Part 3
Candy and Grenda stood at the cave entrance. Santa, and the others hid behind the side of the cave. Candy had a pad of paper, and pen in hand.
"HELLO!" Candy yelled so it echoed in the cave. "ANYONE IN HERE? HELLO?!" The kids, and Krampus heard it.
"Uh, Mr. Krampus, sir?" A kid spoke up. "I think you have a visitor." Krampus looked at the kid.
"I know that." He said. "But, how? I never have a visitor." He looked at the kids. "I'll be back. If any one of you brats tries to leave, I'll know. You'll be my appetizers to my Christmas dinner." He then left them alone.
"Who are you?" Krampus asked Candy and Grenda when he saw them. "And what are two doing here?"
"We're junior reporters." Candy lied. "We meant to go to the South Pole, but ended up here instead. Since we found you, we decided to interview you. Do you have several minutes to spare?"
"I guess, but why should I answer to you?"
"If you do this interview, your name will be recognized by everyone in the world!" Krampus liked the sound of that.
"Everyone in the world you'd say?" Candy nodded. "This is it! Krampus will be heard everywhere, not just a few countries! He wanted to be an even bigger name then Santa Claus, and this will be a start! He smiled. "Of course, I will answer your questions. Care to step inside?" Candy shook her head as Santa and the others quietly snuck inside. Krampus was confused.
"But, it's cold outside. Surly…" Candy shook her head again.
"No, that's okay. Grenda and I have a fear inside caves."
"Well, normally I'd think that is suspicious, but anything to get the word out about me. First off, my name is Krampus." Candy pretended to write in the notebook.
"Hey!" An excited kid said excitedly when he saw Santa. "It's Santa!"
"SANTA!" The kids shouted, running over to him. Dipper, Mabel, and Waddles were behind him. Santa urged them to be quiet.
"Santa," a kid said to him. "My parents said you were fake."
"Well, duh, he's real!" An older kid told him. "If this guy is real, Santa's real!"
"Yeah!" The other kids agreed.
"Hey, Santa!" Another kid piped up. "Why are you here?"
"To bring you kids back home." Santa answered.
"But," A confused girl said. "We've been bad." Santa knelt down to her.
"I know, Susan." He told him. "But, no matter how bad you get, you don't deserve to be eaten. After all, I, unlike many adults in the world, understands kids and that they have the power to do what they'll do in their futures." Susan smiled.
"Thanks for understanding naughty kids everywhere, Santa."
"My pleasure, Susan." With that, he and Susan hugged.
"I hate to ruin this happy moment," Dipper spoke. "But, shouldn't we be, like, getting out of here?" Santa withdrew from the girl, and stood up.
"Right, you are, Dipper." He agreed. He looked at the others, and ushered them to follow. "Now come on kids, but silently. We don't want to get caught." Santa and the others, slowly headed out. He looked at Dipper. "Check the whole cave. Make sure we don't leave any behind." Dipper nodded, and went off.
"How do you know when we have everybody?" Mabel asked. "There are a zillion kids in the world." Santa chuckled.
"I have my naughty list with me." He told her. "I'll just read what it says, and count the kids."
"That will be a lot of kids to count. What if we miscount? Will all of us fit on the sleigh?" Santa chucked again.
"Don't fret. It'll all turn out right in the end." He winked. "Just trust me."
"Okay."
"In fact, why don't you and Waddles help him? It might save a lot of time. I'll be waiting outside at the entrance of the cave."
"Okay. Come on, Wads." Waddles oinked, and he and his owner were off. Santa went to the cave's entrance.
As the kids came outside, Santa counted them each with the help of the electric counter he had in his hand.
When Mabel, Waddles, and Dipper came out of the cave with some more kids, Santa went to them.
"Okay," He said to them. "That's the last of them."
"Are you sure?" Dipper questioned. Santa nodded.
"My electric counter never lies. I had my elves that aren't busy at my workshop take some home already with the spare reindeer."
"Okay, let's go tell Candy and Grenda." They were about to go when they heard a deep, booming voice.
"You're not going anywhere!" They looked and saw Krampus. They gasped. He held Candy and Grenda in each hand. They both struggled without any luck.
"CANDY!" Mabel shouted. "GRENDA! You let my friends go right now, Krampus!"
"Never! I might eat them, or you, your brother, or the pig first! You are all on the naughty list now."
"No we're not!" She looked at Santa. "Are we, Santa?" Santa shook his head.
"No, you are all on my nice list." Mabel smiled. Santa looked at Krampus. "Krampus, I decide who are on the nice and naughty lists, not you, remember?"
"Oh, I do remember, Santa. But, that's all going to change. I don't like how things are, so I'm in change now."
"You can't do this Krampus."
"I can do what I want old man, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." He held Grenda and Candy to his mouth. "I was going to wait to eat all the children on Christmas, but I think I'll start right now with these two." Mabel's friends screamed.
"I don't want to be a dinner to an evil half-goat, half demon creature!" Grenda shouted.
"Neither do I!" Candy shouted as well. "Just because my name is 'Candy' doesn't make me sweet and delicious!" Krampus pulled them closer and closer to his mouth, when he screamed, dropping them to the snow. He looked; Waddles had butted him with his head.
"Way to go, Wads!" Mabel cheered. The pig grunted, hoofing the snow, ready to butt him again if needed. Krampus scowled.
"That wasn't cool, porker. Not cool at all!" He went to grab Waddles, but the pig ran away, squealing.
"You leave my pig alone!" But, Krampus grabbed Waddles. Waddles squealed.
"NOOOOOOO!" Mabel ran, and grabbed the pig's foot. She was being lifted off of the ground too. Everyone gasped.
