X'MAS 2015 Do it For Her: Multi-week Contest

[purplerosesbeauty]

#10. A Mix Tape of All Of Pearl's Feelings: FAILURE  

[purplerosesbeauty]

1. A Bouquet of Crystal Roses: FAILURE
Pearl wants to go big and beautiful right off the bat. "Crystal roses! It's symbolic and perfect, she'll love it." She tries to use one of those grow-your-own crystal kits to make flowers, and it ends in tears when they won't grow exactly perfectly, always a bit offcenter or not as nice as she'd like. She ends up crushing them underhoof in a dainty motion, looking back at me for ideas.

"Maybe something easier to control...?" I suggest.
2. A Vial of Bunny Tears: FAILURE
Her tears give her an idea. "What about something just as beautiful and complicated as Rose..." I stop her right there. We do not hurt the bun.

3. Glitter of Fallen Foes: SUCCESS
"Well, we need something!" she says, beginning to panic. All of her ideas have fallen through so far. "Maybe something... as sparkly as her eyes, and as grand as her hair," she sighs wistfully. Her eyes light up as she has the perfect idea. "The glitter from my rivals!"

I'm not sure what she means until she takes me to the clubs, and she carefully sweeps the floor of all the glitter. Ah... the uh. Glitter from other entertainers. I watch her carefully put it in a box. "Good work, Pearl!"
4. Sugar Stars: SUCCESS
We walk together for a bit, discussing ideas for her next treasure. Pearl insists she only wants the very best, and won't settle for less. As we pass a candy store, she bounds over. "Do you see those?" Her eyes are bright and sparkly. Pearl drags me in, and shows me these colorful candies shaped like stars. "Oh, Rose will love these," she says, as she picks out the perfect ones to put in a bag and purchase.

I notice she picks very particular colors.
5. A Cosmic Latte:FAILURE
We go to a cafe next, tired from searching for treasures. Pearl organizes the sugar cubes and hums a tune, waiting for our drinks. I order a latte and when she sees the drink she laughs. "Oh! What if I made Rose a beautiful latte, to remind her of the stars. I nod, that sounds like a lovely idea!

She fails miserably at making her lattes look anywhere near as nice as the one from the cafe, and decides to scrap the idea. "They can't all be winners, right?" she says.
6. Precious Parrot Feather: SUCCESS
"Have you ever had a parrot before, Pearl?" I ask her. She shakes her head, although she does think they are cute! Entertaining birds... something about it really resonates with her.

I show her my cockatiels, and they give her a little bird kiss. "They love you unconditionally and sometimes..." I show her some feathers that they molted. "I get a present from them! I think Rose would understand the symbolism." I nod sagely. It looks like Pearl bought my spiel.
7. Several Golden Rings: FAILURE
Pearl suddenly claims she needs to get Rose some jewelry, after seeing a TV ad which promised romance to anyone who bought their rings. I tell her I'm a bit skeptical that that is even a real thing, but I follow her. "Several rings! More than she would ever need would be just the thing to show my devotion. We could get matching ones!"

She spends hours poring over the rings at the mall kiosk. "Do you have any that would fit a very large mare? I don't think any of these will do..." She leaves the mall dejected and upset. "I don't think I'll ever get Rose the sort of gift she deserves. How can I prove myself to her...?"
8. A Wishing Necklace: SUCCESS
Pearl's heartbroken face is just one I can't abide. I pat her gingerly on the back, and tell her to wait a moment.

When I return, I offer her a wishing pearl. I explain that it's a necklace that you make a wish on, and then you get to wear it. "If Rose has your wish, it's bound to come true!"

She seems delighted by this magical item, and makes her love wish. With all her heart, to find a place by Rose's side forever. Pearl seems happy again.
9. Diamond Trinket Box: FAILURE
"Well, clearly she needs something else! Something big and strong, but beautiful and perfect... diamonds! Oh or maybe a trinket box? Oh! A box made of diamonds!" She's certain she has the solution, and even picks out the most perfect trinket box bedecked with diamonds.

I take a look at the price tag and feel my face turn white. "Uh, Pearl.... we definitely can't afford this..."
10. A Mix Tape of All Of Pearl's Feelings: FAILURE

Pearl works tirelessly to create a mix tape. "It has poetry I've written, songs I've sung, some parts are me playing the piano... there's a few regular songs too, I suppose. But they aren't as good."

