A Holiday Treasured (Hearth's Warming/Sunset)

 

“Boy I tell ya, Hearth’s Warming today wasn’t nothing like it was back in my day,” Granny Smith said with a reminiscent smile on her face. “Peepaw made my toys right out in the barn and I tell ya, I could fight off a pack of wolves with ‘em without even given’ ‘em a scratch.”

 

 

“I still got them things up in the attic somewhere. They’re probably the only thing holding up the roof now. Now let me tell y’all about the time the neighborhood boys thought they could take one from me.”

 

 

“Y’all alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked from her position on the couch beside Sunset.

 

Sunset did her best to blink away her forlorn expression. “Oh, yeah. This is all really great.” She tapped her finger against her jeans for a moment and tried to avoid Applejack’s gaze. “Thanks for inviting me out again,” she said with her best attempt at a smile.

 

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You sure? You barely touched your cocoa.”

 

After a few blinks of confusion, Sunset turned back and reached over for the warm cup to take a quick sip. “Oh! Right, yeah. Just… got lost in everything, you know?”

 

Applejack pursed her lips. “What’s really goin' on? Something not sittin’ right?”

 

 

“Everything’s great, Applejack. Your family pretty much has the perfect Hearth’s Warming.”

 

“But?” Applejack leaned in.

 

Sunset’s mouth hung open for a second. She shook her head and decided to put her fake smile back on. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong or anything. I’m really glad I got to be here. Might just be tired, is all.”

 

Applejack sat back on the couch, narrowing her eyes before giving a small shrug. “If you say so.”

 

“And all three of ‘em went back to school the next day with black eyes! And that doll was the smallest one I had too!” Granny Smith said, adding in a quick laugh. The warm smiles on Big Mac and Apple Bloom’s faces give Sunset a twinge of jealousy, but she did her best to smile as well. “Alright now. Best get yourselves to bed or else y’all are gonna miss present openin’ tomorrow. We ain’t waitin’ for nobody!”

 

 

“Hey, we’re not doing any gifts tonight? I thought…” 

 

Applejack caught Sunset’s gaze shifting over to the counter. “Nah, sugarcube. Nothing tonight. You can hold onto it until tomorrow morning.’

 

Sunset’s fingers awkwardly played with her sleeve as she looked away. “Are you sure?”

 

“O’course! Tomorrow’s a better time for it, you’ll see.”

 

Sunset shifted awkwardly in place, looking over at the door. “I don’t want to get in your family’s way or anything. It wouldn’t be too much to ask for a ride home, would it?”

 

Concern quickly spread over Applejack’s face. “Thought the plan was to spend the night? You don’t want to spend Hearth’s Warming all alone in that old apartment, do you?”

 

Sunset stared at the floor, twiddling her fingers against her sleeves. “Oh, that wouldn’t be so bad. A lot better than what happened last year.” She let out an awkward laugh. Applejack didn’t even crack a smile. “Besides, this is more of a family thing, isn’t it?”

 

A comforting hand found its way onto Sunset’s shoulder, perking her attention enough to finally look Applejack in the eye. “Sunset, as far as I’m concerned you’re a part a’ this family as much as any of us. Now, I insist on you spending the night and gettin’ the best breakfast of your life tomorrow morning. I ain’t hearing anything to the contrary, ya’ hear?”

 

 

 

After a “sleeping over” version of a nighttime routine, Sunset pulled back the thick and hardy blanket on her cot set up at the edge of Applejack’s room. The soft moonlight illuminated the comforting space, painting the rich wood in a dull white. Sunset always felt a unique sense of coziness here, even if they hardly ever hung out in it. The pit in her stomach didn’t let her enjoy much of it tonight. She draped the blanket over herself, doing her best to revel in the immediate warmth.

 

“Alright, sugarcube. Spill the beans. I know something’s wrong,” Applejack said as she rested on the edge of her bed.

 

Sunset sat up in her cot and looked over at her, then down at the floor. “It’s just… been a really long time since I’ve actually had a good Hearth’s Warming. Besides last year, I’ve spent every single one alone for the past… I don’t even know… The last time I can remember being excited for it was when I was a filly.”

 

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly then looked away. “Yeah… sorry again about that. Y’all seemed like you enjoyed bein’ over last year, didn’t ya?”

 

A soft smile crossed Sunset’s lips. “Yeah, it was a lot better than the alternative, but it feels like… I don’t know.”

 

Applejack put on her best reassuring smile. “Somethin’ missin’?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Well, the way I figure it, it can only get better from here, right? Who knows, give tomorrow a chance and you just might love it.”

