It’s that time of the year again. And boy, it’s getting wild! Looking from the front desk, I see parents running back and forth paying part of their life savings on gifts for their little kids. As for Vinyl and I, we have it easy. The customers we’ve been seeing are our age. People don’t buy instruments like they used to. Still, we jog around to keep the shelves full. I press a few buttons on the register.
“Okay, swipe it or chip it?” I ask, and I see that he still swipes it. The chip thing’s still new, courtesy of our constant worry with and about security. A small receipt prints out and I tear it out and give it to him. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas to you.” He thanks back, grabbing his prize -er, gift- and leaving.
“Attention, all shoppers.” I tilt my head to the intercom. “The mall is now closed...”
Working at a mall does have benefits. Not much to clean, not much to shelve. After vacuuming, I put the cleaner away, lock the closet, and stand outside. Vinyl joins me soon, grabbing the fence and pulling it down. I lock the gate for now. One bright side about Christmas Day: shopping centers are closed… Can’t say the same for restaurants.
“Merry Christmas, Vinyl,” I say, spinning the keys with my finger.
Vinyl gives me a thumbs up, then puts on her headset and hoodie as she walks away, bopping her head. I bundle up to the tooth. It was freezing when I woke up, and it’ll be freezing when I get back. The lights turning off are the first thing that happens when I walk out of the mall. When I get out, I begin my journey.
While Everton has a vacation housing form for winter break, I signed up for the third week of break onwards to spend time with the family. In the meantime, I rented a motel room, though that means it’s a very long walk from the mall. I tuck my hands in my pockets, keeping my fingers curled while I whip my head around. All around me, construction crews are hard at work. But this isn’t for a holiday bonus. For much of the month, my hometown was yet again another battleground for a three-way gang war. Whenever I’m at lunch, I often see the Rainbooms look at the television. Rarity would often call her sister over and over again. Then one time, the reporter feed was cut off. I tried calling Cosgrove once, but to no avail. But from what I see, he pulled through. Him and his own team.
In fact, I see him at a restaurant, sitting across from Applebloom. And man, do they look like hell. This was no excuse for Cosgrove; he’s his father's son. His clothes are tattered, parts of his body have scars over his scars, and his right arm has a few bits of shrapnel. It’s not as severe as the alternate future version I visited almost a year ago, but it’s there. Apple Bloom doesn’t appear any better; even her bow got charred. I haven’t seen the others yet, but I imagine them having similar cuts and bruises.
And yet, their faces are peaceful. Tired, but peaceful. I can’t hear them talking behind the window, but when Cosgrove holds Apple Bloom’s hand, I knew he's confessing. Before graduation, I overheard a little chat between him and Applejack if Cosgrove loves Applebloom even if we’ve gone through some tough times. I personally told him that when Sunset and I split, I not only lost a friend but a person I could cherish. I guess he took my advice, and for that, I’m happy for him. I curl up a smile and leave before either of them notice me.
I finally reach the motel, turn the lock, and slam the door as soon as I got in. I switch my coat for the blankets, waiting patiently for the heat to reward me. I then turn on the TV, then stand up to grab something to drink.
“Thank you, Helen.” I hear from the television. “Reconstruction is almost complete, but traffic will be tough thanks to icy conditions. Civilians are advised to remain indoors.”
When I came back to the bed, I changed the channel; it’s one of the bad episodes of Spongebob. Still, better than listening to the same news for several days straight. I take a sip of tea before wrapping myself with the blanket again. It’s only a few hours away before Christmas Eve, just a good night’s sleep would do the trick then it’s a two way trip to my parents and little bro.
And yet, I’m not all that tired after a hard days work. I switch to another channel. Christmas shorts are everywhere this time of year as ever, especially those Rankin Bass ones. I don’t get why everyone likes them, I personally find them creepy. The way they move, ugh.
My face grimaces at my next choice. It’s clearly not a Christmas movie, though it is set during Christmas. It’s a good action movie with Alan Rickman, but having lived through several film worthy events, I have to decline and so change the channel again.
“Do you want to build a snowman?” Sings an animated girl.
“NO!” I shout before changing the channel again.
