Watching the bags of quality bird feed, consisting of corn, wheat, black oil sunflower seeds, and Millet, pour into the trays stacked above each other, rows upon rows, really put a smile on my face.
"Do you see this Starlight?" I ask as I take a deep breath of the factory, the smell of seeds and feathers filling my nose, "This is the future of commerce, this is industrialization in its purest form,"
"What is?" Starlight asked, mouth agape as she looked on at the rows upon rows of Quails in cages, "Putting birds in cages? I'm pretty sure we've been doing that for centuries,"
"No no no, Not the cages, The Design," I smirk at her and start giving her a tour of the place, showing her how the eggs are collected, moved, processed, and how at the end of it all, jars of Mayo get made.
"I would have used plastic containers, but in this day and age, Plastic is somehow more expensive than just magically creating jars of glass," I explain as I continue walking around the factory, greeting the workers with a smile as I pass by.
"Your Highness!" The worker I placed in charge of running the factory called out to me.
"Just a moment, Starlight," I tell my bodyguard and walk closer to the Mare, "What is it, Fowl Feather?"
"Some of the workers had questions about how we'll take care of the Quails over the holiday," The Bulky Pegasus Mare asked, her mane and tail held in baggy hats and an apron covering her front.
"Well that's easy, The Night-shift guards will deal with it like usual," I smile at Fowl Feather.
"But- But your Highness, It's Hearth's Warming Eve tonight!" She exclaimed with widened eyes.
"And?"
"And- What do you- It's Hearths Warming, You don't keep working on hearth's warming!"
My smile dimmed slightly as I slung my leg around the mare's shoulders and pulled her close to me, shoulder to shoulder all buddy-like.
"Fowl Feather, You're a smart mare, I wouldn't have picked you for this job if you couldn't handle it, And I know you can handle this easily. So I want to ask you, What does it say in your contract in regards to holidays?" I ask her.
"I get twenty sick days and ten days off a year, Where I don't need to go to work, Right?" The Pegasus smiled weakly.
"Exactly," I slap her on the shoulder and let go, "Same goes for everybody else who works here, If they don't want to do the night shift, they take a day off."
"But-" I quickly cut her off.
"Upupup, no butts Fowl Feather, unless they're for making more eggs. A Winter Holiday does not give you an excuse to miss work, somebody needs to be here for the night, and it is your job to get them to be here, Because if nobody guards the place on account of being in some Hearth's Warming Party or whatever it is, and something happens to the Quails, or worse yet, the Factory, then that disaster will be on your head, and nobody wants that on their resume, right?" I smile at the Pegasus.
"No- No sir, Of course not!" Fowl Feather quickly changed her tune at that not-so-subtle threat to her career, "The Night Shift will remain unchanged!"
I smiled at the ex-guard, "Good, carry on then with your work, don't let my little visit bother or distract you more than necessary,"
"Of course Sir! Right away Sir!" Fowl Feather saluted, an act which almost looked funny with how she was dressed, before she quickly went back to work, chewing out a group of workers who were slacking off.
I smiled widely as I watched the group of slackers pick themselves up and resume working on overdrive.
"I love being a prince,"
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"Okay so you inspected the factories, what's next on the agenda?" Starlight Glimmer asked as she and her boss returned to the train and sat down, wiping some snow off her mane.
"Next we're going to Pig's Eye City, Where I'll be donating publicly to the sick and needy," Blueblood explained, already drawing up checks of money to throw at the city.
"Why Pig's Eye? Wouldn't Whinnyapolis be better?" Starlight asked, confused about the reasoning for the city.
"You see Starlight," Blueblood Started, "While Whinnyapolis is bigger, it is not the local capital," He tapped the table between them as his horn shone, creating a small illusion of two miniature cities.
"Pig's Eye is where the governor lives, and we'll be meeting with him to give him a proposition that I am sure he would love to accept," He said, the illusion he created zooming into one of the cities, showing an Earth Pony with a stamp as his cutie-mark.
"And what is that proposition?" Starlight asked, her eyes briefly moving to the window of the train, seeing the snow falling gently to the ground.
