By the Fireplace

Rarity sat up in her bed, glancing over at her clock. It was just past four. She groaned and laid back down, pulling her sleeping mask over her eyes once more. Another knock at the door caught her attention, though it was barely audible over the howling winds outside. Rarity groggily slid out of bed, the cold floor sending a jolt through her body. She swiftly trotted over to her bedroom door, where a pair of slippers had been sitting. Slipping them onto her hooves, Rarity smoothed down her cherry blossom silk pajamas. She made her way downstairs and opened the door to find Thunderlane outside.

"Hello Rarity, Is Sweetie Belle staying with you?" He asked, shivering in the snowstorm.

"Yes. She is here all winter while our parents are vacationing in Rainbow Falls. Why do you ask," Rarity wondered, observing the ice in his mane.

"I've been giving the task of telling all the guardians of school ponies that school is canceled today," he replied.

"Oh, I see. Would you like to come in and warm up with a coffee?" She asked, gesturing back inside her house.

"Sorry Rarity, I've got to get to the rest of the houses," Thunderlane declined.

"Can you at least come in and defrost while I make you a coffee to take with you?" Rarity asked, rolling her eyes at the word defrost.

"I guess that wouldn't hurt," he replied with a sheepish grin.

Thunderlane stepped into the Carousel Boutique, wiping his snowy feet on the doormat. Rarity showed him into the kitchen where he took a seat at the table, shaking out his icy mane. Filling the coffee pot, Rarity grabbed a cup with an insulating layer and a lid. She set it under the coffee pot, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. As she waited, Rarity walked over to the bathroom, grabbing a towel. She handed it to Thunderlane with her blue magic aura surrounding it. He gratefully took the towel and dried off his dripping wet body and his icy mane. Walking back to the coffee pot, she poured the black coffee into the insulated cup, handing it to Thunderlane, who took it and thanked Rarity, heading back out to finish his job. Shutting the door and protecting the house from the grueling storm, Rarity heard a voice from upstairs.

"What's going on?" Asked a tired and chilly Sweetie Belle.

Rarity looked up to the top of the stairs to find Sweetie Belle wrapped up in her blanket, looking down over the railing. The young filly yawned and rubbed her eyes, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Thunderlane came to tell us that school is canceled," Rarity said softly.

"Really?" Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes, but it's far too early to be up. Go back to bed Sweetie Belle," Rarity instructed, keeping her tone gentle.

"Alright," Sweetie Belle agreed, yawning as she walked back to her room.

Already too awake to fall back asleep, Rarity walked back to the kitchen. She decided to surprise Sweetie Belle with a nice warm breakfast when she woke back up. Knowing Sweetie Belle wasn't too fond of anything fancy, Rarity decided upon cinnamon pancakes with hot chocolate.

By the time Rarity even got started making the batter, it was already six. She took a wooden spoon out of the drawer and set it in the bowl, mixing together the ingredients. Lastly, she took the cinnamon from her spices cabinet. Rarity sprinkled in a large amount, swirling it into the rest of the batter. The wonderful scents of cinnamon and sugar drifted through the air. As the pancakes were put into the pan, the whole kitchen was filled with the sound of sizzling batter and the smell of warm cinnamon.

While the pancakes cooked, Rarity worked on her favorite hot chocolate recipe. She put water in a kettle to boil and melted down some chocolate. Breaking up a candy cane, Rarity took a deep breath, surrounded by the wonderful scents of a home cooked breakfast. Just as the pancakes and hot chocolate finished up, Sweetie Belle came down the stairs, still wrapped up in her pastel pink, fluffy blanket. Lured into the kitchen by the warm scents, her eyes lit up when she saw the two mugs of hot chocolate next to plates of pancakes sitting on the table.

"It's a wonderful meal for a cold winters day," Rarity affirmed, sitting down across from Sweetie Belle, who had already begun to eat.

"It's perfect!" Sweetie Belle agreed, her mouth stuffed with pancakes.

"I'm glad you think so," Rarity said with a light laugh.

Rarity began to eat her own pancakes, taking sips of hot chocolate between bites. She couldn't have asked for a better start to their snow day. Sweetie Belle was beyond satisfied with the breakfast, quickly finishing her pancakes and sipping her hot chocolate. The steam from the sweet beverage drifted up above the table, seeming to encase the sisters in a world of their very own, keeping out the bitter cold from the storm.

"Are you finished Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked, seeing the plate across from her was empty.

"Yes, but could I get another hot chocolate?" Sweetie Belle asked with big pleading eyes.

"Of course. I'm glad you liked it," Rarity replied, levitating both of their mugs over to the counter.

Pouring more of the steamy hot chocolate into both mugs, Rarity looked out the window, or at least attempted to. Large amounts of frost had collected on the window and everything she could see was blurry. As far as Rarity could tell, the storm was still raging. Making her way back to the table, she listened to the soft pat of her slippers against the hard wood floor. Rarity sat back down across from Sweetie Belle, setting down both drinks.

"Is there anything in particular you wish to do today?" Rarity asked, concerned Sweetie Belle would be bored sitting inside all day.

"Not really," Sweetie Belle responded, already looking tired of sitting around.

"How about a board game?" Rarity suggested.

Sweetie Belle nodded and Rarity stood up, heading upstairs to where she kept the board games. Looking over the games, none of them seemed right. Checkers was too boring and chess was too complicated. Finally deciding on the one game she thought fit, Rarity pulled out Monopony. Rarity made her way back down the creaking stairs, levitating the game by her side. She set the game on the table and Sweetie Belle helped her set everything up.

"I'm not sure I remember this one very well," Sweetie Belle stated, looking down at the game board.

"I'll explain it as we go," Rarity said with a cheerful smile.

"So, who goes first?" Sweetie Belle asked.

The game went on for quite a while, Sweetie Belle asking several questions every time her turn came around. Rarity going bankrupt, the sisters decided they had had enough of that game for the day and it was time to move onto something else. Suddenly, Rarity was hit with an idea. All morning, Sweetie Belle had been dragging around her shredded, dirty blanket.

"How about you help me make you a new blanket. Yours has seen better days and didn't you want to learn to sew better?" Rarity asked nervously, hoping her sister would accept the idea.

The storm raged on outside, getting worse every moment. A loud howl echoed through the sky, snow piling down quicker than it had before. Sweetie Belle pondered the idea