//------------------------------//
// No chaos this holiday 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Equestria. Ponyville. Twilight's Castle. Day.

A dual holiday. For both worlds. On one side, Christmas. On the other Hearth's Warming. Both worlds have decided to share a holiday with each other. Why not? They're fairly similar with slight differences here and there.

Families from across the land had come over to celebrate. Ranging from Ash's cousins and aunt to all of Applejack's cousins out there. It was the usual and many presents were bound to open soon. 

However, aside from that, something was on Twilight's mind today. Her family was here, of course, but at the moment, she was thinking of something else. 

"Hmm...I'm just waiting time at this point. Should I just say it?" Twilight said to herself. "I get everything else done as soon as I can, but this? What's with that?!"

"Hello there." Cadence poked her head through the door. "Is someone still finding trouble with love?"

"Yeah." Twilight crossed her hooves, pouting afterwards. "It's not as easy as it looks."

"Nopony said it was. You're still young, Twilight. You'll get used to it." Cadence patted her on the back. "Besides, you can always ask for help. Whether it's from your friends and sometimes, even by the slightest chance, books." Cadence used her magic to bring over a book.

But the moment she brought it over, the book cover was revealed to be Discord's face. And popping out of the cover was Discord himself. "Great timing, Cadence."

"Aaah!" Twilight and Cadence screeched, holding each other as Discord appeared, full-body and everything. "Discord?!"

"Thought I would miss out on this? I missed out on last year's holiday and I certainly won't miss out on this one as well. To think, another year will pass with these Strange and Wonderful Creatures living with us."

"Y-Yeah. It is a bit crazy to think about it." Twilight sighed. "So...what do you want? You didn't come here to just lounge around, did you?"

"Right, right. I couldn't help but notice how slow and painful progress based around Equestria's golden boy, Ash Ketchum." Discord created a model statue of Ash, holding it in his lion paw. "It's been almost two whole years. When are you going to say those magic words already? Or is it truly going to be the Magic of Friendship that keeps you away."

"It's complicated!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Is it though?" Discord doubted.

"Discord does have a point, Twilight. But take your time. You can't rush things like this," Cadence turned to Discord. "Love is a wonderful and careful thing to manage."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say. But...I believe there may be a shortcut."

"Pssh. There's no shortcut to love." Cadence scoffed, dismissing what Discord had to say.

"Obviously not. But rather, a shortcut to get things on the right track."

"Like what?" Twilight asked.

"During my little travels, the Pokemon World seems to have a special item that can make all your dreams come true, Twilight." Discord was grabbing Twilight's attention as he held his paw out. And appearing in his paw was a Mistletoe. "This."

"Ooooh...uhh...W-What is it?" Twilight wasn't quite sure what she was looking at. Neither did Cadence.

"It's a surprise tool that will help you later. The only chance you'll get for Ash. This is the Mistletoe as they call it. A tiny evergreen plant that has fairly distinctive forked branches and amazing symmetry. Hmm...perhaps too much symmetry." Discord wasn't liking how perfect the mistletoe looked. So, he broke the symmetry with a snap, adding some chaos into it. "Much better."

"Is it magical? I didn't know the Pokemon World had something like this."

"No magic needed. It's special without anything magical at all. And what it does is that whoever so stands upon this plant, shall receive an instant butterfly brush."

"Butterfly...Huh?!" Twilight stood up. "This little thing?! That's what it's for?! Seriously?!"

"Seriously. Something to do with fertility and life or whatever." Discord shrugged. "All you should know is that it's a valuable object for Christmas. And if there was ever a chance before the next 12 months pass by, now's that chance." Discord extended his paw, causing it and the mistletoe to appear in front of Twilight.

"Hold on, hold on." Cadence paused them for a moment. "Discord. This is all nice and everything, but are you sure this is a good idea? I've got a bad feeling about this. Plus, Twilight can-"

"I'll take it!" But Twilight's mind had been made up. The object was far too tempting.

"Ah! Twilight!"

"Relax, Cadence. I'll keep it and only use it when I need to, okay? Besides, I've got other things to do before Hearth's Warming comes around in two days."

