"And... hang some streamers over the door. Yes, the red and green ones." I called out to a brown pegasus. I felt like I held myself much higher than anyone else. Maybe you do? But it wasn't like that. It isn't? 'Will you be quiet?' Bill did. I just wanted the best for Fluttershy. I had... lots... to make up for. The brown pegasus, I still hadn't caught his name, hung the streamers perfectly. "Thank you, good sir. Take a break, if you want. I shouldn't have been that coarse with you."

Unlike what most people, or ponies, would have done, the brown pegasus looked at me and said, "No, that's alright. I should have put two and two together and, seeing all the red and green, put those streamers up."

"Are you sure?" I asked. Dammit Will, why can't you leave well enough alone and let him do his work? 'Maybe because I was rude to him?' There you go, being a good person again. I'm telling you, life doesn't work that way. 'In Equestria it does.' Whatever you say, Will. Whatever. You. Say. Bill said, excruciatingly sarcastically.

The pony nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Don't worry yourself over it." He resumed setting up the streamers over the doors. He put them up in a rather quick fashion. Being a pegasus helped with that, I'm sure. You think?

Bill's behaviour made me pause for a second. 'What is your problem, Bill?' What do you mean? 'Before this morning, you were sociable.' What am I now? 'You don't hear yourself?' Honestly, no. 'You're getting pretty... you're starting to be a dick, Bill.' How so? 'Well, before this morning, your witty remarks were tolerable. Good-natured banter. Now...' Now? 'Now, you're moving on to insulting.' I am? 'You are.'

Bill said something that didn't fit his character: he apologized. I'm sorry. I don't mean to. It's just... well, with all the stuff going on I can't... I don't... Then I heard crying. Bill was crying. 'Hey, man. I didn't mean for you to cry.' I'm sorry... It was times I wished Bill were physical, so I could comfort him. Oh gods, I could hear it now: "Ew, he's hugging a guy!" Honestly, sometimes people don't grow up... and that's what does them in in the real world.

I was brought back to reality when I heard Luna call out to me. "Prince Will! Come here a moment, would you?"

I walked towards the blue "alicorn" that was Luna, still trying to mentally comfort Bill. "What is it?"

I did the same and gave her my opinion. "I think that they're coming along well. With a few balloons and, say, a streamer here and there... maybe a bit of confetti..."

Luna chuckled. "You are such a worrier. But... there was another reason I called you over."

I looked at her, confused. I could hear Bill's sobs in the background, almost white noise. "What's the matter?"

"I sense... Bill. He's... crying?" She asked, almost as if asking for confirmation.

I sighed. "Yeah. He's... broken down. As it turns out, my voice has a breaking limit. And he's reached it."

"That's odd. Can I ask why he's crying?" Luna asked, seriously but innocently.

"Apparently, there's been so much going on, and I asked him why he was starting to sound... rude, is the best word I can think of. I mean, before this morning, he was what I'd call 'sociable,' but lately he's been getting a bit worse. I asked him about it, and... he said he didn't even realize it until I brought it up. I found that strange, seeing as how he's the speaker. Anyway, he started apologizing and crying at the same time, saying that the stress of everything is catching up to him. Any ideas?"

"I think... that maybe everything that's happened to you during your time here... maybe even your whole life... is catching up to you, bringing forth all the emotions that you felt or should have felt or might have felt."

"But... that doesn't really explain why Bill's experiencing it. I mean, usually when those things happen, he's an emotionless person, and that's great, because it helps, but why is he having emotion now?"

"Well..." I said. "I guess I'd be in tears right now. But what does this have to do with-"

"Does Bill want you to have a good time at this party, to be happy with Fluttershy?"

'Do you?' His answer was forced out between sobs. Yes, Will. I do. I know she means a lot to you, and... I withdrew before a new flood broke through. "He does." Luna looked at me expectantly. "What?" I asked.

Now I was creeped out. What the heck was going on?! "No, why won't you just tell me?"

"Son..." She said quietly. From her tone I think she needed to get used to that as well, more out of the shock than anything else. "Bill is heaping all your feelings on himself."

"Will... Son... Bill is taking all the emotions you would be feeling and putting them on himself. He's making sure you don't get randomly sad or angry during the party... he's trying to keep you happy... by hurting himself..."

My jaw hung limply from my face. 'Is that it?' Yes... I didn't want to tell you... I guess I'd hoped that you'd pick up on it on your own... Through his cries I heard him give a sad chuckle. But you're too much of an idiot to puzzle things together... I felt him give a sad smile. You need me for that, sadly, and I've been... busy... 'Bill... I'm sorry...' For what? You've done nothing. 'For making you cry.' Oh, please, Will. I was on the verge of tears anyway... Don't trouble yourself over it. Go have a good time... I'll be fine... 'I don't want you to be a hero, Bill.' What? And let you cry and shout in front of all the party guests? No, sir. Not letting that happen. He'd stopped crying, but I thought it best I not push him, lest he swing to the opposite pole and get mad.

