The Family of the Season

by CartoonNerd12

Chapter 12

Author's Note:

For a better visualization on Scoots and Rumble's dance, check out this link: watch?v=2ZmF9h8tuuY on Youtube.

Rumble danced on, followed by Scootaloo. They began the dance gracefully as the audience watched in awe, as did many of their relatives.

Pip whispered to his wife, "Got to admit: they're not bad."

They kept with the dance until they reached the end. The audience cheered and applauded as Scootaloo and Rumble took a bow.

The curtain closed on them as Twilight once again came on and said to the ponies watching, "And now, I present to you that Nickens' classic, 'A Hearth's Warming Carol'. And we begin with Scrooge sleeping in his bed, where he is about to receive a visit from a pony he once knew in life…"

There was applause as Twilight got off and the curtain parted to reveal a bedroom set. Discord was in the bed, snoring away. Whether he was acting or not, it was hard to say.

Suddenly, a voice moaned in a ghostly wail, "Scrooge… Scrooge…"

Discord grumbled in his sleep and started to toss and turn.

The voice kept getting louder, "Scrooge… Scrooge… Scrooge!"

Discord woke with a startle and saw before him a ghost! He let out a yell and crashed out of the bed.

Fancy rolled his eyes just as Discord came back up shivering and quaking.

"Who… who are you?!"

"You don't recognize your old partner, Jacolt Marley?"

"Marley? Marley?! Is that really you, old boy? I thought you were dead! And what's with the chains?"

"That I am, Scrooge… That I am… And I've come to bring you warning… Change your bad ways or else, you'll share the same fate as me…" he held out the chains.

Discord scoffed, "Oh, come on! When have I been ever bad?"

"Let's start with this afternoon, shall we?" He pointed to his left, where half the stage lit up to a counting house set. Discord sat at a desk while Flash sat in a small one close by, being hard at work.

Discord looked at the colt, "Coltchit! Have you used another piece of coal?! It feels warmer in here!"

Flash sputtered, "I'm sorry, Mr. Scrooge, but when I came in this morning, it was freezing! I had to add coal."

"That's the third time this week! You're lucky that you're the only bookkeeper I have who's willing to work at a low wage, or else I'd fire you right now."

Flash hung his head, "Yes, sir…" He resumed his work.

Just then, Spike came on stage carrying a wreath, "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Uncle Scrooge!"

"Hearth's Warming Eve… bah humbug!"

"Hearth's Warming Eve a humbug, Uncle?"

"Just what right do you have to be happy, nephew? You're poor enough."

"And what right do you have to be dismal, Uncle? You're rich enough."

"Just keep Hearth's Warming in your own way and let me keep it in mine."

"If you say so, but surely you wouldn't object to having Hearth's Warming dinner with me and my wife tomorrow."

"Oh? And what would you be serving at this dinner?"

"Oh, lots of stuff! And desserts that make your mouth water at the sight!"

Flash licked his lips at the thought.

"I see, well, thank you for the invite, but I need to watch my cholesterol. I am, after all, an old geezer!"

Spike sighed and set the wreath aside, "Well, if you change your mind, just come on by." He turned to Flash, "Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, Bob."

Flash smiled, "You too, Master Fred."

Once Spike left, in his place were Rainbow and Soarin'.

Soarin' spoke in a poor British accent, "Pardon us, sir, but would you be so glad as to offer considerable donations for those that are needy?"

Discord furrowed his brow, "What?"

Rainbow mentioned, "In other words, we're collecting for the poor."

"Ah…" Discord spoke in a sickly sweet voice, "Well, you do realize once you finish collecting, then the poor won't be poor anymore, and if there aren't any more poor ponies out there, then you'll be out job… Oh, please, don't make me have you out of a job, not on Hearth's Warming."

Rainbow gestured, "Well… when you put it that way…"

Discord grabbed for the wreath, "Good, now why you give this to the poor and be gone!" He put the wreath around them together and gave out a laugh.

The set went dark and it was back to Discord and Fancy.

"See? If you don't change your ways, then the chains of greed and wickedness shall remain with you for all eternity!"

"That's what happened to you?"

"Indeed. In my uncaring ways, I did not know of the chain that was forming around me until it was too late, but you, you still have a chance… Tonight, three spirits shall visit you and help you."

"What could they possibly do to help me? They're just ghosts!"

"Nevertheless, you must listen to them, or else…" The stage darkened and Fancy was gone.

"Humph! Humbug! I'm just seeing things. Must have been that leftover gravy I ate for dinner…" He set himself down and closed his eyes. But suddenly, he heard jingling bells and he opened his eyes. To his surprise, there were three ponies standing by his bed.