"Splendid!" Discord multiplied his arms, causing audible crowd applause to echo through the room. "Use it wisely! My work here is done anyway."

"Nothing for you this Hearth's Warming? I thought you said you didn't want to miss out on it," said Twilight.

"That was it. I contributed, didn't I?"

"You could do more. Like say...get your friends some gifts?"

"Well...Not really?" Discord thought about it for a moment. The mistletoe wasn't exactly a Hearth's Warming Gift. Rather just an object that would be used in one scenario only. 

"Now's a good chance for you to try." Twilight flew towards him. "I mean, I know this Mistletoe thing isn't a Hearth's Warming gift but it's still something. You must know what everyone wants, don't you?"

"Hm, hm, hm." Discord nodded in response to Twilight. "Wouldn't hurt at all. Fluttershy would appreciate me even more now that I think about it. I'll be a bit occupied!" Just then, Discord had vanished, returning to his dimension.

"I still don't know about this...I sense a huge wave of chaos coming this way since it's Discord." Cadence grumbled.

"I know how you feel. But that's just Discord's charm, really. It wouldn't be him without chaos. Don't worry. Me and my friends know how to handle chaos at this point. I mean, that whole invasion was nothing but chaos. So we-"

"Sol! Absol!" Interrupting them for a moment was Abso, who was currently running away from Sylveon. He had a fear of Sylveon and it was still showing to this day.

"Sylveon!" Sylveon playfully cried out as Absol broke down the doors to try and escape the Intertwining Pokemon. Twilight and Cadence watched as the doors came crashing down afterwards.

"Uh...Anyway...In other words! Kaleidoscope, all the way from Pegalysium, told me what she and everypony up at Pegalysium celebrate this month." Twilight said as she and Kaleidoscope, being History Buddies, share various information with each other.

"Oh? I'm curious. What is it?"

"It's called the Day of the First Born." To further show Cadence, she brought over a bok that Kaleidoscope had given to her. Comprehensive knowledge and information about Pegalysium. "On this day, everypony comes together to celebrate and enjoy the day the first Pegasus of Destiny came to be. There have already been numerous Pegasus of Destiny in the past, the most recent being Shooting Star, but this one pegasus, Lucky Star, was the most important out of all of them."

"Oooh..." Cadence scooched over to see for herself. In the meanwhile, the sound of Absol and Sylven breaking down doors was ongoing.

"I wonder what they're doing right now? Up there in Pegalysium..." While showing the book to Cadence, Twilight couldn't help but wonder about events up at Pegalysium.



Pegalysium. Sky Monarch. Day.

Up at Pegalysium, their special holiday was already being celebrated. And of course, there was a statue based around Lucky Star. Many consider Lucky Star to be the greatest pegasus that had ever lived. Even surpassing the various Pegasus of Destiny that have come and gone.

Built centuries ago, this statue on the main crossroads was placed here to celebrate the unity of the pegasi and how it helped them through rough times and thrive in better times. Just one of the actions the Pegasus of Destiny does.

Its position within this community is meant to represent the collective mind of the ponies and their goals in life for themselves and this community.

And looking up at the statue, both in a literal and metaphorical sense was Shooting Star. He admired Lucky Star as he was also aiming to be just like him. He was still getting adjusted to becoming a Pegasus of Destiny, so taking inspiration from the greatest one was his go-to.

"Still looks great every year." Shooting Star said, staring outside his window.

"Son~!" Queen Luminary called for her son as the young prince immediately dashed off once the call had been made. Of course, being a royal family, they had to be together on this special day.

Over at the main dining room of the palace, King Paramount and Queen Luminary were already there. But there was one guest present here. Brassquill. He was mostly here since he became a surrogate father for Paramount when he lost his parents at a young age. 

The old pony, while over the top at times, was considered family to King Paramount. Thus, landing him a spot here in the castle. And one more guest was soon to come.

"There you are, my little shooting star in the night sky." Luminary giggled, holding her son's face.

"Mom..." Shooting Star grumbled in response.

"Everything's almost ready. There is just one more guest we're expecting. Your cousin Cloudflare. Just recently, she's had such a difficult time at college. It was greater than she was expecting. So this break on the Day of the First Born will be great for her."

