Our Little Pony

by Stratocaster

Ghosts, Ghouls, And In-laws

Chapter 3: Holiday With The In-laws

Present Day...

Twilight poured a couple cups of tea in the living room, and sat down next to Fluttershy. She had been hearing the story of her pegasus friend's foalhood throughout the night.

"So they just decided to raise you, right then and there?" she asked.

"Yes. It must have been awfully strange for them." Fluttershy replied. "But they happy to have me, and I felt the same way about them."

"You know, I've recently read a lot about human anatomy. But I hardly know anything about their customs."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm sure it was really strange for you to adapt to living with humans; having to do what they do on a daily basis."

"Oh, well, they really don't live that much differently from us, as a matter of fact. Even their holidays were sort of similar to ours. I remember my first couple holidays pretty well in fact."

"Like what?"

"...Hmm..."

Memories...

The brisk chill of mid autumn fell as the foliage turned pale in color. Luke was out in the back raking renegade leaves, Haley prepared dinner wearing her favorite sweater, and little Fluttershy snuggled on the couch playing with Beanie Babies. But there was something in the house that didn't quite jell with her. It could have been the paper bats hanging above the windows, or the pumpkins with grizzly faces carved into them.

Curious as ever, Fluttershy got up and trotted into the kitchen to her mother who was pouring cider.

"Mommy, why are there scary decorations around the house?" she asked.

"It's Halloween, Fluttershy," answered Haley. "You were probably too young to notice the other ones we had with you."

"What's Halloween?"

Haley tried her best to make her explanation sound fun rather than horrifying. "Well honey, every year, people decorate their houses to look spooky and scary, and kids get to dress up in crazy costumes. Then at night, the kids go from house to house, ring the doorbell and say 'Trick or Treat!'. If they say that, then they'll get candy and go on to the next house."

"Candy? Yum! I want to go trick or treat." Fluttershy bounced excitedly.

That's when Haley paused to consider how skittish her daughter was. "Uh, maybe next year, Fluttershy. I think it would be too scary for you."

"Oh, I won't get scared, Mommy. I promise."

Just then, the doorbell rang and Haley perked up. "Oh, sounds like we have some early trick or treaters."

She exited the kitchen and went over to answer the front door; Fluttershy followed far behind. The young pegasus hid behind the couch and peeked around, as she was always coy about visitors. When she saw Haley open the door, she was overcome with shock. Standing outside the door were three of the most terrifying things Fluttershy had ever seen. On the left, was a ghastly vampire complete with black cape, fangs and blood stains. Next to him in the middle was a haggard witch with a long warted nose and a broomstick in her hand. And scariest of all on the right, was an eerie white ghost with two gaping black hole eyes. Fluttershy whimpered in fright at the monsters as they all spoke in unison.

"TRICK OR TREAT!"

"Ooh, what scary costumes you have!" replied Haley happily.

"Costumes?" A confused Fluttershy stared in awe as she wondered why her mother was speaking kindly to these ghouls.

Then, she saw Haley reach over to a side table and grab a large bowl full of candy bars. Astonishingly, she began handing out the candy to the monsters.

"Here you go, kids." She said to them. "Happy Halloween!"

"THANK YOU!" The nightmarish creatures ran off as Haley closed the door.

She turned around and saw, poking around the couch, a little yellow rump with a long pink tail shaking like a leaf. Haley smiled and walked over to pick her frightened little filly up. Fluttershy yelped at the feeling of human hands reaching around her.

"Are the- are the- are the monsters g- g- g- gone?" she shuddered in her mother's arms.

"It's okay, sweetie, they're gone." Haley told her trying to repress a chuckle. "Still want to go trick or treating?"

"NO!"

That night would be one of the worst in Fluttershy's life. Throughout the evening, more and more hideous ghosts and ghouls arrived outside the door all shouting "Trick or Treat!". The strangest part was seeing her own parents offering sweets to them. She cowered under blankets on the couch from the spooky creatures who were out for her hide. Zombies, mummies, werewolves, more vampires, witches, ghosts, and just what in the world was a 'spider man'? Fluttershy did not want to know and continued to hide.

