Chapter 93
Snowfall and Peppermint Mines
While her friends were floating through the vortex in the tree, Aqua had already exited into Christmas Town. Standing atop Yuletide Hill, she looked around in amazement, staring at the snow-covered hilltops and the brightly-painted buildings. She stuck her tongue out and tasted the snowflakes that landed on it. She felt the refreshing cool, but not too cold, air brush her skin.
After a moment, Sora was sent flying out of the portal in the tree behind her, and since Aqua was only a few feet in front of it, the impact sent her crashing forward to the ground. Sora took a moment to recover his senses, and realized that his chin had landed on Aqua's back. A second later, he realized where his hands had ended up and quickly rolled to the side, glancing from side to side in embarrassment and hoping that Aqua had not noticed. Understanding that the others were soon to pop out of the tree, he cast Haste on himself, stood up, ran over to a convenient position by Aqua, and dragged her out of the way, just as Donald started to fly out of the tree. He waited patiently for Donald and Goofy to land, letting out a laugh when Goofy landed on top of Donald. When he saw Mickey start to fly out, he pushed the dog and duck aside, then pulled Mickey away when he hit the ground. He noticed that the world was speeding up around him and he realized that the spell was wearing off. Once he had gone back into sync with the rest of the world, he saw Riku fly out and crash on the snowy ground. Kairi then flew out and landed on top of him when he tried to pick himself back up.
Sora laughed, remembering how Goofy and Donald had landed on top of him and jolted him back to the ground when they had first arrived in Christmas Town. Riku pushed Kairi off of him and shot Sora a glare. Kairi pushed herself to her feet and prepared to lightly scold him, but she burst out laughing when she saw that Sora's clothes had transformed into a black Santa sweater and hat with white trim. The hat was lowered over his face, covering his right eye much like the devil mask had. His pants, socks and shoes remained the same as they appeared in Halloween Town, but he now wore black gloves with pointed fingers, a faded red belt, and two buttons on the front of his sweater that were shaped like his crown pendant.
Sora, similarly, could only smile at the sight of Riku and Kairi's new costumes. Riku's canine ears and extra body hair were gone, and he wore a black sweater, a red jacket with white lining, black gloves, red sweatpants, and black snow boots. Meanwhile, Kairi wore a dark red sweater-dress and Santa hat with white trim, along with black snow boots. Seeing her costume and comparing it to his own made Sora imagine Mrs. Claus imagery, which made him blush lightly. Noticing that, Kairi took a look at her new clothes and giggled in amusement.
Riku pushed himself to his feet and laughed when he saw Sora and Kairi's clothes. He looked over at Mickey and realized that he was wearing a green and red version of his regular clothes as well as a pointed green hat, making him look like an elf. The four of them glanced over at Donald and Goofy to glimpse their new forms. Donald now appeared to be a snowman with actual sticks for arms, and he wore a red-and-green striped scarf, red and white socks that exposed the fronts of his feet, two blue buttons, and a blue bucket on his head. Goofy appeared to have transformed into an anthropomorphic reindeer with curling antlers and a glowing red nose. Most of his clothes vanished, with his body covered by a dark red fur, and he wore a small red coat with white fur trim and a neck collar that resembled a decorated wreath, a large red belt with a yellow buckle (in spite of the fact that he did not wear pants), and a pair of dark red gloves with green bands.
"Is everyone alright?" Aqua asked, having heard the crashing noises and determining what had just happened. The rest of the party looked over at her, and noticed that she was brushing snow off of her face and the front of her body. As she cleared herself off, they noticed that she was wearing a sleeveless red coat with a black corset and white fur trim, black shorts, white elbow gloves, tinsel wrapped around her waist and draping down her sides, and black boots with jingle bells attached rather than metal hooks or wings. All in all, she looked like someone who had dressed up for a Christmas party and was going all-out.
"Yes. Everyone seems to be fine," Jack answered, having stepped out from the portal in the tree casually after everyone else had crashed upon their exit. He stepped out ahead of them and looked out toward the town. "Well, here we are!"
Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy turned to look out over the town. Kairi and Mickey gasped while Riku let out a smooth whistle and Aqua regained the smile that had been on her face when she was taking in the sights before Sora had crashed into her.
