Borealis sobbed hard as she and Rudolph ran through the Christmas Tree Forest, feeling the most embarrassed... no, the most humiliated... no, the most angry... no, feeling the greatest level of every emotion (except happy) that they had ever experienced.
For the first time, they actually thought they could make friends... be normal, even. But, that chance was ruined, and not only were they laughing stocks of the North Pole, but they also put their family to shame in the process.
All they could do now was leave Christmastown and never come back. “Rudolph!” called a sweet-sounding voice. “Borealis! Rudolph!”
Rudolph and Borealis stopped after hearing this voice, and when they turned, they saw Clarice standing not too far away from them, the ponies panting tiredly as they came up from behind her. “Oh... there you guys are!” Pipp said in relief. “We were so worried...”
“M-Make them go away, Rudolph...” Borealis whimpered tearfully, hugging up against Rudolph’s leg. “I-I don't wanna see anyone right now...”
The ponies became broken hearted at hearing how depressed Borealis sounded, cautiously stepping forward with Clarice as Rudolph looked at them. “Well... what do you all want?”
“Rudolph... are you kidding?” Sunny asked in a soft tone. “We had to come look for the two of you and make sure you were okay after hearing those reindeer berate and tease you like that-- no one, especially not our friends, deserve that.”
“Besides...” Clarice spoke up, “you promised you'd walk me home.”
Rudolph did remember that, and felt embarrassed that he let Clarice see his... non-conformity. “Aren't you going to laugh at my nose too?”
“Or the fact that somehow my tail can cast magic? Or that my eyes are three different colors?” Borealis added. “I think Rudolph's nose is a handsome nose,” Clarice spoke. “Much better than that silly false one you were wearing. And your eyes and magic are beautiful, Bori-- and so unique that any other fox would be jealous of you and your abilities.”
“Hey!” Pipp giggled. “That’s what we told them earlier! Strangest thing that sometimes what we tell them doesn't sink in until someone else says it.”
Rudolph continued to hang his head in shame. “It's terrible. We're so different than everybody else.”
“But that's what makes you guys so great!” Sunny said, gently lifting his muzzle up. “I think Clarice would agree that any doe... or anypony, for that matter would be lucky to have friends like you and Bori, Rudolph.”
Clarice nodded at this. “Sunny, I believe you took the words right out of my mouth.”
“Really?” Borealis asked hopefully, but then her ears pinned as she shook her head. “But we weren't very lucky today, were we?”
“I wish…” Rudolph began to say. “I… I wish… I…”
Then, before he could continue, the group heard Clarice singing in the most beautiful voice they’d ever heard… even Pipp was stunned at how beautiful it was.
There's always tomorrow
For dreams to come true
Believe in your dreams
Come what may
There's always tomorrow
With so much to do
And so little time
In a day
Then, even without Hitch telling them to, some more forest animals came to sit beside Clarice while she sang.
We all pretend the rainbow has an end
And you'll be there, my friend, someday
There's always tomorrow
For dreams to come true
Tomorrow is not far away
Animals: We all pretend the rainbow has an end
And you'll be there, my friend, someday
At the final couple of lines, Pipp decided to sing with Clarice, and then the rest of the ponies joined in.
Pipp and Clarice: There's always tomorrow
For dreams to come true
Ponies and Clarice: Tomorrow is not far awaaaaaaaay!!
As the song came to a close, Clarice and Rudolph snuggled with one another before they began to walk off, the ponies and Borealis walking behind them. “Hey… guys?” Borealis looked up at her friends. “Thanks… for everything.”
“No problem,” Izzy smiled. “And it may just be me, but it looks like things are going to look up from here!”
But she couldn’t be more wrong when a voice that Clarice recognized came closer. “Clarice!”
“Papa!” Clarice was surprised to see her father when he angrily approached. “You get back to your cave, this instant!”
“But, I--”
“This instant, young lady!”
“...yes, sir,” Clarice responded sadly, walking away from Rudolph and his friends. “There's one thing I want to make plain,” Clarice’s father said as they walked away. “No doe of mine is going to be seen with a… a red-nosed reindeer, a bewitched fox and a bunch of defiant, ungrateful mules!”
“MULES?!” Pipp shrieked as Clarice’s father led her away. “Oh, why I ought to--”
“Forget him, Pipp,” Zipp told her sister gently. “I think Rudolph and Borealis need us more right now.”
When Pipp looked back at the little reindeer and fox, they were sadly sitting down near one of the Christmas trees on a snowbank. “We’re sorry,” Rudolph apologized. “We didn’t mean to drag you into our problems.”
