Gold-Tinted Lenses

Chapters

Chapter III
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter I
Chapter II

Chapter III

It didn’t take long for Rainbow to fly out of sight of Twilight’s castle. Still pondering the peculiarities of griffondom, she weaved around a few tufts of cumulus and hummed happily to herself. She eyed Rarity’s house, Carousel Boutique, as she passed it. Rarity was probably inside, busily weaving and sewing and trimming all kinds of last minute dresses and suits and stuff for Hearth’s Warming. A grin broke out on Dash’s face as she thought about it. Rarity wasn’t the only one hard at work these days. And she has no idea . . .

“Dashie!” a voice called out from below. “Hey, Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow looked down and saw that Pinkie Pie was hopping after her, dodging around the ponies on the ground, jumping off of park benches, and bouncing through alleyways with a bright grin on her face. She smiled and shook her head. “Heya, Pinkie!” she said with a wave. “What’s up?”

It only took a few seconds to reach ground level, but it was more than enough time for Pinkie to plop down into a snowbank. “Just wondering what you’re up to,” she said, splaying her legs out and making a snow pegasus. “Wanna do some pranking?”

Oh, that was tempting. It felt like it’d been years since the last time Rainbow and Pinkie had gone on one of their infamous pranking sprees. She could already see Twilight’s face as she took a sip of hot cocoa with chili powder in it—or Applejack’s, when all of her apples were replaced with bright red ornaments. A Hearth’s Warming pranking spree would be epic. But she couldn’t, Rainbow reminded herself. She had work to do, and only a few hours to do it in.

“Sorry, Pinkie,” Rainbow said, her wings drooping a bit. She gave Pinkie an apologetic smile. “I’ve still gotta finish my present for Rarity.”

That seemed to jolt Pinkie out of whatever reverie she was in. She sat up, mouth stretched ear to ear. “Ooh,” she said, leaning in close to Rainbow. “What’d you get her?”

Rainbow bit her lip. She pulled her goggles off of her face and let them hang off of her neck like a necklace. An awesome necklace. “I don’t know, Pinkie,” she said carefully. “I haven’t exactly told anyone about it . . .”

“Aw, come on!” Pinkie bounced closer, sparks dancing in her eyes. “I won’t tell anypony, I Pinkie promise!”

“It’s not that, Pinkie.” Rainbow scratched the back of her neck. Her face felt warmer than it should have, out here in the cold. “It’s just . . .”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly—” Pinkie started, gesticulating wildly.

Rainbow groaned. This again? It was kinda cute the first time, but . . . “No, Pinkie,” she said quickly, “You don’t have to—”

“Stick a cupcake in my eye!” Pinkie finished, pulling a cupcake out of seemingly nowhere and mashing it into her eye. Chocolate cake crumbs and white frosting covered her face for a moment before Pinkie’s tongue twisted out of her mouth like some freakishly long and pink garter snake, sweeping it all into her mouth with a practiced motion. “Mmm!”

Ew, Pinkie . . .

“Do you have to do that every time?” Rainbow asked, her voice strained. She’d long since given up asking where the cupcakes came from. After all, physics were physics, and Pinkie Pie was, well, Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie held Rainbow’s gaze with an ingenuous smile and sucked her teeth. Her tail flicked to the side. “Do what?”

Rainbow’s nostrils flared. “Forget it,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Okay!” Pinkie shrugged. She leaned in close to Rainbow—too close. Pinkie’s cupcake breath flooded her nostrils with the sickening sweetness of commercial icing and sprinkles, and Rainbow was forced to turn her head away just to breathe.

“So,” Pinkie whispered, her hoof on the side of her mouth. Her eyes shifted from side to side, but Rainbow wasn’t sure what she was looking for; the park was empty. “What did you get Rarity for Hearth’s Warming?”

Rainbow clenched her teeth. “I didn’t get her anything!” she said, bristling slightly.

Pinkie leaped backwards, gasping in horror. She apparently forgot about the snowbank, though, because she immediately fell backwards and vanished into it with a puff of white mist. Her head popped out a second later, capped with several inches of white powder, and shook wildly before settling back on Rainbow, who couldn’t help but chuckle. “For real?” she cried. “Oh my gosh, Dashie! This is a Hearth’s Warming emergency! But don’t worry! I can help! I just need a bucket, some rope—”

“Pinkie, relax,” Rainbow said, fighting the urge to both smile and roll her eyes at the same time. “It’s cool.”

“—some ramen noodles, a can of tuna—”

“Pinkie,” Rainbow said, the small smile she’d allowed herself beginning to fade.

“—unicycle, a nine-string guitar—”

“Pinkie!”

“And fifteen panda bears that know the cha-cha!” Pinkie finished with a proud nod.

Rainbow took a deep, controlled breath and wondered just how many gingerbread houses her friend had eaten for breakfast. The thought of her friend razing an entire cookie village brought the smile back to her face. She probably even acted out the gingerbread ponies running away . . . Rainbow thought to herself.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said after a moment. She opened her eyes and gave Pinkie a half-smile. “Listen, Pinks, that sounds cool and all, but I don’t need any of that for Rarity’s present. I didn’t buy it. I made it.”

“Ooooh, I get it,” Pinkie said, giggling. “But that stuff wasn’t for Rarity, Dashie. That was just my shopping list. See?” She pulled out a long strip of paper that was littered with dozens and dozens of lines of items, all meticulously hoof-written in tiny cursive. “It’s everything I need for Gummy’s birthday next month! I’ve been writing things down as they come to me so I don’t forget any of the amazingly superific ideas I think up!”

Rainbow just stared. “. . .Right,” she said, taking another deep breath. “Hey, listen, I haven’t told anypony yet, so could you keep it a secret until tonight?”

Pinkie smiled and sprang out of the snowbank like a Pinkie-in-the-box. “I Pinkie-swore, didn’t I?” she said gleefully. She landed in front of Rainbow, tail wagging. “So, can I see it?”

“What?”

“Can I see what you made for Rarity?” Pinkie asked again. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

She wants to see it? Rainbow gulped. It felt like a lump had formed in her throat. Nopony had actually seen it yet. “I-I don’t know, Pinkie . . .”

“Aw, but it’ll be fun!” Pinkie cheered, wrapping her hoof around Rainbow’s neck a little too tight and making her cough. “You’re so sweet, making Rarity something special for Hearth’s Warming!” she grinned at Rainbow and waggled her eyebrows.

Rainbow puffed up and shoved Pinkie off her. Her wings fluttered violently by her sides, and her cheeks warmed up with just as much ferocity. “It’s not like that!” she huffed.

Pinkie giggled.

“It’s not!”

“I heard she caught Wind Rider trying to frame you!” Pinkie sang, now bouncing around Rainbow and laughing.

Rainbow set her jaw. “That doesn’t have anything to do with . . . with anything!” she exclaimed, ignoring the rising heat in her cheeks. So what if Rarity hadn’t given up on Rainbow—even when she herself was convinced that she was guilty of sabotaging Spitfire? So what if Rarity was the sole reason Rainbow was still allowed to call herself a Wonderbolt?

Pinkie’s laughter grew louder.

“Fine!” Rainbow snapped, standing up and trotting toward the large cloud house in the distance. Her tail cracking like a whip as she glared at her home. “You can see it!”

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered. “Oh, wait!” In a flash, she vanished, leaving behind only a long trail in the snow. Rainbow’s brow furrowed as she stared at it. She didn’t get much chance to contemplate it, however, because Pinkie reappeared just as quickly as she vanished. “All set!” she said, showing Rainbow the bright gold horseshoes affixed to her hooves. “Can’t forget my cloud-walking shoes, or I’d be a Pinkie pancake!”

“ . . .Cloud-walking shoes?” Rainbow deadpanned.

Pinkie beamed with pride. “Yep! I had Twilight make them for me for extra-special pegasus birthday surprise parties!”

“Of course you did,” Rainbow sighed. She turned back around and resumed her trot through the snowy field. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Sorry about the mess,” Rainbow said, opening the front door of her house and revealing the kitchen. A tower of plates sat in the sink, crusty with alfredo sauce and bits of broccoli. Several pizza boxes laid on their sides, pressed between the counter and the overflowing trash can. A collection of exercise equipment was strewn across the floor to the living room alongside several sets of spandex training suits. “I wasn’t really expecting anypony to come home with me today.”

Pinkie poked her head in and “oohed” before bouncing inside, singing a song to herself. She seemed content to walk around, investigating this and sniffing that, so Rainbow turned around and closed the door.

“Aww! Is this you and Gilda as fillies?” Pinkie said from across the room. “You were so adorable!”

Rainbow followed her gaze to the wall, where a picture of her and a young griffon in the pegasus city of Cloudsdale hung. “Well, I definitely wasn’t a weatherpony back then,” Rainbow said with a smirk.

Pinkie giggled. “You’d be, like, the youngest weatherpony in the history of ever, if you were!”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Rainbow said, passing by Pinkie and motioning toward the stairs with her head. “C’mon, my room’s up here.”

Rainbow heard Pinkie bouncing behind her, oohing and ahhing at seemingly every insignificant detail about her house. She poked at pictures, looked through doors, and asked way too many questions. “Does it rain in here?” she’d ask. “How did you get all these clouds?” She stopped listening after “Where do your toilet pipes go?”

A few seconds later, they arrived arrived at the end of the hall. Rainbow’s hoof hovered over the doorknob. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Right now, Pinkie Pie was rambling on about funny-tasting rain, but as soon as Rainbow opened the door, she’d see her project—and she’d be the first ever. Rainbow’s throat felt as dry as desert sand. She swirled her tongue around inside her mouth, but it didn’t help at all.

It’s cool. She’ll like it. It looks great.

. . .I hope. . .

“And now I don’t know how much I want to go splashing in puddles anymore!” Pinkie concluded, tapping her hoof on her chin. “Anyway, are you gonna show me Rarity’s present, now?”

Rainbow nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. Her room was still a mess, with bedsheets strewn across the floor and books scattered about. Rainbow’s eyes rolled over the room, purposefully avoiding the middle. She frowned as she noticed one of her many Wonderbolts posters starting to peel off the wall.

Pinkie gasped and bounded in through the door. “Oh my gosh, Rainbow!” she exclaimed. “You’re making her a dress?”

Rainbow’s cheeks felt hot as she nodded. She watched Pinkie canter across the room, up to the ponyquin that stood by the window. It wore a long, flowing red dress, carefully stitched with white trim and decorated on the flank with three sparkling sapphires on either side. Gold laces held the bodice tight to the model, and Rainbow tapped her hoof on the floor as Pinkie gently tugged at a couple of the crosslays with a smile.

“So . . . you think she’ll like it?”

Pinkie’s smile faltered. “You mean this is it? It’s not like a prototype or anything? This is what you’re giving her?”

“Hey!” Rainbow huffed. Her tail cracked behind her. “Do you have any idea how hard I worked on that?”

“I’m not saying you didn’t work hard on it, Dashie,” Pinkie said gently. She ran her hoof down the back of the dress and gave Rainbow a sorry look. “It’s just . . . Maybe you should wait a little while and give her something else tonight?”

It was like Rainbow had just swallowed ice. Her ears fell. “Wh-what do you mean?” she asked. “I-I thought it looked okay . . .”

“This is really the one you want to give Rarity for Hearth’s Warming?”

Rainbow’s breath hitched in her throat. “Y-yeah.”

“You’re sure?” Pinkie asked, giving Rainbow a careful look. “Like, really, really super sure?”

“Well, yeah . . . You don’t like it?”

I was at least . . .

Rainbow could see the trepidation on Pinkie’s face. She was biting her lip and her eyes darting from Rainbow to the floor every few seconds. “Well,” Pinkie said shifting her weight to her rear hooves and scratching her foreleg. “It’s just . . . Rarity’s a super-duper ultra designer. Everything she makes is just so elegant and amazingly-splendorific and, well, she only likes the best clothes . . .”

“So you think it’s terrible.” Rainbow let her head drop as she plopped down on her haunches and stared at the floor. Of course it was awful. What was she thinking? Rainbow Dash didn’t know how to make dresses! She was a flier, not a seamstress! Rarity would probably hate this dress. Or she’d laugh at her attempt.

Rainbow wasn’t sure which was worse.

“It’s not terrible!” Pinkie said quickly, jumping back to her hooves. “I can tell you really tried! It’s just . . .” She pulled at the trim on the bottom of the gown. “The stitching is on the outside; it’s too long for her to walk in; and the trim isn’t even and, well, it’s white, so, even though it’s super pretty, it would blend right in with Rarity’s coat . . .”

“Is it really that bad?” Rainbow asked quietly. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer, but she had to ask the question. The thought of Rarity happily walking around town in the dress she’d made had kept Rainbow up until the crack of dawn over and over for days now. How could she have been so distracted that she hadn’t seen how awful it was turning out?

