Warm Snow (MLP)

Draco Flash stared down at his near-empty glass of apple cider. The night before Hearth’s Warming Eve day, and he was spending it alone at the Thunderwing Rock Club. Even though it was the bat pony’s favourite place to hang out in Manehattan, he didn’t exactly enjoy the notion of spending Hearth’s Warming alone in a bar. Or alone at all, for that matter. Nopony seemed to pay him any mind, considering he had a bit of a reputation as a lone wolf these days.

His potential crush, a pegasus mare named Comet Rain, was dating Firestorm, which wouldn’t be all bad if the latter wasn’t a huge ass who ruined Draco’s chance of asking her out just so he could date her himself. Not to mention he’d been a bully to him since they were colts.

“There you are!” A familiar stallion’s voice cried, throwing Draco off his train of thought. He looked up from his drink and saw a pegasus with a coat of dark grey, lighter than his own black coat, and a mane of snow-white with pale blue tips.

“Oh, hey Ace,” The bat pony mumbled, nodding to the empty chair across the small table, “Getting a drink?”

Aces High, Draco’s best friend since preschool, accepted the invitation and sat across from him. “Was lookin’ for you actually, though I probably should’ve figured to look here first. Duh.”

“Looking for me?” Draco repeated, cocking an eyebrow, “Weren’t you going out with Honey Waffle tonight?”

“She has to work late all of a sudden, all these ponies flocking in to see relatives and stuff,” the pegasus explained, giving a shrug, “But she kept insisting she had it covered, so I went to find you, thought we could hang out.”

“Well, you found me,” Draco snarked, waving his hooves, “and now we’re hanging out. So what, planning a romantic little Hearth’s Warming Eve date with your sweetheart then?”

“Hey, what’s up your ass tonight?” Ace frowned defensively, “I walk in seeing you about to faceplant your drink, and now you chew me out for coming to find you?”

“No, I’m sorry,” The bat pony sighed, shaking his head, “I’m just a little frustrated ‘cause I’m gonna be spending tomorrow night alone. Again.”

Ace’s smirk returned. “Suddenly the big bad lone wolf wants a friend? Oh don’t gimme that face, I’m just messin’ with ya.”

Draco grabbed the pint in his hooves and downed the last bit of cider inside. His eyes stayed on the empty glass. “I just wish I could ask Comet out. I wanna at least try.”

The other stallion tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. “Then, why don’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t hear? Comet and Firestorm broke up a few weeks ago. Caught him kissing another mare or something.”

“Wait wait wait,” Draco waved his hoof in his best friend’s face, jumping from glum and despondent to fully alert, “So, Comet’s single now?” Ace nodded. “For the last few weeks?” Another nod. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

“I had to confirm it before I started saying anything,” he explained, grin inverting into a frown with hinted guilt, “plus, I wasn’t sure how you’d take it.”

“Right,” Draco sighed, slumping back in his chair, “well, what now then?”

Ace’s smirk shot right back onto his face as she shuffled a bit in his chair. “Right, I was thinking, okay? Hear me out on this.” Draco couldn’t help but crack a smile; he could tell Ace was excited about this. “Tonight we get drunk, okay? Like, super drunk. We go home, sleep it off, get some aspirin and coffee, and we go get you a present to give Comet.”

Draco sighed and shook his head, smile unwavering. He looked into the pegasus’ eyes. “You’re not taking ‘no’ for an answer are you?”

“Nope,” he grinned, reaching over to pat the bat pony on the shoulder, “think of it as my Hearth’s Warming present to you.”

“Right, and if it doesn’t work?” Draco smirked, his good mood starting to return.

“Then I’ll, buy you some Playbucks or something,” Ace joked, shrugging, “why’re you so ‘glass is half empty’ tonight?”

“I think I’m more ‘glass is totally empty’,” the black stallion snarked, tapping his hoof on his pint glass, and the two burst into laughter. One of the many things these two ponies shared was a low standard sense of humour.

“Alright alright, next round’s on me,” Ace chuckled, coming down from their little laughing fit and spreading his wings to hover to the bar.

