Adventure #6: Under The Mistletoe
"Alright children, I've got a special holiday assignment for you all." Ms. Cheerilee told her class, writing on the board. The room full of students rung with collective annoyed groans. "Now, now.” She reprimanded, turning around. “This shouldn't take you all week. Besides, you kids have almost two weeks off this year. What could you possibly be doing that would take up all that time?"
"Going snowboarding with my big brothers!" Rainbow Dash called out. "We're gonna go to the biggest part of the mountain and ride all the way down!"
Everyone wowed at what she had said, while Twilight sat in the back of the room rolling her eyes. "Oh brother." She mumbled to herself. Then out loud so that the rest of the class could hear, "Make sure you don't land on your head on the tumble down. We wouldn't want you to lose the already miniscule amount of brain cells you have now would we?"
The other boys and girls giggled at Rainbow’s expense. She growled. "Yeah, well, all you're gonna do is read books! You freaking egghead!”
“This just in, Captain Obvious is once again, stating the obvious!” Twilight snipped back, in a mock reporters voice, putting two fingers to her ear as if there was a listening piece in it. More laughter erupted. Rainbow was furious. Twilight smirked at her.
“Alright, Alright. Settle down, settle down.” Ms. Cheerilee told the class. The students quieted down quickly. “Good. Now that I have your attentions again, the assignment you all have to do is write about something that happened to you over the break. It’s just a paragraph. And it’s due when you all come back.”
More groans rung out as the bell signaled the end of class. “Have a great holiday! And don’t forget to do your homework!” she called out towards them as they took off down the hallway.
Twilight smiled at her teacher as she made her way to the door. “Don’t worry Ms. Cheerilee. I’ll do it.” She said reassuringly.
Ms. Cheerilee squeezed her shoulders. “Of course you will. You’re one of my best students. Just, promise me you’ll have some fun too? All work and no play makes Twilight a dull girl.” She winked, tapping the child’s nose.
“Sure, yeah. See you later!” Twilight called out as she ran after Fluttershy.
“Hey! Fluttershy!” Twilight called. Fluttershy had been talking to Rainbow Dash when she had heard Twilight call her. The two have been friends since that day, spending time together when Cadence wasn’t watching Twilight. Sometimes when she was, Twilight would invite her over and they would watch My Pretty Pony together. They constantly insisted that Cadence looked like the pink princess of love. (Which totally freaked Cadence out.)
“Oh, hi Twilight.” She greeted, turning away from Dash smiling. Rainbow Dash glared at Twilight angrily. Twilight gleefully ignored her and continued her conversation with the meek girl in front of her.
“I was wondering if you wanted to come over and bake cookies with me and Cadence. We’re gonna leave ‘em out for Santa!” Twilight was genuinely thrilled about leaving cookies out for Santa. (Even though she was smart enough to know there was no Santa. Even Cadence knew she knew. They just wanted to do something traditional.) And she bet Fluttershy believed in him, so she wasn’t going to tell her she didn’t believe in him. It would ruin her Christmas and Twilight didn’t want to be responsible for that.
“Oh well-”
“She can’t.” Rainbow Dash interrupted firmly. “She’s going to go snowboarding with me.” Rainbow put a possessive arm around the tall girl, pulling her close.
“I’ve seen this before. The male wolf asserts his dominance by taking claim to his mate.” Twilight said, a little amused. “Though since you're both girls, we’re not old enough to have mates, and you don’t have a single dominant bone in your body, I would say you’re jealous.” She sneered.
“Jealous?! Of what?!” Rainbow barked.
“Oh I don’t know, the fact that she’s been spending more time with me, than you. Face it, Rainbow Crash, you don't like the fact that Fluttershy has another friend. Especially one you seem to despise.” Twilight gave her a smug look, crossing her arms.
A horn honked in the distance, and Twilight whipped around to see it was Cadence in her jeep. “Well, you can get back to me on that, Flutters. I’ve got to go hang out with my big sister.” And with that, she put on her hat and walked out the door, leaving a certain rainbow haired girl fuming.
Cadence tapped the steering wheel as they drove towards the house. “So,” She asked to strike up a conversation. “How was school?”
“Do you honestly care?” Twilight asked back, laughing.
Cadence nodded and laughed a little too. “Point taken.” She turned a corner, then at a stop sign, picked up her cell phone.
“Who are you calling?” Twilight always wondered who she was about to talk to. Not only was she trying to be nosey and purposely annoying, she wanted to see what high school friends Cadence had outside of babysitting her.
“Shining. We’re going to the mall.” She responded as the phone on the other line was picked up. Twilight leaned over the armrest in the middle to hear what was going on. The incident of Twilight being lost was over a month ago, and since then, Cadence and Shining Armour have gotten pretty close. A little too close if anyone asked Twilight.
“Hello?” Her brother answered. Cadence wanted to continue driving so she put him on speaker.
“Yo, Shining, It’s the day before Christmas Eve, man. Have gotten any presents for anyone?” Cadence asked causing Twilight to giggle. Cadence talking urban was just wrong on so many levels.
“Please don’t...don’t ever do that again.” her brother responded in a pained voice, which caused Twilight to bust out laughing. “That was awful and emotionally scarring.”
“Oh whatever! You do it all the time!” Cadence told him defensively. She began to drive again.
“Yeah but you’re really horrible at it!”
“Gee, Shining, you really know how to make a girl feel special!”
“Was that sarcasm?!”
“Oh you poor sap.” Twilight gasped in between laughs.
“Oh you got Twily with you. That makes it even worse!” Now both girls laughed. Shining groaned in embarrassment. “Well fine! To answer your question, no, I didn’t go Christmas shopping.”
“Soooo...” Cadence started.
“Sooo what?” Shining repeated.
“Let’s go to the mall!”
“It’s going to be crowded. And you know how she likes to run off.” Shining told her pointedly. It was a thing that always happened every time they went. Twilight was smart, but she was still a kid. Put something shiny or interesting in front of her and she’ll follow it to the world’s end.
