Hearth’s Warming Eve was fast approaching, but the mood in the Crystal Spire Palace was anything but festive. The reason for that was the Haylian mare lying unconscious in a soft, luxurious bed, bandaged heavily and with an oxygen mask placed on her muzzle, while several doctors and a few nurses attended to her, medical equipment having been hustled into the room post-haste. Outside of the room, five out of eight ponies and one dragon were standing outside of Skyward’s room while the doctors tended to her—Princess Cadence, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, plus Spike.

And they all looked worried. They had good reason to be—after Skyward had collapsed and the extent of her injuries—

She had been rushed to emergency surgery first off after one of the doctors had heard her breathing funny--her inhale and exhaling sounded watery, as if she were half submerged underwater. It didn’t look good at all--they had been working on her for quite sometime and Luna's moon was nearly at zenith by now.

The door finally opened, and a crimson colored unicorn stallion came out of the room, holding a clipboard in his deep green aura. He had a white mane and tail streaked with bright red and blue twined in the white like a DNA strand, his cutie mark was that of a red heart framed by a computer monitor, and he looked very somber. Seeing his expression, Princess Cadence stepped forward.

“Dr. Vital Signs, how is Skyward doing?”

The crimson unicorn stallion licked his lips and looked the Princess of the Crystal Empire right in the eyes. “I’m going to be outright honest with you, Princess—she is very, very lucky. That…that…son of a…pardon me, Princess…”

Cadence waved a hoof in gentle dismissal. “It’s quite all right—please, continue.”

Dr. Vital Signs shook his streaked white mane, glancing at the clipboard he was ‘holding’. “Her injuries are mostly serious bruising in the barrel, muzzle and chest area, as well as chafe marks and lacerations that will heal quickly with some magic salve I will prescribe for her as needed to keep away infection, ease the pain and to aid with swift healing. Those bandages will need to be changed thrice daily, salve applied every single time. As for her forced malnutrition issue, that can be remedied with a few hearty meals; I’ve prescribed some vitamins for her, but mind, nothing solid for a day or two until she can get used to solid food again. He did give her water, but very little—Nurse Urgent Care is giving her an IV drip to get her hydrated again and to get some nutrients into her too.”

The Princess of Love cocked her head at him, sensing there was more to this than what he was saying. “But…?”

Dr. Vital Signs stomped his hoof, and his ears slicked back against his head as he took a deep breath to check his visible ire. “You’ll pardon my Prench, Princess. That motherbucking plotbrained bastard of a stallion shattered her ribs—he didn’t just crack them. Any longer and she would’ve drowned in her own blood—one of them had nicked her lung and she was slowly suffocating as a result.”

Cadence looked horrified and the others behind her exchanged terrified, as well as guilty glances. They had thought the whole time she had been sealing a portal or being obstinate and taking it out on them…

But she had actually been trying to deal with a dangerous stalker that had come perilously close to finding out the truth!

“Will she recover, Doctor?”

Dr. Vital Signs nodded his head. “She'll make a full recovery before Hearth's Warming next week with the care we've been giving her. I’ve patched the ribs and the lung as well—she needed surgery right away…I apologize for the informality…”

Cadence shook her head at him gently, showing she could've cared less about protocol when a life was at stake, and Rainbow Dash stepped forward, ears slightly drooping, but her limp wings and tail gave away her worry. “So, can we see her, Doc? Pleeeeeeease?”

The doctor glanced at the rainbow maned pegasus and nodded, but held up a cautionary hoof. “She can have visitors when she wakes but only two ponies at a time and she NEEDS to rest; I cannot stress this enough. That poor mare’s been through a section of Tartarus I wish no mare ever would experience in their lifetime. She can walk but she’ll need assistance to do so at first, so her legs don’t atrophy in the process. Princess, she will need nursing assistance for a while…”

“I’ll do it,” Fluttershy volunteered, and Rarity nodded. “As will I—Skyward is our dearest friend, and we need to help her.”

