“Hey Gilda?”

“Yeah Yang?”

“I’ve got a couple questions for you before I go.”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you think we’ve been so busy these last couple weeks? Well, more so than usual.”

Gilda tapped her beak in thought. “Probably because we don’t have any Hearth’s Warming decorations. The rest of Ponyville is saturated with it, so it makes sense that they would want a break from all the cheer and festiveness.”

“That makes sense. Well, if you think the decorations in town are bad, you haven’t seen anything yet. Ponyville at least has the decency to save the decorations and holiday cheer for the appropriate month. Where I’m from, Hearth’s Warming is replaced with Christmas, and I’ve seen Christmas stuff in stores as early as September and people buying presents for it in January. A joke I heard about it was that in a few years, Christmas stuff would start coming out after Independence Day, which is July 4th.”

“Wow. That’s either hardcore holiday spirit or just dumb.”

“I’m leaning towards very, very dumb. Everyone gets tired of it, but all the stores keep putting it out earlier and earlier each year.

“So, other thing, you are ready to run the place for me, right?”

Gilda sighed. “Yes, we’ve gone over this three times already. You have this event to attend in Canterlot and will be gone for a week. You’re letting me stay here during that time for my convenience and so Asada’s not alone, I know about the box upstairs, sworn to its secrecy, blah blah blah. I got it, Yang. Trust me, I got it.”

I raised my hands defensively. “Okay okay, I just wanted to make sure.”

“Well you’ve made sure. Now get to the carriage out there and get going already.”

I gave Gilda a hug before picking up my suitcases, going to the pegasus drawn royal carriage outside, and getting in.

During takeoff, I decided to have a bit of fun, even if nobody was with me in the heated and soundproofed carriage. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. First off, thank you for being chosen by the Royal Carriage Airline to ride with us today; it is an honor. Next, please follow all safety procedures, as demonstrated by our flight attendants.” There were no safety procedures beyond the closed doors and there were no flight attendants. “Thank you. Moving on, this flight from Ponyville to Canterlot is only 30 minutes long, so there won’t be any drinks or peanuts served. Please keep your seats and trays in their upright and locked positions during the trip, and thanks again for being chosen to fly with us.”

The remaining 28 minutes of the flight were quite boring, if scenic.

Seconds after landing at the castle, the door was opened for me and a wave of cold air hit my face. My hair helped mitigate some of the chill, but it still hurt a bit.

Shortly after I entered, a slightly muscular earth pony stallion came up to me. “Welcome to Canterlot Castle, Miss Yang Xiao Long. I can show you to your room and take your suitcases.”

I saw a trolley that was hooked onto the stallion like a wagon. “I’m guessing you would use the trolley?”

“Of course. Carrying even one suitcase on your back is difficult to manage, after all.”

“. . . Can I ride the trolley while you pull it?”

“That depends on what kind of image you want to portray. The guards and staff won’t judge you, but somepony else might.”

“I’ll walk then.” I could imagine what it would look like with me riding the trolley, and it didn’t look good to me.

After loading the suitcases on, we went into the castle. “Most of the guests to the Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony have standard accommodations here in the towers. A very nice room with a balcony and a good view. You, on the other hand, have more special accommodations.” We went down a flight of stairs, the trolley rolling down them smoothly, likely because magic. “The rooms up there tend to get slightly cool. Not as cold as it is outside, but they do tend to hover at around 50 degrees. Knowing this, Princess Celestia herself made a special arrangement just for you.”

As we descended, I could feel it getting warmer and warmer. “Where are we going?”

Not long after I asked, the stallion stopped at a door and opened it. “Right here. This room is directly above the kitchen, and is in fact the central source of heated air in the castle.” The room looked like it was only recently furnished with a bed, desk, lighting, private bathroom, and the plumbing for it. There were no windows, making it like a heated cave. If I focused, I could see some faint runes on the walls, floor, and ceiling.

“But it’s still so cold throughout the place.”

“The warm air does lose its heat as it goes around the castle. It’s not perfect, but it keeps the castle above freezing at all times during winter.”

The potential of sabotage of the heating just to get at me, regardless of what happened to anyone else, immediately crossed my mind. “Do you know where Princess Celestia is?” I picked up my suitcases and brought them into the room.

