Gift of the Raspberry Lemon
"And…done!" Raspberry said, signing a Hearth's Warming card. "Envelope me!"
Lemon Drop levitated a red envelope over to her and used his magic to slide the card inside. Raspberry licked the flap before he sealed it.
"To Rainbow Dash and Soarin," Lemon Drop murmured as he wrote down the address on the envelope, peering at an open book in front of him.
"You think the card will make it past enemy lines to Afghanisteed?" Raspberry asked him.
"We'll have to pay a slightly expensive postage fee," Lemon Drop said, selecting a stamp with a wreath on it, "but it should make it to your aunt and uncle."
The two young sweethearts were in Lemon Drop's bedroom. The filly lay on her belly on the floor, surrounded by construction paper, glitter and markers, while the colt sat on his bed with a stack of red envelopes, an address book, a book of stamps, and a long sheet of paper.
"Thanks for helping me with my Hearth's Warming cards, Lemony," Raspberry said. "There are so many ponies in town, and so many ponies I know currently out of town, that it takes forever to make a card for each and every one of them."
"It's no problem, Razz," he said, licking the stamp and sticking it to the envelope. "I've got a whole lot of holiday stamps to spare. And I think it's real sweet of you to make a card for every single pony in Ponyville."
"Yeah, well," she said, smiling bashfully, "I just like to spread that holiday cheer. So who's next on our list?"
Lemon Drop magically lifted the long sheet of paper up to his eyes. "Princess Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry." He lowered the paper. "Uh…how come you didn't write 'Prince Flash Sentry?' I mean he's a prince now, right? Since he married a princess?"
"Eh," Raspberry said with a shrug, folding a red piece of paper in half. "That guy's gotta do more than get married to be a prince in my book." She tapped her green glitter pen against her temple. "Let's see. Those two'll be having that baby soon, so…aha!"
She started writing inside the card:
"As the year rolls out, and another rolls in,
Blessings to the new life within.
May your baby be warm in your belly,
And hope her diapers won't be smelly.
Happy Hearth's Warming to your soon-to-be-born babe!"
Lemon Drop chuckled. "How do you come up with this stuff?"
"Just comes to me," Raspberry said, signing her name. "So, any holiday plans?"
"My moms and I are going to Manehattan. Even though we don't live there anymore, we'd still like to keep our holiday traditions: ice skating, attending the Manehattan Tree Lighting ceremony, and then there's the big New Year's bash that we never miss!"
"Sounds like fun, even if you won't be around for the holidays." After using construction paper to make an image of a baby in a gift box, she said, "Envelope me!"
As Lemon Drop took the envelope from the top of the stack, the stack suddenly tipped over, the envelopes scattering all over the floor.
"Oops," he said.
"Let me help," Raspberry said, reaching for an envelope.
"That's okay, I've got it."
Raspberry watched in awe as Lemon Drop used his magic to swiftly levitate the envelopes off the floor and form them into a tower, all within a matter of seconds.
"Wow," she whispered as Lemon Drop placed her card in an envelope. Licking the flap, she said, "You're almost as organized as Auntie Twilight. I mean just look at your room!"
She gestured to the bed, its covers tucked tightly under the mattress. Then she glanced at the bookshelf, in which the books were organized by size—the tall books on the top and the small ones on the bottom—and alphabetized.
"Even Swiss and Gouda's cage is spick and span!" Raspberry said, pointing to the white mice. "It's like they don't poop at all!"
"Oh," Lemon Drop said with a blush. "It's no big deal." He searched the address book for Princess Twilight. "I just…like to keep things neat and tidy."
"Yeah," Raspberry said, standing up and walking over to his dresser. On it were framed photographs, lined neatly in three rows, organized from shortest to tallest from front to back. "But I like that about you. I mean you should see my room. Blueberry might be organized too, but with all three of us sharing it, it's always a total…mess."
She trailed off when a particular photograph caught her attention. In the background was a statue of a lady Raspberry recognized to be from Manehattan. A family of three unicorns stood leaning against the rail of a boat in front of it. In the middle was a small yellow colt with white hair and brown eyes who looked to be around five years old.