One of the ponies was pink with poofy hair and wearing a green robe. She wore bells as she shook them.

"Wake-up, Scroogy!"

"What the…? What are you three?!"

Rarity, wearing a sparkling blue dress, cleared her throat, "I am the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Past."

Pinkie jumped, "I'm the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present!"

Applejack wore a black hooded cloak and said, "And I am the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Yet to Come."

"So, you're the spirits that were coming to me this evening. Alright, let's get this out of the way. Tell me, oh wise apparitions, what is it you need to teach me?"

"Why, the importance of Hearth's Warming, of course!" Rarity exclaimed.

Applejack then smacked over his head, "And that you need to get it through your thick head that everything is not about you!"

"Ow!" he whispered. "Easy, AJ, we are only acting here!"

She smirked and whispered back, "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

Rarity spoke, "Now, we haven't a moment to lose." Her horn glowed for effect, "Come, Scrooge. It's time we took a peek into your past." The set darkened, but then it lit up again for a party going on.

Cheese was on a stand playing with a fiddle, "Alright, every pony! Swing your partner around and dance to the beat!"

Discord was on the sidelines with Rarity as he said, "Good old Fezziwig. He may have been my boss when I was younger, but he threw the best parties around!"

"Hmm, everyone else seems to be dancing but you…"

"True, but that was about to change…"

On that cue, Discord ducked behind the scenery and did a quick costume change to be a younger Scrooge and he came back, sitting on a box. It was then Cheese and Fluttershy came up to him.

"Ah! There you are, Master Scrooge! Belle, I want you to meet one of the best apprentices an employer could ask for! And Scrooge, this is Belle, an old friend of the family. Well, enjoy yourselves!" He dashed off.

Discord and Fluttershy smiled at each other as he took her hoof to kiss it.

"I'm very pleased to meet you."

She giggled, "The pleasure is mine, good sir."

"Would you, um… honor me with a dance?"

"I would love to!"

He whispered, "Ooh, a little bit anxious, darling?"

She blushed, "Sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Not at all, my sweet. Come, let us show these second-rate dancers some real moves…" They made their way to the middle of the stage as they moved in a graceful waltz. Fluttershy and Discord did nothing but stare into each other's eyes until the music stopped and the ensemble around them clapped.

The couple held on just as Rarity said to Discord, "There was, of course, another Hearth's Warming Eve with this young mare…"

Discord looked back and said, "Oh, spirit, no. I beg you, don't show that memory."

She gave a sad smile and the scene darkened as it changed to a park bench and Fluttershy and Discord sat in it, looking sad and gloomy.

Her head was turned away as he said, "Please, my love, don't do this…" He had near tears in his eyes.

She shook her head, having tears in eyes, as well, "I can't… I can't go like this… I wait for the day that we would be wed, but you always postpone it…"

"Because I'm trying to give us a life… a house and investments…"

"But that's all you care about now… I'm sorry… I have to go…" She ran off.

Discord tried to call back to her, but instead he put his hands to his face, demanding, "Spirit, why torment me with these memories?!"

Rarity came up to him, "These are but shadows of the past, Scrooge… They have already happened. You have only yourself to blame."

They back in the bedroom with the other ghosts.

"Well, I have had enough hauntings for one night, so the rest of you just leave me alone!"

"Sorry, Scroogy," said Pinkie. "We're not done yet!"

He groaned.

"Don't worry. I think you're going to like this." She pointed to a part of the stage that was lit and it showed a kitchen set where Twilight, Flash, Skater, Roller Blade, Snow Pea, and Little Button were gathered around the table.

"My employee, Bob Coltchit?" Discord said in confusion.

"Yup, having dinner with his family."

"That's dinner?" He noticed how meager the feast was.

"Uh-huh, and he has to feed all five of his kids, too!"

"Five? I only see four." But he spoke too soon when he saw a small filly walking with a clutch under her arm. Apple Butter took her spot at the table.

"Tiny Timberly…" said Pinkie.

"What's… wrong with her?" Discord acted out of concern.

"All I can say is it's not good. She's a pretty sick filly."

"Huh… I wonder why Bob never mentioned her before…"

Pinkie gestured, "Hmm, maybe because you were acting like a big meanie pants and that you wouldn't even care."

"Well, um… I suppose you're right… I mean I never cared about anyone but myself…" He looked back at Rarity, "Most days I often regret letting go of Belle… I hated to admit it, but she was right… I thought I doing her a favor, but really, I was denying her needs…"

"So in that result, you denied the needs of your fellow ponies." said Pinkie.

"Tell me, spirits: what is to become of Tiny Timberly?"

