“You know, Starlight, under different circumstances, I would ask how you manage to navigate this place.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I mean, it's such a big castle.”
“Yep.”
“And all of it looks the same.”
“Yes it does.”
“So, I'd imagine that you'd have some clever trick or system for making sure you know where you are.” I sighed heavily when we rounded a corner and saw yet another row of identically green doors. “I didn't think the system would be 'start walking and hope you get lucky'.”
“I swear it's on this floor,” Starlight insisted. She pulled open and promptly closed a door to what looked like a bathroom. “I know it is. It has to be.”
“You're only saying that because we've checked all the others.”
“Actually we haven't. There's another two levels on the main tower. I think. And the basements. I swear to Celestia this place is rearranging itself when I'm not looking.”
“Pft! It's just a castle.”
“Not really. According to Twilight this whole thing grew from a crystal chest that sprouted from the roots of the Tree of Harmony, then flew over to Ponyville on a rainbow, planted itself in the ground and sprouted up in less than a minute.”
“What?”
“Ahah!” Starlight threw open a final door to a bedroom. “Finally! I thought that last bathroom looked familiar.”
“This place grew? How does a castle grow?”
“Magic?” Starlight offered. “I wasn't there. That whole thing happened before I even met Twilight. There's still a lot I don't know about Ponyville. I maaay not be getting out as much as I'm supposed to,” she added sheepishly.
“When I'm here I usually only leave my wagon to work, to buy food or to spend time with you. The spa visit was a spur of the moment thing.”
A moment of slightly awkward silence followed which Starlight mercifully broke.
“So! This is my room. It's, uh… a room.” She wasn't wrong. “A bedroom.” Again, accurate. I could see the bed. “And, er-” Okay, that was enough of that. Time to intervene.
“Starlight?”
She turned eagerly, relief written all over her face. “Yes?”
I levitated my hat off and pulled the small, blue-and-snowflake wrapped box from within. I stuck it out a bit too close to her muzzle.
“Happy Hearth's Warming.”
Starlight stared at the gift in bewilderment. Her horn stayed conspicuously unlit.
“You,” she began, voice oddly flat. “You got me a present?” I ignored the bead of sweat that decided this was a wonderful time to take a trip down the side of my face. I kept my hooves planted and tried not to flick my tail visibly while I waited. And waited. And waited.
After far too long, she charged her horn and took hold of the box instead. Slowly, methodically, she undid the bow, unfolded the wrapping paper, and set both aside. She took a deep breath and pulled the top half of the flat, white box off.
“...Are these--?”
“Vouchers for a full course of treatments at the Ponyville Day Spa?” I asked excitedly. “As a matter of fact, yes!” My new smile faltered when her expression registered in my brain.
Starlight wasn't smiling.
She was cringing.
“Starlight?” She turned away, present still held in her magic as she walked across the room and sat down on the floor. This wasn't how she was supposed to react. She was supposed to be happy. Ponies were supposed to like getting gifts. I knew Starlight liked the spa because she'd told me that herself when we'd first met there. Why wouldn't she like a free visit? What had I done wrong?
“Don't you like it?” I asked. She winced.
“I… it's great, Trixie. Really, it's great.”
“You've got a funny way of looking grateful then,” I snapped. “I went out of my way to do something nice and-” Starlight flinched harder than ever. “Starlight, what's going on?” She looked over her withers, and all at once her face was a mask of rage.
“What's going on!?” she snapped. “You hauled your wagon all the way to Ponyville in the snow. You bought me a great gift. You even tried to make peace with one of my other friends! And all I did was- was-!” She looked away and slumped forward. The anger drained out of her along with her magic, letting the present drop onto the floor next to her. “...was give you a lousy tour.”
Plan B it was. Quickly. I started to walk across the room towards her.
“It wasn't that bad,” I said. “It was pretty funny when all those brooms fell on you.”
“Gee. Thanks. I feel sooo much better now.”
Stupid mouth! Stupid stupid stupid--!
“What I mean is… thanks.” I stopped next to her and sat down a hoof or two to her right. Starlight looked up. “For inviting me to the party, and for…” Her dresser had some very interesting workmareship now that I gave it my undivided attention. “...not letting me chicken out or ruin it.”
“I should have invited you weeks ago,” she countered. “I should have gotten you something.” There it was. Time for the final gambit.
“You still can.”
“It's kinda too late to go shopping. I'm pretty sure most of the shopkeepers in Ponyville are downstairs right now.”
“Well… I am rather fond of some of the local businesses, one of them in particular. You might have heard of it. The Ponyville Day Spa? And, well, I couldn't help but notice that you have an extra voucher on your hooves...”
She blinked at me. Her eyes darted down to the pair of vouchers on the floor then back up to my face. I raised an eyebrow and flashed her a lopsided smile.
Come on... come on…
The vouchers floated off the floor in a pale green aura, one of them drifting over towards me. Starlight smiled hesitantly. “You… wanna go to the spa with me?”
Victory!
“Well..." I took hold of the voucher. "If you're offering.”
“Happy Hearth's Warming?”
I grinned and gave her shoulder a playful bump with my hoof. “Happy Hearth's Warming.”
She hesitated a moment, then leaned across and threw her foreleg around me and pulled me into a tight hug and… nuzzle. Heat immediately flooded my cheeks. Sweet Celestia, what if somepony walked in on us? The two of us, sitting on the floor in Starlight's bedroom, on Hearth's Warming Eve, hugging and nuzzling? I'd never live it down. I'd be the Soft and Sentimental Trixie! The... Huggy and Nuzzly Trixie! Little Miss Friendship would have a field day!
...But, on the other hoof, Starlight Glimmer.
I put my own foreleg around her and, a little awkwardly, nuzzled back.
No contest.