He was held by a mare and a stallion. The mare shared the colt's yellow coat, and had a curly blue mane and tail and red violet eyes. Her cutie mark was three hearts circling each other, one green and two blue. The stallion's mane matched the colt's. He was brown with bright blue eyes and a cutie mark of four octagonal emeralds.
Raspberry easily recognized the colt as Lemon Drop, but she had never seen the stallion and mare before.
"Hey, Lemony?" Raspberry called, pointing to the photograph. "Who are these folks?"
Lemon Drop turned to her. The second he saw what she was indicating, his face grew solemn.
"Oh," he said, lowering his head. "Those are…my parents."
Surprised, Raspberry spun towards him. "Your parents?"
"My birth parents, anyway," he said, levitating a stamp from his book.
Raspberry glanced between the happy colt in the picture and the sad colt on the bed. "You know, in the hundred and thirteen days we've been dating, I don't think you've ever once mentioned your birth parents."
"Really?" Lemon Drop rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I guess…I guess I just…"
He trailed off, unsure of how to continue. With a sympathetic smile, Raspberry sat down beside him on the bed.
"What were they like?" she asked.
After locking eyes with her a moment, he sighed. "Great. I didn't have them for very long, but they were great."
Using his magic, he levitated the photograph onto his lap. "My dad, Rare Find, was an antique dealer. He liked to collect really old stuff."
"Like you like to collect stamps!" Raspberry exclaimed, pointing at the stallion in the picture. "Plus he has your mane!"
That made him crack a smile. "Instead of telling me regular bedtime stories, he would bring one of his latest finds into my room and tell me the history behind it. One time, he brought in a diamond that had some sort of curse on it. Everyone who'd ever owned it had died in some horrible way." He chuckled. "Mom got mad at him for trying to scare me."
"And your mom?" Raspberry asked, scooting closer. "What was she like?"
"Her name was Lemon Hearts," he said, staring wistfully at the mare in the photo. "She was an event planner. Used to work in the Canterlot Palace before she and Dad moved to Manehattan. She planned all sorts of things: birthday parties, weddings, baby showers…"
"She organized things," Raspberry said. "Like you organize your room. Plus, your coats match!"
Lemon Drop giggled. "She was kind of like your mom, only less…hyper. She told me she went to school with Princess Twilight, but I never really got to meet her before…"
His smile suddenly turned upside-down. Matching his frown, Raspberry laid her hoof over his.
"If…you don't mind talking about it…what…happened to them?"
Hugging the picture close to his chest, he muttered, "They took a cab, and it was raining hard. I was six."
Raspberry lowered her head. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he said, setting the picture down. "I wasn't in the orphanage for very long. See, Mom and Mommy Lyra were friends at school, so she and Mommy Bon-Bon would visit our apartment often. After the accident, they started writing to me, saying that if I ever needed some pony to talk to, they were there."
Glancing around, as if to see if any pony was watching, Lemon Drop used his magic to pick up a shoebox from underneath his bed. Opening the lid, he revealed two stacks of letters, tightly woven together with twine.
"Their letters made that long year in the orphanage feel less lonely," he said.
"Hold on, year?" Raspberry asked with wide eyes. "You mean your moms, who had known you before you were orphaned, took a whole year to adopt you?!"
"The adoption process takes a while, but with all the letters they sent, they already felt like family." He sighed. "Three years ago, they were finally able to bring me home."
Raspberry stared at the box of letters. "Is…this why you like stamps so much?"
Lemon Drop nodded. "Whenever a letter came, I wanted to send a reply right away, so I started collecting stamps so I could send them. Letters bring ponies so far away from each other closer together."
"Gee," Raspberry said, looking down at her mess of construction paper. "S-Sorry if I reopened some old wounds or…"
"No, no, no. It's okay. To be honest, I should've told you this story long ago."
She bit her lip. "M-Maybe we should take a break."
He slid off the bed. "I'll go get us some snacks from the kitchen."
As he left the room, Raspberry stared down at the still open box of letters. She was almost tempted to read them, but thought better of it. After all, Lemon Drop might notice if she disturbed his filing system.
