Little Fragments

by Skijarama

The First Butterflies

Several months after the return of Princess Luna…

---

Winter. Rainbow Dash had mixed feelings about the season. On one hoof, there was nothing quite as breathtaking and enchanting as the pristine white sheets of the first snowfall of the year covering the world in the morning. The holidays were nice, too, to her; especially Hearth's Warming. The pegasus had to admit, though, that some small greedy part of her only enjoyed that holiday as much as she did because of the presents. A lot of the stories and decorations were a little too mushy for her to really appreciate all that much.

There were plenty of other things to appreciate about the season, though Drinking hot chocolate or, even better, hot cider by the fire, going ice skating or skiing with her friends, snowball fights, and the generally peaceful atmosphere that blanketed the world. Everything fell into a serene hush when the snow fell, and it often afforded a sort of quiet peace that even the normally quiet town of Ponyville was seldom afforded.

Hay, when one considered just how often crazy things happened in this town as opposed to Canterlot, the peace that snow provided was a practical blessing.

But it did come with two very big, very intense downsides.

The first was, obviously, the cold. The snow was beautiful to look at and fun to play with, yes, but if it hit uncovered fur or, heavens forbid, got onto the skin, well, Rainbow’s sensitive skin would be shivering for ages.

The second downside was that, by her own insistence to ‘have a job’ in Ponyville in spite of her status as royalty, Rainbow Dash had to help the weather teams set the snow up in the first place. Keeping all of the technical details straight in her head kinda sucked all of the magic out of it. By matter of sheer repetition, she could now ramble off exactly how much density a snow cloud needed to have and precisely what temperature they were supposed to be for optimal peaceful snow.

Now, granted, this particular downside was sort of her own fault. She was the one who insisted on working at the local weather bureau as a volunteer, but that didn’t make it any less disgruntling.

Such thoughts ran through the cyan pegasus’ mind as she stared out the front window of the Golden Oaks Library, her eyes watching as the rest of the weather team made a few final adjustments to everything. She had clocked out around an hour ago, taking a shorter shift than usual today. Hearth's Warming was less than a week away, and she still had to buy her gift for Twilight. Plus, Twilight’s family was going to be coming down soon to spend the holiday in Ponyville with them, and given how close Rainbow was to that family, being almost a part of it herself in many respects, it only made sense that she spend that time with them.

Shining Armor, Night Light, Twilight Velvet, and interestingly enough, Princess Cadance would all be coming down to Ponyville to spend the holiday with them. A fairly large assortment of ponies to cram into the Golden Oaks Library, really, but Rainbow wasn’t about to complain.

She gave some thought to each member of the family, her brow briefly furrowing in mild disappointment when she reminded herself that her own mother would be unable to join her this year. Too many festivals and ceremonies took place in Canterlot that demanded Celestia’s attention, making it quite impossible for her to leave the city.

“You know, you don’t have to stay down here in Ponyville with us,” Twilight had said to her that morning when Rainbow was lightly ranting about that very issue. “She’s your mother. If you want to spend the holiday with her, none of us will blame you for making the trip.”

But Rainbow refused. “Nah. I think I’ll stick around here this time,” she had said. “I kinda wanna see what the holidays are like here in Ponyville.”

But that wasn’t quite the truth.

Rainbow frowned. She wasn’t able to articulate why she wanted to stay here in Ponyville. Twilight had been absolutely right, yet Rainbow had elected to remain here anyway. In truth, the customs of Ponyville for the season weren’t really all that interesting to her. Not enough to make her feel comfortable being away from Celestia just so she could observe them, at least.

So why did she make that choice? In the moment, it had come to her as easy as flight; almost instinctual. Effortless, even. Now that she was trying to reflect on her reasoning, however, it just didn’t add up. There was something else, some other, far more personal reason behind her choice that she just couldn’t wrap her head around. It was like a butterfly fluttering around a particularly bright sunflower, drawing within a hair's breadth before fluttering away again, and Rainbow’s mind was the flower. The idea came so tantalizingly close, only to then dart away and leave her wanting the moment she reached for it.

“Great, my own brain is teasing me,” she thought sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. “Ain’t that just my luck?”

“You’re quieter than usual.”

Rainbow jumped and turned around, startled by the voice of Twilight Sparkle. She was seated on a chair in the back of the living room, a mug of hot chocolate held up to her lips in the shimmering purple aura of her magic and an open book of Hearth’s Warming stories open at her hooves.

Rainbow shrugged. “Meh. Just thinking.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You? Thinking?”

Rainbow pouted at her. “Whazzat supposed to mean?!” she asked indignantly, puffing up her cheeks and chest in a show of defiance.

