Snow, Chocolate, and Presents
December 24, evening...
It was a beautiful Hearth's Warming Eve. Snow fell, the sun was setting, and everyone in town was busy preparing for this winterly holiday, buying the remaining groceries, decorating their home, preparing the presents under the tree... Always a pleasure, this time of year.
And so was Rushing Wind going for these chores. He just exited the supermarket after he bought some more groceries and sweets to celebrate the holiday. He was a bit down that he would be alone for this once again, but it was okay for him, since he knew that his racing pals usually can't make it, and his friends from the pony world had the same holiday on their end, so not even his partner, Rainbow Dash could make it.
Shrugging off the sad thoughts, Rushing Wind opened the trunk of his trusty blue rally car, a Subaru Impreza, and stored the groceries he purchased in there. It was getting darker by the minute, so Rushing Wind wanted to get home in order to not get lost in the dark and eventually in an accident, since he knew that driving in pitch black was more dangerous.
Then, as he wanted to get into his car and drive off, the snowfall turned into a storm, and a lot more snow fell per second, the weather further taking a turn for the worse.
"Jeez, what a storm. I'd better head home quickly.", Rush said. He then got into his car and drove off.
As he drove, Rush was thankful that his car had snow tires fitted, allowing him to drive quickly over the snow without losing control. Those Spikes are specially made for snow and ice, and the all-wheel drive gave him even more control.
He knew that he would be able to be home quickly, sitting out the storm.
But, a few yards further, Rushing Wind saw a silhouette in the thick gale in front of him. And he couldn't believe who it was...
Fluttershy, who wore her mint green dress along with a scarf and winter knee socks under her green and white boots, was fighting against the storm as she tried to make her way to her friends who were waiting for her at Pinkie Pie's home. Suddenly, she heard a car horn behind her and a blue car pulled up next to her.
Rushing Wind got out of the car. "Fluttershy! What are you doing out here in this awful weather?", he asked with a worried tone in his voice.
Still fighting the storm, Fluttershy brought out: "I... I'm heading for Pinkie Pie's house. Me and my friends want to celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve there."
Getting further worried, Rush asked: "And how far is that still?"
"About 20 minutes.", Fluttershy responded.
"No, no no no, I'm not letting you walk this long in a blizzard this heavy in an evening this cold.", Rushing Wind said in a strict tone.
"But what else could I do? They're waiting for me...!", Fluttershy said. But just as she said that, she shivered a bit from the cold.
"You could stay with me. My house isn't that far, and my car will take us there fast. Also, it's too dangerous to be outside in a storm like this.", Rushing Wind said.
"But my friends... What about them?", Fluttershy asked worried.
"You can call them once we're at my place. Also, it's always nice to have some company for Hearth's Warming Eve, Fluttershy.", Rushing Wind said.
"Oh, really? You're all alone for this holiday? Not even your partner can come today?", Fluttershy asked, feeling a bit sorry for Rush.
"Unfortunately yes.", Rush said, "So, what do you say?"
As much as Fluttershy wanted to celebrate with her friends, she knew deep inside that Rushing Wind was right. Being in a storm like this is dangerous, and she would have a cold by the time she arrived. So, she got into Rushing Wind's vehicle, and then, they drove off.
At Rushing Wind's house, Fluttershy took off her boots, socks and scarf as Rushing Wind turned on the heat. Soon, the nice warmth filled the entire house, and she liked that.
Next, Fluttershy took out her phone and wanted to call her friends, but...
"Um, Rush?"
"Yes, Fluttershy?", Rush asked.
"I don't have any cellular reception... I can't call my friends!", Fluttershy said worried.
Rushing Wind took out his phone and tried also. "Me neither. The blizzard must've taken out all cellular reception all over the city.", he said.
"But how do I let my friends know that I'm safe? They must be worried sick about me...", Fluttershy asked, not wanting to know what thoughts her friends might have.
"Tell them tomorrow. It's getting late.", Rushing Wind said.
"Okay, fine...", Fluttershy said in defeat, knowing that there is nothing else she could possibly try.
"But, now that you're already here... How about some hot chocolate and a nice movie as we sit through the storm?", Rushing Wind asked.
"Oh, I'd love to!", Fluttershy said happily. She hasn't watched a good movie in a long time.
A few minutes later, the two were enjoying their hot chocolate as they were watching the christmas special 'Best Gift Ever'. They were at the scene where the Winterzilla attacked and Fluttershy stepped in.
"This is supposed to be the happiest time of year! So if this is how you plan on behaving, you can march yourself right back to where you came from!", Pony Fluttershy said on TV.
Both giggled. "Haha, that sounds like me alright.", Fluttershy said.
