Rainbow Dash yawned as she walked through the snowy streets. It has already started to snow heavily. She watched as every single snowflake slowly fell. Rainbow looked around, and everything was covered in white sheets of snow. She sighed and ran to school.
"IT'S ALMOST TIME!!" Pinkie shouted as Rainbow closed her shoe locker, causing everybody to look at her. Slowly, everybody continued to their own business. Pinkie cleared her throat and calmed herself. "Christmas is almost here!!" She shouted a little quieter than last time.
"Yep." Rainbow said, picking up her bag. "You only now noticed?" She asked as she walked to class. Pinkie followed after her.
"No, I'm just trying to remind you." Pinkie paused and giggled. "About Soarin."
Rainbow stopped walking and then continued. "What do you mean?" She asked. "If it's about love again, I don't need to hear it." Rainbow said as she opened the classroom door and went inside.
Pinkie closed the door and grinned. "You never get it, Dashie!" Pinkie sighed. "Anyways, that's not exactly what I was going to say." She said as Rainbow sat on her desk. Pinkie stood in front of Rainbow's desk and smiled. "You know what they say, 'Christmas, the time you spend with your lover'! You know, that stuff." Pinkie winked and quickly went to her seat before Rainbow could speak. Rainbow grunted as the bell rang and tried to forget what she said.
At lunchtime, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Lightning Dust all sat together at one table in the cafeteria.
"Hey. Dash." Lightning said. "Where's your pink-haired friend?" She asked, looking at the empty spot next to Rainbow.
Rainbow shrugged. "I don't know." She said. "When class finished, she already left the classroom. There was no sign of her, and I was hungry, so I came here without her." She gulped down a piece of her toast. "Why're you asking?"
"Nothing, really." Lightning said. "Just that she always keeps an eye on me when I'm around Soarin. Now I'm at my free will!" She laughed and scooted nearer to Soarin. Lightning grabbed his arm and rested her head on his shoulder. Soarin groaned quietly.
Just then, Pinkie came out of nowhere and slammed on the table. "Listen up, people!" She yelled.
"Well, there goes my freedom." Lightning pouted and scooted away from Soarin.
"Since next Monday is Christmas, I'm planning on a game!" She announced, jumping up and down. She looked at er friends' faces, but they were just confused and didn't know what she was talking about. Pinkie cleared her throat and put a straight, boring face. "I mean Kris Kringel. Or..." She widened her eyes and put her finger on her mouth. "Secret Santa."
The other three looked at each other. "What's that game?" Soarin asked. "Never heard of it."
Pinkie gasped and jumped in front of Soarin. "You've never heard of Secret Santa!?!" She shouted. She jumped everywhere in all sorts of places and calmed down after she sat next to Rainbow Dash.
"Secret Santa is a game where each person in the group buys a gift for someone else in the group." She grabbed a blackboard out of nowhere and pointed at different parts. "You guys will know more tomorrow. See ya!" She beamed and rushed away. Nobody know where she went, but she was back for class later anyway.
The next day was a Friday, and the whole class was told they had an announcement. The Class President, Twilight Sparkle, and her assistant, Starlight Glimmer, went to the front of the class again. "We know this is sudden and we've never done this before," Twilight said. "But starting this year we're having a small game for Christmas!" She announced happily.
The whole class buzzed and everyone murmured to each other. The teacher, sitting on a chair nearby, gave a small "Shhhh!" to the class. "A student who remained anonymous suggested to the Student Council that we should play a game called Secret Santa."
Rainbow smirked and turned to look at Pinkie, who wore a wide grin. "This here is a box of every student's name in the school." Twilight explained as Starlight shook a small violet box in her hands, and lifted it so everyone could see. "You will all pick one and buy a gift for whoever is on the piece of paper. The dead line is next Friday!"
A boy raised his hand. "But what happens if we get ourselves?" He asked.
"Well, then you'll have to pick another one!" Starlight said. The boy who raised his hand groaned.