“Don’t worry. I can handle squirt. You just get ready so we can get there before it gets too claustrophobic.” Cadence told him before hanging up. She looked beside herself to see Twilight was staring at her. “What?”
“Why are you so intent on going to the mall?” Twilight’s eyes narrowed to slits as she continued to look at Cadence with a suspicious expression. “What are you up to, Cadence?”
Cadance let out a nervous laugh. “What are you talking about? We’re just gonna go do some last minute shopping! Besides, I heard Shining’s gonna get you something really special.” She gushed, turning on the block where Twilight’s house was.
Twilight’s mood immediately changed. “Oh! What?! What?!” Twilight demanded, jumping up and down in her seat as they pulled up to the house.
Cadence turned the other way to hide her laugh as Shining came out. Twilight could swear she wasn’t cute all she wanted, the girl was just down right adorable.
Shining Armour greeted the two before helping Twilight in to the back seat and climbing in the front himself. After putting his seatbelt on, he came face to face with a puppy eyed Cadence. “Uh, you mind telling me what’s with the face?” He asked. Though he couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It made her look so cute.
“I kinda sorta told Twilight you were getting her something special for Christmas.” Cadence confessed in a hushed whisper, twiddling with her thumbs.
Shining gave her a skeptical look. “Nice. Well, it’s okay. I’ll just find some book that she’s been rambling about for the past nine months.” He said, shrugging the subject off.
Cadence shook her head. “No! That’s not the Christmas Spirit!” She shouted.
“The what?!” Shining and Twilight, (who was now paying attention to their unique conversation) repeated.
“The Christmas Spirit! You know, singing songs, making cookies, buying really good presents for the ones you love! Stuff like that!” Cadence explained cheerfully.
“How many cups of peppermint lattes from Starbucks have you had today?” Twilight asked, watching the older girl’s hands jitter.
“Two! Maybe three....I don’t know! But they're soooo gooood!” She groaned, her head hitting the steering wheel causing the horn to play a long tune.
“Sometimes I really wonder who’s babysitting who here.” Twilight said, sitting back in her seat with a sigh.
Shining chuckled as he helped Cadence sit back up. “You and me both, sister.”
Just as Shining predicted, the mall was overflowing with last minute shoppers. Each floor was bustling with people carrying gift boxes and shopping bags, hurrying to the next store or downstairs the grab another deal. But what Shining hadn’t predicted, is the reason Cadence wanted to go to the mall so much. Now he that knew, and so did Twilight, they both wished that they had knew earlier.
“Are you out of your bloody mind?!” Twilight demanded giving Cadence a look of disbelief, drawing some attention towards them from some passersby.
“C’mon, squirt!” Cadence pleaded in a hushed tone, seeing how some pairs of eyes were on them. “This could be fun!”
Twilight snorted. “There is no way in he-” -Cadence glared at her- “Heck, I’m going to stand in line with snot nosed brats just to go sit on some sweaty old fat guy’s lap dressed up as the symbol of holiday capitalism!” She never wanted to take her picture with Santa. Ever. She hated the idea of him. Sure she loved Christmas, but she despised the fact that parents would deliberately trick their children into thinking that this obese white bearded reverse burglar would come stuff his fat self through some chimney. Most houses don’t even have chimneys anymore!
“You’re being a stubborn brat!” Cadence shot back.
“Me?! What about you?! You want me to sell myself out so people can look at my mom’s wallet and coo about how ‘cute’ I am!” Twilight yelled at her. “You know I don’t believe in him! Besides, Santa’s not real!”
A group of children that were probably no less then Twilight’s age gasped as they overhead what she said. Twilight and Cadence turned around to face them. “S-Santa’s not real?” One of them asked, on the verge of tears. Their mother glared at Cadence.
“Seven year olds. So cynical, ya know? Haha.” She said, as they walked past to join the already growing line of children and their parents waiting to take their pictures. She spun Twilight around. “Just for that, now you really have to do it.”
Twilight tried to protest. “But I-”
“No buts, Twily, you just inadvertently ruined some little kid’s Christmas dreams. You’re doing it.” Shining said in his big brother and-that’s-final voice.
Twilight growled, crossing her arms. “Shoot me now.” She grumbled as Shining Armour and Cadence both pushed her on line. The kid in front of her sneezed, then turned to face her with a wad of snot dripping out his nose. He smiled, sniffing it back up. Twilight gave Cadence and Shining Armour a vehement look, before choosing to stare a hole in the back of the kid’s head.
The line was moving so slow that Twilight thought about just walking away, but decided against it once Cadence glanced at her, letting her know she knew what the younger girl was planning. It’s not her fault some stupid parent let their kid eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation. It’s not her fault that parents string their idiot children along with the preposterous tale of this Santa Claus character. It just simply wasn’t her fault.
The shorter the line got, the more resentment she held for her older sibling and babysitter. And when it finally got to her turn, she had to be physically pushed into Santa’s lap by one of his elves whom Twilight believed was absolutely too old to be anything so childish. Santa gave her a hearty (and obviously tired and rehearsed) laugh. “Hello little girl.” He said, wrapping his arm around her waist, almost causing her to kick him in the shin. She knew it was just a friendly gesture, something that shouldn’t be scrutinized. But this Santa was a little too frisky with his hands, and the deed tarnished her image of Santa even more. “What would you like for Christmas?” He asked.
Twilight sighed. “Look, my big brother and sister put me up to this. I don’t want to be here, and judging by the smell of whiskey on your breath and five o'clock shadow you have peeking out from under that ridiculous fake beard, I’d say you don’t either. So why don’t we make this as quick as possible so it can be less painful for the both of us.” She gave him a wry smile, satisfied by the incredulous look on his face. “Oh, and you might want to move your hand. We wouldn’t want everyone in the mall to know you have a loli fetish.” The hand was immediately removed from her waist.
“Smile!” The photographer said, as the flash went off. The flash went off a couple more times before one of the elves told Twilight her turn was up.
Twilight patted the still bewildered man’s belly. She then stood on her tippy toes to whisper in the man’s ear, “Merry Christmas, you disgusting pedophile.” Then she turned on her heel and let one of the elves lead her to the velvet rope that closed off a section area in which parents waited for their children and collected the pictures.
