Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Characters, or any Game, Movie, or TV Show content that are mentioned in this FanFiction story. They belong to their respective owners, and I honor andrespect their great works.
Inside Ice Castle, Stormella was asleep in her bedroom, which had a queen-sized bed with folded transparent curtains for the Ice Witch to sleep in, a small sofa at the foot of the bed with ice blue cushioning, a small purple table on the left side, a four-panel window on the right side next to the bed, offering a view of the North Pole outside, and a futon with a wooden chair that had purple cushioning infront of it.
Stormella slept in her bed underneath a pink, flower pattern blanket with red curls in her hair, wearing a blue face mask over her eyes and an ice blue sleeping gown. Suddenly, alarms began blaring in the castle, waking up the Ice Witch immediately. Stormella sat upright and looked left and right with her face mask still on before pulling it off. She heard the alarms blaring in her castle and knew what they were for.
"Somebody's crossing my bridge!" Stormella says
The Ice Witch ran to the room where her crystal ball was kept. Inside was a round table made of thick ice with two wooden chairs on opposite sides, and a two-point stand extending from the floor through a hole in the center of the table, which held the crystal ball up like a globe. Stormella spun her crystal ball with a swipe of her left-hand and gazes into it.
"Show me the bridge." Stormella says
Stormella expected to see a vision of her ice bridge in the crystal, but something unexpected happened.
"What the...?" Stormella says
A red light, likely from Rudolph's nose, completely fills the crystal ball with its glow. Stormella was baffled by what she was saw, but she immediately dismisses it as some kind of fault in the crystal's magic.
"Must be on the fritz." Stormella says
The Ice Witch kept her gaze on the crystal ball, hoping to see more in the mystical object.
Outside, Devon, Rudolph, and Leonard were now scaling the mountain upon which Stormella's castle stood, walking up along the spiral path that extended out from the mountainside. The anthro polar bear was up infront, taking the lead as he showed the way to the catacombs, while the Keyblade Master and red-nosed reindeer followed him. Rudolph's nose was still glowing, but he stops for a moment and dims the light for later.
Moving on, the path up the mountain becomes narrower as the heroes continue their ascent, forcing them to slowly move across with Devon and Leonard pressing their backs against the grey, snow-covered mountainside, while Rudolph. Once they reach the end, they climb upwards using the protruding ledges as footholds. During the climb, Leonard's right-foot slips, leaving the polar bear hanging onto the ledge above him with his feet kicking to find another foothold. Seeing their friend struggling, Devon and Rudolph quickly move up and give him a boost, pushing him up from underneath. With their help, Leonard moves up to another ledge and regains his footing. He looks down at the human and reindeer and gives them a smile, silently thanking them. Devon nods his head as he and Rudolph both returned the gesture with smiles of their own. Eventually, the trio make it to the top of a cliff and discover a cave, which was supposedly the catacombs that led into the mountain.
"This must be the way in." Leonard says
"Looks that way." Rudolph says
"C'mon." Devon says
Devon enters the cave first, taking the lead with Rudolph following him next, then Leonard. The catacombs was almost pitch black, if not for Devon's Celestial Ring, which brightened the cave only slightly with its faint glow, allowing the trio to see only a few feet infront of them.
"I-It sure is dark in here." Leonard says
Devon's eyes glanced down slightly as they kept walking, thinking of something that would help him and his friends better navigate the dark caves. At first, he thought about using his Keyblade: Soul Calibur, but he came up with a better idea.
"Then, let's shed some light." Devon says
The Keyblade Master reaches into the left pocket of his winter jacket with his left-hand and takes out a crystal phial with pure, ancient water encased inside. It was the Phial of Galadriel he received from Sam after he and his friends finished their long journey in Middle-Earth. Devon gazed down at the star-glass as it slowly emitted a brief, faint light for two seconds. Rudolph and Leonard walked over to Devon's side and gazed down at the crystal phial with curious expressions.
"What's that?" Rudolph asks
"Just a small gift I received in a world called Middle-Earth. It should help light our way through the catacombs." Devon says
Devon closes his eyes and concentrated on activating the star-glass. A vision of Frodo using the crystal phial in Shelob's lair appears in his mind, playing out silently with the Hobbit closing his eyes same as Devon and speaking the Elvish words before holding the star-glass up as it shines brightly. Somehow, the words found their way into the Keyblade Master and he calmly spoke them aloud.
"Aiya Eärendil elenion ancalima! (Hail Eärendil, brightest of stars!)" Devon chants in Quenya
Devon raises the crystal phial up and the star-glass shone incredibly bright with a heavenly light, emitting a low, gentle hum. Now the catacombs were illuminated completely and the trio could see even further in the cave.
"Gosh..." Rudolph says amazed
With the Light of Eärendil illuminating the way, Devon, Rudolph, and Leonard ventured deeper into the catacombs. They walk through the cave for two minutes until they reach an impasse. Three pathways laid before the heroes, splitting off in three different directions. One left, one right, and one straight down the center.
"Guess we need to choose a path." Devon says
"But which way should we go?" Leonard asks
"Let's try... this way!" Rudolph says pointing to the path on the left
Taking the left path following Rudolph's choice, the Keyblade Master, red-nosed reindeer, and polar bear run deeper into the catacombs, hoping that their current path would lead them to Luna and Zoey.
In the dungeon of Stormella's Ice Castle, the female Night Fury and teenage doe were both lying down on the icy cold floor of their cell. During their day of imprisonment, Luna made several attempts to break out of the cell using her Oxyacetylene firepower, breathing a stream of blue flames on the icicle bars like a blowtorch, and shooting a few strong plasma shots to blast a hole through, but with no apparent success. This was due to the fact that the ice that made up Stormella's castle was magically enchanted to withstand the hottest fire, perhaps even the heat of the sun.
Luna sighed and rested her head on her paws, hopeful that her beloved rider would come and save her and Zoey. Zoey, on the other hand, wasn't as optimistic. As they sat in their cell, Zoey lifts her head up and started to sing as a way, if anything, to lighten up the mood.
(Show Me The Light (Reprise) - Starts)
Zoey:
Show me the light.
Someone to lead and guide me.
Back in the catacombs, Devon, Rudolph, and Leonard find their way back into the catacomb entrance after coming out from the pathway on the right, and right away they noticed something strange.
"Uh... Does this look familiar?" Devon asks
The heroes glance down with the Keyblade Master lowering his shining star-glass at the cave floor and they noticed some tracks on the ground. Winter boot prints, reindeer prints, and large bear prints. It was theirs.
"Our footprints!" Rudolph exclaims
"Oh no... We're going in circles." Leonard groans
Suddenly, a female voice breaks the silence of the cavernous catacombs, catching the trio's attention.
?:
Show me the light.
Someone to lead and guide me.
"Wait! Listen..." Rudolph says
Devon, Rudolph, and Leonard listened closely to the voice as it echoed within the cave.
?:
Show me the light.
When I fear the dark.
A big smile formed on Rudolph's face as he immediately recognized the singing voice.
"It's Zoey!" Rudolph exclaims
Zoey:
A ray of sunshine.
"Follow her voice!" Devon says
The heroic trio head back into the catacombs, taking the center path where Zoey's voice seemed to originate. As they run deeper into the cave, Zoey's voice grew louder and louder with each passing second.
Zoey:
A rainbow's arc.
Show me the light.
"We're get... We're getting closer!" Leonard says
In the dungeon, Zoey had finished with her song and she lowers her head in despair with her ears drooped.
"It's hopeless. We're never getting out of here." Zoey says
Suddenly, Leonard drops into the dungeon from a hole to the right of the girls' cell, sliding down and landing flat on his stomach. Devon slides down and lands ontop of the polar bear followed by Rudolph.
"Rudolph?!" Zoey exclaims in surprise
"Devon?!" Luna exclaims in surprise
The Keyblade Master, red-nosed reindeer, and polar bear rise up from their fall after making their entrance and approach the cell.
"We're here to save you, Zoey." Rudolph says
"Oh, Rudolph." Zoey says
Devon grabs one of the bars with his left-hand and extends his other hand through the bars to his beloved Night Fury, caressing the left-side of her face. Luna closed her eyes and crooned with content at her rider's gentle touch.
"Luna. Are you alright?" Devon asks
"Yeah. I'm glad you and Rudolph are here." Luna says
"Don't worry. We'll get you both outta here." Devon says
Leonard steps forward and introduces himself to the female Night Fury and doe, placing his left-hand over his chest.
