//------------------------------//
// Episode 19: The time for Family and Holly and Jolly 
// Story: Sparkling Harmony EQG: Agents of SMILE: Yule Tide Assistance 
// by Captain_Cosmos 
//------------------------------//

Around the world
December 24th, 2022
Several hours



Throughout the night, Sparkler and the reindeer continued their flight around the world, and when they stopped at a house, Sparkler, not being able to fit through chimneys, had to get creative when getting in. Zora and Cortana were extremely helpful most of the time due to their security jamming abilities and their ability to project a camouflage screen to shield both the sleigh and Sparkler from any external surveillance. Whenever she snuck in, Sparkler internally thanked SMILE for equipping Zora and Cortana with sensor jamming capabilities, because otherwise Derrick might have been on her tail about all the trespassing she was doing. “For a good cause.” She always told herself whenever her conscience objected to breaking and entering.

One by one, they cleared out country after country. Successfully delivering gifts to kids everywhere, and if one of them happened to catch her in the act, a quick spray of the special neuro-agent protected the Secret of Santa…as much as she hated having to do that.

Meanwhile, back at the pole, An Elf Spoke up. “Santa! Multiple Legendary level signatures converging on Sparkler’s final destination.”

“Legendary level?” Santa asked. “Oh no. The fool actually told them.” He groaned as he realized what happened.”

“Who told who?” Sunset asked.

“Jack Frost told the Legendary Council, Sandman, Tooth Fairy, Cupid, all of them, that Sparkler was flying in my place. And he probably told them in a way that made it look like it was deliberate and malicious.” Santa explained.

“But that’s not true at all.” Sunset responded.

“Right, but they probably do not know that. Alex is Sparkler flying my Sleigh?” Santa asked.

“No sir, she’s flying the Sparkmobile masquerading as the sleigh.” Alex responded.

“Alright plan B, Speaker phone.” Santa responded. “Patch me through.”

“Something tells Jack’s not all that benevolent.” Daydream commented in a hushed voice

“You know about Q from Star Trek?” Cornelius asked.

“Yes.” Sunset, Twilight, and Daydream said.

“It’s like that.” Cornelius responded. “Frost is Q, Santa and the rest of the Legendary Figures are Every Starfleet officer he’s messed with. I’d say he’s 60% friend and 40% that one guy that’s ultimately harmless but likes to mess with people.” He explained.

Daydream and her friends shared worried glances at each other, they all heard the way Jack was talking to Sparkler. They all were thinking the same thing. That they would see Jack again after this adventure.





Mayor’s house
Canterlot City
December 24th, 2022
2330hrs

By the time Sparkler made it to her final stop, which was surprisingly Canterlot City, Sparkler knew for a fact that she would be out like a light the moment she got back to her parents’ house after this. But at the same time, she could definitely pat herself on the back for actually managing to pull it off. “Whew, What a night.” She commented.

“Definitely long, that’s for certain.” Rudolph responded as they landed on the Mayor’s roof. “But it’s worth it to bring joy to kids everywhere.” He added.

“Yeah.” Sparkler responded. “Now, Flappy, you Zora and Cortana are jamming SMILE’S sensors in this area right?” She asked. It was not lost on her the MAJOR risk she was at with the Sparkmobile being on the roof of Canterlot’s Mayor’s house.

“This area has been browned out as far as sensors go.” Flappy responded. “And Zora and Cortana are again jamming the security systems. Just like every other time, you should have no trouble sneaking in.”

Sparkler took a deep breath. She again told herself that it was for a good cause to ease her conscience and that Santa needed to do it too in order to do what he did, and raised her watch to call up a house floorplan to find the best way in. “Tonight’s gonna haunt me for a bit no doubt.” She said under her breath as she got out of the sleigh and slung the Santa Bag over her shoulder.

“Haunt you?” Rudolph asked as he glanced back at Sparkler.

“As a secret agent, one of the very first things they grill into you during training is to respect all local laws while on a mission whenever possible.” Sparkler responded. “I probably broke several laws tonight to get in and deliver presents.” She explained. “Not exactly good for my conscience.”

“If it’s any consolation, you breaking the law means a lot of happy kids waking up to gifts under the tree.” Rudolph told her.

“That’s what I’ve been telling myself.” Sparkler responded. “Still doesn’t do very much for my conscience.”

“Well, at least you only need to do it one more time.” Dasher commented. “For real Sparkler, we all owe you a debt of gratitude, you saved Christmas for literally millions. Going WAY above and beyond the initial request.” He said.

“Well, I couldn’t have done it without you guys.” Sparkler responded. “You guys are the real MVPs for getting Santa everywhere.”

“It’s what we do.” Rudolph responded.

Sparkler nodded as she located the way in nearest to the Christmas tree. “Right, well, wish me luck.” She said as she went to slide off the roof.

