//------------------------------// // Always // Story: By the Fireplace // by Jingle //------------------------------// Rarity sat up in her bed, glancing over at her clock. It was just past four. She groaned and laid back down, pulling her sleeping mask over her eyes once more. Another knock at the door caught her attention, though it was barely audible over the howling winds outside. Rarity groggily slid out of bed, the cold floor sending a jolt through her body. She swiftly trotted over to her bedroom door, where a pair of slippers had been sitting. Slipping them onto her hooves, Rarity smoothed down her cherry blossom silk pajamas. She made her way downstairs and opened the door to find Thunderlane outside. "Hello Rarity, Is Sweetie Belle staying with you?" He asked, shivering in the snowstorm. Starting last night, the weather in Ponyville had been absolutely atrocious. A horrible blizzard had started, knocking out the power in several ponies homes and nearly freezing others. Everypony had been advised to stay inside unless told otherwise. "Yes. She is here all winter while our parents are vacationing in Rainbow Falls. Why do you ask," Rarity wondered, observing the ice in his mane. "I've been given the task of telling all the guardians of school ponies that school is canceled today," he replied. "Oh, I see. Would you like to come in and warm up with a coffee?" She asked, gesturing back inside her house. "Sorry Rarity, I've got to get to the rest of the houses," Thunderlane declined with a shrug of his shoulders. "Can you at least come in and defrost while I make you a coffee to take with you?" Rarity asked, rolling her eyes at the word defrost. "I guess that wouldn't hurt," he replied with a sly grin. Thunderlane stepped into the Carousel Boutique, wiping his snowy feet on the doormat. Rarity showed him into the kitchen where he took a seat at the table, shaking out his icy mane. Filling the coffee pot, Rarity grabbed a cup with an insulating layer and a lid. She set it beside the coffee pot, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing. As she waited, Rarity walked over to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and levitating it up with her horn. She handed it to Thunderlane with her blue magic aura surrounding it. He gratefully took the towel and dried off his dripping wet body and his icy mane. Walking back to the coffee pot, Rarity poured the black coffee into the insulated cup, handing it to Thunderlane, who took it and thanked Rarity, heading back out to finish his job. Shutting the door and protecting the house from the grueling storm, Rarity heard a voice from upstairs. "What's going on?" Asked a tired and chilly Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking slightly. Rarity looked up to the top of the stairs to find Sweetie Belle wrapped up in her blanket, looking down over the railing. She stood beside the spare bedroom where she had been sleeping. The young filly yawned and rubbed her eyes, waiting patiently for an answer. "Thunderlane came to tell us that school is canceled," Rarity said softly. "Really?" Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes lighting up and a spark of green magic jumping off of her horn. "Yes, but it's far too early to be up. Go back to bed Sweetie Belle," Rarity instructed, keeping her tone gentle. "Alright," Sweetie Belle agreed, yawning as she walked back to her room. Already too awake to fall back asleep, Rarity walked back to the kitchen. She ran a slippered hoof through her messy mane, moving a few hairs back into place. As Rarity debated how to spend her time this morning, she decided to surprise Sweetie Belle with a nice warm breakfast when she woke back up. Knowing Sweetie Belle wasn't too fond of anything fancy, Rarity decided upon cinnamon pancakes with hot chocolate. By the time Rarity even got started making the batter, it was already six. Because of her professional nature, Rarity had done all of her prep work first. She took a wooden spoon out of the drawer and set it in the bowl, mixing together the ingredients. Lastly, she took the cinnamon from her spices cabinet. Rarity sprinkled in a large amount, swirling it into the batter. A wonderful scent of cinnamon and sugar drifted through the air. The house seemed to be filling with wonderful aromas that could remind anypony of their foalhood, waiting eagerly to get the first, warm pancake from the griddle. As the pancakes were finishing up, the whole kitchen was filled with the sound of sizzling batter and the smell of warm cinnamon. While the pancakes cooled down a bit, Rarity worked on her favorite hot chocolate recipe. She put water in a kettle to boil and melted down some chocolate. Breaking up a candy cane, Rarity took a deep breath, surrounded by the wonderful scents of a home cooked breakfast. The warm cinnamon and chocolate