Hope for the Holidays

Chapters

Hope for the Holidays Part 1
Hope for the Holidays Part 2
Hope for the Holidays Part 3
Hope for the Holidays Part 4
Hope for the Holidays Part 5
Hope for the Holidays Part 6
Hope for the Holidays Part 7
Hope for the Holidays Part 8
Hope for the Holidays Part 9
Hope for the Holidays Final Chapter

Hope for the Holidays Part 1

It was a dark night in a quiet, wintery land. Snow fell across the forest, blanketing the ground and the trees in a cold, yet gentle, cover. Much of the plants and animals have gone into hibernation, awaiting the spring that will come within a few months. A nearby village was calm and serene. There were only a few centaurs that made their way from their houses to the palace that stood over.

Inside, the centaur tribe sat at a long table, cheering the night away. Some ate meat and vegetables, while some drank refreshing juice. Some even got out of their seats to sing and dance, while others played musical instruments to energize their fellow brethren.

But sitting at the far corner of the table was King Vorak Highstaff and his wife Queen Lillian Hayden. The former was a majestic centaur male. The latter was a humanoid with bat wings. Both were dressed in royal regalia. Both enjoyed the food on the table or the music filling the room. Next to them sat three other individuals. The eldest was a centaur who looked bulkier than Vorak. The second eldest was a young human-like boy, with wings like his mother, and wore a pair of leather pants. The youngest was a filly pegasi pony with a curly mane who was shoveling food in her mouth.

“Cozy Glow,” Queen Lillian laughed. “Slow down on your dinner. There is plenty of food to go around.”

“Oh come on, mom,” Cozy Glow said after swallowing her food. “Tonight’s been a great night, so far.”

“Your mother has a point, Cozy,” King Vorak said. “After all, your brothers Tirek and Amadeus have been savoring their food throughout the night.”

“Your father’s got a point there,” Tirek laughed, giving Cozy Glow a noogie. “You may be the only pony of our tribe. But you don't even need to shovel all your food down your throat.”

“Oh cut it out, big brother,” Cozy Glow snarled. “I’m as much of a carnivore as the rest of you.”

Amadeus turned to his mother Queen Lillian, who sipped berry juice from her cup before turning to her son.

“How are you enjoying the Great Centaurian Feast, my son?” Queen Lillian asked.

“Great, mom,” Amadeus said. “I always look forward to this delicious meal. Meat, vegetables, berry juice, and even ice cream.”

“Oh my son my son,” Queen Lillian laughed. “You remind me of when I first celebrated this tradition, long before your brother Tirek came to this wonderful planet. When your father introduced me to the Great Centaurian Feast, it was like he took me in to be a part of his family.”

As Amadeus and Lillian laughed, the two turned their attention to Cozy Glow, who continued to eat the meat on her plate.

“I feel sorry for our little sister,” Amadeus said. “She’s the only pony to live in our lands, much less be a part of the royal family..”

“She was only a baby when we adopted her,” King Vorak said. “And we couldn’t bear to let her starve to death in the wilderness. Besides, our kind do not eat ponies.”

“No doubt about it,” Tirek said, thrusting a meaty rib into the air. “We raise gigantic cattle for their meat and milk, and farm vegetables to serve as our side dish.”

“And of all those who attend our feast, Cozy Glow is the one who enjoys it the most,” Amadeus said. “But I thought ponies don’t eat meat.”

“You’re right on that, Amadeus Scorpan Highstaff,” King Vorak said. “Ponies are mainly vegetarians as they prefer to pick vegetable-based crops or graze on grass to keep their bellies full. However, it’s not out of the question for these equines to enjoy meat like the rest of us.”

“Oh dad,” Amadeus laughed. “You’re just saying that because you want ponies to be more like us.”

“If by like us you mean as merry and hearty, then yes,” King Vorak laughed.

With that, King Vorak got on his four legs and held his mug in the air.

“To the great feast, and to the next year of our well-being,” King Vorak yelled. “To our good health and to the family we have formed.”

The other centaurs cheered at the sound of King Vorak’s voice, raising their mugs of berry juice in the air. King Vorak placed the edge of the mug on his lips before downing the berry juice. After drinking a bit, King Vorak wiped the juice off his lips with his arm before sitting down.

“Oh Vorak,” Lillian laughed. “You always know how to put on a show.”

“Thank you, my love,” Vorak said. “And you’re always one of the biggest supporters of my speeches.”

As King Vorak took a seat, a centaur chef approached the great ruler.

“My lord,” the chef said. “We are preparing your people with a nice supply of our premium ice cream.”

The words of the chef were enough to catch Amadeus’ attention.

“Ice cream?” Amadeus said, licking his lips. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

“After you finish your meat and veggies,” King Vorak said.

“Aww,” Amadeus said before he focused on the food on his plate.

“Oh don’t you worry, son,” King Vorak laughed. “After all, you enjoy your food as much as you enjoy ice cream. So if you get that done, I promise your ice cream will be perfect.”

“Sweet,” Amadeus said, looking down at his food. “Now I’m really craving it, and I’ll make it worth it.”

As Amadeus got back into eating his food, King Vorak turned to the chef and said “Let us wait an hour until it’s ready. In the meantime, store it someplay cold to keep it preserved. I know a son who wants to sink his teeth into that.”

“It will be done, my king,” The chef said with a bow.

“Well that’s my brother, dad,” Tirek laughed. “He always has a thing for ice cream.”

“Well that and he has such a huge appetite, Tirek,” Vorak said. “He might even outclass you in that department.”

“Me? Hah,” Tirek laughed, ripping a rib from his plate. “No one dares to outclass your number one son in that department.”

As Tirek pulled the meat off the bone with his teeth, King Vorak struggled to hold in his laughter.

“This is why I'm proud to have you both as my sons,” Vorak said. “Which is why I ask this: Do you promise to look after your brother and sister, no matter what?”

Tirek turned his attention back towards Amadeus and Cozy Glow, both who chowed down on their food without a care in the world. The young centaur smiled before turning back towards his father.

“They may lack table manners,” Tirek said. “But I promise to look after them both. You have my word.”

“That's the spirit, my son,” King Vorak said, raising his mug of berry juice. “Know that should anything go wrong, you will always be there for them.”

Tirek nodded as he raised his mug. The father and son changed their mugs together in celebration before they cheered loudly, prompting everyone in the room to cheer loudly as well. Even Amadeus and Cozy Glow stopped eating their food just to cheer as well.

“This is why I married him,” Queen Lillian said. “He knows how to be a merry old soul, and a merry old should is he.”

Later that night, Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow lied down on their beds in their room, staring at the stars outside. Both Amadeus and Cozy Glow looked stuffed from the food they ate.

“Man,” Amadeus said. “This is why the Great Centaurian Feast is my favorite event of all time. In fact, this is why I’m proud to be of Centauria.”

“Yeah,” Tirek said. “Good food, good times. That's the life of our people. Though I think you and Cozy overdid it on the grub.”

“What?” Amadeus laughed. “It was so worth it for the ice cream.”

“Whatever you say, brother,” Tirek laughed. At this rate, you'll make me look like a skinny weakling.”

“Yeah,” Amadeus said. “Maybe even bigger than a Cybertronian if I keep this up.”

Tirek and Amadeus chuckled for a moment before turning their eyes towards Cozy Glow, who rubbed her belly while staring at the night sky.

“So what's up with you, sis?” Amadeus said. “You seem less focused on the food you ate.”

“The night sky looks so pretty during this time of night,” Cozy Glow said, reaching her hoof out. “They're like gorgeous diamonds.”

“Gorgeous?” Amadeus said. “Diamond's are pretty, not gorgeous.”

“Tomayto, tomahto, what's the difference?” Cozy Glow said.

“She's got a point there,” Tirek said. “Pretty and gorgeous mean the same thing.”

As Amadeus shrugged in silence, everyone turned their attention back to the night sky, relaxing and allowing the aura of the moon to bathe over them.

“You know, I was wondering,” Cozy Glow said. “Have you ever thought about the idea of leading your people, Tirek?”

“Me? Oh no,” Tirek said. “I may be the greatest prince of Centauria. But I don’t have the skills to lead, nor do I want to remain in this kingdom.”

“Nor do I,” Amadeus said. “The moment we’re old enough, we want to set out on our own path.”

“Are you both sure about that?” Cozy Glow said, sitting up. “The world beyond our own may be too wild for you both.”

“And we were born to be wild, Cozy,” Tirek said. “Father told us that one day, we will have to take responsibility for our own lives when we’re old enough.”

“And if we’re taking it too seriously, I understand your plight,” Amadeus said.

“I know,” Cozy Glow said. “But I think you both will miss this place.”

“We will, squirt,” Tirek said. “But I think it will be worth it. If not, at least we'll have this place to call home.”

All three let out a hearty sigh as they stare at the stars in the sky. Amadeus’ eyes began to slowly close as he was on the verge of drifting off to dreamland.

But the moment Amadeus's eyes closed completely, he, Tirek and Cozy Glow felt the floor beneath them shake violently. Amadeus's eyes opened widely as he sat up.

“What's happening?” Amadeus said as he felt his bed shake. “Why is the foundation shaking?”

“I don't know,” Tirek responded. “It's like the whole world is crashing down.”

Feeling nauseous, Cozy Glow rolled out of bed and hit the ground as the room around her shook.

“Tirek, Ammy,” Cozy Glow groaned. “I don't feel so good.”

Tirek immediately jumped out of bed and picked up the pegasi filly before holding her close. At the same time, Amadeus jumped out of bed, struggling to stay on two feet.

“Where exactly did this earthquake come from?” Amadeus asked.

Before Tirek could speak, he heard someone shout “You gotta get out, now.” Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow turned to the doorway to see King Vorak and Queen Lillian standing there in a panic.

“Father, what's going on?” Tirek asked.

“It’s a quake like no other,” Queen Lillian said, pointing to a window leading to the balcony. “Take your brother and sister and head out that way.”

“What about you both?” Amadeus cried.

“Don’t worry about us,” King Vorak said. “We’ll focus on evacuating the other citizens. Now go.”

Holding Cozy Glow close, Tirek got a good look at King Vorak and Queen Lillian before turning his attention to the door leading to the balcony. With a powerful left hook, Tirek smashed the door open before running out of the room.

Amadeus stared down his own mother and father. Tears flowed down his eyes as he struggled to hold his emotions in. He tried to speak, but nothing came out of his mouth.

“You don't need to say anything, my son my son,” Queen Lillian said. “Go with your brother and sister. Be safe out there, Scorpan.”

Amadeus turned his head away as he ran out the back door towards the balcony where Tirrk and Cozy Glow waited for him. King Vorak and Queen Lillian got one last look at Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus before retreating out through the front door and down the hallway.

Outside, the foundation of the palace shook violently as the building began to crumble. Tirek held onto Cozy Glow as he leaped across the fracturing structure, one platform or roof at a time. Amadeus held his arms in the air as bat-like wings formed on his back. Then he took to the air and flew after Tirek from above.

As Tirek leaped across the roof of the crumbling palace, he looked down at the village below, and noticed the houses crumbling around, and the earth pushing itself upwards. But something disturbed the centaur.

“Why is no one emerging from their homes?” Tirek said as he leaped across, holding onto Cozy Glow. “Something’s not right here.”

But when Cozy Glow looked at one of the collapsing houses, she was quick to see a centaur child from behind the window, calling out in a panic. Before Cozy Glow could react, the earth pulled the house down, taking the child with it.

“OH MY GOSH!” Cozy Glow cried. “DID YOU SEE THAT?”

“I did,” Amadeus said, descending down to Tirek and Cozy Glow’s level. “And that’s the most disturbing thing I have ever seen.”

Tirek leaped to the end of the palace as the building began to collapse into the earth. Looking downward, he saw centaurs behind the windows crying helplessly. His face turned to total shock as he held Cozy Glow close to him and Amadeus flew next to his brother.

“No one can get out,” Amadeus said. “And I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it.”

“And unless we get outside Centauria, the same will happen to us,” Tirek said, looking ahead.

Suddenly, the earth began to push upwards, creating pillars of stone around the sinking houses, and in front of Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus.

“I’ll jump across,” Tirek said. “Try to save some of the villagers.”

“On it, brother,” Amadeus said.

As Tirek leaped from the palace and jumped across the pillars of stone, still holding Cozy Glow, Amadeus flew downward towards the houses, eyeing a centaur maiden who broke the window of her house.

“I GOT YOU!” Amadeus yelled, reaching out.

But before he could reach the maiden, a pillar of earth rose up, blocking both from each other. Amadeus came to a stop in total shock.

“I DON’T BELIEVE THIS!” Amadeus shouted.

As Amadeus turned to his right, he saw more and more pillars rise up, blocking the windows and doors of each sinking house. Amadeus’ eyes shrunk down in horror as he paused for a moment.

“I…I can’t save them,” Amadeus said.

But before Amadeus could move, a pillar of earth pushed upwards underneath him. Upon collision, Amadeus was knocked into the air, screaming loudly.

“SCORPAN!” Tirek shouted, looking upwards as he leaped across the stone pillars.

As Amadeus fell back down, he quickly flapped his wings as frantically as possible, pausing in mid air before he could hit the ground. Without a second thought, Amadeus flew up into the air towards Tirek, who was nearing the wall of Centauria.

“Brother? Are you okay?” Tirek asked.

“Shaken up, but fine,” Amadeus said, looking down at the sinking village. “But I can’t say the same for everyone else.”

Tirek jumped from one pillar after another, holding onto a scared Cozy Glow and looking down at the sinking village. His heart broke, watching as earth pillars blocked the villagers in their houses. Tirek turned away as he leaped again and again, all while Amadeus flew by his side.

“Ammy,” Tirek said. “Don’t risk your life trying to save them.”

“I know,” Amadeus said. “But…I just feel so…helpless.”

As Tirek leaped high into the air, he soared over the village wall, landing on the snow in front. He quickly ran as fast as he could as Amadeus flew downward next to his brother. Behind them, the ground broke apart as the village and castle ruins sunk into the earth and the stone pillars emerged.

As the trio reached the forest, Tirek began to tire as his four legs slowed down. Cozy Glow hid her face behind Tirek’s chest as the giant centaur held her tight. Amadeus landed his feet on the snow before he and Tirek turned to face the sinking village.

“Our home….it’s disappearing,” Tirek said.

Inch by inch, the village and the ruins of the palace sunk into the earth until only stone pillars stood where the buildings were. Moments later, the earth stopped shaking, leaving nothing but silence.

As Cozy Glow turned her head forward, her eyes shrunk in horror as her jaw dropped in shock. In front of her, the palace and the houses were all gone. All that was left of Centauria were nothing but stone pillars that rose from the land.

“It’s….it’s gone,” Cozy Glow cried. “Our home is…gone.”

Cozy Glow turned her head back and cried into Tirek’s chest, bursting into tears. Tirek could do nothing but stroke his adopted sister on the mane while Amadeus turned his head away with a tear running down our cheek.

“This….this isn’t what I had in mind when it came to moving out,” Amadeus cried. “Everyone’s gone. Mom, dad, every villager of Centauria. IT’S ALL GONE!”

Amadeus thrusted his fists into the air, screaming in agony, before collapsing onto the snow crying his eyes out. Tirek looked at his brother with a tear running down his cheek, all while holding a crying Cozy Glow close.

“Mother, father,” Tirek said. “You raised the three of us since we were babies. And now, you’re gone. How can life become this cruel?”

Tirek slowly lifted Cozy Glow up and held her close before looking at the ruins of what was once Centauria. Amadeus continued to cry his eyes out as his tears fell into the snow like rain. But unbeknownst to them, a sinister laugh came out of the remains of the ruins as if it were to mock the trio.

To Be Continued

Author's Note

So this is an all new story that's set in the New Ponyville universe. It's going to be slightly longer than last year's True Meaning of Starlight. Furthermore, characters from Rankin Bass' holiday specials will return(I can confirm that fan favorite Yukon Cornelius will be one of the main characters).

The question is: How will Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus survive through this fanfic? Stay tuned.

Hope for the Holidays Part 2

Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus made their way through the snow-covered land away from what was once Centauria. Once they were optimistic, the trio had been reduced to a sobbing mess.

“This…this isn’t fair,” Cozy Glow cried. “This is the second time that I lost parents in my lifetime. Why do I have to suffer?”

“Not just our folks,” Amadeus said. “Everyone in Centauria is gone. Our mother, father, every member of the Centaurian guard, every servant, every commoner, and all of our friends.”

“And unless we find a place to hide out, the same will happen to us,” Tirek said. “But it feels like this could go on forever.”

“How is it that we escaped from that disaster and everyone else was left behind?” Cozy Glow shouted as she kicked snow in frustration.

“Cozy, take it easy,” Amadeus said, grabbing Cozy Glow. “We still got each other.”

“Yeah, but for how long?” Cozy Glow said, struggling to break free from Amadeus’ grip.

“Scorpan has a point,” Tirek said, stomping the ground and getting Cozy Glow and Amadeus’ attention. “We may no longer have the people of Centauria, nor our city. But what we have is each other, and that’s what matters the most.”

Cozy Glow let out a sigh as Amadeus released his grip on the little filly.

“Okay okay,” Cozy Glow said. “But we still need to find a place to camp out.”

“That you have a point on,” Tirek said. “And unless we do so, we could end up buried in a snowstorm, or worse.”

“Which does remind me of,” Amadeus said before pointing to a mountain to his left. “What about that place?”

Tirek and Cozy Glow turned to their left to see the mountain stand tall over them and Amadeus. Looking up at the mountain, Tirek was quick to notice a small cave near the peak.

“Good eye, Scorpan,” Tirek said. “That will be the place to make camp for the time being. Come. Let’s go.”

With his wings spread out, Amadeus flew upwards towards the mountain with Cozy Glow flying from behind. Tirek wasted no time sprinting towards the mountains as fast as possible, keeping his eyes on the cliff at the bottom of the hills.

“We may have lost everyone we knew,” Tirek said to himself. “But there is no way we’re going to die like this.”

Up above, Cozy Glow and Amadeus flew by each other, heading upwards towards the mountain.

“I’ll race you, brother,” Cozy Glow said before she took off in a burst of speed.

“Oh it is on,” Amadeus shouted before he flew after Cozy Glow.

Amadeus chased after Cozy Glow as he flew up to the top of the mountain, flapping his wings as hard as possible. But down below, Tirek reached the foot of the mountain and looked up at his two siblings.

“So you two want to play, huh?” Tirek laughed. “Well three can play that game.”

WIth a mighty leap, Tirek made his way up the mountain, going up cliff after cliff, reaching higher and higher towards the top after Cozy Glow and Amadeus.

Near the top, Cozy Glow and Amadeus raced each other towards the cave on the summit, flying as fast as possible. Neither side looked like they were about to tire.

“Your large wings won’t be able to get past me,” Cozy Glow taunted. “I’m smaller and I’m lighter. Henceforth, I’m faster than you.”

“Oh yeah?” Amadeus said. “Well my wings will class your tiny fairy wings. Bring it on.”

Amadeus let loose a powerful flap of his wings, sending a gust that knocked Cozy Glow tumbling back for a bit. The filly pegasi shook her head before she glared at Amadeus.

“Oh it…is…ON!” Cozy Glow said as her tiny wings flapped as fast as possible.

Cozy Glow flapped her tiny wings as fast as she could before she flew after Amaedus, who ascended up the mountain towards the summit.

As Amadeus flew upwards as fast as possible, Cozy Glow zoomed past him, causing her adopted brother to tumble back before pausing in mid-air. He looked up at the little pegasi filly with steam pouring from his nose.

“Oh no you don't,” Amadeus said.

Amadeus flew after Cozy Glow in a hurry, hoping to catch up to the little pony filly. But up ahead, Cozy Glow flew up towards the summit as fast as she could.

“I'm gonna make it up there,” Cozy Glow thought to herself. “I'm actually gonna win.”

But as Cozy Glow was inches to the summit, a loud crash formed in front of her, catching her off guard. Cozy Glow lost control and crashed head first into the snow. Cozy Glow shook her legs for a moment before pulling herself out. She shook the snow off her head before her face turned red.

“OKAY!” Cozy Glow shouted. “WHO'S THE WISE GUY WHO ONE-UPED ME?”

“I AM! AND I WON!” The booming voice of a familiar centaur caught Cozy Glow’s attention. She looked up to see Tirek standing over her.

“No fair,” Cozy Glow shouted. “You don’t have wings. How did you get up there that fast?”

“Superior leg strength,” Tirek bragged.

As Cozy Glow pouted in anger, Amadeus flew up from behind and landed next to the pegasi filly. He looked up at Tirek and let out a slight sigh before kneeling down.

“You win,” a discouraged Amadeus said. “But next time, I’ll have to fly even faster.”

“Don’t worry about it, brother,” Tirek said. “As long as we have each other, we’ll get through this hard time.”

Cozy Glow and Amadeus picked themselves up and followed Tirek towards the cave that now lay in front of the trio.

As they stepped inside, they noticed numerous treasures that surrounded the cave. Not just gold and jewels, but also paintings, artifacts, and various knick knacks from around the world.

“What a beautiful place,” Amadeus said. “Who do you think owned this place?”

“The one whose name I made as your nickname,” Tirek said. “Scorpan the Wise.”

“Who was this Scorpan the Wise?” Cozy Glow asked.

“One of the many legends who aided a human girl named Megan Williams,” Tirek explained. “Some say he, along with Gusty the Great, were responsible for bringing down great evils like Grogar of Tambelon, the evil witch of Mount Gloom Hydia, and Lavan, King of the Underworld. He was also amongst the great heroes of Earth who helped the Autobots and Decepticons bring the traitor Sentinel Prime to justice, ending the Cybertronian War.

“And he made all of that fortune from his legacy,” Amadeus said. “This guy must have had a wonderful life.”

“He did,” Tirek said. “And he made his home on this mountain, observing the ponies of New Ponyville build their new home.”

“Whatever happened to this…Scorpan the Wise?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Gone,” Tirek said. “Scorpan passed away long before I was born into this world. His will stated that everything he possessed should go to the ponies of New Ponyville.”

“And yet they never took it at all,” Amadeus said. “What were they thinking, leaving all of this to sit atop the mountain?”

“Perhaps they didn’t know about it,” Cozy Glow said.

“That might be true,” Tirek said, turning his attention to the other side of the cavern. “Which does make me wonder if they still care about this treasure.”

“Are you really sure about that?” Amadeus asked.

“I am,” Tirek responded. “Now follow me. There’s an exit on the other side of this cave.”

Tirek made his way down through the cavern towards the light at the end. Cozy Glow and Amadeus looked at each other before following the centaur down the same path.

At the far end of the cave, the trio stepped outside on a fresh patch of snow. They looked around to see a beautiful horizon from afar, even in the dead middle of night. To their left was a field of snow that extended to another mountain range in the distance. To the right, a beautiful ocean that the moon reflected its light upon.

“This place looks more like home than a mere camp,” Amadeus said. “And the sight is gorgeous.”

“It is, isn’t it,” Tirek said. “It’s not like Centauria. But it’s the perfect place to stay.”

“I could stare at that moon all night and my problems all melt away,” Cozy Glow said.

“Well that’s just like you, sister,” Tirek said as he playfully rubbed Cozy Glow on her mane.

“Hey, knock it off,” Cozy Glow giggled before Tirek lifted his hand from her head.

As Cozy Glow rubbed her mane back to her style, her eyes quickly caught the sights of a town that bordered on the ocean.

“Hey,” Cozy Glow said, pointing to the town. “What is that?”

“From what father told us, that’s supposed to be New Ponyville,” Tirek explained. “We barely get any ponies traveling from there to Centauria, well except for you.”

“I’ve never been to New Ponyville,” Amadeus said. “It was mostly Centauria or the surrounding forests and mountain ranges.”

“That’s because they’re mostly afraid of us, be it centaur or human,” Tirek said. “And that’s even despite the fact that one of their leaders is a human.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Cozy Glow said as she began to yawn. “I’d like to see more ponies up close and personal.”

“Now isn’t the time,” Tirek said as he picked up Cozy Glow. “It’s been a long night, and you really need to get some sleep.”

“But I’m not sleepy,” Cozy Glow yawned before she fell asleep.

As Cozy Glow napped in Tirek’s arms, the centaur took her back into the cave with a yawning Amadeus following from behind.

“We’ll figure this out in the morning, brother,” Amadeus said. “I’m getting tired as well.”

“We’ll also have to plan to hunt for food from here on out,” Tirek said. “But for now, get some rest. You’ll need it for the morning ahead.”

WIth that, Tirek carried the sleeping Cozy Glow into the cave with Amadeus following behind, just as a snowstorm picked up from outside.

The next morning, the sky was clear and the sun shone down on the mountain cave. Inside, Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow slept next to each other on a pile of hay. Despite Tirek’s snoring, all three looked peaceful and calm, until Cozy Glow slowly opened her eyes up. She stretched her limbs out and yawned at the same time before getting up and shaking her head.

“What a dream,” Cozy Glow said to herself. “It was like I was seeing my own mommy and daddy again.”

Cozy Glow leaped off the hay pile and landed her hooves on the hard dirt ground. As she made her way to the far east end of the cave, Tirek and Amadeus's eyes slowly began to open.

Outside, Cozy Glow trotted her way out from the dirt into the snow. Her eyes were fixated on the town of New Ponyville, now shining like a beacon in the daylight.

“What a beautiful place,” Cozy Glow said. “If mom and dad saw this town, they would be in awe at its beauty.”

But her eyes were quick to notice not just the castle, but also an airstrip with a number of mechanical airships parked on it.

“Sounds like they’re doing something special,” Cozy Glow said. “I wonder what that’s all about?”

“Still have your sights on that place, sister?” Cozy Glow turned around to the cavern entrance to see Tirek and Amadeus emerged.

“Yeah,” Cozy Glow said. “Maybe that would be a better place to live in compared to this cave.”

“Are you sure, Cozy?” Amadeus asked. “The moment those ponies lay eyes on us, they will scream in terror and run for their lives, calling us horrible names like monster or tyrant.”

“Scorpan's got a point,” Tirek said. “We look more like carnivores than herbivores.”

“Oh come on,” Cozy Glow said. “I'm a pony like them. They won't see me as a monster or tyrant.”

“I don’t know,” Amadeus said. “You may be the same species as them, but I doubt they’ll accept an outsider.”

“Actually, she may have a point,” Tirek explained, looking down at Cozy Glow. “Cozy Glow is the only pony who’s been a part of the centaurs since mother adopted her. Perhaps she should interact with the ponies of this New Ponyville.”

“Are you sure about that, brother?” Amadeus asked.

“I am,” Tirek said before kneeling down to Cozy Glow’s level. “I want to know more about these New Ponyville citizens to see if they are friend or foe. And I know they will treat you like you were one of them.”

“Really?” Cozy Glow said, her wings flapping as fast as possible. “Oh I can’t wait, big brother.”

“But before you go down there, I think you’ll need something for the journey,” Tirek said, pulling out what appears to be a small sack that jingled. “I pulled some of the gold from that cave. It should be enough in case you need to pick up supplies.”

“Oh thank you thank you,” Cozy Glow said as she accepted the bag of gold coins. “I promise to keep this bag safe.”

“Now go, you little silly,” Tirek laughed. “You don’t have all day.”

“Oh, right,” Cozy Glow said with her face flushed red with embarrassment. “I best be leaving.”

Cozy Glow held onto the bag of gold as tight as she could before she turned around and flew off down the mountain towards the village of New Ponyville, leaving Tirek and a worried Amadeus behind.

“Are you really sure about leaving Cozy Glow with that much gold?” Amadeus said. “I’m more worried that a stranger would try to rob out little sister of it.”

“She’ll be fine,” Tirek said. “If I know how ponies act, they do so with no ill will towards each other. Now we better grab some weapons and hunt for our food.”

“Right,” Amadeus said. “Lead the way, brother.”

Tirek made his way back into the cave with Amadeus following from behind. The two brothers walked down the path past their pile of hay, the gold, and various other artifacts. But Amadeus quickly paused before turning to his right, noticing a staff in the shape of a twig with a crystal lodged on top of it.

“What an interesting looking staff,” Amadeus said. “Yet, for some reason, I feel like I’ve seen this before. The…Staff of Sacanas?”

As Amadeus slowly reached his hand towards the staff, he heard Tirek yell out “Brother. Come here and select your weapon.”

“Coming, Tirek,” Amadeus yelled.

As Amadeus pulled his hand away, he walked down the hallway, with his eyes barely on the staff.

“How exactly do I know what this staff is?” Amadeus thought to himself. “This is a lot weirder than I thought. And yet, there’s a part of me that thinks ‘I’ve been here before.’ Something is definitely odd.”

To Be Continued

Author's Note

Originally, I was going to make this apart of Part 1, but I decided to put this in its own part to establish where Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow's base is. Apologies for being a shorter party compared to Part 1.

