The Gift of the Magi

by The Wizard of Words

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Twilight Sparkle, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Romance
Length: 11437

Rainbow Dash and Twilight give each other the most important gift of all on Hearth's Warming Eve. In the end, it's the little things that matter most.

Hearth's Warming Eve is a night of magic throughout Equestria. From young fillies to weathered ponies, every soul finds their own magic in the blissful night. But while some receive their blessings in ways they had wished and hoped for, others come across the magic in ways they never prepared for.

Based on the short story "The Gift of the Magi"
Cover art by My-little-Brony
Edited now by Shadowsreached!

Published 2012-07-24 04:14:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-24 04:14:02 UTC

On Hearth's Warming Eve

Manehattan is a town like no other. It does not have the stuck up sense of society like Canterlot, the relaxing and peaceful ways of Ponyville, late night activities of Las Pegasus, or even the undying amount of social equality that belonged to Stalliongrad. The ponies who called this brick city their home enjoyed it for the crowded domain they kept themselves in, never walking two trots without running into another pony they could carry a conversation with. From dawn to dusk and night till day, there was always a pony on the streets of Equestria’s largest city.

On this particular night, the cold of winter chilled the cities night air. Specks of snow danced together as they fell from the carefully constructed clouds high above. The ground below was illuminated only by the street lamps dotting the roads, offering small amounts of warmth to those waiting patiently underneath, while other sections of the sidewalk were illuminated by the lights and displays of various stores that lined the frigid street.

Manehattan is a crowded city, and nothing filled the streets longer or faster quite like a celebration.

Hearth’s Warming Eve always did bring out the crowds.

Mares and stallions huddled close to one another as they trotted through the night air, content with one another’s warmth as they perused the warm and inviting displays of stores. They talked quietly to one another, thinking as one, of events that would pass the next day, the month, and eventually come by the next year.

Fillies and colts eagerly ran from one display to the next, pressing their hooves and muzzles to the cold glass as they ogled the goods and gems that sat just out of their reach. Childish giggles and cheers filled the night air as the youths were given promises of gifts tomorrow or rewards in the future from their parents and caretakers.

Even the elderly found reason to venture into the cold night. Ponies who had reached the final stretch of their satisfied lives sat on the wooden benches lining the side walks, content to watch the crowds and think of younger days when they would look to stores or care for their own young. Lovers of old would lay their heads upon one another, letting the heat of their conjoined coats battle off the soft chill of falling snow.

But for all the dreams, promises, and memories that flowed through Manehattan, there were always the few who could only do just that. They didn’t have the opportunity to achieve their dreams, the ability to hold to promises for the future, or have a lot to fondly look back upon.

One such pony this accounted for, one such mare, flew overhead the lights of the city, hidden high above the clouds of snow.

Despite the strength her wings clearly showed with each powerful stroke, she traveled at a pace far slower than she was capable of. The air was too cold for her to allow it to strike her eyes. Even if she descended to the slightly warmer ground below, the flakes of snow would cloud her vision too fast for her to possibly manage.

She was stuck flying at a glide’s pace.

The seconds counted down in her head as she slowly began to descend through the dark blanket of clouds, leaving the illumination of the moon and stars behind. She shut her eyes in mid descent, protecting the fragile orbs from damage as she worked through the falling snow. Her pace quickened to a recognizable rate, at which point she flapped her wings in the opposite direction, immediately slowing her descent.

As she reduced herself to hovering in the air, she opened her eyes to scan the buildings beneath her. Even in just a still hover, she had to squint to avoid the frozen drops from blowing into her eyes. She couldn’t afford to risk damaging them.

Said eyes caught the familiar landmark of an alicorn statue and she took off in flight again towards it, though at a pace even slower than what she had above the cloud cover. Before long, she came to the stone streets below her, letting her hooves clop as they made contact with the ground.

Her precious wings folded themselves onto her back almost instantly, creating a protective, and warm, layer above her coat. The mare trotted only a few paces down the street before turning into an unlit alleyway. She followed the path more out of intuition than sight, as the cloud covered night offered little to help her maneuver.

With just a few more turns the pegasus stood before a small and rather humble house, its door lit only by a single flickering light above it. She knocked each of her hooves lightly against the wall of the house, freeing the stuck pieces of snow and dirt which had built up during her travels. Satisfied, she pushed on the knob and opened the door.

The first thing to hit her senses was the warm air that rushed past her, bristling her coat and causing the mare to bite down a content sigh. She quickly trotted into the inviting heat, closing the door with a quick push of her wing. Out of the frigid night air at last, she scrapped her hooves against the mat just beneath her, brushing off anything her kicks to the wall hadn’t initially knocked off.

Her eyes looked back up as she stepped forward and through her home. The walls around her were of a fading tan color, painted long ago and unmaintained since then. Very little decorated them except a few framed photos, pieces of memorabilia, and a little light fixture to make sure she didn’t run snout first into anything. Coming to another small door, one that appeared to be slightly ajar, she paused only momentarily before outstretching a foreleg to push it open. She welcomed the sight that met her pink eyes.

A mare lay curled on top of a small pillow, a size or two too small for her clearly adult body. Her lavender frame sat close to the fireplace, letting the controlled flames warm her coat. Thinly framed glasses hung from the bridge of her nose as she peered down at a book on the floor, engrossed in what she was reading. An absently minded hoof stroked the violet hues of her mane as she continued to stare at the book below her. Her horn flickered as she turned a page, having yet to notice the mare who had intruded on her.

The pegasus smiled lightly to herself as she observed the mare on the floor for just a moment longer, simply letting herself watch as her friend enjoyed her quite reading time in peace. Then, trotting forwards a bit, she cleared her throat before speaking. “Hey Twi.”

The lavender unicorn looked up with a wide smile at the cyan pegasus. A quick flash of lilac hued magic and the unicorn’s book was closed and moved aside.

“Rainbow, I’m glad your home,” the mare stated with honest joy as she rose to greet her friend. “It’s getting cold out there. I lit the fire place to make sure you came back to a warm home.”

“Yeah, thanks for that.” The pegasus in turn spoke, though with fatigue lacing her voice. “Gotta say, it was rough work outside tonight. You wouldn’t believe the amount of details they wanted satisfied in cloud covering. Precipitation amounts, cumulonimbus formations, dispersion times…” The lavender unicorn gave a small, but precious, giggle at her friend’s justified complaints.

“Oh Dash,” Twilight spoke as she nuzzled her head against the multicolored mane of the pegasus. “They just wouldn’t be able to get it all done without you.”

“I know, right? The fastest pegasus in all of Equestria and I’m still getting only half the shifts that I should.” From either exhaustion or annoyance, the pegasus lowered herself onto the floor, content to let the warm wood beneath her slowly bite away at the frigid cold that still clung to her coat. Twilight followed her to the ground mutely.

