Rescuing Rudolph
I.
It was the night before Christmas.Jake Long walked into his house. The instant he did, he got a warm welcome from his parents.
"Jakey" his father Johnathan said "You're just time to help trim the tree."
Smiling, Jake helped his family decorate their tree. When it came time to put the star up, Johnathan turned to Jake's sister, Hayley.
"Hayley-Hoo" he said "Would you like to put the star on top of the tree?"
"Sure thing, Daddy" Hayley said as she took the ornament. "Dragon up!" she shouted before changing into a small, pink dragon and flying up to the top of the tree.
"Whoo, gosh" Johnathan said after Hayley put up the star, fly back to the floor and returning to human form "Those powers of you and your brother's can be really useful sometimes. Hey, Jake want to help me light the fireplace?"
"You got it, Dad" Jake said as he walked over.
After Johnathan put some wood in, he turned to Jake and said "Go for it, Champ!"
Jake's head morphed into it's dragon form, he took a deep breath and shot a moderate-sized fireball into the fireplace. "Nice shot there, Jaker's" his father said as he patted him on his back "You're certainly in the Christmas spirit this year."
"And you've certainly behaved for the past few months" Susan, Jake's mother said.
"Well, I hope all this good behavior will be rewarded" Jake responded.
"Oh, y-yeah" Johnathan said nervously "I'm sure you'll get something good tomorrow, right, dear?"
"Oh, sure, sure" Susan said just as nervously "Uh, kids, can you excuse your father and me?"
The two parents walked into the kitchen and started to whisper
"Any luck?" Susan asked.
"I nearly had one, but this old lady cracked me on the head with her purse and took off with it" Johnathan said rubbing his head "You?"
Susan shook her head "I checked five different stores, but it's sold out in all of them."
Johnathan sighed "Jake's going to be so disappointed. He really wanted that Action Skateboarder 3 game."
"Well, we'll just have to him now so he won't be upset tomorrow."
The two adults walked into the living room and saw Jake and Hayley hanging stockings by the fireplace."
"Uh, Jake" Johnathan said "There's something your mother and I need to talk to you about."
Just then, the doorbell went off. Jake walked to the door and opened it. In walked Jake's two best friends.
"Trixie, Spud" Jake said surprised "What brings you guys here?"
"Well, we thought we'd pop over to see how you and your family are, Jake-roo" Trixie answered "Right, Spud?"
"Totally" Spud replied "So, what's new?"
"Oh, nothing much" Jake responded "Just getting into the holiday spirit."
"Jake" Susan spoke up "Like your father said, we..."
"Um, Trixie" Hayley said "You might not want to stand there."
"Why not?" Trixie asked.
Hayley pointed above Trixie's head. Trixie looked up and shrieked. She was standing under the mistletoe. Turning, she saw her friend leaning towards her.
"Don't even think about, Spudinski!" Trixie shouted at him.
"But, Trix" Spud replied "It's tradition."
"I'm all for tradition" the female responded "But in this case, it's dang nasty!"
While his friends were arguing, Jake felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, he saw his father.
"Listen, Jakey" Johnathan said "Your mother and I..."
Just then, Jake's cell phone went off.
"Hold on, Dad" Jake said as he took out his phone and answered it "Yeah?"
"Kid" Fu Dog's voice could be heard at the other end "You need to get down here right away. It's a level-five dragon emergency!"
"I'm on my way" Jake said as he hung up "Sorry, Dad. Dragon duty calls. This will have to wait."
As Jake ran out the door, he ran past Trixie and Spud.
"Yo, Jakey" Trixie said, turning away from her argument with Spud "You got dragon business?"
"Big time" Jake said as he ran down the steps.
"Well, wait for us, dude!" Spud said as he and Trixie ran out the door after him.
After the three teens were gone, Johnathan turned to Susan with awkward smile.
"Well" he said nonchalant "That was easy."
Susan sighed. Tomorrow was going to be quite a day,
II.
Jake, Trixie, and Spud soon arrived at Lao Shi's shop. Upon entering, Jake noticed that Fu Dog was working on a potion.
"What's the emergency?" Jake asked.
"We got a call from the big red guy." Fu said as he threw some goblin hairs into his potion.
"The big red guy?" Jake asked. Think for a minute, a thought came to him "You mean...?"