Pinkie set her jaw and stared at the dress for a long moment. “Your present tells your friends how much they mean to you,” she said, echoing her words from earlier. “It’s the ultimate way to show them how much you care about them. And I know you wanted this to be a great present that says you care a lot, but it’s all messy and, well, it kinda says . . .” She shifted in place and turned back to Rainbow with soft eyes. “‘. . .I don’t.’”

“. . .I don’t?” Rainbow echoed hollowly. “B-but—”

“I know that’s not what you want to say!” Pinkie said quickly, putting her hoof up. “It’s just that sometimes, even if you work super-duper hard on something, it still looks, well, not so super-duper . . .”

“But I worked so hard on it!” Rainbow moaned, falling onto her back. She stared at the ceiling and cursed her luck. “All that work! Th-the trim! The seams! I spent weeks on that stuff!”

Pinkie shuffled on the floor and sat down next to Rainbow. “Well, it was good practice,” Pinkie said, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Maybe you just need some more, and you can make a dress to knock Rarity’s hooves off next year?”

“I don’t want to wait until next year!” Rainbow snapped, sitting back up and shrugging off Pinkie’s hoof. She glared at the dress that, until just a few minutes ago, she’d been so proud of. It looked awful, like something Sweetie Belle had made for the talent show last year. “And now I don’t even have a present for Rarity.”

Great. Just great. The one pony Rainbow really wanted to impress this year—to pay back for helping her in Canterlot—was going to go without a present because Rainbow Dash thought she could play fashionista. What kind of friend was she? Rarity went out of her way to rescue Rainbow from her dreams being ruined, and she couldn’t even get her a good Hearth’s Warming present to pay her back. How could she possibly look Rarity in the eye again after this?

Rainbow sat up, her heart suddenly racing. “Oh, no!” she exclaimed. “I don’t have a present for Rarity!”

No, no, no! The mere thought of Rarity’s disappointed face filled Rainbow’s chest with a dull ache. That couldn’t be what happened! Rainbow refused to allow it! Rarity was too kind and generous and pretty to let down like that! There was no way she was going to be the only pony Rainbow didn’t give anything to for Hearth’s Warming! Her wings fluttered fearfully at her sides. There had to be a way to fix this! She gave Pinkie a desperate look.

“Well, Clear’s is still open . . .” Pinkie suggested. Her hoof, still floating where Rainbow had pushed it, slowly retreated back to Pinkie’s barrel and found it’s way to the floor. “We could go pick out something there together, if you want.”

“Yes!” Rainbow cried, scrambling to her hooves. If Rainbow couldn’t make a good dress for Rarity, she could at least buy one! “That’s it! Clear’s!”

Pinkie shrieked with delight and pulled Rainbow toward the door. “Yay!” she cheered. “Present shopping with my bestest friend for another of my bestest friends!”

“Ow! Geeze, Pinkie!” Rainbow growled as she was dragged down the stairs. Her hooves clambered to find purchase, and her jostling goggles bounced up and smacked her painfully on the nose. The staircase filled with the sound of rubbing feathers as Rainbows wings instinctively flapped against the walls. “I can’t go to the party if I have a concussion!”

“Then don’t get one, silly!” Pinkie said with a grin, hauling her around the corner and through the kitchen. Rainbow’s wing caught the trashcan mid-flap, and the kitchen was turned into an even bigger mess as the pizza boxes were sent flying. “C’mon! We’ll turn your frown upside-down!” They careened through the kitchen door, and Pinkie leaped off the stoop with glee.

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Wait! Pinkie!” Her voice was shrill as they tumbled through the air. “There isn’t enough space for you to—oof!” They landed with a poof, and rolled without control right off the side of the cloud.

“Pinkie, you idiot!”

“Wee!”

Poof!

The world was white and cold. Very, very cold. Rainbow’s hoof lashed out and swirled around, searching desperately for anything solid. After a moment of frantic searching, it found something, and she dragged herself out of the snowbank and gasped. Shivering, she rubbed her hooves together and blew on them. She knew it wouldn’t do much through her boots, but it felt good.

“I say, darling, do be more careful!”

Rainbow froze, which wasn’t hard considering how cold she was. “Rarity?” she asked, turning around.

A white unicorn was giving her a concerned look under the brim of her santa hat. Next to her, a small red bucket filled with golden bits and a bell lay forgotten in the snow. “I’m sure you found it fun, but diving headlong into snowbanks sounds terribly dangerous,” she said firmly. “I don’t want to see you in the hospital again.”

“Oh, uh, yeah . . .” Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Actually, it was—”

“—That. Was. Awesome!” Pinkie exclaimed, bursting out of the snowbank several feet away. “It totally beats diving into a lake!”

Rarity giggled and stepped up toward the snowbank. “What shall we do with you two . . .” She reached out with her hoof and gently brushed the snow off of Rainbow’s head.

Instantly, the pegasus went from too cold to too warm. “Aw, jeeze, Rarity,” she said with a cough. “I’m not a filly.”

“Of course you’re not.” Rarity giggled again. “But you simply must dress warmer,” she said, taking her hat off of her head and pulling it snugly onto Rainbow’s. “Your cheeks are positively glowing!”

Rainbow’s face felt like it was on fire. She pawed at her new hat and tried to say thanks, but her tongue felt like rubber, so she just settled for smiling at Rarity.

“So,” Rarity said, picking her bucket up in her magic. The bell, also wrapped in a light blue aura, seemed to tingle of it’s own accord as a stallion walked by while clearly trying to avoid eye contact. “Other than flinging yourselves off of clouds, what are you two up to today?”

Just as Rainbow opened her mouth to answer, a pink hoof grabbed ahold of her and dragged her out of the snowbank. “Sorry, Rarity!” Pinkie Pie said hurriedly, pulling on Rainbow once more. “It’s a Hearth’s Warming emergency!” she declared.

Rainbow tried to fight against Pinkie’s relentless grip, but it was to no avail. The pink mare continued to drag her down the street as Rarity’s chuckles slowly fell out of earshot. Dash groaned and waved to Rarity, knocking the ball of her hat back over her shoulder and pressing down the feathery, tingling feeling in flowing through her veins.

Dang it, Pinkie . . .

Chapter IV

“Oooh, this one’s pretty!”

Rainbow studied the gown for a long moment. It was a soft purple that seemed out of place amongst the sea of periwinkle and coral dresses next to it, and the harsh fluorescent lights of the store only made it look worse. She tried to imagine Rarity wearing it, but the only image of her friend she could conjure up was of her gagging.

“I don’t think so, Pinkie,” Rainbow said. “It’s not really her style, y’know?”

Pinkie Pie shrugged and sashayed down the empty aisle, stopping and giving the occasional dress a pondering look. Her tail vanished around a display case just as Dash sat down and let her wings fall to her sides.

Rainbow rubbed her hoof against the soft lining of the Santa hat Rarity had set on her head and sighed. She and Pinkie were the only two in the store—aside from the owner, a bubbly yellow pegasus named Clear Water. If it weren’t for the jazzy Hearth’s Warming music being broadcast through the ceiling speakers, the silence would have been deafening.

I really messed this one up, huh? she thought to herself. It’s Hearth’s Warming Eve! All of the good dresses are probably already sold!

“This one matches her eyes!” Pinkie said a few minutes later, poking her head around the display and holding out a baby blue frock with a wide smile.

“No it doesn’t,” Rainbow said pointedly. After all this time, how could Pinkie Pie not have noticed that Rarity’s eyes were ocean blue? Baby blue wasn’t even close! “Rarity’s eyes are way darker than that.”

Pinkie’s face screwed up as she examined the dress. She looked back up at Rainbow and cocked her head. “Are you sure?” she asked, giving her a leery-eyed stare.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Rainbow grunted, sitting. up and rolling her eyes. “Geeze, Pinkie, I can’t believe you don’t know what color your friend’s eyes are.”

Pinkie stuck her tongue out. “Do too!” she insisted. “I’m just not super duper over-specific like some ponies that obviously stare at them way more than me!”

“I do not!”

“Yeah-huh!” Pinkie huffed before bursting into a giggle fit.

“Nu—” Rainbow caught herself and glared at the floor. “Just put it back,” she growled.

“Right away, Dashie!” Pinkie sang, disappearing behind the display again.

Rainbow set her jaw and leaned back against the rack of dresses again. Whatever she got Rarity had to be just as good, if not better, than anything that Rarity herself made. Thinking back on how many outfits the unicorn had gone through back in Canterlot just made her heart sink even more. Rarity had looked so great in all of those outfits; how could Dash ever find something that fantastic?

Canterlot . . . Rainbow had a new level of respect for the city now. Something about it made her smile every time she thought about it these days. She supposed that it was because she was a Wonderbolt now, and got to fly in the annual re-opening of Princess Celestia’s Royal Garden. It was supposed to be a really big deal, but Dash just didn’t see what was so special about a yard full of flowers. Rarity had, though. More than that, she had seen just how much flying with the Wonderbolts during its opening meant to her.

A storm of butterflies raged in Rainbow’s belly as she remembered Rarity proudly storming into the room, dressed in that red trench coat and floppy black hat, and declaring that she was going to find out whoever framed Rainbow “faster than my costume change!” She hadn’t realized how much Rarity’s faith meant to her at the time, but as the day wore on, she grew to need it. Rarity was the rock that held Rainbow together as every new shred of evidence singled her out more and more as the perpetrator.

It was all Rarity, Rainbow knew. Rarity was the single reason why Rainbow’s name was cleared. Rarity was the single reason why she was allowed to fly that day. Rarity was the single reason why Rainbow was still a Wonderbolt; Rarity was the single reason why Rainbow’s dream hadn’t fallen apart at her hooves.

Rainbow had to make it up to her. She had to pay Rarity back for believing in her—for dragging her around the city all day when she could have been showing off her new Femme Mystique Chic line at Sassy Saddles’ boutique. If only there were a dress in this stupid store that was good enough for her!

What kinds of dresses did Rarity like anyway? Rainbow thought hard, but she couldn’t seem to find any parallels between all of the clothes that she wore. It just seemed like Rarity wore whatever she looked good in. Or was it that Rarity looked good in whatever she wore? Rainbow groaned and rubbed her temples with her hooves. This was an awful time to not know anything about fashion.

At least Rainbow knew what Rarity didn’t like: Anything that wasn’t “chic, unique, or magnifique!” Whatever that meant. She sighed as she hoofed through the hangers one-by-one. Why couldn’t Rarity like anything awesome? Or cool? Rainbow could have found something right away and been in and out of this palace of girliness in a flash!

Crash!

“Whoopsies!”

Rainbow whirled around and jumped to her hooves. “Pinkie?” She trotted around the display and searched up and down the aisle for her friend.

“Over here!” Pinkie called back from behind her.

Rainbow looked down the other end of the aisle and groaned. Somehow, an entire rack had been knocked over, and the dresses had collapsed to the floor. A pink tuft of tail was just visible under a hideous green and brown polkadotted sundress. Rainbow groaned. “Pinkie, what did you do?”

A mound of clothes shifted around, and a figure like some monstrous cotton-dress-pony raised from the pile. It shook its head, and a pink muzzle wormed its way out of a leg hole. “I was trying to reach that dress up there!” she said, giggling and pointing at a ponyquin mounted on the top shelf near the wall. “Isn’t it super pretty?”

Rainbow bit her tongue for a moment to take in the sight, and was glad she did. The dress Pinkie was pointing to was a gorgeous black and gold ball gown that looked soft enough to sleep in. She could already see Rarity wearing it to next year’s Grand Galloping Gala, or to a fashion show, or even just to a play. She’d look stunning. Rainbow knew she would.

“It’s perfect . . .” Rainbow whispered, taking a step toward it and letting out the breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

“Yowchie!”

Rainbow jumped in surprise and pulled her hoof back up. She looked around and saw Pinkie, now a few more feet away and massaging her tail with a pout. “Heh, sorry?”

“It’s okay,” Pinkie said, biting her lip. “You didn’t mean to.”

“Here, lemme help you with that.” Rainbow pulled at one of the dresses, and several of them fell off of Pinkie and joined the rest of the pile. “We’ll clean this up, grab that dress and get out of here.” She pushed on Pinkie’s shoulder and added, with a smile: “And we’ll stop by Sugarcube Corner and get some hot chocolate, okay?”

Pinkie’s face brightened immediately. “Only if we get the ones with the marshmallow snowponies!”

“Deal! Now help me clean this up before Clear freaks on us.”

As it turned out, cleaning up Pinkie’s mess was a bit more involved than Rainbow had initially thought. They couldn’t just hang the dresses back up without setting the rack back up first, but Pinkie’s fall had shifted it over, and it was now standing precariously atop a mound of linen. Together, they carefully extricated the expensive dresses from under the stand, and hung them back up one at a time.

When the last dress was hanging happily back on its hanger, Rainbow lept into the air and dashed to the ponyquin wearing the gown. She tried to figure out how to take it off, but she couldn’t see a zipper or ties or anything. After a few long moments, she shook her head, scooped the whole ponyquin up in her forelegs, and carefully hovered over to the counter.