The next part is where our other protagonist: Sunny Starscout, will show up.

Hope for the Holidays Part 3

It was a busy morning at New Ponyville. Ponies wandered about their daily lives as if they had no care in the world. Holiday decorations covered the town in a festive spirit. A giant tree stood at the middle of the square. Fresh hot food was lined up for hungry stallions and mares to purchase. Toys were lined up for colts and fillies to enjoy. Everyone seemed happy and content.

But at the docks of the town, a light reddish-orangish earth pony mare with a purple-magenta braided mane walked off the ship with a pair of saddlebags on her back. She breathed in the sea air before she made her way forward.

“SUNNY!” Someone yelled. “SUNNY STARSCOUT! OVER HERE!”

Sunny Starscout turned to her right to see Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm run up to the young mare. Behind her ran two others: An earth pony stallion with light amber coat and a moderate/brilliant turquoise mane, and a unicorn mare with a grayish mulberry coat and a curly moderate cornflower blue/cobalt blue mane. On top the stallion’s back was a green male baby dragon.

“PIPP ZIPP!” Sunny Starscount waved as Pipp, Zipp and their companions approached her. “When I heard about what happened at Zephyr Heights, I feared the worst.”

“It’s okay,” Zipp Storm said before turning her head to her companions. “Hitch and Izzy also feared what could have happened to all of us. Even little Sparky Sparkaroni was worried for us.”

“What matters is that we’re all together,” Sunny Starscout said before turning to the stallion. “Especially you, my old friend Hitch Trailblazer.

The stallion known as Hitch approached Sunny. Both touched their chest with their right hoof before tapping each other respectively as the baby dragon clapped his hands with excitement.

“Hoof to heart,” Sunny and Hitch said.

“Glad you could make it to New Ponyville,” Hitch Trailblazer said.

“I couldn’t have missed it for all of you, and for my teacher Twilight Sparkle,” Sunny Starscout said.

“I can’t believe you are good friends with the legendary Twilight Sparkle,” The unicorn mare said as she ran up and rubbed her head on Sunny’s side. “I bet she’s one of the bestest alicorns in all of Equestrian history.”

“It’s not just that, Izzy,” Sunny laughed. “She’s also friends with Princess Sunset Shimmer and Princess Wanda Young, the adopted daughters of Princess Celestia.”

“And we’re good friends with her,” Pipp Petals said, pulling Zipp Storm to her.

As Zipp gently pulled herself away from her sister, Sunny Starscout directed her gaze towards the stairs leading out of the pier and towards the gigantic town. But as she was about to take one hoof forward, she heard Hitch clear his throat

“Off in such a hurry?” Hitch asked.

“I am,” Sunny said. “And I apologize for being that rude, Hitch. After all, Twilight Sparkle is expecting me at the castle, and I heard they’re preparing for this…Christmas celebration.”

“Oh it’s a hoot,” Izzy Moonbow said, bouncing towards the staircase. “In fact, we should all go together.”

“Why not?” Sunny said. “Now come on. Let’s go meet up with Twilight Sparkle and the other princesses.”

Sunny Starscout ran towards the staircase in a hurry with Hitch, Izzy, Pipp and Zipp following from behind, and Sparky riding atop of Hitch. The five ponies ran up the stairs before coming to a stop.

“By the way,” Sunny said. “Is Misty around?”

“She is,” Pipp Petals said. “And she’ll join us a little later.”

“That’s good,” Sunny said. “Wouldn’t want her to miss it for the world. Besides, what could go wrong?”

As Sunny Starscout took a few steps forward towards the street, a twin-tailed unicorn mare holding a bag of socks ran into the earth pony, knocking them down and scattering socks everywhere.

“OWW!” Sunny cried.

“Oh my gosh,” Pipp cried. “Sunny. Starlight. Are you both alright?”

“Uggh, I’m fine,” Sunny said as she got up and saw the twin-tailed lavender mare.

“Oh my gosh,” The unicorn mare said as she struggled to pick up the socks. “I’m so sorry about that. Please forgive me.”

But Pipp and Zipp flew up to the unicorn mare and began to pick up the socks for her.

“Don’t worry about it, Starlight Glimmer,” Pipp said. “Besides, the last thing we need is for you to misplace those socks.”

“You’re Starlight Glimmer?” Sunny Starscout said. “Izzy told me all about you.”

“Yep,” Starlight said. “That’s me. The pony who accidentally broke Santa.”

“You broke Santa?” Sunny asked, confused.

“Oh silly,” Izzy Moonbow said, grabbing both Sunny Starscout and Starlight Glimmer before pulling them both to her. “She didn’t break Santa. Last year, on her first sock run, Starlight Glimmer accidentally sneezed down our Christmas Tree, and she ran off with some guilt in her heart.”

“And I took a balloon to travel to the North Pole, thinking I was banished from New Ponyville for my accident,” Starlight said. “Thankfully, Wanda Young and Santa Claus made things all the better.”

“So, what was this Santa Claus like?” Sunny asked.

As Starlight Glimmer pulled herself away, she picked up a few more socks and stuffed them back in the bag.

“He’s a jolly great guy,” Starlight said. “Really understanding as well. He even has nine reindeer, one of which has a shiny nose named Rudolph. Oh, and we also met this miner named Yukon Cornelius and…”

“Did someone call my name? Well I’m glad you did, Starlight. And I’m also glad you made some new friends.” Everyone turned to their right to see Yukon Cornelius wave to the ponies.

“Hi Mr Cornelius,” Starlight waved back. “Glad to see you.”

“Glad to see you as well,” Yukon Cornelius said. “Been out west exploring the great wilderness. But unfortunately, I had to come back home thanks to that gosh darn earthquake.”

“Earthquake?” Pipp Petals said as her eyes shrunk down. “You don't mean the one like in Zephyr Heights?”

“Fraid so, Pippy,” Yukon Cornelius said. “I thought the Tempest Winter Storms were bad enough. But these quakes are something else. And they aren't just a massive seismic fissure, they're completely unnatural.”

“That's what I'm afraid of,” Pipp said as she shook nervously.

“Sis, get ahold of yourself,” Zipp said as she grabbed Pipp Petals.

“I can't take this anymore,” Pipp Petals cried. “I've got to fly out.”

But as soon as Pipp Petals pulled herself away from Zipp Storm, she bumped into a small filly, knocking them to the ground and causing gold coins to fly out of a sack and onto the ground.

“Oww,” Pipp Petals. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.”

“It's okay. I didn't see you at all. That's my bad.” Pipp Petals looked at the filly, who frantically picked up her gold coins and put them in her sack. Every pony plus Yukon Cornelius looked at the filly in question.

“I've never seen your face before,” Zipp Storm said. “Who are you?”

“Oh me?” The filly said as her wings swept the fallen coins into a pile. “My name is Cozy Glow.”

“Cozy Glow,” Starlight said. “What an interesting name. Mine is Starlight Glimmer.”

“And mine is Sunny Starscout,” Sunny said as she held her hoof out. “Nice to meet you.”

Cozy Glow paused for a moment and looked up at the six ponies, Sparky Sparkaroni and Yukon Cornelius. Especially at Sunny holding her hoof out.

“Uhh, nice to meet you,” Cozy Glow said awkwardly as she slowly held her hike out.

Sunny Starscout grabbed Cozy Glow's hoof and shook it in respect. Cozy stood there for a moment before looking down at her hoof.

“This means we're friends now,” Sunny Starscout said.

“We….we are?” Cozy Glow said.

“Yeah,” Sunny Starscout said.

Cozy Glow slowly picked herself up before she reached down and slowly picked up what’s left of her gold coins before putting them back in her bag. But during that time, Zipp Storm walked up to Sunny and began to whisper in her ear.

“There is something rather odd about her,” Zipp whispered.

“What’s odd about that?” Sunny whispered back. “She’s obviously a young child who just moved to New Ponyville.”

“It’s not that,” Zipp whispered. “Something about her essence feels different, like she’s not like any pony we’ve known in our life.”

The moment Cozy Glow placed her last coin in her bag, she fastened a small rope to her waist and tied the bag to it. Then she turned back to the older ponies.

“So Cozy,” Sunny said. “I’m on my way to the palace to meet with my mentor Princess Twilight Sparkle. I bet you’re famished. Would you like to come with us, meet her and get a bite to eat?”

“Oh would I?” Cozy Glow said, her hooves shuffling in excitement. “Oh boy. I hope you ponies have some delicious, flame-broiled meat.”

“Meat?” That one word caught Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, Zipp, Hitch and Starlight off guard. Their eyes shrunk down while Sparkly cheered randomly and Yukon Cornelius just chuckled.

“Wait. You eat meat?” Starlight asked.

“Why not?” Cozy Glow said. “After all, my mommy and daddy raised me on meat.”

“A pony eating meat,” Yukon Cornelius laughed. “Now I’ve seen everything.”

“Uhh, little Cozy,” Izzy said. “You sound like the first pony who does eat meat, because all of us are vegetarians, which includes the princesses.”

“Oh,” Cozy Glow said, sounding disappointed. “I guess….no meat.”

“Don’t you worry,” Sunny said, placing her arm around Cozy Glow. “Maybe Princess Twilight Sparkle could offer you something besides meat. What do you say about that?”

“Really?” Cozy Glow said. “Oh I can’t wait to see it.”

“Well come with us,” Izzy Moonbow said. “After all, we’re late for an important date.”

As Starlight grabbed what’s left of her socks and shoved them in her bag, she walked alongside Sunny Starscout, Cozy Glow and Yukon Cornelius as they made their way down the streets with Hitch, Sparky, Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp following from behind. But Pipp, still nervous about Cozy Glow, inched her head towards her sister Zipp.

“This is rather bizarre,” Pipp whispered to Zipp. “A pony who eats meat.”

“No kidding,” Zipp whispered back. “Even I was caught off guard by this Cozy Glow.”

“I don’t know if I can trust her,” Pipp whispered. “What if she tries to eat us?”

“Even I don’t think ponies are capable of cannibalism,” Zipp whispered back. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”

But as Zipp Storm ended her sentence, everyone paused over the sound of a mare crying in despair, followed by a pair of sinister laughs.

“That sounded like Misty Brightdawn,” Sunny Starscout said. “Did something happen to her?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Hitch said as Sparky growled. “And those other ponies sound like Suri Polomare and her stooges.”

“Those no good troublemakers,” Yukon Cornelius snarled as his moustache curled up in anger. “Ever since they came to New Ponyville, they’ve been nothing but trouble for some of the more innocent ponies. Even Princess Wanda was driven mad by them.”

“I think I know where Misty is,” Hitch said, pointing his hoof down the street. “We need to get up to her and drive Suri and her henchponies away from Misty.”

“Then what are we waiting for,” Sunny shouted. “Let’s go save her.”

“I’m right with you, Sunny,” Pipp said, flapping her wings in a frenzy.

Without a second thought, everyone ran down the street as fast as possible, bypassing concerned citizens who were last focused towards the cries of Misty Brightdawn.

Moments later, the group arrived near the castle and their jaws dropped in horror. In front of them, Misty Brightdawn struggled to grab her butterfly ornament that was dangling above her head by a magic aura. Nearby, an earth pony mare name Suri Polomare laughed at the poor unicorn mare while an unicorn stallion named Ace kept the ornament levitated with his magic, and a pegasi mare named Blue Monsoon blew gusts of wind with her wings to knock Misty off balance.

“GIVE THAT BACK!” Misty cried as she struggled to grab the ornament.

“What’s wrong, Musky Boreyawn?” Suri laughed. “Can’t get your precious trinket?”

“Or maybe she can’t take a stand against us,” Blue Monsoon laughed. “What a pathetic little snowflake.”

“I MEAN IT!” Misty shouted as Blue Monsoon continued to wreck into Misty’s balance with the gusts of wind from his wings. “I DON’T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU THREE BULLIES!”

But as Misty took a giant leap towards the ornament, Ace pulled the trinket back with his magic before holding it close to his head.

“So you really want this piece of trash, eh?” Ace said. “Well go FETCH!”

Flicking his head as face as possible, Ace threw the ornament to his right as high as he could. Misty tried to run towards the ornament, only for Blue Monsoon to knock her down with a powerful blast of wind from her wings. Misty collapsed onto the ground as she helplessly watched the ornament fall to the ground.

“NOOOOOOO!” Misty shouted.

But before the ornament landed, Sunny Starscout reached out and grabbed the butterfly ornament with her wings. She breathed a sigh of relief as Hitch, Zipp, Pipp and Starlight marched over to Suri, Ace and Monsoon. Sparky, perched on Hitch’s back, snarled at the trio.

“What’s the big idea picking on Misty again?” Hitch shouted as Sparky growled at the three ponies.

Izzy signaled to Misty Brightdawn, who ran up to the rest of the group. Before she could speak, Sunny held the butterfly ornament out and gave it to the shy unicorn.

“Sunny,” Misty said. “You came to New Ponyville.”

“I did, old friend,” Sunny said as Misty took back her ornament. “And I came to see ponies like you and my mentor Twilight Sparkle.”

“Thanks,” Misty said before Sunny gave her a small hug.

But as Misty and Sunny embraced each other, Hitch kept his eyes on Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon, who marched up towards the stallion. On his back, Sparky growled at the three troublemakers.

“Still acting like a snowflake to us, huh?” Suri laughed before noticing Sparky. “Maybe you should be better off keeping your pet dog on a leash.”

“He’s not a dog,” Hitch shouted. “He’s my son. And he’s just like Twilight and Sunset’s close friend: Spike.”

“Those princess wannabes?” Blue Monsoon laughed. “They couldn’t fly to save their own lives.”

“For your information,” Zipp shouted. “Both princesses are far better flyers than you’ll ever be. Or maybe you should realize that Sunset Shimmer is a better Wonderbolt than you’ll ever be, Baboon.”

“WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?” Blue Monsoon shouted, her teeth clenched in anger.

Blue Monsoon leaped at Zipp Storm, bracing her right hoof back. But before she could swing, she was stopped in mid-air by Ace, who pulled her back in.

“That’s enough, Monsoon,” Suri Polomare said as Ace pulled Blue Monsoon close to him. “We’re here to put these ponies in their proper place.”

“Proper place?” Sunny Starscout said as she let go of Misty. “Didn’t Princess Twilight Sparkle say that we should embrace each other in the magic of friendship?”

Looking at Sunny Starscout, Suri Polomare laughed out loud before directing her gaze back at the young mare.

“You must be Silly Snorescout,” Suri laughed.

“That’s Sunny Starscout,” Sunny snarled.

“Starscout, Snorescout, what’s the difference,” Suri said. “And you’re still following that buffoon of a princess? No wonder you’re such a failure of a snowflake.”

“So what if I am?” Sunny said, glaring at Suri. “Even snowflakes have unique forms that you wouldn’t understand.”

“Typical Snorescout,” Suri Polomare said. “If I were in charge of this town, ponies would abandon this kind of idea and embrace a far more selfish ideology.”

But as Sunny snorted at Suri’s words, the snobby earth pony took notice of Starlight Glimmer, who quickly hid behind Yukon Cornelius..

“Well well well,” Suri said. “If it ain’t Princess Wanda’s favorite Mary Sue.”

“Just leave us alone,” Starlight cried. “We never did anything bad to you.”

“Oh sure you did,” Suri Polomare laughed. “You chose to embrace that monkey of a princess.”

“Now you see here,” Yukon protested. “I’ve just about had it with you harassing other ponies for your pleasure. In fact, if it weren’t for that stunt you pulled outside of this fine city about a month ago, you and your troublemaking cronies would have stayed banished from New Ponyville. You’re far more dirty than a lump of coal.”

“My my,” Suri laughed. “Did I get under the old man’s skin?”

Yukon Cornelius’s face turned a bright red as his moustache curled up in a tight wad. But before he could say anything, Suri took notice of Cozy Glow and simply walked past the prospector.

“Well well well,” Suri said, looking down at Cozy Glow. “I didn’t know foalsitting was in your job description.”

“For your information, she’s new to this town and her name is Cozy Glow,” Pipp Petal said.

“Cozy Glow,” Suri said as she, Ace and Monsoon looked down at the little pegasi filly. “Aww. Did the little filly lose her mommy and daddy?”

“FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I STILL HAVE MY BROTHERS BY MY SIDE!” Cozy Glow yelled. “SO DON’T MESS WITH ME OR TALK ABOUT MY MOMMY AND DADDY!”

“Oh my,” Suri said, amused by Cozy Glow’s tantrum. “Did I upset a little filly like you? Would you like your wittle foal bottle?”

“For your information miss meanie pants,” Cozy Glow said. “I….eat….MEAT!”

Suri, Ace and Monsoon paused for a moment before looking at each other. Then, they all broke down into laughter.

“A meat eater?” Suri laughed. “Her? What a joke.”

“What does she think she is?” Ace said. “A wolf?”

“What kind of freak even eats meat to begin with?” Monsoon laughed. “She should be in a zoo, not on the street.”

Cozy Glow looked peeved as her face turned beet red. In an instant, Hitch stood in front of Cozy Glow, glaring down the three bullies all while Sparky snarled at them..

“That’s just about enough,” Hitch said, holding out his sheriff badge. “You better take your game and leave before I give you a reason to lock you three up.”

“Alright alright, we’ll leave,” Suri laughed. “But I would keep that freak on a leash. Who knows if she decides to eat other ponies.”

Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon laughed as they walked down the street, leaving everyone else behind, especially an angry Cozy Glow.

“A…freak?” Cozy Glow snarled. “She….called me….a freak?”

But in an instant, Starlight Glimmer grabbed Cozy Glow and held her close by with Izzy Moonbow hugging the filly from behind.

“Don’t let her words get you down,” Starlight said. “She scares me easily as well. But I focus more on my friends to get me through.”

“Starlight’s right,” Izzy Moonbow said. “Besides, aren’t we due to meet with the Princesses at New Ponyville Palace?”

Cozy Glow slowly calmed down as she looked up at Izzy Moonbow.

“The Princesses?” Cozy Glow asked. “What are they like?”

“Well two are alicorns like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Izzy said. “The third one is a human, and she’s a real tech wizard. Some compare her to a legendary tech master who could build a power suit in a cave with a box full of scraps.”

“She could?” Cozy Glow said. “Well I’d like to meet these princesses.”

“Well we shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Sunny Starscout said. “After all, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump towards the palace.”

As Cozy Glow got down from Starlight and Izzy’s hug, Sunny Starscout directed the little filly towards the palace nearby.

“Wow,” Cozy Glow said. “That must be nicer than the palace where I lived it.”

“Wait,” Sunny said. “A palace? Does that make you a…Princess?”

“It's a long story,” Cozy Glow said. “But I’ll explain it when we meet these princesses.”

“Then what are we waiting for? A boatload of random events that make no sense to the story?” Izzy Moonbow laughed. “Come on. Let’s go meet the princesses.”

Racing off as fast as they could, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Hitch Trailblazer with Sparky Sparkaroni on his back, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Misty Brightdawn, Starlight Glimmer, Cozy Glow and Yukon Cornelius ran towards the palace. Misty quickly turned her head to Hitch as she ran as fast as possible, holding onto her ornament as close as possible.

“I want to thank you and the others for helping save me from that meanie Suri and her gang of meaner meanies,” Misty said

“No worries, Mist,” Hitch said. “Besides, I think you’ll be safe at the palace with the Princess three.”

But as the group ran, Yukon Cornelius directed his attention towards Cozy Glow, who looked excited to meet the princesses.

“I wonder if this filly is the one from Centauria,” Yukon thought to himself. “After all, I’ve heard tales about a little filly that was adopted and raised by King Vorak Highstaff and Queen Lillian Hayden of Centauria.”

But nearby, Suri popped her head out from behind a building that she walked off to. Ace and Blue Monsoon also followed suit.

“Still have your eye on those losers, boss?” Blue Monsoon asked.

“Oh I just have this urge to want to eavesdrop on those buffoons,” Suri Polomare responded. “After all, one good heckling deserves another.”

“So what do you think they’re up to?” Ace asked.

“Oh I know,” Blue Monsoon said. “They’re putting together a party to watch a couple of cute doggies and their adventures.”

“WHO ASKED YOU?” Suri shouted before she smacked Blue Monsoon across the face.

“Oww,” Blue Monsoon said. “But I like the doggies.”

“Enough already,” Suri Polomare said, causing Blue Monsoon to back up.

Suri Polomare turned her attention towards the castle where Sunny Starscout and her friends made their way in. She lets out a slight chuckle before turning back to Ace and Blue Monsoon.

“Right now, we’re going to overhear everything that comes out of that grand foyer,” Suri said. “And since the guards are a no show, this will be as easy as taking candy from a baby. We’ll find out what they’re up to, and give them a big enough disaster that they will never forget.”

To Be Continued

Author's Note

So not only is the entire G5 Mane Six in this fanfic, but also the more jerkish villains of the story.

FiM fans will recognize Suri Polomare. I decided to do away with any positive traits and just make her a spiteful bully that is truly meant to be hated.

Anyone who saw My Little Pony Tales recognizes Ace as one of the worst characters. Like with Suri, I took out all positive traits about this character and just made him far more enjoyable to hate. Oh and I made him a unicorn so we could have an Earth Pony/Unicorn/Pegasi trio.

Blue Monsoon, who I wanted to call Wind Razor, is an OC I created to serve as the Pegasi of the terrible trio.

The next part will finally bring in Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer and my OC Wanda Young. Stay tuned.

Hope for the Holidays Part 4

“Oh thank you very much, princesses. You have no idea how much this means for my people.”

Those words came from a frazzled, yet relaxed, Queen Haven. She sipped a bit of tea from her teacup as she sat down on a couch. Sitting opposite of her were Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Sunset Shimmer, and Princess Wanda Young. Next to the princess trio were Abigail Albright and Spike the Dragon, the latter of which held a teapot in his right hand.

“Thank nothing,” Sunset said. “Zephyr Heights has always been New Ponyville’s best trading partner, and when we heard about the earthquake that brought your city down, we feared for your safety.”

“Right now, we’ve sent a number of engineers to not only rebuild your city, but to put in a new titanium plate to keep it from shaking that violently again,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“But how exactly did you come up with that ingenious invention?” Queen Haven said. “After all, you all went through an earthquake a week ago, and your buildings still stand tall.”

“Well you can thank my sister Wanda,” Sunset said, pulling Wanda to her. “She’s a real tech wizard.”

“No kidding, sis,” Wanda said, pulling herself away from Sunset. “But I’m not the one to thank. Santa Claus gave me the idea on how to create vibration control devices for existing buildings.”

“Santa Claus?” Queen Haven asked, confused by Wanda’s speech.

“Long story short, we met Santa Claus last year at the North Pole, and we were guests at his village,” Sunset Shimmer said.

“And following his ride throughout all of planet Earth, Santa showed Wanda a little secret,” Twilight Sparkle said. “He invented an underground system to help protect his village from the most powerful of earthquakes. Should I go into the details?”

“Oh no no no,” Queen Haven said. “You tell me and my mind would go crazy over that. But I bet that it took a long time just to retrofit an entire town with that system.”

“Then maybe I should show you,” Wanda said.

“No no, please,” Queen Haven laughed. “I take one good look at that system and I will be overwhelmed by all that tech. I bet it would make Zephyr Heights tech look obsolete.”

“No it wouldn’t, your majesty,” Wanda laughed.

Suddenly, everyone paused as they heard the sound of a pony scrambling through the hallway, screaming loudly. They turned their attention to the front door, which bursted open immediately and Pinkie Pie ran in towards the rest of the group.

“THEY’RE HERE!” Pinkie Pie screamed. “SUNNY STARSCOUT AND HER FRIENDS ARE HERE!”

“That means Pipp and Zipp are back,” Queen Haven said before she chugged down her tea in one gulp. “I was wondering when they would show up.”

“And she did mention Sunny Starscout is here,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“That’s right,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Your apprentice has arrived in New Ponyville and you haven’t seen her for six months.”

“Believe it or not, Sunny was with me when we went with Zordon and Alpha Five to planet Cybertron to help broker the peace between the Autobots and Decepticons,” Twilight Sparkle said. “And sometime after we got back, we….”

“I know what you’re going to say,” Sunset said, interrupting Twilight. “But we’ll talk more about those details when we meet up with Sunny and the gang. Got it?”

“Oh right,” Twilight Sparkle said, blushing red. “Forgot you prefer to jump into the action.”

Twilight Sparkle scraped her hoof on the floor before she ran down towards the doorway and down the hall, leaving everyone else behind.

“That’s just like Twilight,” Spike said, setting the teapot on the table. “Always knowing when to jump in on the action.”

“Well what are we waiting for?” Wanda said. “Let’s go meet up with Sunny Starscout and her friends.”

Wanda Young placed her teacup on the table before she got up and ran out the door. Queen Haven and Sunset Shimmer also placed down their teacups before they, along with Spike, Abigail and Pinkie Pie, ran after Wanda Young out of the room.

In the Grand Foyer of the castle, Sunny Starscout waited anxiously, tapping her hooves at a frantic pace. Next to her were Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer with Sparky Sparkaroni on his back, Misty Brightdawn, Starlight Glimmer, Yukon Cornelius and Cozy Glow.

“Hey Sunny,” Izzy said. “It’s okay. She’ll be here. Just take a deep breath.”

“I know,” Sunny said. “But it’s been awhile since I last saw Twilight Sparkle. I bet she’s excited to see me again.”

“Easy there, Sunny,” Hitch Trailblazer said. “Izzy’s got a point there. I mean, it’s not like Princess Twilight Sparkle is extremely excited to see you.”

Suddenly, the twin doors of the back burst open and Princess Twilight Sparkle emerged from the doorway. Everyone was quick to turn their attention to the alicorn princess.

“SUNNY!” Twilight shouted. “I’M GLAD YOU MADE IT TO NEW PONYVILLE!”

“TWILIGHT!” Sunny Starscout shouted as she ran up to Twilight Sparkle.

As soon as Sunny Starscout was close to Twilight Sparkle, the apprentice and mentor gave each other an energetic hug, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room.

“I was hoping you would return home,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“I know,” Sunny Starscout said. “It has been months since I was out of town on my own.”

“How was your trip to Canterlot?” Twilight asked. “I heard Princess Celestia and Princess Luna treated you well.”

“Well?” Sunny laughed. “Sometimes I wish they weren’t so over accommodating.”

But as Twilight and Sunny embraced each other and talked in an excited tone, the rest of the group just stared at the duo with sweat droplets pouring down their sides.

“I take it back,” Hitch said as Sparky jumped off his back. “Princess Twilight Sparkle is excited to see Sunny.”

“Well that’s Twilight for you,” Starlight laughed. “Always willing to blow things to epic proportions.”

“And it reflects a lot in Sunny’s attitude,” Zipp said, scratching the back of her head.

But as most of the group had an awkward tone from Twilight and Sunny, Cozy Glow was in a deep thought.

“Wow,” Cozy Glow thought to herself. “I heard that most of the folks of New Ponyville were friendly. But not this friendly.”

Behind Twilight and Sunny, Wanda, Sunset, Queen Haven, Spike, Abigail and Pinkie Pie emerge from the doorway, catching everyone else’s attention.

“Mom,” Pipp and Zipp said, waving their hooves in the air.

“My daughters,” Queen Haven said as she ran to Pipp and Zipp.

As Queen Haven approached Pipp and Zipp, the three ponies reached out and gave each other a warm hug.

“I know we’ve only been away for a small bit,” Pipp said. “But it’s great to see your face, once more.”

“It is, my jewels of Zephyr Heights,” Queen Have said. “It is.”

Nearby, Wanda, Sunset, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Abigail approached the rest of the group, with Princess Wanda hugging Starlight Glimmer.

“How’s your new sock run going?” Wanda asked.

“Not so well,” Starlight said. “I know Minty wanted me to do my best. But I don’t know if I am cut out for this sock business.”

“You are,” Wanda said. “You loved doing it and Minty was proud of you. You still have your doubts buried within you.”

“She’s right,” Izzy said. “When Minty told me about your little sock run, I actually wanted to join in on the fun. Every pony in New Ponville gets a sock, and they celebrate the warmth and cheer every Christmas Eve.”

“Yeah, don’t push yourself too hard,” Hitch said. “We’re your friends, and we will always stand by you.”

“I guess so,” Starlight said.

“You still worry about what happened last year, correct?” Sunset asked.

“Yes,” Starlight said, slowly turning her head back.

“Well don’t you worry about that, young’un,” Yukon Cornelius laughed. “After all, had you and your friends not gone on that wild adventure, you wouldn't have ever met the man himself: Santa Claus.”

“Yukon's right,” Wanda said. “In fact, I was still blown away by the fact that we met ol Kris Kringlr himself. Speaking of which, he said he would come by New Ponyville after tonight's sleigh run.”

“That's right,” Yukon said. “In fact, he wants to see how you're doing, little lady. And don't you worry. Santa will be happy to see you again.”

