Winter Solstice

Finally, my favorite time of year!

Winter Solstice time is here

A time to celebrate It's swizzle-tastic

It's our favorite time of year

You can feel the air is full of magic

So let the festive joy Ring loud and clear…

Let me hear you!

Sing our song of Winter Solstice

The sun reborn, its light will warm us

Bring the light to darker nights Let's celebrate this Winter Solstice

Craft our wooden toys with care

Make a scrumptulicious feast to share…

Yum-yum!

Make a Solstice wreath for the stable

Light the candles on the table…

Come on, gang! Let's keep it up. Zippity-zip. We got work to do.

Dwerpins unite!

Sing our song of Winter Solstice

The sun reborn, its light will warm us

Bring the light to darker nights Let's celebrate

Winter Solstice Eve is here

I can't wait for tomorrow!

My brothers told me about the Solstice fun they had at Unicorn Academy.

But it's finally our turn!

Those ornaments are glittery-gorgeous, you two!

Aah! Decorating is my favorite part of Solstice.

I thought the Solstice carols were your favorite part?

I love everything about Solstice.

The feast, the songs!

-Breathe, Ava. -The chill in the air! Winter's arrived!

-But none of those compares to presents! -Remember breathing?

I did that thing again where I forget to breathe.

Hadn't noticed.

-I'm just really excited for the presents! -Ugh.

The Dwerpins hang wreaths for the unicorns,

and they carve cute wooden unicorns to leave under the bed for us.

I hope I get a yellow one tomorrow that matches this sweetie.

What's your favorite part of the holiday?

That it's based in science.

It's when the Earth tilts furthest from the sun,

making the shortest day of the year.

Uh…

Also, cream puffs at the feast.

I'm pumped about the day off.

No school, just a whole day with my best friends.

Who could want more?

Me. I'm with Layla. I'm all about that feast.

-Found more lanterns. -Whoo-hoo!

Storm, think you could lend a horn?

Easy-breezy.

That's the last of the decorations. Now we're only one sleep away!

Solstice is tomorrow…

Can't wait for the presents

Ugh! Puh-lease.

My family celebrates Solstice every year. It's like any other day.

Actually, it's worse. Way too many ridiculous expectations.

I will not have this nay-saying. Not on the eve of the best day of the year.

Tell her, Sophia.

Yeah. Should be fun. But I've never actually done Solstice.

It's a Unicorn Island thing, and my dad kept all that secret, remember?

Oh!

Clearly, none of you get it, so there's only one thing to do.

I will give you the perfect Solstice and make you all love it as much as I do.

Go to bed so the Dwerpins can deliver presents!

Lovin' it already.

Uh…

Uh, now is it morning?

How about now?

How about now?

How about

now?

That's the last of 'em, Timble.

Thank you, friend.

And a wondrous Winter Solstice Eve to you.

One delivery of… zippity-top priority

en route to Unicorn Academy.

All aboard!

All are aboard.

Ooh, the kids'll be so excited to see these in the morning.

Huh? Uh…

Happy Winter Solstice!

I can't wait to see which color unicorn the Dwerpins left for me. Come on, yellow.

Nothing under our beds! Not panicking.

-What? -Not here.

-Not here either. -Oh!

-Nothing! -Hey, watch it!

Oh! Okay, now I'm panicking.

Aah! Code red! Winter Solstice emergency!

Maybe they left our presents in the stable with the wreaths for the unicorns. Oh!

Uh… where are the presents?

The unicorns didn't get their wreaths either?

Wait. If there's no presents and no wreaths,

does that mean

no feast?

Oh! What is happening?

Whoa. You okay there, uh…

Name's Frella, and no, I'm decidedly not okay.

Dwerpin Village was supposed to send a big Solstice delivery,

but the gondola never showed up.

-Uh, did that delivery include… -The feast?

You bet your binkies it did. But don't worry.

I'm sure I can cook it all up again from scratch if you just give me, um…

How many hours in the day?