Cadence and Shining Armour stared at her as she smirked the whole walk up to them. Cadence folded her arms. “Okay, what did you say to him?” she asked, Shining mirroring her expression.
“What? Nothing! I just told him what I wanted for Christmas.” The older pair looked at each other in confusion and doubt and shrugged, taking Twilight’s word for it. Twilight smirked. They were so gullible.
Finally home two hours later, after watching a few more reruns of the same Christmas specials they play every year, Twilight got up from her spot in between Cadence and Shining Armour. She stretched, then yawned. “I’m gonna go to bed. You guys are welcomed to come read me a story.” She said, yawning again.
The two teens shared a look. “Uh, actually Twilly, we were thinking that maybe you could tuck yourself in tonight.” Shining Armour said, giving her an apologetic glance.
“Oh?” Twilight asked, her eyebrow raised.
“Yeah, squirt. Sorry, but uh, we’ve got some things to take care of.” Cadence agreed. She smiled warmly at Twilight. “We’ll tuck you in tomorrow.”
Twilight gave them both a narrow eyed look. “I know you are up to something. And whatever hormone crazed teenage thing it is, I will find out.”
Cadence blushed feverishly. “N-No, it’s nothing like that! And remind me to stop letting you read my magazines!” she said, turning her head away to hide her embarrassment. Shining gave her an incredulous look. What kind of magazines was she reading?
“Fine. But just know if anything happens, I’m gonna tell Mommy and Daddy.” Twilight threatened, crossing her arms.
“Kinda hard to take you seriously when you just said ‘Mommy’ and ‘Daddy’ while wearing My Pretty Pony footsie pajamas.” Shining Armour commented, smirking.
“Oh yeah? Well I’ll just tell Cadence about that time you-” A swift hand covered her mouth before the sentence even left it. She looked up to see it was Shining’s. He was glaring at her sternly.
He leant down to whisper in her ear. “I’ll let you invite Fluttershy to sleep over tomorrow and give you twenty bucks if you never ever try to say that again.” He said. Twilight nodded wildly, to which Shining released his grip leaving Cadence in a confused state as to what just happened.
“Deal.” Twilight said. Then she ran up the stairs and shut her door.
“What did you tell her?” Cadence asked him after the younger girl had left. To her it looked almost threatening.
Shining waved off her concern. “I bribed her with money and a sleepover.” He explained, as if it was the most normal and socially acceptable thing to do to a seven year old little girl.
“Why, if you don’t mind me asking?” She raised her eyebrows at him. Whatever Twilight was about to say must’ve been embarrassing because Shining was now blushing.
“No reason, just uh, no reason.” He quickly lied. He didn’t want Cadence to know anything embarrassing about him. Especially since he was developing feelings for her. And She definitely didn’t need to know that either. He wasn’t even sure if she liked him back.
But little did he know, the girl beside him already had feelings for him. And she was just as unsure about herself as he was himself. “If you don’t wanna say, you don’t have to.” She told him, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. The electric spark between them surged through them both again, making the two jump apart even quicker than before.
The pair refused to look each other in the eye, the unspoken agreement that the spark was far stronger than it was before lingering in the air like an awkward first conversation.
The near silent buzz of the TV in the background made everything more awkward, and Cadence was the one to break the suffocating silence. She cleared her throat. “Um, well, I-I’m gonna go check on squirt.” She said, getting up quickly, nearly tripping over a pillow on the floor.
Shining nodded. “Ah, sure. I’ll clean up down here while you do that.” He responded getting up, picking up the popcorn bowl on the coffee table in front of the couch and the empty mugs that were stained with traces of what was warm hot chocolate.
Cadence stumbled up the steps and into Twilight’s room. Twilight, unaware of Cadence’s presence, was sitting on her bed playing with her ponies. Cadence playfully rolled her eyes. She knew the girl wasn’t asleep yet. She may have been an early sleeper, but seeing how it was only eight thirty, she wasn’t going to bed for at least another thirty minutes. “Hey, squirt.” She said, sitting on the side of her bed.
Twilight looked up at her and rolled her eyes. “I thought you and Shiny were gonna do teenager things.” She grumbled, throwing the toys down on the bed, making them smash into each other repeatedly. Cadence gave her an incredulous look, before taking the toys away from her. She seriously needed to see a therapist about that.
“Well, yeah,” Cadence smiled wryly. She shrugged. “Change of plans.”
“Do you like him?” Twilight demanded.
“Do I what?!” Cadence repeated, shocked by the question.
“Do. You. Like. Shiny.” Twilight reiterated, separating each word so that Cadence could understand her. She wasn’t going to repeat herself again.
“I- Well-” Cadence stuttered. She didn’t want to tell Twilight the whole reason why she started babysitting her was so that she could get close to Shining. Of course that has changed, but she didn’t want Twilight to know. Then again, since they have gotten closer over the course of the three months that they’ve been spending so much time together, Twilight has told her things that she was sure she would never tell her parents, Shining and definitely not her previous babysitters. So she caved. “Yeah.”
“I knew it! Fluttershy owes me a dollar!” Twilight said, rubbing her hands together.
“Excuse me?” Cadence asked, clueless.
“Well, you two may be older than us, but man you guys are oblivious. Like, seriously, you could cut the sexual tension between you guys with a dull butter knife. I mean, I love Shiny, but he’s a complete goofball around you. And I’d say its becoming vice versa.” Twilight explained, waving her arms.
Cadence blushed. “Really? Is it that obvious?” She asked, sheepishly. She knew she had been having trouble hiding the fact that she liked him but she didn’t think it was that bad.
“Children are more observant when it comes to these things.” Twilight said, waving her off. “You’d be surprised how many times I’ve caught Mommy and Daddy wrestling.”
“You are a seven year old prodigy and you call sex wrestling?” Cadence tilted her head in astonishment. For a girl who hated acting her age she sure did sometimes.
