"Unlike you pegasi..." Gemstone stumbled over her words. "Ruffles?"
"Ruffians," Prism said, tapping her hoof on the open script in front of them. "But you were closer this time."
"Oh," the unicorn groaned. "I'm never going to get these lines right!"
"Why don't we stop talking about the play for a bit? What are you doing for Hearth's Warming?"
"Well, my grandparents are coming up."
"Oh, that'll be fun. Grandpa Rainbow's on vacation in Saddle Arabia, but I got a present from him in the mail last week! I hope it's one of those cool hats they wear down there!"
"What else do you want for Hearth's Warming?"
"Nothing much, really. I just want Mom and Dad to come home and see the play." She paused. "And to fly." She glanced at flank. "And to get my cutie mark."
"But surely there's something you want. I've been wondering what to get you all month."
"Hey, you don't have to get me anything fancy. We're BFFs. I'm cool with whatever you get me. So what do you want for Hearth's Warming?"
Gemstone opened her mouth, but closed it and looked at the ceiling in thought.
"You know something?" she said. "I'm not sure what I want for Hearth's Warming."
"Really?" Prism asked. "Not even to be cured of dyslexia?"
"No, I've gotten used to it. Actually, since I learned I had dyslexia, my parents have been paying more attention to me."
At that moment, Rarity burst into the boutique levitating several gift bags
"Where's the wrapping paper?" she shouted. "Where's the wrapping paper?!"
"In the closet, Mother," Gemstone replied.
"Oh, I have to find it and wrap up all these presents! Then I have to get my holiday line done before tomorrow!"
As the unicorn mare raced upstairs, Prism raised an eyebrow at her friend.
"Sure," she said sarcastically. "You're practically the center of attention around here."
"Oh, Mother always gets crazy around the holidays," Gemstone said with a shrug. "It's nothing to worry about."
Rarity came back down the stairs in hysterics.
"Gemstone!" she cried. "Where are the pickles?"
Her daughter scrunched her nose. "You hate pickles, Mother."
"Don't you talk back to me, young lady! Where are they?!"
"We don't have any."
"Oh, I'll have to go shopping again! Don't break anything, Gemstone! Oh, Prism! When did you get here, darling? Can't talk right now! Need to get some pickles!"
After pulling on her scarf, the unicorn rushed out the door, slamming it behind her. Prism sent Gemstone a questioning look.
"Although," the unicorn filly said, "she has been acting more crazy than usual."
"So you really don't want anything for Hearth's Warming?" Prism asked, trying to change the subject.
"No. I guess it's because most Hearth's Warmings, my parents buy me a bushel of presents that I'm not sure what I really want."
"You don't have to want something you can wrap in a box. Maybe you can wish for your cutie mark like me."
"I know I should, but I'm not sure that's what I really want. I mean, last year I wished for friends and now I've got you and the Tri-Pies. Things have been going so splendidly since we moved to Ponyville, I'm not sure what there's left to wish for."
Prism shrugged. "You'll figure it out."
Their heads turned as Rarity flung the door open.
"I've forgotten my bag!" she screeched, reaching for her saddle bag. "Can't buy pickles without any money!"
When she slammed the door again, Prism groaned.
"How about we go someplace less noisy? Like the Tri-Pies' place?"
"Agreed," Gemstone said, getting her things together. "We could practice lines with them."
After packing their saddle bags, the two friends went outside and started their walk to the Party Palace. They watched as a colt played with his dog in the snow.
"Maybe you want a pet," Prism said.
"No," Gemstone shook her head. "I don't really care much for animals. They're so messy!"
Prism cried out as a snowball hit her in the back of the head.
"Hey!" she shouted, turning around. "Who threw that?"
She heard giggling and saw Spike, Cinnamon Stick and Cinnamon Roll crouched behind a snow fort.
"Good shot, sis!" Cinnamon Stick declared.
"That's my girl!" Spike laughed, patting the twelve-year-old filly on the back.
"Hey, no fair!"
Prism turned to see her brother and sister behind another snow fort across the road.
"She's not even in the game!" Lightning Dash declared.
"But she's a Dash!" Cinnamon Roll insisted. "Didn't we say it was Apples vs. Dashes?"
"We are outnumbered," Thunder Dash mumbled.
Lightning rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Prism, you wanna be on our team?"
Prism's eyes lit up. "Really? You guys want me to join your team?!"
"Save your breath. It's the holidays."
"Can I join too?" Gemstone asked.
