Chapters Just You and Me Under the Hearths Warming Tree
Chapter 1 - Rainbow Dash and Applejack
Rainbow Dash flew close to the ground, blitzing through Ponyville at incredible speeds. Below her was a fresh blanket of fluffy snow which had fallen the night before. At her current pace she kicked it up, forming a pair of flurried contrails.
Did she really need to be going this quick? No, but Rainbow Dash had never really needed an excuse to go fast before.
Her destination this afternoon was Sweet Apple Acres. The farm held two of Rainbow’s most favourite things in the world. Number one, it had apple cider. Like, really good apple cider. Probably some of the best in the world. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, it was also the home of Rainbow Dash’s long time marefriend, Applejack. Also, probably the best Applejack in the world. Though she was a bit biased on the subject.
As Rainbow neared the farm she flared her wings, bleeding off excess speed and bringing herself down to land. As her hooves touched the snow they instantly sank in and she was knee deep within a fraction of a second.
Oh, oh.
Before she could even react, all of her forward momentum turned downwards as she cratered herself into the soft snow.
Rainbow groaned before looking towards her saddlebag. Thankfully, her Hearths Warming gift looked like it had survived the less than graceful landing undamaged. This was good, it’d be incredibly uncool to show up today without a gift.
A pair of muffled hoofsteps approached.
“Rainbow Dash!” hollered Applejack.
Rainbow waved one of her forelegs.
“I’m over here,” she said.
The hoofsteps drew nearer.
“I know ya are! You left a gosh dang crater in my yard.”
When Rainbow looked up, she noticed Applejack staring down. She did not look pleased.
Rainbow grinned sheepishly. “Hey babe, I uh…I was in a rush to see you?”
Applejack huffed. “You’re mighty lucky that you didn’t break your neck. Are you alright?”
Rainbow slowly got to her hooves.
They were still on her body.
She flared her wings.
Neither one of them fell off.
“Yeah, I’m alright.”
She climbed out of the crater.
Applejack sighed in relief and embraced Rainbow. Rainbow eagerly squeezed her back.
“That’s good to hear,” Applejack said. “Now, what did I tell you about dive bombing my farm?”
“That it scares the chickens?”
“Andddd?”
“That if I’m not careful I’m going to hit something at the speed of sound?”
Applejack nodded before pecking Rainbow on the lips.
This was very confusing to Rainbow. Was she getting scolded or smooched?
Applejack pointed to the side.
Not too far away was a giant metal pole sticking out of the ground with a birdhouse attached to the top. It was painted a very unhelpful white and blended right into the snowy landscape.
“Why the heck is that even there?” Rainbow asked.
“Granny enjoys watching birds.”
“Huh?”
Applejack gestured towards her homestead. “Come on let’s get you inside. I’ve got some good ole fashion apple cider being warmed up on the stove.”
She began to walk towards the front door, with Rainbow following right behind.
“So, is it just the two of us this year?” Rainbow asked.
“Just you, me, and Winona. Granny took the other two up to Appleloosa and they needed somepony to make sure the farm doesn’t blow away while they’re gone.”
To punctuate the point a gale of wind whipped across the orchard, throwing up a screen of snow. Rainbow Dash shivered and both her and Applejack quickened their pace to a canter.
They raced inside and into the warmth of Applejack’s humble abode. Between the stove and fireplace, it was incredibly toasty. The space smelled inviting, having the distinctive scent of fresh pine and bubbling apple cider.
Applejack made her way towards the kitchen and Rainbow moseyed on over to the Hearths Warming tree. Underneath it was a single large present.
Rainbow shrugged off her pack and reached inside, producing her own, much smaller, gift. It joined its companion under the tree. She had put so much work into it this year, there was no way Applejack wasn’t going to love it.
Applejack returned, grasping a tray with her teeth. Upon it were two large steaming mugs of applely goodness.
Heh, Appley Goodness would be a good pet name for Applejack.
Rainbow grinned. “Hey Appley Goodness.”
Applejack put down the tray. “What did ya just call me?”
Rainbow blushed. “N-nothing. I mean Applejack!””
Applejack chuckled and walked over, kissing Rainbow on the cheek before nuzzling her neck.
“Ya know,” Applejack said. “I think Twilight’s starting to rub off on you. Because you’re being way more of a dork than usual, sugar cube.”
Rainbow’s cheeks reddened even further. “Oh yeah well…um…shut up.”
Applejack smiled and gently headbutted her.
“Make me,” she said
Rainbow grumbled to herself before grabbing a mug of cider and taking a generous sip.
If she had to describe the cider in two words, she’d probably use ‘scalding’ and ‘hot’.
She swallowed hard and made a panicked noise, covering her mouth with a hoof.
Applejack looked amused. “It might be a little hot.”
She blew upon her own mug before taking a sip.
Rainbow glared at her. “Thanks.”
She replicated Applejack, blowing upon her cider before taking another sip. This time she was far more successfully in actually tasting it. It was absolutely perfect. Nice texture, mouth feel, just the right ratio of sweet and tart apples. If there was a better cider in the world, she hadn’t found it yet.
“So, what did you get me?” Rainbow asked.
“Why don’t you open it and find out.”
Rainbow looked to the box. “You don’t want to wait till later?”
“Normally I’d wait until tonight, but I’m mighty impressed with what I got ya. Plus, I can’t wait to see the look on your face when you open it.”
