BiE Bonus Story: Good Cheer.


                                            =BiE Bonus Story: Family Time=


                                            >Year 5 in Equestria

                                            >Man, Equestria had weird decorations for trees.

                                            >Meaning that they didn't have any at all. Apparently they didn't do much for trees here.

                                            "How's it look?"

                                            >You hear Rainbow flutter around the opposite side. "It still looks lopsided, Anon."

                                            >Ohfer-

                                            "This is the fifth time I've put these decorations on again, how is it STILL lopsided?"

                                            >You step out from behind the tree and look at it. Handmade decorations of crystals and tinsel hang from the branches and catch the light of the living room.

                                            "See, it looks fine to me."

                                            >Rainbow lands and walks up to the tree. "But there's more tinsel on this side and more crystals up there!"

                                            >You glower at her.

                                            "Are you serious?"

                                            >Rainbow's look back at you said it all. She always liked Hearths Warming, you suppose you could understand why she was taking it so seriously.

                                            >"Mom, Dad?"

                                            >The two of you turn around, Thunderstrike is standing in the doorway behind you.

                                            >"Can we put the star on now?" he asks.

                                            >You look to Rainbow, she shrugs the conversation you were just having away.

                                            "Yeah, c'mon buddy, you can help me."

                                            >Thunder trots up behind you as you dig through a box and pull out a hand carved star made of magical resonance crystal.

                                            >A little something you did on your lunch breaks.

                                            >You hand the star to Thunder.

                                            "Wanna help out?"

                                            >The boy eagerly nods and begins to flutter his wings as hard as he can.

                                            >Lessons with Dash serve him well as he gently carries himself up to the top of the tree and places it on the tip.

                                            >You reach inside and twist a crystal you placed there and light up the entire tree in reds, greens, and whites.

                                            >The three of you sit and bask in the glow of the tree when a knock comes at the door.


                                            >Thunder drops down from the air and bounces up and down. "They're here! They're here!"

                                            >You look at your watch.

                                            "Only ten minutes late..."

                                            >Rainbow kisses your cheek and gets up. "It's not like we were really ready."

                                            >You push yourself off the ground and go and open the door.

                                            >On the other side is another blue mare and her own companion dressed in bundles. "Zdravstvuyte, vse!" she shouts.

                                            >"Yeah, hey." he says behind his wrapped boxes.

                                            >You step to the side and usher them in. [spoiler][/spoiler] "Welcome, comrades."

                                            >Lotus casually walks in and hugs Rainbow, the two of them already holding their own conversation.

                                            >Mous grunts and slogs in after, the weight of his gifts making him sway.

                                            >"Tell me where I can put this crap down before I have a hernia."

                                            >You gesture to the living room and grab the box off top to lighten the load.

                                            "Aunty! Uncle!" Thunder cries and bounds over to them.

                                            >Mous dances around as Thunder runs between his legs cheering.

                                            >"Gah! Poozer! Stop! Let me-! Boxes! Okay now!"

                                            >Thunder leaps into Mous's arms as soon as the boxes hit the floor.

                                            >The two of them play wrestle a bit and laugh.

                                            >"How ya doin, Poozer?"

                                            >You sit on the arm of the sofa.

                                            "Thinking about getting one of your own, man?"

                                            >Mous scratches Thunder's ears. "Yeah, because I'm such GREAT father material."

                                            >"Selling ourselves short, are we?" Lotus says from the hallway.

                                            >"Being realistic."

                                            >You flick his head.

                                            "Debbie, you're bringin' me down."

                                            >"Nobody likes a Debbie Downer, uncle." Thunder giggles.

                                            >Mous glares up at you. "How long did you two practice that?"

                                            >You won't lie.

                                            "Bout twenty minutes."


                                            >Some time later the five of you are seated around the tree, handing out gifts to one another.

                                            >You never were big on tradition.

                                            >You hand Thunder a box almost as big as he was.

                                            >The boy jumps up and tears at the paper until he gets to the box below, revealing a picture of a four wheeled, metal framed scooter.

                                            >"OH, WOW!" he shouts, almost reaching the ceiling what with how high he jumps.

                                            >He dashes over to the scooter box and examines it, reading over every word on the box.

                                            >"A plank with some wheels? Really?" Mous asks.

                                            "I saw Scootaloo buzzing around on it and thought it might be a good idea for a junior flyer."

                                            >Mous rises to his feet and grabs a long, thin, yet unwrapped box from his own pile and hands it to Thunder.

                                            >Thunderstrike eyes the box with barely held back curiosity and pulls the contents out.

                                            >What slides out of the box is a red and brown electric guitar with four thick strings along its long neck.

                                            >Your eyes go between the instrument and Mous.

