The final week of school was always the longest.

The Ponyville schoolhouse had been buzzing with the chatter of students planning out the next couple of weeks. There was talk of vacations, visits to see distant relatives, or even just speculating what presents they'd get. Winter break meant no school, no homework, and—best of all—it meant Hearth’s Warming Eve.

Sweetie Belle sat in a stupor near the back of the room, listening to Cheerilee explain fractions a little bit too enthusiastically, until the piercing ring of the lunch bell snapped her back awake. She grabbed her saddlebag and headed for the door with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

Cheerilee stopped them before they left the classroom. “Actually, Scootaloo, could I speak to you for a moment?”

“Sure. What’d you want?” Scootaloo glanced back at her friends, and waved them on. “You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up.”

“We’ll meet you outside, then. The usual spot,” Apple Bloom said.

They stepped out into the chilly air. It hadn’t snowed yet, but the grass had a thin layer of white frost and the skies were dull and grey. The two of them went over to “the usual spot,” a wooden picnic table on the edge of the playground, and opened up their saddlebags to eat lunch.

Sweetie Belle pulled out a cucumber sandwich, meaning Rarity must have packed her lunch for her today. That was one of her sister’s specialty dishes. Apple Bloom had some cheese and crackers, along with a bottle of homemade apple juice.

“Hey guys! I’m back!” Scootaloo called, just a few minutes later.

“That was quick. We were just getting’ started,” Apple Bloom said. “What’d Miss Cheerilee want to talk about?”

Scootaloo lowered her eyes. “Oh, uh… Family Appreciation Day again.”

Sweetie Belle took a bite of her cucumber sandwich. “Weren’t you supposed to go a few weeks ago?” she asked with her mouth full.

“I was, but my parents were… out of town again,” Scootaloo said, taking a seat next to them. “So Ruby Pinch ended up going that week instead. And now Miss Cheerilee’s asking if I could do it this week before school’s out, but I don’t think my parents will be in town then, either.”

“They sure do seem to travel a lot,” Apple Bloom said. “I don’t think I’ve ever met them.”

“Yeah. They’re… pretty busy.”

“What do they do?”

“You know. Work. Stuff,” Scootaloo said. She opened up her saddlebag and rummaged through it. She pulled out a pint-size carton of milk, popped it open, and took a sip. “Anyways, I asked her if I could bring Rainbow Dash instead, since we are sisters now. She pretty much is family to me.”

“I bet Rainbow Dash would have a bunch of cool stories to tell,” Apple Bloom said. “But there’s nopony else you could ask? Neither of your parents can come?”

“Well, no.” Scootaloo gave a shrug. “It’s not my fault Miss Cheerilee always assigns me for Family Appreciation Day right when they’re going out of town.”

“Maybe you can just go after we get back from break! Your parents will be home then, right?” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, unless Rainbow Dash can come.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Scootaloo finished her milk in a few more sips and sat there watching her friends finish their own lunches. Apple Bloom glanced over and noticed her.

“I think I’ve got an extra apple in my bag, if you're still hungry. You want it, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Huh? No thanks. I’m fine,” Scootaloo replied.

“No, really. Applejack always gives me a few so that I have snacks for later.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “You really don’t have to. I, uh, had a big breakfast this morning. It filled me up.”

“But you usually don’t pack very much to eat,” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “It’s usually just a carton of milk or something. Sometimes you don’t even bring anything.”

“Well, um, that’s because I have a big breakfast every day!” Scootaloo said, with an awkward half-smile. “It’s kind of a routine, you know? I fill up in the morning and it gives me energy for just about the whole day!”

“Applejack does always tell me breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug.

Scootaloo nodded, but she was still eying the apple poking out of Apple Bloom’s saddlebag. For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

“Well, I guess if you’re not going to eat it—”

“Sure thing! Here ya go.” Apple Bloom held it out to her.

“Thanks.” Scootaloo reached out, hesitating for just a moment, then took it from her. She took a bite, then spoke up again. Her usual energy seemed to have returned. “So what’s our plan today, Crusaders? Winter break means even more time to try to get our cutie marks!”

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “There's a lot of big hills on the farm. I bet we could try sledding.”

“What about ice skating? I heard that’s fun to do in the winter,” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Where would we get skates? I don't have any,” Apple Bloom said.

“I bet we could find it somewhere…” Sweetie Belle tapped her chin in thought.

