Gwen raised a hand, and the air shimmered beneath her fingertips. With a soft whoom, a vast purple mana platform glided into being beneath their feet, hovering inches above the snow. "Hold on tight," she called, eyes bright with determination.
Ben leaped aboard alongside Fred and the elf boy, clutching the platform's edge.
They soared down the lantern-lit lane toward the Silver Clocktower at the heart of Jingles' winter realm. As the hour struck midday, the bells rang in booming resonance—and the world around them blurred: day became night in an instant, lanterns flickering, snowflakes turning to crystalline prisms in the lamplight.
"Whoa—did it just—?" Ben stammered, breath puffing ghosts in the frigid air.
The elf boy's face tightened. "No time! The moon's risen—anyone caught here at midnight is trapped!" His voice quivered. "We must hurry!"
Gwen nodded, steeling herself. "Then let's move!"
She whipped the platform left toward a grand wooden gate carved with frostbitten holly. But in that moment, dozens of black top hats descended like falling leaves, each landing with a thunk on the snow and instantly spawning snow gargoyles—hulking ice creatures with jagged limbs and glowing blue cracks.
The gargoyles roared, snow dribbling from their stone maws, and surged forward. Ben yelped, "Snow monsters!"
Gwen veered the platform to safety, wind whipping her hair. "Into that building!" the elf directed
They dashed through the gate as the door slammed shut behind them. The snow gargoyles howled in frustration, battering the wood with frosted fists.
Inside, the elf yanked open a trap door in the floor. "This way!" he cried, vaulting into darkness. The others followed in a tumble of coats and shrieks as the floor dropped out from under them.
"Aaaah!" echoes of surprise chased them downward.
They hit a mountain of presents with soft oof. Ribbon and glitter sparkled around them as they picked themselves up. Ben shook snow from his hair. "How are these even supposed to get shipped?"
Gwen brushed a tinsel ribbon off her boots. "And how many elves did it take to make this many gifts?" She gazed down into a cavernous workshop below, rows of conveyor belts and toy soldier sentries standing guard.
Fred snorted. "Reminds me of that Teen Titans Christmas special—maybe they were inspired by this episode." He tapped his chin. "But we've got work to do."
Gwen's eyes narrowed. "We have to hurry and rescue Grandpa."
The elf boy interjected " First we should destroy the Jinglilator the device that is powering this whole place."
"The what?" Fred muttered, rummaging in his pocket. He clicked open a holo-map app. "Jinglilator—Master Jingles' machine." the elf boy said.
Ben cracked his knuckles, excitement sparking. "I'll handle the guards. You two find the contraption."
Gwen nodded, voice firm. "Let's move."
Ben's form blurred into Gax—crimson aura flaring, bone blades extending from his arms. Across the workshop floor, Fred also jumped into the fray turning into a fusion of Four arms and Diamondhead. The two beamed at each other with matching smirks.
Ben surged forward, legs coiling like steel springs. He unleashed a spike-dash—tentacles drilling into the wooden toys. Fred met him mid-charge with a spin mid air, sending shards of diamond shards underfoot.
Ben vaulted over a hunk of metal piping, whirling in the air for a sky slash. Fred parried with an arm blade, sparks of splinters flying everywhere.
Ben lunged, claws lashing in a four-directional raptor swipe, and Fred spun the blade-arm into a hammer that banged through the walls. They slammed against a steel pillar cracking it on impact.
From overhead, blasts of mana light swished: "Cadamus levitas!" Gwen soared down on her spiraling mana platform, eyes fixed on the Jinglilator.
Gwen alighted atop a support beam, wind swirling her cloak. She darted toward the Jinglilator, scanning its base.
She then took a few steps back. Her voice rang through the cavernous workshop. Started chanting while protecting herself and the boy elf with a mana barrier. She shot a beam of mana into one of the wholes leading to the inside of the Jinglilator. Each mechanical guard froze, blinked, then fell limp as the Jinglilator exploded.
The Jinglilator shuddered. Its coils of peppermint-striped copper hummed as mana conduits shorted it out. Sparks of blue arc into the air. Gwen pointed her hand like a conductor: "Liberatio spiro!"
A cone of pink energy poured from her palm, wrapping around Mister Jingles—bound in swirling ropes of mana. "No!" he cried.
The Jinglilator's hum stuttered, then exploded in a burst of rainbow steam. Gears and candy-cane pipes collapsed, raining iridescent mist across the factory floor.
As the steam cleared, the workshop fell silent. Toy soldiers lay motionless on the conveyor. Elves blinked from their stations, trembling in their green tunics as the control spell broke.
Ben reverted from Gax with a pop, limbs glinting. Fred demorphed from Diamondhead-Four Arms fusion—crystal plates and four massive arms—then shrank back to human, massaging his wrists with a grin.
Mister Jingles collapsed to his knees, eyes wide. "No one will ever feel Christmas joy again!"
Fred shook his head, stepping forward. "Dude—it's summer. And Christmas spirit isn't about toys."
Mister Jingles shoulders sagged. "But…what about the children?"
Max walked closer to them, placing a hand on Jingles' shoulder. "Christams is not about the gift but the spirit by which you give the gift." he said. But Mister Jingles protests wanting to atleast deliver the presents that were already made.
Fred sighed. "Fine then." he tapped his fingers. A swirl of mana formed a glowing teleportation circle that spanned the entire snow town.
Fred's eyes lit with calculation. "Each child get's one present—adjusting each present to meet the kid receiving it. Making the delivery takes place during nighttime worldwide. A~nd there."
He muttered the spell's parameters under his breath:
"Translatio donum unicuique—Noctis lumen ad parvulos!"
With a hum, the circle pulsed, and all the wrapped gifts dissolved into pinpricks of light—then vanished. Within moments, nothing remained but an empty snowfield and the echo of bell chimes.
Mister Jingles blinked. "My…presents? They're—gone?"
Fred exhaled. "I cast a spell that'll deliver them. Sit back—don't worry I won't charge you for shipping costs."
Ben punched Jingles playfully on the shoulder. "So—now all your presents will get delivered in time."
Mister Jingles wiped tears from his cheeks. "It's a…Christmas miracle."
A soft warping shimmer rippled across the snow. The four felt the world twist.
In the blink of an eye, they stood in Holiday Village Plaza, daylight streaming through frosted windowpanes. The snow was now plush artificial powder, and the wooden soldiers had vanished. Tourists strolled between cocoa fountains and gingerbread kiosks—but no elves, no reindeer.
Ben touched his ears, flexing. "My ears... They're normal."
Gwen touched her scalp, smiling. "And that crazy winter world is gone."
Ben rejoice while running around the park, "Look Holiday Village ia back to normal too." An elderly man with three grandchildren waved them over. "This place is special—I've been coming since 1932."
The little ones begged, "Grandpa Elsegood, can we try the cocoa fountain?"
The old man chuckled. "Skedaddle, kiddos—we'll be right back."
Fred studied the man and kids. "Those kid look like—Naruto's Konohamaru gang."
Gwen's eyes widened. "Could it be—?"
Elsegood turned, winked, then scooped up a giggling child.
Fred shook his head. "Huh. Guess he went back to his original time."
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