[SPONSORED] Winter Winds and Snowy Sailing, A Wonderful Show! (HWE Event, Open!)

[Blueblood]

Amongst the hustle and bustle of the holiday events, Sky Sailing treasured this one moment of quiet, hooves wrapped around a mug of hot cocoa.  The awnings and stagings for his and Wind Dancer’s Heartswarming Show had just been put up, and the signs for the meet and greet ("See the Duo that has warmed each other's hearts as much as they've warmed those of Las Pegasus!" had just flipped to “Now.”  But before the first audience member came up to chat or ask for an autograph, the teal pegasus could take a warming sip of hot chocolate.

 

This show would be the couple’s first one outside of Las Pegasus since… well, since they became a couple.  Sky had played in a few coffee shops before, but that was before packing up his cloud house, moving into the city, and meeting the mare who was the love of his life.  It had been a real whirlwind of a time, so much so that when the opportunity came through the Ponyville Mayoral office’s message to one of the Las Pegasus casino owners for some talent to fill out their holiday festival, Sky had jumped at the chance to get out to a quieter environment.

 

Ponyville still had that small town feeling, though it was growing lately.  It was still smaller than Cloudsdale, where he’d grown up, and considerably more cozy.  Cloud architecture could get drafty.  Of course, they more secure buildings still might get blown out if Wind Dancer actually performed indoors, so they had to hold the show outside.  Hopefully the free hot chocolate on tap would keep the chill at bay for their fans.

 

*Do I have any fans?  I don’t know if anypony outside of Las Pegasus really knows who we are.*  Well, they were about to find out, and even if they didn’t now, they surely would afterwards… right?

[IceStorm]

Spoiler

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

The amount of excitement that was running through Wind Dancer's veins was unmeasurable. This was the first time in a while that somepony outside of Las Pegasus had gotten ahold of her to do a show. The fact that it wasn't just any show, but a Hearth's Warming show meant even more to her. Of course, behind what it was, Wind Dancer couldn't possible charge anything for it. She considered the Hearth's Warming events almost like a charity event. Using the holiday to make extra bits for herself for simple doing what she loved to do for others anyway just seemed wrong for her. As it was, she walked through the town square, looking at all the decorations and watching as they build the stage that they would be performing on... She raised an eyebrow. They did know what kind of show they did right? It would be great for Sky's equipment, but she herself would barely step a hoof on it. 

 

There was also of course the chill that was in the air as well, but with hey flight suit, it really didn't affect her that much. Not to mention as a pegasus, she was a little bit more resistant to the cooler weather from flying in the clouds so much. Despite that chill though, everything felt a lot cozier. She could definitely trip that it was a lot more laid back than Las Pegasus. It might be a good place for her and Sky settle down when that time came. For now, they had to make a good impression first and show the ponies of Ponyville that their mayor did right by inviting them here. She now stood in the square next to Sky as the got ready to start the meet and greet before the show. She had no idea what kind of turn out they'd have here, but she'd give it hey all regardless. 

 

She leaned in and gave Sky a kiss before looking at him with a smile. "So, are you nervous? This is our first act together, and it's in front of an entirely new crowd," she said looking around. The moon and the decorative lights shimmering off of her suit. "I think we can handle it. Between you and me, I'm sure we can conquer anything," she smiled giving him a nuzzle as they waited for the first arrivals for the evening. 

[Blueblood]

Sky Sailing

Sky gave Windy a little kiss as she came in to greet him.  "This place feels too gentle for me to want to use the word 'conquer.'  I'm sure we'll do great, though!  It's nice to bring out my winter songs in the right season for once!"  He grinned.  He was dressed in his night-sky patterned jacket, with a pair of earmuffs for the performance specially enchanted not to block off sound.  It was one of the first gifts she had given him, and was quickly becoming a standard part of his stage look.

 

"Do you see anypony coming?  I would like to get a chance to talk to our audience before we start the show!"

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

 

Wind Dancer couldn't hello but giggle a bit when she heard Sky say that conquer was probably too strong of a word for the gentle community that they were performing for. "Yeah, you're probably right. You look amazing tonight though," she said with a smile as she led them a bit more to the center of the squareb so that they could be more accessible to their fans when they started showing up. "And I can't wait to perform those songs either. I think they flow well with what we've already got," she smiled.

