Hello again, everyone! I am SuperHeroTimeFan, and I am back with a special chapter for my best story, Path of the Padawan! Great to know that you all liked my One-Year Anniversary Chapter of Path of the Padawan! Thank you all for supporting me through my story, even through these most difficult times. I swear, this story will be worth it when it's done. Thank you, all, including The Christian Jedi, Logan GC, JacklyinKarst, YellowFlash67, Scourge from BloodClan, Darkest Nightmare's Dread, The Fusion Base, Kamen Rider Blaze, The Advent Master, Master Eubulon Alternative, Neo Kamen Rider Chrome, Hay Lin x Tsukasa Kadoya, Ross Blum the IV, PowerHour2013, Dwayne McDuffie, Slade The Terminator, Sergeant Connelly, Phoenixia8, RTheAwesome, leo0074, Cyber Orteck, iyfan635, Mainalpha, UltraJohn567, revanchists unite, TheGreatGodzilla, Virgil1989 The Crossover King, Vergil1989 The Crossover King, ccheng1234, Spartan111MS, Yin7, ChloeMcPhail94, The Impaling Prince, Superfan44, rancorlover, Darrian808, Skyblue55, InfiniteWriter, The Eternal Lord Draconious, Flaming Dragon, Sonarkiller27, God's Angel of Music, shin obin, Robin Rani, Falcongal, randomy, Swimmer555, All4TheSnow, Moreanswers24, JediSpiritMonk, trickster3696, Jenn, pootisman343, Princess9903, Hylianodst, Ahsokanerd, Crashingthroughthesnow, link01742, chalant4eva, honorableninja, darkspineodd, witchsoul531, Useless Whispers, Crystal-Rose-Lover, Ahsokalo, KrautYank, Ocnarf, and of course, all of the Guest reviewers. I could have never done this story without all of you. Now, without further ado, I bring to you my new chapter for Path of the Padawan! Please be sure to review, rate, and as always, please and thank you, enjoy!
Chapter 49: 'Tis A Gift
Plumas County, California December 24th 2152 Hours UTC
Ahsoka Tano arrived in the Indian Valley Railroad via hand pump railroad car. Sure, I decided not to take the Starfighter for suspicion, but, I have to admit, this is the life. She thought to herself happily as she rode along. She looked around in awe at the large but small town. "So, this is Shining Time." She said to herself.
Finally, the pumper stopped the small train car at Ahsoka's destination, Shining Time Station. She looked to the pump driver and nodded. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Meade." She said.
The old pump car driver nodded back and adjusted his hat. "No problem, Ahsoka." He replied back. "It was the least I could do after you saved my turkeys in Ohio."
"I've always dealt with small creatures back where I come from, so it was easy." Ahsoka earnestly replied. "And it's one of the many reasons I run marathons."
Mr. Meade chuckled and saluted to Ahsoka before taking off. Ahsoka waved back to him before he went off into the distance.
Ahsoka then looked to Shining Time and tightened up her jacket, bracing herself for the cold weather. "We're not in Tatooine anymore." She said to herself before walking in.
As Ahsoka entered Shining Time Station, she could see everyone bustling about. As she walked past everyone, the sight of a small man caught her eye. She winced twice, wanting to know if what she saw was real. However, after blinking, Ahsoka saw that the man she thought was there was gone. Hmm, must have just been my imagination. She thought to herself.
Ahsoka then walked towards the counter, where she saw a woman in red clothing on the phone, holding up her hand. "Hi, Manager Stacy Jones speaking." Stacy said to the person on the other side of the phone. Ahsoka smiled to Stacy, in which Stacy smiled back.
Ahsoka then looked out the window, starting to think to herself. My first time celebrating Christmas, and I can't wait! She thought to herself. She then had a flashback to an earlier conversation she had with M'gann, just a while after she overcame her darkness and briefly reunited with her Master.
