A Story of Hearth's Warming
Third story in the "Crystal Dreams" universe. This is part of a series and really needs to be read after the first two stories to make any sense. Also, just a side note, the main ponies in MLP seem to be around 15-18 years old to me. I interpret that Rainbow Dash is probably only 15-16 so she is still going to have kid-like behaviors and thoughts. My stories will continue to show her self growth and maturation.
Please do not post my work on other sites. Plagiarizing is wrong.
I do not own any rights to any characters. Ever. Damn.
Chapter 1
Rainbow Dash couldn't believe that it was already Hearth's Warming Eve and she was on a train heading towards Canterlot. Tonight the rainbow-maned mare and her friends were going to be playing the lead roles in Canterlot's Hearth's Warming Eve pageant. This was a great honor.
"I really am excited," Rainbow Dash thought to herself as her friends chattered around her, "I just wish that Soarin' and Spitfire could be here. I really miss them."
The cyan Pegasus sighed and remembered back to a conversation that she and her life mates had prior to them having to leave.
Flashback
Rainbow Dash admired herself in the full length mirror in the Triad's bedroom as a smiling Tank watched from the bed. She looked pretty cool in this getup.
"Awesome," the rainbow-maned filly giggled out as she turned left and right to look at herself from different angles, "Tank, get a load of me."
"Yes, get a load of you, Baby," a voice said from the bedroom door.
Rainbow Dash spun around and turned bright red when she saw Soarin' standing in the doorway grinning at her.
"Soarin'!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she blushed even harder in embarrassment, "You scared me."
"Sorry, Baby," Soarin' apologized as he entered the room to circle around his life mate and give her a light nuzzle, "You look great!"
"Do I?" Rainbow Dash asked gleefully as she modeled for her life mate, "I've always wanted to play this role."
"Play what role?" Spitfire asked as she entered the bedroom only to stop and stare in surprise, "What is this? Rainbow Dash, why are you wearing full armor?"
"I'm going to be playing the part of Commander Hurricane in the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant in Canterlot. Princess Celestia especially requested that all of my friends and I play the main roles in the play," the rainbow-maned mare explained to both of her life mates, "I'm just trying on the costume to see if Rarity needs to make any adjustments. How do I look?"
"Just like Commander Hurricane herself," Spitfire answered as she admired her youngest life mate's attire, "Love the helmet. You are looking mighty fierce there. I didn't know that you were going to Canterlot for Hearth's Warming. I just thought you were going to be spending the holiday here with your friends."
"I just found out today and it's not like the three of us can spend the holiday together," Rainbow Dash sighed sadly while taking her helmet off.
"We are so sorry, Baby," Soarin' consoled as he cuddled the young mare close, "There is nowhere else I'd rather be for the holiday than here with my two beautiful mares so we could spend our first Hearth's Warming together, but as a Wonderbolt you don't always have a choice about your schedule."
"That's right," Spitfire agreed as she assisted the rainbow-maned filly in removing the body armor, "I tried hard to get Princess Celestia to move the date, but unfortunately the Princess said that this would be rude and could hurt any relations that Equestria is trying to set up with New Brit-trot-onia."
"No biggie! It's not like the two of you can help that Princess Celestia is sending The Wonderbolts to act as Goodwill Ambassadors," Rainbow Dash said with a pasted on smile, "We will have our own Hearth's Warming when you two get back. It'll be great."
Soarin' and Spitfire looked at one another sadly as Rainbow Dash started hanging her pageant costume in their shared closet. Their youngest life mate was doing her best to hide her disappointment from the two. It hurt to feel the depression that Rainbow Dash was trying so hard to keep from leaking out through their bond. Soarin' was distracted from his thought when an article of clothing caught his attention.
"What is this?" Soarin' asked in surprise as he removed a black and purple flight suit from the closet, "Why does this look almost like a Wonderbolt uniform?"
"That's my Nightmare Night costume," Rainbow Dash explained cheering up a bit, "Remember that I told you that Ponyville had a festival while you two were on tour. I went as a Shadowbolt. Pranked a lot of ponies in that get up. It was great!"
