I had seen Celestia, Luna and Scarlet as Anthros, and was, indeed, blown away once more by how beautiful they looked, especially in their outfits. Celestia was wearing a lovely red dress with white faux fur fringe with a black belt around her waist and wearing a small crown of holly on her head. Luna was wearing a dark blue dress with white faux fur fringe as well. She was wearing, unlike her sister, a dark blue Santa hat with light blue snowflakes and stars sewn into the fabric. I wasn't surprised when I saw what Scarlet was wearing: a short Santa skirt, a Santa hat and a pair of black leggings.

I took a few moments to take in their appearances. What surprised me the most was that they were fairly similar in height, with Rainbow being the tallest of the Mane Six and Twilight being the shortest, but since they were all so close in height the difference wasn't that noticeable. In fact, they all, with the exception of the taller Alicorn Princesses, were more or less comparable in height to me.

I drank in their appearances, starting with Pinkie Pie. The smiling Element of Laughter looked at me expectantly. Like other Ponies who used the transformation spell, she had hooves instead of feet, which led up to a pair of curvy but not overly unhealthy legs. She was wearing a pair of green and red striped pants along with a white sweater that had a Pony version of Santa sitting in a sleigh with presents in the back. She wore a pink version of a Santa hat on her head, and on one side I could see her cutie mark sewn into the side but surrounded by a wreath. Thanks to this ensemble, I could see that she was somewhat plump, but in all the right ways. The clothes practically hugged her body, emphasizing her plentiful curves. Her mane looked exactly the same as before, and her ears and tail were all twitching in excitement as I looked her over. If I had to describe her in one word, it would be curvy. Her large breasts, which looked to be at least double D-cups, maybe even more, threatened to pop out of her new sweater and I thought I could see the outline of a bra beneath, but if Rarity made said garments, I was confident nothing like that would happen.

And speaking of said fashionista mare, if I had to describe her new body, it would be supermodel. She was a bit slenderer than Pinkie, but her own curves were perfect. She was wearing a sleeveless off the shoulder red dress with green and white ribbons attached near the bottom of the skirt. Unlike Pinkie Pie's clothes, this dress looked like it had been designed to hug her body, showing her figure to me. She was also wearing a pair of Christmas tree earrings. She might not have had as large of a chest as Pinkie, but she was pretty much the total package. She probably had the golden ratio when it came to humanoid body types. She had stylized her mane a bit differently, almost exactly like how she'd styled it in Make New Friends But Keep Discord, to be precise. She looked at me with a warm smile, and with her free hand brushed against the front of her skirt.

If I had to describe Rainbow Dash's new appearance, it would be athletically slender. Out of all the Ponies I saw there, she had the smallest chest size (probably around an A-cup), but that didn't mean she wasn't attractive by any means. She was wearing a pair of candy cane colored pants and a light green sweater with the words HAVE AN AWESOME CHRISTMAS sewn into the chest with red lettering. She was wearing a rainbow colored Santa hat as well. It was a bit harder to tell just by looking, but since she had her sleeves on her sweater rolled up, I could at least see her arms. They were definitely in shape, but while I didn't see any visible muscle I did notice a lack of flab, especially on the upper arms. She hovered slightly over the ground and I noted that her wings now were about as big as mine were. She had a large grin on her face as she seemed to effortlessly hold the bag in her hands.

I turned to Fluttershy, and to my surprise the butter colored Pegasus was hiding behind her pink mane, smiling shyly. She was wearing a pair of what looked like bright red yoga pants and a comfortable looking green angora sweater. On her head, she wore a plain red Santa hat. Unlike her fellow Pegasus, her features were curvier, with her breast size being about a D-cup. But unlike Pinkie Pie, she had a smaller waist. She had what I could only describe as childbearing hips which hugged her yoga pants. Her wings were about the same size as Rainbow Dash's but which were folded behind her like mine were. I could see her using her new fingers to twirl her hair in a nervous habit, but I saw color come to her cheeks when she and I locked eyes.

