Old Saint Nick

by Matthew Penn

Rating: everyone
Tags: Comedy, Other, Equestria Girls, Pinkie Pie, Sunset Shimmer
Length: 11553

Sunset Shimmer never believed in Santa Claus, but just days before Christmas a strange old man appears at her doorstep.

Sunset Shimmer never believed in Santa Claus or the fantastic stories surrounding him, especially when someone like Pinkie Pie tries to convince her that he's real, and everyone knows to take everything she says with a grain of salt. However, the two teenage girls are thrust into an extraordinary situation when Sunset finds a strange old man lying on the snow in front of her house one night just days before Christmas.

Published 2015-12-16 18:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-16 18:10:01 UTC

Old Saint Nick

The nine foot tall Christmas tree that stood at the center of the entrance to Canterlot High School was the first thing Sunset Shimmer saw every morning when she stepped through the doors during December. The tree was a perfect shade of pine green; it smelled nice and fresh, although a few that passed by often had their allergies catch up with them. It was decorated in the manner Christmas trees were often decorated: wrapped in silver and gold tinsel from top to bottom, with bulbs that hung all around in the colors of green, blue, red, and gold, as well as candy canes and garlands, little toy angels and little soldiers and nutcrackers, and miniature sleighs, and sprayed with white foam to make it look snow-covered.

Besides the tree, the entire school was in a festive mood. The halls, like the Christmas tree, was adorned with colorful decorations. Red ribbons were hung above the lockers that extended to every corner. There were banners that said “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays” in gold and red capital letters. The faculty, she found, were wearing those ridiculous Christmas sweaters, except for maybe the gym teachers, who were probably sporting those reindeer antlers on their caps, which were just as ridiculous.

Music played while the students gathered their supplies from their lockers, and talked together in the middle of the hall. It was the usual fair that played during the Christmas season. The song that was playing through the loudspeakers was Have a Holly Jolly Christmas, which she found annoying, no matter who was singing it. Walking further down the hall she saw Principal Celestia speaking to the three girls Sunset saw sometimes around the school. Two of them she knew were the young sisters of Rarity and Applejack, but she wasn’t so sure about the one with the short hair. She does seem to admire Rainbow Dash a lot.

Principal Celestia noticed that she was coming her way, and gave one of the most pleasant smiles that wouldn’t look good on anyone but her, and a wave of her hand. Sunset returned the favor, and the memories of Hearth’s Warming in Canterlot Castle in her old world came back to her. She sighed, but the smile remained on her face. The young girls also noticed her and waved their arms at her, grinning. Sunset kept her spirit high and went about her business.

She rolled her eyes when the loudspeaker played Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. Luckily, the music room was just ahead, maybe the Rainboom could help drown out the songs she thought were lame. Before opening the door she heard them playing music, and found herself nodding her head to the beat. After a few seconds the music stopped and she heard voices that sounded like Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Sunset chuckled, then let herself in.

“Did I miss anything?” she said.

“Nope, you’re just in time,” Applejack said. “We were just practicing for Yulefest, if Rainbow Dash doesn’t show off too much.”

“I can’t help it! You know how I get in the zone when I’m playing. I can’t escape it,” Rainbow Dash said, grinning.

“Can you at least try to be on the same level as us? Remember, Yulefest ain’t the Rainbow Dash Holiday Special,” said Applejack.

“That’ll be awesome, wouldn’t it?”

Rainbow and Applejack carried their discussion for a full minute, leaving Fluttershy and Rarity to give awkward glances at themselves and at Sunset. There was nothing anyone could do. Sunset wondered if their pony versions were just like what she saw now. She grabbed the guitar and joined the band.

Pinkie counted to four by beating her drum sticks together, then the band began to play. Sunset and Rainbow Dash started started first, but Rainbow performed a guitar riff that contain an excerpt from Up on the Housetop, which was another familiar Christmas tune Sunset recognized, and Applejack laid down the beat on her bass guitar. Rainbow was also the lead singer, and the lyrics were about how wonderful the holiday season was, and how Christmas wasn’t complete without the company of family and friends, which was something Sunset heard in a million other songs before, but she let this one slide since it was the Rainbooms’ song. Rarity, on the melodica, brought some festive flavor to the song, as bells and chimes were heard throughout. Fluttershy just follow the rhythm with her tambourine.

The song played for three minutes and ten seconds, and at the height of their song their bodies glowed and pony tails appeared on their backsides and pony ears materialized where their normal ears should be. Sunset, despite her realizing it was just the magic of friendship, still had no idea how it was done. She remembered performing scientific experiments on them months before, only finding out that logic will be no help to her. As the song ended, their bodies returned to normal, but Rainbow Dash placed much effort into a solo before the music stopped, then got a look from Applejack.

“What?” Rainbow Dash said. “Come on, I wasn’t showing off that time! The song was gonna end, I couldn’t leave it hanging like that!”

“I thought it sounded pretty cool,” Pinkie added.

Rainbow Dash announced the rehearsal to be over, since the morning were going to start in several minutes. She, Applejack and Rarity placed their instruments into their cases, Fluttershy had a backpack to put her tambourine in.

“I can’t wait for Yulefest to arrive,” Fluttershy said. “It’s going to be so much fun. For me, one of things I enjoy about Christmas is the music.”

“The music’s alright,” Sunset said.

“I think they’re wonderful. One of my favorites is O Holy Night. Last year Octavia performed it as a cello solo, and it really beautiful,” Fluttershy said. “I hope she does another solo for Yulefest.”

“I heard she and Vinyl have decided on a duet this year,” Rarity said. “If you ask me, then that will make for truly be fantastic performance.”

“Not as fantastic as us,” Rainbow Dash added. “It’s obvious we’re going to bring the house down.”

“Hold on, Rainbow Dash. Yulefest ain’t a competition,” Applejack said. “It’s all about getting everybody together to make music and spread Christmas cheer.”

They all agreed to what Applejack had said, then the warning bell for first period rang, which meant everyone had five minutes to get to their classes. Sunset Shimmer was in world history with Rarity, which was on the first floor. Arriving at the door they found themselves walking under a mistletoe. Featherweight, who was the one who had set it up, leaned forward to both of them for a kiss, which, unfortunately for him the two dodged his smooches just in time. They chuckled as they watched Diamond Tiara become disgusted of his advances.

After world history came biology, a class that always had Lyra Heartstrings, an acquaintance of Sunset, excited. Then it was time for lunch. Recently, there was always in instance where one person, or a group of people, would lead the entire cafeteria into a well-choreographed musical number. This happened just when Twilight Sparkle came to receive the stolen crown from her before. Shifting her gaze from side of the cafeteria to the other, nothing looked as anything strange was going to happen, and Sunset was free to eat with her friends in peace.

“What do y’all want to do after Yulefest,” Applejack asked.

“How about we have a Christmas Eve slumber party?” Rarity asked.

“Sounds like a plan. I’m in,” Sunset said.

“Me too,” said Rainbow, her mouth full of the remains of her sloppy joe. “It’s going to be a blast!”

