//------------------------------//
// A Wonderful Gift 
// Story: Who is Stars 
// by ff0000 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2.2, A Wonderful Gift, Rainbow Dash's Story


The obvious candidate to hear the next tale from was Rainbow Dash. The present from Princess Celestia was for her, allegedly. Trixie found the pegasus by the door leading to the balcony, fuming. Rainbow was pacing back and forth with a huff and a frown.

When Trixie came, Rainbow Dash rushed over. "Did you find out who took my present?"

"I may be great, but I'm not immediate," Trixie said. "I've only just started. You're next to tell me exactly what you did yesterday." She paused to take a bite of a cupcake with swirled pink frosting. After finishing a bite, she asked, "First off, do you have any idea what the message, 'I am Stars,' means?"

"No. Who would call themselves Stars, anyway?" Rainbow looked up in thought. "The only one I might think of is Rarity. But I don't know why she would do something like that."

Trixie patted away the crumbs around her mouth. "Ahem. Alright, tell The Great and Powerful Trixie what happened yesterday."

"Okay, so it went down like this..."

Rainbow Dash's morning went pretty awesome, just like always. She woke up, brushed her awesome teeth, had some awesome breakfast, read some awesome Daring Do and generally had an awesome time in her house made of clouds.

("Stop saying awesome," Trixie commanded.

"Fine," Rainbow Dash spat.)

From the window, she could see most of Ponyville. The rows of homey cottages were blanketed by snow. There wasn't that much that the villagers would be troubled with cleaning the streets but still enough for fun, just the right amount. It was something Rainbow Dash and the other ponies on the weather team did. There was a calendar on her bedside table, but it showed more than just the date. There were exact instructions for the weather. For this day, the only words were to keep it the same as yesterday.

That was great. It meant there was nothing for her to do today. She could just go and enjoy the party Pinkie had been planning since the start of the month.

Looking out and down to the ground, she saw the mailpony drop by. Rainbow Dash had an expectant grin. She waited by the window until the mailpony was far out of visual range. With a trailing streak of rainbow, the pegasus flew down to her mailbox, a lonely post at the end of the road. A sign on the side let ponies know that it was her home.

Rainbow Dash had a large smile as she looked inside. Normally, she wasn't so interested in getting mail, but this was always the time of year for that exception. Waiting there were a few letters, but her eyes were immediately drawn to a shimmering package. She snatched out the package, pushing the rest of the contents onto the ground.

This was great! It was a package from, "Princess Celestia?" Rainbow Dash gasped and almost dropped it. Her wing thrust out, catching it before it landed. Okay, that was not the package she was expecting.

The present was carefully wrapped in rainbow-toned paper, but it wasn't as vibrant as the colors on her mane, being a paler shade. A golden ribbon neatly tied everything together, and there wasn't a wrinkle anywhere. She had to admit, it looked really awe- great.

Rainbow recoiled as far away from the present as possible while it was resting on her wing. She looked at the card slipped in between the ribbon and the present again. Yes, it definitely said Princess Celestia. The address card, on the other side of the present, was definitely to her.

She plucked out the non-address card with her teeth. It read, in elegant handwriting, was, "Only open in the new year, Princess Celestia." Rainbow Dash looked back to the present, then to the card, then the present again.

Rainbow Dash checked the mailbox but didn't see anything else. None of the letters on the ground were of any use to her, either. How strange. She usually got something from her dad this time of year.

Why would Princess Celestia send something specifically for her? But Rainbow Dash couldn't suppress a cheek raising grin. It was so exciting. Maybe her friends got one as well. Thinking of Princess Celestia, the first one she went to was Twilight, of course. There party was going to take place in the library, but Pinkie hadn't started doing the decorations yet. Rainbow Dash was a bit disappointed to see that only Twilight and Spike were inside. She kind of wanted to show off the gift.

"Twilight! Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled despite her target being right in the same room.

Twilight and Spike were in the middle of clearing up loose books, pages and note-taking tools in preparation for the party later. Twilight levitated some things over to her assistant and then turned towards Rainbow.

"What is it? Is everything alright?"

"Better than alright, check this out!" Rainbow thrust out the golden present. "It's from Princess Celestia! Did you get one, too?"

The wide-eyed shock on Twilight's face clearly said she did not like the look of things. "Princess Celestia? What is it?"

"I have no idea!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I'm not supposed to open it until tomorrow." She placed the simple card onto the table. "This is so wow. I've never gotten anything from Princess Celestia before."

"Yes," Twilight mumbled. She shifted her gaze away from the card to the gift, but she didn't look happy or even pleased. Cautious was the best way to describe her demeanor. A soft glow enveloped both her horn and the present. It was carefully levitated into the air.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Get your own."