“I guess so,” Starlight sighed.

“I think the holiday season took a lot of wind out of Starlight this year,” Twilight Sparkle said as she and Sunny got back on their four hooves and walked up to the twin-tailed pony.

“I'll say,” Sunny said before turning her head towards Cozy Glow. “And perhaps not the only pony.”

The moment Cozy Glow saw Sunny Starscout face her, she walked up to both the student and her mentor Twilight Sparkle.

“Oh, I don't think we've met before,” Twilight Sparkle said. “What's your name?”

“Cozy,” the little filly said. “Cozy Glow.”

“Cozy Glow, what a cuddly name,” Twilight said. “Well you do look a bit famished.”

“I do,” Cozy Glow responded. “And I was wondering if you have any meat.”

Those words were enough to break Twilight Sparkle's mind. Her eyes twirled as her jaw dropped to the ground.

“Oh great,” Spike said. “Twilight broke again.”

Spike pulled out a mini-gong and mallet before running up to the young purple alicorn. With a swing of the mallet, Spike banged the mini-gong, snapping Twilight out of her stupor and causing her to shake her head.

“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said. “But the thought of a pony who eats meat. Hoo boy. That's something I can never comprehend.”

“But what's wrong with a pony like me eating meat?” Cozy Glow asked. “I've eaten it since I was a baby.”

“Well, our diets were not adjusted for eating other animals,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “In fact, we're mainly vegetarians.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said. “Besides, it's not like you're the adopted daughter of a centaur king and a humanoid queen.”

Upon hearing Pinkie Pie's words, Cozy Glow said nothing, but nodded in agreement.

“Wait,” Pinkie Pie said. “Is what I said true?”

“I am,” Cozy Glow said. “Or….I was.”

“Are there any survivors with you?” Wanda asked, kneeling down to Cozy Glow.

“Yes,” Cozy Glow nodded. “My brothers Tirek and Amadeus. That’s it. Everyone else is….gone.”

“Oh dear,” Wanda said, turning back to Yukon Cornelius. “I don’t like where this is going.”

“It was that earthquake yesterday,” Yukon Cornelius explained. “I heard it decimated the kingdom of Centauria, just like what happened in Zephyr Heights.”

“Earthquake? Zephyr Heights?” Pipp Petals said before she fainted.

“Oops,” Yukon Cornelius said as he walked over to Pipp Petals and picked her up. “My apologies, ma'am. I didn't mean to trouble you.”

“It's okay,” Pipp Petals said, slowly picking herself up. “I still fear if the earthquake will take this village next.”

“We have the airships in case that does happen,” Queen Haven explained. “Everyone will be alright, I promise you that, my daughter.”

“I wish that was reassuring, mom,” Pipp Petals said. “But after what happened at Centauria, I don't know.”

“It will take some time for you to recover from that,” Zipp Storm said. “How about you rest up for now? I can always call upon Songbird Serenade to perform for you.”

“As much as I want to say no, I think you're right,” Pipp sighed.

Yukon Cornelius placed Pipp Petals on a chair for her to rest on. Then he turned to the three princesses.

“May I suggest something?” Yukon asked.

“Fire away,” Twilight responded.

“Perhaps if you could take little Cozy Glow to her brothers,” Yukon explained, pointing to Cozy Glow. “I'm hoping to meet them in person and ensure that the worst is over for them.”

“Uhh, I’m not so sure,” Cozy Glow said, blushing a bit. “I don’t know if I should show you my brothers Tirek and Amadeus.”

“It will be okay,” Yukon said, patting Cozy Glow on the head. “These princesses are a shining example of the ponies of New Ponyville, well barring a handful of jerks. And they would be honored to meet them.”

“He’s right,” Wanda said. “I would be honored to meet one of these centaurs in person. After all, we should have been more in contact with the people of Centauria, and we let them down. So I volunteer to join you to your brothers”

“No need for apologies,” Yukon laughed before turning to Twilight Sparkle. “So Princess Twilight. Are you up for the task?”

But before Twilight Sparkle could speak, she was quick to notice Sunny Starscout raise her hoof in the air.

“Sunny,” Twilight said. “You want to go with Wanda?”

“Oh I do,” Sunny Starscout said. “I always want to meet a real life centaur in person.”

“I guess someone is eager to prove her worth,” Yukon laughed. “So what do you think, Princess?”

“Very well,” Twilight said. “By the powers vested in me, I hearty assign you to accompany Wanda Young and Cozy Glow to her brothers.”

“Oh thank you thank you, my faithful teacher,” Sunny said. “I won't fail you, I promise.”

Twilight Sparkle laughed as Sunny Starscout made her way to Wanda Young. But in an instant, Spike ran up to Twilight Sparkle with an eager look on his face.

“I'd like to go as well,” Spike said. “I wanna see what these centaurs are like.”

“Oh alright,” Twilight Sparkle laughed.l before she rubbed Spike on the forehead. “Go knock it out of the park, Spike. After all, Princess Wanda, Sunny and Cozy Glow will appreciate your company.”

Spike nodded to Princess Twilight before making his way to Cozy Glow, Wanda Young and Sunny Starscout. But as he walked past the rest of the group, he felt a finger tap on his shoulder. Spike came to a stop and turned to his right, where Sparky Sparkaroni perched on Hitch’s back, cooing to the purple dragon.

“Sparky,” Spike said. “You want to come with us?”

Sparky nodded to the slightly older purple dragon kid, who turned his attention to Hitch.

“It sounds like he’s up for the adventure of a lifetime,” Hitch said. “So I’ll let him join you. What do you say, Sparky?”

Sparky cheered loudly before he jumped off Hitch’s back, allowing Spike to grab him with his hands.

“Alright,” Spike said, holding Sparky closely. “You can come. But promise you’ll be on your best behavior, okay?”

Sparky nodded back to Spike before cuddling Spike, all while the purple dragon carried the smaller turquoise dragon with him towards Wanda, Sunny, and Cozy Glow.

“I think Sparky really likes you, Spike,” Sunny said.

“I know,” Spike responded. “He’s like a little brother to me.”

“Hey Spike.” Spike turned back to the group, where he saw Abigail the cat raise her paw.

“What’s up, Abby?” Spike asked.

“Promise you’ll come back unharmed?” Abigail asked. “I’m going to miss your presence here.”

“I will,” Spike nodded. “That I promise you.”

“Thanks,” Abigail said before she waved back to Spike. “I think it’s time you and your friends head out.”

Spike nodded back to Abigail as he began to flap his wings, holding Sparky Sparkaroni in his arms. As he hovered in the air, he nodded to Wanda, Sunny and Cozy Glow before everyone turned their attention to the front door.

“We’ll be back before tonight’s Christmas party,” Wanda said. “Wish us luck.”

“Oh we will, sis,” Sunset waved.

With that, Wanda Young, Sunny Starscout, Cozy Glow and Spike holding Sparky made their way through the opened front door and out of the castle, leaving everyone else behind.

“There they go,” Abigail said.

“Don’t worry, Abby,” Sunset said. “They’ll be back. We just got to give them faith in their plan.”

“That does remind me,” Twilight Sparkle said, turning to Pinkie Pie. “We’ll need the rest of the gang to help out in tonight’s Christmas Party in New Ponyville, and the meeting of some new friends.”

“I know Rainbow Dash is training the Wonderbolts nearby,” Pinkie Pie said. “Fluttershy is with Sunburst, Moondancer and Danged Spell at the New Ponyville Zoo, Golden Lace is helping Rarity with some new clothing projects, and Applejack is getting her dentist appointment courtesy of Dr Hermey.”

“I can go down to the New Ponyville Zoo to pick up Fluttershy and the others,” Hitch said.

“Great,” Twilight said. “That leaves you to find Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Applejack.”

“Actually, leave Applejack to me,” Sunset said. “Besides, I’ve also got a dentist appointment coming up.”

“And I’ll help Pinkie Pie locate the others,” Izzy Moonbow said.

“Uhh, Twilight,” Misty said, catching the princess’s attention. “Is there…anything you want me to do?”

“How about you, Pipp, Zipp, Yukon and Queen Haven join me at the earthquake dampening system under the palace?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Really?” Misty said, hopping with excitement. “Oh I would be honored to do so, Princess.”

“Great,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Guess we have our plans for before the big party tonight. Let’s move out.”

Pinkie Pie and Izzy Moonbow wasted no time making their way to the front door with Hitch Trailblazer and Sunset Shimmer following from behind. Twilight Sparkle nodded to the rest of the group before making her way to the back of the castle. Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Misty Brightdawn, Queen Haven, Abigail Albright and Yukon Cornelius followed Twilight from behind. However, Twilight Sparkle paused for a moment and turned back towards Starlight Glimmer, who stood there all by herself.

“Hey Starlight,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Aren’t you going to come join us?”

“Oh no no no no no,” Starlight Glimmer said, clutching the bag of socks next to her. “I’ve got to make my deliveries. But don’t worry. I’ll come back with some great socks for you, Sunset and Wanda. Oh and for Spike and Abigail.”

“Well you better hurry back,” Twilight said. “I don’t want you to miss our very special Christmas party.”

“That’s a promise,” Starlight said.

Hoisting the bag of socks on her back, Starlight Glimmer ran out the door in a hurry, leaving the rest of the group behind.

“Poor Starlight,” Abigail said. “Putting herself under a lot of stress for Minty.”

“Even Minty said she didn’t need to do it this year,” Twilight said. “But Starlight insisted just to make up for what happened last year.”

As Twilight Sparkle made her way back to the front of the group, they journeyed to the back door, all while Pipp Petals let out a small sigh..

“I’ll have to be honest,” Pipp Petals said. “I have never seen the seismic-damper system up close and personal.”

“I think you’ll be surprised by it,” Zipp Storm said. “After all, I helped out with building that monstrosity.”

“You?” Pipp Petals said, surprise. “You helped build that thing?”

“Whoops,” Zipp Storm laughed. “Guess I said too much.”

The entire group burst into laughter before making their way to the staircase leading downstairs.

But outside the castle, Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon hid behind a bush while the doorway to the castle remained open. They watched as Sunny Starscout, Wanda Young, Cozy Glow, Spike, Spark Sparkaroni, Pinkie Pie, Izzy Moonbow, Hitch Trailblazer and Sunset Shimmer made their way downtown.

“Did you hear what they said?” Suri asked.

“We sure did,” Blue Monsoon responded. “That little brat has centaurs for a family.”

“And that gives me the perfect idea for a prank tonight,” Suri laughed. “Do you know what that means?”

“Umm, we make them watch a marathon about an annoying pig girl who torments her own father?” Ace responded.

“SHUT UP, YOU FOOL!” Suri shouted, smacking Ace on the head.

“You’re not thinking about tricking those morons into scarring this…centaur, are ya?” Blue Monsoon asked.

“Oh I shall,” Suri Polomare said, rubbing her hooves together. “By the time this party is over, they’ll want to stay far away from New Ponyville, and its reputation will bomb worse than a classic cartoon character reimagined into a vulgar, piece of slop.”

“You’re talking about the pig girl, right?” Ace asked.

Suri Polomare growled right at Ace, who slowly pulled his head back.

“Nevermind,” Ace said.

Immediately, Sury pulled Ace and Blue Monsoon close to her with a devilish grin on her face.

“Let us begin with Operation Bullcharge,” Suri laughed.

Meanwhile, at the ruin of what was Centauria, Tirek and Amadeus looked down at what was left of the village before the centaur pulled what appeared to be a black, glass-like shard of metal from the ground.

“What is that?” Amadeus asked.

“This…is suppose to be obsidian,” Tirek explained. “Strange because obsidian normally forms around volcanic areas.”

“So how the heck did this stuff form in our neck of the woods?” Amadeus asked.

“This is something even I can’t put my finger on,” Tirek said. “First an earthquake takes everyone except you, me and Cozy Glow. And now these shards of obsidian rock pop up out of nowhere. This is getting out of hand.”

Immediately, Tirek paused the moment he heard the sound of a beast roaring loudly. Tirek and Amadeus turned around before bracing for battle.

“Looks like we have a big one on our hands,” Tirek said, clutching his hands into two fists.

In front of the duo was a gigantic beast that towered over the duo. Its claws were sharp as swords and its teeth as dangerous as knives. It stood on its hind legs as it stared down at Tirek and Amadeus.

“No kidding,” Amadeus said. “And this one will feed us for days. Think we can take it?”

“Brother, we can take anything,” Tirek said, kneeling down in preparation. “On three, we bring em down.”

“I’m ready, brother,” Amadeus said, kneeling next to him.

“One…two…THREE!” Upon speaking his last words, Tirek leaped at the beast with Amadeus following suit. Though the giant animal prepared itself with the intent of swiping them with its claws, Tirek and Amadeus held their arms out as if they were preparing for a counter attack.

To Be Continued

Author's Note

From here on out, I'm going to be making each part a little longer than usual. Not just 12 pages, perhaps as much as 16-17 pages max. I'm going to try to get as much story into each part as I can.

Now as for Suri, I am setting her up to pull the nastiest prank in New Ponyville, and it's not going to be pretty.

Hope for the Holidays Part 5

Princess Twilight Sparkle led Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Misty Brightdawn, Queen Haven, and Yukon Cornelius through the labyrinth underneath New Ponyville. Next to the alicorn was Abigail Albright.

“So Princess,” Pipp Petals said. “What’s great about this anti-earthquake system that Wanda developed?”

“Well she only supervised the whole thing,” Twilight said. “And she was only one individual who helped put the whole system together. It took a lot of us to do just that.”

“I know,” Misty said. “I was there when it happened.”

“But enough of all that talk,” Queen Haven said. “Where is this system?”

“Your majesty,” Twilight Sparkle responded. “Just follow me through these doors.”

As Twilight Sparkle led the rest of the group through the doors, they looked up at their surroundings. Numerous pillars were placed in specific spots on the ground floor. In between the top of the pillars and the ceiling were a number of metallic pendulums attached to both ends. Next to the concrete pillars was a metallic floor that shined in the dark room.

“What are they?” Zipp Storm asked.

“These are the seismic base isolation pillars,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “These specialized isolators attached to the pillars would absorb the ground moving should the land shift left and right. And while the pillars are made of concrete, they’re reinforced with Canterlotian steel and buried hundreds of feet underground.”

“And what if the land goes up and down?” Pipp Petals asked.

“Good question,” Twilight said as she pointed to another set of isolators. “Those were designed to absorb earthquakes by utilizing rubber and steel discs to absorb the shocks from that kind of movement.”

“Which does remind me,” Yukon Cornelius said, pointing to the floor below. “What do you think of this little beauty?”

“A metal floor?” Queen Haven said. “What’s the purpose?”

“Oh that?” Twilight said. “That’s to help block any rock from breaking through the floor and messing up the system. Neat, huh?”

“I’ll say,” Zipp said, looking down at the floor. “It does look shiny as well.”

But when Abigail turned her head to her left, her eyes popped out a bit before she rubbed Twilight’s arm.

“Abigail,” Twilight said “Something up?”

“There is,” Abigail said, pointing to her right. “Who would leave camping supplies and food in this underground system?”

Heeding Abigail’s words, Twilight Sparkle ran to her left, spotting the items that the kitty cat described.

“That’s strange,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I don’t recall homeless ponies camping out here.”

“Either that or you-know-who is making her home here,” Misty said.

Misty’s words were enough to cause Twilight Sparkle to pause for a moment.

“Misty,” Twilight said. “I think you might be right. By any chance, did you run into Suri Polomare and her stooges?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Misty said, turning her head away.

“Those creeps were giving Misty a hard time, trying to break an ornament that belonged to her,” Zipp said. “Thanks to Sunny’s intervention, we were able to shoo them off.”

Twilight Sparkle let out a sigh before she picked up what appeared to be a sleeping bag.

“Those three have been giving us a hard time since we were forced to lift their ban from New Ponyville,” Twilight Sparkle said. “We’ve tried everything to punish them. Jail, community service, you name it. Nothing worked.”

“I heard about that and I was amongst the few who voted against lifting the ban,” Queen Haven said. “Your mentor, Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna followed suit as well.”

“Santa Claus was also one who opposed lifting the ban,” Yukon Cornelius said. “He said something about those three being on the permanent naughty list.”

But to see so many nations across the Earth vote in favor of undoing New Ponyville’s ban just frustrated all of us,” Queen Haven said. “In fact, they forced you to keep them confined in your city.”

“I know,” Twilight Sparkle said. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if those goons were going to pull a fast one as I speak.”

“That is what I’m afraid of,” Misty said.

But outside of the castle, deep within the town of New Ponyville, Posey Bloom was pruning some poinsettias in her booth with a small set of shears. She took a good smell at them before breathing out a small hint of confidence in her voice. But her moment of peace came to an end when she heard the sound of hooves running behind her.

“Oh no,” Posey Bloom said. “Not now.”

Speeding down past her was Pinkie Pie, who shouted “Good afternoon, Ms Bloom.” Posey Bloom quickly ran under the booth as the pink pony sped past her.

“YOU CRAZY MANIAC!” Posey Bloom shouted as she waved her hoof in frustration. “WATCH WHERE YOU’RE RUNNING!”

“AFTERNOON TO YOU TOO, POSEY!” Izzy Moonbow ran past the booth in a hurry, causing Posey to hold onto the booth’s leg in a panic.

“AND THAT GOES DOUBLE TO YOU TOO, IZZY MOONBOW!” Posey yelled as she shook her hoof again.

Posey Bloom slowly pulled herself out from under the poinsettia booth and stared down at where Pinkie Pie and Izzy Moonbow ran down. She turned to the flowers with the shears in her hoof and reached down to one of the plants.

“At least I don’t have anything else to worry about besides those two,” Posey Bloom said in a huff.

Suddenly, the far end of the booth tipped into the air before falling towards Posey Bloom. The earth pony with pink hair and a yellow mane screamed loudly before the whole stand fell right on top of her, spreading the poinsettias atop her and onto the ground. Posey Bloom was steaming mad as she struggled to get the booth and flowers off of her.

“WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD PULL A STUNT LIKE THIS?” Posey Bloom yelled.

As Posey Bloom pushed the wooden booth off of her, she looked up to see Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon grabbing each and every poinsettia from the ground before placing it in a bag.

“You’ll thank us later for the stunt we’re going to pull, Pouty Bloom,” Suri Polomare laughed.

Posey Bloom swung her right hoof at Suri Polomare, only for the smug earth pony to dodge the punch. She laughed as she grabbed the last poinsettia and ran off with Ace and Blue Monsoon following from behind.

“COME BACK HERE YOU BIG MEANIE!” Posey Bloom yelled. “YOU’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!”

Posey Bloom yelled really loud in the air before smashing her head on the booth, smashing part of it into pieces. She threw herself on the ground before crying in silence. But nearby, Starlight Glimmer stood there, horrified by what happened.

“I don’t believe what they just did,” Starlight Glimmer said. “A waste of all those poinsettias. And to think they had their ban reversed because of that horrible stunt they pulled months ago. Some ponies don’t respect the hard work we put into the holidays.”

Starlight Glimmer ran up to the sobbing Posey Bloom before holding her hoof out. Posey slowly looked up at Starlight’s heart-warming smile and held-out hoof.

“Allow me to help you out,” Starlight said.

Posey Bloom slowly placed her hoof on Starlight’s before slowly getting up.

“T…Thank you,” Posey cried before she dove her head into Starlight’s chest and cried.

“It’s okay,” Starlight said, stroking Posey Bloom on the head. “I don’t want anyone to be sad on Christmas.”

But in another part of town inside a dentist office, Applejack emerged from the back door of the lobby alongside Hermey the Elf.

“I can’t say I enjoy these check ups, as I’m not fond of having my mouth cleaned out,” Applejack said. “But you did a great job today, Hermey. Minuette will appreciate you taking over while she’s on vacation.”

“It is my specialty, Applejack,” Hermey said. “Besides, it was also Santa’s insistence for me to take over this job temporarily just because of what your friends have done to help him out.”

“Oh you don’t need to thank me,” Applejack said. “Besides, we were just setting up our trees at the beginning of the year.”

“Oh that’s right,” Hermey said. “You, Apple Bloom, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith. And you’ve been providing New Ponyville with plenty of apples to go around.”

“Well it was time for us to move on from Canterlot,” Applejack said. “Big Mac wanted some place a bit more down to earth. And New Ponyville was just the place.”

Suddenly, the front door opened in a hurry as Sunset Shimmer entered the office.

“Sunset,” Hermey said. “You’re early for your appointment.”

“I know,” Sunset said. “But first things first.”

Sunset Shimmer walked up to Applejack, who was quick to notice a look in the alicorn mare’s eyes.

“Sunset, you look as giddy as a pair of gophers in a carrot patch,” Applejack said. “Is there some kind of surprise going on?”

“Sunny Starscout and her friends have met a filly who hailed from Centauria,” Sunset said.

“Centauria?” Applejack said.

“Yes,” Sunny said. “And we want to invite her brothers down for a celebration. We need as many apple products as possible, and we know you’re the pony for the job.”

“Of course I am, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she pulled out some coins. “Soon as I take care of my bill, I’m on it.”

“But Applejack,” Hermey said. “I don’t need all that cash.”

“Well consider this an appreciation gift,” Applejack said, placing the coins in Hermey’s hand.

As Applejack ran out the front door in a hurry, Sunset Shimmer turned to Hermey with a smile on her face.

“Ever have one of those days?” Sunset asked.

“Oh you have no idea,” Hermey laughed. “You ponies are some of the kindest folks I’ve met. Well except for that Suri jerk. Makes my former boss look far nicer.”

“Anyway,” Sunset said. “Since I’m here, think you can get me checked out right away?”

“Since I don’t have any other patients at the moment, why not?” Hermey said. “Come along and I’ll get your teeth checked out.”

Sunset nodded as she followed Hermey through the back doorway and into one of the rooms with a dentist chair ready for the alicorn to sit down on.

Meanwhile, at another part of town inside a boutique, Golden Lace stood on top of a platform as one by one, socks slipped onto her arms and legs. Nearby, Rarity used her magic to move the socks while Minty was drawing out some designs on a sketchbook.

“I wonder where Starlight is right now,” Minty said. “I’m worried about her.”

“Oh don’t you worry,” Rarity said. “It’s not like she’ll break the Christmas tree by accident with a big sneeze.”

But when Minty stared right into Rarity, the white unicorn grinned embarrassingly.

“Oh, right,” Rarity said. “That was last year. Sorry, dear”

As soon as Rarity fitted the socks on Golden Lace’s arms, both ponies heard the sound of the door being knocked.

“Hey Rarity,” Golden Lace said. “I wonder who would be knocking at the door at this moment?”

“Must be Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said as she made her way to the front door. “I wonder why she’s here at the moment.”

But as Rarity opened the door, she looked outside to see Pinkie Pie and Izzy Moonbow stand there with smiles on their face.s

“Pinkie, Izzy,” Rarity said. “I honestly expected you two to be bouncing around like something exciting was going to happen.”

“Oh, but something is,” Pinkie Pie said with a calm look on her face. “We made a new filly friend who happens to be a sister to centaurs.”

“Centaurs?” Rarity said. “Are you talking about the centaurs of Centauria?”

“Well, where Centauria used to be,” Izzy Moonbow explained. “We learned that there was a major earthquake in Centauria, and only a few were able to escape.”

“That’s horrible!” Golden Lace overheard everything Izzy Moonbow said before she and Minty ran to the front door and stood next to Rarity. “Is there anything we can do about it?”

“Well, we’re thinking about throwing a party for the survivors of Centauria to make them feel welcomed in New Ponyville,” Pinkie Pie said. “And I was wondering if any of you would be willing to pitch in.”

“Are you kidding me?” Golden Lace said. “I always wanted to meet a centaur in person, as I heard legends of their power. Please invite me in.”

“Oh Lacey,” Pinkie giggled. “You’re always welcome to join us for the party.”

“Alright,” Golden Lace said, cheering loudly. “I get to meet a centaur in person.”

“Well what Lace wishes to do, I’ll do it as well,” Rarity laughed. “After all, it would a challenge to design clothes for a centaur, and a challenge has been accepted.”

“Me too,” Minty said. “I wonder what size socks centaurs like to wear.”

“Well that’s a good question,” Izzy said as she put her hoof to her mouth. “But first, we still have to find Rainbow Dash and…”

Suddenly, a loud boom startled Izzy Moonbow, causing her to scream in horror. She jumped onto Pinkie Pie, shaking nervously.

“It’s the earthquake,” Izzy shook. “The whole town is going to go down.”

“Oh that was no earthquake, Izzy,” Pinkie laughed. “It was just Rainbow Dash leading her Wonderbolts.”

Izzy barely turned her head to the outside, where she saw Rainbow Dash, Thistle Whistle and Starcatcher decked out in Wonderbolt uniforms, all posing as if they made a three point landing.

“How’d we do, Rainbow?” Star Catcher asked.

“Ten seconds flat,” Rainbow Dash said. “And I do mean it.”

Rainbow Dash flicked his mane as fast as possible before turning towards Pinkie Pie and Izzy Moonbow, all while noticing Rarity, Golden Lace and Minty nearby.

“Looks like we got ourselves a small audience for today,” Rainbow Dash said. “What’s the pleasure?”

Before Pinkie Pie could answer, Golden Lace ran up to Rainbow Dash in a hurry.

“I was told the princesses are going to host a set of survivors from Centauria,” Golden Lace said, excited.

“Centauria?” Thistle Whistle said. “Is that the place where the centaurs reside?”

“Was the place,” Pinkie Pie said as Izzy Moonbow got down from her arms. “Recently, there was an earthquake that brought that place down like it did to Zephyr Heights.”

“Are you kidding me?” Rainbow Dash complained. “First Zephyr Heights and now this…Centauria? What is this world coming to when our homes are wrecked by these unnatural tremors going on?”

“So I was wondering if you are able to pitch in for the party?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Of course I am,” Rainbow Dash said. “Anyone who’s a victim of an earthquake deserves to be welcomed with open arms.”

Rainbow Dash turned towards Thistle Whistle and Star Catcher, who quickly saluted the leader of the Wonderbolts.

“Okay you two,” Rainbow Dash said. “Call on the other Wonderbolts of New Ponyville. Tell them we have a party to plan, this instant!”

“ROGER THAT, CAPTAIN!” Thistle Whistle and Star Catcher saluted.

In an instant, Rainbow Dash took off into the stratosphere with Thistle Whistle and Star Catcher following from behind, leaving Minty, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Izzy Moonbow and Golden Lace behind.

“You didn’t tell them that one of the survivors is a pegasi filly who was raised by the centaur,” Izzy asked.

“Oops,” Pinkie blushed. “Silly me.”

“That’s okay,” Minty said. “When Rainbow Dash sees them, she’ll understand why.”

“Though I wonder why a pegasi filly wound up as a citizen of Centauria,” Rarity asked. “Makes me question her biological mother’s reason.”

“That, I’ll have to agree on,” Minty responded.

But in another part of town, Danged Spell, Sunburst and Moondancer were helping Fluttershy scrub down Harry the bear, who was enjoying a bubble bath in a giant wooden tub.

“Now isn’t that the sweetest thing you’ve gotten today?” Fluttershy asked.

Harry responded with a confident growl, just as the bubbles formed on his back.

“What is it that big guy rolled in?” Sunburst asked. “A mud patch?”

“Oh not really,” Moondancer said. “Some pony had the audacity to dump a bucket of chocolate on Harry when no one was looking. Three guesses who it is and the first two don’t count.”

“I mean, that’s not nice,” Danged Spell said. “Not only did that drive this beast crazy, but that was also a great waste of food. You could say that this was…un-bear-able. Get it?”

“Uggh, Danged Spell,” Moondancer groaned. “Why’d you have to ruin the moment?”

“Oh come on,” Danged Spell laughed. “I just wanted to lighten the mood.”

“Well I thought it was a funny pun,” Fluttershy laughed as she pulled a towel out. “In fact, I think we should paws for a good laugh.”

“Paws,” Danged Spell laughed. “That’s a good one, Shyster.”

But as Danged Spell and Fluttershy laughed, Sunburst and Moondancer turned towards each other.

“I’m beginning to think Fluttershy’s adapting Danged Spell’s humor,” Sunburst said.

“Well as long as it helps Fluttershy branch out a bit, I don’t see much wrong with it,” Moondancer said. “Though I don’t mind groaning at Danged Spell’s puns. Besides, I can take the pun-ishment.”

As Sunburst placed his hoof on his face before turning away, his ears picked up the sound of a familiar voice.

“Is that Hitch Trailblazer?” Sunburst asked as Harry the bear got out of the tub.

“That is him,” Fluttershy said as she began to dry off Harry with a towel.

Immediately, Hitch Trailblazer ran up from behind Moondancer, catching everyone’s attention.

“Hitch,” Fluttershy said. “Something up? And where’s Sparky Sparkaroni?”