Pinkie raised her hand excitedly. “Can it be at my house? We can play games, tell stories, watch Christmas movies! And we can have all the eggnog we want!” The girls spoke up all at once, approving the idea that the party be held at Pinkie’s house. “And best of all, we can try and catch Santa Claus!”

“I don’t think you wanna do that,” Applejack said. “You know how that song goes: He’s sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake.”

“You know I’ve been trying to catch Santa Claus on the act since I was little! I’ll get him someday, even if it kills me!”

“Um, not to be that person,” Sunset said, “but isn’t Santa Claus, like… you know, a myth?”

Suddenly, it was as though the world had completely stopped. A gust of wind blew on Pinkie, making her hair fly back, her face left in perpetual shock. The other girls gazed back at Sunset, disturbed by what she had said. Sunset exchanged nervous glances to her friends. After a moment Pinkie took a glass of water and splashed it on her face to return to reality, then glared at Sunset.

“What do you mean myth?” she asked angrily. “He’s as real as the space aliens that abducted Snips and Snails last summer!”

Sunset just sat and stared, then said “I don’t think that helps your argument.”

Pinkie frustratingly sat up, but Applejack placed hands on her shoulders and sat her back down, calming her. “Well, if Santa’s not real, then how do the presents get under the tree?”

“Um… other people? Parents?”

“That’s crazy talk! Parents don’t buy presents!”

“Pinkie, I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s alright if you believe in Santa Claus, but to me he’s just a story. You know, a story for the kids. Nothing wrong with that.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes and folded her arms.

“Did they have anything like Santa Claus where you’re from?” Fluttershy asked.

“Not really. Well, there was the story of Günther the Hearth’s Warming Penguin, but he wasn’t exactly popular.”

“Why not? Everybody likes penguins.”

“Can we get back to the subject?” said Pinkie. “I’ll have you know that Santa Claus is real! He’s more realer than you can imagine! Come this Christmas, when I finally catch him you’re going to be like whoa, you’re right Pinkie! He is real! I’m sorry for saying he wasn’t. I’m Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset chuckled and shook her head at Pinkie’s weak attempt to mimic her. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.

The bell rang, meaning that lunch break has ended. Sunset Shimmer and the girls continued the school day learning about things they’ll probably forget later in life. However, during her math class the teacher turned the radio on to a station that was playing Christmas music. Unfortunately, she couldn’t focus on her work when Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer was next on the station’s playlist, due to how awful the whole scenario was. Finally, after a long day, the last bell rang to release the students. It was a particularly special day for them, since it was the last day of school before winter break, and only four more days until Christmas.

Sunset Shimmer met with the Rainbooms at the music room after school. Pinkie was still upset about their disagreement over the existence of Santa Claus, but she didn’t let it affect the way she played the drums. While they rehearsed their song for Yulefest she was as happy as she could ever be, but when rehearsals ended she kept her eyes on Sunset like a hawk on the prowl, even as she made her way to the door.

“Don’t worry about her,” Applejack told Sunset. “Just give her a day or so, she’ll probably forget about the whole thing.”

“I hope so. Applejack, do you believe Santa Claus is real?”

“Heck if I know. But if it just so happens that two ponies from another world helped us defeat three mind-controlling sirens through the magical power of friendship, then anything’s bound to be real, right?”

Sunset was unsure of what to think, so she smiled and nodded. Once in a blue moon Applejack had a way to stump her. On her way home and through the night she thought about what she said. During late hours Sunset liked to search the internet; sometimes for research, other times for entertainment. She watched a series of informative videos from the human world's’ leading thinkers - if Equestria had Wi-Fi then she would recommend them to Twilight immediately - and read articles about Santa Claus and how the character originated. No matter the variation, all sources point to a Greek bishop named Saint Nicholas, who was famous for his methods of gift giving like putting coins inside shoes of those who left them out for him.

She wrote what information she found in her notebook. Sunset believed that Pinkie would like to know about this. However, after thinking it over, she came to the realization that Pinkie might find the Saint Nicholas story to be boring, only wanting the flying reindeer, the red sleigh, and the giant sack full of gifts instead. An old man putting coins in people’s shoes didn’t sound nearly as interesting as landing a reindeer-pulled sleigh on a roof and climbing down a chimney.

Sunset turned off her computer and readied herself for bed, only to be startled by a sudden, loud thump outside. It was too dark to see anything through the window. She slid the slippers on her feet, put her arms through the sleeves of her winter coat, and stepped outside in the snow with a flashlight in her hand. Sunset called out for whoever or whatever it was that made the loud thump. The flashlight circled around herself, finding nothing but snow-covered bushes and trees. Then she heard a noise, something like groaning. It was very deep. The groaning came from the front, and Sunset pointed the flashlight toward the spot.

There was a man lying face down on the snow. Sunset gasped, and rushed toward the man. She turned him on his back. From the looks of him he couldn’t have been no more than seventy years of age, possibly seventy-five or maybe eighty. He had long, dirty grey hair and a large, messy beard. His clothes were worn out, the colors fading, with holes on them. Sunset helped him inside the house, then laid him on the couch.

“Sir, are you okay? What happened? Who did this to you?”

The old man didn’t answer, only groaned some more. Sunset picked up the phone to dial 9-1-1, frantically explaining the situation to the operator and requesting an ambulance. Hanging up she returned to the old man. “The ambulance is on their way? Is there anything I can do?”

The old man opened his mouth, trying to force the words to come out. Unfortunately he fainted before Sunset could get an answer. An index and middle finger touched the old man’s neck. There was still a pulse. Sunset covered him with a warm blanket and stayed with him until she heard the ambulance sirens coming her way.

The next day Sunset met with the Rainbooms at Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s bakery eatery, sitting at a large booth with cups of hot chocolate for a winter’s day, but Pinkie Pie already had six glasses of eggnog.

“Last night, I had a dream where sugar plums were dancing around my head!” she said. “They looked so real that I almost grabbed one and ate it! Pretty funny, isn’t it?”

“Doesn’t that only supposed to happen on Christmas Eve?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You know, like in that story?”

“I’d like to have sugar plums dancing in my head,” Fluttershy commented. “It doesn’t happen as normally as much as I want it to.”

To divert from the silly discussion, Rainbow Dash reminded them of their schedule rehearsal for Yulefest, but her efforts failed when Fluttershy and Pinkie continued the topic of nonsensical dreams and their meanings. The voices died down when the girls heard soft but audible snoring coming from their table. Sunset held her head on her hand, her elbow on the table. Her eyes were shut. Rainbow snapped her fingers in front of Sunset’s face, tapped her arm and shoulder repeatedly until she woke up.

“Jeez. You get any sleep last night?” said Rainbow.

She yawned. “Not exactly. The other night was… something.”

“What happened?” asked Applejack.

“As I was getting ready to turn in, I heard a loud noise outside. I went to check it out, and then I found this old man man lying on the snow.”

The girls spoke at once, gasping and commenting on what she said. Sunset continued. “I got him inside the house before he froze to death and called 9-1-1. They got him, but for the rest of the night I couldn’t sleep.”

