//------------------------------// // Prologue: A Very Minty Xmas - Part 2 // Story: Minty Image // by mintgreenconspiracy //------------------------------// And so, the self wallowing had begun. She meant, how else was she going to explain it to everyone that Christmas was wrecked? That Christmas was cancelled? That Christmas wasn't coming this year? That she had gotten exuberant again and messed it up for everyone again, in another one of her 'episodes'? The mere thought of walking into town, right now, made her feel like she was being sent up to her room by Pinkie's mother, all over again. Come to think of it, wasn't it always Mama Pie who grounded her? Well... that wasn't entirely true, as she had been grounded by Mama Dash, at least once or twice, when the mare came over to play Bridge with Mama Pie. But... never by Mama Minty... Maybe that was because there never was any Mama Minty? Or at least so far as she could recall... So naturally, the thought had occurred to her to leave town. But she could never do that to her friends, at least not intentionally. Leaving her at an impasse... What was she going to do? And how was she going to stop everyone from inevitably hating her when they found out about Santa? "Hey Minty!" Said a smiling Sparkleworks, startling the green pony, as she decorated a lamp outside one of Ponyville's many clothing shops -- assisted by Sunny Daze. "Excited about Christmas?" She asked curiously, her voice filled with Christmas mirth. "Uhh... sure... Yeah... Of Course..." Minty replied, lying a little, a clearly phony smile adorning her face. Now, that wasn't to say she wouldn't be looking forward to Christmas... That was if it was, indeed, coming. "Isn't everyone?" She said giving her best fake laugh, which wasn't all that terribly convincing. The distracted Sparkleworks, though, didn't seem to notice, as she seemed preoccupied with the lamp post that she was decorating. Ok it was time to come clean, the mint green pony decided, looking up at Sparkleworks. "Uhhh... Sparkleworks," she said, the guilt showing through into her voice. "Can I tell you something?" She asked, with a forlorn sigh, knowing full well that the time for honesty had arrived. "Oh sorry... No time right now Minty! I need to finish all these lamp posts," Sparkleworks replied starting her descent from the ladder, her hooves wrapping and warping mysteriously around the rungs, as if she had palms to grab the ladder rungs. "Can we talk tomorrow?" Sparkleworks said her smile unmoving, probably due to her attention still being split between the mint pony, and her work. "Yeah we have to jam, Mints! You might try Pinkie!" Sunny Daze added, as they hurried off to their next appointment, the sun ever lowering. Ironically her statement much more useful than she would have ever guessed. 'Pinkie!' Minty thought to herself, a realization coming to her. She'd know exactly what to do! Maybe the pink pony could help her out of this mess! She decided, grinning eagerly. That's one thing that Pinkie had always done for the mint pony, ever since childhood. Minty would mess something up and then Pinkie would come to the rescue. In a relationship that could only be described as the one between two sisters, or even close cousins. Of course! Why not? Mama Pie had always been the one to hand out the discipline... And most of the motherly advice! And though she suspected that Mama Pie, wherever she was now, was probably regretted leaving the green pony to her own devices most of the time, she was sure Mama Pie's spirit would help her, in the form of her closest pink friend! And besides! Pinkie was the Christmas Host! She would wield whatever lumber she had to, to get Christmas back on track! Yeah! She would help Minty out of this mess! ********* 'Oh this Christmas has been just great, so far!' Ponyville's unofficial party planner thought, admiring her work so far. 'The speech worked great and everyone is working super extra hard to make this Christmas extra special fun!' She thought, with a giggle. ' And the lighting of the castle was so magical!' She continued in her thoughts, picking the perfect spot for one of the banners that would adorn the ballroom through the end of Christmas. 'We might just have the best Christmas ever!' Unfortunately, there was still a lot of work to get done before Christmas, and not enough ponies to do it. Luckily their friends, the really real for real pegasus ponies, had selflessly offered to help them get ready for Christmas, this year. So Cloud Climber and Thistle Whistle were helping Rainbow Dash, and her, hang a banner that she, and to a smaller degree Rainbow Dash, had designed earlier. Of course, over the course of work, a question came up, a question that needed to be posed: "Uhh too pink?" She asked, immediately wondering if the question came out sounding just a little odd. Of course, it may have had something to do with her, like Minty, wanting this year's holiday to be extra, especially, super extra perfect. ... Though it may, also, have had something to do with her being the Christmas Host this year ... "Oh Darling! You can never have too much of something you love!" Rainbow Dash replied, reassuringly. "And you love pink... Lots and lots of pink!" She said with a smile, admiring her changes to the banner. "Though, I might have added some other colors just to make it more of a rainbow," she admitted, having made some 'minor alterations' to the