//------------------------------// // Mission on the Island of No Name // Story: G5 Adventures in Rudolph's Shiny New Year // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// Aeon couldn't believe his luck... he finally got Happy, and his life would be as eternal as they come! The monster bird took the Baby New Year from the island of 1776 and flew him all the way back to his home on... the Island of No Name. It was a terrible place... more like a haunted iceberg than an island, far from the Archipelago of Last Years and due north of the North Pole, where the sun never shined. Aeon chuckled wickedly as he set Happy down in his nest. “You’ll never be found here!” he said to the frightened Baby New Year. “And I shall live forever! Hooray! Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!!” XXXXXXXX At the same time, different wicked laughter began to fill the ears of a sleeping Misty, causing her to immediately jump up with a start, trying to catch her breath from whatever dream she had just had. “What was that?!” “You okay, Misty?” Island asked, landing on the back of Big Ben. “I’ve never seen you jump like that before.” “Come to think of it…” said Zipp, “neither have we.” Misty then took a breath, remembering that they were the back of Big Ben with all their new friends to the Island of No Name, where Aeon was rumored to live, and where he might have been holding Happy, before she began to explain her fearful jump. “Maybe it’s nothing, but… in my dream, I was in this big black void, and… I could have sworn I heard Opaline laughing in there. And she sounded close.” Borealis shuddered in fear at the sound of the evil alicorn's name. “I know you told me and Rudolph about her before,” she said, “but that alicorn’s name still gives me the creeps!” “But it couldn’t have been Opaline, could it?” Hitch asked. “We destroyed her.” “I know that, but… still…” Misty shuddered. “It felt so real!” “You’ve mentioned that Opaline character’s name before,” Story Heart spoke up while Sir 1023 brushed her tail. “Who is she?” “Maybe I should explain, Sunny,” Rudolph spoke, dimming his nose. “I think it caused a lot of ‘wish to be forgotten’ memories to return last time you and Misty told us the story.” “Yeah… that would be great, actually,” Sunny said, moving to the front to light the way with her alicorn form. “I’ll take over light duty.” Rudolph nodded, and then he and Bori sat down before their new friends. “Well, we don’t know about Opaline first hoof, but we do know one thing… she was dangerous,” Rudolph said. “She wanted to take all magic for herself, in Equestria and other worlds!” “Whoa… that’s horrible,” Freedom shuddered before Borealis took over. “From what Misty told us,” said the fox, “Twilight Sparkle’s reign was peaceful for many moons until Opaline Arcana appeared. She'd been banished from Skyros, the alicorn land thought to be forgotten by Equestrians for a millenium.”  “Hey… I remember my mother telling me the legend of Skyros when I was a filly!” Island recalled. “But… I thought it was just that. Is that where Twilight Sparkle came from?” “No, she was a unicorn at first,” said Zipp, “and then got turned into an alicorn after creating a new magic.” “Whoa… freaky…” Freedom said before getting out a journal. “Please, continue! I really wanna take down some notes!” “Okay, let me think… how did the ponies tell it? Oh, yeah!” Rudolph recalled before continuing the story. “Opaline thought that all alicorns were superior, so Twilight and her friends decided to stop her. Their friendship had created such powerful magic that Opaline had to resort to dark ways to overthrow Equestria. She even attacked the dragons to transform into a fire alicorn!” “You mean… she could control fire?!” Story Heart gulped. “What happened to the dragons?” Sev asked. “I’m getting to that,” said Borealis. “So, the Unity Crystals were created to hide the magic of Equestria, and Twilight sent griffons, hippogriffs, kirin and all other sorts of Equestrian creatures to the mortal world, so they would be safe. As for the dragons…” “...we aren’t sure where they are yet,” Sunny admitted. “But… I hope we can figure it out someday.” “But… if Aeon’s as dangerous as this Opaline was,” said Freedom, “will we rescue Happy in time?” “Yes? No?” O.M tried to answer before shaking