“Would you rather have me say the actual word or have my parents believe I’m blissfully ignorant about the ins and outs of sexual reproduction?” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow
Cadence didn’t even have an argument for that. “Touche.”
“Ignorance is the key to going undetected. You let them see you’re stupid they’re going to believe you’re stupid. Though, it comes with a price. There have been many times in class a girl has said thing that I was itching to correct.” Twilight told her, staring at the toys in her hand.
Cadence didn’t want to find out what those things were. So she said, “Okay well, I’ll keep your perverted underage knowledge on the low if you don’t tell Shining about my crush on him. Deal?” She offered, sticking her hand out.
Twilight stared at it, then gave her a dull look. “You know, I’m just giving you a fair warning. You double cross me, there will be severe consequences.”
“Trust me,” Cadence reassured her as they shook hands. “Knowing that you know about everything in the book is punishment enough.”
"You sure it's okay that I'm here?" Fluttershy asked as she handed Twilight another pile of snow to add on to their lopsided snowman.
Twilight patted down the snow and picked up a skinny fallen branch to use as one of the arms. "Of course. It kinda sucks that you can't sleep over though. But it's understandable since Christmas Eve is when you're supposed to be with family." Fluttershy nodded and handed her another pile of snow.
Then the pink haired girl happened to look inside the house through the living room window to see that Cadence and Shining Armour weren't watching them, but watching each other. "It must be so nice to like someone like that." She sighed, smiling to herself.
"Huh? Where did that come from?" Twilight abruptly turned to her friend, then glanced at the window. She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. They wouldn't know what love was if it hit ‘em in the face."
Fluttershy frowned. "What makes you say that?"
"Look, we're the same age, but I've read things that you couldn't even begin to comprehend." Twilight back tracked. "No offense."
The other girl shrugged. As if it wasn't obvious enough. But Fluttershy didn't mind. When she was around Twilight she got to learn new things. Like words she heard her mother say before or just information in general. Twilight was a smart kid. Fluttershy didn't think anyone could say that enough.
"Anyway, they both like each other. Cadence admitted it to me and Shiny is being an idiot. But they have this thing where they won't address the elephant in the room. It's like they know they like one another but they don't know if they like each other." Twilight explained, giving the poor snowman an eye thanks to a rock she had found buried beneath some snow.
"What?!"
"They like each other. But don't know if the other person feels the same way." Twilight simplified.
"Ooooh.” Fluttershy nodded. Then cocked her head. “Huh?"
"Oh Jesus Christ." Twilight mumbled, seeing that explaining herself further would be a lost cause. "Forget it, Flutters."
A snowball that had came out of seemingly nowhere flew past the pink haired girl and hit her friend in the side of her face. Twilight jumped up, ready to attack whoever had dared to assault her with the frozen weapon. She snapped her head towards Fluttershy, who was wildly shaking her head, indicating that she wasn’t the thrower.
Before she could even register where the ball had come from, she was hit with two more. This time from two different directions, the force knocking her on her bum. “What the hell!” She demanded, wiping the slush off her face.
“What’s the matter, squirt? Can’t handle a little snow?” Cadences voice teased, somewhere behind her in a bush that was obscured by the needlessly gigantic blow up snow man they had put up in the front yard.
“Yeah, Twilly. You need to just chill.” Shining agreed, not too far from her; behind the fake sleigh next to the large snowman, content with his pun.
“I told you to leave the quirky sayings to me.” Cadence reprimanded, stepping out from behind the bush, the disappointment of a good ambush ruined by a bad play on words clear on her annoyed face.
“Yeah, well, it’s not like you had anything better!” Shining protested, crossing his arms. He thought his comeback was just fine.
While the two bickered, Twilight had an idea. She pulled Fluttershy aside quickly, whispering in her ear. When she was sure that the meeker girl understood the plan, the two decided to carry out their assault.
Armed with a hand full of snow balls, the pair attacked their older friends full force. Unthinkingly, Cadence wrapped her arms around Shining. At the same time, Shining put his hands on her waist. The two younger girls noticed and smirked at each other, continuing their onslaught of ice.
Cadence started shrieking and laughing. “Stop! Shiny! Tell them to stop!”
Shining Armour almost fell out. Cadence had called him Shiny. Only Twilight ever called him Shiny. It made him feel special. He blushed.
Cadence, having realized what she had just said, blushed herself. One last snow ball from each girl sent them both on to the ground, Cadence on top of Shining. They had finally stopped laughing in enough time to realize the predicament they were in. They stared into each others eyes, waiting for the other to say something. Cadence’s eyes subconsciously flickered towards Shining’s lips, then back to his face which was slightly flustered. She cleared her throat. “So, uh, do you plan on getting up anytime soon?”
Shining awkwardly chuckled. “I should ask you the same. You’re the one on top of me.” He responded, smirking a bit.
“Ah, right.” Cadence said, quickly getting off of him. She then extended a hand towards him which he gladly accepted.
Twilight and Fluttershy watched the awkward exchange with wide smirks. They totally didn’t know what love was. Even when it did hit them in the face.
“Wake up! Wake up!” Twilight chanted, jumping up and down on her parent's bed. “C’mon people! It’s ten am, and I’m ready to tear some paper apart!” She added, jumping even harder.
Mrs. Sparkle groaned. “Remind me why we decided to have kids?” She mumbled, turning to bring her pillow over her ear so that she wouldn’t have to hear her daughter’s shouts and demands.
Mr. Sparkle didn’t respond. Twilight’s shouts got louder. “Get up! Get up! Drink coffee! Do whatever it is you adults do! I have presents to open!” She commanded, tugging on her father’s arm.
“Oh brother.” Shining grumbled as he watched from the doorway. Cadence was supposed to be arriving later after she spent Christmas with her family. He realized that he hadn’t bought her a present, and nearly cursed under his breath. She probably got him one, and it would be rude if she gave him something and he didn’t do the same for her.
He almost thought about borrowing his mother’s car for a quick ride to the mall, but decided against it. The snow blowing around outside was a heavy indicator that they weren’t going anywhere for a while, and he remembered the mall was closed for the holidays.
