Operation: FROST, Part 3

Chapter 3: A Jolly Man's Dreams

Close to Uno home

After Cheren's secret meeting, the boy was on his way back home, having to stuff hands in his pockets for warmth. Just when he was two houses away from his own, Aurora jumped out from behind some bushes and tackled him to the street. "Aurora- MMP!" She punched across his jaw.

"WHY'D YOU DO IT, Bro?!" she yelled, punching him more.

"What are you talking about?!" Aurora then threw him against some trashcans.

"You GAVE away the CODE Module!" Aurora pounced onto his back and punched the back of his head.

"W-WHAT?!"

"Don't lie to me!" Another punch. "I was spying on you! You traded the Code Module with a DEMON in exchange for a MAP! What're you meeting MAJORA for, HUH?!"

"Aurora, that WASN'T the CODE MODULE!"

Aurora stopped punching. "Huh? Then what…"

Somewhere in the Underworld

The demon returned to his rundown apartment, looking both ways as he set his parcel on his bed. After making sure he was alone, he unwrapped the package, revealing it to be a round bottle with some kind of drug. The demon plucked the cap off and whiffed the drug directly over the hole. He then guzzled some of it down before putting the cap on. His pupils turned black and grew as his body became 3-D. The dungeon-escape music from Rayman Legends started to play as the demon started to dance to it. His arms and legs were the only body parts moving as he danced in place, and his night became a lot more exciting.

With Cheren and Aurora

"...Oh." Aurora stood and helped her brother up. "Sorry... about that."

"Siiiigh." Cheren brushed off.

"...But... what were you doing? What's with that map?"

Cheren decided to pull out the map and unfold it for Aurora to see. "The story is... Majora sort of disappeared after I defeated him. Five days after I got back, I had a dream telling me to meet a Bulblin in that alleyway on Christmas Eve, who would tell me where to meet Majora; and that little drug was meant to be my sign. I couldn't really pass it up, so... I took it. The only other person who knows is Larry; that's why I had him get me the drug."

"Phew… well, at least I know you're not a traitor. But… why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, you… kinda worry a lot. I didn't want you to over-react if you knew I was meeting with a demon."

"Heh heh, I think demons need to be worried about you. But… I'm sorry for attacking you."

"It's all right." Cheren smiled. "Why did you suspect me, anyway?"

"Well… it was Rumpel. He sorta came and… told me you were joining the Dark Side. It's what I get for believing him."

"Why would Rumpel trick you to attacking me? He doesn't usually do this stuff unless he has a motive. …Well, scratch that."

"It does feel kinda strange, though. I mean, is it a Christmas tradition for him?"

"We'll ask him later. Let's just go home. In case Santa gets a little evil tonight."

"Ha ha ha!" With that, the two returned home.

Santa's Workshop

The jolly red man carefully lied Suki Crystal on the seat of his sleigh, the little girl still fast asleep. The elves had hauled the sack full of presents onto the sleigh as Santa took his seat and gripped the reindeers' reins. "You really think you can last out there, Santa?" Wintergreen asked.

"You might freeze before you even leave the North Pole!" Snow Angel yelled with concern.

"I'm not letting… a few frowny faces… keep me down." Santa panted, a fierce look in his eyes as he clutched the reins tight. "Christmas will… continue… as always."

"Hmmmm…" He's done this for so long… he doesn't want anything to change. Even though… Mrs. Claus thought to herself sadly.

"Okay! On Dasher! On Dancer! Prancer! Nixon—I mean! Uuuumm… OH, just lift off!" Santa lashed the reins as the gates opened, and the reindeer began to charge down the runway. The elves watched from outside as the sleigh shot up the ramp, and flew off to the cloudy heavens. The elves wanted to feel excited… but knowing Santa's condition, they couldn't.

The blizzards came harder than ever as they flew across the icecaps. It was hard for Santa to see, even with Rudolph's light leading the way. He was actually almost tempted to turn back… but he looked down on his right, seeing Suki Crystal's peaceful, sleeping form. If anything, he wanted to fly to Iceland and return her home as quickly as possible. He wishes she was awake now… her positive energy might give him the strength to keep flying. She was always so joyous this holiday. More than anyone. It's why he hated to see her hear the truth about Jack Frost.

Unbeknownst to him, a robot watched him from the field below, locking on with a missile. His target locked tight, the robot fired. The roaring sound caught Santa's attention as he turned around, seeing the missile on his tail. "HOOOH!"

The missile collided, and a bright explosion lit up the sky.

Santa's Workshop

In the distance, the elves could see the flashing light in the distance. "What was that?" Mrs. Claus asked.

"Didn't we tell GUN not to set up that military base??" Wintergreen asked.

There was forceful banging on the front door, and all the elves directed their attention there. Suddenly, the door flew open as Dr. Nefarious kicked it, the maniacal robot walking inside with a grin on his face as Lawrence followed. "HELLO, Elves! Feliz Navidad! Upside-down exclamation point and all that."

"What are YOU doing here?!" Mrs. Claus asked hatefully.

"To celebrate CHRISTMAS, of course! What better place than where it's really HAPPENING?"

"Yes, it's become sort of a Christmas tradition to want to dispose of Santa Claus." Lawrence mentioned.

"WHAT'D you do to Santa?!" Wintergreen demanded.

"It's come to my attention Santa has gotten a LITTLE too old to be delivering PRESENTS! A fate to be expected from a mere SQUISHY. So that's why he deserved to go out with a BANG!" They all gasped. "But DON'T worry! I've developed the most WORTHY replacement! BRING HIM in, BOYS."

A group of Nefarious Drones floated in, pulling the robotic Santa Claus. "This robot can get things done a MILLION times faster than that overweight OAF! Same goes for these ROBOTS. From now on, this factory will be under the care of my DRONES."

"Not if WE have anything to say about it!" Wintergreen declared as Elfa Strike readied for battle.