“Is he alright?” Fluttershy asked.

“It didn’t look like someone tried to mug him or anything. He might have been confused and lost, I don’t know. Poor guy.”

Everyone was silent, then Pinkie sat up from her seat. “Let’s go find him and wish him a Merry Christmas,” she said.

“You mean, go to the hospital?” Sunset asked. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Of course it is! It’ll make his day!”

Pinkie drank the last of her eggnog and left money on the table. Wrapping her yellow scarf around her neck and putting her purple coat on, she grabbed Sunset’s arm and pulled her from her seat. Pinkie, dragging Sunset with her, rushed toward the door before Rainbow Dash blocked her way.

“You’re not going to be late for rehearsals, are you?”

“I’ll try to make it back, I promise.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, but moved out of the way so Pinkie and Sunset can leave. Before they went further down the road Rainbow stepped outside and spoke in a loud voice to remind her to not forget about their rehearsal. Because they were running they accidentally skidded on ice frozen on the sidewalk, but they arrived safely at a bus stop and got picked up by the next bus which took them to the city hospital. On arrival they entered and met with a secretary.

“May help you young ladies?” the secretary asked.

“An old man was picked up last night from 701 Everfree Drive,” Sunset said. “We’re just here to check on him.”

“Are you his family?”

Pinkie and Sunset exchanged questioning glances at each other until Pinkie nodded. “Yes. We’re his granddaughters,” Sunset lied.

“You wait right here, I’ll get someone to take you to his room.”

Pinkie and Sunset sat on chairs that was close to the entrance. Unlike Canterlot High, the hospital had only a few decorations. There was a Christmas tree standing in one corner from her left. It wasn’t nearly as extravagant as the tree from school, but it looked just as nice. Red tinsel and golden ribbons hung on the walls. It was understandable, the doctors more worried about the lives of others than how the inside of the hospital looked for the holidays.

A nurse approached them and led them down the hall to where the old man’s room was. She opened the door and let the girls in. There they saw the old man lying in bed, resting. He looked considerably better than the night before. A small television on a corner of the ceiling was on, tuned to an old black and white film that was airing. A man was embracing his family beside a Christmas tree, and a little girl said something about an angel getting his wings, then the film ended.

“Should we wake him up?” Pinkie asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to disturb him.”

Sunset slowly approached him from the side, lightly tapping his chest, grabbing his shoulder and shaking it gently. The old man came to, and to his confusion he saw two teenaged girls standing next to his bed, the pink one grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He rubbed his eyes to get a better look at them.

“Who are you?” he asked in a deep voice.

“Um, you may not remember me,” Sunset said, “but I took you into my home when I found you lying on the snow. I didn’t know what happened to you and I was so worried. My name is Sunset Shimmer.”

“And I’m Pinkie Pie! When Sunset told me what happened we rushed straight here so we can wish you a Merry Christmas!”

“Oh. Well… thank you, whoever you two are.” The old sat up on his bed. His hand was on the side of his head where a sore spot was. “I must have hit my head really hard, because I can hardly remember what happened to me.”

“So, uh, what’s your name?” Sunset asked.

“I can’t remember my name either, although I last night I thought I heard a strange voice calling me… Nick. It might have been a terrible dream.”

“Nick? That’s a weird name for someone like you,” Sunset said. “No offense, of course.”

“Well, I guess Nick will have to do for now.”

Sunset turned to Pinkie, but the wide grin on her face disappeared, replaced with a look in which Sunset deciphered was a mix of shock and astonishment. Pinkie’s right foot tapped repeated, the small strands of her poofy hair seemed to twitch, her pupils shrank, then grew a second later. “Twitchy, twitcha, twitchy-twitch,” she whispered.

Sunset grew incredibly nervous. “Pinkie, are you okay?” she asked cautiously. Pinkie went for a closer look at Nick, leaning forward to stare at him with narrow eyes, inspecting him closely. Nick feared for his life, making Sunset pull Pinkie away from him. “Pinkie, what’s wrong with you?”

“... It’s him,” Pinkie said in a low, stunned voice.

“It’s who?”

“It’s really him.” A wide grin appeared on her face, making Sunset uncomfortable than ever before. “Santa.”

Sunset stared at her, the only response she gave was a simple, flat “What.”

Pinkie excitedly invaded Nick’s personal space, asking him questions that he neither knew or had any idea what to say. Once again, Sunset pulled her away from him, apologizing while Pinkie spoke over her, merry as a schoolgirl who just got her first puppy.

“This is just preposterous,” Nick said. “Why does that girl think I’m Santa Claus?”

“She had too much eggnog today,” Sunset explained. She placed both arms on Pinkie, making her stop, but she kept smiling and pointing her finger at Nick. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Can you remember anything from… anytime before last night?”

Nick laid back on his pillow, thinking. “It’s all just a blur, like a long dream that I never woke from.”

“What about your family?” Sunset asked.

Nick paused. He didn’t look at them. There was a look of sadness on his face, but Sunset and Pinkie couldn’t see him. “I don’t know if I even have a family.”

“I’m sure you do,” Sunset said. “I’m pretty there’s people out there looking for you, wondering where you are.”

Nick sighed. He’d like to believe her.

“Do you mind if we stay with you a little longer?” Pinkie asked.

“Of course you can,” said Nick.

There was another Christmas movie playing on the small television. It was a stop motion animated film from long ago. Sunset could never look at those films for a long time. They way the puppets moved and their facial features made her uneasy, though the same couldn’t be said of Pinkie. Apparently, the animated special was about the origin story of Santa Claus. He started out a young boy with red hair and freckles, giving presents to the poor orphan children every winter. Of course magic was involved later in his life, when the elves exiled from their land accompanied him when he travelled to the North Pole and became one with the reindeer.

“I think I used to have hair like that,” Nick said.

“Really?” asked Sunset.

“Well, it was long ago. I can’t remember. I might not have had red hair.”

Something mysterious about Nick seem to call Pinkie’s attention. She couldn’t ignore it. He has to be the big man in red. There was no other explanation. The pink strands of her hair twitched again, her right tapped lightly tapped.

After spending time with the old man named Nick, Sunset decided it was about time to leave him be. He thanked the girls for checking on him, and apologized to Sunset for giving her such a fright. She was relieved that he was okay. Pinkie, on the other hand, was still ecstatic about the possibility of him being the fabled Santa Claus. The temperature dropped further once Sunset and Pinkie were outside.

“I absolutely, positively, super sure that Nick is Santa Claus!” said Pinkie. “It’s gotta be him, I just know it! Can you believe it?”

“I believe all the eggnog has gone straight to your head,” said Sunset. “How in the world did you get an idea like that?”

“Um - the beard, the white hair, his deep voice,” Pinkie said matter-of-factly. “He was wearing a red shirt, and his nose and cheeks were pink! Did you see how fat he was? It has to be him!”

“That last part wasn’t very nice. He was just a poor old man with amnesia, nothing more.”

Pinkie spontaneously appeared in front of Sunset, causing her to jump back. She cast a hard glare at her. Her index finger was aimed at Sunset. “I’ll prove to you that Nick is Santa Claus, if it’s the last thing I’ll do!”

