//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 // Story: Christmas Company // by LightDoinStuff //------------------------------// The sun began its ascent, gifting the earth with rays of warmth and light. A select few shone on Mark's house, illuminating parts within. As though specifically selected, the two occupants were among the lightened subjects. Mark's eyes slowly blinked open, only going wide after remembering what day it was. However, he just as quickly was brought down with the realization his family was still gone. It was a first for him, having to be alone during the most wonderful time of the year. But then, he wasn't completely alone. His gaze turned to the pegasus sleeping in his bed. Fluttershy, who began to stir thanks to the sun shining on her eyes, had her usual peaceful aura about her, accompanied by a gentle smile. She truly was the embodiment of her Element. Eventually, her eyelids opened, revealing a pair of cyan eyes. "Good morning." She whispered. "Good morning to you too." Mark replied. Mark stood up, allowing his body to stretch out before he walked through the doorway and towards the kitchen. With Fluttershy following close behind, he feigned surprise before walking towards the nearby Christmas tree, getting down on a knee to investigate the box out in front. "That's strange," He began, "there's something under here I haven't seen before." He gently pulled the tag towards him, pretending to read it before turning it to Fluttershy. "It's addressed to you." The mare looked understandably confused. "But…I thought…" Her eyes opened wider as she suddenly realized who the gift was from. "Thank you, Mark." Sitting down in front of the gift, Mark watched with carefully hidden excitement as she slowly unwrapped her gift. Inside was a familiar white box, which she pulled the top off of. There was a faint gasp from her lips. Inside was a necklace composed of small golden chains with a golden butterfly at the center. Fluttershy gently lifted the necklace, fixated on the immaculate detail, before placing it around her neck. It fit perfectly, with the main piece resting at the center of her chest. "It's beautiful." She whispered, "Thank you, Mark." "You're welcome." Mark responded, soon finding himself being embraced by his pegasus friend. "I'm glad you like it." After the two parted, Mark stood back up. "Shall we get some breakfast going?" The two decided on holiday waffles, with Fluttershy retrieving the ingredients while Mark looked up the recipe. It had been a traditional meal for the family, every year starting Christmas with a recipe for waffles handed down from generations prior. It called for the basic water, flour, eggs, and salt, but mixed in ginger, brown sugar, and cinnamon. The strangest ingredient, a hint of eggnog, was often left out at the request of those eating. Once all the ingredients were brought to the kitchen, Mark began combining the two in a large bowl. The batter slowly formed with each stir, the added ingredients releasing a scent into the air that watered the mouths of both the home's inhabitants. Resisting the temptation to eat the mixture raw, Mark used a measuring cup to scoop batter into the waffle iron. With only one iron available, it was sure to take some time to make all of them. "They smell delicious." Fluttershy remarked with a smile. "Oh trust me, they'll be delicious." Mark reassured, "This is a recipe handed down from my great-great grandmother. If there was one thing she knew, it's how to make a holiday breakfast." "Is that why you're making them today?" Fluttershy asked. "Absolutely." Mark confirmed, "It's tradition to make this every Christmas morning. It adds a little extra something to the most magical time of the year." “I thought magic didn’t exist here.” Fluttershy asked, tilting her head slightly. “It doesn’t,” Mark explained, “but I’ll go so far as to say that this season brings the closest thing to magic we have. It’s the blessings of hope, good will, family, and…well, friendship.” He chuckled slightly at his reference to the title of the show Fluttershy came from. What an amazing experience it was to have the Element of Kindness with him - and during the happiest time of the year at that! It was truly the greatest Christmas gift he could have asked for. The waffle iron's light turned off, signifying the first of many was finished cooking. Mark quickly placed it onto a plate, scooping out another cup of batter for the waffle iron. The top was closed and the cooking continued. "I'm glad she can enjoy some of my world's traditions," Mark thought, "especially my family's traditions. I just hope it's helping to keep her mind off of everything. It's been so stressful, she deserves a break from it all." "I hope she enjoys what little time she has left here…and safely, too. I don't know what I'm going to do when she's gone, though…" "Mark!" Fluttershy lightly exclaimed. His thought process was broken, with his eyes quickly noticing the waffle iron was done cooking. Repeating the process with the batter, the iron soon found itself back to making waffles. "Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes deep with concern. Mark sighed. "Yeah, I'm okay. I was just thinking about the fact you'll eventually be leaving for