All Crystal and Silent want for Hearth’s Warming is to celebrate the holiday with all their friends and family, but something always gets in the way. This year, their dream is finally coming true—just not how they imagined.
Every year, Crystal Wishes and Silent Knight have a dream: their foals, friends, and family all gathered under one roof to celebrate Hearth’s Warming together.
Despite their best efforts, something always gets in the way. One year it was an outbreak of pegasus pox, but usually it’s just the fact that everypony has plans already in place, commitments to their own families, and other such unfortunate obligations.
This year, however, their dream is coming true. It just might not necessarily be how they imagined.
Welcome to the 2018 Quill & Blade Hearth's Warming story! This takes place well after the events of the main stories and includes some spoilers. Co-Written with Crystal Wishes.
Snow swirled outside the window, blanketing Alicorn Spire and Canterlot in a powdery, pristine white covering. From the vantage of the palace commander’s office, the view was dominated by rooftops and chimneys. The city looked like a miniature diorama a foal would make for school.
Silent Knight stood quietly, looking outside and watching the fading rays of sunset disappearing beyond the horizon. Another day was passing and the inbox on his desk was barely any smaller. Most days were like that.
The office of the Captain of the Canterlot Guard was one of the larger ones, built as such so that he could hold meetings like this. Meetings that included all the House Guard officers, a pool that was noticeably larger than when he had been one himself years ago.
“Just so we’re clear,” came Major Day’s voice from behind him. “Are we having a meeting, or did you call us here so that we could watch you staring out of the window all broody?”
That yielded a few soft snickers from the other ponies in the room. Silent turned and shot the mare his best stern captain’s look. Despite her familiar attitude, she looked the part of a model officer in her perfectly fit, custom, golden armor. Even her orange mane was styled per regulations and tucked beneath her helmet.
“Captain,” Silent corrected before moving to his chair and taking a seat. “Did you call us here just so that we could watch you staring out of the window all broody, Captain.”
Sunny Day gave an exasperated sigh. “What are we doing here, Captain?”
Satisfied, Silent nodded. “We’ve had a lot going on with parliament lately and, even as ponies are calming down for the holiday season, I want to be sure we’re still keeping up with our duties.”
Captain Snow lifted her hoof. Before she could get a word out, Sunny swatted it down. “This isn’t school!”
In her dark purple armor, Midnight Snow was a stark contrast to Sunny Day, not just in color scheme but also in style of command. She had been Silent’s chosen successor to protect Princess Luna.
Midnight gave Sunny a sideways glance. “We should show proper respect and decorum in front of our subordinates,” she said softly before motioning to the three lieutenants that had kept themselves near the door, trying to look as small as possible.
Lieutenants Merriweather, Lily, and Violet were all relatively new to their House Guards. Merriweather and Fire Lily reported to Sunny, and Violet reported to Midnight. In all three cases, they’d been chosen by their commanders… with Silent playing very little part in it.
The last few years had forced him to learn how to delegate. That was probably the hardest part of his job. Of course, he didn’t have any problem with their choices. He’d just hoped for some diversity, because they were all mares. At work or at home, he was always outnumbered.
Silent cleared his throat. “I happen to agree with Captain Snow. We should be setting the example. With that said, what’s on your mind, Captain?”
If Midnight enjoyed the praise, she didn’t show it. She was always the model guard that way. “Sir, I wanted to know if we’re here to address a specific concern you have or is this a meeting to remind us of heightened vigilance given the situation on the ground.”
Silent nodded. “Heightened vigilance. And because I don’t see the five of you as much as I’d like these days.”
“That isn’t exactly our fault!” Sunny put in before hastily adding, “Sir.”
Silent waved a hoof to dismiss her typical familiarity. “I know. I’m not blaming you, Major. To be honest, I never thought this role would end up being so political. If I had, I’d have recommended you for it instead.”
“Gee, thanks.” Sunny rolled her eyes. “So that’s it, you just want to see us? You called us all up here, tonight of all nights, just for that? I can pose, if you like.” She turned her flank to Silent and peered over her shoulder at him, puckering her lips in that strange way his teenage niece Dot did a lot.
Silent stared at her, only allowing one eyebrow to move into an arch. The rest of him remained impassively still. Finally, he asked in a flat tone, “Tell me why I haven’t relieved you of command?”
Sunny grinned and flicked her tail at him before turning back around. “Because under all of that grumpy stonewall expression, you actually like me. At least, you used to before you became a bureaucrat.” Her grin widened. “That and Celestia would never let you fire me at this point.”
That respond yielded a gasp of surprise from Lieutenant Lily, who literally threw her hooves over her eyes. The other two lieutenants stared in wide-eyed fear and awe.
Midnight Snow cleared her throat and took a step back. “Should we give you two the room, sir?”
Silent shook his head. “No, Sunny’s right. She gets a pass. If any of you act like her, though, make no mistake, I’ll have your bars.” Then he blinked. “Wait. What did you mean, tonight of all nights? Is there something happening I’m not aware of?”
“Oh my gosh, really?” Sunny threw a hoof over her mouth to smother a laugh.
“What?” Silent glanced at her and then the rest of the mares in the room.
Other than Sunny’s muffled laughter, there was no response. They just stared at him with the strange looks of disbelief.
Silent’s tufted ears twitched and his brow furrowed. “Lieutenant, you must be mistaken. Today is—” he trailed as he looked at the calendar on his desk. “Hearth’s Warming Eve.” He frowned. “That’s unfortunate. I thought I had more days to shop.”
The door to the office, which had been left slightly ajar, pushed further open and Miley Hooves poked her head inside. “Don’t worry, sir. I did all of your shopping for you. All of the foals have gifts and I got something that will look great on Crystal! Everything’s already all wrapped and at your house.”
“Thank you, Miley,” Silent replied before chuckling to himself. “Alright, well I apologize. I’ve kept you from your families. Why would you let me do that?”
Sunny pointed at Midnight Snow. “She follows orders exactly,” she started before pointing at the trio behind her. “And they’re terrified of you.”
“Obviously, but what about you?”
“Oh, me?” Sunny put a hoof to her chest and fluttered her eyelashes, the perfect picture of innocence. Then she dropped the act to mutter, “I gave my girls the night off since I’m not doing the family thing.” She waved the hoof at Fire Lily and Merriweather. “Shoo, dismissed. Go home.”
Both lieutenants looked at Silent and didn’t budge an inch.
“Dismissed,” he said before turning back to Sunny. “What do you mean? Won’t Soarin and Azurite be upset?”
“This year is Soarin’s year to go home, and I don’t do the in-law thing. You know I’m not the kind of mare you take home to Mom. Azurite, on the other hoof, is perfect, so he took her. Let his folks pester her about why we don’t have any foals.”
Sunny cleared a bit of emotion from her throat that Silent ignored and she’d deny anyway. She shrugged and put a grin back in place. “Besides, Celestia and I are going to play with Asvoria. Princess Luna was invited, too, of course. Just so you don’t think we’re leaving her out. She declined. Her choice.”
Midnight Snow started to raise a hoof from where she stood next to her lieutenant.
Silent motioned to Midnight Snow and Violet. “You two are dismissed as well. Have a happy Hearth’s Warming.”
“Thank you, sir,” they replied in unison before trotting out.
When they were gone, Sunny took her helmet off and set it on one of the end tables. “You suck when you act like that.”
Silent pulled his helmet off, too, and placed it on his desk. “They’re officers of the Royal Guard. What do you expect me to do? I can’t be friends with all of my subordinates. Honestly, I shouldn’t even be friends with you. There has to be a line.”
While he opened his desk drawer and produced a bottle of rich honey-colored liquid, he asked, “Why do you see the need to keep pushing it in front of others?”
Sunny shrugged, capturing two tumblers in her magic and bringing them over. “I’m trying to get a rise out of you, I guess.” She gave him a lopsided grin. “So, did you really forget Hearth’s Warming?”
As he poured, Silent shook his head. “Not really. I picked up something for Crystal last week, Runic and I made Coral a sword—”
“Oh, Crystal is going to love that,” Sunny said before scooping up her drink to take a sip.
Silent shrugged and picked up his own glass. “She’s more or less accepted that Coral is just a smaller, louder me.”
“Sure, sure. What about Clem and Cherry?” Sunny asked.
“Clement gets a scooter that he has been eyeing for months, and Cherry gets an outrageously plush lion to sit on.”
There was an exasperated groan outside of the door. Miley’s head poked in so fast, her black mane whipped against the door frame. “You could have told me you shopped! Now we have too many gifts!”
Silent didn’t even look at her as he shouted, “Go home to your husband!”
“You go home to your husband!”
“I don’t have one!”
