The next couple weeks went by slowly, Emerald hating being stuck inside in winter. Trill began getting into the routine of getting up early and helping home-school her daughter for the season. The two princesses at least had something to do besides sit around or walk around the castle, staying warm and avoid falling into a hibernating state due to them being changelings, half-changeling for the young princess. Even after her lessons were over, as soon as school was out for the day, Emerald's friends Melody and Virtuo came over to play until they had to go back home.

Now that winter break was here, the filly's best friends stayed over sometimes until the evening where they had a sleepover. But not tonight; tonight was Hearth's Warming Eve, and tomorrow, the castle was going to have a festive party only for those who are close friends or relatives of the royal family. The palace was already decorated for the holidays the moment snow began covering the streets of Canterlot in a white blanket of fluffy whiteness. It was hard for Emerald to stay asleep, where she would wake up in the morning and open Hearth's Warming presents with her family.

Emerald awoke before the crack of dawn, sitting up in her bed at around five-thirty in the morning. "Hearth's Warming!" she cheered. The excited filly jumped out of bed after tossing aside her blanket, sprinting out of her room and into her parents' bedroom. She then jumped up onto their bed, bouncing around to try to wake them up. "Mommy, daddy, wake up! It's Hearth's Warming!"

Trill let out an irritated groan, lifting her head up with squinted eyes. "Waking up earlier than should," she mumbled. "Need more sleep."

She fell back asleep, making the filly grumble as her mother began snoring. She bounced over to Solaris, shoving him to try to wake him up since he was an early riser, but with no success.

"Daddy, it's Hearth's Warming!" she said. "Wake up, daddy!" Emerald jumped on the alicorn, even tugging on his ear hard to get him to at least open his eyes, but the stallion was out like a light. She fell on her back after tugging on Solaris's ear too hard. Growing irritated, she sat up and approached his head, using her hooves to force one of his eyes to open. "Daddyyyyyyy!"

He began waking up, muttering something as he sat up with a grunt. "Wha-? What's going on?" he asked in his tired state.

"It's Hearth's Warming today, daddy!" Emerald said. "Time to open presents!"

"What time is it...?" Solaris sat up with a yawn, the excited filly backing up and dancing on her hooves in anticipation. He looked out the window, the sky still dark as snow gently fell from the clouds. "Emmy, the sun isn't even up yet. It's too early to be up, anyway."

"But it's Hearth's Warming!" Emerald said again, her parents already getting the message the first time.

"Ugh. We get it," Trill grumbled, tossing around in her spot while moving her pillow over her head. "Hearth's Warming. Holiday. Not right now, though..."

As much as Solaris wanted to chide his beloved with her disgruntled response, he was also a little annoyed being woken up by Emerald this early in the morning. Then again, it was Hearth's Warming, and he had planned a huge gathering today for all his friends and family, inviting them to the castle and celebrate the holiday together. He couldn't really blame his daughter for being excited for one of the many exciting days of the year every foal couldn't wait to arrive. He did it a few times himself as a colt, running into his Uncle Spike's bedroom cheering at the top of his lungs and waking him up, jumping up and down on his belly to make sure he stayed awake. That memory made him sigh sadly, wishing Spike and his Aunts Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were still here.

Emerald stopped dancing when she noticed the sad, distant look in her daddy's eyes, as well as sense the sadness coming from him. Trill could also feel it, lifting the pillow off her head to look at him. She knew he was thinking back to what happened to the ponies who were the only family he knew growing up, the horrible, heartbreaking, psychologically traumatizing ends to their lives that broke him more and more as his destined journey to bringing Equestria back to the peaceful kingdom it once was after fifteen years of misery from a tyrannical stallion. Solaris had won, but at such a heavy cost with such a heavy burden for a teenage stallion after only setting foot outside of the mountain he lived in for most of his youth. Trill knew how hard it was for him after all they went through; every loss began cracking his heart little by little, the realization of what his losses would be once he passed the trials his mother gave him almost scaring him into giving up on them.

"...Daddy?" Emerald said, worried by his silence and staring off into space, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

Trill sat up, forgetting about sleep as her husband's needs came before hers whenever he's in a state of misery, gently rubbing her hoof against his. "Honey, you ok?"

Thankfully, he snapped out of his thoughts as he felt his wife's hoof against his foreleg. "...Y-Yeah. I'm good," he said, rubbing his eyes and wiped away his tears, along with what sleep he did get now that he was awake. He looked at Trill, taking her hoof in his own, giving it a light kiss. "Sorry. I always forget you two can tell how I feel half the time...Some days, I just wish I didn't have to think about the past and just...zone out. Leave my mind blank and do nothing."

"And then the rightful prince of Equestria decides to become a stoner and send the whole kingdom into chaos," Trill said with a giggle. "I can see the headlines: 'Prince Solaris: Royal Slob', and the picture shows you being lazy on the throne while eating junk food and getting fatter."

"No, that would be you with all the gallons of chocolate you digest in a year, yet you're still skinny that you make supermodels jealous." Trill stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

She was at least glad to steer his thoughts away from the past, but before she could lean closer to kiss him, the couple forgot about their daughter sitting on their bed with them. "Mommy, daddy, what's a 'stoner'?"

The surprised shock on Solaris's face made the changeling smirk and nearly bust out laughing at the innocent, curious questions the filly asked. "You want me to tell her?"

"No," Solaris said, pressing his hoof against his wife's lips to keep her quiet, despite her giggles being muffled, looking down at the pony/changeling filly. "And you should be getting back to bed and sleeping."

"But I'm wide awake," Emerald said, only to let out a big yawn. Her eyes drooped, trying to stay awake as the few hours of sleep she did get weren't enough for a filly her age. "I wanna open presents."

"Not after seeing that yawn," he said. "Come on, let's get you back into bed." Emerald whined, being carried off in her daddy's aura as she tiredly struggled in vain. Her body betrayed her, however, yawning again as her eyes grew heavier while being cradled in the stallion's telekinetic hold. Solaris levitated the filly back into her room, gently lowering her down in her bed, pulling the covers over her and brought her stuffed bear closer for her to hold. Emerald moaned in protest, but she eventually let slumber take her, holding her teddy bear closer as the alicorn gently placed a kiss on her forehead. "We'll open presents when everypony arrives later today. Love you, Emmy."

Solaris quietly left the room and closed Emerald's bedroom door. Now that he was already up, he figured he could start preparing a few more things early for the party. He didn't want to burden Trill again with his past, even if it was hard to move on from his losses after all these years. Even though he was older now, a leader of a kingdom that needed his strength, and a loving father and husband, he still felt lost in this world without the guidance of his family. He may have Shining Armor, Cadence, and his cousin, Flurry Heart, but the mares and dragon he grew up with are no longer here with him; to celebrate birthdays, take part in festivities, comfort him when he's upset, or give him advice when he's confused or needed to know something. It wasn't the same without them when they died.

He shook his head, stopping himself from thinking about those bittersweet memories before Emerald or Trill could tell he was feeling upset again. Solaris quickly made his way down the hall and hurried toward the kitchen to make himself some breakfast and get the party ready.

