G5 Adventures in Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

Chapters

Welcome Back to the North Pole/Allura Enters the Scene
Back to the Isle of Scaly
Meeting Frosty and Family/Rudolph's Light is Going Out?
The Story of Winterbolt
Allura and Twitch meet Winterbolt/A Villainous Union Begins
A Seaside Circus in Need and a Thickening Plot
Heading to the Circus by the Sea
Meeting Scratcher/Chicken Today and Feathers Tomorrow
Peril in the Skies/The Circus Parade Begins
The Christmas in July Circus Show
The Grand Finale/Fireworks Start and Rudolph's Glow Stops
Suffering with the Consequences
Winterbolt and Allura's Extended Plans/Danger Rises
Two Rounds of Battle Begin
We're a Couple of Misfits/Winterbolt and Allura Defeated
A Happy Ending for All

Welcome Back to the North Pole/Allura Enters the Scene

On a cold, dark June night, a cold wind blew through the air and a swirling rainbow portal opened up in the midst of a Christmas tree forest.

You can probably guess where our heroes ended up, but let’s get back to the story so you can see for yourself.

Sunny, Misty, Hitch (with Sparky on his back), Izzy, Pipp and Zipp emerged from the portal, where they were revealed to be crystal versions of themselves... a version of themselves that they've only seen in one particular place.

Once realizing where they were, Sunny gasped in awe as she gazed at their appearances. “We’re back at the North Pole! Where Rudolph and Borealis live!”

“But, it’s nowhere near Christmas!” Zipp pointed out as the ponies admired their crystal forms once again. “Why would we come back here at such a random time?”

“I don’t know,” Misty said in thought. “But maybe if we head to Santa’s castle, maybe he or Rudolph or Bori can give us an explanation.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” Pipp asked. “And when we get there, I can give Santa my Christmas list for next year!”

The others gave her a scolding look, causing her to sigh reluctantly. “Okay, okay, fine… I’ll keep it under wraps for now,” Pipp said as they got to walking. “Geez, I was only kidding.”

XXXXXXXX

The long walk to Santa's castle seemed longer than the ponies remembered it, but it gave them more time to explain to Sparky all about their adventures here last winter. “So, we ventured with Rudolph and Bori through these very woods,” said Hitch to his dragon son, “when they thought it would be best to run away from their problems.”

“But in the end,” said Izzy, “they realized what makes you different also makes you Izzy-tastic! Or… well, unique, if you wanna put it another way.”

“Speaking of unique, I see something that you can only find here at the North Pole!” Sunny smiled, pointing at something at the bottom of the hill. “Look!”

The ponies glanced down the hill and immediately gasped at what Sunny was pointing to. “Santa’s castle!” Zipp smiled. “We made it!”

“Oooh, it is going to be SO pony-tastic to see Rudolph and Borealis again!” Pipp said as they ran/flew down the hill toward the castle. “How much do you think has changed since we left?”

“What, are you kidding?” Izzy asked with a scoff. “There’s nothing that could change around here in Christmastown! Absolutely--”

“You’re back you’re back!!” said a young female voice, belonging to a fast-moving white blur heading toward them. “You’re back you’re back you’re back you’re back, YOU’RE BACK!!!!”

The white blur tackled Sunny to the ground, causing both of them to roll a good ways before stopping. When Sunny’s vision finally cleared, staring down at her was a small fox cub with eyes that matched the colors of the Northern Lights-- beautiful shades of green, fuchsia and blue. “Borealis?” Sunny asked. “Is that you?”

“You act surprised,” Borealis giggled. “Are you really that surprised?”

“No, not really,” Zipp said as she helped Sunny up. “Man, you’ve really grown, Bori! How’s the North Pole life treating you?”

“It’s been snow-tastic!” Borealis told her friends. “And the most AMAZING thing happened after you left! The--”

“Bori!” panted another familar voice, but this one was definitely a male. “Bori, where are you?”

“Yeah!” agreed another male voice. “Don’t run so fast!”

“We can barely keep up with you!” added another female voice. “Oh, I almost forgot!” Borealis realized. “We’re over here, Rudolph! I found them!”

At that moment, another set of familiar faces appeared, tiredly trotting down the path to meet up with them, and seeing them made the ponies gasp as they ran to greet their friends.

“Rudolph!”

“Violet Frost!”

“Comet!”

“Oh my pony, it’s so good to see you guys!”

“We missed you so much!”

As everyone hugged and rejoiced to see one another again, Violet chuckled and looked at Sunny. “Wow, this is a surprise! What are you all doing here?”

“We’re here for another Unity Quest,” said Sunny as they all seperated from hugging, “but the real question is, what are you and Comet doing here? I thought you were in Starlight Ridge!”

“We were,” Comet said, “but after you guys left after the big New Year’s party at Father Time’s castle, we discovered that the aurora flares were lighting up an undiscovered bridge that led here to the North Pole!”

“So, along with us,” said Violet, “the other auroricorns have been dividing our time between Starlight Ridge and here so we can make friends with all the North Pole animals and the elves getting ready for the big Halfway-to-Christmas gala/Crystal Ball we’re planning tonight!”

“Come on! We’ll explain to you more along the way,” Rudolph told them, “but first… we have to get you guys decked out and ready to celebrate!”

XXXXXXXX

As Rudolph, Comet, Borealis and Violet led the group to the back part of Santa's castle, they entered a changing room with three auroricorn mares holding some accessories and makeup supplies.

Not long after, the auroricorns were putting the finishing touches on their crystal gala looks, complete with fancy attire, makeup... and yes, plenty of sparkles.

Pipp then flew into the middle of her friends while holding her phone. “Say ‘Auroricorns’!” she said with a squeal as she and her friends took a group picture to remember the occasion. “Mm-mm-MMM!” Violet hummed to them while giving a smile. “You ponies look fabulous! But we've gotta hurry. The Halfway-to-Christmas Gala/Crystal Ball has already started!”

“A combined gala and a ball?” Pipp asked in excitement. “Um, first auroricorn-styled makeup, fashion makeovers, and now a party?! AHH!!! Could this night get any better?!”

Zipp groaned as she adjusted the neck collar she was wearing. “I sure hope so.”

“Come on, Zipp! This is the first we’ve seen you in literally forever and you don’t wanna dress all fancy?!” Borealis asked while spinning in her sparkly tutu. “Besides, I’m gonna be singing while the auroricorns use their magic to create special effects! You can’t, on any circumstances, miss that.”

“Ehhhhh, okay, you’re right,” Zipp relented with a smile. “I really don’t wanna miss that.”

“Come on, ponies! Let's have some fun!” Violet announced with a smile, causing Borealis, Pipp and Izzy to run/fly ahead, giggling and chatting to themselves. But as they walked, Sunny got to thinking.

If Allura was going to come back at any time from anywhere, they needed Rudolph, Borealis and the rest of the auroricorns to know... even if the situation did sound a little bit scary.

But... there would always be time for telling their friends a little later on.

Right now, they had some catching up to do... and they did need to have a bit of fun before Borealis' performance.

XXXXXXXX

Once the group arrived in the main ballroom, four auroricorns were using their magic and playing crystal instruments as a quartet while many ponies and elves, including Izzy and Misty, happily danced.

Hitch and Sparky, on the other hand, were wide-eyed at the buffet table that was set up as Hitch ate a piece of pie and had some warm cider. “Oh, yeah!”

That's when Hitch noticed Sparky who was eating a ton of apples in a matter of seconds. Hitch decided to let it go, however-- Sparky needed to have fun too.

At the same time, an auroricorn mare was holding up a star before she, a few other auroricorns, Rudolph, Borealis, Sunny, Pipp and Zipp passed it to each other, with Zipp catching the star last.

Suddenly, as Zipp held the star in her hoof, the star began glowing. Zipp tossed it up, but then it turned into a crown as it landed on Zipp’s head, much to her surprise. “Awww, Zipp!” Pipp said with tears of joy in her eyes while Zipp gave a deadpan expression. “It's exactly how I always imagined it!”

“Heh heh heh! Looks good on you, Zipp!” Rudolph giggled. “Or may I say, your majesty?”

“Rudolph, cut it out!” Zipp said playfully, nudging him, causing the both of them to laugh. “Queen Zipp in the house! Whoop-whoop-whooooop!” Izzy cheered before turning to the earth pony mare next to her. “Oh, Sunny. Having fun?”

“I really am-- and I’m really happy to see our friends again,” Sunny said before frowning, “but… I really do feel like we need to tell them about Allura sooner or later. I mean… just so they can expect it.”

“Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!” chuckled a cheerful and easy recognizable voice. “Sunny Starscout and friends! What a pleasant surprise!”

“Santa!” the ponies smiled and turned to him. “It’s so good to see you again,” smiled Sunny. “When Borealis, Rudolph and our auroricorn friends told us about the party, we had to come. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is! You’re always welcome here, no matter what the season,” Santa told the ponies. “And speaking of the party… Borealis? I think it’s almost time for your performance.”

“Oh, candy canes! You’re right!” Borealis realized. “Sorry, ponies! Gotta run!”

And just like that, Borealis was gone. “Is it just me,” Pipp spoke up, “or is she a lot faster than she used to be?”

“She’s been practicing her skills a lot since you left, in case you ever came back and we could go on another adventure together,” Rudolph explained. “And since then, she’s gotten stronger, faster and a lot smarter-- she even got the guts to try the flyers’ obstacle course!”

“Oh-ho, really?” Zipp asked in surprise. “How did she do?”

“She actually did a lot better than we all thought,” Rudolph said before giggling a bit. “She still has a little trouble climbing up tall hills, though.”

“Excuse me, everypony! Can I have your attention, please?” Violet Frost called from the stage, prompting everyone to gather around. “First of all, on behalf of all the auroricorns of Starlight Ridge, I just want to thank everypony for making us feel at home-- the North Pole really is an amazing place, and I really think that we’re going to be great friends for years to come. Now, without further ado, here is resident fox Borealis with a special song she wrote!”

Everyone cheered as Borealis took Violet Frost’s place on the stage, and the small fox cleared her throat. “This song I wrote is called ‘This Christmas Wish’, and I would officially like to dedicate it to my mom, Nora… wherever she is… and our friends from Equestria! Welcome back, ponies. Now… hit it!”

The auroricorns with her on the stage began to play the song as rehearsed, while a few more auroricorns off to the side control the lights as Borealis began to sing.

Borealis: Ooooh…

I keep searching the skies every night
To find my place, where I long to be
The stars show the way with their shimmering light
Have I finally found my destiny?

No more wondering and waiting on signs
I’ve been given a reason to shine

With that, Borealis used her tail to create shimmering colors that passed through the lights, creating an amazing light display as the song continued.

Borealis: Can you feel it, the magic?
Do you see how fantastic it’s shining through?
It’s a dream come true

And it glimmers and shimmers and we know
We’ll remember the whole year through
This Christmas wish we share… with you…

Borealis saw her Equestrian friends looking on with proud smiles, and that's when her song took an octave change.

Borealis: And the stars shines in wonder
This glow that we're under makes time stand still
And it feels unreal

In a world filled with joy, it's for each girl and boy
It's a gift so true
This Christmas wish we share with you...

It's the Christmas wish we share with you

By the end of the song, the lights returned to normal, causing everyone to cheer and applaud for the song and the wonder brought along with it.

Borealis giggled and bowed before hopping off the stage and returning to her friends. “So… what do you think of my song?”

“It was amazing, Bori!” Pipp said, hugging the fox. “I see you really WERE paying attention during my music lessons!”

“Hey, what can I say?” Borealis asked with a giggle. “I had some great role models.”

Sunny decided that this would be the best opportunity to break the news about Allura to their friends, and cleared her throat. “So, Rudolph? You guys remember that snow leopard we had to tangle with the last time we were together, right?”

“Yeah, Allura-- the same one who wanted to eat me and Borealis for lunch,” Rudolph shuddered. “Why do you ask?”

“Yeah,” Borealis nodded. “We totally stopped her.”

“...maybe not totally,” Hitch winced as he spoke. “Allura somehow escaped Starlight Ridge, and… now she’s out there somewhere, looking for star pieces that will allow her to travel between realms whenever she wants.”

“You mean… she could come to the North Pole, for instance?” Borealis asked, ears folding nervously. “To hurt the auroricorns? To hurt us?!”

“Yes, but don’t worry,” Zipp reassured. “We’re gonna do all we can to find the star pieces first and make sure Allura doesn’t hurt anypony.”

“We trust you completely,” said Rudolph, “but you’ll need help breaking the news to the others… which is where me and Bori come in. You guys break the news to the auroricorns, and we’ll tell Santa and the other elves. We can never be too careful.”

“Good idea,” Sunny said before looking outside with a sigh. “I just hope Allura is nowhere close…”

XXXXXXXX

However, Sunny’s fears of Allura were about to get worse… because Allura and Twitch were watching the entire party from a cover of trees nearby, and needless to say, Allura wasn’t happy to see them. “Twitch, this mission to find the next star shard just got more difficult,” she said with a growl. “With those ponies nearby, along with that red-nosed reject and that fox, we’ll never be able to openly search for it!”

Twitch growled at this before asking a question, causing Allura to touch the star shard that hung around her neck with her paw. “No, it hasn’t glowed any brighter since we arrived at the North Pole,” Allura told him. “But it’s here… I can feel it for certain.”

Suddenly, she yawned deeply, as if she was trying to fight off sleep. “We must find a place to rest for now-- the search for the star shard can begin tomorrow at sunrise.”

Twitch immediately disliked the idea of sleeping out in the middle of nowhere, so Allura looked around for a cave that they could sleep in and keep a close eye on the castle. However, what she saw instead was something different.

A tall, icy mountain range that didn't look far from there, making her hum in thought. “That looks like a worthy place of sleep. Come along, Twitch.”

Twitch sighed and hopped on Allura’s back before she flew off toward those mountains… unaware of the potential ally they would find.

Back to the Isle of Scaly

It had been a couple of weeks since the Mane 6 had gotten back from their last Unity Quest in Chicago, where they helped Mystery Incorporated and a few new friends helped to solve the mystery of a phantom haunting an opera house where a popular talent show was taking place.

Since then, life had been pretty smooth, even though Sunny and her friends were taking every precaution to make sure that if Allura were to somehow enter Maretime Bay or Zephyr Heights or Bridlewood, they would be ready to defend their home and their friends from harm.

But after a while, Sunny realized that it had been a while since they updated Spike and the rest of the dragons on the Isle of Scaly of their progress in order to defeat Allura.

So one day, near the end of June, they decided to make a day trip out to the Isle of Scaly... unaware that it would lead to one of their most challenging and complex Unity Quests yet.

XXXXXXXX

The Marestream soared through the cloudy skies, with the Mane 6 inside before the Isle of Scaly and all its luscious glory came into view, with Zipp (being the driver and all) being the first to see it. “There it is, you guys! The Dragonlands!”

“I can’t wait to see our new dragon friends again,” Misty smiled. “I know we kinda left them in a hurry last time, but I have a feeling this time, we’ll learn a lot more about what Equestria used to be like.”

“And maybe Spike can tell us more stories about the Guardians of Harmony!” Sunny squealed excitedly before regaining her composure. “A-At least… if he doesn’t mind.”

“Hold on, ponies!” Zipp pushed the joystick for the Marestream down gently. “We’re going down!”

The Marestream slowly descended to the ground in the midst of the wild jungles of the island, and once they were safely on the ground, the ponies climbed out of it and looked around. But while her friends were focused on the surroundings around then, Pipp groaned at the fact that she had no signal. “Well… this is just perfect-- I wanted to show the Isle of Scaly to the Pippsqueaks!”

“Never mind that, Pippster!” Izzy said. “I wanna see Blaize and the other dragons, but I don’t see them!”

“Hang on a sec, Izzy,” Sunny said before pulling a whistle out of her saddlebag. “Spike gave me this special dragon whistle to call the dragons if we got here and they weren’t around, and once they hear it, they’ll come flying!”

“Well, hurry up and blow that thing!” Zipp encouraged. “We need to let them know about what we’ve found out recently!”

Sunny nodded and blew into the whistle, letting a high-pitched tone ring out for all on the Isle of Scaly to hear, no matter where on the island they were. The ponies and Sparky waited for a moment, looking around for any sign of their dragon friends before Pipp gasped and pointed up to the sky. “Look! I think I see some of them!”

And low and behold, there were dragons flying in their direction-- Dragon Lord Spike, a figure from Equestrian legends and his followers (Blaize Skysong, Luxxe, Fountain, Leaf, Tumble, Lava and Jade) to be precise.

Spike flew down first, followed by his followers, and they all landed before the Marestream. “Sunny! Ponies of Equestria!” Spike smiled warmly. “It’s wonderful to see you all again.”

“Likewise, Spike,” Sunny smiled. “I’m sorry if we dropped in unannounced.”

“No way!” Leaf brushed off. “We were just off foraging.”

Sparky babbled and rushed toward Spike, hugging onto his leg and making the older dragon smile down at him. “It’s wonderful to see you again too, little one.”

“So, what do you have to report on the Allura situation?” Blaize asked the ponies seriously. “Has she made any attempts to get into Equestria?”

“Not since we last saw her back in Bikini Bottom,” Hitch shook his head. “But… that was a few months ago. It's kind of strange that we haven't seen her since.”

“Maybe she finally gave up,” Luxxe assumed. “And Equestria and the Isle of Scaly can finally be at peace!”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Luxxe,” Misty shuddered. “If she’s like Opaline, or if she's worse than her… we may have more to worry about than we think.”

“But, don’t worry,” Jade smiled warmly. “Us dragons will be here to support you as much as you need… right, your Spikeness?”

“Of course. Ponies were there for me when I needed them,” said Spike with a smile, “and I would do anything to repay the favor.”

“We should totally take you guys on a special tour of the Isle of Scaly,” Tumble suggested. “Since you guys didn’t see much of it the last time you were here.”

“Hey, if it means flying, learning more about dragons and seeing a whole new environment,” Zipp said, “I’m all for it!”

“All right!” Lava cheered. “Get on us and we’ll give you guys the rides of your lives!”

XXXXXXXX

Within minutes, the ponies had settled onto the back of the dragon of their choice:

Sunny rode with Blaize
Izzy rode with Luxxe
Pipp rode with Fountain
Zipp rode with Lava
Hitch rode with Tumble
Misty rode with Jade
Sparky rode on Spike's head

And after they had climbed onto the backs of the adult dragons, they flew over the island, with each of the dragons pointing out some of their favorite spots. “Over there, is Shimmering Scale Lagoon,” Fountain said as she pointed her large paw at a sparkling lagoon to their left. “It’s the best place for dragons to swim and relax after making sure the island is safe.”

“Oooooh, Fountain!” Pipp said as she pulled out her phone. “Even though I have no service whatsoever, I can still take as many pictures as my pony heart wants!”

“Huh… really?” Fountain blinked innocently. “Do you think you can show me how to work one of those things?”

“Uh, obviously!” Pipp answered. “We’ll just… have to make them dragon-sized.”

Sunny cleared her throat to Blaize to get her attention as the other dragons showed them their favorite spots of the island. “So, Blaize, um… how did you like visiting Equestria a few weeks ago? You know... after all these moons of hibernating?”

“To be honest, I thought it was gonna be full of cute and cuddly stuff… and it sort of is,” Blaize admitted. “But… seeing you ponies band together like you did to calm the townsponies down… it was kinda mind blowing.”

“That, dear Blaize, is the true meaning of unity magic,” Spike smiled. “Something my friends from ancient Equestria believed very much in.”

“And we’re hoping that we can keep spreading that message of unity and togetherness,” Zipp said from Lava’s back, “in order to let the townsponies know that if we work together, we can get past anything… or any-creature.”

“Uh… your Spikeness?” Jade panted tiredly. “I don’t mean to be a bother or anything, but… do you think we can stop for a rest? My wings are starting to get tired.”

“Of course,” Spike nodded. “A little rest would do us all good.”

“Come on!” Lava encouraged. “Let’s head to the top of the Gemstone Mountains-- that’s a great resting place.”

Everyone followed Lava to the top of the nearby mountains, where the ponies dismounted and stared in awe at the majestic view from the top of the tallest mountain peak. “Wow…” Pipp smiled. “This is totally Ponygram-able if I had the service I needed to make a post!”

“We appreciate you being so welcoming to us, Spike,” Sunny smiled before deciding to ask a serious question. “Do you think… maybe… you could tell us some stories with the Guardians of Harmony? If you don’t feel like you’re ready for it, we totally understand.”

“Well, normally I agree to a bit of storytelling,” Spike said, “but…”

Sunny’s face fell at this. “But what?”

“...it appears that you’re needed somewhere else than with us right now.”

Out of confusion, the ponies looked at each other before looking down at their cutie marks, which were glowing brightly, before the magic from their cutie marks sent several swirls of light to the side of the mountain, creating a portal out of thin air. “Another Unity Quest? Already?” Zipp asked before sighing. “I guess our work is never done.”

“Will you guys be here in a few minutes when we get back?” asked Sunny. “We could spend more time together once you guys get back.”

“Sure, we can wait here,” Fountain nodded. “You guys go do what you need to do, and we can hang out once you guys get back.”

“We’ll be back soon-- we promise,” Misty smiled and bid their dragon friends farewell before they ventured into the portal and just before it closed, sending the group on their next Unity Quest…

…and most possibly the most important Unity Quest yet.

Meeting Frosty and Family/Rudolph's Light is Going Out?

It wasn't long after Allura and Twitch left that the party was over, and everyone went to their homes/stables to rest for the night. But, since the stables weren't big enough to fit nine reindeer, one fox, one dragon and six ponies, Rudolph suggested an idea to Santa-- maybe the ponies could stay in the stable loft for as long as they were here.

And of course, Santa agreed.

Now, when Pipp heard that they were going to be sleeping in the loft, she just imagined a part of a barn filled with hay and other things meant for storage... but boy, was she wrong.

The loft was actually very comfortable, fitted with beds, a bathroom, a comfortable fireplace and an incredible view of the North Pole. “Whoa, check it out!” Pipp said as she flew around taking pictures. “This place is equivalent to a 5-star hotel suite in Zephyr Heights!”

“Something like that. The loft was just like a regular old loft,” Rudolph explained, “but some of the elves turned it into this in case the North Pole were to have more visitors or if the elves needed another place to sleep.”

“Well, we really appreciate you guys letting us stay here,” Sunny smiled. “And until we find our mission, we’re gonna have the best time hanging out and catching up!”

“Yeah, we are! And Rudolph and I know just the place to start,” Borealis said, hopping up onto Sunny's bed. “We’re supposed to be meeting some of our friends and their family at the clearing tomorrow for jumping practice, and since you guys have never met, we thought this would be the perfect place to get some new friendships built up!”

“Wow, that sounds great!” Hitch smiled. “Are they reindeer too?”

“Well, no, not exactly,” Borealis said with a slight giggle. “That’s all part of the surprise!”

“Well, we better let you all get some sleep-- we have to be in the clearing bright and early for jumping practice tomorrow,” Rudolph said, taking Borealis onto his back before heading to the stairs that led into the stables. “Good night, guys!”

“Night, Rudolph!”

“Sweet dreams, Bori!”

“See you guys in the morning!”

And after everyone had bid their friends farewell, Rudolph and Borealis had vanished from their sight, and Zipp was the first to yawn, tired from the party an hour or two before. “Well, I think it’s time we hit the hay, ponies. Like they said, we have a big day tomorrow, and I for one don’t wanna miss the chance to use our North Pole magic to fly like a reindeer again.”

“Good idea, Zipperdoodle!” Izzy said. “But, I’m so excited, I don’t think I could possibly--”

And just like that, Izzy flopped onto her bed and snored loudly, having fallen asleep rather quickly, causing the others to giggle and climb into bed, eventually settling into a wonderful world of dreams.

XXXXXXXX

Borealis, on the other hand, was having trouble sleeping in the stall that she and Rudolph had moved into.

It wasn’t because she wasn’t tired, because she was a little tired-- all that playing with her friends and singing really wore her out.

And it wasn’t because she was worried about Allura either-- she was sure that Sunny and her friends would beat her again.

And she was excited about the ponies and Sparky meeting her and Rudolph's friends that next day, but that wasn't the reason she was awake either.

No, it was for a much more personal reason… her mother. No matter how hard Borealis searched the North Pole and the surrounding areas, she couldn't find her mother Nora anywhere.

It was as if... she vanished from the face of the Earth completely.

And she couldn't help but wonder... why?

“Thinking about your mom again, Bori?”

Borealis turned to see Rudolph glancing at her tiredly, causing her to sigh. “Yeah… sorry, Rudolph. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“No, I was waking up anyway,” Rudolph yawned. “You’ve been staying up later and later recently, and I just wanna make sure you’re getting the rest you need.”

“...I’m just worried, Rudolph. What if… what if my mom’s gone?” sighed Borealis. “And I’m the last fox that has eyes and powers like this? I… I don’t wanna be all alone…”

“Bori… you’re never gonna be alone-- you know why?” Rudolph asked, causing her to shake her head. “Because I’m always gonna be here. Even if you don’t find your family, me and our other friends, and even Sunny and the others are gonna be there for you… no matter what comes our way.”

“...even if Allura gets in our way?”

“Allura doesn’t stand a chance when we’re together, Bori… and especially when we’re with our pony friends.”

Borealis sighed in relief, smiling at her best friend/adoptive brother before nuzzling him gently. “Now, come on,” Rudolph gently urged. “We need to get to sleep if we want to do well at jumping practice tomorrow.”

“Yeah… you’re right,” Borealis smiled before nestling down next to her best friend. “Night, Rudolph.”

“Good night, Bori.”

And just like that, the two friends retreated to sleep in the dark stables, ready for the day ahead.

XXXXXXXX

The next day, as the sun began to rise, the ponies found themselves stirring, ready to head downstairs and meet up with Rudolph and Borealis for breakfast before they headed to the clearing for jumping practice.

But, when they got down to the stables, they were a bit surprised at what they saw their friends eating-- grain and leftover candy cane and sausage gravy. “Oh, hey, guys!” Borealis waved, swallowing some of her food. “Want some? It’s actually better than you think!”

“Uh… thanks, but no thanks,” Pipp said, trying to be polite. “We have our own source of food, right, Sunny?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sunny smiled before stomping her hoof, allowing carrots to pop out of the ground and into the ponies’ hooves. “Oh, right,” Borealis giggled nervously. “I kinda forgot you guys could do that.”

After the ponies had downed their carrots, Rudolph and Borealis had finished their breakfast around the same time, and they all met up around the front of the stables. “All right, guys,” Rudolph said as he got Borealis to hop onto his back. “Just follow me and Bori and we’ll lead you right to the clearing and right to our friends.”

