This chapter was fun to write.

Also another AU reminder. This chapter really shows it.

Mario grabbed onto the handles outside of the door. His back was pressed against the door, and the cold pierced him to the bone. His eyes bulged at he stared down at the connecting clasp between the two trains. It was a wider gap than he realised… but thing that really jarred him, was the fact that this was not how the between-car area had looked boarding the train. There had been solid floor the whole way through, but now it was gone. The only way to cross was to jump.

A hard knot formed in Mario's stomach, and he gulped as his eyes stayed glued to the gap. It seemed like a wide chasm of death, the wheels clacking on the flashing silver rails like teeth gnawing on bone. If he jumped, it would suck him down, swallow him whole.

A gust of wind swirled by, lifting Mario's hat from his head. He gasped and reached for it. His fingers brushing the red fabric.

His feet slipped.

Mario screamed as he grabbed onto the handle with his free hand. He glanced down, his stomach lurching at the sight of the tracks whipping below his toes. He scrabbled for a foot-hold, his bare feet sliding against the crusted ice. His fingers went numb. His grip started to fail.

"Help!" Mario screamed, half-frozen tears forming in his eyes. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Help! Luigi! Yoshi! DK! Peach! Wario! Mr. Conductor! Please!"

Hands grabbed his arms, pulling him back onto the narrow strip of floor. They kept a firm grip on his shoulders as Mario gasped and panted. Thank God! He'd thought he'd been a goner!

"Kid, don't you know it's not safe to cross cars while the train's moving?" A man scolded. The voice was gruff, almost scratchy in a sense. The boy turned his eyes upward to view his rescuer. He was a scruffy man, with fraying, dirt-smudged clothes. He wore red gloves that seemed to have been worn right through the fingertips, and stubble covered the bottom half of his face. He was tall, and wore a sagging cap on his head. His face was stern, though his eyes glimmered with a mysterious dull light.

"I know… Thank you…" Mario murmured. He trembled, and his eyes kept darting back to the gap. He swallowed. He'd nearly fallen down it.

"What're you doing out here, anyway?" His lips curled back in a grin, revealing crooked teeth. "Causing trouble, are we?"

Mario shook his head. "N-no! I'm trying to help my new friend. She's in danger!" He pointed to the door across the gap. "She's with a monster?"

The man chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Oh really? A monster, huh?"

Mario nodded. "Yeah, my other new friend told me that Koopas are really mean monsters!"

"And you believe him? Does he have proof?"

Mario faltered. He hadn't really thought about that. "No… but he wouldn't lie to me about that, right?"

The man grinned. "That's up to you to decide whether you want to believe him or not. Maybe your friend is telling the truth. Maybe he's passing on a story. You don't know the other side of it."

Mario blinked. "Huh?" He didn't understand what the man meant by 'other side'. "Why wouldn't Yoshi tell me the truth?"

The man ruffled Mario's hair. "'Eh, don't worry about it, kid. Say, you want to go 'save the princess'?" He gestured to the door. "I can help you across for a small fee."

Mario pouted. "But I don't have any money…"

"What?" The man chuckled, waving a hand. "I don't want your cash, kid. Just answer one question for me." He leaned down, his face inches from Mario's. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Ghosts?" Mario blinked. Why ask about ghosts? "No." His brow furrowed, and he frowned. "Um, but isn't it Christmas? Why are you thinking about ghost? They're for Halloween." This guy was seriously weird. First he showed up out of nowhere, then he started talking about some 'other side' and now he was going on about ghosts? Mario wasn't sure he liked him; who was this guy?

The man's eyes drifted to the side. "Interesting… so there's another one…"

"Another what?"

The man ignored him. He held out his hand. "I'll take you over, just like I promised."

"Who are you?" Mario asked.

"Who am I?" The man smiled. "That's for me to know and you to never. Now c'mon, kid. You want to save your girlfriend? Take my hand!" He inched it closer. Mario, although still not trusting him entirely, took it. He pulled Mario close with a jerk, lifting him up by his armpits. Mario yelped.

"H-hey!" he cried, wriggling and kicking.

"Hold still, kid!" the man ordered, his sharp tone making Mario still instantly. He bent his knees…

And leap across the gap.

Mario's heart jumped, and he gave a scream. The gap between the cars seemed to howl at them like a hungry beast. Mario's eyes could only see the hole; the rails rushing by at lightning speed.

The man's feet tapped the floor, and he set Mario down. Mario pressed his front onto the car's door, his eyes wide. We jumped! He took a breath to calm himself, willing his heart to stop pounding. He turned around to face the man, who grinned down at him. "Thanks."

