My first reaction was to open my arms and lean forward. She immediately pushed herself against me, wrapping her arms around me. I gently held her as she cried.
Her sobs didn't get any louder. It was obvious to me that this wasn't a devastating loss to her, but she was clearly upset by this.
"When I [i]hic[/i]... When I got home after work... I went to my room to study, and he [i]hic[/i]... After... a while, he came into my room with a suitcase. And he told me [i]hic[/i]... He told me that I didn't live there anymooore!" She began sobbing again, rubbing her face into my chest.
I didn't know what to say. I was already thinking of what this would mean for me. I had told Sarah that Celestia and I could accommodate her, but Twilight was using the entire basement for herself. There was simply no room.
"I tried begging and pleading with him, but nothing changed his mind... He told me t- [i]hic[/i]... to pack my things and get out. At first, I thought it [i]hic[/i]... might've been a joke or s-something, but..." She trailed off.
Poor Sarah... It can't be easy to suddenly lose your house like this, even if you [i]are[/i] 23 and still live with your parents. She'll have some trouble dealing with this.
"You [i]hic[/i]... You were the only person I could turn to..."
I didn't say anything. I just didn't know what to say to her right now. She probably just needed to cry right now. It would help her a lot to let this out.
Twilight kept quiet, probably having an internal debate on whether to speak or not.
I comforted Sarah in my arms. Her sobs slowed. She was calming down.
I could see a suitcase behind her. How... did she get here?
She pulled away from my chest and raised an arm to her face to wipe away her tears. She sniffed. "S-So I came here. I... I came here to... to ask... Can... Can I stay with you?"
I blinked. Oh boy... "I... I really... There's not really enough room."
"I won't take up much space! I promise!" she let out, desperately trying to convince me.
I sighed. God... "You can stay, Sarah."
"Thank you!" she exclaimed, pushing herself against me for a tight hug of appreciation.
"Phil... who is this?" asked Twilight, approaching us.
Sarah jumped in surprise upon hearing the unfamiliar voice. She pulled away from me a little, sniffing again.
I let go of Sarah and stepped aside, getting out of the way so they could see each other. Sarah quickly tried to clean up her face.
"Who are you?" asked Sarah. She turned to me. "W-Where is Celestia?"
"This is Twilight." I said to her, "She's one of Celestia's friends, and she's been staying with me since Celestia returned home."
"Celestia isn't here?"
I shook my head. I'm sure Sarah would've loved to spend more time with Celestia. Celestia would know how to make her feel better. "Twilight has taken the basement. And I don't have any other rooms other than... [i]my[/i] bedroom. That's why I said it was... That I had no room. Because I don't. You can still stay here, you'll just be sleeping on the couch."
She didn't even glance to it before excitedly saying, "That's fine! That's fine. Thank you... Thank you so much, Phil..."
"Come in, please." I said, stepping away.
She walked into the house, her suitcase in tow. It was pretty big, actually. It seemed heavy. She closed the door behind her.
Twilight backed away to give us a bit more room.
I picked up some of the unused napkins that we had with the pizza and gave them to her. She took them from me and blew her nose.
"Thank you." she said to me.
"What are you going to do now, Sarah?" I asked her.
"I... I don't know... I need more money. I don't... think I make enough to afford an apartment, yet. I don't know, I haven't worked through it, yet."
"So you probably don't know how long you might need to stay here."
"No, no I don't. I'm... I'm sorry..."
She dried her eyes with a napkin and blew her nose again.
"Well, that's fine." I said, "I really didn't expect this..."
"I'm sorry that I've pushed this onto you, Phil. You told me that you w-wanted to avoid this, but... but I didn't see any other choice. If you hadn't taken me in, I didn't know what I would do..."
"I won't make you stay anywhere else." I said to her.
"Thank you."
I sighed. This was an interesting situation. I now had to accommodate Twilight [i]and[/i] Sarah. I didn't have an issue with it economically. My concern was the relationship aspect of it.
I turned to Twilight and said, "Right, anyways... So... this is Sarah."
Twilight looked to her. Sarah gave her a timid wave and a soft, "Hello."
Twilight replied with her own polite greeting.
"Sarah is one of my fellow employees at my job."
"You've mentioned her, before." she replied, "I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. If there's anything that I can do to help, just ask."
"Th... Thank you..." replied Sarah.
"What... happened to you?" asked Twilight, "If I... might ask."
I looked back to Sarah. She seemed nervous again. She had accidentally shown a vulnerable side of herself to someone she didn't know.
"You alright?" I asked.
"Y-Yes..." she got out.
"I can tell her." I said.
She gave me a quick nod.
I turned back to Twilight. "Her father kicked her out of her home."
Twilight gasped. "Oh my goodness... Why would he do such a thing?"
"He was angry at her for dating a guy like me."
"Dating? Wait, but..."
I held up my hand. She stopped talking. I looked to Sarah, then back to Twilight. "On the first of this last month, Sarah invited me out for coffee. We spent a little time together and went home separately. When I got home, Luna told me that Celestia was coming back. Later that night, Sarah called and said that she told her parents she was out late with her boyfriend, me. They wanted to meet me, so I told Celestia and we met with Sarah and picked a date. I met her parents, and her dad turned out to be... a bit... standoffish, shall we say... So we parted on bad terms. Her dad told her that she would stop seeing me and that she would change jobs, but she didn't, and now we're here."
Twilight stared at us, eyes wide. "That's awful! I'm so sorry..."
"Yeah..." I let out, nodding.
"Thank you, Phil." said Sarah.
"Yep..." I nodded at her.
I glanced at her suitcase again. Damn... I don't know if I can make her sleep on the couch. It wouldn't be right. She's a woman, she needs her own room. I'll see how it goes. If it seems like she'll need it, she can have my room.
"Here, go ahead and set your bag over there, against that wall." I said to her, pointing to the far wall, "We'll, um... We'll deal with things from there."
She nodded. "Thank you..."
"Would you like some help?" asked Twilight, stepping towards her.
Sarah backed a step away from her. "N-No, I've g-got it." she let out.
"Oh... Ok..." Twilight gave her some room.
Sarah walked past without a word and set her suitcase against the wall, like I said.
I had absolutely no idea what to do now. I wonder what Celestia would say... I sighed. "Well, let's get you settled in, then." I said to Sarah.
She nodded at me. "Thank you."
"It's a... It's a small house, it doesn't have a complicated layout. Like, at all. Twilight's room is downstairs, like I said. My room is..." I gestured to it. "Over there. Uh... I... I guess you'll just stay out here for a while. Just... basically just use your common sense and everything should be fine. This is honestly like the fifth or sixth time I've explained this recently."
"Oh... Well, I'm sorry."
"Nah nah, don't... If you... If you need a room, like... mine's open. You can take that while you're here. I can take the couch."
"No, no, I couldn't... I couldn't do that to you."
I shrugged. "I gave Celestia my room when she first..." I paused. That was a special circumstance. "Nevermind. Nevermind. You're a lady, so it wouldn't be right to make you stay out here."
I went through the same list that I gave Celestia, the guards, Luna, Red, and Twilight. I gave Sarah some house rules that I had. It was more basic and general than the list I gave my pony friends due to the fact that Sarah had been a human for a little longer than them.
Kinda defeats the 'use your common sense' line I gave her earlier by explaining it like this.
Sarah listened to what I had to say. I wasn't being very enthusiastic about it, but she didn't even look away. Sarah was weird.