Dr. Vital Signs nodded approvingly at them. “She’s lucky she’s got such good friends like you to be with her. That reminds me—mental trauma, as well. She’s been through a harrowing experience, and she’s going to need all the support she can get. Don’t get mad at her if she lashes out verbally or even hits somepony—she might end up with PTSD because of this. I would recommend a psychiatrist if need be…I know a few…”

“We can handle that---my husband might be able to help her with that, since he is a soldier as well as she is,” Cadence said with a nod. Dr. Vital Signs nodded his head again as he handed the clipboard to the princess and began pointing out a few minor issues, while the other mares and one dragon looked in on their recovering friend.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle and Applejack had remained behind at the crime site—Shining Armor was there for a legitimate purpose—as Captain of the Guard this was his responsibility. But he was also there to help his sister and Applejack to get in and recover Skyward’s armor, shield and sword before anypony else found them.

They were in the house as his ‘designated help’ to look for clues as to why he had foalnapped her—Twilight had recovered her shield, shrinking it down to hide it away, and Applejack came out of Geek Out’s room with Skyward’s armor on a crude rolling armor rack consisting of a rolling platform base and a sturdy two by four nailed/glued atop it. The orange farmpony went back in to see if she could find the helm since it was missing, as was Skyward’s sword, while Shining Armor went to look for his sister after shrinking down Skyward’s armor and tucking it away. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a yelp and a clatter upstairs grabbed his attention, and he rushed upstairs, his horn lighting up as he entered the room.

“Applejack? Are you okay in here?”

The white and teal/azure unicorn stallion came up the stairs to the miscreant pony’s room to where Applejack was. Geek Out’s room was a gamer’s dream and a cleaning pony’s worst nightmare—posters of games like Assassin’s Creed, Dragon Age, Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Fallout 3 and 4 and numerous others plastered the walls, the shelves filled near to spilling with game memorabilia—statuettes, knickknacks, books, comics from said games and others even Shining Armor hadn’t heard of. The bed was unmade and judging from the disgusting smell in the room he didn’t wash his bedclothes all that much either; noticing a telltale stain on a certain area on the bed, Shining Armor’s lip curled in disgust as he turned to regard the rest of Geek Out’s bedroom.

Old and recent hay pizza and Neighsian takeout boxes, soda cans, straws, candy wrappers and chip bags lay strewn everywhere. A huge screen TV adorned one wall and three TV stands were beneath it—bookshelves filled with games settled close by with the Ponystation 4, the Xbox One, a Wii…he even had vintage game consoles like the Pintendo NES, the SNES and countless others…

But where Applejack was pointing to with one hoof was a section of wall that had been curtained off with a royal blue colored silk drape, and she looked frightened, glancing at the covered area apprehensively. Concerned as to what was bothering the blond maned and tailed mare, Shining Armor reached out and pulled the curtain aside to enter the covered hole in the wall---

To reveal a medium sized recess , the walls practically slathered with photos of Skyward, full blown poster photos of her in armor and without, crudely sewn dolls, hoofdrawn pictures, a smaller TV screen settled on a wooden table playing the footage of Skyward fighting the Diamond Dogs, her Haylian Shield’s emblem easy to see when it wasn’t in use. There was even an actual altar on the small table, the TV footage being the centerpiece. There were also half melted candles in brass holders, golden Bits and Snaffles (Hayrulean currency), jewelry pieces like earrings and horn rings shaped like the Master Sword, the Triforce, various symbols from other Zelda games, the Spiritual Stones: Kokiri’s Emerald, Goron’s Ruby and Zora’s Sapphire surrounding the TV’s base on the crystal oak board draped with a runner decorated with the Hayrulean Royal Family’s symbol.