"STUPEFY!" Rumpel immediately threw a spell and knocked Nutcracker out. A squad of witches soared out, throwing sharp-toothed metal pumpkins at Coniferous, slicing up his thick pines. Koume unleashed a fire spell at Snow Angel while Kotake froze Wintergreen in ice.

And just like that, the Elfa Strike was out of commission as Rumpel stood victoriously atop Wintergreen. "And I will be serving as their sponsor."

"R-Rumpel… Stiltskin?" Snow Angel spoke weakly.

"I knew… you were… behind this…" Wintergreen grunted.

"Explicitly." Rumpel looked as smug and witty as ever. "After all, I wouldn't sit idly by forever, you know that." He jumped off and walked to Nefarious's side, hands folded behind him. "It shouldn't be so bad. After all…" Rumpel turned, showing his know-it-all appearance, "this robot knows. More than anyone…"

Iceland; Crystal Household

Olive Crystal had finished making dinner as her husband and oldest daughter were already seated around the table. As she set the soup and turkey down, she only felt worried. "Suki sure has been gone a while. I wonder where she went?"

"Maybe she's at one of the other's houses." Yuki said.

"I called them, they said she wasn't there. What if she climbed Oil Ice Mountain and she SLIPPED?!"

"There isn't really oil on that mountain, is there?" Yuki asked.

"Yukiiii! Our daughter could be HURT!" Olive yelled.

"I don't really sense us going to a funeral." Miyuki told them glumly. "Not until May, anyway."

"Ooh!" Olive face-palmed. "Well, unless some explanation decides to DRIVE UP down the street, you two-" She stopped when the house began to rumble tremendously. Bright lights were seen outside, followed by the deafening roar of a train's horn. The lights whipped by as a long, tremendous object screeched to a halt outside their house.

The family walked outside, seeing it was a huge train parked on the street. The King and Stork families, as well as many others who lived on the block, stepped out and stared with curiosity and confusion. The train's Conductor stepped off just then, looking frantic. "Is ANYONE here acquainted with Suki Crystal?!"

Suki's family exchanged quick, worried glances, as did their friends. "Um, we're her family." Olive told them.

"Suki is in trouble, and so is Santa Claus!" They all gasped. "ANY friends of Suki, come with me at once! Sorry, but only kids are allowed."

Miyuki looked up at her mom. "Should I get on?"

"Well, normally I wouldn't trust strangers, but, if he's the only one that knows." Olive nodded. "Don't worry, we'll hold off on dinner 'til you get back." Miyuki ran on the train quickly.

"What?? Won't our dinner get cold?" Yuki questioned.

Olive walked in and snapped her fingers, smiling as she froze the dining table in a Time Stop. "Now it'll be like they never left!"

"Siiiiigh." Yuki sighed with annoyance. He really wanted to eat.

Just as well, the other parents nodded to their kids, and George, MaKayla, Lola, and Terry hurried onto the train. The Polar Express took off down the street at high speed, watched by the parents and the other neighborhood kids. "Awwww I wanna ride the traaaain!" a boy yelled.

"Son, those families are weirdoes, just because their kids got on a stranger's train, doesn't mean you should." his mother told him.

"I'll show YOU who's weird, bitch…" Virginia mumbled, blowing smoke from her cigarette.

Santa's Workshop

Things were much different in the elves' colorful factory. Their happy smiles had turned into frowns as robots forced them into labor, to make more toys. But these weren't your everyday model train sets or game consoles. They were weapons of mass destruction. Missiles, machineguns, bombs, and ducks that electrocute you in the bathtub. And already, Santa's robotic replacement was seated in the terminal room, scanning each and every kid on his list.

"Now… let's look at who's been NAUGHTY… and who's been naughty…" Robo-Santa pressed a button, showing Kimaya Heartly's image. "Oooh, Kimaya Heartly! She's been a very disrespectful girl. Oooh, naughtyyyy." He pushed the button and showed Kami Heartly. "Aha! And this mother doesn't respect her daughter's freedom to be disrespectful. Naughtyyyy."

Downstairs

"REDUCTO!" Rumpel blasted another door down with his magic as he and Nefarious stepped through.

"Ohhh, how can one have so MUCH in one CLOSET?!" Nefarious shouted.

"Haven't you read Narnia?" Rumpel remarked. "Anyway, it's right over here. Behold!" Sitting on the farthest end of the room was a small safe, with thin green and red drawings, and a slight green glow around its lock. "Santa's almighty safe he used to store his even MORE mighty Reindeer! Ho ho, but he's NOT so MIGHTY now! This barrier used to be much bigger, but considering all the negativity lately, it's SHRUNK! All it needs is just the slightest bit depressed wail, and it's ULTIMATE power! For example…" With an evil grin, Rumpel conjured an anvil above Nefarious's foot, and it came down to crush it.

"YYYOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!"

At that instant, the tiny energy around the lock disappeared. Rumpel aimed his wand at the lock and said, "Alohomora," and the safe came open. Still smirking wittingly, he reached inside and pulled out the sash of jingle bells. "For you." He gave it to Nefarious.

The red-eyed robot stared confusedly at the jingle bells. "THIS is the ultimate POWER?! They're just little BELLS!"

"Au contraire! This is the ultimate technology in terms of teleportation. Santa once used this contraption to transport presents ALL around the world! But he's gotten so old lately, even HE can't control it without succumbing to its strength! But I'm certain, a strong robot like your creation shall be MORE than enough to give those kiddies a Christmas they'll NEVER forget!"

"I'LL be the judge of THAT, Rumpel!" Nefarious stated suspiciously as he marched to the terminal room.

Terminal room

"Oh, SANTAAA!" The evil robot turned as his creator marched in. "I have a GIFT for YOOOOU!" Nefarious tossed Robo-Santa the Reindeer. "With this handy device, you can spread chaos from JUST this one room! Or so I've been told."

Robot Santa studied the jingle bells closely, his evil eyes and wicked grin unchanging. "Ho ho HOOOO! I can sense tremendous energy in these bells!" The robot sat on his sleigh and faced the terminals. "We'll see if those kids choose to be naughty… after this."

