'Twas the night before Christmas, when all throughout Beacon
No soul was was awake, aside from four girls sneaking;
The weapons were hung by the dorm rooms with care,
In hopes that old headmaster would soon be there;
The students were curled and snug in their beds;
While visions of dead Grimm danced in their heads;
With Elise in her leader's hoodie, and Kris in her hat,
A boy slammed open their door with a, "What the fuck is that?"
Blinking rapidly while sitting on the floor of their dorm room, Kris held a box which she was wrapping in gold and a red ribbon, and slowly began to lower. She had on her red triangular hat with a white trim and a white puff at the end that her father had given her, despite the fact she was still at Beacon and wearing her usual green jeans, black boots, red shirt, and black jacket.
With sparkling and colorful lights draping from corner to corner of the room, and the curtain embroidered stark white snowflakes against the dark red fabric, there in the far right corner sat a tall and sturdy pine tree which was bent at the top due to it being too tall for the ceiling. A glowing golden star was barely hanging onto the point as popcorn, tinsel, and lights wrapped around the bright green pine needles as a glitter of rainbow ornaments scattered across it.
"Who the hell are you?!" The redhead snapped, her head cocking to the side as her green eyes narrowed like daggers, her mouth faintly open as her brows furrowed.
Setting aside a large ham she was seasoning and preparing to cook, Elise stepped away from the desk with a puzzled look of confusion. She glanced around the room, somehow wearing her leaders hoodie even though she hadn't yet taken it from her and was in her brown pants that she wore at Beacon. "I'm with Kris on this... who are you?" She asked, staring at the short boy.
He was wearing a blue hoodie with a yellow shirt underneath and a pair of blue jeans. His shoes were red with a little white and had black laces keeping them tied. His black hair was extremely poofy and his skin tanned from the sun, and while his eyes were a bright shade of blue and green, he had bags underneath them.
"Who the fuck am I?" The boy shouted, pulling his right arm from his hoodie pocket and pointing up at the decorated tree. "Why the fuck does that matter? Do you see this fucking shit? It's a goddamn Christmas tree! And I'm sure this story isn't going to be centered around an indirect-fucking-holiday! At least we had the nerves for a proper public service announcement but no! Yours is going to be filled with fucking stupid antics! Jesus fucking Christ! You are all such fucking losers!"
Blinking rapidly with wide eyes and a shocked face, Kagami was sitting on the lowest bed while looking through assorted holiday cards. "What... actually just happened?" She was wearing her black shorts and side chain along with a green shirt.
"You know," Cheyenne waved a finger, a few lights hanging from her antlers as she was putting up a few strands. She had on her usual tan t-shirt with her white vest and a pair of white shorts and brown boots. "He kinda sounds like that Sun fella. The... the monkey Faunus." She added.
"Yeah, you're right." Elise slowly crossed her arms, blinking some. "You still never told us who you were though..." She trailed off, seeing the annoyed and jaded expression on the boy's face.
Before he could speak though and give his snarky reply, a voice came echoing from down the hallway. "Max! Get back here!" In his blue jeans, Pumpkin Pete's hoodie, and armor, a tall, blonde, and scraggly student came running up beside the much smaller child while panting heavily. "...hold on..." He raised a hand before lowering it as he put his hands on his knees.
"Um..." Kris blinked, slowly standing up as she scratched the side of her head. "What? What the actual what...?" She repeated.
"Is... everything alright, Jaune?" Kagami asked, slowly rising to her feet as a very concerned and utterly confused expression grew across her face. "Do you know this kid?"
"It's a long story." Jaune took a deep breath, standing up straight as he moved his arms behind his back and stretched. "Phew." He sighed before shaking his head. "Nora decided to eat a whole bag of straight coffee grounds. It was some brand like Death Wish or something. Anyway..." He waved his hand. "She opened up another dimension and went there and all this stuff and brought this little guy back and we're trying to get him back home to his uh... Camp Camp place but he doesn't want to."
"Of course I don't fucking want to!" Max shouted, shoving his hands into his pocket. "Not like this place is any better. Seriously." He glared up at the blonde with narrowed eyes. "Are you literally in every goddamn universe, David?"
"For the hundredth time! My name is Jaune! J-A-U-N-E! Please get it right!" He shouted back, tossing his arms down as his knees slowly bent. The door to team MACE's dorm room shutting as Cheyenne snapped it shut with a worrisome look.