Sora grinned as he saw the excitement build up in Aqua and Kairi, until Aqua let out a cheer and started running down the hill. He turned to his friends, who were watching her go with amusement. "Well, let's go!" he said, before running down after her.
As she ran, Aqua could see children ice skating around a towering evergreen tree, sledding down the hill, and engaging in snowball fights, all while laughing mirthfully. She jumped over snow piles, dodged around the trajectory of snowballs, and hopped over sledding kids before she misjudged her bound and landed in a snow pile, which she promptly clambered out of.
Aqua: What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere. [Grabs a rather large snowflake out of midair] What's this? There's white things in the air. [Comes across three kids building a snowman and helps them straighten out the hat] What's this? I can't believe my eyes. I must be dreaming. Wake up, Aqua! This isn't fair! What's this? [The kids laugh, and they all take note of three carolers riding on a sleigh and singing] What's this? What's this? There's something very wrong. What's this? There's people singing songs. [Marches after the carolers while she sees more kids playing and having fun] What's this? The streets are lined with little creatures laughing. [Pats a little girl on the head] Everybody seems so happy. Have I possibly gone daffy? What is this? What's this? [Finds her way to a snowy field where kids are building snow forts and throwing snowballs. She dances around a light post that is striped like a candy cane] There's children throwing snowballs/ instead of throwing flames. They're busy building toys and they love it all the same. There's frost on every window. Oh, I can't believe my eyes. [She slumps down beside a house's front door] And in my heart I feel the warmth that's coming from inside.
[She turns to look into the house and sees a woman kiss her husband] Oh, look. What's this? They're hanging mistletoe. They kiss. Sigh Why, that is very sweet. They're gathering around to hear a story, roasting chestnuts on a fire. What's this?
[Notices another family decorating a tree in their home] What's this? In here, they've got a little tree. Evergreen. And who would ever think, and why? They're covering it with tiny little things. They've got electric lights on strings. [Turns around and jumps onto the roof to get a bird's-eye view of the town] And there's a smile on everyone. So, now, correct me if I'm wrong— This looks like fun! This looks like fun! Oh, could it be I got my wish? What's this?
[Lowers herself down and looks into a bedroom where two children are asleep] Oh my, what now? The children are asleep. And look. There's nothing underneath. No ghouls, no Heartless here to eat or scare them or ensnare them; only little cozy things secure inside their dreamland. Sigh What's this? [Jumps back down and runs through the street]
The monsters are all missing and the nightmares can't be found. And in their place there seems to be good feeling all around. Instead of screeches I swear I can hear music in the air. The smell of cakes and pies are absolutely everywhere. [Dances around and through a snowball fight, elegantly avoiding each snowball that passes her] The sights! The sounds! They're everywhere and all around! [Runs over to the center square and high-fives an elf loosening nuts on a merry-go-round] I've never felt so good before. This empty place inside of me is filling up. I simply cannot get enough. [Falls backwards and makes a snow angel] Oh, I want it! Oh, I want it! Oh, I want it for my own! [Throws herself to her feet and jumps high into the air, elevating herself even higher with a Doubleflight burst] I've got to know! I've got to know, what is this place that I found? What? Is? This?!
She stuck a three-point landing three inches into the snow. The people around her clapped and cheered. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Jack walked up from behind her. Sora flashed a grin when she turned around to face them.
"I take it you're having fun?" Sora jokingly asked. Aqua blushed and chuckled nervously.
Jack sighed. "Don't be embarrassed. I reacted in almost the exact same way when I first came to Christmas Town," he said.
Some of the children noticed Jack and turned to look up at him. A light-hearted laugh escaped a boy's lips. "It's Mister Skellington!" he announced.
Most of the crowd turned their attention to Jack. The kids laughed in delight while most of the adults tried to refrain from adopting a look of disappointment and horror. Jack only noticed the children's laughter and cheerful greeting, but Sora, Riku, Mickey, and Donald saw the pained expressions on the parents. Sora raised an eyebrow. He remembered that Santa had not taken too kindly to Jack visiting the last few times, almost certainly due to something he had done during one of his earlier visits. However, he did not know the details, and could only assume from implied context that it had something to do with Jack trying to take over Christmas. Considering Jack's general naïveté and lack of common sense, he could see how something would have gone wrong.