Around the world…

The skies above the world never looked so bleak. Bombs began to appear all around the skies, raining over neighborhoods and exploding. Nefarious Drones were warped to the neighborhood of Sector V, rapidly blasting machineguns to every house, ruining windows and roofs. Missiles appeared in the skies over the Philippines, coming down and blowing away more houses. People all over the world were happily enjoying Christmas, opening presents and spending time with families. But things easily turned into ruin and despair. No one knew what was happening. But everyone's happy feelings were replaced with fear, and everyone prayed it would end soon.

And Robot Santa ensured all this misery, his form glowing a devilish red as the power of the Reindeer surged through his form.

Somewhere in the Frost Fields

Snow was pouring fast as Suki's body lay unconscious in the fields. The 7-year-old weakly woke up, moaning as she tried to stand. "What… happened…"

She heard footsteps stepping through the snow, and turned around to see Jack Frost. "Oh, good, you're awake…"

Suki's bright smile returned. "Jack FROST! See, I KNEW you weren't EVIL!" She wrapped her arms around his legs.

"Heheh… come on." The spirit boy led Suki into a nearby cave.

Inside, the child found Santa Claus unconscious in the corner. She immediately ran over and tugged his beard. "Santaaa! Wake uuuup!"

"He's out cold." Jack told her. "You only survived because… well, you don't have to depend on Christmas spirit."

"Whaddyou meeeeaaan??"

"I mean that there's so much negativity, Santa's lost the strength to go on. He wanted to hope that Christmas could be just as joyful as it's always been… but his hope wasn't enough."

"Is THAT why he crashed?"

"No… I think someone just didn't want Santa to do his thing. But it WASN'T me." He stated angrily.

"I KNOW it's not you, don't yell at meeee!"

Jack sighed. "Sorry… Hey, let's sit down. I was able to freeze some caribou for you. …They're the non-magical kind, hehe."

The two sat along the wall close to Santa as Suki began to eat the frozen meat. She had second thoughts about eating reindeer, but as long as they were cold, it'd fill her up. "You know, ever since I was made a spirit…" Jack spoke, "I always thought there was a special place for me in the world. I thought I could… be more than just a prankster."

"But JAAAACK! You PROTECT kids during winter! You're the reason kids are always so HAPPY for Christmas! Thanks to you, they get to miss SCHOOL and play in the snow ALL daaaay!"

"Yeah, but… no one thinks the person 'Jack Frost' even exists. You hear kids excited for Santa Claus visiting their houses, and the Easter Bunny laying eggs in your backyard… and not the bad kind of eggs. But no one looks at Jack Frost as some… Spirit of the Winter Season. They just look at him as some… natural phenomenon that happens to… well, happen. I don't wanna be looked at as just some… superstition. I wanna do something people will actually… remember me for. And… believe I exist."

"Jaaaack!" Suki's smile was wide as ever. "You don't need people to believe in you! You should be HAPPY being who you are! Aren't you glad that children get to have FUN in the snow thanks to you??"

Jack smiled and chuckled. "That's what I always admired about you, Suki. You're so… carefree and… full of energy. You're not even a spirit, and… you're more spirited than I am. If people like you ran the world… there wouldn't be any trouble." Jack gave a light smile as he looked at Santa. "Heck, your spirit alone might be all Santa needs. If only we could let everyone know he's all right."

"How will there be Christmas without Santa Claus??" Suki yelled with a sad frown.

"I don't know…"

CHOOOOOOOOO…

Suki's ears perked. Both she and Jack curiously walked out of the cave. In the distant darkness, they could see a pair of lights drawing closer. CHOOOO. The horns were joined by the sounds of rushing wheels. Suki and Jack stepped back into the cave when the Polar Express came to a screeching halt, forcing the two to shield their ears and shut their eyes tight.

Suki's wide eyes opened to see a door on the train slide open. The Conductor stuck his head out to see them. "Ah ha HA! You were right! She WAS here!" And Suki's mouth became a wide smile when Sector IC stepped off.

"Suki!" MaKayla exclaimed.

"GUUUuuuyyys!" Suki cheered and jumped with joy.

"How did you guys find us?" Jack asked.

"Actually, she's the one that told me your location." The Conductor answered, pointing to MaKayla.

"MaKayla?" Suki looked confused.

"I just… knew!" The blue-eyed girl smiled.

"Hmm… HEY, everyone! This is Jack FROST!" Suki smiled again, throwing her arms to Jack Frost.

The kids looked to their right as Jack Frost waved. …They didn't see anything. "There's… no one there." Lola said.

Suki frowned, looking at Jack. The spirit boy gave an 'It's okay' smile. "Oh… well, never mind."

"Hey, who's that?" George asked as they approached the man in the back of the cave.

"Ooooohhh…" The bearded man was still very weak.

"Frosty's nose, that's SANTA!" the Conductor exclaimed.

"SANTA??" Lola questioned.

"Are you kidding?" Terry asked disbelievingly.

"YES, it's HIIIM!" Suki whined. "We were flying on his sleigh, and we got shot and feeell!"

"What shot you?" MaKayla asked.

"I don't knooooww!"

"It's actually all the negative energy that makes him weak." Jack said.

"Negative energy?" MaKayla replied. "Hmmm… Miyuki, can you do something?"

"I guess I can-… Wait, how did you know about negative energy?" Miyuki questioned.

"Oh! I think I just… heard it." MaKayla said lowly. Jack stood behind her, eyes widened in surprise.

Miyuki knelt down before Santa and touched a finger to his forehead. She closed her eyes, beginning to channel her timebending as memories flowed through Santa's head. (Play "Gold and Oden" (the first part) from One Piece.)

The old days were peaceful… there wasn't much technology in the world… the kids weren't so desiring. Everyone was so happy for Christmas. Playing out in the snow… drinking warm cocoa inside… and spending time with friends and family. And then at night, they'd go to sleep, awash in dreams… that was how it was back then. And he'd always feel so happy… seeing their sleeping, dreaming faces. Believing Santa was coming down their chimney… ensuring them a happy Christmas. …And then their parents would wake up, accuse Santa of being a burglar, and chase him out.