home again…" Silence filled the room as the two thought on the matter. "But I want to thank you for being here for however long it ends up being." Mark continued, turning to face the pegasus. "Like I said, it would've been a really difficult holiday if you hadn't shown up." Fluttershy turned her head away slightly. "I mean, it was you who rescued me." "And I'm glad I did." Mark replied with a smile. "I'm glad that…well, what could have happened didn't happen. You found a place where you're safe, and I think we've both had a good while here." Fluttershy nodded. "Thank you again for saving me, and for being a good host. I'm glad I got to meet you." Mark did his best to avoid shedding a tear. "I'm glad I got to meet you too, Fluttershy." The two embraced briefly, only stopping when Fluttershy noticed the light on the waffle iron had once more turned off. "Um…Mark, the waffle's done." She whispered. "Oh, right." Mark replied sheepishly. "Don't want that to burn." With a stack of waffles ready, he covered the remaining batter with saran wrap and took the plate of waffles over to the table. He quickly ran to the pantry for one last ingredient: Powdered sugar. This topping was the one part of the recipe that no one forgot. He placed the sugar on the table, joining his friend there. She offered up her usual bright yet soft smile, bringing with it the same usual peaceful spirit she had about her. It was the perfect complement to the holiday. After the two had eaten their fill, Mark finished turning the remaining batter into waffles, then placed them into the fridge for later eating. They both then returned to Mark's room for a double-billing of the Charlie Brown Christmas special and Muppets Christmas Carol. The credits began rolling as Mark's phone began ringing. "Hello?" He greeted. "Hey Mark, how you doing?" His father asked. "I'm doing okay, just holding down the fort." He replied, offering a wink to Fluttershy. "Well, I hope you've been okay on your own over there." His father continued, "We're really sorry things happened this way." "It's no problem." Mark reassured, "I've found some things to keep me busy." "I'm glad to hear that." Mark could hear relief in his father's voice. "Well, have you opened any of your Christmas gifts?" "Not yet," Mark responded, "I wanted to wait until you guys were here so we could all open them together." "Well, then how about I give you a little Christmas gift right now?" His father proposed, "We'll be home this Saturday!" Mark's eyes widened, that was only 2 days away! "Really?" He asked, his voice a mixture of surprise, excitement, and some concern, "As in the day after tomorrow?" "That's right!" His father cheered, "Merry Christmas son, courtesy of our work!" Mark wasn't sure how to respond, and Fluttershy quickly deduced the same from the look on his face. "That's…great." Mark eventually replied, "I'll be glad to see you guys." "You don't sound very excited." His father noted, "Is everything okay over there?" "Of course!" Mark replied, "I just…well, I'm a bit worried you guys will be called off to another meeting somewhere and I'll have to be alone again." He silently praised himself for thinking that up so quickly. "Nope, we'll be home for good, son." His father confirmed, "Do you know why?" Mark waited in anticipation for a few moments. "It's because we got promoted!" His father exclaimed, "We're now higher up on the managerial chain, which means more control of when we have time off! We won't be rushing off to meetings during the holidays ever again!" Mark once more felt the emotional cocktail that left him unsure exactly what to think. He was elated that they would be home for each Christmas, and this one in only two days! On the other hand… "Well, I'm afraid we have to run." His father concluded, "Talk to you later, Mark!" "See you Dad," Mark replied, "I love you." "We love you too, son." His father responded before hanging up the phone. Mark was left in the silence of the room, the paused credit scroll keeping the quiet present. Eventually, Fluttershy spoke up. "What's wrong, Mark?" She asked. "It's my parents," Mark explained, "They're coming home in two days." "That's wonderful!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Yeah, except for the fact they probably won't be too keen on you being around here." Mark added, "They don't know I'm a Brony, and there's no telling how they'll react to you. If it's anything like I've seen with other Brony families, it's probably not going to go well." Fluttershy's heart sank. "Then what should we do?" Mark shook his head. "I'm not sure, 'Shy." Unable to decide further on anything, he decided to shelve the matter for later thought. For now, it was time for the next item on the itinerary: The local news lighting contest. Changing to the news station, the two were greeted with the sights and sounds of Christmas on camera as the host spoke with the current contestant. He was explaining the many different aspects of his elaborate holiday decor, providing sufficient background noise to help Mark and Fluttershy tune out their worries. "Yes well, that's quite the show you've put on Mr. Morrison. Thank you for your time. Up next, we have a home that's decked out all the halls for the season, but first we have a special