swirled with the refreshing peppermint, an aroma that rivaled nothing for sweetness. Just as the pancakes and hot chocolate finished up, Sweetie Belle came slow down the stairs, still wrapped up in her little blanket. Lured into the kitchen by the warm scents, her eyes lit up when she saw the two mugs of hot chocolate next to plates of pancakes sitting on the table. "It's a wonderful meal for a cold winters day," Rarity affirmed, sitting down across from Sweetie Belle, who had already begun to eat. "It's perfect!" Sweetie Belle agreed, her mouth stuffed with pancakes. "I'm glad you think so," Rarity said with a light laugh. Rarity began to eat her own pancakes, taking sips of hot chocolate between bites. She couldn't have asked for a better start to their snow day. Sweetie Belle was beyond satisfied with the breakfast, quickly finishing her pancakes and sipping her hot chocolate. When she first heard the news that school was cancelled, she worried she wouldn't be able to keep Sweetie Belle happy for the entire day. So far, she seemed to be doing a good job, seeing how much she loved the pancakes and hot chocolate. The steam from the sweet beverage drifted up above the table, seeming to encase the sisters in a world of their very own, keeping out the bitter cold from the storm. "Are you finished Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked, seeing the plate across from her was empty. "Yes, but could I get another hot chocolate?" Sweetie Belle asked with big pleading eyes. "Of course. I'm glad you liked it," Rarity replied proudly, levitating both of their mugs over to the counter. Pouring more of the steamy hot chocolate into both mugs, Rarity looked out the window, or at least attempted to. Large amounts of frost had collected on the window and everything she could see was blurry. She set a hoof on the chilly window, wiping away some of the frost. As far as Rarity could tell, the storm was still raging. Making her way back to the table, she listened to the soft pat of her slippers against the hard wood floor. Rarity sat back down across from Sweetie Belle, setting down both drinks. "Is there anything in particular you wish to do today?" Rarity asked, concerned Sweetie Belle would be bored sitting inside all day. "Not really," Sweetie Belle responded, already looking tired of sitting around. "How about a board game?" Rarity suggested. Sweetie Belle nodded, sipping the fresh hot chocolate, and Rarity stood up, heading upstairs to where she kept the board games. Looking over the games, none of them seemed right. Checkers was too boring and chess was too complicated. Finally deciding on the one game she thought fit, Rarity pulled out Monopony. The beat up game had definitely seen it's better days, but it was quite the classic. Rarity made her way back down the creaking stairs, levitating the game by her side. She set the game on the table and Sweetie Belle helped her set everything up. "I'm not sure I remember this one very well," Sweetie Belle stated, looking down at the game board with a puzzled expression, biting her lip. "I'll explain it as we go," Rarity said with a cheerful smile. "So, who goes first?" Sweetie Belle asked. The game went on for quite a while, Sweetie Belle asking several questions every time her turn came around. When Rarity went bankrupt, the sisters decided they had had enough of that game for the day and it was time to move onto something else. They sat in silence for a moment, with only the sounds of the ever-worsening storm to interrupt their thoughts. Suddenly, Rarity was hit with an idea. All morning, Sweetie Belle had been dragging around her shredded, dirty blanket. It was once a beautiful pale pink, long and fluffy. Now, it was a light grey with holes and tears all through the poor blanket. "How about you help me make you a new blanket. Yours is nearly falling apart and you've always wanting to help me," Rarity suggested nervously, tapping her hooves together and hoping her sister would accept the idea. The storm raged on outside, getting worse every moment. A loud howl echoed through the sky, snow piling down quicker than it had before. Sweetie Belle pondered the idea for a moment, finishing her hot cocoa and setting her mug down with a clack. Without the warm drinks and with the storm getting worse, the room seemed to get more frigid than ever. Sweetie Belle shivered as the temperature seemed to noticeably drop in the kitchen. "That sounds good, just make sure it's extra warm," the young filly replied, pulling her existing blanket tighter around her thin frame. "Deal," Rarity said with a smile, standing up from her chair. "Come on Sweetie Belle," she called with a cheerful tone, hoping to lighten up the mood in the oppressive blizzard. Rarity and Sweetie Belle headed upstairs into Rarity's inspiration room. It was organized chaos in