 

She nodded though when She said that he hoped that somepony showed up before the show. That he wanted a chance to at least meet with the audience first. "I would as well, but they'll start coming soon. They are probably still at Twilight's castle. If I remember correctly, she was hosting a charity event tonight as well. Well probably get more of an influx when that is concluded," she said with an optimistic smile. She to was hoping to get a chance to mingle with the ponies of Ponyville before the show as well. She also wanted to pay a visit to the charity event at some point herself, if nothing else that to give her own contribution.

 

[Skycoaster]

Candy Corn

Candy walked down the streets of Ponyville with her sister by her side. “Now Caramel, I have a surprise for you,” she said trying to keep their destination a secret. “I gotta admit I was surprised when you got into Princess Twilight’s school, but I’m glad have my sister so much closer to me. Maybe Kettle get in too when she’s older. Speaking of which, I sent Mom and Pop an invite to spend Hearthswarming with us in Ponyville. You didn’t hear anything from them, did you?”

 

Candy couldn’t help but giggle as they made their way down the festive streets. She’d stop and pose next to one of the lamp poles. “I think my mane is more Nightmare Night, don’t you think?” She said with a laugh. Their destination was in sight as Candy spotted somepony she didn’t expect to see and waved a hoof and grinned to get Windy’s attention. “Hey Caramel, I know her! She’s famous from Lad Pegasus.”

[PyroBlaze]

Caramel had no idea where they were going, but at least she got to do it with her big sister! She was happy to be close to her since they were both in Ponyville now. She nodded along as Candy spoke, giggling at the comment about her mane. 
 

“Nope, haven’t heard back from them ‘bout it, but who knows?” She shrugged as she responded to the family question. She hoped they would come, it’d be weird to do Hearthswarming without the rest of the family with them. Her thoughts were interrupted, thankfully, when Candy pointed out a pegasus mare ahead. A famous one, apparently, though she didn’t recognize her. It was also unclear how Candy would’ve met a famous pony from Las Pegasus, but whatever. For now, Caramel gave a friendly wave to Wind and stayed quiet. 

[Blueblood]

Once out into the center of the square, Sky Sailing cast an eye towards the Palace where the charity event was being held.  "Which one did you give to, by the way, same hospitals as you usually do?  'Cause that's where I made mine."  He wanted to show his support for the causes his marefriend cared about, not to mention express gratitude towards the ponies and institutions that had allowed him to see her dance at her best.

 

It was around that time that the first trickle of guests finally came into the open square.  While Windy was the more extroverted of the two, Sky made an effort to step forward and greet them.  "Welcome, and Happy Hearthswarming!  I'm Sky Sailing, and this is Wind Dancer.  What's your names?"

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

Wind Dancer smiled and nodded to Sky. "Yup, I gave to all the hospitals in Las Pegasus and I gave a decent amount in donation for the Ponyville medical center as well. Specifically the pediatric wing. I want all fillies and colts to be able to get there chance that I was almost denied," she says with a smile as the first couple of patrons started making their way towards them. One of the two of them, she recognized.

 

Candy seemed to recognize her as well as she started waving to her and talking to the pony next to her a bit. Wind Dancer waved back to them as they approached and then she heard Sky introduce the two of them to the mares as they got closer and she extended her own hoof in greetings. "Indeed! I remember you from Las Pegasus. Your name was Candy right?" she asked with a smile. Now that they were close she could tell that the other pony was quite a bit younger than Candy. "And who's this cute little filly?" she asked leaning down so that she was eye level with her. Knowing that they're was at least one filly or colt in the audience that they could make smile already made the entire trip worth it. 

[Skycoaster]

Candy Corn

"I'm Candy Corn and this is my little sister, Caramel Corn," the white unicorn said leaning on her sister. "We're origionaly from Bittsburgh, but though different circumstances found ourselves in Ponyville for Hearthswarming. When I saw that Windy was going to be in town for this show, I just had to come. I get to see my friend preform and bond with my sister. What more could I want..." There was a shift in Candy's voice as she looked down to the ground. "I had invited the rest of the family to come to Ponyville, but I guess they where too busy or got held up somewhere. Kettle would have loved the show I bet." Candy would wrap her sister that was there in a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "But I still got this one, and she even got into the School of Friendship."