I rested my face in the palm of my hand. "I'm so stupid." I looked up after a moment, though, as there was still a bit of work to do. I still needed a gift. "What would Fluttershy like..." I muttered to myself.

"I believe... I may know of something..." I heard a familiar voice behind me. But... it wasn't a voice I'd heard in Canterlot. It was from somewhere else... Ponyville... I knew who it was.

I chuckled. "I have an answer for that. As you can see," I waved my hand around to all the celebratory stuff. "I'm setting up a party for Fluttershy. It's supposed to be a surprise, so naturally I can't have her watching it all. Celestia volunteered to take her out on the town. Can't have her ruining the surprise, now, can we?"

"What's this party for?" Twilight asked, with what I could only describe as suspicion.

"Well. Yesterday was Christmas, a human holiday. It's a day where humans are nice to everyone and give each other gifts and care for each other, and so on and so forth. Well... as Luna can attest, I died yesterday. The docs over at my camp brought me back, after three tries, but still. When I remembered that it was Christmas, I wanted to give Fluttershy a present."

"I kissed Fluttershy on the cheek." I noticed Twilight's face turn red, and I could tell it wasn't from embarrassment. "I mean, it was just a quick peck, and the whole gift thing was ruined by my embarrassment at the whole thing. She was... okay with it, I think. I mean, she didn't get mad, thank the gods."

"Now, now, Twilight," I said, holding my hands up to her. "Remember what Princess Celestia said. I didn't provoke you; I've said nothing wrong. Don't get angry."

"How could I not get angry?! Every time I meet you, you steal Fluttershy away more and more!"

Luna saved my hide. "Twilight Sparkle! You will become calm this instant! I recall my sister's words very clearly, as if she had said them not moments ago, and it is you, not Will, who is at fault here!"

Twilight was immediately taken down several pegs. She hung her head low, defeated. "I'm sorry, Princess Luna."

"Now, I believe you'd said you may be able to help Will in finding a gift for Fluttershy?"

Twilight sighed. "Yes, Princess Luna." She looked up slightly, towards me. "If you'll follow me, I can take you to some shops that I think should sell things that Fluttershy likes." She turned and walked away, still sullen. I made to follow, but Luna stopped me with a hoof.

"It's dangerous to go alone. Take this." Then she took my right hand in her hoof, and with the other she placed what looked to be a bracelet into my hand. The bracelet was of a very strange design, it appeared to be more or less entirely made of tiny shields.

"It's... it was a gift... from an old human wizard. He creatively called it his 'shield bracelet.' It projects a shield in front of you, roughly a quarter dome, that stops physical objects. Put enough juice into it and you might be able to make a full dome."

"Oh, don't worry, Will. You have magic. You don't have a horn to focus it with, but that's the thing. My hu-... friend, the wizard, he didn't have a horn. In fact, he wasn't a Paracorn as we are. He was just an ordinary human, as were all his friends and acquaintances. At least, those who could use magic were human. He did have some shape-shifter friends. And he had a vampire for a half-brother. But, back to the point. He had no horn to use as a focus. Instead," She paused, and pointed to the shield bracelet. "That shield bracelet was one of his focuses."

"Oh, sure. Remember: human magic is different from that of unicorns or Paracorns. He cast spells and enchantments on that bracelet specifically for defense. He also had a short stick, maybe only a foot and a half long -- it's been a while, I don't remember exactly -- that he used for throwing around fire. Called it a 'blasting rod.' He also had a staff that he carried, pretty much every where. He carved sigils into it to give it power. Aside from using it for magical purposes," Luna chuckled. "He bludgeoned things with it."

"Oh, no, nothing like that." I noticed Luna slip into a sort of... dreamy gaze? I didn't know what that was about. "He lived in the old Earth city of Chicago. He was pretty much the only big-time magic user there. Not that he advertised that specifically; he had a job to find lost things. You know, rings, wallets, that sort of thing. But..." I noticed from her right eye drooped a single droplet, as if the eye didn't want to let it go. "He also served as the city's protector from the 'supernatural.' Back then, demons, harpies, vampires, all that stuff, even wizards -- and I mean real ones, not stage magicians -- didn't exist. He did well. He was good at it. At stopping the monsters..." I saw the tear fall down her cheek, another already replacing it.

I rested my left hand on her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. "It's alright. You don't have to tell me, not if it's this painful for you... I won't have you crying at this party, okay?" I said, looking into her eyes, smiling.

Her struggle was obvious, but she managed a weak smile as well. "Very well. Now, Twilight is waiting for you at the door."

I turned towards to the exit to find that she was right. "I'm coming!" I called out, then followed my words with the action. Taking long strides, I paused mid-step, turning back to Luna. "Will you oversee the rest of the preparations, Luna? I'm not sure how long I'll be..."

