"That was amazing! I mean, the way you fought those things! How did you, what were those creatures? And what are those?"

With a quick, swooping glide Rachel and Bryan were able to come to the rescue before the Nightmares had a chance to do any serious damage. They'd come to the rescue of a young man and woman. Seger didn't like the man or the reindeer he had with him at all. Big surprise. The fire wolf stayed close to Bryan. Fantasia tried to fend off Jewel to be the first to get attention from the girl. Jewel wasn't put off. She'd discovered their other companion and was immediately making friends.

"This is Fantasia and Jewel." Rachel introduced her Dream Eaters. "I'm Rachel, and he's Bryan. So who are you guys and what are you doing up here?"

"Oh, sorry! Sorry, we should have done that first, I mean, you just saved us so telling you who we are should have been the first thing we did. I'm Anna. This is Kristoff and his reindeer friend, Sven. And this little guy is-."

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

A short snowman with a huge carrot nose and buck teeth stepped forward with his twiggy arms opened wide.

"A living snowman?" Bryan asked.

"Talking owls and flying elephants." Rachel reminded. She knelt in the snow to accept the little guys hug. After she was done, Jewel slipped in for a snuggle too.

"So what are you all doing up here? Seems an odd place for a hike." Bryan repeated his sisters question.

"We're trying to get to the North Mountain." Kristoff told him.

"No kidding, that's where we're going too."

"Really? Why?"

"We're looking for something that we think might be up there. You?"

"Kristoff says the snow storm is coming from the North Mountain. So that's gotta be where Elsa is."

"Who?" Rachel asked.

Then the key bearers got the scoop on where they were and what was going on with the summer blizzard. This place was the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa was Anna's older sister and the newly crowned queen. At the coronation just a day earlier, Anna learned her sister had been keeping a great secret all her life. By accident at the coronation after-party Elsa revealed she had magical powers over Ice. Everyone was equally surprised and terrified at the unsuspected display of magic. But no one seemed more frightened about the whole thing than Elsa. Anna was afraid her actions at the party upset her sister enough to lose control of her powers. After that, the queen fled and the storm began. Her panic must have set off the summer winter. Anna was certain Elsa didn't mean to set off the blizzard, maybe she didn't even know what had happened. That's why they were looking for her. Elsa was the one who made the blizzard, only she would be able to undo it. Not only that, the Nightmares appeared with the blizzard. Anna refused to believe the monsters that were becoming a bother around the city were Elsa's doing, at least not intentionally.

"So your sister has magic powers and nobody knew about it?" Bryan asked. "Not even you?"

Anna shook her head. "How do you hide something like that?"

"Well, since we're all going to the same place, might as well go together." Rachel said.

"Good idea," Kristoff agreed. "I know how to get to the North Mountain and you can be there in case more monsters show up."

"Sounds like a plan." Bryan said. "Let's go."

"Yes! Let's go bring back summer!" Olaf cheered and led the way.

Apart from chilly noses and having to stop every ten minutes to eliminate a group of Nightmares, the key bearers were actually enjoying the mountain trek. Partly because they had good company and partly because they didn't have to walk. Rachel had Fantasia, Bryan had White, Kristoff rode Sven and Jewel was delighted to have Anna and Olaf as passengers. Bryan laid on White's coils with his arms crossed behind his head. The serpentine Spirit had his hood folded down and back so Bryan couldn't slip off either side as he slithered. He and Kristoff were several yards behind the girls and chatted causally amongst themselves as they went. This was one of the few places they'd been where they had made any human friends close to their own age.

Rachel and Anna sat side-saddle on their respective rides so they faced each other as they went. Olaf sat on Jewels' head like some kind of funny hat.

"So tell me, what's it like to have a sister?" Rachel asked Anna.

"Oh," Anna said. "Well, there isn't much to say really."

Rachel raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What do you mean? How can you be a sister and not know what it's like to have a sister?"

Anna told her all about growing up with an older sibling who was always absent. In her earliest memories, Anna could only remember fun times with her sister. Those days were full of smiles, trust and laughter. Then one day the cover of that beautiful story snapped shut and never opened again. Anna never knew why and could never get Elsa to tell her. But Anna had hung on to those memories all her life, hoping one day she'd knock on Elsa's door and be invited in. But for years all she ever got was either silence or getting told to go away. Still, despite all that, she never gave up. They were sisters. She always kept knocking, always kept believing the answer would change.

