Flash: Redemption

by FlutterTank

Jolly For the Holidays

Chapter 1
Jolly for the Holidays

Flash awoke with a quick, frightened gasp. He was shivering and his cloud blanket reeked of sweat.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Somebody was at the door. Flash got up quickly and dashed out of his bedroom and down the hallway. At blinding speed, he spun into his bathroom and scrubbed himself down quickly with cloud and soap. The knocking continued at his door.

“I’m coming,” he muttered aloud, a bit annoyed. Why would somebody be knocking this early? He quickly flew down the hall and over to his front door. Opening it, he said, “Whadya wa- oh.”

In front of his door was something stunning. A beautiful, pastel yellow pegasus hovered at his door. Her gorgeous, pink mane flowed gracefully in the chilly, morning breeze. She was wearing a small outfit. It resembled what Equestrians called an elf. Her hat was green and came to a tip, where a bell dangled from the end. She also wore a short, green dress that belled out just before her hind legs, trimmed with soft, white fluff. Snow from the lingering storm clouds sprinkled down on her head, making her look festively adorable.

“Do you like it?” she asked in her usual, reserved tone.

“You look amazing,” Flash said. “Here, come on in.” He stepped aside, allowing Fluttershy through the doorway and giving her a kiss on the cheek as she walked by. She giggled and blushed a bit and playfully smacked him across his nose with the tip of her pink tail. With the scent of her berry shampoo tantalizing his nose, Flash walked over to the kitchen while Fluttershy laid down on the couch in his living space.

“Carrot juice sound good?” Flash called out.

“Oh yes. That’s fine, thank you.” was her response.

He opened the fridge and a cold draft rose out with the opening of the door, giving Flash small goosebumps on his front legs and chest. He grabbed the juice, poured the glasses, put it away, and headed back to the living room, closing the door with his back-right hoof and hovering over the cumulus floor to keep the glasses balanced.

Fluttershy sat up as Flash gave her a glass. He slid in underneath her and she laid back, her head resting on his strong, warm chest.

“So what’s up?” he asked, wondering why she’d come by.

“I actually wanted to know,” she began, staring at the ceiling, “if you were coming to the Jingle Bell Ball next Sunday.” There was a hint of hesitation and uncertainty in her voice.

“Of course I am!” Flash responded. “We are going together, aren’t we?”

“Oh, we are?” she seemed surprised. “I mean, you never asked me so I didn’t know whether or not...” she trailed off.

“I’m sorry, I just assumed it was obvious,” he said, kissing the top of her head to show he meant no offense by his last remark. “We’ve been together for almost four months now, so it seemed like a given thing. I’m sorry if I worried you though. I just didn’t know.”

His words were sincere and Fluttershy understood. “Well, anyway, if you would like to put on your outfit, we can head down to Sugarcube Corner.”

Flash bolted upright, causing his mate to roll off the couch and onto the floor. “Oh, sorry!” he apologized. “I forgot that was today!” He quickly flew to his bedroom and pulled out the large, red suit with fluffy, white trim lining every edge of it. Fluttershy helped him slip into the coat and pants, then tightened the big, black leather belt around his waist. Then, he put on his boots and the big, crimson hat with a large, white, puffy ball hanging off the tip. Finally came the jolly, white beard that velcroed on to the inside of his hat. Now, the ensemble was complete, and Flash made one convincing Santa Hoovs. He quickly stuffed a pillow up his coat to near perfectly emulate the jolly, fat, gift-giving stallion. Then, the couple quickly sped out of the house and began their descent into Ponyville.

