It's A Pony Kind of Christmas

by rillegas08

Act 1: Christmas is Around the Corner

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SCENE 1

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The lights in the house and on the stage dimmed, and the audience quieted down. The spotlights shone on center stage, and Sunset pushed her way through the heavy velvet curtain and faced the audience as she started singing a capella.

Christmas future is far away
Christmas past has passed
Christmas present is here to stay
Bringing joy that will last

"Welcome, everyone. Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone to keep their phones silent or turned off, and to please step outside if it's an emergency." A few audience members immediately took out their phones and turned the sound off. "Christmas is a wonderful time of year, isn't it? The smell of the crisp, clean air. The sound of freshly fallen snow crunching under your boots. The taste of delicious cookies and pies made by your loved ones. The sight of bright lights decorating every eave of every building. The feel of the cold air biting at your skin, and of the warm fire in your fireplace inside.

"You're all probably familiar with the usual Christmas performances: an old, stingy miser who gets visited by three ghosts and overnight becomes a generous man; the miraculous birth of a baby who was worshipped by shepherds, kings, and angels; and so on. Tonight, we're going to show you something a little different. There's a faraway land of pastel talking ponies where they celebrate a winter holiday by a different name, but there are a lot of similarities. Come join me on a journey to the town of Ponyville in the land of Equestria, and see how ponies would celebrate Christmas."

The stage lights came up as the curtains spread, revealing a set of a crossroads in a rustic town in the middle of winter. Snowbanks had been shoveled up against the sides of timber-frame houses and shops. The buildings framed either side of a magnificent crystalline castle, also decorated for the holiday, that had been painted on the center of the backdrop. Students dressed as ponies, complete with fake ears and tails, crossed the stage carrying packages. boxes, and bags in a well-choreographed hustle and bustle.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike appeared through the scrim in center stage from the door of the crystalline castle, and Rarity appeared in front of them, exiting a building marked as the spa. Spike moved to between the two girls and looked up at Rarity as they walked forward. From stage left, Applejack appeared and approached a gingerbread-style building labeled "Sugarcube Corner". She knocked on the door, and Pinkie Pie opened it, and they approached center stage together. From stage right, the blue and yellow forms of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy appeared, hovering above the stage, and they too neared center stage. Spotlights shone on the six girls as they hugged each other and then began singing.

It's a pony kind of Christmas
In every color shade
All around the world of Equestria
It's Christmastime here today

It's a pony kind of Christmas
Its light never fades
All around the world of Equestria
Christmas is here to stay

Twilight stepped forward, and both spotlights focused on her.

Christmas is a time of joy
When the light of friendship burns bright

One of the spotlights moves over toward Applejack. She lifted the brim of her hat so it wouldn't cast a shadow over her face as she performed. As she sang, her little sister Applebloom and her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran across the stage. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle hugged their sisters Applejack and Rarity, and Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash shared a fist bump before they continued on their way across the stage.

Takin' time for family
To recall the past and do what's right

The spotlight on Twilight moved to Fluttershy, who took a deep breath before she sang her part, holding her pet bunny Angel.

And outside gentle snow is falling
Forest creatures keeping warm below

The spotlights focused on all six girls.

And all throughout Equestria
We feel the light of friendship only grow

It's a pony kind of Christmas
Its light never fades
All around the world of Equestria
Christmas is here to stay

One of the spotlights focused on Rainbow Dash.

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
Over the fields we go
Laughing all the way

The spotlight moved from Rainbow Dash to Rarity as the other focused on a setpiece of an interior wall that had just been wheeled on. Twilight, with the focus on Rarity and the wall, held onto her geode necklace and used her telekinesis to lift garland onto the setpiece, put ornaments on a tree, and wrap a box in silver wrapping paper before placing the gift under the tree.

Decorate with boughs of holly
Fill the halls with wonder
Wrap the presents, silver paper
Trim the tree and place them under

The spotlight that was on the setpiece moved to Pinkie Pie, and the set piece was wheeled off stage.

