On the Feast of Hearth's Warming Eve, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna risk their lives in a blinding snowstorm to bring essentials to a pair of poor ponies living in Canterlot
On the Feast of Hearth's Warming Eve, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna risk their lives in a blinding snowstorm to bring essentials to a pair of poor ponies living in Canterlot.
Author's Note: Inspired by the song, "Good King Wenceslas"
Princess Celestia looked out on the feast of Hearth's Warming Eve where the snow laid round about deep, crisp and even. The moon shone bright that night even though the frost was cruel, but Celestia didn't care. All that was important to her was seeing all her most loyal subjects celebrate the most important day in Equestria's history. However, as she looked out, Celestia noticed a pair of ponies, one old stallion and one young mare, trying to make their way through the snow hauling what appeared to be a pair of heavy carts full of winter fuel.
"Hurry," one of them said as they struggled through the snow. "We need to get this firewood back to the cottage before the blizzard comes."
"I'm trying, papa," the other one said. "But, this cart is too heavy. I don't know how long I can go on."
The older pony stopped what he was doing and went over to his daughter, seeing that she was clearly becoming exhausted from doing all this hard work.
"You must keep trying, my daughter," said the father. "If you want me to, I can place some of your load onto my load."
"No papa, it will be too heavy for you," cried the daughter. "Your heart will give out."
"That doesn't matter, my daughter," replied the father. "You must outlive me if anything were to happen to me. If only we weren't poor ponies living in Canterlot, we would have fortunes far greater than anypony."
The daughter agreed on this and allowed her father to take some of the firewood off of her cart. The increased weight nearly made the father collapse and Celestia couldn't help but wonder how these two ponies would live in this manner. She felt sorry for them and it didn't matter if they were poor, they needed support.
"Almost there, my young filly," gasped the father. "Just a little bit further!"
Celestia continued to watch for a few more moments until they were out of sight. By then, the snow had diminished somewhat, but was still packing quite a punch. In fact, Celestia could feel herself feeling cold, but it wasn't because of the weather. Walking back inside her quarters, Celestia was in deep thought about these ponies. Yes, they were poor, but they were still her subjects after all.
"The storm is getting more and more powerful, my sister," said Princess Luna, walking into her sister's quarters. "Nopony will survive in this weather unless they take shelter. Not even I can be spared from doing my duties as Princess of the Night."
But, Celestia didn't say anything. She continued to focus all of her attention on the two ponies that were out in the blinding snow hauling winter fuel.
"Sister, are you listening to me?" asked Luna, trying to get her big sister's attention. "I'm trying to explain to you about the severity of this weather. Sister? Big Sister!"
The sounds of her little sister's authoritive voice caused Celestia to snap out of her trance.
"Oh, sorry my little sister," she said. "I was thinking about something else that I saw happen out in the storm tonight."
"What are you talking about?" remarked Luna as Celestia sat down by her bedroom fireplace. "What did you see out in the storm?"
"Two ponies," answered Celestia. "If only I could do something for them. Something that would lift their spirits and make them realize that they aren't forgotten."
Luna was somewhat confused, but could understand where Celestia was coming from. Walking over to her sister, she laid down beside Celestia in an effort to remove the cold from her body. After all, Luna had seen what her sister was talking about before.
"One of them was a father and the other was a daughter," continued Celestia, lowering her head down to the ground. "They were struggling to haul a pair of carts filled with firewood. In fact, they could have died out there tonight."
"What should we do about it, big sister?" asked Luna. "Nopony would be brave enough to go out into this storm and put themselves at great risk for a pair of ponies who are less fortunate than ourselves. If you want to pay them a visit, why don't we wait until the storm dies down?"
But Celestia couldn't take herself to follow up on her sister's suggestion. There was something inside of her telling her that she needed to see these two ponies and bring some essentials to help them survive in the storm.
…
Just then, a knock at the door was heard and a lone page colt came into the bedroom bringing in what appeared to be food and drink. Seeing this gave Celestia an idea on what she needed to do.
"Come here for a moment, page," she said, beckoning the young colt to approach her and Luna. "Did you happen to see a pair of ponies making their way through the storm tonight? Who are they and where do they live?"
"They live near the stadium in a rundown house, your highness," the colt replied in a Trottingham accent. "Right against the guarded fence by Starswirl the Bearded's fountain."
Celestia took this into account and realized at that very moment, that she needed to brave this storm and go to their aid.