pink pony's design. "But as pink goes, this is fabulous darling!" She stated, supportively. "Well, I must run, I have rainbows to hang!" She announced getting distracted by her inner voices. Pinkie took a moment, proudly admiring the banner. "Oh it is fabulous isn't it?" She said to herself, with a chuckle, reassured of the quality of her workmanship. She did, after all, just want to make everyone happy. And while Rainbow Dash and Minty seemed to draw their strength and joy from specific holidays, she seemed to draw hers solely from the smiling faces, of her fellow ponies. Ironically something she needed to be reminded of every once in awhile. And while that was happening, whom should appear, but old her friend Minty. Leaving Pinkie to wonder if Minty was still looking for something to do. And while she applauded Minty's dedication to the festivities, she needed to learn to relax, a little!... Strange... it looked like something was off this time. She galloped like she was being chased by ghosts, or something, galloping in, full bore, and promptly sliding across the freshly waxed floor. Pinkie's heart dropped as she saw her green friend slide across the floor, in slow motion. "Minty! Watch out!" The pink pony futilely cautioned her friend, only to collide with the green mare, sending them both into a spin, and into the banner that she and the pegasus ponies had taken so much time, and care in hanging. 'It's a good thing she didn't collide with anything to hard, or pointy... She could've ended up with a pretty bad boo-boo...' Pinkie thought, to herself, with a laugh, trying to make the best of the situation. "That's ok," she said, reassuringly to her apologetic friend. 'You know, maybe it's time Minty finally got a chance to help.' Pinkie thought to herself. "But now that you are here, why don't you help us raise this banner?" She asked, taking a hold of a corner of the fallen banner. Cloud Climber and Thistle Whistle shook their heads as vehemently as they could, absolutely uninterested in any 'help' the green pony could provide. Leaving Pinkie to sigh, on the inside. Apparently Minty's reputation as a jinx and goof had traveled quite a far distance over the last few months, since Sky Wishes brought them to town last spring. "I'm just a little busy with the Christmas celebration being tomorrow!" Pinky said half trying to convince reminding the pegasi that she needed all the help she could get. Of course, on the other hand, it could have been an attempt to cheer up Minty, because it was obvious that Minty was feeling bad, and not terribly Minty, though she couldn't divine the reason. The response that she received back was almost incoherent. "Pinkie can I tell you something? I mean I didn't mean it! I was just trying to make it straight!" The green pony said, and what came next wasn't much better, as the mint green pony continued to babble, wrapping herself in the sign that Pinkie, and the pegasi were attempting to rehang. "And then it just kind of slipped and it just happened!" Pinkie thought to herself for a second: 'What could she have possibly messed up that has her so concerned?' She asked herself on the inside 'I'm sure whatever it is probably is fine. It's probably just those pre-Christmas jitters,' she decided, after a moment's deliberation with herself. "Minty I'm sure everything will be ok! No matter what you did!" She said, trying to reassure her friend, as she went back to work on the Christmas prep. "But right now, I still have tons to do!" She said, firmly. "After Christmas we'll sit and talk and laugh and giggle. Can't stop Christmas from coming, after all!" She said maintaining her smile. The green pony didn't seem too happy with that answer: "Unless you're me." 'Strange,' Pinkie thought, 'I can't imagine that it could be all that important? Maybe I should take a couple of minutes out and talk to her?' She thought, before ... "Pinkie!" exclaimed a frantic Sparkleworks as she barging in. "We need more lights and ribbons for the lights on the south side!" "Pinkie!" Shouted Twinkle Twirl next, as she raced in. "I need to borrow some more lights for the dance studio!" 'Ok, maybe not,' thought Pinkie to herself, shaking her head. 'At this rate I'll be lucky to be done by new year, and we were so close to Christmas perfection!' She thought to herself, in disappointment, as ten or fifteen other ponies came in looking exasperated by some 'Crisis' or another. ********* For Minty, what had started as such a magical Christmas eve had been transformed into a nightmare by her own clumsy hoofs. "Why did I have to touch the candy cane? Why couldn't I just leave it alone!" She said, her mood darkening. "Now Santa isn't coming tonight! And everyone is going to be so disappointed!" She whined. "Everyone is looking forward to Christmas: Cotton Candy's coco, Sweetberry's cookies, Twinkle Twirl's carols! Now none of it is going to happen at all!" She moaned, growing ever more disappointed, not just at the current situation, but herself as well. The thought that everyone would be mad at her made was already making her feel ill. And then there was the matter of all the hate she'd get... All the enemy's she'd make... She might just go and leave town now! "And look at my socks!" She moaned. "They're all knotted up! Just like Christmas!" She whined as the tears starting to flow. "I've ruined everything for everyone!" She exclaimed, putting her sock over her head in a vain attempt to hide her crying. 