A Very Special Day
Diamond Tiara sat bored at her window sill, watching the snowflakes slowly make their inevitable descent to the earth. Once again it was Hearth's Warming Day, and like so many previous years, she had nopony else to spend it with. Father was away on business, Randolph had the day off, and as for her mother... well, she was probably having her muzzle waxed at the local beautician's, or something. In fact, perhaps the snobbish mare's absence could be counted as a bonus, considering her low opinion of the 'commoner's' holiday and those who celebrated it.
With Diamond being a new, reformed filly these days, she had a few friends she could call on, but she didn't really want to bother them with her loneliness woes. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were most likely enjoying the special day with their immediate relatives (even Scootaloo had Rainbow Dash to horse around with). Besides, intruding on their festivities might make it appear as though she was desperate for company, and she certainly didn't want that unfortunate rumour to gain traction (although, it was quite blatantly true).
As for her long term bestie Silver Spoon, she was long gone, savouring the sights and sounds of Manehattan which always had a terrific light show at this time of year. Tiara was there at the train station to see Spoon off earlier, and had tried to put on a happy smile at witnessing her departure, but the truth was the pink filly was absolutely devastated at her best friend leaving her all alone. It would be the first time the usually inseparable pair were apart on this wonderful day, and it felt like a wrench on her heart.
It was only one short year ago after all, that Diamond truly began to appreciate just how special their friendship was, after her miraculous reformation. The days where she bossed Spoonie around like a glorified servant were well and truly over, with the evolution of their mutual rapport being far more preferable and satisfying than the mistress/slave dynamic that existed before.
At least with the grey filly being here, Diamond would have had somepony to sound off about how dumb her parents were. But as of now, she had nothing, other than this half-eaten cookie and glass of milk that she'd poured herself. Yes, even the kitchen staff were gone, along with the rest of the hired help, no doubt enjoying some raucous party complete with a decadent feast, while poor old Tiara was left to fend on her own. They hadn't even left her a snack in the fridge for later, and with her limited experience in meal preparation, starvation was a very real possibly for the depressed youngster.
It was at times like this that she truly envied the 'lower' classes. They might not have two bits to rub together, but when it came to looking after and caring for one another, there was no contest between them and the aristocracy. Which of course, she belonged to. Sigh...
Diamond was about to take the outrageous step where she'd even consider darkening the doors of that most rough of establishments called the Hayburger (shiver) when she heard a strange noise coming from the chimney downstairs.
Oh no, don't tell me Derpy's lost her way again and is stuck midway down... Tiara internally sighed at the memory. It took ten fireponies from the EFD six hours last time to cut her free, and we couldn't go back in our living room all week afterwards. Mother was so mad... the money it took to repair the damage meant she couldn't afford to fix the appalling nose job that Flim and Flam surgeons Inc. had administered on her the previous month. Guess who she took the manticore's share of her anger out on afterwards. Clue: It wasn't Daddy...
Pushing aside the unfortunate memory for now, Tiara made a bee-line for the lounge, grabbing a poker en route to see if it could clear the unexplained blockage. She didn't actually want to 'accidentally ' poke any pesky, preoccupied pegasi in the posterior, but she had to admit, the temptation was there.
She'd just entered the large living area in time, to see clouds of bilious black smoke puffing from the fireplace chamber, and as she hoarsely coughed and frantically wiped her eyes to remove all traces of dirt, a loud bang could be heard nearby, as though something big had just touched down from above.
As the remaining soot that lingered in the air cleared, Tiara's line of sight was finally clear to see the new presence in the room. It wasn't a cross-eyed, confounded mailmare after all, but a grey-bearded brown stallion wearing a red hooded costume with white furry trim around the edges, and a large sack slung across his back. He regarded the pink filly staring back at him with real affection, and his eyes sparkled as he addressed her in a loud, jolly voice.
"Ho ho ho! I'm Santa Hooves, and I'm here to deliver presents to all good little fillies and colts on this blessed Hearth's Warming Day. This is one of my last stops, because I'm not used to coming here yet... but, I heard the filly that lives at this address has been much better behaved this year, and so I thought I'd pay her an extra special visit. Wait till you see what I've got in store for you..."
"Daddy, why are you doing this?" Diamond looked more than a bit skeptical at this unexpected guest, and gazed at him through cynical eyes. "You look absolutely ridiculous, and just see the mess you've made of the carpet..."