"P-Pleased to meet you, Luna, Zoey. I'm Leonard. Now stand back."
The anthro polar bear grabs the cell bars with both hands and pulls on them with all his strength. He gives them five strong tugs, but no matter how hard he tried, the bars wouldn't budge.
"I-I-It won't budge." Leonard says
"You need the key for the cell." Zoey says
"Where is it?" Rudolph asks
"Right here." A female voice says in a sing-song voice
Devon, Rudolph, and Leonard quickly turned around and they saw Stormella standing on the other end of the dungeon with the gold key to the cells dangling from a gold necklace in her left-hand. The evil witch catches the cell key in her hand, then takes out her ice wand in her other hand.
"Heh heh heh heh." Stormella chuckles
Before they could react, Stormella shoots a purple ice beam at the heroes, blasting them into two open cells behind them. Leonard was thrown into one cell, while Rudolph was sent flying into Devon, sending them both into another cell together, closest to Luna and Zoey's cell. As soon as they were forced inside, the bars of the cells immediately slammed down.
"Welcome to the Hotel Stormella, my dears. Heh heh heh heh." Stormella chuckles
Leonard grabs the bars of his cell and yells angrily at the Ice Witch.
"Let us out!" Leonard yells
"You'll be sorry when Santa hears about this." Rudolph says
"I THINK NOT, CHILD." A deep, dark voice says
A dark corridor forms near Stormella on her left and from it appears Lord Thanatos. Luna growled menacingly, bearing her sharp teeth as she glared at the evil entity, while Devon cast a glare of his own, narrowing his eyes. Rudolph stares at Lord Thanatos with widened eyes.
"YOU ARE FOOLISH TO PLACE YOUR FAITH IN KRIS KRINGLE. THE JOLLY OLD FOOL CAN DO NOTHING TO HELP YOU. HE HAS NO POWER OVER US." Lord Thanatos says
"Besides, he's got his own problems. You see the doe and your Night Fury friend crossed my forbidden bridge, and now I'm blowing the storm of the century." Stormella says
"But... But it's almost Christmas! The storm will ruin everything!" Zoey says
"Why are you doing this, Stormella? What do you have against Santa, against Christmas?" Devon asks
"Well, honey, I'll tell you. Hit it, Ridley." Stormella says smiling
(I Hate Santa Claus - Starts)
A circular section of the wall behind Stormella spins around counterclockwise, revealing her penguin butler, who was playing on a piano. The Ice Witch looks herself over and decides to change into something for the moment. With a wave of her wand, she changes her outfit into a sparkling purple dress with a beaded headdress, purple gloves, and a pearl necklace, then transforms the wand in her left-hand into a microphone made of ice with her right index finger. Finally, Stormella snaps her right finger and a spotlight shines down on her as she starts to sing.
Stormella:
I get a certain thrill,
From every falling snowflake,
Or an ice shift that causes
A catastrophic earthquake.
I get a happy chill
From the crush of avalanches...
The Ice Witch walks over to the left-side of the dungeon and swings her hips against the wall as she continues singing.
Stormella:
And whither the trees with a thousand breaking branches.
During the song, a vision of Luna and Zoey's capture plays out, starting with their crossing of the ice bridge.
Stormella:
Because you crossed my path,
You'll feel Stormella's wrath!
And now I shall release my stormy masterpiece.
Upon reaching the other side of the bridge, the female Night Fury and teenage doe attempt to run away from Stormella, only to have their path to the bridge blocked by a huge block of ice conjured by evil witch, who blows away the frost from the tip of her wand. Luna and Zoey turn around and found themselves surrounded by Stormella's wolves and several Neoshadow Heartless.
Returning to the present time, the Ice Witch tosses up her microphone in her right-hand and catches it in her other hand.
Stormella:
I'll bury that old gizzard in a wizard of a blizzard,
And it's because,
I hate Santa Claus! That cheerful Santa Claus!
In an imaginary scenario, Santa walks over to a chimney on the roof of a house with his red sack of toys and presents hefted over his right-shoulder as he went on with his annual Christmas delivery. The jolly fat man climbs into the chimney and begins his descent into the house. However, Stormella was waiting for him at the bottom and in her right-hand was a lighted match. She tosses the match into the fireplace, which bursts in flames instantly. Santa was heading towards a trap.
Stormella:
That joyful toyful, and oh, so merry,
If you ask me, unextraordinary.
I hate Santa Claus! Yes, I hate Santa Claus!
A few seconds later, Santa shoots out of the chimney with his rear end on fire, flailing his arms and legs about wildly. He fumbles around a bit trying to put out the fire with his hands, then sits down in the snow, extinguishing the flames with a relieved sigh.
Going back to the dungeon, Stormella leans closer to Devon and Rudolph in their cell.
Stormella:
What's with that Ho! Ho! Ho!
And his jolly disposition?
Giving toys to girls and boys,
I must ruin his merry mission!
The Ice Witch turns away from the angry eyes of the two heroes, walks over to Ridley, turns around to face the group, and leans her right-side against the piano.
Stormella:
I'm just getting warm with the havoc that I'll cause,
When I blow my wicked storm and crash that Santa Claus.
Oh!
In another imaginative scenario, Stormella set another trap for Santa in another house. She sets a blue skateboard infront of the fireplace and quietly laughs to herself as she hides away out of view.
Stormella:
Because you crossed my path,
You'll feel Stormella's wrath,
And now I shall release my stormy masterpiece.
Climbing down out of the chimney, Santa crawls out backwards, turns around, throws his sack over his right-shoulder, and proceeds into the room. He takes two steps forward when his right-foot steps onto the skateboard, sending him rolling towards a Christmas tree. Santa smashes into the tree and falls to the floor, while Stormella laughs, pointing her right index at him.
Stormella:
I'll bury that old gizzard in a wizard of a blizzard,
And it's because,
I hate Santa Claus! That cheerful Santa Claus!
And for the finale, Santa's green-gloved hand rises above the snow in a snowstorm, waving a white flag in surrender.
Stormella spreads her arms out as she finishes with the final part of her song.
Stormella:
IIIIII Haaate Saaantaaa Claaauuussss!
I hate him!
(I Hate Santa Claus - Ends)
As soon as the song was finished, Ridley claps his flippers and whistles for his mistress, while she talks to an imaginary audience.
"Oh ho ho, thank you. No, no. Stop. Thank you. Where you from? Heh heh. Stop. Ahh..." Stormella chuckles
The Ice Witch turns back to the group, facing the angry stares of their faces.
"You'll never get away with this!" Rudolph says
"Uhp! Heh heh, just watch us." Stormella says
"You're an evil old witch! That's who you are!" Zoey yells
"Flatterer. Hm hm hm." Stormella chuckles
Having enjoyed her time with the group long enough, Stormella turns and walks up two steps towards the wooden door of the dungeon to leave, but not before looking back at Zoey.
"Remember, my little doe-eyed doe, you and your dragon girlfriend made the storm possible. Work that out in therapy." Stormella says pointing at Zoey and Luna with her left index finger
Having said that, the Ice Witch pushes the door open with her left-hand and walks out of the dungeon. However, she quickly returns and leans into the room, bidding the group farewell.
"Bye." Stormella says waving her right fingers
And so, Stormella leaves the dungeon with her penguin butler following close behind. As soon as they were gone, Lord Thanatos turns his evil gaze left toward the group and approaches them with heavy footsteps in his walk. He crosses the room with six slow steps, and stops only a few feet infront of the three cells.
"IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW WHAT TRUE EVIL IS, YOU HAVE YET TO BEAR WITNESS WHAT I SHALL UNLEASH UPON THIS WORLD. SOON, YOUR PRECIOUS HOLIDAY SHALL BE WIPED FROM EXISTENCE, AND THE SOULS OF EVERY PARENT AND CHILD SHALL BE CONSUMED BY EVERLASTING DARKNESS." Lord Thanatos says
The dark being lifts up his right-hand and a small ice globe of Earth appears in the palm of his hand.
"CHERISH THESE FINAL MOMENTS OF PEACE WHILE YOU CAN. FOR BY TOMORROW NIGHT'S END..." Lord Thanatos says
Lord Thanatos clenches the globe in his hand with a fierce grip, causing multiple cracks to form on its surface until the ice globe shatters into millions of pieces three seconds later before the group's shocked eyes. Rudolph, Zoey, and Leonard gasped, while Devon and Luna stared with widened eyes.
