Chapter 17: Christmas in Ponyville

Your head spun as you came to and you felt like you were waking up from drinking a whole bottle of tequila. Your mouth was dry and you felt like throwing up every time your head moved in the slightest. As you opened your eyes, the harsh light from the orange setting sun struck them, making you close them shortly afterwards.

"Nnghh..." You groaned as you began to feel a dull yet painful soreness in your forehead.

"Oh... Thank goodness... I didn't know when you were going to wake up!" Fluttershy's calm and soothing voice relaxed you slightly and you could tell that she was very close to you because of how well you could hear her near-whisper tone.

"Shit..." You groaned as you tried to lift your head. You told yourself you would try to limit the cursing in front of your friends, but the pain was just too much.

For the second time since you woke up, your body stopped you as your head throbbed the second the back of your head came up from the pillow. Fluttershy quickly held a hoof down on your chest to keep you from rising. It somewhat reminded you of the time she was nursing you after your stab wound from the changeling. Just the thought of that sharp pain in your chest made everything worse. You wondered why Vinyl wasn't there looking over you as well, but she had to be there somewhere. It wasn't like her to just leave and go home when you were in trouble.

"Um... H- Hold on, I'm going to get Vinyl and Twilight... Please don't get up, Alex." Fluttershy seemed tentative after looking you over quickly.

Apparently, Vinyl was still there. With a few flaps of her wings, Fluttershy was in the air and out the window. The breezes created by her angelic wings brushed against your mane and made your fur rustle a tiny bit. You let out a sigh as you decided to keep your head rested against the pillow. The lack of sheets and the narrow width of the mattress you were lying on suggested that you were on a couch, and it only took a couple of peeks from your eyes to realize that you were. You were still at Twilight's place.

"Alex! Damn, are you alright?!" Vinyl rushed in the door, nearly breaking it off of its hinges. Twilight was close behind her.

You wanted to turn around to see her, but your body just wasn't having it. You kept still and stared at the ceiling.

"Yeah... My head hurts a good bit, but I'm fine."

"Alex, I... I'm so, so sorry... I had no idea the spell would backfire like it did and I... I-" Twilight was nearly in tears. You stopped her short since you hated seeing somepony like her cry, especially her.

"Twi, Twi... It's okay..." You smiled and pulled her hooves away from her eyes. She was standing in between Vinyl and Fluttershy. Spike's tiny spikes on his head could be seen behind them. "It's not your fault. I promise."

"But it is! I should've waited until you were ready to use that caliber of magic, but I got too eager and I wanted to see results, so..." Her eyes drifted towards the floor.

Feeling a little more stability in your head, you attempted once more to right yourself on the couch and get up off your back. It didn't work.

"Agh! Shit..." Your teeth clamped together once your head felt like exploding.

"Alex! Please don't move... I don't want to cause you anymore pain than I already have." Twilight didn't have to force you onto your back like Fluttershy did earlier. Her authoritative tone laced with concern was enough for you to do it yourself.

Twilight sighed and sat down on the couch next to where one of your legs was hanging off. "You probably have magic recoil sickness. It happens when you use up too much magic at one time. Trust me when I say its best you take it easy for the rest of the day."

"Okay... Is everypony alright? Whatever happened out there... It didn't hurt anypony else?" You said in a worried tone. You'd never forgive yourself if you caused anypony harm, especially Vinyl.

"We're fine, babe. Don't worry." Vinyl smiled past her overwhelming concern and sat down on the opposite side of Twilight, right next to your head.

You took a deep breath and tried to ignore the pain. Vinyl was looking down at you like a mother would with a sick child, and it gave you a certain warmth that you hadn't felt in a long time. You were a grown man, or a grown pony, but it seemed that Vinyl was the only being you knew who could make you feel like you were alright only by staring into her eyes. You rested your head against her thigh as she stroked your mane. It was a far superior pillow and it felt nice to have your mane affectionately petted for once. It only took that little gesture and her calm smile as she looked down at you to convince you that she cared for you just as much as you cared for her.

"Sorry, Vinyl... I went and hurt myself again..." You chuckled a bit to ease the seriousness of the situation.

She closed her eyes and shook her head while still keeping her smile. "What am I going to do with you?”