The channel I switch to is not a Christmas one. Well, mostly not. I remember seeing this movie as a kid, but hadn’t time for cartoons in High School. As I watch the girl and beast mingle with each other, I feel… fuzzy. The kind of fuzzy some of my classmates have sometimes. And to be honest, I had those thoughts too.
I remember my first dance with Princess Twilight. When I first saw her, I thought she was just another classmate. New, sure. But something about her interested me. Perhaps it’s her determination, or it’s the way she danced. When I danced with her, I tore a bit of my pants and a few muscles. Sure I had my problems... maybe. Thanks to the Dazzlings, I yelled at her about winning the Battle of the Bands. I apologized to her before she left for Equestria. I haven’t gotten the chance to talk with her, but Sunset did bring up a good point while we were at Camp Everfree. She is a princess after all. It would be rude of me to take her away from her duties.
Then there’s the moment I bumped into the other Twilight; our Twilight. To everyone’s surprise, she was a student at Crystal Prep, which explains why she didn’t notice me as the Princess did. During the Friendship Games, I overheard some talks between the Rainbooms about surges of magic and how Twilight was the person responsible for draining it. The following evening, I couldn’t believe my eyes that Twilight turned into a “she-demon”. Unlike our little fight during the Fall Formal, this was pretty short thanks to Sunset saving the day. I hoped to ask her out, but she didn’t seem ready, especially after being framed as Anon-a-Miss. And now I won’t get the chance; she’s been with Comet Tail for a while now. Better than Timber Spruce, but still…
Heh. I feel so dumb now. Through all this, Twilight or no Twilight, this city was able to pull through all of this because of Sunset. Not that I’m ungrateful, but I… am feeling sorry for myself. We were once close friends; our classmates say we were two of a kind. So what happened between us? Well, I treated her like, well, a trophy. True, I noticed the whip marks she’d been getting as a little girl, but did I do anything? No. Not even talk to my parents about it. It was when she told Cosgrove’s parents did things turn for her. I was so… pigheaded. Thinking that she was the one when, really, I didn’t think of what’s best for her.
Thinking about it now, I look at my cellphone and think long and hard. I grab the phone, and scroll to her caller ID photo. I place the phone over my ear for a moment then hang up. I wait for awhile in dead silence before calling again. On the second beep, I hang up again.
“Damn it, Flash.” I scold myself, pounding my forehead. “Why is it so hard just to say-?”
I hear my phone ring on it’s own. Guess hanging up twice really raises an eyebrow or two. I pick up the phone and stare at the photo. After the third bell, I put the phone on speaker and place it back on the bed.
“Hello?” I ask, keeping my cool.
“Anything wrong, Flash?” I hear from Sunset with a worried tone.
“Hey, Sunny.” I answer. “Do you think, you know... we can talk?”
A long silence between us tells me that she doesn’t want to talk. I reach for the red button.
“Traffic isn’t great…” She answers with uncertainty. I imagine Sunset looking out her window. It’s no secret that her adoptive mother, Night Dancer, was killed in a car accident during a snowstorm. If anything goes wrong, everyone will have piece of me.
“You don’t have to if you-”
“Where are you?”
My eyes widen as I look at my phone. She’s accepting my offer to talk? Best not to leave her hanging. I pick up the phone again.
“I’m staying at a motel.” I answer. Another long silence, but I do hear her soft breathing.
“Is it the crummy one at the edge of town?” She asks. I roll my eyes, looking at the drab walls and rug.
“Yes.” I answer.
“I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Take your time.” I ask of her, my thumb over the red button. “See you then.”
I can’t believe it. I thought she would say no, given the weather. I wrap myself in covers, once more, embracing the warmth. And the sleep comes with the warmth, and I lay down. I know it’s not long before Sunset comes by, my muscles relaxing is more than enough to make up for the hard work I’ve done today. I close my eyes and let the sleep take me.
My ears pick up a muffled guitar song. I reach under my pillow and place the phone on my ear.
“Yeah?” I ask while I sit up, pinching my brows.
“Sleepy already?”
I open my right eye and see headlights shining through the windows. The lights turn off, and I finally see Sunset waving at me. Glad that she made it safely, I wave back at her. I grab my coat and brave the cold again as I open the door. Thankfully, Sunset left the door open; I open and close the door quickly.
