*One week later*

Rainbow Dash's POV

A blizzard had struck Equestria the same evening we were let out on school vacation. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to see much of Fluttershy because she took off to the Crystal Empire that very day to spend it with her family – but daily video calls were set into stone for us. The storm dwindled since the storm. The entire town of Ponyville was blanketed by a large sheet of snow.

The trees across the town were bare, stripped of their lovely green leaves. Every building in every block was decorated bottom to top with Christmas décor and lighting. Street lamps across the town were garnished with wreaths and plastic candy canes. Children and teens alike were outside in the cold building snowmen near the sidewalk.

I was rushing and pushing myself through hoards of people. Of course, I should have seriously planned this out instead of procrastinating... I was right smack in the center of the chaos that was the holiday season. Today was Hearth's Warming Eve... Also known as Christmas. The lower region I lived in referred to Christmas as Hearth's Warming Eve due to some historical event that happened hundreds of years ago. The strange thing was that this holiday event would last until the new year. Not that I would be complaining – tonight is all about presents!

Soon enough I made it onto the next train to the Crystal Empire. Fluttershy had no clue I was going to see her tonight, so hopefully that will make up for my somewhat crappy present I made for her. After finding an unoccupied window seat, I set down my luggage beside me, and laid my homemade gift on the table in front of me: a box of hand written love letters dating back to the night we began dating. I never once dared to show her these. These letters were sealed with red wax, and the first initial of my name. Also, inside the box was a multitude of Polaroids of us together.

I sighed happily and leaned back into the seat. I stared out the window. Several people stood, saying their farewell's to family members or friends as they boarded the train.

"Last call for the Crystal Empire!" The train conductor called out loudly. The last of the people boarded the train. About a minute after more people got on, the train slowly took off away from the train station. I popped in my earphones and put my music on shuffle. Before I was even able to press the play button, a girl I instantly recognized took a seat in front of me.

"Going to see family?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"No... I just got invited to a Hearth's Warming Eve gathering that Fancy Pants is hosting. This weather is simply dreadful," Rarity replied with a huff, setting down her black trench coat onto her lap. Her flawless purple hair was draped to the side. She wore a white dress shirt that was tucked in neatly inside a black, knee high black leather skirt. She removed her red framed glasses and placed them inside her purse. "What about you, darling?"

"Just heading over to see Fluttershy for the holidays. Going to be staying there until the new year," I responded to her. She was strangely quiet.

"We're... In a rocky state, at the moment," Rarity stated emotionlessly. She was staring out the window, chewing on her lower lip. She hadn't even applied lipstick.

"You and your family?"

"No... Jackie and I." I stared back at her in disbelief. She dabbed at the corner of her eyes, "I knew I would wind up crying... Thank the Heavens for waterproof mascara..."

"What's been happening between you two lately?" She straightened up at the question, and shifted in her seat, the entire time staring out the window. Beyond the window was blurs of white, blues, and grays.

"We've been... Seeing each other for a couple months before I came clean about it to Spikey. I admit, what I did was horrid, and I should not have even committed such an act in the first place... After the confrontation I had with Spike about the ordeal, Applejack has been... off. It almost seems like she was only in it for the thrill of not getting caught," Rarity said quietly. I sat there, listening. She sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

"We were on decent terms after that. In fact, we continued our relationship. We remained discreet because I didn't want Spike to feel, in any way, uncomfortable. Applejack was upset, but she understood. Things were going... smoothly. Almost perfect. Occasionally, she would have her moments when she would snap at me for no particular reason. Perhaps there was a reason, I was just too hurt to see it. Before I got on this train, she desperately tried to make me stay –"

"You do realize how she feels about Fancy Pants, don't you?" I asked her. Rarity looked over at me and set her gaze down onto the table, defeated. "After that incident a few years back when he dissed your clothing line, AJ never took a liking to him. She knows he only said that because of his wife, but she knew it hurt you, considering how much you looked up to him... Well... In both ways."

Rarity slapped my arm, her face flushing the brightest shade of red I had ever seen, "Y-Yes, there was a time when Fancy Pants and I were seeing each other – but keep in mind this was before Spike and I began dating, and he and Fleur de Lis were broken up at the time being."

"Want to tell me again why you think AJ was trying to get you stay behind in Ponyville?" I questioned her with a sarcastic look in my eyes. She stared back flustered. Rarity sighed out, and rested her head on the table.

"I'm incredibly blind." I laughed at her.