All the kids had back then were dreams. Dreams that Christmas would be warm, and the future would be warmer, no matter how cold it seemed. And there were magical beings like Santa Claus, who watched over and protected them. And by simply giving them a toy train, a yo-yo, or a tiny stuffed doll… they knew their dreams had come true.

But as time passed… people evolved… things changed. Kids became adults, and by then, they thought Santa Claus to be just a fairytale. There was no such thing as Santa. That phrase became more and more frequent. All these gifts were just from relatives. Their dreams… faded… as time went.

And as kids grew older, so did technology. There was so much cool stuff being created… in this newest generation of kids, you hardly see anyone who doesn't want a new videogame or an iPhone. In this new age… no one saw Santa as a magical spirit that gave the world peace. They saw him as hope: hope they can get what they want, satisfying their everlasting needs. They hardly ever got what they want, but Christmas was the one time they could get stuff. They didn't care from where; whether it was from Santa or the store. As long as they had it… that was all.

Almost no one truly believed in Santa Claus's existence in the future. Their happiness only came from simple desires. Because of this… Santa was too weak to use the Reindeer. He returned to the traditional way, flying with reindeer and dropping into people's houses. The kind of happiness the kids had, with only getting what they wanted, was enough to allow him to do this. But this wasn't the only reason. He returned to the traditional way… because he hoped, things could go back to the old ways. He hoped kids could have those same dreams again.

But they didn't… and every year Santa went flying, he felt himself growing weaker. People were concerned for him: Mrs. Claus… Elfa Strike… even Jack Skellington. They weren't affected like Santa was. They didn't feel this energy… they couldn't lose it. They could deliver the presents no problem. But Santa knew… only he knew how to do it. He was the one kids believed in. If there were still kids out there who believed in Santa… if anyone saw anyone else in his place… they would know, all their dreams weren't all they expected. If Santa didn't have the strength to do his job… what hope would they have. If Santa could die… so would their dreams. That's why… no one else could take Santa's place. (End song.)

Miyuki took her hand off and stood up. Santa remained asleep… peacefully… "Well?" MaKayla asked.

Miyuki remained turned away from her friends. "He was… so desperate… to keep Christmas alive." She turned, showing everyone her saddened face. "Seeing kids happy… on Christmas Day. That was all he cared about. He… wanted to keep it going. Even on his last breath… he wouldn't stop until he saw kids happy again. The kind of happy… that gave him strength."

"And now there won't be any Christmas… if he's like this." MaKayla said, looking at Santa sadly.

Suki's young, vibrant eyes became serious. The 7-year-old stomped out of the cave, facing the toy factory in the distance. This was all someone's doing, she knew. Someone shot them out of the sky… someone framed Jack Frost. She didn't know who… but she couldn't let this happen. "SOMEONE'S trying to ruin Christmas!" she announced. "We HAVE to get to Santa's house and STOP them!" She jumped in front of the Conductor and yelled, "Mr. Conductor Man, TAKE us to the factory!"

"I'd love to, Kid… but Santa ain't the only one who needs good feelings. This train used the last of her strength gettin' DOWN here without tracks. You kids are gonna have to go on FOOT."

"Siiiigh, great. MORE following Suki across a slippery field." Terry moaned.

"Come on, you guuuuuys!" Suki whined, already going ahead. "We gotta go STOP theeeem!"

"We're with you, Suki!" MaKayla said as they all gave serious nods.

"Well, JAAAAACK?" she whined again.

The spirit boy helped Santa up and took him into the train. "The train may be stopped, but it's still probably warmer than outside. I'll help look after him… you guys get going."

"OKAAAAY!" And Suki scampered away, the others following.

MaKayla walked beside Suki as the child skipped happily, and the older girl whispered, "I saw him, too."

"Oooh?" Suki looked at her with wide, curious eyes.

"Hm hm!" MaKayla smiled.

"…HA HA!" And Suki's smile was wide again.

"Am I missing something here?" Terry asked.

"Hm hm, it's nothing, Ter!" MaKayla winked. (Play the "Tundor Wastes" theme from Ratchet: Going Commando.)

Stage 1: Frost Fields

Mission: Get back to Santa's workshop.

The six children began their venture across the fields, going down a short hill. The factory was miles off in the distance, but the vibrant color had already faded from it. They weren't sure what was going on, but they had to get there quick. The six reached a small field at the base of the hill, where some yeti jumped out from the snow. MaKayla ran forward and dodged when a yeti chucked its large snowball at her, leaping and dealing a series of kicks against its face. Lola became a bat and flapped high overhead to avoid another's snowball, then flew down to bite its nose.

Another yeti threw its snowball at Suki, but the icebender caught it in midair and sent it back to knock it out. Miyuki did the same, using timebending to catch a snowball and Rewind it back at the yeti. Once they were defeated, the kids continued up another frosty hill, reaching a chasm with very sharp icicles down below. Suki simply conjured an ice path, allowing the group to cross safely. They reached a small enclosing where a cave's entrance rested atop a ledge above them. There was a long, thick icicle sticking down, so they just had to clutch to it and climb up (of course, Terry and Lola chose to fly up, since they could).

They entered a narrow cave that was almost perfectly round, as if a worm dug through it, with some icicles hanging on the ceiling. As they passed through, the icicles came down, but George and MaKayla froze them midair with timebending. They slipped down a small slope into a wider part of the cave, where Armos Freezards stood guard around the area. Terry used Shadow Veil and slithered to the first Freezard, but when he popped up, the ice statue immediately froze him solid.

