky old mate, you look smashing! They loved you out there, you make a great Santa! Plus, I'm way older than you, so...yeah," chuckled the stallion, putting down his cup.

"Whatever you say, lad, whatever you say. Mind dropping me off?"

"Not at all, Cranky. Say hi to Matilda for me, will ya?" he replied, operating the machinery in front of him. The room shook as it always did, then went quiet again. Cranky Doodle walked out the doors, and went down the steps to stand in front of his house. The stallion followed him, clad in his black coat, and faced the donkey.

"Will do. You know, lad, I won't lie: I didn't like you that much after last time. But I have to admit: you really made a change for that kid, and for me too. So thanks," said Cranky, holding out a hoof.

"Anytime, Cranky Doodle, anytime. And thank you too," he said, with a warm smile.

The donkey nodded, and went back inside to find his beloved. The stallion sighed, breathing in the cool air, and returned to his home to find Pinkie Pie looking at him with a warm smile of her own.

"What? Is there something on my face again?"

"No, no, it's not that. I just really appreciate what you did for us today."

"What're you talking about? That was all you and Cranky, I did nothing," he mumbled, flicking switches and pulling levers.

"You changed history for us, Doctor. That's not nothing."

"And you went out of your way to cheer up a child who had lost a bit of his sense of wonder. And that, Pinkie Pie, is way up there with some of the good stuff I've done. You could have just asked me to change history and make them forget, but no: you saved their faith. That, is something wonderful," said the stallion, walking with her over to the doors.

"Anything for a smile, Doc. Just one thing..."

She opened the doors and looked up to see that the crimson carriage was gone, replaced with a bright white bulb and a blue frame.

"What is it?" asked the Doctor, slightly confused.

"Nothing, it's just...if that disguise thingy is fixed, why did you make it look like your box again?"

The Doctor paused at this, looking at Pinkie Pie with a stoic face.

"Because that box is special to me, and I'd like to leave it at that."

"Say no more, I won't pry into your biz. Thank you Doctor, for everything you've done tonight," she said giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Same goes for you," he replied, returning the hug with a blush.

"But, wait a minute: how are you spending your Hearth's Warming?"

"Oh don't worry, I've gone something planned in about...three hundred years ago...ish," he said, looking at his pocket watch. She looked at him for a few seconds, then giggled.

"Alrighty then. Come back if you want to," she said, and walked back into her store. He watched her go, and closed his doors. He looked around his room, listening to the clickety-clack of the gears, the hiss of the steam, and the constant humming noise that sounded throughout the ship.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." he mumbled, wiping his face with his hooves. He sat there, staring into the blue pool of crystals for a few minutes, until he laughed and shook his head.

"Blimey Pinkie, you've done it again."

He stepped out of the TARDIS, locked it, and saw that the door to Sugarcube Corner had the OPEN sign turned to face him. He pushed it open silently, and saw Pinkie sitting at a table illuminated by a candle with a pot of hot chocolate, two mugs, and a plate of biscuits. 

"We're going to get fat from all these treats, Pinkie," he chuckle, sitting in front of her.

"Fat, schmat. You're always running and I'm Pinkalicious, so hush up and drink up," she said while pouring him a cup. He took it, said thanks, then raised the cup towards her.

"To you, Pinkie Pie, for saving Hearth's Warming and our cranky Santa."

"To us, Time Turner. To us," she giggled, giving his cup a small clink before drinking the chocolatey drink with him.

'Cause all I really need, is a smile, smile, smile ♪, she sang to herself, looking at the smiling Doctor as he wiped a corner of his eye with a sleeve.