G5 Adventures in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys

Chapters

Learning of the Toy Taker/The Parade and the Snow Ball Commence
A Winter Wishday Sleepover in Zephyr Heights
North Pole Reunions and Decorating for the Snow Ball
Heading to the Island of Misfit Toys
The Storm/Shipwrecked Who Knows Where
Welcome to Castaway's Cove/Rudolph's Tough Decision and a Fox Family Reunion
Nora's Story and Secrets Revealed
The Flying Lesson/Santa's Warehouse Robbed and a Fox Family Union
Searching for Clues and a Peek Inside the Toy Taker's Lair
Going Undercover and Facing the Toy Taker
The Final Battle Commences
Mr. Cuddles' Story is Revealed/The Best Christmas Ever
The Christmas Party/Heading Back to Equestria and a Vision Occurs

Learning of the Toy Taker/The Parade and the Snow Ball Commence

Borealis had just received word of the Northern Light appearing in a completely different place than usual, and it appeared much earlier in the evening than usual too.

This immediately got the detective senses she got from Zipp tingling.

What could this mean? Was this some sort of sign from her mother?

Or was it just… strange atmospheric issues?

She had to keep this in the back of her mind while Sunny and the others were here. She hadn't seen them in so long, and... well... she didn't want to waste a single second on something that could be nothing.

But... she would soon realize how wrong she was about this being nothing, and how it would affect the rest of her life from that point on.

XXXXXXXX

After an amazing dinner cooked by Mrs. Claus, Santa personally guided the Mane 6 to their own private cottage behind the castle, that he had especially built for them in case they ever came back to the North Pole.

And what made it even better was the fact that Rudolph and Borealis were going to stay for a sleepover, just so they could have some time to themselves.

So, since they were alone at last, Sunny decided to show Rudolph and Borealis all the star shards they had collected thus far, laying them out on the floor. “Wow…” Borealis gasped, her multi-colored eyes wide. “They’re so pretty!”

“And they all look really similar to each other,” Rudolph said as he studied the pieces. “Almost like puzzle pieces.”

“That’s what I thought too,” Zipp nodded. “But the puzzle won’t be complete until we find that last star shard.”

“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard,” Borealis said out of innocence. “I’m sure that since you’re here, that star shard will show up at any time.”

The Mane 6 looked at each other uneasily… Allura having one star shard was the only thing that they couldn’t tell out in the open, fearing that someone might panic and send the North Pole into an arctic frenzy.

But now that they were alone, they couldn’t let their friends be in the dark any longer than they had to.

Rudolph noticed the ponies’ concerned expressions and frowned in concern. “What? Is there something wrong?”

“Well… we actually know where the last shard is,” Sunny said uneasily. “And… well… it isn’t in the North Pole.”

“Huh?” Borealis tilted her head, confused. “Then… where is it?”

Zipp took a deep breath before sighing. “Around Allura’s neck.”

“What?!” Rudolph looked stunned. “How did she get in the possession of another one?”

“She must’ve found it when we went back to Equestria after we completed one of our missions,” Hitch sighed. “She’s gotten close to nabbing a few of them, and they did temporarily increase her power, but… we were able to get those away from her.”

“But this one shard is one she’s been guarding like a hawk,” Misty added. “Or, more literally, guarding it like a snow leopard.”

“You guys are… gonna try and get it back from her, right?” Borealis asked nervously, her ears pinned. “I mean… we don’t even know what she’s gonna do with that star once it’s fully assembled.”

“We’re gonna try our best to get the shard from her, Bori,” Pipp rubbed the fox on the head. “Hopefully, we never have to find out why she wants the star to begin with.”

Rudolph and Borealis nodded at this, hoping their friends were right.

But even they couldn’t help but wonder…

…what WERE Allura’s true motives?

XXXXXXXX

Later that night, as our heroes tucked themselves into bed for a good night's rest before the next day's festivites, we move to a small, quiet village all decorated for Christmas before focusing on one house in particular.

Inside it, a little girl was sleeping soundly in her room. All is silent, with the toys she loved scattered around the floor. Suddenly, flute music began to play, and the little girl's rocking horse came to life, as if in a trance of some kind, as she silently rocked herself to follow where the music was coming from. Then the toy chest opened and out from it burst a ball and six blocks, following the music as well.

It must be some catchy tune, right?

Well... it's a sort of melody toys can't resist.

By this point, lots of toys, including a panda doll, a tea set, a ball, the rocking horse, the blocks and many others started following the music, in the deepest of spellbound trances.

The toys came up to the chimney, with the ball going up the chimney first, and the blocks piled up into a staircase so the other toys could climb up.

On the roof, the ball bounced out of the chimney and kept bouncing to something, unknowingly passing a figure responsible for the music.

Mr. Heebie Jeebies himself, otherwise known as... the Toy Taker.

Eventually, all the toys made it up the chimney one by one, where a big purple blimp is hovering above with a big hose of some sort descending from it, sucking all the dazed toys inside of it, and causing the Toy Taker to laugh like a lunatic before he jumped onto the hose and went back up into the blimp to make the next stop.

He had been stealing toys from everywhere, from the city of London, Paris, Switzerland, China... almost any place you could think of.

And he wasn't going to stop until all of the toys, even the ones currently being made at Santa's workshop, were his prisoners.

Unless... our heroes can stop his plans in time

XXXXXXXX

The next morning, Borealis was walking around the grounds of the castle before anyone else woke up.

It gave her a lot of time to think about things she needed to do that day, and she wanted to let Rudolph and the Mane 6 get their rest for the big day ahead.

I mean, it's not every day Santa asks you to lead the Christmas parade leading up to the big Snow Ball that night.

But as Borealis was thinking about a multitude of things at once, a sudden voice interrupted her train of thought.

“What’s shakin’ there, Princess Borealis?”

Borealis turned to see a talking snowman with a news reporter hat, a green scarf and a coal nose trudge over to her, using a stick as a large cane, and this sight made her smile. “Scoop T. Snowman, right? The head reporter for the Christmastown Chronicle?”

“At your service,” Scoop tipped his hat to her. “A lovely day for Christmas festivities, isn’t it?”

“It really is,” Borealis smiled. “The ponies from Equestria will be happy to celebrate peacefully, since Allura is still on the loose somewhere. But… let’s not worry about that right now. How have things been shaping up for you?”

“Well, busy as usual… but busier than ever once I heard the nightly report from an outside source,” Scoop said seriously, reaching behind his back and taking out a notepad. “I wanted to give you the inside scoop, so to speak, before I released it to the public in the coming days.”

Borealis looked at what Scoop had written down on the notepad with curiosity in her gaze. “Toy Taker Strikes Again: ‘A mysterious figure is taking toys from all around the world, and no one can identify this cloaked menace’. Man… this does sound serious. This is the fourth time in the last two weeks that the Toy Taker has struck.”

“Any official comment, your highness?” Scoop asked. “It would look good getting it from a royal source.”

Borealis sighed wearily before taking a deep breath and regaining her princess-like composure. “Not at the moment, Scoop. There’s not much information I can give that some people haven’t started whispering about. I wanna give it time in case these are just rumors.”

“Sure thing,” Scoop tucked the notepad under his hat. “Well, better get back to work. I’ll be covering the Christmastown Parade today, so I’ll see you then.”

Borealis was about to turn when Scoop spoke up to her again. “Princess?”

“Yes?” Borealis turned her head back to him. “Well, I never knew your mother personally,” Scoop said gently, “but… you’re doing a mighty fine job stepping into her paw prints.”

Borealis nodded softly. “Thank you. That’s what I’m hoping I can do.”

And with that, Borealis took her leave, in order to get primped and pampered for the parade in only a few short hours.

XXXXXXXX

Later on that day, the Christmas parade was almost ready to begin.

At a snowy gazebo not too far away from the castle itself, Santa, Borealis, the Mane 6, the reindeer, Mrs. Claus, the elves, a large batch of auroricorns from Starlight Ridge, and a couple of toy soldier guards waited for the parade to begin, with Rudolph right up front, Borealis on his back and the Mane 6 directly behind them.

Borealis fiddled with the flower crown that had mysteriously appeared on her head before the parade, and Izzy couldn’t help but question it. “Oooh, a flower crown! An excellent use of nature-y unicycling! Did you make that, Bori?”

“Actually… Negro made it for me,” Borealis said. “He knew how nervous I was for my first parade as future queen, so… he made this for me to make me feel like an actual princess, since I don’t have a real crown yet.”

Negro waved his paw timidly at Borealis from where he and his father stood with Clarice and her father, and Borealis waved back.

Rudolph chuckled at this. “Negro and Borealis have really gotten close over the past few months.”

“Oh-ho, we can tell,” Pipp said with a mischievous smirk. “Hey, I know that look, Pipp Petals!” Borealis said defensively. “Me and Negro are just friends. Nothing more.”

“Oh, sure, Borealis, sure,” Pipp winked playfully, causing Izzy and Misty to giggle. “Whatever you say.”

That's when the Mane 6 looked back to see the Boss Elf, someone that they hoped hadn't bugged Hermey too much about being a dentist since they left, pulling out his conducting wand, ready to conduct the band. “And a-1 uh, and a-2 uh and a-3 uh!”

And that's when a few of the elves began to sing a cheerful tune to start the parade off right.

You know Dasher and Dancer
And Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid
And Donner and Blitzen

But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

But of course, one of the elves, Hank, showed up late before playing his bass, and after his arrival, Santa, Rudolph, Borealis and the Mane 6 began to lead the parade away from the gazebo, leading everyone in an orderly line as the music continued.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

A familiar reformed snow-monster saw the parade and grinned at the ponies, and so did a small group of forest critters, causing the ponies to smile back.

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They 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?"

By this point, Yukon Cornelius came out of the Peppermint Mine that he had started last Christmas, pushing out a cart complete with candy canes before he came out to join the others in the parade.

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You'll go down in history!

By the time that the parade reached the castle, the song ended, but not the music as everyone worked to decorate the large Christmas tree in the ballroom, since the rest of the ballroom had already been decorated the night before by our heroes and their Christmastown pals.

And once the ornaments and lights had been hung, everyone chattered as Bumble put the star on top of the tree with happy giggles... a stark contrast to how he acted just a short year ago. “Wow… it looks perfect!” Violet Frost smiled. “Really suitable too, since this is the North Pole.”

“But don’t you think the tree is missing a little something?” Izzy asked innocently, tilting her head. “Like… I dunno… lights?”

“You’re right, Izzy. But I know just who I’d like to light the tree,” Santa said before turning to Rudolph, gesturing the button to turn on all the lights of the Christmas tree and all around the room. “Rudolph, will you do the honors?”

“My pleasure, Santa,” Rudolph said as Borealis hopped off his back. The red-nosed reindeer in question stepped forward and pressed the button with his hoof, turning on all the lights, to everyone's amazement.

But as they stood there, marveling at all the Christmas decorations, the lights started flickering, to everyone's confusion, and then suddenly all the power in the castle went off, making everyone moan in disappointment. “Uh… not to worry, everyone!” Sunny said reassuringly as Violet Frost, Comet and some other auroricorns used their horns to light up the darkened space. “Probably just a fuse blew.”

“There’s a fuse box in the barn,” Rudolph said, letting Borealis hop on his back. “We’ll go check it out and get the lights back on.”

“We’ll go with you,” Zipp said as the Mane 6, Rudolph with Borealis on his back and Santa began to head out. “Just to make sure there are no figures bumping in the night.”

So, our heroes and their friends headed out to the barn to find the fuse box, with Rudolph's glowing nose and Izzy and Misty's horns providing extra light so the fuse box could be found. “There!” Sunny pointed to the box. “That looks like what we’re looking for!”

Santa opened the fuse box and, with Rudolph's nose showing him which one to push, moved one of the fuse levers to the other side, restoring all power in the castle.

Santa laughed heartily and patted Rudolph's head, causing the reindeer to smile before they all headed back to the castle for the party.

XXXXXXXX

Soon, the Snow Ball was in full swing, with Boss Elf conducting the elf band as they all played a lively tune on their instruments.

Even Bumble couldn't resist diving into a very large plate of gingerbread cookies that Mrs. Claus had made, but some spilled out onto the floor, causing Izzy to gobble a few of them up and causing both of them to laugh.

With Yukon Cornelius, he dipped the tip of his pickaxe in a bowl of figgy pudding, before taking it out and tasting the drop of pudding. This made him grin in delight, and it even made both halves of his mustache roll out.

On the other side of the room, Santa and Mrs. Claus were dancing together, giving Sunny the idea that she should find a partner and join in the fun. “Come on, Hitch!” she said, grabbing the sheriff’s hoof. “The dancing isn’t gonna do itself!”

“WHOA!!” Hitch yelped as he was drug onto the dance floor, but soon relaxed as he and Sunny started dancing together, with Izzy and Comet joining in after a moment, finding a close friendship with each other.

Around the same time, Rudolph and Borealis were both looking for Negro and Clarice when they saw Clarice approaching Negro at the fireplace.

Negro and Clarice had grown almost as close as Rudolph and Borealis had over the past few months, and it was heartwarming to see that Clarice had her own little fox friend with his own special magic.

After a moment, Clarice noticed Rudolph and gave him a flirtatious smirk, which made Rudolph gulp hesitantly as his nose beamed. The doe came away from the fireplace and near the door leading to the hallway out of the room, with Negro on her heels, and the little black fox gave the duo the signal to follow.

Hermey and Zipp walked over by that point, with Hermey carrying a tray of fruit, and it didn’t take long for them to figure out what was going on. “Come on, you two, get a move on,” Zipp said, nudging Borealis while Hermey gave Rudolph a little nudge. “We can handle the party for a while.”

“Well, I… okay, but only if you’re sure,” Borealis sighed before turning to Rudolph. “Come on, Rudolph… can’t keep Clarice and Negro waiting.”

And so, seeing Clarice and Negro heading out into the hall, Rudolph and Borealis took off after them and into the cold, night air.

But when they stepped out into the snow, they looked around, not seeing Clarice and Negro anywhere. “Huh?” Borealis looked around, confused. “Where’d they go-- GAH!!”

A snowball hit Borealis right in the face, causing her to shake her head to clear it away. That’s when Clarice and Negro came out of hiding, giggling to themselves before running off, giving Rudolph and Borealis the chance to pursue.

Here in the night
Just you and me…

Clarice and Negro stopped near the gazebo and looked behind them, but noticed that Rudolph and Borealis weren’t chasing them anymore.

So where in the world were they, you ask?

Well, Rudolph had flown up to the top of the gazebo, with Borealis hanging on, of course, and some snow falling from the top of the gazebo alerted Clarice and Negro to where they were.

Negro giggled at this before he and Clarice rushed off again, ushering another round of the game.

In all of the world
You’re all I see…

Then, with Borealis on his back, Rudolph made a daring leap into the air before soaring off into the heavens to keep up with Clarice and Negro.

If we could fly away
Together we’ll fly someday
And be who we are
Somewhere beyond the stars

Clarice and Negro eventually stopped at the top of a distant hill to catch their breath, and Rudolph and Borealis landed behind them, with Borealis hopping off of Rudolph’s back to greet her fox friend.

If we made a wish
It might come true tonight

The two reindeer and the two foxes circled one another for a moment, smiling tenderly before rearing up and rushing away together once more.

Just listen to the dreams in your heart
Hold them and wish them with all your might

Rudolph and Borealis came to the part of the hill where you could overlook the night sky without a care in the world, and gestured for Negro and Clarice to join them after a few moments... even nuzzling one another as they gazed out at the starry sky.

Then perhaps someday
We'll know how closer we are
Love is waiting there, beyond the stars

We can find our way, beyond the stars...

XXXXXXXX

At the same time that Borealis, Rudolph, Negro and Clarice were enjoying their moonlit frolic, a yellow kite was flying frantically through the winter area, as he was in Christmastown for a very reluctant reason. Then he comes to a red mobile building and gasped upon seeing a sign labeled "The dentist is out" on the back door. “The dentist is out?!” he exclaimed. “How tragic…”

“Try the Christmastown Snow Ball,” Scoop T. Snowman told the kite as he approached, a smile on his face. “First castle on your left-- matter of fact, the only castle on your left.”

And that’s exactly where the little kite flew off to, trying to find the only dentist around for miles… Hermey himself.

XXXXXXXX

Around that same time, Rudolph, Clarice and their fox friends were heading back to the castle when Rudolph decided to make Clarice an offer. “So, uh, how about a flying lesson tomorrow afternoon, Clarice?”

“Really?” Clarice asked in surprise. “I mean, you're not too busy being so famous and all.”

“Well, you wanna earn your wings, don’t ya?” Borealis asked. “And it’s been a while since we’ve practiced, so it never hurts.”

“That would be amazing!” Negro said. “Dad said I can spend the day with Clarice tomorrow anyway, so let’s meet at the Northern Woods at, say… 5 o’clock.”

Borealis smiled. “Works for us.”

XXXXXXXX

“Hey, there they are!” Misty pointed to her friends and Tynan as Rudolph, Clarice and the young foxes came back into the ballroom, and they immediately trotted over to greet them. “Hey, guys,” Hitch smiled. “How was that moonlight run of yours?”

“It was fun!” Borealis smiled. “I actually stayed on top of the snow longer this time!”

“Well, now I know why my son was so eager to be at this party,” Tynan said with a mischievous smile. “To spend time with his favorite little fox friend.”

“Daaaad!!” Negro said in an embarrassed tone, causing Tynan to chuckle. “Just kidding, son. I’m just glad you kids had a good time.”

At the same time, one of three young fawns, named Adina, saw Rudolph and came up to him, holding a book of some sort in her mouth and placing it down at his hooves. “Uh… Mr. Rudolph, sir? May I have your autograph?”

Borealis nodded to Rudolph, knowing he couldn’t resist such an innocent smile. That’s when Rudolph put his hoof in a little ink pad nearby and stamped it into an open page, making Adina giggle emotionally before grabbing the book and running off to show her friends.

Sunny couldn’t help but chuckle at this. “You sure are popular these days, Rudolph.”

“Popular?” Hermey repeated with a smile as he approached with Comet and Violet Frost. “Actually, he's the most famous reindeer of them all.”

That’s when Yukon Cornelius approached with his own auroricorn pal-- Amethyst Flare, who had a dark magenta coat, dark purple eyes, a dark blue mane and tail with magenta tips and glitter in it, a dark magenta crystal in her necklace, a dark blue crystal gradient on her hooves and a crystal cutie mark of a firework.

Amethyst sometimes helped Yukon with the Peppermint Mine, whenever her firework talents weren’t needed around Starlight Ridge or Santa’s workshop. “Famous?” she repeated with a smile. “He’s more like a legend!”

Sunny noticed that Rudolph seemed to be getting a bit embarrassed by all the attention he was getting, and that's when Yukon raised his mug and tapped it with a spoon, clearing his throat in the process. “Everybody, a toast to our true-blue bosom buddy, Rudolph!”

“TO RUDOLPH!!” everyone shouted, raising their mugs and drinking some of their hot cocoa, when suddenly, Yukon noticed something. “Bad Bumble! Bad!”

Bumble was devouring all of the figgy pudding in one gulp, causing Bumble to put the bowl back on the table and whistle, as if he hadn’t done a thing wrong. “One word for you, my friend,” Hermey told him with a smile. “Dentures.”

The yeti looks thoughtful about the offer, but everyone in the room starts chanting one word and one word only. “Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!”

“Come on, Rudolph,” Borealis said, pushing against Rudolph urgingly. “Say something!”

Rudolph decided to take the fox up on her offer, and headed up onto the stage, much to the delight of the chanting crowd. Boss Elf adjusted the microphone and turned it on, causing feedback to go off, making the red-nosed fawn to wince a bit before the feedback finally stopped.

And once it did, Rudolph was finally able to say something. “Gee, guys… thanks,” he said with a small smile. “Being famous is swell and all, but the truth is, I never did anything to deserve it.”

“And he’s modest, too!” Yukon said, causing many to murmur and nod. But Rudolph didn’t feel that his speech was over just yet. “All I ever wanted was…”

“Glow your nose, Rudolph!” Winter Wind called out from the crowd, causing the crowd to cheer in agreement, and for Rudolph’s face to fall. “...to be like everybody else.”

“Come on, champ!” Coach Comet shouted urgingly. “Let's see the trick with the disco ball. Right? Right!”

“Disco ball! Disco ball!” the crowd began to chant repeatedly. “Disco ball!”

“You got this, Rudolph!” Izzy shouted. “We believe in you!!”

Rudolph looked up at the disco ball hanging above, causing him to sigh rather wearily before shining his nose at the ball, with the light reflecting off the ball and shining the light all over the room, making everyone clamor in amazement. Of course, it only lasts briefly before Rudolph gets tired and got his nose to dim as he headed off-stage. “I guess I'm just a novelty act around here.”

“Oh, come on, Rudolph,” Zipp said, trying to cheer the reindeer up. “They’ve just never seen a nose do that before, and they admire you for it, that’s all.”

“Either way… I understand how Rudolph feels,” Borealis said, her ears pinning slightly. “Being treated as famous when… all you want is to be treated like everyone else? I mean… I love being a princess and all, but… life was a little less chaotic before I found out my mom was a queen.”

Hermey, Borealis and the Mane 6 frowned at how unhappy Borealis and Rudolph seemed, but before they could do anything, a voice caught their attention.

“Hermey the Elf, D.D.S?”

The same yellow kite from before flew through the ballroom before stopping in front of Hermey, who bowed in response. “At your service.”

“King Moonracer has a royal toothache,” the kite explained worriedly. “Can you come to the Island of Misfit Toys?”

“You bet!” Hermey nodded, just as Borealis and Rudolph stepped closer. “Need some assistants, Hermey?” Borealis asked, causing Hermey’s smile to widen. “What pals.”

“Actually,” said a voice from the crowd, “I don’t think going there is a good idea.”

That’s when another auroricorn stepped out from the crowd, holding a clipboard in her magic aura. This auroricorn had a dark blue pelt, green eyes, a light blue mane and tail with dark blue tips, a purple gem in her necklace, a blue crystal gradient on her legs and a cutie mark of an ocean wave.

Amethyst Flare looked at her in confusion. “Ocean Blizzard? What do you mean they can’t go?”

“Yeah,” Zipp nodded. “Just who are you?

“I’m the resident weather auroricorn around here,” Ocean Blizzard said with a little snip in her voice, “and I don’t think it’s safe for Princess Borealis and her friends to go to an area of the ocean that’s known for having rough storms. You could get lost at sea, or worse!”

Borealis groaned under her breath-- she appreciated everyone looking out for her, but she had faced dangerous situations with her friends before. She was certain she could find a way out of a weather-related one with Rudolph by her side.

But before she could say anything, Sunny stepped up. “She won’t be going JUST with Rudolph and Hermey-- us ponies will be going too.”