"Okaaaaay." Kris slowly nodded, looking around at her teammates. "Anyone else extremely confused?" She raised an eyebrow, nodding more as each of her three friends slowly raised their hands.
"That was..." Elise shook her head, brushing back her bangs. "That was definitely something else for sure." She tried to sound as nice as she possibly could. Though, that attempt faded as she heard a knock on the door and began to sigh.
Cheyenne rolled her eyes, grabbing the door handle and opening it up. "Listen-" She stopped herself, blinking rapidly as she saw her headmaster. "Professor...?"
"Girls, I need your help, please..." Ozpin sounded and looked exhausted, his grey hair a shaggy mess, his brown eyes tiresome and his black and green outfit wrinkled and worn. For once, he didn't have his glasses on, alarming the young group of girls. "I have an emergency... I need your help. I know it's late but please I must insist."
Blinking a few times, Kagami faintly smiled as she eyed her teammates and slightly raised her right eyebrow. "What do you say guys? A little more trouble for the show?"
"Aw yeah!" Kris jumped up, raising her fist. "Christmas adventure! We might meet Santa Clause! You know, my favorite story book character! And to make it better, it's my birthday too!" She grinned from ear to ear, following the headmaster of Beacon as he walked out with a limp. "This is going to be awesome!"
From out in the courtyard a massive clatter rose,
Team MACE was walking away, deep into the shadows
Grabbing a tarp, Ozpin tore it away with a flash,
Revealing a sleigh that looked as if it had crashed.
The broken moon began to rise, stretching across the snow,
And gave a luster of midday to objects below,
Dumbfounded and lost, Kagami and Cheyenne did stare,
As he pulled out outfits for two elves and a reindeer,
He set them aside, next pulling out a costume of red, white, and gold,
His brow raised as he spoke, "You do have a hat that matches, or so I was told."
"I... I do." Kris stuttered at first, pulling off the red and white hat she wore. She then glanced around, eyeing the sleigh and the large stuffed bag. "Wait a minute..." She blinked, looking up at the headmaster as her eyes began to widen. "Is he real...? Are you Nicholas?"
At that Ozpin gave a small scoff, slightly waving his hand. "Oh please dear child no, that man is nothing but a myth. A mere fairy tale. I on the other hand," While holding onto his cane in his left hand, he brought his right hand up to his chest. "I am the Wizard."
"Wait what." Kagami blinked, deadpaning as she stared at the professor. "Wait so the Four Maidens are-" She was cut off.
"Ah, it doesn't matter children." He waved her off. "I have more daring problems. See, every year on this day I give out weapons to good girls and boys who could one day become impressive Huntsmen and Huntresses, like myself. But as I was taking off this year, a breeze brushed by and knocked my glasses off. I couldn't see and crashed my poor sleigh here." He motioned towards it before putting both hands on his cane.
"Now, I have the magic to repair this contraption, but I still wouldn't be able to see. I was wondering if I gave the last bit of my magic to you four... you could deliver the weapons for me. And also give coal to those who haven't been so nice this year." Ozpin held out a hand. "What do you girls say?"
"Hell to the yes!" Kris shouted, suddenly wearing the red and white outfit. She spun around, letting the snowflakes dance all around her.
Snatching away an elf costume with red sleeves, Elise grinned as she slipped it on over her normal clothes. "Awww, yeah! This is going to be as awesome as Christmas back on my farm!" She slipped out of the clothes underneath the costume, tossing them aside.
Kagami blinked, her hoodie half falling across her face. Slowly, she raised a hand and pointed at the green sleeved elf costume Ozpin was holding. "I'm not putting that on."
"Same here." Cheyenne muttered, staring blankly at the reindeer costume that the headmaster also held.
Suddenly, Kris popped up behind the two, gripping each of their shoulders. "Put them on NOW!" She shouted, her teeth like razor sharp fangs as the two girls snatched up their costumes and stepped away from the crazy redhead.
Faster than a Nevermore this sleigh did fly,
As Elise named off the weapons in the bag with a cry:
"There's rifles! And swords! Even clubs and maces!
There's gauntlets! And spears! Oh, and machine gun briefcases!
Take to the skies Kris, take us high into the skies!
So we can give all the weapons to children with good in their eyes!"
