Author's Note
Sadly, because this was so last minute (my own fault, thought I'd have life under control more than it's been) I didn't get anyone to pre-read or edit for me, so if you see anything feel free to comment or PM me so I can correct it.
This story also almost ended up being like last year's where I got out of control, so thankfully I stopped myself, wrote the kind of middle section of the longer story, and made it a stand alone.
I actually have plans to continue this, by either updating this story or making a prequel/sequel, depending on how it goes.
I hope you enjoy(ed) this, No Raisin!
The Morning Of
Hearthswarming morning.
It was a special time of year for one Rainbow Dash, official Wonderbolt, head of the Ponyville Weather Team (PWT), and (former?) Element of Loyalty, although condition of said artifact notwithstanding.
What could possibly be better than waking up on Hearthswarming, one might ask?
A wet nose rubbed along her neck, sending chills down her spine as Rainbow stretched, allowing the muzzle of the stallion sharing her bed more space to rub, nuzzle, and insert a chaste kiss here and there, from jawline to shoulder.
This, she thought, this was better. A hundred-no, million times better.
Humming to herself, she could feel the stallion wrap his forelegs around her tighter, sharing their warmth with one another under the comforter. They continued to lay like this for several long minutes, even to the point Rainbow reluctantly opened her weary eyes, seeing her bedside clock reading it was already 10 o’clock!
“Hey,” she croaked, cleared her throat, then returned a nuzzle to her stallion. She pushed herself up. “It’s late. Need to get up.”
She could almost feel his eyebrow cocking at her, which made her smirk all the more.
“Late? Dash, you don’t wake up until noon normally.”
Reaching her head back, Rainbow nuzzled her coltfriend’s neck, and placed a peck on his jawline. “Yeah, but it’s also Hearthswarming! My first one with company since I moved out of my parents!”
Before the stallion could protest, Rainbow shot out of bed, beginning her stretches of all six of her limbs. “Come on, sleepy head. Need to check the living room, make sure your brother didn’t already open everything.”
With a roll of his eyes, a charcoal gray pegasus began to roll out of bed as well. Watching him, Rainbow marveled at how in the right light his normally light blue, sometimes gray looking mane would shift colors of light and dark.
It was kind of neat to see, and she wondered if ponies thought the same of her own rainbow mane and tail.
Not waiting for him, Rainbow made her way out of her (or their?) bedroom, down the hall to the restroom, passing by the spare room in which Thunderlane’s little brother, Rumble, slept.
It was quiet. And for a foal on the morn of hearthswarming, that was strange.
However, she had business to attend to, so retreated into her bathroom.
A few minutes later, once the water was warm and she was about to step in, there was a gentle knock and the door opened a crack, allowing Thunderlane’s muzzle to poke through.
“Would you like some company?”
Rainbow couldn’t mask her grin as the stallion pushed himself into the room further.
Best. Hearthswarming. Ever.
—-------
Once the shower was done and both ponies assisted the other in drying, they made their way out of the room, only for Thunderlane to stop at Rumble’s door.
“Let me wake him up, we’ll be down shortly.”
Rainbow cocked her head, looking at her stallion curiously.
“Wake him? I figured he was already down there, waiting on us.”
At that the stallion’s ears folded down. “Well, you know how it’s been for us in the last several years. Mom’s been away for so long, no sign of dad ever. Hearthswarming has just been us, save for the last few years with Flitter and Cloud, but even they would have to wake him up.
“Other than a card from mom and a few gifts from me, there’s never really been a hearthswarming for us.”
Now Rainbow’s ears laid flat. She always forgot how screwed up their family was, although that felt like the wrong way to think about them.
They were still together, even though Rumble sometimes went to Las Pegaus to live with their mom from time to time.
Thunderlane entered the room, once empty, now sporting most of Thunderlane and Rumbles things in boxes still, but one wall was cleared to make room for a bed, dresser, and desk. Instead of heading down, Rainbow opted to stand in the open doorway and watch the brothers interact.
Her stallion didn’t even try to mask his hoof steps, and simply walked over to his brother’s bed and began to shake him awake.
“Hey, get up little bro. It’s Hearthswarming!”
To this the little pegasus colt grumbled and swatted his brother’s hoof away.
“Come on, bro. You don’t wanna leave Rainbow hanging, do ya?”
At that the little colt sat up, bleary eyed as he scanned his surroundings, then focusing on his brother.
“Doubt she cares,” he mumbled.
Rainbow flinched at the words, but they didn’t hurt as much as she thought.
While not much of a foal sitter or care giver, Rainbow did like kids! There was Scoots, who was kind of like a little sister to her. And there was… uh…
Well anyway, Rainbow cleared her throat to get their attention.
“Hey, just because you got here yesterday doesn’t mean Santa Hooves didn’t leave you anything! I might have even gotten ya something too.”
