AN: SNOWCON FOREST IS OFFICIALLY ONE YEAR OLD! To celebrate, I decided to write up a special oneshot for you guys so I hope you enjoy it (even though it's late)!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Subcon Forest was lively and full of motion as Subconites ran back and forth. Some were carrying glowing mushrooms back to the village while others worked to get rid of as much of the snow blanketing the ground as possible. Floating close to the center of the village was Moonjumper.

The corpse appeared to be directing the chaos, telling the Subconites where to go and what to do. He was also helping in his own way as red strings could be seen hanging between each house as the smaller shadows worked to tie the mushrooms to them.

Yes, the forest was full of chaos and shouting but there was a reason for this madness.

It was a celebration of the newly formed family, a way to show both Mu and Hat Kid how happy Snatcher, Moonjumper, Christine, and the Subconites were. Besides, a party was exactly what they needed to... liven the forest up!

The two children had been told to stay out of the forest for a couple of days so that way they would be surprised by the party, and not interfere with the preparations or discover what their presents would be before they opened them.

Moonjumper had been very adamant that everything be kept a secret since he wanted to surprise Mu.

Snatcher, Christine, and Moonjumper were all responsible for their own gifts to give the children while the Subconites had worked together to craft their own present.

Both Christine and Moonjumper had quickly finished their gifts, the duo immediately knowing what they wanted to give to the children in thanks, but Snatcher was having a tougher time. He had figured out what he wanted to get Mu but deciding what to give Hat Kid was proving to be quite the challenge.

What could he give her that would properly express how grateful he was? What gift could represent the joy she had brought to his life? The hope she had given him?

There was no gift he could give that would ever be able to properly thank the hatted child for all she had done, for both himself and the forest, but he had to think of something to give her!

The rest of the denizens of Subcon were too busy with preparing for the party, too caught up to notice the struggle Snatcher was going through and offer their own help, not that he would ever accept it.

He was proud and wanted to show his appreciation towards his daughter in his own way, which meant no wimping out and relying on someone else's ideas!

He would figure out what to give Hat Kid!

Eventually.

Meanwhile on a certain spaceship, Mu and Hat Kid were both putting together their own presents for a very similar reason. The two girls were grateful for their new home and as such wanted to give their new family gifts to show their thanks.

As such they had decided to take advantage of the days they were spending away from the forest in order to get ready and do what they needed to do. It never occurred to either girl that perhaps the rest of their family had a similar plan in mind and that was why they had been told to stay away.

No, both were far too focused on their own missions and could not consider the possibility of that being true in their current, somewhat stressed out states.

Hat Kid was currently finishing up her own gifts for Snatcher as she had already completed the ones she wanted to give to Moonjumper and Christine. She, unfortunately, did not have enough resources to make presents for the Subconites so she had to settle on giving them something else. Mu had, after snagging a bunch of paper and some art supplies, hidden herself away in some other section of the ship as she worked on her own gifts.

The mustached girl had no plans to purchase the gifts she wanted to give, she also did not have any resources to, and so she had settled on making her presents. Granted the process was not going as smoothly as she would have liked, she had already gone through several sheets of paper while trying to figure out what to do, but she would come up with something.

She had to. Her new family deserved something nice for taking her in.

Deciding to adopt a mess like her...

Mu scowled and continued to scribble away, although the frown slowly started to fade as the image before her finally started to look like it had in her head. Now smiling, the mustached girl reached out and grabbed a red pencil crayon to start figuring out how to colour the image she had drawn.

Yes, she owed them quite a bit and could only hope that her gift would be able to convey her feelings.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Ughhhhhh, c'mon THINK! There's gotta be something I can give the kiddo when she shows up!" Snatcher growled as he paced back and forth.

Instead of residing in his tree based home like usual, the shadow was actually brainstorming gift ideas at his secondary home. Music floated through the air as he floated around the ghostly table and chairs, occasionally poking at a piece of furniture or grabbing a book off of the shelf nearby.

It had been a day and just about everything had been set up. The children were supposed to come back to Subcon tomorrow and he still did not have a present to give to his daughter!

The few ideas he had thought of had been immediately shot down thanks to other people coming up with something similar, and there was no way in hell he was going to give Hat Kid something she had already gotten before.

No, her present needed to be unique and important. As unique and important as she was!

He wanted it to be a constant reminder of all that she had done and what she had gained in the process. Something that would be difficult to lose or forget. Something small and easy to carry so it was always with her and not stuck up on that ship.

But what fit that description? What could he use-

A badge!

Yes, that was perfect! A badge was something that she could always wear and badges were fairly sturdy so there was no risk of it breaking right away! Now all he had to do was figure out what he wanted the design for the badge to be.

The next hour or so saw Snatcher sketching images and designs onto sheets of paper he had summoned. His talons were covered in ink, having not thought of summoning a pen in his inspired state, and they scratched their way over the surface of the paper.