Before she did though, she was stopped in her tracks by an arrow that was shot right in front of her. The sudden arrow appearance spooked Sparkler, made her drop the bag, and almost immediately raise both her watch and her ring and start looking around for the archer that shot the arrow. She glanced around to find nothing at first, before she heard a voice from behind and above her. “So what Frost said was true…For once.” Said a male voice.

Sparkler immediately swerved around and aimed right at the source of the voice…to see a winged man in a diaper, and a quiver full of Arrows. “What the…” She said out loud.

The flying man raised his hands the moment he was aimed at. “Whoa whoa hey. Easy with those things. No need to be alarmed.” He said.

Sparkler lowered her arms slightly as she realized who this guy was. “C-Cupid?” She asked.

“At your service.” Cupid responded.

“What’re you doing here Cupid?” Rudolph asked.

“I called him here.” Said a familiar voice. Sparkler whirled around to see Jack Frost land on the roof.

“Frost.” Sparkler IDed him, and aimed an arm at him.

“That’s me, and we’re not alone.” Frost responded.

At that moment, Sparkler heard Santa’s voice through her earpiece. “Sparkler put me on speaker, you’re about to have company.” He said.

Sparkler’s eyes widened as she became surrounded by other people. Given that Frost and Cupid were there, she deduced who these other newcomers were, At least some of them. The Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Sandman. “Yeah…No kidding.” She responded to Santa.

“Greetings Sparkling Medley.” Said a woman in regal attire. “I am Mother Nature.” Mother Nature introduced herself.

Sparkler glanced around, her guard still up. “Flappy.” She said. “Erect a soundproof cloaking dome around everyone here.” She said.

“Aye Sparkler.” Flappy said as a purple transparent dome erected around everyone there. 

Once the dome closed off and became invisible, Sparkler turned her attention to the Newcomers. “Now we can speak without anyone in the surrounding area seeing or hearing us.” She told them.

“Considerate, but unnecessary.” Mother Nature said. “By our nature, us Legendary Figures are invisible and soundless to outsiders when we all gather.” She informed Sparkler.

“Sparkler, put me on Speaker, please.” Santa repeated.

“Alright Santa, Flappy, put him on speaker.” Sparkler told Flappy.

“On speaker now.” Flappy responded.

“Hello, can you guys hear me?” Santa asked.

“We can hear you Santa.” Tooth Fairy responded.

“Great.” Santa responded. “Frost what the heck were you thinking?”

“I merely brought my concerns to the council. They motioned to come investigate.” Frost responded.

“Tattletale.” Rudolph spat at Frost. Clearly annoyed with the Herald of Winter.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble.” Sparkler told the Legendary figures. “There was an accident at the North Pole, and I was the only one capable of flying in Santa’s place so I volunteered for this.”

“It’s true.” Santa chimed in. “Accident in the mail house, I was deemed unfit to fly, and Sparkler had all the necessary prerequisites to fly in my place.”

“And this came after she helped us get back the Magic Generator that was stolen from us.” Rudolph said. “So she was already at the North Pole when it happened.”

“Yeah that’s definitely more believable than Frost’s story of deliberate Maliciousness.” Sandman said, the other Legendary Figures agreed.

Sparkler, sensing that she didn’t need to worry, lowered her arms, standing down. Frost meanwhile wasn’t smiling. “Ahem, excuse me, you seriously are not going to believe the word of of a young teenage girl over a trusted and valued member of this august council are–”

“Frost.” Mother Nature cut Jack off. “You might be valued, but you are not trusted.” She said bluntly.

“You have attempted so many frivolous accusations that we can’t take you at your word. Why do you think we immediately motioned to come here?” Cupid asked.

“If I may interject–”

“You may not.” Mother Nature cut Jack off again, it was clear the council was sick of Jack’s Shenanigans. “This Council meeting is adjourned.” She announced.

With that, Cupid, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Sandman and an elderly man disappeared. Mother Nature smiled towards Sparkler. “Our apologies Sparkler, you do understand the circumstances are…Unique.” She said.

“Yeah I know. First time for everything. And…It was an honor to be in your presence.” Sparkler said.

“You have a heart of gold Sparkler. You have our eternal gratitude for what you’ve done this year.”

“All in a day’s work madam.” Sparkler responded.

Mother Nature nodded. “I shall let you get back to it.” She said a she shot a glare at Frost, before disappearing.

With her gone, Rudolph shot Frost a nasty look. “So, what exactly was your plan?” Rudolph asked.

“Merely concerned for the future of Christmas.” Frost responded, acting innocent.

“Yeah, well you have exactly 5 seconds to beat it, before we need to be concerned for your wellbeing.” Rudolph warned.

“And what could you do to me Red Nose?” Frost asked. “I’ll see ya around Sparkler.” He said as he left. Acting like it never happened.