"Page, bring me flesh and bring me wine," she commanded, rising to her feet. "Bring me whatever pine logs we have in the castle. We will all see them dine when we bear them these gifts of warmth."
Luna was shocked and bewildered by this and couldn't believe that her older sister would be putting herself in harm's way like this.
"Sister, are you mad?" she cried, as they both rose to their feet. "You won't survive in this weather alone! The storm is far too dangerous for anypony, even you!"
"I must go to them, my sister," Celestia replied, firmly. "I cannot bear to stand by and watch them suffer any longer."
"Then I must go with you as well," remarked Luna, much to Celestia's surprise. "I could never live with myself if anything were to happen to you, big sister. You must let me go with you."
Celestia was surprised to hear this, but she understood where Luna was coming from.
"Very well then, little sister," she replied, draping a wing over Luna. "You shall come along with me and together, we will bring these gifts to those two ponies braving this storm. Come, we must go at once."
So, they left Celestia's quarters and made their way down to the ground level where they saw the page and several other servants loading a pair of sleighs filled with food, drink and firewood.
"The servants are ready to leave on your command," said the page.
"They aren't going," replied Celestia, much to the confusion of both the page and the servants. "My sister and I are going and I don't want to hear anypony try and convince us to not go. Is that understood?"
Heeding their superior's command, the servants set about attaching the straps of the sleighs to Celestia and Luna's bodies. Once they were strapped, the drawbridge was lowered and the two royal sisters stared out into the blinding snowstorm that shimmered before them.
"Come, Luna," Celestia said firmly as she pulled the sleigh out of the safety of the castle and into the storm. "We must hurry if we are to bring these gifts to the poor ponies."
Luna watched as her sister bravely made her way into the storm before following in her footsteps. It was dangerous, but it needed to be done for the sake of ponies less fortunate than both her and Celestia and one wondered if they were even going to survive in this fierce and deadly storm…
Sister monarchs, forth they went together, braving the rude winds and the bitter weather that shimmered around them. Celestia was determined to do whatever she could to bring these essentials to the ponies that were less fortunate than her.
"Keep moving, my sister!" she called out to Luna, who was struggling to hold her sleigh full of essentials. "We cannot let the weather stop us!"
However, the winds were getting so strong to a point that their bodies were starting to give out and Luna felt herself start to lose her strength. Nevertheless, she tried to follow in her sister's footsteps. Then, she felt her legs give way and she fell to the ground.
"Sister!" she cried, causing Celestia to stop and turn to face her sister. "The night is growing darker and the winds are blowing stronger! My heart is failing and I don't know how long I can go, but I can't go on much longer!"
But, Celestia was determined to finish what she set out to do. However, her sisterly instincts were kicking in and she quickly dashed over to her sister's aid.
"Luna, you must stay strong," she said, draping a wing over Luna's body. "Just follow my footsteps, tread in them boldly and you will find that the winter's rage only freezes your blood less coldly!"
Heeding her sister's advice, Luna refocused on the task at hand. With each step she took, the Princess of the Night felt her strength regrow stronger and stronger. Still, the winds of the winter storm continued to buckle at the two sisters. They were not wearing anything other than their royal regalia to cover their bodies. But, they had face this before.
"We cannot rest, my sister," called Celestia, who was remembering her and Luna holding off the frozen north of the Crystal Empire. "We've battled the frozen once and we can do it again!"
The snow was continuing to grow deeper and deeper with each step they took. Finally, they made it towards the stadium right near Starswirl the Bearded's fountain.
"It's the fountain, Luna!" cried Celestia. "We're almost there! Just a little further!"
But, despite her sister's encouragement, Luna was starting to give into the harsh cold winds that slammed at her body. Just as they neared the house, Luna let out a sharp cry and collapsed into the deep snow. However, the winds were so strong that Celestia didn't hear her sister's cries.
"Luna?" called Celestia, turning around. "Little sister, did you hear me?"
Then, Celestia turned and noticed that Luna was no longer following her footsteps causing Celestia to fear the worst.
"LUNA!" she shouted and removing the straps that connected her to the sleigh, Celestia struggled to reach her sister, trying to get through the deep snow. "LUNA!"
Looking down, Celestia saw her sister lying face down in the snow. Her flowing mane was now frozen solid along with the rest of her body. Fearing the worst, Celestia grabbed her sister in her magic bond and placed her on her back.
