** “T'was the Eve of Hearth's Warming” **

T'was the eve of Hearth's Warming, and all through the town,
Every hilltop and orchard was snowed in a gown.
The pine trees were lit from the trunk to the peak,
To shine 'cross Equestria when nights seem so bleak.

The foals all stayed up tucked so warm in their cots,
Not sleeping a wink, though they knew that they ought.
Yet this winter's evening, I was up all alone,
The family was fighting, and we wouldn't atone.

When out by the window, came a howl so great,
It swept over the lawn and sprung open the gate.
I tugged on my jacket, done up to the neck,
To go out in the weather and look from the deck.

The snow whistled hard as it bit at my nose,
The twinkling flakes nestling into my clothes.
When out in the garden, 'tween the shivering trees,
Came the form of some stallion, made out of the breeze.

With a mane like a stream, he rode down from the sky,
Tall as a mountain, from withers to thigh.
Through the steam of his breath, his azure eyes shone,
Above a coat of silver and hooves made of stone.

Wherever he stepped came the crawling of frost,
I knew what might happen if our two paths crossed.
The Windigo's breath, it could shiver the soul
Turning fires of hearts into clumps of black coal.

My hooves, my ears, slowly chilled purple and blue,
So clumsily back into my home I flew.
Despite the harsh cold, the only thing in my head,
Was the worry I held for those upstairs in bed.

Gusts of great wind rattled wreaths 'til they fell,
Yet I rushed up the stairs to check my family well.
My sister in one room, my brother another,
The three of us hurried and woke up my mother.

The hiss on the wind seemed to knock at the door,
As I pulled my loved ones to the living room floor.
There by the fireplace, we laid in a heap,
While the frost on the windows continued to creep.

The cold, it was daunting, but loneliness more,
What's better than being with those you care for?
With not much time left, we spread our arms wide,
And let all our pride and our furies subside.

The fire was warm, but the embrace, it was hot.
And it sent back the Windigos from whence they trot.
There by the hearth, in the dead of the night,
The fire before us kept burning so bright.

The stallions galloped back over the breeze,
To find a new land they could ravage and freeze.
And still to this day, when the winter blows strong,
We return to the hearth where we know we belong.

My brother stoking the fire, my sis' on the chair,
On the last night of winter, with people who care.
While as I sit in my cap and I wistfully sigh,
I recall such a story of Windigos nigh.

So gather so close when you hear this tale told,
And those nearest you, put your arm 'round and hold.
May the hearth keep you warm, whether this you believe,
And let love keep you safe this Hearth's Warming Eve.