Pony Air is especially busy at this time. It’s Christmastime and ponies want to fly home to be with their human families. A few are even flying to meet up with pony families, so the Air Force has had to source out extra planes to meet the demand. These are charity flights. Ponies are paying what they can or are making promises to pay, or are simply flying on the goodwill of others.

Donations had been taken up in different pony communities, as well as by the armed forces themselves to pay for these flights. The vast majority of ponies are still unable to fly commercial simply because of identification issues.

Ballad looks out the window as the plane drops through the clouds. The little twin engine turboprop can carry up to eighteen ponies, but there are only twelve on this flight.

“First trip home?” A blue and brown mare asks, tilting her head.

Blinking, Ballad nods, “Yes.” She glances back out the window for a moment, “I’m a bit scared. Aren’t you, Brass Beauty?”

“I guess so, but I still go by Lynn.”

"Ballad here, I guess Discord didn't like musicians much. I guess it’s because music is such a big part of pony life."

Brass nods slowly before glancing up at the PA system. The captains voice comes over loud and clear, “Welcome to Alexandria, Minnesota. Please strap yourselves in. The weather is a nippy twenty Fahrenheit, with wind-chill as low as ten above, so jackets might be required. We will be landing shortly.”

Looking out her window, Ballad can see the lights of the city. Well, city is a loose term sometimes, with a population of around twenty-five thousand, Alexandria is the largest town in the area complete with a municipal airport. It is, however, the center hub for lots of small towns around it, tight knit communities where tradition is strong.

This is the place where people came to shop, and sometimes work. If you want to go to the Walmart, to the movies, Alexandria is your destination. It even has a racetrack. This is where the hospital is. As such, every town within about a twenty-minute drive knows Alexandria.

There is a bit of a bump as the planes wheels touch the ground, and within moments, the plane has slowed and turned off onto the taxiway. Ballad finds her patience wearing thin when the plane finally stops in a parking area. Unlike full sized commercial airports, there is no gangways, no big terminal. Just a small building separating the tarmac from the parking lot. With barely room for twenty or so vehicles.

Ballad huffs as she unbuckles her seat-belt then stands up and gets her bag from the overhead compartment. Like most ponies, she doesn’t carry much, so her army issue saddlebags work for her trip. She isn’t a fashionista like Rarity, after all.

Walking to the front she looks out the hatch and shivers from the cold wind blowing along the snowy airfield. A pair of National Guardsmen stand at the bottom of the stairs. With a simple hop, she lands on the ground. Easier than trying to go down those narrow steps.

A young pegasus looks up at the plane from the waiting area nervously.

“Don’t worry, its fine.” Ballad says, “The staff’s great.”

“Cindy?”

Ballads mane proofs out and her tail twitches. Looking over, she sees her mom standing in a heavy jacket right outside the doors of the small building. Even today, these small airports treat security like it’s a luxury they don’t have the money for. Though that fact is nothing compared to who she is seeing.

“Mom?” Ballad squeaks. She turns and charges her mother… “MOM!”

Kneeling to get to the same height, her mom hugs the pony tight for a long time, then she leans back a bit.

“Wow, you’ve changed, have you been eating enough?” Her mom says with a smile.

“Oh mom.” Ballad laughs.

“Are you sure you’re ok? You look a little blue.”

Rolling her eyes, Ballad huffs, “That’s my normal color. Silly.”

“I know, it’s still hard to believe, my little baby’s… turned into a foal.” Her mom says.

“Mare!” Ballad stomps. “I’m a grown mare.”

“Well, whatever you call yourself, let’s get you home.” They walk through the small terminal building and out into the parking lot.

“Wow, dad let you take the pickup!” Ballad tosses her saddlebags into the truck bed before climbing into the front seat. “Where is he?”

“Working, he’s always busy this time of the year.” Her mom smiles, “Woodworking, gifts, and such.”

Strapping herself in, Ballad nods, “Yeah, the city has always had him busy with decorating.”

“There have been…changes…around town since you left.”

Turning on the radio, Ballad looks over, “Oh, who’s changed? Anypony I know?”

“Umm, not that kind of change.” Her mom says as they turn down the road into town.

Leaning against the door, Ballad watches the trees and houses go by, “I loved how they decorated the town, the wreaths on the light posts, the ribbons.”

“They…we…don’t do that anymore.” Her mom says as they drive into town.

“What? Why not?” Looking around, Ballad can even see that some of the houses don’t have decorations up. “Mom? What’s going on?”

Sighing softly, her mom pulls into the driveway, “The ACLU, among others. Some people complained and a lawsuit was filed against the town. Christmas decorations are not permitted to be put up on city property.”

“Oh, come on! That’s just stupid.” Climbing out of the truck, Ballad lights her horn and picks up her saddlebags, dropping them onto her back. “How’s Santa supposed to find this place if its all dark and bland?”

“Really? Santa? Aren’t you a little old for Santa?” Her mom says, stepping out of the truck and closing the doors.

“Hey, you’re talking to a three-foot-tall unicorn. I learned to believe in magic, heck I’ve spent weeks learning magic. So why can’t I believe in the magic of Christmas?”

A loud squeal fills the air as Ballad is blindsided by a little girl, “My very own pony! And it’s a unicorn!”