"Hey, not a problem, kid."

Mario turned back to the door, but the man's voice jerked his attention back.

"Oh, and before you go." He brought a hand out from behind his back, a familiar red cap in his hand. Mario's jaw dropped as he held it out. "I think this is yours."

Mario yanked it from his grasp, staring, wide-eyed, at the little 'M' that rested just above the brim. How did he get this? He'd thought it was lost forever, blown away with the wind. Mario put it back on his head with a growing smile. "Thank y—"

The man was gone.

Mario blinked, unease stirring up his stomach. Where was he? How'd he leave so quickly? All Mario had done was glance away for a second, and now… I'm getting out of here! He gulped, shoving open the door and hurrying into the cabin.

Two heads turned to stare at him as he slid the door shut with a shiver. Peach and the Koopa were sitting side-by-side on the drastically different seats. The car's interior resembled a subway train more than a locomotive; it had plastic chair-like seats pressed against the wall, leaving a wide aisle.

Peach's eyes lit up upon seeing Mario, while the Koopa's narrowed. A growl rose in his throat, and Mario held his hands up. The Koopa's gaze pinned him to the door, though he kept his eyes on Peach's smile. She didn't seem to be scared one bit.

"Hi, Mario!" she greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Mario's eyes meet the Koopa's again, and he bared his fangs. His mouth went dry. "I came to say hi." He pointed to the Koopa. "Yoshi said that he's a Koopa."

"I know."

"Y-you do?" Mario shuffled his feet. "Um… Yoshi told me some stuff about Koopas…" He glanced at the Koopa's glare. "I think you and me should go back to the others."

"Oh…" Peach's smile faded. She glanced the at Koopa, who had stopped growling. "Mario, whatever Yoshi told you, it's not true. Bowser's really nice."

"Bowser?" Was that the Koopa's name?

"Yeah, that's me," the Koopa grumbled. "And you two need to stop talking about me as if I'm not here." Bowser's eyebrows narrowed even more, if that was even possible. "And I'm not 'nice'." He spoke the word as if it was something slimy and disgusting.

"Yes, you are," Peach argued. "You're very nice." She turned her sapphire eyes towards Mario. "We were playing charades, you want to join in?"

"Um… sure." Mario approached, keeping an eye on Bowser. Likewise, the Koopa kept a cold glare on him Mario really wasn't sure why he was staying, but something about Peach's sparkling eyes made him feel as though he had to. He took a seat on the floor in front of them, folding his legs criss-cross applesauce.

"Mario, since you're new, why don't you do something?" Peach suggested.

Bowser let out a yelp, whipping his head towards her. "B-but it was my turn! You can't just give it to some random kid who showed up out of nowhere!"

"Hey—!" Mario began, but Peach cut him off.

"You can have your turn afterward. You've had other turns already. I want to give Mario a chance, since he just got here. He's my new friend, just as you are."

Bowser crossed his arms, grumbling as he slouched in his seat. But, he didn't protest. His sights did stay glued to Mario.

Peach nodded to Mario, her expression brightening.. "Go ahead!"

"Okay… hmm…." Mario rose to his feet, scratching his head. What should I do…? He wanted to mime something that had to do with Christmas… might as well be in-season. His face lit up, and he backed up a few steps. He straighten his back and squared his shoulders, putting on the sternest and most serious face he could muster up. He strode towards Peach and Bowser, holding his right hand up in the air, squeezing it as though he held a hole puncher. He held the other hand out.

Bowser's brow wrinkled, and he scowled. "Who are you supposed to be?" He licked the curve of his snout, his eyes darting back and forth. "Your dad?"

Mario shook his head, giggling as he tired to imagine his fun-loving father so serious. The only time he ever had been was three years ago, when Mario had dragged Luigi out on a nighttime adventure to try and find a ghost in a graveyard. They hadn't found the ghost, and they'd been in serious trouble upon arriving home the next morning. Mario pushed the memory of his distraught parents aside, shuffling backwards and repeating his actions.

"A general?" Bowser guessed.

Mario shook his head again. "Nope." But it is someone serious.

"Oh!" Peach gasped, then she laughed. "You're the conductor!"

Mario beamed. "Ticket, please!" he mimicked.

Bowser snarled and crossed his arms, turning a bitter glare to the floor. "Like I would've guessed that."

"Don't be upset, it's your turn," Peach reminded him. She turned her attention to Mario, patting the open seat on her right (Mario's left). "Mario, come sit next to me!" Mario sat down as Bowser took his stance in front of him.

