//------------------------------//
// 23 - Gift 
// Story: First Hoof Account 
// by TCC56 
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Sunset set aside the letter - she'd answer Moondancer later. Deciding just what she wanted to share with her student would be a difficult choice and she had to consider carefully how much to say and about what. The filly was at least inquisitive, so that was good. And bad, since giving her a mystery to solve was likely to lead to more questions that could be problematic to answer. 

But those were irrelevant for today. It was Hearth's Warming and Sunset had other things on her mind. The night before had been the traditional pageant, watched from the Royal Box. A formal event as always, staunchly attended even as the same boring play as every year put Sunset to sleep. 

Today, though? Today was different. It was Hearth's Warming Day itself, and one of the few cases of Princess Celestia letting her mane down.

This was, of course, an extremely relative term. Celestia's 'relaxed' meant not putting on any regalia. Maybe having a drop of peppermint schnapps in her tea. That sort of thing. 

But for just the day, the Princess stayed inside, had no appointments, and pretended she was normal. Sunset always spent the day in barely restrained laughter because she was so bad at it. Celestia was awkward like a newborn deer trying to walk - she understood the steps but had no competency in making her hooves go in the right places. 

Still, she tried and this year harder than any other because this year she had a new pony in the Palace. They both knew how homesick Cadance was, as well. She was desperate for normalcy again, and the ponies that cared for her were eager to provide it. 

Which led to Sunset's current course: the lesser dinette. The name was very much a noble euphemism, implying a great many things that belittled what it was. While it was indeed of far smaller scale than any of the Castle's many grand dining rooms, it was still twice the size of Sunset's own bedroom. Directly attached to Princess Celestia's quarters, it was meant for her exclusive use (as opposed to the formal dinette, which was further out and intended for meals taken in a more personal setting with foreign diplomats or councilponies.) As such it was outfitted to the Princess' personal tastes: pristine white panel walls with gilt highlights, a beautiful chandelier that was seasonally decorated with multi-hued crystals, a low-slung table, and an array of plush cushions perfect for an extra-large alicorn to lounge on. In short, it was what somepony obscenely wealthy and privileged like a Princess would consider low-key. 

Today it sported a few extra touches as well: a golden garland framing the door; knit yarn snowflakes hanging from the chandler; sprigs of holly and mistletoe scattered around the room; and a little white Hearth's Warming doll on the windowsill. Normally this was part of Celestia's personal sanctum and off-limits to any pony else, but today the rules were somewhat relaxed. Even Celestia's aloof attitudes had to admit a holiday brunch felt wrong to eat alone.

Only the three of them were in attendance: Celestia, Cadance, and Sunset. Prior years had occasionally included Blueblood (much to Sunset's displeasure) but as he had grown up, he had opted to spend it elsewhere - almost certainly hobnobbing among his fellow nobles (and this year trying to avoid spending time around the happy couple.)

And happy they were. Sunset arrived at the dinette to find Cadance wearing a fluffy bathrobe - the same baby blue as her magic and obviously brand new. It thematically matched Sunset's own, though hers was in teal and a few years older. (Both, of course, had been gifts from the same source.) The Princess herself was lounged out at the table, wearing nothing and with her mane tied up in a tight bun. 

"Enjoy sleeping in, Sunset?" There was the hint of a playful smile on Celestia's lips as she asked - she already knew the answer. Being able to sleep in was a luxury in the Palace, and not starting at dawn had traditionally been one of Celestia's holiday gifts to her student. 

Sunset nodded slightly, slipping into her seat and immediately grabbing for the coffee. Two sugars and one cream, then a sip - and she felt that first hit of warmth. It was the ritual of the morning routine just as much as the caffeine that brought her brain up to speed. "I did," she finally replied. "Slept in about an hour, then got a few little things done before I came over." 

Quietly chuckling, Celestia shook her head. "Even on a day off, you continue to work my brilliant student." 

"Well I slept until twenty minutes ago," Cadance cheerfully noted as she filled her own mug with coffee.