Twilight idly stood to the side. She had realized that she made Sarah nervous. She may think that Sarah didn't trust her, I don't know. For all I knew, Sarah [i]didn't[/i] trust her.
After we spoke, Sarah had walked to the kitchen. Curiosity may have gotten the best of her. I don't know.
While I was alone with Twilight, I stepped closer and began speaking to her.
"Looks like you're going to have to try to avoid using [i]any[/i] magic at all." I said to her, "I don't want Sarah to tell me that things are floating around when you're around."
She nodded. "Alright."
"And... The books... let's try to keep those between us."
"Of course. What if... she finds out?"
I smiled at her. "Tell her it's for Dungeons and Dragons."
She gave me a surprised look. "That's a great idea."
"I've been thinking about it for a while." I said, still smiling.
She smiled. "Alright, that's great."
"Speaking of... If you're interested, my sister still plays every week. I could try to get you in for a game."
"Of... Dungeons and Dragons?"
I nodded. "Yup."
"How would that work, with it just being one game?"
I shrugged. "We've done it before."
"Well... alright, yes. That sounds great." She had a pleasant smile on her face.
Sarah walked back through the door. She looked to me. I smiled at her.
"Oh shit, you know what?" I asked, remembering something important.
"What?" asked Twilight, concern in her voice after I suddenly said that. Sarah's eyes immediately widened.
"Christmas is coming up!" I happily let out.
"Christ... mas?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah, yeah, Christmas! Oh man, I love Christmas." I paused. The feelings were a bit mixed, actually. I don't need to tell Twilight why. Celestia knows why. I gasped. "Oh no! I can't share this holiday with Celestia! Awww... Oh well... I gotta set up a tree!"
"A tree? Wait, a pine tree?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah, yeah, a pine tree. Well, a fake one. I'm not dealing with nettles in my house."
"Where would you put it?" she asked.
"Ah... Um..." I looked around the front room. "Well shit. You got me there."
"That corner sh-should work." said Sarah, pointing at the corner at the edge of the couch opposite the door.
I looked to it. "Mmm... No, not enough room."
"How big is the tree?" she asked.
I shrugged. "Normal sized. So like... five-by-five. Or... Whatever the..."
Sarah walked to the side of the couch and examined it. She turned to me and said, "You would have to move the couch, but it would fit."
"Well yeah, I figured I'd have to move the couch. But where's it gonna go?"
"It could go against this wall." she replied, pointing to the ground near the wall next to her.
"That would be too close to blocking the kitchen doorway." I said, "And it wouldn't be facing the TV."
"What if you moved the couch and placed the tree where the couch was?"
She is taking some liberties, telling me to rearrange my front room like this... "That... That would work. Usually, I'd put it here." I pointed to the TV. "But that spot is full."
"This would be a great place for a Christmas tree. Do you have any ornaments?"
"Yeah, some." I replied, "Think they're in the garage. And the tree, too. You really seem to like Christmas there, Sarah."
"I love Christmas! I love the holiday season."
I gave her a wide smile. "That's great! I love Christmas, too."
"What is Christmas?" Twilight asked us.
"Oh, it's a holiday where you spend time with your family and give each other gifts." I said.
"Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25th as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world." explained Sarah, "Do they not have Christmas where you're from?"
"December 25th? Oh! Oh... We call it something different where I'm from." she replied. She gave me an awkward smile. She was still a little confused, it seems.
Sarah smiled. "I found it a bit odd that you have never heard of it." She paused, seemingly catching herself. Her usual timidness showed itself again. "S-Sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."
"No, no, it's quite alright."
"You know..." I started, "Sarah..."
"Yes?"
"I know that we might not be family, but what's say we have a bit of a Christmas celebration of our own here at my house?"
"That sounds great!" she excitedly replied, "I've never celebrated Christmas with a friend, before."
I smiled at her.
"This sounds like a lot of fun." said Twilight, a smile on her face.
"Yeah, we can do all sorts of Christmas themed stuff together as friends. It'll be great. It is... so late right now. I gotta go to bed. Which means you should do the same, Sarah."
"Oh... Y-Yes, you're right."
Twilight gave us a small, pleasant smile. "I think I'll do the same, shortly."
"C'mon Sarah, I'll get you a toothbrush." I said to her.
"Oh! Thank you." she said to me.
I led her into the bathroom and let her pick out a color of toothbrush. She picked red. It reminded me that I had to throw away Red's toothbrush. I did so now.
Twilight wasn't in here with us. She brushed right? Well, of course she brushed, I gave her a toothbrush. Nevermind
Sarah and I brushed together. It didn't seem weird at the time, but thinking back on it afterwards reminded me of the toothbrush scene in Monogatari, which made me feel slightly uncomfortable. Celestia would've liked it if I did that for her...
I looked to Sarah. I began remembering something. Wasn't I planning on giving this lady my house?
She noticed me looking at her and looked away.
Sarah brushed longer than I did, as she should. Sarah's not gonna have any cavities anytime soon. Two minutes in the morning and at night, every day. Reminds me of Celestia for some reason...
I turned off the TV as I returned to the front room. "Sorry we couldn't finish the movie." I said to Twilight.
"It's fine." she replied.
"Good luck on the book, Twilight."
She smiled and nodded. "Thank you."
Sarah showed up in the front room shortly after. I got her some blankets and a pillow and said, "See ya in the morning."
She gave me a small nod. "Yeah... Thank you, Phil. For letting me stay."
"Of course. If there's anything you need, just let me know. Or maybe Twilight, she might be able to help you."
Twilight nodded. "That's right. I'll try my best to help you with anything you need."
"Thank you." said Sarah.
Twilight smiled. "I'll be going to the basement, now."
Our little trio shared a round of 'goodnights' before retiring to our bedrooms. Sarah didn't actually leave the room because she slept out here.
I closed my door behind me.
Christmas without Celestia... I missed her even more. At least Twilight and Sarah can celebrate it with me.
This was an interesting situation I had on my hands right now. With no other friends and a low income job, she was going to be relying on me for a while. Probably even the whole month... Maybe more...
Speaking of money, should I charge her rent? I wouldn't be in the wrong given that she was staying here... Mmm... Nah. I don't have the heart to charge her anything. If anything, I'd charge her for the food she would eat.
I still missed my Princess... I wonder...
"Celestia, can you hear me?" I asked, hoping to talk to her.
"I can."
I felt a warmth enter my mind. It felt like Celestia was right here next to me.
"You know, I'm very proud of what you've done today." she said to me, "You've made Sarah very happy to know that she has a true friend in you."
"Thank you, Celestia. I've missed you."
"I've missed you, too."
"You're gonna miss my favorite holiday."
"Among other things." she replied.
"Yeah... Why haven't we talked more?"
"It is very difficult to speak with you like this." she replied.
"Difficult?"
"It requires a great deal of power and concentration."
"Oh... But you're powerful. And... concentrated. Like orange juice."
She let out a small chuckle.
"Luna spoke to us rather often." I said.
"She doesn't have as much distractions."
"You're silly." I said to her. I could feel her smiling.
"I can't wait for you to come to Equestria." she said.
"Me, too."
"How are you?" she asked.
"I'm well." I replied, "I'm doing alright."
"That's good."
"Twilight is a great guest. She's quiet and doesn't do much."
"You've been helping her."
"Yeah."
"Thank you, Phil."
"Hey Celestia, we found some really weird stuff in the journal."
"Oh?"
I explained the interesting page about Star Song's ailment that I found.
