Chapter Text
You could feel it…
It was in the air… You couldn’t see , hear, or touch it… But you could feel it… A warm, cozy feeling that was only offset by the drop in temperature… Depending on where you lived, that is…
It was December. The 12th and final month of the Gregorian calendar. To some, it just meant Fall’s last hurrah before Winter’s icy grip takes over… But others… Many others… It meant one thing…
Christmas.
Oh, the most joyous of holidays(Ifyoucelebrateit)! The decorations, the atmosphere, the feeling that doing any form of shopping is going to be a larger hassle than it needs to be for the next 3 weeks!
Magical.
And despite all the worlds, and kingdoms, and twins, and countries, and so on and so forth… No one, but no one. Celebrated Christmas harder…
Than the Magic Kingdom…
Yes, while this bustling hub for all neighboring Kingdoms seemed like it was always celebrating something, Christmas was when it took it to the next level. After all, how could the most magical place on the planet skimp on one of the most magical holidays!?
Every year, the buildings, shops, and stalls were all made over with a Christmas theme. Greenery was wrapped around almost every lamppost and light fixture that lined the streets, and every bench, mailbox, and even trashcan was decorated.
But it didn’t stop there, oh no… This was the Magic Kingdom. Nothing less than over-the-top was good enough.
The color of the roads and bricks that made up the plaza had been magically chained to fit the season. The trees and bushes were magically swapped out for small, decorated pines and poinsettias. The fountains had been re-done, now each one magically shaping itself into a different holiday symbol.
And the castle, Oh… The castle…
The once blue and golden details of the castle had been changed to red and green. It’s white, stone structure now changed to resemble gingerbread. And each of the towers was topped with a star…
And to top it all off, the almost literal icing on the cake… Was a constant, never ending flurry, that kept an even snowfall around the whole plaza. Never too deep, never too cold, always perfect.
And it is in this more magical version of the magic kingdom, that we find ourselves, once again…
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Oliver pushed his paws against the window of Georgette’s shop, looking longingly out the window.
“Oliver, get down.” His owner Jenny said with a chuckle. “They’ll be here when they get here…”
“But it’s taking forever!” Oliver complained. “You did say they were gonna stop here first, right?”
“Goodness.” Georgette said. Walking in, fully decked out in Christmas attire. “I haven’t seen you this excited in awhile… Even around Christmas…”
“Well, I am.” Oliver said. “I haven’t seen those guys in so long. And we had a lot of fun last time they were here.”
“Huh.” Georgette said. “You mean that time where you all snuck off, almost giving their poor mother a heart attack, worrying poor Jenny, here. forcing both their parents to chase you down throughout half the plaza, almost getting killed, AND causing an alarming amount of property damage?”
Oliver blushed. “Well… We don’t HAVE to get into the specifics… And besides, SOME of that stuff wasn’t our fault…”
Jenny laughed. “Okay, true. But still…”
“We’re not gonna do it again.” Oliver said.
“Those words are almost always followed by chaos.” Georgette said. “But I digress. I’ve gotta get back to decorating this place, let me know when they get here.”
After she left, Jenny gave Oliver a more serious look.
“Okay, joking aside. You know I only let you come back here because you swore you’d be good. You know today is a big day for everyone and the plaza is gonna be way more chaotic than usual. So, one more time… Do you PROMISE to be good? No sneaking off, no slinking through sewers, nothing, promise?”
“Yes, I promise.” Oliver said. “We went through this back home…”
“I’m just making sure.” Jenny said. “I don’t think ANYONE wants a repeat of last time…”
Oliver looked back out the window…
“Well… Repeating the fun, not-almost-getting-killed parts wouldn’t be so bad…” He thought to himself.
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As luck would have it, the very ones Oliver was waiting on were just getting off the bus from their home. For four of them, it was the second time, in their whole lives, that they had set foot in the magic Kingdom…
...And after the last time, it was kind of a miracle they were even allowed a second time…
“Oh my gosh, everything looks so beautiful!” Penny said.
“It’s like we stepped into a Christmas card!” Lucky added.
“Yes, I’d say they outdid themselves this year.” Pongo said. “Much like they do every year.”
Rolly held out his tongue and caught a snowflake.
“Heh… Still tastes like vanilla.” He said.
“Alright everyone, gather around.” Perdita said. “We need to-wait, where’s Patch?” She looked around. “Patch, where are you?”
“I’m here, mother.” Patch called, hopping off the bus. “Sorry. Tripped over someone else’s tail…”
Perdita let out a small sigh of relief. “It’s too early to start getting worried.” She told herself. “Alright, listen up.” She said when the four pups had gathered around her.
“I feel like I don’t need to remind you all that me and your father trusting you once more by bringing you here is NOT something we’re doing lightly…We’re giving you one more chance to prove to us that we can trust you in a place like this.”
“Yes, mother.” All four pups said in unison, looking at the ground…
“Now, kids. Don’t get us wrong.” Pongo added in a softer tone. “We know full well that some of what happened last time was not your fault. In fact, a large chunk of it gave all of us a shock… But we also know what WAS your fault. And I’m sure you know it as well.” Patch winced when he said that.
“So, if you can just prove to us that you won’t make those same mistakes a second time, I’m sure we, and the rest of plaza, won’t have any problems.”
“All we ask is that you stay close to us, and do as you’re told. Okay?” Perdita said.
“Okay.” They all said, once again.
“That means no running off, for ANY reason… That goes double for you, Patch.”
“Aw, mother…” Patch said. “I’m not gonna do it again… After all, if I did the same thing every time, that’d get too boring.”
Pongo stifled a chuckle while Perdita gave her son an unamused eyebrow.
“...But yeah, I promise.” Patch said, shrinking back.
Perdita let out a sigh. “You just better.” She warned.
“Alright. So, what we’re going to do today is we’re going to meet up with a few friends at Georgette’s. Then we’re all going to the main plaza, where they’ll light the tree for the first time.”
“Ooh. I hear that tree is huge!” Lucky said.
“Like, almost as big as the castle.” Penny added.
“Alright, let’s get going.” Pongo said. “We’ve got people waiting on us. Including a certain orange cat..”
The pups perked up when they heard that.
“Alright, darling.” Pongo whispered before they got ready to head out. “You’re sure Georgette said that those ‘certain items’ had been delivered to her shop, correct?”
“Yes.” Perdita whispered back. “She said ours was there along with the others.” They noticed the pups looking at them.
“Alright, let’s go then.” Perdita said. Just like the last time, she took the lead, then Lucky, Rolly, Penny, Patch, and finally Pongo.
When they left the bus stop, the familiar voice of the PA chimed in.
“Welcome to the Magic Kingdom. We hope you all are ready to experience the holiday as you’ve never seen it before!”