A/N: Happy Holidays, everyone! Heh, I know it's another Lucina fic, but I've had this idea since mid-November so I couldn't bear to let it go so easily. I've read some of the other entries around and I must say, they're really good! You guys oughta be proud of yourselves!

Also, lightly inspired by Tim Burton's 'Nightmare Before Christmas'. Good luck to everyone else in the contest, and enjoy!

x - x - x

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The room was silent except for the sound of Lucina's hammer. She was currently sitting in the garage of the Smash Mansion, working diligently beside her 2D friend. Together, they were building a strange contraption.

She was not sure what it was, with its clunky edges and round attachments, but she did not mind. Lucina's mind was elsewhere, in a land far, far away, where snow fell delicately upon the ground and the hearth of the fireplace crackled in the hush.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her ears were deaf to the sound of her hammer's incessant tapping, for her mind was filled with the wonderful sound of caroling children and joyous laughter. Ornaments glittered on the trees and pretty presents were exchanged for smiles. Every window of every house glowed golden radiance, revealing a glimpse of the warmth found within.

Lucina sighed, and the illusions vanished. How tantalizing it all was! Ever since Mario had made the announcement of a 'Christmas celebration' on the 25th, her mind had been stuck in a hole. She had not known what the holiday was about, or even heard of this newfangled thing called 'Christmas', so she had taken it upon herself to travel to the mansion's library and do some research.

Of course, she was no Robin; she did not like to stay in stuffy places and read books. No matter how much she read, she simply could not grasp the true meaning of Christmas. Thank the Gods for children's books! Their pictures explained things much better than rows of text ever could. Christmas was about having fun and receiving presents.

"Beep!"

Lucina took one last glance at the blueprint Mr. Game & Watch had laid out, and gave a satisfactory nod. She stilled her hammer and studied their work. It was a curious thing, covered in all sorts of gadgets and gears. Nevertheless, she found it quite endearing.

"Beep?"

"I believe our work is done, my short friend," she affirmed with a smile. "Care to enlighten me?"

The little man gave another merry 'beep' and wandered over to the other side of his contraption. In his process of doing so, he accidentally knocked over one of the vital gears. The entire thing began to lean to the side like the Tower of Pisa.

"Oh, Gods!" Lucina rushed forward to try and rectify the situation. She grasped both sides of the contraption with her hands and urged it to stand aright again.

"BEEP!"

Mr. Game & Watch was hopping up and down and beeping wildly, but she was not sure what it meant. Releasing the strange contraption, the thing began to whir to life, eliciting a gasp from Lucina.

Gears turned heavily and rusty pipes spewed out steam. Its movements grew progressively faster and faster until the contraption itself was madly shaking, as if it could no longer contain its immense power.

The sound of her friend's alarmed beeps filled her ears as the machine continued to churn out of control. Lucina stood there, dumbfounded, as a great white light shot out of the machine and enveloped her—blinding her—until the world around her became very still. She could no longer hear her friend's alarmed beeps, nor the whirring of the machine.

A hand flew to her head as her vision cleared. Lucina took a shaky breath as she perused the area. "Sir Game & Watch?"

Her short friend was nowhere to be seen. The contraption was nowhere in sight, either. Gods... she wasn't even in the garage anymore!

She was standing at the end of a corridor in the mansion, though she could not divine her exact location. It was as if a dark haze had settled over the mansion. Perhaps it was night time?

No... this haze was much stronger, imbued with the power of melancholy. She glanced outside. The earth was covered in a thick sheet of snow, and every crystal fell by its lonesome. Lucina shivered and realized it was no longer the 12th of December.

She traveled down the vast hallway and paid close attention to the name plates on the doors. Finally, the swordswoman came upon the name 'Robin', her closest friend.

She knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"Come in," came a muffled voice.

She opened the door with great care, as if this was all dream that could shatter at the slightest misstep. The mage was hunched over his desk like usual, buried in a sea of text.

Sighing, Lucina made her way over. She paused to check the calendar on the wall. December 25th was circled and, immediately, she knew. Robin always circled the date on his calendar.

