"Um, Professor Rarity?" said the young yak, stomping her way over to Rarity, who was removing yarn her students had wrapped around a white mannequin.
"Yes darling?" she said, her back turned as she respooled the yarn using unicorn magic. There was not an inch to waste.
"Yona knows you gave me dress that one time," Yona paused. "and Yona liked it, but still..."
"Is something wrong?"
"Yona just wonders why all mannequins look like..." Yona raised her heavy legs and gestured to the white model horse. "...this."
"What do you mean?" Rarity turned to face Yona and her large black horns and loosely braided hair.
"What Yona means is, why no yak mannequins? Why no dragon or griffon mannequins?"
Rarity opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it. Closed it again. She looked out the window at the schoolyard below. From above, she saw the outlines of a group of creatures outside walking through the thin fog. Each one had a distinct shape. She could identify the sharp contours of Smolder's dragon wings. The feathery fluff of Gallus's griffon body. The thin beauty of the Ocellus's changeling tail. The thin eagle-like talons of Silverstream's hippogriff limbs.
"That is quite an excellent question, and one that I'm afraid I don't have an answer for." Rarity finally said. Yona frowned, still staring at the small horse body, held aloft by a metal rod. Rarity placed gently placed a hoof on the yak's body, and led her to the doorway.
"Maybe I'll have an answer for you when we return from holiday. Have a good one!" Rarity spoke quickly underneath the doorway.
"You too professor," Yona said, looking down as she dragged her feet along the castle floor, away from Rarity's classroom. Once Yona had disappeared behind around the corner of the gleaming crystal hallway, Rarity closed the door.
For a moment, Rarity pondered the question. She had offered fabric to the yaks once. Crystal Empire fabric, some of the finest fabric in all of Equestria. The yaks hadn't seemed to enjoy it very much, as evident by ensuing chomping and stomping.
Shaking her head, she turned to face her classroom again. She'd think about it later. Now, it was time to work.
A thin black book, leather bound, lay on the table, the one the mannequin stood on. Rarity opened it, her hooves skimming through the tan parchment, past dozens of scribbled drawings, until she found the latest design concept. Peering out from her red glasses, she eyed the design she had penciled in. Looked over the dabs of watercolor that composed the color palette.
"Hmm... well it's not awful," Rarity mumbled. "Acceptable even, but the negative space created by the star... the colors aren't quite analogous enough... getting that fabric would be quite expensive." Rarity's comments continued for several minutes as she microanalyzed the drawing on the page. Roughly, Rarity grasped the paper. Tore it. Crumpled it and tossed it on the marble floor, still littered with bits of cloth in assorted colors, remnants of the class that had taken place an hour earlier.
"AGH! Who am I kidding!" she stammered in frustration. "I'll never get this design for my winter fashion line right!"
The door opened slightly. "Everything alright in here Rarity?" said Twilight, her head peeking through the gap in the short, sparkling double doors. She looked down at the untidy floor, then looked up at Rarity, lips curled downward slightly. "I'm supposed to close the classrooms for winter in exactly twenty two minutes. Can you do me a favor and clean up?"
"Sure, sure Twilight," Rarity murmured dismissively.
"I'm serious. I never deviate from schedule. Never." Twilight glared at Rarity, a piercing purple gaze, before sliding her head back behind the door, shutting it behind her. Rarity heard the scratching of a quill as Twilight trotted down the hallway. With a sigh, her horn lit up, the gentle blue glow mixing with the fading light of day coming from the window. Fabric flew through the air, the colors returning to their rightful places.
Beneath the luxurious four poster bed, Rarity tossed and turned. An owl hooted in the distance. The white unicorn faced right for a moment, then rolled over to lay on her other side to face the large window of her bedroom, curtains open. Peeling the sleep mask from her face, she sat up. "This isn't working," she whispered, rather forcefully. She removed herself from the soft mattress and walked across her bedroom towards her desk. Towards the black book. Without looking through previous iterations, all failures, she opened to a blank page. She was going to get this right.
Rarity looked around the dark room. She could see the silhouette of the pony mannequin, larger than the one she had in her classroom at the School of Friendship. Illuminating her desk with magic, she reached for a pencil on her desk. Pressed it down to paper. No. This pencil wasn't sharp enough. Wrapping another one in her left hoof, she again attempted to sketch a pony body. "No. That isn't right," Rarity whispered, turning the pencil over. The proportions of the body weren't correct. The torso was much too big. Like, yak big. Rarity snickered for a moment, humored by the comparison, before her eyes went wide.
