The greatest gift you can give or receive is love for your fellow pony.

The morning sun rose over the snow covered fields of Sweet Apple Acres. Light cast itself everywhere in sight, reflecting off of billions of ice crystals. The rays that found a patch of shadow left behind an intricate and unique mural of little stings and dots of light. One of these patterns found its way into an upstairs room of the Apple family farmhouse, disturbing the sleep of a rainbow maned pegasus laying on the bed.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes fluttered open and she sat up in bed. As she yawned, she looked over at the beautiful orange mare sleeping beside her. Rainbow smiled at the rare opportunity to see Applejack peacefully asleep while she herself is awake. Even in the winter months, AJ tended to rise before Celestia even considered raising the sun. Now it was Rainbow’s turn to slip out from the covers unnoticed.

It took some time, but Rainbow managed to stand up without interrupting her wife’s adorable little snores. Rainbow silently chuckled when she remembered the first time AJ commented on her own snoring. According to Applejack, her snores sounded “like an old nag with a case of Pony Pox.” Considering Scootaloo once confused her snores with the Headless Horse, it must be true. Once they got some money in their saddlebags, she should probably get an anti-snoring bit or something. That is WHEN they actually get some money.

This was a very bad year for the young couple. It all started in late spring, when a wild Wendigo rampaged through Ponyville and killed most of the Apples’ budding crop. For a while, Rainbow Dash kept the family afloat with with her pay in the Wonderbolts. Then the accident happened. Rainbow was doing a show in Trottingham when one of her tricks failed and sent her spiraling out of control and into the ground. She was hospitalized for a month and left flightless for even longer. With her wings forever crippled, Rainbow had to be discharged from the Wonderbolts, ending her lifelong dream. Finally, in the fall, what remained of Applejack’s fruit was destroyed when vampire fruit bats swarmed out of their sanctuary and ate everything. With no harvest this year, the Apple’s had to scrape by to make ends meet. Big Mac had to take a job down south laying railroad ties just to keep the food on the table.

Despite their tragedies, Rainbow Dash and Applejack found comfort and support in each other. With Applejacks help, Rainbow managed to get out of the hospital and into the air much sooner than the doctors expected. While she would never regain her full range of motion, at least Rainbow could be in the sky where she belonged once again. Rainbow in turn made a habit of helping the Apples in anyway she could. She even sold her own cloud mansion to pay off the mortgage on the farm.

Now it was Hearths Warming Eve and Rainbow was determined to make this the best day ever for AJ. She was going to get her love the perfect gift. Rainbow recalled Applejack mention getting a hat band for her stetson back before they married. “Somethin’ that would really catch the eye ya know?” she had said, “Ah think maybe a green one with little silver conchos with turquoise in the middle of them.” Of course, Applejack was just speaking hypothetically at the time and regarded it as a dream for the extremely distant future.

With Rarity’s help, Rainbow managed to track down a merchant in Canterlot with a hat band exactly like Applejack wanted. Over the past month Rainbow saved all the money she could. Now she was certain she had enough to make a deal. She opened the bedroom closet and fished her bits from a shoebox hidden behind her Wonderbolts uniform. She double checked the count as she transferred them to her coin purse, 30 bits in all.

Before she closed the closet door, Rainbow took a moment to admire her Wonderbolts uniform. Even though her dream was now gone forever, she always felt good whenever she wore the skintight flight suit. It reminded that she had succeeded, that was indeed a Wonderbolt and the past few years were not just a dream. Then, when she saw her shattered goggles, she was reminded the last year was not just a nightmare either.

One day Rainbow will probably replace them eventually, but Wonderbolt issue goggles were not cheap in the civilian market. Maybe after another 6 months of saving she could afford them, but that’s no matter. Today is for Applejack and Rainbow Dash was going to make it special. With her bits in hoof and a scarf around her neck, she bolted out the window and headed towards Canterlot.

It was a long 3 hour flight to Canterlot. Rainbow Dash landed in a square somewhere in the Cloud District panting. She carefully massaged her old aching wounds, cursing under her breath. After a minute’s rest, she set out to find that merchant’s shop.

The shop Rarity mentioned was a high end jewelry place meant for the most elite of Canterlot society. The glass cases were filled with various necklaces and rings. Each one of them were encrusted with some sort of rare gem. Rainbow would definitely recommend not bringing Spike to this place. The hat band she was seeking was in a case near the back. It was perfect, exactly the way Applejack wanted. She will absolutely love it.

Rainbow boldly approached the shop owner, a bright yellow unicorn with a jewel cutie mark, and said, “hey there. Today is your lucky day because I’ve got an offer for that hat band back there.” she tossed him her bag of bits and leaned against the counter as he counted them out.

When he was finished, the unicorn shook his head and said, “I’m sorry ma’am, but there isn’t enough here. I have to decline your offer.’

“What! No! I thought prices were negotiable,” Rainbow protested.

“They are but another customer made a reservation yesterday. She offered double what you have. Unless you can match it then I think we’re done here.”

“Come on. You gotta sell it to me. Please, this is the gift my girl always dreamed of. I know it will make her happy,” Rainbow pleaded, giving her best puppy dog face.

The merchant sighed, “Look if you can come up with the money before 5 this afternoon then the band is yours. That is the most I can do.”

