A fine layer of snow covered the roofs and tops of the buildings in Ponyville, snowflakes gently falling down from the cloudy sky. Even if it had been set up, it was the perfect weather for the holiday season. School was out for the rest of the year, meaning the streets were a literal war zone for snowball fights.

Pinkie looked down at the scene from her perch on the town hall, tinsel in her mouth. The building had already been decorated, but Pinkie thought it needed more. Considering it was in the center of town, it needed to pieced together to form the perfect centerpiece! More tinsel would definitely do the trick.

Rainbow Dash was on hoof to help, zipping around and placing ornaments were she could. Baubles, toy soldiers, stars—all the good stuff. Her knowledge in Hearth’s Warming feng shui was lacking though, so Pinkie occasionally had to rearrange what she had placed, much to Dash’s annoyance.

Pinkie got back to work, scampering up one of the pillars like a squirrel on a tree. She wrapped the shiny red tinsel around it as she went, then tied it up at the top. “Better!” she said, now on the roof.

Rainbow Dash hovered about, peering at Pinkie’s handiwork. “Not bad,” she commented as she reached Pinkie. “Hey, Pinks?”

“Yeah?” Pinkie replied, a bright smile on her face.

“What are you planning for Hearth’s Warming?” Dash grinned in anticipation, her voice getting slightly higher in pitch. “It must be something totally awesome, right?”

“Something special.” She nodded with sagely wisdom, then tossed out four baubles—each primary color plus green—and juggled them. Timing it perfectly, she then leant forward and spread her forelegs out. The baubles all landed on her left leg, then rolled down to the right as she tilted that direction. From her hoof, they seemed to jump and landed perfectly on different points on the table.

“Okey dokey, I think we’re done!” Pinkie announced, hopping off the building. She slowed her descent for a soft landing, Rainbow following. She turned and backed away from the building, looking up at the very top. Save for the thoughtful hum, she fell silent.

Rainbow looked from Pinkie, to the town hall, then back to Pinkie. “I don’t see anything.”

“Exactly!” Pinkie pointed at the very empty looking tip of the building. “It’s missing something. But what…” A bell chimed and Pinkie suddenly gasped. “Got it!” Again, from seemingly nowhere, she got out a great glittery golden star and passed it to Rainbow. “Put this riiiiight at the very top!”

“Er, sure.” The pegasus zoomed into the air, her sheer speed causing Pinkie’s blue bobble hat to wobble. Halting before the top, she plonked the star in its rightful place, nudging it aside so it’d be straight. Seconds later she was back down on the ground. “There you go.”

“Thanks Dashie!” Pinkie said delightfully, trotting off. “I can’t believe I almost forgot the star! It’s like the holiday transmitter. You’ll see: everypony’s gonna be a lot more merry now.”

Dash followed, deciding to hover so her bootless hooves would remain frost free. “If you say so,” she replied, ignoring the strange butterfly feeling she had in her stomach. “So! What did you mean by something special?”

“Something special,” Pinkie insisted. “If you’re worrying about gifts, then don’t be silly.” The punishment for a silly Dash was a boop on her nose. “I already did my holiday shopping ages ago.”

“But why can’t you just tell me?” Dash snorted, rolling her eyes. “Guess it doesn’t matter. It’s probably some awesome party, right?”

“I gotta go to Sugarcube Corner and help the Cakes; lotta holiday orders coming in, which means lots of things to do. Even I’ve been putting on weight from it all!” Pinkie exclaimed, then merrily bounced off.

Dash blinked and landed, watching the party pony pounce away. “Huh…” She recalled the moment where she and her friends had found Pinkie in the old castle, on the organ. “So that’s where it all goes.”

“So, whatever it is that you’re planning,” Rarity began, soaking in the warmth of the spa bath, “will it be anything like last year’s party?

“You’ll just have to wait and see!” Pinkie giggled, her shaking causing ripples in the water. “Wowza, you’re all so impatient!” She glanced to Fluttershy, who was quietly relaxing with them. “Except Flutters, of course.”