                                            "You got him a guitar?"

                                            >"I got him a BASS guitar."

                                            "And what the hell is he supposed to do with a BASS guitar?"

                                            >Mous shrugs. "Pick up chicks?"

                                            >You pinch the bridge of your nose as Thunder looks the bass over.

                                            >"How does it work, uncle?"

                                            >Mous kneels down and plucks one of the strings, filling the living room with a low "Bwoooooooonnnng."

                                            >Thunder's eyes go wide as he plays with the strings a bit more.

                                            "You have to get him something to pick up chicks? You can't just get him a toy?"

                                            >Mous sits back down next to Lotus. "Aren't uncles supposed to help young boys "grow up"? Besides, you don't have any dirty magazines in this hick town."


                                            >Some hours pass and all of you are relaxing on the couch after dinner.

                                            >You have Home Alone on the TV and Thunder on the floor watching as the events unfold in rapt attention.

                                            >Gifts were exchanged all around. Mous got Rainbow a bomber jacket with holes for her wings and you got Lotus a new hair band.

                                            >Rainbow glances up at you from your lap. "You two gonna give each other something?"

                                            >Lotus stretches out across her area of the couch like a cat. "Yes, don't tell me that the two boys who've known each other for almost thirty years don't get each other something for Hearths Warming."

                                            >You and Mous exchange a look.

                                            "We got each other something..."

                                            >"We always do." he says.

                                            "But we'll give it to each other later."

                                            >Rainbow and Lotus share their own look before they start trying to tickle your stomachs.

                                            >"What'd you get!? What'd you get!?" they squee.

                                            >You and Mous giggle so loud you barely hear two knocks resound through the house.

                                            "The door! We got the door!"

                                            >You and Mous leap off the couch and run to the door.

                                            >Flinging it open, you are greeted with two shapes that stand out against the snow, one purple and another alabaster white.

                                            >"Greetings Anon and Mous, in this season of the holidays I-"

                                            >"OH HELL, NOT HERE TOO."

                                            >Celestia and Mous glare at each other.

                                            >"Away vile temptress! Ye shall not seduce my nephew!" Mous shouts while making a cross with his fingers.

                                            >Twilight and you both roll your eyes.

                                            "Just coming around to celebrate?"

                                            >"Yep." she says.

                                            "Happy Hearths Warming, Twi."

                                            >"Happy Hearths Warming, Anon."

                                            >Celestia sighs. "And here I was hoping for a gift~"

                                            >Mous breaks a particularly long icicle off the front of the door frame and hands it to the Princess.

                                            >"Go nuts."


                                            -Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=751tnagDoaQ-

                                            >You and Mous are throwing on your jackets near the door some time later, a pair of brown paper bags in your hands.

                                            >Your gifts to one another.

                                            "We'll be back in a few!"

                                            >Rainbow shushes you and continues to stroke a sleeping Thunder's mane.

                                            >Mous chuckles and leads you out into the cold.

                                            >The two of you talk a bit along the path into town, mostly about life now that you were apart from one another.

                                            >In time, you both come to the decorated town hall, stopping right in front of the Diamond Dog memorial plaque.

                                            >You both hand each other your gifts and unwrap them.

                                            >You both get a single bottle of booze for Christmas.

                                            "A beer every year."

                                            >"Just as always."

                                            >You and Mous pop the caps off the beers and clink them together, chugging them down in the middle of town.

                                            >You both finish, Mous punctuating his with a loud belch.


                                            >"So, heard the little poozer talking a bit tonight "dad"."

                                            >You rub the back of your head

                                            "Yeah...happened a few months ago."

                                            >Thunder had been with you about a year but had only just started calling you "mom and dad".

                                            >Once day after you had picked him up from school he just said "Let's go get a snack, mom and dad."

                                            >You and Rainbow were so flabbergasted that you just caved then and there.

                                            >Mous pats your shoulder. "Good on ya, man."

                                            "How bout you, man?"

                                            >Mous shurgs. "Not much to say. I work with Lo', I come home, I mess with Celly when I get the chance."

                                            "Heh, got a routine down, huh?"

                                            >"I run a tight ship, he says with a smirk."

                                            >You take a deep breath, drawing in the cold air.

                                            >There weren't enough moments like this anymore...just the two of you and the ones who mattered.

                                            >Still, in the mood of the season, you'd take what you could get.

                                            "Ready to head back?"

                                            >Mous nods. "Yeah, but first things first..."

                                            >He winds up and hocks the bottle at the upper levels of town hall, a shattering glass sound signaling his success.

                                            >"FUCK, WINDOW, RUN."

                                            >Mous bolts down the street in an instant, leaving you there for a moment.

                                            >Some moments you could do without, though...