They heard Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon talking and giggling loudly before they saw them come into view. They were both wearing new matching scarves.

“Daddy hired a professional caterer for our party this year. One of the most famous chefs in Canterlot,” Diamond Tiara was saying.

“This sounds amazing. How many guests are you having?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Oh, we are expecting a lot. But, really, anypony who’s anypony will be invited to our super-special Hearth’s Warming Eve party,” Diamond Tiara said. She paused, noticing the Crusaders sitting there at the table, and gave a smug grin. “So I guess we won’t be seeing you three, now will we?”

She and Silver Spoon laughed, and turned to walk away. Sweetie Belle’s face turned red, and she began to get up before Apple Bloom held her back.

“Yeah, well, we wouldn’t want to go even if you did invite us!” Sweetie Belle’s voice cracked as she yelled after them. They didn't even turn around.

“Just take ‘er easy, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said. “I sure won’t miss those two over break.”

Scootaloo had just sat there silently the whole time. She took a single bite of the apple, and chewed it slowly. “I just can’t stand her. Diamond Tiara thinks she’s so much better than everypony else, just because she has parents with money.”

“They are the richest family in Ponyville…” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

Scootaloo shook her head with a sigh. “Whatever. It doesn’t even matter.”

The bell rang out again, and they hopped off the picnic tables and headed back inside to their desks. Cheerilee went to the blackboard and started writing, the chalk tapping rhythmically on the board.

“Now, it’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, so I thought today’s history lesson should be about the founding of Equestria! Can anypony tell me the names of the pegasus, unicorn, and earth pony leaders who are remembered during this holiday?” Cheerilee looked out expectantly at the class.

Apple Bloom settled into her seat to wait out the rest of the day. She glanced over at Scootaloo, and saw her resting her head on her open textbook, snoring softly.

The first day of break had arrived, and it brought with it a blanket of snow. Apple Bloom had woken up that morning, looked out her window at the picturesque winter landscape, and instantly known what had to be done.

It took her a few minutes to scramble out of bed, throw on a hat and boots, and dash out the front door, but she was at the clubhouse in record time. Scootaloo was already waiting, sitting and flipping through a comic book in the clubhouse. Sweetie Belle had shown up just a few minutes later, bundled up in a stylish hat and scarf Rarity had made for her.

The snow was already several inches thick, perfect for construction. They spent a couple hours building up walls for a sprawling snow fort.

Sweetie Belle looked around at the fortifications they’d built. “But do you guys really think we can get our cutie marks for building stuff out of snow?”

A snowball smashed into the side of her face, and she heard Scootaloo laugh. “I don’t know, but it’s fun!”

Shaking the snow off her face and readjusting her hat, Sweetie Belle quickly jumped behind one of the walls and began scooping up ammunition between her hooves. Apple Bloom claimed a position in the center, and Scootaloo was at the far end of the clearing closest to the clubhouse.

The battle lasted the better part of the afternoon, with alliances forming and dissolving, and territories constantly changing hooves. Snowballs flew back and forth until the sun began to set behind the trees.

Eventually, Sweetie Belle called out, “Truce! Truce!” The three of them walked towards the center of the field and solemnly shook on it, officially declaring the war over. Apple Bloom couldn’t hold a straight face, though, and soon all three of them had burst out giggling.

“So what are we doing next? Ice hockey? Snowboarding?” Scootaloo had a wide grin across her face.

“How about we head home for the day? It’s gettin’ cold out,” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah. Today was fun, but I think I want to head inside and warm up,” Sweetie Belle said. She yawned. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow, though!”

She started to walk back towards home, but Scootaloo caught up with her. “You’re sure? I mean, we don’t have that much time left in winter break! We can’t waste any of it!”

“But it’s only the first day,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

Scootaloo sighed, and her wings drooped. “Yeah. I guess you're right. I guess I could go see what Rainbow Dash is up to...”

“Don't worry, Scootaloo. I’m sure we’ll do a lot more stuff together before we go back to school,” Apple Bloom said.

Sweetie Belle suddenly jumped up. “Oh! Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you guys something important! Rarity always fixes up her shop for Hearth’s Warming Eve. She said that we could come over and help, and then we could be, like, Cutie Mark Crusader Decorators!”

“That sure sounds like fun!” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah, and you know what else? I could see if we could even make it a sleepover!” Sweetie Belle said.

“Alright! I was hoping we might have some of those over break!” Scootaloo said.