She couldn't help but notice how old and worn the shoebox was.
Despite the depressing revelation, Lemon Drop and Raspberry had managed to finish all the Heart's Warming cards before noon. The two of them had put on their boots, hats and scarves and were walking through the snowy street.
"Sure you're able to carry all that?" Raspberry asked, staring up at the hovering stack of addressed envelopes. "I know young unicorns sometimes have trouble carrying really heavy stuff."
Lemon Drop shook his head. "When it comes to letters and stamps, I could carry a ton of them."
"Yeah," Raspberry said, cocking her head to the side. "You're…pretty nifty with mailing stuff, aren't you?"
He shrugged. "Not as good as Miss Derpy is, I'm sure."
The moment Raspberry opened the door to the post office, both their jaws dropped. There was a mob of ponies at the counter, yelling at the clerk.
"I need these delivered in time for Hearth's Warming!"
"This box of cookies you delivered is crushed!"
"You delivered my card to the wrong address, it got returned!"
"One at a time, one at a time!" Derpy exclaimed, holding up her hooves. "Every pony calm down, please!"
Raspberry and Lemon Drop turned to each other.
"Miss Derpy looks like she's in trouble," the latter said.
The former groaned. "We'll never get these cards delivered!"
With a look of determination, Lemon Drop approached the mob.
"Lemony?" Raspberry called. "What are you doing?"
To every pony's surprise, Lemon Drop used his magic to push the ponies aside and clear a path for himself. He dropped the stack of envelopes onto the desk. Derpy gazed up at them open-mouthed.
"Look, kid," Derpy said, trying to sound as kind as possible. "I'll get your letters delivered, but you'll have to wait in line like every pony else."
Lemon Drop stood on his hind legs and placed his front hooves on the desk. "Need any help?"
Without hesitance, Derpy released a sigh of relief. "YES! Hearth's Warming is the most difficult time of year for me! Gifts go here, cards go there, gift cards go all around the world!"
The young colt squinted at the shelves behind her, which were overflowing with boxes and papers. "Well here's your problem. You've got so must stuff and so little space."
"Well, what do you expect?" Derpy said, gesturing to her surroundings. "This building is smaller than a Breezie's cottage!"
"It's not so much the size that's the problem. You just need a little organization." He smiled. "Lucky for you, organizing's one of the things I do best!"
"Hey!" a stallion cried, slamming his wrapped packages on the desk. "Can I get some service here?!"
Derpy looked desperately at Lemon Drop. "I'll take your word for it, kid. But first we've gotta deal with this mob."
A sharp whistle caused the disgruntled customers to turn towards the door.
"Cookies, any pony?" Raspberry asked, holding out a plate of gingerbread.
The ponies murmured amongst each other before rushing to grab a cookie.
"Where did she…?" Derpy started to ask in confusion.
Lemon Drop held up a hoof. "I've learned not to question her. Now," he said, glancing around, "let's start with that mess of a cardboard pile in the back corner."
Lemon Drop spent the next hour organizing the post office with Derpy while Raspberry kept the customers at bay with her gingerbread (of which she miraculously never ran out). Lemon Drop started with the pile of empty, flattened cardboard boxes. He organized them by size, placed them in individual stacks, tied each stack together with twine and then leaned them against the wall, smallest in front and tallest in back. He kept one particularly tall box, used his magic to set it up, and then placed the once scattered tubes of wrapping paper inside.
With the lobby cleared up, the customers had more space to walk about. Those who had been calmed down by the gingerbread formed a straight line to Derpy's desk. Beads of sweat started dripping down Derpy's forehead, until she noticed Lemon Drop using his magic to straighten out the shelves behind her. Letters that were piling up in cubbies were flattened together so that they could fit better into the tiny spaces. Smiling, Derpy was ready to meet with the customers again.
In no time at all, the last customer was served and the post office was no longer in chaos, in terms of noise and appearance. Lemon Drop was even sweeping the floor.
"Wow, kid," Derpy said, coming up to him. "This place hasn't looked more…more…"
"Organized?" he offered.