There were remains of burned incense sticks with the ash filled crystalline holders, a reredos of another royal blue silk drape with the Triforce symbol in the direct center, with sewn on Haylian symbol and artifact patches placed to the sides of the divine sigil tastefully framing the back of the altar.

The crowning pieces of the shrine however was Skyward’s sword, hanging in front of the Triforce symbol…and on the altar itself was her helm. Shining Armor shook his head slowly from side to side in disbelief, taking both the sword and the helm, handing the helm to Applejack, while he searched for the video player he knew was playing the footage. Upon finding it, he ejected the tape, and focused on it with his magic.

With a crinklehisssputter the tape began to smolder and crumple to a black, melting ruin, Shining’s magic keeping the flames, smoke and the telltale stink of burning plastic well contained as he destroyed the damning evidence. He glanced at Applejack, who nodded solemnly at him…what passed here, would stay here.

“We’ll chalk him up as an obsessed pony who took a game far out of what it should’ve been and began stalking her as a result. Make sure Skyward gets her stuff back. I’m going to search his computer if he has one.”

Applejack nodded grimly, glancing in disgust at the display in the alcove. “Skyward’s already goin’ through Tartarus with what she’s got t’ deal with already—she sure as hay don’ need this heap o’ horseapples.”

Shining Armor nodded soberly. “I know she’s a soldier—I’ve seen that look in her eye. While Cadence and I were speaking to her, I could tell she’s been through battles that would make anypony wet themselves.”

“Especially since she’s fighting to protect Equestria from Hayrule’s own monsters,” Twilight Sparkle chimed in as she came in. “She saved Applejack’s life, you know?”

Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow at his baby sister, and Applejack nodded. “Saved mah tail from bein’ sliced in two from that danged Lizalfos that was hidin’ in mah apple orchard. She’s a good pony, never mind ‘er bein’ th’ Heroine o’ Time.”

“Well, BBBFF, you ready to wrap this up?”

“Not yet—I’ve still some business to deal with in here…if you know what I mean.”

The lavender unicorn nodded, catching what her big brother meant—her gaze was drawn to the royal blue drape behind him and, true to her nature, she trotted over, lighting her horn to lift the drape away so she could take a peek herself. “Hey, what’s behind this thing?”

Shining Armor hastily reached out to stop his sister, his horn lighting up as he tried to drag her out of the alcove. “Wait, Twily, you don’t want to see that…!”

But her brother was too late to stop her from sticking her head into the recess. Twilight’s entire body stiffened then she swiftly backed up, bumping into Applejack and falling to the floor with a thump on her purple hiney, panting erratically, ears pinned back, tail tucked and eyes wide as dinner plates. She slowly looked up at Applejack and her brother, and pointed a shaking hoof at the curtain.

“He’s got…”

The orange Earth Pony nodded gravely. “E-yup.”

“That means he’s…”

Shining Armor nodded mutely at his sister, and glanced at Applejack. “You two get back to the palace. Tell them I’ve got everything under control up here but tell them to keep searching the downstairs. I'll handle this personally."

Both ponies nodded at him, Shining Armor turning to begin the task of ‘correcting’ any information Geek Out may have left around. Applejack left with his sister and all of Skyward’s missing items, informing the guards of Shining Armor’s orders before the two mares bolted for the palace proper, intent on returning the stolen items to their rightful owner.

*******************************************************************************************************

While preparations for Hearth’s Warming went on during the next five days, since the celebration proper was next week on Tuesday, Skyward was recovering in her room, surrounded by books, plushies, food items like donuts, mini pies and pastries, plus flowers from her friends and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who had been horrified to learn their friend had been severely injured. However, as Dr. Vital Signs had warned, Skyward was suffering. Not just from her physical injuries, which, thanks to the magical salve and the care of the Crystal Empire doctors, were rapidly healing. The mental trauma was starting to manifest itself—because for the first time in her life Skyward had been put into a situation she had only saved other mares from or pulled them out of.