 

"To answer your question Caramel, I just literally ran into Windy here one day when I was in Las Pegasus..." Candy stopped as her sisters did not know of her trip to Las Pegasus and the true reason for it. "You know me, had to try out that big coaster in the clouds to compare it with our good old Jack Rabbit," Candy laughed nervously.

[PyroBlaze]

Caramel wasn't entirely sure what to say at this point, especially with two strangers that were apparently famous. She blinked a bit at Windy leaning down towards her and asking for her name, though Candy answered the question for her, so the filly just smiled and nodded for now. Candy's explanation of how she had met Windy was a bit... suspicious, and made Caramel look over at her sister curiously. Well, that was something to ask about later, she supposed, she wasn't about to start interrogating her sister in front of two strangers.

 

"Nice ta meet'cha two." She said, watching the two adults. "What'cha famous for?"

[Blueblood]

Sky's face lit up with recognition.  "Oh, you're the candymaker Windy told me about!  Nice to meet you at last."  They had met up on one of the few days that Sky and windy had to spend apart, as the stallion was holed up in his studio helping a fellow artist put down some session records.  "She had a lot of good things to say about you, and what you make for that matter.  It's a bit too bad we're not in the right holiday... although, I do remember seeing blackberry-flavored Candy Corn in a Bittsburgh store when I was passing through on my way to Los Pegasus.  That was really good!  Did your family make that?"  He'd remembered it as a spur of the moment purchase that had turned out really well, and it had always saddened him somewhat that he couldn't find it in any other town.

 

Little Caramel looked every bit the sort of filly that Windy loved to perform for, and Sky smiled to see the mare so happy to have one in the audience.  It was still pretty sparse at this point, but the size of the audience never really affected the quality of her performance.  She'd dance as hard for one filly as for a crowd at the Mareage.  "Heh, well, I guess I'm mostly famous for being Wind Dancer's stallionfriend.  But what I am is a musician, or recording artist if you want to get technical, since I use my own studio rather than a record label's.  Say, do you want some hot cocoa?"  He pivoted conversation subjects like a cloud being blown about in the wind.  "It's a bit cold out, and it'll be a bit before we get started, too."

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

Wind Dancer smiled and nodded when Candy explained to her sister how they had met. Most probably wouldn't believe her outside of Las Pegasus, but anypony that was from there would instantly find the story believable. Wind Dancer herself wasn't one too shy away from others or be seen conversing with her fans regardless of their financial well being out family name. She didn't care about any of that. In fact, the only thing that Wind Dancer ever cared about was making ponies smile, and if she played her cards right tonight... There would be a very special somepony who would be wearing the biggest smile of them all by the time that she was done.

 

She heard Sky speak up as well, excited to meet the mare that literally bumped into her. He relayed the heart of the conversation that they had about her when Wind got home that night. When he brought up Nightmare Night, albeit indirectly, Wind nodded herself. "Oh yes!! That candy is delightful and will be absolutely perfect for the night! I know that I'll be paying in a large order for some of that candy once it gets closer to time. It will be perfect for the charity event that I run for fillies and their families every year to help those in Las Pegasus that are a bit down on their luck," she said with a smile. She herself though had never been to Bittsburgh so she didn't know the store that Sky was inquiring about, but at this point she presumed that it was. 

 

When she heard the filly ask what they were famous for, she couldn't hello but chuckle lightly when Sky said that he was mostly just famous for being her stallionfriend. "Aww come on... You gotta give yourself more credit than that!!! That's no where near the only reason!! Your about that Golden Bit and Icy helped advertise for has already gone plat so you're more famous now than you think!" she giggled. "As for me, I'm a Showmare. I dance for a living and when I'm dancing I can control the winds with my wings, so I use them to make various effects. You'll see first hoof once the show starts here in a bit," she said as Sky suggested cocoa. "That sounds like a lovely idea! Come on, my treat!!" she said with an excited smile. This night was already amazing for her. And she knew that things were only going to get better. 