Fluttershy offered her a small smile. Her regular spa session with Rarity had been hijacked by Pinkie, but that was only because it was very chilly outside that day. The type of chilly that attacks a pony’s bones.

“Well, it would be helpful for planning if I actually knew what I was getting into,” Rarity said, leaning back against the side of the bath. “For example: will I need to prepare an outfit? Shall I bring along food and drink? When does it start? When does it end?” Rarity pursed her lips. “Will it end?”

“Rarity,” Pinkie started, frowning. “Did you ask to use Rainbow’s impatience?”

The unicorn blinked, mouth agape. It was incredibly hard to tell whether Pinkie had made a jab at her, or was being completely, for lack of a better word, Pinkie. “Um… I didn’t steal that from her, Pinkie.”

Pinkie let out a deep breath of relief, wiping her damp brow. “Phew! ‘Cause who knows how that might have affected her!”

Fluttershy and Rarity exchanged glances.

“Aaaaaaaanyway! I really don’t wanna say, sorry. But I know that you’re going to have a great time!” Pinkie assured them.

Fluttershy fidgeted under the water, avoiding Pinkie’s gaze. “Will it last into the late night and early into the morning?”

Pinkie shrugged, splashing some water. “Who knows? Maybe, maybe not. But I don’t think anypony’s gonna force you to stay up late, don’t worry.”

“So it’s a drop in and out, event?” Rarity questioned. Pinkie groaned in frustration, submerging underwater. Bubbles never came up to the surface. Rarity looked to Fluttershy. “Think I pushed her a bit too much?”

Fluttershy gave her the daintiest of shrugs. “I’m sure she won’t hold it against you.”

“Mhm, I suppose.” Rarity let out a little ‘tsk’. “If only I knew what to wear…”

“For the last time, Pinkie, I don’t want you putting tinsel all over the library!” Twilight cried, standing her ground in her doorway.

“But Twiliiiiiiight!” she whined, bowing down in front of her. “You live in a tree! It’s a crime against the Hearth’s Warming spirit to let it go untinselfied!”

“She’s got point,” Spike added. “We’re kind of sticking out like a sore claw here, especially when all the houses nearby have been decorated.”

“I don’t think you two are putting enough thought into this. It’s a nice gesture, yes, but think about it: it’ll take ages to set up and take apart, not to mention animals live in this tree too. I don’t think they’ll want their home spoiled by flashy lights. Besides,” she tapped the front door, a holiday wreath upon it, “We’ve made the effort. Especially inside.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes, getting out a clipboard. “Can I inspect the state of your holiday feng shui?”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but stepped aside anyway. “Go ahead, Pinkie.”

“Thanks!” Pinkie hopped inside, eagerly taking in the warm. She zipped around, closely inspecting Twilight and Spike’s work.

Pinkie checked whatever she could find off the list. Christmas lights were taped around the bookshelves, the rim of the center table was covered in colorful tinsel, the bust of pony head had a red bobble hat on it. Along the sides of the stairs up to Twilight’s bed were two stockings, with her and Spike’s names on. The most important asset, a calendar filled with chocolate (to count day the days), was on the wall by the end of the bed. Pinkie knew that already though, considering that was up long before the decorations were.

Pinkie smiled, ticking off the last item on the list: holiday cheer. “I’ll let you off this time, ‘cause you did a super job on the inside!” She chucked away the clipboard, never to be seen again. “I’m impressed!”

“Thank you, Pinkie,” Twilight said. “Spike and I enjoyed putting it all up, didn’t we?” She lightly nudged her assistant with a hoof.

“Yeah. Twilight did plan and make a day of it all.” The dragon smirked, barely suppressing a laugh. “She even drew out blueprints.” Upon noticing Twilight’s annoyed stare, he hastily changed tact. “Uh—whatcha got planned for the big day, Pinkie?”

