"Alright, we're in." Mo smiled.
The pixies smiled from the balcony once they saw Crystal and soon ran off, though their happiness wouldn't last very long.
"Heheheh... The princess returns..." Jackie chuckled evilly as she approached the balcony. "Well, we have a little welcome planned for her~"
"I'll alert the welcoming committee." Sombra nodded before he soon walked off to go and get Northwind.
The pixies looked scared about that and soon took off running, luckily without being seen by Jackie or Sombra. The pixies soon quietly got Crystal's magic wand from the sleeping Snow King before they took to return it to Crystal.
"Northwind, go down to the main hall and stop them, Jackie will be sitting on the throne and I will be off because my work here is done." Sombra smirked as he vanished.
Northwind nodded before storming off like an obedient minion.
"Good..." Sombra nodded before smirking. "Now to relish in the victory for back home..." he then told himself as Northwind went to do what was asked of him.
Daring soon opened the doors to the castle, amazed and proud of himself.
"Great work, Daring," Crystal said as she led the others inside of her home. "Now, let's get to the throne room and find that Rose of Winter, but watch out for-"
"Me!" Northwind's voice roared.
"Oh, wow, I thought we were in trouble for a minute." Cherry rolled her eyes with a smirk before laughing out loud.
"That's right, turn back by order of the new Queen of Winter: my sister Jackie." Northwind told them.
"Oh, please." Atticus said as he rolled his eyes.
"Okay, I got this, don't worry." Daring chuckled as he came by.
"Want some help?" Atticus asked.
"I might be fine, but you can watch." Daring smirked, feeling confident in his new strength.
"You think you can take us on? I could probably pin you down myself," Cherry smirked at Northwind. "You and what army, Frostbite?"
Northwind chuckled as he soon grew into a bigger and stronger size, towering over all of them which made their laughter die down.
"Something tells me Jackie's learned how to use the staff." Patch said with a gulp.
"But how? There's no way anyone could learn to control something as powerful as the Snow King's staff," Mo said. "She had to have some help to learn how to use it."
Northwind soon laughed deeply and evilly once he grew in massive and strong size.
"EVIL ICE GIANT!" Cherry shouted in alarm. "RUUUN!"
Northwind snarled as he soon grabbed Daring, lifting him right up and off of the ground like a doll.
"Oh! Not the face! Not the face!" Daring cried out.
"Ho, ho, ho!" Northwind grinned fiendishly down at the others. "Behold the power of winter!"
"This, I can handle." Atticus smirked.
"Yep, it's true." Mo told the others.
Northwind soon flicked Atticus away, sending him flying against the wall and hitting it, however.
"Or maybe not." Cherry deadpanned.
"Northwind, nobody should get hurt for my sake!" Crystal cried out. "We're only here to save my parents! Please! Put him down!"
"My sister says that you just give orders," Northwind mocked the princess. "Pampered Princess~"
"Ooh, you're wrong about her." Atticus glared as he soon grew to giant size.
"Oh, yeah, nearly forgot he could grow giant size." Patch smiled.
"Yeah, because Atticus always has the save the day, doesn't he?" Cherry rolled her eyes before walking off.
"Are you leaving?" Patch asked.
"Why not?" Cherry replied. "It's always the same... Atticus can't be taken down and he always wins, even when it's none of his business. I was kinda hoping this would be time for Crystal to learn and grow as a person, but no, Atticus has to come in with his powers and strength like no one else even matters. I get it, he's a nice guy and he has powers from Superman, Zeus, and who knows who else, but I'm starting to see why this is kind of annoying for our enemies." she then explained as she looked a bit irked right now.
"Uh, Cherry, we might have a situation." Mo said as she saw a familiar evil unicorn appear in the room.
"Well, guess Sombra had a feeling his nephew would try and save the day." Patch said.
"Ya don't say... And now Sombra's here..." Cherry glanced over firmly, not even afraid of him this time because she was mostly annoyed. "Well... What do you want?"
"Oh, just wanting to make sure Northwind keeps the princess away from the throne; I knew my nephew would try and save the day at first I was just going to leave and go back to the shadows, but someone has to stop my nephew from saving the day." Sombra smirked.
"What...?" Cherry asked. "That makes no sense."