Certain images were put off to the side but most were burnt as the shadow did not find them to be satisfactory. Once he had all the images he felt necessary he cut them out of the paper with a quick slice of his talons and started arranging them.

Display after display, Snatcher tried to figure out what the best look would be for the badge he wished to create. It took several more minutes before he finally settled upon the design he felt was best suitable and the most impressive.

Now all he had to do was figure out what he could make the badge out of...

Snatcher glanced over at the fireplace and stared at the crown resting on top of it, his crown.

He smiled.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Hey Mu, what do you think everyone was doing while we were working on our presents?" Hat Kid asked as she and Mu walked towards the village.

Said presents were actually nowhere in sight as they had been left on the ship to prevent them from getting damaged. The plan was to see what had gone on during their absence and then surprise their new family with the gifts they had made.

"I dunno, but I bet it was boring." She scoffed, kicking at some snow. "Maybe they were working on that treehouse some more and didn't want us getting in the way?"

"Nope! Snatcher told me he wanted us to be there so they didn't make any mistakes so it has to be something else!"

"But what? What the peck would they kick us out for-" Mu's words were cut off when the duo reached Subcon Village, and both of their eyes grew wide with shock at the sight before them.

The village looked amazing!

Just about all of the snow had been cleared off of the ground, revealing the somehow still green grass underneath. Red strings stretched out from one home to another, and glowing mushrooms were hanging off of them. Overall it looked warm and inviting, even from an outsider's perspective.

"SURPRISE!" Moonjumper shouted, popping up behind the duo and scooping them up into his arms. Hat Kid and Mu both squirmed on instinct as they were hugged and spun around by the energetic corpse.

"My wonderful daughter and niece, I missed you both so much!" He cried, hugging them even tighter.

"Moonjumper you're squishing us!"

"I can feel my spine breaking, let go!"

He blushed in embarrassment and placed the duo on the ground. "I apologize, I am just so excited, and I missed you both while you were gone!"

"So what's with the decorations?" Mu asked, poking at a glowing mushroom. "Did you guys have a party without us?"

"Actually the party is for you!" Christine cheerfully added as she walked over to join the trio. She was carrying a couple of wrapped items, and both Mu and Hat Kid could feel their jaws drop.

"Are those presents for us?!"

"No way! Are you joking?! You got us presents, but we made-" Mu's words were cut off when Hat Kid rushed forward and slapped a hand over her mouth, not wanting her cousin to give away the surprise.

Unfortunately based on the curious, and surprised, looks on the faces of the adults the hatted child had failed. "My wonderful daughter what is it that you made us?"

"Uh, well, you see..." The hooded girl trailed off, uncertain of what to say. Luckily enough Hat Kid had an idea on what to do.

"I need to go and get some stuff from my ship, but I'll be right back!" She shouted as she rushed off. In seconds she was gone from sight and rocketing up into the sky as she made her way back to her spaceship.

Minutes later Hat Kid returned, arms full of the gifts that had been covered in wrapping paper. An excited squeal escaped Moonjumper and Christine's jaw dropped. "No way, you two also got gifts for us?"

"You, Moonjumper, and Snatcher." Hat Kid listed as she passed some of the presents to Mu. "We didn't have enough time to make gifts for all of the Subconites and Dwellers, but hopefully hugs will do."

"My my, what luck and coincidence!" Moonjumper exclaimed. "Let us head to the center of the village, then. Everything has been set up and all we were waiting for was you two!"

He floated ahead and gestured for the trio to follow him. Christine rolled her eyes and walked forward with Hat Kid and Mu following only a moment later. In hardly no time at all the group approached the gaggle of Subconites who were murmuring to one another.

As soon as the small shadows caught sight of them they rushed into action, grabbing gifts from the nearby houses and bringing them out into the open. There were not too many presents, as the Subconites had worked together to create one from all of them for each child, but they had clearly been wrapped with care.

When the Subconites caught sight of the group they immediately surged forward and started checking over each child. Several Dwellers also dropped down from the sky and started floating around Mu, occasionally nudging her which resulted in her laughing and petting them.

"Snatcher is still missing." Moonjumper noted, eyes scanning the village as he searched for the shadow. "Is he still working on that gift?"

"I think so, but that's okay. We can distract the kids with the presents we have ready to give them and buy him some time."

"An excellent idea, Christine!"

With that plan in mind, the two adults introduced the children to their presents. At first Hat Kid tried to protest, having noticed that her father was not there, but she relented when she noticed the downright mystified look in Mu's eyes.

The mustached girl could not recall having ever gotten gifts before, even when she helped out the inhabitants of Mafia Town.

So she grabbed one of her cousin's gifts and offered it to her with a smile on her face.

"That one is from me!" The corpse cheerfully exclaimed. "I thought it would come in handy, and I hope you enjoy it!"

Hardly a second later wrapping paper covered the ground as Mu beheld her present. It was a red cape, similar to the one she currently wore, except there were a few key differences. The biggest had to be that the cape was much more vibrant and a yellow crescent moon surrounded by stars had been sown into the back of it. She gasped, eyes practically glowing with both surprise and excitement, and then rushed to put it on.