With him gone, Rudolph rolled his eyes. “Ugh. That guy is SO annoying.” He said.

“Seconded.” Santa commented.

“What should I watch out for?” Sparkler asked.

“I’ll tell you later, right now, You got a job to finish.” Santa said.

“Right.” Sparkler responded as she picked up the Santa bag and slid off the roof.

As carefully and as quietly as she could, Sparkler slipped through a window that let her into a hallway. This hallway was connected directly to the living room where the tree was according to her glasses HUD. But there was a problem. She saw a light coming from a room that was in the hall before the living room, and she could hear talking. Crud! Mayor or one of his relatives is still up! She thought. This just got a bit tougher. Taking a silent deep breath, and engaging her glasses’ infrared vision to check for heat signatures, she tiptoed down the hall, and when she got to the door she pressed her back against the side and waited for the people inside what was clearly the kitchen to not be looking. While she was waiting, she couldn’t help but overhear the conversation, and she could hear both sides. And clearly there was tension.

“Why won’t you just send me their gifts. It’s not like they’ll need them anyway.” A lady barked.

“The fact that you are even THINKING to ask that just proves how utterly unfit you are to be their legal guardian!” A man she recognized as the mayor responded. “What you are asking me to do is inhumane, wrong, and I will NOT do it. You lost custody of them for a reason and this very well SHOULD be one of them if it wasn’t already!” He said angrily.

“You honestly think they deserve a single gift? They ruined my life!” The woman scolded the mayor.

“THEY ruined YOUR life? Aren’t YOU the one that’s treated them horribly their whole life because of their syndrome? And aren’t you the one that’s stolen all their gifts every year and pawned them off for money before they even wake up on Christmas morning?” THe mayor asked, to which Sparkler’s eyes widened in total shock.

“They deserve it for ruining my image.” The woman said.

“No, no they don’t. They have NEVER deserved the way you’ve treated them. They had every right to every single gift they were supposed to get, and I am GLAD that CPS was called on you. Because now they’ll finally be able to experience the joy of opening gifts on Christmas.” The mayor said. “And that is my final word on the matter. I would wish you a merry Christmas but that is more than you deserve.” The mayor said before Sparkler heard the phone hanging up.

In the moment after the fact, Sparkler did not move, or even make a sound, too shocked to do so. What, did I just overhear? She couldn’t help but think. She inferred that the mayor was talking to a mother, and it sounded like her kids were the ones she was delivering presents for now, And based on the conversation…Have they NEVER opened presents on Christmas before?! She thought. The mere thought of such a possibility broke Sparkler’s heart, having been a kid herself, and also infuriated her when she connected dots in relation to what she just overheard. She struggled to compose herself, but she quickly regained composure and waited for the mayor to turn his head. Which he did after a second, as Sparkler snuck past the doorway, she heard him muttering under his breath. “God I hope Santa hasn’t written them off by now. They’ll finally be able to get what he brings.”

Oh they will, Trust me. Sparkler thought as she tiptoed her way to the living room. Along the way, she heard a voice through her earpiece. “Sounds like Martha’s as pleasant as ever.” Alex said, the sarcasm clear as day in his voice.

As quietly as she possibly could, Sparkler responded. “You KNOW about this?!” She asked.

“Of course we do. We have tried literally everything to prevent what Martha’s been doing to her kids where their gifts were concerned, but nothing worked.” Alex explained. “This would be the first time they actually get what we bring them.”

That only worked to infuriate Sparkler even more. The mere thought that a mother could do something so horrible to her kids was almost inconceivable to her. “Any notes from you guys in their presents?” She asked.

“No, why?” Alex asked.

Sparkler didn’t answer, instead she got her crystal ring ready, a course of action forming in her mind. I won’t tell them exactly what happened, that’s for the mayor to tell, but I’m definitely going to make sure to tell them that Santa never gave up on them. She thought.

She entered the living room and found the tree. It wasn’t decorated anything special, but she didn’t care. After checking behind her to make sure the mayor was still either in the kitchen or better yet, walking back upstairs, she made her way to the tree and reached into the bag to pull out their presents. She learned right quick that the bag knew whose presents went wear so she didn’t need to worry about accidentally leaving the wrong one. In total she pulled out about 70 gifts, most likely 7 for each kid for each year both kids ended up with nothing, and after that, she had her ring construct a piece of paper, and a pen, which she wrote.

Dear Light Wing and Dark Wing,

Normally I do not bring 35 gifts for per kid I deliver to, but you two are special cases. I am sorry that you two never got to open the gifts I brought you, but just know that Santa always delivers. And never gives up on a kid for any reason. And I shall be back next year to deliver gifts to you, and every year for a long time.

Have a very merry Christmas and a happy new year,

Santa Claus.

