The Twelve Days of Hearth's Warming
“On the first day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… the Elements of Harmony.”
Twenty fifth of December
Dear Twilight,
Thank you ever so much for such a wonderful Hearth’s Warming present. I must admit, I was more than just a little surprised to find the Elements of Harmony floating out of the chest that Princess Celestia used to keep them in all those moons ago when I unwrapped the parcel you sent me. Although, I do wonder, however did you get the Elements back from the Tree of Harmony? It’s not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, or anything. No, I actually enjoyed being able to hold my Element in my hooves again. But I do hope nothing bad will happen to the Tree, like last time. I know I’m probably just being silly, but I just want to be sure that the Tree isn’t at any risk, because of this present. I know this is rude of me, but I’d like to return the Elements back to the Tree when the New Year comes. If you wouldn’t mind coming with me, that is.
Your dear friend,
Fluttershy
“On the second day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… two Wonderbolts…”
Twenty sixth of December
Dear Twilight,
What a surprise I had this morning to find Spitfire and Fleetfoot of the Wonderbolts standing at my cottage door. From what they told me, you must’ve hired them specially, for them to visit me so suddenly. I’ll confess, I was a little nervous about meeting Dash’s idols under such casual circumstances; not once did they give me a militant salute, or talk in anything less than conversational tones. We had a wonderful breakfast; I never knew Fleetfoot was such a good chef, and sat around chatting for an hour or so. I must write them both a thank you note for being so patient with me while we were talking, I’m sure they would’ve been more entertained doing whatever they would’ve had planned otherwise, if they weren’t sat listening to me going on about all my little animal friends. They may not have shown it very much, but I was sure I was being more than a little boring.
After a while, they offered to take me for a fly. As you can imagine, I was very apprehensive about flying with the Wonderbolts; everypony knows I could never replicate the Wonderbolts’ tricks or manoeuvres. But, once we got going, I was surprised to see that they were keeping pace alongside me, rather than racing ahead of me, or flying loops around me, like I thought they would. They flew at, possibly, the slowest speed a Wonderbolt has ever flown, just for my benefit. It was the most pleasant flight I’d ever had in my life. They didn’t judge me, and they didn’t make fun of me. But, they did give me some wonderful advice on how to improve my efficiency while flying, even if I’m not travelling at speeds that break the sound barrier.
Once again, Twilight, thank you so much for such a wonderful present.
Yours in friendship,
Fluttershy
“On the third day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… three blank flanks…”
Twenty seventh of December
Dear Twilight,
You do come up with the most wonderful ideas for gifts. I was delighted to wake up to the sound of the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing outside my cottage singing Hearth’s Warming carols. Sweetie Belle’s singing has improved ever so much, as of late. Hopefully, she’ll realise just how good she is at it, and she’ll finally earn her cutie mark. After they were finished singing, I invited them all in for some hot cocoa and biscuits. We had a lovely morning together, and they brought me some lovely little hoof made cards they put together. They really are a trio of sweet little angels, those fillies. I really enjoyed the company today, and I have you to thank for it, Twilight. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Friends forever,
Fluttershy
“On the fourth day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… four Alicorns…”
Twenty eighth of December
Dearest Twilight,
Thank you ever so much for visiting me today. And thank you, also, for bringing along Princesses Cadance, Celestia and Luna with you. I’m sorry for the way I behaved at the start of the visit, but to have the Four Pony Princesses of Equestria standing on your doorstep, asking to come to tea is a little bit overwhelming. But, thanks to my many experiences with the princesses over the years, I’ve come to know that the princesses are very relaxed ponies, and are just as capable as any other pony to conduct themselves in a casual manner for quiet little tea parties, like mine, so that helped my put my mind at ease. I really enjoyed talking to Celestia and Luna about my work, taking care of all the little woodland critters, and I had a wonderful time talking to Princess Cadance. Although, some of her questions were a tiny bit, um… personal, I guess. But, she is the Princess of Love, so I suppose it’s only natural for her to be curious about those sorts of things, in all fairness. Anyway, thank you for the wonderful afternoon, Twilight. I’m so lucky to have you as a friend.