"MABEL!" Dipper yelled.
"You let my pig go right now, you, you Christmas bully!" Krampus laughed as he took Mabel in his other hand.
"Please, Santa!" Dipper begged him. "Please tell me you have a plan. What will I tell my parents? That my sister and her pet pig were eaten by Krumpus?"
"I can't look!" Grenda shouted. She took the iguana off her shoulder. "Time to make yourself useful, Grenda Jr.!" She threw her pet at Krumpus the best she could. The iguana hit Krumpus, and instantly fell to the snow. The animal screamed, and scurried away from the demon. Krumpus laughed.
"That's the best you can do? Pity! After I eat you, I'll be back for the iguana later. Right now, it's down the hatch!" He pulled Mabel and the pig closer and closer to his mouth.
Suddenly, elves on reindeer flew in, and tackled Krumpus on the ground. Krumpus screamed as he fell into the snow. More elves with garlands, landed in the snow, and circled around Krampus, tying him up. He struggled to get up, but a reindeer was on top of him.
"GET OFF OF ME YOU BLASTED ELF!" He screamed.
"That depends." Said the elf riding the reindeer. "are you going to be nice? If not, you're not getting up." The reindeer snorted in Krampus' face. The elf looked at Santa. "Alright Santa, you can take these kids and pig home. We're take it from here." Santa smiled, and gave the elf a thumbs up.
"Will do, Elvis." He took out a carrot from his pocket. "Thanks Snowstorm." Snowstorm made a happy reindeer sound, as Santa threw him the carrot. Snowstorm munched on it. Santa looked at Mabel's friends, Dipper, and Waddles. "Are you ready to go home?" They all nodded. Mabel was about to ask something when Santa looked at the other kids.
"Don't worry kids." He assured them. "My elves will make sure you all return home safely." He looked at Mabel. "That is what you wanted to know, wasn't it Mabel?" Mabel smiled.
"You got it, Santa!" She replied.
After Santa gave the kids and pig a tour of the workshop, and all of the other buildings at the North Pole, they went back to Gravity Falls.
"Are you sure you have to go, Santa?" Mabel wanted to know. Santa nodded as he helped her down when they were in front of the Mystery Shack.
"I have to prepare for my run." He told her. "It's already Christmas Eve in other countries you know."
"Okay. I wish you could stay longer. Will we ever see you again?"
"If you believe, you will."
"I will."
"Good. Remember kids, just because you get older doesn't mean you have to stop believing in the magic."
"We'll never stop."
"I know you won't Mabel." He pulled on the reins, and he was off.
"Merry Christmas Pines twins!" Santa called from above as they all waved to him. "And Waddles. Have a bright new year!"
"Bye, Santa!" Mabel shouted. Waddles oinked.
"Well, Mabel," Her brother told her. "Let's go home. Stan and Ford might be worried about us. Remember, Mom and Dad will arrive tomorrow."
"Yay!" Mabel cheered. "I can't wait to tell them about our adventure with Santa!"
The next morning, they started hearing news that the kidnapped children were reuniting with their families. Their parents arrived in the evening and they went to church.
They unwrapped their presents on Christmas morning, and got a lot of stuff that was on their lists. Waddles even got his Christmas caramel apple!
"Kids," Stan told them, grabbing one last gift from under the tree. "You have one more gift." Mabel ran to him.
"What is it?" She asked. Stan shrugged. "Who's it for?"
"It's addressed to both of you from Santa." Boy, we all know that's not true. He thought in his mind.
"Both of us?" Dipper wanted to know. "That never happened since we were babies." Stan shrugged again.
"Who wants to open it?" Mabel smiled at her brother.
"We should open it together."
"Okay." Dipper agreed. Mabel grabbed the present from her uncle, and the two opened it together. It was a little box. Dipper opened the box. Inside was a bell. He took the bell out.
"It's a bell." He said.
"A bell?" Stan questioned. "Who in their right mind would give two kids a bell?" Dipper shook it, and it rang. He gave it to Mabel, who shook it as well. It rang for her too.
"Can I ring it?" Soos questioned. Mabel gave it to him, and Soos shook it. He laughed. "It's a real jingle bell!" He gave it to Stan. "You try it, Sir."
"Why?" Stan questioned. "It works; you guys all established that. Can't we just…" He shrugged. "Oh, what the heck!" He shook it, but this time, it didn't shake. "Hmmm, it's not shaking now."
"Let me try." Ford said, and shook it as well. It was silent for him as well. "It's broken." Soos shot a look at him.
"Did you break it?" He asked him.
"No, Soos." Stan told him. "I didn't break it! How dare you say that!" Soos frowned.
"Oh, sorry."
"But, I forgive you because it's Christmas." Soos was grateful for this, and cheered.
"Yay, Christmas!" Ford gave it back to Mabel.
"Sorry, kids." He apologized. "I don't know what happened.
"Aw, forget about it." Stan said, standing up. "Let's do some more Christmassy things." The adults agreed. They all stood up, and left the room. Mabel looked at the bell, and shook it. It rang!
"Hey, it worked!" She said with glee.
"Weird." Dipper observed. "I wonder why it didn't work with our uncles." Mabel realized something.
"Hey; maybe it's just like that book turned movie! Maybe it only rings when the ringer believes."
"You think so?" Mabel shrugged.
"Sure." She grabbed the box that the ring was in. "It's from Santa, so it makes sense." Dipper nodded in agreement.
"Sure; I guess that makes sense." Mabel stood up.
"Come on; let's go join the fam and do more Christmassy things." Waddles oinked, and she, Dipper, and Waddles went to join the rest of the family.