"That's right, Jake" his grandfather said "Santa Claus."
Spud was excited "I knew it! Santa's real!"
Fu looked away from his potion "Well, of course he's real. How could you think otherwise?"
"Well, maybe because somebody single-handedly destroyed one of my favorite childhood memories!" Spud shouted in Trixie's direction.
"Spudinski, cool it" his female friend said "It wasn't that big."
"Not that big?!" Spud replied "You repeatedly told me "Santa's a myth!" And when I didn't believe you, you ripped off the department store Santa's beard when I was getting my picture taken!"
"I figured it was about time you knew the truth!" Trixie said.
"Just because there are so many posers in the world doesn't mean Santa's not real! And now that I have proof, all I can say is in your face woman!" Spud cried triumphantly.
"Uh, Gramps?" Jake asked "How are we going to see St. Nick? Doesn't he live at the North Pole?"
"Precisely" Lao Shi nodded.
"Whoa, we're not taking the elevator again, are we?" Jake asked worriedly.
"On the contrary" Jake's grandpa said "Fu Dog is already working on our transportation."
Looking at Fu's work, Jake recognized the potion he was making.
"A portal potion!"
"Yep" Fu said as he poured in the last ingredient"We got a big shipment of Krylock venom in the other day."
After stirring vigorously, the potion was ready "Okay, we're good to go" said Fu.
Fu Dog chucked the contents of the bowl into the air.
"The North Pole" Lao Shi said clearly.
The potion twisted and soon a window to an icy area appeared.
"After you, Young Dragon" Jake's grandpa jestured.
Jake jumped through the portal, his grandpa and Fu behind him. Trixie hoped in. Taking a deep breath and holding his nose, Spud dove into the portal just before it closed.
III.
Jake and the others observed their new surroundings. While there was ice everywhere, there was also a small village. Just then, a miniature being bumped into Jake.
"Sorry about that" the elf "Getting ready for the big guy's ride tonight. So, what brings you here?"
"Uh, we're here to see your boss" Jake stated.
"Ah, so you're the guys he called for the big emergency. It's about time you got here. Come on. Big Red is at the factory."
The elf lead Jake and the others to the largest building in the village. That's Santa's toy factory? Jake thought to himself. He had a right to think it was odd. On the outside, the building looked musty, broken-down, and decrepit.
"Don't let the outside fool ya" the elf said as if he could read Jake's mind "That's just a disguise so that nobody suspects a thing. Just take a gander at the inside."
The elf pushed open the doors and Jake and his friends were amazed at the sight in front of them. The inside was definitely different than the outside. Everything was brightly lit and polished. It looked like it had recently been refinished. Looking around, Jake and crew saw elves working everywhere: hammering, screwing, tightening, and pasting together toys, stuffing Jacks in their boxes, sewing up dollies, painting blocks, putting wheels on wagons and toy cars, filling rubber toys with air, putting together remote controls for toys, they were even using a device to create their own batteries.
"Hey, Boss" the elf who brought them here said to a figure crouching over a conveyer belt "The help is here."
"Well, Ho, Ho, it's about time" the figure said as he stood up.
Jake and others were amazed at the man in front of them. Santa did match his description in the stories, poems, and songs about him in some ways, he wore a red coat and cap as well as black boots and gloves, had a pipe in his mouth, rosie cheeks, and a nose like a cheery, but he was buff, had a short white beard that was neatly trimmed, no moustache, stood about seven ft tall, and instead of a big round belly, he had rock abs. Jake and Trixie couldn't believe their eyes, Lao Shi was beaming, Fu Dog was gulping nervously, and Spud was happily weeping.
Santa looked at his guests and chuckled. "Ah, Lao Shi" he said as shook Gramp's hand "Nice to meet you."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well" Lao Shi said as they shook hands.
"Seventy years on the good list in a roll" Santa said "That's a new record. Do you still hang around with..." he looked to Gramp's left "Ah, you do. Hello, Fu Dog."
"Hi, Nick" Fu said nervously.
Santa clicked his tongue "This is the 30th year in a roll you've been on my naughty list. What's with you and girls and gambling?"
"What can I say" Fu said sheepishly "I'm a baaad dog, ah, goo, goo, goo."
Santa sighed and turned to Jake "Ah, Jacob Long, the American Dragon. You've been on my naughty list for some time now."
