Finale
A gentle heat kissed Scrooge's face and a small shouting stirred him from his slumber. He opened his eyes to see dark bed canopy that he'd seen torn down in the dream. He was back and everything was as it was before.
Crawling out of bed, the banker stretched his back and yawned. He'd felt oddly refreshed, considering his constantly being kept awake all night. Though it was possible that the whole thing was just a dream after his initial falling asleep at around midnight.
He quietly walked over to the window and opened it to see a young colt handing out the morning paper, happily gretting and thanking people for their purchases. "Hey boy!" He demanded, forcing a smile. "What day is it?!"
The young colt looked up at him with his own smile. "Why it's Hearth's Warming day, sir!"
"That's right and many ponies have today off from work! Something else to consider is some ponies like to sleep in on their days off!" He shouted, all the cheerfulness dripping to venom. "So keep it down!" He demanded slamming the shutters and grumping. "Damn kids." Still though, he was somewhat happy to be woken up early.
With a sigh and a heavy heart, Scrooge made a decision to honor the decision he'd made last night. Slowly and with great reluctance, the stallion donned his cloak and a scarf for the weather before exiting his home and locking the door. He took a breath and began the long trek to his place of business.
"Mornin'!" Called a stallion who was humming to himself while shovling the path to his house.
"Merry Hearth's Warming!" Called another mare with cheer.
Scrooge simply grumbled to himself through the chorus of happy greetings and well wishers. It annoyed him to no end the masks they donned. Somehow managing to avoid killing any of them, Scrooge made it to his bank and opened the door. He walked inside and lit the lantern by the door to guide his way to the safe.
He sighed again as he undid the locks and beheld the sacks and sacks of bits there in. It was going to hurt, it was going to hurt alot, but he thought about Mac and his sister. How pathetically weak she was and how such a kind hearted young filly shouldn't have to suffer. He thought about the grave he'd seen and the feelings of guilt and shame that flashed through him at the utter despair Mac had gone through.
Those were his emotions, not ones forced upon him to manipulate. He knew his consciousness was telling him to help. Not because Mac and Bloom needed it, but because they deserved it. Because they could be the good ponies this world needed more of and they deserved to be happy for their morality.
Steeling his resolve, the stallion grabbed a single, heavy bag of bits and closed the safe. He opened it up to see the golden peices of happiness his life had come to collect and pressed his lips, holding back the torrent of tears he knew would be shead. "Hello my friends." Scrooge chocked and sniffled. "You guys will be going to a new home soon. You guys do good there, okay? It's for a very important cause."
The banker closed the bag and looked away. It was painful, his heart was beating a mile a minute and his chest heaved with laboring breaths. He backed away from the bits and opened his desk drawer to find Macintosh's address in his employee records. Once he'd gotten the street name and number, he replaced the file and placed the bits into his saddle bag, killed the lantern and left the bank.
He walked through the market district and was assaulted by the delicious smell of freshly baked bread. He looked left to find a giant brick of garlic bread sitting in one of the bakers windows. It was huge, almost the size of a fully grown pony! He found it impractical, but smiled as an idea came to him. Mac's family had no fond feelings for him, and would likely be warry of his appearance at their home. He'd already committed the entire bag of bits to him, why not use some of it to give them a true Hearth's Warming feast?
"Okay, you can do this, Scrooge." The stallion told himself as he gave the bag of bits one last apoligetic look. He turned away and hesitantly knocked on his employees door. Though he'd never actually seen the house before, it looked just like it did in his dream.
A short time later, the door opened to reveal a jovial Mac who's smile quickly disappeared as soon as his eyes made contact with Sin's. "Mistah Scrooge?" The stallion asked. "Ah thought ya said Ah could have the day off, sir."
"Easy, Mac." Scrooge replied. "I'm actually here to give you something."
Macintosh eyed scrooge skeptically before letting the banker inside. Scrooge looked around, part of him hoping to find little bloom still alive. His heart soared when he'd found said filly smiling and playing with a small wooden toy by the fire place. The Apple clan weren't the only ponies present, Rarity and Sweetie bell were also here, as well as a dark brown pony with gun metal grey eyes that Sin hadn't seen before. All eyes were on him, most accusatory and disdainful but some curious and nonjudgmental.