Emerald muttered in her sleep, the sun already up in the sky as she slept another few hours after being tucked back into bed. As the sunlight shined through the curtains in the bedroom window, another light shimmered in the middle of her room, the glowing lavender light expanding and fading as the ethereal alicorn stood in the fading light's place. Twilight expected Emerald to be wide awake and excited, but she was still sleeping. She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes, probably waking up too early in excitement and then wound up passed out a moment later.

"Seems like someone didn't get enough sleep last night," she said to herself. Twilight walked over to the bed, the sleeping filly unaware of her presence. She gently shook her, her eyes squinting open as she grunted. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Emerald."

"Hearth's...Warming?" Emerald mumbled tiredly. It took her a moment to process what her guardian angel told her, her ears perking up as she sat up, now wide awake. "Hearth's Warming!? It's today!" Tossing aside her covers, she picked up her teddy bear that fell on the floor while she was asleep and put him on her back before leaping off her bed and ran out of her room. "Daddy! Presents!"

Twilight giggled and chased after her with a shake of her head. Emerald ran through the halls to look for her parents, who were probably somewhere in the castle with how late in the morning it was. The first place she decided to look was in the ballroom, where the presents were held underneath a pine tree she helped decorate with her parents. She was right with her guess as she saw her daddy checking the decorations around the room, though her mommy was either somewhere else or still sleeping.

"Ok, I think everything looks good," Solaris muttered to himself. "Now, we wait for-"

"Daddy!" Emerald yelled as she ran to him, getting his attention and leapt into his open hooves.

"Well, looks like somepony finally got enough sleep now," he said. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Emmy."

"Happy Hearth's Warming, daddy!" Emerald said. "Can I open presents now?"

The alicorn laughed, patting the filly's head. "No, not yet. We need to wait for everypony else to show up, then we can open presents."

"Can't I open just one?" Emerald begged.

"Nope. Sorry." The filly pouted and grumbled, her attitude changing as Solaris kissed her forehead, making her giggle. "Did you see mommy anywhere?" Emerald shook her head, which made him sigh. "Either she's sleeping in or sneaking a chocolaty breakfast from me again."

"I didn't sneak off for any chocolate," Trill called out as she entered the ballroom. "Even if I did, I'd be scarfing down the biggest block in one gulp." Solaris rolled his eyes, lowering Emerald back down to the ground, but quickly stepping down on her tail before she tried to sneak off and open her presents early. Trill approached her family, looking around at the festive decorations. "I think Cherry's going to eventually outdo your hard work as soon as she pops up from wherever there's a possible hiding place in here."

"Yeah, she would," Solaris admitted. "Never really had much practice actually setting up the decorations. I only plan them out, when I'm allowed to."

"Mommy, daddy won't let me open a present!" Emerald whined with a pout. "Can I open one?"

Trill looked at her husband, but the stallion shook his head no. "Sorry, but daddy makes the rules. And he clearly doesn't want me to help you break this one."

The filly grumbled and pouted some more. She wanted to see what new toys she got for being a good filly this year, not counting getting in trouble the first day of school because of Gold Plate and Platinum Band picking on her and Melody. Even though it was Hearth's Warming, there were still some servants and guards that came in to work during the holiday, one of the royal guards entering the ballroom as he looked for Solaris.

"Your Highness," he called out, gaining the royal family's attention as he approached them. "It appears you have a guest wishing to see you and your family."

"...Uhh, don't you mean 'guests'?" Solaris questioned, looking at Trill in confusion. "And they're here a bit too early than expected."

"I don't know who it was," the guard said. "All I could tell was that it was a mare, about as tall as you, Prince Solaris, but it was hard to tell what she looked like under...I believe seven different layers of clothing."

"Why would she need that much clothing?" Trill asked. "It's not that freezing cold out, is it?...Then again, I can't stand the cold for long or else I'll end up hibernating."

"She was following me, but I guess she lagged behind because of her clothes slowing her movements," the guard said as he pointed at the doorway.

It didn't take long for the unexpected guest to finally reach the ballroom, the mare in question all bundled up in several different winter coats that got thicker with each layer. Her whole entire body was covered head to hoof, even her tail. The only thing that gave away who she were the green eyes and black, crooked and fractured horn not normal for a unicorn.

"Please tell me there's a fireplace somewhere in this castle," the mare said, her voice muffled as her muzzle was covered by the big green parka's closed up hood. "I don't care if it's warm enough in this castle. I'm still freezing to death."

"Mom!?" Trill exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here!?"

"Grandma!" Emerald said excitedly, Solaris lifting his hoof off her tail to let her run into her changeling grandmother and tackle her leg in a hug. She yelped as soon as her body latched onto Chrysalis's freezing clothing, backing away and shivering. "Ahh! Grandma's really cold!"

"Well, that's one way I can avoid getting glomped," Chrysalis muttered to herself. "But not at the expense of turning into an icicle."

Solaris approached the changeling queen, helping her take off the layers of clothes she had on before she ended up suffocating under all the thick coats she decided to wear. "Went on a little shopping spree to visit your granddaughter?"

"No," Chrysalis said, relieved to be out of those clothes, shivering slightly as her body began adjusting to the warmth inside the castle. "I knew that if I didn't come, Discord would find me and teleport me here anyway, so I did."

"You like Emmy too much to not disappoint her during the holiday or formal events," Solaris said, knowing full well that his mother-in-law came to visit by her own will, not by force. "You've got a soft spot for her, and you don't want to admit it."

"I do not," Chrysalis argued. "Just show me where a nearby fireplace is so I can stop shivering before I decide to leave."

"And risk getting frozen into a hibernative state again?" The changeling grumbled, but Solaris could tell she wasn't going anywhere for another few months until Winter Wrap-Up comes and the weather warms up a bit. "Here, let me help warm you up."

"Sharing body heat isn't going to-" Chrysalis froze when the alicorn hugged her. She hated it, even though it wasn't considered an affectionate gesture, but she was surprised to feel how warm his body was. She could see why Trill always wanted to curl up beside him when winter comes around; Solaris was like a portable heater, thanks to the inherent dragon fire Spike gave him. Chrysalis already felt the cold disappear from her limbs, but with her daughter and hybrid granddaughter watching, the former smirking at her while the latter wanted to glomp onto her leg again, she cleared her throat and pushed the stallion away. "Ok, I'm warm enough!"

"I'll take that as a thank you," Solaris said. "Now you can hug grandma, Emmy."

"Yay!" Emerald ran back to Chrysalis and hugged her leg, to her disdain.

"Come on, mom, you know you love her," Trill said teasingly. "Even after seeing that mess when Emerald was born."

"Thank you for bringing back those nightmares," the changeling queen grumbled, trying to shake off the clinging, giggling filly latched onto her foreleg.

"And you're hoping to see Shining Armor again, weren't you?" That question caught Chrysalis off guard, scowling at her daughter in response, though that was all the confirmation Trill needed. "Yup. You like him more than just using him as food. As good as an actor you can be while in disguise, you're not that good at suppressing your denial."

Chrysalis growled, ignoring Trill and dropping the subject and looked down at Emerald. "Did you bring presents, grandma?"

"...Yes. I'm the present," Chrysalis said sarcastically. "I forgot the bow and didn't want to stuff myself in a box."

"Yay!" Emerald cheered, hugging Chrysalis's leg tightly. "Grandma's my present!"

