Holiday Blues

It was Christmas Day. Rarity decorated her house and set the table for dinner. The presents were wrapped nicely and placed under the tree. Stockings with the names of her friends and sister hung on the wall. Her parents were not able to be there.

Sunset Shimmer arrived first. She told Rarity that the others were on their way and sat on the couch in the living room. Rarity offered her something to drink, but she declined. There was no elevation in her mood. Rarity sat next to her and made sure she was comfortable.

Later, the other five girls came in looking down. They went into the living room and didn't say a word. They also declined Rarity's offer for drinks. Things weren't going great, but Rarity knew she would cheer her friends up.

Everyone was here, so Rarity called for Sweetie Belle to go into the living room. Then she gave each stocking to the person they belonged to. They poured out the contents and went through their stuff. Rarity noticed that they were feeling a bit better, but they were still down. Still, there was plenty of time.

Sweetie Belle occupied her time by spinning a table top. Rarity's friends sat there staring blankly at the wall. Pinkie Pie was the only one who even touched her candy. Rarity figured that they would feel better after opening presents, so she gave everyone their presents. She watched as her friends opened their gifts.

Rainbow Dash got a new pair of running shoes. They were azure and had Rainbow lightning bolt designs on the sides. The laces were also rainbow colored.  She didn't show any glee, but she took her old shoes off and replaced them with her ones.

Pinkie Pie took the new cake decorating materials out of the box. There were three bags, twenty different tips, and three new spatulas. Her old decorating tools became difficult to use, and she definitely needed some more.

Applejack received an apple peeler. She looked at the sharp blades before putting it down. The peeler was designed to make peeling efficient and easy. Plus, the blades were thin to ensure that very little of the apple was wasted.  She didn't show the slightest bit interest.

Fluttershy got a sweater. It wasn't one of those ugly sweaters either. It was made out of high-quality cotton, and the pink was a few shades darker than her mane. She held the sweater in her arm.

Sunset Shimmer got a new electric guitar. The neck of her old one broke, and she couldn't afford the repairs. The guitar had a light but sturdy frame. It was yellow with red flames on the body

Twilight Sparkle got a new book. It was titled "The Nature of Friendship." Twilight said she wanted to read that book several times, but she was never able to get it. It wasn’t available in the library. She wanted to learn what she can about friendship, and she had a feeling that book was going to help.

Sweetie Belle took out a karaoke game. She loved to sing, and all of the songs were songs she enjoyed. There was no need for new purchases. All she had to do was connect it to the t.v and sing.

Finally, Spike got a purple chew toy. Despite his love for gems, he didn’t care that it was shaped like one. There was no excitement in his eyes. He started chewing the toy, though.

No one showed any detest for their gifts, but there was no excitement, either. The room was silent as they looked at their gifts. Rarity was unsure of what was going on.

Finally, Rainbow broke the silence, "Is this all we're getting?"

Rarity was hoping they weren't going to expect more. She knew it was going to happen, though. "Well, yes. Do you not like what you got?"

Rainbow looked down at her shoes. "They're great. They're comfortable, cool looking, and have high-quality material. These shoes must have cost you a fortune." She realized what she was saying and added, "Oh. Thanks."

"We all like our gifts," Sunset explained. "We aren't showing it, but we do appreciate that you go through all this trouble to give us stuff."

The others nodded in agreement. Rarity announced that it was time to eat, and everyone sat around the table. They filled their plates with a variety of foods from turkey to cranberries. Then they enjoyed their food. They were still down, but Rarity could tell that they liked what they were eating.

Rarity turned on the radio, and Christmas music started playing. She was barely able to resist singing as everyone ate. The songs she picked out were upbeat so she wouldn’t bore them.

Soon, Pinkie Pie started singing. "Joy to the World." was playing, and Pinkie loved that song. Singing about joy made her happy, regardless of whether it was religious or not. As if a spell was broken, she became cheerful one again. Her mouth stretched up into a grin, and her eyes lit up.

One person joined in with each song until everyone was singing. They were full of joy. Rarity watched her friends and sister singing together. They continued singing as the track continued to play. Their spirits were lifted more with each song.

At last, the music stopped, but the joy continued. Everyone was chatting among themselves. They showed each other their gifts and traded the candies they got in their stockings.

Rarity was empty handed, but she shared their happiness. She watched everyone as they talked about how much they loved what they got. She was happy that her friends were no longer down. That was what she wanted most of all.

"Rarity, you didn't get anything!" Pinkie Pie pointed out, alarmingly.

Rarity giggled, "I did get something, though. I have my friends, who are full of joy. That was all I wanted. She pulled everyone into a group hug. A purple glow surrounded her body. Her hair grew longer, and her ears disappeared and were replaced by pony ears which grew on the top of her head.

After the hug was finished. Sunset Shimmer commented, "I knew that was going to happen sometime today."

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.

Sunset shimmer giggled. “It’s Christmas, a holiday about giving. Naturally, the girl who would pony up with generosity would pony up today. Besides, you went through a lot to help us.”

It was getting late. Everyone went home except for Sunset Shimmer, who helped Rarity clean everything up.  Rarity remained in her pony form as she put the food up. She set aside a pumpkin pie which hasn't been touched yet.

"The pie is for you," Rarity told her.

"Thank you," Sunset replied.

“I think I know what happened,” Rarity figured. “You were right when you said it wasn’t magic. I noticed that when Pinkie Pie started to sing, it became easier for you and the others to join in and share in the joy. As each person sang, it became easier. Maybe the opposite is also true. Despair may have started with just one person, but it spread through the entire school.”

“I think you’re right!” Sunset agreed. “If we start showing joy, it will spread to others. You know, I think all emotions are contagious.” She hugged Rarity and said, “I’m glad I have a friend like you.”

Everything was cleaned, and Sunset Shimmer finally left. Rarity returned to normal and went to her room. She sat on her bed and smiled and whispered, "This was the best Christmas yet."

Rarity didn't care that she didn't get anything. Her friends were happy, and that was all she wanted. After all, Christmas wasn't about getting presents. It was about being there with friends and family.