“Another round, please?” I called out to the bartender pony. He passed me a shot glass filled with sparkling orange booze and I drank it without hesitation. It was my fifth shot of this stuff and I still didn’t feel drunk.
“Hey, you sure you’re okay, kid?” Tipsy Drink, the bartender asked. “It’s been five shots and this stuff is pretty strong.”
I looked up at him like he was joking. “This stuff feels weak to me. Maybe five more shots and I’ll start feeling it,” I joked.
Honestly, I wish I was drunk now. I’m almost twenty-three and I’m still single. Even when I was back on Earth, I could never find anyone who was interested in me or would just talk to me. Here, in this land of ponies, there’s no way I could shoot my shot with these creatures. But there was one that caught my eye from the very moment I’ve met her...
“Hey, five more shots and your wallet’s gonna be tapped dry, Luke,” the bartender warned me. He placed the bottle of alcohol he was pouring me back on the shelf. “Maybe just go out and mingle with some of the folk. You can’t just drink yourself to death and put yourself in debt, pal.”
I groaned at the suggestion. I wanted to punch Tipsy in the face for offering such a lame suggestion. But it was best to leave before my temper got to me. I paid for my drinks and left the bar, waving back to Tipsy as he continued to serve other patrons.
The frigid, winter air chilled me to the bone. While everyone else was wearing nearly nothing, I was wearing a full set of fluffy body armor covering my head down to my toes. It sucks not having any fur. I trudged through the snow back to my house, hoping to get some more bits so I can go drink somewhere else.
As I stepped into my house, I noticed a parchment with a golden seal, sitting on my coffee table. I wasn’t expecting any letters today. I closed the door and stripped off my warm clothes, letting the warmth of my home wash over me instead. As I inspected the roll of parchment, I realized the seal on the front was a royal seal–from my friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle.
You are invited to Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Hearth’s Warming Day Party! Come for fun, food, warmth, and spend time with plenty of friends! The event will take place tonight at 8:00 pm in the princess’s castle.
I looked outside at the giant crystal castle standing just outside of Ponyville. I guess I do have something to do today. And if there’s a party going on with all of Twilight’s friends, that would mean she would be there.
Suddenly a green ball of smoke formed above my coffee table, creating another roll of parchment.
P.S. Bring a gift for someone. What’s Hearth’s Warming without the spirit of giving?
Shit, now I had to bring a gift too. I put all my clothes back on and headed out into the freezing outdoors.
The whole castle was bustling with life. Ponies trotted and glided through the castle halls conversing, exchanging gifts, and having a good time. The interior was lined with decorations of all kinds: streamers, balloons, pictures, trees, and multicolored lanterns along the rim of the ceiling.
I just walked through the main foyer, gawking at the amazing decorations, when a cheery voice caught my attention.
“Heya, Luke!”
I looked up to see a pink bouncing pony on a mezzanine. “Hey Pinkie,” I said with a smile. No matter what she did, Pinkie Pie was always able to make anyone feel warm and happy.
“Come on up, everypony’s waiting for you!” she shouted.
I made my way up a flight of stairs with a gift covered in blue wrapping paper in my hands. I opened the door through which Pinkie went through and was met by a beautiful scene.
Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Rainbow Dash were all having their own celebration in this one room. Food and snacks sat on a purple table on one side and a pile of presents sat on the other side. A massive evergreen tree sat in the back-right corner next to a fireplace that gave off a welcoming orange glow and warmth that filled the whole room.
“Hey everyone,” I said, addressing the group, “sorry I’m late.” I walked over to the pile of gifts and placed mine down.
“Oh it’s quite alright, sugar cube,” Applejack said. “Ya didn’t miss anythin’ important yet.”
“Unless you count the food.” Twilight pointed a hoof to the now-empty food table. All that was left were some small candies, sandwiches, and chips. Their eyes followed a trail of crumbs until they all settled on Pinkie Pie munching away on some cupcakes. She stopped what she was doing at looked at everyone’s annoyed faces.
“What?” she asked between mouthfuls of food.
“Anyway darling,” Rarity interjected, trying to change the subject, “we’re about to do the present exchange!”