"A Shadowbolt?" Spitfire asked curiously as she eyed the costume, "What is a Shadowbolt?"
"Oh. I thought I told you that when Nightmare Moon tried to distract me from helping my friends get across the bridge to find the Elements of Harmony she sent this fake flying group that was almost like a dark version of The Wonderbolts. They called themselves 'The Shadowbolts' and said they wanted me as their leader," Rainbow Dash explained with an eye roll, "Didn't stop me from helping my friends. I'm not the Element of Loyalty for nothing, you know."
"Of course not," Spitfire agreed before turning to Soarin' in surprise as he dropped the uniform and began angrily stamping up and down on it, "What in all of Equestria?"
"Stupid Shadowbolts," Soarin' growled hostilely as he continued to demolish the offending piece of clothing, "Trying to trick my Baby! How dare you? Rainbow Dash is too good for you! You can't have her! She is mine and Spitfire's!"
Rainbow Dash and Spitfire looked at one another in amusement. There went the overprotective, bonded stallion in Soarin' again. Good grief.
"I think its dead,' Rainbow Dash casually mentioned as she looked down at the trampled garment, "It can never hurt me again."
"Yeah. Good job, Big Guy," Spitfire dryly added as Soarin' flushed in embarrassment.
"Oops!" Soarin' meekly offered as his ears fell, "Um…sorry, Rainbow Dash. I just don't like the idea that…this…this 'uniform' represents something that tried to manipulate you."
"Not a problem," the rainbow-maned filly soothed as she nuzzled her stallion, "I wasn't going to wear it again. I didn't know that the costume would upset you so much. Let's throw it away and get some pie. Then we can trim the Hearth's Warming tree."
Spitfire grinned in amusement when she saw that Rainbow Dash's words perked Soarin' right up. Soarin' happily gathered up the remains of the Shadowbolt costume and tossed them gleefully in the garbage before cantering to the kitchen to grab some pie with Tank whizzing after the stallion in his helicopter gear hoping for a tasty treat as well. Rainbow Dash and the golden Pegasus shared another look of amusement. Soarin' would never change.
"When will you be leaving for Canterlot?" Soarin' asked as he and his mares settled down on the couch in the living room of their shared house in Ponyville to eat their pastry snack.
"I'll be leaving on the train the morning of Hearth's Warming Eve," Rainbow Dash explained before turning to her two life mates, "When do you two leave?"
"Soarin' and I will be leaving tomorrow morning," Spitfire answered making the rainbow-maned mare's eyes sadden.
"Aw, Baby, don't do that. Your killing me," Soarin' exclaimed unhappily, "Spitfire, I'm not going!"
"Yes, you are," Rainbow Dash protested in Spitfire's place much to the golden mare's surprise, "You are one of the captains of The Wonderbolts. It is your duty to do as Princess Celestia requests. You hear me, Mister?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Soarin' agreed as Spitfire grinned at her youngest life mate's words, "I just don't like to see you so sad."
"I don't either, Little One," Spitfire added, "I hate when I feel torn."
"Don't feel torn," Rainbow Dash begged beginning to feel concerned, "Look, I know that my life mates are Wonderbolts. I knew that you wouldn't always be able to stay with me all the time. You two have duties to attend to. I'll get over it. We will have a lot of Hearth's Warmings to spend with one another. I don't want you to feel bad. I'm not a little filly anymore and I'm really trying not to be such a brat."
"You are not being a brat," Soarin interjected, "I would be disappointed if my life mates couldn't spend an important holiday with me as well. Your feelings are normal. Are you sure you don't want to spend the holiday with my parents? They would love to have you and you could meet our old captain. Thundercloud is going to be spending the holiday with my parents this year."
"No, thank you," Rainbow Dash answered, "I'd love to see your parents again and meet Captain Thundercloud, but I've already given Princess Celestia my word that I would do the play. Can't keep the public from seeing the best rendition of Commander Hurricane they have ever seen, can I?"
"Absolutely not," Spitfire chortled before turning serious, "Plus, your friends wouldn't be happy if you left either. Are you sure you are going to be alright?"