As the middle of the night approached, the haunting visitors began to show up less and less. Eventually, the streets outside were empty and Haley and Luke had run out of candy. Luke finally found Fluttershy trying to dig herself under the couch cushions for more cover. But he stopped her panic and held her up.

"Oh Daddy, that was so scary." She whimpered. "There were monsters everywhere outside. They just kept coming to our house!"

Luke spoke softly. "Hey hey, it's alright, Fluttershy. They were just kids in costumes. There's nothing to be scared of."

"Are...are you sure?" asked Fluttershy with a sniffle.

"Positive. And besides, if there were any real monsters, you know I would be able to fight them off."

"You can fight monsters?" her eyes became wide with amazement.

"You bet I can." Luke then hushed his voice pretending to share a secret. "Between you and me, sometimes when I'm not working, I travel far and wide and defeat evil monsters with my trusty sword!"

"Wow! You must be so brave."

"Luke, don't fill her head with violence." Haley called over as she walked by.

Luke murmured to his daughter. "She's just jealous." Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a king sized Hershey's bar. "Here, I swiped this from the bowl."

Fluttershy beamed. "Wow, thanks Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Happy Halloween."

"Meh."

...

The weeks drew on and the weather turned colder and colder. Winter was arriving and, miraculously in northern California, a sizable blanket of snow had just fallen. But most of all, it was Christmas Eve and the Shy's house was ready for the festivities; it would be a real first for their little filly daughter. The frigid winter air chilled Fluttershy's cheeks as she frolicked in the snow, wearing her warm and fluffy hat, coat and booties. At first, she wanted to make snow angels, but became instantly bored considering the fact that she had actual wings. Instead, she settled on rolling up large balls of snow to make a snowpony, wings and all.

Haley watched her happily through the kitchen window, as she and Luke enjoyed a hot coffee indoors.

"Oh, just look at her." Haley cooed. "Who knew she would like the snow so much?"

"I kind of envy her." Luke replied. "I never liked the snow when I was a kid. One step outside and I'd be out sick from school for weeks."

"You always were a sick kid." She teased him. "So, did you set the table for six?"

"Yup. Wait, six? I thought it was just going to be us and my parents. Don't tell me you invited one of your folks, too. You remember how much they liked me."

"Don't worry, I didn't invite them. But, uh, I did invite...someone."

"Who is it?"

Haley tried to avoid eye contact and mumbled. "...Sheila."

"What?! Oh god, not Sheila. Why is she coming?"

"Well, she always has me over at her house every Christmas. So, I just wanted to return the favor."

"Holiday dinner with your sister. Great. My scar is burning."

"Oh hush, she's leaving right afterwards. And besides, it won't be so bad once she's focused all her attention on Fluttershy."

"Oh I see, make our daughter get all the torture."

"Relax. Trust me, this whole dinner will go by in a breeze." Then, as if on cue, Haley walked over to the sound of the doorbell ringing. "Oop, that must be her now."

"Yippie." With a grimace, Luke got up from the table and opened the sliding back door. He called out to his duaghter. "Fluttershy, come meet your Aunt Sheila." He then muttered under his breath. "And bring earplugs."

Hearing her father's voice, Fluttershy pranced through the snow covered yard heading inside. With the door shutting behind her, she removed her winter clothes and shook the snow off her yellow fur, embracing the warmth of indoors. Then, she looked at Luke a bit troubled.

"Um, Daddy, I'm not sure I want to meet Aunt Sheila."

Luke couldn't agree with her more, but opted instead to change her mind. "It's okay, Fluttershy, she's really...nice. And I'm sure she'll be happy to finally meet you."

"Well...okay I guess."

Fluttershy followed her father close behind as they walked up to the front door. Haley was wrapping her arms around another woman who looked to be a few years older than her. She looked a bit like Haley, only with blonde hair, pricier clothes, and a little too much makeup. The woman returned her younger sister's hug.

"Sheila, it's so good to see you again." Haley smiled.

"Haley darling, it's been so long," greeted Sheila with formal kisses on the cheeks. "We have so much to catch up on."