"THAT'S IT!" she shouted, triumphantly. The owl outside, startled by the noise, quickly hovered away from the tree outside of Rarity's bedroom window. She didn't erase the torso. Instead, she etched the blocky shape of a yak head, added some roundness to the top of the figure. There. The guidelines were in place.
The moon continued to rise, and Rarity continued to draw, her maniacal grin increasing in size all the while. She sketched yak shapes, griffon shapes, changeling shapes, hippogriff shapes, pony shapes. Then came the designs themselves. She drew circles, triangles, squares, stars, shapes she didn't even have a name for. The watercolors were in her drawer. It was happening! It was all coming into place! These designs would surely impress any creature, even the yaks!
The moon began to fall as Rarity painted, mixing reds, blues, yellows until the colors were perfect. A ray of morning sunshine beamed through the window as Rarity raised the sketchbook triumphantly into the air. She stood up from the stool she was sitting on and yawned. At last, she could sleep. "RARITY!" shouted a voice from the kitchen. "Where's the orange juice again?" A thud. A crash. Rarity rolled her eyes. Er... maybe not.
Sitting at the breakfast table, as her marshmallow sister Sweetie Belle bounced around the kitchen, she thought about which creatures she would measure first. The corners of Rarity's tired eyes turned up in a smile as she imagined herself, sewing kit in hoof, measuring yaks, measuring dragons. It was exciting! A bold step for fashion, where no pony had dared venture before! Sweetie Belle's white hoof, waving furiously, removed her from her thoughts. "Sis? Do we have any brown sugar?"
"It's in the top cabinet, Sweetie." Sweetie Belle teetered on the countertop, reaching, stretching for the small white bag before stumbling and hitting the ground with another thud. Rarity pushed away from the breakfast table and got the bag for Sweetie herself.
"You don't look so good," Sweetie said looking into Rarity's bloodshot eyes, obscured by locks of frizzy purple hair. She poured an obscene amount of brown sugar into the soupy concoction in the blue bowl. "What? It's oatmeal. With a dash of orange juice for taste." Rarity gagged. She then proceeded to stare emptily at the dirtied kitchen surrounding her, her head propped up on her hoof.
"Say, Sweetie, I've decided to go on a business trip. Should only be a few days," Rarity said.
Sweetie Belle placed her spoon down on the purple wood of the dining table. "Really Rarity? So close to Hearth's Warming?"
"Yes dear. It is a matter of utmost importance."
"Where is it, exactly, that you're going?" Sweetie Belle gazed into her "oatmeal", her lips pulled down in a frown.
"I am going to..." Rarity paused for dramatic effect. "Yakyakistan!" Sweetie Belle didn't say anything. Continued to look intently at the bowl in front of her. "I said..." Rarity tried again. "I'm going to..." Another dramatic pause. "Yakyakistan!"
"I heard you the first time, sis," Sweetie Belle said dryly. Then there was a silence in the air between the two sisters.
Finally, Sweetie Belle spoke again. "Why? Mom and Dad are supposed to be here like, tomorrow."
"I told you Sweetie, it's a business trip. Such is the life of a fashion designer." Rarity gracefully raised her hooves and coiffed her unruly purple mane.
"Ugh. You'll be back for Hearth's Warming Eve though, right?"
"Of course! Of course I will Sweetie Belle. I would never miss a holiday with my family—" Rarity trotted a few short steps over to Sweetie Belle. "and my little sister." Sweetie Belle was squeezed by Rarity's embrace.
Pushing against Rarity in an attempt to escape the white mare, Sweetie Belle raised her voice. "That's what you said last year!" Rarity removed herself from Sweetie Belle.
It was true. Rarity had promised Sweetie Belle that she would be home for Hearth's Warming last year.
"You missed it last year for what? A stupid wedding?" Sweetie Belle stood atop the table now, and Rarity was forced to look directly into her sister's green eyes, containing all the anger of a raging yak. "'Oh no! The trim on this dress is half an inch too short! Better abandon my family and fix it!'" she mocked, gesturing with her front hooves.