"I didn't receive anything like this," Twilight said. "I'm not sure, but I think I should take a look at it, make sure it's safe."

Rainbow Dash made a swipe for the gift, but it floated away. "Come on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't know how much you remember, but last time Celestia sent something, it completely changed your true self."

"Wasn't that because you were poking with it?" Rainbow Dash shot.

"Well," Twilight sputtered.

"And look how that turned out." Rainbow spread open her wings. "Hey, maybe I'll become an alicorn, too! Give me!" She surged up towards the present with hooves outstretched. Just before making contact, the gift flashed away.

It reappeared on the table in the center of the room with Twilight standing in front of it. "You're not supposed to open it yet anyway, according to the card."

"How are you going to examining it, then?"

"I have ways. Don't worry, Rainbow, I won't do anything to it. You'll get it back. I just want to make sure it's not something magically obtuse."

Rainbow Dash was frowning as she examined Twilight. She wouldn't just be jealous that Celestia didn't send anything to her, right? This was addressed to Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash alone. "You promise to give it back, right?"

Twilight gave a reassuring smile. "Of course, Rainbow Dash. I have no intention of keeping your present."

Rainbow Dash decided to hang around for a while and watch Twilight, but it wasn't long before the unicorn was interrupted. Fluttershy and Applejack came arrived for a visit.

"What's going on here, Twi, RD?" Applejack asked.

"Check it out!" Rainbow Dash jabbed a hoof towards the package. "This came for me from Princess Celestia."

Fluttershy carefully walked over to the table watched over by the sculpture of a horse's head. "Ooh. What's in it?"

"I don't know, Twilight won't let me open it," Rainbow Dash said. "Did either of you get a present from Celestia?"

Both Applejack and Fluttershy shook their heads.

"Wow, this must be a gift for my awesomeness."

"So you're saying that this thing here is a gift from Princess Celestia?" Applejack asked.

"Yes!"

Fluttershy clapped her hooves and had a soft smile. "That's great. I'm happy for you, Rainbow Dash."

"At least somepony is," Rainbow Dash said.

"All I'm saying," Twilight grunted in exasperation, "is that I want to make sure it's alright. Don't worry, you'll get it back."

Applejack walked over to Rainbow Dash. She tilted her head towards a more secluded part of the room and said, "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure, what's up, AJ?"

"You say you got a present from Princess Celestia?"

"Uh, yeah," Rainbow Dash stated.

"That seems stranger than mice sneaking out of the barn." Applejack glanced back towards the present.

"Yeah, so what's your point? This totally makes up for my dad's gift being late."

"Wait." The farm pony suddenly perked up, standing straight with back stiff. An odd look came over her. "You usually get a present from your dad this time of year?"

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "What of it?"

"Oh, it's just that, well." The words were jumbled up inside Applejack's mouth.  "How should I put this?"

"What, do you think like Twilight, that I can't handle a present from Princess Celestia?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No, I wouldn't quite say that."

Before Applejack could explain further, Rarity came strolling into the library. The unicorn was immediately taken in by the present, which was obviously the center of attention. Rainbow Dash was quick to catch her up to the current situation, mostly to brag about the gift.

"How glamorous for you." Rarity's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "It's not like any of us did as much as you."

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm so much more awesome," Rainbow Dash said.

"Still, whatever is in there must simply be magnificent!" the unicorn squealed.

"It sure would be nice if we could open it." Rainbow Dash shot a derisive glance towards Twilight.

Twilight extended a wing, blocking off the two of them from the package. "The note said to wait, so we'll wait."

"Yeah, but why do you get to keep it?"

It was then that Pinkie Pie burst in and livened up the mood greatly. She wanted to start decorating, so everyone was asked to leave. What the finished space looked like was part of the surprise, after all. Rainbow Dash did so, though reluctantly. She didn't really want to leave her present here with Twilight but convinced herself that no real harm would come to it.

There wasn't much for Rainbow Dash to do during the afternoon. She flew back home to check on her mail, hoping that the mailpony made a second round. No such luck. Now what to do for the rest of the day? It was too cold for her to feel like doing much flying. She merely piddled around her home, reading Daring Do again. And Daring Do was the greatest novel series ever. All the adventure, the danger, the treasure, it all brought a sparkle to Rainbow Dash's imagination.

("Okay, okay," Trixie cut in. "I do not require a full synopsis of every Daring Do novel. The Great and Literate Trixie does read, you know."

"Fine, geeze," Rainbow Dash said with a huff.)

Night came quickly in the cold months, and the village was soon alight with hundreds of lanterns. A bit of cloud cover had fallen over the village from just natural formation. All of the weather ponies were on break that day.

