//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Anon the Scrooge // by Fifty Shades of Yellow //------------------------------// (PoV: Anonymous) You chuck in a piece of wood. No matter how warm it is in here, it will never heat up your bitter heart. Hey, you aren’t going to hide that fact. It hasn’t been the best for you during these last few days, especially when Sunset and her friends try to perk you up. In a way, you sort of feel bad about it. Putting them down, unwillingly to tell them about the shittiest time of the year -- for you, at least. Still, you warned her about how she shouldn’t help you, and she still bothered to annoy you. You don’t need any of it, and you’re damn sure about that. You get up to rest on the couch. The decorated christmas tree with “presents” mock you near the fireplace. It’s a constant reminder on how much you despise this holiday, even when people get to celebrate it and you get the shit stick. When you get your own children, you’re going to make sure they experience that same thing. What catches you off guard is a group of voices singing some sort of christmas carol. You shove that off and grab the TV remote to try and watch something. However, that was short lived when you shuffled through three channels that are airing christmas specials. You turn it off and notice that the singing is even louder now. What’s worse is that you can distinguish the people singing the accursed song. You get up and march over to the door, ready to give them a good yelling on how ignorant they can be. (PoV: Sunset Shimmer) Without any warning, the door swings open with a familiar grouchy schoolmate. ”DO YOU SHITHEADS EVER LEARN THE PHRASE FUCK OFF?!” You and your friends stop singing and look at each other, startled at Anon’s outburst. “But Anon, we’re here to give you some Christmas cheer!” ”And some Christmas sweets!” Pinkie Pie runs past you, almost slipping over a patch of ice to hand over a new, fresh plate of cookies to Anon. He looks at the cookies, unmoved by the fact that you’re giving your all to bring him out of his rut. “Come on, girls. Let’s keep on going!” You and a number of the girls inhale, ready to continue on the singing for Anon. ”No, no, no!” He waives his hand, gesturing you to stop while at a risk of spilling the cookies. “Does this mean that we’ve changed your mind.” ”Yes.” You and the girls gasp in glee, relieved that Anon has been shown the joy of Christmas. ”And, for showing your determination and resiliency to me, I want to give you guys a gift.” “Anon, your appreciation is--” ”Woah, woah, hold up.” Rainbow Dash butts in. “We’ll take that gift -- in the spirit of the holidays and such.” Anon nods and closes the door as he goes back inside. ”What do you think it is?” Rarity wonders. ”I’m wondering how big it is, or how we’re going to share it!” Pinkie enthusiastically says. ”It better be hot chocolate, because I’m freezing out here.” Rainbow Dash shivers out. ”I hope it’s an apology with an apple flavoured candy cane, because that would cheer me right up.” Applejack demands with some positivity. ”I’m not expecting much, but I’m really concerned about what he has for us.” Fluttershy asks in wonderment. All of a sudden, Anon kicks the door open. A very odd shaped item is resting in his hands. “Is that a water gun?” ”Sweet! That’s perfect for when I use my jet ski this--” He points it at you and your friends and pulls the trigger, squirting you and your friends in some sort of warm liquid. ”What in the Sam Hill was that?!” Applejack roars at him. ”What did you spray us with?!” Twilight shouts out. ”You pissed me off to a point that I wouldn’t mind pissing on you guys.” It takes a moment for you and the girls to realize that your coats, hats, gloves, are all soaking in Anon’s urine. ”Merry Christmas, bitches!” The vast majority of the group is rightfully upset and angry at Anon’s cruel joke, leaving Fluttershy the odd one out as she’s crying in the corner of the group. Rarity moves over to comfort Fluttershy, but only makes it worse, causing her to run away. She follows her into the snow, almost chasing her out of the street. Rainbow Dash runs over, but slips on the patch of ice Pinkie Pie stepped on earlier. Luckily for her, she falls into a pile of snow that kept her from hitting the ground. Anon stands there on the doorway, smug as shit to the misery he caused. You march over and avoid the patch of ice to slap the water gun out of his hands and grab him by the collar of his shirt. “What is wrong with you!?” ”Partner, you are asking for a world of hurt right now.” Apllejack stands right beside you. ”What’s wrong with me? Time after time, I ask you to let me sulk in my own problems, but you tried to give a shit about it.” ”Because that’s what we do!” Twilight approaches Anon. ”Yeah, what did we, or even Fluttershy do to