“Still holding day court. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

I quickly rifled through my stuff and found my money. “You can take a few bits off my hands. It would really make me feel better.” I held out some money for the stallion.

“If accepting this money will make you feel better, than I will do that.” He accepted the coins and pocketed them. “Just go right and there’s a stairwell that leads to the waiting area for court.”

“Thank you.” After taking a bit of time to enjoy the warmth of the room, I went down the hall to the waiting area. There were a lot of ponies there, already waiting for their turn. Most of them were patiently waiting, talking amongst each other. There was one who was heckling the announcer unicorn who looked familiar. Based on his radioactive color scheme and stature, it looked like Sir Safehouse. I was tempted to step in and intervene, but the announcer was holding his own against the noble quite well, so I let them be.

I found a bookshelf, plucked an interesting looking book off of it, and started reading to pass the time.

“Yang Xiao Long, it’s your turn to speak with Princess Celestia.”

I closed the book and set it back on the shelf. “Thank you.”

“What? I thought I was supposed to go before her!” Sir Safehouse shouted. “I was here before she was!”

“She got in line before you did, Sir Safehouse” the announcer said. “It’s her turn.” I nodded to the announcer as we went through the door to the throne room. “Presenting The Slayer of Tirek, The Songstress of Remnant, Yang Xiao Long.”

“Thank you, Dramatic Voice” Celestia said, dismissing the aptly named announcer. “It’s always a pleasure to see you, Yang.”

“When did I get the Songstress of Remnant title?” I asked.

“You haven’t heard? Apparently, a foal followed you during your fight with The Unmusician. He spoke of the music that he heard and felt and how there was nothing but bits and pieces, remnants of the bug left. The gab factory did its thing, I heard about it, and now you have that title.”

“Oh. Well, I hope I don’t get more titles. And now I forgot what I wanted to ask you.”

“Take your time.”

I thought on it for a moment. “Oh yeah, my room here. Is it possible I could have some guards near it?”

“May I ask why?”

“I’m afraid of the heating stuff being sabotaged. Not only could that possibly kill me if it happened while I’m asleep, but it would also make the rest of the castle very cold as well.”

“I see what you mean. Very well then, I’ll have some guards stationed by your door, and I’ll make sure they know how to inspect, maintain, and repair the runes in that room as well.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

“One more thing.” Celestia threw a scroll to me. “In there is a list of all four of the events you will be attending, when, and where they take place.”

“All formal, I presume?”

“Yes they are.”

“Well, thanks again.”

The first event, held the next evening, was outside in the royal gardens. Apparently, the reason for that was because every business had its roots, as all plants do, and the cold of winter represented the difficulties of starting a business. Stories of why businesses were started and challenges that were faced were exchanged, and advice was shared as well.

It was nice.

It was symbolic.

It was also really cold and the heating charms in my clothes were only able to do so much to keep my shivering from registering on the richter scale.

“You look stunning, Yang” Fancy Pants said as he and Fleur approached me. “And you also look very chilly.”

“Y-y-yeah, I am” I said through chattering teeth. “How are you not freezing?”

“A well maintained fur coat. Here, I think you could use this.” Fancy floated a thermos over to me. I could feel the heat of the stuff inside it. “Some hot cocoa for you, steamed to 200 degrees.”

“Thanks.” I took the lid off and downed some of the smooth liquid. The scalding heat quickly spread out from my body and through my limbs, taking most of the edge off from the cold air. “That’s really good.”

“It was Fleur’s idea, really.”

“You’re welcome, Yang” Fleur said. “Since we’re here, let’s talk a bit. We already know how the Carne Den got started, so how’s business?”

“It’s picked up recently due to Hearth’s Warming.”

“Did you put up any decorations?”

“No, and that’s probably what’s drawing the extra business in. Everyone in town gets tired of the holiday stuff and comes there to get away from it.”

“Hmm. I’ll have to try that next year at some of my stores” Fancy said. “So, have you talked with anyone else yet?”

“I was too busy shivering to talk with anyone.” I took another drink of the very hot chocolate, looked around, and saw a chocolate colored unicorn mare heading my way. I looked between the liquid and the mare a few times. They were practically the same color. “Did you put something in this?”