Then, Twilight held a long list of all the students' names. She read them out one by one, and each student took a name from the box. After the whole class got their papers, Twilight and Starlight nodded at each other. "Okay, I guess that's it then!" Twilight cheerfully announced.
"Um, Twi, there's actually another girl who's absent." Rainbow raised her hand and pointed at a chair across the room. It was clear that nobody was sitting there today.
The teacher cleared her throat. "As long as she's not here, she's as good as gone to me!" She said. She signaled Twilight and Starlight to sit down, and when they did, the teacher went back to teaching the class.
At lunch break, Rainbow sat next to Pinkie. "So, who'd you get?" She asked.
"Not telling!" Pinkie giggled. She then put her finger on her mouth. "It's a secret!" She hushed. Rainbow saluted. The two kept on talking about the event until lunchtime was over.
"Sooooariiiin!" Lightning Dust yelled and waved her hand as she ran to Soarin. "Hehe, funny to see you here!" She giggled and grabbed Soarin's arm.
Soarin rolled his eyes. "You always see me here." He said bluntly. "What difference does it make now?" He asked, trying to make Lightning let go of his arm. Finding out he couldn't, he continued walking out of the school's exit.
Lightning giggled. "You're so funny, Soarin~!" She laughed even louder, trying to make sure Rainbow could hear if she was nearby. Soarin rubbed the back of is head and moaned.
"So, who did you get for Secret Santa?" She asked as they got out of school grounds.
Soarin blushed and looked away. "I'm not telling. Especially not you."
Lightning Dust glared at Soarin, thinking of who he's thinking about, and then smiled. "Awwww, if it's me, you don't have to be shy about it!" She giggled and bopped Soarin on the nose.
Soarin's blush faded away as he cringed. "No, I'm not shy about it!" He shouted. "Besides, if you are my Secret Santa, I wouldn't blush about it." He blurted out. Lightning Dust paused for a minute and then took what he said another way.
"Oooooh, I get it!" She giggled. "You're being a brave guy! You're so cool, Soarin!" She hugged his arm tighter. Soarin wished that time would speed up so he could go home.
Rainbow yawned as she sat on her chair and looked around her bedroom. There was nothing to do, and she felt a lot bored than before. She could think about things to do before, but for some reason, they wouldn't sound fun when she thought about it now. Rainbow then took out a notebook from her bag and started to do her homework.
After a while, her phone rang. Rainbow picked it up and answered, "Hello?"
"Ey, Dashie! It's me, your ol' pal Pinkie Pie!" The person on the phone said. "Wanna go shopping with me for the Secret Santa thingy?" She asked. "I know there's plenty of time for it, but at least window shopping! C'mon, there are lots of sales today!"
Rainbow sighed. "Alright. I guess it's better than doing my homework." She stretched her arms and closed her notebook. "See ya later."
After Rainbow put on some outdoor clothes and met up with Pinkie, they both went window shopping at the mall. There were lots of things to shop for and it was almost impossible to find the perfect gift.
When they were tired, they sat at the food court. "Phew, I can't believe that there was barely anything to buy, and we've already seen half of the mall!" Rainbow complained and drank her soda.
Pinkie shrugged and drank her strawberry smoothie. "I don't know. I saw cool gifts too but none of them fit." Rainbow nodded.
After they explored a little more the sky got darker and darker. They said their goodbyes as Pinkie went home. Rainbow sighed and went back into the mall.
"Well, I guess I can find something if I explore again." She said, looking at the shops around her. Just then, she remembered she brought the name of the person she needed a gift for and took it out. She read it again and looked up. "Who is this, anyway?"
Rainbow wondered about it and shrugged it off, deciding to look for him at school.
The next time Rainbow went to school, she told her friends that she had something to do and left. She searched around the school, holding the piece of paper for the Secret Santa event. She asked a bunch of people, and finally, somebody led her to the library. She opened the door and wandered around.