 

Sunset took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m not really sure, AJ. Maybe this Hearth’s Warming stuff isn’t really for me, you know? Might be better to just let it pass by like any other day. At least that way nothing bad could happen for it.”

 

“Oh, now that’s just plain nonsense. This is the happiest time of the year. If you ask me, I think by the end of tomorrow you’re gonna be counting the days ‘til next year,” Applejack said with a triumphant grin.

 

Sunset let out a weak chuckle. “I wish I could share your optimism. Every year before I came over here, I was either avoiding the ponies that wanted to try to be friends, or avoiding Celestia because I thought it was all a waste of time. When I came over here I didn’t have anyone who cared enough to want to do anything even if I wanted to.” Sunset pursed her lips and held onto the blanket tightly. The latent feelings of resentment and loneliness washed over her like a flood and she didn’t feel like talking too much anymore.

 

She looked over and could see the concern growing on Applejack’s face too. “Well, that sure as shootin’ ain’t the case now. You’re welcome here anytime. Heck, if I have to drag you over here to have a good time I will.” They shared an uneasy smile. “Just promise me you’ll give things a chance tomorrow, alright?”

 

Sunset gave her a weak nod. “Yeah… I can do that at least.”

 

“Good. Now let’s get some shuteye so we don’t have to hear Granny stomping in here with pots and pans in the morning to make sure we’re up.”

 

Another weak laugh left Sunset’s lips. “Yeah. Probably a good idea. Night, AJ.”

 

“Night, Sunset,” she said before rolling over into her own bed.

 

 

 

 

 

[hr]

 

 

“I didn’t… you know, mess things up, did I?” Sunset asked, finally breaking the silence.

 

“Nah, of course not. Things went pretty swell if I do say so.”

 

 

“It’s just. We left kind of quick, didn’t we? I didn’t mean to drag things down or anything,” Sunset said, carefully going over their interactions this morning to try to find what might’ve ruined the mood.

 

“Sunset, I promise, you didn’t do nothing wrong.” Applejack spared a quick, reassuring glance. Sunset studied her, trying to find any irritation or disappointment in her expression, but couldn’t. She was either really good at hiding or wasn’t lying, Sunset couldn’t figure out which.

 

Sunset played with the gift in her hands for a moment. “Is it a weird kind of tradition to not open gifts from friends while you’re with family? I mean if that’s the case then—”

 

Applejack just laughed. “It ain’t any kind of tradition or nothing. Just trust, me, alright?”

 

 

“Hey, sugarcube. No need to look so down, alright?” Applejack said, putting her hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “The day ain’t over yet.”

 

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? You’re dropping me off aren’t you?”

 

“I am.”

 

“And the rest of the Apple Family is still celebrating back on the farm?”

 

“They are.” AJ nodded.

 

“So how’s it not over?” Sunset asked through her bewilderment.

 

“Like I said, y’all are just gonna have to trust me. Now come on.”

 

 

 

 

“How did you…” she started as she caught up to her friend. A world of colorful confetti and streamers exploded in her face, almost knocking her to the floor. 

 

“Surprise!” the voices of her friends shouted out in unison. Before she could even react, Pinkie appeared out of nowhere and pounced on her like a lion on the hunt, wrapping her in a massive hug tight enough to break the ribs of lesser men.

 

“Merry Christmas, Sunset!” Pinkie said as she snuggled their faces together.

 

Her friends all looked over in unison with some confusion. “What’s Christmas?” Rainbow Dash asked.

 

“Oh, right, wrong universe.” Pinkie giggled at herself. “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Sunset! I made your favorite cupcake ever! Triple cherry red velvet!”

 

Sunset blinked a few times and walked in to survey her apartment, taking in a few incredulous breaths all the while. “Guys… you…”

 

 

“How did you…” Sunset stood in shock, spinning around just to take it all in. “I left yesterday morning!”

 

Rarity gave off a proud chuckle. “You can accomplish quite a bit with a few neighborhood boys and the promise of a hug and some eternal gratitude.”

 

“Do you like it?” Fluttershy asked with a hopeful smile.

 

“It’s amazing!” The shock seized Sunset, then joy, then a hint of guilt. “You guys really did all of this for me?”

 

“Of course,” Twilight chimed in with her own joyous grin. “We couldn’t let you go another year without a proper Hearth’s Warming.”

 

The tinge of guilt grew as she looked across all her friends. “You guys aren’t, you know, missing out on family stuff for me, are you?”

 

“You kidding?” Rainbow Dash started. “I would’ve killed for an excuse to get away from the endless picture-taking my parents did last year. We’re doing this every year from now on whether you like it or not.”