“Chocolate, milk, sugar, and approximately half a small sauna’s worth of steam” Fleur answered. “Why?”

“I’m seeing a unicorn mare the exact same color as the drink in front of me.” The mare, a bit bigger and way more muscular than Cadence, had a fancy long sleeve red blouse on under a black vest as well.

“Oh, she’s real. Hello, how are you?”

“I’m fine” the mare answered. “My name’s Smithy Dreamkeeper.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Smithy. Have you met Yang yet?”

“I haven’t met anyone yet” I said.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’ then. Fancy and I helped her start her business, but beyond that, she would be better at telling her story.”

Fancy and Fleur left me with the stoic mare. After a bit, I broke the silence. “So, I’m Yang Xiao Long, main owner of the Carne Den in Ponyville.”

“Main owner?”

“I started the Carne Den with a griffon at my side. Since it was built from the ground up and it’s my home as well, that makes me the main owner. Gilda, the griffon, tends to defer to me, even though I give her equal authority on business matters.”

“So how did you two meet up?”

“I was going for a run back in, June, I believe, to try and get some energy off from a craving that had been bugging me for a while when Rainbow introduced us. I smelled the steak Gilda was carrying and I went after it. We fought for a bit, Rainbow settled us down, and then we started talking. We came up with the idea to start the Carne Den restaurant, and I contacted Fancy Pants for help.”

“How did you meet him? Isn’t he part of the Canterlot Council? The elite snobs?”

“He and Fleur are not liked by the snobs. The snobs don’t like me either. Anyways, he gave me a loan, construction materials, and ponies to help put it all together. All he wanted in exchange was the cost of the loan, with interest, and I think I had that paid off after, probably a month and a half. What about you?”

Smithy seemed to relax a bit as she started her story. “Well, I run the Steel and Runes forge in the crystal empire. It’s a one mare business. I started up there in March because there were no forges there, so I seized the chance to make it big.”

“Have you?” I finished off the hot chocolate, no longer very hot, but still hot.

“While I am still the sole blacksmith up there, business is rather sparse. I make enough to live somewhat comfortably, but not much more than that. The hardest part of my business is just getting business. Sometimes, I go four days without anything happening. What about you?”

“The Carne Den actually runs fairly smoothly thanks to everyone’s efforts. I can only imagine what’s going on without me there.”

Gilda walked to an official looking unicorn that had asked for her. “Can I help you?”

“I’m just here to convey a message. Are you the owner of this establishment?”

“For the time being. What do you want?”

The unicorn pulled a framed certificate out of their saddlebag. “I’m just here to give this award to the Carne Den for breaking the world record for longest line at a restaurant without Hearth’s Warming decorations during the Hearth’s Warming season.”

“How long is the line?”

“When I reached the end of the line, a mare named Applejack had just left her house.” Gilda gave the pony a curious gaze. “The line ended literally five steps from her front porch.”

“I’m sure everything’s fine down there.”

“Yeah, it probably is.”

“Oh, I have a pet firebird named Grapefruit.”

“A phoenix?”

“No, a firebird. If a phoenix is like a bowling pin, firebirds are like bowling balls, and about the same size too. She lives in my forge.”

“With the fire going?”

“Yep. She’s a fireproof ball of golden feathers.”

“Well, I’ve got a pet bear. Her name’s Asada and she’s really smart. Like, I asked her to pull up a chair for a guest once and she did it.”

“Sounds like a trained animal.”

“Nobody’s taught her what a chair is or how to do that.”

“I take that back. She does sound smart.”

“You’ve got the cooler pet” we both said at the same time.

“You know what, I think you are right” I said. “I do have the cooler pet.”

“On what grounds?”

“Temperature.”

Smithy blinked a bit before facehooving. “I got it, I got it. Celestia, that was bad.”

“No, it was actually pretty good” Celestia said as she walked up to us. “How are you two doing?”

“I’m wishing we were inside where it’s warmer” I said, only slightly suspicious of her timing.

“Don’t worry, this is the coldest it gets. Personally, I can’t understand why you thought that kind of dress would work out here.”