"You don't want Atticus to have his powers and outshine people?" Sombra smirked. "Maybe you'd prefer it that way... Just like when you were kids."
"I didn't say that!" Cherry defended.
"No, but that's what you're thinking." Sombra smirked.
Cherry just crossed her arms at him and turned away.
"Then so be it..." Sombra smirked. "Maybe it would be more interesting if Atticus's powers were taken away just like your magic."
"Yeah, because right now this isn't fair to me now that one of them is giant size." Northwind said.
"Allow me to fix that..." Sombra smirked as he soon worked his own magic.
Atticus glared before he looked wide-eyed and he suddenly fell down and shrunk in normal size, though he was off a bit.
"This isn't right." Cherry glared a bit.
"Because Atticus is being put in his place?" Sombra smirked.
"Because Atticus is somehow shorter than I am," Cherry glared. "Are you shrinking him like Ant-Man?!"
"Maybe..." Sombra smirked. "It's what you wanted anyway..."
Northwind soon laughed at Atticus as he kept his grip on Daring. A snowball was soon shot at Northwind.
"Who threw that snowball?!" Sombra glared.
"The princess said put him down!" Rosabella glared as she was shown to have snowballs. "That wasn't an order, but call it a strong suggestion." she then added before handing a snowball over to Crystal.
"See? You didn't need to turn giant just to fight Northwind," Cherry told Atticus. "I mean, it's great you have your powers and all, but sometimes, you just feel like a show-off."
"I know and I'm sorry." Atticus told her.
"Hey, Northwind! You like frozen fireworks?" Crystal smirked as she cocked her gun with a snowball inside of it before shooting it from the gun and there were snowball.
Northwind snarled as he nearly let go of Daring from his hand, but didn't fully as they did prove to be distracting for him. Daring soon found a way to get himself down and jumped to the floor once he was loose enough to get out of Northwind's fist.
"Split up! He can't get us all!" Crystal called out to the others as they ran off as Northwind began to chase them. "Get behind the pillars!"
"Don't gotta tell us twice." Patch said.
"Yep." Mo nodded.
"Fe fi fo fum!" Northwind giggled as he went to go after the others on the floor as they began to run and hide. "Always wanted to say that."
"What a story!" Blondie beamed as she decided to film this next. "Will Crystal Winter be able to get to the throne room to find the Rose of Winter? Will she get her destiny back from the villainous Jackie Frost? Will-"
"I'd hate to interrupt you, Blondie, but I think this is hardly the time for a cliffhanger news report!" Cherry warned as Northwind was coming in strong and fast.
Northwind soon reached for the pillar that Blondie, Cherry, Ashlynn, and Briar were hiding behind.
"My friends!" Crystal gasped in worry.
"If only I could get big again and then I could take him down no problem and we could go back home." Atticus said to himself.
"I'll keep you company." Sombra smirked as faced his nephew.
"Don't even think about it, Sombra." Mo glared as she and Patch stood by Atticus's side.
"Oh, I'm really scared of a girl who uses her Green Thumb as a weapon along with the prized pet dog." Sombra rolled his eyes sarcastically.
"Northwind, over here!" Crystal soon called out. "I'm the one you want!"
Northwind glared and soon looked over at her. Crystal then took that time to run away before she suddenly tripped and fell on the floor.
"Oh, man... Her laces are undone." Cherry noticed.
"Oh, come on! How many times are those laces going to untie themselves?" Patch asked.
"It's a lazy running gag, I guess." Cherry said.
"Daring, we've got to do something! Let's go," Rosabella told the beast prince as she came out of hiding from behind the pillar. "That's far enough!"
Northwind let out a big roar at her. Rosabella flinched from the roar, but she wasn't that scared.
"Wow! Those just might be the largest feet I have ever seen!" Daring remarked.
"Cool, huh?" Northwind smiled, acting a bit like his old self as he stopped himself from stomping on them. "Actually, it's my first time becoming an ice giant."
"Okay, that's our cue," Cherry told the others that she was hiding with from behind. "Let's go before Doofus notices what's going on."
"Pretty awesome if I say so myself." Northwind continued to Daring as Cherry, Briar, Ashlynn, Blondie, and Faybelle soon came over to Crystal as she sat on the floor with her untied laces.
