"That seems dangerous," Fluttershy said in a soft voice. "After all, it's awfully cold out there. The storm probably held her up, but I'm positive she'll be in town by tomorrow."

"…"

Fluttershy smiled. "Well, okay, if you're sure. But let's find you a nice, warm scarf. We wouldn't want you to get sick."

The cold wind bit at Trixie's face as she dug a hoof into the deep snow. She pawed furiously at it, trying to dislodge the wheel of her carriage. "Foolish snow! How dare you delay the Great and Powerful Trixie! I will be in Ponyville tomorrow for my Hearth's Warming show!" She considered trying her favorite fire spell, but the last time she'd used it on her movable home (which doubled as a storage unit for her very elaborate and very combustible props), ponies had talked for weeks about the free fireworks show that could be seen from Appleloosa.

"Gr…" Trixie pulled her lavender hat down to shield her face as another icy gale sucked the heat from her lungs. "Fine. The Calm and Patient Trixie will wait out the storm tonight." She turned her nose up at the wilderness and marched to the door of her carriage, mumbling, "I didn't want to spend the night in Ponyville, anyway. I'm sure all the adoring fans would just keep Trixie awake."

Straining against the wind and the chest-deep snow, Trixie trudged to the door. Her teeth chattered. She channeled her magical energy into her blue horn, which flared to life. With a grunt, a blue aura wrapped around the door of her carriage, but even as she pulled, it held firm, covered in ice. "Not today!" she declared, pouring more of her magic into her horn. With a final pull, the door pushed the snow drift away, opening just wide enough for a pony to fit through.

The blue aura faded. Trixie was sweating despite the cold, and as she stepped inside her carriage, she didn't notice a small, white creature sneak in behind her.

The door closed with a loud slam, and Trixie sighed as the warm air wrapped around her body and worked its way into her fur. The inside of her carriage was small and cramped, but it had a pleasant pine smell and contained all the amenities she needed for long-distance traveling. A pod at the back contained a soft bed with numerous blankets, under and above which were stored food and necessities. Two small, amber gem lamps illuminated the carriage, casting everything in a bright yellow-orange glow. At the front was a shelving unit with props and crates of special effects, though truthfully, those objects were scattered everywhere. Trixie had promised herself she'd fine a place for everything one day, but in some ways, everything was in its place, and she never had any trouble finding anything, anyway.

Trixie magically removed her magical sorcerer's hat and magical cape, magically setting them on a decidedly non-magical coat rack. Shaking out her white-blue mane, she lay on her bed and dug out the meager food she had remaining: a few oats, some alfalfa, and an old, green apple. She chewed the apple first, sour and astringent, and her eyes unfocused as she reflected on her situation.

Hearth's Warming Eve, and she was alone. Again. Always traveling, never able to settle in one place long enough to find a true companion. Trixie closed her eyes. She told herself that she did had friends. So what if she hadn't talked to them in months? After all, Princess Twilight Sparkle had invited her to perform a magic show in Ponyville on Hearth's Warming Day, and that had to count for something, right?

She felt a lightness in her heart as she imagined being welcomed back to the small town, the princess and her friends inviting her to share a meal and swap stories of their adventures over the past year. She imagined the crunch of her apple was a cobbler made by Applejack, that she had already eaten Pinkie Pie's delicious sweet rolls and Rarity's delicious hors d'oeuvres. Her chest swelled with warmth, and for a moment, she was happy.

But then, she opened her eyes, and the dim light found her back in her carriage, chewing her sour apple in silence. Her chest deflated, and the warmth quickly gave way to a coldness much more acute than the storm outside.

Her eyes began to flutter, and her chest tightened. She swallowed hard pursed her lips. "Trixie will be f-fine." The weakness of her voice startled her, "The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need anypony else. She will…" Her voice trailed off, and the carriage was quiet.

Blinking away a tear, Trixie lowered her head, pulled a blanket over her body, and tried to drift off to sleep…

…until something soft brushed against her hoof.

"Eeek!" she screamed, jumping up immediately.

Something white darted down onto the floor and under the bed, just inside her peripheral vision. A tinny clang filled the carriage before a small pot rolled out from under her bed, scratching against the wood.