"But I've done so much good for the world" Jake said defensively.
"But some of those good deeds were bad deeds you undid. By the way, how's your sister Hayley? Never have I seen such a good girl."
"She's fine" Jake groaned "But you know, she's not that perfect. There was that one time she went crazy."
"True" Santa said "But I decided not to hold it against her since she was under the control of an evil midget."
As Jake groaned, Santa looked to Trixie "Trixie Carver" he said "It's been a while."
"I don't believe this" Trixie said in disbelief.
Santa sighed "You haven't believed in me since they time I forgot to bring you that walkman."
"Hey" Trixie said "How did you know that? Y-You really are Santa."
"As you young kids say now a days, duh" Santa said chuckling as he looked to Trixie's right. His eyes instantly lit up.
"Arthur Spudinski" Santa said as he shook Spud's hand "Nice to finally meet you."
Spud looked like he would faint. In a flash he was hugging Santa shouting "I knew you were real! I knew you were real!"
Santa chuckled and said "It's really a pleasure to met those who still believe me" before putting Spud down "Now on to business."
"So why did you call us here?" Jake asked "I hope it's not because some of your elves are sick and you needed replacements,"
"Not to worry" Santa said "It's nothing like that. Besides, I've got more than enough workers. No, my problem is more serious than that. Follow me. Ernie, you keep track of production" he said to the elf that lead them there. After Ernie saluted his boss and went to work, Santa led Jake and the others to the back of the factory.
Opening a door, the gang walked outside to a medium-sized shed. Santa stopped in front of it.
"So, what's the problem?" Jake asked.
Santa sighed "I'm afraid one of my reindeer has been stolen."
Fu Dog gasped "Oh, No! Say it ain't so!"
"Is that a big deal or something" Jake asked.
"Are you kidding?" Fu asked sarcastically "It takes Santa's entire team of reindeer to pull that sleigh. Without even one, that sleigh of his will never get off the ground!"
"And my ride is in five hours!" Santa added "I've never missed a Christmas before and I won't start now!"
"Don't worry, Chris Kringle" Jake said confidently "The AmDrag's all over this case. So which reindeer is missing? Dancer? Donner? Blitzen?"
Santa shook his head and said "Rudolph"
Fu and Grandpa gasped in horror.
"Aw, man, this isn't good" Fu said.
"Why?" Jake asked.
"Didn't you hear the song, Kid?" Fu asked "Ever since that foggy Christmas Eve, Ruddy has been Nick's lead deer. Without him. Kringle would get lost in fog banks and snowstorms."
"And according to the weatherman, who is 100 accurate up here" said Claus" There's a big snowstorm worse than the first one Rudolph lead me through. I need him now more than ever."
"What's more" Jake's grandfather said "This is more serious than missing an important sleigh ride. The entire world could be endanger."
"What do you mean, Gramps?" Jake asked
"Let me explain it to you, Kid" Fu Dog said "You ever hear of the Aurora Borealis?"
"The northern lights?" Jake asked "Sure, what about them?"
"That's the source of Rudolph's magic" Fu explained "His nose contains the pure embodiment of the lights' power. That's what causes it to glow. Let me tell you, that's some pretty potent magic right there, and in the wrong hands, it can be very dangerous."
Jake gulped. This was definitely serious. Just then, the silence was broken by the sound of crunching. Everyone turned to see Spud chewing on something.
"Spudinski" Trixie said "What are you doing?"
"Well, I was just eating some corn while you guys were talking" Spud replied as he shoved another handful into his mouth "It's not as good as fruitcake, but still.
"That's not corn your eating" Santa said "That's my magic reindeer feed!"
"Magic reindeer feed?" Jake asked.
"It's what gives my reindeer the power to fly" Santa explained.
"Really?" Spud asked "I don't feel any-thing!" Spud was beginning to float.
"Spud, get back down here!" shouted Trixie.
"Hey, guys" Spud said "This is pretty cool. Now I know how Jake feels."
"Not to worry" Santa said to Jake and the others "It'll wear off once it's fully digested."
"Never mind that now" Jake's grandfather said "We need to find Rudolph!"
"But how are we suppose to find any clues in all this snow?" Jake asked.
"Luckily, I brought some magic track powder" Fu said as he pulled out a small bag and threw it's contents all over the ground in front of them. "It'll reveal any and all hidden trails" Fu explained.