"You'll be all right," she cried, her long horn nothing more than a thick cold icicle. "I will get us to the house myself! Even if I have to carry you, little sister!"
…
With her horn frozen solid, Celestia could not perform any magic to attract the attention of the occupants inside the house. But watching from a window, the daughter noticed what was going on, not knowing that the princesses were coming towards them.
"Papa, there some ponies outside," she remarked to the father who got out of his chair and went out to the window. "Look!"
"My dear Sixpence," he chuckled. "You must be seeing things. There's nothing out there but snow. Come and sit with me by the father."
"But, I can see them, papa," cried Sixpence. "We have to help them!"
"Sixpence, that's enough of your imagination for one night," remarked the father. "Now, come over and…"
Then, suddenly…BANG! The father and daughter heard the bangs and quickly dashed over to see what was going on. Opening the door, the saw what appeared to be a broken bottle of wine.
"Wait here, Sixpence," ordered the father who then ran to grab his winter coat. "I'll go find out what is going on here."
Braving the elements, the father ran out into the blinding snowstorm searching for whoever threw the broken bottle of wine at his door. He searched high and low then he saw the shadow of a pony coming towards them.
"How on Earth…?" gasped the father, not believing what he was seeing in front of them. "It can't be possible!"
The father watched as standing in front of him was Princess Celestia herself and Princess Luna passed out on her back. Knowing that royalty was standing in front of him he bowed to Celestia.
"There's no time for bowing, my subject!" called Celestia. "We've come to bring you and your daughter essentials to survive the storm! You must help us!"
"I will do whatever I can, your highness!" replied the father, taking off his winter coat to place it around Luna. "My house is not too far away from here! Can you make it?"
"I can try!" grunted Celestia, starting to feel her legs give way. "But, I don't know how much longer I can stay on my feet! My sister's sleigh is not too far away if you want to help pull it in!"
Realizing that time was of the essence, the father flashed his horn to attract the attraction of Sixpence, who was watching from the window.
"Papa's in trouble," she whispered and throwing on a black cloak, Sixpence went out into the storm, following the flashing lights that her father was producing. By then, the storm was growing deadly and dangerous for anypony to be outside.
"The royal sisters need our help, Sixpence!" called the father. "Get the other sleigh that is right behind us! Now hurry!"
"Yes, papa," she answered and the father motioned for Celestia to follow him towards the house. Sixpence struggled to haul Luna's sleigh against the brutal winds, but nevertheless they made it back to the house after a few agonizing minutes.
Opening the door, the father led Celestia and a near frozen Luna into the house while he set about covering Luna up with whatever blankets he could find. Although she was triumphant in her mission, Celestia herself was also very weak and she collapsed to the ground herself.
"You and your sister must rest now, your highness," cried the father as he too wrapped Celestia in blankets. "My daughter and I will bring in whatever you brought for us."
"Thank you," gasped Celestia, struggling to breathe as she looked away from the father and towards her sister, who was still unconscious from being out in the cold.
Yes, the sister were triumphant in their quest, but the risk of going out in the blinding snowstorm had almost cost them their lives. Now, they were going to ride out the storm with these ponies that they were now helping out of shear generosity.
But, in the snow, where the sister's had troughed the snow lay dinted. The glow of the hoof prints meant that heat was in the very sod of which Princess Celestia herself had printed…
Princess Celestia laid with her nearly frozen and unconscious sister in front of the fireplace with Sixpence and her father set about bringing in the large amounts of essentials that the royal sisters had brought to them. Despite the cold weakening her body greatly, Celestia was still feeling grateful that she had at least came to help these two ponies. However, both father and daughter were shocked and astounded of Celestia and Luna's bravery and great risk to come here.
"Thank you for bringing all of these essentials, your highness," said Sixpence as she offered the royal sisters some warm cocoa. "My father and I are grateful, but, why would you risk your lives to do this?"
"I saw you struggling from my balcony earlier tonight," replied Celestia, looking up at Sixpence as she drank the hot cocoa. "I found it in my heart to help you and your father bring these gifts to you."
"You and Princess Luna are brave to come here with these gifts, your highness," remarked the father, laying several of the essentials down on the table. "But, you could have died out there in this storm. This is without a doubt, the strongest winter storm to hit Canterlot in a millennia."
