It was a cold and formidable night. The winds howled and thrust over the vast winter landscape that stretched out in every conceivable direction. If one were to wander out into these wastes, they'd find themselves in quite the terrible situation. Well...just about everyone.
A pair of heavy winter coats bounded across the white dunes, headed in the direction of the bright and colorful mansion off on the horizon. The pale moon hung low and large to illuminate it further, but this wasn't truly why it was so bright. Colored lights of every imaginable kind danced off of the fluffy snow and shaped them into different shades. Red, green, blue, yellow and many others ran over the windows, doors, and even around the roof of the mansion. As the duo approached, the tight rope between them slacked and disappeared in a rain of sparkles before they stood out on the small porch. Without a moment of hesitation, the Ice Climbers rapped on the large door before stepping back. It shuddered, opened, and allowed a face within to peer out.
"Merry Christmas~!" they shouted in unison.
The face peered at them for a moment longer, narrowed its eyes, and soon snorted. "Popo and Nana...?" it growled.
The Ice Climbers nodded, wasting no time in charging inside and blowing past the figure in the door. A great roar of displeasure rang out through the vast halls of the Smash Mansion before the small Eskimos disappeared. Another bout of laughter and shouting went on deeper in the Mansion, making the doorman grumble again and slam the door shut.
Bowser shook the loose layer of snow from his shoulders and feet before stomping back into the adjacent room, far away from the pounding Christmas music and ramblings of many heroic figures. He pulled his chair back out, flopped into it heavily, and peered across the table as his claws slowly slipped back over his glass. "I hate those Ice Climbers..."
The table King Koopa was seated at was a round, rather comfortably big one made of rich oak. Two others sat at this table, namely King Dedede of Dreamland and Ganondorf of the Gerudo. There were cards scattered about from an attempt at playing some sort of game with them, but it ended up going south quickly from the combination of villains trying to constantly outdo each other.
"Those whelps are still a part of this place?" Ganondorf asked slowly. The one hand he had upon the table was one firmly grasping a whiskey glass, topped with the appropriate beverage and no ice. The Great King of Evil despised the cold even more than Bowser did.
"O'course they are!" Dedede cried out. The mug in his oversized mitten splashed about, nearly spilling the deep chocolaty contents out. A pair of candy canes danced around the bar of chocolate left in the brew, and another dousing of peppermint schnapps was added after the matter. "Mastah Hand thinks they're...they're...cute! S'ppose that's why they keep that dang Kirby around too!"
"I hate that one. Kirrrbyyy..." Ganondorf's face grew grim for a moment. "So...small and buoyant!"
"I know! Yer tellin' the wrong King, 'Dorf!"
Ignoring the pair's squabbling, Bowser drew in his glass. It was a heavily decorated chalice meant for only the finest of wines, and while the other villains taunted his 'feminine' tastes, it was indeed filled with a pungent and dastardly Koopa wine that took hundreds of years to perfect. His minions that descended from his ancestors minions had a sole purpose of brewing such a fine, and admittedly cheap, wine. "Baaah, it's not how they look. It's they're...faces."
Dedede considered this before nodding to the Koopa King. "Well that there Kirby has the same kinda face!"
"He does," Ganondorf mumbled.
"Makes you really wonder, after all," the Lord of Dreamland went on. "What makes them any better than us? Huh? Always tottin' around and looking like a buncha fools! Bah! Makes me sick. Though...not sick enough to enjoy all these tasty treats we get around this time."
The others watched in horror as Dedede slurped up the pair of candy canes like they were noodles before dumping a pocket full of smaller, rounder mints and marshmallows to decorate the top of his hot chocolate. Promptly ignoring this, Ganondorf turned his head away but kept an eye on the large penguin. "What...is this all about, anyways?"
Dedede stopped from inhaling the layer of sugar on his drink. "What's what about?"
Sensing the ensuing argument that would come, Bowser sat up in his seat. "I'm pretty sure he's talking about...this." He waved the chalice around, which caused a short display of fantastical light to bounce off of its golden shape and many gemstones set into it. "What they keep celebrating far into the night here. This...'Christmas'."
"Oh. Well, shucks if I know."
"A bunch of damned fools..." Dipping a finger into his drink, Ganondorf sneered at it as he prepared to take a sip. "To think...those so attached to the light can come together with such selfish intentions. It makes you wonder if the heroes are really so...noble..."