"Sorry, Gem," Cinnamon Stick called. "But it's a family feud here. You have to be a Dash."
"Son!" Spike exclaimed. "That's not nice! Gem can be on their team if she wants to. Besides, it would even things up."
"No, it wouldn't!" Cinnamon Roll declared. "It would be four against three!"
An orange head with green hair poked out of the snow.
"Applespike's a baby. He doesn't count!"
The pony-dragon infant burped up a green flame, melting the snow in front of him.
"As long as he can fire," Thunder said, "he counts!"
"Come over here, kids!" Lightning called.
Prism and Gemstone grinned as they leapt behind the fort.
"You're going down, Apples!" Thunder shouted.
"We'll see about that!" Cinnamon Stick retorted.
Cinnamon Roll shot up and threw the first snowball.
"Gem, duck!" Prism cried as she and her siblings took cover.
"Didn't they all fly south?" Gemstone asked, turning her head.
Her pegasus friend pulled her down before the snowball could hit her.
"Oh!" the unicorn uttered. "That kind of duck!"
"She always this flighty?" Lightning whispered to her sister.
"Give her a break," Prism muttered. "She has trouble concentrating."
After rolling some snow into a ball, Prism stood up.
"Take that!" she shouted as she fired.
But all the Apple family ducked out of the ball's way.
"Ha!" Cinnamon Roll laughed. "That the best you got?"
The battle raged on as more snowballs were thrown. Gemstone tried her best to lend a hoof by carefully crafting the snow into perfect spheres. However, her throwing was pitiful. Her snowballs would only travel a few feet before dropping in the middle of the street. Her father had warned her that some dyslexics were not very athletic. It made sense. She had never been good with sports or even active playground games, so she did not blame the twins for their angry looks.
"That's okay, Gem," Prism whispered. "You just keep that ammo coming and we'll take care of the rest."
It was actually a good task for her unicorn friend. Her snowballs remained intact due to the way she firmly packed the snow in and smoothed out the curves. They picked up little air resistance due to their small size. Although it was not obvious to Gemstone, Prism thought she was a big help.
The family feud, however, did not end in ice. The Cinnamon kids decided it was time to bring out the secret weapon. They lifted their baby brother and aimed his mouth towards the enemy fort.
"Take cover!" Thunder Dash hollered.
His team did not argue. They ducked before the pony-dragon could burp. Green flames were sent their way and their entire fortress was melted in an instant. The Cinnamon siblings high-hooved each other and cheered.
"No fair!" Lightning protested. "This is a snowball fight, not a fireball fight!"
"Well," Cinnamon Roll smirked, "you said that as long as Applespike can fire, he can participate."
"We demand a rematch!" Thunder cried.
"You're on!"
"Sorry, kids," Spike said, stopping his daughter's hoof from throwing another snowball. "We have to finish our shopping and get home before dinner, or else your mother's going to kill us."
"Aw!" the Cinnamon siblings complained.
"But Dad!" Cinnamon Roll started to say.
"I don't wanna hear it!" Spike exclaimed, holding up his claw. "Besides, don't you still have to get the stuff for your gift for Dinky, son?"
Cinnamon Stick smacked himself in the forehead. "Right! I nearly forgot!" He turned to the Dashes. "We gotta go! Good game, guys!"
"Same time tomorrow?" Thunder asked.
"Though next time," Lightning said, "no fireballs!"
"Oh, fine!" Cinnamon Roll groaned as she strapped her little brother in his stroller. "We'll beat you either way!"
"We'll see about that!" Prism shouted.
"Yeah!" Gemstone piped. "What they said!"
The unicorn watched as the Apple family laughed with each other and Cinnamon Stick ruffled his sister's mane as they continued their way down the street. She then glanced at the twins as they did the same to their younger sister.
"You were pretty quick out there, squirt!" Thunder complimented.
"Yeah," Lightning nodded. "For a flightless bird, anyway."
Prism smiled, as this was as nice as they were going to get with her. Gemstone watched them all sadly. There was no pony to ruffle her mane or hug her affectionately. Her parents or Aunt Sweetie Belle would usually do that, but they were not there at the moment. Besides, she did not want them doing that. She loved them, but they were all grown-ups. They could not play with her when she was bored, because they were often busy. Her friend Prism had playmates right at home, even if they were slightly older than her.
Gemstone then decided what she wanted for Hearth's Warming, but knew she could not have it. Not only was it unwrappable, but next to impossible.