This sounds promising! When I take a listen, I hear a few lovely songs about her romantic feelings for Rose, but it quickly devolves into... crying and some very personal thoughts being whispered into the microphone. This is... not very good anymore. "Pearl... this is a bad idea. Do not give this to Rose."  

[NymiiNym]

1. Homemade Dinner: SUCCESS

Hiddenite had every intention to bring Graceful Pearl to the nearby stores, but Pearl had abruptly changed her mind mid-walk. With little persuasion, Hiddenite was ushered to Pearl's house and thrust into the kitchen as the Gem clapped, turning around to lock eyes on Hiddenite.

"Why don't we start with cooking a nice dinner?" She grimaced for a second, fluttering her wings as she seemed to grab random ingredients and plop them on the counter, disregarding the need of a recipe or anything that resembled a possible meal. "I never understood why people liked consuming food, but it seems to be a fun past time." She had begun absently mumbling to herself as she grabbed at ingredients. Hiddenite was pretty sure Pearl had just bought whatever she thought looked appealing at the store instead of what would actually create an edible meal when put together.

"Oh, alright, cooking. Well, if you want to make something that tastes good – and I'm not saying you wouldn't make something good – then we should start looking up recipes online that we could make with this." Hiddenite called, head turning to gaze at the room outside of the kitchen before sheepishly smiling. "W-where is your computer, anyway?"

Pearl glanced back, giving a baffled expression. "Computer? What is that?" This was going to be a looooong evening.

2. A Locket with a Picture of Them Together: SUCCESS

Somehow, as if Hiddenite's prayers were answered, the meal was accomplished and Pearl had moved on to sitting on the couch, contemplating something. She had ignored the earlier question as to what they would do with the food until the day they were having the meal and had instead seemed to become lost in her thoughts. Finally, she sat up, letting out a soft sigh as she leaned into the couch.

"What do you give someone who has it all?" Pearl whispered absently, eyes flicked towards the ceiling. Hiddenite stood against the wall, thoughtfully rolling hair between her fingers before suddenly slipped her hand free and snapping her fingers. Aha! She had an idea!

"Do you have something you two did together? A memento, of sorts? Something that only you two did?" Pearl froze, eyes darting as she tried to remember exactly what they could have done. Suddenly, she jerked up, a bright smile on her face as she dashed into her room and returned with a locket.

"Haha! We took a picture together and I placed it in this locket!" Pearl's eyes lit up as she held the locket tenderly, placing it gently onto the coffee table. The look in her eyes reminded Hiddenite of something, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

3. An Eternal Rose: FAILURE

"Come on, we're so close!" Pearl cried out as she ran ahead of an exhausted Hiddenite. It had been Pearl's grand idea to rush off to a closed off and apparently "sacred" garden in hopes to find what she claimed was an eternal rose. Hiddenite had her doubts, mostly that such a thing existed, but Pearl hadn't given her a chance to respond, over enthusiastically rushing off.

Finally, when they reached an iron gate decorated with iron roses and lilies, Pearl stopped. She stepped aside as Hiddenite almost crashed into her, giving a well-natured laugh as Hiddenite stumbled into a stand.

Hours passed as they searched for the rose. Pearl had become obsessed, shrinking away any chance of giving up with a panicked laugh and abrupt promise they'd find it eventually. Eventually never came, and the two were chased off by the very late guard dogs. Hiddenite wouldn't forget the pained look in Pearl's eyes anytime soon.

4. Fey Wine: FAILURE

Pearl had heard of a special wine said to be produced by fey. Hiddenite had, for a little, questioned the authenticity of what Pearl claimed to have heard before she gave in and followed. Pearl wasn't having any questions; she was on a mission.

"I heard it's the most wonderful drink." She breathed out in a soft and wistful sigh. Hiddenite trailed after Pearl as she circled around the tree she had insisted had a door to the fey location. At some point Hiddenite just sat down, waiting for Pearl as the Gem hummed and prodded. It wasn't long before Pearl approached Hiddenite, shoulders slumped and eyes lowered, her mouth tight. She didn't give Hiddenite a chance to question if she was okay, instead immediately morphing her face into a determined smile.

"I suppose you were right, Hiddenite. I have a new location to check! We need to hurry!"