"Unbelievable, then again, I shouldn't be surprised by the size of his brain." Sombra said.
"It's like if you recruited Snips and Snails from Equestria." Cherry smirked.
"Quiet, you." Sombra glared at her.
"Hey, I'm not afraid of you," Cherry smirked. "Because no matter what happens, even without powers, my friends and I will win and beat you like we always do."
"Why, you!" Sombra glared before shooting his magic at her.
"Cherry, watch out!" Mo called out.
Cherry looked over and soon jumped out as quickly as she could. The magical blast soon hit the pillar right behind her and it soon came tumbling down behind her to crush her. Cherry yelped as she was almost helpless there and the pillar soon crashed down and seemed to crush her as a big smoke cloud came out from the crash.
"Oh, too bad," Sombra smirked. "Too bad Atticus couldn't save you like he always does, huh, Cherry?" he then began to laugh.
"Cherry..." Atticus said with wide eyes.
"Wait, look." Patch said as he saw something in the smoke.
There was a glowing and shimmering bubble shown as Cherry seemed to be rolling out from inside of the bubble as she was shown to be unharmed like a hamster in a ball. Sombra growled as he narrowed his eyes dangerously as they seemed to flash in pure rage.
"Cherry? You okay?" Mo asked.
"Never better," Cherry shrugged with a small smirk. "Man... That was almost too close."
"But how?" Sombra glared.
The others looked at each other before looking at Cherry.
"Mm-mm..." Cherry shrugged as she wasn't sure how herself.
"Uncle Sombra, don't you see that trying to get rid of Cherry like this won't make me wanna join your side?" Atticus asked as he crossed his arms. "All it does is lure me further away from you. Like Cherry being destroyed would ever let me give up the path to good."
"One way or another, Atticus, you'll see how much you're wasting your time being good," Sombra narrowed his eyes. "Evil might be powerful, though losing to good, but you'll see that it's a lot more fun than being good all the time."
"No way, I will never go to the path of evil." Atticus glared.
"You will give in someday and when you do, I'll be there," Sombra replied. "It's in your destiny."
"I'm not giving in like Raven and Crow won't give in to their mother, so you might as well quit." Atticus glared.
"Especially as long as someone is around to help protect Cherry." A voice added before showing that it was Mary Ruth as the bubble that Cherry was inside of popped.
"Grandma, was this your bubble?" Cherry asked.
"Yes, it was," Mary Ruth replied. "You're all doing a good job, even if Frost for Brains has been turned into an ice giant."
"Yeah, you can thank Jackie Frost." Sombra smirked.
"Of course." Mo said.
"I can't stay for long, but you can handle those Frost Twins, I've faced worse around your age." Mary Ruth said.
"I just wish I could be brave like that little girl who met Santa Claus back when no one knew who he was as Kris Kringle," Cherry sighed with a shrug. "They faced the Winter Warlock and melted his icy heart like nothing. I'm not that brave, Grandma."
"Believe me, dear, I know that you are just as brave as that young girl," Mary Ruth winked as though she knew something. "Because you have your friends to help you and you can solve problems on these adventures very well because you can do some of them together."
"Right./Oh, yeah." Cherry and Mo nodded.
Mary Ruth then began to take her leave.
"Hey... Where you going?" Cherry asked.
"Oh, I'll be around," Mary Ruth replied. "I just wanna see how you can solve this with Crystal."
"We shall see." Sombra smirked.
Patch began to growl at Sombra. Sombra just raised an eyebrow, just about unimpressed at Patch's threats of barking and growling, though he nearly did look like his parents against Horace and Jasper before he and the other puppies were saved from Cruella. Northwind and Daring were still talking and luckily, Northwind was unaware of what was going on around him.
"Crystal, run!" Rosabella whispered loudly from across the room. "Get up to the throne room!"
"Okay," Crystal nodded before looking at the others. "Come on, guys. Let's go."
The group soon took off running together while Northwind and Daring talked to each other. Of course the two of them would have kept talking until what came next.
"Keep it up, Daring." Rosabella smiled.
"What?" Daring asked out of confusion.
"Distracting the giant." Rosabella told him before gasping as she covered her mouth.