"Sweetie, my fashion li—"
But Sweetie wasn't done. "Your fashion line? What about me? What about mom and dad, and Hearth's Warming?"
Rarity thought about it. Entertained the idea of postponing until after the holiday. But there was so much work to be done if she was to get the inclusive winter fashion line out in time. Plus, she'd certainly be back in time for Hearth's Warming Eve. right? "I have to go to Yakyakistan. It can't wait."
Sweetie Belle sighed. "Whatever," she said, before abandoning the table and the kitchen, coated floor to ceiling in various substances, many of which did not belong in oatmeal.
Rarity placed her head down on the table. Picked it up again. Silver spoon in her hoof, she dipped it into the oatmeal cautiously. Brought it up to her lips. Took a small bite before spitting it out, immediately regretting the decision.
Bundled up in a purple coat lined with soft, white fur, Rarity called to Sweetie Belle. "I'll be back by noon on Hearth's Warming Eve!" Silence. Rarity had packed light for the trip, three suitcases, one of which contained her measurement tools. Without her trusty assistant Spike to carry them, she'd have to pull them by *shudder* herself. Her hooves glided across the wintry dirt, bags trailing behind her, surrounded by a magic glow as she headed towards the center of Ponyville to search for a balloon ride to Yakyakistan.
Rarity trotted into the square. It was her lucky day. Despite the busy travelling season, the twinkling balloon lay before her, a cherry-red mare with a blonde mane slumped over the side of the basket. A pair of aviation goggles dangled loosely from her thin neck. "Excuse me," Rarity said, approaching the balloon. "I'm looking for a ride to Yakyakistan. Round trip."
Cherry Berry smiled, adjusting the goggles so that they sat atop her brown cap. "I can get you there and back. Rarity, right?"
Rarity looked at the ground below her, the buildings of Ponyville forming a tiny grid far beneath her and the pilot. "Got any Hearth's Warming plans, uh..."
"The name's Cherry. Cherry Berry," Cherry said, without taking her eyes off of the sky. "And to answer your question, no. Just me and the horizon. It's my favorite part of Hearth's Warming, actually, the sunrise from my balloon."
Rarity quickly found that Cherry Berry did not offer much in the way of conversation, and soon the two mares lapsed into silence while far below, the land gently streamed by. Far off, in the distance, Rarity could see Cloudsdale and the winter clouds filtering out of obscenely large metal tubes.
A few pegasi floated below, lazily, and bits of conversation reached Rarity's ears. "Bet you'll never guess what I got you for Hearth's Warming!" said a stallion's voice with enthusiasm.
"A ring? Ohmigod, I've been waiting for this!" the mare giggled excitedly.
"Uh... no, actually. We should talk about..." Then the voices were out of earshot. The trees below were beginning to thicken, giving way to tall, green pines covered in thick layers of freshly fallen snow. Rarity shivered, the cool air penetrating her winter coat. She glanced at Cherry Berry and realized that the mare donned nothing but her own cherry-red fur for warmth.
"Aren't you..."
"Cold? Nah. I keep a jacket in the bin though just in case." She pointed towards a brown box on the floor of the basket. "Might need it as we approach Yakyakistan."
About an hour later, Rarity could see the griffon approaching, flying briskly towards the balloon. The gray griffon grew closer, and Rarity could hear the high-pitched singing. Suddenly, the voice stopped, and the figure in the distance, which had been traveling at slightly different angle, zoomed towards Rarity, who had her front hooves over the edge of the basket.
"Wow! It's Rarity! In a balloon!" It was Gabby. Her mailbag bobbed and her large wings beat slowly. "What are you doing way up here?" Gabby peered inside the balloon basket. "Where's Sweetie Belle?" Rarity could see her own breath as she prepared to tell Gabby all about the idea for her winter fashion line.
"I'm travelling to Yakyakistan on business. Sweetie Belle's at home, as I'll only be gone a few days. Say Gabby, have you ever wanted a dress? A coat?"
Gabby looked at Rarity, then said, "Actually, yeah. I have. It gets cold up here sometimes, delivering mail."
"You see, a student of mine approached me with a question. Where is the fashion for other creatures? Creatures who aren't ponies? I didn't have an answer. But then, then, I had an idea. A brilliant idea that kept me awake all night. Fashion. For. EVERYONE!" Rarity shouted excitedly. "Bold. Unique. Inclusive!"