“Yeah well, I’m more impressed with what I got you!”
Applejack chuckled. “It ain’t a contest, hun.”
Rainbow looked to the side. “I know that.”
She walked towards the tree, picking up her present. Even though it was fairly large it was still pretty light.
“Is it breakable?” Rainbow asked.
Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “How long have we known each other?”
“Like forever?”
“Do you honestly think I’d get you something breakable?”
Rainbow proceeded to shake the hell out of her present. “Good point.”
It sounded...soft?
Maybe…
Alright enough foreplay, she was just going to open it.
She tore through the wrapping paper and underneath was a navy-blue clothing box?
“Clothes?” Rainbow asked.
“Now, now, open the box before ya judge me.”
Rainbow did just that. Inside was some tissue paper which she cast aside and…
“A Wonderbolts Jersey…” Rainbow said. “Thank you?”
Applejack smirked. “What? Ya, don’t like it?”
“No, no, I’m just kinda confused is all. I can get these for free at work, you know.”
“Welllll Miss Wonderbolt. Remember when we went to the Wonderbolts’ store in Manehatten?”
“Yeah?”
“And remember how they had all of your teammate’s jerseys for sale?”
“Yeah, I remember.” Rainbow’s ears drooped. “Well, all of them except for mine.”
Applejack grinned. “Well, a certain pony talked to Rarity and it just so happens that Rarity knows a pony or two in the industry. Now that pony was able to fix this oversight and deliver the prototype jersey to yours truly.”
Rainbow’s ears instantly perked up as she flipped over the jersey. On the reverse side was the text ‘RAINBOW DASH’ in bold yellow letters, and below that was her number, ‘9’.
“Oh my gosh!”
Rainbow dropped the jersey and lunged forward, pulling Applejack into an incredibly awesome hug.
“This is the best gift ever!” Rainbow beamed.
Applejack smiled and patted her on the back. “I try my best.”
Rainbow broke away from her marefriend and picked the jersey back up. She then clumsily forced her way into it. Due to her naturally compact size the thing hung off of her like a dress.
It was absolutely perfect.
“Now open mine!” Rainbow said.
Applejack reached over and picked up her gift. She then carefully pealed back the paper. This was a harder job then it should have been due to the sheer volume of tape that Rainbow used to hold the patchwork wrapping job together.
However, eventually Applejack was able to liberate her gift, revealing a framed photo. It was of her mother and father in what appeared to be in a high school club together. They looked completely engrossed in one another and were intimately close.
Applejack swallowed hard as tears stung her eyes. “Is this…?”
Rainbow smiled softly. “It is. I was talking with Twilight about how you don’t really have too many pictures of your folks. So, she brought up the idea of looking through some of the old yearbooks from Ponyville High for some. I scanned a few of them from twenty years back and found this picture. Me and Twi then went to the high school and sifted through their records until we found the original. Really it’s kind of a shared gift but Twi is letting me take all the credit on this one.”
Applejack threw her hooves around Dash, nearly tackling her to the ground.
“Thank you so much, sugar cube. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
Rainbow kissed Applejack on the cheek. “It’s the least I could do, hun. You…you mean the world to me.”
Applejack pulled back and the two of them stared into each others eyes. Even though Applejack was crying, her smile was totally worth the hours spent sifting through dusty boxes in the high school’s archives.
Rainbow leaned in and briefly kissed Applejack.
Outside the wind howled and a dog scratched frantically at the door.
Applejack pulled back and chuckled nervously.
“I…I oughta let her in.”
Rainbow nodded and reluctantly let go.
It would only be a temporary separation. After all they had the entire evening with only each other as company.
Author's Note
Merry Christmas, Rawr.
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Just You and Me Under the Hearths Warming Tree
Chapter 2 - Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash
It was Hearths Warming Day and Twilight Sparkle was just utterly wiped. She hadn’t gotten to bed until late last night and had been awoken at the break of dawn. The later was not by her design but rather the result of a young and incredibly excitable dragon eager to open his presents as early in the morning as possible.
So, before the sun could even really crest the horizon, Twilight, Starlight, and Trixie had been ushered into the castle’s map room. During the holidays this acted as the nexus for Twilight’s festive decorations, and was where the holiday’s famous tree stood, with all their presents underneath.
They had then watched Spike open his gifts from various friends and family. It was a nice bounty of loot on his behalf and included clothes, sweets, comics, and most importantly, toys.
Holy crap did the dragon get a lot of toys. Twilight didn’t even know what half of them were. Heck, he even received an exotic gift of lego building blocks from Sunset and their other human friends. Twilight found these especially interesting
After the presents were opened Starlight and Trixie had snuck off back to bed. However, Twilight was not a pony who could easily fall back asleep. Instead she left Spike with his things and went to her study to get some work done. It may have been the holidays, but what really made today any more special than tomorrow or yesterday?
Well, two things.
First, one of her marefriends, Rainbow Dash, was going to be stopping by. This was never a bad thing.
And secondly, if they didn’t celebrate this holiday a group of mystic beings would likely push Equestria into eternal winter. Nothing like the threat of the apocalypse to get you in the holiday spirit, eh?
Still, she felt like she had generated more than enough holiday cheer and Rainbow Dash wasn’t even here yet. So, in her opinion, she figured she earned the right to relax and get a little bit of work done. Especially since she had left some unfinished from last night.