"B- But wait! If Alex can't move for the rest of the day, how are we going to have our... Um... What was the name of it, again?" Fluttershy spoke up shyly.

"Christmas. I suppose we could just have the party here instead. Is that okay with you, Alex?" Twilight was still at your feet, sitting down and hovering over a notepad and quill to write something down.

You looked over at Vinyl for confirmation and she nodded shortly after.

"I don't see why not. Is it okay if Vinyl stays here too until then?" You didn't want to make her feel left out.

"Actually, I need to go back and get all of our presents. Plus, I need to drag Octavia out of the house since she won't go otherwise." Vinyl rolled her eyes as she rose off of the couch. "You sure you're okay, babe? You need me to get anything for you while I'm there?"

You had to admit, you felt a little spoiled to have her treat you like this after what you did to her. You were trying not to dwell on it, but at times, you couldn't help it.

"Nope, I'm fine. Just need to lie down for a while, I guess."

"Okay. Good."

Vinyl kissed your forehead and your smile widened, but she soon turned around and trotted towards the front door to leave. The clock on the wall next to the stairs indicated that it was nearly six o'clock which was the time you were planning on starting the party.

"Seeya in a little bit, babe." Vinyl said as she shut the door behind her. You waved a hoof over the arm of the couch since you couldn't turn around to look at her without your head hurting.

"Here, drink some more of this. It might help you feel be-" Spike held up the same bottle of blue goop that you drank before, but Twilight snatched it away from him as soon as she saw it.

"What? Where did you get that? And what do you mean by more of it?" Twilight was staring Spike down like an angry mother.

"Oh, w-well, I gave some to Alex after his first try to help him recover a little faster..." From the expression on Spike's face, you could tell he knew he wasn't supposed to do what he did.

"Spike! What were you thinking?! You know that potion is made specifically for my magic, not anypony else's!"

"I just figured that it would be the same since he was working on a spell that you hadn't been able to learn... I'm sorry, Twilight..." Spike lowered his eyes in defeat.

"Well there's your problem!" You couldn't help but laugh at the situation, but then you started to feel bad for Spike.

"It's alright, buddy." You patted his tiny head with your hoof. "So, you think I could've done the spell right if I hadn’t taken that juice?" Your head tilted towards Twilight.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Twilight said with a touch of confusion on her face.

"Like, I would've been able to do it if I didn't drink that?" You thought that what you said was simple enough for her to understand, so you felt awkward explaining it to somepony who was apparently so smart.

"Oh! Right... Fell unconscious..." Twilight giggled at herself. "You did it! The magic on the dummy's horn was gone when we took you on so... It worked!"

It took you a few seconds to absorb what she said.

"Wha- Really? You mean I actually did it right?" You were completely surprised. Even though you tried your best, you had a serious doubt that you'd be able to cast said spell the first or the second time.

"Yep! Congratulations! Although, we still need to work on your conditioning to make sure you don't faint like that again." Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. "But still, you did great for your first try!"

"Plus, the spell on the horn came back about five minutes after you passed out. So, that means it's not permanent." Spike followed up after Twilight finished. That was a relief.

You could tell that Twilight was being sincere and that she wasn't stretching the truth to make you feel better, so your self-confidence grew significantly when she said it. You were now able to cancel a pony's magic; it was an ability that nopony had been able to do since Starswirl the Bearded. It still puzzled you as to why only you were able to produce this rare magic, but you figured that it was too over your head to worry about at the moment. After all, you had a Christmas party to worry about and Twilight was more gifted at figuring these things out than you were.

"So, all I have to do is use my magic more to condition it? And then I'll be able to cast it without dying?"

"Well, there's no way you could die from it..." Twilight said after some introspective thinking.

"I know, I know. I was kidding." You smiled at her lack of humor.

"Oh... W- Well, in that case, yeah. Just be sure to keep working on your levitation spells. I think learning another basic level spell wouldn't hurt either..." She rubbed her chin and thought some more. Meanwhile, Spike and Fluttershy were each sitting on a large comfy chair on the opposite side of the coffee table.

"What's next? Time travel?" Spike said sarcastically from behind Twilight.