As a metal track played softly on the speakers around the bar, Draco smiled and watched Ace order the drinks. He was initially planning to solitarily wallow in his self-pity while drinking himself into a short-term coma, but getting wasted with his best friend and doing something they’ll both definitely regret in the morning sounded like a much better idea.

Plus, the knowledge that Comet Rain was single again filled him with hope. This would be his chance. He’d get her the best damn present he could find tomorrow, as Luna was his witness!

Ace floated back to the table, two pints of cider in both hooves, and set one down for Draco. “So, up for tomorrow then buddy?”

“Well, suppose trying won’t kill us,” the bat pony rolled his eyes playfully, grabbing his glass, “is getting wasted really part of the plan?”

“Duh,” the pegasus smirked, “because why not?”

Draco shrugged, and the two clinked their glasses together before taking a big swig.





A blistering migraine welcomed Draco Flash into consciousness, and he kept his eyes closed and gritted his teeth as he put a hoof to his temple. “Ugh, Luna almighty…”

“Rise and shine, sleepin’ beauty,” Ace’s voice sounded from nearby.

Draco squinted his eyelids tighter before finally opening them, grunting as his head throbbed along to his heartbeat. He finally opened and rubbed his eyes, allowing them to clear up so he could assess the situation. He was on a couch in a living room...but not his own, and the TV was showing an episode of Mysterious Mare-do-Well. One of his favourite shows, which got a grin from him. That and there was a lovely smell of pancakes in the air.

“This is not my beautiful couch,” he mumbled, shaking his head softly, “this is not my beautiful house…”

“Because it’s my beautiful couch and my beautiful house,” Ace chuckled. Draco turned his head and saw him sitting on one of the armchairs watching TV, which he’d just noticed was on. “Stroopy made you breakfast before she left.”

Draco furrowed his eyebrows until he remembered Stroopy was Honey Waffle’s nickname. Despite his tough guy look, he wasn’t the best at holding his liquor.
The bat pony licked his chapped lips and looked to the end table by the couch, spotting a small stack of pancakes lathered in syrup, and a mug of steaming coffee. On the side was a pair of aspirin tablets, which he immediately scooped into his mouth and downed with a sip of warm brew.

“Finally recovering after last night?” The pegasus smirked.

Draco sat the mug back on the table, nearly scalding his tongue from the coffee. “What happened?”

“Well we sorta started a drinking match,” Ace explained, rolling his forehoof, “we got bored two pints in and started singing to what was on the radio. We made up words to some of them, pissed ourselves laughing about it - you almost literally - and eventually left. You couldn’t remember which way your place was so I let you stay here, and we sang dirty songs till we got inside and you collapsed on the couch.”

Draco’s black-coated face turned a shade of pink. So much for that ‘quiet lone wolf’ reputation. “Was Stroopy alright with letting me stay?”

“Duh, she likes you,” Ace grinned, “well, provided I could shut you up and get you to sleep.”

“Right,” Draco felt his cheeks get warmer, and not from the pancakes and coffee he was putting in them, “so, what’s the plan then?”

“Well, I’m gonna give you some money to get Comet a present,” Ace explained, nodding with certainty, “and you go off and find her something nice while I head out and do something myself.”

Draco blinked, and swallowed a piece of pancake. “Like what?”

“As in ‘what present’ or ‘what am I doing’?”

“Both.”

“Well she’s pretty punk-ish, if that helps. And I just have some stuff I gotta do, some last-minute shopping, let’s say.”

“Um, alright,” the bat pony nodding, eyebrow raised, “so, uh, when do we leave?”

Draco shrugged. “When you can walk without falling over yourself.”

“Then let’s go now,” Draco put his front, then back hooves on the floor, but since he’d been laying down since his drunken stupor, walking was more challenging than he thought. A fact proven by him chin-planting the carpet.

Ace had to do his best to resist bursting into hysterics. “Y-you were saying?”

“I was saying shut your whore mouth,” Draco mumbled, forelegs spread on the floor and hindlegs still straight up.



The shopping district of downtown Manehattan was bustling and hectic; ponies of all shapes and colours rushed to and from stores to get some last-minute gifts, and carriages cluttering up the road in both directions. Hearth’s Warming Eve day is not the best time for shopping.

But Draco Flash loved a challenge.