"Slow down!" Moonjumper chuckled as he assisted his daughter. "You do not need to move so quickly-"

"Just help me get this dumb thing on!"

Despite how excited Mu was, and in turn how difficult it proved to be to get her original cape off, it was not too long before the mustached girl was racing around the center of the village, new cape flowing behind her.

It almost seemed like stars trailed after her as she ran, twinkling brightly before they fell to the forest floor and faded.

After her excitement had faded, and those watching had stopped cooing over how adorable she was, it was Christine's turn to give her a gift. The frozen woman walked over to Mu and handed her what appeared to be a flower made out of ice. The stunned mustached girl carefully took it, not wanting to break the seemingly fragile present.

"That's a gladiolus flower." The frozen woman explained, noting her confusion. "It represents strength, integrity, and honor."

She reached out and pat Mu on the head, sending her a warm smile the entire time. "You're very strong, Mu."

Before she could break down crying, a hoard of Subconites mixed with Dwellers rushed forward to give her their present. It turned out to be a red and yellow fox mask, and the eyes glowed a brilliant golden colour. Naturally she immediately put it on and was swarmed by some of the Dwellers who started nudging her.

The adults then moved on to Hat Kid's presents since Mu was a bit... occupied at the moment.

From Moonjumper she got a bunch of different dolls, including one that looked like herself. She had enthusiastically hugged the corpse in thanks, who then blushed intensely at her words and the hug.

The flower that she got from Christine, once again beautifully carved out of ice, was apparently an iris. "You gave us hope in our darkest hour, and you will always be our hope, Hat Kid."

Her next gift was a rich, dark purple cloak that reminded her of the ones that the Subconites wore. The fabric was soft and warm, and could easily double as yet another blanket. She immediately put it on and started chasing after Mu.

After the children had tired themselves out they grabbed their presents and passed them to the adults, smiling the entire time.

For Christine and Moonjumper, Hat Kid had ended up making a scarf and mittens respectively. Both had gushed over the items and immediately put them on, the frozen woman loving how the gentle pink scarf trailed after her and the corpse enjoying how the red of the mittens matched his coat.

Their excitement only grew when Mu presented her gift, a wonderful drawing of her new family. Everyone was clustered together, practically hugging one another as they faced the viewer.

It was at this moment that a familiar, loud voice interrupted the joyous celebration.

"Hey there kiddo!"

"Snatcher!" Hat Kid gasped. She stood up and rushed over to her father. Once she got close enough she jumped up into the air and the shadow scooped her up.

"Looks like somebody's happy to see me!" He teased as he reached out to flick at her nose.

"Here you go kiddo." He said as he held out the messily wrapped present. She took it with wary eyes and turned in over in her hands. She half expected it to be a prank of some sort, but that did not stop her from opening it.

Hat Kid gasped. "It's... it's beautiful."

The badge was solid gold and covered in depictions of herself and her newly gained family. In the center was her with Snatcher and Moonjumper on either side. A surprisingly detail Mu could be seen near the corpse while a depiction of Christine stood close to the shadow. Most of the background was filled with Subconites and Dwellers, and a massive crescent moon floated above them.

"I take it you like it?"

"I LOVE IT!" She shouted, flinging herself at Snatcher as she chanted the words over and over again. "I love it! I love it! I love-"

"Calm down kiddo!" He chuckled, scooping her up into his arms once more. "Relax, and Mu's still gotta read her present."

"Read? What kind of present involves reading?"

"This kind." And then he shoved a stack of papers into her face. After a moment's hesitation she took them and scanned the title.

And nearly started crying as she processed the words.

"What's it say?" Hat Kid asked, squirming in Snatcher's arms as she tried to read the contract. "Well?"

"Subcon Family Contract," Mu began, a giggle escaping her. "Contractual obligations: be happy, hug Moonjumper, and don't fight your cousin."

"We'll start building your treehouse tomorrow." Snatcher added as Christine and Moonjumper nodded in the background. "Hopefully it shouldn't take too long, but-"

A squawk escaped him as the mustached girl flung herself at him. He reached down, scooped her up, and then brought her close to Hat Kid. The two girls hugged and started eagerly chatting about their presents and the treehouse.

The shadow sighed and glanced over at the other two adults, a tired smile on his face. "So I take it that the kiddos were happy with their presents?"

"Extremely, and they gave us some wonderful presents in return!"

"Wait, they got us presents-"

"Oh yeah, we still need to give you your gifts Snatcher!"

"Suddenly I'm scared..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN: Once again I would like to apologize for the long wait between chapters but with winter break now here I can focus more on writing (and hopefully get my muse to cooperate XD)

I will currently be doing my best to get some chapters out for you guys as a way to say thanks for your continued support and patience. Of course I'm not going to burn myself out doing this but I am hyped to write more!