“Dawn, we talked about this. This is your cousin, Cindy.”

“Nuh uh, this is Ballad!” the little girl says and hugs her neck tightly.

“Umm, I’m both. My pony name IS Ballad, I was born and grew up in Equestria before being cursed and sent to Earth.”

“See, she’s Ballad.” Dawn says firmly.

“Fine, she’s Ballad, but she’s still not yours. She’s still my daughter.” Her mom says with a laugh. “It’s okay Brandon, you can come over.”

Ballad sits down on her haunches and tilts her head, both Brandon and Dawn are six and five respectively, but Brandon tends to be a lot more timid than his sister. Sniffling, he comes over and sits beside Ballad and leaning against her.

“Okay, what’s wrong?” Ballad asks, lighting her horn and bringing a blanket over to wrap it around the three of them.

“Some of the older kids said that Santa wasn’t real. They said if he was real, they wouldn’t make everyone stop putting up decorations.” Brandon hugs Ballad’s front leg.

“Just because you don’t see something, doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Are unicorns real?” Ballad asks.

“No.” Brandon says softly, then he blinks, “umm I guess.”

“How about magic?” Ballad asks, lifting a bell and jingling it front of the boy.

“I… I guess.”

“So, you know what? Just cuz the town can’t decorate, doesn’t mean we can’t. You know that big tree they used to decorate in the park in front of city hall? Well I bet dad has enough old decorations stored somewhere to make that tree look great.” Ballad said. “Whatcha think, Mom?”

“I… I guess. Just don’t get in trouble.”

Looking down at the kids, Ballad smiles, “Well? Are you two up for helping decorate a tree?”

“Yay!” They both cheer loudly.

Trotting into her dad’s workshop and storage area, Ballad quickly finds some of the old decorations her dad had carved. Old wooden trains, cars and planes, brightly painted and in some cases shining with sparkles. Wooden dolls, dressed in simple clothing, wooden animals in different poses. Her dad is a master crafter, though his work isn’t often sought after. In the age of CAD cutters accurate down to one one-hundredth of an inch, being able to craft a deer out of wood is obsolete, yet his skills are still in demand. Some people still appreciate what it means to take pride in a craft.

She looks around and sees a little wagon, complete with wooden sides. She loads the boxes into the garden wagon, Ballad looks at Dawn and Brandon, “Ready to go?”

Both children nod. She smiles and turns back to finish loading the wagon. After a moment, Ballad feels her mane getting tugged rather hard. Turning her head to glance behind, she watches Dawn struggling to climb onto her back. “Hey, since when do I give horsy rides?”

Dawn laughed as Ballad’s magic wraps around the girl, lifting her up and setting her down on her back.

She glances at the young boy, “You want a ride too?”

Brandon shakes his head no very slowly. Pulling his hood up tighter, he walks beside Ballad as they head down the street towards the city hall.

“So, they said Santa wasn’t real huh?”

Brandon shakes his head slowly.

“Well, their loss, it means they won’t have a unicorn as a friend.” She says with a giggle.

“They bug him for that too.” Dawn says.

Tiling her head Ballad looks at the boy, “They bug you for liking unicorns?”

Brandon nods slowly, “They call me Brenda, say I’m not a boy because I like… unicorns and ponies.”

“Pshaw.” Ballad said, “We can teleport, levitate things, and some of us can even fire energy blasts, and that’s just for starts.” She nudges him as they walk, “Unicorns are cool. But picking on a person because they like us, nope. That’s not cool.”

Stopping at the park, Ballad looks around. The playground is covered in snow. A few snowmen are scattered around. Her target, however, is the spruce tree. The tree had been in the park for as long as she could remember. Considerably longer actually. The tree had been planted sometime around the early 1900’s. No one is quite sure exactly when, but it might have been around the time the town was founded. There are stories and pictures of it being decorated during the first and second world wars.

Sitting down, Ballad looks up at the tree. As a child, she had played here, she had her first kiss here, she remembered decorating it with her dad and the rest of the town. This tree is something special. In a way, it’s part of her community.

“Where do we start?” Dawn asks looking up at the enormous tree.

“From the bottom, of course.” Ballad said with a smile, and lifted the boxes out setting them down and opening them. “Just spread the decorations out around the tree and we’ll work our way up.”

“But its so high, how can we get up?” Brandon says, looking up.

“We have… magic… and Christmas faith. That’s all we need.” Ballad said firmly. She gestures towards the wagon, “Why don’t you get started with unpacking the boxes of decorations. I’ll see about getting lights on it.” Her magic brings out a couple of extension cords. She had remembered having lights when she was little. A quick search brings up a post sticking out of the ground, with plastic pipe running to a couple of receptacles. She unwinds the extension cords and brings them through the snow, smoothing the snow over the cords so they are hidden. The other side of the cords run up the trunk of the tree. She brings over a box marked for Christmas lights. Magic makes the task of putting the lights on the tree so much simpler. Soon the tree is ready for the decorations.

Ballad moves over to the row of boxes the kids had pulled out. She magics the children the decorations as they run up, then they run around the tree, putting them up. Under her direction, the children do their best to space things out and keep the tree looking balanced. As they work, Ballad watches other children cove over to watch, and soon they are even helping. Most of the families in town have children, and it isn’t long before a dozen kids are there, helping.

