//------------------------------// // Allura and Twitch meet Winterbolt/A Villainous Union Begins // Story: G5 Adventures in Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// At the moment, neither Rudolph, nor Borealis, nor the Mane 6 knew about Winterbolt and his evil plan against them-- what mattered to them now was that they needed to figure out why Rudolph’s nose continued to flicker in and out like a dying lightbulb… …and they needed to do it fast. Borealis couldn’t help but be worried when all the things she tried (getting Rudolph to take calm deep breaths, rubbing his nose, putting some snow on it) didn’t work, and watched as her best friend got more and more worried himself. “Oh, geez…!!” Borealis gulped. “It’s really going out!” “What’s happening, Uncle Rudolph?” Chilly asked as he and his twin sister stood at Frosty’s side. “What’s wrong with your nose?” Milly asked in agreement. “I-I don’t think we should be too worried, guys,” Hitch tried to reassure. “I mean… maybe Rudolph used it too much this morning for something, and it’s not glowing as bright as it used to.” “But that’s just it!” Rudolph protested. “I haven’t used it all morning!” “Uh… guys? I don’t wanna be a worry-wart or anything,” Snowfall said quietly before pointing to Borealis, who was cautiously glancing around, “but I think something might be up with Bori too.” “Bori?” Frosty called, snapping Borealis out of her glancing fit. “Is everything all right?” “Sorry, guys, but… I just felt the fur on my back rise,” Borealis explained, “and… that usually means something. Almost like a warning of sorts.” “But wait a second,” said Pipp with a scoff. “We’re in the middle of nowhere-- what could we possibly be warned about?” XXXXXXXX Unfortunately, none of them realized right away that they were indeed being watched... by a certain winged snow leopard and her purple bunny lackey, if you want specifics. “There they are… and if they’re in this clearing with those snowmen,” Allura whispered to Twitch, “then they must be rallying together to search for the shard!” Twitch immediately cracked his paws and prepared to jump out and attack the group, but Allura blocked his way with her wing before he had the chance. “Not so fast-- look, up there! At the top of that hill!” From where Allura was pointing, it seemed that there was someone else watching the group from another vantage point… someone that Allura didn’t recognize. “I wonder who that could be… and what could he possibly want with my most hated enemies?” Well, Allura didn’t know this at first, but that someone else who was watching the group was indeed Winterbolt, who had the perfect spell in order to eliminate the glow from Rudolph’s nose for good. But… he needed to time it just right. “Dimmer, darker, darker, dimmer,” he chanted, “Rudolph’s magic shall not glimmer. Dark and dim… dim and dark. Now extinguish magic spark!” The magic from the scepter shot down at Rudolph without any of the others noticing, and once it made contact with Rudolph, the poor red-nosed reindeer began to feel dizzy and light headed, much to Frosty's worry. “R-Rudolph!” Borealis gasped and rushed to her best friend’s side, trying to keep him upright as the others rushed to the scene to see what they could do. “It’s all over… Frosty…” Rudolph groaned. “My nose is… going. I feel… awful! Ugh…” “Izzy, get a pillow! He’s going down!” Sunny cried in panic, and Izzy slid one of her hoofmade pillows under Rudolph just as Frosty gently set him down. “I-I’ve never seen Rudolph like this!” Snowfall said with wide eyes, turning to Pipp and Zipp. “Is he gonna be okay?” “I’m not sure,” Zipp said honestly. “We’ve never seen him like this before either.” “But… it can’t be life-threatening… right?” Pipp asked. “Right?” Unfortunately… the others were too worried to provide an answer… Borealis included-- she was too busy being at Rudolph’s side while Frosty stroked the reindeer’s back. “Aw, Rudolph, your nose just can't go out. Santa depends on it.” “Yeah, but…” But, Frosty wasn’t finished trying to encourage Rudolph just yet. “There's little kids all over the world who'd never get any Christmas presents if you didn't light the way.” “Yeah… he’s right!” Misty said as she came forward. “You’re a real hero, Rudolph. But more importantly… you’re Bori’s best friend, and she needs you now more than ever, to help her find her mom AND to help protect the North Pole from danger.” “You guys are right, Misty and Frosty,” Rudolph agreed weakly. “I can’t lose my nose… unless… unless…” “Hold up a sec,” Zipp said, holding up her Flypad to see if she could get some more information from her friend. “What exactly are you trying to say?” “...can’t remember exactly,” Rudolph shook his head to clear it. “Something a pretty lady once whispered to me.” “Pretty lady…?” Borealis muttered. “Rudolph, we’ve been here a long time and I’ve never heard of anyone like that before.” “Well… it was a long time ago. Back when I was a baby, so… I don’t remember much,” Rudolph spoke, shaking his head again. “I… I dunno. But, I do know that my nose just can’t go out!” Pipp and Sunny helped Rudolph back onto his hooves, and