//------------------------------// // Chapter V // Story: Gold-Tinted Lenses // by Incredible Blunderbolt //------------------------------// “Ow! Ow!” Rainbow cried out as her stupid brush got caught on another knot in her mane. She tugged as hard as she could, but the sharp, stabbing pains of her hair being pulled out of her skull brought tears to her eyes. “Ow! This is so stupid!” Rainbow bit her lip, and tugged again. A small shriek and several wipes of her eyes later, her hairbrush was freed and flowing through the multicolored strands of her hair again. “Stupid party . . .” she grumbled. Why was she even doing this? The last time she’d actually brushed her mane was—she thought hard, but drew a blank. The Grand Galloping Gala? Maybe? Whatever. What made Twilight’s stupid Hearth’s Warming party so special, anyway? It wasn’t even an actual thing! It was just going to be their usual six-pony-and-a-dragon band like always. Rainbow didn’t have anypony to impress with a straight mane of all things. Rainbow’s eyes remained locked on the mirror, but her gaze drifted over her shoulder to her bed, where a cardboard box lay, wrapped in white paper and secured with a deep purple bow. Right, she thought to herself. The six of us means Rarity, too. Rainbow couldn’t very well look like a train wreck in front of her; she’d never let it go. Sighing, she picked up the brush again, pulled off the collection of hairs on it, and ran it back through her mane. “Ow!” Rainbow spun around, gripping her hair and trotting a few paces. She was so busy blinking back tears that she crashed right into her ponyquin. “Woah!” Crash! “Ow . . .” Rainbow moaned, splayed over the deep red dress the ponyquin was wearing. Rainbow groaned, dropping her head and resting it on the floor. Why was this “getting ready” stuff always so hard? How did Rarity do it? Standing back up, Rainbow eyed the ponyquin’s dress with distaste. The gown she got from Clear’s was way better than this one. How she’d thought that this could ever pass for a decent Hearth’s Warming gift, Rainbow would never know. It was a good thing she’d invited Pinkie Pie to take a look at it when she did—she couldn’t imagine actually giving it to Rarity. She huffed and kicked it, and the Ponyquin, to the corner of the room. She’d probably just laugh at me anyway . . . When Rainbow finally turned back to the mirror, she saw her brush still hanging off the side of her mane and grumbled to herself. “Great. Just great. It’s stuck again.” It took almost ten more minutes of brushing for Rainbow to get her mane as sleek and soft as it could be. Of course, she mused bitterly, that might just be because she pulled out half of her hair. Still, she couldn’t deny the result: preened feathers, brushed mane and tail, scrubbed coat . . . Rainbow Dash was looking good tonight. She grinned and puffed up her chest in the mirror, splaying her wings out proudly. Maybe her friends would think so too. Oh, who was she kidding? Of course they would! With a grin plastered on her face, Rainbow looked excitedly at the clock on the wall. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was time to go. She quickly threw her scarf around her neck with an excited squeal. Spinning around without ceremony, she made her way to the bed and picked up the box. A quick shake told her that the dress was still in there—not that she’d had any reason to think she’d forget to actually put it in the box before wrapping it. Not after Pinkie’s birthday, at least. Rainbow shuddered at the memory. Anyway, that wasn’t going to happen this time! Rainbow nodded fiercely and cradled the box in her forelegs before flapping up into the air. She took care not to hit her head off of her cloud ceiling as she made her way to the bedroom window. A careful maneuver later, and she was engulfed in the bright happy sunlight of outside. Dozens of ponies still milled about the streets, but with Celestia’s sun hanging so low in the sky, Rainbow knew they weren’t likely to stay out for more than an hour or two. Chimneys were already smoking, and many of the foals that were rushing through town had already vanished into their various homes. A few mail ponies were still darting around like mad, overburdened carts swaying as they rounded corners at full speed. A yellow pegasus wrapped in several layers of tight-knit blue wool was slowly making her way up the trail from the edges of the Everfree Forest. Rainbow smiled and, with a few deft flaps of her wings, floated toward her. “Hey, Fluttershy!” Rainbow called out, tucking the present under her foreleg and waving with the other. The pegasus jumped nearly a foot into the air, wings spread wide. Seconds later, Fluttershy’s head whipped around and scanned the sky. When she saw Rainbow Dash, who