"No, Spike..." She said after sighing. "That's not possible. However, I suggest working on a few of these spells..." Her horn glowed and a book gently glided down from the top level of one of her bookshelves. "By yourself."

As the book got closer, you could see the typical "101" title on the front that most tutorial lessons had.

"They shouldn't be too hard. Plus, Vinyl probably knows a lot of these as well, so she could help you! Consider it an early Christmas gift." Twilight got up from the couch and put the book where she was previously sitting.

"Thanks, Twi."

"Oh! That reminds me. I have something for you too! I really hope you like it..." Fluttershy said and helped you out by picking up the book and giving it to you so you could read it.

"Aw, thanks. If it's from you, I'll like it. Don't worry." You gave her a warm smile before opening the book and looking at the table of contents. In the background, you could hear Twilight in the kitchen running water in the sink and making dishes clatter as she cleaned them.

You heard a tiny *squee* come from Fluttershy. You could tell she was excited for the Christmas party. The title "beginner's spells" at the table of contents caught your eyes and you flipped over to see what the section contained.

"Hmm... Page seven...." You flipped through the pages, making sure none of the bookmarks that Twilight put in them fell out. There had to be at least one for every two pages. It instantly reminded you of something funny you remembered about her and Rainbow Dash and you decided to pick on her a little.

"Hey, Twi?"

"Yes? You need anything?" She said from the kitchen as you heard the sink turn off.

"Nah, I just thought of something." You smiled as you took one of the bookmarks out to read it. The writing was way too small for you to read. "Remember when you were trying to help Rainbow Dash study for her Wonderbolts exam?"

"Yeah. I remember that. I don't understand how you remember that, but I guess I've learned to just accept it."

"You gave her a book to highlight important parts of it? And then, she went through and highlighted everything?"

"Oh goodness, that mare is hopeless sometimes." Twilight rolled her eyes after sighing.

"So then why is it that you have bookmarks on every page and nearly everything highlighted in this book?"

Twilight was walking out of the kitchen and she came into your view as she came around the couch. You gave her a sly look as if you had just bested her in intellectual combat.

"W- Well, you see, that was when I was a little filly and..." Her cheeks flushed a little and you heard Fluttershy and Spike chuckling. "Okay, smart guy. Let's see how many of those spells you can learn in a week. I learned all of them in two." Her chin rose with pride, but her cheeks were still red.

"Simmer down, smarty-pants... I was just kidding." You laughed in the back of your throat a little more before going back to reading. "I'd be lucky if I could learn just one of these by next week- Nnghh!"

A sudden jolt of cold made you grit your teeth. Fluttershy had apparently gone to make an ice bag for your head while you were teasing the princess. A warning would've been appropriate, but you decided not to make a big deal out of it. After all, she was just trying to help.

"T- Thanks, Flutters. Ahh... That's cold..." You got a whiff of whatever kind of shampoo she used in her mane as she walked around the couch and sat down in the chair again. It smelled like... Bananas?

"So. Spike?" Twilight's blemish finally went away. Somehow, you knew that she was about to scold the little dragon despite her lighthearted demeanor. "What did we learn today?"

Spike sighed. "Not to take other ponies' things without permission..."

"And...?"

He groaned this time. "Never use a potion unless you know for sure what it does..."

"Good." Twilight smiled before turning around and heading up the stairs. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Its five minutes until the party starts, so that means Pinkie-"

"Heloooooo?! The party master is heeeeree!"

You heard what could only be interpreted as Pinkie Pie's voice muffled behind the front door. It couldn't be anypony else based off of how silly the tone was. Loud knocks sounded at the door and it nearly made you jump. In fact, it sounded more like beating than knocking.

Twilight's ears perked up in attention before you saw her quickly retreat upstairs in panic.

"So... You mean to tell me that Cloud Chaser's been hanging out here nearly every day, and all you two were doing was having tea and chatting?"

"Y- Yes, Vinyl! That's what I'm saying!"

It was painfully obvious to Vinyl Scratch that her roommate was lying, and it amused her to pry one bit of information out of her at a time. A raised eyebrow and a grin remained on her face for the entire interrogation.

"Oh, cut the crap, Octy. Cloud Chaser's one of my best friends. I know she's not into that shit."

"I'm just telling you what happened... Maybe she simply wanted to try something new?" The grey earth pony simply couldn't look Vinyl in the eye.