“And to make sure you’re all safe out there,” Violet Frost added, “I wanna send one of my auroricorns with you, for extra security.”

“Well… I have always wanted to see the Island of Misfit Toys for myself,” Winter Wind said with a bashful smile. “I can go with you.”

“Great, Winter Wind!” Rudolph smiled. “We’re really excited to show it to you.”

“Let’s head out first thing tomorrow morning,” Zipp suggested. “That way if there is bad weather brewing, we can be back before it hits.”

The other ponies and everyone else nodded in agreement, making a silent oath to stick to the plan before the party resumed, leaving the group to enjoy the beginning of the best time of the year.

A Winter Wishday Sleepover in Zephyr Heights

Five star shards had been collected, as of the Mane 6’s last Unity Quest adventure.

Their most previous mission led them, Sandy Cheeks, Volcano Spark, Tropic Dancer and SpongeBob Squarepants to Sandy’s home state of Texas to rescue Bikini Bottom from the hands of a villainous CEO and Allura, who wanted the ultimate revenge on the Mane 6.

But… when Volcano stood up for Sandy when Allura attacked her, Allura didn’t put up much of a fight after that.

Instead, she surrendered one of the star shards she had collected willingly.

This caught the Mane 6 offguard, unsure of what to believe.

But either way, when they finally got their friends back to Bikini Bottom, they were met with more good news-- Sandy finally got the privilege to adopt Volcano into the Cheeks family as her younger brother!

Needless to say... Volcano was overjoyed.

And once the mission was over, the Mane 6 returned to their Harvest and Hugs Day feast with their family, and Sunny felt a lot better about not having her parents there, after hearing Volcano and Izzy's personal stories.

But with Winter Wishday just around the corner, the Mane 6 felt the need to celebrate how close they were to success. And what better way to do that with their families?

Suddenly, an idea hit Pipp like a freight train-- they could bring their families to Zephyr Heights for a holiday slumber party!

That way, they could still do all of their unique holiday traditions and fill them all in on the progress of getting the star shards before Allura could.

But then... after a long while of waiting...

...the day before Winter Wishday finally arrived.

XXXXXXXX

“I appreciate you young ones giving me a ride to Zephyr Heights,” Grandma Figgy told the Mane 6 and Sparky as they all flew to Zephyr Heights in the Marestream. “I couldn’t miss spending the holidays with my Hitchie, and going to the big city for the holiday is going to be ever so exciting!”

“We’re so glad you were able to come, Grandma Figgy!” Sunny smiled. “Hitch wouldn’t stop talking about how you guys were gonna do your cookie cottage creation tradition when we got there.”

“Hey, what can I say?” Hitch said with a blush. “It’s one of my favorite parts!”

“Misty, are you sure your parents didn’t want us to pick them up from Bridlewood?” Zipp asked from the front seat. “There’s a lot of snow on the ground.”

“Yeah, but Mom said she and Dad hadn’t been on a winter’s walk together in moons,” Misty added, “so they would just take the long way around.”

“Well, Mom is really excited for us ALL to be in Zephyr Heights this year,” Pipp said as she gazed out the window. “Maybe we can read one of those famous holiday stories you keep talking about, Sunny!”

“Yeah, maybe!” Sunny said to the pink pegasus with a smile before gasping, realizing where they were at long last. “And speaking of holidays… we’re here!”

The Marestream landed right in front of the Zephyr Heights palace as a gentle snowfall began to coat the ground a soft white. The Mane 6, Sparky and Grandma Figgy, wearing their winter best, stepped out of it, and not a few seconds later, they would see some familiar faces.

Paradise Moonray, Alphabittle Blossomforth and Queen Haven, along with Cloudpuff, opened the doors to see them, and Paradise couldn’t be more excited to see her little girl. “Misty! You all made it!”

“Hi, Mom,” Misty said, hugging her mother. “Hi, Dad. Warm Wishihoof.”

“Warm Wishihoof to you too, Tea,” Alphabittle noogied her head. “Your mom and I just had a wonderful winter’s walk to get here.”

“In fact,” said Queen Haven, “they got here only a few minutes before all of you did. I have a special treat for us all to start the festivities with. Sunny, have you heard of the classic holiday story, A Hearth’s Warming Tail?”

Sunny gasped deeply. “Yes! My dad used to read me that story all the time when I was a filly! Hearth’s Warming was a winter holiday celebrated in the older era of Equestria, and my dad always wanted ponies to hear it again.”

“Well, I’ve been orchestrating a secret production of the tale just for tonight,” Queen Haven said with a wide, glowing smile, “and we’re going to go to the Zephyr Heights Theater in order to see a live production scheduled just for us!”

This caused the Mane 6 to cheer in excitement, overjoyed that Sunny’s favorite holiday story was going to be told in front of their very eyes.

Alphabittle smiled a bit. “Well, what are we waiting for, kids? Zephyr Heights Theater, here we come!”

XXXXXXXX

The show was a complete success, just like Sunny and her friends hoped it would be.

The songs… the heartfelt message… everything was spot on.

But the surprises weren’t going to stop there.

Queen Haven told them they were all going to be staying in the royal guest suite of the Zephyr Heights palace, where they were going to get a great view of the first-annual Zephyr Heights Wishentine Parade before the big Carousel Concert the next night.

But as the sun began to set beyond the hills of Equestria, Sunny and her friends gathered around while everyone else was getting ready for snacks and a movie. “Guys, I know our families are trying to make this time really special for us, and I appreciate it,” Zipp said, glancing over at their families every once in a while, “but… we need to fill them in on this Allura situation.”

“Good point,” Hitch nodded, holding Sparky in his hooves. “With us having five shards and Allura still having one… she’s still dangerous.”

“But… not as dangerous as before,” Misty pointed out. “Remember how she gave up one of the star shards to Volcano after he defended Sandy?”

“...you have a point, Misty,” Sunny said, nodding a bit after considering this piece of information. “She didn’t seem as hostile then.”

“But still, it would be good to fill Mom in on the situation,” Pipp agreed with her older sister, “just in case.”

So… gathering everything they knew so far, they nodded at each other and stood in front of the fireplace to face their families.

Alphabittle was first to notice the seriousness on his daughter's face, as well as her friends' faces, and this got him worried immediately. “Tea? Is everything okay?”

“Well… things are definitely in our favor right now, and we’re glad to be here with all of you,” Misty said, taking a deep breath to calm herself, “but… there’s a lot of things you need to know about the Allura situation.”

This seemed to snap all of the adults to attention, urging their kids to continue. “Well, as of now,” said Sunny, pulling the shards out of her saddlebag, “we have five shards of the star that Allura needs to travel to other distant worlds.”

“But, the one we have left to get is the one she hasn’t been so willing to give up,” Zipp frowned. “She’s tried to kill us multiple times so she could get to the shards first.”

Queen Haven gasped in alarm. “Oh, my hoofness! Are you children alright?”

“We’re fine now, your majesty. Somehow, we’ve managed to get out of all our interactions with her without much of a scratch,” Hitch said. “Even though we’ve been scared out of our minds a few times.”

“Do you have any idea where she is now?” Paradise asked. “Maybe you could try and find her on your next mission and get the shard back.”

“It’s not gonna be easy, Mom,” Misty frowned. “Especially when she finds new allies wherever she goes.”

“Yeah,” Izzy said with a shudder. “Usually some really creepy bad guys.”

“And to think, this time last year, we MET Allura and Twitch for the first time in Starlight Ridge,” Pipp frowned. “Can you imagine her controlling the auroricorns just to find that ONE star?”

“I wouldn’t put anything past that cat,” Alphabittle growled. “As many times as she tried to hurt you.”

“Is there anything we can do to help, dearies?” Grandma Figgy asked. “Well, we still need some ponies to help look after Sparky when we go on the more dangerous and risky missions,” Zipp said, petting the baby dragon's head. “But other than that, just... be as careful as you can be. Allura isn't some-leopard to mess with.”

“Uh, guys? Speaking of the missions,” Izzy said, pointing to her flank, “but... look!”

The Mane 6 looked down at their cutie marks to discover they were glowing rather brightly, and this conjured a portal right in front of their eyes, causing Hitch to heavily sigh. “They always seem to take us away just when the fun happens...”

“But we can't leave whoever needs help out in the open,” Sunny reminded her foalhood friend. “We gotta get going before the portal closes.”

“Leave Sparky here with us,” Queen Haven instructed her daughters and their friends. “We can look after him while you're out saving the world.”

Hitch sighed and sat the baby dragon on Grandma Figgy's back. “Good call, Queen Haven. I promise, we'll be back as soon as we can, and hopefully, back with a piece of the star too.”

“All right, ponies... let's go!” Sunny said to her friends, and they all charged into the portal, leaving their families to wave goodbye just before the portal closed.

And they couldn't help but wonder...

...where would that portal take the young Equestrian heroes this time?

North Pole Reunions and Decorating for the Snow Ball

After Sunny and the rest of the Mane 6 filled in Alphabittle, Queen Haven, Paradise and Grandma Figgy about their current situation with Allura, their cutie marks began to glow, sending the Mane 6 on their next Unity Quest adventure...

...and while they hoped this would be a Christmad related miesion, they hoped this one wouldn't be too risky or dangerous, so they could go back to their families unharmed.

But like always, they would just have to wait and see when they finally got there.

XXXXXXXX

A crystalline portal, swirling with every color thought to exist, appeared within the midst of a snowy forest, and the Mane 6 stepped out of it, but their appearances had changed quite a bit.

Their hooves were painted icy blue or a cool purple color, along with sparkly blue and purple glitter on their legs, and blue and purple on their horns, manes and tails.

Not only that, but they had necklaces with different charms on their necks as well. Sunny had a red heart locket with her cutie mark on it, Pipp had a necklace with a music note charm, Izzy had a necklace with a diamond charm, Zipp had a necklace with a lightning bolt charm, Hitch had necklace with a shield charm, and finally, Misty had a necklace with the butterfly charm.

And upon realizing their appearance changes, Sunny gasped upon realizing where they were this time around. “Guys! We're back in Christmastown!”

“Man... it's been a while since we've been here,” Pipp said, fluffing her wings. “Not since we faced Winterbolt at the Circus of the Sea around July 4th.”

Hitch shuddered at this. “That’s a villain I'd definitely like to forget about.”

“Come on, let's go see if we can find our friends,” Misty suggested with a smile. “They’re all gonna be so excited to see us again!”

“Great idea!” Izzy chirped before galloping ahead of the group. “Last one to the castle is a rotten candy cane!”

Laughing, the other ponies quickly followed Izzy across the nearby bridge and in the general direction of the castle, excited to see their North Pole friends after such a long time being apart.

XXXXXXXX

Borealis had really tapped into her royal element now that she had been formally announced to the world as the princess of the Northern Lights foxes.

Rudolph was being really supportive of his fox sister's new duties, but Rudolph knew that it was a lot for one little fox to handle.

One way or another... Borealis needed her mother back. She couldn’t handle all these royal duties by herself at such a young age.

Speaking of royal duties, Borealis was now directing Winter Wind, one of the auroricorns from Starlight Ridge (who had green fur, blue eyes, a blue mane and tail and a crystal cutie mark of an igloo), whi was hanging a very decorative banner above the castle doors. “Maybe a little more to the left, Winter,” she said before immediately changing her mind. “No no no no no... maybe a teensy bit more to the right. Up a little and... PERFECT! That's just the spot.”

Winter Wind sighed as her horn finally stopped glowing. “Thank you for letting me hang the banner for the Snow Ball tomorrow night, princess,” she smiled. “It's a real honor.”

Borealis sighed wearily, but managed to crack a small smile. “No problem, Winter. You better go see if Violet Frost needs anything else done on the outside of the castle before we move onto the inside.”

Winter Wind nodded before tipping her head and galloping off, leaving Borealis to sigh. “That was exhausting.”

“Bori, you don't have to keep doing all this by yourself,” Rudolph said gently. “I could take over for a while if you need a break.”

“Or if you wanted,” said a rather familiar voice, “we could help with the decorating!”

Rudolph and Borealis turned their heads, and you can bet they were overjoyed to see their Equestrian friends again. “You’re back!” Rudolph exclaimed as they rushed to meet their friends. “Seems like around this time last year, we were all runaways together.”

“But now, we’re like celebrities!” Borealis giggled. “Speaking of which… have you guys found all those star shards yet?”

“Not yet, but we’re working on finding the last one,” Sunny said. “But we need to check in with you guys first!”

“Yeah,” Pipp nodded before turning to the young fox. “How are the royal duties coming along, Bori?”

“Phew… it’s a lot of work, but… I do enjoy making a difference for everyone in Christmastown, even when it isn’t Christmas,” Borealis smiled warmly. “And now that you’re here, you can help us with the Snow Ball tomorrow night!”

“The Snow Ball?! Whoo-hoo!” Izzy cheered, jumping around. “The Snow Ball is my favorite…! It’s my favorite-- quick question for you… what is it?”

“It’s a big celebration that helps us get ready for the Christmas season,” Rudolph explained. “Mama and Papa went to it a lot before I was born, and this is the first time we’re going to it, too.”

“And I promised Santa I would have everything ready for tomorrow,” Borealis said, naming off her duties. “The decorations, making sure the music is in order, the food, games…”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, foxie girl!” Hitch said, trying to catch his breath after a moment. “You’re going so fast, you’re making my head spin!”

“Oops! Sorry, Hitch,” Borealis blushed before regaining her composure. “The big thing is, it’s a huge responsibility, and I want Santa and Mrs. Claus to trust me with a lot of the big responsibilities around here since… well…”

“Since your mom’s gone and you’ll be queen one day?” Zipp asked with the playful roll of her eyes. “Yeah, I know how that can be.”

“But since we’re here now,” said Misty, “maybe we can help with some of the decorating, to take the load off you a little bit.”

“Really? Aww, guys, that’d be pawsome!” Borealis beamed. “The three auroricorns that are out here have the outside taken care of, so what we need to do is decorate the ballroom. Follow me!”

And so, the Mane 6 followed Borealis and Rudolph inside the castle doors and through the hallways to the ballroom-- an extravagant room where the Halfway-to-Christmas Gala and the Crystal Ball combined were held in this room when the Mane 6 were last here.

Needless to say… the Mane 6 could tell why Borealis seemed so frazzled-- that room was huge!

But luckily… they were going to have some serious help in the form of some friends they haven’t seen in a long time.

Sunny gasped as soon as she saw a few of them. “Clarice! Hermey!” she exclaimed. “We’re back!”

“Oh, Sunny!” Clarice smiled as she and Rudolph’s dentist elf friend looked over and ran to meet them. “This is quite the surprise,” Hermey said as he and Izzy parted ways. “Unity Quest time already?”

“You know it! But where have you been?” Izzy asked. “We looked for you last time we were here and you… well, weren’t here!”

“Oh, Hermey was off at dental school in the warmer months,” Clarice explained. “He actually graduated top of his class.”

“Hermey, that’s unbelievable!” Zipp said with a smile, nudging Hermey playfully. “Congratulations!”

“Yep,” said a voice that the Mane 6 didn't recognize at first. “He’s a dentist, true and true, if I do say so myself.”

The group turned to see two foxes, strikingly different from other foxes they had seen around the North Pole because of their black fur, enter the room. The older fox had green eyes, and the younger one, who looked to be around Borealis’ age, had light brown-amber eyes.

Borealis smiled as soon as they entered the room. “Oh, perfect timing!” she said, immediately trotting over to them. “Ponies, I’d like to introduce you to King Tynan and Prince Negro of the Shadow Fox clan. They came to the North Pole a few months ago, after their colony disbanded. Nego, King Tynan? These are the ponies I told you both about.”

“You mean the ones that helped you defeat that nasty Winterbolt?” Negro asked, bounding over to them. “Wow! It’s so nice to meet you! Snowfall and Borealis wouldn’t stop talking about you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Misty smiled. “We’ve never met Shadow Foxes before.”

“Well, there aren’t many of us,” Tynan explained. “Imagine the surprise when we showed up and our fur doesn’t go against the snow at all.”

“Believe me,” said Sunny. “Standing out isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“Hey, speaking of Snowfall,” said Pipp, looking around, “how are she and Frosty’s family doing?”

“They’re actually on vacation for the holidays, in the Antarctic,” Borealis explained. “But they said that if we saw you, to say a big hello from them.”

“Yukon and Bumble won’t be finished at their shift at the mine until later, Bori,” Negro then told his friend. “So it’ll be just us finishing up the preparations for the Snow Ball.”

“Great,” Borealis smiled. “Thanks for the heads up.”

Sunny noticed Tynan looking at the fox pups’ interaction warmly, a wide smile on his face. Almost as if… he saw something that she didn’t.

After a moment, she cleared her throat and drew attention back to her again. “All right, now that we’re all together, let’s finish this decorating and make this the best Christmas season ever!”

“And I know just how to do it,” Borealis winked. “With a song!”

“Ooh, Bori, you really know how I think!” Pipp said before turning on a festive tune on her phone, prompting everyone to get into the spirit, sing along and help out wherever they could.

Pipp: I remember when I was little
Every year, on Winter Wishday

Hitch: The sights the sounds, the foolin' around with friends and family

Borealis and Negro: Yeah every moment spent together

Negro: Was filled with Winter Wish glee

Borealis: And twinklin' singin', dancin' laughter filled Winter Wishday memories

Mane 6, Borealis, Negro, Rudolph and Clarice: Yeah
These precious moments
Will make my winter wish come true

Hitch: (Make it come true)

Mane 6, Borealis, Negro, Rudolph and Clarice: I'm countin' down the days
Till I get to make some memories with you cause

All: The only thing that's missin' (Hitch: Only thing missin')
Is a little bit a you oh-oh-oh-oh
So I am gonna keep on wishin'
For a little bit of you oh-oh-oh-oh

And if we can't be together
You know, I’ll send the love to you oh-oh
Cause the only thing that's missin'
Is a little bit of you (you oh-oh-oh-oh)

Ah ah ah ah
You oh-oh-oh-oh
(A little bit)

You oh-oh-oh-oh
Ah ah
You oh-oh-oh-oh
A little bit

Clarice: Maybe some sleighing?

Sunny: And Wishday art!

Izzy: Some singing' and carolin', that's a good start!

Zipp: Taking traditions

Misty: And making them new

Hitch: Making it special as my gift to you

Mane 6, Borealis, Negro, Rudolph and Clarice: These precious moments
Will make my Winter Wish come true

Borealis and Rudolph: (Make it come true)

Mane 6, Borealis, Negro, Rudolph and Clarice: I'm countin' down the days (Ooh)
Till I get to make some memories with you cause

All: The only thing that's missin' (Hitch: Only thing missin')
Is a little bit a you oh-oh-oh-oh
So I am gonna keep on wishin'
For a little bit of you oh-oh-oh-oh

And if we can't be together
You know, I’ll send the love to you oh-oh
Cause the only thing that's missin'
Is a little bit of you (you oh-oh-oh-oh)

Ah ah ah ah
You oh-oh-oh-oh
(A little bit)

You oh-oh-oh-oh
Ah ah
You oh-oh-oh-oh
A little bit

And by the time the song was over, the ballroom was beautifully decorated for the Snow Ball.

“Wow… I never would have thought singing would get something done so fast!” Negro admitted, honestly impressed. “We did pawsome work!”

“We sure did, kiddo,” Tynan smiled before his ears swiveled a bit so he could hear if anything was coming. “And just in time… I think my fox ears are tellin’ me Santa and Mrs. Claus are on the move!”

Borealis sniffed the air before her eyes lit up. “Oh! And I smell Violet Frost and Comet with them! They’re gonna be so excited to see you ponies again.”

Truth be told, walking through the ballroom doors were none other than Santa and Mrs. Claus, the leader of the auroricorns of Starlight Ridge, Violet Frost, and one of her closest friends, Comet.

Santa chuckled warmly when he saw the Mane 6 with the others. “Welcome back, Sunny and friends! It’s wonderful to see you all again.”

“It’s good to be back, Santa,” Misty smiled. “I hope you guys don’t mind, but we helped decorate the ballroom for the big Snow Ball tomorrow night.”

“Mind? Oh, Misty, dear, it looks lovely!” Mrs. Claus smiled. “You all should be very proud of your work.”

“Yeah, it looks incredible!” Comet said, stumbling around a bit. “We’ve got the food and music taken care of, so it looks like we’re all set for the party.”

“And since everything is taken care of,” Violet Frost then smiled, “we can catch up with you guys and see how close you are to defeating Allura once and for all.”

“Great! We’d be happy to tell you,” Sunny said before beginning some of the stories from their most recent adventures. “So, the Unity Quest we went on after we left on the 4th of July was to a small town in New York…”

Borealis was content listening to the story with Rudolph from beside Mrs. Claus and Santa, but that was when she felt a tap on the back, causing her to turn to see who it was.

As it turns out, it was one of the most loyal auroricorns Borealis had ever met-- Polar Faith, who had a dark blue pelt, a dark purple mane and tail, a dark purple crystal gradient on her legs, a crystal horn, blue eyes, a dark blue crystal on her necklace and a crystal cutie mark of an igloo.

Borealis turned to her in surprise. “Polar Faith… is something wrong? I thought you were working the research station with Ocean Blizzard today.”

“I am, but I had to come and show you… this,” Polar Faith handed her a photograph of a strange aurora over the ocean. “The Northern Lights weren’t supposed to appear this early into the evening hours, and they’re over a part of the North Pole I’ve never really noticed before. I wasn’t sure what this meant, so I felt the need to tell you first.”

Borealis hummed in thought before gaining her composure again. “Thanks, Polar. This is pretty confusing, even for me to understand. Keep me posted and let me know if it changes at all.”

“Of course, princess,” Polar Faith said respectfully, bowing before galloping back to her post.

But while Borealis continued to listen to the story, she couldn't help but wonder... what was with this strange aurora?

And could it be the clue she needed in order to find her mother?

At that point... only time would be able to tell.

Heading to the Island of Misfit Toys

King Moonracer on the Island of Misfit Toys had a severe toothache, according to a toy kite that had come to Hermey for help, so Hermey, Rudolph, Borealis, the Mane 6 and an auroricorn named Winter Wind were going to head to the island the next morning in order to tend to Hermey’s most royal patient to date.

And since the strange aurora that Polar Faith had gotten a photo of the other night were close to the Island of Misfit Toys, Borealis could see if anything on the island caused the aurora and finally stop the questions going full speed within her mind.

But what Borealis or any of her friends didn't know was that heading out on this simple dentist call was going to spark a whole new adventure later on.

XXXXXXXX

Early the next morning, before a lot of North Pole residents even woke up, the Mane 6 and their friends boarded Hermey’s Tooth-Mobile with the kite from the night before guiding them forward…

…that is, until the ocean finally came into their line of sight.

Misty was worried that once they got to the ocean, they would have to swim all the way to the island… and that North Pole water was even icier than usual this time of year. “What now, Hermey?”

