The light was incredible. Pony Sunny shone like the sun (which was quite the fitting analogy when you think about it), and the brilliant light coming off her horn and wings illuminated the landscape ahead, cutting fiercely through the snowy gloom like a knife made of luminescence. Which is a slightly wierder image, but still it works for the story.

Sunny could see easily now, and cheered. "Way to go, Sunny!" she said. "Let's go!"

Salty cheered as well. "Onwards into the storm, me hearties!" he called. "The foul depths cannot stop us now! Onward as Nelson would!"

"How about a sea shanty?" a truck suggested.

Salty smiled. "I thought ye'd never ask." He thought for a moment as they powered away.

"There once was a ship that put to sea/
The name of the ship was the Billy O' Tea!
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down/
Oh blow, my bully boys, blow! (huh)

"Soon may the Wellerman come/
To bring us sugar and tea and rum!
One day, when the tonguing is done/
We'll take our leave and go!"

Thought it was tough going on the climb to Penryth, they soon rolled through the station, able to see clearly with all the snow being cut through. Pony Sunny's light was glowing and producing impressive heat, which was causing any snow that came into contact with her to melt on touch and gradually fade into nothingness. They powered on up the grade, and climbed towards the next hill. Salty's engine roared as he kept the trucks in fine voice.

Sunny looked back. "Good to hear the trucks are in good voice!" she said with a smile. "With hope in our hearts we will prevail!"

Sure enough, they were soon through the next station after having descended a hill, and were now on the final straight into Truro. The next grade rapidly approached, so Sunny advanced Salty's engine to maximum throttle and listened to the noise as they hammered up the final hill.

The tunnel loomed out of the darkness ahead of them.

"I can't fly down that!" pony Sunny called. "I'll have to go over!"

"Understood!" Sunny said. "See you on the other side!"

Pony Sunny flew upwards, and with her the light vanished. They were on their own.

They rolled into the tunnel, and immediately hit a patch of ice. Salty's wheels slipped, but he soon regained control, and he roared out of the tunnel to be bathed in glorious light.

"Now for the tricky bit- going back down!" Sunny said, as she started to apply the brakes.

Thankfully, she timed it just right, and they were down to thirty by the time they reached Penwithers Junction. With cheers they rolled into the platform at Truro, the station staff ready to start unloading.

"Well done, Salty and Sunny!" said an important looking man. "You did a stellar job out there.We'll get these unloaded, and then you can have a well deserved rest."

Indeed they did- for tomorrow was Christmas Day.

As was custom on Christmas Day, Sunny woke up to the sound of a brass band playing Christmas Carols. She yawned and stretched her limbs. "Well, you can always rely on the Salvation Army to be an effective alarm clock. Good morning, Christmas Day!"

Another figure stirred next to her on another object, and pony Sunny stirred. "Have we missed it? The Wishing Star?"

"That's not till the evening," Sunny said. "Besides, we need to see if the man with the bag has been!"

"Why would a man with a bag visit this house?" pony Sunny asked.

"In some parts of the world, a common belief is that a man called Santa Claus drops presents down a chimney for children," Sunny explained. She chose to keep other information she had to herself- after all, she was one of only a handful of people who knew Santa Claus really existed.

Pony Sunny nodded. "Kinda like the Secret Canter guy that Izzy once mentioned, only we made the presents ourselves and exchanged them. It was kinda messy, but the thought counted. Still, on we go!"

Once Sunny had showered and gotten dressed, she headed downstairs for breakfast. As was tradition, the room had changed rather dramatically. Presents had arrived under the tree, and a train was now running at the bottom of it.

Argyle looked over from the stove. "Merry Christmas, Sunny!" he said. "Breakfast will be ready soon, so feel free to make yourself comfortable at the table."

Sunny sat down, soon joined by Goldie, and sure enough they ate. After breakfast was concluded, they moved next to the tree and started exchanging gifts with one another. Things were jolly. But later on, things took a weird turn.

"Sunny, could you call Sunny down?" Argyle asked.

Sunny briefly looked confused, then realised. "You knew?"

Just then two ponies appeared- pony Argyle and Stella, to be precise. "I recognise my daughter's voice," pony Argyle said. "So I knew she was here, as I had hoped."

So Sunny went to collect her pony counterpart and brought her downstairs. "I hope this goes well," pony Sunny said, before trailing off. Her mouth fell open in astonishment.

Stella walked over to her daughter. "Hello, Sunny," she said. "I don't know if you remember me, but-"

Sunny needed no prompting, and dashed into her mother's embrace, as one would when separated from a parent for so long. "I've missed you, mom!" she said.

Just then, pony Argyle emerged and joined the embrace. "I never thought I'd see the day that our family was reunited," he said. "But here we are, together again, even if it is in a place far from the land we once called home. But such is the truth about family. Home is wherever you are."

Goldie smiled as she drew her own child closer. "I do love a happy ending."

The Starshines were happy that day, as they knew that their work had given a family the greatest gift of all- a reunion.

Author's Note

Well, the end of another tale, and on Christmas Day no less! I hope you all have a stellar day, and that you spend a good time with family. After all, in the words of Greg Lake, 'the Christmas we get we deserve.'