Yours,
Fluttershy
“On the fifth day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… five Mare Do Wells…”
Twenty ninth of December
Wow, Twilight,
When you told me to look out for a “super present” today, I never would’ve expected what greeted me at my door this morning. I could hardly believe my eyes this morning to find five ponies dressed in those funny super hero costumes Rarity made when we all pretended to be Mare Do Well. Just as I was about to ask them what they were doing at my cottage, they silently went about doing all my chores for me. One of the unicorn Mare Do Wells took it upon herself to dust all my bookshelves and countertops, even going so far as to remove all my books and possessions from the shelves to dust where they once sat before placing them all back in the exact same place she found them. Her golden magical aura was so beautiful as it moved her feather duster through my living room. At one point during the day, I found an Earth pony Mare Do Well taking care of Angel Bunny. She had made him a delicious looking salad, and was giving him a wonderful massage. His little paw was thumping on the ground at such a pace, I thought he was going to jackhammer a hole in my floor. Honestly, the present you sent me today was just lovely, Twilight. Those mares didn’t need to give up their day just to do some housekeeping for me, but they were so very sweet to do so anyway.
Yours ever,
Fluttershy
“On the sixth day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… six Sonic Rainbooms…”
Thirtieth of December
My dearest Twilight
I cannot describe to you the wonder I experienced outside my window today. Rainbow Dash woke me this morning with a knock at my bedroom window, telling me she had a special delivery from you. When I asked her what it was, as she didn’t appear to be holding any packages, she told me it was something much more valuable than any material object. I’m guessing those were your words, more than her own, as Rainbow Dash would never say something that adorable unless it was a really special request. Before I could so much as open my mouth to ask her what she meant, she flew off into the clouds and, seconds later, began a chain reaction of her trademark Sonic Rainboom manoeuvre. By my count, she performed the Sonic Rainboom six consecutive times in the space of one minute flat. I must’ve been stood at my window gawking like a loony for ages, because Rainbow had to physically shake me out of my reverie from the spectacular performance she gave me. When I finally managed to regain control of my vocal chords, I asked Rainbow how she had achieved such a sight. She told me that you have been giving her a rather different training regime to what she normally does at the Wonderbolts Academy. I can’t believe you managed to find a way for Rainbow to perform her Sonic Rainboom so many times consecutively without seriously injuring herself. I dread to think of any potential accidents she had during practice sessions. Nonetheless, the sight was awe-inspiring, and I’m sure I’ll remember this day for as long as I live.
With many thanks
Fluttershy
“On the seventh day of hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… seven cups of cider…”
Thirty-first of December
Dear Twilight,
I don’t know if this is the alcohol talking or not, but you are wonderful. Applejack came by this afternoon with a keg of cider which, from what she told me, was specifically requested by you from her family’s special cider store just for me. AJ told me that this particular cider she brought to my cottage was an Apple family vintage; dating back to the founding of Ponyville. If my drunken memory serves me well, I believe Ponyville was founded about sixty five years ago, so you can imagine my surprise at the knowledge that the Apple family decided to start making ciders for maturing all those years ago. And I must tell you, it was wonderful. As you and the rest of the girls are well aware, I’m not much of a drinker. I still have bad memories of that Hearth’s Warming party we had where I drank just one of Pinkie Pie’s low-alcohol alcopops, and ended up staggering around on the dancefloor with a curtain draped around my shoulders, shouting “Never fear, Mare Do Well is here”.
But, I will confess, Applejack’s special vintage cider is, without question, the most delectable thing I have ever tasted. I can’t imagine AJ would’ve done what she did purely out of good will and charity; I’d be more than willing to spend half my life savings on just a single shot of this nectar. After my first cup, I almost necked the next two, but Applejack warned me about how quickly it would affect me, so I still have four and a half cups of her cider in my fridge, ready to enjoy at my leisure later. Thank you so much for the delicious present, I never would’ve thought that I, of all ponies, would enjoy a hard alcoholic drink like that in forever.
