It was almost midnight of Hearth’s Warming Eve, and all the ponies in Ponyville were snuggled up all warm in their beds, safe from the chilling blanket of snow that covered the ground, anxiously awaiting the morning to come.

You, however, were not as lucky as they were, for you had a promise to keep. You slung the bag of gifts over your back, paying careful attention to make sure that no box took the liberty of accidentally removing itself from your bag. After a quick visual sweep of your room, thus guaranteeing you were missing nothing, you bundle up as warm as you can, wrapping your scarf around your face and donning your favorite wool cap, and finally take to the chilly streets of Ponyville.

Ah yes, you had almost forgotten how beautiful a snow-covered town looked underneath Luna’s majestic moon. On other nights the streetlamps would be lit, but the brilliant white snow mingled with the moonlight in such a way that it almost seem to project it’s own radiant light, glistening just enough so that ponies would be allowed to walk the streets freely.

A cold gust of wind flew by, reminding you of the work that must be completed before sunrise. You hasten your pace, the soft crunches of snow under your hooves a constant reminder that you must arrive upon your destination relatively unscathed.

After several minutes of swift trotting, you slow down, eventually reaching a complete stop. You look up at the house in front of you; it was a two story building, the planks carved from some of the most beautiful oak you’ve ever seen. It was modest, yet cozy, and it always gave off a certain air of comfort whenever you were around. There was no light coming from the first floor, but surprisingly, there was a flicker of light on the ground floor; looks like somepony stayed up, and you have a sneaking suspicion who it was.

You slowly open the front door, squeezing in as quietly as you can. You can now tell that the light you saw outside was from the fireplace, and from the look of the logs, it’s been going for a decent amount of time.

You glance at the couch and you can’t help but smile. There, sprawled out halfway underneath a blanket, was Ditzy Doo, the mare you have a crush on, as well as the whole reason you stayed up this early. Do to Dinky’s consistent prying, Ditzy was unable to keep her presents at their house, and instead asked you to keep them with you. Of course, it was planned for you to come over the night before Hearth’s Warming and deliver the gifts.

You chuckle quietly to yourself, returning to the task at hand. You carefully remove the bag from your back, opening it and removing the various presents she had given you. You arrange them neatly under the tree, removing one final one, and placing it in front of all the others, your own special little gift to Ditzy.

You place the now empty bag back onto it’s original resting place, turning back to Ditzy. You smile again, grabbing the tangled blanket. You arrange it properly, tucking it around her sides, making sure she stays warm. Once you’re happy with your work, you lean in, giving her a light kiss on the forehead. She shifts a little underneath you, and a smile grows on her face.

Deciding you’ve been here long enough, you quietly tail it back to the front door. As you reach your hoof to open it, you’re stopped by the sound of yawning behind you. You turn around as Ditzy climbs off of the couch, stretching her wings as she wakes up. She looks around for a few seconds, then up to you with a half asleep smile. “Hey you.”

You chuckle at her attempts at groggy conversation. “Oh, uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She giggles, looking at the gifts under the tree, and as you expected, she spots yours. “C’mere.”

You raise an eyebrow, but obey her order nonetheless, and you trot until you’re standing next to her. The mare moves her head down, pulling the bow off the gift with a light tug. She then moves back up, plopping the bow on the top of your head. Your eyebrow remains raised. “Ditzy, what are you doing?”

“Don’t be silly...” she says, a slight chuckle in her voice. She reaches her hoof up, pulling down the scarf that covered your face. “You’re my present this year.” With that, she moves in close, giving you a warm, gentle kiss on the cheek. “Happy Hearth’s Warming.”

You both smile, pulling each-other into a into a hug. In your mind you can’t help but think. ‘Worth it’

~ Le Fin