The rest of the supposedly festive holiday was not spent the way I had been hoping it would.

First off, after they heard about me going off after an article without even telling them, let alone asking for their help, the rest of the Winter Solstice spent a good fifteen minutes each chewing me out. (Well, except Nimble, since he didn't seem to care.) They yelled at me about how stupid and dangerous the plan I had come up with was, how I was never to go off on my own like that again, blah blah blah. You know, the kind of thing your parents would lecture you about if they heard you put your life in danger trying to stop a bank robbery.

Risk stormed off in a huff when he was done, and Asylum walked away as well, though she didn't show any outward signs of anger after she had seemingly gotten it out of her system. False, who went last, trailed off after a bit when she noticed the cockatrice-stopping glare making its way onto my face. That had become the silent code for "stop whatever you are doing and walk away" after we realized in the past that things like lectures would, eventually, begin feeding me hatred to the point where I'd start going insane and breaking things. Usually ponies.

"...just consult us next time, okay?" she finished lamely with a sigh.

"What would you have done?" I growled. "You don't know anything about these articles, aside from what I tell you or what you witness firsthand."

"I would have formed a search party to find that mare," she replied.

I stood up. "We can't do stuff like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because these are articles we're talking about!" I shouted. "If we just sent out a search party, then you know whoever found her - if they somehow managed to hold her down - would have ended up touching that Companion Cube. And then they would've been caught the same way as she did, and we'd be back to square one."

False stomped the ground. "And how does telling everypony to kill her beat that?!"

"The cube was talking to her," I explained. "It was keeping her out of danger that didn't exist. By creating danger, it began keeping her out of danger that did exist, thus creating enough of a commotion for a professional - i.e. me - to show up and stow the cube away before anypony could lay a hoof on it."

"It was still dangerous! She could be dead now!"

"She isn't." I shook my head. "I saw where she got hit. Assuming she got medical attention before she bled out, which I can guarantee you she did, the worst she'll suffer is an aching side for a while. And probably a strange fear of pastries for the rest of her life." I turned away. "Now, are you going to say anything actually worthwhile? Or are you just going to repeat 'it was dangerous' over and over again? Because news flash, False - this entire job is dangerous."

"I'm sorry about earlier..."

I didn't respond.

"Arrell?"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out."

"I'm sorry about-"

"I heard you." I sighed and turned around to face a worried Asylum.

"You didn't answer, though."

"What did you expect me to answer with? Because I'm sure as hell not going to apologize as well."

She sighed. "...I was kind of hoping for that, honestly..."

I growled. "Alright then. I'm sorry for snagging an article through the only means possible without the chance of other ponies being affected by it, and I'm sorry for taking all the blame for the necessary repercussions of said means, and I'm sorry for standing there and taking it while my so-called friends and you called me names that would make a sailor blush. Happy?"

She frowned and moved in for a hug. I pushed her away.

"Don't touch me."

She blinked. "B-But-"

"I said don't touch me. Just leave me alone for tonight, okay?"

"Arrell...why are...why are you being like this?" She backed away a couple of steps. "I know that we all yelled at you, but...we just..."

I rolled my eyes. "Just want to make sure I don't cause damage to myself or others, yadda yadda yadda. I get it, but deal with it, because it's going to happen. I can't exactly snag articles without putting a single pony in danger. That just isn't how things work."

She sniffed. "P-Please...I'm sorry..."

"I know you are. And if you want me to accept your apology, you'll leave me alone for tonight so I can calm down."

There was a pause. "...are you mad?"

"Yes."

"...at me?"

"At everything. But if it helps, I am doing my best to exclude you from 'everything'."

She sighed, turning to the door and beginning to head out. Before she closed the door, though, she turned back. "You know...it's kind of funny. Usually, after an argument, it's the mare banishing the stallion to the couch."

I couldn't help but crack a smile. "I'm not even doing that. Feel free to come back in twenty minutes. I'll be asleep."

She smiled back, then nodded. "Goodnight..."

"Night."

She finally left, closing the door behind her. I waited until I heard her steps retreat far enough away, then I sighed and pulled a small box out of my saddlebags.

"So much for a special day..." I grumbled, looking over the box. "...oh, whatever. Always next year."

I opened the box to examine its single content. After a few moments, I let out a tired sigh and lay down in the bed, my head on the pillow.

"...like she would've taken it anyway."

I shut the ring back inside the box, chucked it into the saddlebags, and prepared for a bad night's sleep.

Author's Notes:

Wow, way to end a Christmas special, huh? Bittersweet ending involving the article, and almost a complete downer ending with the Winter Solstice - especially Arrell.

You were expecting something cheerful, right? Maybe everypony gets better and they reconcile? Maybe a mistletoe kiss? Surprise appearance from whatever the pony version of Santa is?

Nope. This is the story of a human-turned-Windigo who can't walk five steps without getting broken, either by his own stupidity or the work of others. He's not getting a break just because it's the holidays.