I just hope my over exuberance with the cider earlier doesn’t give me too bad a hangover in the morning.
With drunken love,
Fluttershy
“On the eighth day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… eight muffins for munching…”
First of January
Dear Twilight,
First off, I’d like to wish you a happy new year. I know the postal service doesn’t run on New Year’s Day, but Derpy promised me to hoof deliver this letter to you in pony earlier today. I’ll be sure to ask Crafty Crate to give her a small bonus for her kindness. Speaking of, Derpy told me you requested her to bring me another one of your lovely presents. She and her niece, Dinky, had baked me eight beautiful muffins, each one around the same size as a pony’s head. She told me she had rather specific instructions from you, regarding the specifics of these muffins. I cannot believe you know my favourite muffin flavour to such intimate, if not invasive and slightly stalker-ish, detail. Chocolate chip cookie dough muffins with homemade chocolate ganache icing; just the way I like them. Derpy told me, with more pride than I’ve ever seen in her, that she and Dinky made them especially for me, at your request. I don’t know how you commissioned her to do this, but she seemed to be happier than I’ve ever seen her; the poor dear was bullied something awful at Flight camp as a filly – worse so than I was.
The gift was very generous of you, Twilight, but I must confess, I did struggle to eat even just one of the muffins, so I enlisted Derpy and Dinky to help me eat one. I’ll make sure to eat the other seven over the coming days, however, and I really do appreciate the thought of this gift. But, for now, I think I’m going to go to bed and sleep off my rather hefty lunch.
Yours in friendship,
Fluttershy
“On the ninth day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… nine precious gemstones…”
Second of January
Dear Twilight,
As I write this letter, my muzzle is still hanging open as wide as a tunnel on the Friendship Express railway line. Today, I was presented with a box containing nine of the most precious gemstones in Equestria; each one, by my limited knowledge of gem cut, must be at least one hundred carat each. The lavender Taafeite in the set was just beautiful, and I couldn’t help but think of you when I saw it. The black opal was probably just as dazzling, and the way it sparkled in the sunshine reminded me of that day Rainbow performed six consecutive Sonic Rainbooms for me. The Benitoite was probably one of the biggest surprises to me. I’ve never heard of a Benitoite gemstone over the weight of a single carat before, but here in this box lies a specimen of one hundred carat right in front of my eyes. But the Red Beryl… I don’t know why, but I almost fainted at the sight of it. I’m really sorry, Twilight, but I almost thought you had sent me the Alicorn Amulet in that box. When I realised what it was, I spent about two hours under a freezing cold shower, trying to get my wings to go soft. The Alexandrite stone was incredible, too. It matches my coat flawlessly. I’m sure I could have that on a necklace, and I would be the talk of Canterlot. Oh, um… n-not that I’d really go for that sort of thing, of course. I’ll leave the glamourous lifestyle to Rarity. I have no idea how you ever sourced imperial jadeite in such a fine cut, but it was so exquisite, sitting there in its little box. The Musgravite was breath taking, too. I’ve heard there are only a few acres the stone can be mined from, out in Horsetralia. How could you afford just one of these gems, let alone the complete collection?
But the last two stones; the Painite and… I still can’t believe I’m going to write this… Pink… Star… Diamond. Twilight… there have only been one or two specimens of these gemstones ever discovered. How in the wide, wide realm of Equestria did you ever manage to source these gems? To find such gemstones, and at such immaculate cut and weight, it would take years – lifetimes, even – to find such treasures. And the workload required to find these gems… it would be considered worse than any war crime to expect any pony, even a taskforce of hundreds, to try mining these stones. The only taskforce that would be expendable enough to mine these gems would be… slaves. I know I’m just being silly, Twilight. I know you’d never drive slaves in order to find these stones, particularly for a silly filly like me. But, I’ve been wondering – for quite some time actually – why are you doing this? What possible reason could you have for sending me all these wonderful presents? Not that I’m complaining, mind, but… well, you know as well as anypony that I’m not used to getting all this kind of treatment, least of all from a princess, albeit a princess I’ve known and been friends with long before she ever earned such a title.
