Too Nice For Toys

by CherryrookHolloway

No Ton Like the Presents

When the yellow pegasus entered Sugarcube Corner, she saw that most of her friends were already there. Applejack, who had fake antlers attached to her hat, was eating oatmeal and chatting to Twilight at a table in the middle of the room. Spike (also with antlers) was sharing hot cocoa at the counter with Rarity, who, despite the earliness, was already dressed immaculately in an art nouveau, thick-yet-flowy fusion of ball gown, coat, and wool-furred cape. The absent Rainbow Dash was evidently still asleep.

Pinkie Pie, who had been bounding in and out of the kitchen, refilling cups of mulled wine and eggnog, and trying to convince the Cake twins that mushed-up carrot was a legitimate foodstuff (an endeavour beyond even her), was suddenly all around Fluttershy, taking her hat and scarf, parking her wagon of gifts (and bunny) next to the pre-existing piles the others had brought. Did she want mulled wine? Rarity said it was far too early for mulled wine, though. Did she want eggnog? There was plenty of that to go around, though Rarity said it was too early for that too. Fluttershy politely declined.

“Oh, right! I nearly forgot! Here ya go!”

From nowhere, Pinkie produced a ton of presents. Not a literal ton, just loads and loads. Was she going to open them now? What did she think she was goina’ get? Was Fluttershy excited? Pinkie was excited!

“Oh my, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said in the first sizeable gap in Pinkie’s nigh-perpetual patter, “you didn’t have to get me so much.”

“What? This stuff’s not from me, It’s from the Hearths’ Warmer. I can’t imagine why he left ‘em here, though - your chimney is way bigger and less complicated than here’s salmagundi of smokestacks. Whoa, try saying that a load of times real fast!”

Fluttershy stared at the stack of gifts in their gaudy paper and bright red and green ribbons. She actually had failed? The Hearths’ Warmer had still had to carry all these presents around? The pegasus sat defeated on the floor.

“Oh, and there was a card too!”

Fluttershy caught the small card Pinkie had thrown to her. She unfolded it, revealing small, cursive script. It read:

Dear Fluttershy the kind,

Although you mean well,

I really don’t mind;

Carrying presents is swell.

Although I don’t see

The joy on everypony’s face,

There’s a feeling inside me

I shall never replace.

You of all, dear Fluttershy,

Should most understand;

I don’t do it for the fame, not I -

I do it to bring happiness across the land.

P.S: I left your present here at the bakery

So not to fly so far; a compromise, you see?

Kind or Cruel, I’m the former.

Signed, yours truly, the Hearths’ Warmer.

“That last couplet is real contrived,” Pinkie said.

Fluttershy jumped, having not realised that the mare had been reading the note over her shoulder.

“Though I guess ‘Hearths’ Warmer’ doesn’t have all that many rhymes anyhow,” the pink party pony added. Then, for a moment, Pinkie froze; apart from her right back leg which quivered in midair. She grabbed Fluttershy and leapt for the floor as a bright, rainbow blur shot in, slipped in a small puddle of spilt eggnog in the middle of the floor, and slid sideways into the kitchen with a loud crash which was accompanied by two sets of complaints from the couple sleeping upstairs as well as the twins’ excited laughter. Rainbow Dash emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of spare eggnog mix dripping down her mane.

“Hey guys, the awesome has arrived! Let’s start opening presents!” She hollered.

Then, before anypony (or dragon or bunny) else could answer, a small voice piped up from near the floor, surprising the ponies who had been in on her little scheme the day before.

“Yes, please! I can barely wait!”

“A full set of rare, special crystal edition, 1:12 scale Wonderbolts action figures, with-” Dash pressed the small plastic Soarin’s cutie mark “-super posing action?! Oh, man! It’s like the Hearths’ Warmer can read minds! I’ve been wanting a set of these since-” She became aware of a round of smug grins. “I mean- uh, that is to say… oh alright! He’s real!”

Fluttershy, snug in her green cashmere sweater (from Rarity), red baseball cap which clashed with her pink mane (Rainbow Dash) and cute little hoof socks (Angel), itching to start her new Quills and Spoon romance novel (Twilight) and make a sizeable dent in her stack of pies (Applejack) and cupcakes (Pinkie Pie), joined in the laughter at Rainbow’s silliness.

“Who’s this present for?” Asked Twilight. She was standing next to a rather large, lumpy and heavy-looking present. Pinkie was instantly all over it.

“Ooh! Ooh! Me! Is it me? Please let it be me! I love presents! I mean really really love them, like almost as much as frosting! Oh my gosh, what if somepony gave me frosting as a present?! How fantadabbidoozy would that be?!”

“It’s for Fluttershy.” Twilight said, reading the tag.

“Oh, that’s cool too, ‘cuz I love it when somepony else opens a present and I get to see the massive smile grow on their face when they see what’s inside! Hay Fluttershy! Look this way while ya open it, so I can see your face- oh wait, if you look this way, you’re not gonna see what’s inside!”

“Pinkie Pie, quieten down an’ let Flutter open her present,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes.

Fluttershy flew up, took an end of ribbon in her mouth and pulled. Almost dramatically, the wrapping-paper fluttered down around its contents;

“Twenty-five eighty pound bags of carrots?”

“That’s gonna make a whole loada’ snow colts.”

Fluttershy began laughing. Not at Pinkie’s instant response to being confronted by a two-thousand pound barrage of vegetable matter, however. The bakeress had been wrong. The Hearths’ Warmer hadn’t just got her loads and loads of presents; he’d got a literal ton of them.

Author's Note:

One's first FiMfic (on here, that is). How fantastic to beginify with a Christmas- ahem, Hearths' Warming-y story.

Comments

[Avox]

This was a cute little story and I enjoyed it.

The only thing I can really say is that the chapters are a little on the short side and could have just been posted as one big chapter, but thats just me nuancing things. It was still a great story.

You've gotten an upvote, favorite, and follow from me!

[Grey_Mane]

Well, I really liked this story. It isn't usually the kind of story I favorite, but this is one exception.

[CherryrookHolloway]

3693454 Thank you for saying so, Dear Heart.

[DerpTape]

Very cute, and just the kind of ending I appreciate. Thanks