The whole shrunken Engel family encased in the snow globe was placed back in it's original spot among the globe-trapped victims collection in Krampus's personal section of the fortress. The Christmas demon exhaled a sigh now that that troublesome boy is locked up tight and his spirit friends are trapped in their own minds. From their point-of-view, it seemed like they were never going to see Max ever again and all hope appeared to be lost for them. Krampus turned around to unexpectedly face the Boogeyman.
"So he's finally dealt with, is he not?" asked Pitch calmly. "The boy?"
"He is, indeed." Krampus confirmed affirmatively. "He is a persistent one. I'll give him that. But I've locked him and his friends up so they'll be no trouble to me any longer."
"And how are his spirit friends?" Pitch asked curiously with that sick grin of his.
"My sub-army of Shriekers have brought them all into a comatose state, trapping them in suspended animation. As we speak, they are now prisoners inside the subconscious of their own minds and surrounded by their worst fears imaginable."
"Bravo, old friend. I must say, you've put on quite the show. But I'm afraid to have to tell you this. Actually, I'm not. But your usefulness has now officially expired. Our business is done now." Pitch nonchalantly confessed in pompous arrogance, making the German-based creature of the night blink in confusion.
"Business? What business?" demanded Krampus.
"Well, you see, since I've learned from the start that Max was planning to free his family, I knew right away that you would make the perfect candidate in fulfilling my plan. Max has always been a scared little child. Afraid that his family didn't care about traditions or spirit anymore. Afraid that his family didn't even love him anymore. Afraid that he was alone in the world. Tempting with his bravery would help me regrow my massive nightmare army to envelope the whole world into eternal darkness. Nothing but the dark and fear all around. No more Easter or Christmas or anything. All it takes is to break down that boy's beliefs and hope."
"You...you tricked me?" Krampus spat with growing anger.
"Tricked you? Oh, no. Of course not. Manipulated, maybe. But I really needed an extra hand and now that I have what I need, you will be among the others to endure the darkness as I become all powerful!" Pitch explained with smug triumph in his voice.
"Du Hurensohn!" bellowed Krampus at the Boogeyman with a storm of fury and rage at being betrayed and manipulated into doing his dirty work. He snatched up his hooked chain and thrusted it at the Nightmare King to attack him, but he disappeared into the shadows from view. Baffled, Krampus looked all around for where he could've gone. But he was too late to realize that he was standing behind him and before he had time to react, Pitch swung his black scythe at him, knocking him to the floor powerfully.
"Don't be so petty." Pitch taunted sadistically. "You should've trusted your own instincts. Oh, well. It matters not anyway. Enjoy the remainder of your days as they darkened from the light and your precious holiday crumbles into nothing but despair."
Pitch had disappeared after that, leaving Krampus all alone in his deepest thoughts. He cursed at himself for falling for such trickery. Max was only trying to get his family back and he was fooled into believing he was coming to destroy him once and for all.
So this is it now. Max sat there silently in his cage hanging above a seemingly-bottomless pit of unseeing ebony darkness as his mind boggled the events that transpired to this very moment, lamenting about how it all came to this. Ever since the couple days before Christmas, he was hellbent on keeping the Christmas spirit alive among his family. Sure, he started fights when other mocked him for his belief in Santa or when they mocked the big, red man as a whole. Max was only young. Nobody cared for his feelings about Christmas. And after his cousins stole his letter and read it out loud to spite him, it was just too much and he decided that it wasn't worth it.
He grew against the Christmas season. Loathed it, had nothing to do with it. And that's what brought Krampus to his neighborhood in the first place. One by one, Max could only watch in helplessness as his family was taken one by one by Krampus's army of dark elves, demonic toys and living gingerbread men, leaving him, only him in that skin-numbing snowstorm all alone. He rushed to confront Krampus and force him to give his family back. When the demon refused, he grabbed Max and held him over a fiery pit to the Underworld. He tried to apologize, but the demon merely chuckled at him and send him plummeting into the pit, screaming in terror. Max awoke the next day on Christmas morning to find that his house was still the same as Krampus had left it and his family was still gone. Max was alone, regretting over his decision for his family to just go away. They may be difficult, but family was family.
