Chatterjoy gloomily looked out at the falling snowflakes. They had lightened up from their previous downfall, but it didn't make it any better for flying. Flying was the only way to get to Cloudsdale, where her family was located, and she was snowed in. The snowflakes fluttered to the ground, mocking her. The pegasus looked like she was about to cry, but she wiped away the tears that started to gather in her eyes.
Chatterjoy turned from the window. If she couldn't see her family for Thanksgiving she would just sleep away the cold. Her nice fluffy warm bed had her name all over it, and it was calling to her. Come Chatterjoy, come! She wouldn't keep her bed waiting, but just as she was about to get comfortable a giant thump was heard at her window.
Sighing, Chatterjoy crawled out of the bed, that she had just gotten snuggled into, and walked to her window. A huge glob of snow was plastered on it. The pegasus walked out of her house, and wiped the snow off of her window. Just as she finished cleaning it off, the back of her head was hit with snow. The shattered snowball pieces slowly slid down her neck, causing her to shiver.
"What in Celestia! Who threw that!" Chatterjoy yelled rubbing the back of her neck to warm it up. Of all the days not to wear her bandana, it had to be today. The pegasus turned around to try and spot who had assaulted her with snow. She saw a bright red mane and tail sticking from the snow, looking carefully she could spot some purple and pink in the other bushes. Knowing her culprits, she called out, "It must have been my imagination!"
She slightly giggled to herself and began to accumulate snow that was on her cloud into a snowball of her own. Chatterjoy kept an ear pointed in the direction, when she heard the shuffling of branches and snow falling from the fillies movement, she turned around and aimed her snowball right at Sweetie Belle.
"I have you!" Chatterjoy yelled in triumph as her snowball hit Sweetie Belle straight in the face. The young unicorn just stood as the snow slowly fell off of her face. The other crusaders and Chatterjoy stared at Sweetie Belle, as tears started well up in her eyes. Chatterjoy began to panic, "Oh, Sweetie Belle! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hit you that-"
Chatterjoy was caught off by Sweetie Belle's sudden evil laugh, soon the fillies were assaulting the grounded pegasus with snowballs. Her mane and tail were covered in snow and only Chatterjoy's eyes were visible through the blanket of snow.
"Hey guys! I got a great idea! Lets get our cutie marks in Snowmare making!" Scootaloo suggested. "Come on stand up Chatterjoy! You're gonna be our model!"
Chatterjoy giggled and began to stand up, but Sweetie Belle bounced on her, pushing her back into the snow. "That's silly! Why would we want Chatterjoy to model for us? Rarity is so much more beautiful!" The young unicorn struck a pose and brushed back her mane with one of her hooves. "Why I would love to model for you Sweetie Belle!," the unicorn said imitating her sister.
"You know I'm still here. If you're gonna insult me, then at least do it when I am not in ear shot," Chatterjoy grumbled still being used as a soap box for Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo shook her head and pushed Sweetie Belle off of Chatterjoy, only for her to stand in her place.
"No Sweetie Belle all the adults are busy preparing for Thanksgiving," Scootaloo explained, "That leaves only Chatterjoy!" The pegasus grumbled and groaned at the shifting Scootaloo was doing on her back.
"I'm an adult too remember. I just don't do cooking...or decorations...or socialize..."
Sweetie Belle climbed onto the back of Chatterjoy, "But we can't let Chatterjoy model it has to be Rarity!."
"Nonsense, if we got to choose who to model for us it would clearly be Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo argued back.
Applebloom hopped onto Chatterjoy's back, ignoring the grunt of the pegasus in pain below her. "Girls! Ya'll quit your arguin' After all if we git to choose who would be our model we would havta to choose Applejack!" Scootaloo stuck her tongue out at the young earth pony, and Sweetie Belle shook her head in disagreement.
The argument continued on and Chatterjoy began to lose feeling in her face and limbs for being in the snow so long. "Her girls, I have an idea. I snowmare competition! You each get the pony you want to model for you and then who ever builds the best snowmare wins!"
The crusaders looked at each other and smiled. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SNOWMARE BUILDERS ARE A GO!!!!" The girls jumped off of the Chatterjoy's back to gather their models. Chatterjoy stood to her legs and shook off all the snow that clung to her fur.