"I'm not your father!" The strange stallion insisted, while his facial hair wobbled a bit. "I'm Santa Hooves! Though I must say, if I do look anything like your pa, you should feel very lucky, as he sounds like a handsome specimen indeed..."
"First of all, Santa Hooves is a completely fictional character parents use to make their children behave nicely, even Pumpkin and Pound Cake know that..." Diamond replied unimpressed, sure that she'd unraveled his not-so-secret identity. "Next, I can see your three bags of money cutie mark poking out from that cheap outfit you're wearing, which by the way, I also spotted at fifty per cent off in Barnyard Bargains..."
"Oh, that is a shame..." Santa Hooves sounded sad all of a sudden, and bowed his head in mock defeat. "Obviously, if I'm not who I say I am, then you wouldn't want me around. I'm just trespassing in your lovely mansion, and must now leave. I know when I'm not wanted. Fare ye well..."
"H-hang on just a minute..." Tiara quickly interrupted him, running in front of the oddly dressed stallion to cut off his retreat, even though he was only shuffling to the front door at a snail's pace. "I-I didn't say you had to go. "I-I was just a bit surprised to see you, looking like that, Dadd..."
"Who am I, again?" Santa Hooves raised an amused hoof to his ear, knowing by this stage that he'd won the battle.
"... Fine, I'll play along. You're Santa Hooves. Though, why you're acting this way, I don't know. Thank goodness we're all alone, or this would've been really embarrassing..." Diamond decided at that precise moment that having a clearly mentally unstable father around was still preferable than having nopony to spend the day with at all. Next year though, she'd be sure to lock all the alcoholic cider up in a special cabinet.
"Oh, but we're not alone..." Santa Hooves tapped his nose briefly and gave her a wink. " My little helper is with me today, to bring you even more cheer. Happy Elf, you can come out now..."
At that precise moment, another large figure slipped down the chimney, and this new arrival was a magenta mare with a forest green costume on, complete with a dangly hat and a pair of sharply pointed stick-on ears, even faker than her prodigiously pointed proboscis. She scowled at her smiling 'employer', and her daughter who was now struggling to keep a straight face, before proceeding to begin a bit of a rant.
"Look at me, I'm absolutely covered in soot!" Happy Elf lamented, gesturing at her entire frame. "And just look at what I'm wearing! I look positively ridiculous! I can't believe you roped me into this pathetic charade! I was just getting ready for a nice, long day at the spa, when I was grabbed from behind and tossed into a cupboard with these stupid clothes, and told I couldn't come out until I'd changed into them! Then, you force me up a rickety old ladder onto the roof, where we have to wait hours in the freezing cold until you give the go-ahead to jump down the chimney. What on Equestria has gotten into you, Filth..."
"Sorry about this, Miss Tiara..." Santa Hooves looked sternly at the new arrival for a moment, with narrowed eyes. "It would appear that our Happy Elf isn't so happy at the moment. I wonder if a little visit to the courthouse later on, might cheer her up? Perhaps she'd like to resign her position permanently. We'll play a little game together: who'll get the most assets afterwards... won't that be fun? I think, when the nice judge hears how hard Santa Hooves works compared to the Happy Elf, the winner will be decided rather quickly. In fact, I'd be surprised, based on all the evidence I could present, if Happy Elf ended up with anything at all..."
"W-why you... I mean, I'll be good, I'll be good!" Obviously Santa Hooves's words had the desired effect on Happy Elf, because from that point on she smiled so widely her entire face looked in danger of caving in. In fact, so out of practice was Happy Elf when it came to looking happy, the disturbing spectacle of her grotesque visage was more appropriate to Nightmare Night than this joyful occasion.
"U-um..." Santa Hooves recoiled a bit at the sight, while Tiara also took a step backwards in horror. "... W-well, at least she's trying her best, we'll give her that, if not much else. Anyway, Miss Tiara, we'd like you to tell us both... you've made such great strides in the last year, you deserve a very special treat. What would you say your heart desires the most,right now? Ask, and it shall be yours..."
"Well..." Diamond Tiara deliberated the question with great thought. A good laugh, which is what she'd received from seeing her stuck-up, hoity-toity mother dressed-up like a complete imbecile, was a lot more than she'd hoped for that day already, so anything else would be an embellishment. Nevertheless, she racked her brain desperately to think of something else, before finally there was only one answer she could give.