Applejack, to my surprise, was wearing a pair of tight blue denim jeans and a white shirt with a red vest over it, the vest pockets of which were embroidered with white, red and green striped apples. On her head she wore a Stetson that was nearly identical to Jackie's Christmas one back on Earth. Her arms were exposed, and much like Rainbow Dash, said arms had no visible muscle, but neither did they have any flab. However, unlike Rainbow Dash, she had sturdy but still feminine legs and a pair of what looked like D-cups as well. With her free hand, she tipped her hat at me.

Twilight Sparkle was wearing a lovely red and green flannel patterned dress with a white blouse underneath the shoulder straps that were buttoned in place. She wore a pair of black leggings as well as a purple Santa hat on her head. In a way, she looked a bit nerdier like that, especially with her wearing a pair of glasses over her eyes that were a lot like the type Sci-Twi wore. She had a bit more of a slender form with C-cup breasts and thinner legs.

What surprised me much more was the fact that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were in an Anthro form as well and all were about as tall as Spike. Apple Bloom was wearing a pair of denim overalls and a red sweater underneath it with a smaller Santa hat on her head. Sweetie Belle was wearing a really cute white dress with holly and wreaths sewn into the fabric. Scootaloo was pretty much wearing clothes that were nearly identical to Rainbow's own, a pair of red, green and white striped pants with a red sweater that had the words HAVE YOURSELF AN AWESOME LITTLE CHRISTMAS written on the front of the chest with green lettering.

And to my further surprise, Scootaloo's wings looked proportional to her body unlike how her wings looked on her normal body. It warmed my heart when I saw that she was hovering with her new wings with the widest smile I'd seen on her face in a long time.

There was silence as I looked over them more quickly for a second time. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned and saw Zecora giving me one of the widest smiles I'd ever seen on her face. Moving close, she nuzzled my face and whispered, "Merry Christmas, my dearest love."

I nuzzled her back, then turned back to the expectant Ponies and Dragon. I couldn't stop smiling as I finally managed to say, "Well…I wasn't expecting this, but I have to say, you all look amazing as Anthros."

Rainbow Dash, ever the boastful one, landed, put her bag down and put her fists on her hips. "Of course! We're awesome!" she said as she struck what she apparently thought was a heroic pose, but which on her looked rather silly.

Rarity held up her hands and looked at them curiously, moving them as she said, "I can certainly see the appeal of these fingers. So dexterous."

"That they are," Scarlet said with a grin and a subtle wink in my direction.

"So this is what it's like tah see from yer level, eh Jethro?" Applejack asked. She looked back at her legs and grabbed the wall, lifting one leg up. "Ah wonder how buckin' apples would be with this body instead…? And yer right, Rarity! These hands are useful. Ah can think of a few things ah could use em fer 'round the farm!"

"I'm all bouncy! Bouncy bounce bounce!" Pinkie giggled, setting down her bag and jumping up and down. She watched as her large breasts jiggled along with her movements. She was bouncing so high, however, that she almost hit the slanted ceiling from where she was. "So jiggly!"

"Pinkie, I don't think that's appropriate," Twilight said as she set her bag down and faced her Earth Pony friend with a frown.

"Um, I agree with Twilight," Fluttershy added, looking down at her own breasts before looking over at the still bouncing Pinkie.

Pinkie halted in midair, then slowly landed back on her hooves. "Hehe, sorry. This is just so exciting, though!"

"Feels like you're as tall as a tree, doesn't it?" I asked with a smirk.

Fluttershy's expression perked up at that and she smiled. "Oh! Yes it does, doesn't it?"

"I wonder if I could do a Sonic Rainboom in this form?" Rainbow wondered as she spread her wings behind her, looking at them curiously.

"If you do, you'd probably need some kind of flight suit," I said. "Those clothes would tear off easily and expose you to the world."

"I could make something for you after the holidays if you wanted, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said. "I know some fabric that would keep you warm and secure without tearing easily."

"I'd love to watch that, too!" Pinkie said.