“Something different.” Pinkie looked up, smiling. “I’m hoping it’ll be a lot of fun. It’s something I’ve been meaning—wanting to do for a while.”

“So… party or no party?” Twilight asked. “I’m fine with either, but it’d be a bit odd not to have a famous Pinkie Pie party on the biggest day of the year—New Year’s Eve excepted.”

Pinkie turned and walked away from them. “Oh, there’ll be a party alright. And I hope you guys will have fun.” She spun back around to face the pair. “Really! You all deserve the bestest Hearth’s Warming ever! But this year… I wanna do something different. I hope that when it comes, you’ll understand.”

Twilight and Spike both raised an eyebrow, but the former was the one to speak first. “Erm… okay then, Pinkie. We hope you’ll have a great Hearth’s Warming too.”

“Thanks!” Pinkie paused, her ears threatening to lower. “I hope so too.”

The two parties stared at each other. Silence fell. Spike shuffled on the spot, scratching his arm. Pinkie stared at both of them, not blinking. Twilight rubbed the back of her neck.

And then she was attacked by a tacklehug from Pinkie.

“That’s really what you wanna do, Sugarcube?” Applejack kept an eye on the oven timer, but kept most of her focus on Pinkie. Granny Smith walked around the kitchen, overseeing prepartions for the great Apple Family Hearth’s Warming Feast. It was so big, they needed a couple days beforehoof to start preparing.

“Yeppers!” Pinkie nodded rapidly, her mane trapped in a manenet that Granny Smith insisted she wear around the kitchen. She stopped, then frowned, looking at AJ. “You don’t think the others will mind, right? I did what I could for them, but…”

“They’ll understand, sugarcube.” Applejack placed a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder and kept it there, firm and supportive. “All of them are gonna be real happy for ya, I just know it.”

Pinkie bit her lip. “Okay… but it’s just so different from all the past years. What if they don’t like it?.” Pinkie shuddered. “What if Rarity turns into a Drama Princess?!”

A ding sounded and Applejack turned to the oven, ready to put on some mitts. Granny Smith, however, shook her head and gestured for her granddaughter to continue talking.

Applejack nodded a thanks and went back around. “Tell ya what, Pinkie. Things are gonna be real hectic over here on Hearth’s Warming, what with the family comin’ over ‘n’ all, but Ah think Ah can spare some time to tell the others about whatcha doing.”

Pinkiie’s eyes went wide, as did her smile. “You’d do that?”

“Sure, why not.”

Applejack almost regretted her words when pink forelegs constricted her, threatening to squeeze all the air out of her lungs. She tensed, her muscles the only thing keeping Pinkie from succeeding in that.

“Thank you, Jackie! You’re the best!” Many nuzzles were given, which AJ appreciated a bit more.

“No problem, Pinkie.” Applejack nudged Pinks with her head, which made the party pony step away. “Ah can respect what yer doin’. In fact, Ah’m proud of ya.”

“I’ve been meaning to do this for years, but…” She laughed sheepishly, rubbing her foreleg. “Parties for Ponyville perpetually plundered Pinkie’s planning priorities.”

“Great day in the morning!” Granny Smith suddenly cried, looking at Pinkie, blinking, then shaking her head and attending to the apple pies on the baking tray.

“Ah—er, get whatcha mean, Pinkie. But trust me when Ah say that yer doin’ the right thing.” She paused, then gazed at the ceiling, her brow furrowed. “Not that yer parties were bad or anythin’, but…”

“It’s somethin’ different; it’s good,” Big Mac said, poking his head ‘round the corner.

“Right!” Applejack nodded at her brother. “Thanks, Mac.”

“Eeyup.” And back he went ‘round the corner.

“Oooooooooh! I get it!” Pinkie beamed, but it faded in an instant, replaced by a troubled pout. “Except one thing…”

“What’s that?” Applejack inquired.

“How come your farm always seems to be the place where all the Apple family go?”

