"Wow, what an unpleasant fella!" Nico exclaimed, shaking his head in disgust. Humphrey nodded and continued narrating. "He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Clun-" Humphrey stopped narrating as he noticed how dirty the office window was, and he couldn't see through. "Seesh! This really is a dirty city." said Humphrey. "Ha, you're telling me." Nico agreed. Humphrey suddenly picked up Nico and began using him to wipe the windows, getting his yellow feathers all filthy. "Thank you for making me a part of this," Nico grunted as Humphrey dropped him into the snow. "He was a tight-fisted hand to the grindstone, Cluny. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching, covenants old sinner," Humphrey resumed, looking into the now clean window.

Meanwhile in the office Cluny encountered his underpaid clerk, Discord, who was with a client named Mr. Ping. "Discord, who is this?" growled Cluny, pointing his cane at Mr. Ping. The duck quaked under his stare. "I-it's Mr. Ping, sir. "He's here to speak to you about his...mortgage." said the draconequus nervously. "Please, Mr. Scourge, I know you're very angry about this, and I didn't mean to fall behind in the payment, lord knows it being Christmas and all," Mr. Ping rambled on. "Oh please don't shout at me, sir! That, and of course, my son Po, his lungs aren't right. The doctor gets his share, don't he? I mean, you can scream and yell all you want, I'm not the stone you can squeeze blood from, and that's the trruuuutthh!" Cluny had just thrown Mr. Ping out the door, not wanting to hear about his stupid situation. "Thanks for not yelling at me!" Mr. Ping called from outside the building. Cluny slammed the door shut.

The rest of his employees, who were all ponies nervously continued their work, not wanting to anger Cluny more. "Let us deal with the invocation notices for tomorrow, Discord," Cluny told him. "B-but tomorrow's Christmas, sir!" Discord protested. "Very well, you may gift-wrap them," Cluny sneered, handing Discord an enormous pile of papers. "Wow, there sure are a lot today," Discord said trying to hold up all the papers. All the pony workers offered to help. "Be careful, though. It's pretty heavy," Discord warned. "We've got this!" Rainbow Dash reassured him. The pony staff staggered under the weight as they all tried to hold it up.

"Christmas is a very busy time for us, Discord," Cluny said sitting down at his desk. "People and animals preparing feasts, giving parties, and spending the mortgage on presents," he continued. "One might say that December is the fore closer season, harvest time for the money lenders."

"Go ahead, ask him!" said a purple alicorn called Twilight Sparkle as she nudged Discord, who approached nervously. All the ponies were hiding behind Discord now. "If you please, Mr. Scourge, it has gotten colder, and the book-keeping staff would like to have an extra shovel full of coal for the fire?" Discord asked. "We can't do the book-keeping," Applejack complained while shivering. "Our pens have turned into inkcicles," Rainbow Dash added, her teeth chattering. "And our assets are frozen!" Pinkie Pie whimpered, shivering pitifully. "How would the book keepers like to be suddenly, UNEMPLOYED?! Cluny bellowed. "Heat wave!" all the ponies yelled now dressed in hula skirts and other Hawaiian attires and started singing as they hula back to their desks.

Ponies: This is my island in de sun! Where have my people have tolled since time begun!

"I've believe you convinced them once again, Mr. Scourge," Discord said to Cluny also returning to his desk. Unknowing to any of them, Humphrey and Nico were watching from the outside.

"At that moment, who should arrive at the door but Cluny's nephew Matthias, his only living relative," Humphrey narrated. "Nephew Matthias? I don't see him," Nico said, looking around. "Trust me," Humphrey reassured his friend. And right on cue, Matthias had appeared, looking very merry and joyful. "Hello, Uncle!" Matthias greeted as he opened the door. Unfortunately, the door slammed right into Nico as he opened it, and Nico fell headfirst into the snow. "Nico?" said Humphrey, looking concerned. "You're very good at that, Mr. Blazefire!" Nico grumbled, his voice muffled by the snow.

"A Merry Christmas to you, Uncle, God save you!" Matthias greeted holding a wreath in his paws. "Merry Christmas?" scoffed Cluny. "Bah, Humbug!" Nico leaped out of the snow. "Quick! It will be warmer in there!" Nico exclaimed as he and Humphrey slipped into the building right when Matthias was about to close the door. "Christmas a humbug Uncle? Oh, you don't mean that, surely?" Matthias asked. "Actually, I think it's colder in here," Nico complained softly.

"Merry Christmas, you say. What right of you to be merry? You're poor enough," Cluny snapped. "What right of you to be dismal and cold-hearted? You're rich enough!" Matthias answered back. "He's got him! The old rat's speechless!" Nico said triumphantly.

