//------------------------------// // Hearth's Warming // Story: Mistress Do Well: Hearth's Warming // by milesprower06 //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one warding off the chilly early morning air under the arches of the Crystal Castle. There were almost a dozen ponies who had also come to see the Crystal Heart in the light of a Hearth's Warming sunrise. All one had to do was endure the occasional blistering wind from the north. But the Heart helped with that as well, as it slowly turned between the two large crystal formations that made up its receptacle, giving off warm pulses of blue light, making the weather all the more bearable. With each pulse, the pegasus felt the love inside her resonate; from Twilight, her friends, her mom and dad, and herself. Learning to love herself again had been one of the hardest parts of her year in exile, and it hadn't come full circle until she had returned to Ponyville, and accepted the mare she had become that had motivated her friends to do what they did, and let Twilight help break her down and put her back together again. "This feels a lot better than last time, doesn't it?" A regal voice asked as she heard hoofsteps approach her right side. She turned to see Princess Cadance come up to her, getting short bows from the two guards that were keeping watch over the Heart. "Infinitely better." Rainbow replied. "I got Luna's letter. I'm sorry to hear about how things went with your mom. But at least you don't have to spend Hearth's Warming alone, at least not this time." Cadance told Rainbow, sitting down next to her. For the first time in nearly half a year, Rainbow's thoughts drifted to Lonesome Pine, the solitary caretaker of the Neighecho Inn in the Foal Mountains. He had been her only company for Hearth's Warming last year as she had spent nearly the entire winter in the rustic lodge. The holiday dishes he had prepared that night had been one of the best meals she had in her time in exile. She hadn't really returned the favor of company; the two ponies rarely spoke, and she had been the only winter visitor on the isolated path. Unfortunately, after paying him over 5,000 bits for over nearly four months of food and lodging, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he had made the mistake of invading her highly-guarded privacy. The last she saw of him was him laying unconscious with a gash on the back of his head after she had reclaimed what he had taken before vanishing out into the mid-March blizzard. She never regretted what she had done, not after what he had pulled; but for the first time, she wondered if he had recovered, and what had become of his anonymous winter guest. "Thanks for having me with barely any notice. And... Thank you for saving my life." Rainbow said, again taking her gaze off of the Crystal Heart back to Cadance, who only blinked, not sure how to respond. "I know you had something to do with it, I already talked to Luna. Your cleverness saved me, Princess, even if, for a moment, I didn't want to be saved." Cadance swallowed, and as the sun came over the eastern peaks of the Crystal Mountains to shine on the Heart, she bent down and hugged Rainbow. "Seeing you at the base of that tree, with those cuts and scrapes, and that noose around your neck... and having to turn and walk away... That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. I don't know what you had to do to bring yourself to forgive them, but I'm glad you did." Cadance said as she squeezed the pegasus gently, before releasing her from the embrace. "Well, you of all ponies know what the power of love does." Rainbow replied, managing a slight smirk as the Heart's display area under the castle was lit up by god rays from the morning sunlight passing through the facets of the Crystal Heart. "There are many kinds of love, Rainbow. Love of friends, family, country..." Cadance paused and pressed a hoof to Rainbow's chest. "...Self. And yes, it can make us do crazy things sometimes. Reactions like the ones your mom gave you is sadly proof that not everypony is going to understand the crazyness that you and Twilight went through to be there for each other in the aftermath. But maybe that's okay. Maybe the love and loyalty in you doesn't need to be understood by everypony else." Rainbow smiled at her as they started towards the stairway built into the northwest arch that would take them into the castle proper. "Thanks for the pep talk, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about what the rest of Twilight's family thinks about us being together." Rainbow confessed as they headed inside up the stairs. "Well, let me ask you this. Does it matter? You know they've all forgiven her because of the letter we all signed. Celestia told us how you confronted her about what Luna had done, yet she was fully restored to her throne. She told us that if you could bring yourself to forgive Twilight and love her, who were we to judge? So even if they seem somewhat reserved, does it really matter? Would it change at all the way you two feel about each other?" Cadance asked. "Alright, point taken. I don't need anypony's approval for the way we feel about each other." Rainbow replied, starting to feel like she was being lectured. "That's right. I know both of you want others to be happy for you two, but in the end, all you need is each other. So let's go and have a hearty breakfast, what do you say?" The Princess of Love asked. "After my