“Behold,” Hermey said to the group with a smile. “The wonders of the Tooth-Mobile, my all-terrain mobile dental facility.”

The Tooth-Mobile seemed to get closer to the edge of the water, but while they were on the road, Borealis and Winter Wind groaned and yelped because the ice was making the road bumpy.

And believe me when I say that Borealis was more used to riding on Rudolph’s back than riding in a motorized vehicle.

Then as they came to the water’s edge, Hermey pulled a lever, activating some pontoons for the vehicle to float gently above the water, much to the Mane 6’s internal relief.

And so, our friends set off to the Island of Misfit Toys for a dental house to tend to the ailing King Moonracer.

But along the way, Zipp, Borealis and Rudolph found themselves glancing at the kite, who flew alongside them throughout the journey, and the kite seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with the glances and looks he got. “You’re staring.”

“Whoops!” Zipp realized what they were doing. “Sorry about that.”

“We were just trying to figure out…” Rudolph began to say. “Why I’m a misfit toy?” the kite finished for him. “The awful truth? I'm afraid of heights! Ain't it tragic?”

“Yikes…” Izzy groaned. “That almost sounds as bad as Windy’s fear of daisies!”

Winter Wind blinked at that. “Daisies?”

“Eh, it was a whole thing,” Sunny brushed off. “But still… that’s gotta be tough to be a kite who’s scared to fly high.”

“Eh, well,” the kite sighed sadly, “it’s the life of a misfit toy, I guess.”

“Actually,” Hermey interrupted, “Borealis, Rudolph and I used to be misfits too.”

However, the kite seemed reluctant to believe such a claim. “You’re yankin’ my tail!”

“Except…” Rudolph muttered, hanging his head, “...I’m still a misfit.”

“What?” Winter Wind looked at him in surprise. “Rudolph, what are you talking about?”

“Yeah!” Izzy nodded, confused by Rudolph’s words. “You’re a celebrity!”

“So what?” Rudolph responded, disheartened entirely. “I'd give anything for a normal nose.”

“Aww…” Sunny frowned. “Poor guy…”

“How tragic,” the kite shook its head sadly. Rudolph sniffed a bit, causing Borealis to nuzzle her friend out of concern. But luckily, the others knew just what to do to cheer them up-- sing a cheerful tune.

Hermey: Keep your chin up, keep your shoulders back
And face the world with pride

Winter Wind: So what if you’re a little bit different?
You’re still bonafide!

Sunny: Stick your nose out, hold your antlers high

Zipp: Enjoy the world you see

Hermey: So what if you’re a little bit funny?

Borealis: Hey! You still got me!

Soon, Hermey stopped the Tooth-Mobile, just as they reached a large batch of icebergs… large enough for them to stand on and hop to.

Rudolph: We’re just a little bit…
Aw, just a little…

Pipp: We stand out from the rest

Rudolph: Golly, but I just don’t fit

Hermey: Hey, don’t even think of it

Borealis: Not even for a little bit?

Hermey: The situation’s delicate
We’ll find a fit

Rudolph: You’re such a wit

Hitch: And you’re a major benefit

Ponies, Borealis, Rudolph and Hermey: Ohhhhh…!!!

Rudolph: (spoken) Me?

Misty: So keep your chin up
Keep your shoulders back

Ponies, Borealis, Rudolph and Hermey: And face the world with pride

Hermey and Rudolph: So what if we're both kinda loony?
So what if we're both kinda toony?
So what if we're both kinda spoony?

Borealis, Hermey and Rudolph: Spoony…
Toony…
Looney…
We’re just fine!

Hermey: Hey, I'm not just a dental elf…

Zipp: You’re a monumental elf!

Hermey: We’re happy as can be

Rudolph: Even if I’m down and out?

Hermey: In a hole, I'll pull ya out

Rudolph: You’re the coolest of the cool!

Izzy: Ponies, foxes, elves and reindeer rule!

Borealis: You think that’s true?

Hermey: I do, don't you?
Just look at all the things we do!

Ponies, Borealis, Rudolph and Hermey: Ohhhhh…!!!

Rudolph: (spoken) Really?

Winter Wind: So keep your eyes bright

Ponies: Take a real deep breath

Ponies, Borealis, Rudolph and Hermey: And hold your head up high

Hermey: Remember, don't ever feel crummy
Cause I am your personal chummy!

Rudolph: We’re really remarkably plummy…
Yes, plummy…

Borealis: Not glummy…

Ponies, Borealis, Rudolph and Hermey: Old chummy…
We’re perfectly fine…!!

And soon after the song ended, they got back into the Tooth-Mobile and proceeded on their way once more.

And after a moment of silence, Hermey turned to Rudolph, who seemed to be feeling a tad bit better. “I never made a big deal out of your nose, did I?”

Borealis shook her head to this. “Just like we never made a big deal about you wanting to be a dentist.”

“Exactly!” Hermey nodded. “So, who cares what other people think?” Winter Wind asked with a confident smile. “We are who we are… right?”

“Well,” Rudolph shrugged softly, “I guess.”

This caused the Mane 6 to look at each other, realizing at least one part of their mission.

To get Rudolph to understand that what he really, TRULY wanted was right in front of him all along.

XXXXXXXX

Pretty soon, our gang arrived to a familiar island, and the pontoons deflated from the Tooth-Mobile's runners. “Here we are, gang,” Zipp said with a smile. “The Island of Misfit Toys!”

“We’re here, we’re here!” Borealis yipped excitedly. “Come on!”

The group immediately got out of the Tooth-Mobile, and Hermey pressed a button on a remote, which locks the doors of the Tooth-Mobile just for safe keeping.

But not long after the group started following the kite, they saw a familiar figure approaching from behind a huge mound of snow. It looked to be a pony-like creature with bug-like blue eyes, a pink coat with horns on her head, a light blue mane and tail and bug-like wings… someone our heroes recognized.

This was Frenala, the royal assistant to King Moonracer himself.

Upon seeing her old friends again, Frenala gasped and rushed over to them. “You’re really back!”

“Frenala!” Sunny said as she and the changeling-pony hybrid hugged. “Oh, we’ve missed you so much!”

“A lot’s happened since the last time we saw each other!” Zipp said. “Like how Borealis is a princess now?” Frenala asked with a giggle. “It’s so exciting!”

“Hey… wait a sec,” Borealis paused. “How did you know about that?”

“King Moonracer flies over the North Pole all the time while he’s finding misfit toys, so… I get a lot of gossip,” Frenala said before noticing Winter Wind. “Oh, who’s this?”

“This is Winter Wind, one of our new auroricorn pals,” Hitch explained. “Winter Wind, this is Frenala. She’s studying under King Moonracer to become his royal consort someday.”

“Wow, it’s so nice to meet you!” Winter Wind said as she and Frenala shook hooves. “Borealis and Rudolph told me all about this place, but I never thought I would actually see it for myself!”

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Frenala smiled before using her wings to flutter above the group. “Well, now that you’re here, we can introduce you to all the other misfit toys hoping to find homes this year! You’re gonna love them.”

“Come on out, everyone!” the kite called out as he flew toward some boxes. “We have guests!”

Then, as the toys began to come out of the boxes one by one, a cheerful song began to form on the wind.

Kite: When a mouse goes meow
And a cat goes woof
And the kite is afraid to fly above the roof
Don't be frightened by all the noise
On the Island of Misfit Toys

All: Ohhhh…
The Island of Misfit Toys
Toys

Kite: When a jack-in-the-box isn't Jack at all
And there isn't any bounce in the bouncing ball
Take a breath, regain your poise
On the Island of Misfit Toys

All: Ohhhh…
The Island of Misfit Toys
Toys, toys, toys, toys, toys, toys, toys

Kite: Seems like everyone wants to attain perfection
Nobody wants to be different and face rejection

Binoculars: Does anybody like me?

Frenala: I sure do!

Kite: Look those binoculars just can’t see
And the dizzy, dizzy top is a catastrophe
But there's no one that this annoys
On the Island of Misfit Toys

All: Ohhhh…
The Island of Misfit Toys
Toys, toys, toys, we're on the Island of Misfit Toys
Toys, toys, toys, toys, toys

Kite: There's a pig without a slot as if you shake her 'round
And listen to her tummy, you won't hear a sound
Not a penny to make a noise on the Island of Misfit Toys

Snowflakes come in different shapes and sizes,
Like a misfit toy, they're chock full of surprises
Let go of my tail!

“Oops!” Izzy yelped, realizing that she had stepped on the kite’s tail by mistake. “Sorry!”

Kite: There's a train that can't roll down the track
A boomerang won't come back,
A rattle without a noise
On the Island of Misfit Toys

All: Ohhhh…
The Island of Misfit Toys

Ohhhh… the Island of Misfit Toys
Toys, toys, toys, we're on the Island of Misfit Toys
Toys, toys, toys, toys, toys

And as when the toys had popped out of their boxes to say hello, the song quickly ended, causing Rudolph to smile at all the toys introduced. “Nice to meet all of you.”

The top that the kite introduced before was still spinning quite rapidly at that point until he finally stopped, seeing the group in a weary perspective, looking like there is more than one of them each. “Whoa-ho-ho! I just wish there weren't so many of you!”

Then, a toy phone with a cute happy face on it, named Chatter walked around a bit before his phone rang, and he picked it up with immense enthusiasm. “Hello? Hello? Hello?!”

However, all he got was a busy tone, causing him to sigh and hang up. “Nobody.”

“Oh,” Frenala whispered to her friends, “he’s the phone with hang ups.”

“And I'm Peggy, the piggy bank. Only fact is, they forgot to give me a slot,” said the piggy bank closest to Izzy, causing Peggy to shake herself as emphasis. “Hear that? Nothing. I'm all empty inside. I need change!”

“You think you have problems, mate?” asked a boomerang in an Australian accent. “I'm the boomerang that doesn't come back!”

And to prove his point, the boomerang jumped up and flew away from the island without returning like he was supposed to. “G'DAAAAAAAYYY!!!”

And just like that, he was gone, leaving the kite to sigh mournfully. “Ain’t it tragic?”

“It’s something all right,” Zipp shook her head. “But, don’t worry, everybody. Christmas will be coming sooner than you think.”

“Yeah!” Borealis nodded. “And Santa’s gonna find homes for all of you, with kids that are gonna love you!”

Suddenly, she remembered something, and pulled out the photo Polar Faith gave her a few days before. “Speaking of which, I needed to ask you misfit toys something,” she said, holding the photo out for the toys to see. “Do any of you know if this strange aurora came from somewhere on the island? It’s… kind of important.”

“Hmm… can’t say I have, dear,” Peggy said with the shake of her head, causing Frenala to nod. “Yeah. We all saw the aurora, for sure, and it was pretty amazing…”

“...but I don’t think any of us can create something like that,” said the phone with hang ups with a frown. “Sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It was just a long shot,” Borealis said as she tucked the photo away with a sigh. “I guess I thought it was some sort of sign from my mom, telling me she was out here somewhere. But… I guess it’s another lead gone cold.”

“Hey, don’t worry,” Rudolph said comfortingly, nuzzling the fox with his nose. “We’ll find her soon… I just have that feeling.”

And then, during that brief moment of silence, a pair of trumpets with eyes and flags came floating along by themselves and blow a fanfare, causing Frenala to clear her throat for the royal introduction of her mentor. “His majesty, King Moonracer!”

The ponies, Rudolph, Borealis and Hermey all looked up to the sky to see a familiar winged lion flying through the heavens with his head wrapped in a ribbon, looking pained as he held his cheeks with one of his front paws. “Ohhh…” the lion groaned as he landed in front of them. “The pain… the pain!”

“Right this way, your majesty,” Borealis said with a slight bow, gesturing toward the Tooth-Mobile. “We’re gonna fix you right up.”

“Rudolph, we’re gonna go on that tour with Frenala and Winter Wind, to see if there’s any trace of… uh... you-know-who around here,” Hitch told the reindeer, referring to Allura in a way that wouldn’t frighten anyone. “We’ll meet you guys back here as soon as we’re done.”

“Good luck,” Rudolph said solemnly before the Mane 6 began to walk away with their friends, deciding the best place to explain about Allura was at the beginning.

XXXXXXXX

Only a few minutes later, King Moonracer was sitting in a chair in the back of the Tooth-Mobile, with Hermey in a full dentist uniform to examine the problem up close. “Now,” said Hermey, holding up some dental tools, “let's have a look-see at these pearly white… um, fangs, shall we?”

Then the reluctant Moonracer shook his head now, a little nervous. “Mmm-mmm.”

“Tut-tut-tut. Nothing to fear, your highness. I'm a professional,” Hermey reassured the winged lion. “Open wide, please.”

The still reluctant King Moonracer opened his mouth, and Rudolph shined his nose inside to see better. “Wider,” Hermey said, and the king opened his jaws wider in response. “Wider…”

And when the lion’s mouth was finally open enough, Borealis got a good look at his fangs from Rudolph’s back. “Oh my… those are some big chompers.”

That's when Hermey started tapping on some of the teeth, trying to get a reaction from the king. “That hurt?”

“Uh-uh.”

Hermey stuck himself deeper into the lion’s mouth to get into the very back of it. “This?”

“Uh-uh.”

That’s when Hermey got REALLY far back, making even Rudolph and Borealis a bit nervous. “How about…?”

Then he reached some part of the teeth, and that resulted in the lion's eyes widening in alarm, and causing him to shriek in pain while Hermey pulled himself out. “Um, just a quick clarification,” Borealis raised a paw, startled from the sight. “Was that a yes or a no…?”

“Please,” King Moonracer begged Hermey. “Don’t tell me I need a root canal.”

However, that didn’t stop Hermey from telling the king the truth. “You need a root canal!”

“I asked you not to tell me that!”

“Don’t worry, sire,” Hermey said, grabbing a nearby drill. “This won’t hurt a bit.”

However, when the drill turned on, Moonracer sighed wearily and passed out, causing Borealis to sigh.

This was definitely going to take a while.

XXXXXXXX

“So, Allura still has a shard of that star?” Winter Wind asked in clarification as the Mane 6 finished telling her and Frenala the story. “And she’s going to destroy you guys in order to get the rest of them and complete it to do... who knows what?”

“Right,” Hitch nodded as they walked along a path through the forest. “So, we need to be ready for her and Twitch to show up at any time.”

Frenala shuddered at this. “I’ll admit, I heard about Allura through rumors and whispers, but… hearing her do all those things to those creatures in different worlds… it’s pretty scary.”

“Once King Moonracer is done with his checkup, we’ll need you to tell him everything we told you,” Sunny told the changeling-pony hybrid. “In order to prepare the Island of Misfit Toys for a possible attack.”

Frenala nodded at this. “Of course. Anything you want, I’ll gladly do.”

“Do you think she would find her way back to the North Pole again?” Winter Wind asked worriedly. “And take control of the auroricorns like she did before?”

“No… Violet Frost told me that she equipped a lot of her auroricorn friends with special Starlight Ridge earplugs, just in case,” Misty shook her head. “They should be safe.”

“Speaking of the North Pole… we better go check up on our dentist and the others,” Zipp told the others, checking the time on her phone. “If we wanna get back in time for Rudolph and Borealis’ flying lesson with Clarice and Negro, that is.”

“Good idea, Zipp,” Sunny nodded. “We can never be too careful. I just hope the North Pole is doing okay without us.”

XXXXXXXX

Later on that evening, all the toys prepped by the elves for the Christmas Eve launch had been placed in boxes, wrapped and decorated with shiny ribbons and bows, every single one being stored in the same warehouse.

Santa, Boss Elf, Violet Frost and Comet decided that with these rumors of the Toy Taker going around, all the necessary security measures would have to be taken. “Can't be too careful with this Toy Taker on the loose,” Santa said as he flipped the lights off and locked the door, leaving two toy soldiers at the door for extra security. “Alert us at the first sign of trouble, boys,” Violet Frost told the soldiers. “Comet and I will be in the guest cottage down the road if you need us.”

The two soldiers saluted to the purple auroricorn before Santa, Boss Elf, Violet Frost and Comet left the warehouse... only for Comet to sigh after a moment, not really feeling like his chipper self.

Violet realized that something was bothering Comet, and in turn, it bothered her. “Comet? Are you okay?”

“Well… no, not really,” sighed Comet. “I mean, I love Starlight Ridge and the North Pole, and I will always consider it to be my home, but… I don’t know, I feel like I’m ready for the next big adventure. To explore the world beyond the ice and snow… you know?”

Violet looked at him in surprise. “You really feel that way? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Comet sighed with a shrug. “I dunno. I guess I was worried about what you would think.”

“Comet… if you really feel that way, after the Christmas rush, of course you can go off and explore the world,” Violet said, putting a hoof on Comet’s shoulder. “I may not leave Starlight Ridge or the North Pole, but the same shouldn’t be the same for you. We’re free from Allura, remember? We don’t have to condemn ourselves to the possibilities.”

Comet sighed in relief, smiling at Violet Frost with gratitude. “You’re really a great leader, Violet. I knew from the minute Allura left us, you were the right auroricorn for the job.”

“Thanks,” smiled Violet. “Come on… let’s get to our cottage and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”

XXXXXXXX

But as Santa, all the auroricorns, the reindeer and the elves tucked themselves in and fell fast asleep… it happened; the unthinkable!

In the warehouse, all is silent until a wicked and VERY familiar figure, the Toy Taker, except now ghostly looking, appeared through the roof and floated down to where all the packaged toys were, and he snickers sinisterly as he looked at all the inventory.

It was time to make the ultimate move and seal the fate of Christmas forever.

The Storm/Shipwrecked Who Knows Where

The dental operations on King Moonracer took much longer than Rudolph ever expected.

Even after the root canal was placed, Hermey wanted to make sure all of his other teeth weren’t damaged, so that meant a full scale cleaning and flossing.

Borealis could tell he was worried about missing flying practice with Clarice and Negro, and she felt a little bad about that too.

So, as soon as Zipp and the other ponies got back from their walk, she asked Zipp to message Clarice and Negro (since Pipp gave Clarice a phone for a Christmas gift the last time Pipp saw her) and explain the situation.

And only half an hour later, as King Moonracer began to stir from unconsciousness, Zipp felt a ping on her FlyPad, and quickly pulled it out. “Rudolph! It’s a text back from Clarice!”

“Oh, what’d she say?” Rudolph asked with a gulp. “I hope she’s not too upset.”

“Not by the sound of this,” Zipp said before clearing her message. “Hey, Zipp. Thanks for messaging me that you might be a little late getting home. Tell Rudolph and Bori not to worry about the flying lesson, we can do it the minute you all get back. Can’t wait to see you.”

“Awww… Clarice is just the sweetest thing!” Izzy cooed. “Isn’t she, Rudolph?”

“Uh… y-yeah, she’s swell. She and Negro both are,” Rudolph said quickly, trying to hide the blush coming onto his face. This reaction caused a few of the mares to giggle to themselves, amused. “Well, we better go ahead and get going now that King Moonracer is waking up,” Sunny told her friends. “There’s only a few days left til Christmas, and in order for it to run smoothly, we all have to put our best hoof forward.”

XXXXXXXX

Later that day, as the sun began to go down, our heroes found themselves back inside the Tooth-Mobile, with Hermey getting the vehicle started and making the pontoons appear as they shoved off, with the toys, Frenala and King Moonracer waving them farewell. “Farewell!” said the king. “Don't forget us on Christmas!”

“I hope to see you all soon!” Frenala called as her North Pole friends and Equestrian friends soon vanished from sight.

XXXXXXXX

Not even a half an hour later, in the middle of the Northern seas, storm clouds began forming, much to Hitch's worry. “Looks like Ocean Blizzard’s intuition was right after all. That’s a bad storm moving in.”

“I hate to say it, but Hitch is right,” Misty nodded, worry etched across her face. “Maybe we should turn back.”

“Ohhh… I know she said she was fine with us coming home later than we said we would,” Rudolph sighed, “but I kinda hate to miss my date with Clarice.”

Hermey smirked over at the red-nosed reindeer in question. “That doe certainly has you head over hooves, doesn't she?”

Rudolph felt his face flush at this. “W-Who told you?”

“Oh, come on, Rudolph,” Winter Wind scoffed. “Everypony in Starlight Ridge and Christmastown know about your feelings for Clarice.”

“They do?!” Rudolph asked before sighing to himself. That was sort of something he had hoped to remain secret… at least, for now. “Haven’t you told each other?” Hermey asked, only for Rudolph to glance away. “Well,” he admitted, “not in so many words.”

“The last time I checked,” Pipp smirked, “it was only three.”

Borealis whined at this, feeling bad for Rudolph and his love-related situation. “He’s tried, ponies… but the words won’t come! Even when I try to help him!”

However, Hermey only smiled in response to this. “I know what you mean.”

“...is it just me,” said Zipp with a deadpan look, “or does anypony else think we’re going to see a flashback in just a few seconds?”

And Zipp couldn’t be more right.

XXXXXXXX

We see a room complete with elves in graduation uniforms and caps, and a certain yellow-haired elf, donning a graduation uniform and cap as well, is heading up to the stage where a tooth fairy is waiting at the podium for him, while holding a rolled-up diploma. “It was graduation day at the elf academy of dental arts,” Hermey explained, “and the Tooth Fairy was giving us our diplomas one by one.”

Hermey walked up onto the stage, looking happy and starry-eyed as he approached the Tooth Fairy, who had his diploma in her grasp. “Congratulations, Hermey!”

She handed him the diploma, but Hermey got so excited, he pretty much fainted right on the stage.

XXXXXXXX

“Whoa whoa whoa, hold up a second, Hermey,” Sunny stopped the story right then and there, trying to contain her amusement and excitement. “You’ve got a crush on the Tooth Fairy?!”

“And,” Hermey added, “her teeth are perfect.”

“Oh-ho… this is gonna make worthy gossip for the Pippsqueaks!” Pipp said as she took notes down. “Official gossip spin-off channel, here I come!”

“Uh… ponies?” Izzy redirected their attention with a nervous chuckle. “I don’t want to ruin the happy-go-lucky, North Pole happiness kind of fun, but… I think we’ve got a slight problem.”

“What kind of…” Winter Wind began to ask before she and the others saw it-- the storm was getting much worse, and they had forgotten about turning around until it was too late, meaning they were heading straight into the heart of the storm. “Uh-oh…”

“It always has to be something with us,” Borealis sighed wearily, “doesn’t it?”

“What are we gonna do, Sunny?” Zipp asked. “Even with our pony powers and Rudolph’s nose guiding us, we can’t work miracles on the weather!”

Luckily, Sunny already had a plan. “Izzy, Misty, make sure all the windows are sealed shut. The rest of you, brace yourselves-- the storm is gonna make the way back a little rougher than expected!”

“Hey, as long as it gets me away from the thunder,” Borealis spoke up, shaking slightly from the loud thunder booms, “I’m game!”