“Sparky is with Sunny, Spike and Princess Wanda,” Hitch said. “But that’s not the only news I have, guys. You’re not going to believe what the princesses are planning.”

“Princess Sunset Shimmer finally decided to host a Power Rangers marathon?” Danged Spell asked.

“No, not that,” Hitch said. “Even better. She’s going to plan a party for some survivors of Centauria.”

“Survivors?” Danged Spell said. “What happened to them, Hitch?”

“Word has it that an earthquake occurred in Centauria, much like what happened at Zephyr Heights,” Hitch explained. “Only a few individuals escaped, which includes a pegasi filly that had been residing there.”

“A pegasi filly?” Sunburst said, placing his scrubbing brush down as he was confused by Hitch’s words. “That doesn’t make any sense, whatsoever. What would a pegasi filly be doing living in Centauria?”

“She was adopted by their king and queen,” Hitch explained. “Now, she’s an orphan once more.”

“Poor kid,” Moondancer said, placing her scrubbing brush down while Fluttershy dried off Harry. “To be taken into a kingdom by a different species, only to lose them because of this…earthquake. What is this world coming to?”

“No kidding,” Danged Spell said, turning his head to Hitch. “Tell me what we need to do about this party.”

“But Spell,” Fluttershy said. “What about all the animals of the zoo?”

Before Danged Spell could react, Harry picked up Fluttershy and whispered something in her ear.

“You want to do that?” Fluttershy responded, getting nothing but Harry nodding to her.

“What did he say?” Hitch asked..

“Harry said he wants to have his animal friends pitch in for throwing a party for the guests,” Fluttershy said. “But I’m not so sure about…”

But the only thing Harry did was cover Fluttershy’s mouth before whispering in her ear again. As soon as he pulled his muzzle from Fluttershy’s ear, Harry removed his paw from Fluttershy’s mouth.

“Oh alright,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s gather who we can and meet them downtown where our guests will be.”

As Harry sat Fluttershy back on the ground, Hitch walked over to the yellow pegasi and took off his sheriff hat.

“Must be that complicated to be the head pony of the New Ponyville Zoo,” Hitch asked.

“Not at all,” Fluttershy responded. “I’m just concerned about the animals’ well-being.”

“Well,” Hitch said. “We’ll see if they are a big help to us.”

Meanwhile, Cozy Glow flew up the side of the mountain with Spike by her side, carrying Sparky Sparkaroni in his arms. Behind them, Sunny Starscout leaped from cliff to cliff upwards while Wanda ascended up the mountain, climbing with what appeared to be metal tentacle-like arms that emitted out of the back of her dress.

“How long until we make it up the mountain, Cozy?” Spike asked, holding Sparky tight.

“It’s not that long,” Cozy Glow shouted. “Only a few more feet until we reach the summit cavern.”

“How is it that we’ve never heard of this place before?” Wanda asked.

“Not sure,” Sunny responded, looking up at Wanda. “And I’m not so sure why you have those things on your back.”

“I’ll explain why when we reach our destination,” Wanda responded with a wink. “Promise.”

“Promise it is, Wanda,” Sunny responded.

Cozy Glow continued to fly upwards in the air while Sparky blew fire into the falling snow, still being carried by Spike the Dragon.

“You doing okay, Sparky?” Spike said.

But Sparky responded with a cheerful giggle, all while continuing to blow dragon fire at the snow.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Spike laughed.

At the top of the mountain, Cozy Glow landed on the snow with Spike landing next to her, releasing his grip on Sparky Sparkaroni. The smaller dragon baby ran around the snow before landing on his back and proceeded to fan out his arms and legs back and forth.

“You really like that baby dragon,” Cozy Glow asked.

“He may be Hitch's son,” Spike said. “But I see him as a surrogate brother. Mainly because he's the only other dragon of New Ponyville.”

As Sparkly picked himself up, Sunny Starscout reached the top of the summit and landed next to Spike and Cozy Glow. Behind them, Wanda Young made her way up to them, climbing to the top with her mechanical tentacle arms.

“Wanda,” Cozy Glow said, a bit horrified by the size of the arms. “How….exactly…..did you make those?”

“An advancement in my nanotech,” Wanda said as the arms lowered her to the ground. “You like?”

“Don't you have something that's less…..scary?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Actually, I do,” Wanda said. “Get a load of this.”

Wanda tapped the ring on her right ring finger. Her mechanical arms glowed brightly before they slowly transformed into a pair of large insect wings. Once the transformation was complete, Wanda jumped upwards before she flapped her new wings to keep herself airborne.

“Amazing,” Cozy Glow said.

“I'll say,” Sunny said. “For an individual who has no magic, you sure know how to get around that.”

“I know,” Wanda said. “It was my fascination in magic that taught me how to create nanotech.”

Suddenly, everyone paused when they heard someone in the cave yell out. “COZY GLOW. WHO ARE THE GUESTS THAT YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU?”

“Who…..who is that?” Sunny Starscout said, cowering in fear.

“Oh that’s my older brother Tirek,” Cozy Glow responded. “He and Amadeus must be back from a hunt.”

“A hunt?” Wanda asked. “I take it they eat meat like you do.”

“Oh golly yes” Cozy Glow said. “Won't you come in?”

Wanda and Sunny took a deep breath before facing the little pegasi filly.

“Okay,” Wanda said. “We'll do it. But we may be a bit disgusted by any meat they'll eat.”

“Fair enough,” Cozy Glow said. “Follow me.”

Cozy Glow led Wanda, Sunny, Spike and Sparky down the path into the cavern. Sparkly looked around for a moment before hiding behind Spike.

“You okay, Sparky?” Spike asked.

But all Sparky Sparkaroni could do was cry in fear.

“Oh I know what that's like,” Spike said before he turned around and held Sparky close. “As long as I have you by my side, I won't let you go. Promise.”

Sparky Sparkaroni looked up at Spike as the slightly older purple dragon picked him up and carried him behind Sunny, Cozy Glow and Wanda.

But deeper within the cave, a gigantic haunch of meat was spinning on a makeshift spit over an open flame. Next to it sat Tirek and Amadeus, who were eating smaller pieces of meat, while Tirek slowly span the spit.

“Well at least that takes care of the food,” Amadeus said. “And what a delicious meal.”

“Yeah,” Tirek said. “Almost like the meal we had before the earthquake.”

But as the duo relaxed from their food, Amadeus turned his attention to the back of the cave behind Tirek.

“You alright, Scorpan?” Tirek asked.

“No,” Amadeus said. “I miss mom and dad.”

“I know how you feel,” Tirek said, patting Amadeus on the head. “They were the best people we've ever known, alongside our little sister.”

“But I can't believe they're gone like that,” Amadeus said with a finger snap. “One moment, they're there with the rest of the Centaur, the next moment they're all gone because of that stupid earthquake.”

“That I agree with,” Tirek said. “But we have to be strong for their sake.”

“Even more so, I don't know about trusting the ponies of New Ponyville,” Amadeus said. “I mean, we can trust Cozy Glow. But I don't know about those other guests that you had to yell about. What if they're hostile?”

“Hostile?” Tirek laughed. “Hah. What could those ponies do to threaten us?”

“I’m just concerned,” Amadeus said. “A bit on edge ever since the earthquake.”

“Maybe you should ask them yourself,” Tirek said with a smirk on his face, pointing behind Amadeus.

Amadeus got up on his two legs and turned his body around, where he saw Cozy Glow standing behind him. Right next to the pegasi filly were Sunny Starscout, Spike the Dragon with Sparky Sparkaroni, and Princess Wanda Young.

“I heard you have your concerns with us,” Wanda said. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”

But as Amadeus stared at Wanda, his eyes widened slightly and his mouth slowly opened up.

“Y…yes, I mean….no,” Amadeus said in hesitation. “Not at all.”

“Brother?” Cozy Glow said. “Is something wrong with you?”

“Uhh, nothing’s wrong with me,” Amadeus said, blushing embarrassingly. “Nothing at all, sis.”

Sunny stared at Amadeus with an awkward look on her face before turning to Tirek. One look at the meat being cooked on the spit caused her to gag for a bit.

“What’s wrong?” Tirek said. “Not used to seeing meat?”

“Unfortunately….yes,” Sunny Starscout said. “I happen to be a vegetarian.”

“Well that’s a shame,” Tirek said. “I was hoping to meet more ponies who are capable of eating meat. By the way, I am Tirek Highstaff, Prince of Centauria. The human you see is my brother, Amadeus Highstaff, who I also refer to as Scorpan.”

“Nicknamed after the legendary Scorpan the Wise, huh?” Spike said. “Interesting.”

“Nice to meet you,” Wanda said, bowing with a curtsy. “I am Wanda Young, one of the three princesses of New Ponyville. My companions are Sunny Starscout, the apprentice of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Spike the Dragon and Sparky Sparkaroni the Dragon.”

“Uhh, nice to meet you as well,” Amadeus said in an awkward tone.

Wanda looked closely at Amadeus, who slowly turned his head away while his face blushed a bright red.

“Is something wrong with you?” Wanda asked Amadeus. “You look rather odd.”

“Uhh, nothing,” Amadeus said. “Just nothing.”

“You sound a little silly,” Sunny said, walking up to Amadeus. “Are you a bit twitterpated?”

“NO!” Amadeus said. “I AM NOT!”

But in an instant, Amadeus lost his footing and tumbled backwards before slamming his back into the staff with the crystal stuck on top. The staff fell down before landing next to the youngster, startling him a bit and catching Wanda’s attention.

“Say,” Wanda said, walking up to the staff. “I think I’ve seen this before.”

Wanda bent down and picked the staff up from the ground before she held it in her two hands.

“Twilight and Sunburst told me that this was the legendary Staff of Sacanas,” Wanda said, looking down at the staff. “It was said to have been wielded by the late Scorpan the Wise. But what is it doing here?”

“I was told by my father that Scorpan once resided in this cave, long after his great victories alongside Megan Williams against the evils of the world,” Tirek explained. “Grogar, Levan, Hydia, Serpentor and Sentinel Prime to name a few.”

“What an amazing place,” Sunny Starscout said. “I wish we knew about this sooner.”

“That, I agree,” Wanda said. “I just still wonder why we weren’t aware of this place to begin with.”

Suddenly, Wanda felt a tug on her dress. She turned to her right to see Spike look up at her.

“Wanda,” Spike said. “Didn’t you come up here to invite them to our party?”

“Party?” Amadeus said, shaking his head out of his stupor. “What party?”

“Thanks for reminding me, Spike,” Wanda said before turning to Tirek and Amadeus. “We heard about what happened in Centauria, and it looks like you two and your sister Cozy Glow are the only survivors of that incident.”

“That is an understatement,” Tirek said. “The ground pulled everything into the ground. Buildings, citizens, you name it, it took it away. We were the only ones who got out, and we still miss all of them. Especially our mother and father.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Wanda said. “I wish I got to meet King Vorak and his wife Queen Lillian, just like how my adopted mother Princess Celestia got to meet them.”

“Yeah, I know,” Tirek said. “Besides Cozy Glow, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the only ponies I’ve known, until now.”

“So that leaves us this question,” Wanda said, holding her hand out. “Would you like to join us at New Ponyville and celebrate? I think you’ll like it.”

Tirek paused for a moment before he took a bite out of the meat in his hand. After swallowing, he turned to Wanda and Sunny.

“Might as well,” Tirek said. “If we’re going to be without our family, friends or anyone else, I’m game.”

“Uhh, I’m game as well,” Amadeus said.

Hearing the words from her brothers, Cozy Glow flew up in the air and cheered loudly.

“That’s the bestest best news I have ever heard in my life,” Cozy Glow yelled. “Now we can have new friends so that we won’t be alone.”

But everyone stared at Cozy Glow like she was completely weird. The little filly looked around and slowly fell downwards before she landed her four hooves on the surface.

“Oops,” Cozy Glow laughed. “My bad.”

As Tirek got up, he swallowed the last bit of meat in his paw. Then he turned his attention towards the entrance that Wanda, Sunny, Spike and Sparky came from.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Tirek said. “Now, when shall we head towards your village?”

“We can go right now,” Sunny Starscout said. “In fact, I think they’re preparing for the party as I speak.”

“She’s got a point,” Wanda said. “If you hurry, you can make it before sundown.”

Tirek flexed his legs for a mere moment before cracking his neck for a mere moment. He scraped his hoof on the ground before combing his hair with his claws.

“Lead the way,” Tirek said.

To Be Continued

Author's Note

Part 5 stands as my longest part of the fanfic, and for good reason. To re-establish the characters. To prep for what the next couple of parts will bring, and to build up some tension.

Some.

Next part will finally allow Tirek and Amadeus to meet with the ponies of New Ponyville. Stay tuned.

Hope for the Holidays Part 6

“You better watch out.

You better not cry.

You better not pout, I’m telling you why.

Santa Claus is coming to town.”

In a bathroom at a small house, Sprout Cloverleaf was taking a shower in his own tub, singing a jolly Christmas song. Steam poured from the shower head as if it relaxed the young stallion as his mane soaked in the droplets of water.

Sprout reached down and picked up a container of shampoo. He held the tip towards his left hoof and squeezed the bottle. But nothing came out of it.

“Oh shoot,” Sprout said, holding the empty bottle in his right hoof. “I forgot to get a new bottle from the bath closet.”

Sprout turned the handles of his bathtub to the right, shutting the faucet of his shower off. He quickly grabbed a towel and wiped himself before stepping out.

“I might as well go fetch a replacement bottle,” Sprout said as he trotted his way to the door.

Sprout opened the door and made his way out of the bathroom. He walked down the hall before entering his bedroom. Inside was a neatly-decorated place. The bed had some fine sheets on top, the dresser was clean and dust free, and there were photos of Sprout with various other ponies, alongside the three Princesses, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Yukon Cornelius, Dr Hermey and Santa and Mrs Claus.

At the far end were two closets. One was long and had two doors. The other was a single door closet.

“There we go,” Sprout said, pointing to the smaller closet. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

Sprout walked up to the smaller closet with a smile on his face and placed his right hoof on the door knob.

“Hello fresh bottle of shampoo,” Sprout Cloverleaf sang.

But when Sprout opened the door to the smaller closet, his face went white and his eyes shrunk down in horror.

“MY SHAMPOO! MY BODY WASH!” Sprout yelled. “THEY’RE GONE!”

Thrusting his hooves into the air, Sprout let out a gigantic scream that shook the land around New Ponyville, all while every building stood perfectly still. But outside, Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon made off with a bag full of shampoo and body wash bottles.

“So why’d we need the shampoo and body wash, boss?” Ace asked.

“It’s all part of my plan along with the flowers we took from Posey Bloom,” Suri Polomare laughed. “Not to mention some of the pies and cakes we took while Pinkie Pie was away.”

“Oooh, I love pie,” Blue Monsoon said, licking his lips.

“THE PIES AREN’T FOR EATING!” Suri shouted before she bonked Blue Monsoon on the head. “They’re a part of our prank meant for those moronic guests of honor.”

“Well that’s a waste of food,” Ace said.

“It’s not a waste,” Suri laughed. “We’re just putting it to good use.”

As Suri Polomare laughed out loud with Ace and Blue Monsoon by her side, Starlight Glimmer and Posey Bloom were quick to spot the trio making their way to a nearby house.

“That’s them,” Posey Bloom said, pointing to the trio. “Those are the morons who swiped my poinsettias.”

“Suri Polomare,” Starlight sighed. “Not once did you learn your lesson at all. Not even when you were exiled from this town. Someone has to teach you the harshest lesson of all time.”

Scraping her hoof on the ground, Starlight Glimmer and Posey Bloom made their way towards the house where Suri and her stooges made their way in.

“Hey, that reminds me,” Posey said. “What happened to your sock bag?”

“I had to leave it at Rarity’s boutique after what happened to you,” Starlight said. “This comes first.”

“Oh, right,” Posey said in an awkward tone. “I was there with you.”

Without wasting a second, Starlight Glimmer and Posey Bloom made their way inside the house, which was dark and gloomy inside.

“What is this place?” Posey Bloom asked, sticking her hoof in front of her face. “I can’t see anything in front of me.”

“I don’t know,” Starlight Glimmer said. “I thought we knew all about every building in New Ponyville. But now, I’m having second thoughts.”

“So have I,” Posey Bloom said. “It feels as if we were lured into a trap.”

Suddenly, the lights turned on as Starlight and Posey turned their attention to the back. Emerging from behind a spotlight was Suri Polomare, who clapped at the duo.

“Well well well,” Suri Polomare laughed. “I’d thought we would lure a princess into our trap. But you two will have to suffice.”

Before Starlight and Posey could turn around, Ace and Blue Monsoon ran up behind the duo and closed the doors behind them before shutting the windows nearby, quick as a flash. Starlight and Posey’s legs shook as the light from outside disappeared, leaving only the spotlight shined on them.

“Starlight,” Posey said, nervously. “I’m gonna wish I never followed those buffoons into this building.”

“Oh you can say that again,” Suri Polomare laughed. “And when the night is over, the biggest Christmas Party in New Ponyville will come crashing down.”

Suri Polomare let out a cackling laugh as Starlight Glimmer and Posey Bloom held each other in fear.

But on the outskirts of New Ponyville within the mountains, Wanda Young flew as fast as she could down the path, flying with her wings. Next to her flew Amadeus Highstaff, Cozy Glow and Spike the Dragon, who carried Sparky in his arms once more. Amadeus took a good look at Wanda’s wings, surprised not just by their form, but also the texture.

“That is like anything I have ever seen,” Amadeus said, observing Wanda’s wings. “How were you able to put them together?”

“Nanomachines, son,” Wanda explained. “Only I updated the tech so that it can do more than form the dress, gloves, socks and shoes I wear.”

“All of that is from these….nanomachines?” Amadeus said. “I don’t know what they are. But they sound neat.”

“That’s not the half of it,” Wanda laughed.

Overhearing Wanda’s words, Cozy Glow turned to Spike.

“Just what are nanomachines?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Oh that’s a long story,” Spike said. “I’ll explain once the party’s over.”

As Sparky Sparkaroni cheered while Spike held onto him, the purple dragon flew alongside Cozy Glow, gliding towards the town of New Ponyville. Wanda and Amadeus flew alongside the dragons and the filly, soaking in the afternoon sunlight. But behind the group, Tirek and Sunny Starscout leaped from cliff to cliff, making their way down the path.

“You’re going to love the ponies of New Ponyville,” Sunny said. “In fact, they could help change your diet from carnivore to herbivore.”

“Oh I do eat plants as a side dish for the meat,” Tirek said. “But you’ll have a hard time convincing me to give up eating meat.”

“Challenge accepted,” Sunny laughed as she landed in front of a tree.

As Sunny leaped off the cliff, Tirek followed from behind and fell downward towards the next cliff, spotting Sunny falling alongside him. It didn’t take long for the duo to land their hooves on the snow before taking another leap forward, making their way down the mountain and towards New Ponyville.

As Sunny fell once more, she landed her four hooves on top of a tree. Sunny looked in front to see the sun begin to set in the west.

“Looks like we better hurry,” Sunny said as Tirek fell past her. “Evening’s just around the corner.”

Sunny Starscout leaped off the tree and down the mountain once more, bypassing Tirek before landing on the snow. The moment Tirek landed next to her, the duo leaped once more and fell down towards the next cliff. They kept leaping off the next cliff as they made their way downward, all while Wanda, Amadeus, Cozy Glow and Spike flew downward, with the purple dragon holding an excited Sparky Sparkaroni close to him.

At the bottom of the mountain, Tirek and Sunny landed their hooves on the snow. Eyeing the town of New Ponyville in front of them, Tirek and Sunny wasted no time running as fast as possible towards the settlement.

“This must be where Cozy Glow met you all,” Tirek said. “What a fascinating place.”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Sunny said.

“It’s not like Centauria,” Tirek said. “But it’s got its unique charm.”

“That, I’ll take as a complement,” Sunny responded.

Tirek laughed out loud as he and Sunny made their way towards New Ponyville.

Deep within the vicinity of New Ponyville, Tirek Highstaff and Sunny Starscout made their way through the gates and down through the town itself, while Wanda, Cozy Glow, Amadeus and Spike glided from up above, with the latter carrying Sparky Sparkaroni. As soon as Tirek and Sunny came to a stop, the rest of the group floated downwards and landed next to the duo, with Spike placing Sparky down on the street.

“Here we are,” Sunny Starscout said. “New Ponyville. What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Tirek said. “The place looks nice from up close. But…where is everyone?”

“You have a point there,” Wanda said. “I didn’t ask them to hide away for no apparent reason.”

“But, almost all ponies were friendly to me,” Cozy Glow said, frantically. “Where are they? Where did they go?”

Immediately, Amadeus picked up Cozy Glow and held her close. The filly screamed loudly as she swung her arms and legs in a frantic motion.

“Cozy, it’s okay,” Amadeus said. “I know you wanted us to be happy. But I don’t think they were the friendly kind that you thought they were.”

“We are,” Sunny said. “I just want to know where they are right now.”

But everyone came to a pause the moment they heard a crowd shout “SURPRISE!” The group turned to their left to see nearly every pony of New Ponyville, along with Yukon Cornelius and Dr Hermey, cheer them on.

“A…surprise?” Amadeus said as Cozy Glow stared at the group.

Looking around, they saw Rainbow Dash, Thistle Whistle, Star Catcher, Pipp, Zipp, Queen Haven, Fluttershy, and other pegasi hang tinsel, wreaths and other decorations on top buildings and light posts. Pinkie Pie, Minty, Applejack, Hitch Trailblazer, and other earth ponies brought out tons of food like cakes, candies, and even a vegetable bar out. Unicorns like Izzy Moonbow, Rarity, Moondancer, Sunburst, Danged Spell, Golden Lace and others brought out lights to string atop the town, lighting up like stars in the sky. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Sunset Shimmer and Abigail Albright approached the rest of the group.

“You know you could have told me about this,” Wanda said.

“And ruin the surprise?” Twilight laughed. “Oh no no no. Where’s the fun in that, Wanda?”

As Sunset let out a pleasant chuckle, Wanda looked at both alicorns with a glare at them.

“Really funny, you two,” Wanda said, sarcastically. “Really funny.”

Sunset contained her own laughter as she walked up to Tirek, observing the size of the centaur.

“Never thought I would meet a centaur in person,” Sunset said. “What is your name?”

“I AM TIREK HIGHSTAFF!” Tirek shouted, shaking the mountains and the trees. “PRINCE OF CENTAURIA!”

As the trees stopped shaking, Tirek let out a sigh before turning to the ponies of New Ponyville.

“Or I used to be,” Tirek said. “Until Centauria was taken by a massive earthquake.”

“And we were made aware of what happened, Prince Tirek,” Princess Sunset. “As one of the three princesses of New Ponyville, I hereby welcome you, your brother and your sister to New Ponyville.”

As the ponies clapped for Tirek, the centaur looked around and his eyes began to loosen. A warm smile formed on his face, as he slowly put his left hand on his left cheek.

In his mind’s eye, every pony that he saw in front of him had transformed into a centaur. They all cheered his name, shouting loudly into the air. Tirek turned to his right to see King Vorak and Queen Lillian approach the centaur with a warm smile on their faces.

“My son,” King Vorak said. “Your people miss you. We all miss you.”

“We’re glad that you came home,” Queen Lillian said. “Now we can be a family again.”

As Tirek smiled at his own illusion, he heard someone familiar call out his name.

“Tirek?” Amadeus said. “Tirek, you okay?”

“Oh, sorry,” Tirek said as he snapped out of his stupor. “Just something that caught in my head.”

“Are you sure?” Amadeus said. “You know I’m concerned about you, brother.”

“It’s alright,” Tirek said. “After all, these ponies remind me of my own people.”

As Tirek walked up to the other ponies, Amadeus and Cozy Glow stared at their older brother.

“He misses mommy and daddy, huh?” Cozy Glow asked.

“He does,” Amadeus said. “And in a way, so do I. After all, when you’re so connected to your own parents, and fate takes them away from you, you’ll realize just how much you truly miss them.”

As Tirek approached the ponies and bowed to them, Sunset, Twilight and Queen Haven looked up at the centaur.

“Now that you’re a guest of honor, I would like to show you the food we have prepared for our feast tonight,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“And sorry, but we don’t have meat,” Sunset laughed.

As Tirek looked at the two princesses with confusion on his face, Cozy Glow flew up to her older brother.

“I asked if they had meat, and they said no,” Cozy Glow said.

“Fair enough,” Tirek said.

As the crowds cheer the three individuals from Centauria, everyone made their way downtown with Wanda, Sunny, Spike and Sparky following from behind. But despite the cheer and joy in the air, Wanda looked uneasy, catching Amadeus’ attention.

“You alright?” Amadeus asked. “I haven’t seen you this worried at all.”

“Something’s not right,” Wanda said. “I don’t see Starlight Glimmer anywhere.”

“Starlight Glimmer?” Amadeus asked.

“She’s a close friend of mine,” Wanda explained. “A bit on the naive side, but she’s a true friend. One thing I want to know is why she isn’t here to help celebrate this party. And the same goes for Sprout Cloverleaf and Posey Bloom.”

“Other pony friends?” Amadeus asked.

“Posey’s the kind of pony who enjoys growing flowers, and rages when some pony, especially Izzy, ruins them,” Sunny Starscout said. “Though this isn’t like her to disappear like this.”

“And we all know about Sprout’s obsession with baths and showers,” Spike said. “I would highly expect him to come out and join in on the fun, smelling like either a pine tree, a flower, or cinnamon.”

“You’re right on that,” Wanda said. “Maybe I should go and look for them.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Spike said. “I’ll go and look for them.”

“Spike, you don’t have to do this,” Wanda said.

But Spike said nothing as he ran off in one direction, leaving everyone else behind.

“He’s going to miss out on the party,” Wanda said.

“It’s okay,” Sunny said. “Spike’s known for pushing himself to the limit. He’ll get to the bottom of this.”

As Spike took off from the group, Abigail was quick to notice the dragon's departure.

“Spike needs my help,” Abigail thought to herself. “And I think I know why.”

But in another part of town, on top of the roofs, Suri Polomare looked down at the citizens marching down the streets, and took notice of Tirek. Behind them were Ace and Blue Monsoon, who looked like they were preparing something sinister.

“What an interesting looking centaur,” Suri Polomare said. “This must be the guest they were talking about.”

“Hey boss,” Ace said, turning his head to Suri. “We have the cannons ready for the big surprise.”

“Well it’s about time,” Suri said. “This I have to see.”

Suri Polomare turned her head to see a number of party cannons loaded with what’s left of the poinsettia flowers, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, pies, cakes, cookies, candies, ice cream, socks, and broken presents. Nearby, Starlight Glimmer and Posey Bloom were tied up together with their mouths gagged by duct tape.

“It seems you two can do something right, every once in a while,” Suri said. “And I’m satisfied by how fast it was.”

“It was a piece of cake,” Blue Monsoon said. “Though I wish we could at least taste some of the cake.”

“The cake is not for eating, you moron,” Suri said, glaring at Blue Monsoon. “They’re to give them the Christmas they will never forget. Ever.”

Suri turned her attention to Starlight and Posey, who looked up at the mare with a scared look on their faces, and muffled voices.

“Whine all you want, you simpleton snowflakes,” Suri Polomare laughed. “Because when this is over, this will be the Christmas they will never forget in their entire lives.”

Suri Polomare laughed out loud as Starlight and Posey stared at her with their eyes shrunk down and their ears flopped down in fear, all while Suri turned her attention to the street below.

“Let them whine when this is over,” Suri said. “When the night is done, they will NEVER CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS AGAIN!”

But as Suri Polomare stopped her gloating, her eyes were quick to spot Spike the Dragon running down the street. Behind the little dragon, Abigail Albright chased after him. With a smile on her face, Suri turned to Ace and Blue Monsoon.

“I see a pair of pests wandering around in the streets,” Suri laughed. “Go take care of them.”

“With pleasure,” Ace and Blue Monsoon said before they took a ladder down from the side of the building.

To Be Continued

Author's Note

I always love the idea of things that go from bad to worse, and I will guarantee that the next part will take this up in spades. And speaking of which, I already have the next part ready for tomorrow. I will try to upload it here ASAP. Keep your eyes peeled.

Hope for the Holidays Part 7

Spike the Dragon ran through town as fast as possible, away from the crowd that led Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus.

“Gotta find out where Starlight, Posey and Sprout are,” Spike said to himself. “What if something bad happened to them? What if they were unaware of the party? Come on, Spike. Think about where they could be.”

But Spike came to a stop the moment someone called his name. Spike came to a stop before he turned around to see Abigail run up to the little dragon.

“Abby,” Spike said. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m coming with you,” Abigail said. “I think something’s fishy going on.”

“Abby, you don’t have to do this,” Spike responded. “I can handle this on my own.”

“I know,” Abigail sailed. “But I feel like this is more than what you're handling. At least let me pitch in in helping you locate Starlight, Posey and Sprout.”