Twilight studied the chalkboard in front of her. On it were names and labels with various arrows pointing them at, around, and away from one another.
She hummed softly. “If General Ironside’s flank moves swiftly enough we can force Ember’s surrender in a matter of…”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Twilight looked over her shoulder and opened the door. The hallway on the other side was empty.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She looked around frantically.
Where the heck was that coming from?
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Twilight located the sound, following it up towards a window near the top of her study. Outside was Rainbow Dash in a…dress?
Had she passed out and this was just some weird dream? Rainbow Dash wasn’t exactly known as a pony who dressed up. Also, why was she in white? Was there a wedding that Twilight had forgotten about? No, that was stupid.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Oh right! Rainbow probably wanted to be let in.
Twilight reached out with her magic and pushed the window outwards, allowing Rainbow to slip inside.
“Holy shit, it’s freezing,” Rainbow said.
She settled upon the ground and proceeded to rub her hooves together, blowing warm air on them.
At closer examination Twilight could see that the “dress” was actually an oversized sports jersey.
Rainbow looked absolutely adorable in it.
“Hey Rainbow,” Twilight said.
Rainbow looked over. “Hey babe, how’s your Hearths Warming been?”
Twilight shot her plans a sideways glance. “Productive.”
“Are you really working on Hearths Warming?”
“Well, I mean I had some time to kill and…” She trailed off. “So! Where did you get that jersey from?”
“Oh this? Applejack gave it to me last night. Isn’t it awesome?”
Rainbow fluttered off of the ground and thrust out her chest, giving Twilight a chance to see that it was a Wonderbolts’ jersey.
“It looks cute on you,” Twilight said.
Rainbow looked indignant. “Cute?! It doesn’t look cute. It looks awesome, cool, rad...”
Twilight smirked and walked over, planting a kiss on Rainbow’s cheek.
“Yeah well, you’re cute so anything you wear is cute by association,” she said.
Rainbow blushed.
“I’m not cute,” she muttered cutely under her breath.
Twilight kissed her again. “Yes, you are.”
Rainbow looked like she was about to respond but instead let out an indigent little huff.
“So, did you guys already open your presents?” she asked.
“I’m afraid so. Spike had us up at like five in the morning.”
“Holy shit, he was up that early?”
Twilight shrugged. “It’s Hearths Warming. You can’t really blame him for being a little excited.”
Rainbow looked towards the chalkboard. “Hey, why is Spitfire’s name on this.”
Twilight forced a laughed. “It’s nothing sweetie. How about we go get you something to drink. You must be freezing.”
Rainbow reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, uh sure.”
Together the two of them left Twilight’s study, crossed through the crystal hall, and entered the nearest kitchen.
“So, what would you like?” Twilight asked.
“Do you have any hot chocolate?”
Twilight walked towards a cupboard and opened it, peering inside. “Yep.”
“With whipped cream?”
Twilight floated out the hot chocolate powder and then opened the fridge, pulling out a can of whipped cream.
“I do.”
“And little marshmallows?”
An opened bag landed on the counter.
“And would you like sprinkles too?” Twilight chided.
Rainbow blushed. “No…”
Twilight turned and cocked an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Rainbow muttered.
Twilight smirked and a shaker of chocolate sprinkles joined its companions. With that done Twilight grabbed a pot, poured a couple cups of milk into it, and placed it upon her gemstone oven to warm.
“Did Applejack enjoy her gift?” Twilight asked.
She looked over her shoulder and saw the way Rainbow smiled. That would have been an answer in itself.
“Yeah, she did,” Rainbow said. “You… you know how I’m not very good at romantic gestures, right?
“I’m familiar.”
Twilight wasn’t in much of a cocoa mood so she grabbed herself a mug and poured what remained of her morning coffee into it.
“Well, I think...I think it was worth it this time around. Like I wish you could have been there Twi. Just to see her breath taken away. It was like something out of one of Rarity’s love books.”
Twilight walked over and gently nuzzled Rainbow. “I’m glad I could help.”
“Help? Twi, you did way more than help. I would never have thought up anything this awesome on my own. Your idea was fantastic.”
Twilight grinned. “Yeah, I guess it kinda was.”
Rainbow kissed her on the cheek. “How in Equestria did a mare like me ever land an egghead like you anyways?”
Twilight returned the kiss, though this time upon the lips.
“Well, you’re an incredible friend, kinda like reading, absolutely gorgeous, and you know being a bit of a dork never hurts.”
Rainbow balked. “Me, a dork! That’s rich coming from you, Princess Dorkus Malorkus.”
The milk began to bubble. So, Twilight mixed in the cocoa powder. The contents of the pot were then transferred into a ceramic mug, bearing an image of the periodic table, and topped it with whipped cream, a hoofful of marshmallows, and a few shakes of chocolatey sprinkles.
Twilight swore she saw Rainbow’s eyes twinkle in amazement as she handed her the mug.
The second it was in Dash’s hooves she took a sip. It was, of course, still far too hot for consumption and she swallowed hard, waving a hoof over her mouth.
“It might be a little hot,” Twilight warned.
Rainbow shot her an indignant glare. “Thanks.”
Twilight snickered and gestured towards the door. “Come on, let’s go check on Spike. I made him swear not to open your present until you got here.”
Rainbow nodded and the two of them walked through the palace until they reached the map room.