Both Bowser and Dedede exchanged some looks before seeming to agree on their confusion. It was only seen in brief displays of eyebrows rising and nostrils flaring, but they had an understanding. "What...exactly do you mean, Ganon?" Bowser asked politely. Or as polite as a massive turtle could.
"All of those...gifts." The words trickled out of the Great King of Evil's mouth as if they were toxic, and he himself looked ready to hurl. "Don't you know? They exchange gifts and wish each other tidings and thoughts of peace and love." Now he really did look like he was going to throw up, only stopping it by downing a sizable amount of his whiskey. "Gah! Damned Hylians! Always acting so high and mighty!"
A nod of sagely wisdom came from King Dedede. "Ah, I know whatcher talkin' about now. Yeah. Those little goody two-shoes and that dang Kirby are always having so much fun! So much merriment and, and...fun!" He slammed his mug on the table, making the liquid stick in the air for a moment before landing back in its rightful place. The King of Dreamland slurped from it heavily before dousing it with more schnapps. "What in the name of Louisiana is a Christmas?!"
"...That's a good question," Bowser admitted after a lengthy sip of wine.
"What is a 'Louisiana'...?" Ganondorf muttered.
King Dedede sat there for a long while before his cheeks puffed out. "I don't know!" Throwing a hand into the air, he soon pointed it at his fellow villains. "But! I bet we could find out! I betchya they know all about this sorta thing. You know how them heroes are always talking with Mastah Hand and that...other one. The wiggly one?" Bowser was about to correct him on the matter, but Dedede ignored him. "We should find out about this Christmas business, and find out why I can't have more of these delicious sweets! No more of these candy canes, or these little stocking chocolates, or plum pudding or any of it!"
"...You enjoy plum pudding?" the Great King of Evil asked low.
"Yeah! It's lumpy and kinda gelatinous and all sorts'a...never mind!" Standing up swiftly, Dedede pointed to another room of the Mansion. "We gotta get ourselves an answer! An acceptable reason why them heroes get presents and we don't!" He paused before dumping more of the hot chocolate, now barely a half of its original self, and replaced it with schnapps. "Who's with me?"
Bowser drummed his claws on the table before looking at the cards. He was too powerful of a figure to be seen picking up playing cards. And as far as he knew, the Koopa Kids were elsewhere getting into Underwhere only knows what. A deep guttural groan came from him before he stood up as well. "Fine. But only because I like the sound of getting free stuff. It makes everything so much easier."
The duo looked to Ganondorf. And Ganondorf looked to them. It took some time before the Gerudo King rose to his feet as his hefty metal armor clattered with him. "Ffffffffine," he snarled. "But if this ends with us fighting someone, I'm done. I am not spending one of the few days we have off to then fight someone."
And with that, King Bowser, King Dedede, and King Ganondorf went off in search for the meaning of Christmas...
\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/
Little Mac was accustomed to a lot of things by this point. While he was a newer contestant in the Smash Brothers world and certainly showed it at times, he was a man who thought that he could face the world. After tackling men three times his size and the legendary Mister Dream, he figured there was little that could bring him down. Even the strange electric mouse at his feet and the man in the helmet in the corner weren't too much to worry about. Though...this was a bit new for him.
On his right was Samus Aran, the ultimate bounty hunter and destroyer of the deadly Metroids. What he hadn't expected, outside of the skin-tight suit she wore, was her love for scotch. He had seen people drink, even Soda Popinski, but this was crazy. She was on her forth glass and was quite flush in the face as she laughed and chatted away with Captain Falcon. The ace pilot had a few stories from his days of racing, though they seemed long gone since his last game, but still wore a winning smile as he raised his glass of carbonated water. Mac himself held a beer bottle between his mitts, though it was to steady his drink rather than think about the tall and beautiful woman at his side.
"Hey! Mac!" Samus turned to him suddenly, smiling wide as she looked down at him. He smiled awkwardly. "You got any interesting stories? Any kinda...grand adventures and all that?"
The boxer shrugged. He was about to speak, but his attention was somehow roped away by the posse that drew into the doorway. His eyes widened as he sat up, nearly knocking his head on Samus's shoulder before the bounty hunter herself saw them.
"Huh~? What'n the fuck are you all doing here?" she asked rudely.