"YOUR DOOM SHALL BE REALIZED. AND NONE, NOT EVEN YOU, DEVON, SHALL SURVIVE WHAT IS TO COME." Lord Thanatos says
Red and black streams of darkness swirl around the Dark Keyblade Master as he vanishes into a dark corridor, his deep, demonic laughter echoing throughout the dungeon.
"HE HE HE HE... HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Lord Thanatos laughs
The maniacal laughter of the evil villain continued to echo for at least three seconds until they slowly died down with silence returning to the room.
"Oh, I've ruined everything." Zoey says lowering her head in despair
"No, Zoey. This is all my fault." Rudolph says
"But I crossed the bridge." Zoey says looking at Rudolph on her right
"But I ran away." Rudolph says
"Yeah. Well, maybe you wouldn't have run away if... If I told you... Rudolph, you mean everything to me." Zoey says glancing down for a moment in shame before looking back up at Rudolph with a slight smile
The red-nosed reindeer blushed with his cheeks turning red.
"Gosh, Zoey. What I mean to say is... you make my whole heart glow." Rudolph says
Devon places his right-hand on Rudolph's back, gaining his attention, and gives him a nod and a smile. Then, he looks over at Leonard on his right, and Luna and Zoey on his left.
"Don't worry, guys. We'll figure a way out of this. There's still a chance to save the world and Christmas." Devon says
"How can you be so sure, Devon?" Zoey asks
"We still have a friend on the outside that can help us. He'll come around... eventually." Devon says
Outside in the North Pole, Boone and Doggle arrive at Leonard's cave, stopping their snowmobile just outside the cave's entrance. The two elves head inside and look around. Right away, they find Rudolph's pack leaning against one of the red armchairs. Doggle picks up the green bag in his hands and both he and Boone smiled, knowing that their reindeer friend was here.
"Rudolph's pack! He was here!" Doggle exclaims
"This is it, Doggle! We're getting closer! C'mon!" Boone says
Boone and Doggle return to their snowmobile and drive out into frozen wilderness, continuing their search with renewed hope.
Back at Ice Castle, the time had finally arrived as Lord Thanatos and Stormella stood at the topmost spire of the fortress, ready to unleash their storm upon the world. The Ice Witch stood further out along the ledge, waving her ice wand around above her head, while the Dark Keyblade Master stood behind her. Dark clouds formed above the castle and thunder rumbled in the skies as the spell began.
"Frigid weather! Sleet and hail, snow and sleet, and winds that wail, I beckon thee from tree to yew! Unleash! Unleash! Oh storm I brew!" Stormella chants
Stormella raises her wand and shoots dark blue electricity and an ice blue beam into the sky. The storm spread out far and wide across the North Pole, covering every corner of the northern hemisphere with strong gale winds and heavy snowfall.
Over at Christmas Village, Santa gazes out at the storm through the windows of his home with a look of deep concern. Then, he turns left to Milo, the chief elf as he enters the room.
"The storm came out of nowhere, chief!" Milo says
Of course, Santa already knew the one person responsible for such an intense storm.
"Stormella. Someone must've crossed her bridge." Santa says
Returning to the dungeon inside Ice Castle, Devon, Luna, Rudolph, Zoey, and Leonard were still locked away in their cells when a voice spoke to them.
"See what happens when you leave a rescue mission to amateurs?" A male voice says
Looking over at their right, the group saw Slyly sitting at the hole where Devon, Rudolph, and Leonard had entered previously, resting his head on his right-hand and kicking his right-foot, which was crossed over his other leg with a grin on his face.
"Slyly!" Rudolph exclaims happily
"About time." Devon says
The arctic fox jumps down from the hole and faces the group with his hands at his waist.
"You need the dungeon key to get us out." Rudolph says
"It's around Stormella's neck." Zoey says
"Ah, nuts. How do I get myself into these things?" Slyly groans
Leaving the group in the dungeon, Slyly moves through the hallways of the castle and finds his way to Stormella's room. He peeks around the right-side corner and saw her three gray wolves sleeping directly in his path. Slyly gulped nervously for a moment, but soon mustered up the courage and proceeded forward. The arctic fox tip-toes across the way, sneaking past the wolves, and continues on into Stormella's room.
The Ice Witch was sound asleep in her bed, back in her blue sleeping gown, only now she wore a sleeping hat of the same color on her head. Slyly emerges up from the left-side of the bed and looks down at the key that rested on Stormella's chest. He rubs his hands four times with a smile, then goes to work on claiming the key. He slowly lifts up Stormella's head with his right-hand, grabs the key with his other hand and slips it over her head, then sets her head back down gently on the green pillow. However, the last bit of movement stirred Stormella awake, though she was still drowsy. Her vision was blurry when she opened her eyes, but it slowly cleared up as she looked at the white fox.
"Mmm... Wha... What are you doing?" Stormella groans
"Stealing the key to the dungeon. Now go back to sleep." Slyly says pointing to the key in his left-hand before pointing down at the Ice Witch
"Oh. All right. Toodles." Stormella says
And so, Stormella closes her eyes and slumbers back to sleep.
"Heh. What do you know. This truth thing really works." Slyly says to himself shrugging his shoulders
Having successfully acquired the dungeon key from Stormella, Slyly jumps down off the bed and leaves the room.
Returning to the dungeon, Slyly inserts the key into a keyhole between Leonard, Devon, and Rudolph's cell and turns it counterclockwise, unlocking the cells with the bars rising upwards. Devon, Luna, Rudolph, Zoey, and Leonard were now free.
"Let's get out of here." Slyly says
With no time to waste, the group ran out of the dungeon to make their escape.
Back in Stormella's room, the Ice Witch stirs awake again, and her eyes widened in shock, realizing now what just happened.
"Stealing the key to the dungeon?!" Stormella exclaims bolting upright in her bed
Meanwhile, the group was running through the catacombs with Devon and Rudolph in the lead using the Light of Eärendil in Devon's left-hand and Rudolph's red nose to light their way. However, they soon stop when they come across three different passageways, a similar situation earlier.
"Oh, come on. This again?" Devon groans
"Which way should we go?" Luna asks
"This way!" Rudolph says pointing with his right-hoof
"That way!" Slyly says with his right-hand
"Follow Slyly!" Leonard says
Following Slyly's choice, the group run down the pathway on the left, hoping that it would be their exit to freedom. Soon, they could see light from the outside up ahead.
"There's light! We're almost out!" Devon says
As they neared closer to the exit, Devon puts away the star-glass phial in the pocket of his jacket, and Rudolph douses the light of his red nose. But when they make it outside, the group immediately stops dangerously close to a cliff edge, staring at a black, bottomless abyss down below.
"Dead end..." Devon says
"Quick! Let's go back!" Zoey says
Just as the group turned around to head back into the catacombs, Stormella stood behind them, blocking their path. She held the leashes of her three snarling wolves in her right-hand, her ice wand in her other hand, and her penguin butler, Ridley, stood beside her on her left with his arms crossed. Devon and Luna immediately moved to the front of the group and got into their stances. The young teen stretches his right-hand out, summoning Soul Calibur in a flash of light, and swings his crystal Keyblade over to his side, while the female Night Fury reared back and snarled, bearing her teeth.
"I do and do and do for you kids, and this is the thanks I get?" Stormella says
"Naughty, naughty." Ridley says
The Ice Witch and her wolves moved forward towards the group, while they moved back closer towards the edge of the cliff.
"Apparently jail cells are too good for you folks. Oh, I know. I'll just turn each of you into frozen ice statues and make you all permanent additions to my ice garden. The one that Santa's miserable elves destroyed! So, who shall I freeze first? How about you Zoey-doey?" Stormella says
"Leave her alone!" Rudolph yells jumping infront of Zoey
"And what are you gonna do about it?" Stormella taunts
In a fit of rage, Rudolph gives Stormella an angry stare, grinding down on his teeth, then his nose shines brightly, blinding the Ice Witch and forcing her to shut her eyes closed. Stormella drops her wand and her wolves' leashes and stumbles backwards. She regains her vision and glances back over her left-shoulder, noticing that she was teetering dangerously close to the ledge. Unable to maintain her balance, Stormella falls over the side of the cliff.
"Whoa! Help! Help me!" Stormella exclaims
Everyone rushes over to where Stormella fell and they saw her dangling onto the ledge with both hands and a terrified look on her face. She was scared for dear life.
"Oh, help me. Help me." Stormella whimpers
Devon stared down at the Ice Witch for a moment, then moves to help her. He dismisses Soul Calibur from his hand and drops down onto his right-knee, extending his right-hand out to Stormella.