“Loyalty binds us and makes us strong.” Ballad sings out strong and true, as she gives out a carved and painted sleigh to Dawn.

Brandon stumbles in the snow, before getting up and running for his next set, “Honesty shows that we belong.” Her voice rings among the excited chatter of the children.

Looking at the other children as they come up to grab trinkets Ballad lights her horn, lifting children up so they can start placing things on higher branches. Her voice carrying through the entire park, “And kindness shared will unite us through each day.”

“The fire of friendship burns in our hearts.” Smiling, Ballad stands up, starting to walk around the tree, helping kids get up to the middle and upper branches. Sure, she could just levitate the items up herself but the children want to place them.

“As long as it burns…” Ballads song is cut off by the sheriff’s car, its siren blaring to get the attention of everyone.

Like most towns its size, their small little hamlet doesn’t have its own police department. Instead, it is dependent on the county sheriff. It is rare to see him, however, as the town mostly deals with its own issues. There are rarely any big crimes here, complaints are normally handled in town hall.

Opening the door, the officer walks out, looking at the children and at the pony standing in the snow. “What... What is going on?”

Ballad blinks and reaches into her pocket with her muzzle, pulling out her ID. “Corporal Ballad, US Army. Is there a problem, officer?”

“A… Talking horse?”

Brandon moves between the officer and Ballad, “She’s not a horse, she’s a unicorn pony, and she’s my cousin.”

Giggling softly, Ballad shakes her head, “I’m visiting my family for the holidays.”

Looking between the children, then at the tree, the Sheriff shakes his head, “Can I see your ID?”

Holding the ID Packet out to the officer, she watches as he takes it and heads back into the car. Closing the door, he gets to work on his radio and computer.

“What’s wrong?” Dawn asks, looking up at Ballad.

“I think he’s never seen or heard of unicorn ponies yet. Boy he’s in for a surprise.” Ballad giggles. “He probably has never been to an IHOP either.”

A few moments later the sheriff walks back, and shakes his head. “Well you… check out... Cindy.”

Ballad’s fur puffs out and her tail twitches. “Thanks… Though Ballad is my proper name.”

Several adults from other houses had walked out to see what is going on.

“As it is. The ACLU has had the courts put a Cease and Desist on city decorations. It has been done for unnamed parties wishing to remain anonymous. This is regarding their first amendment rights.” The sheriff says firmly, “So we need you to stop this Cindy.”

Ballad’s fur puffs again and her tail twitches. “Umm, ACLU has a Cease and Desist order against the city. We don’t work for the city, unless the city is employing child labor.” Looking down at the children around her, Ballad shakes her head, “And the First Amendment says, the government shouldn’t make any laws establishing or prohibiting religion or the free expression there of. So, we’re having fun, making snowmen, snow angels, and decorating a tree with toys.”

The sheriff checks his file, then looks back at the pony as one of the other adults walks up, “Come on, the children are doing this. It’s not the City.”

“I’ll have to report this, but as it is, you’re not violating the order.” The sheriff says.

A cheer rises from the children as they laugh and get back to the tree. “Who gets to do the star?” One of the young teens asks.

“Ballad could you do the star for us?” Dawn asks, looking at her.

Smiling, Ballad lights her horn and lifts it to its resting place on top of the tree, connecting the plug on the star to the light string. She looks over at the post and plugs the cord into the receptacle. The entire tree lights up brightly. Multiple colors of lights flash through the branches of the tree, some of the lights twinkling. And the star on top lights up brightly, “There we go, now Santa can find us easy!”

“You two ready for some hot cocoa and dinner?” Ballad asks, lowering her head.

“YAY!”

Picking up the empty boxes, ballad loads the kids into the wagon and starts trotting, pulling the wagon behind her. She is only a few blocks from her house, but she is able to cover the distance quite quickly. Even with two children squealing and laughing in the wagon.

“All right,” her mom calls out, “Enough fun, inside, get washed up and ready for dinner.

Ballad smiles and shakes herself out. “That includes you, little filly, and remember to wash your hooves.”

“MOM!” Ballad said with a laugh, “So Aunt Judy is going to be joining us for dinner?”

“Yep, and don’t worry, I did some research and contacted the military to find out what was safe for you to eat as well.”

“Ugh, I’ve had enough army food, safe doesn’t mean tastes good.” Ballad says and heads up to the bathroom.

The smell of home cooking fills the house, and with guests arriving, the small home feels full of life and love. With Ballad’s mom and dad, her aunt and uncle, their two kids, and her grandmom all there, the table is full.

Her mom has laid out a huge meal, ham with pineapple, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, brussels sprouts, corn, grilled cauliflower, and even apple pie. Ballad gave a quick thanks to Celestia that she wasn’t a pegasus at that moment. The amount of drool would have been embarrassing.

Food is passed out on plates and even with this many people, there is more than enough for seconds, and even thirds. Ballad sits happily, no one cares or minds that she is a pony now. It’s just her home.

The ringing of the telephone jolts her back to reality for a second. Her mom, though, is already on her feet, walking over to the wall phone. “Hello? Oh, hi Doctor Wright. Well we were in the middle of dinner, but are almost finished. Oh, I see, umm. Cindy, you remember Doctor Wright? He apparently needs to talk to you.”