'But how do I un-break it?' She thought, once again, trying to rescue Christmas. 'And thanks to me Santa isn't coming!' she thought, the dismal voice in her head returning. "Or... Maybe I can be Santa! And I'll give great gifts to everyone and it'll be Christmas again!" She practically shouted to herself, her face filled with glee. Looking around her house, for the perfect gift, resulted in some interesting thoughts: 'Dishes? Nah... Too boring...' 'Fruitcake? Nah... Too nutty...' She decided as she closed the lid to her 'Fruitcake re-gifting trunk.' 'It needs to be good. It needs to be great! it needs to be...' Looking once again at the pile of socks on her table that she had intended as a Christmas decoration. 'SOCKS!!!' Her sock obsession finally frying her brain. 'After all who doesn't love getting socks for Christmas? I know I do.' 'I'll give the rainbow socks to Rainbow dash. The sparkling socks to Sparkleworks. And the pink socks with pink dots to...' thinking for a second. 'Cherry Blossom! No wait... Pinkie Pie. Of course!' Going through her socks one at a time she picked one for everyone. It was a large sacrifice, as she would end up giving away over a half of her sock collection. But it would be completely worth it when everyone was happy again!!! And she was so enthralled with the idea that she just had to sing about it!!! Sadly I'll force you to find the words. ********* Now, for most ponies, Christmas was one of their favorite days of the year, and it was no different for the Christmas Host, who had just finished her last Christmas chore, the hour before. "Oh Santa..." The pink pony said in her dreams. "What a beautiful new doll!" She said, receiving a doll from the elf with the distinctive hat. "Want one of these nice new sweet and sour cookies that I baked for you?" She said, her dream suddenly taking a detour, when she pulled the cord on the doll only to hear: "SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsQQQQQQQQQQQQQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAKKKK!!!!" "Who? What? Where?" Asked Ponyville's party pony, as she heard hoofsteps below. "I wonder who that could be at this hour?" She asked, trotting cautiously down the flight of stairs leading to her room. Down below, Santa was staring at something in the mirror. Or, at least it looked like Santa, in the poorly lit room. "GAH!" The Santa said, admiring their reflection in the mirror. "Santa?" Pinkie asked. Coming closer. "Ho Ho Ho." Minty replied with a nervous giggle, as she started to back away, being decidedly not Santa. "Minty?" Pinkie asked, curiously, catching her friend in the act. "Oh. Hey-ya Pinkie what ya doing?" The green pony said nervously, trying desperately to hide whatever it was she was actually doing. 'That's the second night in a row!' Pinkie thought to herself, in frustration, having been awoken from her sleep the second night in a row. 'Last night eager Minty, and tonight suspicious Minty!' Pinkie thought, as her countenance becoming noticeably angry. "Sleeping!" Pinkie said, replying to the mint pony's question, with a loud yawn. 'Ok... we need to have that talk now. She's been acting off all day, and I should have asked her this afternoon. And, by the sound it, she's just about bursting at the seams for me to find out about whatever it is she's worried about,' she thought quickly, posing a question of her suddenly suspicious green friend. "What are you doing here?" She asked, noticing the sock that had earlier been mistaken for Santa's hat "And why do you have a sock on your head!?" "I was trying to be Santa!" The mint pony responded, sadly, her moral plummeting further as she started to wonder if her plan could possibly ever work. "Why?" Pinkie asked, suddenly caught off guard. "What's wrong with the real Santa?" She inquired, now truly puzzled. "Broken!" Minty grunted out, looking away in shame. "You broke Santa?" Pinkie asked, feeling truly puzzled. 'Is this what she's been worried about all day? She thinks she broke Santa?' She thought, wondering if her friend had finally gone nuts. "No! I'm so sorry! I ruined everything! I broke the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane!!!" She finally blurted out, the dark truth finally coming out. This was not the answer Pinkie wanted to hear at all. 'Oh great!!! And now she tells me!!! When I have positively no time to do anything about it.' Pinkie thought, her mood suddenly moving from confusion and mild agitation to outright blind rage! "Ho Minty!!!" She shouted, going feral for a minute, as she stomped up and down like a wild horse. "Oh Minty!" She said struggling to regain her composure, her angry scowl melting into a disappointed frown... "It was an accident!" Minty said. "I just wanted to make it straight! I just wanted to make it perfect!" Minty said, on the verge of crying again. Pinkie gave a sigh, enough being angry... 'Ok Pinkie you need to do what you do best!' Pinkie thought as she put on a consoling smile. 