As the Tooth-Mobile continued to bob up and down in the waves, Izzy and Misty made sure the windows in the back of the Tooth-Mobile were sealed shut before making their way back to the cab area, wanting to be with their friends to provide some comfort.

A bolt of lightning came down in front of them, causing Winter Wind to shriek, not used to this sort of dangerous weather back in Starlight Ridge. “Oh boy…” Hitch groaned, trying to keep himself together while tried to keep his breakfast from coming back up. “I think I’m gonna be sick…”

“Don’t let him get sick, don’t let him get sick!!” Borealis shrieked, covering her eyes with her paws. “Trust me, if there was a way we could,” Pipp said, trying to help Hitch, “we would!”

“Uh… guys?” Zipp looked out in front of them with panic in her eyes. “Don’t look now, but I think we’ve got even bigger problems!!”

The group looked out where Zipp was pointing, and as it turns out, a giant iceberg was dead ahead, and with the waves pushing up against the Tooth-Mobile, they were heading right for it!

Hermey tried to steer around it, but the strength of the storm was far too strong to get out of. Everyone screamed as the Tooth-Mobile smashed right into the iceberg, which caused a large crack in the gigantic chunk of ice. The crack increased, causing parts of the ice to fall apart into the sea, including the part that held the snow on top of the iceberg.

That same snow that was on the iceberg collapsed on the Tooth-Mobile, causing it to sink below the water's surface. Then, a lightning bolt zaps the remaining ice, breaking it all apart and letting the remnants sink to the bottom as well.

You could probably bet our heroes were done for in that moment, right?

Well... you're actually incorrect.

Suddenly, a humming sound was heard, and a bright red light glowed under the water, and just a few seconds later, the Mane 6, Winter Wind and Rudolph burst out of the water, with Hermey on Rudolph's back and Borealis on Winter Wind's back.

Sunny was able to turn into an alicorn not long after the Tooth-Mobile began to sink, and thanks to the magic necklaces the Mane 6 and Winter Wind were wearing, those who didn't have wings were able to fly like a reindeer into the stormy sky, coughing up water, but thankfully unharmed.

Sunny flew right behind Rudolph, providing an extra light for her friends to see by. “Look for any sign of a place for us to touch down!” she shouted. “We won’t be able to fly in this weather for much longer!”

Rudolph was at the head of the pack, and after a moment of searching with his nose, managed to spot an island directly below them, much to his relief. “Land!”

“Good eye, Rudolph!” Zipp shouted. “Let’s take her down, guys! Nice and easy!”

And so, the group began to descend, barely dodging a lightning bolt in the process, before they touched down on the island, unharmed, but out of breath from the experience.

After a moment, Hermey got down from Rudolph’s back, and Borealis got down from Winter Wind’s. The only problem was… Hermey didn’t find the island to be that familiar. “Um… where are we?”

“Who knows?” Winter Wind asked above the howling wind and rain. “Let’s just get out of this storm!”

But before they could move, the group turned and saw the Tooth-Mobile being carried by the currents up to some rocks at near the land, and it smashed right into the rocks, officially becoming a shipwreck within seconds.

Hermey tried to use his remote on the vehicle, hoping it would start, but instead, a rear-view mirror bursts off and splashes into the sea, causing Hitch to cringe. “I don’t think the Tooth-Mobile will be up and running anytime soon…”

“But, the good news is we’re all together,” Misty pointed out, “despite the scary circumstances.”

“So… what happens now?” Izzy asked. “Well, first things first, we figure out where we are,” Sunny said seriously, looking at the bleak, stormy horizon before them. “And then… we have to find a way to get our friends home.”

“And we will,” Hitch reassured Sunny, causing the Mane 6 to nod. “No matter what.”

And so, with this plan in mind, our heroes set off further into the storm and onto this strange island, unaware of what they might find.

Or... WHO they might find.

Welcome to Castaway's Cove/Rudolph's Tough Decision and a Fox Family Reunion

Things had taken a dire turn for the worst.

On the way back from the Island of Misfit Toys, the Mane 6 and their friends crashed into an iceberg, with the Tooth-Mobile becoming a shipwreck and leaving our heroes stranded on an unidentified island in the middle of the ocean.

Not to mention, the storm by that point was still raging, so Sunny decided the best thing to do was figure out where they were before figuring out how to get their North Pole pals back to Christmastown.

But what they didn't know was that there were going to be some serious plot developments on this island... and you're about to figure out first-hand what they are.

XXXXXXXX

The wind and rain pressed up against our brave and valiant heroes as they tried to make it through the storm, with Rudolph’s nose and Winter Wind and the unicorns’ horns lighting their way so they could see another couple of feet in front of them.

Eventually, they reached a sign sticking out of the snow, and Rudolph used his nose to light it up, causing Winter Wind to read it. “Welcome to Castaway Cove…”

“No trespassing…” Rudolph began to read the next line, but the next word caught all of them offguard, causing them to look at each other. “...darling?”

“Okay… whoever wrote that must be really fancy,” Borealis said in surprise, “or really… something.”

“HALT!!” cried a sudden voice. “Who goes there?!”

The ponies and their friends quickly turned, fear entering their hearts as they tried to see who called out to them from the stormy darkness. That’s when they saw a walking, talking gingerbread cookie in a soldier uniform, about Borealis’ size, approaching them, a small sword within his reach. “Oh… it’s just a cookie man,” Izzy said in relief. “I was actually kinda worried it would be something dangerous.”

“You’re not toys!” the cookie soldier barked, pointing his sword directly at Borealis, frightening her. “Begone, trespassers!”

“Okay, so we’re not toys, I get that,” Zipp said, wanting to defuse the situation. “The truth is… we didn’t come here by choice.”

“Yeah,” Rudolph nodded, agreeing with the white pegasus princess and pointing his hoof in the direction of the beach they had come from. “We’ve been shipwrecked.”

Once the guard looked back at the beach and saw they were right, Hermey took the opportunity to speak up on their behalf. “We just need someplace warm and dry.”

“Oh… very well,” the cookie guard finally relented. “Follow me.”

That's when the group began to follow the cookie guard toward the entrance to an icy cave, much to Zipp's suspicion. Why would the guard be taking them into an ice cave?

But when they entered the cave, they saw an icy staircase leading to a gondola down below, and the gondola was floating patiently on an underground river, hidden deep beneath the island.

Needless to say, Winter Wind was enchanted. “Wow… an underground river! Where do you think it leads?”

“I guess we’re about to find out,” Misty said as they all got into the boat, with the cookie guard pushing them off. They sailed through the caverns for a few minutes, with Pipp taking pictures of everything there was to see, until they reached a stopping point, causing all of them to jump out of the boat and approach a door, with the cookie guard giving a "shave and a haircut" kind of knock, allowing the door to open and let them inside.

But as they walked through the hall, the Mane 6 noticed something quite strange, and Zipp was the first to figure it out. “Guys… this may just be me,” she whispered so the guard couldn't hear, “but this looks like we’re in some sort of castle!”

“That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Sunny shook her head. “Why would someone live in a castle all alone in the middle of nowhere?”

“And what’s with all those cookies?” Borealis asked, trying her best to put on her brave face, despite the tension in the air. “They’re acting kinda… strange.”

As they walked on, trying to figure out what was going on, a cookie in a doctor's uniform comes rushing out of a room on one side to another, causing the group to become even more confused.

They go down another hall, where another gingerbread man saluted his colleague, letting them through another set of doors to what seemed like the throne room, with a big throne/bed at the end of it, surrounded by fancy curtains.

As our heroes marveled at the sight, the cookie guard finally spoke up. “Queen Camilla will decide your fate!”

This caused the Mane 6 and their friends to immediately become frightened. “Fate?!”

Suddenly, royal trumpets began to sound, causing Izzy to whimper and hunker down alongside Winter Wind, both of them fearful for their lives. “Her majesty,” the cookie guard then announced, “the glamorous and famous Queen Camilla!”

The newcomers looked up with surprise to see a figure that looked like a hippopotamus with glamorous clothing and small, butterfly/fairy-like wings flying into the room, landing on her throne-bed with surprising grace. “Hello, darlings.”

Our heroes looked at one another, their feelings mixing together like different fruit in Sunny’s smoothies. The queen seemed nice enough… maybe she would go easy on them, since they didn’t mean to wash up here.

Misty found her voice first, and spoke up with a small, nervous smile. “H-Hi.”

“Hello there,” Hermey greeted with a smile, but Queen Camilla immediately frowned. “Enough banter!!” she shouted, frightening the group with her angry expression. “Why you trespass on Castaway Cove? Hmm?”

“Well,” Rudolph began to explain, “w-we were shipwrecked, and…”

“Lies, lies, lies!” the queen shouted, cutting Rudolph off. “Just because Camilla is beautiful, don't mean she's one sandwich short of picnic, darling. You've come to steal Camilla's fabulous toys! Confess!”

“Us?” Hermey and Pipp asked in surprise, much to Sunny’s confusion. “But, your majesty, why would we…?”

“SILENCE!!! Before I mount you and your friends over that mantel lickety-split!” the queen silenced the earth pony mare before she turned to more cookie guards that were in the room with them. “Guards, throw them in the dungeon for three hundred years!”

The group let out startled yelps at this, and the cookie guards began to surround them, much to their confusion and terror. Borealis knew there might not be a lot of time to find a way to escape, so she pointed at Hermey with her paw, hoping some last-minute info might help their case. “But… he’s a dentist!”

Winter Wind nodded at this, pointing at Rudolph in the same way. “A-And he's a beloved holiday icon!”

However, the guards didn’t seem phased by this information. “Get ‘em, boys!”

“Oh boy…” Hitch looked quite nervous. “What do we do now, Sunny?!”

“The only thing I can think of!” Sunny said with ferocity in her voice. “Fight back as best you can and protect our friends! Go go GO!!”

And so, the Mane 6 charged into action, just as two of the cookies jumped onto Rudolph, trying to hold him down while Borealis kicked at another guard, frightened out of her mind.

The Mane 6, alongside Winter Wind, used their flying, levitation and plant magic to get the cookies away from them, and they even kicked a few backwards when they got too close.

As for Hermey, he was slowly beginning to get surrounded by the guards... that is, until he pulled out a toothbrush as a weapon, causing a few of the guards to back up. “Watch it, boys!” one of the guards warned. “He’s got a toothbrush!”

“And I know how to use it, too!” Hermey said as he swung the toothbrush around, trying to keep the cookies at bay.

Unfortunately, as hard as he tried, Rudolph couldn’t get the cookies clinging to him to let go, causing him to rear up on his hind legs. “Let go!”

Rudolph’s nose began to shine brightly due to his agitation growing, much to the surprise of all the guards present. “Look!” one of them shouted. “He has a very shiny nose!”

Queen Camilla's eyes widened, realizing who Rudolph was after a moment with a startled gasp. “It's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Oi yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi!”

“Not to mention, our pony pals are the guardians of Equestria!” Borealis snarled dangerously. “So back off!”

The guards all backed away at the fox's orders and left the red-nosed reindeer and all his friends alone as Queen Camilla picked Rudolph up off the ground, her happy demeanor returning. “Rudy, darling. You're looking pretty fabulous,” she said, kissing Rudolph before giving him a bone crushing hug. “Ow…” Rudolph groaned. “Ohh…”

Thankfully, Queen Camilla did let Rudolph go after a moment. “Sorry for all that rough stuff against you and your sweet little friends, darling,” she apologized. “We thought you were the Toy Taker.”

“Us? The Toy Taker?” Sunny looked confused. “Who’s that?”

“Somebody we thought was just a rumor spreading around the North Pole,” Winter Wind explained, although she was still confused. “But… why would…?”

“Let's not dwell on the past, auroricorn. It's not retrospective,” Queen Camilla dismissed before smiling once again. “ It's not retrospective. Welcome to my famous castle, darlings; as toys get old or broken, and would otherwise be cast away, Queen Camilla brings them to Castaway Cove for rest, relaxation and rejuvenation. Come, darling, I give you a five-penny tour, yes?”

Pipp sighed in relief. “That sounds great, to be quite honest.”

It was at that moment that Queen Camilla decided that the best way to introduce the group to her own personal kingdom was to sing while doing so. “Oh, darling, bring your tired toys, your poor toys, your toys yearning to breathe free!”

Queen Camilla: Hey boys, bring me your dollies
Hey boys, bring them to me
Hey boys, it'll be jolly
I can fix them with my TSC

The Mane 6 and their friends gave glances at one another before seeing Camilla slide behind her curtained throne and came back out in a medical uniform-like fashion.

Queen Camilla: Hey boys bring me your patients
Dr. C is in the house
I got the cure for what ails you
Be you moose or be you mouse

Because everything is beautiful! (Beautiful)
The whole world fabulously beautiful! (Beautiful)
Everything and everyone is beautiful! (Beautiful)
They're beautiful, I make them beautiful

“Ooh, I like this queen’s style!” Pipp said with a giggle as she and her friends continued to follow the queen on their tour, including a room that looked like a little salon.

Queen Camilla: A little plastic here, a little stuffing here
Some absolutely genuine faux-blonde hair
Some powder on the nose, a new pair of pants
And I will ratify your dance, come on

Next on the tour was the medical wing of the castle, where two gingerbread cookie doctors were tending to their patients.

Queen Camilla: Hey toys, if you get busted
Come here, I'll make it right
My glue, it can be trusted
Makes you stick around all night

A little varnish here, a little garnish there
A little clip clip clip to coif your hair
A little dab of paint, applied with loving care
I'll repair your saviore faire

If there's a boo-boo on your choo-choo train
We'll make the woo-woo-woo-woo-whistle again
We can fix it all we do it everyday
So run on toys, just let the band play

Go!

Borealis howled as she skated around on a fox-sized skateboard while the ponies all used roller skates, Rudolph used a normal-sized skateboard, Hermey used a scooter and Queen Camilla used her own pair of skates, and they all skated around the hall a few times, causing the ponies and Borealis to laugh, having a great time despite the circumstances.

Queen Camilla: Oh everything is beautiful! (Beautiful)
So beautiful, I make them beautiful! (Beautiful)

Hey boys, this is the party
Get your groove on, 1, 2, 3!
I'm just a medical smarty
I'll make you beautiful like meeeeeeee!

I'll make you beautiful just like me, yes!

And with that, the song was over, and the group found themselves back in Queen Camilla's throne room. “My,” said Hermey, impressed with the castle and its operations. “You run a very fine establishment, your majesty.”

“It’s more than just fine,” Misty said with a smile. “It’s beautiful!”

“The only problem is,” said Queen Camilla as she fanned herself, “what to do with all these toys after Camilla makes them so beautiful and fabulous.”

The queen then used her magic to dip a bubble wand into a small jar of bubbles next to her, and she began blowing bubbles out of it. This statement gave Rudolph a great idea, causing him to grin. “Maybe Santa can find them homes,” he pondered, “just like he does for King Moonracer and Frenala!”

“That’s an amazing idea, Rudolph!” Sunny smiled. “The load would be a little bigger, but I’m sure Santa would deliver the toys to kids who would love them!”

This seemed to immediately brighten Queen Camilla’s spirits. “If you do this for me, I do something for you. What is your fondest desire, darlings?”

“Well, um” Hermey said, motioning Rudolph slightly, “he wants a normal nose.”

“And he,” Pipp said, nudging Hermey teasingly, “wants a date with the Tooth Fairy.”

“Nose job, Camilla can do,” the queen told Rudolph, even surprising Borealis. “You mean… you can give him a normal nose?”

“Come on, you gotta be joking!” Izzy said with a laugh. “You think I’m joking, sugarplum?” Queen Camilla booped her nose. “Nobody knows noses like Queen Camilla.”

With the push of a button on her remote, Queen Camilla turned on a screen, which everyone turned their attention to, and the screen showed a picture of Rudolph with his red nose. “Before…”

Then, she pushed the button again, switching it to a picture of Rudolph with a normal black nose. “After,” she said, causing Borealis and the ponies to gasp. “Fabulous,” said Queen Camilla, “no?”

However, while Borealis and the ponies were unsure of what to say, Rudolph seemed amazed by the image. “Oh, it's the nose I've always dreamed of.”

“Of course it is, darling,” Queen Camilla said. “Say that word, and it's yours, lickety-split.”

And without hesitation, Rudolph gave the queen his answer. “Yes!”

Borealis looked stunned at this. “What?!”

However, Queen Camilla already turned and clapped her hands, calling some medical gingerbread figures, pushing a table in the throne room. “Take caribou to operating room number two.”

However, just like Borealis, the others had their concerns about this. “You realize a nose job is permanent,” said Hermey, “and your nose won’t ever glow again.”

“I've waited my entire life for this chance, Hermey,” Rudolph insisted. “While that is true, Lady Boreal gave you that nose for a reason, and it’s saved our lives more than once,” Zipp said. “I mean… if there’s another foggy Christmas Eve?”

“Santa can't afford headlights, darling?” Queen Camilla asked with a shrug, causing Zipp to sigh under her breath. “But… Rudolph…” Borealis nuzzled Rudolph lovingly. “I love your nose… and all of us do too.”

“And besides,” Winter Wind said, “what if Clarice doesn’t like your nose job?”

That was something Rudolph hadn’t considered. He knew that making a decision this big would take more than a few seconds to think over. Maybe even a few days.

He had to run it by his loved ones first, and get their opinions…

…especially Clarice’s and Borealis’. They meant more to him than anything else in the world.

So, after a moment, Rudolph looked over at Queen Camilla. “Maybe I need some time to think it over.”

Queen Camilla seemed to understand, smiling gently with a nod. “Take all the time you want, sugarplum.”

Borealis sighed in relief that Rudolph was going to think all of this over. But as she did so, Queen Camilla looked down at her curiously. “Darling, your eyes… were they always those fabulous colors?”

“Uh… yes, actually,” Borealis said. “You see, I’m a rare magical fox called a Northern Lights fox. I’m the princess, and my mom… is and/or was the queen. I… haven’t been able to find my mom for a long time, so… it’s up to me to take on the royal duties.”

“Borealis thought a strange aurora that my friend Polar Faith got a picture of the other night might be a clue to finding Queen Nora,” Winter Wind explained, “but when we checked at the Island of Misfit Toys, there wasn’t any sign of the aurora coming from there.”

“So,” Borealis sighed sadly, “I’m back to square one.”

Hermey patted the fox’s head reassuringly at this, and after a moment, Queen Camilla’s eyes lit up when she thought of something. “You know, foxy, I actually found a beautiful fox with your same eye color washed up on the shores of Castaway Cove just a few months ago, with an injured leg. Poor darling barely made it out of a wolf attack. Her name was Nora too.”

Borealis felt herself freeze at this. “Y-You’re sure?”

Queen Camilla smiled and nodded to this, causing Borealis to become excited and nervous all at once. “Rudolph, that could be my mom! W-We have to go check!”

“Queen Camilla, lead the way,” Rudolph instructed with a smile, and off the group went down a separate hallway, in order to figure out if this was truly the moment Borealis had been waiting her entire life for.

XXXXXXXX

In a small room at the end of a very long hallway, a glowing green, blue and purple light illuminated the room through a small lamp, powered by the Northern Lights.

And I bet we can all guess who's tail, painted with the colors of the Northern Lights themselves, made the lamp shine with that same light.

Nora, Borealis’ long-lost mother!

Like Queen Camilla said, she had washed up on the shores of Castaway Cove, following a wolf attack, and had been staying here in order to let her leg heal. But all she could think about during all this time that she was away from the North Pole was getting back to her precious Borealis.

She wasn’t going to give up until she got better and found her way back home… her daughter and her own kingdom needed her.

Suddenly, as she worked on something under the dim light of the aurora-powered lamp, there was a knock at the door, and Queen Camilla poked her head in. “Hello there, Nora darling.”

“Oh… good evening, Queen Camilla,” Nora smiled tiredly. “I hope I didn’t wake anyone with the light of my lamp.”

“No no, darling, not at all,” Queen Camilla dismissed. “I actually have a big surprise for you.”

Nora sat up at this, her face showing confusion and curiosity. What kind of surprise was this?

Queen Camilla stepped away from the door enough to let a small, white figure with a red collar and a white fringe and a snow globe charm on it peek her head through, her eyes shining with green, fuschia and blue, all mixed into one.

Nora’s own green, fuschia and blue colored eyes widened as she saw the young fox in the doorway, hopeful and relieved all at once. “B-Borealis…?”

Borealis felt her breathing hitch. “Y-You know my name?”

“Of course… it’s what I named you when you were born,” Nora said, tears coming into her own eyes. “Oh… my precious little princes…”

Borealis couldn’t contain her own tears any longer. “Mom!!”

Nora and Borealis rushed to each other and nuzzled each other lovingly, both of them sobbing out of happiness. “It’s you!! It’s really you!!” Borealis sobbed. “I’ve looked for you for so long! I love you so much!”

“I love you too, my sweet girl…” Nora said, licking her daughter’s tears away. “I always have…”

The Mane 6, Queen Camilla, Rudolph, Winter Wind and Hermey watched this with smiles of their own, and Hitch even wiped a few tears out of his own eyes. “I promised myself I wasn’t gonna cry on the way here, but… I can’t help it!”

“Borealis finally found her mom…” Rudolph smiled. “I’m so relieved.”

After Borealis and her mother finally pulled apart, Borealis wiped her face with her paw before sighing. “Sorry about all those emotions at once, I… I’ve been trying to find you for so long, so I could bring you back home. Back to our kingdom.”

Nora looked at her daughter, rather confused. “How did you find out about our royal heritage, sweetheart?”

“...it’s a long story, but there are a lot of people I wanna introduce you to,” Borealis said before turning to her friends. “Mom, this is Rudolph, who’s my best friend in the world, our dentist friend Hermey, Winter Wind the auroricorn and the protectors of Equestria-- Sunny, Hitch, Zipp, Izzy, Pipp and Misty. Guys… this is my mom… Queen Nora.”

Nora smiled fondly at Rudolph and the Mane 6. “I remember all of you. I was watching outside the cave while you ponies interacted with Rudolph after he was born. That’s how I knew I could leave Borealis in your care.”

Then, her attention turned to Winter Wind. “And I remember you auroricorns very well-- you helped protect me with your magic when the poachers were seemingly on my tail. I could never find the words to express how thankful I was for your kindness.”

“Hey, it’s what friends do for each other,” Winter Wind smiled. “We’re just glad you and Borealis found each other again.”

“She’s one special little fox,” Hermey said, and this caused Nora to nod and look at her daughter fondly. “...yes. Yes, she is.”

While Nora, her daughter, Winter Wind, Rudolph and Hermey continued to talk amongst themselves, Queen Camilla turned to the Mane 6. “I'm so sorry that I never asked about your hearts’ desires before, darlings. Tell me, what can Queen Camilla do for you?”