The bat pony glided over the jampacked sidewalk like a black blur, looking for the right place to get Comet Rain’s present. It had to be in her style, he reminded himself, and within his price range. Though the latter wasn’t too much of a worry, considering Aces High had given him what felt like enough cash for a few diamond rings.
Aerolympics star’s salary, he snarked in his head, not bad for being in a few pegasus demolition derbies. He’d considered entering himself, but he was built more for speed than power.

The mental image of Comet Rain was all Draco had to go on; a pegasus mare with a coat black as the most gorgeous ebony, amber eyes like a beautiful sunset, and a long spiky mane running down the side of her face, coloured like a fire as intense as her beauty.

It was pretty obvious he was in love with her since he never gets that poetic.

What do punk girls like? Draco mulled in his head, ducking and weaving past overzealous pegasi and keeping his eye out for a potential stop. Music, leather jackets, not obeying the law, ...jewellery?

The last word ran through the bat pony’s head as he screeched to a hovering halt in front of a rather refined looking jewellery store just off the main street. Looked like a place those stuffy Canterlot types would hang out in and guffaw at the commoners.

Girls do like jewellery...eh, they don’t charge to browse.

Draco glided into the side-street and landed in front of the display window, scanning each shelf for a potential gift. Rings and necklaces made of all kinds of pretty and shiny jewels lined across the glass, but nothing had caught his eye. So much for that.

“...wait, what’s this?” The stallion mumbled, narrowing his eyes on something in the middle window.

Hanging on a silver neck-sized chain was, what seemed like the fang of a creature, possibly the size of a wolf’s. What was peculiar was the fang was glowing red, and Draco could faintly make out something was inside it. It looked like a tiny wildfire dancing inside the casing of the fang. The fang itself was connected to a small ebony brooch, depicting a swirling black fire.

This thing looked pricey, even for Draco’s plentiful allowance of two thousand bits. Heck, it might dent the bit purse of Celestia herself.

But, it was perfect! This was the one! He had to at least find out how much it was.

Pushing through the door, Draco already felt out of place with his scruffy purple mane and leather jacket amongst glistening jewels in glass cases. Even the well groomed unicorn stallion behind the counter raised an eyebrow as he neared the desk, wearing a nice shirt and suit jacket and his mane neatly combed.

“Can I help you, sir?” The cashier asked in a typical high class Canterlot accent, sounding and looking almost bored at this potential customer.

“Yeah, um,” Draco began, nodding toward the window, “what can you tell me about the fire fang thing?”

“Ah, that fang happens be from a Neighisan Blaze Dragon,” the unicorn explained, a smug smirk on his face, “its fangs contain small fires that it injects into its prey, you see. Or so the pony who brought me it told me anyway.”

“How much for it?” Draco nearly cut in, eyes widened with anticipation.

“Oh well, considering it’s a rare item, practically one of a kind in fact,” the teller mulled, tapping a hoof on his chin, “I am selling it for three thousand bits.”

Draco’s heart sank. “Three thousand?! That’s a thousand more than what I’ve got…”

“Then I’m afraid you simply can’t have it then,” the unicorn shrugged dismissively, “may I suggest something more your price range?”

“No you don’t understand,” The bat pony pleaded, sheer dread washing over his face as he raised his forehooves onto the display glass on the counter, “I need this. Come on, it’s Hearth’s Warming!”

“I’m aware of that sir,” the unicorn nodded, unperturbed by his customer’s desperation, “hooves off the glass please.”

Draco sighed and lowered his hooves back onto the ground. “Look, it’s…” He swallowed the lump in his throat, preparing to speak, “it’s a gift, for a mare. I missed a chance to go out with her years ago, and I just want to give her something special.”
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the plentiful sack of coins Ace entrusted him with. “I’ll give you every last bit I have, I just really need this, man.” He sniffled, eyes beginning to water. He felt really stupid being so close to tears, but he was that desperate.

The teller’s stoic expression seemed to soften from his story, and from biting his lip and moving his eyes in different directions, Draco could only assume he was rethinking his decision.

“I’ll tell you what,” he finally spoke, keeping his chin up, “since it’s Hearth’s Warming, I’ll half the price. But just this once, next time you pay in full.”

Draco’s damp green eyes lit up at the proposal. “S-sure, deal.”