And when Jack approached him, Max wanted his help in getting his family back from Krampus's lair in the underworld. He and Bunny had gone all this way to gather Maui from the oceans of Polynesia, getting his hook back from the claws of Tamatoa in Lalotai, letting Mavis tag along after spending the night at Hotel Transylvania, Sariatu from her lonely mountain cave in Japan, Bloom from her cherry blossom field in China and Héctor from the Land of the Dead. And then there was Father Time when he was put through a 51-day test through 17 time periods just to prove himself brave enough to enter the Underworld. Now he had finally entered the devilish plane and reached their destination. All his efforts, all his courage had been proven worthless. And so here he was, trapped in a cage. He had forced a bunch of spirits to help him into the Underworld to save his loved ones, but it was all for naught. He has now caused the danger of others for the sake of the lives of his parents, Beth, Uncle Howard, Aunt Linda, Aunt Dorothy, his wayward cousins, their pet dog, Aunt Dorothy and Omi. Poor old Omi. Now he knows how she felt when she made that regrettable decision long ago that resulted in her family's capture. He'll never see them or his friends ever again. He sat there singing his sorrows out.
Max: I was the one who had it all
I am the master of my fate
I never needed anybody in my life
I learned the truth too late.
I'll never shake away the pain
I close my eyes, but they're still there
I let them steal into my melancholy heart
It's more than I can bear
Now I know they'll never leave me
Even if they're far away
They will still torment me
Call me, hurt me
Move me, comfort me
Wasting in my lonely cage
Waiting by a locked-up door
I'll fool myself, they'll walk right in
And be with me for evermore
I rage against the trials of love
I curse the fading of the light
Though they've already flown so far beyond my reach
They're never out of sight
Now I know they'll never leave me
Even as they fade from view
They will still inspire me
Be a part of everything I do
Wasting in my lonely gage
Waiting by an locked-up door
I'll fool myself, they'll walk right in
And as the long, long nights begin
I'll think of all that might have been
Waiting here for evermore
As he rested his head into his knees in deep depression, a sound of squeaking and rustling interrupted his numb train of thought and he looked up to see that the fairies were picking the lock of the cage door and he felt his sadness drift away and replace itself with joy and relief. Rosetta held the lock up while Tink was putting her tinkering skills to good use in picking it. After a few seconds, there was a click and the lock became undone. They both removed the lock and opened up the door.
"You guys!" Max cheered. "How did you find me?"
"We were following your tune and, needless to say, it was very heartfelt. We're very sorry for your family." said Iridessa with sympathy.
"There's no hope in saving them now." muttered Max, feeling downtrodden again. "Maybe I don't need them after all. Maybe I'm better off without them anyway."
"Don't you dare say that!" barked Tink in a strict tone that would outdo Sariatu's maternal one. "That's just what Krampus wants. He wants you to forget your family. He wants you to move on."
"What if he's right?" Max replied with a lack of confidence.
"That's not the right attitude!" yapped Vidia. "They need you, Max. That's why you risked everything to come all the way out here."
"That's right!" Silvermist nodded, joining in. "You can just give up now. Not when you're so close!"
"And right this minute, your friends need you too." Tink said with modesty.
"Yeah!" The fairies exclaimed in unison.
Max thought hard about this, but he knew that he can't just leave his friends behind. Not after everything he and them have gone through. He gave an understood nod and they all smiled.
"Great!" Periwinkle grinned and Fawn let out a cheer of excitement.
"How am I gonna get out?" Max asked, looking below him into the deep and dark chasm below. "That's a long way down."
"Girls." said Tink to her friends and together, they all flew around in a rapid circle above Max's head, catching him off guard. They were sprinkling a shower of golden pixie dust on him and as he studied it curiously, he started to levitate into the air. Max flailed around and held onto the bars of the cage for safety.
"It's okay, Max. Just relax." Fawn reminded him softly.
"Grab my hand." Rosetta said, offering him her hand, which he took and Tink grabbed his other hand. The fairies all helped him fly out of the cage and his fear was gone. It felt like a miracle to be actually flying. They warned him to keep his eyes shut while they lowered him downward into the pit of darkness at full speed. After a few seconds or maybe half an hour, they made it to the ground. Max finally opened his eyes to witness his paralyzed friends floating in mid-air, their trance-like blank faces still etched on their faces like epitaphs on gravestones. The fairies did their best to wake them up, trying to whisper in their ears, everything. It was all useless. Max suddenly broke down, deflated.