[Skycoaster]

Candy Corn

Candy had to think about what Sky Sailing had said. "It could be. We experimented quite a bit with different flavors of Candy Corn. It's possable that Mom or Pop could have used one of the recipes, though we mainly are corn farmers," she giggled. "That's why I'm in Ponyville after all, to expand my horizons," she would look to Caramel. "That's the term, right?" She would say with a giggle. "I'm in the apprenticeship program now for candy makers. Hopefully soon I'll be making candy canes and other Hearthswarming sweets...But you know what is always a good treat for Hearthswarming? Caramel Corn," the unicorn giggled as she leaned into her sister once more.

 

At the mention of Hot Coco, Candy's eyes would light up like she was a filly again. "Can't say no to that, right sis?"

[PyroBlaze]

Caramel nodded a bit as the two adults explained what they were famous for. They seemed to really like each other, that was nice. She also nodded to Candy’s question about the phrase, it sounded right at least. The filly gave a smile at her sister’s affection, returning it by giving a little hug. 
 

“Cocoa sounds great, thanks!” She smiled at the two. “It sounds like it’ll be a fun show later, thanks for puttin’ it on.”

[Blueblood]

Sky smiled at his marefriend's warm-hearted intention to order the candy for her charity.  There were so many ponies who could count themselves lucky that she was who she was, him not least of all.  If there was one thing he wanted to do, it was to make her as happy as she did him.  Hopefully, plans he'd made for this show would go some way towards doing that.  He couldn't wait to the see the look on her face...

 

Candy's words about her parents experimenting suddenly brought an idea in his head, which came out of his distracted mouth in a running stream of consciousness.  "Cherry Lime, that's it; the green and red colors are perfect, and I first tasted a soda that mixed those two flavors in a Bittsburgh soda fountain.  The flow is perfect, serendipity, you should be able to perfect it by next year."  He blinked, his brain catching up.  "Huh, yeah, hope you like music that slips away from you sometimes, that's the sort I make."

 

He poured out two cups of cocoa from the kettle, still slowly boiling the sweet drink.  "Technically, its on the house; I heard it was Blueblood fitting the bill for this, with help from the Mayor's office.  Apparently, the new Mayor would like this town to become a regular stop for musicians on tour.  If all of the ponies here are as welcoming as those I've seen so far, I'm definitely on board!"

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

 

Wind Dancer couldn't help but smile at the cheekiness that Candy said in reference to get sister being the best treat for Hearth's Warming. It didn't hurt that the food was a good treat as well, but from the reaction the two had Wind knew exactly what they meant by that. At that she began to wonder what ways she could incorporate the same kind of cheekiness with the pony that she loved. With a name like Sky Sailing, she was sure she could be quite cheeky. Not that her own name was any better with that, 'Wind Dancer' left a lot of opportunities open in that regard as well. "All of those treats sounds delicious. I'll definitely be making an order next year," she smiled.

 

She did arch an eyebrow though as Sky told her that the hot cocoa was on the house tonight, and that the new mayor of Ponyville was wanting to get Ponyville to be primary stop of musicians and performers on tour. She did like that idea, but there was one things that unsettled her just a bit. "Oh, okay... But is it also free for all the other patrons to the event tonight? I don't feel right taking something for free that others have to pay for. We should be giving to them, not to us," she said aloud. It was party of being famous, she knew that. It happened a lot more frequently than she would have liked and usually she'd make up for it by paying for something for somepony else either behind her out around her. 

 

The way that it was set up though, with how they were able to just go up to the kettle and take some of the hot chocolate made it seem that it was in fact free for all. That made her smile and feel a lot more comfortable about it. When the filly said that it sounded like it would be a fun show, she nodded. "Oh I hope it will be! I had a lot of fun designing it, and it should be a blast for everypony in attendance!" she said with a smile. "That last statement was also a literal statement. Make sure you're holding on to your drinks or finish them before the show. My wind gusts during the show can be quite strong," she added giving her normal pre-show warning.

[Aisede]

As the adults made merry and Sky poured some warm drinks, a certain little puffball could be seen rushing up to them at a somewhat frantic pace. That puffball became less and less little over the next hoofful of seconds, before the hourglass decided to regurgitate some time to save itself the stress of waiting- and then Caramel finds herself the proud owner of a comically enormous cup of steaming, buttery goodness. 