I hope to find out what all this is about someday, but I won’t push you for answers if you don’t feel ready to tell me just yet.
With love,
Fluttershy
“On the tenth day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… Ten-tacle ponies…”
Third of January
Wow, Twilight,
I never knew you discovered a new race of ponies. When did this happen? This morning, when I answered a knock at my door, I almost screamed at the sight of ten ponies with tentacles for hair in their manes and tails. At first, I thought they were creatures from the Everfree Forest, like the ones in some of Rainbow Dash’s Neighsian movies. But, once I calmed myself down, I found out that they are wonderful ponies. There was a rather beautiful mare called Octipuss, who was a really friendly pony. She loved cuddles, but I caught her once or twice looking at me with a rather… suggestive look. I really enjoyed learning about their culture. And some of the cutie marks they have are just incredible. They can get cutie marks that look like sea creatures, sea shells… there’s even a filly named Cheeky Blush who has a cutie mark that looks like… well, underwear. That one made me blush a bit, I can tell you. She also asked me quite a few… intimate questions. She told me her special talent was to do with match making, but I don’t understand why she was so interested to know about… well, I won’t bore you with the details of what she asked me. Besides, it’s still a little embarrassing right now. Thank you for the wonderful surprise, as ever, Twilight.
Forever friends,
Fluttershy
“On the eleventh day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… eleven fancy dresses…”
Fourth of January
Dear Twilight,
This generosity you’ve been showing me since Hearth’s Warming has been so very nice, but now I simply must voice my curiosity as to what in Equestria has brought this on. Today, Rarity came to my cottage with the most wonderful array of dresses, each one hoof made from some of the rarest and most wonderful fabrics in Equestria – some of them even sourced from outside of Equestria, so she told me. The dresses are lovely, they really are, Twilight. But I just don’t know if I feel comfortable any more accepting these presents from you. At first, they were sweet and thoughtful, but now they seem to be costing a fortune –not that I’m saying the thoughtfulness or sentimental value of these gifts has suffered as a result of this, however. I really love all of these presents, Twilight. But I think I’d like it if you and I could meet up sometime and we can talk about what’s made you start doing this, all of a sudden.
Fluttershy
“On the twelfth day of Hearth’s Warming, my little pony sent to me… twelve pony plushies…”
Fifth of January
Twilight,
Thank you very much for the twelve plushies you sent round today. I love them all. It really made me smile to see six plushie dolls of me, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and yourself, and I loved the toy princesses you sent me too. And the additions of Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Derpy were a nice little touch, as they did help you send all the presents you prepared for me these past twelve days. But I really think you and I should have a chat, Twilight. I’ll be at the Palace of Friendship at sunset. See you soon.
Until later,
Fluttershy
“Twelve pony plushies
Eleven fancy dresses
Ten-tacle ponies
Nine precious gemstones
Eight muffins for munching
Seven cups of cider
Six Sonic Rainbooms
Five Mare Do Wells
Four Alicorns
Three blank flanks
Two Wonderbolts
And the Elements of Harmony”
Twilight sat in the hallway of the Palace of Friendship, reading over Fluttershy’s last letter for the umpteenth time in the last hour. The sun was now beginning to pass over the mountain peaks on the outskirts of Ponyville, and Fluttershy was due to visit her any time soon. Her heart pounded inside her chest in anticipation and trepidation for what Fluttershy would have to say to her. Judging by the wording of her last letter, Twilight wondered if she had possibly gone a little overboard with the presents she’d sent her. The yellow Pegasus had never been too keen on receiving masses of attention, even from just one pony giving her a gift for no apparent reason, and Twilight feared that she may have made her friend extremely uncomfortable with all her presents.