"Grab my hand and I'll pull you up!" Devon says
"I'm scared." Stormella whimpers
"Do it! Now!" Devon says
Stormella grabs hold of Devon's hand and the young teen begins to pull her up. But just as he starts to hoist the Ice Witch up, a small portion of the ledge crumbles away and the Keyblade Wielder nearly falls over. Fortunately, the ground beneath him didn't give out completely. Devon fell onto his stomach, still holding on to Stormella with his right-hand, while trying to push himself up with the other, using all of his strength.
"Oh! Help! Help me!" Stormella screams
"Gnnh! Hnnng!" Devon grunts
"Devon!" Luna exclaims
Rushing to help her beloved rider, the female Night Fury bites down on the back of Devon's jacket and dug her claws into the ground, using herself as an anchor to prevent him and Stormella from falling any further. Rudolph and Zoey moved up to help with the red-nosed reindeer grabbing hold of Luna's tail with his mouth and his doefriend grabbing onto his tail. Leonard ran up and took hold of Zoey's rear, while Slyly wrapped his arms around him, followed by Ridley and the three gray wolves as they joined in, forming a human and animal chain. Working together, they all pulled and hoisted Stormella up to safety. Once she was back on solid ground, the Ice Witch rose up to her feet, relieved that she was still alive, and grateful to the Keyblade Master who saved her.
"Oh! You just saved my life." Stormella sighs
"Well, we couldn't let you fall, could I?" Devon says
"Oh, no, you couldn't. Well... You couldn't let me fall. You're right. Heh heh heh... So... you're free to go. Consider us even-steven." Stormella says
"Not until he gets his wish." Slyly says
"Wish? Heh heh. What wish?" Stormella asks with a confused expression
"Devon saved your life, lady. Now, you owe him a wish. Those are the rules of the North Pole." Slyly says
"The fox is correct, Madam. Those are the rules." Ridley says
"Really? Any wish?" Devon asks
"Well, don't stand there, honey." Stormella says bending down and picking her ice wand off the ground
The Keyblade Master places his left-hand on his waist and his right index finger on his chin, pondering over what he could wish for.
"Hmm... Well..." Devon says
There were many things that Devon could use with his wish. The first thing that came to mind was using his wish to find his three missing friends, Terra, Ventus and Aqua, but he wasn't sure if Stormella could actually reveal where they were in the Universe. Next, he thought about bringing his mother, Shara, back to life with his wish, though he wasn't sure if Stormella had the power to revive her. Then, he thought about using his wish to restore his father, Ducar to his true self, but he wasn't sure if Stormella had that kind of power either. They were all great wishes, but another idea came into mind, one that would be better for everyone in the North Pole. After ten seconds of thinking, Devon looked up and made his wish.
"Stormella, I wish for you to be nice." Devon says
The Ice Witch stared at the Keyblade Master, confused by his request.
"What kind of wish is that?" Stormella asks
Devon glanced back at his friends as they stepped up and spoke to him.
"But Devon, you can have anything you want." Zoey says
"Yeah, kid. C'mon. Think bigger." Slyly says
"Uh... Y-Y-You only get one wish, little buddy." Leonard says
"I got it! I got it! Hey, Devon, Devon, Devon." Stormella says
The young teen turns back to the Ice Witch as she offered him another idea for his wish.
"You care about Rudolph, don't you? He's your friend. Why don't you wish for him to have a normal nose? Isn't that what you always wanted for him? Just say the word, child." Stormella says
Devon glanced back at Rudolph over his right-shoulder, imagining him with a black, normal nose, but he knew more than anyone that his red nose was what made him special, much like him with his Keyblade. So, turning back to Stormella, the young hero declined her offer.
"True. I do care about Rudolph. But if not for his nose, we wouldn't be where we are now. So, I'm keeping my wish. I want you to be nice." Devon says
"Come on, kid. Pick something else." Stormella says
"Nope. It's my wish, and I'm sticking to it. It's time that you start being nice." Devon says
"Fine. Fine. But the North Pole is about to get awfully dull. Hmm..." Stormella says
Raising her ice wand up in her right-hand, Stormella casts her spell.
"Melt away, heart of ice. You heard me right. Make me... nice." Stormella chants
Icy winds swirl around Stormella as she underwent her transformation from bad to good while everyone watched. Soon, after seven seconds, the silver winds died down and the Ice Witch opened her eyes. Ridley walked up to his mistress and looked up at her, curious to how she felt now. Stormella looked down at her penguin butler and her face was full of loving affection.
"Ooh. Cute little penguin." Stormella says
Ridley's eyes widened in surprise, then the Ice Witch picks him up and began kissing him, leaving blue smooch marks all over his face.
"Someone change her back please?" Ridley says
Once she was finished, Stormella sets Ridley down, who shuddered with embarrassment.
"But you don't look any different." Rudolph says
"But I have changed, Rudolph. On the inside." Stormella says winking her right-eye with a smile
"Okay. Now, call off the storm." Zoey says
Upon hearing that request, Stormella's expression changed into one of shame and disappointment.
"Well... if only I could..." Stormella says with her eyes glancing off to the left
"Huh?" Rudolph says
"What do you mean?" Devon asks
"Once I unleash the storm, it's got to run it's natural course. I'm afraid it's out of my hands." Stormella says shaking her head
"INDEED." A dark, demonic voice says
Everyone looked around in alarm as they heard the new voice speak from out of the blue. Everything fell silent, save for the blowing winds and the thunder in the skies. Then, Lord Thanatos instantly appears in a flash of lightning, hovering in the air infront of the group. Zoey, Slyly, Leonard, Stormella, Ridley, and the three gray wolves all stepped back warily, while Devon stood his ground with Luna on his left and Rudolph on his right.
"YOU DISAPPOINT ME, STORMELLA. A COLD HEART OF ICE... TOUCHED BY THE WARMTH OF THE LIGHT. SUCH A PITY. YOU COULD'VE BEEN SO MUCH MORE." Lord Thanatos says
"Stormella's a changed person now, Thanatos. You can't use her as a pawn for your plans anymore!" Devon says
"Use me?" Stormella says
"OF COURSE. YOU WERE EASY TO MANIPULATE. FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, I HAD SENSED THE BITTERNESS OF YOUR HEART, STORMELLA. YOUR HATE, YOUR MALCONTENT FOR ALL THINGS JOYFUL, AND I HAVE USED IT TOWARDS MY ULTIMATE GOAL: THE COMPLETE, UTTER DESTRUCTION OF CHRISTMAS." Lord Thanatos says
Darkness envelopes the evil entity as he spreads his hands out to his sides and dark blue electricity sparked from his fingertips all the way up the length of his arms.
"AND SINCE YOU HAVE MADE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DARK ORDER SO WILLINGLY, ALLOW ME TO FINISH WHAT WE STARTED." Lord Thanatos says
In that moment, the Dark Keyblade Master shoots the lightning from his hands high up into the sky, increasing the intensity of the stormy weather dramatically. Lightning bolts flashed sporadically all across the North Pole in a chaotic frenzy.
"SOON, THE LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS SHALL DISAPPEAR FOREVER. BUT FIRST, IT IS TIME TO DISPOSE THE TWO HEROES DESTINED TO SAVE IT." Lord Thanatos says
Everyone knew that Lord Thanatos was talking about Devon and Rudolph as he cast his evil gaze toward them with his eyes glowing brightly. The Keyblade Master, his Night Fury, and the red-nosed reindeer braced themselves for the villain's next move.
"TO THE LAIR WITH YOU!" Lord Thanatos says
Lord Thanatos raises his hands midway and clenches them into fists with a black-red aura of darkness enveloping them, creating a shadowy portal of the same color infront of him, which began sucking in everything in the area with howling winds. Everyone stood their ground, trying to resist the suction of the dark portal. Being closer to the cliff edge than everyone else, Devon felt himself sliding slowly towards Lord Thanatos and the black-red portal behind him. Acting quickly, he summons Soul Calibur back into his hands and drives the crystal Keyblade into the ground, using it as an anchor to keep himself from being pulled off the cliff. Luna dug her claws into the ground same as she did earlier and spread her wings wide open, shielding the others from being sucked in. Unfortunately for Rudolph, he could not resist against the evil portal since he had hooves and he was quickly getting pulled more and more towards the edge. Luckily, Devon grabbed the reindeer's antlers with his left-hand while keeping his grip on Soul Calibur. Lord Thanatos' eyes narrowed and shined brighter.m as he greatly increases the strength of the shadowy portal, making it grow twice in size and more powerful with its suction force. Now Devon and Rudolph were both getting sucked in towards the cliff edge, the crystal of Soul Calibur screeching along the ground every couple inches.