"So... you're going to Yakyakistan?"
"Yes darling. I'm measuring the yaks first. It was, after all, Yona who gave me the inspiration."
"That's... that's... SO COOL!" Gabby squealed, her eyes wide with delight. "Wow. Wow. Can I be a model? I want to be a model. Are you looking for Griffon models yet? Wow. Help out THE Rarity with her fashion line!" She was in Rarity's face now, invading her much desired personal space.
"Of course. You'll be the first to know." A white envelope jutted out from the tan bag looped around Gabby's bony shoulders. Rarity gently tucked it back in. "Better get that mail in before Hearth's Warming!" Rarity grinned awkwardly.
"Right. Right." Gabby pulled away from the balloon. "Wow!" She looked at Rarity, waved, then coasted away in the cool air. "Wow!" Rarity heard in the distance. Then, singing that trailed in volume until it could no longer be heard.
"It's nice, what you're doing," Cherry Berry said before pulling away from the sky to open the rectangular box near Rarity's hooves. Out came a sleek leather jacket, brown, with fluffy interior lining. Rarity, who could no longer see Gabby now, turned to admire the getup. The stitching was fantastic! "The clouds ahead are awfully dark," Cherry muttered as she lowered the balloon to catch a different wind stream that would carry the mares around the mountain ahead.
At last, the twinkling balloon touched down outside the large wooden gates of Yakyakistan. Rarity reached in one of her suitcases and removed a jingling pouch, handing it to Cherry Berry. The mare took the rather large bag of bits, looking down at the bag, then at Rarity again. "It's almost Hearth's Warming,"
"Thanks. This balloon basket needs some repairs."
The mare moved towards the center of the balloon to raise it. "Where are you going to go?"
"I don't know. Somewhere, I guess." The mare shrugged. "Two days from now, right? Early morning?"
"Yes. Are you sure you don't want to stay?"
Cherry Berry just strapped her goggles on and ruffled her leather jacket in response.
Doesn't this mare have a family? Friends? Rarity wondered as the red mare's balloon hovered in the air, ever higher. Rarity waved at Cherry before turning to face the looming entrance to Yakyakistan, two broad yak statues on either side.
She knocked once. Twice. "I'm here!" she said in a sing-song voice. The walls didn't budge. Rarity shivered, standing in snow up to her knees. A few flakes spiraled downwards from the pale gray sky above. Her hoof tapped the wooden door again.
From inside. "Visitor?"
"Yes. It's me. Rarity. Surely you've heard my name."
"What yak password?" the voice asked from behind the wall. Through a gap, Rarity could see the auburn fur of the yak on the other side.
"Um... smash?"
"What? Yak could not hear you."
"Smash?" Rarity said again.
"Yak still cannot hear you. Speak up!"
"SMASH!?"
The door opened to reveal a large yak, who's mouth frowned in confusion.
"Rarity? Why white pony here?"
From a distance, she could see Yona approaching, passing nearby huts as she trotted through the uneven snowbanks.
"Two words. Yak! Fashion!" Rarity sang, loud enough for Yona to hear. Yona froze. Her olive-green eyes grew wide. Rarity immediately knew that her winter fashion line was going to resonate with creatures across the land. Yona dashed over to Rarity and the gatekeeper yak.
"Really Rarity? Yona so very happy!" she shouted, her braids bobbing as she stomped around. One of Rarity's suitcases toppled due to the small quakes emanating from Yona's still happy feet.
"Yak fashion?" The gatekeeper yak tilted his head curiously. "Yaks already have yak clothes. Why we need pony clothes?" The yak breathed angrily, and prepared to express himself in the yak language of stomping.
"Rarity make yaks look even better, Leroy," said Yona, placing a large hoof on Leroy's fluffy yak body.
Rarity yawned. "Great! We'll start tomorrow morning. I've got all the supplies in this suitcase." Rarity gestured to the blue suitcase that had fallen over. Using magic, she set it upright. "But a mare needs her beauty rest before she can properly design clothing." Rarity and the two yaks moved slowly through the snow before reaching a hut made out of mud and straw.
"Pony sleep here. With Yona and other female yaks," said Yona. Rarity smiled sheepishly before making her way inside.
