A Scarlet Christmas (Horror One Shot, Rated R)

Yes, I know this fic would have been better written a few weeks ago but oh well. I want to put this fic in PC first because I want to know whether I should do this as a one shot or a two shot because of its length. What do you guys think? Also, be warned this is Rated R for language and violence. Its overall kind of disturbing. And dont expect the greatest of writing, this is my first stab at horror. Im normally comedy. Id greatly appreciate a review!



She hated the cold.

Hated was an understatement; she despised it and loathed it, yet because of Nature's cruelty, she was surrounded by it. From her very birth a mere twelve years ago, all she ever knew was the bitter frigidness. Great sheets of ice stretched throughout her world and a thick layer of snow blanketed it all. One day a year her master traveled to distant lands, where all the cursed ice had melted away and the blessed sun smiled, but any possibility of ever being able to exist in the heated utopia seemed to be as far off as the summits of the frosted mountains that dotted the horizon.

Finally, after marching nearly an entire day across the Arctic, she finally saw a remotely living thing. It was a lone, gnarled tree. It stood barely six feet tall, only two feet taller than herself. The trunk was thin, barely six inches thick, but up top was a clump of thin branches, plastered with several layers of ice. She deeply wondered how it came there in the first place, but didn't care as she laid back against it. Judging from the thin layer of ice the tree overlooked, she guessed that there used to be a pond under it. The ice was thin enough for her to see her reflection.

She was a feminine human-shaped pokemon with a sheer amount of beauty rivaled by no beast alive. Her face was round and dark purple with a giant mass of blonde hair extending from her crown and down to her hips. From her golden-lined, red breastplates was a flowing scarlet dress that covered her entire body, including her unseen feet. Completing her beauty was her white arms ending with purple gloved hands and her most prominent feature, thick, luscious lips.

Her name was Andromeda. She was a Jynx, a loyal servant to Santa Claus.

Though she despised the cold, she also despised her master. Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, all different names for the same fat bastard. He was a jolly old man with a ripe old belly and thick white beard, a symbol of happiness and holiday spirit to the greedy little human children in the sunlit lands beyond the mountains. It was the duty of the fat bastard to bring presents to children on December 25th, a day known to everyone as Christmas.

Andromeda both loved and hated that day. For one thing, she hated the day because it was the source of the monotonous misery that was her life. She also loved it because it was the day she got an extra helping of gruel (or "Christmas Pudding.") Some celebrated it as a Festival of the Winter (though Andromeda found no reason to celebrate the loss of the beautiful sun), others celebrated it as just a time of love and family, and others celebrated the birth of a powerful religious figure, Jesus of Nazareth.

Whether for religious or secular reasons, one thing remained a constant for this dreaded day. Presents.

Humans always exchanged presents to each other on the special day so that they could show "love" to each other. Nowadays, the need for presents had grown to a ridiculous point where old woman attacked each other with their knitting needles to get the last copy of Grand Theft Auto for their five year old grandsons or shopped immediately after a fall festival known as "Thanksgiving" to get their "love" out of the way. Nevertheless, Santa Claus's duty had always been to bring presents to little good children who believe in him while the naughty children were thrown into their fireplaces and chopped up by the axe Santa always carried (cutting firewood her ass…).

Surprisingly enough, millions of children believed in the man Andromeda so loathed and behaved like saints in the last few weeks before Christmas in order to get their rewards. The stupid little human children, of course, didn't care about the problems with the fat batard delivering millions of presents in less than ten hours. While good ol' Santy Claus got to sit on his big coach in his little cottage while eating delicious pies made by Mrs. Claus (a German woman who he kidnapped as his wife five hundred years earlier) 364 days a year, his battalion of nearly ten thousand Jynx were forced to make toys in the Arctic sweatshops (or 'happy fun workshops' as her mother called them) for eight hours a day, every day.

The other Jynx were completely contempt and even happy with their pathetic lives, always smiling brightly and chattering happily as they made their toy cars, video games, and ponies. They were allowed a lot of freedom and given one month of vacation a year, sick leave, and even warm, cushy living quarters, but the thought of being under that stupid jolly man and being forced to work for him was despicable! Yet, for Andromeda, this atrocious notion was a reality she had to live every day.