Applejack jerked back, blinked. She adjusted her hat slightly, mumbling. “Well, see… ya see Pinkie…”

“‘Cause like ya said,” Granny Smith interrupted, smirking. “We’re the best!” she revealed, cackling heartily to herself.

For once in her life, Rainbow Dash didn’t sleep in on a holiday. Instead, she had torn open her presents before Celestia even had a chance to fully raise the sun. A Hearth’s Warming breakfast of haybacon strips later and she was zooming to Ponyville, the cold air blowing past her seemingly unnoticed.

“It’s Hearth’s Warmiiiiiiiiiiiing!” she shouted as she crossed the tops of ponies’ houses. Thankfully, everypony was already up to exchange and open their gifts. Weaving in between houses, she dived and landed, skidding to a stop just before Sugarcube Corner.

Trotting up to the door, he swung it open and practically leapt inside. “Now that the Awesome has arrived, let’s get this party started!”

Apparently somepony had failed to notified her that ‘Awesome’ was not a key ingredient of getting parties started.

Tables surrounded by tinsel and covered with food had already been set up and ponies were already tucking in, including Dash’s best friends. Festive music was playing through a gramophone, although it wasn’t the type of tune to tap your hooves to. Indeed, everything seemed perfect for the season, except one pony was missing, without any clear reason.

“Er… where’s Pinkie?” Dash asked, stepping towards her friends. “Is she baking more cupcakes or something?”

Twilight shrugged. “Haven’t seen her since yesterday. I only knew to come here because of the invitation I got this morning.”

Dash blinked. “What invitation?”

“The invitation? To this party?” Rarity tutted quietly to herself. “Really, darling, try to pay more attention. She puts such a huge effort into these things.”

“I saw the invitation, yeah!” Dash defended, burying her rushed morning in the recesses of her mind. “Duh…”

“Um, I have no idea where she is either,” Fluttershy added, before sipping on a juice box.

“Ah think Ah I can explain,” Applejack announced, striding up to the four ponies. “Y’see—”

“She’s totally planning an even bigger surprise, isn’t she?” Dash interrupted, going right up to AJ so their muzzles almost touched.

Frowning, the farmer pushed her gently aside. “No, Dash. Let me explain.”

“Wait! Is she—”

A fierce stare down was all that was needed to silence the feisty pegasus. Nodded contently, Applejack continued, “Ya see, Pinkie set this here party all for y’all. But really, she’s away doin’ somethin’ very important…”

“How important?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, shoot. Probably one of the most important things of all, I reckon.”

It wasn’t that far aways from Ponyville, but somehow, the ground was not covered by a blanket of powdery snow. It was a very drab and unwelcoming mixture of browns and grays, the dying trees and various rocks doing little to lighten the atmosphere.

Pinkie walked up to the lone farmhouse, smiling despite her stomach feeling all jittery. Taking in a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

Pinkie moved her ears as best as she could, pressing them against the door. There was a little commotion; the shuffling of hooves, somepony asking who it was. Eventually though, the door opened, revealing a dark blue mare with a very straight mane. She double-took at Pinkie, gasping to herself, before the biggest grin ever appeared on her face.

“Pinkie!” she cried, throwing herself onto the pink pony and hugging her tightly.

“Blinkie!” Pinkie said, using the foalhood nicname she’d made up for her sister. She squeezed Blinkie tightly, who could somehow withstand the full strength of a Pinkie cuddle. “Is this surprising enough for you? ‘Cause I really wanted to give you all the bestest Hearth’s Warming surprise ever!” Her ears suddenly lowered. “But if it’s too surprising, I’m sorry, ‘cause—”

A noogie to the mane effectively silenced her. “Pinkie, really, don’t worry. Everypony’s gonna be thrilled that you’re here.”

Pinkie giggled, shaking off her sister. “Okey dokey lokey. How’s Mom and Papa?”