"I have pretty much everything bits can buy, anyway..." She admitted, scratching her hoof on the floor. "I used to think that was enough, hence my dismissive attitude towards my peers in the past. But all that changed when I discovered that money truly isn't everything, when I made great friends that gave me far more satisfaction than any overpriced gift ever could. T-that's all I want really. F-for my friends to be here, now. B-but I don't think my wish will come true..."
Ignoring Happy Elf's gasp at the filly's outright rejection of materialism, Santa Hooves seemed very impressed with the filly's heartfelt reply. "An excellent answer, indeed. I myself used to overvalue work, spending all my spare hours at the workshop, when I should been with my family. All that will change from now on, and I'll be a much more prominent fixture in their lives. Even though obviously they can't hear me right now, this is a solemn vow I intend to keep."
While Happy Elf could only roll her eyes at the 'sappiness' of Santa Hooves's statement, Diamond's heart almost leapt out of her mouth. "Y-you don't mean..."
"Yes, I most certainly do!" Santa Hooves laughed merrily as Diamond Tiara rushed over to hug him, and he patted her head affectionately as he told her. "Old Santa has lots of other, happier elves at his factory that can make toys for him while he's at home, and no amount of profit can make up for the time he's missed watching his family grow up. That's all in the past now, and I hope they appreciate the sacrifice he's making to be with them..."
"Oh, I'm sure they do..." Tiara snuggled herself against Santa Hooves's furry coat. "But I wouldn't exactly say you work hard... after all, you're active, what? One day a year?"
Santa Hooves smiled at the pink filly. She was really getting into the spirit of things now." Anyway, don't you want to see what I've bought for you? I didn't just carry this heavy sack down the chimney for my own pleasure, you know. It plays havoc with my lumbago..."
"Huh?" Diamond removed her head from Santa Hooves's coat for a moment, questionably. "But, you've just given me everything I need, Dadd... I mean, Santa Hooves. I don't want anything else, really..."
"Oh, I think you'll enjoy what I've got for you in here, my dear..." Santa Hooves reassured her, turning away for a second to rummage through his bag. "Let's see... we have an apple, a bell, and a scooter! Isn't that just swell?!"
"E-er... sure, Santa. W-whatever you say..." Tiara was most perplexed by the strange selection of gifts she was about to be given. What on Equestria am I going to do with...
"Surprise!!" Three chirpy voices piped up in unison as they jumped out of the bag, and Tiara's thought process was quickly curtailed. She could only stand open-mouthed as three laughing fillies ran over to her from the sack which had been their hidey-hole for most of the afternoon, and they surrounded Diamond to give her the most fond of embraces.
"B-but, what are you three doing here?!" Tiara finally found her voice, as the trio of youngsters continued to lavish her with attention.
"Did ya really think we were gonna leave one of our best friends all alone, on Hearth's Warming Day?" Apple Bloom said to her right. "I've come to invite you to our annual Apple family get-together later on. I want to introduce you to everypony, they're all anxious the meet the filly who helped me get my cutie mark. Babs Seed will be there too... if ya play your cards right, you might be able to patch up things with her!"
"Yeah, and me and Rarity are holding a special Hearth's Warming Fashion Day!" Sweetie Bell squealed to her left. "We've got all the materials and equipment ready for later, so we can make our own dresses. Don't worry, though... it's not themed, so we won't be looking anything like those two..." She added as a whisper, not wanting to offend Diamond's parents.
"And me and Rainbow Dash are going to have the snowball fight to end all others. The whole class is gonna join in..." Scootaloo stated eagerly in the middle. " You're on my team, of course... the winning side. Being a natural leader, I reckon you could be the captain, and figure out the best positions to take up, when to make the first shot, if we should show any mercy or not... oh, who am I kidding?! No mercy, ever!!"
Diamond was in tears at all of the special arrangements they'd made for her, the undeserving filly who was nothing more than a heartless bully to them not so long ago. "B-but why?" She struggled to answer, through the watery streams that were pouring down her cheeks. "A-after all I've done to you..."
"Oh, horseapples to that!" Apple Bloom told Diamond firmly, while stroking her mane. "All that's in the past now. You've more than proven yourself since then. After all, who helped me with my homework about the history of Canterlot, just yesterday?"
"...And who sat with me for hours last week during singing practice, turning the pages of my song book so I wouldn't lose my place?" Sweetie Belle said, with a friendly hoof round her neck.
"...And who patched me up better than Nurse Sweetheart last month when I fell off my scooter, then ran all the way to the classroom to fetch Miss Cheerlee?" Scootaloo grinned, proudly displaying her war wound.