his head. “No.” “It looks bad for Happy,” Sev spoke sadly. “Aye, aye…” Sir 1023 sniffled as tears fell from his helmet. “Tis… tis… HOPELEEEEEEESSS!!!!” “Guys, you can’t think like that,” Sunny said, turning to face them. “Besides, nothing is ever hopeless.” “Sunny’s right,” Rudolph nodded. “We’ll find Happy in time.” “But… how can you both be so sure?” Freedom asked. “Aw, that’s an easy one!” Izzy said, trotting toward Sunny. “Sunny’s the embodiment of hope in Equestria! She is the one who convinced all three pony kinds to get along again. If she didn’t, then we wouldn’t be here right now!” Sunny chuckled at this. “Well… the embodiment of hope is a bit of a stretch, but… Izzy does have a point. Like we had to have hope that all three pony kinds would get along again, we need to have hope to be able to rescue Happy.” “And besides,” Rudolph said, “we got you this far, didn’t we?” Rudolph: Have a little faith in us And day by day We’ll make your dreams all come true Sunny: Have a little faith in us Pipp: And as they say Faith can move mountains for you… Misty: We’ll lend a helping hoof When things go wrong Rudolph: And by your side we’ll stand As we help along… Have a little faith in us That’s all we ask Borealis: We’ll keep the faith Mane 6, Rudolph and Borealis: Faithfully! The simple, short but sweet song seemed to keep the others’ hopes alive, and even made them smile a bit… especially when Rudolph’s nose lit up, making the raindrops falling around them sparkle like diamonds. “Look, look!” O.M spoke. “It really is raaaaaainingggg sunshiiiiine!!!” This caused the entire group to burst into laughter, realizing that their friends were right-- in order to succeed in their mission, they had to keep their faith and hope alive. Suddenly, a wave caused them all to plop down onto their bottoms, but not a few seconds after that, Big Ben spoke up from beneath them. “Well, by George! Look up yonder! Look what Sunny’s alicorn light and Rudolph's nose lit the way to!” The group looked ahead to see a towering island of ice and snow before them, causing Misty to gasp. “The Island of No Name! That has to be it!” “WAHOO!!!” Izzy cheered. “Happy, here we come!” “Now hold on there, Miss Izzy,” Big Ben said. “So old Aeon don’t see us coming, you all better douse whatever lights you have on you. But keep that hope burnin’ bright inside.” “Okay, Big Ben!” Rudolph said as he doused his nose, and Sunny quickly made her alicorn form vanish as they reached the island’s edge. “Come on, everyone!” Freedom said as she flew off Big Ben’s back. “Let’s get up to Happy, and--” Suddenly, her wings began to glitch and the blue pegasus fell to the icy ground, causing the others to come to her aid. “Freedom, are you okay?” Zipp asked. “Yes… but, what happened?” Freedom asked while trying to get off the ground. “Why can’t I fly?!” “Uh oh!” Hitch continuously tried to stomp and create a plant with his hooves, but even this proved ineffective. “None of our powers are working!” “I can’t even get my horn to spark up!” Misty strained. “Our pony powers must not work here!” “But… what about our North Pole powers?” Borealis wondered before wagging her tail, letting sparkles form. “Phew… thank goodness that still works.” “So, the North Pole magic in our pendants could be our only way out of here and back to Father Time’s palace,” Zipp told the rest of the Mane 6. “We just have to use them carefully, and rely on our teamwork and strength for now.” Soon, as the group began to move toward the mountain, a loud bell caught their attention, and it seemed to be coming from Big Ben’s tail clock. “Hey, wha…” O.M stammered, “what’s that for?” “Look at my clock,” Big Ben instructed. “11:30,” Sev read the time on the clock. “New Year’s Eve!” “Zounds, gadzooks, and odd bodkins!” Sir 1023 realized. “We have but one half-hour!” “Only a half hour?!” Borealis shrieked. “Oh, woof... that’s not a lot of time…” “We've got to be quick, then!” Rudolph told her. “Come on, everyone! Let’s get up there and get Happy!” “But we have to be careful,” Sunny said as she tried to climb on the icy mountainside. “One wrong slip and it’ll be like dominoes all the way down!” So, one by one and inch by inch, they slowly began to climb up the towering mountain of ice and snow toward Aeon's gigantic nest. But as they got ¾ of the way there, O.M suddenly slipped on a loose rock, causing him to tumble back with a startled yell. Luckily, Zipp was there to grab him before he slipped too far down, but it was hard for her to hold him up without flying. That’s when things just escalated to something far worse. Aeon heard the sound of O.M’s yelling and stirred, eventually opening his eyes and looking around, eventually spotting the group on the side of the mountain. “You!” “Uh-oh!” Borealis and all the ponies cried out in panic, but they knew if they got closer, it could endanger Happy and themselves in the process. Aeon got on the side of his nest and screeched as loud as he possibly could, and while that sound hurt the gang's ears, it also sent an avalanche down in their direction! Zipp, Pipp, Island and Freedom tried their best to grab their friends and escape the avalanche from the air, but they still found their Equestrian magic was useless on that island. “Oh, come on!” Zipp cried. “Why did this place have to be completely magicless?!” Everyone screamed as the avalanche came on top of them, sending them rolling down the mountain and imprisoning them in large snowballs, much to Aeon’s delight. “They’re all buried alive!” he cheered before turning to Happy. “Your last hope is gone! And you'll live here with me as my slave. And all time will stop, and I will never turn into ice and snow! Safe… safe… safe at last!! HA HA HA… yawn…” In fact, Aeon seemed so comforted by his apparent success that he snuggled down deep into his nest and drifted off into a contented sleep, certain that Happy was his forever... ...or was he? XXXXXXXX Zipp desperately kicked at the snowball that she and Izzy were trapped in, and Izzy even tried to poke her horn through the snow and ice, but still nothing… they were completely stuck. “Oh, it’s no use!” Pipp shouted from the snowball she and Hitch were stuck in. “We’re gonna be trapped in here forever!” “We can’t give up!” Sunny cried from her and Misty’s snowball. “Even without Equestrian magic, there has to be a way out of here!” “But how?!” Island cried from her and O.M's snowy prison. “We’ve tried everything!” That’s when Rudolph got an idea. “Not everything… if I can melt the snow enough, maybe Bori and I can break out of this snowball and Bori can free the rest of you with her shockwave of light!” “It’s worth a try!” Hitch spoke. “Go for it, Rudolph!” Rudolph nodded, and once Borealis was on his back, began to light his nose the best that it could get. After a moment, it got warm... and warmer... and even warmer than that... ...until the snowball eventually burst, allowing Rudolph and Borealis to leap out from their prison, shaking the snow off of them. “Phew… you did it!” Borealis cheered before hopping off her friend’s back. “Hang on, ponies! I’m coming in with a blast of light in three… two… ONE!!” She stomped her front paws on the ground, causing a shockwave of light to go toward the Mane 6’s snowballs and this caused the snowballs to crack, freeing them. “Yahoo! You did it!” Izzy cheered, hugging Rudolph while Borealis hugged Misty. “You guys were amazing!” Zipp smiled. “Great teamwork!” “Thanks!” Borealis smiled. “Now we just gotta get the others.” “You guys go on ahead!” Freedom called. “We’ll dig ourselves out and meet up with you later!” “Huh?” Sunny became confused immediately. “You guys sure!” “Of course we are!” Story Heart cried. “Now go! You have to get to Happy before it’s too late!” “Well… okay then,” Rudolph nodded with a frown. “Come on, ponies! It’s up to all of us to find Happy!” And so, Rudolph and Borealis bravely led their pony friends up the mountainside once more, with all their friends wishing them luck. XXXXXXXX By the time that Rudolph, Borealis and the Mane 6 had got to the top of the mountain, they noticed that Aeon was fast asleep, and Happy was sitting right next to his wing, meaning they had to be extra careful with their volume and how they moved. One wrong move or one loud sound could blow their cover a second time. Carefully, they trotted closer to the Baby New Year, and Rudolph spoke up to get Happy's attention. “Hi,” he said. “My name is Rudolph. This is Borealis, and these are our Equestrian friends.” However, Happy moved back, a little unsure and frightened. “Hey, wait a minute! Don’t be