8:30 PM Dec. 24
A red hot air balloon flew into the North Pole. Its pilot poked its head from the basket, revealing itself to be none other but Scootaloo, who is covered from head to hooves with padded plates, a red scarf, her scooter helmet, a hockey mask, and a hockey stick sticking out of her saddlebags.

"Leave it to Pinkie Pie to have an instant Hot Air Balloon Kit stashed under my bed," Scootaloo explained. "I may not be good at steering or flying a hot air balloon. But this is for Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo then turned her head to a falcon that was perching next to her. "We're gonna be a big help to her and every pony, right Hayabusa?"

The falcon screeched in agreement. Hayabusa was a falcon Scootaloo had met a while back, during a trip she took with Rainbow Dash to Griffonstone. He was simply passing by, when he was caught in the middle of a scuffle between two griffons in the air that resulted a broken wing. Luckily, Scootaloo was able to catch the falcon, saving it from a nasty fall. Since then, the little filly had been caring for the bird up until its wing got better, during which the two formed a close bond together. Then it was time when Scootaloo had to set him free, only to her and Rainbow Dash's surprise, the falcon didn't want to leave her. The falcon since has been living in Ponyville, under Fluttershy's care and as a friendly neighbor to Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were even more surprised to learn from Fluttershy that Hayabusa was in fact the same falcon that Rainbow Dash had picked Tank over.

As the two rode onward in the balloon, a strong wind blew in, shaking them uneasily. The two held on as another gust of wind blew the balloon even more violently. Scootaloo tried to hold on, but the basket tipped and she nearly fell out, had Hayabusa not grabbed her by the tail.

"Whew," Scootaloo gasped. "Thanks Haya!" The falcon's eyes widen in fear, screeching frantically, pointing its wings which Scootaloo followed and screamed as the balloon was heading towards a sharp tree branch sticking out of a cliff. Scootaloo veered hard on the right, but too late. The balloon deflated rapidly as a giant hole was starting to form in its skin. Before long, the balloon was now hanging on the branch, with Scootaloo holding onto the basket for dear life. Scootaloo looked down and started to feel dizzy, seeing the darkness of the huge chasm beneath her. Scootaloo screamed as she closed her eyes and started to panic. Seeing the little filly in a frighten state, Hayabusa jumped on her shoulder, screeching lightly in her ear, causing her to look at him in the eyes.

Getting the message, Scootaloo's frightened gaze shifted into determination, "You're right!" She said. "I can't turn chicken now! Rainbow Dash needs me!"

Scootaloo carefully grab ahold of the ropes as she pulls herself up. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the branch snapped slightly, causing the balloon to jerk a little, resulting in a yelp from Scootaloo. Hayabusa flapped his wings as he flew to the top of the cliff and held onto the balloon's remains, while keeping a strong grip on the branch with his claws. Feeling the ropes more stabled than before, Scootaloo resumes with her climb, until she reaches the branch Haya was perching on. The branch jerked again as Scootaloo grabbed ahold of it, Haya struggling to keep the balloon from falling, before he opens his eyes to see Scootaloo making it to the top of the cliff. Knowing his friend is safe and sound, Haya released the balloon's remains, sending the whole thing tumbling down into the chasm beneath, before flying back up.

"Phew! My life flashed before my eyes," Scootaloo sighed. "Thanks again, Haya." she said, awarding the falcon with a pack of meat, from her saddlebags.

Haya screeched lightly, as if to say "You're welcome," while accepting his treat.

With that, the two begin their search for Rainbow Dash.

8:55 PM

The two of them hadn't gone very far, considering how they had to battle their way through the violet, blinding wind of the blizzard.

"G-g-got to f-f-f-find Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo shivered, struggling her way through the snows.

Using his keen sense of vision, Haya spotted a large rock nearby, shaped like a raven, with small cave hidden beneath its wing. Without hesitation, Haya screeched loudly as he grabs Scootaloo by the scarf, pulling her towards the cave. Once they reached sheltered, Scootaloo pulled out some sticks, cottons, and rocks from her saddlebag, and with a trick she once learned from Rainbow Dash on one of their camping trips, she clicked the rocks together, sparking a fire. Scootaloo reaches into her saddle bags, pulling out a thick blanket, courtesy of Pinkie Pie, wrapping herself in the thick fabric, warming herself as she did so, with Haya perching under the blanket, sharing the warmth with her.