“Alright,” Spike said. “But we better be fast. I don't want them to miss out on the festivities.”

“Now all we need to know is where to look,” Abigail said. “First question would be where.”

But as soon as Abigail finished speaking, the duo’s ears picked up the sound of someone crying. Spike and Abigail turned their heads to the house next to them.

“That sounds like Sprout,” Spike said. “Come on.”

“Roger that,” Abigail said.

But as Spike the Dragon and Abigail Albright made their way to Sprout Cloverleaf's house, Ace and Blue Monsoon peaked their heads out from behind an alleyway, both holding what appears to be giant water cannons in their hooves.

“Recognize that place?” Ace asked, holding his water cannon close.

“Sprout Cloverleaf's home, where we swiped his bath supplies,” Blue Monsoon said.

“What do you say we go for broke,” Ace asked.

“Lead the way, hombre,” Blue Monsoon said.

Inside the house, Spike and Abigail opened the front door and made their way inside, following the sound of Sprout Cloverleaf's crying.

“Sprout,” Spike yelled. “Sprout, are you okay?”

As Spike and Abigail made their way into the bedroom, they saw Sprout Cloverleaf on the floor next to his smaller closet, crying his eyes out.

“Sprout,” Spike said as he and Abigail ran up to him. “What happened?”

“They,” Sprout cried. “They took it all. My shampoo, my conditioner, my body wash, all of it.”

Sprout cried even louder as tears ran down his cheek. He slammed his face on the floor, allowing his tears to stand the wood.

“Poor Sprout,” Abigail said. “To think, someone nasty would pull a stunt like that.”

“You're right on that,” Spike said. “Unfortunately, I can only think of one pony who could pull that stunt: Suri Polomare.”

Spike wasted no time turning to Abigail Albright in a hurry.

“Abby,” Spike said. “Head back to the party and tell the princesses about Sprout's plight and what Suri might be planning.”

“Roger roger,” Abigail said.

But before Abigail could turn around, a powerful stream of water hit the kitty cat, knocking her aside and catching Spike and Sprout's attention.

“ABBY!” Spike shouted.

As Abigail struggled to get up, Spike and Sprout turned to the bedroom entrance, where they spot Ace and Blue Monsoon blocking the way out, all while they were armed with water cannons.

“There's no way you three are leaving here,” Ace said.

“Yeah,” Blue Monsoon said. “Not without a little escort.”

Enraged, Spike the Dragon breathed in before spewing a stream of green fire right at Ace and Blue Monsoon. But the duo react by firing each a powerful stream of water, pushing back against the fire.

“Why don't you chill out?” Blur Monsoon laughed.

The strength of both water streams picked up as it pushed back against Spike's fire, who struggled to push it back. With one press of the trigger, Ace and Blur Monsoon push the water stream even harder, colliding with Spike and knocking him into Sprout. Spike's Dragon fire went out as he and Sprout landed next to Abigail.

As Spike, Abigail and Sprout struggled to pick themselves up, Ace and Blue Monsoon stood over the three, pointing their water cannons at them.

“Now are you going to come with us, or do we have to rough you up even further?” Ace said.

The only thing Spike, Abigail and Sprout could do was to raise their arms up in horror.

Meanwhile, nearly everyone was gathered around a table, where a variety of fruits, vegetables and bread lay on top of the surface. Tirek and Amadeus looked down at the food on their plate with an odd look. Sitting next to them were Cozy Glow, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer and Wanda Young. On Cozy Glow's plate were three black bean tacos, one of which had a bite in it.

“You guys alright?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “Do you need any help?”

“No, that won't be necessary,” Tirek said.

Tirek picked up the fork next to his plate and dug it into the salad. He picked the pieces of vegetables before eating it, pulling the fork out. Tirek chewed the food slowly before swallowing.

“Hmm, not bad,” Tirek said. “But it's lacking that obvious ingredient.”

“I know what you mean,” Twilight said. “But we're not that kind of species.”

“That's okay,” Amadeus said. “I have a distant cousin who doesn't eat meat due to digestive issues. We chose to respect his diet and make a feast for him that he enjoyed.”

“Well speaking of which,” Queen Haven said. “There is a particular dish that is popular with the pegasi of Zephyr Heights.”

Queen Haven clapped her hooves together, summoning a pair of pegasi guards with a large covered dish. They placed the dish on the table before one of them opened the lid. Inside was a concoction consisted of chickpeas, onions, bell peppers, small bits of pepper flakes and pineapple all in a yellow-orangish sauce. A large, wooden spoon was in the dish meant to serve the food to those eating at the table.

“What is that?” Amadeus asked.

“It’s called….curry,” Queen Haven said. “Try some. You’ll like it.”

Tirek picked the spoon from the curry dish and placed some of it on his plate before he served Amadeus with the same amount. They both looked down at their plates before picking up their forks and digging into the curry, lifting it to their mouths and taking a bite. As the duo chewed, everyone else watched on, especially Queen Haven, who waited anxiously in anticipation..

Tirek and Amadeus’s face started to turn red for a moment as they swallowed the curry. They wiped the sweat from their brow before turning to Queen Haven.

“Wow,” Tirek said. “I thought I couldn’t find anything that would satisfy my taste buds. But that was impressive.”

“I’ll say,” Amadeus said. “I don’t know what this seasoning is. But I like it.”

“Oh than you,” Queen Haven said. “I was hoping someone outside of Zephyr Heights and New Ponyville would be able to try my curry out.”

“Your majesty,” Yukon Cornelius laughed. “Everyone knows that Zephyr Heights curry is the best curry in the whole world. Even jolly ol Saint Nick eats it every once in a while.”

“Who’s St. Nick?” Tirek asked.

Before anyone could answer, Cozy Glow took a bite of curry for a bit. And in an instant, fire came right out of her mouth for the moment.

“WOAH!” Cozy Glow yelled. “I am not used to spicy foods. But this is delicious.”

“What did I tell ya?” Queen Haven said. “Curry can be a favorite food for anyone.”

“She’s right,” Wanda said. “In fact, curry happens to be my favorite food of all time.”

“It…it is?” Amadeus said, his face blushing red.

As Wanda looked at Amadeus’s face, the younger humanoid brother of Tirek turned his head away awkwardly.

“You alright?” Wanda asked. “I’ve never seen anyone act like that.”

“Ye..yeah,” Amadeus said as he slowly turned back towards Wanda. “I’m…alright.”

“Are you running a fever or something?” Wanda asked.

“Uhh…yeah,” Amadeus said, his tone even more nervous. “I…must be…coming down with something.”

But as Wanda confusingly looked at Amadeus, the only thing Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer and Sunny Starscout could do was giggle.

“I haven’t seen Wanda like that at all,” Sunset said. “I think that Amadeus fellow might be…twitterpated.”

“You think they might make a cute couple?” Sunny Starscout asked. “I could see them go on a date, or even marry.”

“Oh please,” Twilight laughed. “If I know Wanda, she’s not one who likes to go on a date.”

“Are you really sure about that, Twilight?” Sunny Starscout asked.

“Not just Twilight,” Sunset Shimmer responded. “Myself as well. Wanda’s not the kind of girl who would date anyone. She likes to focus a lot on her responsibilities.”

“So she doesn’t have time to elope?” Sunny asked.

“Nope,” Twilight Sparkle said before she started to look around. “On a side note, how long has Spike been away?”

“Wanda told you about what Spike was gonna do?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Actually, Sunny told me about it,” Twilight responded. “It’s about Starlight Glimmer, Posey Bloom and Sprout Cloverleaf. They haven’t shown up at all. So Spike volunteered to go look for them. But at the same time, I realized Abigail had also gone missing.”

“I think she might have seen where Spike was going and decided to help him,” Sunset Shimmer responded as she got out of her seat. “And since neither of them have returned, I think something bad happened to them.”

But before Sunset Shimmer was about to flap her wings, Twilight Sparkle stopped her.

“Sunset, wait,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Twilight,” Sunset Shimmer responded. “I know you want me to celebrate. But right now, I have to see if Spike and Abigail are alright. After all, every friend deserves to celebrate the holidays. And I do mean every friend.”

Twilight Sparkle slowly pulled herself away as Sunset Shimmer flapped her wings and ascended upwards. As Twilight stood there, Pinkie Pie and Rarity tried to get the lavender alicorn’s attention.

“Twi, darling,” Rarity said. “Are you okay, darling?”

“No,” Twilight said. “I think something bad is going to happen.”

“I think it’s because Suri Polomare and her goons are going to launch an ambush on our party, they’re holding Starlight, Posey, Sprout, Spike and Abigail captive, and they’re going to lure Sunset Shimmer into a trap,” Pinkie Pie said.

But those words caused Twilight Sparkle’s eyes to shrink down.

“Oh no,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I’ve got to help her.”

Before Rarity and Pinkie Pie could say anything, Twilight Sparkle flapped her wings and chased after Sunset Shimmer, leaving everyone else behind.

“Teacher,” Sunny Starscout said. “Teacher, where are you going?”

“Pinkie,” Rarity said, glaring at the pink pony. “What were you thinking in saying that? Now even Twilight Sparkle’s worried, and you know how she dives into her Twilinanas attitude.”

“Ehh heh heh, oops,” Pinkie Pie said.

But up above on the rooftops, Sunset Shimmer landed right on one of them and began to look around the vicinity of the town.

“Come on, Spike,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Where are you? We all miss you and Abby.”

But as Sunset’s eyes scanned the town, she was quick to notice the little dragon tied up alongside Abigail, next to her were Sprout Cloverleaf, Starlight Glimmer and Posey Bloom, also tied up. There, she spotted multiple cannons aimed downwards at the town, filled to the brim with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, poinsettias, cakes, cookies, pies and gifts.

“Spike, Abby,” Sunset Shimmer said.

Before Sunset Shimmer flapped her wings, Twilight Sparkle landed in front of her.

“Twilight?” Sunset said. “What’s going on?”

“Shhh,” Twilight hushed. “Pinkie informed me that it could be a trap set by Suri Polomare.”

“A trap?” Sunset Shimmer said. “You mean, she was anticipating that I would go to their rescue?”

“That’s her Pinkie sense in a nutshell,” Twilight Sparkle said before turning her head towards Spike and the others. “But that being said, we need to figure out a way to break them free and sabotage Suri’s plan.”

As Sunset looked back at the top of the roof where Spike, Abigail, Sprout, Starlight and Posey were gagged next to the cannons, her face turned from serious to confused.

“Something’s not right,” Sunset Shimmer said. “If that’s where Spike and the others are, along with Suri Polomare’s plan, then where is Suri Polomare and her stooges?”

“That’s a good question,” Twilight Sparkle said, unaware of three shadows that were lurking behind them. “It’s like she’s making this too easy.”

“Oh that’s an understatement, Sparkle Spangle.” But before Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer turned around, the alicorn duo were hit with three powerful streams of water. The blast was enough to send them flying off the roof they were on, out of control until they crashed right next to Spike, Abigail, Sprout, Starlight and Posey.

“Uggh,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Was that…Suri?”

As Sunset and Twilight slowly got up, they saw Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon leap across the building to their position, and proceeded to point the water cannons in their faces. Spike, Abigail, Sprout, Starlight and Posey tried to speak, but barely anything came from their gagged mouths.

“Suri Polomare,” Twilight Sparkle groaned. “You knew we were going to come up and rescue them, weren’t you?”

“Of course we were,” Suri Polomare said. “Regardless if you pulled a reckless or cautious plan, you two fell right into my trap.”

“Trap?” Sunset Shimmer said. “What…trap are you…planning?”

“One that will ruin the holidays in New Ponyville…for GOOD!” Suri Polomare said. “And a message to send to those who reversed my ban from this place: Never underestimate the power of Suri Polomare.”

Suri turned to Ace and Blue Monsoon before signaling to the duo.

“Get ready to launch them at the tables,” Suri Polomare said. “Operation Christmas Crasher comes into play.”

“With pleasure,” Ace said.

But back down at the table, Sparky Sparkaroni was busy enjoying his bowl of curry with Hitch Trailblazer sitting right next to him.

“You enjoy that stuff, do you?” Hitch asked.

Sparky responded with a cheerful squee, causing Hitch to laugh.

“That’s the spirit, Sparky,” Hitch said. “Enjoy your food.”

Nearby, as Sunny Starscout began to worry, Rarity slowly ate her food while Pinkie Pie sat back with an embarrassed look on her face.

“Sunny, darling,” Rarity said. “Still worried about Twilight and Sunset?”

“I am,” Sunny Starscout said. “I think they’re going to end up like Spike and the others.”

“Oh I don’t think so,” Rarity said before turning to Pinkie Pie. “Unlike some ponies, at least I know I have confidence in others.”

As Pinkie Pie turned her head away in shame, she noticed Minty walking up to her at a frantic pace.

“Minty?” Pinkie Pie said. “What’s going on?”

“I went to check your bake shop to pull out the dessert like you said,” Minty said. “And they’re all gone.”

“ALL GONE?” Pinkie Pie shouted. “BUT I BAKED ALL OF THOSE GOODIES THIS MORNING FOR TONIGHT’S PARTY! THAT CAN’T BE RIGHT! WHO WOULD EAT ALL THAT IN ONE SITTING?”

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie felt a hoof tap at her shoulder. She turned around to see Izzy Moonbow point her hoof at the roof.

“Maybe Suri Polomare may have something to do with it,” Izzy Moonbow said. “And I think everyone may want to move out of the way.”

Everyone sitting at the table was quick to look up at the roof to see a number of cannons pointed at them. Seven of them had Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, Spike the Dragon, Abigail Albright, Posey Bloom and Sprout Cloverleaf sticking out from the barrel, staring down at the town in fear. Even Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus were shocked by the presence of the cannons.

“What in King Vorak’s name is going on?” Tirek shouted. “What kind of surprise is this?”

“Surprise? Oh it’s far worse than that.” Tirek looked to the right of the cannon Starlight Glimmer was in to see Suri Polomare walk up to the end of the building. “In fact, it’s the day Christmas is forever cancelled in New Ponyville.”

“WHO ARE YOU?” Tirek shouted. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING WITH THAT?”

“Oh, I am your worst nightmare,” Suri Polomare said. “Tirek is it? Here’s my Christmas gift that you will never forget.”

As soon as Suri Polomare ducked her head away, the cannons with the seven stuffed inside fired right at the table. Twilight, Sunset, Spike, Starlight, Abigail, Posey and Sprout screamed really loud before crashing into the table, leaving wrecked presents, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, cakes, cookies, pies, brownies, socks and poinsettias scattered on the surface. Everyone was horrified to see the seven laying on the table, tied up and gagged.

“SPIKE! ABIGAIL!” Wanda screamed as she picked up both the little dragon and cat. “WHAT HAPPENED?”

Wanda quickly ripped the tape off of Spike and Abigail’s mouths, who screamed for a moment before turning to Wanda.

“Suri Polomare did this for one reason,” Spike said. “To ruin Christmas for all of us.”

Before Wanda could say anything, more cannons fired down right at the guests. Everyone, every bit of food, and every decoration was covered in shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Socks flew around and fell right into the food. Broken gifts scattered across the broken table. The dessert landed right in various ponies’s faces. Petals of the poinsettias floated down slowly, topping the mess made from the cannons.

“MY EYES!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she covered her face.

“WHAT IN THE NAME OF MEGAN WILLIAMS IS GOING ON?” Danged Spell shouted as he wiped the shampoo off his face.

Danged Spell turned to see a horrified Golden Lace stand there as another cannon fired its payload. Immediately, the stallion ran towards Golden Lace and leaped in front of her.

“SPELL!” Golden Lace yelled.

SPLAT!!!

In an instant, Danged Spell was hit by a batch of conditioner, with some parts flying off of him and hitting Golden Lace in the face. Danged Spell collapsed to the ground while Golden Lace held her face.

“I CAN’T SEE!” Golden Lace cried.

As Starlight Glimmer struggled to break free from her bindings, Sunburst and Moondancer ran up to the twin-tailed mare and began to break the rope. Moondancer was quick to rip the tape off her muzzle, causing her to scream for a moment before she broke down into tears. Sunburst and Moondancer were quick to shield Starlight Glimmer with their bodies, taking the hit from the cannon’s soapy ammo.

“This is my fault,” Starlight cried. “If I haven’t helped Posey go after Suri Polomare, I…”

“It’s not your fault,” Sunburst said, placing his hoof on Starlight’s mouth.

“He’s right,” Moondancer said. “Suri Polomare did this for her own amusement. It’s not your fault that this happened.”

As the ponies screamed in horror, more and more of the soapy ammo hit them and knocked them down. Queen Haven, who was knocked down by a ruined cake, tried to get up, only to slip and fall down.

“MOM!” Pipp and Zipp yelled as they ran up to Queen Haven.

But before the sisterly duo could reach Queen Haven, they were hit by a clumpy of soapy socks, knocking them to the ground. Queen Haven stared in disbelief as her daughters were pelted even more with soapy socks.

“PIPP! ZIPP!” Queen Haven screamed. “NOT MY BABIES!”

But as the ponies were sitting ducks to the cannons, one pointed to a helpless Cozy Glow, who could only look up in fear.

“I GOT YOUR BACK, SISTER!” Amadeus said, shielding Cozy Glow.

A present was shot out of the cannon right towards Amadeus, who turned away and closed his eyes. But in an instant, Tirek leaped in front of his little brother, and took the gift right in the face. Upon hearing his older brother’s grunting, Amadeus looked up at Tirek.

“BROTHER!” Amadeus shouted. “NOOOO!”

The impact of the gift was enough to cause Tirek to lose his footing and fall towards the ground. Amadeus wasted no time grabbing Cozy Glow and leaping out of the way, just as Tirek hit the ground hard. The present landed right next to Tirek, with his name on the nametag.

The cannons continued to fire as fast as possible. Ponies like Fluttershy, Izzy Moonbow, Thistle Whistle and Star Catcher were badly affected by either the soap, dessert, socks or wrecked gifts. Even Yukon Cornelius and Dr Hermey were pelted by the makeshift ammo.

“Hermey,” Yukon said. “Were any of the elves this cruel?”

“No,” Hermey said. “They were cruel. But never on this level.”

It didn’t take long for the firing of the cannons to stop. Everyone peeked their heads out to see what was left of the festival. The table was smashed to pieces. The food, both dinner and dessert, were ruined. Decorations were shattered to pieces or knocked off their position. Even the Christmas Tree was covered in shampoo and conditioner.

An injured Fluttershy walked up to Sprout and Posey before ripping the tape off their mouths and pulling the rope off so they could move and speak again. Sprout and Posey looked at the mess around them, including what’s left of the soapy products and the poinsettias.

“My Shampoo…my conditioner….” Sprout cried.

“All my poinsettias….gone,” Posey teared up.

Immediately, Sprout and Posey grabbed each other before crying out loud, much to Fluttershy’s despair.

“Poor Sprout and Posey,” Fluttershy cried. “The stuff they cared for the most is gone.”

Tirek slowly picked himself up as Amadeus and Cozy Glow did the same thing. They looked around and saw the mess that was made. Amadeus looked down and saw the wrecked gift with Tirek’s name on the tag.

“I don’t…believe it,” Amadeus said. “Their Christmas is…ruined.”

Tirek yelled loudly in the air as he thrusted his arms upwards in frustration.

“I HAVE NEVER FELT THIS HUMILIATED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!” Tirek shouted. “FIRST WE LOSE OUR PARENTS, AND NOW OUR SECOND CHANCE WAS RUINED COMPLETELY! I HATE CHRISTMAS! I HATE THE GREAT CENTAURIAN FEAST! I HATE ALL OF THE HOLIDAYS! THEY BRING NOTHING BUT BAD LUCK!”

Tirek turned to his right and ran off into the distance, leaving Amadeus and Cozy Glow behind.

“BROTHER WAIT!” Amadeus said as he began pursuit of Cozy Glow. “THIS ISN’T THEIR FAULT!”

As Tirek ran off crying, Amadeus and Cozy Glow followed in pursuit, leaving everyone else behind. Sunny Starscout and Wanda Young watched the trio run towards the entrance before disappearing. Abigail remained in Wanda’s arms while Spike stood by Sunny and Wanda.

“All that hard work…and it’s gone,” Wanda said.

“I know,” Sunny Starscout said. “And now, I’ve lost faith in Christmas as well. What’s the point of all this if someone could easily break Christmas this badly?”

But Wanda felt a tap on her leg. She turned around to see Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer slowly get up as Misty Brightdawn, Applejack and Izzy Moonbow removed the rope and tape from them. Twilight shrugged off the tape removed from her muzzle before turning to Wanda.

“Go comfort them,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“But…” Wanda said.

“Trust me,” Twilight said before turning her attention to the cannons. “After what Suri Polomare did, those three need all the comfort they can get.”

Wanda nodded as she, Sunny Starscout, Spike the Dragon and Abigail Albright followed Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus.

“Poor Tirek,” Misty Brightdawn said. “One moment he was having the night of his life. The next moment, it was ruined by that meanie Suri Polomare.”

“Then it’s time we make remind them what real friendship is all about,” Izzy Moonbow said, putting her hoof on Misty’s shoulder. “We should go help them.”

As Misty turned to her right to face Izzy Moonbow, she noticed Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm slowly get up with their mother Queen Haven next to them.

“Pipp. Zipp,” Misty shouted. “Are you alright?”

“Bruised, but we’re fine,” Zipp Storm said. “But I heard what happened to Tirek. We all did.”

“Poor centaur,” Pipp said. “I wish nothing like this happened. They deserved better.”

“Then you must go with them,” Queen Haven said. “We’ll clean up and try to set up a better party for all of us.”

“Are you going to be alright, mom?” Pipp Petals asked.

“I will,” Queen Haven said before giving Pipp and Zipp a hug. “Now go.”

As Pipp and Zipp nodded to their mother before running towards Izzy and Misty, Sparky Sparkaroni jumped on Hitch’s back and went after them in pursuit. Starlight Glimmer, despite her injuries, also followed Hitch, much to Sunburst and Moondancer’s concern.

“Starlight,” Sunset shouted. “Are you going to be okay?”

]

“I will,” Starlight said. “Someone needs some help this badly.”

“Be careful,” Moondancer shouted. “Be very careful.”

As soon as Pipp, Zipp, Hitch with Sprout and Starlight approached Izzy and Misty, the two unicorns nodded to the rest of the group and directed their attention where Sunny, Wanda, Spike and Abigail ran up.

“Come on,” Izzy Moonbow said. “Let’s make sure a centaur’s faith in Christmas is renewed.”

With that, Izzy Moonbow, Misty Brightdawn, Hitch Trailblazer with Sparky Sparkaroni on his back, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm and Starlight Glimmer ran after Sunny Starscout, Wanda Young, Spike the Dragon and Abigail Albright, leaving Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer behind.

“Good luck, everyone,” Twilight Sparkle said.

But outside town, as Izzy Moonbow’s group ran out of the gate and towards the mountains, a familiar centaur and human emerged from the forest, having watched the event play out.

“That was our son,” The wise centaur said. “Something happened to Tirek while he was in New Ponyville.”

“We have to go rescue him, my dear,” The human female said. “For our sons and daughter’s sake.”

The two centaur guards approached the royal duo and saluted them.

“King Vorak, Queen Lillian,” one of the guards said. “What should we do about the ponies of New Ponyville?”

“Nothing,” King Vorak said. “With the exception of three that I saw on the roof, this is not their fault. Tirek was trying to fit in with their Christmas and those three chose to ruin it for their own amusement. Right now, our children need their parents more than ever to remind them not to lose faith. Now let’s go.”

The guards nodded to King Vorak and Queen Lillian before they pursued Izzy Moonbow’s group. Behind them flew what appeared to be pegasi, looking as if they were free as a bird. But as they disappeared towards the mountains, the sound of a deep, threatening voice boomed in the land.

“Curse New Ponyville,” the voice shouted. “They stopped my earthquake once and the power of my obsidian spikes. But I will make sure their home is ravaged, just like with Zephyr Heights and Centauria. So are the words of me: Lavan: King of the Underworld, arch enemy of Megan Williams and Scorpan, and the bane of civilization.

To Be Continued.

Author's Note

This was the part I really enjoyed writing because it showed how nasty Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon truly are, and how they ruined Christmas in New Ponyville. A really despicable sight. But hey, I'll make sure they get their come uppance.

If you're lucky, I may have Part 8 out by tomorrow. If not, I'll see you on December 24th.

Hope for the Holidays Part 8

The streets of New Ponyville were a wreck. The center table that once hosted the food for the feast were ruined. Damaged gifts and desserts litter the streets. Saddened ponies picked up the gunk from the ground and placed it in the trash. Some looked extremely frustrated.

Nearby, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and their friends struggled to clean up the mess made by Suri Polomare. Progress had been going slow thanks to how bad the mess was, and both alicorns looked frustrated.

“Twilight,” Pinkie Pie said. “Are you alright?”

“No, I'm not,” Twilight Sparkle sighed. “If it weren't for that blasted Suri Polomare, we would have been good friends with a Centaur, much less the son of King Vorak and his siblings.”

“Speaking of which, where is that no-good troublemaker?” Rarity said. “I ought to slug her for that stunt she pulled.”

“Thistle Whistle and Star Catcher are out looking for her and those two clown accomplices,” Rainbow Dash said. “And boy do I hope we give her a punishment she won't forget.”

Sunset Shimmer sighed for a moment before placing her broom to the side and turning towards the others.

“This is my fault,” Sunset said. “If I weren't so worried about Spike's well-being, we wouldn't have been in this mess.”

“Ir's not your fault, Sunset,” Twilight Sparkle said. “If you should blame any pony, it's Suri Polomare. I mean, take a look at Sprout and Posey.”

Twilight Sparkle pointed Sunset Shimmer to a nearby sidewalk, where Sprout and Posey were struggling to clean up the mess with sad looks on their faces.

“Thrmey suffered through a whole lot today,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “Sprout because of his shampoo, conditioner and body wash, and Posey because of her poinsettias.”

“Even they didn't deserve that humiliation,” Sunset said, holding her broom tight. “I'm going to go help them out.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded before Sunset Shimmer walked up to Posey and Sprout, still struggling to pick up the mess. As Sunset reached her left hoof out, Posey and Sprout turned to her.

“I thought you could use some help,” Sunset Shimmer.

Posey and Sprout said nothing before they reached out and gave Sunset Shimmer a somber hug for only a moment. Once they let go of the alicorn, the three ponies went back to cleaning up the mess.

Nearby, Twilight Sparkle and her friends watched the trio clean up the mess, all while noticing somber smiles on Sprout and Posey's faces.

“Sunset should be proud of leading all these ponies,” Applejack said. “And that goes the same for Wanda and you, Twilight.”

“Thanks, Applejack,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It's true that life as New Ponyville’ three rulers is harsh. But we do what we can so that no pony is left behind.”

“Yeah,” Danged Spell said. “Unless you're a real party crasher.”

“Danged Spell,” the other ponies shouted before they laughed.

“I had to,” Danged Spell said as he scrubbed the streets. “Just because we're down in the dumps doesn't mean our attitudes don't have to be trashed.”

As the other ponies laughed as Danged Spell's puns, Fluttershy and Moondancer were quick to notice Queen Haven approaching them. Moondancer waved to Queen Haven while Fluttershy turned to the others.

“Guys,” Fluttershy said. “Queen Haven is on her way.”

Everyone turned to face Queen Haven, who slowly walked up to the princesses with only a couple of guards by her side.

“Your majesty,” Twilight Sparkle said. “You alright?”

“Part of me says yes and part of me says no,” Queen Haven said. “I know I let my girls go to cheer up Tirek, Amadeus and especially Cozy Glow. But now, I'm worried about their well-being.”

“It's okay, your majesty,” Moondancer said. “They're in good hooves, or rather good hands, with Princess Wanda. She'll look after them, along with the rest of her friends.”

“I know,” Queen Haven said. “But I can't shake this odd feeling, like I'm putting them in danger.”

“Danger? Hah!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew above the rest of the group. “If anything happens, I'll rescue your daughters, your majesty. Especially Pipp Petals.”

“Easy Rainbow,” Applejack said as she threw a lasso at the leader of the Wonderbolts and pulled her back down. “The last thing we need is for you to put your life in danger.”

“Oh come on, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash said, struggling to pull the rope off her. “You heard what Queen Havrn said, and I want to help her out.”

“Applejack's right,” Sunburst said. “Thr last thing we need is the Wonderbolt's star captain to get herself lost in the forest. After all, who knows what might happen.”

But as soon as Sunburst finished speaking, the other ponies were quick to notice a panicking Thistle Whistle and Star Seeker fly down to their level.

“Thistle, Seeker,” Rainbow Dash said. “Did you find Suri Polomare and her stooges?”

“No,” Thistle Whistle said with a Whistle. “We found worse.”