"Don't worry about me," Rainbow Dash ordered as she hid her true feelings deep within her heart, "I'll be good and not doing anything brash. I promise. You guys ready to trim the Hearth's Warming tree?"
End of Flashback
The rainbow-maned filly remembered how much fun she had decorating the house for Hearth's Warming with her loved ones before having to bid goodbye to her life mates the next morning. Rainbow Dash had wished Soarin' and Spitfire luck and a safe trip with a cheery smile. The house always felt so empty without the two. Rainbow Dash hated being alone. She still missed them terribly.
"You okay, Sugar Cube," Applejack asked the Pegasus in concern, "You've been awfully quiet on this here trip? It tain't like ya."
"Oh, I'm fine," Rainbow Dash assured trying to act like her usual self, "I've just been thinking. I am really excited about going to Canterlot. It's going to be a blast. I love Hearth's Warming."
"But your still missing Soarin' and Spitfire, aren't you Dashie? Pinkie Pie asked with a forlorn look on her face for her friend, "It's a shame they couldn't come too."
Rainbow Dash looked around and saw all of her friends giving her sympathetic looks. She hated this. They were feeling sorry for her. The cyan Pegasus hated when ponies pitied her even more than she hated being alone.
"What?" Rainbow Dash demanded, "Hay, I'm tough. I'm the life mate of a couple of Wonderbolts and I know that a Wonderbolt life has unexpected schedule changes. Soarin', Spitfire, and I have already made plans on moving our celebration to another day. Don't worry about me. I can't wait until we arrive so I can finish some shopping. I still need to grab a couple of gifts."
"So true," Rarity agreed as she adjusted her Hearth's Warming tree hat, "You can find anything you need in Canterlot. Why, I just adore the place, but remember that I will need all of you to try on your dresses for me for the Hearth's Warming Ball tomorrow night. I want everybody to look her best. I even made a little something for you Spikey."
"You shouldn't have," Spike glowed, "I can't wait to see it."
"Another dress?" Rainbow Dash groaned out, "I didn't know that we were going to a Ball. Oh, I mean…thank you Rarity for finding the time to make me a dress. I'm sure I'll love it."
"Oh, Darling," Rarity giggled out used to the cyan Pegasus' tomboyish ways, "You are quite welcome. You really haven't been listening to any of us on the trip, have you? We are all going to the Hearth's Warming Ball tomorrow at the royal castle. Princess Celestia assured us that this party is actually fun. You'll enjoy yourself. I promise."
"I've gone before when I was a student here," Twilight admitted, "I had a lot of fun. It's going to be great!"
"Can you believe it?" Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly, "A party in the castle that is actually fun. Not like that horrible Grand Galloping Gala. I can't wait!"
"I am so excited," Fluttershy gushed before turning serious, "I promise not to start a stampede this time."
Fluttershy's comment made everypony burst into a giggle fit with the exception of a certain cyan Pegasus.
"Great! A party," Rainbow Dash acknowledged trying to sound excited, "It sounds like fun."
"Oh, it will be, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said earnestly, "Don't you worry about it. Auntie Pinkie Pie will make sure you have the best night ever."
"Is it bad that the words 'best night ever' fill me with dread?" Rainbow Dash asked her friends with a shudder.
"Well, maybe ah really fun night would be ah better way ta put it," Applejack interjected.
Before the group knew it they saw Canterlot through the train window. The excitement rose in everypony, including Rainbow Dash, and she couldn't help but open the windows and call out her joy at the events that were coming like the rest of her friends.
"I can hardly wait," Rainbow Dash gushed.
The train began slowing down little by little letting the group know that they were finally arriving in Canterlot. The train whistled signaling that it was entering the station. From what the group could see the whole town was decorated for Hearth's Warming. The sight was lovely.
"We're here," Twilight announced happily, "Let's go do some sightseeing and shopping before arriving at the castle. How does that sound?"
"Like the best idea ever," Pinkie Pie cheered, "Let's go!"
The group disembarked for an exciting next two days. Holidays were always fun and even the most unexpected events could occur.
To be continued…