“Hey, Rudy! Any idea where we’re going?”
“Not a one, Blitz! I just lead where Kris says to go, through the reins. Been going straight since they went slack a bit ago.”
“Didn’t that happen just after he tried to shortcut us through that coal power plant plume?”
“Yep.”
“Um, Guys?”
“What is it, Dash?”
“Rudy, I think you are going to have to take total control. Kris has lost the reins entirely and he’s flopped over to starboard. From what I can hear, he is in deep respiratory trouble.”
“I hear you, Dash. Initiating a spiral climb to port. We need to get above this cloudcover and get our bearings. As soon as we get a star and moon fix, we head for help!”
“Clouds are thinning, everydeer keep an eye out for anything familiar! Scratch that! We can see the moon and we are in worse trouble than we ever suspected! Anybody ever see the moon look like that?”
“I have. You are not going to like it though!”
“What do you mean, Cupie-Nerd?”
“Well, Rudy, it matches the one in the MLP cartoons! That’s what! Take us down gentle until we clear the bottom of the cloud deck. You will see!”
“I would hate to think that you are right, Cupie. Still, I can’t think of a better explanation for that moon and sky. We will hold the port spiral as we descend. Everybody keep your eyes peeled for obstructions! Pretend we are descending in the Alps!”
The last of the high cloud deck passed above the desperate nine.
Cupid called out, “I was right! That town over there is Ponyville! The forest to the starboard of our course is the Everfree! Rudy, take us down to that house near the edge of the Everfree! Careful, though! It is a thatch roof! Most of them are, around here.”
“Right! Easy down! We are safe! We’re going to have to help Kris to get to the chimney! Who has his bag? Good job, Donnie. Get his feet in, there. Good, the magic is working! He fits! Let him go!”
The yellow pegasus mare was just heating some chocolate to go with her plate of cookies for bedtime snack. She was humming Hearthwarming tunes to herself and contemplating how lovely the pageant had been when she heard the slithering sound from her living room. It was followed by a sort of thump like something collapsing!
Dashing into her living room, She beheld a most peculiar sight! There was a large being dressed in red with white fur trims laying across the fire irons in her fireplace! Luckily, it had not scattered the embers in its fall! That was a separate puzzle, because it was far too big to fit the flue!
She grabbed the nape of its coat and pulled it free of the fire place! “Um, uh, S … Sir, we need to get you, um, you know, up on all fours. Oh, um, that doesn’t work, does it? You go on just the hind legs? Lean across my back. Not far, just to that chair. It has no back support so lean on the table, OK? That’s it! I am going to get you some cookies and hot chocolate.”
The little mare puttered about in the kitchen for a moment. There was the clatter of a pot going onto the stove and the splash of water poured into it to heat.
Up on the roof, the team were all gathered around the chimney flue listening as best they could. Rudy looked blankly at Cupid and asked, “Up on all fours? At least she figured that he doesn’t go on four legs like we do. What is down there, Cupie?”
“I am pretty sure that we have hit Flutteshy’s house. She is a pegasus who likes and heals the forest animals. I figure that she is our best bet around here for helping Kris.”
She returned from the kitchen with a tray. “N … Now, Sir, whatever you are, eat the cookies and drink the hot chocolate. They will give you energy that you need.
“I, um, hope that you will forgive me, but while I helped you to the table, I listened to your lungs. They are very badly blocked up with something. If I don’t help you to get rid of it tonight, you will probably die.
“I am tucking this blanket around your neck so that I can make a sort of tent of it when the water is ready. I will give you a medicated steam treatment that works to clear up lungs that are clogged.”
Up on the roof, Donner commented, “Clogged lungs? Poor Kris’ lungs haven’t been right since the start of the industrial revolution! The rest of us could probably use some lung clearing too!”
Rudy cut him off with, “Shush! I want to hear what is going on down there!”
The little mare called from the kitchen, “Oh good! The water is hot!”
She brought out a biggish pot that was steaming and set it on the table. She put another bowl near it and produced a largish brown bottle with a tightly stoppered neck. It had an ornate looking label stuck to it.
At her strange guest’s eyebrow raised in inquiry, she showed it to him. He shook his head. She smiled, “I guess that you do not read Equestrian, do you? I will read it to you. Pinkie Pie made it as a joke after I used this to fix her pneumonia.
“Aunt Flutters Brittle Root Potion
Good for: Shining Shoes, polishing iron work, shining silver and brass, unclogging pipes and, mixed with sawdust, filling cracks and knot holes in floors.
Not to be taken internally except in cases where sudden termination of existence is desired.”
She giggled, “I told you, it was a joke. It is not too far wrong. It works really well as a steam, though.” She poured two large spoons of it into the hot water.
“Now lay your head down next to the steam bowl. The other one is to spit up goo from your lungs into as the treatment goes on. Now, I need to pull that blanket into a tent for you. There. Now breathe as deeply as you can.
“Is that all? Your lungs are really bad. Try again. And again. There, now it is beginning to penetrate. Feel that goo? Cough. Again. Spit it into the bowl! Breathe deeper, now. Cough it up! Again. You are doing great!”
The treatment went on for two more big pots of steamed potion over nearly an hour. Finally, Kris was sitting up and alert.
