It was a calm but snowy Hearth's Warming Eve night at the Discord family castle. The giant fireplace was glowing bright and deeply warmed the grand living room of the castle. There was also a tall and proud Douglas Fir standing in the middle of this room. Discord and Fluttershy were decorating this beautiful tree with ornaments and lights...along with their precious six year old filly named Screwball.
Screwball loved decorating the tree with her parents. She loved the colorful lights that swirled around it and the pretty but funny ornaments that perched on each branch. She almost loved decorating the tree more than getting presents! Well almost. She was thankful this year to have permission from her mommy to help with some of the ornaments. It means that Screwball was a big girl now, not a baby.
As Screwball was hanging some gingerbread ornaments on the branches on the bottom of the tree, she noticed a small green pickle ornament just above her head.
Now Screwball loves to eat pickles. They were her favorite non-sweet and non-candy treat. And sometimes, Screwball likes to eat things that weren't considered food like glass, china tea cups, paper, and etc. Just like her daddy. However, her mommy discourages her to not eat these non-food substances too much, worrying that it would give poor Screwy a tummy ache.
Even though Screwy knew that the pickle ornament wasn't a real pickle, the little filly couldn't help but drool at the sight of it. Screwy licked her lips. She was trying to resist the temptation. She can't eat an ornament! Not on Hearth's Warming Eve! If she did, her parents will get mad at her and she will never be allowed to decorate the tree ever again!
But the more time Screwy spent time staring at it...the more she wanted it...
"Sweetie, do you need some more ornaments to hang?" asked Fluttershy.
When Screwy turned her head towards her mother, Fluttershy found her daughter sucking on the pickle ornament.
"Oh dear! Sweetie, spit that out!" exclaimed a very worried and motherly Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus held her hoof underneath Screwy's chin, so that way, her daughter can spit out the ornament into Fluttershy's hoof.
Once the ornament was out of Screwy's mouth, the purple filly gave her mother a sad yet guilty puppy dog face. While Fluttershy was cleaning the pickle ornament with a paper towel, she gave Screwy a soft and comforting smile.
"It's alright honey. You didn't know." said Fluttershy while gently patting her daughter's head.
Fluttershy looked down at the ornament in her hooves, then slowly turned her sweet gaze at her husband who was just putting the star on top of the tree. "This ornament is very special Screwy. Do you know why?"
Screwy nodded from side to side and said "No. Why?"
"It's special because your daddy gave me this ornament on our first Hearth's Warming together as a married couple." Fluttershy explained.
Screwy looked down at the pickle ornament before returning her attention to her mommy "Why did he give you a pickle for the tree?"
"Well, why not a pickle my dear?" proclaimed Discord while walking towards his lovely wife and his baby girl.
Discord continued with "Think about my dear. You wouldn't expect a Hearth's Warming tree to be decorated with a pickle. Right? So in other words..."
Screwy then realized what her dad was trying to explain. She exclaimed with glee "What fun is there in making sense?"
Discord gave his daughter a bright toothy grin along with an affectionate noogie, "That's right my dearest!"
The noogie made Screwy giggle in delight. Fluttershy smiled sweetly at Discord and Screwy before telling them "And ever since then, I've hung this cute pickle on our tree every year."
Fluttershy quietly went up to the magnificent Heath's Warming tree and gracefully placed the pickle ornament in the middle of the tree. "And every year, this little ornament has brought our trees good luck. It brings good luck to our home and to our Hearth's Warming. And you know what else Screwy?"
Screwy went up to Fluttershy and the tree, "What mommy?"
Fluttershy brought her little Screwy in a hug and cooed "I ate lots of pickles and ice cream when you were in my tummy."
Screwy joyously replied "Really?! So that's why I like pickles!"
Fluttershy nuzzled into Screwy's swirly mane and softly added "That's right sweetie."
Discord smiled warmly and sighed at the sight of his two favorite ponies hugging by the light of the Hearth's Warming tree. He walked over and joined in the group hug.
During the group hug, Screwy looked back at the pickle ornament on the tree and asked her mom "Hey mom? Can I hang the pickle on the tree next year?"
Screwy's mom and dad looked at each other lovingly before Fluttershy answered "Of course you can honey."
Discord added "In fact, you can do it every year if you want."
Screwy's face lit up and she wrapped her front legs around her parents' neck in excitement "Really?! Thank you mom and dad! Thank you!"
Fluttershy and Discord chuckled warmly in their child's embrace. Fluttershy then explained "And when you have a family of your own, daddy and I will pass down the pickle ornament to you. But you have to promise us that you will take good care of it. You promise?"
Screwy smiled and responded with an innocent "I promise."
9 years later...
"And that Zany is the story of the pickle."
Screwball was holding her baby brother Zany in her arms while looking at the pickle ornament in the Discord family Hearth's Warming tree.
Zany clapped his front hooves together and giggled when the story ended.
Screwy chuckled "I knew that you would like that story."
The swirled eyed mare looked closely at the pickle ornament glistening in the tree's lighting before returning her attention back to her baby bro. He was reaching out towards the ornament while making some happy baby gurgling sounds in the process.
Screwball smirked at this and then said "Since you like the ornament so much, I'll make you a deal. Every year, we will hang this ornament together. And when we both our families and such, we will take turns on having the pickle. Deal?"
Zany responded while waving his arms in the air "Baba gooo!"
Screwy replied with "I'll take that as a yes. Oh, one more thing. Promise me that you won't try to eat the pickle ornament. Okay?"
Author's Note
MissKoi doesn't own MLP and Disneyfanatic's "Daughter of Discord", for they belong to their respective owners and creators.
What inspired me to write this story is basically my love for decorating my family Christmas with my parents every year. I've loved doing it ever since I was little. It's one of my favorite things to do for the holidays. Every year, we would hang a little green pickle ornament on our tree. It belonged to my grandma. Every Christmas, she would put it on her tree. My grandma was the sweetest soul you could ever meet and she had a deep love for quirky things. Crazy pattern socks, tiny metal figures, elephants, acorns, you name it!:) She loved them all! But she loved her family the most. She was always so understanding and loved us all unconditionally, and I loved her for it. She passed away when I was in second grade. But I believe she's my guardian angel. That pickle ornament us my favorite thing to hang on our tree. My family and I believe that it gives our tree, our Christmas, and our house good luck. That ornament reminds us that she is always with us. My parents say that I inherited my grandma's sweet and quirky nature. It's funny though, I don't like eating pickles but I love that pickle ornament:D This story is dedicated to my grandma.