Jack smiled and knelt down to greet a group of kids. The rest of the children looked at the newcomers with curious interest. Sora knelt down to their level and gave them a friendly wave. Riku, Kairi, Aqua, and Goofy also stooped down to chat with the kids, whereas Mickey and Donald did the same at their normal height.
One of the more courageous adults, an exasperated-seeming police officer, tapped Jack on the shoulder, getting his attention. "Yes, sir?" Jack greeted.
"I don't mean to be a bother, but I would like to ask the intention of your visit," the officer said. "It's just that, honestly, we sort of have you on our watch list after the first couple times you were here, and I want to make sure we don't have anything to worry about."
Riku listened to the conversation curiously. He wondered what Jack could have done to get the adults and especially the local police to be so paranoid about him.
Jack nodded, apparently understanding the cop's concerns. "It is nothing to worry about, sir. I'm just bringing my friends for a visit," he explained. "They actually passed through my town with the intent of coming here, hoping to help their friend with her nerves." He pointed to Sora specifically when alluding to "they" and Aqua to identify her as "their friend".
The officer looked from Sora, Donald and Goofy to Aqua, whom he had witnessed dancing and celebrating in the streets, then turned back to Jack and nodded. "Alright. Just be mindful of your conduct," he advised.
Jack nodded. "Thank you, officer. I won't cause any trouble," he replied.
The officer nodded and stepped away. Riku stood up and approached Jack. "What did you do?" he questioned.
"Huh?" Jack asked, not sure what he meant.
"How did you get on the police's watch list?" Riku clarified. "How did you get the grown-ups to be scared of you? What did you do when you were here before?"
Jack chuckled nervously. "Well, I was so fascinated by Christmas Town that I wanted to try my hand at it," he answered vaguely. Riku raised an eyebrow, silently pressing him further. "Well, the thing is, I was growing bored of doing the same routine for Halloween for years, and I became so excited when I discovered something new and different." He sighed. "Long story short, I made a big mistake, traumatized some people, and got blown out of the sky for my troubles. I realized the error of my ways and did what I could to fix the mess I made."
Riku contemplated his words and the implications of his story, then let out a chuckle. "We could start a support group for good people who hurt other people in their well-meaning but misguided efforts. Something like, 'It Seemed like a Good Idea at the Time'," he joked.
Jack laughed. "Or 'Accidental Bad Guys Anonymous'," he suggested.
Riku shrugged. "I think something like that is already taken," he said.
They turned around when they heard a mixture of many different voices laughing. Further up the hill, they saw Sora, Aqua, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, along with a dozen kids, running around and throwing snowballs at each other. Riku smiled and crossed his arms, and Jack clapped and laughed. After watching for a minute, Riku stooped down and packed a snowball together in his hands. He charged into the fray and threw the snowball at Sora, hitting him in the shoulder. Sora turned to see Riku running to join the fight and threw a snowball back at him, hitting him square in the chest. Riku was about to fire back when he was hit in the arm by another snowball, this one thrown by Kairi. Jack, meanwhile, had already been hit by two snowballs and was juggling five of his own, throwing one every few seconds.
The large-scale snowball fight continued for an hour before the kids dispersed, in part due to many of their parents calling them to come to dinner or bed. Sora, Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, and Jack watched everyone leave, waving good-bye as they went. When everyone else had left, they simply sat on the hill, admiring the view once again.
"This is a better picture than any Christmas card," Aqua mused.
Goofy nodded. "Can't argue with that," he agreed.
Inspired by Aqua's statement, Mickey took his camera out of his pocket and snapped a photo of the snow-covered town. His curiosity sparked, Jack walked over to Mickey and, asking nicely to have a look, examined the camera, while Mickey explained how it worked.
Sora and Kairi laughed as he watched their interaction, particularly when Jack held the camera high up and looked through the lens so close that the projected lens stuck partway into his eye socket, and then clicked the button on top so that it took a picture of the inside of his skull and light flashed out of his other eye. Glancing over to their other friends, they saw that Donald was trying to build something out of snow, but he was having difficulty due to the fact that his hands and fingers were mostly-rigid sticks. Goofy packed together a miniature snowman, and Donald settled with drawing a face with the tip of one of his fingers.