The Haylian mare looked down at the warm blanket that covered her bandaged body, her hooves toying with the embroidered edge. Though she looked calm, on the inside she was anything but. She took a shuddering breath as she struggled with her roiling emotions. Despite herself, her mind ran through the scenario again and again, tormenting her with the nightmarish images that prevented her from even sleeping at night without sleep aid medicine.

Geek Out had been right. He had her tied fast and Nayru help her, she could do nothing to stop him. She had been bound and helpless, totally at his mercy. Despite her bravado and her defiance, she had been afraid. Terrified, even. The dark stories of mares who had been taken by Moblins and Bokoblins, or even gangs of pony bandits and raped for amusement/pleasure rose in her mind…

She didn’t know what had happened whenever she had blacked out from being beaten and abused, and she feared the worst, but every time she tried to ask the healers of the Crystal Empire, the words stuck in her throat and burned, and by Din’s raging flames she could not for the life of her find the courage to ask.

Courage.

She buried her face in her hooves, trembling as she tried to block out the images swirling in her mind. Courage her flank. Heroine of Time? As Rainbow Dash would say: “Yeah, right!”

She wasn’t worthy of any of it!

Tears stung her royal blue eyes and she blinked slowly as she stared listlessly down at the blanket. Because she was completely out of it she didn’t hear the pony who entered her room, calling her name—but when a light pink hoof touched her foreleg…

Skyward’s eyes lazily glanced over to the hoof—before they widened swiftly in shock and terror. Pink turned to pale orange, the gentle touch turning into a vicelike hold and she let out a terrified shriek, violently recoiling away from the hoof that had touched her, all but leaping out of the bed in reflex. Sword, where was her sword, she needed a weapon, she needed to get away…she had to run…!

“Skyward! Skyward, calm down! It’s okay, sssh, it’s okay, you’re safe, you’re in the palace…”

But Cadence could clearly see that it wasn’t working. Skyward was struggling in her magical grip, screaming and thrashing and her horn sputtered silver sparks as she was trying to find her weapon, but it would take a bit more time for her magic to come back to full since it had been suppressed with no outlet for a while, and she had to undergo an emergency magic siphon besides emergency surgery to prevent her body from overloading on magic. The Princess of Love’s mind raced—what to do, what to do…at this rate, the Haylian mare would hurt herself for certain…

“Skyward! Control yourself at once!”

The barked order from Princess Cadence worked—hearing the sharp command was enough to snap Skyward out of the terror she was in. Panting heavily, the bluesteel unicorn looked around, her wide royal blue eyes settling on Cadence.

“Princess Cadence? What…where…oh Goddesses, what hath I…”

Cadence shushed her with a hooftip, placing her gently back into the bed and tucking her in as if she were a mere filly. The purple and pink alicorn regarded the Haylian mare as she sat on the bed—she knew Skyward was hurting badly, and it wasn’t just her physical injuries. She needed help—a kind of help that was likely not available in her own lands…

But she would get that kind of support and help here.

Trouble was, she was turning away her friends, and Cadence was going to do something about it this time around.

“You’re safe, Skyward. You’re going to be all right.”

The bluesteel mare gave her a sad, disbelieving look. “How? How is everything going to be okay? One…one failed…one could not even…”

Cadence put a hoof on her shoulder to comfort the trembling mare. “I can imagine how scary it must have been for you. The fact he hurt you, tortured you...I am so sorry, Skyward. I too experienced something similar, except that nopony put their hooves on me. But you've nothing to fear anymore, okay?"

Skyward licked her dry lips--Cadence reached out with her magic and filled a water glass with cool ice water, put a straw in it and let the Haylian mare drink. Skyward nodded her thanks--she took a deep breath before she spoke, her voice shaking. “Th-that…that is not all one fears may hath happened. One was knocked unconscious more than once, and...well, given he is a stallion...”