When Twilight claimed that the map room was the nexus of her festive decorations she did not lie. Ribbons and holly were tied to every surface and wreathes of pine branches and brightly coloured bulbs hung from the walls. In the centre of the room was a fairly large, and completely natural, tree with all manner of ornaments affixed to it. Some were traditional like the balls of coloured glass and strands of white lights. Others were from things that reflected the diverse interests of the family that lived under this roof. There were comic book characters for Spike, literature references for Twilight, little fabric kites for Starlight, and a very gaudy Great and Powerful nameplate for Trixie.
Under the tree were a couple of wrapped presents. Then around that was a sea of tattered and torn wrapping paper, stretching out in every direction. The perpetrator of this carnage, Spike, currently laid upon his belly in the middle of the room. He held a candy bar in one hand and was flipping through a comic book with his other. All around him were various other toys and treats.
“Hey Spike,” Rainbow said.
Spike looked over and waved. “Hey Rainbow, nice jersey.”
Rainbow grinned. “You like it?”
“Yeah, it looks really cool.”
“I know, right!”
Twilight trotted over, peering at Spike’s comic. It was pretty hard to tell what exactly was happening but it appeared that some brightly coloured mare clad in golden armour was bearing a shield against a horde of changelings. Like the old horrifying changelings, not the new peaceful ones.
“Whatcha reading?” Rainbow asked.
Spike looked at his comic. “Oh this? It’s uh… Captain Equestria, a friend in Fillydelphia got it for me.”
Rainbow beamed and cantered over, taking a look at the comic herself. She looked so excited, it was kind of adorable.
Actually… it was very adorable.
“No kidding? I used to read that in flight school. Is she still Commander Hawk?”
Spike nodded. “They brought her back.”
“Wait, brought her back. What happened to her in the first place?”
“She uh got…”
Twilight cleared her throat. “I think we still have a couple of presents that need to be opened, you two.”
Spike and Rainbow looked up and grinned sheepishly.
“Sorry,” Rainbow said.
Spike closed his comic, got up, and together with Rainbow made his way over to the tree. In total three presents remained. Two were neatly wrapped while the last was very shabbily done. Twilight selected one of the neatly wrapped presents and slid it over to Spike.
“This ones from Rainbow to Spike,” Twilight said.
She looked to Rainbow, who mouthed the words ‘thank you’.
Spike looked at the present and in a matter of seconds tore the paper to absolute shreds. Behind it was the Action Headquarters playset for the League of Equestrian Action Heroes™ series. It was apparently the must have toy, according to Spike.
He grinned from ear to ear before bolting to his feet and giving Rainbow a nice big hug.
“Thank you so much!” he said. “This gift is incredible. I wanted it so badly.”
Rainbow chuckled and gently patted him on the back. “Well I mean a mare as awesome as me would only get the most awesome gifts. You should know that by now.”
Twilight levitated the box to herself and looked at the fine print. “Hmmm, it says here that batteries are not included.”
Spike paled. “Wait, what!?”
He pulled away from Rainbow and rushed over to his toy.
“Don’t worry,” Twilight said. “We have some in the dungeon.”
Dungeon was only a technical term. It was really just a big basement…with barred cells…and an abnormal concentration of cast iron shackles.
“Twilight there’s literally tons of stuff down there. Where exactly are they?” Spike asked.
“Spike, I left a very detailed inventory sheet down there. All you need to do is follow the floorplan laid out on page three.”
“Alright. I’ll be right back,” he said.
He swiftly walked out of the room.
“We’ll be waiting,” Twilight called after him.
Once he was gone Rainbow grinned. “You did that on purpose.”
Twilight smirked. “Did what?”
“You bought him a present that required batteries and conveniently forget to bring any upstairs.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you honestly think I’m so mischievous that I’d send my little brother on a twenty-minute errand so we’d get a little personal time to open presents?”
Rainbow plopped down intimately close to Twilight. “Hmm, you’re right. I guess it’s just a happy little accident then.”
She placed her foreleg over Twilight’s and nipped at her ear.
“It’s a shame there’s no mistletoe,” Rainbow whispered.
Twilight levitated over a bundle of holly. “Are you sure about that?”
Rainbow looked up and chuckled. “Nice try babe, but I still remember that forty-minute lecture you gave me the last time I made this mistake.”
Hey that wasn’t even close to forty minutes! It was barely even twenty.
Twilight huffed. “Can’t you at least pretend?”
Rainbow smirked. “Wellllll”
She ducked forward and pressed her lips against Twilight’s. Twilight inhaled sharply but then closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss.
They held it for a few seconds.
“Happy Hearths Warming, Twi,” Rainbow said.
“Happy Hearths Warming, Rainbow,” Twilight said.
The holly was discarded and Twilight offered the second neatly wrapped present to Rainbow. It was very book shaped.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I wonder what this could be?”
“Just open it,” Twilight said.
Rainbow tore open the paper, revealing that it was in fact a book.
“Huh, this isn’t Daring Doo,” she said.
“I know, I know, but you’ve run out of new Daring Doo books to read. Trust me, this series is really good and it has a lot of elements similar to Daring Doo. I guarantee that you’ll love it.”
Rainbow nodded. “Well, the cover looks really cool, so I’m sure it’ll be awesome.”
She placed her book down before reaching under the tree and grabbing her own present. It also looked very book-like in appearance.
Twilight grabbed it with her magic and began carefully opening it.
