Nicholas & The Crystal Star

by DanishDash

Rating: everyone
Tags: Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Other, Romance, Original Character, Deer, Comedy, Adventure
Length: 9550

The story continues of how Nicholas became Equestria's Santa Claus. How did he learn magic? How can he get to all the foals of Equestria in one night? Well, something has been calling to him in his dreams, something that tells him he must travel.

20 years has passed since Nicholas was first found and adopted by a pair of ponies.

He is now a young man, living in his workshop deep within the Everfree forest. His story has grown, and each year foals expects to get a gift from the jolly human.

Twilight has only just learned about him, when Applejack takes her and their friends to him.

It is time for the legend to grow, Nicholas has had strange dreams as of late. He feels something is calling to him, and he cannot get his mind of it.

He wants to travel.

Inspired by:
The life and adventures of Santa Claus.
Christmas Chronicles
Klaus

Published 2020-12-10 18:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-12-17 10:11:20 UTC

Prologue

Snow was falling, the sound of happy and merry Ponies moving outside in the snowy weather provided a pleasant, and relaxing background noise to the calm air around Ponyville.

All around the country town there were decorations and lights in all colors. All ponies were enjoying themselves, wearing a smile on their face, and carrying a song in their hearts. A group of ponies were singing those songs in the town square, entertaining passing ponies during their shopping and daily routines.

As dawn shines on us every morn,
The fire of friendship is reborn,
And all the friendships we have made,
We cherish in every way.

Loyalty binds us and makes us strong,
Honesty shows that we belong,
And kindness shared will unite us through each day.
The fire of friendship lives in our hearts,
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart,
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few,
Laughter and singing will see us through,
Will see us through.

We are a circle of pony friends,
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end.
Though the winter brings all its cold and storm,
The glow in our hearts keeps us warm.
The friends we know called our family,
Will always see us through.

Loyalty binds us and makes us strong,
Honesty shows that we belong,
And kindness shared will unite us through each day.
The fire of friendship lives in our hearts,
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart,
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few,
Laughter and singing will see us through,
Will see us through.

We are a circle of pony friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end

Foals were running around, playing in the soft white snow, and more than a few times did a snowball fly through the air. It was a time of get togethers, a time of love and sharing, the time of warm fireplaces and lots of snuggles, it was the time of Hearth's Warming.

It was a tradition made to celebrate the founding of Equestria, the first real get together of all three tribes. Many traditions came hereafter, such as the sharing of gifts, certain foods, songs, dances, plays, and so on. It really was a time to be happy and share with your friends and family, and if you were lucky, your special somepony.

Each year it was like the very spirit of the season grasped every pony in the land, from foals to the elderly, to the bad to the good, everypony could feel the warmth this time brought with it.

As the snow was falling, and the ponies shopping, Sugarcube Corner stood amongst the many buildings looking like a giant castle of wonder and confectionery. It was decorated all over, lights, figures, small and big colorful wreaths. Inside this decorated shop of sugar, sat Twilight along with her friends. They were all enjoying some cookies and mugs of warm cocoa. This should have been a normal gathering, a time when they could chat and laugh, but this day their discussion had taken on a more serious turn.

Before arriving, Twilight had bumped into the three fillies known as the cutie mark crusaders. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, had been running with all haste to the post office. On their way they had bumped into Twilight, dropping their letters.

The letters themselves looked fine enough, there was the return addresses, but then she noticed they said:

Santa Claus,
Santa's workshop,
Everfree Forrest.

At the time she had not understood, she'd even asked the three fillies about it. They had told her about Nicholas, a human who lived in the Everfree forest, making toys for little fillies and colts every year. Twilight decided this was just a local legend, a simple fabrication meant to entertain foals, but when she later told her five friends about it, they had laughed.

All of them seemed to find it amusing, and then told her they had all met this Nicholas, that he was very real indeed and not just some legend. All five of them had stories to share, but it was Applejack who had the most interesting tale to tell, she had known him the longest after all.

It was this story she and her friends were now listening to. Applejack went over the time she met him, the boy who would become a famous toy maker, how he was there for her when her parents passed away, how she was there when he went out for the first time, everything.

There were stories she did not tell them obviously, she just went over how they met and how their friendship grew. It was clearly a very personal story, and it was spoken with such warmth even Twilight could feel the deep connection Applejack had with this Nicholas.

"And that is how it all began.." Applejack finished, seeming satisfied her tale had ended.

Twilight looked around the table, it seemed the rest of her friends already knew the tale, except for her. Looking to Applejack again she raised an eyebrow. "So this Nicholas, he's been making toys for years now, giving them out each year?"

Applejack nodded. "Eeyup. It is his way of giving back. Ya see, when he was just a newborn, he was found by a pair of ponies that took him in and raised him as their own. It happened on Hearth's Warming Eve many years ago, and so that has become his birthday, and the day he thanks all of the ponies that accepted him."

All her friends nodded, and Twilight found herself smiling a little. It all sounded very wonderful, and it was truly a sign of great friendship. She did wonder however how she had never heard about him? A human, and the only one of his kind, it should at the very least have come to her attention at the palace. Though maybe that was why this Nicholas preferred to live alone in the woods?

"Alright, I think I understand a bit better, but what about the rest of you? You said you have known him for years as well."

They all nodded in response, and it was Rarity who first replied. "That's correct darling. I think it is fair to say I was the first, after Applejack of course, to meet our dear Nicholas." The others nodded, and Rarity had a hint of satisfaction in her eyes, clearly she was quite proud of that fact, but not in a nasty way. "You see, I met him shortly after I moved to Ponyville, not surprising since we went to school together. You see, I helped him with his sewing!"