couldn’t help but laugh, the corner of her mouth perked up. Her mouth started moving, but the wind must have carried it away, because Rainbow Dash didn’t hear a thing. Smooth as silk, Rainbow Dash glided to the ground in front of Fluttershy and skirted to a halt. She carefully placed her present on her back before gently elbowing her friend. “What’s up? Heading down to Twilight’s too?” Fluttershy nodded and smiled. “Of course! I’m sorry you startled me, I was just so distracted thinking about the party. I’ve been so excited,” she said in a low voice that Rainbow noticed was significantly high by Fluttershy’s standards. “I brought cookies and homemade hot cocoa to the castle days ago,” she added with the lightest giggle. “I know!” Rainbow grinned and happily fell in line next to Fluttershy. “I can’t wait to see if Twilight got me Daring do and the Pirate’s Paean! I’ve totally been dropping hints about that for months now.” Fluttershy’s smile seemed to gain a trace of humor. “That sounds nice,” she said as they rounded the corner of Main street and Everfree road, and passed the post office. “I'm just looking forward to spending time with you girls." “Come on,” Rainbow said with a hint of laughter. She bumped her shoulder into Fluttershy’s without missing a step. “You can’t tell me you aren’t a little excited to see what you’ve got!” “Oh, maybe a little,” Fluttershy giggled. “But Hearth’s Warming, um, to me at least is about friends and family.” She beamed at Rainbow, who rolled her eyes. “A whole night to be with my best friends in the whole world sounds like the perfect present to me.” Ugh, seriously? Leave it to Fluttershy to make something as cool as Hearth’s Warming so sappy. Rainbow found herself wondering why she’d even bothered buying her that set of bird calls. If all Fluttershy wanted was company from her, Rainbow could have saved a few bits and bought her a milkshake or something. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rainbow muttered, eyes trailing across the line of shops. She wondered if Fluttershy had gotten her tortoise wax again. She was starting to run out of last year’s tube. “Peace in Equestria; good will toward ponies and all that happy gunk. But still, you’ve gotta have something you want. Something real.” Fluttershy’s smile grew a bit more. “Maybe we just see things a bit differently, then,” she said, giving Rainbow a look of gratification. “But what do you have there? Oh! If you don’t mind me asking—I just assumed that you’d already brought all of your presents to Twilight’s castle.” “I did,” Rainbow said with a nod. “It’s just that Rarity’s was . . .” she thought for a moment about the dress she’d worked on for all those months and how awfully it’d come out. “It wasn’t ready yet.” “It wasn’t?” Rainbow shook her head. “Nah,” she said, a frown pulling at her lips. It really did seem a shame to just blow off four months of work. She’d pricked her hooves so many times with the needle that there were more little black dots in them than the pin cushion. “It’s cool, though, because Pinkie Pie totally helped me out with it, and now I’ve got her the best present ever!” Fluttershy chuckled, but it quickly turned into a shudder when the wind decided to blow a cold gust of icy air immediately after Dash finished her proclamation. “What is it? “The present?” Rainbow asked mid-shiver, yanking her scarf tighter around her neck while balancing the box between her wings. “Some really fancy dress from Clear’s. She’s gonna love it.” Fluttershy blinked. “Clear’s?” she asked, mouth slightly agape. “Isn’t that a little, um, expensive Rainbow?” “Well, yeah . . .” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Rarity’s like, the best designer around, so she needs the best dresses to get dressed up in!” “I guess . . .” Fluttershy said quietly. She looked uncomfortable, but Rainbow couldn’t put her hoof on why. She didn’t look very cold under all that wool. “It’s just . . . well . . . Don’t you think you might have spent a little too much?” Bang! Fluttershy leaped into the air with an earsplitting shriek. Her wings flared out and she fell at an angle, crashing into Rainbow Dash and sending the box on her back flying. The pair of them landed in a crumpled heap of hooves and fur on the side of the road as Dash glared daggers at her. Suddenly, her eyes widened in horror as she noticed the weight on her back was gone. Her heart thundered in her chest. Rainbow turned around and saw it laying, perfectly wrapped and safe, just a few feet away on the edge of the street near the sidewalk. She sighed with relief and chuckled a little at her fear before reaching out toward it with a hoof. It happened instantly. Almost in slow motion, like something out of a dream, Rainbow realized that the