you?! We just wanted to know what’s dragging you down.” He looks at all of you before raising an eyebrow. ”If you really want to know; let me go, and I’ll show you.” ”Fat fucking chance, let’s beat the joy into him!” Rainbow Dash angrily grabs him by the chest and prepares her fist by dragging it back. “Hold it!” ”Come on! After all that he did to us!?” Rainbow Dash shakes him around. “Show us, and maybe we won’t colour the snow red.” You and Rainbow Dash let him go, nearly dropping him to the ground. ”Follow me.” You, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash follow him inside. For a person who loathes the holiday, he sure is festive about it. Christmas decorations, stockings near the fireplace, different snow globes posted around the house. No matter where you look, there is something Christmas related sitting in every square foot at this house. ”I’m surprised that this house isn’t torn into bits by you.” Rainbow Dash takes a jab at Anon’s hatred for the holiday. ”It’s not for me; this is all for my parents.” He jumps on the couch and lays back. “Where are they?” ”Gone.” ”Until…?” Rainbow Dash rolls her hand around, expecting an answer from him. ”Next week.” You and your friends all share the same empty feeling that’s going around. “Oh.” ”Uh, I didn’t know that--” “I'm actually happy that they’re out of town.” He cuts off Twilight Sparkle’s sympathy. ”What did they ever do to you?” Pinkie Pie rightfully questions him. ”There is this one time, and I have a videotape of it.” Anon gets up to fish it out from the cabinet stuffed with videotapes. ”You do know that everything is digital now, right?” Rainbow slanders Anon’s medium of ancient technology. ”My parents are old school.” He says when pulling out an old tape with a label marked CHRISTMAS ‘01 all capitalized and written in black. “They feel more comfortable with the shit that was a decade or so ago.” He puts it in a VHS player and turns on the TV. That familiar jingle from yesterday plays when the video starts up, revealing a man that looks a lot like Anon, only much more older. ”Anon! Time to come out and get your presents!” He wipes the lens with a towel before rotating the camera around to show a young boy speeding down the hallway. It takes a while for you to realize that the kid is Anon when he was four or five years old. ”Yes, presents!” He repeatedly chants out when running towards the pile of presents stacked next to the tree. As he rushes out for a present, his father stops him. ”Wait! Open the biggest one first.” The camera focuses on the biggest present that’s as tall as Anon in the video. Anon rips the wrapping apart like an animal, until he makes it to the opening. ”Yeah, tear it apart!” His father motivates him. “What’s in there?” The camera peaks over to reveal nothing but darkness inside the hollow box. ”There’s nothing in there.” Anon confusingly answers his father. The camera spins around to show Anon’s father smiling as if he just won the lottery. ”Fake out! There’s nothing in any of them!” It rotates once more to show a heartbroken Anon, ready to cry into the empty box. “Now go wake up your pill-head mother.” The video ends with Anon turning off the TV. "Now you know." He tosses the remote over to the table. You and the girls look at each other in an uncomfortable manner. Not a single person knows what to say at this moment. It takes a while, but Twilight breaks the ice. "What about now? Surely those presents under the tree have something." Anon gets up and takes the present and hands them over to you and your friends. "Open them." Everyone is skeptical over the idea, but Rainbow Dash was the one to start it off by ripping her present open. Her short lived joy stops when the box reveals to be a hollow joke. You and the rest of your friends open up the presents to prove that Anon's cruel joke from his father is still active to this day. Applejack looks around the box, whereas Pinkie is looking right through her own. Twilight's scratching her head, and Rainbow Dash throws her box to the ground. "Man, I would be angry if my family did that to me." "I'm way past that point now." He heads over to a chair and tries to relax in it. "I just want this holiday to be over with." "What should we do now?" Twilight whispers over to you. "Nothing." She's stunned by your reply. "There's nothing we can do." "What about the party?" She asks out loud. "Not my thing, especially when it's Christmas themed." He kicks back in his chair. "You guys know your way out, enjoy your party." "But--" "Leave him, we're done here." Rainbow Dash cuts Pinkie off. "We did all we could. There's nothing more we can do, sugarcube." Applejack says to Pinkie when putting a hand over her shoulder, guiding her over to the door. You and Twilight were the last ones to leave the house, making sure that the door was closed shut.