[CH. 002] Ceres, At Your Service

T'was three nights until Christmas morning. The North Pole was given a shocking blow by Ms. Frost and her army of ice golems. Her mission was unclear until after the attack had ended.

Penetrating through the only defense with little to no effort, Ms. Frost then made her way to the Workshop and eventually to Mister and Misses Claus's quarters. Luckily for Misses Claus, she was home. But the same could not be said for Nickolas.

The pieces to the puzzle didn't come together until Misses Claus returned to their home, only to find that Nickolas was gone.

"Miss Claus," Phineas shouted as he waved his hands in the air above his head. "We need to leave, now!"

Miss Claus was in disbelief. She couldn't bear to see what was unfolding before her eyes. Looking down at the scrambling elves in the Workshop below the balcony she was standing on.

As the ice golems infiltrated the workshop, the elves had no means of escaping unharmed. They began scrambling around like headless chickens.

"Where's Nick?" Miss Claus asked as she began running down the long hallway with Phineas.

"We need to get you somewhere safe,"he told her.

"Where are you taking me, Phineas?" Miss Claus asked.

"To the Sleigh," Phineas told her, "I know a place where they can't and won't find you. I've been there before…years ago."

As they made their way to the end of the hallway, Phineas turned left. Miss Claus followed close behind. They approach an exit from the Workshop building. They were getting closer to the Reindeer barn.

Just as they were getting to the end of the hallway, an Ice Golem burst through the wall with brute force. The walls, which were built from cobblestone, crumbled like tumbling hillside rocks.

"Phineas look out!" Miss Claus shouted. Just as he turned around to look back ahead, the Ice Golem punched him into the wall.

She gasped and stopped. The ice golem slowly turned its head as it focused on her. She glanced to her right and then to her left. She was trying to find something to defend herself.

Far, far away from the North Pole, Ceres awoke to the sounds of distant explosions and screams. After the Great Battle against NetherBrine ended, Ceres bid his friends, of years, farewell.

Now living in the very biome where the old village of Oasis-Ville once stood. Living in seclusion, he hasn't been up to much lately. Who would've thought he'd once again be helping the North Pole again three years after he first intervened.

"Phineas, look out!" The distant voice of Misses Claus echoed and called out.

Sleeping at the time, he opened his eyes when he heard the desperate call for help. He flew out of bed, and ran over to the door to his Lodge. He grabbed his blue long coat and put it on. He then reached to take his wand. When he did, he put the wand into his inventory.

The front door opened by itself, with no force needed from Ceres. He rushed out the door. It closed behind him. He mumbled a few words under his breath as an oval-shaped portal opened up in front of him. He ran towards the portal, while it was still opening.

"I'm coming," he called out, "I'm coming! Hang on!"

Back at the North Pole, the danger and threat level continued to rise…

Miss Claus was now completely surrounded by ice golems. She had nothing to defend herself with. Phineas had the wind knocked out of him, lying on top of a pile of rubble and debris from the destroyed wall.

The circle around Miss Claus was shrinking with every step the golems took. It only took a bright blue light illuminating from behind a golem to shift their focus. When they all turned around to see what it was producing that light, they were met with the might and will of Ceres' powers.

Ceres leapt through the portal, landing on his feet. He pointed his wand at one of the six golems. A bright blue bolt blasted out from the tip of his wand. The golem had no time to react. His head was struck, turning the ice into instant hot water as the power melted its head.

"Oh my!" Miss Claus gasped as she covered her mouth.

The rest of the golems body boiled and melted away.

"Uh oh," an ice golem said as it raised its hands and began backing off from Miss Claus and Phineas.

"Yeah, "uh oh" is right," Ceres said as he pulled his hood back to reveal himself to Misses Claus.

"Please don't hurt me," Misses Claus said as she raised her hands and closed her eyes.

"No, no, no," Ceres said as he put his wand away into his inventory. He held his left hand out in front of him. "I would never. I'm not the bad guy. I'm here to help," he explained sympathetically.

The portal he came through was now closed. But he sensed there was much more to do before he could return home.

"Can you help him?" Miss Claus asked as she pointed down at Phineas, who was still unconscious.

When Ceres turned around and saw Phineas in that state, he ran over to him and flipped him over gently. Phineas was lying on his stomach. When he was turned over, he coughed and sighed heavily. His eyes were droopy, which was a clear indication that he was hurt and injured.

"Hey," he said, although his words were slurred, "you're that wizard guy from last time."

"Hello again old friend," Ceres said with a faint smile. "I'm going to help you. You must stay still for a moment okay?" Ceres said.

"Yeah…okay," Phineas said, followed by a cough and a groan.

Miss Claus walked over to Ceres and Phineas. She was curious to know how they knew each other.

"What "last time"?" She asked.

"I helped save Christmas awhile back," Ceres said as he turned around and looked back and up at her.

Ceres held his hand out to his side, upside down. When he turned it over, a puff of smoke emerged out of thin air. But when it disappeared, there was a glass bottle with a potion of some sort inside; a healing potion. A potion in which can heal any wound and relieve any pain.

"All you need is a sip of this potion," Ceres said softly to Phineas, "then you'll be back to your old self."

POP!, the cork sounded.

He pulled the cork out of the bottle. He let go of the cork. When he did, it hovered next to him in midair with a faint blue haze glowing around it. Ceres then gently lifted Phineas' head slightly so he could drink the potion.

"I've read stories of blockheads like you before," Misses Claus said as Ceres tilted the bottle just enough to let Phineas drink the potion.

After he took a sip of it, Ceres set his head back down as gently as he picked it up. He then leaned back and grabbed the cork and put it back onto the bottle.

It didn't take Phineas too long to get back up onto his feet unassisted. When he got back up onto his feet, he looked up at Ceres and smiled. He jumped up into Ceres' arms and gave him a much appreciated hug. A hug that signified he was grateful and thankful.

"Thank you, Ceres," Phineas' muffled voice said. Ceres wrapped his arms around Phineas and gave him a hug in return. "Truly."

"Anything to help a friend," Ceres responded.

Misses Claus stood back and watched the encounter quietly with utmost respect. She may have shed a tear or two, but would've wiped them away before the boys could see them.

Ceres set Phineas back down on the ground. He then leaned forward to pick up Phineas' pointy hat. He blew it off and wiped the dust and micro-crumbs of cobblestone off of it.

"MISSES CLAUS, MISSES CLAUS, MISSES CLAUS!" A frantic, out of breath Elf shouted repeatedly as she ran down the hallway towards them. Ceres gave Phineas his hat back, and stood back up. He and Misses Claus turned around to confront the frantic elf.

"What is it, dear?" Misses Claus said as she got down onto her knees. "Is Nickolas okay? Is he safe?"

"NO, NO, NO," she said. "That ice lady and the ice monsters took him. They've kidnapped Santa! Christmas is doomed!"

"Calm down dear," Misses Claus said in a soft, soothing sounding voice, "now start over. Who took Nickolas?"

"Ms. Frost and the Ice Golems kidnapped Santa!"