The little mare stomped a hoof. “Then go find one, get married, and go home to him!”
Silent sipped from his glass again. After a brief staring contest where she stared at him and he explicitly didn’t stare at her, his voice returned to its normal tone. “Are you going or not?”
Miley huffed. “Yeah, I am. I’ve been home late too many days this year. If he didn’t know better, he’d think I was having an affair.” She beamed at them. “You two play nice, now. Night!”
“Be sure you check your top drawer before you leave, Miley,” Silent called after her. “I bought something for you, too. I thought you’d have found it by now.”
The response from Miley was not words so much as various noises. First a huff, then the sound of a desk drawer, a squee followed by a sniffle, and finally a door closing.
Sunny waited a moment before asking, “Do you think she actually left?”
Silent shrugged. “No idea.”
With a small snicker, Sunny took another sip. “What did you get her, anyway?”
“A little charm bracelet. Everypony in the office got her a charm that would be special between her and themselves.” He tilted his head to level a curious look at her. “Now, back to you. Are you really alright being alone? Crystal and I would be happy to have you.”
The drink in Sunny’s magic swirled slowly as she gazed at it. “First of all, thank you. Second, no thank you. I’m not going to be your hostage foalsitter. Third, I’m not alone, because I’m going to hang out with Celestia and Asvoria. We’ll have way more fun.”
“That isn’t what I meant,” Silent replied, sipping from his drink and giving Sunny a meaningful glance.
She looked away as if burned. “I know. To answer your indirect question, the three of us are great. There are no red flags to look out for. In fact, I’d say we’re stronger than we have ever been, at least when it comes to our lives.”
Silent nodded, the tension leaving his shoulders. “I’m glad.”
Her hoof waved in a lazy circle. “Our families just don’t get it is all. No wedding, no foals, no clear explanation of typical family roles. That seems to give them license to ask rather awkward questions. Soarin’s parents are the absolute worst. They’re so straight-laced it’s ridiculous. At least Azurite’s try to understand.”
Over the rim of her glass, Sunny grinned up at him. “Mr. Sapphire calls Azurite kitten and Soarin champ. He doesn’t know what to do with me, though, so I’ve been buddy, sport, tiger, and—lately—precious.”
“Precious?” Silent asked.
“Yeah, like a precious stone. I hope. I don’t know. Our families are fine in general, but sometimes I get tired explaining that Soarin and I are like bread and Azurite is peanut butter.”
Silent’s ear twitched. “I have no idea what that means.”
“Right, well, you see, it’s like this. Imagine that we’re all in be—”
There was a soft clearing of a throat at the door.
Sunny turned to look at the door and then rolled her eyes. A purple mare was standing in the doorway, her obsidian armor looking out of place in the vibrantly colored palace.
“And that is my cue to leave,” Sunny said. “You keep doing your secret thing that I thought we were past.” She stood up and levitated the drink to Silent’s desk. It dropped down from a few centimeters or so up, clinking loudly, letting the stallion know her displeasure.
As Sunny walked out, she looked over at the mare. “Breeze.”
Breeze nodded in return and replied, “Captain Day. Happy Hearth’s Warming.”
“Yup,” she replied in a clipped tone before trotting off.
“I don’t think she likes me,” Breeze said as she entered and shut the door behind herself.
“It isn’t you,” Silent explained, putting his helmet back on. “She doesn’t like that I’m keeping secrets from her. The last time I did that it, didn’t go so well.”
Breeze looked at the door and back at him. “But she knows you’re keeping a secret?”
“Yes, I told her. I just won’t tell her what. It’s how our relationship works. Tell me you have good news.”
The pegasus shook her head in frustration, her eyes dropping to the carpet. “No, High Marshal, my hypothesis was wrong. It was a waste of time and resources without anything fruitful to show. I have failed again.”
Silent stood up and came around the desk to set a hoof on her shoulder. “I’ve asked you to stop saying that. You haven’t failed, you just haven’t succeeded yet. We can talk about this in a day or so, but I need to get home to my family tonight. Can I convince you to come with me?”
Breeze quickly shook her head again. “No, thank you, sir. I’m going stay here and go through all the research again. Maybe I missed something. Maybe one of the others were unclear.”
“If that is what you want to do, but know the offer remains open. Drop by anytime.” He trotted to the door and pulled it open. He hated to leave the young knight to her own devices; she was always hard on herself, harder than anypony else.
Tonight, however, was not the night to deal with that. Tonight was Hearth’s Warming Eve and he had a family waiting for him and, unfortunately, just his family. He and Crystal had invited everypony they knew to join them, and almost every one of them had declined. Even Princess Luna!
It was a shame that this Hearth’s Warming would be small again, just like the last few. Everypony was getting older and starting their own families, which all took priority. He understood that, but it didn’t make him miss his friends any less. His own mother wouldn’t even arrive until the day after due to some critically important work she needed to do for the Flower Foundation.
Silent mused over it all as he pulled on his cloak before trotting through the palace and out into the courtyard. When the wind hit him, he gave the briefest of shivers, then spread his wings and leaped into the air. With a few mighty pumps he was airborne and on his way.
Canterlot looked calm and quiet beneath him. A stark contrast to how parliament and the palace had been over the past couple years after the revelations about alicorns came to light. It was nice to get away from all of that political in-fighting; he much preferred it when everypony just got along.
He flew down until he spotted golden light spilling into a familiar little yard. There were two hooves pressed up against the largest window with two big eyes staring up at the sky. Both belonged to his eldest, who was growing into a gangly filly.
When Silent landed in the yard, the front door burst open and Coral Knight tumbled out into the snow, squealing in delight, “Colonel!”
“Coral!” came a started cry from inside and Crystal Wishes appeared at the door.
Silent scooped the filly up in his wing. She was getting too big for that, a fact he lamented. She was going to school now, and soon she’d be an adult. Then she’d be off to an academy and, for all he knew, she’d literally be reporting to him. He preferred her little.
“I’ve got her,” he called, smiling.
Crystal waved a hoof. “Would you two get in here? The weatherponies have it freezing out there!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Silent replied, trotting in and pressing a soft kiss to his wife’s cheek. “I’m home early.”
Crystal laughed, pushing a hoof against his face. “Early for you, late for anypony else. Welcome home.” Her brow arched up at him. “Do you have any idea what it is like having three foals to deal with on Hearth’s Warming Eve?”
“Hey!” Coral squeaked.
Silent grinned slyly. “About the same as it was last year, or the year before?”
Crystal’s eyes narrowed, and she glared. “Oh, ha, ha, ha. Coral, let your father get changed. You can help me with Cherry.”
Silent let Coral down but not before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Do as your mother says, Cadet.”
“Yes, sir!” she replied, trotting off towards the nursery.
“Why won’t she just do as I say?” Crystal asked, exasperated as she took Silent’s cloak from him.
He shrugged. “You’re not a soldier.”
“Well maybe you should consider giving me a commission?”
Silent trotted over to the door of the master bedroom and stopped there to look at her with a playfully stern expression. “I’m almost entirely sure that is the definition of nepotism.”
Crystal’s head shook. “No. No, it isn’t. I just want to pull rank on my daughter. I’m sure the Royal Guard would understand.”
“I’ll check with Pony Resources.”
“You do that first thing when you get back to work.” Her horn illuminated, and she levitated Cherry into the crook of her foreleg. “Now, did you have any luck convincing anypony to join us this holiday?”
Silent shook his head with a sigh. “I’m afraid not. Miley went home, Sunny rejected me, and Breeze couldn’t put her work down. How about you?”
“Poor Breeze. She’s so much like you,” she muttered, then huffed. “I’m afraid I came up mostly empty, too. Even Velvet and Velour canceled at the last minute. Everypony else sent a no, too.”
“Even Dream Pop?” Silent asked as he walked into the bedroom.
Crystal came over to hover in the doorway, lightly rocking Cherry back and forth. “Dream Pop didn’t realize it was Hearth’s Warming. She’s out west somewhere with her sister at a dig site.”
“Which sister?”
Crystal hummed and looked up at the ceiling. “Hmm. Not Sugar. Let me think. Rock Candy?”
Silent shook his head. “That doesn’t sound right.”
Coral’s voice shouted from the nursery, “Pop Rocks!”
“Yes, Pop Rocks,” Crystal replied before her brow furrowed, she turned her head, and yelled, “We don’t yell in this house!”
As she trotted off to put Cherry to sleep, Silent chuckled and made his way over to the armor stand. It was the first one he’d ever received, one of the few gifts from Stratus Knight. A necessity he’d said when Silent had finished training.
The old wooden pony had worn a lot of different suits over the years, but it always held up. Silent pulled his crested helm off and set it on the stand. After that, the process was slower. These days he had so many ceremonial badges and medals that his kit took twice as long to remove than it used to.