Oh, I can't believe it.

I just wanted us to have the best Solstice ever, and it's already a disaster. Oh!

It's okay. We still have the day off to hang out.

We can hang out any day. Solstice is supposed to be special.

It should be special. Yes. I was gonna help deliver the gifts,

and then go home and spend Solstice with my family.

It's tradition.

But the rest of the Dwerpins are already on holiday,

so it's up to me and myself to make this feast.

I'd never make it up the mountain without the gondola anyway.

So the gifts were on the gondola, and it never showed up.

So the stuff is somewhere between here and Dwerpin Village, right?

Nowhere else it could be.

We just have to go find it ourselves.

I will make this Solstice perfect, so help me, unicorn gods.

Count me in. Why don't you come, Frella?

We could use a guide.

-We can give you a ride home. -But the feast.

Don't you worry your fuzzy little head. Our friends will cook while we're gone.

-Excuse me? -Say what?

What did we just walk into?

It wouldn't be Solstice without a feast. We want it when we're back with the gifts.

Thank you!

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

So we just can't say no now, huh?

Oof! The cupboards are stuffed.

Everything you need to prepare the feast is in here.

Ooh! There's a book! Don't mind if I do.

Oof! Aah.

Let's go save Solstice!

Uh… can someone help me down?

Keep up. The gondola is this way.

-This is really too kind of you. -We're happy to help you get home.

I know how hard it is missing someone at the holidays.

That's why I have to get home.

My brother, well, you see, he did a bad thing.

Rather than face the music, he ran away the first chance he got.

We keep hoping he'll return,

but we haven't seen fin nor fuss of him since.

I don't think my folks could take it if I didn't make it home for Solstice either.

Oh, I'm sorry, Frella.

There!

This is where the delivery should've come in.

-I don't see any Dwerpins. -No sign of the gondola.

The Dwerpins have never missed a delivery.

Something must be wrong.

We'll get you home and make sure everyone is okay.

Yes, and on the way, we'll find the missing presents.

What? The Dwerpins would want that.

Hmm.

Buck up, girls. Rhapsody was sad about her missing wreath too.

But it's still Solstice!

Yep, the darkest day of the year.

I've been dreaming about the Solstice Feast.

But now, what's even the point of today?

-That's a big ham. -Don't forget the sparkle brine.

How could I forget when I have no idea what that means?

I need one dinkle-dash of salt. What's a dinkle-dash?

One dinkle-dash is equal to four squeeze-spoons.

And a squeeze-spoon is?

Please hold.

Hey, cool kids.

-Hello. -Yeah.

Word is the Sapphires are getting the Solstice Feast back on track.

Uh, yep.

Oh, thank goodness.

The students are all so sad.

Like, an oppressive sadness.

I haven't dealt with this much negative energy

since Ravenzella took over.

That's a joke. But is it?

Well, none of that matters now that you're saving the day.

Uh, that's us. The day savers.

As long as someone can explain how to sparkle brine a ham.

You handle the cooking. I'll make sure the whole Academy knows

the Solstice Feast is back on.

Oh, you don't have to do that. That's okay.

Thank you. We really needed this.

No pressure or anything. Whoa!

-Hmm? -Uh…

Brr! Should have worn my hat.

These lame-o's would freeze up in the mountains without us.

Cinder, let's warm 'em up.

Oh!

-Aah. Nice. Thanks, Cinder. -Don't say we never gave you anything.

See? This is already going great.

-I know this'll be the best Solstice ever. -Oh! Doubt it.

The best Solstice was the time

Grandmamma accidentally drank winkle-wash instead of cider,

and she tried to yell at my dad for leaving it out, but then she…

She started burping bubbles!

Ah, she was so embarrassed. She sent everyone home before her feast.

My brother loved to pull jokes like that.

He once disguised a pillow as a Solstice loaf.

My Pa had a real feathery fright trying to carve it.

When I was a kid,

we'd celebrate the first day of winter with the most epic snowball fight.