Like Dust propelled rockets, they went soaring through the air,
Letting no such obstacle stop them in their journey who knows where;
So up to the treetops they went in their sleigh, with magic radiating off them
Full of weapons and friends, and Kris shouting, "This is awesome, man!"
"I literally hate all of you." Cheyenne muttered, her right eye twitching with an expression on her face that could only be described as 'can I go home now?' Reins were wrapped around her waist as she kicked her arms and legs back and forth, the motion somehow keeping the sleigh aloft as the red ball on her nose started to glow. "So very much."
"Come on! Stop being a downer!" Elise shouted, rummaging through the large bag and the presents inside. "This is absolutely, by far, the most amazingly awesomest, coolest, completely outstanding thing we have ever done!" She tossed her arms up. "We're using magic! And it's not just Kagami for once!"
"Don't forget about the craziest. And least logical." Kagami muttered, earning a low groan from the brunet who nudged her in the side.
"Don't be such a downer!" She grumbled, shoving her leader a bit more. The green haired girl responding with a low sigh as she picked up a present and hid her face behind it. She then blinked, pulling out a strange looking handle from the bag of weapons.
"Huh. What's this?" She asked herself while cocking her head to the side. She then pressed a button, watching as two energy blades came out from either end in the same direction, it giving off a misty white and blue glow. "Oh! Cool! It's a sword!"
"It actually kinda looks like a key or something." The jade haired girl mumbled, blinking a few times as she leaned over to look at it better. "So sort of great key or something."
"Naaaaaw." Elise waved it around, holding it up in the air. "I mean, if we call a sword a key, wouldn't that mean we unlock people's deaths with it!" She grinned.
"Oh for the love of..." Kagami reached up, rubbing her face with a very deep sigh.
"All of you hush!" Kris shouted, eyeing a building down below. "Come on, Chey! Down there!" She pulled on the reins, earning a small growl from the deer Faunus as she tilted her body to the side and started to descend, the sleigh following suit.
"This is abuse." Cheyenne muttered. "And cruelty. And mistreatment. And just down right racist!" She shouted, her eye twitching more as she glared forward.
And then, a pitter patter came onto a prison roof
The skidding and stomping of both boots themed like a hoof.
Cheyenne drew back her head, glaring coldly back the redhead,
Kris shook her head with a smile, grabbing the bag as she jumped ahead.
She was dressed in red and white, from her head to feet,
As she snuck into the prison without missing a beat;
A bundle of weapons, and coal, she had flung over her back,
Not afraid of any sort of prison break or attack.
Her eyes, they sparkled their crimson green! Her aura filled with merry!
Her cheeks were like red balloons, her nose like a cherry!
Her small chest tucked tightly in her jacket like a present,
Since for her the growing of puberty happening, hasn't;
Her short, skinny self giving off the appearance of a chopstick,
As she leaned of against a cell, as the lock she picked;
She stepped inside with her large red sack and a joyful smile,
Looking at the blonde she devil who had been here for a while.
Rising to her feet, dressed in orange, she stared at the imposter Nicholas,
And Eri laughed at what she saw and said, "You look ridiculous!"
"Laugh all you want." Kris smirked, dropping the sack on the ground with a loud thud. "But right now, I'm the one on top." She pointed at herself with her thumb. "And you're going to get it for stabbing me!" She shouted, even though the Fall Of Beacon hadn't happened, and the school was still standing with classes up and running.
"What?" The blonde she devil blinked, her blood red eyes filling with confusion as her laughing slowly died down. "You're telling me you're going to kick my ass dressed like THAT! I've won each and every fight I have had with you! What makes this any different!"
Smiling, the redhead raised her arm, slowly sliding it inside the sack with a chuckle. "Because this time, I am my hero. And I have magic and a bag of..." A wicked smirk grew across her face as she pulled her hand out. "COAL!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, tossing the rock straight at the blonde.
Eri grunted, the black piece of earth striking her in the forehead. A large red bump began to form as she reached up with her cuffed hands, rubbing where she had been hit. "Ow! What the hell you wrench!" She grunted again, another piece of coal zooming through the air and hitting her cheek, sending her head moving back.
"Payback is a bitch! Huh?!" Kris shouted with a low growl, grabbing rock after rock out of the bag with both of her hands and chucking them at the young prisoner. "You deserve every piece you get!" She screamed, burying the blonde underneath a large pile of coal.
