In the growing town of Ponyville, there was a boutique.
In that boutique sat an alabaster unicorn whose name was Rarity. In her magic was suspended a quill, and her focus was entirely on the blank sheet of paper before her. Unfortunately, she had been staring at this piece of paper for well over two hours at this point, and hairs were beginning to pop out of place in her mane. Just why couldn’t she think of any ideas?
“This is hopeless!” Rarity cried, her quill falling to the desk. She swooned and collapsed onto her workspace, head in her hooves as she sighed heavily, nearly in tears. “Why can’t I think of anything right now? Why am I like this?”
Rarity then rested her cheeks on her hooves as she stared out into the empty space of the boutique. Her boutique. A place of creativity and fashion, the cradle of a new era of clothes and ideas. So where were they now? Could she really have run out of them? If so, how does one even run out of ideas?
“Hey, Rarity!” a voice called to her. With a tired hum, Rarity looked at Sweetie Belle, who gleamed as she trotted up to her in full winter gear. “Me and my friends are going tobogganing and ice-skating! Is that alright with you?”
Rarity smiled. She knew what this was really about. “Of course, Sweetie Belle. You don’t really need my permission for these kinds of things anymore. You know that.” And in a great big swoop, Rarity engulfed her sister in a firm hug. “And I love you too much to ever say no.”
“Thank, big sis!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, hugging back tightly and not uncomfortably. “You’re the best. I wish everypony had a sister as good as you.”
“The world’s expanding now, Sweetie,” Rarity chided gently as she put Sweetie down. “The term is everyone, now.”
Rarity watched her sister nod fervently and proceed to bolt to the doors. “Everyone, got it. Bye, Rarity, hope you have good luck with whatever project you’re doing now! Don’t overwork yourself, I don’t want to see you sleeping on your own hooves at your desk again. Bye!”
The door slammed shut, leaving Rarity all alone. Her dilemma still existed, but now she knew she needed to get away from it to even have a chance at finishing it, much less start it at all. Maybe a trip to the spa was in order. Relaxation was sure to get her mind into a proper state. Sighing hopelessly, she took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle.
“It’s too early for this,” she announced to an empty room.
In the fresh, frosty air of Ponyville, Rarity took a deep breath and smiled. Her anti-fog glasses truly were a blessing in disguise. If only she could get a gift as good as this one…
A frown threatened to form, and she shook her thoughts away. She needed to focus. Yes, to the spa. She looked into her bit bag and nodded. Sure, it was an expense from what she normally spent in a week, but she felt this was necessary. Though it hurt to see her weekly allowance dwindle a little more than she was comfortable with, she would make do.
The snow crunching underhoof was always such a satisfactory noise to Rarity. There really wasn’t quite anything like it in any other season of the year. It was powdery and soft, but equal parts rough and hard. Snowbanks shoveled to the side could be as hard as rock or as weak as a pile of leaves, and snowponies dotted the yards of rows upon rows of houses.
The winter sky was clear for Hearth’s Warming Day, and Rarity smiled. Perhaps today would be a better day than the last. She sure hoped so. Rarity greeted ponies as she passed on by, noting all the empty stalls and the barren marketplace. Of course it would be empty, it was Hearth’s Warming after all. It was time to be with friends and family. Rarity, of course, had already had her Hearth’s Warming gathering the night before, and everypony had mutually agreed that the next day would be better spent with actual family. Rarity couldn’t really say the same for Sweetie Belle, but with her out of the house she was sure to have the privacy and time she needed to make something spectacular.
Arriving at the spa, Rarity barely glanced at the well-worn notice. Why? Well, because the spa wasn’t actually open, but the sauna and the hot baths were. It wouldn’t be fair to them and any of their employees to miss out on Hearth’s Warming just to treat other ponies, now would it?
Sometimes, Rarity wondered if anyone else knew about this fact about the spa, that it was still open for the functions that could be served by whoever was visiting. Reaching the door for the spa, she put her bits into a slot that ejected a one-day-use card. With it, she was able to open the door and begin her journey to the baths. She expected the steaminess and the wonderfully aromatic scents that grew stronger as she neared.
What she did not expect was the polychromatic pegasus already in one of the baths sighing contentedly. Though she had seen Rainbow Dash one too many times in the spa, seeing her here on Hearth’s Warming Day was a surprise to be sure. The only other pony she knew who might know about the spa’s special holiday services was Pinkie Pie, and no one could ever really know what went on inside her head.