Luke joined in with a painted on smile. "Hey Sheila, how are you doing?" he asked with an outstretched hand.

Sheila looked at him skeptically. "...Lucas." She said as if she were talking about an invasive species of insect.

Luke retracted his hand to the back of his head, feeling incredibly awkward.

Then, Sheila looked down and smiled at the shivering little creature hiding behind Luke's legs. "And you must be Fluttershy."

Fluttershy slowly peered around, peeking her face out from behind her long mane. "Um...yes." She answered quietly.

"Oh you are just adorable!" Sheila beamed and turned to Haley. "You know, Haley, when you told me about adopting a pony, I was a bit shocked. But now I see that she is an absolute angel! Aren't you, sweetie?" She then reached down to pinch the filly's soft cheek.

Fluttershy winced, feeling less frightened and more agrivated.

"Well, why don't I pour us some drinks and we can go in the living room?" Haley asked her sister. "I'll tell you everything while we wait for Luke's parents to show up for dinner.

"Oh of course," replied Sheila. "I have so much to tell you, like about this dress I found at Macy's; it was on sale, so I just had to..."

Luke watched as the two sisters walked off chatting at a thousand words a minute, then knelt down to Fluttershy. "So, what do you think?"

"Um, she was...nice I guess." Fluttershy rubbed her soar cheek.

"Don't worry, you're gonna like Grandma and Grandpa better."

Later that night, Fluttershy sat down on a stack of dictionaries with her parents and dear Aunt Sheila; but the dining room table was also shared by two more. Her grandparents, Luke's mother and father, had arrived shortly after Sheila bearing wrapped presents and smiling faces. The elderly couple greeted Fluttershy more kindly, even giving her pieces of hard candy. Fluttershy began to take a liking to them as she sat listening to the grownups chat away.

"Lucas honey," said Mrs. Shy. "Did you remember to send me those photos of your business trip to Phoenix?"

"Mom, I told you," replied Luke. "I already sent them."

"Well, I checked my mailbox and they weren't there."

"That's becuase I emailed them, Mom."

"Ah don't worry about it, son," added Mr. Shy. "You know your mother is no good with electronics."

"Said the man who still can't work the coffee maker." Mrs. Shy joked back.

After adding more ham to his plate, Mr. Shy spoke to Fluttershy, who had been quiet most of the evening. "So Fluttershy, are you excited about Christmas tomorrow?"

Fluttershy tossed around her mashed potatoes nonchalantly. "Um, well, I'm not really sure what Christmas is."

"What?" Mr. Shy widened his eyes. "Luke, you mean to tell me you haven't told her about Christmas yet?"

"We were going to sooner or later, Dad." Luke shrugged.

"Well you'd think she was going to notice the tree in the living room at some point." Mrs. Shy told him.

"Yeah, I kind of did notice that." Fluttershy mumbled. "What is it for?"

"Well sweetie," Haley chimed in. "That's where all the presents go under. On Christmas morning, there'll be a whole bunch to open."

"Where do all those presents come from?"

"You see, Fluttershy," grinned Mr. Shy. "They come from a man named Santa Claus. He's a jolly man who wears a big red suit, with a long white beard, and flies in a magic sleigh pulled by reindeer."

"He lives up in the North Pole," added Luke. "Where he has elves making toys for good little boys and girls. Every night on Christmas Eve, he flies to houses all over the world, comes down the chimney and hides the presents under the Christmas tree and in your stocking. And that's when we open them the next morning."

Fluttershy's eyes glimmered with amazement. "Wow, Santa Claus does all that every Christmas?"

"He sure does, dear." Mrs. Shy smiled. "But he knows when you're awake, and he'll only deliver your presents if you're asleep."

"Oh, now I won't be able to sleep tonight."

The adults laughed at their little filly's humor.

"You know, Fluttershy," said Luke. "We still have to put a star on top of the tree. You think you can do it for us?"

"A star? Really? I'd love too!"

"After you finish your dinner, sweetheart." Haley said.

"Mommy!" Fluttershy whined.