Fluttershy spoke up next. "I met him when I moved into my cottage.. He was very helpful and kind, making a lot of the small beds for my animals, and helped me set everything up.."

"As for me." Rainbow continued. "He helped me after one of my awesome stunts went slightly wrong." She said, her eyes flicking from side to side.

Applejack snorted. "She crashed into the ground, and Nicholas carried her to the hospital."

"Hey!" Rainbow protested. "He also came to visit me, every day.. Until I got better, even gave me some flying goggles as a get well soon present."

Twilight turned her head, looking at the last member of their group. "And what about you, Pinkie?"

Pinkie smiled. "Nicki loves cookies!" She just answered. "He came by often to get some, and we became friends!" That was pretty much it, maybe even also the most normal of the stories, well, sort of.

"Anyway Twilight, if you still want to, I can take you to him right now." Applejack said, her demeanor calm as this was no small matter, and Twilight could see this. There was trust between Applejack and Nicholas, and her taking her friends to a place that was secret between them was a big deal.

She looked at the others, who seemed more excited than Twilight. Maybe because Nicholas was their friend and they wanted to visit him. For Twilight though, she had no idea what to expect yet. She had gotten a good impression from Applejack, but she had never met a human before. As for Celestia, she would have to write to her and ask for an explanation.

"And I mean it." Applejack said more firmly, gaining every pony's attention. "If I take you, you must all promise not to tell anypony where he lives, or take them there." Looks were exchanged, and after a few seconds they all turned to Applejack and nodded. The farm pony let out a sigh. "Alright then."

The group got up, and left Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was bouncing around, seeming excited for this little trip of theirs. The others were excited too, but were more calm about it.

Twilight didn't know what would happen, she had never seen a human before, and she was very much interested in learning more. Though, if he was found here as an infant, how much could he tell her? Who was this Nicholas really? How did he get here? So many questions, questions he himself must have.

One thing at the time though, first she needed to meet him, and with the group of friends turning towards the Everfree forest, she knew this was going to be interesting.

Author's Note

Phew, a whole year, huh? XD

Sorry for the delay everybody. As you know, I had a family emergency, and then I decided to just finish off a special for one of my other stories, just to like remind people none of my stories are dead unless it says canceled.

Otherwise, calm your teats, nothing is dead unless it says so.

Chapter 1: Dropping By

The Everfree forest.

A mysterious place outside Ponyville, a place many ponies avoid. It is home to many wild creatures that are capable of taking care of themselves instinctively, without the need of pony aid. The plants also grow wildly, and the weather naturally occurs without pegasi aid either. How the forest does all this is unknown, and feared to Equestrian ponies and is considered unnatural by them. The forest is also notoriously known for monsters. Monsters are regarded differently, and separate from animals entirely and in a sense abominations.

The snow here fell as it pleased, and Twilight could not help but wonder why anypony would live out here? She looked over at Applejack, who was currently leading them further and further into the forest. She seemed calm, like if she had made this trip at least a hundred times. Unlike Twilight and the rest, she was completely calm, didn't flinch at any sound, or looked around nervously. No, she knew exactly which path to take.

"Oh dear, I knew he lived in the Everfree." Said Rarity, sounding nervous. "But does he really need to live so deep within the forest?"

"Nicholas likes the forest, and the peace. Besides, the elves are more comfortable out here." Applejack explained, still not looking uncomfortable one bit.

"Wait, so there are really elves?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack nodded, though glanced back at her cyan colored friend with a raised eyebrow. "You know that already."

Rainbow just shrugged. "Yeah, well, you're the only one who has ever seen them."

"I hope they're cute.." Fluttershy mumbled.

"Oh, they're cute alright." Applejack said, a hint of warning and slight amusement in her tone. "But they're also very fond of mischief."

"Mischief?" Twilight repeated, "how do you mean?"

"Well, when bored they like to play small pranks. Nothing dangerous, but it can be a nuisance." Applejack explained, then thought about it for a moment. "Like, do you remember that time your milk turned sour?" Twilight did remember that, very clearly in fact. She had been very puzzled about it, because she had just bought it the other day. She nodded, and Applejack smirked. "That was elf magic."

"Bwahaha! That sounds awesome!" Rainbow laughed, Pinkie joined in, laughing as well.

"What else have they done?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"Hmm, well..." Applejack hummed. "Oh! Do you remember that time the newspapers didn't make sense? Like the letters on the paper had changed to spell out naughty words?"

"That was them?!" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief. "How powerful are they?"

"Not much, compared to unicorn magic they're not as strong. Nicholas can explain it better than I can." Applejack reassured Twilight, then decided to reassure the rest, mainly Fluttershy. "But they're not bad, they just like to play small pranks now and again."

Pinkie laughed, and squealed. "Like me and Dashie!"

Applejack chuckled. "They do softer pranks, sugarcube. Now get ya flanks moving, we'll be there soon enough."

They were farther into the Everfree than any of them had ever been before, unlike Applejack, none of the others had ever dared venturing so deep into these woods. Still, after having followed the path Applejack seemed to know, Twilight was struck by the strange calmness of this place.

When Twilight or the others pictured the Everfree, they saw a spooky dark and unnatural place. Filled with monsters, scary sounds and strange smells. However that was not what they saw here. Maybe it was because of the snow, but the whole forest seemed calm, like it had gone into a deep slumber, and with all its dangers gone. They hadn't heard one growl, or seen any monster.

The woods just looked serene, almost beautiful..

Suddenly Applejack stopped, and so did the others, not daring take another step without Applejack. Her ears flicked about, as if listening for something. The wind moved through the trees, sending the loose layer of new fallen snow flying across the landscape like waves on the ocean.