Bowser tapped a claw on his chalice before peering over to Captain Falcon. The racer seemed to have the same thought as he pulled his helmet off, revealing his soft auburn locks and stunning blue eyes. Little Mac cursed the man again for having another advantage in life. "Well, you see-," the reptile began.
"We're here for Christmas!" Dedede pushed the Koopa aside as he pointed several candy canes at those sitting on the couch. "More so, we're here t'learn about it!"
Standing up straight, Captain Falcon brushed his bangs from his eyes before asking sharply, "You're...not looking to steal it, are you?"
Ganondorf snorted loudly as he grabbed onto the back of Dedede's robes, tugging him back and letting him fall with a heavy bang. The Gerudo King sneered before shaking his head. "You've got it all wrong. We don't want this...'Christmas'."
"It's more of a...philosophical sort of question," Bowser added hastily. "We don't know what it is. Master Hand seems to enjoy it, but we have no idea why."
Scratching her chin, Samus considered this for a moment. "Christmas, huh..." Her pondering was almost contagious. "Heeey, Mac." Wrapping her arm around the boxer's head, she locked it into place as she leaned in. "Y'know about this sort of thing? I've been to dozens of star systems and hundreds of planets...but this sort of holiday doesn't ring a bell."
"I admit, I'm not sure either," Captain Falcon admitted under his breath.
Little Mac saw his chance to take another victory, to topple over another suave and masculine man in the ring with one well-placed hit...but found himself stunned. The punch he had taken was to his heart, and his eyes weren't sure to look to the plump pillow of heaven on his right, or the hefty and strong arm on his left. These mixed up emotions ended up drawing his attention to the floor in a moment of defeat, too entranced by the tight-yet-welcome touch of Samus.
"...Seems not," Samus admitted, leaning back with Mac still in the headlock. "Funny thing too. I figured Mac would know a bit more on it. You see, Master Hand is ah...he's not one of 'us'." She motioned around the room. "He's a completely different thing. From Out There." The 'Out There' was what the inhabitants of the Smash Mansion referred to when talking about the world outside of their games. They knew such a place existed, but few actually were aware of what it was. Most didn't like thinking about it for too long.
Snapping his fingers, Captain Falcon smiled as he pressed his helmet back on shortly afterwards. "Aw yes! I've got it! How about you ask that blue fellow?"
Dedede snapped back upright, his eyes wide. "Blue feller?"
"Not you. I'm talking about that hedgehog. Ah..."
Samus smirked. "You mean that blue freak, Sonic?"
"Y-yes, that's the one..." Falcon admitted sheepishly.
Ganondorf grunted before looking to his fellow villains. "You really want to talk to that annoying, fast-paced, uncontrollable mascot? That, that...miserable excuse of a character?"
"...It's better'n nothing," Dedede replied.
"A whole lot better than this," Bowser added as he motioned around the room.
"...Fine. We'll go. But if he says anything about speed and how we're inadequate, I'll crush his skull."
"I can get behind that one, actually."
As the trio stalked off, Little Mac was once again left alone with his dilemma. Braving his inexperience with women, he looked up to find Samus confused on the whole ordeal. "What a bunch of assholes," she muttered. Her gaze turned down to him. Those strong, independent eyes burrowed into his soul and past any defensive stand he could possible conceive. Slowly, yet surely, a cheshire grin crossed her face. "Ah...you know what Captain? I think that we should get going..." We? Wait, what she talking about him and...?
"Really?" Captain Falcon asked. "The night is still early though. Think of all the great times you'll miss! There's presents, and snacks, and all sorts of things!"
"Mmm...I think mine is going to come earlier than that. Maybe if it does, we can join back in later."
Mac wasn't sure which was scarier. Facing down the undefeated champion of boxing in a one-on-one match for the title, or being under the merciless hands of the universe's most dangerous bounty hunter. Either way, he wasn't going to have much of a choice in the matter...
\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/
"Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Sonic the Hedgehog grinned as he held up a perfectly made chili dog, the delicious frank wrapped up in a Christmas bow that would make even Santa Claus blush. This was but one of a dozen served out on a silver platter, all steaming hot and ready to go on his end of the long dining table. Yoshi and Pac-Man eyes the massive mound of dogs with some envy, though each had already eaten through a cupboard's worth already.
