Chapters The True Meaning of Christmas
It was the most wonderful time of the year in Equestria, which was of course Hearth Warming's Eve. It was pretty much the only time that everypony wasn't not in a good mood. Twilight, since it was her first Hearth Warming's Eve as the Princess of Friendship, was invited to multiple "high end" events around Equestria. She of course turned down many of these invites not because she was trying to be snotty about being out in public, but rather she would much rather remain around Ponyville and Canterlot near her friends. One day, Twilight and her friends were sitting in the room with the six chairs in her castle and talking about what they should do for their "big trip" to celebrate the holidays. All of a sudden, the book that Twilight received the message from her friends at CHS started buzzing and jumping around like crazy.
"Hmmmmmm...... I wonder if my CHS friends are trying to send me a message" said Twilight as she used her unicorn magic to carry the book over to her chair.
She flipped to the page that was giving a golden glow.
"What does the message say?" asked Fluttershy.
"It says:
Dear Twilight,
We hope that you're having a joyful holiday season. We were wondering if you would be able to come to join us for a Christmas Party at CHS and slumber party on Christmas Eve at Pinkie Pie's house. Let us know when you get the chance and we hope to see you soon. Merry Christmas.
Your friends,
Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Sunset Shimmer.
P.S., If you want, you can bring one of your friends from your side of the portal." ". said Twilight.
"What the hey is Christmas?" asked Applejack.
"I have no idea, but I'm assuming it's similar to Hearth Warming's Eve." said Twilight.
"So Twilight, you wanna go to other side of the portal for this 'Christmas Party'? It seems like a fun time." said Spike.
"Yeah sure I don't see why not. I'm pretty sure that things at CHS have calmed down since the Dazzlings were defeated. I also wanna see what this 'Christmas' business is all about." said Twilight.
Twilight quickly powered up the makeshift portal she used to get to the other side when she went CHS to defeat the Dazzlings.
"Wait hold up Sugarcube! What about us? Why are you bailing out on us when Hearth Warming's Eve is just two days from now?" asked Applejack.
"I know how you feel about me just randomly just leaving you guys at this time of year but I really want to see what Christmas is about. I also haven't seen my CHS friends since we defeated the Dazzlings in the Battle of the Bands. This is gonna be the first time I get to see and spend time with them when there's hopefully no villain who's threatening to destroy CHS we have to defeat." said Twilight.
"Yeah I guess that makes since. Have fun y'all." said Applejack.
Just as Spike and Twilight were ready to run through the portal, Rainbow Dash stopped them at the last second.
"Wait Twilight, which one of us are gonna be the lucky pony to join you and Spike for this 'Christmas Party'?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Oh yeah right. Quickly write your name on a slip of paper and drop in the bucket and the name I pull out will be the one coming with me and Spike." said Twilight.
Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack quickly wrote their names on a slip of paper and put in the bucket. Spike then reached into the bucket and pulled out a slip of paper.
"The pony who will be joining me and Twilight for this 'Christmas Party' at CHS is............... Rainbow Dash!" said Spike.
Rainbow Dash all of a sudden started flying around the room in excitement.
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh! I get to go to the other side of the portal! It's gonna be so awesome!" said Rainbow Dash excitedly.
Twilight didn't say anything knowing that she assumed correctly what Rainbow Dash's reaction would be if she was chosen.
"Ok Rainbow calm down. We gotta go." said Twilight.
"Have fun and be safe." said Fluttershy.
Twilight along with Rainbow Dash and Spike then ran towards the portal and were on their way for what Twilight's CHS friends called a 'Christmas party'.
The True Meaning of Christmas
After a full day of shopping and spending time with each other down town, the Mane 7 along the CMC went back to Pinkie's house for the slumber party.
"Ok girls time for the first owner of business! That is we have a................. SNOWBALL FIGHT!" said Pinkie.
"What?!?!?! I absolutely dread snowball fights!" said Rarity.
"Oh c'mon sis! You say that for just about everything." said Sweetie Belle.
"Ok the teams are: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo against everyone else!" said Pinkie.
"Fair enough." said Applebloom.
Everyone hid behind the forts that pony Rainbow Dash and Pinkie built earlier that morning specifically for the occasion.
"Ready............. FIRE!" yelled human Rainbow Dash.
From that point forward, it was just five minutes of snowballs being thrown not only from behind the forts but also from the woods in Pinkie's backyard. Rarity got really desperate to get out of it as quickly as she could.
"Hey Pinkie, I'm gonna go inside and start a fire and make hot cocoa. I don't want to have any business in this snowball fight. I'll call everyone in when I'm ready." said Rarity.