Rachel wasn't sure how to respond. "I can't imagine that. Yet I remember doing it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I know what it's like to be the older sibling who keeps the doors shut."

Instantly Anna was visibly looking at Rachel in a new light. "You're a sister too?"

"I guess when I introduced us I didn't give details. Bryan's my younger brother. And let's just say that in our early childhood we weren't particularly close."

Anna looked over at Bryan, who was still back a ways talking to Kristoff. "I can see it."

"You can?"

"Yeah. You have the same smile."

"Not a lot of people notice just by looking."

"You said you weren't close before, what changed?" She sounded hopeful.

"I guess…I guess I just grew up a bit and realized having a younger sibling wasn't the ball and chain I originally thought it was. After that I came to better appreciate how having a brother in a place with only a few friends was really a nice thing if I let it."

Anna was quiet for a moment.

"You were hoping my answer could also be a solution for your case, weren't you?"

Anna shrugged in a 'well I guess you got me' sort of way. "I just wish Elsa had told me about her powers. I mean, we're sisters, we're supposed to be able to share everything. I wouldn't have thought she was a freak or a monster. And I know she would never intentionally hurt anyone. This entire thing is just a big misunderstanding. To be honest, I wonder if she just didn't know how to control her magic."

"Really? I don't get that." Rachel said.

"Oh? Why not? Magic sounds like it would be hard. I mean it's…magic."

Rachel looked at Anna strangely with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Magic? Hard? Oh, sweetie, you have got that all wrong."

"Here we go." Bryan muttered just loud enough for Kristoff to hear. They'd hit a lull in their own conversation so he could hear what the girls were talking about.

Rachel hopped off Fantasia's back and jogged to a clearing in the snow. With a flicker, Renewal was in her hand. "Watch this." And thus began a spectacular display of magic.

With a gentle brush of her fingertips against Renewal's teeth, a soft light shivered down the Keyblade, causing the rainbow ribbon around the gold shaft to glow. The jewels at the end lit up and flickered like a dozen blinking rainbow fireflies. As she started skipping and dancing in the sparkling snow, trails of magic light flowed behind her. The light trail lingered for a few seconds before vanishing. With the ease of flowing water the colors changed however Rachel wished them. Purple gave way to turquoise, then to gold then white. The yellow light sparked with lightning. Pale green glittered with a healing aura. Reds and oranges moved like flame. Then, with a great spin Rachel scooped up a large amount of snow into the air with Wind. The tight breeze compacted the snow into a dense, clear ball of ice. It rose higher and higher, until it was shattered with a blast of light. The shards flew up and out from the point of impact. The white terrain below was bathed in a million tiny rainbows as the sun glistened through the crystals.

Anna was clapping like mad. Olaf was clapping too. She was so astounded by the amazing display she couldn't even squeal or talk right to express herself. Bryan laughed out loud at Kristoff's jaw-dropped look of bewilderment.

"You-those? That was-!" Kristoff stuttered. "You guys said those were just weapons for fighting monsters! You can use magic too!?"

"Technically," Bryan pointed out. "We never said what a Keyblade couldn't do. Magic isn't necessary to defeat Nightmares, it's just useful. And for her, it's fun."

"Thank you, thank you. I'm here all week." Rachel said, taking her bow then jumping back on Fantasia.

"I can't believe it!" Anna exclaimed. "That was amazing!"

"You turned the ground all pretty!" Olaf said. "Winter needs that kind of color all the time." He went on to name off all the colors he thought that would make winter look even prettier.

"This is perfect!" Anna continued. "If Elsa really does have trouble controlling her powers, you can show her how!"

"I don't know if I'm teacher material but I could give it a shot." Rachel agreed.

Apart from the occasional Nightmare appearances the entire trek went by without much incident. Well…almost.