Team MACE went through many stops that night, handing out several wrapped weapons and pieces of coal here and there. Though, Eri was given more coal than everyone that night. One of their most notable places was when the group stopped at Elise's family farm which was still standing.
Sneaking around the floorboards, with carefully placed footsteps, Elise managed to avoid the squeaky boards as she quietly chuckled to herself. She had snuck around her home countless times before at night, and while her father could sleep through a hail storm, her mother woke to the sound of a pin dropping. So she knew how to tiptoe her way through the rooms silently.
This farm was more decorated than all of the houses in Vale combined. It was glowing with flashing and colorful lights as mechanical trains and Santa Clauses danced around. The trees and fences were lined with ornaments, and the inside was just as festive.
Toy trains rolled around as candy canes were spread across every table and hanging from any place they could. A large and bushy tree decorated to mere perfection was sitting in the middle of the living room with a bright glowing star. This was Elise's favorite time of year. Her family always made a huge deal out of it. And now, it was finally her turn to give back to them.
Quietly laying the large bag of weapons down next to the tree, she reached in and slowly pulled out a very large box. "Compound bow for papa." Elise muttered, grabbing another. "Large wooden spoon for mama." And another. "And a pair of triple extra large gauntlets for papa." Another much smaller box. "Also a small handgun for mama just in case someone attacks." She smiled, standing up straight with a satisfied nod. "Now... one more person." She grinned.
Outside in the barn, she was standing next to her horse, Jelly Bean. She couldn't help but smile as she set a large back of metal balls down. "Alright. Now only for intruders you do this. Not papa. Or mama! You understand?"
As the horse gave a tired neigh and stopped her foot, she gently shook her head back and forth as her mane waved.
"Good." She nodded, pointing at the bag. "Now pick up a few in your mouth and don't swallow." She smiled more, wagging as her horse did so. "Alright, baby girl. Now roll one around in your tongue and blow it at one of those bottles." She pointed at a few green glass bottles standing along a piece of wood help up by two rocks.
Jelly Bean have a small snarl through her nose before she shifted her feet around, her eyes slowly narrowing as her tail wagged. And then... BANG! BANG! BANG! The sound echoed as the road metal balls struck glass, shattering all of them in less than a second.
Blinking slowly, Elise slowly stepped away from her horse with wide eyes. "You know... you really do scare me sometimes, baby girl." She muttered quietly, slowly reaching out and petting her golden fur. She then flinched, hearing her father's shotgun cock. "Shoot!" She yelped, pushing down on her elf hat with one hand, the other snatching the bag of weapons up, as she began to run away back towards the sleigh.
Despite the mockery and utter embarrassment caused by being forced to wear a reindeer outfit, plus actually being a deer Faunus with very impressive antlers, Cheyenne slowly softened up to the idea of it all. Well, not the costume, but delivering weapons to good girls and boys WAS something she could get behind. Or in front of.
Quietly sneaking inside the house she grew up in, she had to use a crowbar to pry the door open thanks to her parents changing the locks. Though, she was sure they wouldn't mind. She would fix it before she left anyway with her semblance, so they wouldn't even know.
She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the living room. It wasn't much, but it was what she was raised with. There, in the middle of the floor, was a small and dimly lit tree with a couple old style ornaments hanging from it along with a red blanket wrapped around the base of it.
"Good." She said in a hushed tone, gently setting the large sack down as silently as she could. She glanced around, slowly approaching a door with gentle footsteps. She knew this door like the back of her hand. It was her door. Well, at least her old door that is. She slowly pushed it open, the hinges letting out a small creek as she peered inside, seeing her twin sister, Maya, sound asleep while curled up under the covers.
The Faunus nodded a bit, stepping away as she shut the door. She then went towards a second door, pushing it open only a crack to see both her parents. She softly sniffed as she reached up and rubbed her eyes. The two seemed so peaceful and happy together, finally. It's what they deserve after everything.
After closing the door with a soft click, Cheyenne walked back into the living room while rubbing her arms softly with her hands. All three of them were so happy living together, despite the fact that the Fall of Beacon hadn't happened yet and Maya shouldn't know who they are yet, but this wasn't supposed to make sense anyway. It's Christmas!