In a blink of the eye, tracks appeared everywhere. Reindeer footprints were everywhere, crissing and crossing in every direction.
After looking around, Trixie pointed and said "Those are some very strange reindeer prints."
Looking closely at the tracks, Jake realized something "These aren't reindeer footprints, they're ogre footprints."
"And from the looks of this trail beside them" Jake's grandpa said "It appears that it was dragging something."
"Like a reindeer, perhaps?" Fu piped up.
"Let's follow those tracks" Jake said before shouting out "Dragon Up!" and instantly morphing into his dragon form.
As Jake bent down for Trixie, Spud, and Fu to get on, his granfather said "I will stay here and help Santa prepare his sleigh. Jake, you must hurry. You only have two hours to get Rudolph back here."
"No sweat, G" Jake replied "We're totally on this."
While Trixie and Fu got on Jake's back, Spud didn't "I think I'll get there on my own power" he said.
"Don't worry, Big Red" Jake said as he and Spud took to the air "We'll be back with Red-Nose in no time."
"I wish you all the best of luck" Santa said as Jake and his friends followed the trail in the snow.
IV.
Jake and the others followed the ogre tracks for miles. It felt like they were flying for an hour. Looking down, they noticed the prints were fading away.
"Uh, oh. You better hurry, Kid" said Fu Dog "The track powder is starting to fade!"
Picking up speed, Jake flew faster as he followed the fading trail.
"Hey, slow down!" Spud shouted ten feet behind.
Just then, the trail powder wore off and the prints vanished. At first, Jake thought that he blew it, until Spud shouted out "Hey, what's that building doing way out here?"
Looking in Spud's direction, Jake, Trixie, and Fu saw a small building covered with ice.
"Ten to one, the deernapper's are in there" Jake said.
"You'd win that bet, Kid" Fu replied.
Jake touched down in front of the building, looked in through the window and gasped.
"I should've figured he was behind this!" Jake said as he beckoned his friends to come look."
V.
The red-nosed reindeer woke up groggily. What happened earlier? He was minding his own business, eating magic reindeer feed out of his troth when this big, ugly brute appeared and swung a large stick at him.
After shaking his head, Rudolph looked around to notice he was in a strange glass cage. Just then, the reindeer noticed someone walking towards him.
"Santa?" Rudolph asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid not, Blinky" Eli Pandarus said as he stepped out of the shadows.
"Wh-Who are you?" the frightened reindeer asked.
"Just the next ruler of the world" the evil wizard explained "Thanks to you. You see, I've heard a great deal about the story of you and your amazing nose. Your power is legendary. With magic like that at my disposal, the entire planet would be at my mercy!"
"You're going to cut off my nose?!" Rudolph gasped in horror.
"Of course not" his captor said "That would be too disgusting. No, what I have planned is much more neater and way more painful. The machine you are in will suck away the magic in your nose and infuse it into this!" he held up a small, round amulet "Soon, I will rule over all!" and laughing manically, he pulled a lever and activated the machine.
Rudolph never felt pain like this before. The machine generated dark energy beams which pierced his body. He started to scream and yell. He could feel himself becoming weaker as the bolts continued to strike him. Looking at his nose, he saw his nose was starting to flicker
A crystal on the front of the machine began to rapidly glow multiply colors. A rainbow energy stream soon traveled from the crystal and made contact with the amulet around Pandarus's neck. He could feel the power beginning to coarse through him. It was greater than he ever imagined! Looking at the machine consol, the gauge indicated that 35 of Rudolph's powers had been drained.
"Soon, the power of the Aurora will be mine!" the evil wizard chortled.
Just then, there was a boom behind him and wood flew everywhere. Turning around, Pandarus saw that someone had blasted away the front door of his hideout with a fireball. When the smoke cleared, the evil wizard sneered. Standing in front of him was the American Dragon and his comrades.
"Knock, knock" Fu Dog said.
"The jig's up, Pandarus!" Jake shouted "You've done some creepy things in the past, but ruining Christmas for everything one is despicable, even for you!"
Eli chuckled "Thanks for the compliments. Ruining Christmas was only a bonus effect of my true plan" and he pointed to the poor reindeer in the cage being zapped by black lightning, causing Jake and the others to gasp.