Twilight giggled and set her mug aside. “Ha, sorry. I’m just not used to seeing the cogs turning quite so hard, is all,” she said before smiling more casually at the pegasus princess. “What are you thinking about?”

“Stuff.”

“That’s helpful.”

“It’s accurate.”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. “Guess I have to let you have that one, don’t I?” she asked with a cute little smile.

Rainbow grinned. “Yup~!” she shot back playfully before turning to look back out the window. She let out a tired, slightly disappointed sigh. “...It’s a shame you never thought to bring along your winter clothes from Canterlot when we moved down here.”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah, and I’d go buy some, but this close to the holiday, it’d just be tacky,” she lamented, looking back down at her book. “Which is a shame… I’d love to go out there and enjoy the snow, but I’m not doing so like this. I’d freeze my tail off.”

“You know you can borrow mine if you want, right?” Rainbow pointed out without even thinking about it.

Twilight frowned. “Well, yeah, and I appreciate it, Rainbow. But… well, it’s got those wing holes built-in, and, er…” she shifted uncomfortably in her sear. “You know how sensitive my sides can be…”

Rainbow glanced back at her with a playful smirk. “Yeah, I remember. Tickle torture Tuesdays were a thing for, like, a month, right?”

“When you were fourteen,” Twilight replied, huffing at the memory. “...And Minuette helped you.”

“The giggles were delicious~!” Rainbow jeered with a decidedly evil cackle before returning her attention to the world outside.

“I hate you sometimes, you know that?” Twilight deadpanned.

“Ah, you know you love it,” Rainbow shot back. “We wouldn‘t live together if you didn’t.”

“Well, just remember,” Twilight quipped with a warning tone and a predatory smirk of her own. “What goes around comes around. Bite me, I bite you.”

“Heh, I’d like to see you try,” Rainbow challenged with a waggle of her eyebrows.

“I’ll do a little more than try!”

“Well, I look forward to it!”

The two shared a good-natured laugh before Rainbow focused on the window once again. A few seconds passed before her eyes slowly widened. She could see a group of ponies converging on the front door of the library and, as they drew closer, she began to make out their details. A thrill of excitement shot through her, and she spun back around to face Twilight. “Hey, they’re here!”

Twilight’s book slammed shut with a sound akin to slapping a thick-skinned elephant on the flank. “They are?!” she asked with a giant grin and a sparkle in her eyes.

“Yup, they’re-”

Twilight disappeared in a flash of purple light. Rainbow could hear her coming out of the teleport, the burst of energy muffled by the wood of the walls and the glass of the window. She rolled her eyes and made for the door. “Jeesh, what, do ya wanna beat me to it or something?” she asked.

“Not that I mind,” she thought as she reached for the handle. “I could use a bit more competition. Besides, she’s all kindsa cute when she’s-” Rainbow stopped, her muzzle scrunching up. “Cute?”

She was quick to dismiss the thought and push the door open. She stepped outside and was met by a wall of frigid winter air that almost made her shiver. Her fur fluffed up in response, and she ruffled her wings to get some circulation going. Up ahead, she could see Twilight giddily talking with her parents and brother.

Velvet turned her eyes over to Rainbow and the tree behind her. She smiled and waved. “Hello, Rainbow!” she called out.

Rainbow smiled and cantered up to meet them. “Heya! How was the train ride? Shining keep his lunch in?” she asked, flashing the stallion a mischevious grin.

Shining frowned. “Hey! I only get airsick, I’ll have you know!”

Rainbow’s smile twisted into a predatory smirk. “Oh yeah?”

“He’s fine,” Princess Cadance interrupted before Shining could take the bait. She stepped forward and nodded at both Rainbow and Twilight. “It’s so wonderful to see you both again. How’s life in Ponyville?”

“It’s a lot different than Canterlot,” Twilight said, glancing up at the distant mountainside city. “A lot quieter, and everypony is a lot more casual.”

“I was already kinda used to that from my time in Cloudsdale,” Rainbow pointed out while lightly hopping up to hover a few inches above the ground. The steady flapping of her wings helped keep her body temperature up, thankfully, and it kept her hooves out of the snow. “Main differences between Cloudsdale and Ponyville are time and speed. Cloudsdale is loaded with a lotta nice ponies, but it’s a big, busy place. Here, though? It’s pretty slow and quiet.”

“Which is not at all a bad thing,” Twilight quickly said, redirecting her attention to her parents. “It’s actually refreshing! Learning all about Ponyville, like its history, customs and traditions is so much easier when everything is quiet and ponies are happy to answer questions. I’m loving it here.”

“That’s great!” Night Light whooped, thrusting a hoof into the air. “You’ll have to tell us all about it!”