“How?”

The glare on Pinkie’s face became soft, and she said, “I don’t know.”

With nothing left to say, Sunset and Pinkie took a bus that dropped them off at Applejack’s family farm where the Rainbooms were going to practice inside a shed. Before their rehearsal Sunset wrote a letter to Princess Twilight in her journal. In the letter she detailed everything that happened the previous night from the old man appearing at her doorstep to Pinkie’s speculation that the old man is Santa Claus. She also explained who Santa Claus was and why he is an important figure in the human world, although she emphasized that he was work of fiction. Before closing her letter, she asks Twilight if she remembers her parents telling her the story of Günther the Hearth’s Warming Penguin, then gave a Hearth’s Warming wish to Twilight, her friends in Equestria, and Princess Celestia.

Pinkie was preoccupied with Nick the old man, and she thought about him so much that it affected her drumming. Rainbow Dash had to scold her from time after time, telling her to keep up and wake up. Pinkie explained that she believed she had found Santa Claus, and he is currently at the hospital recovering. Rainbow was at a loss for words. Afterward, she didn’t anything else, neither did the rest of the Rainbooms, but Rainbow still wanted her to keep up. The band continued, which unfortunately for them, Pinkie kept changing her tempo on the drums, causing much frustration for Rainbow Dash. Too distracted to keep up with her bandmates Pinkie decided to end the rehearsal. When she left, Rainbow complained very loudly and said words that didn’t sound so nice, causing Fluttershy to cover her ears.

The moon was above the winter sky and everyone had went to sleep; all but Pinkie Pie, holding on to her blanket while keeping herself awake. Not once did she think about anything other than Nick as the day went on. He was the one true Santa Claus, down to earth earlier than usual. She wondered how this could have happened. Pinkie pictured the North Pole in a state of unrest; elves running in circles trying to keep up with the production of toys and figuring out what happened to the big man in red, Mrs. Claus in a desperate position to take control of the workshop, and the overflow of letters from children that haven’t been sorted out. Pinkie watched enough Christmas specials to know that if Santa is unable to perform his job, then it’s up to a true believer to save Christmas before it’s too late.

She opened her closet and pulled out a black bodysuit, put a black wool cap over her pink head, and slipped on a pair of black converses. On the top shelf of her closet was a junior spy kit she received as a birthday gift two years ago. She’d always it will come in handy someday. She inserted it inside her backpack, then ran downstairs into her garage to find her bicycle. With both feet on the pedals Pinkie rode into the night, not stopping until she arrived at the hospital.

Pinkie took her junior spy kit out of her backpack. She inserted suction cups on her gloves and shoes so she can climb up the building, but realized that Nick’s room was on the ground level. “Oh nuts,” she groaned. “I really wanted to use these.” Pinkie removed the suction cups and placed them inside the backpack, then simply walked inside the hospital. Nobody was at the secretary’s table, which gave her an advantage. She was a living shadow with the black suit, not a single person noticed Pinkie while she sneaked down the hall.

She found the room where Nick was staying. Pinkie opened the door (surprised that nobody had locked it), and he was still there, sleeping peacefully until she tried to wake him.

“Hey. Hey you, wake up,” Pinkie whispered, tapping his chest, then his beard. She called for him several times until Nick was startled by wide eyes staring at him. “Remember me? It’s Pinkie,” she said with glee.

“Good heavens! Young lady what are you doing in that ridiculous outfit?” he asked. “I’m going to call security.”

Nick reached for the button on the side of his bed, but Pinkie laid her hands on his. “Before you do anything, please hear me out. Are you sure you don’t remember who you are?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea.”

“You don’t remember doing anything important?”

Nick had his fingers under his white chin, thinking about the days before he arrived at the hospital. Sadly, there was nothing. “Why do you ask me such things?”

“Because I believe you’re him.”

“Oh no, please don’t tell about that Santa Claus nonsense. I know for sure that I’m not him. And I absolutely don’t believe that such a man is real.”

Pinkie gasped, but quickly covered her mouth. “How can you say something like that?” she asked in shock.

“Young lady, I know you mean well by sneaking into my room and almost giving a heart attack, but I will tell you that I’m not Santa Claus. I may not remember much, but I do know that I don’t remember ever living in the North Pole, or owning reindeer. How could such a man do things like that at his old age?”

Pinkie gave little puppy dog eyes to Nick, much to his annoyance. Her hair twitched again, and she thought of something. “Can I say one thing?”

Nick nodded.

“Listen, this is going to sound crazy, but… I have this thing where I react to something strange before it happens, like a premonition or something.”

“That’s crazy talk.”

“No, it’s true. I call it Pinkie Sense, and when I saw you I had a feeling deep inside that… you’re somebody special.”

Nick said nothing, then, “I am?”

Pinkie nodded. “The feeling was so strong. I believe in my heart that you’re Santa Claus. And if you give me a chance, we can find a way to get your memory back.”

Nick took a moment to absorb her words. He couldn’t remember anybody telling him he was special before. Although he was still unsure of himself, also of Pinkie, but she already knew that.

“But I can’t leave. How are we going to get out of here?” he asked.

Pinkie looked around, then found a window. “Climb through here,” she said.

“But won’t we get in trouble?” asked Nick. “I’m quite too old to get in so much trouble.”

“Trust me.” She drew the shades up, unlocked the window and opened it, then had Nick climb through. Due to his weight Pinkie had to shove him through until he fell on the snow. She led him to her bicycle, unfortunately it couldn’t hold two people, so they had to walk all the way to Pinkie’s home in the cold.

“Don’t worry Nick, tomorrow will be better,” Pinkie said. “I’m going to prove once and for all that you’re Santa Claus.”

“If you say so.”

On the day of Yulefest, midday at one in the afternoon exactly, Sunset met with the Rainbooms on the stage where the concert will be held. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna directed the volunteers on where the decorations should be, what kind of banners to be displayed and made sure the schedule performers were on the list. It looked as though everything was coming together, but Sunset noticed something the instant she enter the arena. Rainbow Dash had a scowl on her face, talking aloud in frustration, and Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity stood idly with their instruments.

“Hey guys,” Sunset said awkwardly. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you what’s wrong!” Rainbow shouted. “Last night I sent a mass text to everyone to meet here in the morning for last minute preparations! Pinkie hasn’t even shown up yet! Of all the days to do this…”

Sunset removed her guitar case from her back and set it down. Rainbow shook her head and paced across the stage. “Do you think she might have overslept?”

“Are you crazy?” Rainbow shouted. “She never oversleeps! Pinkie’s always the first on the spot at everything!”

“Have you tried calling her?”

“About a million times! No answer!”

Sunset glanced toward the other Rainbooms, all of them shrugging their shoulders. “What’s all the commotion about?” Principal Luna asked. “Is everything alright?”

“We’re trying to find out right now,” Sunset answered.