“It’s not like I have a whole wardrobe of fancy clothes with me. And as much as I like this dress, its heating charms aren’t helping enough. I also put off choosing the dress until Rarity and Twilight took a more forceful approach, so there was only time for the one.”

“I heard about that. Let me give you a hoof.” Celestia’s horn lit up and she cast a spell on me. “That should help you during your time here.”

“What did you do?” I was feeling a lot better after the spell.

“I simply increased the power of the heating charms in your clothes. It will last about until you get home. Rarity is excellent at weaving spells into what she makes, but those spells lack a bit in power.”

“Well, thanks a lot then.”

Celestia turned to Smithy. “I’ve heard a bit about you from Princess Cadence, Miss Dreamkeeper. If I recall, Shining Armor commissioned you for a training sword for Flurry Heart for Hearth’s Warming this year, yes?”

“I finished and delivered it before I came here, Princess. Shining Armor covered a filling lunch and first class train ticket on top of what he paid me.”

“He is a good stallion. Can you tell me a bit about the sword?”

“I wrote an instruction manual for it regarding the enchantments I put in it. Safe edges, lightweight, noticeability, and an emergency deactivation rune partially built into an internal telekinetic switch, so it can become very sharp and have some heft to it when needed.”

“That’s quite well thought out, Ms. Dreamkeeper. I’m looking forward to hearing about it from Princess Cadence.

“I hope you both enjoy the rest of the event.” Celestia walked off and let us be.

“So, would you like the address for Steel and Runes? I can make just about anything you’d like.”

“I don’t have anything to write with.” I cursed my lack of pockets.

“We’ve still got time. If you need a notebook, I’m sure the castle can provide one.”

“And a pencil?”

“Now you’re just asking too much.” A moment later, both of us were laughing at the joke. “Yeah, they’ll probably give you those if you ask. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Yang.”

“You too, Smithy.” I politely waved as she left me.

I was just about to go find Fancy and Fleur so I could return the thermos when a pile of snow fell on me from somewhere up above. The cold of the stuff didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would, and I could even feel it melting around me. “Thank you, Celestia, for this heating charm.” I heard a bit of a commotion from outside the mound, but it was otherwise dark.

“Please, stand back everyone” I could barely hear Celestia say. “Please allow me to take care of this.” I felt my clothes get a bit hotter before a blast wave went out around me, clearing all the snow for ten feet in every direction.

After Celestia’s heating charms went back to their original power levels, I approached her. “Thank you, Princess. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll go dry off, get the dress cleaned, and call it a night.”

“I understand. Have a good evening, Yang.”

I was less than ten steps into the castle when I got some companions. “As shocked as I am that that happened, I sadly am not surprised that it did” Fancy said.

“I’d bet the nice half of my collection of saddles that one of our compatriots did that” Fleur added.

“Which saddles are those again, dear? Because they all look nice on you.”

“They really are still out for revenge, aren't they?” I asked.

“Unfortunately, yes. Most of the last meeting was them quietly exchanging papers with each other on how to get at you. I caught glimpses of the papers, though I couldn’t read enough of the details. Of course, while they were busy, we looked over the budget and Celestia passed one of our bills. Starting next month, tax rates will go from 15% down to 12%, thanks to a little bit of budget streamlining and trimming. That will let businesses invest more in themselves and let everyone live a bit better with the extra bits.”

“Maybe you should get a foal table in the room for the meetings if they keep thinking of getting at me. They get the table for the adults, then you two and the head of the meeting take care of business at the foal’s table.”

Fleur giggled at the suggestion. “That would be hilarious. Fancy, I’m going to go table shopping after the awards are given out.”

“I’ll work a bit of my craft to get a reporter in to get a picture of the new arrangement once it’s done” Fancy said.

“And I’ll look forward to reading about it” I added just as we approached my guarded room. “Anyways, thanks for walking with me, you two. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Yang” they said at the same time.

“Good night.”

After I was in my toasty room, I got my pyjamas, went into the bathroom, took my wet clothes off, dried off, and changed. Sleep came easily enough for me, and I had good dreams that night.

Author's Notes:

Imagine I said something clever about interior design and decor here.