“Yeah! I’ll have to ask Applejack, but I should be able to make it,” Apple Bloom said. “I guess we’ll see each other then!”

The three of them split off in separate directions, leaving three tracks of hoofprints in the snow.

“I’m so glad you recruited your little friends to help me decorate, Sweetie,” Rarity said. She stood in front of a stack of cardboard boxes, labeled in neat cursive script “Hearth’s Warming Eve décor.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders were lined up, ready to dig in and start working. “And you’re sure it’s fine with all of your families if you sleep over?”

“Yep! Applejack said it would be fine,” Apple Bloom said.

“And Scootaloo’s parents are gone, so they probably won’t mind,” Sweetie Belle added.

“Gone?” Rarity said, frowning. “What do you mean by…”

“Out of town,” Scootaloo said quickly. “It’s no problem.”

“Well, then,” Rarity said, and took a deep breath. “Same rules as always. Don’t touch any of my supplies without my permission. You’ll all be in bed by ten thirty, and not a minute later. No running around the shop. And, please, do try to keep the volume to a minimum.”

Sweetie Belle dove headfirst into one of the boxes and emerged covered in tinsel and garland. “Where do we get started with all of this?” she asked.

Rarity bit her lip. “I was thinking you three could start with the tree, actually.” She indicated the tall, slender evergreen in the corner. “I’ll hang the wreaths in the upstairs windows. I thought I’d try for a more traditional style this year. Going to Canterlot last year gave me all sorts of new ideas.”

One of the boxes began to glow with a soft blue light, and several wreaths floated out with large red-and-gold ribbons tied in bows. Rarity inspected one of them with a look of disapproval. “A little bit uneven. This will certainly need to be fixed…”

As she trotted away and up the stairs, the fillies were left to sort out the rest. Sweetie Belle started opening up the other boxes and digging through them.

“So what are we putting on the tree?” Scootaloo asked, watching her.

Sweetie Belle popped her head out of one box and moved on to the next. “Rarity’s got some ornaments in here somewhere.” She checked the next box. “Here they are!”

Apple Bloom picked up one of the plain red orbs and stared at it, her own distorted reflection looking back at her. “At my house weve mostly got our own homemade ornaments. These all look so plain.”

“Yeah. Our family ones are back at my house. Rarity says these ones are more fashionable for her boutique, or something.”

“So what do we do with them?” Scootaloo said.

“You know. Haven’t you ever decorated a tree before?” Apple Bloom said. “Why, I help my family with ours every year!”

“I can’t say I have,” Scootaloo said. She tried to smile, but she was clearly embarrassed. “But just tell me what to do and I bet I can figure it out.”

“Really? Huh...” Sweetie Belle said. She stared at Scootaloo for just a moment, then her face brightened again. “It's easy, though! I'll show how Rarity and me always do it.”

They trotted over to where the freshly-cut evergreen tree had already been propped up in the stand. Apple Bloom pushed the box of ornaments over, and then the three of them stared up at the tree.

“How do we get the decorations all the way up there, though?” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle squinted. “That might be a problem...”

Rarity returned, three mugs of hot cocoa floating by her side.

“It looks wonderful, girls, thanks so much for your—”

She stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw. Scootaloo, reaching out to hook a single gold ball on one of the higher branches, was standing on top of Sweetie Belle, who was standing on Apple Bloom in a precariously wobbling tower of fillies right next to the tree.

“You got it yet, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said, straining under the weight.

Scootaloo leaned over, gritting her teeth, and stretched out as close as she could get. “And… got it!”

“Girls! Get down from there this instant!” Rarity shrieked.

Scootaloo hopped down and rolled her eyes. “We were being careful...”

Apple Bloom let out a breath and collapsed on the floor. “Maybe Rarity’s got a point. I’m not sure how much longer I’d be able to hold you two up.”

“I guess…” Sweetie Belle said. She took one of the steaming mugs from Rarity. “We were just trying to help.”

“You can help in ways that are less dangerous and likely to end in a horrid mess,” Rarity said.

“Sorry, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle mumbled.

Rarity gave a sigh of exasperation and shook her head. A strand of tinsel lifted itself out of the box like a snake being charmed, and she began draping it around the tree in a spiral. Rarity paused for a moment, glanced over at the Crusaders, and said, “I suppose you can help with the lower branches.”

The three of them traded glances, then Sweetie Belle trotted over and got out some more ornaments. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom followed her lead.

