It's been nearly a year since you finally got together with Rainbow after returning from your winter vacation. Now, with winter coming up again, Rainbow's been spending as much time around you as possible in case you decide to run off again until spring comes around. But you were prepared for this and had arranged something with Twilight a few days ago.
"Hey! C'mon, we're gonna be late you guys!" You hear from the other side of the library's front door. You recognize that voice instantly and a small smile forms on your face. You grab your clothes off your dresser and quickly put them on while trying to simultaneously navigate your way down the stairs, almost tripping several time as you try to pull your jeans on.
Twilight almost knocks you down as she rushes past you and into the library. Once you get to solid ground you pull your coat off your back and quickly pull it on before heading over towards the door. You open it just as you get your arms through the sleeves to reveal a sky blue pegasus with a rainbow mane blowing softly in the wind. She smiles as she sees you, and you wave for her to step inside.
"Sorry, we slept in a little later than usual." You say as Rainbow takes the scarf off from around her neck. "Twilight and I were up later than usual last night, right Twi?" You ask Twilight who is still putting on her winter clothes.
"Yep, and it was probably worth it too." She says with a quick smile.
"What were you guys doing? You weren't doing anything cool without me were you?" Rainbow says with a glare.
"That depends, define cool for me. Because if your definition of cool is studying God knows how many books all night, then yeah, it was cool."
"Ugh, sounds lame." Rainbow says rolling her eyes. She glances over at Twilight before waving you over for a second. Her expression goes from a smile to a look of concern in ten seconds flat.
"Need something?" You ask, kneeling down in front of her.
"So... it's winter again... lots of snow and stuff." She says quietly, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.
"Hah, yeah that's usually how winter works around here. What about it?" You already knew what she was going to say, but you didn't want to spoil what you and Twilight had been doing last night.
"Well, remember how last year you left because it was too cold? Well... are you by any chance going to be doing that again?" Standing up with a smile, you turn around and face Twilight who is now walking over towards both of you with a smile.
"I don't know. Hey, Twilight, am I going anywhere this year?" You say with a wink that only she can see.
"Oh, of course not. It's pretty warm outside." She says as she uses her magic to open the front door. "Now come on, lets meet the girls for lunch, we're already late enough as it is."
Rainbow gives both you and Twilight a confused look as you walk outside into the snow wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a light coat. She looks even more confused when as soon as your feet hit the snow, a faint purple glow engulfs you only to vanish a few seconds later.
"What the hay just happened? Isn't it freezing out here for you?"
"Who me? Nah, I'm fine." You say with a sly grin.
"But, it... And what was that glow? What was that just now. Why are you two laughing?" Rainbow spews out as you being walking into town.
"Should I tell her or do you want to?" You ask, looking down at Twilight.
"Please, do tell." Twilight says, giggling to herself as she walks slightly ahead of you.
"Twilight and I stayed up late last night to research a spell that will keep you warm when the temperature reaches a certain point. That's why you saw that glow when I stepped outside. To me, it feels like it's maybe in the mid fifties right now, which is totally fine by me."
"That's... Wait, so does that mean-"
"It means I'm not going anywhere." You say with a smile, reaching down to ruffle up her hair. Within seconds your face is buried in the snow with something warm and slightly heavy clinging to your back.
"Yes! Oh this is so awesome! You'll actually get to spend Hearth's warming with us!" She says excitedly as you roll over, pinning her to the snow under you.
"Don't forget about Christmas." You say with a smile. "I'm gonna get you the best gift of all time."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about your human holiday. And you don't have to get me something, you staying is enough for me." She says as you both stand back up.
"I'd have to be crazy to not get you anything though. We've been together for almost a year now, it would just feel weird."
"Nah, like I said, I'm fine." She says confidently as the restaurant coming into view. You see the rest of your friends, along with Twilight who had already gotten there, waving at you as you both approach.
"Hey guys." You say as you take a seat at the table between Rarity and AJ. "What'd we miss?"
"Nothing much, what took y'all so long?" Applejack asks. You explain what you and Twilight had done last night and everyone cheers when you tell them that this year you'll be staying for good and wouldn't ditch them for several months. The waiter eventually comes around and everyone orders their food.
You notice Rarity start leaning towards you as she glances at Rainbow on the other side of the table.
"So, it's been almost a year, what are you two planning to do for Hearth's Warming?" She says quietly to you.
"I haven't told her yet, but I want to take her out into the field by Fluttershy's house on Hearth's Warming night and start a little campfire and we'll just watch the stars together. I even got a blanket from Twilight.
"That is the most adorable thing I've ever heard!" Rarity says, bringing her hooves up to her mouth and making a high pitched squeaking sound. "Oh you simply must tell me what you're getting her."
"That's what I'm worried about." You say as the lean your head on one of your hands, pushing your other hand through your hair and letting out a sigh. "She says she doesn't want anything but I'm not stupid, I know that in girl talk that means she absolutely wants something."
"Indeed it is." She says with a chuckle. "Still, I know you'll find the perfect present for her."
"I hope so, I'm running low on bits as well ever since I started paying Twilight for rent. I can't even afford my own place yet much less an expensive gift. And I know she deserves something amazing but... I just hope she likes whatever it is that I end up getting."
"I can guarantee she will love your gift. And if you're worried about the price, just remember that sometimes the best gifts don't cost anything at all. Sometimes a gift can just be something straight from the heart." She says with a reassuring pat to the back. You look up and give her a quick smile just as the waiter is bringing out the food.
"From the heart..." You mumble to yourself, getting lost in thought. As the waiter places down your food, an idea pops into your head and a small smile forms on your face.
