Blueblood Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 All around Ponyville, the warm spirit of the holiday cut through the cold. Ponies who would never otherwise meet were brought together under the auspices of Princess Twilight to exchange gifts. No better example of the varied meetings that resulted could be found than the three listed below... ~~ The first delivery might be considered impersonal, if it were not so unique as to be considered a signature style of the giver. A long package, wrapped in paper scraps and school glue, was flown by means of a flock of crows over the Friendship Castle grounds to the guard quarters, where a raucous celebration was just starting to get into gear. As if instructed, the laden flock hovered over the grounds, searching for a particular member of a particular prince's particular guard, and then, with much cawing, dropped the package in front of him. The label on the agglomeratedly wrapped... thing set out the situation simply enough: From: Chipper Demise To: Tiger Blood ~~ The next gift was similarly to be delivered by parcel rather than by pony, for rather more mundane reasons and by rather more mundane means. The giver was a mother, who could not easily travel to Los Pegasus, and the recipient was a mother-to-be, who could not easily travel from there. There was also the matter of relative difference in Celebrity between the two, but oddly enough, to Berry Punch this mattered less. Wind Dancer had visited their town last Hearts and Hooves day, together with her now-fiancee to put on a joint show. Little Ruby had loved to see them dance and sing, and therefore Berry loved them too. The gift this time had been easy to select, and whenever the hard-working mail service delivered the express package to the door of Windy's Penthouse, it would arrive with a short, but sincere letter: Dear Wind Dancer: Happy Hearthswarming from your Secret Princess! I couldn't help but hear you are going to become a mother soon! I remember when I was expecting my little filly, and all the excitement and anxiety that came with it. I hope the stress is not affecting you too much, and also that you are appropriately grateful for the pony who is sticking by your side through it all- Sorry, I let a bit of my own feelings go. As joyous as the experience of motherhood is, it is hard to not share it with another in your house. There are many things which brought me through these past years, and I've sent you one of the more... healthy outlets I've found. I hope you will find it useful, and I do wish that you will come to Ponyville again. Ruby loved seeing you and Sky, and is still singing your songs sometimes! It's so adorable seeing her dance.... Sincerely, Berry Punch ~~ Breaking the pattern somewhat, this last gift was able to be given in person, though only through a serendipitous series of coincidents. Why, had not the recipient attended the giver's wedding, the giver's private secretary would not have retained any notes upon her, and thus would not have been able to present to his employer, Prince Blueblood, that Jade Beaker had reason to visit one Berry Punch this holiday season, and thus may possibly be in town to receive his gift in person. The Prince set aside a little time before Twilight's party to carry his parcel out, and managed to run into her in the street. "Ah, hold up a minute!" He called out to the mare, waving the package in the air to get her attention. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceStorm Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 ~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Hearth's Warming. It used to be a holiday that meant, well... not very much to her. Her family was in Cloudsdale and she couldn't get to them easily before. After this past year though, especially what last Hearth's Warming meant... Hearth's Warming was now the most important holiday for her. Normally she'd spend this holiday at the Las Pegasus Medical Center reading or playing with the fillies and colts that had ended up having less fortunate years and could't be home for the holiday. She knew that feeling. Today though, was the one-year anniversary for when she and Sky had proposed to each other, and coincidentally, once year to the day that her foal was placed inside her. In fact, that was why she herself was in the Las Pegasus Medical Center this her. She'd seen her fair share of hospitals, and being a patient in one was never fun, but this time... this time it was. She wasn't there to get a wing fixed. She was there to bring a new life into this world. A new life that she and her soon-to-be husband would raise together. Because of this, and being who she was, the mail pony would have brought the package to her room rather than leaving it at her penthouse. She smiled as she looked it over, and smiled to Sky as she pulled the envelope open and started reading the message that was written for the both of them to hear. The letter brought warmth to her heart, knowing that they had touched more than just the ponies that had showed up that night! Of course there would have been ponies watching from their homes! IT was a cold night after all so watching the show from the warmth of their rooms cuddled in blankets just made sense. After she read the letter, she would undo the ribbon and open the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PyroBlaze Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 To say this delivery method was interesting would be an understatement, it was downright confusing at first why a bunch of crows were carrying a package in the first place, let alone to him. Finding out who the sender was cleared things right up though, and Tiger chuckled to himself before thanking the crows for the delivery. He remembered that Chipper was that unicorn from the caribou lands, and it made sense that he would send crows to deliver mail. He chuckled to himself again as he began opening the package up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted December 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 (Gonna just go ahead and post the first two presents now) For Tiger, the long package took some time to unwrap, as Chipper had apparently used every scrap of used paper in his room, far more than was strictly necessary to cover the object. Which was one way to tidy up one's space, at least! But once the pile of used paper was set aside, what would be revealed was a harpoon carved from bone. What kind of bone would be hard to tell, Chipper didn't seem fit to specify. But it was carved in a way that showed some expertise with the material, with some extra rune etchings that spelled out Tiger Blood in Whitescar futhark script. ~~~ Sky smiled down at Wind Dancer, stroking her mane as she read the letter. "Sounds like this really meant something to her. Let's see what it is..." He pulled out what looked like a homemade scrapbook or photo album, pages decorated with copies of photographs and messages in markers. Each picture was of a sweet-looking unicorn filly of light burgundy color, aging gradually from infancy to school-age. On each page was a little note of the event in question, some advice on how to handle various domestic crises that an upset foal might cause, and remembrances of the little joys in life that made it all worth it. Not a fancy gift, but one straight from the heart. