The Mare Who Has Everything
There was nothing for it. She could swipe, bite, and wrestle with it all day, and still get no result. The sky blue pegasus stared at her haphazard holiday tree and sighed. That's what she got for waiting until the last minute buying a Hearth's Warming tree. Of course, the demanding work schedule to make sure the holiday week was a nice and white one took precedence.
Finally given a Celestia blessed day off, Rainbow Dash took stock of the situation. There were only five ponies on her list to buy for, six if she counted the squirt, but spending quality time with her in the flesh would be the best present ever. The others, however, would prove to be a bit more difficult.
Applejack was simple enough, as she never wanted for anything. The earth pony knew the value of hard work, and would be damned if she let another pony spend their hard earned bits on her. The stubborn mare never could grasp it was the thought that counted.
Rarity, on the other hoof, was the polar opposite, and way out of Dash's budget. The unicorn's love of fashion and eye for detail meant that whatever she got had to be the very best of the best. Just because she was known for her generosity didn't mean she couldn't be greedy for herself once in a while.
For Twilight Sparkle, the newly crowned princess of Ponyville, she had already sequestered a signed copy of the latest Daring Do novel months before it was to hit the shelves. Being friends with the author came in handy. Last was her old fillyhood friend Fluttershy. She knew just the thing for her timid fellow pegasus.
The only name on the list that continued to plague her was Pinkie Pie. All she ever wanted was for her friends to smile. It was no secret anymore, thanks to Pinkie's big mouth, that the two of them were dating now, so the present had to be more than a mere smile. It had to be an expression of friendship and of love. Something that shown Dash really meant it.
Thoughts of her popping out of a giant cake and doing a sultry dance crossed her mind, before Pinkie managed to derail it into a sloppy fantasy of cake frosting and things that made Dash blush and try to keep her wings folded.
Dash glanced at the clock on her nightstand. Even the fastest flyer in Equestria couldn't hope to get something extra special in the last few hours of the busiest shopping day. Perhaps if she blocked all their doors with convenient piles of snow? She shook that very un-loyal though from her head and took off from her cloud home. It was time to embark on an adventure that would make even Daring Do afraid.
****
“What do you think I should get for her? I mean, I should know these things because of being her filly friend and all, but she's just so... random!”
“Uh huh,” Twilight replied, her eyes fixed on the large book in front of her.
Dash sighed. “I'm at a loss what to do.”
“You could always get a bag of peaches.”
“Say what?”
Twilight glanced up from her book. “Oh, sorry. Thought you were asking what I wanted.”
Dash stomped over next to Twilight and looked over her shoulder. “What's more important than my head being on the chopping block of an upset filly friend?”
“It's the new Daring Do book. Signed too!” Twilight flipped to the opening page scrawled with Daring Do's illegible mouth writing. “Didn't she send you a copy?”
“DAMN IT!” Dash cried. As if things couldn't get any worse.
Twilight cocked a brow. “Was it something I said?” A rainbow blur tore out of the library and through the open window. The purple alicorn shrugged and went back to her book. “I hope she gets me a bag of peaches.”
Dash flew into the sky in a blind rage, only realizing how high she actually flew when she felt the biting cold though her coat. Everything looked so peaceful and beautiful from up here. The way the lights reflected off the newly fallen snow, made even more brilliant by the setting sun behind the wall of clouds Dash had designed herself.
“Sundown! Already?!” She did a loop and righted herself, scanning the area for the distinct gingerbread building. Sugarcube Corner was more decked out in lights than usual, no doubt because of Pinkie's endless supply of holiday cheer. It was almost as if it was some kind of beacon.
Like a moth to a flame, Dash drew closer. Her mind entertaining thoughts of hot cocoa and cookies as she casually probed the innocent conversation with Pinkie for any clues for a gift. She paused and blinked. It could be a trap! She turned and darted towards the town square. She had to remain vigilant!
Perhaps Rarity knew of something unique. As much as Dash disliked the frilly junk, she had to admit that Rarity’s keen eyes were great to have around for good deals on shopping. She landed in front of Carousel Boutique and knocked gently on the door.
“Yes? How may I —” Rarity’s eyes widened. “Oh my! You must come inside, darling. You’ll catch pneumonia!”