"I hope you like this, Jethro," Twilight said, putting her hands in front of her nervously. "We figured that you might be a bit homesick, so we wanted to give you a taste of home by changing into these forms."

"I'll admit I'm a bit surprised at this, but I love it nonetheless," I replied with a wide smile.

"I can't wait to try out new things in this body!" Pinkie exclaimed right before she grabbed her bag and rushed over to me, holding it out to me. "But presents first!"

"Presents?" I asked, gently taking the bag, only to realize that it was heavier than it looked. "Whoa! What did you put in here, a bunch of rocks?"

"Wait, did I get your Hearth's Warming present confused with Maud's?" Pinkie asked, pulling the bag away quickly and looking into it with a concerned look, which turned to relief as she smiled and pulled out a present, putting it on the coffee table. "Nnnope! Not a bunch of rocks, Jethy!"

The others all reached into their Santa bags, pulling out various presents of different sizes and placing them all on the large coffee table in the room. All of them looked at me with expectant looks in their eyes as they stepped away from the large pile of gifts sitting on the table. Even the Crusaders had apparently gotten me a present, although it seemed as if there was one from all three of them. Looking back at the group, I found myself at a loss for words. I truly wasn't expecting anything from them. It had been years since anyone had gotten me a Christmas present. Normally, it was me who got the gifts. Gifts for my coworkers at the bank, sure, but I always tried to personalize the gifts as best I could. I would have been happy just being with the friends I'd made in Equestria for the evening, but they'd gone above and beyond. "You didn't have to do this, you know," I said as I approached the pile of presents.

"We wanted to, dear knight," Luna said, stepping forward and putting a reassuring hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently. "You deserve it, after all." She looked down at me and gave me a warm and tender smile.

"Go on and open them, darling," Rarity encouraged me with a smile.

"Oh! Oh! Does anypony have a camera?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"Here," Scarlet said, pulling out her smartphone and aiming it at me, tapping the screen and grinning as she gestured for me to go. "Go on, babe. I'm recording."

I blushed. Being in front of a camera was never really something I was a fan of, but I knew Scarlet wanted to make memories, so I was perfectly fine with it. Pinkie pulled out an older style camera from her mane somehow and held it up towards me, grinning expectantly. I smirked, then reached down and grabbed the smallest gift on the table. It was actually from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and they all gasped when I picked it up. Their eyes widened and their smiled matched the ones that their cartoon counterparts had when they were watching Big Mac and Cheerilee in anticipation during the Heart's and Hooves episode. I pulled the hastily wrapped paper off of the present which revealed a picture frame. Within it, I saw a piece of paper with neatly written words. I felt myself tearing up when I read what was said:

THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS

HEREBY GRANT THE TITLE OF HONORARY CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TO:

SIR JETHRO BETHRIDGE, KNIGHT OF EQUESTRIA

SIGNED:

APPLE BLOOM SWEETIE BELLE SCOOTALOO

Judging from the hoofwriting, I guessed that this diploma of sorts was written mostly by Sweetie Belle. The other CMC members had signed their names on the bottom of the paper, and I could tell that they had practiced. There wasn't much spilled ink on the signatures. I was touched by this. I looked down at the wide eyed and smiling CMC before kneeling and wrapping my arms and wings around all three of them. "You girls…I love it! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Sweetie Belle replied.

"I told you he'd like it!" I heard Apple Bloom whispering to Scootaloo.

"I still think we should have gotten him a signed picture of Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said.

I snickered and released them. "Knowing Rainbow, she got me that already," I whispered to the orange Pegasus filly as I stood. Walking over to the mantle, I pulled out the stand on the back of the frame and set it down in the middle. "There, now everyone will know that I'm an honorary Crusader."

