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.