Olaf was in the middle of telling Rachel and Bryan how excited he was to have Elsa bring back summer so he could see what the wonder and love of the season was about. They both felt obligated to point out the flaw in his logic but just couldn't stomach saying it out loud. Kristoff told him to stop talking and warned everyone to be as quiet as they possibly could. The North Mountain was close, but the quickest way there was across a valley to one side of it. Only the neighboring mountains were known to be prone to avalanches. This unnatural winter only made the situation more unpredictable. Bryan wasn't particularly thrilled about this turn of events but then again, no one was.

Trudging across a valley in absolute silence…fun. Bryan's stomach was in a tight knot the whole time. He'd adjusted from his casual position on White's back. The thought of Nightmares showing up and getting them all buried beneath a mountain's worth of snow was no reason to remain relaxed. Bryan suggested before they moved on that Rachel use her Time spell immediately if they saw any Nightmares. Sometimes if you gained enough distance on a Nightmare or Heartless they would just go away. Olaf was sitting on Anna's lap. The two of them had it the best on Jewel's back, as she didn't make any noise at all as she swam through the air. For the rest of them, every footfall that compacted the snow beneath them sounded positively thunderous now that they were supposed to keep quiet.

"Eh-eh-eh!"

Bryan froze, petrified. Everyone turned with wide, terrified eyes. Jewel's plume had brushed under Olaf's nose. A true and honest accident…but…

"Eh-zii! Ez-ah!"

"No, no,no!" Anna begged as quietly as she could manage and still be heard.

Poor Olaf was doing all he could to hold it back. His eyes moved about like a chameleon on speed.

"Oh please, oh please!" Rachel mouthed.

"Ezzh! Ezzh!"

In a panic, Anna pulled Olaf's carrot nose clean off. For a second that seemed to do the trick. He breathed easy. Too bad the tactic didn't work.

"EH-CheeOW!"

EH-CheeOW! EH-Cheeow! EH-cheeow! Eh-cheeow! Cheeow! eeow!

Everyone paled. Olaf's eyes were huge as he held his hands over the spot where his nose had been. But he didn't dare apologize in case that was just enough noise to make something happen. Again, an honest accident but…

Terrified even the sound of neck muscles creaking would be too loud as they turned, the friends looked around the valley. For a second they saw and heard nothing. Had the unnatural winter really skipped over whatever a natural one did that made this place such a dangerous avalanche zone? Muscles slowly relaxed and hearts resumed their normal paces. Bullet dodged? As if. Panicked shivers snapped down everyone's spines (at least those who had a spine) as a low growl echoed across the valley.

High above, on the other side of the valley, Olaf's 'eh-cheeow!' shook a single clump of snow off the branch of a pine tree. The thwump! of the impact shifted the snow on the ground beneath it. Which of course caused it to slide. Little by little it upset the surrounding snow. Every loose pile, every overhang soon gave way from their peaceful places of winter slumber to join the torrent. The crashes of snow as it collided with itself, trees and rocky ledges created the most horrible din that rumbled throughout the valley, causing more snow to be shook free. From a distance, it was possible to see the white mountains turn gray as they shed their winter layer. Fascinating to watch really, unless you find yourself in the way.

Not good. All kinds of not good. If it was just them Bryan wouldn't have been too worried. They could've just flown on their Dream Eaters above the whole thing. In real life, watching an avalanche from above might've been kinda cool. Not like that kind of thinking would achieve anything at the moment. Jewel and White might be able to carry two passengers each and still fly fast enough and high enough to be out of the way, but there was no way they could also carry a reindeer. And Kristoff wouldn't leave his friend behind.

"There's no way we can outrun that!" Kristoff cried.

"We have to try!" Anna said, although she didn't sound convinced herself they could do it.

No sense trying to discuss alternatives while standing still. Fantasia and Sven galloped through the snow as fast as they were capable. The crashing snow looked like low clouds in the distance. The crashes thundered and echoed fiercely, shaking them to their very bones.

"Wait!" Rachel pulled back hard on Fantasia's mane. The Spirit reared up as she came to a sudden stop.

"What are you doing!" Bryan yelled. White also slinked to a stop.

"Follow me! Anna! Kristoff! Stay behind us!" Rachel tugged on Fantasia's mane to urge her in the direction of the avalanche.