After a few minutes, Rainbow came around to a quiet corner. She hid behind a bookshelf and peeked. It was certainly a guy, reading the first Daring Do book. Next to him was a pile of logic books. "So, that's him? I have to buy a gift for him?" She muttered. Rainbow walked away and thought. "Since he was reading a Daring Do book, that must mean he's a Daring Do fan, right? Or maybe he's an egghead, since he had a large stack of books that I've never even read..." She shook her head and left the library. "Whatever, I'll think about it later."
For the next few days, Rainbow thought of what present to give him and finally bought one. At home, she wrapped the gift in a navy blue colored foil. She sighed and wiped her sweat off, thinking that her search of gifts if finally over.
On Thursday, she brought the gift with her to school and hid it in her bag. Rainbow ran to the library and looked for him.
"Huh? He's not here!" She thought to herself. She turned around and-
-BAM!
She hit him and fell on the floor. Luckily, nobody else heard it. "H-hey, watch where you're going!" He whispered and grunted.
Rainbow snickered. "You were the one who didn't, I just turned around and you were there!" She got up and whispered back. The two glared at each other until he noticed the gift Rainbow was holding.
"What's that?" He asked, pointing at the gift. Rainbow nearly jumped and raised the gift near his face.
"Oh, right. This is for you. Merry Christmas." She quickly muttered. She totally forgot about it. "Q-Quibble Pants, right? I'm Rainbow Dash, your Secret Santa."
Quibble paused and looked at the gift. Surely, it wasn't a prank, so he grabbed it. He shook it near his ears, it barely made any noise. He ripped it open and froze.
There it was-the first edition of Daring Do And The Quest For The Sapphire Stone. It looked a bit old, but to ultimate Daring Do fans, it was one of a kind.
Quibble brushed the wrapping off and blinked. It was real. He opened it and flipped through the pages. "Th-thanks..." He blurted out.
Rainbow snickered. "Oh, so you forgive me for bumping into you earlier?" She raised her eyebrow and smirked.
Quibble closed the book shut and blushed. "N-no! I still don't!" He yelled. People around them gave a loud "Shhhh!". Quibble gave them a thumbs-up to tell them that he won't do it again.
"Whatever, see ya!" Rainbow put on her casual grinned and walked away. Quibble stared at the direction she left. Rainbow stopped a few inches away and whispered, "Oh yeah, and take good care of it. You have no idea how much trouble I had to go through to get that book." Quibble nodded as Rainbow continued to leave.
Meanwhile, near the school fountain, Pinkie Pie told Lightning Dust to meet her there. Pinkie waited a while until Lightning came.
"Alright, Pie, what is it?" Lightning asked, annoyed. "Make it quick, cuz I'm missing precious Soarin time." She stepped closer to Pinkie. Pinkie giggled.
"Merry Christmas, Lightie!" Pinkie shouted as confetti came out of nowhere. She lifted up a small box wrapped up with a light turquoise wrapper and a golden amber ribbon, similar to Lightning's hair color.
Lightning's mouth fell wide open as she raised her eyebrow. "You?" She said, crossing her arms. "You're my Secret Santa?" She asked, a little bit shocked.
"Yes indeedy!" Pinkie said with a wide grin. Dust took the gift and shook it, making sure it didn't have anything......funny in it. But then again, Pinkie is known to be a party animal so she must've gotten a really good gift. Lightning tore the wrapper off and examined the box. It was a long shoe box. But, it was too long to be shoes, so it was probably small boots.
Lightning took the lid off and grinned. It was black boots with electric yellow shoelaces. It looked perfect for sports.
"It's made for running real fast!" Pinkie happily jumped up and down and suddenly stopped. "Although......" Pinkie muttered quietly.
"If it was a race of you and Rainbow Dash, Rainbow would win, especially if the winning prize was Soarin." She silently said in a creepy voice under her breath, so Lightning couldn't hear.
"Anyways, did you like it!?" She asked loudly in case Lightning did hear what she said.
