How the Gangreen Stole Christmas
By Zarus Tyran
Merry Christmas one and all! I just though I would take a short break from Shadow Khan to write this little story for the Holidays. As with the others, it's set in the Megafic universe and tells the story of Chad's last Christmas before his transformation. I don't own any of the characters etc. Now let's deck the halls!
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Everyone down in San Zucchini liked Christmas a lot. But Gangreen, who lived just north of the city did not. He hated Christmas, the whole Christmas season. Please don't asked why, for he's about to give the reason.
"Every year Igor. Every year Christmas comes and I don't get that one gift I want, world domination. But this year I'll gain my second choice, ruining everyone's else Christmas as well." Gangreen laughed in his throat.
"But your grinchiness, who are you gonna do it?" Igor asked as put away his Santa hat.
"Simple I'll use an old trick from episode two in a new way." He then pulled out a ornament that looked like a silly tomato.
"If you hate Christmas, why are you carrying a Christmas ornament?" Igor asked puzzled.
"It's no ordinary ornament you fig brain. Now here's the plan."
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"You're a mean one Mr. Grinch you really are a heel." The radio was playing a Christmas classic as Chad sat on one of the seat on the far edge of counter reading a copy of 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. For the season he swapped his baseball hat for a Santa hat. Tara sat with FT sat at the other end near the window looking worried.
"Tara I told you ten times, this is southern California. You've got a better chance of getting hit by lightning than seeing snow." Chad said not looking up.
"I know, but when I hear about snow and ice I get so nervous. There's nothing like a sudden frost to end a nice plant." Tara said with a shiver. FT 'barked' an agreement. It was then that Wilber walked in carrying a large pizza.
"Happy Holidays everyone! Ah Christmas, the only time of year that red should be allowed." The veteran said as he set down the pan. These words made Chad and Tara roll their eyes. Even though the Cold War ended years before, Wilber still felt that the Communist and their tomato pals were still biding their time.
"That's what happens when a underage teen heads to Nam'." Chad said to himself as he put down his book.
"Mr. Finletter, what about Valentine's day?" Tara asked, while giving a quick sideways glance at Chad.
"Okay maybe Valentine's day, but it should have more pink then red. Now then what do you think of my holiday Pizza?" Wilber asked pointing to the yellow, white, and red mess on the pan.
"Uh, what is uncle Wilber?" Chad asked slightly disgusted.
"It's my new Holiday Special, eggnog and candy cane." Wilber said proudly as the others groaned. Before Wilber could reply to their displeasure, another unpleasant sight came in: The San Zucchini Town Censor.
"My, my, my, isn't this place looking a little bare." Censor Lady said as she glanced at the few Christmas decorations hanging around. Christmas was one of the few things she promoted.
"What's wrong with this place?" Wilber asked annoyed at the Censor lack of approval. Chad and Tara took advantage of this distraction to take two slices of the disgusting pizza, tear off the crust and throw the rest into the bushes outside.
"The fact that it is clearly missing a properly decorated Christmas tree. Remember Christmas is just three days away." She said with a quick glace around, in case they had a mini tree.
"We were just planning to get one." Chad said from his seat next to the pizza. Hearing this the Censor Lady turned and left.
"Chad we don't have enough decorations at the house for two trees." Wilber said, concerned with Chad's claim, yet pleased to see their taste was improving since they had enjoyed some of his pizza.
"No problem, I'm sure we can find a store around here, that still has some Christmas ornaments and decorations." Chad said proudly.
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"I can't believe that all the stores in town are out of Christmas decorations." Chad said coming out of his tenth store with Tara and FT behind him.
"This certainly a strange custom. People acting all worried and confused finding presents for family. And I really dislike the idea of cutting down innocent trees just for decoration." Tara said as they walked giving a person selling the aforementioned trees a dirty look.
"Don't worry about that, uncle Wilber hates all maintenance and cleaning that comes with real trees, so we buy fakes. So while does that we need to find decorations."
"Chad look at that store." Tara said pointing to a building across the street. Chad frowned as he looked at the store. It was one of the few places in town that usually was closed since no one tried to start a business there. But now it looked like someone had set-up a holiday store there which was doing very well.
"We better check it out. I bet that we'll find Gangreen working that place in some disguise, with Igor trying to act like he doesn't know us." Chad said as they crossed the street. Little did he know that he was wrong for the second time that day.
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The inside of the store was warm and bright. It was filled with all sorts of Christmas decorations and other seasonal items. Chad and Tara had a hard time navigating to the counter with all the people crowding the store. Finally they reached the counter and rang the bell.
"Excuse me is anyone there?" Chad asked fully expecting to see a disguised Gangreen or Igor walked out."