“Well, we don’t really NEED anything, your majesty, but… we were wondering if you would do something for us,” Zipp said as she pulled out a picture of Allura and Twitch that she managed to take a few weeks ago. “Have you seen this snow leopard anywhere around here?”

“Creepy ice powers? Hypnotic purr?” Izzy tried to give a proper description. “Totally mean and nasty?”

Queen Camilla shook her head. “Can’t say I have, sugarplum.”

“Well… she has a star shard that we need to get back before she gains more power, otherwise our home of Equestria could be put at risk,” Sunny said. “If you could keep an eye out for her, and let us know as soon as you see something, it would mean a lot to us.”

“You have my word, Sunny darling,” Queen Camilla promised. “This hippo will keep her eyes open. And until your little toothy-mobile is fixed, you are all welcome to stay the night.”

“Thank you, your majesty. We all could use it,” Misty smiled. “Rudolph needs time to think about this whole nose job thing… and Borealis and Nora need some time to connect.”

“Yeah we do!” Borealis yipped excitedly. “Do you wanna hear about all the adventures we’ve gone on, Mom? Some of them you wouldn’t believe.”

Nora smiled fondly, nuzzling her daughter tenderly. “I would love nothing more, darling. Now, you and your friends start from the beginning, and I promise, I’ll tell you my story when I'm ready.”

But that left the Mane 6 to wonder... what kind of stories would Nora want to tell?

And how would those same stories change Borealis' life from that point onward?

Nora's Story and Secrets Revealed

Borealis' wish had finally come true-- she finally found her mother, Nora, and there was a joyful, tearful reunion between the pair.

Nora had been searching for a way to get back to her baby girl, and now that Borealis had found her, she was finally happier than she had been since her colony was wiped out, not long after Borealis was born.

That night, after Queen Camilla gave them permission to stay, Borealis and all her friends from Christmastown and from Equestria told Nora all about the adventures they had gone on together-- saving Christmas for the first time, going to the Archipelago of Last Years, meeting the auroricorns, saving Starlight Ridge from Allura, finding the Baby New Year, performing in the Circus by the Sea, defeating Allura again and defeating Winterbolt... practically everything Borealis could think of to tell her mother about that happened over the last year.

But while she listened to her daughter's stories, as well as the stories of her friends, Nora tried to piece together how she could tell her own story to her little girl and her friends.

They deserved to know the truth, after all.

But that would have to wait, because Borealis announced that in the morning, once the Tooth-Mobile was finally repaired, they were taking Nora home for the biggest welcome home celebration in North Pole history...

...and Nora couldn't be more thrilled.

XXXXXXXX

“Borealis?” said a soft female voice, trying to stir Borealis from her slumber. “Borealis, wake up. I have a surprise for you.”

Borealis' eyes slowly fluttered open as she yawned, seeing her mother in front of her, and this caused her to smile. “Oh… good morning, Mom. For a second there, I thought I dreamed all that stuff that happened last night.”

“Oh, it’s real. Believe me,” Nora said with a soft chuckle. “I have something I’ve wanted to give you for a long time, and now that we’re together… I can.”

Borealis sat up at this, intrigued. “Really? What is it?”

Nora flicked her tail and brought over a stunning tiara, made from magical ice that she had created so it would never melt. “I have my own crown hidden back in Christmastown,” Nora explained, “but I thought it would be wonderful if you had your own crown as well.”

“Oh, Mom…” Borealis was completely flabbergasted by the tiara’s beauty. “It’s beautiful! Thank you!”

Nora placed the tiara on her daughter’s head, causing Borealis to giggle and prance around with it, and this caused Nora to giggle as well. “Now, come along, dear. We have to wake the others up-- no doubt Queen Camilla’s staff has fixed the Tooth-Mobile by now.”

“Oh yeah!” Borealis smiled. “Christmastown, here we come!”

XXXXXXXX

The others were woken up almost immediately after that, and after a hearty breakfast, Rudolph promised Queen Camilla to tell Santa all about Castaway Cove when they got back home.

And by the time the sun began to rise over Castaway Cove, Queen Camilla's staff repaired the Tooth-Mobile better than new.

But after exchanging goodbyes with Queen Camilla and her staff and getting back in the Tooth-Mobile with Queen Nora as a special guest, Rudolph had his mind set on how a new, less shiny nose might change his life for the better.

However, there would be more time to think on that later. Right now, they had a queen to get home... and this queen had a wild story to tell.

XXXXXXXX

“Are you comfortable enough, your majesty?” Sunny asked as she made a soft bed for Nora in the back of the Tooth-Mobile, so the ponies, Rudolph and Borealis could keep her company in the back while Winter Wind and Hermey kept an eye on things up front. “We can get some more pillows if you need them.”

“Oh, thank you, Sunny, but this is perfect,” Nora smiled. “I’m happy with pretty much anything right now.”

“So… what can you tell us about your life, your highness?” Zipp asked as she took out her FlyPad. “I mean, we all saw how Bori’s life turned out, but we don’t know ANYTHING about you.”

“Oh, Zipp, please… just call me Nora,” the Northern Lights fox queen smiled. “Now, as for my life… I was born in early April to my mother Orelia, and I had lots of friends within the colony. My mother was wise, charming, sweet-natured… the perfect ruler that I wanted to be like someday. When I was only a few weeks old, my mother actually took part in the battle against an evil ice king named…”

“Winterbolt,” Rudolph shuddered. “Yeah, we know a lot about him.”

“Oh… yeah…” Borealis nodded slowly. “That’s one mission I’d like to forget. But… what about your dad?”

“My father was never in the picture. He left my mother a week before I was born, but… I don’t miss him. My mother was all the family I needed,” Nora smiled. “Now, back to the story. I had plenty of fox friends that were my own species back in our colony, but there was one fox pup from another colony I became fast friends with-- a Shadow Fox named Tynan.”

“Hey, we know Tynan! And his son, Negro!” Misty smiled. “They’re actually living in Christmastown!”

“We can reintroduce you guys when we get back!” Sunny smiled. “It’ll be the perfect reunion-- the king of the Shadow Foxes and the queen of the Northern Lights foxes reunite!”

Nora seemed to pause at this nervously, and Borealis picked up on this. “Mom? Is there… something wrong?”

“Well… that’s where the rest of the story comes in,” Nora sighed. “You see… Tynan and I were very close growing up, but as we grew into teenagers and adults, we began to see each other… differently.”

“Ohhhh… I get it!” Pipp said, pulling out her phone. “You two were becoming a couple!”

“Quite frankly, yes,” Nora chuckled. “We spent the next two years of our lives dating, and a week before I was scheduled to become queen… I found out I was pregnant with Borealis.”

“Really?” Hitch asked. “That’s so sweet!”

“But… wait a minute,” Winter Wind spoke up from the front. “If you and Tynan were that close for all that time, and then you were pregnant with Borealis… doesn’t that mean…?”

Borealis tried to think of what Winter Wind was trying to say when it hit her like a mountain of bricks. “...Tynan… is my father?!”

The Mane 6 looked wide eyed at this, and looked to Nora to confirm it, and slowly, she nodded. “Yes… he is. After my mother found out I had conceived a child with a Shadow Fox, she was enraged, and banished Tynan from the colony shortly after I told Tynan he was going to be a father. A few months later, Borealis was born, and then… a week after that…”

Rudolph felt his ears pin at this. “...the poachers showed up and wiped every fox except you and Borealis out.”

“Yes… and that’s when I left Borealis with you all to ensure her safety while I led the poachers away. And that took… much longer than I ever expected,” Nora took a deep breath. “So… I believe that’s everything. Do you… have any questions for me, darling?”

“...just one,” Borealis said, a touch of bitterness in her voice. “Why did Tynan not tell me he was my father even after months of living at the North Pole? And what about Negro? Does he know too? Is he really my half-brother? Why did the poachers attack our colony and wipe them out forever?!”

“Uh… Bori? That’s a little more than one question,” Izzy whispered innocently, only to get a glare from Hitch and Zipp. “...sorry.”

“Borealis, your feelings are very understandable right now,” Nora told her daughter gently. “I promise, everything is going to work out in the end. We’ll figure out everything about Tynan and Negro’s knowledge of this when we get back to Christmastown. Okay?”

“...okay,” Borealis took a deep breath and nodded. “Thanks, Mom.”

While Borealis, her mother and Rudolph tried to comfort one another, Sunny turned to her friends with a mix of confusion, concern and relief all at once. “Believe me, guys… I’m so happy that Borealis is back with her mother, and I’m glad Nora told us all this, but then again… this is a lot for Borealis to take in at once.”

“And with the potential possibility that Rudolph will have his nose changed for good,” said Misty, “it’s a lot for anyone in this situation to take in.”

“What can we do to help them?” Hitch asked, leading Zipp to sigh. “For right now… I’m not sure. We can help Borealis and Rudolph take their minds of everything by organizing that welcome home party for Nora, but as for the rest of it… we’ll have to figure out how much Tynan and Negro really know about… everything.”

“Pipp, text Violet Frost and have everyone meet us at the ballroom once we get back to Christmastown,” Hermey said from the driver's seat. “Those decorations and food we had left over from the Snow Ball will really come in handy.”

“Already on it, Hermey!” Pipp saluted with a cheerful smile as she got to work typing. “Operation ‘Welcome Home, Nora’ is officially a go!”

But along with the idea of her mother's welcome home celebration... Borealis wondered how these secrets that her mother revealed would change her life from this moment on.

For better... or worse.

XXXXXXXX

“Why do you think Pipp asked everyone to meet us in the ballroom?” Amethyst Flare asked Ocean Blizzard as the elves, reindeer, Santa, Mrs. Claus and all the auroricorns gathered in the ballroom of the castle. “Do you think there’s something wrong? What if they’ve spotted Allura again?”

“Hey, let’s not go jumping to conclusions just yet,” Violet Frost told the auroricorns as she came forward with Comet. “My mom used to say that jumping to conclusions leads to some crazy confusions, and trust me-- with these Toy Taker rumors spreading around, confusion is the last thing we need.”

“Besides,” said Tynan as he stood nearby with Negro, “Sunny and her friends would never let Allura or anyone else hurt us.”

“I guess so,” Ocean Blizzard nodded warily. “But still…”

Suddenly, the doors to the ballroom opened, and the Mane 6 were revealed to be standing at the door with excitement written all over their faces. “Attention, every-creature!” Sunny announced with a smile. “Please, welcome back the long-lost queen of the Northern Lights foxes… Queen Nora!”

Everyone applauded and cheered as they saw Nora, Rudolph, Hermey, Borealis and Winter Wind enter the room behind the Mane 6, seeing that it was indeed true… Nora had finally come home.

But while Negro howled at the top of his lungs for the queen’s return, Tynan paled in complete surprise, and a bit of worry.

What if Borealis knew?

How could he not tell her from the start that he was her father?

No matter… now that he and Nora were together again, they would let both their children know what was really going on.

Santa chuckled and approached Nora with a smile. “Nora… it’s so good to see you again.”

“I remember the last time we saw you was when you were a pup,” Mrs. Claus nodded. “My, you’ve grown into a beauty.”

“Thank you both so much,” Nora smiled. “It’s so wonderful to see you both again.”

Tynan cleared his throat and stepped forward. “Nora?”

“Tynan! I don’t believe it’s really you!” Nora beamed and nuzzled him, causing him to nuzzle back before Borealis noticed Negro next to him. “Is this your son Sunny and her friends were telling me about?”

“Yes… Nora, this is my son, Negro,” Tynan introduced. “He and Borealis have really gotten along since we’ve moved here.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty,” Negro bowed his head to her. “Borealis wouldn’t stop talking about how she wanted to find you.”

“Yeah… especially after what I know now,” Borealis said, taking a deep breath and approaching Tynan. “I want the truth, Tynan… nothing else. Is it true? Are you… really my father?”

The ballroom went stone silent at this… so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

Negro looked the most stunned at this. “W-What? Dad, is this true?”

“I… you told her?” Tynan whispered to Nora, who nodded. “She and her friends wanted to know about my life, and I couldn’t lie to her.”

“So… that means… she’s my sister?” Negro stammered as Clarice approached, his confusion turning to anger as he faced his father. “Dad, how could you not tell me this?!”

“Exactly what we wanna know,” Zipp said with a stern expression. “You guys have been at the North Pole for months now, and you never said a word to Borealis about this.”

“I-It’s a lot to explain, and I didn’t wanna get her hopes up about her mother potentially coming back,” Tynan stammered, his ears flattening. “Besides… I wasn’t sure if it was my place.”

“Your place?! You’re my father!” Borealis barked. “Of course it was your place to tell your own child!”

“Bori, I…” Tynan tried to speak. “I just…”

“You know what? Save it,” Borealis said bitterly. “I don’t wanna hear any explanations from you.”

“And neither do I. For now… I have to get to know my sister all over again,” Negro said with just as much bitterness. “Come on, Bori… let’s get out of here.”

“Kids!” Nora called out, but Borealis and Negro had already run out of the ballroom, leaving her to sigh. “Oh dear… somehow I knew this would happen…”

“Don’t worry, Queen Nora. Rudolph and I will talk to them,” Clarice promised. “We know them better than anyone.”

“We’ll be right behind you,” Sunny said to the two reindeer as they prepared to leave. “We don’t wanna overwhelm Negro and Bori, plus we wanna introduce Nora to a few friends of ours first.”

Rudolph and Clarice nodded at this before they galloped out of the ballroom, hoping to find the little foxes before they had gone too far.

The Flying Lesson/Santa's Warehouse Robbed and a Fox Family Union

Borealis and Negro were indeed happy that Nora was home at long last, but... there was more on their minds than just that or taking part in Clarice's flying lesson.

They were half-siblings... and they had no idea because Tynan, Borealis' father, had no idea how to tell the duo months prior.

Of course, Borealis and Negro weren't mad at each other-- they cared about one another way too much for that.

But they were mad at Tynan for not choosing to tell them much earlier.

Now, they had to figure out their entire relationship all over again... and that was something neither of them had planned to do.

Let's get back to the story and see how this works out, shall we?

XXXXXXXX

“I just can’t believe my dad wouldn’t tell me about this,” Negro sighed in frustration as he and Borealis slowed their sprint down to a walk. “We tell each other everything! And after Mom died… well…”

“Tell me about your birth mom,” Borealis said comfortingly. “It might help.”

Negro sighed, nodded and prepared himself for the story. “My mom… Sienna? She was the most amazing Shadow Fox ever. Warm… kind… brave. She never gave up on our people. But… she got sick after my first birthday. We were never sure what it was, but… she fought it for a long time until she just… couldn’t anymore.”

Borealis sighed, her ears pinning sadly against her head. “So your dad really is all you have left from your colony… I’m so sorry, Negro. It sounds awful.”

“It’s not your fault,” Negro reassured with a heavy sigh. “I just… wish we had known we were half-siblings earlier.”

Borealis nodded. “Me too. It would’ve made me feel a little better knowing I had some family nearby. I mean, Rudolph is my best friend and a brother to me first and foremost, but… I always wanted some foxy family nearby too.”

“We understand that, Bori.”

Negro and Borealis turned to see Rudolph and Clarice, shortly followed by the Mane 6, trotting over to them, and Borealis felt herself blush in embarrassment. “How much of that did you guys hear?”

“Pretty much all of it, but we wanted to let you two talk amongst yourselves for a while,” Pipp said. “You two feeling better?”

“...yeah. We’re still a little upset and hurt, but… we’ll talk to our parents later on,” Negro nodded. “See if we can… still be a family despite everything.”

“That’s really relieving to hear that,” Rudolph said, nuzzling Borealis before helping her onto his back. “Now, come on. We still have that flying lesson to get to.”

“Oh yeah!” Misty smiled. “If Clarice wants to earn her wings, we’re just the friends to help her do it!”

XXXXXXXX

The group moved further out into the forest to prevent any sort of distractions, and with the Mane 6 nearby for support, Rudolph and Clarice, with Negro and Borealis on their backs, were ready to begin. “Remember,” Rudolph said to Clarice, “just build up speed and…”

“Jump into the wind!” Clarice finished with excitement. “Ready, set, go!”

“Yee-haw!!” Negro howled as Clarice broke into a fast gallop, with Rudolph and Borealis right on their heels, causing the Mane 6 to cheer encouragingly while several forest animals, including seals, birds and squirrels, looked on.

As the two reindeer keep running and laughing with their fox friends, they came to a point where Rudolph took off into the air and so did Clarice...

...well, for a minute, anyway.

Right as the Mane 6 were cheering at their loudest, Clarice yelped and started falling, causing herself and Negro to crash into a small snow pile.

Borealis and Rudolph immediately grew concerned at this. “Uh-oh…”

“Negro! Clarice!” Sunny cried as the Mane 6 ran toward her to help her up. “Are you both okay?”

“Negro’s fine, thank goodness,” Clarice said, a bit frustrated with herself as Rudolph landed with Borealis, “but the sun was in my eyes!”

This led Rudolph to chuckle a little bit, even if he didn't mean to. “It’s not funny!” Clarice huffed before giggling a bit herself. “What do you say, Clarice?” Negro said encouragingly. “Wanna go again?”

Clarice smiled at this. “Now that I'm all warmed up, why not?”

Borealis and Negro chose to sit beside their pony pals for this one, and Rudolph and Clarice took off running and leapt into the air again. That is, until Clarice fell and tumbled down a snow pile before getting her head stuck in the snow. “Oooh…” Hitch groaned. “That’s gotta be cold…”

“Come on,” Zipp said. “We gotta get Clarice outta there!”

Rudolph, Borealis and Negro rushed over to help the Mane 6, and together, they were able to get Clarice out of the snow pile… only to topple into each other in the process.

Thank goodness, none of them were harmed…

…but Clarice’s confidence had taken a serious spiral due to all the mishaps. “Oh, who am I kidding? I'll never earn my wings.”

“Come on, Clarice. Have a little faith in yourself,” Misty said with a small smile. “I mean… none of us really knew how to use magic once it returned, but we got better with practice.”

“Yeah!” Izzy smiled. “All you gotta do is keep trying!”

The group had started walking by that point, and even with the Mane 6’s encouragement, Clarice sighed and looked toward Rudolph, embarrassed and flustered all at once. “And I wanted to impress you so badly.”

Rudolph looked at her in surprise. “Impress me?”

Clarice nodded in response to this claim. “I'm so… ordinary, and you're so famous.”

“Well,” Rudolph said, bringing up the conversation he had back with Queen Camilla up again, “I won't be so famous after I get my nose fixed, then I'll be normal like everyone else.”

Negro looked surprised that Rudolph would actually consider this. “But, Rudolph…”

“And I'll finally fit in,” Rudolph continued, “and… and… and we can be happy, and…”

However, Clarice interrupted him by flashing him a gentle smile. “I’m sure the ponies, Bori and Negro can agree with me when I say this, Rudolph. We love your nose… and everything about you.”

Rudolph looked at them in surprise. “You all do?”

“Mmm-hmm,” Borealis and Negro nodded. “Besides, if it weren’t for that nose, we probably wouldn’t have met,” Hitch agreed. “And had all these amazing adventures together.”

“Yeah! We never would have defeated Allura or Winterbolt, or saved Christmas or… anything like that,” Borealis agreed. “Absolutely,” Clarice nodded before facing Rudolph again. “That nose is unique, just like you.”

Rudolph began to blush as he cleared his throat to speak again. “And… and… well, you know how I feel, don't you?”

Clarice looked over at him. “Do I?”

“I mean… everyone in Christmastown knows,” Rudolph said awkwardly as the group started walking off again. “It’s so… obvious.”

The tree critters watching from nearby smirked as they knew was going to happen next. The male squirrel knelt down in front of the female, who batted her eyelashes and then kissed the male, making him blush and fall backward, and this caused the two birds to chirp in laughter at this.

Pipp looked at Rudolph with a sly smirk. “Well, maybe it would mean more to Clarice if you… told her again anyway?”

Rudolph brushed his hoof into the snow hesitantly while his nose beamed, knowing that Pipp was probably right. “Well, uh…”

He looked around to make sure the group wasn’t being watched, before he whispered something into Clarice's ear, making her gasp in delight. “Really?”

The Mane 6, Borealis and Negro nodded alongside Rudolph, knowing good and well what he had probably told her. “He loves me! He loves me!” Clarice shouted in joy as Rudolph stuck his head into a snowbank and as she ran off in joy. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer loves me!”

Then, the most amazing thing happened-- Clarice leapt into the air and started flying all on her own!

This amazed the Mane 6 while Borealis and Negro tried to get Rudolph out of the snowbank so he could see for himself. And needless to say, he was amazed and proud all at once. “Clarice!” he shouted. “You’re flying!”

“You did it, Clarice! You did it!” Negro barked happily as he and the others reunited with her. “Aw, gee…”

But the moment was short lived when Comet, followed by Nora and Tynan, approached them, all out of breath. “There you guys are!” the spectacled auroricorn panted tiredly. “We’ve been looking for you everywhere! You guys need to get back to the castle, quick!”

Borealis looked concerned at this. “Is something wrong, Comet?”

“Wrong? There’s definitely something wrong!” Comet emphasized. “Santa’s warehouse was robbed!”

The Mane 6 and their friends gasped in horror at this. “Comet, take the ponies, Rudolph and Clarice back to the castle for the briefing,” Nora told Comet. “We’ll take the kids and meet with you there.”

“Right,” Comet nodded before his group ran off. Negro sighed irritably as he faced his father. “I’m still kinda mad at you, you know.”

“I know that… and I’m so sorry I kept this from both of you,” Tynan said. “When I heard there was a Northern Lights fox princess living at the North Pole, I realized it had to be either Borealis or her mother, but when I found it was Borealis and Nora had become queen and disappeared… well… I wasn’t sure what to do. I was worried Borealis wouldn’t accept me as her father… or you as her brother.”

Borealis’ gazed softened. “Tynan… of course I would accept you. I have a reindeer who’s like my older brother, for aurora’s sake. Family is built by love, not blood. And… knowing I have family is the Christmas present I’ve always wanted.”

Nora smiled at her daughter as she and Tynan, along with Negro, nuzzled, happy that her daughter was able to find forgiveness. “I’m so glad you all made up. And I hope we can keep building that trust through the time we’ll spend together.”

“Of course we will. But we gotta get back to the castle, pronto!” Borealis said before the fox family headed off. “And if Santa’s warehouse really was robbed, I have a funny feeling I know who did it!”

Searching for Clues and a Peek Inside the Toy Taker's Lair

Turns out, Comet and Borealis and Tynan's parents were not wrong-- Santa's warehouse had been the next place struck by the villainous Toy Taker, this proving that these rumors of his existence weren't just rumors.

Comet had informed his friends that a meeting was scheduled to take place at the castle within the next little while, and that's why our heroes had to hurry.

If they missed that meeting, they would miss vital information on how they could potentially get the toys back and prevent Christmas from being ruined.