"Once the absorption of Rudolph's powers is complete" Pandarus explained "I will be invincible. No one will be able to stop me. The planet will be mine by New Year's! Though it's really a shame that Ruddy won't be surviving the process! Ah-ha-ha-ha!"
"Oh, Dude" Spud spoke up "You just earned yourself a permanent place on the naughty list!"
"No matter" Pandarus said "I've already gotten what I want for Christmas: ultimate power and world conquest! And guess what? You guys will be the first to taste my wrath!"
"Um, I don't know if I want to" Spud said "I've ate reindeer feed, which was surprisingly good, but I don't think wrath sounds any tastier.
As Trixie sighed at Spud's words, Jake turned to the evil wizard. Pandarus's amulet was glowing bright red. In an instant, a fireball appeared in the wizard's hands. The first thing Jake noticed was that it was bigger than the fireball he used to blow away the front door. Shoving his friends out of the way, Jake ducked as Pandarus threw the ball. There was a large explosion behind him which blew away the rest of the front wall.
"Impressive" Pandarus said as he observed his handy work "And I'm just getting warmed up!"
"You guys free Rudolph" Jake instructed his friends "I'll deal with the Wall Street wiz."
Trixie, Spud, and Fu ran towards Rudolph's cage. Just before they got there, half a dozen ogres appeared and surrounding them.
"Oh, boy" said Fu Dog "This isn't good."
Meanwhile, Jake was squaring off against Pandarus. Jake watched Eli's amulet glowed light blue and the evil wizard launched a blast at him. Jumping away, Jake saw the blast create an ice pillar. Turning to his enemy, Jake saw the wizard hurl a dozen icicles at him. Jake managed to dodge the projectiles, even grab a few and hurl them back where they originated. However, Pandarus stopped the icicles in midair, spun his hands and formed an ice sword from them. The evil wizard slashed at Jake with his weapon repeatedly until Jake sliced it in half with his tail. Pandarus then launched an ice blast at the same time Jake used his dragon breath. The two attacks collided and exploded, blowing back both duelers. Jake watched as the amulet around the wizard's neck turn white. Pandarus spun his hand rapidly. Suddenly, Jake was trapped in a small cyclone. Through the spinning winds, Jake saw Eli's amulet change to dark blue. From his hands, the wizard launch two jets of water into the cyclone, transforming it into a water spout. Thinking quickly, Jake used his dragon fire to evaporate the water and escape.
After touching the ground, Jake saw Pandarus's amulet change green. Eli raised his arms. In a flash, vines popped out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Jake, holding him fast. The amulet around Eli's neck turned yellow. Jake noticed that a lightning bolt was forming in the wizard's hands. Struggling with all his might, Jake managed to break his botanical bonds and escape just as Eli fired the lightning bolt.
Trixie, Fu, and Spud dodged the attacking ogres and their clubs as they made their way towards Rudolph, but soon they were surrounded on all sides.
Just then, Spud shouted "Take your best shot, you mucus-eaters!"
Trixie and Fu thought he had lost what he had left of a mind. The ogres charged in at all sides, their clubs raised high. Trixie and Fu braced for it. Suddenly, Spud grabbed the two and flew into the air, leaving the ogres to bonk each other with their clubs, knocking themselves out.
"Good thinking, Spudinski" Trixie said.
"Yeah, great, kid" Fu Dog said "But why didn't we do that earlier?"
"Well, you didn't ask me" Spud said as they landed in front of Pandarus's machine.
Fu looked over the control consol before saying "Whoa, boy. This is an extremely complicated device. It would take a genius to figure it out!"
Spud cracked his knuckles. "Let me take a crack at it" he said.
"Well, you better hurry" Fu Dog said as he pointed to the gauge that said 77 "Because we're running out of time!"
During the time this was happening, Eli had been throwing lightning bolts at Jake, who had dodged every one of them. Now his amulet glowed brown. The evil wizard lifted his hands. The ground rumbled and cracked. Jake watched as a large stone rose up in front of his adversary. Pandarus swiped his hand forward. At his command, the stone flew towards Jake. Jake jumped out of range as the rock hit wall behind him and broke into pieces. Jake then retaliated with dragon fire. Pandarus's amulet glowed red again. The wizard caught the fireball. Twisting and spinning the fiery orb, Eli threw it into air and it instantly morphed into a flaming gargoyle. The evil wizard's amulet glowed brown again. Pandarus shot a beam of brown-colored energy at the rubble behind Jake. The dragon watched as the rocks united and formed a golem.