My heart began to thump harder and faster. I looked over at Rainbow Dash as she searched the food table for anything good to eat. I was regretting coming here. Or rather I was regretting getting her this gift. What if it isn’t good enough? What if it didn’t meet her standards?
“Me first!” Pinkie Pie dove into the present pile and came out with a green, rectangular present. She tore it open like a beast ripping apart flesh, letting wrapping paper and ribbon fly everywhere until there was no packaging left. In Pinkie’s hooves was a candy necklace with everyone’s cutie marks along with their respective colors. There was even a green flame for Spike and a pink hand for me. “WOW! This is amazing! Thank you Twilight!” She squeezed the purple alicorn until she turned an even darker shade of purple.
“P-Pinkie.” Twilight tapped her friend’s shoulder, signaling her to release her. Pinkie did so, finally allowing Twilight to breathe.
“By the way, I’m not making any promises to not eat this.”
“Okay, my turn.” Spike moved the gifts around until he found a purple one with his name on it. He opened it to reveal a fancy little outfit. His face fell at the sight of it. He turned to Rarity, whose eyes were glimmering with joy. “Uh, thanks, Rarity,” he said halfheartedly. I along with everyone else snickered and giggled at the fancy outfit.
“Oh thank you, Spike,” Rarity said happily, not sensing the disdain in the little dragon’s voice. “When I made it, I made sure to think of you.” At this, Spike’s face lit up a bit, happy to know his crush thought of him.
“My turn.” I searched through the presents and found a large, rectangular, red gift. It had my name as the receiver and the giver was... Rainbow Dash. I didn’t care what Rainbow got me. Anything she gave me would be special because it came from her. I opened the gift and my jaw nearly unhinged from my mouth. I just shocked in awe at the gift I received. A brand new Pony Station 5 sat in front of me.
Most of the other ponies gasped in awe. This was the latest model in the Pony Station line and it just came out a few weeks ago.
“H-how did you afford this?” I asked.
“Well being a Wonderbolt pays pretty well, so I saved enough money to buy this baby.” She looked proud of herself, and she should be. Buying someone something like this is... amazing! Now I’m getting nervous. My gift couldn't compare to this.
“Um, is it alright if I go next?" Fluttershy quietly asked. She grabbed one of the five remaining presents, a pink one. She gently took the wrapping apart and carefully opened the box. Inside was... a joke book. "Oh, um, thank you Pinkie," Fluttershy said. She wasn't upset with the choice in gift because Fluttershy accepts everything no matter what it is because it's from a friend.
"If you ever want to have a laugh and I'm not around, you can always read Wacky Wonko's 1,000 Wacky Jokes to brighten up your mood," Pinkie said with an abnormal smile.
"Ooh, what about me?" Rarity grabbed an orange present from the pile and tore it open. Inside were country-styled boots, a bonnet, and a stylish blouse. "Oh, this is lovely!"
Applejack tipped her hat down to hide her blushing face. "Ya think so?" she asked. "Ah thought of the idea last summer and ah asked Granny Smith if she wouldn't mind knittin' this for ya." AJ and Rarity both exchanged a friendly hug. Usually, the two of them don't agree when it comes to fashion, but to know that Rarity loved the outfit made AJ feel extra special.
"Okay, I'm next!" Twilight found her gift instantly out of the three remaining presents. She tore the whole thing open to reveal a special quill and ink set. "Wow! phoenix quills and royal blue ink? Fluttershy, this is amazing! How did you afford this?" Twi asked.
"Oh, well, working in the animal nursery isn't just volunteering work. It also pays quite well, so I managed to get this from a traveling merchant and then I gifted it to you." Fluttershy gave the princess a heartwarming smile.
There were only two gifts left. One for Applejack and one for Rainbow Dash.
"Alright, now this one should be for me." Applejack grabbed a small white box and shook it, trying to guess what the gift could be. She opened it to find a cluster of gems. "Uh, thanks, Spike. This really means a lot." Applejack said with a halfhearted smile. Of course, gemstones were something Applejack would not have expected.
"Thanks," Spike said with a prideful smile. "I just took a couple of good gems from my stockpile and just wrapped them up for you. Glad to know you like it."