Celestia mock-gasped. "Cadance! You're betraying me too?"

The pink alicorn froze - but Sunset just rolled her eyes. "Don't mind her. I, for one, welcome a fellow coffee drinker in the mornings. Tea just isn't enough."

Harumphing, Celestia turned up her nose at them. "I will never understand your loyalty to that foul, heretic brew."

The stand-off continued for several seconds before all three of them started laughing - Cadance's a bit delayed. 

The laughter transitioned to a fairly subdued brunch: pancakes, haybacon, eggs (choice of scrambled or hard-boiled), and a platter of various fresh fruits. The food was... acceptable. It always was on Hearth's Warming Day. The kitchen staff had the day off, so everything had been made the night before. They managed to work some magic to keep it warm and fresh, but the quality was pointedly sub-standard. Still, they cared enough to make cute faces in berries on the pancakes and that little touch went a long way.

Conversation over brunch was just what Sunset had expected, as well: laughably awkward. Princess Celestia kept trying to make small talk, but it fell flat every time. It was all noble gossip, 'candid' opinions about current legislation, and anecdotes about ponies who died generations ago that Sunset had heard seventy times before. It was the talk of a mare who had no life outside her job.

Things peaked with an old story about the favorite drinking songs of a minotaur ambassador from two hundred years earlier - which was met by the sound of chewing and silence. Celestia smiled broadly, waiting for the other two to laugh and give her permission to as well. They didn't - Sunset just quietly smirked at the graceless tension while Cadance shifted uneasily. 

Princess Celestia attempted to push past the silence with another awkwardness, launching into a bit of gossip. "Anyway! So I was speaking with the Baroness of MacIntosh Hills two days ago--"

Unable to take any more, Cadance stepped in. "Auntie? If you don't mind, maybe it's time for something else?" Her eyes pleaded, even as she tried to sound diplomatic.

It was a blatant change of topic, but the Princess was taken with it. "Oh! Yes!" She clapped her hooves joyfully. "Can't forget the presents. It wouldn't be Hearth's Warming without those, right?" She laughed, merriment dancing in her eyes. 

And before either of the others could move, Celestia's horn lit and grabbed several boxes from under a side table. They bobbed in the air before her casually - and the first floated towards Cadance. "I know I already gave you your first gift with the bathrobe, but this one's too important to put off any longer!" 

Across the table, Sunset's eyebrows spiked at just how giddy Celestia's tone was. The elder alicorn sounded like she would be prancing circles with excitement had she not been seated.

Sensing that, Cadance didn't hesitate to open the candy cane striped box. ('Opened' was something Sunset found instantly frustrated her, as Cadance carefully undid the silver ribbon and unfolded the red and white paper rather than tearing into it like a proper pony.) Inside was a tiny doll, made from pink fleece and barely larger than Sunset's hoof. While a bit lopsided, the horn and wings made clear who it was of, and the purple chips of crystal for the eyes sparkled with a familiar vibrancy.

Princess Celestia beamed with pride. "I noticed you didn't have a Hearth's Warming doll in your personal effects when you arrived, so I thought it would be useful." 

Her response was a squeal of excitement. "Oh, it's beautiful!" Cadance held the doll up higher to the light to get a better look - then after a moment of inspection, beamed at Celestia. "You're right, I left my old one at home. I was actually feeling sad about not having one and--" She interrupted herself to squirm with delight. On her hooves in a heartbeat, she pranced over to the windowsill and... stopped. "Wait, Sunset, where's yours?"

And it was a logical question, as only Princess Celestia's doll was there. Fortunately, Sunset was quick to explain. "Mine's out front in the public display, right next to Princess Celestia's charity doll."

Which only raised further questions. Celestia was quick to step in and give the longer story. "There is a display set up in the public foyer of the Castle with dolls in it that represent every resident, staffer, and guard. You likely have not seen it as you use other entrances. Sunset's Hearth's Warming doll is there, as is one of mine. It's a bit of a tradition," she continued with false bashfulness. "Every year I receive two or three dozen dolls for Hearth's Warming, mostly from young colts and fillies. I choose one and place it as my doll for the public display - and it is later auctioned off at the New Year's Gala to benefit a charity of the dollmaker's choosing." And then before Cadance could say anything further, Celestia added a quick addendum. "I am certain that by next year you will have your own donations that we can approach similarly."