flight, yeah, that sounds absolutely fantastic." Rainbow replied. Once the duo had arrived in the main foyer, they climbed three more flights of stairs and stepped into the royal residence, and the smell of pancakes and maple immediately wafted to Rainbow's nose, and she realized how hungry the journey had made her. After quickly tossing her scarf and hat into the coat closet, she passed through the den and made her way to the dining room, where Night Light and his wife sat next to each other, and Twilight sat across from them. The alicorn turned to see Rainbow enter the room, and she immediately got up and nearly galloped over to her, throwing her front hooves around her. "I was wondering why they had set an extra place at the table. What happened?" She asked, surprised to see her marefriend up here when they had agreed to see their families separately. "It's not exactly a long story, but I'll tell you later." Rainbow began, returning the embrace, before turning to Twilight's mom and dad. "Thanks for having me on such short notice. It means a lot that I can still spend Hearth's Warming with loved ones." The pegasus told them. "It's no trouble. There's always plenty to go around, and this way, less leftovers for everypony else to split and take home." Night Light reassured her. Shining Armor and Cadance came out from the kitchen with a hot silver platter stacked high with pancakes and two glass dispensers of syrup; one maple, and one strawberry. "Alright, breakfast is served. Dig in!" Rainbow Dash sat out on the balcony of the Crystal Castle, a hearty dinner sitting satisfyingly in her stomach. After dessert, she came out here to watch the sunset over the western Yaket Range, after a day of fun and games with Twilight's family. "So, it's been great having you here, but are you ever going to tell me what happened in Cloudsdale?" Twilight asked, stepping out onto the balcony to sit next to her marefriend, putting a wing around her shoulders. Rainbow took a deep breath, and exhaled, staring out at the dusk sky. "I was only there for about ten minutes. You have to understand, before I came to Ponyville, home was one of my last stops. When it didn't seem to help any, I left when they were at work, only left them a note... So I figured I owed them an explanation of what I've been up to these past couple months. I told them that you and I were together. And..." Rainbow swallowed, as revisiting last evening's events finally brought tears spilling over her eyelids. "Rainbow..." Twilight sympathized, tightening her wing's hold on Rainbow's shoulders. "My dad was supportive, but my mom... she said some things that aren't going to be so easy to take back. Dad said that you and I... It isn't going to be easy, because not everypony is going to understand or appreciate the circumstances that brought us together. I don't care what my mom thinks, it doesn't change how I feel about you. Your family has been nothing but supportive, and with my dad's encouragement, I'm willing to ignore my mom until she decides to come around. I love you Twilight, more than anything or anypony." Rainbow said, turning and embracing the alicorn. "And that's why I got you a little something," the pegasus continued, releasing Twilight from the hug, and reached a wing into her saddlebags. "I was going to wait until we were both back in Ponyville, but right here, right now seems as good a time as any. I know you and I have embraced each other's quirks and kinks to get closer, but I think it's time for something a little more vanilla." Rainbow's wing came out of the saddlebag with a scarlet velvet box, wider than it was tall, and the alicorn's eyes started to widen. "Twilight, we discovered our feelings for each other through some of the most unexpected, twisted ways possible, feelings I tried to beat back with every ounce of hatred and fear that I held for over a year alone, and yet they persisted. We've used that to strengthen our eventual relationship. Not everypony may understand or accept us, but we understand each other; enough to where I'm ready to commit to you in one of the least twisted ways possible." Rainbow used her other wing to lift the hinged lid of the box, and revealed a gold chain with a ring on it. On the ring were two gems with silver intertwined between them; an amethyst, and a sapphire. "Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me?" Rainbow asked as she dropped down to one front leg. The disgraced princess felt her throat tighten, and tears trickled down her cheeks as she took the opened jewelry case from Rainbow's wings into hers. She bit her lip, and came forward and threw her hooves around Rainbow's neck. "Yes. Yes, with all of my heart, yes." She softly cried. Then they released each other, Rainbow gently took the box back, lifted the necklace from its resting place, and used each wingtip to bring the ends around her marefriend's neck and fasten it securely at the back. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Twilight." "Happy Hearth's Warming, Rainbow." "So, I'm not sure if you were planning on staying the night, and I know crystal walls aren't the most soundproofed structure in Equestria, but I'm still up for some fun tonight if you are. Your mom and dad are only right next door, right?" Rainbow asked with a smirk. Twilight couldn't help but laugh as she came in for a kiss. "You're awful, you know that?" Twilight said, giggling her tears away. "I'm anything you want me to be, Mistress."