Chapter 7

The hallow king leaps up and his arm reaches out and grabs the lid of the disk and just swings around and lands with Cranberry doing their best to hold on. He gets in and bends down low as both his hands elongate and the claws go stretching an extra three inches or so and slashes at Wormsack.

The claws rake into the belly and rip the gut open, and a gallon of insects just poor to the ground. Wormsack is staggering but still up and trying to get away from everyone.

Klaus looks over and sees Chutney getting onto the platform and seeing Santa with the wounds in his stomach and this look in his eyes, Klaus looks over to Nutmeg and says. "Hey, you got this."

He goes over and takes out his healing kit to stabilize Santa while keeping an eye on Chutney.

Holly comes out of her shock, face red as Rudolph's nose as she sprints after Arty and gets on her own chain trying not to look at the grinning elf.

Ellory follows after the two, squealing in happiness as she witnessed the kiss as she grabs onto her own chain, terrified for Santa but excited over the fanfiction she was going to write for Arty and Holls.

Chutney stands there, looking from Klaus to Santa; before a dark shadow cascades over the old elf as he moves towards Saint Nick. "He told me to make Voltron out of wood; no one wanted it. He told me to make a Game boy; I can't do circuits. He told me to make the little trolls, but the hair didn't move!"

As he mutters he takes his wooden chisel and stabs him in the chest. Staring as Santa bleeds he takes this opportunity to hide from Klaus.

Wormsack attempts to get away dodging the hallow king's attack as he jumps down to the other disk.

Nutmeg slide down the ladder and peeks over the side once more and takes aim and casts Ebeneezer Scorcher; everything has gone topsy turvy, she has just seen one of her co-workers attack Santa, on razor's edge, she is full of anxiety and rage and thrust her hands downwards and a torrent of flame spills down before her and the sack lights ablaze like the Wickerman, and all the bugs start to burn and crisp and fall away and Wormsack just falls into pieces, into lumps, into clumps and piles of insects.

The body of Wormsack falls, strikes, and lies dormant.

Cranberry has their spiritual weapon smash the pile of bugs with his transparent fists and the pile while attacking her own pile which did not go so well.

Bundles scurries up the ladder to find Klaus slack-jawed, staring over the body of Santa Claus, red stab marks all over his body as he coughs in pain. Klaus's knuckles around each candy cane tense, to the point where Bundles hears the slight crackle as little shards on the outside of it crack and break, dust kind of falling from his grip.

Bundles walks over to undo the restraints on as Santa moans. "Don't worry, Santa, you're still coming to town."

Arty gets up followed by Ellory and Holly and goes to town on the leftover bugs with his sword. There is a sudden wail of a woman scream coming from the sword, he looks at the bugs and will do nothing else but slay this pile of insects.

The hallow man stomps over and destroys the pile of bugs next to Cranberry, sweeping them all off the disk before making his way down a disk.

As Klaus grips the candy canes, he places a hand on top of the altar and in his rage tried to leap over it but his foot catches Santa's belly and stumbles and lands on top of Chutney. Getting off of him quickly Klaus readies his weapons at the traitor.

"Alright Klaus, think about it." Chutney says, raising his hand.

Klaus holds the candy cane forward and says. "Do you intend to finish what you started?"

"We could be rich!" Chutney tells him. "We could sell off the land, we could end the suffrage of the elves, we could be property owners! Think of the magic! Think of the magic!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Bundles asks nervously.

Klaus glances back and looks at the innocent eyes of this bushy-tailed if he had a tail, you know, an elf who looks at the world with such joy. He thinks of the sweet little Ellory with her twinkling blue eyes that shone in happiness and the love for Santa Clause and Christmas itself, and then there was Holly, strong Holly Snowflake who he felt will go places in the elf business and with that Arty at her side, those two could make ChristmasTown a better place.

He slowly looks back to the old withered, angry elf.

"Time to decide if you're gonna be a man." Chutney says.

There is a silence. "You know what these gloves are for, right?"

Chutney nods smiling in victory. "I do."

Within seconds Klaus charges towards Chutney he is able to hit him twice before one of the candy canes broke and became a dagger.

He points the new dagger at Chutney who is now kneeling on the ground. "So what's it gonna be?"

"You're a fool, Klaus." Chutney growls. "We can't compete with Amazon!"

While Klaus held Chutney hostage the spiritual weapons and Arthur got rid of the weak little bugs swiftly and the hallowed king reaches to the very top along with the others. Holly is already by Santa's side throwing all the cure wounds she can on him as the hallowed king reaches the top and sees what is before him, his lidless eyes widen in shock before its own hands reach into its own body and grab a rib right where its heart be and pulls out a bone which is just a jagged and sharp as the candy cane that Klaus is holding.

"That can't be good." Chutney whimpers.

A moment of silence before the hallowed king suddenly stabs him straight through the heart. With a cry of pain and another stab the hallowed king backs away and folds up his mouth before looking down at the now wounded old elf.

"Why." he snarls. "WHY!?"

"I've been underappreciated my whole life!" Chutney says. "I never learned any new skills, no one loves wood and metal toys anymore, I just wanted to be on top for once. I'm sorry!"

At that moment, as the bells jingle sadly from his weeping, everyone hears a slight grunt, and Santa is sitting on the edge of the altar, holding Holly's shoulder as support as Holly tries her best to help him. Cranberry and Ellory come over and began their own healing on him the red blood staining the red coat, but he looks better than before and looks around himself.