I nodded, then followed Twilight out. She asked me a question as soon as the door closed fully. "Why do you call her 'Luna' instead of 'Princess Luna?'"

I fumbled. "Well, I... uh... well, much to my surprise, I, uh... seem to have been... inducted... into the nobility..." Which wasn't really far from the truth. Celestia did kind of spring it on me at the last second, it seemed.

"What do you mean?" There wasn't much hostility in her voice, which made me believe she'd calmed down.

"Well, after my performance here in Canterlot -- and yes, I played music, to the liking of many ponies -- Fluttershy decided to both hug and strangle me at the same time." I saw a tiny grin on Twilight's face, but when I chuckled at the memory, it faded. "After that, we simply sat together, leaning our heads together. Prince Blueblood caught sight of this. He pulled me aside and questioned me harshly. I had an answer for everything, though, and when he attacked me I defended myself. Eventually Celestia stepped in and stopped the fight -- which, I might add, was a favor for Blueblood, to be honest -- and cast out Blueblood from the position of Prince." I paused.

"Well, apparently there has to be a Prince at any given time, and I was right there, so Celestia raised my hand and shouted, 'Prince Will!' That's when I fainted."

She changed the subject. Typical women. "So... why are you thinking of getting a gift for Fluttershy?"

"I didn't tell you?" I sighed. "Like I said. Yesterday was Christmas. As I'd said already, I died that day."

"Well... I kind of got caught hugging Fluttershy by my commander, and my punishment was to take care of this monster threat near by. Well, I had given Fluttershy this radio that lets her talk to me, and while I was fighting I heard her scream for me. Leaving my buddies, I flew to her -- she'd told me where she was -- and fought off her attackers. A few hellhounds and diamond dogs. But then... a minotaur showed up."

"You don't know what all lives in the Everfree Forest?" I shook my head. "It's a monster that has the torso and arms of a man, but the legs and head of a bull. Anyways, this one was carrying a big freaking sword, and all I had was my dueling sword. Before you ask, it's a blade that is very thin, more suited to thrusting at unarmoured opponents, usually one-on-one. So. I managed to nick it a few times, but it got a lucky parry and broke my sword..." I felt my eyes water very slightly. "I'm sorry, Richard..." I said, almost under my breath. "It stabbed me, then. A friend of mine killed it before it could do the same to me, but I was already down and going. I slipped under during the flight back to my camp, as Luna carried me. Died in her hooves."

"Well, it was Christmas. I felt that dying... three times was a pretty horrible gift to give her, so I thought that a party and an actual present would make up for it. So..." I said. "What kind of things does Fluttershy like?"

"Well," she said, and I could tell she was going to recite things from a mental list. "She loves things that are animal related. She likes music. Art, poetry. Essentially anything that isn't a big deal. No light shows, no loud noises, etcetera."

"Wow... that's... that's pretty much like me. I can work with that. Basing it all on what you've told me, I have something in mind."

We walked several blocks. I was kind of surprised that the merchant area was so far from the castle. Then I realized something. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Well... don't take it the wrong way, but why haven't you... well, said anything... angrily, to me?"

"I'm doing this because I want Fluttershy to be happy. I'm not doing it for you. I'm not yelling at you because you'd tell her and then she'd be really mad at me."

"Oh." We walked a bit further before I asked her another question. "What kind of things do you like? I mean, aside from books and studying."

This caught her by surprise. "Er... um... well... I like poetry. Since you told me to exclude studying and books, that covers it all."

"Oh, just curious, really." We walked for yet another distance before I stopped to look inside a store that sold art supplies. "Hang on, I'm going to grab a few things from here. Want to come in?"

I shrugged my shoulders and went inside. I browsed the aisles quickly but efficiently, and easily found what I needed. I'd picked up yellow, pink, blue, green, and red paint, with a couple brushes. As I walked up to the counter, the pony, an earth pony, said to me, "Oh, no. You don't need to pay, Your Highness."

"Well, not so much, here in Canterlot. Not many artists here. Now the clothing stores..."

I held out the credits. "Then take this. You need it more than I. And that's one time I could actually say that and it be the truth. I've got money practically flowing out of my ears. Anything I can do to help, I will, so take it." He seemed hesitant, almost as if he expected me to quickly pull back my arm at the last second and laugh at him. Considering the quality of the last Prince, I couldn't blame the guy. But, to speed things up, I grabbed his hoof with my left hand, as I'd stashed the paint and brushes in a bag already, and with my right I pressed the money into his hoof. I chuckled and grinned at him. "Usually, shopkeepers just take the money and run, but I sense honour in you. May you have a wonderful day."

I stepped out of the store, leaving behind a flustered shopkeeper. I spotted Twilight sitting on a bench. When she caught sight of me, she hopped up and walked over to me. "So, what'd you get?"