Everyone paused when a faint electronic melody played. Realizing that it was coming from her cell phone, Rainbow Dash frantically searched her pockets then answered it. “Pinkie? It’s about time you called!” she yelled to the phone. “Where are you? We’ve been waiting all morning! Didn’t you get my message?” She was silent, her back turned to the others, but if they could see her face they will see how Rainbow became visibly confused, shocked, then went from blue to red with fury in a span of fifteen seconds. Her voice was loud enough for the Yulefest volunteers to be nervous of her, if they weren’t already. The call ended, and Rainbow had the urge to throw her cell phone.

“What’s up with Pinkie?” Sunset asked.

Rainbow gazed at Sunset with a look of a person who didn’t know what was real anymore. “She’s not coming,” she said, her voice full of confusion.

“Why?”

“She’s with an old man. She thinks he’s Santa Claus. And she’s trying to get his memory back.” Rainbow slumped down on the stage, nervously laughing to herself, convinced this is all just a big practical holiday joke Pinkie had set up.

“This is a clearly unexpected circumstance,” Rarity said. “What should we do now?”

“What time does the show start?” Sunset asked.

“Six o’clock,” Applejack said.

“And where did Pinkie said she was?”

Rainbow didn’t answer her. Sunset looked at her watch, then pointed to Rarity. “I’m going to find Pinkie, but I need you drive.” She and Rarity stepped off the stage. “We’ll be right back, and make sure Rainbow doesn’t lose her mind,” Sunset told Applejack and Fluttershy. They found her by their feet, rocking herself back and forth.

Rarity started the engine and adjusted the heat. It was quite cold outside. “Where do you think she is?”

“She could be anywhere.” She took out her phone to call Pinkie, but she never answered. Sunset thought for a moment. “If I was Pinkie Pie, and I was with an old man I believe is Santa Claus, where would I be?” she said to herself. Sunset snapped her fingers. “Let’s try the mall.”

“That is a fantastic choice!” Rarity exclaimed. “I have to do some last minute Christmas shopping anyway.”

Rarity drove off, then turned on the radio. A station played Santa Claus is Coming to Town for the upteenth time. How fitting, Sunset thought to herself. Upon their arrival at the mall Rarity searched for a parking space, but the best ones had already been taken. Everybody in kingdom come wanted to come to the mall at the same time, although it was to be expected. She yelled at the other cars who were searching the lot. For Sunset the situation provided a nice contrast to the nice holiday that playing on the radio. Rarity sang her praises when a car pulled out of a parking space, and raced toward before anybody else could get it.

The girls entered the mall, and it was filled with thousands just as Sunset had imagined. “Here’s the plan,” said Rarity. “You find Pinkie, I’m going to find a half-price sale at the clothing store!”

It was too late for Sunset to say anything, Rarity disappeared into the crowd of last minute shoppers. Navigating her way through the endless number of humans, Sunset tried to ask for the whereabouts of a teenaged girl and an old man, but she was ignored. She pushed her way through, saying things like “Pardon me” and “Excuse me.” Above her there were two escalators with lines of people going up and down, all carrying bags in their hands. Two people carried a huge flatscreen television on the descending escalator.

Sunset couldn’t tell if she was walking in circles. Just trying to shove her way through the infinite bodies put her in a daze. However, all efforts were a success. She saw a giant Christmas tree, and line of children with their parents. They must be in line for Santa Claus. Up ahead, there was a Santa sitting in front of a tree, but he looked confused and tired, also his beard was a little messy with a brown spot on the right side. There was someone dressed as an elf standing beside him. Getting a closer look, it was Pinkie Pie wearing the elf costume, and she was helping the children sit on Santa’s lap, or as Sunset came to know him - Nick.

She called out to Pinkie while making her way through the children. “Pinkie, what are you doing here? And what’s Nick doing out of the hospital?”

“I’m helping Nick talk to the kids about their Christmas wishes.”

“Okay... why?”

“I tried everything else. I had Nick climb down a chimney, but he got stuck; I took him to the reindeer barn to see if had any special connection with them; then I thought about taking a train to the North Pole, but I couldn’t find any steam locomotives to take us. This is the only way to bring back his memories of him being Santa Claus. I gotta help get back to the North Pole! He can’t miss Christmas!”

The smile Pinkie delivered made Sunset shake her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. She took a deep breath. She witness the next child go up to Nick. He had short blonde hair, and he wore huge glasses. The boy sat on Nick’s lap.

“And… what do you want for Christmas, young lad?”

“I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!”

“... Why do you want that for? You’ll shoot your eye out!”

The boy was heartbroken. He climbed off of Nick’s lap, crying to his mother. “Kids these days,” he whispered to Pinkie.

“Pinkie, I think I’ve seen enough of this,” Sunset said. “You have to get back with the band, they need you!”

“But this is really important! I know, Fluttershy can play the drums for me, and you guys won’t miss Yulefest! Everybody wins!”

“You know she only plays the tambourine! Besides, she doesn’t know how to play the drums!”

They watch another child, a little girl, sit on Nick’s lap. When she told him what she wanted for Christmas, his only reply was “Maybe you should ask your mother,” a phrase that destroyed the little girl’s hopes and dreams. A man in a suit with a pencil-thin mustache (Sunset believed him to be the mall manager) came up to Nick and Pinkie with a scowl on his face.

“I believe your time here is up,” he said.

“What? Why?” gasped Pinkie. “You don’t understand, we’re on a mission! The whole holiday season depends on it!”

“I’m sorry, but your friend has already made thirty children cry and we’ve gotten complaints from angry parents! Just leave the Santa suit at my office,” he groaned. Nick and Pinkie were removed from the spot, and the manager temporarily closed the Santa’s Village section of the mall.

“Pinkie, we really have to go,” Sunset said.

“I’m not giving up yet! There’s still work to be done!”

Sunset groaned. “Give this thing a rest! Nick is not Santa Claus, he is just an elderly man with a severe case of amnesia who needs medical attention!”

“Do you know what your problem is?” Pinkie said in a heated voice. “You… you’re… you’re just a big, mean old Scrooge!”

“Don’t make the bad guy! I’m not the one who dragged an old man into my crazy schemes against his will!”

Sunset and Pinkie yelled and point fingers at each others. Before the situation got worse Nick came between them and stopped the arguing. He laid a hand on Pinkie’s shoulder. “Miss Pie, after everything that has happened, I have to say that your friend has a good point.”

“What do you mean?”

“Miss Pie, she’s right - I’m just an old man with memory loss. Even with all the things you had me do today, there is nothing that will change that. But I still want to thank you for believing that I’m somebody that I am so sure was not. That really made my day. Thank you.”

He let go of Pinkie, seeing that her eyes were becoming moisty. Her bottom lip trembled. Nick walked away, then turned back, and said with a voice bearing sorrow, “You two have a Merry Christmas… I’m going to be somewhere else. Maybe the library will let me stay… until it gets dark.”