“Work harder than any other pony, get my work done better too, and I still don’t even get enough bits to rent an apartment.” Dash splayed her hoofs in front of her, looking as unrefined as nature allowed for a pegasus. Her lavender friend only nuzzled her close as she hooked a foreleg around the tired cyan mare.

“Hey, it’s alright,” she spoke quietly into her friend’s ear. “We have enough to live off of between the two of us. We have a place to sleep, wood to keep us warm, and enough food to feed ourselves.” Her hoof began to absently stroke the rainbow mane of her friend.

“I’m sorry Twi’, I’m being a grouch again,” the cyan pegasus mumbled into the floor, earning only a very feminine laugh from the unicorn holding her close.

“We all have those days.”

“Even on Hearth’s Warming Eve?” The bite in those words was obvious, one which gave Twilight pause.

“Well… I guess we do,” she relented at last. The unicorn let her head fall softly onto her friends back, closing her eyes as she listened for the gentle drumming of a heartbeat before continuing. “I’m not going to lie and say we have the perfect life. You work your tail off on every shift you get at the weather control. I take every tutoring job that I can with the foals from the orphanage. We may not have a lot to show for it… and barely anything but each other to our names. But, you know what?”

Rainbow turned her head against the floor, letting her gaze drift to the eyes of her marefriend. “What?”

“That’s enough for me tonight.”

Any words Dash had left her mind vanished.

It was true. She wished she had more to show for her work, trying each and every day to make herself worth more to the world. But in the end, whom was she trying to impress? The ponies around her? The princesses above her? No, the answer was obvious.

She wanted the mare at her side to care for her, to look at her with all the adoration Dash already had for her. The cyan pegasus let out a small chuckle at the thoughts that crossed her mind.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight asked.

“Nothing,” she returned, rolling onto her side. Twilight kept herself on top of Dash, hooves pushing against the feather of her wings. The pegasus didn’t mind, she knew better than any pony how careful the unicorn was with her well-being. Instead, she curled herself into a ball around the mare, surrounding her vision in purple.

“You’re warm,” she murmured pleasurably into Twilight’s side. She felt a laugh vibrate through her muzzle.

“Lying next to a fire for a couple of hours will do that to you.”

Dash heard the unicorn’s horn light up as her magic began to unfold. She turned her head with an absent eye to watch what Twilight was doing. The familiar aura surrounded the framed glasses over her eyes. They were carefully levitated to a nearby table, folded, and put away safely. “You’ve had those things for a while now.”

The unicorn turned back to Dash, still careful with her hooves on the pegasus’s precious wings.

“I can’t read without them, and I… we can’t afford to replace them.”

“Right.” Dash turned her head again against the lavender coat of the mare, earning a small ticklish laughter from the mare. Her pink eyes settled on a bookshelf against a wall, just across from the fireplace, safely out of the flames’ reach.

“Haven’t you already read all those books, like, three times over?” The unicorn’s sigh was caught between dejected and content.

“Four times actually, but I hear the fifth makes you relive the magic.”

“You need new books.”

“Maybe, but not before you get goggles.”

“That would be nice…” she muttered absently into the lavender coat again, enjoying the way she made the unicorn shiver with laughter. But… there was something odd about that declaration…

“Wait… how did you know I wanted goggles?”

“A little bit of research, and a few calculations,” Twilight stated as if she had prepared for this question. “You work on average no more than forty miles from our home, give or take a couple miles on any given day or night. You can fly faster than the speed of sound, which is 340.2 meters per second.” Rainbow groaned, already knowing where the unicorn was going with this. She would swear on her grave she felt Twilight grin.

“Converting the miles to meters shows you never really work outside a minute or two flight from our home, but you always take much longer after your shifts end. It means you spend more of your time flying slowly to ensure that you protect you eyes from the cold air and wind.”

“Yeah… well… Luna, I wish I didn’t ask.” Dash’s head vibrated with Twilight’s rolling laughter.

“You are just too cute not to tease.” She felt the unicorn gently unfurl one of her wings, stroking the bones and pinions with practiced ease and grace. A small groan of comfort came from the mare as the unicorn continued her work. Her magic and hooves carefully massaged and relaxed the muscles in the fragile limbs, letting them lax in her grip and fall to the cyan mare’s side. But Twilight wasn’t done yet.

Wing extended across the floor, the unicorn set to the extremely delicate art of preening. Her horn and magic worked wonders for straightening and grooming the precious and intimate parts of the pegasus. She aligned them each in uniform order, cleaning off the spare traces of filth that managed to lodge themselves between the feathers. Dash only grunted and moaned in content.

“I love your wings,” the unicorn spoke through her pleasurable chore. “Their structure, their grace, their power, and most importantly, the mare who uses them.”

“Y-You're just trying to get me to blush.”

“Did it work?” The pegasus shut her eyes.

“…Yeah.” She savored the laughter that made its way through the lavender unicorn again.

“Take a nap Dash,” she instructed the cyan pegasus in her hooves. “I’ll wake you before midnight. Promise.”

Rainbow Dash needed little convincing that she should rest. Working on the weather in the cold combined with Twilight’s no less than perfect massage and preening was all the preparation she needed.

“M’kay, but I’m gonna hold you to waking me up. Can’t sleep through midnight on Hearth’s Warming Eve.” The pegasus begrudgingly got up from the floor, already regretting leaving the warmth of the unicorn behind. Still, if she could squeeze in an hour or two before the night’s finale with her marefriend, it definitely would not be regretted.

“I’ll just be a couple of hours. Don’t forget to wake me up.”

“Of course not Rainbow.”

Satisfied, the cyan pegasus trotted out of the room to the single bedroom just across the hall. When the unicorn heard the door shut, she let out a breath of relief. Craning her neck back, Twilight lit her horn, causing several things to happen at once.

First, a violet hued glow surrounded the flames in the fireplace, robbing the fire of its precious oxygen and dwindling them down into charred logs and embers. Her magic then grasped a coat on the wall opposite of her, beside the fireplace. It fit snuggly against her form, truthfully a size too small, but still more than capable of keeping her warm. Lastly, her old violet glasses were levitated onto the bridge of her nose, giving her perfect vision of the world around her once again.

‘Shame I didn’t get into that Gifted Unicorn school. I would be able to do so much more.’ The lavender unicorn gave a curt sigh before shaking her head. No use dwelling on what no longer could be. Her hooves clicked as she entered the scarcely decorated hallway of her home. From just behind the opposite wall, she already heard Dash snoring in her sleep, knocked out from a tiring days work.

She had to time this right.

She had maybe an hour at most to get a present, then some spare minutes to wrap it in silence. Her entire plan hinged on remaining silent, stealthy, and above all else, out of Dash’s sight and ears. She checked the pocket of her coat to see the amount she had to spend.

Twenty bits.

“Okay, it’s time.” With a triumphant pose, the unicorn prepared to leave her home. Determination filled her mind as she lit her horn and opened the door which led into the cold.

“Time to get Rainbow Dash a gift!”