"ATTACK!" Pandarus shouted to his two elemental creations. The golem brought it's fist down hard over Jake. Jake flew away just as the rock beast made contact with the ground, splintering and shaking it. While Jake focused on the golem, the gargoyle flew up behind him and slashed his wing. Turning, Jake managed to dodge another slash. Jake launched a fireball, the gargoyle swallowed it then countered with a much bigger fireball. Jake was unable to dodge the projectile and was thrown into a pile of rubble. Crawling out of the rubble, the dragon heard something jump into the air. Looking above him, the dragon saw the golem coming down towards him, pinning him to the ground. With one hand pinning the dragon down, the golem raised it's other to crush him. The dragon struggled to get free, but the golem brought it's fist down on him, crushing him.
Pandarus instantly thought he was victorious, then he heard chuckling. Looking to the left, he saw Jake was alive and well.
"What's a matter?" Jake said as he reabsorbed his chi "Don't you know a doppleganger when you see one?"
Angry at being tricked, Pandarus ordered his creatures to get Jake. Dodging the gargoyle's fireballs and the rocks the golem chucked at him, Jake came up with a plan. Positioning himself between the two creatures, Jake said "Come and get me, you mindless monsters!"
The gargoyle and the golem charged at him from both sides. Jake flew out of the way at the last second, leaving the two creatures to crash into each other and explode.
Meanwhile, Spud was frantically trying to free Rudolph.
"Why isn't there a clearly labeled off button?" he asked as he scanned the controls.
"How about we try this one?" Trixie said as she pushed a button.
The energy bolts intensified and Rudolph screamed louder. The gauge on the machine began to rise faster.
Spud and Fu leered at Trixie
"Oops?" the girl said.
Eli could feel the power coming to him faster. Turning to the machine, he saw that the process was at 95.
"In a few moments" he said to Jake "Rudolph will be no more and I will be all-powerful for eternity!"
Not if I can help it Jake thought to himself as he came up with another plan. Positioning himself perfectly, he shouted "Give me your best shot, Eli!"
The wizard of Wall Street chuckled "If you insist" he said as his amulet glowed red and another fireball appeared in his hand. Pandarus hurled the ball, Jake shouted to his friends "Guys, look out!" before flying out of range.
Trixie, Spud, and Fu looked to see the fireball coming at them. Spud grabbed Trixie and Fu and flew to the side as the projectile struck the machine. The cage instantly powered down, and the trio pulled Rudolph out just before the machine completely exploded.
Staring at the wreckage of his machine, Pandarus growled furiously at being tricked. Turning towards Jake, he shouted "You may have foiled my plan" as he amulet rapidly changed colors "But at least I have enough power to finish you!"
Pandarus launched a rainbow energy bolt. Jake countered with his dragon breath, The two attacks met in midair. At first, it looked like a standoff, but Jake's fire attack began to weaken and Pandarus's attack began to push it backwards.
"Aw, man" Trixie said as she and the others watched the fight "Jakey's toast!"
"Maybe not" Rudolph said weakly as he struggled to his feet "I have just enough energy left."
Pointing himself towards Jake, the red-nosed reindeer launched a beam of light at the dragon.
Feeling this new energy, Jake's fire blast grew strong and soon overpowered Pandarus's rainbow bolt. Jake's attack blew the evil wizard into the wall.
As Eli stood up, he felt strangely weaker. Looking at his neck, he noticed that Jake's attacked had destroyed his amulet. The Aurora power was gone!
Jake smirked triumphantly. "You lose, wiz."
Pandarus growled "Another time, dragon!" he shouted before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Jake sighed with relief and turned to thank Rudolph for the energy boost, but gasped when he saw the reindeer had collapsed to the ground, his nose glowing weaker than ever!
VI.
Jake and his friends patiently waited while Fu Dog and the elves examined Rudolph. Looking towards Santa, Jake saw a nervous look on his face. While the Kringle was happy that they saved Rudolph, he was worried when he saw how weak the reindeer was. According to Santa, Rudolph's nose had been so dim before.
Finally, Fu walked up to the waiting crowd.
"Well?" Santa asked anxiously.
"Well, the good news is that his nose will recharge" Fu said.
