//------------------------------// // The Spirit of... Discord? // Story: The Equestria Girls in a Christmas Carol // by Catlovingmermaid //------------------------------// The lights of the auditorium flickered before turning off, plunging them into pitch blackness. Several of the students reached out and clung to their neighbor as a thick fog rolled through the walkway. A low pitch maniacal laugh filled the room, seemingly coming from everywhere yet nowhere at the same time. Apple Bloom clung to her older sister as Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo clung to Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "Well well well," a deep echo voice called out, "What do we have here?" Several of the other students clung to each other, as a tall figure dressed in a cloak appeared on the stage, "A bunch of humans who claim to know the magic of friendship, yet can't offer it to the one person who needs it the most." "I assume that you're the Spirit of Hearthwarming Future?" Vice Principal Luna asked, stepping forward onto the stage. "Yes, I am," the creature said, "Shall we get going?" The room disappeared around them as a new location formed. Large smokestacks rose up into the sky spewing pollution into the sky. Several workers rushed through the grounds, wearing the same blue coveralls, before splitting apart as they reached the large parking lot, calling out to one another as they climbed into their cars and drove off. That was all but one, a young woman with flaming red and gold hair walked out of the factory with her hands in her pockets and her shoulders hunched. The slush under her feet splashed up around her, soaking her feet as she made her way to the parking lot, slipping a little on a patch of black ice right next to an old broken down car. Sunset drooped down onto the steering wheel, resting her pounding head down on it. Her whole body ached, and her chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it. She grimaced as a deep hard cough tore its way out of her throat. The Factory would be closing down for the holidays, hopefully, she would be able to recover enough by the time it was time to return to work that she could actually keep up with the demands. After simply seating there, in her car, for several minutes, Sunset turned the car on and pulled out of the lot. Rarity couldn't believe how horrible Sunset looked and it wasn't because nobody could look good in coveralls. There were bags under her eyes, her yellow skin had somehow taken on a green tint to it, and her hair had lost its lustrous glow, "What's wrong with Sunset?" she asked. "Equestrians aren't used to the pollution that you humans seem to like pouring into the air," The Spirit of Hearthwarming Future insisted, sticking out a claw-like hand from his cloak, "She doesn't have the immunity to the poisonous stuff that you guys have. It affects her worst than the others." The students fell silent, the spirit didn't need to spell out what he was talking about, they could see it themselves. Working at the factory was slowly killing Sunset Shimmer. Sunset Shimmer slowly entered the small one-bedroom apartment that she had moved into last winter after she received her first paycheck from the factory. Her neighbors were fighting again, their shouting shoving white-hot knives into her skull, and she knew that it would only get worst if she called them out for it. She opened her fridge and peered inside, but the sight of the food just made her feel queasy so she shut it again. She walked over to the worn-out couch and plopped down, not bothering to turn the TV on but just sat and stared at it. She had thought that the factory job offer had been the answer to all of her problems. She no longer had to deal with bullies or being reminded of her past. She was earning enough money to afford her own place, so she now had food on the table, a roof over her head, and warmth during the cold winter months. Plus she worked so much overtime that she didn't have time to make friends and nobody bothers her by trying to be friendly. However, the constant ache of her chest, the cough that had appeared six months ago and had not gone away. Her constant headaches, and loss of appetite. She bet if she did run into someone from High School they wouldn't even recognize her... The lights suddenly flared into life causing the students to blink in confusion, they were back at the school. "Discord? What are you doing?" a soft voice called out, echoing through the room. The voice was familiar, so familiar that all of Fluttershy's friends turned to look at her. Fluttershy shook her head, "It wasn't me." "Fluttershy," the Spirit of Hearthwarming Future called out, sounding surprised, "What are you doing here?" "You weren't at the Hearthwarming party, so I thought I'll stop by and see how you are doing?" "Well as you can see, I'm perfectly fine," The Spirit sounded hurried as if he didn't want whoever had interrupted him to find out what he was doing, "Thank you for your concern, I'll see you for tea Hearthwarming afternoon." "Discord what are you doing?" This time the other Fluttershy sounded a little cross as if she had walked in on someone with their hand in the cookie jar. The Spirit of Hearthwarming Future or Discord as the mysterious disembodied voice of Fluttershy had revealed sputtered for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, "I'm helping Sunset Shimmer make friends by recreating the Hearthwarming Carol, now if you excuse me, I need to get back to showing them Sunset Shimmer's future if they don't start being nice to her." "Does Sunset Shimmer know that you're interfering?" The other Fluttershy asked. "Well, no," Discord said, "But I thought I'll lend a helping hand from one reformed villain to another." "What exactly have you been up to?" Fluttershy asked sweetly. "Well if you must know," Discord said, "I had Sunset Shimmer reveal to her so-called friends that she doesn't celebrate Christmas and they totally freaked out and called her a Scrooge, a horrible insult at this time of year, I assure you." "Discord?" There was a sharpness to Fluttershy's voice now that made everyone look uneasily at the teenager version. "Okay, so I might have altered her friends' responses a little bit as well." "Discord, how could you? You can't just go about playing with other ponies willy nilly like that." "But they aren't ponies, they're humans." You know what I mean," Fluttershy snapped, "You can't alter what anyone is going to say for your own amusement, nor can you reveal things from Sunset's past without her permission." "I was just trying to help," Discord insisted, "I figured that if her schoolmates knew about her past and current situation they wouldn't pick on her so much." "I know that you meant well Discord, Fluttershy said softly, "But next time you should talk to Sunset and Twilight before you interfere." "I'll do that," Discord said, removing his cloak before snapping his fingers allowing the students and staff of Canterlot High to be released from the trance he had put on them.