Twenty minutes later, Twilight could be found trotting with briskness down the streets of Manehattan. Her wide lavender eyes searched almost desperately for something that Dash would both appreciate and enjoy. It may be the thought that counts, but that didn’t mean the unicorn would feel any better a month from now if she saw her gift disregarded in the corner of one of their rooms. She had to be careful with her gift.

‘Not a dress.’ Twilight reminded herself as she passed a stall selling rather ornate gowns. ‘Wouldn’t have the bits for it anyway. She doesn’t want anything frilly, girly, or above all else, meant just for looks. Dash would want something with a purpose that she would use daily.’ For the umpteenth time, the lavender unicorn reminded herself of this.

She passed a well-lit store carrying diamonds and gems of large sizes and many shapes, all glowing under the artificial light they were displayed beneath.

“Not enough bits,” Twilight muttered to herself. “No use to Dash anyways.”

The unicorn passed another stall advertised flying gear for all ages of pegasi. Waterproof, lightening resistant, and completely aerodynamic.

“Not enough bits!” the mare muttered again. “And one of those would have been perfect.”

One of the last stores on the street passed her gaze. It sold pillows of increasingly well designed shapes and sizes. They were built for pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, fillies… and couples.

“Not enough bits!” Twilight hissed as she passed the store with a downcast head. “Argh!”

For a moment, the mare thought it a fool’s errand. There was nothing she could get her beloved marefriend this close to Hearth’s Warming Day with the few amount of bits she had. Deals were finishing up as goods reached their final amounts, other desperate and curious couples buying the items with much more than she had to offer. The odds were far more than just against her.

Begrudgingly, she turned her lavender coat back to home, disappointment thick in her mind.

Then she saw it.

Just behind a thin layer of glass, her eyes fell on a pristine set of goggles. It was colored blue and outlined with jagged yellow lines, no doubt an attempt to look similar to a lightning bolt. The glasses were coned perfectly for aerial flight, concave and, most likely, magically induced to prevent or even repel precipitation from collecting along its frames. A thick layer of elastic material connected around both ends of the goggles, a pure white that would doubtlessly lose itself in the snow.

They were perfect. Rainbow Dash could wear them any season of the year. The major blue matched her coat and the lightening strikes made it appear as if it were designed for a Wonderbolt. Her pegasus friend would be more than thrilled. Twilight moved for the shop, horn lighting as she gave the door a gentle push.

Once inside, she stopped to look around. Although she hadn’t given it much thought from the street, the shop was clearly meant for pawning. Trinkets of varying uses sat on shelves high and low, collected more by size and shape than intended purpose. A microwave sat close to a television and a stroller lay against a barren wall with a bicycle just in front of it. There wasn’t a single price tag on any object.

The mare bit her lip as she walked up and surveyed the goggles. She had so little to spend, and most likely wouldn’t have enough, but she had to ask. If Celestia be willing, they may still be on some sort of sale.

Twilight turned, searching for the owner of the store. Her eyes fell on a brown stallion in the back, eyes down on the counter, reading a paper of some sort. His eyes were a striking shade of emerald green and his mane was white as the snow outside. The unicorn trotted nervously upwards, careful not to upset the stallion, for whatever reason possible.

“Excuse me,” Twilight spoke, earning the attention of the old stallion behind the desk.

“Why hello Miss, how can I help you?”

Any sense the lavender mare had for being shooed out of the store before vanished into the cold night of winter outside.

“I actually had a question about one of your goods.” The mare rotated slightly as she extended a hoof back towards the door she came in from. “How many bits for the pair of goggles in the window?”

The stallion moved his gaze to the object in question. His eyes gave a squint as if he was unable to see the object from his line of view. The lavender mare thought for a moment he truly couldn’t.

“That’s an old piece,” he began before returning his gaze to the unicorn. “Been in here for a while now, but still kept in good enough shape for the Wonderbolts to wear.” He raised a foreleg and brought out a calculator, the tips of his hoof punching numbers that Twilight couldn’t see.

“So… is it expensive?” the mare ventured tentatively.

“I’m afraid so,” he spoke in return, a sigh rolling off his lips. His hooves removed themselves from the desk as his emerald eyes peered at the calculator. “I’d say no less than fifty bits.”

“F-F-Fifty Bits?” Twilight repeated the number nervously, one foreleg stroking the other.

“Yep, no less than that. Bought it from a young stallion no older than you about a year back. Cost me forty-nine bits then. It’s not good business to sell something for less than what you bought it for.” That did make sense, actually. It would be like working for less than what you needed to live off of.

“Oh…” the lavender unicorn spoke dejectedly. “Okay, I understand. Thank you for your time.” Turning on her hooves, Twilight made for the door, thinking of what she could say to Rainbow when she got back home for Hearth’s Warming tomorrow.

“Wait.”

Twilight’s ears perked up as she turned back around.

“I… I can tell you need that for a friend of yours, am I right?” The unicorn nodded nervously. “And I’m also going to guess you don’t have much to spend at all.” With far more reluctance, the mare nodded once again. The stallion sighed from behind the counter. He jumped off whatever platform he stood on, and walked around the table to approach the mare.

“Well… as poor business as it would be to sell that set of goggles for less than I bought it for, it wouldn’t be good for my heart if I told you no on today of all days.” He saw the shimmer of light shine bright as the sun in Twilight’s eyes.

“Now hold on, I’m not saying I can give it to you for however much you have.” Instead of disappointment, the unicorn gave a look of confusion.

“Then… what are you asking?”

The brown stallion gave a small shrug before answering. “A trade. You give me something of yours that matches the value of those goggles, and I’ll let you have the goggles free of charge or purchase.”

That did seem fair to the unicorn, and a far better deal than she would have gotten in almost any other store in the city. However, it did leave one rather distressing matter …

“That’s… but… I-I don’t think I have much to of-” Her hoof raised to straighten her glasses.

Her glasses.

Twilight eyed the shades as they sat on the bridge of her nose. Their condition was solid, in excellent working order, very pleasant on the eyes, and most importantly, the only thing on her she didn’t require. At least, not as much as a winter coat.

“H-How about my glasses?” she offered to the earth pony, extending them forward with a small spark of her magic.

The pawnshop owner eyed them carefully. His sharp emerald eyes looked over every detail about them, from color, to shape, to bends, and any possible damages. When he took them in his hooves, Twilight released her magic, letting her precious shades fall into the possession of a complete stranger.

“Well Ms.…”

“Twilight.”

“Ms. Twilight,” the stallion began again, “these are in excellent condition, and I can easily assure you that this would be a fair trade for those goggles.” Twilight grinned like a maniac. “However…” Her smiled vanished.

“Are you sure you want to make this trade?”

That was an excellent question. This stallion was full of all kinds of wisdom.

Dash had been making due without a set of goggles. Twilight, however, needed her glasses to read anything. That was what she did when there was no work to be done, and with school currently out of session, there wasn’t much work at all. Was this really a fair trade? Could she give up this privilege for Dash?