Everyone sighed with relief.
"The bad news is" Fu continued "it will take 48 hours. And in the meantime, he needs rest."
"But without all my reindeer, my sleigh can't fly!" Santa said upset.
"And even with we did have a replacement reindeer, we have another problem" one of the elves said as he pointed out the window.
The blizzard had begun. Snow was falling fast and harder. There was already three inches of accumulation and it was nowhere near stopping.
"There's no way we can fly in that without Rudolph's nose!" Santa cried "I can't believe it. For the first time in 300 years, I won't be making my ride."
Jake and the others groaned. Even though Pandarus had been foiled, he still managed to ruin Christmas.
"We're so sorry, Santa" Lao Shi said with a bow "We did our best."
"Thank you for everyone for all you've done" Santa "But I'm afraid it's hopeless. Christmas is going to be cancelled."
Fu Dog starting to whin and howl, Trixie began to quietly weep, and Spud began to bawl uncontrollably.
Jake's thoughts turned to kids around the world, who would be waking up in the morning with happy smiles, only to find no presents under the tree. Jake couldn't let that happen. Rudolph saved his life, so he owed him and Santa. There must be something I can do he thought to himself. There had to be way they could get a replacement flyer and a way to see through the storm. Suddenly, an idea came to his head.
"Hold on" Jake said out loud "There's still a chance to save Christmas!"
Everyone looked to Jake with open eyes "How?" Santa asked curiously.
Jake smiled and shouted "Dragon Up!" and instantly transformed into the brave dragon that defended New York on a daily basis.
"Need a replacement flyer?" Jake said as he flapped his wings. Jake breathed and produced a ball of fire in his claws "And a replacement light source?"
Everyone smiled as Jake's idea came to them. Walking up Jake, Santa said "I know this is going to sound cheesy, but, Jake Long with your fire so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Jake smiled "It would be an honor."
VII.
Within a few minutes, a harness was strapped to Jake and he was being hooked up to the sleigh with the reindeer.
"This will be a big test for you, Young Dragon" his grandpa said "You'll be enduring very harsh conditions and be going at a speed you're not use to."
"I know, Gramps" Jake said "But this is something that has to be done."
"I wish you good luck, Kid" Fu Dog said.
Meanwhile, Trixie and Spud were helping the elves load Santa's sleigh.
"Can you believe that Santa is letting us come along in his sleigh?" Trixie asked excitedly.
"I know" Spud said as he threw a couple of presents into the sleigh "It's like a dream come true!"
As soon as the presents were completely loaded, Jake looked to his grandpa.
"Santa and I will drop Trixie and Spud off at their homes during the trip before I lead him back here" he explained.
"Fu Dog and I will be here with a portal potion to get us back to New York. Hopefully, it will be ready by the time you get back because someone forgot to bring an extra vial of the it!"
"Hey, cool it, Gramps" Fu said as he mixed together ingredients "Don't worry, Kid. It'll be ready when you get back. It's a good thing I pack a portable potion kit."
"Looks like we're all ready to go" Santa said as he, Trixie, and Spud climbed into the sleigh. "Ready Jake?"
"All set, St. Nick" Jake said.
"In that case" Santa said as he took the reigns and whipped them, signaling Jake and the reindeer to take off "Up, up, up, and...awwaaay!"
VIII.
Jake and crew flew had super high speeds to each destination. From Morocco to Turkey, from Egypt to France, from China to Japan, and from India to Austria. Everywhere they went, Jake emitted a flame to illuminate and cut through the storm clouds. Jake soon learned his grandpa was right. He never felt speed like this before. It took all he could to keep from passing out. He managed to endure the cold and harsh winds and soon adjust to the high speed, though he still got a little dizzy.
IX.
With the aid of Trixie and Spud, Santa was able to distribute his presents at a much faster rate than ever before. The two accompanied him down chimneys, passed him the toys, and helped him read his map. They did have a hard time getting back up the chimneys a few times and he did get on them for pigging on the milk and cookies, but nevertheless, they were two of the best helpers he ever had.
X.
Professor Hans Rotwood stood in the middle of his living room, a camera in his hands. This time, he would get photographic proof that Santa Claus existed. And if he could prove the existence of Santa, then proving the existence of the rest of the magical world would be easy.