Twelve days ago…
Ahsoka looked to all of the decorations that Zatanna and Connor were putting up. She enjoyed all the dazzling lights that were shown as she walked down the halls with M'gann. "So, tell me more about Christmas." She asked her Martian friend.
M'gann smiled and rolled her eyes. "Only the Greatest Time of the Year!" she exclaimed. Ahsoka smiled at this as they passed the Fireplace, where Stockings were hanging. "Dreams come true, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, everyone gets together and everyone is happy," M'gann started off, listing everything with her fingers.
Wally then walked up beside them, placing a letter into his hand. "And you get to send letters to Santa!" he exclaimed.
Ahsoka chuckled at this before she raised an eyebrow. "Who?" she asked.
M'gann laughed and placed her arm around Ahsoka's shoulder. "Santa Claus." She started to explain. "Known as Saint Nicholas, he lives up in the North Pole, where he has elves that make presents, and he delivers every one of those presents to any boy or girl who has been good the whole year!"
Wally then cleared his throat. "Except for the fact that Santa Claus doesn't even–" he started out.
M'gann then sent the speedster a glare. "Wally! Don't… you… dare." She demanded telepathically, her eyes narrowing at Kid Flash as she said this.
Wally then regained himself after M'gann sent him the warning and finished up his sentence, "Doesn't even go as fast as me or Flash! Yeah." He stated.
Ahsoka raised another eyebrow in confusion before Wally then ran off. "I'm sure that I'll enjoy it." She said to M'gann. "I can't wait to have my first Christmas."
Current Time…
Ahsoka smiled as she then saw two children help a girl place an angel on top of a tree. She suddenly started to furrow her brow in confusion. "Wait a minute," she said out loud. "I thought it was the star that they put on the tree."
"It's different for everybody." Stacy then said. Ahsoka gasped and then turned around. "I'm Stacy Jones, by the way."
"Ahsoka Tano. Nice to meet you." Ahsoka then said.
Stacy smiled as she looked to Ahsoka. "We've heard much about you here." She said.
Ahsoka smiled and nodded. "I've heard much about the famous Shining Time Station on the Indian Valley Railroad."
"Do you need a ticket anywhere?"
"One ticket to Happy Harbor, please."
Stacy smiled and then took out a ticket from the desk. "Have a safe trip, and Merry Christmas!" she said.
Ahsoka smiled as she then looked to the train outside. "Thank you! Merry Christmas!" she replied. Stacy waved goodbye to Ahsoka as she soon went towards the exit towards the platform.
This time, Ahsoka saw the small man from earlier. The two saluted each other before she walked off to her train.
As Ahsoka was leaving, she noticed an old man, waiting on the bench. Looks like he's still waiting for his train. Ahsoka thought to herself sadly. Ahsoka then looked to her watch. I might have enough time. She thought to herself again. Soon, she walked back to Stacy.
Stacy was busy sorting out Christmas mail until she noticed some more footsteps. She placed down the papers and then looked up, seeing Ahsoka. "Did you leave something behind, Miss Tano?" Stacy asked nicely.
Ahsoka shook her head and turned over towards the old man waiting on the bench. "That man," she started out, getting Stacy to look to the man. "How long has he been waiting for his train?"
"That's Mr. North." Stacy explained. "He came here a while before you arrived. He says that he's waiting for his train, the Northern Star." Stacy added on.
Ahsoka looked to the old man sadly. "He looks lost." She stated. Stacy just nodded before Ahsoka then placed down her ticket.
Stacy looked down to the ticket and then to Ahsoka, with surprise this time. "Is something wrong?" Stacy asked.
"I'm about to miss my train too." Ahsoka said. Stacy's eyes widened with surprise before Ahsoka went on. "I want to keep that man some company."
"Of course." Stacy said. Ahsoka looked back to Stacy as she sent a small salute. "We'll call the Justice League if there is anything that delays the next train to Happy Harbor."