Solaris and Trill laughed while the queen let out a sigh. Chrysalis didn't know why she made herself over to Canterlot, in the middle of winter no less, aside from the fact that if Discord came to her lair, he would have forced her regardless. Maybe she did get a little soft when it came to Emerald, having a granddaughter that was a mix of pony and changeling blood a new change along with this alliance between Equestria and her hive. She didn't need to be intimidating or find a way to gather food for herself and her subjects anymore, which made her bored and even more anxious than constantly hiding when Lucifer took control of the kingdom in his tyrannical reign. She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't think it was so bad to gain some affection from a filly, even if she wasn't able to take the love she gave her with the changeling blood Emerald had.

"Who's ready for this epic Hearth's Warming party!?" Cherry asked everyone as they sat in a train car headed up the mountain toward Canterlot.

"I'm pretty sure all of us are down for the party, Cherry," Prism said.

Sitting in the car were the rest of Solaris's surrogate cousins, Apple Bloom and her brother Big Macintosh, Scootaloo, and Discord, some of them wearing scarves, coats, and/or hats to keep them warm from the cold. Gemstone, however, was more dressed up for a formal gathering compared to the others, complete with makeup to make herself more pretty to impress ponies, or for everyone else in the train care seeing the obvious, somepony.

"Gem, ya know we're just goin' to see Solaris, right?" Apple Seed questioned. "Even though he lives in the castle, we're his family, so gettin' all gussied up ain't necessary."

"I'm free to dress however I want, Apple Seed," Gemstone said, looking at herself with a compact mirror as she made sure her curly mane was still perfectly styled how she wanted it to be. "I'd rather look my best at any gathering, familial or formal."

"...Ya still have a crush on Sol, don't ya?" the young stallion asked, giving the unicorn a deadpanned stare with a raised brow.

"Seed, Ah think it was obvious even as she grew up," Apple Bloom said. "Gem's too much like her mother. Applejack once told me how Rarity had this crush on somepony named Trenderhoof, and tried desperately to get his attention while he was smitten for her. It was a pretty funny story, huh, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup," the elder Apple agreed as both siblings laughed at the events of those days.

"Gemstone, Solaris sees us as his younger brothers and sisters," Butterscotch added. "You do remember that, right?"

"Well, we aren't related to him, so I think my relationship with him can be more than that," Gemstone said, oblivious to her friends' exasperated expressions. "Besides, it isn't illegal for one pony to be in love with more than one pony as long as each pony has each others' consent. It's just uncommon nowadays." The unicorn let out an irritated sigh. "I wasn't able to proclaim my love for him officially at the Gala with everypony else crowding him, but I'll have my chance today now that it's just a party with us as the only guests."

The younger ponies all groaned at Gemstone's ignorance, shaking their heads at how oblivious she was with what Solaris had told her about their relationship. "Yup. Just like her mom," Scootaloo said as she lounged on one of the benches. "Though, I don't know why Solaris doesn't say yes. If I were him and I was surrounded by mares who wanted to be all over me, I'd say hay yeah and get me some."

"Scootaloo, seriously?" Apple Bloom chided. "Ah think we know Sol better than anypony else. Besides, doesn't Trill provide all that much 'attention' to him alone?"

"Has he been in a threesome yet?" the pegasus mare asked, only to earn a hard punch in the shoulder from Apple Bloom. "Ow! What!? I'm just asking! He can have fun with two mares in the bedroom if he wanted to!"

"Just keep your thoughts to yourself, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom grumbled.

"I'm just saying," Scootaloo mumbled to herself, rubbing her sore shoulder. "He could use some fun after all the crap he's been through..."

It didn't take long for the train to reach Canterlot Station, the locomotive screeching to a halt at its destination. They disembarked along with other passengers, making sure they were bundled up enough for the cold outside. Waiting outside for them was Discord with a chaotically designed scarf around his neck, holding a neon sign that flashed every so often that read "Prince Solaris's Family".

"And Discord's our chauffeur," Prism noted. "Wonder how he's gonna get us to the castle."

"Hello, everypony!" Discord said with a wave. "Looks like I arrived just in time!"

"Uncle Discord!" Butterscotch flew up to the draconequus and caught him in a hug, which he returned in kind. "How have you been?"

"Oh, trying not to spread too much chaos," Discord said. "Only enough to do some good, and all that jazz." He let go of Butterscotch, the others approaching him as they were ready for whatever method of transportation he had in mind for them. "Now, before we get to the castle, we're waiting for another few guests that are arriving."

"Who else is coming?" Cherry asked curiously and excitedly.

"Some by air, some by another train," Discord responded with his vague response.

In only a matter of minutes, the first of several other guests flew into the city, two griffons landing in front of the station before them. "Hey, dweebs."

"Gilda, Gale, nice of you to arrive," Discord greeted.

"Hey, you were at Solaris's coronation," Prism said.

"Yup," Gale said. "Didn't have much of a chance to get to know each other with that big shindig a while back."

"Yeah. A really big cause for celebration after that stallion finally kicked the bucket," Gilda said. "Never thought the kid had it in him to take his life, but it was all for the entire world's sake." She looked at Prism, a little shocked to see just how similar she looked compared to her mother. As much as she wanted to apologize for how much of a jerk she was back then, it wouldn't help her guilt as her regret will remain with her until the day she dies. She sighed and shook her head, refraining from letting the past get to her emotions. "Alright, we all just gonna stand out here and catch a cold, or are we heading for the castle?"

"Just a couple more guests!" Discord said. "Ooh! And here they are now!"

The draconequus pointed at the station, where another train from the north slowed to a halt and stopped at another platform. This one was a special locomotive designed to transport the royals of the Crystal Empire, which mean that Solaris's aunt, uncle, and cousin were arriving and were joining them as Solaris's guests. Cadence and Flurry Heart stepped off the train, the alicorn filly wearing a purple and blue scarf and pink earmuffs while her mother wore white scarf, stopping at the steps as they looked back and waited for Shining Armor. The unicorn stallion stepped off, forced to use a walker to help him move around as he looked miserable and embarrassed, wearing a blue and brown jacket to keep him warm.

"I can't believe I'm using this thing," Shining grumbled to himself. "I'm not even considered a senior yet, and I already feel like a useless old coot."

"Honey, if you're going to want to move around without being in too much pain, you're going to have to use that," Cadence said. "I know you don't want to constantly keep taking pain medications for the rest of your life."

"If only there was a doctor who can actually fix my legs so I don't have to be handicapped for the rest of my life," the stallion grumbled to himself as he joined his wife and daughter.

"Don't be a grump," the pink alicorn chided. "Solaris and Emerald will be happy to see us visit and enjoy the holiday together. Don't let being an old stallion get you down."

Flurry giggled as she watched her father slump over with a groan. "Daddy's not that old, mommy."

"I sure feel like it," Shining said.

"You're old?" Discord asked, teleporting behind the Crystal Empire's royal family, surprising Shining Armor. "I'm over a thousand years old, and I'm still in my prime!"

"You're practically immortal," Shining argued. "Do you even have a lifespan?"

"How should I know? I'm the only draconequus in the world. I am a deity, in some sense, though I think that's just my chaotic powers." With a snap of his fingers, he emphasized his point as he turned the snow around them into dancing snowponies, surprising the other Canterlot ponies walking about while Flurry Heart danced along with them. "I was close to death once, too, you know. Lucifer had enough dark magic coursing through his veins to cancel out my own magic. If he was going to kill me, he should have just zapped me right then and there in that pyramid."