Bowser scratched the underside of his chin with his foreclaw, his eyes drifting to the side as he thought. Mario wondered what he would come up with; what did Koopas do? Yoshi's warning flashed through his head. Maybe he'd pretend to be a predator.

Bowser perked up. He stood stiffly, his arms rigid at his sides.

"Uhh… A tree?" Mario guessed.

Bowser snorted, a hint of a smirk creeping onto his snout.

"A Christmas Tree!" Peach tried.

Bowser rolled his eyes. He brought a hand up in salute.

"A sailor!" Mario called.

Bowser turned his gaze to Mario, tilting his head expectantly.

"What?" Mario smiled, quirking an eyebrow. "Am I right?"

Bowser growled. He jumped into a staggered stance, his hand flying towards his waist. His hand grasped something invisible, and he lashed his arm out, as if swinging something.

"A pirate?" Mario attempted.

"A warrior?" Peach surmised.

Bowser let out a sigh. He kept up with his swings, jumping back, side to side, and forward. His fangs gritted as he let out a roar, rushing forward and thrusting his hand forwards.

"A knight!"

"A guard!"

"A ninja!"

"Someone with a sword!"

Bowser let out a scream, double face-palming. "Are you both short?! I'm a solider!" He glowered at them. "Is that word not in your stupid little heads or what?"

"Ooh…" Mario smacked his forehead. "I feel stupid." He should have gotten that… it had been on the tip of his tongue!

Bowser let out a 'harrumph', resting his fists on his hips as he puffed out his chest. "I'm gonna be a soldier soon. My dad is gonna have me be one when I turn thirteen." He grinned. "And I'm gonna be the best one out there!"

"Seems like you know how to use a sword," Peach mentioned.

"You bet!" Bowser mimed a few more swings. "I've picked up my dad's a couple times, and that means I'm really strong." He threw a couple of punches. "I managed to pick it up off the ground, and that thing is HEAVY."

"Sounds cool!" Mario smiled. Peach was right! Bowser really wasn't so bad when he wasn't just a growling, glowering reptile. He seemed to have big dreams, and Mario hoped he managed to accomplish them.

"Uh-huh." Bowser stilled, turning back to them with a cocky grin. "Y'know, I'm gonna be the next King of the Koopas."

Mario blinked, his eyes widening. "Wait, what?" King?

"You're a prince, too?" Peach asked, a smile forming on her face.

"Yeah— Wait." Bowser pointed to Mario, his snout wrinkling. "You're a prince?"

"Oh, no!" Mario shook his head, holding up his hands. "Peach is a princess, not me!"

She gave a sheepish grin. "I meant to say that you're royalty, too."

"So you're the princess," Bowser checked. Peach nodded. He smirked. "That makes more sense." He turned his eyes to Mario. "You're not important-looking enough to be a prince."

"Wha— hey!" Mario bolted to his feet, a glare forming on his face.

"It's my turn." Peach cut in, her sweet voice dissolving the rapidly growing tension. She rose to her feet, and Bowser, after shooting Mario one last glare, took his seat. Peach bent over, scooping at the floor.

"You're a maid!" Mario guessed.

Peach shook her head, kneeling on the ground as she scooped something imaginary towards her.

"You're cleaning something?"

Peach pushed at the air in front of her, her hands moving as though she was rolling something.

"You're… you're…"

"You're working on something!" Bowser shouted. "You're doing something!"

Peach halted, pretended to lift something into her arms. Mario squinted, leaning closer as he studied her movements. She took a few steps and placed the thing in midair… no, she was stacking it! If she wasn't cleaning… "You're stacking something!" What would Mushroom Kingdomers stack? "Mushrooms!" She giggled, shaking her head. Mario scratched his own. This is harder than I thought!

"You're putting weapons away! You're stacking Bob-ombs! You're doing something for your dad!" Bowser yelled.

Peach brushed off the imaginary object, her hands moving in a circle, then a larger one further down. She pretended to take something out of her pocket and press it to the assumed object. Almost as if she was…

Mario snapped his fingers. "You're building a snowman!"

Peach's face lit up, and she nodded. "You got it!"

Bowser snarled, turning a snarl towards Mario. "How do you keep doing that!? How are you so good at this game!"

Mario shrugged. "Maybe if you tried thinking about something other than fighting, you'd be better." It was an honest answer, and Mario had no malicious intent behind it. It was true, all Bowser had suggested was either very superficial or had to do with fighting and being a soldier.