"Do you have a picture frame about the size of this note?" You ask to the pony behind the cash register at the towns general store. You hand the folded note over across the counter. The pony unfolds it, kindly not reading the contents on the front of it. She quickly measures the paper and walks into the back, reappearing a minute later with a wooden picture frame. She smiles as she puts it down on the counter, placing the paper on top of it.
"Thanks a lot." You say, placing a few bits down on the counter. You take the paper and frame and begin walking back towards the library. About half way there you hear the sound of wings flapping above and behind you.
Quickly but discreetly you spin around, stuffing the frame into your coat, holding it up against your chest.
"Hey! I haven't seen you since yesterday at lunch, where have you been?" Rainbow asks, hovering in front of you with a genuine smile. You nervously shuffle the contents of your coat around, trying to hide the outline of the frame from her sight.
"H-Hey Rainbow, I've been uh... Just, y'know." You say with an awkward smile. She gives you a confused look before shaking her head and smiling.
"So, you wanna hang out? I have the day off. It is Hearth's Warming Eve after all."
"Actually... I promised to help Twilight at the library. Yeah, that's what I'm doing today." You lie to her, trying to keep your gift a secret for now.
"Can I help?" She asks, catching you completely off guard. She never wants anything to do with the library, much less to help out there.
"Uh... Well, it's probably gonna be really boring and I'm sure you have some tricks or something to practice right? Wouldn't want to take up your time doing that."
"Well I do have a few tricks that I-"
"Great! I-I mean, yeah, you should perfect those and show them to me later! Oh, by the way, you know that field out by Fluttershy's place?"
"Well duh, what about it?"
"Meet me there around eight tomorrow night, we can hang out then, alright? I promise I'll be there but I'm really busy right now so."
"Oh, yeah sure I can do that. I guess I'll see you there then?"
"You know it!" You say as she waves, starting to fly away. You turn towards the library again but stop a few steps later and turn back to see her now a good distance away.
"Love you!" You yell. In the distance she turns around to face you yelling, "You too!"
With your gift in hand, you finish your journey to the library, marching your way through the snow. Once you're inside the library, you quickly rush upstairs, not even taking the time to wave to Twilight who gives you a confused look as you rush past her.
You make your way into your room and close the door behind you. Throwing off your coat, you place the frame and note onto your desk next to your bed. You pull up a chair and grab a quill from the drawer.
You unfold the paper, reading the front for what must be the hundredth time. It had been months since you'd first read it, and you still read it almost daily. Flipping it over with a smile, you dip the quill in ink and begin writing your own message on the opposite side.
A few minutes later, you place the pen down and look over your work. You set down the paper to let it dry for a few minutes before quickly slipping it into the frame. You place it into your backpack with the other supplies for tomorrow night, and lay back on your bed with a smile on your face.
This was going to be the best Christmas ever.
With a grunt you drop the rest of the firewood you'd collected from the forest down in the pile of sticks and branches. You brush away the snow from around the campsite and place some stones around the wood. Once the stones are set you walk over and take a box of matches out of your bag.
Taking a single match out of the box, you light it and toss it into the pile. You begin to kindle the fire when you hear the familiar sound of hooves marching through the snow.
Without turning around, you can already tell who it is.
"Merry Christmas." You say happily, still facing the fire.
"Happy Hearth's Warming." A scratchy voice says as it's owner approaches your side. By now the fire is starting to roar, much to your pleasure.
"So, why'd you call me out here." She says, sitting down on the blanket next to you and leaning her head on your shoulder.
"Look up." You say, pointing at the sky. "You spend so much time up there, but how often do you just stop and look? It's so beautiful out here, nothing like earth."
"No kidding... " She says as she continues to look up.
"That sky is the second most beautiful thing out here." You say with a quick chuckle. You receive a light punch to the shoulder and a laugh from Rainbow as well.
"C'mon, you don't have to try and make me feel good." She says as she shifts her position next to you.
"I only tell the truth, and I mean it." You says as you slowly reach for your bag without her noticing. You shuffle around in it before pulling out the frame. "Now, I know you said you didn't want anything but..." You explain as you place the frame on her lap.
"What's this?" She asks, tilting the frame towards the fire to be able to read it. "Why's there writing on the other side? I can see it through the paper..."
"Remember that note you gave to me on the train?" You reply with a sly grin. "Well, I've been reading that so much and it always brings me some amazing memories of the time we've spent together. So, I responded to your note so that you can enjoy just like I did. Go ahead, read it."
"Ok, let me see..." She says, trying to get the right lighting.
"Dear Rainbow Dash. For the past nine or ten months, my life has taken a complete turn for the better. The day I read your letter, was the day I knew that my life would change forever, and I couldn't be happier. I always thought that my life here in Equestria would never be as good as it could have been on earth, but looking back at it now, I wouldn't trade my life now for anything that earth could ever offer. You've shown me the joy of life and without the others and especially you, I have no idea where I would be right now. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. Love you."
Rainbow reads the entire letter out loud, her voice getting quieter as she goes on. Her voice starts to crack near the end, and you notice a drop of water land on the glass of the picture frame.
But it isn't raining.
"I-I..." She says before breaking down into your side, soaking your coat and even your shirt. You wrap your arms around her back and stare into the fire ahead of you feeling both it's warmth and the warmth coming from the girl currently pressing into your side.
"I love you too." She finally says, almost in a whisper.
"Merry Christmas..." You say with a small chuckle, ruffling up her hair.
"H-Happy Hearth's Warming."
Author's Note
Bonus points if you get the reference in the chapter name (Hint: referring to one of my favorite Christmas stories)