"Really, now? Something new? Something new like... My dildo that I haven't been able to find since last week?" Vinyl's grin grew once she knew she had her cornered.

Octavia's face went red and she took a large gulp of her tea to tactfully give her time to think about what to say next. However, Vinyl's attitude changed as she relaxed and sat down next to her best friend.

"Look, I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with you doing those things with her and I'm happy that you're finally starting to loosen up a bit." Vinyl reached a hoof out and tilted Octavia's face so that she could make eye contact with her. "But could 'ya please do it in the bedroom instead? Coming in on two mares having sex in the living room is kinda awkward." She giggled.

Octavia managed to smile as the amount of embarrassment slowly diminished.

"So, how was it?" Vinyl resumed her curious prodding for information.

"H- How was what?"

"Oh, the tea. I was just curious. No, the sex! How was the sex?" She was in Octavia's face like a child asking for an allowance raise. Her eyes were wide and her ears were perked up to hear every syllable that came from her friend.

"It... It was..." She almost seemed happy. It was as if a portion of her prudish nature had escaped her personality once she let herself indulge in a few acts of harmless fun. "Exciting..."

"What did you do?! Come on, details!"

"Vinyl Scratch! That's hardly any of your business!" Octavia was grinning bashfully instead of scolding her like Vinyl expected.

"Well.. Whatever. I'm just glad you finally let loose for once." Vinyl let go of her eagerness and embraced Octavia in a warm hug.

"I suppose... I am too."

The two mares shared a few heartwarming moments in their hug before Vinyl released her and walked back to the fridge.

"By the way, there were some bags that were... Delivered here a few hours ago."

"Oh, yeah. Long story. I'll fill you in on the way." Vinyl took a large jug of milk with her magic after opening the fridge and drank a few gulps of it. Ordinarily, Octavia would've fussed at her for drinking straight from the jug, but to Vinyl's surprise, she didn't.

"On the way? To what, may I ask?"

"The Christmas party! Don't tell me you aren't coming..." Vinyl screwed the cap back on the milk jug and threw it back into the fridge.

"Well, yes, but I thought we were having it here."

"Change of plan. It's at Twilight's place now. Like I said, I'll explain on the way."

You discarded what you said earlier about medicine tasting like medicine. The potion that Spike gave you to help your magic tasted like fruit juice, but the pain reliever that Twilight mixed up and gave to you in a tiny vial tasted like sardines and cold medicine. It made sense since she admitted that one of the ingredients for it was fish oil. However, it didn't make you nauseous. In fact, it worked faster than any pain medication you had ever taken before. That included the time you had to take opiates after a surgery on your broken arm quite a few years ago back on Earth. Albeit, it didn't make you feel like you were in wonderland.

After about five minutes, the throbbing dull pain in your head was almost completely gone and you were finally able to sit upright again.

"Ooh! A warm spot on the couch! Thanks for keepin' it warm, Alex!" Pinkie Pie leaped over the back of the couch and came down with a *thud* on the cushion next to you, causing the couch to groan in protest.

"Eh... You're welcome?" You chuckled oddly. Before too long, she started chatting again.

"Soooooo, how are you and Vinyl doing? I heard you two got in a fight or somethin'." She leaned close and acted as if she was trying to interrogate information out of you with her wide bright smile.

"We're fine. It was just a little hiccup, but she's forgiven me... Thank Luna she forgave me..."

"Awesome! Be sure to keep your cock in your sheathe next time, silly billy!"

The sudden intimate subject made your heart skip a beat and your face instantly turned red. Your body got hot from nervousness.

"P-Pinkie! Why... How..."

"Juuuuuust sayin'! Anyways, when's this party gonna start?! I can't wait to get some of that new punch Twilight's been talking about!" She hopped up and down like a rabbit as she talked.

You were somewhat curious as to what kind of punch she was talking about, but you figured that you'd find out sooner or later. Still, you thanked her for not dwelling on the previous subject for too long.

"Oh, yes! I heard it had eggs and milk... And some sort of cream too! It sounds delicious!" Fluttershy's calm voice made your ears perk up.