“Pardon me, Miss. I do not even know your name or how I got here, wherever here is.”
The little mare ducked her head. “I am Fluttershy. I don’t know how you got here, either. I heard a funny noise and a thump. I found you in a heap in my fireplace.”
He nodded, as if her story made sense that she did not grasp and replied, “My name is Kris. From what you just said, my friends and team must be close by. The last thing that I remember, we were flying through a cloud of smoke from a coal fired power plant. They must have got me out of the sleigh and into your chimney. I have a sort of magic that lets me fit any chimney flue and come down it to give gifts to the deserving.”
Flutters paused and looked up to the beams overhead. “Your friends that can fly are up on my roof? Can we invite them in to warm up? It seems cruel to leave them up there.”
Kris snorted his amusement. “Go ahead. I’m afraid that you will have to be able to fly to do it though.”
She shrugged. “Not really a problem. Some of us pegassi do know how to fly!”
She stepped out and with a flutter of wings, she alighted among the reindeer gathered about her chimney. “Um, you could all come down into the house and warm up, if that’s OK? You can park the sleigh in the yard for now. I have to keep Kris for a little longer before I can let him go.”
The answer was a reindeer stampede! In only moments, they were crowded about Fluttershy’s fireplace warming up!
One sarcastically asked, “How does a little pegasus like you plan to keep Kris if he wants to go?”
As if that was a cue, a back room door opened and a bear poked his head into the room. He had bandages wrapped around his ribs. Fluttershy popped right over and began probing around on his left side. Nodding she agreed, “You are OK, now Bruin. I will get you a snack and then you can go.”
She went into her kitchen and they all heard her purposeful rummaging about. She emerged with a big bowl with a good sized fish, some berries and a chunk of red meat in it and gave it to the bear.
While the bear was eating, Kris asked, “How did he get hurt?”
Flutters looked down and sort of scratched the floor with a hoof as she said softly, “Um, it was my fault. We were roughhousing, just for fun, you know. I, I got behind him and got him in a hug. Kinda cracked two of his ribs. They are all healed up now, though.”
Kris looked thoughtfully at the bear and observed, “I will wait until you say I can go. I have to admit that I have no idea how to get back home from here.”
Flutters ducked her head decisively as she let the bear out into the night. “I think that I can help with that. I know some horses that are experts with portals between worlds. Let me make some calls.”
She went back into the kitchen. Soon they heard, “Um, Marchhare? I, I hate to disturb your Hearthwarming but I have some folks here from another world. Got here by accident. One was really sick. No, I healed him up. Not demons. They just need someone who can sort out which world they came from and portal them home. Wind is there? She would be perfect! How soon can she be here? Thanks, Marchhare. You Rom are the best!”
Shortly there was a quiet knock at the door. Fluttershy greeted, “Wind! Marchhare told me that you were dancing the Shehan Ja Rom for the band! We didn’t cut your dance short did we?”
The Cat/Otter hybrid wearing traditional Rom sashes and beautifully tooled harness stepped into the room. She answered, “No, I took my time and did it right. Portals allow some adjustments to time, so I came here from twenty minutes ahead of now. So, who all are we sending back to their home?”
Kris pointed, “All of my team and I. They will be in harness to the sleigh outside and if it will help, we can fly to whatever point you want us to.”
Wind was pondering as she assessed the group. “Kris? Kris Kringle? So, were you delivering presents when this happened?”
The red nosed reindeer said, “Afraid so. We lost a lot of time with this detour. Of course, if Kris had died, it would have been a lot worse.”
Wind smiled, clearly settled now. “OK, I can not only return you to your world, but to any spot and time of night that you want. There is no need to lose the time that you were getting Kris fixed up. That Brittle Root Potion is pretty amazing stuff, isn’t it?”
Fluttershy ducked into the kitchen and brought out a new bottle, still sealed. She presented it to Kris and suggested, “If you plan to fly in the air that did that to your lungs, you had better have this! Happy Hearthwarming!”
Kris reached into his bag and produced a large gaily wrapped box that he put on the table. "And for you, a Merry Xmas! Please share it with Wind.”
Wind produced a map of a world that Fluttershy had never seen and Kris pointed to a place and said, “There, and about five hours past would be just about perfect.”
Wind folded that map and produced a maplike parchment. “OK, all, it is time to go!”
They all trooped outside and the team slipped into their harness with practiced ease. Wind pointed to a small puffy cloud, all that was left of the earlier overcast, and said, “I will put the portal in there. Just fly through the cloud and you will be home.”
Kris shook hands with Wind and gave Fluttershy a friendly pat. “It has been a pleasure to meet you both. I hope someday to meet under better circumstances.”
He flicked the reins and the strange looking group took to the air without a single wing to lift them. Wind and Fluttershy watched them sail into the cloud. They did not appear to come out. Flutershy gave a sigh, “Th, They are gone. It was kind of nice having visitors for Hearthwarming.”
“We do have a present to share,” Wind observed, reading the label on the package. “To Wind Whisper Soulblade and Fluttershy, with deepest thanks, Kris Kringle.”
Unwrapping revealed a big, deep dish Frostberry pie. Fluttershy set out plates and Wind sliced the pie. Hot water on the stove made fine Rom black tea to go with the wonderful pie.