"Sure I just getting a box of- Chad?" The man asked, a box of odd silly tomato ornaments in his hands. It was Chad uncle Mike Peters, shortly followed by his aunt Vanessa, and his eight year old cousin Bloom.
"Uncle Mike what are you doing here?" Chad asked, pleasantly surprised.
"Well since the families are celebrating Christmas separately, we thought we would come up here since you're so near. We wanted to tell you we just won in the lottery." Mike said as he set down the ornaments.
"But that still doesn't explain this or why you guys aren't vacationing in the Bahamas." These words made the two adult Peters laugh, while a funny look appeared on Bloom's face.
"Mommy, where's the Bahamas?" Bloom asked curious what he was talking about.
"I explain later, sweetie. You see we didn't win the big cash prize, but we did win a smaller one. Because of how popular Christmas is here we though we would buy some old close-out merchandise from last Christmas, and sell it here." Vanessa explained as Bloom walked from behind the counter to stand next to her cousin.
"Where did you get them?" Tara asked, already guessing Chad's worry.
"Oh an friend we know in Gardenia told us about a warehouse that was selling off it's inventory for less than wholesale." This brought sighs of relief from the pair.
"So what do you need?" Mike now asked.
"Just all the usual Christmas tree decorations." Chad said happily.
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Twenty minutes later saw Chad and Tara back at the Pizza Palace with their new Christmas supplies and Bloom in tow. Her parents felt that it was better for her to hang out with Chad while they worked. She now ran around the room flapping her arms as if she had wings.
"What with the flapping?" Tara completely puzzled.
"She pretending to be a fairy." Chad said rolling his eyes. While he know knew magic was real, he still hated the 'girly' magic of pixies, fairies and princesses that Bloom enjoyed.
"Someday I'll be a fairy." Bloom said wistfully as she looked at the sky.
"Yeah, and someday I'll look like the Grinch." Chad said as set the box of decorations down on the counter.
"Well I got the tree." Wilber said dragging in a large-realistic looking plastic tree.
"That sure looks real. Where'd you get it?" Chad said impressed.
"Sam has a friend who's developed special ultra-realistic fake trees for Hollywood film industry. He got me this one and the one at the house at a cheap price." Wilber set the tree down and slumped into a booth. Chad and set up the tree and began to decorate it.
"Say Chad, what did you aunt mean by 'the families are celebrating Christmas separately' anyway?" Tara asked as she hung ornaments.
"Oh, well you've noticed that my name is Napier, and uncle Wilber's is Finletter. Well our families are all part of the Masterson clan." Chad said as he put tinsel on the tree.
"Masterson Clan?"
"Or as we call it the Master line. You see there are several families that don't have a lot of relatives in their immediate family except for the fact that each family has a member that married a Masterson sister. So we formed one big family called the Masterson Clan. That's how Bloom and I are connected. Vanessa's brother married Gaby Masterson, and Uncle Mike Finletter married a sister who's brother married a Masterson. It's all very complicated." By the time Chad was finished, talking they had finished decorating the tree. Bloom walked over and frowned.
"You know I could've helped."
"Well if you wanted to help you should've stopped playing fairy. Besides there's still the tree at my house that hasn't been done." Chad said bored by her silly antics. This made Bloom smile as Wilber walked over and looked at the odd decorations.
"Are these tomatoes?" Wilber asked, anger seeping into his voice.
"There a prototype Christmas decoration made last year in the attempt to make fun of tomatoes. They were a flop and uncle Mike and aunt Vanessa got them cheap." Chad explained quickly. Wilber nodded, the idea of mocking tomatoes pleased him. Little did they know that Gangreen and Igor were watching with pleased looks.
"It's working. Soon they'll all get a nasty surprise." Gangreen laughed in his throat.
"Uh Doc can we move? I think I'm standing in dog's mess." Igor said looking down at his sneakers. It was the pieces of the disgusting pizza Chad and Tara had thrown out.
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Three days later…
It was now Christmas eve and Chad's aunt and uncle had decided to stay for the holiday. They had just enjoyed a fine Christmas made by Vanessa, and now they had gone into the living room to watch another Christmas Classic. Chad had pulled out a well worn copy of 'It's a Wonderful Life' and walked over to the television.
"Don't they show it on TV tonight?" Wilber asked.
"Yes but it's missing scenes and has commercials in it." Chad said as he turned on the television. On the screen was what looked like a room decorated for Christmas. Next to a crackling fire was a man dressed in purple pants and a red sweater, and what might have been white gloves. His face was turn from the cameras and half in shadows.
"'It's a Wonderful Life' will not be seen this year in it's place is the following." Said a sinister voice that might of come from the person before the fireplace.
"Boring." Chad said as he turned the VCR on and popped in the tape. The image of the man disappeared just as he started to turn.
