THIS CHAPTER WAS ALREADY UP BEFORE! REASON FOR RE-UPLOAD IS IN AUTHOR'S NOTES
Also to anypony reading this, there's a small contest in the author's notes in "edits the 2nd"
Dec 20:
The Princesses and Twilight both said I should record my thoughts somehow, I would have used a regular journal, but given my "condition"... I can't. The upside to their solution, however, is that I can use another one of these "sonorus scribes" to record my voice and lyrics so I don't forget any songs that I have or will perform. I'll do that later though. Now, Its time to do a show! Tonight's finale is the debut of The Moon Rises, and Lullaby for a Princess.
Dec 21:
The ponies of Ponyville are getting ready for something BIG. They were hammering around town all day! There seems to be a holiday I didn't know about, or something. When I asked Octavia about the occurrence, all I got was a chuckle and " Don't worry, Minstrel. This is a tradition around Ponyville. Give us 3 more days and everything will be made clear." Three more days? That's Christmas Eve! Maybe the ponies have another holiday in place of Christmas, seeing as they don't have a legend about a St. Nickolas or anything or the like! If anyone should know, It's Twilight. I'll ask her tomorrow.
Dec 22:
The hammering continued today. Arriving in Twilight's tree-house-brary, I was set upon by Spike, the little bugger. He said that Twilight can't be disturbed, that she was working. Twilight also said "Don't bother asking Pinkie or the others, they promised not to say anything." According to Spike, at least. The dragon dragged me around town, and thankfully I was able to enlist the help of a unicorn (Colgate) to help carry presents. Spike was kind enough to wrap them for me. Thankfully, Spike's gift wasn't in the pile. That would have been awkward. I need to get to bed. Thank Luna that tonight's "amateur night" I couldn't sing tonight even if I wanted to.
Dec 23:
The hammering stopped today. But, soon after I woke up, Pinkie was thrust upon me asking how to make a fruitcake. After telling her that fruitcakes were meant as a bad gift back on earth, Pinkie whisked me away to Sugarcube Corner, and I was a tester to how 'traditional' and 'modern' fruitcakes should taste. This took about 3 hours. Getting Pinkie to calm down and help me locate a few gifts was easy, the hard part was getting her to Pinkie Promise not to look for her own gift or tell the others about their gifts. I wanted the money from 'the running of the leaves' to go to a decent use. I also took some time to send Luna a letter (through Spike) asking what Celestia would want and the same was done to Celestia about Luna. All the Princesses wanted was to hear the songs I wrote about them. I felt that I was in a Staples commercial with the 'That was easy' sound popping into my head.
Dec 24:
Hiding the presents in Pinkie Space made traveling easy. Canterlot was busy, and I had to ride on one of the guards-ponies to get through town. I can navigate the towns of Ponyville pretty well, as well as the castle, but Canterlot was another story entirely. After dropping the gifts in my apartment in the castle, with the Princesses' permission of course, and explaining the purpose of Christmas to the sisters as I had to my friends, they allowed tomorrow's festivities to be held in the Ballroom where a tree will be set up as I had described. The ponies were supportive to my rituals. When I was bought to the tree, they were spot on! At least from how they described it. They told me that the tree was fun and easy to set up. Pegasi and unicorns working together. Earth ponies growing the tree to the right size etc. Anyway, I promised the Princesses a concert, so after the Hearthswarming eve concert, (This was Equestria's founding story, something about tribes and finding a new land.) I was brought up to sing a few carols and telling one of the more popular versions of the legend of Santa Claus, I had the Ballroom to myself and my friends. The Apples of Ponyville except Granny Smith, Rarity and Sweetie Belle, Dash and Scootaloo, Fluttershy, Pinkie, the Sparkle siblings, Spike, Cadence, and finally, the Princesses. When everyone was gathered, all 16 of us, waited for midnight. The only time that anyone left the room was to go to the bathroom, and I only left to record this scroll.
Dec 25:
Once midnight was here, we each took a turn grabbing at the presents that were laid before us, underneath the tree. After a quick whisper from Pinkie, the presents I got for everyone, (save for the Princesses, that was already in my head, and on a set of sonorus scribes which were in my pocket) were added to everyone's piles. I told everyone that in my world, the most common procedure was to announce who was the sender, and the gift. The ponies wanted me to demonstrate, and after being told who was the sender, I found a new cloak and a set of gloves. I demonstrated for the ponies.
