It was Christmas Day. Rarity decorated her house with streamers, Christmas decor, and lights. The made sure the tree was in place, and that all the presents were wrapped and under the true. She checked the stockings to see if they were full. She then synced her phone with the radio so she could play some music. She looked around her house to see if she forgot anything. Satisfied, she went to set up the table.
She checked the temperature of the turkey to make sure it was fully cooked, which it was. The pies were cooked. The cranberry sauce was sliced and neatly placed in a circle. The gingerbread cookies were baked and decorated. The stuffing was fluffed and ready. She put the food, plates, and reading utensils on the table. Finally, she made sure that the hot chocolate was ready for her friends to drink.
Shortly after, Rarity heard a knock on her door and answered it. Sunset Singer stood there in silence. Her face lacked any emotion. She started at nothing as if she was empty. Rarity invited her in, and she sat on the couch.
"Would you like some hot chocolate?" Rarity offered.
Sunset didn't look at Rarity, nor did she say a word. Instead, she shook her head.
Rarity sat next to Sunset Shimmer, and the two girls sat together in silence. Rarity sipped her hot chocolate as Sunset stared into blank space. After they sat for five minutes, there was a dull knock on the door. Rarity got up to open it, and everyone else was there. She offered them hot chocolate, which all of them declined. They also sat in the living room in silence.
Everyone was here, so Rarity called for Sweetie Belle to go into the living room. Then she gave each stocking to the person they belonged to. They poured out the contents and went through their stuff. They had peanuts, a variety of candies, and a few toys.
Sweetie Belle occupied her time by spinning a table top. Rarity's friends continued staring blankly at the wall. Pinkie Pie was the only one who even touched her candy. Rarity figured that they would feel better after opening presents, so she gave everyone their presents. She watched as her friends opened their gifts.
Rainbow Dash got a new pair of running shoes. They were azure and had rainbow lightning bolt designs on the sides. The laces were also rainbow colored. She didn't show any glee, but she took her old shoes off and replaced them with her new ones. They fit her perfectly.
Pinkie Pie took the new cake decorating materials out of the box. There were three bags, twenty different tips, and three new spatulas. Her old decorating tools became difficult to use, and she definitely needed some more.
Applejack received an apple peeler. She looked at the sharp blades before putting it down. The peeler was designed to make peeling efficient and easy. Plus, the blades were thin to ensure that very little of the apple was wasted. She didn't show the slightest bit interest.
Fluttershy got a sweater. It was well made and beautiful. It was made out of high-quality cotton, and the pink was a few shades darker than her hair. She held the sweater in her arm. Rarity wanted her to put it on, but she decided not to pressure her.
Sunset Shimmer got a new electric guitar. The neck of her old one broke, and she couldn't afford the repairs. The guitar strap was far more comfortable than the old one, and the guitar itself was yellow with red flames on the body.
Twilight Sparkle got a new book. It was titled "The Nature of Friendship." Twilight said she wanted to read that book several times, but she was never able to get it. It wasn’t available in the library. She wanted to learn what she can about friendship, and she had a feeling that book was going to help. From what she heard, that book helped explain how to deal with many different situations from only getting one invitation to making plans when friends disagree. It wasn’t going to tell her everything, but it was a great start.
Sweetie Belle took out a karaoke game. She loved to sing, and all of the songs were songs she enjoyed. They were all songs from some of her favorite shows. The microphone and system came with it, so she didn’t need to buy anything else.
Finally, Spike got a purple chew toy. Despite his love for gems, he didn’t care that it was shaped like one. There was no excitement in his eyes. Regardless, he started chewing the toy.
No one showed any detest for their gifts, but there was no excitement, either. The room was silent as they looked at their gifts. Rarity was unsure of what was going on.
Finally, Rainbow broke the silence, "Is this all we're getting?"
Rarity was hoping they weren't going to expect more. She knew it was going to happen, though. "Well, yes. Do you not like what you got?"