XXXXXXXX

Elves, reindeer, forest creatures, auroricorns and ponies all gathered in the ballroom, murmuring out of worry as Comet, Violet Frost, Santa and Mrs. Claus stood on the stage to address the crowd.

Like Sunny and her friends expected, Santa seemed to be the most downtrodden of all, sighing heavily as he shook his head. “I should have guarded the toys myself…”

“Oh, Papa,” Mrs. Claus said to her husband reassuringly, “you mustn't blame yourself.”

“She’s right, Santa,” Violet Frost said comfortingly. “Even with me and Comet nearby last night, he somehow managed to slip by us.”

“And,” Comet sighed, “he took every single toy that the elves made!”

The Boss Elf nodded from next to Violet Frost. “And even the toys guarding the toys!”

That’s when Frostbite, who is 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, raised his hoof. “Can’t we just make new toys?”

“Frostbite, listen to yourself!” Polar Faith scolded. “There’s no way the elves can make a year’s worth of toys in three days… there’s just not enough time!”

“I have to agree with Polar on this one,” Violet said, her ears pinning against her head in guilt. “I'm afraid it's going to be a toy-less Christmas this year.”

“No toys for Christmas?” Izzy managed to squeak. “Neigh way!” Pipp protested. “Think of all those heartbroken kids!”

“Pipp is right,” Rudolph said boldly. “We can’t give up!”

“Rudolph has a plan, right? Right!” Coach Comet said before turning to the young reindeer and fox princess next to him. “What’s the plan, champ?”

“Well,” Rudolph pondered out loud, “what if we catch the Toy Taker and get the toys back by Christmas?”

“Now that’s a plan worth considering!” Amethyst Flare smirked with pure determination. “I’m with ya, Rudolph!”

That’s when another auroricorn mare, named Icy Spirit (who had a blue pelt, a blue mane and tail with pink tips at the end, blue eyes, a greenish-blue glitter gradient on her legs, a green gem on her necklace and a crystal cutie mark of a crystal) stepped forward. “I’m in too!”

Soon, many more auroricorns volunteered their services, but there was still one question that Santa couldn’t shake off his mind. “But by golly, how does one catch such a slippery scoundrel?”

“Oooh… good point,” Hitch frowned as many North Pole residents began to mutter. “I don’t think he’s gonna give those toys up willingly, even if we do find them.”

“Think, everyone, think!” Zipp encouraged them, holding up her FlyPad. “Someone must’ve seen something last night.”

That’s when Hank, one of the taller elves of the North Pole, raised his hand. “I did.”

This led many to mutter out of confusion, and Violet Frost and Comet hopped down to face him. “Okay, start from the beginning,” Violet said gently. “What exactly did you see, Hank?”

Hank hummed and thought back to the night earlier. “I was up late reading last night,” he explained, “and I saw...well, it looked like a giant flying football, I thought I was just seeing things.”

“...I saw it too.”

Suddenly, another auroricorn seemed to appear out of thin air, causing Negro and Borealis, along with some others, to yelp in surprise. This auroricorn mare, named Ebony Snowflake, had dark purple pelt, a bluish-green mane and tail that sweeps partly over her face, blue eyes, a purple gem on her necklace, a crystal horn, a dark blue glitter gradient on her legs, and a cutie mark of a snowflake.

Sunny looked over at this mare before trotting closer. “You saw this… flying football too? What’s your name?”

“Ebony,” the auroricorn answered. “Ebony Snowflake.”

“Ebony has the unique auroricorn power to completely blend in with her environment,” Violet explained. “She was always good at keeping an eye out for Allura back when she had control of Starlight Ridge.”

Zipp held her FlyPad up again. “And you can vouch for what Hank is saying, Ebony?”

Ebony nodded softly. “I can. I was out for a winter’s walk last night… it’s what I do when I can’t sleep… when all of a sudden, I see that flying football thingy fly over the warehouse. I got scared, so I hid behind a tree, and that’s when I saw a strange… figure, climb through the roof. I turned invisible and ran, cause I didn’t want him to see me. I guess I just tried to convince myself it was just a dream cause it scared me so bad.”

Ocean Blizzard nudged her comfortingly, and that’s when Clarice spoke up, suddenly realizing what Ebony and Hank meant by ‘flying football’. “I think what Hank and Ebony really saw last night was a blimp!”

“Great bouncing icebergs!” Santa realized. “That's how he absconded with our toys!”

“Papa,” Mrs. Claus then suggested, “why don’t we look for clues?”

“Now you’re thinking like a detective, Mrs. Claus!” Zipp smiled. “I bet if we go to where the Toy Taker was last seen, we’ll find something to let us know who he is or where he’s going next.”

That’s when Rudolph got Borealis on his back, preparing to lead the way. “To the scene of the crime!”

XXXXXXXX

Within just a few short minutes, the ponies and all their friends, new and old, went into the dark warehouse, searching high and nose for clues, using the auroricorns’ horns, Izzy and Misty’s horns and Rudolph’s nose for sources of light.

Ocean Blizzard looked around, but didn’t see anything that could be dubbed as a clue. “What exactly do we need to look for?”

“Well… we’re not sure yet,” Borealis said as she sniffed the ground, with Rudolph giving her some light. “All we need to do is keep searching until we find something that is out of the box, or unusual in a warehouse setting.”

Winter Wind used her horn to provide a light for Hermey to search by, and Polar Faith used her horn to provide a light for Boss Elf... but what the two auroricorns weren't expecting was the fact that Hermey and Boss Elf would eventually run into one another...

...and Boss Elf was not that happy to see Hermey after all this time. “You again!”

“Actually,” Hermey said innocently, “I’m a dentist now.”

“Dentist, schmentrist, you no-account rebel!” Boss Elf snapped. “You left my staff one elf short!”

“Boss Elf, this isn’t the time to be terrorizing poor Hermey about his life choices,” Polar Faith scolded. “She’s right-- you’d better be nice,” Hermey said to his former employer with an innocent smile. “One of these days, you'll need a dentist and I'm the only one around.”

“I wouldn't let you touch my choppers with a 10-foot pole, you-- you tooth maniac!”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough!” Pipp said as she got between the two elves, looking at Boss Elf with a stern expression on her face. “Boss Elf, I personally remember when you told Hermey he could be a dentist, and you didn’t seem to have a single problem with it then. So, why don’t you just let Hermey prove you wrong and leave him alone?”

“Wow…” Winter Wind muttered to Polar Faith while Boss Elf looked stunned. “I wish I had guts like that.”

Polar Faith could only nod, equally as amazed. “You and me both.”

“Guys, come here! Quick!” Negro called from where he and Clarice stood. “We found something!”

Everyone turned to see Clarice and Negro near a small speck of stuffing, and Clarice nudged it over to Santa, who picked it up. “Uh, glad you told us something, kids,” Tynan frowned, “but that just looks like old stuffing to me.”

Santa sniffed the stuffing a bit before taking a taste with his tongue, recognizing the stuffing almost immediately. “Oh, it's stuffing, all right. We stopped using this kind years ago.”

“Hmm… stuffing that hasn’t been used in years winding up in the middle of the warehouse?” Comet looked confused. “Could that be some sort of clue?”

“It sure could!” Zipp said with an enthusiastic grin as she put the info down into her FlyPad. “We better keep an eye out for anymore, in case there’s a trail.”

“Footprints?”

Everyone turned to see what Rudolph and Borealis had found going down one of the aisles-- they looked like they had some sort of imprint, but it didn’t seem to match any kind of shoe or hoof the ponies had ever seen.

Hermey hummed at this, finding the footprints quite strange. “How peculiar…”

“Sunny? What happens now?” Violet Frost asked. “Even with these clues, there’s still not a lot to go on.”

“Well… I suggest we break up into search parties,” Sunny suggested. “That way we cover a lot more ground and try and find the blimp faster.”

“Good thinking, Sunny dear!” Nora smiled. “Tynan and I can give out assignments to every elf, reindeer, auroricorn and forest creature we can find!”

“And Negro and I are going out into the field too,” Borealis then said. “We need to help out as much as we can in order to find those toys before Christmas.”

“...both of you, be careful,” Tynan said to the fox pups gently. “Nora and I… we wouldn’t know what to do if we lost you.”

“Don’t worry, Dad-- we’ll be fine,” Negro said. “Come on, guys-- we’ve got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it!”

XXXXXXXX

And so, Santa, Mrs. Claus, Violet Frost, Comet, Nora and Tynan broke every elf, reindeer, auroricorn and forest creature into search parties. Their mission; find the Toy Taker by Christmas... and they had very little time to get the job done.

But you might be wondering... where would such a big job start?

Well, that's what we're about to find out.

XXXXXXXX

In the back of the Tooth-Mobile, Zipp and Hitch managed to work together in order to make a map of all the places the Toy Taker had been striking, and once it was put together, Zipp took the liberty to explain to the others what it meant. “After carefully studying all the newspaper articles about the Toy Taker’s movements,” said Zipp, “Hitch and I have put these pins on this map of the world. The pins mark the Toy Taker's path of mayhem and plunder.”

“He sure gets around, doesn't he?” Clarice asked, causing Negro to nod. Then Rudolph noticed two unmarked spots on the map and pointed to the first one with his hoof. “He hasn’t been here…”

“O-Or here!” Winter Wind quickly pointed to the other one with her hoof. And within an instant, Borealis seemed to recognize those spots. “Castaway Cove… and the Island of Misfit Toys!”

“Then that’s where we have to go,” Hermey said, preparing to get in the driver’s seat. “And we need to get there fast,” Misty frowned, “before anything worse than the Toy Taker strikes.”

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, causing Clarice to hum. “Who could that be?”

“Let me find out,” Sunny said cautiously before opening the door, revealing Amethyst Flare standing outside. “Oh… Amethyst Flare. This is a surprise. Has there been any update on the Toy Taker?”

“No, but… I had a thought. You said Allura’s worked with a lot of shady characters before, yes?” Amethyst Flare asked sternly. “Well, she might be working with the Toy Taker to lead all of you into a trap to steal those star shards!”

“Oh, yikes…” Hitch grimaced. “I-I didn’t think about that.”

“Now that you mention it, Amethyst, it would be a good idea if you came along,” Rudolph told the auroricorn mare. “Your super speed might come in handy.”

“I’ll gladly come along,” said Amethyst, a smile beginning to form, “but… you have to take the rest of us with you too.”

Pipp blinked in surprise when this was said. “Hold on… the rest of us? What does that mean exactly?”

That’s when Ebony Snowflake appeared out of thin air, and soon, Ocean Blizzard and Polar Faith walked over to them. “What she means,” Ocean Blizzard smirked, “is that you’re going to have to take ALL of us before you plan on going anywhere.”

“All of you wanna come?” Zipp honestly looked surprised. “But aren’t you scared of Allura?”

“Well… she does give me the heebie-jeebies,” Ebony whispered softly, “but… you’re our friends.”

“Yeah! And there’s no way we’d let you go alone,” Ocean Blizzard said confidently. “Five auroricorns are way better than one, after all.”

Borealis seemed touched by this act of bravery. “Thanks, girls. Well, if we’re gonna get to Castaway Cove before the Toy Taker strikes, we need to get going. Just follow along behind us!”

XXXXXXXX

With Amethyst, Ebony, Ocean and Polar trotting behind as sort of a lined-up lookout for trouble, the Tooth-Mobile headed past the peppermint mine, where Yukon and Bumble were sitting in front of a boarded-up mine with a sign hanging above it. “Out of business?” Rudolph read the sign in confusion. “What happened?”

“There's not a peck of pepper or morsel of mint left in that stinky old peppermint mine!” Yukon said with frustration and depression. “Me and Bumble mined it clean!”

Bumble nodded, mumbling in agreement. “Well, now that you boys have a little bit of free time,” said Izzy cheerfully, “how about you help us catch the Toy Taker?”

Clarice nodded at this. “There won't be any toys for Christmas unless we find him.”

“And with you two on our team,” said Polar Faith with a smile, “the Toy Taker will have a least likely chance of escape!”

This remark made Yukon Cornelius smile. “Well, what are we waiting for? Wahoo!”

Then, he turned and whistled, causing the sled dogs he heavily relied on to come out, barking and pulling the sled. Yukon jumped into the sled, but after that, the dogs simply wouldn’t move. “Mush! Come on, mush!!”

However, the dogs refused to listen to reason, causing Amethyst to sigh. “Oh brother… come on, ladies. We better give Yukon a hand with the sled.”

Polar, Ocean, Ebony and Amethyst trotted over to the sled and harnessed up the best of their ability, and once everyone was on, the groups set off again… even if the sled did seem a little heavier now that Bumble was riding.

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Arctic Circle, the Toy Taker's blimp was heading toward a giant icy glacier with a new load of toys that he had only stolen just a few hundred miles away.

The Toy Taker began to unload the toys one by one until they were all inside a cold, icy cavern, and when all the toys were unloaded at last, the Toy Taker came down to them, sliding down a large tube and causing all the captured toys to gather around him. “Welcome,” the Toy Taker said to the toys, old and new, that he had collected, “to your new home.”

“Well, what was wrong with our old homes?” the rocking horse that was stolen a few days ago asked, and unfortunately, the Toy Taker had a dead-set response. “They were infested with children!”

That’s when a small purple duck came forward, his eyes sad and longing to be back with his owner again. “But we love children…”

“And children may love toys at first,” the Toy Taker told the toys, “but it's a fickle love that never lasts.”

“Hold on one cotton-picking moment!”

That’s when all the toys turned to see Charlie-in-the-Box, a misfit toy the Mane 6 met the year before hopping forward to speak his peace. “I used to live on the Island of Misfit Toys, until Santa found me a home of my own. That was the happiest day of my life,” he said, reminiscing before getting back to the topic at hand. “Take me back! My little Sarah needs me!”

That’s when Dolly, a rag doll that the Mane 6 also met the year before, stepped forward, a pleading look on her face. “Please, Mr. Toy Taker, let me go home as well. A toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child.”

“Well,” the Toy Taker said bitterly, “the truth is that children always outgrow you, and if they stop eating you, have mercy. They'll toss you aside like yesterday's trash!”

All of the toys gasped in shock to this claim, never hearing anything so horrible in their lives. Dolly, however, refused to believe the villain's claim. “Not my little girl…”

The purple duck toy softly whined and sniffled a bit while the Toy Taker picked him up and strokes him a bit, trying to comfort him before setting him down and turning to Charlie. “Charlie-in-the-Box…” the Toy Taker began with a heavy sigh, patting Charlie on the back. “Think of how lonely life must be if a child stops needing you. But I'll always take care of you.”

Suddenly, something in Charlie’s mind seemed to click. “Wait a minute!” he said, pushing himself away from the Toy Taker and whatever trick he was trying to pull. “I read about you in the papers! You're not our friend-- you're a crook!”

Then, much to the surprise of the toys, the Toy Taker began to sing a defensive claim to whatever gossip the toys may have heard about him in previous days.

Toy Taker: You think I'm mean and a nasty fiend
Cause I'm known for stealing lots of toys
But close your ear to those things you hear
They're lies from sniggly girls and boys

Cause they might flatter you on Christmas Day,
But sooner or later they will grow away
And they'll leave you behind when they go out to play
No, they won't take you

But I am a wonderful guy
I'd never treat a toy the way those children do
And though you may not want to go
The Toy Taker, that's me, will take care of you!

And you, and you, and you
And you, and you...

The toys seemed to spare a glance at one another at these words-- for some reason, the Toy Taker didn't sound COMPLETELY heartless... but there was something about him that deemed him as a villain.

Toy Taker: A brand-new toy full of pride and joy
At first, will have a primo time
But then some kid drops you on your lid
And poof-- you're gone before your time!

A broken nose, that's the way it goes
A missing wheel, think of how you'll feel
When your paint peels off and you start to cough (Cough, cough, cough)
Will they ever know?

But I am a heck of a guy
I'll treat you with respect until my face turns blue
And yes, I am filled with finesse
The Toy Taker, who else, will take care of you
And you...

I'm a really peaceful fellow
At heart I'm soft as Jell-O
My modus operandi
Is influenced by Gandhi

Knowing that it was probably time to get out there and get more toys, the Toy Taker hopped aboard the bottom of the tube he used to suck the toys up and began to ride it out of the cave and toward his blimp once more.

Toy Taker: So cheer, 'cause the Toy Taker's here
You'll never be discarded or be thrown away
I swear, what I'm saying is true
The Toy Taker, that's me, will take care of you

And you, and you, and you, and you!

And after the Toy Taker had lifted out of their sights, the toys realized they were alone, and they were going to be alone forever if someone didn't rescue them soon.

Going Undercover and Facing the Toy Taker

The Toy Taker had brought all the toys he had captured into a secret ice cave hidden deep beneath a glacier in the Arctic Circle, and even after his ballad, the toys felt that they were going to be alone forever...

...but little did they know it, but our heroes and all their Christmastown and Starlight Ridge friends, old and new, were heading to Castaway Cove right now to see if they could head the Toy Taker off before he could use his flute on the toys there.

But, only time would tell if they would succeed or not.

XXXXXXXX

Our heroes had arrived at Castaway Cove as fast as they possibly could, leaving Ocean, Ebony and Polar to keep watch on the icy shores.

But when they got to the throne room to find Queen Camilla and explain their plan thoroughly... they had discovered they were only an hour too late.

The Toy Taker had already struck, taking all the toys the queen had on the island.

And needless to say, Queen Camilla was in hysterics. “Oh, that Toy Taker took all my beautiful toys!” she weeped, blowing her nose in doing so. “I feel so… unfabulous!”

Borealis frowned out of sympathy for her. “I'm sorry we came too late, Queen Camilla.”

“Don’t worry,” Clarice then assured. “We’re gonna catch that crook!”

“And get all the toys back, too!” Hermey agreed. “But since we know where the Toy Taker’s last place of interest is, we need to get there fast,” Zipp said to the others, a fierce look of determination on her face. “Before we’re too late to do anything!”

“Fast? You called the right auroricorn for the job!” Amethyst Flare said with a smirk. “Let’s get moving!”

And so, the group exchanged a quick farewell with Queen Camilla before setting off again.

Now you may be wondering what our heroes’ plan was. Well, their last hope was the Island of Misfit Toys. Perhaps, just perhaps, they still had a chance to catch the Toy Taker at his own game.

XXXXXXXX

The group arrived to the Island of Misfit Toys as fast as they possibly could, pulling Bumble behind the Tooth-Mobile on a large ice floe, and once they were safely on the island, everyone got off and started walking in the direction of King Moonracer’s castle.

Ocean Blizzard looked around. “Are you sure there’s a changeling-pony hybrid that usually walks through here, Sunny? I don’t see anything except all these present boxes.”

“Frenala usually hangs out around here,” Misty answered for Sunny, glancing around for their changeliny-pony hybrid pal. “But I’m sure if we look hard enough, we might be able to see-- AHH!!!”

Suddenly, a huge polar bear got in the group’s path and roared, causing the auroricorns to scream out of fright. “No one said anything about polar bears being here!!” Amethyst shrieked. “Let’s get out of here!”

Luckily, before anyone else started to panic, Hitch managed to recognize the blue glint in the polar bear’s eyes, soothing his relief. “It’s okay, guys! It’s just Frenala!”

The polar bear seemed to recognize them after a moment, immediately changing back to her changeling-pony form with a regretful look on her face. “I’m so sorry, guys-- I didn’t mean to scare you!”

“Scare us? HA!! I’m the greatest prospector in the North!” Yukon boasted. “I wasn’t scared of nothin’!”

“Yeah, right,” Ocean Blizzard said as she rolled her eyes. “You screamed like a baby just like the rest of us!”

“Frenala, can you take us to King Moonracer?” Zipp asked. “It’s important that we talk to him right away, especially before the Toy Taker gets here.”

“Sure! King Moonracer actually suggested I take on polar bear form so that way if the Toy Taker were to show up, I would scare him off and save the toys,” Frenala said as the group continued their walk. “But it would be a lot better if you guys were here too. Come on, I’ll show you a shortcut to the castle so we don’t waste time!”

XXXXXXXX

The group arrived at King Moonracer’s castle quicker than ever, thanks to Frenala’s shortcut, and since King Moonracer was feeling better with that root canal, he let the group come into the throne room to see him.

After bowing to the king, Rudolph decided to get straight to the point. “We believe the Toy Taker plans to strike here next, your majesty.”

“But this time,” Izzy said, smirking at Winter Wind, “we’ll be ready for that burgling bully!”

“And we'll give that horrible hooligan what for!” Yukon agreed boldly, only for Borealis to shake her head. “Actually, no, Cornelius. We’re not gonna try and stop him.”

“Huh?” Negro looked confused. “But I thought that was the whole reason we were here!”

“Don’t worry, Negro,” Clarice smiled at the black fox pup. “Bori and Rudolph have a plan, don’t you, Rudolph?”

“We sure do,” Rudolph nodded. “And the first part of that plan is Frenala.”

Frenala looked surprised at this. “Me?”

“We need you to fly back to Christmastown and deliver a message to the castle,” Borealis said vaguely. “Just tell everyone there to look for the aurora flares. They’ll know what that means.”

“Uh… okay. You can count on me!” Frenala saluted before taking off. That left Rudolph to the next part of his plan. “Ocean, Polar and Ebony? You three are going to be hiding out and waiting for the Toy Taker to take all the toys from the island,” he said, “and then you’re gonna tail him to wherever he’s taking them.”

“You got it, Rudolph, but… I’m a bit confused,” Polar Faith said with confusion in her voice. “What makes you think letting the Toy Taker steal the toys is gonna help us catch the criminal?”

“Because, not only will he be stealing all the toys,” said Sunny, catching onto the plan, “but he’s also gonna be stealing us!”

That left the auroricorns even more confused, wondering what in the world their brave friends were planning.

XXXXXXXX

Later on that night, everything was peaceful on the island, and toys slept without a care in their present boxes... which included some larger presents and a GIGANTIC present... which we will get to later.

Not long after all the toys retired for the night, the Toy Taker's blimp showed up, and the hose lowered a bit as the Toy Taker jumped off it, all while grinning at the presents.

This was it... the last stop to ensure that all the toys that would be delivered on Christmas would be his.

The Toy Taker then took out his flute and began playing the same tune he played before to lure the other toys. Then each one of the toys came bursting out of their boxes and are in a trance, following the flute's tune, like the other toys before them.

But this is where Rudolph and Borealis' plan comes in.

Ebony Snowflake (who was using her invisibility magic), Ocean Blizzard and Polar Faith (the latter two watching from inside a large snow pile) watched as some larger boxes burst open, revealing Winter Wind, Amethyst Flare, the Mane 6, Rudolph and Clarice disguised as wind-up toys, even complete with some wind-ups on their backs. Borealis and Negro popped out immediately after them, following their lead as they tried to act natural.