“Ooooooh, we’ve been so excited to fly like a reindeer again!” Izzy said as she pranced in place. “And we can keep a better eye out for that mean old snow leopard this way!”

“You got that right, Iz,” Zipp said with a smile. “Rudolph and Borealis, lead the way!”

Rudolph nodded and ran ahead first with the ponies following behind, and after they ran a good distance away from the stables, they leapt into the air and flew off, the magic of the ponies’ necklaces allowing them to fly either with or without wings.

The ponies laughed and cheered as they sailed through the skies with their friends, loving the feeling that they got from this sort of travel… and it was almost as fun as flying in the Marestream!

Finally, Rudolph and Borealis saw the clearing where jumping practice was supposed to be down below them, and guided the ponies down to the ground, landing near a grove of trees. Finally, Rudolph saw the friends that they were supposed to meet and called out to one of them. “Hey, Frosty!”

The ponies looked around to see who Rudolph was talking to, when they saw a walking, talking snowman with a golden-orange scarf around his neck, a corn cob pipe, a silk hat on his head and blue eyes turn toward them. “Hey, Rudolph!”

As soon as the snowman, now known as Frosty, started to walk toward them, the young pegasus filly he was standing next to (who was a light blue with a red and white mane and tail, brown eyes and a cutie mark of two candy canes and a holly leaf combining them) turned and noticed Borealis, causing her to gasp. “Bori!”

“Snowfall!” Borealis cried, running toward her friend and hugging her just as Rudolph and Frosty shook hands/hooves. “Man, what a great June day!”

“Positively balmy,” Frosty agreed optimistically. “Only ten below.”

“Gee…” Pipp muttered to her friends, “...ten below zero is balmy? I would hate to see 50 below...”

“Oh my pony, I’ve been waiting for this day for literally FOREVER!!” Snowfall squealed alongside Borealis before she noticed the Mane 6 and Sparky nearby. “No way… are those the ponies you told me and Frosty so much about?!”

“They sure are,” Rudolph nodded and gestured for the ponies and Sparky to come closer. “Guys, we want you to meet some friends of ours.”

“Hi! I’m Snowfall Cane!” said the pegasus friend of Borealis. “And this is my best buddy, Frosty! He’s a snowman, and there’s a whole story as to how we met, but it’s so nice to meet you.”

“Yeah. It’s great to meet you all,” Frosty said with a smile. “What are your names?”

“I’m Sunny,” said the earth pony mare, shaking Frosty’s hand. “And this is…”

“Izzy!” Izzy chirped and shook Snowfall’s hoof. “Izzy Moonbow!”

“Name’s Zipp,” said the white pegasus, shaking Snowfall’s hoof. “Pipp,” Pipp then introduced, shaking Frosty’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hitch,” the earth pony sheriff shook Frosty’s hand as well. “Hi,” Misty greeted Snowfall, shaking her hoof with a smile. “I’m Misty.”

Sunny gasped and then lifted Sparky up in front of Snowfall. “And this is Sparky!”

Sparky sneezed, allowing a small burst of dragon fire to come forth, and with a surprised shriek, Snowfall stepped back and then giggled. “Wow, Borealis told me and Frosty all about you guys and the adventures you had! I can't believe we're actually meeting you in person!”

“Yeah,” Frosty agreed. “You guys are sort of big celebrities around here.”

“Aww, really? That’s so flattering!” Pipp smiled. “But, to know if you're a REAL super-fan, I need to ask you one VERY important question... do you love singing?”

“Uh… yes I dooooooooooooooo, yeah!!” Snowfall harmonized as loud as she could, and this caused Pipp’s jaw to drop before she shook her head. “Okay, clearly this girl can sing.”

This caused a laugh out of the others before Snowfall seemed to recall something she was going to ask Rudolph earlier. “Hey, Rudolph, can the kids and I watch your jumping practice?”

“Sure!” Rudolph nodded, and Sunny gasped at this, immediately intrigued. “Frosty has kids?”

“Twins, to be precise,” Snowfall winked. “We’ll introduce you!”

Frosty turned to the nearby hill and whistled, earning the attention of two small snow kids playing nearby. “Milly! Chilly!”

The girl, Milly, who had a small mop to use for her hair, heard her father immediately and turned to look down at him. “Okay, Daddy!”

“Here we come!” her twin brother Chilly, who wore an orange-red winter hat on his head responded, and the two snow kids slid down on their bellies all the way down the hill, at least until Frosty caught Milly, and Snowfall used her wings to stop Chilly. “Guys, these are some friends I wanna introduce you too,” Snowfall said. “This is Sunny, Misty, Zipp, Pipp, Sparky, Izzy and Hitch. They’re visiting us from Equestria. Guys, these are the twins, Milly and Chilly-- two of the best snow-made playmates a pegasus filly could ask for.”

“Borealis told us all about you!” Milly said to Sunny and Izzy. “Can you really turn into an alicorn, Sunny?”

“She sure can!” Izzy wrapped a hoof around Sunny proudly. “She even used her powers to help defeat Opaline! Not once, but twice!”

“Wait… twice?” Borealis turned to their friends in surprise. “You told us about the one time you defeated Opaline, but not the second.”

Sunny chuckled nervously at this. “We’ll tell you guys more about that later... just not when Chilly and Milly aren't around.”

While their friends were talking, the twins turned back to Rudolph in order to ask him a question. “Would you light up your nose for us, Uncle Rudolph?” Chilly asked. “Just once,” Milly added. “Please?”

“Okay,” Rudolph relented with a smile. “Just once.”

So, sure enough, Rudolph let his nose glow a bright red, making the group smile at what an amazing ability that was. But, suddenly… something strange began to happen that had never happened before.

Rudolph’s nose began to flicker in and out, as if it was a light bulb losing power.

This was enough to get the ponies, Borealis, Frosty and his kids worried. “Uh… Rudolph?” Sunny was about to say something when Milly beat her to it. “What's the matter with your nose?”

Rudolph wished he had an answer for them, but unfortunately… he didn’t have a clue as to why his nose was doing this. “I… I don’t know!”

Borealis got closer to Rudolph and looked at his nose, eyes widening before she came to a startling discovery. “It… it… it’s going out!”

As the ponies gasped in horror at this, a cold wind suddenly blew through the clearing, and it was enough to cause the group to shiver in fright, huddling together in order to keep warm.

But, what the group didn't realize was that a dangerous enemy, just as dangerous as Allura or Opaline, was on the move... and he was going to stop at nothing to make sure Rudolph's nose light went out for good.

The Story of Winterbolt

Whether you choose to believe it or not, Rudolph's nose began to go out that faithful June day, and it all started because of something that started years and years ago, long before even Santa came to the North Pole.

You see, all that time ago, in the times before Santa, all this territory was ruled over by a powerful king by the name of... Winterbolt. And this terrible tyrant's powers came from a scepter of solid ice, matching his icy cold heart.

Many were scared of this tyrant and the power he had, and any of the good creatures of the north who dared defy his wickedness were destroyed, frozen by Winterbolt's wicked snow dragons or driven away from their northland homes, making Winterbolt that much stronger.

Winterbolt's tyranny seemed like it would last for ages, making him cackle into the wind before he began to retreat into his icy cave. But then, one day, a great source of light filled the sky, causing Winterbolt to groan in pain. For you see, this source of light brought forth a being who was more than his match-- Lady Boreal, the Queen of the Northern Lights, who took on human form on this very day in order to defy Winterbolt and defend the oppressed and innocent. “King Winterbolt!” Lady Boreal shouted from above. “For years, I have seen your malevolent cruelty, and now I take human form to command thee… stop this tyranny at once! You've caused enough pain and unhappiness.”

However, Winterbolt remained unfazed. “You don't frighten me,” he said, pointing his scepter up at Lady Boreal. “Be gone!”

But, as he fired an icy beam of light right at Lady Boreal, she deflected it with a shield made from the Northern Lights, shocking Winterbolt altogether. “You had your chance, cruel monarch of the north,” Lady Boreal warned, “and now, I must silence you.”

Winterbolt raised an eyebrow at this. “Forever?”

“Alas… nothing is forever,” Lady Boreal shook her head. “But you will fall into a deep, deep sleep and so you shall remain so long as my magic burns brightly.”

At this, Lady Boreal shot a beam of light directly at Winterbolt, but the force of this magic was enough to blast Winterbolt back into his cave and causing him to get increasingly sleepy by the passing second. “Too… powerful for me!” he groaned. “Your force… overwhelms me!”

As he staggered back, he dropped his scepter in between two rocks, and within just a few minutes, Winterbolt had fallen into a profound sleep of many, many winters. And eventually Winterbolt and all his evil… were forgotten.

XXXXXXXX

Over the years that Winterbolt slept, eventually, the good and gentle creatures returned to the north-- first came all the animals, including reindeer, rabbits, foxes and birds, and then, a while later, came some more of the little ones-- the Kringle Elves. And some believe that it was Lady Boreal's good graces that led a young Santa Claus, his wife and more of their family to these lands now known as Christmastown. “The perfect place for me to build my toy factory,” Santa had declared, “and carry out my life's mission far away from all who would stop me.”

And within these next few years, the castle and workshop were built, and Santa began to carry out his mission just as he said he would.

But unfortunately, Lady Boreal's monumental efforts had drained her of most of her magic... and all of her strength, making her realize that her days in human form were numbered. “Alas… nothing is forever,” Lady Boreal said to herself. “But in Santa, the northlands have a kind and true leader and I may rest with ease.”

And so, Lady Boreal once again became the enchanted glow of the Northern Lights... unaware of what that might do to her spell that imprisoned Winterbolt.

XXXXXXXX

You see, when Lady Boreal once again became the glow of the Northern Lights, her spell over Winterbolt broke, and he broke free of the ice that formed around him after all these years of slumbering. “I am awake!” Winterbolt declared victoriously. “I live again! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”

That's when Winterbolt rose up and began walking into his throne room, sitting down at his throne and before a table with a large snowball on top of it. “I can't wait to see what's been going on while I've been resting.”

You see, this snowball was not just any snowball-- it acted as a crystal ball so Winterbolt could look out onto his domain, and what he saw unsettled him… Santa in his castle, chuckling warmly as he oversaw the production of that year’s toys. “Who is this, my magic eye of snow shows? He looks to be a king,” Winterbolt said. “But there can be no king of the north save me!”

That’s when Winterbolt rose from his throne and walked into the next room. “I must rid my northlands of this ho-ho-hoing creature, and his flock of Christmas interlopers… but how?” he asked as he approached a large wall of ice. “Tell me, O Genie of the Ice Scepter!”

Suddenly, a glow emitted from the icy wall, and from that glow formed a face, with icicles for teeth, and icy, glowing eyes. The Genie of the Ice Scepter was tasked to obey whoever held the scepter of ice, and that also meant to give the holder advice on where to proceed. Winterbolt often used the genie to gain more and more control of the North Pole, and this time was no different.

After being activated for the first time in many years, the genie finally spoke. “His power,” the genie spoke, “comes from the love he receives from children all over the world.”

“Is he as powerful as me?” Winterbolt asked. “At the moment, far more powerful,” the genie answered. “Then I shall make the world's children love me instead of him,” Winterbolt declared. “Tell me, how does he please these children?”

“Each Christmas Eve,” the genie explained to his master, “he sets forth in his sleigh and leaves every child a toy before dawn.”

Winterbolt merely cackled at this remark. “Is that all? Genie, tell me how I might stop him from going forth.”

“Next Christmas Eve,” said the genie, opening his mouth to allow self-made images of the events he described to form, “have the snow dragons create a storm of ice and fog… the likes of which the north has never seen. Santa will become hopelessly lost… and the toys will never be delivered.”

“Bravo, excellent!” Winterbolt congratulated. “Then I shall set forth with my own supply of toys in my own sleigh. Ha ha ha ha… why, I could be greater than Santa! I'd give the little brats twice as many toys and they would love me more. They'd become lazy and dependent on me and I would rule them all! And when they grew up why, the whole world would be my own personal snowball! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!”

XXXXXXXX

Lady Boreal saw everything from her place in the sky, dreadfully worried about what might come next. “How little Winterbolt knows of the ways of Santa and children,” she sighed. “There's more than just giving toys. There is kindness and the loving warmth of a family on Christmas morn. These things cannot die… I will not let them!”

Then, Lady Boreal let out a tired sigh. “But I am so old… and weak. Ice and fog on Christmas Eve to hinder Santa's sleigh? And even with the Northern Light foxes scattered sparsely all over the land, I believe that I am on my own.”

That’s when Lady Boreal seemed to get an idea. “I must leave him something… but it must be small, I fear, to guide him on his way.”

And as she looked down on the earth, she knew just what to leave Santa when that time came.

XXXXXXXX

“Ohhhhh… did she have the baby yet?!” Pipp asked from outside the Donner family’s cave. “I can’t see anything out here!”

It had only been a few days since the Mane 6 arrived for their first Unity Quest at the North Pole, and Mrs. Donner was currently in labor with her first fawn. Thankfully, Sunny was with Mrs. Donner while Donner was out training with the rest of Santa’s sleigh team, and the rest of the Mane 6 (except for Misty, who was tasked with getting some water from the nearby pond) were outside waiting on progress. “Nothing yet, sis,” Zipp said as she fanned Hitch’s face (since he was unconscious from hearing the news). “I’m more focused on getting Hitch back with us first! Man, what is taking Misty so long?!”

XXXXXXXX

Misty, at the same time that Mrs. Claus was fetching Santa, had reached the lake and put the bucket into the water, filling it to the top line. “There-- that should be enough to get Mrs. Donner through these labor pains.”

But before she could leave, there came a sound that sounded like a creature running through the bushes. Unfortunately, when she turned, she didn't see anything. “Huh... that's strange. I thought that I heard something...”

Shrugging, she galloped off to get back to the others, unaware that a Northern Lights fox, by the name of Nora, was hiding in the bushes with her small, whimpering cub. “Settle down, little one,” Nora whispered. “If we follow the unicorn, maybe she knows of a place I can bring you. Come on.”

XXXXXXXX

Misty returned with the water in a matter of minutes, much to her friends' relief-- the labor pains were getting worse and worse by the minute.

Hitch groaned and woke at the sound of screaming from inside the cave, looking up to see Izzy and Misty looking down at him. “What took you so long, Mr. Big Shot?” Misty asked with a chuckle. “Sunny is with Mrs. Donner, really pulling off this baby delivery thing.”

“Oh, that's good...” Hitch said, smiling and closing his eyes until he realized what Misty just said. “Wait... what did you just say?!”

“SHH! Listen!” Izzy whispered, and all three ponies lifted to hear something... but heard nothing at all. “It's... super-duper quiet for some reason.”

“What do you think it means?”

“Do you think the baby's okay?”

Just then, Sunny emerged from the cave, looking tired, but very proud of herself as she put on her saddlebag. “...Mrs. Donner had a baby boy!”

Izzy squealed excitedly and hugged Sunny around the neck. “You did it, Sunny! You did it!”

“Come on!” Misty said excitedly, trotting in place. “I wanna see my first ever baby reindeer!”

The four ponies quietly entered the cave, and when they got inside good enough, they found a young baby reindeer drinking from his mother's milk, causing them to coo. “He's so precious!” Misty said, causing Sunny to nod. “He is... and my dad would be so proud that I tried to do something that I had no idea how to do.”

The baby reindeer lifted his head up and looked at his mother, who gazed back at her son with tired eyes. “Have no fear, my little one. Soon your father will be home. Ahh… and I must rest for the moment. Sunny, will you and your friends check and see how close Donner is from here?”

“Of course, Mrs. Donner. You just rest,” Sunny said as the ponies rushed out of the cave, “and we’ll take care of everything!”

And after the ponies had left and Mrs. Donner had settled down to rest, the baby reindeer noticed a bright light emitting from the entrance of the cave, and from that light, Lady Boreal emerged.

The baby reindeer tilted his head in confusion for a moment before giggling, happy to see someone new, but a little confused as to who she was and why she was here. “Little one… I have so little magic left to leave thee,” Lady Boreal said, kneeling next to the fawn. “Use it wisely and well.”

As the queen extended her hand toward the fawn, the fawn laid his hoof on it, wondering what was going on. “On this small hoof, a magic mark I make-- the Christmas star cradled by a snowflake,” she said, tracing the mark on the fawn’s hoof. “And with this secret mark the magic of the northern lights lives in thee. How, you ask? Think good thoughts, and you will see.”

The fawn closed his eyes and did as the woman said, but when he opened his eyes, he discovered his nose was brightly glowing, much to his surprise. “Will the magic last forever, you wonder? Nothing is forever, as I’ve often said,” Lady Boreal explained, rubbing the fawn’s head. “But this magic is strong and your nose will glow so long as you use it for good. If you are tempted, even once, to use it for an evil purpose, it will be extinguished forever. Do you understand?”

“Uh-huh,” the fawn nodded. “And will you never use it for evil?” Lady Boreal asked again. The fawn was about to nod again, but realized this and immediately shook his head ‘no’. “Uh-uh.”

Lady Boreal chuckled and stood up. “And now I leave you, little babe, to your new friends’ and your mother’s love. Use your secret magic well.”

And just like that, she disappeared in a flash of light, and not even a few seconds later, the fawn’s mother woke up and looked around. “Oh! What was that? Was someone here?”

The fawn nodded, but then shook his head, and then nodded it again, causing Mrs. Donner to chuckle. “Can't you make up your mind, my little one?”

As she began to groom the fawn, the Mane 6 galloped back into the cave again, tired and out of breath. “It took us a while, Mrs. Donner,” Misty said tiredly, “but we made it.”

“Yeah!” Izzy agreed. “Mr. Donner should be here with the rest of the team any second now!”

“Hey!” said another voice belonging to Donner. “Where’s my boy?”

Just as Izzy said, the sleigh team galloped right into the cave as the ponies stood to the side to let the proud father through. “Here, my darling,” Mrs. Donner said. “Flew 300 miles in only 15 leaps when I heard the news and…” Donner was about to proceed when he melted at the look of his newborn son. “Aww… will you just look at him? Ha ha. My little buck.”

“Have you picked out a name yet?” Hitch asked softly. “We sure have,” Donner nodded. “We'll name him… Rudolph!”

Suddenly, before the eyes of his parents, the rest of the sleigh team and the Mane 6, the little deer's nose began to glow a bright red, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

And well… you know how the rest of the story goes from there.

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They'd never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history!"

XXXXXXXX

A few weeks after the events of Rudolph, Borealis and the Mane 6 helping to save Christmas, Winterbolt looked into his eye of snow to check progress, and his eye of snow showed the sleigh sailing into the night as if nothing was in its path. “Oh, Eye of Snow, what’s this you show? Six ponies, a fox and a red-nosed reindeer?” Winterbolt questioned just before something seemed to make sense. “So that's how Santa defeated my snow dragons. Heh heh heh… it will be a different story next Christmas Eve. A red-nosed reindeer or a red-nosed reindeer’s mangy friends are no match for King Winterbolt!”

His scepter sent an icy beam of light into the dark night sky, and our heroes didn't know it yet, but months in the future... they would FINALLY realize how much danger they were being put in.

And now that Winterbolt's story is told... we must get back to the story of our faithful heroes.

Allura and Twitch meet Winterbolt/A Villainous Union Begins

At the moment, neither Rudolph, nor Borealis, nor the Mane 6 knew about Winterbolt and his evil plan against them-- what mattered to them now was that they needed to figure out why Rudolph’s nose continued to flicker in and out like a dying lightbulb…

…and they needed to do it fast.

Borealis couldn’t help but be worried when all the things she tried (getting Rudolph to take calm deep breaths, rubbing his nose, putting some snow on it) didn’t work, and watched as her best friend got more and more worried himself. “Oh, geez…!!” Borealis gulped. “It’s really going out!”

“What’s happening, Uncle Rudolph?” Chilly asked as he and his twin sister stood at Frosty’s side. “What’s wrong with your nose?” Milly asked in agreement. “I-I don’t think we should be too worried, guys,” Hitch tried to reassure. “I mean… maybe Rudolph used it too much this morning for something, and it’s not glowing as bright as it used to.”

“But that’s just it!” Rudolph protested, just as confused and worried as everyone else. “I haven’t used it all morning!”

“Uh… guys? I don’t wanna be a worry-wart or anything,” Snowfall said quietly before pointing her hoof to Borealis, who was cautiously glancing around, “but I think something might be up with Bori too.”

“Bori?” Frosty called, snapping Borealis out of her glancing fit. “Is everything all right?”

“Sorry, guys, but… I just felt the fur on my back rise,” Borealis explained, “and… that usually means something. Almost like a warning of sorts.”

“But wait a second,” said Pipp with a scoff. “We’re in the middle of nowhere-- what could we possibly be warned about?”

XXXXXXXX

Unfortunately, none of them realized right away that they were indeed being watched... by a certain winged snow leopard and her purple bunny lackey, if you want specifics. “There they are… and if they’re in this clearing with those snowmen,” Allura whispered to Twitch, “then they must be rallying together to search for the next star shard!”

Twitch immediately cracked his paws and prepared to jump out and attack the group, but Allura blocked his way with her wing before he had the chance. “Not so fast-- look, up there! At the top of that hill!”

From where Allura was pointing, it seemed that there was someone else watching the group from another vantage point… someone that Allura didn’t recognize. “I wonder who that could be… and what could he possibly want with my most hated enemies?”

Well, Allura didn’t know this at first, but that someone else who was watching the group was indeed Winterbolt, who had the perfect spell in order to eliminate the glow from Rudolph’s nose for good. But… he needed to time it just right. “Dimmer, darker, darker, dimmer,” he chanted, “Rudolph’s magic shall not glimmer. Dark and dim… dim and dark. Now extinguish magic spark!”

The magic from the scepter shot down at Rudolph without any of the others noticing, and once it made contact with Rudolph, the poor red-nosed reindeer began to feel dizzy and lightheaded, much to Frosty's worry. “R-Rudolph!”

Borealis gasped and rushed to her best friend’s side, trying to keep him upright as the others rushed to the scene to see what they could do. “It’s all over… Frosty…” Rudolph groaned. “My nose is… going. I feel… awful! Ugh…”

“Izzy, get a pillow! He’s going down!” Sunny cried in panic, and Izzy slid one of her hoofmade pillows under Rudolph just as Frosty gently set him down. “I-I’ve never seen Rudolph like this!” Snowfall said with wide eyes, turning to Pipp and Zipp. “Is he gonna be okay?”

“I’m not sure,” Zipp said honestly. “We’ve never seen him like this before either.”

“But… it can’t be life-threatening… right?” Pipp asked, trying her best not to be worried. “Right?”

Unfortunately… the others were too worried to provide an answer… Borealis included-- she was too busy being at Rudolph’s side while Frosty stroked the reindeer’s back. “Aw, Rudolph, your nose just can't go out. Santa depends on it.”

Rudolph managed a weak shrug at this. “Yeah, but…”

But, Frosty wasn’t finished trying to encourage Rudolph just yet. “There's little kids all over the world who'd never get any Christmas presents if you didn't light the way.”

“Yeah… he’s right!” Misty said as she came forward to help encourage him. “You’re a real hero, Rudolph. But more importantly… you’re Bori’s best friend, and she needs you now more than ever, to help her find her mom AND to help protect the North Pole from danger.”

“You guys are right, Misty and Frosty,” Rudolph agreed weakly. “I can’t lose my nose… unless… unless…”

“Hold up a sec,” Zipp said, holding up her Flypad to see if she could get some more information from her friend. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

“...can’t remember exactly,” Rudolph shook his head to clear it. “Something a pretty lady once whispered to me.”

“Pretty lady…?” Borealis muttered in confusion. “Rudolph, we’ve been here a long time and I’ve never heard of anyone like that before.”

“Well… it was a long time ago, Bori. Back when I was a baby and before I met you, so… I don’t remember much,” Rudolph spoke, shaking his head again. “I… I dunno. But, I do know that my nose just can’t go out!”

Pipp and Sunny helped Rudolph back onto his hooves, and Hitch looked a little worried about Rudolph’s condition. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“...I’m sure I can. Don’t worry,” Rudolph reassured before closing his eyes and straining as hard as he could. Everyone else watched in anticipation at this, and after a few moments of waiting... Rudolph's nose lit up normally once more!

Everyone cheered at this, and Rudolph let out his own breath of relief. “I’m okay now!”

“Good old Uncle Rudolph!” Milly said as Borealis happily licked Rudolph’s face. “Yeah, we’re glad you’re okay,” Zipp told their friend. “But I can’t help but feel like something’s off… and what’s worse is that I can’t figure out what it is.”

“We’ll figure it out later,” Sunny said. “Yeah, cause right now,” said Borealis, “you need to tell me about this ‘second encounter’ with Opaline.”

“Ooh, we wanna hear the story too!” Chilly volunteered, leading Izzy to giggle. “Can they hear it, Sunny?”

“Well… I guess it would be okay since Opaline is gone,” Sunny said, leading Chilly, Milly, Snowfall and Borealis to sit around her. “So, I guess we better start from the beginning.”

XXXXXXXX

Allura watched these events from nearby, her golden, savage eyes glistening in interest at the feat of power Winterbolt displayed. “Twitch… I believe we’ve just found a new ally and a chance to defeat these pathetic ponies and their friends for good! We must catch up to this stranger before he leaves, but we can’t let those ponies see us.”

Twitch nodded eagerly with a sinister chuckle, and followed Allura through the bushes in order to meet up with this icy cold, but very powerful, stranger.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, as Sunny and her friends were beginning the stories of their encounters with Opaline, Winterbolt watched angrily as Rudolph’s nose seemed to be glowing just fine now. “It's impossible that his power is greater than mine! There must be a reason.”

“Of course there must be a reason,” said a voice, and Winterbolt turned to see Allura and Twitch approaching from the cover of the nearby bushes and trees. “No one is given incredible power for no reason at all.”

“And who, may I ask, are you?” Winterbolt asked with a sneer, grasping his scepter tighter. “A friend. Or at least… I hope to be,” Allura said with a sly smile as she advanced. “I have never seen such power in all my years… and from a scepter made of ice, no less.”

“It should have as much power as you believe it has,” Winterbolt snarked, “if it is to be wielded by the true monarch of the north.”

Allura feigned a gasp as she and Twitch bowed before the former king. “I beg your pardon, your majesty. I had no idea we were in the presence of royalty… other than myself. Well, I used to be royalty.”

“Really?” Winterbolt’s interest seemed peeked. “What kingdom did you govern?”

“The realm of Starlight Ridge, in a hidden part of the Archipelago of Last Years… until I was overthrown by those ponies, that reindeer and that pesky fox down there,” snarled Allura as she glanced down at the group before regaining her composure and fiddling with the star shard around her neck. “Since then, me and my friend here have been searching for pieces of a star that can help me regain power… this time, over a different realm.”