The woman swallowed thickly and continued to his desk. She mustered a smile in spite of her terrible confusion. "Merry Christmas."

"Likewise," Robin replied and continued penning away at his notes.

Lucina did not allow herself to be deterred. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Are you planning on attending the Christmas celebration?"

The man laid down his quill and turned to look at her. "I don't have time for silly things like Christmas," he answered wearily. "Lucina, we don't even celebrate Christmas."

"Yes, I am well-aware. It's just..." She bit her lip, struggling to find an answer in the face of logic.

Robin gave her a sympathetic look. "I understand where you're coming from, Lucina. Even if we did celebrate Christmas…" He leaned back into his chair as a sigh filtered through his lips. "Well, perhaps you should take a look out there for yourself."

"All right." At least this would slake her curiosity. "Pardon me, then."

She bid her friend farewell and left the room. A miasma of fears arose as she advanced down the hallway. Just what sorts of things would she come upon...?

The other smashers were seated in the den. Everyone was minding their own business, silent bystanders on this Christmas day. Some were reading, some were polishing weapons; and others were merely gazing out the window, watching the snow make its steely descent upon the earth.

There was no Christmas splendor in sight. No smiles, no laughter...

Lucina frowned, feeling the melancholic air beginning to afflict her. She traveled deeper into the mansion, towards the living room. The haze grew progressively stronger, darker...

She gasped as something snaked by her feet.

"Who goes there?" she demanded, drawing her trusty Falchion. The sound of weeping caused her to drop her guard, and she lowered her blade.

A group of children smashers sat in the corner. The female Villager was gently weeping, while Ness and Toon Link were brooding beside her. Even Kirby wore a frown on his adorable countenance.

Lucina slid her sword into her sheath and approached them carefully. She was not very good with children, due to her serious nature and formal tone of speech, but she would not let that deter her.

"Is something the matter?"

They all nodded and presented their boxes. She realized after a moment that each box housed a gift, presumably for each child. It was too dark for her to make out the contents of each box, however.

"Ah... pardon me, for a moment."

Lucina squinted through the darkness and switched on a lamp. Suddenly, she let out a gasp as the contents of each box were revealed.

In the Villager's box was a baby doll with the face of a demon.

Kirby had a ghoulish puppet wielding an axe.

Ness's was a vampire teddy bear with very sharp teeth.

And Toon Link's was a monstrous train with tentacle tracks.

Lucina put a hand on her chest and calmed her palpitating heart. What kinds of macabre Christmas presents...?

She didn't have much time to contemplate however, for the female Villager let out a shriek and pointed to something in the corner.

A stuffed snake with black and orange stripes was devouring the Christmas tree whole. Lucina let out a cry and charged towards it, but not before a grinning nutcracker sprung towards her with a fake hammer. All around her were toys of a similar nature, equally dark and misshapen. They advanced towards her in a steely march until the poor girl could take no more of this madness!

x - x - x

Lucina awoke with a start. Beads of sweat trickled down her temple as a hand flew to her head. She glanced around.

Oh, thank the Gods!

She was back in the garage. Mr. Game & Watch was beeping worriedly at her, shaking the leg of her boot with a hand.

"I'm alright." She offered a weary smile. "A bit frazzled, I suppose, but I am not hurt."

Her senses returned fully and she realized she was holding something in the palm of her hand. Oh, Gods... was it one of the Christmas toys? It was not very heavy, and it felt cold against her skin.

Lifting her hand a bit, Lucina was tempted to look at the object, but she refrained from doing so. Mr. Game & Watch looked up at her in curiosity, causing her to grimace.

"I'm sorry, but... I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'd like to return to my quarters, if that's alright with you."

He beeped in understanding, though he still looked quite worried. Lucina ambled out of the garage and returned to her quarters. On her way up, she was accosted by Princess Zelda—who looked equally as worried—but Lucina made sure to keep up her calm and composed appearance. It wasn't until she approached the door to her bedroom and swiftly entered that she allowed herself to breathe. Locking the door, she slumped against the white paneling until she was level with the ground.