As she did this she looked to Rainbow who was grinning from ear to ear. Obviously, she was very proud of what she bought her.
Inside was a trade paper book with a solid white cover. The title upon it read ‘250 Facts You Didn’t Know About Unicorn Magic’.
Twilight smiled. “I love it Rainbow.”
Rainbow nuzzled her neck. “I’m glad. I uh… I had trouble figuring out what to buy you, but then I remembered that you love learning about magic. So, this seemed perfect.”
Twilight flipped through the book and landed upon fact 59. It began with the preface ‘Unicorn Magic is not Decided Exclusively by Cutie Marks’.
Sure, the book wasn’t likely to teach her anything revolutionary, but it was the thought that counted. Rainbow had gotten it for her and as such she would read and cherish it.
Twilight looked to Dash, who in turn stared intently back. She placed her hoof a top of Rainbow’s and leaned in to kiss her. This wasn’t going to be some little smooch either.
The moment was interrupted as the chamber door opened and two ponies walked in.
“Good morning, Twilight,” Starlight said.
Rainbow and Twilight separated, both of there cheeks tinted red.
Starlight and Trixie froze in place, also blushing.
“I think we interrupted something,” Trixie said.
Starlight grinned sheepishly. “Sorry girls, me and trixie will just, uh, leave you alone.”
Twilight stood up. “No, no, stay. Me and Rainbow were just opening presents.”
Starlight and Trixie looked at each other, unsure.
“Come on girls, I insist. Spike should be back any minute now.”
They nodded and walked over, settling down next to Twilight and Rainbow. All of them then chatted amongst themselves, waiting for Spike to return. Once he did, the family of five spent their holiday together.
As any family should.
Author's Note
Merry Christmas, Beta.
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Just You and Me Under the Hearths Warming Tree
Chapter 3 - Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer
It was the night before Hearths Warming and Twilight Sparkle was within her study. Everypony else in the castle was already fast asleep, resting for tomorrow’s festivities. Meanwhile, she was attempting to power through some work. This was the unfortunate burden of being a Princess. Sometimes you had to sacrifice sleep on Hearths Warming Eve in order to make sure you had time on Hearths Warming to spend with those closest to you.
At the thought of that she stared wantingly at the magic mirror, sighing.
Well most of the ponies closest to her anyways.
She looked back to the parchment in front of her, scribbling away another intricate insult. She then forged Queen Ember’s signature and sealed it away in an envelope for delivery to Princess Celestia. Any further progress on her scheme would have to wait until after the holiday season, when the post office re-opened.
A whooshing noise erupted from the portal and Twilight looked to it once more. There was a beam of harsh blue light radiating off of it as the glass turned malleable and bulged outwards. A split second later the glass birthed a figure who lunged forward upon two hooves. It then snapped back, taking the form of a completely normal mirror.
As the light died away, Twilight saw the ever so beautiful Sunset Shimmer standing in front of her.
Twilight rushed to her hooves, prancing over.
“Sunset!” she beamed.
Sunset placed all four hooves upon the ground and galloped over.
“Hey beautiful,” she said. “Happy Hearths Warming”
The two of them embraced and kissed in the middle of the room.
“You too. I’m so happy you could make it,” Twilight said.
“Like I was going to miss spending time with my favourite mare in the world.”
Twilight grinned and pulled away. This is when she noticed that Sunset was in the equine equivalent of her sushi uniform. It looked at least twice as cute in this dimension.
“Just got off work?” Twilight asked.
Sunset nodded. “Yeah, they had me stay overtime. Tonight was intense.”
“Do people really eat out during the holidays in your world?”
“Like you wouldn’t believe.”
That was an interesting little difference between worlds. Twilight couldn’t think of a single pony who’d go to a restaurant tonight. Nor could she honestly think of a single place that’d even be open.
Twilight noticed Sunset shiver.
“Where are my manners?” she said. “You must be freezing. Can I get you something to drink? I have…” Her gaze drifted to a nearby coffee maker. “…coffee…”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow. “Twilight, it’s nearly midnight, why are you still drinking coffee?”
“Look, Nebula the Patrician once claimed that a mind on caffeine was the most effective.”
“Yeah? Well Sunset the Redeemed says that Twilight the Late Sleeper really needs to get her sleep schedule in check.”
“Those aren’t real epithets,” Twilight muttered.
Sunset stuck out her tongue before opening the flap of her saddlebag and fishing around for something inside.
“I brought you a gift,” she said.
Twilight winced. Thankfully Sunset wasn’t looking.
She really hoped Sunset hadn’t spent money on her.
Sunset finally managed to find what she was looking for, pulling out a plastic boat filled with various kinds of sushi.
Oh thank gods, she had only grabbed some leftovers from work.
Twilight smiled and took the gift, opening its lid. All her favourite kinds were there. Avocado rolls, cucumber rolls, red pepper sashimi, pretty much every vegetarian option on Sunset’s menu.
She popped a piece into her mouth and chewed. “Thank you.”
“Hey, no problem.”
Sunset paused and looked around the room. “Where’s your fire?”
“Fire? Why would I have a fire?”
Sunset blushed. “Oh, it’s uh… it’s nothing.”
Twilight walked over and nuzzled Sunset’s neck. “Come on, tell me what’s up.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Sunsetttt.”
“Fine, it’s just when I was growing up Princess Celestia always had a fire going at this time of the year. It’s just kind of weird being in a palace without one. You know what I mean?”