A chilly breeze washed over them, making the entire ensemble shiver.

“Brrr! But maybe we should head inside, first?” Cadance suggested after a moment, nodding for the Golden Oaks. “It is snowy out here!”

---

Once everypony had made their way back inside, Spike joined them and quickly set about preparing more hot chocolate for the new arrivals to enjoy. Everypony got situated in the living room, sitting in a comfortable circle and just getting caught up on previous events. Princess Cadance listened with rapt attention as Rainbow Dash and Twilight shared various stories about their time in the small village so far: an attack from a swarm of hungry parasprites, a rampaging Ursa minor whose nap time was interrupted, and so many more.

Right now, Twilight was in the process of recounting the events of the time when a big dragon had established its horde in a cavern at the top of a nearby mountain peak. It had gone into a prolonged slumber, and the smoke generated by its snores had threatened to blot out the sky of the entire region. Twilight and the rest were tasked by Celestia to find some means of getting the ancient creature to relocate—preferably without making it angry.

“The trip up the mountains was a bit harder than we were expecting,” Twilight went on, leaning back in her seat. “Environmental hazards were plentiful, and Fluttershy was, well… she wasn’t very well prepared, emotionally, for the persistent dangers.”

“Yeh,” Rainbow agreed with a frown. “She kept fainting like a freakin’ goat.”

“Kinda like you when we got back.”

Rainbow blushed. “What the- hey! You traitor, that’s-”

“You fainted?” Shining Armor asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I absolutely did not faint!” Rainbow protested indignantly, holding her hooves up to her chest. “I just, uh, got down on my back to, er… a-avoid the danger!”

“The danger being Fluttershy quietly roaring at her,” Twilight amended with a smugly satisfied grin. The kind that would fit perfectly on the muzzle of a predator toying with its prey.

“Twiliiight!” Rainbow whined, glaring daggers at the unicorn. “I’m gonna get you for this!”

Twilight giggled and took a taunting sip from her hot chocolate. “Oh, come on. My mom’s here, you have all the ammo you need for a rebuttal.”

“But now that you’ve said it, I can’t use it!” Rainbow shot back, burying her face in her hooves. “You’ll see it coming and- GUH!”

“She also kicked the dragon in the nose,” Twilight went on. “After repeated attempts at diplomacy failed.”

Night Light choked on his cocoa. “W-what?!” he spluttered. “She kicked it?!”

Rainbow let out a long, low whine and turned around to face the backrest of her chair. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you,” she mumbled to herself.

Twilight giggled and reached over to pat the pegasus on the back. “Oh, cheer up. As ineffective as it was, I thought it was very brave of you… if poorly thought out.”

Cadance raised an eyebrow at that. She had noticed it earlier, but it was starting to come into clearer focus, now. There was something to the way Rainbow and Twilight were interacting with each other. Something she hadn’t seen in them the last time they had met. It was hard to pinpoint earlier, but as the relentless teasing carried on, it began to seem more and more familiar.

Before she could ruminate on the matter any further, Night Light leaned forward, eager to hear the rest of the story. “So? What happened next? Rainbow kicked the dragon, and did it leave?”

Twilight shook her head. “Well, no… it tried to breathe fire on all of us in retaliation but was so sleepy it only got out some smoke. It still hurt, though, and knocked us all into a helpless daze,” she explained, cringing at the memory.

“Oh, heavens!” Velvet exclaimed, her hooves flying up to her muzzle. “How in Equestria did you get out of that?!”

“If I had to crack a guess,” Shining cut in with a genre-savvy look. “I’d say Fluttershy saved the day?”

Cadance flashed the charming stallion an appreciative smile. “I was just thinking the same thing,” she agreed with a nod.

“Well, you’re right,” Twilight said with a big smile. “Fluttershy suddenly went from cowering behind a giant boulder to flying up and scolding the dragon into behaving himself and going away.”

Rainbow finally extracted herself from the corner, turning back around to the rest of the room. “Yeah, I gotta hand it to her; she was pretty awesome that day,” she said with a weak smile. “Saved all of our necks right at the end.”

“She… scolded it?” Night Light asked, puzzled.

“Easily the most awesome thing she did that entire trip,” Rainbow emphasized with a sage nod. “But there were plenty of other awesome moments as we were making the climb. Like this one time!”

She shot up into the air, hovering in the center of the room and re-enacting the motions as she remembered them. It was almost as if she were putting on a performance, and the longer Cadance watched, the more she realized just how often Rainbow was looking down at Twilight… and how much the unicorn seemed to be enjoying the display.