5. The Song of a Phoenix: FAILURE

Pearl hummed merrily as she carried a small bottle that swirled with a red mist. Hiddenite followed her, panting for breath. She had begun to wonder why she offered the woman help if it meant running around everywhere. She just thought they would go to a store and pick out a few gifts! This newest adventure had involved Pearl dragging Hiddenite to a nest and somehow enticing the large Phoenix to sing. That hadn't worked as planned, as instead it chased Hiddenite around in an absolute rage. Luckily, Pearl had enticed one of the children in the nest to sing and somehow captured the song it a bottle.

Graceful Pearl set the bottle down as they took a moment to breathe, placing the bottle on a large stone before flopping down beside it. Hiddenite made a move to follow suit, tripping over the entirely flat ground and smashing their hand into the bottle, shattering it. The sound of a faint song filled the air as the two locked eyes, both still. Both shocked. Both waiting.

A flicker of emotion went through Pearl's face that Hiddenite couldn't recognize before Pearl let out a strange and forced laugh.

"Pearl, I'm so so-"

"Oh, it's fine, really! Aha. We'll just find something to replace it. Mistakes happen!"

Hiddenite wasn't so sure Pearl really forgave her.

6. A 100 Cranes: FAILURE

Pearl had led them back home, beginning to work on grabbing various colored papers before returning to Hiddenite, who had settled on the couch. Her normal smile had returned, wings fluttering as she settled beside Hiddenite and thoughtfully held a piece of paper up, questioning if Hiddenite knew how to make a crane. Hiddenite was excited to state she did, and the two got to work.

What they didn't expect was for Hiddenite to spill her water on the cranes once finished. Pearl let out another laugh before commenting that she hadn't know a Gem so clumsy before. Hiddenite was sure she saw a distressed and pained look in Pearl's eyes before she rushed off to collect paper towels.

7. The Tears of True Love: FAILURE

Pearl had decided to take a break, which Hiddenite agreed was the best choice. They plopped a movie into the television and had settled to watch. Pearl refused the popcorn Hiddenite offered and instead settled for knitting quietly instead. The movie was slow, but Hiddenite noticed Pearl's eyes light up as the main couple slowly began to fall in-love. She also noticed Pearl give a thoughtful hum when one of the main characters healed the others wounds with their tears. Oh no.

"What if–"

"Pearl, if you're considering giving the tears of someone to her, that's a little creepy in real life..."

"Oh, right. Of course." Her face fell for a second before she seemed to land on an agreement, nodding before returning to the movie.

8. An Imbued Pearl: FAILURE

Hiddenite had decided to show Pearl a special power she had, grabbing a rock and focusing on it before handing it to Pearl. Pearl had let out a soft gasp, dropping the rock before immediately flying into apologies as she lifted it back up.

"What was that?" Pearl questioned as she set the rock on the table, wings fluttering behind her in mild excitement.

"Imbuing. I can imbue my feelings into inanimate objects. Rocks and gems take better, but I can imbue almost anything." Hiddenite chirped, smiling as Pearl immediately began asking for Hiddenite to teach her. For some reason, Pearl had a pearl on her, but Hiddenite didn't question it. She sat down, listening eagerly to the instructions before trying.

An hour passed and Hiddenite had begun to wonder if Pearl had fallen asleep. Pearl hadn't moved, holding the item firmly and just sitting. Finally, movement occurred, a single tear falling from Pearl's closed eyes before she snapped them open, rubbing at her face.

"It seems I just can't do it." Pearl whispered faintly, setting the pearl down and letting it roll across the floor before she sighed and stood. This time she didn't replace her frown with a smile, instead slipping past Hiddenite towards the door.

9. A Beautiful Rose Pendant: FAILURE

Pearl had been quite since the imbuing incident, quietly allowing Hiddenite to take the lead. They had entered a jewelry store, where Hiddenite tried to persuade Pearl to pick out a necklace for her beloved one. For a moment Hiddenite had her interested in a beautiful rose pendant, but suddenly something shifted. Pearl's eyes grew cold and she withdrew from the counter, heading out the door and quickly rushing back home. Hiddenite chased after her, frantically trying to keep pace.

"Pearl, wait! Didn't you like the pendant? Was it too much? Are you okay?" Hiddenite cried out, suddenly freezing when Pearl stopped and whirled around, tears in her eyes and wings flat against her back.