By the end of the day, Carousel Boutique had been completely transformed. Decorations in green, red and gold hung on every wall, and the tree was sparkling with tinsel.

Rarity’s mane was slightly frazzled, but she was smiling. “Thank you for all your help, girls,” she said, surveying their results.

“This was great. I never realized how much fun this was!” Scootaloo said, staring up at the garland lining the room.

“This is one of the best parts of Hearth's Warming Eve! And it’s even better when we all help each other out,” Sweetie Belle added.

“But it’s getting late, now,” Rarity said, glancing out the window. In the dark, snowflakes could be seen drifting down like tiny pieces of light blowing in the wind and collecting on the sill. “Shouldn’t you three get ready for bed?”

“Already?” Sweetie Belle whined.

“Remember what I said. Ten thirty.” Rarity’s reply was curt. “I’m expecting customers tomorrow. Now go upstairs and get ready.”

The fillies sulked over to the stairs as a group and headed to the guest bedroom. It was the same one they had used every time they slept over at Rarity’s, and it was all prepared for them. There was only one bed, but it was still wide enough to fit all of them comfortably. Sweetie Belle jumped up on top.

“If we’re quiet, then Rarity won’t know we’re awake and we’ll be able to stay up all night!” she said.

Apple Bloom grinned. “Yeah! We always say we’re gonna stay up late, but this time let’s actually do it!”

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not feeling sleepy at all!” Sweetie Belle said, bouncing up and down. “Of all the Cutie Mark Crusader sleepover parties, this is going to be the best ever!”

“Yeah!” The three of them all shouted together.

Three sharp knocks came at the door. “Keep it down, please,” Rarity’s voice called.

“Uh, sure thing!” Apple Bloom replied. She exchanged a glance with her friends, and they stifled their giggling.

“Sometime we should have a sleepover at your house, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said, nudging her in the side.

Scootaloo stared at her wide-eyed. “My house? Uh… I don’t know. I kind of like it here, or at Apple Bloom’s house,” Scootaloo said. “Or maybe Fluttershy would let us stay over again.”

“Probably not after last time,” Apple Bloom said. They laughed as they remembered that night. “But what’s wrong with your place, Scootaloo? I mean, I’m sure you’ve got a perfectly nice house.”

“It’s not that. It’s just… really hard, since my parents…”

“Oh yeah,” Sweetie Belle said. “You said they’re not around much.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said quietly. “Uh, I’m going to head downstairs and get a glass of water.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle waited for Scootaloo to leave the room. Once they heard her hoofsteps going down the stairs, they both looked at each other.

“Have you noticed anything odd about Scootaloo lately? The whole situation with her parents, and now she says she’s never decorated a tree before,” Apple Bloom whispered.

“What do you mean?” Sweetie Belle said.

“I’m beginnin’ to suspect there’s a reason why we’ve never seen her family or her house. Think about it! For goodness sakes, we’ve been her best friends for over a year now, and we’ve never seen ’em!”

“So you mean… maybe she doesn’t actually have a family, or a house?” Sweetie Belle stared down at her hooves, frowning.

Apple Bloom nodded. “At first I couldn’t believe it, but what else makes sense? She’s always so excited whenever we have sleepovers at my place or yours, but she never talks about her own house. How could we have ignored this?”

“She never seems to want to go home after we’re done crusading...” Sweetie Belle said. “I feel so terrible. What should we do?”

“I don’t think we should say anythin’. She acts embarrassed if we even bring it up,” Apple Bloom said. “But we should probably do somethin’ for her. It is s’posed to be the season of friendship, and generosity, and all that.”

The door swung open silently, and Scootaloo ducked back into the room out of the dark hallway. She took a quick glance behind her. “I think Rarity went to bed.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Sweetie Belle fidgeted uncomfortably. “So...”

“Who’s ready to not go to bed?” Apple Bloom said suddenly. She'd sprung back to her usual cheerful self, with none of the concern left in her voice. “The first official Cutie Mark Crusaders Not-Sleepover starts now!”

Scootaloo grinned. “Alright!”

They stayed up well past eleven, trying to keep their voices down so that Rarity wouldn’t catch them, but eventually their chatter slowed down and the three of them collapsed one by one. Scootaloo seemed to fall asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Apple Bloom just couldn’t, though. She tossed and turned for a while, and watched Scootaloo, wondering just where her friend would be sleeping tonight if she wasn’t staying here.

