Love Beats Stupid

by chillbook1

LBS: Christmas Cheer Beats Reindeer Games

Sonata never claimed to be especially bright, and that was fine by her. She was content with being “the dumb one” of the group. The other two had their motifs to fill; Adagio was the manipulative, gold-digging, opportunistic “brains” of the operation and Aria was the tough, no-nonsense, takes-names-in-the-evening “brawn” of the trio. Sonata just thought that it was her contribution to the group to be the cute, adorably-naive airhead. She knew that sometimes she made stupid decisions, and, most of the time, she would clean up her mess, try to learn from her mistakes, and give an apologetic “my bad”.

The day that she nearly destroyed the apartment and ruined Christmas was one such time.

Aria had been looking forward to Christmas for most of the year. For the first time ever, she finally saw the magic of the holiday; The snow on the ground wasn’t there with the intent of pissing her off, it was just trying to brighten up the town. The Christmas carolers weren’t annoying and untalented, they were charming and trying their best. And, most importantly, the gift shops weren’t mocking her. They were inviting her in.

It was an age-old question, one that the best thinkers and scientists of the world still failed to find a definitive answer for: What to get for that special someone come Christmas time? As it turns out, Aria wasn’t the only one asking herself that question. On the other side of town, wandering near the apartment, Sonata was trying to uncover the same answers. And, as to be expected from two people so different from one another, they would eventually reach two very different conclusions.

Sonata was drifting aimlessly for a while, never straying more than a block from their apartment. It was getting dangerously close to Christmas, and Sonata hadn’t even started shopping for her girlfriend yet, let alone Pinkie, Sunset, and the rest of the girls. And the bittersweet truth of it all was that she knew exactly what she would get for the others, or at least had some sort of idea. She knew what they liked; Rarity liked make-up and beauty products, Fluttershy liked animal books and short stories, Rainbow liked anime (though she would fervently deny this in public). What did Aria like? Sonata couldn’t think of much, only comic books and, well… her. But that was no good. Sonata didn’t know enough about comics to get Aria something she’d really liked, and she couldn’t give herself as a present. Well, she could, but Sonata wanted to put a bit more thought into her present.

Aria was having a similar problem as she strolled through the streets of downtown Canterlot City. This was her first Christmas with Sonata as her girlfriend, and she wanted to make it special. It wasn’t often that Aria let herself grow attached to anything, so this Christmas gift had to be perfect, to capture her devotion to Sonata. That said, the ideas did not seem to come to her. Aria was always terrible at judging what people wanted or liked, which is why she mostly stood to herself. With Sonata, however, that wasn’t an option.

Sonata found herself leaning against her own front door, trying to think of something, anything, that she could get to show Aria just how much she meant to her. It wasn’t an easy choice, and nothing that came to Sonata’s head sounded any good. Should she go big? Or was this a case of “less is more”? Should the gift be something new and modern? Or maybe something from their past, something that could get Aria feeling sentimental? Whatever she decided on, she realized she should decide soon.

Now, Aria knew that Christmas was crawling ever-closer, but it wasn’t until she passed the electronics store and saw the time and date displayed on a flat screen did she realize just how little time she actually had. Christmas Eve was tomorrow! Aria had to find something by tonight, or risk disappointing Sonata. She swore to herself in her native Siren language, thinking to herself that Sonata must’ve found something great for her by now. Aria ran her hands through her hair, trying to recall if Sonata had dropped any hints about what she might want over the past couple of days.

Sonata realized that Aria must’ve hinted at something that she could’ve wanted recently. She tried to remember what they had done lately, any conversations about the holidays. Sonata had always been a sort of dreamy, live-for-today kind of person, and her brain normally shoved yesterday into the back of her head to make room for tomorrow. Over the years, Sonata had learned to leave herself notes, to ensure that she had some way to remember something important. A Christmas present for Aria certainly qualified as “important”, so Sonata came to the realization that she probably left a reminder in her phone’s memo pad. Among the grocery lists, to-do lists, and video game cheat codes for Adagio, was a list titled Things I’ve learned about Aria.

Aria walked out of the mall in disappointment. After an hour of looking, she still hadn’t found anything worth getting. In the years before, ever since the two met back in their true home, Aria always chalked Sonata up as simple, and, to an extent, that was true. But, looking at her now, Aria realized that Sonata was far more complex than she had ever given her credit for. The daydreaming, taco-eating ditz had layers to her, and each layer was distinct. Sonata was slow and oblivious on the surface, but, underneath all of that, she was attentive. She was devoted. She was warm and loving and fun and creative. Above all else, she was real. A real person with fears and secrets that even Aria didn’t know about. Sonata had her demons and angels, strengths and weaknesses. Sonata had her trouble-areas, and Sonata had her talents.