"I don't need to be reminded of him," Shining growled. "None of us do."

"Well, I just wanted to tell you I was just as powerless as everypony else. No need to get mad at me." Discord snapped his fingers again, making the snowponies melt into piles of snow, disappointing Flurry Heart's fun with them ending so soon. Everyone was then suddenly teleported at the front gates of the castle, startling the guards at their post. "Now, let us make merry and have a fun time before memories turn us into Scrooges. I wonder how Emerald is doing without her chaotic uncle around."

Discord nonchalantly made his way inside the castle ahead of the ponies and two griffons, Cherry the only one seemingly disappointed at being transported rather than riding in style. "Aww! Teleportation? That's boring...Oh well! Time to see our niece!"

The earth pony bounded after the draconequus, the rest of the group looking at each other before they followed them. They were guided by a servant who escorted them to the ballroom where their Hearth's Warming party was taking place. As they walked through the halls, making sure to go slow enough for Shining Armor to catch up as he was forced to move at a slow pace with his walker, Flurry Heart looked up at Gale, noticing he always kept looking forward while his eyes never moved to look at everyone.

"Hey, how come you aren't looking around the castle?" Flurry asked. "You don't like how it looks?"

"I've been here before," Gale said, which only bothered the filly more. "Name's Gale, by the way, Your Highness."

"I'm down here," she said.

"I know." The blind griffon gave Flurry a boop on the nose, perfectly aiming for her snout as he walked and didn't look at her. "I'm blind, so I can't really see anything, but I have a way of seeing things if you catch my drift."

"...Ummm...no?" She only got more confused after Gale told her he was blind.

"It's a little complicated to explain, but let's just say I have a really enhanced sense of touch when it comes to my feathers." As they turned a corner, Flurry wasn't paying attention to where she was going as she kept her eyes on Gale. "Wall."

"Huh?" Flurry said before bonking her head against the wall. "Ow!"

"Warned ya." She rubbed her head, thankfully not moving too fast to leave a bump, though it did hurt a little. Gale guided her back with the group with a smirk, knowing Flurry was leering at him as if he knew she was going to ram into the wall. "I saw that wall coming a mile away, and yet I can't see it with my real eyes."

"You made me do it on purpose," Flurry argued.

"Yeah, yeah, blame the blind griffon," Gale said. "Not my fault you weren't paying attention to where you were going." Flurry stuck her tongue out him, which made him snicker and shake his head. "Boy, if your a bundle of joy, I can't wait to see Solaris's kid."

Once they arrived in the ballroom, they got a look at the decorations set up everywhere, the tree and several presents for everyone, the long line of various goods at the buffet table, and a few party games for the foals. Aside from seeing Solaris fretting with some decorations to make sure they were perfect and Trill watching Emerald play Pin the Tail on the Pony, the filly blindfolded and making her way over to pin the tail on a picture of a pony, they were surprised to see Chrysalis sitting beside Trill, though she looked a bit bored watching Emerald stumble around.

"Chrysie!?" Discord exclaimed, the changeling queen's ears perking up as she straightened up, then lowered back down as she let out an exasperated groan. He appeared in front of Chrysalis, meeting her irritated gaze as his body wound up curled around her like a snake. "When did you get here!? You actually came all this way here through the cold!?"

"Discord, get away from me before I bite you," Chrysalis warned.

"I knew there was a heart in that chest of yours, and you came because you care about your family," Discord teased, poking the mare's muzzle. Chrysalis growled and bit him, holding up to her warning as he yelped. Discord teleported away and shook his bitten paw. "A heart made of stone, but at least it's alive."

"She did warn you," Trill said to the draconequus. "When she threatens to do something to you, she will do it. Learned that the hard way."

"Because you never pay any attention to what I say," Chrysalis argued.

Emerald finally reached the little poster of the drawn pony, placing the tail where she thought it went to. The filly took off her blindfold excitedly, only to pout in disappointment as she aimed nowhere near the pony's flank, instead pinning the tail on its chin.

"I missed," she uttered.

"But that is a funny looking beard," Flurry said, having snuck up on her cousin while she was playing.

Emerald gasped and turned around. "Flurry!" she squealed happily.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" they both chanted, performing their little greeting dance, then hugged.

"Happy Hearth's Warming," Flurry said.

"I'm so happy you're here!" Emerald said. "Wait. Does that mean...?" Looking behind Flurry Heart, she saw the rest of her relatives had arrived, related and non, though she had no idea who the two griffons were that were with them. She first saw her Grandaunt Cadence and Granduncle Shining and ran for them first. "Auntie Cadence! Unca Shiny!"

Solaris looked away from the tree he was fussing over as he heard his daughter announce his aunt and uncle's presence, watching the hybrid filly nearly tackle Cadence over while caught in the pink alicorn's hooves. As happy as he was to see them and the rest of his extended family, he was surprised to see Gilda and Gale in the castle after not seeing them for a few years. He walked over to them, Gale waving to him despite his head turned in another direction, knowing he as able to see him approach them.

"Gilda, Gale, this is kind of an odd surprise," he said. "What are you two doing here?"

"I can't visit his Royal Highness for some holiday cheer?" Gale asked. "I mean, I would have dropped by whenever I pleased, but with your kid and your duties as a prince, I'd figured you barely have much time to yourself. That and I was busy with stuff in the griffon kingdom."

"I didn't actually expect you to show up is all," Solaris said. "It's great seeing you two again."

"Same," Gilda said. She looked over at Cadence and Shining Armor, where Emerald was busy hugging them while they asked her how she's been since the Gala. "Cute kid you got. Looks a bit too much like her dad if we take out the holes, crooked horn, and fangs." Glancing back at the filly, she looked back at Solaris. "So, Gale told me you pulled off some crazy spells to make her? Is it even possible for a changeling to get knocked up by a pony?"

"It took a lot of research, but we found it," the prince said proudly. "And in an ironic twist, how the spell came to be was because a unicorn stallion was in a loving relationship with a griffoness, so he created it for them to have their own baby."

"Seriously?" Gilda questioned in surprise. "You pulling my wings?" Solaris shook his head in response. "...Was there any details about how they did it when he used that spell?"

"Ugh. Mom, really?" Gale groaned in disgust. "I was already disturbed by how the pregnant griffon in that story behind it gave a live birth instead of laying an egg, and now you're going to put weird thoughts in my head about how they banged."

"And when are you going to settle down and find yourself a little girlfriend, huh?" Gilda argued. "I may not seem like it, but I do want to be a grandma at some point." Gale just rolled his eyes as he was lectured by his mother. "Don't roll your eyes at me, mister."

"I'll settle down when I find the right griffoness, not all the ones that flock to me when I'm anywhere near them," he said. "I may be a soldier, but I can get too overwhelmed with the scent of estrogen constantly clouding my head. Can't even focus on where I walk, let alone fly, until I slam my head into the side of a building or pole."

"Maybe your senses are telling you to get laid?" Solaris joked, but Gale leered at him with his glossed irises.

"Shut up," the blind griffon grumbled. "And you have a problem with that? You've got a nymphomaniac of a wife where you don't even need to ask for permission before getting some."