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciraxis Posted December 16, 2021 Report Share Posted December 16, 2021 Having done her (arguably, fun) obligation as 'Secret Princess' (and seriously, did everything had to be Princess this or that for those Equestrian's?) 'Jade' turned towards for a real reasons that prompted her presence in Ponyville: Berry, Midnight and Tiger. After a quick stop at her rented room in a hotel - in which he switched her attire to red coat with white trim, and gold-white dress underneath it - she was read to prowl looking after any of those three. However, before she could really dedicate herself to this search, 'Beaker' found herself called out by vaguely familiar voice. This was....Prince Blueblood, isn't it? 'Jade' recalled him from her time at the wedding, where she was Berry's extra. Until that event, the royal from the ancient bloodline slipped under her radar - deemed too unimportant in comparison to his cousin, his aunts and their chosen successor. But perhaps that should change? The Prince (and at times princess) while nowhere near as powerful in arcane as other royals, had held much clout politically, and undoubtedly knew many of state's secrets. And since he was guarded much more lightly then Sparkle, milking him out of both was bound to be much easier. ... But this was something that she should ponder much later. Today she wasn't 'Sorceress Eternal' (Even if she wanted, she reminded herself. This body was such snug fit that it felt like she had it forever, and thus she was bound to forget her limitations). Today she was 'Jade' Breaker' Doctor of Ethology (now in two different specializations!). As such the appropriate response was..... "Your Highness?!" 'Jade' yelped in carefully measured 'surprise', an 'astonished' gaze through her glasses and followed by mane flip. "You scared me for a second. I was lost in thoughts..." she smoothly half-lied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted December 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2021 Blueblood couldn't help but give a bit of a smirk. He'd seen Jade at the wedding, he knew who was keeping her so far away from Wingapore, and why. That was the motivation behind his gift selection. Also, he knew practically nothing on her speciality of Ethology, which would be the only other thing he'd have to go on. "I hope you won't think this... presumptuous, but as your secret princess this year, I had to consider what would bring the most cheer for your Hearthswarming..." He brought out a long, flat box, colored a dark scarlet with the logo for Rarity's more... private line. "I can personally speak to the quality of her worksmanship, and the effect it has upon loved ones." He gave her a wink. "And given who you're going to visit... well. I can only hope you make this Hearthswarming as good for her as she deserves." 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciraxis Posted December 17, 2021 Report Share Posted December 17, 2021 'Jade' had information about lot of things in Equestria. Economy, military movement, politics, latest accomplishments in the arcane, locations of notable and rare artifacts.... Fashion? Fashion certainly wasn't on top of this list - which anypony but Hei would find strange for such chic mare. But as aforementioned 'Hei' would explain, 'Beaker's' choice of attire consisted mostly of 'Timeless classics'. Which was a long way of saying that she had no idea about what the logo meant. "Truly?" 'Jade' said, Blueblood description of the gift getting her full attention. it really got her curiosity going. Which was the reason that - as soon as he stopped talking - she opened box on the spot. ... ..... .......... 'What the buuuuuck?!!!' 'Doctor' thought. Outwardly her face was as poker as always, but inside her mind was running at full speed. How? When? Why nopony noticed or told her that Blueblood was into such stuff?! She...well.....she herself WAS into it for a long, long time.....'Jade' was 'Experienced' after all which was a go-to word for 'If It Was Invented, She Tried it'......Recent events when her and Berry engaged in 'pass the sausage' game being just a one example.... Then again, she really shouldn't be surprised, should she? Being able to change genders as freely as others would switch socks, along with him netting himself not one but TWO wives (still not as impressive as some harems she saw, but hey, everypony needs to start somewhere!) meant that Blue wasn't exactly chained to public standards of decency. With conclusion reached , 'Beaker' sloooowly closed up her gift box, gave her mane another hoof flick and gave Prince a most 'amused' smirk she could muster. "Well, ain't you a sweet charmer? Such a shame. If my heart didn't already flutter for two others, you would get contestant for your third wife right now...." she explained before stepping forward, leaning down and planting a kiss on royal pony's cheek. "Although. I think I may be able to convince Berry to come along and play once in the while regardless.....what would you say, Your Highness? I have lot of tales about 'nature' for such sleep-overs." she mused. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblood Posted December 18, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2021 For a long, unpleasant moment, Jade's blank and shocked reaction made Blueblood think that he had just possibly made an *enormous* mistake. It was a risky gift to give to a stranger, and the fact that she apparently hadn't recognized the label bespoke of a much more innocent mind. Oh, dear Celestia... Fortunately, the Prince's spiraling thoughts were arrested by her emerging smile and unexpected kiss. "Oh, well, good. For a moment I thought... never mind." Sighing in relief, he brushed a little cold sweat off his forehead, chuckling. "Well, I'll have to see what the mistress at home says. Beware marriage if you think you'll be master in your own house. Fortunately for my domestic tranquility, I was under no such illusions. In any case, I do have to get back home, as do you.. or, at least, pay a call where your heart lies." He said with a wink, before turning around to depart. "Happy Hearthswarming!" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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