“We were going through an area prone to rockslides, and something spooked Fluttershy, and suddenly we were having to run for our lives from falling rocks!” Rainbow spun a few times for emphasis. “And I mean big falling rocks! Bigger than a pony!”

“Of course, Rainbow was fine,” Twilight added with a nod and an appreciative glance up at the pegasus. Cadance caught something else in the unicorn’s eyes, a certain warmth and affection in her face that went very, very deep. “She practically saved me at one point. And Applejack, too. I got trapped between some of the rocks, and Applejack pulled me out just before we got crushed, but more kept coming.”

“And then zoom!” Rainbow made the sound effect while shooting down to fly a quick circle around Twilight for emphasis. “I snatched em up out of the way! But I can’t take all the credit!”

She returned to the center of the room and leveled a hoof at Twilight with a big grin, and the warmth in Twilight’s face was matched in that of the pegasus. “Twilight saw some more falling that I totally missed, and with a blast of her magic, bam! Saved all three of us!”

Shining smiled in approval. “Nice! Finally decided to put some of that self-defense magic I taught you to use, eh Twily?”

Twilight nodded, rubbing the back of her head. “Er, yeah… I don’t like using that spell, but at that moment, I kinda had to,” she admitted sheepishly.

“That is the point,” Shining pointed out.

“Either way, Twilight was pretty awesome herself for the entire trip!” Rainbow went on, settling back down in her chair to give her wings a rest. She smiled over at the unicorn, the affection in her face so deep it was almost palpable. “She took charge almost right away and led us the whole time! Heck, even I let her take the lead! She was just that inspirational of a leader that day!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, blushing from the praise. “W-well, I mean, hey, I got a lot of my bravado from you,” she countered. “So if anything, I was just following your example.”

“Just because you got your awesome from me doesn’t make you any less awesome in my book!” Rainbow shot back with a grin.

Twilight chuckled sheepishly and looked away, her blush intensifying. “Ehrh, if you say so…”

Cadance smiled at the sight of the two mares interacting like this. She saw all the signs she needed to see to really understand what she was looking at, even if they were still completely oblivious to it. Some small part of her wanted to point it out, to bring it out into the open, but the rest of her was quick to shut that idea down. It needed to happen on its own. Direct interference on her part could cause things to distort in an unnatural way, and that wouldn’t be fun for anypony.

Now, indirect influence, on the other hoof…

Cadance grinned.

“This ship will sail!” she thought to herself with determination.

She just had to wait for the right opportunity to give a few little nudges…

---

A short time later, a collection of wrapped gift boxes had been carefully placed under the brightly lit tree that sat at the heart of the room. Rainbow eyed the pile with a mixture of frustration and hungry anticipation. Frustration because she still hadn’t put anything under the tree yet, and hungry anticipation because she was so eager to see what she had gotten dangit!

Most of the ponies present had completed their shopping already, but there were a few notable absentees from the mountain of boxes. Namely Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, and Rainbow herself.

Given the tradition of opening presents on Hearth's Warming Eve that Twilight’s family had started up thanks to Spike being an impatient, greedy little baby dragon, Rainbow knew she had one day less to get whatever it was she was getting for everypony.

She glanced over into the kitchen, where Shining and Cadance were presently engaged in a discussion with Spike about something or other. Twilight and her parents were downstairs, no doubt so the egghead could show off all her egghead things that she loved to geek out and be cute over.

Rainbow blinked. “Be cute over- the heck’s gotten into me lately?” she asked, frowning to herself. “I mean, yeah, she is kinda cute, but do I gotta keep reminding myself about it?”

She went about ten seconds without thinking about how cute Twilight was whenever she geeked out about something.

And then she started thinking about it again.

“Gah, stupid cute Twilight, outta my head!” Rainbow thought to herself, shaking herself to clear away the distraction. “Still gotta buy you a gift. Might as well do it sooner rather than later.”

Before she could think about the matter any more, she heard somepony clearing their throat next to her. She turned to find that Cadance and Shining had broken away from their conversation with Spike and approached her.

“Yo,” Rainbow nodded at them in greeting “What’s up?”

Cadance took the lead. “Well, I was checking under the tree when we were putting the presents out earlier, and I couldn’t help but notice that you haven’t put anything down there yet,” she began slowly.

Rainbow blinked. “Oh. Noticed that, huh?” She asked, bashfully scuffing the floor with a hoof. “Yeah, it’s been kind of hectic for me. Not used to having a full-time job, ya know? Or, well,” she frowned as she made the correction. “Volunteering full-time hours, anyway. So stupid that I can’t just put in an application because I’m a princess…”

Cadance simply put a hoof on her shoulder. “Well, I’m sure the weather teams appreciate all the time and effort. And as far as I’m concerned, you’ve earned the time off for the holiday.”

