Scrounger's eyes were shut, fully expecting to be roasted alive by the inferno that greeted him at the bottom of that ghastly hole. But instead, he found his face pressed up against what surely felt like wood. Slowly but surely, he opened his eyes, and gazed upon a most unexpected sight. It was the floorboard of his own home. His eyes widening, he began to lift himself off the ground, his head darting in all directions. There was no mistaking it, this was definitely his chambers. What's more, the sun was pouring in through the nearby window. Morning had come. He didn't know what to feel or how to react, and so he spent a few moments merely standing quietly and taking it all in. However, after that, he began to break out into a smile of sheer relief, also reflected in his tone.

"I'm...I'm back!"

He kept on saying that a few times before, for the first time in many years, he began to laugh. He was still here, and he had a chance. A chance to change. A chance to put right everything he'd done wrong. It wasn't too late. Thinking on this, he walked over to his window, opened it, and poked his head outside. Taking in a lungful of cold and refreshing morning air, he looked out upon Manehatten. The city was blanketed with snow as far as the eye could see, and already the old stallion could hear the sound of ponies waking up and celebrating. One such pony caught his attention this very moment, as Scrounger looked down to see a young colt pulling a sled past the front entrance of his apartment block. Seeing an opportunity, Scrounger called out to him.

"You there, colt! What's today?"

The youngster, a small earth pony, looked up at the stallion with confusion.

"Erm...what?"

Scrounger chuckled a little before continuing.

"I said what's today, little one?"

The colt still seemed confused, but nevertheless answered.

"Today? Well...today is Hearth's Warming Day, Sir!"

Scrounger stood back slightly, his face showing clear surprise.

"Hearth's Warming Day? Then it's true? The spirits did it all in one night!"

Going back into his room, Scrounger looked up at the ceiling, just before shouting up to whoever would hear him.

"I don't know how you did it, but thank you! I'll use this chance you've given me, I swear it!"

Knowing he had little time, Scrounger darted back to the window, just in time before the young colt from earlier was able to walk off too far to hear him.

"I say! Lad! Do you know that prize cake in the bakery store's window, on the corner of this street?"

The colt's eyes lit up upon hearing that.

"You mean the one twice as big as me?"

Scrounger chuckled at that before speaking up again.

"Yes!"

"It's still there!" the colt called back.

Scrounger smiled even more than before.

"Then go and buy it for me!"

The colt's expression suddenly became one of annoyance, and he began to walk away as he spoke.

"Yeah, right!"

Seeing the young one begin to walk off, Scrounger called out even louder than before.

"No, wait, I mean it! Buy it for me and I'll give you ten bits! In fact, if you get it here in under five minutes, I'll give you twenty!"

That certainly seemed to get the colt's attention, as he seemed to bolt off in the direction of the baker's store immediately after Scrounger made his offer. Chuckling at that sight, the old stallion got back inside his home, preparing himself for a day out by finding his finest suit and putting it on. With that done, Scrounger made his way downstairs, with a spring in his step that he hadn't felt for many long years now. Opening his front door, he looked out onto the street and began to walk forward, talking aloud as he did so.

"I'll send the cake to Bob's home. It'll be a surprise. I'm sure Pip will love it."

His attention was then drawn to the sound of fast-approaching hoofsteps, and Scrounger looked up to see that the young colt had returned, and in record time no less. Behind him was a rather burly-looking stallion, who was carrying the cake in question on his back. It was certainly a beast of a dessert, that much was certain, and Scrounger couldn't help but smile at the sight. Walking forward, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small bag of bits, which he promptly offered to the colt, who accepted it happily before running off. Scrounger then looked up at the stallion before him, giving him a piece of paper that he'd written on earlier.

"You're to take the cake to this address. Don't let them know who bought it for them, okay?"

The stallion nodded, and then began to make his way down the street, towards the train station, which he'd need to go to in order to get the cake to Ponyville. Smiling to himself, Scrounger began to walk in the opposite direction, knowing that he had somewhere else of great importance to be today. Marching down with renewed vigour, Scrounger greeted many a passer-by on this lovely day, much to the confusion of those few ponies who actually knew him. Seeing a smile on this once-bitter stallion was, in many respects, quite unnerving. But nopony was about to call him out on it, so they merely greeted him back in return. However, as he approached the end of one particular street, he was met with an unexpected sight. It was none other than Lyra and Bonbon, whom Scrounger remembered from their visit to his office just yesterday. Sighing, he knew what he had to do now, and so took off his hat and spoke aloud once they walked close enough.