"Try avoiding a night when she feels frisky every single day," Solaris countered. "You want some fun? Go ask Trill, and maybe she'll say yes...and make me watch..." The alicorn shuddered as his banter turned sour with the odd thought that popped in his head. "On second thought, don't. I'm already feeling self-conscious." Quickly searching for something to distract his roaming thoughts, he sought one from watching Emerald hugging and talking to the others. "Hey, Emmy! Come over here, please!"

The filly looked back at her daddy after getting one of Cherry's big hugs, then ran over to him. "Yes, daddy?"

"I want you to meet some friends of mine. This is Gilda, and her son, Gale, the first friend I ever made," Solaris introduced.

Trill overheard the stallion, walking up to him and smacking his shoulder. "Hey, I thought I was your first friend before you loved me, you jerk."

"First MALE friend I ever made," Solaris corrected. "Better?" Trill stuck her tongue out at him and huffed, but she smirked, pleased with the better answer. "Still able to pick a fight better than you upon first meeting, though."

The mare growled and tried to punch her husband's shoulder, but her quickly caught it with his hoof. "You still can't let that go, can you!?" Trill complained, flailing her other forehoof in frustration, making Emerald giggle as her daddy teased her mommy. "I trip one time, and you keep bringing that up just to spite me!"

"I think that's pretty hilarious," Gale commented with a smirk. While Trill kept giving Solaris a death glare, the blind griffon held a claw out to Emerald. "Nice seeing ya, princess."

The filly stared at his claw, then up at him, confused as to why he didn't look down at her. "Umm, I'm down here."

"I know, squirt," Gale said. He waited for her to shake his claw, but she kept looking at him as if he was an odd creature from the Everfree Forest. "What, did your dad forget to teach you how to shake someone's hoof? Or claw?" Gale grabbed one of Emerald's hooves, placing it in his opened claw, teaching her how to shake someone's limb teasingly. "You grab the other's appendage, squeeze, and then shake it up and down. Plain and simple."

"I know how to shake somepony's hoof," the filly uttered with a pout, puffing her cheeks in annoyance.

"I'm just messing with you," Gale assured, ruffling Emerald's mane. "You're just as serious as your dad."

Emerald squirmed under Gale's claw mussing up her hair, fixing it back to normal once he stopped. "Why are you still looking at daddy? I'm down here!"

"And you forgot to mention to your daughter about my eyesight, Solaris?" Gale scoffed at the alicorn stallion shaking his head in disappointment.

"I didn't even tell her about you just yet," Solaris argued. "I was going to, but I've always been busy."

"Yeah, sure you have," Gale said sarcastically. Solaris rolled his eyes at his friend's tone as the griffon lowered himself to Emerald's eye level, moving his drooped fringe away from his eye. "Take a look at my eyes, little princess. See anything strange about them?"

The filly looked closely at his glazed eyes, which were very odd to her when all the eyes she's seen from her family, including her own, had colored irises, none of them gray. "...Your eyes are...gray?"

"Not exactly. Wave your hoof in front of me." She did as she was told, moving her hoof back and forth in his face. His eyes didn't follow her movements, even after waving wildly and quickly. Gale chuckling, grabbing her hoof to stop her before she tired herself. "Ok, good enough. Did you see my eyes follow your hoof?"

"No," she said. "Where you just looking at me?"

"Nope. I can't see your hoof because I'm blind," Gale explained as he pointed at his eyes. "I was born without sight."

That only confused Emerald more after he accurately grabbed her hoof and rubbed her head. "But if you can't see, you knew where I was."

"Because I'm a special kind of griffon." Gale gave Emerald a boop on the muzzle with the tip of one of his wings. "When losing one sense, my others senses are stronger. Especially touch. Any movement you make, anytime you breathe, I have a way of 'seeing' you."

"Really?" Intrigued, Emerald hummed in thought, wanting to test Gale's enhanced senses. "Ok, if you can 'see' me without your eyes, what do I look like? And don't say I'm a pony! What do I have!?"

"Alright, challenge accepted," Gale said. "You have...a jagged, crooked horn like a changeling's, pegasus wings, although I think they're more like alicorn wings courtesy of your dad's genes, little fangs to sink into your victims-" He chomped his beak to emphasize Emerald's sharper canines, making her laugh a little. "-and you also have little holes in your hooves like a changeling's."

"Hmmm...Ok...So, what color is my coat and mane?" Emerald asked, slightly convinced, but issuing one more challenge.

"Oh, boy. Looks like somepony's getting all smug," Gilda commented. "Better not lose to a little filly, Gale."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, mom." Ignoring his mother's grin, Gale dragged his wings all over Emerald, making her think that his feathers could help him see her fur and hair colors. Even though he couldn't see colors through his enhanced senses, he had to take a guess to try to humor her. "Alright...you have...black fur, and your mane and tail are colored blue, orange, and magenta in a swirly pattern."

"Nope! That's not right!" Emerald said with a giggle.

"Uhh, ok...Pink fur and a yellow mane with black stripes zigzagging downward?" he guessed.

"Nuh-uh!" Emerald said with a shake of her head.

"Seven shades of blue fur and hair!" he guessed again, making the filly laugh as she shook her head again. "...Ok, I give up."

"I have white fur, and my mane is emerald green with a gold streak down the middle," Emerald said.

"That was going to be my twenty-third guess." Emerald stuck her tongue out playfully at him, earning a pat on the head. "I saw that, though, mini-dork."

"Yeah, she apparently gets her playfulness from her mother," Solaris said.

"And she's got your brains," Trill added. "And how she learned how to fight."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gilda asked curiously, making the prince groan at the unfortunate start to Emerald's school days.

"She and a friend of hers got picked on by a couple colts in her class, and she got in trouble on the first day by punching them," Solaris retold, making the filly's ears droop and lower her head in shame. He sighed, pulling his little filly close in a small hug, reassuring her he wasn't mad at her for defending herself and her friend. "I was really disappointed that she got into that much trouble on her first day, and I...kinda overreacted a little before hearing her side of the story. Thankfully, there weren't anymore violent outbursts, so she's learned her lesson. Right, Emmy?"

The filly hummed in agreement and nodded her head. "I still don't like Gold Plate or Platinum Band, though. They're big meanies." She pouted angrily, hoping her daddy didn't invite those two colts to the Hearth's Warming party. When she looked at the doors to the ballroom opening up, she gasped excitedly when she saw two ponies she was happy to see. Virtuo and his parents had finally arrived, along with Melody, her parents, and her grandma, Rara. She squealed, squirming out of Solaris's hooves and flew toward them, her target being her favorite colt friend. "VIVI!!!!!"

Virtuo winced and spotted Emerald, quickly grabbing Melody and dragging her in front of him. "Emerald incoming! Defensive shields activate!"

"Hey!" Melody exclaimed.

Emerald squealed, stopping in front of her friends before taking Melody out of Virtuo's hooves, moved her out of the way, then properly tackled him while hugging him tightly. The colt let out an annoyed groan as his plan to avoid getting glomped failed, Melody, Button Mash, and Sweetie Belle laughing at his misfortune as he regretted no rolling around in the snow to repel her upon touching her.