The removal was a ritual that occurred every time he came home, one he’d started when his duties took more and more of his time. It was a transformation of sorts, from Colonel Silent Knight, Captain of the Canterlot Guard to Silent Knight, Dad.
Dad was his most cherished title. It came right before husband.
As the last hoofguard came off, Silent felt like an entirely different pony. All of the responsibility and weight was gone. Now he only had one focus: his family.
The world outside looked like their home was trapped inside a snow globe somepony had shaken up. Crystal Wishes lounged on the floor with Cherry Blossom nestled between her forelegs, occasionally glancing up at the pegasus loft to see Clement Knight's white-tipped wing draping over the edge.
Coral Knight remained steadfastly planted on the windowsill, her forehooves pressed up against the glass. She broke into a squeal and hopped down to the floor, her too-long legs buckling from the sudden motion.
"Intruder!" she shrieked and skidded to a halt right before crashing into Crystal's side. "Mom! I need my battle braid!"
Crystal huffed a soft laugh. Her magic lit up to pull Coral's blue mane out of its puffy ponytail and started on a short, tight braid. "Clement, dear, can you see who our intruder is?"
There was a small grunt, as if lifting his head was a great and difficult task, before Clement called down, "It's just Auntie Velvet…” He trailed of before his inflection perked up. “And Velour!"
Coral puffed out her cheeks. "They could be rogues in disguise!” As soon as the braid was tied off, she charged at the door. "Defensive positions, everypony!"
The little filly's hindlegs were ensnared in a pink glow, halting her a safe distance from the door while Crystal sent another swirl of magic at the doorknob.
Velvet Step stood on the stoop, a hoof poised mid-air to knock. "Oh." She blinked down at Coral, who was glaring up at her. "Hey, little guard. At ease?"
"You're not my commanding officer," Coral huffed.
"No, but I'm bigger than you." Velvet tilted her head toward the lanky colt standing beside her. "And I've got backup."
Coral, to her credit, was never short on bravado. She squirmed against the magic holding her in place, then barked at the pegasus loft above her, "Clement! Defend me!"
With a loud yawn, Clement stretched out to peer over the edge. "It's just Auntie, Cor."
Crystal looked across the room to meet Velvet's gaze. They shared an amused smile, but neither made any move to interrupt the proceedings.
"Useless as always," Coral muttered through clenched teeth. "All right. You've left me with no choice." Her horn sparkled, sputtered, and flared with a flash of gold.
Though nothing seemed to happen, Velvet raised a hoof to her nose. "Oh! Ow! I've been wounded!" She swooned against the doorframe. "Velour, remember your mother fondly." Sliding down to the floor, Velvet sucked in an exaggeratedly loud breath. "Remember... me... fondly..."
Velour rolled his eyes and trotted inside. "Aunt Crystal, your little menace just offed my mom." He flapped his wings a few times to lift into the air and join Clement on the loft. "Budge over, Cuz."
Clement was always more than eager to share the space he’d staked out as his own with Velour. Only his father and favorite cousin were allowed to join him… and, occasionally, an alicorn.
"That's not very fond," Velvet called from where she lay prone in the doorway, all four legs sticking straight in the air.
Crystal scooped Coral up in a magic embrace and floated her over to rest between her forelegs next to Cherry. "My darling, would you please undo the wicked curse you put on your aunt?"
"Not unless she says the magic words," Coral mumbled as she rested her head on top of Cherry's.
Velvet snorted. "For the Honor of the Knight of Wishes."
Coral gave a curt nod. "Okay. I undo the curse. You may enter the fortress."
“Thanks, kiddo.” Velvet rolled back onto her hooves and stepped inside, kicking the door shut behind her and shaking the snow from her thick sweater and scarf. “So, Mama Wishes, about your Hearth’s Warming party.”
Crystal’s head jerked up and her lips pursed into a tight line. “Velvet, don’t tell me you’re going to cancel, too.”
“Okay.” Velvet stood perfectly still, one thin brow arched.
Crystal stared up at her.
Velvet stared back, unblinking.
With a heavy sigh, Crystal dropped her head to rest it beside her foals. “Go on, then. What’s your reason?”
“My grandma all but begged.” Her eyes darted to the side and her tone softened. “This is her first Hearth’s Warming without Papa Batter.”
An awkward moment of silence held them before Velvet sniffed and shifted on her hooves. “Sorry. I should have given you more notice, but you’ll still have fun without Vel and me.”
Crystal gave a petulant huff. “Everypony else cancelled, too. It’s just the Knight Clan this year.” Her ears drooped. “Again.”
Cherry gurgled and wobbled herself in a semi-circle to face Crystal. With only the bare minimum of coordination necessary, the little foal pulled the pacifier out of her mouth and held it up in offering.
“Oh, my sweet heart.” Crystal smiled and nuzzled the young filly’s curly pink mane. “Thank you, but Mama will be okay.”
Velvet cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, Crystal.”
“It’s okay.” Crystal inclined her head to smile up at her. “Honest. That’s just how it goes these days as we get older. Priorities change. I understand.”
“I’ll come by when we get back from Manehattan, okay?” Velvet walked over and ruffled Coral’s fluffy bangs. “Maybe we can see how your defenses are against surprise attacks.”
Coral’s eyes went wide. “You can do stealth maneuvers?”
Velvet winked. “That’d be telling, now, wouldn’t it?”
Coral had never gazed at her aunt with more awe or respect than in that moment. Velvet threw her head back with a laugh, then turned for the door. “C’mon, Vel, we’ve got a train to catch. You can sunbathe later.”
“There’s even less sun in Manehattan, though,” Velour groused, but jumped down to follow his mother outside. “Bye, Clem, keep that spot warm.”
“Dismissed!” Coral shouted after them just as the door shut, then scrambled out of Crystal’s loose embrace to return to her post at the bay window. “They’ve left the premises, Mom.”
Crystal sighed, shifting to lay over on her side without disturbing Cherry. “Let me know if you spot your father so I can get dinner on, Cadet.”
Coral grunted in acceptance of her mission. Cherry held onto a stray lock that had escaped Crystal’s loose bun, both little hooves batting the blonde hair while she gurgled and giggled.
It had been a trying day, more so than most. She loved being a mother more than anything else, but Hearth’s Warming Eve brought out the worst in all foals. Even Clement acted out in excitement on this particular holiday.
She’d finally gotten them settled down barely an hour ago. It only took two blanket fort wars, three dozen batches of cookies, and a dramatic retelling of the time she and their aunts Velvet and Horsey got lost in the woods just south of the Canterlot gates.
But she knew it wouldn’t last; as soon as Silent came home, they would all be wound up again.
Her eyes drifted shut as she enjoyed the fragile moment of peace. Cherry gave a wet smack of her lips and Crystal was certain that meant her hair was getting a saliva wash, as it did every day.
She wouldn’t trade this life for anything in Equestria. Not bits, not jewels, not her very own castle with a plush pink throne, like the miniature one in Cherry’s palace playset.
“Colonel spotted!” Coral shrieked with delight and jumped down from the windowsill. Not even the skidding of her little hooves against the wooden floors could stop her from getting to the door in record time.
“Grab your coat!” Crystal jolted upright, freeing her mane from Cherry’s mouth. “Coral!”
The filly was already bounding through the snow and launching herself into Silent’s embrace by the time Crystal was at the door. He scooped her up in one wing with a small grunt and smiled. “I’ve got her.”
Crystal ushered them inside, waving her hoof. “Would you two get in here? The weather ponies have it freezing out there!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Silent replied as he carried Coral inside, stopping only to kiss Crystal on the cheek. “I’m home early.”
“Early for you, late for anypony else.” She laughed softly, pushing his head back with a hoof to his helmet so she could look him in the eyes. “Welcome home.” Her brow arched in challenge. “Do you have any idea what it’s like having three foals to deal with on Hearth’s Warming Eve?”
Coral squeaked in offense. “Hey!”
Her heart fluttered at the coltish grin he gave her. “About the same as it was last year, or the year before?”
“Oh, ha, ha, ha.” She leveled a glare at him, then waved a hoof at their daughter. “Coral, let your father get changed. You can help me with Cherry.”
Coral looked more than ready to argue, but as soon as Silent set her down, all of her attention was on him.
“Do as your mother says, Cadet.”
Coral gave a sharp salute. “Yes, sir!” She turned on her hindleg and marched toward the nursery.
Crystal sighed away some of the tension that gripped her shoulders as she unclasped Silent’s cloak. “Why won’t she just do as I say?”
He shrugged. “You’re not a soldier.”