Dash could see Rarity trying to hide her cringe when she unfurled her wings and shook snow everywhere. She glanced down at the puddle of water around her and chuckled. “Uh... I’ll clean that up.”
“Why in Equestria are you out and about in this dreadful weather anyway? It’s absolutely freezing!” Rarity’s words had a slight unlady-like stutter in them.
Dash pouted. “I had a hoof in making that dreadful weather, ya know.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean to insult, dear! I know you take pride in your work, as do all great artists.” Rarity brushed her mane aside. Dash felt her stomach lurch. “But that doesn’t mean you should be out in it getting sick!”
“Just doing some last minute shopping...” Dash trailed off and stared at the floor. “Worse than my mother...”
“What was that, dear?”
“You know what Pinkie wants for Hearth’s Warming?”
Rarity paused and her eyes grew wide. “Why, Rainbow Dash. I would’ve thought having each other would’ve been enough!”
“If you’re going to get all sappy on me, I’ll leave.”
“No, no! Just, she hasn’t really told me anything about gifts for anypony really.”
Dash flew up into the air and threw her hooves up. “But she always has some awesome party planned or something special for her friends and... what would she do for a pony more than a friend?”
The unicorn smiled. “Sounds like you two still have a lot to learn about each other.” She swooned a bit and hemmed on her hooves. “Oh, to be in love and experience such wonders!”
“Here we go...” Dash muttered, rolling her eyes.
“Why, just the other day, my dear Spikey Wikey Poo gave me the most beautiful gemstone yet! I do believe my natural talent is rubbing off on him.” Rarity hovered said gem before her and seemed entranced by the light reflecting off of it. Dash equated it to Opalescence with a toy.
“Spikey Wikey Poo?” Dash cringed. Rarity’s increasingly sappy pet names for the dragon were going to give her diabetes. “I thought we were talking about me here?”
Rarity pouted. “Oh, don’t be so selfish! I’m sure whatever you get for Pinkie she’ll absolutely adore. She’s not really one for taste... or quality... or...” She blinked. “But she’s a good friend all the same!”
Dash cocked a brow. “Right...”
The front door burst open and a blur of pink bounded into the foyer. “Dashie! I knew I saw you come in here!”
The pegasus leapt into the air, fight or flight taking over her senses, and she bolted out the door. The cold air whipped at her face and made her wings ache as she searched for a safe place to land and gather her thoughts. Pinkie couldn’t see her out shopping! It would ruin the whole surprise!
A surprise she currently had no idea what it was going to be. Her eyes spotted the bell tower atop town hall. A quick scan of the area below shown no signs of Pinkie following her. There wasn’t even any fresh hoofprints in the snow.
Satisfied that she’d have a few minutes to calm down, Dash landed on the balcony overlooking the sleepy town. Luna’s moon reflected off the snow, and the lights and decorations shimmered in an almost supernatural beauty. Maybe she could take Pinkie for a fly like she always wanted? Wonderbolts had to be able to carry others in the event of emergencies.
But that was being selfish, wasn’t it?
A chill shot down her spine. Being around Pinkie for so long had seemingly given her a sense of her own. She didn’t even have to turn around to know that Pinkie was inexplicably behind her. She spun around and came face to face with that eternal smile.
“Oh! Hey, Pinks, um... just uh... doing some holiday shopping... Twilight wanted a bag of peaches.” Dash chuckled nervously.
“Peaches? Oh poo, and here I got her a quince! I wanted to get her a kumquat, but I couldn’t stop giggling long enough to say it!”
Dash laughed again, more naturally this time. “Yeah. She’s weird like that.”
“So, what’d ya get me, Dashie?”
The pegasus froze and felt her blood run cold. “Uh... you’ll see. It’s gonna be super amazing!”
Pinkie lunged forward and grabbed Dash in one of her signature death hugs. “I don’t think anything can be as awesome as you!” She pulled away and looked Dash in the eyes. “You’re really cold.”
“Yeah, well, I uh... gotta go and get your super amazing gift ready! See ya!” Before Pinkie could say anything in objection, Dash dove off the balcony and took off.