At last, she was free. Santa Claus was nowhere around, and for the first time in her life, she did not have to make a single toy. As she sat against the gnarled tree, Jynx looked down at her purple gloved hands. They were very dark and calloused from constantly working, but today, they felt strangely empty. They certainly did not look empty as they were saturated with small, clear icicles. Normally, around this time of the day, she would be casting the magical "Toy Pony turning to Real Pony" spell. As if she was casting the spell once more, her hands began to wave around in circles…

"NO! I REFUSE!"

Clenching her hands in a tight fist once more, she began to march forward once more, desperate to reach the Land of the Smiling Sun and be freed from Jack Frost and Santa Claus permanently. Though she clamped her eyes shut to keep the fierce blizzard winds out, she felt a tiny tear droplet building up inside. No matter where she would go, misery would always follow. It was her curse. Part of her wished that she would be back in the warm sweatshops, even if she would be under the tyranny of the fat bastard. Outside the safety of Santa Claus's domain, the blizzards would constantly rage and the ice was sharp and jagged whereas in her home it only snowed gently and the ice was smooth….



"Andromeda! Wake up! Christmas is only a week away, and we have to finish up the toys for the Dutch children!"

Andromeda did not care; she was tired and her arms were sore. She did not feel like working. Grasping hold of her Stantler-skin blanket tighter, she snuggled herself into a nice, comfortable position while her mother continued to shout and demand her to wake up.

"AHHH!"

As she did nearly every other day, Cassandra, Andromeda's mother, had thrown a bucket of boiling hot water right into her poor daughter's bed, instantly causing her to leap from her warm confines. Andromeda's body began to burn with pain, and she gripped the scorching spots tightly, in order to freeze them with her own ice element. While she did this, her mother laughed her head off as she put on her own mauve gloves and took hold of her lucky hammer, ready to work cheerfully as she did all forty years of her life. Upon seeing her guffawing mother, a blazing beast immediately erupted inside of Andromeda, roaring and clawing desperately for escape. She could not take this anymore.

"NO! I'M NOT WORKING ANOTHER DAY! I'M SICK OF THIS GOD**** SHIT! YOU'RE SO MORONIC TO SEE HOW PATHETIC YOUR LIFE IS BECAUSE OF STUPID SANTY CLAUS! I HATE HIM MOM! I HATE HIM!" Andromeda cried, throwing random things in their small hamper around, enjoying the way they shattered against the wall.

She then ran to the wall and began to punch it as hard as she could, until her knuckles couldn't take it anymore. Her mother just watched silently and solemnly, simply staring at Andromeda awaiting her to finish. Clutching her sore hand, Andromeda slumped to the floor and began to sob, not attempting to hold back her pearly tears or wipe them away. Fantasies of a life in the Land of the Shining Sun that she dreamed of every night flooded her mind once more, making her sobbing only intensify. Her mother finally moved from her spot, walking briskly toward her daughter, lips pursed and eyes emotionless.

"Andromeda, we have been through this more than enough times. I am not going to explain it to you again. Get yourself together, put on a nice big smile, and march to the workshop right now!" She demanded, pointing at the door, her face flushing with pure fury.

"No. I don't want to." Andromeda stopped crying and instead stared at her mother with an expression colder than any glacier in the Arctic circle.

"You brought this upon yourself. I am very sorry I have to do this Andromeda."
Cassandra's eyes began to glow blue and her long blonde hair began to fan out behind her. Andromeda began to crawl back and retreat in fear, whimpering at what her mother would resort to doing.

"Please Mamma…no…please…"

Cassandra ignored her daughter's pleads as she raised her hands in front of herself, and they slowly began to vibrate. Her lips sneered in a disgusted countenance while her blonde hair stopped fanning and instead stood up erect, while her blue glowing eyes erupted in a rainbow light. Andromeda shut her eyes tightly and grasped her head as tightly as she could, hoping that some how her mother's attack would fail.

But it didn't.

"Noooo!"

An invisible force began to tighten around Andromeda's body and slowly compressed it tighter and tighter until she felt like a mere ice cube. As quickly as the tightening force came, it immediately went away, leaving her entire body in a painful tingling sensation. While the Jynx shuddered and gritted her teeth as tightly as she could, she knew that the aftermath of the attack would be twice as work. Her stomach sunk with dread as the tingling sensation she experienced far too many times ceased abruptly. A few seconds of painful silence followed while Andromeda opened her eyes to look at her mother. Her hair had fallen to her sides once more, but her eyes still shined with a bright rainbow color and her hands still rotated in mid air while she silently muttered a few dreaded words.

