Trixiebell Lulamoon was not lost.

No, of course not. After all, she knew exactly where she was: in the woods. In the middle of winter.

It was the rest of the world she wasn't so sure about.

"Achoo!" Her sneeze stirred the falling snow. "Stupid snowstorm. Stupid woods. Stupid, stupid." Her recriminations quieted to mumbles. She paused, shaking her harness-bells. Not even a farmhouse nearby. "Trixie doesn't even know whose woods these are." She drew in a determined breath and returned to her trudging.

The shadows were lengthening, the trees leaning close over the narrow road. She hadn't seen the sun properly all day. She really ought to stop before it got too cold, but sheer stubbornness drove her forwards. Just one more turn, and she would be out of the woods; one more curve, and she would see a gap in the trees, a flash of white plains rolling into gentle hills or a cluster of houses with firelight spilling from the windows. Someplace with ponies who could be entertained, impressed, and parted from a few bits. And perhaps a warm meal.

"Achoo!" She wiped her raw nose on the damp hem of her cape, which wasn't nearly as warm as wished. "Ah!" As she snuffled and blinked, shoving her hat back from her eyes, she caught a glimpse of something through the trees. It was a distant glimmer, a warm gleam of orange light. Hope renewing strength, she flipped her cape back and leaned into the harness.

As she rounded another curve, the gleam grew, but she frowned. "A campfire?" She rubbed snow from her eyelashes and peered again. Sure enough, a fire was flickering up ahead. The woods stood back from a hillock, leaving one stately spruce to crown the rise. Wind and warmth had cleared the snow from its side, leaving a circle of damp, dead grass around the fire.

As Trixie neared, she saw a bright blanket spread there, one corner anchored by a keg, the other by a prone form. Suddenly curious and cautious, she pulled harder, dragging her wagon up to the base of the hill and shucking off the harness. She approached slowly, inching past the fire to inspect the still form. It was a dark blue pony, larger than most, with a billowing mane that glinted in the dim evening light.

"P—!" Trixie lost her voice in a shocked gasp.

"Mmmm…" The mare on the ground stirred, opening one eye and catching sight of Trixie. For a long moment they simply stared.

"Princess Luna!" Trixie threw herself into a bow, whipping off her hat.

"Hmmm?" The Princess rose and stretched. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and stood. "A traveler?" She cocked her head. "Are you lost, little one?"

Something in Trixie's heart protested the diminutive, but she looked up at the alicorn and repressed it. "Trixie," she said confidently, "knows exactly where she is—"

"Ho?" Luna beamed. "Excellent! I had thought nopony would remember, and so—"

"It is the rest of the world Trixie is unsure of," the showmare finished.

"…Ah." Luna's smile quirked, soured, before dissolving into wistfulness. "Oh. I see. You… you are Trixie? Please, do not bow." She sat. "Come, sit, and know me better."

"Ah…" Trixie stood and glanced back at her wagon. "Could The—" she swallowed her words and sneezed. "Excuse Trixie. Could Trixie offer you something in return? A few bits? A small performance in payment?"

 Luna looked mildly shocked. "On Yuletide?"

"Trixie will not be beholden—"

"Hush." Luna's voice was firm. "Trixie, do not scorn the spirit of charity. It may seem a poor, weak thing some days, but it truly burns bright as the greatest of virtues, a self-sacrificing love for others. Tonight, I offer you all I have here, freely and without restraint." She waved a hoof at the fire, the keg, and the blanket. "Little though it may be." She sighed. "I honestly did not expect company."

Trixie hesitated.

"Please, come sit." Luna waved her over. "At least warm yourself." She glanced at Trixie’s wagon. "Skids?"

"Wheels are less than useless in snow," Trixie huffed. Surrendering with a sigh, she doffed her hat and trotted over to the blanket. It was thick and warm underhoof. She carefully stamped the snow from her fetlocks at the edge, before moving closer to the fire. A huge oak log blazed on a bed of coals, and a delicious smell wafted from a pan of chestnuts roasting at the edge. "Princess, if I may ask, why…" The alicorn turned to her, and the ice-blue eyes gave her pause.

Luna smiled. "I am here, because here is where I need to be." She shrugged and laughed, injecting a quiet cheer into her countenance. "But let us put that aside." She turned to the keg. "Would you care for something to drink?" She waved to the fire. "Or would you like a chestnut? It seems I brought more than enough for one mare."

"Trixie would like a chestnut," Trixie answered swiftly, swallowing at the savory-sweet smell.

"Excellent!" Luna clapped in glee, before looking up. "Help yourself. Excuse me for a moment; it seems moonrise is upon us."