“Meh,” Rainbow brushed the hoof away. “Yeah, I guess. But what about you guys? Have you finished your shopping yet?”

“That would imply that we ever got started,” Shining said without hesitation.

A quick, light-weight kick to the fetlock from Cadance made him wince and retract his remark. Cadance sniggered at him. “Shining, why don’t you go back over to Spike and talk about O&O some more?” she asked with a nod towards the baby dragon in question.

Shining frowned. “Huh? I mean, I’d love to, but-”

“Please?” Cadance pouted at him. “The mares need to chat.”

“We do?” Rainbow echoed.

Shining, however, seemed to get Cadance’s meaning immediately. He nodded slowly and backed away. “Okay, okay… but you’d best make it up to me later!”

“Oh, trust me, I will,” Cadance replied, fluttering her lashes at him. Shining visibly went weak in the knees before turning and moving in this sort of half-scurry back into the kitchen to resume his conversation with Spike.

Rainbow’s frown of confusion deepened. What the heck had that been about?

“Now that we’re alone,” Cadance said, lowering her voice and leaning forward in an almost conspiratorial manner. “I have to ask: Do you have any idea what you’re getting for Twilight?”

Rainbow blinked, slowly tilting her head to one side. “Er… I dunno. A book?” she asked, glancing sideways at the door to the basement, making sure the unicorn wasn’t about to come up. “That’s what I usually get for her, anyway, and it usually works.”

“True, true…” Cadance nodded along slowly, her voice lowering. “But don’t you think that’s a little… predictable?”

Predictable?

Rainbow’s muzzle scrunched up as she pondered that idea. After a few seconds, she had to conclude, albeit privately, that Cadance had a point. Most of the presents Twilight had ever gotten were, in some capacity, book-based.

“Well… I mean, I guess, but she’s never complained about it,” Rainbow eventually replied. “She loves her books.”

“Yes,” Cadance was practically whispering now, leaning in really close. “But, you and her moved here together to be with new friends and have new experiences, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“For instance: Before you two made the decision to move to Ponyville together like this, Twilight was perfectly content to have the same gifts every year, and rarely step outside of the same tiny circle of ponies she was close to: her family, Auntie Celestia, you, Shining Armor, and me. But now she has six new friends and, if the stories you told us earlier are true, she is really starting to broaden her horizons and explore new things.”

“I mean… yeah, that’s true,” Rainbow aknowledged with a slow nod, her brain trying to predict where this discussion was going. “What’s the point?”

“The point,” Cadance said, putting a hoof on Rainbow’s chest. “Is that I think she might appreciate something… different, this year. Something new and special.”

Rainbow wasn’t sure why, but a tiny blush formed on her cheeks, one she was quick to try and force down. “Uh… okay, but wh-why are you talking to me about this?”

Cadance got that glint in her eye again. “Because I know that it would mean a lot more coming from you, the pony who introduced her to friendship, than anypony else,” she whispered before leaning back.

“Okay… but… uh…” Rainbow blinked and shook herself. “What do I get her, then? If I ain’t getting her a book, then I’m gonna need some help on this one.”

Cadance tittered into her hoof. “Well, just think… what is something that Twilight needs or wants? Figure that out, and then go find it,” she instructed before nodding at the front door.

Rainbow glanced at the door, her brow furrowing in thought. “Something Twi needs or wants?” she mumbled in response.

Cadance hummed and pat her on the head. “Mhmm. Think about it carefully…” she instructed.

Rainbow tried to do so, rummaging around in her head almost as if she were shaking a tall bookcase to dislodge something she needed that was precariously lodged out of reach. There were plenty of neat ideas on the lower shelves, to be sure, but none of them really struck her as fitting or appropriate.

“What does she need… what does she need…?”

And then the proverbial box fell off the shelf to clonk her right on her colorful noggin.

“...It’s a shame you never thought to bring along your winter clothes from Canterlot when we moved down here.”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah, and I’d go buy some, but this close to the holiday, it’d just be tacky,” she lamented, looking back down at her book. “Which is a shame… I’d love to go out there and enjoy the snow, but I’m not doing so like this. I’d freeze my tail off.”

Rainbow swallowed a small lump that had formed in her throat before her lips twisted up into her trademarked smirk. The one she got whenever she thought up an uncharacteristically bright idea. “Well, then…” she said, turning her attention to her snow clothes hanging not far from the door. “I think I have an idea of what to get…”

Cadance’s eyes lit up. “Oh? What is it?”

“My secret,” Rainbow quipped back before cantering for the door. “Don’t worry - I know she’ll love it.”

“Among other things.”