This she meant, because when she found out yesterday morning Rumble was on the express train to Ponyville that day, she scrambled to come up with something to get him.
It just sucked they had only ever interacted a hoof full of times in the past, mostly whenever Thunderlane was late for weather duty and would need the little brother to rouse the stallion out of bed.
Granted, sharing that bed with two mares was a honest reason to not want to get up, but the weather team didn’t wait for nopony.
The colt looked to Rainbow with skepticism, but slowly got out of bed with his own form of stretching that resembled how Thunderlane did his own.
It was kind of cute, little brother doing as big brother do.
The three then made their way downstairs, to the living room where a massive tree, decorated in all kinds of ornaments (mostly Wonderbolts themed or Rainbow Dash themed) stood, and under that tree were about a dozen wrapped gifts.
“See? What did I tell ya? Santa Hooves knows where it’s at.”
“Uhuh,” Rumble grumbled.
Rainbow expected the colt to go dashing to the tree, ready to rip and tear presents left and right.
Instead, to her surprise, the colt made for the kitchen.
”Hey, where are you going?” Rainbow asked.
“To make breakfast.”
Rainbow was stunned silent, then looked to her coltfriend who bashfully shrugged.
“He’s had this whole independent thing for a few years now. Always makes us breakfast, helps with laundry, tidies the house. You know, grown up stuff.”
Rainbow continued to stare at him in utter shock.
This was not how little colts should act!
Quickly, Rainbow flew into the kitchen before Rumble could look through her fridge, and ushered him back with her wings.
“Hey, that can wait. Come on, you got presents to open!”
“I do?” a stunned Rumble asked, while being ushered back to the living room.
“Hay ya you do! I’ll get us some cereal, you go and start sorting them.”
Rumble, to his credit, looked honestly confused, but went to the tree regardless and started sorting the gifts.
Quietly, Rainbow hissed at Thunderlane, and gave him a “follow me” motion, and the stallion followed his marefriend into the kitchen.
“Hey, what’s up with him?”
“Nothing?”
“What, you don’t see it? He’s not diving into the presents, opening them and throwing paper and bows everywhere!”
“Oh, right. Well, most years he spends Hearthswarming with our mom, and usually that just meant either taking us to whatever job she had at the time, or just leaving us home alone for the day.”
Rainbow blinked, stunned.
“Huh, Flitts and C-C had the same look the first time he spent with us on Hearthswarming.”
“Well, yeah…” Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, as whenever his exes were mentioned it made her feel awkward, “... but it’s just… weird. When I was that age I was all over the tree, opening gifts, sometimes forgetting my parents also got stuff and opening theirs. They never minded, always enjoyed watching me.”
“All mom ever gets us is a card with a coupon for some place in Las Pegasus that we can’t even go to. I try to get Rumble something every year, but well… with your help this is kind of the first real Hearthswarming we’ve had. Or Rumble, anyway. I’ve had a couple like this, but it just isn’t always a special day to us like it is others.”
While talking, Rainbow had retrieved the milk and cereal, as well as three bowls and three spoons. She poured them each a generous heaping of Luna-O’s (They’ll have you Over the Moon for them!) and enough milk to make cereal dump over the edges and onto the counter.
“That’s…” Rainbow finally began, then paused, licked her lips, then “... that’s actually kind of sad. I’m glad we went shopping then, hopefully he likes some of the stuff.”
Reaching one wing to scoop up the cereal bowls, the other wing wrapped around Rainbow’s barrel as he side hugged his marefriend. “Thanks, again for that. And I’m sure he will.”
Returning the side hug, the two walked together out to the living room, where Rumble sat on the floor, inspecting one of the boxes.
“So?” Thunderlane asked.
“So?” Rumble asked back, then looked to the box in his hooves. “They’re almost all for me, save one for you and one for Miss Rainbow.”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow helped place the cereal bowls on the coffee table, then stepped over to the colt.
“Kid, again, I’m dating your brother. You don’t have to keep calling me that like I’m some old nag or whatever. Just Rainbow, Dash, whatever’s better than Miss Rainbow.”
Rumble’s ears went downcast. “Right, sorry, I forget sometimes. Usually with mom’s friends it is very rude if I don’t call them miss or mister.”
Rainbow gave Rumble a little shove on his shoulder with her wing. “No sweat, kid. Just go ahead, open a couple, then we’ll eat and tear into what’s left. Deal?”
The colt looked back to the box between his hooves, then to Rainbow, unsure. Thunderlane stepped up on the other side, and placed his wing around his brother, Rainbow taking her own wing to place it overtop Thunderlane’s on the brother’s back.
Rumble looked between the two, and slowly, a smile came to his lips, and he smiled a wide toothed grin.
“Yeah, awesome.”
—-------
Rainbow and Thunderlane, seated on the couch together, watched as Rumble continued to put together one of his presents. It was something Spitfire had recommended as she’d had experience with them herself, and found them quite fun.
