Estelle was going to be with the adults in the throne room for them to talk alone. The kids looked curious.
"Come along, dears, let's get you ready for bed, we have a big day tomorrow." Rarity reminded the young fillies and colts.
"Yes, Ms. Rarity/Aunt Rarity/Mum!" The kids replied.
The white unicorn mare smiled as she sent them to bed.
Estelle bowed her head as she joined the adults in the throne room and she took her seat in front of them. "I'm really sorry, everybody."
"Estelle, what were you thinking?" Spike asked. "You could have got rid of Hearth's Warming Eve for good, and could have caused everypony their lives."
"I-I know..." Estelle looked up. "I'm sorry, but... I was just... Upset..."
"About what?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Nothing..." Estelle looked away.
"Estelle..." Mo started.
"It's nothing!" Estelle didn't want to say the real reason just yet.
"Estelle, it's okay for you to tell us why you did it." Matches said.
"I don't wanna..." Estelle stared at the floor.
"Estelle Monique Fudo!" Atticus and Mo called sharply.
Estelle flinched, both inside and out. The dreaded full name ultimatum. "I-I was just jealous!" she then confessed with tears in her eyes.
"Jealous?" Twilight asked. "Jealous of what?"
"Akito, Vincent, and Felicity..." Estelle sighed. "They all have somebody and I don't..."
"What do you mean?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Akito has Emi... Vincent has Jenny... Even Felicity has Chip..." Estelle explained. "I don't have anybody!"
"Ohh." Pinkie Pie frowned.
Estelle broke down into tears and started to cry.
"Oh, Estelle, honey..." Mo walked over and held out a frontal hoof for her daughter. "It's okay... You'll find your special somebody omeday."
"NO!" Estelle stomped her hoof. "I don't wanna find my special somebody someday! I want my special somebody NOW! It's not fair that everyone else has theirs except for me! It's not fair, it's not fair, it's not faaaair!" she then threw a tantrum.
"Oh, sweetie..." Mo looked worried.
Cherry emerged from the crowd and glared down to her niece. "I used to be just like you, Estelle."
"Y-You were?" Estelle sniffled.
"Indeed..." Cherry nodded, then looked to Atticus and Mo. "I'd like to have a chat with your daughter alone."
"Well, I don't know if that's such a good-" Mo sounded anxious about that option, knowing how Cherry could be.
"We better let her talk with Estelle alone." Atticus said.
"Um, well... Alright..." Mo agreed then.
The others then let the mare and young filly alone.
"I used to be just like you, Estelle," Cherry sat in front of her niece. "When your father met your mother, I always had this secret fear that he would forget all about me and I didn't have a boyfriend of my own."
"But did you start dating Uncle Forte?" Estelle asked.
"Actually, Estelle, your uncle and I grew closer in a much different way..." Cherry started to remember.
Flashback
We see the high school graduation with everyone throwing their caps in the air.
Cherry was sitting alone until she saw Forte come in a form closer to her age and he had a tiny black box in the palm of his hand. "You here to kill me and end my miserable excuse of a life?" she then asked, bitterly folding her arms after her failed suicide attempt.
"A-A-Actually, I wanted to ask you something..." Forte sounded nervous for the first time in his life. "We've known each other for a long time, we even seem to have a lot in common, I've always had this soft spot for you, and-"
"Well, OUT WITH IT!" Cherry glared. "I don't have all day!"
"Um, I-I was wondering if you wanted to go out." Forte said.
"Go out where?" Cherry asked.
"You know... On a date... And then maybe..." Forte opened the box to show a silver ring with a skull top. "Marry me?"
"What did you say...?" Cherry's eyes glowed at the ring in surprise.
"Marry me, will you?" Forte asked.
Cherry glanced up at him. "Why would you want to marry me?"
"You drive me insane..." Forte grabbed her hands and pulled her up into a standing position. "Without you, I would be nothing... As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, but you've made me a better person.. You were the only one who really paid attention to me... I became a father figure to your son and he loves me just the same. But I want you to understand, if I can't have you..." he then took out a sharp blade and held it to her throat in a threatening position. "Nobody can..."