After checking the note over to make sure it was perfect, she slid it into an envelope, tied a ribbon around it, and placed it on a branch on the tree where she knew they’d find it. Breaking laws be darned. Worth it to be able to bring smiles to kids faces. She thought.

“S-Santa? Is that you?” Sparkler froze solid when she heard the sound of a little boy talking. Aww crud. She knew in that moment what happened. She slowly turned around and indeed, the two boys she was delivering for were standing there, staring at her as if they had seen a ghost. Which they might as well have seen given what Sparkler heard.

After a few seconds of thinking of a response, Sparkler just smiled. “Yeah.” She said. “It’s me.”

“You don’t look at all like all the posters we saw at the mall.” One of the boys said.

That got Sparkler to let out her best impression of Santa’s laugh as she knelt down to their level. “Well, don’t believe EVERYTHING you see.” She told them.

“Light, Dark, What are you–” Said a male voice before Sparkler and the boys saw the mayor turn the corner, probably having heard the boys talking. The mayor stopped when he saw who the boys were talking to. “S-Santa.” He said, surprised.

“Hello there Mayor Copperbottom.” Sparkler responded.

Copperbottom smiled in relief, something Sparkler knew the meaning of but the boys clearly did not. “Here to deliver gifts I imagine.” He said.

“Yeah. Just like always.” Sparkler responded.

“Santa, were we on the naughty list until now?” One of the boys asked. “Why did we never get a visit from you before?”

Sparkler in reality had no way of knowing if her response was true, but she didn’t care as she shook her head. “No, you two have never been on the naughty list.” She assured them. “It was something out of my control. But I promise from here on out you will find my gifts to you under the tree.” She assured them.

“I’ll tell you boys what’s really been happening in the morning.” Copperbottom chimed in. “But right now I’m sure Santa is very busy and probably has to get going.”

“Ok Uncle Jon.” One of the boys said.

“Wait.” The other boy said, he ran over to a desk, picked up a card, and rushed back over. “Here, Light and I made if for you, just in case you did show up.” Dark explained.

Sparkler would have been shocked that they made a card for Santa, but it wasn’t the first time she found such gifts for Santa tonight, so instead she just smiled and accepted the card. “Aww. Thank you. It’s lovely.” She said.

“Merry Christmas Santa.” Light said.

“Merry Christmas Light, Dark.” Sparkler responded. The boys smiled and turned to leave when Sparkler remembered something. “Wait, Light, Dark, could you two do me a huge favor please?” She asked.

“What?” Dark said.

“I would really appreciate it if you kept this a secret. No one can know that you met me, it will destroy the magic of Christmas. Think you can keep this to yourself?” Sparkler asked. She knew full well that she was taking a massive, unauthorized risk in not just spraying Light and Dark into forgetting their encounter with Santa, but given that they probably were close to losing all belief in Santa, she reasoned that they deserved to spend at least one year having hard evidence that Santa was indeed real. And she guessed Alex agreed with her, since he wasn’t shouting into the com to just spray them.

“Yeah. We can keep it a secret.” Light responded.

Sparkler smiled and held out her pinkie finger to them. “Pinkie promise?” She asked.

Light and Dark each wrapped their own pinkie around Sparkler’s. “Pinkie Promise.” They said.

Sparkler nodded as they said merry christmas, and proceeded upstairs to bed.

Copperbottom watched them go, and then turned back to Sparkler who was standing back up with the bag. “Thank you for not giving up on them Santa. You have to have known what their biological egg donor was doing.” He said.

“To think ANY parent could do that to their kids.” Sparkler shivered as she responded. “She’s definitely on the naughty list.”

“As she so rightfully deserves to be after all the crap she’s pulled since Light and Dark were born.” Copperbottom said.

Sparkler was tempted to ask, but she knew it was none of her business so instead she just decided to get going. “Well, I better be off, but before I do, Sadly I’m gonna need to modify your memory.” She told Copperbottom.

“Yeah I figured.” Copperbottom responded. “No one can know Santa’s actually real.” He said as he went over and sat on the couch. “Merry Christmas Santa, and thank you.” He said.

“Merry Christmas Mr, Mayor.” Sparkler responded as she aimed her watch at the mayor and sprayed him. The mayor fell asleep immediately, and with nothing else there, Sparkler took the milk and cookies she was required to take, and managed to sneak out of the house.

She got back onto the roof and got into the sleigh. “Alright boys.” She said to the reindeer. “Our job’s done here, let’s go home. Dash away Rudolph!” She called out as she cracked the reins.

Rudolph and the reindeer took off pulling the sleigh, and set course for home. Along the way, Sparkler decided to call something out she had been wanting to call out the whole time. “Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas to all! And to all a good night!” She called out as the Kringle Bridge opened up to bring them back to the North Pole.

To Be Continued…