//------------------------------// // It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year // Story: Permanent Vacation // by Apple_Crack //------------------------------// “Permanent Vacation” It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year         My alarm screeching at me forces me to get up, groaning in annoyance the whole time. Turning off the alarm, I lie in bed and stare at the calendar. December twenty fourth, Christmas Eve. I sigh and roll out of bed. Looks like I’ll be spending Christmas alone… again.         “Hey, you still got me!”         “Like I said, alone again.”         “Hey!”         I snicker as I go through my morning routine. “I’m just messing with ya. Glad to have you around.”         “Likewise. Hey, try to have a Merry Christmas, will ya?”         “I can try, but no promises.”         As I head into the living room, I smile at the sight of the decorations. The tree is covered in lights and nerdy ornaments, like a red Dalek and an X-Wing, wreaths hang from the walls, and a multitude of other items sit scattered around. Underneath the tree are presents wrapped in brightly colored red and green wrapping paper with name tags on the top. Looks like I’ll have to deliver the girls their presents tomorrow. But still, gotta have them out to help with the ambience.         Turning to the kitchen, I make myself some eggs and toast, along with a tall glass of eggnog. What better way to start off Christmas Eve than with some eggnog? After breakfast, I throw a ham (Had to get that specifically ordered from Celestia) in the oven and head into the living room, sitting down on the sofa. My mind wanders back to past Christmases with my family. The laughter, the happiness, that… that… togetherness and sense of belonging. I sigh and lean back into the sofa. I gotta think positive here and try to be happy, but I can’t seem to forget about the past.         “Hey, you know what always cheers me up?”         “No, but something tells me I don’t want to hear the answer.”         “Relax, it’s Christmas Eve. I know when to cut back on the answers I normally give.”         I smirk and shake my head. “Alright, I’ll bite. What cheers you up?”         “When I feel sad, I walk.”         I sigh. “Alright, I get the reference.  I’ll go for a walk. Still need to pick up a few things for dinner anyway.” Grabbing my coat, I head outside into the winter chill. Welp, time to put up a massive front for the people of town. With no real direction or purpose, I start walking in a random direction.         I’m not alone for my walk, as plenty of other ponies are out as well. Each time somebody sees me, they wave and wish for me to have a happy Hearth’s Warming. And each time, I return the wave and wish it right back to them with a smile, though each time kills me a little inside.         “And what exactly did we plan to accomplish on this walk?”         “That seeing the happiness of everybody in town would get you to be happy today?”         I snort. “Good luck with that. I’m up for anything, but it’s still a long shot.” I head for the market, eager to get back to my house. Reaching the market, I set out to grab everything I need for dinner tonight. Okay, not that many ponies here. I might just get a clean escape without having to put up another façade. Paying for some potatoes, I turn to leave.         “Howdy, Blake!”         Well, shit. I turn around to face the owner of that unmistakable southern drawl, a forced smile on my face. “Hey, Applejack. What brings you around here?”         “You know, grabbing the usual supplies for the farm.”         “Well, good luck with that. I just finished my own shopping run.” I heft up the bag of groceries for emphasis.          “Well, I ain’t gonna hold ya up. Have a Happy Hearth’s Warming, Blake!” Applejack turns and walks off, waving back to me.         Why don’t ya stick the knife in deeper, Applejack? No, really. I didn’t feel it the first couple of times. I wave back, a smile on my face. “You too, Applejack!” Once Applejack is out of sight, I drop my façade and get out of the market as fast as possible.         Getting back home, I place the groceries in the kitchen and check on the ham. Seeing that everything is in order, I head into the living room and go straight for my movie collection. Maybe a good Christmas classic will put me at ease. “Oh! Can we watch our favorite one first?!”         I laugh. “Of course! What kind of Christmas would this be without watching A Year Without A Santa Claus?”         “What?! No, I was talking about Christmas Vacation!”         I shrug my shoulders. “Why not both?”         “Fine, we can watch both. But only if we watch Christmas Vacation first!”         “Fine.” Firing up the movie, I sit back down on the couch and spend the next couple of hours watching timeless Christmas classics. Occasionally, I head into the kitchen and make sure the ham is cooking properly.         After watching a good three to four movies, I glance at the clock. Hmm, three right on the nose. May as well start the rest of dinner now and get it over with by five. But first, gotta turn on the lights outside! Running out without a coat, which is a mistake I regret, I hastily plug in the lights and rush back to the warmth of indoors. Shivering slightly, I head into the kitchen and get to work on dinner. I realize that I’ll probably have more than enough leftovers to last me a few days. Eh, one of the cons, or pros if you look at it another way, of being alone. Anyway, since it’s Christmas Eve, that means the traditional meal of ham(Looking as succulent as ever in the oven), mashed and sweet potatoes, corn, and dinner rolls. As I work, I listen to traditional Christmas songs like Christmas in Hollywood, Winter’s Fucked Up, and The Twelve Days of Xmas. Ah, such wonderful Christmas tunes! “Hey, why don’t you play Let It—?” “No! No way! For starters, I don’t even have the song! And secondly, I’ve heard enough of that song! Disney needs to take its own advice now and let it go!” “Okay, fine.” I sigh. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping like that. I’m just going through a lot right now.” “Uh, duh! Voice in your head, I kinda get that. It’s cool though. Now, how about we eat before I die of starvation?” “Uh, you’re a voice in my head. You can’t starve. Besides, what could you possibly eat?” “Just eat your damn ham and be merry, alright?!” My stomach growls. “I’d be more inclined to argue with you right now if I wasn’t hungry.” I sit in silence and eat my dinner, trying my damnedest to not let my mind wander and think. But, alas, this isn’t particularly effective. What was the last thing I said to my parents? Does anybody even know I’m gone? If they do, would they care or even bother looking? And what about all I’ve lost or will never get to see and do again? I sniffle slightly and hang my head. Why me? Why bring me to Equestria? What’s so special about me? A knocking on the door snaps me back to reality. Shit, can’t let anybody see me like this. Composing myself, I stand up and head for the door. Okay, deep breath. Closing my eyes, I open the door. “Merry Christmas!” A chorus of voices ring out. I shudder. No, they didn’t, did they? Slowly opening my eyes, I see the girls, the Apple family (Minus Granny Smith), the CMC, Spike, and Lyra standing there. Most of them have a wrapped gift in their hands. I open and close my mouth a few times. “What?” Is all I manage to say. “We said Merry Christmas! That is what you say, right?” Twilight asks. I nod my head. Only one thing is on my mind right now. “Why? Why are you here?” “Well, um, you just seemed so sad that you wouldn’t be to celebrate Christmas with your family and friends anymore.” Applejack nods her head. “That’s right. So Shy and I spread the word to celebrate Christmas with ya to everypony here.” “But don’t you all have families to spend Hearth’s Warming with instead of being here with me?” “We do. That’s why we’re here, to spend time with our family,” Twilight says. I feel tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. “You…You consider me family?” Everybody nods their head. Rainbow rolls her eyes. “Well, duh! Twilight just said that.” I genuinely smile for the first time today. Every negative emotion seems to slip from my being at the sight of my friends, no, my family before me. They could be anywhere else in the world right now, enjoying time with their own families, yet they chose to be with me, the guy who shouldn’t be here. I… I should have gone to them in the first place instead of bottling my emotions and sulking around. I look to my right and wipe my eyes on the sleeve of my shirt. Taking a deep breath, I step off to the left and motion for them to come in. “Well, please, come in! And Merry Christmas to you too!” Everyone eagerly steps inside, tossing coats and jackets off to the side as they head towards the living room. “Blake? Where should we put our gifts?” I chuckle and shut the door as Pinkie bounds in. “Under the tree, Twilight. It’s the only place they should be right now.” Heading into the living