Spreading the Holiday Cheer
Author's Note
Hey guys, so this is my first MLP fic. I haven't been in the fandom very long but Appledash is already my new OTP :3 This is a Human!AU, I'm not actually sure if I could pull a story off where they are ponies, so I'll stick with the species I know best. XD
I hope you like it, (even though it's not beta'd) and as always R&R!
Happy Holidays!
Holiday Cheer
It was a few days before Christmas and Rainbow Dash and I were at Wal-Mart, braving the crowds, looking for a few last minute presents for our families.
We were in the toy aisle that more resembled the aftermath of a battlefield and Rainbow had her back to me, messing with something on the shelf.
“I’m not really seein’ anything that Apple Bloom would just die to have,” I told her, poking at a purple jelly creature that proceeded to light up in different colors.
“What about this?” She turned around sporting a long salt and pepper beard, posing with her hands on her hips.
I chuckled. Oh yeah, I’m sure Bloom’d love that, she’s always wanted facial hair.”
“See? I knew it. I’m a master present-picker-outer,” she grinned.
“Well, if the Almighty Gift-Chooser is ready, I need to go to the grocery side to grab some more cinnamon sticks for hot apple cider.”
“Cider?” she perked up at this, “why didn’t ya say so! Let’s move!”
She started pushing me out of the aisle with both hands on my back.
“Dagnabbit, RD, quit it! I’ve already got a barrel saved for you at home, so calm down, you’re not missin’ out on anything.”
“Oh, well in that case,” she ceased her shoving and opted for sliding her right hand into the back pocket of my jeans.
“Maybe later when you come over to deliver it, I’ll return the gift,” she winked and squeezed my bottom playfully.
I raised an eyebrow. “That’d be a much bigger turn on if you weren’t sportin’ a Duck Dynasty beard,” I tugged on it a couple times to remind her.
She blushed in embarrassment and took it off, throwing it in the blue basket in my hand.
“Wait, you’re not actually gonna buy that for her are you?”
“It’s not for AB. I’m gonna stick it in Mac’s stocking.”
We looked at each other for a moment before exploding with laughter.
“He’s gonna hate you forever, y’know. He’s real sensitive that he can’t grow his out past a five o’clock shadow.”
“Nah, he loves me. He’ll get over it.”
We slowly made our way to where the cinnamon was, stopping here and there to look at random things that caught our eye.
“Oh thank the Lord,” I exclaimed, picking up the last two bottles of the spice I needed, “I thought they were gonna be out.”
I stuck them in the basket alongside a pair of knitting needles for Granny Smith, a couple movies for Scootaloo and the fake beard.
“You ‘bout ready to go?” I turned to Rainbow.
“Yeah, but I wanna grab some ravioli real quick. I’ve had this craving for some Chef Boyardee.”
“Craving? Are you pregnant?” I cracked a smile.
She snorted, “unless you’ve somehow magically been a guy this whole relationship, I don’t think so.”
We walked hand-in-hand to the appropriate aisle, only to find a rather sad and raggedy man in a dark worn jacket standing in front of the canned pasta, counting a little bit of change that was in his hand.
I could see he was crying, his shoulders moving with his sobs.
Rainbow looked at me, nodding her head toward the man in question.
I shrugged in response.
She bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment before shaking our hands apart and holding up her pointer finger as if to say ‘give me second,’ and stepping toward the black haired male.
“Um, sir? Sorry to bother you but… are you… alright?”
He started, the coins in his hand rattling when he moved.
“I- yeah, I’m okay, I’m fine,” his gruff voice answered without looking up, the tears spilling down his cheeks refuting what he said.
“Sir, do you not have enough money to buy something to eat?”
His head snapped up at this and he glared at her.
“What’s it matter to you, huh?” He said defensively, making fists with both of his hands.
She took a step back towards me. “I just… thought maybe I could help, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
He sniffled and stared back at the ground.