“Yeah but how am I going to get that much money in one day. It’s not like I have of val…” Inspiration struck Rainbow like a bolt of lightning. She flew out the door as fast as she could and set course back to Ponyville.

It was after noon by the time she got back to Sweet Apple Acres. Granny Smith and Applebloom were in the dining room eating a simple meal of daffodil sandwiches. Rainbow grabbed a sandwich and said, “hey guys. Is Applejack home?”

Applebloom shook her head, “no. She’s been out all day. Where have you been?” Have you been getting my Hearths Warming gift?”

“Now Applebloom,” Granny Smith cautioned her grandchild, “it ain’t polite to go ask’n ponies that.”

Applebloom lowered her ears and apologized. Rainbow ruffled the filly’s mane. With money so tight they will all have to do with less this year. Fortunately, Rainbow and AJ made do with simple gifts to their friends and family. Rainbow imagined the same sort of thing in her own gift from AJ.

After she finished lunch, Rainbow trotted upstairs and into her room, where her most valuable possession hung in a closet. She removed her Wonderbolt uniform and carefully packed it into a suit case. She was sure that it was valuable enough for a trade. A few years ago she would have paid a hundred bits for it herself. Surely that merchant could find some customer for this.

With her suitcase in tow, Rainbow raced back to Canterlot as fast as she could bear. This second journey was tougher than the first, The pegasi planned a big, Equestria-wide snow fall for the evening. While the idea is romantic and all, it didn’t make cross-country flying any easier on her. The strain on her wings almost too much for her. Yet she soldiered on through the storm.

When she finally got back to Canterlot, she was cold and exhausted, but she didn’t have time to rest. She galloped to the the jewel shop as fast as she could. She silently thanked Celestia when she caught the jeweler just as he was locking up.
“Wait!” Rainbow cried, “I gasp have something to trade.” She opened her case for the merchant to see.

He glanced at the uniform. “You’re paying me with that?” he inquired, “this is highly unorthodox.”

“It the most valuable thing I have. More than that it’s my most treasured keepsake. In trading this I am giving you the memory of everything I did… and can never do again. To me this suit is worth more than all the gems in Canterlot.”

“If this uniform is worth so much to you, then why are you trading it for a hat band?”

“Because Applejack is more precious to me than all the gems in the world. There is nothing I won’t give to make her happy. This uniform may have many good memories for me, but every second I spend with AJ beats those by a landslide. She’s my best friend and the love of my life.”

The merchant mulled over her words for a minute and said,“I don’t normally accept trades, but today I think I can make an exception.”

Rainbow jumped up in excitement. She hugged the jeweler and yelled, “thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Ah it Hearth’s Warming Eve. I’m sure that Applejack would love it.”

“She sure will and I can’t wait to see it on her awesome stetson.”

Rainbow Dash got home just in time for dinner. AJ was finally back and all their friends were there with her. Granny Smith made everypony’s favorite holiday treats; figgy pudding, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole, old fashioned gingerbread, and ,to Rainbow’s surprise and pleasure, a keg of last year’s cider. They all spent the evening laughing, singing, and enjoying each other’s company. Pinkie tried to introduce the CMC to hard cider only to be chastised by Twilight. Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Mac sang a variety of carols in perfect harmony. Somepony hung a mistletoe over Rainbow and Applejack. The couple kissed so long that Pinkie had to put traffic cones around them.

As the festivities started winding down, well as much as Pinkie would allow them to, everypony gathered around the fireplace to exchange gifts. Eventually, Applejack sat down next to Rainbow with a present between her teeth. “Here ya go sugarcube. This one’s from me.”
Rainbow torn into the wrapping and opened the box to reveal a new pair of Wonderbolt issue goggles. Rainbow was frozen the shock. Applejack got her a replacement for the one part of her uniform that was broken. The uniform she just sold a few hours ago.

“Aw, ain’t that cute. Yer speechless. I knew ya’d love it. Go ahead and put yer suit on. I want to see how ya look.”

Rainbow snapped back to reality. She can’t let AJ know what she’d done. “you know what,” she said, “I think it’s time you open my gift.”

Applejack consented and grabbed Rainbow’s gift from the pile. She opened it and frowned, “it’s a band… for my hat. Just like I always wanted.”

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow just noticed that she hadn’t seen Applejack wearing her stetson all night.

“Rainbow I-I sold my hat ta pay for yer goggles.”

Rainbow sighed, “and I traded my uniform to get that hat band for you.”

“Wait a minute,” screamed Pinkie, “both of you gave up you most prized possession to improve each other’s most prized possession? What a coincidence!”

Rainbow fought back tears as she smiled at her wife, “You really gave up your hat just for me? But I thought it was an heirloom… from your dad.”

Applejack nodded, “what about yer uniform? I know yer real fond of it.”

“Yeah but there is no contest that I love you way more.”

“I love ya too Rainbow.”

The young couple embraced each other. Their eternal bond solidified in the gift they had given and received. Not a gift of ribbons or strings, but gift of the heart. Which is equal to none. So remember this yuletide season the true meaning of a gift. It is not the present itself that matters, but the sacrifice made to give it.

Author's Note

Happy Hearths Warming