“It’s not your fault, Rudolph. It probably didn’t help that we told everypony off back there about how they treated you,” Misty said as they sat with the two young misfits. “Sunny even turned into her alicorn form right in front of them to defend you.”
“Really?” Rudolph asked in surprise. “Yeah, heh… not my proudest moment, telling entire crowd of Christmastown citizens, and your own parents, off,” Sunny chuckled nervously. “But… I guess we need to figure out what to do next.”
Suddenly, an elf popped out of the snowbank where they were sitting, causing Borealis and the ponies to shriek in surprise. “Oh,” said the elf, looking familiar to Izzy, Misty and Pipp. “Is this your snowbank?”
“No,” Rudolph shook his head. “Who are you?”
“Hermey!” Izzy cried, helping him out. “It’s so nice to see you again!”
“This is the Hermey you guys told us about?” Zipp asked. “He sure is!” Misty smiled. “One of the nicest elves we’ve ever met.”
“Well, actually, Misty,” Hermey corrected, “I am a dentist.”
Borealis looked beyond confused in that statement, and so did Rudolph. “A… dentist?” the little fox questioned. “Well, I want to be someday,” Hermey admitted with a shrug. “Right now, I’m just an elf. Who are your friends, Izzy?”
“That’s Sunny, Hitch, Pipp’s sister Zipp, and that’s Borealis and this is Rudolph!”
As she made the introductions, Rudolph’s nose lit up, causing the reindeer to swiftly become embarrassed again. “Say,” said Hermey, “that’s quite the nose you’ve got there.”
“Yeah,” Rudolph shrugged. “It’s always done that.”
“Just like my eyes have always been so colorful,” Borealis said, “and now, my tail does magic. Everyone laughed at us and called us all sorts of hurtful names today…”
“Oh… that sounds harsh,” Hermey frowned sympathetically. “No wonder you and your friends decided to run away like this. Well, I ran away too-- away from the other elves. But I don't need anybody. I'm... I'm independent.”
“Yeah? Me too!” Rudolph said, feeling a little better about himself. “Borealis and I are… w-whatever you said. Independent.”
Two Christmas ornaments fell behind them, causing them to jump back in surprise. But luckily, this caused Hermey to get what seemed like a good idea. “Hey, what do you say we all be independent together, huh?”
“Independent together?” Zipp blinked. “That sounds like an oxymoron to me.”
“But… it kinda sounds like a fair deal,” Borealis shrugged. “So… we could be independant together, and you wouldn’t mind my new powers?”
“And, you wouldn’t mind my… red nose?” Rudolph asked as his nose lit up again. Luckily, Hermey shook his head to both of those statements. “Not if you don't mind me being a dentist.”
“It’s a deal!” Rudolph said as all three of them shook hands. “Wait a second, guys,” Sunny said, approaching. “I’m glad you three are becoming friends, but is running away really the right way to go?”
“Why would you ask, Sunny? We’re all misfits around here,” Borealis said, “and us misfits gotta stick together! And that includes you all too!”
“Well, yes,” Misty said with an unsure look. “I-I guess you could say that, but what about--”
But before the other ponies could resume their protests, Borealis, Rudolph and Hermey began to sing a cheerful tune.
Rudolph, Borealis and Hermey: We're a couple of misfits
We're a couple of misfits
What's the matter with misfits?
That's where we fit in
We’re not daffy and dilly
Don’t go around willy-nilly
Seems to us kind of silly
That we don’t fit in
We may be different from the rest
Who decides the test
Of what is really best?
We're a couple of misfits
We're a couple of misfits
What's the matter with misfits?
That's where we fit in
Rudolph: Why am I such a misfit?
I am not just a nitwit!
I'm a dear of a reindeer
Why don't I fit in?
Borealis: Why am I such a misfit?
I am not just a nitwit!
There’s no fox like a snow fox
Why don’t I fit in?
Hermey: Why am I such a misfit?
I am not just a nitwit!
They can't fire me, I QUIT!
Seems I don't fit in
Borealis, Hermey and Rudolph: We may be different from the rest
Who decides the test
Of what is really best?
We're a couple of misfits
We're a couple of misfits
What's the matter with misfits?
That's where we fit in!
By the time the song ended, Borealis and Rudolph looked toward their Equestrian friends expectantly. “So what do you say, guys?” Borealis asked. “Wanna join us in our trip to become… independent?”
Sunny looked toward her friends with a worried glance. “We should go with them.”
“What?!” Zipp cried. “Sunny, that’s a bad idea! We have to convince them that running away isn’t the solution!”
“I know,” Sunny nodded, “but if we go with them, we can keep them out of trouble! Like running into the snow monster!”
