FWOOSH!
Spike wiped his claws as the fireplace in the library came to life, coughing out a final puff of smoke as he walked away.
"T-Thanks for starting the f-f-fire up again, Spike."
"No problem," he called out before vanishing into the kitchen. "Keep warm!"
Rainbow Dash nestled further into her mound of blankets, her surroundings going unnoticed as her eyes scanned a page of the book in her hooves. A quiet sigh escaped visibly through her nose and swirled in the air before her, misty gray wisps mingling with the steam from a nearby mug of hot chocolate for a moment until they dissipated. She set her book down for the time being, taking a sip of the drink and smiling as the liquid warmed her throat and stomach. Cupping the mug against her chest, she shut her eyes and savored the warmth radiating through her before a light tremble against her side jarred her out of her daze. Her eyes opened and shifted to her right, blinking at the lavender alicorn mirroring her own current position.
"Still cold, eh, Twi?" Rainbow smirked when her friend's head twisted sharply in her direction.
"Y-Yeah, kinda." Twilight's ears drooped slightly as another shiver rippled through her, and she set her book on the floor and tucked her hooves in under the blankets. Burying her muzzle in the thick downy feathers of her wing, she squeezed her eyes closed and cringed as the cold air seeped through her eyelids. "But why? I-I mean, I c-closed all the doors and w-windows, and it's still f-freezing in here!"
Rainbow Dash held a hoof to her chin. "Well, we've got the fire, hot chocolate, and all the blankets we could find..."
Twilight stared at the pegasus--or, more accurately, at the mountain of blankets wrapped around her. She shuddered once again and pulled the few blankets she'd managed to save from those greedy blue hooves tighter around her frame, glaring jealously at the warm bundle next to her.
"Well, I have no idea what else we can do to warm up," Rainbow eventually admitted with a shrug. "Sorry, Twi."
Twilight frowned at the roaring fire in front of her, which didn't seem to be giving off any heat at all. Stupid Rainbow Dash, hogging all the blankets...
Rainbow Dash continued reading for a while, oblivious to her friend's discomfort. After turning the page another dozen or so times, she reached again for her hot chocolate, pausing as she caught a glimpse of Twilight in the corner of her eye. The alicorn gazed dully into the open fireplace, and Rainbow watched, mesmerized by the flickering firelight reflected in her violet eyes. Wow... She quickly cleared her throat to regain her composure, then blinked and nudged her gently through their blanket barriers. "You okay, Twilight?" Twilight didn't respond, and Rainbow waited a long moment before trying again. "Twilight?"
After a few more seconds of silence, Twilight turned to face her, an odd grin forming on her muzzle. "Yes," she answered, "and I think I have an idea that'll warm up both of us."
Rainbow didn't like that grin. On Twilight, it just looked... weird. "Really?" She tried to ignore the unnerving expression on Twilight's face while still appearing interested.
"Mm-hm..." Twilight lifted the edge of Rainbow's blanket of blankets and scooted underneath, receiving a gasp as her chilled body came in contact with that of the much warmer pegasus. "Cold?" She teased, wrapping her icy hooves around Rainbow's torso. Rainbow yelped and squirmed in Twilight's grip, desperately trying to escape the cold claws of death. Finally, Twilight wrestled her way to the top and sat on the cyan pony's belly, immobilizing her. "How about now?"
Rainbow jerked and chuckled nervously, feeling her cheeks burning at the pair's sudden closeness. "Uh... g-getting warmer..."
"Hmm," Twilight purred, "let me help you with that."
Before she could react, Rainbow's body was encased in a pale glow and began floating into the air, the blankets falling to the floor beneath her. "Twilight? W-What are you doing?!"
Twilight cackled maniacally, wearing a devious grin that could rival even Discord's. With a tilt of her head, Rainbow was sent soaring into the fireplace, watching in shock as a magical aura slammed the iron grates shut over the opening. For a long moment, Rainbow simply sat, trying to register just what in the hay had just happened.
A short moment would have been more convenient, she thought bitterly, as she finally realized she was sitting in a fireplace. With a fire in it. And fires were hot. And one generally didn't tend to sit in the middle of a fire for long periods of time.
"AAAHH!" Rainbow flailed on the floor of the hearth for what seemed like an eternity before she leapt to her hooves, wincing as embers seared them from underneath and flames licked halfway up her legs. She danced in place, emitting a series of squeaks and ows as her hooves repeatedly sizzled on the hot, hot, oh-Celestia-is-this-hot floor. "THIS IS SO NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING!"
Twilight tuned out the agonized screams of her reading buddy and sighed in relief as she dropped the remaining blankets on herself. She smiled at the fresh wave of heat that washed over her from the stone fireplace, gingerly took a sip of her scalding hot chocolate, and reopened the book to where she had left off. She glanced amusedly out the window at the rapidly-retreating figure of a charred, soot-stained pegasus, and shook her head gently.
"Looks I won't be needing a chimney sweep this year."
