~Indigo~
The rooms of colors and light did little to break through the dark shroud that surrounded Meta Knight. He carried about his winter days while the rest of the house marched onward with their insistence of celebration. He marched against the grain in that aspect. From what he had seen, Christmas had far migrated from what it was originally intended to be. It's once well-meaning and innocent nature had been slowly skewered with every year that passed, and eventually there came a time where Meta Knight couldn't keep up with it. Things had become too warped for his liking and thus, he indefinitely detached from the celebration.
While the fact that people like Wario and Dedede were taking advantage of the good will of the holiday sickened him, what truly bothered him was that there violation of the sanctity of the holiday at all to begin with. He felt like he was the only one who remembered what it was all about as he witnessed his brethren fussing about decorations, worrying about food quality, and discussing what they wanted. The only other fighter who seemed aware of the less desirable aspects of the holiday was Greninja, but the Pokémon strictly stayed out of affairs even more than Meta Knight.
Meta Knight supposed there wasn't much he could do to revert Christmas back to its simpler times, where it didn't matter how many presents there were, or how big of a Christmas dinner there was…what happened to simply being thankful for what they all DID have? There was no need to get upset over what you didn't have…as long as you had what you needed was the important thing.
Meta Knight would never celebrate Christmas again…until the year came when everyone understood precisely how lucky they were.
. . .
Being a Pokémon, Greninja chose to keep out of the limelight of the holidays. He was already elusive enough as it was, but for Christmas Greninja was extra observant, studying everyone to truly get a feel for what this celebration was like. A few snippets of conversation between Peach and Zelda had revealed that it was supposedly about selfless acts of kindness, so Greninja set out to see if that was true.
He only ended up really disappointed.
Too often he found people working out of self-interest, taking advantage of the holiday to serve their own nefarious devices. A usual suspect was Wario, who only ever lifted a finger if there was something in it for him, and Greninja hated seeing so many fall right into his traps. Then there was Ganondorf, who at one point suspiciously offered to cook a 'special' dinner one night, until Greninja overheard the Duck Hunt trio's third member explaining that Ganondorf had stolen aforementioned duck and tried roasting it.
But what truly bothered Greninja was seeing other people acting selfish.
Kirby and Dedede were mild examples with how they horded the food during meals, and the Villager HAD been concerned about being too selfish until Ness of all people had talked him out of it. Jigglypuff turned into a glutton for attention, and no one even knew what was up with Fox…
Maybe Greninja wasn't seeing the big picture, or he was opening his eyes to what others had turned away from.
As he balanced on one foot and meditated in the silence of his room, he figured that if he could witness even just one fully selfless act of kindness, Greninja would have a little faith restored in the holiday. The thought plagued him as his stomach suddenly growled, disturbing the silence- huh, somehow he skipped a meal. Not that there was ever much to eat thanks to the gluttons of Dreamland…
He planned to maintain his focus through the hunger until his roommate Lucario waltzed in, checking over his shoulder before carefully shutting the door behind him. Greninja cautiously opened an eye to observe the aura user's behavior, which turned out to be a really good idea when Lucario decided to throw something at him. Greninja's hand flew up and snatched it, then studied the object…and found that it was a chocolate Poké Puff, wrapped in indigo foil.
"Zelda actually made them, and I managed to get one before Pikachu and Kirby nabbed them all," Lucario explained telepathically with a small smile, taking to the ground and falling into a meditative state. Greninja blinked curiously, wondering why Lucario didn't eat it for himself.
"You were missed at dinner, so I figured you could use the nourishment. I have no need for it myself."
Greninja was still for a moment, but eventually thanked Lucario and ate the Poke Puff. Even chewing couldn't hide the relieved smile on his face.
. . .
Lucario just wanted a little peace for Christmas.
It wasn't something you could wrap up and put under the tree by any means, but to Lucario, it was definitely something tangible. Being able to see and manipulate aura, he could perceive several different shades of how people were handling the holidays. And not everything was pleasant.
The fight with Dark Pit and Falco over Christmas had…inadvertently started a riot. Mr. Game and Watch had stepped in to mediate, only for Bowser to escalate things further with his "own take" in everything. More people got involved than necessary, and it resulted in the unfortunate destruction of the decorations Robyn had been setting up in the manor.
And even more fighting followed.
Lucario found himself alone a lot during this time, as the stress that radiated from Mario and the depressed demeanor Ness gave off prevented him from properly clearing his mind. Eventually all the high-strung feelings that the holiday gave birth to would subside, and things could go back to normal. Lucario certainly respected their traditions, but more so if they did them right…
Today he was relaxing in the courtyard, trying to take in the serene view of the snowy landscape presented before him. At least here he could think clearly without Bowser Junior throwing a tantrum over cookies.
"Is Christmas…always like this?"
Glancing over his shoulder, he found Lucina wrapped up in her cape walking towards him, appearing rather thoughtful. Lucario shrugged and shifted his position on the bench, making a bit of room for her. She gracefully took a seat, and though she smiled, Lucario knew she was feeling just as glum as he was.
"It's not normally this bad. Tensions just get high, that's all. It will be over soon."
"I've been…missing my father lately, so I've been trying to find a way to enjoy this holiday without his presence," Lucina explained. "I'm not having much luck though. It feels like everyone's either busy or...in a bad mood."
"You're welcome to stay with me while I meditate. I understand how frustrating things can get when they escalate."
"Yes," Lucina sighed. "Robyn's very upset about her decorations…they looked really nice before Olimar's Pikmin got all tangled up in them."
"Mmm, I agree."