 

"Oh, Caramel! Sorry sorry sorry- I wanted to come earlier but then I wondered if it was adults only but that wouldn't make sense seeing as this is for everypony so then I thought about coming too but I can't come without bringing something for somepony but I couldn't bring something for EVERYPONY so I decided I'd bring something for you but I wasn't sure if it would be enough so I made enough for BOTH of us but then I got hungry too and made enough for FOUR of us and then I noticed I was going to be late and rushed over here as fast as I could after rushing the kettle- so I hope you like it!" The little filly positively beamed, the weight of the cup unreasonably heavy for holding popcorn, and nearly twice the size of the poor filly.

 

"Oh, hi! I'm Kettle Corn, Candy and Caramel's lil' sister! Who are you?" She cocked her head, bouncing on her hooves before spotting the hot cocoa and promptly bouncing up to the table to fix herself a cup. "Ooh! Hot chocolate! Can I have some? Can I can I!?" 

[Skycoaster]

Candy Corn

As Candy accepted her still steaming hot coco, she would nod. "I look forward to that order once I'm up and running," she giggled. "Have to complete this apprenticeship first though. As for a cherry lime flavor, I'm sure my mentor wouldn't mind me spending my free time whipping up a few small test batches in my free time. I even have the perfect taste tester in town," as she winked to Caramel.

 

"As for Ponyville itself, it certainty is growing, even in my short few months here, what with the School of Friendship, the Castle of Friendship, and of course the famous Sweet Apple Acres...and soon to be just as famous BonBon's BonBons." She would give all there a huge smile. "That's the shop I'm apprenticing at," she said with pride in her voice. "Someday soon, I'll have my own storefront, ether in Bittsburgh or maybe even Las Pegasus." 

 

There would be one more surprise that evening...one of the energetic verity. Candy would smile from ear to ear. Her youngest sister had made it to Ponyville and they could all be together for Hearthswarming once more. The candy colored mare would levitate the smallest sibling onto her back. "Windy, Sky, this is the smallest of us three Corn Cobs," she giggled, "and I'm sure Sky would be more then happy to pour you a mug of coco." She would look back to Kettle. "Ma and Pop came with you I hope. They’re in their hotel room, right? I hope you didn't make this train ride on your own, right?" as big sister mode kicked in.

[Blueblood]

Sky blinked, Windy's words confusing him a bit.  "Er... I got the impression that it was free for everypony.  That's why the kettle is so big, right?  There's too much for just us!"  Maybe it was because she'd lived in the big city for much longer, he supposed.  One didn't see civic provisions of this kind in a settlement above a certain size.  Granted, anyplace in Los Pegasus offering free food and drink for anypony that wanted it would need to be as rich as a casino to afford that.  Which is why every place that ever did such an offer was a casino.  Which were by no means free themselves.

 

Whether that was true or not, everypony was getting hot chocolate, including the cutest little newcomer to come to the show.  "Good to meet you, Kettle!  You made it just in time.  May I try a bite of your popcorn?"  It certainly smelled nice, and looked to be just the sort of treat that went perfectly with a show.  Maybe they could hook up a deal to supply future shows if it would work out?  Of course, if the filly made it all herself, it would probably be a good idea to wait before dropping any large contract on her.

[Aisede]

Kettle giggled, hopping up to take her rightful place atop her throne of mane, holding onto Candy's horn to maintain balance. "Nope, I came with Caramel!" She chirped, lighting up her own horn to float over a hoofful of the steaming treat to Sky, all sunshine and smiles.

 

"YES! I hope you like it! I made it myself- oh, and we might be out of popcorn. And corn. But don't worry, we can get more later!" She looked down at Candy's face saying this. 

[PyroBlaze]

Caramel blinked at Kettle’s sudden arrival with the pot of kettle corn, unsure how she didn’t see her sister coming with that thing. After a moment, she shrugged and started munching on her share of the food. 
 

“Tastes good, Kettle! Thanks.” She smiled over at her sister before finally taking the offered cup of cocoa. Well, this show would be even better with both her sisters by her side. Honestly, she thought she had left Kettle back on the farm, but she supposed she must’ve lost track with all the back and forth she’d been doing recently. Not that she minded too much, riding on trains was fun. 