It was a few days later. Only two days remained until Hearth’s Warming Eve.

All the stores in Ponyville were packed with ponies doing last-minute shopping for presents. There was a line out the door at Sugarcube Corner, and in the midst of all the chaos Sweetie Belle noticed a few foals from school building a lopsided snowpony in the town square.

Normally she would have loved all of the festive sights, but today she was deep in thought as she walked out to the store. She was supposed to be looking for gifts for her parents and Rarity, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t get Scootaloo out of her mind. She just couldn’t help but wonder if Scootaloo had ever even gotten a real gift for Hearth’s Warming Eve.

She managed to lift her eyes just in time to see Rainbow Dash overhead, kicking a few grey clouds apart and moving others out of the way.

“Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle called out.

Rainbow stopped in midair and spun around at the sound of her name. “Oh, hey, Sweetie Belle! What’s up?”

“I was just wondering…” Sweetie Belle tried to think of the best way to pose the question. “Have you ever met Scootaloo’s family? What’re they like?”

“Well…” Rainbow Dash swooped down for a landing, and thought for a moment. “Actually, I can’t remember her ever saying anything about them. I thought you probably would’ve met them.”

“What about her house? Have you ever visited?”

“Nope. She usually comes over and hangs out at my place, but hey, who can blame her?” Rainbow Dash said with a casual shrug. “It’s, without a doubt, the coolest cloudominium around. I usually have to fly her up to the front door, though. It’s weird. My parents taught me how to fly when I was, like, half her age.”

“Oh,” Sweetie Belle said in a quiet voice.

“But she’s never invited you and Apple Bloom over? How long have you three known each other, again?”

Sweetie Belle was struck by a pang of guilt again. She didn’t want to answer that. “What if you invited her over for Hearth’s Warming Eve? Since you two are sisters now.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No can do. I’ve gotta make sure all these snow clouds are in place, then I’m heading off to Cloudsdale to visit some relatives. Besides, Scoots should probably spend the day with her real family. Whoever they are.”

“But—!”

Before Sweetie Belle could get another word in, Rainbow Dash had flown off and was out of sight. She kicked the ground in frustration, sending up a spray of snow.

Glancing around the street, she tried to focus on picking out gifts. The distinctive blue roof of the hat store, mostly covered with snow, instantly caught her eye. It was so hard to predict what Rarity would absolutely love or completely hate, though. And the jewelry store was all so expensive…

“Hey, Sweetie Belle!”

She turned around to see Apple Bloom, bundled up in a hat and scarf. “Hi! I was just out here trying to find gifts…”

“Same here.” Apple Bloom nodded.

“But I can’t stop thinking about…” Sweetie Belle’s voice trailed off.

“Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said, and Sweetie Belle nodded glumly. “Yep. Same here.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Sweetie Belle noticed something orange, and quickly motioned for Apple Bloom to be quiet.

“There you are! So what’re we doing today, Crusaders?” Scootaloo said. “Sledding? Snowboarding? I bet that’d make an awesome cutie mark!” Her eyes seemed to light up at the thought.

“Actually, I can’t do anythin’ today,” Apple Bloom said. “I’m supposed to help out at home gettin’ ready for the family to come over. Sorry.”

“I’m busy today, too. I kind of put off buying gifts this year,” Sweetie Belle said. “And it is just two more days until Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

“It is?” Scootaloo stepped back in surprise. “I guess I totally lost track of time, then.”

“Yeah. Usually the last few days until Hearth’s Warming Eve drag on forever,” Sweetie Belle said. “But something’s different this year.”

“Anyways, I guess we’ll catch you later, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said. “I really better be gettin’ back.”

“You guys have places to be. I understand,” Scootaloo said, nodding. Her smile faded. “I mean, it’s just hard… Having to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve alone. You guys wouldn’t really understand.”

The other fillies stared at her, speechless.

Scootaloo shook her head. “Never mind. Don’t worry about me. We’ll just meet up after the holidays and keep trying to earn our cutie marks!” Scootaloo was smiling again, but it seemed like it was taking a lot of effort.

“Uh… yeah.” Sweetie Belle looked at Apple Bloom.

“We’ll see you later, then,” Apple Bloom said. “Have, uh… Have a good Hearth’s Warming Eve, Scootaloo.”

“Thanks. You too.” Scootaloo turned and walked away until they lost sight of her in the crowd.