"I'm sorry, you guys." His voice broke. "I just wanted my family back. I never meant any of this to happen. I brought this on you all. This is my fault. I got my family captured in the first place and now it's happened all over again. I'm so sorry."
Tears dripped down his cheeks and the fairies all shared their sympathy towards the boy. His vulnerable disposition was bringing tears to their eyes as well. Neither of them knew it, but Max's care and love was interfering with the group's hypnotic state. They could feel their minds returning to their control as they slowly lowered to the ground. Blinking their eyes, they were back to their original colors. After finally being released from their mental prison, they all staggered to the floor as if they had been hiking for a whole day without stopping for a breather.
"Sariatu." Bunny rushed to the Japanese woman and held her in his arms.
"It wasn't Hanzo. You were right. It was something else." She confessed, regretful of her stupidity.
"It's okay. I've been there myself. I thought I saw my own family, but it wasn't them at all." explained Bunny.
"Héctor, thank god you're okay!" Bloom chirped with relief before, in spite of herself, giving him a big kiss on his cheekbone. It wasn't until after she kissed him did she realize what she did, making them both blush and avoid each other's gaze nervously.
"Gracias." He thanked her.
"Max!" Jack rushed toward the boy as did the rest of the group, bringing the boy to a huge group hug.
"But how are you all awake?" asked Max, confused.
"It must've been an act of family love." theorized Tink; her friends and sister all nodding in agreement with her.
"Did Krampus hurt you?" demanded Sariatu.
"He had him locked in a cage, but we got him out." said Silvermist.
"I found my family." Max told everyone. "But they're encased in a snow globe like all of Krampus's other victims. I'm not sure how to free them at this point."
"I'm sure we'll think of something." Mavis said.
"Let's just go grab them and leave before-" Jack was silenced in mid-sentence when a familiar flash of black sand across the floor brought a chill down everyone's spines. Jack and Bunny both frowned and had their weapons ready to defend Max.
"Well, isn't this just peachy?" echoed the dark voice of Pitch. "So here you all are, awakened from your deep slumber. Seems so tasteful to risk all your lives for this one child."
"Leave us alone, Pitch!" yelled Bunny. "And leave Max out of this!"
"Why should I? He's so precious." teased the voice of the Nightmare King in the eerie darkness. "So charming to see all of you together in one place after having your little mind nap. Oh, this moment takes me back a long ways away."
"Like when your Nightmares dragged you down in that dark hole of yours?" mocked Jack with his staff raised.
"Still the same annoying little white-haired Guardian of Fun, I presume." Pitch retorted as he appeared out of the darkness. "I suppose some things never change."
"What do you want?" demanded Max, shaking in his boots.
"Nothing much. Except your fear, little man. You've already spanned the supernatural world, collected spirits and escaped many monster and for what? The family that never showed much care for the holiday season? It's not too late to turn back now and forget they ever existed."
"He's not going anywhere yet." Maui growled with his hook starting to glow a hint of bright blue.
"No one is turning back now. Not now or ever." Héctor remarked.
Pitch vanished from their sight and reappeared behind them, catching them off guard.
"I'll let the boy decide." He said once he turned his gaze toward Max. "It's now or never, child. What's it going to be?"
Max glared back at the Boogeyman. He cared for his family and he wasn't just going to walk away when they're so close just because of the past. He needed them more.
"Screw you."
"As you wish. It almost pains me to do this, but...boo!" spat the Boogeyman, giving out the word to send his army of Nightmares at the group just like that. It's now a full-on battle between the group and their enemies. The battle this time was violent as all fights come and go. With Jack using his ice powers via his staff, Bunny armed with his boomerangs and egg-sploders, Maui had his hook and his shape-shifting power on his side, Sariatu summed her magical shamisen, the vampire, Mavis, used her own abilities to her advantage, Bloom used her blossom petal powers and even Héctor, despite not possessing supernatural abilities of own, joined in on the fight. The spirit friends did all they could to defend their mortal ally.
But there was just too many Nightmares all at once that not even a whole group of powerful spirits, mythical creatures or demigods could handle for a large amount of time. The Boogeyman was close to having the spirit group at their knees and reach Max, when Jack stepped in the way. With Jack shooting ice at the Nightmare King with his staff, Pitch was too tough for him than the last thing they both fought.