“Well I don’t really need a fire because the palace is heated by geothermal gemstones, which…”
She looked at Sunset, seeing an expression which didn’t look even remotely interested in a scientific lesson.
“Do you want me to start a fire?” Twilight asked.
“Do you even have any firewood?”
“I can improvise.”
Twilight walked over to her fireplace, examining it. It was spotless, having not been used even a single time within her entire residency.
Now what was she going to do? Obviously, she had no wood to burn nor would she dare desecrate any of her precious books.
What to do? What to do?
Then the idea hit her.
She rushed towards the hallway. “I’ll be right back.”
Sunset shot her an amused smirk. “Sure thing, Princess.”
Once in the hall she travelled a few rooms over to her alchemy chamber.
Inside was a wide range of equipment which rode the fine line between scientific and mystic. Upon one of the workbenches was a small chest which she opened. Inside were various veils and bags containing exotic substances. She was looking for two items in question. One was a medium sized bag with the label of ‘dragon eggs’, the other was a vial of blueish liquid labeled, ‘extract of ambrosia’.
It took a few minutes but eventually she found both.
With her materials collected she made her way back to Sunset.
Upon returning, she noticed that Sunset had settled down near the fireplace. She had shed her saddlebag and uniform, setting them off to the side. In front of her was a textbook which couldn’t possibly belong to this world.
Sunset turned and looked at Twilight as she entered.
“Any luck?” she asked.
Twilight show off the twin components. “I think this should work,”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well I’ve been doing a little research into alchemy. You know, for fun.”
Sunset grinned but nodded along. “As normal ponies do.”
Twilight stuck out her tongue. “And I read somewhere that dragon eggs can sustain a magical reaction for pretty lengthy periods of time.”
“Wait, dragon eggs? Is that ethical?”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a name. Really, they’re rubies from Northern Equestria which acquire magical properties through natural means. They actually get their name from…”
Sunset cocked an eyebrow.
Twilight chuckled nervously. “Nevermind. All you need to know is that by combining them with this liquid they should act as a very effective kindling for a magically fueled fire.”
Twilight opened the sack and produced a couple of medium sized rubies. She then carefully opened the veil and began to drizzle a small amount of liquid onto one of the stones. Once it was well lubricated she placed it in the firepit. The next stone was then given the same treatment, and the next, until all of the rubies were prepped and in place.
She concentrated her magic upon the largest of the rubies, generating an increasingly dense wave of heat around it.
“Then with a little magic…”
The ruby erupted into a beautiful green flame which leapt across to its siblings. It might be a little unorthodox but Twilight had just started a fire.
“How’s that?” Twilight asked. “As good as Princess Celestia’s?”
Sunset watched the smokeless fire burn. “Better”
Twilight settled down next to Sunset, cuddling up to her. She had to admit that the heat from the fire was nice. However, it wasn’t perfect yet. Something was missing.
She scanned the room and spotted it. Draped over her favourite reclining chair was a rainbow coloured throw blanket. She scooped it up with magic, placing it over top of them.
Sunset kissed Twilight on the cheek. “This is nice.”
Twilight nodded. “Mhm.”
“So, what were you working on?”
“Ohhhh things.”
“What kinda things?”
“Really you wouldn’t be too interested in it. Just boring diplomatic stuff.”
“Oh really? You know Princess, you’re only making me more suspicious that you’re up to something.”
“I’m not up to anything.”
Sunset pecked her on the cheek. “Liar.”
Twilight huffed. “How about you? Are you excited for university?”
“Incredibly. Me and Twi already picked out our majors.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I’m going into geography and she’s taking physics.”
“Oh nice! I’m sure you two will do great. Have you picked out a new place yet?”
“We’re just going to stay at my apartment. It’s close enough to campus and pretty well connected to the public transit system.”
“Public transit? Are you giving up your bike?”
“Oh gods no, I just can’t afford parking on campus is all. Plus, Twi and me are probably going to have pretty different schedules. So, she’ll need a way to and from class when I’m busy.”.
“Fair enough.”
“So, you have any big plans tomorrow?”
“Well I’m pretty sure Spike will wake us up nice and early. Besides that? I think Rainbow’s stopping by for a bit.”
“How are things going with her?”
Twilight contently grinned. “Really good. Thanks for asking.”
“Hey no problem. I’m just happy you finally took the leap and asked her out.”
Sunset reached towards her saddlebag, popping it open again.
“I got you something else,” she said.
Twilight forced a smile. Not that she wasn’t happy to get a gift. It’s just, Sunset was on a tight enough budget as is and, as mentioned, she really didn’t like it when she spent money on her.
Sunset seemed to sense this. “Don’t worry Princess. I didn’t blow all my ramen money on you.”
A suspiciously book-shaped, though kinda large, present was pulled from Sunset’s bag. It was neatly wrapped in a lime green paper with a golden bow right in the centre.
Sunset placed it down in front of Twilight.
She looked at it for a moment and then ever so carefully peeled away the tape, trying her best to preserve the paper. Just like her mother taught her.
Sunset snorted. “Come on Princess, you can afford to buy new wrapping paper. Just open it already.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fineee.”
She removed the paper in one swift motion, tossing the balled up remains into a nearby trashcan.
Before her was a red scrapbook with the title, “The Memories You’ve Helped Create”, spelled out in golden stickers. Underneath it was a picture of Sunset Shimmer and the other human girls in front of Canterlot High.