room, I see everybody making themselves comfortable. Fluttershy, who is standing by the entrance to the living room, beckons me over. I walk over to her and ask, “What’s up, Shy?” She gingerly grabs my hand and pulls me so that we’re standing directly in the center of the entranceway. Turning to me, she asks, “Um, if you don’t mind me asking,” She points up, “What is this plant hanging here for?” I freeze. Taking a sharp intake of breath, I look up. My breath catches in my throat while my heart does little cheers of joy. The one time, the one time I decide to hang mistletoe and Fluttershy pulls us under it. Either way, the next couple of moments are gonna be hella awkward for us. “Hey, where’s Flutteshy?” I hear Apple Bloom ask. I look to see everybody looking at us. Scratch that, it’s gonna be awkward for everybody here. Twilight looks up and cocks her head. “Blake, why is there a plant hanging from your ceiling?” I chuckle and rub the back of my head as all eyes turn to me. “Well, it’s part of a Christmas tradition that Fluttershy dragged me into.” “It is? Oh, I’m sorry for doing that.” Fluttershy starts playing with her hands. “No, it’s nothing to apologize for. You couldn’t have known about it. It’s just that you kinda picked a weird one…” “Pfft, how weird can it be?” Rainbow asks. “You’re looking at mistletoe, and… Well… I’m gonna tell Shy what the tradition is before we go any further, okay?” I grab Fluttershy by the shoulders, causing her head to snap up and stare at me. “Listen, what I’m about to tell you, it is entirely up to you if you want to do it or not. If you don’t, that’s fine since I wouldn’t blame you.” “Well, um, what is the tradition?” I lean in close to her and whisper in her ear, “When two people stand underneath mistletoe, they must kiss.” I lean away to see Fluttershy blushing profusely and covering her mouth with her hand. “Oh my.” I smile and place a hand on her shoulder. “If you don’t want to do it, again, it’s fine with me.” I quickly glance at the rest of the room to see nobody has moved. “Shy, what did Blake say ta ya?” “Yeah, what did he say?!” Sweetie Belle asks. “Sweetie, hush!” Fluttershy looks back and forth from me to the rest of room. Turning back to me, she plays with a lock of her hair and glances at the ground. “If it’s okay with you, I’d still like to do it.” I raise an eyebrow. A completely unexpected answer from Fluttershy. “You sure about this? I won’t hold it against you.” “Well, it’s a tradition in your world and if I’m gonna experience Christmas, I need to follow its traditions.” I shrug my shoulders. “Alright. So, how should we—” My eyes widen and I throw my hands up as Fluttershy darts in and plants a kiss right on my lips. As quick as she darts in, she backs off and tries to hide her face behind her hair, a blush spreading across her face. I can feel the goofy smile on my face. “Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” “Wooo! Way to go, Shy!” I hear Rainbow cheer. “So that’s the tradition? Having two ponies kiss when they stand under that plant?” Twilight asks. I swiftly wipe the smile off my face and turn to Twilight, nodding. “Yeah, that’s exactly the tradition right there.” I notice Spike’s eyes widen as he looks from the mistletoe to Rarity. “How is kissing another pony a tradition?” Big Mac asks. I shrug my shoulders. “You’re asking the wrong person, buddy. Never really explored why it is a tradition.” I turn to Fluttershy and place a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for taking part in this tradition with me.” “You’re very welcome.” “Hey, Blake?” I look at Scootaloo, “You got any food to eat? I’m starving.” “Oh, oh! I brought snacks just in case of a food emergency!” Pinkie reaches behind a chair and pulls out a platter of baked goods, setting them on my coffee table. I take some deep breaths to calm my screaming mind. “It’s Christmas and I gotta let it go. Let it go.” “Ha! You still said it!” I jerk a thumb over my shoulder. “Or, I got plenty of leftovers in the kitchen you can have. Here, let me get some plates and you guys can help yourselves.” I head into the kitchen and grab a stack of plates, setting them on the counter just as everyone starts lining up for some grub. While everybody does that, I head back into the living room and search for a suitable Christmas movie to watch. Pulling out Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, I fire that up and sit down on the couch as people start filing back into the room, finding an open spot for them to sit. “Hey, Rarity? Could you come here a second?” I hear Spike ask. “Is he doing what I think he’s doing?” I twist around to look over the back of the couch and snicker. Spike is standing directly underneath the mistletoe, with Rarity presumably still in the kitchen since I can’t see her. “Coming, Spiky-Wikey!” A couple of us snicker at Spike’s nickname. Rarity comes into the room and stands beside Spike. “Yes? What did you need?” Spike just smirks and points up. Rarity looks up and smirks, shaking her head. “Oh, very well.”  