Lil Tavi 3: A Belated Christmas Edition

>Snow is falling outside the window.
>You finish the last of your coffee and walk into the front hall.
“Three,”
>You slip into your snow boots.
“Two,”
>You zip up your coat.
“One.”
>You put on your hat just in time for your daughter to yell.
>”Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!”
>Octavia bombs down the stairs, trips on the rug, and tumbles into your legs.
>She always knows when you're getting ready to go outside.
“Want to get your boots on? It's deep out there.”
>The filly dives into the closet and emerges, rolled onto her back as she tries to get the boots on.
“Want help?”
>”No!” She continues struggling.
“I'll get your scarf.”
>Octavia finally gets the her last boot on and looks up at you expectantly. You wrap the purple scarf around her and open the door.
>It's barely open wide enough to fit your leg through when she sprints outside and bounds into a snowbank.
>You grab a shovel, close the door, and get to work clearing the front walk.
>Octavia is scooting around the yard, her eyes barely coming up over the top of the snow.
“You know, you're welcome to help, young lady! There's more than one shovel!”
>”I can't hear you! The storm is too big!” Octavia shouts back to you.
“It'd be great if you'd help!”
>”I'm making an igloo! It's important!”
>The shovel is gone. You see it pop up in the yard, flinging snow around.
“Santa's watching, you know. He'll bring you coal in your stocking if you're not a good girl.”
>The shovel stops.
>Within seconds Octavia is burrowing along the front walk, frantically tossing snow into the yard.
>You watch, smugly.
1/

>Octavia walks up to you once the walk is cleared. She looks like she has something to say.
>You look down at her.
“Yes?”
>”Can we make snowponies?” she asks quietly.
“I don't know. I have a lot to cook for tonight. Auntie Cheerilee and her cousin Berry are coming over, you know. The Cakes, too.”
>Her lip quivers.
>”Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?” She moves up to your leg and nudges it with her head, trying to get you into the snowy yard.
>You cast a glance at the house and sigh.
“Alright. One snowpony, and then I have to get started on supper.”
>The filly lets out a piercing squeak and dives into the snow again.
>Before long, a large ball of snow is rolling past you. You trudge out and start another.
>Octavia stops with her now oblong snowball.
>You lift up yours and plop it on top.
>”Now the ears! The ears and the snout!” She's bouncing again.
“What do you want for the eyes?”
>You fashion ears and a snout for the snowpony.
>”Buttons!”
“Hmmm...” You rifle through your pockets and find two bits. “How about...coins?”
>”Yes! I want to put them on!”
“Okay! Okay!”
>You lift the filly up to the snowpony's face. She giddily sticks the coins on before she starts squirming again.
>”Can I stay out, Daddy?”
“I don't see why not. Just stay in the yard, alright?”
>She nods rapidly. You put her down, allowing her to scoot away into the snow.
>You've got to get the food ready.
2/

>That evening, you sit at the fireplace with Octavia in your lap, sipping a mug of hot cocoa.
>The snow is coming down even harder than before.
>You look over at the tree you've set up in the living room. The tinsel catches the firelight and sparkles merrily.
>There's a knock at the door.
“That must be Auntie Cheerilee. Let Daddy get up, okay?”
>The filly snuggles into you.
“Come on, little lady. It's cold out there.”
>You pick her up and wrap her up in a blanket on the sofa.
>Cheerilee and Berry Punch are waiting outside when you open the door.
>[“Hello, Anon! Happy late Hearth's Warming Eve!”] Cheerilee cries, wrapping her hooves around you.
“Merry Christmas! [Come on in.]”
>You lead the two mares inside and call to the living room.
“Octavia! Come say hello to Auntie Cheerilee and Berry!”
>[“Coming!”] the filly says. She bolts out into the hall a second later, leaping into Cheerilee's hooves.
>[“Happy Hearth's Warming Eve!”] Cheerilee coos.
>[“That storm really picked up, didn't it?”] Berry says.
[“It sure did. Tavi here spent all day outside.”]
>[“I noticed the snowponies. They're...er... interesting,”] Berry remarks.
>In three hours, Octavia produced 8 snowponies, all facing the one which you made, forming some kind of eldritch summoning circle. You're not sure where she got the lights from.
[“Well, supper is ready, if you want to eat now.”]
>[“That would be lovely,”] Cheerilee replies.
>Berry looks in the living room. [“Anon,”] she says, turning, [“Why is there a tree in your house?”]
“Christmas,” you reply. [“It's a holiday where I'm from.”]
>[“Ooh, a cultural thing,”] Berry nods.
>[“I get presents!”] Octavia squeals.
[“And you get to spend time with family, right?”]
>[“That too.”] the filly adds.
3/

[“...so we put up a tree and decorate it, then put presents underneath. Of course, we leave room for Santa, isn't that right, Octavia?”]
>The filly nods, half a roll stuffed in her mouth.
>[“That is fascinating. I never knew. But how did you know what day to have it if there's a specific date where you're from?”] Berry asks.
[“Well, I had to guess, mostly. I didn't know how the years worked here, so I just took the solstice and added three or four days. It works well enough, I think, and it's really about celebrating family, so the date is less important.”]
>[“I think it's a wonderful opportunity to share your culture. I just wish I'd known earlier. I would have brought you something,”] Cheerilee muses.
[“It's quite alright, really. I got you two something small. I don't expect anything in return.”]
>[“That's very generous of you,”] Cheerilee says.
>You notice Octavia figeting.
“Would you like to be excused?”
>”Yes, please.”
“Okay, go on. I'll call you for dessert.”
>The filly hops down from her seat and scurries off.
>[“She's such a good filly,”] Berry says. [“A hoofful, though. How do you manage all by yourself?”]
[“It isn't easy, but I've got Cheerilee here when I need her.”]
>Cheerilee blushes.
>[“You've done a fantastic job so far,”] Berry says.
[“Well, I do it for her, you know? Now, who wants more wine?”]
4/

>Christmas morning.
>There's a weight on your chest.
>You crack your eyes open to see a pair of large violet eyes staring back at you.
>”You're awake! Merry Christmas! Get up! Santa came! He came! He really did!” Octavia cries, jumping up and down on the bed.
“Oh God, what time is it?”
>It's five in the morning. You groan.
“Alright, alright, let daddy wake up. I'll be down in a minute...”
>Octavia leaps from the bed and sprints downstairs.
>You follow a few minutes later and find her crawled halfway into her stocking.
“Couldn't wait, huh?”
>She pulls a chocolate horse from the stocking and sets it aside with the other stocking stuffers.
>You can see she's struggling to keep herself from tearing into the box under the tree. She keeps staring at it every time she emerges.
“Do you like your stocking?” you ask, once it's been emptied.
>She nods rapidly.
“You want your present?”
>She nods even more rapidly.
“Alri--”
>Before you even finish, she's tackled the box and shredded the paper.
>Octavia lets out a loud gasp and slowly comes back up from her frenzy, wide eyed.
>”Santa got me ALL the Star Skimmer books!?” she says, half-hushed.
“I told him you've been at the library going through them like crazy,” you grin.
>Within a second, she's got her hooves around you, threatening to crush.
>”Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”
>You return the hug and pat the filly's head.
“Merry Christmas.”
End.