one from our local sponsor. Back to you, Morgan." The newscaster, apparently named Morgan, provided a transition to the next subject of the news that day…and the face being interviewed was far too familiar. "Here we have Sheila Stanford, head ranger of the Forest Creek Wildlife Preserve. She and her employees helped to bring some Christmas to mother nature this year. Tell us a bit about what it's been like over there, Sheila." Mark and Fluttershy sat with their eyes glued to the television set. "Well, it's been a wonderful time with many magical moments." Sheila remarked, "We've certainly seen some interesting things over here at the preserve, but we try to make the best of it, and we encourage everyone to come over after the holiday is over. We've got a special offer going on the 26th for families of four and over - extended families included." "There you have it, folks," The newscaster concluded, "A wonderful end to your holiday season, and you'll be helping to support a local business and close partner of our station. We'll be back with more house lights after this break. Remember that you can vote with your phones using the onscreen hashtag or text-" Mark turned off the television. The two sat in silence for some time, neither quite sure what to say after seeing their old friend again. It was so soon after…everything had happened, that seeing her had brought back some uncomfortable feelings that neither quite knew how to deal with. "I guess she's doing well." Fluttershy spoke up. "Yeah, I guess so." Mark replied, his eyes still fixated on the black television screen. Fluttershy turned her head to face him. "How do you feel about all this, Mark?" Mark felt the trance he was in fade little by little. "I'm not sure, 'Shy." He finally replied, "I know what you said yesterday, but I just don't feel comfortable thinking about them." "Is it a grudge?" Fluttershy asked. Mark was silent in thought, a look of mild confusion on his face. Fluttershy continued, "After the discussion yesterday, I realized I needed to forgive her husband for what he did. It doesn't mean I think what he did was okay, but I recognize it's not something I can change." Her eyes met Mark’s. "Maybe you need to forgive them too - especially Sheila, it wasn’t her fault." Mark's silence continued, eventually broken with a sigh. He pulled out his phone and began searching for something. Eventually, he found the number he was looking for and allowed his phone to dial it, but not before using *67. The wildlife preserve was completely silent, being devoid of any workers that day. All were off with family and friends, celebrating the wonderful time of the year in their own way. The only sounds audible were those of the snowstorm outside. Until a phone ringing pierced the stillness. It rang for several seconds before alerting the vacant building that the caller had reached the preserve during off-hours and to leave a message. A beep sounded, followed by a voice: "Hey Sheila, it's Mark. Listen, I just wanted to say you and your staff did a good job decorating the place for Christmas. Also…I wanted to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. I'll probably call you again another time, and maybe we can chat for a minute. Until then, Merry Christmas." The two had finished eating a late lunch/dinner involving the waffles from earlier being topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. The result was almost like an exotic ice cream flavor, just with much more substance to it. After dishes were put away for later washing, Mark and Fluttershy returned to his room for one final movie. Just shy of two hours later, the credits for The Christmas Chronicles were playing, prompting Mark to turn off the television one last time. "I think it's time we get some sleep." He advised, to which Fluttershy nodded in reply. A few minutes later, both were laying awake in their respective bed and sleeping bag, trying to find some of the elusive sleep. "Mark?" Fluttershy whispered. Mark turned his head to face her. "Yeah?" "What are we going to do when your family comes home?" She asked. Mark sighed, allowing his mind time to consider the familiar matter again. "I'm not entirely sure." He eventually replied, "We may just have to play it by ear and hope for the best. If that doesn't work out, we'll have a backup plan to ensure you get out of here safely." "Do you still think they won't like me?" Fluttershy wondered aloud, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I think if they take the time to know you they will," Mark answered, "but that really depends on if they do. I don't know, 'Shy. We'll have to decide on this tomorrow. For now, let's get some sleep." He closed his eyes once more, trying to focus on slowing his breathing. It was the best distraction from the topic at hand, which truthfully was concerning him just as much. "Are we going to be okay?" Fluttershy weakly uttered. Mark once more turned to his friend, putting on a comforting smile. "Of course we will. We figured everything else out so far, and we will with this. Try not to let it worry you, okay?" The pegasus nodded, laying back as she slowly fell asleep. It seemed his words had provided her some much needed comfort. Mark only wished it could do the same for him.