Rarity stifled a gag as she stood beneath the straw roof of the hut. The odor emanating from the dozen or so fluffy yak shapes that lay on the ground was abhorrent. Yona pointed to a thin pile of straw beside a large yak, who was snoring loudly. Rarity crept her way over to the "bed" and set her bags down beside it. The yak breathed, blowing one of the suitcases over. Rarity sighed, then stifled another gag as she breathed in the air.
Seeing the look on Rarity's face, Yona shrugged. "Yaks rarely get pony visitors."
This was going to be a long night.
Rarity awoke to stomping outside, feeling the vibrations of the earth beneath her body. She'd slept in her purple coat, which was now damp and speckled with black dirt. Sounds of smashing. Standing upright, Rarity picked a piece of straw out of her frizzy purple mane, tongue out in disgust, before peeking outside.
What time was it? Rarity couldn't tell, because the sky was dark with clouds. A dark, slate gray.
Yaks had gathered in the center of the village, and were demolishing a pile of... something. Rarity couldn't quite see what it was. A yak pushed past Rarity roughly. "Pony no stomp?" the yak said, turning to face Rarity on the way out. Rarity shook her head in response.
The bouncing, the movement outside was ferocious. A particularly strong tremor caused a mound of cold snow to slide off the roof onto Rarity's head. She frowned. It was no matter. No matter at all! She was not here to stomp. She was here to design!
Yona rose from where she had been sleeping with great speed, hooves moving in a blur towards the commotion outside.
"Wait!" Rarity shouted before Yona was out of earshot. Yona cocked her head, then returned to the doorway of the hut where Rarity stood. "Do you think you could tell Prince Rutherford that I'll need help from the yaks today? I plan to take measurements so that the yak clothes fit properly."
Yona smiled. "Yona can do that." Rarity watched as Yona moved with blistering speed towards the epicenter of the quake before halting in front of the largest of the yaks. A few words were exchanged. Yona frowned. Curious, Rarity took a few hesitant steps closer in an attempt to hear the conversation.
"NO PONY CLOTHES!" Prince Rutherford's voice suddenly boomed. "We are yaks. Rarity try to make us soft. Like pony."
"B—"
"Yak clothes best clothes!" Prince Rutherford was stomping again, and other yaks joined him in unison, sending snow through the air.
From where she stood, Rarity could see a young yak step through the chaos until she stood directly in front of Prince Rutherford. "But," began the calf. "Ever since Ingris saw Yona wearing dress in photo, Ingris dreamed of wearing dress just like it." Other calves began to chorus their agreement.
"I wanna be cool!" squealed one young yak. "Rarity give us suh-preme fashion!" said another. "Yigrid thinks a dress would look nice on her when she plays yovidaphone!" shouted Yigrid. Soon, Prince Rutherford was surrounded by voices demanding fashion. Rarity's fashion. Rarity trotted over to the circle of yaks, doing her best to hide her distaste for the yak smell, the stench of which was nearly unbearable from inside the circle.
"Settle down!" she yelled in her best efforts to imitate the powerful voices of the yaks. All around her, the yaks continued to stomp, jumping around. A splintered piece of wood arced through the air in Rarity's direction, which nearly hit her as she dodged out of the way. "Settle down!"
Prince Rutherford turned to Rarity. "Let Prince Rutherford handle this," he said, then turned to his subjects. "SETTLE DOWN!" The chaos immediately subsided. He turned to face Rarity again. "Okay. Yaks agree to provide measurements for clothes—" Excited stomping. "—but—" The stomping stopped. "—only if white pony uses Yakyakistan fabric only. No soft pony fabric. No Crystal Empire cloth. Yakyakistan fabric only!" The excited stomping resumed and cheers rang out amongst the crowd of yaks.
Mentally, Rarity reminded herself that she would need to adjust the color palates later as she trotted back towards the hut, preparing for a long day of measuring. "Yona is so happy!" said the voice behind her. Rarity smiled, unzipping the blue suitcase and pulling out a roll of measuring tape.
Rarity stood in the center of Yakyakistan, measuring Yigrid, when she felt something cool gently land atop her head. Hmm... Ignoring the sensation, she continued to work. Deep in concentration, she continued to snip, pin, stick, as a light layer of snow blanketed the ground around Yigrid's fluffy legs.