"Cloudflare? No way. She's way too smart to struggle in a place like that."

"Don't underestimate college son," said Paramount. "It can seek out your weak points and take advantage of them. Before you know it, you'll be struck and overwhelmed by what it can unleash. Complete humiliation and defeat follow afterwards."

"Uh..."

"What your father means is that college can be overwhelming for everypony." Luminary simplified it. "Also, make sure you recognize her. She's just started wearing glasses I hear. Special ones too. They say they change eye colours. I will end up missing these beautiful green eyes."

Luminary then brought out a picture, showing the image of Cloudflare in all of her glory without any glasses. 



"Nah." Glasses aren't for me. And right on time, the pony that they were waiting for had arrived. Surprisingly, no glasses on. She matched the picture shot for shot. "Hey, Uncle Paramount. Aunt Luminary. Mr Brassquill."

"Cloudflare!" Luminary flew over. "No glasses?"

"No. They're too inconvenient. Plus none of them look good on me. And I want to look familiar during this day." Cloudflare chuckled.

"Hey cuz." Shooting Star used the slang for cousin, going up to Cloudflare. "Been a while. How come you didn't come over that one time you said you would?"

"Got busy. But I'm here now. It's been 6 years now since we've last met each other. Doofus." She winked at him.

"Good to see you too. Dweeb." And Shooting Star did the same as they had nicknames for each other. Nicknames that existed in the past when they were younger and were used on a more volatile level via insults. "Grandpa's not coming along too?"

"He's having the holidays somewhere else. Maybe next year." Cloudflare replied.

"Anyways. Let's get started!" Luminary flapped her wings as the family could finally begin this festive holiday of theirs. While theirs wasn't as winter-based as Christmas or Hearth's Warming, its fair share of decorations were extravagant as well.

Presents also existed on this holiday. However, here in Pegalysium, the time for opening them was much earlier than what Christmas or Hearth's Warming had. But, everypony wanted to do other things before heading for the presents.

Mainly some catching up. Cloudflare shared stories of what she had done during those 6 years while Brassquill always had something to say. Shooting Star was holding a small note with puns and jokes on it.

"Ooh, this is a nice one!" Shooting Star exclaimed. "These puns are top grade right here."

"Are they? Prove it?" Cloudflare asked.

"Oh, I will. Just be warned. Hold your horses because you’re about to be in for a wild ride. Just don’t blame me if your throat feels a little hoarse from all the laughing. Gahahahahaha!" Shooting Star laughed after reading the pun out. 

He was the only one who found it funny at all as his laughing was met with slight hiccups here and there. He then slammed his hoof on the table to show how much enjoyment he got out of it. And that was all that mattered. "Isn't that just one of the best bits of festive humour?"

"I can see it being so." Luminary replied. "This is also one of the best bits. Having the family together. Most of the family anyway. How about a toast, dear?"

"Toast, eh? Hm..." Paramount looked at a glass, lifting it with his wings. "Not sure would I toast to, honestly. I haven't done much in 2 months."

"That's because you're already perfect, dad." Shooting Star praised his father.

"Hah! Him?" Brassquill scoffed, chuckling afterwards before wheezing. "That Wandering Cloud out there did more than him these past 2 months. Bahaha!"

"Well, after the Indigo Alliance had been sorted out, not much has happened, honestly. And so far, it's for the better. Eventually, I'll do something else. And the same goes for you, Star. Being the Pegasus of Destiny, you have to take action one day."

"Yeah, but like...I kinda don't know what the Pegasus of Destiny does." Shooting Star shrugged. "I've been looking at Lucky Star's statue and tried to be like him but...nothing so far."

"It's simple. The Pegasus of Destiny not only helps others but has the power to command the three great forces of Pegalysium. You were born with that ability and only you can do it since you are this generation's Pegasus of Destiny."

"Can we shorten it to POD or something? Saying Pegasus of Destiny every time is gonna make me bite my tongue." Cloudflare sighed.

"Some of the little ones nickname the Pegasus of Destiny as Pegasus Fantasy. It doesn't correlate that well but it's a cute nickname regardless." Luminary shrugged after giving that suggestion.