She stared at an empty space on the wall. What on Earth...?

That couldn't have been real. It was all too bizarre. The time travel, the toys, the vision itself. How had she traveled across the expanse of time without Naga's assistance? Was it all a dream? Perhaps that machine was designed to create faulty memories.

Lucina thought briefly about going back downstairs to ask Mr. Game & Watch about his contraption, but she decided against it. She did not wish to trouble her friend any further, as that would require sharing the details of her horrific experience.

Should she tell Robin? No... that wouldn't do her any good for the same reason. Besides, the white-haired mage had mentioned something about feeling 'stressed' lately, though he refused to tell her why.

Hesitantly, she opened the palm of her hand, praying to Naga that it wasn't something grotesque. It turned out to be quite the opposite. In her hand was an ornament in the shape of an angel, crafted from white porcelain.

Lucina recognized it as the ornament that was supposed to go on top of the tree—at least, according to the children's books. She lifted it into the air and admired it for a moment. The angel caught in the light and gleamed with iridescent brilliance.

She smiled softly. It was absolutely beautiful... but... Oh, Gods. The fact that she was holding it when she awoke meant that her experience was no mere illusion. Had she truly caught a glimpse of the future on Christmas day?

Shaking her head, the princess placed the angel into her pocket and recomposed herself. It would do her no good to ponder over it too deeply—not when she had a match to attend.

x - x - x

She was pitted against a fat man named 'Wario'. Who he was, she did not know, but he was as grotesque as the Christmas toys she had encountered.

Lucina fought sluggishly at first, distracted by thoughts of her vision. She swung her sword around carelessly and forgot to dodge a few punches, eliciting a few 'WA HA HA's from Wario.

Not that she minded. She was beginning to seriously contemplate the implications of what she had seen. The swordswoman was positive that she had merely imagined the toys coming to life, but the rest...

Lucina felt sorry for those children. They had received such harrowing gifts, when in the books the children received sweets and goodies.

She threw a Shield Breaker forward and missed by a hair's breadth. Wario taunted and rode away on his motorcycle, making obscene gestures. Lucina's brow furrowed, but not at her opponent.

She thought about how the older smashers were seated in the den—and suddenly—she became enraged. How dare they not celebrate such an esteemed holiday?! How dare they laze around and polish their weapons?!

With a mighty cry, the woman unleashed her wrath upon the fat man and assaulted him with a flurry of sword jabs, each equally as angry and fervent. She fought him with such terrifying accuracy that the poor man's feet weren't even on the ground anymore; he was being juggled in the air like an orange until he made his final descent down the throat of death.

Lucina sheathed her sword as a sense of guilt began to weigh her down. She had no right to be angry at those smashers. She didn't even understand the true meaning of Christmas! All she had to guide her was a series of tattered books.

The applause of the audience rang deaf in her ears as she left the stage. For the rest of the day, thoughts of what she had seen plagued her mind. Or rather, how to proceed from here on out.

Lucina wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't. Should she try to save Christmas? Or would her efforts all be for naught? It wasn't as though anyone was in danger; as terrifying as those presents were, they had not harmed the children.

But when she recalled those looks of apathy on the smashers' faces, her heart sunk...

Oh, Naga, please give me guidance...

x - x - x

Night fell upon the mansion like a velvety blanket. Lucina had just finished her daily training session with the Hero-King, and quite frankly, she was very tired. She walked up the stairs at a brisk pace.

The hallway was dark, illuminated by nothing but the sconces lining the walls. There was a pool of moonlight by the window, however, and if she could just get to it—

"WAH!"

"OH GODS, I'M SO SORRY!"

The two figures stumbled into the moonlight, holding their heads. Lucina glanced up to see a male of a slightly greater stature with straw-colored hair.

"...Shulk? Are you hurt?" She grimaced slightly. "Please, forgive my carelessness."

"No need to apologize. I won't go down that easily." He wore a joking smile, one that put the Ylissean princess at ease.