Celestia paused before saying, "Interesting..." Ponies say that a lot...
"He said that he spoke with a Princess. Do you know anything about this?"
"No, I don't... think so."
"Mmm..."
"I'm sure you and Twilight will find your answers soon enough."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
"I know that you've been feeling uneasy since Twilight arrived. Sarah's presence will only make it worse."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"They're both beautiful women." she said.
"Yeah, that's for true."
She paused for a short while before speaking again. "It would seem that one of the spells she needs is in the back of her spell book. You have made quite a bit of progress in it."
"We've been doing well." I replied, "Twilight is doing great. She's been working hard."
"I'm impressed by how much you have helped her."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"It's a shame that we weren't able to work together as much on them." she said to me, "Though perhaps we were too preoccupied at the time." She gave me a small giggle.
"Perhaps. It wasn't all bad."
"You're right. I quite like being preoccupied with you."
"You're silly."
I could feel her warm smile.
I chuckled. "I'm gonna have a hard time proposing to you, Celestia."
She gasped.
"Finding the perfect moment, the perfect day, the perfect time... Maybe I'll do it in the middle of one of your speeches."
"If you do that, I would be [i]so[/i] embarrassed." she said, a laugh in her voice.
"Oh, is that so? Maybe I [i]should[/i] then."
She gave me a chuckle of her own. "Looks like I have more speeches to plan this year."
"Maybe I'll do it when you wake up in the morning, out of nowhere."
She laughed. "That would certainly brighten the rest of my day."
Celestia and I shared a playful conversation for a long while before finally deciding to go to bed.
"Alright, Celestia. I gotta get to bed." I told her.
She sighed. "I love you." She sounded sad.
"I love you, too."
"I'll see you soon." she said to me."
"Yeah. Soon."
With that, I ended my day.
December 14
Twilight said we would be finishing the books around today or tomorrow, but that was a while ago. We've had a lot of distractions. We'd probably get done around the 20th or something. I don't know. How would Sarah react to us just disappearing? What if she saw us leave? That would be hard to explain.
Did Sarah wake up early at home? I don't know. I wouldn't wake her if she was still asleep.
I went out to the front room and checked on her. She was still sleeping. I saw her phone sitting on the coffee table. An alarm was probably set on it.
Twilight's door was closed today. Odd.
I went into the kitchen and ate a few bowls of cereal for breakfast. With Sarah in the front room, I couldn't play Mario Kart.
Man, this is weird. Celestia and Luna and Twilight and Red and... Shining and Soulfire, they're all ponies. They weren't human to begin with, so I didn't have much of an issue with them staying here. That's a long list of ponies, actually.
Sarah was different. Sarah was human. She had no obligation to stay here. She was here because she was my friend. Because [i]I[/i] was [i]her[/i] friend. It must've been so hard for her to ask me if she could say. She's so timid around others, though she [i]has[/i] been making great progress, which actually makes me very proud of her. She's been doing very well at work.
I had been put into a situation that I couldn't have refused. There was absolutely no way that I could have denied her request. I am not a person that would have, in good conscience, sent her away. In short, she had a free pass. I don't know if she knew this, but it felt like she wasn't taking advantage of me. She had no other option. Well, she did, but they were less preferable.
I missed Celestia...
So I waited for either Sarah or Twilight to wake up. Sarah was first, to my knowledge. While I was in the kitchen on my laptop, I heard a song play in the front room. I did not recognize it, but it had a catchy tune. It turned off a short while later. She gave off a groan.
I heard movement in the front room. She was getting up. I heard her walk towards the kitchen.
I looked to her as she walked through the door.
She looked at me. "Hello, Phil." She seemed almost surprised.
"Hey Sarah. Sleep well?"
"It was... surprisingly comfortable." she replied.
"Oh. Well, that's good to hear. Go ahead and eat anything you want here. I got plenty of..." I waved my hand towards the cupboards. "And... And you don't need to... to... I forgot what I was going to say."
"Thank you, Phil. I'll try not to get in the way."
"Oh, don't think of it like that. Think of it like a sleepover. A sleepover that you don't come home from. Ok, nevermind, that sounds like the plot to a horror movie. Um... Just... Like, you're not causing me any issues by staying here. That's what I mean. I mean, you are, but those issues are negligible. You're... This is getting a bit difficult to explain. I'm glad that you're here, Sarah. Celestia would be happy too, if she were still here."
"Where... did Celestia go, if you... don't mind my asking..."
"She went home. There were some things that she needed to take care of. I'm a little fuzzy on the details myself, actually. Her work is very important to her, so if she needs time, then she can have it."
"She's... She's working?"
I nodded. "Yup."
"Are you sure?"
I blinked. "What? Yeah."
"Where... does she work?" she asked.
"Just... in Europe. She's private about her work, so she wouldn't like me telling you."
"Oh..."
"Are you hungry?" I asked her, "Go ahead and grab a... grab a bowl of cereal or something. Or... you can make... pancakes or eggs or toast. Whatever you wanna make, by all means, go ahead. Or you can ask me to make you something. 'Cause I might."
"W-Well, thank you. I think I'll have cereal, th-though."
"It's over there." I said, pointing to the cupboard, "And bowls are there. Spoons are in that drawer."
"Thank you."
"I feel like you're gonna say that a lot."
"I... I just... appreciate your letting me stay here. I... I can't... begin to tell you how much this means to me."
I gave her a smile. "Stay as long as you need, Sarah. You're welcome here any time. I know you don't make much, in fact, I know how much you make, and it's not enough to live off of, not around here. So, you can stay. You can stay as long as you need."
"Thank you, Phil. Thank you... s-so m-m-m..." She started tearing up. "Thank you so much!" She sniffed, then rubbed the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry."
I smiled at her again. "Get something to eat. You gotta get ready for work."
She smiled back at me. "Right."
She made herself a bowl of lucky charms and sat down at the table in the seat next to mine.
She glanced at me. I glanced back. She quickly looked away.
God, I hope she's not developing a crush on me. Don't get me wrong, I would hit that like the side of a tree on the forest moon of Endor, but being engaged to Celestia made it something I should not and would not do.
Oh man, what if Sarah had shown up just before Celestia left? That would've been super awkward. Those two days were not free of sin.
I missed Celestia...
If Sarah was developing feelings for me, that would be a very, very bad thing. On my list of things that are ok, it is not on the list. Maybe my ego's getting to me, I don't know...
I really missed Celestia. I can't stop thinking about her...
"What... are you... doing?" she asked me.
"Hmm? What?" I focused on her.
"On your... your computer. What are you..." She stopped.
"I'm just... nothing really. Funny pictures, I guess. And Facebook."
"O-Oh..."
I shrugged. "Nothing too spectacular."
She looked down to her food again.
"We got about 45 minutes 'till we should leave." I said, "I usually walk, and you take the bus, so we could just walk together. Depending on the weather though, I could drive the two of us. Did you bring a coat?"
"I did. But... that's it. I don't have any others."
"Mmm... Alright. I can probably find something for you."
"Thank you."
"Hey, uh... This is... bit of an awkward question, but you and showering..."
"Oh!" Her face quickly became red.
"Uh... Take your clothes with you into the shower, alright? The bathroom, I mean. And just put them on in there. And you can throw your dirties downstairs so I can wash them. Or you can wash them, if you don't feel comfortable with that. But I'm fine with it. I have no problem with it. So... Yeah... Just change in the bathroom and throw dirty clothes downstairs. Alright?"