"Are you crazy!"

"No! Don't! We can make it if we keep going!" Anna cried.

"Why are you stopping!" Kristoff yelled in frustrated desperation.

Fair question. Even Jewel was chittering like she thought it was a stupid decision. Bryan wasn't far behind in the Spirits' opinion.

"Jewel! Protect them! Bryan ! I've got an idea."

"The faster you tell me about it the better!"

In the back of his head Bryan heard Master Yen Sid's voice calling him off for not trusting her completely for whatever she had in mind. As sibling fighters, absolute trust was the keystone to make their partnership work as well as it did. Still, hopefully no one would hold it against him to like to know the plan before running head-long into the path of an avalanche.

Rachel jumped off Fantasia and ran several yards on foot before coming to a stop. Bryan did the same. "Bryan, Seger, Fantasia," She looked at each of them as they were addressed. "I need you to call as much Fire as you can and blast it straight ahead when I tell you to."

Well straight ahead was an enormous wall of snow heading their way at frightening speed. Fantasia stomped her hoof in reply and her horn glowed orange and red. Bryan called his Keyblade and the end lit up red-hot. He gave Seger to ok to do what she said. He snorted flickers of flame from his nose and his mane caught fire. The snow around them started to become slush. Jewel had slipped Anna off her back and started creating thick, tall walls of ice on either side of the group. Perhaps her connection with her mistress allowed her the insight to her plan and how she could best make herself useful.

Bryan held Sure Shot with both hands, mostly to steady the shaking. They had to shriek just to hear each other over the roar. All he could see was white. Rachel stood between Bryan and Fantasia, Seger stood on Bryan's left. Her Keyblade in one hand.

"Kay, guys. Almost." Her voice sounded confident but also shook a little. Rachel swished Renewal around like a conductors wand, then in graceful circles. "Almost,"

Bryan felt the wind around them begin to stir, and not just from what the cascade of snow was displacing as it went on its crusade down the mountain. Seger was taking deep breaths and short exhales, building up for the attack.

"Rachel," Too close.

"Almost." She swung Renewal in faster circles.

"Anytime!"

The distance was closing fast.

"Now!"

Fantasia shot a white-hot beam of fire from her horn. Seger let loose a mighty exhale worthy of a storybook dragon. The cloud of flame was incredible. Bryan braced himself and released the column of fire from his Keyblade. Rachel swung her Keyblade in rapid, wide loops then held it out in front of her. The summoned Wind was shot forward in a swirling funnel. Rachel's Wind magic sucked in the surrounding air, fueling the fires but also caused a terrible howling. The river of fire was swept up within it and a mighty tornado of raging flame that parted the avalanche with a mighty crash. The rumble was deafening as endless tons of snow rolled by unchallenged. The direct kiss of fire and ice popped, cracked and hissed as the two opposing elements battled for supremacy over the other. A white mist flurried over the protective walls Jewel had erected. Hastily she reinforced them again and again as the pressure of the avalanche tested their strength. White lay coiled protectively around Anna and the others, his hood over them like a blanket.

Bryan didn't know how long the entire ordeal was. The sound was tremendous. He knew all about bass music but never before had he heard anything that rumbled and reverberated through his entire body before. Finally the avalanche began to lose its force. It had run out of snow and the wide valley swallowed its momentum. The snow before them created a deep V with steep sides. Jewel's ice walls were only just high enough. Snow threatened to overflow into the little protective bubble. Their wide C of shelter was darkened by the walls of snow.

Seger dropped, wheezing deeply. Bryan also let himself collapse by his wolf. He put a reassuring arm around his Spirit. Never before had the young key bearer kept a magic spell active for that long. They had snow piled high on all sides but at least they weren't underneath it. White unwound himself from Anna and the others. They were all astounded and relieved Rachel's plan worked as well as it did.

"I don't think we need to be quiet anymore." Kristoff stated weakly, a little slack-jawed as he looked around at the bullet they managed to dodge.

"Probably right." Rachel panted. "I am so glad that worked."

"I'll ignore the fact you just admitted you weren't sure your plan would save us." Bryan snapped. Or at least he tried to, he was breathing too hard to properly give her a piece of his mind.