Bowser didn't take it that way. "Are you accusing me of being stupid? 'Cause I'm not!"

"I was just making a point!" Mario defended, leaning back and holding his hands up. "I never thought you were stupid!"

"Can you two please not yell at each other?" Peach sighed, coming to sit between the two. "Mario doesn't think you're stupid, Bowser. You just think a lot about being a soldier, and your guesses show that."

"Oh."

"Well, it's my turn!" Mario bounced out of his seat, already sure of who he was going to imitate. He rubbed his chin. How to go about this…? It took a few moments, but then he came up with an idea. Mario lifted his hands up to his shoulder, miming carrying a sack.

"Mailman!" Peach tried.

"A thief!" Bowser inputted.

Mario tiptoed a couple of steps, swung the 'bag' over his shoulder and set it down. He pretended to take presents out of it and put it under a tree.

"Oh! Oh!" Peach squealed, kicking her feet. "You're Santa!"

Mario turned to her with a grin, putting on a deeper voice as he replied, "Ho ho ho! That's right!"

"Santa!" Bowser's jaw fell open. "That's not fair! How was I supposed to know that!" He jerked to his feet. "You two need to stop doing Christmas-themed stuff! You're doing it on purpose, and it's not fair!"

Mario furrowed his brow. "How is it not fair? It's Christmas time! It's part of the holiday!"

Bowser's eyes widened, and he sunk into himself a little. His head dropped, and he muttered something incomprehensible to even Peach's ears.

"What?" The princess asked, leaning closer.

"We don't celebrate Christmas, okay?!" Bowser snapped. He let out a half sigh, half whine. "My dad doesn't like it, and he's the king, so we're not allowed to celebrate it. At least in the castle, anyway…"

"You're not allowed?"

"So wait," Mario held a hand up, ready to list things out on his fingers, "you mean you don't get and decorate a tree, bake Christmas cookies, wrap presents, open presents, experience Christmas magic, listen to the songs, go to the mall and sit on Santa's lap, or be too excited to sleep? You don't do any of that?"

"Look, I said we don't celebrate Christmas, and I meant it!" Bowser bit his trembling lip, his claws curling into his knees. "I haven't done any of that…" He blinked fiercely.

Mario was speechless. Here was a kid who'd never experienced the joys of Christmas. He'd never thought such a thing existed, let along would he ever meet one. Even Donkey Kong had memories of Christmas, despite not having time for it. He put a hand on Bowser's, the Koopa's scales chilly and surprisingly soft. "I'm sorry."

Bowser jerked to his feet. "For what?" He rubbed at his eyes. "There's nothing to be sorry for." He sniffled, his tail drooping. "I'm gonna go outside. Don't follow me." He stormed to the back of the car, throwing open the door and slamming it behind him.

Peach and Mario stared after him. They sat together in silence for a few moments, then Peach broke it with a sigh.

"Poor Bowser," she murmured.

"Tell me about it," Mario agreed, leaning back in his seat. No Christmas! "Not celebrating Christmas must be awful. I couldn't imagine life without it."

"He hates it, too." Peach rose to her feet. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Whoah!" Mario jumped up from his seat. "He said he wanted to be left alone! Shouldn't we just leave him?"

Peach gave Mario a sideways look. "When you're upset, don't you want someone with you? Someone to talk to, and who will comfort you?"

"Well… yeah."

Peach turned and walked towards the door. "I'm going to talk to him." She slid open the door, closing it to a crack behind her.

Mario sighed. She does have a point… Whenever he had his downs, he would go to his Ma. She'd listen to him as he told her his troubles, then she'd give him a big hug and a soft kiss. Even when Mario thought he wanted to be alone, somebody would figure out that he was upset. They'd comfort him and make him feel all better. The right thing to do would be to go and do the same with Bowser. He'd thank them later.

Mario headed for the door, squeezing out into the frozen night. Peach and Bowser were standing side-by-side at the banister. Bowser had been speaking, but he had abruptly cut himself off upon Mario's arrival.

"Great, what do you want?" Bowser growled, though he didn't turn his head.

"I want to see if you were okay," Mario replied, coming up on the Koopa's other side. Bowser turned his head away, thrusting his face into his folded arms. He sniffed.

"I'm fine. You idiots need to go away," Bowser grumbled, his voice starting to shake.

Definitely not fine. Bowser sounded miserable. "You're not fine." Mario put a hand on Bowser's shell, though a sudden pain made him pull away with a gasp. He'd forgotten about the spikes on it. He put his hand back on, careful to place it around them. "Bowser, you're sad about Christmas, right?"