Celestia's doll that was in the dinette lifted in golden magic. "I use this one for my personal celebrations. It's a bit old, but it's meaningful to me." Old was an understatement. The raw number of preservation enchantments on it made Sunset's horn itch from three body-lengths away. Beyond that it didn't seem like anything special: made from off-white linen, it was adequately but amateurishly stitched and relatively plain for a Princess' representation. The mane didn't even have Celestia's tricolor, merely being  a pale pink. But it was important to the Princess and even Sunset had enough taste to not make a fuss over the cheapness of it. 

The explanation satisfied Cadance and she placed her doll beside Celestia's. Which is when the elder Princess turned her gaze to Sunset. "Now while I wished to get that handled first, don't think I have forgotten about you, Sunset Shimmer." A second box levitated up: small, wrapped in yellow and red paper, topped with an almost stereotypical orange bow.

Sunset tore the paper away and opened the box to find a single business card atop a nest of white ribbons. "Uh..."

An oh-so-familiar smile came to Princess Celestia's lips - knowing and pleased with herself. "When you began your relationship with Cadance, I tried to be helpful. But I also understand that I might not have come across as supportive and that you might have seen my actions as disapproving." She pointed at the card with her hoof. "This is to clarify things for you both. I have commissioned a dress for you to wear at the New Year's Gala with her. You merely need to go and have any final adjustments made before it is ready." 

Conflict warred in Sunset's heart. On one hoof, it was a present soiled by Celestia's cowardice in suggesting Sunset hide the relationship, and a nakedly pathetic one at that. Apologies only existed when you had wronged somepony. On the other... approval. And more than simply empty words - it was Celestia giving proof of her blessing. Nobility gossiped and so did those around them. Just who had commissioned the dress would be public knowledge almost immediately and that would communicate intent far stronger than any speech. 

And damn the rest of the world. Deep down, Sunset Shimmer knew just how much the Princess' favor meant to her. Tainted or no, it was still approval.

So she bowed her head. "Thank you. I--" 

And she got no further before the Princess magically pulled her into a hug. "I want you to be happy, my brilliant student. Even if we don't always agree, I want you to be happy."

While there was hesitation? For the first time in a long time, Sunset hugged Celestia back and meant it.

They broke apart not long after - each giving the other a small smile as they did so. But Sunset had an important task ahead. "Cadance?" Her magic reached across the Castle, and a plain blue-wrapped package teleported into existence. "I got this for you."

With a grin of her own, Cadance reached a wing under the table and lifted up one of her own: a wide, flat box wrapped in green. "What a coincidence, I got--"

Sunset loudly cleared her throat.

Cadance bit her lip in embarrassment as she transferred the gift from her wing to her magic.

"Better," Sunset corrected. It was always time for a lesson.

Then they both set to their respective presents.

Sunset got hers unwrapped first, revealing a broad box of polished walnut. She cracked the lid and quietly gasped. Inside it was a treasure trove: charcoal sticks, waxy pastels, sealed ink pots, and at the center of it all? A brace of paintbrushes - black lacquered wood tipped by reddish bristles. Sunset's magic touched one and instantly there was feedback. She almost dropped it as the brush tingled, like an electrical current rippling along her horn. 

"Kitsune hair," Princess Celestia half-whispered from across the table, a conspiratorial smile fresh on her lips. "They're inherently charged with magic to stay clean, so they're easy to wash and keep tidy."

The thrill in Sunset's heart instantly died. She knew that tone of voice - it wasn't Celestia being informative. It was Celestia dropping a hint that she had helped with the gift; and thus that she was partially responsible. It was her taking credit and that ruined it.