Pinkie wanted to go after him, but he disappeared into the faceless crowd of thousands. Her watery eyes became a stream of tears. Sunset, with gentleness and care, held Pinkie hand, and together led themselves away from the giant Christmas tree. Pinkie took a final glance at the empty Santa seat. They kept close through the scores of people going to and fro. Sunset took a glimpse at Pinkie, seeing that she had her head down, tears rolling down from her eyes to her cheeks, dripping on the floor as they walked. Somehow, it was as though the mall knew that Pinkie was heartbroken, and played an instrumental version of Christmas Time is Here.

Pinkie grew emotionally drained from walking, so they found an empty table at the food court. Neither of them said a word to each other. Sunset wanted to get Pinkie a cup of hot cocoa, but there was a growing line at the pastry stand. She didn’t want to stand for what could be hours. She watch Pinkie lay her head on the table. Sunset’s golden hand stroked the pink fingers.

“Sunset!” someone called out. She turned around and saw Rarity rushing toward them with a dozen bags wrapped under her arms. “It was chaotic at the Fancy Pants’ Clothing Depo! But don’t worry, I pulled through! I made it out in one piece, and that’s what Rarity does!” Her moment of self-satisfaction ceased when she laid eyes on Pinkie. “Oh, and you found her,” Rarity said awkwardly. “Good for you, darling.”

Fluttershy sat on the floorboards with Rainbow Dash. She laid her head on Fluttershy’s lap, sucking her thumb. She stroked Rainbow’s head to ease the tension. Applejack sat at a corner and fiddled with her bass guitar. It was one of the rare times that anybody had seen Rainbow Dash, the greatest athlete in Canterlot High, in such a vulnerable state.

Applejack looked away from her bass and saw Sunset, Rarity, and Pinkie coming to the stage. She called to Rainbow and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash returned to the proud girl she once was and instantly jumped to her feet. She was prepared to give Pinkie a great scolding, but Sunset quickly raised her hand and shook her head. Rainbow relented when she saw the tear stains on Pinkie’s face.

“What happened to Pinkie Pie? Is everything alright?” asked Fluttershy.

Sunset was about to speak, but Pinkie stopped her. “Everything’s fine,” she sighed. “Let’s start practicing.” The Rainbooms readied their instruments, and Pinkie walked to the drum set and picked up the sticks. “Okay… let’s start from the top,” Pinkie said depressingly. She tapped the sticks together slowly, hitting the symbols infrequently and lightly. The sticks aimlessly and without force bang the drums. She kicked the bass drum weakly.

Rainbow Dash and Sunset awkwardly began the opening riff with their guitars, but there was no enthusiasm in the melody. The others followed, but the drums were lost on the tempo. When the guitars stopped play, the other instruments ceased. The Rainbooms gazed at Pinkie, who was playing the drums like someone with no coordination.

Vice Principal Luna saw what was happening and approached them. “What’s wrong with Pinkie?” she asked. “Did something happen?”

Almost everyone shrugged, then Sunset spoke. “I know what happened - me. She was trying to be a good friend to someone she hardly knew. Pinkie was trying to show an old man that his life mattered. And I stopped her.” Sunset glanced at her watch. It was 3:00. She placed her guitar on the floor and stepped off the stage.

“Where are you going now?” Rainbow yelled.

“To the library. I’m going to find someone. I’ll be back in no time.” She took one last look at Pinkie. “I have to make things right.”

“Why are you going there for?”

“Nick said he’d be there.”

She was going to ask who Nick was, but Sunset charged off without looking back. Rainbow exasperatedly raised her arms. She groaned at the air, then slumped on the ground once more. “This day keeps getting better and better,” she said sardonically.

Nick had nowhere to go, but the public library. There were hardly any people visiting, so he secluded himself at the far end, where the encyclopedias and reference books were. When the entered the library there was a display of Christmas books on a shelf, most of them picture books for children. He picked one of them to read, A Visit from St. Nicholas. It was strange how that pink-haired girl actually believed that he was Santa Claus. She might have been between the age of fifteen and seventeen and she had such an overactive imagination he’d seen in any teenager, or any teenager he could remember.

He opened the book to the first page and read the first lines to himself. Nick read how the house on Christmas Eve was so silent that not even a mouse made noise. There was an illustration on the page of stockings hung by the chimney with care, and he groaned inwardly as the words mentioned the promised arrival of the one called Saint Nicholas.

Nick heard footsteps coming his way. He prayed it wasn’t the librarian. It wasn’t time to close the library yet. He held the book over his face in the hopes that nobody will see him.

The person coming to his spot was not a librarian but a teenaged girl with red hair and gold skin. She was wandering through the reference section, taking books from their shelves and holding them in her arms. Nick recognized as the friend of the pink girl. What was she doing here? The girl looked through more books on the shelf, then saw Nick sitting down and smiled at him. She picked one more book and joined Nick at the table he was occupying.

“Hi,” Sunset said. “Can I sit here?”

Nick presented the table and nodded. Sunset laid the stacked books on top and sat down. They were world encyclopedias in no particular order. She noticed a little children’s book Nick was reading. “A Christmas classic, isn’t?”

“I found it when I came here,” Nick said. “I just wanted to read it.”

“Nick, I’m sorry about what happened at the mall. I was not right for calling you an old man with amnesia.”

“But you are right. I am just an old-timer with a head filled with nothing but cobwebs.”

“I still shouldn’t have said that to you. I shouldn’t have argued with Pinkie, either. She gets a little too… enthusiastic with things like this, but she’s a good friend and she means well. Especially during this time of the year.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know why she thinks I’m important. I don’t think I’m anybody special. Until now I didn’t know that I even existed.”

“Well, you’re special to her. And because Pinkie believes you’re Santa, that means you’re special to a million children around the world.”

“Tell that to the ones I made cry.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Nick turned the page to his book. “Well, I won’t have to, because I’m leaving town.”

“Why? Where will you go?”

“Maybe I’ll go to the Island of Misfit Seniors, a place where old-timers such as myself who are unwanted by society can live out the rest of their days in seclusion with no form of contact to the outside world until our bones turn to dust.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “What kind of place is that?”

“I made it up,” Nick sighed.

She shook her head. “Nick, don’t say things like that. You’re not unwanted. In fact, you don’t have to leave town. You can stay with me, and together we can get you back on your feet.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I already made up my mind. I don’t want to be such a burden on you or anybody else. However, I thank you for the kindness you showed me on that night you found me on the snow. I don’t think anybody else would have done that for me.”

A sigh escaped from Sunset. She removed herself from the table and bid Nick a Merry Christmas. He remained at the table and continued to read A Visit from St. Nicholas. Sunset returned the books to their proper shelves. Then she paused and returned to the table where Nick was sitting.

“Nick,” she said, “if you’re going to skip, at least come to Yulefest tonight.”

“Yulefest?”

“It’s a holiday music festival. It’s free and open to the public, at the park. But don’t do it for me. Do it for Pinkie. That way she’ll be happy to see one last time before you go.”

Nick was silent. He nodded. “Okay, I’ll go.”

Sunset and Nick smiled to each other. The smile on his lips made her think about Principal Celestia and what a perfect smile she had. His was warm, comfortable, almost as though it was made of the Spirit of Christmas itself. It was contagious, but of the good kind. Sunset stayed with him in the library for a little longer. As Twilight would say, it’s what a good friend should do.