"Alright." she said softly, looking to me.
"Speaking of laundry, I can take care of the chores, so don't worry about them. I mean, you know, if you want to, I'm not going to stop you."
I went over a few more related rules. This was really getting old...
"Think Twilight's up?" I asked her.
"She... came upstairs late to brush her teeth last night."
"Mmm... Either way..."
"What does... Twilight do?"
"Do?"
"Here. What does she do... here? Does she work?"
"No, she's not here to work. She's kinda on vacation. Twilight's studying some books."
"That sounds interesting. What kind of books?"
"Just... books. Twilight's in a DnD campaign and the DM is serious about DMing. He's given us a challenge in the form of three books, and since Twilight was the smartest one, everyone delegated the task to her."
"That s-sounds incredible!" she excitedly let out.
I smiled. "Ain't it? She's been working hard at it for a while. Be careful if you ever go downstairs. I don't imagine you'll need to, but still. There's stuff all over the floor and her notes are everywhere."
"Alright. I'll try to be careful."
We held our small conversation as we waited to go to work. When Sarah was finished eating, the two of us continued to get ready to work. I found some cold weather gear for Sarah to wear.
The weather outside was adequate for walking, at least for me.
"Here, check the temperature." I said to her, turning back to the door.
She looked at me, then looked up at the overcast sky as she stepped outside. She took in a breath.
"Think you'd be alright with walking?" I asked her.
She nodded at me. "I think I'll be fine."
I shrugged. "Alright, cool. Ready to head off?"
She nodded.
I smiled at her. She smiled back. After locking up the house, the two of us walked to work.
Huh... "You know what?" I said.
"Hmm?"
"You're gonna need a key to the house. I'll get one for you when we get home, alright?"
"Oh... Well, thank you..." she said, a surprised tone in her voice.
"You're not gonna do a whole lot of leaving, are you?" I asked her.
"Leaving?"
"Leaving the house, I mean. You seem like someone who stays in a lot."
"That's... right."
"Mmm... Yeah, same here. So we'll be hanging around the house a lot."
"I used to go out and eat once a week, but that was... when I was... with my parents..."
"Yeah but you're broke now."
"Yeah..."
"Things'll go better for you soon enough Sarah, just you watch. Give it a couple weeks and your life will be right back on track."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you haven't been abandoned." I said to her, "Your dad can't stay mad at you forever. You probably won't move back in with him, but..."
"I will not accept his charity." she coldly stated.
I stopped walked, surprised by this.
She took a few more steps before realizing that I wasn't with her. She turned around and faced me. "What?"
"I... I just... You might not have a choice, you know?"
"I am not going to let myself be dependent on him anymore. I can't stand the way he treated you. He's shown his true colors to me. I don't want to be associated with a man like him."
I blinked. "You've really made up your mind on this."
She nodded. "I have. I'm not forgiving him for this."
She was surprisingly calm. She hadn't stuttered and she wasn't nervous at all. I was impressed.
I sighed. "You're taking a big risk here Sarah. You're lucky Celestia and I love you, or you'd be out of luck."
Her eyes opened wide. "L-L-Love?"
I paused. That was an unnecessary slip of the tongue. Friend would've worked just as well. I used it with Twilight as well... I need to calm my emotions... "You're staying at [i]my[/i] house right now." I said to her, "If you didn't have my place to stay at, you'd be screwed. You told me that you didn't have anyone else. You'd be homeless, Sarah. What could you do?"
"I... I... I'd get an apartment."
"You're broke, Sarah. You're broke."
"I'd..."
I held up my hand to stop her from continuing. "Sarah... Celestia and I [i]do[/i] love you. Celestia especially. We want to see you succeed in life, and we're both proud of how far you've come in such a short time. It might not mean a lot to you that we feel this way Sarah. After all, you've only ever met Celestia one time, and I ruined your relationship with your dad."
"No, you didn't..." She paused. "You didn't... Th-That doesn't matter to me. I like you, Phil... You've helped me so much, you're even letting me st-stay at your house! I know I can't stay with you forever." she said to me, "I need more pay or a new job."
"You still got like four months at the minimum until you get the opportunity for more pay."
"I know."
"Have you gotten other jobs in mind?"
She paused, then looked away.
"Answer honestly." I said to her.
"I don't know... I don't... know. I've looked, I have... I just... Nobody... n-needs me."
I nodded. "You're still welcome to stay, Sarah. My house is open to you."
"Thank you... Thank you, Phil..."
I smiled at her. "Come on. Let's get to work."
She smiled back. "Right!"
A short while later, I felt a familiar warmth in my mind. I heard my fiancée's voice. "Ohhh, you are so nice to her!" she excitedly let out, "You've made her so happy! It is so hard to talk to you, oh my goodness..." She let out a sigh. "What will you tell her when you leave?"
I just shrugged.
"Oh, yes I suppose it would seem strange if you began talking to yourself." She chuckled. "I appreciate your kindness towards Sarah in my stead. She's matured far more than she would have without you."
I smiled.
"Have a nice day at work, Phil."
I gave her a small nod before I felt her leave.
"You're doing pretty good in the cold, here." I said to Sarah.
"I've always... lived in the north. I just came from Maine, and that's further north than here."
I shrugged. "I've always lived here. I'm pretty used to the cold, too."
That walk felt longer than normal. I guess walking with someone will do that. I liked walking with Sarah. It was nice. I wish Celestia walked with me more, but she doesn't like the smell of the place. She totally would have if I had asked her, though.
Actually, the walk seemed a bit longer because it [i]was[/i] a bit longer. I usually got there before everyone on my shift, but today, someone was actually here before me.
I greeted him as I walked in. He greeted me back, giving me the enthusiasm I've come to expect from someone waking up early to go to a minimum wage job at McDongers. Ahh... America...
I think he noticed that Sarah and I got here together because I was starting to hear rumors again. And by that, I meant that they were curious and directly asked me about it.
As the story goes, Phil and Sarah walked to work together this morning. After a brief discussion with Sarah on what to say, I answered them with, "Sarah lives with me, now. Her dad kicked her out."
Some gasps were heard amongst my audience, as well as, "Holy crap." and, "Seriously?"
"It is how it is." I said to them, "And I would appreciate it if you respected Sarah's privacy while we are at work."
Sarah stepped forward. "My father has shown me a much more controlling side of his strict, yet kind personality. He removed me from his home when I strayed from his rules. I no longer want to live with him."
"Well, you couldn't have picked a better guy to stay with." said Timmy, "Aside from his depraved side, he's a great guy."
"Thank you, that's..." I sighed. "Helpful. You're really... Real pal. Real pal."
He snickered.
"Well, if you ever need help, just ask." said one of them.
They all agreed to this.
"Yeah, we're all friends, here." said another.
Sarah gave them a short surprised look, then gave them a wide smile. "Thank you, everyone. This means a lot to me. I'm so glad you're willing to help me... Thank you..." She kept up her smile. "I... I should be fine with Phil, though. He's agreed to take care of me for a little while." She glanced at me, still smiling.
"Shame he's not single, you could have yourself a nice boyfriend." said one of them.
Sarah gasped. "N-No, no, no, no... I'm not... I'm not looking f-for... a boyfriend..."
"How do you know I'd be a good boyfriend?" I asked him.
"Well, you're hot." he replied.
"What are you, gay?"
"Well, yeah."
"Oh right, we've established this."
"Alex needs a girlfriend." said Greg, "Maybe you could talk to him."