"HEY! I'm not that dumb!" Northwind glared as he stomped hard on the floor.
The floor soon began to crack from the stomping as the group kept on running. The pillars also began to crash down and blocked the doors as they had no way out. However, a penguin was soon shown as it waved a flipper to them and had them come over and follow it and they soon did as Northwind was very angry right now and an angry giant was not one to mess with. The penguin kept leading them to safety and to hide while they still had the chance.
"Whew! ...Close one." Cherry sighed out of relief.
"Curses!" Sombra glared before looking at Northwind. "You idiot, you were supposed to keep them away from the throne room, now Crystal is on her way there!"
"Well, I can always go after them." Northwind defended.
"Let's see that you do and so you don't disappoint me," Sombra narrowed his eyes. "If you thought the Winter Warlock, Winterbolt, and your father Jack Frost were bad, you ain't seen nuthin' yet when I step up to the plate."
"I better call my sister." Northwind said.
"Yes, maybe you should, because at least her brain is more functional than yours." Sombra replied firmly.
Northwind soon began to call Jackie while she was practicing with the staff.
Jackie was shown to be shooting targets off of penguins' heads, using the staff as a toy and cheered for herself as she was successful so far until she was given a call from her brother. "Northwind, is it too much to ask if you have defeated the precious little princess and her pompous pack of minions?" she then greeted in mild annoyance.
"Oh, we are totally winning!" Northwind replied on the other end. "Except that Crystal and her friends got away and are heading towards you."
"Ugh! What part of that is 'winning'?" Jackie scoffed in anger and frustration before she hung up. "Argh! Okay... I'm doing this myself," she then decided as she stormed off with the staff at hand as she stood on top of the Snow King and used the staff to slide across the floor before smirking at the still frozen Snow Queen. "Crystal is after the Rose of Winter? She's gonna have to get through me first." she then mocked as she took the rose from the frozen Snow Queen as she grinned evilly.
The penguin from before soon shows up as it gestured for Crystal and the others to come out.
"Thanks, you're a real lifesaver." Crystal told the penguin.
Cherry patted the penguin on the head as they walked on by, though Faybelle was flying of course.
And so, they made it into the grand and icy throne room of the Winter Castle.
"Mom! Dad!" Crystal soon called out.
Jackie smirked as she was lying down on the Snow King like a chair with the staff at hand.
"Jackie Frost, you better not have hurt them!" Crystal then glared at the evil girl.
"They're fine and I'll do whatever I want!" Jackie taunted as she stood up then. "I'm the boss around here, not you!"
"B-But this is not your place, you stole it!" Crystal told her.
Blondie began to began to post what was going on to everyone back at the school.
Everyone watched on their phones/tablets back in Ever After High while being wrapped up in warm blankets.
"Boo-hoo-hoo!" Jackie laughed and cried mockingly at the princess.
"Jackie, the Staff of Winter? It's too dangerous!" Crystal warned the other girl. "The people and creatures of Ever After are being buried by this wicked winter! I know how to use it!"
"You might as well give up, Frostbite," Cherry added. "Otherwise you're gonna make me angry and you will not like me when I'm angry!"
"Ooh... You supposed to be The Incredible Hulk?" Jackie mocked. "Crystal doesn't know how to use it... You don't know anything!" she then told the Snow Princess. "You don't deserve power! You just considered winter your playground. Fun, fun, fun! Some of us were doing all the work!"
"Oh, please you're only being selfish and thinking of no one, but yourself and the only thing you want is power, thinking it's so easy," Cherry glared at Jackie Frost. "But it's not the only thing you and your brother can do is... Well, shapeshift into animals and whatever the Snow King and Snow Queen need you to do. And besides, ruling winter can't be that easy as it's like ruling over a kingdom, nothing is ever easy!"
"Cherry..." Atticus said soflty.
"Winter should be fun and yes, it is good work to prepare a good winter, but we should be working together!" Crystal spoke up as she approached Jackie. "Each one doing our best."
"You? The next Queen of Winter?! Ha!" Jackie scoffed at Crystal and Cherry. "And you, you're just a mortal peasant. You don't know what you're talking about!"