"Ah, let's forget about that stuff for now and focus on this!" Shooting Star then went under the table, pulling an object out. A board game, slamming it onto the table. "The Pegalysium Boardgame. How's that sound?"

"Ooh! How fun!" Luminary clapped her hooves together along with her wings.

"Aren't you a little too old for that game? We played it when we were kids." Cloudflare asked.

"You're never too old for board games." Shooting Star argued before laying out the board game on the table. It automatically sorted itself out via magical influence. "This'll kill a lot of time before we open everything else. Who wants to play?"

"Hm...Sure." Paramount decided to give it a try. This was a time to have fun. Luminary was already in on it while Cloudflare was thinking about it. Brassquill was old as he felt like he had nothing better to do at this age. So, he chose to join in. Eventually, the power of nostalgia overtook Cloudflare as she joined as well.

"I'll be the king if you don't mind." Brassquill went for the king piece. But he wasn't the only one. Right as his wings went for them, so Cloudflare.

"I never got to choose the king piece because Shooting wouldn't let me." Cloudflare shifted her eyes at Shooting Star for a moment as two wings were around the piece. "So I'll make up for all those lost years."

"Bah too late for that!" Brassquill tried pulling it away as he and Cloudflare entered a struggle for the piece. "I'm the king!"

"Well, I can't miss out on this chance! I'll be the king!" Cloudflare growled, trying to succeed in this struggle. "This is ridiculous!"

"I'm actually the king so I'll be taking that." But Paramount ended it once his wing came in, swiping the king piece. "A living figurehead of it."

"W-Well yeah....that's fair." Cloudflare lost her chance at having the king piece once more, even after all these years.

"The other pieces are good too." Shooting Star held the other pieces of the board game. "Or I could make king pieces for everypony. I'm pretty skilled at doing so."

"Hm...You can be the tinfoil hat, Brassquill." Paramount then slid the tin foil hat piece over towards Brassquill.

"Haha. Very funny, your majesty. Think I'm so cuckoo, eh?" The old pony tapped his head while chuckling afterwards.

"You were cuckoo when we first met you and you're still cuckoo today. You once thought that radioactive psychic crocodiles would come over and invade us all." Cloudflare replied.

"Psychic shrimps, for your information, smarty pants." He then smiled, slumping on the chair with confidence as Cloudflare shook his head.

"Star, my boy. You can get the horseshoe..." Brassquill slid the hoof towards Shooting Star. "Smart cookie here can have the Eastern Joke." He then gave Cloudflare a piece that had the appearance of a drink.

"Eastern Joke...? What are you trying to say?!" Cloudflare took it as Brassquill calling her a joke.

"Calm down. It's just a drink over at the eastern part of Pegalysium...Though it's not that good." Afterwards, he gave a cocky grin with a quiet laugh while Cloudflare sat there with an unimpressed face.

Afterwards, they all started laughing as it was just casual family banter happening, despite the words they say. Brassquill not being fully related to any of them made this holiday far more interesting due to the energy he brought. Along with everyone else.

They continued to have fun throughout the day as their holiday continued. All across Pegalysium, celebrations of this festive holiday overtook everything. Much like the land below.



Equestria. Ponyville. Afternoon.

Speaking of which, over at Ponyville, with the afternoon closing in, one day was left before the fated day on both worlds. Gifts were already being brought over with more ponies appearing.

Amidst this all, Meowth couldn't help but stare at Amethyst Star's Skitty, who was frolicking in the snow. He hadn't gotten over his affection towards him.

"Again?" Jessie went up to Meowth. "I thought I told you to give up on her?"

"Yeah...But she's a real magnet." Meowth nodded while not even facing Jessie. Jessie could only roll her eyes.

"Well, stop trying. The energetic and playful types are impossible to be around. Speaking from experience." Jessie pompously laughed. "It wouldn't last a whole week with you and her."

"You don't know nothing!" Meowth snapped back, latching onto Jessie's shirt and looking her dead in the eyes. "I'm feeling some top-class synergy here!"

"Yeah if she can even notice you...Where's James by the way?" Jessie had just now noticed that James was not present.