"Actually, I... I have someone right now." he replied.
Our group collectively looked to him.
"I... met her three weeks ago."
"Good on ya, mate!" I said to him.
"Yeah man, that's great!"
"What's her name? Is she nice?"
"Uh, her name's Carol." he told us.
"Why haven't you said anything about her to us?"
"Well, she's not as cool as Phil's girlfriend." he said.
"That don't matter."
"Yeah, nobody's as cool as her. Hey, what happened to her, anyways?" asked one of them, "What was her name? Chastely?"
I poorly concealed a snicker.
"It was Celestia." said Timmy, "Apparently she had to go home for a while."
I shrugged. "As the story goes. Alright, alright... Everyone... I think it's about time to get to work."
I got various complaints from them, but I soon got the crew into working order.
Today was a nice day. Today was a good day.
I gotta get out the tree... I have to move the couch, too... Sarah's tiny, she might not be able to help me. Twilight could, though. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I asked. I could do it myself if I needed to, but I don't have anything to gain by acting manly.
Nothing special happened at work today. Nothing of note, at least. I enjoyed days like this. It was almost relaxing.
Sarah and I left work the same way we got there. It was still chilly out, but it didn't bother us.
"You have anything to do while you're at my house?" I asked her on the walk home.
"Weren't we going to set up for Christmas?" she asked.
"Oh yeah." I said, remembering what I said earlier, "That'll take us a while. It's gonna be pretty different for you, huh... Spending Christmas away from your family. Or.. at least your dad. Your mom is welcome if she... Do you go out to spend Christmas with relatives or do you stay at home?"
"I always spend Christmas at home with my mom and dad. My grandparents came when I was younger, but they live too far away to visit, now."
"Mmm... Well yeah, your mom is welcome to join us. Your dad can come if he brings me a present."
She was taken aback. "You'd... let him in your home if he brought you a gift?"
"Yes, yes I would. A gift can help on the road to forgiveness. Don't tell him that, he has to learn on his own."
"You don't have to worry about that." she replied seriously, "I'm not telling him [i]anything[/i]."
"Man, I can't believe Celestia is gonna miss Christmas." I said, my tone disappointed.
"There's always next year, right? H-Hey, maybe she'll surprise you and come back early!"
"That'd be a nice surprise... Hey, Sarah..." I slowed to a stop. "Sarah, stop."
She did so and turned to me. "What is it?"
"I wanted to say something important." I said to her.
"O-Oh... Ok..." She looked almost worried.
"I... uh..." I didn't plan this... Blurt it out? "I can't be your boyfriend."
"Wh-What?! What?!" She stepped away from me. "Wh... What... Ph-Phil, I... I..."
"I just... I wanted to let you know that. I already have Celestia, so... if there was anything between us... uh... If you [i]did[/i] like me in that way, I'm sorry."
"O-Oh... Th-That makes sense..."
She didn't look particularly unhappy. I guess that's what I should have expected. She didn't look particularly happy, either. Her face was red, though. I embarassed her.
"So you... you th-thought that... there c-could have b-been something?" she asked me.
"I... did." I replied, "And I'm sorry. But I just wanted to make sure you knew. Not that... you... Sorry. Celestia is... she's important to me."
"No, it's... it's ok... It's ok, I underst-stand..."
I sighed, then chuckled briefly. "Let's get home."
"R-Right..."
I'm pretty sure that I could feel Celestia's laughter all the way from here. Either that, or it was my own embarrassment. Actually, it was safe to assume that it's both.
When I got home, I walked to the stairwell and called a greeting down to Twilight. She replied with a cheerful greeting of her own.
"Hey Twilight, could you come up here? I need your help with something." I called down to her.
"Oh! Of course! I'll be up in a moment."
I turned back to Sarah and said, "You know, I rather liked your idea."
"Hmm? My idea?"
"When you said to move the couch."
"Oh! Well, thank you."
Twilight joined me upstairs after a short while. I told her my plan.
Twilight looked to the couch. "How far do we need to move it?"
"A few feet away from the wall. Enough for the tree to fit in the corner." I replied, "And if there's not enough room... we'll figure something out. Sound good?"
She nodded. "Alright."
"Good. You head over there, I'll get this side."
And so, the two of us moved my medium sized couch a few feet to the side with little trouble.
"Thanks, Twilight!" I happily said to her.
She smiled. "You're welcome."
I scooted the coffee table over a few feet, and adjusted the TV so it better suited the couch's new position.
I looked over to where Twilight had been standing. "Eww..."
"What's wrong?" asked Twilight.
I pointed to the floor. Having never vacuumed under the couch, it was very dirty. Well, that's the next item on my list. Vacuum the floor. I got to it immediately. It didn't take long.
And now, for our main event... The tree!
"I'm pretty sure the tree's in the garage." I said to them, "I'll go get it."
"If it's as big as you said, you'll need some help." said Twilight, walking up to me.
"Oh. Well, thank you. You need a coat. Oh! This will work." I took off my own coat and gave it to her.
"Thank you." she said to me, a pleasant tone in her voice. She put it on and zipped it up.
"Do you need my help with anything?" asked Sarah.
"Uh... Yeah, you can bring in some ornaments."
Party in the garage!
The three of us migrated to the garage. I pushed the door open and stood at the doorway, flicking on the light. Well, I tried to, but it didn't come on. I flicked the switch a few more times before giving up.
"Hold on, I got this." I said, pressing the door open button. With a loud groaning of machinery, the garage door opened, letting in the outside light. "Well, that didn't help."
I began kicking snow away from the garage door as the two of them walked in.
"Uh... What... are we looking for?" asked Twilight.
"It's a... big box. Pretty tall. Wide. I think it has a picture of a tree across it. I... I can't remember where it is, but it shouldn't be too hard to find." I gave the garage a brief cursory look from where I stood at the door. It wasn't a very big garage, and I didn't notice it right off hand. "Well shit... where is it?"
"I don't see any big boxes." said Sarah.
I crossed my arms. "Huh... I thought for sure it was in here."
"Is that it?" asked Twilight, pointing up to the rafters.
I looked up to the dark rafters. I squinted my eyes. "You know what, it might be." I replied. I pulled out my phone and shined its flashlight at it. "Yep. That's it."
"How will we get it down?" asked Sarah.
"Ladder." I replied simply.
So I went and got my ladder. Easy. I set it up and climbed up a few steps until my head was above the rafters. The ladder wasn't incredibly big, but I was a bigger guy, so I didn't have to climb all the way up. It was so dark up here, holy crap.
"Be careful." said Sarah.
"Careful is my middle name. Actually it's Phil, but don't tell anyone."
"Wait, your [i]middle[/i] name is Phil?" asked Sarah.
"I might have some trouble getting this down, actually." I said, "Maybe... I guess we'll see."
I started pulling on the box. It wasn't very heavy, but it was pretty big. Actually, I lied, it was pretty heavy, too.
I made sure that nothing was on top of it, though it was [i]after[/i] I started moving it, which was an error in hindsight.
"Uh... Step back a bit." I said to them.
"Do you need any help?" asked Twilight.
"I don't know how you could... Uh... Maybe... Here, let's change places." I climbed down the ladder. "You can push it down to me, and I can catch it."
"That doesn't seem safe."
"What? Nah, it'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" she asked me.
"Of course, I'm sure."
"Alright..." She did not seem as confident in this as I was.
Twilight stepped onto the ladder. I held it steady for her. She climbed up.