As everyone expected, Yulefest had a great turnout. The students from Canterlot High and even most from the Crystal Prep Academy, as well as parents and their children, listened to all the fantastic holiday music from local musicians. The stage was bright as the winter sun, and from the sides to the top and bottom was illuminated with multicolored lights. Two Christmas trees were at opposite ends of the stage. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna welcomed the audience to the holiday show, and one by one they introduced the musicians who were playing that night.

Yulefest opened with a small band consisting of a lead guitarist, a bass player, a drummer and a saxophone player. They played their own rendition of The Little Drummer Boy, and it ended with an extended drum solo that took five minutes, then the song simply faded. The next performers Celestia brought out were a boy and girl singing a duet (it was a song they wrote themselves but the lyrics weren’t very good, more about how in love they were than about Christmas).

Despite the good music and high spirits, all was not well. Pinkie still couldn’t get over about what happened at the mall. She wouldn’t look at her bandmates in the eye. She sat and tapped the drums with one of her sticks, like how a child would tap a pencil on top of a desk. The rest of them were at another corner huddled together in conversation.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Pinkie Pie, but if she doesn’t snap out of it soon we won’t be able to perform!” Rainbow Dash said. “And where’s Sunset? She’s been gone all evening!”

“Just stay calm,” said Applejack. “We ain’t going to be on stage for a long time. I’m sure she’ll come before then.”

“I hope so. I don’t like seeing Pinkie like this,” said Fluttershy. “Seeing her sad is making me sad too.” Like two souls together as one, Fluttershy couldn’t help but cry, much to Rainbow Dash’s annoyance.

The audience applauded as Principal Celestia announced the next performers. The crowd roared to the heavens when she called out Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch to the stage. Octavia, a girl with long black hair, had nothing but a cello; Vinyl, a young girl with alien-like attire, was equipped with turntables. The audience was silence, even the Rainbooms couldn’t miss this performance. Octavia was the first to begin by playing the opening notes of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. After a while, Vinyl readied her turntables. The bouncing electronic sounds complimented the formality of the strings. As the music progressed, it seemed as though both musicians were racing against each other, and the audience held their breath as the two players reached musical nirvana, and finally went into a frenzy when Vinyl switched the rhythm from harmonic electronic notes to a full explosion of noise, accompanied by a wild cello. When it was over, Octavia and Vinyl got a standing ovation.

“Woah,” was all Applejack could say.

“I have to say, that was such an incredible act,” Rarity added.

Rainbow Dash’s mouth was agape, her eyes wide with disbelief. She came to her senses, and was once again in a nervous breakdown. “Did you see that? How are we gonna beat that?” she yelled.

“Who cares,” Pinkie mumbled.

“We care,” Sunset said. The Rainbooms caught her approaching them with not only a smile on her face, but with a guest. Pinkie took a double-take, and the sad look on her face was instantly replaced with awe. “Sorry I’m late, but I had to track down someone.”

“Hello everybody,” Nick said pleasantly.

“Well I’ll be. So this is the feller Pinkie ran off with,” Applejack said. Just by looking at his great white beard and huge belly, she could see why Pinkie was so interested in him. She gave Nick a firm handshake. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too… erm…”

“Applejack, good sir.”

Fluttershy came up to him. She said “hi” very softly, and shook his hand. Nick smiled at her, and she returned the favor. Rarity approached him, but nervously and at a slow pace took his hand into her hand. She tried to keep up the grin on her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, as well.” Afterward, without him looking, she applied hand sanitizer on her palms.

Rainbow Dash folded her arms while gazing at the floor. Sunset gave her a look the teachers from school would give her, then she surrendered. “So… you’re the great Nick Pinkie likes, huh?”

“Apparently so.”

Out of nowhere, Pinkie attached herself to Nick’s midsection, hugging him intensely. She looked up at him with the eyes and wonder of a small child, smiling and laughing.

“Nick, I don’t care if you're Santa Claus or not. Not anymore. Now, on the night before Christmas Eve, you are officially my new best friend in the whole world!”

“Thanks. I never had a friend before.”

“You do now.”

From outside they heard Celestia announce the Crusaders as the next performers, which caught the attention of Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Apple Bloom was the lead guitar and Sweetie Belle was bass, with Scootaloo at the drums. As always, they were wearing those ridiculous costumes. They played their own rock and roll version of Twelve Days of Christmas, which, as Rarity could politely describe it, was very loud.

“Well, I guess we're almost up,” Sunset said. “Nick, how about you join the audience? Front row.”

Nick nodded. Pinkie wanted to squeeze him some more before they got ready. The Crusaders performance were met with generous applause. The Rainbooms prepared themselves, and Nick gave Pinkie a wink before he joined the crowd. As Principal Celestia spoke, Applejack placed a hand on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder.

“Rainbow, remember… this ain’t a competition. Sometimes you gotta learn to have fun.” Dash rolled her eyes, though she still nodded in agreement.

“You feeling better, Pinkie?” Sunset asked.

“I’m feeling better than better! I feel great!” She twirled the drumsticks on her fingers. At an instant she tone down her excitement and stared at Sunset with genuine happiness. “Sunset, thanks for doing this. I know I got on your nerves about the whole Santa thing, but I really appreciate what you did.”

“Anytime. Everybody deserves a friend on Christmas, am I right?”

“So true.”

Celestia spoke enthusiastically to the audience, and when she called out for the Rainbooms they came rushing toward the stage with great fanfare. The girls took their positions and readied their instruments. The loud cheers of the audience faded as they waited for them to play their song. Pinkie scanned the outdoor stadium for a certain person, not proceeding any further into she found who she was looking for. There was Nick, on the front row.

Pinkie sat up and raised her drumsticks. “I want to dedicate this song to my new friend, Nick!” she said in a loud voice. “This one’s for you, buddy!”

The sticks twirled on the tips of her fingers. Grabbing on to them, she tapped them three times, and the song began with the first notes from the drums. Sunset and Rainbow gave the song some edge with their guitars while Applejack laid the foundation with the bass. Rarity created gave the rock tune some chimes and bells, and Rainbow tossed an excerpt from Up on the Housetop into the mix.

After the intro the audience cheered once Rainbow Dash’s voice filled the stadium. Sunset, Rarity, and Fluttershy sang other parts of the song as well. Pinkie couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of Nick. Despite being a man of his old age, he knew a great holiday-themed rock song when he heard it. The Rainbooms continued their song much to the delight of their audience. Sunset and Rainbow provided an instrumental break with Dash breaking out in a solo, and Rarity created a synthesized melody with more chimes to sound more festive. Sunset looked back at Pinkie, just as happy to see that she was happy.

The audience, including Nick, was very much into the music being played. They clapped their hands, stomped their feet to the upbeat tempo; even some of the younger crowd sang along. Then something was happening to the Rainbooms. Their bodies and their instruments illuminated. The music was even more grandiose than it was before. What looked like pony ears and tails magically appeared on them, although wings materialized only on Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. It was still a magnificent sight. All of the Rainbooms’ voices were in perfect harmony as an invisible force lifted them into the air, then like the greatest Christmas light show the world has ever seen, a beautiful ray of colorful light shot to the sky.