Clear looked up from her magazine and blew a strand of her bright blue mane out of her eyes. “Fin’lly pick somethin’?” she asked around the piece of gum she was chewing.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said with a nod. She shifted on her hooves. “But I can’t figure out how to take it off this dress model.”

The shopkeep studied the dress and raised an eyebrow. “Goin’ with a Hoity Toity, huh?” she asked, blowing a bubble. “I din’ know you had the coin fo’ somethin’ like that, Rainbow Dash.” Her eyes narrowed. “‘n fact, las’ I heard, you don’ even like gettin’ dressed!”

“It’s a special case!” Rainbow said quickly. Her eyes drifted to the clock, and her heart skipped a beat. Twilight’s Hearth’s Warming party was supposed to start in less than an hour! “Look, can you get it off for me?”

“Sure thing,” Clear said, pronouncing the word “sure” like “shaw” and making Rainbow’s nostrils flare. “Bu’ firs’ ya gotta gimme two ‘undred bits.”

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “Two hundred?” she exclaimed. That was almost a full two weeks pay! “But I spent everything I have earlier today! I don’t have that kind of money!”

“Thin I guess ya ain’t gettin’ this here dress, are ya?” Clear blew another bubble and leaned back in her chair.

A chill ran down Rainbow’s spine. She had to get this dress or she’d have no gift for Rarity! Well, no good gift, at any rate. “But I need it!” Rainbow cried, jumping up and placing her hooves on the counter. “Please! Can’t I take out a loan or something?”

“A loan?” Clear snorted. “You mus’ve eaten too many gumdrops this morning! I never give out loans!”

“But it’s Hearth’s Warming!” Rainbow pleaded. “I need it for a present!”

“An’ I need’a keep my business open!” Clear said firmly, slapping her hoof on the counter. “No deal!”

Rainbow’s eyes stung. Now what was she going to do? Why had she even come here? After her big purchase this morning, she knew she didn’t have any money left until friday! She felt a gentle hoof land on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Dashie,” Pinkie said softly. “We can figure something out.”

Dropping off the counter, Rainbow pushed the hoof off of her and skulked toward the door. “Just forget it, Pinkie. I’ll just have to—I don’t know.”

“Wait a mi’t,” Clear suddenly said. Rainbow looked back to see the shopkeeper leaned over the counter, leering at her. “Those th’ new Wonde’bolt two-sixties?”

Rainbow blinked and pulled at her new goggles around with a wary frown. She had nearly forgotten about them. They were still hanging loosely around her neck from her talk with Pinkie earlier. “. . .Yeah? Why?”

“I’ve a cousin who talks ‘bout that group all the time,” Clear said, eyeing them hungrily. “Says she’s goin’ to the ‘cademy nex’ month, but she can’ afford the high-brand goggles she needs for it.”

Rainbow’s expression softened. She remembered her time at the Wonderbolt Academy all too well—every cut, bump and bruise of it. The reward had been worth the effort, no doubt, but without proper eye protection it would be impossible. “The dizzitron would knock anything short of Skyliners right off your face,” she said with a nod.

“How much you wan’ for ‘em?”

“What?’

Clear rose up higher, her hooves still propped up on the counter. “You ‘eard me. How much fo’ th’ goggles?”

“They’re not for sale! I just got them today!” Rainbow cried incredulously. “It’s the whole reason I can’t afford your dress!”

“Then I’ll trade ya!” Clear declared, spitting her gum into the trashcan beside the counter. “Righ’ here’n now!”

Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat. Was this for real? This could be her chance to get Rarity a real gift—the gift she deserved. But she’d have to give up her brand new, top-of-the-line goggles first. Her eyes darted from Clear to the dress and back. She bit her lip and danced in place. She couldn’t give up her goggles, she’d waited way too long for them. Rarity’s gift would just have to wait until Friday.

But then . . .

The image of a teary-eyed Rarity insisting that it was fine that Rainbow didn’t get her a gift flooded her mind. Her cheeks were wet, but she handed Rainbow a large box, hoof wrapped with a beautiful ribbon and decorated with bright blue paper. Whatever Rarity got her was sure to be awesome, but when Rarity didn’t get anything in return, what would she think?

Your gift is the best way to show the pony you care about how you feel.

No, Rainbow couldn’t show up empty-hoofed. Not after everything Rarity had done for her—she’d sooner take back every present she’d get from her friends before skipping her!

Rainbow closed her eyes and made up her mind. With a deep breath, she exhaled and looked Clear right in the eyes. “Deal.” she said quietly.

Clear’s face could have lit a Hearth’s Warming tree all by itself. “Perfect!” she cheered, sweeping the dress off the ponyquin with a motion so fluid, it was as if the dress wasn’t even sewn together. She held the dress in one forehoof and held out the other expectantly. “Give ‘em ‘ere.”

“Right . . .” Rainbow said, swallowing. Her hooves felt like lead weights as she walked back the the counter. She pulled at her goggles and looked at them one last time. A fleeting image of her and Spitfire ripping through the sky in a crowded stadium darted surfaced, but she quickly squashed it down.

Rarity is more important, Rainbow thought to herself, setting her jaw. Then, she closed her eyes and pulled up with her hoof. The strap pulled against her mane, making her wince a little, but it quickly made it over her head and flopped without ceremony back into the lenses. She set them on the counter and pushed them toward Clear, keeping her eyes locked on the floor.

Clear was beaming. “Thank you!” Her hoof fell onto Rainbow’s, and gently tugged at the goggles. When they didn’t move, she frowned and pulled harder. “‘ey, you’ve got t’ le’go!”

Rainbow grimaced and pulled her hoof up. It trembled in the air as the goggles vanished from underneath, and Clear let out a triumphant cry. She felt a hole open up in the pit of her stomach, but she grabbed for the dress and held it tight against her chest. Now that it was hers, she wasn’t going to let it go until it was safely in Rarity’s hooves.

A smile from Pinkie Pie lessened the void in her belly a little. “Wow, Dashie,” she said softly, wiping a tear from her cheek. “That was so super sweet of you.”

“Y-yeah?” Rainbow grumbled, blowing a lock of her mane out of her eyes. “Well, whatever. I don’t need any goggles anyway . . .”

“Tha’s th’ spirit!” Clear trumpeted, sliding the goggles off of the counter and into a small cardboard box. “Aero Plane’s sure gonna love these!”

The clatter made Rainbow wince, and her lip pulled back into a snarl. “Careful with those!” she snapped, stomping her hoof and flaring her wings instinctively.

Clear blinked. “Wha’? They fragile’r somethin’?”

“No. They’re plastic, but . . .” Rainbow clenched her teeth and shook her head. “Just forget it.” She took one last, longing look at the box on the counter and started for the door. “Thanks, Clear.”

“You’re the best!” Pinkie chirped as she bounced toward the exit.

Rainbow opened the door stiffly, and then almost immediately slammed it shut again as she caught a quick movement in the corner of her eye. “Woah!” she exclaimed. She’d just barely managed to close the door in time. A huge torrent of mud spattered from the road and coated the storefront like a brown waterfall. She could just barely make out a blue uniform and a stacked cart racing away through the gunk. “Stupid mailpony!”

“Is’e at it again?” Clear groaned from the counter, rubbing her temples. “‘e’ll owe me a fortune’n window cleanin’ b’fore th’ day’s out.”

Rainbow huffed and tucked the new dress into her saddlebags with care. She made sure to fold it as neatly as she could, and even used both buckles before she dared open the door again. “C’mon, Pinkie,” she sighed. “Let’s just get outta here.”

Chapter V

“Ow! Ow!” Rainbow cried out as her stupid brush got caught on another knot in her mane. She tugged as hard as she could, but the sharp, stabbing pains of her hair being pulled out of her skull brought tears to her eyes. “Ow! This is so stupid!”

Rainbow bit her lip, and tugged again. A small shriek and several wipes of her eyes later, her hairbrush was freed and flowing through the multicolored strands of her hair again. “Stupid party . . .” she grumbled.

Why was she even doing this? The last time she’d actually brushed her mane was—she thought hard, but drew a blank. The Grand Galloping Gala? Maybe? Whatever. What made Twilight’s stupid Hearth’s Warming party so special, anyway? It wasn’t even an actual thing! It was just going to be their usual six-pony-and-a-dragon band like always. Rainbow didn’t have anypony to impress with a straight mane of all things.

Rainbow’s eyes remained locked on the mirror, but her gaze drifted over her shoulder to her bed, where a cardboard box lay, wrapped in white paper and secured with a deep purple bow. Right, she thought to herself. The six of us means Rarity, too. Rainbow couldn’t very well look like a train wreck in front of her; she’d never let it go. Sighing, she picked up the brush again, pulled off the collection of hairs on it, and ran it back through her mane.

“Ow!” Rainbow spun around, gripping her hair and trotting a few paces. She was so busy blinking back tears that she crashed right into her ponyquin. “Woah!”

Crash!

“Ow . . .” Rainbow moaned, splayed over the deep red dress the ponyquin was wearing. Rainbow groaned, dropping her head and resting it on the floor. Why was this “getting ready” stuff always so hard? How did Rarity do it?

Standing back up, Rainbow eyed the ponyquin’s dress with distaste. The gown she got from Clear’s was way better than this one. How she’d thought that this could ever pass for a decent Hearth’s Warming gift, Rainbow would never know. It was a good thing she’d invited Pinkie Pie to take a look at it when she did—she couldn’t imagine actually giving it to Rarity. She huffed and kicked it, and the Ponyquin, to the corner of the room.

She’d probably just laugh at me anyway . . .

When Rainbow finally turned back to the mirror, she saw her brush still hanging off the side of her mane and grumbled to herself. “Great. Just great. It’s stuck again.”

It took almost ten more minutes of brushing for Rainbow to get her mane as sleek and soft as it could be. Of course, she mused bitterly, that might just be because she pulled out half of her hair. Still, she couldn’t deny the result: preened feathers, brushed mane and tail, scrubbed coat . . . Rainbow Dash was looking good tonight. She grinned and puffed up her chest in the mirror, splaying her wings out proudly. Maybe her friends would think so too.

Oh, who was she kidding? Of course they would!

With a grin plastered on her face, Rainbow looked excitedly at the clock on the wall. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was time to go. She quickly threw her scarf around her neck with an excited squeal. Spinning around without ceremony, she made her way to the bed and picked up the box. A quick shake told her that the dress was still in there—not that she’d had any reason to think she’d forget to actually put it in the box before wrapping it.

Not after Pinkie’s birthday, at least. Rainbow shuddered at the memory.

Anyway, that wasn’t going to happen this time! Rainbow nodded fiercely and cradled the box in her forelegs before flapping up into the air. She took care not to hit her head off of her cloud ceiling as she made her way to the bedroom window. A careful maneuver later, and she was engulfed in the bright happy sunlight of outside.

Dozens of ponies still milled about the streets, but with Celestia’s sun hanging so low in the sky, Rainbow knew they weren’t likely to stay out for more than an hour or two. Chimneys were already smoking, and many of the foals that were rushing through town had already vanished into their various homes. A few mail ponies were still darting around like mad, overburdened carts swaying as they rounded corners at full speed. A yellow pegasus wrapped in several layers of tight-knit blue wool was slowly making her way up the trail from the edges of the Everfree Forest. Rainbow smiled and, with a few deft flaps of her wings, floated toward her.

“Hey, Fluttershy!” Rainbow called out, tucking the present under her foreleg and waving with the other.

The pegasus jumped nearly a foot into the air, wings spread wide. Seconds later, Fluttershy’s head whipped around and scanned the sky. When she saw Rainbow Dash, who couldn’t help but laugh, the corner of her mouth perked up. Her mouth started moving, but the wind must have carried it away, because Rainbow Dash didn’t hear a thing.

Smooth as silk, Rainbow Dash glided to the ground in front of Fluttershy and skirted to a halt. She carefully placed her present on her back before gently elbowing her friend. “What’s up? Heading down to Twilight’s too?”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “Of course! I’m sorry you startled me, I was just so distracted thinking about the party. I’ve been so excited,” she said in a low voice that Rainbow noticed was significantly high by Fluttershy’s standards. “I brought cookies and homemade hot cocoa to the castle days ago,” she added with the lightest giggle.

“I know!” Rainbow grinned and happily fell in line next to Fluttershy. “I can’t wait to see if Twilight got me Daring do and the Pirate’s Paean! I’ve totally been dropping hints about that for months now.”

Fluttershy’s smile seemed to gain a trace of humor. “That sounds nice,” she said as they rounded the corner of Main street and Everfree road, and passed the post office. “I'm just looking forward to spending time with you girls."

“Come on,” Rainbow said with a hint of laughter. She bumped her shoulder into Fluttershy’s without missing a step. “You can’t tell me you aren’t a little excited to see what you’ve got!”

“Oh, maybe a little,” Fluttershy giggled. “But Hearth’s Warming, um, to me at least is about friends and family.” She beamed at Rainbow, who rolled her eyes. “A whole night to be with my best friends in the whole world sounds like the perfect present to me.”