He sighed. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to tell her the truth. Although...he could ask Twilight for some advice. after all, as much as he hated to admit it, the kid paid more attention to details than he did. Plus, she was closer to Cadence, which means she could tell him what she liked. The two of them rarely talked inside of school, since Shining was loner and Cadence had her friends. So for them to speak more than three sentences to each other would be nice.
“I’m going downstairs. And I’m going to count to three. And if you three aren’t down there by the time i get to three I will throw a temper tantrum so horrendous, your grandchildren will be talking about it!” Twilight threatened, stomping down the steps on her way into the living room.
Shining tried to fight back a laugh. Yep. Still not intimidating in those PJ’s. He heard his parents finally start to stir. They stumbled out of bed red eyed and disheveled. Apparently Twilight had pulled the same stunt at six am. He gave them a sympathetic look. Twilight could be a bit overzealous sometimes. Even when she didn’t mean to. She was still a kid after all.
They sluggishly passed him, staggering down the stairs after her like zombies. He was sure that after their daily dose of morning coffee they’d be fine enough to put up with Twilight’s excitement. Which he totally completely didn’t get because she doesn’t even believe in Santa. But he guessed that getting presents in general was enticing enough. That’s all kids ever cared about when it came to Christmas. He was guilty of it himself. He had a few Christmases where he had been a little spoiled rotten. But he was an only child then, and that was expected. Then Twilight came long, and his endless stream of gifts was split in half because of her.
He was happy to get a little sister, but wasn’t too happy about having to share his things. Which was a normal thing. Most children didn’t like to share, especially with a new baby in the house. He wondered what it would have been like if Twilight had been his little brother instead. He thought about what it would have been like to have one. Absentmindedly, he looked at his parents as they watched Twilight murder the wrapping paper on one of her many gifts. ‘Has mom been gaining weight?’ he thought, noticing her stomach was a little bigger than usual. 'Nah, she can't be pregnant again.' he said to himself, shaking the thought away.
“Oh my god!” Twilight squealed, holding up a box in the air. “You guys got me it! The special limited edition My Pretty Pony castle with Princess Nightfall!” She hugged the box close to her chest. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” She said jumping up and down.
Shining smirked. There was nothing that made him more happy in the world than to see his little sister smile. There was a knock at the door, and since no one else was coming over, he guessed it was Cadence. He jogged over to the door, opening it to reveal that he was right.
“Hey, hey, hey!” She chirped, smiling and wagging her eyebrows. He noticed that she was carrying three boxes that were of different heights.
“Hi.” He greeted back, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about being in his pajamas.
“I came bearing gifts.” She responded, wiggling the bag in her hand. “Squirt, would you do the honors?” She asked Twilight, who flew over to her and took the bag in a nano second.
“Which one’s for me?!” She asked, the question coming out more of a screamed demand.
“The stripped one with the green bow.” Cadence told her, grinning. Cadence wasn’t even sure Twilight even heard her before she took off running with the box. It kind of reminded her of a movie where an orphan stole a piece of bread or something.
“Hey, I thought you were coming by later?” Shining asked her as they watched Twilight murder the wrapping paper on the box in her hand.
“Yeah, well, me and my mom opened presents extra early so I decided to come. But seeing how everyone isn’t dressed yet, I could just come back later.” Cadence answered him, taking a look around to see that everyone wasn’t dressed yet.
“It’s okay sweetie,” Mrs. Sparkle said. “You’re already here and we wouldn’t want to send you out into the cold again.” She seemed happier than she was a few minutes ago, and Shining was glad she had gotten up to get some coffee, because if she hadn’t, he would have been afraid of what her answer would have been.
“Oh well okay then.” Cadence said to her nodding. She then held up a solid white box. “This one’s from me and my mom. But mostly my mom.” She said, handing the box to Mrs. Sparkle.
Mrs. Sparkle smiled. “Oh thank you, Cadence.”
“And this one’s from me.” She told Shining, bringing his attention back to her. She grinned at him, holding a small red box with a white ribbon wrapped around it in front of his chest. Shining began to feel guilty again, but politely took the item from her hands.
He untied the ribbon, then took the top off the box. In it, was a hat and a pair of gloves. The hat was blue and white, with little shields going all around it. The gloves had the same color scheme, but not the design.“You don’t seem to have these so I made sure you got some.” Cadence told him. “I remembered you were freezing when we were looking for squirt so, yeah.” She rocked back and forth on her heels, awaiting his answer.
“I, uh, I love them.” Shining told her, smiling. He really did. And he was also feeling relief. Gloves and a hat was not a hard gift to top, so now he had some leverage to work with. Though he was well aware that he would have to tell her the truth.
“You’re lying. Oh my god, I knew you wouldn’t like it.” Cadence whined, looking distraught. She ran a hand through her blonde hair. “I’m sorry I just thought it’d be a good idea.”
“It was. No seriously, I really like them. For real.” Shining reassured her.
“For real?” Cadence repeated to make sure.
“For real.” Shining said, nodding.
“Oh brother.” Twilight commented, as she played with her new toys. “Get a room you two.”
The pair shared a look before walking over to the younger girl. “That wasn’t very nice, squirt.” Cadence said, causing Twilight to look up at them again.
“I am many things, Cadenza. Nice is not one of them.” Twilight responded, roughly brushing one of her ponies hair.
“Really? Because the whole playing with ponies and wearing footie pj’s thing is giving me a whole different vibe.” Cadence countered.
“If I say touche will you leave me alone?” Twilight asked, dully.
“No, no, I think we’re gonna spend some quality Christmas time with our favorite seven year old.” Shining said, smirking.
Cadence mirrored his expression. “Oh yes, I think that’s a great idea. You’re getting into the Christmas spirit.” She agreed, plopping down next Twilight. If there was anything Cadence enjoyed doing, it was annoying the hell out of Twilight.
Twilight groaned as both teenagers sat close to her, smiles plastered on their smug faces. She rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long Christmas.
A few hours later, after all the presents were opened, and the gift wrap was thrown away, the dinner table was buzzing with the sound of chatter coming from the family sitting at it. Twilight saw no need to contribute to the loud conversation already going on, so she stuck her head in one of the books she had gotten for the holidays.