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

No sooner did Wind Dancer finish talking about the fillies here having a blast, another little filly showed up! She looked like she was carrying a cup of snacks that was nearly twice her size! She instantly wanted to rush over to the filly and help her, but the filly was surprisingly fast and was already upon them by the time she had a chance to react. The cup of kettle corn smelled absolutely delicious and she smiled as she heard her talking to her sisters before and turning to her and Sky and introducing herself as Kettle Corn. She could definitely see where she got her name from as the popcorn that she had made smelled amazing. As much as she wanted to try some though, it sounded like she had made just enough for her and her sisters. She let Sky have some of the popcorn, so she smiled as well. "Mind if I try a piece as well?" she smiled as the filly gave a hooffull of the popcorn to sky. In the transfer she herself decided to pluck a single kernel with a wing feather to try it herself. "Oh, this is delicious? And you made this all by yourself? You definitely have a talent for it that's for sure," she said with a reassuring smile to the filly.

 

The smile that she wore widened when Sky hoofed her a cup of cocoa of her own. She lightly blew onto the surface of the chocolate, knowing that the liquid just came from a boiling kettle itself. The last thing she needed to do was burn her mouth right before a performance. She then took a sip, and only a sip as she could feel it was still a bit too hot for her so she decided to converse a bit more and let the ambient temperature of the air help her out by cooling down her drink for her. "It's a pleasure to meet you Kettle Corn! I hope that you and your sisters enjoy the show that we put on for you all here in a bit," she smiled turning to Candy. "Well, as soon as you finish your apprenticeship, you reach out to Golden Bit in Las Pegasus or come see me personally. I'm sure we can work out some details between now and then, and if you want to open your own storefront yourself... I could talk to Golden Bit once you graduate and see if she has any spots that you can open up in inside the casino. Being a new store in a casino is bound to attract large amounts of patrons," she smiled.

 

Wind Dancer herself smiled back to Kettle Corn as the filly had climbed upon to her sister's head using her horn for support. The sight itself bringing joy to her heart. These were the kinds of moments that she lived for. This kind of togetherness and warmth on an evening that has a bit of chill in the air. She was about to make a comment to the filly to engage in another line of conversation with her about her popcorn and if her and her sisters had made any candied popcorn together. The thought of the three sisters doing something so wonderful together during an event like this made her all warm and fuzzy inside. Before she could comment though, she heard the familiar whistling of a firecracker shooting up into the sky and then going off with a loud pop. This was followed by another series of whistles and pops as more began shooting into the sky. At this point she tapped Sky on the shoulder. "I believe that's our cue," she told him with a smile before turning back to the wonderful family that they had met. "We'll talk again after the show. For the moment however, all we ask that you simply enjoy it" she finished with a smile as she waited for Sky so that they could take their places.

[Blueblood]

The popcorn was indeed delicious, though Sky didn't want to take more than one kernel, lest he dry out his throat before the performance.  "You've all got a bright future ahead of you, if this is what you have to bring to the world."  He said, echoing some long-ago words of encouragement that had brought him out of daydreams in a Cloudsdale cold storage warehouse to... where he was now.  Where would life take these fillies?  Hopefully, somewhere as good as where he was now.

 

Speaking of 'Now', Sky was brought back to the present by the scream and pop of a firecracker, signaling the start of the show.  "Alright, sorry we didn't get a chance for autographs if you wanted them, but talk to us later!  Take a seat, we're about to start."  Pushing off from the table, slurping down one last gulp of cocoa, he slid into his booth and laid his wingfeathers over his keyboard.  Pegasi had an advantage in playing instruments in this manner, and he made sure to take advantage of it as he began his first winter song:

 

Spoiler

 

 

"There's the snow, look out below
And bundle up cause here it comes
Run outside, so starry eyed
A snowball fight breaks out and winter has finally begun
 

I twirl through the driveway with angelic grace
Till I slip on the sidewalk and fall on my face

This peppermint winter is so sugar sweet
I don't need to taste to believe
What's winter without Heartswarming Eve?

Hop in the sleigh, and we'll glide away
Into the night and we'll sip on moonlight
Runny nose, my frosty toes
Are getting cold but I feel alive so I smile wide

The snowflakes start falling and I start to float
Till my mean older brother stuffs snow down my coat
 
This peppermint winter is so sugar sweet
I don't need to taste to believe
What's winter without Heartswarming Eve?