Ballad’s fur puffed out a bit and her tail twitches as she gets up, “Sure mom.” Lighting her horn, she grabs the phone and brings it down to her height, “Hello?”

“Hi there, I have a small problem and I’m getting a big of a runaround with it. I have a two residents here who have some rather… strange… symptoms… when I call in the hospital, they started bouncing me from office to office, then to a crisis line. Then it was suggested to contact the army hospital.”

“Oh, what symptoms?” Ballad asks, playing with her mane a little with a foreleg.

“Eye color change, hair color change.”

“Ohh… have you been asked about their birthday being yesterday or today?” Ballad asks with a cringe.

“Well I was and whenever I’d say yes, I’d get bounced around.”

“25th birthday?” Ballad asks curiously.

“I think so, yep, for both.”

“Yeah, that’s the Five Score curse, they are turning back to their pony forms.” Ballad says.

“They can’t be, one thing I got asked several times about was strange marks or tattoos on their hips, neither have them.”

“The marks appear on adults, they could be turning into what’s called blank flanks… That’s foals or youngsters who haven’t got their mark yet.” Ballad says, “If you want, I’m done with dinner, I can stop by. Teeth changing, I think is the next.”

“They’re at my office right now, if you’d like to come by. Maybe calm them down a bit.”

“Sure thing, doc.” Ballad looks up. “Mom, the doc needs my help for a bit, is it ok?”

“Sure thing, just dress warmly, remember to wear your socks and scarf,” Her mom says, smiling. “We’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”

“Ugh, mom, socks in public? That’s so embarrassing.” Ballad says as she trots out the door.

The doctor doesn’t have a true clinic in town. He actually works at the Hospital in Alexandria, at the same time, however, the people in town knew him and trusted him. He had set up a little office in his basement with a separate door, and people would visit him that way at times. Often people without cars who couldn’t make the trip into Alexandria would book appointments to see him at home instead.

He had grown up in the town and has been the town doctor for nearly the last thirty years. He has delivered some of the children in town. His record keeping, though, has never been the best, he always seemed to lose things, like billing information, especially for those without insurance.

Stopping at the door, Ballad puts on her best smile and taps a few times with her hoof.

The door is opened by Dr. Wright, “Oh my, you are actually smaller then I thought.”

“We’re not called ‘Little Ponies’ for nothin’.” Ballad chirps and prances in.

The waiting room is small, with a pair of couches and single chair, but he doesn’t have long lines or wait times. There is a small desk with a bowl full of lollypops and Christmas candies. Grabbing a lollypop she sits down on the chair and looks at the doctor.

“I’ll go get them, and yes, you can have a pop. Could never keep your hands off them could you?”

Ballad shook her head no with a bright smile and waits as the doctor heads into the examination room. Glancing around, she smiles, seeing pictures dating back nearly fifty years of the town as it grew. A small tree adorns the corner of his office with a small pile of presents under it.

Sucking on her lollypop, she jumps a bit when the door opens. The doctor walks out with a pair of young gentlemen. Both are brown eyed, though one has short white hair, the second slightly longer golden hair.

“Well that doesn’t help.” Ballad says, causing one of the men to jump.

“It… it talked…”

Dr. Wright smiles, “Allen Peters, Jason Monroe, this is Cindy.”

Ballads mane puffs out and her tail twitches, “Um, I go by Ballad now.” Smiling she holds the lollypop in the air beside her muzzle as she talks, “Don’t worry lots of us have gone through this, there’s even an educational briefing for you, including videos.”

Blinking, Allen looks at the lollypop floating in the air, “You… can do magic?”

“Oh, I wish. Trust me, I really suck at card tricks.” She says, holding up a hoof. “Don’t have the fingers for it. I did try sawing a turkey in half once, though. It wasn’t pretty.” Ballad says with a cringe, “Ah-Pee banned me from using the electric knife ever again.”

Both men look at each other for a moment before a lightbulb lights over Jason’s head. “Wait, Cindy? Cindy from the elementary school in Mister Dunn’s class?”

All the fur on Ballads spine stands on end and her mane proofs out again. Shaking herself out, she nods, “Yep that’s me. Oh, I remember you two now, and that whole glue incident.”

The doctor smiles, “That’s better, gets dark in here in the evening without the overheads on.” Walking over, the doctor sits behind the desk to relax and begins cleaning his glasses.

“Umm yeah, we actually did finish paying for the repairs to the car for that. I didn’t think crazy glue was THAT strong.” Jason says and looks at Allen.

“Don’t look at me, it was all your idea, I just gave you what glue dad had,” Ballad puts the lollypop back in her mouth and giggles softly.

“The whole change process takes about three days.” Ballad says, “Then we can find out who you were. No cutie mark, brown eyes, and gold and white mane and tails don’t help a lot yet.” She muses, “Most of us figure out who we are off the cutie mark and mane color.”

“Cutie mark?” Allen asks.

Turning sideways, she shows her lyre, “Yep, magical mark showing your special talent. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt to get, its magical and totally normal.” Looking over at the doctor, she smiles. “Um, Doc, got wi-fi and can I borrow your tablet?”

