The reason for the season!
It was early evening of Hearths Warming Eve and Spike the dragon lay in his cot with a frown upon his purple scaled face. His right arm and leg were bound in plaster wrappings as both had been broken when a sizable statue in the Canterlot Royal Gardens had fallen upon him. Our tragic hero had been trying to catch the descending sculpture, but the robustness and weight of kind Princess Celestia's faux hindquarters had proven far more than a match for him.
He looked around the empty hall of the Castle of Friendship, large enough to fit the town of Ponyville's humble population. Its walls shimmered in a brilliant violet from the crystal structuring. Large pale blue pillars lined either side, magically grown in the form of a mighty crystalline tree's branches. A grand arch hall formed the ceiling which was made of even more violet crystal and provided lighting to the room via many magically powered motes of light.
For reasons he couldn't quite fathom, his adopted sister Twilight Sparkle had set him up in the largest open space within their shared home. Her excuse had been something about ensuring he was getting plenty of fresh air or some such other pony nonsense that he had grown accustomed to. He loved his sister and all his pony friends quite a lot but even now they could still perplex him.
The room was beautiful, but the setting was dull. He was alone at the end of the hall like some sort of hermit king. Why was he here? Where had Twilight gone? And most importantly, where was that hot coco he had asked for?
Suddenly, a mighty flash of purple light lit up the very center of the room! Spike was blinded for a moment and when it cleared, he could see a large Hearths Warming tree occupying the space. It was tall and freshly green with numerous jolly ornaments hanging from its branches with fuzzy red and white ribbons gently spiraling down it. Why, it looked very much like the one that would be set up in the center of town!
"Suprise Spike!" A familiar familial voice rang out. From behind the tree, Princess Twilight Sparkle flew around and up with a big smile on her face and a red velvet Hearths Warming hat on her head. She spread her wings and gently glided over to land beside a very confused Spike. A purple glow lit up the horn coming from her forehead and spread to her hat which she levitated from her head and onto Spikes, making sure to get it around his green head spines.
Shaking himself out of his stupor, Spike inquired to the purple unicorn turned alicorn as to what the heck was going on. Twilight gladly explained that he was about to get the best Hearths Warming surprise Party ever! She had been so distraught, seeing him cooped up in the castle for over two weeks now. He had missed some of the best parts of the season! He was always so kind and helpful not only as her number one assistant, but to just about everyone he met! But he had seemed so miserable, and it simply didn't seem fair. So, she would bring some of the best parts of Hearths Warming straight to him!
There was a rapping at the central stained-glass window which decorated end of the hall just above and behind Spike. Twilight immediately lit her horn and opened the panels to allow the visitor in. Much to Spikes surprise, what came in was not a pegasus pony as one might expect from such an unorthodox entrance, but a large and heavy-looking white cloud. The weather phenomena seemed to ooze into the ceiling of the room as though being pushed, but as it turned out, it was! A cyan blue pegasus with rainbow colored main and tail was expertly bullying the cloud into the hall before herding it above and around the Hearths Warming tree at the center of the room. She then gave it a few quick jabs at various spots all around before the cloud began to surrender its cargo, which was revealed to be a light flurry of snowfall.
Spike couldn't believe his eyes! Rainbow Dash had wrangled a snow cloud for his party? His amazement turned to panic as he began to worry over potential water damage before quickly realizing that since the castle was made from magically infused crystals that he probably didn't have anything to worry about apart from having to wait on the hall to dry. But that was a minor inconvenience for later! For now, the snow wasn't falling directly on him, but was concentrated at the center of the hall and that was pretty ok for now.
From there, many more new faces began to arrive, friend and stranger alike. The prestigious party pony Pinkie Pie led a small convoy of caterers escorting a cavalcade of foods and drinks to be enjoyed by all. A great many townsponies filed in to socialize and give greetings to Spike. Younger foals would begin to have friendly snowball fights around the tree, the fresh powder making for excellent play stuff. Vinyl Scratch would set up her DJ booth and begin spinning some holiday classics for everypony to listen to.
A good time would be had by all and at the center of it would be Spike, the dragon of the hour. His big sister had brought all of this together just for him! Various ponies came by to greet him and offered him something from the confections table, which he gladly accepted!
But then, there came gifts! Not from everypony of course, that would have been a tad absurd. No, these were personal gifts from Twilight and the rest of the element bearers. The first who came forth was the Element of Honesty, Applejack. Her orange coat and blond mane and tail always seemed to give the farm pony an aura of warmth. She wore her trademark Stetson hat along with a practical green scarf around her neck tonight.
She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a humble mason jar. But what was in the jar? Why, apple jam of course! But not just any jam, no, this was specially prepared and preserved for Spike a few weeks ago. What truly made it special were the glittering pebbles of ruby that were congealed within the thick substance. Ponies could not eat gemstones, but dragons certainly could and the sight of this special treat nearly caused Spike to begin salivating right then and there! He politely wiped the edge of his maw with his knuckle and set the jar aside to be indulged later, thanking Applejack for the tasty looking gift.