Raising the chili dog up to his lips, the blue blur was about to dig in before he stopped. His ears wiggled before snapping his attention over. The momentary distraction almost seemed like enough to allow the other Smashers to feast on his meal, but they too stopped when a thunderous series of footfalls came before a trio appeared.
"YOU!" King Dedede called, his mug having been long lost and simply replaced with the schnapps bottle and a handful of chocolate bars. "We're here for Christmas!"
Sonic stared for a moment, unsure of what to do before smirking. "Ah, I'm not the big guy in red. Actually, I think you'll find you are." He chuckled as the King of Dreamland looked himself over in astonishment. "What do you creeps want, anyway? I'm pretty sure you're not even allowed in here, Dedede. If Kirby isn't, then you aren't."
A sigh of frustration came from Bowser as he placed a hand over Dedede's face and pushed him back. Once more he fell back. "All of these accursed misunderstandings... We're here to find out about the Christmas and it's secrets." A flash of Koopa pride came about as he stood in triumph. "Clearly you've got the answers, seeing as how you've got the most knowledge about the things from Out There!"
The fastest thing alive considered this before shrugging. "I mean, I have had the most iterations. Several TV series, several comics, a slew of games both good and, admittedly, bad. Some manga, some fan stuff, and...that movie they keep talking about..." His muzzle paled in dread. "But ah...yeah. I've got a pretty good collection of it all. Something about this place lets me tell you about anything ranging from Mobius to Central City to The Land Below to ah...whatever Sonic Boom was. Athletic tape and all that."
"Then what about Christmas..." Ganondorf hissed. His presence made Yoshi and Pac-Man reconsider any betrayals they were considering and duck below the sides of the dining table they were at.
"Ah...I gotta admit, not too much on that one." Sonic shrugged despite the growing frustration of the Gerudo King. "I had some sort of special in the Adventures Of cartoon, and...I think that's it? I was a balloon in a Thanksgiving parade, if that strikes your fancy."
"What in the name of Din is a 'Thanksgiving'...?!"
"We're just getting more questions~!" cried Dedede.
"Look, relax! It's all about being good to your fellow man...or bird. Or lizard. Whatever." Sonic waved away the semantics. "It's about peace on Earth and good will towards-." Ganondorf began to heave. "-Okay~! Whatever! Look, if you wanna know about it that bad, why not ask Snake?"
The trio of villains looked troubled. "Snake...?" they asked in unison.
"Yeah. I don't know why you dopes came to talk to me about it. If you want an expert on the Out There, go ask him. His character is actually based in the Out There." Sonic paused. "Mostly. There's...also some nonsense about nano-machines and patriots, but who really cares about that? Psssh. Talk about a complicated story, am I right?"
Somehow missing the irony of his statement, the blue hedgehog went back to his food. The dubious villains lingered before stomping off, and for once it seemed things really were peaceful. That was, until a series of blips came.
Beew-whoop! Wakka-wakka! Wee-whoo-wee!
Glancing to Pac-Man, Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Really? You had a cartoon series?" Another series of bloops came. "Oooh, a Christmas Special. Well hey, I gotta say, you got around back in your day!" More bleeps. "...Really? That's what it was about, huh? Who would've thought that you actually knew so much about-."
The ruse came to an end as a large chunk of the chili dog plate was wrapped up by a long tongue, and subsequently swallowed by Yoshi. The dinosaur beamed with pride as Sonic turned to him, ready to yell before Pac-Man tore across the table and gobbled the rest. The blue blur grit his teeth before jumping up on the table, saving the last of his precious chili dogs from these hungry beasts. They eyes him like a scrap of meat in a lion's den.
"Awwww no, no way! You guys go and get your own! I'm not having this! I-OH GOD NO!"
\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/
A bark rung out as Lucario charged forward, his hands drawn out to deliver a well-deserved blow on his opponent. The Pokemon was surprised, however, when his forearms were snatched and he was flung over his opponent's shoulder. A series of cheers came from the small group surrounding the ring, mostly made up of Smashers who were no longer part of the active roster. Lucario groaned as he peered up, but regained his senses as a shadow was cast over him. In the blink of an eye he disappeared in a wash of blue energy as an attack came, soon reappearing and lunging out with a kick.
"Hmmm...not bad," said his opponent.