 

Rarity walked over and put a comforting hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Dash the thought, my dear. We’ve had ample time to do our usual festivities and all agreed this was the best use of our time afterward. After all you’ve done for us, I can’t think of anyone in Canterlot who’d deserve this more.”

 

 

“Do you guys want to see what I got you? I guess you found them already, huh?” Sunset asked, her cheeks starting to hurt from the smile across her face.

 

Applejack picked her head up. “We’ll get to that part. There’s something else we got for you first.”

 

“Oh, right!” Twilight said, perking up from her position. “They were supposed to be here by now.”

 

Sunset shook her head. “You guys don’t have to get me anything. I just—”

 

Pinkie jumped out of the group like a bottle rocket before landing on her feet outside of it. “There they are!”

 

 

Once Sunset pulled away from Twilight, she gave a timid look over to the taller woman. A pit of nervousness formed in her stomach at the thought of her identity. “Um… Principal Celestia?”

 

 

“I… uh…” Sunset brought her hands together, twiddling with her sleeves as she looked towards the ground. The nervousness gripped her stomach even harder, despite their last meeting going over pretty well.

 

 

“It’s so wonderful to see you again, Sunset,” Celestia said in a quiet, loving tone that soothed away some of Sunset’s worries.

 

 

“Oh! I got something for you, Sunset,” Princess Twilight said, pulling a bag off of her shoulder and trading a glance with her teacher. Celestia put her hand up and closed her eyes for a moment, and Twilight nodded in return, pulling out a small gem from her backpack.

 

Sunset’s stomach seized slightly. “Oh, I’m sorry, if I’d known you were coming I would have—”

 

Twilight just laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s okay. This is more my little experiment than anything,” she said, pulling a little orange gem out of the bag with tiny metal parts sticking out of it. “A little boost for your geode! I only had the measurements and readings from my last visit, but I’m sure it’ll work. I even added a toggle function!”

 

 

Sunset held her hand up to her head. Worry and a hint of panic seized her so hard she thought her heart might stop, but it quickly faded once she was stabilized. “W-what just happened?”

 

Princess Twilight grimaced. “Sorry! It might take some getting used to. I tried to make the gem so that you could feel other people’s emotions if you’re in close enough proximity. It should adjust based on your reactions as it’s tuned to detect stress spikes. Also, if you tap it, it should transition to a dormant state,” she said, reaching over to push it in. All at once all the emotions flowing through her body disappeared and her head stopped spinning.

 

“The emotional waves detected will generally follow the inverse square law, but should simultaneously de-amplify upon the standard contact that activates the primary functions. In the case of directed absorption I’ve run a multitude of experiments involving—”

 

Sunset raised her hand to stop her with a quick chuckle through her own dizziness. “I got it, Twi. Just give me a warning next time you want to make any sudden installations.”

 

“Oh, right, sorry,” the princess said with a sheepish smile.

 

The magical geode shimmered in Sunset’s hand as she inspected it. “Thank you, though. I’d love to hear all about it later.”

 

The other Twilight jumped in. “Oh, me too! Did you say something about emotional waves? How do you detect those? How are they generated?”

 

 

Celestia cleared her throat. “Perhaps we could save the equations for later. I believe there was something said about there being cupcakes?”

 

Before anyone could blink, Pinkie jumped in between Sunset and Celestia, grabbing her hand so quickly she’d likely be skewered by the Royal Guard if they were actually here. “Yes! I’ve made sixty-four super vanilla sprinkle surprises! And if you don’t like that I’ve got twenty-six quintuple chocolate deckers with marshmallows! And if you don’t like that…”

 

“Welp, she’s gone,” Applejack said with a chuckle.

 

The girls helped Sunset back up straight before Rarity started again. “Now that everyone’s here, how about we get started?”

 

 

 

 

“You guys have to see what I got you,” Sunset said, walking back over to the tree and doing her best to hide the nervous anticipation in her voice.

 

After leaning over and tossing her friends everything that was left, Rainbow Dash tore hers open immediately like a ravenous dog, revealing the specialized shoe box. “Oh, a new pair?” she asked.

 

Sunset stood up from her spot on the tree. “Not just any new pair. I got those custom-made with the most durable materials they could get. They’re supposed to last a lifetime, but hopefully they’ll last you a few months.” Sunset crossed her arms and leaned back, her confidence slowly returning to her as she felt the ecstatic excitement growing inside her friend.

 

“Sweet! Buying a new pair every week has been the lamest thing ever,” Rainbow said before immediately plopping down to try them on.