***
Dash skidded to a halt outside Sweet Apple Acres. Every tree was covered in snow, which meant it was too cold to hide in her usual nesting spot to think. Applejack would probably buck her out of it anyway. Speaking of the orange mare, there she was, clad in a scarf and boots, bucking apples free from their limbs before the frost set in.
“Hey AJ! Think fast!”
“What?” A snowball slapped upside Applejack's head, knocking her hat off and making her miss the tree she was about to buck. She wobbled a bit before falling face first into the snow. Angry green eyes stared up from their icy prison as Dash stood over her triumphant, wings spread and a smirk of victory across her lips.
“I would call ya a varmint, but that'd be an insult to other varmints,” Applejack muttered through the snow. A blue hoof offered her a lift, but she pushed it away and picked her ownself up. “What in the heck do ya'll want at this hour?”
“I finally got a day off and trying to do some shopping.”
“Now, Dash. Ya'll don't have ta spend yer money on little ol' me. I was raised proper.”
Dash glanced at Applejack's worn boots. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But it's not about you, more about... Pinkie.”
“Oh, well, don't know what goes on in that head o' hers.”
“Me neither!”
“Ya should! Bein' her filly friend an' all.”
“There's still things she doesn't know about me!”
Applejack stared at the pegasus and smirked. “Dash, yer an open book.”
Dash reeled back. “I... I am not!”
“Sure ya not!” Applejack called over her shoulder as she walked back to the house. “Come on, ya look like yer freezin’ out here. I got some hot cider.”
“Hot cider?! Hell yeah I...” she noticed Applejack's smirk again. “I hate you.”
***
“So,” Applejack finally broke the silence that hung over the kitchen. “What's all this nonsense about Pinkie?”
Dash stared into her mug of hot cider, trying to keep her eyes focused. How much alcohol was in this stuff? “She probably got me something super awesome amazing, so I have to do the same or she'll think I don't love her!”
Applejack covered her eyes with her hooves. “Dash, do ya'll realize how dumb ya sound right now? I know this whole being in love thing's got ya confused, but that's not how it works! Why when my pappy met Ma at that apple convention, they didn't need to buy each other gifts.”
Dash glanced up to see Applejack staring off into space, a glint of nostalgia in her eyes. “Pinkie is different. She's weird, she's random. I seriously think she's bipolar.”
“An' she's gonna do that straight-haired creepy thing ya hate so much if your present isn't more awesome than hers?” Applejack sighed. “What if you make her upset that your present is better?”
Dash's eyes widened. “I didn't think of that!”
The orange mare reached across the table and slapped Dash with an angry hoof. “Dangit, Dash! It's sweet ya love her so much, but all this fussin' is gonna put ya in an early grave!”
“So what do you think I should do?”
“I don't know! Take her upstairs an' ride her like a bronco! Just don't kill yerself trying to get her something special. Yer love is all she really needs.”
“I know... but it'd feel weird not giving her anything.”
“So this is more about you not feelin' guilty and trying to validate yer 'awesomeness' by creatin' a false sense of dependability?” Applejack made quotes in the air with her hooves.
Dash stared at the orange mare, her jaw slack.
“I don't have ta be a fancy booklearnin' unicorn princess ta read my friends.”
The pegasus shot up into the air and pointed an accusing hoof. “You just don't understand!”
“Pinkie didn't get you anythin' neither!” Applejack blurted. She instantly slapped her hooves over her mouth and cursed her honesty.
“Say what?”
“Nutthin!”
Dash landed on the wooden floor. “You’re not the only one who can call out a liar, AJ. Besides, you’re terrible at it!”
“Alright, fine!” Applejack sighed. “Pinkie told me yesterday she was havin’ the same problem findin’ a gift fer you.” She took a swig of the cider to gather her thoughts. “Unlike you, she took my advice.”
Dash stood in silence. The guilt boiling in her stomach made her taste bile on the back of her tongue. A warm surge tingled through her body, like when a crowd chanted her name. Pinkie loved her so much that her love was all she needed, and that brought a smile to Dash’s face.
“Say, AJ... you’re good at baking stuff, right?”
“All my wares don’t make themselves!”
“Think you can make a cake big enough for me to climb in?”