"Hm?" However, instead of responding to Jessie's question, Meowth's attention was drawn somewhere else. That was when he saw the object that could make his dreams come true. For the most part.

The mistletoe.

Twilight had just emerged, having the mistletoe out to show her friends this bizarre object. Nopony knew what this thing was. So far only Twilight knew. But Meowth knew as well. "Bingo!"

"That's what it's for?" Meanwhile, Starlight spoke about the mistletoe. "Seems uh...pretty unnecessary."

"You think so?" Twilight replied, glaring at the plant. "Meh. I'll take any chance I can get. A-A-And it's not because I'm nervous, okay?"

"I don't know...you still sound pretty y nervous about going through with it too." Rainbow Dash doubted the alicorn. "I mean, it can't be too hard, can it?"

"It's harder than it sounds!" Twilight bellowed.

"Not harder than it looks. Mwah-mwah." Rainbow Dash mimicked kissing sounds while puckering her lips.

"Okay. I'd like to see you try it on him." Twilight held out the mistletoe.

"Ew! No way!" Rainbow Dash pulled back. "I mean...I still close my eyes sometimes when my parents kiss, ya know. But that was long ago."

"Ah, I'm overthinking it too much right now. Maybe seeing that Luvdisc the other day was a sign f things to come." A fairly exhausted Twilight blew her mane.

"You know uh..." Spike rubbed his hands together, slowly walking up to Twilight. "If you're not gonna use it in the long run, I'll take it off your hooves. Just to be sure."

"Nah. I'm saving it. Just you all watch. I've got a good feeling about this thing." Just as Twilight twirled the mistletoe around, in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Something had pulled it away right before everyone's eyes. "Huh?!"

And that something was Meowth. Seeing that the mistletoe was within his vicinity and up for grabs, he had taken this chance, using one of Team Rocket's various inventions. He was wearing a backpack that had multiple arms plus a jetpack function with it. Among other things.

Upon stealing it, Meowth was airborne, pulling the mistletoe towards him. "Thanks for this! I'm gonna use this wisely!"

"Meowth!" Twilight roared at the Scratch Cat Pokemon. "I need that mistletoe!"

"Not as much as I do. What do you need it for anyway? The twerp?"

"Who else?"

"Tough. My perfect angel's way above your twerp if you can believe it." Meowth giggled, thinking of Skitty in the instance.

"We're not seriously gonna fight over that thing, are we?" Rainbow Dash didn't bother flying towards Meowth. She didn't find any of this interesting or important. But Twilight did, reaching the same level as Meowth.

"Meowth. This could be the one time where I'm close to being brave enough to confess to Ash. M-Maybe not confess but close to that. Please. Don't take this moment away from me!" Twilight pleaded the Scratch Cat Pokemon.

"Sounds like a 'You Problem', princess. Take advice from yours truly. Being upfront's the way to go. You're too slow. You ain't gonna get anywhere with how you are."

"Oh yeah? Hah!" Twilight then moved in while Meowth was rambling, using her magic to hold the mistletoe. Meowth gasped afterwards as he made his arms grab onto Twilight's face, holding her back. "Give it back!"

"No way!" Meowth replied, denying retrieval of the mistletoe. Rainbow Dash and Starlight simply watched this scuffle occur, not doing anything.

Discord came into the ray, popping his head out the tree to witness Twilight and Meowth fighting over the mistletoe. He didn't plan for this but it was interesting either way. "Hm, hm. I like what I see. But there needs to be more oomph, otherwise, it's just a plain old plant at the end of the day."

"Gah, this is stupid! How about this?" Twilight then backed away. "How about you use it first and I'll use it second. Sound good?"

"Hmm...Yeah sure." Just like that, the issue had been solved simply. It was just a minor argument after all between two individuals who just had crushes at the end of the day.

"Oh, that's no fun!" Discord uttered, surprised at that resolution. He wanted some chaos and that did not come to fruition. Then again, it's hard to cause chaos with such a simple object in the first place before he could think of a way to amp things up, someone called his name.

"Discord!" Fluttershy was the one who did, looking up at him. "Sorry if I'm interrupting. I was just wondering if you had any plans for tomorrow? Any gifts?"