You had almost forgotten that she was there, even though she had been decorating the room the whole time. Her gentle flying barely made a sound compared to most other pegasi. She had just finished putting up what resembled a holiday wreath that, no doubt, Rarity had a part in making since it was decked out with glitter and jewels.

"Omigosh! So it's like a cake punch?!"

"Well, yes, I suppose it does sound like that!" Fluttershy gently flew down and got another wreath to put on the inside of the front door.

"They couldn't possibly be talking about..." You thought to yourself. "No, they wouldn't know what that was."

"Hi, Pinkie! I see you're early to the party as always!" Twilight glided down the staircase with her wings stretched wide. Her wings were so much different than anypony else's, but they strangely resembled Luna's, which was why you liked them so much. It was a shame she didn't use them more often.

"Are you kidding?! Element of laughter? Parties are my thing, girl! I'd never be late to one!"

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. "But, still. It's not like Rarity or Applejack to be la-"

Suddenly, you could hear the chatter of mares outside the front door. Fluttershy let out a yelp as it flew open, and Applejack trotted right in. The pegasus was barely able to get out of the way in time.

"Howdy, y'all! Merry Christmouse!" Applejack called out with her twangy accent as Rarity and Rainbow Dash followed her in.

The ridiculous error made you burst out laughing. "Christmas, AJ!"

"Oh, uh... Sorry, sugarcube." Applejack laughed back while taking off her hat and setting it down at the end of the couch.

"Come now, Applejack. It's pronounced Chrrristmas. Right, Alex?" Rarity tried way too hard to sound correct and she rolled her tongue on the "r" for a bit too long. However, it was an improvement from Applejack's attempt.

"Close enough."

"Sup, Alex? Heard you learned a rad new spell today." Rainbow Dash trotted over to you and held out her hoof for you to bump.

"Yeah. Almost blew up half of Ponyville. 'Ya know, the usual." You play-acted cool and Rainbow Dash snickered as you bumped your hoof against hers.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad... It's a spell that lets you cancel magic from unicorns, and he was actually able to pull it off." Twilight acted proud as a successful teacher would be and used her magic to tie her hair in a ponytail since it was still a little damp from the shower. It was weird, but you swore that every mare you knew looked cuter in a ponytail.

Rarity gave you a suspicious look from the corner of her eye and took a couple of steps away from you.

"Don't worry, Rarity. It's all under control." Twilight tried to reassure her.

"I dunno... I could lose it and accidentally take away all your magic forever! Rawr!" You teased and held out your hooves menacingly.

"Ahhh!" Rarity shrieked and stumbled back a few steps which caused everypony in the room to erupt in laughter.

You were about to get up and go close the door since Rainbow Dash apparently forgot to, but Vinyl and Octavia trotted in right before you could get to it.

"Geez, what's all the ruckus about?" Vinyl set down the large backpack full of gifts next to Applejack's hat.

"Vinyl!" Rarity rushed to her in panic. "Do you still have your magic?! Please don't tell me Alex took it away from you! Is it contagious?!" She made her horn glow purposefully to make sure her magic still worked.

Your marefriend gave you a look of confusion and you gave her a sly wink in return. She instantly understood the situation despite the minor context clues. It amazed you how well she could pick up on things like that despite her blunt personality.

"Oh... Yeah... Ever since Alex did that spell... I've been so weary and... I can't cast any spells..." She pretended to act weak and defenseless and made a faint spark or two come out of her horn. More laughter ensued.

"You can't be serious!" Rarity turned back towards you. You decided to finally stop torturing her.

"Relax, Rarity. I'm only kidding. Even if the spell did backfire or something, I don't think it's permanent."

The overly ecstatic unicorn let out a moody sigh as she clutched her chest. "Goodness gracious..."

"Sorry, Rare. It's all in good fun." You smiled apologetically after getting up on all fours.

Rarity took a moment to pause and calm herself. You were half expecting her to fuss at you and snap in anger since you knew that Rarity's emotions were... Unstable, to say the least.

"Well, Alex. I've figured out yet another one of your many talents..." Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times as she looked you right in the eye.

"H- Huh? What's that?"

Rarity sighed and her lips curled into a gentle grin. "It is simply impossible to be mad at you."

"Heh. You're right about that one, Rarity." Vinyl trotted around the couch and joined you at your side before giving you a tiny smooch on the cheek.