Sora stood up and stretched, looking over the houses to a large building made with red bricks and featuring a towering chimney in the center. He remembered what he and the gang did on the first visit to Christmas Town, and his own excitement as they made their way to that building. He also recalled Aqua's excitement at the prospect it beheld and how she jumped into the hole in the holiday tree in the hinterland.
He turned to address his companions. "So, how about we visit Santa's workshop?" he asked.
Riku, Kairi and Aqua's eyes widened as they considered what Sora was suggesting. Their whole lives, Santa Claus was just a story, and many adults had grown out of believing in him. But Sora was suggesting that they could just walk over and meet the man himself.
Aqua was the first to agree, with Kairi and also Mickey nodding one second after. "Let's do it!" Aqua said, almost sounding like a cheer, as she jumped to her feet. Riku, Kairi, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy followed suit with a bit more patience.
Jack nodded. "Great. Come along," he directed as he turned around and started walking down the hill. Sora, Aqua, Mickey, Kairi, Riku, Donald, and Goofy followed after him. They marched down the hill, leaving three-inch-deep footprints in the snow. They strolled through Candy Cane Lane and made their way to the central square, where elves continued to perform maintenance on the merry-go-round. Sora and Goofy waved to the elves as they passed, and the elves waved back.
When they approached the door, Jack raised his hand to knock, but Sora grabbed him by the opposite wrist. "Uh, maybe someone else should be the face of the group," he suggested. Jack nodded, understanding, and took a step back. Sora knocked three times, and they waited for an answer.
A moment later, the door opened, and they saw a rotund old man wearing a large red suit with fur lining, black gloves, a black belt, and an iconic hat step into view. He had a long white beard that thinned near to a point and curved off before it reached the floor. As soon as the man saw Sora, he smiled, and the grin became more cheerful as he recognized not only his previous traveling party but also some new friends.
"Ah, hello. I'd heard that you were back in town," Santa Claus greeted. "Come in, come in. It's good to see you again, and to have new visitors as well." He turned around and guided them into his living room. There were two sofa chairs near the back wall, as well as a coffee table in front of a lit fireplace directly across from the window.
When he was in front of the furthest chair, Santa turned to face his guests. "Now, let me see. I've directly met Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and of course Jack, in the past," he said. "But, the rest of you are…?"
Kairi stepped forward. "Kairi," she said, introducing herself.
She stepped aside and let Mickey step up. "Mickey Mouse," he greeted.
Santa blinked. "Ah, yes. Of course. It is good to see you again, Mickey," he replied.
Sora and Riku looked at each other in bewilderment. "Again?" they questioned simultaneously.
Riku was next, and he introduced himself accordingly. "Hmm… Riku?" Santa reached behind his chair and pulled out a scroll with a long sheet of parchment wrapped around it. "Ah, yes. According to my list, seven-and-a-half years ago, you convinced your friend of your claims that there was no such thing as Santa Claus." He shook his head. "My, how unfortunate."
Riku took a step back in shock. "What—?" Behind him, Sora burst out laughing. Kairi also shared in a giggle.
Santa glanced over at Aqua. "How about you, miss?" he asked.
The bluenette stepped forward. "I'm Aqua," she introduced herself.
"Aqua?" Santa searched his Nice List. "Oh dear. It seems as though you missed twelve Christmases. What could have happened?"
The team told Aqua's tragic tale.
"I see," Santa said after hearing the story. "Then I suppose it was a good idea to come here. But, did you pass through Hallow—"
Sora raised his hand to interrupt him. "Yes, and we realized the error in that," he interjected in an exasperated tone. Aqua giggled, sensing that, even though he was still apologetic about it, he was getting tired of having it pushed back into his face.
Santa chuckled in response. "Well, while you all are here, how would you like a tour of my factory?" he asked. "I don't believe I ever gave you three a full tour, seeing as how each time you were here, we were all busy with one crisis or another."
Sora nodded. "Sounds fun," he replied.
Everyone else nodded in agreement. "Thank you," Aqua said.
Santa stood up and began to walk to the door leading back into the factory behind the house. "Well, then, come along, now. And do try to not cause any trouble," he advised.
Smiling in amusement, the party followed after him as they began their official tour.
According to the calendar, tomorrow's the one-year anniversary of first posting this story. So, hooray!