"Gifts?" Discord replied before gasping, remembering what he was planning to do earlier. "Ohohoho. My mistake. I was a bit busy on starting chaos that I almost let it slip by me."

"Now's now the best time for chaos, Discord." Fluttershy shook her head. "Maybe another time. But during this time, everypony's looking for something gentle and calm." Fluttershy moved her hoof, showing Discord the current scenario.

All was calm. The conflict between Twilight and Meowth had already been solved. Both of them realized how silly it would be to battle over such an object. This was also a time where many could be seen due to friends and family gathering around. They were happy and that was all that mattered.

Discord did want some chaos but the calming aura of Hearth's Warming was able to negate that. For this holiday and this time, he would hold back from using any chaos and just focus on making his friends happy with gifts.

There would be no chaos this holiday.

"Alright, alright. If it makes you and everypony happy." Discord accepted it. "But, I'll be busy with those gifts. Apologies if it's hours late."

"No need to worry, Discord. Early or late, getting there is all that matters."

"Audino!"



The Human World. Twilight's home. Afternoon.

Christmas also existed in the human world instead of Hearth's Warming. Everyone was going through the same routine as the other worlds. Right now, a knock on the door happened around Twilight's home, causing her to answer it.

When she did so, she saw that Ash and Pikachu had shown up. They had just brought over some presents that they had to carry here. Going from one world to another for Christmas presents was a task.

"Ash! Pikachu!" Twilight exclaimed with joy on her face. "Great that you're here!"

"Great to be here."Ash entered. "Got here just one day before it could happen."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder, greeting Hisuian Zorua and Spike. "Pika-PIka."

"Sorry that I can't hang out with you today or tomorrow. I've gotta get back to my world and Equestria too." Ash placed the Christmas presents beside the tree. "But this should perfectly."

"It's fine. You have a lot of friends back there. How does next year sound?" Twilight asked.

"Sounds good to me. I also had to stop by Sunset, Fluttershy, Flash's and everyone else's home. Man, I wish I had a sleigh like Santa." He laughed, prompting Twilight to laugh as well. 

"Thanks for coming here anyway, Ash. And really...thanks for everything." Twilight went up to him. "I'm glad you and Pikachu were here for me at all times. Even during...a pretty destructive one."

"No problem. We'll always be there for our friends. No matter how far each world is. Right, buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu flexed his muscles in response as Zorua tried doing the same, only to fail due to not having the same stance as the Mouse Pokemon. The same went for Spike.

Twilight looked at Ash for a moment before deciding to take action. Pikachu, while still flexing his cute cuddles, noticed what Twilight was doing. So did Zorua and Spike soon. Ash wasn't looking as he was thinking about what to eat at the moment. And with his mind on food, he was distracted, he received a kiss from Twilight.

Right on the cheek as Pikachu was startled, almost breaking his muscles from Twilight's surprise action. "Pi!" Right after that, Ash had just noticed it as Twilight pulled back. He then looked at her, noticing how her face turned red.

"Thanks." Ash could only thank her with a grin on his face afterwards. He didn't mind it at all despite how many would overreact to it and take it to the extreme. Much like how Pikachu, Spike and Zorua stood there with scrunched faces and widened eyes.

"Y-You're welcome." And Twilight could only stammer and giggle after taking some such a daring action. But somewhere ut there, her Equestrian self felt a shock through her heart.

Afterwards, Ash and Pikachu left the house to go elsewhere. There were still a few other friends in the Human World to visit out there. Such as some students from Crystal Prep who Ash had managed to bond with during a short amount of time.

After that, it was back home and prepare for tomorrow morning, But along his trip there, he saw a familiar face walking by. Living near this area he was in was Principal Abacus Cinch. She had just noticed the Trainer and his Partner coming by while shovelling some snow.

"Hm? Ash Ketchum. Pikachu." She said. "Surprised to see you here at this time.

"Hey, Cinch. Are you doing okay?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu?"

"Fine. Nothing else. I can at least breathe at this short moment. Especially with everything that had happened during the Friendship Games. Honestly...My academy's reputation had been damaged greatly by it."

"Greatly? Was it that bad?

