The Nightmare and Me

I pushed a pine tree up against the corner.

Nightmare curiosly watched from the hall. "What in god's name are you doing?"

"Setting up the Christmas tree," I grunted.

"What's a Christmas tree?" she cocked her head.

"It's a special tree that if decorated, one night a year, Santa Claus arrives in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer to give good fillies and colts presents."

Her eyes grew as big as plates. "Do I get any?"

The damn tree finally balanced on the holder. "You haven't exactly been good. Remember when you rolled in the fireplace last week?"

She hung her head. Nightmare just looked so sad, slumped against the wall. Did I forget to mention she slumped? No? Okay. She slumped. And it was just too pitiful for me to stand.

"If you're really good for the next few days, I'm sure Santa Claus'll might make a stop here."

Nightmare perked up. "Really? I'll be really good. Promise! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

I rolled my eyes. Suspiciously, Nightmare hadn't seemed all that surprised that there was a show about her world. She even enjoyed the show, especially Friendship is Magic Part 2. At the end she always ended up yelling at the TV and I have to give her several muffins to get her to calm down. She loves the episodes with antagonists in it. Once I caught her roaring at herself like Gilda in the bathroom mirror.

"But to get really good presents, youhave to leave cookies and milk out for Santa because he goes all around the world in one night, so he gets very hungry."

Nightmare's look turned determined. "Well then I'll be extra good so he'll come here first!" she fluttered her wings, getting about a foot off the ground. She tends to do that when she gets excited. God forbid the day she can maintain flight. I imagine her flying over Detroit, shooting laser beams from her horn. And the bronies will puke rainbows.

"Follow me." I told Nightmare and clumped down the stairs. I heaved out the tub of Christmas decor.

"We'll do the tree first. Can you try to lift this thing? It's heavy." I grabbed one end of it.

Nightmare squared her feet and lit her horn with midnight blue magic. A weak blue aura surrounded the other end and lifted it inches off the ground.

"Good job, Nightmare! You're a big filly now!" I would have clapped but her hands were doing other things. Such as carrying a big ass tub upstairs with one end thumping against the lower stairs.

When we finally heaved it up to the Christmas tree, Nightmare fell over from exhaustion. I picked her up and tucked her into bed. She was still a little filly, now about the size of a small Golden Retriever.

I made grilled cheese and just as I finished making them, Nightmare trotted into the kitchen. She trotted up to the lazy susan and pulled out some season salt and chili powder. She pulled at my pant leg and I glanced down, and seeing her with her seasonings that she likes with her grilled cheese, I picked her up and held her over the stovetop. She opened the season salt and perfectly poured just enough onto her sandwich bread. It was when she poured the chili powder that I almost burst a blood vessel. She uncapped the chili powder, not realizing that it had and open top where you pour a bunch at once. She "accidentally" seasoned her sandwich, my sandich, and the entire stove. The smell of something burning filled the air and the sprinklers went off.

One timeout and a clothes change later, I started decorating the Christmas tree. The sprinklers only went off in the kitchen, but my hair was still wet even after blowdrying it. Nightmare sat in front of the tree, gaping at it's sparkling lights.

I held an ornament, a standard red bauble, out and she took it from my hand and placed it on the Christmas tree with magic. She looked proud of herself, so I gave her another. And another. Soon, all that was left was the star.

I held it out. "This one goes on the very top, Nightmare."

She concentrated and the star was engulfed with deep blue magic and sent to the top of the tree. It sat at the top slightly crooked. Nightmare fixed it. Now it leaned too far the other way.

"I'll just go up and fix it myself." Nightmare said while spreading her wings.

"Here, how about I lift you up and then you fix it," I said quickly.

"That does sound better than my plan," she admitted.

I lifted her up and she righted the rebellious star.

"Now  it's done," Nightmare announced. She wobbled on my shoulder. "Whoa!" she grabbed onto the Christmas tree and lost her balance. The fake pine tree came crashing into me and knocked me to the ground. None of the ornaments shattered because they're plastic.

"Nightmare! Are you okay?" I worried.

"That was awesome!" her head poked out of the tree.

"You know what you need to do now?" I asked her.

"What?"

"Write a letter to Santa telling him what you want for Christmas." I replied.

"Okay! I'll need about ten papers."

I crawled out from beneath the tree and gave her one lined sheet and a pencil.

"Letter time! Ana, take a note." she paced.

"Oh no, missy. You're writing it. I'm not your personal Spike," I picked her up and plopped her at the dinner table. "Start writing."

An hour later, she came up to me with the paper in tow.

I grabbed it and put it in an envelope. "I'll send it to the North Pole tomarrow, it's too dark now."

"North Pole,"

"It's where he lives."

"Gotcha,"

"Now skedaddle to bed. I have to work tomorrow morning."

She skedaddled.

I took the letter out of the envelope and read it. She wants a Gilda and of course, Nightmare Moon plushies as well as a Discord action figure, a Trixie cape and hat, an Iron Will candy bar, a Chrysalis action figure, and a Nightmare Moon blanket.

That wasn't too much, at least she doesn't want a Xbox or something.

The next morning, when I was on break, I stopped by the Toys R Us. I wandered the aisles a little bit, it was one of those hugemungus stores. I finally found the pony aisle. I took a Nightmare Moon blanket off the shelf, a Gilda stuffed animal, and the action figures. I couldn't find an Iron Will candy bar, so I just bought a Hershey and glued an Iron Will picture on it. I decided to get a cheapy Celestia doll so she can have fun throwing it around or whatever. I paid for the stuff and went back to work.

A few days later on Christmas Eve, we made cookies. Nightmare snuck a few and I pretended not to notice. We hung her stocking over the fireplace that I don't use for obvious reasons (ahem Nightmare ahem).

I tuck her in and say goodnight. She snuggled into bed and I gently shut the door. She can open them on her own now. I snuck back into my room and get her presents. I hide them under the tree and put the Hershey bar and Celestia toy in her stocking. I eat the cookies anddrink the milk, playing Santa. Then I tiptoed back into bed and go to sleep...

"Wake up! Wake up!" I was trampled by an overexcited filly.

"I'm awake," I grumble.

She takes a flying leap off my bed and sprints down the hall. I can still hear her squeals of joy. When I finally got up, I saw the living room changed from a room where we sit to a madhouse.

"Whoa, let's open your stocking first." I stopped Nightmare.

I took the stocking down and the wild grin of delight when she saw the candy bar just...

I pointed out the Celestia doll. "There's a Celestia that you can throw around or whatever."

She shredded the presents. I thought she might explode from the excitement. But then her grin faded.

"Where are  your presents?" she asked.

"Santa doesn't give presents to grown-ups." I replied.

"Here's your present. I made it myself," Nightmare hugged me.

At first I was shocked, but then I hugged her back.

"I love it," I whispered.