The doctor smiles and offers her the tablet. She lifts it and pulls a pen/touch controller out of her mane and gets to work, “These things aren’t nuzzle friendly so I keep a stylus with me. And…Cipher.”

Ciphers head appears on the tablet, “WHOOHOO! Hi Ballad! How’s the holidays? Are you having fun back home? Any tails we need to come down and kick?”

Ballad laughs, “No, all mostly fine. We have two new changes here. Can you send the files to this tablet?”

“Not a problem.” Cipher says before the tablet beeps, “There you go. Oh, fully changed or started?”

“Hair and eyes.” Ballad responds looking at the two.

“Wow, they should be done by Christmas Eve then. Nice present for them. Cipher out.”

Setting the tablet up on the desk, she starts the educational programs. “There you go, if you have any problems or questions, give me a call or stop by, I’m at my mom and dads.”

“Will do.” The doc says.

The walk home is quiet and relaxing. The moon is coming up, and the sky is starting to be spotted with stars. Twitching her ear ballad looked to the church as she walks down the street, the silence feels strange.

Walking inside, Ballad heads for the living room. “Mom? Where’s the carol of the bells?”

“City ordinance, people complained about the bells past sundown.” Her mom says as she knits quietly.

“Who complained? It’s part of this town.” Ballad says and heads to the guest room to get her saddlebags.

“I don’t know, but someone decided that late night bells aren’t good for the kids trying to sleep.”

Coming back down the stairs, Ballad lays down on her side and set the lyre in front of her. Pulling a blanket partly around her, she lies in front of the fireplace as the children sip their hot cocoa and she begins to play. With fourteen strings, it is easy for her to pull out the notes she wants to at the speed she wants. It isn’t an easy tune after all. But it is… The Carol of the Bells.

***

Ballad wakes up in the morning to the sound of sirens. She had fallen asleep by the fireplace with the children snuggled up against her hind legs. The sun is already up, meaning it’s pretty late in the morning for her.

The sound of the fire trucks can be heard through most of the town. They have their own department, complete with two trucks. Though it is rare they are actually called out. Fires don’t happen that often locally. And during the Christmas season. The first thing that runs through Ballads mind is some poor family losing their home just before Christmas.

Getting up carefully, she trots to the door and looks outside. She can see the smoke coming from down the street, near city hall and the doctor’s house. Not bothering to get dressed, she gallops down to see what is going on. A crowd of families have already gathered in the streets to look on.

Working her way though the legs of people, Ballad pokes her nose out to see. The fire trucks had stopped and have their hoses going, but it’s already too late. They are mostly concerned with keeping the fire from spreading. Something like this shouldn’t happen. It can’t happen. Not unless it was deliberate.

Sitting down with tears in her eyes, Ballad watches as the town tree, with all the wooden toys that would have become gifts for the kids… burns.

Slowly, Ballad turns and heads towards her home.

“Good riddance.” She hears someone say.

“It was old, it should have been cut down when they put in the new playground.” Someone else says.

“No, it was healthy, the only way it would have burned like that is if someone used an accelerant.” Ballad mumbles to herself.

Walking inside she looks at the kids, then at her mom.

“Was anyone hurt?” her mom asks.

Ballad shakes her head slowly. “It was…” she takes a deep breath, “the Christmas tree.”

Dawn looks up, “But if its gone, how’s gonna Santa find us? If its gone, is Santa still coming?”

Brandon shakes his head, “Santa isn’t coming, there isn’t a Santa.”

“Humbug...Santa’s coming if I have to sit on the roof and shine my horn all night.” Ballad says defiantly and puts her hoof down hard. “The town may have forgotten Christmas, but we haven’t.”

Her mom leans over and starts scratching Ballad behind an ear. “We have all we need right here.”

“Yes, we do, but Doc Wright doesn’t have family here. And what about the kids who couldn’t afford trees this year.” Ballad says, “I think we should invite the Doc over.”

“We have plenty, for all he’s done, sure.” Her mom says.

“We have two new ponies that are changing too. I’ll probably be needing to check on them, they are likely going to have problems today and tomorrow.” Ballad says.

Her mom gives her a hug and smiles, “Remember to take time for yourself as well. Its your holiday too.”

As Ballad walks, it seems the town is mostly somber about the loss of the tree. It seems so strange, walking around and seeing no decorations in town, not even on the businesses. A few houses had been decorated on the outside, but it seems like people are just scared to show their love for the season.

The local coffee-shop, bar and grill is playing Christmas songs, but that is canned music from a company hundreds of miles away. Ballad finds herself getting a mix of strange looks, even though most of the town now know who she it.

Most of the people seem unsure of how to talk to her. How to even approach, really. Well most of the grownups mainly, the children have no problems. Nor does the waitress.

“Another coffee?” She asks, smiling.

Ballad shakes her head, “Nope, I’m fine, any more and my back teeth would be floating.”

“Well the little fillies room is over there if you need it.” She says, pointing in the direction of the bathrooms.

“Thanks.” Ballad stars, then she looks down, “can I ask you something?”

“Sure thing,” the waitress says sitting down across from the little unicorn.

Looking around, Ballad sighs, “Where’s all the Christmas cheer?”