"The fact is, Miss Tiara..." Santa Hooves spoke again. "We've all seen the dramatic change in you for the better, and while some of us might not yet appreciate it..." (He cast an irritated look at Happy Elf during this juncture) "...The vast majority of us want you to know that we do care for you, and we never want you to feel alone again. For somepony who's come on in leaps and bounds as much as you have in one short year, no reward is too small. That's why, there's also this..."
Suddenly, the door which opened to the vast adjoining dining room was flung open, and if Diamond Tiara's nerves couldn't cope with any more shocks, another one was in store. For inside lay every single servant that had supposedly been given the day off, along with a full spread of the most sumptuous food Tiara had ever seen.
"A-all t-this... f-for m-me?" Tiara was almost dumbstruck as she was gently lead into the eating area by the chuckling Crusaders and Santa Hooves, with a still petulant Happy Elf taking up the rear. Diamond was seated in the 'guest of honour' spot right at the head of the table, and the moment she sat down, the entire room erupted into spontaneous applause from the servants she used to abuse on a regular basis.
Through her teary, blurred vision, she could just about make out Randolph approaching her, with a large silver platter in his hooves, which obviously contained the main course. The usually stoic butler gave her a knowing smile and a friendly wink, before depositing the tray down and trotting off to join the rest of the staff, who were now staring at her intently.
"T-thank you all so much..." She stammered, about to take in her first mouthful... when she realised some major items were missing from the table. "Hold on... where's all the cutlery? Am I supposed to eat this with my hooves? Won't that be a little messy?"
"Oh, no! What an oversight! Somepony should get fired for this!" Santa Hooves may have sounded upset, but he was doing his best to avoid grinning madly." Bring this poor, unfortunate filly a spoon immediately!!"
"Hang on, I'll need more than a spoon to eat a meal of this magnitude!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed, still a little dazed. "I'll require a knife, a fork, and..."
Again, Tiara's sentence was interrupted, but once more it was a happy interruption. For the lid of the tray she'd been given unexpectedly lifted itself up, and there underneath was Silver Spoon, smiling down at her utterly bewildered best friend.
"W-what? H-how? W-when? W-where?" After everything else that had gone on that day, this was more or less the cherry on the cake for Diamond's sanity slippage. "I-I saw you... g-get onto the train..."
"Oh, that was all part of the plan..." Silver glanced over conspiratorially at her three giggling filly partners in crime, then at Santa Hooves himself. " I got off at the next stop down, then came straight down here for your big surprise. Did you honestly think I'd leave you all by yourself, on the most special day of the year? To watch some dumb lights flicker in Manehattan? No matter how good they might be, seeing them wouldn't be any fun without you, so here I am! Surprised?!"
"Silver Spoon. You...you..." Tiara was finding it hard to come up with the right words.
"Yes?" Silver Spoon replied smugly, while arching an eyebrow.
"...You're the best friend ever!!" Diamond flung herself at the grey filly to engulf her in a crushing hug, with much AWing all around at this moving sight.
Even Happy Elf's heart of ice began to thaw a bit as she went over to stand next to her 'boss' Santa Hooves, and the two of them looked at each other with silent satisfaction that all the trouble they'd gone to make this Hearth's Warming the best one ever for Diamond Tiara was truly worth it.
Predictably, it was Scootaloo who cut through the schmaltz. " Alright, enough of the mushy stuff. Everypony, dig in!"
Surrounded by her friends and family on this most wonderful of occasions, Tiara began to duly oblige, but stopped short of her first bite when she saw Pip, on the far side of the table, giving her an odd look.
"Huh? What's he doing here...?" Tiara wondered out loud to Silver Spoon, about her old election rival.
"Oh, Pip? He's my plus one..." Spoon answered innocuously, while filling her plate. "He asked me if he could come, so I invited him along. It's as simple as that, really."
"Ooo... I think somepony has a crush!" Diamond smirked knowingly, while giving her bestie a little nudge.
Silver did her utmost not to laugh. "No actually, you couldn't be more wrong there. In fact..."
"What?" Tiara wondered, confused.
"...Well, you'll see later on..." Silver gave her a suspicious wink, before leaving her friend behind to make a rush for the salad bar.
It was at this point that Diamond noticed something strange sticking out of Pip's saddlebag. It looked like a sprig of a plant, with green leaves and white berries.
What an odd thing to bring to a Hearth's Warming Party she pondered, before returning to the festivities.