She nodded her head.

It was just for a short while. If she saved her bits, she could get a new set of glasses, one that would compliment the goggles. This was here and now. If she didn’t get those goggles for Rainbow tonight, they’d have less meaning any other day throughout the year. She had to do this.

“Yes, please,” she stated to confirm her choice.

The brown stallion gave a bright smile to her in return.

“Alright then, wait here just a moment.” The storeowner gently sat Twilight’s glasses on the counter top. His hooves clicked against the ground as he made his way over to the desired pair of goggles, lifting them carefully to his eyes for inspection. Just as he had done for Twilight’s framed lens, the storeowner began to review every ounce of detail the thicker protective sheets of glass offered. His emerald eyes looked above, around, inside, and out of every detail they possessed. The unicorn waited patiently with near giddy excitement.

Before she knew it, the stallion was back behind the desk, a smile only a degree below Twilight’s across his own muzzle. Setting the goggles over a sheet of paper, he began to expertly wrap the frames together, completely concealing the object that lay within, and far more importantly, making it harder for the imagination to picture. The lavender unicorn knew how much Dash loved surprises, at least the pleasant ones.

“And here you are, gift-wrapped as a courtesy for the customer.” The unicorn’s magic lifted the package up to her eyes.

The wrapping was a silvery blue, not unlike the coat and sky her mare loved to fly in, and knotted expertly with an outstanding rainbow bow. The unicorn chuckled quietly at the play on her words.

Rainbow Dash would love it, inside and out.

“Thank you… Thank you so much.”

“Any time my dear mare. Have a warm and fulfilling Hearth’s Warming Day.”

Twilight flashed the owner a smile before walking back out of the store with far more energy than she had went in with. She fully believed she would be able to live up to those words.

“Twi’?”

Just moments after the pegasus heard a shutting door, the mare was up and out of the bed. It didn’t take much investigation to know that the unicorn had just walked out of their home. The fire was extinguished, her coat was gone, and her glasses were missing .

A moment of panic swept over Dash.

‘Twi’ wouldn’t just leave, would she?’ The cyan pegasus asked as she began to pace slightly, her hooves pattering nervously against the floor.

‘I-I mean there really isn’t any good reason for her to leave or anything. It’s not like she’s… got a stallion friend waiting for her… Or she got an opportunity to work in Canterlot… Or she doesn’t love you anymore… or… or...’ Every thought made the pegasus’s mind spin further and further out of control, worries and fears of failure mounting on her faster than she could expect.

Her eyes looked frantically about the room, searching for anything Twilight may have done to give her a message. No letters, no notes, no misplaced items. Her pink eyes hysterically searched again hoping with all her heart the lavender mare had a reason for leaving her tonight, so close to Hearth’s Warming day, alone in their shared home.

At the reminder of the day, something almost magical clicked the pegasus’s mind.

‘She left to get a gift?’ Dash wanted to buck herself.

‘Dang it Sparkle! I don’t need a gift tonight!’ she shouted into her mind, suppressing a very real urge to shout.

“We agreed we didn’t need anything, that we couldn’t afford anything!” Her urge to yell was becoming more and more apparent as her thoughts began to gain a voice.

“You stupid mare! What makes you think I’ll enjoy you giving me something when I got you nothing!” And the shout make a successful appearance.

Rainbow Dash took several tense deep breaths as the remaining warmth of the extinguished fire began to leave the small living room. Her wings, which were flared at her sides, slowly receded onto her back again, attempting to preserve the little warmth her coat provided.

“Okay… Okay…” Dash spoke in a calming manner to herself. “Keep a level head Dash. Twilight’s left to get a gift. She probably saved a few bits from the job. No surprise there.” She turned her head into her coat as she gently mumbled to herself one last detail. “Probably has been planning this for weeks.”

Knowing the purple mare, such an idea was far from fantasy, and even further distance from fiction, the cyan pegasus’s two favorite genres for reading. But she couldn’t think on her favorite novels right now. There was a far more distressing thought on her mind.

‘If Twilight is giving me a gift… I have to get one for her.’

As she had done far too many times before in her short life, Dash reacted without thinking.

Grabbing just her coat from its hanger, the pegasus left home, closing the door behind her.

She was in the shopping district in ten seconds flat. But it took her another ten minutes to realize something.

Rainbow Dash had little money, little time, and little idea what to get Twilight.

“This should be easy,” Dash muttered to herself as he passed yet another store with dead lights, the owner no doubt returning home for an evening with his or her own family. Her pink eyes looked up to eye a clock tower. The analog hooves told her all that she needed to know.

“Eleven o’clock,” she spoke with a grunt, eyes looking for any shop that wasn’t already closed for the night. “Figures the moment I try and do this the world conspires against me.”

The cyan mare flexed a wing as she trotted further down the road, careful about her feathers getting too loose as the cold air pierced her exposed coat. Flying was her life, and she needed to go fast, but she couldn’t keep track of every item in the stores if she flew at breakneck speeds. Then again, she had to find an open store first, and preferably one with a gift her mare friend would enjoy.

The answer to what the unicorn could want was obvious.

“She’ll want a book,” Dash reminded herself for the tenth time in eleven minutes. “Something she hasn’t read before, and probably something that’s long too. Has to be in depth. Nothing juvenile or pre-filly centered.”

Her pink eyes continued to search the unopened stores, nearly debating about breaking in and leaving the bits for a gift now. She felt a small tug in her heart though when her eyes landed on a familiar store. Personally, she had only gone in once or twice with Twilight, but the unicorn herself had dabbled inside the store nearly every week since their move into the city. However, just like every store on the block, its lights were off and door shut.

The bookstore was closed.

“Oookay…” the pegasus spoke through a drawn out sigh. “If I can’t get a book, maybe a pillow. She’s too big for that pillow by the fireplace, but I’ll never be the mare to tell her that.” Rainbow unintentionally winced at the memory of the unicorn’s last bout of anger. “I could get her a nice fluffy one, big enough to sleep on when she pulls those reading marathons.”

The idea was shot down like an pegasus foal with a clipped wing when she saw the pillow store also closed, this one having a protective metal grating pulled over the soft and fluffy goods inside. The pegasus almost swore out loud.

“Fine, fine… then I guess I might be able to find a new set of glasses?” Her pink eyes scanned every store in sight, already half way to knowing that the one eyeglasses store would be shut in as well as any other by now.

The mare’s expectations were not disappointed to see a shop with unlit lights showcasing dozens of optical lenses of varying shapes and sizes. The disappointment came regardless, however, when her own perfectly fine eyes lay on the price tags of the frames. She would have needed her wings to fly away fast enough from them. The pegasus chose instead to preserve her heat and trot away with a muffled curse.

“There’s gotta be something, anything!” The mare turned a corner and felt her hopes rise.

At the far end of the street, just visible through the falling snow, was the sight of a lit up building.