Twilight lowered her head, as if trying to remain out of sight to some monster. Then in a low whisper, she asked. "Applejack, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Applejack looked at Twilight, then raised an eyebrow. "Nothing is wrong." She assured her, speaking normally. "This part can be a bit tricky though, with all the snow and such. Why don't you girls wait here, and I'll make sure we're on the right track."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, I mean, maybe we should follow you?" Twilight asked, taking a step towards Applejack.

She however just shook her head. "It will just take a minute, don't ya worry sugarcube." Applejack trotted away, and soon enough vanished from view behind some bushes and trees.

The group left behind seemed to gather a little closer, as if trying to protect one another against something. Pinkie seemed less nervous. "I wonder how his place will look, maybe a giant cookie tower? Nicki loves cookies after all!"

"I don't think so, Pinkie." Twilight said, looking at her pink friend with an amused expression. "If what you guys have told me is true, then he would need a workshop to create these toys. Not to mention a place for him to sleep, house these so called elves, and a place to store these toys. It will most likely be like a farm, just like Sweet Apple Acres."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Rainbow agreed, though Twilight suspected she was only listening with half an ear as her eyes kept flicking from place to place.

"I hope we won't be intruding, there isn't that long until Hearth's Warming Eve, he must be so busy." Fluttershy put in, looking rather nervous, more so than the others. Still, she too was interested in seeing how Nicholas lived, sadly they did not see him as much as they wanted to.

"Oooooh, look at this, I found a smoking tree stump!" Pinkie called, having trotted away from the group.

Twilight looked over, an eyebrow raised. "Pinkie, tree stumps can't release smoke or steam." Well, it was the Everfree, so maybe they could?

"And look how bouncy and soft the ground is over here!" Pinkie continued as if having not heard Twilight at all. "Wheeee!"

The others turned to her, trotting over as they rather wanted to stay in a group. As they came closer, they saw that indeed a tree stump was releasing thin white smoke, as if it was a smokestack. Twilight tilted her head, trotting a bit closer to it. "That's strange, that should not be possible."

"Uhm, Twilight? Hate to break it to you." Rainbow said, landing beside Fluttershy on this strange ground, that did indeed move up and down as Pinkie bounced around. "But this is the Everfree forest, I don't think anything is supposed to make sense in here."

"It is all weird and strange, and bouncy!" Pinkie laughed and kept bouncing up and down.

Twilight turned around, feeling how the ground beneath her moved under her like if there was nothing beneath the ground she stood on. She suddenly got a bad feeling about this, and as Twilight trotted closer to her friends to share her worries, something could be heard cracking beneath them. "Girls, I don't think we should be standing right h-Whooaaahh!!"

All of them let out a scream as the ground beneath them suddenly seemed to collapse under their weight. The fall was not long, only about three meters, give or take. They felt branches, snow and dirt follow them down as they landed in a bundle together on this new ground that seemed much more sturdy.

Already a wave of warmth hit them all, like if they had just stepped inside a house after spending time outside in the cold. Not surprisingly, they were all a bit confused and tried to get a sense of what had just happened.

"Oww.."

"Hey, someone is sitting on my wing!"

"Whoops! That's me, sorry Dashie!"

Twilight managed to get out of the pile of ponies they had made, and shook her body to get the snow and dirt off her. Once done, she noticed how dimly lit this room was. Looking up, she could tell that her suspicions were right, they had been standing on a thin roof made out of planks and branches. The snow had covered it up, so to them it just looked like a small hill.

"Where are we?" Rarity asked, having managed to get free from the pile as well, and was not frantically trying to get her mane back in order.

Rarity was followed by Fluttershy, who seemed to try and make herself look as small as possible. "Oh no, have we broken somepony's home?"

Back in the pile was only now Rainbow Dash, who was laying on the floor, and Pinkie Pie, who was sitting on top of her. "It looks like a wood shed!" Pinkie exclaimed, and looking around, the others could see a lot of firewood had been pulled up alongside the walls.

"Pinkie.." Rainbow said from below her.

Pinkie looked at her friend. "Yeah?"

"CAN YOU GET OFF ME NOW?!" Rainbow yelled angrily, but the rest quickly brought their hooves in front of their snouts and shushed her.

"Shhhhh! We don't want anypony to hear us." Twilight whispered, looking around.

"Huh, why?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head. "It's not like we did it on purpose." She pointed out, as she was finally able to get up.

"We don't know what we are dealing with yet." Twilight simply answered.

The room was clearly for firewood, all along the walls there were stacked wood. The walls were large planks, holding out the dirt, all being held in place by thick vertical wooden beams. On each beam was a small candle, some were lit, some were not, which was why it was so dark in here.

Looking up they could see the ceiling was still being worked on. In one end of the room the roof looked like it was made of logs and beams, while at the other end it was just a thin layer of branches and a few planks. At the end of the room, they could see light spreading across the floor from under the door. It meant there was another room, a place with more light since they could see the light so clearly.

Either Rainbow flew back up and flew them out one by one, or they tried the door. Twilight interest had already risen, so she was already trotting towards the door. Wanting to stick together as a group, the rest of her friends followed close behind her.

The closer they got to the door, the more they could hear. It sounded like hammers, small hoofsteps, saws sawing, and a whole lot else. The five friends looked amongst one another, as if checking one final time if they should really do this. When none of them protested, Twilight looked to the door, and slowly pushed it open. Just a little, she didn't want to be seen, but at the same time she wanted to see what was going on, and where they were.

To their amazement, the door led to a massive hall!