"Who's there?" Trixie jumped onto the floor and glared at the storage space beneath her bed. She stomped her hoof, and her blood began to boil. "I demand you show yourself immediately, or you'll face the Great and Powerful Trixie's wrath!"

A soft rustling noise came from beneath the bed, then stopped. A small bottle of water rolled out and bumped Trixie's hoof.

Trixie ground her teeth. "Fine, but don't say Trixie didn't warn you!" She snorted, and her horn flared to life, shining a soft blue light around her. She crouched down and focused her magic forward, shining her horn beneath the bed and scanning to find the intruder.

She scanned left to right, seeing her usual sundries all askew. Her bag of oats had tipped over. Her toothpaste had been punctured. Her books had been jostled, but thankfully, no obvious damage had been done. A few of her posters had tiny rips, the sewing kit was scattered all over the place, and finally, her extra cape – which she always kept nicely folded – had been balled up, and out of one of the folds poked the small, white, furry face of a ferret with a pink nose and beady black eyes.

Trixie scowled. "Out!" she yelled. "Can't you see the Grea–"

As she shouted, the ferret dashed out of her cloak, brushing up against her side as it scurried past her, a blur of white that trailed a tiny, red scarf.

"Stop that!" Trixie shouted as she leapt to her hooves. She tried to pluck the ferret from the ground with her magic, but it dodged erratically around, quickly slithering between her legs and moving so fast that she couldn't lock her magic onto it. Her tail thrashed around as she twirled in a circle and tried to keep the ferret in her sights. "You won't get awaAHH!!" Her horn caught on a gem lamp and knocked it to the floor with a crash!

"Insufferable little rodent!" she shouted. She jerked her head to the side, just in time to see the ferret dash into a pile of prop wands and cards. "A-ha! The Crafty and Observant Trixie sees you! Take this!"

She shot a blast of magical energy from her horn, which scorched a few of the wands and scattered the pile, but not before the ferret twisted and scurried behind a bag of puppets.

"Gotcha!" she shouted as she fired another beam, this one missing the ferret by just a hair as it skittered up the wall and next to a magic mirror.

"A-ha!" she shrieked, blasting again. The ferret ducked out of the way. The bullet of blue light hit the mirror and ricocheted off it.

"GAH!" Trixie shouted, ducking down as the beam bounced from the mirror to the canteen above her bed. It rebounded to the copper pot, a picture frame, the window on the door, the remaining gem lamp, and finally…

Poof!

Hiss…

…the box of firecrackers.

Trixie's eyes shot wide open, and her stomach dropped into oblivion. "No. NO!" She stumbled back, eyes trained on the hissing box. Her flank bumped into her bed just as the hissing abruptly stopped.

POP!

POPPOP!

POP POP POP POPPOPPOP!!!

Reacting without thinking, Trixie grabbed the box with her magic and yanked it toward her, away from the larger fireworks but spilling the firecrackers onto the floor. Sparks flared all around her hooves, and Trixie squealed and danced in place while the loud explosions erupted at her ankles, singeing her fur. The loud popping of the firecrackers continued its crescendo all around her, and worst of all, she felt tiny, cold paws and a soft belly work their way onto her hoof, up her leg, onto her back, and up her neck, until a shivering ball of fur settled on her head, wrapped around her horn.

The fur brushing her forehead and tiny sticks of powder exploding all around her, Trixie planted her hooves, scowled up at the little face that was peeking at her, and roared, "You are NOT A HAT!" She grabbed the ferret with a quick hoof, ripped open the door of her carriage, and as the last of the firecrackers died down, threw the squeaking ferret out into the snow, forcefully shutting the door with a loud slam.

Trixie panted. Her chest heaved. Everything looked red. Her muscles were tense, and her eyes darted around her carriage. The tiny space wasn't organized chaos anymore. No, now it was just chaotic. Everything was out of place, the air was stale and acrid with gunpowder smoke, and she didn't even want to think about what she would need to do before her show tomorrow.