Ugh, seriously? Leave it to Fluttershy to make something as cool as Hearth’s Warming so sappy. Rainbow found herself wondering why she’d even bothered buying her that set of bird calls. If all Fluttershy wanted was company from her, Rainbow could have saved a few bits and bought her a milkshake or something.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rainbow muttered, eyes trailing across the line of shops. She wondered if Fluttershy had gotten her tortoise wax again. She was starting to run out of last year’s tube. “Peace in Equestria; good will toward ponies and all that happy gunk. But still, you’ve gotta have something you want. Something real.”

Fluttershy’s smile grew a bit more. “Maybe we just see things a bit differently, then,” she said, giving Rainbow a look of gratification. “But what do you have there? Oh! If you don’t mind me asking—I just assumed that you’d already brought all of your presents to Twilight’s castle.”

“I did,” Rainbow said with a nod. “It’s just that Rarity’s was . . .” she thought for a moment about the dress she’d worked on for all those months and how awfully it’d come out. “It wasn’t ready yet.”

“It wasn’t?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah,” she said, a frown pulling at her lips. It really did seem a shame to just blow off four months of work. She’d pricked her hooves so many times with the needle that there were more little black dots in them than the pin cushion. “It’s cool, though, because Pinkie Pie totally helped me out with it, and now I’ve got her the best present ever!”

Fluttershy chuckled, but it quickly turned into a shudder when the wind decided to blow a cold gust of icy air immediately after Dash finished her proclamation. “What is it?

“The present?” Rainbow asked mid-shiver, yanking her scarf tighter around her neck while balancing the box between her wings. “Some really fancy dress from Clear’s. She’s gonna love it.”

Fluttershy blinked. “Clear’s?” she asked, mouth slightly agape. “Isn’t that a little, um, expensive Rainbow?”

“Well, yeah . . .” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Rarity’s like, the best designer around, so she needs the best dresses to get dressed up in!”

“I guess . . .” Fluttershy said quietly. She looked uncomfortable, but Rainbow couldn’t put her hoof on why. She didn’t look very cold under all that wool. “It’s just . . . well . . . Don’t you think you might have spent a little too much?”

Bang!

Fluttershy leaped into the air with an earsplitting shriek. Her wings flared out and she fell at an angle, crashing into Rainbow Dash and sending the box on her back flying. The pair of them landed in a crumpled heap of hooves and fur on the side of the road as Dash glared daggers at her. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror as she noticed the weight on her back was gone. Her heart thundered in her chest.

Rainbow turned around and saw it laying, perfectly wrapped and safe, just a few feet away on the edge of the street near the sidewalk. She sighed with relief and chuckled a little at her fear before reaching out toward it with a hoof.

It happened instantly. Almost in slow motion, like something out of a dream, Rainbow realized that the thundering in her chest wasn’t actually in her chest, it was on the street. No sooner had this occurred to her, than a cart, overladen with hundreds of packages, came barrelling down the street. The wheel crashed into the sidewalk with another loud bang!, making Fluttershy flinch, but Rainbow could only stare in horror as the wild-eyed pony pulling it . . . weaved right around the box.

Oh, thank Celestia! Rainbow cried internally. She felt like kissing that stallion! At least, until a moment later.

Screech!

The wheels on the cart screamed at the sudden change in direction and slid along the road—and straight over the box. It crumpled like paper, folding and warping as it grinded with the wheels through the mud and slush. When the wheels righted, the cart resumed its sprint down the street and left the box—and Rarity’s two-hundred-bit dress, lying in a frozen puddle.

“No . . .” Rainbow muttered, her hoof still hanging uselessly in the air. “No . . . No, no, no, no, no!” she yelped, shoving Fluttershy off of her and leaping to her hooves. Her stomach tied itself into knots as she dashed over to it. “I-it’s still fine!” she told herself, “It’s still good!”

But it wasn’t fine. It wasn’t good. When she picked up the fabric, Rainbow couldn’t even tell which hole Rarity’s head was supposed to go through. It was wet and gritty and covered with slimy mud. Grinding against the cobblestone had ripped huge gashes in it, and the gleaming golden accents were dull and peeled.

“No . . .”

It was ruined. It was totally destroyed, and there was nothing Rainbow could do. She held the tattered remains in her hooves and stared at them blankly. A few moments later, a hoof settled on her shoulder.

“Oh, my gosh, Rainbow . . .” Fluttershy’s voice was barely audible, but it sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“What am I gonna do?” Dash suddenly wailed, whipping around with the remnants of the dress still clutched in her hooves. Her eyes stung as she raised them up for Fluttershy to see; some vain hope deep in Rainbow’s soul, like a filly showing her mother a boo-boo, desperately cried in vain for her friend to somehow make it all better. “It’s ruined! I can’t give Rarity this!”

What was she going to give Rarity now? The joke of a dress that Pinkie had declared a total disaster just that morning? How could she do that with a straight face?

“I really am very sorry . . .” Fluttershy repeated, her ears pinned to her skull. Her hoof floated in the air halfway between falling to the ground and resting on Rainbow’s shoulder again. “I-I don’t even know what to say!”

“I don’t have anything to give her, Fluttershy!” Rainbow moaned into her hooves. “I’m so screwed! Rarity’s gonna hate me!”

Fluttershy’s ears flicked. “Of course she won’t, Rainbow Dash!” she admonished gently. “I know this isn’t exactly the right time to say this but, um, Hearth’s Warming isn’t about the presents . . .”

“You’re right!” Rainbow snapped. Her wings flared out with a dramatic fwoop! “Just before a Hearth’s Warming party—when all of my other friends have presents and Rarity doesn’t have one anymore—is a terrible time to bring up some stupid thing parents say to their foals so they don’t get mad that they didn’t get all the toys they wanted!”

Fluttershy winced and shrank back. “I-I’m sorry . . .” she whimpered. “I-is there a dress shop nearby that we can bring it to? Maybe they can sew it back together in time for the—”

“I can’t!” Rainbow cried, bringing her hooves behind her head and staring at the ground. “I spent all of my bits on my new flight goggles! And I traded those to get this dress! And now it’s totally ruined!”

Fluttershy wilted. “M-maybe Twilight can fix it for you?”

Wait a minute . . .

Of course! It was so obvious! Twilight could fix it! If anypony in the world could turn the scraps of fabric in her hooves back into a beautiful dress that Rarity would love, it was Miss. Magicky-Pants herself! After seeing her handle an ursa minor, Discord, Sombra and Tirek, Rainbow knew that stitching up a dress would be foal’s play to Twilight.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow grinned, leaping toward her and quickly closing the gap between them. Before Fluttershy could so much as blink, Rainbow had enveloped her in a bone-breaking hug. “You’re a genius!”

“Oh, um, thank you?”

A moment later, Rainbow tore away from a wide-eyed and very perplexed Fluttershy before making sure to scoop up every stray piece of fabric she could find. She gave Fluttershy a triumphant grin before jumping into the air with a mighty flap of her wings. “I’ve gotta get there before Rarity does, so see you later, Shy!”

Without waiting for a response from her friend, Rainbow bolted down the street as quickly as she could manage with all of the ponies still wandering around. She earned a few hollers and “watch its,” but, all in all, she managed to duck and weave around everypony that got in her way. Darting through the marketplace was a bit more challenging, but she managed to clear Applejack’s apple cart while still staying under Golden Harvest’s canopy.

C’mon, Twi, Rainbow bit her lip, squinting into the wind. The castle was growing larger and larger with every flap of her wings. She was almost there! Don’t be busy for once . . .

Rainbow didn’t even bother to knock—or open the door gently.

Slam!

“Twilight?” Rainbow called out, looking around. The foyer was absolutely flooded with baked goods: mountains of cookies, piles of pies . . . there were at least three or four tables’ worth of sweets set up just in front of her. “Geeze, Egghead! Did you invite half of Ponyville, too? I thought it was just us tonight.”

Dozens of presents surrounded the fireplace, and the seven sleeping bags also sitting there told Rainbow that Twilight still wasn’t comfortable with just how huge her new home was. Dash didn’t see the big deal; she’d love ceilings so high she could fly indoors! And the thought of getting into a prank war or a good game of hide and seek with Pinkie Pie in a place this ginormous sent shivers down her spine.

Focus! she berated herself. I’ve gotta find Twilight!

Gripping the dress tight in her hooves, Rainbow hovered through the entryway and made her way down the hall. “Hey, Twilight!”

“Just a minute, Spike! I’m setting up the garland in the bathroom!”

The bathroom? Rainbow raised an eyebrow. Only Twilight would—forget it! Rarity’s dress is way more important than trying to figure out whatever it is that the world’s nerdiest nerd is up to!

“It’s me, actually,” Rainbow called back as she rounded the corner. A flickering candlelight was emanating from underneath one of the crystal doors. She bit her lip and shook off the sinking feeling in her belly. “Twilight, I really need your help, here.”

“Rainbow Dash?” The door opened up and a Twilight’s head poked out, shimmering golden garland draped over her horn. “You’re here earlier than I expected.”

Rainbow looked up at the clock. “The party starts in fifteen minutes, Twilight.”

“I know, I know,” Twilight shook her head, and the garland fell off. “It’s just . . . You’re never early for anything. You were even late to the last Daring Do launch.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

Twilight’s smile widened, and she looked about ready to say something when her eyes drifted down to Rainbow’s hooves. “What’s that?

Rainbow clenched her teeth and gave Twilight a pleading look. “It’s what I need your help with,” she said, her voice wavering a bit. “Rarity’s present—I-it’s totally ruined!”

“Rarity’s . . .” Twilight opened the door the rest of the way and stared at the lump of cloth for a long moment. “This is the dress you made her?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “This looks—well, I’m sure it looked really professional.”

“What?” Rainbow shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “How did you even know—forget it! Can you fix it?”

Raising a hoof and giving Rainbow an even-tempered stare, Twilight surveyed the dress. “I know you made a dress because of the books you checked out, and I can only think of one pony it could be for,” she said as she craned her neck around for a better look. “But what I can’t figure out is how you could have made something so masterfully with only a couple of months to practice.”

“I didn’t,” Rainbow said quickly. “Mine was awful, so I just bought one from Clear’s.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why? I’m sure Rarity would appreciate just the thought behind—”

“—Twilight!” Rainbow groaned. She couldn’t help but bounce on her hooves. “Look, forget all that and just fix this one, okay?” she said, gulping. Twilight was taking an awfully long time to look at the damage. Did that mean . . .?

No way! This is Twilight! I bet she could fix this in her sleep!

“I can’t.”

Rainbow’s eyes turned the size of dinner plates. “What?!” she shrieked, tucking her hooves behind her head and dragging them across her mane to her cheeks.

“There’s no way I can fix this,” Twilight said with a frown. She looked up and gave Rainbow an empathetic smile, but the pegasus was far too busy trotting in place to notice.

“What do you mean you can’t fix it?! You’re like, the most magical pony ever!”

Twilight sighed. “Rainbow, you don’t understand—”

“—You’re darn right I don’t understand!” Rainbow spat. “You can fix an exploding dam, but you can’t fix a dress?!”

“A dam is a simple construction, Rainbow. One that has standards and blueprints.” Twilight’s voice was soft and gentle, but also very firm. Rainbow knew the tone well, and her wings fell as she recognized it. “I might be able to fix a few minor tears with some guesswork, but I can’t put an entire dress back together. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Rainbow dropped to her haunches, ignoring the icy coldness of the crystal floor. She felt sick. So that was that, then. Twilight couldn’t help her. Her last hope had just run dry. “But I don’t have anything to give Rarity now . . .” she mumbled, blinking hard.

“ . . . Why don’t you give her the dress that you made?”

Rainbow snorted. “Are you kidding?” she laughed weakly and drummed the floor with her hooves. “It’s awful! Pinkie Pie even said so!” Drumming her hooves on the floor suddenly felt annoying, so she leaned back against the wall and crossed her forelegs over her chest. “I can’t give Rarity something that awful for Hearth’s Warming. She’d think I didn’t care about her at all!”

“ . . . Huh?” Twilight blinked. “First of all, whether Pinkie Pie said it was awful or not—and I’m fairly certain that that’s a gross exaggeration—it wouldn’t matter to Rarity, Rainbow Dash.” A soft smile pulled at Twilight’s lips as she sat down next to Rainbow and nudged her shoulder. “Hearth’s Warming is about friends and family coming together to show each other how much we care for one another.”

“And the best way to do that is with your present!” Rainbow choked. The pit in her stomach grew even heavier, and her eyes were stinging horribly. “And now I don’t even have one . . .”

Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit. “You’ve been hanging out with Pinkie Pie all day, haven’t you?”

Rainbow looked up with a frown. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Quite a bit, on Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Twilight giggled. “What Pinkie Pie means to say, Rainbow, is that what you pick for a gift, and how hard you work for it are the things that show your friends how much you care.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. Twilight wasn’t making any sense. “Isn’t that the same thing?” she asked.