“Is it still weird to see him putting together a figure of you?” Thunderlane asked Dash.
“Naw, they were out of most everypony else, save for Fleetfoot or myself. These Bionicles are apparently all the rage in Cloudsdale.”
“Well, Rumble likes it, so can’t complain.”
“Mhm,” Rainbow agreed, snuggling closer to her coltfriend as he tightened his wing around her.
“And thanks, again, for this, really,” Thunderlane said, poking his opened gift on the couch in front of him.
Rainbow rolled her eyes with a smile, staring at the pair of goggles.
“Well, yours are getting quite weathered, and it hurts when we’re out together practicing to see your eyes half fogged up. I like your eyes.”
While more sappy than she’d usually dish out, in private company it was actually kind of fun. Those words got the exact reaction she’d hoped for, getting a warm hug out of it. This time, she got that, and a kiss to the back of the head. Score.
“I just hope you like your gift.”
“You kidding?” Rainbow said, pulling out the slip of paper. “A promise for breakfast in bed every weekend for the entire year? What kind of mare would say no to that!”
“A lesser mare, I’d wager.”
Rainbow turned her head to rub her muzzle along his. “And you know I’m nothing but the best.”
Thunderlane answered with a small peck on the lips, to which Rainbow smiled at.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
“Somepony visiting on Hearthswarming?” Thunderlane asked.
“I hope it's not my parents. We go there tomorrow, but after I sent that telegram saying Rumble would be with us it wouldn’t surprise me if they just flew down here anyway to spend the weekend with us.”
Before either adult could get up and lose their shared warmth, Rumble had already darted to the door and opened it.
“Scootaloo?” he asked.
This caused both adults to look to the doorway, where a coat and winter hat covered filly stood.
“Hey, Rums! Saw you get off the train yesterday. Me and the girls are out trying our new sleds, wanna join us?” Then, as an afterthought, she looked into the house and waved at the two. “And hi Rainbow! Hi Thunderlane!”
“Heya, Scoots. Like your sled?” Rainbow asked as she knew what she’d expect.
“Are you kidding? An officially branded Wonderbolts sled! It is. So. Awesome!”
“Glad to hear it, squirt!”
Now Scootaloo shifted her eyes back to the colt in front of her. “So? Wanna come out to play?”
Rumble turned around, and looked to his brother questioningly.
“Sure, go ahead bro. Take that snow scooper and block press, too. Probably make a neat igloo with that.”
Rumble’s smile returned, and he rushed to grab said items.
“Don’t forget your jacket and hat!” Thunderlane called out in addition.
In less time than Rainbow had expected from the usually slow paced colt, he had his hat and coat on, carrying with him a small snow shovel and wooden crate that boasted it made The Best Snow Bricks, Period.
“Bye, Lane! Bye, Rainbow! I’ll be back before dark!”
Before either adult could comment the door closed behind the young colt and he and Scootaloo were gone.
“Well, now what?” Thunderlane asked, looking at all the paper still scattered about.
Some of it was in a paper bag, but Rainbow had insisted the colt make a mess, as was Hearthswarming Gift Opening Tradition when she was around.
“Now? Well, I got you one more gift for our eyes only,” Rainbow smirked, then got up from the couch.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, and we’re both gonna enjoy it.”
Now the stallion looked at her, confused.
From behind the tree, Rainbow produced a small gift box, and presented it to the stallion.
“Really, Dash, you didn’t need to get me another thing.”
“I know, but I asked Rarity about what sort of things a mare would get her coltfriend so they’d have some fun, and she suggested this thing.”
Pushing the box in front of him, Thunderlane untied the bowstring, and lifted the lid. Inside was a red fabric covering, almost like a sock. Pulling it out, it was shaped like a sock alright, but the open end was weirdly wider than the rest.
Even more confusing, was a red lanyard hanging from the center of it, saying REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT.
“It’s apparently a Canterlot fashion trend now or the risque or whateve, but it’s called a banana warmer.”
Thunderlane rolled it in his hooves. “Where does it go?”
Grinning, Rainbow leaned in close and whispered into his year. Quickly, his face blushed, and Rainbow pulled back.
“Now, you get to go wrap another gift and I get to enjoy opening it,” she said with a cheshire grin.
The stallion blinked once, twice, and then shot up to their shared bedroom like a rocket.
Giving him a few minutes to prepare, Rainbow looked around the mess in her living room of gift paper, bows, and toys. Confident they’d (probably) pick it up later.
It was going to be a new experience, entering a new year living with not only her coltfriend, but his little brother. If anything, though, Rainbow enjoyed a challenge, and getting the young colt to open up more and feel at home here was going to be just that.
Rainbow began to slowly saunter up her stairs, eager for her new favorite part of Hearthswarming.