“Oh right…” Hitch muttered. “I forgot about that.”
Slowly, the other ponies seemed to agree, and Sunny turned back toward their North Pole friends with a smile. “We’re in.”
XXXXXXXX
So, immediately after their pony friends agreed to travel with them, they set off into the unknown areas of the arctic. Unfortunately, none of them knew about what they were letting themselves in for. The world looked a lot more complicated and dangerous than it seemed when they were snug and warm at home.
And they would surely find out first-hoof later on that night.
XXXXXXXX
“So, Hermey? A dentist instead of being an elf, huh?” Zipp asked as they trudged through the snow as it got darker. “What made you go into that career choice?”
“Simple. Take a look,” Hermey handed her his dentistry book. “I learned through day and night with my trusty book about dentistry.his book is what had me changed to make a perfect living by becoming a dentist, to check everyone's teeth to see if they're healthy. That's the only way to be an elf that no other elves can do outside just making toys. But… the head elf wouldn’t bother to give me a chance.”
“I’m sorry, Hermey,” Sunny frowned. “That sounds horrible. My father and I, at one point, were the only ones to believe that pegasi and unicorns could be friends with the earth ponies again, and that made me feel alone too, especially after he passed away.”
“I’m sorry, Sunny,” Hermey apologized. “He sounds like a noble stallion.”
“He was,” Hitch smiled. “Nicest guy I’ve ever known.”
“I bet he’s really proud of all of you, defeating that evil fire alicorn like you did, and you’re on your way to reforming Misty’s mom,” said Borealis. “I know you guys can do it… I know you-- OH!!”
Suddenly, a harsh wind began to blow, along with a harsh snowfall. It was lucky that the ponies’ new winter looks were keeping them warm, but it was hard to trudge through the ice and snow with this wind blowing. And lucky for them, not only did they have Rudolph’s glowing nose, but they also had Izzy and Misty’s glowing horns to light their way.
But, that relief wouldn’t last long, for as they were trying to find their way through the snow, a loud roar echoed from the top of the mountains, causing them to freeze and look around in terror. “The abominable!” Hermey realized. “He must see your nose and horns!”
“Quick! Douse the light!” Zipp said, covering Izzy’s horn while Pipp covered Misty’s horn. They looked above the mountains to see the head and arms of the abominable stretching over, and seeing them caused Sunny to look around for a way out… that is, until she saw a cave just their size in the mountain nearby. “Quick! Over there! The abominable won’t be able to get us from inside that cave!”
She galloped ahead of her friends, leading them to the cave and made sure everyone got inside. Then, they made sure to keep very quiet as the abominable snow monster stomped past the cave, waited… looked around for a few moments… before giving up and moving on.
Zipp sighed as she watched the snow monster trudge past. “Looks like we’re safe in here for now. But I think we need to stay in here until morning, just to make sure he doesn’t see us wandering around with Rudolph’s nose glowing like a searchlight. Oh, uh… sorry, Rudolph. That didn’t sound the way I meant for it to.”
“It’s okay, Zipp. You just wanna make sure we’re all safe,” Rudolph said before yawning. “I am actually too tired to keep moving tonight. We can keep going tomorrow.”
“Hey, Zipp, what about we sing a song to get everyone sleepy?” Pipp said, getting out her guitar. “Like our Portrait Day song!”
“Well, we haven’t done that once since last Portrait Day,” said Zipp with a shrug, “so… why not?”
Pipp squealed and got out her guitar as everyone laid close together, and then, once they were settled, Zipp and Pipp began to sing, the latter strumming her guitar softly.
Zipp: Be still, don't move
It's easy to smile with you by my side
Don't blink
Pipp: Don't blink
Zipp: Big smile
Pipp: Big smile
Both: Just being with you, my heart opens wi-i-i-i-i-i-i-ide
There for you through thick and thin
Zipp: We're not the same
Pipp: But we know we've been
Zipp: Find yourselves on different pages
Different notes
Both: Mean bigger stages
As it all comes clear to me
You're my best friend, my family
I wanna capture this moment
As we hit our stride
Zipp: With you by my...
Both: You by my si-i-i-i-i-i-ide
My-y-y-y-y-y-y
Si-i-i-i-i-i-ide
It's Portrait Day, I want you by my side
And seconds after the song was over, snoring was heard, and it was revealed that everyone fell asleep to the sisters' song. “Wow, Mom was right,” Zipp commented. “A soft song can lure anyone to sleep in the blink of an eye.”
“I guess so. We better get some sleep,” said Pipp. “Big day tomorrow, you know.”