Christmas Miracle

Twilight laid on the couch while Spike was setting up decorations. He lowered a jumble of mistletoe onto a hook above the door.

“There! Now Rarity will have to kiss me!” Twilight looked up at the dragon now climbing down from the ladder.

“Um, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Huh? Oh! Right,” The small dragon straightened his bowtie and sprayed breath freshener in his mouth. “There!” Twilight rolled her eyes. She’ll have to deal with it when it came. An orange mare trotted through the open door before being tackled by a cyan pegasus with said rainbow mane.

  “Rainbow! How many times do ah have to tell ya? Don’t sneak up on me like that!” Rainbow strutted towards the kitchen, letting her mane flow behind her.

“You’ve already told me like, a hundred times. Besides, I totally got you anyway.” Spike giggled as Dash came back with an apple. Apple Jack’s head was in her hooves and Rainbow could tell she was embarrassed. She gave a nice laugh.

“Ha! What’d I miss?” AJ’s head bolted up.

“RAINBOW! Ah’m gonna kill you!” Rainbow pulled her head back in surprise.

“Okay, okay! I get it! I won’t do it again.” Apple Jack growled at Spike as she approached Rainbow. She gave her a quick kiss on her ear. Rainbow’s face grew red as an apple. Apple Jack was now against the wall dealing with her embarrassment. Rainbow’s mouth soon grew to a smile.

“What was that for?” She asked, still not seeing the mistletoe. Apple Jack stood up, taking a deep breath.

“Ya’ll tackled me UNDER THE MISTLETOE!” A snicker followed by another and a laughing fit. “Oh SHUT UP!” Dash was now rolling on the floor laughing uncontrollably. Spike closed her mouth with his claws.

“Ah, ah…” He said pointing to a book in front of him. “Rule number 253 of Hearths Warming traditions!” Rainbow stuck her nose in the book before falling back.

“No! No way!” She yelled crossing her arms.

“What?” Apple Jack grabbed the book, and her face turned red. Spike grabbed the book.

“Yep! You have to kiss each other! Which means…” Apple Jack smiled and pushed him to the side.

“Ahem.” Spike whipped his head toward Twilight who was now standing next to Pinkie and Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked weird, not ‘silly’ weird but ‘uncomfortable’ weird. It was perfect timing as Rarity walked in.

“Um…what’s going on?” Spike blasted for the door. He puckered his lips as Rarity looked up. She turned to Twilight. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Rarity looked down at Spike, giving him a small kiss on his nose. She trotted into the kitchen to be replaced by the faint sound of giggling. A loud ringing broke the moment for Spike as he stomped upstairs. A few moments passed…another few…THUD!

Twilight ran upstairs to see the phone on the floor and Spike huddled in his bed.

“Spike, what’s wrong?” Spike remained silent as a mare’s voice came from the phone.

“Hello? Spike?” It was Nurse Redheart, and whatever she had called for-Twilight didn’t want to hear it. Twilight picked up the phone with her magic as she sat on her bed.

“Nurse Redheart, is that you?” The mare sounded relieved and depressed at the same time.

“Ah, Twilight. I have some news for you…you’re not going to like it.”

***

Twilight sobbed into Rarity’s shoulder.

“He’s gone! He’s gone…” Rarity patted her on the back.

“It’s alright, Twilight. There was nothing you could do.” Apple Jack approached the unicorn, setting her Stetson on the mare’s head.

“S’alright Twi. How about I take ya down to the cider bar? They, uh… they got pool.” Twilight looked up at Apple Jack with tears in her eyes.

“No thanks, Apple Jack.” She sniffed. The five friends watched her go up the stairs and disappear into her room. Spike sat on the floor drinking tea with Fluttershy.

“Great.” He huffed. The five mares sat around the library, concerned for their friend.

“What do we do?” Fluttershy asked, pausing from her morning tea.

“Ah don’t care what she says, she’s going to the bar!” Apple Jack crossed her arms furiously.

“Apple Jack darling,” Rarity set a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Twilight needs some time to herself! Give her a day or two.”