Then, Hermey popped out wearing a tooth costume, much to the others' disbelief and confusion. “The plan,” Pipp whispered in an irritated tone, “was to disguise ourselves as TOYS, Hermey! Not teeth!”

“I’m a Misfit Molar…?” Hermey smiled at the pink pegasus nervously, causing Pipp to sigh irritabily and shake her head. This was going to be the LONGEST undercover mission ever.

Next, one of the larger boxes began to shake, and out from it burst Yukon Cornelius in a pink tutu (which was Izzy's idea if you were wondering), much to Yukon's chagrin. “Oh brother…”

Nevertheless, he began to follow the others, making sure to act like they were sleepwalking just like the other toys. As they walked past, the gigantic present shook a bit before bursting open, revealing Bumble inside a giant pink bunny suit (which was honestly Pipp's idea), and he hopped alongside the others as if he were in the trance too.

And as their friends were getting close to the tube, Polar Faith knew that it was time to make their move. “There they go, girls. Just follow the others and stay out of sight.”

Ebony Snowflake and Ocean Blizzard nodded before the three auroricorns started discreetly following the others toward the tube, careful to remain out of the Toy Taker's sight. Soon every last toy and our heroes, one by one, get sucked up by the hose up into the blimp. Yukon Cornelius is the last one to get sucked up, but as the Toy Taker put his flute away, Bumble grabbed the hose and stuck it to his head.

Unfortunately, Bumble was stuck there, floating a couple feet above the ground, even astonishing the Toy Taker himself. “You’re an awfully big toy, aren’t you?” the Toy Taker asked before shaking his head. “I'm sorry, but I can't take you with me. You’re too… ginormous!”

Then the hose lets go of the monster, which made the ground shake a bit from that hard landing. Bumble got up, protesting in his natural Bumble language while the Toy Taker got onto the tube and began to rise up to the blimp again. “Farewell, my hoppity bunny friend.”

And soon enough, the Toy Taker had gone from Bumble’s sight, causing Bumble to break down sobbing, feeling like a lost child in the mall in that moment.

But once they were sure they were alone with only Bumble, the three auroricorn mares snuck out of hiding. “Oh… it’s okay, Bumble. You can help us if you want,” Ocean said, patting the monster’s side gently. “We’re gonna tail that blimp and let Santa and the others know where the toys are by sending up an aurora flare.”

“And we sure could use some help,” Ebony added. “What do you say?”

Bumble looked down at the three mares before nodding and getting up, chasing after the blimp with the auroricorns at his heels. Now, even though Bumbles aren't exactly the smartest of creatures, a domesticated Bumble is fiercely loyal. That abominable snowman knew his friends needed them. By hook or by crook, Bumble, Polar, Ocean and Ebony had to catch up with that blimp, somehow.

Polar, Ocean and Ebony quickly stopped at the beach, leaving Polar to wonder how they were going to catch up to the blimp from here... while Bumble ran a little too fast, sliding off the ice and into the ocean before Ocean and Ebony used their magic to pull him out. “Huh… I guess Yukon was right,” said Ocean in surprise. “Bumbles really don’t swim.”

“But if Bumble can’t swim with us on his back,” said Ebony, “how are we gonna catch up to the others?”

Bumble, in his frustration, began to grumble and growl in frustration, jumping up and down on the ice repeatedly, causing Ocean, Polar and Ebony to try and brace themselves if they fell into the water like Bumble had done.

That's when, much to their surprise, the chunk of ice they were standing on broke loose from the shore, creating a large, do-it-yourself iceberg. “Bumble, you big genius! This is perfect!” Polar smiled. “Quick, start paddling in the direction of the blimp! Ocean, send up an aurora flare, and keep sending them up every so often!”

Ocean nodded and did as she was told as Bumble paddled as hard as he could, the four of them ready to catch up to the blimp and help their friends.

XXXXXXXX

On the blimp, the Toy Taker was steering the blimp toward his glacial hideout, unaware that some of the toys he picked up were really ponies, reindeer, an elf, foxes and a prospector in disguise.

However, Clarice looked around at noticing that Bumble wasn't in there with them. “Poor Bumble didn’t make it.”

“Don’t worry, missy,” Yukon assured. “He’ll catch up.”

“It’s just like Yukon always says,” said Amethyst with a smile. “Bumbles always bounce back!”

“If my hunch is right,” Rudolph then whispered to the others, the Toy Taker will lead us right to the missing toys.”

“And then we can sneak them out of his lair and make sure he never takes them again!” Zipp said, hoof-bumping Rudolph with a smile. “It’s practically fool-proof.”

Negro’s ears flattened as he saw the toys’ brainwashed state, a bit frightened and worried for their well-being. “Oh, guys… look at them.”

“Yeah… I see what you mean, Negro,” Misty nodded thoughtfully. “They all look like they’re in some kind of trance.”

“The Toy Taker's flute must pack some kind of hocus pocus voodoo power,” Yukon assumed. That’s when Borealis turned to a familiar kite with a smile. “Don’t worry, Mr. Kite. We’re here to rescue you!”

But, just as Borealis began to think the toys couldn't hear her in their trance, the kite let out an unexpected shriek. “INTRUDERS!!”

“Uh-oh!” Sunny yelped, alarmed as other toys began to shout the same thing. “We didn’t anticipate that!”

“Shh, shh!!” Izzy said desperately as the shouting grew much louder. “Not so loud!”

“Stop it!” Pipp scolded. “Before you blow our cover!”

“INTRUDERS!!!”

It was at that moment, the Toy Taker, who heard the shouting from the front of the blimp, came into the room after leaving the blimp on autopilot. “Hey!” he shouted, noticing the group. “You’re not toys!”

That’s when Rudolph bravely took the lead. “We’re friends of Santa!”

“And we want his toys back!” Winter Wind declared with a triumphant look. “Surrender, you hooligan!” Yukon demanded. “We have you surrounded!”

“Do you?” the Toy Taker asked them, pulling out a remote while the toys forced the group to step backwards a bit. “Sorry you can't stay for the holidays! Ta-ta!”

By pressing a button on his remote, the floor underneath the heroes opened up and the heroes ran in the air in alarm before falling out, shrieking. Then Yukon grabs onto a ledge at the bottom of the blimp, with Hermey grabbing onto his leg and the dentist elf holding onto one of Clarice's hooves while Negro and Borealis clung to Clarice for dear life.

Luckily, Rudolph, the Mane 6, Amethyst Flare and Winter Wind were able to start flying, trying to come up with Plan B. “Everypony look for a way to get back aboard the blimp!” Sunny shouted. “Then, we’ll come back to get our friends!”

As the Mane 6 and the two auroricorn mares split up to cover more ground (or air, so to speak), Rudolph spotted the open hatch, but as he tried to fly back through it, it closes up and he hit it hard, knocking the wind-up off his back and knocking him out of the heavens. “Rudolph!!” Borealis shrieked. “NO!!”

“Come on, Clarice!” Negro yelped. “We have to help him!”

“Okay, you two!” Clarice said, taking a breath. “Hang on tight!”

Clarice then flew away from the still dangling Hermey and Yukon with both fox pups on her back, flying underneath Rudolph and catching him, groaning as she tried to support all three on her back at once.

Rudolph slowly regained consciousness at this, and felt instant relief upon seeing his doe-friend and the two fox pups. “Clarice! You all saved me!”

“And,” Clarice said with a smile as Rudolph flew on his own again, “I earned my wings!”

“Rudolph! Guys!” Sunny shouted as she and the Mane 6 flew back around and after Borealis got on Rudolph’s back. “We spotted another entrance!”

“But first, Winter and Amethyst? Go get Yukon and Hermey before they fall to their deaths!” Zipp shouted, causing the two auroricorns to nod before flying that way.

As for Yukon, he felt his grip begin to loosen while Hermey’s grip on him got tighter. “Can't hold on much longer!!”

Then his hands begin to slide off the blimp and the pair were sent falling through the heavens, shrieking. It looks like they were done for, until Winter Wind scooped up Hermey and Amethyst Flare scooped up Yukon, saving them just in the nick of time. “WAHOOOOOOO!!!” Yukon shouted before they all began to fly toward the other entrance that the Mane 6 had spotted.

XXXXXXXX

The Toy Taker hummed a happy tune while steering again, until he saw the heroes floating outside his door, to his dismay. “Darn, darn, darn!!”

Hitch rammed through the door with all his might, causing all the heroes to enter, glaring at the Toy Taker while Borealis growled a bit. “We've got you now!”

However, the Toy Taker still had his remote in hand. “I think not!”

He pressed a button, and a hatch above him opened, along with a rope to appear, which the villain climbs up, making his escape. “Why that little…” Zipp growled, her wings flaring in anger. “He’s getting away!”

“Not for long he’s not!” Amethyst Flare reassured. “Come on, Cornelius! After him!”

“Wait, guys! Be careful!” Sunny tried to warn them, but Amethyst and Yukon had already started climbing up the hatch after the Toy Taker, leaving them to try and steer this blimp toward common ground.

XXXXXXXX

Amethyst and Yukon trailed very closely behind the Toy Taker for quite a while, climbing up stairs and swinging from poles, with the auroricorn being just about as agile as a mountain goat or a snow leopard, since she paid attention to Yukon's mountain-climbing stories.

Soon, their chase led them to the top of the blimp, where Amethyst and Yukon were sure that they would have the villain surrounded this time.

But as Yukon and Amethyst got closer to where the Toy Taker was, Yukon forgot that he had his mountain-climbing boots with spikes on, leaving little holes in the blimp wherever he walked. “Hey!” the Toy Taker shouted. “You’re messing up my blimp!”

“Huh?” Yukon stopped walking before he noticed what the Toy Taker was talking about. “Whoops!”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Amethyst told Yukon before she prepared her horn to fire. “We’ve got you where we want you, Toy Taker!”

That’s when the Toy Taker spotted something coming up from behind them. “What’s that behind you?”

However, Yukon wasn’t about to believe this trick for a second. “Ha! I ain't a-falling for that old trick!”

Amethyst turned and saw something heading straight for them, and not knowing where it was going, she yelped and ducked her head as the object came swirling towards the prospector, not bothering to think. The object happens to be a certain boomerang from the Island of Misfit Toys, not being able to stop his flight path. “G'daaaaaaayyy!!!”

The boomerang swirled past Yukon, making him yelp while the prospector was knocked off guard. “I'm sorry, mate!!!!”

“It’s… all right,” Yukon said weakly before he flailed his arms a bit and begins falling backwards off the blimp, plummeting as he shrieked.

XXXXXXXX

And unfortunately, the Mane 6, Rudolph and Borealis looked outside just in time to see this happen. “Cornelius! NOOOOOOO!!!!”

“Hang on, Yukon! I’m coming!!” Amethyst shouted before diving after him, much to the others’ horror. And with the blimp going down, they had to make a hard decision-- abandon ship and try to save their falling friends…

…or die while trying to save all the misfit toys and Christmas from being ruined forever?

We'll find out the answer to this hard-hitting question and see how the final battle plays out for our heroes in our next chapter.

The Final Battle Commences

Yukon Cornelius had slipped and fallen off the top of the blimp while he and Amethyst Flare were confronting the Toy Taker, and Amethyst had taken a risky dive to save him without thinking things through all the way.

And with the blimp getting ready to plummet, it left the Mane 6 with no real options on what to do.

Luckily, we're going to find out what happens next, and hopefully, figure out the mystery to the Toy Taker's true identity.

XXXXXXXX

Ocean Blizzard went into a full blown panic when she saw her sister and Yukon falling toward the cold, arctic ocean, and knew they had to work much faster than this in order to save their friends. “Faster, Bumble! Faster!”

Bumble continued to paddle as fast as his arms could take him while Amethyst and Yukon shrieked and continued to plummet. And once they were in just the right position, Bumble caught the duo in his large paws, much to Amethyst’s internal relief…

…and Yukon’s dismay. “Paws off, you yuckity yeti!”

Then, for fun, Bumble proceeded to tickle Yukon’s belly, causing him to laugh while Amethyst reunited with her sister and her friends. “Oh, thank goodness you both are okay!” Ocean said thankfully, hugging Amethyst tightly. “You are okay, right?”

“Yeah, but our friends won’t be if we don’t get back out there!” Amethyst said urgently. “The Toy Taker’s gonna get away, and the blimp will be coming down with all of our friends inside of it if we don’t do something fast!”

XXXXXXXX

Back on the blimp, alarms were sounding as Zipp tried anything and everything in her power to keep it from falling, but all these attempts were in vain. “Aw, pegasus feathers!” she muttered. “Blimps and Marestreams are definitely not the same thing!”

“It’s no use, Zipp!” Winter Wind shouted. “We’re losing altitude!”

“And we’re gonna lose the toys and the Toy Taker too if we don’t do something fast!” Negro shouted. That’s when Rudolph turned his attention to Winter Wind and Hermey. “Try to save the misfits!”

Hermey saluted at this. “Aye aye, captain!”

“The rest of you, follow Borealis and me!” Rudolph shouted. “We have a date with the Toy Taker!”

“Let’s go!” Clarice shouted, getting Negro onto her back, and with that, the Mane 6 followed their reindeer friends out into the open night sky, eventually landing where the Toy Taker was on the blimp.

And as soon as he saw the light from Rudolph’s glowing nose, he yelped and shielded his eyes. “Keep that light away from me!”

“Rudolph, he’s scared of your light!” Pipp exclaimed. “Keep it glowing!”

Suddenly, the Toy Taker leapt right off the blimp, making the ponies gasp and rush to the edge to check on him. Then the Toy Maker pulled a string hanging out from his back, which activated a parachute, which he used to float down gently to the ground below, landing right in front of the peppermint mine. He quickly ran inside, grabbed a lantern and hopped into one of the mine carts, eager to make a quick getaway.

Luckily, the Mane 6, Rudolph, Clarice and their fox friends weren’t going to give up this easy. “Come on!” Hitch shouted he landed on the ground in front of the mine as the others descended after him. “He ran inside the peppermint mine!”

“Get in the mine cart!” Zipp shouted as they entered the mine. “Hurry!”

After the fox pups and the ponies immediately jumped inside the red and green striped mine cart, Clarice got it going down the tracks with Rudolph's nose lighting their way forward.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, the blimp was still continuing to fall with more air coming out with Hermey having a hard time steering it, and the misfit toys, who had snapped out of the trance as the blimp started falling, were beginning to panic.

Meanwhile, Yukon, Bumble and the four auroricorn mares finally pulled up onto the shore, with Bumble seeing that the blimp was going to crash into a large glacier if he didn't do something fast, so he picked up Yukon and started running in that direction. “Come on, everypony!” Polar Faith shouted. “Keep sending up those flares and follow them! We have to save the misfits before it’s too late!”

XXXXXXXX

“Are you sure that’s what Rudolph told you, Frenala?” Mrs. Claus asked the changeling-pony hybrid as soon as she finished explaining. “He wants us to look for the aurora flares?”

“That’s what he said,” Frenala nodded, “but I don’t know what that meant.”

“But I think I do!” Comet said, pointing toward the window. That’s when everyone present saw it-- several aurora flares lighting up the sky near the icy coast. “That must be some sort of signal from the blimp!” Violet Frost realized. “Rudolph and the others must’ve been able to get onboard!”

“But something must be wrong… look how erratic the flares are!” Nora said, pointing her paw toward the flares. “Tynan, I think our kids may be in trouble!”

“Then we need to get out there, fast!” Tynan said boldly. “Frenala, fly ahead of us and show us the way!”

“Follow me!” Frenala shouted before guiding the two fox royals, Sants, Mrs. Claus, Violet Frost and Comet out of the castle for a high-stakes rescue mission.

XXXXXXXX

On the blimp, Hermey spoke into an intercom system that he managed to find on the dashboard. “Attention, passengers. This is Hermey, your… pilot speaking,” he said, trying to hide how nervous he was while Winter Wind tried to keep the toys calm. “No need to panic. Everything's under control.”

“We’re doomed!!!” the toy kite shrieked before looking out the window and feeling dizzy. “Big-time vertigo…”

Then, the kite passed out in exhaustion, while a concerned meowing mouse ran around completely terrified.

XXXXXXXX

“Faster, Bumble!” Ebony Snowflake shouted to Bumble as the auroricorns tried to keep up with the fast pace. “Faster!”

After getting close enough to the mountain, Bumble stopped and set Yukon down, letting the auroricorns catch up and stay near Yukon in case things were to go wrong. Then, Bumble quickly started to climb the mountain while the blimp was headed for the jagged top, causing Winter Wind and Hermey to scream.

But as they prepared themselves for a crash landing, the bunny-dressed monster comes to the top just as the blimp is nearing the top of the mountain and he catches the blimp, halting its smash. “Phew…” Winter Wind sighed in relief. “Bumble, you’re a big-time life saver, you know that?”

Bumble mumbled in an embarrassed tone before slowly climbing back down the mountain with the blimp, and once they were all safely on the ground, Hermey opened the door and let the misfit toys out on the ground. “Winter! Hermey! You’re all okay!” Polar said in relief as she and Winter hugged. “Thank goodness!”

“Uh, yeah, Polar,” Winter Wind said with a slight cough. “But I would kinda like to breath a little first.”

“Oops!” Polar Faith yelped, releasing her grip on her friend to let her breath properly. “Sorry!”

That’s precisely when Violet Frost and Comet (with Santa and Mrs. Claus on their backs), along with Nora and Tynan, ran over to the group while they all tried to catch their breath. “Goodness!” Mrs. Claus cried. “Is everyone all right?”

“Everyone onboard is safe and accounted for,” Hermey said before remembering something. “But…”

“Wait a second,” Violet Frost looked around. “Where are Rudolph, Clarice and the ponies?”

“And where are our kids?!” Nora looked around desperately. “Are they all right?”

“Last I saw,” Winter Wind said nervously, “they were following the Toy Taker down into the peppermint mines!”

“Then that’s where we have to ho-ho go!” Santa said worriedly. “Everyone to the peppermint mines as fast as you can!”

XXXXXXXX

Back inside the peppermint mines, the cart that the Mane 6 and their friends had chosen sped after the cart that the Toy Taker had chosen, with the Toy Taker laughing fiendishly. His cart went up an upright ramp, with the others following right behind him. “Uh, judging on how bumpy this track looks,” Hitch said to the others, “I hope the rest of you like roller coasters!”

“Love ‘em!” Clarice shouted. “And I definitely would love them if I knew what a roller coaster was!” Negro shouted before Borealis glared at him, making him yelp. “But I can see this is TOTALLY not the time!”

The carts zipped around many curves on the track, causing our heroes to scream and laugh with emotion. But then, as the hills and turns began to increase, their delight suddenly started turning into fright, trying to keep the cart from toppling over and while trying not to get too motion sick.

That’s when the Toy Taker started to get really dangerous, grabbing lanterns from the side of the cave wall and throwing it at the other cart, causing them to explode and causing the ponies to scream.

Borealis growled in anger once the Toy Taker stopped his lantern throwing spree. “Oh, that does it! Negro, charge up your Shadow Blast! It’s time we teach this bozo not to mess with us foxes!”

“Oh yeah!” Negro shouted before flicking a Shadow Blast at the Toy Taker with his tail, and Borealis used her own magic to create a similar blast, with Rudolph’s nose showing them exactly where to aim. The two continued this for a few moments, but after a minute, they needed a chance to recharge, and the chase soon resumed.

Soon into the chase, the carts began to tilt, causing the group to scream as they tried to resume balance, sparks coming up from under the wheels. After the cart had stopped tipping, Clarice felt herself becoming more and more nervous. “Can I change my mind to your roller coaster question, Hitch?”

“Trust me, Clarice!” Hitch said. “I was about to ask you the same thiiiiiiiing!!!!!”

“Everyone, try and stay close together!” Misty shouted. “That way the cart won’t tip as much!”

“Ooh, smart thinking, Misty-Twisty!” Izzy shouted, and the group huddled closer together as they resumed the chase.

But further up ahead, the Toy Taker activated a switch that made the tracks switch, and our heroes found themselves on a different track than the Toy Taker. Nevertheless, they were still able to keep up the chase... even with the boomerang from the Island of Misfit Toys flying above them. “G'daaaaaaayyy!!!”

After a while, the boomerang twirled out of sight, and our heroes found themselves getting ahead of the Toy Taker, giving them the idea that if they could find a way to stop, they would be able to catch the Toy Taker at long last.

However, that idea was immediately scratched when Pipp looked and saw something up ahead. “Rudolph, ponies, look!”

“Huh?!” the others looked ahead and shrieked at what Pipp had seen-- part of the track was out, and they were heading right for it. “Guys, I know what we have to do!” Zipp said to her friends rather boldly as she spread her wings. “When I say go, start flying and land on that ledge down there!”

The others nodded nervously at this, and when they neared the broken track, Zipp gave them all the cue. “GO!!”

Not wasting a single second, Borealis and Negro grabbed onto Rudolph and Clarice as the group started flying, causing the cart to crash into the icy wall after derailing itself. Our heroes sighed in relief as they landed on the ledge down below, but then, they saw the Toy Taker heading right for the gap himself, frantically trying to stop his cart, only to fly out of the cart when it derailed itself.

Sunny gasped and flew up in alicorn form to catch the Toy Taker as he fell toward the ground, and she managed to do so as the other mine cart crashed right where theirs had a few moments prior.

Sunny set the Toy Taker on the ground, right into the light coming from Rudolph’s nose, causing Rudolph to confront the Toy Taker head-on. “Surrender, Toy Taker.”

“I don't know the meaning of the word!” the Toy Taker said defiantly. “It means,” Clarice huffed as she and the others began to surround him, “you give up!”

“NOW!!” Borealis bared her teeth into a furious growl, making Negro do the same thing. This made the Toy Taker yelp and run further into the mine, and as our heroes were about to chase after him, they heard the sound of other mine carts, and they all turned to see Hermey, Yukon, the auroricorns (Violet Frost and Comet included), Santa, Mrs. Claus, Nora, Tynan, Bumble and all the misfit toys approaching them.

Nora immediately gasped as she and Tynan saw their children, jumping out of the cart and running over to them. “Thank goodness you kids are alright!”

“Mom!” Borealis shouted, running to her mother. “Dad!” Negro yipped, and the four foxes allowed themselves to be reunited. “Phew… are you guys okay?” Violet Frost asked in concern. “It took us a long time to try and catch up with you!”

“We’re fine, but the Toy Taker got away again!” Sunny then said in frustration, causing Izzy to whimper. “And we almost had him too!”

“If only I had me some rope!” Yukon said just before Hermey climbed out of the mine cart. “Will dental floss do?”

“You know what?” Amethyst asked with a smirk. “It just might, dentist!”

That’s when Hermey got out some varieties of floss from his pockets. “Waxed or unwaxed?”

Yukon shrugged at this. “Uh… waxed.”

“Mint or cherry?”