Before he knew it, a mine detonated and sent the Pokemon flying. A chorus of jeers and joy rang out as the opposing side raised a hand up in victory before lowering and lighting a cigarette that hung loosely from his lips. Solid Snake smirked wide, standing with barely a scratch on him as Lucario flopped outside of the ring with a grunt. He drew off of the cigarette before a soft cloud of smoke escaped his lips.
"You've got a pretty good technique. Variable martial arts mixed in with mysticism and magic. You Pokemon are something else in every way. At least I'm not the only one here who knows how to use his hands." Flexing his fingers, the legendary soldier paused before glancing to the side. "Hm? What're you three doing here? Looking for a fight?"
For a moment, King Dedede stepped forward, bottle of schnapps in his hand and a mouthful of candy prohibiting his speech. Attempting to chew through it all at once, he was tossed aside as Ganondorf frowned. "No. We're not interested in that."
Snake smirked. "You looking to put in a bet? Next up is me and the chimp." He motioned to Diddy Kong, who clutched his peanut pistols closely.
"Nnnnooooo."
Bowser sighed, now nearing the end of his deep chalice of wine. It was clear that the King of the Koopa was getting tired of it all. "Look. We're here to discover what this 'Christmas' business is all about. We've been running in circles with a lot of different people and places, and we're just about sick of it. So..." Taking in a deep breath, flames began to lick at the corners of his mouth as the crowd around the ring quickly dispersed. Bowser roared in anger as his voice boomed. "WHAT IN THE BLAZES IS CHRISTMAS?!"
A long silence hung in the air along with the smoke of the cigarette. Snake watched them for a while before smirking. "Christmas, huh?" Pulling the cigarette from his mouth, the legendary soldier stood tall. His bandanna seemed to flow in a wind that wasn't there. "Christmas is a special thing. It's a time of year where we celebrate-."
"So help my by the Goddesses, I will destroy you and every damned thing you cherish!" Ganondorf howled.
Snake didn't stop. "-the birth of the savior, Jesus Christ." There was a confused silence. "You see, from where I'm from, Jesus is the figure of a religion. He's a savior and the son of God. In several places around the world, his birth is celebrated as a time of rejoicing and towards the hope of man. He would go on to die for our sins, but this was when he was born to the Virgin Mary and the shepherd Joseph. A sort of spiritual rebirth for the human race to properly see the righteous way, and atone for our own sins..."
Another silence came, but this time Dedede interrupted. "Then...what in tarnation is with all of the presents?"
He smirked. "Oh, that? A plot by the Patriots to exploit the consumerist nature of the American people and drain them of their every-."
"Ah, not this nonsense again! Turn it off~!" Waving him off, Dedede stooped low as he lurched away. "This really wasn't worth it. This person getting born is why we get peppermint? I guess I can't complain. Might be nice fer my own birthday... Maybe I'll call it Dedede-mas!"
And thus, the trio of villains moved on. Snake watched them go as he put the cigarette back in his mouth. His body finally loosened up once he knew no one was going to attack, and that playful smile spread back over his face. "Hmph. Some people..." Glancing back towards the cowering Smashers, the legendary soldier cracked his knuckles before grinning. "Okay then. Who else wants to wrestle with me? Or...perhaps a little more in-depth discussion?" No one answered. "...Good. I'm better as a soldier than a lecturer."
\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/\-/
Slumping back into their chairs, Bowser, Dedede and Ganondorf each let out a sigh of varying degrees. The King of Dreamland sucked idly on his schnapps before pulling his beak from it. "So...that was a let down," he murmured.
"More than that," Ganondorf said. His whiskey glass was filled again, but it was put aside as he too drank from his respective bottle. "Hmph. Humans from Out There. That's why. It always comes back to that..."
"To think, we could be celebrating our own holidays instead," Bowser considered. He too had given up on the shining chalice and was now drinking from the very cheaply made box of wine. "Koopa's Conquesting, or Koopa-ween. HanuKoopa..."
"Us Gerudo don't have holidays..."
"Ah. Right."
Another round of sighs were had, but the mood shifted a little as some figures walked in on them. The villains took a moment before taking notice, and soon the table was thrown aside as they took a more defensive stance. Dedede's hammer whirled as Ganondorf began to chant, and Bowser's hands filled with fireballs before they stopped.
"H-hey," greeted Link. The Hero of Time was wearing a bright green sweater decorated with various symbols and an obnoxious image of Lord Jabu-Jabu. The Hylian glyphs read 'All I Want For Xmas Is Fish'. Not exactly a knee-slapper in anyone's book.