While the cloak floated over to the coat rack, she fluttered her lashes up at him. “Well, maybe you should consider giving me a commission?”
He chuckled on his way to the master bedroom, stopping at the doorway and looking back at her. “I’m almost entirely sure that is the definition of nepotism.”
“No, no, it isn’t,” she said in a mock haughty tone. “I’m sure the Royal Guard would understand.”
“I’ll check with Pony Resources.”
She nodded. “You do that first thing when you get back to work.” She turned her head to levitate Cherry off the floor and over to rest in the crook of one foreleg. “Now, did you have any luck convincing anypony to join us this holiday?”
Though she had a small glimmer of hope, she wasn’t entirely surprised to learn he hadn’t. It was the same every year: they sent out invitations, and they received declinations. There was the ever-standing invite to join her own parents’ festivities, but that involved staying up all night with the social elite of Canterlot.
It would be a very, very cold day in Tartarus when Crystal attended a holiday gala willingly, much less subjected her foals to one.
As she made her way toward the nursery, Crystal tried to put her spirits back in order. Their friends had their own lives that didn’t revolve around them, and she understood that. It didn’t make her miss them any less, though.
Crystal found Coral halfway through illuminating the soft pink unicorn lanterns that gently bobbed in the air, a stern look of determination on her little face. “Wait, I can do this! Let me finish!”
Crystal smiled, saying nothing as she lowered Cherry into the crib.
Her little horn fizzled out and she groaned. “Mom, it’s not working!”
“You’re trying too hard, dear heart.” Crystal sat down on a stool and patted her lap, which Coral eagerly climbed onto. “Relax. Feel the magic all around us. Let it flow through you. Don’t force it.”
Coral scrunched her nose and closed her eyes as tight as she could. The very tip of her horn started to glow before the entire length sparkled with gold, and the rest of the unicorn lanterns lit up.
“Well done.” Crystal nuzzled the top of her daughter’s head. “Now, will you sing your little sister to sleep with me?”
“Yes, Mama.” Coral stood up to rest her forehooves against the crib’s railing, gazing fondly down at the little blonde-coated filly as they sang together.
Crystal lifted her gaze to the jewel hanging above the crib, which resonated the melody of their lullaby. Just as it had carried a purple-and-blue glow during Coral’s foalhood, and a silver-and-blue one for Clement’s, it shimmered gold-and-pink for Cherry.
The little foal was fast asleep halfway through the first verse, but Coral never left a song—or anything—unfinished. Crystal levitated Coral to the floor as she stood, their voices giving way to the gentle chimes of Aria while they tiphoofed out of the nursery.
Silent was already sitting on the couch with Clement beside him, the two talking in low tones about something. Crystal’s trained ear tried to spy on the conversation, but as soon as it swiveled toward them, they both went quiet.
While Coral set the table, Crystal pulled a pre-portioned bag out of the freezer and emptied its contents into a skillet. Make-ahead meals were the saving grace of busy house-spouses across Equestria, and her foals kept her hooves more than full.
“So,” Silent said, sticking his head through the doorway into the kitchen, “It really will be just the five of us, then.”
Crystal frowned down at the thawing meal while flames lapped at the sides of the skillet. “I’m afraid so.”
“I’m sorry, honey.” Silent came up beside her and rubbed his cheek to hers. “I know you were looking forward to it. Maybe next year?”
“That’s what we say every year,” she lamented, but leaned into his touch nonetheless. “I’m worried there never will be a Hearth’s Warming we all spend together.”
Silent kissed the corner of her mouth. “What about a different time of year? We could make our own holiday without encroaching on existing plans. Just like Dream Pop’s family does.”
“I… I know, but. I just wanted it to work this time.” She pouted and tried to focus on stirring the zucchini, noodles, and blocks of frozen sauce. “But it’s fine. I’ll get over it. I’m more than lucky to have such a wonderful family to spend the holidays with, I shouldn’t be greedy and want more than that.”
His wing draped over her back. “My wife deserves whatever she wants, and if this is what she wants, I will make it my solemn mission next year to ensure it happens.”
“Me, too!” Coral squeaked from behind them. They looked over their shoulders to see her chest puffed out with determined pride.
Clement came into view in the doorway. “If it’ll make Mom happy, count me in, too.”
Crystal laughed softly and wiped the corner of her eye. “Oh, my darling hearts, just this moment alone is enough to make this a perfect Hearth’s Warming.” She left the stove to kiss both of her foals’ foreheads. “Dinner’s almost ready. Wash up and take your seats.”
“Yes, Mom,” they said and trotted off together.
Silent nuzzled just behind her ear, sending a small shiver down her spine. “You’ll get your dream Hearth’s Warming. I promise, love.”
“Thank you.” She kissed him, allowing the press of their lips to linger while they had a moment of privacy before she returned to their dinner. “I’m happy with just us, though. Honest.”
Dinner was as ordinary as it normally was in their household, with Coral asking about every minute of Silent’s day. When there wasn’t enough excitement present in his reports, she would start to spin a fable about her own day, most of it having only happened in her imagination.
She was a fascinating combination of both their skills, and Crystal couldn’t love her more.
Clement, on the other hoof, was content to wait for his turn to talk sports with his father. As soon as the winter turned to spring, they had a hoofball match to settle a score about whether offense was the best defense or vice versa.
He was all Silent, save for the golden-blond streaks in his mane and tail, and Crystal loved every bit of him just the same.
As soon as dinner was over, the two foals were sent off to bed with kisses and hugs, and finally the parents were alone.
“She’s getting too big for me to hold in one wing,” Silent said, the frown audible in his voice. “Can we stop that?”
“Stop her from growing up?” Crystal laughed, lifting the whistling kettle off the stove and pouring out two cups of chamomile tea. “I’m sure there’s a spell somewhere, but I’m also sure it’s highly illegal magic.”
Silent huffed in feigned offense. “I’m friends with the princesses. They’ll make an exception.”
Sitting across from him and setting the tea cups on the table, Crystal shook her head. “When my foals are involved, I’m the highest authority there is, and I veto your motion to halt Coral’s aging process.”
“Unfair mare advantage.” He huffed again and took a sip of tea, the lingering tension of the day easing from his tight wings.
They lapsed into a companionable silence, the stillness interrupted by occasional sips and contented hums. Crystal looked out the doorway into the limited view of the living room and the picture frames cast in moonlight.
In a soft voice, she murmured, “It's easy to forget, sometimes, all that happened to bring us here." She reached across the table and took one of his hooves in hers, meeting his tired eyes with her own. "The war feels like it was so long ago."
His body stiffened briefly before he relaxed into a shrug. "Sometimes it feels like just yesterday for me." He returned her worried gaze with a small smile. "But most days, all I can think about is you and our foals and everything happening right now."
Crystal pushed herself up to lean forward, and he met her halfway with a soft kiss. "Me, too." She sat back in her seat and savored a few slow, thoughtful sips. "Coral got in a scuffle at school."
Silent's ears stood straight up. "She what?"
"A colt was teasing her." She lifted the teacup to hide her coy smile, but she knew amusement shone in her eyes by the way he relaxed. "He declared she had cooties. She insisted she didn't, and kissed him." A giggle escaped her. "Right on the mouth."
He arched one brow. "Isn't she a little young to be interested in kissing?"
With another little giggle, Crystal lowered her empty teacup and rested her elbows on the table. "She claims it wasn't a kiss, but a calculated strike to weaken the enemy's defenses." She cleared her throat. "Do I want to know where she learned that from?"
"Not me!" He raised a plaintive hoof. "I have nothing to do with that. Maybe she got it from your novels."
They stared at one another for a while before Silent cracked first with a throaty chuckle. She devolved into a quiet fit of laughter, one hoof over her mouth to smother the sound.
"I think that's the sign it's time for bed," she said, standing up while her magic put their cups and saucers in the sink. "Come along." Her tail swished as she walked past him to brush against his neck. "Colonel."
As soon as she said it, she cringed.
Silent's nose scrunched up. "That's almost as bad as the time you tried to call me 'Daddy'."
"Oh, just—" She sputtered and trotted toward the bedroom a little faster than necessary. "Forget I said anything and come to bed with me."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, chuckling. His hoofsteps were louder than hers as they followed until they hit the carpet. She didn't hear his rapid advance until they collided, his forelegs wrapping around her middle as he tackled her onto the bed.
"Silent!" she squeaked before sputtering into laughter. "What are you doing?”
Silent pressed his muzzle against her neck. “Cheering up my wife.”
Every bit of her went pliant beneath him and she tilted her head back. “Oh, well, I suppose that’s acceptable.”
He nipped just below her jaw. “I’ll make you forget all about the party. Just close your eyes...”
