Lukewarm Hearth (Open)

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As much as he wanted to, Braeburn was not currently enjoying the Ball as much as he had hoped he would. It wasn't that his expectations weren't being met, far from it. The Ball was quite the sight to behold, and there were ponies from everywhere mingling around. Normally he'd feel out of place in Canterlot, but here he could hear ponies with accents from Manehattan, Trottingham, and Hoofington. It was a nice environment, and he didn't even look out of place... too much.

Braeburn looked the best he had since he was a foal, partially due to some coincidence and assistance from his friend Sweetheart. The stallion was dressed in a black vest with simple silver embroidery near the seems, a black hat in similar fashion to his usual one, and a bolo-tie around his neck that was decorated with a red apple. His coarse winter coat made his normal light-gold coloration a bit dull and rugged in appearance. In comparison he'd seen a few ponies with coats so shiny and bright that you could make out reflections in it, and without a single hair out of place. He had Rarity to thank for his clothing, and his friend Sweetheart for fussing over him.

The stallion's comfort zone of mingling didn't stray too far from the food. He was a workhorse, which meant he had quite the appetite, and something was on his mind, which meant he was more inclined to munch on something. It was also a great area to meet new ponies! Everypony would eventually pass by to snack on something. He kept his green eyes alert as he scanned through the crowd of ponies to see if there was anypony that he knew.

The Apple Family was big enough that probably some relative of his was around. This seemed like just the type of occasion the Wonderbolts would attend, so maybe he'd run into Mister Soarin' again. He knew his friend Sweetheart was around somewhere. There were other ponies he'd met that could be there, like the DJ he met in Canterlot in the fall, or the magician known as The Great and Powerful Trixie. Not to mention a certain mare with a rainbow colored mane.

There were a lot of ponies out there to meet, Braeburn just had to go up to somepony and say hi. That, or somepony could decide to say hi to him. His had had caught a decent amount of attention already.

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Sweetheart was amazed at the change in the castle! When she had been there last (as a castle servant) She had felt that the rooms, particularly the ballroom, were very formal and grand, and a little intimidating. But what a change for this ball! Festive ribbons were wrapped against the pillars, the royal banners were replaced with plainer, holiday themed ones, as well as greenery hung over the windows and doors. There was an almost suspiciously low level of breakables in the ballroom this time, which made Sweetheart smile. That would be because there were more little colts and fillies here. The area set aside for dancing was smaller, some of the space was filled with couches and cushions set up for ponies to congregate. Even the food looked less grand and more festive!

Sweetheart looked festive too! The dress she had chosen for this occasion was a simple pine green velvet with elegant snowy lace on cuffs, collar and hem. The dress had short puffed sleeves, which were a little cold for this winter season, so she had supplemented it with matching green socks and white ball slippers. Her coralline hair had been been pulled back, swept up into a neat bun, secured by many hidden hairpins, and generally told that it had better behave for this evening!

So far Sweetheart had been having quite a wonderful, if a little busy, time. She had felt a little shy at first, with so many strange ponies in one place, most of them dressed much more grandly than she was. But hardly had she taken three steps into the ballroom with Braeburn than a dismal wail had caught her ear. A little filly in an elegant white satin dress had bumped into a colt about the same age, and that colt had, of course, been carrying a cup of pink punch, which he promptly spilled all over the little damsel.

Forgetting that she was a guest at this party and not expected to take any action, Sweetheart had instantly excused herself and rushed over to comfort the little filly, get her cleaned up, and the punch out of her dress before it became a stain. When that had been taken care of, and the little filly and her friends were playing a game together, she had looked for Braeburn, to see if he was having a good time. She spotted him by the food, but before she could get there, a somewhat shy and gawky stallion asked her to dance. He seemed so nervous and unsure that Sweetheart didn't have the heart to refuse him.

It was a choice she almost regretted. Sweetheart was by no means the most graceful pony in Equestria, but she knew the basic figures of the dances and how to avoid stepping on her partner's hooves. Her partner was so clumsy and mis-matched that at one point she wondered if he was trying to dance a completely different dance. But he seemed so self-concious of his failure by the end that she felt she really must give him a second dance. It didn't go much better than the first, but at least his confidence had improved. Sweetheart excused herself then, and a moment later, whisked behind Braeburn.