All this holiday cheer, heaven knows where it goes
But it returns every year
And though this winter does nothing but storm
The joy in my heart is ablaze and it's keeping me warm
It's keeping me warm, it's keeping me warm

I rip off the wrapping and tear through the box
Till I end up with 45 new pairs of socks

This peppermint winter is so sugar sweet
I don't need to taste to believe
What's winter without Heartswarming Eve?"

 

It was really meant to be a short, sweet song about the holiday, written some time before he and Windy had met.  Some of the lines might have struck her as funny, knowing how Sky thought about socks and how ponies looked while wearing them, but... there were little fillies present, so no need to explain that!

 

The next song was more about winter in general than Hearthswarming specifically, written no more than a month ago.  Windy would definitely know it was written with her in mind, with Sky reflecting on how much better these months were when not alone:

 

Spoiler

 

 

"Welcome back
Winter once again
And put on your warm fuzzy sweater
Because you'll feel much better when
The snowflakes fall
Gently to the ground
The temperature drops
And your shivers freeze all the rivers around
But I keep you warm

If speed's a pro
Inertia must be a con
Because the cold wind blows at precise rates
When I've got my ice skates on
If all the roads
Were paved with ice that wouldn't thaw or crack
I could skate from LP to Manehattan
Then on to Seaddle and back
Because you keep me warm

Peer over the edge
Can you see me?
Rivulets flow from your eyes
Paint runs from your mouth
Like a waterfall
And your lungs crystalize
I'll travel the sub-zero tundra
I'll brave glaciers and frozen lakes
And that's just the tip of the iceberg
I'll do whatever it takes
To change

Farewell powdery paradise
We'd rather skate on the thinnest ice
Fingers failed us before they froze
Frostbite bit down on all our toes

Snow drifts build up and enfold us
As we wait out this winter storm
So we snuggle close in the darkness
And keep each other so warm"

 

he hoped they liked the songs, though to his mind, the highlight of the show was and always would be Windy's dancing!  The choreography would be gentler, perhaps, than a lot of her usual faire; being in the middle of a town square with softer music was a much different venue than a Los Pegasus stadium with booming speakers.  But that was what made little shows like this special, for those who would take time out of these busy days and listen.

[Aisede]

"Thank you thank you!" Kettle was ecstatic to know her corn came out a HUGE success! But what's a snack without a show? Settling down atop her sister's mane, she watched, starstruck, as the stallion began to sing. She tried following along by the second 'This peppermint winter'- wondering to herself, briefly, why winter would smell like peppermint when it should smell like snow- and probably did a... moderately okay job all things considered. 

 

"Oh! Oh!" She got an idea! Lifting her sister's ear, she whispered into it near the ending of the first song, having bounced along and cheered through the remainder all the way. "Sis, sis! Can I get some socks? they'd be suuuper warm and comfy and ponies keep saying we look really cute in them and I wanna look cute too!" Well, cuter than she already looked. If she was any cuter it may be fatal- oh no! Maybe she should hold off on getting socks then- or maybe... Oh, the next song was beginning!

 

Wow, he must be really good at skating. She didn't even think those two cities were very close to each other.  She grimaced at the parts about paint and crystallizing lungs, imaging such things would be just a little bit unpleasant. All in all, the song left her with conflicting feelings and chaotic thoughts- which wasn't abnormal for the filly, buuuut... this was different. She leaned down to ask the next question that crossed her mind when Sky finished the second song, floating over her own cup o' cocoa and giving it a swig. HOT! Hot hot hot- that's too hot, way too hot! She spat the first mouthful out, coincidentally all over Candy's side as she severely underestimated the heat of piping hot hot chocolate. 

 

"Owowowow... uh..." She blinked, realizing she may have interrupted their performance with her theatrics, but deciding to carry on with her question anyway, similarly in whispered fashion: "Sis, what are toes?"