"Knight of Equestria, Emperor of Aelyssia and now an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader," Celestia said with an arched eyebrow and a small knowing smile. "Don't you think you're taking on a bit too much?" she asked with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

I looked down at the happy looking fillies. I always had a soft spot in my heart for children, and these adorable girls were no exception. Looking back at Celestia, I crossed my arms as well and replied, "I want these girls to be happy, and I'll gladly be a member of the CMC, honorary or otherwise, especially if it means they smile. Besides, even if I never get a cutie mark, this makes me the first non-Pony member of the Crusaders. Isn't that right, fellow Crusaders?" I put my hand in.

Excitedly, the others put their hands on mine, then all three of them took a deep breath. I did the same, and we all shouted as one, "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREVER!"

"My word, darling, and I thought three of them were bad enough," Rarity said, removing both hands from her flattened ears as the others, save for Luna and Celestia, did the same.

I chuckled and turned back to the pile of presents. Reaching out, I grabbed a larger one, looking over the tag. The box, despite being larger, was rather light. Smiling, I pulled the paper off along with the ribbon tied around it. The paper surrounded a cardboard-esque box, which was lightly taped shut. I pulled the tape off and opened it, looking inside. Putting the box down on one of the couches, I reached in and pulled out a brand new black Stetson had that looked nearly identical to Applejack's own along with a long well woven rope that was a lot like hers. But that wasn't all. I pulled out a black bullwhip. Flipping the Stetson up, I placed it firmly on my head and discovered that it fit perfectly. I walked to the wall mirror right beside the front door and admired myself in the mirror. It really did look good on me. Turning, I ran my hand along the rim of the hat and gazed back at Applejack. "I was right," I said as I walked back and placed the rope and bullwhip back in the box. "You and I both make these hats look good…sugarcube." Walking over, I wrapped my arms around her, startling the farmmare. "I love it, Applejack. Thank you."

Slowly, she returned the favor and hugged me back. "Ah hoped ya'd like it. Yer welcome, Jethro."

After a few seconds, I pulled away, tipping the hat at her. She did the same as I turned back and picked up a thick and heavier package. Immediately, I assumed that these were clothes from Rarity, and the meticulous way said present was wrapped along with the name on the tag only confirmed it. I turned to her and saw her smiling at me. Turning back to the gift, I pulled off the paper and ribbon quickly. When I saw just what she had made for me, I was flabbergasted. "Well," I said, "you certainly didn't waste any time using those Dragon fabrics I gave you."

What I held in my hands could only be described as a garment made for royalty. The outermost garment was a thick crimson cloak with a gold chain holding it together. The clothes that I would wear beneath said cloak were surprisingly both elegant but also functional. There was a long-sleeved black shirt with the same sigil that was on the Resplendent's sails sewn onto the chest. The pants were made of the same black material and there was a gold sash wrapped around the waist. I looked back at Rarity, then put the set of clothes down, walked over and wrapped her in a hug. "I love it, Rarity. Thank you."

She hugged me back. "You should always look your best in front of your subjects, darling," she whispered in my ear. After a few seconds, I released her, but not before taking her hand, bowing and kissing the back of it reverently. I smiled up at her as her eyes widened and a blush formed on her cheeks. "Ah, well, thank you," she stammered as I stood.

"You deserve it, dear," I replied as I gave her a wink, then turned back to the gift pile. Picking up a tall cylindrical present, I looked it over and judging from the Wonderbolt wrapping paper I immediately knew who this gift was from. I opened the present and saw a wrapped up poster. Or rather, two posters. I unwrapped the first one, and wasn't at all surprised when it was a blown up picture of Rainbow Dash right at the moment she performed a Sonic Rainboom. One hoof was thrust forward while the prismatic Pegasus looked forward with a narrowed eyed smirk. At the bottom, I saw Rainbow Dash's signature along with a message that read STAY AWESOME!

The other poster, however, was one of the Wonderbolts. Three Pegasi stallions in the official uniform sat and looked up towards the left corner of the poster while five bright lights illuminated five flying Pegasi shadows. At the bottom, the Wonderbolts insignia was located, along with a number of what looked like signatures. I saw signatures from Ponies like Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, Rapidfire and many other names I didn't recognize.