'It's time to do what you do best: solve problems,' she told herself, putting away her agitation. "Well maybe we can glue it together?" She asked, getting serious, the concern showing in her face as she rushed to find a solution. "NOOOO!!!!" Minty said shaking her head violently, already well aware of the disaster that would follow. "There are too many crackly pieces lost in the snow!" She said, solemnly. This was bad and Pinkie knew it. She could, already, feel everyone's depression and sorrow. And, the face that she knew Minty could as well, was the only thing that was preventing her from going feral again. "But without the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane there's no glow!" She whined beginning to put all the pieces of the disaster together in her head once more. "With no glow there will be no Santa in Ponyville!" She moaned as she turned to trot away, feeling not at all pinkie keen. "And without Santa there's no Christmas!!!" She said, her voice finally cracking into pure despair. "Minty! Minty! Minty!" Pinkie chastised her friend, now feeling very, very, sad. 'She's finally done it! She's created a real disaster that even I can't fix! And now everyone will be sad, or worse yet... Mad!!!' She thought, looking very somber. "I know! I know!! I know!!! I'm really, really, really, sorry!" Minty replied, feeling the utter volume of despair in the room. Minty took a second to calm down, and was finally able to notice something unusually odd and absurd, even for Minty. "Minty what's your sock doing on my mantle?" She asked, her hoof planted on the bottom of her chin. As if unable to parse her question, the green pony continued: "Pinkie you're right! I can't be Santa! Only Santa can be Santa!" She whined, her voice starting to crack. "And they are just dumb old socks!" Responding in a very un-Minty way, finally breaking into uncontrollable sobbing, looking like her world view had been completely shattered, to reveal one harsh truth: socks are dumb. "You're giving away your socks!" Pinkie said, contemplating the magnitude of the sacrifices involved here for her green friend. "Oh Minty! Please don't cry!" Pinkie begged, putting her hoof on the bottom of her friends chin consolingly. "We'll think of something!" She pleaded, trying unsuccessfully to force her consoling smile back on. Now would be a good time for a Pinkie Squink, but the magic didn't work well when she was under pressure or feeling bad, and there was a lot of both right now. Besides, she just knew she was going to get an idea any second now. And come it did: "I've got it!!!" She said, her smile now truly returning! "You've got it?" Minty responded, her voice absolutely full of joy, for the second time since the ceremony. "Nah!!!" Pinkie said, realizing her idea was not as good as she though. 'maybe I should've tried to squink after all?' She asked herself. "You can always!" Pinkie continued to think out loud, her voice trailing off as the idea sunk. "I could!!! I could!!!" Minty responded, eager and anxious to hear whatever it was Pinkie had come up with. "This is it!!! I feel it!!!" Pinkie said with certainty, a huge smile on her face, and joy in her heart. "I feel it too!" Said Minty compulsively, a nervous giggle escaping her mouth. "What is it I'm feeling?" She asked, showing that she had no idea what was going on. "Leave town!!!" Pinkie blurted out, as she started to express her thoughts. "Leave Ponyville... Forever?!" Minty said, interrupting her friend, her continence dropping, misunderstanding what her friend was getting at. "I wasn't feeling that! Umm... I'll miss everyone too much!" 'Minty! Minty! Minty! You missed the point again, you have to start thinking more and acting slower!' Pinkie thought, with a chuckle. 'Ok I need to correct her!' She thought waiting for Minty to stop rambling. "No! No! No! Leave to go to the north pole!" She exclaimed, her smile only growing with time, this plan was just crazy enough to work, and they had a good one or two hours before Santa even left his workshop. That was plenty of time to get this done. Minty breathed a sigh of relief, and wiped her brow with her hoof. She could do this. Or could she? "The north pole?" She asked anxiously, when it struck her. "The north pole?" She reiterated, her countenance quickly going from nervous to inquisitive to outright gleeful! "You mean the one where Santa lives?" 'By Jove I think she's got it!' Pinkie thought, enthusiastically. "Yup, where Santa lives! Get it!?" She asked, smiling all the way, her mind already working overtime as she ran through all the preparations they needed to make for the trip. "Yeah! I will go and talk to Santa, and fix it so no one will be disappointed!!!" Minty eagerly shouted, galloping out of the house and leaving her third favorite sock behind. "You're the best thinker I know!!!" "Minty wait! Minty!!!!" Pinkie shouted, at the top of her lungs. But her calls were unheard, as Minty, once again, left Pinkie in her dust, leaving her to do a frustrated sigh. Once again, Minty had thought with her heart and not her head. Sullenly Pinkie looked down at the ground, as she noticed Minty's sock/hat lying on the ground, abandoned. "Oh dear!" She said to herself. "This can't possibly be any good at all!" She was going to have to catch up with Minty before she did something stupid. 'Why didn't I have them make a second candy cane?' She thought, her countenance dropping, with utter concern and disappointment. Of course, that was a very good question, though Ponyville had gone forty five to fifty too many years without needing a second candy cane, and 'after all these things never ever EVER get broken!' A young triple threat had told Pinkie after making the, singular 'One of a Kind, Extra Special' Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane the first time. Pinkie's spiral of self doubt continued unabated for a second: 'Why didn't I just let her help me one of the first two or three times she asked? Why didn't I get her right after the ceremony and have her help me hang the signs, or light the lights?' She thought shaking her head, till calmer thoughts prevailed. 