"True, but I'm not shopping with Fluttershy, so I don't need to take many precautions in hiding my purchased merchandise."

"Oh." We walked for a little while longer, and we finally reached the store that carried stuffed animals. I stepped inside quietly. It didn't take long to find what I was looking for: a white bunny. It was one of the first things I saw once I got inside. Grabbing one, I walked to the counter, money already in hand.

"That'll be- oh! Sorry, Your Highness I didn't notice you. You don't need to pay."

If I had a free hand, I would have scratched my head. I had to ask Luna about this next time I saw her. Or Celestia. Whoever came first. "What is it with people refusing to take my money?"

It was then I pulled a line from an ancient comedy cartoon. I didn't really even like the show, but some lines were too memorable to forget. "Shut up and take my money!" And I waved the bills to the clerk. "Sorry, I didn't mean to curse. I wasn't thinking."

"Because I cursed, thoughtlessly. It was a human joke and I should have known better."

"Listen. I'm trying to support this establishment. I'm trying to keep the bills paid. I'm trying to keep your family fed. Do Princesses Celestia and Luna pay whenever they buy things?"

"Well... Prince Blueblood used to take whatever he wanted for free. He said if we tried to make him pay, he would slander our companies, tarnish our reputations."

"Rest assured, good sir, I do not and will not do that kind of thing. That's pretty horrible. So please, take this money. Go buy something special, save it up, buy food, I care not. Just... let me pay for my things. And spread the word that I will pay for my stuff, whether store workers like it or not." I flashed him a grin, and thankfully, he returned it. I found Twilight standing outside, relatively patiently. "Twilight?"

"First off: call me Will. I'm not into this whole Prince thing yet, and until then, I'm Will. Okay?"

I looked, and low and behold, there was a book store. "I'm not the most observant of people without Bill."

"Oh... nothing. Just talking to myself." I made to scamper off before she could ask any more questions, but a shout stopped me cold.

I spun in place to see four ponies, wearing what seemed to be homemade versions of what I saw the guards in Ponyville wearing. Two of them were unicorns, the others were earth ponies. "Twilight!" I yelled. "Get behind me!" 'Okay...' I thought, lifting the shield bracelet. 'How do I use this thing?' When Bill spoke, I found that he'd continued crying. On that note, Will, it's because a sad Bill is a lot more pleasant than an angry Bill. As for how to use it... Luna told you, but you weren't listening. Because you haven't developed what's essentially a "magic gland," as you're young in Paracorn standards, you need to take memories and bend them into magic. Easier than it seems. Angry memories for offensive, anything else for defensive. All you need to do is imagine it happening. Take the memory, get the feeling, the emotion from it, then imagine what you want done with it. Simple. Trust me. He'd said that all through tears. Tough guy.

So I did as I was told. But before I could, I saw the two unicorns magically pull two knives from their pockets. "Woah, gettin' serious, are we?" I had to do this right the first time, or I'd likely be dead. I ran through my memories to get something I could use. My mind immediately flew to the Everfree Forest. I'd just crashed with Fluttershy, but I held off the monsters so she could get away. Get absorbed in it. Let it fill your mind. I tried doing as Bill said, and surprisingly, it worked like a charm. I could feel the fire of protectiveness. I then tried imagining a shield forming in front of me. It wasn't working. I mean, I could feel a shield there, but it probably wouldn't stop more than specks of dust. Imagine the source lancing down your arm, through the bracelet. Imagine the shield being projected from the bracelet. I did so, and found that strategy much more productive. I could see a shimmering blue quarter dome manifest in front of me.

The unicorns had let loose too late. The knives flew towards me, and I had doubts, for only a second, that this insubstantial-looking shield would stop them. But I was proven wrong. As soon as the tips hit the shield, it flickered, and the knives bounced harmlessly off. The shield wavered for a second, before I took this recent memory and used its power to fuel the shield, and it became solid again.

I saw looks of fearful surprise come over the assailants' faces. "You guys have one chance to scram, before I take matters into my own hands. Go!"

They were practically falling over themselves to get out of the vicinity. Twilight scoffed in amazement, as opposed to scoffs in arrogance. "How... how did you do that?! And where did you get that?!"

I debated on what to tell her, but decided that the truth was safe enough to tell. "Luna gave it to me. She said it belonged to a friend of hers, and she wanted me to have it. I guess it must be her Christmas present to me. As for how I used it... I used memories."

We started walking back to Canterlot Castle, the book completely forgotten. "Yes, memories. I was told that because I didn't have a horn, I could use magic by using my memories as sort of... power sources. I take a memory, absorb the emotion of the memory, and convert the emotion into power. Apparently, different emotions create different kinds of power. Anger has destructive properties, happiness and sometimes sadness gives healing magic. Love gives out protection magic, and sadness in general... well, I don't know about that one." I noticed the sun arcing down lower, and a glance at my watch told me it was around four in the afternoon. "Twilight," I began.