Sonata flipped through the list, studying each point as if she would have to pass a test on Aria Blaze. The list was long, and many items on it had been added in the time since the two became an item. Some things on the list were small facts, seemingly irrelevant details, like the fact that Aria ate almost all of her food with a copious amount of hot sauce. Or the fact that she secretly loved a series of bad street-racing action movies, and in fact cried for hours when the lead actor sadly and ironically lost his life in a fatal car crash. But then there were the bigger things, like her fear of spiders, or her anxiety in groups of people she didn’t know. Her fear of being alone. For every tough, box-of-nails-for-breakfast trait Aria had, she had an equal, humbling, humanizing fear or desire. And that’s what Sonata found so alluring about her; She had two sides to her, two different people stuck in the same form, sharing thoughts and life.

Aria glanced at her phone to check the time. It was nearing 9 in the evening, and she really should’ve started heading home. But, as much as she needed to start on her way, she also needed to make a decision. Aria was a very moody and easily-frustrated person, something she had known for a long time. She knew that if she went home, her anger at herself would spill over to Sonata, who didn’t deserve that at all. Of course, Aria had ways of coping with her anger, but not all of them were guaranteed to work. She could sing, but it didn’t really have the same effect without the absorbing of negative energy. Snacks always made her feel at least a little better, but if Aria ate as much as she felt she needed to, she would gain thirty pounds tonight alone. Finally, Aria had a rather secret and surprising coping-mechanism in the form of painting. She used to paint quite a bit back in Spain, and she got rather good at it. That’s when the lightbulb went off in Aria’s head.

Sonata’s list on Aria wasn’t very helpful at first. The top of the list was mostly just little things that weren’t really applicable to the situation. Aria was super ticklish. Aria couldn’t hold her liquor. Aria blushed really easily whenever they were together. Aria could be cute if she tried. The further Sonata went, the more superficial and irrelevant the list seemed to get. But, just as Sonata was about to give up, the list started getting interesting. Aria was emotional, especially in regards to her dad. She was visibly and tangibly impacted by the movies Big Fish, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Finding Nemo, and the songs Mockingbird and When I’m Gone actually reduced her to tears. Aria loved animals, as hard as was for anyone to believe. Sonata thought it had something to do with her fear of separation, since animals were arguably far more loyal companions than humans (or Sirens). Sonata looked back on their last date, where they had gone to the zoo on Aria’s request. They saw a great many animals, but they spent a bit of time near the reindeer enclosure, which for whatever reason stuck in Sonata’s head. At the thought of reindeer, the idea burst into Sonata’s head.

Aria realized that she had a lot of work to do if she wanted this to work out properly. In fact, she’d likely be up all night working. Knowing that, Aria sent out a text to both Adagio and Sonata to let them know about her absence. With that out of the way, Aria plotted out a course, dialed out a number for some assistance, and put the phone to her ear. The phone rang twice before picking up.

“Yello,” said Sunset Shimmer.

“Yo, Sunny,” said Aria. “I need your help.”

“What kind of help?” asked Sunset, a bit thrown off by the sudden call. “What’s going on?”

“I need a ride and a quiet place to work,” said Aria. “Can you pick me up by the mall? I’d ask Pinkie, but, ya know…”

“Yeah, she’s still super-grounded,” said Sunset. “Alright. Mind telling me what you’re doing? If you’re committing a felony, I’d like to know ahead of time”

“Just picking up an old hobby,” said Aria. “Oh, and I’ll need to do a little bit of shopping, if that’s cool. I’ll pay you gas money, I swear, I just really-”

“Dude, calm down. It’s no trouble,” said Sunset. “I need to head out anyway. Gotta find a present for Twilight. Just sit tight, I’m on my way.”

---

Sonata had never been happier to hear that Aria wouldn’t be coming home that night. That meant she had plenty of time to get what she needed, which, she realized, would be easier said than done. She flipped through her phone, searching up different methods to acquire Aria’s gift. She could probably find a site that would ship what she needed, but it might not get here in time. Besides that, the surprise would probably be ruined. Sonata could always try to find one locally, but that was a bit of a dice-roll. The best, and most cost-effective, option would be to ask for help. Sonata dialed the number of one of her best friends and put the phone to her ear. After a moment of ringing, the other line picked up.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” said Sonata brightly.

“Hi, Sony,” said Fluttershy softly, barely heard over the loud squawking and flapping in the background. “Um… How are you?”

“I’m great, thanks for asking! Look, are you busy right now?” asked Sonata. “I kinda need your help.”

“Oh, well… I’d love to help you, but I can’t right now,” said Fluttershy. “I’m at work right now. Mom and dad are swamped here. Someone let out a bunch of geese, and now they’re-”

“You’re at work? Perfect!” said Sonata. “I need to head up to the zoo, anyway! Can you come get me really quickly please? I’ll help you over there if you help me.”

“Um… Well, I am on break right now…” said Fluttershy. She turned her head from the phone and covered it with her palm, but Sonata still heard the shockingly loud scream of “Mom! I’ll be right back!”

“Wow, Flutters, you can be really loud if you need to be,” noted Sonata.

“When your dad is Italian and your mom is Puerto Rican, you don’t really have a choice,” said Fluttershy. “Are you home?”

“Yup! I’ll be waiting outside,” said Sonata. She hung up and punched the air in triumph. This gift would be perfect and just barely on time! Sonata grinned madly to herself, trying to decide precisely when she became a freaking genius.