Bowser let out a whimper, his posture drooping.

"Bowser…" Peach leaned close to him, whispering something into his ear. He jerked his head up to stare at her. They held gazes for a few moments before Bowser averted his, resting his chin on the ice-coated railing. Peach coaxed, "We're not going to judge you, we're just going to listen." Mario nodded to emphasis this.

Bowser was silent, his watering eyes staring blankly at the frozen ocean. Snowflakes swirled around them, the wind causing the three children to shiver.

After a few minutes, Bowser spoke.

"I… I guess I don't know why I'm on this train," he murmured, letting out a long sigh.

"What do you mean?" Mario asked, leaning forward to get a better look at Bowser's face. He kept it stone-hard, a glare starting to develop.

"I've never done any of the things you said." Bowser's eyes flicked briefly to Mario. "I don't celebrate Christmas. I don't even know what the holiday is, besides what I've heard the minions talking about." His head drooped. "They say it's the best time of the year… but I don't get it." He shook his head. "I don't get it," his hands curled into shaking fists, "because my stupid dad doesn't want to get me a single present. Because… he hates the holiday." He gritted his fangs, screwing up his eyes to hold back his accumulating tears. It was several moments before he spoke again, his voice dropped to a whisper "And… I feel like I'm missing out."

Mario's heart sunk, and he patted the Koopa's shell. Poor Bowser… He couldn't imagine feeling that way. It must be awful.

"Well, you're here now," Peach pointed out. "The Polar Express is magic, and it choses its passengers. It chose you out of all the other children in the universe. It picked you for a reason." She smiled, grasping Bowser's hand in her own. "I bet it's because you have real Christmas Spirit in your heart."

"Christmas… Spirit?" Bowser repeated, his eyes turning to Peach.

She nodded. "It's more than the presents and Santa Claus, it's about just… that joy you get when the holiday rolls around. The kindness you share, and being thankful for what you have. It's about spending time with those you love and care about."

"Yeah! Christmas just ties that all together! Me, Luigi, Ma, and Pa always come together to decorate the tree, we exchange presents, bake cookies together, and take light walks around Brooklyn." He smiled, closing his eyes as he recalled the laughter-filled memories of Christmas, of both past and present.

There had been the time where Pa had dropped the whole bowlful of cookie batter, and they'd had to settle for one cookie each. Then there was the time Mario had been allowed to go on the ladder to assist with the lighting the tree for the first time. The time a mall Santa had given Luigi an extra candy can after he dropped and broke his. The time that Mario had dropped the box of ornaments (thank God they were packaged good! Only a few broke, and one was fixed with some glue). The wonder at some of the Christmas-lit houses they'd seen (seriously, how did people DO that?) Years of singing Christmas carols around the fire, all but Ma terribly off-key. Gathering around the television to watch their favorite holiday classics.

"Sounds great," Bowser snapped, jerking Mario back to the present. He let out a sigh. "It sounds great… Why do you get to have that and I don't? It's not fair!"

"Well… Christmas is different for everyone. Nobody has the same Christmas, and I can say that mine is drastically different than Mario's. I don't really spend all too much time with my Mom and Dad until Christmas Day, which is when we give gifts and walk around Toad Town. We act like our own Santas, in a way." Peach smiled, her eyes glistening as she assumably thought back on the fond memories. She turner her gaze to Bowser. "You just need to find your own Christmas, even if your dad doesn't want to celebrate it."

Bowser stared off into the distance, his eyes flicking about as he thought.

"Yeah!" Mario agreed. "You can still spread that kind spirit. Be nice to the servants, and you could even make your dad a Christmas card! Maybe you can show your dad that Christmas is really a great holiday!"

Bowser shivered, rolling his shoulders in a shrug. "Maybe… but probably not. Dad's really stubborn."

"It doesn't hurt to try," Peach insisted. "Besides, you can brighten the days of your citizens by showing the spirit of the season, I'm sure they all celebrate it, right?" Bowser nodded. "Then you can still participate, even if it's small."

Bowser nodded again. "Yeah… I guess I could… try." He put on a grin, glancing between the two. His eyes shone. "I don't say this much, but thanks." His cheeks reddened, and he ducked his head. "For… sayin' all that."

Mario put a hand on Bowser's shoulder, his heart warming at the Koopa's new enthusiasm. "It's what friends are for."

Told you! Mario and Peach wouldn't befriend Bowser in the normal universe! :) I think it's cute. Hence why I did it.