Next was Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty. She seemed a tad nervous as she placed what was clearly a brown paper bag that had been wrapped around the item within and tied closed with a long string of twine. The marks of what was clearly a last-minute gift, possibly even acquired within the last five minutes considering Dash's reputation for being a fast flyer.
Spike took the gift without complaint and carefully snapped through the bindings with his claws. Inside was a familiar but curious item. It was a comic book, of a very particular type. A thickly bound omnibus greeted him with its collective of stories put together into a single volume.
A thin layer of dust coated the protective plastic bag it was in. This item had probably been sitting on a forgotten shelf for some time. Instead of the usual "Power Ponies" that Spike was used to, the title read "The Rainbow Rangers" which was a series he had only heard of in passing. It was about a fictional mercenary group who traveled through space seeking fame and fortune. In the coming weeks, Spike would find himself enthralled by the stories of the Rainbow Rangers and develop a fondness for the series. The fact that it was considered to be a more "mature" series than many others would give him quite the confidence boost and make Spike feel that he was a pretty mature dude himself.
Spike thanked Rainbow Dash for the gift, much to the colorful flyer's relief, and set this aside as well.
The Element of Kindness, Fluttershy, stepped forward. Her yellow face was only a thirdway hidden behind her pink mane tonight. She had no gift except the face of an old friend. Upon one of her outstretched wings was perched a brightly colored phoenix that Spike remembered well.
"Peewee!" The young dragon proclaimed. The fiery bird had been briefly adopted by Spike a couple of years ago when he was just a hatchling, the result of a wayward adventure. He had enjoyed his time as caretaker, but little Peewee had grown quite quickly and found his place in the everfree forest. Spike couldn't recall the last time he had seen his little friend so he was overjoyed to meet him again. Peewee had not forgotten Spike and was very pleased to receive some gentle grooming from him with Spikes good arm. Fluttershy allowed herself to cry just a little. She had an abundance of love in her heart for animals and it always touched her to see someone else who could form a bond with them as strong as any of her own.
Peewee fluttered over and found a place to perch beside Spikes cot and would stay near him for the rest of the party.
The young fashionista Rarity came next and Spikes heart nearly leap out of his chest. The white coat of his crush nearly blended in with the snow filling the center of the hall and her purple locks were looking "magnifique!" as always. The Element of Generosity lit her horn in a sky blue glow and presented an excellently made toboggan that had been made with red and white wool in a pattern made to imitate dragon scales. She gently removed the velvet hat and slipped the garment over Spike's head to reveal that it had been made to have ample room for his head spines and fit over his ears very well.
Spike loved it! To be honest, he would have loved anything presented by Rarity but this gift had clearly been made with a great deal of thought and care. Just the sort of thing one would come to expect of her. To top it off, Rarity then leaned in and gave him a light peck on his forehead, causing him to be stunned with lovesickness for a moment before regaining his senses and delivering several Thank You's before trying to hide his blush.
There was a sudden hush as the lights dimmed. A spotlight appeared over a performance area in front of Spike. Many ponies cleared the area to leave a lone figure standing there. She was a bubblegum pink mare with a slightly darker pink mane and tale of fantabulus poofyness dressed in a green and white hoodie with a pair of dark shades and a silver cap hat worn in a sideways fashion to invoke maximum swag. The Element of Laughter, the Grand Poohbah Party Mare herself, Pinkie Pie had taken center stage!
The DJ started up a tune and Pinkie Pie would begin a beat'n and a box'n and spilling out a performance for Spike and the guest's entertainment. She rapped in celebration of Spike the magnificent and his many humble deeds. Her body weaved to the music and her voice delivered rhyme and rhythm to the delight of the partygoers.
"Neigh!" Cried an unsatisfied onlooker.
The music stopped with a sudden record scratch as the room turned to regard the naysayer. A stallion stepped into the spotlight. He wore a hoodie of stark white. His coat was a dark green and his mane and tale were a platinum blond with his mane cut to a close crop. He bore a golden "N" encircled with a gold chain upon his flank as a cutie mark. Around his neck was an actual gold chain from which hung a real gold "N" in imitation of his cutie mark.
The stranger announced himself as IN'uh'IN. An up-and-coming rapper who had found Pinkie Pie's performance to be an insult to his art. He could not stand to see his way of life so disrespected and deemed it necessary to challenge the mare to a duel right then and there!
The party mare slowly and dramatically lowered her shades to regard the upstart with narrowed eyes. In normal circumstances, Pinkie would have been a much better sport about such things. She would have laughed it off and playfully dueled him with foals' effort. Even if he had crashed one of her own parties that she had carefully planned and prepared for she still would have met the challenge with a smile. But this had been a special occasion. This was a Hearths Warming Eve party specifically for Spike. An example would have to be made.
She turned her cap from its jaunty sideways style to a full-blown serious business forward. The challenge was accepted. She allowed him to go first.
IN'uh'IN gave her a sneering smile. He would make her regret that. The music started up once more and he gave it his slickest. He belted out his rhymes without reason. Going after Pinkie sense of style and kiddie vocabulary. He sang about his struggles and his rise and questioned Pinkies worth and skill. He metaphorically slashed and lashed with his tongue with terrible talent honed with practice.