Time for counting down the days to Christmas
Every day that passes is a party we can throw

The spotlights focused on the whole group once again.

Time for counting down the days to Christmas
And everyday our friendship grows

Then, the characters behind them all gathered with the six girls to join in on the final chorus.

It's a pony kind of Christmas
In every color shade
All around the world of Equestria
It's Christmastime here today

It's a pony kind of Christmas
Its light never fades
All around the world of Equestria
Christmas is here...
To stay

The music faded and the chorus members returned to moving across the stage with their packages.

"Well, girls," Twilight asked, "is everypony ready for Christmas?"

"I'm good," said Applejack, adjusting her cowboy hat.

"Are you kidding?" Pinkie Pie asked. There's so much to do for Christmas, I don't know how anypony can be truly ready for it! Cakes, cookies, and other holiday treats all need to be baked! You gotta pick out the perfect formal dress and the perfect ugly Christmas sweater! And not to mention the decorating. Decorating your castle may take hours!"

Twilight had been getting more nervous the longer Pinkie Pie spoke.

"Oh, right. Decorating my castle." she said shakily.

"Inside and out! Your castle is the most prominent building"

"I must be off, girls," said Rarity. "Christmas is such a busy time for clothing orders, but I finally squeezed in some time tonight to decorate my house."

"Any possibility you might be able to squeeze in some time to help me decorate my castle?" Twilight sheepishly asked

"I don't want to make promises I can't keep, but I'll see what I can do, darling."

"We look forward to seeing how it'll turn out," said Fluttershy.

"It's going to look fabulous, of course! Good night, girls!"

"Bye, Rarity," smiled Spike, waving a claw. Rarity bent down to rub his head before heading offstage.

"I'd better get going to," said Twilight, rubbing her hands together due more to her increasing stress than to how cold it was. "I've got a lot to do, and not a lot of time. I need to make a list. Come on, Spike!" she called, hurrying back along the road to her castle. Spike then hurried backstage toward the castle after Twilight.

Fluttershy watched them go, and then turned to the rest of her friends. "Where do you think the Cutie Mark Crusaders were going in such a hurry?"

"Applebloom mentioned somethin' earlier about helpin' a friend of theirs not gettin' coal for Christmas this year like he did last year."

"Wait, he actually got coal? I thought that was just an old mare's tale everypony told their foals to trick them into being good."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied. "Turns out his parents had tried a lot of things to get him to behave, but getting coal was what he needed." As she spoke a small group of carolers crossed the stage behind the group of girls as they finished singing one carol and began singing "Jingle Bells". At the words "one-horse open sleigh," Rainbow Dash's ears perked up, and a grin spread across her face. "I'll be back later," she said quickly. "I just got the most awesome idea! I need to find a sleigh!" And with that, Rainbow Dash sped off stage, leaving a rainbow-colored contrail.

"Why do I get the feelin' that her 'awesome idea' is probably also a terrible one?"

"Because it's Rainbow Dash," everyone else plainly replied, and the stage lights faded to darkness as the stagehands began moving the setpieces for the next scene.

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SCENE 2

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The lights came up on the cool greens, blues, and purples of the interior of Twilight's crystalline castle. Twilight opened the door with her magic, then leaned against it, breathing heavily. There was a knock behind her, and she opened the door again, letting Spike through.

"Sorry!"

"It's okay, Twilight," the young dragon replied. "You're stressed because there's a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in. But you can handle it! All you need is to organize each thing you need to do into a list, a cup of hot cocoa, and your number one assistant!" he said, referring to himself.

Twilight sighed and smiled. "Thanks, Spike," she said as they started walked toward the study, located near the library on the stage right section of the set. "I needed that. What would I do without you?"

"Probably hyperventilate and get so worried about how much you need to do that you forget to make a list." He set out some parchment and a quill on the desk, and pulled the chair out for her. "You get started on that list, and I'll start making the hot cocoa."