"Just like old times, isn't it?" He mocked, only to be punched back by the Guardian of Fun.
"Go, Max!" Jack screamed.
"But..."
"Just go, Max! Run!" shouted Sariatu while diminishing a couple Nightmares in her path. "We'll be fine! Protect yourself!"
"I'm not leaving any of you again!" Max argued, not wanting to cost any of them their safety or worse, their lives.
"Don't worry about us, Max! Now go!"
Max wanted to argue back that he was not going to leave behind the many people that he has come to know and love like a family, but he knew deep down that he didn't have a say in the matter and since they were trying to fend off Pitch and his army, he had to at least fend for himself. Without needing to be told once more, Max took off running away from the ongoing battle between spirit and the forces of darkness and fear. A few Nightmares managed to spot him before chasing after the boy as he ran widely down the shadowy fortress corridors and hallways, trying to escape with his life.
The Nightmares were gaining on him now and Max ran faster than he ever ran before in his life. He ducked through room to room, trying to evade his pursuers, but they were too relentless. Max knew they weren't going to surrender and leave him alone, so he needed to think of a plan and think of it fast before they dragged him away to the Boogeyman's grasp. With not a moment to lose, he hotfooted down the stairs and finally into a large, spacious room and quickly hide himself from view. The Nightmares entered where they saw him enter, but for some odd reason to them, the boy wasn't anywhere in sight. Shifting their heads all around the room in confusion, wondering where he could have gone, Max stole the moment to strike and catch them by the element of surprise.
Now armed with a broken falchion, he attacked every one of those black Nightmares one-by-one with a scream of determination until there was nothing but black sand on the floor. Max stood there in the now-silent room, panting from his brave accomplishment. At this point, he considered going back to look for his captive family, but heard the sound of monotonous clapping in the room, forcing him to see that Pitch was entered, sarcastically applauding the boy's display of bravery.
"My, my, my. Aren't you a determined little child? Such courage, it almost makes me want to cry." Pitch teased, coming so close to stand before Max while he held his weapon of choice up, ready to defend himself. "It's you and me now, boy. No spirits around to save you now. Just us and us alone. It almost impresses me, really, to see how much you've gone through just to come here and save your little family and to turn up with nothing. But if you come with me, I can make it all go away."
"I'd never come with you." Max spat. "I need my family and they need me."
"Do they?" Pitch cackled in amusement. "Tell me this. If your family really loves you that much, we did they ignore you? Don't you see? They don't care about you."
"That is a lie!" thundered Max, fighting his grip on the falchion's handle to the point where his knuckles turned white. "They'd never give me up for anything! And neither will I!"
"Look at it this way, Max." began the Boogeyman, circling the young child as the room grew darker. "I know you're family has been through tough times in the past and many of them don't tend to agree with one another, but maybe it's for the best if you had a better family. One that will never turn their backs on you when another child hits you or calls you names. One that's willing to share your love of holiday traditions and perhaps, one that won't rudely criticize your belief in North. Face it, Max. You and I aren't so different. We need each other."
Pitch held his hands on Max's shoulders, inching his face near his as he softly uttered the final sentences. Max let his guard down for a minute to contemplate Pitch's words. It was hard to believe, but he actually might have a point. With his family, he wanted them to get along and have a normal family Christmas like the old days. And if wasn't for his annoying cousins stealing his letter, he wouldn't be so angry to rip it up and sent it fluttering onto the wintery wind currents. Because, believe it or not, those two were basically the main reason Max gave up on Christmas and caused Krampus to take them away as a result. But then again, there have been a lot of mistakes his family members have made.
"You're right." He murmured.
"Of course I am." admitted the Boogeyman with a sly sense of humor.
"My family can be annoying...and rude...and well, not too bright at times. And sometimes, I wish that I had a different family that understands me. But you know what? That's just it. Nobody gets what they want...and neither will YOU!"
Pitch screamed as he was met with a great amount of agony in his chest as Max angrily thrusted the sharp, broken end of the falchion into his chest, catching him off guard and sending him staggering backwards and bend forward with the sword still stuck in his chest, but there was no blood.
"I WILL NEVER GIVE UP MY FAMILY FOR ANYBODY! NOT EVEN YOU, BOOGEYMAN!" Max screamed into his face with great rage.