Winterbolt’s gaze narrowed slightly. “Not this one, I assume-- this land is mine and mine alone!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, King... hmmm... what would you want me to call you?”

Winterbolt continued to glance at the snow leopard suspiciously. “...Winterbolt. King Winterbolt, mind you.”

“King Winterbolt, I am Allura, the former leader of Starlight Ridge, and this is my… assistant, Twitch,” Allura introduced respectfully. “And I believe that I have a proposition that can work for both of us.”

“A proposition?” Winterbolt had to admit, he was intrigued by this point. “What kind of… proposition?”

“We’ll make each other a deal,” Allura said. “We can help each other get what we really want-- you can have Rudolph’s nose extinguished, and I can destroy those miserable ponies and anyone else who gets in our way… so long as my helper and I have permission to rest in your domain and continue my search for the star shard.”

Winterbolt thought this over for a few moments. Sure, he would normally work alone, but… he had to admit, this snow leopard was bold enough to ask for something she REALLY wanted.

A trait he admired.

Only a true leader would have that kind of courage.

After a few moments of thinking it over, Winterbolt extended his hand to the snow leopard with a sinister smile. “Allura… you have yourself a deal.”

“Excellent!” Allura shook his hand with her paw with the same kind of smile. “Now, where do you suggest we begin?”

“Come with me to my humble, icy abode,” Winterbolt said as they gathered closer together, “and we shall ask my genie-- he will give us the answers we seek.”

Allura managed to smirk at Twitch just before a swirl of icy wind teleported them back to Winterbolt’s lair… their plan was going perfectly… and no one was going to stop them this time.

XXXXXXXX

Borealis could have sworn that she felt an icy cold wind whip the air, but as Sunny continued the story of defeating Opaline alongside Mystery Incorporated, she couldn’t help but wonder… was she going crazy?

…or was there something else going on?

A Seaside Circus in Need and a Thickening Plot

When Allura and Twitch stood alongside the evil king Winterbolt, and had teleported with him back to his lair, Allura was expecting some sort of castle hidden within the mountain peaks.

But, boy, she couldn’t be more wrong.

Instead of a brilliant castle, what they had teleported into was a dark, cold icy cave within the mountains. But, at least Winterbolt seemed to be content with the conditions. “Follow me, Allura and Twitch, and we shall get you settled in once we talk with my Genie of the Ice Scepter. He will provide us with all the answers we need.”

Twitch tilted his head out of confusion as he rode on Allura’s back, but as he poked her back to ask her about it, she merely flicked him off so she could talk to Winterbolt without being interrupted. “Genie of the Ice Scepter, eh? Does he come with three wishes like other genies do in fairytales?”

“No… it comes with something better than wishes,” Winterbolt told his new ally. “It comes with endless knowledge and the ability to look into the past, just like my crystal ball, the Eye of Snow.”

“Hmmm… perhaps when I find the star shard, I will be able to create my own all-seeing crystal,” Allura told herself. “But only when I have enough power.”

Twitch hopped behind Allura and Winterbolt into the room where the genie was supposed to be kept, but the icy door slammed shut on him before he could enter.

Oh well... looks like he would have to find some other way to keep busy while Allura and her new ally were gone.

And making himself at home was just what he was going to do.

XXXXXXXX

“Genie of the Ice Scepter, awaken!” Winterbolt commanded the genie. “We have a visitor who is going to help me with my plans to rid Rudolph of his light!”

The genie began to stir, causing Allura to gasp in surprise, but then, she managed to regain her composure to greet the genie with a formal bow. “Greetings, great genie. I am…”

“Allura… former co-leader of the winged leopard colony and the former leader of Starlight Ridge,” the genie interrupted calmly. “Yes, I know all about your triumphs… and unfortunately, your failures.”

Allura growled partially at this, but she did manage to regain her composure as she stopped bowing. “Yes, I uh… am aware of those things as well.”

“Genie of the Ice Scepter, we must seek your advice,” Winterbolt spoke. “Why can’t Rudolph’s nose be extinguished with a simple spell from my scepter?”

“Yes, it appeared to work for a moment,” Allura said, “but then his nose began glowing as usual, if not brighter.”

“He has the wonder of the aurora borealis within him,” the genie explained. “A power far greater than all of thee put together. So long as he uses the nose for good, it can never go out.”

“Then I shall see that he uses it for evil,” Winterbolt simply declared. “Not in these northern lands, oh master,” the genie protested. “The memory of Lady Boreal still glows here and protects him.”

“Lady Boreal?” Allura seemed puzzled at this. “I’ve never heard of her.”

“She was the blasted queen of the Northern Lights who made me fall asleep and lose my domain over all these years,” Winterbolt told her with a growl. “Rudolph must be made to leave the North Pole!”

“Exactly right,” Allura nodded sinisterly. “If he leaves, the fox and those ponies will be sure to follow, and I can exact my revenge against them for making me lose control of Starlight Ridge.”

“He sets forth but once a year,” the genie told them. “Christmas Eve.”

Allura and Winterbolt both seemed frustrated with this-- Christmas Eve was six months away, at best, and there was no way they could put their plan on hold for that long. “We cannot wait!” Winterbolt declared in anger. “There must be a way to make them leave now! Help us, oh Genie of the Ice Scepter.”

That’s when the genie provided a small hint of help. “Look into thine magic Eye of Snow,” he told Winterbolt. “There you will find the answer.”

XXXXXXXX

Winterbolt, Allura and Twitch sat in front of the Eye of Snow and waited for something to appear inside, but what did appear confused our trio of villains. “W-W-What’s this?” Winterbolt questioned. “A balloon?”

“Winterbolt, I hope this is not your genie’s idea of a joke,” Allura deadpanned. “How can a hot-air balloon help us lure Rudolph, his fox and those ponies away?!”

“Patience, Allura, patience! The genie knows best,” Winterbolt reassured his ally just before he began to get an idea… a sinister idea, at best. “I wonder… Allura, we must watch further, to see whom is onboard this vessel.”

“Whatever you say, Winterbolt,” Allura said, rolling her eyes and continuing to watch the Eye of Snow for anything new.

XXXXXXXX

“So you see, Opaline was trapped in the Together Trees forever,” Sunny finished their story, “and we don’t think that she’s ever gonna come back. But if she does… we’ll be ready for her, especially since we have dragons on our side.”

“Wow…” Chilly said in amazement. “That was a cool story!”

“Uh… a scary story for sure,” Snowfall said a bit shakingly, uncovering her eyes with her hooves, “but… yeah, it was a cool story too.”

“Well… there’s still Allura you have to deal with, right?” Frosty asked. “Have you got a plan to stop her, too?”

“Well… not currently, Frosty,” Zipp admitted with a frown, “but we do have a hunch-- if we can steal Allura’s star shard back and find the other shards before she does, we may have a fighting chance.”

“We’ve got faith in you, ponies,” Rudolph said encouragingly. “If anyone can defeat Allura, it’s you.”

“Borealis! Rudolph!” called a male voice from up above them. “Hey, Rudolph!”

Everyone looked up to see a curly-haired man in a white suit riding in a hot air balloon (the same one Allura and Winterbolt saw earlier) with a light brown earth pony with a dark brown, light brown and white mane and tail, purple eyes and a cutie mark of an ice cream sundae, and Borealis immediately recognized them. “Hey! It’s Cocoa and Milton!”

“Who?” Frosty, Borealis and the Mane 6 echoed in confusion while Sparky tilted his head to the side. “The flying ice cream man and his pony helper!” Rudolph explained as the balloon began to descend near a cave filled with frozen ice cream. “He keeps his stock up here,” Borealis clarified, “where it won't melt.”

“And this time every year,” Rudolph added, “he picks up a big load to take down to the seashore for the 4th of July weekend.”

“Wait till you guys meet them!” Borealis told her friends with an excited smile. “A million laughs! Come on!”

“Heh heh heh! Okay, okay, we’re coming!” Misty giggled as she, Izzy and Pipp followed Rudolph and Borealis away. But before the others could join them, a snow woman from nearby called out to Snowfall, Frosty and the twins. “Snowfall! Frosty! Milly, Chilly! Dinner’s ready, sweethearts!”

“Is that your mom?” Hitch asked the twins with a gentle smile. “Uh-huh. She’s the bestest mommy ever,” Milly nodded as Frosty approached his wife with Snowfall at his side. “Sorry, Crystal,” Frosty apologized. “Snowfall and I gotta meet somebody.”

“Yeah!” Snowfall nodded. “Bori said that he and his pony pal are a million laughs! Plus... me and the twins wanna hang out with our new friends some more.”

Sunny, Hitch and Zipp waved to Crystal as they stood next to the twins, to which she acknowledged them with a smile. “Well, I’d love to get to know your new friends too,” she said, “but I've got dinner on the table. It'll get all warm.”

“You can always cool it up in the ice stove,” Frosty persuaded. “Come on! A million laughs!”

“Come on!” the twins called to their parents. “Come on!”

“Well, I guess we’re meeting the flying ice cream man and Cocoa Sundae!” Zipp said before her stomach rumbled, which caused her to chuckle nervously. “I just hope they can spare us a few ice cream samples-- it feels like that carrot I had earlier is leaving quicker than I thought.”

XXXXXXXX

“Rudolph! Bori!” Cocoa Sundae exclaimed in delight as she galloped over to her friends, hugging Rudolph first before hugging Borealis. “Wow, for a little fox, you sure grow fast!”

“Hey, I’m not that little!” Borealis giggled as the two unicorns and Pipp came forward. “Cocoa Sundae, I’d like you to meet more of our Equestrian friends-- Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals and Misty Brightdawn! Their other friends Sunny Starscout, Hitch Trailblazer, Sparky and Zipp Storm will be here in just a second.”

“It’s so nice to meet all of you,” Cocoa smiled at her potential new friends. “Whenever Milton and I are here, Bori won’t stop talking about you.”

Borealis felt herself blush at this. “Cocoa…!”

“She talks about good things about us, right?” Misty asked, causing Cocoa giggle. “Of course. And… we actually need some of your good graces-- we actually need your help with something, if you can spare it.”

The three mares and Borealis looked confused as Rudolph approached Milton, who was sitting beside his balloon. “How you doing, Milton?”

“Awful!” Milton told Rudolph before sniffling… something that instantly got the reindeer and all his friends concerned. “What’s wrong, Milton?” Zipp asked with a frown, leading Milton to sigh. “I’m in love…”

“With who?” Rudolph asked, leading Cocoa to grab a poster from the balloon and handed it to Milton, who unrolled it to reveal it was a poster showcasing a few circus acts. This immediately got Pipp's attention. “You’re in love with a WHOLE circus?! Isn’t that, uh… a little extreme?”

“In my own words,” said Crystal, “I’d call a man like that fickle.”

“No… just her,” Milton gazed toward the girl on the poster who was high on a tightrope. “Lainie Lorraine.”

“Her mother owns the Circus by the Sea,” Cocoa explained. “They were actually going to get married right on the high wire. Milton hired a preacher and he had a net ready… it was gonna be perfect.”

“Well… what happened?” Rudolph asked in concern. “Aw, the circus is going broke,” Milton sighed. “And another showman a crook named Sam Spangles is ready to pay off the back taxes and take over the show! So ya see? Laine can't even think about romance. And if her mom's show doesn't get a big audience on the 4th, it'll be sold to Sam Spangles on July 6th. Lainie will have to go on the road… and we'll never get together.”

“That’s… horrible!” Pipp said in sadness. “Both the show going broke and that your love life is being ripped apart.”

“I wanna help Milton and make sure the circus has a good show,” Cocoa sighed, “but… I’m not entirely sure what to do myself. We were... hoping that maybe you guys could help us come up with something while we're here?”

“We’ll try our best, Cocoa, really,” Zipp said, “but… this will take a lot of thinking.”

That's when the groups decided to buckle down and begin thinking about what they could do... unaware that enemies were watching them think from afar.

XXXXXXXX

Winterbolt and Allura had been watching the entire conversation through the Eye of Snow, prompting Winterbolt to cackle victoriously at discovering their next move. “What luck! Thank you, Eye of Snow!”

“Ah, yes, thank you!” Allura smirked. “Rudolph and his band of foolish friends will never suspect a thing. But... now what are we supposed to do?”

“Simple,” Winterbolt said before gathering a cluster of magic snow in his grasp. “First, I will use this snow to put a little idea into Milton's empty head.”

After he said this, Allura watched as Winterbolt murmured words into the snow, making it sparkle and shine before Winterbolt blew it into the Eye of Snow.

Now... all they had to do was wait.

XXXXXXXX

Milton sighed desperately, rubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t know what to do…”

Suddenly, as Winterbolt's sprinkle of magical snow flew into his head, Milton suddenly stood up, catching the ponies offguard. “Hey! I just got a great idea! There's only one guy who could draw the kind of crowds the Circus by the Sea needs. And that's you, Rudolph!”

However, this wasn't the kind of idea that Rudolph expected, causing him to blink in surprise. “Me?”

“He’s right!” Cocoa told the reindeer. “The would just pack that tent to see you and your nose in person… and Borealis too!”

“Oh, wow!” Chilly exclaimed. “Bori and Uncle Rudolph in the circus?” Milly asked. “Hey,” Rudolph began to scold, “wait a minute. Borealis and I never said we would even go to the circus, and we definitely didn’t say we would be IN the performance.”

“But… you gotta admit,” Borealis turned to her best friend, “being in a circus DOES sound like a lot of fun.”

“And you wouldn’t go alone,” Sunny agreed. “Me and my friends would be happy to go down there with you! Maybe we could help.”

“Come on, Rudolph,” Frosty tried to encourage. “You all have just gotta go.”

Rudolph looked at all of his friends and his adoptive niece and nephew, thinking hard about this.

He did want to help Milton and his girlfriend save the circus so they could be together, and… Borealis did have a point.

Being in a circus did sound like a lot of fun.

Eventually, Rudolph sighed and looked toward Frosty. “Well… if you all say so, pal,” he said before turning toward Cocoa and Milton. “Okay-- we'll do it!”

“Yes!” Zipp pumped a hoof. “This is our chance to have fun AND look for the star shard all at once!”

Everyone began to converse excitedly about their upcoming adventure, and after getting an idea of her own, Crystal turned toward her husband with a happy smile. “It would be wonderful if we could go with them, Frosty. I sure would like Snowfall and the twins to see a real circus.”

“Oh, wow!” Cocoa said, realizing what a great idea this would be. “If you and your family would appear too, Frosty, we would have to have a bigger tent!”

Snowfall and the twins then looked to Frosty with pleading looks.

“Aw, Daddy?”

“Can we?”

“Please…?!”

“We’d be super good!”

“It would be fun to get to hang out with you guys more,” said Izzy. “We could make a whole group trip out of it!”

“No way,” Frosty denied the request with seriousness in his voice. “The seashore on the 4th of July? We'd be real misfits. Me and my family would melt in ten seconds flat.”

“Aww…” Izzy, Snowfall and the twins pouted at such disappointing news. “Bein' snow people has its drawbacks,” Frosty explained gently. “Sometimes I feel like a real misfit.”

“Huh… I guess I never thought about it that way,” Misty said in thought, frowning as she did such. “That sounds really hard, having to stay someplace cold all the time and not getting to explore the world.”

“Aw, Frosty, I just forgot for a minute,” Crystal said with a frown. “I'm sorry. Why, I wouldn't have us any other way.”

Then, to reassure her husband that she had no doubts about them, Crystal began to sing a happy tune.

Crystal: Everything I've always wanted
You are "everything I've always wanted"
And I'll never let you go

I will take deserted byways
Dusty roads or cement highways
Follow you through rain, or sleet, or snow

In my wildest dreams I never dreamed
I'd find somebody I would love
Much more than I could ever show

You are everything I've always wanted
More than anything, and if there's any doubt
Well, now you know

Snowfall sighed romantically as the song reached an instrumental bridge. “How romantic...”

“Sure thing, bestie,” Borealis rolled her eyes. “Sure thing.”

But before anyone else could protest against this, Crystal resumed singing once more.

Crystal: You are everything I've always wanted
More than anything, and if there's any doubt
Well, now you know

If there's any doubt
Well, now you know...

Once the song was over, Sunny took the opportunity to step up and say something to encourage the snow family further. “That melting business is a nuisance,” she said, “but it doesn't make you all misfits, Frosty.”

“Take it from another misfit,” Rudolph added with a wink before beginning to think of another solution. “If only there was some way to make you... unmeltable.”

“What if Bori used her powers to make you guys unmeltable?” Snowfall asked curiously. “She’s really been improving!”

“I have been improving,” Borealis pointed out, “but I’ve never done magic like that before. Sunny, is there any way your cutie mark magic can help?”

“If there was a way, I wouldn’t know,” Sunny sighed before humming in thought. “We’re just gonna have to think of something else.”

Suddenly, a swooshing sound from nearby caused all the ponies and their friends to turn in shock to see Winterbolt appearing not too far away. Unfortunately, they didn’t know that Winterbolt was here to carry out the first part of his plan.

While everyone else looked on in shock, the twins and Snowfall were amazed with what they saw. “Wow!”

“Like a fairy godfather,” Milly spoke up, causing Winterbolt to chuckle warmly as he approached. “Just say I'm an old, old magical friend who wishes to help,” he said, faking kindness as he patted Snowfall and the twins’ heads. “Children should see a circus at least once in their lives. So I will… help.”

As he chuckled warmly behind his malicious intentions, Zipp and Sunny looked sort of concerned as to how much this guy knew. However… they seemed to be the only ones who felt like that at this moment. “But… what can you do, sir,” said Rudolph curiously, “to stop Frosty and his family from melting?”

“Observe,” Winterbolt held out his hands, revealing sparkling jewelry inside. “Magic amulets. If Frosty, Crystal, Milly, and Chilly wear them about their necks, they cannot melt. Even though the temperature be hot enough to melt steel still they will remain cool and icy.”

“Wow!” Frosty exclaimed to his family. “Our troubles are over forever!”

“No… not forever. See?” Winterbolt knelt down so everyone could see the amulets better. “On each is a design. The letter F, four times entwined.”

“Oh yeah!” Frosty said as he, Pipp and Snowfall approached to get a closer look. “F, F, F, F!”

“Uh, yeah. A cryptic design and everything,” Pipp said, “but what does that stand for?”

“That means the amulet's magic only lasts until the final firework fades on the 4th,” Winterbolt said as he gave Frosty the amulets. “You must return here before the fireworks finish, or you will melt in the heat of the summer eve.”

“But… until then?” Snowfall looked up at the stranger with uncertainty. “Why… you will be safe,” Winterbolt reassured behind his sinister laugh. “Wow!” Chilly and Milly exclaimed at once. “The circus!”

“Wow, thank you so much!” Borealis thanked Winterbolt with the wag of her tail. “You have no idea how much this means to us!”

“Oh, it was my pleasure, my dear,” Winterbolt said, kneeling in front of her. “And might I say… you seem to look just like someone I once knew.”

“Really?” Borealis said optimistically. “Was her name Nora? If it was, then that’s my mom!”

“Hmmm… no, I don’t know this Nora personally,” Winterbolt hummed in thought, “but I did hear her mother talk about her… her name was Orelia… the Northern Lights fox queen… and your grandmother.”

This seemed to stop Borealis immediately in her tracks, shaking her head to try and clear it. “I’m sorry, what?”

But before she could ask anymore questions, a swirling wind blew everybody backwards into the snow, and Winterbolt had disappeared. “Wow!” Milton said, rather impressed. “He certainly does blow in and blow out!”

Rudolph and Cocoa burst out into laughter while the twins giggled to themselves. “Well, that was certainly… an experience,” Zipp said as they got up, “but… doesn’t it surprise anypony else that he somehow knew all about us and our problem?”

“Yeah… I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt,” Sunny said, “but… something doesn’t feel right about this.”

“Aww, I think you two are worrying too much-- he handed us everything we need on a silver platter!” Snowfall said excitedly. “Come on! We gotta go talk to Santa and see what he thinks about all this!”

“Yeah, come on, Bori!” Pipp said to the young fox… who was still puzzling over the facts that Winterbolt had spilled. “B-Bori?”

“That… that stranger,” Borealis muttered to her friends as she turned around. “He said that my grandmother was a… a queen! The queen of the Northern Lights foxes!”

“Wait... he said that?” Zipp said, growing even more suspicious. “What else did he say?”

“He said that my grandmother talked about my mom a lot,” Borealis said in thought, “but that's everything I can remember.”

“Hold on a second,” Cocoa said in thought. “If your grandmother was the queen before your mom, then she must have passed on her title to your mom, right?”

“Right, but…” Misty was about to ask something else before her eyes widened with a gasp. “Bori, if your mom was the queen after your grandmother, doesn’t that mean that you’re…?”

Borealis gasped with wide eyes as well. “That means… I-I’m the princess of the Northern Lights foxes!”

“Whaaaaaaaaat?!” Snowfall cried as everyone else gasped. “That is a SERIOUS plot twist!”

“And with you being princess, you’re just me and Zipp!” Pipp giggled. “Welcome to the Princess Club!”

“But… why would my mom leave me behind before she could tell me?” Borealis wondered. “I mean… what happened all that time ago?”

“I don’t know, but we’ll be able to figure it out as we go,” Sunny said gently. “Come on… we gotta go talk to Santa.”

“Yeah… okay…” Borealis sighed, looking back at where Winterbolt was before following her friends away, a billion questions filling her mind.

Maybe, just maybe… there was more to her destiny than even she thought.

Heading to the Circus by the Sea

Immediately after Winterbolt gave Frosty the Snowman and his family magic amulets to prevent them from melting and hinting to Borealis that she was the princess of the Northern Lights foxes, the combined groups of friends decided to head back to Santa's castle and get his permission to leave the North Pole and help the Circus by the Sea get back on its feet.

But one thing was made clear to Sunny Starscout and the rest of her friends... the way secrets and shocking events were popping up, this Unity Quest may be their most complex and difficult one yet.

XXXXXXXX

Once they reached the castle, the group (aside from Frosty's family) took an audience with Santa and explained everything that had happened, and expressed their desire to help with the circus until the end 4th of July celebration. “Well,” Santa told the group, “I'm delighted you're all going for a summer holiday, but… I never heard of any icy fairy godfather.”

“You should have seen him, sir!” Izzy exclaimed excitedly. “He told Bori that she was a Northern Lights fox princess and everything!”

“I wish I had,” Santa admitted before thinking for a moment. “Who could he be? Hmm… well, I guess I'm… just being overcautious.”

“Overcautious about what?”

Everyone turned to see Violet Frost and Comet trot into the room, causing Santa to chuckle. “Violet Frost and Comet! I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“We decided to come back and spend some more time with the ponies before they had to go back to Equestria,” Comet explained, “but… what were you guys talking about? What icy fairy godfather?”

“Oh, man, where do we even start?” Cocoa asked with an exasperated sigh. “Well, as it turns out, this icy fairy godfather gave Frosty and his family magic amulets so they could go to the seashore with us to save the Circus by the Sea…”

“...and then,” Hitch added as he held Sparky, “he told Borealis that her grandmother was a queen of the Northern Lights foxes!”

“And if our hunch is right,” Zipp concluded, “Nora was the last queen after Borealis was born, and that makes her--”

“The crown princess of the Northern Light foxes,” Borealis interrupted, sighing. “And that means if anything DID happen to Mom… I need to take over as queen when I’m older.”

Comet and Violet Frost sat their with wide eyes by the time the three ponies and Borealis got done explaining, but Violet was the first to say anything, ending the silence. “Wow... that-- that is a LOT to process.”

“I know! I mean, I always knew that I was destined for greatness if I had Rudolph by my side as my best friend,” Borealis said, “but… being a future queen of a colony of foxes that I don’t even know is still out there?! Wow… I’m just-- phew, sorry, guys… I’m still a little winded.”

“We totally get it,” Pipp reassured the fox cub. “Yeah!” Misty agreed with a gentle nod. “This is a lot for any of us to wrap our heads around.”

“But, you can worry about taking over as queen after we find your mom,” Zipp told her. “Which… I honestly hope it will be soon.”

Borealis sighed, ears pinning slightly out of nervousness. “...so do I…”

“Well, it sounds like all of you could use a break from all this,” Santa said before warmly chuckling. “Uh, you-you all go on and ha-have a wonderful time.”

Everyone cheered in excitement-- the circus might actually have a fighting chance now that they were all on the same page.

However, Frosty had a thought, causing him to stop during the cheering. “Just one thing.”

“W-What’s wrong, Frosty?” Sunny asked in concern. “It’s too bad Snowfall and the kids have to miss the 4th of July fireworks,” Frosty said with a sigh. “But half a vacation's better than none, I guess.”

“No… you’ve got a point,” Violet told the snowman. “Kids should be able to see fireworks-- I don’t know what I’d do if the auroricorns weren’t able to see the Aurora Flares.”

“Violet, you’re absolutely right,” Santa said before trying to think of an idea that could work for everybody.

XXXXXXXX

But, they were all unaware that Twitch, Allura and Winterbolt were using the Eye of Snow to spy on them again. “And now,” said Winterbolt, “to entwine them just a bit more into a morass from which they will never escape. Ha ha ha…”

But before Winterbolt could make a movement, Allura got an idea of her own. “Winterbolt, do you think I could do what you did earlier for myself?”

“But of course!” Winterbolt gladly invited, handing her a lump of snow. “Now, just whisper your idea, and blow the snow onto the eye.”

Allura thought for a moment before muttering something into the snow, making it sparkle before blowing it onto the eye and sending it into Santa’s head.

XXXXXXXX

After the snow with Allura's idea entered his mind, Santa immediately had a thought. “Mama and I will fly my sleigh down for the 4th,” he explained to the group. “We'll pick up Frosty and family just before the fireworks finish and whisk back up to the North Pole by the time the last one fades.”

“And… I think it might be fun for me and Comet to go with you,” Violet Frost spoke up. “We’ve never been to a circus before, and it might be good to bring some new experiences to Starlight Ridge.”

“Oh-ho, that’s pawsome!” Borealis exclaimed. “What a neat idea,” Frosty agreed. “I can’t believe it!” Cocoa squealed in excitement. “Brand new friends, Rudolph, Frosty, and-and now Santa!”

“Why,” Milton picked up the circus poster, “this-- this really will be the greatest show in the-- in the universe!”

Everyone laughed and cheered at this, excited for the adventure ahead just as Milton began to sing the same song Crystal sang to Frosty earlier.

Milton: Everything I've always wanted
You are "everything I've always wanted"
And I'll never let you go

I will take deserted byways
Dusty roads or cement highways
Follow you through rain, or sleet, or snow

During the song, everyone went out to the newly-upgraded hot-air balloon with a much larger basket for all the non-flyers to ride in, and the balloon slowly lifted off the ground as Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves and some of the animals waved farewell to the group as they set off.