Trixie levitated one of the piping-hot treats from the stone pot. She peeled it with her magic and puffed to cool it as she watched Luna stand and stride a few paces away.

The woods were dark now, barely visible in the tail-end of sunset and the fire's dim glow. The snowfall had stopped, only a few lonely flakes swirling from errant gusts of wind. The blanketing white muffled the world, leaving the two of them in a pool of silence that seemed to pour down from the wide, cold sky. The only sounds were the crackle of the fire and a distant hush of the wind through the treetops.

Luna's magic glowed crisp and icy on the sparkling snow. It flickered and ran, pouring off her in torrents as she gathered her power and hefted the moon skywards. It eased over the horizon, spilling silver across the surroundings, silhouetting the Princess in a gentle glow.

"There!" Luna smiled. "Now, let me pour the mead, and we will talk, and perhaps sing, and the night will pass quickly!"

Trixie nodded and smiled around a mouthful of chestnut. She glanced at her cold, dark wagon. That… that sounded pretty good to her.

"Hahaha!" Luna threw her head back and guffawed. "Diamond Dogs, adopting kittens?"

"And so, they lost faith in Trixie, the crown came off, and Rainbow and Trixie escaped!" The showmare waved excitedly. "And that, Princess, is how Trixie was Queen for a week." She puffed out her chest and grinned. The Princess clapped and Trixie bowed, taking another sip of 'mead'. It was delicious, although nothing like cider. The glow sitting right behind her breastbone spread through her limbs and to the tips of her ears, keeping the chill air out of her coat. "So, afterwards, Trixie set off to find a new trick."

"Oh?" Luna leaned forwards. "And what was that?"

"Eh, hehe, well…" Trixie rubbed an ear nervously. She didn't really feel like delving into the whole 'amulet' episode. "It was a little embarrassing, but Trixie learned a valuable ‘friendship lesson’ through it." She grinned and raised her tankard. "Trixie thinks she is doing very well at ‘friendship’."

"Indeed." Luna grinned. "I would agree."

"And you, Princess?" The mead warmed Trixie's courage, and she tried asking again. "Why are you here, in the middle of the woods Trixie is in?"

"Ah." Luna's smile weakened a little. "Tonight… do you know what tonight is?"

"Three days from Hearthwarming?" Trixie frowned.

"Mmm." Luna nodded. "In this age, that is true. But it wasn't always so." She looked into the fire, eyes going distant. "Tonight, dear Trixie, is the winter solstice, longest night of the year, what was once called 'Yule'."

Trixie sipped her mead, listening closely. The last of the chestnuts sat warm in her stomach.

"And as midsummer day is my sisters, so is midwinter mine." She sighed. "It is a time of change, of the turning of the world, renewal and refreshing at the year's nadir, a time of second chances and beginnings, sparks from cold ashes and life out of death. As there are certain things my sister must do at midsummer, so there are things I attend to on my day. Ah." She looked up. "The night is indeed passing quickly. Morning nears, Trixie."

Trixie blinked. Had they really been so long, sitting chatting, singing, and drinking from Luna's bottomless keg? But at the Princess' words, the air around them seemed to twist. Trixie looked up from her drink. The stars wavered and gleamed, cold and hard in the blackness. The moon was behind the trees, its clear beams invisible.

"Princess?" the small pony asked.

Luna rubbed a hoof over her eyes. "I apologize. I should have prepared you for this." The alicorn scooted closer, throwing a huge wing over the smaller mare. "Stay close to me, and remember: grasping the dreams of the future requires seeing the past for what it is."

Trixie shivered despite Luna’s warmth as a rumble, right on the edge of hearing, shook the air.

She turned her ears, trying to pinpoint the source. The rumble grew, quivering through the night until she could recognize the sound of hundreds of hooves hammering in sync.

"There," Luna whispered, pointing upwards.

Trixie looked towards the horizon, seeing a distortion waver across the stars. As the sound grew, ferocious and wild, the strangeness solidified. It went from nearly invisible to a rippling blue glow, a knot, a herd, a stampeding torrent of translucent shapes. They were superficially similar to ponies, with hard, fierce lines and gleaming blue eyes. They poured across the sky, twisting and curling overhead as they drew nearer and nearer. Trixie leaned into Luna's side, unable to tear her eyes from the sight, trying to keep from shaking.

In moments, the herd drew near. They turned lower and lower, galloping directly towards the hill, swarming through and around the trees. As the wave of crazed ghosts rushed towards them, a scream built in Trixie's throat. She was almost ready to break and run when she felt Luna quiver next to her.

Is… is she afraid?

