//------------------------------// // Christmas // Story: New classmate. // by Wacuire //------------------------------// FireCharmer trotted down the streets, looking for a last minute gift that she could buy for CharmingScar, they had decided that they both would spend the christmas at her place, he told her that he would arrive around eight PM, so she needed to find a good gift soon, and prepare some food, and that would take at least two hours. She looked around, still not finding anything. Well, I could just buy a tie or something, then I have something to give him at least. She thought to herself and entered one of the shops on the street. **** CharmingScar looked one last time in the mirror, usually he didn’t really care about how he looked, but spending christmas with a mare wasn’t really something that he had done before, he had wrapped the box into orange papers and now had it lying in front of the door so he wouldn’t forget about it. He had bought a new suit, it was a bit pricey but his parents had been more than happy to support him with some extra bits, he hadn’t really told them much, just that he had became friend with the new mare in class and that he was spending his christmas there. He took the box with FireCharmer’s gift and left the house, it was seven thirty PM so he would be a little bit early. It had been a cold day, and when he thought about it, it might had been a good idea to bring a jacket or something, but it was to late to go back and get it now. A few minutes later he arrived at FireCharmer’s house, he knocked on the door and took a step back. A few seconds later the door opened and FireCharmer stood in front of him. ’‘Welcome!’’ She said with a warm smile and stepped aside, allowing him to enter the house. ’‘Thank you.’’ He said and smiled back. He walked inside the house and placed the orange box on the floor. ’’I didn’t expect you to be this early, give me a few minutes and I’ll get my dress.’’ She said and walked into one of the few rooms in the house and closed the door. ’‘Make yourself at home!’’ She shouted through the door. CharmingScar looked around, it wasn’t really much decoration, but it wasn’t to much, like it usually was in most of the houses. He sat down in the chair, and waited for FireCharmer to get finished with her dress. A few minutes later he could hear the door open and a moment later FireCharmer was standing in front of him. She had a red dress, with orange and yellow stripes leaping through it, a few seconds later he realized he was staring, and had his mouth half open. ’‘Wow, you look... amazing.’’ He managed to say, and tried to get rid of the stupid look on his face. ’‘Thank you, and you don’t look to bad yourself.’’ She said and smiled warmly at him. ’’So, what do you have planed for tonight?’’ He asked. ’‘Well, first I thought we could just sit down and talk for a bit, then eat and after that open the gifts. Does that sound good?’’ She said. ’’Um... sure. What do you wanna talk about then?’’ He asked. ’‘Um, I don’t know actually, I was hopping you had something to talk about.’’ She said, smiling nervously. ’’Um... I think I’ve told you pretty much everything about my past, but I don’t really know much of yours, so... how was it before you moved here to Ponyville?’’ He asked. ’’Um... Okay. Well, I wasn’t really one of the popular ponies, I was more one of the loners in class. Anyways, ponies usually called me names and stuff, they thought I was a showoff, that I just tried to make things look so easy and they thought I was just saying that I was better than everypony all the time, so when they had a chance to make me feel useless, they didn’t wanna miss out on it.’’ She said, with a touch of sorrow in her voice. She shook her head. ’‘Anyways, I just got enough of it, so I started looking for new schools, and when I found a house close to this one for a good price, I just thought, why not? And here I am.’’ She said with a small smile. She didn’t really want to tell him about the other... stuff. CharmingScar looked at her. A bit surprised. ’‘Okay... that was not what I was expecting...’’ He said. ’‘Well, it’s over now at least, so no real harm done.’’ She said, and once again with a touch of sorrow on her voice. ’‘Hey, why don’t we just get to the eating part, I’m starving.’’ She said and smiled. ’’Um... sure.’’ He said. ’‘You know what, let’s eat in the living room, why don’t you go and sit down in the couch and I’ll prepare the food.’’ She said with a smile. ’‘Okay then.’’ He said and left the kitchen and entered the living room, he sat down on the couch and enjoyed the warmth coming from the fireplace in the middle of the right side of the room, and in the corner he could see the TV, turned off, which disappointed him a bit, but he could live with it. After a few minutes FireCharmer entered the room, balancing two plates on her left wing, she placed the first plate in front of him and the second plate next to it. ’‘Well, I hope you like potato gratin, I’ll just go and get something to drink, back in a bit.’’ She said with a smile and walked back into the kitchen. CharmingScar leaned back and closed his eyes, took a deep breath and sighed. I wonder if she thinks of me the same way I think about her. He thought to himself. No, she is just being a nice friend, that is all. ’‘Back, I hope cider works.’’ FireCharmer said as she entered the living room. She placed the first glass in front of CharmingScar and the second one next to her plate and sat down. ’’So... let’s dig in!’’ She said and took a big bite of the gratin. CharmingScar took a bite. ’‘Wow, just... wow.’’ He said between munches. ’‘You like it?’’ FireCharmer asked. ’‘Best gratin I’ve ever had.’’ He said after he had swallowed the gratin. ’‘Aww... Thanks!’’ She said gave him a bright smile. ’‘Only being honest here.’’ He said. ’’So... how did that huge history test go for you? He asked. ’’Um... surprisingly well actually, 71 out of 75, you?’’ She said. ’‘Not to bad, 63 out of 75, I could live with it.’’ He replied. ’’By the way, how strong is this cider? I don’t wanna get all drunk and stuff’’ ’’Um... I think it was 1.2% so it’s not strong or anything.’’ She replied. ’‘Want me to go and double check?’’ ’‘Nah, it’s fine.’’ He said and took a last bite of the gratin. ’’Do you have more gratin?’’ ’’No, that was all I made, unfortunately.’’ She said. ’‘Well, do you have any good movies?’’ He said and drank the rest of his cider. ’’I don’t know, I usually just watch whatever comes up, if I don’t like it I just change channel.’’ She replied. ’‘Works for me.’’ He said with a shrug. FireCharmer took the remote controller and turned on the TV. News, news, commercial. She continued to switch between different channels. After a few minutes she found something. ’‘Does a romance comedy work for you?’’ She asked. ’’Um... sure, why not?’’ He said with a shrug. She put down the remote controller and leaned back, she had seen the movie one time before, it wasn’t a bad movie, but it had been a bit to slow a few times. They kept on watching the movie, maybe a laugh every now and then, but sooner or later the movie had to end. ’‘Well, a good movie I guess.’’ CharmingScar said. ’’So... what now?’’ ’’I guess we could open each others gifts.’’ FireCharmer said with a shrug. ’’I guess so, I’ll go and get mine, be right back.’’ He said, and left the living room to get the gift. He might have gone a little bit overkill with it, but he guessed that she wouldn’t mind. He took the orange box, and went back to the living room. ’’So, here you go.’’ He said, and gave FireCharmer her gift. ’‘Thanks, I’m just gonna go and get your gift, one minute.’’ She said with a smile, placed her gift on the table and left the living room. Well, I hope this is enough. She thought to herself as she took the two boxes from her bed, one smaller box wrapped in lime green paper, and a much bigger box, wrapped in rose red paper. She walked back into the living room, and placed the two boxes in front of CharmingScar. ’‘Here you go.’’ She said and sat down next to him. ’‘Thanks’’ CharmingScar said. Well, at least it could be a little bit less awkward. He thought to himself. ’‘Alright, you go first.’’ FireCharmer said and gave him a weak smile. ’‘Okay.’’ He said, and started unwrapping the paper from the lime green box, opened it and looked inside. ’‘A tie...’’ ’‘Heh, I didn’t really know what else to get, just open the other gift now, I’m sure you’ll like it’’ She said. I knew the tie was a bad idea, stupid stupid stupid. She thought to herself. ’‘Alright then, the next gift it is.’’ He said, and started removing the rose red paper from the bigger box. As he opened the box, his eyes widened and levitated a acoustic guitar from the box, he had been playing guitar when he was a colt, he played a few different chords before putting it down again. ’‘Well, now I have something to do all those slow sunday afternoons.’’ He said, smiling brightly. ’’I told you you’d like it more.’’ She said with a light laugh. ’‘Alright, your turn.’’ He said and put the guitar on the table. She took the orange box and unwrapped the paper from it, opened the box and looked inside, as she looked inside, her eyes widened and she almost dropped the box. Slowly, she took out a silver necklace, with a sapphire shaped like a fire on it. ’‘Y-you... you didn’t have to...’’ Was all she managed to say before he silenced her in a kiss, first, she was a bit shocked. Then, he suddenly broke the kiss and looked down in the floor with a small blush. ’‘Sorry, I just...’’ He didn’t have time to say more before FireCharmer wrapped her hooves around him and drew him back into a deep kiss. It took him a moment to realize what just had happened, but with a small smile, he gladly returned the kiss and wrapped his hooves around her. After what seemed like at least half an hour, he broke the kiss and looked deeply into her sky blue eyes. ’’I love you.’’ He said, smiling warmly at her, finally able to say those three words that he'd wanted to say for so long, drawing her into another deep kiss, he leaned back, almost making FireCharmer to fall over him, hugging her tightly. Finally, after all these years, he was truly happy.