"Braeburn!" Sweetheart whispered to him, "Can I hide behind you for a little bit? I've had a couple dances and I need a rest. Only, I don't want to hurt somepony's feelings by turning them down. Do you mind?"

[daringdo]

"I swear under the light of Epona, if this is one of Fossil's plans for me to make friends... I'll... I'll.." Dr. Daring 'India' Do paused for a moment in thought, her brother Fossil was the single root cause for every problem she had ever had. Well maybe she was being slightly dramatic but it was close to true. He was the mastermind behind turning her real life adventures into the Equestria best selling series Daring Do. "I'll... make him teach my class for a semester. Grading those essays is a fate worse then death..." She had received a telegram from Flame Runner two days ago that had a short message from Fossil and a single ticket to the Hearth Warming Eve Ball in Canterlot. The message from Fossil had hinted at a lead on the North Star of Neighpal she was hunting, and had outlined she would meet a very important and prominent blue blooded pony at the ball who would use the guise of the ball as an excuse to talk to her and give her the information she needed.

Daring took a deep breath, she was by far the bravest pony in all of Equestria. She could take on Hurricanes, Rolling boulders, poison darts and even tribes of pony eating antelopes. There was one thing (well two if you counted snakes) that she was terrified of.. parties and India had found herself at the party of all parties. "This is just another Adventure, India.. you got this. There will be no traps, no fire pits, no volcanoes... just ponies in fancy clothes and fancy talk." She repeated her deep breath to steel herself before approaching the large ornate garland decorated doors that lead into the ball.

India was astonished by the sight that met her when the doors opened, everything seemed to shine and sparkle. She had no idea where to look first, the dance floor was full of elegantly dancing ponies, along the wall was table after table of some of the most delicious looking food she had ever seen. Lights and decorations hung and sparkled everywhere she looked, and the focal point of the room was what had to be a 30 ft tall evergreen tree covered in the most beautiful decorations she had ever seen and topped with a star that must of been the size of her head and made of glass or crystal or some other substance that twinkled and redirected every piece of light it caught.

India had a hard time pulling her eyes away from the tree topper, she felt like it was trying to tell her something but she couldn't figure out what. Every time she looked away she found her eyes being drawn back. She shook her head trying to disconnect herself from the tree and trotted fully into the party. She suddenly let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she spotted Braeburn. She knew Braeburn pretty well from when she lived in Appleloosa. He was one of the few ponies from that town that didn't know she was actually Daring Do, and if he did he had never said a thing and always called her India. She liked spending time around Braeburn, she never felt like she needed to put up a front. She checked herself out in the punch bowl, checking to make sure her simple olive green dress was smoothed out and her tan rose mane clip was in place before trotting over to Braeburn.

"You have NO idea how happy I am to see you here Braeburn. I can't stand parties like this... I'm going to Hide he-" Daring actually jumped a little surprised, just now seeing the very pretty pink and white earth pony. "Oh! Excuse me, I hope I am not interrupting anything!"

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Braeburn jumped a little at Sweetheart's sudden appearance. Normally someone calling his name wouldn't startle him, but having it suddenly whispered to him wasn't something he had expected. Normally he was a bit more aware of his surroundings, but with so many ponies at the Ball it'd be incredibly easy to sneak up on him. "Sure ya can hide out with me Sweetheart. Taint nothin' wrong with needin' ta rest your hooves. If ya need me ta keep some stallions from gettin' at ya Ah'll do my best."

The apple farmer gave her a warm smile, happy to be of help to her. Sweetheart was a good friend of his, and having her around was bound to keep his thoughts from going astray again. When everything was over and the two of them were back in Appleloosa again he'd have to think of something nice to do for her to thank her for coming with him. Braeburn's ears snapped to attention as another familiar voice reached them. The stallion turned to face whoever was happy to see him, and immediately broke out into a wide grin. Here was a pony he hadn't expected to see!

"Howdy there Miss Idia!" he exclaimed with much joy. This was quite the happy surprise for him. "Ah haven't seen ya in forever. Almost didn't recognize ya all dressed up." The stallion looked back and forth between the two mares for a second at the mentioning of interrupting something. "Naw, ya aint interruptin' nothin' Miss India. Miss Sweetheart here is a good friend of mine from Appleloosa. She runs the best hotel in ya could ever hope for."