"You're here!" Emerald gleefully said, finally letting go of Virtuo and then went to hug Melody. "I mean, I know you two come over every day, but still!" After greeting her friends, she dragged Virtuo over toward them, bringing her voice down so the adults didn't hear her. "So, do you wanna sneak a peek at the presents under the tree?"

"Don't even think about it," Sweetie Belle scolded, making the princess yelp and turn around, giving the unicorn an innocent grin. "Virtuo knows we're not opening presents until later this evening."

"I was just kidding!" Emerald lied, grumbling on the inside as her plans to open her presents early would be foiled.

Sweetie Belle kept an eye on them as the hybrid filly guided her friends over to the game area, where Flurry Heart was already taking her turn playing Pin the Tail on the Pony as she stumbled toward the picture with a fake tail in her mouth. "Children today are so rambunctious," Rara said with a giggle. "But my grandfilly's made a really good friend."

"And everyone back in Ponyville thought me and my friends were too wild," Sweetie Belle said before both mares laughed, both singers hugging each other. "Nice seeing you again, Rara. How's your retirement been?"

"Dull, but I'm kind of glad I did," the elder singer said. "I started hating the 'Countess Coloratura' look after a while, but I didn't want to disappoint my fans if they loved my music. My only regret is having Sven Gallop as my manager. I never knew that jerk was using me to scare hosts in the cities I performed in with his demands, otherwise he'd pull me out of their concerts because HE wasn't satisfied."

"I actually read about that in the news," Sweetie said. "His latest client found out and called him out on it, and that sleazeball didn't even deny what he did was wrong. Glad he's going into his retirement poor and behind bars for all the counts of blackmail in his career." Rara nodded, glad to hear that corrupted manager got his just desserts. "I can't wait to introduce you to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, though. They were big fans of yours like I was when we were fillies."

Sweetie lead Rara to where her friends were after making sure Button Mash carried the bags of present they got for everyone over to the tree. While Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were busy chatting and drinking some punch, they spotted their Crusader friend approach them, but the farm mare spat out her drink when she saw who was following her, both mares' eyes widening when they saw the colorful music note cutie mark on the older mare's flanks.

"Oh mah gosh," Apple Bloom uttered, putting her drink down on the table before she dropped it. "Scootaloo, please pinch me, punch me, anythin' to wake me up if THAT's really who Ah think it is walkin' up to us with Sweetie Belle."

"I don't think we're dreaming," Scootaloo said.

"Hey, girls," Sweetie Belle greeted. "I'd like to introduce you to Rara, otherwise formerly known as Countess Coloratura."

"Yup. Not a dream," the orange pegasus said in confirmation for Apple Bloom, whose jaw had dropped as her inner fangirl wanted to scream to the heavens that she was in the presence of one of her favorite musical artists when she was younger.

"Ohmahgoshohmahgoshohmahgosh!" Apple Bloom squealed. "It's actually Countess Coloratura! Ah'm a HUGE fan of your work! Ah listened to every single one of your songs over and over while Ah work on the orchard back home or in mah room!"

"You must be Apple Bloom," Rara said, making Apple Bloom's jaw hit the floor as her idol knew her name before she introduced herself or Sweetie Belle did it for her. "It's so nice meeting Applejack's little sister in person."

"Y-Y-Y-Ya...Ya knew mah sister??????" Apple Bloom asked, blowing her mind while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at Rara in surprise.

"AJ and I went to camp together when we were fillies, and became really fast friends," Rara said. "I ran into her one day on one of my tours during...well, the darkest of times under that stallion, and despite my former manager telling me not to converse with any fans of less importance than me, I ignored him and decided to catch up on old times with her. We always sent each other letters after our days at Camp Friendship, and she's told me a lot about you." Her smile slowly turned into a frown, even Apple Bloom's excitement dwindled when Rara brought up Applejack. "...I heard the terrible news after the prince's coronation...I'm sorry for your loss..."

Apple Bloom sighed sadly. "...It was hard on all of us," she said. "Mostly Apple Seed and Solaris..." She grabbed her cup of punch, slowly swirling the mixed fruit juice around. "She write to ya about her son?"

"Several times, even sending me baby pictures." Rara let out a sad laugh, having kept those pictures of Applejack's foal even to this day. Looking over to where the children of the Elements of Harmony were grouped together as they chatted among each other, she spotted Apple Seed, amazed by how much he looked like his mother. "He's really grown..." She then sighed and shook her head. "I can't imagine just how painful it was for any of them to lose their mothers in such horrible ways at a young age."

"Sol's had it worse out of all of us," Scootaloo said after a sip from her cup. "We've all lost somepony, but we only lost one pony we cared about..." She looked at Solaris, Emerald dragging him along to have him play with her and her friends and cousin. The others followed her gaze, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle understanding he's suffered more losses than either of them. "He's lost so much of his family: his mom after he was only a few weeks old, Spike when Lucifer figured out where they were living, and one by one, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow,-" Scootaloo choked as she mentioned her idol and surrogate older sister, clearing her throat while trying to compose herself and no break down in front of everyone. "-Fluttershy, and then Pinkie...His grandparents kicked the bucket before Emerald was born, and sooner or later, he's going to lose his biological uncle...The last of his family really related to him."

Unbeknownst to them, Trill and Chrysalis could sense the depressing air around them as they looked in their direction. The two adult changelings could tell they were talking about Solaris, along with losing the ponies who were important to all of them. Even Emerald felt it as she looked away from her daddy playing Pin the Tail on the Pony, already blindfolded as he moved toward the picture and pinned the tail perfectly on the drawn mare's flank.

"And he never had a decent childhood growing up, has he?" Rara asked.

"No, but he still has us," Sweetie Belle said. "He still has Trill, and he'll have Cadence and Flurry Heart around him several centuries in the future. The only thing we can do for him now is remind him he'll always be loved, and his family will continue to grow as generations pass. He's sacrificed a lot to save all of us, and deserves to be happy."

"Running Equestria on his own is making him a bit more stressed out than saving it from you-know-who," Scootaloo added. "Dude deserves a vacation."

"Kinda hard to do that with his daughter drivin' him up the walls," Apple Bloom said. "She's a bundle of energy that could have rivaled Cherry's."

With the topic diverted, the changelings and hybrid filly no longer distracted by the negative emotions, Emerald got back to playing with her friends until it was time to finally open presents.

Day soon turned to night as the party continued on, fun music playing throughout the ballroom, and delicious food cooked in the castle's kitchen, or conjured up with Discord's magic, though he seemed to make too much candy the foals tried to go for before the main course. After everyone ate, it was time to open presents, Emerald, Melody, Virtuo, and Flurry immediately running to the tree cheering as they tried to find out which of the many gifts were theirs. Solaris had to restrain them all with his magic before they ripped open everyone's gifts, getting them to finally calm down and pile their presents in a neat pile.

One by one, they went through their gifts as the ponies pointed out who got them what. Emerald opened Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry's gift, which was a green pair of fluffy pajamas made from the wool of the ewes in the Crystal Empire. Their fur was nice and soft, and it made the filly feel warm and cozy as she tried it on, useful to help slightly protect her from any sudden chills from opened windows in the cold weather. From her aunts and uncles from Ponyville, she got a stuffed panda bear from Butterscotch, a hoof-knit scarf by Gemstone, a small stetson hat from Apple Seed, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh, an autographed first edition issue of "Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone" from Prism, and an assortment of coloring books with a big box of crayons from Cherry Pie. And lastly, from Solaris and Trill, they got her a little dragon plushie, its felt scales purple and green, the alicorn finding it fitting to give Emerald a doll of a baby dragon with the same colors as his late dragon uncle.