“Waiting long?” I ask, shivering like crazy.
“Nope.” Sunset answers, looking coy while tapping on a blue thermos. I buckle up, and place the warm cup on my lap. I hold on the rail while she pulls the car away from the motel and slowly head over to the open road. “How was work?”
“Hectic.” I shuffle a little. “Just hectic.”
As we ride around town, I look around. Everyone’s prepared for Christmas all the way down to the ugly sweaters. Not that there is anything wrong; the only ugly sweater is an uncomfortable one, truly. When we go across the bridge from the plaza, I realize where we’re going. I hold on to the rail again when we feel the car skid on the gravel. Sunset’s face is as uneasy as mine before she let out a sigh.
“I really hate ice.” Sunset mutters.
“I’m surprised none of us are going south for the winter,” I add; Sunset looks at me with a cute smirk before she opens the door. I open the door and follow her through the trees. No one comes to Turtle Park during winter. At least, that’s what I think. Whatever this winter brought so far, it did a good deal to the statues; the snapping turtle’s shell is covered with ice and gave it a nice shine in the moonlight.
I wonder, of all the statues they use, why the softshell turtle? It’s nowhere as fierce as the snapper. But maybe I’m getting stereotypical. We lean on the behind of resting statue, myself sliding a little on the slick surface.
“So,” I look at Sunset opening her thermos. “What do want to talk about?”
I shake my thermos back and forth, licking my lips as I come up with something to say. This is it, she’s right there. I look at her as she takes a sip.
“I’m sorry.” I see her turn an eye at me. “I’m sorry I never helped you when we were little. I’m sorry… I never treated you like a person. I’ve been a fool. I realize how much you and everyone went through and I did so little to help. I understand if you don’t want us to start over, but I was thinking we could still be friends.”
Sunset just stares at me; I know it’s still a late night, but from her face, I can tell she’s taking my apology very well. She looks down, rubbing the thermos with her thumb in a circle. Sunset looks back up and gives me a warm smile.
“Hey,” Sunset nudges my shoulder. “if there’s anything that I can thank for these hardships, it’s you being less of an asshole. I noticed it a lot recently, but I’m glad you changed.”
My lips curl up into a smile. Guess that’s something I haven’t noticed recently. I shake my thermos a little before taking another sip. I notice Sunset drinking as well. At first, I don’t mind it, but when she stops at the same time, I figured, ‘she’s playing a little game.’ I chuckle under my own breath, shaking the thermos a little, then raise it up and chug the hot coffee. Bad move, and both of us caught a little bit of the stuff in the wrong tube and started coughing like mad.
“Okay, let’s not do that again.” Sunset coughs, trying to force out a laugh.
We cover our mouths while we continue coughing. I feel my throat getting rough again, slowing my cough at the same time as Sunset. We slow our breathing, but coughing like that in the cold, I feel my lungs get heavy, and no doubt Sunset is exhausted too when she lifts her scarf to her mouth. We nudge each other, waiting to get our strength back. Then a chorus echoes behind us. We walk to the front of the turtle and look down at the plaza across the river. In tune with the clock tower chiming the notes of “Silent Night.” it only added more to the serene beauty.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I turn to Sunset, who isn’t exactly looking at the town, but at the bridge across the frozen river. And she has a good reason to; Twilight and Comet Tail were having a moment. While far away, I see them clearly wrap their arms around each other and draw their heads forward for a kiss. And that settles it. Twilight’s now an item with Comet Tail.
“They do look happy.” Sunset mutters, keeping her gaze on the couple.
While still looking at plaza, I reach for her hand. Figuring it would be too soon, I stop. I reach for my pocket when I feel something warm wrap around my hand. I look down and find that a hand wrapped around mine, then look up her arm and see Sunset looking down as well, looking at me with a smile that made my heart melt. We come to a huddle, wrapping our arms around each other.
“Merry Christmas, Flash.” Sunset leans her head on my shoulder.
“Merry Christmas, Sunset.” I reply, gently rubbing my cheek on her curly hair.
Author's Note
Again, special thanks to the people who pre-read and edited the story.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. 