Twilight slowly flipped through the book. It consisted primarily of photos showing the girls having fun together, spliced with stories talking about the adventures they’ve had. All of the girls contributed several pages, with each section being radically different from the last. Rainbow Dash liked photos while Fluttershy wrote pages of details. Rarity showed off designs she’d made for the girls while Pinkie promoted recipes they had baked together.
Tears began to sting her eyes as she delved deeper.
The point of the book was easy to figure out. This was physical proof of the magic that she had breathed into their lives. Each picture and story was deeply and intimately connected to her. These couple dozen pages did wonders for showing Twilight how exactly her actions had shaped these seven lives for the better.
It made her feel…proud.
She blushed and wiped away tears with her fetlock.
Sunset must have noticed her cry because she could feel a hoof draped over her withers, tenderly squeezing her.
“I love it,” Twilight finally croaked.
Stupid scrapbook, filling her with emotions.
“I thought you would,” Sunset said.
“And…and I love you, Sunset.”
Sunset grinned. “I love you too, Princess.”
Twilight turned and stared into Sunset’s eyes. As they kissed she found herself lost within that aqua gaze.
This was the best Hearths Warming present a Princess could ask for.
Author's Note
Happy Holidays, Cara.
View Online
Just You and Me Under the Hearths Warming Tree
Chapter 4 - Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle but now they are humans
A bright red Honda sports bike rocketed through the nearly empty streets of Canterlot, heading towards the downtown. This early on Hearths Warming Day it was practically alone, allowing Sunset Shimmer a rare degree of freedom on the road.
It was a crisp winter morning with the chilled air cutting into Sunset’s unprotected face. It may have been only a dozen degrees below freezing but on the back of her bike the wind was enough to chill her exposed skin to an uncomfortable degree.
Sometime during her trip to Equestria it had snowed. Not much, just enough to add a light dusting to colour the gray streets and barren trees a beautiful white. Festive storefronts and decorated lampposts whizzed by on either side, adding to the holiday spirit.
As she stopped at a red light, near city hall, she could see its massive tree standing proud, decorated with all manner of lights and ornaments. A top the city hall’s modernist roof stood old Saint Gift Giver, smiling down at her. There was a motor within the cut out’s arm, allowing it to wave back and forth.
She couldn’t help but wave back. Though she quickly looked around to make sure no one saw that.
When the light turned green Sunset accelerated to a decent clip, driving home at the fastest legal speed.
Eventually, the proudly decorated and well maintained urban core gave way to a less desirable part of town. While this was nowhere near the worst area in the city it still failed to capture the same level of festive cheer. There were no decorations present and few storefronts promoted the holidays.
Her bike came to a stop outside of a brick apartment building named ‘Oak Park’. A bizarre name considering the nearest park was six blocks east and didn’t even have trees.
She pulled into an adjacent alleyway, wheeling her bike into a little spot near the building’s dumpster. It wasn’t quite a parking space but it wasn’t like her bike took up much room. Plus, her landlady was cool with it.
As she was putting her bike away a fresh layer of snow began to fall. It would seem like she had some impeccable timing.
The snow was a mixed blessing. Sure, it’d make it difficult for her to get to Twilight’s later. However, on the other hand she had always loved a white Hearths Warming. Back in Equestria having snow today was a given but here it was just luck of the dice. It was the price to pay when weather pattern were determined by complex natural systems rather than government employees.
Once her bike was secure she walked around the building, entering through the front door. Her flat was on the fifth floor, at the very top. As the building lacked an elevator she began to jog up the steps.
It sucked having to do this every day. Though on the bright side, it saved her the cost of a gym membership
Once she reached the final landing she entered a hallway with six doors in it. Only a single one had a Hearths Warming wreath.
This was hers.
She approached and pulled out her key. However, before she could unlock the door, the sound of footsteps came from the other side.
Was she getting robbed?!
The footsteps moved back and forth through her apartment, moving first to her door and then away from it.
It was a very real possibility. What kind of asshole robs people on Hearths Warming?
Sunset reached out and touched the doorknob, gingerly testing it. It moved as if it were unlocked. Someone else must have done this it because she could distinctly remember locking it. Now only three people had a key to her place. One was herself, one was her landlady, who was probably away for the holidays, and finally there was…ohhhh.
She pushed open the door and walked inside, flashing a big smile.
“Hey beautiful,” she said.
On the other side was Twilight Sparkle. This world’s version of her anyways. She was dressed for the holidays, wearing a bright red wool sweeter with a very happy looking snowman on it.
Twilight turned in surprise. “Sunset?”
“What are you doing here?” Sunset asked. “I thought we were meeting at your place?”
She took off her winter coat, hanging it upon a battered coat rack in what passed for her entryway.
“I decided to come over and surprise you. Though it seems like you were out.”
Sunset walked over, wrapping her arms around Twilight.
Twilight smiled and squeezed her back. Her precious warmth radiated off of her and into Sunset who gladly took as much as she could.
Gods it was so cold outside.
“Oh really? Well now I’m pretty sad that I missed out. I’m always excited for surprises involving you,” Sunset said.
Twilight lightly blushed, her lavender cheeks darkened by the red.
Sunset loved it when Twilight blushed. It’s probably why she took such great pride in her ability to get her to do it.