“Alright, let me just count out your bits,” the unicorn nodded, using his magic to open the pouch and levitate the mess of coins out to count them. After fifteen seconds, he nodded and placed the remaining five hundred into the pouch while telekinetically punching keys on the register.

“Um, thanks for this,” Draco muttered, wiping his eyes with his leg, “you have no idea how much this’ll help.”

“‘Tis the season, as they say,” the high class stallion chuckled, walking around and emerging from behind the counter, “would you like it gift-wrapped?”

The bat pony nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”



With nowhere else to go for the day, Draco Flash decided to return to his apartment downtown, the small box containing the fire fang necklace in his jacket pocket. He couldn’t help but let a grin creep onto his face as he trotted up the stairs and through the hall to his door. If all goes right tonight, he’ll have the greatest Hearth’s Warming present ever!

As he pushed through his apartment door, his ear flicked as he heard something small scrape against the floor. An envelope with ‘Read me ASAP’ lay at his hooves.
Shrugging, he reached down and grabbed it in his teeth, and took a seat on the couch before ripping it open and having a look inside.

You’re meeting Comet Rain at Maison Rose tonight at 6. Fancy restaurant so dress accordingly. Not too expensive but a few hundred bits should do it. Hope you have change!

Go get ‘em brother.

Aces High

Damn, Draco thought, Ace really came through. He’d never have thought of a fancy restaurant, just maybe a night at the Thunderwing or something. Then again, that’s not the greatest date spot in town, so maybe it was wise that he didn’t plan it himself.

Checking the clock, Draco noticed he had a good few hours to get ready, but better to prepare sooner than later.
“Hmm, something fancy…” he muttered out loud. What did he have that was fancy? His usual look of leather jackets and bandanas probably wasn’t the best idea.

“...wait.”

The bat pony trotted to his bedroom and opened the wardrobe. While most of it was lined with band shirts and jackets, something stood out at the far end. A suit his father had given him upon moving out, in case a formal situation arose.

But of course, with his father being a vampony, his choice of attire was rather...eccentric. You could imagine Draco was more than a little embarrassed that the suit consisted of one of those old-timey frilly white shirts and a black long coat, but he’d tried it on before out of boredom, and he remembered thinking he looked pretty damn hot in it.

With a decisive nod, he pulled out the rack holding the suit and flung it out onto the bed, so it was ready for when he was finished with what he felt would be the most taxing part of getting ready for a date.

The bat pony wandered into the bathroom and slipped an underused comb onto his hoof, swallowing with anxiety as he undid the bandana around his forehead and stared at the purple and green wild jungle that was his mane.



Now that he was in much less of a hurry, Draco Flash could take in the Hearth’s Warming spirit of Manehattan as he cruised through the air toward Maison Rose. Streetlights and telephone poles were wrapped up in wires of colorful lights that streamed across the streets in delightful flickers of blues and reds and greens.
The stores were staying open late tonight for last minute shopping, so the sidewalks and roads were still hectic, but not nearly as much as that afternoon. Ponies hastily trotted and flew this way and that, to get to a store before it closed or sold out, or to get home and spend Hearth’s Warming Eve with their families.

Another reason for the bat pony’s slower flying speed was he was actually taking care of his appearance this time. He’d spent nearly an hour washing and combing his mane and tail, the latter taking the majority of the time, but with every well reflected window he passed, he couldn’t help but sneak a glance. His purple hair, usually tatty and knotted, was combed nice and straight to flow out much nicer, with the natural green streaks going through flawlessly. His tail also felt longer after being brushed and straightened, and his hair had a nice sheen to it after his shower. With his frilly shirt and long suit jacket on, he felt like a million bits.

As he landed around the corner from Maison Rose, the stallion took one last quick look at himself in the lit display window of a store.
“Mane and tail still straight,” he muttered, checking an internal list, “shirt stainless, jacket not creased, heart beating at a hummingbird’s wingspeed. Yup, I’m set.”

Taking a deep breath, Draco walked around the corner, the stylish fluorescent sign for Maison Rose further down the street.

Comet Rain stood right at the entrance beneath it. Draco could tell right away from the mare’s natural warm glow of her mane. She hadn’t noticed him yet.