"Gnh! Hnng... Ngh!" Devon grunts
Soon, the Keyblade Master and red-nosed reindeer reach the end of the cliff, where they were lifted up into the air. The tip of Soul Calibur stayed locked on the cliff's edge for at least seven seconds until finally... it broke away. Devon's eyes widened, a gasp escaped his breath, and both he and Rudolph screamed as they were sucked away into the air.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Devon and Rudolph screamed in unison
The Keyblade Master and red-nosed reindeer disappear into the dark portal, while their soulmates, Luna and Zoey watched in horror.
"Devon!" Luna screams
"Rudolph!" Zoey screams
Once the two heroes were sucked in, the portal closes, leaving the group with Lord Thanatos as he hovered above them. Luna's blue eyes narrowed and she snarled, bearing her teeth at the evil villain.
"What have you done with them?!" Luna roars in a demanding voice
"I HAVE SENT THE KEYBLADE WIELDER AND THE YOUNG CARIBOU TO THE LAIR OF A MONSTROUS BEAST OF RAVENOUS HUNGER. THERE, YOUR PRECIOUS HEROES SHALL BE TORN LIMB FROM LIMB, FLESH FROM BONE, HEART FROM BODY." Lord Thanatos says
Luna and Zoey gasped in fear as the horrifying images entered their minds. Even Stormella was horrified. She had no idea she had been working alongside such a being of pure evil.
"BUT FEAR NOT. BEFORE THIS NIGHT IS OVER, YOU WILL ALL SHARE IN THEIR FATE, AS WILL THE REST OF THIS WORLD! LET THE HOLY LIGHT OF CHRISTMAS DROWN IN DARKNESS! TONIGHT, THERE WILL BE BLOOD!" Lord Thanatos says
With nothing left to say, the Dark Keyblade Master takes his leave and teleports away through a dark corridor, leaving the world and the group to their doom.
Elsewhere, the black-red portal opens up in a dark, cold domain of ice, and both Devon and Rudolph drop out from it, falling through several feet for five seconds until they land on the icy ground. Devon landed on his back, while Rudolph landed flat on his stomach with all four legs spread out. It took the heroes ten seconds to recover before Rudolph rose up to his feet first, using his front legs to push himself up, then his hind legs. He shook himself off, then went over to check on Devon as he rolled over to his right and got up on his left-knee.
"Devon? You okay?" Rudolph asks
The Keyblade Master rested his right-hand on his bent right-knee and looked up at his reindeer friend.
"I'm good. You?" Devon says
"I'm okay." Rudolph says
Devon placed his left-arm around Rudolph's neck and the red-nosed reindeer lifted him up onto his feet.
"Ngh." Devon grunts
Once Devon was up, the two heroes looked around at the new, ominous environment. The shadowy domain was dark, but there was still plenty of light for them to see, and the icy floor beneath their feet seemed to stretch out endlessly for miles around.
"Where are we?" Rudolph asks
"I don't know." Devon says
As they continued looking around, they noticed the ground was littered with bones, most of them humans. Devon glanced over at a juvenile human skull on his right, while Rudolph looked over in horror at a headless, bony human torso with its arms and hands intact.
"But obviously, we're not the first ones here." Devon says
Suddenly, a deep growl fills the air. Devon and Rudolph both froze in alarm and they shared wary glances with each other. Turning around, the two heroes faced the darkness of the frozen lair, staring deeply into the blackness of the shadowy domain and bracing themselves for whatever might be lurking within. A large bony hand extends out from the darkness, reaching out to grab the Keyblade Master and red-nosed reindeer, but they quickly jump back a good feet away, dodging the hand as it came down. The large hand pulled back, disappearing into the darkness, scratching the icy ground with its sharp claws, which made a screeching sound. Next, a pair of red eyes shined brightly from within the darkness, staring directly at Devon and Rudolph. Then, a monstrous creature, a Pureblood Heartless, steps forward, emerging from the shadows and revealing its terrifying form. It's name: The Wrendigo. The tall, gaunt, skeletal monstrosity towered over the Keyblade Master and red-nosed reindeer, gazing down at its prey with saliva drooling from its mouth. Clenching its claws into fists, the Wrendigo rears its skeletal, deer-like head back and lets out a deep, loud, monstrous roar at the heroes' faces, releasing a cold, white vapor from its mouth. Getting into his stance, Devon summons Soul Calibur into his right-hand and swings it over to his side, while Rudolph stood next to him on his left, ready to fight alongside his human friend.
The Wrendigo takes a swipe at the two heroes, swinging its right-claw with a wide sweeping strike. Devon and Rudolph both leap backwards and dodge the attack, landing a few feet away. In a counterattack, Devon hurls Soul Calibur at the skeletal monster. Blue flames envelope the crystal Keyblade as it spins through the air towards the Heartless. Soon, it lands a direct hit to the monster's head, creating a large, blue, fiery explosion on impact. The Wrendigo screeches loudly and staggers backwards with three steps, reeling in pain. However, it quickly recovered and lets out an angry roar, then slams its fists into the ground, sending a path of spiky ice towards the heroes. Devon and Rudolph leap away from the ice as it moves past them, then they both charge at the Wrendigo, running alongside each other.
"Rudolph! Let's go!" Devon says
"Right!" Rudolph says
The Keyblade Master and red-nosed reindeer leap up and forward into the air, attacking together. Devon raises Soul Calibur over his right-shoulder with both hands and slams down on the Wrendigo's head with a strong downward strike, while Rudolph flies into its chest, ramming his antlers into its heart. Their combined attacks knocked the Heartless down on all fours and Devon saw his chance to attack. Rushing up to the monstrous creature, he strikes its head multiple times with a left-downward slash, an uppercut slash, a wide-sweeping right slash, a backflip kick, a thrusting strike, an overhead slash, three left spinning slashes flipping forward, and a reverse roundhouse slash. The Wrendigo roars in pain, reeling from the blows it received. Glaring angrily at the Keyblade Master with its red eyes, the Heartless takes another swipe with its claws, only to miss as he jumps away, dodging the attack.
Rising up onto its feet, the Wrendigo opens up it's mouth with a pale blue light forming up inside, and it shoots multiple shards of ice at the young teen. Devon stood his ground and deflected the ice shards with his crystal Keyblade, holding it with both hands at different angles left and right, up and down. Devon holds up his left-hand and clenches it into a fist with red-orange flames enveloping it. Then, a bright red aura surrounds his body, emitting sparks of flame. Devon pulls his crystal Keyblade back and the fiery aura intensifies as he charges up. Once fully charged after five seconds, he thrusts Soul Calibur forward and shoots a salvo of fifty fireballs at the Wrendigo. Each fireball strikes the Heartless in numerous places, creating small fiery explosions on impact.
Rudolph charges at the Wrendigo and leaps up into the air, ramming his antlers into its chest again. The monstrous creature roars in anger, raises its right-fist, and swings it down in an attempt to smash the reindeer into the ground. Rudolph leaps over to the right and counters the attack with another ramming strike at its head. However, the Wrendigo swings its arm into the red-nosed reindeer, knocking him away. Rudolph was struck hard by the blow and he fell onto his right-side. Having downed its prey, the Heartless advances toward the reindeer to claim its next victim. Devon saw this and his eyes widened in horror.
"Rudolph!" Devon exclaims
Devon quickly rushes to Rudolph's aid, running with all speed. As he does, the same fiery red aura from before envelopes his body. The Wrendigo was now reaching for Rudolph with its bony claws closing in from the sides, ready to snatch him up. But just as it was about to grab hold of him, Devon comes flying in from the right and smashes into the Heartless with a left spinning slash, knocking the monster away from his reindeer friend.
The Wrendigo turns its attention back toward the Keyblade Master and it roars loudly in anger before attacking him again, charging up with dark energy and unleashing a large beam of ice from its mouth. Devon dashes over to the right, dodging the ice beam and leaps up into the air towards the Heartless. Raising Soul Calibur over his head, he strikes the monstrous creature in the head with a strong downward slash, then follows up with four spinning slashes, swinging his flaming Keyblade left and right, an upward and downward slash, and three right spinning slashes. For the finisher, Devon crosses his arms and charges up with blazing energy for at least four seconds, then unleashes a large, powerful burst of fire from his body. The Wrendigo staggers backwards from the blast in five steps, loses its balance, and falls down onto its back. Although the Heartless was down, Devon was not done yet. Leaping up into the air again, the Keyblade Master charges up with fiery energy for seven seconds, then swings Soul Calibur with a wide left slash, hurling a huge fireball down towards the evil creature. Within moments, the deadly fireball hits its target and detonates in a massive explosion that engulfs a wide area of the frozen lair.