It had two levels, the ground floor had lots of tables, lots of hammers and saws going on, lots of woodwork happening, and painting. On the second level, which they were on, had more walkways to the side. Up here there were side rooms built into the walls on each side of the great workshop. One room seemed to be sewing, another room seemed to be wrapping toys up. One looked like a private post office, and the one next to that seemed to have a lot of springs, gears, and small mechanical parts.

Now all of these things did not happen by itself, everything that was being worked on happened because of the many workers moving around. They were small furry creatures, none of them had ever seen them before. They had long pointy ears, long tails, and mostly looked like cats in some ways. They were very small, maybe at their tallest they were just about the same height as Spike, but on average a little smaller.

Many of them wore small and simple outfits, some wore small tunics, dresses, or vests. The female creatures almost all seem to wear a dresses, some with small trousers, some without. The males wore tunics mostly, all with trousers and belts, some without.

There was a common thing though, all of them wore long pointy hats, every single one. Like their outfits, they all seemed unique. Some had a small bell at the end of their hat, others a cotton ball, or nothing at all. These little creatures all walked around, worked together to make toys, sort out mail, painting and wrapping.

Fluttershy leaned forward, her eyes as big as dinner plates. "Are those...?"

"Elves.." Rainbow finished, was just in much awe as her yellow friend.

"I can't see, let me see!" Pinkie declared, then jumped up on her friends.

"Whoaaa!! Pinkie!" They all got knocked off balance, and fell forward, slamming the door open in the process. It was like everything went still, and once the commotion was over, they all looked up to face the hundreds of elves staring at them in shock. Slowly they all started to approach the five ponies, none of them looked particularly happy to see them.

"Uhm, Twilight, darling, what are we going to do?" Rarity asked as the ponies started to sit up.

Twilight for a moment thought about running back inside the firewood shed, but they all soon discovered the little elves had all surrounded them. "I don't know!" Twilight admitted.

Rainbow scoffed. "I'll just fly and, what the?!" Just as she took off a lasso was thrown, catching Rainbow and pinning her wings to the side.

One of the bigger elves stepped forward and pointed at them. "Ionróirí!" He yelled, though none of the ponies understood what he said. As for the elves, they seemed to understand, and before any of them had a chance to protest or fight back, they were swarmed by hundreds of elves.

Applejack smiled as she trotted down the hallway, a white elf girl by the name of Mina sitting on her back, holding a tiny clipboard. She was the first elf Nicholas met, and had sort of become his second in command and his number one assistant. "I really appreciate this Mina. It's mighty kind of you to allow my friends to come in."

The little elf waved her off with her tiny hand. "Ná bíodh imní ort faoi, Applejack." The little elf replied. Applejack had spent enough time with Nicholas and the elves to understand the basics of their language, though she was nowhere near as fluent as Nicholas was.

"Well, thank you all the same." Applejack trotted towards a small door that would lead to the outside again. Her friends would be happy to get out of the cold and into the warmth of Nicholas's home.

Just before Applejack could reach it however, another elf came running after them, yelling at them to wait. Mina looked confused at the elf, and asked what was going on. "Cad atá ag tarlú?"

"Ionróirí! Tá ionróirí sa cheardlann!" The little elf replied frantically.

Mina gasped, and it took a few seconds before Applejack understood what he meant. "Invaders? What are you talking abou-oh.. Oh no.." Quickly she galloped back down the hallway, passing some elves who were in a panic.

Reaching the large double doors that let into the workshop, she burst through. "Girls?!" She called, and just as she suspected, she found all her friends in the middle of the workshop, surrounded by elves, tied up with wrapping paper and ribbons. They even had neat little bows tied around their muzzles, keeping them all quiet.

All of them called Applejack, trying to get her to help them, but their words were muffled. Their farmer friend sighed, shaking her head. "That's why I wanted you guys to wait.. Let me get the scissors.”

Author's Note

The first description of the forest is from Pony Fandom Wiki. I wanted to get the facts about it out of the way. :twilightsheepish:

Also yes, the elves are speaking Irish, and sorry to any Irish if it looks all wrong, blame google translate. I tribble check to make sure it is as accurate as possible, but don't blame me if it still looks horrible. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter 2: Nicholas

It had taken quite some time to get her friends untangled from their bonds, but it was finally done. Applejack looked them over, an amused expression on her face. "You know, that happened to me when I met them for the first time too."

Rainbow glared at her friend, seeing how amused she was annoyed her. "You could have warned us!" How could Rainbow Dash let herself get captured by a bunch of small furry creatures? Well, to be fair, there were a lot of them, and they worked fast.

Speaking of elves, Mina was giving them a good scolding, everyone of them. Twilight was watching with fascination, having already forgotten the fact she was captured and tied up just moments ago. She moved closer to Applejack, and spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of being overheard by somepony. "What is she saying?"

"She's tellin' them who you are, that you're with me, and are mine and Nicholas's friends." The elves all looked ashamed at what they had done, like children that were being scolded by their mother. Applejack chuckled. "They are not bad, they're just very protective of Nicholas and their home."

Twilight nodded understandingly, still surprised and fascinated enough to not be upset by the little kidnapping. "How did he meet them?"

"That's a story for another time." Applejack then looked towards her friends. "How y'all feelin'?"

Rarity was brushing herself off, making sure nothing glittery or sticky was still in her coat. Taking in a deep breath, she turned to Applejack and gave her a reassuring smile. "A little shaken, but otherwise I'm quite alright, dear."

"I can't believe I lost to a bunch of small furry elf things.." Rainbow grumbled, still seeming displeased with the whole affair, but other than a wounded pride, Applejack didn't think she would hold a grudge.

Fluttershy seemed a little jumpy, but still also very interested in the small creatures. They likely reminded her of Angel, so she was used to bad behavior. "I'm okay, I just hope we didn't scare them too much.."