Ahsoka smiled to Stacy Jones and nodded. "Thank you." She said. Stacy nodded back before Ahsoka went to sit with the old man.
The old man was a stout gentleman. He had a white beard, and he was looking into his notepad. The man was also unusually very tall, even for his age. He stopped looking to his pad only when Ahsoka sat down next to him.
"I gave up my ticket so that I could stay here to keep you company." Ahsoka explained to Mr. North.
North smiled and nodded at Ahsoka. "Thank you." He said. He was then about to go back to his book until he stopped, looking back to get a better look at Ahsoka Tano. "I remember meeting you… a long time ago." He said in a friendly voice.
Ahsoka gaped and looked around before chuckling. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"You used to be part of the Clawmouse Clan of the Jedi Order when you first started out as an Initiate." Mr. North explained. "During the time, you used to collect unique lightsaber crystals, and present them to your friends and Masters." He went on.
Ahsoka gasped and nodded, suddenly remembering. "Yeah!" she exclaimed. "Cyan, grey, silver, all of those!" Ahsoka went on in surprise.
Mr. North laughed as well before he went back to his pad. "I need to add some new names and addresses to my book before my train arrives." He stated.
Ahsoka smiled and nodded to Mr. North before looking to Stacy. "Is it okay if I take a quick walk outside?" she asked. "I need to stretch a bit, and I would really like to have a look at the town. I hope you don't mind."
"O-of course, Ahsoka." Stacy Jones said. "But be careful. The weather's starting to grow intense." She said.
Ahsoka nodded before getting on her coat and walking outside.
Outside, Ahsoka started to look around at the town. Every store was lit up, showing figures of Santa in motion, as if they were actually real. Ahsoka smiled to this before she then noticed a girl with blue skin, white hair, wearing a purple coat and a blue scarf around her neck. She shivered as she walked through the streets, and when she passed by a jewelry store, Ahsoka noticed that she had no gloves on. Wanting to find out more, Ahsoka went in for a closer look.
Ahsoka soon found the girl wandering towards the mountains. "Hey! Stop! Where are you going?" Ahsoka called out.
The girl looked back to Ahsoka and gave a sad look. "Anywhere the wind takes me." She replied glumly.
Ahsoka sighed and looked to the side, thinking about what the girl meant, before looking back to her with much concern in her eyes. "Whatever your problem is, I can help you!" she called out.
The girl shook her head to Ahsoka. "Many people have turned me down because of what I can do." She explained. Ahsoka's heart began to sink upon hearing this. "I don't want to be shunned anymore."
"I know how you feel!" Ahsoka yelled out. "But you can't run away just to solve your problems!"
"I'm sorry, but it's the only thing I can do." The girl then said.
Ahsoka gasped as she then saw the girl continue to go up the mountains. Quickly, she reached out to the Force and gently placed the girl on the ground, near the town. "I can help you, I promise." Ahsoka said as she then walked over towards her.
"No one can help me." The girl said sadly. She then looked up to the mountain before breathing heavily, causing a large gust of wind that headed right towards Ahsoka and the tracks behind her. Ahsoka gasped and spread her arms out, using the Force to knock the wind aside. However, upon doing that, she saw that the girl was now heading towards the town's main power plant.
Quickly, Ahsoka ran back to Shining Time Station. On her way, she saw many policemen in cars coming. She stopped one of them, causing the policeman to open his window. "Ahsoka Tano, thank goodness you're here." The policeman stated.
"Stan, who is that girl?" Ahsoka asked the policeman, remembering him from a solo mission she went on earlier on in the month.
"We just know that her name is Snow." Stan replied. Ahsoka nodded at this before Stan went on. "The people from her village said that she was born with powers over snow, and after she caused a blizzard there, she fled, but we managed to track her down."
"And you're just jumping to this conclusion?!" Ahsoka asked in disbelief. "That's what led me away from the Jedi Order!"
Stan looked to Ahsoka in surprise. "What else should we do?"