The thought, instead of igniting Trixie’s panic, chilled it instantly. She turned to the Princess, who stared at the herd with cold, flat eyes. The rumbling ceased a moment later, jerking Trixie’s attention back to the forest.

The windigos - they couldn't be anything else - surrounded them. Their flickering glow lit the night, hard blue lines slicing the darkness into silhouettes. There was a moment of bated breath, before two figures broke from the group and strode forwards.

Trixie could only stare as a tall, commanding mare stepped up, flanked by a smaller, softer edged pony. The leader spread translucent bat-wings, grinning around a mouthful of fangs at the Princess and the showmare.

"Nightmare," Trixie breathed. But then the second pony flicked her mane and smirked, drawing attention to the angular pendant she wore.

Luna turned to Trixie. "That amulet…?" Trixie lowered her head in shame. Luna, however, placed a hoof on her chin and raised her head. "No, friend Trixie, do not look away." The Princess turned to face her own specter. "Trixie, repeat after me." The Princess stood, pulling Trixie up with her. She drew in a deep breath, firmed her stance, looked her doppelganger right in the eyes, and proclaimed: "I know you. I am done with you."

There was a moment of tension, and then the windigo stumbled. Its shape fuzzed, squirmed, and dissolved.

"Now you." Luna turned, staring at Trixie. The showmare drew in her own breath, and looked at the shadow before her. She remembered the amulet, the power, the sweet feeling of strength—but winced as the cold, cold loneliness rolled in after.

She recalled what Twilight had taught her, about friendship and second chances and how she didn’t have to fear her weakness when she had the strength of others. She looked to Luna. Luna smiled. She turned back, and saw herself standing there as she had been, proud, cold, and so very, very, alone.

"Trixie knows you." She swallowed. "Trixie is done with you," she said, and meant every word of it. "Trixie is done with pushing other ponies away, with being brittle, silly, and proud." She smiled as Luna's wing squeezed her withers. "Trixie is done with being alone."

The specter flinched, cracked, and shredded. A freezing gust scattered it to the night. The wild host stood a moment longer, until they bowed deeply in unison, stomped once, and thundered into the distance.

As the last spectral shape ghosted into the woods, golden light stabbed through the trees. Trixie blinked, and it was dawn. The night was over. The log was nearly ash. The chestnuts were long gone. The keg was at the dregs.

"Are you alright?" Luna stepped away.

"Trixie…" Trixie drew in a shuddering breath, and smiled. "Trixie is doing very well."

"Good." Luna smiled back. Then her eyes widened and turned to the tree. "Oh, I almost forgot. Presents!"

"Huh?" Trixie looked up at the spruce in confusion.

"I apologize it is unwrapped. I did not plan for this, so…" Luna flicked her wings and soared to the top of the tree, reaching for the last star in the sky.

No, wait… Trixie blinked in confusion and shock as she realized that the star wasn't in the sky. The shimmering point of cold light was, in fact, perched on the tip of the highest bough. Luna plucked it from its place and swooped down, offering it to Trixie.

"Princess—"

"This is Hastorang, guardian of the south skies." The star pulsed and gleamed in the soft morning light, a blue jewel that spun a halo of glory around Luna's hoof. "It is yours."

"Princess, this is too much. You can't give Trixie a star. She doesn't deserve it."

"Of course not." Luna leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "That is why it is a gift." She smiled tucked the star into Trixie's mane, where it gleamed and twinkled in reflection of her own. "Thank you for keeping me company. Did you enjoy the night?"

"…Very much, Princess." Trixie stumbled over the words, suddenly overwhelmed. "Trixie enjoyed it very much."

"Good." Luna smiled. "There's a town due east of here. If you don't sleep too long, you should be able to reach it before Hearth’s-warming. Have a happy new year, Trixie."

"Princess!" Trixie called, even as Luna turned and spread her wings.

 Luna looked back. "Yes?"

"See you next year?" Trixie called hopefully.

"Mayhap." Luna smiled back, before flapping once, and soaring skywards. "Mayhap you shall!" she called, as she sped southwards.

Trixie stood for a long moment, watching as Luna faded into the distance. Suddenly, a huge yawn wracked her frame, and she realized she had stayed up all night - on the longest night of the year. She rubbed her tender eyes as the sun reached higher, and looked back at her wagon, starting to warm in the light.

She trotted to the door, and stumbled towards her bed inside. It warmed quickly, and she smiled as she drifted off to sleep.

Goodnight, Princess, she thought. And a happy new year to you, as well.

 A giggle drifted past her. Thanks!

And then she was dreaming.

Next Chapter: Better Not Pout, Better Not Cry (for Noble Cause) Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 60 Minutes