The Jynx's screams could be heard all around Santa's domain as her mind was smashed open. Whispers and mutters poured all into her brain as her thoughts and memories slowly began to swirl around her head. Cassandra had entered her mind and was determined to destroy the part of her that hated her life. Before anything else could happen, Andromeda blacked out.

~​

"Andromeda? Andromeda sweety, wake up. We're already late to go to work. Andromeda?"

The Jynx's eyes immediately flashed open, and the first thing she saw was her beaming mother looking down at her. She felt strangely numb and ignorant to everything around her, lying still, completely devoid of any emotion or feeling. Her life was back to its normal monotonous routine, with no backtalk this time. Standing briskly and brushing the dirt off her back, Andromeda put on her gloves and followed her mother silently, ready to work once more.

Climbing down several ladders of their barracks, they stepped outside into the frigid cold and trekked across the plush snow to their designated workshop where they would be building teddy bears. Andromeda kept her face down as she walked; only concerned with getting to the workshop, for she was unable to think or use her mind. Lifting her face to brush the snow off of her hair, she caught sight of the gate to Santa's Domain. The entire domain was under a transparent dome, and the only exit was the big marble gateway that stood right in front of the first workshop. In fact, its official name was indeed "The Marble Gateway". The only person that would be able to use this blessed passageway was Santa Claus himself when he got on his reindeer-harnessed sled and left on Christmas Midnight to deliver presents.

As she saw the Marble Gateway, something began to click in Andromeda's mind. She had desires outside of working for Santa Claus and that gateway was her only way to those desires! The Hitmonchan gateman had left to go to the bathroom or do something, and for the first time in twelve years, it was her chance to be free. She looked at her mother who was staring at her irritated.

"Come along now Andromeda! You already delayed us once today!"

The blazing beast inside of the Jynx awoke once more and spread white hot fury throughout her entire body. Cassandra thought she could control daughter with her psychic powers, but Andromeda had a few powers of her own, and this time, she was refused to take her mother's abuse once more. Her blood began to boil, and closing her eyes tightly, Andromeda focused all of her anger into her right hand, which began to burn white hot with the power of ice. Soon, her very fist itself began to quiver with excitement, desperate to release the anger stored inside of it. Cassandra finally caught sight of her daughter's glowing hand, but it was too late.

"ANDROMEDA!!!"

Raising her glowing white hand as high as she could, Andromeda fired a powerful beam of ice from her hand, which immediately struck her stunned mother and froze her in her angry snarl. Firing her Ice Beam at any other nearby passerby, Andromeda screamed with rage as she watched walking Jynx turning into immobile statues by her own hands. Many of the Jynx had never raised their hands to battle in their entire lives and ran away screaming, leaving only Andromeda and several ice sculptures behind.

Grimacing with madness, the insane Jynx drooled with greed and the beauty that was the great arched gateway to the world beyond. Panting heavily she began to break into a sprint toward the blessed site, unaware of the fact that a huge coat of ice stood inside the gateway, blocking her way. Staring in disbelief, Andromeda cursed vehemently; angered at the fact her one chance to be free was snatched under her nose. Looking back, she noticed the ice that coated her mother beginning to crack.

"Oh fuck! FUCK THIS! I didn't come all this way for nothing!" Andromeda began to pound the enchanted ice wall that filled the gateway madly, in hopes that it would crack or do something.

The desire to leave the cursed land filled Jynx once more as she pounded and punched the ice wall to the point that her knuckles began to bleed profusely. Splattering the ice with droplets of blood as she continued to punch the wall, and as her mother was about to burst free from her icy prison, Andromeda gave the wall one final punch, doing nothing but causing her knuckle bones to shatter. Clutching her bloody, aching hand once more, she rested her head against the wall and slowly wept as she heard her mother yell in rage as she began to move once more. It was the end of the line. Any Jynx that attacked another Jynx was never heard from again… A single, pearly tear fell down the Jynx's cheek and struck the wall not too far from the stains of her blood…

"Woah!"