“Cheese and Sprinkles, we still have it, its just… Hard to show it.” The waitress says, then she hums, “Things have been hard, schools have been told they can’t talk about Christmas, the ACLU and lawyers went after the town council, people are scared. They don’t want to face big fines or tickets for even decorating the outside of their homes.”

“Why would people do this?” Ballad asks and sighs.

“I don’t know, it just happened I guess. Little by little, parts were taken away. Atheists, different religions didn’t like being bombarded with it I guess.”

“The towns like ninety percent Christian.” Ballad sighs.

The waitress looks Ballad up and down. “Are you?”

“Nope, but it doesn’t matter. I still love Christmas.” Ballad says with a huff.

“Well don’t start singing about how much you love socks,” The waitress says, “Oh. And… Doctor Wright is looking for you.”

Ballad blinks, sitting up straight, “What?”

“Your mom just called. He’s at his office."

Ballad eeped and galloped out. At under a half a square mile, it is under two thousand feet to anywhere she has to go in town. She might be a little pony, but she can still cover that distance fast. Sliding to a stop outside the doctors office, she blinked, “Heck I think Ponyville is larger than here.”

Knocking quickly, the doctor takes longer to answer the door than she took to get there. Looking down, the doctor shakes his head, “I’m not sure, I think somethings wrong.”

Trotting in, she looks at him, “What?”

“Well their legs have been changing, and their tails have started growing, but they are too small and the hair isn’t growing in.” The doctor says, “And, their hooves are also not closing up right.

Blinking Ballad looks up, “Can I see them?”

“They… came back this morning, and have been having some trouble. Well, Allen’s having it harder.”

“Why?” Ballad asks as she looks to the door.

“Umm. Apparently in Equestria he wasn’t a he.”

Walking over to the door, Ballad knocks, “Can I come in?”

“No… go away!”

Blinking, Ballad looks at the door, the voice is definitely more feminine and a touch younger sounding.

“Its just me, Ballad, and don’t worry, you’re not the first to have this kind of a change.” She murmurs softly, “just give it a time and a chance.”

There’s a hoofstep and the door opens, with the two sitting in the office rather uncomfortably. Looking down, Ballad blinks a few times seeing the hooves, then she shakes her head. “Tails?”

Pulling down the back of his jogging pants, Jason shows his short tail. Gray/white on the top with white on the bottom.

Looking over at Allen, Ballad motions.

“Its… embarrassing.”

“It’s a tail.” Ballad says flatly.

Slowly, Allen lowers his pants, his tail flicking up, golden on the top, white on the bottom.

“They don’t look right for ponies.” The doctor says.

“Its because they aren’t ponies. Ponies are not the only intelligent race in Equestria or on the planet. There are the horses from Saddle Arabia, the Griffins from Griffinstone, the Yaks and such from YakYakistan… and…the deer, from the Everfree.”

Pointing at their tails, she looks at the doctor, “I think they’re Everfree deer. Part of King Aspen’s realm.”

“Deer?” The two say looking at each other.

“Buck and Doe, maybe family. Brother and sister. Or,” She stops, a bright blush appearing on her face, “umm… close friends… likely caught and cursed together by Discord.”

“Deer?” the doctor says, blinking.

“Don’t dis the deer, they are powerful and noble. They have their own magic of plants and trees. They are also great with potions.” Ballad says.

Allen blinks, “Potions?”

Nodding slowly, Ballad smiles, “Yep, they can make potions like the Zebra.”

“There are zebra too?” Jason says, blinking.

“Yep but the deer are the wardens of the wood, they live in a massive city crafted from the trees themselves.” Ballad says before smiling… “And you are going to be this towns Christmas Miracle.”

“What? Wait what!” Allen squeaks as Ballad gallops out.

Vanishing mid run, Ballad winks out and winks back in at the front door. She’s in such a hurry she doesn’t think about things till she hears her mom scream.

Seeing the little pony appear inside the door out of nowhere caused her mom to fall back into her chair dropping the books she was carrying.

“Sorry mom, gotta hurry.” Ballad says and starts to run upstairs.

“NO!” You stop right there little filly.” Her mom says firmly.

Squeaking, Ballad freezes and looks at her mother. The tone in her voice saying she was none to pleased.

“Teleporting into the house is not acceptable, nor is running. You back your tail outside the door, open it properly, then walk in and walk upstairs. I will not have my little filly scaring me or others like that.” Her mother says, panting.

Opening the door, Ballad backs out, then walks in properly and slowly, “I’m sorry mom.”

“Good, and don’t forget to wipe your hooves.” She finishes.

Wiping her hooves, Ballad walks upstairs, then she blinks, even as a grown mare she was still her moms foal. Some things change, but her mom will always be her mom. Smiling, she walked into the bedroom and flops down on the bed and opening her computer.

“Come on girl, I know your there, your like, always there.” Ballad says as she types.

A moment later, there is a beep and Cipher appears on the screen, “Oh two calls in two days. What’s up?”

“Operation Christmas Drop.” Ballad says, smiling.

Cipher gives a confused look, tilting her head, “Huh, what?”

“I need your help. I need some things sent here, and I need them by tomorrow. If you can get them together, made, bought, whatever, and get a pegasus to fly them over for tomorrow. This town’s got a serious problem.” Ballad says.