“No, Rainbow,” Twilight said, sighing. She frowned in thought, then smiled. “Take me for example,” she said while bringing a hoof to her chest. “These crystal floors are absolutely freezing during the winter time, and my hooves just can’t take it. I have to fly from room to room or wear my boots inside on the really cold days, but what do you think almost everypony I know got me for Hearth’s Warming?”

Rainbow shrugged. “I dunno . . . Books?”

“Books,” Twilight said, nodding. “Of course, I don’t know for sure, but that’s all anypony ever gets me, so it’s a fairly safe bet,” she added with a chuckle. “But do you know what I really want?”

“What?” Rainbow’s ears perked up. Twilight didn’t want books? Since when? She bit her lip and thought about the new Dreadclaw the Dragon book sitting by Twilight’s fireplace. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mind too much.

“Socks,” Twilight said longingly. “A nice set of heavy, thick, woolen socks. Or slippers.” Her reverie lasted several moments before her cheeks suddenly flushed and she cleared her throat. “A-anyway,” she continued, “That’s what Pinkie meant. Not some incredibly expensive gift. Just something thoughtful that shows your friends that you care.”

Rainbow bit her lip and struggled to recall Pinkie’s words. She didn’t actually say it was bad, she just said it looked like I didn’t care when I was making it, even though I totally did!

“You know,” Twilight said, sliding the remains of the dress across the floor to Rainbow. “I’m sure the dress you made is better than you think it is.” A corner of her mouth curled up. “At the very least, it’s better than this one is right now.”

Cold gripped Rainbow’s heart like an ice wraith. She stared at the pile of ruined black fabric and her ears fell. Twilight’s right, but . . .

Rainbow’s eyes darted from the dress and back to her house, and then back again. No matter what she did, Rarity was sure to be disappointed with Rainbow this Hearth’s Warming. This sucks, she decided. Maybe I should just skip this year’s party. At least then I wouldn’t have to see her get all sad . . .

“Rainbow, the most important thing is that you were trying to make Rarity happy.” Twilight rested a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder and smiled at her. “And she’ll see that’s what you want no matter what.”

Well, that was true at least. All she’d really wanted from making that dress was to see Rarity smile. Was that such a crime? Maybe if she explained herself . . .

Rainbow frowned in thought as she stared at the battered dress. It was only fabric, like all the textiles and skeens she’d had to buy to make the dress in the first place. Her ears started to perk up as the beginnings of an idea poked at the outer edges of her mind. She’d have to be quick, but if it worked, Rarity would sure to smile tonight.

Chapter VI

The bass was pumping loud enough for Rainbow Dash to hear it from outside the castle. Clearly, the party had started already, and everypony was happily carrying on without her. Bright lights spun and flashed out the windows, and the dark silhouette of a curly-maned earth pony could be seen spinning around, forelegs flying every which way.

Rainbow shivered and gripped the fresh box under her wing. It had taken the better part of an hour, but she’d finally managed to finish and wrap up Rarity’s dress. The idea of actually giving it to her still made Rainbow’s stomach do backflips, but she climbed the stairs to the entryway of the castle nonetheless. After all, she’d never be able to actually present her gift if she stayed outside all night worrying about it.

Even though that seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea.

A quick rap on the door later with her hoof later, and the music cut out. The door swung open and Spike showed his cheery face underneath a bright red Hearth’s Warming ball hat almost identical to the one Rainbow was wearing. She frowned and wondered if Rarity had given him one, too. Suddenly, her own hat felt much less special.

“Oh! Hey, Rainbow Dash!“ Spike’s smile grew. “Glad you could make it!” Behind him, their friends were waving with bright eyes. “Come on in!” he said the ball of his hat bouncing around as he shuffled out of the doorframe. “You know you don’t have to knock here!”

Rainbow’s wings fluttered as she stepped over the threshold, gripping her gift for dear life and staring pointedly at the floor. “Hey guys!” she said with a small wave. Butterflies kicked up a storm in her belly as she saw Rarity wave back alongside the rest of her friends.

It’s totally fine, she thought to herself, but her wing still clamped down even harder on the box. The corners were digging uncomfortably into her skin, but she didn’t care. She’s gonna like it.

I hope . . .

“Here!” Spike laughed as the door shut behind him. He set a clawed hand on the box, and gestured with his head toward the pile of gifts near the fireplace. “Let me take that for you and you can go have fun. The girls were just playing musical stockings.”

“It’s super-duper fun!” Pinkie piped up, pulling a long purple and black striped sock off her forehoof. “I could totally play another round if you wanna try, Dashie!”

Rainbow spun around and backed away from Spike. “Oh, uh, it’s okay, Spike,” she said swallowing and making sure to walk beyond the dragon’s reach. “Really, I don’t mind holding onto it until later.”

Applejack snorted and adjusted her hat. “Don’t talk nonsense, Sugarcube. How’re you gonna play any of these games Pinkie Pie dreamed up if you’re haulin’ that there present around the whole time?”

“I’m sure you have nothing to worry about,” Twilight added with a knowing smile. “So just put it away and forget about it.”

Forget about it? Yeah, right. How was Rainbow supposed to do that when she was holding the most awful present in Equestria? With Rarity right here? What if she opened it early or something? No, this present was much safer tucked under her wing.

Until it was torn out of her grasp in a flash of pink.

“Got it!” Pinkie sang as she danced away to the far side of the room with the box held over her head. The ribbon waved through the air like a streamer as she spinned and plopped it down right under a small sign that read Rarity.

Rainbow did a double-take and checked her wing.“Hey!” she protested, starting for the fireplace.

“Oh, relax, Darling,” Rarity tittered from the far side of the room, freezing Rainbow mid-step. Next to Rarity was Fluttershy, who was sipping a cup of tea and sitting on a plush red chair. “Have one of Fluttershy’s cookies—they’re simply divine!”

“But—”

“If you’re in that big of a rush to open presents,” Twilight said between giggles as she leaned back into her own chair. “I suppose we can get started a little early.”

“No!” Rainbow barked, wings flaring out. Was Twilight crazy? She wanted to delay this whole mess as long as possible! Maybe she could talk to Rarity and tell her she was pretty, or something, and butter her up enough to not absolutely hate what she’d be getting from Rainbow.

Twilight just rolled her eyes and smirked.

Rarity had suggested cookies, right? Well, maybe she should have one. Or two. Or five. They were right next to Rarity and Fluttershy, so if she stuck around, maybe she could sneak in a compliment or two and get a head start on saving her skin.

With that plan set, Rainbow made for the snack table with pins and needles in her hooves. She helped herself to a cookie and raised an ear as she sat down, hoping to hear a few snatches of conversation between Rarity and Fluttershy, but all she could make out where the muffled sounds of their voices as the music blasted back on.

Pinkie Pie bounced by, twirling a strand of garland and singing Up on the Parapets, which Rainbow assumed was her own version of some old Santa Hooves song she’d heard as a filly.

Rainbow allowed herself a small chuckle. If nothing else, Pinkie’s antics were good for relieving her nerves. She bit into her cookie and breathed out, relaxing her wings and letting them fall to her sides. This was fine. She could talk to Rarity after Fluttershy. She had all night, after all.

A few seconds later, Applejack sat down next to her. “So, what’s got you all worked up?” she asked with a bit of a smirk. She reached around her side and grabbed a cookie for herself. “I figured you’d be one of the first ones here.”

Rainbow shook her head. If Applejack found out that she’d made a dress—even if it was for Rarity, she’d never hear the end of it from her. “I had something important to do, AJ. It was kinda last minute.”

“Somethin’ important, huh?” Applejack chortled. A teasing gleam sparkled in her eye. “Anything to do with Rarity?”

A crumb of Rainbow’s cookie slid down the wrong pipe, and she coughed and spluttered. “What?” she cried, beating her chest with a hoof. “What gave you that idea?”

Applejack’s laughter grew louder. “Oh, nothin’,” she said, biting down on her cookie. “Just a lucky guess, I suppose.”

Rainbow huffed and ruffled her feathers. What was with her friends lately? All they ever seemed to talk about with her these days was Rarity. Not that the unicorn was a bad subject to talk about—in fact, lately, she was becoming one of Rainbow’s favorites, but it was still annoying. “Well, it wasn’t,” she growled.

“Sure thing, RD,” Applejack said as she chewed. Her smirk only grew as she elbowed Rainbow. “You might wanna stop starin’, though. It ain’t polite.”

“I’m not staring at anypony!” Rainbow’s cheeks grew hot. She turned her gaze on Applejack, offering her a stern look instead. Maybe Applejack would shut up if she was impolite at her.

Instead, Applejack snickered. “I know,” she said, taking another bite of her cookie. She shook her head with a smile. “I know.”

“Good!”

Rainbow continued to wait for Rarity to have a free moment, but Fluttershy seemed to be unusually long-winded tonight. And between her and Applejack, who continually pestered her about something or other every few minutes, it didn’t look like she would have much luck. She eventually found herself sitting in a chair by the fireplace listening to Applejack and Twilight debate the value of apples to the Equestrian economy, but most of it flew over her head. She was pretty sure most of it flew over Applejack’s head, too, but the farmer continued to insist that apples were one of the largest grossing domestic-what’s-its in the country.

Pinkie Pie and Spike seemed to have invented a new game involving gumdrops and candy canes, and were busily rushing back and forth across the room after a bouncing ball. Fluttershy and Rarity still hadn’t moved from their chairs, but they seemed to be casting a glance at Rainbow every so often. That’s what it seemed like to Rainbow, at least. Unless they were looking at the pile of presents next to her. She half-hoped they were.

The evening passed by quickly, and before Rainbow was ready, Spike was begging Twilight to open presents. He rocked on the balls of his little purple feet as Twilight smirked and brought a hoof to chin. Rainbow knew what she’d say—it was obvious she was just teasing Spike—but her blood still ran as cold as ice when she heard Twilight say “yes.”

Rainbow swallowed thickly as Twilight called out for everypony to gather around the fireplace. Last year, Last year, Spike was the designated gift giver, and he wasted no time directing everypony to their seats with a mad gleam in his eye. Applejack and Twilight stayed where they were, but Rainbow had to scramble to the side as Pinkie Pie leaped onto the chair and squished her against the armrest. She jabbered on and on about how much she looks forward to presents every year as Spike directed Rarity and Fluttershy to a couple of cozy cushions on the far side of the fireplace, opposite them.

When everypony has found their seats, Spike turned his hungry gaze upon the stacks of gifts. He immediately ran up to them and set his claws upon a bright green wrapped box.

“Spike!” Twilight chided, her face stony.

Spike winced and put the box back down. “Fine. . .” he grumbled, reaching for a different box.

Fluttershy and Rarity giggled.

When Spike’s probing hands neared the box that Rainbow had brought for Rarity, Rainbow felt her heart stop. Before she could think, her hind leg snapped out and bumped it away from him.

Spike’s brow creased. “Uh . . . Rainbow?”

“My bad!” Rainbow said suddenly, sitting bolt upright. Her ears folded as she noticed all eyes in the room were now on her. “Uh, lemme grab that for you, Spike,” she offered as she hopped off the chair.

“Okay . . .” Spike said shifting his weight. “I’ll just start with a different one, then. It’s no big deal.” He turned around and reached for a bright pink box. “Pinkie Pie! It looks like you’re up first!”

“Woo-hoo!”

Rainbow quickly fumbled around behind the pile of gifts. When her hooves made contact with Rarity’s gift, her gut lurched, and she made a split-second decision; she couldn’t risk Rarity opening her gift before she buttered her up—that would be a guaranteed disaster—so she swung her foreleg around and batted the box behind the tree. When she was satisfied Spike wouldn’t be able to see it, she stood back up and made a show of sitting back in her chair.

Once Pinkie opened her gift—a set of Hinny of the Hills inspired cookie cutters—Spike set about handing out the presents one at a time, taking care to make sure that everypony went in order and had plenty of time to show everypony what they got. Fluttershy unwrapped a box of raspberry mint tea; Spike, a chunk of emerald as large as his fist; Twilight, of course, received not socks, but books, and Rainbow felt a little guilty when she saw her friend’s wings lower just a hair. She knew that’s what she’d get from Rarity, but she also knew she’d feel a thousand times worse when it was on the dressmaker’s face.

When Spike handed Rainbow her first gift, she sat up and picked at the paper for a few moments while Pinkie Pie bounced up and down beside her, practically chanting for her to rip it open. All Dash could think about, however, was what would say when she finally got Rarity alone. The thought had been bugging her all night. She knew she had to say something nice, but she couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t seem creepy. “I think you’re beautiful,” was too weird, and so was “Your eyes are especially pretty tonight,” even though they were both completely true. She shifted and pulled a large piece of paper away from the box, revealing a thick pack of signed Danger Mare comics that Fluttershy had gotten her. They were cool, she guessed, even though she’d already read the entire run of the series.

“Thanks, Shy,” Rainbow said, the corner of her mouth raising up as she looked up at her friend. Fluttershy nodded back, tapping her hooves together.