As I began rolling them back up, something fell out from between them: a small sky blue booklet with the Wonderbolts logo on the front. Curious, I picked it up with my magic and opened it. My jaw dropped when I saw that Rainbow had gotten me a season pass for me and a plus one to the Wonderbolts shows throughout the next year. I read the instructions, and it seemed that I could now see a show with the Wonderbolts in a pair of private seats picked out especially for the owners of this seasonal pass. I turned to Rainbow, who had a massive grin on her face. That grin turned into a gasp as I pulled her into a massive hug. I knew this couldn't have been a cheap gift, and I made a promise to not only use as many as I could, but to take Rainbow to as many as possible as well. "Thank you, Rainbow," I said gratefully as I spun the surprised Pegasus around before placing her down. Looking at her stunned expression, I added, "The first day they have a flight routine this spring, I'm taking the coolest flying teacher I've had."

Her expression changed to an excited grin. Raising her hand, she clenched her fist and pumped the air with it. "Awesome!" Turning back to me, she grinned. "I can't wait! It's gonna be so epic!"

Smirking, I ruffled her mane a bit before turning back to the dwindling pile. I reached for a larger rectangular one. Hearing a squeaking from a certain butter colored Pegasus told me who the giver was, and the meticulous cursive on the card that came with the present only confirmed that this was Fluttershy's present. I opened the card first, which had a manga version of a Pony Santa sitting in a sleigh. Said Santa was surrounded by reindeer, rabbits, squirrels and a large bear among other woodland creatures. All were waving and saying MERRY CHRISTMAS JETHRO!

I smiled over at a blushing Fluttershy and held up the card. "You really should consider entering art contests, Flutters," I said as I put the card gently on the mantle before turning back to her present. When I touched the edges, I thought I felt another picture frame, only this one was much larger than the one the Crusaders had given to me. Turning back to Fluttershy, I held the present up and said, "Is it okay to open this in front of everyone else?" The blushing Pony didn't say anything, only nodded with a shy smile. Turning back to the present, I began removing the wrapping paper. The first tear revealed a pair of ocean blue eyes looking upwards with a rather heroic gaze. I continued to remove the wrapping paper, only to see a portrait of not only myself, but of every Element of Harmony standing beside me along with Spike, Scarlet and an Anthro Zecora. We were all standing in a grassy plain with snowcapped mountains behind us, storm clouds looming in the background with a long bolt of blue lightning streaking across said clouds. My wings were spread wide as I stood there wearing armor with a white cape flowing in the wind, Eclipse in my hand which was glowing with an inner fire. The other Elements of Harmony were wearing their Elements, all which are glowing as well. Scarlet was wearing similar armor to the one I'd given her. Zecora was wearing what could only be described as a shamaness outfit, her own wings spread. One hand was outstretched, glowing her new signature magical color while she held a flask of something else in her remaining hand, a dark green potion which she looked ready to throw at some enemy off to the side. Spike was wearing the armor I'd given him and was standing beside me, his sword drawn and fire coming from his mouth.

Looking at the right hand corner of the painting, which resembled one of those by artists from the Renaissance period, I half expected to find a name like a Ponyized version of Michelangelo or Raphael. However I was blown away when I saw, written in plain white, the signature of Fluttershy. I knew she had the ability to draw manega since she'd shared that part of her life with me, but I had no idea she was a painter as good as or superior to artists like Leonardo De Vinci.

Everyone else in the room was silent as they, too, drank in the remarkable painting in my hands. Nobody spoke, not even the Princesses, who looked in awe at the remarkable artistic abilities of one Fluttershy, Element of Kindness. After a full minute of appreciating the portrait, I turned, used my magic to remove the random picture that I had hanging from the wall over the fireplace (which had been a restored painting from the old house), set it aside, then floated the painting to the hook. Reverently, I placed it on the hook, then released it from my grasp.