'I can't do anything about the past, but I have to get to Minty before she tries something stupid, like fly a balloon solo all the way to the North Pole!' ********* Minty's head was ablaze as she galloped, at full bore, to get to the balloons before it was too late. Pinkie had been right, of course. She had to go to the North Pole! It was the only way to get Santa before he left! And this would be her absolute last chance, to boot, there would be no others. And if this failed, then no one would ever forgive her! The good news was that if she hurried, and got a balloon, then it would be very short balloon ride to the North Pole, and she could probably her there before Santa left. And the flight should be a breeze, even for her, because nights in Ponyville were always bright and cozy, and never dark and spooky, after all. 'Perfect!' She thought, noticing that her balloon carefully moored, and sitting with the others. "Someone must've found and returned the balloon from earlier!" She chirped, eagerly clapping her two front hooves together, as she stood upright on her back hooves. "I'll just borrow it again, for just a moment!" She said, slowing her steps and walking extra softly. "I'll bring it back in no time," she said, as quietly as she could, not wanting anyone to hearing her sneaking off on a dangerous aerial adventure all alone! However, that plan would prove extremely difficult, as Minty wasn't known for her coordination, or perception, and tended to crash into stuff a lot. Ironically, she seemed to be extremely coordinated when she was skating. But this was definitely not skating. "SNAP!" Screamed the twig, or at least that's what it seemed like to her. She stood upright, on her back hooves, and looked around for a minute. Luckily no one seemed to notice! She exhaled, glad that she was about to get away with it. "Just a little further and..." A whistling sound came from behind along with a smirking pegasus pony. 'Oops... Thistle Whistle... What is she doing here?' She thought to herself, in panic. What was she going to say? How would she convince Thistle Whistle not to tell Star Catcher about her flight? she swallowed hard, desperate to avoid panic. She couldn't afford to let Thistle Whistle know about the candy cane or Santa. 'Just act natural. You're good at that,' she thought to herself, nervously. "Hey Thistle Whistle," she said, her face looking shifty. "I was just taking a walk, and taking a look at the beautiful balloons; and I just thought I would take a little ride. And..." Minty lied, poorly. But was unfortunately met with a sly and very disbelieving look from the cowardly pegasus. 'Was she here the whole time keeping watch? Wait... Is it possible that she was the one who brought the balloon back, and was looking for took it in the first place?...' Minty thought to herself. 'Drat... busted...' She thought, launching into the second explanation of the night. "Fine! I broke the Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane and ruined Christmas for everyone!" She shouted, her voice quivering. "And so now I have to get to the north pole and show Santa how to get to Ponyville before it's too late!" The pegasus responded by a very unwilling look, albeit a look that says: 'I won't stop you.' She looked back at the green pony, her countenance still very uncertain, and slowly opened her mouth. "I don't think that's a good idea, you know how you are with balloons! Just a thought!" she said, quickly, whistling at the end, a terrified expression apparent on her face. Apparently even the really for real pegasus ponies had already heard about Minty's flying problems. But, Nevertheless, Thistle Whistle wasn't going to stop her, and that meant that she could continue her mission... Her cause... Her crusade even! "Ok I'm not very good at flying... or steering... or stopping... but I have to do this!!!" She said with a dower expression, an idea hitting her, that just begged to be asked. "You wanna come with me!?" She asked, her demeanor picking up. Yeah apparently Thistle Whistle wasn't interested in facing those clouds tonight: "When you say 'with you', do you mean with you by coming with you into the clouds 'with you'?" Thistle Whistle said with a noticeable bead of sweat rolling down her muzzle, as she looked at the clouds in the distance. "Or wave goodbye as you sail off and wish you good luck 'with you'?" Thistle Whistle asked, waving good bye with one foreleg. Yeah it was sad, but she wasn't going to stop Minty either. Nevertheless Minty was really hoping for the help at this point. "Come on, it'll be sort of like an adventure!! " She said with her usual giggle, and a very large amount of eagerness. The pegasus responded with hesitation, trying to discourage the green pony from going on this fool's errand. "Do you mean fun and games kind of 'adventure'," the pegasus replied, the terror speaking. "Or 'it's scary out there' kind of 'adventure'!?" Pointing out towards the darkness at the edges of the sky. It was obvious at this point the cowardly pegasus wouldn't be coming. "It's all right Thistle Whistle! I understand," Minty replied, the wind now