Suddenly, an idea struck Rarity. Smirking, she softened her hoofsteps and approached the same bath Rainbow was in. Taking her winter gear along with her glasses off to the side into a cubby, she grabbed a towel and quietly slipped into the bath herself. Situating herself into an optimal position, she sighed and said “Great to relax without prying eyes, hm?”
Rainbow Dash giggled, her eyes still closed. “Oh yeah. Nothing beats the spa on a holiday. Nopony will ever see me-” At that precise moment, Rainbow Dash’s eyes shot wide open and she yelped, splashing warm water everywhere as she tried to shoot out of the water. Tried, because her wings were sopping wet and she only ended up tipping over the side. Giggling terribly, Rarity quickly grabbed Rainbow Dash in her magic, righting the pegasus and placing her firmly back into the hot tub.
Rarity continued to giggle as she watched Rainbow’s panicked expression morph into one of surprise, and then one of annoyance. Oh, Rainbow really was a funny pegasus. “Rarity!” Rainbow cried, her face redder than the stripes in her mane. With a pout, she folded her forelegs. “That wasn’t funny!”
Rarity doubled over, nearly wheezing. She realised this wasn’t very civilised, but she just couldn’t help herself. “I-I beg to d-differ, darling. It was quite hilarious!”
“You can laugh about it,” Rainbow grumbled. “I thought I was going to be alone today. Nopony else was supposed to know the spa isn’t fully closed on holidays.”
“And what of it?” Rarity asked, regaining her composure with shorter and shorter laughs. “I’ve seen you in the spa before. It isn’t entirely alien to see you here.”
“I just don’t want anypony else to know I was here. That’s it.” With a big sigh, Rainbow sank back into the tub, shaking her head and resting it on the sides. “And maybe so that others don’t start catching on yet.”
“I hear you loud and clear, Rainbow,” Rarity said. “Don’t worry. I want to keep it a secret for as long as possible too.”
In a moment of mutual agreement, both ponies relaxed and let the water take away their worries. Neither knew how long they had stayed for, but soon enough Rarity realised that she was growing restless. The spa wasn’t as peaceful as she thought it was going to be. Okay, maybe it was, but she thought it would take a lot longer for her to grow tired of it. Her hooves hadn’t even gone pruney yet. Rainbow, on the other hoof, was still relaxing, and almost seemed to be sleeping. If Rarity hadn’t known Rainbow snored in her sleep, she would’ve thought as much. Sitting up in her spot, she looked at Rainbow’s lazy form.
“Rainbow Dash.”
A small grumble and a ripple in the water. “What? If you’re asking me why I’m here, it’s because of yesterday. I was so tired after Discord and everything that-”
“No, no, not that,” Rarity interjected. “I was going to ask you something else.” Now more alert, Rainbow cracked open an eye and sat up. With a rub of her eyes, Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Rarity. Rarity breathed carefully. “You view Scootaloo as a little sister, right?”
Rainbow grinned, chuckling a little at that and sighing in relief. “Course I do! She’s the greatest little filly ever. Why do you ask?”
Swirling her hoof in the steamy water, she pursed her lips. “I’m having trouble coming up with ideas for a present for Sweetie Belle… I mean, yes, I did get her some toys and makeup for Hearth’s Warming this morning, but I couldn’t help but think that I needed something more special, like what we did for each other yesterday. Do you think you could help?”
Waiting for an answer, Rarity stared into her reflection. She stared into her own conflicted eyes, such a minor problem plaguing her mind, but she couldn’t get rid of it. When no answer came, she looked up and saw Rainbow Dash staring at her with a surprised look. She then saw Rainbow laugh nervously as she came to the realisation that she was staring, and rubbed the back of her head. “Well, uh, I’m not sure.”
Rarity really should have expected that answer. What else could she expect from Rainbow? She always thought with her heart, not so much with her head. Sometimes, there was wisdom in that, and that’s exactly why she asked in the first place, but… “I suppose that’s to be suspected,” she sighed. “Thanks anyways, Rainbow Dash.”
“No, wait,” Rainbow said, holding a hoof out. “I’m not sure because, uh, I don’t really know Sweetie Belle, y’know? But I know Scoots, and she’s a real cool girl. That’s why I got her a new set of wheels for her scooter. I didn’t replace the whole thing ‘cause they’d been through a lot together, right?