It was only when Rarity attempted to pin the fabric around Yigrid's waist that she realized she could barely see the yak standing mere feet in front of her. After the placement of the pin, which required much effort through the now swiftly falling snow, Rarity looked up at the sky. It was even darker now. The cold flakes battered Rarity's muzzle. "Let's move into a hut, Yigrid," Rarity said. She would finish the measurements inside, while waiting for the storm to subside.
Only the storm didn't subside. Rarity was measuring a yak calf now, the snow falling even faster outside. Rarity could see nothing through the snow. Not even the adjacent hut, which was only a few yards away from the one she was currently in. "Ow!" said the calf in a high-pitched cry.
"So, so sorry darling." Rarity had been looking out the doorway. When was the snow going to subside?
When the dark sky grew even darker with the onset of the evening, the snow was falling, snow on snow. The snowbank outside was halfway up the entrance to the hut. Rarity shivered as the wind carried some of the falling flakes inside. She paced the single room, crowded with large yak bodies, the smell of which still irritated Rarity's sensitive nostrils. The blizzard would be over in the morning, right?
She paused to imagine it. She and Cherry Berry would float through the snow covered mountains in the early morning and arrive in Ponyville in time for Hearth's Warming Eve, where a smiling Sweetie Belle would wrap her arms around Rarity in a big, sisterly hug. Standing still now, a hoof tapped her back.
"Is everything okay?" Yona spoke. "Yona notice pacing and nervous look."
Rarity looked outside again, at the sheets of snow falling harder than ever before. "Yes, darling. Everything is quite alright." Her stomach growled. "I don't suppose there's anything to eat?"
A bubble formed in the bowl of translucent greenish liquid in front of Rarity. She looked at her muddy reflection, disturbed by bits of hay. Was that a rock at the bottom? Suddenly, the breakfast Sweetie Belle had made the previous morning didn't seem quite so bad. Meanwhile, Yona greedily slurped the soupy mixture. She looked at Rarity, then licked her lips. "Good, right?"
Rarity picked up the bowl and took the teeniest, tiniest sip possible. She tried to hide her grimace. Turning to Yona, she said, "Yes. It's quite... flavorful."
"Yona still think something is wrong." Yona gazed at Rarity with great concern.
With a sigh, Rarity began to express her worries to the energetic yak. "The snow outside, it's really coming down. I'm supposed to ride back to Ponyville on a balloon early tomorrow morning, but I'm beginning to think that that might not be possible." Rarity stared into the soup before her. "I just... I promised I would be home for Hearths Warming this year."
"You missed holiday last year?" Yona said with curiosity.
"Yes. I was in Manehatten..." Rarity proceeded to tell Yona the entire story of what had happened a year ago.
Early in December the previous year, Rarity had completed a wedding dress for a client, who planned to get married on the day of Hearths Warming. It was a beautiful wedding dress, the gleaming white crystal empire fabric complemented by the sparkle of blue topaz gemstones. Rarity was proud of the stitch work, the design, the entire ensemble. Wished she could be at the wedding, to see the bride walk down the isle.
Two days before Hearths Warming, Rarity was in Ponyville with her family, decorating her home for the holiday when she received the letter from Coco Pomell. The bride was requesting last minute alterations to the gown because she had decided that the tail portion of the wedding dress, the brush, was too short.
Rarity could have said no. Could have reprimanded the client for not requesting the change sooner and spent Hearths Warming with her own family.
She arrived in Manehatten by dawn the next morning, fashion tools in tow. It would be a quick adjustment. She would be home by midevening to spend Hearths Warming Eve with her family. Inside the Manehatten boutique, she eyed the dress, which Coco Pommel had placed on a mannequin in the fitting room. The bride was right. The brush was too short. An additional inch would be perfect! Rarity quickly reworked the white fabric. What about the gemstones? The three on the neckline were much too close to one another. Were the frills on the waistline too much?
"Ahem," said a voice outside the door. Rarity opened it, and the client herself waltzed into the room, her styled blond mane bobbing as she gazed excitedly at the dress. "Dear Darling, here already? I hope the alterations are to your liking," Rarity said eagerly.
"Already? My rehearsal dinner starts in like, two hours," replied the green mare, feeling the fabric. "I'll barely have time to try it on." Rarity turned her head. Looked out the window. Her heart sank when she saw the festive lights and warm glow of the city outside, blanketed by a deep purple sky. So much for returning for Hearths Warming Eve in time.
