//------------------------------// // Tree's House // Story: To Get a Christmas Tree // by Michael Hudson //------------------------------// Discord felt a small weight on his head and started to awake while he tipped to the right. Opening his bright yellow eyes revealed to him a small white rabbit as it clung to a carrot on his antler. Wait, why is there a carrot on my antler? He sucked in and let out a small tornado to fling the annoyance into its normal pet bed. He would have done worse, but then Fluttershy might have yelled at him. However, the jingle of bells stopped him from simply staying on the couch but instead to sit up as he glanced around the room. The pink pony, What was her name? He snapped as his memory caught up and a glass of water came to him. She was bouncing about surprisingly quiet, especially while dodging decorations that seemed to have magically appeared. “What did I sleep through?” Soft hooves echoed on the wood quietly as Fluttershy walked in while humming softly to herself. She glanced over at him and that heart melt– sickening gaze of only one eye met his own. “I’m sorry Discord, but Pinkie was going to help me decorate for the season and I didn’t want to wake you. I know you don’t like this holiday very much, but I did invite you to celebrate with me so...” She never finished the sentence as she rubbed the floor with a hoof. He scowled and plucked the carrot from his head. A quick spell and it would disappear in a puff of smoke when Angel attempted to eat it next. He continued to examine the vegetable as he claimed, “I do not hate this season. Well, I suppose I do. Every pony being nice to each other and bleh.” “You could try it. It’s really fun. besides, don’t you want a gift from you know who?” Pinkie received a glare for her mock whisper, but luckily for the draconequus, Fluttershy was dense as a brick when it came to such things, especially since such thoughts did not exist and therefore Discord denied them rather vigorously. It was still supposed to be his midday nap though so he decided to let it slide. “I will admit I do quite enjoy the chaos of the house right now.” Fluttershy bent her hooves a little. “Thank you Discord. I asked Pinkie to bring as much as she could to make sure there was so much that you would still feel at home while you stayed.” A scowl attempted to pass his lips to try to say her attempt had failed, but it hadn’t. Her house normally had animals all about to add to the chaos and these decorations were doing well to replace that while the critters hibernated. “I suppose I must thank you then.” Pinkie sat on her rump and let out a small sigh. “I still wish you would let me get you the coup de gra Flutters. A Hearthswarming tree would be perfect in this mess.” He furrowed his brow and leaned over to Pinkie as Fluttershy simply shook her head and continued to work. “What is a Hearthswarming tree?” She bent back towards him and in an actually low voice answered. “It is a great big Evergreen that sits in a corner and usually ponies set presents underneath it after decorating it with all sorts of things. You know Fluttershy though. She wouldn’t kill a tree for such a small purpose. At least I have plenty of other things to work with.” Pinkie tossed some tinsel in his face as she made her retreat. Once the annoying silver strands were gone, Discord glanced back at the room. He could easily imagine a giant pine tree filling up the whole room and causing the two of them so much misery and discomfort as they snuggled deep in a cuddly embrace. He blinked for a few moments and then viciously shook his head. However, it still felt like an interesting idea to him. He slipped out of one of the near windows and set out on his mission to use stupid pony tradition against them. However, while in route to the largest tree he could find, he couldn’t help but remember what Fluttershy had told him when he first came for these two weeks. She had suggested that he give gifts to everypony, which already was ridiculous, but then to make them by claw and paw instead of magic. He still thought it was one of the weirdest notions he’d heard ponies have. “I mean, watch what I can do with one snap of my fingers.” Snap. The ring of trees surrounding the clearing he was in disappeared momentarily before reappearing a hundred feet in the air. Discord smiled and laid back and started to have them drift down one at a time as he inspected them closely. He spun one especially hard and it spun a branch right across his face. A small growl and Discord slipped off his pink scarf as the offending tree burned in the background. “Hmf. See, this is exactly why one should do it by magic. So much easier.” ‘But what about heart or care that hoof made gifts have?’ Discord spun around and stared at the woods that surrounded him. Nothing. No annoyingly cute yellow pony trying to make him better or tell him how to do things. He took in a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. A glance back at the trees as they hung in midair brought a small turning down of his lips. “So… easy.” Snow slowly drifted onto his shoulders as he stood there contemplating. “You know what, I’ve never been the type for easy.” With a grand flourish he lifted the trees higher and then brought them crashing back down. In a massive earthquake created from the impact, Discord looked up. A wall of green thorns crashed into him as the trees shed their loads. Popping his head out he heard a snicker and glared at his clone who held a piece of parchment. “So me, what shall the rules of this game be?” “Simple. We cannot kill the tree as Pinkie mentioned Fluttershy resisting because of that, and I cannot use magic while in this forest and retrieving the largest tree in here.” “Give me about twelve hours to make this needlessly long, tired, and complicated, and we shall begin.” Discord watched as his clone walked away. He couldn’t help but grin as he realized that he had just left himself buried in pine needles. “Well, I guess I have some time to get out of these, ow, damned things.”