"Alright, let's see." Cheyenne reached into the bag, pulling out a pair of twin tomahawks. She twirled them around a bit herself before laying them down on the red fabric with a smile. "Maya can't just use her semblance all the time. She needs some sort of weapons. I think these will suit her." She nodded in agreement with herself, reaching into the pocket of her costume and pulling out a red bow. She placed it on the weapons just before she reached back into the sack.
"Now mom needs something to ward off those perverts at her diner." She moved her arm around while sticking her tongue out before grinning as she grabbed something. She suddenly pulled out a blow torch, her head cocking to the side. "Uh, yeah um, something less dangerous." She muttered, dropping it back inside the bag before reaching in again. "Oh! Bingo!" She shouted, pulling out a green box with red ribbon. She opened it up, seeing a small can of pepper spray. "Perfect." She let out in a whisper, setting it down next to the hatchet like weapons.
"And for daaad..." She reached back in, grunting softly. Cheyenne then had to slide her other arm inside the bag, both hers hands locking onto something. "Come on..." She grunted, setting down a heavy, metal, and weaponized wheelchair as she let out a huff of air. She nodded, clapping her hands together. "And we have perfection."
In another part of Vale, Kagami blankly stared back at Elise. "No. Way."
"Do it." The brunet demanded.
"No. Freaking. Way. Never in a million years." She crossed her arms.
Groaning, Elise rolled her eyes. "Do it this once and I won't make you do it again." Her eyes narrowed.
The jade haired girl growled softly, reaching over and grabbing a hold of the large sack filled with a magical amount of weapons and coal. "Fine." She grumbled, turning and walking off.
Letting off low and deep growls rising up from the back of her throat, Kagami took silent steps as she walked around inside an abandoned house that Nihilus, Thanaton, and Val lived inside. Even though they hadn't ran off to hide inside there yet. "I literally hate every single one of you..." She grumbled, setting the bag down next to a single foot tall tree.
"This is completely ridiculous..." She groaned, eyeing around the room before giving a soft sigh. Family holidays weren't exactly her thing anymore ever since she left Vytal. Letting out a heavy huff of air, she slowly reached into the bag, moving her hand around as she rummaged through everything. "I don't preferably like you, but I guess you aren't the worst human being ever, Nihilus." She muttered, pulling out a curved hunting knife. She unstrapped it, pulling it out of the sheath while eyeing the crimson blue blade. "This'll do." She nodded, setting it down beside the small tree.
"But your sister on the other hand..." She trailed off, picking up the sack and turning it upside down. She let an endless wave of coal pile up, several pieces falling off the already large pile as the mass of black rock only grew. Once they finally stopped falling, she patted the bag twice, one more falling out as she flipped the bag rightside up. "And there you go Thanaton."
She reached back inside, slowly pulling out a small hand crossbow. "And for you Val. You deserve a present more than most." Her voice grew hushed as she trailed off with a small gulp. She quickly flinched though, hearing footsteps behind her.
"What the hell is going on...?" Nihilus groaned while shaking his messy blue hair as he rubbed his head.. He was in a white t-shirt with red trim on the sleeves and neck as well as a pair of blue shorts.
"Nope!" Kagami shouted, picking up a piece of coal and chucking it at him. Before the young man even had time to react, the black rock struck his forehead, making him grunt as he fell to the floor unconscious. "No one, especially you, is seeing me wearing this!"
"Alright, all set?" Kris asked with a smile, looking at her teammates with a chuckle as Kagami returned.
"As ready as I can be." The leader of team MACE muttered, shaking her head as she got into the sleigh with a sigh.
As Elise rolled her eyes and nudged her leader with a soft smile, Kris grabbed a hold of the reigns as tight as she could. "Then it's off we go, Chey!" She shouted, moving the reins up and down.
"Please kill me." Cheyenne sighed, her brow twitching as she took off.
With a wink of her eye and a twist of her wrist,
Kris made sure to double check her list;
She went straight to work, leaving coal and weapons behind,
With each house she broke into, Kagami thought she was losing her mind,
And laying the large bag next to her two elves,
Kris then gave a nod to her reindeer, loving everything about themselves;
She sprang into the sleigh, and to her teammates whistled,
And away the team flew like the down of a thistle.
Kris then exclaimed, giving a two finger salute as they flew out of sight,
"Merry KrisMACE to all you bitches, and to all you bitches a good night!"