"Too true. You also have a strong side to you, which most people don't see.", Rushing Wind said.
Fluttershy blushed, knowing this was true. She really was shy and innocent on the outside, but has a strong side as well, which she has shown several times in her life already. Thanks to Princess Twilight and her other friends she was always able to stand up for herself if there's something she didn't like.
After the special ended, Rushing Wind suggested to get some cookies and then listen to some christmas songs, which Fluttershy gladly accepted. While Rush was away, though, Fluttershy decided to look around his home.
Rushing Wind had a big house. It was a two-story house with a fair number of rooms, and every single once had a fairly big size. "Wow. I guess this is something a multi-time champion in racing can afford easily.", Fluttershy thought.
Then, Fluttershy came across a very special room. It looked like a room that Sunset Shimmer would like to have it. It's a gaming room, with two TVs, some gaming consoles at one of them, and a racing seat with a steering wheel in front of another.
"Whoa... So this is what Sunset is dreaming about to have.", Fluttershy knew. The room was fairly large, and there were some things she knew all too well. It was souvenirs from the prestigeous race sport known as F1, something Rush told her about not too long ago, as well as the time where Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 championship after an epic last lap in Abu Dhabi. She didn't know much since she wasn't into this kind of thing, but the stories Rush told her were indeed interesting.
The props also looked interesting - a Mercedes car, a Mercedes cap, and the parka that Rush wore outside had the Mercedes logo as well.
"So he's a Mercedes fan...", she knew.
Suddenly, she heard Rush call out: "Fluttershy? Where are you?"
"Up here!", Fluttershy called out.
And Rush came up, a bowl of cookies in his hand. But when he saw that Fluttershy was in his gaming room, he blushed. "Um... Don't tell anyone...", Rushing Wind almost whispered.
"Why? My friend Sunset Shimmer is also a gamer, just like you.", Fluttershy said to comfort him.
"Yeeeah, I know that, but..." Rushing Wind was in a loss of words, but then, he said: "I usually spend my time here after a tough day, turning a console on and enjoying a game. Mostly racing games, as you can tell.", Rush said, a bit embarrassed.
"Aw, no need to be embarrassed. Sunset is just like you too. Once the day is done, she turns on her console and starts to play. I once was a guest player at Sunset's, and I actually won a game.", Fluttershy said.
Rushing Wind chuckled. "So that makes three of us, huh?", he said.
Fluttershy giggled. "Probably.", she responded. Then, she remembered something: "Speaking about games, I got something for you! Wait here!", she said and quickly ran downstairs. Out of her bag, she took out a rectangle-shaped package, which is big enough to hold a DVD case. She then ran back up to Rushing Wind and handed it to him.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Rush...", Fluttershy said softly, "I know it's not much, but it's from the heart."
"Aw, thanks. I've got something for you as well.", Rush said and went to a different room. He then came back with a little box packed with a bow on top. "It cost a lot, so I hope it looks good on you."
Fluttershy opened the box. Inside was a pearl bracelet with a bunch of small flowers on it. "Ooooh, that is... a beautiful bracelet." She took it out and put it on. "Wow... That is amazing! Thank you, Rush!", she said in amazement.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, Fluttershy.", Rushing Wind said, "Now, let's see what this is..."
When he said that, Fluttershy startled a bit. She got the game for Rushing Wind ahead of time, but didn't know if he already had it. She saw a lot of games in the shelves, and she didn't know if he already had it.
Suddenly, Rush said: "No way!"
"Well... what do you think?", Fluttershy asked.
"What I think!? That is the latest F1 game! How did you know I wanted that?", asked Rushing Wind.
"I didn't... I just went ahead and bought it. Are you really happy about that?", Fluttershy asked, a bit surprised about Rush's reaction.
"Well, look at the other presents my other racing pals sent me! I told them I wanted the latest F1 game, but I got a Mercedes-AMG Petronas cap, a 1 in 64 scaled Mercedes-AMG Petronas car from this year, a parka with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team logo... Your gift is worth a lot more to me than those.", Rushing Wind said.
Fluttershy smiled, happy about Rushing Wind's statement. While she knew it was just a game, it certainly came from heart, like she said herself.
"But, do you want to know what the best gift was that I got?", Rush asked.
"What is it?", Fluttershy asked.
"Having you as company for this holiday.", Rushing Wind said.
The two then fell into a deep hug. "Aw, thank you, Rush.", Fluttershy said happily.
"I have to thank you, Flutty.", Rushing Wind said, "This was the best Hearth's Warming Eve of my life."
With that, Fluttershy stayed the night at Rushing Wind's warm and comfy house, as the cold, cold blizzard outside raged on. And tomorrow, she would tell her friends what happened, and also, what a beautiful night they had.