thundering in her chest wasn’t actually in her chest, it was on the street. No sooner had this occurred to her, than a cart, overladen with hundreds of packages, came barrelling down the street. The wheel crashed into the sidewalk with another loud bang!, making Fluttershy flinch, but Rainbow could only stare in horror as the wild-eyed pony pulling it . . . weaved right around the box. Oh, thank Celestia! Rainbow cried internally. She felt like kissing that stallion! At least, until a moment later. Screech! The wheels on the cart screamed at the sudden change in direction and slid along the road—and straight over the box. It crumpled like paper, folding and warping as it grinded with the wheels through the mud and slush. When the wheels righted, the cart resumed its sprint down the street and left the box—and Rarity’s two-hundred-bit dress, lying in a frozen puddle. “No . . .” Rainbow muttered, her hoof still hanging uselessly in the air. “No . . . No, no, no, no, no!” she yelped, shoving Fluttershy off of her and leaping to her hooves. Her stomach tied itself into knots as she dashed over to it. “I-it’s still fine!” she told herself, “It’s still good!” But it wasn’t fine. It wasn’t good. When she picked up the fabric, Rainbow couldn’t even tell which hole Rarity’s head was supposed to go through. It was wet and gritty and covered with slimy mud. Grinding against the cobblestone had ripped huge gashes in it, and the gleaming golden accents were dull and peeled. “No . . .” It was ruined. It was totally destroyed, and there was nothing Rainbow could do. She held the tattered remains in her hooves and stared at them blankly. A few moments later, a hoof settled on her shoulder. “Oh, my gosh, Rainbow . . .” Fluttershy’s voice was barely audible, but it sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—” “What am I gonna do?” Dash suddenly wailed, whipping around with the remnants of the dress still clutched in her hooves. Her eyes stung as she raised them up for Fluttershy to see; some vain hope deep in Rainbow’s soul, like a filly showing her mother a boo-boo, desperately cried in vain for her friend to somehow make it all better. “It’s ruined! I can’t give Rarity this!” What was she going to give Rarity now? The joke of a dress that Pinkie had declared a total disaster just that morning? How could she do that with a straight face? “I really am very sorry . . .” Fluttershy repeated, her ears pinned to her skull. Her hoof floated in the air halfway between falling to the ground and resting on Rainbow’s shoulder again. “I-I don’t even know what to say!” “I don’t have anything to give her, Fluttershy!” Rainbow moaned into her hooves. “I’m so screwed! Rarity’s gonna hate me!” Fluttershy’s ears flicked. “Of course she won’t, Rainbow Dash!” she admonished gently. “I know this isn’t exactly the right time to say this but, um, Hearth’s Warming isn’t about the presents . . .” “You’re right!” Rainbow snapped. Her wings flared out with a dramatic fwoop! “Just before a Hearth’s Warming party—when all of my other friends have presents and Rarity doesn’t have one anymore—is a terrible time to bring up some stupid thing parents say to their foals so they don’t get mad that they didn’t get all the toys they wanted!” Fluttershy winced and shrank back. “I-I’m sorry . . .” she whimpered. “I-is there a dress shop nearby that we can bring it to? Maybe they can sew it back together in time for the—” “I can’t!” Rainbow cried, bringing her hooves behind her head and staring at the ground. “I spent all of my bits on my new flight goggles! And I traded those to get this dress! And now it’s totally ruined!” Fluttershy wilted. “M-maybe Twilight can fix it for you?” Wait a minute . . . Of course! It was so obvious! Twilight could fix it! If anypony in the world could turn the scraps of fabric in her hooves back into a beautiful dress that Rarity would love, it was Miss. Magicky-Pants herself! After seeing her handle an ursa minor, Discord, Sombra and Tirek, Rainbow knew that stitching up a dress would be foal’s play to Twilight. “Fluttershy!” Rainbow grinned, leaping toward her and quickly closing the gap between them. Before Fluttershy could so much as blink, Rainbow had enveloped her in a bone-breaking hug. “You’re a genius!” “Oh, um, thank you?” A moment later, Rainbow tore away from a wide-eyed and very perplexed Fluttershy before making sure to scoop up every stray piece of fabric she could find. She gave Fluttershy a triumphant grin before jumping into the air with a mighty flap of her wings. “I’ve gotta get there before Rarity does, so see you later, Shy!” Without waiting for a response from her friend, Rainbow bolted down the street as quickly as she could manage with all of the ponies still wandering around. She