"If I could make out my will, every idiot that goes around with a Merry Christmas on his lips, would be cooked with their own turkey and buried with a steak of holly through his heart!" Cluny stated coldly. "Well, almost speechless," Nico whispered, shaking his head. "But Uncle!" Matthias in a shocked tone. "Nephew, you keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine! End of story!" Cluny finished sharply. Matthias narrowed his eyes. "Christmas is a loving, honest, charitable time. It may not have put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket but Christmas has done me good and will do me good and I say, God bless it!" Matthias exclaimed, standing firm to his belief in Christmas.

"Yeah!" cheered all the ponies, agreeing with Matthias. "And how does one celebrate Christmas on the UNEMPLOYMENT LINE!?" Cluny bellowed, threatening the book keepers who all yelped and nervously returned to their work.

Nico and Humphrey were trying to stay warm by the fire but it was not lighting up very well due to the lack of coal in the place. "Now it was customary on Christmas Eve for well-meaning people to call upon business, collecting donations for the poor and homeless," Humphrey explained to the readers. At that moment a young teen Viking and a black dragon entered the building. They were non other than our favorite Viking, Hiccup and his pet Night Fury, Toothless.

"Mr. Scourge, I presume?" questioned Hiccup, as Toothless walked beside him, letting out a guttural growl. "Who are you?" demanded Cluny bitterly. "We are from the Order of Berk Charity Foundation and we would like to speak to you about a donation," Hiccup answered. "Ah, welcome, young lad!" greeted Matthias warmly. "This jolly old gentleman is Mr. Scourge; he's very generous to charity!" "My dear nephew!" Cluny hissed at him. "At this time of year many of us feel we should take care of the poor and homeless," Hiccup explained. Toothless purred in agreement. "Are there no prisons, no poor houses?" Cluny asked in concern. "Oh, plenty of both, sir," Hiccup answered.

"Oh, good! For a moment there I was worried." Cluny said in a relieved voice. "Some of us feel we should raise money for the poor and the homeless," Hiccup continued. "Now what I might put you down for?" he asked, getting out a coal pencil and parchment. "Nothing," Cluny answered. "You wish to remain anonymous?" questioned Hiccup. "I wish to be left alone!" Cluny snapped at the viking and dragon. Toothless let out a surprised growl of shock.

"I do not make myself merry at Christmas." "That certainly is true," Matthias said sarcastically. "And I cannot afford to make idle people merry," Cluny finished. "That's certainly not true." "Don't you have other things to do this afternoon, my dear nephew?! snapped Cluny in annoyance at Matthias. "Sadly I do, Uncle. So I'll make my donation and leave you to make yours." Matthias said while giving Hiccup a one dollar coin. "Thank you so very much!" Hiccup said happily while Toothless suddenly nudged Matthias on the side gently, causing him to laugh and pet the dragon's head.

"Oh, Uncle, come and have dinner with me and Cornflower tomorrow," Matthias invited. "Why did you ever get married?" said Cluny in an annoyed voice. "Why? Because I fell in love," Matthias answered. "Ha-ha ha! That's the only thing in this world sillier than a Merry Christmas!" Cluny laughed.

"There's no use Unc,e I shall keep my holiday spirits to the last," Matthias said, not making Cluny's attitude get him down. "A Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!" Matthias proclaimed happily as he headed out the door. "Merry Christmas, Matthias," Discord said to Matthias. "Merry Christmas, Discord!" Matthias answered before he put a wreath on the door and left. "Humbug!" Cluny grumbled. There was a few seconds of silence in the office.

"Now then sir about the...donation?" Hiccup asked, a little nervous. "Now, let's see," Cluny began, getting up from his desk. "I know how to treat the poor. My taxes go to pay for the prisons and poor houses, the homeless must go there!" Hiccup gasped in horror at what Cluny just said. "But some would rather die!" he protested. "If they rather die, then they better do it, and decrease the surplus population!" Cluny said coldly. That's when Toothless let out an angry roar and pounced on Cluny, pinning the rat to the floor and ready to let loose a plasma blast. "Toothless, stop!" Hiccup yelled, pulling the Night Fury off. "I think that we have wasted Cluny's time already!" He managed to pull the struggling dragon out the door who was screeching furiously. Cluny staggered to his feet in fury and was just about ready to rip the wreath Matthias gave him to pieces when singing could be heard from outside

Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen

When the snow lay around about deep and crisp and even

Cluny opened the door revealing a baby dragon named Spike. He stopped singing when he saw Cluny glowering at him. "What do you want?" Cluny demanded. "Um, a penny for the song, governor?" Spike asked nervously. Cluny then just slammed the door in Spike's face. The baby dragon sadly walked away. But then the door opened again and Spike gasped in hope, thinking that Cluny would give him money, but was mistaken as he was hit full in the face by the Christmas wreath that Cluny threw out the door. Cluny then returned to his desk and resumed his work.