“Worse?” Twilight Sparkle said. “What do you mean worse?”

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and any pony who was on four hooves collapsed and fell on the street.

“That worse,” Star Seeker said. “In fact, that's just a small sample of what's going on outside the gates.”

“Star Seeker,” Rainbow Dash said as she pulled the rope off her. “How bad is the earthquake outside the town's boundaries?”

“Far severe,” Star Seeker said. “It's like it wants to swallow up this town as hard as possible.”

Twilight Sparkle and Queen Haven picked themselves up bfore turning to the rest of the ponies.

“Get everyone into the shelters,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Let's hope the earthquake resilience systems will hold up.”

“Aye are, princess,” Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy said.

As Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy ran off in another direction, Twilight turned to face the rest of her friends.

“Okay, everyone,” Twilight Sparkle said. “What’s the worst thing that can happen?”

“When we said it was worse, that was an understatement,” Thustle Whistle said with a whistle. “There is something emerging from the south near the shore.”

Twilight Sparkle paused for a moment as her eyes shrunk down. Sunset, Posey and Sprout ran up to Twilight, also in a state of panic.

“Twilight,” Sunset said. “What’s going on?”

“That’s no earthquake,” Twilight said. “I think that’s none other than…..King Lavan.”

At the gate of New Ponyville leading South, Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon ran as fast as they could past the archway, feeling the effects of the small quake.

“Aren't we going to stay and hide from this quake?” Ace said.

“NO!” Suri shouted. “”We'll be safe out there while they suffer in there.”

“I don't like this, boss,” Blue Monsoon said, looking all around her.

“If you don't like it, you can just stay,” Suri shouted. “Now come on.”

But as the trio made their way past the gate archway, they felt the shaking of the earth become more violent.

“What's going on?” Ace said. “Why is the ground shaking harder?”

“Just keep running, you fools,” Suri shouted. “The sooner we're far away from town, the better.”

But as they were only a small distance from New Ponyville, the trio came to a stop as they looked up at what appears to be a new forming volcano.

“What in the world?” Blue Monsoon shouted?

“Forget what I said and RUN BACK!” Suri Polomare shouted.

Suri, Ace and Monsoon turned tail and ran back towards the gate leading into New Ponyville, just as the volcano dwarfed over the town.

“What do we do, boss?” Ace asked.

“Hunker down until it clears over,” Suri said. “Thrn make a run for it.”

“Good idea,” Blue Monsoon said.

As the trio made their way back through the gate, a being made of rock and magma emerged from the volcano and roared loudly. He leaped from the top of the volcano and landed right on the ground, melting the snow around him.

But up in the sky, a sleight with nine reindeer, one of which with a shiny red nose, flew over the town. Santa Claus emerged from his sleigh and looked down at the monster made of rock and magma before turning to his reindeer.

“This is worse than I thought, boys,” Santa Claus said. “That's King Lavan.”

“King Lavan?” Comet said, freaking out. “But didn't Megan Williams and her heroes defeat that beast?”

“She did” Santa explained. “But it appears Lavan broke free of his prison.”

“Santa,” Rudolph shouted, with his eyes focused on the mountains. “My eyes spy some centaurs making their way up to some kind of summit, and there are pegasi following them.”

Santa Claus looked down at the mountain area, where he saw the centaur and pegasi making their way up with what appeared to be King Vorak and Queen Lillian leading the group. When he looked up near the summit cave, he saw Wanda Young, Starlight Glimmer, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer, Misty Brightdawn, Abigail Albright, Spike the Dragon and Sparky Sparkaroni near the top.

“You're right on that,” Santa said. “But we also spotted our friends from last year.”

“What should we do, Santa?” Donner asked.

“We need to get their attention to King Lavan and find a way to seal him away once more,” Santa said before turning his attention to Rudolph. “Rudolph, are you ready?”

“Say the word, Santa,” Rudolph said.

“Okay, Rudolph,” Santa Claus said. “Full Power.”

Rudolph and the other reindeer pulled Santa's sleigh as they made their way to the mountain top.

Meanwhile, Tirek sat alone in the cave on the summit of the mountain, surrounded by gold, artifacts and the Staff of Sacanas. The spit that once roasted the very meat was bare as the food laid on the floor. Tirek let out a sigh as he closed his eyes, facing away from one end of the cave where the moon shined down

“Tirek?” A voice said, sounding like Amadeus.

“Go away,” Tirek snarled. “I’m not interested in any form of friendship.”

“Is that any way to treat your brother?” Amadeus said.

“I have no brother, and I have no family,” Tirek said. “And I just want to be left alone for the rest of my life.”

“You do have a brother,” Amadeus said as he made his way into the cave with Cozy Glow by his side. “What happened was not your fault. It was because of one pony that….”

“AND THAT IS WHY I DON’T WANT TO TRUST ANYONE AGAIN!” Tirek shouted as she turned towards Amadeus and Cozy Glow.

The rumble of Tirek’s words were enough to cause Cozy Glow to hide behind Amadeus, who stood there unfazed.

“Tirek,” Amadeus said. “This ain’t my first rodeo with your anxieties.”

“Oh for crying out loud, can’t you read the room?” Tirek said. “Mother and father are gone, we tried to make friends with those little ponies, and one of them chose to make a monkey out of me.”

“That one made a monkey out of all of us, even our new friends,” Amadeus said. “It’s not their fault that they got caught up in this one’s trap.”

“So what?” Tirek shouted. “What’s the point in being friends with everyone when fate chooses to look down at you with a smug smile on their face?”

Tirek turned away from Amadeus and sat there with a disgruntled look on his face for only a moment as Amadeus stood there with Cozy Glow hiding behind her second oldest brother’s legs. Tirek slowly turned back to Amadeus to see him stand there.

“Are you just going to stay there and just stare at me?” Tirek asked.

“Yes,” Amadeus said. “Nothing’s gonna hold me back. Besides, I’ve withstood a punch from you before. Remember?”

Tirek thought long and hard about Amadeus’ words before turning back towards him.

“It was because I accidentally punched you,” Tirek said.

“Yeah,” Amadeus said. “It hurt, but I was alright.”

“Stubborn as always, Scorpan,” Tirek said. “You don’t know when to quit, and that’s what I like about you.”

As Tirek turned to fully face Amadeus, the younger brother and Cozy Glow looked up at the centaur.

“Should we go tell the ponies of New Ponyville that this wasn’t working out at all?” Amadeus asked.

“That won’t be necessary.” Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus turned to the entrance where Wanda Young, Sunny Starscout, Spike the Dragon, Abigail Albright, Izzy Moonbow, Hitch Trailblazer, Sparky Sparkaroni, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Misty Brightdawn and Starlight Glimmer approached the trio. Tirek slowly turned away in disgust.

“What do you want?” Tirek snarled.

“To issue an apology for what happened tonight,” Wanda explained.

“Apology?” Tirek said. “After what happened where I got humiliated?”

“We all got humiliated,” Sunny Starscout said. “No one was spared Suri Polomare’s prank. And because of her, Christmas is ruined.”

“She’s right,” Hitch said, stomping his hoof right into the ground. “We’re all frustrated because of what she did. And when I get my hooves on her, I will make her wish she never crossed all of us.”

Sparky Sparkaroni jumped up and down in frustration, mimicking Hitch’s stomping of his hooves. Tirek looked down and began to chuckle a bit.

“That…that’s actually funny,” Tirek laughed. “Reminds me of my younger days when I used to throw plenty of temper tantrums.”

“You?” Izzy asked. “You use to throw temper tantrums?”

“A whole lot,” Tirek said. “Back when I was a kid, I was one of the most spoiled centaurs of Centauria. Didn’t realize how resilient my father was in raising me into who I am. But now…he’s gone along with mother.”

“And you don’t need to apologize to us, Wanda,” Amadeus said, looking into her eyes. “Something about you says that you share a sign of sympathy towards us after what we’ve been through.”

Amadeus stepped aside as Cozy Glow walked up to the rest of the ponies. Starlight approached the curly-maned filly before rubbing her on the head.

“Hey there, little one,” Starlight said. “Wanna be friends?”

“But I got to know you early ago,” Cozy Glow said.

“I know,” Starlight Glimmer said. “But I always wanted to say that.”

“You’re silly,” Cozy Glow giggled.

Cozy Glow pulled out the sack of gold from her belt and threw it down next to Starlight Glimmer.

“Here,” Cozy Glow said. “If you want to get supplies to make a new Christmas party, you’re free to do so.”

“Cozy,” Starlight said, picking up the bag. “You don’t need to do this.”

“But you had one of the best Christmas Parties before that meanie Suri Polomare ruined it,” Cozy Glow said. “You deserve a better Christmas.”

“I…I don’t know what to say,” Starlight said. “Thanks, Cozy Glow.”

As Starlight Glimmer placed the bag of gold down, Cozy Glow ran up and gave Starlight Glimmer a hug.

“You’re welcome, friend,” Starlight Glimmer said.

“Aww,” Pipp Petals said. “They’re so cute together.”

“They are,” Wanda said before turning to Tirek. “Which brings me to this question. Would it be alright if we stayed with you for the moment?”

Tirek slowly turned his head back before he said “I don’t know. After what happened, I….”

“I know how you feel,” Wanda said. “Yes the same thing happened to me as it did you. But had I been in your hooves, I would have done the same and isolated myself from the world. Sometimes, it is cruel.”

“You’ve been down that path before?” Tirek asked.

“I have,” Wanda said. “I once had a biological mother like you once did. My last memories of her were when my adopted mother, Princess Celestia, took me away from her to keep me safe from an evil sorcerer named Serpentor.”

“How bad was it?” Tirek asked.

“Horrible,” Wanda said. “And believe it or not, I used to have magic when I was younger. But Serpentor sealed it away, leaving me helpless. Since then, I felt like a fish out of watch in more ways than one when I was raised in Canterlot by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Now, I have this nanotech that I’ve worked on to serve as my replacement for my magic.”

“That reminds me,” Amadeus asked. “You said your dress was made of nanomachines. Can you show me what you look like without it?”

“For all of you, yes,” Wanda said.

Wanda touched the ring on her right hand and her dress, gloves, socks and shoes glowed bright. Immediately, they peeled away and retreated back into her ring as her body glowed brightly. When the light disappeared and her nanotech was gone, all that was left was a magenta sleeveless leotard.

“That’s your real clothes?” Amadeus asked.

“It is,” Wanda said. “Besides being the base for when I have my dress, or other clothes, formed on me, it also protects me from the extreme heat and cold thanks to the tech I designed. In fact, it’s also waterproof thanks to the material I used, which also doubles as a swimsuit.”

“Nice,” Amadeus said. “I wish I had tech like what you have.”

“If you’re lucky, I might make some for you,” Wanda said.

Looking down at Wanda and Amadeus, Tirek let out a slight chuckle, catching Wanda and Amadeus’ attention.

“What’s so funny, big guy?” Amadeus asked.

“Oh nothing,” Tirek said. “Except I think you two would make a cute couple.

“OH COME ON!” Wanda and Amadeus shouted. “WHAT GIVES YOU THAT IDEA?”

“Well, think about it,” Tirek said. “You both look similar to each other and you’re both the opposite gender. Maybe one day, you both will get married.”

As Tirek let out a laugh, Wanda and Amadeus growled at the giant centaur in frustration.

“I never thought I would see our children in such high spirits, especially after that horrible earthquake back home.” The familiar voice caught Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus off guard. Everyone turned to the entrance, where they saw King Vorak and Queen Lillian.

“Mom, dad,” Tirek said as tears began to roll down his eyes. “You’re both…alive? But…that’s impossible.”

“It’s not, son,” Queen Lillian said. “It will take more than an earthquake to bring down the Centaur, that we can assure you.”

Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow stood there with tears rolling down their cheeks. They ran up to their mother and father before giving them a hug.

“We’ve missed you so much,” Amadeus cried. “You have no idea what we’ve been through.”

“Oh you don’t need to tell us,” Queen Lillian said. “We saw what happened at New Ponyville, and we wanted to at least help you through these hard times.”

“But how did you all get out?” Cozy Glow asked as the three siblings looked at their parents.

“Believe it or not, we were dragged down to a prison made of obsidian stone,” King Vorak said before he flexed his muscles. “Too bad you can’t keep a good centaur down, since we could break through that with ease. But we weren’t the only ones down there.”

“Not the only ones?” Zipp Storm asked as she and Pipp Petals walked up to King Vorak. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“You two must be the princesses of this…Zephyr Heights,” Queen Lillian said. “There are some citizens who are worried about you both. In fact, I think that might be them.”

Pipp and Zipp turned towards the entrance of the cave behind them, and their jaws dropped in delight. A number of pegasi made their way into the cave and approached the duo princesses. As they came to a stop, each pegasi bowed to the Zephyr princesses one by one.

“I…I don’t believe this,” Pipp Petals said. “You’re….all alive?”

“We are, our princesses,” One of the pegasi said. “Had it not been for the centaur that took us, we would have remained prisoners of that horrible creature named Lavan.”

But the moment Wanda, Starlight and Sunny heard the words of that Zephyr Heights pegasus, their eyes popped out.

“Lavan?” Wanda said. “That Lavan? I was hoping we would not have to hear his name in this day and age.”

“Wanda,” Abigail said. “Who is Lavan?”

But before Wanda could speak, King Lavan and Tirek walked up to the human girl before the former cleared his throat.

“That I can explain,” King Vorak said.. “King Lavan of the Underworld is a creature made of earth and magma. He has the power to cause seismic shifts in the land, and pull villages, towns and even cities into his domain. Long ago, the legendary Megan Williams, Gusty the Great, and Scorpan the Wise formed a resistance movement against King Lavan, taking the fight to his subterranean lair.”

“And Scorpan used the Staff of Sacanas to seal away Lavan?” Wanda asked.

“That you’re right on,” King Vorak said, directing his gaze to the Staff of Sacanas. “But it took the magic of Gusty, Megan, and those who aided Scorpan to power the staff and seal away Lavan. They thought the seal would be permanent, but it appears we were wrong. As I speak, the seal on Lavan’s prison was shattered recently, and now he has returned with a vengeance.”

“This is awful,” Sunny Starscout said. “Had it not been for this….Lavan, we wouldn’t have been in the mess we’re all in.”

“That is correct,” King Vorak said before he reached down and picked up Cozy Glow. “Our own sons and daughter wouldn’t have had to suffer had it not been for Lavan.”

“That explained why that earthquake came out of nowhere in Centauria, daddy,” Cozy Glow said.

“And not to mention the pillars of obsidian that popped up afterwards,” Tirek said.

“Where Zephyr Heights used to be, is now nothing more than rubble and obsidian,” a Zephyr Heights guard explained. “Even worse, we lost the gold needed to rebuild our kingdom, our houses. Our only hope was to ensure that our queen and princesses were alright.”

“And alright we are, for now,” Zipp Storm said. “But until this…Lavan is dealt with, rebuilding our kingdom is not a good idea. First, we have to know where this Lavan is.”

“The young princess is right,” King Vorak said. “And I have a feeling it might be aiming its wrath towards New Ponyville.”

King Vorak picked up the Staff of Sacanas and held it in front of Amadeus.

“My youngest son,” King Vorak said. “Tirek gave you the nickname Scorpan after the legendary Scorpan the Wise. But I believe there is more to that nickname than meets the eye. Take the staff. You will wield its power against Lavan.”

“Me?” Amadeus said. “But I've never wielded a staff at all, let alone against this Lavan.”

“Trust me, my son,” King Vorak said. “ I know you will win.”

King Vorak held the staff out in front of Amadeus, opening his fingers up. Amadeus picked up the Staff of Sacanas and held it close to him, observing the crystal planted on top.

“I don't know if I am worthy of wielding the Staff of Sacanas,” Amadeus said. “I know that with great power comes great responsibility. Then question is, will the staff trust me?”

Suddenly, everyone's ears picked up the sound of sleigh bells from outside. Wanda Young and Starlight Glimmer were the first to make their way towards the entrance in a hurry with Spike and Abigail following from behind. Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, Zipp, Hitch, Misty and Sparky followed Wanda from behind with Sunny running alongside Wanda and Starlight.

“Wanda, Starlight,” Sunny said. “What's going on?”

“It's Santa Claus,” Wanda said. “But what's he doing here when he's suppose to make his way around the world at this moment?”

“Beats me,” Spike said. “Must be an emergency of some sort.”

“That's Santa Claus?” Hitch Trailblazer said as Sparky Sparkaroni cheered. “I've never met him before.”

“Neither have I,” Misty Brightdawn said. “But he looks so wonderful.”

As Wanda, Starlight, Spike, Abigail, Sunny and her friends approached the closest entrance, Santa Claus and Rudolph emerged inside, the former letting out a concerned chuckle.

“Santa Claus,” Starlight said. “What's wrong? You look sad.”

“I'm afraid I have bad news,” Santa Claus explained. “King Lavan is attacking New Ponyville as I speak, and everyone is a sitting duck out there. If you don't hurry soon, there mat be nothing left of your beloved town.”

Wanda Young turned to everyone else in the cave and said. “You all heard that? We need to get back to New Ponyville and stop King Lavan. Otherwise, we won't have a home to go to.”

“You can count on me, Princess,” Tirek shouted. “Even if one pony ruined your Christmas, you still deserve a home to return to. That I promise.”

“Thank you, Prince Tirek,” Wanda said. “Now let's move out.”

Touching the ring on her right hand, Wanda glowed brightly as her dress, gloves, socks and shoes formed around her body and leotard. Shortly after, wings formed on her back. Wanda struck a pose as she looked eager to fight.

“Everyone ready?” Wanda asked.

“I'm ready,” Cozy Glow said, cracking her hooves.

“We stand ready as well,” King Vorak said with Queen Lillian by her side.

“I'm ready as well,” Amadeus said, clutching the Staff of Sacanas.

“We stand ready by Princess Pipp and Zipp's side to rescue Queen Haven,” a Zephyr Heights guard shouted.

“Princess Wanda,” Sunny Starscout said. “I'm ready to help rescue Twilight Sparkle and everyone else in New Ponyville.”

“I stand ready to summon Old Man Winter when we arrive,” Santa Claus said.

“And I am ready along with my dad and the other reindeer,” Rudolph said.

“Then follow me,” Wanda shouted. “We bring down King Lavan and save New Ponyville and its citizens.”

Everyone cheered as Wanda Young, Abigail Albright, Starlight Glimmer, Spike the Dragon, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer, Misty Brightdawn, Sparky Sparkaroni, Cozy Glow, Amadeus, Tirek, King Vorak, Queen Lillian, Santa Claus, Rudolph the red-nosed Reindeer, and every centaur and Zephyr Heights pegasi made their way out of the cave and on to New Ponyville, fully aware of the dangers of King Lavan of the Underworld.

To Be Continued

Author's Note

Part of the reason why I chose Lavan to be the real antagonist to the story was all about reintroducing a My Little Pony Generation 1 villain. And one thing's for certain, I plan on going all out with Lavan in Part 9.

The other part? I'm dedicating this to the late James Earl Jones, who voiced the character in the original My Little Pony(Ironic how the voice of Darth Vader and Mufasa would be listed amongst the VAs of Generation 1).

If my next part doesn't come up tomorrow, expect it Christmas Day.

Hope for the Holidays Part 9

“Run in terror, you weak, pathetic fools. You cannot hide from the wrath that is Lavan: King of the Underworld.”

Those words came from the being of stone and magma known as Lavan. He threw balls of lava and rock right at New Ponyville. Buildings crumbled at impact. Streets were smashed. Ponies were running for their lives at the sight of the King of the Underworld and his attacks.

But as Kimg Lavan laughed at the expense of the citizens of New Ponyville, he felt a powerful stream of water hit his side, turning into steam on impact. Unimpressed, Lavan turned to his right to see a few ponies spray him down with a hose.

“Is that suppose to weaken me?” Lavan chortled as he swung his arm back. “DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH!”

With a powerful swing of his arm, Lavan threw a ball of molten rock right at the ponies. Seeing the ball of lava chucked at them, the ponies threw the giant hose down and ran for it. The molten ball hit the hose in a powerful explosion. Moments later, the hose burned up whole the nozzle head melted down.

“Ponies have gotten complacent since Megan and her cronies sealed me away,” King Lavan laughed. “Now I will show them what happens when you let peace dominate your mind.”

Lavan stomped the lip of the volcano, causing it to split open. Emerging were a number of smaller molten creatures that made their way towards the town.

“GO MY CHILDREN!” Lavan commanded. “GO AND TURN THIS TOWN INTO A MOLTEN SLUDGE!”

Deep within New Ponyville, ponies ran for their lives at the sight of King Lavan, whose monstrous laugh filled the air with dread. But as the ponies made a run for it, Yukon Cornelius, Hermey and Minty peeked their heads from behind a building at an alleyway, staring down at the mighty titan of stone and magma.

“What in the name of molars and incisors is that?” Hermey asked.

“I never thought I’d live to see this day,” Yukon explained. “But that is Lavan: King of the Underworld. Old Man Winter told me about how he helped Gusty the Great, Megan Williams and Scorpan the Wise bring down and seal away that abomination. But for some reason, his seal broke off, and now he’s back.”

“Lavan of the Underworld?” Hermey said. “I don’t like him one bit. Even the Head Elf was not as bad as him”

“You shouldn’t,” Yukon Cornelius said. “In fact, I wouldn't even sick the bumble on him. If only we had Old Man Winter and the Staff of Sacanas, we would have a fighting shot against that brute.”

“By any chance, did the Winter Warlock confront this…..Lavan?” Minty asked.

“He did,” Yukon said as he, Minty and Hermey pulled their heads behind the building. “And for a good reason: Lavan is a terrible being with one goal in sight: to capture and enslave every living being to power his kingdom of stone and despair, so that his throne stands as the highest in the world.”

“In other words, he's just a bully that's full of himself,” Hermey said.

“Exactly,” Yukon said.

But when Minty looked down the street, her mane spiked for a moment and her eyes widened in fear. She turned to Yukon before tapping him on his jacket, getting his attention.

“Mr Cornelius,” Minty said. “I think we have a bigger problem.”

As Minty pointed down the street, Yukon and Hermey gasped in horror. An army of small creatures made their way down, leaving burnt marks in the pavement.

“Oh dear,” Hermey said. “What do we do now?”

“We'll have to hide for our own sake,” Yukon sighed. “But only until Santa Claus can summon Old Man Winter.”

Hermey and Minty nodded as they and Yukon Cornelius hid further behind the building, watching as the small lava creatures made their way down the street.

“We're in big trouble,” Minty said. “I hope Santa Claus will be able to save us.”

“He will, Minty,” Hermey said. “He will.”

Further down the street, ponies were running as fast as they could from the lava creatures, screaming loudly into the air. Some ran onto the buildings, only for these creatures to burn down or melt the doors. Some ran down the alleys where they followed the equines. But some, like Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, Moondancer, Sunburst, Danged Spell and Golden Lace, fought back.

“I don't believe it,” Danged Spell whined as he blasted one of the lava creatures with his magic. “First Suri Polomare ruined our Christmas Party, and now this Lavan decided to make things worse.”

“If anything, this is the worst Christmas we've all experienced,” Golden Lace said, blasting more of the lava monsters.

“Keep fighting back,” Twilight Sparkle said. “We just have to hope for reinforcements to arrive.”

“Easy for you to say,” Rarity said, charging up her horn and blasting a few more of the lava creatures. “For every one we obliterate, ten more emerge.”

But in an instant, Harry the Bear ran down the street and past the other ponies in a hurry, just as a few more lava creatures went after him in pursuit.

“Oh no,” Sunset said. “Fluttershy is not going to like that.”

“What can she do to help out?” Sunburst said, blasting a few more lava creatures. “She lacks the magic that we have.”

“I wouldn't bet on that, Sunburst,” Twilight Sparkle said as she pointed to the sky. “Look.”

Sunburst looked up to see Fluttershy fly down towards the lava creatures chasing after Harry the Bear. Before the creatures could reach Harry, Fluttershy landed in front, separating the lava creatures from Harry before glaring at the molten meanies.

“Now you see here you spoiled sentient slags,” Fluttershy roared. “You should be ashamed of tormenting innocent creatures like that. I don't ever want to see your faces in this town again.”

Screaming in fear, the lava creatures turned tail and ran off in the opposite direction, all while Fluttershy stood victorious.

“Never mess with my animal friends,” Fluttershy said.

And with that, Harry picked up Fluttershy and hugged her close, all while the yellow pegasi mare giggled. Nearby, Sunburst shook his head with a devilish grin on his face.

“Of course she would do that,” Sunburst laughed. “That's the last time I underestimate Fluttetshy and her stare.”

“Told ya,” Sunset laughed.

“Note to self, quit underestimating my friends,” Sunburst chuckled as he blasted down a few more lava creatures.

Nearby, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Sprout Cloverleaf and Posey Bloom were backed against each other, grabbing water buckets and flinging them right at the molten creatures. With each hit, the creatures’ lava hardened and cooled down until they froze completely and came to a stop. But for each one that was quenched by the water, two to three more make their way to the four earth ponies.

“Dagnabit,” Applejack said, chucking more water at the molten creatures. “It was bad enough we had to clean the mess Suri made. Now we have to deal with these polecats.”

“I thought this was actually fun,” Pinkie Pie said as she loaded water into her party cannon and fired it at the molten creatures. “But they’re coming in really hot. And I don’t think I can keep up.”

“Just keep chucking water at them,” Sprout shouted. “And hope we get some pony to help out.”

But as Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Sprout and Posey kept throwing buckets of water at the molten creatures, water suddenly splashed down from above, drenching some of the creatures in water and hardening their lava into stone, freezing them in place. The four earth ponies looked up to see Rainbow Dash, Windy Whistles, Star Catcher and Queen Haven dump water all over the molten creatures. Applejack looked up at Rainbow Dash with a smile on her face.

“Guess danger always seems to come to you, Rainbow,” Applejack shouted. “Thanks for the assist.”

“I’d refrain from thanking me, right now,” Rainbow Dash said. “We still have a lot of these monstrosities to go.”

“You’re right on that,” Pinkie Pie shouted. “Because we have more on the way.”

The pegasi in the air looked down the street, where they saw more molten creatures make their way towards the earth ponies below them.

“This is more serious than I thought,” Queen Haven said, holding her empty bucket. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to put them out in time.”

“The only thing we can do is to hold them off until a miracle arrives,” Windy Whistles said with a nervous whistle. “And I don’t know where we could find one of those.”

But everyone paused the moment they heard the sound of sleigh bells and a familiar hearty chuckle. They looked up to see Santa Claus’ sleigh move through the night sky.

“Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, on Blitzen, and especially you too, Rudolph.” Santa’s voice filled the air like a warm blanket on a cool night. Every pony began to cheer as the sleigh made its way downward into the city.

“It’s Santa Claus” Windy Whistles said, pointing at the sleigh. “But what’s he doing here?”

“Not just him, “ Queen Haven said, spotting some familiar faces. “Everyone is here.”

Queen Haven pointed upwards near the sleigh, where she saw Wanda Young flying in the air with her nanotech wings, all while she held Starlight Glimmer close. Flying by her were Spike the Dragon holding onto Abigail, Cozy Glow, Amadeus who held the Staff of Sacanas, Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm.

“Well wadda know,” Rainbow Dash said. “They’re back.”

“And not the only ones,” Posey shouted as she looked at the mountains. “We got more reinforcements.”

Running down the mountains towards New Ponyville were King Vorak, Queen Lillian, Prince Tirek, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Hitch Trailblazer with Sparky Sparkaroni on his back, Misty Brightdawn, and every centaur and Zephyr Heights pegasi. They all let out a cry in the air shouting “FOR NEW PONYVILLE! FOR NEW PONYVILLE!”

“Oh my gosh,” Queen Haven cried. “The missing pegasi from Zephyr Heights. They’re alive. And they have other reinforcements joining them.”

“Best of all, they’re coming to save us,” Rainbow Dash cheered. “We can send these hot heads packing. This is so awesome.”

As Santa’s sleigh landed within the vicinity of New Ponyville, Wanda and Spike landed on the ground before releasing Starlight and Abigail from their grip respectively. Pipp, Zipp, Cozy and Amadeus landed next to the sleigh as Santa got out with the nine reindeer unhooking themselves from their collars.

“Wanda,” Sunset shouted before she ran up to her sister. “You made it back.”

“We did,” Wanda said as Sunset leaped onto the human girl and gave her a hug. “And we’re going to save this town from King Lavan.”

“So you know what we’re up against,” Sunset said. “That’s great. Because we could use a whole ton of help right now.”

“Far more than that, Princess Sunset,” Santa Claus said as the centaur, pegasi and the rest of the ponies made their way into town.

As Santa approached Wanda and Sunset, King Vorak led his team through town, sidestepping around the molten creatures. As soon as the group approached Wanda and Sunset, they came to a complete stop, much to the surprise of Sunset.