"So, umm, what bring's ya here this merry hearth's warmin'?" Mac asked, the mare Sin remembered as Applejack now by his side. Sin furrowed his brow and looked to Applebloom, who's curious stare suddenly became nervous and frightened. His icy blue eyes held contact with the young pony for a moment, his mind conflicted over happiness she was alive and fear over how long she'd last.
"I've come to give you this." He held out the bag he had on his back. Again, the secretary was hesitant to make any kind of move. He'd never seen his boss act this way before, interactions with other outside of work was practically unheard of for him. "Well, take it before I change my mind!" Sin barked.
The red stallion looked at his sister and took the bag tentatively. The weight shocked him, it was beyond heavy, but when you've got a bag full of golden bits that had to weigh north of thirty pounds, shock was a term to light to express one's emotions. "Whaaaaaaaa..." Was about all he could muster as he took in the sight. It was, unreal! Applejack took a peak and nearly coughed up the eggnog she was drinking.
"Sweet back side o' Celestia." She gawked, her gaze shifting between the irritated banker and the bag of bits.
"M-m-m-m-mistah Scrooge! Ah can't accept this!" Macintosh stutter pushing the bag back to his boss. Sin's heart lept and for a moment, he thought about taking the bag back and pretending this had never happened, but alas, he'd made a decision and a promise.
"Take it Mac. Your sister needs it more than I do." A ghost of a smile graced his face and before the stallion could dare to retort, a swift set of knocks came from the door. "Ah, there it is. Took them long enough."
The door opened to reveal several ponies carrying an assortment of foods. Ranging from all the classical Hearth's Warming treats of yams and candy apple to pasta and one big loaf of garlic bread. "Order from a, wait, Scrooge?!" The delivery pony guffawed. His surprise compounded when he saw the banker standing within the living room. "Ummm. Hey Fizzy, you sure this was a legitimate order?"
Sin affirmed that he was responsible for the charge and instructed the ponies to place the items on the dismally bare table. The delivery ponies did as they were told, Mac standing awe struck all the while, much to Scrooge's well hidden delight.
You've earned this, Macintosh.
He saw Applejack and Mac talk privatly and turned his attention back to little Bloom, who was beaming happily at the feast being brought to feed her and her family that morning. It was the greatest banquet she'd ever seen, all her favorites were present and it was all she could ever hope to eat!
"What your edge here, Scrooge?" Rarity asked, eyeing the stallion through narrowed eyes. Sin turned his attention to her and gave the first smile he'd ever given in years.
"Just giving a great employee a Hearth's Warming bonus that was a long time coming, Mrs. Rarity." Wow, he'd actually managed to be corgal with, for what she was to the town, his biggest nemisis.
Rarity's eyes widened and she smacked herself to ensure she wasn't dreaming. The pain in her face bringing the fact to life, her own cynicism to his intentions melted away and she stood from her place, bouncing with joy. "So does this mean that you've given up on your horrible and selfish ways? Dedicating your life to making the lives of others happy through charity and good will? Truly it's a Hearth's Warming miracle!"
His smile disappearing faster than a snow ball in June, the brown stallion quirked a brow. "What? Oh, nononononon." He held up a hoof while shaking his head uncontrollably. "No, that's not what's happening here."
The Alabaster newly wed's smile froze into an awkward uncertainty. "What?"
Sin explained that, while yes he was showing charity to Macintosh and little Bloom, it was because they'd demonstrated excellent moral fiber. Well, in the dream they did, anyways. But the rest of the ponies in town? The liars, the cheats, the perpetual victims? Those who'd rather blame him for their plights instead of take responsibility for their actions? He had no affection for them, those ponies who'd swindled and robbed him could up and die for all he cared, decrease the surplus population. The world had too many victims, he'd be anything but sad to see some go.
"'Charity and good will', are you trying to give me a heart attack? Do you think me daft, mare?" The Unicorn stallion at her side raised his head and Sin felt an unprecedented amount of terror at the subtle gesture. But with the night he had, he quickly overcame it. "And on that note, I've got something to tell you, sir."
Mac's wide eyed shock was still present, but he'd turned to see his boss smiling at him all the same. "There is one condition to you keeping this bonus, and that is for you to take little Bloom to the doctor as soon as possible." He nodded for emphasis.
Mac returned the nod with a dumb "Uh-huh." A small bit of drool escaping his mouth to complete the look of a fool.
"And one other thing-" Scrooge gasped, a sharp pain pushing into his chest. He cringed and fell to the floor, writing in pain until finally his heart attack took him.
The end
Troll Fic?