temporarily taken out of her sails. "You don't need to come," she said, accepting this reality. "But this is something I have to do! I have to go find Santa Claus to make up for what I did!" She exclaimed defiantly, as she removed the moorings from the balloon and started off. "North Pole here we come!!!" She shouted as the balloon flew off into the wild blue yonder. "WAIT MINTY!!! WAIT!!!!" The Pegasus futilely shouted as the green pony sailed slowly out of sight. Was it just Minty, or was the wind blustering worse, for some reason, than usual? Oh well! This was something she just had to do! ... FOR CHRISTMAS!!! ********* As Minty sailed through town, she could already imagine what everyone was dreaming about. Sunny Daze was probably dreaming about a radical new surfboard, and Sparkleworks: fireworks; and... Whoosh, the balloon went off course, drug along by the increasingly violent winds. 'What's going on?' Minty asked herself, the seed of concern taking root. 'Ponyville almost never gets monster winds like this!' The balloon continued to sail off course, brushing against a nearby tree: "Whew that was close," she said, relieved that neither the tree, nor her balloon were hurt. Her glee didn't last long though, unfortunately, when the winds pushed the balloon back the way it came, and within inches of the Christmas Tree. "Whew that was closer!!" She said, just barely avoiding the all important Ponyville icon. 'Glad that's over! She thought, with a nervous chuckle. "It's going to be smooth sailing from here, though!' She decided, with a sigh of relief, as the balloon was violently shoved straight into the Christmas Tree, quickly uprooting it. Astoundingly, neither the balloon, nor Minty were harmed by the crash, though the crash could be heard to the edges of Ponyville. "Drat!!!" she said, to herself. 'I should've yelled timber!' She thought, realizing the lost opportunity, as the balloon was drug slowly but surely due north. "Ok... this is ok..." She said, struggling to remain calm. 'I hope the wind knows the way to the North Pole!' She thought hoping that she was, indeed, going north. 'I wish Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash were here, they'd never get lost!' Minty thought, a hint of panic setting in. She was at the mercy of the winds, and had no idea if she was even going the right way. However, the good news, though, was that she was, indeed, going higher, and was now a lot less likely to hit something. ********* "I guess I'm all alone in this," she said to herself, with a somber sigh. "I wonder if anyone even knows I'm gone?" She asked herself, solemnly, as she flew somewhere well north of town, or at least somewhere that she hoped was well north of town. Little did she know that her friends had already organized a search party for her, and the cowardly Thistle Whistle was flying, full bore, desperate to catch up to the earth pony, before it was too late. But, at least, the winds had calmed down quite a bit, and she would be at Santa's workshop in no time, assuming that she was going in the right direction. No! She had to believe she was going the right direction! She was so close! She could smell the tasty, tasty, eggnog, and gingerbread from here! She just had to believe! She had to have 'The Audacity of Hope'!... Nah she never liked that book anyway! She had to dare to believe, that she might even make it to the workshop before Santa left, and all that good stuff! Ponyville depended on it! Yeah! She would make it before he left! After all, he was a large man, and probably moved pretty slow! And... if she hurried, maybe he'd even let her help him spread some Christmas cheer! And, on cue, there it was, In the distance, gleaming at her like some kind of Christmas Xanadu or holiday Shangri-La: Santa's workshop! She could tell by all the Christmas, and Santa, themed buildings. "It's just as I thought it would be!" She exclaimed, overjoyed to see the real North Pole! Right before her eyes! ... And, was now, right behind her!!! Minty gave a noticeable grimace, this cinched it! She needed to add parking to the long list of things she needed to learn about ballooning! And that made the total items on the list: launching, steering, and now parking! And that was probably why it was no wonder that ponies dropped everything they were doing, got out of bed, and organized a Christmas search party at ten at night! All they needed to head was 'she's Minty and she's flying a balloon!' And that left Ponyville's Green Machine with only one option, as she sailed helplessly into the uncharacteristically dark and spooky clouds: "AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" And the further into the dark and spooky clouds she got, the worse the winds became. Buffeting her balloon harder, and harder, eventually causing it to sway, and if it got much worse then it might flip over, or even crash! And, like an answer to her silent prayers, a pegasus came flying out of a nearby cloudbank... upside down... "Oh Thistle!!! I'm so glad to see you!!!" Minty said, in relief to see one of her really real for real pegasus friends. "HELLLPPP!!!!" She screamed, in panic. It was official, this was, officially, the most bummer Christmas Minty could remember. "Yeah ok!!" Her pegasus friend responded with a surprising amount of confidence! Especially considering the suddenly violent weather, and, rather large, cloud banks. Was it just her or was everything more vibrant all of a sudden? Wow! She could see directly behind her! 