Understanding what Skyward was afraid of, Cadence lit her horn, the soothing azure glow washing over the unicorn. She swept it gently over Skyward’s middle, eyes closed, before she lifted her head and opened her eyes, shaking her head kindly.

“No, he didn’t. You’re fine. You weren’t raped. Why didn’t you ask the doctor?”

“One could not…one’s tongue was constantly stuck to the roof of one’s mouth…”

Cadence gently stroked Skyward’s mane as she had done for Twilight Sparkle so long ago when she was a filly, and had awakened from a nightmare. The motherly gesture made Skyward’s eyes squeeze tightly shut and she sniffled, shaking—Cadence knew that the Haylian pony was dangerously close to crying, but she knew this is what Skyward needed. She had to let it out, otherwise it would swallow her whole and consume her, and that was the last thing anypony wanted to happen to her.

“Tell me something?”

Skyward took a shaky breath, nodding at the princess to show she had heard her, and Cadence continued, choosing her words carefully. “What do Haylian ponies do during this time of year?”

Skyward wanted to scream—why had Princess Cadence asked that of all things? But she swallowed and gamely tried to speak. “During Midwinter Festival…that...that tis’ what we call Hearth’s Warming…families and clan gather together. We celebrate our past victories, the honored dead and those who died in battle. We feast, hold winter tournaments, we give gifts to one another and we sing songs…and we gather around a great ceremonial bonfire to throw a written wish in the flames, and pray to the Goddesses our wish will come true.”

“Oh? Sounds like a tradition we can do here if you want. What would you wish for?”

That was the keystone removed from the dam for Skyward. “…I…I just wish…that one wishes one could see mine kin again…”

Unable to contain herself Skyward burst into tears--Cadence gently hugged the sobbing Haylian unicorn, cradling her in her hooves and wrapping a wing around her. The Princess of Love let the mare cry, knowing that she had been likely bottling up her anger, frustration, fear and sorrow, especially after being foalnapped and tortured the way she had. Add to the mix missing her family, worrying about her princess, the weight of her world on her shoulders…

It was enough to break anypony’s spirit.

“I know you miss them. I know you want to go home—and it’s probably even harder for you since it’s going to be Hearth’s Warming Eve soon—a time for family and friends to be together. But it’s not just that, is it?”

Skyward nodded, snuffling into Cadence’s shoulder. “One wishes I wast not the Heroine of Time. One just wishes to go home…to live a normal life, even if that life is on the battlefield with my comrades! I want to see mine brother…mine sire…mine princess…but what kind of soldier, what kind of pony am I? Weak! Bucking weak and not worthy of mine shield, armor or mine sword!”

“From what I saw, you were more than worthy of all of that. But it takes more than armor, a sword and shield to make a good soldier, Skyward.”

Shining Armor came into the room, nodding at the guards as he closed the door behind him. Once the doors were shut, he approached Skyward’s bed, continuing to speak.

“You were captured and put through Tartarus at that madpony’s hooves but you didn’t break. You didn’t give him what he wanted. You were loyal to your princess and loyal to your friends to keep them safe. You helped the Crystal Empire—you gave us your Diamondine Shield spell so Diamond Dogs won’t be able to attack us again.”

“But …”

He held up a hoof—she shut up, realizing he wasn’t done talking. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, knowing your world’s fate is on your shoulders, and the fact you’ve had to keep your cutie mark hidden. But, I know you’re a good soldier—and you’re living up to your ancestor’s legacy. Twily told me about how brave you were, protecting Applejack from that Lizalfos when it would’ve killed her. Never mind she helped you kill it; you went into battle to protect somepony. And that’s what a real soldier does—protect those who can’t protect themselves. Never mind you’ve got the Triforce of Courage on your flank, Skyward. You have that inner strength, to deal with what normal ponies should not need to.”

Cadence smiled at Skyward gently, giving her a nudge. “I have to agree with Shining. But you know something? You’re not alone. You’ve got something Time Link likely might not have had. He may have had help from allies, but ultimately, he had to go through all that alone, right?”