Though Rainbow Dash was flying to a party, she was more anxious than happy. Princess Celestia's gift would still be there, right? It wouldn't be anything dangerous and Twilight certainly wouldn't have done anything drastic. But she just couldn't get the prickly sensation out from under her skin that something had happened to her gift. It made her flying erratic as she stretched out her body repeatedly, like trying to get comfortable in a wool sweater.

The library in the great tree was lit up brightly, more so than the nearby homes. There were a few lights hanging along the branches outside. Nothing too fancy, but warming to the feel.

"Hello!" Rainbow Dash greeted brightly as she flew through the door. Her eyes immediately flickered towards the table. There was a great feeling of taking off the wool sweater when she saw that the shimmering present was still there.

Pinkie, Twilight and Spike were already there. Soon, their other friends started to arrive as well. They greeted each other mirthfully. Applejack was talking about enjoying the night air for a bit after the party.

Rainbow Dash was standing by her present. "Sure thing, AJ, but only after I open Princess Celestia's present."

"Oh, that." Applejack turned towards the present. She let out a forced chuckle and backed away from it. "Come on, Rainbow, that thing can wait."

"What do you mean?" The feisty pegasus shot a glare over.

Applejack had a toothy, but evasive, grin. "Nothing." Her eyes were clearly avoiding contact with Rainbow Dash's, and sweat was dripping down her face. "Hoo, I am thirsty. I'm going to get some of that there punch." She backed away, still with a wide smile, until her butt bumped into the table. Once there, she scooped a cup and then downed it all in one gulp.

"Right," Rainbow Dash said slowly. She remained staring at the earth pony.

There was music, food and a great atmosphere with friends. It was as wild and crazy as it could be without making too much of a mess of the library. Rainbow Dash could feel the energy bursting through her body and was rocking out to the music. Time seemed to almost fly by while everypony was having fun.

"Hey, girls," Twilight called out. Her arm was extended towards a simple, wooden clock. It was hanging on the wall and had a small pendulum swinging underneath. Everyone knew what she meant. It was almost twelve and almost the new year, at least according to library time.

Rainbow Dash pushed up her cheeks into a broad grin. "Almost time to open my present!"

"About that," Applejack said, "don't you think it's better if you don't?"

"I think it's a great idea, so stuff it, Applejack," Rainbow Dash shot back.

Pinkie slapped Rainbow Dash on the back, sending her staggering into Applejack. "Come on, come on," she said. "It's almost time for the new year! In Ten, nine, eight!"

Everyone else joined in for, "Seven, six, five, four!" They stared at the clock with wide, expectant eyes. The swinging pendulum brought the next year closer and the current year closer to an end.

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

"HAP-"

A loud crash shook the walls. Sounds of glass hitting the floor ringed out, and then a great gust of wind blew out all the lanterns in the room. They were plunged into sudden darkness. Everyone let out gasps of surprise and yelps of pain as they crashed into each other. All the moving brought down more crashing noises as decorations and books tumbled down. Who was the wise guy that turned out all the lights?

"Calm down!" Twilight shouted.

A bright glow, coming from her horn, lit up the room, though it was still rather dim. Shadowy shapes flickered across the walls. A lot of the shelves were messy while much of the decorations have been pulled down. Rarity added her light to the mix.

Rainbow Dash looked around the room. There was a bit of a mess on the ground from their scrambling around. Her eyes fell on the center table and widened. "Hey!" she shouted. Her hoof shot out towards an empty spot where the present used to be. "Alright, who took it?"

"Calm down, Rainbow," Twilight said. "I'm sure there's an explanation for this."

"Applejack stole my present!" Rainbow Dash said. It must have been that earth pony!

"What?" Applejack shouted. "Why in the hay would I do that?"

Rainbow jabbed her hoof into the other pony's chest. "I don't know, but you've been acting strange around my present all day!" Not to mention, Applejack was the closest one to the present when the lights went out.

Applejack glared back and pushed the hoof away. "I'm sure it just fell down somewhere, let's look around."

("Yeah, well we looked," Rainbow Dash spat with bitterness. "But we couldn't find anything. Sure, it was dark, but the present glowed!"

Trixie tapped her mouth in thought. "And you think Applejack took your present from Princess Celestia?"

"Yeah. I mean, who else could it be? Unless...." Rainbow Dash fell quiet, "Twilight. Twilight was the only other one that showed a great interest in my gift. She must have used magic to get it away or something." She slammed her hooves against each other, and her wings sprang to life. "I'm going to get her."

"Calm down, Rainbow Dash," Trixie said. "I'm in charge of this now, remember. You just sit tight. I'll get to the bottom of this."

"But-"

"Sit tight. Unless you would rather randomly accuse your friends of things."

Rainbow Dash flailed about but couldn't muster a response.

"Ok then, The Great and Powerful Trixie is off." The unicorn walked off. It was time for the next pony's story. There was something about that story that felt off, but there were still other tales to hear.)