I held a hand up underneath the box. "Just drop it on me, I'll catch it."
"Phil, this [i]really[/i] doesn't seem like a good idea." she warned.
"Why not?"
"What if you get hurt?"
"I'm not gonna get hurt. I don't know if there [i]is[/i] a safe way to get this down. Kinda funny though, if you weren't here, I'd be struggling to get this thing down myself."
"That... would be pretty bad." she said.
"Well, you have [i]me[/i]." said Sarah.
"Well, if I had... if it was just me here... Is what I meant. So yeah, I appreciate the help, ladies."
Sarah smiled a small smile.
Twilight sighed. "Alright, if you say so." She took another step, then the box started moving again. "Here it comes." she said.
I was staring up at the box, waiting for it to tilt down. I smiled as it began to slide. All part of my master plan.
I heard Sarah gasp. "Phil, watch out!"
I reactively looked to her, which was fucking stupid on my part, I gotta say. I felt the tree box hit my hand, which is what I was expecting. Like, that's the reason Twilight was on the ladder in the first place. I also heard a loud noise. My first instinct was that something was falling, so I braced for impact, which was probably going to cause more physical issues than if I had relaxed my body.
I didn't feel anything, so it must've missed. Lucky. I also didn't hear a second crash, which I thought was odd.
I looked up. "Twilight, are you alright?" I asked, concern in my voice.
I saw something just above me. It was a... plastic thing surrounded by a purple glow. What... the hell was that? Oh wait, that's an electric air pump. Holy shit, that would've hurt! It must've been pushed down by the tree box.
I slowly looked at Twilight, a guilty expression on my face, knowing that she was going to reprimand me for not listening.
"Phil, you're lucky that I was here!" she angrily said to me, "I told you this was a bad idea! You almost got hurt!"
"I know, I'm sorry." I said, lowering the tree onto the ground as I stared up at her. Oh man, I feel so bad right now. I must've spooked her something awful.
"How would Princess Celestia feel if you got hurt because of something we could have avoided?"
"I'm sorry, Twilight." I said, apologizing like a child in trouble. I was still a little shocked that I was almost brained by an air pump. That was not how I wanted to go. If it's not 'suffocated by Celestia's fat ass', I don't wanna hear it.
"What is... that?" asked Sarah.
"Hmm?" I looked to Sarah.
She was pointing at the air pump that Twilight was holding. "Why is that floating? And... And purple?"
"I... uh... Power cord must've got caught on something." I said, coming up with something on the fly.
Twilight scrambled to grab it with her hands. The magic faded away as she did.
"I don't... see a..." started Sarah.
I shrugged. "It's dark.
"Wh-Why was it purple?" she asked again.
She set it back onto the rafter it came from. "It was... just a light that it gives off when it turns on." she said, coming up with her own excuse, "It must've turned on when it fell."
"B-But... how did it turn on? What even was that? Why would the light look like that? That doesn't make any sense!"
"I think that thing runs on batteries." I said.
"Y-Yeah, that must be it." said Twilight, a little less confident in her answer.
Sarah saw through our bullshit, but she didn't have any reasonable explanation in her head of what just happened. "What was that thing?" she asked, questioning me.
"Air pump. You know, to blow up stuff like... like tires, basketballs... uh... or some other third thing. Good for a car."
"Why would an air pump glow like that?"
I shrugged. "I dunno. Some have flashlights on them so you can use them in the dark."
"S-So, now that we have the tree, why don't we get inside and set it up, huh?" said Twilight, trying to cover up her magical mishap.
"We need ornaments." I said.
"Phil!" she let out.
"Why would it be surrounded by a purple light, though? That doesn't make any sense at all, even if it was a flashlight." said Sarah, still trying to make sense of what happened.
"I dunno, maybe the fall broke it." I said, "I'm gonna drag this inside. Looks like the ornaments are up there as well, so I'll get those down so we can bring those in after." I said.
"I'll help!" said Twilight, trying her hardest to leave the scene of the crime.
Twilight picked up the back end of the box and walked with me inside. After a bit of careful maneuvering through the front door, we set it down in the front room.
"That was close." said Twilight.
"Yeah, I almost got a wicked bad booboo. Thanks."
"Y-Yes... I meant her discovering my magic. I think we fooled her."
I shrugged. "It don't matter. Long as we don't say it outright, she'd have no reason to suspect anything. And even if she does, whatever. Who cares? Let's head back out."
"What should we say? I've never had to... hide my magic before."
"I dunno. Make something up. Wait, better yet, just stick with what we said. We don't know anything."
"I don't like feigning ignorance."
"Always works for me." I said, "Come on, today's supposed to be fun. As long as you don't knock anyone's head around with an air pump, we'll be fine."
She sighed. "Alright. Coming."
The two of us went back outside. I heard some clanging in the garage. Sounded like the ladder moving.
"There's no cord on this!" Sarah said to us as we walked in. She was suspicious of something, but even [i]she[/i] didn't know of what, yet.
Sarah was on the ladder, looking down at us, holding the air pump in question.
"What?" I asked, "Really?"
"Yes, look." she said to me, holding it out to me.
"Huh... I thought it did. Wait, there has to be something, gimmie that." I retrieved it from her and started poking around at it. It wasn't long before I found what I wanted. "There it is. See, right here." I showed her the panel I had just opened. "The cables hide inside this thing for easy storage."
"Well, how did it get in there if the cable was holding it up?"
"Twilight prolly did it. 'Cause she likes when things are put away right." I gave the air pump back. "Hey, while you're up there, pass down the ornaments."
She set the air pump up top and stepped up on the ladder to get a better look.
She wasn't the only one getting a better look, goodness me... Celestia forgive me...
"It's too dark." she said to me.
"Here, use this." I said, turning on the flashlight to my phone and handing it to her.
She took it and shined it around. Twilight and I could see clearly defined shadows up top. I liked that light effect...
"What am I looking for?" she asked.
"Uh... Oh! White box with polka dots on it!"
"Polka dots?"
"My dad gave it to me." I said.
"I don't... Oh, there it is!" She reached a hand towards it. It slid a small bit away as she tried touching it. "I can't reach it. I'll have to climb to the top."
"I'll hold the ladder." I said, doing just so.
She climbed so her feet were on the second to top step of the ladder. A safety violation, but she was tiny, she wasn't gonna collapse it.
"I don't think you should be up that high on the ladder." said Twilight.
I glanced at her, then back up. "She's probably right. Come down, I'll grab it." As I said that, the ladder shook a bit. I held it tightly, steadying it. "Sorry!"
"Uh..." Sarah stopped. She pulled her arms back and wrapped them around the rafter. "I... I think I made a mistake..." she said, "I wanna get down now..."
"Sarah?" I asked.
She was not moving at all. She was clutching the rafter, trying her best to stay perfectly still.
"I've... n-never b-been on a ladder before." she let out, "I was a little afraid of cl-climbing it earlier, b-but I thought I c-could..."
Twilight quickly stepped forward. "Here, we'll help you down." she said to Sarah. She held the ladder with me. "Phil... um..."
"Take my hand, Sarah." I calmly said to her, reaching up towards her. I could reach the rafter by raising my hand, no problem. It was eight feet up, that's not an issue.
Sarah let out a scared noise. Kinda like a mix between a whimper and a squeal. She didn't let go of the beam.
"Come on, Sarah." I said to her, trying to coax her down, "Just grab my hand and step down."