Celestia sighed at this remark, for it didn't matter if she would put her life in the line of fire for the sake of her subjects. All that mattered was that these two ponies were nurtured and taken care of.
"My sister and I have faced danger before, my loyal subject," said Celestia looking over towards a still unconscious Princess Luna. "But, this was something that we needed to do. You are the less unfortunate out of all our subjects and I want you both to know that we still care about you."
The father smiled at this, despite the fact that the royal sisters were staring in the face of death. As she spoke, Celestia felt the strength in her legs return to her and the ice melting off of her long horn. However, she continued to struggle to her feet and nearly fell over several times.
"Are you all right? Can you stand?" asked the father as he ran over to prevent Celestia from falling back down. "You may need to rest."
"No," answered Celestia. "I need to raise the sun and start the day."
Knowing that it was against his better judgment, the father allowed Celestia to walk on her own towards one of the windows. Activating her horn, Celestia pointed it up towards the sky and moved her head, pulling the sun up and starting a new day in Equestria. The sunlight revealed the heavy snowfall that sat on the ground and the amount of horsepower that would be needed to get rid of the snowfall.
"I'm afraid it is going to take a while before we can get rid of the snow," sighed the father, looking out amongst the carnage. "If only our magic was powerful enough to get rid of the snow!"
Celestia sighed at this as well, for even she began to realize that there was no way to get rid of the snow. Then again, there was a reason for Winter Wrap Up.
"We need to let nature take its course," advised Celestia, as they walked back into the house. "Right now, all that you need to do is survive and make use of what we have brought to you."
…
Just then, they heard a moan and they turned around to see Luna trying to wake up and get back onto her feet. Celestia went over to her little sister and draped a wing over her to keep her warm.
"Rest, my sister," whispered Celestia. "Your strength is weak from the storm. We will not leave until your strength returns."
"You are more than welcome to stay with us, your highnesses," offered Sixpence. "It will take a while for your guards to clear away the snow and no magic will get rid of the snow so easily. After all, we've never had royalty stay with us before."
"My daughter is right," said the father, looking down at the weakened Luna, stroking her mane gently. "Besides, Princess Luna might have suffered from frostbite in the storm. I do know some medical techniques to try and quell the frostbite from getting any worse. Sixpence, prepare a warm bath for Princess Luna."
Luna weakly nodded her head in approval of this and Celestia carefully bent down and helped her little sister to her feet.
"Can you walk to the bath?" she asked.
"I can try, big sister," moaned Luna, her legs still feeling weak and causing her briefly fall back down to the ground. "But, I still can't…"
"Let me help you," interrupted Celestia as she helped Luna over to the bathtub that was now being filled with hot water and bath soap, soap that had been brought over to the house by the princesses themselves. Once they were at the bathtub, Celestia removed her sister's royal accessories as well as her tiara, placing them on the table.
"The soap will absorb any frost burns you might have, Princess Luna," said the father. "But, I must warn you that you might feel some stings. That's the soap doing its job."
No sooner did the father say that did Luna feel stings over various parts of her body. The stings were painful, but Luna kept a brave face as she endured the pain of the soap doing its job.
"It will take time for the soap to do its job," said Sixpence to Celestia. "If you want me to, your highness, I can prepare a bath for you as well. We cannot let you experience any frostbite, too."
"Do so at once," answered Celestia. "But, don't waste all that we brought for you on us."
"It's just soap," chuckled Sixpence as she placed warm water into another large tub. "All that matters is your health as well as our health. Besides, we all have essentials to get through the winter long after you leave."
Celestia took this matter to heart as she removed her tiara, shoes and chest plate and stepped into the vat of warm bath water.
"For now, all you and your sister need to do is to get your strength back before returning to the castle," remarked the father. "Equestria needs its princesses and so do we. After all, we may look shabby, but we've got hearts."
"And feelings too," said Sixpence as she placed the soap in the water causing Celestia to feel some slight stings as the soap sought and destroyed the frostbites. "We have sentimental sides and would do anything to help our fellow ponies, even if they are more fortunate than we are."
"And I say to you what I have always said to all our subjects," said Celestia as her sister and their hosts turned towards her. "Therefore all Equestrians be sure, wealth or rank possessing, ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessings."
…
Soon, the days went by and by the time the snow had melted greatly, Celestia and Luna both regained their strength and returned to Canterlot Castle, never forgetting the less fortunate ponies that they had gone to help who then returned the favor by helping them in return.