"Believe me, I do, and I've met all sorts of different people over the years," Cherry replied firmly. "What you're doing is dumb and selfish and you should realize that now before you get hurt and Crystal should be the next Snow Queen, even if it takes some time for her to learn and has many reasons of why."
"Because I care," Crystal added as she sounded like she was going to cry. "I care about all of the creatures of winter, becaue I've struggled, because I've climbed ice walls, I quested to find a cure for my parents, I've crossed the world, I risked everything to get back what I had once upon a time," she then listed as she approached the throne as Jackie just glared at her. "I understand what a great responsibility this is, and I am ready, not to rule, but to serve." she soon concluded.
"You tell her." Blondie smiled.
"To help make fun for everyone to use my powers to help make others better," Crystal said as her words began to touch everyone at Ever After High. "That means you, your brother, my parents, everyone."
Everyone at Ever After High began to cheer after hearing every word Crystal said and where the penguins began to cheer for Crystal as well.
"Now that's a ruler." Cherry smiled.
"You wanna immense the power of winter to help others?" Jackie asked Crystal before she jumped down as she clutched the staff in her hand.
Crystal smiled as she hoped that this meant that Jackie understood, though Cherry had a strong feeling deep down inside that Jackie wasn't going to give into goodness that easily.
"Girl, I always thought you were a bit weird!" Jackie then continued with a smirk.
"Jackie, please, give me the staff," Crystal told the other girl. "Let me heal winter... For everyone."
"Guy, I'd love to feel hopeful, but I doubt Jackie's going to give in that easily." Mo said to the others.
"I think you're right," Faybelle agreed. "Jackie's gonna blast-freeze Crystal!"
Meanwhile Northwind was chasing after Daring and Rosabella while Patch and Atticus faced Sombra. Rosabella and Daring kept running.
"Gotcha!" Northwind grinned as he grabbed down and opened up his hands only to see that that was untrue. "Oh... Well, no, I don't." he then said to himself.
"How long are you going to keep trying to make me join you?" Atticus asked Sombra.
"However long it takes, like Anakin Skywalker to Luke Skywalker, I'll be here for as long as possible." Sombra smirked.
"Well, give it up because I'm never going to join you." Atticus glared at Sombra.
"We'll see about that." Sombra smirked.
Patch soon jumped out and suddenly tackled Sombra, bringing him right down to the floor. Sombra growled and soon kicked Patch right off of him. Rosabella screamed before she yelped as she was suddenly pulled away by Daring and they hid from Northwind.
"How much longer do we have to keep playing this game of cat and mouse?" Daring groaned as he placed her beside him to safety.
"Daring, you're brilliant!" Rosabella smiled as that gave her an idea.
"You guys doing okay?" Patch grunted as he slid across the floor and looked up at them.
"Daring just gave me a great idea." Rosabella smiled at the Dalmatian.
"He did? Huh, never thought I'd hear that," Patch said. "Then again, I shouldn't underestimate my friends."
"How's it going with Sombra?" Daring asked.
"Well, unless we somehow trick him into giving Atticus his powers back, we're in big trouble." Patch said.
"Hmm... I wonder..." Rosabella pondered a bit before shrugging. "I'm not sure."
"Try out your plan, I just hope you have better luck with it than me and Atticus are having right now against Sombra." Patch said.
"Good luck against Sombra then, Patch," Rosabella told the Dalmatian before he ran back over to Sombra and Atticus as she faced the beast prince. "Northwind is a shape-shifter. All we have to do is get him into a different shape." she then said to him as she moved him over to see Northwind who was looking all over for them.
"Say, uh, Northwind, old chap, Rosabella and I we were just wondering," Daring said as Northwind began to make his way over to him. "Well, this is awkward, I say, you can choose any winter creature you can shapeshift into?"
"That's right, I can." Northwind told him.
"But, uh, Rosabella and I say, uh-" Daring continued, a bit awkwardly.
"I say that Daring is wrong," Rosabella smirked. "You can't."
"HEY!" Northwind glared as that upset him.
Sombra kept shooting his own magic towards Atticus, but Atticus kept running and avoiding it like any mortal would, hiding behind the pillars whenever a magical shot came out. "You can just make this easier for yourself, dear nephew; if you just give in to your destiny." he then said as he faced the pillar Atticus was behind.
