Another Pony-Disney mash-up, and this time, a certain unicorn is the hero.
Disclaimer: Mickey's Christmas Carol belongs to Walt Disney, and My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro, the Hub, and Lauren Faust.
Applejack's Christmas Carol
Chapter 1: Trixie's Ghost
In Ponyville, on Christmas Eve, the stingiest mare in town, Sunset Shimmer, walked down the street. There was no Christmas cheer in her heart though. Sunset hated the whole idea of Christmas. As he walked, he passed a homeless mare as she outstretched her hoof.
"Give a penny for the poor ma'am." The mare said. "Penny for the poor."
"Bah." Sunset said simply before continuing to his counting house, Sunset & Trixie. Sunset never bothered to paint out Trixie's name.
"My partner Trixie Lulamoon." Sunset said calmly. "Dead seven years today. She was a good businessmare. She robbed from the widows and swindled the poor."
Sunset looked at the sign and smirked.
"In her will he left me enough money for her tombstone, and I had her buried at sea." Sunset chuckled to herself.
()()()()()
Inside the store, Sunset's bookmare, Applejack, was about to put a thing of coal in the fire while Sunset was out when she came in.
"Oh... Uh..." Applejack said nervously. "Good morning Miss Sunset."
"Applejack, what are you doing with that piece of coal?!" Sunset asked angrily.
"I was just trying to thaw out the ink, ma'am." Applejack said timidly as she pointed to the ice covered ink quill.
"You used a piece last week!" Sunset snapped as she grabbed the coal and tossed it in a bucket. "Now get on with your work, Applejack!"
"Speaking of work Miss Sunset tomorrow is Christmas, and I was wondering if I could have... Half the day off?"
"Christmas." Sunset spat angrily as he thought. "Mm... Oh, I suppose so, but I'll dock you half a day's pay. Now let's see... I pay you two bits a day."
"Uh, two bits and a hay-penny, ma'am." Applejack corrected.
"Oh right." Sunset said. "I gave you that raise three years ago."
"Yes ma'am." Applejack said. "When I started doing your laundry."
"Alright Applejack, get busy while I go over my books, oh and I've got another bundle of shirts for you." Sunset said as he tossed a moderately large laundry bag at Applejack.
"Yes ma'am." Applejack said quickly.
Sunset then sat down and went over her notes as a large amount of money sat in front of her.
"Now let's see..." Sunset mused. "One hundred and twelve bits from Pie, plus her eighty-percent interest, compounded daily..."
Sunset laughed as she played a little with a few coins.
"Money, money, money."
Then the door opened, and Sunset's niece and only living relative, Sweetie Belle came in.
"Merry Christmas!" Sweetie Belle called out.
"And a merry Christmas to ya, Sweetie Belle." Applejack said as she took a break from her books to talk to Sweetie Belle.
"Bah humbug." Sunset muttered.
"Merry Christmas, Aunt Sunset!" Sweetie Belle called out with a smile.
"What's so merry about it?" Sunset asked moodily. "I'll tell you what Christmas is, it's just another work day, and any jackanapes who thinks else should be boiled in his own pudding!"
"Ew." Sweetie Belle remarked.
"But sir Christmas is a time for giving." Applejack said quickly. "A time to be with one's family."
"I say 'Bah humbug.'" Sunset said stubbornly.
"I don't care!" Sweetie Belle called out. "I say 'Merry Christmas!'"
"Well said Sweetie Belle!" Applejack called out as he applauded.
"Applejack, what are you doing?!" Sunset asked angrily.
"Uh..." Applejack said nervously as he stopped clapping. "Just trying to keep my hooves warm, sir."
"And what are you doing here, Niece?" Applejack asked testily.
"I've come to give you a reef and invite you to Christmas dinner." Sweetie Belle said as she handed Sunset the reef.
"Well..." Sunset said with a smile. "I suppose you're going to have plump goose with chestnut dressing?"
"Yup." Sweetie Belle confirmed.
"And will you have plum pudding and lemon sauce?" Sunset continued.
"Oh yes!" Sweetie Belle said with a widening smile.
"And spiced sugar cakes with candied fruit?" Sunset finished.
"Yes!" Sweetie Belle said excitedly. "Yes! Will you come?"
"Are you insane?" Sunset snapped. "You know I can't eat that stuff, now get out!"
"Alright." Sweetie Belle said as he put the reef on the door. "Merry Christmas!"
"And a bah humbug to you!" Sunset shouted back, but Sweetie Belle had already left.
"That Sweetie Belle." Applejack said with a chuckle. "Always so full a'kindness."
"Yeah." Sunset said. "She always was a little peculiar." The door opened again. "And stubborn!"
Instead of Sweetie Belle, a purple unicorn mare was there with a yellow pegasus mare walked in.
"Oh, customers." Sunset said with an excited smile. "I'll handle this, Applejack."
Sunset then walked up to the two.
"Yes, what can I do for you two ladies?" Sunset asked.