there most of the time, but Rarity had less orders in the winter so she had kept it a bit neater. Still, there were swatches of fabric on the floor and designs scattered all over the room. Rarity lead Sweetie Belle over to a wall of yarn that displayed all the colors that were available in Carousel Boutique. "Now Sweetie Belle, what type of pattern would you like? I can do Chevron, Snowflakes, Polka-dots, vertical or horizontal stripes-" Rarity started, getting cut off by her younger sister. "Oo! I want pretty little clouds, like the kind you see in the summer," Sweetie Belle replied, jumping up to grab a sky blue roll of yarn. "Oh, alright then," Rarity said, knowing clouds would be more difficult than anything else she was listing off. Rarity used her magic to pull the white yarn off the top shelf. She set it down on a small table next to her rocking chair she always sat in when she was knitting. Sitting down on the side of the chair, Rarity left room for her younger sister to sit next to her. Climbing up into the chair, Sweetie Belle eagerly waited to begin. "Shall we begin?" Rarity asked, earning a nod from Sweetie Belle. Knitting was be no means Rarity's favorite activity, but it was relaxing to do on occasion. Rarity levitated the knitting needles, beginning to work. Knitting was much quicker with magic, but knitting an entire blanket would likely take quite a long time. Sweetie Belle proved to be more than patient for a filly her age, calmly watching the blanket grow larger, little by little, listening to the clack of the knitting needles. She wanting nothing more than to help her sister, though Rarity let her do little more than watch. Occasionally, Rarity would let Sweetie Belle do a few stitches before taking the needles back again. The time seemed to drag on for the young filly. Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "Rarity, how long is this going to take?" Sweetie Belle asked, trying to keep her question genuine and kind. "I'm not sure Sweetie, but I know I've got at least a good hour before a finish," Rarity replied, a bit of worry creeping into her voice. "Oh," Sweetie Belle whispered, drooping her head down. "Why don't you go color while I finish this, darling," Rarity suggested, dropping the knitting needles into her lap. "Alright, come get me when it's done," Sweetie Belle agreed, hopping down out of the chair. Sweetie Belle headed into the spare room where she was staying, looking for her colored pencils and paper. While Sweetie was busy, Rarity tried her best to hurry the process along, wanting to please her younger sister. Rarity had always felt she wasn't good enough for Sweetie Belle, like Sweetie deserved a sister who better understood her. Always trying her hardest, Rarity still felt she always fell short of being the sister that Sweetie Belle deserved. Things like this snow day going well meant everything to the unicorn mare. She knew things would be better between her and her sister if she understood Sweetie better and shared her love for more of the uncouth and reckless things in life, though Sweetie Belle had many more manners than the Apple family. Getting swallowed in her thoughts, Rarity's progress on the blanket slowed. About an hour after Sweetie Belle left, Rarity had finished the darling blanket. It was a sky blue wool, adorned with white, fluffy clouds, drifting through the landscape. Though it had taken a while, Rarity believed the hard work was worth it. The blanket had turned out beautifully and she knew her younger sister would love it. "Sweetie Belle," Rarity called, "your blanket is finished, and I know you will simply adore it." Abandoning her doodles and walking into her sister's room, Sweetie Belle saw the wonderful blanket and ran over to it, throwing her old, disheveled blanket to the side. Taking the new blanket from her sister, Sweetie Belle wrapped the large, warm blanket around her body, snuggling her cheek into the wool. Rarity smiled warmly, happy with her sisters reaction. "I love it Rarity! Thank you," Sweetie Belle exclaimed, jumping up on the chair to give her sister a big hug. "I'm glad you will enjoy it," Rarity replied in a warm tone. A loud roar ripped through the air, the storm seeming to visibly lighten up. The sisters knew they would be lucky if they could even get out of the house by the time it stopped snowing. The snow appeared to have piled up quite high, at least a foot and a half tall. The blizzard was relentless, pouring down the white powder, wanting to bury the small town of Ponyville. Looking out the window, the sisters gave a small sigh, knowing they would be stuck inside the rest of the day. * * * With all the dishes from dinner cleaned and put away, Rarity closed the cupboard with a smile. Even with magic, washing dishes was one of Rarity's least favorite chores. It took forever and usually