Hitch looked a little worried about Rudolph’s condition. “Are you sure you can do this?” “...I’m sure I can. Don’t worry,” Rudolph reassured before closing his eyes and straining as hard as he could. Everyone else watched in anticipation at this, and after a few moments of waiting... Rudolph's nose lit up normally once more! Everyone cheered at this, and Rudolph let out his own breath of relief. “I’m okay now!” “Good old Uncle Rudolph!” Milly said as Borealis happily licked Rudolph’s face. “Yeah, we’re glad you’re okay,” Zipp told their friend. “But I can’t help but feel like something’s off… and what’s worse is that I can’t figure out what it is.” “We’ll figure it out later,” Sunny said. “Yeah, cause right now,” said Borealis, “you need to tell me about this ‘second encounter’ with Opaline.” “Ooh, we wanna hear the story too!” Chilly volunteered, leading Izzy to giggle. “Can they hear it, Sunny?” “Well… I guess it would be okay since Opaline is gone,” Sunny said. “So, I guess we better start from the beginning.” XXXXXXXX Allura watched these events from nearby, her golden, savage eyes glistening in interest at the feat of power Winterbolt displayed. “Twitch… I believe we’ve just found a new ally and a chance to defeat these pathetic ponies and their friends for good! We must catch up to this stranger before he leaves, but we can’t let those ponies see us.” Twitch nodded eagerly with a sinister chuckle, and followed Allura through the bushes in order to meet up with this icy cold, but very powerful, stranger. XXXXXXXX At the same time, as Sunny and her friends were beginning the stories of their encounters with Opaline, Winterbolt watched angrily as Rudolph’s nose seemed to be glowing just fine now. “It's impossible that his power is greater than mine! There must be a reason.” “Of course there must be a reason,” said a voice, and Winterbolt turned to see Allura and Twitch approaching from the cover of the nearby bushes and trees. “No one is given incredible power for no reason at all.” “And who, may I ask, are you?” Winterbolt asked with a sneer, grasping his scepter tighter. “A friend. Or at least… I hope to be,” Allura said as she advanced. “I have never seen such power in all my years… and from a scepter made of ice, no less.” “It should have as much power as you believe it has,” Winterbolt snarked, “if it is to be wielded by the true monarch of the north.” Allura feigned a gasp as she and Twitch bowed before the former king. “I beg your pardon, your majesty. I had no idea we were in the presence of royalty… other than myself. Well, I used to be royalty.” “Really?” Winterbolt’s interest seemed peeked. “What kingdom did you govern?” “The realm of Starlight Ridge, in a hidden part of the Archipelago of Last Years… until I was overthrown by those ponies, that reindeer and that pesky fox down there,” snarled Allura as she glanced down at the group before regaining her composure and fiddling with the star shard around her neck. “Since then, me and my friend here have been searching for pieces of a star that can help me regain power… this time, over a different realm.” “Not this one, I assume-- this land is mine and mine alone!” “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it, King... hmmm... what would you want me to call you?” Winterbolt continued to glance at the snow leopard suspiciously. “...Winterbolt. King Winterbolt, mind you.” “King Winterbolt, I am Allura, the former leader of Starlight Ridge, and this is my… assistant, Twitch,” Allura introduced respectfully. “And I believe that I have a proposition that can work for both of us.” “A proposition?” Winterbolt had to admit, he was intrigued by this point. “What kind of… proposition?” “We’ll make each other a deal,” Allura said. “We can help each other get what we really want-- you can have Rudolph’s nose extinguished, and I can destroy those miserable ponies and anyone else who gets in our way… so long as my helper and I have permission to rest in your domain and continue my search for the star shard.” Winterbolt thought this over for a few moments. Sure, he would normally work alone, but… he had to admit, this snow leopard was bold enough to ask for something she REALLY wanted. A trait he admired. Only a true leader would have that kind of courage. After a few moments of thinking it over, Winterbolt extended his hand to the snow leopard with a sinister smile. “Allura… you have yourself a deal.” “Excellent!” Allura shook his hand with her paw with the same kind of smile. “Now, where do you suggest we begin?” “Come with me to my humble, icy abode,” Winterbolt said as they gathered closer together, “and we shall ask my genie-- he will give us the answers we seek.” Allura managed to smirk at Twitch just before a swirl of icy wind teleported them back to Winterbolt’s lair… their plan was going perfectly… and no one was going to stop them this time. XXXXXXXX Borealis could have sworn that she felt an icy cold wind whip the air, but as Sunny continued the story of defeating Opaline alongside Mystery Incorporated, she couldn’t help but wonder… was she going crazy? …or was there something else going on?