"Okie dokey." said Pinkie.
The snowball fight lasted for about another half hour and seemed to have no signs of slowing down. Eventually, Rarity was ready for the "True Meaning of Christmas" talk she planned to have during the slumber party.
"Hey girls, c'mon in! The hot cocoa is ready!" said Rarity and everyone quickly ran inside the house freezing cold.
Once everyone got into their pajamas and so forth, they huddled around the fire and were ready to have the "True Meaning of Christmas" discussion.
The True Meaning of Christmas
Chapter 5: The True Meaning of Christmas
"Ok girls. Now I want to have a group discussion about the true meaning of Christmas. I figured we might as well talk about since we're all here together on the night of Christmas Eve and Santa Claus is supposed to arrive here within the next few hours." said Rarity.
"Go ahead what do you have to say?" asked Fluttershy.
"Well as you may know Christmas is considered the most wonderful time of the year for good reason. It's a time of year in which people gather to spend time with their family and friends and share the joy of the holiday season. However, unfortunately some people aren't as fortunate as us and in some cases don't have enough time or money to buy gifts or spend time with their loved ones. We're fortunate enough to be together here at Pinkie's house celebrating Christmas as a group and to have Twilight and the Rainbow Dash from her world to be joining us." said Rarity.
"Well said sis!" said Sweetie Belle.
"Can I add on to what you said Rarity?" asked Applejack.
"Absolutely, go right ahead." said Applejack.
"I one hundred percent agree with everything Rarity said about Christmas. However it may not seem like it but Christmas is a very sad time for me, Big Mac, and Applebloom." said Applejack.
Applebloom then got up and hugged Applejack really hard and started crying.
"Christmas is rough time of the year for me because when I was eighth grade and I was living in Auburn before I moved up here, on Christmas Eve, my parents went out to dinner that night so they could spend time together. As they were driving home, their car hit a pothole and the car flipped over and they were killed instantly. As soon as we found out we out, we couldn't do anything but cry because our parents were gone. The day after Christmas that year, me, Big Mac, and Applebloom said goodbye to our native home of Auburn, Alabama and moved with Granny Smith up here near CHS. Ever since, every night on Christmas Eve, we usually put all the presents under the tree and pray for about 2 hours in remembrance of my parents. I'm just thankful and fortunate enough that my granny lived right near the best high school in the world and that I have the 6 best friends anyone could have." said Applejack with tears running her face.
Everyone in the room got up and hugged Applejack after she just explained the events of what was the worst night of her life.
"I'm sorry about your loss Applejack. I'm sure your parents are looking over you everyday and motivating you to push through any obstacles you may face." said Twilight.
"Yeah. That's the main thing that keeps me motivated. I just sometimes wonder what would have happened if my parents didn't get killed in that car crash and I never moved up here." said Applejack.
"Oh darling. Don't worry about that! We're all friends and we got each others' backs no matter what happens." said Rarity.
"Thanks girls." said Applejack.
"Can I say something next?" asked Fluttershy.
"Sure. Go ahead." said Rarity.
"Ok so as you may know there are some people out there that aren't as generous and thankful for what they have. Some people think Christmas is just about getting gifts and having more possessions. Those people get on my nerve and sometimes I want to yell at them and tell them to be less greedy and more thankful for what they have. I know it may be tough at first for kids who are about as old as Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle to realize that Christmas isn't just about getting more toys but we have to realize that in an instant it could all be taken away from us and we could be left with almost nothing at all. It's also a great feeling to share the holiday spirit with the people with love." said Fluttershy.
"Oh oh oh oh, like what we're doing right now?" asked Scootaloo.
"Exactly. I'll admit I myself had a hard time understanding that Christmas was really about and there was a time in my life where I assumed all the people were doing at my house were bringing me more toys. As I got older, I came to realize that the most important thing about Christmas is the time you spend with your family and friends. While we're on the topic, I'd like to thank Pinkie for coming up with the idea for having a slumber party on Christmas Eve and inviting Twilight to join us for what I think is her first Christmas." said Fluttershy.
"Yep no problem." said Pinkie.
"Can I add something as well?" asked Twilight.
"Absolutely." said Rarity.
"As you may know, my real home is in Equestria which is on the other side of the portal. At around this time of year, we celebrate a holiday similar to Christmas called Hearth's Warming Eve. It's a holiday in which ponies of all kinds from around Equestria gather to celebrate the beginning of winter and to see their loved ones. About two years ago, me, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and our four other friends were given the honor of running the reenactment of the time when the three types of ponies united as one and ended the grudges held against each other. It was a big honor and I hope to do it again one day." said Twilight.