"Finally," Chatterjoy said. The pegasus decided to trot into Ponyville. She heard rumors of them holding a giant Thanksgiving party for the ponies that got snowed in, and couldn't head to their families. The pegasus still held no interest in helping prepare though, for what it was worth the pegasus didn't even feel like going. Parties weren't her thing. In fact the only Pinkie Pie party she ever went to was the one where the pink pony held for her welcome to Ponyville.
Some pony had done a good job keeping the paths clear. Everything looked so festive and the pegasus couldn't wrap her brain around how so many ponies could be so excited for such a simple holiday.
"Chatterjoy over here!" the pegasus turned to see Pinkie Pie waving to her. Chatterjoy knew it was pointless to try to run away from Pinkie so she trotted up to the earth pony. "Would you like to help me bake?" Chatterjoy took an intake of breath and smiled awkwardly. She shook her head no. "Then maybe another time?"
"Maybe." Chatterjoy replied. She sighed in relief in getting out of cooking. She was passing Rarity's shop when the unicorn poked her head out.
"There you are darling! Rainbow Dash is helping Scootaloo. Though I can't imagine what they are doing, but I need a pegasus to help me for a moment." Chatterjoy sighed and went to the boutique. "I just need you to try on some clothes for me darling," Rarity explained. "Oh let me get this one outfit that needs total refitting for wings!"
Chatterjoy released a frown once Rarity left. Glancing swiftly around the pegasus spotted what she wanted. She grabbed a mannequin and put cardboard on it with glue. The mannequin looked terrible with the cardboard square wings slowly slipping off. "Darling, I'll be down in a second the dress is caught!"
Chatterjoy began to bite her hooves. She couldn't do this with Rarity. The pegasus happened to glance outside to see Derpy talking with the Doctor. An evil grin overtook her face. Quickly she grabbed the gray pegasus and put her in the boutique. The Doctor and Derpy were so confused, but the moment Rarity came down, Chatterjoy was already gone.
"Oh where did she go? I guess you'll do Derpy. You don't mind waiting do you Doctor?"
"Nope."
Chatterjoy ran far from the boutique. The pegasus didn't get to run far because she ran right into Fluttershy.
"Oh my Celestia! I'm so sorry Fluttershy! Rarity was trying to get me to try on dresses, and I hate clothes don't ya know? But anyway I put Derpy as a decoy, and then I ran away as fast as I could!"
"It's fine Chatterjoy. I can understand that Rarity sometimes gets carried away. I hope you come to the party though." Fluttershy said looking away from Chatterjoy.
"Oh um...I'll think about it."
"Okay," Fluttershy replied walking away from her fellow pegasus. Chatterjoy watched her go and sighed. She was already planning on ditching the party anyway so it wasn't like she lied to the timid pony.
Chatterjoy walked dejectedly throughout Ponyville. What was the point of being out here? Her feet were cold, her face was cold, her whole body was cold! She was sitting on a bench that was in the middle of town.
"Good afternoon Chatterjoy!" the pegasus looked up to see Princess Twilight. "What are you doing sitting around like that? We've got preparations to do! With Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity suddenly gone, I could use the extra hoof." Twilight said, looking hopefully at the pegasus.
"Um, help do what? Princess," Chatterjoy asked looking away from her. How would she decline the Princess of all ponies. She didn't want to help! She was cold! And she didn't want to go to some stupid party!"
"We need someone to talk to the ponies who got stranded her in Ponyville, and I mean the ones who were passing through," Twilight said wrapping a wing around Chatterjoy. "I know that you don't care much about this stuff, but perhaps coming from a fellow strandee?"
Chatterjoy breathed deeply, "I guess I could help, or you know talk to them." Chatterjoy grimaced. Why couldn't she just go to her nice warm bed that was calling to her. Forget about life for a while.
The Princess and her walked all the way to the town hall. The party was going to be held there, but all she had to do was talk to a bunch of strandees and leave before the party started right?
Wrong. Twilight had tricked her. The party had already begun, and before Chatterjoy could back out Twilight levitated the pegasus onto the stage. She gave Chatterjoy an encouraging smile.
The crowd got quiet for the newcomer on stage.
"Um, good evening," Chatterjoy said nervously. Her legs were shaking and she was doing everything she could to keep smiling.
"Good afternoon," a voice whispered into her ears from behind the curtain.