“Ask them yourself,” Blinkie replied, grinning and leading Pinkie inside. The latter, of course, bounced in, shrugging off the pain when she hit her head on the door frame.

It was a surprisingly large farmhouse, although simple in decor. Every room was spartan, containing only the bare essentials and little else. Even Hearth’s Warming decorations were few in number and when they did appear, they weren’t particularly flashy. Despite all that though, Pinkie couldn’t help but relax.

Blinkie led her to the dining room, where a wooden table stood, surrounded by equally wooden chairs. All except for one, in which an elderly mare sat, reading a newspaper through glasses with semi-circle lenses with golden rims.

Upon hearing the two sisters enter, she looked up and slowly took off her glasses. Pinkie stopped her bouncing and trotted up to her, nuzzling the older mare. “Hi Mom. I came for Hearth’s Warming dinner.”

“Well I can see that, you silly pink thing!” Her mom cackled, ruffling Pinkie’s mare. “And you still haven’t gone that bird’s nest of yours sorted out.”

Pinkie blushed, grabbing a strand of her mane and pressing it between her hooves. “Heh heh, sorry Mom. It’s got a mind of it’s own sometimes.”

Cloudy Quartz waved a hoof at her daughter dismissively. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, dear.” She pointed a hoof at one of the seats. “Go, sit. Dinner’s almost ready.” Chuckling, she put the newspaper under the table. “You always had the best sense of timing.”

Pinkie beamed, but her attention was stolen by noises from the kitchen, the next room over.

“Mom? Limestone? Who’s in—Papa! The potatoes will be ready when they’re ready!”

There was a grumble. “It’s been in there all day. Any longer

“Limestone was cooking then, not me.”

Blinkie looked away from Pinkie and her Mom, smiling sheepishly.

“Well, I’ll check on who’s come around visiting. That better be ready soon, though.”

“Yes, Papa. On it.”

Seconds later, a stallion entered the room. His face was chiseled with wrinkles and his mane was a silver grey, but in a grand way that spoke of his age and knowledge. He set his eyes on Pinkie, even more creases appearing on his face as he frowned at her. He approached her with heavy, purposeful steps.

“Oh stop it, Igneous. She’s not gonna fall for that old trick again,” Cloudy scolded from the table.

Igneous ignored her, staring Pinkie dead in the eyes. She met his gaze, not showing any signs of backing down. Then their mouths started to tremble. Followed by their eyebrows, struggling to keep in position.

Pinkie then broke down and started giggling. “Hi Papa!” she said, attaching herself to her dad.

“And hello to you, darling,” he replied, patting her on the back. His smile, albeit small, was the sign of a content father. “Glad you could actually make it this year.”

“Me too. See, the thing is—”

“Pinkie?” The final family member had shown her face, standing in the kitchen doorway. Smiling, she walked up to Pinkie and the two shared a loving embrace. “So great to see you!”

“And super fan-dabby-dozy to be here!” Pinkie replied, nuzzling her older sister, Inkie. The pair of them were cut short from their hug by a cough from Igneous.

The stallion looked down at them. “Marble? Forgetting something?”

Inkie stomped a hoof on the floor, saving her from muttering something under her breath she shouldn’t have. “The potatoes!” She started galloping for the kitchen, when a voice made her stop in her tracks.

“I got it!” Pinkie called from the other room, bringing out the potatoes with her pink oven mitts. She set them on the kitchen counter, then sat down and beamed at her father when he walked through the room.

He shook his head in disbelief. “She’s like a jumpin’ jackalope… if you gave one a whole sack of coffee beans.”

Dinner was ready shortly after and the whole family sat down for a good meal. Igneous insisted on laying the table himself, but enough coaxing from Inkie convinced him to sit down and enjoy it.

It wasn’t the biggest dinner Pinkie had ever seen. There were potatoes, carrots, apple pies… yucky brussel sprouts even raised their ugly heads. Regardless, Pinkie ate away, except for the sprouts which she tried to spread out so it’d look like she’d actually eaten them.