Rainbow paused and glanced back at Cadance when she heard the alicorn mutter something under her breath. “What?”

Cadance quickly cleared her throat and waved her hoof in a dismissive manner. “Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself,” she deflected before nodding at the door. “Go on! The sooner you do this, the better!”

Rainbow stared at her for a few seconds, as if trying to see some hidden pattern. In the end, though, she decided to dismiss it. With a quick flurry of movement, she slipped on her clothes and slipped outside, leaving Cadance to stand all alone. Who then proceeded to hiss out a squealing series of victorious giggles, practically prancing in place like an eager little filly, or a puppy who just got shown the most lasciviously round and chewable of throwing toys.

“Yesss~!” she said in a shrill squeak through her clenched teeth, her eyes closing to bask in her victory.

---

Ponyville was unquestionably a very vibrant town, no matter the time of the year. While the decorations for the holiday were far less intricate or expensive than those found in Canterlot, Rainbow could still find a great deal to appreciate in the simple strings of lights that lined the edges of rooftops, the stylized stickers and drawings stuck up to the insides of windows, and the wreaths of green that hung on the doors of homes.

It was simple… and after spending eight years of her life in Canterlot, dealing with the overcomplexities of the nobility and the rich, simple was good. She was not a fan of the routinely bloated egos that came with the ponies of the higher houses or the fancy words they used that literally nopony else used.

Honestly, when would Rainbow ever have cause to use the word ‘prestidigitation’ in a regular discussion? Literally never, that's when.

She took in a deep breath as she came out into the Ponyville Marketplace, savoring the coolness that spread through her body and reinvigorated her system. Much as the cold was bothersome, it was a great alternative to coffee, at least in the short term.

Unless she went numb, but eh. Details.

She made her way through the market, only sparing the occasional passive glance at the various stalls that were out and about. There weren’t as many as there had been in previous weeks and months, and what were there largely sold knick knacks, baubles, or various other smaller, holiday-themed items. This was largely because most of the produce that came from the various farms had already been sold off, leaving only the food made from said produce, and most of that was either indoors to be kept warm, or at Sugarcube Corner.

But Rainbow didn’t care about any of those right now. She had a very different destination in mind.

The Carousel Boutique stood out like a sore thumb as she approached, the brighter colors and more frilly designs making it contrast quite sharply with the more rustic architecture the town typically put on display. Rainbow scanned the front of it as she approached, searching for anything of note, but, as Rarity dealt primarily in dresses, she did not find what she was looking for in the front windows.

Irritating, but not unexpected.

With an internal sigh, Rainbow lightly pushed open the front door of the Boutique, her entrance accompanied by the soft ringing of a bell. She entered into a large circular room with a domed ceiling, with several racks of attire for mares and stallions arranged neatly on the left-hoof side. A door in the back led to the ‘house’ parts of the Boutique, where Rarity made herself comfortable, and where she entertained guests or, on busy days, fitted customers whose custom orders were complete.

Luckily for Rainbow, Rarity was already in the front room, her trained eyes scrutinizing a ponequinn as she made the last adjustments to the pale blue dress that was stuck to it. Her ear twitched at the sound of the bell, the only outward indication that she had noticed anypony coming in at all.

Rainbow stood there for a few seconds, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward. How was she supposed to approach this situation? She didn’t usually buy clothes… especially not for somepony else. Too frilly and silly and not at all cool enough to be worth her time.

Not to mention fittings and measurements and all of the other assorted hoopla was just so boring.

After almost a minute of just standing there, Rainbow jumped out of her skin when Rarity finally looked up and acknowledged her with a short gasp. “Oh! Rainbow Dash! I had not been expecting you!” the fashion designer exclaimed while setting aside her work glasses and putting on a bright, genuine smile. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the library with Twilight and her family the whole day!”

Rainbow, quickly recovering from her alarm, gave a shaky nod. “Er, y-yeah, I kinda thought so, too. But then Cadance talked me into coming out and buying my present for Twilight, since, y’know, I still gotta do that.”

Rarity paused at that, her brow quirking with interest. “...And you came to me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was an observation, one made with curiosity and some mild incredulity.

Rainbow scuffed the floor. “Look, do you have a really warm coat or not?” she asked, not at all interested in Rarity’s gossip-mongering questions.

The unicorn nodded in understanding, though Rainbow could not miss that subtle twinkle in her eye. That same one Cadance had been sporting. She nodded over at the racks. “Of course, darling. The coats for cold weather are nearer the center of the room. Are there any qualities in particular you’re looking for?”

“Warm.”

“...Of course.”