Spike crossed the stage, and the stage lights on Twilight dimmed as she continued writing. Spike passed across the main hall to the kitchen, where he pushed a stepladder to the counter before taking ingredients out of the cupboards and placing them on the counter. In reality, Twilight, hidden by the darkened stage lights on her side, was using the magic of her geode necklace again to move the ingredients for the costumed puppy as he pantomimed holding them himself. He put a pot on the stove and poured some milk into it.

There was another knock at the castle door, and the ingredients were left on the counter as Spike crossed into the main foyer to open the door. Twilight stopped using her magic and continued pretending to write.

"Oh. Hi, Fluttershy!" Spike said as he opened the door.

"Hey, Spike. Is Twilight all right?" the timid girl asked.

"Yeah. You know how she gets during the holidays. She just got started on her list, and I'm in the middle of making hot cocoa for us while she works. Wanna help me?"

"Sure. What can I help with?"

"Follow me," he beckoned, and lead her to the kitchen and started making the hot cocoa together. "So, do you have any plans for Christmas?"

"Not really. I'm probably going to make sure the animals are all warm and comfortable like I do every night. I'll be spending the day after Christmas with my parents and brother." She poured chocolate chips into the pot.

"I bet all those animals really appreciate what you do for them every night," Spike said as he started stirring, adding three peppermints to add a bit of extra flavor. Fluttershy opened the cupboards.

"Do you have any Christmas mugs?" she asked?

"The cabinet above that one, and serving trays are in the bottom cabinets under it."

She floated above the ground, taking out three Christmas-themed mugs. "They do, especially during these cold winter months. Of course, it helps that some of them like Harry the bear hibernate during the winter, so I can keep more of the smaller creatures in my house than I usually do."

"Speaking of large creatures, is Equestria's resident Lord of Chaos doing anything for Christmas?"

"I don't think Discord has any plans. He hasn't mentioned any to me.'

"Why not invite him to the party? If nothing else, he can help decorate beforehoof if he wants to."

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll let him know." She turned off the burner and sniffed the air above the pot. "Mmm, that smells good."

"It ought to. It's extra chocolatey. You pour, and I'll add the marshmallows."

The girl nodded and filled the three mugs with warm liquid, and Spike dropped a pawful of marshmallows into each mug. Fluttershy set the pot on an unused burner and picked up the tray. They crossed the stage to Twilight's study, prompting the stage lights on the kitchen to dim and on the study to brighten, and Spike opened the door. While the audience was focused on the scene in the kitchen, Twilight had been able to swap the piece of parchment with a long roll that now rolled out the door and past Fluttershy and Spike.

"Oh my..."

"Twilight, we've got the hot cocoa."

Twilight jumped a bit, then thanked her friends. She took a deep breath, inhaling the minty chocolatey scent of the beverage before taking a sip. "Mmm..." Then she looked at her list again. "Wait, why did I put 'wrap presents' before 'go shopping'? Oh, now I have to start all over!" She went back to her desk, then lifted her head. "Oh, thanks for stopping by, Fluttershy. We'll see you later." She smiled, waved, and then closed the door.

"Well, you should have plenty of time to invite Discord over for the party," said Spike as he lapped at his hot cocoa before leading Fluttershy back to the front door. "Don't worry about the mug. Just bring it back when you get a chance."

"Thanks, Spike. See you later," the girl smiled, and Spike closed the door. He took another drink of his hot cocoa, then walked up the stairs to his room, located above the kitchen. Stage lights lit up his room as he approached. He set the mug on a side table, then crossed over to his record player. He flipped through his record collection until he found the one he was looking for, placing it on the turntable. In the few seconds before the needle started playing the swing music, he had already put on a fake mustache, a top hat, and a cane, standing on his hind legs. He did a little dance to the beat before he began singing to the instrumental tune.

Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way
Don't you tell a single soul what I'm gonna say
Christmas Eve is coming soon, now, you dear old man
Whisper what you'll bring to me, tell me if you can

Jolly old St. Nicholas
Whatcha gonna bring to me?
Is it a stash of gems that I can eat all day and night?

He slid toward a nearby bowl of gems, plucking a diamond from the top of the bowl.

Or is it a diamond ring that I can give to Rarity?

When the clock is striking twelve and I'm fast asleep
Down the chimney broad and black, with your pack you'll creep
All the stockings you will find hanging in a row
Mine will be the shortest one, you'll be sure to know

Scatta-boop boop, badda-do bap ba!
Come and gimme those Christmas presents
Scootily-boop, scootily-boop, scootily-boop ba!
Don't make me wait no more
Babba-doop boop
Give me some presents!
Doodle-oop boop daddila boop ba!
Scabba-doo, scabba-doo
Come give it to me, Santa, yeah!

Pinkie Pie wants a candy hat and Applejack wants to cook
Rainbow wants a lightning chain and Twilight wants a book
Rarity wants a set of lace and Fluttershy wants a nest
Now choose for me, dear Santa Claus, what you think is best

Jolly old St. Nicholas
Whatcha gonna bring to me?
Jolly old St. Nicholas
Whatcha gonna bring
Whatcha gonna bring to meeeeee?

Scattily-doo, scattily-doo, scattily-doo wow!
Yeah!

At the last word, he pushed his foot forward and tipped his top hat forward. The lights went dim, and the stagehands moved the setpieces around.

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SCENE 3

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When the lights came back up, the town of Ponyville was seen once again with Twilight's castle in the background. Flash Sentry and his little brother Pop Fly, both orange with blue hair, are looking at some of the street stalls on one side of the stage. Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle appeared on the other side of the stage.

"There you are, Pop Fly!" Scootaloo said, and the three girls crossed to him.

"Oh. Hi, Crusaders."

"It's almost Christmas, so we figured it's probably a good idea to go through the list of things we made to help you not get coal for Christmas this year."

"Looks like you've got something to do with your friends," said Flash. "I'll be around the corner when you're done." He exited stage right.

Last year I got coal for Christmas
I got put on Santa's naughty list (Again!)
Put a frog inside my teacher's desk

"Yeah, that was bad," said all four foals.

But this year, I made sure I won't get missed

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Applebloom said.

"It was almost a year ago!" Sweetie Belle replied.

"Doesn't mean I don't remember it, Sweetie Belle."

Scootaloo took a piece of paper out of her bag and unrolled it. "All right, let's check the list we helped you make last year and make sure we covered all the bases."

Last year I got coal for Christmas (Man!)
Didn't do my homework for a weekThe three girls looked at him, unconvinced.

"Okay, a month!" he confessed, putting his hands up in surrender.

But now I studied hard and nearly aced most every test
So this year's Christmas better be the best

"Study hard, and pass every test. Check, and check."

Pop Fly began pantomiming the actions he was singing about.

Spent time with my old granny
Raking up her lawn
Took out the garbage every night (Ewww!)
Helped mama do the laundry
Cleaned up my room
Did every single chore in sight

Pop Fly sighed and wiped his forehead as if he was wiping the sweat of doing so many chores off his forehead.

"Spend time with Granny and rake her lawn, check and check," said Scootaloo.

"Taking out the garbage, helping with laundry, and cleaning his room are all down here at the bottom," said Sweetie Belle, pointing to the bottom of the list.

"We're making good progress," said Scootaloo. "What else can we cross off?"

Last year I got coal for Christmas (Aw, shucks!)
Every photo I just made a face

"What kind of face?" Sweetie Belle asked. Pop Fly pulled his lip back with a finger, stuck out his tongue, and crossed his eyes, prompting a giggle from Sweetie Belle.

This year when we posed, I smiled sweetly like an angel

"Smile during pictures. Check!"