No real response exited the Nightmare King's mouth, safe for grunt of irritation as the flash of pain in his eyes had disappeared and replaced with that of fury. He gripped the hand of the falchion and ripped it right out of him. There was no blood nor a wound where the sword had been driven into; Pitch threw the sword to the ground as he edged close to Max with clenched fists.
"Fine, Max. I've come all this way to show you a real family, but I suppose we'll just have to do this the hard way." Pitch roared as he clamped his hands onto the side of Max's face and lifted him off the ground. Right before Max's eyes, he could see nothing, but the death of his friends and family when made him scream with horror mixed with grief. But then suddenly, from out of nowhere, a blast of blinding light followed by the sound of a church bell toll knocked Max out of the Boogeyman's mental and physical hold, blasting them both away from each other. Once the dust cleared, Max looked up and his eyes widened to see Father Time standing there with the tip of his wooden staff aimed outward. Max felt a wave of relief wash over him to see the ancient timekeeping deity had come to his aide.
"Father Time?" Pitch growled after regaining his senses, sending a glowering stare toward the old man.
"Pitch." Father Time said back. "This ends now. Now is the time to end the Boogeyman once and for all, one way or another."
"Oh, really?" mocked Pitch in a disbelieving tone. "You and what army?"
Father Time didn't answer, but instead there was the sound of neighing horses and the chorus of padding feet roaring toward the room they were in. Eventually, one by one, Pitch and Max looked all around to find that they were surrounded by Robert and the Scottish knights, Napoleon and his French soldiers, Moctezuma and the Aztecs, Standish, Agamemnon and his army, the Union army, Neanderthals, Cro-Magnons, Joaquin, William Tecumseh Sherman and Beowulf and the Geats. Father Time had summoned all the brave warriors in all of history that Max had encountered during his test as reinforcements.
Pitch, however, cackled in his throat, finding all of this as a petty excuse to intimidate him and make him seem outnumbered.
"Is this really the best you can do, old man?" Pitch remarked snidely. "Knights? Mayans? Cavemen? The Union Army? Geats? Surely, you can do better than this?"
"We shall see, Pitch." hissed Father Time before he smacked the butt of his staff to the floor and in a snap second, all of the historical armies charged forth with battle cries and prepared their siege on the Nightmare King, who brought forth his own army of Nightmares and it's become a battleground of fear vs. history. The Mayans, Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals had their spears and makeshift armaments, the Greeks, knights and Geats their swords and shields and the rest armed with guns and other sort of deadly weapon built for combat. The Nightmares were no match for a massive army of historical figures. Max tried from run from it all, but Pitch intercepts him with his scythe.
"No more running, child." He snarled and raised his scythe up high and ready to bring it down for the finishing blow until Father Time came between them and brought the Boogeyman into a two-on-two dual. Despite his increased age, he was a mighty skilled combatant, even with a wooden staff.
"Going through a lot of trouble for one child, old man?" Pitch retorted.
"Don't patronize me!" Father spat before swinging his staff at him, which Pitch duck out of the way of and struck him at least a few him with his scythe, but even so, the elderly man did not falter or stand down. They exchanged blows for a few minutes before Father Time kicked him back and the scythe had vanished. Pitch panted before realizing that his Nightmares had been easily conquered. It was just him now. Him against Father Time, Max and the entire army of historic warriors.
"I'm not afraid of you, Pitch. No one should ever be afraid of you." Max said with a brave game face.
But Pitch only let out a sinister chuckle as he had one more trick up his sleeve. He sunk into the floor and vanished into the shadows. His shadow appearing all over the walls and the sounds of his laugher echoed off the walls, filling the room with a dark vibe while everyone searched everywhere, awaiting for him to come out of hiding. Eventually he did, right behind Max with his scythe once more about to end the boy that has ruined his plans.
"MAX!" Father Time screamed and made the first move before Pitch did and then the warriors all came at him with their swords and guns and whatever else they had in their possession. Afterwards, Pitch stood before everyone and once again, was ready to strike all of them with his black sand from his scythe, but then a chain wrapped around his wrist before that could happen and before he had time to react, he was dragged away to a farther section of the fortress while everyone watched with wide eyes and baited breath. Pitch lifted his head up to see that he was face to face with Krampus, who sent him a glare that actually sent a chill up the Boogeyman's spine.
