Hey everyone. Thank you all for the good reviews. I'm so glad you are enjoying the story. And now, without further ado, let's proceed.

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects referred to in this story.

Chapter 31:

A Mile in Someone Else's Hooves

Sven sat down, watching the jaws drop from the humans. Why were they so surprised? Didn't they know that Sven had come aboard? Come to think of it, given what had happened so far, it was a wonder that anyone could keep it all straight.

When Sven had woken up to all the rattling outside the stables, he had thought he was dreaming. Kristoff hadn't woken up when the noise and lights outside resounded. Sven had then bitten himself to try and check if he was dreaming. The pain confirmed that Sven was not in a dream.

A man with a newsboy cap and a bushy mustache had come in when the lights stopped moving. The man started talking to Sven. Sven didn't seem that surprised that the man could fully understand him. There was something about this man that seemed to make him exceptional. If Kristoff could understand Sven, it stood to reason that this human had a similar gift.

The man had explained to Sven that he was the Stablemaster for the Polar Express, the train that the lights outside belonged to. Usually, the Express had human children as passengers headed to the North Pole, but an exception was being made for Sven. If Sven wanted, he could come aboard to have a once in a lifetime experience. Plus, there was something at the North Pole that Sven needed to help with. Sven had thought about it for a few seconds, making the decision to go. The Stablemaster had been right that it was the chance of a lifetime, and Sven had always wanted to go to the North Pole. Maybe his secret wish would be fulfilled this night.

The Stablemaster had then opened the door and led Sven outside the stables. Olaf had started to wake up as Sven left, but the Stablemaster said that that was fine, as Olaf was meant to come as well. Sven then climbed aboard and went into his stable.

From his stable, Sven had a good view outside. He had been surprised to see Jack, Elsa, and Anna being chosen as passengers alongside Olaf. Sven hadn't considered the fact that other passengers were being picked-up in Arendelle as well. Still, it wasn't a bad surprise. If anything, Sven was glad that almost all his human family were getting this rare chance as well.

Once the train started, Sven had greeted his neighbors. All of the reindeer were very nice, talking about the North Pole, the Express, and what they had done this past year. The other reindeer were rather excited to learn about Sven's experiences, including the fact that Sven had known trolls growing up. Soon, the reindeer were talking with Sven like they had known each other forever.

The accommodations were top notch, too. A luxurious room with a fireplace. A comfy place to rest. There was even a spot where bathroom deliveries could be processed without having to be mucked out. No doubt about it, Sven was really enjoying his time on the Polar Express.

Sure there had been some rough spots. Sven had been concerned when he had heard the caribou outside talk about horses made of black sand. The other reindeer in the stables had assured Sven that those things wouldn't bother them. The Express would soon pass a force-field that the nightmares, as the horses were called, couldn't get through, and the dark beings wouldn't dare attack so close to that force-field.

Then came the hills. Sven had seen a sign pop up on the wall in his compartment saying to lie down on the floor. Once Sven positioned himself, a rather unkempt man with a newsboy cap and a bag tied to a stick came in, buckling Sven down and commenting that they were in for a rough ride. Sven hadn't seen the man before, but he had a similar scent to the Stablemaster, who the man said had sent him over, so Sven had decided to trust the guy and hang on. A rough ride wasn't even cutting it close. Sven's stomach had lurched and moved as the train had gone up and down some rather sharp hills.

Just when the hills had cleared up and Sven had thought it was over, the train went skidding on some ice. How the train had been able to stay on top of the ice, Sven didn't know. That question became obsolete when the train began moving and Sven had seen black sand chasing them. The nightmares almost caught up with them, but the Express had gotten back on track, literally. They must have passed the force-field because the nightmares stopped following them.

After that the Hobo had left. The Stablemaster had returned shortly afterwards, freeing the reindeer from their restraints. When carrots were offered as a calming snack, Sven had agreed that they were very much needed after that rough terrain they all had endured.

And now Sven's human friends had found him. Sven was glad that they had all met up. Now, he could finish the trip alongside his friends.

It was also very nice of them to bring Sven carrots. Sven reached out for the last carrot in Jack's hand. Jack looked down. "I guess you'll be wanting this then." Jack passed the carrot to Sven, who began chewing it. A second or two later, Sven opened his mouth, offering the carrot to Jack. Jack turned to the others. "What's he doing?"

"He's sharing the carrot with you, Jack," Olaf replied. "You need to eat it."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Jack," Anna said. "Sven would understand."

Jack turned back to the reindeer. "Well, I don't want to be rude." Then, before anyone could say anything, he took the carrot from Sven's mouth and took a bite. To everyone surprise, Jack's face lit up. "This is actually pretty good."

"You like it? Elsa asked, a little weirded out by the act.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "It's not half bad. Reminds me of the fruitcake we had in Arendelle a few days ago. Tough on the outside, but with a few delicious nuggets on the inside. Hope carrots aren't as hard though." He leaned in. "Are my teeth still there?" Everyone agreed that Jack's teeth were fine, amid giggles at the slight nonsense of the situation.

The Stablemaster came on over. "Ah, I see you've met our newest passenger."

"Yeah, it's great having him here," Olaf replied.

"Has Sven been on the express the whole time?" Elsa asked

"Yes. You see, Sven's an animal passenger. He stays in the stables with the other reindeer and is an additional passenger to the North Pole. We didn't bring it up before because either you all were busy or he was resting and we didn't want to wake him to say 'hi' to you all," the Stablemaster replied.

Olaf nodded. "Makes sense. It has been a rather busy night."

The door at the front end of the car opened. Sven turned to see the Conductor coming in. Sven had only seen the Conductor a few times, checking that all animals were accounted for. The Conductor seemed a little gruff, but Sven could tell the man was only doing his job and secretly had a heart of gold.

The Conductor turned to the group. "I see you've found your friend. Sorry I didn't say before. Meant to tell you all, but hadn't had a chance. Now you know."

Elsa nodded. "Is there anything else we should know?"

"Indeed." The Conductor's face gained a small smile. "We've just crossed it. Latitude sixty-six degrees, thirty-three minutes, the Arctic Circle. You might want to take a look outside the window."

Everyone moved over to the window. It was a rather large, rectangular window, divided up into several squares by small, wooden frames. The window was so big that it easily accommodated everyone's view.

Sven looked out under Jack's elbow. After rubbing the glass clear of frost and mist, all he could see was an endless plain of ice and snow, the wind moving the snow into delicate patterns that faded away after a few seconds. There didn't seem to be anything special out there.

Though after a few seconds, Sven noticed something. It looked like a bright thing out in the distance. As Sven squinted, he noticed that the bright thing seemed to have several smaller things of varying height that emanated light. As the train started to move towards the thing, Sven realized that it was a city.

The Conductor came up behind Sven. "Do you see? Those lights in the distance? They look like the lights of a strange ocean liner sailing on a frozen sea."

The others acknowledged that they saw it. Sven didn't really see the ship analogy, but then Sven hadn't been on ships much lately.

"There…" the Conductor pointed to the city, "…is the North Pole."

And we have finally reached the North Pole! It will be exciting to see what adventures await up there. As always, please rate and review.