Dash’s hooves kicked the snow-covered ground as she made a gallop for the store. Late as it was, and with her current string of luck, it wouldn’t surprise the pegasus at all to see the lights turn off the second she reached the entrance. As her hooves settled outside the store, breaths leaving her in large gasps, she was greeted with a warm and inviting glow that didn’t shut itself off.

Her snout pressed against the front door as she pushed her way inside. Once inside the store, she began to scan around for just what the store had to offer. As it turned out, a little of everything. Pots, pans, marbles, jewelry, posters, lights, microwaves, and televisions scattered the room. Problem was, with so much around her, she didn’t know where to start looking.

That’s when Dash’s pink eyes fell on a brown coated earth pony in the back of the store, eyes down on the desk he worked at. The rainbow mane pegasus trotted towards him, hopeful that he would be able to help her. When she reached the desk, just a few hooves length away from the pony, she cleared her throat and spoke.

“Hey, um…” Dash began nervously, hooves shuffling beneath her as the earth pony behind the counter looked to her. She had to say something else, she knew that much. Ask him for help, tell him the situation, request aid.

“Late night?” She forced her leg to stay on the ground; else she put her snow-covered hoof to her face.

“Definitely,” he responded back easily. Rainbow let out an inaudible sigh of relief. Her fears of being brushed away by some stubborn pony dissipated like the fog of early morning.

“That’s cool, I, ah, guess you made some sales then?”

“Indeed I have, but the night is not done yet. And there are always young mares like yourself looking for a last minute gift.” Said mare didn’t know if she should cheer to a goddess for his dedication or buck him in the mouth for the insult. Thankfully, she ended with the former.

‘Thank you Celestia in Canterlot! The pegasi all but screamed aloud.

“Yeah! That’s right. I need to get a gift, a super rad gift for a super awesome friend of mine.”

“Excellent then, do you have any idea what you would be looking for?”

The list came in her mind again like a flash. Her principle thought was of the first and most important item.

“A book!” she almost shouted at the brown-coated stallion. “A big and long book that would keep an egghead busy for a good long while. Lots of depth and all that stuff.”

“Quite specific are we? I’m guessing the gift is for this… egghead friend of yours.” Dash couldn’t help the stupid grin that spread across her face.

“Yeah. She’s a real bookworm. Read every book we have in our home three, no, four times over now. She really needs… she deserves to have something new to read.” It wasn’t until Dash’s pink eyes fell on the sharp green irises of the shopkeeper did she realize she was almost drooling in memory. To her relief the stallion only chuckled at her expression.

“Well I’d have to agree she sounds like she needs a good book. I might have something in here to offer her actually.” Dash watched the stallion hop down from his chair and walk around the counter top. She followed just behind him as he walked back down the aisle she had come from. He stopped with a turn of his head, raising a hoof to an object resting on its side.

At first glance, Dash though it was just a box. It didn’t have a spine, pages, or anything else that even she knew made a book. But then she saw a title printed with great detail across the outside of it. With a questioning voice, she spoke what she read.

“The Stallion of the Rings, by J.R.R. Trotkien?” Her gaze returned to the stallion, emerald eyes looked back at her with a smile on his muzzle. “Sounds like a board game.”

“That is just a box. Inside the box is a collection of four separate books, not just one,” the shopkeeper began to explain, hoof on top of the item. “Each novel is a well written and incredibly detailed journey, one leading into the next. In the fantasy genre, Mr. Trotkien dedicated a large portion of his life building the entire world of Middle Equestria, the land in which this takes place. It has character depth, story progression, entire fictional languages, cultures, and economic systems inside of it.”

“Whoa…” Dash weakly let out. That kind of detail, even she’d think about giving the book a go. But the stallion wasn’t finished yet.

“They’re currently starting the filming on them in fact. This collection was released actually released some time ago, but only in limited amount. I’d stake half my stock that none of the books inside have been read before.”

“That’s… awesome!” Dash’s wings flared in excitement. “So how much for them?” With a bright smile, the stallion spoke his price.

“Seventy bits.”

Her heart dropped with her wings. It didn’t feel much better than exploding.

“W-Wha?” Dash’s hooves felt weak at the price of what she now deemed a perfect gift for Twilight. Roughly seven times higher than the amount of bits she had to her name.

“I apologize if the price is a bit high, but this is a rare collection, being in mint condition to boot.” The brown-coated pony brought all hooves back to the floor as he returned his gaze to Rainbow Dash.

“I… um…” the pegasus began with a scuff of her hoof. “I don’t have that much…”

“I see…” The stallion trailed off. Dash’s eyes fell to the floor in embarrassment. Maybe she should just ask for the cheapest thing in the store before running away with her tail between her legs. Having those eyes look down on her felt like failing the Junior Speedsters all over again.

“I do have… a possible solution.” The mare let her wings flare in hope.

“I believe I made a similar bargain with another customer of mine not too long ago.” His hoof traced the boxed books carefully, eyeing them with his striking emerald eyes.

“This is a pawn shop, as I’m sure you have put together.” The mare nodded. “Then you should know that I carry what I can with the hopes that it will sell. These books have been here for quite some time, and I don’t think I’ll be gaining a profit on them anytime soon.”

“So I get them for free?” The stallion’s laughter was answer enough. Dash’s wings sunk slightly at the sound.

“No, no, sorry but no. My mind was more in tune with a trade, to be honest.”

“A trade?”

“Yes, of course. If you have anything on yourself you feel is of equal value to this collection, I’ll gratefully exchange the items, and we’ll have a concluded transaction.”

That brought the pegasus to a stop.

“Um… I don’t… have anything.”

“Really? Nothing at all?” Somehow his questions felt like back-hoofed curiosities.

“N-No… just my jacket, a few bits, and the wings on my baaaa…” Her voice trailed off as she let her pink eyes settle on her cyan appendages. They were flared outwards, showing off their muscular structure. A few flakes of snow still littered the otherwise flawless feathers, but it was lost as her mind began to work.

The feathers of a pegasus were a rare commodity to have. Though a pegasus would shed annually to prepare a coat for the coming spring, the feathers were usually discolored or gray from either lack of use or new growth. The few feathers that were still colorful and young were usually hoarded by the pegasi they came from, used to decorate homes or articles of clothing.

Like any part of the body, the feathers didn’t last long once they were severed from the minor nerve connections at their roots, and, like a rare item, having one was a sign of either privilege or luck. To even have a few young feathers from a pegasus wing was sometimes considered more valuable than personal visit with the Princesses of Canterlot.

Losing a few feathers didn’t impact the flight of a pegasus significantly but, for those who enjoyed the endurance and speed, their usual flying patterns would have to suffer. The amount of resistance and control was directly proportional to the amount of feathers in in the wings. The more feathers one had, the more air could be pushed and currents changed, and just the opposite for fewer feathers.

The conundrum was simple for Rainbow Dash.