Virtuo, Melody, and Flurry opened their gifts alongside Emerald, like what they got and thanked their parents or whoever gave them their gifts. The adults exchanged gifts among each other as well, getting some winter or summer wear, or from Solaris and Button Mash, jewelry for their wives. Eventually, the foals began to get tired, their parents deciding that it was time for them to get to bed. Since everyone was staying over for the evening, Solaris allowed them to sleep in his daughter's room, carrying them up to the filly's bedroom, laying Emerald down in her bed while setting up blankets and pillows for his cousin Flurry, Virtuo, and Melody. Once they were all tucked in, their presents safely stacked in their piles back in the ballroom, Solaris quietly left the room and made his way back to the party.

Humming a Hearth's Warming carol as he wandered the halls, he yelped as he was suddenly dragged into an empty guest room by a blue aura around his tail. He was about to raise his hooves to defend himself from the intruder who dragged him by surprise, only to breathe out a sigh as it was Gemstone who was the culprit, batting her eyes at him with a sultry grin.

"Gem, for goodness sake, don't do that," he chided. "I was about to hit you."

"Sorry, darling, but I had to wait for the right moment for us to be alone," Gemstone said.

"Uhh, why?" Solaris asked in confusion. The unicorn tittered, lifting her gaze up occasionally as if to give the alicorn a hint. A few seconds of figuring out what she was doing passed until he finally looked up, finding a sprig of mistletoe hanging over their heads. "Mistletoe?...I don't remember hanging one of those in-" Solaris paused, then slowly looked down and gave Gemstone a blank stare. The unicorn mare had began applying a fresh coat of ruby red lipstick, getting herself ready for the eventual act that was always tradition when two ponies meet under the common holiday plant. "...You can't be serious."

Gem pressed her lips together, fully turning her lips red as she put away her lipstick. "I am. And we're under the mistletoe, so you have to kiss me."

Solaris let out an irritated and awkward groan. "You still have this dumb crush on me?" he asked helplessly. Her answer was closing her eyes and leaning closer, puckering her lips as she waited for her long-awaited kiss with the pony she adored since she was little. He lifted his hoof up and pressed it against her lips, feeling the moist makeup leaving a mark, Gemstone opening an eye in confusion as she kissed his hoof. "Gem, how many times are we going to go over this?"

Growling as her chance was slipping away, the unicorn pushed Solaris's hoof away. "Why can't you just accept my love? It's not like Trill would get mad at me. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't even mind watching us do something romantic and share you with me."

"You need to get over this crush on me," Solaris said firmly. "I am not planning on forming a herd, even if the practice is still allowed after several centuries and is uncommon to this day, and certainly not with you. You're like a little sister to me. It'll just feel awkward to me if I get romantically involved with you, regardless Trill accepts this or not...You didn't talk with her about this, did you?"

"We have, actually." Hidden in a corner of the room was Trill, surprising Solaris as she stepped out of the shadows, green flames surrounding her to reveal herself while blending into the room with her magic. "Solly, as much as I love you and you're highly committed to our marriage, you deserve to at least let loose and have fun with other mares. Gem loves you a lot, Solly. She wants to show you, but you're so afraid of losing that brother-sister bond you share with each other to even give it a chance."

Completely flustered, Solaris stuttered, trying to find his voice to tell her and Gemstone how insane they were being. "Y-You seriously...want to see me with another mare? Is this some kind of kink you secretly have?"

"Well, do you want to see me with another stallion and get your rocks off watching me go to town on him?" she asked, the alicorn quickly and violently shaking his head no. "Then I won't do something like that if it'll make you jealous and feel hurt." Before he could protest, Trill pressed a hoof to his lips to silence any further complaints. "Listen. I'm not suggesting outright sleeping with Gemstone, even though I can tell part of her wants that fantasy to come true." The unicorn blushed heavily, unable to deny the changeling's prediction of her fantasies with Solaris. "She loves you and really wants to show you how much you mean to her. A little kiss isn't going to hurt, is it?"

"B-But...S-She-" Solaris stammered, again stopped by Trill's hoof to his mouth.

"Just give her one kiss," his wife interjected. "You can at least give her her one dream to fulfill, and you'll finally be able to feel a pair of lips that don't house sharp fangs that'll pierce your tongue...even though you love playing the prey sometimes." She licked her lips, showing off her fangs with a sultry grin, getting him to blush and scrunch his muzzle in denial, but she knew he enjoyed every part of her. "If you like it, then you'll have yourself another mare to have fun with, maybe even go out on a date outside of the castle during this freezing weather where I'm always cooped up in here. And I could use a break sometimes when we have our little moments to ourselves."

"'You' needing a break from sex?" Solaris questioned. "You're a natural-born nymphomaniac."

"...Ok, that's true, but I can get sore when you finally unleash all that built up testosterone you keep holding back," Trill said, making him groan in annoyance while Gemstone blushed heavily as she began imagining the stallion rutting her into the mattress like a beast. "But if you don't enjoy kissing somepony else, I'll stop pestering you about spicing our sex life-" Solaris rolled his eyes at the fact she always finds random ways to make their private time interesting. "-and Gem will stop trying to impress you and drop her crush on you after this. Got it, little missy?"

She was snapped out of her daydream when Trill mentioned her. She didn't want to stop loving Solaris romantically, desiring to be with him until the end of her life. She eventually sighed sadly, then nodded her head. Even if he doesn't enjoy it, she'll have at least been given his promise all those years ago, and their platonic relationship will still stay, despite the slight awkwardness he'll feel.

Solaris let out a heavy sigh, looking back up at the accursed plant as a symbol of holiday togetherness. "...Alright. Fine. One kiss," he said. "But that's it; whether I like it or not, it's just going to be one kiss, nothing more, and we're continuing our relationship as brother and sister. Understand?" Gemstone nodded happily and puckered her lips again. She felt magic suddenly envelop her lips, drying her lipstick more as she looked at Solaris in confusion, his horn lit up for a moment before it faded. "I...don't want you giving me a lipstick mark on my lips. Granted, Trill doesn't need to wear any, but the ones she does wear are sometimes hard to get out, and with a white coat and her practically worshiping my-"

Trill smacked her husband upside the head, not in embarrassment by the story he was telling, but by why he was telling Gemstone. "Quit stalling and kiss."

"Alright, alright, fine!" Solaris huffed, swallowing the nervous lump in his throat.

He approached Gemstone, the unicorn feeling just as nervous, but also eager as she wanted to make this moment last. Solaris glanced over at Trill for a moment before bringing his attention back to Gemstone, nervously moving his hooves around the unicorn into a gentle embrace, who placed hers against his chest. She closed her eyes and waited for him to make the first move, her lips ready to meet his. Suppressing a nervous whimper, Solaris leaned closer, pressed his muzzle against hers until their lips connected, giving her a soft kiss. Gemstone moaned in delight and kissed back, her hooves slowly trailing up and around the alicorn's neck, asking him to deepen their kiss. He didn't deny her request, holding her closer as he started to rub her back with his hooves, her inexperience made up with her enthusiasm and her passion for him.