There was only one present left. Rainbow Dash took the blue present. My gift to her. As she proceeded to open it, my heart began to beat faster. Sweat began to trickle down my face as the suspense only grew. Rainbow finally opened the box.
Inside was the gift. It was a golden pendant with a red lightning bolt with a gold outline. Gold wings sprouted from its sides making it resemble the Wonderbolts' logo.
I waited for her response. Anything she said would be fine as long as it was positive. After a brief moment of silence, Rainbow Dash finally spoke.
"I-I don't know what to say," was all she managed to get out after all this time. I looked up at her face to see her blushing. She was blushing! She looked up at me and smiled. I wasn't expecting this to be honest. I didn't buy her anything expensive like a Pony Station 5, nothing big like a dress. It was just a simple gold necklace.
“Can we get some privacy?” Rainbow asked, still looking at the necklace in her hooves. Everyone nodded and left the room, leaving me and Rainbow alone.
I thought I’d finally speak up. “How is it?” I asked, trying to keep from stuttering.
Rainbow didn’t respond but she kept her smile and her cheeks were still red. She suddenly got up from where she sat and walked over to me. My heart was racing now and the sweat on my face had to be visible at this point, like a glossy covering on my face.
While my mind was racing with various thoughts, I didn’t notice the wet feeling on my right cheek. I snapped back into reality and looked at Rainbow Dash, who had her lips pressed against my cheek. I couldn’t move. Not because I didn’t want this feeling to end, but from shock. I wasn’t expecting this to happen so quickly.
Rainbow parted her lips from my face and smiled warmly at me. Her eyes had a glimmer to them and they seemed to be saying something that I’ve been dying to hear for years.
“Took ya long enough, ya big dummy,” Rainbow said in a taunting voice. I just smiled awkwardly at her, unsure of how to respond. “I love the necklace. Though, I’m not really into shiny, fancy stuff like this...” she looked at my face which started to fall a bit. “...but it’s special because it’s from you.” My face lit up again.
“Well, glad to know you like it,” I responded nervously. “W-what do you mean I took long enough?”
Rainbow just chuckled as she shook her head. “It took you long enough to express how you felt about me, ya big dummy.”
“S-so does that mean—“
Rainbow nodded without even letting me finish my sentence. I was elated, jovial, happy. But...
“Tell me one thing,” I asked, my voice taking a more serious tone.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow, waiting for my question.
“Why me? What do you see in me?”
Rainbow Dash sighed and sat back down. “You’re a great friend. You may not have any special magic, may not be as athletic as me, may not be a hero like us, but you’re always there whenever we need you. And I think you're pretty cool.”
“Heh, looks like you took the words right out of my mouth,” I said with a chuckle.
She laid a hoof on my hand which I gripped tightly. She pulled herself closer to me and I pulled closer to her. Without thinking, our lips connected. It wasn’t wet, it wasn’t sloppy. There was no lust in this kiss, only love. I wrapped an arm around the blue pegasus and pulled her closer until our bodies seemed to melt together from the love and warmth. We held our position until we needed to breathe, then we broke apart the kiss. We looked into each other's eyes and smiled.
I ran a hand along Dash's face and she nuzzled it with her cheek. "Hey, you mind keeping this between the two of us?" she asked.
I pulled her in, her face buried into my heaving chest. I gave a resounding yes. I understood she wanted everyone to still think she was cool and awesome, but between the two of us, she can drop the lofty attitude and just act like a teddy bear whenever she wants.
"Hey, you never got to try on your necklace," I said. I grabbed the golden necklace and proceeded to tie it around Rainbow Dash's neck. She lifted herself up to let me examine her. "You look like you’re worth a million bits," I whispered as I kissed her forehead.
She snuggled back into my chest. I could tell she was getting tired: her ears drooped and her eyes struggled to stay open.
"Best. Hearth's Warming. Ever," Rainbow said as she finally fell asleep. The only sound was her light snoring and the crackling of the fire.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the door slowly open and Twilight's head poking in. She saw the scene that laid before her and smiled at me. "Happy Hearth's Warming, you two," she whispered before shutting the door and leaving us alone.