"Not hurt her, for one thing." She said. She then looked to Shining Time Station before looking back to Stan. "Don't hurt her! I'm going to see if there's anything I can do!" she ordered.
Stan nodded and saluted, emptying out his gun before driving off.
Inside of Shining Time Station, Ahsoka ran in. Mr. North and Stacy Jones both looked up before Ahsoka ran towards Stacy. "Stacy, do you know any girl with white hair, blue skin, and is always wandering around in the cold?" she asked.
Stacy looked down to her files before pulling out a paper. "She just came in yesterday." Stacy reported, showing Ahsoka her files. "She is known as Elsa. When she was a little girl, her parents passed away in a boat accident, and she has been lonely after being banished from her home town in Scandinavia, and she came here." Stacy then finished up.
Ahsoka looked to the files sadly, knowing what it was like to be banished from a place where she grew up. She then looked back to Stacy. "What else is there about Elsa?" she asked.
"She was always sung this song when she was a child." Stacy said, taking out some more papers.
Ahsoka looked down to the papers and started to read them. "'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free…" she started out. Suddenly, realization struck Ahsoka. This song! I know it! She thought to herself. Maybe if Elsa heard it like she did from her childhood… Ahsoka thought on further. She then looked up to Stacy with a big smile on her face. "Thank you!" she exclaimed before running out.
Stacy looked to Ahsoka with surprise before she waved to her. "You're welcome!" she yelled back.
Mr. North looked up from his pad and then to Ahsoka, smiling as he adjusted his glasses. "May the Force be with you." He said to himself before looking back to his pad.
Meanwhile, Elsa continued to wander around in the cold as she headed towards the power plant. The policemen stood there, all with riot shields held in front of them.
Stan looked to the policemen as he continued to hold his shield up. "Until Ahsoka arrives, she ordered us not to attack Snow!" he yelled.
"We'd better survive the snowstorm!" another policeman stated.
Elsa then arrived, looking towards the policemen. She was about to spread more snow until she then heard Ahsoka yell out, "Elsa!"
Snow gasped and turned around, seeing Ahsoka struggle to get through the blizzard in order to get to her. "You… you know my name?" she asked.
Ahsoka nodded. "You don't have to hide! You just need to calm down! You can change all of this, Elsa, if you just believe!" Ahsoka yelled.
"There's nothing I can do, Ahsoka." Snow replied back sadly. She then prepared to blast a blizzard until Ahsoka then removed all of her winter gear, and then did what no one else would expect her to do.
"'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."
Elsa gasped when she then heard this and turned around as Ahsoka then continued to walk towards her. She let out a tear, which fell to the ground and melted a bit of the ground before she walked towards Ahsoka as well.
"'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."
The two girls smiled to each other before Ahsoka and Snow then embraced each other, continuing their song.
"When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come 'round right."
The policemen all stood down, looking to see that there was a change occurring in Elsa when she was singing her song with Ahsoka.
"'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."
Elsa's blue skin then started to fade away, cracking into bits as tan flesh started to appear. She let out another tear before singing on.
"'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."
Soon, Elsa was now smooth, pale-skinned, and as she and Ahsoka let go of each other, they smiled and sung more of the song.
"Tis the gift to be loving, 'tis the best gift of all
Like a quiet rain it blesses where it falls
And with it we will truly believe
Tis better to give than it is to receive.
The Earth is our mother and the fullness thereof,
Her streets, her slums, as well as stars above.
Salvation is here where we laugh, where we cry,
Where we seek and love, where we live and die.
'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."
Elsa let out more tears before she embraced Ahsoka again. The two smiled as they let out the last verses of the song, the police and everyone in town watching with wonder and happiness.
"'Tis a gift to be simple, 'tis a gift to be fair
'Tis a gift to wake and breathe the morning air
and each day we walk on the path that we choose
'Tis a gift we pray we never shall lose.
When true liberty is found,
By fear and by hate we will no more be bound.