"You know Wilber, you really should get a new TV. I think this one made that man's hair look green." Mike said as Chad sat back down to watch.
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Back at Gangreen's lab, the angry scientist had prepared everything for the big night. Now he was watching the clock, waiting to strike.
"It's past midnight. Thanks to the Censor Lady's curfew everyone should be asleep by now. Igor get sled. It's time for the final stage of my plan." Gangreen said with a evil smile.
"What about us boss?" A large tomato, the size of a volleyball, asked.
"I told you Zoltan. You six aren't in this episode. Wait here for our return." Gangreen said as he and Igor left. Once he was out of earshot Zoltan made his reply.
"Yeah probably after running for you lives."
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All people down San Zucchini didn't know he was there. They all dreamed sweet dreams without care, when he came to the first house on the square.
"This is stop number one." Gangreen said, dressed in a Santee Claus hat and coat.
"So what do we do know go down the chimney?" Igor asked, wearing reindeer antlers on his head.
"No you fruitcake. I brought this." The old Greeny Clause hissed as he pulled out a red whistle and blew it. No sound could be heard.
"I think it's busted, your most musically inclined." Igor said as he stuck a finger in his ear.
"This special whistle is set to a pitch that humans can't hear. Which means there may be hope for you yet." Gangreen said as he then paused and blew again, "Now watch."
The houses Christmas tree stood within sight of the window the various silly tomato ornaments began to shake and then fell to the floor. As each one hit it shattered and out rolled a small killer tomato. They quickly ate the remains of the ornaments then they hopped over to the front door. The tomatoes climbed on top of each other until they reach the lock on the door. Finally the top tomato turned the lock and a moment later the door opened and in stepped Gangreen and Igor.
"Wouldn't have been easier to just climb down the chimney?" Igor said hold a large pile of bags. Gangreen shook his head.
"Too tight a pinch. Now lets get started." He replied grabbing a bag from Igor."
Then when through the room with a smile most unpleasant, and took every present. They he stuff them in sacks. And then very nimbly, he tossed the sack out he door, not the chimney. Then he slunk to the fridge and eyed a large feast. He took all the food, from pudding to roast beast. He cleaned it out as quick as a flash. Why Gangreen didn't even a can of corned beef hash. And the last thing he took was the tree by the fire. On the walls they left nothing but hooks and some wire. And the only food in the house was a crumb that even too small for a mouse.
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"That went better then I thought." Gangreen said as Igor loaded the bags on a ramshackle sled.
"So where next your most Scroogeness." Igor as climbing on a quad bike that the wheeled sled was attached to.
"Just to the next door. We taking everyone's Christmas." Gangreen said with an evil laugh.
And so Gangreen did the same to the other people's houses. Leaving crumbs much to small for their little mouses.
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At the Finletter house, Chad walked downstairs for a drink of cold water. He soon came upon Bloom sitting behind the couch watching the fireplace. He sighed at her silliness.
"You do know that Santa's magic and so is impossible to pin down?" Chad said quietly, trying to humor her.
"I know but I want to meet him so much." Bloom whispered back. Chad shrugged and walked past the tree knocking off a silly tomato ornament.
"Ooh your gonna get it." Bloom quietly giggled.
"What, are you? Four?" Chad whispered as he started to continue to the kitchen when he heard a *squish*. He looked down to see a squashed tomato under his foot. All at once Chad understood.
"Bloom go wake up the adults, we got a problem." Chad said a serious note in his voice.
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Gangreen soon arrived at Chad's house. Everything was quiet. Gangreen went to a window and peered in.
"Perfect, their asleep and have no idea that my plan has begun." Gangreen chuckled as he blew on his call whistle. As had happed at other houses the tomatoes broke free of their fake ornament and let the grinchy scientist in. And as before, he completely clean the place out of all things Christmas. He stopped only long enough to glance at a picture of the Tomato Task Force. In front of these four were Chad, Tara, and FT, with big smiles on their faces. Frowned at his creation's happiness and left.
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It was nearly dawn. All people still abed, all still a snooze when Gangreen pack up his sled.
"All right let's get going." Gangreen said from his position just in front of the massive pile of stolen Christmas presents. Igor then gunned the engine on the quad bike. It moved and inch before dieing. Igor looked down at the gages and tapped on one.
"Were out of gas your most small hearted-ness." Igor reported to a frowning Gangreen.
"Then why are you just sitting there… Rudolph?"
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Igor now huffed and puffed as he pulled hard on ropes to drag the heavy sled behind him. On top of the sled Gangreen stood with a look of triumph.
Outside of town up a small summit, he rode with his top the tip top to dump it.
"You heard the narrator we need to get to the top." Gangreen said to a panting Igor.