Pinkie on the other hoof was quite alright, finding the whole scenario funny. She didn't answer, instead she was too busy looking around the place, asking about everything she saw to no one in particular. Applejack decided to gather her friends again, trying to get some control of the situation.

"Alright girls, I think that is enough trouble for one day." She chuckled, and as her friends trotted closer she gestured to Mina, who had just finished with her scolding. "This here is Mina. She the head elf and Nicholas's number one assistant."

The elf inclined her head. "Beannachtaí, capaillíní."

"Hihi, just like Spike! Heya Mina!" Pinkie greeted cheerfully.

The others followed suit, greeting the little elf in their own way. Rarity being polite as always, Rainbow upbeat and cool, Fluttershy shy, but sweet, and Twilight being slightly confused, but polite. When everypony had introduced themselves, Applejack finally got to the heart of the matter.

"Sorry for makin’ a fuss, I know y'all pretty busy, but I wanted to introduce my friends to Nicholas. Where is he?" Truth be told, Applejack was surprised she had not seen him yet. Normally he would be in his workshop, or at least close by. He should have come out as soon as he heard the commotion, yet hadn't.

Mina suddenly frowned, seeming uncomfortable, sad even. The other elves also had looks of concern, some of them whispered to each other. Mina then looked at Applejack, an apologetic look in her eyes. "Níl Santa Claus anseo, tá sé ag gníomhú aisteach le déanaí."

Applejack frowned. "What do you mean, actin' weird? And if he's not here, then where did he go?" Her friends exchanged glances, although they could not understand what Mina was saying, they did all understand something was wrong, and it was clear it worried Applejack.

Mina did her best to explain what was going on, but even she seemed to have been shut out by Nicholas as of late. "Níl a fhios againn cad atá cearr, níor theastaigh uaidh labhairt faoi. Is minic a théann sé amach ag siúl sa choill, leis féin." Applejack could see it hurt her, she was his number one assistant after all. She sighed, looking down at the floor. "B'fhéidir go ndearna mé rud éigin mícheart?"

Seeing the desperation on Mina, and hearing how she worried it might be her fault. No, Applejack would not have it. "Don't you worry yourself, I know more than anypony how much he needs you. Whatever is goin' on, I know it is not your fault."

Mina looked up. "Dáiríre?"

"Yes, really. He needs you, sugarcube." Mina seemed to perk up a bit, smiling at her old friend. The others, who were not part of this conversation, and could not understand a single word Mina said, did see Applejack had cheered the little elf up.

Then suddenly, before any elf or pony could say or do anything else, the large double doors opened at the very end of the workshop. Everyone looked over, and there they spotted a tall creature, standing on two legs, no fur except for on his head, and a little on his face. He wore a red tunic and overcoat, brown trousers and black boots, and a red cap. In his belt hung a small satchel, and on the other side there was a short axe.

His eyes scanned the workshop, and quickly spotted the large gathering of elves, and a group of ponies he was very familiar with. Applejack smiled at first, but when she got a good look at her friend, she noticed the change Mina had spoken about. He looked tired, exhausted, you could see it in his eyes. That sparkling warmth he always had about him seemed like just a shadow now.

Just as he was about to say something, Pinkie was in front of him, giving him a big hug. "Nicki!" It took Nicholas by surprise, but after a moment, he grinned and hugged her back. "Oh my gosh you look terrible!" Pinkie exclaimed, starting to examine him from top to bottom. "You look so tired, have you eaten too many cookies? Too much sugar can keep you up at night! But that just means you can play more, just play responsibly!"

Finally Nicholas grabbed Pinkie and put her under his arm to keep her steady. "It is good to see you too, Pinkie." He had a big smile on his face, and seemed to light up a bit. Striding over to the others, he put Pinkie down and looked to the rest. "Well, this certainly is a surprise."

"Darling, how are you? You look dreadful," exclaimed Rarity. "Do you get enough sleep?"

Mina jumped up and down, waving at Nicholas to get his attention. When she did get it, she pointed to Twilight and the rest of the girls. "Thug Santa, Applejack cairde chun an áit ina gcónaíonn tú a fheiceáil!"

Nicholas nodded, running his fingers over the brown stubble on his chin. "Well, we better tell the kitchen then. Will you see to it, Mina?"

The elf girl stood tall and saluted. "Ar an bpointe boise, a Santa!" She turned to her fellow elves, clapped her tiny hands and shooed them back to work before she herself hurried away.

"Hm, always a hard worker." Nicholas chuckled, then returning his attention to his friends. "Its good to see you all." He got down on one knee, and all the ponies, except for Twilight, joined in a tight group hug. "I missed you."

"Then you should come visit more often, big guy!" Rainbow laughed, parting from the hug.

Rarity nodded, and like Rainbow Dash, parted from the hug. "Indeed, you should never neglect your friends."

"We just want to make sure you're okay.." Added Fluttershy.

Pinkie and Applejack were the last ones to part from the hug, as Applejack had a far closer relationship with him, and Pinkie just loved hugs. "Sorry for comin' out of the blue like that, but I wanted to introduce you to our new friend, the one I've been talkin' about." Applejack explained, gesturing to Twilight, who stood a bit awkwardly alone and staring at the human.

"It is good to meet such a close friend to Applejack. I'm Twilight Sparkle." She greeted, trying her best to remain calm and not bombard him with the thousands of questions she had for him.

Nicholas simply smiled. "I know you very well, Applejack and the others have often talked about you." He grinned, standing up to his full height again. "Celestia too, she is very proud of you."