After all, brothers and sisters do not just come out of the blue.
Mothball gazed in the window of the jewelry shop, wondering which necklace would look best around Screwball's neck. He glanced inside his bag of coins and wished he had asked Discord for more. He did not want to spend so little on his marefriend's gift only to get a fancy gift from her.
"Did Screwy even spend money on my gift?" Mothball asked himself. "I mean she could have created it with her magic. What if I do spend a lot on her gift and she feels bad because she just conjured my gift out of thin air?" He sighed. "I can see why Mother never had us celebrate Hearth's Warming. Buying gifts is hard!"
He looked at the price tags for the necklaces and decided he was not going to find a gift there. He moved on to the next store, a perfume shop. A bell rang as he opened the door and he heard the clerk let out a shriek. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. One would think ponies would be used to him walking around town by now.
When he had started living with Screwball, she kept insisting that he go into town with her, but he was afraid ponies would freak out. He had suggested going to town in disguise, but Screwball did not want him hiding himself. Eventually, she convinced him to go. A few ponies initially freaked out at the sight of the changeling, but when they saw the Princess of Chaos walking fearlessly beside him, they slowly became less afraid. However, no matter how many times Mothball went into town, there was always a pony or two that was not used to the sight of him.
He did not care though and browsed through the store's products like any other customer would. Mothball did not need to open the perfume bottles or spray the samples. Changelings had a very strong sense of smell. It was how they could tell each other apart. He could smell the contents of each bottle just by standing a foot away.
"What smell would suit Screwy?" he mumbled.
"If you can't decide, just go with peppermint. It fits the season."
Mothball turned to see Thunder Dash.
"Looking for a gift for your girl, eh?" the pegasus colt inquired. "So am I."
"Find anything?" Mothball asked.
"Sure." He held up a perfume bottle. "It took a while to find a smell she didn't already have."
The changeling sniffed the air. "Pumpkin spice?"
"Wow, you're good! Anyway, it reminds me of Apple Blossom! Sweet, but full of spunk! That's what I like about her."
"What smell do you think Screwball would like?"
"Aw, Screwy's not much for perfume."
"She isn't?"
"She and I have been buds since we were in diapers. She's never worn a spritz of the stuff, not even for parties. Did you ever notice her wearing it?"
Mothball thought about it. Screwball always smelt of chocolate milk and cotton candy and he could tell the difference between natural and artificial smells.
"Besides," Thunder continued, "buying your marefriend perfume can mean two things. One, that you thought it would smell great on her, or two, that you think she stinks."
"I do not!" the changeling insisted. "She smells great!"
"Then don't get her perfume."
"What about you and your marefriend?"
"You forget that Apple Blossom's special talent is creating smells. She has tons of perfumes, some she made herself, some she bought for inspiration. I checked that this bottle has natural ingredients, so I know she won't hate me."
"So perfume works for your marefriend, but not for mine? Great! What am I supposed to get her then? What can you get a girl who can get whatever she wants with a wave of her hoof?"
"Think of her favorite hobby or pastime and get her something related to it."
"Her favorite pastime is chaos. How am I supposed to work with that?"
Thunder shrugged. "You're her coltfriend. Use your imagination."
The pegasus left to make his purchase. Mothball sighed and walked out of the store.
"Hey, Aunt Pinkie!" Prism exclaimed when the party pony opened the door. "Are the Tri-Pies home?"
"Sure!" Pinkie replied. "They're up in their room doing...something. Actually, I'm not sure what they're doing, but I bet whatever it is they're doing, they can drop it to make time for you guys!"
She welcomed the two fillies in and gestured to the door in the back. Gemstone and Prism walked through the aisle of party supplies and costumes and to the door. Through it was a set of stairs leading to the family's living quarters.
When they reached the triplets' room, they were surprised to find it closed. The Tri-Pies always left the door open. Concerned, Prism knocked on the door.
"Guys?" she called.
"Go away!" cried one of the triplets' voices (it was hard to tell which one).
"Raspberry, don't be rude!" said another one.
"Yeah, it's Prism!" said the third.
Cherry opened the door a crack. "And Gemstone!"
"Tell them to go away!" said the first voice.
The red filly shook her head and looked apologetically at her friends.
"Sorry, Raspberry's been a little...out of it."
"Maybe we can cheer her up," Gemstone insisted.
"I don't know. We've tried everything! We even offered to read her The Frog Princess, but she didn't want us to!"
Prism gasped. "This is serious! That's her favorite book!"