"Why, It's to assist in the building of our Pony-Yak Railway, Of course," The Prince told her and the illusion changed, showing now a top-down view of North Equestria and the Tundra above it, leading all the way to the arctic north, with Yakyakistan in the north-west corner.
"Pig's Eye City is the perfect place to build a railway connecting all the northern provinces of Equestria, making the moving of supplies from the East Coast to the West much simpler and cheaper," A Red dotted line appeared on the illusionary map, spreading from Pig's Eye City in two directions and stopping at every local capitol it passed through before a blue dotted line spread out of Seaddle, Hoofington, and moved north along the western coast, passing between mountains before stopping outside Yakyakistan, several small red and blue flags popping along the way to signify stopping points.
"Once the Materials from Caninia start arriving, we're gonna have to move them across the continent," Blueblood explained, "We'll have a few months of moving it all by carriage, but in a year or two, if everything goes well, this North-Continental train-track will deal with it for us," he leaned back on his sofa, "Any questions?"
"Yeah," Starlight nodded her head, "Couldn't you have done this on another day? Why Hearth's Warming specifically?"
"Because People will see us on Christmas, Starlight, People will see me walking around and donating to their city, and then the paparazzi will take notice. And when the Paparazzi take note, they want to start rumors, and with a few carefully placed words from yours truly, the governor of Whinnesota won't be able to say no," Prince Blueblood Smiled.
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"Okay everyone, the play is about to start soon," Twilight Sparkle said happily as she walked back into the changing room of the Canterlot Theatre.
In the crowd waiting for the play, Princess Celestia looked at the three empty chairs beside her, hoping her family would be able to make it before the play started.
"They must be getting ready," She told herself, "Harmony knows Blueblood and Cadance can't leave the castle without an hour of getting ready," She shook her head and took a calming breath.
They'll be here soon, Surely.
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Walking down the Streets of Pig's Eye City, Princess Luna looked in astonishment at the wide variety of creatures living together in the same city.
"There seems to be a rather large population of Diamond Dogs and Buffalo in this city," She whispered to herself, prompting Princess Cadance to start telling her what she knew of the history of the city.
"And what about that tree in the middle?" Luna pointed out to a large evergreen planted in the middle of a square, decorated with lights and baubles.
"Oh, That's a Nollag Tree, it's part of a Canine Winter Holiday which happens around this time," Cadance explained as she also looked at the brightly decorated tree, "Now that I think about it, Let's go buy some Eggnog," The Princess of Love smiled at her new aunt, "Come on, Luna, It'll be fun,"
"Hmm... And what is this Eggnog you speak of?" Luna asked as she started following the Pink Princess.
"It's chilled, frothy, sweetened milk with whipped egg whites, Sometimes having a distilled spirit mixed in," A Familiar voice sounded out beside the two Princesses, causing them to jump and turn to the source of the voice.
"Personally I enjoy having Bourbon in mine, but I can see how some might prefer Rum or Brandy, Add a bit of cinnamon powder to the top and you have yourself a nice after-dinner drink," Prince Blueblood said with a smile to his fellow members of the Crown.
"How did you find us?! We were hidden!" Luna exclaimed in astonishment, causing Blueblood to laugh out loud at her reaction.
"Luna Luna Luna, Might I remind you that you are a head taller than almost every other pony, and your dark colors are incredibly visible over the white snow, and Cadance is bright Pink, You two weren't exactly camouflaged, Haha!" The Prince cheerfully said.
"Wait a minute," Cadance suddenly spoke up, "I thought you didn't celebrate Hearth's Warming,"
Blinking his eyes in confusion, Blueblood responded, "I don't, Just drinking Eggnog does not mean I celebrate Christmas, All Holidays are wastes of time and I could be doing something much more proactive during them, Now smile for the camera quickly," Blueblood suddenly turned his head away from Luna and Cadance, smiling brightly and cheerfully to a mare with a camera, a sudden flash of light enveloping the group as a photo was taken, and the mare quickly ran away.