No more taking chances just in case

Last year I got coal for Christmas (Really?!)
Ate dessert before my dinner most of the time

"Mmm! Cake!" Pop Fly rubbed his stomach.

But this year I had vegetables with every single bite
I sure hope this year Santa gets it right

"Come on, Santa!" Pop Fly clasped his hands together as if in prayer.

Spent time with my old granny
Raking up her lawn
Took out the garbage every night

"She eats so much!" he exclaimed.

Helped mama do the laundry
Cleaned up my room
Did every single chore in sight (Aw, gross!)

Last year I got coal for Christmas (For crying out loud!)
I go to bed and never brush my teeth

Pop Fly exhaled at the three fillies, who initially recoiled but discovered his breath didn't smell that bad. Minty, as if he'd just brushed his teeth. Pop Fly pulled a toothbrush from his pocket and showed them, smiling

Now I bring my toothbrush each and every place I go
So that tree better got my presents underneath

"Ya know, girls," mused Applebloom, "I just realized we're takin' most of these at face value."

"What do you mean?" asked Scootaloo.

"Some things we know for sure he did, like passing every test and just now we learned he brushes his teeth a lot. And we can assume he's been studying because he passed every test. But how do we know for sure he did all that other stuff?"

Pop Fly looked disappointed. "I thought you'd trust me after this year of good behavior," he said.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, we do believe you've changed," Applebloom replied, "but old habits can be very hard to overcome. One time after the three of us got our cutie marks, we each tried something new without the other, and my initial thought was that I'd gather 'em up again to try getting out cutie marks because that's what we'd been doing fer so long."

"We just want to make sure you weren't lying unintentionally," Sweetie Belle added.

"Besides, goin' around town talkin' to ponies can be fun!" Applebloom skipped around a bit, but then the town's clocktower rang three times, signaling three in the afternoon. "But you three're gonna have to go without me. I promised Granny I'd help finish decoratin' before it gets too dark."

They said their goodbyes and Applebloom crossed stage left.

"Let's start with my brother," said Pop Fly. "He's just over this way." He and the two remaining girls exited stage right.

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SCENE 4

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The stagehands took hold of the sides of the facade of Sugarcube Corner and turned it around, revealing the fully decorated interior of the pastry and candy shop. Pinkie Pie bounds in from offstage right as an upbeat song begins, eventually coming to a stop right in the middle of the shop.

On the first day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
A big bowl of ravioli

On the second day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the third day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Three chocolate cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the fourth day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Four pink balloons
Three chocolate cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the fifth day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Five cherrychangas! Yum!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the sixth day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Six streamers streaming
Five cherrychangas!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the seventh day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Seven rocks a-rolling
Six streamers streaming
Five cherrychangas!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the eighth day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Eight clowns a-clowning
Seven rocks a-rolling
Six streamers streaming
Five cherrychangas!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the ninth day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Nine drums a-drumming
Eight clowns a-clowning
Seven rocks a-rolling
Six streamers streaming
Five cherrychangas!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

On the tenth day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Ten gifts for Gummy
Nine drums a-drumming
Eight clowns a-clowning
Seven rocks a-rolling
Six streamers streaming
Five cherrychangas!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

By this point, Pinkie Pie had started breathing deeper between each breath, the choreography starting to wear her out. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Eleven rubber chickens
Ten gifts for Gummy
Nine drums a-drumming
Eight clowns a-clowning
Seven rocks a-rolling
Six streamers streaming
Five cherrychangas!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioli

Pinkie took a deep breath and finished the rest of the song in a single breath.

On the twelfth day of Christmas
My true friends gave to me
Twelve candy apples
Eleven rubber chickens
Ten gifts for Gummy
Nine drums a-drumming
Eight clowns a-clowning
Seven rocks a-rolling
Six streamers streaming
Five cherrychangas!
Four pink balloons
Three cupcakes
Two party cannons
And a big bowl of ravioliiiii!

Rainbow Dash sped through the door of Sugarcube Corner.