Apple Bloom turned to Sweetie Belle, who looked just as concerned as she did. “It’s just as bad as we thought! Scootaloo’s got nopony to spend the holidays with!”

“What are we supposed to do?”

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “Emergency Crusader meeting in the clubhouse, this afternoon,” she said. “Well… just the two of us, I guess.”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “I’d better get this shopping done, then I’ll meet you there.”

A chill wind swept through the air and rattled the dead branches of the tree. The clubhouse was cozy, but it still wasn’t the best protection from the cold weather that was quickly setting in. Apple Bloom seemed not to notice as she paced back and forth endlessly.

“What are we gonna do? It’s almost Hearth’s Warming Eve, and we just have to do something for Scootaloo!” she said.

“I even talked to Rainbow Dash. She doesn’t know anything about Scootaloo’s... situation,” Sweetie Belle said. “It really is up to us.”

Apple Bloom stared out the window, at the orange light sparkling off the snow. “And so little time, too.”

“All the stores are going to be sold out,” Sweetie Belle said.

“I don’t know. Maybe we need to do something else. Something special.” Apple Bloom couldn’t stop thinking of what Scootaloo had said. Having to spend Hearth’s Warming Eve alone.

“Well, it’d be short notice, but my family’s havin’ a big get-together for the holidays. Some of the folks from out of town are comin’ in and we’ll have a big feast,” Apple Bloom said. “I bet Applejack wouldn’t mind if we invited Scootaloo in.”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle said, jumping up. “If you tell her about Scootaloo, she’ll have to agree!”

“It is Hearth’s Warming Eve, after all,” Apple Bloom said.

The snow crunched outside, and faint hoofsteps could be heard trudging up the walkway to the front door of the clubhouse. They both instantly shut their mouths and pretended like nothing was wrong. In a few moments, Scootaloo appeared. Her eyes were downcast, and she fidgeted with one front hoof.

“Uh, hey, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said. “What brings you out here?”

“Hey guys,” Scootaloo said, smiling weakly. “I was looking for you. What’s up?”

“Nothing. We weren’t talking about you,” Sweetie Belle said. Apple Bloom kicked her in the side. “Oof! I mean, um…”

“It’s fine. Really,” Scootaloo said. “I was actually going to say… Well…” She took a deep breath. “You guys are… invited over to my place. Tonight. For Hearth’s Warming Eve.”

Her friends stared at her in stunned silence. The wind howled outside.

“What? At… At your place?” Apple Bloom said. “But that’s…”

“I know,” Scootaloo said. She rolled her eyes. “It’s a few days early, but I didn’t want to cut into your time with your families. I don’t usually invite ponies over, and… And for good reason.” She frowned, and pointed to each of them. “Listen, nopony at school can find out about this, alright?”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded slowly. They exchanged a nervous glance.

“But—“ Sweetie Belle began.

“You’re sure about this, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said. “You really want to invite us over?”

“Yeah. I’ve been thinking lately. You guys had to find out the truth sooner or later, right?” Scootaloo said. “Come on. I’ll show you the way there, but it’s a bit of a walk.”

Scootaloo turned and trotted down the walkway, and after a moment of hesitation the other Crusaders followed. There was no sound but the crunch of snow under their hooves. It really was an especially cold night, but Scootaloo didn’t seem bothered by it.

“Hey, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle whispered, glancing towards Scootaloo to make sure she couldn’t hear. “What do you think Scootaloo means? That we’re ‘invited to her place’?”

“I can’t honestly say,” Apple Bloom replied. “But she wants to do this for us. I think we just go along for now, but we’ll figure out what to do for her later.”

“I know,” Sweetie Belle said. “I just feel bad accepting anything from her. You know?”

Scootaloo turned around to check that they were still following behind her. “Come on! We’ll take the shortcut, but it’s still a ways to go.”

They were heading away from the Apple family property, but Scootaloo wasn’t leading them towards Ponyville. The lights of the town glimmered in the grey haze of snow and fog, but still they kept their distance. Apple Bloom stopped and put a hoof up to shield her eyes from the snow, and saw that Scootaloo was headed towards Whitetail Woods.

The path was nearly covered in snow, with only a single set of nearly-covered hoofprints leading out. Those would have been Scootaloo’s own tracks. She was the only one who took this path, by the looks of things. There were no markers, no signs. The path through the woods itself was narrow.