"Yeah, thanks, you little pink-haired energy ball!" Lightning laughed and tried it on. It felt very comfortable, and at the same time, it made Dust feel as if she could run faster than before. She ran around happily as Pinkie beamed.
The next day, which was the dead line for Secret Santa, Rainbow went to school excitedly. She wasn't excited for studying, though, she was only hyped for getting her gift. She hasn't gotten a gift all week, so surely she'll get it today. She quickly ran inside and put on her indoor shoes, and ran to the back of the school near where the the cherry blossom trees are.
She looked up and smiled. The snow slowly came down and filled the area. She then turned around and noticed somebody was there. "Soarin?" Rainbow tilted her head. "What're you doing here?"
Soarin blushed and looked away. "M-Merry Christmas..." He said, stepping a little closer to Rainbow Dash. He lifted his hand, revealing a very small box. Rainbow grabbed it and examined the box. It was pure white and was not that light. She opened it and gasped.
Inside was a small bracelet.
Soarin blushed and turned around. "H-hope you liked it." He hastily said. "See ya." Soarin quickly ran away as soon as he finished talking. Rainbow fell silent. She lifted the bracelet and looked at its design. It was just a simple accessory, but Rainbow decided to treasure it.
"W-why do I care so much about it?" She said to herself. "I-it's just a bracelet.....right?" She wore it and kept the box in her bag, and then ran to class.
"So, care to tell me now?" Pinkie giggled as she jumped behind Rainbow as soon as she sat on her chair.
Rainbow turned around. "Tell you what?" She asked.
Pinkie jumped in front of Rainbow's desk. "Who your Secret Santa was!" She threw her hands in the air as confetti came out of nowhere and giggled again.
Rainbow blushed and turned her head away. "It was Soarin." She muttered. But Pinkie could hear what she said.
"Heehee. See? Told ya you two were meant to be!" Pinkie winked. "My Secret Santa was Applejack! She gave me an apple pie!" She licked her mouth as her pupil widened. "And I ate it!"
Rainbow laughed. "'Course you ate it, you're Pinkie Pie!"
Pinkie grinned. "So, what did Soarin give you?" She said as she wiggled her eyebrows and nudged Rainbow Dash. Rainbow blushed and looked down.
"Really think I'm gonna tell you?" Rainbow hushed.
Pinkie wondered about how she'd get Rainbow to tell her and suddenly looked at Rainbow's wrist. "Aha!" She shouted, making everyone in the room look at her. Pinkie grinned as everyone left them alone. "He gave you a bracelet! How sweet!" Pinkie said, squishing her cheeks.
Rainbow blushed and covered the bracelet with her hand. "You better not tell anybody about this." She glared at Pinkie. "Especially Dust, she'd freak out." Pinkie nodded and saluted.
Later on at break, Lightning told Soarin to meet her at the rooftop of the school.
As Soarin opened the door and looked around the rooftop, he noticed Lightning looking out the fence. He walked over to her and cleared his throat. "So, what did you want?"
Lightning turned around and giggled. "Merry Christmas!" She cheerfully said. "I'm your Secret Santa!" She hugged Soarin and giggled. Soarin moaned.
"You've gotta be kidding." He said under his breath, making Lightning let go of him. "So, what did you get me?" He asked.
Lightning beamed and showed him a small picture frame. Soarin excitedly took it and looked at the picture, but then his smile faded as he looked at the picture. "Oh, thanks." He said. "It's a picture! O you." He said with a straight face, showing the picture to Lightning.
But Lightning just giggled. "Yup!" She said. "Put it next to your bed, so you remember me every time you go to sleep and wake up!" She giggled and ran downstairs.
Soarin walked after her. "I'm just gonna put it somewhere I won't notice everyday." He muttered to himself.
The next Monday, on Christmas, the school had a two week break. Pinkie hosted a Christmas party at her house, and she invited all her friends.