"Phil and I have the ladder. We promise to hold it steady." said Twilight.
"We've got you, Sarah. Come on." I said to her. I tapped the rafter with a finger to get attention, then opened my hand, waiting for her to take it.
"Wh-What if I fall?" she asked. She was starting to take in quick breaths.
"You won't fall." I said, "Even if you do, you can just land on me. I'm big and squishy."
"What if I get hurt?"
"You won't get hurt, Sarah. Come on. Just take my hand. You'll get down before you know it. Hold on with one hand and use your other to grab mine."
She let out a shaky sigh. After a while, she said, "Alright..."
She slowly lifted a hand from the beam and blindly grabbed at my hand, not actually seeing it. Eventually, she hit it and grabbed on. She sure has a tight grip for someone so small...
She raised her head, then looked down at me. She was not a happy camper.
"Good. Now step down."
Surprisingly enough, she clenched my hand even harder. She nodded at me. As she began to move, the ladder felt like it was shaking again. Twilight and I held tight.
Step by step, Sarah descended the ladder. She held the beam until she couldn't reach it anymore, and held my hand until she got off.
"See, that wasn't so bad." said Twilight, smiling at her.
"That's easy for you to say." said Sarah, "My heart is pounding."
Sarah glanced to me. She let go of my hand. My skin was white where she was holding me.
"I'm... sorry, Phil..." she said to me.
"Are you alright?"
"I... I'll be fine."
"What was [i]that[/i] about?" I asked.
"I... I think I'm scared of ladders..."
"You got up there just fine, though."
"I d-didn't realize how high it was."
"First time on a ladder, huh?" I asked.
"I... I've just never needed to use them..."
"[i]You[/i] have never needed to use them?" I asked, jokingly surprised.
"I know, what a shocker..." she replied, a small smile on her face, "I... I think I need to go lie down for a little while. At least until my heart stops pounding." She let out a sigh.
"Alright, go in and take a little break. Twilight and I will take care of things out here. Isn't that right, Twilight?"
"Of course."
"Uh... My phone?" I asked Sarah.
"Right, right..." She gave it back to me.
Sarah gave us a small nod, then walked away. She moved slowly, as if she were still terrified.
"Will she be alright?" asked Twilight.
"Huh? Oh, yeah she'll be fine."
"She reminds me of a friend I have in Equestria. Her name is Fluttershy."
"Ah yeah, Celestia told me about her. She sounds really shy."
"She can be when she meets new ponies, but when she warms up to you, she's the nicest pony you'd ever meet."
"Sounds... nice." I said, "That reminds me, isn't she the... the element of kindness or some-such?" Feigning ignorance seemed like the right thing to do at the moment. It was also fun.
"That's right. She, along with me and my other close friends, make up the bearers of the Elements of Harmony." she proudly stated, "That is, before we returned them to the Tree of Harmony."
"Quite the title." I said, "Yeah, Celestia told me about you and your friends. She always had good stories to tell from Equestria." I looked back to the rafters, then got on the ladder.
"What did she say?" asked Twilight.
"Ah, you know... Nothing but good things. She told me about the letters that you wrote to her. Your friendship reports. Those were pretty fun. Learned a lot about you and your friends from that. And things like your Grand Galloping Gala fiasco. Your little group seems like the life of the party."
Twilight gave me a nervous chuckle. "I... would prefer not to talk about that."
I gave her a laugh. "She told me about all those times you and your friends saved Equestria. Just... I know a lot about you, Twilight. And your friends, too. You gotta introduce me when I get to Equestria. Imagine their shock when they find out who I am."
"I'm sure they'd like you." said Twilight.
"Alright, I got the box. Coming down."
"Be careful. We've had enough problems out here already."
"It's gotten really dark." I said, "Close the garage for me, would you?"
"I'll wait until you're on the ground."
"I appreciate that."
I descended down the ladder, Christmas ornament box in hand. It was fairly large, but there were a lot of smaller boxes and padding in it.
I opened it and looked in. "Hmm..."
"Something wrong?"
"This can't be... all... Right, I remember now. There's another box up there."
I set this box down and retrieved the next from the rafters.
The two of us left the garage, boxes in hand. Twilight hit the button to close the garage door as we walked out. I braced my box against my knee so I could open the front door. We walked inside.
"How ya doin'?" I asked Sarah, noticing her laying on the couch.
She sat up and looked to us. "Better." She smiled. "Looks like you have the ornaments."
"Yep." I set the box onto the coffee table. Twilight set hers next to it.
Sarah got up and looked into them.
I walked to the tree box. I slid it towards the wall, then opened it up.
"Do you have... lights?" asked Sarah.
"Yeah, they're in there." I said.
She glanced to the box.
"Looks like we'll have to put this together." said Twilight.
I smiled. "That's the fun part."
"I've never... put together a fake Christmas tree before." said Sarah.
"Neither have I." said Twilight.
"You use real trees?" I asked Sarah.
"No, actually. The tree was always set up before I could've helped. I suppose my father didn't want me to worry about it."
"First time for everything."
The three of us got to work with the tree. This particular fake tree was separated into the base, branches, and a central column. The column had colored stickers matching stickers on the branches. These denoted branch size, which went from smallest on top to largest on bottom, like a real pine tree, of course. Hooked ends on the branches fit into sockets on the tree.
I set the base of the tree onto the ground and fitted the column pieces together in it. Then I placed a round bit of fabric around the base. Decoration, really. Then, we got to work on the branches.
We separated the branches into three general piles based on size, then separated them into colors. Twilight enjoyed the organization part. We started at the bottom, working our way to the top with each individual layer getting harder and harder for Sarah to assist with.
Even if she couldn't reach the top, Sarah loved this. She absolutely loved this. She really loved Christmas, and building this tree seemed right up her alley.
"This seems like a lot of work." said Twilight.
"Yeah, but it saves on cleanup." I said, "Instead of vacuuming up nettles for the next few months and buying another tree, I can just pack it away for next year."
"Hmm... Makes sense." she said, shrugging.
With the three of us working on it, the tree was up within the hour.
Sarah was beaming. The very thought of the Christmas season got her excited. The sight of the completed Christmas tree clearly lifted her spirits.
When the tree was put together, we made sure the branches were fluffed so it looked nice. All in all, it was a great fake tree.
"Now we can decorate it, right?" asked Sarah.
"Someone's eager." I said, "And also correct. Let's start with the lights."
We went to the tree box, where coiled up strings of Christmas lights lay. Worked last year, hopefully the same can be said for this year. Needed untangling, I know that.
I loved untangling Christmas lights. It was unnaturally satisfying... Twilight and Sarah also got in on the fun. Twilight was definitely the kind of person that would like this kind of thing, and with Sarah's Christmas spirit, there was no way she would dislike something like this. We got it done quickly.
I plugged one end into a wall outlet and it lit right up. Looked pretty on the ground like this.
"You know, there's a really easy way to put lights on fake trees, check it out." I said, "Here..." I picked up the bundle of wires and gave them to Sarah. She gave me a surprised look, but held it regardless. "Hold this for me."
As Sarah held it, I took the other end to the tree. I wrapped it around a branch at the bottom, then reached inside the tree to its center column. I grabbed it, then began turning it. As I turned the tree, the lights began wrapping around.
"Oh, that's what you were doing." said Sarah.
"Yeah, makes it real easy. My dad taught it to me. Or my mom, I can't remember. Keep feeding it wire."