She could give up a few of her feathers to pay for the books, and give Twilight the gift she really wanted for Hearth’s Warming Eve, but at the price of being unable to race across the sky in the way she so enjoyed.

‘I’m due for a molting sometime soon… Like a few months… I… I could lose a few feathers if it meant I could buy the books… Couldn’t I? She bit her lip with nervous intention at the thought.

‘C’mon! I-Its not like Twilight wouldn’t do this. She’d… she’d probably be throwing everything at the dude to get me the best present possible…’ That single thought would not leave her mind.

So hesitantly, nervously, and most definitely unsure, Rainbow Dash let her pink eyes met the emerald hued orbs of the stallion as she spoke her offer.

“Can… can I give you a few of my feathers?”

The question did a number on the stallion shopkeeper.

His eyes went wide at the idea, looking at both of her wings with his emerald eyes, white mane shaking back and forth as he did so. Dash heard him gulp nervously at the idea. She couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.

“Well…” he began, a sense of nervousness in his own voice. “I can assure you that… that that would be more than enough compensation for the collection.” The stallion was finally able to force himself to blink.

“Really? Awesome. Awesome!” Dash cheered, beating her wings enthusiastically.

“But… are you really okay with that?” Her wings stopped on a bit. “I do not mean to insult your intentions at all, but I have seen more than my fair share of pegasi and everyone of them cherished their wings. Only once every eclipse or two do I see young pegasi feathers being adorned. I may not be capable of flight myself, but I can at least assume that removing those… precious instruments from yourself must alter your ability to fly. Are you truly all right with that?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t know.

Flying was literally her name. Rainbow Dash. Able to fly at breakneck speeds, break the sound barrier, trail a rainbow outline, and clear the skies in ten seconds flat. That was just who she was. There was no way she’d have to give up all her feather’s to get those books, she knew that. But… but if she gave up just two, she wouldn’t be able to fight the sky like she loved to.

She would be forced to fly at moderate speeds, debatably slower than simply trotting down the street. No pushing the sound barrier, no pushing her limits, just smooth lethargic gliding.

For how long? Months at least. Not until her new growth came in with the new spring. Finding themselves in the apex of winter meant she had to exercise her patience for longer than she would ever have to before.

But… but it wasn’t forever. And it wasn’t like she could fly her fastest right now anyway. She’d have to wait until the skies warmed up and the snow cleared before she could start flying her best again anyway. A few feathers now for a gift that Twilight might just cherish all winter?

Yeah, that was worth it.

“I’m sure. Yeah, let’s do it,” Dash replied with a confident grin, nodding her head towards the stallion. Her aura must have been contagious, because the brown-coated storeowner soon found himself smiling in return.

“Very well. I’d say… four feathers would more than compensate for the collection, and I’ll even gift wrap it for you to boot. Is that a fair deal?

Dash wasn’t in the mood to bargain.

“Yeah, sounds fair.”

“Alright, whenever you are ready.” Unintentionally, the pegasus gulped.

Rainbow flared her right wing first, curling the appendage closer to her muzzle. Her snout brushed against the tip of each of her precious feathers, counting them in her head.

Twenty-four. She had twenty-four feathers under her one wing, and if Twilight’s long sessions of preening her wings were anything to go by, she had just as many on her left. Forty-eight feathers… soon to be forty-four. She bit her lip before she placed two of her feathers between her teeth. Clenching her eyes she counted down in her head.

‘3…2…1…Go!’

Dash bit back a tear.

She felt her wing spasm on her side as she held two of her cyan feathers in her mouth. It was so much easier during the molting season, when her feathers were already old or dead. This felt like tearing her mane out, literally.

‘T-That’s two, just t-two more.’ She gently deposited the two cyan feathers on the display next to the books, fully aware of the awe the stallion had for them. Her right wing clung itself to her side as she withdrew her left wing, holding it in the same manner as before. Dash took a few deep breaths before she put her muzzle into the feathers again.

‘3…2…1…Go!’

She produced two more feathers in her muzzle, as well as a few tears from her eyes. She placed them on the table.

“These are all in marvelous condition,” the stallion muttered as his hoof rubbed over the four cyan feathers on the display top. “I never thought in my days of business I would make an honest trade such as this.”

“Y-Yeah, yeah, it’s cool,” Dash muttered absently as she reached her hoof out for the books. She didn’t know what time it was, but it had be getting closer to midnight, and there was no way she was going to disappoint or worry Twilight.

She groaned as she stretched her hoof out, the muscles in her wings still recovering from the forced tear of the feathers. The storekeeper took notice immediately.

“Allow me,” The stallion spoke kindly to the mare, still wincing from the plucking of her wings.

Expertly, he balanced the collection on his back as he made his way to the counter, dropping the box onto it. His hooves unrolled a sheet of parchment twice the size of the container, and began to wrap with hoof and mouth. The ends of his hooves carefully bent and folded the paper over the box, hiding every detail the outer covering gave for the contents inside. Soon, nothing was visible but a paper-thin lavender shell.

Not yet finished, the stallion reached beneath his counter, grasping at something in his hoof before bringing it to the pegasus’s eyes. It was light pink star, six pointed and just as magnificent as a cutie mark Dash had grown comfortable imagining. The brown coated stallion pressed it over the collective folds of paper, hiding the only weak point in the carefully wrapped gift.

“Done. In both preparation and business.”

He pushed the wrapped gift across the counter top and towards the cyan mare. Carefully, she slid the precious cargo onto her back, balanced by her shut wings. Dash eyed the wrapped box with her pink eyes.

The paper was as violet as the eyes of the mare she adored, sparkling with glitter that held to the name sake of the unicorn it was meant for. There wasn’t a single crease on the paper that wasn’t meant to be there. And on top of it all was the six-pointed pink star that appeared almost tailor made for the gift’s recipient.

“It looks awesome.”

“Glad to hear you approve.” Dash returned her gaze to the stallion, who was smiling gently at her form across the counter.

“Thank you so much for this. I bet it’s going to make her night!”

“Never a problem my dear mare. It is just good business to make sure the customer leaves satisfied.”

“Oh I sure am.” Dash’s eyes wandered to the wall just behind the stallion, settling on a clock with its two hooves held high.

“Oh hay, I gotta go! Thanks again!” With her final words, the pegasus galloped from the store.

The storekeeper watched her leave, satisfied that he had made such a bargain only minutes away from the dawn of the new day. He stood from his counter, pacing once around the goods on display before making his way to the back. His hoof reached for a switch on the wall, looking kindly at the two new items added to his collection of wares.

“Good night and good luck.” The lights of the stores dimmed until they were gone.

Twilight opened the door to her home before shaking her form. The free snow fell from her jacked in bunches just outside the house’s entrance. The mare then stepped through and shut herself within, keeping the cold of winter outside. Her neatly wrapped present hovered carefully at her side, a small shield around it to keep the wet snow from dampening it.