What they hadn’t anticipated was Nick being their main target.

The light had done no harm to the audience, but they had to shield their eyes from the blinding light, and after the light had caught Nick in a flash they moved away from the front row. The music and the magic ceased once the Rainbooms realized what just happened. Smoke and magic fumes spread like a black cloud from where Nick was sitting. It was hard to see anything. Pinkie fearfully called out for him, but there was not a word from him. The smog cleared, and there was a black spot where Nick sat. He was no more.

Despite everything that has happened, after the tears Pinkie shed for the old man that night, the Christmas Eve slumber party was held at her house, just as she promised. Even the Crusaders tagged along. They spent the night in Pinkie’s bedroom playing games, watching movies, telling stories, everything girls do at a regular slumber party, only Christmas-related. Drinks that were provided was hot cocoa and eggnog. Pinkie remained downstairs in the kitchen, the lights off, sitting at the kitchen table watching the the snowfall from the window with a cup of hot chocolate in her hand.

She tried not to listen to the voices coming from upstairs. Pinkie turned her attention to the colorful blinking lights outside. The house in front of her was the most decorative she had seen, although it wasn’t as festive as her own.

Sunset entered the kitchen, and finding that Pinkie was sitting at the table she turned on the lights. “Hi,” she said. “Can I join you?” Pinkie nodded. Sunset sat opposite of her. The house in front of them continued to blink glorious. However, not even the illuminated house was able to put a smile on Pinkie’s face.

“Pinkie, I just want you to know that what happened to Nick was not your fault,” Sunset said.

“This doesn’t make any sense. I thought for sure he was Santa Claus. My Pinkie Sense never lies. And that magical beam should have done something to him, like turn Nick into Santa Claus or something.”

“I don’t know what to think about this either,” said Sunset.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anyway. You won.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“That day during lunch at school. You said that Santa Claus was just a myth. I didn’t want to believe you, but you were right after all. I spent my entire life hoping that one day I’ll get to see him. Every Christmas Eve as far as I can remember I always stay up and see if his sleigh would land on my roof. So much for that,” sighed Pinkie.

“Listen, there was something I was meaning to tell you. A few days ago I’ve done some research. Did you that the story of Santa Claus was inspired by a man named Saint Nicholas? Centuries ago, he was known for his generous heart, and every year on December would give gifts to children. In a way, he’s kind of real.”

“I guess,” Pinkie said, although she didn’t feel better. “Still, why did my Pinkie Sense go off?”

“Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t because Nick was Santa Claus. Maybe deep down, you felt someone who needed a little Christmas cheer. That was the reason you wanted to meet him at the hospital in the first place. And you gave him that.”

Another person entered the kitchen, this time it was Sweetie Belle. She wore a purple pajama gown that reached to her white ankles with matching slippers. “Um, hi Pinkie,” she said. “I’m sorry about what happened to your friend.”

“That’s okay.”

There were many questions she wanted to ask Pinkie; such as did she really believed he was Santa Claus; did the magical blast killed the old man or transported to another plane of existence, and where; also did they ever found out who he really was before the Yulefest performance. Sweetie saw that Pinkie might not want to be bothered by such things, so she said nothing.

“I’m gonna miss him,” sighed Pinkie. “No matter who he really was, he would’ve been a great friend.”

“I’m positive that wherever he is now, he’s happy,” Sunset said. They watched the snowfall with Pinkie in comfortable silence along with the colorful illuminated house. Minutes later Sweetie returned upstairs, Pinkie and Sunset joining her. There was one thing Sunset wanted for Christmas. The knowledge that Nick was okay. He was a good man as far as she knew.

Later that night the girls were fast asleep, probably dreaming of sugar plums dancing in their heads, something Fluttershy mentioned she wanted to have. The silence was disturbed by a very loud thump from outside, and the only person who heard the noise was Sunset Shimmer. None of the girls were startled, not even the Crusaders. She stood on her legs and looked out the window, but didn’t see anything. It was much too dark. She rushed downstairs to the coat rack and stepped out into the cold.

“Hello?” she called. “Who’s there? Is anybody okay?”

Low but audible groans were coming from a man.

An old man.

Sunset saw movement in the white snow, it was a large patch of shadow. Approaching whoever it was that was lying on the snow, she turned the person on their back. Her very breath was taken away from what she saw. She was lost for words, then suddenly, “Nick. You’re alive? How?” He laid his hand on his head, trapped in a daze. Sunset helped him stand.

“Miss Sunset,” he said, “thanks to the tremendous and blinding power of the rock and roll magic light beam, I finally remember who I am.”

“Who are you?”

Nick was going to open his mouth to speak. Instead, he saw some items that belonged to him that were almost buried beneath the snow. He wrapped himself in a grey cloak, a blue pointy hat went to his head, and he gripped a long staff that was curved at the top.

“... I don’t understand,” Sunset said.

“Yes. Nicholas the Wizard is my name. I’m the town’s only working sorcerer, although I've always tried to keep a low profile for reasons only known to myself. Some time ago I was reading and working on some ancient spells in my lair, but I mixed the wrong potions and said the wrong incantations. There was huge explosion! The size of it forced me out of my lair to the other side of town, then everything went dark! I must have hit my head upon that terrible landing, it’s why I couldn’t remember a thing. Maybe it was fate that I landed in front of your house. I was never a believer of chance or coincidence."

“What exactly happened to you at Yulefest?”

“After being struck with that blast of magic, my mind, body, and soul was sent on a journey across many spiritual dimensions. I’ve seen many things no living soul can imagine. After a brief nonexistence, I came to the revelation of who I was, and I transported myself back to the realm of the living. However, I accidentally landed on the other side of the world, so I made the great leap here to see you. Again, another terrible landing."

Sunset confusingly nodded her head.

“I wanted to say thank you for all the compassion you have shown me. You have a good heart and a pure soul, Sunset Shimmer. I hope that you and all of your friends will have a joyful Christmas. And now I must go."

Seeing the wizard smile made her frown vanish. She couldn’t be upset at someone like him. Sunset smiled back. “I will,” she said. “Merry Christmas. Where will you go?”

“Someplace far, maybe some uncharted island. Goodbye, my dear friend. And make sure you tell Miss Pie that I am fine. Also tell her that I'm sorry I wasn't the man she believed I was, and she is a good person.”

She nodded. The wizard waved to her for the final time, then made his way to the sidewalk. Sunset stopped him before he went further. “Nick, one more thing. Do you remember having red hair?”

“As it turns out, no, I never had red hair. It was brown.”

“Will I ever see you again?”

Nick raised his head. “If the stars are right. Yes, I believe so.” He continued on the sidewalk singing I Saw Three Ships to himself until he disappeared into the darkness. It’s one of the few Christmas songs Sunset genuinely liked. When he was gone she returned to the house. Her wish was granted. All she needed to do now was to wait for the sun to rise on Christmas morning with her best friends.