"Haley!" Luke whined as well.

After supper, the Shy family gathered in the living room around a roaring fireplace. Fluttershy stood facing the Christmas tree with a gold star ornament in her mouth. The pine tree towered over her adorned in colorful strands of lights and dozens of ornament balls; the only thing missing was the all important star. Luke joined her as she stared at the impossible height.

"I don't know, Daddy," she moaned. "It looks really high up."

"Here, I'll help you up." Luke replied and reached down to gently lift her by the sides. He whispered in her ear as he held her up. "Flap your wings for me."

Bracing herself, Fluttershy began to flap her little wings and imagined herself ascending through the air all on her own. The moment of truth came when she was raised to the treetop above the mountain of lights. Thinking fast, she carefully placed the star upon the one skyward branch and looked back at her progress. A round of applause was heard as Fluttershy was lowered back to the floor with a proud and relieved smile. She wrapped her hooves over her father's shoulders as he knelt down to hug her.

"Did it look like I was flying, Daddy?" she asked.

"You sure were, Fluttershy." Luke whispered. "You definitely were."

That night, the house became quiet and dark. Luke's parents and Aunt Sheila had already left after giving Fluttershy their final hugs and kisses. Throughout afterward, the curious filly could not keep her mind off her thoughts of Santa Claus as she sat on the couch watching the extinguished fireplace. Eventually, Haley walked in with a plate of cookies and a tall glass of milk.

"Are those cookies, Mommy?" asked Fluttershy excitedly.

"They're for Santa, honey," answered Haley as she rested the treats on a table. "We leave them for him to eat while he hides the presents."

"I can't wait for Santa to come. I want to meet him so badly."

Haley paused for a moment in thought. "Well Fluttershy, you have to be asleep if you want him to give you your presents."

"But I don't want to sleep. I want to see him deliver the presents. I promise I won't let him see me. Please can I stay up for just a little longer? Please, um, if that's okay?" Fluttershy's eyes resembled a puppy's.

Haley stared unsure at her pleading daughter. But, as always, her llittle face turned her opinion around. "Alright, but just make sure you go to bed soon." She sighed.

"I promise." Fluttershy smiled.

Haley walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "Merry Christmas, Fluttershy."

"Merry Christmas, Mommy."

With that, Haley left her sitting on the couch alone, leaving the lights on the tree on. She saw Luke standing in a doorway watching over.

"You think she'll up all night?" she asked him concerned.

"Don't worry," he replied. "I did the same thing when I was her age. I fell right asleep after like a half hour. She'll be out in no time."

"I hope you're right."

As the night dragged on, and her parents slept, Fluttershy stayed on the couch keeping her eyes fixed on the fireplace. The hours passed and still not a sound was heard. The feeling of sleep began to settle heavily in her eyelids; but nevertheless, Fluttershy continued to stare patiently waiting. It had now been a few hours after midnight and pretty soon, the sun would begin to rise. It was becoming apparent to little Fluttershy that Santa might not be coming to her house. She lowered her head in dissapointment considering going back to bed.

As she got up from the couch, she suddenly heard a muffled thump above the ceiling. Then, Fluttershy turned to the fireplace as bits of ash fell down through the chimney. Her tired eyes widened and she quickly hid behind the couch peeking around. The sound of rustling and shuffling came from the chimney as something seemed to be making its way down. Suddenly, a shadow poked out from the fireplace and a mysterious figure began to manifest out into the living room. Fluttershy watched in shock as the hefty shadow climbed out from the fireplace; she knew just what it was and couldn't keep herself from blurting out.

"Santa Claus!" she tried her best to keep her voice down as she appeared from around the couch.

The figure turned around quickly and showed himself in the light from the tree. He appeared to be tall and portly, wearing a red and white trimmed fur suit and a matching snow hat. A long white beard hung down from the figure's rosy face as he carried an overstuffed sack slung over his back. He was just as Fluttershy imagined him to be...except for the fact that he had a tail, a horn and walked on all fours.

"I knew you would come, Santa!" Fluttershy whispered with joy again.