'Wow maybe panic is good for me!...' Minty thought, stifling her normal laughter. 'I can see everything now,' she thought, bemused at the sudden changes in her eyes, and vision. However, Minty's good luck didn't seem to spread to Thistle Whistle, who seemed to be having some problems flying in these unusually wild winds. "Maybe we should forget the North Pole and go back to ponyville!" Thistle Whistle responded sagely. And for once, it wasn't the pegasus' fear of clouds talking either. Unfortunately, Minty hadn't given up yet. "No we have to get to Santa and tell him what I did before it's too late!" She exclaimed, defiantly. "He has to know what I did!" ********* "Maybe we should just forget the North Pole!" The pegasus cautioned again. "I don't like these clouds..." she said, sounding positively terrified. "It's just like when Mom and Dad..." She said, whistling noticeably. "These clouds don't look so bad!" Minty exclaimed confidently. "Maybe a few more minutes!!!" She shouted to be able to be heard over the increasingly violent weather, her balloon following the pegasus behind at an unnatural angle. "No we need to leave now!!!" The pegasus futily retorted to the green pony, a distant painful memory beginning to break the surface, one that seemed almost like a nightmare. Not that it mattered any more, as the winds were no longer permitting escape and chose, that moment, to pick up, sending the balloon spinning in cart wheels, scaring the green earth pony, and tangling the pegasus in the balloon's mooring ropes. Minty could only face hoof, having never considered that the mooring rope should be stored in the balloon, when she wasn't parking it. "Thistle you hanging on?" Minty asked, starting to get nervous about the fact that the pegasus now lay under the balloon, instead of pulling it. "Ugg..." the pegasus replied, still discombobulated "Oh yeah sure!!!" The pegasus sarcastically. "Ok, Thistle you are right, " the green pony confessed, realizing that she was, indeed, in trouble. "We need to get out of here. Do you know the way home?" She asked, coming to the realization that she should have listened to the pegasus' sagely advice. "I'm ok... Thanks for asking..." The pegasus responded, starting to seeing stars. Without the pegasus, the winds, once again, controlled the balloon, sending it careening towards the ground, and impaling it in a tree branch. "Thistle we are ok!" Lied the green pony, who now hung precariously over a gorge, as her balloon quickly deflated. "I hope!!!" She exclaimed, attempting futilely to take a few steps back from the gorge. "Tell me again why that candy cane was so important!?" The pegasus asked one final time, the frustration apparent in her voice. "Ok... This can't possibly get any worse!" Minty said, trying to do her thing, and find the positives in the situation. "I just need to think of something!" She said, taking ample time to pause and think. "Maybe now is a good time to do my thinking while standing on my head," she said, as the balloon ripped, and left her hanging precariously. Wait! She really was saved! Something was approaching fast! Several somethings! 'Wait that's Pinkie!...' Minty thought, never happier to see her friend. 'I'm saved!!!' Sadly her joy was not long lasting as a sickening sound filled the night, as the branch could be heard snapping, causing the green pony to plummeting out of the cabin, and onto the cabin's ropes. She didn't know why she felt this but she just needed to hold on as long as possible. Pinkie would be by shortly... And then her hoof slipped... ********* As Pinkie approached the scene, in a show of utter heroism that seemed, strangely, all too familiar. "There they are!" She shouted, as she saw her friend hanging onto the balloon's carriage for dear life. "We have to help them!" She shrieked as the branch cracked, sending the green pony desperately hanging by the cabin's ropes. She could do this! She had to hurry! Her friend was hanging by a hair! And she was the only one that could save her! And she would do it! She had to do it... she was going to do it... She could sense it! She'd done it before! And she would do it again! She wasn't sure why she thought that, but She knew it was true! She would save Minty! All she had to do was swoop in for the save, and as she did so... ... ... She missed... "Oh dear!... Oh Dear!... Oh No!... Do over!!! Do over!!!!" Pinkie shrieked in horror, as she grasped hopelessly for her falling friend's hoof. Only to find her friend, instead, flailing helplessly against gravity as she hit the water at terminal velocity. "Minty! Minty!! MINTY!!!" She cried out, for the third time today, her eyes filled with tears, as she watched her friend sink below the water. She was wrong! This wasn't right! This was a horrible dream! This was never what happened! This was never how things went!!! ********* Up above Star Catcher and Cloud Climber had already finished untangling their friend, who now stared in utter agitation as the ropes that had, up until now, tangled her fell into a watery grave below. From the water below wisps of steam started to rise. Thistle Whistle gave a sharp whistle, pointing down at the water with her hoof. "That's not good. We need to get everyone far away from here now!!!" She shouted, desperately, to her fellow pegasi, with yet another whistle. "That's not good