Night eventually came and the pony staff were finishing up their work before closing hour. "Excuse me, Cluny, but it appears to be closing time," Discord informed Cluny. "Very well, I'll see you at 8:00 tomorrow morning," Cluny replied. "Um, tomorrow is Christmas, sir." Discord protested. "8:30, then!" Cluny replied again. The ponies then started complaining that they won't be able to celebrate Christmas with their families.

"If you please, sir, half hour off isn't customary around Christmas Day," Discord explained. All the ponies agreed with him in unsion. "How much time is customary for for Christmas Day, Discord?" questioned Cluny. "Why...um...the whole day," Discord answered. "Yeah!" The Mane 6 agreed with Discord. "The entire day?" said Cluny in shock. "No, no," all the ponies then said. "It was the draconequus's idea." "Why bother opening the office tomorrow, Cluny?" Discored continued. "Other businesses will be closed. You'll have no one to do business with. Plus it will save a lot of expensive coal for the fire," Discord added. "He's got a point," said the ponies together.

"It's a poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every December the 25th," Cluny said coldly. "Aww!" all the ponies said, disappointed. "But as I seem to be the only one here who knows that, so take the day off for all I care." Cluny finished. "Yaaaay!" the ponies and Discord cheered happily. "Will you STOP THAT?!" Cluny bellowed causing all the ponies to yelp and stop. "Thank you, Cluny." Discord said, grateful that Cluny gave him and the rest of his friends the day off tomorrow. "Be here earlier the next morning! Cluny said to the book keepers as he left the building and headed home.

"With their employer gone at last, Discord and the ponies immediately began that pleasant of activities, the celebration of Christmas," Humphrey narrated. "He's gone!" Applejack announced happily as she made sure their boss was gone for good. "Well everyone, let's close up for Christmas!" said Discord in a cheerful voice. All the ponies immediately began cleaning up as Discord began singing.

Discord: There's magic in the air this evening magic in the air. The world is at her best you know when people love and care. The promise of excitement is one the night will keep. After all, there's only one more sleep 'till Christmas.

Pinkie Pie had a ridiculous idea of balancing the books better by holding every single one up at once, but failed as they all toppled down on her. Twilight laughed and used her magic to stack the books neatly. Discord swept the floor and continued singing.

Discord: The world has got a smile today the world has got a glow. There's no such thing as strangers when a stranger says 'hello'. And everyone is family, we're having so much fun. After all there's only one more sleep 'till Christmas.

Everything was soon all clean as Discord and the ponies left the building.

Discord: Tis the season to be jolly and joyous. With a burst of pleasure, we fell it all right. Tis the season when the saints can employ us. To spread the news about peace and to keep love alive.

Then they all heard the squawking of penguins (Happy Feet) as Mumble skated on the frozen road. "Hey, look! It's the Penguin's Christmas skating party!" Discord said as he spotted little Erik stumbling as he skated with Gloria.

"Hey, where did Discord go?" questioned Fluttershy, but got her answer as she saw him now skating on the ice. Rarity was quite impressed with his moves. "Yeehaw! Look at him go!" Applejack cheered, watching Discord twirling on the ice, while copies of himself were giving score 10/10. Discord eventually skated back to the others, who all cheered for him. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" Discord said, bowing just before Seymour and Lovelace suddenly crashed right into him and they all fell down. Everypony laughed at the situation.

"Wow!" Humphrey said in awe as he watched the penguins skate. He looked over at Nico. Nico shook his head. "No way! No way!" "Come on, Nico!" Humphrey persuaded, then started making himself slide on the ice really fast. "AAAAAHHHHH!" Nico screamed as the two slide right into a barrel, crashing into it. "Fun, huh?" Humphrey questioned, smirking at Nico who gave him death glare.

"Merry Christmas, Penguins!" called Discord and the penguins all yelled Merry Christmas back to them. Then they all started walking home.

Discord: There's something in the wind today that's good for everyone. Yes, faith is in our hearts today we're shining like the sun. And everyone can feel it, the feeling's running deep. After all there's only one more sleep 'till Christmas.

All the ponies then wished Discord Merry Christmas and they walked back to their homes while Discord glances up at the cloudless night sky.

Discord: After all, there's only one more sleep 'till Christmas Day.

A shooting star whooshed across the sky, and Discord thought he heard the star say, "Merry Christmas!" Discord shrugged it off as he sighed and started walking back home to his loving family. He passed Spike who was desperately trying to keep warm with the wreath that was thrown at him.

Whew! This was probably one of the longest chapters I'd ever written on here so far. I hope you all enjoyed it. I still don't own anything!