The Alicorn placed a hoof to her chest and took a deep breath before exhaling just as deeply when she pushed her hoof away to point into the air. She felt the tension in her muscles ebb away into nothingness as she regained her senses and calmed herself down.
Her peace of mind persisted for all of five seconds before a quiet tapping on the large crystal doors to the palace sent a cold shiver through her spine. The knocking wasn’t sudden or abrupt, but it was enough to make Twilight yelp in horror at the thought of the pony responsible for the knock. Twilight’s muscles froze in terror, her heart all but seizing in her chest as she battled internally over what to do. She didn’t want to see Fluttershy right now. Hay, she could probably go the entirety of the new year without ever seeing Fluttershy at all, and she’d be OK. Or, at least, she could tell herself she was OK. But that wouldn’t be fair – on herself, Fluttershy, or any of her other friends. The others would certainly be suspicious if she were to suddenly start avoiding Fluttershy like the plague. And they would start asking questions – she knew they would. It was easier to just calm herself down and talk this out with her friend like a grown mare. She reached out with her magic and pulled the palace doors open for Fluttershy to enter. The shy Pegasus slowly crept inside, looking twice as nervous as Twilight felt. The two mares stood awkwardly opposite each other, pawing at the crystal floor uncertainly.
“Um… hello Twilight,” Fluttershy whispered, her voice trembling with nerves as she pointedly avoided eye contact with the Alicorn. Twilight offered a similar greeting with as much enthusiasm, and the two returned to waiting for the other to speak in silence.
“I’m, uh, sorry if all the presents I sent you made you feel… uncomfortable, Fluttershy,” Twilight squeaked, her voice barely audible as she toyed at the corner of a rug beneath her hooves.
“No, it’s alright, Twilight,” Fluttershy assured her friend. “It’s just… I just…. I, um… I’m just curious as to why you went through all this trouble just for me. I mean, I’m nothing special.” Fluttershy turned her head away to hide her blushing cheeks and sombre face from the Alicorn. Twilight fixed the shy mare with a look on her face like she had just said that Rarity was cage fighter from Trottingham.
“Nothing special?” she repeated. “Nothing special? Fluttershy, that’s a load of horseapples, and you know it is. I have never met a mare more kind and caring than you in all my life. There is nopony, and I mean no pony, who could rival you in any way, shape or form, Fluttershy. You’re sweet, caring, generous, and I have to say I think you are the most beautiful pony I’ve ever met.” Fluttershy stood frozen to her place, a look of shock and awe glued to her features. Twilight bit her lip and a blush smeared itself across her muzzle as she worked her mouth silently for the words she desperately wanted to say. “I… I guess I’m trying to say that I… I-I love you, Fluttershy.” The Pegasus squeaked, and her wings flew open with a loud *Fwoomph*. The two ponies stood in terrified silence; one pony fearing she had broken her most easily scared friend, and the other panicking over how to react to a confession like this.
“I’m sorry.” Twilight’s shoulders slumped as she fell back on her haunches, eyes brimming with tears at the thought of Fluttershy now rejecting her and running away from her every time they saw each other. She had hoped that by sending her all these presents, she would manage to soften the blow when it came to confessing her feelings to the bashful pony. Now, she may have just ruined her friendship with the most wonderful pony she had ever met. A yellow hoof cupped her chin and gently coaxed her head to look up, making her eyes meet a pair of teal orbs that seemed to be swimming in tears, too. But Fluttershy’s face wasn’t one of fear or anxiety. It was one of happiness.
“Twilight,” Fluttershy started, her smile unfaltering. “That is the most wonderful thing anypony has ever said to me.”
With that said, the Pegasus pony closed the gap between them and gently pressed her lips to Twilight’s. The Alicorn’s wings extended in surprise, but after recovering from the initial shock, Twilight allowed herself to melt into the kiss, wrapping a hoof around Fluttershy’s withers to deepen their embrace.
Author's Note
Happy Hearth's Warming, everypony