Eventually, Yukon just groaned and grabbed one from Hermey before they lost anymore time. “Just gimme that!”

Rudolph offered his back to the prospector with a smile. “Jump on, Yukon!”

“You heard him! Come on, guys!” Amethyst Flare shouted to the Mane 6 as Borealis got on her back and Yukon got on Rudolph’s. “Time for a little reindeer rodeo!”

The Mane 6, Rudolph and Amethyst ran through the tunnel as fast as they could, with Yukon turning the dental floss into a lasso. “Yippie-yi-yay! Wahooo!!!”

Borealis let out a triumphant howl at the rate of speed they were going. “Now this is what I’m talking about!”

“Faster, you guys!” Misty shouted back to her friends. “I can see him up ahead!”

Turns out, the Toy Taker wasn’t as far away from them as they originally thought, giving them more of an advantage to catch up.

However, the Toy Taker wasn’t going to make this easy. “You'll never catch me!”

“Never say never!” Yukon shouted before tossing the floss lasso at the Toy Taker, which ceases his running and made him stand in place, causing him to yelp. “And,” said Pipp, grabbing some ribbons from behind her mane, “for good measure…!!”

She quickly wrapped a large bow around and through the floss, preventing it from being undone and causing the pink pegasus to smile. “A little bit of fashion flare never hurts, even when kicking some bad guy butt.”

Rudolph laughed at this. “We finally did it! It’s all over!”

“It sure is, Rudolph,” Zipp smiled. “Way to keep your nose on him the whole time!”

“Aww, thanks, Zipp,” Rudolph said with a soft smile. “I guess it does have its uses.”

“And now that we finally have this guy, it’s time we get him back to Santa for his punishment,” Hitch told the group. “And then… we get the toys back where they belong.”

But one question did hang in the back of everyone’s minds… who was the Toy Taker really?

And what were his motives for this devious, heinous act?

Mr. Cuddles' Story is Revealed/The Best Christmas Ever

The Toy Taker, after a long chase and a long fight, had FINALLY been caught by Rudolph, Borealis and their pony pals from Equestria, and were now traveling back through the peppermint mines in order to showcase their victory and finally get some answers…

…including who the Toy Taker really was.

Violet Frost was first to gasp and point out the group’s return. “Look! There they are!”

“They finally got the Toy Taker!” Negro cheered from where he stood with his father and Clarice. “We did it!”

This led many others to cheer for the heroes' victory, and the Mane 6 and their friends could not be prouder for their success. “Oh ho ho ho! Well done, all of you!” Santa praised before approaching the Toy Taker with a stern frown, revealing just how short the Toy Taker really was. “Do you have any idea how much damage you've caused?”

“Let's see who he really is!” Rudolph suggested, causing Borealis to nod and help Negro and Yukon yank the floss lasso, pulling off the Toy Taker's disguise and letting everyone see who he really was.

“What?!”

“No way!”

“...didn’t see that coming.”

“Well, I’ll be.”

In the spot where the ominous figure in the coat and hat once stood was a filthy-looking plush bear, with tears all over its little body, standing on a small pair of stilts. “Pay no attention to the teddy bear behind the cloak!” he shouted in his Toy Taker voice. “I am the Toy Taker, fear me! Bleh, bleh, bleh!!”

“I don’t believe it!” Sunny said as she trotted forward. “You’re not some evil, villainous mastermind… you’re just a teddy bear on stilts!”

“Won't anyone fear me…? Please…?” the teddy bear seemed to beg before he sighed, giving up the act. “Oh, what's the use?”

“Ohh…” Mrs. Claus frowned as Comet and Violet Frost looked at each other. Santa picked the teddy bear up off his stilts, causing some stuffing falls out of one of his tears and causing the teddy bear to wince. “Look!” Clarice pointed out. “He’s hurt!”

“Huh?” Bumble muttered as Ocean Blizzard and Amethyst Flare looked at each other in concern, almost feeling sorry for the teddy bear in question, despite everything he had done.

Santa, however, shook his head at the teddy bear’s state. “ You've lost a lot of stuffing, son.”

“I’m a very old teddy bear, Santa,” the teddy bear said with a sigh. “And my seams aren't just holding up like they used to.”

“Now things are starting to make a little sense,” Zipp said, remembering the evidence she took photos of earlier. “The stuffing we found in the warehouse must’ve been yours!”

“And the peculiar footprints were from the stilts,” Hermey nodded. “And here’s the flute you used to put the toys under the trance,” Pipp said, pulling it out of the cloak that the teddy bear wore. “He tried to pull the Pied Piper of Hamlin trick on us too, but we were well prepared and knew that it only affected toys like him.”

However, there was one thing Rudolph just couldn’t figure out. “But, why would a teddy bear steal toys?”

“Not steal, Rudolph,” the teddy bear shook his head. “Rescue. You see, my real name is Mr. Cuddles. My story begins a long, long time ago.”

Hitch sighed as he looked over at Izzy. “Why did I think we WEREN’T going to get another flashback?”

Izzy only shrugged as Mr. Cuddles began to tell his story the only way he knew how… through song.

Mr. Cuddles: When I was a bear wrapped in beautiful paper
I found myself under a tree
And Christmas Day came, that’s when I met my best friend
His very first present was me

And Steven played with me all day long
He’d sleep with me tight in his arms
He'd tell me stories and sing me songs
Oh, my, what a glorious time

But not for long

The Mane 6 and their friends spared each other a sad glance at this, having a bad feeling they knew where this song was heading.

Mr. Cuddles: Steven was growing up day after day
And he didn’t have time for his friend
I moved from the bed to a chair to a closet
And I knew it must be the end

I stayed for years in a cardboard box
Until one day, the garbageman came
They threw me out, yes they threw me out
Without any reason or rhyme, I was ashamed

Borealis whimpered sadly, her ears lowering as she listened to this verse, feeling horrible for who she thought was a villain just a few minutes ago.

Mr. Cuddles: Oh, I still remember my Steven
I've missed him for so long
If I could only be with him again, that's where I still belong…

And when the song was finally over, Mr. Cuddles concluded his story, much to the sadness of those listening. “And then, I became the Toy Taker to spare other toys from the eternal darkness of cardboard boxes and the harrowing indignity of the trash heap.”

“...I… I had no idea you went through something so awful,” Zipp admitted, her ears pinned low. “I just kinda thought you were just a villain.”

Yukon sniffled back tears, which he tried to wipe away with a handkerchief that Pipp gave him. “Oh…” Mrs. Claus frowned sympathetically. “Poor little darling.”

Even poor Bumble started crying, leaving Polar Faith to comfort him while everyone else comforted each other.

And after a moment, Santa set Mr. Cuddles down on the cavern floor. “Mr. Cuddles, while it's true that many children outgrow their toys, I happen to know that your boy's been looking for you.”

“...he has?” Mr. Cuddles asked in surprise. “Really?”

“If Santa says it, then it’s definitely true,” Sunny smiled. “We’ll gladly take you home to him.”

“And I bet Queen Camilla can mend these seams,” Hermey gestured to all the tears on Mr. Cuddles’ body, causing Winter Wind to smile. “Good idea, Hermey!”

“And while you guys are out getting Mr. Cuddles all cleaned up for his big reunion with Steven,” Violet Frost said, “us auroricorns can venture out to where the toys are and bring all of them back to be delivered and redelivered by Christmas Eve!”

“...which… is only one night away,” Comet winced. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Come on, guys-- we can’t let that stop us!” Clarice tried to encourage. “Right, Sunny?”

“Right. Mr. Cuddles, get Violet Frost and Comet the coordinates to where you kept the toys,” Sunny said politely. “In the morning, we’ll take you to Castaway Cove and let Queen Camilla fix you right up. We promise.”

And so, everyone except Bumble and Yukon left the peppermint mine to get things prepared for the days ahead. Yukon, out of curiosity, hit his pick-axe against the wall, pulling the tool out and then tasting the tip of it, before his eyes widen upon recognizing the taste. “Silver and gold. Gold and silver! Why, there's silver and gold in our peppermint mine!”

That caused Yukon and Bumble to cheer happily, knowing they had a brand new supply to bring to Christmastown for decorations and much more for the upcoming Christmas season.

XXXXXXXX

After Mr. Cuddles gave the auroricorns the directions to get to his former lair, the auroricorns went swiftly to the glacier and brought all the toys back to Christmastown, while the Mane 6, Borealis, Nora, Rudolph and Hermey took Mr. Cuddles all the way to Castaway Cove, where they told Queen Camilla his heart-wrenching tale.

And Queen Camilla was so touched by Mr. Cuddles' story, she decided to personally oversee his makeover, stitching up his seams to make him as good as new.

The operation itself took a little while longer than they expected, but the ponies and their friends were happy to see that Mr. Cuddles was waking up soon after the surgery was finished, looking and feeling better than he had in years. “Feeling better, darling?” Queen Camilla asked the tangerine bear, who nodded as he looked himself over. “Much.”

Nora then put a brand-new blue bowtie on the teddy bear’s neck, making him look extra spiffy, and causing the fox queen to sigh. “There… you’re all ready to be redelivered to Steven’s house tonight.”

That’s when Queen Camilla looked over at Rudolph. “And what about you, caribou? Still want that nose job?”

That’s when Rudolph took a moment to really consider everything that had went on in the last few days.

How he found land using his nose during that storm…

XXXXXXXX

“Land!”

XXXXXXXX

…what Clarice said about she and the others loving his nose…

“I’m sure the ponies, Bori and Negro can agree with me when I say this, Rudolph. We love your nose… and everything about you.”

XXXXXXXX

…how he used his nose’s light to scare the Toy Taker…

“Keep that light away from me!”

“Rudolph! He’s scared of your light!” Pipp exclaimed. “Keep it glowing!”

XXXXXXXX

…and lastly, how Santa asked Rudolph and his glowing nose to light the way on that foggy Christmas Eve that changed his life forever.

XXXXXXXX

“Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”

XXXXXXXX

After considering all of this, Rudolph finally gave Queen Camilla his answer. “I think… maybe… I'll just stick with the nose I have.”

“Seriously, Rudolph?” Borealis asked in delight. “You mean it?”

“But… what about having a normal nose like everyone else?” Misty asked, taken by surprise. “That’s always been your dream, hasn’t it?”

“It used to, Misty. I may not always like this nose, but… I guess we kinda sorta… go together,” Rudolph put his thoughts into words before looking at Queen Camilla. “Are you mad?”

“I wouldn't change a thing about you, Rudy, darling,” Queen Camilla smiled gently, putting her hand under his chin, making his nose beam a bit. “You’re pretty fabulous just the way you are.”

“You know, Rudolph?” Sunny smiled. “I think you finally realized that, with all that we’ve been through together on this adventure and on others, that… maybe what you really wanted was right in front of you all along.”

“And being unique is way better than being the same as everyone else,” Izzy nodded. “And your nose is totally unique, and way better than any of ours!”

“That’s what makes you… you,” Pipp added with a smile. “And we don’t want you to ever forget that.”

“I promise, I won’t,” Rudolph promised his friends. “But you know… there’s still one thing that we have to do before we can REALLY celebrate.”

“Huh?” Misty looked confused. “What’s that?”

“Get these toys delivered, obviously!” Borealis smiled. “And since you guys are back, you can help us pull the sleigh!”

“All right!” Zipp pumped a hoof. “Best job ever!”

“...and Mom?” Borealis looked at her mother. “Do you wanna come with us? I’d really like to share this tradition with you.”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Nora said with a warm smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“Then what are we standing around here for?” Hitch asked. “Christmastown, here we come! …again.”

XXXXXXXX

The big night had finally arrived. The Mane 6 and the nine reindeer had been harnessed into the sleigh, with Borealis on Rudolph's back and Nora sitting in the sleigh to cheer her daughter on. And since Mr. Cuddles had returned all the toys, and all the elves and auroricorns got busy packing Santa's sleigh, everyone knew deep in their hearts that it was gonna be the best Christmas ever.

And what better way to express that joy than with a yuletide song to kick things off?

Borealis: It's gonna be the best Christmas ever
It's gonna be the finest Christmas ever
Could it be a better Christmas? Never!
There won't be one like today!

Mane 6: Everything'll be fine and dandy
Better keep your hungry tummy handy
Gonna let you fill it up with candy
Cause on Christmas, it's okay

And once all the toys were finally packed on the sleigh with the auroricorns' and the elves' help, Santa hopped into the sleigh beside Nora.

Santa: When everybody comes together around the big old tree
We'll hang the tinsel, string the lights and laugh so merrily
Ho-ho-ho!

Santa flicked the reins, causing the reindeer and the Mane 6 to gallop down the walkway before sailing off into the sky, with everyone else from Christmastown and Starlight Ridge seeing them off.

All: It's gonna be the best Christmas ever
It's gonna be the superest Christmas ever
It's gonna be the happiest Christmas
Never will there be one like today

Everything will be quite delightful
Wait until you see all the lights
You'll never ever have a better sight
Until you'll see Santa on his way

Negro: We had to use a ladder just to pile up all the toys

Clarice: Because we have tons of goodies for you special girls and boys

Negro, Clarice, Winter Wind and Hermey: And it's gonna be the best Christmas ever
It's gonna be the finest Christmas ever

Comet and Violet Frost: Could it be a better Christmas? Never!
There won't be one like today!

All: It's gonna be the happiest Christmas ever
And the most fantabulous Christmas ever
Everybody, let's all get together
On this perfect.... Christmas da-aaaaa-ay-yy!!!

And by the end of the song, the team had flown out of sight to start their Christmas Eve deliveries as scheduled.

XXXXXXXX

Later on into the night, Bumble let forth the first grin he had in quite some time, thanks to the new dentures Hermey gave him as a Christmas present. “He loves the dentures, dentist,” Yukon told the dentist elf. “Just send me the bill.”

“No, it’s on me,” Hermey smiled. “Merry Christmas.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re in such a giving mood, Hermster,” Winter Wind said teasingly. “Cause I think you have a special visitor, courtesy of Queen Camilla.”

A horn then sounded through the quiet North Pole night, and a pink limo soon rolled into view. The back window rolls down, revealing a tooth fairy in the seat, making Hermey awestruck. “The… Tooth Fairy!”

“Yoo-hoo!” the Tooth Fairy waved while Winter Wind pushed Hermey forward slightly. “Hermey the Elf, D.D.S.”

“Why… I’m Hermey the Elf, D.D.S,” Hermey said politely as he walked closer to the limo, causing the Tooth Fairy to smile. “Ready for our date… sugar?”

And you can probably guess what Hermey did at that point-- he fainted, right in front of the Tooth Fairy once again. “Oh boy…” Winter Wind chuckled. “It’s deja vu all over again!”

“I’ll help you get him in the car,” Tynan said as he went to help Winter Wind. “Just as long as Nora and Borealis are back with the sleigh team for the big party tomorrow, that’s all that matters.”

XXXXXXXX

Around the same time that Hermey was being woken up from passing out, the sleigh team arrived at their first stop-- the house that belonged to Mr. Cuddles' old boy, Steven.

Santa chuckled warmly as he picked up Mr. Cuddles and carried him over to the chimney. “Steven never meant to throw you away. He was saving you as a family heirloom,” he said as Nora walked over to the chimney behind them. “He's all grown up now with a child of his own.”

Santa and Nora jumped down into the chimney, sliding all the way to the bottom before they crept through the house, up the stairs and to a door on the left side of the upstairs hallway.

Nora pushed the door open with her paws, and inside that room, a 5-year-old girl was sleeping in her bed peacefully. Santa stepped silently over towards her, as he and Mr. Cuddles look at her sleeping. Then Mr. Cuddles hugged the man, who hugged back, before he places the bear next to the little and then silently took his leave with Nora.

Soon, the little girl woke up and saw Mr. Cuddles beside her, hugging him close before gently going back to sleep, with Mr. Cuddles sighing happily. “This is the happiest day of my life…”

XXXXXXXX

Nora and Santa climbed up through the chimney, and Borealis looked at her mother with anticipation. “Do you think Mr. Cuddles is going to be happy again, Mom?”

“Now that he’s back with his family, I guarantee it,” Nora smiled. “But we can’t stop and ponder much now. We still have many more deliveries to do before we head back home… a duty I can’t wait to share with my daughter from here on out.”

And so, Santa and Nora got back in the sleigh before the team took off into the night sky to continue their deliveries, wishing all the best for Mr. Cuddles in the arms of Steven’s young daughter.

The Christmas Party/Heading Back to Equestria and a Vision Occurs

Mr. Cuddles was finally back in the childhood home he shared with his boy Steven, and now, he had Steven’s daughter to show the same love to as he showed Steven all that time ago.

And since Mr. Cuddles had been properly brought home, Santa led the reindeer and the Mane 6, alongside Borealis and Nora, to complete the rest of their deliveries before Christmas morning. And just like we would expect out of the Mane 6… they all succeeded with flying colors.

Now, it was time to head back to Christmastown for a party they would never forget.

XXXXXXXX

The party outside the castle was in full swing after all the reindeer and the ponies had been unharnessed, and while the Mane 6 drank hot cocoa and socialized with Rudolph, Clarice and the auroricorns, Borealis told her father and half-brother all about their flight around the world.

Needless to say, Tynan could not be prouder. “I know you don’t have your original father here, Bori, but… I’d like to be here for you when I can. Hey, maybe I can go with you on the trip next year!”

Borealis smiled, her eyes glowing with gentleness and kindness. “I’d love that… Dad.”

Tynan sighed and pulled the little fox in close, and Negro hugged Nora, coming to think of her as a new mother that he was sure that his biological mother would be proud of.

The Mane 6, Violet Frost, Rudolph, Clarice and Comet watched this with a smile, and Misty couldn’t help but coo. “Looks like the family really is complete now.”

“And I’m pretty sure nothing is gonna break that family apart,” Hitch said with a proud grin. “Not even a frost goblin or a Santa gone wrong.”

The others looked at Hitch in confusion, causing him to chuckle nervously. “Just kidding.”

Suddenly, the portal back to Equestria opened up, causing Comet to sigh. “Well… I guess this means you can go home now.”

“Equestria, here we come!” Zipp cheered, ready to get back to Queen Haven and the other adults. But that didn’t stop the Mane 6 from hugging their friends, new and old, tightly for a final farewell. “Thank you for everything,” Rudolph said with a smile. “You guys are welcome back anytime… Unity Quest or not.”

“Well, I guess we better get going then,” Sunny said slowly as they all began to walk up to the portal. “Uh… Uh…” Comet then felt conflicted as he looked back between the Mane 6, the fox family, Rudolph, Clarice and Violet before he spoke up, making an immediate decision. “I’m coming with you!”

The Mane 7 stopped and turned to look at him in surprise. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?” Pipp asked in confusion. “I have been dreaming of seeing the rest of the world for as long as I can remember,” Comet started in wonder as he adjusted his glasses again before turning to Violet, “And I couldn’t be happier to call Starlight Ridge and the North Pole home, but... I’m ready for my next adventure. I want to see what else is out there!”

Comet gave a twirl before he lost his balance, which he quickly regained as he adjusted his glasses again. “And what better way to do it than with new friends? So, if it’s okay, I would like to come with you.”

The Mane 7 looked at each other in surprise before Zipp scoffed. “Are you kidding?”

Comet suddenly became quite nervous as he gave a sigh of disappointment, but then... the Mane 6 smiled at him. “Of course you can come!” Pipp called as they all started cheering. Izzy then happily hopped to Comet as the two ponies held each other's hooves as they hopped around. “New friend! New friend! New friend! Ooh!”

Violet then walked up to Comet and Izzy, “I’m so proud of you, Comet. You’re gonna have the most amazing time. I know it.”

“Just be sure to come back soon,” Borealis made the group promise. “It’s not gonna be the same if you guys don’t come back every once in a while!”

“We promise,” Sunny said before hugging Rudolph and Borealis close. “Remember… family always finds one another.”

Borealis nodded to this. “And we’re family now. And we’ll do our part…”

“HOOF TO HEART!!” they all cheered before laughing. Then, exchanging final farewells with their friends, the Mane 6 and Comet stepped through the portal to return home.

XXXXXXXX

Queen Haven was first to notice the ponies coming back through the portal which opened up in front of the fire place, causing her to gasp. “Alphie, look! They’re back!”

The Mane 6 cheered as they ran out of the portal with Comet at their heels. “We’re so excited you came with us, Comet!” Sunny said with excitement. Comet looked around before he noticed the Mane 6’s original appearances. “Whoa-ho-ho! You ponies look different now.”

“Oh yeah…” Zipp said with a smile as she turned and showed her appearance to Comet. “This is what we really look like. Surprise!”

Comet gave a laugh from this. “I’ve been in Equestria one minute and I’m already learning so much…”

Pipp then flew down to Comet. “I have a feeling you’re gonna super love it here!”

“And we want you to meet our families!” Misty gestured to the adults sitting nearby. “This is my mom and dad, Alphabittle and Paradise, Pipp and Zipp’s mom Queen Haven, and Hitch’s grandma Figgy!”

“It’s such an honor to meet you, Comet!” Paradise smiled. “I’ve never seen an auroricorn before-- only heard about them from Misty’s stories.”

“But we’re so happy to have you here for our Winter Wishday celebration,” Alphabittle smiled. “Make yourself at home.”

“Wow, thanks!” Comet said with a smile. “I really do think I’m gonna like it here.”

“How was the mission, dears?” Queen Haven asked as Sparky hugged Hitch. “Did you get the last star shard?”

“Not yet, but we still have the rest of them right here,” Sunny said as she brought out the star pieces, which Izzy had glued together to form ⅚ of the star. “See?”

Suddenly, all five of the star pieces they had glowed, causing Sunny’s vision to be flooded with bright light, much to Hitch’s alarm. “SUNNY!!!”

The others gasped in alarm as the Mane 6 rushed over to her, and after a moment, the white light faded away, leaving Sunny to try and catch her breath. “W-Whoa…”

“Sunny, are you okay?” Izzy asked. “Yeah!” Pipp nodded desperately. “What was that?!”

“I… I think it was some kind of vision… like the star was trying to warn me about something ahead of us,” Sunny muttered. “There was… fighting and… evil laughter… and Allura and Twitch were there, along with somepony else! But… I don’t know who they were or where they were.”

Comet looked uneasy at this. “So… what does that all mean?”

“...I have a funny feeling I know,” Sunny said, taking a breath. “Guys… I don’t wanna scare you, but… I think the final battle for the fate of Equestria, and the end of our battle with Allura… is coming sooner than we think.”

This caused all the ponies to grow immediately concerned.

As much as they hated to do so, it looked like they might have to warn Equestria of all this once Winter Wishday passed over.

Equestria wasn't going to fall to Allura's paws... especially not if our heroes have anything to say about it.

But who was this mysterious figure that Sunny didn't recognize?

And where was this final battle going to take place?

Well... that's for you readers to find out in the final story of the season.