Conversation was mostly small talk and good cheer. Pinkie for one appreciated that; this dinner wasn’t just about her, so catching up wouldn’t have been any good. This was for her whole family. She was here for them.

“So, Pinkie dear,” Cloudy asked, getting help from Blinkie to cut up her potatoes. “You never quite explained why you weren’t here the last Hearth’s Warming.”

“And the one before,” Igneous added, looking at Pinkie while munching on a carrot. He earned a glare from his wife for that comment.

Inkie and Blinkie exchanged glances, but the latter was the first to speak up. “Mom, Papa…”

Pinkie set down her fork. “No no, I’ll explain.” Pinkie cleared her throat, then rubbed her chest. For good measure, she also took a mouthful of water and gargled it for a bit.

“Diane,” her parents scolded in unison.

Pinkie stopped and swallowed with a large gulp. “Oh, sorry! So, uh…” Under the table, away from her family’s collective gaze, she fiddled with her forehooves. “I love making ponies feel oh-so-good, and—well, Hearth’s Warming is kinda the best time for that! Apart from birthdays, but birthdays are only for one pony… Anyways, I always held parties at Ponyville, and I wanted to be a good host so I stuck around. So…

Igneous and Cloudy looked at each other, then nodded. “Good girl,” her father said.

Pinkie stared at the two of them, eyes wide. “Wait, what?”

“You’re following your passion, and it isn’t a selfish one at that. The reason we stay on the rock farm is because we love the work.” Cloudy looked to her frail old hooves and sighed. “Even if I’m getting too old for it, these days.”

“That’s why we’re here, Mom,” Inkie said, leaning over and nuzzling her mother.

“But if Blinkie and Inkie are looking after you… you’re missing a Pinkie.” She looked down, ears lowered, until Blinkie put her hoof under her chin and raised her head. Pinkie found herself staring into her father’s stoic eyes.

“Pinkie,” Blinkie said, putting a gentle hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “I think you’re worrying too much.”

“Diane, I told you to scram not because you weren’t welcome, but because we loved you and wanted you to be somewhere better for yourself.” With a roll of his shoulders, he continued. “Clearly you’ve been gone so long you’ve forgotten about that. Perhaps—”

“My food’s getting cold.” Cloudy glared at everypony at the table. “So less yapping, more eating.”

That effectively put an end to any conversation for quite a while.

Pinkie ate quietly, but struggled to adhere to the rule of not eating with her mouth open. She was pretty bad at that one, to the point where Gummy gained weight one time from eating all the crumbs she left behind.

Still, she couldn’t keep silent forever. Thankfully she held on long enough for everypony to be nearly done with their meal. “Can’t wait any longer…” Upon all her folks turning their heads to her, she threw down five strange cardboard tubes wrapped in colored foil. They looked like huge wrapped sweets.

Blinkie tilted her head, scratching it as she peered at her ‘gift’. “Pinkie… what are these?”

“Crackers!” Pinkie gleefully answered.

“Strangest looking crackers I’ve ever seen…” Igneous grumbled, hitting his cracker against the table.

Pinkie shook her head and took the cracker from her Papa’s hooves, placing it back on the table. “No no, look.” She swiveled to the right, facing Marble. “Inkie! Give me your cracker, but hold onto it, okay?”

Brow raised, Inkie held onto her cracker with her hoof and cautiously moved it towards Pinkie. “Okay…”

Pinkie grabbed onto her end of it with an iron grip. “Now pull!”

Inkie was almost pulled down to the floor but the sudden and incredible strength of Pinkie, but she managed to hold her own, gritting her teeth. The cracker in the middle, however, could not take the strain and split it half with a bang.

Everypony but Pinkie jumped in their seat. Inkie nearly fell off her chair, Blinkie almost fell backwards onto the floor. Igneous coughed and tugged at his chair in an attempt to keep his composure, and Cloudy gasped, her glasses falling off the end of her muzzle.