"T-T-Thanks again, H-H-Haya," Scootaloo shivered. "D-D-D-Don't know w-what I'd do w-w-w-w-without you."

During their stay, Scootaloo and Haya both took the time to have a meal together, with Scootaloo having some of Pinkie Pie's cupcakes, apples from the Apple Families, and a cup of hot cocoa, while Haya was enjoying a piece of meat that Scootaloo had brought with them. Anypony would be surprised with how much a pony can pack in a saddlebag that is a product of Pinkie Pie herself.

It was at least about half an hour when the winds died down, and the clouds dissipated as the Luna's sky came into view. Scootaloo emerged from the cave, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Glad that's over," she said.

Haya looked up and screeched in amazement. Curious to what he was screeching at, Scootaloo looked up and her expression was the exact same with the falcon's.

Above them, shimmering in their own natural beauty, are the Northern Lights.

"Wow!" Scootaloo gasped in amazement. "They're so beautiful."

Hayabusa screeched in agreement.

Scootaloo and Haya gazed at the Northern Light for what felt like hours, before Scootaloo quickly snapped out of her daze.

"Okay, Haya," Scootaloo began. "We need to find Rainbow Dash and save Hearth's Warming. You go high, and I'll go low. We'll cover more grounds that way."

The falcon nodded as it leaped into the air, flying away, disappearing out of sight, leaving the little filly alone in the snows.

After Hayabusa left, Scootaloo began her search around in the snow field she was in. Reaching into her saddlebags, Scootaloo pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked through them.

'Wow,' Scootaloo thought, gazing at the snows, the trees, and most of all, the northern lights. 'The North Pole sure looks different when it's not so stormy and dangerous.' Scootaloo snapped out of her thoughts, putting the binoculars back in, as she continues looking for Rainbow Dash.

'Hang on Rainbow Dash,' Scootaloo thought. 'I'm coming.'

Hayabusa, meanwhile, was soaring through the sky above the North Pole on his part of the search. After much flying over many miles away from Scootaloo, he was about to fly back to the filly when he noticed a cluster of lights in the distance. Curious, Haya decided to fly in for a closer look, and was met with an astonishing sight of a large town, decorated with themes of Hearth's Warming, inhabited with reindeers, snow ponies, snow monkeys, and some yetis. Without a doubt, Haya knows for certain this is Hearth's Warming Town, where Rudolph and Santa Hooves live, meaning Rainbow Dash shouldn't be too far. With that, Haya perched on a window sill before he flew to another, searching for the cyan pegasus.

Meanwhile, out in the snow field, near the raven shaped rock, a shadow was looming over a track of hoof prints left behind by Scootaloo. The tall figure placed its hand in the snow, lowering its head, sniffing the tracks. It looked up to see more tracks from the filly, heading further into the distance and into a huge forest of pine trees.

9:36 PM

After awhile of searching, Hayabusa was disappointed that he was unsuccessful in locating Rainbow Dash. Though, he did found out too late that Rainbow Dash had already left with Rudolph and a yeti named Snowball to a place called the Northern Mountain. With that piece of information as his lead, Haya took off into the air, trying to find where this Northern Mountain is. He hadn't gone very far, when he heard Scootaloo's scream. Sensing the little filly in danger, the falcon hones in his senses toward the source of the scream, before he dives down towards a huge forest.

Scootaloo was in a dark forest, with her flashlight on. She looked and thought she saw the silhouette of a pony's tail.

"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo shouted. "Rainbow Dash?"

Suddenly, she heard a loud snarl, accompanied by a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Flashing her flashlight, Scootaloo was met by a pair of hungry arctic wolves, licking their chops at the sight of a little filly. Wasting no time, Scootaloo broke into a gallop, with the wolves in pursuit. The wolves snapped their jaws, closing in on her. A wolf pounced forward, but Scootaloo ducked her head down, causing the wolf to fly overhead and crash into a tree. Scootaloo quickly dove further into the forest, hoping to lose the wild dogs there. Only instead, to be met with more arctic wolves, as they all barked and snapped at her. Scootaloo screamed as she made a sharp turn around a tree.