"Can't say I didn't expect THAT to happen." Lola remarked as she flung Spanking Hands at the Freezard, smashing him to pieces. Suki went over to unfreeze Terry, but that's when an icicle fell from above her. Suki sensed and quickly grabbed the icicle in midair, then sent it at another Freezard. They decided to abandon the last Freezard and hop up some ledges. They found one more Freezard stationed between some walls, but George froze him in time and allowed MaKayla to punch and kick it to pieces. The next ledge was too high, and the parallel walls were too far for a Wall Jump. Suki simply made some huge icicles emerge from the walls, close enough for the group to jump their way up.

They found another narrow tunnel, but a Nefarious Drone was watching them from halfway through. The robot shot a missile at the tunnel's ceiling, and the passage was immediately covered with snow and icy debris. MaKayla and Miyuki stood together and combined their timebending to Rewind and fix the tunnel back to normal. By that time, the Nefarious Drone had gotten away, so they proceeded to pass through the cave anyway. The cave made a right turn before they were led outside to a vast, expansive snowfield, where yetis roamed around and made giant snowmen.

Just as well, the Nefarious Drones came and placed mechanical hats on the snowmen's heads. They sparked to life, turning into evil Frosty's. The first one hopped its way toward the kids and tried to smash them, but they ran separate directions and avoided. Suki used icebending to form her own big snowball and throw it at its hat, knocking it off and making the snowman immobile. A yeti charged over and grabbed Suki in its hand, but Miyuki froze it in time and used Rewind to make the yeti a smaller baby.

They hurried toward a ledge on the far side of the field as another snowman attacked them. MaKayla flipped swiftly above it and kicked its helmet off, and it flew to a yeti behind it. The helmet landed on the yeti's head, causing the yeti to shake crazily and throw large snowballs at other yeti. The yeti then charged toward the ledge and rammed headfirst, causing a pile of snow to fall down and bury it. The kids were able to use this pile to climb to the short ledge. There, more yeti rolled snowballs at them, but Miyuki used Rewind to send one of the snowballs back.

From the next ledge, a yeti was throwing snowballs down, but Terry used Shadow Veil to slither up behind the yeti and kick him down. The kids then used the creature as a bounce pad to bounce up the ledge. They entered another cave, which was wider than the previous cave. Yetis were still rolling giant snowballs, which Suki caught and rolled back. Two snowballs were rolling at MaKayla, but she froze them in time and ran between them. She jumped and kicked off the two yetis' heads as they ran forward and turned right down the cave. This part of the cave seemed a lot more empty, but when they took the first steps forward, the cave shook when a giant seasnake burst through the left wall, chomping its teeth before going back.

The six kids looked freaked out, running forward quickly before the snake came back. Another seasnake burst from the ceiling, chomping at the ground, and the kids stopped inches before it as they watched it retreat. They ran further, and the tunnel seemed to go on for several more miles. The cave shook greater than ever when an even bigger seasnake emerged from the other side, chomping its mouth furiously as it slithered toward them. The kids looked around frantically, seeing nowhere to go; and the snake was coming too fast to turn back. However, Suki looked down and noticing a floor below the ice. The girl jumped and shot down with force, breaking the ice as they all fell through, just before the eel munched on them.

The kids sighed with relief before hurrying down this new hall, which seemed to get progressively darker as they went. They ended up walking onto a slide and slid down the slippery substance. When the floor became flat again, things became pitch-black as they walked forward. Things still seemed pretty normal, but the hard ice ground suddenly became squishy, and Suki felt something warm and moist under her bare feet. The kids froze with fear when the "cave" shook, emitting a roar.

A gigantic seasnake had lured them into their mouth, standing up straight again after catching his bait. However, his eyes widened when Lola Stork had bitten his uvula with her bat teeth. He turned around and spat the kids out, sending them flying miles across the fields. They screamed as they soared across the snows, thankfully crashing into a huge pile of soft snow. They poked their heads out and shook the snow off before stepping out.

"Since when do SEASNAKES live in the North Pole??" Terry questioned.

"Well, at least he blew us closer to the factory." MaKayla noticed.

"Let's get going." George told them seriously.

The six took a narrow path downward between some walls, and were led to another pit of icy spikes. Suki held her hands open and began to freeze another ice path. This pit was longer, and Suki had to make several turns as they went around the walls. There were Ice Keese flapping over the pit, so Suki had to throw quick ice blasts at the bats while still holding the path up for them to go. They eventually made it onto a safe path, following the snaky pass between more walls before reaching a slight open area.

Nefarious Drones ambushed them and began to attack. They blasted laser guns, but George froze the blasts in time as MaKayla ran and started flipping and kicking them. Suki slid over and froze their arms before Lola jumped and kicked their domes. The six jumped up some steps and cut through a narrow path to another small open area. There were snowmen; smaller than the previous ones, wearing mechanical hats that brought them to life. The bottoms of these snowmen had icy spikes, as they held their selves up with their stick-hands and aimed their bottoms to fire icicles at them.

Suki grabbed the icicles and tossed them back, sticking them into the snowmen's bodies. Miyuki caught them in a time grip and easily Rewinded them back into snow piles. They kids followed more narrow paths, having to walk around very spiky crystals. At one point, Terry slipped and his butt was spiked by a crystal, and the boy whimpered as he rubbed it.

Finally, they made it out of the passage, and Santa's factory sat just over a huge chasm. The kids carefully jumped their way across small, slippery platforms. A few of the platforms were giving way and falling, but George and MaKayla combined their timebending to hold them in place. They were able to make it across, jumping up a few ledges before they were at level with Santa's workshop.

"YAAAaaay! We MADE it!" Suki jumped with joy as she ran ahead.

"Huff. Glad that wasn't long." Terry said in exhaust.

MaKayla walked by him and caught a whiff. "Sniff-sniff. Did you step on a fish when we were in that thing?" She walked ahead as Terry reached under the back of his coat.

"Oooohh…" Terry looked disgusted as he pulled out a dead fish. He dropped it and hurried after the others. (End song.)