She bit her tongue to keep herself from smiling too hard. It was perfect. Rainbow Dash was still asleep, midnight was still a solid ten minutes away, and with her present already neatly gift-wrapped the unicorn had time to prepare their small living room for the surprise.

‘Have to make sure I’m quiet for Dash.’ Twilight reminded herself. Her hooves tip-hoofed across the floor as she past the bedroom, ever careful to keep any noise from waking the sleeping pegasus inside. She could no longer hear a snore coming from beyond the wall, but a simple roll in the pegasus’s sleep would have moved her trachea and reduced the friction inside, fixing the problem. The unicorn marked it off and moved on.

The room was cold, as expected, with the flames long extinguished. Twilight quickly made way to the fireplace with a low bow of her head. A spark grew on the edge of her horn as she gently tapped it against the logs in the hearth. Flames quickly danced to life and their heat spread, the cold air fleeing from the embrace of the rising embers. The unicorn pulled her head back with practiced speed and grace, not a hair from her coat or mane tarnished.

“Fire, check.”

Twilight turned her attention to the very small collection of pillows in the room. Two to be exact. She reached out with her magic again, levitating the cushioning objects into the air. Her magic carefully contracted and expanded in intervals, fluffing the pillows hard enough to make them comfortable, but careful not to rip their already fragile seams. Cautiously, they were placed just outside the fire’s reach, plenty enough for the controlled flames to warm her coat.

“Pillows, check.”

Then her eyes fell to the last object on her short list, but needless to say, the very most important. Expertly wrapped, carefully chosen, and now, hopefully, ready to be presented.

“Gift… che-.”

Twilight froze as a sound outside reached her perked ears. She already knew the sound the very second it entered her eardrums, shaking the Incus and Malleus bones with vibrations.

Her front door just opened.

Cold fear settled in the pit of her stomach.

Who was coming through her front door? Dash was asleep, she was in the living room, and no other pony had access to their humble home. Was it a burglar? A thief? Some pony who wanted to take their things? Her teeth shook together before she clenched her jaw.

She lowered herself close the ground lighting her horn, the unicorn prepared a stunning spell for the intruder, ready and capable of defending herself.

The intruder’s hooves clicked across the floor as it entered the hall, oddly calm despite the clearly villainous intentions. The beating marched till just before the door, forcing the unicorn to flex every muscle in her boy else she bolt out of terror.

Slowly, the door to the room began to open, and Twilight’s horn shined as bright as the sun, hoping to scare away the intruder before any violence could occur. Then she saw the intruder.

The pony’s coat was blue with a mane of rainbow hues.

“D-Dash?” she stuttered over the name, surprised and confused at once. The mare only smiled in return.

“Hey Twilight!” the pegasus spoke, her smile blissfully ignorant of the stunning spell dying on the unicorn’s horn. “Looks like I made it just in time, huh?”

Twilight’s jaw moved dumbly at the pegasus. Wasn’t she supposed to be asleep? When did she ever leave the house, let alone wake up? And just in time, what did that mean? Did she know about her gift? Did Dash see her pick it up? That would ruin the entire surprise!

“Geez Twi’, you look like you saw a ghost. You okay?” Dash trotted forward and put a hoof on the unicorn’s side, forcing her from her thoughts.

“Y-Yes, I’m just… just surprised is all.” Twilight spoke as she tried to recover herself. “I was just a little terrified when I heard the front door open. I mean, weren’t you asleep?” The pegasus chuckled nervously under the unicorn’s questioning gaze.

“Yeah, about that…” Her gaze turned away from Twilight, moving around the room before twisting behind her back. Instead of reaching for the item she possessed, she turned instead, showing the unicorn the fruits of her instantaneous labor.

Twilight’s lavender eyes fell on the gift on the pegasus’s back.

“I… I woke up just after you left,” Dash started to explain. “Really I was terrified you left for… something else, but then I realized why you really left. Twi’ I’m definitely not the brightest pony in Manehattan, but that doesn’t mean I’m that thick. Did you really think I’d let you get me a present and I wouldn’t have to get you one?”

The unicorn heard the words, but didn’t comprehend their meaning. Her mind was too focused on the gift that sat on the mare’s back, perfectly wrapped in a paper that matched her form in color, name, and design. Sparkling lavender with a pink “star” for a sticker. It looked tailor made for her.

“Oh… Oh Rainbow.” Twilight felt tears growing in her eyes. “You… You really didn’t have to…”

“Bull horns,” the pegasus countered. “You deserve it, that much is obvious to any pony with two eyes and a brain.”

“O-Okay.” The unicorn relented, a hoof gracing over her eyes to rid herself of the joyful tears. “J-Just let me get yours now.” That said, Twilight focused her magic on the cyan wrapped gift that still sat on the table, pleasantly out of reach of the fire. With a purple hued glow, it floated just between them, clear and presentable for the mare’s pink eyes.

Dash’s expression now mimicked Twilight’s from just moments ago.

Her wide eyes looked over the cyan paper, matching the fur of her coat with almost careful precision. The bow that held the paper together was even more impressive, rainbow tied without a crease. It looked, as she would say, awesome.

“That’s for me… right?” Dash asked with a hoof aimed at her chest. It earned a polite giggle from the unicorn.

“No, it’s for the other cyan pegasus in the room.” Rainbow blushed under the sarcasm.

“Right. So,” the pegasus began, eyes looking up to the solitary clock in their home. “Think it’s time to open these up?”

Twilight looked up at their clock with her mare, seeing both hooves aimed high, striking the dawn of the new day, and the beginning of Hearth’s Warming Celebration. Her smile told Dash all she needed to know.

“Go for it, you can start, seeing as you’re fastest in whatever you do.” Said mare grinned broadly at the words, earning a muffled snicker from the unicorn.

Dash took the carefully wrapped package in her hooves before setting it on the ground. Her eager pink eyes gazed at the judiciously wrapped present as if she were a filly again, given her first present of the day. Carefully, her teeth clenched the bow before giving it a small tug. The rainbow ribbon fell away as the paper remained the only obstacle in her path. With far less care then the ribbon, Dash’s hooves dug into the thin paper, pulling and ripping it away until her prize lay within her hooves.

Her breath caught in her throat.

In the hooves of the self-declared fastest pegasus in Equestria were goggles belonging to the legendary Wonderbolts.

“Do you like them?” Twilight asked nervously. “I know you could use them, and they look like you’d like them, too. Since they match your coat…” Her voice trailed off as the pegasus continued to stare down at the framed lenses in her hooves.

“Like these? Twi’, I love ‘em!” Her wings flared at the declaration. A brilliant smile lit her face at the same time. These were items that she had dreamed of wearing since she was just a little filly, flying through Equestria’s skies with a team built for to do the best.

Her ears waited to hear a delighted squee from Twilight, maybe even a breath of relief. But nothing came. Dash took her eyes off what she would normally call a gift from Celestia to look at her unicorn. Instead of a face full of excitement, she saw a muzzle trying to swallow a ball in her throat. Dash was completely confused.