Angry at everything the Nightmare King had put him through, Krampus grabbed hold of Pitch's neck and lifted him off the ground until they faced each other with Pitch staring back at Krampus while he had him in a choke-hold.
"Nobody double-crosses me. Ever." snarled Krampus.
"Well played, old friend." breathed Pitch with an indifferent face before Krampus placed a boney hand on top of his head and the sound of a loud, hollow crack was heard in the still silence before the now-prostrate body of the Boogeyman fell lifeless onto the floor with a thud. Pitch Black was now defeated finally, having his neck snapped by the Christmas Demon. Max was equally shocked to see this turn of events occur and could've sworn that he saw Krampus give him a knowing nod before slinking into the darkness. Max couldn't believe that Krampus actually saved his life by killing the Nightmare King.
All of the historical armies gathered around Father Time and they all gave an assuring nod with a silent farewell before their attention fell upon Max and they all shared a smile as they knew it was him they they were all with in those eras. With a final wave of his hand, Father Time sent all of them back to their respective eras with every historical character disappearing into thin air before Max's eyes. Father Time then grabbed Max's hand.
"Come on, Max." He said and together, they both left the room to meet back up with their spirit friends. The group and the fairies all rushed to him to make sure he was okay and not injured or scarred for life from the experience.
"Max! There you are!" Jack yelled as he wrapped the boy into a tight embrace.
"Are you okay, Max? Are you hurt?" demanded a worried Sariatu as she knelt down with her hands on his cheeks, checking for bruises and such.
"Did Pitch try to kill you, mate?" Bunny asked with the same concern.
"Please tell me you're okay, niño." pleaded Héctor.
"Guys, guys, please. I'm fine. I'm fine. I feel perfectly fine. Better than I did a long time ago." Max spoke with a smile.
"What happened to Pitch?" asked Tink, a bit afraid of the answer.
"He's dead." Father Time answered simply. "Krampus put the Boogeyman out of his misery for tricking him into thinking Max here at come to destroy him after saving his family."
"Goodness." gasped Bloom, elegantly putting a hand over her mouth.
"Well, good riddance." Sariatu confirmed with relief. "At least now we know we won't be scaring or harming anyone any time soon again."
"That's for sure." Bunny smirked.
"Tell me we'll be able to find Max's family." Jack responded.
"Actually,..." Max began before Father Time could open his mouth to speak. "I don't think I'll ever see them again. I think it's best to just let them go."
"Oh, I see." replied Jack, feeling uneasy with Max's reply while the others felt rather surprised that Max is actually willing to move on from his family after all he's been through to come here and rescue them.
"We should go." Maui spoke up. "I don't think I can last another minute in this place."
Now the place was like a maze, but with Father Time's assistance, everyone made it out through the front entrance, brushing past the volcanic ash blanketing the area before making through the giant broken hole in the invisible barrier. But after hiking at least half a mile away from the invisible wall concealing Krampus's lair, everyone was met with an unexpected company. They all stopped before North, Tooth, Sandy, La Muerte, Xibalba, the Candlemaker and Mother Nature who have been waiting for them to arrive from the fortress with La Muerte applauding their performance.
"Excellent, Max, my boy. You've done well." North replied, patting the boy's head.
"Done well? What do you mean?" asked Max.
"It was your love for your family and your bravery that finally defeated the Boogeyman, my father." Mother Nature explained. "Don't ask."
"And saved the entire world from descending into a dark realm or inescapable horrors." continued La Muerte.
"That would've been nice, though." murmured Xibalba, but his wife heard that and smacked him with her marigold petals. "Right. Sorry."
"How are you all here?" asked Jack.
"We had a little help from Father Time. We thank you for that, by the way." Tooth thanked him sweetly.
"Anything to assist young Max in his great accomplishment." Father Time replied, placing a fatherly hand on Max's shoulder.
"Awesome job, little dude." The Candlemaker congratulated with a big, goofy grin as both he and Sandy gave him a pair of thumbs-up. Sandy, in particular, made an 'okay' gesture above his head with his sand.