The bat pony’s heart skipped and his breathing became short and shuddering. Part of him wanted to turn tail and fly away as fast as possible, but his hooves, having other ideas, crunched the snow beneath him as they dragged him toward his date.

As he got nearer, Draco could get a better look at the black-coated pegasus. Her sideward mane, usually spiky and wild, was straightened and hung beautifully along the side of her face, dancing softly in the gentle winter breeze like a candle fire.
She always wore leather jackets, much like him, but this one was different than the others she’s worn. This one was clean, spotless, and the silver studs replaced with a red outline along the lapels, curling along as they went downard.

Her amber eyes glowed gorgeously amongst the dark, and seemed to light up even more when she noticed his approach. Draco’s heart nearly stopped and his legs began to quiver as she began trotting toward him.

“Draco!” She smiled, stopping right in front of him, “You totally came!”
“U-uh, y-yeah I did, h-hi Comet,” Draco stammered, uncharacteristically nervous and managing a smile back, “h-how are you?”
“A little chilly, to be honest,” she shrugged indignantly, her smile morphing into a smirk, “I can tell you’re freezing.”
“U-uh, yeah, c-cold,” he chuckled nervously, swallowing the lump forming in his throat, “y-you wanna go in?”
“Duh,” she nodded, and the two began walking side by side to the entrance.

Approaching the closed double doors, Draco suddenly glided ahead and held it open for her.
“Wow, and they say chivalry’s dead,” Comet smirked, walking by him, “thanks, gentlecolt.”

Draco could feel a positively dorky smile form on his face. She called me gentlecolt~
Quickly he caught himself and shook the giddiness from his head. No no, gotta keep collected. This needs to be flawless so I have to focus.

As he got his wits about him and trotted to catch up, he couldn’t help but lock his eyes onto Comet.

Damn, she has a nice plot.



Draco Flash didn’t exactly look out of place inside Maison Rose, but he certainly felt like it. Typically scruffy and preferring grungy bars, the large restaurant decorated with drapes, curtains and carpets, all sporting different shades of red and cream colours, was definitely a bit of a culture shock.
He began to wonder, could he afford all this? Would the five hundred bits left over from the necklace be enough? Would he even know what stuff is called?

The bat pony shook his mind clear as a knee was jabbed against his side. He turned and looked at a smirking Comet Rain, who nodded toward the suit-clad unicorn mare behind the podium.

“H-huh?” He hummed.

The mare looked unamused. “I said, ‘table for two this evening’?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, two,” the stallion nodded, forcing an awkward grin onto his face. He heard Comet stifle a snort.

The unicorn nodded, nonplussed, and walked out from behind the podium. “Right this way.”

A few heads turned as the couple were led into the dining area, closer tables occupied by varying numbers of well dressed ponies halting their eating and conversing to take a look at them. Draco tucked his wings in so to not bump into anypony, and watched with a small layer of anxiety as the well-to-do stallions and mares inspected him and his date with raised eyebrows. Some nodded and muttered to each other, others simply turned back to their meals and chatting without comment.

At least they’re keeping it to themselves, Draco sighed internally.

The two got a two-pony table near the centre, and as he sat down, the bat pony had a look around. The red and cream colours were still around, save for the big fancy silver chandelier hanging above the centre of the room.

“Would you care for a drink?” The unicorn mare offered, levitating a pair of menus onto the tabletop. “Perhaps a glass of our famous Rose wine?”

“Yes, thank you,” the couple smiled and nodded nervously, keeping their hesitation to themselves. Comet was never much of a wine drinker, and Draco couldn’t stand the stuff.

The waitress nodded and walked off toward the bar, leaving the two alone at last. The two ponies looked at each other awkwardly as soft classical music played through the air amongst the chatter.

“So, fancy place you picked out,” Comet began, nodding slowly as she looked around, “very...dignified.”

“O-oh yeah,” Draco nodded, grinning and keeping the fact that Ace chose the location to himself, “I figured this would be the perfect date place.”

“I never really pegged you for liking these sorts of places,” Comet smiled, seeming impressed, and flicked the menu open, “wow, all this stuff looks pretty nice.”