"Ya think? Now, I don't want to jinx anything, but I'm pretty damn sure you're going to want to get the next train back to Ponyville, or else all Hell will freeze over," I said with a smirk. Her head remained on the table, her arms folded.

"I was fifteen, and that man was twenty-four. It's so absurd. Ugh," she sat up and shuddered to herself. "That was three years ago. And honestly, quite the largest regret. How could Applejack possibly still be so upset by it?"

"In case you didn't know, AJ has the mind of a steel trap. She rarely forgets a thing, and she tends to hold grudges. Not exactly the healthiest thing to do, but... That's your girlfriend, for ya..." I said to her bluntly. She nodded her head and brushed strands of her purple hair away from her face. We smiled at each other. The rest of the trip to the Crystal Empire was spent chatting away with each other.

-

"... Welcome to the Crystal Empire! We hope your ride to the enchanted city was nice and wholesome. Be sure to pick up any belongings you may accidentally leave behind," the train conductor said loudly. Rarity and I pulled our sweaters on and grabbed our luggage before walking out onto the train platform. Just outside was an all too familiar man sitting on a nearby bench reading a newspaper. Rarity gasped, and clutched onto my arm.

The man put down his paper and looked over at us with a broad, yet humble smile, "Ah! Rarity Gem, and Rainbow Dash. Pleasure to see you both." His light blue hair was styled back neatly. His handlebar moustache and goatee were nicely trimmed and styled to perfection. He wore his usual proper attire – a black and white tuxedo with his signature lavender bow tie. His monocle sat neatly in front of his right eye.

Rarity nervously laughed beside me, "Why, it is such a pleasure to see you again as well, Fancy Pants. I, um –"

"No time. The event begins quite soon..." He eyed Rarity and grinned. "Might I add, you look absolutely stunning this evening."

"Oh! Thank you, I appreciate your kindness –"

"Modest as always! Rarity, you truly are a gem," He chuckled to himself. Rarity backed away nervously, and grabbed my forearm. This guy was seriously getting on my nerves.

"Sorry to interrupt this exchange, but we kind of have somewhere to be," I stated bluntly looking directly at Fancy Pants. He cocked his head to the side... and laughed.

"Of course you have somewhere to be. Follow me. I have a limo waiting for us – well... Except you, Miss Dash," he returned his gaze to Rarity. Wasn't this guy tied down? Guess not. He attempted to reach out for her hand, until Rarity pried away from him.

"Fancy Pants! I have had quite enough with your antics. I cannot come to your event, despite how grand it may be. I have someone important waiting for me back home – my girlfriend!" She cried out. He looked at her with wide eyes. Before he could say something, Rarity continued, "I don't appreciate the advances you're trying to make with me. You're a married man. I only decided to come out of politeness... Clearly, I've made a mistake."

I was left speechless until Rarity grabbed my hand, and led me away from the train station, leaving Fancy Pants behind in a daze. Once we were outside, Rarity threw her arms around me, dropping her things in the snow below us. I laughed at her and returned her hug tightly. She giggled, "I can't believe I just did that!"

"Yeah, I'm pretty surprised... But I'm also proud of you," I replied to her, letting her go. She picked up her bags and held them as we waited for a taxi to take us into the city. From where we stood, we were able to see the grand entrance of the Crystal Empire. Two giant purple pillars stood parallel to each other. Beside the pillars were two flagpoles, at the top of each of them were the Crystal Empire's national flag – a lavender colored flag with a brilliant snowflake in the center. A long road stretched out to the beautiful city from the two pillars. Snowflakes fell from the sky, landing all around us beautifully. From the distance we were in, the giant crystal-like castle stood tall and mighty in the center of the city – a historical landmark dating back thousands of years ago.

After hailing a taxi, our drive to the city was quiet, but rather quick. Rows after rows of fancy homes went on, the longer we drove. Closer to the heart of the city, were large buildings – hotels, restaurants, stores, and so on. When I arrived at my stop in front of the hotel Fluttershy and her family were staying at, I looked over at Rarity only to see her glued onto the backseat with a smile.

"I only came to make sure you arrived safely. I'm heading back to the station to get the next train ride home. Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Rainbow," she said to me with a small wave. I nodded at her with a smile and closed the door behind me. After the taxi drove back the way it came, I looked up at the large hotel they were staying at. The building itself was also a mixture of lavender and aqua colors like the rest of the buildings around. The castle itself was now closer and was the only structure in the city with a silver color scheme.