"What is going on here?" he asks.

"You were kidnapped, Mr. Claus." Holly explains looking up at him. "We are in a place called Halloweentown and we all were trying to take you back... but-"

"This bag of humbug here decided to go ahead and try and take the business for himself." Klaus chimes in for her, threatening the dagger closer to Chutney's neck making him whimper. "Planted a blade into your chest. And, well my judgment in the same judgment you've had me give a few times but ultimately it's up to you, Santa."

"Well, I think that." Santa sighs.

The pale one kneels down. "Wait, I am to blame. I started this mess, I mean to make amends."

Holly raises an eyebrow at this creature. "And how exactly are you-"

He takes the rib and places it on Santa Claus's knee.

"Worry yourselves no more." he says as giant claws go and reach out for Chutney.

Holly and the other watch as the pale one leaps from the top and descends into darkness.

"Nooooooo." is the last anyone hears of Chutney Chocolatecane for the rest of their days.

"Well... Shit." Holly replies flabbergasted at what just happened.

Klaus blinks. "Well, that makes it easy."

"Ho-ho- holy shit." Santa says making the other giggle quietly in exhaustion. "I was going to suggest that we put Chutney in the home, he's clearly worked too many centuries.

"There's a home?" Nutmeg exclaims. "You don't just straight up kill people if they do something wrong?"

"Of course not what kind of jolly old elf do you take me for?" he asks looking down at Nutmeg oddly before looking at his watch. "Goodness gracious, we have to get out of here. Everyone gather around."

Santa touches the side of his nose, winks, and suddenly Holly's eyes got misty and a group of clouds flutters around the top of this tower, and she sees Santa standing with them and says. "Follow me."

This large cloud spirals and zooms off towards the pipe that they all spilled out of from before. Arthur walks straight up to Holly with a grin, taking her by the waist making her gasp for a second, and the next thing everyone knew Arthur and Holly disappear the same way as Santa.

"Hey wait for us!" everyone else exclaims as they follow suit.

Seven sparkling icy clouds zoom up, up, up through the tube, spit out of the top of the treehouse.

They all see far below a white tub slowly marching along on the barren earth, whizzing back over towards the rings of trees, and you all shuttle right through the doorway firing out of the adjacent door in another dimension, and the lot spiral up and up and up into the night sky. So high in fact Holly finds herself seeing the slightest bit of the curve of the Earth, the stars above her, and the painfully beautiful shimmer of the aurora borealis hovering over the icy landscapes below.

Holly marveled at the sight, not seeing Arthur look at her with the same look at the lights reflected in her brown eyes and her dark purple hair floated in the air.

Then the clouds are spiraling down, down, down into the woods outside of your home, and before anyone knew it, almost everyone are standing on firm, snowy ground again, trudging through the trees wearily, the glow of lights winkling comfortingly from the workshop before you.

"Home." Holly whimpers a bit, holding Arthur's hands as everyone else nods in agreement at the relief of being home again.

"Come on, everyone." Santa says to his elves. "We can still make Christmas happen."

The front door of the workshop opens and Mrs. Claus is there, waiting for them all with a smile of relief. Still looking a little ill, still perhaps leaning on Bigsby's shoulder, who's is sporting a bandage around his own head. They're a sight, the two of them, though not as bad as the seven elves.

The sleigh is loaded up and the eight reindeer are ready and waiting; the missus and Bigsby have seen to that.

Santa with an unusually grim expression on his face limps over to the sack of holding, hoists it up with a wince, and then heaves it into the sleigh and turns back to the elves.

"Come here, you lovely elves, come here." He pulls them all into a big hug.

Klaus takes off his killing gloves and throws them into the snow.

"Attaboy, Prigman." Santa says proudly. "Attaboy."

He looks down at his wonderful elves. "Now, this was a hard night, but listen, listen to me, there is always a light in the darkness, my dear friends. Thank you for holding onto it."

With no warning, he turns with a jerk, and springs into his slay, gives a sharp whistle, and away they all fly, like the down of a thistle, but you heard him exclaim, ere drove out of sight.

"Happy Christmas to all and to all a goodnight."


It was a couple of hours as everyone returned to their homes, Holly on the other hand went to a little hill and sat down as she contemplates what she had been through with everyone including Arthur. She didn't know how exactly she and he were going to be like the next day, hell when school opens for their last year. Did he like her or was it adrenaline and the holy shit we survived syndrome and she was the closest thing?

With a sigh, she pulls out a flower and begins to pick at the petals childishly playing he loves me not and when she got to the last petal a throat cleared, spurring her she turns around to see Arthur standing at the bottom of the hill.

"Arthur? What are you doing here?" she asks him.

He simply smiles up at her and... begins to sing.

My dearest friend

if you don't mind

I'd like to join you by your side.

Where we can gaze into the stars

Surprised at Arty's soft voice smiles down at him with such warmth as she joins him, getting up from her sitting position in the snow as he climbs up to her.

And sit together

now and forever

for it is plain

as anyone can see

we're simply meant to be

Arthur Fizzlebottom finally reaches her, reaching out to grasp her hands together and intertwine them with his, leans down and gives Holly Snowflake a slow and warm kiss under the full moon and the north star shining bright.

Happy holidays.