When his time was up the crowd was silent. Despite his rudeness, IN'uh'IN had proven quite skilled. all eyes turned to Pinkie Pie who was as solid as a rock. She slid her shades back into place and signaled the DJ to "Drop that funky beat!"
A great whirring of words filled the hall as the great Pinkamena spat her bars at the befuddled IN'uh'IN! She growled to the tune of the beat and let him know exactly who she was and where she'd come from. The great crystal walls echoed her lyrics of hilarious capers and harrowing deeds. She did not hold back, for this night was not simply for herself but for dear young Spike who watched on with wide eyes while absently shoving some stray snacks into his jaw.
At last, it was over. With shaking knees, IN'uh'IN collapsed to the floor. He had lost. Though it speared his pride to admit it, even he had to admit that Pinkies game was totally sick, Yo!
The decision of what was to be done with him was put at the feet of Spike, whose response was "Umm, yeh shure. Sho long ash he's cool for the resht of the night, he ca shtay." Delivered through a mouthful of tiny sandwiches.
Having been spared the shame of leaving the party early, IN'uh'IN retreated to the snack bar to stuff his face and fill the hole in his pride.
At last though! The final gift of the evening could arrive. The Element of Magic and the Princess of Friendship herself, Twilight Sparkle, appeared before her little brother. She beamed with pride at the way Spike had handled the minor incident.
"Spike," she began, "you are my favorite little brother and my number one assistant! And I don't think I make that clear as much as I should. So, I hope this helps to remind us both how important you are to me and everypony else in your life!"
From behind Twilights back floated a large white mug, steaming with freshly made hot coco! With everything going on, Spike had forgotten all about his desire for the beverage but his wonderful sister had not! That wasn't all though.
As he examined the ceramic item, he took note of the large chrome red "#1" on the side followed by "ASSISTANT" written in large black bold letters. "Assistant" had been thoughtfully arranged on the mug to ensure that one would see at minimal the first four letters of the word from one side of the handle so as to avoid any unfortunate misreading's by a stranger.
Spike greedily slurped the coco from his new mug, paying no mind to the heat thanks to his dragon anatomy. "It's perfect!" He proclaimed. He could not bring himself to claim any gift of the evening had been the best but this one was very close to it!
A great relived sigh escaped Twilights lips. "Oh thank Celestia!" she cried, "You wouldn't believe what I had to go through to get that, Spike!"
Confusion and curiosity from their friends and onlookers sparked at that outburst. Twilight sat on her flank and reviewed her tale with a grim tone. She told about how she had followed a series of weird and frustrating clues laid out through several different brands of holiday shopping magazines. She had thought herself mad at first, but they had led her to an obscure knick-knack shop with a hidden doorway in the back that had taken her to a crazy ice-themed maze that kept shifting around on her! Eventually she realized she could just melt through the maze with magic, though it made her feel a tad guilty to do so.
After escaping the maze, she was confronted by a strange unicorn in an ancient windigo mask. He told Twilight that he had what she sought but she would have to defeat him in a duel to gain access to it!
"What sort of duel?" She was asked by several voices in the crowd.
"Candy canes." She responded without blinking.
There was a pause as everypony took this in.
"Candy canes?" Asked Applejack.
Twilight nodded. "We dueled with giant candy canes." She confirmed. They had fought in a great log cabin armory filled with the oversized treats. Allowed to use as many as either of them liked
It had been difficult. Despite years of entertainment programs saying otherwise, candy canes were terrible weapons. They broke very easily but the masked pony was an expert at using them. He knew just the way to strike and block to keep the rods of sweetness from cracking apart too swiftly.
But Twilight had gone through hers far too quickly. Every time she had to grab a new one in her magic it seemed to lose half its length within mere moments. There didn't seem to be any way she could win the duel!
Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. "But... you obviously did, right?" Directly blunt, as was her nature.
Twilight rolled her eyes. Of course she did! She was trying to build the tension!
She continued the tale. After it had seemed there was no hope, Twilight realized that there was a perfectly logical way for her to win the duel! The masked unicorn had said that they could use as many of the candy canes as they wished so that's exactly what she did! She gathered up all the broken pieces of candy and simply overpowered him with the sheer mass of her shattered weapons. He was pinned to the floor and honorably admitted defeat.
She had tried to apologize for the use of the questionable tactic, but he had waved it away without a thought. She had followed the rules to the letter and defeated him fair and square. The mug was hers! For ten bits.
Jaws dropped all around the room at that last revelation. After all of that, he had still charged her ten bits for the mug? Outrageous!
Well, Applejack and Rarity had agreed with the outcome. Both being business ponies, they saw it as an honest exchange of currency for a product. No matter how weird the circumstances had been.
Spike was more than satisfied with his evening. He had gotten to see many old and new faces, a good dinner and a show had been presented, excellent gifts had been given to him slightly early, and a crazy but fun story had been told! This was the best Hearths Warming ever as far as he was concerned!
The evening would continue on and Twilight would later help Spike to his room, where he would awaken in the morning to be surrounded by Twilight and their close friends for a more personal Hearths Warming celebration.
And thus concludes our tale. Happy Hearths Warming!