Hey, Poptropicans! I want to give you guys a little gift this holiday season. It’s a tale of three adventurers on the hunt for an elusive icon. I call it The Grapple-Pursuit. Enjoy! 
Blue skies cast over a bustling Home Island. Adventurers from all walks of life went about their day, purchasing gear and setting off for their next adventures. Only one spot on Home Island was spared from crowds: the backyard of a local cottage. Super Wing, accompanied by her dryad companion, Elin, sat by the yard’s crystal clear pond and cracked open a book called Firsthand Tellings of Fairytale Folk. She quickly became engrossed in the stories collected from Fairytale Island’s denizens, though questioned stranger details like pizza-loving wolves and punk rock princesses.
Super’s concentration was briefly interrupted by the loud sound of rustling leaves. “Perhaps Elin wanted to explore the yard,” she reasoned with herself. She returned to her book but was quickly alerted to a loud thud. A quick glance at the yard revealed nothing amiss. “A branch probably fell,” she assumed with less confidence. She tried once more to finish her book, but hearing a loud groan convinced her otherwise. She quickly shut her book and came face to face with— well, a face!
Super jumped back and yelped, “CRED! How long have you been here?!”
Her friend, Incredible “Cred” Beetle, lied on the ground covered in leaves and twigs. Elin emerged from the trees and giggled over the fallen Cred. He didn’t care about his tiny saboteur laughing at his pain. Instead, his annoyance seemed to be directed at something else.
“Just dropped in,” he sullenly replied, “Sorry about the crash landing.”
“Are you hurt?” Super asked, concerned.
“No, just bored.” Cred answered. “Falling out of trees is probably the most exciting thing to do right now.”
Super’s concern slowly turned into disappointment. Cred could have been hurt and he’s more concerned about being bored? This behavior of his isn’t new to her, but it’s still annoying to deal with. She let out a long sigh and asked, “What’s going on?”
Cred picked himself up and began his complaints. “December’s here, and there hasn’t been a single snowflake on Home Island!” He was right; the literal floating island had been in a perpetual state of summer for what felt like a year. “We’re missing out on all kinds of winter fun! Sledding, skating, snowball fights, and more stuff that I can’t think of right now. If snow won’t fall on Home Island, then we’ll seek it out!”
Cred picked his notebook off of the ground and turned to a page titled “Winter Travel Destinations”, which contained rough diagrams of island maps and messy yet legible notes. “Our list of islands is limited, so we only have two real options. Survival Island can be a great camping spot when you have all of your gear, but there’s the risk of bears, cliffs, and human hunters.” Super and Elin squirmed at the idea of encountering a bloodthirsty hunter. “Okay, not your thing. How about Mt. Everest? Climbing to the top of it would be awesome, but you have to go back in time to get there. I think Gentle knows where we can get a time machine.”
“Cred,” Super said, “those are nice ideas, but we can’t just leave to do whatever we want. What if we get mauled by a wild animal or impaled by icicles? Remember when-.”
Cred let out an exasperated sigh and retorted, “What else are we supposed to do? It’s not like a winter adventure is gonna fall out of the sky!”
Just then, as if by magic, a large object fell from the sky and crashed into the pond with a giant splash! The kids and dryad were soaked from head to toe.
“I think that magic amulet of yours is starting to rub off on me,” Cred said to Super.
A pink haired woman wearing glasses burst out of the cottage and ran to the kids. “What’s going on?! Are you guys okay?!”
“We’re fine, Gentle!” Cred shouted back, “Check this out!”
The mysterious flying object was a merchant cart with added sails and propellers. It was painted blue and red with the image of a goblin-like creature on its sides. Colorful lanterns, garland, and gift boxes were scattered around the wreckage. Out of the festive flying machine emerged an elderly man and woman wearing blue garments with fur trim. Shaken yet undeterred, they cheered, “HAPPY GRAPPLE-PAP!!!”
Super and Cred were baffled by the sight of two cheery elders popping out of a flying cart, but Gentle immediately recognized the pair.
“Clareta! Baylor! How are you?”, greeted Gentle.
“Happy as a Grapple-Pop in a gift basket!” Clareta answered cheerfully.
Gentle helped the siblings out of their ride and onto whatever dry ground remained on the yard. The three exchanged hugs and greetings until Baylor noticed the two sopping wet kids watching them.
“Who are these young ones?” he asked.
Gentle replied, “Oh, meet In-“
Before Gentle finished speaking, Clareta dashed toward the kids and hugged them so tightly that their already huge eyes almost popped out of their heads. They looked to Gentle and Baylor with pleading faces. Elin stung Clareta in hopes of making her let go of Super, but Clareta was unphased by her attempts.
“Look at them! Aren’t they the cutest children you’ve ever seen?!” Clareta exclaimed. She whipped her head around to face Gentle, “Are these your kids?”
Gentle became flustered, “Uh, n-no. They aren’t my kids. I’m just looking after them. Anyway, meet Incredible Beetle, Super Wing, and Elin!” Cred smiled and tilted his cap, Super sheepishly waved, and Elin glared at the elderly humans.
“Nice to meet you,” said Baylor. “We flew to Home Island to invite everyone to this year’s Grapple-Pap festival on our very own Kraghorn Island.”
“I’m sorry for asking, but what’s Grapple-Pap?”, Super asked.
“The holiday or the creature?”
“…Both?”
“Grapple-Pap is a special time of year when everyone spreads cheer all around Poptropica. Grapple-Pap is also the one who delivers gifts to those who spread cheer, or else.”
“Or else what?”
“As the saying goes, ‘If you don’t spread cheer to all who are near, Grapple-Pap will get you for one whole year!’”
A wave of dread washed over Super. Her chest grew tighter and her breathing more rapid. The possibility of being taken away by a monster was sending her into a spiral, which was interrupted by a sudden “LET’S GO!!!”.
“Cred! Are you serious?!”, Super shouted.
“Yeah! A winter festival in a faraway island where a creature gives gifts and kidnaps people? Sign me up!” Cred answered enthusiastically. Cred’s hunger for adventure was worse than she thought. How else could she explain why he included kidnapping to be part of a fun experience?
“Don’t you hear yourself?!” she shot back.
“Uh, please give us a moment!” Gentle requested from the siblings, to which they nodded. Gentle turned to the kids and called for a huddle. “Guys, this can be a fun trip for everyone. I’ve been to Kraghorn Island before, and I’ve never encountered Grapple-Pap. We’ll be fine as long as we stay in the village and have fun. Just remember to spread some cheer to be safe.” The kids looked to her, then to each other, then back to her. Cred toned down his excitement, and Super felt more assured. Gentle turned back to the siblings and said, “The festival sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for inviting us!”
“Wonderful! We would be happy to guide you there, but our aircraft needs a few repairs.” He gestured to the broken carriage, which was now totally submerged in the pond.
“Don’t worry,” Gentle assured, “Amelia can fix it for you. We’ll provide the transportation, and you’ll show us the way.”
Both parties left to prepare for their long trip. Gentle, Super, and Cred dressed in warm clothes and packed their gear, and Clareta and Baylor salvaged whatever goods survived the crash. After gathering their bearings, they hopped onto a yellow blimp and set off for Kraghorn Island.
I hope you liked Part 1 of The Grapple-Pursuit! I hope to finish this story by the end of December, but I can’t be too sure. The holidays are a hectic time, after all. Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2! 
Thank you for reading, and have a good day!
—Gentle Dolphin 