“Just a little bit farther,” Scootaloo called back. “Just… Don’t be too surprised when we get there. It’s probably not what you’d expect.” There was a slight tremble in her voice.

“It’s worse that I thought…” Apple Bloom said under her breath. “I thought Scootaloo at least must have someplace in town that she holed up in. I don’t think there’s anythin’ out here.”

“Maybe a cave. Or a hollowed-out tree. Something,” Sweetie Belle said.

The path wound around a frozen lake, several frosted evergreen trees. In a way, it was pretty, but Apple Bloom felt her teeth chattering. It was hard to tell how isolated they were from the rest of Ponyville now. Apple Bloom looked back, and could only see a little bit of light from the town. A small point of warmth in the cold.

“Alright. We’re here,” Scootaloo said.

Apple Bloom turned around. Somehow she hadn’t noticed the house until now.

Scootaloo gave a sheepish grin. “I warned you it might not be what you expect.”

It was a rather inviting-looking brick structure, set back in the woods where nopony would see it until they got close, despite the fact that it was three stories high and fairly expansive. Snow covered the short hedges lining a long brick walkway up to the front door. Lights were on in the windows, and smoke rose from one of several chimneys.

It took a minute for Sweetie Belle to find her tongue. “Wait, this can’t be it. Can it?”

Scootaloo was already trotting up past the pillars on the front porch. “Just come inside, will you? Hope you guys are hungry. I told the servants to start dinner before I left.”

“Servants?” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom said in unison.

They exchanged a glance, then hurried to catch up to Scootaloo. She was already pushing the front door open and striding on in like she owned the place—and, as difficult as it still was to accept, she did.

An old unicorn with a slicked-back gray mane greeted Scootaloo with a bow. “Ah, the young madame has returned! And your guests?” His voice had a trace of a Canterlot accent to it.

“Come on, Silver,” Scootaloo said with a slight grin. “You don’t have to be so stiff all the time.” She turned back to her friends, and introduced them. “This is Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle. They’ll be staying for dinner tonight.”

Sweetie Belle blinked, just taking in the sight of the grand entrance hall, not even looking at the butler. “Nice to meet you…”

Scootaloo led them down the hallway. Curved staircases flanked both sides, leading up to a balcony on the second floor. A crystal chandelier hung above them. The walls were lined with paintings, and expensive vases sat on pedestals.

“That was Silver Platter, the head of staff,” Scootaloo said, nodding in the direction of the butler as he left through a side door. “If you need anything, you can just ask one of the maids or butlers and they’ll take care of it.”

Sweetie Belle looked at the garland wrapped around the exquisitely carved stair railing. The scent of fresh pine reached her nose even from a distance. “I thought you said you had never decorated for the holidays.”

“What do you think we hire all these ponies for?” Scootaloo said. “I’m giving them the next couple of days off, though. I guess I just shouldn't make any giant messes for a while. I can’t make any guarantees, though.”

“I still can’t believe you live here,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s all… fancy, and… And…”

“Don’t worry about being too formal,” Scootaloo said. “Even though it’s a five-course dinner, it’s just the three of us tonight, and I don’t mind.”

“Five courses?” Sweetie Belle blurted out. “If Rarity was here, she’d totally freak!”

“See, this is why I never like to bring ponies over. I’m really not any different from anypony else.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You guys promise you won’t tell anypony, right?”

“Sure thing,” Apple Bloom said, absently staring at her own reflection in the polished marble floor as they walked.

“I got the letter from my parents today saying that they’d be in Canterlot for Hearth’s Warming Eve, at some big important social gathering. Again.” Scootaloo sighed. “Maybe sometime you’ll get to meet them. I’ve told them all about you guys!”

“So your parents are still alive!” Sweetie Belle said. Scootaloo turned around with an eyebrow raised, and she quickly added, “I mean, why wouldn’t they be? They send notes to school all the time, so…”

“Yeah. They spend most of their time at our Canterlot house, or the one in Manehattan where most of the company offices are, or at the house in—“

“How many houses exactly do you have?” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo froze. “It’s really not important. Anyways, here’s the dining room!”

They passed through an archway into the dining hall, a cavernous room with a large fireplace already crackling. A table carved from dark wood stretched out in front of them, already set with candles and covered plates. Sweetie Belle was finally able to tear her eyes away from all the food and noticed the large painting hanging over the fireplace.