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

 

By the time that the firework display had finished, both Wind Dancer and Sky had made it to where their starting poses would be. Wind Dancer would also have been fitted with a voice activated crystal that would serve as a microphone for her parts in the night. When the lights came on and the Wind Dancer would be seen in a kneeling position. Her right wing was fully extended, and her left wing was brought forward hiding her face. When the music started, she used a rotating sweeping motion with her wings in a clockwise rotation. A breeze could be seen forming around her and a barely visible vortex appeared as well. On the very first word of Sky's song, the crowd got a little taste of her wind power as she released the burst to the crowd and then used those winds to glide along the grass. Essentially, she was skating but without the ice. She continued her gentle sweeps, moving from limb to limb. She started with on her right hind hoof, then to her left forehoof, on to her right forehoof and then her last hoof touched down. She ended in a backwards glide and angled her wings to pick up some altitude and catch some of the winds that she's be building. Swirls of winds could be seen blowing both around herself and on the grass beneath her.

 

The glide turned into a bit of a mid-air trot as Sky started the second part of the first verse, looking to the stars before using a wing to feign a toss towards the crowd, met with another gust of wind. She was also using wind to pull some of the clouds into the scene. Clouds that she had the weather team specifically place, and she begun twirling through and with the clouds effortless until the last one that she burst through with snowflakes falling from what was left of it. With a few touches on the others, a twirl and a glance with a primary feather, and they too began to darken but the snow did not fall yet. She would then burst down sending the snow from the first cloud out before transitioning into more a ballerina-esk style of dance as a majority of the second main verse. She remained on her hind hooves, using her wings do balance her as twirled and hopped in the direction of the crowd. One of the best parts about gigs like this, was it was so easy to get right up to the fans.

 

She made it with a few pony-lengths from them as the chorus started a burst of wind directed at the darken clouds and they began to snow along with the chorus as she began to gain altitude once again along with the floating lines of the chorus. At this point Wind's accent shifted from the lyrics to the rhythm using a bit of a hop strut. She would open her wings, and as close as she was to the ponies of the crowd now, they would be able to feel the pull of the winds under her wings as it pushed against her as she pulled her wings in close except and do a few sidesteps during the somewhat silent section of the piece before the percussion started back in again. At this point she began to transition into a slow twirl before getting herself closer to the ground and flaring her wings to catch the wind as it spun her right round even faster as it built up, and she burst up from the ground as the words "it's keeping me warm" and she went back more a bit of a pulsating electric-type dance all while gliding in the air. The combination of sharp refined movements and the graceful glide being a rather hard thing to pull off, but she made it look effortless. As the first song went into the electronic melodic section, she followed it with a few more sweeps to build up the air once more to end it in a full spread pose onto the last chord.

 

The from the silence of the first song came the starting notes of the next as 'Tip of the Iceberg' started. The first snare hit, her left hoof pointed out, then ext her right, and then her wings as her movements were quick precise and perfectly in time with the snare beat. A sway of her flank, a snap of her wing, a flick of her mane, the flash of a smile before she transitioned into faster movements. Quick sways from one direction to another, half twirls as the bass picked up a bit and then something akin to the chorus came up. She would not miss her cue and provided the background vocals as the tempo started to pick up and she began flowing in the winds once more as she started skating once again over the surface of the grass. She once again mixed the styles of old-style figure skating to new style magica dance. The winds in the square now were quite powerful, but thankfully mainly located just around where they were performing. That's what she wanted. Through the second of the chorus the dance she did was building as she moved the center of the square and then with a twirl and a burst off the ground she pulled the wind up into an updraft as during the big chord building section before going into a hextuple axial and then dropping to the ground in almost an instance releasing the wind in a massive, powerful downburst that threatened to blow away some of the lighter decorations.

 

When the wind cleared the spotlights were now rotating in colors and she was in full magica mode. The pulsating fast pasted beat making her shake, sway, hop, twirl, bounce, and at one point even break dancing on only her wings. Then with a flip, the song and herself fell back onto the swelling chords with a few more sweeps before she ended this song in the same pose that she started the first song in.

 

It was only then that she heard a bit of the commotion from the crowd. She saw the hot chocolate stain on Candy... and her the ows from her sister and she instantly pieced together what happened. A case of a filly getting over excited and not knowing when something was too hot. She would have to make sure to ask about it and make sure that she was okay after the show. As it was, they were only about a third of the way through it. She would hold her pose until Sky transitioned into the next song.