"Can you teleport or find your own way back to Canterlot Castle? I need to get back as soon as possible to make my present."

"No problem, Will. Go on." I didn't detect any hostility in her voice, which I told myself was influenced by my recent actions.

I took off, and before I'd gotten too high I'd heard a gasp of amazement come from Twilight. The flight back to the Castle, and more importantly its grand hall, was quiet. Neither Bill or I spoke, which made flying boring. I wasn't even flying with anyone else, which added to my feelings of lonesomeness. While I was looking around, though, I spotted a particular store that I might be interested in. I landed right outside the door, which surprised a few ponies. I went inside, browsed the wares, and made a purchase.

As I left, I noticed two unicorns galloping straight for me, angry faces visible. 'Oh god, they're bum rushing me.' Getting a bit desperate, aren't they? 'Yeah.' I could take them on my own, but I wanted to experiment with something. I didn't know if I could use the power of a memory several times. You can. And remember: the clearer the memory, and the more... emotional it is, the stronger the spell.

Taking that into account, I drew forth the most recent protective memory, my defence of Twilight, and used it to create a shield in front of me. I raised my other arm, poised for a strike, because I didn't know if the shield would stop the ponies. Speaking of which, as they got closer, they lowered their horns, intent on goring me, apparently. I decided not to let that happen.

No need, though, as the unicorns slammed into the quarter dome or pure force. Again the shield wavered, but I scratched that off as me being new to the whole thing, and I stripped the last few seconds for more juice. That also wasn't needed, though, as when they recovered from their daze, they looked at each other and exclaimed, "It's true! He can use magic!"

I dusted myself off, then took off as if nothing had transpired, ignoring the mixed looks of surprise, amazement, fear, wonder, and reverence that I got from the ponies occupying the surrounding area. The rest of the flight was thankfully short. If I wanted to finish my presents before the party, I'd need every minute. I mean, I had several hours, five, to be exact, but my gifts would take a while.

I landed on the balcony of Celestia's and Luna's private room. I didn't know where I was supposed to sleep, so what the hell. I opened the windowed doors, finding no one inside. I flipped on the light switch, taking note that Celestia had in fact installed at least rudimentary technology, electricity, into her stateroom. I then remembered that everywhere else I'd been in Canterlot Castle had electric lights, so I guessed at the very least the Castle was under power.

I sat down at a desk in the room and laid out my materials. The stuffed bunny I'd gotten was good to go from the start, so I set that aside. I took a piece of white paper, which had the consistency of construction paper, from a stack that rested at a corner of the desk. I opened up the jars of paint, and sitting quietly, I thought of what to paint. Eventually inspiration hit me and I began.

I painted a blue sky, though it had to be a night sky as the blue paint I'd bought was blue, not a sky blue or something similar. I carefully left some holes in the sky, for use as stars. I can't believe I'd forgotten to buy white paint. I also left out a larger hole to serve as the moon. Next came a green field that covered about a fifth or so of the bottom of the paper. It was just a simple block of green for grass. I'm not a big artist. I mean, I could paint very well, but I was also on a time constraint and couldn't be very picky with details. The part I spent the most time on was the painting of Fluttershy. With Bill helping to keep the memory in place, I pictured her beautiful face in my mind, painting it with as much accuracy as I could manage. When I stepped back, though I really just leaned back in the chair, I thought I'd done a pretty good job. The painting turned out pretty well, and there wasn't a single smudge.

I set it aside and was about to start on my next gift when a hand gripped my right shoulder suddenly and a voice, feminine, said, "Boo!"

I jumped out of the seat and let out an angry cry. Sure, dimmer people would mistake it for an unmanly cry of surprise and fear, but it was definitely a fury cry. Sure. That was the problem with voices in your head. They could contradict you at every turn. My pleasure. "Luna?!" I saw it was her as I turned. She was busting out on the floor, laughing. That right there was a huge hit to my ego. Me, a twenty four year old man was being picked on and made fun of and laughed at by his millenia old mother. I didn't say that to her face, though. I didn't know if that was an insult to Paracorns.

"You should have seen the look on your face, Will! Gods, you looked like you'd seen a ghost!"

I harrumphed and turned back to the desk in a completely grown up fashion. "I don't have time for this, mother."

She stopped laughing and stood behind me, looking over my shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to write a song to sing to Fluttershy. So far, I only have the first two lines." My stomach growled. "And now I'm hungry."

But, as Luna was my mother, she came to my rescue and placed a plate of bagels, all warm, with egg and cheese inside. "I thought you might be, Will. I'd be a pretty bad parent if I didn't look after my child, even if he's taller than me." I heard a note of humour in her voice as she said that. She bent in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "You'll do fine, Will. You'll think of something quick. I'll be back in a bit, I have to oversee the last bit of preparation. I still have to set up the food, for starters. You're mean on your poor old mother, Will, to leave me with all the work!" She said that playfully though.