Cloudsdale had done an amazing job on the weather for the upcoming holiday season. The ground was blanketed in pure white, hoof-made snowflakes. The powder covered everything, making it hard on the eyes, but smoothing out the normally flat, square surfaces of the paved roads and houses jutting from the ground. The entire landscape had a rich, flowing beauty that could only be seen at that time of year. The sounds of the world were dampened by the snow, making Flash feel as if he and Fluttershy were the only two ponies in the whole world. It was a warm, contenting feeling that made Flash put his wing around Fluttershy’s body and pull her closer. She looked up at him and gave a small, delicate smile as she blushed. He looked back at her and saw warmth and affection in her beautiful, teal eyes. He kissed her on the nose and she blushed even deeper. Her rosy red cheeks contrasted her forest green outfit, making her soft, marvelous features stand out. The blushing only made her prettier, so Flash kissed her a second time, on the lips.

From above, Flash heard a taunting voice. “Flash and Fluttershy sitting in a tree!”

Fluttershy cowered down, her cheeks burning brightly. Flash gave an exasperated sigh and leaned over with his mouth next to Fluttershy’s ear, “Watch this,” he said with a sly grin on his face. He scooped up snow in his mouth and molded it into a dense ball. The cold snow bit at his tongue and froze the roof of his mouth, causing a slight ache in his skull. He spat the ball up into the air and caught it on his nose.

Above, all that was audible was giddy laughter and an attempt to sputter out, “First comes love.”

Flash, moving his ears to locate the source of the laughter behind him, pinpointed the spot. He flipped the ball off of his nose and over his head. He lifted his hind legs and kicked, launching the ball behind him. A smack, followed by clumps of snow hitting the ground and a loud “Ouch!” followed. The cyan pegasus fell off her low-hanging cloud and into a large snow bank, making an explosion of powdery white, much like the ones Pinkie Pie made when she clopped her hooves while they were covered in flour.

Fluttershy and Flash burst out laughing as they looked back at the snow bank which had swallowed up their prankster friend.
“You okay, Rainbow?” Flash asked, half-talking, half-giggling.

A muffled groan came from the snowdrift, confirming Flash’s inquiry. With the pest taken care of, Fluttershy and Flash walked off into town. The town was bustling with activity. Grey smoke rising from the chimneys of several houses and the sound of chatter and young ponies playing showed the whole town was busy preparing for the holidays. The two came up to Sugarcube Corner and Flash opened the door for Fluttershy.

Upon walking into the bake shop, a rush of warm air provided a welcoming atmosphere from the cold outside. The air was laden with the delicious smells of treats and goodies fresh from the oven. The smell of cinnamon was mixed in, making the entire shop smell deliciously festive.

Not one second after they entered the shop, a bubbling pink pony with a frizzy, pink mane bounced up to them. Her attire was similar to Fluttershy’s. “Hey guys!” she called, brimming with excitement. “Are you ready to kick off the most spectacularly amazing, most awesomest holiday season ever?”

“How could I not be?” Flash replied,

“Well, you could be a Grumpy McGrouchypants and completely hate the holidays. But I mean, really, who could possibly be like that?”

As the ponies were talking, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the owners of the shop, walked over from the kitchen. “Flash, Fluttershy, Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake started, “we’re going to open up soon. If you would be so kind, could you get to your places?”

“Oh, sure thing,” Flash said, with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie nodding in agreement. They walked into an adjacent room where the Santa display was. The room looked as if someone had torn down the walls and left it exposed to the previous night’s snowstorm. Snow-like fluff was strewn over the ground, counters, and chairs, creating a thick blanket of white on every surface of the room. Glass icicles and origami snowflakes hung from the ceiling in the hundreds. In the center of the room was a large, red chair with satin-lined cushions and large, wooden armrests and legs. Behind it stood a tall, proud evergreen tree, decorated with shiny, colorful glass ornaments and golden garland.

“Pinkie Pie,” Flash said, staring in awe at the marvelous display, “did you make all of this?”

“Yupperooni!” she answered. “It took me a whole week to get everything just right.”

“It’s amazing,” Flash murmured, entranced by the glimmering, shiny brilliance around him.

