A Change in Strategy

Twilight's tree house glowed from within with a soft, amber light. The tinkling sound of laughter drifted out from a small circular window, which had been left open to let in the crisp winter air. The library was being decorated for the upcoming festivities by every member of the reclusive librarian's friend circle. All six of the Elements of Harmony gathered under one roof, and half of them with one thing very prominent in their minds. One pony, in particular.

"Should we invite Stratus over for Hearth's warming?" Pinkie asked, completely unprompted, as she walked out of the kitchen balancing nearly two hundred tiny cookies across many baking sheets. They smelled divine, as Pinkie's confections always did. Twilight had accused her several times of changing the recipe somehow, to which Pinkie always shrugged.

"What?" Rainbow asked as she hung an evergreen wreath on one of the higher branches.

"Who?" Applejack echoed, placing a perfectly normal apple, which she insisted was festive, onto a largely unornamented shelf.

"It's the new mare in town," Fluttershy explained to Applejack as she dusted a bookcase with a pastel wing, "She opened up that store... something... Flarket?"

"What?" Rainbow asked again.

"Rainbow, if you're going to ask questions then get down from there!" yelled Rarity, who lounged nearby on Twilight's rather drab couch.

Huffing with exasperation, Rainbow zipped back down to the floor, flicking her mane from in front of her face, "What're we talking about?"

"Some new mare," Rarity said, feigning disinterest. Twilight rolled her eyes affectionately at the fashionista. She hadn't turned a page in her novel in almost 15 minutes.

"Oh!" Rainbow practically squeaked, "I-I mean. Ohh, heh. Who is she? What's she all about?"

"Well she's taken, for one," Fluttershy said with a small smile, "I think she and Scarlet Ember are seeing each other."

"Scarlet?" Applejack said incredulously, "Ain't no way!"

"Yeah, trust me," Rainbow said absentmindedly, "she is NOT into mares."

There were a few seconds of awkward silence, and everypony present looked at Rainbow. Rarity looked over the top of her book at the young pegassus.

Rainbow froze, and then blushed, "What?!"

The other five mares in the room all chuckled, leaving Rainbow even more confused.

"Anyway," Twilight continued where Fluttershy had left off, "She's new in town. She's a pegasus, but she must have royal blood in her somewhere. She's huge!"

"Twilight, dear, that's impolite," Rarity noted.

Twilight glared at the purple haired unicorn "You know what I meant, Rarity. And if you aren't going to help, you don't get to gossip either!"

Rarity groaned dramatically, and then slid herself off the couch. She reached into a box of decorations and began pulling out baubles to hang.

"As I was saying," Twilight continued, "she's very nice, and offered to source some rare magical ingredients for me. She was good on her word, too, her store has the genuine articles."

"Oh, Rainbow?" Fluttershy said, remembering the name she had forgotten, "you remember the Fairweathers?"

Rainbow blinked her magenta eyes at the pastel mare, "... the what?"

"Fairweathers?" Rarity said with interest, "As in... the Cloudsdale Fairweathers? No wonder she's well-stocked. Even if she's a distant relation, her family are one of the foremost suppliers of rare goods from across the seas in the world. I buy silk from them sometimes when I need it for demanding clients. I wonder if she sells any?"

"Now hold on a second," Applejack said, turning to face Rarity, "Don't you live here? How come you haven't met her?"

Rarity sputtered in indignation, "Why, Applejack! I was away on important business! And what's your excuse, hmm?"

Applejack gave her a blank stare, "Rarity. I live two hours' trot from here on a farm. I hardly meet anypony Pinkie doesn't introduce me to first. And Big Mac's never mentioned a new pegassus bein' at the stall."

"I think she's nice!" Pinkie said, once again regaining control over the conversation that was originally hers, "And she barely knows anypony here. If she doesn't have plans to stay with anypony over Hearth's Warming, we should invite her to stay with us!"

"Agreed!" said Twilight.

The others continued chatting about this and that, but Fluttershy's mind lingered on the conversation. What did she think of the golden pegasus? She was pretty, certainly. But Fluttershy had an odd feeling about the mare. The question she had asked still lingered in Fluttershy's mind. It had been a strange thing to ask, yet oddly poignant.

If I had to call her anything, Fluttershy thought as she hummed softly, placing a small gnome on a shelf, I wouldn't say that she's nice. She's polite. I would say she's interesting, at least.

"I agree," Fluttershy said to herself quietly as the others argued about which of them got to eat the freshly baked cookies first, "we should invite her."

"What was that, sugarcube?" Applejack asked over the din of the others, and immediately the noise quieted somewhat as they let their quietest member speak.

"I think we should bring her," Fluttershy said, blushing at being the center of attention and hiding behind her bangs, "I like her."

Applejack's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and she whirled on Rarity, "Fluttershy met the new mare in town before you did?"

"It's not my job to meet everyone that steps off the train!" Rarity shot back.

"That's my job!" Pinkie added, "Stop trying to give it to Rarity!"

Fluttershy smiled as she listened to her friends. She scratched absentmindedly at the base of her neck. It was a little itchy.

Stratus Fairweather sat in her bed with a nice book she had brought from home. Her room was spacious, and warmly lit. She had brought a few odds and ends from Cloudsdale to decorate. A Full-length mirror, her favorite floral-patterned sheet set, her chest of drawers, and the nightstand she'd had since she was little. She readjusted her wings and gave them a gentle flap, sending a gentle rain of glittering gold flecks flying from them. The room was starting to feel like hers now.

While one of her hooves held the book, the other stroked the mane of Scarlet Ember. The earth pony was sound asleep, head lying in Stratus' lap. Her nostrils flared as the golden dust reached her face, and a beatific smile slowly spread across her features.

"Hmmm..." she sighed contentedly, half awake and half dreaming, "Love you..."

Stratus felt a warmth envelop her body, and she smiled down at her earth pony, "Love you too, Scarlet. Dream sweet dreams for me, won't you? Or maybe of me."

Stratus chuckled at her little joke, and went back to reading her book.