"See you later, Luna." She gave me a hug and left. After the door closed, I said to myself, aloud, "Food. Must. Eat." Are you lapsing into stupidity? 'Shut up.' I picked up one of the egg bagels and took a bite out of it. It tasted delicious. As I munched on bagels, I struggled to make up a song. Contrary to some beliefs, songs are not easy to write. It takes time and effort to come up with one, and the amount of time and effort spent is in direct relation with how good the song is. Granted, there are some songs that the writers put so much into that turned out bad, but I hoped that wouldn't be the case with mine.

Again, as with the painting, inspiration hit me. I began writing down words, which I subconsciously hoped would turn into a song. I fell into a droning trance while writing, probably because I could feel Bill influencing my thoughts. I was so far deep in a subconscious state that I didn't notice my mother walk in. Luckily for me, I'd just finished before she said, "I'm back, Will. Are you ready?"

I looked around at the scattered and cluttered desk. The painting was dry, and I, through Bill, had photographically memorized the song. Unfortunately, Neither the painting nor the bunny were wrapped in any way. "Oh, god, I need to wrap these up." No sooner had I spoken, though, that Luna magicked around some wrapping paper and a box to wrap the bunny. She added a bow for a nice effect. The painting she placed inside a frame and sheathed in a canvas covering to keep it safe from the elements. "Thanks, Luna."

She laughed. "It was no problem, Will." She gave me a hug. "Anything for my son." Then she nuzzled my cheek. "Now come on, you've got to get to the hall. Somepony is waiting for you."

I jumped up and followed Luna out. It was all I could do to keep from bounding past her and charging headlong into the party hall. Despite my impatience, we made good time, arriving at the hall a decent amount of time before Celestia returned with Fluttershy. I ran up to hug her, which she promptly returned with honest happiness. "Hello there, love. I've missed you while you were gone."

It was then I'd realised that she hadn't seen it all. As soon as she entered the room, her eyes, I'd noticed, were fixated on me, and me alone. I saw her twist her head around in different directions for the first time since coming in here, and I heard a big gasp escape her mouth. "Oh my gosh, Will. You... you threw me a party?"

I gave her a gentle squeeze. "Well, it's technically for everyone, but I had you specifically in mind. I know pretty much none of the ponies here will participate, understandably so, but it's you I wanted to focus on."

I thought it over. "While I know you don't do good with crowds, ponies will probably be paying attention to you a lot. But don't worry," I hastily added, hoping to keep her spirits up. "Celestia and Luna will literally be right there next to you, so they'll be right there to comfort you."

I cut in instead. "I'm sorry for interrupting. But if that doesn't comfort you, you can pretend that the ponies are all looking at the Princesses. Besides," I told her. "You'll probably be too concentrated on me to worry about the other ponies."

I rubbed her back, nuzzling into her. "I'm sorry for putting you up to this, Fluttershy, but it's kind of hard to do what I plan to do if you aren't here. I'm sorry for upsetting you, if I did, but..." I trailed off. I hadn't really thought of what to say after that, and it seemed dumb to just repeat myself.

I got up, and stepped away from her. Immediately, Luna and Celestia took their places beside Fluttershy, just as I'd promised. I walked backwards, up to the table that Luna and I had set the presents down on. I could see Twilight lurking by the door, as if unsure of her welcome. I beckoned her in, then clapped my hands together. "Alright, everypony. This party is... just a little something I wanted to put together." I paused to see Nolan come in. Johnathan was right behind him, Vinyl by his side. "Now, I've done this a bit late. This party was to celebrate the human holiday of Christmas. It's a very festive and merry holiday, where humans are exceptionally nice to each other, sometimes giving gifts, sometimes receiving them.

"I'll tell you right now: with only three humans here, it's going to be hard to do that." I flash the two ambassadors grins. They returned them and gave me thumbs up. "So I'd like a few ponies to participate. By few, of course," I chuckled. "I mean all of you. I don't mean to force this upon anyone, but I want you all to be nice to each other. Not many of you, if any at all, will have gifts, but that's okay. I mean, I'm just now introducing the holiday. But we can all be nice, and polite, and caring, right?" I saw a few polite nods. "Now... I'd like to start this party off with food and merriment. Come on, ponies. Cast aside the strict rules and guidelines of the society you live in everyday and just... enjoy yourselves, if only for tonight."

With that, I stepped away from the table. Most of the ponies started moving immediately, and they started dancing ballroom. I strode over to where Fluttershy was standing. "See there, love? I've just gone through the first half of the party, and with a little filler dances and some food, the next half will be ready to roll. And you didn't even get any spotlight." I grinned at her. She grinned back. I held out my hand, the gentleman part taking over. "Care to dance, my love?"

