Holiday Blues

by Mathew_The_Raridash_Fan

Rating: everyone
Tags: Human, Main 6, Rarity, Equestria Girls, Sunset Shimmer, Slice of Life
Length: 2698

Rarity tries to get her friends in the Christmas spirit.

After Rarity notices that her friends are depressed, she does what it takes to cheer them up before Christmas day.

Published 2015-12-25 04:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-25 04:00:02 UTC

Grey Clouds

Rarity walked into the warm air of the high school, which contrasted the frigid outdoors. Everyone wore more layers of clothes than usual. Colorful lights lit up the hallways, and pictures of elves decorated the walls. There was a gigantic fir tree in the main foyer in the corner next to the doors. Rarity was excited as she knew what was coming up. It was her favorite time of the year.

Rarity always looked forward to Christmas. Being with her friends and seeing the joyful expressions on their face as they opened presents, sitting beside the fireplace drinking hot chocolate, singing Christmas carols with her friends and family, and enjoying an assortment of delicious foods filled her with joy.

She made her way to the cafeteria where she found her friends sitting at a table. She went over to join them, but they greeted her half-heartedly. They were clearly not in the spirit. Not even Pinkie Pie was happy, and she shared Rarity’s love of Christmas.

“Why is everyone so…” Rarity searched for a good word to use. “down?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset Shimmer replied, “But why do you care?”

“I’m concerned,” Rarity answered. “I have never seen everyone so sad.”

“It’s probably just the weather,” Twilight explained. “Sometimes the weather can affect our moods.”

Rarity shook her head. “No, that can’t be right. I mean, you are right, but this hasn’t happened before.”

Rainbow told Rarity, “We’re not in the spirit this year, that’s all.”

Rarity shook her head. There was something going on, and she knew it. She needed to cheer them up. If she couldn’t bring them in the holiday spirit before Christmas day, she feared that the holiday was going to be a disaster.

It was time for everyone to go to their classes, and the seven girls went to their classes. Rarity walked to English class and sat in her seat. She knew she was going to have trouble concentrating with her friends on her minds. Luckily for her, the teachers never gave too much work on the last day of the semester.

Every class was the same. Everyone played holiday themed games, but the games were never fun due to the lack of excitement. Even Sonata wasn’t excited in Chemistry when she got to wear a taco suit. That was when Rarity was sure that the lack of spirit wasn’t normal.

When Rarity went to lunch, the cafeteria was much quieter than usual. Rarity got her food and sat next to Sunset Shimmer.

She still hasn’t figured out how she would cheer her friends up. She figured that a compliment was always nice. “You look very nice today,” She told Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset ignored her and stared down at her food, which was untouched. No one touched their food.

“Applejack, I think it was great of you to offer Apple Bloom a ride to school this morning,” Rarity complimented.

Applejack, like Sunset Shimmer, ignored her. Fluttershy quietly said, “complimenting us won’t make us happy. Just stop trying.

Rarity stopped complimenting, but she didn’t stop trying to cheer them up. She needed to know why everyone was depressed and why she wasn’t. Regardless of what was causing it, she hated seeing her friends upset. In fact, she hated to see anyone upset.

There was still ten minutes of lunch left. Rarity knew she had enough time. She got up and walked at a quick pace to her locker. When she got there, she retrieved the six wrapped packages and made her way back to the lunch room.

With minutes to spare, she gave the packages to her friends. They opened it and pulled out the well-made dresses. Rarity could tell they liked them, but the gray clouds remained. They didn’t say anything and put them back in the packages.

“Sunset Shimmer, can I borrow that book you have been talking to Twilight with?” Rarity asked.

Sunset Shimmer got the book out, “What for?”

Rarity answered, “I know there’s something wrong, but I don’t know what is going on.”

Sunset put the book back in her bag and explained, “Rarity, I know you think there is something wrong, but there isn’t.”

“This isn’t normal, dear. Everyone is down, and there doesn’t seem to be any cause to it,” Rarity said.

Sunset Shimmer knew Rarity was right. She had no idea why she was depressed. Still, that didn’t mean magic was involved. “I notice that everyone is down as well, but we can’t automatically assume that Twilight would know what to do, especially when it may not involve any magic.”

"If it's not magic, then what is it?" Rarity asked.

Sunset shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe Twilight, well, the Twilight here, was right. Maybe it is just the weather. Or maybe it's because we're nervous."

"Why is everyone nervous?" Rarity asked.

Sunset Shimmer wasn't able to answer because the bell cut the conversation short. They agreed to continue their conversation after school. Rarity walked to her class while thinking of another way to cheer her friends up.

In fashion class, the students had to design an outfit that reflected the theme of the holidays. Rarity designed a sweater. The base color was white to resemble snow. The small red hands which surrounded the collar represented family. Finally, the green cuffs represented a bond that will never break. Her teacher, Ms. Hemline, loved her sweater as she described the meaning behind her designs. The other students didn't care as much, so Rarity's sweater was chosen as the best sweater.

The rest of the day was boring. In PE, everyone had to run laps indoors, and in special ed, they watched TV. Rarity frequently looked back to check if Pinkie Pie smiled. Unfortunately, she didn't. She hugged Pinkie who returned the favor. Unfortunately, Pinkie's mood didn't even elevate a bit.

The final bell rang, and Rarity went to the statue and waited for Sunset Shimmer. Sunset came just a few minutes after Rarity, and they sat at the base of the statue and continued where they left off earlier.

Sunset Shimmer began, “Maybe the reason we’re all depressed is because we won’t be able to get many presents this year.”

Rarity’s brows furrowed. If what Sunset Shimmer said was true, then most people at Canterlot High didn’t understand what Christmas was about. It wasn’t about getting a lot of presents. Rarity knew what she had to do. “Very well. I want to invite you over to my house for Christmas at two.”

Sunset Shimmer agreed. She then asked, “Are the others going, too?”

“I don’t know,” Rarity replied. She wanted everyone to be there, but there was no way of telling if they would show up.

“I’ll invite Applejack and Twilight. You can invite the others,” Sunset offered. Rarity smiled in agreement, and they parted and searched for their corresponding friends.

Rarity found Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash sitting together, all wearing heavy coats. She invited them to her Christmas party, and they all agreed to come. She was determined to lift her friends’ spirits, and a Christmas party was the best way to do it.

At last, Rarity drove home and started planning the party. She knew she wasn’t Pinkie Pie, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t plan a great party. She got out a piece of paper and wrote down what she needed.

The food was important. A Christmas party needed food, and lots of it, too. She was also going to need decorations. Pinkie told her that a party isn’t a party without decorations. Music was also a priority. If Rarity was lucky enough, her friends would join in singing Christmas carols.

The party wasn't for another four days, but Rarity had no time to procrastinate. She made a list of everything she needed to get from the store. Christmas wasn’t about getting gifts, but that didn’t mean Rarity should not give anyone gifts. Rainbow was going to be the hardest to cheer up since she lost Tank, but Rarity was determined to succeed.

She checked her list to make sure she had everything then drove to the store. She got everything on her list that she could. If she couldn't find something in one store, she went to another. She knew what she was going to do. All she needed to do was wait and hope for the best.

Christmas Day

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.