Skyward shrugged wordlessly, and Cadence nudged her. “You’ve got friends here—friends who will back you up if you need it. The second Spike told us you were missing and where you were, everypony was raring to go look for you.”

Shining Armor came up and nudged her lightly with one hoof. “So how about you come celebrate Hearth’s Warming with us? We can’t start the final plans without you.”

Skyward glanced at Cadence, who nodded encouragingly, and she quietly nodded her head, mustering a smile. “One accepts thine gracious invitation.”

When she came downstairs with Cadence and Shining Armor, the others cheered—Pinkie Pie bouncing over to give her a careful hug, Rainbow Dash bringing her a mug of hot spiced cider, and Fluttershy nudged her to a pile of cushions. She wasn’t wearing her armor—that was back in her room, with her shield and sword recovered as well, that and since she was still recovering to a degree, she wasn’t able to wear it anyway. The chatter of the others warmed her through as she listened to them laugh, tell jokes…

“Skyward, what would you like to do for Hearth’s Warming?”

The Haylian mare glanced at Twilight, and shrugged her shoulders as best she could. “One dost not know thine land’s winter traditions, Twilight...”

Cadence spoke up, a warm smile on her muzzle. “Skyward, remember that wishing bonfire you told me about? Maybe we can do that on Hearth’s Warming Eve? Or do you do it on Hearth’s Warming Day?”

Skyward shook her head. “On the eve of Midwinter Festival, Princess.”

“Oh, call me Cadence, sweetie—enough of the formal stuff. Did you want to be in charge of that? I think it’s a great Haylian winter tradition we can all do!”

Applejack downed another cup of cider and nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds like fun t’ me, y’all! Skyward, what is this tradition about anyway?”

The bluesteel unicorn leaned back against her pillows, a faint smile touching her muzzle. “One shalt do thou one better, Applejack. I shalt tell thou all about the legend of the Goddesses’ Brazier, which is what we call the bonfire we light on the eve of Midwinter Festival.”

The gathered ponies and one dragon settled themselves—Spike bringing Skyward a refill of cider and some soft snow-cake. The Haylian unicorn drank a bit more cider before she began to speak.

“Long and long ago, during the era of King Valion Hayrule—there was a pony named Bright Flame. But at the time, he was only known as Bright, given he had not earned his cutie mark yet, and wast merely a simple woodcutter who worked to keep everypony warm in Hayrule Castle, and day in and out, he would brave the snowy wilds of Hayrule just to get wood with his peers to keep the castle fires going.”

With her horn, she conjured an image of a deep amber colored Earth Pony. He had a fiery red mane streaked with yellow, wore a deep brown cloak lined with sheep’s wool and thick looking tunic. He carried a mighty axe on his back.

“Time and again he went out into the deep snows, his strength unlike any other Earth Pony’s, for he brought back more wood than his fellows, and uttered naught a word of complaint, doing so because he enjoyed his job. King Valion took note of Bright’s hardworking nature and rewarded him richly for his selfless service. Because of this, Overseer Iron Branch, became jealous, and decided to send him into the deepest depths of the Dark Forest—what is now known as Shadeleaf Swamp.”

Skyward paused to moisten her throat, then continued her story. “He was given his axe, four days’ worth of food and water, flint, steel and tinder and a thick blanket, and cord aplenty for his wood gathering. He took his sled, and during his venture into the Dark Woods, he encountered an old, red coated mare clad in a thick, green hooded robe gathering withered berries on the vine close by. Touched by her plight, he shared his rations with her, and she thanked him profusely before she vanished into the woods.”

The other ponies leaned in to listen; Cadence nudged Shining Armor, who nodded at his wife with a broad smile; this story was amazing, especially since they’d never heard a real piece of Haylian lore before.