She was agitated, angry at Fluttershy for backing out of coming over for dinner. Which really should have been understandable since she did have a family of her own which Twilight had met maybe once or twice in the span of time that they had been friends. Before meeting Fluttershy, she really had no interest in making friends, and now that she had one, she had to admit she was a bit possessive of her. Besides, the poor girl needed her help. She was a submissive quiet pushover, who Twilight had no doubt would get into bad situations when she was a teenager.
Although she would never tell Fluttershy that. While she was a scaredy cat, she was sweet and nice. Plus she owed it to her for helping her fix her relationship with Cadence. So she could deal with a little disappointment.
Speaking of Cadence, the prodigy noticed that her babysitter was acting particularly strange tonight. She wasn’t talking as much as she usually does when she stays for dinner, and she kept looking in Shining’s direction before sneaking a peek at the mistletoe hanging above the sliding screen door leading out into the backyard.
Now Twilight was no idiot. She knew that Cadence liked her brother. She had even told her herself. She could put two and two together. But why was she showing this type of behavior now? She glanced at Shining, who seemed too busy telling a story to pay attention to the two girls looking at him. Come to think of it, she saw Cadence give him a gift, but not the other way around. In fact, she never heard him ever speak of having or getting her one at all. She wondered....
She tapped Cadences arm. The older girl slightly jumped at the touch and whipped her head around to see a suspecting Twilight looking at her with an eyebrow arched. “Yeah? What is it squirt?”
“Did Shiny give you anything?” She asked, putting her book down and keeping her voice to a low whisper. She didn’t want Shining Armour to be aware of their conversation. Especially with the idea that was brewing in her mind.
Cadence shook her head. “No, why?”
Twilight sat back in her seat, shrugging. “No reason. It’s just, you know, what he wants to give you isn't really tangible.” She smirked when she saw Cadences eyebrows perk up, interested.
“What do you mean?” She asked, trying to hide her curiosity and excitement, failing miserably. Twilight hummed to herself. Yep, she had Cadence right where she wanted her. Now all she had to do was lay out the bait and wait for the fish to catch.
“Well, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but he’s planning on giving you something special. A kiss to be exact. Right under the mistletoe. Like in all those movies we were watching yesterday.” The trap had been laid, now all Twilight had to do was wait for Cadence to fall for it.
“R-Really?” Cadence whispered back, clearly blushing.
Twilight smirked. Hook line and sinker. “Oh yeah. But don’t say anything to him. He wants it to be a surprise.” She was such a good liar that she was starting to consider becoming a lawyer when she grew up. Cadence nodded and turned back to her plate like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Satisfied with her work, Twilight then turned her attention on her brother, who thankfully broke away from the conversation that he was having with their parents. They were both distracted with each other, so that meant she would have little interruptions in carrying out her plan. She tapped him, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Cadence looked up slightly at them before returning to her plate again.
“Yeah, Twily what’s up?” He asked, taking a sip of his drink.
“I know that you didn’t get Cady a present.” She told him, nonchalantly taking a sip out of her own cup.
“How did you-”
“Seven year old geniuses aren’t unobservant, you know.” She said pointedly, glaring at him a bit.
“Yeah, right. Sorry.” He apologized. “Yeah, I didn’t buy her a present. I didn’t have the time.” He told her trying to see where she was going with this.
“Well I have an idea for a gift to give to her.” Twilight proposed confidently.
“What is it?” Shining was all ears. He still felt bad for not getting her anything. Twilight leaned over and whispered in his ear. As what she was saying registered in his head, he felt a blush creeping on his features. Little did he know, the girl that they were talking about was just as red.
“So uh, why do I have to stand here?” Cadence asked as she stood nervously outside of the house in front of the sliding door. She stared at the plant hung there, as if it was going to come off of its binding and bite her.
It was a couple hours after dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle had retired to the living room, giving the three kids some space. To Twilight, it was the perfect opportunity for her plan to play out. She just had to make sure the players in her game did everything right.
Twilight was on the roof on her stomach like soldier keeping watch on the enemy. “Because that’s where he wants you to be. Now stop questioning what I say.” She responded, wiggling towards the edge to whisper at the older girl. Cadence looked up to see her, but couldn’t, thanks to the light flurry of snow trickling down from the sky, making her vision a little bleary.
“But-”
“Shush! He’s coming! Remember what I told you!” Twilight half-shouted, rolling over so that Shining couldn’t see her. Cadence knew she was up there but Shining didn’t. And if he found out she was on the roof unsupervised she wouldn’t hear the end of it. She took her previous position and tried to stay as quiet as possible.
“Uh, hey.” Shining greeted as he stepped outside in his jacket. He was wearing the hat and gloves Cadence had given him.
“Hey.” She responded. She noticed the gloves and the hat. “Oh. You’re wearing them.” She commented, nodding towards him.
He withdrew his hands from his pockets and rubbed them together for warmth. “Yeah. They’re pretty warm actually. Thanks again.” He said, turning towards her.
Cadence tried to hide her blush. “Uh, yeah, sure. It was nothing.” She said, pulling her scarf up to her reddened cheeks.
An awkward silence passed through them. The only sound being their own respective breaths reaching out into the cold. A car passed, the light from the headlights bouncing off the fence. More silence fell upon them, both in their own little world.
‘I don’t think I should have let a seven year old give me advice on my love life’ Cadence thought to herself as she fidgeted next to Shining. This wasn’t exactly her ideal place to get a kiss. If that was what he was planning, anyway.
‘Why did I let Twily talk me into this’ Shining grumbled in his head, watching the snowfall in front of him. He’d never kissed a girl before. He was pretty sure Cadence had probably kissed a bunch of guys, guys that were probably way better than him. He shook his head. That was some negative thinking right there. ‘Well, I should at least say something.’ He thought.
“So, uh, Twilight told you to wait out here for me?” He asked. Twilight didn’t go into details with her so called ‘plan’ so he had no idea about what she had told Cadence nor what she she was thinking when she came up with it.