"Yes! And I like what you did with my office supplies drawer! I can find my stapler and rubber bands again!" She looked at him thoughtfully. "Think you can do me one last favor?"
He shrugged. "Sure."
"Everything may be in its place thanks to you, but I've still got a ton of stuff to deliver. I can fly to the other parts of Equestria, but do you think you can help me with the deliveries here in Ponyville? I'll pay you fifty bits."
His eyes widened. "Fifty?!"
"And a muffin basket." She nudged his shoulder playfully. "You can come and help out here any time you want."
Taking off his hat, he said, "I'd be honored!"
"Okay." She handed him a shoulder bag filled with letters. "Take these to…"
"Carousel Boutique," Lemon Drop said, peering into the bag, "Sugar Cube Corner, Sweet Apple Acres…"
She listened in wonder as he listed off every single address, not even glancing twice inside the bag.
"I…guess you've got this," she said, walking back to her desk. "Just try not to drop them!"
"I won't!" Lemon Drop called. Then he remembered his girlfriend who'd been waiting. "Oh, Razz! I, uh, hope you don't mind, but…"
He trailed off when he saw her shocked state. She stood by the door, her cheeks puffed and a headless gingerbread pony in her hoof. She stared at him with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked in concern.
Slowly, her free hoof rose, pointing to his flank. Lemon Drop glanced behind him and gasped.
On his flank was an image of a postage stamp, a lemon inside the square.
"My…my…" he uttered in disbelief.
He was cut off as Raspberry suddenly threw her hooves around his neck. "I knew it! I knew it! With all your talk of stamps and letters and how your tragic loss made it all important to you and how you were so happy organizing this place I just knew you'd get a cutie mark in postal stuff, oh Lemony I'm so proud and so happy that you got your cutie mark and only after a few short months since you joined our…"
Frowning suddenly, she pulled away. "Hey! We've all been trying to get our cutie marks for over a year, but you got yours after only a few months in our club?!"
Lemon Drop chuckled awkwardly. "Still mad at me?"
She took a moment to think about it, and then grinned. "At you? Never!"
She hugged him again, which made him smile.
Their moment was interrupted by an "AWWWWWW!" from the front desk. The two foals looked over at Derpy, who was staring at them dreamily, and blushed.
"You two are so adorable!" she said, putting her hoof to her heart. "Though seriously, I need those letters delivered before five."
"Right," Lemon Drop said, opening the door. "You coming, Razz?"
"Go ahead," she said. "I'll catch up."
Nodding, Lemon Drop went outside. Raspberry looked back at Derpy.
"Hey, you got any shoeboxes here?"
"Hmm," Derpy said, scratching her head. "Oh, yes! In the back!" She laughed. "Boy, I'm really glad that kid decided to help! I know where everything is now!"
On Hearth's Warming morning in Manehattan, Lemon Drop sat with his moms around a tiny artificial tree they had bought for their hotel room, scraps of wrapping paper and boxes surrounding them.
"How do you like your gifts, sweetie?" Bon-Bon asked.
"I love 'em!" Lemon Drop said, holding an empty album to his chest. "And I love the new Hearth's Warming stamps you got me!" He levitated one into view. "Do you know how rare this Commander Hurricane one is?"
"Of course we do!" Lyra exclaimed. "That's why we got it."
He pulled them both into a grateful hug. "You're the best moms ever!"
"Now hold on, squirt," Lyra said, levitating another wrapped gift into view. "There's one more present for you. From your little girlfriend."
He sat up. "Raspberry?"
"She handed it to us before we left," Bon-Bon said, "insisted that we give it to you today."
Lemon Drop looked at the gift curiously as it landed in his lap. It was wrapped in bright pink paper with pictures of raspberries all over it. He used his magic to open it very slowly. His mothers only smiled, knowing that he wanted to save the wrapping.
When the gift was finally unwrapped, Lemon Drop gasped. It was a shoebox painted magenta, the same color as Raspberry's mane. The edges were outlined with silver glitter glue, studded with blue plastic gemstones. In the center of the lid was a painted image of Lemon Drop with his moms on either side of him. Lyra and Bon-Bon put their hooves to their hearts.