***

“Maybe Apple Jack was right…” Twilight stood outside the Ponyville Inn after deciding what to do with the rest of her afternoon. She slowly walked inside to see a large bushel of ponies around the first floor. There was Time Turner; the local clock fixer, Berry Punch; the local ciderholic, Lucky; one of the few colts Twilight saw around Ponyville, Derpy; as always, being a ditz near Time Turner, Caramel; a local farmhand, even Thunderlane was there. She took a deep breath and sat herself at the front counter. A teal stallion approached her with haste, his beret slightly tipping.

“Hello there, how may I help you?” Twilight smiled weakly at the stallion and waved a hoof in dismiss.

“I’ll just have water…” She frowned. “…Please.” The stallion chuckled.

“You sound a bit like Fluttershy!” Twilight’s ears perked up at the mention of a friend.

“You know her?” The stallion let out a scoff.

“Know her? She takes care of my dog like a charm!” He smiled, sliding the drink over to Twilight from the opposite end of the bar. “I consider us friends!” Twilight smiled at the stallion’s attempt at humor.

“She’s a good friend of mine…” The stallion raised an eyebrow and studied the mare through dim light.

“Oh yeah! You’re Twilight Sparkle, huh?” Twilight was surprised anypony knew who she was, but she was an element of harmony. “Main element of harmony, am I right?”

“I wouldn’t say that…” The stallion looked perplexed.

“But you’re Magic…” He paused. “…Right?” Twilight nodded causing the stallion to smile again. “Then you’re the lead mare!” Twilight scowled.

“Just because I have a more rare element does NOT mean my friends aren’t important!” The stallion shook his head fiercely.

“No, no! That’s not what I’m saying at ALL! What I mean is, where you go…” he motioned towards the door where the five ponies were standing. “…They follow.”

Twilight stood from her seat. Apple Jack smiled at the sight of her friend.

“What did I say? I knew you’d be here!” Twilight blushed before the teal stallion jumped out from behind the counter.

“It’s soooo nice to meet ya’ll!” he enthused while shaking even Apple Jack’s hoof to fracture.

“Um…thanks?” The orange mare blushed at the sudden attention.

“Oh my gosh!” The pink party pony jumped out from the bundle of mares with a mile wide grin. “Are you new here?” Pinkie studied the colt from head to hoof.

“Nope! Been here since I was a colt!” Pinkie stared the stallion in the eye, who maintained a smile.

“Hmm…You don’t SEEM new, but I definitely haven’t seen you around before!” The stallion rushed over to Rarity who stepped back in surprise of his speed.

“This must be the beautiful Rarity!” He lifted the mare’s hoof and gave it a gentle kiss. His speed was not forgotten as he nearly teleported next to Rainbow Dash. “You must be Rainbow Dash, real life equivalent of Daring Do!” Dash smiled confidently at this statement. He approached Fluttershy next, still with tremendous speed, making her jump back a little. “You have GOT to be Fluttershy! Who not even Discord himself could stray away from her friends!” Fluttershy tucked her head into her mane, shyly uttering an ‘it’s no big deal’. He traveled over to the last pony on the list, Twilight. He took a breath before Twilight shoved it back down his throat.

“Don’t even start…” The stallion forced a smile from underneath Twilight’s hoof as his eyes sparkled. Twilight removed the hoof when she assumed he had decided to shut up. Sadly it was mistaken for silence.

“And the brave Twilight Sparkle herself…” He said dreamily. Twilight took a step back in surprise of his tone. “It was she who noticed Chrysalis’ evil plans before anypony could utter a word…” He sighed. “…such a keen eye for detail.” Rarity scoffed. Twilight stepped back in fear of her creepy stalker. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, such a pleasure to meet you all!” There was an awkward silence that was broken by a gruff voice.

“Hey Caset! I need a pony with muscle over here! Hurry it up!” The stallion rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Well, I’ve gotta go…bye!” He turned and ran behind the counter and into the kitchen, his beret very nearly slipping off of his blue mane.

“He was…”

“So dreamy!” The five mares said, completing a sentence Twilight had no intent for.