---

Aria was proud of herself, not only for getting a proper present, but for doing it in record time. With the help of coffee, Monster Energy, and pizza as provided by Sunset Shimmer, Aria had completed one of her best pieces in a mere thirteen hours. Compared to some of her older works, which had taken three days and more, this was a night-and-day improvement. She was in an undeniably good mood, and actually remembered to thank Sunset when she dropped her off. With a covered canvas under her arm, Aria half-ran to her door in an attempt to hide the gift before Sonata saw her. Little did she know, Sonata had just gotten into the house herself, and was waiting for her in the living room.

Both girls were pretty surprised to see one another, but for two different reasons. Sonata was surprised to see that Aria was back already, and that she had a canvas with her, not to mention the paint splats on her clothes. Aria was surprised to see the reindeer that Sonata had gotten into the house. Neither of them moved for a while, until Aria accidently leaned back, slamming the door shut. Alarmed at the sudden loud noise, the reindeer let out a noise reminiscent of a cat coughing up a hairball and went into full panic, jumping all around the apartment and eventually scurrying up the stairs.

“Merry Christmas!” said Sonata brightly. Aria couldn’t properly process what she had just witnessed, so she remained silent for a moment. The reindeer could still be heard galloping across the bedroom floor.

“Sonata… I have, like, a bunch of questions,” said Aria. “Why is there a deer in the house?”

“Cause I remember that you really liked the deer at the zoo,” said Sonata, grinning widely. “So, I adopted Blitzer. For you.”

“How did you get that?” asked Aria.

“Fluttershy,” answered Sonata simply.

“And, does Adagio know that you brought this thing into the house?” asked Aria, fighting to hold back her chuckles.

“WHAT IN TARTARUS?!” screamed Adagio from upstairs, answering the question for Aria.

“Babe, I don’t think we can keep a reindeer in the house,” said Aria from behind her smile. “Why in God’s name did you think this was a good idea?”

“I… I couldn’t think of what to get you, and I wanted it to be super special, and then I remembered the reindeer thing, so I got that,” said Sonata. “I was just trying to get you something super cool and fun and awesome, cause you’re super cool and fun and awesome, and-”

“It’s great, Nata. I love it,” laughed Aria. “Well, since I saw my gift early, I guess you should get to see yours.”

Aria held the canvas in front of her chest and uncovered it, showing off her painting. It was a portrait of Sonata, her head tilted slightly and a small smile on her face. Her eyes shined with a certain happiness and serenity, and Aria tried her best to capture Sonata’s innocence in the slight blush on her cheeks. The background was pretty simple, an ocean stretching from edge to edge, reflecting an image of an otherwise non-visible moon. Bordering the depiction of Sonata was a heart of purple and light green, the colors of Aria’s hair.

“What do you think?” asked Aria, almost nervously. Sonata didn’t say anything at first. She walked forward and lowered the painting to the ground, then grabbed Aria in the tightest hug she’d ever been in (which is saying something, considering how long she’d been with Sonata). They kissed for a moment, and it wasn’t until they broke apart did Sonata speak.

“I love you,” said Sonata softly. Aria smirked slightly, running her hand down Sonata’s ponytail.

“Love you too, babe,” said Aria. “Merry Christmas.”

Comments

[Glitch Hooves]

The way you executed the reindeer scene just left me in stitches, I saw it coming but the method was perfect!

[chillbook1]

5987480 That scene spawned from a dream I had when I made the mistake of drinking half a carton of eggnog right before bed. Glad it made you laugh

[GamefireCubex]

Everything was great apart from one thing,this reminded me about all those people that celebrate christmas just for the presents and food and not to remember Jesus' birth.But still everything else was great /)

[PinkFluffyUnicorn]

I wanna adopt a reindeer.

[Inazuma]

“Wow, Flutters, you can be really loud if you need to be,” noted Sonata.

“When your dad is Italian and your mom is Puerto Rican, you don’t really have a choice,”

The only thing that would have made that scene funnier is if Fluttershy said someone related to her or lived with her was Scottish.

[Noctus Umbra]

Or the fact that she secretly loved a series of bad street-racing action movies, and in fact cried for hours when the lead actor sadly and ironically lost his life in a fatal car crash.

Still too soon

[Erina Tail Yellow]

6434505 it's not about that anymore

[SharpNote the FABULOUS]

6776298 or Irish. I'm on mobile right now.

[SharpNote the FABULOUS]

Another thing:

She used to paint quite a bit back in Spain, and she got rather good at it.

that got this song stuck in my head. Still on mobile.

[Murkglow]

6434505
Considering this likely wasn't historically his birthday and the fact that it was a pagan holiday taken by the Christians to fold native groups into their faith, I don't really think much of it. Especially since the Sirens quite likely aren't exactly religious or if they were they probably have their own God(s) from Equestria. It seems very unlikely that they would care about the Christian faith at all.

[PonyPawz]

“When your dad is Italian and your mom is Puerto Rican, you don’t really have a choice,” said Fluttershy. “Are you home?”

OH Dear Luna, do I know how one of those feels like.
Can't imagine both, probably a living hell with the big families.