Epilogue
Back at the North Pole
Before leaving Stone Cold Mountain, Santa figured it would be best for all entrances leading into this place were to be sealed by fairy magic in case Crystal might somehow break out of her prison. Although chances of that happening seemed rather slim, it was still better to be safe than sorry. All the statues that were under Crystal's spell had returned safely to their homes happily. Mr. Frazzle had mentioned that he was protecting a family of chipmunks from Crystal before being stoned. He wished the cows' good luck on their journey back home before flying back to Christmas Tree Forest. The Christmas star had been placed back on top of the tree an hour before midnight.
Now they were sitting inside the back seat of Santa's sleigh which had been sitting outside in the snow of the elf village. While the star had been stolen, the elves had volunteered to stay behind in the workshop and finish making and wrapping the toys for the children since they didn't want to leave the workshop unattended. Now everything was well organized and the red bag was packed into the enchanted cargo. Everyone gathered around the sleigh to wish Santa a safe trip around the world.
"Watch out for mountains and ice burgs!" shouted a female elf jumping in the crowd.
"And steer clear of the ocean waves!" added a gnome.
"I'll be back before you know it; and thank you everyone!" said Santa thankfully accepting their gratitude. "Thanks for all the preparations," then he turned to the three cows in the back seat. "And most of all, I would like to thank these three heroic cows for believing in me and helping to rid us of Crystal's mischief. And I would also like to thank everyone for helping me with a plan to help them save a friend who was in dire peril. Without our help, they might have faced the same fate, but now with all entrances sealed, the Ice Empress can never harm anyone again." The crowds cheered from hearing Santa say that. All the snowstorms and blizzards would be left to Mother Nature.
Finally Santa sat in his seat and faced the eight reindeer with Rudolph in the front. He would be needed in case the skies became foggy. "Now I must be off." Taking the reins, he called each reindeer by their names. "On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen. On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen. Lead the way Rudolph!"
Rudolph nodded his head as all of the reindeer turned their faces to the clear sky. With a jingle of the bells on each harness, they bounded from the ground.
"Hold on tight!" Santa said glancing at the girls from behind his shoulder as the sleigh was now flying through the glittering indigo sky.
"Don't forget to tell everyone where you've been!" Ester shouted jumping for joy.
"Bye everyone!" Maggie turned her head down at the crowd standing in the elf village waving.
"Bye!" Mrs. Calloway waved down cheerfully. "We won't forget this!"
"Goodbye, have a wonderful merry Christmas!" Grace waved down at the crowd. Behind them the North Pole grew smaller and smaller until it was now only a memory.
Grace had to admit that she was feeling a little sad leaving the North Pole while the sleigh had now been flying over a couple towns in Candy Land. To her this turned out to be one frosty Christmas wonderland that she would keep in her memory. Hopefully the other two were thinking the same thing she did. But she was also happy that they got to meet Santa Clause, his reindeer and all of his little helpers. Every one of them turned out to be real after all. Now they all agreed that it was time to go home.
Even though she and her friends were bewitched by Crystal's evil spell, everything managed to turn out all right in the end; and that was all that mattered. And it was still hard for her to believe that Maggie and Mrs. Calloway tricked her into casting her statue spell and revealing the ice mirror at the final moment. Just as they had captured Slim, they had locked Crystal in her own home to freeze away.
"Bye, see ya'll later!" Grace waved over at the gingerbread citizens down below with the sleigh passing over the Gingerbread Kingdom where Princess Maple waved from the balcony smiling. Next they passed over the Cherry Punch Lagoon and Candy Cane Alley where Chuck the chocolate moose was still standing guard over the candy fields to watch out for trespassers. When his eyes caught the sleigh, he bellowed and snorted.
"Sorry about yesterday!" Grace shouted from above as she thought she saw the look on Chuck say that her apology was accepted; for now. They had now flown passed the Pudding Palace and waved to the milkmaids and colorful pudding cows.
"Hang on everyone!" Santa urged as the sleigh flew through the pink cotton candy clouds and heading straight into what appeared to be a glowing portal.
"Oh no, not this again!" Mrs. Calloway said nervously as she held on to her purple bonnet and grabbed the edge of the sleigh.
Everyone braced themselves and shut their eyes as the sleigh was zooming at a high speed toward the portal like a fast train ride. The light had grown brighter signaling that they were almost through. It slowed down once the light diminished and it was now safe to open their eyes. Grace felt a wave of excitement run through her. They were preparing to take their last adventure riding on Santa's sleigh around the world.