She bends down as Spike puckers his lips. However, Rarity kisses him on the cheek. She stands back up and giggles as Spike stands there, dazed and confused. “Oh, so close!” “Friendzoned!” “You the dragon, Spike!” Lyra shouts, nodding her head in approval. I chuckle as I hear a collective eew from the Crusaders. “Alright, alright, shows over people. Find a spot to get comfortable and prepare yourselves for the movie.” Fluttershy quickly makes her way to my side, sitting down to my left while Lyra sits down to my right. “Alright, everyone set?” Agreement rings out around the room, “Well, sit back and relax then.” Playing the movie, I lean back and fold my arms behind my head. Rolling along, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves, especially Fluttershy, what with the fact of seeing, and I quote, "Cute widdle reindeer." I mean sure, I could have picked a different movie but I at least owe it to Fluttershy for going through the whole mistletoe thing. Hey, as long as she’s happy, I’m happy. As the movie ends, Rainbow turns to me. “Eh, the movie was great and all, but when do we get to open the gifts?” “Rainbow Dash! Must you be so crude with your wording?” “Eeyup.” “Oh! Oh! When do we open them?! Is it now?! Can it be now?! Please let it be now!” Pinkie is practically vibrating as she moves ever closer to the gifts. I scratch the back of my head. “Yeah, about that… Gifts aren’t normally opened till tomorrow, on Christmas Day.” The Crusaders let out awws of defeat. “But, why?” Sweetie asks. “Well… it’s tradition.” Lyra slaps me on the back. “Bah, screw tradition! Just open the gifts and enjoy yourself.” “Now, I don’t think we should pressure Blake into breaking a tradition on his holiday,” Fluttershy says. Twilight nods her head. “I agree with Fluttershy. This is Blake’s holiday. If he doesn’t want to do the gifts tonight, we can all come back tomorrow, okay?” I shake my head. “Nah, it’s cool. I can break one tradition tonight. After all, you guys are already here and enjoying yourselves.” I stand up and head over to the presents laid out under the tree. I grab my gifts for Twilight and hand them to her. “For you, Twilight.” Twilight grabs the package containing her CD and opens it up. She smiles and holds up the CD. “Oh, Neighzart! I don’t have this CD of his yet! How’d you know I like him?” I smirk. “I have eyes and ears everywhere.” I nod my head towards her second gift. “Go on, you still ain’t done.” She grabs the second package and opens it. Rainbow rolls her eyes as Twilight holds up the book and examines it. “Sherlock Holmes? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this book before.” “That’s because it’s one of my personal books.” Twilight’s eyes widen. “You’re giving me one of your books?!” I nod my head. “I had a copy of that one, and figured someone like you would enjoy it as much as I have over the years.” “I…This…Thank you!” She jumps up and hugs me. I laugh and pat her on the back. “Geeze, Twilight, calm down. It’s just a book. It’s not like I made you royalty or something.” She blushes and rubs the back of her head, sitting back down as I grab another gift. “Miss Rarity, an item for you.” I hand Rarity her gift. Rarity carefully removes the paper, making sure to not rip and tear into it. Gingerly placing the paper to the side, she opens the box and gasps in surprise, pulling out a pair of stud earrings with a ruby as the tip of the stud. “These are beautiful! I simply must try these on!” I expected this reaction so I already have a hand mirror stashed near the tree. She grabs it in her magic and hovers in it front of her face. After inserting the studs, she inspects herself in the mirror. “Thank you, Blake!” “You’re quite welcome. Now,” I turn to Rainbow, “Rainbow, I didn’t wrap your gift.”         She shrugs her shoulders. “Eh, that’s cool,” She smirks, “Heh, probably too big to wrap anyway.”         “Actually, it wasn’t worth wrapping such a tiny object in paper. Still, it’s gonna dominate your entire world right now.” I reach into my back pocket and pull out two tickets and hand them to her.         