earned a few hollers and “watch its,” but, all in all, she managed to duck and weave around everypony that got in her way. Darting through the marketplace was a bit more challenging, but she managed to clear Applejack’s apple cart while still staying under Golden Harvest’s canopy. C’mon, Twi, Rainbow bit her lip, squinting into the wind. The castle was growing larger and larger with every flap of her wings. She was almost there! Don’t be busy for once . . . Rainbow didn’t even bother to knock—or open the door gently. Slam! “Twilight?” Rainbow called out, looking around. The foyer was absolutely flooded with baked goods: mountains of cookies, piles of pies . . . there were at least three or four tables’ worth of sweets set up just in front of her. “Geeze, Egghead! Did you invite half of Ponyville, too? I thought it was just us tonight.” Dozens of presents surrounded the fireplace, and the seven sleeping bags also sitting there told Rainbow that Twilight still wasn’t comfortable with just how huge her new home was. Dash didn’t see the big deal; she’d love ceilings so high she could fly indoors! And the thought of getting into a prank war or a good game of hide and seek with Pinkie Pie in a place this ginormous sent shivers down her spine. Focus! she berated herself. I’ve gotta find Twilight! Gripping the dress tight in her hooves, Rainbow hovered through the entryway and made her way down the hall. “Hey, Twilight!” “Just a minute, Spike! I’m setting up the garland in the bathroom!” The bathroom? Rainbow raised an eyebrow. Only Twilight would—forget it! Rarity’s dress is way more important than trying to figure out whatever it is that the world’s nerdiest nerd is up to! “It’s me, actually,” Rainbow called back as she rounded the corner. A flickering candlelight was emanating from underneath one of the crystal doors. She bit her lip and shook off the sinking feeling in her belly. “Twilight, I really need your help, here.” “Rainbow Dash?” The door opened up and a Twilight’s head poked out, shimmering golden garland draped over her horn. “You’re here earlier than I expected.” Rainbow looked up at the clock. “The party starts in fifteen minutes, Twilight.” “I know, I know,” Twilight shook her head, and the garland fell off. “It’s just . . . You’re never early for anything. You were even late to the last Daring Do launch.” “Ugh, don’t remind me.” Twilight’s smile widened, and she looked about ready to say something when her eyes drifted down to Rainbow’s hooves. “What’s that? Rainbow clenched her teeth and gave Twilight a pleading look. “It’s what I need your help with,” she said, her voice wavering a bit. “Rarity’s present—I-it’s totally ruined!” “Rarity’s . . .” Twilight opened the door the rest of the way and stared at the lump of cloth for a long moment. “This is the dress you made her?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “This looks—well, I’m sure it looked really professional.” “What?” Rainbow shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “How did you even know—forget it! Can you fix it?” Raising a hoof and giving Rainbow an even-tempered stare, Twilight surveyed the dress. “I know you made a dress because of the books you checked out, and I can only think of one pony it could be for,” she said as she craned her neck around for a better look. “But what I can’t figure out is how you could have made something so masterfully with only a couple of months to practice.” “I didn’t,” Rainbow said quickly. “Mine was awful, so I just bought one from Clear’s.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why? I’m sure Rarity would appreciate just the thought behind—” “—Twilight!” Rainbow groaned. She couldn’t help but bounce on her hooves. “Look, forget all that and just fix this one, okay?” she said, gulping. Twilight was taking an awfully long time to look at the damage. Did that mean . . .? No way! This is Twilight! I bet she could fix this in her sleep! “I can’t.” Rainbow’s eyes turned the size of dinner plates. “What?!” she shrieked, tucking her hooves behind her head and dragging them across her mane to her cheeks. “There’s no way I can fix this,” Twilight said with a frown. She looked up and gave Rainbow an empathetic smile, but the pegasus was far too busy trotting in place to notice. “What do you mean you can’t fix it?! You’re like, the most magical pony ever!” Twilight sighed. “Rainbow, you don’t understand—” “—You’re darn right I don’t understand!” Rainbow spat. “You can fix an exploding dam, but you can’t fix a dress?!” “A dam is a simple construction, Rainbow. One that has standards and blueprints.” Twilight’s voice was soft and gentle, but also very firm. Rainbow knew the tone well, and her wings fell as she recognized it. “I might be able to fix a few minor tears with some guesswork, but I can’t put an entire dress back together. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” Rainbow dropped to her haunches, ignoring the icy coldness of the crystal floor. She felt sick. So that was that, then. Twilight couldn’t help her. Her last hope had just run dry. “But I don’t have anything to give Rarity now . . .” she mumbled, blinking hard. “ . . . Why don’t you give her the dress that you made?” Rainbow snorted. “Are you kidding?” she laughed weakly and drummed the floor with her hooves. “It’s awful! Pinkie Pie even said so!” Drumming her hooves on the floor suddenly felt annoying, so she leaned back against the wall and crossed her forelegs over her chest. “I can’t give Rarity something that awful for Hearth’s Warming. She’d think I didn’t care about her at all!” “ . . . Huh?” Twilight blinked. “First of all, whether Pinkie Pie said it was awful or not—and I’m fairly certain that that’s a gross exaggeration—it wouldn’t matter to Rarity, Rainbow Dash.” A soft smile pulled at Twilight’s lips as she sat down next to Rainbow and nudged her shoulder. “Hearth’s Warming is about friends and family coming together to show each other how much we care for one another.” “And the best way to do that is with your present!” Rainbow choked. The pit in her stomach grew even heavier, and her eyes were stinging horribly. “And now I don’t even have one . . .” Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit. “You’ve been hanging out with Pinkie Pie all day, haven’t you?” Rainbow looked up with a frown. “What’s that got to do with anything?” “Quite a bit, on Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Twilight giggled. “What Pinkie Pie means to say, Rainbow, is that what you pick for a gift, and how hard you work for it are the things that show your friends how much you care.” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. Twilight wasn’t making any sense. “Isn’t that the same thing?” she asked. “No, Rainbow,” Twilight said, sighing. She frowned in thought, then smiled. “Take me for example,” she said while bringing a hoof to her chest. “These crystal floors are absolutely freezing during the winter time, and my hooves just can’t take it. I have to fly from room to room or wear my boots inside on the really cold days, but what do you think almost everypony I know got me for Hearth’s Warming?” Rainbow shrugged. “I dunno . . . Books?” “Books,” Twilight said, nodding. “Of course, I don’t know for sure, but that’s all anypony ever gets me, so it’s a fairly safe bet,” she added with a chuckle. “But do you know what I really want?” “What?” Rainbow’s ears perked up. Twilight didn’t want books? Since when? She bit her lip and thought about the new Dreadclaw the Dragon book sitting by Twilight’s fireplace. Hopefully, she wouldn’t mind too much. “Socks,” Twilight said longingly. “A nice set of heavy, thick, woolen socks. Or slippers.” Her reverie lasted several moments before her cheeks suddenly flushed and she cleared her throat. “A-anyway,” she continued, “That’s what Pinkie meant. Not some incredibly expensive gift. Just something thoughtful that shows your friends that you care.” Rainbow bit her lip and struggled to recall Pinkie’s words. She didn’t actually say it was bad, she just said it looked like I didn’t care when I was making it, even though I totally did! “You know,” Twilight said, sliding the remains of the dress across the floor to Rainbow. “I’m sure the dress you made is better than you think it is.” A corner of her mouth curled up. “At the very least, it’s better than this one is right now.” Cold gripped Rainbow’s heart like an ice wraith. She stared at the pile of ruined black fabric and her ears fell. Twilight’s right, but . . . Rainbow’s eyes darted from the dress and back to her house, and then back again. No matter what she did, Rarity was sure to be disappointed with Rainbow this Hearth’s Warming. This sucks, she decided. Maybe I should just skip this year’s party. At least then I wouldn’t have to see her get all sad . . . “Rainbow, the most important thing is that you were trying to make Rarity happy.” Twilight rested a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder and smiled at her. “And she’ll see that’s what you want no matter what.” Well, that was true at least. All she’d really wanted from making that dress was to see Rarity smile. Was that such a crime? Maybe if she explained herself . . . Rainbow frowned in thought as she stared at the battered dress. It was only fabric, like all the textiles and skeens she’d had to buy to make the dress in the first place. Her ears started to perk up as the beginnings of an idea poked at the outer edges of her mind. She’d have to be quick, but if it worked, Rarity would sure to smile tonight.