As the embrace went on Sunset leaned forward and pecked Twilight tenderly on the forehead.
It was nice being the tall one again.
The embrace finally came to an end as Twilight took a step back. Though she reached forward and gently squeezed Sunset’s hand.
“I brought some eggnog,” Twilight said.
Sunset grinned. “The good stuff?”
Twilight nodded and Sunset immediately headed towards her kitchen nook.
Once there, she opened the fridge and scanned it for the eggnog. At first she was unable to find it but after moving her bananas and bag of milk to the side she found the carton.
She grabbed it, bringing it over to the counter and pouring its contents into her two largest mugs. It was nearly as thick as pancake batter.
This was definitely the good stuff.
When the mugs were full she put the carton away and headed back to Twilight.
Twilight had taken a seat next to Sunset’s dinky little artificial Hearths Warming tree. It was pretty bare with only a few strands of red and white lights draped around it and her plastic crown acting as a star.
Sunset took a seat next to Twilight, handing her the mug.
Twilight grabbed it and took a small sip. She then leaned against Sunset, resting her head upon her shoulder.
“I love your sweater,” Sunset said.
Twilight looked at it. “Oh this? My mom got it for me.”
“It fits you.”
“I mean of course it does, it’s a medium.”
“I meant more that it’s dorky but cute. You know, like you.”
“O-oh.”
Twilight hid behind her mug, taking another sip to obscure her tinted cheeks. This only made Sunset grin harder.
“So, where were you?” Twilight asked.
“After work I went to go visit the Princess. You know, to give her our Hearths Warming gift?”
“Oh, so you slept at her place?”
“Well there wasn’t much sleeping.”
Twilight grinned mischievously. “Oh?”
Now it was Sunset’s turn to blush. “I didn’t mean it like that! We were just up late talking. We haven’t seen each other in ages.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s exactly what you two were doing.”
Sunset huffed loudly. “You’re so lucky you’re cute.”
“So, since you were up late ‘talking’…”
“Honestly, we were just talking, I swear.”
“Look I’m not denying the fact that one party might have been vocal.”
Sunset’s blush deepened. “I hate you so much.”
Twilight stuck out her tongue.
“Anyways,” she continued. “Does this mean you pulled an all-nighter?”
Sunset nodded.
“Are you going to be conscious enough to go to my parent’s?”
“Yeah, I powered through a Rockstar on the way here. I’m good to go.”
Twilight frowned. “Those aren’t good for you.”
“Look…”
“Loooook?”
“Give me a sec, I’m trying to think of a good excuse.”
“Want to take a nap?”
“No, I’m good, I swear.”
Twilight looked concerned. “Alright…”
A silence settled between them as Sunset began to survey the room.
Maybe this wasn’t exactly the life she had envisioned for herself but all things considered, this was still pretty great. A couple fantastic girlfriends, a place to call home, a present under the tree…
Wait, a present under the tree?!
She looked to Twilight who looked back with a coy grin.
“You didn’t,” Sunset said.
“I did.”
“Twilight,” she whined. “We promised that we weren’t going to spend money on each other.”
“Look Sunset, it isn’t much.”
Sunset got up and knelt beside the tree. The box was far bigger than, ‘not much’.
She voiced this opinion. “This is a lot more than not much, babe.”
“Just open it.”
The box shared a length and width with her torso though it was far shallower. It was wrapped in a white and gold paper with a silver ribbon and bright red bow. Attached to the ribbon was a little tag which stated who the gift was from and who was receiving it.
Sunset tore the wrapping to shreds. Clearly, she has never received the lesson about conserving and recycling wrapping paper while growing up. Underneath was a solid black clothing box with an fancily penned golden cursive in the upper left corner. While she had never heard of the brand before, it seemed expensive. This only fed into Sunset’s anxiety.
The box felt unnaturally heavy. This wasn’t a shirt, blouse, or even a pair of jeans. No this was something with far more heft.
There was no point in drawing it out any longer. She popped the lid off the box and pulled out its contents.
It was a leather jacket, much like the one she had previously owned. Really the only difference was age. Her previous had been old and beaten while this one was brand new with a rich black leather that still held its distinctive smell.
Sunset was stunned.
“Twilight…you didn’t have to,” she said.
Twilight smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “I know, but I wanted to.”
“There’s no way I could ever give you a gift that’s even remotely as good.”
“You already have.”
Sunset looked at her. “What?”
“Before I met you, I was a social recluse who barely left her house and whose only real friend was a dog. You saved me from myself Sunset and…” She took a deep breath. “… and I love you for that.”
Sunset grinned. “I love you too babe.”
“Plus, I saw this on sale and I knew how much you missed your jacket.”
“I mean we turned it into a vest but…but this is so much better.”
“I thought you might like it.”
Sunset took a silent sip from her eggnog. “I love it.”
She reached over and placed her hand upon Twilight’s cheek, brushing her hair aside. A moment later she leaned in, kissing Twilight passionately upon the lips.
In theory it should have been a very romantic gesture.
In practice?
Twilight flinched and pulled back.
“Sunset,” Twilight said.
“Yes?”
“Your breath tastes like eggnog.”
Smooth moves, Shimmer.
Smooth moves.
Author's Note
Merry Christmas, Delta.
Also congrats to all my friends for having favourite ships that linked into one another very easily.
Also congrats on all the Twi love, you eggheads.
As always follows, likes, and favourites are always appreciated.