She snatches the tickets out of my hand. “Two tickets to see the Wonderbolts?! And box seats?! This is awesome! How’d you get these, their show’s been sold out for weeks?!”         Truthfully, I got them from Spitfire for free with one tiny, but important, stipulation. “I have my connections. But these tickets come with a price.”         “Whatever it is, name it!”         I point to Scootaloo. “You have to take Scoots with when you go.”         “Really?!” Scootaloo shouts. I nod my head, causing her to jump up and hug me. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”         I pat her head as she lets go of me and retakes her seat. “Now promise me you’ll both enjoy the show,” They both vigorously nod their heads. “Good, on to the next gift.” I grab a wrapped box and hold it up. “And this is for Pinkie.”         A pink blur and a second later, the box is no longer in my hands, but with Pinkie at her seat. She picks up the box and shakes it, smiling at the sound of rattling objects inside. “Ooooh, I wonder what’s in here!” She tears into the wrapping paper, scattering it around here. Opening the box, she gasps. “Baking utensils?!” She pulls out one, a wire whisk. “And they have my Cutie Mark on them! Oh, this is a great gift, Blake! Thank you so much!”         “No problem, Pinkie. Now,” I bend down and grab three flat, rectangular packages, giving one to each Crusader, “Any true club needs a logo or symbol to rally behind.”         The Crusaders rip apart the paper, revealing three red capes with gold silk on the inside, the Crusader logo (Modified to fit the fact that they’re anthro.) proudly displayed on the back. Thankfully, I was able to pay Rarity for designing these on such short notice. “Oooh, pretty!” Sweetie stares in awe at the gold silk.         “This’ll look awesome when I’m riding my scooter!”         “Come on, girls! Let’s try em on!” The Crusaders spring into action at Apple Bloom’s words, quickly tying the capes around their necks and striking a pose.         I clap my hands at their display, everyone else joining in. Once the excitement of the Crusaders dies down, I reach down and grab the last gift, being careful not to jostle it too much lest it make noise. “And last but not least, Fluttershy.” Handing it to her, I turn to Spike, Lyra, and Mac. “Sorry, guys, but I really didn’t know what you guys wanted and frankly, getting anything else would have made me broke.”         “Hey, don’t sweat it. You more than made up for it with being in the band,” Lyra says, Spike and Mac nodding.         “Thanks for understanding guys.” I turn back to Fluttershy and see her sitting there with the gift in her lap. I raise an eyebrow. “Well, aren’t you going to open it?”         “Um, I wanted to wait until you were finished speaking. Are you?” I nod my head. “Okay, here I go.” She gingerly pulls apart the paper, revealing a brown box underneath. Opening that, she pulls out a wind chime, its bright metallic sheen accentuated by the central focal point of three pink butterflies at the top. Fluttershy gasps. “Oh my. This is beautiful!” Carefully placing it back in the box, she stands up and hugs me. “Thank you.”         I return the hug. “You’re very welcome.”         “Alright, alright, sit back down. We still gotta give you your gifts!” Rainbow Dash says.         I chuckle and sit back down on the couch. “Alright, lay it on me.”         “Oh! Can we go first? Please?” Sweetie says, her lower lip out like she’s pouting and her eyes wide. So. Freaking. Cute!         “I don’t see why not, right, everypony?” Twilight says, earning nods from everyone.         “Yes! Alright girls, like we practiced!”  The Crusaders jump up and stand at attention right in front of me, the most stoic expressions on their face. Apple Bloom, directly in front of me, clears her throat. “Co-President Sweetie Belle, the scroll please.”         “Right away, President Apple Bloom.” Sweetie, to Apple Blooms left, reaches into a pocket and pulls out a scroll, handing it to Apple Bloom.         Apple Bloom unrolls the scroll and reads aloud. “We, The Cutie Mark Crusaders, hereby call ta order this meeting ta decide whether or not Blake Quinter is worthy of being a called ah Crusader. Blake, do you have your Cutie Mark?”         I smirk. “Nay, President Bloom. I have yet to experience the thrill of receiving one.”         “And who can vouch for this?”         “I can,” Scootaloo says.         “As can I,” Sweetie says.         “Then by the power vested in us, we hereby decree Blake Quinter ta be an official Cutie Mark Crusader!”         Everybody claps their hands. I’m impressed with the whole formal routine alone. “Why, thank you, fellow Crusaders, for allowing me to join your ranks. Which now means that I’ll need another cape from Rarity.”         “Oh, I’m sure I can find the time to create one more cape for the newest member of the Crusaders.” Rarity smirks as the Crusaders sit back down.         “We’re never going to live this down, are we?”         “Not a chance.”         “Alright, we’ll go next,” Spike says.         I raise an eyebrow. “We? As in, the band?”         “Eeyup.”         “We all pitched in and got you something,” Lyra says as her horn glows, “Now close your eyes and hold your hands out.” I do as instructed. Something heavy lands along the length of my outstretched hands, leaving me to wonder what it could possibly be. “Alright, open your eyes.”         I open my eyes, my mouth open wide at the sight of the item in my hands. “You guys got me a guitar?!”         “Well, yeah. You only needed once since joining the band,” Spike says.         I admire the guitar. It looks simply amazing with its jet black paint job, with two blue racing stripes down the center, and the mahogany neck. “I…This… Thank you! Now I need to get you guys something, anything, to make up for this!”         “Don’t just stand there looking at it! Play something!” Pinkie says.         I stand up. Hmm… What riff to play? Ah, I got the perfect one. I tune the guitar, wanting its first play to be perfect. All eyes are on me as I take a deep breath, smirking the entire time. I immediately jump into the intro for Natural Born Killer. I finish to the sounds of clapping. I take a bow. “Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all week.” I stand the guitar up by the tree and sit back down. “So, who’s next?”         “I’ll go!” Pinkie grabs a package and thrusts it into my hands. “Betcha can’t guess who this is from!”         I roll my eyes and laugh. Opening the package, I pull out a book. “A recipe book?” I flip through a couple of pages, noticing that all the recipes have one thing in common. “Are all these recipes for pastries or sweets?”         Pinkie nods her head. “Yeppers! I collected every recipe that I was legally allowed to get and placed them all in a book just for you!”         “Legally allowed to get? What kind of recipes are illegal around here?”         I pause at a page describing how to make lemon meringue pie.  I smile and shut the book. “Thank you, Pinkie. I’ll get to work on making some of these tomorrow.”         “Alright! My turn.” Rainbow tosses me a package.         Grabbing it, I open it and smirk. Typical Rainbow Dash. “A signed picture of yourself. I’ll be sure to hang it in its place of honor. Thank you.”         Rainbow smirks and rubs a hand on her chest. “Heh, knew you’d like it.”         “Um, I’d like to go next if it’s okay with everypony else?” Nobody objects to Fluttershy. She doesn’t hand me a package or anything, just turns and says, “Come to my cottage and pick out any creature you want as a pet, if you want to.”         I nod my head. “Thank you for the offer and yes, I’ll drop by one day and get a pet.”         Fluttershy’s eyes widen. “You will?! Oh, I’ll help you pick out the perfect pet for somepony like you!”         “I’m sure you will, Shy. Alright, who’s up next?”         Applejack clears her throat. “Well, ya see, yer gift from the Apples ain’t here yet.”         I raise an eyebrow. “Oh? And what would it be that I’m waiting on?”         “Mah cousin out in Fillydelphia, along with farming, makes furniture in his spare time. We ordered from him ah new kitchen table and chairs for ya.”         I smirk. “And let me guess. He’s making it all out of Applewood trees?”         Applejack smirks. “How’d ya know?” Everybody laughs at that.         “Well, I’m a patient man. Thank you in advance.”         Applejack tips her hat. “Yer welcome.”         Twilight’s horn glows and a package is wrapped in her magical aura. She deposits it in my lap. “I know it isn’t much, but I hope you like it.”         Tearing away the paper, I lift up the bundle of books. I glance at the spine of each. “Thanks for the Daring Do books, Twi.” I set them on the ground and turn to Rarity. “And last but not least, Rarity.”         Rarity hands me a couple of packages. “Yes, well, I’ve been studying your wardrobe based on what you normally wear. As such, I created an ensemble that I believe will look simply divine on you.”         