Rainbow arrived right on time and knocked on the door. She waited and looked around, she forgot that Pinkie lived in a rock farm near the countryside. Then, Pinkie opened the door. "Heeeey, Dashie! Merry Christmas! Come on in!" She happily greeted and stepped aside to let Rainbow in.
Rainbow looked around. The whole place was decorated with Christmas decorations, and had lots of tables with food on them. She walked towards a table and looked at the variety of food. She picked up a small bowl of cookies with small bits of something grey on it.
"Those are rock cookies." A familiar voice came from behind.
Rainbow turned around. "Oh, hey, Maud." She said. "Rock cookies?" She asked, taking a closer look. She realized that the grey bits look like rocks.
"Those bits are bits of rocks." Maud explained as she grabbed a cookie. "I taught Pinkie the recipe when we were 10." She crunched the cookie and looked at Rainbow. "Are you gonna take one?" She asked.
Rainbow gulped and took one. "Um......is it.....real rocks?" She asked, sniffing the cookie.
"Yes." She said, eating another cookie. "It's an edible type of rock."
Rainbow sighed and finally took a bite. It was thankfully easy to chew, and it tasted like a normal cookie without any flavor. Until she tasted something different. "Er......it was great!" She said, quickly gulping down the cookie and drinking some water. Maud blinked and walked away.
After a while, wen everyone finally came, Pinkie called everyone to the fireplace. "Alrighty, everyone!" She said loud enough so everyone could hear. "It's that time of year again! Merry Christmas!" She grabbed a glass of punch and raised it. "Cheers!" She joyfully drank it, and so did everyone else.
Afterwards, Pinkie nodded at Maud, who came next to her. "Maud's gonna sing us one of her Christmas songs, like last year!" She yelled, catching everyone's attention.
"Yeah, Maud sang great last year!" Applebloom, Appljack's sister, smiled.
"This song is about rocks." Maud said after she cleared her throat. "They're all about rocks."
Everyone listened carefully to Maud's song and applauded afterwards. And for the whole evening, everybody did lots of activities and fun games.
"Alright, now for the last game of today!" Pinkie announced. "Everyone make a circle!" Everyone did so and formed a circle in the middle of the room. "I know I asked you all to bring gifts, so take them out!"
Rainbow Dash and everyone else took out their gifts. "Now, This stereo's gonna play a sort story! Every time the narrator says left, pass the gift to the left! Every time the narrator says right, pass the gift to the right!" Pinkie said, lifting a stereo. "So listen carefully!"
The story began, and everyone made sure to listen and passed the gift along. After the story was finished, Rainbow opened her gift and saw a one of a kind soccer ball. She's always wanted a special soccer ball, but they were all too expensive. She happily took it and looked around the room, trying to find whoever got her gift. She then noticed someone holding the leather jacket she bought.
Looking closer, it was Soarin.
Rainbow Dash was startled and looked away.
After the party, Rainbow said her goodbyes to the Pie family. She left the farm along with Soarin. "S-so, you got a leather jacket?" Rainbow asked nervously.
"Yup." Soarin said, putting his hands in the pockets of the leather jacket. "Dunno who brought it, but I love the jacket!" He cheerfully said.
Rainbow blushed and sighed. "U-um, it was me."
"Huh?" Soarin said.
"It was me who brought the leather jacket." Rainbow said. "I guess you were the one who got it." She quickly looked away. "According to Pinkie, it was 'fate'." Rainbow laughed. Soarin laughed along.
"So, what did you get?" Soarin asked.
Rainbow opened her bag and took out her soccer ball. "This!"
Soarin flinched. "Oh, uh, that's mine." He said, putting one of his hands on the soccer ball. "My dad bought it for me a long time ago. A friend of mine that lives far away gave me the same thing as a Christmas present, so I decided to give the other one away." He explained. "I guess it went to you."
Rainbow blushed as she put the ball back into her bag. She then dpdged the awkwardness and laughed. "'Fate', huh?" She said, laughing even more. Soarin then laughed along again.
To be continued...