 

Rarity, in a fit of curiosity, tore hers open as well to reveal a menagerie of different strands of sparkling twine. Worry grew inside Sunset's stomach as her friend put it up to the light. Sunset cleared her throat. “Uh, I did a little research on some exotic stitching techniques. Apparently, some people use the gloss from those to add an extra pop to their designs. I don’t know much about that kind of thing but—”

 

“They’re perfect!” Rarity exclaimed. “You can’t even get these on this side of the country! Oh, I can see the spectacular additions now!”

 

Sunset let out a sigh of relief, reveling in the inspiration radiating off of Rarity. Twilight decided to go up next, tearing her gift open. “A pen?” Twilight asked, clicking the back of it. She looked over the body, to find several buttons on it.

 

Sunset’s hand shot out to offer some assistance. “Not just any pen,” she said, clicking one of the buttons and the buzz of tiny propellors roared to life from her loft. “Check this out.” With a few clicks of the buttons and a wave of the pen, the little drone flew around the room, eventually crashing into Sunset’s wall with a harsh smack, making both the girls wince. “It might take a little getting used to, but it can interface with anything that has the right hardware. Don’t worry, there are some of the input modules in there too.”

 

 

Leaving Twilight to her own imagination, Sunset walked over to Fluttershy now instead. “Hey, would you like to open yours?”

 

Fluttershy smiled. “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

 

“Of course not. I’d love to see what you think.”

 

“Okay,” Fluttershy said before timidly pulling off the wrapping paper. “A new backpack?”

 

“Yeah, look at the bottom,” Sunset said, pointing to the little window looking into the small, padded compartment. “Just big enough to bring Angel with you anywhere you go, and you can still fit books or whatever else you need in the top. Now you never have to go anywhere without him, or if you run into any animals that might need a lift, you’ve got the perfect seat for them.”

 

A soft, excited smile spread across Fluttershy’s face and she hugged the new bag close. “Oh, Sunset, I love it.”

 

 

“Pinkie!” Sunset shouted. In an instant Pinkie popped up in front of her, cupcake in hand. Celestia gave a slight sigh of relief and a grateful look over to them. 

 

“Yeah, Sunset? Ready to try your cupcakes?”

 

Sunset shook her head and then gave Pinkie her gift. “No, I just wanted you to open your present.”

 

“Oooh!” Like a lightning bolt, Pinkie had the wrapping paper off of her gift and onto the floor before anyone could even blink, then, once the plain cardboard box was in her hands, she only sputtered for a moment like a chainsaw in the middle of a cut before she had that open too. “Oooh! Envelopes! I love envelopes! You can fit all kinds of things inside here, like letters, keys, coins, letters, confetti, stuffed animals, letters, small appliances, trading cards… did I mention letters?”

 

Sunset couldn’t help but laugh. “No, Pinkie, it’s what’s inside the envelopes.”

 

“Oh!” In yet another flash, both envelopes got shredded and Pinkie poured over the contents. A sharp gasp filled the room as she got halfway through the first. “You… you… you!”

 

Sunset nodded. “I talked to the owner of the arcade and he agreed to unban you for life as long as you promise not to discharge the party cannon from inside the popcorn machine again, or in the building, or within 500 feet of the building, as per the new city ordinance.”

 

“Yay! I can practice skeeball again for the next tournament! Oh! Oh! Let’s go over there right now for a 12-hour session.”

 

Sunset rolled her eyes playfully. “Why not check out the other one?”

 

Pinkie flipped over the page, revealing a little card that was covered in colorful confetti and balloons. “A lifetime supply of confetti!?” Pinkie yelled. The rest of the girls looked over and she could feel the momentary terror seize them.

 

“Oh no…” Rarity said.

 

“I talked to the owner of the party store too, and since you’re their number one customer and he said you’ve probably spent enough money to buy a small mansion there so far, he’d be willing to meet your confetti supply needs as long as you don’t start shopping at that new party store in Hoofington.”

 

Pinkie Pie dropped her smile and stood up straight, putting her hand to her forehead in a stern salute. “You can tell Decker that he’s got a deal,” she said, before immediately going back to her usual excited self. Sunset couldn’t help but let that same cheeky smile cross her face. Pinkie’s joy radiated even without her new pendant.

 

Sunset looked over to Applejack but blinked a few times before she saw her spinning the multitool around in her hand and looking down at the new implement fondly. “Oh, you already opened it.”

 

“Sure did.”

 

“So… you like it?”

 

Applejack grinned. “A’course. Been wantin’ one of these since my old toolbelt about took my pants off right at the top of the barn. They say these last a lifetime, so I don’t think I’m goin’ out into the field without it from now on.”