Santa's Workshop

The elves were still hard at work as Nefarious Drones oversaw their forced operations. Everything was normal as always… well, normal since Nefarious took over the place. But the peace was disturbed when the front doors suddenly blew down, blowing away the two robots standing guard. When the smoke cleared, everyone saw Sector IC with serious expressions. The team charged in as MaKayla began jumping and kicking the first set of Nefarious Drones. The robot raised guns and shot the kids, but George used Time Stop to freeze their bullets in place, and then Rewind them at the robots.

Miyuki caught the robots in her own time grip and sped up their ages so they would rust. Lola became a bat and flapped to some robots, using her teeth to pry open their control panels and then rip up their wires. Terry stood in front of a robot, totally unguarded as he wore his usual frown. But when the robot aimed to shoot, Terry's shadow, Tael, grabbed the gun of the robot's shadow, forcing the robot to aim at himself. The robot didn't understand what was happening, but was too late to find out as it shot itself.

As her friends battled the robots, Suki swiftly skied over to the elves and blew ice onto their shackles, freezing them solid. With a wide smile, she lightly flicked the ice with her fingers, and the shackles broke instantly. "YAAAAY!" the elves cheered.

"Can you tell us what's going on here??" MaKayla questioned.

"They've got a Robot Santa Claus sending weapons at peoples' houses!" an elf yelled in a squeaky voice.

"He's using the Reindeer to warp weapons all over the world!" another yelled.

"The reindeer can WARP stuff?" MaKayla asked.

"No, not the reindeer! The Reindeer! …The magic one!"

"Oh yeah… Dad told us about it." George remembered.

"Well, where is he?" MaKayla asked.

"On the top floor, take the elevator!"

"Got it!" The six kids immediately headed for the elevator.

The elevator brought them to the room just before the terminal chamber. A group of Rumpel's witches threw spells at them, but they dodged as Suki shot iceballs at them, freezing their heads. "Let's go!" George yelled as they charged for the steel door.

Once the doors slid open, they watched as the robotic incarnation brimmed with red energy, sending weapons all around the world with his Reindeer. "Santa, STOP!" MaKayla cried. The energy faded away as the robot turned and glared at them.

"WHAT are you kids doing here?! Shouldn't you be at home with your families?? That's VERY naughty!"

"Oh YEAH??" MaKayla looked strict. "You destroy ANYthing you deem to be naughty, don't you? Well, I propose that YOU are naughty! And therefore you MUST destroy your SELF!"

Robot Santa was silent. It was beginning to process what MaKayla just said. Instantly, his head began sparking, and in a few seconds, the robot exploded into pieces.

"YEEAAAAHH!" The kids cheered in victory.

"Dude, that was awesome!" Lola cheered.

"What c'n I tell ya? I know my paradoxes." MaKayla smiled proudly.

"Not so FAST, kiddies!" They looked up as Nefarious hovered above them using rocket shoes. "Take a LOOK!"

Their mouths dropped when the Robot Santa's pieces formed back almost instantly, glaring at them with its new head. "HUH? …But-" MaKayla tried to speak.

"YOU won't best him so easily, kids! I built this robot with PARADOX-absorbing chromosomes!" Nefarious exclaimed. "He's indestructible! Which is more than I can say for YOU kiddies! If you would do the honors…"

The operatives glared furiously at the robot, not focusing behind them. "STUPEFY!" A group of Rumpel and his witches blasted the operatives with spells, turning their bodies stiff. "Quick, get the chi-blocking cuffs on them!" Rumpel ordered. The witches quickly held the kids up and fixed the cuffs over their wrists; and Suki's bare legs. "AAAAHH HAHAHAHA HAHAHA!" The evil Elfin cackled wickedly. "Kids pick up the WORST things from their parents, don't they?" He walked over and pinched George's cheek tauntingly. "It's really a shame. The newest generation is the worst, huh?"

The villains brought the kids into the factory room and sat them against the wall. The Stupefy wore off, and Suki frantically tried to shake the cuffs off her ankles. "Let us go, you meanies! Quit ruining Christmas!"

"Ahhh, put a SOCK in it." Nefarious demanded, bonking the child's head. "Well, you don't exactly HAVE any socks, but… the point is, CHRISTMAS is going down, and there's NOTHING you can do about it!"

"Whaddo YOU got against Christmas?" MaKayla asked.

"I'm SICK of Christmas! All the caring and sharing and happy FEELINGS you humans have! No one ever cared or shared with ME as a kid! WHY SHOULD YOU ALL?! It's always been my dream to take over Christmas, AND I HAVE!" Nefarious marched over to his Santa robot. "With THIS lovely creation, Christmas will come to be IN MY OWN IMAGE, and I'll have SANTA disposed of FOR GOOD! RrrrrRIGHT, Sandy?" He grinned eagerly at his robot. "OOMP!" Immediately, the robot clutched Nefarious by the neck and tossed him headfirst against a wall. "GrrrrRRR!" Nefarious stood up, enraged. "How DARE you attack ME! WHAT'S WRONG with you?!"

"Abusing a defenseless little child… I've never SEEN anything more naughty! Iiii'm going to punish SO bad, Nefarious." Robo-Santa's eyes looked furious.

"WHAAAAT? LISTEN here, YOU. I created you, and I can-" The robot gripped Nefarious by the chest with force. "WAAAH!" He hurled the skinnier robot into a rectangular, green Christmas present that was Nefarious's height. Robot Santa placed a lid over his creator and sealed the box with red ribbons.

"Mmm-mmmm? MMMMPH!" The present box shook.

"I'll come back for you after I've dealt with every other naughty little pesk." The terrifying robot turned and glared at the trapped kids and elves. "And as far as I can tell, you have all been VERY naughty. …Except for you, Lawrence!" He turned to the frowning robot butler. "You get a present!" With that, he handed him a scooter.

The glum butler got on his scooter and said with an emotionless tone, "I shall cherish this always, Sir." With that, the butler rolled out of the building on his new toy.

"Ahhhh, creators." Rumpel shook his head, beginning to pace before the cuffed operatives. "They make the most powerful of things, and have no sense to control them. Even Sandy couldn't maintain the power of his Reindeer. Even this robot had more gut."

