Winter Bells

Winter Bells is the third installment of Pen Stroke's In the Family side story trilogy of Past Sins. In the story Twilight Sparkle decides to take Nyx to visit her relatives in Canterlot for Hearths Warming's eve.

Style
The story is written in the third-person, present tense, from varying perspectives. Mostly it involves Twilight Sparkle, however sometimes it may switches to some other character. Curiously enough, Pen Stroke is posting the story chapter by chapter as he writes them, something he actively doesn't do on purpose.

Home for the Holidays
The story starts with Applejack seeing Rarity about getting a re-size on their Hearths Warming's eve performance costumes. During their idle conversation, Applejack finds out Twilight has taken Nyx and Spike in advance.

The scene then cuts to the trio in question riding the train to Canterlot. After arriving at the station, but before leaving the train, they notice a swarm of reporters outside. Twilight then implements a disguise to slip past the reporters, and rendezvous with her dad before hiding to her house.

Twilight's initial fears that her parents would be un-accepting of Nyx are proven wrong, however she finds that they still think that she is too young to be raising a foal. Twilight on the other hand insists that she has every reason to be doing so.

The scene then cuts to Shining Armor and Princess Cadence sharing an intimate moment on their own train ride. After Princess Cadence goes to sleep however, Shining Armor pulls out and reads a medical report detailing his physiological status after having been under Nightmare Moon's mind control spell.

A Day with Family
Shining Armor and Princess Cadence arrive at Canterlot to give the exact reactions that were foreshadowed on the train ride. Shining Armor shuns Nyx while Princess Cadence tries to make friendly conversation which somehow brings up mention of the rebel army she was building during Nightmare Moon's reign.

The group then makes their way to buy a tree. There, Nyx meets the store owner, Lumberjack, who gives her his customary treatment. He gives her a nickname, Little Snowflake (due to her current disguise making her cot white), and tells her a story which details his business at the same time. The trees he sells are burned to make colorful fires. Twilight's father picks a pink fire every year, and the one he picks is then sold at a higher price.

After they pick their logs, Princess Cadence, Twilight, and Nyx are then ambushed by a group of reporters who are there to harass the Princess. Shining Armor roughs them up and scares them away, but makes it clear to Nyx that he holds her responsible for the incident without letting anypony else know.