With my method, the tree was covered in lights in no time. Easy. I plugged the bottom in when I was done. Lit up like... well, like a Christmas tree.
"It looks nice." said Twilight.
"It does." said Sarah.
She stared at the tree for a few more moments before I said, "We're not done yet. Now for the fun part. The funner part."
"What kinds of ornaments do you have?" asked Sarah, moving to the boxes.
"Nothing fancy. Some old mementos. You'll see."
I removed the top layer of packing paper from the first box and set it aside. On the top lay an assortment of regular bulb ornaments. This box contained a few rows of these ornaments stacked on top of each other in cardboard holders.
Sarah reached in and pulled one out. She examined it. "Are there more in the other box?"
"'Course there are." I replied.
Twilight took one from the box.
Sarah looked to me, a giddy expression on her face. I gave her a confused smile.
"Can I put this on the tree?" she asked, her voice excited.
I smiled at her. "Have fun."
She let out a very happy noise and rushed to the tree.
"I got something out here that I've been saving for the holidays." I said, "I'll be right back."
"What is it?" asked Twilight.
"Something Christmasy." I said, Put something on the tree while I'm gone."
She looked to the tree. "Alright."
I turned and walked to the kitchen. I opened the food pantry. Up top was a paper bag. I grabbed it and pulled it out. Seemed lighter than it should've been. Celestia must've gotten to it.
Candy canes... The bag was full of boxes of candy canes. From last year, of course. They kept well.
I brought the bag to the front room and set it down. Sarah paused what she was doing and looked at it.
"Candy canes?" she asked, "There sure are a lot of them."
"Got them on sale last year." I said, "You know who buys candy canes after Christmas? Nobody. So they were ten boxes for five dollars."
"That's really cheap. Wait... Last... year?"
"They're still good." I said, "I'll prove it." With that, I reached in and grabbed one. I started at one of the ends and started fiddling with the package. "Uh... Hold on, I got this."
She just stood there, watching me fail, laughing at me on the inside.
"It can't be [i]that[/i] hard." said Twilight, taking one for herself. She tried opening it. "All you need to do is... is..." She brought it up to her mouth and began gnawing on the end.
"I got it!" I happily let out, peeling the wrapper back. The candy cane immediately broke and fell to the floor as it became free of its package. I let out a yelp and quickly retrieved it. Covered in hair. Gross... "Uh... Well, this part's still good, at least." I tossed the other half of the candy cane at my mouth. Thankfully, I did not miss.
Sarah let out a small giggle hidden behind her hand.
"Yeah, still good." I said, shrugging.
"I'll take your word for it." she replied.
Twilight was still struggling with hers. She had ripped some pieces off, but the candy cane remained in its package.
I smirked at her. She pulled it away from her mouth. "Fine, it's not as easy as I thought it would be."
I picked a candy cane out of the bag. "Here." I said, holding it up to Sarah, "Put it on the tree."
She smiled as she took it. She turned back to the tree and placed it onto a branch. "Looks nice."
"Put some more on, I got tons." I said.
I went over to the bulbs and picked up a few. Twilight joined us.
Was this weird? I don't know, it kinda felt weird. Christmas is Christmas, like... I'm free to set up a tree in my own home. Nobody's gonna stop me. But was it weird that Sarah was here helping me? She's not my family, though my friends are always welcome to join. Sarah was a good enough friend, but she's living at my house, setting up a Christmas tree with me.
Mmm... Yeah, it's a little weird... But it'll keep her mind off her dad, so it's fine. I don't have a problem with it. I welcome the company.
I'm just disappointed that my fiancée wasn't here helping me with this. We should be decorating this together, all alone. It'd be really romantic, and I'm really disappointed that she's not here.
"You know, Twilight..." said Sarah.
I glanced to her.
"Your eyes remind me of hers'. Of... Of Celestias'." said Sarah, "They're purple, just like Celestia. You all wear those funny contacts."
"Contacts?" asked Twilight.
"You know, to change your eyes purple."
I cleared my throat, getting Twilight's attention.
Twilight paused, then said, "Oh! Right... Right, of course. I thought you meant... Eh... something else..." said Twilight.
"You [i]all[/i] wear them, too. Is it just a fashion statement?" asked Sarah.
"Y-Yes, it is."
"Goes well with her hair, don't it?" I said.
"It really does. You know, you and your friends all seem to be very similar." said Sarah.
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.
"You all have unique, vibrant colored hair, you all have those tattoos on your shoulders, and you all have those different colored contacts. Although, I don't think Chrysalis had a tattoo."
Oh, shit...
"I don't know, I can't remember seeing any. Her eyes were a very pretty green, though. Maybe she wore contacts, as well."
Twilight was staring at me, horrified at what she just heard. I stared back at her with no idea how to fix this.
"What's with that look?" asked Sarah.
"Uhh..." I shook my head. "Sarah, Twilight and I need to have a private discussion." I started towards the basement. "You stay up here and keep decorating."
"What's happening? What's going on?" asked Sarah, worried, "Was it something I said?"
"Don't worry about it. Twilight, downstairs, please."
Twilight was just stunned. She walked with me, almost as if she were on autopilot. She was trying to comprehend what Sarah just said, because it simply did [i]not[/i] make sense.
I closed the door behind us as we walked down.
When we got downstairs, I immediately said to Twilight, "Don't freak out."
"D-D... Did she just say [i]Chrysalis[/i]?!" she loudly whispered at me.
"She did." I nodded.
"Are you serious?!" she asked me. She was keeping her voice down so that Sarah wouldn't hear us, but it didn't stop her from conveying her emotion. Seemed it was currently a mix of anger and confusion.
I knew just the remedy for this, though. Celestia may not appreciate it, though.
I put up my hands to calm her, then said, "Princess Celestia and Queen Chrysalis have met here."
This shocked her even further. "Eh... Wha..."
I nodded. "Look, it's a really long story. Celestia and I were planning on telling you later. But Chrysalis was here, yes. And we worked hard to come to an agreement between us."
"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't Princess Celestia tell me?"
She was hurt that we didn't trust her. I wanted to fix that. I've given this some thought before. I hope I knew what to say...
"Because we didn't have all the facts yet. We had to work with Chrysalis because she had something we wanted. The books. She is the one that gave us those books. She traded them with us for... So we cooperated with each other. But the thing is... Chrysalis isn't the most trustworthy woman there is. You know that more than anyone. We've tried to make peace, but we don't know if it worked. We don't know if she'll keep her word or not. So until we know, we couldn't let anyone know about her. Including you. So... I'm sorry. I'm apologizing for both me and Celestia. We thought it best to keep this from you."
"I can't believe the Queen of the changelings was in this world. What was she even [i]doing[/i] here?"
"That's..." I took in a breath. "I can't tell you. It's... I don't know. Celestia would have to be the one to tell you that. Um... It was... Chrysalis... I didn't find... I trusted Chrysalis. She helped us and we helped her. So I don't want to worry about her right now. When we get back to Celestia, we can talk about what happened. Alright?"
"I... I suppose... Where did she get the books?"
I shrugged. "She said she took them from the library in the Canterlot castle, but Celestia doubted that. We don't know for sure. Look, Twilight... Chrysalis can be dangerous, I know that. She's not the nicest lady around. But I don't think that she came here to do harm to us. And if she did, it didn't work. So I don't want you worrying about her for now, alright? It's not good for you."
She sighed, then gave me a small smile. "Alright."
"Well, what do you say? Ready to head back up and help with the tree?"
She nodded. "Let's go."