got soapy water all over the counter. Drying off her hooves, Rarity headed over to the living room to see how Sweetie Belle was doing. The storm had knocked the electricity out in the middle of the day so they had little to see by other than the light of a few dim candles and the fireplace in the living room. The fireplace burned brightly, lighting up a large portion of the room with a dim glow. Seeing Sweetie Belle had fallen asleep on the floor, Rarity used her magic to pull the newly knitted blanket over her sister. In the firelight, the clouds on the blanket appeared to be glowing orange, like those around a sunset. A quill and a pot of ink laid next to the sleeping filly, along with a parchment scroll. Scrawled out on the parchment seemed to be some sort of poem the Sweetie Belle had titled "Beautiful Generosity". Rarity bit her lip, knowing Sweetie Belle wouldn't want her to snoop. Unable to resist herself, the unicorn mare began to read the single scroll of poetry, trying to make meaning of the scribbled words. The firelight flickered, shadows dancing across the page as Rarity's eyes skimmed over her sister's work. By the time Rarity had finished reading, the parchment was wet with a fresh tears. Rarity laid the scroll back down by the quill where she had found it, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. The poem had been about her. Rarity had no idea Sweetie Belle could write poetry at all, much less, poetry with that much feeling in every word. The older mare had never read anything so sweet. She had never read anything so innocent and genuine in all her life. Wiping away a tear streaked with mascara, Rarity stood up, smiling down at her young sister. "I love you, Sweetie Belle," Rarity whispered, her voice shaking and filled with emotion. At those words, a scream cascaded off the walls, echoing through the boutique. The storm clouds disappeared with a large flash. Ripped from her sentiment, Rarity cantered over to the nearest window and urgently wiped off the frost, trying to see what was going on outside. Snow had piled a good three feet on the ground, but the grey skies were replaced with blue ones, casting a rainbow over the glistening snow. "What in Equestria?" Rarity questioned softly, a puzzled look sweeping over her face. Soon after, the sound of her doorbell caught Rarity's ears. The unicorn trotted over to the door, answering with a smile. Seeing it was her good friend Twilight, Rarity gestured for her to come in. Shutting the door behind her friend, Rarity turned around. "There were Windigo's all over Ponyville. They seemed to be gathering over your house, but before I knew what was going on, they all fled," Twilight stated, not bothering to say hello. "It all makes sense now," Rarity replied, after a moment of thinking back on the day. "All day I was nervous about what Sweetie Belle would think of me. When I finally realized how much she enjoyed my company, the Windigo's disappeared," she decided, a thoughtfulness weaving its way into her tone. "I'm just glad their gone, Ponyville couldn't take a blizzard that big for much longer," Twilight added softly. "I'll get out of your mane so you can enjoy the rest of you evening," she said softly, teleporting back to the Golden Oaks Library before Rarity could even tell her goodbye or thanks. Rarity slowly walked back over to the fireplace, siting down next to her sister. Pulling the blanket over so that they could share it, something caught Rarity's eye. She pulled the blanket completely off Sweetie Belle, waking the young unicorn up. "Hey!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, reaching for the blanket. "What was that for?" "Darling, you've earned your cutie mark!" Rarity exclaimed, setting the wool blanket down. Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up and she quickly looked back at her flank. On it, was a quill siting in a pot of ink. It floated in front of a pink heart, showing the young fillies talent for poetry. She quickly glanced back up at Rarity, who wore a proud smile, before looking back at her new cutie mark. "I've got to go tell Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "Oh, right. The storm," she sighed, her head drooping down. "The storm is over, go tell your friends," Rarity said calmly, giving her sister an encouraging nod. "Thanks Rarity," Sweetie Belle said ecstatically. The young filly threw her arms around her sisters neck, wrapping her in a large hug. Sweetie Belle breathed out a sigh of contentment before setting all four hooves back on the ground. She gazed back up at Rarity with a thoughtful expression. "Love ya, sis," Sweetie Belle added softly before running out the front door and plowing through the snow. "I'll always love you Sweetie," Rarity whispered gently, a single tear sliding down her muzzle and dripping off her nose. "Always."