"Thanks again, Rarity. I appreciate you doing this for me so close to Hearths Warming, really," expressed Dear Darling quickly. A brief hug followed. Then the mare dashed out onto the city streets, headed for a wonderful evening with friends and family. Through the window panes of the front door, Rarity saw families walking by. A little blue colt with an ice cream cone, rainbow sprinkles dotting his smiling muzzle. A couple trotting together slowly, hooves intertwined. Rarity sighed.
Cleaning up her workspace took half an hour. Packing her tools, another hour. Rarity was locking up the boutique when the clock tower outside chimed. It chimed eleven times. Exhausted and upset with herself, she forcefully closed the door and turned the key once, then turned to walk down the streets of Manehatten, mostly empty now, hoping to make it home by sunrise.
Now, she would be late. Again.
"...and Sweetie Belle was so upset when I arrived at home midmorning that day. I was so tired that I slept through most of the festivities."
Yona was curled up, snoozing lazily. It must have been close to midnight. The snow was nearly three quarters up the doorway now. Rarity turned away from it. Looked back at it. Still the snow fell. The blizzard would subside in the morning. It had to.
Rarity continued to pace until her eyelids grew heavy. With a yawn, she grudgingly plopped onto a short bed of hay near Yona. Please, please, please be clear tomorrow, were Rarity's last thoughts before drifting off to sleep, the sound of her snores joining the chorus of sleeping yaks surrounding her.
When Rarity opened her eyes, only a sliver of low light penetrated the slit between snow and the entrance to the yak hut. Peering through it, Rarity could see the flakes. They were still falling. "WHATEVER WILL I DO?!" she wailed. A few yaks woke up, startled by the white mare's cry. She slammed herself against the snow, and felt the cold slush cover her face and body. Digging her hooves into it, snow began to slide into the hut.
"What white pony doing?" said a deep female voice. Rarity turned to the yak who spoke, a ferocious gleam in her eyes.
"I WILL GET BACK TO MY FAMILY! EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!" She continued to dig, shoveling snow all over the cluster of yaks under the hut, most of them shocked at Rarity's unusual aggression. Rarity was nearly at the top of the snowbank now. She could feel the flakes of snow as the wind blew them towards her muzzle, which poked out of the opening.
"Rarity, wait," said Yona. But Rarity was not waiting. She had escaped the hut now, and tried to steer her way through the thick piles around her. A short distance away, she could see the shadows of the gates of Yakyakistan. Her thoughts raced. What was she doing? She had no plan. Onwards she pushed. The vibrations of agitated yak stomping disturbed the snow around her, a miniature earthquake.
Behind her, the faint protests of the yaks reached her ears through the snow, but it didn't matter. She was going to get to Ponyville. Thoughts still racing, an idea emerged. A train from the Crystal Empire! That was it, Rarity decided. It wasn't too far. If she gave it her best effort, she might be able to arrive in time for the afternoon train. With renewed vigor, she pressed onwards, snow coating her mane and purple jacket all the while.
She reached the gates of Yakyakistan, which appeared much shorter under the blanket of snow. Placing a hoof against one of the wooden walls, she steadied herself, breathing heavily. Now, which way is the Crystal Empire? It was too dark, the snow falling to thickly to see anything. Rarity chose to head directly away from the gate, hoping, praying, that her decision was the correct one.
On and on she trudged, until the gates were no longer visible, and she was encircled by a gray void, chaotic snowflakes dancing around her. Rarity's teeth chattered. Her coat was soaked through. She could barely feel the bottom of her hooves anymore. Was this it? No. This year, she would not disappoint Sweetie Belle. Images of Sweetie Belle, her green eyes, her warm smile, propelled Rarity forward one step at a time, through the void.
The Crystal Empire must be close, Rarity thought to herself, even further away from the safe walls of Yakyakistan. She looked left. She looked right. Nothing. Only gray skies and snow and more snow. Rarity's jacket was sopping wet now, and beginning to freeze. The icy cold penetrated her coat, little knives boring into the skin beneath. She took one step. Another. "I must continue," she muttered through chattering teeth. "I must continue, I must continue, I must continue."