Just then, the middle school principal heard a noise coming from his kitchen. Investigating the disturbance, the magic seeker didn't see a large man and two teenagers climb down his chimney. A few minutes later, while looking for the pest that made the noise, Rotwood heard something scurrying up his fireplace. Running back to his living room, Hans heard something take off from his roof.
"Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!" came a voice.
Running to his window, Professor Rotwood saw a small sleigh take off into the night.
"Ai!" he cried "Santa Claus!"
Quickly, he whipped out his camera and clicked the shutter button.
"Vinally!" the teacher said proudly "I vill get vhat I vant for Christmas: proof that magical creatures inhabit the earth! Onze I ave this picture developed, I will... he paused and looked at his camera "ACH!" he cried "I left the lens cap on again! Iz not fair! Iz not fair! Iz no..." he stopped when he realized something "Since when does Rudolph look like a dragon?"
XI.
After all the presents had been distributed and Trixie and Spud were back home, Jake guided Santa's sleigh back to the North Pole.
After landing, Jake reverted back to human and collapsed from exhaustion. Lao Shi and Fu Dog helped him to his feet.
"You did well tonight, Young Dragon" Lao Shi said to Jake.
"No, p-p-problems, Gramps" Jake said out of breath,
"Thank you for everything, American Dragon" Santa said "I hope next time we meet will be under happier circumstances."
"Likewise" said the tired dragon.
"Okay, guys, ready?" Fu asked before he tossed the portal potion into the air and said "New York City".
The portal instantly appeared. After waving good-bye to Santa, the elves, and a bedded-down Rudolph; Jake, Fu, and Grandpa stepped through the portal back home.
XII.
Jake woke up the next morning to the sounds of his sister yelling "It's Christmas!"
Despite how exhausting the previous night was, Jake was fully reenergized. The boy ran down the stairs to the living room, where he found his family waiting for him.
"Hey, Jake" Johnathan said "Want to open some presents?"
"You bet" Jake said as walked towards the tree where Hayley was already unwrapping hers.
"Alright" she said "A new dolly and tea set!"
One by one, Jake opened his gifts. He got some skateboard polish, a new game controller, and a new helmet.
"Johnathan" Susan whispered to her husband "We need to tell him...now!"
"Oh, right" he said "Uh, Jake, there's something you need to kno..."
"Hey, Jake" Hayley held up a box "There's one more gift for you!"
Jake took the present and began to unwrap it. He couldn't believe what it was.
"An Action Skateboarder 3 game!" he shouted excitedly "Cool!"
The two parents looked at each with disbelief.
"I thought you said you couldn't get it." Susan said.
"I didn't!" Johnathan replied.
"Well, if you didn't get it and I didn't get it, then who got it?" his wife asked.
Just then, Jake found a note on his package. It said:
Jake, just my way of saying thank you for everything you did last night. Keep up the good behavior,
Santa
Jake smiled and said "Thanks, Santa."
Johnathan couldn't believe his ears.
"You mean Santa's real?" he asked.
"You better believe it, Dad" Jake said proudly "And I happen to be a very close associate of his."
Just then, the door knocked. Susan answered it. In walked Lao Shi and Fu Dog.
"Just stopped by to wish you Merry Christmas" Lao Shi said.
"Do you got any eggnog?" Fu asked "I'm feeling thirsty. A-gu-gu-gu."
Just then, there was another knock at the door. Trixie walked in and Spud flew in. Johnathan, Susan and Hayley couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Look guys" Spud said "No wings!"
"Spudinski" Trixie said annoyed "For the last time, will you get down here!"
At that moment, the magic reindeer feed inside Spud was fully digested and Spud came down- on top of Trixie's back!
"Spud" an irritated Trixie said "Get off of me!"
Spud got up and Trixie stood up. Everyone began to laugh at the two. Looking up, Trixie moaned. She and Spud were under the mistletoe again!
Trixie turned to the grinning Spud and sighed. There was no escaping it this time.
Trixie turned to Jake and said "If you tell anyone about any of this..."
"Don't worry" Jake said as he acted to seal his lips "I won't say a word."
Trixie and Spud closed their eyes and reluctantly leaned in. At the last moment, Jake whipped out a camera and FLASH!
"JAKE!!!" Trixie yelled as she chased the dragon-morphed teen around the living room while everyone laughed.
Merry Christmas From Eddy13