Opening the shoebox, Lemon Drop found a pink card with a crayon drawing of him and Raspberry inside a heart. It was less sophisticated than the family picture on the box, but it still made him smile. He read the inside of the card aloud for his moms to hear.
"I saw that the shoebox to hold the letters from your moms was old and worn and, frankly, boring-looking. So I made you a new one. Prism painted the picture of you and your moms, since she's so much better at drawing ponies than I am, but I drew the picture of us. I also borrowed the fake sapphires from Gemstone. They really wanted to help because we love you. But I love you most.
Thanks for opening up to me. I know your birth mom and dad would be very proud of your cutie mark.
With all the love and Hearth's Warming wishes in the world,
Raspberry Strudel Pie."
When he looked up at his moms, he saw that they had tears in their eyes. No words needed to be said as they embraced each other once more.
Lemon Drop cried silently along with them, thinking how lucky he was to have these two mares in his life. And that very special filly.
Two weeks later, after all the Hearth's Warming and New Year's festivities, there was a knock at the Party Palace door. Raspberry answered it to find Lemon Drop standing there in his hat, boots and scarf.
"Lemony!" Raspberry exclaimed, hugging him. "You're back!"
"I got your gift," he said.
"And I got yours," she said. Reaching into her mane, she pulled out a stamp with a raspberry on it. "It's so sweet! Simple, but sweet!"
"Not as sweet as yours," Lemon Drop said. Blushing, he shifted his hooves back and forth. "I…know it's a little late, but…I've got another little gift for you."
She looked at him curiously. "What for?"
"Not only did you give me that shoebox, but…you gave me my cutie mark."
She waved her hoof. "You got that cutie mark on your own."
"Maybe, but…if you hadn't taken me on that Hearth's Warming cards expedition, I might not've realized my calling. And you put a lot of thought into that shoebox, Razz, I can't really compete with it! I can't think of anything better I could possibly give you, except…"
His eyes drifted upwards. Following his gaze, Raspberry discovered a clump of mistletoe hanging above the door.
"I don't remember putting that up…"
Without warning, Lemon Drop shot forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips, causing her to go stiff. She stared at him in awe and disbelief.
That had been their very first kiss.
Grinning, Lemon Drop said, "Happy Hearth's Warming, Razz."
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After reading this chapter, I ran off to the doctor and he identified me with type 8 diabetes. Thanks.
I forgot what I was going to say.
8626818
Type-8? Forget that! I've been diagnosed with Type - INFINITY! This is so sweet!!!
Later that day, Raspberry had to apologize for shattering everypony's windows and giving them tinnitus.
Gee, now, the girls just need to get their marks.
So you’re not building up to the possibility of Lemon and Razz breaking? I still think from the other chapters with these two that be the best way to go, but if it dosn’t, I can’t say I won’t be disappointed from how cute they are together, it’s just where me and I think a few others though you were going with them overall this was a precious chapter and cleaver way to fit Lemon Drop into the universe.
Fabulous, Darling! Simply Fabulous!
This was a little sweet chapter.
Finally one of them gets there cutie mark.
His eyes drifted upwards. Following his gaze, Raspberry discovered a clump of mistletoe hanging above the door.
"I don't remember putting that up…"
Without warning, Lemon Drop shot forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips, causing her to go stiff. She stared at him in awe and disbelief.
That had been their very first kiss.
Grinning, Lemon Drop said, "Happy Hearth's Warming, Razz."
DAWWWWWW!!
This entire chapter was just so sweet and adorable. I love it.
Wait, how come Rainbow Dash and Soarin are threepies aunt and uncle? Or does he mean it in a figurative sense?
Anyway, that was a great Christmas story, so cute and heartwarming.
8631574
He means in the figurative sense. The mane 6 are so close that the children see the as family
Saw the new Ducktales Reboot.
It is a testimony to how obsessed I am with your stories that directly after watching the first episode, I just thought, The Tri-Pie's would be good substitutions for Huey,Dewey and Louie.
Can you draw a picture of this for your DA?
Please?
9075703
I can't draw.
Drax be like "humility I too am extremely humble" I'm a fan don't judge me