Silence fell between them for a short time after that, until a thought occurred to Lucina.
"Lucario, what does Christmas mean to you?"
This caught Lucario off guard, as he'd been so busy pushing himself away from Christmas that he'd never even begun to consider what good could come out of it…was there anything? Anything he missed? Yes he'd been miffed by the behavior of the others…but they were still people he respected. Some he even dared to call his friends.
"…second chances," he finally responded psychically, with Lucina perking up. "Even if people reach their worst, I feel that if there was ever a time to forgive and move on, it would be now."
"Hmm, I see the wisdom in that," Lucina agreed, rising back to her feet and giving Lucario a smile. "Then I suppose under the same logic, I shouldn't give up my search for a way to celebrate. Even ambitions need a second chance too."
Lucario smiled and folded his paws into his lap. "A very mature decision of you, Princess."
Lucina beamed and bid Lucario farewell for the moment, sweeping back inside with renewed vigor. Lucario stayed outside a while longer to come to terms with his thoughts. Sure, the worst of times definitely got to him…but if he couldn't accept the bad times, why should he deserve the best?
When Lucario finally went back inside, he was very pleased to see that mostly everyone had pitched in to fix Robyn's decorations, and tensions had lowered significantly.
The aura in the stadium had improved considerably.
. . .
It had been business as usual for Marth, with attending fights, greeting his friends, and getting in some training. He liked the perks of wintertime –the cocoa, warm clothes, sitting by the fireplace- but didn't usually go out of his way to do anything big. He mostly kept to himself, but was willing to spend time with those who asked, like Ike who wanted a friendly fight.
Or Lucina, who needed attention.
Where Lucina had come from, even celebrating a birthday was a risky thing, for dropping one's guard just once could mean an ambush by Risen. So Christmas and any other holiday were simply wishful thinking…but not here in the stadium.
The Exalted Princess was thrilled to give the festivities a shot, and while she was a little bummed that her father and family wouldn't be able to properly celebrate with her, eventually a light bulb lit up in her mind. When she approached Marth asking if he'd show her some aspects of Christmas, Marth had been more than happy to agree, as after his fight with Ike, his schedule was pretty free. He figured Lucina merely wanted to be shown the ropes of the holiday, as Robyn was still putting together some festive surprise while Robin was booked with fights.
She seemed suspiciously over excited when he agreed, however.
Marth wasn't wholly certain on what she wanted to see, but she apparently had a few ideas in mind. Marth found himself talked into building a snowman, going on a professional sleigh ride, and borrowing the kitchen from Peach to make their own confectionery. In the end, their snowman was lumpy and lopsided, the sleigh ride was expensive, and their cookies were slightly burned (though better than Palutena's "cake"), but Lucina's smile had been so exceedingly bright that Marth couldn't help but empathize.
After receiving a blanket from Zelda, Lucina sat by the fireplace to warm up, accompanied by Marth's special brand of cocoa. She had thanked Marth for the day out and promptly left, but…Marth figured there was still something more. Once he found her, he sat in a nearby chair and watched her quietly, wondering what was on her mind until he finally engaged in conversation.
"So…why did you want to do all of that today?" he finally asked, sipping his brew. Lucina's gaze remained on the fire as she replied.
"I just wanted to make some good first Christmas memories, that's all."
"Perhaps, but you seemed much happier than you have been in a while, and I feel that it has something to do with me in particular. Any specific reason for that?"
Only the sound of the cracking fire had responded. Lucina shifted on the floor, suddenly finding her indigo mug really interesting.
"Neither tactician…has told you yet?"
"No." Marth's voice deepened with concern, wondering what she and the tacticians were hiding. "Is this something I should know?"
Lucina bit her lip and turned away, not sure how Marth would take the news. "…I'm your descendant from a displaced future. I wanted to spend this holiday with my family, as appears to be customary…but I didn't realize…you were unaware…"
Marth blinked and studied Lucina; she did have a striking resemblance to him, and fought similarly to him –almost a little too much so- but he never would've guessed she was a relative, as far down the family tree as she was.
"I see…I suppose I'm like your great grandfather, then?"
"Y-Yes, although that would be a lot of greats." Lucina smiled a bit, appreciating his stab at lightening the mood, but became melancholic. "My actual grandfather…he died suddenly after my aunt had just turned ten, and my father –in the timeline I originate from- was killed in battle by the one closest to him…"
"We share similar pasts, then," Marth stated slowly, as if this was something he hadn't thought about in a while. "My own father…he, too, was killed by a supposed ally. Strange how the strings of fate work…"
"…sort of like invisible ties," Lucina whispered quietly. "B-but anyway, my point is that this holiday has made me reexamine my circumstances…we have such precious little time to spend with our loved ones, and putting in the effort to do so shouldn't only be once a year. But since I'm away from the family I have now-"
"I guess I'm the next best thing," Marth remarked with a bemused smile. Lucina instantly went rigid and waved her hands.
"Ah, n-no! Hero-King, don't sell yourself so short! I only meant that I didn't know…how you would take to me referring to you as my-"
"It's not like I could deny it, even if I wanted to," Marth chuckled calmly. "You have the brand of the Exalt, and you wield the Falchion. If anything, I should be ashamed that I hadn't noticed sooner."
Lucina eventually stood back up, the blanket sliding off her shoulders as she approached Marth.
"Thank you…" she trailed, pulling him into a hug. Marth returned it, although surprised at the sudden gratitude.
"What…are you thanking me for?"
Lucina pulled out of the hug and beamed back at him.
"For giving me the start to a perfect first Christmas."