“Hey, you three,” Mrs. Cake called to them, peeking her head through the wide doorway, “We’re opening in one minute. There’s quite the crowd out there, so get your cupcake faces on, as Pinkie Pie says.” She giggled a little and then disappeared to the right of the entrance.

Flash sat down in the big, comfortable chair. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stood on either side of him. As Mr. and Mrs. Cake opened the doors to the shop, dozens of ponies walked in. The older ponies hurried off into the shop, where they went to purchase their holiday treats and desserts. Meanwhile, their kids galloped into the room, jumping with excitement and talking loudly. They ran up to Flash, eyes wide and admiring.

“Santa! Santa!” they yelled gleefully.

Flash deepened his voice and boomed, “Ho, ho, ho! Hello everypony! I hope you’ve all been good this year. Everybody line up, please, so you can give Santa your Hearth's Warming wish.”

The little colts and fillies scrambled about, looking for a place in line, but with minimal pushing and shoving, as nobody wanted to be naughty in front of Santa.

The first pony was a little, white and brown foal who Flash recognized as Pipsqueak. He sat on Flash’s lap and told Flash that for Hearth's Warming Eve, he wanted a peg leg and a new eye-patch. Then came the three young fillies who called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Each of them wished for their cutie mark, but Santa Hooves had to remind them that not even he could make a cutie mark appear before its time and that they would just have to wait. With each filly came a disappointed sigh, but they rebounded quickly. Applebloom’s alternate wish was for arts and crafts supplies, while Scootaloo’s was a new ramp for scooter tricks and a rainbow striped helmet, and Sweetie Belle’s was for the newest season of Equestrian Idol on DVD and a karaoke kit.

As all the children gave their gift requests, Pinkie Pie made sure to write them all down. While she did so, Fluttershy gave each pony a whit-frosted cupcake with a festive tree on it that faintly resembled the one behind Flash. As the line got smaller and more children gave Flash their wishes, the room got quieter. As the last filly left with her mother, the three let out a massive sigh of relief. Mr. and Mrs. Cake shut the doors to the shop and turned the sign to say “Out to Lunch.”

“Thank you so much, you three. You were a great help attracting customers. And for your help,” she said, lifting a tray with three cupcakes placed on it, “you can have one cupcake, every day, for a whole year, completely free of charge.”

“YES!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She did a happy little dance around the room and hummed loudly. Her mood as contagious as ever, the whole group soon found themselves giggling and chuckling along with Pinkie’s silly display.

Fluttershy nudged Flash and gestured towards the clock, then Pinkie with an anxious expression on her face.

“Oh, Pinkie,” Flash called out suddenly. She stopped in midair and hung there for a second, her head turning to Flash. She fell back down and landed on the ground and stared at Flash, listening intently. “Fluttershy and I,” he continued, “were going to go caroling at the town hall. We were wondering if maybe you wanted to come along.”

“Are you kidding?” she exclaimed, jumping a good five feet into the air. “I would love to come along with you guys!”

“Well, alrighty then,” Flash said cheerfully. “Let’s go!”

*Author's Note: Celestmas was the best I could come up with. If anypony has a suggestion for me to change it to, I gladly will (as long as it's better than Celestmas)

Comments

[Artimae]

I sense dread coming! This chapter was too fun and joyous to have anything but! Bravo, I say. My only nitpick is space the paragraphs once more, so it doesn't look like one long wall-of-text.

[Super]

Its always bright and cheerful first. Then bad things happen. Let us see where you go with this, hmm?

[FlutterTank]

55856>>55906 What? You guys are silly!

[FlutterTank]

Well, guys, I just got a puppy as an early Christmas gift, so my hands are gonna be pretty full. I'll try my best, but I can't be sure if I'll have Chapter 2 up.

[See ScriptScrolls]

59799
nice... on another note, i agree with artimae... you must indent each paragraph

[bcsnakeeyes]

oh im hoping this fic ends well, for both pegasi involved..