The large white pony darted his eyes from side to side in surprise of the little yellow filly. Then, he put a hoof to his lips and gave a gentle shush.

"Don't wake your parents now, Fluttershy." Santa spoke softly in a deep tone.

"You know my name?" asked Fluttershy in wonderment.

"Ho ho ho, why of course," he smiled. "I know all the names on my list of nice children. And you have been a particularly good filly this year. But tell me, Fluttershy, what are you doing still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep. I just really wanted to see you."

"Well, you know I can't deliver presents unless all good little children are asleep. But I can still give you yours, as long as you don't tell your parents that you saw me."

"I promise, Santa. Oh, my mommy left you some milk and cookies over there."

"Ah yes, thank you." Santa walked over to the table. "Ho ho, gingerbread, my favorite."

Fluttershy watched as the unicorn stallion wolfed down the cookies and the entire glass of milk. Then, he walked back over to the tree and put his sack down in front of him.

"Now why don't you go back to bed, Fluttershy," he said to her. "So I can leave your presents?"

"Okay Santa. I won't tell my parents I saw you."

Santa patted her gently on the head. "Ho ho ho, you're a very good filly, Fluttershy. Have a merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Santa." Fluttershy hugged the magic stallion feeling the warmth of his clothing.

After returning her hug, Santa kindly urged her along and she scampered quietly back to her room. She climbed into her bed and, strangely enough, she began to feel sleepy. Fluttershy finally drifted off to sleep, with the happy image of Father Christmas in her head.

Christmas Day had come at last. As the sun rose above the horizon, the family Shy was already up and awake in the living room. Luke and Haley sat together relishing as they watched their little filly opening her presents under the tree.

"Ooh, a kite! Thank you, Santa!"

"So Fluttershy," said Haley. "Did you see Santa last night?"

Fluttershy paused and thought about her encounter the night before. "Oh, uh, no. I fell asleep before I could." She lied.

"Well, that's okay." Luke added. "We could always go see him at the mall next year. You know, he's a very busy man."

"Oh, actually Daddy, he's not a man at all. He's a pony like me!"

"Santa's a pony, huh?" Luke played along. "How do you know that?"

"Um...I just know." She smiled and shrugged, then continued opening more presents dropping the subject.

Haley whispered in her husband's ear. "Isn't that just cute? She thinks Santa's a pony."

Luke chuckled to himself. "Well, who knows? We never met him." He joked.

"Wow, a saddlebag! Thank you, Santa!"

Comments

[way2dawn]

hngggggggggggg. so adorable.

[ExcitedReader]

fc04.deviantart.net/images3/i/2004/143/8/0/GIR_I_love_this_show.jpg

[darkcloud64]

Aww so cute!

[Shock and Awe]

I'm so glad I have this faved.
Wait the Santa pony was real?

[Cold Spike]

Why not? Magic world = Magic Santa? Makes sense to me! MOAR! 2001354

[Mandalore the Inept]

So Santa is a fat, white unicorn.
Huh.
The more you know.

[butterfield pancake]

Hmmm maybe it means there is a human and Unicorn santa?

[zomborg]

my heart just exploded twice

[Twilight--Paladin]

"Holiday dinner with your sister. Great. My scar is burning."

Is that a Harry Potter reference?

[Heartstrings1]

That night would be one of the worst in Fluttershy's life. Throughout the evening, more and more hideous ghosts and ghouls arrived outside the door all shouting "Trick or Treat!". The strangest part was seeing her own parents offering sweets to them. She cowered under blankets on the couch from the spooky creatures who were out for her hide. Zombies, mummies, werewolves, more vampires, witches, ghosts, and just what in the world was a 'spider man'? Fluttershy did not want to know and continued to hide.

She's sooooo adorbs. It's adorabities week all over again

"Said the man who still can't work the coffee maker." Mrs. Shy joked back.

"Mommy!" Fluttershy whined.

"Haley!" Luke whined as well.

Author! Why u do this to my heart

Haley whispered in her husband's ear. "Isn't that just cute? She thinks Santa's a pony."

That's not cute. She IS cute.