"I know! This is even worse than when Dad went on tour with the circus for three months and missed our birthday!"
"Can we see her?"
Cherry bit her lip. "You can try, but don't blame me if she tells you to go away."
She opened the door further. Raspberry was sitting on her bed and gazing out the window. As Prism and Gemstone slowly approached her, they saw the solemn look on her face.
"Raspberry?" Prism uttered.
"Go away," the magenta filly moaned.
The pegasus turned to Blueberry. "What happened?"
The blue filly gestured for her friends to come closer.
"I think I know what it is," she whispered. "We went to ask Uncle Discord to send our letter to Santa, but he kind of told us...well..."
"That there is no Santa Hooves," Raspberry muttered.
"What?!" Prism exclaimed. "There is so a Santa Hooves! He gave me those roller-skates last year!"
"Really?" Gemstone asked. "I never got anything from Santa Hooves, but I did find some mysterious, dirty lumps of coal in my stocking."
"Your parents got you those roller-skates," Raspberry said. "And they got you the coal as a joke. Those Santa presents are all from our parents!"
"Lighten up, Raspberry!" Cherry insisted. "You sure you don't want us to read The Frog Princess?"
"What's the point?!" the magenta filly snapped. "If Santa's not real, who's to say frog princesses are real?!"
"Come on, sis!" Blueberry exclaimed. "Uncle Discord's just a grumpy old naysayer. There is a Santa Hooves and I'll prove it!" She brought out a magnifying glass and squealed. "This is so exciting! I finally get to play Nancy Horseshoe!"
Prism turned to Gemstone. "Looks like we're not gonna get to practice your lines here."
"That's okay," Cherry said. "You guys go. This is a task for sisters!"
Gemstone glanced between the three of them and sighed sadly.
"Maybe she'd like a hat," Mothball said, looking through the bin of winter clothing. "What am I saying? She wears that propeller beanie all the time! Scarf? Nah. She always has one to poof up! Boots? What am I? An idiot?!"
"No, but with all this talking to yourself, ponies will think you're crazy."
The changeling turned to Cinnamon Stick. "What did you buy for Dinky?"
The brown colt smiled. "I didn't buy her anything. Well," he opened his saddle bag, "I did buy this mix, but that's just an ingredient to the gift I'm giving her. I'm making her a batch of blueberry muffins!"
Mothball raised his eyebrow. "But doesn't she get muffins all the time?"
"My mom says that it doesn't matter what you get some pony, as long as it's a gift from the heart. She also said it's extra special if it's homemade, because you put your time and effort into something that'll make that pony happy."
The changeling hung his head. "I'm no good at making things, and I can't find a thing in this store that Screwball can't get for herself!"
Cinnamon Stick put a hoof on the changeling's shoulder. "You know what my parents always do for their anniversary?"
"What?"
"Well, my dad gets up early in the morning, before the rooster even crows, sneaks out of the house and does Mom's morning chores. When he's done, he goes into the kitchen, makes a pot of apple soup and serves it to Mom in bed and later, she gives him a special gem for him to eat. In the afternoon, they go on a hot air balloon ride and for dinner, they have a candlelit picnic at the gazebo.
"That's how it is every year. The exact same routine, no change. One year, I asked them why and they told me. Years ago, Mom saw an empty balloon floating over the Everfree Forest and she went to investigate. She found Dad cornered by a pack of Timberwolves and she saved his life. In return, Dad helped her with her chores and eventually saved her life too. A few days later, Mom started feeling sick and he brought her some apple soup, and she said that's when she realized she was in love with him. Their first date was a picnic at the gazebo. As for the gem, well, you know how Dad likes to eat gems, but he also proposed to Mom using a gem she had given to him as a birthday snack.
"You see? Every thing they do for their anniversary brings them a memory of how their relationship developed. Maybe you could do something similar for Screwball."
"But I don't know how to make apple soup," Mothball argued.
Cinnamon Stick laughed. "No, I mean do something that's meaningful to you. It doesn't have to be something you can wrap in a box. Think about when you and Screwy first met, or when you first fell in love. Was there anything significant about either of those times?"
Mothball tapped his chin. "Well, actually, I was fascinated with her from the moment I saw her, when she was playing pirate in the chocolate lake."
His eyes widened. "Wait! I think I've got something!"
He raced toward the door of the shop, but before he left, he turned back and shouted, "Thanks, Cinnamon Stick!"
The brown colt waved. "Go get her, tiger!"