"You've been very naughty, TOO, Rumpel." Robo-Santa glared accusingly.

"Yeah, yeah, give me the nuclear missile later. JUST go back to bein' Santa so we can WRECK this-…" The factory began to shake, and everyone looked around confused.

…CHOOOOOOOOO! The Polar Express burst through the factory walls, screeching to a halt. The door opened as the Conductor wobbled out, hanging onto the side handle. "We-ell! I'll have to ask Santa for a train door!" he joked.

"MR. CONDUCTOOOR!" Suki cheered.

"Hey, HEY! What's the big idea?!" Rumpel shouted.

"It turns out, reindeer make good mechanics!" the man smiled. Everyone looked to the train's windows, seeing the smiling reindeer wave. "Sorry, we didn't mean to intrude… but someone had to stop here to get something."

Their attention directed toward the train door, hearing the sound of tired panting. Santa Claus exhaustedly wobbled out of the train. He had almost no strength left… but he looked so desperate. "Santa!!" Mrs. Claus gasped with worry.

Santa struggled to wobble to Robot Santa and Rumpel. He faced them with a distressed look under his brows. "You won't… huff… deliver… huff… another… present…"

"HO ho ho! Sorry, has-been. Leave the job of Santa to someone more physically functional." The robot glared.

"You are not… SANTA!!" The bearded man leapt at the robot, and both locked hands with each other. The robot was strong, but Santa did his best not to budge. "Huurrrr!…"

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Rumpel threw a spell that broke Santa's hold on the robot. The metal monster grabbed the chubby man and threw him against the wall. (Play "Difficult" (the first part) from One Piece.)

"SANTAAAA!" Suki cried.

"AAAAHHH HA HA HAAAA!" Rumpel cackled away. "You old FOOL! ! You actually thought you could win? Ha HA! ! Christmas is OVER, Sandy Claus! FACE IT! Things will NEVER be the same as in the old days! You can whip your reindeer ALL you want, but all kids will ever care about is TOYS and GAMES! The ERA of Santa Claus is over! You might as well just lie there and ACCEPT your fate!"

"Ooooohh…" Santa groaned with pain as Rumpel stepped over him, smirking wickedly.

"Well?… WHAT'S WRONG with you? You're gonna go down because of a few sad faces? Ha HA! To THINK that kids depended on you for Christmas CHEER!" He kicked Santa's face. "YOU were never cut out to BE Santa! Relying on silly DREAMS for your power! EVERYONE knows that dreams are meant to die SOMEDAY! And THESE little kiddies, with easily-manipulated minds, were BOUND to forget you! The past is GONE, Sandy! THIS is a NEW era!" Rumpel danced atop the Santa robot. "This robot will SYMBOLIZE Christmas's grand change, from being the most joyous holiday ever, to what EVERYone FEARS MOST! And in time… NO ONE will remember how Christmas was! This will become a holiday that EVERYONE WILL REPENT! MWAH HA HAH HA HA HAAAAA!"

"Nnnnn!…" Santa desperately wanted to stand… but he couldn't. He just didn't have the strength, anymore. Rumpel was… right.

Suki's face never looked more furious. "Psst… Suki."

"Oh?" Her eyes perked, seeing Jack Frost knelt down behind her.

"Suki… you have to do something."

"Nnnnn!" The child tried to break free of her cuffs. "I caaaan't!"

"Yes you can." Jack said softly. "Remember what I said? Your Christmas spirit is stronger than anyone's. You believed me when I was framed. Now you have to believe in Santa. Believe like you've never believed in him before."

Suki looked at the weakened old man. Santa and Jack Frost were her favorite holiday figures. Every year, Santa gave every ounce of his strength to give children their presents. It must've been the hardest job in the world… but the only reason he could keep it up was because kids believed in him. It was good to have people believe in you… Jack was right. Suki shut her eyes tight, and, with all her might, yelled louder than ever. (End song.)

"I BELIEVE IN YOU, SANTA!! CHRISTMAS ISN'T OVER!! I BELIEVE YOU CAN STILL MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY!! GIVE EVERYONE THE HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS THEY EVER HAAAAAD!"

"Ohhhh SHUT. UUUUUP!" Rumpel yelled with rage. "Don't you GET IT?!" The angry elf stomped furiously toward the girl. "LOOK AT HIM! !" He grabbed Suki's hair and made her face Santa. "He's washed UP. He can't DO IT, anymore!" He then picked Suki up by her hair, yelling in her face, "Oh, but YOU think a few simple WORDS are gonna CHANGE that! Well, I AIN'T hearing any JINGLE bells, YET! … …"

Ching-ching-ching-ching-ching-ching

Rumpel's ears perked at the sound of jingling bells. He looked at the factory's entrance (broken by the Polar Express) with a mix of shock and horror.

"HO HO HOOOOO!" A pack of skeleton reindeer sped into the factory, coming to a stop as Jack Skellington hopped out of the sleigh, holding a sack over his shoulder. "MERRY CHRISTMAS to ONE AND ALL! And HAPPY, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!"

A voice from his sack spoke, "Leeeet's geeeet-" immediately, Jar Jar Blinks shot from the sack, looking very frantic, "HAPPYYYYYYY!!!" (Play "Can't Escape, Fight!" (the second part) from One Piece!)

The Nefarious Drones took aim at the two, but they leaped high and dodged. "Ho ho HO!" Jack Skellington tossed Present Bombs at the robots, blowing them away.

Jar Jar landed on his feet and whipped out a bottle of eggnog, guzzling away. "Whoooo's goooot NOOGGYYYYYY???" The Gungan scampered as fast as a cheetah, kicking the robots too fast for them to see. "AYE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE-YE!" Before the robots could understand what happened, they fell to pieces. "Uwwwaaaaahh." He faced the trapped operatives, readying a kick. "HI-YAH HI-YAH." He swiped his legs lightning-fast, and their cuffs were broken.