Eventually, the explosion dissipates, leaving behind a huge cloud of thick gray smoke. Devon lands crouched down on his left-knee, using his left-hand to catch himself, then rises straight up, panting for breath. He stares long and hard into the smoke, expecting the Wrendigo to emerge out, but the area falls eerily silent. Believing the monstrous creature is vanquished, the Keyblade Master turns around to his left and looks back at Rudolph, who opened his eyes as he slowly started to recover.
"Mmm... Uhh..." Rudolph groans
However, just as he was about to go check on Rudolph, Devon heard a deep growl behind him. The Keyblade Master turned around and faced the cloud of smoke again. Without warning, the Wrendigo bursts forth from the smoke, roaring loudly with its red eyes shining brightly and its claws extended. Catching Devon completely by surprise, the monstrous Heartless grabs him with both hands, trapping the Keyblade Master in its grip. The Wrendigo squeezes tightly around Devon, crushing his body on all sides, forcing him to scream in agony.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaah!" Devon screams in pain
While the Wrendigo continued squeezing the life out of Devon, Rudolph lifted his head up, finally recovering from the blow he received earlier. He looked ahead of him and gasped, watching with horror in his widened eyes at the scene unfolding before him.
"Devon!" Rudolph exclaims
The Keyblade Master's eyes were shut and he grinded down on his teeth, fighting against the Wrendigo's tight grip. He could feel the intense pressure building up on his body with each second that passed.
"Kngh! Agh!" Devon grunts
Soon, the Wrendigo gives Devon another tight squeeze, making him let out another agonizing scream.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Devon screams in pain
Watching Devon endure such pain made Rudolph's blood boil. It was torture. He wanted it all to stop. The red-nosed reindeer narrowed his eyes and grinded down on his teeth, demanding the monstrous creature to release his best friend.
"Leave him alone!" Rudolph yells
In that moment, Rudolph's nose began to glow, reacting to the burning rage in his heart. Then, a blue-white aura of light slowly appeared on the reindeer, enveloping his entire body, and sparkles of light surrounded him, blinking in and out. Sprinting forward with fast speed, Rudolph charges at the Wrendigo, leaving a sparkling trail of light behind him, leaps up into the air, and smashes into the chest of the skeletal Heartless, knocking it away with incredible strength and freeing Devon in the process.
The Keyblade Master drops down onto the icy ground landing on his feet, but he falls down on all fours, gasping for breath. Once he had recovered, he lifts his head up and saw Rudolph standing infront of him, his back turned in a defensive stance. Soon, the red-nosed reindeer turned left to face him.
"Devon? Are you alright?" Rudolph asks
Devon looks up at Rudolph and smiled.
"Yeah. I'll live." Devon says
The Keyblade Master pushes himself up on his right-knee with a grunt and stood back on his feet, resting his left-hand on his chest.
"Ah... Thanks for the save." Devon says
Rudolph smiles and nods his head, then took a moment to look himself over, staring at his glowing form in wonder and amazement.
"Gosh..." Rudolph says
"Guess you've found your inner light." Devon says
"It feels... like magic." Rudolph says
"Yeah. Now you're officially a hero, Rudolph." Devon says
The red-nosed reindeer looked over at his human friend and gave him another, bigger smile.
Suddenly, a loud, angry roar from the Wrendigo filled the air, making Devon and Rudolph turn back to face the Heartless, which was down on its right-knee. The monstrous creature punches down hard on the ice with its right-hand, creating a good-sized crater in the ground, then it rises up onto its feet, casting a menacing glare at the Keyblade Master and the red-nosed reindeer with its glowing red eyes. A black and dark blue aura of darkness surrounds the evil monstrosity as it seethed with ravenous hunger. The Wrendigo slowly hunches over and crosses its arms as more dark energy envelopes its entire body, the dark aura growing more and more intense by the second. Dark blue lightning strikes down from the sky around the Heartless frequently every second. Soon, after six seconds of charging up, the Wrendigo spreads its arms out and raises its head skywards, unleashing the darkness from its body in a great, dark purple pillar into the endless sky with an even louder roar that pierced the air before looking back down at the two heroes. The tips of its claws and the inside of its mouth now glowed red, its antlers grew longer and had twice the number of sharp points, and twelve dark tendrils grew from its back, whipping about wildly, making the Heartless appear even more monstrous.
Of course, Devon and Rudolph weren't intimidated by the Wrendigo's new look as they got into their stances, both sharing brave expressions. Devon lifts his arms up, clenches his hands into fists, and closes his eyes in concentration for a moment, tapping into his inner light. Soon, he opens his eyes, which glowed with a bright blue light, and the Keyblade Master ascends into the air, floating only two feet above the ground as he activates his Super Form with the fiery, golden aura, sparkles of light, and electric sparks surrounding his body. A serious, battle-determined expression filled his face as he stared down the Wrendigo. He summons Soul Calibur into his right-hand, and he speaks to Rudolph, not taking his gaze off the Heartless.
"You ready, Rudolph?" Devon asks
"Ready, Devon." Rudolph says with an equally determined expression
"Alright. Let's do this!" Devon says
Ready for Round 2 with the Heartless, Devon pulls Soul Calibur behind his back and flies forward with his left-arm horizontally infront of him, gliding across the ice with extreme speed. Rudolph flies alongside him, sprinting through the air and matching his speed.
The Wrendigo swings both its claws at the two heroes, only to miss as Devon and Rudolph dodge the attack with the red-nosed reindeer flying upwards and the Keyblade Master going downwards. Devon counters with a backflip kick using his right-foot, striking the Heartless under its chin as he flies upwards, then descends down on the creature's head with a diving kick through his left-foot. He follows up with an overhead strike, a right slash, a thrusting strike, a roundhouse kick with his right-foot, another kick with his left-foot, an uppercut slash, two wide-sweeping horizontal slashes, and a left-downward slash. Each strike delivered hits the monstrous creature with strong impact, knocking it back slightly.
Rudolph flies in from the left to assist Devon, charging into the Wrendigo and ramming his antlers into it's right-side. The Heartless roars out in anger and swipes its left claws at the red-nosed reindeer, but he flies downwards, dodging the attack, and counters with another ramming strike to the Wrendigo's chest, knocking it back. Rudolph flies over to Devon's left-side and the two heroes shared a brief glance with each other before facing the monstrous creature again, who was now very angry.
The Wrendigo spreads its arms out wide and swipes both its claws inwards at the heroes, but Devon quickly places his left-hand on Rudolph's side and teleports himself and the red-nosed reindeer a good distance away from the Heartless, avoiding the attack. Roaring loudly with rage, the Wrendigo conjures up black and purple orbs of dark energy in its claws and hurls them forward in a barrage of nine one after another. Seeing the oncoming projectiles, Rudolph looks over at Devon.
"Devon! Climb aboard!" Rudolph says
The Keyblade Master jumps onto Rudolph's back and the reindeer sprints forward. Leaping left and right, Rudolph dodges the dark energy blasts as they smash down on the icy ground, each one detonating in a large-sized explosion. The red-nosed reindeer soon heads upwards, galloping into the air with sparkles of light trailing his footsteps. While the two boys made their approach, the monstrous creature swings its glowing red claws, sending four black, purple, and dark blue waves of distorted space and time through the air. Rudolph flies away from the dark waves, moving up and down, left and right. After dodging them, he rams into the Heartless with another direct hit to its chest. Glowing red cracks began to appear around the monster's chest cavity, which was now getting weaker with every powerful strike.
The Wrendigo unleashes another loud roar and ice spikes burst up from the ground surrounding it, forcing Devon and Rudolph back. Next, the Heartless brings its hands together and pulls them apart to create a black and violet sphere of darkness. Then, it raises the sphere upwards over its head, charging it with more dark energy until it grew to the size of a massive boulder. With the heroes locked dead in its sights, the Wrendigo hurls the dark energy sphere forward, sending it straight across the shadowy domain at the Keyblade Master and the red-nosed reindeer. Devon dismisses Soul Calibur for a moment and stares up at the evil orb, clenching his hands into fists. He flies up to the gigantic sphere, stretches out his hands infront of him, and braces himself for the collision. The dark orb smashes into the Keyblade Master with tremendous force, but Devon held his guard and pushes against it with his increased strength.