Patch began to think of how to trick Sombra before getting an idea and it involved having Atticus's fingers crossed behind his back.
"I'm sure," Atticus replied. "Too bad I'm not that interested."
Patch soon whispered something to Atticus before they both ducked as another dark magical blast shot at them.
"You sure?" Atticus asked.
"Just go with it," Patch replied. "Hopefully Daring and Rosabella are gonna be all right too."
Atticus soon nodded as they waited a little bit.
Northwind soon demonstrated of how he could change into a polar bear, an owl, and was even challenged to change into a snow mouse. "I, Northwind, can turn into whatever Northwind wants to!" he then proclaimed as he changed into one and squeaked in victory.
"Now, Daring!" Rosabella called out as Daring then snatched Northwind by his tail. "Gotcha!"
"Oh, you fool!" Sombra growled. "I should turn you into a mousecicle for such insulance!"
"Uncle Sombra!" Atticus called out.
"Yes?" Sombra smirked, looking ready to use his magic.
"I think I've seen what your magic is really capable of and it sure is impressive." Atticus replied.
Sombra narrowed his eyes a bit, feeling suspicious of Atticus's sudden change of heart.
"I just don't know why I didn't see it sooner," Atticus continued then. "You really opened my eyes with what your magic does and what mine does after learning and growing over the years, especially with Magic Training Classes in school with my friends, but my magic is more awesome than theirs is and it's all because of you!"
"What is he doing?" Daring asked.
"It's about time you opened your eyes to the truth." Sombra smirked at his nephew.
"I know..." Atticus replied. "I still wanna see my friends one last time though of course."
"Hmm... Very well..." Sombra narrowed his eyes, still hating the idea, but decided to be a little fair for once. "You may see them eventually."
"And I'll get my magic and powers back?" Atticus asked innocently.
"Eventually again, after you see them," Sombra decided. "I'm watching you."
"Of course I understand." Atticus nodded.
"And with your powers of magics of both Wiccan and Equestrian and merman and your powers of a god and Kryptonian powers, we can take Mount Olympus," King Sombra smirked. "Why rule the Crystal Empire? When you can go big and rule Mount Olympus."
"I never thought about it like that before." Atticus replied.
"When I was your age, I had dreams like this," Sombra nodded. "You can live up to so much promise and potential if you'd just listen to your dear old Uncle King Sombra."
"Is this actually happening?" Daring asked.
"I'm sure Atticus isn't actually wanting to join Sombra's side." Rosabella whispered to Daring.
"Do you really think so?" Daring asked.
"Of course not!" Rosabella replied. "Atticus has a heart of gold, there's no way it'd fade away this fast."
"I still wanna see my friends, Uncle Sombra," Atticus said to his evil uncle. "Can you promise me that?"
"Of course, you can see them one last time, if you're certain you want this for your life." Sombra nodded before smirking.
"Yes, Uncle," Atticus said as he crossed his fingers after saying the next words. "I want to rule Mount Olympus and be as evil and powerful as you."
"Very well," Sombra replied before looking over and face-palmed. "Ugh... Northwind... I should've given him at least a bigger brain."
"Heh... Yeah..." Atticus chuckled wearily.
"No worries!" Northwind smirked confidently. "I'm guessin' that this is all part of Jackie's plan." he then began to laugh like an insane villain.
"Okay..." Sombra blinked slowly before rolling his eyes.
"It's a surprise of how he is her brother." Atticus said.
"I couldn't have said it better myself." Sombra agreed.
The two then seemed to smile at each other, though Atticus wiped some sweat off his forehead as he tried to keep up appearances, luckily not being bad at lying, at least not for right now.
"I suppose we could go see your friends now..." Sombra then told Atticus. "If that's what you want."
"It is." Atticus nodded.
"Very well then," Sombra nodded. "Besides, I want to see how Jackie's doing."
"He must be an excellent actor." Daring whispered to Rosabella.
"Better him than me, Miss Blabbermouth." Rosabella pouted at herself.
"Oh, you couldn't help that, I promise I'm not mad at you." Daring said softly and soothingly.
"Thanks, Daring." Rosabella smiled, bashfully.
Patch smiled as he watched the two while Sombra just rolled his eyes in annoyance.