"Ma'am, I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is my associate, Fluttershy." Twilight said. "We are soliciting funds for the impudent and destitute."
"For the what?" Sunset asked.
"We're collecting money for the poor." Fluttershy translated.
"Oh..." Sunset said. "Well, you do realize that if you give money to the poor, they won't be poor anymore."
"Well that's true." Fluttershy said.
"And if they're not poor anymore, then you won't have to raise money for them anymore." Sunset went on, putting on a concerned front.
"Well, I suppose." Twilight admitted.
"And if you don't have to raise money for them anymore, then you would be out of a job." Sunset said as he opened the door, and the two walked out. "Oh please gentlemen, don't ask me to put you out of a job, not on Christmas Eve."
"Oh, we'd never do that, Miss Sunset." Twilight said.
"Well then," Sunset finished, going back to his normal manner at once. "I suggest you give this to the poor and be gone!"
She tossed the wreath Sweetie Belle had given her at Fluttershy who caught it reflexively and slammed the door in their faces.
"What's this world coming to, Applejack?" Sunset asked as Applejack turned to listen. "You work all your life to get money, and ponies want you to give it away."
()()()()()
As the day came to its end, Applejack used a nearby lamp to keep herself warm, which wasn't too easy. She then glanced over at the clock and smiled when she saw that it was only fifteen seconds until quitting time. Finishing up her last sentence, she closed the book and got ready to head home.
"Two minutes fast." Sunset remarked as Applejack gulped and was about to get back to work when Sunset stopped her. "Eh, never mind those two minutes. You can go now."
"Thank ya, ma'am!" Applejack said as she hopped down. "You're so kind-"
"Never mind the mushy stuff!" Sunset shouted. "Just go, but be here all the earlier the next afternoon!"
"I will!" Applejack said excitedly. "I will ma'am, and a bah hum- I mean, a merry Christmas to ya ma'am!"
Applejack then picked up the bag of Sunset's shirts and walked off as all Sunset said in reply was, "Bah."
()()()()()
At nine at night, Sunset closed up the counting house and walked off to her house, which had once belonged to Trixie. As Sunset unlocked the door, she looked at the knocker just as it turned into Trixie's face.
"Sunset..." Trixie said in an eerie voice.
"Trixie Lulamoon?" Sunset asked in shock. "No, that can't be!"
Thinking she was just wearied from a good day's work, she touched the knocker's nose, and exclaimed in a way that frightened Sunset so badly, she ran into the house. After catching her breath, she put what had happened off as stress with all the fools she had to deal with that day. She then began to walk upstairs when she heard footsteps coming up behind her. She turned, but no one was there. She went on, and again she heard the footsteps. She turned around again, but still no one was there. She looked down from the stairway, but nothing was there either. She walked on when she heard the footsteps for a third time and turned to see a shadow of a unicorn mare with the profile of Trixie. Sunset shouted in shock and terror and rushed to her living room, bolting the door and hiding in her seat.
"Sunset Shimmer..." Trixie's voice called out from the other side of the door.
"GO AWAY!" Sunset shouted as a blue-white, transparent version of Trixie walked in. Aside from her usually wizard's hat and cape, Trixie also wore a long chain with cash boxes and safes attached to it.
"Suns-AHH!" Trixie exclaimed as she tripped on a lose rug and ended up landing right next to her chair.
"A bit more hazardous here than I remember." Trixie said calmly as she got up and looked at Sunset, apparently noticing a look of terror.
"Sunset, don't you recognize me?" Trixie asked. "In life I was your partner, Trixie Lulamoon."
Sunset hadn't wanted to believe it, but looking at Trixie's face, she was forced to, and that actually helped to calm her down a little.
"Trixie, it is you." Sunset said as her eyes widened.
"Sunset," Trixie said as she stood straight up. "Remember when Trixie was alive, she robbed the widows and swindled the poor?"
"Yes, and all on the same day." Sunset said with a smile at the memories. "Oh, you had class Trixie."
"Yup." Trixie said with a smug look before shaking his head. "Wait, no! No! I was wrong, and so as punishment, I'm forced to carry these chains for eternity! ... Maybe even longer. With no hope. I'm doomed! Doomed!"
Trixie then turned her face to Sunset.
"And the same thing will happen to you, Sunset."
"No!" Sunset gasped in fear as she recoiled from the chains that were close by her chair. "No it can't! It mustn't! Help me, Trixie!"
"Tonight, you will be visited by three spirits." Trixie informed Sunset. "Listen to them, and do what they say, or your chains will be heavier than Trixie's."
Sunset agreed nervously as she turned nervously around.
"Farewell Sunset..." Trixie called out as she walked back, making sure to be mindful of the rug. "Farewell . . ."
"Trixie!" Sunset called out as she remembered something about the stairway. "Watch out for that first-"
There were several loud screams and grunts as Trixie's ghost fell down the stairs.
"Step." Sunset finished before going off to bed.
Spooky, huh?