Milton: In my wildest dreams I never dreamed
I'd find somebody I would love
Much more than I could ever show

“See you in a few days!” Santa called out with a hearty laugh as the balloon flew further and further away, causing Borealis and the ponies to wave farewell in response.

Milton: You are everything I've always wanted
More than anything, and if there's any doubt
Well, now you know

XXXXXXXX

During the circus ride, Snowfall had Borealis on her back as they looked around at their changing environment, since they were getting farther and farther away from the North Pole. “Wow… there sure is a lot less snow here than there is back home,” Snowfall said, glancing around. “If Frosty, Crystal and the twins didn’t have those amulets, it’d be Slush City!”

“Tell us about it,” Hitch panted, wiping his forehead with his front hoof. “Man, it is HOT!”

“Don’t worry about that,” Cocoa said as she passed out ice pops from a small cooler she had nearby. “These oughta cool you down until we get to the circus grounds.”

“Mmm… polar-berry! My favorite!” Comet said in delight as he delightedly tasted his ice pop. “How’d you make this?”

“Borealis gave me some polar berries to try the last time Milton and I were at the North Pole,” Cocoa explained, “and I’ve been experimenting ever since, trying to find the perfect flavors.”

“Mmm… good marketing idea!” Pipp said as she slurped her strawberry and banana ice pop. “I should totally try and make new Mane Melody products.”

“So, what other acts were you thinking of us doing for the circus, dears?” Crystal asked Cocoa and Milton. “Well… I was thinking that you and your family could do some good old-fashioned belly whopping-- you know, a snowman’s special talent,” Cocoa said in thought. “And then, after that, I thought maybe Dazzle could perform, but we’ll just have to adjust the schedule in case--”

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!!!” Borealis interrupted with wide eyes. “...Dazzle? By any chance, you’re not referring to THE Dazzle Harmony… a-are you?”

“Actually, yeah,” Cocoa nodded, smiling. “She and I have been friends since we were fillies. When I found out she was in town for the 4th, I asked her to come and perform at the circus, and she agreed-- as long as we still get to spend some time together.”

“...oh… my… SNOWBALL!!” Snowfall squealed, rushing toward her and allowing Borealis to fall off her back. “How did Bori not tell me you were a friend of DAZZLE Harmony?!!!”

“Ugh… because I didn’t know until now?” Borealis reminded her best friend. “That’s why I asked, remember?”

“...oh… heh, right.”

“Uh… call me confused,” Izzy whispered to Frosty and his family, “but… who’s Dazzle Harmony?”

“She’s a super famous singer that Snowfall and Bori are obsessed with,” Chilly explained, causing Snowfall to gasp dramatically. “We are NOT obsessed!” she said, huffing and turning away. “We’re just heavily involved with her social media.”

“Yeah!” Borealis agreed. “It’s not our fault her voice is as pure as an angel and she should be worshiped!”

The others glanced at her strangely, causing Borealis to blush and giggle. “Just kidding…”

“Well, we’re really excited to meet her and the other performers of the circus,” Violet said. “Maybe Comet and I can help by making some aurora flares!”

“That sounds great, Violet!” Milton said before he looked down below the balloon. “Hey, look, everyone! We’re almost there!”

Everyone looked down to see the seashore coming into view, greenery all around them and all around the nearby town as well. “Oh, Frosty,” Crystal said in awe, “it’s lovely!”

“Oh!” Chilly pointed to the circus grounds below. “Look down there!”

“It’s the circus!” Milly cheered. “Uh-huh,” Misty nodded. “It looks like they’re setting up the circus tents. We better get down there and lend them a helping hoof.”

“Aye aye, Captain Misty!” Sunny saluted and pulled a cord, pulling the balloon down just before they all hid in the basket as the balloon went down.

XXXXXXXX

Back on the ground, the head of the entire circus, Lilly Lorraine, who wore a cowgirl-styled outfit, was directing the rest of the circus staff on what to do to set up the tent. “Come on, you guys!” she said encouragingly. “Let’s get this tent up!”

That’s when her daughter, Lanie, the same girl who was on the circus poster, spotted Milton and Cocoa’s balloon getting lower and lower toward the ground. “Oh, Mama, look! It’s Cocoa and Milton!”

“YAY!!!” cheered the other circus employees as the balloon continued to descend. “Hi, Laine!” Milton waved alongside Cocoa. “Hi, Ms. Loraine!” Cocoa greeted, and Laine found herself once again enamored by Milton… the exact same feelings she had when they first met. “Oh, Mama, isn't he wonderful? He's the greatest ice cream man in the world.”

“Oh, forget him, honey,” Lily told her daughter, clearly not impressed with Milton. “There's one thing life's taught me. You can't live on banana splits.”

Slowly, the balloon made it to the ground, and Cocoa hopped out of it in order for their friends to make their grand entrances. “Laine, look who we got for the show!” Milton said happily. “Some new Equestrian friends, real auroricorns, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman!”

“In person!” the ponies, auroricorns, Rudolph and Frosty said as they and the others revealed themselves, with Rudolph’s nose glowing brightly. “Well, I’ll be! Uh… YAHOO!!” Lily fired a shot from her pistol, catching many of the ponies offguard. “Oh, Mama, we’ll be a hit!” Laine told her mother. “What do you think of Milton now?”

“Maybe I was wrong,” Lily admitted. “Milton's like the butter pecan he sells. A little nuts but mighty yummy! Wahoo!”

Borealis yelped as Lily fired another gunshot, but was able to calm down rather easily to see Milton and Laine rush to each other, still madly in love. “Oh, Laine,” Milton smiled warmly. “Now everything will turn out alright.”

“Rudolph and Frosty?” asked Laine. “I can’t believe it!”

“And,” Izzy said, “we’ve got Santa Claus coming too!”

“Santa too? What an idea for a closing act!” Lily fired her pistol again. “Print more tickets!”

“Why, it's just like Christmas is coming early this year,” Laine spoke, holding Milton close to her. “Oh, Milton, everything is just perfect now.”

Then, Laine and Milton shared a passionate kiss, causing Borealis and Snowfall to gag, but then giggle at their own actions. That’s when Borealis suddenly realized something, and tapped on Lily Lorraine’s leg. “Um… Ms. Lorraine? Not to be rude or anything, but… is Dazzle Harmony here by any chance? Me and my friend Snowfall are kinda huge fans of hers.”

“She’ll be outside to help us soon, kid,” Lily told her with a wink. “In fact… she should be coming out of that tent over there to give us a sneak preview just about now!”

At that moment, some backup dancers emerged from a small tent as creepy-styled music began to play. Then, at that moment, a gorgeous green unicorn with amber eyes, a purple, blue and pink mane and tail and a cutie mark of three music notes leapt out of the tent before starting to sing an upbeat song.

We go together, yeah
Better than birds of a feather, you and me
We change the weather, yeah
I'm feelin' heat in December when you're 'round me

That’s when Dazzle started walking around, letting everyone get a good look at the rising unicorn pop star, even sparing a flirty look at Comet and Hitch.

I’ve been dancin' on top of cars and lookin' for where you are
I follow you through the dark, can't get enough
You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain
And, baby, you know it's obvious

I'm a sucker for you, yeah
Say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly
I'm a sucker for you, yeah
Any road you take, you know that you'll find me

I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things
No one knows about you (about you), about you (about you)
And you're makin' the typical me break my typical rules
It's true, I'm a sucker for you

Four, three, two, one, let's get it
Ooh, ooh

Borealis and Snowfall danced along with Dazzle and the backup dancers to their hearts' content while everyone cheered for Dazzle and her performers as the song continued.

There was no doubt about it, though-- Dazzle Harmony was impressive.

Don't complicate it, yeah
'Cause I know you and you know everything about me
I can't remember, yeah
All of the nights, I can't remember when you're 'round me

I've been dancin' on top of cars and lookin' for where you are
I follow you through the dark, can't get enough
You're the medicine and the pain, the tattoo inside my brain
And, baby, you know it's obvious

I'm a sucker for you, yeah
Say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly
I'm a sucker for you, yeah
Any road you take, you know that you'll find me

I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things
No one knows about you (about you), about you (about you)
And you're makin' the typical me break my typical rules
It's true, I'm a sucker for you

Everyone cheered wildly as the unicorn pop star bowed at the end of her performance, and Pipp, Snowfall and Borealis eagerly approached her with Frosty and Rudolph. “That… was… hoof-tacular!” Pipp told her excitedly. “I’ve never seen such intricate dance moves like those before!”

“Aww, thanks!” Dazzle giggled before gasping. “Aren’t you Pipp Petals? One of those famous Equestrians from the Talent Star finale?”

“That’s me! And my friends are just over there,” Pipp pointed at her friends, who waved in response. “And this is Borealis and Snowfall Cane, two of your biggest fans, and these are--”

But before Pipp could finish, Dazzle recognized the wintry celebrities and gasped. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman?! I-I can’t believe it! I’m such a huge fan!”

“Thanks, it’s nice to meet you too,” Frosty shook her hoof before Snowfall squealed. “I can’t believe we’re actually talking to you! ‘Sucker’ is absolutely one of our favorite songs!”

“Yeah! We know all the words and all the dance moves by heart!” Borealis agreed. “Ask Rudolph-- he usually listens to your songs with me.”

“Heh, yeah, I guess that’s true,” Rudolph said with a smile. “Well, now that the introductions are over,” Zipp said, “I think we need to help with the rest of the set-up; the circus has to make it big if it wants to stay up and running, you know!”

XXXXXXXX

“Now we got something to work for!” Lily told everyone as they kept pulling the tent into position. “Come on with that tent! Heave ho ho ho! Heave ho ho ho!”

“What’s with the ‘ho ho ho’?” asked one of the clowns in confusion. “Well, it is Christmas,” said Lily with a smile. “Isn’t it?”

That’s when Lily began to sing a heartwarming song that got everyone smiling and thinking of the winter holidays… even though it was 100 degrees or more.

Lily: Christmas in July seems early
For a holly holiday
In this world of hurly burly
We need this everyday

Remember, you should have the Christmas spirit
Only for the whole year through
Everyday is just like Christmas
As long as I'm with you...

Everyone nodded in agreement to the statement and began to talk and converse... and yet, they all remained completely oblivious to the dangers that were ahead of them.

Author's Note

Since Kylie Cantrall is voicing Dazzle Harmony, I thought one of my favorite Kylie Cantrall covers would make a good hit song for Dazzle:

Sucker - YouTube

Meeting Scratcher/Chicken Today and Feathers Tomorrow

But while everyone else believed that everything was going to be all right at the Circus by the Sea, Winterbolt, Allura and Twitch were watching everything through the Eye of Snow, knowing that everything was going exactly to their plans. “And I suppose they believe everyone will live happily ever after,” Winterbolt said before rising from his throne. “NEVER!!”

Twitch yelped in shock and dove behind the throne to hide, but Allura only scoffed at her minion's fear. “Twitch, stay here while Winterbolt and I conduct more business. I will return for you when we finish.”

At this, Twitch nervously saluted and watched Winterbolt and Allura walk into another part of the cavern, where Allura saw giant snow dragons roaring and growling, waiting for their wintry master's command. “Make yourselves ready, my pretties,” Winterbolt told his pets. “Build fury in your hearts. Soon my partner and I will have a very special job for you. Ha ha ha ha!”

Allura couldn't help but stare at the dragons... if they could unleash their snowy breath at her just once... then her ice powers could give her more power... more than the star could ever bring!

All she had to do was get a moment alone with them.

Just then, Winterbolt spoke up to her again, snapping her from her thoughts. “Come, my friend. We must consult the genie once more, in order to find someone else to help us succeed in our plans.”

XXXXXXXX

As soon as Winterbolt and Allura stepped into the other part of the cavern again, the genie sprung to life once again. “What is thy will, oh master?”

“Genie of the Ice Scepter,” Winterbolt commanded, “find us a reindeer as mean as Rudolph is kind. As cunning as Rudolph is guileless. As selfish as Rudolph is giving.”

“A corrupt, cunning knave of a creature,” Allura agreed as she spread her wings and stomped her paw, “with ambition to equal our own!”

“But, why, oh master and great snow leopard?”

“All part of our plans, genie,” Allura stated simply. “Now… find us such a reindeer at once!”

“Beyond the forest of the burned Christmas trees…” stated the genie, “and the hill of the broken baubles… there, you will find the Caves of Lost Rejections. Ask the keeper for…”

XXXXXXXX

“Scratcher?” the keeper of the Cave of Lost Rejections asked once Winterbolt and Allura arrived and spoke the name of the reindeer the genie had given them. “He’s in cave number 13.”

“Well, we wish to see him at once,” Allura stated in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. “You ain’t the only one, cat,” the keeper snarked in response. “I've been tryin' to throw him out all week. Behind in his rent, he is. But he's mean, and I don't fancy riskin' my neck.”

Winterbolt knew that in order for their plan to succeed, they would have to convince Scratcher to join up with them somehow... and he wasn't going to back down for anything. “13, you say?”

“That’s right,” the keeper nodded, getting up from his chair. “This way.”

Allura let Twitch onto her back and followed Winterbolt and the keeper through the caverns until they got to cave 13. And once the keeper had left them alone, Winterbolt called out for the reindeer they needed. “Scratcher!”

“What you want?” a male voice asked in annoyance. “Come forth,” Winterbolt said calmly, but Scratcher laughed mockingly on the inside. “Make me.”

“...very well,” Winterbolt said before Allura could lose her temper, and sent a beam of light from his scepter right into the cave. “Hey!” Scratcher shouted. “What’s happening?”

When the scepter's magic pulled Scratcher out completely, Allura and Twitch could see that he was a reindeer about Rudolph's height and age, but with buck teeth sticking out of his mouth. “All right, all right! For crying out loud!” Scratcher groaned as he was plopped onto the ground. “I’ll pay the rent!”

“We don’t want the rent!” Winterbolt sneered as he grabbed Scratcher by the scruff on his neck. “We want Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his Equestrian friends!”

“And you, if you know what’s good for you,” Allura agreed, “are going to help us!”

“Rudolph? Don’t mention that name,” Scratcher crossed his front hooves. “I was all set to be one of Santa's reindeer when he and his prissy pony friends came along.”

“I see…” Allura said, a smirk forming on her face. “So, Santa fired you to make room for Rudolph?”

“Well,” Scratcher then admitted, “I also stole some toys and ate a whole new batch of candy canes.”

“Candy-- excellent!” Winterbolt chuckled. “It was all downhill from there,” Scratcher concluded with a sigh, “till I ended up in this joint.”

“Good,” Allura smirked as Winterbolt set Scratcher down. “How would you like a new job working for me and my friends here?”

“Hmm… doing what?”

“Destroying those ponies and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, of course!”

This seemed to make Scratcher's eyes light up in interest. “Sounds like a good job to me. Heh heh. What do I gotta do?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Winterbolt said casually. “Spend a few luxurious days at the seashore… get to know Rudolph… lead him astray, as it were.”

“And,” Allura added, “you must keep me updated on when those ponies are at their weakest… so I know when to strike them down once and for all.”

“Gee,” said Scratcher, “it sounds like a pretty good idea. Ha ha ha!”

Twitch laughed in agreement, rubbing his front paws together maliciously, causing Allura to halt him by clearing her throat. “Now, you must go at once to find a man named Sam Spangles. From there…”

XXXXXXXX

As Winterbolt, Allura and Twitch were trying to recruit Scratcher for their legion of evil, the set-up at the Circus by the Sea was going much faster now that they had more ponies, foxes, reindeer and snow people helping.

Finally, everything was set up, causing Borealis to sigh in relief as she, Sunny and Rudolph walked alongside Lily Loraine to oversee the other acts. “Well, Mrs. Loraine,” Borealis said, “we're finally ready to open.”

“We worked night and day, kids,” Lily spoke, “but we made it!”

“And compared to getting all the bands at Bridlewoodstock to perform,” Sunny said, “this was quite a bit easier than I thought.”

“But still,” Rudolph pointed out, “running a circus is no easy job.”

That's when Lily turned to face the young reindeer and his two friends. “Well, I tell ya, Blinky, it's got its ups and its downs. Life with the circus is like life with a guy,” she explained. “Sometimes you're low, and sometimes you're high.”

And then, with a playful wink, Lily began to sing another upbeat song.

Lily: Chicken today and feathers tomorrow
One day is good and the next day there's sorrow
I don't care what, long as I got my guy

Then, during the course of the song, Rudolph, Borealis and their Equestrian friends followed Lily all around the circus grounds, even watching Lily swing on trapezes with Laine, bounce on balls and soar through the air like a pegasus.

Lily: Chicken today and feathers tomorrow
One day I lend and the next day I borrow
I don't care what, long as I got my guy

I'm like a river, rolling along
A carefree river, singing a song
And where my hat is, that is where I belong

Chicken today and feathers tomorrow
Life is that way; there's some joy and some sorrow
I don't care what, long as I got my guy

I'm like a river, rolling along
A carefree river, singing a song
And where my hat is, that is where I belong

Chicken today and feathers tomorrow
Life is that way; there's some joy and some sorrow
I don't care what, long as I got my guy
I don't care what, long as I got my guy

By the end of the song, Rudolph's nose glowed brightly, and the ponies gathered around their friends, old and new, all while wondering... how could anything bad come from this experience?

XXXXXXXX

“Now,” Allura said to Scratcher, “have you memorized your instructions?”

“Don’t worry,” Scratcher reassured. “Me and Sam Spangles will take care of everything.”

“Good,” Winterbolt said before offering something to Scratcher. “Here. Nibble on these. These are some of Santa's magic feed corn.”

“Hey!” Scratcher realized. “That means I'll be able to fly like Donner and Blitzen and all those other goody-goods.”

As Scratcher continued to nibble on the magic corn, Allura hummed to herself. “Maybe it would help if I also had a critter of my own on the inside, just to make sure Scratcher doesn’t mess this up.”

“Uh-huh!” Twitch laughed and rubbed his paws together before he realized what Allura said as he gestured to himself in shock. “Of course, you!” Allura said in annoyance. “It can’t be me now, can it? You'll be able to go places that I can't.”

However, Twitch was still not onboard with the idea. “Well, obviously Scratcher isn’t as clever as you, Twitch,” Allura told her minion. “And we must use that to help us destroy those ponies and find the star shard. Without it, we’ll be stuck in this drab world FOREVER!!”

Reluctantly, Twitch sighed and nodded just before Winterbolt and Scratcher led the group outside to where the snow dragons were waiting. “Now,” Winterbolt told the reindeer and rabbit team, “fly forth and do our bidding!”

Twitch muttered in confusion, tilting his head. “Yeah, what the rabbit said,” Scratcher said. “What’s the hurry?”

“Soon,” Winterbolt said, “my pets here will blow up the worst snowstorm of the century.”

“Well, what if we get lost?” Scratcher asked curiously as Twitch got on his back. “I mean, neither of us have a glowing nose, you know.”

“You dolts will be well out of these parts before the storm hits!” Allura growled. “Now, will you go forth forthwith?”

Twitch muttered, imitating his master before kicking Scratcher in the ribs, encouraging him to fly off into the night. And once they were alone, Winterbolt turned to his snow dragons, who seemed to be getting antsy. “Oh, soon,” he reassured. “Soon, my little pets. We mustn't be hasty. Ha ha ha. Timing is everything if my-- er, our intricate plan is to succeed.”

“And the best part,” Allura chuckled, “is that Sunny and her friends don’t suspect a thing… making them easier targets than I ever believed.”

Peril in the Skies/The Circus Parade Begins

A little while after Scratcher and Twitch got to moving toward the seashore, it was time for Santa and Mrs. Claus to get packing for their big trip down south.

Santa walked into the bedroom to see Mrs. Claus was packing an overly large suitcase, but chose not to say anything about it, since he knew how much this meant to her. “You really are looking forward to this trip, aren't you?”

“Papa,” Mrs. Claus sighed happily, “ I haven't had a summer vacation since… can’t remember when.”

“We work too hard, Mama,” Santa told his wife, sitting next to her on the suitcase. “Oh, I guess I'm not the easiest man in the world to live with, though.”

Mrs. Claus merely chuckled at this. “Well, only when it gets close to Christmas Eve.”

“Ah, we have had lots and lots of Christmas Eves, Mama.”

“They were good times, Papa.”

“And I still love you,” Santa said with a tender smile, “just as much as the first day I saw you.”

“Instead of talking,” Mrs. Claus recalled, “you gave me a lovely China doll.”

“Well,” Santa told her, “giving toys is my way of… saying hello. And showing my love.”

“I know that, Papa.”

Santa gave Mrs. Claus a soft peck on the cheek, causing Mrs. Claus to giggle, and both of them snuggled against each other warmly.

Yes, it seemed like Mrs. Claus and Santa Claus were the most beloved couple in the North Pole, and they always would be.

But suddenly, as they began to get comfortable, the cuckoo clock on the wall began to chime and say ‘Merry Christmas’ over and over, causing Mrs. Claus to realize what time it was. “11:00, Papa! The circus parade's at 12:00. Hurry, or we’ll miss it!”

But, as they got up off the suitcase, all the clothes flew out of it, causing both of them to chuckle and begin to pick up the clothes.

At that moment, an auroricorn mare stepped through the doors, who had a blue pelt, light blue eyes, a sparkly blue mane and tail, a crystal blue hooficure, an amethyst pendant on her necklace and a crystal cutie mark of some swirling snowflakes.

The mare cleared her throat as she came into the room and began to help them put the clothes back in the suitcase. “Oh, thank you, Snow Mist,” Mrs. Claus smiled. “Oh, it’s no problem,” Snow Mist smiled at the couple warmly. “I actually came in here to tell you that the reindeer are ready to head down south, and the elves are just finishing packing the rest of the luggage.”

“Wonderful,” Santa smiled. “We’ll be there in just a moment.”

Snow Mist smiled longingly with a sigh. “I’ve always wanted to go down south where it's warmer. I mean, don’t get me wrong-- I love Starlight Ridge and I love visiting the North Pole,” she said, approaching the window, “but… I just imagine so many things out there to see. And the thing is… before Allura, we never had the chance to get out and explore other places.”

“Oh, that’s right…” Mrs. Claus recalled with a frown. “You poor dears were under her rule for so long, you don’t know what to do with yourselves.”

“Well… how would you like to come with us to the circus, my dear?” Santa asked the auroricorn before turning to his beloved wife. “If Mrs. Claus doesn’t mind, of course.”

“Oh, how could I say no?” Mrs. Claus said with the same kind smile. “We would love the extra company, and we could use your glowing horn to help us if we get into trouble.”

“Really?!” Snow Mist said rather excitedly. “I would LOVE to!”

“Well, you better go pack, then,” Mrs. Claus said. “We leave for the seashore in just a few minutes.”

Snow Mist giggled excitedly and galloped out of the room, leaving Santa and Mrs. Claus to chuckle at her enthusiasm.

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Allura grew angered at the sight of the auroricorns, HER former minions, siding with those in the North Pole. “I gave those pathetic ponies a purpose, and they BETRAY me for the enemy?!” she snarled. “If we weren’t already on a mission, I would hypnotize all of them once again!”

“Patience, Allura, patience,” Winterbolt told his new ally. “We’re close to exacting phase 2 of our plan-- and then, we will make sure both of our missions are fulfilled.”

Allura growled in pure anger, but nodded reluctantly-- Winterbolt was right.

Her time would come... and not one of those ponies or their friends would be able to escape.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Snow Mist was carrying her suitcase on her back while walking out to the front of the castle, and behind her were some of her friends:

Polar Faith had a darker blue pelt than Snow Mist, a dark purple mane and tail, blue eyes, a dark blue crystal on her necklace and a crystal cutie mark of an igloo.
Winter Wind had a greenish-colored pelt, a blue mane and tail, blue eyes, an amethyst in her necklace and a crystal cutie mark of a gust of wind and a star.
Frostbite was a dark purple stallion with a blue and green mane and tail, blue eyes, pink and green jewels in his necklace and a crystal cutie mark of a snowflake.

Needless to say, all of Snow Mist's friends were super excited that Santa and Mrs. Claus had invited her along and wanted to spend some more time with her before she left. “We’re so excited that you’re getting to go down south, Snow Mist!” Winter Wind exclaimed excitedly as Snow Mist tossed her bag in the sleigh. “You gotta tell us anything when you get back.”

“We’re sure gonna miss you, though,” Frostbite admitted. “Aww… I’m gonna miss all of you, too,” Snow Mist smiled at her friends. “But, I’ll be with Violet Frost and Comet, not to mention all our other friends-- I think I’ll be fine.”

Snow Mist climbed into the back of the sleigh just as the Kringle Elves helped Mrs. Claus and Santa inside. “Thank you, auroricorns and little Kringles!” Santa bid them farewell. “We’ll be back late tonight!”

“Don’t wait up!” Mrs. Claus said just as Santa flicked the reins, and the reindeer flew up and into the sky. “Away! Away!” Santa called. “And away all!”

“Bye, everypony!” Snow Mist waved to her friends below. “We’ll be back soon! I promise!”

But… what the auroricorn, Santa and Mrs. Claus didn’t know was that they were heading into a large heap of trouble.

XXXXXXXX

“They’ve left the castle as we speak, Winterbolt,” Allura said as she flew into the cavern where the snow dragons rested. “If there was a time to begin, it would be now.”

Winterbolt nodded before turning to the snow dragons and chanting an incantation. “Use fog to blind and snow to bury,” he commanded the dragons. “Wind to tear the heart that's merry. Ice and gale and sleet, and hail... Santa must, in his mission, fail!”

When the incantation was completed, the dragons roared and send clouds of snow, ice and wind out from their mouths and out of the mountains, causing Winterbolt and Allura to cackle madly.

No one was going to be able to stop them now!

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, up in the skies, Santa and Mrs. Claus, with Snow Mist in the back of the sleigh with the luggage, noticed the chance in temperature, thanks to the snow dragons' magic, causing Mrs. Claus to shiver. “Ooh, that's an angry wind for this time of year.”

“Y-Yeah,” Snow Mist shivered. “I’m used to the cold, but I don’t like the vibes that wind is giving me.”

Suddenly, Mrs. Claus saw something ahead that made her grab Santa’s arm in panic. “Papa! Look!”

When Santa and Snow Mist looked ahead, they gasped at what they saw-- some sort of winter cyclone was forming, and they were headed straight for it! “What is that?!” Snow Mist shrieked over the howling winds. “We’ve got to get back!” Santa desperately pulled on the reins to turn the reindeer around. “Back! Dasher! Dancer! Comet!”

“It’s too late, Santa!” Snow Mist shrieked. “It’s got us!”