We all stared at it in silence once more. That is, until it shifted a it on the hook. Immediately, a purple glow surrounded it and righted it. Turning, I saw Twilight's horn glowing the same purple before she stopped. When she noticed our eyes on her, she shrugged. "What?"

I couldn't help it. I snorted, then burst out laughing. Rainbow was the next to start, and eventually everyone in the room was laughing. Twilight initially looked hurt, but when Celestia put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, the Anthro Unicorn broke into a smile and joined in on the laughter.

As it began to die down, I walked over and pulled Fluttershy into a hug. "I love it, Flutters. Thank you," I said gratefully.

I felt her slender arms wrapping around me and pull me closer into the hug. She leaned forward and whispered, "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it."

"I had no idea you were such an amazing artist, Fluttershy," Twilight said after the two of us broke the hug. "Why don't you paint more? Your art could be in a museum with how good it is!"

"Or even in the Royal Art Gallery at the palace," Luna added.

Fluttershy looked a bit nervous at that. "Oh…having my art on display in a museum or a palace? Oh…that's a bit…"

"Super duper exciting?" Pinkie asked.

"Awesome to the max?" Rainbow added.

"Nerve wracking," I finished, looking into Fluttershy's eyes with a knowing smile.

She nodded. "All those Ponies and other creatures looking at my art and judging it…it's a scary thought. What if they don't like it?"

"Fluttershy, you can't really please everyone," Scarlet said in a surprisingly reassuring tone. "I mean, look at me and Jethro. Sure, we like the same things, but there are things that we disagree on. Like me? I love those fake reality TV shows because I can laugh at how pathetic they all are, but Jethro doesn't care for them. And that's okay."

I rolled my eyes, but smiled in agreement. "All in all, though, it's up to you. I had no idea you were such a talented artist, though, and I'm honored that you would paint this for me."

"I didn't know this, either," Celestia said, stepping forward and looking down warmly at the blushing Pegasus. "If you don't mind, could my sister and I hire you to do a few pieces for us? We would pay you well and you wouldn't be identified as the artist, of course."

Fluttershy looked a bit overwhelmed by this, but to my surprise looked thoughtful. "Um…may I think about it?"

"Of course," Celestia said.

"Open my present now!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing to a rather large package on the table. "Hurry hurry hurry!"

"Hold yer horses there, Pinkie," Applejack said, putting a hand on Pinkie's shoulder and steadying her.

"Patience is a virtue, after all," Rarity added.

I smiled and lifted the box, setting it on the ground. I began to open it up. The moment I tore into it, I saw a glint of metal coming from within. I had no idea how Pinkie did it, but somehow she wrapped the paper around so it looked like a plain box. However, the moment there was a tear, the box shape deflated. I pulled the rest of it off, only to find myself staring at a gold version of Pinkie Pie's party cannon. There were red stars painted on it along with multicolored bits of confetti as well. There was a light gold rope at the end along with a dial that had a number of different settings on it, all party related. I walked over and read the settings: General Happiness, Birthday, Christmas/Hearth's Warming, Welcome to Ponyville, Wedding, Dragon Stuff, Baby Shower, and many others were on the dial. Beside it, I saw a number of cannon ball sized spheres, all with similar labels on them.

Turning to the wide smiling Pinkie, I grinned and motioned her forward. Squeeing, she leaped up, arms extended. I caught the excited Pony and hugged her tightly. "Should have expected this from you," I chuckled as I held her. "I love it, Pinkie."

"Yay! Glad you like it, Jethy!" She looked at me and kissed me all over before finally letting me go. "If you ever run out of the ammo, I can tell you who makes my stuff! But you'd better Pinkie Promise that you won't tell." She said the latter while jabbing my chest with her finger.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," I replied with the appropriate motions.

Looking around at the others, she leaned in and with a whisper she said "It's meeee!"

As she moved away, I gave her a thumbs up and pushed the cannon to the side with my magic while at the same time grabbing a smaller but heavier box. Judging by the way they felt, I knew immediately that the books I felt within had to be from Twilight, and the tag on the present only confirmed that suspicion. I pulled the packages off and found myself looking at some new books. I put them all down on the table and looked at the titles.

