Author's Note
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Gift(s) for Loved One(s)
“Ah yes, I have your order right here,” the jeweler pony said. “For Sweetie Belle, yes?”
“That’s right,” Sweetie said, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “A-and I already paid, right?”
“Well, let’s see…”
The old stallion glanced over the two small boxes that Sweetie Belle immediately knew were the gifts she had ordered for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo weeks ago. And she already knew she paid in advance, she was just trying to get this poor old stallion to speed up a little.
Because she knew that she was definitely late.
“Ah, yes! So it is! Then, two lockets.” He turned around holding the two boxes, but Sweetie Belle snagged them with a glow of light green light and immediately pivoted.
“Thanks so much bye!” she spat out as she darted out the door, the two small boxes levitating behind her. The bell jingled, and Sweetie’s face was assaulted by heavy raindrops.
The storm came on suddenly, and at this point there was nothing she could do to keep her makeup from running or her mane from being messed up. So, she resigned herself to make up for as much lost time as possible.
She trotted urgently down the streets of Ponyville. Time had changed the familiar town over the years. What was once dirt paths and the occasional street lamp had become almost like Canterlot since Princess Twilight took over for Celestia and Luna. While Sweetie felt like she knew the town like the back of her hoof, she was still taken off guard by some new fixture that seemed out of place, or a store that wasn’t there before.
Just like how that brick in the sidewalk, didn’t seem to be raised so high before.
Sweetie tripped and fell to the ground. Her face plunged into a puddle and she couldn’t help but sputter in frustration.
“Really? Freakin’ really?!” she growled. “This just isn’t my day.”
But as she stood herself up, she looked for her packages. She found one dangling just off the side of the curb. She swooped it up with a gasp.
“That could have been bad,” she mumbled to herself.
Then she found the other one. The other box was sitting above a storm drain, open just a crack. Her horn lit up and grabbed the box. As it pulled away, she saw the faintest glint of gold.
She gasped, looked down the storm drain, her magic searching the dark depths for the second locket. But all she saw was running water.
She sat down on the curb. Two boxes. One Locket. Soaking wet. Her hooves were scuffed and her makeup was running.
At this point, a few tears weren’t going to make things any worse.
Sweetie Belle knocked on the front door of their old clubhouse, and opened it wide.
“Hey guys,” she sniffled.
The two other crusaders were ready to respond back in joy at seeing their marefriend join them. Their mood turned on a dime when they saw her running mascara.
“Sweetie, what happened?” Apple Bloom said, leaping to her hooves and running to pull Sweetie Bell inside. Scootaloo grabbed a warm blanket and pulled it around her.
The old clubhouse seemed to grow smaller over the years. It could certainly fit three adult sized ponies, but it was clear it was originally made for smaller ponies. Long gone were the days of piling in 8 or 9 other kids to have a meeting of the Rainbow Dash fan club.
“It’s nothing. Really. I just tripped on my way here and forgot an umbrella. It’s my fault really. Heh.”
“Still, that really sucks,” Scootaloo said. “Is there anything we can do to make things better? It’s our anniversary. Today is supposed to be a nice day.”
Sweetie Belle smiled. It was hard to feel bad when her marefriends were around. They always seemed to be the beam of sunshine she needed on a tough day.
“Not really,” she said. “I’m just happy to be celebrating our eighth anniversary together.”
“Eighth?” Scootaloo said. “A-are you sure it’s Eighth?”
Apple Bloom spoke up.
“Scoots, we went over this. We started dating together the year we found out Applejack and Rainbow invited Rarity into their dynamic. And that happened-”
“When I was going to Cloudsdale for work… that’s right,” Scootaloo said. “Shoot.”
She reached over to a bag and pulled out a cake with a big number 9 written on it in icing.
“Well… Uh, it’s the thought that counts?” she chuckled.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo laughed, and Sweetie chuckled gently, but looked down to the single box that was in her hooves. She only had one locket to give. Scootaloo’s was lost in the drain. And it’s not like they were interchangeable, really… This locket had a picture of Scootaloo on one side, and Sweetie on the other side. It was made for Apple Bloom.
“Well, hey, that’s not so bad,” Apple Bloom said. “We can just make the best of it. Here--”
Apple Bloom opened the cake box and gently nudged some of the extra icing from the nine and made it into a malformed, but still readable, number eight.
“See?” Apple Bloom said. “It’s not about the mistakes, but how you respond to them!”
“Guys?” Sweetie chirped up. “I really messed up too.”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at their marefriend in shock.
“Messed up?” Scootaloo said. “How?”
“See,” she said, choking up. “I made you guys these really nice lockets. But on my way over, I lost Scootaloo’s down the drain. Now all I have is Apple Bloom’s.”
She pulled out the box and placed it in front of them.
Apple Bloom looked down at the box, then to the cake. She was silent for a moment, then cleared her throat nervously.
“W-were we supposta bring something as gifts?” she asked, with a chuckle.
Sweetie looked up in surprise.
“You didn’t bring anything, Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked. “I thought it was your idea?”
“Heh, heh… Whoops,” she mumbled. “W-well maybe it can just go to Scootaloo! And-”
“Not really,” Sweetie said, opening the box, revealing a gold chain, with a golden locket, with their cutie mark crusader shield on the outside. She opened it, to show the picture of herself and Scootaloo on the inside. “It was supposed to have the pictures of, well, not the pony wearing it inside.
“Well, hey,” Scootaloo said. “It’s not so bad. Look. I think we can change out the pictures…”
Scootaloo picked up the locket and found a little clip that opened the frame for the picture.
“We can just change the pictures to the three of us! And then when somepony needs to travel, they can take it with them. We can all share.”
“That’s a great idea, Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.
Sweetie was genuinely surprised, seeing her mares so excited over a singular locket.
“R-really? It’s okay?” Sweetie asked.
“I think it’s a wonderful gift, Sweetie. Something went wrong for all of us today. But what matters the most is how we deal with it. Ahm choosing to be happy that I have two such wonderful mares in my life that I love and cherish.”
“I thought we said we weren’t gonna do the mushy stuff!” Scootaloo groaned.
“Too late,” Sweetie Bell said, a smile creeping on her lips. “Group hug time.”
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom wrapped Scootaloo in a tight hug and felt warm with one another’s love. Sweetie and Scootaloo never noticed the two small presents wrapped in apple wrapping paper underneath a table in the corner, but it didn’t matter.
They were able to celebrate their bond with each other. And the love they shared to make each other happy. And that’s worth more than any locket, or any words.
