Rarity illuminated her horn and lifted her eye mask. She glanced over at Opal on her cat tree and felt an enormous amount of envy at the fluffy cat’s peaceful sleep. Rarity didn’t particularly want to get out of bed, but after trying to fight it for the past couple nights, she knew tossing and turning wouldn’t do her any favors, either. So Rarity and her soft azure horn glow carefully left the room.

It was a clear night, so if Rarity was going to be awake at a ridiculous hour, the boutique was at least quite pretty from the moon and stars’ reflection off the snow. But that didn’t make insomnia any less unpleasant. No matter how tired Rarity was during the day, her brain would still sometimes decide it didn’t want to sleep. And no amount of lavender scents, reading before bed, or anything else that well meaning ponies would tell Rarity to try would stop it.

No, those things were just a bandaid on what was often a bigger issue. And this time, it wasn’t hard for Rarity to figure out what that issue was. She loved Applejack so much. More than she ever realized before they made things official. But navigating a new relationship wasn’t always easy–especially when neither were ready to tell their friends and families yet. And now with Hearth’s Warming gatherings quickly approaching, Rarity’s thoughts were consumed by the possible turmoil her secret relationship could cause.

And to make matters worse, these worries affected Rarity in more ways than insomnia. Even if her clients didn’t notice or mind, Rarity hated that she hadn’t been nearly as present at work as she wanted during the busiest shopping season of the year. And she also knew sleep deprivation was definitely not helping, which caused the seemingly endless loop of being kept awake from the stress of losing sleep.

Though to be fair to those well meaning ponies, Rarity still liked warm drinks for company, even if they usually didn’t help her fall asleep. So she decided to make some tea, relieved she no longer had to worry about waking Sweetie Belle or her parents now that she lived alone. Despite her best efforts, she had done that more than once and always felt awful about it. And though there were few ponies she could fully express her frustrations to at the moment, she could be as frustrated as she wanted to herself.

As Rarity’s tea water was boiling, she thought about things that had triggered her insomnia in the past. Convincing her parents to get a sewing machine came to mind. The amount of worry and anguish that caused Rarity was almost laughable to her as an adult. She wished she could go back and tell her 12 year old self that everything was going to be fine. And the thought that at some point she might feel the same way about what she was experiencing now made her feel a bit better.

Rarity took her tea to her inspiration room since some of her best ideas came from situations just like this. Lavender might not quiet her brain, but putting negative energy into being creative did most of the time. And it didn’t take long for inspiration to strike as Rarity finally thought of the perfect present for her marefriend. She had set herself to such a high standard for Applejack’s gift with this being their first Hearth’s Warming as a couple. So Rarity was relieved that this idea was most likely the one. Applejack certainly deserved it as she was the only pony who sort of understood what Rarity was going through.

Sweetie Belle read A Hearth’s Warming Tale for the first time this year, so Rarity had the story on her mind. Rarity always thought Applejack gave similar vibes as the Spirit of Hearth’s Warming past, so the snowflakes that Rarity decorated the room with inspired her to make a dress based on said spirit. It would be kinda hard since the spirit was black and white, but the creative freedom from that excited Rarity as well.

The character wore a crown, but Rarity didn’t think Applejack would need or want that. Maybe a holiday Stetson with a charm as a nod to the character’s mosaic snowflake crown instead? Yes, maybe that would work. And perhaps an extra charm to put in Applejack’s original Stetson or anything else in case she wanted that. Rarity had some rhinestones that would be perfect for it.

Now, for the dress itself. Rarity liked the snowflake-esque patterns on the skirt that the spirit’s had. But she was unsure Applejack would like the white trim on the bottom. It might make the dress too formal for her. Rarity put some tan fringe on Applejack’s Grand Galloping dress all those years ago. Maybe something like that would work here as well. Yes, yes–that would be amazing to end the skirt.

The sleeves of the spirit’s dress were puffed slightly. That definitely wasn’t Applejack’s style. With the modified sleeves, a collar, a bit of the same fringe that was on the skirt, and some buttons down the front, Rarity was now ready to decide on the colors.

Rarity pondered on whether or not it should be red and green for the holiday or if that was too much. Maybe it was. The patterns on the skirt already sort of limited the times Applejack could wear it, but Rarity still thought some neutral tones might be better. Now that she had her vision, Rarity thought of the materials she might need for the garment. She stocked the boutique well for the holidays, so no issues there. Rarity was ready to levitate her pencil and begin sketching.

After she was done, the accomplishment finally allowed Rarity to feel the sleepiness she was so desperate for. Rarity knew that the holidays weren't always happy for everypony, but this was the first year that she got a taste of what that truly meant. And though the anxieties Rarity was feeling didn't necessarily go away, designing a wonderful dress for a wonderful mare helped ground her and remember what was important.

Author's Note

My first fanfic completely without dialogue! Hope you all have a great holiday season! ❄