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.