Rainbow turned and made her way amid the racks, her eyes scanning over each coat as she passed. Most of them didn’t really catch her eye all that much, although maybe that was because she wasn’t really looking all that hard. The moment she had gotten caught up in the middle of all of these fabrics and designs, her brain started to space out and go somewhere else.

It wasn’t until one particular coat came into her field of view that she came to a stop. Her breath hitched in her throat, her ears stood upright, and her heart skipped a beat. It was fuzzy and incredibly warm looking, but it was also a truly vibrant and magnificent shade of red. It would cover most of a mare’s upper body, and even came with boots and socks to cover up the legs and keep those warm as well. It even had a scarf! It was practically an ensemble.

And then Rainbow imagined Twilight wearing it.

“Oh…”

The mental image that came to mind was… it was just…

Rainbow frowned at herself as she struggled to find the right words to describe it. Something about the sight of Twilight dressed in that red coat, her muzzle partially hidden by that fuzzy scarf was just… awe-inspiring.

Something fluttered around in Rainbow’s stomach, making her feel lighter than air.

Without thinking about it, she reached out and grasped the coat hanger.

---

“Where did Rainbow Dash go?” Twilight asked a short time after coming back up from the basement, her eyes searching the living room in confusion. “I haven’t seen her since I went downstairs…”

“Dunno,” Shining Armor, who sat by her side, said with a shrug. “Cadance talked to her for a bit and then she went out for a while. She hasn’t come back yet.”

Twilight frowned, glancing over at Cadance in curiosity. “...What were they talking about?” she asked slowly.

“Mare stuff, apparently,” Shining Armor groaned, throwing his head back in mild annoyance.

“Mare stuff?” Twilight’s muzzle scrunched up. “Cadance doesn’t usually make that excuse…”

“I’ve learned that it’s code for ‘go away, this is private’,” Shining replied without hesitation. “Still annoying, but eh.”

“Hm.”

Before the conversation could carry on any further, the front door suddenly opened with a bang. Rainbow Dash strode in, head held high and a self-satisfied smirk tugging at one corner of her mouth.

Twilight hopped to her hooves and began her approach. “Rainbow! There you are!” she greeted with a warm smile. “Where have you been?”

Rainbow turned to look at her and visibly paled. “Gah!” she yelped as she leaped into the air and closed the door with one of her hind legs. She quickly moved to hide something she was carrying in her hooves behind her back. “N-nothing!”

“Er… Nothing isn’t a place,” Shining pointed out with a frown.

Twilight nodded her agreement, squinting at Rainbow in curiosity. “And what are you hiding?”

“Nowhere!” Rainbow babbled before seemingly realizing how useless that was as an answer. She scoffed at herself and shook her head. “W-well, I, uh, I had a thing I needed to do, and it’s, uh…”

“Rainbow,” Twilight called, noticing that the pegasus was slowly drifting up higher with every word. “Watch your-”

Bonk.

“Ow!”

Crash.

“Yeah. that seems about right,” Shining chuckled in amusement.

Twilight’s ears drooped as she watched Rainbow’s head collide with the roof. The pegasus cried out, grasping at her skull and fell to the floor with a crash. Twilight stared at her for a second before sighing and covering her muzzle. “...Watch your head…” she muttered before starting her approach.

Rainbow sat upright after a second, and it was only then that Twilight noticed that the contents of the bag Rainbow had been carrying had spilled out all over her.

Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw the long strip of red cloth that could only be a scarf draped loosely over Rainbow’s face and muzzle like a wet noodle. “...Rainbow? What’s that?” she asked, pointing.

Rainbow looked down, her eyes going cross before she frowned and let out a defeated whimper. “Oh, jeez… for crying out loud…” she mumbled before pulling the scarf off of her face and carefully stuffing it back into the bag. “...It’s part of my present to you this year,” she said dejectedly. “But, now you’ve seen it, so…”

Shining Armor raised an eyebrow from his place on the couch. “Huh… wasn’t expecting that.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise, and she took a few, timid steps forward. “Wait, hold on… this is what you got me?” she asked, surprised at the sight of the assorted pieces of red clothes scattered all along the floor. “...Not a book?”

“Twi, I’ve gotten you at least fourteen books since I met you,” Rainbow deadpanned. “Figured I’d do something different this year…”

“Oh,” Twilight formed a small ‘o’ of realization with her mouth as she looked down at the scattered clothes. Now that the initial shock was wearing off, she had to admit… it looked nice. She began to smile and started to turn away. “Go ahead and pack it up. I can’t wait to get it on-”

“Er, actually…” Rainbow suddenly cut her off. Twilight frowned and glanced back to see the pegasus putting all of the garments together, carefully folding them up into a neat stack. Or, well, as neat as Rainbow was capable of being, which wasn’t very. Still, the effort did not go unnoticed.