"Yeah I know right! I had the best costume out of the five of us!" said pony Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow please, will you stop bragging about that?!?! I got sick of that a long time ago." said Twilight.
"Oh yeah sorry! Continue what you were saying." said pony Rainbow Dash.
"What I'm trying to say is I'll never be able to tell you how thankful and fortunate I am for you giving me the opportunity to be with you guys especially around this time of year. I am having the time of my life so far and looking forward to another great day tomorrow. Thank you once again for not only inviting me but also for allowing me to bring one of my friends from my side of the portal to celebrate this great holiday with us." said Twilight.
Everyone then got together and had a big group hug that lasted about two minutes. They ended up having smaller conversations for about an hour until about 10:00 PM.
"Ok girls let's go hit the hay. I bet Santa will be here any minute now and I don't he'd want anyone seeing him while he's putting our presents under the tree." said Applejack.
"Sounds good to me." said Rarity and they headed up to bed in anticipation of the arrival of Santa Claus.
The True Meaning of Christmas
At around midnight when everyone fell asleep in Pinkie's room, the alarm went off on Applebloom's iPhone for midnight which she set intentionally for one reason, so she, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo could see Santa Claus.
"Sweetie, Scoots, wake up! I think Santa is gonna be here any second now!" whispered Applebloom.
The CMC quickly tiptoed downstairs dragging their blankets and pillows downstairs to the living room where the tree was. They fell asleep for about an hour and a half and woke up to the sound of coal falling down the chimney and bells ringing. And all of a sudden, Santa Claus appeared in all his glory with his bag of toys.
"Oh my! Looks like someone was wanting to see me do my magic!" said Santa when he saw that the CMC were in the living room.
Sweetie Belle got up despite the fact she was only half awake and then fully woke up when she realized she was staring Santa right in the face.
"Oh my gosh! Are you really Santa Claus?!?!" whispered Sweetie Belle.
"The one and only. Merry Christmas Sweetie Belle. I see you, Applebloom, and Scootaloo joined your sisters for their Christmas Eve sleepover. I haven't seen one of those in a while." said Santa.
"Yeah. It was kind of a last minute invitation since we originally were gonna have our own Christmas Eve sleepover at Applebloom's house. We thought it would only be right to join our sisters on Christmas Eve." said Scootaloo.
"Well according to my list, all three of you were on my good list this year! That means you get everything you put on your wishlist." said Santa.
"YAY!" said the CMC.
They then watched Santa spend about the next hour or so place all the presents that the CMC as well as the Mane 7 asked Santa to bring them under the tree. Right before Santa was ready to leave, Sweetie Belle had one more request.
"Hey Santa before you go, can me, Applebloom, and Scootaloo take a selfie with you so we can prove to the world that you're real?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Yeah sure, I don't see why not." said Santa.
After taking a selfie, Santa waved good-bye and was gone in the blink of an eye.
"That was so awesome! We were probably the first people to talk to Santa in person!" said Scootaloo.
**************************************************************************************
At around 4 AM, the CMC woke up and saw that the kitchen light was on. They walked over to the kitchen and saw Sunset Shimmer pull out a medium-sized sauce pan.
"Hey Sunset, what are y'all doing at 4 in the morning?" asked Applebloom.
"Oh uh nothing. I'm making hot chocolate pudding for everyone to eat as an 'appetizer' before we open gifts and then have a real breakfast." said Sunset.
"Hey Sunset, we gotta show you something that's gonna blow your mind! Last night, we woke up at around midnight and sneaked downstairs so we can Santa and guess what, we saw him and he brought us everything we wished for and we even took a selfie with him!" said Scootaloo.
"Haha, likely story. I want proof." said Sunset as she was pouring in the pudding mix into the pot.
"Do you call this legit?!?!?!" asked Sweetie Belle as she pulled up the selfie that she, Applebloom, and Scootaloo took with Santa on her phone.
"WHAT?!?!?!?! You mean............... Santa really agreed to take a selfie with you?!?!?! THAT IS SO AWESOME!!!!!" said Sunset.
"Yeah I know right. Now we'll actually have something we can brag about to Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara." said Scootaloo.
"Ok ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves. The pudding is ready. You wanna try some?" said Sunset.
"Yeah sure." said Applebloom.
Sunset gave Applebloom a cup of the pudding and Applebloom took a bite of it.
"This is good!" said Applebloom.
"Glad you liked it. I think you should go awake everyone else so we can open presents." said Sunset.
"Alrighty then!" said Sweetie Belle and the CMC ran upstairs to wake the others.