"Thank you, Rarity, for this lovely cloak and set of gloves." After saying that where I was from every family had a different, we chose the rotation of just going clockwise. So in order, we had me, Luna, the Crusaders, the Sparkles and Cadence, Celestia, Big Mac, AJ, Fluttershy, Dash, Rarity, Spike, and finally, Pinkie. Pinkie was seated next to me, because I could somehow control her energy and help her direct it towards more usefull endeavors. So I don't get the ponies the same gift next year, I'm going to record it in list format who the pony is, the gift received, and the gift given.
Fluttershy: a new medkit: a stuffed bunny for when she travels away from Angel Bunny
Rarity:cloak and gloves: a fedora.
Rainbow: a Daring Do book recording set : a signed Wonderbolts poster and tickets to their next Cloudsdale show
Twilight: a LOT of sonorus scribes: a coupon for a 3 hour q&a session
Pinkie: fruitcake: cupcake recipes
Applejack: lots of cider, sweet and hard: a Santa hat.
Sweetie: a song in a sonorus scribe: a copy of my newest song (other than the princess duo)
Scoots: a promise to work hard in life and a hug: a new scooter, a repair kit, a helmet, and a room in my house to sleep in. (such a sweet filly)
Applebloom: a desk ( to be delivered when we got back to Ponyville): a toolkit
Luna: a charm that allows me to talk to either Princess: the sonorus scrolls and a quick performance ( they said that tomorrow before I left would have be perfect)
Celestia: Removal of my home and stages' mortgages : same as Luna's
Big Mac: being made an honorary Apple (as thanks for saving Applebloom with the Bards' Voice, Granny Smith already approves): a new yoke for winter use. it's fuzzy, warm, and not frilly. Think of fleece.
Cadence: crystallised love( in the form of a pendant): a silver pendant for photos
Shining Armor: a set of travel clothes: a coupon for a day off. I would cover for him and train the troops and make sure that things didn't fall apart
Spike: dragons' tears: an Everfree diamond and Seapony Aquamarine.
I told my companions that now that everyone had their gifts, the next thing was to sit around a fire and just enjoy each other's company. The ponies seem to like this, soon enough, though, Luna picked me up and carried me to my room. The new gifts safely tucked away in Pinkie Space, I was forcefully told to rest, and that today shall now and forevermore be a national holiday. Thanks, Luna. Thanks Celly.
Dec 25 cont:
The next time I awoke, I was brought almost immediately to the Princesses' throne room, sensing no one there, I was brought before the princesses, and was asked to sing "Sun and Moon" as the set of songs was being known as. After being lended a stone that played whatever music was in my head as I sang the first of the set, there was a thunderous pounding of hooves upon the floor. Luna and Celestia tricked me! They made this a public concert in their throne room! I brought this to their attention later, and said that they just has to ASK me to do a concert. All they did was squee and thank me. Anyway, once "Lullaby for a Princess" had started, the hooves stopped. After the song ended, I held up my hands for silence. Receiving none, I held me hands to my ears and nodded to Luna, she turned and Canterlocked the ponies in attendance. Thanking the ponies for listening, and coming, I asked them to spend the rest of the say with their families. The ponies shuffled out leaving only me and the Princesses, once again apologizing for tricking me, they sent me on Royal guard- aerial division- transit and got me on the train back to Ponyville.
Dec 31:
Today is my birthday. Walking around the town was a bit harder than usual, so, I stayed indoors and listened to the first Daring Do scroll, Daring Do and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A few hours later, Scoots came down from her room and thanked me again for taking her in. nodding to her and saying it was nothing, I asked her to accompany me to the market. We needed more food. After a bit of shopping, we headed back home, and to my suprise, there was no party waiting for me. It made sense that there would be no party for me, I never told anypony my birthday. How would one translate a day into the Equestrian Calender anyway? I have to ask somepony that later. Later though, when I came out of my room, after taking a quick shower and started talking to this scroll, which where I am now. Now, Scoots and I are going to have a littl-
“What do you want, Pinkie, I WAS recording, gotta get a new scroll now...” I reached into my new desk that Applebloom made for me -out of applewood- and attempted to grab a new sonorus scroll. I wasn't MAD, per say, at Pinkie, just annoyed, those scrolls were EXPENSIVE. 20 bits a scroll. Jeez, that's basically all I got for tips from the stage, even when I OWNED the place.
“Mint, you gotta get out and enjoy your BIRTHDAY PARTY!” Pinkie led/dragged me as she brought me downstairs, all I could hear was hooves stopping, and all activities ceasing, a dull thunk meant that someone was playing ‘pin the tail on the pony’ and doesn't know that I had entered the room! soon, there was an eruption of noise as I was whisked away to enjoy the best birthday party of my life, even if I WAS blind while I was at it. Life is good, but life can be even better if you have friends to support you through it and experience it with you.
Have a Happy New Year, everypony.