“You….you must be King Vorak,” Sunset Shimmer said as she and Twilight approached the centaur king before bowing before him.

“I am he, Princess Sunset Shimmer” King Vorak said. “And it is an honor to meet you and Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“No, the honor’s mine,” Sunset said. “But right now, we should dispense with the pleasantries and dispatch these magma minions.”

“Agreed,” King Vorak said before turning to Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow. “Are you three ready?”

“I’m ready, daddy,” Cozy Glow said.

“So am I, father,” Amadeus nodded.

“Count me in,” Tirek said before turning to Twilight. “This is personal.”

“I’m also glad you’re back, Tirek,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Especially after what Suri did to you.”

“I may have been greatly disappointed by that party being crashed,” Tirek said. “But the return of my father was more than enough to encourage me to help you all. Besides, King Lavan is going to pay for what he tried to do to my people.”

“And there is one person who can help bring down Lavan,” Santa Claus explained, holding a snowball in his right hand. “One of the many who assisted Megan, Gusty and Scorpan against that fiend long ago: Old Man Winter.”

Santa Claus directed his eyes above before he tossed the snowball into the air, which exploded and scattered into the winds. Moments later, a powerful gust gathered the scattered snow into a whirlwind, twirling faster and faster until it exploded. From the explosion, the being formerly known as the Winter Warlock appeared out of nowhere and floated down onto the ground.

“Wow,” Sunny Starscout said. “That’s Old Man Winter.”

“It is,” Twilight Sparkle said.

Old Man Winter turned his attention to Santa Claus before he said “Kris Kringle. I know why you summoned me. Lavan is back.”

“You are correct, old friend,” Santa Claus said, turning his attention to the molten creatures that make their way to the group. “And we could use your help in dealing with him once and for all.”

“I shall do so,” Old Man Winter said, holding his hands in the air. “Fortunately, his minions are easy to deal with.”

As Old Man Winter’s hands glowed brightly, a powerful pulse of magic emitted from them, flying right towards the molten creatures pursuing the other ponies. In a flash, the creatures froze in place, their red hue turning a cold light blue. The ponies came to a stop and noticed the cold situation that the molten creatures were in.

“Wow,” Sunny said. “What did you do to them?”

“I Froze their cores solid,” Old Man Winter said. “They won’t be able to regenerate from that. Like I said, an easy task, compared to our confrontation with King Lavan. In fact, in your state, you would succumb to his molten aura should you even get close to him. Luckily, I have a means of protecting you from the heat.”

Directing his eyes to everyone around him, Old Man Winter held his right hand in the air. Cold air formed around his palm, forming into an ice crystal. Old Man Winter slammed it on the ground, forming an icy cold aura that enveloped everyone in the vicinity.

“What…what is this?” Cozy Glow asked.

“With this aura, you will be able to approach King Lavan without being affected by the heat around him,” Old Man Winter said before turning to Amadeus. “While the strongest deal with Lavan, you must channel the power of the Staff of Sacanas and use it to seal him away again.”

“I will do what I can, Mr Winter,” Amadeus said with a bow.

“Just call me Winter,” Old Man Winter said. “Now enough explanations. We take the fight to King Lavan.”

Gathered together in harmony, the entire group made their way towards the entrance of the town, passing by every cold molten minion along the way. But as they made their way up, Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon peeked their heads out from behind a building, watching the group from afar.

“Did you see that?” Ace said. “They’re going to fight this Lavan character.”

“Good,” Suri Polomare said. “While they’re gone, we’re going to make a clean getaway.”

“I’m with you on that,” Blue Monsoon said. “Better to run for our lives than risk a suicide mission.”

Turning away from the crowd of ponies, reindeer, humans and centaurs, Suri, Ace and Monsoon ran down the alleyway, but not before catching the eyes of Twilight Sparkle, who turned to Posey and Sprout.

“I have a job for you both,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Could you deal with three certain troublemakers while we take care of Lavan?”

“Consider it done,” Posey Bloom nodded.

“If by troublemakers you mean Suri and her stooges, I’m game,” Sprout smirked.

Twilight Sparkle nodded to the earth pony duo before they chased after Suri, Ace and Monsoon.

“Best of luck to both of you,” Twilight said

It didn’t take long for the group of ponies, reindeer, humans and centaurs to make their way out of the town and to approach the volcano where King Lavan stood on top. Seeing the battalion from on top, Lavan leaped from his perch atop the volcano and landed right in front of the group.

“So this must be the resistance group that’s sent to banish me back to where I came,” King Lavan said before he noticed Old Man Winter among the group. “And you brought in one of Megan William’s lackeys.”

“I existed long before I met Megan Williams, Lavan,” Old Man Winter said. “And she understood the very elements of harmony that vanquished foes like you, Grogar and Serpentor to name a few.”

“Well she’s gone, and so are the ponies who represented those elements,” Lavan laughed. “What do you all have? Nothing, but slave fodder.”

“Slave fodder?” Queen Lillian said as she and Vorak began to tense up. “You have the audacity to lock us all up in your little prison, Lavan. And you expect us to be slaves?”

“You know what, you’re right,” Lavan said. “I don’t expect your billy goat race to be slaves. I expect you to be my dinner for my insatiable appetite.”

Both King Vorak and Queen Lillian’s faces turned a bright red as they slowly shift their eyes towards a stern Tirek.

“Son,” Vorak and Lillian said. “Take him out.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Tirek said, cracking his knuckles.

“You?” Lavan laughed. “Take me out? What a joke of an idea. You couldn’t even harm my molten visage with your pathetic excuse for a…”

But before Lavan could finish, Tirek ran right up to the King of the Underworld, and punched him right on the side of the face. Though his knuckle slightly burned on the surface of Lavan’s cheek, the force of the punch was enough to send Lavan tumbling back before he landed on his bottom.

“Shut up,” Tirek snarled.

Lavan looked down at the drops of lava that fell onto his hand before looking up at the centaur prince. Immediately, King Vorak, Queen Lillian, Cozy Glow and the other centaur gathered around Tirek while Amadeus stood behind them, holding the Staff of Sacanas.

“You drew first lava,” Lavan laughed, staring at Tirek. “I’m impressed by the son of Vorak and descendant of the first king Tirac. But I’m afraid you just made a fatal mistake, o mighty prince.”

As Tirek braced himself with his family by his side, Lavan held up a ball of pure lava in his right hand. He held his hand out before the ball flew off towards the giant centaur, who stood there without flinching.

“Do not mess with my son.” King Vorak said before moving out in front of Tirek.

Before the ball of lava hit either centaur, King Vorak swung his right hand back before backhanding the ball of lava, knocking it aside. Though the back of his hand was darkened due to touching the ball of lava, he stood there undeterred, much to Lavan’s amusement.

“Like father, like son,” Lavan laughed as pillars of lava formed on the palms of his hands. “You amuse me. But now, I’m afraid your time has…ran out.”

Lavan thrust his hands into the ground. Around the group, the earth began to shake violently. Before anyone could make a move, a pillar of stone pushed up from under the group, sending them flying into the air and out of control. Everyone screamed in unison as they tried to regain themselves. Even the flyers had a problem trying to regain their composure.

“Oh how their screams encourage me to go even deeper,” Lavan said. “And it’s a good thing Old Man Winter cast that protection spell on those pathetic mortals, because it will allow me to do THIS!”

Lavan held his hands out towards the helpless group before two streams of lava shot out towards them. Not a single pony, human, reindeer or centaur could do anything as the lava hit them, knocking them down to the earth and pinning them to the ground. Though steam poured from the lava due to the aura of cold, everyone screamed in agony.

“Feeling the heat, I see,” Lavan laughed. “Face it. You’re all in hot water.”

“Then I think it’s time for you to CHILL!” Old Man Winter said, successfully pulling his hands out from his molten binding.

With a wave of his hands, Old Man Winter glowed a bright blue, passing his aura to everyone else. King Lavan fired more pillars of pure lava, covering the entire group in a gigantic sphere of molten rock.

“Let’s see you break out of that, if you can,” Lavan said.

But in an instant, the molten rock hardened and cooled to the touch before exploding. Lavan stood there, unphased as ponies, reindeer, humans and centaur emerged slightly unscathed.

“You think your tricks can scare us?” Old Man Winter shouted. “As long as my magic is strong, you won’t be able to hurt my friends.”

“Challenge accepted,” Lavan said.

Lavan slammed his fists onto the ground, causing the earth in front of the group of heroes to shake violently. A wave of lava emerged from the earth before towering over everyone.

“Spirits of Winter,” Old Man Winter shouted. “Come to the aid of my friends.”

As Tirek, Vorak and the Centaurs ran towards the lava, Old Man Winter fired a blast of cold magic right at them. Their aura of cold grew brighter as they approached the wave of lava. With a swift throw of their punch, they cool the lava and shatter it into pieces.

“Looks like Lavan’s not holding back,” Sunset Shimmer said, watching the Centaurs charge at Lavan. “We have to fight back and end him. But how?”

“Sunset Shimmer,” Old Man Winter said. “Your counterpart Twilight Sparkle, along with those you call friends, have ties to harmony itself. Channel that harmony into the Staff of Sacanas so that it can seal him away once more.”

“I am ready to do my part,” Amadeus said, holding the staff close to him.

“I will join mother and father in pushing back against Lavan,” Cozy Glow nodded.

“What about you, Wanda?” Sunset asked.

“Tirek, Vorak and the other centaur will need major help,” Wanda said as her finger was above her ring. “And fortunately, my nanotech will do just that.”

As soon as Wanda Young touched her ring, her dress, gloves, socks and shoes glowed brightly as they took a new shape. Furthermore, the light began to cover the top and back of Wanda’s head. The moment the light disappeared, her clothes were replaced with what appended to be an armor made of a sky blue metal.

“Wow,” Amadeus said, impressed by Wanda’s armor. “I didn’t know you had that kind of power.”

“Like I said,” Wanda said. “Nanomachines, son.”

“Then let us begin,” Sunset said, turning to Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight Sparkle turned to Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer and Misty Brightdawn before she said “You heard what Old Man Winter said. You have the power of harmony within you. Channel that power into Sunset and I so that we may power the Staff of Sacanas.”

“You got it, Twilight,” Misty said as the other nodded to her.

Immediately, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer and Misty Brightdawn gathered around Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, directing their attention to the Staff of Sacanas that Amadeus held up.

“Wanda,” Sunny said. “Be careful out there.”

“I will,” Wanda said before she and Cozy Glow ran towards the centaurs who held their own against Lavan.

“Now, everyone,” Sunset Shimmer shouted. “Direct your magic to the two of us.”

As Queen Haven, Santa Claus, Minty, Yukon Cornelius, Hermey, Spike, Sparky Sparkaroni, Abigail and Starlight Glimmer watched from afar, the ponies surrounding Twilight and Sunset began to channel their magic from within. Immediately, they fired a blast of magic right at the two alicorns, powering them up.

“I hope the centaurs can keep Lavan at bay,” Sunset Shimmer said.

“I hope so, too,” Twilight said.

Up ahead, Wanda Young and Cozy Glow ran alongside the centaurs and nine reindeer as they charged King Lavan. Up ahead at the ocean, the Zephyr Heights ponies dunked buckets of water into the sea before pulling it back into the air.

“What’s the plan?” Wanda said.

“Hold him back as much as possible,” Prince Tirek explained. “Do not give him a single inch.”

“Why not shove him into the ocean?” Cozy Glow asked.

“It’s worth a shot,” Tirek said. “EVERYONE, DRENCH THAT BEAST INTO THE SEA!”

One by one, each centaur swung right at Lavan, hitting him in the face or chest area, pushing him back. Lavan was able to grab the arms of a few stragglers and toss them aside.

“Push me into the sea?” Lavan laughed. “This will be amusing.”

As Lavan blasted another centaur out of the way with a stream of lava, water splashed right on him from above, emitting more steam from his body. He looked up to see the Zephyr Heights pegasi dunk more water on him.

“Hey chickens,” Lavan said as he held his hands in the air. “The heat is on.”

The pegasi quickly moved out of the way as King Lavan fired a stream of lava upwards. One of them lost the grip of their bucket, causing it to call on Lavan, melting on impact and releasing the water on him.

“This is so amusing,” Lavan laughed. “I could go on all day.”

Suddenly, a stream of missiles fly right at the King of the Underworld, exploding on impact. When the dust cleared, Lavan was frozen solid. Everyone turned to the far corner where Wanda Young, decked out in her cybernetic armor, held her arm mounted missile launchers out.

“Alright everyone,” Wanda said. “Chill.”

But the ice surrounding Lavan cracked severely, forming ruptures around the cold surface. Within seconds, the ice shattered completely, freeing Lavan of his frozen prison.

“Do me a favor and let it go,” Lavan said.

Wanda quickly jumped out of the way as Lavan fired another stream of lava right where she stood. Wanda rolled before standing on her two legs and firing another missile from her wrist launcher at Lavan.

“Oh no you don’t,” Lavan said.

Lavan fired a ball of lava right at the missile. Upon impact, the missile exploded, freezing and hardening the lava ball. The frozen ball fell down and shattered into pieces.

“This meanie is giving us a hard time,” Rudolph said. “What can we do?”

“Let me show him how it’s done, Rudolph,” Old Man Winter shouted. “EVERYONE, STAND ASIDE!”

The centaur and pegasi stood to the side as Old Man Winter fired a blast of cold right at Lavan. The King of the Underworld formed a barrier of lava, taking the cold blast on impact.

“You’ve become soft over the years, Winter Warlock,” King Lavan laughed. “You’ve allowed friendship with Kris Kringle and these little ponies to soften your heart even further since we last fought each other.”

“Words I’ve heard many times, Lavan,” Old Man Winter said as his cold blast intensified.

As Old Man Winter pushed King Lavan towards the ocean, King Vorak, Prince Tirek, Cozy Glow and Wanda Young ran up to the King of the Underworld. Tirek and Vorak delivered a powerful punch to the face of Lavan, followed by a kick by Cozy Glow. As Lavan stumbled backwards by the impact of Vorak, Tirek and Cozy Glow, Wanda fired off another batch of missiles towards Lavan. The molten beast could do nothing as the missiles hit him and exploded. Combined with the power of Old Man Winter’s ice beam, the explosion was enough to knock Lavan into the air before he fell right into the ocean with a powerful splash. Old Man Winter withdrew his ice beam as steam poured out from the sea.

“That did it,” Tirek shouted. “We got him into the ocean. He should be all washed up.”

“I don’t think that did it,” Old Man Winter said. “Look at the ocean.”

Everyone watched as the ocean began to bubble up violently, and more steam poured from its surface. In an instant, Lavan leaped out of the ocean before landing on the beach in front of them.

“You fools,” Lavan laughed. “The ocean is not cold enough to quench my fire. Your efforts are fruitless.”

“Maybe,” Wanda said as her arms and hands began to glow. “But we’re too stubborn to give up.”

Wanda’s left arm glowed brightly as the nanobots formed a shield around it. She held the shield up close before her right hand formed a sword from the same tech.

“Bring it on, lava boy,” Wanda said, holding her shield in front of her.

Lavan fired another stream of lava right at Wanda. But this time, Wanda held the shield up, blocking the lava and causing it to simply drop to the ground, burning the sand on it.

“Nanotech, huh?” Lavan said. “Interesting path for one who fights similar to Megan Williams.”

“I am not related to Megan Williams,” Wanda said. “But I still fight for the friendship of those who defend their home.”

“We’ll see about that,” Lavan laughed.

Wanda and Lavan charged at each other, the former holding her shield up with her sword by her side, and the latter holding a pair of churning lava pillars in each hand. The two clash at each other with their respective weapons, hitting as hard as possible without tiring. The crystal glowed brightly with the magic pouring in.

But behind the group of Centaur, Pegasi and Reindeer, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer and Misty Brightdawn directed their magic right into Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer, who channeled it into the Staff of Sacanas.

“I think that might be enough,” Twilight said. “Everyone release.”

But when the ponies halted the magic going into the staff, its crystal light faded away, leaving the staff powerless.

“I don’t get it,” Amadeus said. “I thought we had enough magic to stop Lavan.”

“No,” Sunny said. “We don’t. And I think we’re missing one pony to provide an equilibrium to the staff.”

“An equilibrium?” Twilight said. “What do you mean, Sunny?”

“We only have eleven ponies to channel our harmony magic into the both of you, so you can send it to the Staff of Sacanas,” Sunny Starscout said. “We need one more so that we can complete the charge.”

Twilight Sparkle paused for a moment before turning her attention to Starlight Glimmer, who sat next to Minty, Queen Haven, Santa Claus, Spike, Abby, Sparky, Yukon and Hermey.

“That’s what I forgot,” Twilight said, placing her hoof to her face. “I was off by one pony.”

“Don’t worry,” Misty said. “Sunny and I will get her in.”

Misty Brightdawn and Sunny Starscout walked away from the group before approaching Starlight Glimmer, who began to look nervous.

“Starlight,” Sunny Starscout said. “We need your help to channel our magic into Twilight and Sunset to power the Staff of Sacanas.”

“I…I don’t know if I can,” Starlight Glimmer said.

“You can, Starlight,” Misty said. “It’s going to take all of us to finally bring down Lavan, and we know you can help.”

“But…what if I screw up?” Starlight said. “What if the magic isn’t enough to seal that beast away?”

“It will seal him away,” Sunny said. “Trust us. We trust you as well.”

“But, what if I screw up?” Starlight asked.

“Wanda told me that you still have nightmares about accidentally sneezing down that tree last year,” Misty said. “Don’t worry about that. If anything, Suri Polomare and Lavan ruined Christmas far worse than you. Far far worse.”

“Far far worse?” Starlight asked.

“Yes,” Sunny said. “Trust us. We’ll have your back, one hundred percent.”

Starlight Glimmer nodded to Sunny Starscout and Misty Brightdawn before she got back up on her four hooves. Yukon Cornelius and Dr Hermey were the first to cheer on the twin tailed unicorn.

“That’s the spirit, Starlight,” Yukon Cornelius said. “Go get ‘em.”

Starlight Glimmer ran up to the rest of the group, standing alongside Pinkie Pie and Rarity, all while Sunny Starscout and Misty Brightdawn returned to their spots.

“Welcome to the team, Starlight,” Pinkie Pie said. “Let’s show that party crasher what we’re made of.”

“Show me what to do, Pinkie,” Starlight asked.

“Direct your magic to Twilight,” Pinkie Pie explained. “Think about the good times we all had together, and don’t hold back.”

Starlight Glimmer nodded as she fired her magic into Twilight Sparkle, with Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy following suit. Soon, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer and Misty Brightdawn did the same thing to Sunset Shimmer. As soon as both alicorns were powered up, they fired their magic right into the crystal of the Staff of Sacanas.

“You can do it, Starlight,” Minty shouted. “I believe in you.”

The magic poured deeper and deeper in the staff’s crystal, brightening its color and shining its light around the vicinity. Amadeus looked up and his face began to glow.

“I think that might have done it,” Amadeus shouted.

The ponies withdrew their magic from the staff as they began to tire. But the light of the Staff of Sacanas glowed brightly.

“This is it,” Amadeus shouted. “I’m ready.”

As Amadeus turned to the beach, he saw Wanda Young, Tirek, Cozy Glow, Vorak, Lillian and the Winter Warlock push back at Lavan with the centaur, reindeer and pegasi helping out.

“I’ve toyed with you all long enough,” Lavan shouted, spotting the glow of the Staff of Sacanas. “It’s time to end your hopes and dreams once and for all.”

Lavan’s fists formed into spike balls as he was slowly being pushed towards the ocean again. Lavan swung them both right at Wanda, who quickly raised her shield. But the spike balls explode in Wanda’s face, shattering her shield and knocking her down along with Tirek, Cozy Glow, Vorak, Lillian, Old Man Winter, and the rest of the centaur, pegasi and reindeer. Wanda grabbed her left arm and winced in pain.

“Even the nanobots are not enough to resist that,” Wanda said.

As Old Man Winter got up, Lavan charged at Amadeus at high speed. Before the youngster had time to react, Lavan grabbed the staff and pulled it from his grip.

“THE STAFF!” Amadeus shouted.

“You all are nothing like Megan Williams or her lackeys,” Lavan said. “And to prove it, kiss the Staff of Sacanas, along with the hopes and dreams you carry, good-bye.”

Lavan thrusted his right hand onto the crystal of the staff and began to squeeze it tight, smothering the light of the crystal, much to everyone’s horror.

“NOOOOO!” Amadeus shouted. “WE LOST! THE STAFF IS GONE!”

“No, it’s not,” Sunset shouted. “LOOK AT THE STAFF!”

Suddenly, the light of the staff lit up once more, much to Lavan’s surprise. Smoke poured out from his hand, causing Lavan to scream in pain and drop the staff out of his hand.

“That staff,” Lavan said. “I cannot destroy it.”

“No,” Amadeus said as he walked up to the staff. “You can’t. And you never will.”

Amadeus signaled to Wanda Young, who got up on her two legs, still holding her arm. Old Man Winter placed his hand on Wanda’s arm, and in an instant, cooled it down. As soon as Old Man Winter released Wanda’s arm, she shook it a bit

“Thanks,” Wanda said. “I owe you.”

“You’re welcome,” Old Man Winter said. “Now aid Amadeus, and finish the fight.”

“Will do,” Wanda said.

Wanda ran towards Amadeus, forming a shield on her left arm once more with the nanotech. Lavan formed two new spiked balls and swung at Wanda, only for the human girl to dodge out of the way. Once she was clear of Lavan’s spiked punches, she ran up and stood by Amadeus.

“Amadeus,” Wanda said as her sword disappeared into her armor. “I’ve got your back. Let him have it.”

“I shall,” Amadeus said, directing his gaze to Lavan.

Lavan quickly fired two stream of lava right at Wanda and Amadeus. But Wanda’s right arm formed a second shield, where she blocked the lava from hitting her. Lavan withdrew the stream and stared right at the Staff of Sacanas.

“So you finally got your act together,” Lavan said. “You’ve figured out how to best me.”

“We did,” Amadeus said as he pointed the staff to Lavan. “And you’re going back to where you came, monster.”

With only a smile on his face, Lavan held his arms out and let out the biggest chuckle ever.

“So this is how I go out,” Lavan laughed. “Beaten by those who walked the path of Megan Williams. Not bad for a ragtag bunch of misfits.”

Wanda held her shields out as Amadeus charged up the Staff of Sacanas. Once the light of the staff glowed brightly, Amadeus held the staff as tight as he could.

“BE GONE, LAVAN!” Amadeus shouted. “AND NEVER TORMENT ANY OF US, EVER AGAIN!”

A powerful beam of harmonic magic fired from the staff right at King Lavan, who stood there, laughing out loud.

“You’ve won for now,” Lavan laughed. “But we will meet again, I promise you that.”

And with that, Lavan let out one last laugh before he was hit by the magic of the staff, emitting a powerful explosion. When it all cleared away, Lavan was sealed inside a crystal prison, completely motionless.

Amadeus set the staff to his side and wiped the sweat from his brow. Wanda got up on her two legs and withdrew the shields back into her armor.

“It’s over,” Amadeus said. “We defeated Lavan. We won.”

“WE DID IT!” Wanda cheered.

As soon as Wanda and Amadeus jumped for joy, everyone around them cheered loudly, chanting “LAVAN IS TRAPPED! LAVAN IS TRAPPED! LAVAN IS TRAPPED!”

But next to the group that sat aside, Santa Claus watched with a smile on his face and a tear on his cheek. He wiped the tear from his eye before rubbing it with his thumb and finger.

“I’m proud of them,” Santa Claus said. “They saved their own people and brought justice to Lavan. They deserve something that makes the nice list look small in comparison.”

“That does remind us,” Hermey said. “Whatever happened to those three that ruined Tirek’s Christmas party?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Santa said. “For I believe they will face their just desserts for what they pulled.”

Meanwhile, northeast of town, Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon ran as fast as they could away from town. Not once did the trio turn their heads.

“Good riddance to New Ponyville,” Suri Polomare said. “If we’re lucky, there won’t be any town left.”

“And not to mention the other kingdoms are gonna be so angry they let us get away,” Ace said.

“Yeah,” Blue Monsoon said. “I bet they’ll cut off trade with New Ponyville and cause them to go bankrupt.”

“Well let’s hurry as fast as possible,” Suri Polomare said. “Maybe we’ll make it to one of the towns that overturned our ban, and show them why no punishment will hold us back.”

“Well call this no punishment, then.” Suri, Ace and Monsoon came to a stop before they looked up the hill. There they saw a giant snowball, held up by Sprout Cloverleaf and Posey Bloom.

“Is that what I think it is?” Suri said.

“Oh it is,” Sprout laughed. “And this time, you’re really gonna get it.”

With a quick push from Sprout and Posey, the snowball rolled down the mountainside towards Suri, Ace and Monsoon. The trio quickly turned around and ran back towards the town.

“RUN AWAY!” Suri Polomare screamed. “DON’T LET IT BURY US IN AN AVALANCHE!”

“I’M TRYING, I’M TRYING!” Blue Monsoon shouted. “BUT THAT WINTER KATAMARI IS GONNA ROLL US OVER!”

But as the trio ran, they tripped over a vine that popped up out of nowhere, causing them to fall to the ground. Suri, Ace and Monsoon turned around to face the giant rolling snowball, watching helpless as it inched closer to them.

“NOOOOOOO!” Suri shouted. “NOT LIKE THIS!”

The snowball rolled over Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon, picking them up from where they laid. The snowball rolled faster and faster before it hit a nearby boulder, smashing to pieces.

Sprout Cloverleaf and Posey Bloom ran up to the boulder that the snowball crashed into. There, they saw Suri, Ace and Monsoon, stuck headfirst into the snow unable to pull themselves out.

“How did you do that?” Sprout asked.

“Easy,” Posey said, holding her hoof up. “You forgot that we earth ponies can create plants from the earth with our magic.”

“Oh, right,” Sprout said, embarrassingly. “I forgot about that. Silly me.”

“I’ll forgive you,” Posey laughed. “But I can’t say the same to Suri and her stooges.”

“Wanna round them up and make them pay for the damages they did?” Sprout asked.

“Oh I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Posey said with a devilish grin. “After the stunt they pulled, they were asking for it.”

To Be Concluded

Author's Note

Well I did it. I was able to get done with Part 9 of Hope for the Holidays.

How did I do with King Lavan? Did you think I fleshed him out well? Or should he have had more time in the limelight? And what did you think about what I'm about to do to Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon? After all, I'm a big believer in karma, and I'm about to give them what they deserve.

As early as tomorrow, I will finish Hope for the Holidays. And I'm going to do what I can to make it as sweet as possible.

Edit: Good news: The final part to this fanfic is completed. Expect it on Christmas Day.

Hope for the Holidays Final Chapter

Hope for the Holidays Conclusion

A new morning had dawn in New Ponyville. Parts of the town still lay damaged by the balls of lava that now lay dormant as obsidian rock. Other parts were still covered in shampoo, conditioner, body wash, desserts, poinsettias, broken gifts and so much more. But the tune in New Ponyville wasn’t sad. It was glad.

In the middle of the town, next to the gigantic, toppled Christmas Tree, ponies, reindeer, centaur and a few humans surrounded a platform. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Starlight Glimmer, Misty Brightdawn, Hitch Trailblazer with Spark Sparkaroni on his back, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Izzy Moonbow, Sunny Starscout, Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow stood tall and proud. Approaching the group were Princess Sunset Shimmer, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Princess Wanda Young who was back in her dress, Spike the Dragon, Abigail Albright, King Vorak, Queen Lillian, Old Man Winter and Santa Claus. As they got up on stage, Princess Twilight Sparkle turned to the villagers before approaching the podium.

“Citizens of New Ponyville, Zephyr Heights, Centauria, and Christmas Town,” Twilight Sparkle announced. “We almost lost our homes on Christmas Eve, and we almost lost our freedom to Lavan: King of the Underworld. But it took all of us to bring that monster down. And for that, I’m proud of what you all accomplished last night. You were more than just a Christmas miracle, you were the light in our darkest hour.”

The crowd let out a small cheer for Twilight Sparkle, all while she turned to the others on stage.

“But there are a number of individuals who shine the most,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Rainbow Dash, whose loyalty as leader of the Wonderbolts came through. Pinkie Pie, who provided laughter for every party she put together. Rarity, whose generosity gave others a gift worth giving, Applejack, whose honesty is what inspires the colts and fillies, Fluttershy, whose kindness brings warmth to those in need, and Starlight Glimmer, whose empathy makes her one the most altruistic ponies I’ve had the honor of meeting.”

As the crowd cheered, Princess Wanda Young took six of the medals and approached Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Starlight Glimmer. One by one, she placed each medal around the necks of these six ponies. Rainbow Dash gave Wanda a salute. Pinkie Pie cheered loudly. Rarity bowed to the human princess. Applejack took off her hat and held it closely, and Fluttershy turned her head before smiling. But once Wanda placed a medal around Starlight Glimmer’s neck, the twin-tailed mare got on her two legs and gave Wanda a hug.