Twilight tilted her head, a puzzled look in her eyes. "You know princess Celestia." It made sense that Nicholas knew about the princess, and the princess about him, but she had no idea they were talking.

Nicholas simply nodded. "Yes, we write to each other at times, and sometimes she joins me for some tea. Luna too, when she has the time." He gestured to the door he had come from. "Please, let's talk over some hot coco and some snacks."

"Yaaaay, snacks!" Pinkie cheered, following Nicholas as he started walking away.

Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, all of them could see Nicholas was tired. Normally he would have been more cheerful, be much more outgoing. Now, he seemed to have lost that glow. Had he been overworking? No, Mina would have told Applejack, she knew she would. So what had him acting so strange?

The elves had gone back to work, and the girls followed him down a corridor. Applejack had been here before more than once, the rest of the girls, they were seeing all of this for the first time. The corridor was long, and every few meters there was either a door or another corridor. Along the way they passed other elves, either working, carrying something, or simply passing by. No matter what they did, they always looked at them as Nicholas passed them with his friends.

"Just how big is this place?" Rainbow asked, almost afraid she would get lost if she stopped following the group.

With a coy smile, Nicholas replied simply. "Big enough."

They turned a corner, and came to a thick wooden door, painted red, gold and silver. Nicholas turned the handle and walked though, closely followed by the six ponies. They were led inside a small cozy home, it was taller than most pony homes, which made sense since Nicholas was taller.

The room was painted in a calm green color, something that didn't irritate the eyes. There were red carpets spread out here and there on the wooden floor, and to the right side of the room was a large stone fireplace. The fire was crackling, warming up the place nicely.

Pictures hung from the walls, along with some decorations and toys he had made throughout the years. It had a small kitchen, a dining room, and a large living space, which was where they were right now. The windows were small, but provided a sort of charm to the home. There was a staircase leading up to his bedroom, and another door that presumably led to the outside.

"So this is how you live." Rarity hummed, walking around and took everything in. "It's very you, darling."

Nicholas chuckled, taking his axe from his belt and placed it on a hook near the front door, along with his red cap and coat. "I take that as a compliment."

Rarity nodded. "And so you should, dear."

Twilight trotted around, looking at some of the pictures, some of the toys, and the books he had laying around. The pictures were what you could expect from any pony, family pictures, pictures of friends and other such things. One picture in particular caught her attention, it was of Nicholas with a group of ponies she was sure she had seen before.

Nicholas seemed a little younger than he was now, not by much though. Being the tallest in the group he was kneeling down on one knee in the middle of the picture. On each side of him were two adult ponies, maybe the same age as Twilight's own parents. One was a mare, she was a light blue unicorn with a silver like mane and tail. The stallion on the other hoof was an earth pony, he was a light grey earth pony with a blonde mane and tail.

There was a third pony, a foal, maybe the same age as Apple Bloom, or somewhere around there. The foal was a light blue unicorn colt, grinning widely as he stood right next to Nicholas. They all stood close, and it took no great leap of logic to deduce this was his family. Well, his adoptive family anyway.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." Nicholas invited, putting another small log on the fireplace.

Pinkie did just that by jumping into the big red armchair that was clearly for Nicholas, but he didn't mind. The others trotted closer, finding the big red couch to be nice and comfortable. Nicholas took Pinkie, lifted her up, and sat down. Just like if she was a cat, he placed Pinkie on his lap. She curled up, smiling as his fingers found her ear and started to scratch it just the way she liked it.

Nicholas was used to it, and it always kept Pinkie calm and content. Twilight watched what he did to Pinkie's ear, and wondered what that was about, but seeing Pinkie's expression, it must feel quite good. Applejack made her way to another armchair and sat down, while Twilight joined the rest of their friends on the couch.

"How have you been, Nicholas?" Fluttershy asked, taking the lead, which was rare.

"Well.." Nicholas was a very honest person, like Applejack he valued honesty and so decided not to keep this from his friends. "I have been better, I'm not sleeping so well lately."

"It shows darling!" Rarity frowned, looking at her friends for some support. "We can all see it." The others nodded, and Rarity continued. "You mustn't overwork yourself."

Rainbow nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if you need help you know you can always ask."

Nicholas favored them with a thankful smile, but shook his head. "It is not the work." He glanced at Applejack, and he could see those green eyes of hers looking at him with great concern. She knew something was wrong, and she also knew it wasn't the work. He let out a deep sigh, not even sure how to explain it.

Applejack decided to help him out a little, making sure he knew she was there for him, along with their friends of course. "Sugarcube, whatever is going on we will help you. We might not understand it, but we will do our best." She sent him a warm smile, one that always warmed his heart and brightened his day. "Just like always."

Nicholas returned the smile, happy that he always could count on Applejack, not to mention the rest of their friends. He nodded to them, grateful. "Thank you, really." Pinkie sat up, and without a word she embraced him, her arms around his neck and pressing herself close, sharing her warmth with her friend, letting him know she was there.

"Don't be sad Nicki."

It sounded like a small plea, like if she was begging him not to be sad or feel bad. He placed his arms around the pink pony, stroking her mane as if comforting a foal. "With all of you guys as my friends, how can I be?"

Twilight watched the exchange between the girls and Nicholas. She could not help but feel a little bad, not because of anything she had done or others had done, but she could see the strong connection between them all, and she was a little sad she could not be part of that.

However, Nicholas seemed like a very kind being, considerate, honest, loyal, generous. Really, she could understand why ponies would bond with him with such ease. It was hard not to see him as a pony, he really embodied a lot of the qualities they all appreciated.

The hug ended, and Pinkie jumped down, making her way to the couch so Nicholas could gather his thoughts. Once he had, he took a deep breath, and began his tale. "It all started a few weeks before winter..."