Back home that night
It was indeed a magical night riding in the sky with Santa delivering gifts to every house in most of the countries such as England, France, Germany, and Taiwan. First he had to travel across the Arctic Ocean and down the Pacific to head toward Australia and New Zealand. In the lower part of the world, the sun always rises on each new day to celebrate Christmas morning. Time was different everywhere in the north, south, east and west so Santa used a bubble timer to make things easier to travel in one night and had a little help with a globe to help him know where he was heading next. Whenever the sleigh made visits in hotter countries such as Africa, India, and Brazil, Santa would urge the reindeer to move higher where the air was still cool.
In colder countries, Santa flew lower because of the heavy snow. But with Rudolph's shiny red nose still lighting the way, he had no further trouble. When one of the homes didn't have a chimney, Santa transforms himself into fairy dust to enter through the keyhole or under the door. He even had a way with keeping animals quiet by feeding them special treats. Some houses had stockings by the fireplace where he would fill them with small toys and candy canes after placing gifts under the decorated trees. Milk and cookies were left for him as well as vegetables for him to feed his reindeer.
It had been a long night with countless deliveries, down chimneys and through doors in every sleeping town and village. Maggie and Mrs. Calloway were growing sleepy and tired, but Grace seemed more determined to find what country the sleigh would be visiting next. Down below, they were nearing a familiar kind of town with a saloon, jail cell, and sheriff's office. It was Chugwater Town all right; they were now home.
"Girls, girls, we're home," Grace shook her two friends when they had fallen asleep.
"Wha…what, we're home already?" Maggie yawned then looked down below to find that Grace was right. It was night time and everyone seemed to have gone off to sleep in their warm beds. "Good, I can't wait till we hit the hay." Mrs. Calloway woke up and rubbed her tired eyes to see that the sleigh was lowering to land next to the Patch of Heaven gate.
"What a night this has been," she said drowsily as they landed softly.
"Boy I'll say, I'm tired," Maggie yawned with half-opened eyes.
"Thanks Santa for bringing us home," Grace said politely, and then gazed over at Rudolph whose nose was shining like a candle. "And thanks Rudolph for helping and protecting us. Don't know what we could've done without you."
"Just glad to help," Rudolph said with a smile. "And I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas."
"Oh we will all right," said Maggie who had also thanked them followed by Mrs. Calloway.
"I have to admit that I didn't think I'd ever see you," she admitted whilst straightening her hat. "But after all this, I've changed my mind about everything."
"Remember, it's the thought that counts," Santa reminded her.
Stepping out of the sleigh, they looked to find that everyone on the farm had gone off to sleep as well as Pearl. Tomorrow when they wake up, the whole family would definitely be hearing a story about three cows that had an adventure in a magical realm where Christmas was almost ruined by an evil ice empress; the perfect gift to hear on that special day.
After Maggie and Mrs. Calloway walked inside, Grace turned around to take one last look at Santa sitting in his sleigh with his eight reindeer and Rudolph in front. Despite the danger she had been in, this was truly a Christmas to remember.
"Will we ever see you again?" Grace asked him before he had a chance to take off.
"I'll always be here every year on Christmas Eve night," Santa answered. "As long as you still believe."
"I believe in you," Grace replied joyfully as she was nearing the gate.
Santa watched her go inside the den and waved goodbye. With that settled, Santa snapped the reins as the reindeer vaulted into the sky with a mighty leap. With a mighty "HO, HO, HO!" the sleigh circled around the Patch of Heaven farm one last time and a couple of beautifully wrapped presents floated down from the sky like raindrops. There was a mountain of cans for Jeb, chicken feed to last for an entire year for the hens, three toy balls for the piglets, a warm winter coat and boots for Pearl that flew in through the chimney, and of course, piles of fresh hay tied in a ribbon for the cows. But they had also received three brand new scarves and earmuffs since their old ones had been lost during their enslavement to Crystal. These ones would keep them warmer and better protected. They would be surprised to see them in the morning.
Santa's sleigh took off and flew past the brightest star in the sky where he continued his business with Chugwater Town. From there he drove out of sight always bringing joy and happiness everywhere he goes. Christmas was saved; thanks to three heroic cows.
The End
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from HOTR; all that is the property of the Walt Disney Company. All other characters not mentioned in the film are made by me. Rudolph, Santa Clause, and all other carols are not owned by me, but belong in the hearts of all who believe in the spirit of Christmas. I'd like to thank Teentails and EsmeAmelia who were kind enough to read and review. And if you're ever reading this story during the holiday season, I'd like to say: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!