“Hold on, girls!” Santa cried as he tried to navigate the reindeer through the storm, but it was nearly impossible for them to see. “Oh, if only Rudolph were here!”

XXXXXXXX

Borealis shivered from the float she, Rudolph, Snowfall and Frosty and his family shared, as if a terrible feeling was trying to warn her about something. “Hey, Bori, you okay?” Violet Frost asked from where she and Comet stood in front of the float with the Mane 6. “You look a little freaked out.”

“I’m not sure what I felt,” Borealis said. “Maybe it was because this is my first parade as a princess? I mean… this is still a lot to take in at once.”

“Don’t worry… everything’s gonna be fine,” Snowfall reassured her bestie. “You got all of us, remember? We got your back.”

“...thanks, Snowy,” Borealis smiled before climbing onto Rudolph’s back. “I guess the parade is about to start, so we better get prepared.”

XXXXXXXX

Back in the skies, Santa had steered the sleigh into the eye of the winter storm, where it wasn’t as windy, and turned to Mrs. Claus and Snow Mist. “Well, we're safe here in the storm's eye, girls,” he said, “but I'm afraid it's only for a little while.”

“Santa…?” Snow Mist couldn’t help but sound worried. “Do you think we’ll ever get out?”

“Storms are strange things, dear,” Santa said, but immediately saw that it only made Snow Mist a bit more worried. “Uh, I mean…”

“Are you frightened?” Mrs. Claus asked. “About what may happen?”

Santa seemed a bit more confident about his next answer. “No, my dear. Not at all. Even with this storm.”

Then, Snow Mist heard the most beautiful love song she had ever heard, making her smile thoughtfully as she saw Santa and Mrs. Claus' love story in the back of her mind.

Santa: I see rainbows
When I look at you
And the rain goes as the sun comes through

All things wonderful are what you are
You shine brighter than the brightest star

I see roses blooming in the snow
Roses growing everywhere you go

I see rainbows when I look at you
Rain or shine I'll be part of your life...

Snow Mist was cooing by the time the song was over-- and it was no secret to any auroricorn that she was a hopeless romantic. After she snuggled her beloved husband, Mrs. Claus gave everyone a blanket to keep themselves warm. “Papa, we've gotten out of worse situations than this,” Mrs. Claus said. “I say the best thing to do would be to get down from these stormy skies and continue on the ground.”

“All right, Mama, we'll try it,” Santa nodded. “The both of you, hang on.”

He flicked the reins and guided the reindeer toward the ground, all while Snow Mist couldn’t help but wonder... how were they going to save Frosty and his family from melting if they couldn’t get out of this storm?

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, the circus parade had begun, and while Milton and Cocoa served ice cream and while everyone else in the circus waved or did part of their acts on the small float, Lily Loraine sat on the back of a tall giraffe and began singing.

Lily: Don't let the parade pass you by
Live living it up til you die

Always be hep
And keep in step
With the times a changing
Change your life when it needs rearranging

You got to believe in your gut
You'll never get caught in a rut
Don't be afraid
You've got it made
If you don't let the parade
Don't let the parade pass you by

Borealis and Snowfall couldn’t help but giggle as they waved to their new adoring fans on the side of the street as the song took a brief break. But before they knew it, the song restarted once again.

Lily: With the times a changing
Change your life when it needs rearranging
You got to believe in your gut
You'll never get caught in a rut

Don't be afraid
You've got it made
If you don't let the parade
Don't let the parade pass you by, don't lie!

Don't let the parade
Pass you byyyyyyyy!!!

The crowd cheered by the time that the song ended, and while the crowd cheered, Frosty scanned the skies once more to see if he could see Santa’s sleigh. “Smile, Frosty,” Crystal told her husband. “Lily says that in show business you gotta keep smiling.”

“But I'm kind of worried that Santa won't be here on time,” Frosty voiced his concerns, only for Milly to turn and comfort him. “Daddy, the show must go on.”

“That's what Aunt Lily says,” Chilly added, and Frosty decided to trust this for now. “Okay, but I got a feeling tonight there's gonna be a real wet act-- and it won't be the seals.”

While they were trotting in front of the float with their friends on it, Zipp whispered to Sunny out of concern. “I have a bad feeling about all this-- Santa's never missed a parade before, and we haven't seen hide nor wing of that stranger from earlier. I mean, Why would he give us those amulets and tell Borealis she's a long lost princess before disappearing?”

“You’re right about that,” Sunny said, “but I'm still not sure what exactly to believe. There are so many conflicting thoughts right now, and it's our job to help our circus friends right now.”

“Sunny's right,” Misty agreed from in front of them. “We’ll keep an eye on things, though, and step in when things get too suspicious.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Scratcher had been watching the parade until Twitch hopped up to him and squeaked. “You found him? Perfect! Show me the way and then let me do the talking.”

Twitch nodded and hopped off, leading Scratcher to a sinister-looking man in the nearby alley. And once he had done his job, Twitch stepped out of the way to let Scratcher through. “Are you Sam Spangles? The circus man?”

The man glared at the reindeer coldly. “How can I be a circus man without a circus?”

“Don't you worry about that,” Scratcher said with a wicked smirk. “I think my friend and I might have an interesting proposition.”

Author's Note

I found this really cute auroricorn online, and I thought I might as well leap at the opportunity to use her.

#3239870 - safe, artist:galaxy swirl, auroricorn, pony, g5, my little pony: make your mark, my little pony: make your mark chapter 6, secrets of starlight, spoiler:g5, spoiler:my little pony: make your mark chapter 6, spoiler:mymc06e04, female, mare, solo, unnamed character, unnamed pony - Derpibooru

The Christmas in July Circus Show

It was about an hour and a half after the circus parade ended, and Santa still hadn't shown up yet.

Snowfall didn’t want to make Frosty worry even more, but... even she was beginning to get a little nervous that Santa wouldn’t make it on time.

But, her pony friends seemed to be a bit more confident, especially when they had other things to worry about... including the special song Dazzle Harmony wrote for the special occasion, and the Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost were going to help her perform it, Borealis was going to use her powers to handle some of the effects, and then Rudolph and Frosty... well, their part was going to be a surprise.

Now, let's get back to some of the current events.

XXXXXXXX

Lily Loraine was in the middle of a discussion with Borealis, Rudolph, Sunny and Zipp, who seemed a bit nervous on how the show would run. “Just do your acts like you did in rehearsal, kids,” she told the group, “and we're bound to be a hit.”

“We'll try, Miss Loraine,” Rudolph nodded sincerely. “We sure will try, right, guys?”

“Absolutely,” Sunny agreed. “This is gonna be the best show the Circus by the Sea has ever had! Trust us on that.”

“Well, I better go give a pep talk to the clowns. Hang in there, Blinky and buddies,” Lily patted Borealis' head, causing her tail to wag before Lily walked off, leaving the four of them alone. “So,” Borealis broke the silence, “what do we do now?”

“I told the others that we would meet up before the show,” Zipp said, “so we better head to the back of the main tent to meet up with them.”

But before they could get too far, a voice spoke up to them from the shadows. “Hey, Rudolph. Fox pup.”

Rudolph and Borealis stopped in shock at the voice, and Rudolph was even more surprised to see who it was. “Scratcher?”

“Oh! The big star and his puppy remember their old buddy!” Scratcher posed a happy attitude as he walked over to them. But for some reason, Borealis wouldn’t buy this act for a second. “We were never buddies.”

“Eh, let bygones be bygones.”

“Rudolph... do you and Bori recognize this guy?” Zipp asked with a suspicious look. “Boy, do we EVER,” Borealis said coldly... something that threw Zipp and Sunny for a loop. “Scratcher was one of the jerks who made fun of me and Rudolph at the Reindeer Games… and it seems like nothing has changed much since we last saw you.”

“Eh, but do we all EVER change?” Scratcher asked before fake coughing. “What’s the matter?” Rudolph asked in concern. “Boy, I am really down and out,” Scratcher led them into a lie. “Haven't had a bite to eat in three days. Think you could get me a job with the show?”

“Guys, no,” Borealis whispered to her friends quietly. “Whatever you do, don’t give this delinquent deer a--”

“I guess we could always use another roustabout to help with the tents,” Rudolph interrupted Borealis, causing her to groan under her breath. “You’re a prince, Rudolph!” Scratcher faked his happy demeanor. “A prince!”

“We’ll go talk to Miss Loraine and let you know,” Zipp said as she urged her friends in the other direction. “Yeah, you and your friends do that, Rudolph. You just do that,” Scratcher said as they walked off before chuckling to himself. “Sucker.”

From his hiding place behind the cotton candy machine, Twitch flashed a thumbs up at Scratcher.

Things seemed to be going according to their plans... but they just needed to keep things up, otherwise Winterbolt nor Allura would be happy with them.

XXXXXXXX

“Bori, what in the world was that?” Sunny asked the young fox in shock as they rounded the corner. “I’ve never seen you like that before.”

“Scratcher… he’s different,” Borealis shuddered. “It may be my princess-y instincts kicking in, but I just don’t think we can trust him.”

“Trust who?” Comet asked as the others approached. “And why did Borealis act like what?”

“Never mind that for now,” Zipp dismissed. “Any sign of Santa yet?”

“We’ve checked all over the skies,” Misty said, “but no sign of his sleigh. And it’s getting darker and closer to showtime!”

“This is all getting really strange,” Violet said with a worried look. “I agree with Violette-- none of this makes any sense,” Hitch agreed as Sparky rode on his back. “Santa’s never been this late before-- not even on a Christmas delivery.”

“And what about that stranger from before? The one who gave Frosty’s family those amulets?” Zipp added. “We haven’t seen any sign of him since then.”

“Yeah,” Pipp agreed. “He wouldn’t just give Frosty and his family special gifts, tell Bori she’s a long-lost princess and then just bolt, would he?”

“He would,” Borealis said in thought, “if he had something to hide. Like… do you think maybe he was lying about not knowing Mom?”

“I’m not sure what to believe, honestly,” Sunny sighed. “None of this is adding up… especially after that business with Scratcher.”

“We don’t have any time to worry about that now,” Rudolph told the ponies. “All we can think about now is helping the circus and hoping Santa gets here before the fireworks finish tonight.”

The ponies and Borealis (and even Sparky) nodded, realizing their friend was right-- their friends needed them right now, and they weren't going to let them down.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Winterbolt and Allura had been watching the entire thing through the Eye of Snow, happy that their plan was going so smoothly so far. “Perfect, perfect. Everything is going according to schedule. Now to tighten the net,” he said before turning to the snow leopard. “Allura, why don’t you stay here and take the chance to look for the star shard you desire? I won’t be but a few hours.”

“Of course, King Winterbolt,” Allura bowed as Winterbolt rose from his throne. “I’ll see you when you return.”

Winterbolt left his cave after this and approached a sleigh crafted from ice and pulled by four, large silvery-blue snakes. “Ah, what a magnificent sleigh and team the snow genie has created for me. Instead of reindeer, I have rein-snakes! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”

Then, Winterbolt boarded the sleigh and took command of the whip. “To the top of the porch,” he commanded, “to the top of the wall! Now slink away, slink away, slink away all!”

The sleigh took flight into the stormy skies as Allura watched from the entrance of the cave. “Perfect… he’s gone,” she smirked. “Now, before I continue my search for the star shard, I must pay the snow dragons a visit… to see if they can lend me a bit of their power… whether they want to or not. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

XXXXXXXX

A few minutes after the Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost, Borealis and Rudolph got done meeting, it was time for the show to begin, and Lily spoke out to the crowd with the spotlight donning on her. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the new edition of Lilly Loraine's Circus by the Sea!” she announced to the cheering crowd. “Bring on the clowns!”

The clowns went through the curtain to start their act, all while Izzy and Pipp looked through the curtain with Rudolph and Borealis in order to watch. “Ha ha ha ha!!” Izzy laughed. “The clowns are just walking out there and they’re already my favorite act! Oh, my pony I love laughter…”

“Heh heh heh, yeah… so we noticed,” Pipp rolled her eyes playfully… just before Scratcher came up behind the group, hauling a huge wagon. “This is a great job you and your friends got me, Rudolph.”

“Well,” Rudolph said, eyeing Scratcher and the look Borealis was giving him, “just do it well and I'm sure you'll get a promotion.”

“Oh, I ain't complaining, ol' buddy,” Scratcher said before glancing over at Twitch, who gave him a wink, which meant it was time to start the second phase of their plan. “Oh, uh, Miss Loraine wants me to get something out of the office wagon, but it's all dark in there. I think a fuse blew. Will you and your fox come in with me and give me some light?”

“Uh, sorry, Scratcher,” Borealis said before Rudolph could speak, “but we have to do our acts. And I have to help out with Dazzle Harmony's special effects for her performance.”

“And then,” Izzy added, “we have to close out the show before the fireworks start!”

“Oh, but it won't take a minute,” Scratcher reassured them. “Let me finish hauling this thing and I'll meet you over by the wagon.”

“Well…” Rudolph hesitated for a moment, but then smiled, at least wanting to help Scratcher with this one task. “...okay.”

“Oh, you really are a buddy, ol' buddy,” Scratcher said in a fake-happy tone, and groaned as he hauled the wagon away. “This is hard…”

Borealis couldn’t help but watch Scratcher for a moment, but then, her ears picked up the sound of rustling. But thinking it was just her nerves getting to her, she shrugged and watched the show again, unaware that Twitch was following Scratcher out of the tent.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Santa was guiding the sleigh team through the darkness, and Mrs. Claus and Snow Mist could only look around at their dark surroundings as they rode along. “It's so late, Mama,” Santa sighed. “Poor Frosty.”

“We're doing everything we can, Papa,” Mrs. Claus tried to reassure. “Oh... look up there, Mama,” Santa gestured at the pitch black clouds above. “Black as pitch. Not a star in the sky.”

“Well, we may not have stars,” Snow Mist said, standing up from the back of the sleigh, “but let's see if this can help provide some more light.”

Her horn lit up in aurora-like colors, providing a bit more light for the reindeer to see by. “Good thinking, Snow Mist,” Santa praised the auroricorn mare. “Let’s just hope your glowing horn can help us through this wintry mess.”

XXXXXXXX

“Onward! Onward!” Winterbolt declared to his team of flying snakes. “We don't want to miss the fireworks, now do we?”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Pipp was at the end of the tightrope, ready to help Laine with her routine when Laine suddenly began to lose her balance, causing Pipp to gasp and fly out to help her balance temporarily. “Laine, are you okay?”

“Oh! Yes, I'm fine,” Laine said, clearly a little worried, “but I forgot my parasol!”

“Ohh... I would fly and get it for you,” Pipp said, “but I don't want to leave you here without any way to balance yourself!”

Just then, Lily stepped out onto the tightrope, holding Laine's tightrope, much to Pipp's relief. “How many times do I gotta tell you?” Lily told her daughter. “Make notes for yourself!”

“Yes, Mama,” Laine nodded obediently. “Good luck with the rest of your act, Laine!” Pipp said before she flew off. “Thanks, Pipp!” Laine waved her friend farewell before continuing the act, causing the entire crowd to erupt in cheers.

After Pipp had helped Laine down, Snowfall led Frosty and his family (who were each riding their own elephants) out onto the stage, where Lily began to introduce the family's act. “And now,” she exclaimed, “presenting one of our star attractions. 'Frosty the Snowman and family in a sensational, spellbinding exhibition of world championship belly-whopping!”

Comet and Violet Frost used their magic to center the lights at the top of a huge ramp that the snow family and Snowfall were standing at the top of, and as the crowd (including the Mane 6) went wild, Frosty turned to his family and the young pegasus filly. “Like I always say,” he said. “The family that slides together abides together.”

“You don't always say that, Frosty,” Snowfall shook her head. “Stick to the script, Daddy,” Chilly advised. “If Santa doesn’t get here soon, we’ll be sticking to everything,” Frosty then reminded. “Come on! Snowfall, you first.”

“Look out, world! Here comes Snowfall Cane!” the blue pegasus filly cheered before sliding down the ramp on her belly, with Frosty and the rest of his family following afterwards. Then, once all members of the family had gone down the ramp, they all landed on top of each other in a neat pile, with Snowfall on the bottom, Frosty on top of her, Crystal on top of her husband, and then Chilly and Milly were held by their mother.

The Mane 6, Comet, Violet and Sparky were among the loudest of those cheering, but they couldn't help but wonder... where was Rudolph at a time like this?

XXXXXXXX

Rudolph was waiting outside for Santa to show up when Scratcher quickly approached him. “Hey, I've been waiting for you over by the office wagon. Come on, Rudolph!”

Suddenly, a familiar melody began to play, and Borealis rushed to his side. “Rudolph, come on! That’s our warning cue!”

“Oh, you’re right!” Rudolph realized before turning back to Scratcher. “Look, as soon as I'm done I'll meet you by the wagon, I promise.”

And just like that, Rudolph followed Borealis back into the tent. “That’s my buddy…” Scratcher spat on his own words before turning to a hiding Twitch. “You know the drill, rabbit! Get Sam Spangles and get into position!”

Twitch saluted and hopped off to do his duty while Scratcher looked back at the tent with a scowl.

XXXXXXXX

“Lights, please!” Lily called out, and Violet and Comet dimmed the lights just enough so a single spotlight rested on Rudolph, with Borealis on his back. “This is it!” Pipp squealed, prancing in her place. “Bring out the fog machine, boys! And Misty and Izzy, of course.”

Two clowns, followed by Misty and Izzy, brought out a huge machine right before Rudolph and Borealis, and with the single flip of a switch, fog began to cover the circus ring. That’s when Lily knew to ask Rudolph if he was ready or not.

“Are you ready, Rudolph?”

“I am ready!”

“Then, lights on, Rudolph!”

“Lights on!”

“Come on, Rudolph…” Hitch muttered nervously while Sparky happily munched on popcorn. “Come on…”

Rudolph thought the happiest thoughts he could think of, and his nose began to get brighter… and brighter… and brighter until…

…the fog burned away completely, leaving the arena clear once more! “He burned off the fog!” Dazzle exclaimed to Cocoa. “I can’t believe it!”

“Let’s hear it for Princess Borealis and Rudolph!” Lily said to the crowd, who cheered as Rudolph and Borealis took a bow. “Bori, I gotta go meet Scratcher to help with that job,” Rudolph whispered to the fox. “Do you wanna come?”

“I need to stay here and help with Dazzle’s performance,” Borealis whispered back, hopping off his back. “Be careful, though… I still don’t trust that Scratcher character.”

“Don’t worry… I will.”

Then, without another word, Rudolph flew out of the tent and into the night. “He’ll be back, folks!” Borealis announced to the crowd. “But for right now, let’s give a huge welcome to pop sensation… Dazzle Harmony!”

The crowd went absolutely wild when Dazzle’s name was said, and she and her dancers got ready to take the stage for their wildest performance yet.

XXXXXXXX

Scratcher knew, by the sound of the audience's cheering growing louder, that Rudolph's act was over, and he needed to get Twitch and Sam Spangle out of sight before he got to the wagon. “His act is over. Quick,” he said, handing Sam the remainder of a police costume. “Here's the rest of the disguise.”

“Just think… me, Sam Spangles, a policeman!” the greedy businessman chuckled alongside Twitch. “Here he comes!” Scratcher whispered as Rudolph flew into sight. “Hide!”

Twitch and Sam Spangles hid in the darkness of the circus grounds just as Rudolph landed before the office wagon. “Good, ol’ buddy,” Scratcher praised. “Now, turn it on.”

Rudolph gladly did as asked, and lit his nose before the two of them entered the wagon. “Now,” said Scratcher as he looked around, “she said it's under the table here.”

“What are you looking for?” Rudolph asked curiously. “She said it was a little leather suitcase,” Scratcher explained before he suddenly saw the suitcase underneath the table. “Oh, there it is. Gee, thanks, ol' buddy.”

Now, came the next part of Scratcher’s plan. As he moved to pick up the suitcase, he pretended to trip and came crashing to the ground. “Oh! Oh! Oh! I hurt myself.”

Now, Rudolph became a little suspicious. “Just taking a little fall like that?”

“Oh, I twisted my nose… my neck or something,” Scratcher whined in pain. “Now I can't pick up that suitcase. Buddy, would you do it for me?”

Rudolph felt a little conflicted in that moment-- on one hoof, Borealis warned him not to be too trusting of Scratcher, since he DID bully Borealis and Rudolph when they were younger.

But then again… Scratcher did seem like he needed help, and Rudolph’s heart was so pure, how could he refuse. “Well… okay. All this fuss over a little suitcase. What's inside?”

“Well, she didn’t say,” Scratcher lied. “Just pick it up and give it to the cop waiting on the corner.”

“Okay, but…” Rudolph began to pick up the suitcase when it fell open, revealing what was inside, much to his bewilderment. “Hey, this bag is filled with money. And the night’s receipts.”

“Ohhhh…” Scratcher acted oblivious in that moment. “That's why she wants to give it to the cop. So he can take it to the bank and make a night deposit.”

“Well... okay,” Rudolph shoved his inner doubts aside and closed the suitcase, picking it up and following Scratcher out of the office as Twitch watched on with glee... Allura was sure to be proud of them for this.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Dazzle was just finishing up her performance.

Dazzle: I'm a sucker for you, yeah
Say the word and I'll go anywhere blindly
I'm a sucker for you, yeah
Any road you take, you know that you'll find me

I'm a sucker for all the subliminal things
No one knows about you (about you), about you (about you)
And you're makin' the typical me break my typical rules
It's true, I'm a sucker for you

And just like she expected, the crowd went absolutely nuts. “Aww, thank you! Thank you, everyone!” Dazzle waved and smiled. “And now… we have one last act before our big Christmas in July grand finale!”

At this, a choir full of children, including Milly and Chilly, were lowered from the ceiling holding candles and singing a soft tune.

Choir:I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on Earth good will to men…

After the choir got done performing, Lily deciced to make a little speech. “Whether July or December, Christmas lives in our hearts, but it's up at the North Pole, remember, where Christmas always starts.”

Once this was said, Milton (dressed as Santa Claus) and Cocoa (dressed in a sweet red dress) wandered onto the stage, pretending that the circus ring was the North Pole. “Ho ho ho! Hee hee hee!” Milton chuckled. “Now, where are our elves?” Cocoa wondered out loud before looking to the curtains. “Oh, hark! Here they come now!”

That’s when two young elephants wandered out onto the stage, much to Lily’s surprise. “Elephants?!” she asked before turning to Hitch. “I thought the midgets were gonna play the elves.”

“No no no no,” Hitch shook his head. “The elephants wanted to be the elves-- the midgets wanted to be the polar bears.”

Lily only sighed in response. “Actors…”

“Ah, very good, elves!” Cocoa patted the elephants warmly. “But,” Milton continued, “ have an idea of what will bring all of us lots of cheer. So just to please all the girls and the boys, why don't we have a parade of the toys?”

From the shadows, Sunny, Izzy and Misty pushed out a large box of toys, and with the swift flick of the horns of the unicorns, the box opened, revealing more circus staff dressed as toys. Once all the ‘toys’ were out of the box, all the children cheered happily. “And now, to make us all feel jolly,” Milton said, “my very best toy. A dancing dolly!”

At that moment, Comet shifted the spotlight so it would be on Laine, who started to sing a cheerful tune as the danced toward the North Pole sign.

Laine: Rockin' around the Christmas tree
At the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Every couple tries to stop

Laine hopped up on top of the sign, and under the sign grew a gigantic Christmas tree, thanks to Sunny and Hitch, and everyone who worked for the circus began to dance to their hearts content, and everyone cheered at the shimmering colors of the lights as the song continued.

Laine: Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Let the Christmas spirit ring
Later we'll have some pumpkin pie
And we'll do some caroling

You will get a sentimental feeling
When you hear
Voices singing let's be jolly
Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Rockin' around the Christmas tree
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancing merrily
In the new old-fashioned way

You will get a sentimental feeling
When you hear
Voices singing let's be jolly
Deck the halls with boughs of holly

All: Rockin' around the Christmas tree

Laine: Have a happy holiday

All: Everyone dancing merrily
In the new old-fashioned way...!!!!!!!

Once this song was over, the crowd erupted in cheers again, but Borealis noticed that someone very important from her life was missing... Rudolph.

And it was nearly time for their finale performance!

The Grand Finale/Fireworks Start and Rudolph's Glow Stops

The Mane 6 and Borealis were beginning to get worried-- Rudolph was still out with Scratcher, and if he didn't get back to the circus soon, he was going to miss performing in the grand finale, and everyone was counting on him.

But, Rudolph had no idea that he was in the process of being tricked into doing evil by someone he thought he could trust.

At the same time, Rudolph and Scratcher were bringing the case full of cash to the disguised Sam Spangles on the street corner. “Oh, thank you, me fine lad,” said Sam, taking the case. “Well… off to the bank!”

And just like that, he had rushed off, causing Rudolph to blink in surprise. Either that cop was really eager to do his job… or something really weird was getting ready to go on.

But there was no time to think about that now-- he had to get back to his friends before it was time for the grand finale performance!

XXXXXXXX

Snowfall, Frosty and Borealis were looking up at the sky outside the circus tent when Rudolph trotted up to them, causing Borealis to sigh in relief. “There you are! Thank goodness… the others and I were starting to get worried!”

“Yeah, where were you, Rudolph?” Frosty asked, but Rudolph couldn’t help but feel worried about what had previously occurred. “Guys, something funny is going on.”

“I don’t think it’s so funny,” Frosty shook his head, looking up at the sky. “I'm just about ready to give up hope.”

“Oh, I don’t mean that,” Rudolph shook his head. “Oh, here’s your star,” Snowfall handed Rudolph a hat that looked like a Christmas tree, but Frosty didn’t look that reassured. “Oh, Frosty… Santa gave his word. He'll be here before the fireworks are over.”

“Oh, I don't know...”

Nonetheless, Frosty hopped on Rudolph's back just as Borealis leapt onto Snowfall's back, and the group began to head inside before Rudolph decided to ask a question. “You ever see a policeman wearing a helmet?”

“No…” Snowfall shook her head, thinking hard about that. “But then again, I’ve never looked for one, either.”

“Are you sure I’m not too heavy?” Frosty then asked. “No…” Rudolph giggled, “...but you are kinda chilly.”

XXXXXXXX

Once Dazzle saw that Rudolph, Snowfall, Frosty and Borealis were returning to the tent, she galloped out into the circus ring and spoke to the audience. “All righty, folks, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time for a special song, written by yours truly, and performed by some of my brand-new friends!”

The crowd cheered at this, and Cocoa pressed a button and started the music for the song as she held Sparky within her hooves.