afraid,” Borealis said, gently approaching. “Yeah,” Misty nodded as the rest of the ponies slowly advanced. “We wanna be your friends too, and help you out of this horrible place.” Happy shook his head to Misty's remark, and this confirmed Rudolph's earlier theories. “You think you can’t have any friends. Why not?” Happy’s only response was a coo and a soft shrug, not really sure he should say anything about his ears to these strangers. “Aw, come on, little guy,” Zipp said. “You can tell us anything, and we won’t judge.” “Are you afraid to make friends because of your ears?” Sunny asked, making Happy pull his hat down even further on his face. “Well, I mean… they couldn’t be that bad… could they?” But, Happy’s whimpering sobs told the group otherwise, making their hearts sink. “Poor little guy…” Hitch frowned. “I wish there was something we could do to help him.” “...maybe there is!” Borealis said, getting an idea before approaching the Baby New Year. “You know, Happy… I used to feel ashamed about my differences too. I have three different colors in my eyes, and I can do magic. But, when I’m around people that really don’t mind my differences, I started to feel better about myself.” “Huh?” Happy lifted his hat a little bit to look at her. “Oh… yeah!” Sunny said. “I’m the only earth pony who can turn into an alicorn… and I’d show you right now, but… you know, no magic up here.” “My turn!” Pipp said. “I have totally different wings than my sister and mom, and everypony else for that matter, but… I think they make me look so much more dazzling.” Hitch decided to speak next. “I’m the only earth pony who can talk to animals.” “And I earned my cutie mark way later than everypony else!” Misty said. “In one way or another, we’re all different, but we like being ourselves, and that’s all we can be.” That’s when Rudolph decided to prove Misty’s point with his own example. “And you wanna see something else? Look!” The reindeer let his nose glow bright red, much to the bewilderment of the Baby New Year. “Heh, go ahead!” Rudolph told him. “Laugh right out. Doesn’t bother me anymore.” Happy couldn't help but giggle, but then Rudolph couldn't help but smile as he went into a recollection of memories. “But Sunny and the others can tell you, when I was little, it sure gave me one heck of a time. You mean, you’ve never heard about me?” Happy shook his head, and Pipp took out her phone to play a soft tune. “Well… I think we can help you out there.” Then, all the ponies began to sing a song they all wrote together to honor their friendship with their red-nosed pal.  Zipp and Hitch: You know Dasher and Dancer And Prancer and Vixen Izzy and Pipp: Comet and Cupid And Donner and Blitzen Mane 6 and Borealis: But do you recall The most famous reindeer of all…? Then, as Borealis swished her tail to ignite her magic, visions of their past adventure began to play. Sunny: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Had a very shiny nose Zipp: And if you ever saw it You would even say it glows Hitch: All of the other reindeer Used to laugh and call him names Izzy: They never let poor Rudolph Join in any reindeer games Pipp: Then one foggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say… Borealis: Rudolph, with your nose so bright… Mane 6 and Borealis: …won’t you guide my sleigh tonight? Misty: Then how the reindeer loved him As they shouted out with glee Mane 6 and Borealis: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer You’ll go down in history…!!! And as Borealis wagged her tail again, the visions cleared away, where Rudolph began to conclude his story. “You see, my friends and Bori here helped me stick it out. And when I grew older I found that this nose was the most wonderful thing in the whole world. Because it was a different nose from everybody else's. And it was all mine. It was really me! My friends stuck by me despite my differences, treating me... well, like a member of their family. And heck, you know, with those ears… why, you're going to be the… the happiest New Year ever!” “Rudolph’s totally right!” Pipp smiled. “Come on, Happy! Let’s see those old ears of yours!” However, Happy was still pretty unsure. “Come on,” Rudolph urged. “We’re friends, aren’t we?” The last thing Happy wanted to do was lose these new friends, so he did as