“But I thought it would be nice to give her something to replace her old wheels, which were basically stubs. Anyways, when I gave it to her, the little squirt was ecstatic. I thought she was going to start flying right then and there! I thought the gift would be awesome, and she thought so too.” With a smile and a point, Rainbow finished by asking “Catch my drift?”
After a moment, Rarity nodded thoughtfully. “So what you’re saying is, it needs to mean something to me to mean something to her?”
Rainbow went a little cross-eyed as she tried to confirm it. “I… think? Look, just get your sister something you know she’ll like a lot. If you’re making it, that makes it even better! I’m not as awesome as you at making things up.” With a quirk of Rarity’s brow, Rainbow giggled abashed. “Uh, that last part came out wrong. But you get what I mean!”
“Yes, quite right,” Rarity murmured. As her thoughtful look morphed into a brighter and brighter smile, she beamed at Rainbow Dash. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. You’ve given me the perfect idea. This will top any present I have ever given her. This will be amazing!” Gracefully, she stepped out of the water and dried herself off. In a flash, she had all her winter gear on and was already trotting out of the door.
“Just remember not to stay too long in the water, darling. You’ll get pruney, and no one deserves to be pruney on Hearth’s Warming!” And with a flourish, Rarity disappeared, leaving Rainbow Dash behind.
Rainbow, for her part, blinked and sank back into the water. “Five more minutes and I’ll be done. Just five, yup, definitely won’t stay longer or anything. Nope.”
Frowning, Rainbow brought her hoof out of the water and sighed. “On second thought, maybe Rarity’s right.” She glanced at the empty spa around her. “... at least nopony heard me say that.”
Rarity’s desk was a new storm of creation as papers were written over and thrown into the trash while others were added onto and pinned to a board. Her eyes flew and her mind raced as she created and created and created and-
“NOTHING IS WORKING!”
With a great big cry, Rarity collapsed once more. Designs and patterns scattered to the four corners of the room and she groaned for an indeterminable amount of time. Even with her new ideas, she still couldn’t decide on anything. One was good, another was great, and a third as viable as the other two. How was she to decide? What could she do?
“Oh, why am I even bothering.” Rarity sniffed as she dabbed at her eyes with a hoofkerchief. “I doubt she would…” At that precise moment, it hit her.
No, she could not make it from scratch. What had Rainbow Dash done? She had taken something Scootaloo liked and made it better. Could she do the same? It meant something to Sweetie Belle, so it meant something to Rarity. If it meant something to Rarity, then she could work with it. But what…?
Something caught her sight, lying in a cubby hole that was filled with odds and ends she had accumulated over the years that she had hoped she would be able to get ideas from and reuse. Frowning in determination, she slid off her chair and trotted to the cubby, floating everything out and examining it with critical eyes.
A flash, and she saw her prize. A scarf! Yes, the most stylish scarf for the most amazing filly! Oh, the ideas, the threads, the style, and the smile on her face when she would see her old ribbon restored and renewed into something even grander than it was before! By Celestia’s phoenix, she would do this!
She rushed to get the right threads, matching ceruleans and golds and sky-blues. In a flurry of supplies and strings, it looked like chaos, but everything was working towards Rarity’s efficiency. Countless hours of designing and scrapping and revising had sharpened her skills and she would not be denied the most fabulous product in the shortest amount of time possible.
The clock ticked and with every second Rarity was brought closer to finishing the scarf. As the light waned and hours passed, she lit a scented candle and turned on a lamp. She would need it. And so, as the sun set on Hearth’s Warming Day, Rarity gingerly picked up her finished masterpiece and brought it to the light.
Her heart stopped when a voice rang clear across the air. “Hey, Rarity, what’s that?”
Rarity yelped and dropped the article of clothing. It fell gently, gracefully, and with no noise. Covering her mouth, she spun her chair on the spot and faced her little sister. “Sweetie Belle! Have I not warned you to always knock before entering?”
Sweetie Belle blushed, stepping back in reflex. “Sorry, sorry! I just heard a lot of noise up here and wondered what you were working on! Uh, and I might’ve tracked some mud and, uh, something-else-but-that-doesn’t-matter into the house so yeah!”
Rarity blinked and narrowed her eyes at Sweetie Belle. “Sweetie, what did you do?”
Sweetie laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her head, only to find that it was stuck to her mane. With a wince, she ripped her hoof off and sighed. “Somehow, we still ended up covered in tree sap. In the middle of winter! It makes no sense, and it still happened!”