"Ladies. I hope today finds you well?"

The two mares turned to look at him, and once they realised who it was, they both looked taken aback by his words to them. Lyra looked more than a little upset at seeing him again, though Scrounger could not blame her, given his past words towards them. Bonbon on the other hoof was a touch more diplomatic.

"Mr Scrounger. I must say, I was not expecting to see you today."

Scrounger nodded at that.

"At the time we last met, nor would I. However, I find that I have had certain changes to my opinions as of late. And I was wondering...if your task of collecting donations is still ongoing?"

To say that the two mares looked shocked would have been a great understatement, as they both looked at each other to confirm that they'd both heard the same thing. After a while, Bonbon turned to him, still looking somewhat confused.

"Forgive me, Mr Scrounger, you just caught us by surprise."

Scrounger chuckled a little at that.

"Yes, I imagine I did. Now, as for the exact amount, I was thinking..."

He leaned forward and began whispering something in Bonbon's ear, to which Lyra tried to listen in also. After a few seconds, both mare's eyes widened with shock as they looked at each other yet again before facing Scrounger.

"Mis...Mr Scrounger! Are you sure about this?"

Scrounger, still smiling, nodded at that.

"I am indeed. A great many back-payments are included in that sum, I assure you."

The mares looked more than a little overwhelmed by this offer, as evidenced by Lyra's somewhat hushed tone as she spoke.

"Well...I don't know what to say."

Scrounger shook his head.

"There's no need for a thank you, or for praise. Just accept it, and make sure those orphans get everything they need."

Both mares smiled at that, shaking his hoof enthusiastically after he'd finished speaking. Smiling to himself, as well as feeling more than a little pleased at his actions, Scrounger began to walk off down the street again, oblivious to the looks of adoration that the two mares were giving him as he walked. Right now though, Scrooge had far more important things on his mind. Namely, going to a place he had very rarely been to before, but knew he had to go to today. So, the minutes rolled on as he continued walking, going as far and as fast as his old legs would carry him. Eventually though, he came upon his destination. A modestly-sized home near the centre of the city. The stallion looked upon it, at the front door, and hesitantly walked towards it. Had this been just the day before, he'd consider the action he was thinking of to be a mistake. But now, deep down, he understood how important this was.

So, rather nervously, he raised a hoof and began knocking at the door. He waited for a moment, then two, then three, before finally hearing the unmistakeable sound of hoofsteps on the other side. Steeling himself, he looked on as the door opened, revealing the owner of the house.

"Good morning! How may...I...help you?"

The stallion before Scrounger was none other than his nephew, Prancer, who looked upon the old-timer with a great deal of shock on his face. But Scrounger could not blame him for that. After all, given how their last words to each other had gone, the young stallion would have been fully justified in thinking that his Uncle would not want to be anywhere near him, especially today. Instead, here he was, waiting at his doorstep. It took a while, but Prancer soon collected himself, clearing his throat before speaking.

"Uncle Scrounger. I...I must confess...I had not expected to see you."

Scrounger nodded at that.

"I thought as much. But...I was wondering if...that offer for dinner was still available."

To say that Prancer was taken aback would have been a great understatement. In fact, if you were to tell him that day had become night, he'd have an easier time accepting that than what he'd just heard from his Uncle. After a few false starts, the nephew spoke up again.

"Well...yes. I mean, yes! Of course, uncle! We'd be honoured to have you join us!"

The enthusiasm in the young stallion was as clear as the smile he now wore, to which Scrounger couldn't help but smile back to. However, there were other things he had to say first.

"Then I'll be back this evening. There is someplace else I need to be first, Prancer."

His nephew nodded at that, giving Scrounger permission to depart. However, before he finished turning around, Scrounger considered something that, to his shame, he'd never considered doing before. To Prancer's shock, he watched as his Uncle moved forward, embracing him in a warm hug. Although shocked, Prancer was still able to get his words out.

"Uncle? Wha...what are you doing?"

Scrounger chuckled a little, not letting his nephew go as he did so.

"Something...I should have done. Many times before now."

Prancer still didn't understand what had come over his Uncle, just that this was something he'd hoped could happen between them for many long years now. Slowly, he began to return the hug, leading to a smile forming on both of their faces. Eventually, both stallions broke apart from one another, looking more than a little teary-eyed at what had just occurred between them. Wiping away those tears, Scrounger gave his nephew a final nod before starting to make his way down the street once more, Prancer smiling at him all the way. One last thing remained for Scrounger to do today. Something, perhaps, that was more important than anything else he could do. It took a while, but he soon came upon the train station of Manehattan. Buying a ticket, the old stallion hopped onto an outgoing train and began his journey.