"Hello-a," mumbled Mario, lounging about in a red sleep robe and blue sweatpants. He didn't appear to be wearing a shirt, but it was hard to tell with how tightly it was tied.
"Haaaaiiii~!" called Kirby. He wore nothing, like usual, but a bright bow was stuck to his head.
"...What do you all want?" Bowser asked in paranoia.
"Well, we've been hearing about you guys running around and...asking questions," began Link.
"And-a it seemed like a good idea to check in," Mario continued. "To-a make sure everything was all-a right."
Kirby smiled, blanked, and waved again. "Haaai!"
"Everything is just fine, no need for any thanks there." Continuing to grumble, Ganondorf sat back down in his chair. "No need for...Hylians for plumbers. Or...Kirbys."
Link shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Well, we thought we'd get you guys some gifts too... It only seemed fair." He reached into a bag on his hip, which produced an item three-times larger than the bag itself. Ganondorf stared in amazement.
"You-a guys are always making a fuss and-a being pushy, but..." Mario scratched his mustache thoughtfully. "Well...with-a-out villains, what would we-a do? Plumbing?"
"Yard work?" Link suggested.
"Hoooaaa!" Kirby agreed.
"Whyyyy you little...!" Raising his hammer, Dedede prepared to crush the pink blob underneath it. "I'm gonna bust you all across the floor, and then I'm gonna take Dreamland for myself! Ya hear! I don't wanna-!" He paused as he found a small box presented to him. "-What's that?" Kirby simply made a noise, making Dedede pluck it from his small nubs and open it up. The King of Dreamland hesitated as he peered inside, but soon smiled. "Oh my...! It's an endless supply of puddings and pastries! A, a Portal of Desserts!"
Bowser seemed to loosen up as the Dedede began pouring a sour-looking stream of colored sugar into his maw, and then watched in shock as Link handed over a box to Ganondorf. The Great King of Evil looked offended, but soon snatched it up before opening it. His eyes widened in surprise before softening for the first time the Koopa King had ever seen, and soon almost smiled. "The...Triforce..." he muttered, pulling the trifecta of perfectly crafted triangles from the package. "After all of these years...I have it. The Triforce...!"
"Well, in this timeline," Link added.
Mario, still dragging his feet, begrudgingly dragged a large wrapped thing forward. Bowser marveled at it before pointing to himself. "Is...is that a present? For me?"
"Eh...more of a white-a elephant gift than-a anything," he replied.
He could hardly contain himself, dragging the large object over and stripping it of its paper. His toothy grin grew as he exposed his gift, soon grabbing onto it and causing it make a noise. "Why...you got me Princess Peach! Mario, I...it's wonderful!"
The Monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom stared blankly at her usual kidnapper before glancing about. The pieces slowly came together in her mind as she slowly gasped, pressing her hands to the side of her face. "Ohhhhh nooooo~," she cried out in the least enthused way possible.
"Why, this is the kind of gift that keeps on giving! Mario, I-!" Bowser stopped himself, almost too overjoyed before frowning at the Italian. Ganondorf soon leered at his adversary as well, and even Dedede slowed his feasting to grimace at the confused Kirby. "-...The feeling is mutual."
"Indeed. Another priceless relic. How thoughtful," Ganondorf muttered.
"Gee, theresh shure a lotta food in herrr. Real shurprished..." Dedede bubbled.
The trio of villains dragged off their prizes, with Peach slowly calling out a lazy 'Mariooooo~' before fading away. Link cleared his throat as they left, eventually asking, "Was...this a good idea Mario? It seems kind of like a bad one?"
Mario shrugged as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of the robe. "I-a don't know. But...it felt okay. And-a if they abuse them, which-a they will, then we'll just-a beat them." Turning on his heel, the plumber started back into the Mansion. "Come on-a. I want to have another-a egg-a-nog before the night is-a out."
"Yeah, I hear you there. Hey...you haven't seen Mac, have you?"
"Nope-a. And I bet we-a won't."
Kirby, taking up the rear, followed diligently. His attention was taken away for a moment as he looked back to the villains. Their journey to understand Christmas was unfulfilled, but perhaps this would set things right. He smiled to himself, whispering to them and knowing full well they'd never hear it. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night..."