Author's Note

Sorry that the chapters are short, I just feel they work okay this way. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter 3: Dreams

It was cold, the wind was strong, hurling the snow around Nicholas, making it hard to make out anything around him. His skin felt like pins and needles were pricking him, making it throbbing and aching. His skin became numb, and he felt an uncomfortable tingling sensation.

Step by step Nicholas made his way forward, his eyes narrowing so they were not irritated by the strong winds and snowflakes. He was tired, he was cold, and soon enough he fell onto his knees. Nicholas panted, trying to find the will to keep moving, where he was going he had no idea, he just knew he could not stay here.

Still there was nothing he could do, his body refused to move an inch. Nicholas was convinced he was going to die here, frozen in some wasteland, alone and unknown from any of his friends. He looked up, his body shaking from the cold. Suddenly he thought he heard something, something other than the wind. It sounded strange, like a neigh sound.

He looked up, and if he was not already cold, then it now felt like his blood turned to ice. Before him a strange figure was standing, looking at him. It was not a pony, nor was it human, it looked more like a giant pony, even bigger than Celestia. It had a ghost figure, like he could see the outlines of it, but still had no real physical form.

Nicholas had never seen anything like it, and he knew it was looking at him, he could feel those glowing blue eyes staring directly into his very core. He felt weak, like everything was being stripped away. Soon he came to realize that the ghostly figure was not alone, there were more of them. They had surrounded him, hovering above him like a group of hungry crows.

This was it, he thought, this was going to be the end of him.

Just as everything seemed hopeless, a burst of light suddenly came to life behind him. The light was warm, and it seemed to scare the ghostly creatures, as if the light was banishing them. The creatures screamed, fleeing deeper into the snow storm, leaving Nicholas alone and unharmed.

He started to feel warm, like whatever had appeared behind him was not only spreading light, but also radiating warmth. The wind seemed to calm, and the snow suddenly no longer bothered him. His body regained feeling, and it wasn't long before Nicholas could stand back up on his own two feet, feeling every inch of himself again.

Slowly he turned, facing whatever had banished the creatures and warmed him up. He had expected that he had to shield his eyes from the light, but he found no need. The light was gentle, yet strong, but it did not hurt to look at. When Nicholas looked to where the light was coming from, he found the most beautiful crystal he had ever seen in his life.

It looked like a star, glowing with all kinds of colors. Some parts were green, others were blue, yellow, pink and even red. The colors seemed to become physical in a sense, like vague rainbows, moving out into the air all around him. As he gazed upon the crystal, he felt himself drawn to it, like it was calling to him.

Step by step Nicholas moved towards it, and the closer he got, the better he felt, stronger, lighter, warmer, like his whole being became energized by some sort of force flowing through him. Finally he was close enough, the light was strong, but still didn't hurt his eyes. The crystal star just hovered there, a few meters above ground like if it was waiting for him.

Nicholas reached out with his hand, and as he did, time seemed to slow down, the snowflakes became still, like the world around him paused. His eyes were fixed on the crystal star, and for a moment, he thought he heard something, whisper, something was speaking to him, but he could not hear, he could not understand.

His hand touched the star, and-

"That's when I wake up." Nicholas sighed, ending his tale. He looked at the ponies gathered in his living room, all of them looking spellbound, but then disappointed that his tale had abruptly come to an end. "I've had the same dreams for weeks now, and each time I have it I feel like something is calling to me."

Twilight was utterly fascinated by this, dreams could feel real, but this seemed like something else. "Maybe princess Luna could help." She suggested. "Maybe she could watch over your dreams tonight?"

The others nodded their heads, all seeming to agree with the sensible suggestion. Nicholas however, shook his head. "Princess Luna is still getting used to this new time, and she has not fully regained her powers." Twilight looked at him, her puzzlement and surprise clear on her face. Nicholas chuckled. "I can't use magic, but that doesn't mean I can't learn about it." There was a pause, and Nicholas took his time gathering his thoughts. Then he continued. "Besides, I don't think this is a nightmare, and I rather have her focus on helping others. No, I know what I must do."

"You do?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Yes, I must find whatever is calling me." The room became utterly silent, only the crackling of the fireplace broke that silence. The six ponies looked at him, shocked and surprised. Applejack more so than anypony else.

"Darling, don't you think you're jumping to conclusions, there is less than two weeks to Hearth's Warming Eve." Rarity warned, and the others nodded.

"Yeah, besides, you don't even know where you're going!" Rainbow pointed out. "You can't just go off like that."

The human just shrugged. "This is something I have to do. I don't know the final destination, but I have a sense of my direction." Standing up, he walked over to his fireplace, looking into the fire as if trying to find answers that would satisfy them. "I have to go north, I know something is there, calling to me."

Applejack watched her friend, he was being serious, he was really going to leave to go look for this star thing. Her expression became stern. "Then I'm comin' with you!"

Now everyone, including Nicholas looked surprised at Applejack. Nicholas looked deep into the farmer's eyes, and she looked right back into his. Looking back, Nicholas should not be surprised she was going to offer him help. She had always stood by him, like he had with her, so of course this would be no exception.

Even so, he did not want to drag her away from her family, especially if he was wrong about the whole thing. He opened his mouth to argue against it, but just before the words could leave his mouth, a voice called out. "Tá sneaiceanna anseo, Santa!"

Everybody jumped a little at the sudden interruption, and looking over they spotted a group of elves carrying trays with cups, tea, and snacks. Nicholas nodded at the elf leading the group and thanked him. "Go raibh maith agat, Fuzzle."