"What in the-" Luna blinked the light out of her eyes.
"Paparazzi, They're everywhere if you know where to look," Blueblood told her before smiling once more, flicking his hair upward and looking to the side, striking a sudden pose for another camera before he turned back to Luna, "You should get used to it soon enough,"
"Where's your bodyguard?" Cadance asked, briefly shining a smile for a camera flush before turning back to the group.
"She's speaking with the Governor, passing along some messages I had for him," Blueblood said before once more smiling for the cameras.
Having three royals in one place is a treat for the media ponies.
"I see," Cadance said, "By the way, I'm keeping the necklace with me for another week or so," She said, her hoof wrapping around a red and green crystal around her neck.
"Sure, Just give it back when you're done," Blueblood told her nonchalantly, striking a sudden pose for another camera before turning back to the Princesses, "Anyways, I'm heading back to Canterlot now, Need to get Dinner ready, make it a little holiday gift so Celestia won't be mad I ditched her," And with that, Prince Blueblood turned away from the duo of Alicorns, gave the cameras another princely smile, and headed back to the train station.
"...Perhaps we should join him in the gifting for our sister..." Luna carefully added as she watched her friend walk away.
"You might be right..." Cadance nodded in agreement, "Let's just buy some Eggnog before we go,"
"Of course, was it even a question?" Luna raised a brow before the two Alicorns quickly went to buy sweets for later.
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"Thank you for allowing us to stay the night over at the Castle, your Majesty," Twilight Sparkle said with cheer as she and Spike walked with Princess Celestia up the central street of Canterlot City.
"No need to thank me, Twilight, I already told you that you are always welcome to come by," Celestia told her pupil, her usually warm smile somewhat cool in the snowy winter evening, "But I must say, Your performance in the Play was magnificent, It was almost as if Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were really fighting,"
"That's what I said!" Spike the Dragon exclaimed from his spot on Twilight's Back, His small body wrapped in a thick winter coat.
"Indeed," Celestia smiled at the baby Dragon.
Soon reaching the Castle, Celestia opened the doors with a push of her magic.
And her eyes widened significantly.
Decorations of Green and Red hung from the ceiling, arcs of shining lights and baubles hung between the pillars of the main hall.
"Wow..." Twilight Sparkle voiced her wonder at the festive look of the castle, her eyes sparkling with amazement at the beauty of the lights.
"Princess Celestia, There you are!" Kibitz, the head butler of the castle and the Princess's personal butler called out to her as he walked swiftly in her direction, a red and white wool hat resting on his head.
"Kibitz, what is going on?" The Princess asked him in a whispering tone.
"I believe it was Blueblood's idea," The Butler said, "All he said was 'Holiday Cheer' and then started shouting orders to the kitchen staff,"
A small smile started to spread on Celestia's face, "Did he now? Well then let us go and speak to him," She told Kibitz, "Come along Twilight, You must be hungry,"
"Are we having Dinner together?! But I'm not dressed for-" Twilight started to panic.
"That is fine Twilight, It's Hearth's Warming Eve after all," The Princess simply said as she led the Unicorn and Dragon deeper into the castle.
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Opening the Doors to the dining room, Princess Celestia smiled happily as the smells coming from the table wafted towards her, Salads and Pastas, Turkey and mashed potatoes, steamed cabbage rolls and stuffed bell peppers.
It was a feast fit for a royal.
"Woah..." Twilight and Spike once more said in amazement at the sight of the lights and decorations surrounding the room, Spike's eyes locking onto the Large and juicy turkey in the middle of the table, his mouth watering at the thought of having a taste.
"Ah, Auntie Celestia," Princess Mi Amore Cadenza said with a smile, "Sorry we couldn't make it to your play, We helped make this dinner as a way of saying sorry," She told her before her eyes caught Twilight.
"Ahh Twilight! Look how much you've grown!" The Pink Princess exclaimed with a wide and happy smile, grabbing the Purple Unicorn's hooves and pulling her into a little dance.