"There you are, Pinkie Pie! Come on outside for a bit."

"What is it?"

"You'll see," the blue girl smirked, pulling her friend out the door.

"Oh hey, you found a sleigh!"

"Yup. Now get in! I'm gonna take you and our friends for the ride of a lifetime!" Pinkie Pie hurried back inside the shop and put on her puffy blue jacket before jumping into the back of the sleigh, smiling wide and bouncy with excitement. Rainbow crouched into a starting position, and then used her wings to hover over the stage. The stagehands moved setpieces across the stage and some of the extras jumped out of the way, as if Rainbow was flying quickly through the town.

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SCENE 5

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"WHEE!!!" shouted out Pinkie Pie in glee.

One! Two! One, two, three, four!

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
Over the fields we go
Laughing all the way

Rainbow laughed.

Bells on bob tail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to fly and sing
A sleighing song tonight!

Oh, jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh, what fun it is to fly
In a one-horse open sleigh
Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!

"Who should we pick up first, Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie Pie looked over the edge and pointed to the distinctive tall and circular shape of the Carousel Boutique. Rainbow nods and lowers the sleigh in front of the Carousel Boutique. Rainbow Dash removed the harness from around her and knocked on the door.

"Just a moment, darling!" called Rarity's muffled voice from inside. A few seconds later, the door opened. "Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash. How can I help you?"

"Check it out!" Rainbow exclaimed, and pointed at the sleigh.

Rarity crossed her arms. "Rainbow Dash, why do you have a sleigh?"

"I'm giving everyone rides." She dashed into the boutique, grabbed Rarity's jacket, and put it on her pale friend. "Come on!"

Rarity couldn't avoid being pulled along by her two friends and secured into the seat of the sleigh.

"Girls, I still have decorating to do, and -- Rainbow Dash, are you strapping yourself in? Please don't tell me --"

"I'm flying this thing!"

"Oh, sweet CelestiaaAAAGH!"

Thought I'd grab some friends
And take them for a ride
Not so sure what's up
As ponies run and hide
Put Rarity in the back
Right next to Pinkie Pie
Better buckle up, my friends
'Cause we're about to fly!

Oh, jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh, what fun it is to fly
In a one-horse open sleigh
Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!

The lights raised on the opposite side of the stage, where a setpiece of the Sweet Apple Acres barn was set. Applejack, her big brother Big Mac, and her little sister Applebloom were all giving a festive flair to their farm. Applejack takes a deep breath.

"I love winter. Hot cocoa, the smell of new snow, buildin' a fire in the fireplace... but my favorite part is just bein' home for the holidays with my family."

"Eeyup." agreed Big Mac.

"Me too," said Applebloom. "I don't think anything can ruin this!" Just then, a scream from Rarity pierced the sky. "I spoke too soon, didn't I?"

Applejack looked upwards to see the quickly approaching sleigh. "What in tarnation?" Her eyes widened in realization that it was coming straight for her. "Everypony inside the barn! She's comin' in hot!" Her siblings didn't need to be told twice as all three of them rushed behind the barn's setpiece.

Go grab Applejack
Who's hiding in the barn
Put her in the back
And leave behind the farm
Sky is clear and blue
And the wind is at our tails
Ponies, hold on tight because
We're about to tip the scales!

"Rainbow Dash, you bring this sleigh back on solid earth this instant!" shouted Rarity and Applejack simultaneously.

Tomorrow is Christmas morning
Tomorrow is Christmas day
And Santa's coming 'round the corner and he's bringing presents
'Cause he's been filling up that, filling up that Santa sleigh

We start speeding up
As colors start to show
Streaming through our manes
The higher up we go
Even faster still
Faces fearing doom
What fun it is to fly and sing
As we sonic rainboom!

There was a loud boom, and the stage lights lit up the stage in a brilliant rainbow of flashing colors

Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh, what fun it is to fly
In a one-horse open sleigh
Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!