"And we thank all of you for sticking by Max's side until the end." La Muerte replied to the rest of the group. "Jack Frost, Guardian of Fun, for showing Max the kindness and brother-like affection. Mavis Dracula, daughter of Count Dracula, for proving yourself worthy of being independent. Sariatu, firstborn of the Moon King, for being the maternal figure for Max when he needed one. E. Aster Bunnymund, the Easter Bunny and Guardian of Hope, for guarding his wellbeing. Hua Xuan, also known as Bloom, for showing determination and love. Héctor Rivera, for always being there for Max and doing right by him. I will see to it that you finally see your daughter. I'm sure she would be glad to finally see you. And Maui, shapeshifter, demigod of the wind and the sea, hero of all, for redeeming yourself of your ego, your arrogance and caring for the boy all the same."
Maui blushed when she said this and looked nervously toward Mother Nature. She only smiled and gave him a wink, reminding him that she's finally forgiven him for his past mistakes and that he's redeemed himself in her eyes. Mavis held Jack's hand and they both shared a smile as for Sariatu and Bunny as well as Bloom with Héctor. All of the sudden, Tooth screamed and she and her fairies put their guard up as everyone turned around to see Krampus standing there. Everyone raised their weapons, preparing to fight him for Max's safety, but Krampus just stood in place and held his hand up.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to harm anyone." Krampus replied as he stared at North, giving him a silent apology for nearly killing him. Krampus gently walked forward toward Max and the boy just stood still as a statue, wondering what he was going to do. The Christmas Demon reached into his coat, making everyone gasp, thinking he was pulling out a weapon, but all he pulled out was the snow globe containing Max's family. He held it out to Max, who was speechless by this act. Regardless, he grabbed it and held it in his hands.
"I...I don't understand." He stammered.
"Maxwell Engel, I know I've done only to brutally punish those who disrespect Christmas traditions, but tonight, you have shown me the courage in you to come all this way to my lair in the Underworld. I believe you have heart and for that, I return your family to you." explained Krampus.
"Gracias, Krampus." thanked La Muerte, touched by this.
"Guess you're not so bad after all." Xibalba agreed.
"Forgive me for everything that has happened between us in the past. I know this won't change anything, but I do regret hurting you." Krampus responded to North.
"You really are something else." North smiled and nodded, giving him a handshake.
The spirit group all cheered and celebrated their victory over finally rescuing Max's family. Much to Jack's surprise, Mavis placed her black lips onto his and he blushed in response. Likewise, Bloom grabbed onto Héctor's skull and kissed him on his lips. But he didn't care. He had feelings for her for a long time. Maui nudged Bunny and Sariatu together. While they shared a humored smile, Sariatu placed a gentle kiss on his furry cheek.
"So what happens to me now?" asked Max.
"I shall send you and your family back home, reversing everything that has occurred when I arrived." Krampus explained.
"Really?" Max chirped with glee, but then frowned, knowing the he has to saw goodbye to his new friends. He turned to them with a sad smile. "But...will I ever see you guys again?"
"Of course you will!" Jack grinned.
"Yeah." Maui nodded in agreement. "It was you who brought all of us together. That basically makes us family."
"If it wasn't for you, we would've been met." Bloom acknowledged, giving her new beau, Héctor, a loving smile and he smiled back.
"It's been a fun ride." Tink replied and her fairy friends all nodded with agreement.
"We will always remember you, Max. As long as you don't forget about us." Sariatu mentioned.
"I'll try not to." Max moaned before Krampus placed his hands on his shoulders, ready to send him away.
"I'm gonna miss you, little buddy." said Maui, smiling along with Mini Maui who winked at him. He lifted up his necklace to reveal a new tattoo on his left pec to reveal miniature versions of the many people and the boy that he has come to know. Max grinned widely at this with graduate.
"See you soon." Everyone chorused together before everything started to get all fuzzy in Max's vision as he felt himself growing drowsy and weak. But the last thing he saw before he lost copiousness was everyone waving goodbye to him before everything went black.
And there's the finishing chapter where Max has reached the end of his journey in finally finding his family and saying goodbye to all of his spirit friends. But don't worry, there will be a few more after this. There's some things I want to clear up. Héctor won't be getting back with Imelda in this story, even though their married. I'm sorry for all you Coco fans out there, but I think Héctor is better off with someone else. Someone nicer. Anyway, I'm glad to finally reach the end point of this story. So see you all in the next chapter.