"Cadance! Sunshine Sunshine Ladybugs Awake, Clap your hooves and Do a little shake," Twilight Sparkle giggled as she danced with her old Foalsitter.
"Sister Sister, Look!" Princess Luna pulled Celestia away from her Student and Niece before lifting a plate of little sliced vegetables.
There was nothing fancy or specifically festive about it, it wasn't even a salad.
"We have assisted in the creation of Dinner!" Luna said proudly, gently putting the plate of vegetables back on the table.
"That's wonderful to hear Lulu, It all looks wonderful," Celestia pulled her younger sister into a hug.
"We know it does, we are the ones who made it! Everything we do is wonderful!" Celestia could almost see Luna's pride swell at that declaration.
"By the way, Where is Bluey?" Celestia whispered to Luna.
"Friend Blueblood is getting the Eggnog ready," Luna whispered back, nodding her head with a smile, still thinking about her rather huge part in the making of the dinner.
Who else could have made a plate of vegetables so incredibly mediocre? Only a powerful Princess could make something so absolutely average it could only be explained with magic.
"Out of the Way! Coming through!" Quickly moving aside, Kibitz made room for Prince Blueblood to walk by, carrying a plate full of mugs of warm eggnog that he placed on a table in the corner of the room, away from the main course.
Celestia smiled at seeing her entire family all in one place, working together, showcasing the real magic of Hearth's Warming.
"Celestia, I see you brought guests," Prince Blueblood smiled at her once he turned toward her, "Come, Make yourself comfortable, the food is ready and I am sure we all are hung- Guhkk!" The Prince was cut off as Celestia pulled him into a strong hug.
"Ooh look at you, Making everything so festive and cheerful, ooh what would I ever do without you, You're the best son ever I love you so much I forgive you for everything I'll always love you I-" Celestia whispered to him as she hugged, not noticing him tapping her leg frantically as his face started turning purple.
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During the dinner, Princess Luna spoke up to say something.
"Wa jast noteesd-"
"Swallow before speaking, Lulu, we have guests," Celestia told her sister, who nodded at her and swallowed the food in her mouth before repeating what she tried to say.
"Where is Starlight Glimmer?" She asked.
"She's probably speaking with Raven or something, don't worry about her," Blueblood said, his horn glowing as he cut off a leg from the turkey and placed it on his plate.
"Huh, Makes sense," Luna nodded and returned to eating.
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Sitting on a bench in the Snow, waiting for the next train to Canterlot in the Pig's Eye City Train Station. Starlight Glimmer thought back on the actions that led her to where she was.
And found herself surprised that she didn't regret them anymore.
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Spike the Dragon cautiously poked the slice of turkey meat on his plate with his fork, looking around at the ponies around him to see if they reacted to the meat.
And he found himself surprised to see not one, but two ponies eating from it.
Even more surprising to see one of them being Princess Celestia Herself.
"You're a Dragon," He said to himself in his mind, "You can do this, It's just meat," he took a deep breath, "Think of it like eating a very soft gem,"
And without further wait, he stabbed the bird and shoved it into his mouth.
And then Spike Cried, Cursing his past self for never trying to eat meat before that night.
And so he took a second bite.
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"King Aspen hic?, Yeah we know where he lives hic, Thicket, It's in the heart of the Everfree hic, You can't miss it, By the way, Blueblah, Did anypony ever tell you that you're hot? hic, Why are you still a bachelor hic? Go out there and find somepony who can- ZZZZZZZZ" Princess Luna drunkenly told the Prince before her face planted onto the couch, snoring away as she slept.
"Heart of the Everfree you say?" Prince Blueblood whispered with a smile, pushing the half-empty mug of Eggnog away from Luna's hoof and readjusting her posture to make sure she wouldn't choke.
"Well well well," He smiled as he looked out the window, and towards a faraway sea of green trees in the distance, "I know where my next big trip will be," He narrowed his eyes, "I'll have to thank Uncle next time I see him," He barked out a short laugh.
"Nah, I don't think so," He shook his head and turned back to his own mug of Bourbon Eggnog.
Smiling victoriously all the while.