Pipp: Who was knocking at the door?
What we’ve been waiting for
Just plug it in and turn it on

Hitch: And get back up on the beat
Positive energy
And just move your feet and sing along

Misty: And I said hey, hey everybody
You and me, it’s a party
We never know what’s coming next (Come on, come on)

Comet: Aww yeah, family and friends

Zipp: Nice to see you in that sweater again
You’re growing up

Sunny: You got so tall!

Hitch: Let's grab some dessert

Pipp: Hey, don’t take it all!

Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost: Unwrap the celebrate
Unwrap the feeling great
Unwrap the this is just what we needed
So now appreciate
We’ve got so many ways
To put the happy in the holidays (Yeah)

It’s all right, all right
It’s all light, all light
All night, all night
I’m saying na, na, na

All right, all right
It’s all light, all light
All night, all night, whoo-hoo

The crowd was happily dancing along in the stands, and even on the sides, Borealis and Snowfall did a little jig while waiting for their cue.

Izzy: I’ve really missed your smile
Sit down and say a while
Always a joy to see you here

Pipp: Oh yeah

Izzy: I got somethin' for you

Comet: (Funny pajamas coming through)

Dazzle: Shout out now, can I get a cheer? (Whoo-hoo!)

Zipp: And I said hey, hey everybody (Everybody)
You and me, it’s a party
We never know what’s coming next (Surprise!)

Dazzle: Open it up and it’s raining confetti
Feels like a win-win, you’re giving, you’re getting
This is the time for just letting it go
And enjoying the family

Violet Frost: Aww, thanks, everypony!

Dazzle, Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost: Unwrap the celebrate
Unwrap the feeling great
Unwrap the this is just what we needed (Just what we needed)
So now appreciate
We’ve got so many ways
To put the happy in the holidays

Fa, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

Sunny: I’m so glad that some things never change (Oh yeah)

Dazzle, Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost: Fa, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

Misty: You're the happy in my holiday!

At this, Sparky ran across the stage, holding a star decoration in his claws, and during the next verse, Violet Frost and Comet levitated him to the top of the tree to put it on.

Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost: Unwrap the celebrate
Unwrap the feeling great
Unwrap the this is just what we needed (Just what we needed)
So now appreciate
We’ve got so many ways
To put the happy in the holidays (Happy Holidays!)

After this verse, Snowfall and Rudolph took flight toward the top of the tree, carrying Frosty and Borealis on their backs to close out the number.

Dazzle, Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost: It’s all right, all right
It’s all light, all light
All night, all night
I’m singing na, na, na

All right, all right
It’s all light, all light
Let’s put the happy in the holidays!

Once the song was over, Rudolph's nose was glowing brightly from the top of the tree, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers before the spotlight shown on Lily Loraine once again. “Well, that's the show, folks. A little corny, but expensive,” she said. “Be sure and hang around outside for a free 4th of July fireworks display. And come back again next year!”

The audience cheered one final time as the show came to a close, and the Mane 6, Sparky, Borealis, Snowfall, Rudolph and Frosty joined up at the back of the circus tent. “You hear that, guys?” Frosty removed Rudolph’s hat. “Time for the fireworks.”

“Yeah, we know, Frosty,” Sunny said with a sigh of worry. “I just don't understand how Santa could be so late!”

“And all that business Rudolph had with Scratcher,” Borealis agreed. “Something’s really wrong here… but I just can’t put my paw on it.”

“Hey, guys!” Violet said as she and Comet approached the group with the twins. “Dazzle and Lily are taking care of Sparky, and the twins wanted to come and find you.”

“Yeah! Come on, everybody!” Chilly urged. “Don't want to miss the fireworks,” Milly agreed. “Miss them?” Frosty asked. “I’d like to stop them.”

“Why do you want to stop them, Daddy?” Milly asked. “Aren’t you patriotic?”

“Sure, I’m patriotic,” Frosty said before gulping nervously. “My only regret is I only have but one life to melt for my country.”

“Wait a second… Frosty! I think you may have hit the nail on the head!” Zipp realized. “Really?” Izzy asked curiously. “I don’t see a hammer anywhere.”

“No no no, Izzy-- what Frosty just said!” Sunny realized. “Maybe we CAN stop the fireworks and buy Santa a little more time!”

“Yeah,” Frosty nodded. “Let’s find out who’s setting them off.”

“I’ll take a group and go this way,” Rudolph pointed in one direction, “and you take a group and go that way.”

“And we’ll stay here with Milly and Chilly until Crystal comes back,” Comet said, and the groups immediately split up to cover more ground.

XXXXXXXX

Dazzle lit a match with her magic and lit a fuse, which caused the fireworks to start exploding in the sky as Frosty, Snowfall, Zipp, Hitch and Misty approached. “Dazzle, Miss Loraine,” Frosty began, “you gotta help us.”

“Anything, Frosty,” Lily said. “You just name it.”

“Stop the fireworks!”

“...you named the wrong one.”

“Huh?!” the ponies chorused. “Sorry, guys, but we can’t stop them,” Dazzle explained. “Once the main fuse is lit, they keep going… even if a cloudburst poured down on top of 'em.”

Just then, another firework exploded, much to the awe of the crowd. “Why do you want 'em stopped?” Lily asked. “Well, the thing is,” said Hitch, “Frosty has this funny kind of feeling.”

“About fireworks?” Dazzle looked confused. “No… more about melting than anything,” Zipp said before looking at the large mountain of fireworks. “How many are there exactly?”

“Exactly 100,” Dazzle said as another firework lit up the sky. “That’s number three.”

“I'm counting, I'm counting,” Frosty tried to keep track. “Which one’s number 100?”

“Right over there,” Lily pointed to the top of the massive firework mountain, and Frosty glanced nervously at the 100th firework. “That's my number, alright. And when my number goes up, my number is up.”

Snowfall sighed nervously as well, continuing to glance at the sky. “And where's Santa...?”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Snow Mist continued to try and guide Santa's sleigh through the storm, but her light wasn't as bright as Rudolph's nose, so it didn't provide them with better circumstances. “Still no sign of it lettin' up, Mama,” Santa sighed. “'m afraid we're gonna be too late to save Frosty.”

“It’s not your fault, Papa,” Mrs. Claus tried to comfort. “Mrs. Claus is right,” Snow Mist nodded. “All we can do is keep going and hope for the best.”

“Hyah! Faster!” Santa told the reindeer as they traversed through the darkness once again.

XXXXXXXX

As Santa, Mrs. Claus, Snow Mist and the rest of the team tried to go through the dark storm, the firework count had gone higher and higher, causing Violet Frost to sigh. “That’s number 73… only 27 more to go.”

“Violet?” Milly tapped her shoulder. “Why are you so worried about the pretty fireworks?”

“Children,” Crystal pulled the twins in close, “you must be very brave.”

“Aw, gee… why’d I get everybody into this mess?” Frosty muttered to himself as another firework lit up the sky. “74…”

“We promise to be brave, Mommy,” Chilly said sincerely, causing Crystal to hug them. “I’m very proud of you.”

Then… another firework lit up the sky, causing Comet to gulp. “75…”

“Oh, Frosty…” Crystal said worriedly as the auroricorns and Snowfall took the twins somewhere else so Frosty and Crystal could have their moment. “There, there, honey,” Frosty tried to comfort. “I just want you to know that I'm sure glad I married you.”

“I am too, love.”

Frosty: You are everything I always wanted
More than anything
And if there's any doubt, well, now you know

Then, another firework exploded in the sky. “76…” Frosty sighed. “Boy, I remember when I could only count to four. The good ol' days.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Rudolph and Borealis had separated from their friends to find a way to shut the fireworks down when a voice pierced the air and caught their attention. “Hey! We’ve been robbed!”

“Huh?” Borealis whimpered as she and Rudolph approached Lily to see her with a police man. “I went to get the money to give to Officer Kelly here,” Lily explained, “and it’s gone!”

Rudolph suddenly had a sinking feeling enter his stomach. “He's the policeman it was supposed to go to?”

“Well… yeah,” Lily answered. “Why?”

“D-Didn’t you send Scratcher to fetch it?” Borealis asked nervously. “Me? Let a roustabout reindeer handle the loot?” Lily questioned. “I ain’t that daffy.”

Suddenly, Rudolph realized what had just happened. “Oh, wow!”

“Hey…” Lily said in confusion. “What do you know about this, Blinky?”

“Uh… we gotta go check on our friends,” said Borealis, nudging Rudolph away in order to prevent more worry from entering her stomach… and in order to prevent more blame to fall on her best friend.

Meanwhile, another firework lit up the sky while the Mane 6, Sparky, Comet, Violet Frost, Snowfall and the snow family watched in worry. “91!”

Suddenly, Milly saw something in the sky that got her excited. “Daddy, Mommy, look! It’s Santa!”

“She’s right!” Pipp said, shaking Frosty’s arm slightly. “Frosty, it’s a sleigh!”

“Huh?” Frosty looked up and saw that they were right. “Oh boy!”

“Wait a minute,” Rudolph said as he and Borealis approached, finding something odd about the sleigh approaching. “It’s a sleigh all right, but it’s not Santa.”

“I have to agree with that,” Zipp said after looking at the sleigh with her visor. “Since when are sleighs pulled by giant snakes?”

As the sleigh, revealed to be Winterbolt’s sleigh, descended closer to the ground, everyone’s worry turned to confusion as Sunny gave out the next set of instructions. “Comet and Violet Frost, stay with Sparky and Frosty’s family. The rest of us are gonna investigate this.”

That's when the group rushed off to see what they could find out, leaving the two auroricorns, Frosty's wife, kids and Hitch's baby dragon alone.

XXXXXXXX

Winterbolt smiled as his sleigh touched the ground, getting up and looking around the gloomy atmosphere. “Oh, how I've waited for this moment.”

At that moment, the Mane 6 and their friends rounded the corner. “Hey, it’s that stranger from earlier!” Izzy pointed out. “Maybe he came to help us!”

“Let’s hope so!” Zipp said as another firework lit up the sky. “Cause that was firework 93!”

“Sir?” Rudolph called out to Winterbolt politely. “Sir?!”

“My name is Winterbolt,” the former king of the North Pole sneered as they approached. “King Winterbolt!”

This caused the entire group to stop in shock. “A king!” Frosty gasped. “Gee…”

“Your… your majesty,” Borealis bowed out of respect. “Santa never showed up!”

“Yes,” Winterbolt nodded, “I know.”

“Frosty’s time is almost over!” Rudolph spoke up, just as Snowfall nodded in desperation. “Just 7 more fireworks!”

But then, ironically, the seventh firework blew up in the sky. “Correction-- six,” Winterbolt told the pegasus. “That was number 94.”

“...yeah, I think we can all do math,” Zipp muttered. “But either way,” Rudolph said, slightly nudging Zipp’s side, “you’ve just got to make those amulets last a little longer.”

“But, for Frosty and his family’s sake,” Hitch interrupted, “maybe you need to make them last a LOT longer.”

“Of course,” Winterbolt nodded. “Of course, my dear friends.”

However… Zipp and Sunny couldn’t help but feel like there was a catch to this request, but the others didn’t notice it right away. “You hear that, Frosty?” Borealis asked in relief. “Oh, wow!” Frosty exclaimed. “Wait till I tell the wife and the kids!”

But then, Winterbolt lifted his scepter to stop them from leaving. “One moment!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, another firework lit up the sky. “95!” Winterbolt spoke. “Aw, we don’t have to bother keeping count anymore,” Frosty told him, but Winterbolt wasn’t about to let this go easily. “Oh, yes you do.”

Rudolph turned to him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I will make the amulets' power last, Rudolph,” Winterbolt stated, “only so long as your nose remains extinguished.”

“His nose is not extinguished,” Borealis said. “At least… I don’t think it is anyway.”

“Really? Then he should try to light it.”

As Rudolph struggled to light his nose, the 96th firework lit up the sky. “96!”

“Go ahead, Rudolph,” Frosty encouraged. “I’m… trying!” Rudolph strained. “I’m trying real hard!”

But, no matter how hard he tried, Rudolph couldn’t light his nose again, causing Winterbolt and the snakes pulling his sleigh to chuckle nervously. “Rudolph!” Misty said in concern. “What’s wrong?!”

“I-It… it won’t light up!”

“But-- but that’s impossible!” Sunny stated. “It was working just a few minutes ago!”

“And it couldn’t have gone out unless…” Zipp realized mid-sentence and turned to Winterbolt with fury. “What did you do to it, Winterbolt?!”

“I didn’t do a thing-- your so-called friend did it to himself,” Winterbolt told the pegasus princess before turning to Rudolph. “You used your nose for an evil purpose. You robbed the money from the box office wagon and gave it to one Sam Spangles.”

The ponies gasped and refused to believe this claim… until Scratcher and Sam Spangles came out of hiding, the latter tipping his hat to the group. “Sorry, suckers.”

“I don’t understand,” Frosty said in confusion. “Rudolph was tricked, Frosty!” Borealis said in anger. “That’s the only way this could have happened-- Rudolph would have never intentionally done anything like this!”

“...well, I’m gonna set things straight,” Rudolph turned back to Winterbolt. “I’ll tell everybody what really happened.”

“No, you won’t!” Winterbolt threatened. “I warn you… if you or that fox princess friend of yours clear your name to save your nose, the Frostys all will melt. Admit your guilt, and I will allow them to remain frozen.”

This left Rudolph and Borealis in the most unbearable position-- tell the truth to their friends and risk Frosty and his family melting, leaving Snowfall all alone... or stay silent and take the blame, risking Rudolph's glow going out forever?

Just then, another firework lit up the sky. “97!”

Then, there was another firework that exploded. “98! Only two more. What do you say, Rudolph?”

The ponies were worried about what Rudolph might choose, but then... Rudolph lifted his head with a narrowed gaze. “Okay. I won't tell anybody the truth. I'll take the blame and let my nose go out.”

Sunny and her friends couldn't believe what they were hearing, but they were snapped out of their stunned trance when the second-to-last firework lit up the sky. “99...”

“Rudolph, there has to be another way to fix this!” Hitch said. “You just can’t let your nose go out forever! Santa needs it!”

“I don’t have a choice, Hitch-- I’m sure you ponies would make a similar decision,” Rudolph said as his ears pinned against his head. “Come on… we only have one firework left.”

“...okay, we’ll go with you,” Zipp said before glaring at Winterbolt. “But Winterbolt… this isn’t over. Not by a long shot!”

The ponies and Snowfall led Frosty and Rudolph away from Winterbolt and his sinsterly laughing snakes, but just before Borealis could join them, Winterbolt spoke up to her. “Oh, little fox? I just wanted to say I do remember your mother now,” he said, having reviewed the history of the Northern Lights foxes during his absence. “She was a great ruler over your species… until the poachers came and finished everyone off. Everyone… except you.”

Borealis’ eyes went as wide as pinpricks in that moment, but as she gasped fearfully, her eyes filled with tears, her ears pinned and she trudged after her friends.

She hated to admit it, but… it seemed as if Winterbolt, and possibly Allura (who they didn’t know about yet) had won.

And it seemed like there was nothing they could do about it this time.

Suffering with the Consequences

The Mane 6 could hardly believe what had just occurred... Rudolph had been tricked into stealing the money from the box office wagon, and was tricked into giving the money to Sam Spangles.

Now, the show was in his hands, and Rudolph's nose had been extinguished forever.

The worst part was... the ponies didn't know of any way to help.

On the other hoof, Borealis had just learned from Winterbolt that her entire species had been finished off by poachers... and Borealis was sure that her mother was one of them.

Her worse fears had been realized... she really WAS all alone.

But, they had no idea that things were going to take an even darker turn when everyone found out the so-called truth.

XXXXXXXX

“Only one more!” Crystal said, holding her children as Comet, Violet Frost and Sparky stood nearby. “Where’s Frosty?”

“Hey!” Lily shouted as she approached. “What’s going on here?”

“Miss Loraine?” Rudolph spoke up as he and Borealis sorrowfully approached. “I… I stole that money.”

And you can probably guess all the stunned reactions that everyone gave off.

“What?!”

“No way!”

“That can’t be true!”

“Uncle Rudolph?”

“I don’t believe it.”

Frosty, believing he could clear Rudolph’s name, stepped forward. “No, he-- he... I mean, I can explain.”

“No, Frosty!” Borealis cried. “Don’t!”

With that taken care of, and their friends silent, Rudolph turned back to Lily with a sorrowful look. “I stole the money, ma'am, and I gave it to Sam Spangles.”

“Spangles?! That means he takes over the show!” Lily shouted before glancing down at Rudolph, ashamed. “Rudolph, what got into you?”

“...I can't explain.”

Lily sighed and walked away, but before the others could try and say anything, the final firework lit up the sky. “100!” Crystal cried out. “Oh, Frosty…”

“Relax, Crystal,” Frosty reassured the family. “We aren't going to melt. See?”

“Huh?” Violet looked at the family and realized that Frosty was right. “Wow, you’re right!”

“Mommy, we’re saved!”

“Oh, Daddy, we’re not gonna melt!”

As the group watched the celebration with the rest of the family, they couldn’t help but notice that Rudolph and Borealis looked miserable… and that made Frosty and Snowfall worry too.

But just then, Rudolph tried to brighten up as he turned to the snow family. “Congratulations,” he said. “Now you don't have to worry.”

Unfortunately, Crystal nudged the twins away, causing the ponies to gasp. “I’m sorry, Rudolph,” she said with a serious frown, “but I don't want the twins associating with a dishonest reindeer.”

Sunny could feel the hearts of the twins, Snowfall and Frosty breaking at this. “Aww… Uncle Rudolph…” Milly whimpered. “Why’d you do it?” Chilly sniffled as Crystal led him, his sister and Sparky away. “No, wait!” Frosty tried to stop them. “You don't understand!”

“Frosty, everyone?” Rudolph said seriously. “You guys must never tell anyone that I didn’t do it.”

“But… but Rudolph--” Zipp tried to protest. “Never!” Rudolph suddenly snapped, catching the ponies offguard-- Rudolph had NEVER snapped before, not in their long friendship. But then, Rudolph realized what he did, and his ears pinned regretfully. “What’s more important?” he then asked. “A silly old red nose or the lives of my best friend and his family?”

“Oh, Rudolph… what can we say to that speech?” Hitch asked. “Yeah… you’re willing to sacrifice everything to keep Frosty and his family safe,” Snowfall nodded in agreement, just as Frosty moved forward. “You sure are a friend.”

But as Frosty shook Rudolph’s hoof, he noticed something off that worried him. “Hey… that funny little mark on your hoof.”

“Rudolph… he’s right!” Misty gasped as she saw it too. “The star inside the snowflake! It’s gone!”

Tears formed in Rudolph’s eyes at this, to which he blinked away, much to the others' concern. “Yes… I know.”

Suddenly, the sound of sniffling filled the air, and everyone looked to see Borealis trying to keep her own tears contained. “I’m so… so sorry…” she whispered. “This is all my fault…”

“Bori, there’s no way that this is either of your fault,” Violet told her friends. “You guys had no idea that Scratcher would lead Rudolph into a trap.”

“But… it IS my fault that my mom is dead…”

That seemed to stop everyone in their tracks, their blood turning cold. “Bori… what are you talking about?” Rudolph asked. “I’m sure your mom is--”

“Winterbolt told me that poachers went after my whole species!” Borealis blurt out, tears rolling down her face. “If my mom hadn't protected me, she would have been safe!”

“Bori… if she hadn’t had have you,” Snowfall tried to reassure her friend, “I wouldn’t have an amazing friend.”

“...Rudolph, we need to go tell everyone that your act is canceled,” Borealis shrugged the gesture off before walking away, leaving Rudolph to regretfully follow. “I-I need to have time on my own too,” sighed Snowfall, unfolding her wings and flying off, leaving the rest of the group alone. “Guys…” Comet looked at the ponies. “What just happened?”

“...I wish we could tell you, Comet,” sighed Sunny with a regretful look, “but… even if we could… you wouldn’t believe it.”

“But for right now,” said Zipp, “everypony from Equestria needs to meet me in our trailer… we need to talk about this and our next steps.”

XXXXXXXX

Sam Spangles, Winterbolt, Twitch and Scratcher cheered happily at the success of their mission, and eventually, Winterbolt gestured for Scratcher and Twitch to get on the sleigh with him. “Come-- you’re the number one reindeer of the north now.”

“You bet!” Scratcher boarded the sleigh as Winterbolt cracked his whip. “Away! Away!”

And slowly, but surely, the sleigh lifted off and flew off out of sight. “So long!” Sam Spangles turned toward three clowns walking out in the open. “Okay, creeps, there's gonna be some changes around here.”

“Y-Y-You don't own the show yet!” stammered one of the clowns. “Wanna bet?” Sam spat back. “Who's gonna pay to see… Rudolph the Unlit Reindeer, with a very nothin’ nose? Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I can't wait till tomorrow night!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Rudolph and Borealis had just got done explaining why they could no longer do their act, causing the crowd to boo at the top of their lungs. “I’m sorry,” Rudolph apologized as Borealis tried to prevent herself from crying, “but I can still do my jumps.”

However, the crowd still booed the deer and fox duo, resulting in the two of them to continue shedding tears and sadly leave the tent as the crowd began to chant. “We want our money back! We want our money back! We want our money back!”

As Rudolph and Borealis came outside, Milton, Dazzle and Cocoa were trying their best to console Laine when they saw their friends, with Cocoa being the first to speak up. “Bori? Rudolph?”

“How can you even speak to him after what he did to my mother?” Laine huffed and turned away. “But there must be some explanation-- Rudolph wouldn’t just go stealing cash wily-nily” Dazzle pointed out before turning to their friends. “We’re all friends here… you can tell us, guys.”

But, Rudolph sadly shook his head. “There’s nothing to tell. I stole the money and gave it to Sam Spangles.”

“And now…” sniffled Borealis, “I’m the last of my kind… all because I was born.”

“But, guys…” Milton tried to say, but Rudolph sighed, interrupting him. “Just… just leave us be, Milton.”

“You heard him. Let’s go, you three,” Laine urged the three, and Cocoa and Dazzle reluctantly followed Laine away. “Goodbye, Rudolph,” Milton sighed. “Goodbye… for good.”

That's when Milton left with Laine and their two pony pals, and Borealis and Rudolph sadly walked to their trailer, singing a sorrowful song while doing so.

Borealis: No bed of roses
That's how life seems to be

Rudolph: No bed of roses
No easy way for me

Then, Rudolph looked at the mirror and saw a happier image of himself with his nose glowing... almost as if his power was never taken away. But then, the happy image disappeared, leaving Rudolph's sorrowful reflection.

Rudolph: You were my star glow
But now you're gone

That's when all the newspaper clippings of him saving Christmas and the pictures all his friends and family fell to the floor one by one, landing at their feet and paws.

Rudolph: You took the roses
But left each thorn

Borealis: Go on without us
But if you change your mind
One thing about us...
We won't be hard to find

Rudolph dabbed his nose into a little dish of red glitter, trying to make it look bright again, but it was not the same.

Rudolph: If there's a glow again
I know that life can be
A bed of roses
For you and me...

As Rudolph continued to shed tears of sadness all while trying to be there for Borealis, the ponies watched from outside the window, feeling horrible for their friends... but they weren't all that sure of what to do. “Oh, this is going to ruin everyone’s image of Rudolph!” Pipp frowned. “He’s back to being a misfit like before!”

“Come on, guys, cheer up a little,” Sunny tried to lift her friends’ spirits. “Remember... we never cared about what anyone else thought of our friends’ differences before they became the heroes they are. Besides, despite his light being gone, I still care about Rudolph just like Borealis does.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Zipp agreed, “but… we have to try and convince them that there’s still hope. Even if we haven’t seen it for ourselves yet.”

Suddenly, the trailer door opened, and Borealis and Rudolph stepped out of it. “Come on, Rudolph,” Borealis sighed. “We may as well disappear, so we won’t cause anyone else anymore trouble.”

But, before they could get too far, the ponies galloped toward their friends and walked beside them. “Hey, guys,” Misty tried to smile. “Mind if we join you?”

“What are you all doing here?” Rudolph asked. “What about Sparky?”

“Crystal and the twins are taking care of him for a little while,” Hitch said. “We wanted to check on you two.”

“But… if you get seen with us--” Rudolph began to say, but Pipp interrupted him. “So what if other people start to think bad of us just because we hang out with you guys? We know who our real friends are… and you guys are our real friends to the end.”

“So, wherever you’re going,” Izzy said, “we’re going with you.”

Borealis and Rudolph couldn't help but smile at this kindness, and Rudolph eventually nodded. “Thanks, guys… I think we would really like that.”

“Come on, then,” Zipp said. “There’s a trail on the other side of these tents that we can walk down.”

And so, with heavy hearts and brains racing, the eight friends trudged off... unaware that a chance for them to fix everything was just around the corner.

Winterbolt and Allura's Extended Plans/Danger Rises

As Rudolph, Borealis and their Equestrian pony friends walked down the forest path to try and clear their minds, Snowfall Cane was hiding behind a few popcorn machines, trying to make herself feel better after watching not just Rudolph, but Borealis, have their worlds shattered.

There had to be something more that she could do... but she couldn't tell anyone else about this... or could she? “Ugh… why does this whole thing have to be so confusing?!” Snowfall muttered in frustration. “If I could tell everyone what REALLY happened, maybe they wouldn’t think so badly of my friends anymore…”

“What REALLY happened?”

Snowfall yelped in panic and leapt up on all four hooves when she heard a voice, and when she turned, her blood ran cold-- Comet, Violet Frost, Cocoa Sundae and Dazzle Harmony were looking down at her, having heard her talking to herself before she accidentally revealed that she knew something about Rudolph's downfall. “Oh, uh… what?” Snowfall tried to get rid of the fact that she spoke up. “I don’t know anything-- why would I know anything about Rudolph? Oh shoot!”

“Snowfall… it’s okay,” Violet tried to reassure. “You won’t get in trouble-- we all wanna help Rudolph too, and if you tell us, it’ll make it a lot easier to understand what we need to do.”

Snowfall sighed reluctantly and nodded. “Okay… but brace yourselves for this. This is gonna be a lot for even you guys to take in at once.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Frosty walked up to a circus ball before sitting on it, wondering what he could do to bring back Rudolph's light. “There must be something I can do alone that wouldn't hurt the family. Maybe I could give Winterbolt something in exchange,” he said before thinking to himself. “But what would I have that he'd want?”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, back in Winterbolt's lair, Winterbolt and Scratcher and Twitch watched Frosty ponder over what he might be able to do, and Winterbolt cackled at Frosty's way of thinking. “What indeed? His corncob pipe?”

“He does have something. I don't know. He must have something,” Scratcher pointed out. “Why not ask the genie?”

“Excellent suggestion!” Winterbolt said. “I’m glad I thought of it.”