"I see." Her lips curled into a smile. "Well, is there a reason why your hand is behind your back in such a manner?"

"N-no! Of course not!" His other hand flew behind his back in a futile attempt to hide his blunder.

She tipped a blue brow, and he took a step backwards.

"A-anyways, I really should be going now..." he told her, wearing a sheepish smile. "Nice chatting with you, Lucina!"

"Please, Shulk," she interjected, her face returning to its serious norm. "There is no need to hide anything from me. I promise not to tell anyone, if that is your wish."

He gazed at her for a long time, as if appraising her sincerity. Finally, he released a sigh and brought his hand forward.

Lucina stared. In his palm was a small angel ornament, crafted from white porcelain. It caught in the moonlight and gleamed with iridescent brilliance.

Her breath hitched. She glanced back up at him, and he was looking at her as if he was expecting to be ridiculed. Of course. He has no idea...

"Shulk, I..." Lucina fumbled around for something in the folds of her tunic. She brought her hand forward in the same manner as he and unraveled her fingers.

His attention was immediately drawn to the identical angel figure. "Lucina... where did you get that?!"

His eyes snapped back up to meet her face, and she tried to remain as calm as possible. "I'm not sure. All I know is that I woke up with it in the palm of my hand after..." She grimaced, not wanting to sound batty. "Well, it's a long story, but I believe I may have caught a glimpse into the future. May I ask how you acquired yours?"

"I see." Shulk withdrew his hand, and she followed suit. He placed the other one on his chin in a typical thinking pose. "The truth is, the Monado showed me a vision of the future on Christmas day. It was brief, but no one appeared to be in danger. Even so, it was pretty grim for a supposedly important holiday."

She nodded, prompting him to continue.

"And when I came to, I was holding this strange figure in my hand." He held it up again. "Any idea what it's used for? There's an indent on the bottom, leading me to believe that it's used for a greater purpose than a mere doll."

"Yes!" She smiled. "I researched some books in the library"—she purposely omitted the fact that they were children's books—"and the pictures showed that these ornaments are made to go on the top of a Christmas tree."

"Really?" He returned the smile. "I wonder what the logic behind that is...?"

Lucina nearly chuckled, feeling her barriers beginning to break down around the Homs boy. She quickly steeled herself as she made her decision.

"Shulk…" Her brows furrowed. "Will you help me create a brighter Christmas for the smashers?"

"Of course!" He raised his fist into the air, impassioned by her words. "The future is not yet written!"

"Wh-what?!"

Shulk laughed and patted her on the head. "I'm only joking, Lucina. Meet back here tomorrow?"

Flustered, she took a moment to regain her composure. "Very well. Good night, Shulk."

"Night, Lucina."

x - x - x

A/N: Heh, I know I'm cutting it close with the visions, but I figure since Shulk receives quest-related visions in the game I could bend the rules a bit. ...*crickets*

Also... this fic is lightly inspired by my own experience with Christmas. When I was little, Christmas was very magical: we used to put up stockings, decorate the tree together, bake cookies, and even put our light-up reindeer out on the lawn! But as I grew older and everyone became busier, and my parents no longer needed to maintain the illusion of Santa Claus, that magic slowly dissipated. Year by year, one aspect of Christmas disappeared—the light-up reindeer, the stockings, the cookies, and recently, the ornaments—until there was a very thick layer of apathy in my household. We put up a fake tree now and throw some lights on it—we don't even wrap presents anymore, we're so minimalistic, ahaha. We just give them to each other in the brown cardboard box they come in. I want things to change, so so badly, but I…

AHEM, in other words, I decided to take a different approach with this than have all the smashers celebrate Christmas. I'd just imagine most of them don't even know what Christmas is, and therefore don't care much, you know?

Also, if you'd like to know why Robin is 'stressed', feel free to give my other fic a read, though be warned that it involves multiple headcanons and a crack ship. Heh heh!

Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter should be up soon. Reviews are always very much appreciated.

- mystic moogle