“Do you need some food?”
He was silent for a minute before answering. “It’s- it’s not for me. It’s for my daughter. She hasn’t eaten since yesterday and I don’t have any money to buy anything but I scrounged up some change and I thought it would be enough to get her s-something."
Rainbow gave him a small smile. “What‘s her name?”
His eyes lit up at the subject. “Gabby.”
“How old is she, what grade is she in?
“She turned eight in November. She’s in second grade, and oh Miss, she’s just so smart! She’s already reading at a fourth grade level and she’s made straight A’s all year. I’m so proud of her, she’s what keeps me going when I don’t want to go on and I hate that I can’t even feed her. I’m doing what I can, but its… its just not enough. It’s hard being an unemployed single father. I mean, I can’t even give her a Christmas. I’ll be lucky to give her dinner.”
He cleared his throat and wiped a stray tear from his cheek. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said all that. You didn’t need to hear it. You don’t want my sob story.”
“That’s alright but here‘s what gonna happen.” Rainbow pulled a few folded bills out of the back of her jeans before counting it and refolding it, holding it out in front of her, offering it to the man.
He stared at her with wide blue eyes and an open mouth, not making a move to grab the money.
She sighed and grabbed his hand, slapping the cash into his palm.
“That’s thirty bucks. Buy Gabby and yourself some groceries. Then on Christmas day, I want you and her to come down to Sweet Apple Acres for dinner. You know where that is?”
He nodded.
“There will be plenty of food to go around, good company and some kids for Gabby to play with. I want to see you there, okay?”
He was crying again. “I-I can’t acce-”
“Yes you can. If you don’t take it, I’ll burn it.”
Before Rainbow had finished her sentence, shaking arms were wrapped around her in a hug.
“Thank you, thank you so m-much. You are a-an angel. You don’t know how much this means to me, to be able to feed my little girl, to know she is g-going to have some sort of Christmas now, I just… I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
He stepped away, taking a second to recompose himself.
“Hey, we all need help sometimes so don’t worry about it.”
He smiled brightly. “I can’t wait to see her face when I get home!”
“And I can’t wait to meet her. I’m Rainbow Dash, by the way, and this is my girlfriend Applejack,” she motioned me over.
“Howdy, nice t’meet you,” I shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you too, I’m Robert.”
After a few minutes of conversing and getting to know each other, we separated ways so he could get some shopping done.
Rainbow snatched a can of ravioli off the shelf.
“Hey AJ, watch this!” I turned as she threw the can she was holding in the direction of the basket in my hand. It hit the side and dropped to the floor.
“Wow-wee Rainbow, that was mighty impressive,” I picked it up, smiling.
“Oh shut up.”
We walked to the self check-out.
“I’ve gotta say RD, I’m real proud of you for helpin’ that man out. Not many people woulda done what you did.”
She shrugged nonchalantly, scanning and bagging our items, “You would’ve done the same.”
“I think maybe I’m startin’ to rub off on you, you’re nicer than y’used to be,” I joked, feeding the machine some money.
“And if I’m lucky, you’ll be rubbing off on me tonight too,” she grinned seductively, grabbing our stuff.
I rolled my eyes and took the receipt.
“I still can’t believe you bought that beard, Mac’s gonna kick your butt from here to Timbuktu when he finds it,” I waved at the Greeter as we walked through the doors and into the cold.
“Well, that’s why I’ve got a big strong woman like you to protect me,” she elbowed me playfully as we walked up to my truck.
“Whatever, y’darn hooligan, get in the truck before I decide to give your cider to someone else.”
She grumbled but plopped down in the passengers seat. “But I’m still gonna get sex tonight, right? ‘Cause I was all heroic and helped someone out and it totally made you want me?” she asked hopefully.
She wasn’t wrong but I was going to let her suffer. I started the ignition. “I dunno, I don’t think you deserve it.”
She groaned and pouted the whole way home.
Fin