“What’s going on? Do I need to get a strike team together?” Cipher says, sitting up quick.

“The towns lost its Christmas spirit, its been brow beat by the ACLU to the point where most seem to have given up. They can’t do decorations, ring bells, people aren’t even decorating their houses really.” Ballad says, “At this rate the windegos are going to take over.”

Cipher groans, “Ballad, you’re such a kid about things sometimes.”

“Am not, now can you help me or what?” Rolling onto her side, Ballad looked at the Christmas snow globe on her dresser.

“Okay, fine, what do you need?”

“We had a big Christmas tree, but it was destroyed by fire, and with it, toys for the less fortunate children. I need you to do a search see if you can find a list of the kids in town and get them presents. It doesn’t have to be big, expensive or such. Dollar store items should do, there’s only sixty children or so. I can spend about a hundred and twenty dollars on this, so two dollars each.” Ballad says, smiling.

“So… I’m checking with the school, and city hall one day before Christmas Eve, then shopping. You hate me don’t you.” Cipher says, laughing, “You are going to owe me so much coffee for this.”

“Not done yet, I need a sleigh, sleigh bells, harnesses, and oh yeah, a big red bag for the gifts.” Ballad says, smiling brightly.

“Who do you think you are? Pinkie Pie?” Cipher says, then she looks around.

Blinking, Ballad tilts her head. “What are you looking for?”

“Pinkie Pie to show up, with this level of party, I’m surprised she’s not vibrating her tail off.” Cipher says before smiling, “I’ll see what I can do and have the entire thing flown down by pegasus… or over.” Cipher puts a hoof to her chin, “ Or across. Where exactly is Mini Soda anyway?” She continues to mutter as she works, “Maybe I can hit up Lightning Dust, she’s always good to help when a sob story comes around.” She looks directly into the camera at Ballad, “We will get it done, Ballad.”

Closing the laptop, Ballad rolls over onto her back and smiles, “This could work, if Cipher can come through.”

Kicking all four hooves in the air, Ballad squees, “Come on girl keep it together. Cipher has never let you down.”

There is more than enough time for Ballad to relax before dinner, looking at her lyre, she gets up and heads downstairs. The guests are just arriving and Ballad finds herself a nice spot in front of the fire to relax and start playing.

“I never thought of you as the musical type.” Ballad’s father says as he sits beside her, then gently starts to rub her mane with his hands.

Leaning against her dad, Ballad sighs, “It sort of came out with my pony side.”

Holding the lyre in her magic, Ballad slowly starts plucking out the notes, before filling the room with her music. It isn’t a fast song, or a fancy one, or even a hard one for her. But it still means a lot, and as she plays, even the Doctor comes in to sit down.

Her mom passes out hot chocolate to everyone as they wait for the food to be ready. Slowly Ballad looks up at her dad and started singing. “Chestnuts roasting on the open fire….”

***

Ballad paces in the back yard. She has three flashlights spread out in a triangle, pointing straight up, flashing. She had been waiting all day and it’s getting late. Her phone says they are almost there, on the GPS.

“Are you coming in, sweetie?” Her mom asks from inside.

“Nope, they’re almost here.”

Her mom walks out and set down a coffee by her before standing up to look up at the sky. “Its hard to believe they can do it.”

“Says the mom of a unicorn.” Ballad giggles, “I believe in magic.”

The jingling bells announce the incoming delivery. Looking around, Ballad points quick, “There mom!”

Looking up, Ballads mom can’t help but laugh. White Lightning and Jet Stream fly in perfect sync, wings flapping at the same time, the two sisters pulling an actual wooden sleigh behind them. Their harnesses have bells on it that ring out with each wing beat.

Landing in the back yard, they back-wing fast to slow the momentum of the sleigh before stopping. “Okay, one sleigh with presents. Sorry, it’s a basic model, no heat or A/C, no radio. Doesn’t even have power steering or brakes, so it’s a pain to corner and stop.” White Lighting says and prances on the spot a bit.

Ballad squees loudly and hugs them both, “Oh thank you, you’re angels!”

“Argh! I’m not an angel.” Jet Stream says, throwing her head back and huffing.

Laughing, White Lightning shakes her head, “Do you need us to fly it over to the park?”

“Nope, got that covered.” Ballad says, then she calls back to the house, “come on out.”

A moment later two Equestrian deer walk out, not just deer though, caribou. Proud and strong, the stag bows his head to the girls.

“This is Pawpaw, and his little sister Lica.” Ballad says, “They are going to be standing in for Santa’s crew tonight.”

Sliding out of the harness, White Lightning trots over and pulls out a small red bag. “Cipher printed out the list and had it put on a scroll for you. There’s gifts for all the kids.”

“Thank you.” Ballad says, giving them one last hug before turning, “Mom, dad can you help get them harnessed in?”

It takes a few minutes to get the two sorted out in the harness, but once done they really do look the part. Tilting his head, her father looked at the deer. “Something’s missing. You two need something.”

“Need something?” Lica says, “Well aside from boy parts I don’t think I’m missing anything.”

Pawpaw thumps her shoulder with his gently, “Behave.”