I walked into the lobby of the hotel and asked the receptionist what room number the Forrest family was staying in. The woman politely gave me the room number and I soon walked over to the elevators and pressed the button to the sixth floor of the hotel. Soon enough, I arrived, clutching onto my belongings tightly and walked down the carpeted hallway down to room 613. I knocked on the ebony door loudly a few times. There was silence until the door to the room itself opened up.

"Who is – oh my gosh." Fluttershy stared at me with a large smile before throwing her arms around my neck and holding me tightly. I returned her hug and gave her a few kisses on the side of her head until I pulled away from her. "I can't believe you came. I didn't think you would."

"For you, I'm pretty damn sure I'll do anything," I replied sweetly before she helped me move my things into the hotel room. It was surprisingly a small room for her and her family – it only contained one queen sized bed, and a pullout couch. To my surprise, her mother and her siblings were nowhere to be seen. She put down my bags on a table in front of the large window of the hotel room. The curtains were wide open, giving us a stellar view of the wonderful city in front of us.

Fluttershy looked over to me with a smile. Her beautiful pink hair was flowing down flawlessly like a waterfall. She was wearing her green pajama pants, plain white socks, and a white tank top. She reached over to grab the blue hoodie that once belonged to me. I locked the door behind me and walked over to her. We gave each other a peck on the lips before I once again held her in my arms.

"Where's your mom and the kids?" I asked her quietly. She looked over at me and kissed me on the nose.

"My mom insisted she get me another room for me close by. She's just next door with Angel and Featherweight... Though right now, the kids are alone in the room. She went to meet up with Discord somewhere in the city," she said to me, her smile faltering a bit. "I was right. He's my biological father."

"Wow... I know it's a lot to take in... But at least you've been getting along with him so well since you moved to Ponyville," I said jokingly. She shook her head at me and chuckled. She hopped onto her bed and laid down on the white bedsheets. I followed her movements and lay down perfectly beside her. I held her in my arms tightly. She rested her head on my chest, and rested her leg over mine. She wrapped her arm around my waist and sighed happily.

-

Midnight finally arrived and it was officially the night to open up our presents. We were now inside her mother's hotel room surrounded by several gifts inside the shelves of where the television sat. Her mother handed us gifts. Angel sat on his mom's lap wearing a red Santa hat.

"Next present is for... Rainbow!" Her mom smiled at me, and handed me a small, rectangular box wrapped up in striped wrapping paper. I eagerly ripped apart the packaging and found myself staring at a picture frame of the Forrest family with me included. I smiled widely and thanked her mom for the thoughtful gift.

Pretty soon, all of us had opened up our gifts. Angel mostly got toys, Featherweight was gifted with photography related items, Fluttershy was given a stuffed animal of her favorite animal, and her mom was mostly gifted with candy – something she actually enjoyed.

"At around 12:30, the Crystal Empire is going to have a firework show for the whole city to see for Hearth's Warming Eve. We have five minutes," Featherweight said to us. Fluttershy pulled me away to go back into our hotel room. We were comfortably sitting down in front of the window, with Fluttershy on my lap. I held her closely, just staring out of the now open window in front of us. The sound of cars rushing by the streets filled the atmosphere. A cold breeze made its way around the room. Fluttershy leaned her head against mine, and soon we heard the familiar noise of a high pitched whistle from outside.

We both watching expectantly as multicolored fireworks blasted into the night sky, raining down on the city. Faint cheers were heard from the ground around us. Fluttershy stared in awe at the show in front of her. I looked over at her. She was in a trance. The reflection of the fireworks were in her eyes the longer I looked over at her. I smiled to myself.

"I'm so lucky," I said to myself in a hush. She looked over at me with a grin. I blushed instantly. Damn it.

"How come?" She asked me.

"I'm just... Lucky to have you... Speaking of which..." I picked her up and set her back down on the chair we were sharing. All the while I was getting her present from my bag, the fireworks served as background noise for us – popping and exploding vibrantly from the night sky. I walked back over to her and presented the plain brown box in a flourish. She eyed me suspicioiusly before opening up the box.

It took her a while to finish reading the letters, and looking at the photographs, but when she did, she instantly wrapped me up in her arms tightly. She had begun crying. I held her as tightly as possible and kissed her shoulder softly, "Thank you so much... I love it, Dashie."

"No problem, Flutters... I hope it wasn't too cheesy," I chuckled nervously and scratched the back of my head. She giggled and pecked me on the cheek. Finally, the fireworks outside reached a halt – the final firework blowing up outside in a rainbow color, as we both shared our final kiss of the evening.

Best. Hearth's Warming Eve. Ever.