“It’s okay!” Pinkie assured, bending down and picking some things off the floor. When she was sitting back down, Inkie had a red paper crown on her head. “See? Loot!”

Igneous picked his cracker up again, much more delicately this time, grasping only the tip. “These things have items inside them?”

“Pull, you old coot,” his wife ordered, shoving a cracker in his face. He obeyed immediately and although Cloudy needed help from Inkie, they cracker still managed to split.

A few bangs signaled that every cracker had been opened and a crown was now on everypony’s head. Igneous puffed out his chest, chin up, as he proclaimed, “My crown is the best. It’s golden.”

Everypony snorted at that.

“What?” He shuffled in his seat. “It is. ‘Tis a crown made for the stallion of the house.”

Blinkie shook her head, focusing on the small toy she had received in her cracker: a tiny cube made up of different colored squares. Pinkie told her the objective was to get all the sides a single color. Inkie was content with a small cuddly dog and Cloudy was more than happy to tell everypony the corny jokes in all the crackers.

Igneous threw his manebrush gift in the bin.

The rest of the day was spent with quiet festive cheer. Pinkie was excited as anypony to be with her family, but for their sake, she kept anymore surprises on the down-low. They all played board games, trivia, charades, and the girls even rehearsed carols to sing for Cloudy and Igneous within one hour.

They weren’t any presents. Pinkie hadn’t arrived in time for them to be opened, but her family assured her that she hadn’t missed much. Upon snooping around, she discovered that most of the gifts had some practical use to them. New saddlebags for Blinkie and Inkie, a handy glasses case for Cloudy and a good walking stick for Igneous. Or, as Pinkie found out, his poking stick for young ‘ruffians’.

Eventually—unfortunately—the day came to an end. Pinkie wished she could stay, but Sugarcube Corner and her friends beckoned.

But she wouldn’t go without one last treat for her family.

“Come on! Out here! You’re going to love this, I just know it!” Pinkie bounced up and down outside the house, waiting for her family to follow.

Blinkie snickered, heading outside. Inkie, however, was less eager. “It’s freezing out here, Pinkie…” she grumbled.

“I’ve worked in colder temperatures than this, young lady!” Cloudy cried, being pushed out in her wheelchair by Inkie. Igneous agreed with a grunt, bringing up the rear.

“Follow me! It’ll be worth all the chilliness, Pinkie Promise!” She bounced around the house, right to one of the rock yards.

In the center of the desolate looking field stood a very odd looking contraption. A silver cannon was situated in the center, pointing up at the night sky.

“Diane,” Igneous began as he saw the cannon. “I don’t recall giving you permission to set up artillery in my field.”

“When did she even…” Blinkie shook her head. “Nevermind.”

“Now just stay then and watch, okay?” Pinkie hopped over to the cannon, fiddled with a few of the controls, then pulled on the string coming out at the base of the cannon.

Out from the end shot a huge white ball at a blistering speed. It flew up to the night so, oh so very high, disappearing within the darkness of the murky night.

“I don’t get it,” Inkie stated bluntly.

“Waiiiiit for it…” Pinkie told her, eyes glued to the sky.

At first they dismissed it as nothing more than an insignificant speck. Then more of the ‘specks’ came, calmly falling down to the rocky ground. Blinkie held out a hoof and caught one of the specks. It was cold to the touch and melted instantly.

Snow.

It wasn’t very heavy snow, but it didn’t show signs of stopping either. “Ta-da!” Pinkie proclaimed, zooming back to her folks. “My gift to you! Now tomorrow you can build snowponies or have snowball fights and build snowforts, or maybe make some snowangels! Ooooooooooooooor—”

Igneous’ hoof lodged itself in Pinkie’s mouth. “Diane.” A ghost of a smile formed on his lips. “It’s good.”

“Good?” Cloudy snorted and nudged her husband in his side. “More like beautiful. Don’t be such a grouch.”