“Your… wings…”

It was just a mutter, but it struck at the core of the pegasus.

Her pink eyes looked to her own flared wings, noticing just how prominent the missing feathers were. She could see through the new holes in her wings as clearly as she could see the goggles in her hooves. They were blatant and marring, nothing that she could be proud of.

“What happened?” Twilight’s voice broke to Dash from her negative thinking. “Did you fall? Were you injured? Did some pony attack you?” the unicorn rambled as she quickly put her hooves to one of the pegasus’s wings, careful to the touch as the mare winced under the pressure.

“No. No I… I sold them.” She heard the unicorn gasp as if she was stabbed.

“Dash! Why would-”

“To get you your gift.”

Twilight backed away

“My… gift…” As if commanded, the pegasus pushed the wrapped package towards the mare, carefully folding her wings away as she did. The unicorn looked at the present with a new sort of emotion. When her eyes first fell on it, she showed pleasant surprise. Now… she regarded the object as responsible for injuring her mare.

“You… sold your feathers to buy this?”

“Yeah,” the pegasus spoke meekly. “I-It isn’t that bad. I can still fly just… not as fast for a while. Give it a few months I’ll be good as new! Bringing in my wing’s new growth.” Her words did little to cheer up the unicorn, but Dash pressed on.

“H-Hey, it was my choice, and as long you like your gift, I won’t regret it.”

She gave the present another tap with her hooves, letting her pink eyes meet the purple irises of Twilight. Said unicorn lowered her gaze to the box before lowering herself down to it cautiously.

Dash breathed a small sigh as Twilight began to open it.

Her horn lit with a small flash, encompassing the box with an aura. Slowly, small tears began to form around the fragile exterior, shedding the sparkling paper and revealing the prize that lay beneath. However, before Twilight examined what was presented beneath, she carefully preserved the pink star that adorned the package, lifting it free of her destructive magic and placing it aside.

When the fruits of Dash’s work finally lay beneath her, Twilight let out another gasp.

A mint condition, unopened, collector’s edition copy of The Stallion of The Rings by J.R.R. Trotkien lay before her. These were the books she had hoped to save her bits for. It contained no unintelligible romance. Instead holding a deep all-encompassing world design and entire languages designed specifically to tell the story hidden within the pages. Her eyes and hooves traced over the box lovingly, looking over the carefully printed words and images displayed. The two large intimidating towers, the display of a beautiful mare adorned with gold much like the princess, a collection of ponies from every race gathered in a circle, but most importantly, at the center, sat the solitary ring adorned with characters Twilight didn’t recognize. That alone sent excitement through her very body.

She couldn’t wait to open up the box, plop down on a pillow by the fire, and open the book as she got on her reading gl-

Her breath caught in her throat for the second time.

“I can tell you like it.” Dash spoke to the silent unicorn, face hidden behind the boxed set of books. “Truth is, I found that out of some wicked luck. But I knew it was a good deal, even if the price is a bit obvious. If you want, you can sit down and start reading those right now.”

“I can’t.” The words brought a cold chill to the pegasus.

“Y-You… You can’t? Why?” That was a pretty bad joke to be making tonight, not after she had made a pretty serious trade herself. No, that was a down right cruel joke to pull. But the unicorn didn’t change her expression as she spoke on.

“I… I sold my glasses…” The unicorn spoke with her face to the floor. “I can’t read these.”

Dash looked at her with silent shock.

“You… gave your feathers… for the books and… and I gave my glasses for your… goggles…”

Dash was prepared for Twilight bawl, to start crying over their foolishness. Giving up the chance for either of them to enjoy their gifts. All they had done was rid themselves of their one source of pleasure in the vain hope they could make the other happy.

The pegasus trotted forward, jaw already quivering as she expected her partner to do. What she heard instead come from the muzzle was the literal opposite of tears or sorrow. What she heard was happiness.

Twilight was laughing.

It wasn’t a stifled giggle or short chuckle. It was an audible and beautiful continuous string of laughter that came from her muzzle. Her lavender eyes shut themselves as the fit of happiness continued to spread through her, forcing the mare to lean on her cyan coated friend for support. Her hooves shook on the ground as her laughter only continued.

The pegasus, however, was just confused.

“You okay Twilight?”

“I-I’ve n-nev-nev-” Her comment died as the laughter took over her voice. She pushed her lips into the rainbow mane of her partner, trying fruitlessly to quell the growing bubbles of joy in her belly.

But if there was one thing about laughter everypony knew it was how infectious it was.

Soon the familiar vibrations of laughter came from the cyan pegasus. It began as a snicker, forced beyond her will from her muzzle. But as the violet mare continued to laugh into her mane, the sensation became stronger and stronger until she was laughing like her partner all the same.

Both violet and cyan ponies started laughing against one another, knees growing weaker and weaker as their laughter continued to grow.

It wasn’t long before the lavender unicorn found herself on the floor, the laughter weakening her form as she held her hooves to her chest. Dash soon followed, opting to land on top of the unicorn already present on the ground. Her sore wings found it more comforting to wrap themselves around the two.

Twilight pushed her muzzle into the cyan hair of the pegasus’s chest, muffling her still fitful laughter from continuing. Dash, however, seemed content to hold the mare’s head where it was.

Slowly though, their laughter began to subside as their grins held themselves in place.

“I can’t believe this.” Dash muttered aloud.

“Yeah, neither can I.” Twilight agreed, snuggling closer to the warm coat of the mare. “We are such foals.”

“Yeah, guess so.” Dash spoke in return, hooves running through the well-groomed lavender mane of the pony beneath her. “But you’re my foal, got it?” She felt more than heard Twilight laugh into her cyan coat, rumbling her form in a heavenly way.

“Of course Dash, of course.”

“So where did you get those goggles? The only place I’ve ever gotten a good look at them is on Wonderbolts posters.”

“A store’s showcase down the main road, just by the Pegasus Clock Tower. The nicest stallion there made me the deal.” It was just for a moment, but Twilight felt Dash’s hoof falter mid-stroke down her mane.

“With bright green eyes, and some flashy white mane?” The unicorn shifted her head till she looked up to Dash’s eyes.

“How… did…”

“The same dude helped me get those books for you,” Dash finished for her. “Only store opened with how late I went out, but I still got you the perfect gift, right.”

“Two gifts,” Twilight reminded, nuzzling her head back again into the warm cyan fur of the mare. “And both are flawless.”

“That’s still one hay of a coincidence.”

“Hmm…” Twilight mumbled absently into Dash’s chest. “That you found two marvelous gifts for me, or that we both bought our gifts from the same pony?

“You know what I mean egghead.” Twilight merely giggled further into the coat of her partner.

“We’ll have to thank him.”

“Yeah, definitely.”

Tied in an embrace of hooves, wings, and magic, the two mares found their own happiness and peace on the night Hearth’s Warming Eve and well into the morning of Hearth’s Warming Day.