Solaris surprised Gemstone as his tongue began to lap at her lips, making her squeak and squint her eyes open slightly as he wanted to explore her maw. She obliged, parting her lips as they continued making out, feeling his tongue caress hers, making her moan as her body melted in his embrace. She tried to do the same, but she was so lost in bliss as her eyes rolled into the back of her head, letting him explore her mouth and guide her tongue with his own, her breath taken as she tried to breathe with her heart threatening to pound out of her chest. Solaris let out a moan of his own, nearly forgetting that Trill was watching them, her horn glowing as she grinned from feeling the love between the two of them, surprising himself by furthering their kiss as he teased her lips, her tongue, and flat teeth while exploring her delicate mouth. He felt that it was wrong doing something like this with somepony who he looked at as a little sister, but he couldn't deny that it felt so right.

Eventually, the kiss ended as Gemstone needed air, the unicorn gasping as their lips parted, a trail of their saliva breaking off from their lips as both ponies' white cheeks were flushed red. Gemstone panted, opening her eyes and giving Solaris a love-struck grin, her gaze pleading him to do it one more time. He felt so conflicted, though; it was an incredible kiss as he felt it from a pony, soft and pleasant, whereas his kisses with Trill were just as passionate, though he had to be wary of her sharp canines. He looked at his beloved wife, the grin on her face and her glowing horn already told her that he enjoyed it without his confirmation.

"...Uhh...W-Well...That was..." Solaris stammered, his blush burning hotter as he hated to admit he enjoyed kissing Gemstone. It was going to be difficult for him not to see her as his little sister anymore, despite not being related at all, but Trill did bring up some points involving their relationship, especially during winter. He wanted to walk around Canterlot with his wife as the snow falls gently around them, without her wearing ten layers of warm clothes, spend an evening outside watching the snowflakes fall to the earth. He was still pursuing a way to help make that dream possible, along with giving their daughter a chance to know what it was like to play in the snow and not be cooped up in the castle like her mother for three months. He sighed, gently moving Gemstone's hooves away from his neck as he tried to find the right words to say. "...I...liked it..."

Gemstone was speechless, only able to giggle dreamily as she finally got a kiss on the lips from her beloved stallion. Trill smirked wider and approached the nervous alicorn, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"So, is that going to be the only kiss?" she asked. "Or...are you considering opening your relationship to other mares beside me?"

Solaris winced, looking away from them as he stammered. "I-I said it was only a one time thing!"

"I saw a lot of tongue action in there," Trill teased, flustering him even more.

"I was trying to make it as memorable for her as possible!" Solaris argued. The changeling raised a brow, still wearing her grin, making his reasoning pointless as she knew it was more than just giving Gemstone a memorable first kiss with him. He stammered again, his face threatening to explode with how red he was before letting out an annoyed huff. "I'm going back to the party and getting a drink..."

He turned tail and ran out of the room, making his way back to the ballroom. Trill chuckled and shook her head, then looked back at the daydreaming mare. She waved her hoof in front of Gemstone's face, not even shocked by her catatonic state as she appeared to relish the mind-blowing kiss she was given.

"And she is broken," Trill commented. She gently pat Gemstone's cheeks, finally snapping her out of her stupor as she looked around for her beloved alicorn prince. "Hi. Back to reality?"

"W-Where's Solaris?" she asked, her ears drooping as she feared he didn't want to see her again. "D-Did he not like it?"

"Oh, far from it," Trill assured. "He tried denying it to me, but I knew he loved it. Just give him a little time to mull it over, and he'll maybe consider forming a herd with us."

"Really!?" Gemstone squealed, but before she could get too excited, Trill poked her muzzle with her hoof.

"I said he might consider it, so it's not really a definite yes or no," she said. "If he does say no, which I'll be shocked if that is his answer, promise you'll find the right stallion for you and not pursue and stress Solly too much. He's already got enough to deal with between me and Emerald, along with running Equestria. Ok?"

"O-Ok," Gemstone said. "A kiss from him is enough for me...and what a kiss it was."

Trill could practically see hearts floating and popping around the younger unicorn as she wore that lovestruck smile of hers. They headed back down to the party, where they found Solaris drinking a few alcoholic beverages now that the kids are asleep to try to forget what happened earlier, though he doubt it'll ever leave his head. Gemstone rejoined her friends, a satisfied grin on her face as she used her magical aura to levitate a plate with a few sweets laid out on the buffet table.

"What are you so happy about?" Prism asked curiously.

"Let's just say...I got what I wanted for Hearth's Warming this year," Gemstone vaguely responded, nibbling on a cupcake as she eyed the alicorn, who quickly looked away when he noticed her staring his way and distracted himself by talking to Gale.

"What in tarnation does that mean?" Apple Seed questioned.

Cherry gasped, noticing the dreamy expression on the young fashionista's face as she kept looking at Solaris. "No way...He finally kissed you!"

Apple Seed choked on his drink as Cherry said that, spluttering and coughing out what was in his mouth while Prism and Butterscotch stared at her in shock. "H-He did what!?"

"How did you get him to do it?" Butterscotch asked.

"A bit of mistletoe...and some encouragement from Trill," Gemstone said, letting out a dreamy sigh as she could still feel the alicorn's lips on hers. "It was better than I imagined..."

"So does that mean he's gonna bang you one day when you stop by for a visit?" Prism asked, making the unicorn blush heavily while the cyan pegasus earned a slap upside the head from Apple Seed. "Ow! What!?"

"Ah think Aunt Scootaloo's a bad influence on ya," the young farmer said.

"M-Maybe when I'm ready to..." Gemstone muttered quietly, stuffing her face while her cheeks only brightened the more she thought about the possibility.

"Well, even if this story is rated mature, there will not be any sexual scenes involving two ponies rocking the bed as they do the lovers tango," Cherry said as she pulled out several sheets of paper, looking at the date before leering at the empty space in front of her. "And it's taken you almost at least a year to update this story!? I mean, I know you have others you're dedicated to work on, but come on! Slight work on it here, then moving on to others because you procrastinated! And if you're seriously going to have Solaris create a herd, then you'd better be serious about it, or else you're either going to turn ponies down, or get them mad!"

The other four friends looked in Cherry's direction, but she was talking to nothing in front of her, and she wasn't yelling at any of the other guests. "...Cherry, who are you talking to?" Butterscotch dared to ask.

"Oh, he knows who I'm talking about," the red earth pony mare said, glowering at the "pony" while slowly stuffing the papers in her mane. "I got my eye on you mister, and I know where you live...So, who's up for some more games!?"

Gemstone, Prism, Butterscotch, and Apple Seed all sighed, their bubbly friend just as wild and random as her late mother, Pinkie Pie. "Cherry, why are you so random?"

Author's Notes:

Ok, so it's been almost a whole year since I last updated this story. Hopefully, for those of you who waited for the next chapter didn't get too impatient, since I was busy working on two other stories, along with real life stuff stopping me and procrastinating while trying to brainstorm ideas for this one. I'll try not to leave this story hanging or cancel it since I do have other ideas, though that'll wait until we reach Emerald's teenage years, which will be quite a while as we go through the younger years. So, enjoy this chapter, and I apologize for the wait if anyone's waited since the last chapter.