It was a very lifelike portrait of Scootaloo, with two unicorns sitting on either side of her. One was a stallion with a slicked-back blond mane, and on the other side was a violet mare with one hoof around Scootaloo’s shoulder.

“Are those your parents?” she asked. “You never told us they were unicorns.”

“Yeah. I think we’ve got some pegasi on my mom’s side, a few generations back. I don’t think they were really aware of it until I was born,” Scootaloo said. She stared up at it and frowned. “The painting’s from last year. I hope we don’t have to do another one. It’s so boring to stand still for that long.”

“And that’s why they never taught you to fly,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo made a face. “They wanted to hire an instructor, but theres no way we’d ever find somepony better than Rainbow Dash. And it’s the same thing with school. You have no idea how hard it was to talk them out of getting me a private tutor. I never would have met you guys if that had happened!”

Scootaloo turned and trotted over to the table. She hopped up on a chair, and after a moment’s hesitation Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took the seats on either side of her. The table stretched out long enough for at least fifteen more ponies.

Servants arrived and lifted the covers from the dishes. With short bows, they exited as quickly as they’d entered. Scootaloo looked over the food, though it wasn’t anything the others had ever seen.

“Looks like we’re having gougeres, tapenade with crudités… Oh! And that smells like matsutake soup. That’s pretty hard to get this time of year,” Scootaloo said.

Sweetie Belle just stared at her. “You sound like Rarity…”

“Trust me. You’ll like them.”

“You eat like this all the time?” Apple Bloom said, lifting an eyebrow.

Scootaloo shook her head. “This is a little more than usual, since it’s the holidays and all. But sometimes. Just about every Sunday.”

Once Scootaloo began eating, Apple Bloom hesitantly took a bite of something on her plate. The taste was about as hard to describe as the name of the food was to pronounce, but she had to admit it was pretty good. She suddenly remembered the dinner Applejack had been preparing earlier. It didn't even compare to this.

“I probably should’ve told you about my family a lot earlier,” Scootaloo said. “I bet you thought I was just like anypony else in town, living in a normal-sized cottage in town.”

“You sure had us convinced,” Apple Bloom said. Seeing Scootaloo here at home, it was hard to imagine her huddled in some dark, dirty alleyway trying to sleep under a soggy newspaper.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Sweetie Belle asked. “This isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. I mean, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would be so jealous!”

“Yeah, about that,” Scootaloo said. She ate another of... whatever she had called those things, and thought for a moment. “When you have a lot of money, your friends typically aren’t hanging around for the right reasons. If you know what I mean. I don’t want to be just another Diamond Tiara.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Apple Bloom said.

“I really should have told you guys a lot earlier, but I didn’t know how. And I hate feeling like I’m just bragging about my family,” Scootaloo said. She looked back and forth at either of them. “You’re not going to change just because you know the truth, are you?”

“Of course not!” Apple Bloom said.

“Anyways, I guess I can give you guys the tour after we eat. Last Hearth's Warming Eve, my parents got me my own indoor skate park! It’s really cool! I can practice all my moves in there before I show them off around town. I used to have to empty out the swimming pool and use it as a half-pipe, but this is way better.”

Some more servers entered the dining room, with more plates of food floating alongside them. They lowered them onto the table, and gave a bow.

“Is there anything else we can get for you, mademoiselles?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “No thanks. Everything tastes great, as usual.”

Apple Bloom leaned back to watch them as they departed back to the kitchen. She had heard Applejack talk about how Aunt and Uncle Orange lived in the big city, and how they had their own butlers, but this was just unbelievable.

“Oh, by the way... You guys seem to have been pretty quiet around me lately,” Scootaloo said. The others shook their heads frantically, but Scootaloo just smiled. “Don’t think I didn’t catch on. You guys weren’t planning on getting me any gifts, were you?”

Sweetie Belle poked at the food on her plate. “Um...”

“Uh, we were, but we... never got around to it,” Apple Bloom said.

“You don’t have to bother. Really,” Scootaloo said. “It’s enough to just spend Hearth’s Warming Eve with my best friends.” She paused, then added, “And if anypony hears that I was saying sappy stuff like that—”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

“We’re just glad that you have a house,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo paused in mid-bite and stared at her. “What? Why wouldn't I have a house?”

“See, we kind of thought you were homeless.” Sweetie Belle's voice echoed in the huge room. It faded away, and the entire mansion seemed to go dead quiet. There was only the sound of the logs cracking on the fire.

“It's... a long story,” Apple Bloom said.