Then, Allura trotted out from the next room where the snow dragons where, looking at the star shard around her neck before noticing the trio. “Oh, you’re back already? Did you succeed?”

“Indeed, but there seems to be more I can do to spread my reign of terror,” Winterbolt spoke. “Have you found the second star shard yet?”

“...no, not yet,” Allura half-lied. “But, I am in no hurry… those ponies must be too depressed over their friends to care about the star shard at the moment. Now… what are we going to see the genie about?”

“Follow me,” Winterbolt said as they began walking, “and I’ll explain what went on in your absence.”

XXXXXXXX

“Frosty the Snowman has his own magic,” the Genie of the Ice Scepter told Allura and the wicked king, “which could prove quite valuable.”

“Really?” Allura questioned out of curiosity. “Tell us… what is his power source?”

“His hat,” the genie responded. “Let me show you, oh master…”

The image in the genie's mouth changed to a flashback of the day a group of children began to build Frosty, and a familiar song played in the background.

Choir: Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly, happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal

When they put the parts and clothes (except the hat) on him, the children thought of names for him (before settling on Frosty) and danced the ring-around-the-rosey dance around him.

Choir: Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairy-tale they say
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he came to life one day

Then, the children passed one another an old silk hat, until a little girl put the hat on Frosty's lifeless head, and... well... I'm sure you can probably guess what happened next.

Choir: There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when he placed it on his head
He began to dance around

Oh, Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me

Then, the flashback ended, and the genie continued to speak to Winterbolt, who began to think of devious uses for a hat of such power. “Just think… if you had that hat and could find the secret of its magic… you could duplicate it over and over again, oh master.”

“Why…” Winterbolt said after a moment of thinking, “I could bring an army of snowmen to life!”

“And… I bet that’s where the star shard is hidden!” Allura whispered to Twitch. “We’ll just have to let Winterbolt THINK that we’re onto his plan, and then we’ll strike.”

“And Frosty,” the genie continued, “the only one who knows the true secret of Rudolph's nose… beside the ponies that Allura will soon destroy... would be lifeless.”

“Yes, and I could be safe,” Winterbolt realized. “But what would I give Frosty for his hat?”

“Lie to him, my master,” the genie told him. “Deceive him. Tell him you have the power to restore the borealis light to Rudolph's nose.”

“And then,” Allura said sinisterly, “when Rudolph and Borealis go to help their precious friend… you could destroy THEM in one quick blow while I destroy those meddling ponies! Then these worlds will be OURS!!”

Upon realizing that Allura was right, Winterbolt and Allura both cackled wickedly, with Twitch cackling behind them… now their plans were really shaping up.

XXXXXXXX

“Gee,” Frosty muttered. “I'd do anything… anything to help Rudolph.”

XXXXXXXX

While watching him through the Eye of Snow, Winterbolt then scooped up some snow, chanted some words quielty into it and blew it to the magic ball, transporting themselves to where the snowman was.

XXXXXXXX

The snowflakes magically appeared and sprinkled over Frosty’s head, giving him an idea, just like what happened with Milton and Santa earlier. “I know what to do!”

XXXXXXXX

“And then… Rudolph and Borealis disappeared, and I haven’t seen them for hours since,” Snowfall finished telling her pony friends the story of what had occurred an hour or two ago. “...so, yeah. Now you know everything, but you can’t tell anypony else about this, okay? If you do… then Frosty and his family will have to melt.”

But when she expected Comet, Violet, Cocoa and Dazzle to respond, they just sat their with their eyes wide and their mouths hung open... at least until Comet shook his head. “Wow… so the guy who gave Frosty and his family those amulets is really an evil king? I never would have expected that in a million years.”

“And because Rudolph took the blame for something he didn’t do,” Dazzle said, “we all nearly turned our backs on him! Oh… we are HORRIBLE friends…”

“It wasn’t our fault…” Violet told her friends. “It was Winterbolt that made all of this happen-- not Rudolph, not Borealis… not any of our pony friends either.”

That’s when Cocoa made a risky decision, standing back onto her hooves after sitting down. “I have to go and apologize for nearly losing faith in him.”

“I’ll go with you,” Dazzle told her friend. “With an evil king AND an evil snow leopard out there, who knows what you might run into.”

“I wanna come too!” Snowfall volunteered. “To check on Borealis!”

“I think we should go and check on Frosty, Snowy,” Violet told her little pegasus friend. “He was taking this pretty hard too, based on your story.”

“We’ll stay here with you, just in case,” Comet agreed. “But wait… how are you guys gonna find Rudolph, Bori and the others when its pitch black out here?”

“Well, I think their tracks are still fresh,” Cocoa said, “so we’ll start there if they haven’t already been blown over.”

But before the two friends could move out, Comet and Violet each pulled out a crystally necklace, with each of them having a unique charm-- Dazzle's new necklace had a microphone charm and Cocoa's new necklace had an ice cream cone charm. “Here-- they’re special North Pole necklaces that we learned to make,” Violet said, putting them on their new friends. “They’ll give you the power to fly like a reindeer if you need it.”

Cocoa and Dazzle gasped immediately as the magic overtook them, giving them each crystal hooficures (blue for Dazzle and purple for Cocoa), glittery manes and tails and glittery eyeshadow. “Wow! Thanks, you two!” Cocoa smiled, admiring her new look. “And don’t worry-- we’ll find our friends and be back before you know it!”

“Good luck!” Snowfall waved their friends farewell as they set off to follow the tracks of their friends, and they honestly hoped their friends could be found before it was too late to stop Allura and Winterbolt’s newest schemes.

XXXXXXXX

“It’s okay, guys… we’ll figure out some way to restore Rudolph’s light,” Misty tried to encourage her friends as they walked in silence. “We just have to come up with an idea.”

“Well, I just hope that idea comes in soon,” Hitch sighed, “because I have a sinking pit forming in my stomach from all this craziness.”

“I appreciate you all wanting to help us, really, I do,” Rudolph said sadly, “but I just don’t know what else we can try-- Izzy and Misty already tried their magic, and it was my naive nature that let me get like this.”

“We’re not gonna give up, Rudolph,” Sunny told her friend confidently. “We just haven’t come up with the RIGHT solution yet.”

Suddenly, a bright light shined up in the sky, making the group look up. “Oh, great…” Hitch muttered. “More fireworks?!”

“I don’t think those are fireworks, Hitchie!” Izzy gasped and pointed to the sky. “Look!”

Everyone looked up to see that it wasn't any kind of fireworks, but the glow of the aurora borealis, the namesake of Borealis, and a familiar voice spoke from within it. “Rudolph...”

“That voice...” Rudolph whispered with wide eyes. “I-I remember! You're Lady Boreal!”

“Lady who?” Zipp looked confused as she looked up at the aurora of colors radiating above them. “I don’t see any lady up there, Rudolph.”

“Lady Boreal was the queen of the Northern Lights,” Rudolph explained. “Papa told me legends about her, but… I completely forgot about her giving me the light from my nose until now.”

“As you can see, I am no more,” Lady Boreal stated, “but my love, in the form of the Northern Lights, watches over thee.”

“Ohhhhhh…” Borealis groaned in frustration. “What are we gonna do? Rudolph's nose is still out, and nothing we've done to get it to light has worked!”

“Rudolph must have no fear,” Lady Boreal told the fox pup and ponies, “when you all defend the helpless.”

“Okay... does that confuse anypony else?” Pipp asked her friends, blinking in confusion. “Cause I sure don't get it.”

“Yeah, um… excuse me? Mrs. Boreal?” Izzy called up to the sky. “We don’t exactly understand what you’re cryptically trying to say!”

“Be brave. Be very brave and, and the star in the snowflake will return.”

This was the one thing that Lady Boreal said that the group managed to understand clearly, and Rudolph immediately realized what it meant. “You mean there's a chance my nose will light up again?”

“Oh-ho, that’s amazing!” Sunny squealed in excitement. “What do we have to do? Do we have to face Winterbolt? Or does he have to do something else to get his nose’s glow back?”

But as the earth pony mare expected an answer, the lights above them began to dim. “Be brave...” Lady Boreal said, her voice barely audible. “Be very... brave...”

“No!” Rudolph cried out, not ready for Lady Boreal to disappear yet, still having a lot of questions. “Don’t go!”

But it was too late-- the lights had completely dimmed, leaving the reindeer to sigh. “I guess we’re alone again…”

However, as Borealis and Rudolph began to walk away, the ponies turned to themselves in wonder and confusion. “Did… anypony else get a Simba-Mufasa vibe out of what just happened?” Pipp asked, causing the others to glare at her. “What? Just asking!”

“Well, whatever we just saw,” Zipp said as they continued walking, “at least we know that in order for Rudolph to regain his nose's glow, he'll have to be brave while defending the innocent. But... who do we know that's innocent and needs defending?”

“Rudolph! Borealis!” called a familiar voice. “Is that you and your friends up there on the beach?”

“What now?” Rudolph asked as they looked around. “Out here!” said the voice again. “In the water!”

That's when everyone looked out toward the ocean to see a familiar whale friend of their swimming in their direction. “Big Ben, the clockwork whale,” he said to the group. “Remember me? I work for Father Time.”

“Sure we remember!” Borealis exclaimed, happy to see a familiar face. “What are you doing here?”

“Strangest thing,” Big Ben spoke. “Like I was led to you. I was under the water following the glow of the northern lights. Came up to get a good look and there you were.”

“Well, we sure are glad to see a familiar face,” Zipp said in relief. “So many things have happened over the past few days, and... well...”

“Aw, Ben...” Rudolph sniffed. “We’ve got big problems!”

“Well, little feller, you kids just tell 'em to me,” Big Ben said comfortingly. “I got a big shoulder to rest your heads on. And it's wet already, so a few tears won't hurt. Heh heh heh.”

“We'd be willing to tell you the story, Ben,” Misty sighed, “but I think you better brace yourself... you're in for a whale of a tale... pun not intended.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Snowfall was worriedly pacing in front of Comet and Violet Frost, anxiously waiting for Dazzle and Cocoa to come back with the rest of their friends... but they had been gone for quite some time, and the young pegasus was starting to get worried. “Do you think they're okay? What if Allura got hold of them? Or... what if they got lost out there?!”

“Hey, it's gonna be okay,” Violet reassured the filly. “Cocoa told me that she used to explore those woods all the time when she was a little filly, and she knows it like the back of her hoof-- if anyone can find our friends, it's her.”

“Uh... speaking of our friends,” Comet said, nervously looking up, “I don't think any of our friends are going to like seeing that guy.”

Snowfall gasped in shock to see Winterbolt and his sleigh pulled by flying snakes flying closer to the ground, having separated from Allura a few minutes earlier, since she wanted to find Sunny and the others on her own. “It's Winterbolt! But... what could he be doing back here since Rudolph's nose is already put out?”

“I don't know, but I think we better go investigate this for ourselves,” Violet said before sneaking off, with Comet whimpering worriedly as he followed. “Why did defeating Allura give her such a confidence boost?”

Violet Frost led Snowfall and Comet inside a smaller tent, and when they peeked out of it, Frosty and Winterbolt seemed to be in a lively discussion. And since they were close, they were able to hear at least some of the things being said.

Winterbolt was the first to speak. “So you want to give me your hat, eh?”

Snowfall stiffened at this, watching as Frosty nodded sincerely. “Only if you can turn Rudolph's nose back on.”

“Why, of course I can.”

This response seemed to catch Frosty off-guard. “What did you say?”

“Oh, it's hardly worth it.”

“It is to me,” Frosty argued. “This hat is what keeps me all living. Without it...”

“Ohhh... very well,” Winterbolt sighed. “I'll make the trade.”

“Would you say goodbye to Snowfall, Crystal, Milly and Chilly for me? Especially Crystal,” Frosty said before he looked at the tent and saw the silouhettes of Crystal and the twins inside. “Oh, Crystal... if only we could be together one more time, but that's impossible. So I hope you'll remember all the good times.”

As a tear fell from Frosty's eyes, Snowfall and the auroricorns listened to the most heartfelt ballad that they had ever heard... and it was one that made tears form in their own eyes.

Frosty: Now and then
Will you think of me?
Not, I hope, as a memory

I'll always love you
Just as I've always loved you
Wherever you may be

Then, Frosty imagined Crystal appearing in the sky, winking before disappearing.

Frosty: In my heart
There's a golden glow
You alone keep it shining so

Parting brings sorrow
But maybe tomorrow
With love, we'll meet again

Frosty tearfully looked sadly at his family's silouhettes, knowing it'll be the last time he will them... and as much as he hated to leave them, he had no choice now.

Frosty: If only now... and then...

Snowfall wiped her eyes with her hoof at the end of the ballad, and turned to the auroricorn duo with her. “Guys... call Sunny and the others. We need to tell them about what's going on before it's too late.”

XXXXXXXX

Back at the shore, Big Ben was told the whole story and was stunned as Sunny reached the end of the tale. “And that's the whole story, Big Ben.”

“Oh, that's terrible,” Big Ben sighed. “Rudolph, you gotta get your nose back!”

“I can't,” Rudolph spoke. “If we tell the truth, that means Frosty has to melt.”

“Not necessarily. No time to explain. I got to swim like thunder.”

And without another word, Big Ben began to swim away with the others looking on. “Ben, wait!” Pipp cried out. “Where in Equestria are you going?!”

“To South Amerrrrrrica!” Ben cried as he swam out of sight, causing the ponies to glance at each other in confusion. “South America?”

“Why in the world would Ben be going there?” Hitch asked, confused. “I'm not sure,” Pipp shook her head, “but that was definitely odd.”

“Come on, guys,” Sunny said. “We can't stand around here doing nothing-- we have to get back to the circus and try to--”

“RUDOLPH!!! BOREALIS!!!”

“PLEASE COME BACK, GUYS!!! WE HAVE TO TALK TO YOU!!!”

“...Dazzle and Cocoa?” Borealis and Rudolph questioned at once before two of their new friends screeched to a halt in front of the group. “There you guys are!” Cocoa panted. “It took us a while to find you guys, but we're so glad we did.”

“Rudolph, we know everything that happened with Scratcher and Winterbolt,” Dazzle stated, “and we wanted to tell you how sorry we are about nearly turning our backs on you. We should have had faith in you from the beginning.”

“Wait wait wait,” Sunny stopped the conversation out of confusion. “How did you guys figure out about all that?”

“Snowfall told us, but we kinda urged her to,” Cocoa said. “And don't worry-- your secret is safe with us until we can find the evidence to prove you're--”

Suddenly, Zipp's phone started ringing, causing her to quickly answer it. “Hey, Violet-- what's up?”

“You guys need to come back to the circus, pronto!” Violet Frost told them in a whisper. “Winterbolt's back and we think he wants something from Frosty!”

“Frosty?! Is he okay?” Izzy asked in concern. “He is for now,” Comet added, “but Snowfall is really worried about him, so we need all the backup we can get!”

“Try and keep Winterbolt distracted until we get there,” Zipp said, preparing to disconnect the call. “We're on our way!”

Suddenly, a huge force smashed into the ground in front of the group, causing everyone to scream and fall to the ground.

That's when they looked up to see a vicious looking winged snow leopard with a purple rabbit on her back blocking their path.

Sunny growled upon seeing her. “Allura! We had a feeling that you'd be hanging around.”

“Quite right... and I'm going to make sure you NEVER go back to Equestria... alive, that is...!!” Allura chuckled before pouncing, causing the others to scream and jump aside before they could get badly injured. Sunny was able to shift into alicorn form and tossed her aside, but she knew that time was wasting if they wanted to save Frosty on time. “Rudolph, you and Borealis get to the circus and help Snowfall and the auroricorns save Frosty! We'll take it from here!”

“Uh... we will?!” Dazzle gulped nervously before Cocoa shot her a look. “Uh, I mean... totally! Heh heh...”

“We’re on it! Follow me, Rudolph!” Borealis said, leaping on Allura’s head to disorient her momentarily before she and Rudolph zoomed down the path toward the circus.

Allura growled before she turned back to the ponies, the star shard around her neck glowing. “Well... it would be a lie to say that I wasn't expecting this... another fight that I will win and YOU will lose.”

“We'll see about that, Allura-- we don't give in and we NEVER give up!” Sunny said as the ponies stood ready to fight. “And since our friends need our help quickly, let's get this over with. Time is of the essence, after all.”

“CHAAAAAAARGE!!!!!” Izzy shrieked at the top of her lungs, and both sides charged toward one another to finish a battle that they started in Bikini Bottom...

...but it was going to end right then and right there.

Two Rounds of Battle Begin

“Okay,” Snowfall whispered to Violet Frost and Comet. “Let’s go over the plan to buy our friends some time one last time.”

“Right,” Violet nodded, having memorized the entire plan by heart. “We’re going to get out, confront Winterbolt and get him to pause trying to get Frosty’s hat, just until Rudolph and the others get here.”

“Uh… I’m all for helping,” Comet said nervously, “but is this really the right way to go? Confronting Winterbolt, I mean?”

“It may be the only chance we have, Comet! We have to try… for Frosty,” Snowfall said pleadingly, causing Comet to reluctantly nod. “Now… follow my lead.”

That’s when the pegasus filly leapt from the tent with her auroricorn friends in tow, standing in front of Frosty and Winterbolt. “Stop right there, you overgrown icicle! And prepare to be melted!”

“Whoa… nice burn-- quite literally too,” Comet blinked. “Thanks,” Snowfall giggled. “I thought of that just now.”

“Snowfall, what are you doing here?” Frosty asked in surprise as Winterbolt scowled at the three. “I’m not about to let you do this without a fight, Frosty!” Snowfall told her friend. “There has to be another way to restore Rudolph’s light! But giving up your hat to this maniac isn’t the answer!”

“None of you are able to stand up to the great Winterbolt! Begone!” Winterbolt said as he tried to blast the three, but they were able to split up in different directions and avoid the icy blast. But unfortunately, that little bit of good luck didn't last them long.

Winterbolt was able to strike Snowfall's hooves, wrapping them in ice and causing her to fall to the ground with a scream. “Snowfall! Hang on!” Violet cried as she and Comet tried to rush to her aid, but Winterbolt struck their hooves as well, causing them to fall on the ground right near her. “Well,” Comet groaned, “this wasn’t part of the plan…”

As the trio struggled against their icy binds, Winterbolt approached Frosty again, not in the mood to take anymore nonsense. “Now... give me your hat!”

Snowfall squirmed in her binds as she attempted to reach her best friend. “Frosty, NO!!!”

But it was too late.

Frosty already began removing the hat, but the impatient Winterbolt snatched it right off his head, making the snowman lifeless once again. Winterbolt began to cackle as the icy binds around the auroricorns and Snowfall melted, and Snowfall rushed to her lifeless best friend, sniffling back tears.

Now what were they going to do?

Suddenly, a voice caused Winterbolt to stop cackling... a familiar one. “What’s going on here?”

Comet and Violet Frost, as well as Winterbolt, turned to see Rudolph and Borealis arriving, and the duo gasped with wide eyes when they saw Snowfall sniffling against the lifeless snowman. “The poor frozen fool gave me his hat,” Winterbolt boasted, “when I promised to return your nose.”

Borealis felt a furious growl enter her throat at this. “You know you can’t do that!”

“Yes, I know,” Winterbolt smirked, “but he didn’t!”

All of them sent Winterbolt a furious glare... even little Snowfall, who's eyes were still stained with tears of heartache. “Okay, Winterbolt,” Rudolph pawed at the ground with his hoof. “You asked for it!”

“You’ve got to catch me first!” Winterbolt declared before taking off into the air, cackling evilly. “Oh, he’s getting away!” Snowfall cried. “We have to catch him!”

“Rudolph and I will take care of that!” Borealis said, hopping onto the reindeer’s back. “Comet, Violet, help Sunny and the others with Allura! She’s got them trapped in an attack at the beach!”

“What about me?” Snowfall asked desperately. “I wanna help!”

“You can help by going and finding anyone you can to help, as well as looking after Sparky, Crystal and the twins,” Rudolph said before nuzzling the dejected filly. “Don’t worry… Frosty will be back to normal in no time.”

“Good luck, everypony!” Violet said before she and Comet ran off in the direction of the beach, and with Borealis on his back, Rudolph took off after Winterbolt, leaving poor Borealis on her own. “Okay, Snowy…” the blue pegasus told herself. “I’ll go find Miss Loraine… hopefully, she’s still not too mad at Rudolph to help me…”

Snowfall then ran off to find Lily... unaware that Crystal was walking around with Sparky, Milly and Chilly, looking for her husband. “Frosty? Frosty? Oh, Frosty, where are you?”

Then, as Crystal looked and saw her husband lifeless, she gasped in completely shock. “Oh no... no...”

Sparky cooed worriedly as he and the twins rushed forward, but Crystal immediately blocked their path. “Don’t look, children!”

Unfortunately, Sunny and her friends weren’t around, so that left Crystal only one thing to think about…

…who could help them in this dire circumstance when the ponies weren’t around.

XXXXXXXX

At that very moment, the Mane 6, combined with the forces that Cocoa Sundae and Dazzle Harmony brought to the table, were busy fighting Allura and Twitch (who despite not having any powers, was a real problem with his constant hopping and trying to ride them like horses), but it was not easy.

Something seemed to have boosted Allura's star shard, making Allura's ice blasts even stronger than back in the Lost City of Atlantic City...

...but what could it have been?

Finally, Allura released a roar so loud, all of the ponies stumbled on their hooves and wings before falling to the ground, panting and out of breath. This allowed Allura and Twitch to sinisterly chuckle and approach them. “Finally… I’ll have you out of my fur forever now,” she smirked before putting a claw under Izzy’s chin, making the lavender unicorn whimper. “Now, be good little ponies and tell me where the rest of the star shards are… and I may let ONE of you live.”

“We would never tell you where they are!” Zipp snarled. “Even if you did let us go!”

“B-B-Besides, Cocoa and I just met these amazing friends a few days ago! We don’t know where they are,” Dazzle agreed fearfully as Allura glared in their direction, “and even if we did, w-what makes us think we would tell YOU of all creatures?!”

“You don’t have to do this, Allura-- if you just give up your fight for domination,” Sunny said, “I’m sure we can help you.”

But, Sunny shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut when Allura leapt right on her, frightening the earth pony mare... as much as she hated to admit it. “There’s NOTHING you can do about me,” she snarled in Sunny’s face. “I will find the remaining star pieces and I will make sure you suffer for everything you’ve done to me.”

Suddenly, another blast of magic struck Allura and Twitch in the backsides, causing them to be pushed forward and onto the ground. In anger, Allura rose up, her eyes in slits. “Who… did… that?!”

“Remember us, Allura?”

Upon recognizing this voice, Allura slowly turned to see Comet and Violet Frost standing in front of the entrance to the path, both of their horns ignited. “Well well well…” Allura smirked. “Look who we have here, Twitch-- two auroricorns who have FINALLY realized that I am their TRUE leader at last.”

“You’re not our true leader-- Violet Frost has made a much better leader than you!” Comet sneered. “And we’re not gonna let you hurt our friends anymore, just like our friends didn’t let YOU hurt US anymore!”

“Oh, come now, Comet… you have to trust my purr-suation…”

“Violet, Comet!” Misty cried. “Look out!”

Violet and Comet stood in place as Allura’s hypnotic purr reached them, but surprisingly… they weren’t affected by the spell! “What?!” Allura snarled, trying again, but Violet and Comet still weren’t affected. “HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!”

“You’re forgetting, Allura,” Violet said, pulling some snow-made earplugs out of her ears. “The snow from Starlight Ridge provides protection from your trance! We managed to make these before we left the other day.”

“And letting you try and hypnotize us again,” Comet agreed with a smirk, “gave our friends time to get up and get their strength back!”

“What?!”

“CHAAAAAARGE!!!”

Allura and Twitch turned, after Cocoa and Dazzle's shriek, just in time to see all the ponies charging with their cutie marks glowing, their eyes going wide. “Uh-oh…”

All the ponies leapt on them without mercy, kicking and trying to keep Allura down-- even Comet and Violet Frost tried to help keep their former leader on her back, leaving her unable to use her magic.

Well... at least for a little while.

Allura kicked the ponies off of her after a moment, leaving them to scatter just before Allura flew up with Twitch on her back. “It doesn’t even matter that you’ve won this part of the fight,” she snarled. “The plan is already in motion… soon, your friends will be destroyed, and you won’t even have enough unity magic to defeat me and my allies when the time comes.”

And just like that, she flew off with Twitch laughing at the group mockingly. Zipp prepared to go after her, but Cocoa held her hoof to stop her. “Wait-- what do you think she meant by ‘the plan is already in motion’?”

“And what are you two doing here?” Hitch asked Violet and Comet. “I thought you were back at the circus with Snowfall, keeping an eye on Winterbolt!”

“We were, but Winterbolt stole Frosty’s hat, and Borealis sent us to help you while she and Rudolph chased Winterbolt down,” Comet explained. “We couldn’t have lived with ourselves if we didn’t help you.”

“Well, we’re glad you did. Now, we just need to help our friends,” Sunny said. “We just need to know-- which direction was Winterbolt flying in?”

“Uh… that way,” Violet pointed the way they came. “Northeast, I think.”

“But… the only thing in that direction,” said Cocoa in thought, “is a desert-- with nothing to hide behind except sand dunes.”

“Wait wait wait… if Winterbolt knew that when he started that chase,” Zipp said in thought, “that means… he could be leading Bori and Rudolph into another trap!”

“And if Allura knew about this plan,” Misty realized, “then she and Winterbolt must’ve been working together all this time!”

“Our friends could be in serious trouble!” Dazzle realized. “We have to do something!”

“You bet your horns we do!” Izzy said. “But what?”

“Violet Frost and Comet, head back to the circus in case Allura and Twitch show up there, and be ready to protect Sparky and the rest of our new friends” Sunny instructed their friends. “I have the strangest feeling we’ll see her again soon.”

“You got it!”

“We’re on the way!”

And just like that, the auroricorns sped down the path before Sunny turned to the rest of the group, shifting into her alicorn form as she did so. “The rest of us will fly to the desert and help Rudolph and Borealis defeat Winterbolt and get Frosty’s hat back-- he’ll be gone forever if we don’t.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Cocoa asked her friends. “Let’s fly!”

“Follow us, everypony!” Zipp said as she and Pipp took to the air immediately, and the rest, using the power of the necklaces, flew after them and into the sky, hoping to catch up to their friends before it was too late.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Rudolph and Borealis continued pursuing Winterbolt over the desert until Winterbolt took cover behind a sand dune, and Rudolph landed firmly on the ground to face him. “Come on out of there!” Rudolph shouted. “Yeah!” Borealis nodded firmly. “We know where you're hiding!”

“Come and get me then!” Winterbolt taunted. “Okay…” Rudolph prepared to charge. “I will!”