The True Meaning of Christmas
Meanwhile on the other side of the portal, Twilight's CHS friends were sitting on top of a snowbank near the horse statue just outside the school waiting for the possible return of Twilight.
"I'm starting to think Twilight didn't get our message." said Rainbow Dash.
Just as she said this, Twilight and Rainbow Dash along with Spike shot out of the statue and landed in a blanket of snow.
(Watch this before continuing to read for laughs)
Youtube Video
Immediately, the Mane 5 ran over to greet Twilight.
"Merry Christmas Twilight! Glad y'all came to join us for the Christmas Party and the slumber party at Pinkie's house." said Applejack.
"We really missed you! The slumber party at my house is gonna be one for the ages!" said Pinkie Pie.
Sunset Shimmer walked over to the Rainbow Dash from Equestria and helped her up. Rainbow Dash surprisingly got used to her new body pretty quickly but was confused about the new surroundings.
"Wait a minute. Aren't you the one who tried to steal Twilight's crown?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Yes unfortunately. But trust me, I'm a new person. Everyone at CHS loves me now." said Sunset.
The human Rainbow Dash quickly ran over to the Rainbow Dash from Equestria in awe about the fact another one of her joined Twilight for the Christmas festivities.
"Oh my gosh! This is awesome! I finally see someone who's exactly like me!" said the human Rainbow Dash.
"I know right! We're gonna party hard for the next few days!" said the Rainbow Dash from Equestria.
"So uh, what's the deal for the Christmas party and the slumber party?" asked Twilight.
Rarity quickly ran over to grab Spike and hugged him as tight as she could.
"Well the Christmas party is tonight since it's the night before Christmas Eve and tomorrow is Christmas Eve, the slumber party at Pinkie's house will be tomorrow night. Trust me Twilight, we'll make absolutely sure that you and the other Rainbow Dash won't be standouts but rather just normal people attending the party." said Rarity.
"Thanks Rarity." said Twilight.
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go party!" said Pinkie Pie and they all headed into the school for the Christmas party.
The True Meaning of Christmas
The party lasted for only about an hour and a half. It was filled with giggles, caroling, and Christmas cheer. The Rainbooms were even brought back to lead in the caroling. After the party ended, Twilight and pony Rainbow Dash had to decide where they would be staying for the night since the slumber party at Pinkie's house wouldn't be until the next night.
"Oh oh oh oh! You should totally stay at my house tonight! I'll tell you all about Christmas since apparently you don't know much about this awesome holiday! We'll also come up with a plan for the slumber party tomorrow night!" said Pinkie.
"Sounds good to me. See you guys tomorrow." said Twilight and she, Pinkie, Spike, and pony Rainbow Dash headed to Pinkie's house.
************************************************************
As soon as they arrived at Pinkie's house, Pinkie started giggling.
"What's funny?" asked Twilight.
"I just can't help but not think about the fact there are now two Rainbow Dashes on this side of the portal now! That's pretty awesome!" said Pinkie.
"Yeah I know! Tell me about it!" said pony Rainbow Dash.
They walked inside the house and walked up to Pinkie's room where they put all their bags in a corner. Pinkie then went to grab her computer so they could brainstorm party ideas for the following night.
"Oh my gosh, you're just gonna LOVE Christmas! What we do is we write letters to this guy named Santa Claus what we want for Christmas and on the night of Christmas Eve, he comes to every house in the world and leaves presents that we want! It's gonna be so awesome!" said Pinkie.
"Hey that's my line!" said pony Rainbow Dash.
"Oh yeah forgot sorry!" said Pinkie.
"So what exactly are we doing tomorrow night that's any different from the slumber party we had on the night before the Battle of the Bands a few weeks back?" asked Twilight.
"Well, I was thinking since it's supposed to snow every day for the next week, we could build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels, and then when it's all said and done, we'll sit around the fire drinking hot cocoa and telling each other spooky Christmas ghost stories. Rarity also wants to have a group discussion about the 'True Meaning of Christmas'. I'm telling you, I won't make you regret your decision to leave your friends behind in Equestria to join us to celebrate Christmas. This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!" said Pinkie.
Twilight just sat there in awe getting more and more excited about the next night.
"I have a suggestion. For this thing called a 'snowball fight', maybe we should invite Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo to play against us." said Twilight.
"Twilight, you're a genius! I was thinking the same exact thing! They too may also stick around for the slumber party too!" said Pinkie.
By the time they were done planning for the next night, it was about 9:30.
"Ok we're good to go for tomorrow night. Let's catch some z's so we'll be energized and up for whatever happens tomorrow!" said Pinkie.
"Fair enough. Good night Pinkie." said Twilight and they went to bed.