at all!" Tiny bubble rose in quick succession from the center of the pond. Star Catcher nodded to her blue friend. "Consider it done," she replied, cool as a cucumber, as she carted away a flailing, whining and stomping Pinkie Pie and her balloon. "No! Minty's still down there!" Pinkie protested desperately, stamping, and snorting like a feral horse. "She's still ok!" A eerie green light and a bulge appeared from under the waves. "We just have to save Minty before it's too late!" She cried, in complete and utter denial. "She's got to be alive down there somewhere!" Star Catcher shook her head. "I'm sorry, Minty!" And, from below... ********* "Ok Twilight?" Rainbow asked impatiently. "We go all the way to Canterlot again for Hearth's Warming Eve, and of all the things we could be doing, you want to go 'star boring'?..." She asked, sulking like a grounded child. "Tell me again why am I here doing nerd stuff, when I could be doing something cool like attending the Wonderbolt's reception?" She asked Twilight, tapping her hoof as the purple alicorn carefully set up her telescope. "Well Rainbow, I needed someone to share this with!" Twilight replied, calmly, as she fiddled around with a nod. "And my BBBFF was busy receiving his 'Hearth's Warming Eve gift' from his wife, and, while Rarity was probably a better pick, was busy trying to gin up some much needed business for next year's gala, saying something about needing to drum up support for 'a new branch', and do I need to go on?" She responded with a mischievous smile. "Besides, you are in the Wonderbolt Reserves now, and have to attend all those 'boring events' anyway, so why would you want to attend another, anyway?" Twilight asked, curiously. "I thought you hated those stuffy events?" "Well I have my reasons." Rainbow replied, with a blush, as she rubbed one of her back hooves on the other, whistling innocently. "Oh ho..." Twilight responded with a curious, and catty, smile. "Who's the pony you have a fancy on Rainbow?" For the first time that Twilight could recall her friend responded with kind of a quiet whimper, rather than a loud bluster. "Soarin right?" Twilight asked, receiving only a head shake in return. "Ok I know I got this one: Thunderlane! Right? ... Nope? That one with the... um... red hair?" Rainbow just shook her head with a smirk. "You'll never guess who it is egghead!" She replied, confidently puffing out her chest. "So when are we going to do this nerd thing anyways? This is boring stuff!" "Ok fine... I'm almost done setting it up," she said, taking a peek through the telescope. "It should be any minute now." Twilight replied, finishing the calibration on the settings on the telescope, as fast as she could. "But, first! I want more hints!" Twilight responded coyly. "Gossip is an important part of friendship... At least that's what this book says!" She responded her magic holding out a book with a horse's head on it. "Fine but don't blame me, if you are left speechless." Rainbow replied, relaxing on a cloud that she probably "borrowed" from somewhere. Rainbow paused for a moment, 'for emphasis', before spilling the beans. "Lord West Wind," she continued, a well hidden blush and her normal bluster. This caught Twilight for surprise for a second, who gave a double take, and a very surprised expression, her mouth gaping wide open. "Lord West Wind? You mean Lord West Wind as in, Lord West Wind, West Wind: 'the Gentle West Wind of House Gusty'?" Twilight stood there caught off guard. "Hey! He has some awesome points in there!" Rainbow retorted. "Somewhere," she mumbled. "Now is that stupid nerd stuff of yours ready yet?" Rainbow Dash said with a hint of impatience. "Yeah Rainbow it's ready," Twilight replied, stepping to the side, her hoof motioning over the telescope. "You just want to look just below the southern star, towards Luna's moon," She said. "Though you'll need to look through my telescope to see it..." "Unless you have eye's like these?" Rainbow replied, her ego showing. "I'll be fine egghead." "Yeah well ok..."Twilight replied, watching ever more intently at that same spot. "It's starting!" She exclaimed, her back hooves dancing violently as she grew ever more giddy. After a few moments, Rainbow was the first one to break the ice. "Wow!!! That is awesome!!!" Rainbow exclaimed, the phenomenon taking away even her breath. "See I told you didn't I!" Twilight replied, teasing her friend lightly. "Didn't I tell you that it would be awesome to see!?" She asked Rainbow, who nodded, in shame. "Yup! Neighly Bop's comet is coming between Equestria and Luna's moon for the first time in 1000 years!" Twilight said, bouncing up and down with excitement and an eager smile. "Neighly Bop's comment? Nah... that's boring nerd stuff." Rainbow replied, sounding slightly perturbed. "I'm talking about that! " She continued, pointing too low on the horizon and much too far west. "First it was like 'kablam' imitating an explosion. And then..." She she said, pointing at a point in the northwest. In the northwest Twilight could see something very odd for a position this far south: an aurora... "Ok that's interesting..." Twilight said, to herself, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial level. "What is that egg head? did the Farsloopiter comet pass between the Horsehead Nebula and the Planet Vulcan?" Rainbow said, laughing at her own wit. "I don't know..." Twilight said... "I don't know..."