Draco opened his own menu, and grimaced. The writing was quite small, in cursive, and no pictures to be seen. It was only the appetisers list, and he was already freaking out. He had to pick something fancy, so she’d be impressed, but he didn’t have any idea what half this stuff was! It felt like he was spending an eternity looking through this list.

“Your drinks,” the waitress returned, almost giving the stallion a heart attack. He watched as two fancy glasses filled with red blood-like liquid were levitated in front of them.

“Um, thank you,” the two mumbled.

“Have you decided on appetisers?” The mare asked, levitating a notepad and pen.

“I think I’ll have the small cheese baguette,” Comet nodded, a dignified air about her.

The waitress nodded and jotted down the choice. “And you, sir?”

“Es-car-gut,” Draco blurted, trying to sound as not-desperate as possible.

“The ‘escargot’,” She corrected, and wrote it down, “very well, I will let you choose your main courses in the meantime.” With that, she trotted off toward the kitchen doors.

“Wow,” Comet gasped, eyes widened, “you like snails?”

“Snails?” Draco repeated, beginning to internally scream.



“Wow,” Comet Rain gasped softly, her eyebrows raised, “I honestly wasn’t expecting you to eat all those snails.”

“Well, I don’t like leaving things half finished,” Draco managed a smile, while inside he had a violent urge to run for the restroom and throw every single one of them back up, along with the wine he had to wash it down with.

“Well, hopefully you can take the main course better,” she chuckled, obviously sensing his discomfort, “but we can talk for a bit before we order it. Y’know, catch up for a bit.”

“Y-yeah, sure,” he nodded, awkward grin continuing, “we can waste a little time.”

The mare’s smile softened a bit, unbeknownst to him. “So, um, what do you think of my outfit? Since I commented on yours and all.”

“I like it,” he nodded, smiling, “I never thought you could afford to pull it off, though.”

Comet’s smile totally faded, a bemused frown taking its place. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Draco swore internally, darting his eyes around for a good answer. “I-I mean, I didn’t think you had the cash to look so pretty…?”

Her eyes narrowed, and a bead of sweat slid down his forehead. That was not smart.

“What, so because I don’t have that much money that means I can’t look good to you?” She snapped, her voice raised a bit.

“N-no no!” Draco stammered, waving his forehooves overdramatically, “I-I, uh-”

“I never even thought to ask how you could afford to come to this place, especially considering you’re not exactly well off either, you dirty hypocrite.” She slammed a bag of bits on the table and stood, eyes fixed right into his as she stormed around the table. “Well since you love money so much, here’s my half of the food and drink. You can get your own dinner. Good night, faker.”

All eyes were on the duo. Both of them knew, neither of them cared.

“Comet, wait!” He yelled, but the mare didn’t hesitate or even look back; instead she broke into a trot toward the door. Throwing some bits on the table, the stallion dashed after her.

Running outside, Draco caught his date spreading her wings and preparing to take off.

“Comet, wait!” He repeated, his eyes watering and stinging from the brisk winter air. “Please, just let me explain myself!”

The pegasus, already airborne, actually stopped this time. She didn’t turn around, simply hovering in the air for a few seconds, before landing and turning to walk right up to his face.

“You have one chance.” She warned.

The stallion swallowed the large lump in his throat and hesitated before looking into her eyes and beginning his explanation.
“Comet, I’m not going to dance around it. I’ve had a crush on you since the day we met. I love you, but I’ve never gotten a chance to show it. The day Firestorm asked you out was the day I finally mustered up the balls to ask you myself, but his gang kept me from meeting up with you. I lost my chance, and it’s been bothering me up until yesterday.

“Seeing you two together and looking really happy, it hurt. Not because you were with him, but because I knew I wasn't good enough.” It was his turn to raise his voice now. “I wasn’t the toned sports star everypony in high school wanted or wanted to be.” He sighed deeply, a puff of white steamy breath disappearing into the cold air. “I thought, if I changed and became more respectable, made myself look nicer, that you might actually give me a chance. But I’ve screwed that up, as usual.”

Comet stayed completely quiet, taking in every word, and watched as Draco stuck a hoof into the innards of his jacket.

