//------------------------------// // The First Gift of Christmas // Story: The Polar Express // by The Blue EM2 //------------------------------// “What do you believe, young lady?” a kindly voice asked me. I looked up, and gasped when I saw who it was. Santa Claus. He looked exactly as I had imagined him; long, white beard, moustache, and dressed from head to toe in red and white. “Ah believe...in you,” I answered, not entirely sure whether this was real or not. But it was real, as I found out when he shook my hand. “What is your name?” he asked, with that same jovial warmth that had characterised his earlier question. “Apple Bloom, sir,” I said. Santa smiled and walked over to the other children, addressing each of them in turn. “Diamond Tiara,” he said to her. “I see a great mind in there, and a thirst for knowledge. But you have a lack of patience, and you need to keep that in check. Knowledge alone will not get you through life, but the force of your character.” Diamond was so stunned to have been spoken to by Santa she simply stood speechless! “Sweetie Belle,” he continued. “I see great courage and skill in your heart. But at the same time, it is crucial that this does not turn to recklessness.” “Thank you, sir,” she replied. “Scootaloo,” he spoke. “I see the spirit of Christmas lives within you. Never forget that the joy you inspire in others is your strongest asset. And that will make the world a better place.” Santa finally came to me. “Apple Bloom,” he smiled. “You have not only the skill to inspire others, but to help others discover who they are meant to be. But not only that, you have faith. Faith alone can move more than science or knowledge ever will.” He took my hand and led me to his sleigh. With a kindly smile, he sat down, and motioned for me to do the same. “Apple Bloom,” he asked. “What would you like for Christmas?” I froze. I knew I could have anything I could have ever wanted. But I knew what I wanted more than anything else. I pointed to one of the bells that adorned the reindeer. Santa gave a single motion, and an elf removed it, handing it to Santa. Santa then raised his hand into the air. “THE FIRST GIFT OF CHRISTMAS!” There was a great cheer from all concerned, and the engine blasted its whistle loudly as this revelation came to pass. Suddenly, the clock began to chime. Santa turned to me. “Apologies my child,” he said, “but now I must go. I have an entire world to deliver presents to, and in only one night!” I stepped back, and Santa took the reins. One by one, he called the reindeer. “Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!” They flew higher and higher into the air, and Santa jovially laughed, before he vanished into a puff of smoke. There was a moment of silence, before the band launched off into another song. Alas, our time at the North Pole had come to an end. As we re-boarded the train, we were given new tickets. Diamond was first. “It says LEAN?” she said, in surprise. “Your thumb,” the conductor pointed out. Diamond adjusted her hand, and saw it read ‘LEARN’. “My mistake!” she said. Sweetie Belle’s had the word ‘courage’ written on it. She nodded and climbed aboard. And then came my turn. The conductor handed me mine. I began to speak. “It says-” “Uh uh!” the conductor said, “I don’t need to know.” As we got back onboard, the girl from earlier asked to see the bell. But when I reached in my pocket, it wasn’t there! “Ah musta dropped it in the square!” I panicked. “Quick!” called Diamond, “let’s get out there and find it!” But just then, the train began to move. We couldn’t go back for it. Later on, the train pulled up outside my house. I turned to say goodbye to my new friends, knowing I would probably never see them again. “I’ll miss you,” said Sweetie Belle. “But I’m so happy Scootaloo got her present.” “Ah’ll be givin’ her a visit,” I said. “We all exchanged phone numbers, right?” “We can stay in touch,” Diamond smiled. I climbed off the train and turned to the conductor. “Thank you,” I said. “No, thank you,” the Conductor replied. “There’s one thing about trains. It doesn’t matter where you’re going, what matters is deciding to get on.” I walked back into the house, and as the train started to leave, the conductor shouted something to me. “What?” I called. “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” he called over. It broke my heart to lose that bell. I thought I would never see it again. But the next morning- “Rise and shine, sugarcube!” called Applejack, my older sister. “We got Christmas to celebrate!” I jumped out of bed, and grabbed my dressing gown-only to notice the pocket was torn. So last night wasn’t a dream after all! The presents were marvellous, but there was one box that lay under the tree. It was white with green lining, and I carefully opened it. Inside was the bell, and a letter. Dear Apple Bloom, Found this on the seat of my sleigh. Better fix that hole in your pocket. Mr C. I quickly rang it, and found that I could hear it just as clearly as last night. “That’s a beautiful sound sugarcube!” Applejack cried. “Ah can’t hear nothin’,” Big Mac said. Neither could our parents. But we could, and it was all that mattered.