"Gnh! Ngh! Hnnnng!" Devon grunts
The dark light of the evil orb reflected in Devon's eyes. The power struggle lasted about eight seconds until Devon gets the upper hand and pushes the dark energy sphere back with a loud yell.
"Hrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggh!" Devon yells
Devon knocks away the dark orb with a powerful, light-infused kick through his right-foot and sends it back down toward the Wrendigo. The dark sphere strikes the Heartless with direct impact and detonates in a huge violet explosion, leaving the monstrous creature stunned. With the Wrendigo left stunned by it's own attack, Devon summons Soul Calibur back into his hand and flies toward the Heartless, going all out on the offensive. Targeting the creature's chest cavity, he swings his crystal wildly left and right with eight slashes, delivers a high right kick, a left hook kick, a left uppercut slash, a backflip slash, four somersault slashes, a thrusting strike, and finishes with a strong, right-downward slash, raising Soul Calibur over his left-shoulder with both hands and swinging down across the Wrendigo's chest, knocking the monster down on all fours. The final strike breaks open the creature's chest cavity, exposing its black-red heart.
The Wrendigo glares at the Keyblade Master and swipes its right-claw at him. Devon immediately flies down to dodge the attack, then counters with a rising backslash under its chin, a charging strike, at its chest, knocking the monster back slightly, and a strong downward slash, slamming Soul Calibur down on its skull. The Wrendigo swings its other hand at Devon, but he teleports away from the Heartless, evading its claws, and reappears on it's right. He pulls his left-hand back and charges a blue and white energy sphere, then waves his hand forward, firing seven powerful pure energy blasts at the Wrendigo, landing several hits to its body and knocking the monstrous creature down again.
After dealing a hard blow to the Wrendigo, Devon teleports back over to Rudolph's right-side.
"Nice work, Devon." Rudolph says
"Thanks, Rudolph. Now, let's finish this." Devon says
"Together!" Devon and Rudolph say in unison
The Keyblade Master and red-nosed reindeer fly toward the Wrendigo side-by-side together cloaked in shining light and they ram into the Heartless, striking it multiple times in all directions with fast, rushing attacks. Then, they loop back around and fly straight through its heart like an arrow of light, delivering the final death blow.
Reeling from the light-infused attack, the Wrendigo roars out in agony, swinging its claws wildly. Soon, it hunches over, clutching its body where the heroes struck, then spreads its arms out and raises its head with one final agonizing roar before it explodes in a flash of light. Devon and Rudolph shield themselves from the light as it engulfs them, transporting them away to the Realm of Light.
Returning to Ice Castle, Luna, Zoey, Slyly, Leonard, Stormella, and Ridley were still standing on the cliff, worried about Devon and Rudolph.
"Oh... I do hope Devon and Rudolph are okay." Zoey says
Suddenly, an incredibly bright light appears out of nowhere infront of the group, forcing everyone to turn away and shield their eyes. When the light fades away, they look ahead and smiles formed on their faces. There, near the cliff's edge, stood Devon, still in his Super Form with Soul Calibur in his right-hand, and Rudolph on his right with his aura of light glowing on his body.
"Devon!" Luna exclaims
"Rudolph!" Zoey exclaims
Devon dismisses Soul Calibur from his hand and he closes his eyes, reverting back to his normal form as the golden aura fades away from his body. The light enveloping Rudolph also fades away. Luna and Zoey immediately rushed over and nuzzled themselves against their soulmates.
"You're both safe!" Zoey says relieved
"Aww, Zoey. It's okay. We're fine." Rudolph says
"Wha-What happened?" Leonard asks
"Lord Thanatos set a really vicious Heartless against me and Rudolph, but we managed to defeat it." Devon says
"Well, it's good you boys made it through in one piece." Slyly says
Devon and Rudolph both smiled and nodded their heads, then everyone turned and faced the storm as it raged on across the North Pole.
"Now, we need to get back to Santa's Village. I'm sure everyone's worried about us. Maybe there's still a chance we can save Christmas." Devon says
"Allow me to help, honey." Stormella says
Stormella and Ridley escort the group down to the ice bridge, offering it as a shortcut.
"Use my bridge. It's the shortest way home." Stormella says
"Much appreciated, Stormella. Thanks." Devon says
Devon, Luna, Rudolph, Zoey, Slyly, and Leonard started walking across the bridge, while Stormella, Ridley, and her three wolves watched them go.
"Oh, oh, and Merry Christmas. Bye!" Stormella says waving her right-hand
Devon and Rudolph looked back at Stormella, then turned to each other with smiles on their faces, and continued walking with their friends.
As the group moved across the frozen wilderness, fighting through the storm, a heavy fog rolls in, blinding their vision.
"Wow. It's a whiteout. I-I can't see a thing." Leonard says
"Maybe this will help." Rudolph says
Rudolph activates his nose, emitting a red beam of light, which shines through the fog, allowing to see further ahead.
"Whoo-hoo! Way to go, Red!" Slyly says
"But we still won't make it home. Not in this weather." Zoey says
Suddenly, Devon, Rudolph, and their friends saw something approaching them: a red snowmobile with two elves riding it. As they drove closer, Rudolph recognized who it was.
"Boone and Doggle!" Rudolph exclaims
The two elves waved their hands at the group, offering them a ride through the storm.
Back at Christmas Village, all the elves and reindeer gathered in the large hall of Santa's home as he called for a meeting concerning the intense storm raging outside.
"I've never seen a storm like this. It's like pea soup out there. Too dangerous for flying. I have no choice... but to cancel the Christmas Eve launch." Santa says
Everyone shared saddened looks of disappointment. But just as all hope for Christmas seemed lost, Milo, the chief elf calls Santa over.
"Chief, look!" Milo exclaims
Everyone gathers at one of the large windows in the hall and they all look outside. A red light appears at the top of hill, growing brighter by the second. To get an even better look, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and all the elves and reindeer head outside and the light grew even stronger.
"It's getting brighter." Santa says
Soon, Boone and Doggle's snowmobile rides over the hill and down the slope with Devon and Rudolph riding behind the two elves, and Luna, Zoey, Slyly, and Leonard riding behind them in a second compartment. Mitzi and Zoey's Mother were instantly filled with relief and happiness upon seeing their children.
"Oh, Rudolph." Mitzi says
"Oh, Zoey." Zoey's Mother says
The snowmobile slows and comes to a stop at the bottom of the hill near Santa's home and everyone gathered around to welcome the group home. Zoey's parents came up to the second car and her mother gave her daughter a lick on the left-cheek of her face. Santa walks over to Boone and Doggle and congratulates them for their success.
"Well done, Boone and Doggle!" Santa says
Rudolph turns left to face his parents as they approached and he apologizes for running away.
"I'm sorry if I worried you all." Rudolph apologizes
Blitzen smiles and places his right-hoof around his son's neck.
"Oh, son. We're just glad to have you back." Blitzen says
Devon jumps out of the snowmobile with Luna and Blitzen and Mitzi turn to them equally happy.
"And Devon and Luna too." Blitzen says
Devon and Luna smile and nod their heads.
Later on, Devon, Luna, Rudolph, and Zoey stood with Santa as the crowd of elves and reindeer cheered for them. Then, the jolly fat man turned to the red-nosed reindeer on his left and spoke to him.
"Rudolph. Ho ho ho ho. Your wonderful glowing nose gives me an idea so crazy it just might work." Santa says
Santa drops down onto his left-knee and asks Rudolph one question.
"Ahem! What I mean to say is... Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?" Santa asks
"With honor, your honor." Rudolph says
All of the villagers cheered loudly for Rudolph, happy with his response. Rising up to his feet, Santa turns to Devon and Luna on his right and asks them for their aid in saving Christmas.
"And Devon, we could really use your help too. So, would you and Luna both help to deliver our presents to the world?" Santa asks
"A chance to help save Christmas? Heck yeah! Count us in!" Devon says giving a thumbs up with his right-hand
"We'd be happy to help." Luna says smiling
Another louder cheer came from the crowd as they all felt renewed hope for Christmas.
Later that night, Devon, Luna, and Rudolph joined Santa in the Sleigh Storage Room, preparing themselves for the Christmas Eve Launch. Blitzen, Cupid, and the other Flyers were already harnessed and hooked up to Santa's sleigh and were now waiting on Rudolph to join them.