"It was fine. It just wasn't.... personal. It's just jewelry, something anyone could get her. Something he probably already gave her." Her voice shifted, a brief anger showing before she drowned it in a soft sigh.

"He? Who's he? Pearl, she'd love it, I'm sure. If it's from you she'd lo–"

"All you did was break things! I could have done this on my own, but then you–" She stopped, eyes widening as she realized exactly what she had said, a hoof flying to her mouth.

"Pearl." Hiddenite's voice dropped, shoulders slumping as she looked down, guilt washing over her. Pearl was right; Hiddenite had ruined two presents. She hadn't helped.

"No, I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean.... Hiddenite. No, you did your best. It wasn't your fault." She sat down, curling her wings around her as her head drooped. Hiddenite squirmed closer, too afraid to reach out yet. "I ruined everything. I was trying to find gifts that would outshine everyone else's. She's loved by so many, and I... She made me feel like I was everything. Now she's his everything. I lost sight of what mattered. I'm sorry. I just–" Her voice cracked, head ducking into her arms as she let out a soft sob. Hiddenite reached out, wrapping an arm around the small Flutter.

"It's okay. We'll find the perfect gift. Together. It'll be okay."

10. A Promise: SUCCESS

It took awhile for Pearl to calm down. They made it back to Pearl's home, where Pearl immediately flew into apologies once more. Hiddenite assured her it was alright, and it was. She understood loving someone so much. Loving someone you couldn't have. Loving someone more than yourself. A love so strong you forgot what was in-front of you. She knew it, and she couldn't fault Pearl for it.

They sat together for awhile in silence. Pearl was ashamed, Hiddenite felt it. She seemed to have given up, as if she had failed the woman she cared so deeply for. For awhile, Hiddenite was stumped on what to do, and then suddenly she had an idea. A gift only Pearl could give.

A promise.

Pearl had been slow to accept the idea at first. How many times did she promise her loyalty? How many promises had this woman heard? Eventually, however, she smiled, nodding faintly. No, Hiddenite was right. Only Pearl could say what she had to say. No one was Pearl.

So Pearl sat down, grabbing a pen and paper and setting to work on her promise.

Dear Rose,


I wanted to start this with a thank you for all you have done for me, and all you've done for those around you. I hope your Christmas is the best it can be and you spend it with the people you truly want to be with.

Christmas is about family and the friends you've made along the way. It is about cherishing them and presenting to them items that show your adoration. Or, that is what I believed it was. I never approached the holiday they way it should have been approached. How many years have I thrown lavish gifts at you with no feelings and no words? How many years did I just pile a plethora of gifts when all I should have done was give you things from the heart?

I want to do this Christmas right.

Rose, you are everything to me. You've given me a reason to exist. A strength I never had before. Insight. Wisdom. Courage. I've never returned the favor, and I don't think anything I'll do will ever repay the kindness you've shown me. All I can do is leave a promise that I will always be by your side, no matter what happens. No matter who comes and goes, or what occurs in the world around us. I will remain here, by your side. I will protect what is important to you eternally, whether that be the man you love or future children you may have, or even just the home you've come to know. I will defend it with all the strength my body possess', and not out of obligation. I love everything about you, from the kindness you show to the way you love everyone you meet with such sincerity and clarity.

If you wish, I have a dinner prepared and a present should you desire to stay over. I even have room for your friend partner this time.


Yours Truly,
Pearl

 

[NymiiNym]

1. Homemade Dinner: SUCCESS!  

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2. A Locket with a picture of them together: SUCCESS!  

[NymiiNym]

3. An Eternal Rose: FAILURE!  

[NymiiNym]

4. Fey Wine: FAILURE!  

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5. The Song of a Phoenix: FAILURE!  

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6. A 100 Cranes: FAILURE!  

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7. Tears of True Love: FAILURE!  

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8. An Imbued Pearl: FAILURE!  

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9. A Beautiful Rose Pendant: FAILURE!  

[NymiiNym]

10. A Promise: SUCCESS!  

[LOLLI qAq]

1. Scroll of protection (specialty shot recipe from mall restaurant): SUCCESS  

[LOLLI qAq]

2. Portable chemistry lab: SUCCESS