 

Sunset smiled, but couldn’t quite read what was radiating from Applejack from here. It almost felt like, pride or satisfaction. “What else… oh.” Sunset playfully shook her head.

 

“I told you things’d get better if you just gave them a chance,” she said with a proud grin.

 

“Yeah, I guess they did,” Sunset said as she looked back at the rest of the girls, soaking in some of that happiness as they all smiled and joked with each other. Her own smile faded a bit as she saw some of her gifts temporarily lying still as the girls shared their moment.

 

“Somethin’ still missing?” Applejack asked as she stood up.

 

“I…” Sunset looked down and shook her head at herself. “This is probably the happiest I’ve been in years, maybe, but…”

 

Applejack gave Sunset a quick nudge to avert her gaze. “I think y’all are pretty close to gettin’ it. I know it’s been a while since you’ve felt what that Hearth’s Warming cheer’s all about, but I reckon you’re gonna find what you’re looking for over there,” she said, nodding over to Celestia who was finally getting the last of the icing off of her cheek. She caught Sunset’s gaze and gave her another warm, patient smile, crossing her hands in front of her as she waited.

 

Sunset pursed her lips and pinched her own sleeve, rolling it in her fingers before looking back to Applejack. “I guess it’s been a long time coming.” Sunset took a long moment to look into Applejack’s eyes, her own anxiety fighting with her before she gave herself a stern nod. Her lip turned up at the edge before wrapping her gruff friend up in a grateful hug. “Thanks, AJ. Seriously.”

 

“Don’t sweat it, sugarcube. That’s what friends are for. Now get on before I have to drag you over myself.”

 

 

“O-oh, sorry,” Sunset said as she went to press the gem on her geode. 

 

Celestia held a hand up to stop her. “It’s alright. I’d prefer if you left it, actually.” Her former teacher took in a deep breath and her eyes wandered toward Sunset’s window. Sunset felt a wave of uncertainty and apprehension, and couldn’t tell whether it was coming from her or not. “I was not entirely prepared, the last time we spoke. I’m not sure I am now either,” Celestia said with a somber laugh at herself. “There’s much to be said between us, perhaps more than we’d ever have enough time for, but I’d like to do something to remedy that, if I can.”

 

 

“Princess, you don’t have to… I… If I’d known I would’ve—”

 

Celestia held up her hand again, before placing both of them on the old book. She looked down to her former student with such intense fondness and relief Sunset felt like she could cry just from the second-hand exposure. “There’s no greater gift for me than to see you so happy with such close friends of your own. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you, Sunset. I’m just sorry I wasn’t able to help you to realize the magic of friendship sooner,” she said, handing the book over.

 

 

Celestia let her hands fall back down to her sides. “I’m ashamed to say I gave Twilight our old enchanted book because I couldn’t bear to look at it any longer. I’ve made a lot of mistakes over the years, but there’s not a failure I regret more than…” Celestia took in a deep breath, looking away for a moment.

 

 

“I know I asked for forgiveness before, Princess, but I truly am sorry. For everything.” Sunset stopped to take in a deep breath and rub her neck. “Man, last time I had a whole chariot ride to rehearse this.”

 

The Princess gave her a soft, caring smile. “Suffice it to say, we’ve both made mistakes.”

 

Sunset shook her head. “I was… I was terrible. All I wanted was power. You never should have had to—”

 

Celestia held out her hand again. “You were young and ambitious. You were smart enough to see the path I had prepared but I failed to guide you towards the real magic it would’ve taken to get there.” Another deep breath and Celestia extended her hand out, ready for Sunset to take. “Perhaps this will help.”

 

Sunset’s eyes quickly flicked between her teacher’s gaze and her palm. “Are… are you sure?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tears streamed down Sunset’s face and stained her sweater, but they weren’t her tears. She blinked away as much as she could, but the remnants of the agony she went through kept them flowing like a river. “Princess… I never…”

 

Celestia placed her other hand over the top of Sunset’s. “I was never very good at this. Decades of having to keep up appearances and deal with other leaders leaves you with an odd sense of communication.”

 

Sunset did her best to catch her breath. “I never knew. I should have—”

 

Celestia gently squeezed her hand. “There’s nothing we can do to change the past, Sunset. All we can do is make the best of what we have now. I hope that this,” she said, reaching down to lift the book up between them. “Will help us with that. Just like our old one, you can write to me any time, and I to you. I imagine we’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do.”

 

 

 

From behind them, Sunset could hear a massive gasp. “Group hug time?” Pinkie asked excitedly.

 

Sunset could feel Celestia nod. “Group hug time,” she affirmed in a playful tone Sunset hadn’t heard in years.