"An' Sweetheart, this here is Miss India. She used ta live in Appleloosa for a while 'til all the adventure got ta her. She's just about the smartest pony Ah know." Braeburn didn't believe what rumors he had heard circulating around India's choice to move away from the town, nor did he help spread them. As well as he could put together all the hardships and excitement that settling a new town came with probably didn't suit the mare.

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"Sure ya can hide out with me Sweetheart. Taint nothin' wrong with needin' ta rest your hooves. If ya need me ta keep some stallions from gettin' at ya Ah'll do my best."

Braeburn was so kind! Sweetheart gave him a warm, grateful smile, then swiped a nearby empty cushion to sit on. "Thank you! I just need a few minutes to recover- annnd maybe eat something." She giggled. "All this food looks kind of good..." She selected a couple of little cream puffs, some strawberries and some orange slices. She didn't want anything with apple in it- in her mind, nothing beat Appleoosa's apples. And she wouldn't be able to help comparing!

Besides, it was a nice change to eat foods that you didn't usually have too much of every day! It gave a pony who liked to cook ideas! Sweetheart munched a cream puff and paused, thinking. If you could get a strong taste of apple into the puff-part of a cream puff, and maybe some nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar into the cream, you might end up with something good! A cider-puff? She resolved to experiment with that idea when she got home. She was about to suggest to Braeburn that he try a cream puff, when an unfamiliar mare trotted over.

"You have NO idea how happy I am to see you here Braeburn. I can't stand parties like this... I'm going to Hide he-Oh! Excuse me, I hope I am not interrupting anything!"

Sweetheart looked up from her plate, a little shyly, expecting to see -what? Some sort of fancy-pants unicorn? Wanting to hide with her behind Braeburn? She wasn't sure what she would do if that was the case, but she smiled with welcome when she saw India. The mare seemed as nervous as she, Sweetheart, felt. And she was wearing something simple and sensible, rather than super-fancy. Sweetheart liked her already! She glanced questioningly at Braeburn, but there was no need. He was already introducing them.

"Naw, ya aint interruptin' nothin' Miss India. Miss Sweetheart here is a good friend of mine from Appleloosa. She runs the best hotel in ya could ever hope for. An' Sweetheart, this here is Miss India. She used ta live in Appleloosa for a while 'til all the adventure got ta her. She's just about the smartest pony Ah know."

Sweetheart couldn't help the blush that came when Braeburn called her hotel the best, and with her hair pulled back, she couldn't hide it either; but there was no doubt she was pleased, even if she dropped her eyes for a moment. She glanced back up at India when Braeburn introduced her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss India. Please do join us, there's some pillows over there if you'd care to grab one and have a seat."

[daringdo]

"Til the adventuring got to me, huh Braeburn? I'm pretty sure you remember who gave up first in the applesauce wrestlin' ring at the fair in Appleoosa." A large grin spread out across the tan pony's face as she teased Braeburn about the embarrassing, but fun, loss at the annual fair. She puffed up her chest, standing taller at the (even playful) jest that she wasn't the worlds best and top adventurer. " Ponyville just had some new Adventures to find. For such a small town it is so strange...."

Her mind seemed to wander at that, lost in thought for just more then just a moment over the new strange things she had been noticing around the town. She couldn't help but move to Ponyville after hearing all the rumors of ponies whose gifts are stronger then anything else seen.. in her mind there had to be an artifact behind it all. She shook her head with a small noise snapping back to the present realizing she had just been standing in front of the other two silent.

"I am so scatter brained tonight.. I am very sorry!" She smiled when Sweetheart offered her a pillow, she was more of a standing pony but decided until she figured out where her head was at she might as well take a seat. "Thank you very much Miss Sweetheart, it is a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Braeburns must be good ponies. I'll have to come back to Appleoppsa and see this awesome hotel of yours!"

She looked over the food laid out on the table in front of them, she took inventory of what Sweetheart was trying and tried some of the same things. She was pretty epic at dodging poison darts but when it came to social settings she felt super awkward. She was happy to find two ponies at this huge party who seemed to be pretty normal.