Scootaloo continued running for dear life, until she tripped on a tree root and fell face first into the snow. Before she had the chance to get up, the wolves caught up to her, and their leader jumped on top, pressing her head down with its paws. Suddenly, an earsplitting screech was heard. Scootaloo opened her eyes to see Hayabusa flapping his wings, while furiously scratching his claws, snapping his beak at the wolves.

Undeterred, the wolves snapped their jaws at the bird, swatting it away with their paws. Haya jumped on one of the wolf's back, pecking it on the head, before another wolf lunged towards him. Luckily, Haya was quick enough to jump out of the way and scratched his claws at another wolf on the back. Haya quickly flaps his wings and became airborne, before he dive-bomb back down, shoving a wolf into another. It wasn't long before Haya was caught by the tail and was dragged to the ground by the wolves. Not waiting to see her friend become dog food, Scootaloo pulled out her hockey stick and swung it hard at one of the wolves. Angered, the wolf snapped its jaw at Scootaloo, seizing the stick, pulling it away, as another jumped on Scootaloo, trying to bite her neck, had it not been for her plated suit, as along with her hockey mask. Just as the wolf succeeded in removing her helmet off, it was snatched up by a hulking beast.

The beast roared in the wolf's face, before tossing it away. Forgetting the filly and falcon, the wolves turned their attention to the monster. The wolves all piled onto the creature, sinking their fangs into its skin, as the creature fought back, ramming its head into some trees, rolling in the snows, forcing the wolves off. One of the wolves jumped onto its back, clamping its jaws at its horn. The creature roared in agony as it tries to swing the wolf off. Another wolf clamped its jaws on the creature's leg. Having enough, the creature swung its massive tail, knocking some trees down, before it snares the wolf off its head and throws it into its pack, and kicking the wolf on its leg off into a tree. Suddenly, the creature pulled out a whip and with a crack of it, the wolves were all flung off and driven back.

The wolves ran away, while the creature stomped its way toward Scootaloo, grabbing her by the tail. Hayabusa swooped in, trying to save the little filly, only to be caught in midair by the creature. Scootaloo whimpered as the creature held her up to its face. It had the head, horns, and legs of a goat, the tusks of a wild boar, arms and body of a huge gorilla, and tail of a dragon. The creature was also covered in plates of armors, with chains of locks and hooks covering the majority of its builds.

"What are you doing here?" it grunted.

"I-I-I-I'm j-just h-h-here for R-Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo stuttered. "H-H-Have y-you s-s-seen her?"

"What business do you have with Rainbow Dash?"

"I-I-I-I'm h-h-h-here to help her save Hearth's Warming. S-S-Santa H-H-Hooves been kidnapped."

The creature growled as it dropped Scootaloo and Hayabusa to the ground, "This is serious business little filly! Not like one of your video games! Go away! The North Pole is too dangerous for the likes of you! Especially now!"

Suddenly, the creature was surrounded by several glowing icicles, where from both the top and bottom, they began forming a cage around the creature. Then, they heard an eery cackle. The three turned in the direction of the cackle, and there appearing before them in a mist, stood a Windigo.

"Thanks for the distraction, little filly!" the Windigo chortled. "I couldn't have done it, without you."

"BLIZZARD!" the creature bellowed. "You cold-hearted...."

"I'd love to stay and chat, Krampus," the Windigo neighed. "But my brethren are waiting for me, back at the North Mountain, preparing our special night," the Windigo cackled as it floats away, before it turns back to face the demon. "And I'l be sure to give Santa your regards."

Krampus's eyes widened in shock, before it let out a bloodcurdling scream, banging on the bars of the cage with much more aggression.

Author's Note

Super Mario Hoops-Sherbet Land OST. A homage I'm paying to youtuber, MarioMario54321, for his Christmas video: Mario's Christmas Adventure.

Also, the balloon ride Scootaloo was having is a direct homage to A Very Minty Christmas. Though I don't like the movie that much, I was kinda in the mood to pay some respects to the previous generations of MLP.

Let's also give it up to the falcon. The same falcon from May the Best Pet Win. Fun fact: Hayabusa is also the name for the falcon from Disney's Mulan.