"Very. It may not sound like it, but I assure you, reputations for schools are nothing to scoff at. They're intimidating and fierce to challenge from all directions. This is why I had to make sure my academy was above the rest. But honestly, it gets frustrating at times...Having to make sure it all goes well."

"Well, why not kick back and relax? It's Christmas after all."

"Hm? No one's ever asked me to do anything outside of school..." Cinch thought for a moment. "In 20 years no less."

"No way! That long?!" Ash and Pikachu gasped.

"Pikachu?!"

"Of course not. I have little time to do much else. And frankly, despite how much effort I put into everything with the time I have, it's never enough to spare some other time. Sometimes, I believe it may be my intimidation that no one does ask of me."

"It can't be that, can it?"

"Surely it is. The parents of the students might not admit it, but I know they are not fond of me. I can see right through them even without glasses. " Cinch sighed. "And honestly, I do not blame this. I wasn't always like this, Ash Ketchum. I was not so bullheaded and strict. There was a time in my life where I knew what it was like to have fun. Do you know how long it has been since I have had fun, Ash Ketchum?!" She placed her hands on Ash's shoulder, surprising him.

"Uh...2-20 years?"

"Pikachu...?"

"Exactly! 20 years! I had such a limited time to do what else I could freely. Whether it was acting a fool in front of my friends or going places but not for the sake of keeping everything in check as it is today. But unfortunately, that kind of aura cannot exist when you are the principal." She then turned around, starting to ramble. "It's impossible!"

"Cinch..."

"Because when comes down to everything, its complete reputation that matters before anything else. No sense of thrill or anything else. And if even anything goes off course at the worst possible time...any time really, it's on me and that reputation dwindles. Soon, you'll become nothing but an obscure school that just exists in the background. Much like a steam train, those actions will crash onto me and me alone. Making mistakes is not an option and having to keep track of so many students is just absurd at times! So it's all about perfection! And these harsh expectations have many saying that I turned into something else!"

Clearly, she was passionate and heated about this as she took deep breaths after that rant. Ash could see this and only ask her something. "Are you gonna be okay, Cinch?"

"My apologies." Cinch sighed. "Never before have I been so irate. You must think of me the same way everyone else does now, don't you?"

"No way." Ash shook his head. "I don't blame you at all. But if there's ever a time to let it all fly away, now's that time. I'll hang out with you. How does that sound?"

"Y-You would do that for me? Honestly?" Cinch stammered, surprised that Ash would request this.

"Sure will. You up for it?" 

"Pika-Pika?"

"Hm. I mean...It's not like time is inconsistent. Very well. I would love to." Cinch accepted it, deciding to have fun after 20 years of no fun.

"Awesome! Let's go!" Ash pumped his fist in the air, ready to show Cinch how fun it was to do other things that branch away from what she was used to.

"Pikachu!"



The next day.

But aside from that, Ash had done everything he needed to do. Now, it was time for him to enjoy the full force of Christmas. He got downstairs, seeing mom, Aunt Hillary and Cousins Trey and Troy.  

They all got together to enjoy themselves. And the same went for Equestria and everyone else on the other side. All enjoyed themselves during these calming moments. From Celestia and Luna with their parents Sunlight and Eventide, to even visitors such as Hollow towards Mayor Mare's house.

And at the moment, over at Twilight's Castle, Twilight was ready to use the mistletoe right about now. However, she noticed that it was missing so far. She searched for it until she had found what had happened to it.

"Aaaaaah!" Twilight screeched as Deino had found the mistletoe, chewing on it. "Deino, why?!"

"Dei-Dei." Deino swallowed it before walking off as if nothing had happened. Twilight had saved it for a day, only for it to be obliterated by the merciless yet non-existent fangs of Deino.

Oh well. There was always next year. But, Meowth wasn't going to like this as well. Twilight just tossed that idea out of the window as she then went back to focusing on Hearth's Warming and opening gifts with everyone.

"Maybe next year, I'll get my chance." She shrugged afterwards. And in her mind, it was for the best. There are always other chances even without the mistletoe. Her human self proved that yesterday.

As the journey continues.


Chapter 628 End.