“As for the money, it isn't mine,” he admitted, fishing out the box containing the necklace, “Ace lent me money, so that I could buy you dinner, and this.” He held it to her, and she took it in her own hoof. “If nothing else, please accept this as my apology for making a bad time in your life even worse. Happy Hearth’s Warming.”

With that, the bat pony spread his large tattered wings and ran into a high-speed flight back into the city, leaving Comet to decide what she should do next. Now it was her turn to get watery eyes.



Just outside Manehattan, in one of the rougher neighbourhoods, stood the wreckage of a small two-floor warehouse, burned to bits many years ago and becoming a spot for local teenagers to hide out and drink or smoke. The second floor had a bit of wall blown out of it, revealing a nice view of the bustling city ahead.

This very view was Draco Flash’s own little hideout. When he needed to get away and be alone with his thoughts, this is where he’d go. The local gangs of hoodlums left him alone, since they didn’t want any trouble from him. Or another beatdown.

The bat pony sat amongst the burned out wreckage and stared out toward the snow-topped skyscrapers, sniffling and wiping his eyes with his forelegs. Thankfully, due to the weather and what day it was, he was totally alone up there. He’d screwed up. Everything he wanted was right there, and he threw it all away just to impress Comet. What the hell was he thinking?

“Draco?” Speaking of Comet, that very mare’s voice carefully spoke up from behind Draco, who snapped his head around in shock to see her standing there. Her fiery mane was warmly illuminated in the chilly night air.

Draco simply turned his head back around. “You should go home, it’s not safe around here.” He managed, trying to hold his sobs back.

“I can handle myself,” the mare retorted, the clopping of her hooves reverberating through the hollowed out building remains as she approached him, “Aerolympian and all. Besides, we hang out here all the time.”

“Well, still,” the bat pony sniffled, wiping his snout with a hoof, “I’m the last pony you want to see right now.”

“If that was the case, why would I be here?” The mare asked matter-of-factly, sitting down beside the stallion, “You’re crying, aren’t you?”

“N-no I’m not,” Draco muttered, in a weak attempt to defend himself, “someone put tears on my face. You put tears on my face.”

The mare couldn’t help but smile at that. Even in a time like this he was quite a dork. “Listen Draco, I came to apologise to you.”

“H-huh?” He looked up to face her, and blinked his watering eyes at the warm glow of the Blaze Dragon fang hanging off her neck.

“I was a hypocrite earlier,” she began, sighing and looking down at her hooves, “I got in your face about pretending to be someone you’re not to impress me, when I was doing the exact same. I didn’t want to screw up our date, so I thought getting all prissy and dolled up would help make me look more mature. All the pressure was getting to me, and I took it out on you.

“I remember you said I looked really happy with Firestorm. To be honest, I was far from happy. I couldn’t be myself around him, all he wanted to do was parade me around like a trophy.” She raised her forehooves to her head, and ruffled at her mane until it became its usual spiky messy style. “Well enough of that. If I’m going to go out with a guy, he either gets the full me or none of me.” She ran her immaculate leather jacket against jagged parts of the wall, leaving gaping rips and holes in the sleeves. “I’m not some prissy little princess, dammit!”

Draco nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess we were both stupid.” He looked down at his draping suit jacket. “I probably shouldn’t rip this up though, it was my dad’s.”

“True,” Comet grinned, putting up her hooves and ruffling Draco’s mane to its scruffy old self, “besides, it looks good on you.”

The bat pony’s black-coated cheeks flushed a soft pink. “W-well, you look good too...how do you like the necklace?”

The mare raised one of her dark wings, using its red-tipped feathers to wipe a bit of tear from his cheek before planting a soft kiss on it. “It’s perfect for me, thank you.”

Draco’s brain nearly short-circuited from the kiss, and his wings launched outward. “D-duuhhh…~”

“Wow, way to ruin the romance,” Comet snorted into her hoof, obviously amused by her date’s show of dorkiness, “y’know, it doesn’t have to be lovey-dovey romantic moonlight dinner crap to be a date.”

Upon hearing this, the stallion’s mind returned to working order and an idea fell onto it. “The Thunderwing’s still open for a few hours, you wanna go get slammed?”

Comet grinned, hopping onto all four hooves. “Dude, duh!”



