The bustle of the holiday season was apparent throughout all of the worlds and realms which celebrate it, and Equestria's own Ponyville was no exception. Hearth's Warming Day was coming up fast, and toy stores were filled with parents looking for last minute gifts for family and acquaintances. Such as they were also filled with children of all ages, bits in hoof, eagerly searching the aisles for that special, golden find.
The big seller, the big must have it or I'll die kicking and screaming item this year was the brand new Carriers of Harmony plush set, each sold separately. For the first time, fillies and colts around Equestria could purchase their favorite of the Six Carriers in huggable plush form, sold throughout Equestrian Toy Stores. And of course, the market being what it was, the toys had first gone on sale only a few days after Thanksgiving. Barely 48 hours after being thankful for what they already had, children were lining up to snatch their favorite Harmonic Defender.
Scootaloo was one of those children, and stood outside the Ponyville toy story with a pouch of bits around her neck. Although the toys had only just now gone on sale, they'd been announced weeks ago, and the young pegasus had spent all that time doing extra chores and saving so she could purchase herself that fabled trinket, a stuffed Rainbow Dash.
Now, the Carriers themselves had all had different opinions on their likenesses being marketed, though they had allowed it. Fluttershy was worried that there might not be enough to go around, but if the kids wanted to get one of the others instead, that was okay too. Rarity had cursed the inaccurate dimensions as well as the dress options that came with the toy, and declared that she would never be seen in such a thing, and were the toymakers even trying? Rainbow Dash though the entire idea was awesome and demanded several boxes be shipped early to her house, so she could autograph them and give them out to all her fans. While at first free, she had discovered that ponies would pay out their ears for autographed plush versions of herself, and much to Twilight's disapproval had begun charging double the price of the toy itself for an autographed one, and was raking in bits at a shameful speed.
Applejack refused to have anything to do with the crowds, not liking the attention and made it perfectly clear that as long as she wasn't treated like anyone special or more important than anyone else, she'd be just dandy. Pinkie had filled her room with miniature versions of herself, but unlike Rainbow Dash was giving autographed plushies for free, as long as the recipients would be her friends and stop by once in a while. Lastly, Twilight thought the entire thing was silly, and worried that all these kids would be busy playing with their toys instead of doing something fun, like studying for their final exams. But she was assured that the viral marketing campaign would die down within a few weeks, and gone along with it.
With all that said, Scootaloo was overjoyed and impatient at the wait for being able to own her very own Rainbow Dash, and rushed to the counter as soon as her turn in line came. She had seen other children rushing home with Pinkie Pies and Applejacks, but none of them had Rainbow Dash. What nerds! She looked up at the clerk with bright eyes, clearing her throat loudly until he looked down at her.
"One Rainbow Dash, please!"
"Sorry, kid, don't have any. Nobody does."
The world seemed to crack like a shattered mirror, pieces of it falling down around her. Had she heard that correctly? Surely she couldn't have heard that correctly. That wasn't possible, it just wasn't!
"What?" Scootaloo asked quietly.
"There was a mistake during production. Rainbow Dash accidentally got made with Fluttershy's cutie mark... only a few made it into circulation. Collectors are going nuts over them, and they're running for close to a thousand bits last time I checked." He chuckled a bit, shaking his head. "Rainbow Dash, animal caretaker. Can you imagine such a thing?"
Scootaloo stared at him for what seemed like ages. This was the only thing she wanted, literally the only thing! She'd been saving up for so long, too!
"I don't have a thousand bits," the pegasus said quietly. "But I'll ask Santa for one, then I'll get one for sure!" She gathered up her things and raced home, to explain the situation to her parents. She dashed through the street and through the crowds of pedestrians, trying to make it home in record time but seemed to be held up at every turn. She burst through her front door half an hour later, panting and out of breath. Her mother looked up in bewilderment.
"Scootaloo, what in Celestia's name?" She asked.
"Moooooooom!" Scootaloo whined. "You know how I asked Santa for a new scooter?! Plans have changed! I need a Rainbow Dash doll! I NEED one!" She insisted.
Her mother looked surprised. "It's nearly Hearth Warming, Scootaloo. Are you sure Santa can arrange something like that on such short notice?"
"Of course he can, he's Santa," Scootaloo said. "There was a mistake at the factory and nobody can get Rainbow Dash, but I know he can, because I've been super good all year! Except for that time me and Apple Bloom accidentally blew up that barn, but we didn't know those were LIVE fireworks..." She said apologetically.
Her mother narrowed her eyes. Scootaloo had seen a worse grounding for that than she ever had in her life.
"But the Rainbow Dash's are selling for a thousand bits, and that's no problem for Santa!" Scootaloo continued. "You said so, and you'd never lie to me!"
Her mother looked pale. "Well, honey, maybe Santa's just going to get you the scooter, honey," She said patiently. "That's a lot of bits for one toy."
"No way, you said yourself he can do anything, and besides, if I don't get that Rainbow Dash toy, then I'm not gonna believe in Santa anymore. I've been really good, and it's just one thing!" She marched herself right up to her room, and closed the door loudly and defiantly, yet without quite slamming it.
Downstairs, her mother looked exasperated. "Oh, Scoots..." She whispered quietly.