“Yep, you definitely are. I checked around, looked at some pictures, and even made a few calls.” Ballad’s father says, before kneeling down and gently strapping a wooden flask around each of their necks. Pawpaw’s being a light birch-wood with silvered bands to match his fur color. The second is a richly stained redwood with bronze bands.

Lica lifts a hoof to touch hers and blinks, “I… I remember these, a potion flask…. But how?”

“Bah, I can craft something like that in an hour if I don’t care about wasting wood. I figured when I heard you two were helping, I’d check up and see what I could find out about the Everfree deer.” He says with a smile.

“So what now?” Pawpaw asks looking at the sleigh.

“Now? We get everyone to the park, and town hall.” Ballad says, “And you two get ready to fly.”

“Fly?” Both deer say, looking at each other.

***

The church bells ring out loud and true, disturbing everyone’s evening. But Ballad doesn’t mind. Calls were placed and requests made for everyone to get together at the park for a special Christmas event. The entire town is just shy of six hundred people, all of them out there and bundled up against the cold.

The sheriffs car pulls up, the lights flashing, “All right, what’s going on? We received calls about noise violations and disturbances.”

Doctor Wright smiled, “Hey sheriff. Just a town party. We’re just waiting on the guests of honor.”

“Guests of honor?”

It takes all of Ballads concentration, all of her strength and training, but she is doing it. Softly she sings as she walks to the park, her horn glowing bright, lighting the air around her. Singing to herself to keep her focus, her words carry her strain. “The Santa Claus sleigh will be heading our way, down a river of stars he’ll fly.”

In the air, the glow is echoed around the deer and sleigh, the deer prance as they fly to the park. Behind them, a trail of sparkles and stars, motes of magical energy drifting off the ends of the runners. Looking up in wonder the children and townsfolk watch as the sleigh flies though the air to the edge of the park.

Ballad slowly lowers the two into the snow, letting them pull the sleigh on their own, the bells on the harnesses filling the air. Their hooves kicking up snow as they start prancing towards the park center with all the children cheering.

Panting a bit, Ballad continues singing softly for a moment, “A thousand bells ringing, their silver song singing… We're joining in far and wide.”

Trotting up, Ballad smiles, the look on the sheriff’s face alone is well worth the work. Though she had probably burned two holiday dinners in calories easily with that stunt.

The children look on in awe, calling out as Pawpaw turns his head, “One emergency delivery.”

“Christmas. Some people think of it as a commercialization venture. Others, a religious holiday. People fight, people panic. People get depressed.” Climbing into the back of the sleigh, Ballad sits and looks around.

“Some people lash out against the holiday. Others try and ignore it, try to hide from it.” Lighting her horn again, Ballad looks at the crowd. “Instead though, people should look at it for what it is. In Equestria we call it Hearths Warming. Before Christmas, it was the Winter Solstice. What we call it doesn’t really matter.”

Lowering her head, Ballad smiles, “What matters is what it means and what we do with it. It’s a day set aside, not just honoring the birth of someone, but honoring all of us. Letting us know we are half way though the dark times. That the longest night is behind us and now, with the help of friends and family, with the help of community, we will make it to spring.”

“It doesn’t mater if your religious or not, or what religion you are. Instead simply realize, we are a community, and without each other there wouldn’t be a town, let alone a Christmas.” Opening the list Ballad calls out, “So on behalf of Santa, we have some gifts.”

Cheers ring out as the kids rush forward and stand, waiting for their names to be called out. It didn’t take long before each one of the children in town has a gift. These were larger and heavier then what Ballad had expected from dollar store gifts. Looking on with tears in her eyes the children had stuffed toys, electronic games, and even a few small tablets. How Cipher and Dust pulled it off was a miracle on its own. Blinking, Ballad sticks her head in the bag and pulls out one last box, “Umm Pawpaw.”

The Stag looks over, “Sup?”

Ballad floats the box over to him. "It says its for the town from Santa though you."

Opening the box Pawpaw starts reading the inside cover then looks at Lica.

Lica looks down and reads, then she blinks. The two whispering to each other.

“Ok that’s just cruel, what’s going on.” Ballad asks.

Lica picks up the box and both of the deer walked over to the stump and charred area where the old tree once stood. Using her hoof, Lica digs a small hole in the ground. Once done, Pawpaw carefully takes out a single sproutling, placing it in the hole before adding some fluid from the box.

Backing up slowly, the two deer bow deeply almost touching their heads to the ground, a greenish glow forming around their antlers. Slowly the glow resonates with the ground and the sprout begins to grow. Inch by inch, then foot by foot, it becomes thicker and fuller as it climbs to the sky, its lush branches spreading out and thickening.

A mix of Oooh’s an awe’s filled the evening air as the tree fills out, becoming a beautiful Douglas fir standing nearly fifty feet tall. Trees like this can live five hundred or even a thousand years. This one had been given a magical start. A new symbol for the town for centuries to come.

Looking around, Ballad can see the joy on all the children’s faces, as well as many of the adults. She could feel the love, joy, and excitement all around her. It was the warmth of Christmas all around her. It might not be Equestria, but it truly is a Hearths Warming eve for all.

Softly Ballad sings to herself, “And that’s what I love about Christmas.”