Whew... It’s been awhile since anything big happened. By extension, Carina hasn’t been here since Equestria ever befriended Chrysalis. I visited the hive around a week ago, at the beginning of the new month. And Chrysalis was just fine with it. The two of us said hi, caught up to what we were doing, all that stuff.

 

Right now, Pane’s over at my house, helping the three of us get ready for Hearth’s Warming when Carina comes over with Aita. Chrysalis... really doesn’t have anything to do at the moment, so since she’s been recoronated by over a month now, I notice when at the hive, she was getting ready for her own festivities. I have no idea whether or not it’s for Hearth’s Warming though. She never really went deep into that. I know changelings has their own holidays. Some came into being when I was around. Hell, one came into being when I was a teen. But at least there’s the holidays Equestria has, like Hearts and Hooves Day. and Winter Wrap Up.

 

At the moment though, at my house is just me and Pane. Rusty Flashlight’s went up to Wisconsin at the moment (I still don’t know what that looks like). Since we’re celebrating Hearth’s Warming a week early, as well as me having spilled out everything Carina knows at some point, Rusty Flashlight wants to do his best to get a recording of a Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant.

 

So, what’ve I been doing lately? I started reading Power Ponies from the ground up in my spare time. There’s about forty official installments, and I’m on the fifteenth one. However, with decorations starting for Hearth’s Warming, I haven’t had as much free time to read it. For now though, Pane let me off to do my own thing, me having contributed more than she did to decorations within the time I did, an hour and a half, so I’m reading.

 

But then, something different happens as I read. Well, I guess it gets dark quite a bit earlier now than it did when I last went to... that one demo site. But hey, it’s just what the sky does daily. Well, I set down the comic on the corner and head to my nest for the rest I need. I levitate the switch off and close my door. After ten to fifteen minutes of silence and pitch black, I find myself back in Crater Hall.

 

“Heheh, no telling who’s going to be in front of me this time.”

 

“Oh, hi Carve! Long time no see!”

 

“Yep, I knew it. How’re you Correal?”

 

“Just fine. So, I hear Rusty Flashlight’s in Wisconsin.”

 

“Oh yeah, he is. So, did you visit him before he left or something?”

 

“Well, actually no, I didn’t visit him at all. I went to visit Carina, but got... uh... Jon, I think his name was. He told me about something that he and the pegasus are trying to get. It all went over my head really.”

 

“Me with the hybrid stairs.”

 

“Oh, you mean escalators. Eh...”

 

“Um, what’s drama got to do with stairs?”

 

“Nothing, let’s just move on. So, Jon also told me about this holiday named Christmas. If you ask me, it sounds awfully close to ‘Chrysalis’.”

 

“Me with Grease Ellis.”

 

“Grease who now? Carve, can you please stop deviating from the topic I’m trying to focus on?”

 

“Oh, uh, sorry about that, Correal. But yeah, I think I can agree on that as well. So, uh, is Chrysali- I mean Christmas, celebrated in Wisconsin?”

 

“Oh course?”

 

“Um, is it on the twenty fifth of this month? Because that’s when Hearth’s Warming is celebrated in Equestria.”

 

Correal nods.

 

“Oh. Well, sometimes before Hearth’s Warming, it usually takes hours for Pane Fall to come back if she ever needed to buy anything. But hey! Trace Light and Aita will finally meet!”

 

“Huh, you don’t say, Carve. I’d love to hear how that turns out. Chrysalis is friends with all of Equestria, so I doubt the two would hate each other. Well, I have to go now. It looks like one of your friends is coming to your room.”

 

“Oh, okay. Bye!”

 

Correal waves back at me.

 

“See you later, Carve.”

 

 

Carve?

 

I wake up to a knock on my room door.

 

“Pane? That you?”

 

Yeah.

 

“Come in.”

 

The door opens, revealing it to be Pane, like I heard from the voice.

 

“Sorry about waking you up, Carve. I wanted to see if you were alright with me locking the door for the night until I come back tomorrow morning.”

 

“Actually, that’s fine with me.”

 

“Okay. I better get going then. See you tomorrow.”

 

“Wait. Pane... have you ever heard of a holiday named ‘Christmas’?”

 

“Well, uh, no... I haven’t.”

 

“Oh. It’s apparently a holiday that Carina celebrates back home. It’s the same day as Hearth’s Warming. That’s all I heard from Correal.”

 

“Correal? Is she a changeling you spoke to last week? Is that where you heard of this holiday? It does sound-”

 

“Yeah yeah yeah. I know. But no, Correal visited my dream just now to tell me about this ‘Christmas’ holiday. I’m sure you’ve heard of Correal... have you?”

 

“No. But hey, at least you have friends in the hive.”

 

“Um, her note, Va Cutera Solaz? Crater Hall? I hosted a calling about her that got Chrysalis back!”

 

“Um... what...?”

 

“Oh, please don’t remind me of the hive mind unit.”

 

“Carve... what the heck are you saying?”

 

I huff.

 

“Correal’s been gone since the first of last month. Okay, Pane?”

 

“Oh... okay.”

 

I buzz my wings and droop my head, it becoming clear that Pane hasn’t heard much out of changeling life.

 

“I’m sorry. I thought you would’ve gotten the message by now... about Correal.”

 

“I understand, Carve. Now, I’m going to get home. It’s been a long day decorating for Hearth’s Warming. Rusty Flashlight is going to be home tomorrow, so I’ll be here as soon as I can come.”

 

“Okay. Thanks.”

 

The conversation ends with Pane Fall wrapping her left hoof around my back and rubbing it briefly. Soon after, the door to the house opens, closes and gets locked, letting me sleep for the rest of dark.

Story by Tempo Quill on; http://www.ponyfictionarchive.net/viewstory.php?sid=2269