Rainbow Dash brought the sled to a stop and turned to her friends, smiling. Rarity was trying to restyle her messed up hair, and Applejack held onto the brim of her hat.

"How was it?"

"It was amazing! I'd never experienced anything like that, ever!"

"Pinkie Pie, please," scolded Rarity. "Where in Equestria did you get such a foolish idea, Rainbow Dash?"

"It was after you left to decorate your house, Rarity," Applejack replied. "Rainbow here heard some carolers, said she had an awesome idea, and flew off. I knew this was goin' to be a terrible idea!"

"Soo... you didn't like it?"

"Asking us if we wanted to come along would have been preferable to taking us against our will," Rarity plainly replied. "And now I'm behind on decorating for Christmas!"

"My family will probably be all right takin' care of the rest. It'll be no different than workin' harder harvestin' apples when one of us gets hurt. Though now that I think about it, you need to make up for this nonsense, and I've got just the thing. You're going to help our friends get ready for Christmas, since you obviously don't have any other plans."

"Aww, do I have to?"

Rarity and Applejack crossed their arms and spoke simultaneously again. "Yes."

"And you can start by helping me finish mine," Rarity continued, "since you so rudely interrupted me from it earlier."

"Aww, man!"

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SCENE 6

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The stage lights went dark once again as the stagehands reset Twilight's castle. The lights came back up, focusing on Twilight's study, which was now littered with multiple bits of parchment and wastebaskets full of used paper.

We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year

Twilight stood up and faced the audience.

Day one: time to get my list in shape
Christmas is around the corner
So much to do, not a moment left to wait
Have to get it done before the holidays are here
It's that Christmas time of year
So everypony sing

We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy New Year

Twilight sat back down at her desk, scribbling notes on her list and spare pieces of parchment. Spike pushed open the door to Twilight's study and stepped inside.

"Twilight, are you okay?"

"No, Spike, I'm not all right. There's still so much I need to do before Christmas in two days!"

"Uh, Twilight? You've been making and checking and rechecking that list all night." Spike hopped up onto the windowsill and slid back the curtain, revealing the morning light. "It's Christmas Eve. Tomorrow is Christmas Day!"

"Oh no!" Twilight groaned and buried her head in her hands as the stage lights darkened and the curtains closed in front of her.

---

Comments

[Isseus]

So you basically wrote out the "Pony kind of Christmas" album from 3 years back? Well done. You even used the CD cover. Creativity at its best!

[Starlight Nova]

Alma mater means home, right?

[Toonwriter]

Awesome chapter. Can't wait for more!

[rillegas08]

9362155
Alma mater is usually used in reference to a college someone went to, but call also be used for other educational institutions.

9361989
It may seem a bit disappointed now, but it'll all come together in the second act, as these things usually do.

[JusSonic]

Merry Christmas, dude! This story is 100% awesome!

[Isseus]

9362198 "Come togehter"? This story is pure plagiarism and the only reason it's not been removed is because these songs are slightly altered from the originals and were on a pony CD. Just writing a framing story for plagiarism doesn't make it any less so. Just shows you have zero creativity.

[rillegas08]

9362866
Let me get this straight. Figuring out how to fit ten songs (which are in the public domain, FYI, and can be covered and parodied with no repercussions) together in a cohesive story shows no creativity? Using a pre-existing franchise as a springboard to explore ideas the franchise hasn't is uncreative? Coming up with a completely original CMC subplot so one of the songs isn't so out of place is uncreative?

By that logic, every sequel in existence in uncreative just because they're not original stories. By that logic, Friendship is Magic itself is uncreative, because Lauren Faust used to make up stories about the ponies from the original '80s cartoon, and eventually was asked to create the current generation. By that logic, you're a hypocrite for using a pre-existing Twilight facehoof image as your profile pic instead of drawing a completely new character facehoofing.

[Godslittleprincess]

I wasn't expecting much from this, but I'm actually entertained.