Borealis hung onto her best friend for dear life as Rudolph began to charge toward the dune, but before they could reach it, Winterbolt’s snakes appeared right in front of the dune, causing Borealis to shriek and Rudolph to screech to a halt. “Surprise! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!” Winterbolt cackled evilly. “SURPRISE!!!”

One of the snakes leaped out at Rudolph, coiling itself around the reindeer and tossing Borealis off to the side, only for her to be surrounded by snakes herself. Rudolph eventually bit the snake trapping him, making it loosen its grip before Rudolph flew into the air, shook that snake off and began being chased by two more snakes.

At the same time, Borealis summoned a huge mass of power and broke free from the snake holding her and began to use the magic energy in her tail to blast the snakes around her back a good distance.

Immediately after they got rid of their snake problems, Rudolph and Borealis regrouped, tired and out of breath. “Bori… you okay?” Rudolph asked in concern. “Yeah… if Izzy was here,” Borealis said tiredly, “she would wanna do that again, but… I don’t think I have the strength right now.”

“Well, I would say to rest, but I don't think we can!” Rudolph said, pointing to a sight ahead of them. “Look!”

More snakes were advancing in their direction, and Borealis tried to blast some more magical beams to keep them back, but the blasts were becoming weaker the more tired she got. “Uh… Rudolph? I think this might be the end for the two of us!”

Winterbolt cackled victoriously, but before the snakes could leap and attack, three... maybe four beams of magic blasted the snakes backwards a good bit.

Stunned beyond measure, everyone looked behind them to see Sunny (in her alicorn form) flying above the unicorns and earth ponies with Pipp and Zipp, ready to come to their friends' aid. “Well,” said Sunny, “then it’s a good thing we’re all here to help!”

“Sunny!” Rudolph cried in relief, causing Winterbolt to growl. “Drat!”

The rest of the Mane 6, Dazzle and Cocoa leapt into action, using whatever magic and skills they could on the snakes while Sunny approached their tired North Pole friends. “Are you guys okay?”

“We’re fine,” Borealis said, “but Winterbolt still has the hat!”

“We’ll take care of the snakes,” Sunny told them. “And while they’re distracted, you guys grab the hat and then we’ll make a break for it.”

“On it,” Rudolph and Borealis nodded at Sunny before she joined the fight against several of the snakes. At the same time, Winterbolt laughed at Rudolph and his best fox friend mockingly as Borealis climbed on Rudolph’s back. “ You don't frighten me!” he said, putting the hat on his head. “The hat is mine! Try and get it!”

Rudolph pawed at the ground and grunted like an angry steer before charging straight at Winterbolt with Borealis on his back, and the force of the hit knocked Winterbolt onto his back, and sending the hat flying into the air. And then, seeing as the hat was within his reach, Rudolph flew up and caught it right on his head. Then something miraculous happened: the light of his nose came back on, glowing bright once again. “Hey!”

The ponies stopped fighting the snakes and gasped in wonder at the sight, while Winterbolt looked incredibly alarmed. “Oh… oh no! No! It's impossible!”

“Rudolph, your nose is glowing again!” Cocoa said in delight as they all reunited. “But… how?”

“It's like… Lady Boreal said!” Rudolph said just before he looked at his hoof and saw the star and snowflake mark was there once again. “It’s back for good!”

“Yeah-heh-heh! Come on, guys!” Borealis shouted to her friends. “Let’s go!”

And just like that, the group took off into the sky, cheering and laughing. “I warn you!” Winterbolt called out after them. “I warn you! I will not be defeated!”

XXXXXXXX

“Whooo-hoo-hoo-hoo! We did it!” Izzy cheered as the group flew along. “We got the hat back and Rudolph’s glow back too!”

“Now we can head back to the circus!” Hitch realized. “Well… not quite yet,” Rudolph told the earth pony stallion. “There’s still a couple more things we need to do first.”

“Huh?” Cocoa blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Follow Rudolph back to town,” said Borealis, “and we’ll explain once we get to where we're going.”

And so, the group set off in the direction of the seaside town to make more amends… and these amends could help Rudolph repair his relationships with all his new friends.

Author's Note

This was by-far one of my most favorite chapters to write, since it was my favorite scene in the entire movie!

We're a Couple of Misfits/Winterbolt and Allura Defeated

By the time the sun rose on the circus grounds, everyone had known about Frosty once again being in his lifeless state, and everyone and everypony was devastated.

Violet Frost, Comet and Snowfall were internally praying that Sunny and the others would succeed in getting the hat back, but then again… Winterbolt was a powerful foe, and with Allura helping him… there was nothing they couldn’t do. “Oh, Daddy…” Milly whimpered as she hugged Sparky. “But… but…” Chilly turned back to his mother. “Can’t he get another hat, Mommy?”

“Children,” Crystal hugged her children and Sparky close, “remember him as he was.”

“Poor roly-poly little son of a gun…” sighed Lily, who had taken off her hat as a sign of respect. “But… everything is going to be alright, everyone,” Violet Frost tried to reassure. “I’m sure of it.”

But before anyone could try and agree or disagree with Violet’s statement, Sam Spangles showed up with a smug look on his face. “All right, all you jerks, clear out of here! Show’s mine now.”

“Not so fast!”

Everyone turned to see that Rudolph was flying down with Officer Kelly, who had a small leather case in his hands, on his back, while Sunny was carrying Borealis on her back as they all landed on the ground. Then, to Sam Spangle’s surprise, as Cocoa and Dazzle ran to Milton and Laine, Rudolph’s nose began glowing like usual. “Hey, you got your beak back!”

“That’s not all we got back,” Borealis said as Rudolph’s glow dimmed. “Go ahead, officer.”

Officer Kelly stepped up to Lily with the briefcase, causing Sam Spangles to squirm, realizing what this was. “Here's your money, Mrs. Loraine. Rudolph was tricked into taking it. He's innocent as a newborn babe.”

“Well, I'll be blasted!” Lily said in surprise, taking the briefcase from the officer. “One other thing,” Officer Kelly said, taking out Frosty’s hat from a bag, delighting Crystal and Snowfall beyond measure. “Rudolph, Borealis and their friends risked their lives to get this back... for you, sir.”

He set the hat back on Frosty's head, and the snoeman slowly returned to life, yawning before he looked around. “Happy birthday!”

Everyone cheered happily for their friend's return, and Frosty seemed confused as his wife hugged him happily. “What are we celebrating?”

“You!” Crystal responded with a smile. “Oh,” Frosty smiled. “Good idea.”

Snowfall giggled as she flew right into Frosty’s cold snowy arms. “Oh, Frosty, I thought we lost you forever! But for the record... never make a deal with an evil ice king again.”

Frosty chuckled and rubbed the filly's head as Chilly, Milly and Sparky danced around them. “No worries.”

At the same time, Lily noticed Sam Spangles trying to sneak away and shoved the briefcase full of money into his arms. “Here's your dough. The circus is still mine.”

“I'll be taking that,” Officer Kelly stepped in and took the briefcase again. “Why?” Sam asked, only for Officer Kelly to drag him away by the shirt collar. “You won’t be needing it in jail.”

And just like that, Sam Spangles was another worry off everyone’s shoulders, causing Comet to sigh in relief. “What a crazy couple of days, huh, everypony?”

“You can say that again. And in a way, I loved it,” Cocoa said, “but I never want to do any of that again.”

Taking this opportunity, Crystal turned to Rudolph with a sad smile. “Oh, Rudolph, Borealis... we're so sorry for the way we acted.”

“What can we do to make it up?” Laine asked, trying to make amends to the wrongdoings. “Aww, it wasn't your fault,” Rudolph brushed the topic off. “Yeah,” Izzy nodded in agreement. “It could have happened to anypony else at any time... but, I see that this isn't helping the situation, so I'm going to stay over here.”

Izzy carefully stepped back, causing her friends and Sparky to giggle in amusement. “Gee,” Frosty smiled at the red-nosed reindeer in front of him. “Thanks, Rudolph.”

“Thank you,” Rudolph responded back. “You gave everything you had for me.”

“Well, didn't you give everything for me?” Frosty asked. “I mean, us misfits got to stick together.”

“And us best friends have to stick together too-- no matter what the circumstance,” Snowfall said as she offered her hoof to Frosty, Rudolph and the fox princess. “Put her there, guys!”

The four shook hands, paws and hooves, and this prompted everyone else to cheer before the best friends began to sing a cheerful tune.

Rudolph, Borealis, Frosty and Snowfall: We're a couple of misfits
We're a couple of misfits

Rudolph: What's the matter with misfits?

Borealis: That's where we fit in!

Rudolph, Borealis, Frosty and Snowfall: We're not daffy and dilly
Don't go 'round willy nilly

Frosty: Seems to be kind of silly

Snowfall: That we don't fit in

Rudolph, Borealis, Frosty and Snowfall: We may be different from the rest
Who decides the test
Of what is really best?

Snowfall, Borealis and Rudolph: We're a couple of misfits

Frosty: Not a couple of nitwits

Rudolph, Borealis, Frosty and Snowfall: What's the matter with misfits?
That's where we fit in

Rudolph: Why am I such a misfit?
I am not just a nit wit!
I'm a dear of a reindeer
Why don't I fit in?

Frosty: Why am I such a misfit?
I’m not just a nit wit!
There’s no man like a snowman
Why don’t I fit in?

Rudolph, Borealis, Frosty and Snowfall: We may be different from the rest
Who decides the test
Of what is really best?

Snowfall, Borealis and Rudolph: We're a couple of misfits

Frosty: Not a couple of nitwits

Rudolph, Borealis, Frosty and Snowfall: What's the matter with misfits?
That's where we fit in

That’s where we fit in!

Everyone cheered as the song concluded, and many of the friends hugged and cheered and shook hands and hooves in celebration... that is, except Borealis.

The fox pup was cautiously looking around, as if she was keeping an eye out for something, and Hitch and Misty immediately took notice of this. “Hey, Bori,” Hitch spoke first, “is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Misty nodded. “I thought you would be happy that everything worked out in the end.”

“Believe me, I am really happy,” Borealis told her friends, although she sounded a bit on edge, “but... don't you guys feel like we're forgetting something? Something that's... oh, I don't know... important?”

“What could we possibly be forgetting?” Izzy scoffed. “Frosty is okay, the circus is gonna be fine... what's there to worry about?”

Suddenly, a gust of wind caught everyone offguard, and from that swirling gust of wind... came Allura, Twitch and Winterbolt, both looking smug in their apparent and close victory. “Not so fast!” Winterbolt declared. “Allura still has her powers and I still have my scepter. Destruction to you all!”

As everyone else stood wide eyed in shock, Izzy suddenly realized that Borealis was right about something. “Hey, you were right! We were forgetting someone! Two someones!”

“Did you honestly think that we would you win? Let all of you have a happy ending?” Allura snarled. “NEVER!!”

“I refuse to be defeated by the goodness of you fools,” Winterbolt sneered as Snowfall whimpered in fright, “just like I was defeated by Lady Boreal all those years ago! And she was that same fool that gave Rudolph that same glowing nose to light the way on Christmas Eve!”

“Wait a minute... how did you know about--” Zipp began to ask before her eyes widened. “You caused that winter storm on that Christmas Eve, didn't you? Hoping it would steer Santa off his course!”

“Of course that was the plan, pathetic pony,” Winterbolt spat. “Since that night, I've been repeatedly trying to stop you to no avail, but this will be different! I will use the source of my powers to put an end to our little red-nosed hero who started it all! Allura... attack them!”

“...no.”

“NO?! What do you mean no?!”

“Because I've been studying the patterns of the shard, and I am determined that the second shard is here... just waiting for me to take it into my possession as soon as I destroy all of you!!”

Allura snarled and leapt right at the crowd of friends and allies, but Snowfall was able to buck her away, causing her to land right on top of Twitch. “There's no star shard in Frosty’s hat!” she spat at Allura. “I've looked at that hat more times than even you can count! Maybe the shard was trying to warn you about something ELSE!!”

Suddenly, something in Borealis and Rudolph’s minds clicked all at once, causing them to gasp and look at each other with wide eyes. “You don't think...?!”

“Uh, guys? Do you wanna spill the icy beans or what?!” Hitch said as he and Cocoa made vines to tangle Allura and Twitch up for the time being. “We could use a little help here!”

“The source of our problems have been right in front of us from the beginning!” Rudolph told his friends. “Go for Winterbolt's scepter and Allura’s star shard! It may be our only chance!”

“We're on it!” the ponies and auroricorns shouted before racing toward Winterbolt, Allura and Twitch, causing a fierce battle of magic blasts, clawing, kicking and screaming to ensue.

Eventually... Borealis and Rudolph have had enough.

Rudolph rammed right into Winterbolt, tackling him into the ground while Borealis leapt right onto Allura’s back, causing the snow leopard to bounce around like a bucking bronco. “Nows our chance!” Sunny shouted to the rest of her friends. “Go for the magic artifacts!”

Zipp took to the air while Comet and Violet Frost launched Izzy into the air and straight toward Allura. Then, at around the same time and with a bit of struggling, Zipp grabbed Winterbolt's scepter in her mouth and flew away with it, and Izzy grabbed the star shard from around Allura’s neck and kicked the leopard backwards, allowing Borealis the chance to leap off and toward the safety of her friends.

Needless to say... neither of the villains were pleased by this development. “NOOOO!!!!”

The two were about to advance, but Comet and Violet Frost were able to blast them and keep them busy for a while. “All right, we have the star shard,” Pipp said, “but we still need a way to destroy the scepter!”

“Wait... Miss Loraine, do you have your pistols with you?” Borealis asked curiously. “Sure do!” Lily nodded and handed them to the fox. “Take em for as long as you need.”

“But, Mama,” Laine tried to point out, “there are only blanks in those guns.”

“True,” Borealis answered, lifting the guns in her magic aura, “but the guns themselves are made of iron! Everyone, stand back!”

Everyone immediately gave the fox some space, just as Winterbolt saw what they were doing. “No! Stop! What are you doing, you ungrateful mutt?!”

“Winterbolt!” Borealis shouted. “This for Rudolph, Lady Boreal and all Christmases for the rest of time!!”

Then, with one swift movement of her tail, she sent the guns flying in the direction of the scepter, and upon impact... the scepter shattered into a million melting pieces.

Twitch and Allura managed to stop fighting Violet Frost and Comet long enough to watch and stare at Winterbolt slowly losing all of his strength. “No... NOOO!!! My... my powers are gone! When the scepter dies, I go too!”

At that moment, Violet Frost and Comet witnessed a horrifying transformation occurring within Winterbolt, causing them to back up as Winterbolt's body became more and more tree-like. “I turn... I turn... turn... I... turn... into... a... tree...”

And once the transformation was finally complete, a branch snapped on the Winterbolt tree, causing everyone to gasp with wide eyes, and Snowfall and Laine whimpered and covered their eyes. “Wow!” Lily Loraine said, completely impressed. “What an exit!”

“Hey, Allura! I suggest you get out of here too! Before we end up snapping this star piece in half!” Dazzle cried out, holding the star piece in her magic. “Ooh, do you think she'll turn into a tree too?”

Allura snarled and was about to pounce, but everyone was standing around the ponies, Rudolph and Borealis, giving her absolutely no room for an attack. So... she reluctantly growled and spread her wings, letting Twitch onto her back before she flew off and out of sight.

Once she was finally gone, Sunny turned to their North Pole friends, who seemed a bit quiet for people who just helped defeat TWO powerful enemies. “Rudolph? Frosty? Girls? Are you guys okay?”

“...Sunny, we've not only defeated Allura again,” Rudolph said with a smile, “but the greatest threat that the North Pole has ever known is gone too!”

“We’ve won...” Borealis agreed with a happy sigh. “It’s finally over...”

The Mane 6 and Sparky approached their North Pole and auroricorn friends as they all looked out over the open ocean.

Maybe Borealis was right... maybe they really have won this battle... and maybe there was hope of them defeating Allura once and for all was finally coming near.

A Happy Ending for All

Snow Mist was trying her best to light up the path for Santa's sleigh, hoping that they would make it through the storm and save Frosty and his family before the amulets' power wore off.

But... they had been trying to get through the storm almost all night, and they were beginning to think it would never let up.

Fortunately, when Winterbolt was finally defeated, his spells were reversed, and the storm clouds disappeared like they had never even been there, even though the snow on the ground remained. “Mama, Snow Mist!” Santa exclaimed. “The storm’s gone!”

“Like… a miracle!” Mrs. Claus said in relief. “Miracle, a wish come true, I don’t care what you call it!” Snow Mist said, shaking the snow out of her mane. “I’m just glad it’s finally over!”

“Now we can be to the shore in a few minutes,” Santa told them before turning to the team again. “Up! Up! Dash away all!”

The reindeer took flight into the sky, their course to bring Frosty and his family back to the North Pole becoming clear once again.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, the Mane 6, Comet and Violet Frost, Rudolph, Borealis, Snowfall, Lily, Milton, Dazzle and Cocoa were all standing by the circus entrance, happy that all of their troubles were finally over... at least where Winterbolt was concerned. “Well, our troubles are over,” Dazzle sighed in relief. “But it makes things kinda boring, huh?”

“Well, I'm glad old Winterbolt's powers are gone,” Milton spoke up. “We are too,” Pipp nodded. “Now all we have to do is work out how to defeat Allura.”

“I’m sure you ponies will figure it out,” Cocoa smiled. “In the meantime… you guys will be happy to know that Dazzle has decided to settle down and take a break from being on the road for a while!”

“I realized that while being a pop star is my destiny,” Dazzle said, “I wanted to settle down and make more friends… which I hope you guys will be, if you want me to.”

“Are you kidding? We love making new friends!” Sunny smiled in delight. “And,” Misty said, “maybe when Christmas rolls around, Santa will let you perform at the North Pole now that we don’t have to worry about Winterbolt anymore.”

Suddenly, something about Misty’s statement caused Rudolph to blink. “Hey, wait a minute!”

“What is it, Rudy-Tooty?” Izzy asked in concern. “If all his powers are gone,” Rudolph said in thought, “that means those amulets are no good either.”

This statement led Snowfall to gasp in horror. “Frosty! Crystal!”

“The twins!” Hitch realized right after, letting Sparky onto his back. “We have to get to them! NOW!!”

XXXXXXXX

Laine was crying beside several puddles by the time the others approached in panic and all out of breath. “Laine! What happened?!” Violet asked desperately. “Well, the sun came out,” Laine sniffled, “and...and they just-- just… look!”

Everyone gasped at the fact that Frosty, Crystal and their children had melted, with their clothes lying in each respective puddle. “Aww… gee whiz!” Rudolph groaned in disappointment while Snowfall tried to contain her tears of heartache. “Aw, after all we went through. I should have realized. It's too late now.”

“Rudolph, you said to me before that it’s never too late to save a friend!” Zipp said determinedly. “Right, guys?”

“Yeah!” Misty agreed. “I’m sure there’s something we can do to bring them back.”

“I don’t know if there IS something we can do this time, Misty,” Borealis said as she tried to comfort Snowfall. “When Frosty melts, nothing can help except a magic December wind to unmelt him.”

“And this is July!!” Snowfall wailed, falling onto the ground. “Yeah…” Lily said, just as depressed as everyone else. “But where are we gonna find a Christmas wind in July?”

“Right here!”

Everyone gasped to see Big Ben approaching on the shoreline, an elf dressed in blue riding on his back. “And,” Big Ben added, “I brought Jack Frost with me.”

“Hey, Rudolph! Borealis!” Jack Frost tipped his hat to them. “And a special hello to your pony friends too!”

“Oh, this is amazing!” Zipp exclaimed in excitement as the ponies, Borealis and Rudolph rushed to the shoreline. “How did you do it, Ben?!”

“I had to go all the way to South America,” Big Ben explained. “That's where winter goes in July. Heh heh heh…”

“Well, however you did it,” Hitch said as Sparky giggled on his back, “you just gave Frosty and his family a second chance!”

“Jack Frost!” Rudolph declared. “Do your stuff!”

XXXXXXXX

Once Big Ben was close enough to the shore, Jack Frost got off his back and approached the four puddles while everyone else stood off to the side in anticipation. “I've got to aim real carefully,” he said, “or I'll give colds to all the kids on the beach!”

“Do you really think this will work?” Snowfall asked her friends. “Well, Jack Frost is known to emit icy winds with his breath,” Sunny said in thought. “And,” Violet Frost said, “if anyone can help your family get back to their normal, snowy selves, it’s him.”

“I hope you’re right,” Snowfall frowned before turning to the wintry sprite. “Give it your best shot, Jack.”

“You got it, little missy! Well… here goes!”

Jack then took a deep breath and exhaled some icy winds from his mouth at the four and miraculously, the puddles froze and transformed back into their respective snowy shapes, thus also transforming into the top halves of their bodies. “Happy birthday!”

Everyone cheered once this was said-- Jack’s magical icy breath was working! “Come on, gang, let's dig them out!” Rudolph encouraged, and the ponies started to dig as fast as they could. “Keep that cold breath on them, Jack.”

“Guys! Look!” Comet pointed up to the sky to see Santa, Mrs. Claus, Snow Mist and the rest of the team quickly arriving. “It’s the team!” Borealis yipped in delight. “They made it!”

“Great jumpin' geraniums!” Lily cheered. “Santa Claus is finally coming to town!”

“And not a minute too soon!” Snow Mist said as the sleigh descended, and the blue auroricorn hopped off onto the shoreline. “Snow Mist?” Violet Frost questioned as she and Comet approached. “What are you doing here?”

“Santa invited me to go with him and Mrs. Claus to the seashore, but we got caught in this HUGE blizzard! And--” Snow Mist began to explain before looking at everyone around them. “Uh… what exactly did we miss?”

“It’s a long story,” Comet spoke, “but… we all like stories, so, I guess we better start explaining.”

XXXXXXXX

A bit later, after explaining everything that had happened from both sides, Jack Frost, Frosty and his family, Snowfall, Comet, Violet Frost and Snow Mist were in the sleigh with Santa and Mrs. Claus, with Violet deciding that she and Comet needed to head back to Starlight Ridge to let the rest of the auroricorns know to expect Allura again... but they weren't worried-- they knew that together, they could stop her again. “Papa,” Mrs. Claus told Santa, “we'd better get going before Jack runs out of breath.”

“We'll stick with the show, sir,” Rudolph referred to him and Borealis, “until they're out of debt.”

“Well, they should be out of debt real soon,” Santa chuckled. “I gave Lily some of my magic corn feed.”

“The kind that makes other animals fly!” Snow Mist said enthusiastically. “And when we get back to Starlight Ridge, we’re gonna work out how us auroricorns can fly too!”

“Wow!” Rudolph exclaimed. “A circus by the sea is one thing, but a flying circus by the sea!”

“I would pay all the money I had to see a show like that!” Pipp agreed. “And that’s the Pipp Petals guarantee, right there.”

“Daddy! Daddy!” Chilly and Milly exclaimed at once. “Can we stay and see it?”

“Oh, Frosty, could they?” Crystal asked hopefully. “No deal,” Frosty shook his head firmly. “Yeah!” Snowfall agreed. “Enough is ENOUGH!”

Everyone laughed at this. “Wait wait wait! Before you go, we have something we wanna give you!” Izzy said before she and Misty gave out friendship bracelets to Snowfall and her family. “Just a little token to remember us by.”

“Aw, guys… are we gonna ever see you again?” Snowfall asked. “We had quite the adventure today, and… I’m worried we won’t get to see you again.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Zipp reassured. “We’ll be sent on another Unity Quest to the North Pole soon. And as soon as we’re back, we’ll give you a call.”

“Then… then let's get going!” Santa chuckled before turning to the sleigh team. “Away!”

As the sleigh lifted off into the sky, the ponies exchanged their goodbyes with Snowfall, her family and their auroricorn friends, new and old.

“Bye, guys!”

“We’ll miss you!”

“Come see us again soon!”

“Merry early Christmas!”

The ponies continued to wave to their friends until they were far out of sight, but then they heard Rudolph sigh a bit sadly. “You know, Bori, I kind of miss not being with Santa...”

“To be honest, I do too,” Borealis told her friend, “but… we still have a lot of time before Christmas rolls around-- we’ll be flying with him again soon.”

“Blinky,” said Lily, “if you want to lead something through the sky, you got it!”

“Huh?” the ponies chorused in confusion. “Forget the sleigh!” Lily told the group. “It's time for the flying circus parade with you right up front.”

Borealis and Rudolph instantly agreed, as did the rest of their friends-- this was going to be quite the treat before the ponies had to leave.

XXXXXXXX

Some time later, Rudolph (with Borealis on his back) was leading the Mane 6 through the sky, leading all the circus members as they all sang together one more time.

Sunny: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose

Hitch: And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

During the flight, they came up to Laine, Milton, Cocoa and Dazzle in Milton’s hot-air balloon, causing them to wave to their friends as they set off on their own adventure.

Zipp: All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names

Pipp: They never let poor Rudolph

Izzy: Join in any reindeer games

Then, they passed the group in Santa’s sleigh, causing the auroricorns, Snowfall, Frosty and his family, as well as Santa and Mrs. Claus to wave to them.

All: Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say…

Misty: Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?

All: Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee…

Borealis: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…

All: …you’ll go down in history…!!!

As the song ended, and the parade and Santa's sleigh went in two different directions, Sunny noticed the portal to Equestria opening near the giant clock tower. “That’s our cue, guys. We better get going.”

“Thanks for everything, everypony,” Rudolph smiled. “We’re never going to forget this adventure we had.”

“We won’t either. Hopefully, we’ll see you at Christmas! Bye!” Sunny waved to their friends before the Mane 6 and Sparky split off from the group and into the portal, leaving the circus parade behind.

XXXXXXXX

Back on the Isle of Scaly, Spike and the other dragons saw the ponies coming out of the portal again, making the Dragon Lord smile. “Welcome back, ponies. How was your Unity Quest this time?”

“Did you see the big bad kitty cat you talked about last time?” Fountain asked. “And did you stop her?”

“We stopped her temporarily by taking this,” Hitch said as Izzy took out the star shard, making Jade gasp. “You got a piece of the star!”

“We do,” Zipp agreed, “and if we’re right, there are at least four more to go… but Allura being out there isn’t going to make the search any easier.”

“Well, why don’t you tell us about your quest?” Spike invited. “Maybe there’s a detail that could help in her defeat.”

“Sure thing,” Pipp said as they all sat down for the tale. “But, brace yourselves-- this isn’t like any other story you heard.”

“This story starts out back at the North Pole,” Misty began, “where we met up with four very special friends-- Borealis the Northern Lights fox princess, Snowfall Cane, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. But, little did we know that reuniting with two friends and meeting two new ones would lead to an adventure we’ll never forget.”

And Misty was indeed right.