"Wait a minute, he threatened you to marry him because if he couldn't have you, then no one could?" Estelle's voice said, interrupting the story.
"Yes, he wanted to kill me if he couldn't have me," Cherry replied as she narrated. "I thought about the times we've been through together... How he actually sacrificed himself for me... How he had protected me... Mushy stuff like that... He started to count down as I took a smoke and right before he could cut me and end my life once and for all, I uttered the words 'I do', and then we went to France."
End of Flashback
"France?" Estelle wondered.
"Our honeymoon." Cherry replied.
"Aw! How romantic." Estelle smiled.
"If you can call it that..." Cherry shrugged. "Just think about it, Estelle, you have your whole life to wait for your special someone..."
"But... I wanna know who he is and when I'll meet him..." Estelle pried.
"I know, I know, I've been there myself," Cherry replied. "When we had a magic mirror in our Magic Training class as a guest speaker, he wouldn't even tell me who my soulmate would be."
"Sounds like he was being selfish," Estelle said. "Maybe Drell can tell me."
"Okay, have fun with that." Cherry smiled peacefully.
"Could you take me to him?" Estelle requested.
Cherry hid a dark smirk since the tables had turned lately and now she scared Drell worse than Atticus could when they were teenagers. "Sure... I could take you to him... Just let me tell your parents first before we do go."
"Yay!" Estelle cheered.
Cherry laughed rather maliciously. Estelle glanced at her aunt.
"Oh, um, I just remembered a funny joke your Aunt Pinkie told me." Cherry covered up sheepishly.
"Uh-huh..." Estelle nodded, uncomfortably.
"Do you understand, Estelle?" Cherry asked then. "I know you want a special somebody, but you can't force them to come to you. You might meet him today, you might meet him tomorrow, you might meet him three years from now. Only time will be able to tell and Cupid knows who your Valentine is, but you can't rush these things."
"I know, but I just want to know." Estelle said.
"I know, but don't worry, he'll come to you soon..." Cherry tried to soothe her niece.
"Thanks, Aunt Cherry," Estelle smiled. "So are we still going to go see Drell?"
"I'll talk it over with your parents." Cherry replied.
"I hope they say yes..." Estelle sighed softly, but kept her smile.
"We'll just see." Cherry agreed.
The rest of the adults began to wait for Cherry and or Estelle to come out. The two then came out. Mo and Atticus smiled in relief that Estelle was smiling and was probably feeling better now.
"Atticus. Mo. I would like to speak with you alone." Cherry said.
"Yes, Cherry." Atticus and Mo nodded.
Estelle then went over to Twilight and Flash Sentry. "May I get some sleep with the others now?" she then asked as she bowed to the royal couple.
"Of course you may." Twilight said.
Estelle then let out a tiny yawn. "Good night..." she then went off to where the other young ones were sleeping.
Twilight and Flash smiled to her, feeling glad that all was resolved, at least for now...
"As you can probably guess, your daughter is anxious to know her true love." Cherry said to Atticus and Mo.
"Yes, we guessed that." Mo nodded.
"She'd like to see Drell." Cherry then said.
"I think it would be great for her to see him too." Atticus said.
"We'll wait until sometime after the holiday though," Cherry said. "This is our first Hearth's Warming."
"The day after Hearth's Warming it is." Atticus said.
"Agreed..." Cherry nodded, then went off. "Okay, you guys need to get some sleep, it's late."
Atticus and Mo nodded as they went into the guest bedroom.
'And I can't wait until the day after the holiday.' Cherry thought to herself.
Mostly everyone went to sleep that night.
The sun then slowly raised outside of the Equestrian kingdom.
"It's Hearth's Warming..." Strawberry whispered, then laughed as she got out of her bed. "Wake up, everybody, it's Hearth's Warming! Mommy, Daddy, it's Hearth's Warming!"