"I'd love to... love." Then she giggled. But then I saw her face draw out in shock. "But... I don't know how to dance!"

She almost gasped, but I held a finger to her lips. "Shh. It's alright, love. Just follow my lead. Keep your hooves on my feet and there won't be any problems."

She complied. I can factually say that our dance wasn't so bad. It went pretty successfully, considering. I mean, sure, it was a bit awkward with Fluttershy standing on my feet, but I did a good, clean, accident-free round. I drew the waltz thing to a close, however, when I danced my way back to the Princesses to drop her off. It was then I noticed that they themselves hadn't moved from the spot. "I'm going to let you go here, Fluttershy. I'd like to steal away my friends for a moment, see if can, uh," I winked at her. "Relax the whole... strict vibe in here."

With that, I walked over to where Nolan, John, and Vinyl were standing. "Hey, guys. Why are you just standing here?"

Nolan spoke first. "I'm a lonely man, Will. I have no warm embrace of another." He trailed off in mock sadness. He even covered his eyes to add to the effect.

I gave him a quick "bro hug," I believe the term was. "There you go, big guy. Knock yourself out." We both laughed.

Next was Vinyl, who said, "I don't dance, Will. Neither does John." At "John" she nuzzled his leg.

John chuckled. "She's right. Almost. I can dance... spiffy, excitingly, but ballroom... ugh, no. That's almost why I couldn't become an ambassador. I was required to attend formal gatherings, which usually included dances, so my amazing dance skills weren't appreciated." We all laughed.

"I'm sorry, Vinyl," I began. "But I have to steal John from you for a bit." I turned to him. "You did bring it, right?"

He reached a hand into his suit and partially pulled out a record. "Yup. All three, like you'd said."

I nodded. "Great," I said, then turned back to Vinyl. "He's gotta help me with something."

She shrugged. "It's alright with me. I'll go talk to some other ponies, I guess." The dejection was painfully evident both in her voice and in her body language. At least, it was painful for John.

He tried comforting her. "I promise, Vinyl. I'll be right back. Besides, I think you'll like it. I'm pretty sure waltz isn't your style." She nodded, still not looking at him. "Well, what Will wants to do is change the atmosphere to something less... uptight, to something more upbeat." She looked at him now. "You'll probably like what we're going to put on. I mean, sure, it's human music, but it's still something in your area of expertise." He grinned at her, and, thankfully, she returned it.

"Well," I said. "We're going to put on some dance music. And not waltz. Like... club dancing."

"Oh," she said, smiling. "I see now." She turned to wink at John. "I'll be waiting right here, then."

The three of us walked briskly over to the phonograph. Nolan just unceremoniously removed the waltz record from the device, and John methodically replaced it with the one I'd had him retrieve. By now the ponies had stopped dancing to see what was going on. John held the needle above the record, as if threatening to unleash its contents. "Okay," I called out to the confused ponies. "I asked for us all to unwind, to forget the high society we come from, as I said, if only for tonight. So, seeing as how waltz was the first thing to pop up, I assume I'm going to have to work for it." I nodded. "Drop it, John."

He let the needle fall onto the record, which, after a few seconds of the needle finding the grooves, found an immediately moving tune and struck it up. It was a bit scratchy, but it was allowable seeing how it was a phonograph. About one second in, when the intro "flared," Nolan, John, and I all started to move it. All through the song, we were tearing around a small area. Once, I rolled under Nolan and John as they did a back flip and front flip, respectively, over me.

As the song drew to a close the three of us stood back at the table and bowed. There were many cheers and a decent sized applause. "We will leave the rest for another time, unfortunately," I said, glancing at my watch. "Many of you must be somewhere tomorrow, so I would like to end this party with the favorite of all children and many adults: the gift exchange."

I turned to Nolan and Johnathan. "My gift to you two was the good time of this party. Go nuts." We laughed, and much of the crowd laughed as well, in earnest. Next, I turned to the crowd. "My gift to you was the party, which I hope you enjoyed, and the dance, also on my list of things you enjoyed." I flashed a grin to the crowd. To the Princesses, I said, "My gift to you two... I guess would be that I would be a good Prince. I'm still new to the ropes of royalty, but I will do my best and I hope to learn much." Luna smiled, and Celestia nodded. I turned to Twilight, who had moved from lurking by the door and upgraded to lurking by the punch bowl. "Twilight... we got off on a bad start. Part of it was my fault. My gift to you... is an offer of friendship. I want to start on a fresh slate." I walked up to her. I stuck out my hand to her and asked, "Friends?" She looked at my hand for a while, as if she'd never seen it before. Then, after a tense hesitation, she took it and we shook. "Thanks," I told her.

Finally, I turned to Fluttershy while simultaneously walking back to the present table. "Finally, last but not least, Fluttershy. As this party was made with you in mind, with you as my primary focus, I have actual gifts for you. Gifts I freely give to you, from the kindness and love in my heart. First off," I said, pulling the wrapped box off the table. I gave it to her. "Open it."