The crackle of burning wood, the warmth of the fire, and the deviously soft mattress beneath Silent gave him a peaceful feeling. Everything was perfect. Everything was—wrong.
They didn’t have a fireplace in the bedroom, and their mattress sure hadn’t been this comfortable since Coral had accidentally crushed it with Runic Phial’s instant warhammer potion.
With a jolt, Silent was on his hooves, taking in his surroundings. The last thing he’d remembered was—personal—and then after that, he’d gone to sleep with his beautiful wife. Now he was standing in the bedroom of a stone structure. A bedroom that was decidedly not his own.
Crystal was there, asleep and nestled against a pillow. The sight of her both comforted and worried him. At least she rested easy, unaware that trickery was ahoof.
Few creatures would be powerful enough to transport two ponies from their beds. Even fewer would have been able to do so to the High Marshall of the Knights of the Moon. Silent had been hardened against such things after years of training. This was serious magic they were dealing with.
The door to the bedroom creaked as it opened just a hair’s breadth. Silent wheeled at the noise and leapt towards it. He ripped the door open only to find himself staring up at the form of a very large, midnight blue—
“L—Luna?” he stammered.
Princess Luna softly tapped him on the forehead. “Yes, Silent Knight. Why must you assume everything is a trap or an attack?”
Silent Knight inhaled deeply, detecting the scent of hot cocoa in the air. That was odd but could be dealt with later. He then exhaled and looked the alicorn dead in the eyes. “I almost died protecting you from an ambush. Then I actually died protecting you from an assassin. Add in the war and what has been going on lately, and you could say I’m justified.”
That brought a frown to the alicorn’s lips. “Accepted. Tonight, however, I wish you to put that aside, for it is Hearth’s Warming Eve!”
“It is. Or it was.” He glanced around. “Where are we?”
“You’re in your own bed this very instant—snoring, I must add,” the princess explained. “While your body slumbers, your mind is far from there, visiting me in the dream world.” Her expression and voice softened as she continued, “I know that you and Crystal have been missing your friends as of late. As such, I bring you this special gift. I shall connect you all in your sleep as I once did for you and your wife.”
A glimmer of excitement shot through Silent at the prospect of a party with all the ponies that weren’t available. It would mean the world to Crystal, and that meant everything to him.
He smiled, then almost immediately frowned. “And you can do that? Everypony?”
Princess Luna idly wrung her forehooves. “Well, I think I can. I’ll be frank, Silent: I really haven’t done this with so many ponies and in such an elaborate, lucid construct. There are bound to be some snafus, but everypony is perfectly safe, that much I can guarantee.”
Magic. Magic always had an asterisk. Why did it always have an asterisk? “Alright… then where is everypony else? Why is Crystal still asleep?”
“I can’t bring them here until they fall asleep, and most are not as of yet. And as for Crystal, unlike you, she did not assume that this was a trap. As you went stomping around, she is laying there—” Princess Luna’s voice lifted. “Pretending to be asleep!”
“Am not!” came Crystal’s voice from behind Silent.
Silent chuckled and asked with barely concealed amusement, “And my foals?”
Princess Luna smiled brightly. “I have not brought them yet, though they do slumber. I thought you two might like some time alone.”
Silent’s face turned bright red and he cleared his throat. “Oh, thank you, Princess. That is most kind. I just… uh… we… you know, never mind.” He turned his head to look at his wife. “Honey, do you want the children right now or not?”
Crystal slipped out of the bed and slinked out to join Silent and Luna. “Is that really a question you want to ask the mother of three sweet, beautiful, and perfect foals?”
He nodded. “Absolutely, yes. A mother that probably has had fewer good nights of sleep than she needed in the last few years.”
“And they say good stallions are hard to find.” Crystal giggled and shook her head. “As much as I’d like a night off, even if it is a dream, please bring me my babies.” She then sniffed the air, her nose tipping upwards. “Oh! Is that hot cocoa?”
Princess Luna gave a resolute nod. “Yes, I chose a scent that most ponies seem to enjoy. As for your foals, I shall like to see my grandfoals anyway.” She paused for a moment and then smiled. “It is done.”
Whatever Silent Knight had expected, the actual reality was far simpler. There was no grand incantation or ritual, just the sound of a door creaking from somewhere else in the fictious dwelling. It was a slow, careful sound. The sound of a pony on her guard.
That was followed by the noise of small hooves creeping until Coral’s head peaked around a corner. Her eyes met Silent’s and she galloped to him. “Colonel, we’ve been taken!” she squeaked, fear creeping into her voice. She rushed under Silent, blissfully unaware of everything else around her.
Silent set his hoof on his daughter’s back. “Yes, but in a good way. This is a dream, Cadet. Princess Luna is going to throw us a Hearth’s Warming party here with all of our friends.”
Coral peered out from the safety of her father’s hoof, then brightened. “Oh, Granny Luna! I didn’t see you there. Is this really a dream?”
Princess Luna chuckled and leaned all the way down to the foal’s level. “It is so.”
“I’m here, too,” Crystal muttered softly.
“Cool! Hi, Mom. Where’s Clem?”
“I’m here,” came the lazy voice of Clement Knight as he flapped his way down from a pegasus loft that hadn’t previously existed. He came to a landing on Princess Luna’s back, curling up in her flowing mane. “Can I sleep in a dream?”
Crystal shook her head, reaching out with her magic and levitating the colt off the princess. “Not tonight, sweetie, that would be rude to our host. Princess Luna went to a lot of trouble to put this together.”
Coral stomped her hooves. “But there aren’t enough ponies for a party, and we were already together at ho—”
A low voice of gravel grating under a wooden wheel boomed against the walls. “Greetings, all. Forgive my delayed arrival; I had to first deduce what was occurring.”
The hairs of Silent Knight’s coat stood up straight. “By Nocturna’s mane, what in Equestria was that!”
“Fear not, Father. It is I, your Cherry Blossom.” the voice echoed throughout the room as the foal floated in from around a corner, her horn lit up and shooting a fountain of multicolored sparks.
“She can fly!” Coral shrieked in dismay. “How come she gets to fly?”
“Snafu?” Silent Knight asked as he looked up at Princess Luna while covering Coral’s mouth with a hoof.
She nodded sagely “Snafu indeed. This is a dream, after all. I should have realized that even though a foal cannot speak, she would have thoughts to share.”
Cherry floated to Crystal, who caught her delicately in a hoof after setting Clement down onto Silent’s back. The filly immediately found her mother’s mane and started to suck on it. “It is glorious to be able to express my wants and desires through civilized tongue.”
Crystal looked at Luna in horror. “Please tell me that isn’t going to be my baby’s voice all night?”
“I’ll work on it,” the princess murmured before her head shot up. “Oh, another guest has just arrived!”
“Hello?” a familiar, squeaky voice called from one of the various hallways. It was a voice Silent Knight knew well.
“In here, Miley,” Silent Knight called back.
“Captain?” came the reply before Miley trotted into the main room. She skidded to a halt and glared at him. “You’re not supposed to be in my dreams!” She then paused and peered at Princess Luna. “And neither are you! I see you two enough at work. Boundaries!”
Princess Luna laughed softly. “Miley Hooves, I’ve brought you here for a Hearth’s Warming party. If you wish to be uninvited, I can easily do that.”
Miley threw up her forehooves. “No, ma’am. Where is my husband, though? I’d hate to leave him alone.”
“He will find his way here as he falls asleep. In fact, more guests are arriving now.” Luna nodded behind them. “Many more.”
Silent turned to see archways appearing in the walls, fanning out in all different directions. “Come on, Coral, let’s investigate this.”
“Okay, Colonel.”
The two trotted to the nearest archway and peered through it. A hall stretched out before them that went on endlessly, lined with doors on each side.
One of the nearby doors opened and Velour Step poked his head out, confusion written on his face. Clement Knight, who was half asleep on his father’s back, whooped with excitement and flew off towards Velour.
Velour chuckled softly as he caught his little cousin. “Hey, Cuz. What’s going on?”
Before any of them could explain, Velvet came out of the door across from Velour’s. She looked at Silent Knight, sighed loudly, and shouted, “Crystal, if you wanted me to stay that badly, you should have just said something! You didn’t need to call in an alicorn favor on me!”
“This is not my doing!” Crystal’s voice came from behind Silent.
“Uh-huh,” Velvet replied before trotting by Silent, giving him a light push. “Make way.”
The sound sent Velvet halfway up the wall. “Sweet Celestia!”
Crystal cradled her foal close to her chest. “That is just Cherry, but we’re working on that! Luna, please fix it!”
Princess Luna huffed, “I’m working on bridging dreams here. Give me a moment, please.”