In love and in light we will find our new birth
And in peace and freedom, redeem the Earth."
Elsa then looked down to Ahsoka, smiling. "Thank you!" she whispered.
"Any time." Ahsoka whispered back.
Mr. North then came out and looked at everything happen, a smile emerging on his face as he saw Ahsoka talk to Elsa.
Ahsoka then looked to the policemen and smiled. "She's done nothing wrong, men." She stated. All of the policemen smiled and removed their hats, placing them on their chests. Ahsoka then chuckled and motioned for them all to leave. "Now, go! Have the holiday with your families!" she exclaimed. The policemen did just that as they soon left the scene afterwards.
"So, what will you do now?" Ahsoka asked Elsa as soon as everyone else, save for Mr. North, was gone.
Snow smiled and whisked her hands around, creating a path of ice in the air. "I'll go to wander the Earth," Elsa explained. Ahsoka smiled before Snow went on, "I'll probably go back to my village, see if they forgive me."
Snow then saluted Ahsoka, in which Ahsoka saluted back. Elsa then threw down a small crystal to Ahsoka. Ahsoka looked up in surprise and caught the crystal before Elsa skated away. "Take care!" Ahsoka yelled out.
All of a sudden, Ahsoka looked to the town clock, and noticed the time. "Fifteen minutes till midnight!" she exclaimed.
Mr. North then walked up to Ahsoka and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You can catch a ride with me!" he said enthusiastically.
At that moment, Ahsoka noticed a train pull up. It was covered in white, and had some crimson streaks on it. Ahsoka then smiled to Mr. North and nodded. "Thanks." She said.
Mr. North nodded before they walked back into the station.
Inside, Stacy Jones bid them both farewell. "Have a great holiday!" she said. Ahsoka smiled and nodded to Stacy. "You too." She said.
Soon, Mr. North and Ahsoka both boarded the Northern Star. North then looked to the driver of the train. "This goes to Happy Harbor first!" he said. The conductor smiled and nodded.
Ahsoka looked to Mr. North and chuckled. "Wait," Ahsoka started out. "This train goes everywhere?"
"Everywhere around the globe." Mr. North corrected. Soon, with the sound of the whistle blowing, the train took off at high speed, and it was only ten minutes until Christmas came.
Happy Harbor December 24th 2352 Hours EDT
The Northern Star soon arrived at Happy Harbor in no time at all. M'gann flew down to see the train arrive and she gasped. "No way!" she exclaimed.
Mr. North then came out, helping Ahsoka out as well. Ahsoka smiled to Mr. North and sent a small salute. "Merry Christmas." She said.
"Thank you, Ahsoka, for helping out Elsa." Mr. North replied. Ahsoka smiled and nodded at this as Mr. North placed a hand on her shoulder.
Just then, Mr. North reached into his coat pocket and took out a red box from one pocket and a blue-greenish looking ring from the other. "Use the ring only when it gets to Christmas Day." He said. Ahsoka's eyes widened as she was then given the ring, putting it into her pocket. She was then given the red box. "And use this… to send a present to your Master."
Ahsoka smiled once again to Mr. North before he went into the train, which rode off north.
Ahsoka looked down to the gifts she was given before M'gann flew down. "Ahsoka, who was that?!" she asked.
"His name is Mr. North." Ahsoka explained. "Met him at the station."
"Seems familiar." M'gann then said. The two then chuckled before they both took off into the air. "Last one back to the Cave has to make the eggnog!" Ahsoka teased. M'gann laughed before she took off into the air soon afterwards.
Mount Justice December 25th 0000 Hours EDT
As soon as Ahsoka and M'gann reached Mount Justice, they found the Team waiting for them, all in civilian attire and waiting for them. "Welcome back, Ahsoka." Lux said warmly.
"Great to see you again!" Robin added on.
Ahsoka looked to them and nodded, a smile showing on her face. "Glad I could make it back in time." She replied.