In pain from the bitter cold, Rarity paused. I deserve this, she thought to herself. The emotional pain paled in comparison to the feeling of becoming an icicle. A single tear streamed down Rarity's cheek, freezing as it traveled. The pause was enough, and Rarity's body faltered before tumbling sideways into the wall of snow beside her, snow falling all the while.
"Rarity?" said a voice. "Rarity?" Rarity's eyes fluttered open. She stared into the green eyes of a white filly.
What happened? she wondered. Was it all a dream? She felt the warmth of a blanket against her fur. Looked again at the white filly with a fluffy mane. Yes! She had not actually traveled through a blizzard. It was a dream. Then she smelled the yaks.
"Whuh?" Rarity sat up, an action that required more energy than it should have.
"Sit back down hon," A motherly voice spoke.
"Mom?" The face of Rarity's mother, Cookie Crumbles, appeared in view. "Shh..."
"Bu—" Rarity's mother pressed a hoof to her lips.
"We were so worried when you didn't come home Rarity! We wondered whether something had happened to you, so on Hearths Warming morning we left the house and asked people around Ponyville if they'd seen you come home. Then we saw the balloon and, and," Sweetie Belle's excited voice spoke fast, much to fast for Rarity's ears and head, which were still slightly numb. Cookie Crumbles put a hoof on Sweetie Belle.
"We're just glad your okay, Rarity," said Rarity's mother.
"Yes. You gave us quite a scare." She saw her dad's straw hat move up and down as he spoke.
"Our little Rarity, helping creatures across the land." Her mother bent down to ruffle Rarity's damp mane.
"Oh stop it Mum, I'm not a filly!" said Rarity weakly.
"Gabby told us about your fashion line. She was so excited that she would have her own coat this winter. She nearly clawed one of my eyes out dancing around," Sweetie Belle said, before looking away from Rarity. She sighed. "I'm still upset that you chose to do this, but you will always be my generous, big hearted sister."
"How... how did you find me?" Rarity asked.
From the back of the room, a female voice projected strongly. "Yak fur strong! Yaks follow white pony to try to bring her back safe."
Yona said, "Yona know it was bad decision, but Rarity want to be with family so much she would do anything."
Rarity tilted her head and smiled at Yona. Then she noticed the cherry-red mare, sitting away from the crowd. Their eyes locked, and Cherry Berry smiled at her, waving. Looking around, she trotted over to the rest of the ponies, aviator cap and goggles still atop her head, dusted with a bit of snow.
"Glad you're okay Rarity," said Cherry Berry, slowly at first. "I couldn't fly in the storm. I heard about it in Ponyville, from the pegasi who provide aviators with weather information. They told me it would blow over in about a day or so, so I stayed put. On Hearths Warming morning, I was about to lift off when your family ran over to my balloon." Cherry Berry looked around before continuing. "So... uh, here we are now I guess." She shrugged. "In Yakyakistan," she added awkwardly.
"Can yak smash balloon? Yak want to smash balloon! Would be good to add to Snilldar Fest pile!" said a male voice inside the hut.
"No Leroy. No smashing pony balloon," said Yona.
"How was the sunrise?" asked Rarity.
"Huh?" Cherry Berry tilted her head, confused.
"The Hearths Warming sunrise. From your balloon? You told me about it on the way here. Sorry if the addition of a few ponies diminished the experience."
"'s okay. It was nice, actually. Nice to share it with other people," said Cherry Berry before smiling at Rarity's family. Just as quickly, the smile disappeared. "I should get going." She shuffled towards the doorway of the hut. Rarity was still on her back. Outside, the sky was a glorious shade of blue. Sitting up, Rarity reached out a hoof.
"Wait, we'd be more than happy to have you here with us," said Rarity.
Cherry Berry stood at the doorway, then turned around and trotted inside, her eyes crinkled in a warm smile.
"There," Rarity said as she looped the bow through and tugged until the yarn wrapped tight around the package. The yaks were going to love it! A gift for the hospitality that Yona and her clan provided her on those few, cold winter nights in Yakyakistan. As promised, she'd used Yakyakistan fabric, which, to her surprise, was quite fun to work with.
Picking up the parcel, Rarity smiled to herself as she headed for the post office beneath the gentle snow falling overhead.
Author's Note
Hope everyone has a happy holiday!
I welcome any feedback you have for this story, as I'm always looking for opportunities to improve my writing skills.
I'm planning to write a New Year's story next, so stay tuned!