Another door opened and Sunny Day poked her head out. “Alright, two minutes ago I was with Celestia and Asvoria. What’s happening?”
Coral snapped to attention under her father and gave a crisp salute. “Major!”
Silent explained, “We’re having a Hearth’s Warming party in our dream tonight. Courtesy of Princess Luna.”
“Oh, this could have been worse,” Sunny replied before trotting out of the hall into the main room, shouting, “Hey, Soarin, Azurite! Where are you two?”
The pair emerged from one of the other halls. Azurite galloped over and threw her hooves around Sunny. “Yay! I’m so glad to see you! It’s been super weird not having you with us.”
Soarin followed behind and kissed Sunny’s nose. “She’s right. Even weirder than the questions they ask. In fact, you not being there has led to even more questions. Awkward questions.”
“Sorry, my boss is a real jerk. He demanded I work,” Sunny said, facing away from Silent but somehow directing her voice right at him.
“Hey…” Silent trailed before the sound of a door opening caught his attention. Doors opening was usually normal, but this time the noise came from above. He looked up and then grinned, “Hey, Runic!”
Runic Phial crawled out of a trap door in the ceiling and fluttered down to the center of the room. “Hi, Silent! Are we dead?”
“Nope, just a dream!”
“Whew, okay, good.” Runic nodded and started to look around them. “I was worried that my current project had wiped Canterlot off the mountain and killed us all.”
Silent forced a chuckle. “Oh, you.” A shiver then went down his spine and he trotted over to Miley and whispered, “Send somepony to check out his place tomorrow morning.”
Miley whispered back, “Yes, sir. How about as soon as I wake up?”
“Yeah, do that,” he trailed before trotting back over to Runic to give him a hug. “Where is Marmes?”
Runic’s head was down, a magnifying lens over his right eye as he inspected the stone floor. “Who?”
Coral squeaked, “Marmes Malade! Your fillyfriend!”
“Yes, Runic,” Silent said in a tone between teasing and concerned. “Marmes Malade, your fillyfriend!”
Runic looked up, his eyes focusing on Coral through the lens, and he jerked away from her. “Whoa, you got bigger!”
“Runic!” Coral huffed before pushing the magnifier away. “Where is Marmes? I love Marmes!”
“Oh, she probably isn’t asleep yet,” Runic said, looking back down. “She had knitting to do. In fact, she was on a mission.” He frowned. “Should I tell the princess this stone is all wrong? Nothing like this exists in reality and it certainly couldn’t have a castle built out of it. If I could just change it…”
His hoof touched the nearest stone and, as soon as he made contact, it changed into one that was darker gray with a different look to it.
Runic blinked. “Huh. That is interesting.” He then touched another stone and it changed, too. “Ah, well that makes sense, we are dreaming. I’m going to fix this. Coral, would you like to help?”
Coral’s eyes got wide and she asked, “Can I, Colonel?”
Silent motioned. “By all means.”
Runic was already trotting away, touching stones and turning them. Coral followed off behind him, doing her best to help.
With his daughter safely engaged, Silent turned and trotted back over to Crystal and Princess Luna. More ponies were starting to pour in from the archways.
Wallflower trotted out, seemingly unphased by her situation. She crossed the room to Silent and Crystal and reached out to take Cherry into the crook of her hoof. “So, this is what we’re doing this year?”
Crystal smiled brightly. “Yes, it is a gift from Luna.”
“And what a lovely gift it is. I get to see my grandfoals!” She cooed as she tickled Cherry’s tummy.
“Ha, ha, ha! Grandmother, you are a gem!” Cherry boomed.
Silent’s mother shot him a look and he just shrugged. “Snafu.”
“I see,” Wallflower replied before bouncing the foal, eyeing her warily.
Just about that time, Iridescence and Winterspear wandered out. Iridescence took one look around and then leveled a gaze at Princess Luna. “Alright, we talked about this. You’re supposed to ask in advance before invading my dreams.”
The princess tipped her nose up in a huff. “If I had done it on this occasion, it would not have been a surprise. Besides, Silent Knight did not complain when I used to practice on him.”
“Silent Knight is overly obedient and easily to manipulate,” Iridescence replied before grunting when Winterspear poked her in the ribs.
“That’s my brother,” she hissed.
“Tell me I’m wrong!” Iridescence replied.
While his sister and sister-in-law argued, Silent’s attention shifted to the princess. She looked like she was sweating, her face tight with concentration.
Silent set his hoof on Luna’s foreleg. “Are you certain you’re up for this?”
Princess Luna didn’t look down at him. “I am certain. You ask for nothing and give so much. Allow me to do this for you and your family.”
“As you wish, Princess,” Silent replied, doing his best to hide the concern in his voice. He turned to look at his wife, whose face suddenly lit up.
Crystal squealed, “Horsey!”
From another one of the archways, High Horse, Savoir, and all of their foals appeared. Each little pony huddled around their mother like baby ducklings, and she stood over them protectively.
“It’s a dream but we’re all together,” Velvet called from where she sat in a beach chair, looking out a window that showed a gorgeous ocean view. “Don’t overthink it.”
Crystal zipped across the room to hug Horsey before she started scooping up the foals to give them each a kiss. “Oh my gosh, you’re all here!”
“Yes, yes we are… I guess,” High Horse said softly before grinning and hugging Crystal. “This is such a lovely idea. Once you stop overthinking it.”
Velvet raised some kind of alcoholic beverage with a little umbrella in it, then knocked it back in one gulp. As she lowered the glass, it refilled almost instantly. “It’s a fantastic idea!”
The princess panted softly. “I believe we are nearing the end of the guest list, thankfully.”
“This cannot be, Grandmother Luna. We are missing an important guest! Father, where is Hoof?” Cherry cried, stopping everypony in the room and focusing all attention on them.
Princess Luna’s brow furrowed and she looked down at Silent. “Who is Hoof?”
Silent swallowed. “Oh, well Hoof is—”
“Hoof is my best friend! It cannot be a party without Hoof! Please, Grandmother, bring him.” Cherry replied, urgently.
The princess and everypony in the room looked to Silent, whose face was turning red.
Crystal left Horsey to return to where Silent stood. She softly set a hoof on his cheek and whispered, “There are things fathers do for their daughters, no matter how hard they are.”
Silent just gave a small nod before holding up his right forehoof and bending it at the ankle. In a high-pitched voice, he wiggled the hoof and said, “Hello, Cherry!”
Cherry clapped eagerly. “Hoof! Welcome! I am delighted to see you.”
The tell-tale cackle of Velvet tore through the air. “Oh, this is priceless!”
Silent turned his back to the crowd and nestled down onto the ground in front of his daughter and mother. “Thank you, Cherry! I’m really happy to see you, too! Have you washed your mane?” Hoof asked before ruffling the foal’s mane with a soft ‘om nom nom’ sound. “It tastes great!”
Coral, who was still helping Runic change stones, looked over and scowled. “How come I never met Hoof?”
Crystal chuckled at her eldest daughter and replied, “You were more interested in swords and war stories. This is what Cherry likes.”
“I guess that is fair,” Coral grumbled going back to changing stones with Runic.
“I’ve never met Hoof, either!” came a happy, bouncy voice, and they looked up to see Dream Pop repelling down from the ceiling.
Hoof lifted up higher and wiggled at her. “Hi, Dream Pop!”
Velvet breathed in between barks of laughter, “Priceless! I can’t wait until we wake up.”
Silent scowled at her before turning back to Cherry.
Dream Pop trotted over, have Wallflower a quick hug, and nuzzled Cherry eagerly. “Hi, my little explorers!”
“Hello, Auntie Dream Pop!” Cherry boomed in gleeful response.
Blinking, Dream Pop tilted her head to the side. “Well, that’s new!”
Crystal looked over at the Princess. “Luna, please! My baby.”
When Silent looked over, the princess’s lips were pressed tightly together and it was clear she was concentrating hard. “Princess? Is everything alright?”
“Yes,” she replied in a strained voice and forced a smile. “Everything is fine. Please, enjoy yourselves.” When Silent opened his mouth to argue, she turned to walk into the crowd, swallowed up in the growing chaos of so many ponies and their dreamy conjurations.
Things had only just started, and already, Crystal felt a headache brewing behind her eyes. She wasn’t sure if it was just a phantom sensation within the dream or actually happening to her body, but it felt real enough right then.
She took a deep breath and tried to release it slowly, but the noise all around her unsettled her attempt to find calm.
“Mom! Mama! Mum! Mommy!”
Crystal turned her head to see Coral. Or, at least, the lanky little figure that had her eldest‘s voice; it was hard to see anything distinct under the full-body armor.