“As he chopped down trees and time passed, a second mare wandered by. She wast shivering, her gown and cloak threadbare, and once again, he extended a helping hoof, giving her his cloak to keep her warm. The mare thanked him gracefully before she too disappeared into the forest. He kept cutting wood, stacking it onto the sled—a third mare appeared, and she seemed to be injured, her left leg dragging behind her in the snow.”

“Unable to watch the mare suffer, Bright took the cord needed to secure the wood, two pieces of solid maple, and formed a splint for her so she could make it to the next village over. He also gave her his blanket, so she could keep warm, since he no longer had his cloak. The mare smiled at him, her green eyes glittering with gratitude, and she too vanished into the darkness.”

“He had to leave some of the wood behind, since he couldn’t secure it, but he was able to take most of it with him. However, the cold night was starting to take its toll, and he knew he had to stop and make camp as best he could for the night. But the Dark Forest was not without danger. Already winter’s chill threatened to permeate his bones, but to make matters worse, he suspected he could see shadows lurking in the trees. Mindful of this, he created a circle of wood about himself and his load, and set it afire. The golden flames leaped up, repelling the darkness starting to encroach upon him. All throughout the night he fed the flames with everything he had—the wood, his sled, his axe, even his tunic!”

Gasps from around the room and the three fillies leaned in close, captivated by Skyward’s voice and her imagery.

“But the cold grew ever bitter, and he could see the shadows in the trees—the shadows with crimson eyes. They were remnants of Ganon’s dark minions, and they would eventually breach the flames and make a meal out of him. Bright bowed his head and wept freely, lamenting that he would not make it in time to give his daughter her Midwinter gift, and wished only to see his foal one final time before he passed on. However, the dying flames of his meager fire flared up, much to his surprise…and he heard Din, Goddess of Power herself speak to him from the roaring flames…”

“Thine desire shalt be granted. Have hope, mine son… for thou art pure of heart and thou wilt make the journey.”

Then he heard Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom speak. “Fear not, selfless one…help is on the way…”

The last voice he heard was that of Farore, Goddess of Courage. “Hold fast, Bright Flame—hold fast, ye shall yet make it home!”

“So great was the flames and so bright they were from the presence of the Goddesses, that Bright soon passed out. When he came to, his daughter Gleam was snuggled near his side in the sickbed he was in, and the King himself was standing by his bedside. Bright tried to stammer out an apology, but King Valion merely smiled, and he said: “Thou hast no need to apologize, Bright Flame. Aye—thou earned thine cutie mark, and the Goddesses themselves were guarding thou from the Dark Beasts of Ganon, at least, that tis’ what one saw when one saw the golden flames from thine signal fire. Tell me, how didst’ thee manage to summon them for help?” “

Skyward smiled as the images continued to play out in front of them. “Bright Flame managed to explain as best he could what he had encountered in the Dark Forest, and what led him there in the first place. After hearing his tale, King Valion came to a decision, bidding him to rest, for he would need strength for that night. That very evening he had Bright Flame brought out on a litter to the center of Hayrule Castle Town, where he had commanded a great pile of wood to be placed. It was then that the king proclaimed that from that day forward, a new Midwinter tradition would be practiced—that when the flames were lit, everypony could send their wish to the Goddesses, and pray that it would come true. For they had answered the humble, heartfelt prayer of an unpretentious woodcutter pony, his simple kindnesses having lit the way for his salvation. He lit a torch with his magic, and offered it to Bright Flame—giving him the honor of lighting the very first Goddesses’ Brazier.”

The image of the massive golden bonfire with Haylian ponies laughing, singing, eating and throwing pieces of wood with messages inscribed on them into the flames soon faded away, revealing Skyward smiling in nostalgic remembrance.

“And ever since that night, every year on Midwinter’s Eve, Goddesses’ Braziers are lit, to send one’s wishes to the Goddesses, and to remember the pony who began the tradition. Who knows, maybe one’s wish will come true this year? Bright Flame’s certainly did.”