Spike scratched his head as Twilight unwrapped her last gift—another book—and stared at the floor. “I couldn’t think of any books you hadn’t read yet,” he said, tapping his foot on the floor. “So I made you a scrapbook out of all the photos I had of the two of us.”

Twilight held up the scrap book for everyone to see with the widest smile Rainbow had seen on her all night. It was clumsily made, with the construction paper lettering misaligned and the picture of her and Spike eskew on the cover, but Twilight scooped up Spike with her magic and wrapped him up in a choking hug as soon as she set it on the floor with her other books. Spike’s face could have rivalled the fireplace for light.

“Aww!” Pinkie gushed next to Rainbow, her hooves on her cheeks.

Rainbow rolled her eyes at the sight. She only likes it because Spike made it for her, she thought to herself. If he’d bought it that way, I bet she’d totally return it. It looks awful! Still, even Rainbow, had to admit it was kind of sweet of Spike, though she wasn’t sure that Twilight wouldn’t have preferred to get socks instead.

There were only one gift left by the fire, and Rainbow’s heart pounded in her chest as Spike approached her with it. This was Rarity’s gift, she could tell just from the wrapping. The crisp folds of the paper and the perfectly tied bow would only ever be done as perfectly by a pony who truly appreciated aesthetics. She looked up at Rarity, who motioned for her to go on with a hoof and a smile.

“Uh, thanks,” Rainbow said as shivers run up and down her spine. What could Rarity have gotten her? She hadn’t been dropping hints about anything, lately. Heck, just helping her out in Canterlot seemed like enough of a gift to Rainbow, but here was a present nonetheless. She quickly ripped off the bow and tore through the paper. Inside was a small gift box with a lid, and Rainbow wasted no time pulling the top off of it and revealing—

No way . . . She wouldn’t have . . .

Rainbow’s eyes stung as she reached into the box and pulled out a pair of flight goggles. Her flight goggles. The very same pair that she’d thrown away back in Canterlot after the big show at the garden opening. But they were all different, now. The metal rims were gleaming and the lenses were crystal clear. The biggest change by far, though, was that the previously held-together-with-duct-tape strap was now a tightly-knit weave of fabric embroidered with intricate cursive lettering: Rainbow Dash.

“Rarity, I . . .” Rainbow whispered, looking back up at the unicorn and holding the goggles close to her chest. “They’re perfect.” Her cheeks were hot, and she knew Applejack would probably give her guff later for being so sappy, but it was the honest truth.

Rarity’s smile lit up the entire room, and Rainbow’s heart skipped another beat. “I saw how disappointed you were when you threw them away,” she said, sitting up straighter. “And I thought to myself, ‘I know just the perfect way to cheer her up!’ I’m just sorry it took so long—I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with dress orders this season.”

Rainbow ran her hoof across the embroidery. Rarity had way gone out of her way to make this for her. Not only to fix the goggles that she’d first gone to flight camp with, but to make them better than ever—and right after saving her from being kicked off her dream team of fliers. The butterflies in her stomach kicked back up at full force.

“That’s all of them!” Spike declared, dusting his hands off. “Another year down! I already can’t wait to see what I’ll get for my birthday!”

Twilight chuckled and shook her head.

Spike started to walk off, carting his small mountain of toys toward the stairs, when Pinkie gasped and jumped off the chair. “Wait!” she cried, her mane frazzled. “We’re missing a present!” She turned and aimed a hoof directly at Rainbow’s nose. “Yours to Rarity, Rainbow Dash!”

A lump formed in Rainbow’s throat. “Uh, well . . .“

“I don’t see it,” Spike said, tapping a claw on his chin. “Wasn’t that the first one I grabbed?” He looked at Rarity. “Didn’t you open it?”

Rarity shook her head. “No,” she said softly. She traded a look with Fluttershy before turning back to Spike. “But it’s quite alright. I really don’t mind—”

“No way!” Pinkie cut her hoof across the air. “Dashie worked way to hard to get it for you! We searched all day!”

Rainbow wilted. This was getting worse and worse by the second. Rarity was sure to think that she’d put off shopping for her until the last minute now. She clutched her goggles tight and grit her teeth. After everything she’s done for me . . . she thought ruefully. She must think I don’t even care about her at all.

“Oh!” Spike laughed, smacking his palm off of his forehead. “There it is! Under the tree!” It only took him a second to retrieve it before he was proudly marching off to Rarity with it held above his head.

Rainbow couldn’t help but notice everything about it. She’d always been awful at wrapping presents, and this box was no different. She didn’t even know how to tie a ribbon, so she’d simply stuck a store-bought one on top. On top of all of that, the paper was creased and ripped in some spots from its fall from the stack and subsequent slide across the floor. A ball formed in her stomach, and she couldn’t help but remember the utterly pristine gift box that Rarity had given her.

Rarity’s face grew tight. “Spike, dear, I don’t know if right now is really—”

“Come on!” Pinkie whooped, bouncing from hoof-to-hoof. “Open it! Open it!”

Rainbow bit her lip and clamped her wings tight to her sides. There wasn’t any backing out now. She couldn’t just take the present away from Rarity, and she couldn’t hope to get some extra points with Rarity beforehoof if everypony else was standing around her.

“I . . . Well, okay then.” Rarity pulled at the corner of the wrapping paper, unfolding it delicately. If Rainbow didn’t know any better, she’d say her friend was doing it on purpose, but this was how she always unwrapped presents—like she was going to try to save the paper and tape for later, or something.

It drove Rainbow crazy.

A few minutes later, the wrapping paper was on the floor, and Rarity was taking the top off of the box. Rainbow Dash chewed on her forehooves as Rarity let the box top fall to the floor and gasped. “Rainbow Dash. . .” she said breathlessly. A blue aura filled the box, and pulled out a too-long red dress with uneven white trim and misthreaded golden laces. Affixed at the collar was a black cape with faded gold embroidery, freshly washed and ironed.

Rainbow cringed.

Danger alert! Rainbow had to say something! She knew she had to, or Rarity might think she didn’t care! That’s what Pinkie had said, right? “I wanted to make something for you!” she blurted out before she could stop herself. Her cheeks grew very hot, very quickly. She scratched the back of her neck and stared at the fire in the fireplace. The flames were awfully interesting tonight. “I mean, because you’re always making stuff for other ponies, I thought it’d be nice if somepony made something for you . . .” she added quietly.

Rarity stood up and walked over to Rainbow, holding the dress up in the air. “Rainbow, this . . . This is—”

“Awful,” Rainbow pouted, shifting her weight and keeping her eyes trained on the fire. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“Absolutely my favorite dress in my collection.” Rarity finished with a titter.

Rainbow blinked. Huh?

“Certainly better than anything Clear’s could hope to sell, wouldn’t you agree?” Rarity held her hoof up to her mouth and giggled.

“Oh, yes, definitely,” Fluttershy said with a nod and an extra-wide smile. She made an odd, jerking motion with her hoof that looked to Rainbow that she might be having a stroke, but she didn’t get the chance to dwell on it for too long.

What?

Rainbow stared at Rarity, slack jawed. Better than anything at Clear’s? Not even to a blind pony! Rainbow had seen dresses in there that looked like they were meant for Princess Celestia with how fancy they were!

Wait a minute . . .

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about Clear’s?”

Rarity’s smile softened. “Darling, I’ve been talking with Fluttershy,” she said, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.

Rainbow’s stomach started doing cartwheels, but she cinched her wings down and sat up straight. She knew how important posture was to her friend.

“She told me all about what happened on the way here,” Rarity continued. “She feels simply dreadful about the whole thing. She thought she’d ruined your present for me.”

Rainbow’s ears fell. Of course Fluttershy would tell Rarity about that. “Well, it kinda was . . .” she said, biting her lip. “I mean, it was an accident, but—”

“—But it turned out splendid in the end, didn’t it?”

The wings on Rainbow’s back felt like lead weights, and she let them drop to the floor. “The first one was better,” she mumbled. “Even Pinkie Pie thought so.” A white hoof settled under Rainbow’s chin and pulled her face back up to meet Rarity’s eyes. Rainbow’s heart leapt into her throat as her vision was suddenly filled with the lightest pools of blue she could imagine.

“Darling, I make dresses.” Rarity’s smile stretched into her eyes, keeping them bright and vibrant. “I can tell without even examining it further that you’ve put an incredible amount of thought and hard work into this.” Mirth flooded Rarity’s face as her hoof dropped to Rainbow’s shoulder and pressed on in jokingly. “And that’s not even taking into account that Rainbow Dash, the pony who absolutely abhors doing anything ‘girly’ or ‘uncool’ making me a dress.”

Rainbow’s will gave out, and she quickly turned back to the fire. She wondered if it was burning too hot or something, because her whole body was tingling and feverish. “I wanted to pay you back,” she murmured. “For everything you’ve done for me, I mean. It’s totally because of you that I’m still a Wonderbolt. And I know I already said thank you before the show, but I-I wanted to show you how much it meant to me that you kept believing in me. Even when I didn’t. . .”

When Rainbow turned back to face Rarity, her eyes widened. Somehow, just like back in Canterlot, Rarity had managed to completely switch costumes in the span of a few seconds. The bright red dress and white trim looked as perfect as Rainbow had dared to dream over the past few months, but it was the cape, made from the ruined dress Pinkie had set her out to buy earlier that tied it all together.

“Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest thing?” Rarity gushed next to her. Before Rainbow could even think of a response, Rarity ducked forward and planted a kiss on her burning cheek. “You are simply adorable!”

Fwap! Rainbow’s wings flared out with the force of a dragon slamming his fist on the table. “R-Rarity?” she gasped.

“This is certainly the kindest, sweetest, most thoughtful gift anypony has ever given me, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s lips and silencing her splutters. “And I could never ask for anything else.”

As she walked away, Rainbow tried desperately to process what just happened. Her heart hammered in her chest, and her wings refused to fold back down to her sides. Even when she noticed that Rarity was walking to the far side of the room, where the rest of the party seemed to be taking place, her mind was whirring with possibilities.

An orange leg threw itself around Rainbow’s shoulders, and she jolted back into reality. “Close your mouth, Rainbow,” Applejack hissed next to her. “You’ll swallow a bug.”

Rainbow’s jaw snapped shut, and Applejack howled with laughter. Her face felt hotter than ever before, but she brought a hoof to her cheek and watched Rarity sit down next to Twilight and Fluttershy with a deck of cards in the dress that Rainbow made for her. A few cards landed in front of Rarity before she suddenly looked up and waved at Rainbow with a giggle before motioning for her to come to the table.

A big grin stretched its way across Rainbow’s face. A single thought darted through her mind before the feeling leaked back into her hooves and let her rush over to her friends:

Pinkie Pie was right.

Chapter I

Gold-tinted lenses.

Imported Gryphonian fur lining.

A patented no-stretch black leather strap.

Rainbow Dash’s tail swayed back and forth in excitement as she stared through the shop window at the greatest flight goggles ever designed: the Wonderbolt 260. She’d been waiting months for this day—the day she’d finally get her hooves on the very goggles that Spitfire, Captain of the world-famous Wonderbolts, had designed for her flight team. Today was the day they released to the public, and Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to waste a single moment before they were hers. Her hoofprints were tracked in the snow all over the sill; the window was shrouded and blurred from the dozens of times she’d wiped the fog from her breath away, and still Rainbow couldn’t help but stare at the aviator goggles with utter rapture.

A shiver ran down her spine. She could already see herself bolting through the skies with those bad boys wrapped snugly around her face, performing dazzling tricks and daring stunts with the rest of the Wonderbolts in a sold-out super-stadium. Oh, how crowds would cheer for her, calling her name as she tore the sky to pieces with the Buccaneer Blaze before lighting it up with her fantastic Filly Flash. And it was almost time. Dash glanced at the enormous clocktower overlooking town square and fixed her scarf. Just two minutes left before the shop opened. She could do this!

“Rainbow Dash!” An excited shout boomed from across the street.

Rainbow blinked and turned around, smiling out of sheer habit at the sound of her best friend’s cheerful tone. The pink mare was bounding toward her in bright blue boots, kicking up a fresh snowstorm behind her with a wild grin plastered on her face. A small mountain of presents teetered dangerously on her back, wrapped in a light blue glow as an alabaster unicorn gave chase through the throngs of ponies wandering around town.

“Pinkie Pie!” the unicorn said between gasps, sending a fresh wave of magic at the top part of the pile—which was nearly level with the shop’s roof—and preventing a large box wrapped in cartoon snowpony covered paper from toppling to the ground. “Be more careful!” The ball of her red Hearth’s Warming hat hung limply next to her face, and she blew it out of the way as she bent over to catch her breath.

“You should really stop breathing so heavily, Rarity,” Pinkie chided with a happy bounce of her tail. “All that huffing and puffing might knock over our presents!”

“Luna forbid . . .”