From right to left, I read the following: Advanced Magic Spells by Blue Prism, A Treatise On Magic's Effects On The Natural World by Amber Glaze, History Of The Seven Wonders Of Equestria by Herald Vox, and the entire Daring Do book series to date, each book even signed by the author herself. From behind me, I heard Rainbow scoffing. "Great, another egghead."

"Need I remind you that Daring Do is a real Pony?" I asked as I lifted the books and placed them on an empty space on a bookshelf behind my personal chair. "You saw her, yourself. And I'm pretty sure if you gave her books a chance, you'd actually enjoy them. I know I do." I'd read the first two books and despite them being a blatant rip off of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, the writing was superb. The pacing was always perfect, the characters believable and the descriptions and drawings in the book (which Daring also did) were always phenomenal. I honestly could see why someone like Rainbow might like it.

After putting the books on the shelf, I turned and walked over to Twilight, wrapping my arms around the awkward bookworm Pony. "Thank you, Twilight, I love them. I can't wait to find free time and read them."

She gently hugged me back and relaxed in my arms. "I'm glad you like them, Jethro," she replied as she nuzzled my face affectionately before stopping and pulling away, blushing.

In an attempt to reassure her, I ruffled her mane gently before turning and grabbing the gift that Scootaloo's aunts had given to Scootaloo to give to me. It was light and could fit in the palm of my hands. I could hear a small metallic object inside. Curious, I opened the wrapping paper and removed the lid to the box. Inside, I found a normal looking key with a small note inside. Taking the note, I opened it and read the following:

Dear Sir Bethridge,

Lofty Craft and I have wanted to properly thank you for helping us and Scootaloo earlier this year by paying off the mortgage on the house, but we never could find the proper way to do so until now. This is a house key to our house. Scootaloo has expressed interest in you being around more. She looks up to you as a fatherly figure, and truth be told, you've been more of a father figure to her than my brother was, no matter how hard he tried. My wife and I would like you to be a bigger part of Scootaloo's life.

Thank you once again, and have a Happy Hearth's Warming!

Holiday Song

I held up the key in my hand, a bit surprised by this. I had maybe a handful of interactions with Scootaloo ever since her parent's untimely deaths, but they hadn't been that much. Every time, I would let her talk and vent her still lingering grief at the loss of her parents, but each subsequent time we'd met, those talks had become shorter and shorter, switching to talks about Rainbow Dash and what sort of awesome things she'd been up to lately. I would listen and smile along with her, even sharing some stories about Rainbow Dash from my own adventures. She was all ears whenever I told those, and she even begged me to tell them again and again.

Scootaloo saw me looking at the key, and she stood from where she was sitting with the other Crusaders and Spike. "What's the key for?" she asked. "Is that what my aunties got for you?"

Looking down at the little filly, I nodded and smiled, pulling out my own keys and slipping it on to the ring before putting it back in my pocket. "It's a key to your house, Scoots," I said, reaching down and patting her back. "Your aunts wanted me to have some more time with you."

Scootaloo's eyes widened and a big smile formed on her face. "You mean it?"

"Once things settle down for me, sure," I replied. "Heck, I think with the wings you have right now, you can fly with practice, and I know a certain Pegasus would love to help train you in this form."

Scootaloo turned back to Rainbow Dash, the latter of whom gave the filly two thumbs up. Scootaloo jumped up, flapping her wings fast enough that she actually began hovering in the air. Looking down, she gasped, then turned and looked at her wings. "Am I…I'm flying? I'm really flying!"

"Any idea why she can fly in this form and not her normal form?" I asked Twilight.

Twilight shook her head. "Let me do some research into it," she said.

"Just don't use Scootaloo," I said.

Twilight shook her head quickly. "Of course not!"

"Calm down there, kid," Rainbow said, grabbing Scootaloo as she started to fly towards the door, "It's way too dark outside to fly."

