The Summit, an icy mountain with three platforms hanging off the side, was where Zelda led him. Below a platform that stretched out to the floor of the stage, a river lapped against the walls and licked the edge of the floor just beneath the metal railing keeping it in.
Roy had fought on this stage several times, usually against the Ice Climbers, a deadly hammer-wielding duo with ice powers. In fact, he could remember once having his head slammed into the top of that mountain just last week. He'd remembered this place as being cold and windy, and to see it so calm right now just felt weird, and that wasn't even mentioning all the decorations.
If he hadn't known that the Smash Mall Santa Claus was here, he sure did now. The entrance to the platform, usually just a plain metal fence, had an arch set over it wrapped in red and green frizzled string–tinsel, he'd once heard them called– and the bright white and red lights strung around the railing helped illuminate the fake snow sprinkled just outside the railing. Bright red carpets were thrown all over the frosty mountain backdrop as well, making the cold place as warm and cozy as possible, and in front of a cute cutout of a gingerbread house decked in shiny green and red foil was a big, plush red chair lined with gold.
Standing at the side of the entrance were Mario and Peach, engrossed in their own conversation. They must have been the friends that Zelda had mentioned earlier, and when they spotted them coming closer, they smiled and stepped forward to greet them.
"Zelda!" Mario said, greeting her with open arms. "It's so good to see you! So sorry I had to call you on such short notice." He made a motion to Peach. "The princess wanted to take a vacation for the holidays."
"I'm so sorry I had to borrow him," Peach added. "You know how he would never dream of leaving the kids without their Santa Claus, but it's been so long since he and I have had some time alone."
"There's no need for apologies," Zelda replied, and she returned with a smile of her own. "I understand how it is. Link and I have not had the chance to do very much the same."
As Mario hummed and nodded, Roy couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise. Mario was the mall Santa Claus? He'd met the plumber several times, but he hadn't known about it. Then again, when he really thought about it, Mario fit the bill pretty well, so he kept any comments about it to himself.
"So," Mario said, "you said you've found us a replacement? And so soon?"
"I have."
Mario glanced over his shoulder, and when he saw Roy, his eyebrow shot up. "Is it him?"
Zelda nodded, still smiling. "He is. I asked him as we were leaving the soup kitchen, and he agreed."
She glanced over to him for affirmation, which he gave without hesitation. "I did."
Mario, however, still looked hesitant. "I'm not normally one to question your choices, but are you sure he's a fit? He looks just a tiny bit nervous."
When Roy opened his mouth to speak, Zelda turned to give him a pleading look. Please, she said wordlessly, let me handle this.
"He may be," she said, turning to Mario, "but his heart is in the right place. He is a kind soul, and a perfect fit for the role of Santa Claus. After all, is that not the most important trait a Santa Claus may possess?"
Mario opened his mouth to protest. Peach placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dear," she said, "I trust Zelda's wisdom. If she says that she is good for a Santa Claus, I believe that he will not disappoint the children." Then, she added, "You cannot be so harsh in who takes your role, or we'll be here long after our flight has passed."
With a groan, Mario slumped forward and relented. "Okay, then. I suppose it couldn't hurt. But–" he cut himself off to point a finger at Roy, "–you'd better not mess this up. Christmas is a magical time for these kids, and if you ruin it, I'll bash you in."
"Mario, dear," Peach said, and she pushed him away. As they left, she turned to give Roy a smile and a wave. "I do hope you'll do well. The outfit is just behind the gingerbread house, and I've left a bag of candy canes for you to hand out to the children. And Zelda." She glanced over at Zelda and nodded. "Thank you for this."
"It was no trouble at all," Zelda replied, and she waved them away.
As soon as Mario and Peach were out of earshot, Roy turned to Zelda. "So..." he mumbled, "I should go put on the costume, correct?"
"That is correct. The children are due to arrive in thirty minutes."
"Thirty minutes? How can you be so sure of that?"
"It is 2:30 PM. This place opens at 3:15 PM, but I know a few of them who would arrive early, so that means you need to be ready by 3:00 PM."
"And how do you know what time it is? There aren't any clocks nearby." Roy glanced around at the few shops around them.
The Ice Climber's Climbing and Mining Equipment. Doctor Mario's Clinic. Mewtwo's fortune tellings. None of which sold any watches or clocks or anything Zelda could have used to read the time.
Zelda shrugged. "I simply know."
"Then would you know what I'm supposed to do, or what I'm supposed to say? Thirty minutes isn't enough time for me to get ready for this."
"You will do fine. I simply know you will."
"But what if I mess up! Is Santa Claus supposed to talk in a specific way? Mario said that I'm not supposed to ruin the magic of Christmas for the kids, how do I make sure that I don't do that?"
"Relax. Calm yourself. You will neither ruin the magic, nor mess this up."
"And how do you know that?"
Zelda clasped his hand and shook it firmly. "Because I will be here to guide you. After all, what kind of a teacher would I be if I left you here?"
"You're staying here with me?" Roy frowned, confused. "How? You'll stick out."
"Oh, don't worry. You'll have to wait and see."
I accidentally misclicked an ad on the way here. All these ads on the site are annoying, especially the ones that interrupt page navigation. I think someone once told me that advertisers used to be worried about putting ads on the radio because they thought people wouldn't like not being able to flip to the next page if they didn't like an ad. Now, it just feels like advertisers get together, have a meeting to discuss the fastest way to piss someone off, and doing it.
Anyway, short chapter today. There's more I would have liked to put in here, and while nothing much happens, it still is an important part of the story because of how it leads into the next part. Still doesn't mean it's a bit of a downer in chapters, considering it's not fluff that's nice to read, or complex dialogue which is fun to write, and for that, I apologize. I've been in a bit of a stint today, so hopefully I'll be able to get out of it tomorrow long enough to push out a bit more for the next chapter.
With Christmas Break coming to an end, I hope you all can find happiness in what you've done over the week. I hope your time over the break has been well spent, even if it was just spent giving out love to those around you. Take care of yourselves out there, and stay safe!