"We know, we know." Pinkie Pie giggled.
Strawberry Pie's laughter echoed down the halls as she rushed to find her presents as was a Pie family tradition on this holiday. Everyone else joined in, not wanting to miss the fun of opening presents.
"Ready to go down?" Cherry asked, tiredless.
"Might as well..." Forte sighed.
Cherry and Forte then got out of their useless bed and walked together to meet he others downstairs. All the kids began to get to their presents first and were ready to open them. The adults came to watch their children and smiled.
"Mommy, I found my presents!" Strawberry dashed to Pinkie.
"That's great, Strawberry." Pinkie smiled.
Strawberry beamed and giggled.
"So then open up your presents." Pinkie smiled.
Strawberry then joined the other little ponies in present opening.
"Oh, I can't wait to see what I got." Midnight said.
"I hope I have something shiiiiinnnyyyy~" Flurry Heart giggled.
All the kids began to open up their presents to see what they got. The adults happily watched as the kids got presents of what ever they had always wanted. Midnight was given a new book, Strawberry was given party supplies, Jasper was given a bedazzled cape, Flurry Heart was given a toy scepter to play 'Princess' with, Felicity was given a new dress, and Simon was given something that looked like a bazooka.
"A bazooka?" The kids asked, a little scared.
Simon grinned darkly as he carried the weapon.
"Uh, let's check on what we got." Akito suggested his siblings.
"I got a coloring book." Vincent said.
"I got a Hardy Boys book." Akito said.
"I got a ballerina book." Estelle smiled.
All eyes then landed on Twilight as those presents were book themed.
"I couldn't resist." Twilight shrugged innocently.
This made a few of the others laugh.
"Of course..." Spike nearly deadpanned to his alicorn friend.
The Fudo siblings began to open more of their presents since they had a feeling that most were from their parents.
"What a wonderful holiday..." Matches smiled up to her mate.
"It sure is." Spike smiled back.
"Please tell me y'all guys are staying for dinner..." Apple Bloom said to the visitors from outside of Equestria. "I'm makin' somethin' with Granny Smith and my mama's old recipes."
"Of course we're staying." Mo said.
"Whoo-wee!" Apple Bloom cheered with a smile.
The others chuckled to her.
After present opening, the kids were playing with their presents and hanging around.
Estelle came up to her father's best friend since childhood. "Aunt Cherry, when can we see Drell?"
"I'll have a word with him, dear." Cherry promised.
"Thank you." Estelle smiled.
Cherry smirked darkly as her eyes slit slightly.
Apple Bloom was now pacing nervously because Applejack was supposed to come by with her husband, but they were running a little late. "Oh, you don't suppose the windigos got 'em, do ya?"
"Ah'm sure they're fine, AB." the stallion said to his loved one.
"Let's sing some carols to pass the time." Button Mash suggested as he then played a small tune on the piano at first which then made Sweetie Belle sing to everypony.
"I'm sure they're alright." Scootaloo said.
"Ah sure hope so..." Apple Bloom sighed, very worried for her big sister and brother-in-law who stayed at the farm due to a personal emergency.
Sweetie Belle halted the song and decided to comfort Apple Bloom with Scootaloo. "Cutie Mark Crusaders, comfort their best friend forever."
"Forever." Scootaloo added with a nod.
Apple Bloom smiled softly to her best friends since fillyhood. The front doors were then opened to show an older Applejack with her husband.
"Applejack!" Apple Bloom called. "We were gettin' worried!"
"Sorry about bein' late, there was just a lot of snow outside." Applejack said.
Apple Bloom nuzzled against her big sister.
Applejack smiled. "We didn't miss anythin', did we?"
"Not yet, but Sweetie Belle was just about to sing some carols for us." Button Mash replied.
"Great." Caramel smiled.
"Now, as I was doing..." Button Mash said before tuning the piano.
"I wonder what carol he's gonna go with?" Mo whispered.
Sweetie Belle smiled to Button Mash as she then began singing a lovely carol which gathered everypony around her.