asked, letting his big ears show. And while the ponies did their best to contain their laughter, Borealis and Rudolph couldn’t help but giggle, but stopped immediately when they noticed how downtrodden Happy looked. “Oh, don’t get upset just cause we laughed,” Borealis said. “We just couldn’t help ourselves!” “It’s true,” Izzy nodded. “Sometimes, things can make us feel so good, that all the happiness inside us just has to… well, burst like a balloon!” “And seeing your ears makes it the same for everybody else,” Rudolph nodded. “Those ears of yours… why, they… they make folks… happy!” Happy soon began to giggle, feeling much better about himself by that point. “Ha… ha… ha… HAPPY!!” he squealed, and as cute as it was, Rudolph and Borealis had to shush him. “We have to be quiet now,” she told him, “or else the big mean monster bird will wake up!” “Uh… Bori?” said Pipp, pointing to the stirring bird. “I think you’re one second too late.” True to her word, Aeon had just woken up, and now he was glaring right at the powerless group with hatred in his eyes. “You…” “Uh oh…” Borealis gulped as the ponies leapt into the front of the group. “Rudolph, keep Happy back!” Sunny cried. “We’ll try to keep him from getting closer!” As Aeon began to squawk and try to get the ponies to retreat, Rudolph suddenly thought of something that might help them get Aeon off their worries for good. “I have an idea, Happy! Take off your hat, quick! Take it off for good!” Happy immediately did as asked, and Aeon immediately stopped attacking the ponies and looked closely at Happy’s ears. “Those ears… ha ha…” he said, beginning to laugh softly, but then, his laughter began to grow. “Those ears… ha ha ha… those ears! HA HA HA HA!!! Those ears!! THOSE EARS!!!” Needless to say, no one expected this reaction, but this was truthfully the first time that Aeon ever laughed in his entire life, and he laughed so hard that he laughed himself right out of his nest and down the side of the mountain! “Oh my goodness!” Misty cried out. “Is he gonna be okay?” “I think so… come on!” Sunny said as Happy got on Rudolph’s back. “I wanna see how laughter really can be the best medicine!” XXXXXXXX Aeon was laughing harder than he had ever had in his entire laugh, and as he tumbled down the mountain, he managed to land on the snowballs that the others were trapped it, crushing the snowballs and freeing those trapped inside. “Yes! We’re free!” Freedom spoke in relief. “Thanks… Aeon?” “Well… that wasn’t something I was expecting,” Story Heart said as the others came down from the top of the mountain. “Old Aeon won’t be giving us any trouble now,” Zipp said. “He’s cured of evil for good!” “Heck,” said Rudolph, “nobody can turn to snow and ice when he's all warmed up inside with laughing.” “Ha ha ha! It’s true!” Aeon said during his laughing fit. “It’s… it’s true-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!!” Soon, seeing Aeon in such laughter made everyone else burst into laughter, not really sure what the true reason was. Then, all laughter ceased when both hands reached the top of Big Ben’s clock, making it begin to chime. “Midnight!” Island gasped. “Even though we found Happy,” said Sev, “we’re too late!” “Don’t give up hope,” Rudolph encouraged. “There must be some way to get back to Father Time's castle before the twelfth bong!” Suddenly, amidst the bonging of the bells, sleigh bells were heard in the sky, and everyone looked to see Santa Claus in a familiar sleigh heading toward them. “There sure is, Rudolph!” “It’s Santa Claus!” Misty cried. “We might be able to save the day after all!” “Well, what are we waiting for?” Zipp asked. “Once Santa lands, let’s get harnessed up and let’s get this show on the road!” XXXXXXXX As soon as Santa landed, the Mane 6’s magical pendants harnessed them and Rudolph to the sleigh, and everyone else got into the sleigh with Santa as he once again took the reins. “If I can travel all over the world in one night…” Santa said as the reindeer and harnessed ponies took to the skies, “I ought to be able to get you to Father Time in a few bongs! Heh heh heh!” And so, with Rudolph in the lead to guide them through the foggy night, it appeared that the new year and the ponies’ chances at going back to Equestria would be saved… …if they could get there in time.