But even as her anger started to burn, Cadance's cheerful laugh threw water over it. Both of them turned to the pink alicorn as she turned the tiny gold-set chips of blue crystal over in her hoof. "Oh, they're darling!" 

Pride overwhelmed Sunset's anger and she diverted to inch over to Cadance's side. "They're not just pretty earrings," she smugly noted. "You liked the little radio spell I used a few weeks ago so much, I enchanted these to do the same thing. So now you can listen any time you want!" She paused for drama's sake. "But the enchantment will only last a few months so you're going to have to learn from me how to refresh them," she added with a playful wink.

Cadance giggled again and winked right back. Then she hugged the unicorn. "Thank you, Sunset, I love it. Now I just need to get my ears pierced so I can wear them!"

Sunset's brain screeched to a halt.

Princess Celestia, on the other hoof, merely laughed. "We should probably do that anyway, Cadance. Now you have a good reason to do it sooner rather than later."

Cheeks flush with embarrassment at not checking something so basic, Sunset tried to recover. "Thank you for the art supplies, Cadance. There's a lot in there and I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of them."

"And there's several new mediums, too!" Cadance's chipper cheer didn't care one whit for the near-fight that had happened between Sunset and Celestia, nor for Sunset's minor misstep with the gift. "You're getting so good with paint and I'm really eager to see what you can do with charcoal or clay." Her head twisted to look at the Princess. "And speaking of being eager..." 

Both Celestia and Sunset paused in confusion.

And Cadance pulled another package out. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Auntie."

The other two continued to stare.

Awkward seconds passed.

"Cadance, uh. We don't..." Sunset stumbled both mentally and verbally at the faux pas. "Princess Celestia doesn't get presents. She always said not to."

A deep frown marred Cadance's face and she gave Celestia a look full of sadness and pity. 

Princess Celestia coughed quietly into her hoof. "That's... mostly accurate," she hedged. "I understand how difficult it must be to find a gift for a millennia-old alicorn, and I'm reminded of that daily as I'm barraged by gifts from those attempting to buy my favor. I never wanted those closest to me to worry about finding the right gift for a pony who fairly literally has everything. It... wasn't appropriate."

Cadance huffed loudly and thrust the box out. "Well I don't care about that. It's Hearth's Warming and you deserve to get a gift. So I'm giving you one." Her tone would brook no argument.

For just a moment, Celestia looked like she was going to refuse - but Cadance's determination cowed her and she took the small red-wrapped box. The paper less tore and more gently disintegrated to reveal a black velvet jewelry box - and within it? An inconsequentially small medallion shaped like a waxing crescent moon.

Princess Celestia stared at the tiny bit of sterling silver - smaller than a bit coin - wordlessly. 

"Everypony talks about how you raise and lower the sun all the time," Cadance explained, "And there's sun imagery everywhere. But you raise and lower the moon, too, and nopony seems to remember that. So I thought it was only right to recognize that."

Princess Celestia stared at the little moon. 

"I mean... you're not just the sun." Cadance's explanation was slower now, more hesitant. 

There were several seconds of silence before Sunset was able to identify the weird, unfamiliar sound of a sniffle.

And there was just the hint of wetness around Celestia's eyes as her broad wings grabbed Cadance in a hug. "Thank you." The words were quiet - subdued and lonely in a way so unlike the Princess.

Cadance hugged Celestia back. "You're welcome." Her words were falteringly unsure and aching from lack of context, but they were still full of care.

Princess Celestia had accepted the gift where she had always told Sunset not to give her one. And even more so, the gift had brought her to subtle tears. Cadance had won Celestia's approval. 

Envy tore through Sunset's heart. 

She vanished from the room in a flash of teleportation.

Re-appearing in her room, Sunset's magic lashed out wildly. Books were thrown, papers were overturned, her bed tossed - all in a chaotic search for something she could do to win.

One corner of her room had been repurposed - the books removed to create space for her growing pile of art. Her magic turned to that next, throwing one painting after another off the pile as she searched. At the very bottom was her first work: the canvas painted half with her cutie mark and half with Princess Celestia's. By Sunset's current standards it was rough - almost unacceptably so. She could see a dozen places where her first clumsy brushstrokes made her think more of butchery than art. But it was something. It was meaningful. 