The beaming smile was audible in the filly’s voice as she exclaimed, “Runic says that since this is a dream, we can do anything we want! Isn’t this the best? I’m a knight!”
“I see that, my darling.” Crystal forced a smile and looked around to also see, with only a slight amount of dismay, that others had discovered their newfound powers as well.
Soarin was backed up against the wall, cornered by a very masculine Sunny Day. Her—his?—tail swished as she said in her normal voice, “Come on, Soarin. It’ll be hot!”
“Sunny, this is so not my fetish.” Soarin swallowed, his throat going visibly tight from the strain.
A flare of something sparkly and green drew Crystal’s attention away. Winterspear—now, for whatever reason, a unicorn—threw spells into the air in quick, rapid succession. Each one was a different color, spiraled in random directions, and resembled magic Crystal had only seen in a show once in Las Pegasus. Real magic was much subtler, and much less impressive.
“This is getting out of hoof,” Silent said, coming up alongside Crystal and brushing his shoulder to hers. “I’m worried about the princess.”
Crystal chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m sure they’ll settle down once the initial excitement wears off. It’s not as if this is an everyday occurrence, after all.”
“Or everynight.” Silent shot her a small, crooked smile. “All right. She insists she’s fine, so I suppose a little longer won’t hurt.”
She pushed herself up to kiss his cheek. “Could you mind Lady Coral, then? She’s just conjured herself a—“
A high-pitched squeal tore through the air. “Sweet Celestia! Who invited the miniature knight with a giant sword?!”
Silent looked over at his metal-clad daughter and her new sword that was as tall as him. The white of his face turned ashen and gaunt. “Cadet!” He took off in a half-trot, half-scramble. “Put down your weapon!”
A pink stallion with a familiar mauve mane and tail trotted past, a wicked grin on his face that Crystal could recognize in any size crowd.
“Velvet Step,” Crystal called in a low tone that could stop a wild foal in her tracks. “What are you doing?”
The stallion looked over, cocked his brow, and said in Velvet’s voice, “Better question. What are you doing?” He—She tipped her head up to elongate her broad jawline. “Answer: not having fun.”
All Crystal could do was watch as Velvet approached Soarin and Sunny, who seemed to have since arrived at a stalemate of communicating solely through direct eye contact.
When Velvet was close enough, she slapped Sunny on the flank and grinned at the startled whinny. “Soarin, if you’re not going to appreciate this stud on your hooves, I’ll totally do it for you.”
Soarin’s ears shot up. “What? No! I appreciate her! Just, I mean, I appreciate her, you know. A mare. My marefriend. Plus, what would Azu say?”
A little voice squeaked from somewhere else, “Super hot! Kiss him!”
“I—” Soarin sputtered, looking between Velvet as she chanted ‘kiss him’ and Sunny, who also chanted ‘kiss him’. He rolled his eyes and threw himself forward to plant a wet, loud smooch on Sunny’s stallionly lips while Velvet and several nearby ponies cheered.
Meanwhile, a pegasus version of Iridescence was flipping about through the spell-filled air like a Wonderbolt in training. She ducked under a purple bolt and around an arc of red sparkles. Velour and Clement sat on the ground nearby, sprawled out with a bowl of popcorn shared between them as they watched the impromptu show.
“Apologies, Mother. I understand this is most troubling for you.” Cherry floated up to nuzzle up against the underside of Crystal’s chin.
Crystal tried her best to not wince at the sound of her baby’s voice—her temporary, substitute, dream-only snafu of a voice, Crystal desperately reminded herself as she winced anyway.
“You don’t need to apologize, dear heart.” Crystal sat on her haunches to free her forelegs, which captured and cuddled her foal. At least she felt and smelled the same. “We’re all together for Hearth’s Warming. That’s all I wanted this year.”
Cherry bubbled, gurgled, and found a stray lock of blonde mane to chew on. “Then we shall rejoice!” She craned her neck to look behind them. “What is this? Uncle Runic is conducting experiments! Please, Mother, release me so I may partake in the science with him.”
Crystal blinked, but couldn’t think to respond before her foal had wriggled out of her grasp and was already flying away. “A—All right, just be careful!”
In the center of all the noise and chaos—though she wished there were a better word—Runic sat, holding two different gemstones in his hooves and beaming up at Marmes Malade, his sweet marefriend who seemed to have just arrived.
“Watch this, Marmesy!” He smashed the two gems together and they fused into an amalgamation of both, green and red streaks blending together in one heart-shaped stone. “I call it a Hearthstone!”
“That’s nice, dearie.” Marmes glanced around, ears pressed flat against her braided mane. Her soft voice was laced with nerves as she asked, “Did your experiment send us to the afterlife?”
“Nope!” Miley bounded over, taking a moment to hug Marmes tight. “This is just a dream.”
Runic looked between them with eyes that seemed comically wide behind his goggles. “This is an opportunity! Can you imagine what we can accomplish in such a lucid dream?” A hoof raised to push his goggles up. “Oh, hey, Cherry!”
Cherry flopped on top of the green flat cap he wore. “Greetings, Uncle Runic. I am here to aid in your experiments.”
Without missing a beat, Runic lit up with a big grin. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
The ceiling slid open, stone grating against stone, revealing a beautiful night sky above. Cherry squealed and wiggled all four of her legs as Runic began to conjure seemingly random objects.
Crystal’s gaze slid across the room. She felt entirely disconnected from it all, like the dreams where she wasn’t actually even present. Just an observer of oddities, distant and uninvolved in the random proceedings.
At least this was a dream and not a nightmare. It’d been years since she’d been plagued by those, and she wasn’t keen on thinking too much about them lest she contribute to the crazed conjuration going on all around her in the worst way possible. Nothing would ruin a good dream quite like blood and death.
Sparkles and rainbows, Crystal hurriedly thought instead, and both began to fill the air around her. She let out a sigh of relief, and her ear twitched back to the nearest voice.
“By the way,” Miley said, one foreleg slung around Marmes’s neck. “Can you tell me anything about this experiment Runic was working on? Like, what level of danger are we talking about here?”
Marmes put a hoof to her cheek in thought. “Oh, goodness, certainly not an Inner Core level danger. More toward the Upper Mantle layer.”
Miley hummed and nodded, understanding in a way only she and Marmes could. “All right, that should be fine, then. I’ll still swing by when this is all over just to be sure.”
“Thank you.” Marmes gave a soft peck of a kiss to Miley’s cheek. “I appreciate that. I’d really hate to be dead. If we are, could you please be sure the marmalade jars in the back room go to good homes?”
“Oh, don’t worry!” Runic chirped, pausing his mad scientist act to smile at them. “If the experiment went wrong, there isn’t a back room anymore to worry about. Or marmalade jars.”
The little pout of Marmes’s lower lip combined with Miley’s stern frown made Runic’s smile fall, and he ducked his head. “I mean, it’s all fine, we’re fine, the back room’s fine. I took every necessary precaution. That’s a rock promise.”
That only made Marmes’s pout more pronounced. “Your last rock promise turned all my glass jars into very lovely conch shells that were very ineffective at storing my marmalade!”
“It’ll be okay, nopony panic,” a vaguely familiar stallion said as he trotted over, a white lab coat materializing around him. “I’m a doctor.”
Miley groaned in spite of the smile tugging at her lips. “You can’t just say that like it solves every problem!”
The earth pony stallion gave a charming wink. “You can’t prove it doesn’t.”
Silent trotted over to them, Coral perched on top of his head as though she weighed nothing despite her armor and drastically downsized sword. “Dr. ‘Miley’s New Husband’, I presume.”
Taking that as a cue to partake in the proceedings rather than just observe, Crystal stood up and went to stand beside Silent. “Miley’s husband? Oh, it’s a shame we haven’t had the opportunity to meet in the real world prior to…” She waved a hoof at all the noise around them. “This.”
“Never bother,” he replied, holding out a hoof. “Miley was the one who wanted to elope for our wedding. It’s a pleasure. I’m Doctor Doctor.”
“Doctor Doctor?” Crystal repeated, her brow furrowing, but she took the offered hoof nonetheless. “I’m sorry, but have we met before?”
There was a mirthful sparkle in his sky-blue eyes as he inclined his head. “It’s always possible! I meet a lot of ponies in my line of work.”
“Wait.” Silent frowned. “Doctor Doctor? As in, you’re a doctor named Doctor? No offense, but isn’t that… a little on the nose?”
Dr. Doctor shrugged, chuckling. “My parents were very determined ponies. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out so well for my sister, Trapeze Artist.” He winked. “She’s an accountant.”
Huffing lightly, Miley swatted at his foreleg and reprimanded in a tone full of fondness, “Stop that! Her name is Lily and she’s very lovely.”