"Son, there's just one thing missing." Santa says
"What's that, sir?" Rudolph asks
"Every Flyer needs one of these." Santa says
Santa reaches into his red jacket with his right-hand and pulls out a gold medal with a red strap, holding it up as he presented it to the red-nosed reindeer.
"Rudolph, because you've demonstrated courage, character, and a heart that's true, I now pronounce you..." Santa says
Santa slips the medal over Rudolph's head and secures it gently around the base of his neck.
"...a true blue Flyer." Santa says
"Gosh, sir! I mean... gosh." Rudolph says
Zoey, Slyly, and Leonard walk into the room from the large, open doorway and give Rudolph their best wishes.
"Congratulations, Red." Slyly says
"Yeah. Y-You be careful out there." Leonard says
"You're the best friends I've ever had." Rudolph says
"Good luck, Rudolph." Zoey says
Zoey leans closer to Rudolph and gives her boyfriend a kiss on his left-cheek, just as she did during the Reindeer Games. Rudolph blushed and smiled with a lovestruck expression. After kissing Rudolph, Zoey turns to Devon and Luna and walks up to them, wishing them luck as well.
"And good luck to you too, Devon, Luna." Zoey says
"Thanks, Zoey." Devon says
Zoey leans closer to Devon and gives him a kiss on the cheek as well, causing the Keyblade Master to smile and blush, rubbing the back of his neck with his right-hand.
Some time later, the sleigh was now packed with the huge sack of presents sitting in the back of Santa's sleigh and midnight was drawing near for the Christmas Eve Launch. Rudolph was strapped up to the sleigh at the front between Blitzen and Donner as the lead reindeer, while Devon sat on Luna's back on her saddle next to him on his right. Santa stood infront of everyone with his green, gloved hands behind his back, pacing back and forth around the front of the Flyers as he gave a small briefing about the storm outside.
"Men, the worst of the storm circles the North Pole for a hundred miles. If we can break through it, the rest of our journey should be smooth sailing. But I won't kid you. This is going to be one bumpy ride. But with Devon, Luna, and Rudolph in the lead, I say we stand a fighting chance." Santa says
Santa walks back to the front of the Flyers and Rudolph looks up at him, giving everyone some encouragement.
"If we all work together, I think we can make it, sir." Rudolph says
"Ah ha ha ha ha. I think so too." Santa chuckles
All of the Flyers cheered in agreement. Santa rubs Rudolph's head with his right-hand, then began walking around back to his sleigh. He stops by Devon for a moment and places his left-hand on his left-shoulder, nodding his head to the young teen and his black dragoness, and they nod back, returning the gesture, then walks over to his sleigh and jumps into his seat. Before they could begin with the roll call, Blitzen quietly calls his son.
"Psst." Blitzen says
Rudolph glances back over his right-shoulder and looks up at Blitzen, seeing the happy smile on his face.
"I'm proud of you, son." Blitzen says
Rudolph smiles back, then looks over at Devon and Luna on his right. The Keyblade Master gave him a thumbs up with his right-hand, while Luna nods her head with a determined expression. Devon adjusted himself in his saddle, making sure he was comfortable, knowing full well that this was going to be a very long flight. With everyone ready and all preparations made, Santa calls out to his Flyers.
"Roll call!" Santa says
The nine reindeer, including Devon and Luna shout out their names in turn, beginning with Dasher in the back.
"Dasher!"
"Dancer!"
"Prancer!"
"Vixen!"
"Comet!"
"Cupid!"
"Donner!"
"Blitzen!"
"Rudolph!"
"Devon!"
"Luna!"
"Light it up, Rudolph!" Santa says
"With pleasure, sir!" Rudolph says
Rudolph turns on his red nose, emitting a red beam of light straight ahead. The drawbridge door to the building lowers down and Devon and Luna head out with Santa and his Reindeer Flyers, meeting the loud cheers from the huge crowd of elves and reindeer outside, who lined up along the sides the entire length of the runway. The Keyblade Master and his Night Fury dragoness ran ahead of Santa and his Flyers and took to the air as Luna spread her wings out and flapped them, performing a vertical takeoff into the air. Rudolph and the other reindeer ran down along the runway with determined expressions, picking up speed as they neared closer toward the cliff's edge.
"Faster boys! We can beat this storm! I know we can!" Santa says
Soon, Rudolph and his fellow Flyers took to the air, galloping up into the stormy sky and catching up with Devon and Luna.
(We Can Make It - Starts)
Johnny Tillotson:
Even though we have many hills and mountains to climb.
And there's no easy road and we haven't very much time.
Rudolph kept his glowing nose trained on the Keyblade Master and his Night Fury dragoness so that he and the other reindeer could follow them through the heavy fog and clouds.
Johnny Tillotson:
We gotta stick together,
We can hold on forever.
The group were soon coming up on a tall mountain and Devon and Luna pitched their flight upwards, ascending higher into the sky with Santa, Rudolph, and the Reindeer Flyers following close behind. Devon and Luna skimmed along the mountainside and flew upwards over the mountain. Rudolph kicked his feet over the top of the mountain, while Santa's sleigh barely missed it, skimming over the peak with a bump. Fortunately, there was no immediate damage to the sleigh.
Johnny Tillotson, Tommy Roe, and Brian Hyland:
We can make it,
We can make it if we try.
During the flight, dark blue lightning bolts flashed around the group. Some came dangerously close to striking Santa and his sleigh, but Rudolph and the Reindeer Flyers managed to avoid them, weaving left and right.
Johnny Tillotson:
There are times when you're down and you've given up o-o-on your dreams.
We have to face the storm,
Things are not as bad as they seem.
One lightning bolt flashes through the clouds, heading straight for Santa, but Devon and Luna fly up and the young teen raises his right-hand, summoning Soul Calibur into his grip and encasing himself and his black dragoness in a blue-white spherical, hexagonal barrier of light, shielding the jolly fat man and his reindeer from the dark lightning, which bounces harmlessly off the barrier in multiple directions, away to the sides. Once the lightning had cleared, the barrier surrounding Devon and Luna disappears and they glance back at Santa, Rudolph, and the other reindeer over their right-side. Santa gave them a thumbs up with his left-hand, while Rudolph and Blitzen nod their heads. The Keyblade Master and Night Fury dragoness nod their heads back and they continue on with their flight.
Johnny Tillotson, Tommy Roe, and Brian Hyland:
You got to go to extremes!
Johnny Tillotson:
Even though it's dark, blue skies are comin' your way.
During their flight, the group passes over an eskimo and his three dogs down below, who waves up to them with his right-hand. Devon and Santa wave back and continued rising through the clouds.
Johnny Tillotson:
As long as you're by my side,
We'll survive this stormy ride.
Johnny Tillotson, Tommy Roe, and Brian Hyland:
We can make it,
We can make it if we try.
Eventually, after a long flight across the North Pole, Devon, Luna, Santa, Rudolph, and the Reindeer Flyers make it up above the clouds and out of the storm, flying through a clear, starry night sky with the light of the full moon shining down brightly on them.
Johnny Tillotson, Tommy Roe, and Brian Hyland:
We can make it,
We can make it if we try.
We can make it.
We can!
"We made it! Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!" Santa says
(We Can Make It - Ends)
And thus, having gotten through the terrible storm, Santa commenced with his delivery of presents to the all the good children of the world with Devon and Luna helping him every step of the way. Their first stop was Sombertown, the very first town where Santa Claus' story originated, and the town he always visited first every year on his delivery runs. Afterwards, they traveled across the globe, stopping at every home and leaving off presents under every Christmas tree. From there on, the rest of the journey was smooth flying.
Author's Note: I'm finally done with this chapter, and man it was a tough one. This took longer than I expected it too, so apologizes everyone. I've been so busy at work and at home that I just didn't have the time to work on this story, but I'll be happy when it's finished. Hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day, April Fools, and Easter. To XKfan012, as interesting as the idea sounds, its still too early to think about it at this point in time. However, I'll have it noted down. And to Arika, I'm pretty sure I've told you this already, like a dozen times, so make sure this gets etched into your brain. The answer is no. It wasn't Axel's fault for Roxas leaving. Anyways, only one chapter left to finish off Devon and Luna's adventure in Rudolph's world. Then, I can finally move on to my other projects. Let me know what you guys think. No flames please. Hope you guys like and don't forget to review!