The kids smiled as they stood, rubbing their wrists. "Nice going, Jar Jar!" MaKayla congratulated.

"It's my Eggy-Noggy Kempo." Jar Jar told them. "It's-a eggy-noggy!"

"NOW we're in business!" MaKayla exclaimed, the operatives facing Rumpel and Robo-Santa with battle-ready looks.

"Nnnnn!" Rumpel looked frightened. "WITCHES!!"

Koume and Kotake came soaring into the factory, followed by Rumpel's witches on their broomsticks. "NYAH!" Kotake launched an ice spell at MaKayla, but the thin girl swiftly flipped and leaped up, kicking the witch off her broom. Koume aimed her wand as she released fire at Lola, who flapped around as a bat and avoided. Terry used Shadow Glide to float above Koume and dropped down on the witch, bringing her to the floor.

A squad of witches had Miyuki surrounded, but the gloomy girl did a twirl and called, "Agify," catching them all in a time grip and transforming them into babies. MaKayla flipped over to a barrel of long candycanes and pulled one out, twirling it like a bo staff. The witches came, but she spun the cane rapidly and knocked them all away.

"Grrrrr! DO something, Sandy!" Rumpel ordered.

"Hooo!" The Robot Santa raised his magic Reindeer. "I'll bury you kids in the blackest mountain of coal you've ever been buried in-"

But that was before a giant snowball blasted the back of Santa's head with great force, the robot falling over as the Reindeer slid to George's feet. The kids looked and smiled widely, while Rumpel looked with fear. "ELFA STRIIIKE!" Suki cheered.

"Jack Frost came and freed us before he talked to ya." Wintergreen smirked. "'Guess we owe him one."

"Pay me back later." Jack Frost remarked.

"Anyway… we got gifts to deliver. And first on our list is Team Rumpel, who asked for a royal butt-kicking. GET 'EM, guys!" The elves ran in and began to fight. Coniferous grabbed some witches and forced them against his pine skin. Nutcracker rapidly warped and confused three witches before catching their heads in his big mouth. Snow Angel bended the snow in from outside and formed a giant fist to squash five witches.

Robot Santa glared as Wintergreen faced him. The evil robot blasted fire breath at the elf, but the Wolverine lookalike evaded and punched the robot across the head, afterwards kicking up and knocking him on his back.

George bent down and grabbed the Reindeer. "I got the Reindeer!"

"Hooo." Robo-Santa stood up, stretching his neck. "Baaah. I don't need that tool. I've got a BETTER plan." With that, the robot began to run away.

"After him!" Suki yelled as the kids chased him.

"WINGARDIUM Leviosa!"

"Hey!" George yelled when the Reindeer suddenly flew out of his hand. The magic device landed in Rumpel's.

"SEE YA!" the elf exclaimed as he ran.

"George, you stop him! We'll get Robo-freak!" MaKayla ordered.

"Right!" George hurriedly ran after Rumpel to the next room.

The evil Elfin grinned giddily as he raised the Reindeer in victory, still running. "NOT SO fast, Rumphead!" Wintergreen declared as Elfa Strike gave chase beside George.

"STUPEFY!" Rumpel threw a spell and almost hit Nutcracker, but the big-toothed elf warped above the evil elf and stomped down, taking the Reindeer.

"We got ze REINDEER- OH!!" Kotake swooped by and swiped the sash from him.

"AH HA ha ha!" the witch cackled. "WHOA!!" She was suddenly caught in a flying mound of snow, as Snow Angel flew by and took the Reindeer back.

"I've got it!"

"Don't lose it!!" Wintergreen yelled.

"WHOA!!" Snow Angel was instantly hit with a blast of fire, blown away as Koume took the Reindeer.

"Never play with fire, kiddies!" she cackled.

"Hurry UP, Koum'!" Rumpel demanded, jumping and waving his arms.

Koume was about to throw him the jingle bells, but- "WAAH!" she rammed into Coniferous, who took the Reindeer.

"Over here!" Wintergreen called as he ran to his teammate. Coniferous tossed the Reindeer, as Wintergreen prepared to catch it, but-

"HA HAAA!" Rumpel leaped and caught it instead.

"HEY!"

"Stupefy!" Rumpel zapped and stunned Wintergreen. "Now it's time to-"

"Stop!!" George demanded as he ran for Rumpel.

"DISAPPARATE!" Rumpel flicked his wand, but George had already dove for him, and they both warped together.

They ended up in the factory chamber, rolling along the ground as Rumpel accidentally threw the Reindeer onto a treadmill of weapons. Rumpel looked up and- "Ahh!" quickly ran onto the treadmill. He smiled in relief as he picked the device up, but-

"GRAH!" George immediately tackled him off of the treadmill, making Rumpel drop the Reindeer onto it again. They both wrestled on the floor until Rumpel stood and kicked George forcefully in the nose. The elf ran onto the treadmill, looking frantically for the Reindeer.

"Huh!" he gasped, seeing the Reindeer rested over a machinegun as it drew closer to the treadmill's end, which led into the chomping, flaming mouth of a machine. He hurriedly ran along the treadmill, kicking down any weapons in his path, desperate to grab the powerful device. "Almost…" He was only a few weapons away from reaching it. Rumpel quickly did a belly-slide and successfully, "GOT IT! HA HA haaaa!"

George King finally stood up, eyes widened as he saw where Rumpel headed. As the elf lay on his back, raising the claimed Reindeer in victory, a strange chomping sound fell in his ears. "Nn, eh?..." The elf rolled on his front and looked ahead. His face was stricken with horror as the chomping, flaming mouth drew closer. "AAAAH!-"

George shut his eyes tight, looking away. When he squinted open, he saw that Rumpel and the Reindeer were no longer there. He glanced both ways, hoping no one saw, as he pulled out his communicator. "Uhhh… I beat Rumpel."

"Great, George! Now come on, we're in the launch room!" MaKayla spoke.

George frightfully looked both ways before running to find his teammates.