The elf bowed, and as they placed everything on the coffee table, Nicholas's eyes returned to Applejack's. He could see the determination behind them, sensing her telling him she wasn't going to back down, and there was nothing he could say that was going to stop her.

Not wanting to appear rude, Nicholas put on a smile and gestured to the cakes and tea. "Now, enough of all this gloomy stuff. Let us enjoy ourselves, please, help yourselves."

The others exchanged glances, all of them unsure about dropping the topic of him leaving. He was their friend, and he was clearly troubled. None of them wanted him to go out on his own, but what if this really just was a bad dream? With none of them wanting to be rude, they decided to drop the matter for now, deciding they had time to discuss this in depth at a later point.

For now they all gathered, got their tea, ate some cake and had a good time. Applejack kept an eye on Nicholas, he was not a liar, but she knew him well enough to know he would try to find a way to leave without her. Not because he did not trust her, but in an effort to protect her. No matter what, she wasn't going to drop this, and she wasn't going to allow him to wander off on his own.

After tea and cake, the group decided it was time to head home. Nicholas said he had a lot to do, and they didn't want to be a bother, even though it was clear he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. None of them spoke as they trotted down the same path they used to come out here.

It was Fluttershy who took the chance and said what they were all thinking. "He's really going to leave, isn't he?"

There was a pause, both in their trotting, but also in the conversation. Rarity was the first to reply, though be it somewhat hesitantly. "I... I don't know darling, he seems very convinced about this whole thing, but surely he would not leave with less than two weeks to Hearth's Warming Eve?" The white unicorn asked, looking to the others for reassurance, but there was none to be found.

Twilight was perhaps the most skeptical one of the group, but that was only because she didn't know Nicholas as well as her friends did. Still, she had an open mind, and she was not one to dismiss something like this. The dream he had described seemed much more than a simple dream or nightmare, and the creatures he had seen, they worried her too, as it was clearly worrying everypony else.

She didn't know anything about this crystal star Nicholas had seen, but she was convinced that the creatures he had seen were windigos. They were winter spirits that fed off of the fighting and hatred between others and created blizzards and freezing weather. They had nearly destroyed Equestria thousands of years ago, and they were nearly all gone now. Hearth's Warming marked the day of the unification, and the day ponies drove off these spirits, lifting a winter that would have lasted maybe forever.

What was the connection? Of course, maybe there was no connection at all, and this was just a simple nightmares of a human. Looking around, Twilight could see, especially on Applejack, that the question had crossed their minds, but none of them seemed convinced.

"Listen girls." Applejack said, looking determined. "I don't know about any crystal star, or winter spirits, heck I don't even know if Nicholas is right or not. What I do know is that he is going to leave, and I'm not going to let him go off alone."

Rainbow grinned. "Buck no! If there's adventures to be had, and dangers needed to be faced, then he's not going to do it alone!"

"Yeah! We are going on a Hearth's Warming adventure!" Pinkie agreed, bouncing up and down.

Fluttershy and Rarity looked at one another, trying to see what the other was thinking. They both smiled, gave each other a nod, and looked to the others. "Yes, you're right Applejack. We can't leave Nicholas on his own, friends should stick together."

"I don't think so either.." Fluttershy added.

The five mares then turned their attention to Twilight, who still hadn't voiced her opinions on the matter. She was still unsure what to think, but she certainly was not going to let her friends go off into potential danger alone. So she smiled and gave them a nod too. "I agree, if he is going to go then we should be with him. I just don't know what Spike will say.."

"Hmmmm..." Spike hummed as he looked over the still blank scroll in front of him.

Apple Bloom sighed, along with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. "Spike, there must be something that you wish for?"

"Hold on, I'm thinking!" Spike replied.

This was his first Hearth's Warming in Ponyville, and unlike Twilight he had heard about Nicholas. Spike was still a baby dragon, though he acted more like a teenager at times. Despite how mature he could act however, he did still get that child like excitement when it came to gifts.

He didn't want to admit it in front of Twilight or the others, but the cutie mark crusaders had managed to convince him to try and write a letter to Nicholas, telling him his wish. He kept thinking about it, but he was still not sure what to write. Then, suddenly it came to him, and he put the pen to the paper.

The music started, and the CMC looked around as they felt the song magic work through the air.

"Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way,
Don't you tell a single soul what I'm gonna say.
Hearth's Warming is coming soon, now, you dear old man,
Whisper what you'll bring to me, tell me if you can."

"Jolly old St. Nicholas,
Whatcha gonna bring to me?"

"Is it a stash of gems that I can eat all day and night?
Or is it a diamond ring that I can give to Rarity?"

"When the clock is striking twelve and I'm fast asleep,
Down the chimney broad and black, with your pack you'll creep.
All the stockings you will find hanging in a row,
Mine will be the shortest one, you'll be sure to know."

"Scatta.boop boop, badda-do bap ba!
Come and give me those Christmas presents!"

"Scoolity-boop, scootily-boop, scootily-boop ba!
Don't make me wait no more."

"Babba-doop boop,
Give me some presents!
Doodle-oop boop daddila boop ba!
Scabba-doo, scabba doo,
Come give it to me, Santa, yeah!"

"Pinkie Pie wants a candy hat and Applejack wants to cook.
Rainbow wants a lightning chain and Twilight wants a book.
Rarity wants a set of lace and Fluttershy wants a nest.
Now choose for me, dear Santa Claus, what you think is best."

"Jolly old St. Nicholas,
Whatcha gonna bring to me?
Jolly old St. Nicholas,
Whatcha gonna bring,
Whatcha gonna bring to meeeeee?"

"Scattily-doo, scattily-doo, scattily-doo wow!
Yeah!"

Chapter 4: Farewells (Ending Rewrite)

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