As soon as they approached the tree, Ahsoka looked under it. It was empty. "No presents yet?" she asked.
"Guess Santa didn't come." Connor stated.
Serra then walked over to the stockings and sighed. "Must be taking his time." She deducted.
Ahsoka smiled to her friends and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so." She said.
Just then, the ring Ahsoka placed in her pocket started to glow. "What's that?" Artemis asked.
Ahsoka then took out the ring and looked to it. She then saw that there was an emblem of a tree on it. Ahsoka placed the ring into the air and then inspected it. "This is…" she started out.
Ahsoka then placed the ring onto her hand. All of a sudden, she started to glow. As if she knew what to do, Ahsoka then cupped her hands together and sent it out all over the room, causing golden glitter to land everywhere. In a blink of an eye, the bottom of the tree was filled with presents, and the stockings were too!
The entire Team laughed happily as they then saw that every present was addressed to them. They all went for both their wrapped presents under the trees and their stockings by the fireplace.
Ahsoka just stuttered as she, M'gann, Wally, Zatanna and Serra all looked to the ring with surprise. "No way!" Ahsoka exclaimed. Ahsoka then looked up into the air and saw a man on a red sled, being pulled by reindeer. Santa Claus. Ahsoka gasped and then looked back to the ring. It soon vanished into golden sparkles, getting them all to gasp.
"So, Mr. North was the real Santa?!" M'gann exclaimed in wonder.
Ahsoka just nodded as she Force-Lifted a present for herself towards her. She slowly started to unwrap it, and upon seeing what was inside, she gasped and laughed with joy. There was an entire collection of lightsaber crystals there! Ahsoka then noticed that there was one crystal that wasn't in the collection. She raised an eyebrow before looking to the silver crystal that Elsa gave to her. Smiling, Ahsoka placed the crystal into its correct place, finally showing all the crystals lighting up in the shape of Ahsoka's face. Ahsoka smiled at this before she then looked to the sky happily. Ahsoka placed the sash of lightsabers up to her chest and sobbed happily. "Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed.
Ahsoka then looked to the small box that Santa also gave her. Use this to send to your present to your Master. His voice said in her head.
Ahsoka smiled and closed her eyes, softly whispering, "To Anakin Skywalker: Until we meet again" before blowing on the box softly. It vanished soon afterwards, and Ahsoka got back up onto her feet and smiled.
M'gann then walked up to Ahsoka and placed her hand on the Togrutan's shoulder. "So, what was the gift?" she asked.
"Something for Skyguy to always remember me by." Ahsoka replied back.
Vortex | Resolute…
Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi both stood on the bridge of the Resolute, the two preparing for what was to come when they came out of the portal. Just then, gold glistened in the air. "What's going on?" Anakin asked.
All of a sudden, a red box slowly and gently landed in Anakin's arms. Obi-Wan looked to it and the pointed to some paper on it. "There's something written on it." He said.
Anakin picked up the note and then read it. "'To Anakin Skywalker: Until We Meet Again, from your Padawan.'" He read. Anakin smiled and then opened the small box, revealing a small, holopad that showed the two fighting against Battle Droids for the first time. Anakin smiled upon seeing this and placed it to his chest. Obi-Wan smiled to his Apprentice before they continued to go through the vortex.
On Earth, Ahsoka looked up into the sky, seeing Santa fly by once again. "Merry Christmas." She said quietly, going back to the Team to enjoy the Christmas holiday together, as one, big family.
Author's Notes: Well, everyone, what did you think? I know that it's really early for Christmas, but I just wanted to be sure to get out all the chapters I can before I get to the grand finale of Path of the Padawan. This was yet another original idea done by me, but I would have never gotten through this story without the support of you guys. I'll try my best to have a new chapter out soon. Please be sure to review, rate, and if you can, please try to Private Message me for anything on the story. For now, this is SuperHeroTimeFan signing off. Have a great week, everyone!