Rolling her eyes, Rarity sighed. Of course she did. With a sigh, Rarity lit her horn and focused her mind into a spell. This was a specific spell Twilight had created just for this purpose, because the Crusaders had barged into her boutique one too many times covered in sap, mucking everything up. In a flash, Sweetie was cleansed, and Rarity shook her head. A couple of sparks flew out of her horn, and she could feel a slight headache coming on, but she felt a little better knowing Sweetie was clean.
“Sweetie Belle, please come here.”
Wearily watching her sister trot towards her, she smiled and opened her forelegs wide. After a warm hug, Rarity raised an eyebrow and asked “So how was your day with your friends?”
Sweetie brightened at the question, and Rarity pulled a stool out for her as she began to rapid-fire her answers in quick fashion. Rarity nodded and smiled with each moment replayed and laughed with Sweetie at parts that seemed too ridiculous to be true. As she began to wind down, Rarity started to get more anxious until finally, Sweetie finished and noticed her elder sibling’s unease.
“Rarity, are you okay? Did I say something? Do you want me to clean up the sap downstairs?”
Rarity shook her head, even though that did sound nice after all the brainpower she had expended today. No, she needed to do it now before the day was over. “Sweetie, remember that scarf I got you years ago? The one you outgrew because it had grown tattered and dirty with use?”
Sweetie thought for a moment, her eyes drifting upwards before widening with a smile. “Yeah! I loved that thing! Why? Did you find it again?”
Rarity bit her lip. “Well, I… Alright, let me start from the beginning. I already know I got you presents this morning, but I just thought that with all we’ve been through together this past year, I wanted to get you something more, especially when you got me this new pair of glasses. I can’t imagine how much you spent to get me these, but I felt I should really show how much I love you and I spent the whole day trying to come up with something…”
Lifting it in her magic, Rarity placed the renewed scarf in her hooves and folded it gently. “I fixed your scarf up, made it better, even. I mended the stitching and did my best to seamlessly lengthen it to match your growing figure, and look! It shimmers in the light thanks to the-” Rarity was embraced in the strongest hug she had ever felt from the filly, and a warmth burst in her chest like a million suns bursting into existence. She almost couldn’t believe the reaction of Sweetie Belle, but she really wasn’t one to complain. With a relieved and happy smile, Rarity hugged her little sister back.
“Thank you, Rarity!” Sweetie’s warbled voice cried. “This is the best Hearth’s Warming present I could have ever asked for.” Rarity could feel her vision blur as joy filled her being, and when they pulled back, Sweetie Belle was no less the same. “I… wow! I, I thought I lost this and all this time you had it and now it’s all fixed up and, and, oh!” With those words, their hug was continued, and both of their smiles grew so large that it almost hurt.
It was with reluctance that they pulled away, and Sweetie took the scarf in her hoof. The snowflake-starburst patterns on it really made it sparkle. With an excited grin, Sweetie wrapped the soft fabric around her neck and leapt off her stool trotting around in circles to pose for Rarity.. Rarity could only hold a hoof up to her mouth, her amusement at the display clear for all to see. “How do I look, Rarity?” Sweetie asked, energised with joy. “Is it good? Do you think I can wear it all the time? Does it compliment my colours? Is it sap proof?!”
Rarity bit back her laughter and smirked. “You look amazing, yes, yes, of course it does, and how could you even doubt that I wouldn’t put a spell on it for your crusading! You are fantastic!”
With a holler, Sweetie pranced in a tight circle, her happiness showing no limits. With each bounce, she giggled, and with each pause she felt the scarf with her hoof and held it up to her face to feel. It truly was magnificent.
“I just have one question, though, Rarity,” Sweetie asked. “Why did you take so long to come up with it? I would have told you not to worry about it if you look so tired after a whole day of idea-making.”
After a moment of thought, Rarity smiled tiredly. “Well, when you put it like that, it does sound simply stupid, but…” Pulling her sister in for a one-legged hug, she sighed contentedly. “It was worth it. It might have been rushed, and it may have taken a while, but you can’t deny the results.”
“I guess not,” Sweetie said, and nuzzled her sister. “I love it.”
“And I love you.”
Author's Note
Please comment what you thought on this! It's my first ever Rarity-centric piece of fiction and I've always been a little scared to write her, so tell me what you think.
Don't forget to hit like if you liked it!
All the best and a happy Christmas/Hearth's Warming,
~Doctor Disco