An hour or so had passed, and while Manehattan’s streets were beginning to calm, the Thunderwing Rock Club was full of life. Ponies, griffons, zebras and all sorts of creatures were gathered for a special Hearth’s Warming concert from the local bands. Holiday anthems, some of them more recent pop songs, were given a fast hard rock flavour from the talent on stage. The air was filled with loud music, singing and cheering and the clinking of glasses, and nearly every stool and table was occupied. The space before the stage was filled with patrons, drunk on the beer, music or both, jumping around and moshing.

Draco Flash and Comet Rain certainly weren’t missing out on the festivities. Having a few hundred bits left, the bat pony decided to spend as much of it on alcohol as he could before either one of them threw up, passed out or were thrown out by the bouncers. The awkward tense atmosphere of the Maison Rose between the two ponies was nonexistent, and in its place an air of excitement and pure togetherness. They sang along to every song played, regardless of their knowledge of the lyrics or of vocal pitch, while guzzling mouthful after mouthful of alcohol.

“Ssssho how do you make eggnog anyway?” Draco slurred during a break, constantly blinking as he tried to keep his eyesight focused on Comet.

“Uhhhh,” the pegasus muttered, narrowing her eyes in thought, “d’ya jus’...take some egg an’...nog it?” She wasn’t as drunk as Draco, but not like it showed.

“Lesh’ make shome when we, get back,” the bat pony smirked, taking a pause to burp, “nogging soundsh...eashy!”

“I think...I think ya’ put booze in it or somethin’,” Comet shrugged, taking another swig, “I dunno what kind...cider or whiskey or somethin’.”

“Lesh’ try whiskey, tha’shounds aweshome,” Draco snickered, reaching into his pocket to feel for his bit bag, “I got shome cash left…”

“N-nah, let’s go home, s’gettin’ cold.”

“You get cold?”

“Shaddap.”

The two burst into hysterics at the not-joke, and the two ponies got up from their table and staggered off to the door, holding each other for support.

Shoving through the door, they saw a large, familiar looking pegasus stallion leaning against the streetlight. He had a gold coat with a short, stylish red mane, and wore a dark blue Manehattan University jacket, despite the two of them knowing he wasn’t in college anymore.

How did they know? Because this stallion was Firestorm.

“Comet, hey,” he began to walk over, his voice deep and charismatic, and his smirk confident and rather condescending, “hanging out with this degenerate again, I see.”

“Yyyyyou wanna go?!” Draco yelled, narrowing his eyes at the larger pegasus, “Cuz I can go!”

“I want you to shut up, batfreak,” Firestorm sighed, rolling his eyes, “I also I want to talk to my girlfriend.”

“I ain’t nothin’ to you,” Comet grimaced, staggering toward her ex, “I ssssaw you with that other mare…!”

“I told you, that was an accident,” the pegasus insisted, “she had something...in her, uh...teeth.”

“Yyyyou said you were telling her answers to a test,” Comet sneered.

Firestorm bit his lip. “Uh...yeah, and that…”

Swiftly, Comet raised a hoof and socked the larger pegasus square in the jaw. Taken aback for a few seconds by the hit, he snarled and raised his own hoof to return the favour. Draco noticed this, and with surprising reflexes in his state, he lunged forward and knocked Firestorm onto his back on the snowy concrete.

“I told you I wanna go!” He spat. “I’ll take on all three of ya!”

Frozen with confusion for a split second, Firestorm shoved the batpony off and got onto his hooves. saw the two drunken ponies were lowered, prepared to attack, and while he knew he was a tough pony, so were they. They could potentially beat him if they worked together.

“Ugh, fine, but this ain’t over Comet. You’ll be mine again one day!” With that weak threat, the golden stallion took off into the night.

“Did we win?” Draco smirked leaning against Comet again.

“Y-yeah, we won,” Comet smirked back, planting another kiss on the bat pony’s cheek, “thanks tough guy.”

Too drunk to be embarassed, Draco planted one back. “Y’know, watchin’ you fight is pretty hot.”

“You too,” she giggled, the two of them shuffling down the pavement, “you wanna, sleep over at my place?” She added with a wink.

Drunk to stupidity as he was, he caught the idea. “Oooh, totally~”

Happy Hearth’s Warming, Draco Flash. He purred in his beer-addled mind.