You smiled in embarrassment. "Vinyl..."

"And he's really cute when he's embarrassed." She nudged your shoulder a tiny bit and your cheeks reddened as you looked down, smiled, and played with your hoof nervously. The room was silent and still save for the occasional giggles from the other girls.

"A- Anyways... Should we get this party started?" You tried your best to end the awkward situation even though you loved it when Vinyl gave you PDA.

"'Ya don't have 'ta ask me twice!" Applejack said energetically.

"There's just one more thing we need before we start." Twilight backed her up as her horn glowed bright.

A purple flash of light came from the middle of the room not three feet from where you were standing. You shielded your eyes and backed away a little, almost tripping over Vinyl. It soon faded and it left your eyes with a dark spot. It was like looking directly at a flashlight and then turning it off. For a second, you couldn't see anything. However, your eyes slowly adjusted and you began to recognize the outline of something you hadn't seen in quite some time. In fact, you were almost certain that you'd never see it again.

It was a Christmas tree. It wasn't just a plain one, though. It was already decorated with ornaments including a star on top. You had to reach out with your hoof and feel the pine needles poke against it to convince yourself that it was real. It even had the smell you were used to. The strong smell of pine and sap filled your nostrils and it instantly soothed you whilst bringing back faint memories of past Christmases back home.

"Ta-da!" Twilight smiled with a *squee*.

"Geez, Twi. You've really out-done yourself... How did you know...?” You couldn't take your eyes off the tree.

She dodged the question and moved on. "So, should we move on to the gift exchange?"

"Oh, uh... Sure!" You looked around for your backpack and dragged it into the middle of the living room.

"So... Everything you bought for us is from the human world?" Fluttershy settled down on the floor in front of the tree and looked up at you cutely.

"Yup! I guess we should get those out of the way first?"

"Duh! I've been waiting for this for weeks!" Rainbow Dash flew over the furniture in the living room a bit before sitting down next to Fluttershy.

"But Alex, 'ya didn't have to spend all 'yer money just for us..." Applejack, even though she appeared just as excited, was humble as always.

"You girls have done so much for me over the past few months... It's the least I can do." You observed that the ponies were starting to form a semi-circle around you, so you sat down on the large comfy chair in the middle before lifting up your backpack to open it.

Vinyl didn't join them, though. She simply sat down next to the chair and looked up at you expectantly. You could see that she had brought one or two boxes with her as well as she pulled them from behind the chair and set them neatly next to her. Octavia soon did the same and sat down on the carpet to the left of Vinyl as the rest of the mane six gathered in front of you. You had almost forgotten that Octavia was there since she hadn't said a word since she arrived.

The bruised leg on Vinyl caught your eye once again and your tide of worries rose for a few moments. You couldn't quite tell if it had grown in size over the past week since it was mostly under her fur, but that's what bothered you the most. It wasn't a bruise. That much was for certain. A normal bruise would've healed up in a matter of days. Even though you promised yourself you would have fun at the party, you wrote a mental note in your head. She needed to see a doctor about this and it couldn't wait another day.

For now, though, it was your job to make sure your two roommates were having a good time. Your head turned to face Octavia and you tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"Hey, you okay?" You turned to her and whispered.

"Oh, yes. I'm just not accustomed to... Informal parties and the sort... I suppose this is a pleasant change of pace, though." Octavia flipped her tail a couple of times to get comfortable as she smiled up at you. Like Vinyl, you were glad when she was able to let loose and have some fun every once and awhile.

"Come on, Alex! Show us your package!" Pinkie yelled out, obviously impatient and hyper.

"Okay, okay!" You laughed and unzipped the bag.

As you did so, you could faintly see Vinyl grinning mischievously as she held her present close under her hoof.

"Of course... Vinyl comes first." You announced to the group once you felt the item in your bag. You instantly recognized it once you touched it and prepared to pull it out.

"Aw! Come on!" Pinkie yelled again.

"Patience, Pinky, dear. Patience." Rarity put a hoof on the hyper pony's back.

Author's Note

If there are any grammatical or spelling errors, please send me a PRIVATE MESSAGE and let me know so that I can fix them asap. Thanks for reading! <3