"I mean good afternoon!" Chatterjoy corrected. The audience laughed at her and a blush of embarrassment spread across her face. "Um, my name is Chatterjoy and Princess Twilight asked me to talk to those who got stranded here in Ponyville. I'm a fellow strandee, and I know how much it can be a bummer. I expected to eat a hearty meal with my folks and my brother." A whistle echoed through the hall.
"But I think you'll find here in Ponyville that every pony is family here! I didn't treat them as such. I viewed it as a chore, and something to add onto my schedule. I even attempted to ditch this party that every pony so graciously toiled to make for us! But even then Princess Twilight took me, and put me here despite my attitude. I was wrong! Its not a chore, it would have been act of kindness."
The crowd continued to stare at the pegasus. Twilight nodded and smiled at Chatterjoy and urged her to continue her speech.
"Today Pinkie Pie offered to let me help bake, I apologize for declining so rudely, but nopony would be standing if I did any cooking! Rarity wanted me to help her with fixing some clothes, but I ran away and sacrificed another pony. I hate dresses but that is no way to act to family. I'm sorry Derpy and Rarity." Rarity seemed to nearly faint. When the three missing ponies showed up Chatterjoy had no idea, but they were with there sisters.
"Fluttershy invited me to this party, and she sincerely wanted me to come. I'm sorry I almost lied to you. This party is wonderful. These ponies are wonderful and though we didn't get to spend it with the ponies we wanted, we can still enjoy this cold Thanksgiving with the ponies here who care for every one of us!"
"For that I will end with this. I am grateful for this party and all the ponies who attended and fixed it up for us!" Chatterjoy began to stamp her hooves, soon the entire hall was filled with smiling happy ponies stamping on the ground. Chatterjoy flew off the stage and breathed out heavily.
"Great job Chatterjoy!" Twilight said.
"Thank you, your highness but the honor goes to you. I was just a selfish pony who attempted to get out of doing anything."
"I think you've learned a valuable lesson. Would you like to send a letter to Princess Celestia?"
"I'm a nopony, Your Highness. Princess Celestia would hardly like to hear some lesson I learned." Chatterjoy leaned her head down.
"You certainly are not. Instead how about Princess Luna? She craves for the attention of her subjects. You at least should know that by now!"
"I do. I'll send her one after the festivities. Don't let me forget!"
"Never."
Chatterjoy enjoyed the rest of the party eating green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potatoe casserole, different kinds of olives, and other delicacies. She enjoyed talking with the other ponies who had attempted to head to their destinations but were snowed in.
When the party was drawing to a close Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash pushed Chatterjoy outside.
"Payback!" They yelled and they threw snowballs at the poor shocked pegasus. It didn't take long for her to be blanketed. Poor Chatterjoy didn't stand a chance against the army that stood before her.
"Ready to write that letter?" Twilight asked. She helped the pegasus to her feet.
"I would be honored." Chatterjoy replied. The two ponies walked to the library. Spike had been sent ahead to get the quill and paper ready.
"Dear Princess Luna,
You might remember as the pony who had sent you a hero letter. Just in case my name is Chatterjoy. Today I learned that parties don't always end up as bad as you think. They are not to be entirely avoided, because you can meet so many new ponies that could become apart of your extended family. Which reminds me. I am grateful for the family I have made here in Ponyville. What are you thankful for Princess?
Your Subject,
Chatterjoy"
Spike sounded out her name. "Done!" he exclaimed. He breathed fire onto it. The magic floated out of the library.
"Would you like to stay Chatterjoy? Perhaps Luna will give a quick response."
The moment the words left Twilight's mouth, Spike burped a bout of flames. A scroll with Luna's seal attached to it. Chatterjoy gently picked it up. Twilight smiled at her.
The pegasus breathed deeply then broke the seal.
We art thankful for the letters that Our subjects grace Us with.
Author's Note
So I challenge thee! What are you guys thankful for!
Little late I know. I also know it kinds sounds more Christmas-y but this year we had actually gotten snow. I might have actually been snowed in away from my family and we wouldn't have been given a Pinkie Pie party.
I hope you enjoyed!
Blurb.
Oh yes. I am thankful for all the people who follow me, like my stories, and take time to comment on them.
I would go on but it is a never ending list ^^