"But- why- do- we- dump- it- here?" Igor asked between gasps, not even trying to ask who this 'narrator' was.
"The summit here is the only safe approach of a small gorge we can toss the city's Christmas into. Now put your back into it!" He snapped. Igor groaned but pulled even harder until finally they were at the top. Igor then fell to ground to rest while the Doctor climbed off the sled.
"That wasn't so bad was it?" Gangreen joked as he walked to the edge of the hill that faced San Zucchini.
"In just a little bit they'll wake to find everything gone. Then they'll all cry and sob. I wonder if I'll be able to hear it from here?" Gangreen said as he put a hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound in the warm morning glow, it started in low then it started to grow. But this sound didn't sound sad, it sounded merry. Because it was merry, very. It sounded like every person in town, the tall and the small were singing without any presents at all. Gangreen didn't stop Christmas from it coming. It came. Somehow or other, it came just the same.
"But how can this be? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags." It was then that Igor rose and stumbled over to him.
"Hey doctor. I was just thinking. Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?" Gangreen thought about this for a moment and then shook his head.
"Nah, that can't be it. It must be something else."
"Actually, for once he's right. It's more than fancy lights and presents. But just because it is doesn't mean the town doesn't want theirs back." A voice said. The pair turned around to see Chad sitting behind Tara on the quad bike the pair had left in town when it ran out of gas. It was now attached to the sled, which still stood next to the edge of the plateau it's tank now full.
"How did you figure my plan out?" Gangreen snapped.
"Simply by accident. If I hadn't know off one on our tree, I never would found out that the silly tomato ornaments were really disguises for your creations. And that you hid them in that warehouse my aunt and uncle bought the supplies for their new store from. Clever replacing all the ordinary ornaments, with ones that would help you in your plan." Chad said with a smile.
"At least I can get rid of you and that little traitor." Gangreen fumed as he stalked toward them.
"If you do that, you'll have no time to deal with them." Tara said pointing toward the direction her creator had just been facing. Gangreen turned and saw in the distance four familiar outlines. The Tomato Task Force were heading straight for them. Wilber in the lead his sword drawn.
And what happened next? Well in San Zucchini they say, that Gangreen's foot speed increased three times that day.
"This is the last time I work with a narrator!" Gangreen yelled as he and a very freighted Igor tore across the landscape.
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Chad and Tara rode back into town with the sled behind them and the Tomato Task Force walking along side acting as an honor guard. At the city square stood the towns people cheering their return. At the front of the crowd was uncle Mike, aunt Vanessa, and cousin Bloom holding FT in her arms. They were the first to approach the group.
"That was a great plan you came up with Chad." Mike said as Chad and Tara climbed off the quad bike.
"Thanks and good use of the city's PA system. That copy of the large sing-off last year came in handy." Chad said the Task Force pulled bag after off the sled. It was then that he felt a nudge.
"Chad, we're under the mistletoe." Tara said with a smile as she pointed to the pile bags right next to them. High on the pile was a bag with a piece of wire sticking out of it. On the end of the wire was the mistletoe directly above them.
"Well time to start my New Years resolution of jogging more!" Chad said as he did a good impression of Gangreen after a loss with Tara chasing after him as the crowd laughing at the pair.
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Yes they brought everything back, all the toys and the feast. And he himself, Chad, carved the roast beast.
"There's nothing like the holidays." Chad said as he put the first slice of the Roast Beast brand turkey on a plate and handed it to Tara, who sat on his right. It was all she could do not to laugh at the lipstick prints still left on his face from earlier.
"So what next for you two." Wilber asked trying not to look at Chad, for fear of laughing.
"Since the town was nice enough to let us keep the money from our sale, we were thinking of opening up a new shop back in Gardenia." Mike said, also trying to keep a straight face.
"Not a another holiday shop I hope." Chad said worrying about a repeat of last night.
"Don't worry Chad. Were just going to start that Flower Shop I always wanted." At that moment a squeal came from Bloom, who had left the table and went to the window.
"Everyone look. It's snowing!" These words caused the eight people to rise and run for the door which they threw open wide. Sure enough snow was falling from the sky and melting on the ground.
"But that's impossible. It's far too warm to snow how-" Chad's rambling were interrupted when he heard the sounds of Christmas bells. He looked up to see what looked like a flying sled pulled by reindeer.
"Chad was that?"
"Yes Bloom there is a Santa Clause." Chad said with smile as the sled disappeared into the night.
The end.
Well that's it for this one as mentioned in the story before it keep an eye out for my next Shadow Khan tale "The Birth of a Monster Part Three" coming soon on this site. I also hope to map out the Masterson Clan Tree to show who's on it and where our hero fits in. Until then happy holidays.