“Yeah. She told me you had a present for me.” Cadence told him, nodding a bit.
Oh. That was new. He had the exact opposite. He didn’t understand before, but now it really clicked. Twilight set him up so that a kiss under the mistletoe would be his gift to Cadence. And as clever and deceitful as it was, he didn’t think he could go through with it.
“Oh really?” he asked, playing it off. “I didn’t know she told you that.” He said, nervously. He really wasn’t sure he could actually kiss her. Not like this.
“Yeah. Was she wrong?” Cadence raised an eyebrow.
Shinings hands immediately shot in in surrender. “No! No! That’s not it. It’s just...you’ve probably gotten a kiss under the mistletoe before. By y’know some guy from school.” He frowned, turning away from her.
“Is that what you think? That I’m some blonde harpy that just kisses any guy on Christmas?” Cadence asked him, her voice rising. She pulled his arm so that he could look her in the face.
Twilight smacked her forehead. Yeah, so far things were going very well.
“No! That’s definitely not it! I just...I have a crush on you! Okay?! And you’re all popular and everything, and I’m not so I don’t think you would ever kiss a guy like me!” Shining shouted, flailing his arms at her.
Cadence took a step back. ‘He has a crush on me?’ “What do you mean a guy like you?” She asked in a much softer voice than the one she had used earlier.
“I’m tall, and nerdy, and I have no muscle mass what so ever! I’m a freaking lo-” Before Shining could finish his sentence, Cadence had leaped at him, crashing her lips against his in a passionate kiss.
“Yes! Whoo hoo!” Twilight stood up and cheered. She realized she shouldn’t have done that because she slipped on the snow that had accumulated around her. “Shit, shit, shit, shit!” Despite her best efforts she winded up falling off the roof into the piled up heap of snow below. “Urgh!” She groaned as she collided with the earth.
The sound of her impact must have been muted by the snow completely, because not Shining or Cadence made a move.
Cadence was seeing stars. Ones that probably rivaled ones that now danced in the sky. She didn’t care if she was more popular at school than he was. She didn’t care that people at school would chaste her for kissing a geek like him. What she cared about was the feel of his lips against hers. And she was loving it.
Shining was pretty sure he was dreaming, but he could feel her, see her, and best of all he could taste her. She really needed to lay off the peppermint lattes. Her whole aroma was peppermint. Spicy, inviting and cool. He wanted more, and he couldn’t get enough of it.
When air was necessary, the two broke apart, now pleasant silence filling between them as both tried to catch their breaths. Stupid grins were shared, and the blush on both faces were no longer hidden.
“I don’t care that you think you’re a loser.” Cadence breathed happily. “Just know I think you’re awesome. You’re smart, funny, and the way you take care and look after Twilight makes me believe that you will have something that every boy in school doesn’t have.”
“Yeah? And what’s that?” Shining asked.
Cadence pressed a gloved hand to his chest. “Heart. You’re a kind and sweet guy, Shiny. Don’t ever forget that.” She then raised that hand to his cheek.
“A little help here?!” Twilight moaned, waving her arm in the air.
“Oh my god! Squirt are you okay?!” Cadence asked running over to her. She sat the younger girl up, who coughed and wheezed from having the wind knocked out of her.
“No! I fell eight feet! Who the hell would be okay after that?!” Twilight barked, shoving Cadence’s concerned hands away. She hobbled to her feet, using her brother as leverage.
“You were on the roof?! How the hell did you get up there?!” Shining scolded following after her, watching her limp towards the sliding doors with Cadence close behind.
“There really is so much you need to start paying attention to.” Twilight snorted. She laid herself on the couch, wincing. Yep, that would hurt bad in the morning. But it was worth it to see them both happy. She would never tell them that though. Twilight looked up to see that her parents weren’t in the living room anymore. She wondered if they had saw the kiss.
Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle came into the room, carrying a white bag that obviously had something in it. And judging by the looks on their faces, it must have been something exciting. Twilight, for the first time in a while, was confused. They had already opened all the presents, all her toys were up in her room, Shining’s stuff in his, and Cadence’s in her pockets so what could possibly be in the bag?
“Twilight, honey.” Mrs. Sparkle called to her. “Could you come here, please.”
Twilight sucked in a sharp breath of air. “Yeah, I’d rather not.” She responded. She wasn’t one to disobey her mother, but seeing how she could barely move...she didn’t want to have to explain her freefall just so she could get her new toys taken away.
“We had a snowball fight outside so she’s kind of sore.” Shining lied for her when he saw the look on their mother’s face. “I’ll bring it to her.” He went over to their mother and took the bag, bringing it over to Twilight. He handed it to her, and she sat up to see what was inside. What she pulled out confused her.
“A baby rattle?” She questioned out loud, looking at everyone else for help. ‘What the heck do we need a rattle for? We don’t have a- Wait a minute!’ Twilight’s eyes slitted as she stared at the play thing.
“We have an announcement to make.” Mrs. Sparkle said, rubbing her belly. Mr. Sparkle stood beside her, smiling. Twilight looked at her parents with a suspecting glare, her mouth open in calculation.
“We’re having another baby!” Their parents said together in unison.
“What?!” Shining shouted.
“Aww!” Cadence cooed.
“You guys had sex?!” Twilight barked. Everyone looked directly at her with incredulous looks. She had forgotten she was supposed to be the oblivious seven year old. “I mean, ah, heheh, yay?”
“Grounded.” Mrs. Sparkle deadpanned.
“Yep. Should’ve seen that one coming.”
What Happened Over Christmas Break:
By Twilight Sparkle
I got to see my brother happy for once. He got his first kiss underneath the mistletoe from my babysitter. I also hung out with my friend Fluttershy. Which meant she didn't spend any time with Rainbow Crash. Which is a good thing because that girl will end up in jail and jail is no place for a sub like Fluttershy. I think my brother and my babysitter are dating now. Gross. But whatever. As long as they're happy. And if they're happy, then I'm happy too. Also I got grounded because I said the word sex in front of my parents. For a genius I really am stupid sometimes. Plus I fell off a roof. It was eight feet. I was sore all weekend. But to top it all off, my parents are having another kid! Like, why?! Am I not cute enough?! I find it highly insulting for them to even consider making me the middle child! Now I have to listen to them coo and squeal about some unborn fetus for the next nine months because my freaking dad couldn't keep it in his pants! Thanks Obama!