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"Hey now, you can't bring that up Miss India. Ah told ya Ah could've beaten you. Ah just wasn't gonna resort to any dirty tricks or rough housin' too hard. Ah wouldn't cause harm ta a mare just ta win at somethin'." Braeburn defended himself. It had been a friendly competition, and Idia had won fair and square under the circumstances. If he had taken it any further to try and win it would have been very unsportsmanlike.

The stallion waited for India to be seated before sitting down for himself. With her and Sweetheart there the night had just gotten a lot better for him. If there was any time of the year for ponies to get together and catch up together, this was it. The news that she was going to Ponyville was surprising, but happy news. A lot of stuff was happening around that town lately.

"Funny you should mention Ponyville. Miss Sweetheart an' Ah are headin' that way soon as this shindig winds down. Ah got some family there Ah want ta visit in the mornin'. My cousins Applejack an' Big McIntosh run the farm down there. You tell one of them you know me an' Ah'm sure they'll treat right."

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Applesauce wrestling? Sweetheart was sorry to have missed that! She couldn't help laughing as she tried to picture Braeburn and Miss India going at it across a ring of slippery applesauce. At the fair, too! Actually, it was surprising that Braeburn had agreed to it at all. He must be very good friends with Miss India if he could agree to something so very... well, physical! But looking at Miss India again, Sweetheart supposed she sensed an air of self-reliance, a sort of independent attitude. Miss India must be able to take care of herself pretty well, then!

An idea occurred to her then, and Sweetheart glanced anxiously from one to the other, looking for signs of something more than a very good friendship. But if the signs were there, she didn't see them, and she relaxed after a moment. She wouldn't have wanted to be in their way, and she knew neither of them would have said anything.

Sweetheart had nodded when Miss India said that there was something strange about Ponyville. She had never been there... yet... but she had heard rumors. She attributed so many of the strange things that happened there to its proximity of the Everfree forest. That place just wasn't natural! Or, rather, it was natural, that was the problem! but it was not the way the rest of Equestria was supposed to be. It didn't really surprise Sweetheart that strange things happened near strange places. But she hadn't heard any fresh rumors lately.

When Miss India had mentioned making a visit back to Appleoosa to see her hotel specifically, Sweetheart couldn't help brightening. Any mention of her hotel was bound to do that! "I hope you will, Miss India!"she said, warming to the idea instantly, "You'll be welcome any time, day or night. After all, you are also a friend of Braeburn's, so you must also be good company." Sweetheart giggled.

"That reminds me, Braeburn, didn't you tell me once that your Granny Smith was one of the founding mares of Ponyville? She must know a lot about it. And you know, You're considered one of the founding ponies of Appleoosa. So is starting new towns part of an Apple Family Tradition?"

[daringdo]

When Sweetheart inspected her to see if there was any "Spark" between Herself and Braeburn, she would see no seeds of deeper friendship. Instead she would see a friendly relationship built on mutual respect and trust. Braeburn was most likely the pony she was closest to other then her brother and maybe a couple of her long time international contacts. She wasn't the best at "making friends" as Fossil just loved to point out. Braeburn had heard the rumor surrounding her, and chose to acknowledge her for who she was, and not the reputation that couldn't help but follow her. India rubbed her head in a soft blush as sweetheart referred to her as good company and assured her she would stop by the hotel the next time she was in the neighborhood.

"I've heard of Apple Acres farm before... It must be the one your family works at." India's ears perked up when she heard the tidbit of information from Sweetheart, "Granny Smith is one of the founders of Ponyville?!" India seemed completely shocked, and it was pretty clear the well oiled gears of her mind was working. She would be the perfect mare to interview as a starting point in the city. She was beginning to think everything she was investigating in Ponyville was going to end up as a dead end... but getting to talk to a founder? It was perfect! She could find exactly how long weird things have been happening. "Brae, would there be any possible way I could meet this Granny Smith? I would love to hear any stories she could tell me!"

She listened to Sweethearts question to Braeburn attentively, curious about his answer. It would be pretty neat to be part of a family well known for starting some of the locations that made up Equestria and even better contacts to have for information. She was of course not Braeburns friend for any reason other then friendship, but sometimes friends could end up as an invaluable resource. "If you are headed back to Ponyville after this, maybe we could ride together. It has been a long time, and I would like to have more of an opportunity to catch up. Plus, you still owe me a rematch race..."