Rainbow looked down at her shoes. "They're great. They're comfortable, cool looking, and have high-quality material. These shoes must have cost you a fortune." She realized what she was saying and added, "Oh. Thanks."
"We all like our gifts," Sunset explained. "We aren't showing it, but we do appreciate that you go through all this trouble to give us stuff."
The others nodded in agreement. Rarity announced that it was time to eat, and everyone sat around the table. They began digging into the food. Sunset Shimmer started with some stuffing, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight started with the turkey, and Pinkie Pie started with a piece of pumpkin pie. Rarity looked over at Pinkie and giggled slightly. Even when she was down, she was still Pinkie Pie. Rarity started with the turkey as well. Everyone eventually ate one of everything.
Rarity looked through her phone and opened her Christmas playlist. Some of them were religious, but she made sure to get some that Twilight could enjoy as well. The first song was “Angels we have heard on high” which Rarity sang quietly to herself.
When the “Twelve Days of Christmas” came on, Rarity noticed that Pinkie Pie was joining in. At first, she was off key, but the quality of her singing became better as energy filled her. For the first time in a week, Pinkie smiled. She was so full of energy that Rarity was surprised that she didn’t pony up.
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” started playing, and like a light switch, Fluttershy got up and started singing. She loved that long, but Rarity didn’t expect her to love it so much that it would break the spell.
When “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” Started playing, Twilight joined in with the singing. She didn’t believe in Santa Claus, but she still enjoyed that song. She sang it to Spike every Christmas Eve. Spike decided to join in as well. He knew the song very well and had no problem singing it.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack joined in with “Deck the Halls” which they sang together every Christmas. Applejack valued tradition, and Rainbow loved singing that song with Applejack each year. Sunset Shimmer and Sweetie Belle realized that they were the only ones not singing and decided to join in as well.
They were full of joy. Rarity watched her friends and sister singing together. They continued singing as the track continued to play. Their spirits were lifted more with each song. At last, the music stopped, but the joy continued. Everyone was chatting among themselves. They showed each other their gifts and traded the candies they got in their stockings.
Rarity was empty handed, but she shared their happiness. She watched everyone as they talked about how much they loved what they got. She was happy that her friends were no longer down. That was what she wanted most of all.
"Rarity, you didn't get anything!" Pinkie Pie pointed out, alarmingly.
Rarity giggled, "All of you are happy, and that’s all that matters.” A purple glow surrounded her body. Her hair grew longer, and her ears disappeared and were replaced by pony ears which grew on the top of her head.
After the hug was finished. Sunset Shimmer commented, "I knew that was going to happen sometime today."
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked.
Sunset shimmer giggled. “It’s Christmas, a holiday about giving. Naturally, the girl who would pony up with generosity would pony up today. Besides, you went through a lot to help us.”
It was getting late. Everyone went home except for Sunset Shimmer, who helped Rarity clean everything up. Rarity remained in her pony form as she put the food up. She set aside one of the pumpkin pie which hasn't been touched yet.
"The pie is for you," Rarity told her.
"Thank you," Sunset replied.
“I think I know what happened,” Rarity figured. “You were right when you said it wasn’t magic. I noticed that when Pinkie Pie started to sing, it became easier for you and the others to join in and share in the joy. As each person sang, it became easier. Maybe the opposite is also true. Despair may have started with just one person, but it can spread rather quickly, especially among friends.
“I think you’re right!” Sunset agreed. “If we are joyful, it will spread to others! You know, I think all emotions are contagious.” She hugged Rarity and said, “I’m glad I have a friend like you.”
Everything was cleaned, and Sunset Shimmer finally left. Rarity returned to normal and went to her room. She sat on her bed and smiled and whispered, "This was the best Christmas yet."
Rarity didn't care that she didn't get anything. Her friends were happy, and that was all she wanted. After all, Christmas wasn't about getting presents. It was about being there with friends and family.