Satisfied with her newly formed tower of fabric, Rainbow carefully lifted it up and held it out to Twilight with a crooked smile on her face. “I kinda screwed up hiding it, but… well, I know how much you’ve been wanting some winter clothes. So… go ahead. You can have it early.”

Twilight;’s eyes widened. “W-what?! No, no way, Rainbow! I can’t do that!” She protested, lightly placing her own hoof against it and pushing it away. “I can wait!”

“Twi, c’mon, you already know what it is,” Rainbow dismissed with a shake of her head, her voice insistent. “Besides… keeping you cooped up in here for another week when I know how much you wanna go out there and enjoy the season? Nuh-uh.”

Twilight went to protest again, but the words died in her throat when she saw the look in Rainbow’s eyes. It was hard to quantify, and for a moment, her stomach felt light and oddly warm. She didn’t resist as the mound of folded up fabric was pushed into her hooves, and she held it close to her chest.

Rainbow’s crooked smile evened out. “Go ahead. Call it an early present. I mean, you guys already open your presents a day early, anyway. What’s one year where it’s a week early from me?”

Twilight mouthed uselessly like a fish for several seconds, staring down at the clothes in her hooves. Then, with a quiet hum, she pressed them closer to her chest, feeling their warmth and the quality of their creation. “Rarity’s work,” she deduced internally. “No doubt.”

Smiling, she set the fabric on the central table and then reached out to pull Rainbow into a tight hug. The pegasus returned the embrace immediately, the two snuggling up in one another’s hooves. “Thank you, Rainbow,” Twilight whispered to her, burying her face in the pegasus’ mane. “I appreciate it… I’ll try it all on a littler later, alright?”

“You’d better,” Rainbow replied with a quiet chuckle. “I wanna see if you look as good in it as I imagined.”

Twilight blushed softly but didn’t say anything in response, perfectly content to hold Rainbow close and back in the warmth of the other mare’s soft cyan fur.

Coats were nice, but nothing could compare to the embrace of a true friend.

---

Watching silently from the kitchen, Cadance smiled softly. “Not quite what I had in mind,” she thought, turning to look out the window while nibbling on a cookie. “But it’ll do. A shaky start, but I think this ship will sail just fine…”

She lifted the cookie in her magic as if for a toast. “To a long and joyous voyage.”

“Huh?” Spike asked from one side, looking up from the fridge. “What?”

Cadance grinned. “Don’t worry about it, Spike.”

Author's Note:

WHEW! Just in time for Christmas!

Comments

[Anon E Moose]

Cadence the obsessive shipper :p

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

The ship has definitely sailed indeed! A great one at that! Nice chapter!

[JMP]

I think Cadance is just...all of us in this series. Rainbow being all confused about why she's thinking about Twilight so much is cute. And then her reaction when she starts imagining Twilight in the coat....in Consequences, she simply says that she saw the (I think it was just a scarf at the time?) coat and thought Twilight would look good in it but this...is a little more.

[PhycoKrusk]

10003966
I'm just glad I'm not the only one who writes her that way.

I may still be the only one who writes her as a compulsive shipper, though.

[Roman Griffin]

Hey every one I need to ask a favor,
I don't know if this is just me or sometimes I've noticed the site keeps certain stories in your face and even if you know what to look for you won't find it.
Well this has been me for months but I read a story similar to this where the princesses have been killed by assassins and after the story takes place thousands of years later the tribes have split up and formed a unicorn high council,a earth pony kingdom, and pegasi have escaped into the clouds and during a backstory arch the descendants of the mane six tried to keep everyone together in ponyville, but the others didn't listen and it was destroyed thousands of years before the main part of the story then we come to a earth pony couple hiding in a tent about to have a baby and are being hunted down by unicorns. So right as they burst into the tent and try to take the new filly, who turns out to be an alicorn, she reacts and blows them away with a burst of power, then the story goes on the her life and trying to find out why she is an alicorn. It was a really good story but it's been forever since I've read it and I would really appreciate some help if you've heard of it. THANK YOU!

[platogkrone]

Rainbow stared at her for a few seconds, as if trying to see some hidden pattern. In the end, though, she decided to dismiss it. With a quick flurry of movement, she slipped on her clothes and slipped outside, leaving Cadance to stand all alone. Who then proceeded to hiss out a squealing series of victorious giggles, practically prancing in place like an eager little filly, or a puppy who just got shown the most lasciviously round and chewable of throwing toys.

“Yesss~!” she said in a shrill squeak through her clenched teeth, her eyes closing to bask in her victory.

Cadence is addicted to match-making. Who knew?