He frowned, dragging a hoof firmly through the ground. “I wasn’t being a grouch. I truly think it’s good.” Looking at Blinkie, he put her on the spot. “Limestone, do you think I was being grouchy?”

“Well…” Blinkie brushed her tail against her side, avoiding her father’s gaze. “You were just a tad… Papa.”

“And that means?” he questioned.

“It means you were being you, silly,” Inkie answered.

The stallion snorted and stood his ground. “And what does that imply?”

“It means that you’re the best Papa a Pie pony can plead for!” Pinkie rapidly said, the words rolling off her tongue faster than a baby carriage down Ponyville’s hill. Without warning, she grabbed her Papa in a tight hug, nuzzling him. He squirmed at first, but eventually settled, just barely returning the gesture.

That was enough for him. What he didn’t expect was the other ponies to join in. Granted, the majority of hugging was centered around Pinkie, but it meant more weight for his old bones to bear.

Pinkie closed her eyes and lost herself in the love of her family. She stretched her forelegs so she could turn the tables and hug all of them at once. “Best Hearth’s Warming ever!” Pausing, she stuck out her bottom lip, thinking. “Next time I should totally bring my party cannon too…”

“Diane, no artillery in the house,” Igneous interjected. “We work hard to keep it clean and—”

“I love you, Papa,” Pinkie interrupted.

That echo of a smile resurfaced on the stallion’s face. Oddly enough, the wrinkles on his face suggested that it happened a lot. “And I love my family.” After a beat, he added, “Even if Blinkie never wakes up on time, Inkie thinks she knows everything, and Cloudy—”

“Igneous!” Cloudy shouted. All the children’s eyes were set on the two elderly ponies. Igneous flinched.

“Yes, dear?”

“Shut up and stop ruining the moment, you fusspot,” Cloudy ordered, forcing her husband into silence. He lowered his head, as if he had just gotten scolded and whipped by one of his school teachers back in the day.

Of course, Inkie and Blinkie were in giggles over it all, chuckling away to themselves. Yet Pinkie was silent. Eyes closed, she leant against her Papa, everypony else oblivious to the tiny movements of swaying he made as he held her. Saying nothing, she took in all she could before she had to go.

The action in Ponyville over Pinkie’s Hearth’s Warming party had long since died down, giving way to the inevitable slumber that all ponies had to attend to. The stars were out and the skies were clear, but a few pegasi claimed that they had seen some snow in the distance. Such claims were dismissed as drunken rambles.

Not surprising, given that Rainbow Dash was lying upside down against a park bench.

“Eugh…” she groaned, lazily dropping one of the bottles of alcohol she had chugged down over the course of the party. What was it? Cider? No… that was non-alcoholic. Except when it wasn’t. But it wasn’t exactly her fault, not really. She couldn’t let Berry Punch reign free as the Queen of Chug Chug Chugalot.

Even so! She was still awake and a bit of leftover party buzz kept her awake. Unless she had passed out earlier, that is. She didn’t know, she didn’t really care. The festivities were a blast, all things considered.

Apparently things weren’t over when she was gently picked up and placed on somepony’s back. Grumbling, she raised her head and through her blurry vision, identified who it was.

“Pinksh… oh, there ya are.” She relaxed and let herself droop all over her friend.

“Hi Dashie. Let’s get you somewhere warm and toasty so you don’t turn into a Rainbow icepop,” Pinkie said, giving Dash a quick nuzzle.

“Er… shure. Party was great by the way… thanksh. Rarity and Twilight had a dance competition… Twilight won—yeah, unreal. Applejack only stayed for a bit, ‘cause of her apples. Fluttershy was nice like she always is. And you…” Rainbow blinked groggily. “How was your special party? Aweshome?”

“Yeah it was, Dashie,” Pinkie replied, smiling warmly as she saw the lights of Sugarcube Corner. “It was the best.”