“Hey, Miley!” a voice called, and a Silent-sized Azurite popped into existence in the middle of the group. Her normally cute little smile was somewhat intimidating on her larger self. “Now who’s the biggest little pony?”
With an undignified squawk, Miley went from surprise to indignation to determination, and then she swelled up to be two hooves taller than Azurite. “Still me!”
Azurite frowned and, faster than a blink, she was twice her size. “Nuh-uh!”
“Hey, careful!” Iridescence exclaimed when one of her mid-air triple loops nearly sent her crashing into Miley’s growing flank.
There was no acknowledgement as the two continued to double, triple, quadruple in size. They crashed through the ceiling, sending rubble everywhere that bounced harmlessly off ponies like foam blocks.
Silent’s wings flared to cover Crystal, who had already snared Coral, Clement, and Cherry in her magic to force them to her. His expression turned cold as he yelled, “Fillies, stop right now!”, but his voice was lost in the rapidly increasing chaos around them as ponies scattered to flee the giant hooves.
Somehow, through the noise, Velvet’s voice was the one that reached Crystal’s ears. “Come on, Soarin! The world’s ending, so it’s now or never! Are you going to stallion up and jump on Sunny’s—”
“ROCKET!” somepony shrieked, and sure enough, there was a giant rocket sending out smoke and sparks. Crystal had only seen much smaller versions in school science fairs, and those had nothing on the monstrosity taking off in the middle of the room.
“I’m going to the moon!” Runic declared, straddling the nose of the rocket and waving his cap about.
Silent’s eyes went wide. “Runic, no!”
All around them, the world began to crumble. A massive cavern opened up across the floor, splitting the room in half. The walls flashed from stone, to wood, to canvas, and eventually to nothing.
Crystal followed Silent’s gaze as it fell on Princess Luna. She was standing tall, all four hooves planted firmly, her horn burning bright. Strain was written across her face. Strain and frustration.
“Enough!”
Princess Luna’s voice visibly rippled through the room, tearing the dream apart as it went, until Crystal jolted upright—back in her own bed.
Silent was already standing between her and the door, his body tight and his wings out to the sides to defend her. She saw the rapid rise and fall of his chest, and for some reason, the sight settled her.
“I think we’re awake, love,” she said in a soft voice, and his head whipped around to look at her.
They stared at one another for a moment before he crossed the distance, clambering onto the bed to take her face in his forehooves. “Are you okay?” He sucked in a breath and jumped back. “The foals!”
Before he could reach the door, it flew open and two little figures came galloping in, panic clearly written on their faces. Coral took refuge under her father while Clement dove onto the bed, pressing himself as close to Crystal as possible.
“Shh, my darling,” Crystal whispered, holding him tight with one foreleg and stroking his mane with the other. “It’s all right. It was just a dream.”
Silent took a step back and lowered his head to bump against Coral, and she clambered onto his back, buried her face in his mane, and hugged his neck.
“Come on, Cadet,” he said. “Let’s go get your sister.”
Coral sniffled. “Okay, Dad.”
The lack of a rank made Crystal’s heart seize up before it promptly cracked in half. She leaned down to kiss the top of Clement’s head while watching Silent carry their eldest out of the room.
“’m sorry, Mom,” the colt said, looking up when Crystal jolted back in surprise.
“Sorry?” She slid her hoof to cup his cheek. “What in harmony’s name are you sorry for?”
Clement dropped his head down against her chest. “You were s’pposed to get the perfect Hearth’s Warming party. We promised.”
“Oh, my darling Clem.” She couldn’t help a soft, startled laugh. “It’s all right. I’m just grateful it was only a dream.”
“It felt real,” he muttered. “And it was a disaster.”
As Silent trotted back into the room with Coral and Cherry on his back, he looked over at Crystal with a worried expression. “Is he all right?”
Crystal nodded. Her magic gently swirled around Cherry, lifting her up and bringing her over so Crystal could see for herself that their little foal was all right, as well. “He apologized for the dream not going well.”
“I’m sorry, too, Mom!” Coral exclaimed before she leaped from Silent’s back onto the bed. She stomped her way across the fluffy hills of the comforter and plopped down in the very middle. “I didn’t mean to get carried away. It was just so cool!” She sniffed. “Until it wasn’t.”
Cherry gurgled, and though a lock of Crystal’s mane was within reach, she neglected to put it in her frowning mouth.
Silent’s expression shifted from worry to confusion. “We should be the ones apologizing.” He climbed back onto his side of the bed, a wing extended to stretch out over them all in a loose embrace. “Why would any of you kids be sorry?”
Crystal glanced between the three foals, then eased in to a smile. “Colonel, I think we’ve made a fatal mistake in our Hearth’s Warming battle plans.”
“Battle plans?” Coral squeaked, her head popping up and eyes glittering with interest.
Silent tilted his head while one hoof reached down to ruffle Coral’s mane. “Oh? And what would that be?”
“We were so focused on routing our resources to the friend lines that we neglected to care for our most precious assets.” She kissed Cherry’s forehead.
With a sage, understanding nod, Silent hummed his agreement. Then he said in a flat tone, “Can you repeat that without the clever metaphor? For the foals’ sake.”
Crystal giggled and waved a hoof to gesture at the whole of the bed. “Our family, Silent. Our foals. Every year, I obsess over trying to get all our friends together and you obsess over trying to make that happen for me. But what are we doing to make Hearth’s Warming a special memory for Coral and Clem and Cherry?”
Silent’s gaze lowered to look down at three little faces that turned to look back at him. He was quiet for a while, thoughtfulness writ in his furrowed brow until he gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I honestly never thought about it that way until just now.”
“But Hearth’s Warming is special!” Coral said, jumping up and stomping all her hooves. “It’s when we bake cookies and exchange presents and eat candy and make snowponies!”
Clement nodded. “Yeah, we like Hearth’s Warming. You didn’t make a fatal mistake.”
With a small sneeze, Cherry’s nose dribbled.
“That’s sweet of you, dear hearts.” Crystal wiggled to lie down on her side, Cherry cradled to her and Clement sliding off to land next to Coral. “But just wait until next year. Your father and I will make it the absolute best Hearth’s Warming yet.”
Coral’s nose scrunched up, and she shifted to snuggle up next to Silent. “But what about our aunts and uncles? Don’t you want to spend the holidays with all our family?”
Silent chuckled, tucking his daughter under one foreleg. “Of course we do, but it doesn’t have to be on Hearth’s Warming to get together with them all. We learned that lesson when your Aunt Dream Pop showed up on Hearts and Hooves Day, remember?”
“I remember that,” Clement said in a steadily drowsy tone. “So what lesson did we learn this time?”
“Don’t cross the dreams?” Coral supplied.
Silent hummed in thought. “Too many ponies all in one place makes for a bad party?”
Cherry drooled.
“I don’t think there’s a lesson, per se.” Crystal giggled, burying half her face in a pillow. “This isn’t like one of Cherry’s foal tales that ends with a neat little ribbon of a moral.”
Clement rolled onto his back, hindlegs sprawled out and forelegs tucked in to his chest. “I think the lesson is that we’re the most important things in your lives now, so next year, you’re going to spoil us.”
Coral gave a big, wide yawn before curling in on herself. “I like that lesson.”
“All right, then.” Crystal smiled as she slowly let her eyes close. “Happy Hearth’s Warming, my darlings.”
The sweetest sound sent her to sleep as one foal gurgled and two replied, “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Mom and Dad.”
Silent and Crystal were lounging in bed, enjoying each other’s company and happy to have all their foals asleep at the same time. They didn’t need to speak to know what the other was thinking or feeling.
From out in the living room, the quiet but rapid sound of a hoof knocking at the front door worked its way to their ears above the snores and mumbles.
“That will likely be the princess, here to apologize,” Silent murmured softly.
Crystal nodded and whispered back, “Probably. Don’t keep her waiting. Get her inside, too, it’s below freezing out there.”
As carefully as he could, Silent shifted out of the bed, leaving his wife and three children to enjoy the warmth.
He trotted casually out of the bedroom and over to the front door to pull it open. “Listen, it is completely fi—” Silent came to a sudden halt.
The figure in front of him wasn’t a majestic alicorn of the night, but a lithe nox pegasus with gangly legs and large wings.
It was Soothing Breeze, and she looked excited. She never looked excited.
“High Marshal, I was wrong before! So wrong!”
Her dark purple coat was covered in snow, no armor or even a jacket to protect it. She must have forgotten to put on anything, Silent guessed. The way she gasped for air that came out in heavy puffs against the chill meant she had probably forgotten about her wings, too, and galloped the whole way.
“I found it,” she said in a trembling voice. “I know where it is!”