It - and she - tore across the Palace in a bolt of magic that bent the very essence of space to her will.

In retrospect, Sunset realized she should have said something before teleporting away. Both alicorns were visibly on in panic mode, eyes full of worry and fear. They stopped mid-conversation at Sunset's reappearance, with a trailing word or two hinting at summoning the Guard to search.

Sunset's reappearance didn't entirely ease their minds, either. The fact that she was out of breath and sweaty was enough to concern both. The returning teleportation drove Celestia's ears flat to her skull, expression halfway between relief and anger.

"Sunset, are you alright?" Cadance took a step closer. And was ignored. 

Sunset tried to be nonchalant. She really, really did. But in later reflection Sunset would come to realize she probably looked like a lunatic as she held out the canvas like a shield, teal magic clashing with the hot reds and yellows of the paint. 

Her manic gaze was locked right on the Princess. "You never wanted a gift before, Princess Celestia. But if you'll take it, I want to give you one."

Celestia looked between Sunset and the canvas with concern before taking the offered gift in her magic - teal transitioning to gold. Holding it up, the Princess looked the art over with still worried eyes. 

Recognizing it, Cadance jumped in to try and help. "That's actually the very first thing Sunset painted."

The Princess smiled.

"It's wonderful, Sunset. I really like how you managed to merge our cutie marks so smoothly. It's quite beautiful, particularly considering it was your first." 

And she set it down on the table before hugging her student.

No tears hinting at the corners of her eyes. No hushed tones barely holding back emotion. It was truthful thanks, but the reaction didn't compare to how Celestia had reacted to Cadance's gift. 

And while the praise warmed Sunset's heart, she knew she lost. That it was to Cadance was a little comfort but she still couldn't shake that little green-eyed gremlin in the back of her head that told her she had been beaten. 

It wasn't for the first time, the spike of jealousy reminded her. After all, one of them was an alicorn and the other wasn't. 

Princess Celestia pulled away, but there was still a wing across Sunset's withers. Cadance had inserted herself into the hug at some point and remained there - still embracing Sunset. Trying to hide the sourness, the unicorn hugged her marefriend back.

The smell of a warm spring day tickled Sunset's nose and her eyes flicked up. Celestia's glittering magic was over the pair of them, holding a few bits of greenery. For Sunset, it was a moment of confusion. For Cadance, however...

The Princess of Love squealed with delight before looking at Sunset. 

The Unicorn of Ambition's brow wrinkled in confusion. 

Both alicorns looked to the other and smiled the same knowing smile before Cadance finally explained. "That little white berry is mistletoe." 

Sunset's eyes widened as the realization hit her in the same moment the indecision did.

That touch of panic made Cadance hesitate, ears drooping. "Sunset, if you don't--"

The chance to back out was enough to bolster Sunset's confidence.

Sunset Shimmer was a genius. In terms of the Equestrian population, she was the top 0.01% at worst. Brilliant almost beyond words, she excelled in every area she had ever bothered to try her hoof at. Magic, science, mathematics, history, politics, art - she stood a head above the rest any time she put effort into her actions. 

But she needed time, literature, and practice to get that far. Kissing - well, she didn't have any of that.

Sunset missed her target, half kissing Cadance's lips and half her cheek. The entire motion was exaggerated and clumsy, very obviously performed by a pony who had never even given a chaste kiss to a family member before. It was, in the grand scheme of things, exactly what you would expect for a first kiss by a total novice with no preparation. 

Seamlessly, Cadance adjusted. She brought her lips full to Sunset's and used her wing to pull the unicorn's body close. It was still artless and awkward, but the two mares shared that first kiss in a memory that would stick for their entire lives. Neither rushed to end it, either.

And while Sunset didn't see it, Princess Celestia's eyes did tear up a little at seeing her two little ponies find a little more happiness for the holiday.