A few hours passed, with Scrounger taking the time to enjoy the scenery as they passed it, realising for the first time just how good the countryside surrounding his city was. The train eventually managed to reach it's destination however, the station of the town of Ponyville, where Scrounger got off. This place was unfamiliar to him, and so he found himself asking around for where he needed to go. Thankfully, everypony here was more than willing to help, and it wasn't long before he was put on the right track. The place he was looking for was not too far from the station it turns out, and soon, Scrounger found himself looking upon the abode he had seen last night. The home of Bobbing Apples, his clerk. Smiling, he began to approach the home, only to be stopped when he heard the sound of laughter coming from within.

Peering through the front window, Scrounger smiled as he saw that his gift had already made it here, as Bob, his wife and Pip were all enjoying the massive cake. He made a mental note to congratulate that baker on getting it here so quickly. But then he remembered why he was here, and so cleared his throat and tried to get into character, putting on a face that seemed just as sour and bitter as he was always known for being. Raising a hoof, he knocked hard on the door, and then waited as the sound of hoofsteps approached it from the other side. The door opened with a squeak and Bob was on the other side, his face draining of all colour once he found out who it was that had arrived here.

"Mister Scrounger?! I...I...I...To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Scrounger let out a fake snort before moving forward, past Bob and stepping inside his home. Both Bob's wife and son stopped eating their share of the cake and looked upon the surly-looking visitor, seeming more than a little nervous at doing so. Although Scrounger would have liked nothing more than to smile at seeing Pip this way, happy and healthy, he knew he still needed to keep up the act, and so spoke aloud to Bob while his back was still turned to him.

"Mr Apples. Would you care to explain why you weren't at work this morning?"

The younger stallion looked nervously at his family before looking back at him employer, his wobbling voice made it clear that he was both terrified and confused about what he'd just heard.

"But...but...but Sir! You...you gave me the day off!"

Scrounger glared at him after hearing that.

"A day off?! Does that sound like the kind of thing I would do?!"

The look on Bob's face made it clear that he didn't know whether or not to say "yes" or "no" to that question, and beads of sweat were rolling down his face now. Scrounger approached him menacingly and began to speak again.

"Bobbing F Apples...there is only one thing I can do now."

The nervous clerk took a step backwards, practically cringing at what his employer was going to say to him. After deliberately leaving a pause in his words for dramatic effect, Scrounger spoke.

"I am going to...raise your salary!"

And in an instant, the whole place went as silent as a grave. All three of the ponies, father mother and son, all looked at each other, as if to try and make sure that they hadn't all heard wrong. Scrounger stifled his urge to chuckle at that sight, and instead he smiled warmly, far more so than he'd ever done to Bob before. He stepped forward and placed a hoof upon his shoulder.

"Yes, my friend. You heard me. I'm raising your salary. I think it's safe to say that it's more than overdue at this point."

Bob tried several times to get the words out, but found that he couldn’t. Instead, Scrounger found that it was his wife who spoke up, though her voice made it clear that she was just as shocked about this as her husband.

"I...I don't know what to say, Mr Scrounger. I just...don't know how we can thank you for this."

Scrounger nodded at that, and looked on as the mare and stallion before him both broke out into massive smiles, facing each other and embracing each other lovingly. It was a happy sight and one that Scrounger was pleased to have made possible. But his attention was then drawn to a tapping at his foreleg. Looking down, he saw that it was Pip, who smiled up at him.

"Thank you, Mister. Happy Hearth's Warming Day!"

The old stallion smiled, knowing that, with what he'd done here today, he'd taken the first step towards ensuring that this young lad before him would avoid that terrible fate he saw for him. And though they’d think him mad if he told them of his ghostly visits, he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to ensure that this family, as well as everypony else he could reach out to, would have the happy lives. The kind of lives that those as good as they were deserved to have. He glanced over at Bob and his wife, who had broken apart from their hug and smiled at him in appreciation. Then, kneeling down, Scrounger took the young colt, Pip, onto his shoulder and lifted him up, speaking kinder words than he had done in many a year.

"And Happy Hearth's Warming Day to you too, Pip."

Pip smiled at that before speaking aloud to all of them.

"Faust bless us, everypony!"