Waiting for a slow period in the conversation before she let her mind wander to that darn star again, she was starting to think Fossil didn't know what he was onto sending her here to talk to some blue blooded pony she hadn't even seen yet, but here at the top of the Hearthwarming Eve tree was this beautiful larger then life star.. how many of those could exists. She felt like kicking herself, it was too obvious. It HAD to be the North Star of Neighpal. The big question is, how was she to get to it, inspect it and get such a rare and dangerous artifact in the hooves of the right museum owner... without getting kicked out Canterlot and maybe even Equestria. India had been kicked out of Bars, Houses, Schools and even cities... but she had never been banned from a country before and she knew Fossil would just eat that up for his next book. She nibbled the bottom of her lip slowly, examining the area around the tree. Specifically the balcony that was only 40 or so hooves away from the Star. Curtains hung decoratively on the floor to ceiling arched windows, a perfect platform to swing from. She just needed a distraction.... and that is when she snapped to, returning her attention to the conversation in just enough time to have not missed anything.

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"Startin' up towns aint a family tradition, we just happen ta be in the right place at the right time. Everypony gots ta eat, an' we happen ta be the best at growin' apples." The golden stallion said with a shrug. He had never really given it much thought. Yes his family was wide spread, but he didn't know how many of his relatives had helped settle an area. Maybe he'd bring it up at the next family reunion and try to listen to a few more stories.

"Sure ya could meet my Granny. She'd be mighty pleased ta hear that somepony is interested in hearin' her stories. Ah only know a little bit about it, but supposedly when her family was lookin' for a place ta settle Princess Celestia herself told them where ta go. Sweet Apple Acres has been there ever since." He had given the very brief run down of how the story went, leaving out many of the details. He had always been a bit skeptical about his Granny meeting the Princess, but his cousin AJ had done it a few times already so maybe it wasn't that tall of a tale.

"About comin' back with us ta Ponyville, Ah've got no objections, but Ah don't know if ya can get a ticket this late. Ah don't know if it'll be packed cars or not." It didn't need saying that he'd not enjoy India sneaking onto the train without a ticket. It would sort of be like stealing. Even if the train was going that way anyways, they still had to pay for water and coal to make the steam engine go, and money from tickets would go to that. If everypony just stowed away in secret, the trains wouldn't run very long.

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Sweetheart couldn't help smiling affectionately at Braeburn. He made it sound so natural, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Of course ponies had to eat, and of course his family grew the finest apples in Equestria, (there was no room in the mare's mind for doubt on that issue) The stallion was just too modest, or unaware, that the success of a town relied on so much more than a food supply. Things like hard work and cooperation between ponies, which he inspired. Things like protection from troublemakers and wild animals, which he helped provide. Things as simple at encouragement at the right time and the ability to attract new ponies to come and settle, which he gave.

It might not be a talent that showed so plainly on a cutie mark, but the Apple Family had a talent of raising honest, good-hearted, reliable leaders. Or at least, Sweetheart thought so! She'd never actually met Granny Smith, though Braeburn had talked about her, the way he talked about all the Apple Family in Ponyville. She was more excited to meet them than she cared to admit, even to herself.

Or at least, she had been, until Braeburn mentioned the that the train might be full, and Miss India might not be able to get a ticket. That would be a problem. Sweetheart picked up a glass of punch from the table behind her and sipped it, thoughtfully. Miss India was going there for a good reasons, important ones, she told herself. She wasn't sure where exactly she had gotten this idea, but she had it. She, herself, wanted to go there for fun reasons. She took a deep breath, finished off the punch resolutely, and made up her mind to make the offer.

"We can hope that the train still has tickets left. After all, it is a late night train and there may be ponies who cancel. But if there aren't any, and you need to, you may have my ticket." Sweetheart smiled to show that it was all right. She wanted to go; but if Miss India must, then she would offer her own ticket with a smile and without a word of complaint! Just then, she noted that Miss India was looking away from them and eying the Hearth warming tree with what was clearly a speculative look. And then, almost as quickly, Miss India looked away from it, back at them. Sweetheart wondered what that was about!