Applejack spoke, "If these shadows remain unchanged, then… I see an empty chair where Tiny Timberly once sat in…"

"No!" he got on his knees and begged before the girls, "I'll change! Really change! I'll help ponies! I won't ever think of myself ever again!"

The stage darkened and when the scene changed, Discord was holding on the bedpost, yelling, "I'll change! I'll change! I'll-" He looked to see he was back in his room and grinned widely, "It's morning! Which means it's Hearth's Warming Day! I haven't missed it! Quickly, I must rush over to the Coltchits and give Bob a raise and a better Hearth's Warming feast! Then I'll find those charity workers from yesterday and give them a huge sum for the poor! Then I'll stop by my nephew's for dinner! Oh, this is going to be a wonderful day!" With a skip in his step, he left the stage, having Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack come back on to address the audience.

"And so, Scrooge took the spirits' lessons to heart…" started Rarity.

Pinkie said, "Not just for Hearth's Warming, but every day after!"

"And to Tiny Timberly, he became a second father… and because of this, she didn't die!" Applejack beamed.

All three said, "And that is the story of Scrooge!" They took a bow, causing the audience to cheer and every single one of the skit performers came on to bow.

Once the curtain came down on them, excitement ran through.

Discord said to his wife, "You know, darling, when we did that scene, I could have sworn those were real tears…"

"Oh, I didn't mean to, but… it reminded me so much of how I forced you away when I told you about the suitors coming…"

"Oh… yeah… I nearly forgot about that."

"It made me realize just how close we were to having a broken relationship like Belle and Scrooge… it was very sad…"

Rarity pointed, "Come to think of it…" She faced her husband and sisters, "That could have been all of us!"

Mouths dropped when they realized she was right.

Pinkie exclaimed, "Wow! Had we not gone after them and showed them the magical kingdom, who knows where we'd be now!" She clung to her husband, "Why, you could have been a Scrooge yourself!"

Cheese gulped, wondering if that could have been true.

Twilight raised her hoof, "But that didn't happen! What matters is that we are all together and nothing is going to change that!"

AJ motioned, "Twi's right! We're here now, so we have nothing to worry about!"

Everyone gave random agreements as the couples clung together.

"Now, come on. It's time for the kids to deliver the second half of the pageant, so we have to get off." Twilight told them.

They left just as she looked back at the audience. "And now, ladies and gentlecolts, the rest of the pageant!" There was cheering.

Fire Spark came on and narrated, "And so each leader encountered obstacles along the way, but eventually, they all arrived in a new and wondrous land…"

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"…And they named their new land…"

All the kid actors shouted out as they raised the flag, "Equestria!"

There was a great cheer as the curtain closed and Twilight was on, "And now, for the final performance of the evening, I give you Countess Coloratura!" There was applause as she got off and the curtain opened revealing Ra-Ra at the piano.

She started playing and slowly, she began to sing, "Dancing bears… Painted wings… Things I almost remember… And a song someone sings… Once upon a December… Someone holds me safe and warm… Horses prance through a silver storm… Figures dancing gracefully… Across my memory!"

A choir behind her went, "Ahhhhh! Ahhhh!"

"Someone holds me safe and warm! Horses prance through a silver storm! Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory! Far away, long ago! Glowing dim as an ember! Things my heart used to know… Things that yearns to remember… And a song… someone sings… Once upon… a December…" She held the last note until she stopped.

There was silence over the audience until all at once, a great cheer let out. The streamers then popped out and the bells started ringing, having every pony that performed on stage come to sing with the audience.

"Oh, the fire of friendship lives in our hearts… As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart… Though quarrels arise… Their numbers are few… Laughter and singing will see us through… will see us through… We are a circle of pony friends… A circle of friends… we'll be to the very end!"

With another round of applause, the curtain came down, ending the show.

Comments

[Skye Mist]

Bravo, mastro. Bravo.
Love that comparison between the Scrooge and the husbands.

[Godslittleprincess]

For a better visualization on Scoots and Rumble's dance, check out this link: watch?v=2ZmF9h8tuuY on Youtube.

I just saw it and realized how hard on the legs those moves must be on a quadruped. I mean, Scoots and Rumble normally distribute their weight between four legs. Dancing like that requires them to put all that weight on their hindquarters while executing all those sick moves. They're stronger and tougher than Pip and Apple Bloom give them credit for.

[Sofea 3C]

Oh. My. God. You just put one of mah favourite Disney song int it!

Run before the 'boom of doom'

THIS IS THE BEST CHAPTER THROUGH OUT THE WHOLE OTHER CHAPTERS AND SERIES!

sorry 'bout that

[Foxhelm]

6756408 'Once upon a December' is from Don Bulth's Anastasia, which was made by 20th Centry Fox...