Ms. Cheerilee reread the last part of Twilight's paper over again in disbelief before taking out her red pen.
See me after class -Ms. Cheerilee
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Poor Twilight. She just had to open her big fat mouth. I don't even see how its possible for even a seven year old to know that much, but I'm damn well glad it got her in trouble
That was fantastic! Precocious Twilight is best Twilight!
L'enfant terrible does not even begin to describe her.
I fucking love this story, had me whole heartedly chuckling all the way through. Hope to see more soon.
LOL!
Twilight was bad!
th00.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2013/003/b/0/twilight_sparkle_angry_by_gamergirlpony-d5qa0zn.png
I lost my shit when Twily said "loli fetish" to Santa. And then there was the "Thanks Obama!" God, I love Twilight in this.
The Shining anyone? XD
Also Twilight's paragraph is too funny
Twilight is a brat.
A cute, snarky, lovable brat. But a brat all the same.
Cadance, whatever the Sparkles are paying you for this job, it isn't enough.
FUCKING LOLZ!!!!
That paragraph that Twilight wrote was so fucking great. You just made my Christmas. I don't even want an xbox one now!
3668783 heh she would agree with you
New chapter of this fic? Thanks, Obama!
.
.
.
Wait, hold on. I did that wrong, didn't I?
3669001 Eeeyup
lol Adorable thusfar.^^
Oooh, Spike's comin' y'all...
I absolutely loved that bit with Twilight and the Santa. I bet he was extremely nervous the rest of his time there. All I can say is, Go Twilight! I've always been a bit suspicious of those Santas. However, calling Fluttershy a sub,
that girl really has too much knowledge sometimes. Also, what's with the line Thanks Obama? I think that's a 'blame him for everything' kind of joke but it seems a little simple for someone of Twilights intelligence. Just saying.
NOICE!
So when is Shining Armor going to enlist or go to OCS?
Twilight is just too brilliant in this.
This chapter was just
This was perfect. Though there was some confusion on scene transitions, but overall it was awesome!
this was funnier than the guy's jerk when I told my nieces that to remember the best use for rabbits was in gravy over biscuits while walking past the Wallyworld easter rabbit, you'd have thought I'd nailed the guy with a 500,000 watt stun baton
right where it counts
these people have no idea what a charmed life they lead
just think of THIS Twilight with the OTHER Twilight's magical abilities and potentual
Will Twilight relationship with Rainbow dash improve?.
Its felt like in the beginning rainbow wanted to be friends but twilight mouth got the better of her.
L. O. freaking L.
The best chapter Yet.
Just.... Yes.
This chapter was, in fact, amazing, and I can't wait for the next one, SO HURRY UP! Jk, can't rush perfection, so just keep em coming at your own pace XD
this is awesome I was never a fan of the humanized stories but I thought I'd give it a go and you executed it brilliantly cannot wait for the next chapter
OKAY THAT WAS PRICELESS WITH TWILIGHT AND SANTA ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
I give you five out of five laughing Rainbow Dashes
Does Twilight read everything that has words on it because
Twilight gave them both a narrow eyed look. “I know you are up to something. And whatever hormone crazed teenage thing it is, I will find out.”
I mean seriously
Guys squee, guys squee hard.
Twilight... This is not how you write to your teacher.
And also, hahaha!! Twilight called Santa a pedophile! 
I love this fanfiction! 
3854182 I'm pretty sure Twilight would read ANYTHING...
I realy feel that twilight is seriously out of character. But i'm enjoying the story regardless.
Two Things:
1. “Yo, Shining, It’s the day before Christmas Eve, man. Have gotten any presents for anyone?” Cadence asked causing Twilight to giggle. Cadence talking urban was just wrong on so many levels.
image.spreadshirt.com/image-server/v1/compositions/104477836/views/1,width=280,height=280,appearanceId=121.png/the-walking-dead-game-urbans-women_design.png
2. Now I have to listen to them coo and squeal about some unborn fetus for the next nine months because my freaking dad couldn't keep it in his pants! Thanks Obama!
i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/492/171/05a.png
4517460 Yeah, but shouldn't her parents and her brother keep inappropriate materials from her; and come to think of it, where did she even get the information ? In fact, where did she even heard about sex ?
lolololol that last part was amazing XD
Mayhew's Log: Adventure #6... Oh my God, I think I am even more excited than Twi over this one. "My Pretty Pony castle with Princess Nightfall!" Oh you mean it comes with Best Princess? Why thank you very much, I would love A.U. Princess Luna. As for other stuff... I can't wait for Twi and Dashie to join forces. Cheerilee's comment on Twi's paper was perfectly timed, Twi's paper was fantastic, and Spike is going to be adorable. Wait Spike? Yes deductive reasoning is my super power. Seriously, before this point, the Spike thing could have gone one of two ways. One, Spike could have been a dog like in Equestria girls and been given to Twi for Christmas or her birthday. Or two, either Twi's mom will give birth to Spike, or Twi's parents will adopt. So... thanks for not making Spike a dog... okay on to the next chapter... allons y!
fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/182744_198836230141978_5976361_n.jpg
Also, I was just wondering how you were going to insert Spike.
[youtube=http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=eyyVjRclj0s]
I think this sums up the last line (hell, entire story) very nicely...
That is all
No pun intended.
Get it? Cuz she said ins and outs. 
So, I'm guessing the new baby is Spike. Wow. Didn't see it coming.
"Thanks Obama!"
Explain to me why that made me laugh my ass off. XD
XD XD XD So much
You're enjoying this, aren't you?
You have just become one of my favorite Fan Fic Authors Hats off to you good sir
3854182
As opposed to reading something without words on it?
Twily, you are a disturbed person.
Socialist Twilight is best Twilight.