I open the first package and pull out a pair of dark blue jeans. Surprisingly, it’s very lightweight and doesn’t seem very form fitting, but that exactly how I like em. I place the jeans to the side and move on to the second package. Opening it, I pull out a black long sleeve. My eyes go wide as my attention is drawn right to the central design she stitched on it, a large cross with blue inlay and runic drawings on it. In the top right and top left sections of the cross are two skulls, each biting down on an arm of the cross. Jutting out from behind the cross are two large white pegasi wings, the tips of them reaching all the way up to the shoulders of the shirt. “Now that is cool looking!” “And she thought of this from only seeing what I wore a few times?! Damn!” “Do you like it?” Rarity asks. “No, I don’t like it,” Rarity frowns and looks ashamed. “I love it! Thank you!” Rarity smiles and claps her hands. “Oh, I just knew you’d love it!” Twilight clears her throat. “Now, we have one more gift for you, from all of us.” She motions with her hand to the girls. I raise an eyebrow. “Really now, you didn’t have to get this much for me.” “Nonsense, dear. After all you’ve done for us and been there with us, we want you to have this.” “And what is this exactly?” “Well, you gotta find it first! When you weren’t looking, I hid it somewhere in the room for you to find! It’s like a giant game of hide and seek with your gift!” I rub my chin and look around the room, mumbling to myself. If I was Pinkie, where would I hide something? As my eyes glance over the tree, a slight gleam from a foreign object near the top draws my attention. Standing up, I head over and grab the object, holding it in my hands as I turn around. It’s a long golden chain with a glistening white gem in the shape of a hand hanging from it. “An Element necklace?” I look up and see everybody smiling. Twilight nods her head. “In a purely decorative sense, yes. It has no real connection to the Elements themselves.” “But… Why an Element necklace?” I shake my head. “No, don’t answer that. I’m just ecstatic that you all consider me part of the Elements to get me a necklace of my own!” I catch each of the girls looking at each other, but only for the briefest of moments before looking back at me. “Well don’t just stand there! Try it on!” Rainbow says. I swiftly put the necklace on, letting in dangle in front of my shirt. I hold up the gem, looking at its glowing sheen. I smile and hold my hands out. “Ah, come here everybody! I gotta give you all a hug now, and thank you for spending Christmas with me!” I hear a sigh. “Look, I’m sorry for this, but they’ve called a meeting and want you there now.” “What?” Before I can react, a dark portal opens underneath me. Three pure white pillars arched to a point come up, the points forming above me. Walls form in the gaps between the arches, leaving me trapped. Everything is blindingly white, save for the view to outside I have due to a window reaching to the ground right in front of me. I lean forward and place my hands on the window, looking out at all my friends staring at the pod in shock. I ball my hand into a fist and pound on the window, increasing my force with each hit. “Let me the fuck out!” I scream as I resort to using my elbow to try and break the window. By now, everybody outside is panicking. Rainbow, Mac, and Applejack are trying to break through on their side of the pod. “What the fuck is going on?!” I resort to kicking the window now. “Again, I’m sorry. I tried stalling for time, even bargaining with them, but they want to see you now since your catalyst has been acquired.” “Who the hell is they?!” Mac, Rainbow, and Applejack step aside as Twilight moves in front of the pod. Her horn glows and a beam of magic fires out, striking the window. Sadly, the window just seems to absorb the magic. “They— I’m sorry, but they want to tell you in person.” “No! I want to know whose asses I’m gonna kick when I get out of here. Whoever did this ruined my Christmas with my friends and family and is going to pay!” I hear a hissing sound. I start coughing horribly. My vision becomes hazy, my entire body feeling drowsy. I feel to my hands and knees, one hand clutching the gem on the necklace. I crawl forward and place my hand on the window. It’s hard to tell, but I think I see a hand press back on the other side. I can’t fight it anymore. My hand slowly slides down the window as my vision goes black. Right before I fully black out, I hear someone scream my name.