She tore the box self consciously, knowing that all the ponies in the room were staring at her, watching her every move. As she lifted the lid, her expression of fear and panic was replaced by something warmer, accepting. She withdrew the bunny I'd bought for her, and squealed. She hugged me very tightly, then. "Oh my gosh, thank you, Will! I've never gotten a stuffed animal before!"

I laughed. "It was truly my pleasure. But please, save the death hugs for later, after I've given you all your gifts!" I said the last statement loud enough for everypony to hear, and most of them laughed. I picked up the covered painting and held it up to her. Making sure that when I removed the canvas it would be facing Fluttershy, I uncovered it. Gasps from everypony in the room assaulted my ears. Fluttershy's was loudest of all.

"You painted a portrait of me?! And you didn't even have me around to use! Oh, thank you, Will! It must have been very hard!"

I chuckled. "I get by with a little help from my friends, Fluttershy." I tapped my right temple, and while the ponies and humans in the room didn't understand the gesture, my mother, my aunt, and Fluttershy all got it. "Right, now. I do have a couple more things. I'd like to sing a song for her."

I cleared my throat. "Now. I wrote this song myself, from my heart. It means a lot to me, almost as much as the pony I've directed it to. I call it, 'My Dear, Good Friend.'" I winked at Fluttershy, who blushed. "It took quite a while to write it, and yes. Many egg bagels were harmed in the making of this song." I got a mixed response; about half of the ponies laughed. I cleared my throat again, slightly self conscious.

So I see you still there under the street light.
Hoping against hope for that White Knight.
Rain is pouring down, and I see tears falling from your eyes.
But the falling rain does nothing to hide your cries.
Raise your head for me, my dear, good friend.
For with me, your fun will never end.

All I want in life is you.
So warm, so kind, so nice, so new.
You are like a beacon,
Drawing me close, drawing me in.
For with you, my dear, good friend,
My life will never end.

I was looking into Fluttershy's eyes as I sung the refrain. I saw love and sadness in her eyes.

Your beautiful hair flows in the wind,
As we fly along on wings of love.
Graceful flaps a stark contrast to powerful beats.
Stranger still are the different colours,
White by Yellow, flowing together, entwined forever, in a gentle tangle of love.
Throw back your head and laugh, my dear, good friend.
For with me, your fun will never end.

As I sung the next refrain, I made a visual sweep of the hall. Most of the ponies' expressions were of amazement. I saw some sadness in the mix, as well as awe and "aw."

All I want in life is you.
So warm, so kind, so nice, so new.
You are like a beacon,
Drawing me close, drawing me in.
For with you, my dear, good friend,
My life will never end.

There were tears in Fluttershy's eyes, and I could see hints of tears in the eyes of my mother and aunt. Several female ponies were crying already, and I saw a few stallions sniffle.

My dear, good friend, through many things we have been.
Through all this, we've lacked fear, found conviction.
Yet one obstacle does remain: a question must be asked.
Words will fail you, yes, I'm sure, but I don't want to take this fast.
Take your time with this, my dear, good friend.
For with you, my fun will never end.

All I want in life is you.
So warm, so kind, so nice, so new.
You are like a beacon,
Drawing me close, drawing me in.
For with you, my dear, good friend,
My life will never end.

I stepped closer to Fluttershy, and looked deeply into her eyes. She was on the verge of spilling tears of love and joy. She was smiling widely, and quivering, possibly with excitement.

What can I say, my dear, good friend?

For you alone, does my love endure.

What do you say, my dear, good friend?

The box's hinges faced me, which was how I wanted it to be. I wanted to open it facing Fluttershy. And I opened it.

With you alone, my love will never end.

As I held the last note of the song, the gasps were made audible to me. I ignored them, though. I was focusing solely on Fluttershy's face. I drew in another breath and asked, "Will you marry me, Fluttershy?"

She stared at me and the box intently, obviously deciding on what to say. It was a long time before she said anything. I began to get worried. 'Oh God, what if I've gone too fast?' Just wait. 'What if she says no? I should have thought this through better!' Will, will you calm down? Hold the phone a minute. Look, she's teary eyed and smiling. Good sign, right? 'Maybe... but what if she's only doing it because it makes me happy?' Will, quit worrying or I will bring Luna in here and let her have her way with you. 'Sorry, sir.' Damn straight. Now wait for her answer. Things look good right now.

She started biting her lower lip, struggling in indecision. I saw her lower lip quiver underneath her teeth. She shivered, I didn't know why. Eventually, she stopped using her lip as a chew toy. What replaced that was a huge, warm smile. Her eyes, though overflowing with tears, displayed warmth, love, and happiness. I heard a single sniffle and sob from her, before she said to me one word.

Broken Wings

by Lt_Voss

Merry Christmas