A chuckle escaped from Rainbow as Pinkie agreed vehemently, nodding hard enough to send a fresh shockwave up the precariously piled gifts. “You guys heading down to Twilight’s place?”

“Yep!” Pinkie cheered, eyes squeezed shut with excitement. “Gotta get these babies to the gift table before the big party starts!” She punctuated her sentence with a joyous bounce into the air, sending the packages on her back skyward, where they tumbled back down and landed in a rapid succession of thunks as perfectly as if they’d never moved at all.

Rarity stared at the stack, open-mouthed, for a long moment before shifting her gaze to Rainbow. “You are coming tonight, aren’t you, Rainbow Dash?”

“Oh yeah!” Rainbow said, waving a hoof nonchalantly. She shifted her weight and brushed her bangs out of her eyes as Rarity’s tired breathing eased back into a gentle smile. “I already dropped off most of my presents at Twilight’s the other day, but I still gotta drop these books off.” She swung her hoof over her shoulder, indicating the heavy canvas saddlebags hanging on her back.

“Great!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, who seemed to be almost vibrating with delight. “This is going to be the greatest Hearth’s Warming party ever!”

Rainbow shook her head at Pinkie, even as another chuckle tickled at her throat. “Yeah,” she said with a smirk, watching Rarity readjust Pinkie’s stack of presents with her magic again. She let her thoughts drift to the only present she hadn’t brought to Twilight’s yet. It wasn’t ready, so it was sitting in her room at home, waiting to be boxed up and wrapped, but the very thought of giving it away made her mouth as dry as cotton. “It’ll be pretty cool.”

Pinkie grinned. “So what are you up to anyway?”

Aiming a hoof at the window, Rainbow pointed out the goggles on the stand. It was all she could do not to bounce in place. “I’m buying that!” she said, wings fluttering madly. “The Wonderbolt two-sixty sky mask!”

“Flight goggles?” Rarity tittered. “That’s what’s got you so excited?”

“Not just any flight goggles!” Rainbow said drawing herself up in a huff. How could Rarity—who made dresses and hats and other fancy schmancy stuff—just blow off something as awesome as this? Her tail snapped to the side indignantly. “They’re the Wonderbolt—”

“Two-sixties,” Rarity finished with a giggle. “I’ve heard. But are you sure you want to buy them today? You never know what you might get for Hearth’s Warming.”

“They’re awesome!” Dash said firmly. “They’ve got all kinds of sweet tech! Night vision, air current readers, an internal compass, an FM radio—”

“Look out!” somepony hollered.

There was a blur of blue and brown, and a mailpony stormed by at full speed, a look of desperation etched onto his face as he pulled a large cart absolutely overflowing with brown packages. One of the wheels jumped the curb as he raced by and bumped into Pinkie Pie, spinning her around in place. She shrieked with delight as she slid into the store window, and the stack of gifts swung almost sideways before it was wrapped in another field of bright blue magic.

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” Dash roared, watching the wagon tear down the sidewalk at full tilt. Several more ponies dove out of the way before the driver suddenly jerked to the side and rounded the corner. Rainbow growled and turned back to Pinkie, who Rarity was helping up.

“Darling, are you alright?”

“Super duper!” Pinkie laughed, her face split by an enormous grin. “Can we do that again?”

“What a jerk!” Rainbow snapped, still glaring daggers down the street.

“Aww, he didn’t mean it, Dashie!” Pinkie giggled, turning around and staring into the window without a second’s hesitation. “He’s probably just got all kinds of presents to deliver!”

“He could hurt somepony!”

Pinkie just stared into the window. “Woooooooow . . .” she whistled.

Rainbow groaned and shook her head. I’m gonna regret this . . . “Wow what?”

“These goggles are really expensive!” Pinkie answered, wide-eyed. “Are you sure you can afford them?”

“Hey!” Rainbow protested, wings flaring out. Of course they were expensive. Of course she knew they were expensive—they were designed by Spitfire, for crying out loud! She fixed Pinkie with a stern look. “What are you trying to say, huh?”

Rarity concurred with a nod. “Darling, that’s a rather rude question, don’t you think?”

Pinkie’s lip pushed out in a pout.“I just wanna make sure you still have money for everypony else on your Hearth’s Warming list!”

“I already said I took care of all my presents for this year, Pinkie!”

“You sure?” Pinkie said, rounding on Rainbow, her face unusually austere. The action caused her stack of presents to once again sway, and a wide-eyed Rarity lept to the side, throwing up a fresh burst of magic in an effort to balance it out.

“Uh, yeah!” Dash answered, her nostrils starting to flare. She shot Rarity a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure I got all my friends presents for Hearth’s Warming.”

Pinkie Pie paused, giving Rainbow a long, steady look that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Finally, after several moments during which Rainbow swore she could hear her own heart beating over the sounds of ponies rushing through town square, Pinkie nodded satisfactorily. “Okie dokie lokie,” she said, “But remember, your present tells your friend how much you care about them. It’s absolutely, super-duper ultra important!”

Rainbow couldn’t help but giggle at the stony face Pinkie was giving her. “I know, I know,” she said holding a hoof up placatingly and offering Pinkie a smile. “Trust me, all my friends are getting killer gifts this year.”

Pinkie nodded. “Good!”

“Besides,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “I’ve needed new goggles for a long time, now. The strap on my old pair snapped after I flew in the opening for the Royal Garden in Canterlot.”

Rarity nodded. “I remember, darling,” she said sympathetically. “I’m surprised they lasted as long as they did—it looked like there was more tape than strapping holding them together.”

“Yeah, I know . . .” Rainbow shrugged. It had sucked, but there really wasn’t anything else she could do to fix them. Throwing them away had been hard, but at least she could replace them with something totally awesome now. “I had ‘em for years. They were my very first pair, actually. I guess I lucked out that it didn’t happen mid-flight.”

Just then, a bell tinkled, and the door to the shop opened up. Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat as the grinning head of a light blue stallion with a fiery orange goatee appeared from the other side.

Was it finally time?

“Yo, Dash,” he said, adjusting his sunglasses with a hoof. “We’re open now.”

It was!

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash cheered, spinning into the air with a shriek of delight. After three months of waiting, it was finally time to get her new goggles! “Gotta go, guys!” she said quickly, darting passed Rarity, who found herself spinning around like a top. Dash wrenched the door the rest of the way open and jumped around the shop owner. “See ya tonight!” she tossed over her shoulder. As she started for the window display, just beyond the racks of snowboards and other athletic apparel, the door slammed shut with a violent CRASH!

Rainbow winced. That didn’t sound good . . .

“Uh, Dash?” the shopkeep said uneasily.

Rainbow nodded and turned around with a gulp. Reaching a hoof back onto the doorknob, she poked her head back out into the biting cold.

The ground was littered with multicolored packages of various shapes and sizes. Ribbons and wrapping paper were everywhere and, out of the largest pile of them, Rarity was glowering at her unblinkingly. “Rainbow Dash . . .” she said through gritted teeth as Pinkie’s giggling head popped out of the pile.

Dash chuckled sheepishly and closed the door a bit more to escape Rarity’s fiery gaze. “Heh, sorry?

Chapter II

Yes.

Yes!

Yes!

They were hers! After months of staring at the ad in Flight Illustrated and saving every spare bit in her paycheck, Rainbow Dash finally had her very own Wonderbolt 260 sky mask! She shivered with delight as she strutted down main street, her boots crunching through the snow and the world tinted a bright, happy sunset gold. A grin split her face open when she caught yet another stallion’s head following her as she walked by.

I look so badass! Rainbow thought with a triumphant fluff of her wings. And, even though she really preferred soft curves and long eyelashes, she treated her sidewalk audience to a few happy flicks of her tail. I love these goggles!

Rainbow had never been one for fashion. In fact, much to Rarity’s dismay, she abhorred the subject; with all the cool things there were in Equestria—The Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash, Daring Do, Rainbow Dash, hoofball, sonic rainbooms and Rainbow Dash, just to name a few—who would want to talk about clothes? But even she had to admit that a Rainbow Dash without style was like a dragon without fiery breath: way less awesome. A warm, tingly feeling flooded Rainbow’s belly as she imagined the look on Rarity’s face when she saw her in her new goggles. The dressmaker would probably gush about how the tint of the glasses worked great with her mane, or that they brought out her eyes, or something like that. The tingling in her belly grew more intense, and her wings fluttered against her sides.

“Come on, Spike! We’re almost there!”

It was always something wonderful to catch Rarity’s attention. That unicorn hardly ever wanted to focus on anything other than sheer perfection and beauty. Sure, she was always kind and courteous, even downright loving, but Rainbow Dash knew that nothing other than the finest things in Equestria ever fully pulled Rarity’s mind from fashion. And if these goggles did the trick, then they’d pass the ultimate test of—“Woah!”

“Gah!”

Thoughts of Rarity’s eyes vanished from Rainbow’s mind as she suddenly crashed into a wall of soft, lavender fur. The wall proved to be quite unsteady, however, and quickly gave out. Flapping her wings did nothing as Rainbow tumbled like a rag doll over the object and fell face-first onto the not-so-soft cobblestone street. Pain shot up her nose and she yelped as she rubbed it, rolling on the ground with her eyes clenched shut. “Ow! Ow! Owwww!” she hissed through her teeth.

“Oh my gosh!” a voice cried through the darkness. “Rainbow Dash, are you okay?”

Rainbow’s face was pulled tight. Her teeth poked out under her lips, opening a gateway for Rainbow’s breath to escape and surround her hooves like fresh steam. She rolled a few more times on the road before clenching her teeth and opening her eyes back up. The bright blue sky greeted her, and with it, a purple alicorn hanging over her with a look of fierce regret etched all over her face.

“I didn’t even see you there . . .” Twilight Sparkle said, biting her lip.

The green-spined drake standing next to her blinked. “Didn’t she crash into you?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point, Spike.” She offered a boot-covered hoof to Rainbow, who took it, and helped her up. “I could have moved out of the way, or something.”

“It’s fine,” Rainbow said, scrunching her nose and wincing. She shook her head, hoping it might help get rid of some of the pain in her poor snout. “I wasn’t watching where I was—” Her eyes landed on Spike as she slowed her shaking down and pushed her bangs off the lenses of her goggles. The young dragon was positively buried under a vast assortment of wrapped boxes and colored paper bags. How his stumpy purple legs could possibly hold it all up was a complete mystery to her.

“Spike?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow at him. “Need some help there, little guy?”

The dragon’s eyes widened a little bit, and he started to smile. “Well, actually—”

“Oh, he’s fine,” Twilight said with a wave of her hoof. The saddlebags on her back hung loose and empty, save for a single brown package Dash didn’t have to unwrap to know was a textbook. “Thanks for asking, but we’re only heading back home.” She gestured down the street to the large crystal castle overshadowing the town.

Rainbow shrugged and shot Spike another sympathetic look. “I really don’t mind. I was actually heading over to your place anyway to drop off a few books I borrowed last month.” She shook her back to show Twilight the various titles that filled her own saddlebags. “I can take a few of those bags, or something.”

Twilight’s face brightened. “Oh, well, if you’re sure . . .” The horn on her head glowed bright with magic, and Rainbow heard Spike let out a sigh of relief. The small brown package flew out of Twilight’s saddlebags and settled snugly into Rainbow’s. “I really appreciate it, Rainbow Dash. The uneven weight distribution was putting a lot of undue stress on my back.”

Spike’s face soured in an instant.

Rainbow offered him an apologetic smile, but Twilight just bent at her forelegs and flared her wings out, stretching like a cat. “That feels so much better,” she said as a series of pops filled the air.

Shaking her head and stifling a giggle, Rainbow nodded her head toward Spike. He straightened up and whispered a quick “thanks!” as he handed Rainbow a few of the handled bags. She took them in her teeth and gave him a conspiratorial wink.

“Well, then,” Twilight said, straightening herself back out. “Let’s get back to the castle, and I’ll make us all some hot cocoa!” She let out a contented sigh and started down the street once more with a smile on her face.

Rainbow and Spike followed behind. The bags and boxes they carried jostled and swung around as they weaved between the various ponies making their way through town. Rainbow smirked as she saw a small yellow filly hopping outside a display window, pointing at a miniature robotic dragon as it roared in place.

“But mommy, I want it!” the little girl protested, even as an older golden mare pulled her away.

“It’s too expensive, honey.”

The filly crossed her forelegs as she was dragged backwards through the snow, her orange tail trailing after her. “If you loved me, you’d get it for me for Hearth’s Warming!” she pouted.

Rainbow giggled and watched them vanish around the corner while the mother made monotonous assurances that, yes, she did love her daughter. She caught Spike eyeing the toy with childish curiosity as they passed by the toy shop window, but said nothing.

“I like your goggles,” Twilight said after a moment of silence. “Did you just get them?”

Pride swelled in Rainbow’s chest, and she fluffed her wings. “Heck yeah!” she exclaimed as best she could around the handles of the bags. “Brand new! Top of the line! Don’t I look awesome?”