“I’m glad you’ve grown so much, Starlight,” Wanda said.

“So am I, Wanda,” Starlight cried. “So am I.”

The crowd cheered for a moment before Twilight Sparkle turned to the other six ponies next to Starlight Glimmer.

“And now, for the next ponies, and I will be the one to hand out these medals,” Twilight Sparkle said, holding out the medals in her hoof. “Misty Brightdawn, whose heart shines brighter than any star. Hitch Trailblazer, whose gentleness compliments Fluttershy’s kindness. Zipp Storm, whose courage lights our darkest hour. Pipp Petals, whose confidence inspires the new generation. Izzy Moonbow, whose creativity brings art, stories and innovation. And to my student Sunny Starscout, whose hope inspired us to fight to the very end.”

Twilight Sparkle stepped away from the podium and approached Misty Brightdawn, Hitch Trailblazer, Zipp Storm, Pipp Petals, Izzy Moonbow and Sunny Starscout. One by one, she placed each medal around the necks of Sunny’s closest friends. Misty Brightdawn placed her hoof on her heart to Twilight. Hitch stood tall with Sparky cheering loudly. Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals hugged each other the moment they got their medals, with their mother Queen Haven cheering them from the crowd. And Izzy Moonbow shuffled her hooves, causing Twilight Sparkle to giggle. But when Twilight placed the last medal around Sunny Starscout’s neck, tears flowed down her eyes.

“Twilight,” Sunny said. “You look like you’re about to cry.”

“No Sunny,” Twilight laughed. “It’s liquid pride. And I’m proud of what you’ve done for us today.”

“Got that from your brother?” Sunny asked.

“I did,” Twilight said. “Sometimes, Shining Armor is full of surprises.”

As the crowd cheered, Sunny Starscout and Twilight Sparkle bowed to each other before the latter returned to the podium. She cleared her throat, getting the audience’s attention.

“But there are three individuals who gave us the will to fight back against King Lavan,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Without you three, we would have failed to defeat the king of the underworld. And all hope would have been lost. So it is the honor of the princesses to present these awards to the kin of King Vorak and Queen Lillian: Prince Tirek Highstaff, Prince Amadeus Highstaff, and Princess Cozy Glow Highstaff. Without your help, New Ponyville, Zephyr Heights and Centauria would have been lost for good.”

As the crowd cheered loudly, Princess Sunset Shimmer, King Vorak, Queen Lillian and Santa Claus approached the proud Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow. Sunset bowed to the trio before placing a necklace around each of their necks.

Tirek looked down at his medal, seeing his face on the surface and looked like he was going to cry.

“I see my eldest son has a hint of liquid pride in himself,” Vorak said.

“I do,” Tirek said. “But I wish to apologize for…”

“If it's about losing your temper, it’s not your fault,” King Vorak said. “None of it was. You and your siblings make us all proud, my son.”

As Tirek and Vorak gave each other a hug, Prince Amadeus looked up at his father and elder brother, all while holding his medallion close and with Queen Lillian approaching him.

“Dad was right,” Amadeus said. “I am worthy of wielding the Staff of Sacanas.”

“And the staff is in good hands right now,” Lillian said. “Our guards will keep a close eye on it until the day you need to use it, once more. Until then, enjoy what life brings you, my son my son.”

“I will, mom,” Amadeus said. “And if you need me to wield the staff once more, I’ll be ready.”

Amadeus reached out and gave his mother a hug, shedding a few tears from his eyes.

But Cozy Glow looked down at her medal before turning back to Tirek and Amadeus, just as Sunset Shimmer and Santa Claus stood over her.

“I don’t know,” Cozy Glow said. “I don’t think I did much compared to my brothers.”

“But you did more than you realized,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Besides helping them out in the final battle, it was you who got us to meet the centaurs, especially your brothers, King Vorak and Queen Lillian.”

“Are you sure?” Cozy Glow asked.

“As sure as the sun and the moon,” Sunset laughed.

“She’s right, Cozy Glow,” Santa said. “Don’t undersell yourself because you think you didn’t contribute much. In fact, if it weren’t for you, they would never have met your wonderful family. That is more than any gift I could give. For that, you’ve more than earned a spot in the Nice List Hall of Fame. And as long as you show off how nice you are to other ponies, it will remind you why you should be proud of your achievement.”

“T…thank you, Mr Claus,” Cozy Glow said.

“Oh just call me Santa, or Kris,” Santa Claus chuckled.

“Speaking of Nice list,” Sunset Shimmer said, directing her attention to the northeast part of town. “Check out the three who are on your permanent naughty list.”

Santa Claus turned his attention to the direction Sunset Shimmer was pointing to, where he saw Posey Bloom and Sprout Cloverleaf drag an angry Suri Polomare alongside Ace and Blue Monsoon, the latter two looking like they were scared out of their minds.

“And about time too,” Santa Claus said, his tone turning from jolly to stern. “All thanks to your close friends.”

“What do you say we give those three a punishment they won’t forget?” Sunset Shimmer said.

“Consider it done,” Santa nodded.

As Sprout and Posey came to a stop, Sunset Shimmer and Santa Claus approached the duo, with Santa keeping his eyes on Suri, Ace and Monsoon.

“Good work on locating these three,” Sunset Shimmer said.

“Sure we missed the fight,” Sprout said. “But it was worth paying them back for what they did to my shampoo, conditioner and body wash, and to Posey’s poinsettias.”

“I take it you have the ideal punishment for these three miscreants,” Posey asked.

“Actually, I do,” Santa responded.

Santa Claus slowly marched towards Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon, his jolly tone gone, replaced with that of a stern and harsh man.

“I had thought placing you three on the naughty list would remind you to regain the niceness you three once had,” Santa said. “But when you chose to use that lump of coal I gave you to torment others, I placed you three on the Naughty List Hall of Shame. But looking back, I felt like I went too light on you three.”

“Naughty? Nice?” Suri laughed. “Your so-called list is a joke. More and more naughty ponies will see you for what a misguided fool you have always been.”

“So what if they do,” Santa said. “Their cruelty will never crush the spirit of Christmas within me, unlike what you three tried to do last night to three special guests. You three have turned the Naughty List Hall of Shame into a source of pride, and this act of narcissism has gone too long. Instead of a lump of coal, or nothing at all, I hereby sentence you three to community service within the confines of New Ponyville. And to ensure you don’t skip out on your duties, I brought someone along to supervise your punishment.”

Santa Claus turned to a nearby corner and signed to Hermey, who stood tall and ready before turning to the alleyway.

“You can come out, sir,” Hermey said.

Emerging and marching out of the alley was the Head Elf of Christmas Town. Suri, Ace and Monsoon stood there, shaking their legs nervously as the Head Elf made his way to the trio. He stood down at the three ponies, who now looked afraid.

“You think wrecking Christmas for all those ponies is funny?” The Head Elf sneered. “Do you think ruining Christmas or any other holiday for your amusement is good? If you think so, then you are WRONG! You have tainted the very holiday with your pathetic prank. I will be supervising your community service from here until next Christmas. And don’t you even think about skipping out on elf practice. Now….MARCH!”

With that, Suri, Ace and Blue Monsoon marched down the street with the Head Elf grabbing the vines and leading the trio down. The crowd laughed out loud at the three misfits, with Suri turning her head away.

“Laugh all you want,” Suri mumbled. “One day, you’ll see that no punishment will ever change me.”

“That’s what you think,” The Head Elf said. “And just so you know, I can hear everything you say, young mare.”

Suri Polomare grumbled as the Head Elf led the trio down the street. Santa turned to Sprout and Posey, whose tone turned jolly, yet somber.

“I am sorry about what happened to your poinsettias, Posey,” Santa said. “And the same to your shampoo, conditioner and body wash. To make up for what Suri Polomare did to trash your Christmas, I have left a special delivery for you both.”

“You mean, I get new shampoo, conditioner and body wash?” Sprout said.

“And I get new poinsettias?” Posey asked.

“Exactly,” Santa laughed. “There are those who are nice, and those who are naughty. And then there are those who deserve sympathy. You two both made the sympathy list because of what happened. Enjoy them to your heart’s content.”

“Thank you, Santa,” Sprout cried. “I will never forget your kindness.”

And with that, Santa allowed Sprout and Posey to hug him closely.

“Santa,” Posey said. “Thanks for giving us a Christmas we won’t forget.”

“You’re welcome,” Santa said. “And it’s as Twilight Sparkle said, there is more to the Magic of Friendship than meets the eye.”

It was later that afternoon. Everyone was gathered around a new table with delicious food lined up. Not just Zephyr Heights curry, but a variety of vegetables, fruits and even bread. Cakes, Cookies and Pies also lined the table up.

“It’s going to be odd to enjoy a meal without meat,” King Vorak said. “But until our kingdom is rebuilt, we will adjust until further notice.”

“I think you’ll like the food that we have to serve, your majesty,” Princess Twilight Sparkle said.

“No kidding, father,” Tirek said. “Try out the Zephyr Heights curry. Queen Haven told me that it was great, and I believed her in the end.”

Seeing the small patch of curry on his plate, King Vorak picked up a small sample of it with a fork before putting it in his mouth. As he took the fork out, he tasted the curry in his mouth before swallowing. His face turned red as sweat poured down his face.

“Oh my,” Lillian said. “Is that too spicy for you, my dear?”

“No,” King Vorak said. “It’s the kind of dish we have been missing in a long time. The perfect dish to complement our food.”

Queen Lillian turned to Queen Haven, who sat next to her daughters Pipp and Zipp.

“Queen Haven,” Queen Lillian said. “My husband enjoyed your curry. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

“It was a pleasure,” Queen Haven said. “After all, that curry has been with my family for generations.”

“You made this curry?” Tirek asked.

“Mom’s not only a pop star and a queen, but she’s also a great chef,” Zipp Storm said. “To her, variety is the spice of life.”

“Oh that I won’t forget,” King Vorak laughed.

Nearby, Spike the Dragon and Sparky Sparkaroni were enjoying their curry, sitting next to Applejack, Fluttershy and Hitch, with Danged Spell, Golden Lace, Moondancer and Sunburst sitting next to them..

“Spike, slow down,” Applejack said. “You want to make room for the apple pies we’ve made.”

“I know, I know,” Spike said. “But this curry is the greatest. Never thought there was a bit of spice that I missed in my life.”

“And you know my little Sparky,” Hitch said. “He’s not picky when it comes to spicy food.”

“Yeah,” Moondancer said. “But I bet he really enjoys ice cream.”

“He does,” Hitch said. “But I only let him once he finishes his dinner.”

“That does remind me,” Danged Spell said. “Hitch, Fluttershy, I heard you both have eyes for each other.”

“Us?” Fluttershy said as she and Hitch blushed. “Uhh, I don’t think so.”

“Oh nonsense,” Moondancer said. “I bet you both would make the cutest couple at the New Ponyville Zoo.”

“Maybe we will, and maybe we won’t,” Hitch said. “That being said, Spell, is it true that you have eyes for Golden Lace?”

“Now wait just a second here,” Danged Spell said, blushing as well. “Me and Lace? We’ve barely known each other.”

“Spell you silly foal,” Golden Lace laughed. “You know we’re just messing with you.”

Danged Spell lowered his eyes for a moment as he saw Hitch, Fluttershy, Sunburst and Moondancer laugh.

“Oh,” Danged Spell said. “Well I just got made a fool on Christmas Day.”

“No kidding,” Sunburst laughed before he took a sip of water.

“But that being said,” Fluttershy said, turning to Hitch. “Spell’s right. I’m glad you all helped me at the New Ponyville Zoo. But….to be honest, I do have a slight crush on Hitch.”

Immediately, Sunburst spat his water out upon hearing Fluttershy’s words.

“Say what?” Sunburst said.

“Fluttershy,” Hitch said. “I’m…not so sure if I’m ready to commit.”

“I know, and I ask myself the same thing,” Fluttershy said. “But still, if I do settle down with any pony, it would be you, Hitch.”

“Well, I don’t know what to say,” Hitch said.

“Relax, sugar cube,” Applejack said. “Take your time. You don’t need to rush anything.”

“She’s right,” Golden Lace said. “This choice is yours and Fluttershy’s to make, should you make that decision. No one else should change your mind.”

Hitch nodded to Lace and Applejack before turning to Fluttershy.

“Maybe if you are the right pony for me,” Hitch said. “Deal?”

“Deal,” Fluttershy nodded.

Sitting near this group were Yukon Cornelius, Hermey, Rainbow Dash, Windy Whistles, Star Catcher, Rarity, and Misty Brightdawn.

“What a day,” Rarity said. “And I mean yesterday. We had that meanie Suri Polomare ruin our feast with Prince Tirek and his siblings, then King Lavan almost ruined our home. I am done with adventures for now.”

“Not me,” Rainbow Dash said. “If anything, I’m far more fired up than I was.”

“Now Rainbow,” Misty said. “Shouldn’t you be resting those wings from last night’s fight?”

“Oh come on, Misty,” Rainbow Dash said. “There’s no rest for the best of the best.”

“Misty’s got a point, Rainbow,” Thistle Whistle said with a whistle. “We’re all worn out from last night’s battle, and we could use a rest.”

“Oh all right,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ll give you a couple days rest. But I’d like to see you both bright and early on the twenty-seventh of December.”

“It will be done, ma’am,” Star Catcher saluted.

“Well as much as I want to enjoy Christmas even further, I’m afraid I’ll be taking off temporarily to do a little spelunking,” Yukon Cornelius said.

“What’s the haul you plan on fetching, Yukon?” Hermey asked.

Yukon Cornelius pulled out a silvery bright metal rock and placed it on the table next to his food.

“It’s called titanium,” Yukon said. “I recently found some in a cave north east of here, and not the cave on the summit where Tirek, Cozy Glow and Amadeus camped out at. I was hoping to mine some of that rock and sell it to make some good cash.”

“Well I hope you’re able to get some titanium,” Misty said. “It would help with the pegasi of Zephyr Heights and the centaur of Centauria.”

“Oh I shall,” Yukon said. “After what that brute Lavan did to their towns, I’ll do what I can to pitch in and help them rebuild.”

“Mr Cornelius,” Hermey said. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Mr Dentist,” Yukon said.

“And if you ever need a check up, you know where to look,” Hermey said. “Well until the end of this month, that is.”

“Then I guess I better do so after this meal is over,” Yukon said. “Even my pearly whites need a check up.”

As Yukon and Hermey laughed, Misty, Rainbow Dash and Rarity joined in with the joyous chuckles.

“Isn’t it great to have friends like them?” Misty said.

“It is darling,” Rarity said.

Misty immediately pulled out her ornament and placed it on the table.

“Misty,” Rarity said. “Your ornament. We’ve forgotten to place it on the Christmas Tree.”

“I know,” Misty said. “I was going to do so yesterday, before Suri ruined our Christmas party. But now, I think keeping it by my side is a far better idea.”

“Well I think so as well,” Rarity said. “It does hold a special place in your heart.”

“It does,” Misty said. “Daddy does miss me and I miss him. But I know I’ll be seeing him again when he comes by in a few months.”

“Oh Misty,” Rarity said. “I’m glad to have you as my friend.”

But at another part of the table near Twilight, Tirek, Lillian and Vorak, Wanda Young, Abigail Albright, Sunset Shimmer, Rudolph, Donner, Pinkie Pie, Sunny Starscout, Izzy Moonbow, Minty, Starlight Glimmer, Cozy Glow and Amadeus were enjoy the food on their plate.

“It was great that we were able to put together this last minute Christmas Party,” Wanda said.

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said. “Luckily Suri didn’t find my emergency batch of baked goods. “So it all turned out great in the end.”

“It’s starting to truly feel like Christmas,” Sunset Shimmer said. “After what we’ve all been through, this feels so satisfying.”

“No kidding,” Wanda laughed. “Not only did we make friends with the centaurs of Centauria, but we also got to help bring down King Lavan. I heard he’s locked away in Tartarus behind a crystal prison.”

“But if Lavan was the first to attack us, then I wonder if we’ll see others rise to take us on?” Izzy Moonbow asked.

“Bet on it,” Wanda said. “If we can take out Lavan, we can take on others like Serpentor and Grogar to name a few.”

But when Wanda and Sunset turned to Starlight, the two were close together enjoying the food on their plate.

“Starlight? Cozy Glow?” Wanda said. “Are you two bonding together?”

“They sure are,” Minty said. “I’ve never seen Starlight so happy in my life.”

“Oh cool it, you two,” Starlight laughed. “We’re just talking about the last forty eight hours of our lives.”

As Cozy Glow let out a slight giggle, she reached down and pulled out a familiar sack of gold coins.

“That’s the gold you have from early ago,” Starlight Glimmer said. “You still had it all this time.”

“I did,” Cozy Glow said. “And I never used it at all. What a waste.”

“No it wasn’t,” Starlight said. “It’s yours if you want to use it.”

“But, the gold belongs to your kind,” Cozy Glow said. “After all, Scorpan the Wise’s last wish was for the ponies of New Ponyville to use it.”

“Oh that won’t be necessary,” Starlight said. “After all, the princesses told me that we’re going to give half to Zephyr Heights and the other half to Centauria.”

“She’s got a point there,” Sunset Shimmer said. “After what both kingdoms have gone through thanks to Lavan’s earthquakes, they deserve the gold far more than we do. And you can keep your share of the gold for what you want to use it for.”

“For real?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Yeah,” Sunset said. “After what you did to help unite ponies with centaurs, you deserve it, your majesty.”

“Oh, just call me Cozy Glow,” The curly-maned pegasi filly laughed.”

But Wanda immediately turned her head towards Amadeus, who turned his head away in embarrassment.

“Amadeus,” Wanda said. “I want to thank you for all the hard work you did today. I appreciate it.”

“Uhh, thanks, your majesty,” Amadeus said, turning his head back to Wanda.

“What’s wrong?” Wanda asked. “Do you look a little sick?”

“No no no,” Amadeus said. “I’m alright.”

“I think you have a crush on Wanda,” Minty said.

Immediately, everyone burst into laughter.

“Oh Minty,” Pinkie giggled. “Oh Minty, Minty, Minty.”

“Me?” Amadeus said. “A crush on Wanda? Oh nooooooo. Not like that.”

“But I think you and Wanda would be a perfect pear,” Rudolph said. “Just like me and Clariece.”

But as soon as Rudolph said Clariece, his ears folded down before he stared at his food.

“What’s wrong, my son?” Donner asked.

“I miss Clarice, dad,” Rudolph said. “I was hoping to see her when we got back to Christmas Town. But now, I bet she’s worried about me.”

“Now I wouldn’t say that, my son,” Donner said. “In fact, Santa decided to bring her over.”

“He did?” Rudolph said, getting out of his seat.

Donner directed his eyes towards a nearby building before flicking his head back. Immediately, a familiar doe walked out and approached Rudolph.

“Clariece,” Rudolph said. “Santa brought you here?”

“He did with help from Old Man Winter,” Clarice said. “When I heard about how you helped take on Lavan, I got worried about your safety. But now I’m glad you survived the fight, and I’m glad to see you again.”

“So am I, Clarice,” Rudolph blushed. “So am I.”

“By the way,” Clarice said. “How would you feel if you became a father in the next few months?”

“A father? Me?” Rudolph said.

“And if it’s a son or daughter, you will be proud of your new child,” Clarice said.

“Oh I can’t wait,” Rudolph said.

With that, Rudolph and Clarice kissed each other, with Donner rubbing his eyes with his hoof.

“I was harsh on him when he was a young’un,” Donner said. “And sometimes, I wish I went easy. But now, I’m proud of how far my little Rudolph has come.”

“Let me guess, liquid pride,” Sunset laughed.

“Uhh, yes,” Donner said, awkwardly. “It is…liquid pride.”

But as the group laughed, Wanda and Amadeus turned back on each other.

“I know some people want me to find someone to be with me for the rest of my life,” Amadeus said. “But…I don’t think I’m….that committed.”

“It’s your choice if you want to go down that path or not, and with someone who cares for you,” Wanda said. “Always remember that.”

“I will,” Amadeus said. “And thanks.”

Nearby, Twilight Sparkle got out of her chair and walked past Tirek, Vorak and Lillian before approaching Sunny Starscout.

“How are you enjoying the festivities, my faithful student?” Twilight asked.

“The best, my faithful teacher,” Sunny Starscout said. “And I’m glad we got to make new friends.”

“An understatement,” Twilight laughed. “We’ve become closer with the centaurs because of these last couple of days. And it’s because you chose to befriend three of their representatives.”

“It’s still surprising that Cozy Glow, a pegasi filly, was amongst the citizens, let alone the royal family,” Sunny said.

“Life can be full of surprises, Sunny,” Twilight said. “Like how Wanda was raised by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

“Did someone call our name?” Wanda Young, Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and Sunny Starscout turned to the far street, where they saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna approach the entire group.

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “My faithful teacher.”

“Mom,” Wanda and Sunset said.

Wanda and Sunset got out of their seats before they and Twilight ran up to the two older Alicorn Princesses and gave them a big hug.

“We heard about what happened in those last two days, and we wanted to pitch in,” Princess Luna said. “But it looks like you got everything under control.”

“We sure did, Aunt Luna,” Wanda said, looking up at the two taller alicorns. “And mom, thanks for coming by New Ponyville.”

“It’s my pleasure, my daughter,” Princess Celestia said.

As Wanda, Sunset and Twilight stepped away from Celestia and Luna, they bowed to the taller alicorns in respect.

“Oh you don’t have to resort to that,” Celestia said. “After all, you three are my equals.”

“But it’s more out of respect, mother,” Sunset Shimmer said. “After all, you raised all three of us to exceed your expectations, and we sure did.”

“Maybe we should have gone easy on your three,” Princess Luna said.

As Wanda, SUnset and Twilight stepped aside, Sunny Starscout walked up to Princess Celestia before bowing to the alicorn.

“Sunny Starscout,” Princess Celestia said. “It is great to see my grandstudent.”

“And it’s great to see my grandteacher,” Sunny Starscout said.

“But I’ll have to be honest,” Celestia said. “The political system of the world prevented us from communicating with the kingdom of Centauria. And as a result, we almost lost them.”

“But I’m glad we got them back,” Sunny said. “But it sounds like you’re more disappointed in yourselves.”

“We are, little Sunny Starscout,” Celestia said. “Sometimes, I wonder if we lose sight of who we are, and how close we are to our friends. Even more so, you all had to deal with the same Lavan who fought against Megan Williams, Gusty the Great and Scorpan the Wise.”

“And it’s not your fault,” Tirek said, getting out of his chair with King Vorak, Queen Lillian, Cozy Glow and Amadeus by his side. “Sometimes, we have to roll with it and get through these hard times. When we do, we emerge stronger than ever.”

“Wise words from the son of King Vorak,” Princess Luna said, turning to the king of Centauria. “You raised Tirek, Amadeus and Cozy Glow with dignity.”

“That I did,” Vorak said. “I can also say the same thing for you and Celestia involving Wanda, Sunset and Twilight.”

“Oh you don't need to compliment us,” Celestia laughed. “But that being said, we should consider opening trade between the two countries.”

“And we shall,” King Vorak said. “It’s time we got out of our isolation and learn from the rest of the world.”

As the two rulers bowed to each other, everyone around them clapped their hooves or hands for King Vorak and Princess Celestia.

“Doesn’t this moment make you want to wipe tears from your eyes?” Wanda asked.

“It does,” Sunny Starscout said. “And I’m glad to have been a part of it.”

“So have I,” Wanda said. “So have I.”

As everyone celebrated, Santa Claus and Old Man Winter sat at the far end of the table, enjoying the food together.

“What a spectacular Christmas for the ponies of New Ponyville,” Santa Claus said. “Everything turned out alright for them.”

“It did, old friend,” Old Man Winter. “But they almost lost their home thanks to Lavan.”

“And had we failed to stop him, who knows what else he would have done once he captured New Ponyville,” Santa said. “Los Angeles, Tokyo, Canterlot, Shanghai, Vancouver, even the Southern Islands. In fact, even Christmas town would have collapsed thanks to that fiend.”

“Furthermore, if Lavan was able to escape his prison, it makes us wonder if other sinister foes from the past have escaped as well,” Old Man Winter said.

“Well there is one set of foes that won’t escape for the time being,” Santa said. “And right now, I think they’re in good hands.”

Santa and Old Man Winter turned to the far end of the street, where Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon were scrubbing down the street. Suri was in a bad mood as she cleaned the shampoo out of the pavement.

“Blast those pathetic ponies,” Suri Polomare grumbled. “When I get out of this mess, I will make them wish they were never born.”

“QUIT RANTING AND KEEP YOUR FOCUS ON YOUR WORK!” Suri slowly turned her head to see the Head Elf glare down at her.

“Alright, alright,” Suri Polomare said as she doubled down on the cleaning.

“That’s better,” The Head Elf said.

But as Suri cleaned, she saw Ace and Blue Monsoon chuckle at her.

“What are you morons laughing at?” Suri snarled.

But Ace and Blue Monsoon turned their heads away and cleaned while they whistled innocently.

“With minions like those two, who needs annoyances,” Suri said.

Back at the table, everyone was enjoying the feast of Christmas as they spread cheer and good will to each other. Tirek had a friendly chat with Wanda and Sunset. King Vorak and Queen Lillian clanged their glasses with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Amadeus and Wanda enjoyed a pumpkin pie with whipped cream. Sunny Starscout, Starlight Glimmer and Cozy Glow played with toys on the street. Even Twilight Sparkle and the others enjoyed each other’s company.

But up on the roof, a woman with bright yellow hair and a mysterious cloak looked down at Wanda Young with a sad look on her face.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your face, my daughter,” The woman said. “I had to give you up to Princess Celestia so that you would be safe. And I know you once had magic when you were a baby. One day, you and I will meet, and we will restore the old kingdom that once stood proud. So says I….Queen Eleanor Young of Equinox City.”

Immediately, Eleanor’s eyes shifted to Lillian, who sipped a glass of apple cider.

“And to you my old friend, I hope we meet again as well,” Eleanor said, reaching her hand out to Lillian.

Meanwhile, at a kingdom at the far north, inside a castle of cold, a winter-themed alicorn sat on her throne, brushing her mane for a moment when a guard made his way inside and approached her.

“Queen Icelina,” The guard said. “King Lavan was defeated by the student of Twilight Sparkle: Sunny Starscout.”

“I’ve heard about it, sssssoldier,” Queen Icelina said. “And it wasssssn’t jusssssst Ssssssunny Ssssstarscout. The poniesssss of New Ponyville and the Ccccccentaur of Ccccentauria were responsible in defeating Lavan. Even Sssssanta Claussssss and Old Man Winter joined in. Quite a sssssssurprise.”

“What should we do, my queen?” The guard asked.

“Nothing,” Queen Icelina responded. “Not for the time being. For now, I sssssshall build my ssssstrength and prepare for the invasssssssion. You may go.”

“Yes, my queen,” the guard said before he turned tail and walked out of the throne room.

Queen Icelina got on her four hooves and placed her hairbrush on the armrest of her throne before walking behind it. She pushed a slab on the wall, opening the doorway into a secret lair.

As she walked inside, the door closed behind her, leaving her all alone in a room with an alicorn stallion frozen in the middle of the room, and a sword resting in a resilient stone,

“It’sssssss too bad that King Glaciussssss cannot sssssssee the world from his iccccccccy prissssssson,” Queen Icelina said. “Nor can anyone claim the Sssssssword of Harmony. With the king of this kingdom and the ssssssword out of the way, nothing will ssssssstop me from preparing for my war with the whole world. Sssssssoon, all will tremble beneath the hooves of Queen Iccccccelina.”

Queen Icelina let out a horrifying laugh as she stood in front of the frozen body of King Glacius and the sealed Sword of Harmony.

The End

Author's Note

I'll have to admit: it was a difficult project to complete because there were even more characters I had to think about.

Tirek
Cozy Glow
My OC Amadeus Highstaff(May have called him Hightower by accident)
Both Mane Sixes
Sunset Shimmer
Starlight Glimmer
My OC Wanda Young
Spike and Sparky
Suri Polomare, Ace and Blue Monsoon
Sprout Cloverleaf and Posey Bloom
Yukon Cornelius
Rudolph
Santa Claus
even Old Man Winter

And it was hard to keep track of so many characters. But I at least pulled it off.

As for the conclusion, I may consider doing one more if you all want it: A villain of pure cold. On a side note, notice the cameo from King Glaceius? He's now the 5th One as a Family character to be apart of the New Ponyville universe. But unlike his counterpart Coldnelius Snap, he never went down the path of evil. But why did Icelina become evil? Ask me to do a sequel next year, and I'll explain why.

Anyway, Happy Hearths Warming and Merry Christmas. I will see you in 2025 with Saga 3 of One as a Family.