Everypony and dragon applauded at the end of the tale, Skyward smiling and waving a hoof in a ‘go on with you’ gesture, but she was pleased they liked the story so much. Shining Armor leaned forward, wiping his muzzle to dislodge the crumbs from the cookie he had been munching on. “Skyward, you get to choose a place for the bonfire, and you can light it as well, to get us started. That sound good to you?”

The Haylian mare nodded with a broad smile—a knock at the door alerted everypony and Cadence turned her head. “Enter!”

One of the palace guardponies came and bowed his head. “Your Highnesses—there is a pony by the name of Pure Note in the main hall. He has a Hearth’s Warming gift for Miss Skyward, and wishes to give it to her personally.”

The ponies glanced at one another—given Skyward’s recent ordeal, was it wise to allow this? Cadence got up, glancing at Skyward. “Are you all right with this? We can send him away if you want.”

Skyward bit her lower lip—fear still stirred inside of her, but…if the pony had come with a gift…

“…t’would be nothing short of rude if thou did send him off, Princess. But, might one ask all of thou remain here? Mayhap…mayhap if he was brought here, then…it might be all right.”

Cadence nodded her head, turning to relay the order to the guardpony. About five minutes later, the same guard returned, with Pure Note, who bore a box that was wrapped in green paper with a golden bow. The blue and pale silver stallion smiled kindly at Skyward, who inclined her head to him in return.

“How are you feeling, Miss Skyward?”

“…One shalt get better in time, Master Pure Note. To what doth one owe the honor of thine presence?”

Pure Note waved a hoof, chuckling as he came closer to her—the news stations had eaten up the story of the injured mare who had been foalnapped, the same one who had helped fight off the Diamond Dogs and had rescued ponies from being taken as prisoners. He was careful not to scare her given the absolute hell she had gone through, and he offered the box to her.

“You dropped this back at my stall. This is for you, milady; Happy Hearth’s Warming,” he chuckled, and she looked surprised as she took the box. Carefully using her magic, she opened it to reveal the very same flute that she had left behind at his stall the first day she had arrived in the Crystal Empire.

“For me? Master Pure Note, one could not…”

“Nonsense. You made this sing in your hooves and you’re a very good player. The songs you played might be ones from a foal’s game but still. You breathed new life into those old tunes, and if anypony deserves one of these, it’s you.”

He pressed the box into her hooves when she tried to return it to him. “Keep it. It’s a Hearth’s Warming gift.”

Skyward smiled, tears stinging her eyes at the selfless gift. “Thou hast mine most sincere thanks, Master Pure Note. May fortune never stop smiling upon thee,” she replied, wiping at her eyes with one hoof. The Mane 6, the royal couple, Spike and the three fillies smiled, laughed and looked relieved—Skyward was going to be all right.

Pure Note smiled. “You’re welcome, Skyward. I hope you recover soon. If you don’t mind, might I ask you something?”

She cocked her head, and he gestured at it. “Would it be all right if I heard you play it before I leave?”

Skyward smiled, tilting her head as she ran mentally through a list of songs. Deciding on one, she lifted the flute to her lips and began to play. The tone was upbeat, cheery and rhythmic—practically a tune meant for dancing. The crystalline notes trilled like birdsong throughout the room, hinting at broad fields drenched in sunlight, warm summer days filled with freedom and song—she shifted partially into ‘Ancient Hero’, a song she had heard composed by those who had ‘created’ her homeland’s legends here in Equestria, but instead of being majestic, it was lighthearted and carefree, turning back to the original tune.

When she slowed and the notes died away, leaving only silence—a silence soon filled by cheering and the stomping of hooves.

Glancing around, Skyward looked upon her friends and their family members, and Pure Note, who was smiling and applauding at her performance…and she smiled too, feeling some of the darkness leave her soul.