Twilight giggled and stepped around a colt that was darting down the street, shouting something about a hoofball. “Always, Rainbow.”

A shiver woke up in Rainbow’s neck. It ran down her spine, then hijacked her tail, which whipped around wildly at the praise. Once again, she found herself excitedly wondering what Rarity would say about her new lenses if Twilight found them as cool as Rainbow did.

They traveled in silence for a few more moments, taking in the crispness of the winter air and the festive looks of everypony in town. There was hardly a frown to be seen from Town Hall to Sugarcube Corner, and the foals in town seemed to be taking full advantage of it. There were snowballs flying all over the place near the bakery; Rainbow suspected they might have been pre-made by some well-meaning pink prankster, but the fillies and colts didn’t seem to mind one bit.

“So, what did you borrow from the library?” Twilight asked next to her. Her eyes were focused on the many bright lights and candy cane decorations surrounding the street.

Rainbow’s cheeks warmed at the unexpected question, and she coughed into her hoof. “Oh, uh, just books,” she said, shifting her saddlebags on her back. They were safely buckled with her books inside, but that didn’t stop her hooves from clamming up.

Twilight snickered and gave Rainbow a deadpan look. “I figured out that much,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Is it more Daring Do? Danger Mare?”

“Not exactly . . .” Rainbow answered sheepishly. Before she knew it, she heard the unmistakable clicking of her buckles being undone and her blood ran cold. Several thick books slid out of Rainbow’s saddlebags, suspended by a light purple aura, and floated their way to Twilight. “Hey—wait!”

“I just want to see if you’ve checked out that biography on General Firefly yet.” The books swirled around Twilight, whose face steadily grew more and more confused with every passing title. After several moments, she looked up at Rainbow with a raised eyebrow. “Sewing? Dressmaking? What in the world . . .”

Rainbow groaned and grit her teeth. She wished she could melt with the snow into a storm drain. “I know, I know . . .” she grumbled, eyeing Twilight’s mailbox with disdain. She lashed out with her back hoof as they walked by it, and instantly regretted doing so. The assortment of bags she was carrying dropped like rocks from her mouth as she yelped and shook her hoof out.

“I don’t understand . . .” Twilight continued without missing a beat. Her eyes were now glued back on the small stack she’d pulled out of Rainbow’s saddlebags. “You’ve never shown any interest in dressmaking. You can’t even hold still for a fitting at Rarity’s!”

As fate would have it, Rainbow was saved from having to answer when the mailpony appeared over the horizon again. This time, his rickety carriage thundered down the road and straight through a muddy puddle. There were several terrible gasps as the freezing water sprayed all over the ponies on the sidewalk.

“Princess Twilight!” the mailpony shouted fervently. His voice was hoarse and desperate, and he closed the space between himself and Twilight so quickly that Rainbow thought he was going to trip over his own hooves. “Princess Twilight! Special delivery!"

Spike’s grin stretched from one scaly dragon ear to the other. “Sweet!” he exclaimed, rocking back and forth on his feet. “More presents!”

“Prin . . . Twi . . .” the stallion said breathlessly, finally pulling to a stop at the end of castle walkway. Rainbow had to admit he was strong for such a lanky guy; it was a wonder he hadn’t passed out from exhaustion before now. “Special . . . hnn! delivery . . .”

“Woah, dude,” Rainbow said, eyeing him carefully and edging a bit closer. If he was going to collapse, she figured she might as well catch him. “Cool your jets and take a breath.”

The mailpony swallowed and wiped his brow with a clumsy swipe of his hoof. “Sorry, my lady,” he answered, bowing his head to Twilight. He fixed his hat and looked back up a moment later. “It’s just that the service has been swarmed with mail for days now, and most of our shipments are gifts that must be delivered today. I’ve been running nonstop since dawn!”

“Of course,” Twilight said with a polite smile. “It’s only natural, given the time of year. Has the Pony Express been hiring extra carriers to counterbalance the influx of—”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and tuned Twilight out. She hoped the mailpony wasn’t on too tight a schedule, because Twilight was clearly just getting warmed up. That pony could talk and talk and talk and talk about the most boring things ever like they were . . . were the Wonderbolts or something.

“Bet you she asks him what his delivery per hour ratio is,” Spike said with a sigh. He stared at the the pair for a moment before shrugging and gesturing to the castle doorway with his head. “Come on, let’s get these inside the entrance hall. I can take care of them from there.”

Nodding, Rainbow fell in line beside him, and they trotted up the steps in a few quick motions. “So, you excited for Santa Hooves to come by tonight?” she asked as Spike opened the door. A rush of warm air flowed over her like a wave at the beach, and she sighed in relief. The sound of a clearing throat pulled Rainbow back into reality, and she saw Spike holding the door open for her with his tail. Smiling sheepishly, she skulked passed him. “Did you ask him for anything special this year?” she asked quickly.

“Santa Hooves?” Spike’s lip pulled up in a smirk. He let the door fall shut and placed his collection of gifts on the floor. “Please,” he said, crossing his arms and chuckling. “I don’t think I ever believed in him.”

Rainbow’s jaw dropped to the floor—and so did her bags, which clattered loudly. “Never?” she gasped.

“Not even when I was little,” Spike answered with a nod. “Or the Tooth Fairy, or the Eggster Bunny.”

“What?”

Spike shrugged. “Twilight always said they were just holiday icons, and that it was silly to think that they were physical beings.”

“But . . . but . . .” Rainbow couldn’t wrap her head around it. How could a kid not believe in Santa Hooves? She herself was almost twenty years old now, and she still—well, not out loud at least. “That’s crazy!” she exclaimed. “Who do you think brings you your presents?”

Spike opened the door and squinted as the wind burst into the room. “Well,” he said matter-of-factly, “there’s a mailpony outside.”

Rainbow blinked and stared at him. “You’ve been hanging out with Twilight too much,” she decided, skirting around him and back out the door. A few more hops—and a totally on-purpose slip on the last step—and Rainbow was back on the road. She shivered and clamped her wings tight against her sides. Even if it was only for a few seconds, she already missed the warmth of the castle.

“But yeah!” Spike announced, letting the door slam behind him and sliding down the rail of the stairs; he landed, skidding on his feet, right in front of Rainbow with a proud grin on his face that made Dash huff and wonder to herself why she’d never thought of doing that. “I’ve been dropping hints to Twilight about this really rare emerald that’s only found in the outer ridges of the Griffon Empire for weeks now.

“I hope that’s what this guy’s dropping off,” Spike said conclusively, leading Rainbow back to the mail cart. “The more presents, the better! Opening up a huge stack of gifts is my favorite part of Hearth’s Warming!”

“Spike!” Twilight said, her mouth wide open. Her narrow-eyed leer was frightening, even from across the street. “I know I didn’t just hear you say that!”

“Busted,” Rainbow hissed quietly, snickering at the glare Spike shot her.

“Hearth’s Warming isn’t about the commercialization of toys or jewelry, or receiving presents!” Twilight chided—clearly unaware, Dash thought, of the other ponies on the sidewalk who were stopping to watch the alicorn yelling across the road. “It’s about setting aside your differences with other ponies and becoming friends! It’s about spending time with the ponies who care the most about you in the world!”

Spike’s face turned up in a pout. “But we already do that all year!” he barked back, cheeks reddening. “I don’t get presents from you in May!”

Rainbow had to admit Spike had a point, but Twilight must have caught her nodding or something, because she quickly found herself the subject of Twilight’s fiery eyes. She gulped, fluttering her wings and taking an unconscious step backward.

“Oh, you think it’s funny, Rainbow?” Twilight huffed. “You want to see the most important day of friendship and unity reduced to greed and self-satisfaction?”

Dash quickly shook her head, her mane whipping back and forth. Even if she did want to see that, there was no way she’d ever tell Twilight of all ponies. If there was one thing Twilight took seriously—and there were a ton of things Twilight took seriously—it was friendship. She was, after all, the Princess of Friendship.

Twilight nodded curtly and turned back to the mailpony.

“Good one, Spike,” Rainbow muttered as they crossed the street. “Way to get me in trouble.”

“Me?” the dragon asked incredulously. “You’re the one who started it!”

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Rainbow’s nose crinkled, and she stuck her tongue out at Spike, who simply rolled his eyes.

“Anyway,” the mailpony said, taking a deep breath. “I should really get going. I’ve got three more of these carts to take care of before lunch!”

Rainbow let out a low whistle. His current cart was still stacked higher than the walls with gifts, and it was already way past breakfast. She had to give him credit—he’d have to be almost as fast as her to get all of that done before lunch.

Almost.

“Well, good luck with that,” Twilight said with a smile. A thin brown package shrouded in purple flew through the air and settled in Twilight’s saddlebags. “I hope you can get home soon, and have a merry Hearth’s Warming!”

“Oh, I’m actually from Gryphonia,” the mailpony said with a chuckle. “I volunteered to work today because we don’t celebrate Hearth’s Warming back home.”

What?

If Rainbow had been drinking something, she most certainly would have spewed it all over the place. As it was, she nearly choked on her own spit. “What?” she exclaimed in disbelief. That didn’t make any sense! No Hearth’s Warming meant no Santa Hooves—no presents! “You don’t celebrate Hearth’s Warming?”

“Of course not, Rainbow,” Twilight said, with a gentle giggle. She turned to the mailpony and offered him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have assumed. Happy Kawnzaa!”

The mailpony’s face brightened immediately. His eyes sparkled with delight. “You’re the first pony I’ve ever met in this country that knows about Kawnzaa. Thank you!”

“But what the heck is a Kawz—”

“Farewell!” Twilight said, waving her hoof as the mailpony trotted off happily. She turned to Rainbow and sighed. “You mean you were best friends with a griffon and you know nothing about Kawnzaa?”

Rainbow shrugged. “No, not really.”

“Nothing?” Twilight asked incredulously.

“Uh . . .” Rainbow shrank a little under Twilight’s gaze and frantically searched her mind for anything that might get the nerdiest mare alive off of her back. “I remember Gilda used to wear a funny hat after Hearth’s Warming every year . . .” she offered tentatively.

“Ugh!” Twilight groaned, dragging her hoof down her face. Rainbow grimaced as Twilight’s wings snapped to her sides. “It’s called a kawfi cap, and it’s a core aspect of griffon pride! How can you not know this?”

Rainbow snorted indignantly and raised her goggles to her forehead. The sun glared blindingly into her eyes, and she was forced to squint at Twilight, but set her jaw and locked gazes with Twilight anyway. “I don’t know! She never talked about it!”

Twilight’s eyes finally closed, and she shook her head. “Fine,” she relented. “Let’s just go inside. I’ll have Spike fix us up some hot cocoa, and I’ll tell you all about Kawnzaa.

“Yeah, sure,” Spike grumbled from behind Rainbow. “I’ll make the cocoa between wrapping all the presents and setting up every decoration for the party tonight; it’ll be no trouble at all.”

“Rainbow?” Twilight said, looking back at her. “What’s so funny?”

Rainbow froze mid-chuckle. Somehow, Twilight was already halfway across the street. When did she get all the way over there? she wondered.

“Nothing,” Rainbow said quickly. She bit her lip and tapped her hoof anxiously against the ground. The last thing she wanted to do on Hearth’s Warming Eve was listen to a long-winded spiel cooked up by Twilight on the history of some Hearth’s Warming ripoff. She had to think of a way out, and fast. Luckily, she had just the thing sitting at home.

She needed to finish it up before tonight anyway.

“Hey, look, Twi,” Rainbow said, biting her lip and trotting over to her. “That sounds cool and all—and I mean it!” she added with haste as she saw Twilight’s brow crease, “Super cool. But, uh, I still have to finish up Rar—somepony’s present before tonight, so I can’t really stick around. How about some other time?”

Twilight blinked. “Some other time?” she echoed, cocking her head to the side.

“Uh, yeah,” Rainbow said, kicking the slush in the road for good measure. “I mean, it totally sucks that I can’t learn all about Cornzaa—”

“—Kawnzaa—”

“—Kawnzaa,” Rainbow said with a nod. “But first things first, right? Can’t show up empty hoofed for Rarity.”

“I guess not,” Twilight agreed slowly, her ears dropping a fraction of an inch. Rainbow felt a pang of remorse as she heard the disappointment in her friend’s voice. “Some other time, I guess.”

Rainbow nodded. “Some other time!” She took to the sky, pulling her goggles back down over her eyes. “See you tonight!” she said, waving and taking off back toward the center of town and hoping that Twilight would forget about their little lesson on Kawnzaa like she had all the others.

She still couldn’t believe that Gilda didn’t celebrate Hearth’s Warming at home. Who did they get their presents from? Did they even get presents? Rainbow shuddered at the thought.

A friend’s present is the most important thing about Hearth’s Warming, she heard Pinkie’s voice echo in her mind. It tells them how much you care about them. It’s the best way to show your friends what they mean to you!

How could you do that without the best presents possible—let alone no presents!

Griffons are weird, Rainbow decided. Cool, but totally weird. No wonder most of them don’t have any friends.