"Miserable beast!" she yelled to nopony. She snorted and grumbled, "He's lucky I didn't…" She trailed off as something red caught her eye. Something long and flowing and made of fabric. She picked it up with her magic and examined it right in front of her face. It was the scarf that the ferret had been wearing. Trixie snorted and began to reach for the door. "Hm! As if it wasn't bad enough, now I have to clean up his…"

She stopped cold when she saw that a tiny piece of paper tied into the bow and labeled with the word "Trixie." It had been folded many times, and she paused to look at it again. She blinked, but the word remained.

With a cocked eyebrow, she pulled the note from the scarf, unfolded it, and read:

Good evening, Trixie,

This little guy has been your biggest fan since you came to Ponyville. He just couldn't wait to see you again! When I told him you had probably been delayed by the main road, he was so worried that he decided to venture out into the snow to welcome you back himself. Oh, I hope he made it safely. Please take good care of him. He really wants to be your friend, and he's got a special present for you.

See you tomorrow, and happy Hearth's Warming!

Fluttershy

Once again, Trixie's carriage was still. It suddenly felt very large and very empty. Trixie slumped and reread the note, and the heaviness came back to her heart. Tears began to well up into her eyes. To herself, she whispered, "He went out into the storm to…"

She wondered how long she'd been alone. She wondered what life on the road could do to a pony and whether it could erode that pony's heart so slowly that she wouldn't even notice. She remembered those long nights alone, all the rejection she'd felt when her reputation as a fake had spread, and what it felt like to literally be thrown out into the cold.

Her heart stung, and before she knew what she was she was doing, she had stood up and flung open the door. "Wait!" she shouted to the wilderness.

The light from inside shone out into the darkness, casting a soft amber glow onto the white snow. The ferret, who was turned away with his shoulders slumped, paused for a moment. He looked back at Trixie with a frown on his face and his ears down.

Trixie frowned back at him. "Did you… did you come all the way here just to see me?"

The wind mussed the ferret's coat. The ferret nodded slowly.

"And… and you wanted to keep me company tonight?"

A puff of snow blew into the ferrets face. He twitched his whiskers, squeaked, and nodded again.

Trixie bit her lower lip and shook her head. She sighed. "Then… the Humble and Apologetic Trixie is very sorry. I didn't…" Her gaze dropped, and she closed her eyes. "I've been alone for a very long time. Please forgive me."

Trixie heard the soft crunch of snow, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the ferret, its two front paws on the doorstep.

Trixie smiled. "Thank you." She stepped aside. "Come in. It's too cold out there tonight."

The ferret scurried into the carriage and climbed onto Trixie's bed. Trixie couldn't help but giggle as he rolled around and dug under the covers, and suddenly, the carriage didn't seem so dim anymore.

Trixie and Trouble – she felt it was a fitting name, and he seemed to like it – stayed up long into the night, playing and keeping each other warm. Trouble helped put away all the things he'd knocked over, and after a light snack, Trixie took out her fabric and sewing kit and made Trouble a custom lavender cape and tiny hat, just like hers.

They both tried on their outfits, and Trixie helped Trouble get his hat on straight as they both lie on the bed. "There! What do you think?"

With a smile and a squeak of approval, Trouble stood up on his hind paws. He grabbed the cape and the hat and did a little twirl that finished in a dramatic bow.

Trixie clopped her hooves and laughed. "Very impressive. The Great and Powerful Trixie will need to tell Fluttershy what a natural show-ferret you are." Her eyes opened a little wider. "Oh! Speaking of which, Fluttershy said you had something for Trixie?"

Trouble dropped to all fours and nodded.

"What is it?"

Slowly, Trouble padded forward. Trixie felt a twitch of anxiousness as he moved closer, but it all melted away when Trouble placed both his paw on her chest in a tiny, warm hug.

Trixie gasped at the sudden contact, but soon, her heart began to melt. The feeling of warm affection spread from her chest to every inch of her body, from her horn to her hooves. The warmth filled her entirely, and she was not hungry or sad or lonely or afraid. Nothing bad seemed to exist in the world. For the moment, and indeed, for all of Hearth's Warming season, Trixie felt happy. Next Chapter: Cheese in Griffonstone's Jinglemas (for Yarnweaver) Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 59 Minutes