"She's right, kiddo," I added, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder and looking down at the slightly disappointed filly. "Just be patient for a little longer, okay little one?"

"I'll try…" she said.

I gave her one more smile and a pat on the back. Then, I turned around only to find Spike holding out something to me with an excited look on his face. It was a small present, wrapped hastily, but that didn't matter to me. I took it and realized that it was pretty heavy. "Happy Hearth's Warming, Dad," Spike said. "I made it for you all by myself. I hope you like it."

"Thank you, Spike. Happy Hearth's Warming and Merry Christmas to you too," I replied. as I began pulling the paper away. This revealed a small but remarkably well carved emerald statue of me on a marble pedestal. It was no masterpiece by any means, but there was a small plaque on the front which read BEST DAD EVER which warmed my heart. Looking down at him, I held it up and asked, "You really made this by yourself?"

"Weeelll…" he looked away a bit nervously. "Mostly…"

"I helped him with it a bit," Twilight said, stepping forward, "but he carved the statue and chose the pedestal all by himself. I just helped attach them both together, is all."

Thoroughly impressed by his skill, I walked to the mantle and placed the statue on it, facing outward, then turned and knelt to hug the waiting Dragon, who hugged me back happily. "I love it, Spike. Thanks, son. I'll treasure it forever."

He clung to me tightly and hugged me back. "Thanks, Dad," he said with a happy tone in his voice.

After a bit, something tapped my shoulder. I slowly released a reluctant Spike from the hug and turned, only to find a large envelope hovering in front of me, encased in the same magical color as its owner's horn. Princess Celestia hovered it towards my outstretched hands, placing it there. I raised a suspicious eyebrow at her and her sister. "Do I even want to know?" I asked.

Both sisters looked a bit sheepish, but Celestia spoke up. "I know our previous gifts to you have been more problematic for you, but I promise you that this one is something my sister and I believe you will love."

"Trust us," Luna added, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.

I looked between both sisters, searching for any deception. However, when I saw the genuine looks in their eyes, I shrugged and began undoing the string that held the envelope closed. I reached in and pulled out three official looking pieces of paper. I read the first one over, and my eyes widened. The first paper was a deed. A deed to the large plot of land that was to the left of my house. The same one I had been hoping to buy for Zecora so she could plant seeds which she could harvest for her brews and potions. Flipping the papers, I saw that the second was yet another deed. A deed to the property to the right of my house which was where I hoped to build an artificial lake where I could store the Phoenix Resplendent. The third was yet another deed. This one a deed to a larger property that existed behind my house. It had always surprised me that the properties around me had been abandoned, but I'd been a bit too busy to think about that. This third property was much bigger than my current one and the other two and was overgrown with old and partially dying trees. I felt a smile come to my mouth as I said, "Well, I guess I need to rename my property from Sunny Acre to Sunny Acres instead. And I'll need to expand the fence. Like a lot."

Zecora and Scarlet both came up and looked over the paperwork as well. Zecora was the first to react, knowing my plans to buy that first property for her use. She smiled wide, then turned and bowed to Celestia and Luna deeply. "Thank you, your Highnesses," she said.

"Awww, I knew we should have put a cap on presents," Pinkie groaned.

"Hey, I loved all of your gifts," I said reassuringly as I pulled out a pen from my pocket, sat down and began signing each deed. As I held them up and waited for the ink to dry, I looked around at all of my friends in the room. They all had warm and tender smiles on their faces. Overwhelmed, I could only smile back, opened my mouth and sang, "I used to wonder what friendship could be, until you all shared its magic with me." Clearing my throat, I could only say, "Thank you all…this has been one of the best Christmases ever."

"But it's not over yet!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It's still early! Let's play games or watch a movie or something! You can't have Hearth's Warming Eve without games!"

"Same with Christmas Eve," I replied. "Well, what do you all want to play?"

"Oooh, I have a few ideas…" Pinkie grinned, turning to her new board games.

I chuckled. "Guess the night ain't over yet…alright, let's play!"