Celestia's Christmas Wish

The snow fell gently but relentlessly, as it had for the last several hours after calming down from the blizzard of last night, slowly floating into and out of view from the window of Celestia's home. After over a year of sharing living space with one or another of her daughters, Celestia had finally gotten her own place to live - a fairly modest home that took up only part of an abandoned building. She'd chosen this building not only for its' low cost, but its' proximity to the bar and - most importantly - her lab.

For whatever reason, people didn't much care for living close to the bar. Odd, that.

She sits, rocking slowly back and forth in an old rocking chair she'd picked up at a yard sale for a steal - no matter how successful Tridenland was, some things never changed.

She was alone in the house, and wasn't working on a project, chatting on the phone with one of her daughters, or doing much of anything except rocking and looking out the window. Her options were limited thanks to the snow taking out some power lines and blocking off roads. For all intents and purposes, she was snowbound for the next several hours until X Demolition could figure out how to dispose of all the snow and restore power.

The rhythmic creaking of the old chair soothes her, as do the floating snowflakes. She takes a deep breath, lets it out, and closes her eyes.

And remembers.

-----

"What's wrong, honey?"
"Oh... I'm trying to work out our December budget. It's not looking good, dear..."
White Mage laid a reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder. "Well, why don't you let me take a look? Maybe I can help uncover some waste."
"I've been over it three times. We've got enough to live, but... Christmas..."
"Shhhhh. Let me see."
He picked up his wife's scrawled notes and looked them over carefully. "Hmmm. Oh, here's the problem - you're budgeting too much for milk."
"Hmm?"
"I'll drink water. Our growing girls need the vitamins, after all!"
"..."
"Oh, here's something - I saw a sale on cereal at the grocery earlier today, so we can buy that in bulk and cut down there... I went a little overboard with the electric lights last month, so you can cross off a few gil there... I can read by candlelight."
"But... I don't want you to suffer..."
"I'm not suffering. Not when I see our girls' reactions to their Christmas gifts. And it will be plural - I've been trying to get a little crafty with wood in my spare time, and I think they'll like the wooden toys I'm cooking up!"
Her watery eyes stared into her husband's shining ones. She embraced him.
"They're going to be so surprised... I've overheard Two - she seems convinced we're skipping Christmas this year."
"She shouldn't worry. This family will never skip a Christmas as long as I'm around."
"I love you..."
"I love you too."

-----

...as long as I'm around.

-----

"If only... I could have him here... just one more time."

Celestia wipes at her eyes, rocking and watching the snow fall. Slowly she begins to sink into sleep.

"...Honey?"

Celestia's eyes popped open.

In front of her. With a gentle smile on his face.

Her husband.

"This... this is a dream."
He quietly shook his head. "Not unless I'm dreaming too."
"You're a villain, here to taunt me." Celestia pointed a gloved hand accusingly. "That horrible Nue or something!"
"No, dear. It's me. Well... sort of."
It was now Celestia took a better look at her husband's flickering, gossamer form.
"You're..."
"I am."
"But how-?"
"I don't know. Maybe you could call it a Christmas miracle?"

Celestia searched for words. She had so much to share, so much to say...

"...The girls! I need to contact the-"
 Celestia is not even able to open the door. After several attempts she manages to shove it about an inch. It's then she sees the three feet of snow and remembers she's snowed in. She lets out a frustrated cry, but White Mage is there to comfort her.
"It's okay. Maybe I'll get to visit them, too, later. But for now... we have an awful lot of catching up to do."
He gently led his slightly shaking wife back to the rocking chair. He tested another chair and found he could sit in it, so he brought it over and sat next to his wife, as she caught her bearings and began telling him everything he'd missed.

-----

She covered the highs, especially. Her reunion with her daughters, their splitting off into different professions and job classes. She told of their wars with Tiamat and Garland, and how both of the biggest threats of Mysidia were now six feet under. She told of Widow Maker and Alexander Triden and Pit and Dirk and Erebus and Jonesy and Zephyrus and all of the other friends they'd made. She also shared what she knew of their daughters' adventures on their own, when neither parent was there. She showed White Mage her prosthetic arm and got a laugh from his shocked reaction to the transformation.

Celestia was engrossed in a retelling of Ariel's Rally for Reality when her husband interrupted her.

"Honey... I think my time is up."

He was starting to fade.

"Oh... It's been... how long has it been? It feels like an hour."
"I'd say more like two, personally... So. Your name is Celestia now."
"Yes."
"It's a beautiful name." He reached out and ran a ghostly hand along his wife's cheek. "It suits you."
Celestia giggled in spite of herself. "You always were a charmer."
"Listen. I can't tell you how happy I am whatever powers that be let us have this evening together. And I am so, so proud at what you've accomplished, and what Gloria and Josephine and Sarah and Ariel have accomplished. Remember this, always: I love you, and I've never stopped thinking about you or our daughters. Not even death would change that."
Tears welled up in Celestia's eyes again. "Will we ever get another chance at this? With everyone together?"
"I can't say. I'm not the one in charge of whatever brought us together tonight. I sure hope so. From what you've told me, I really want to see the girls."
Celestia and White Mage stood, looked at each other, and embraced.
"I'm... so glad... I can hug you." Celestia choked out quietly.
"Me too."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They hugged in silence for what seemed like minutes. Celestia closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. When she next opened her eyes, she was left hugging empty air.

He was gone.

Had he ever been here?

-----

She had done Thanksgiving without her husband last month, and she had celebrated Christmas with Sarah, Skeiron, and the bar last year. She could do this.

It was time to move on. Time for a proper family get-together.

This family would never skip a Christmas again as long as she was around.

With that new determined thought fresh in her mind, Celestia began to drift off to sleep again, once more in her rocking chair.

"Merry Christmas, my love."