By some miracle of Mew, the massive wall of ice filling the marble gateway disappeared for a split second. Andromeda tumbled through to the other side, and the wall immediately reappeared, protecting her from the wrath of her angry mother. They said Hell hath no fury like a Jynx scorned, but whoever said obviously never saw Cassandra's countenance upon seeing her daughter beyond the dome of Santa's Domain. Though Cassandra was normally a very dark purple, she somehow managed to turn beet red as she stared at her daughter from the closed gateway. She screamed fervidly, but Andromeda could not hear.

She was free.

"I…did it."

The Jynx looked around at her surroundings in disbelief. The Arctic tundra was much colder, much more vicious than Santa's workplace; as soon as she stepped out; her face was immediately smothered and whipped by the brutal blizzard winds. The ground was no longer soft and plush with snow, rather hard and slippery with ice. Inside the dome, the holiday spirit managed to keep some sort of warmth flaring, but there was no such spirit outside, and Andromeda felt every single degree of the subzero temperature. She was already beginning to shiver madly, but it mattered not because she was free!

More Jynx had gathered around the Marble Gateway and stared in disbelief at Andromeda; they had never seen a Jynx step outside of the domain in their entire life. Andromeda could have very well been the first to ever leave. Suddenly, the Jynx realized that though she was somehow able to go through the wall, the gatekeeper and Santa Claus could get through it even easier and could pull her back into the cursed captivity. Driven by the love of freedom, Andromeda darted across the harsh tundra, ignoring the horrible pain in her bloody hand and staining the ground behind her with the sweet droplets of her ecstatic tears.

*****​

All ecstasy from the first five minutes of freedom died like a human child under the blunt blade of Santa's ax. Andromeda still sat silently at the edge of the pond, cold and miserable. She still had a long, treacherous journey ahead of her before she could reach the Land of the Smiling Sun. The poor Jynx began to doubt if she would ever complete her journey; it had only been a day, and she was already beginning to suffer with hunger and feared falling asleep, for she could freeze to death in her next slumber.

There had not been a single living thing in sight except for the dead tree she sat next to. Obviously the fat bastard was smart enough to place his fortress in the most desolate area of the Arctic so that none could escape him. For a moment, she considered turning back, but decided death was worth the chance for freedom. Leaping to her feet, Andromeda continued to march forward more determined than ever, toward the mountains, toward her freedom. Her hunger was worse than ever, but she still managed to walk, despite the painful sensations she had never experienced in Santa's Domain.

"What was that?"

Looking around vigilantly, Andromeda's heart nearly froze. She was not alone.

A flash of black had appeared in the corner of her eye. Perhaps it was a hunger induced hallucination or just the desperate will to see another living creature, but Andromeda definitely had seen something. Bringing up her dried blood covered fist to her side, she was ready to freeze any little beast that reared its head. Ten minutes passed by, and there was no sign of any living thing, so Andromeda had continued on forward, dismissing whatever she saw as an illusion. But as soon as she started walking, she saw the black flash once more.

"WHO IS THERE? REVEAL YOUR SELF NOW!"

She began blasting Ice Beams randomly, hoping to draw out whatever slimy creature was watching her but hit nothing but the gnarled tree and patches of the already frozen ice. The tree began to creak ominously as the massive amount of ice caking it caused the branches to begin cracking. Andromeda gazed at the small tree in horror as the branches snapped off and came crashing down into the thin ice, smashing it open and taking Jynx down into the frigid depths of the water with it.

"Ahh! Help! Somebody help!"

Andromeda thrashed violently in the chilly water as the pieces of ice drifted away, and her weight began to pull her down. As much as she lashed and thrashed her arms, frantic to try and swim, she could not bring herself to swim even in the time of desperate need. Slowly, she began to sink into the arctic waters, to only be forgotten by the world as another nameless Jynx, a slave to the fat bastard, Santa Claus. Her fortitude could not save herself as her head submerged into the waters and only her blonde hair floated ghost like in the dark waters…

*****​

"Ex dormiens incitate! Ex dormiens incitate!"

Andromeda's eyes immediately bolted open, seeing the strange black creature hovering over her. She immediately thought she had sunken into the bowels of hell, where she would be tormented by this dark creature forever while Santa Claus laughed at her from above. If she was in hell, it felt no different than true existence. Her body and hair had the remnants of one that was definitely soaked in ice cold water, but it had dried with the help of a thick blanket wrapped around her. She was in a warmer area now, though not as hot as she thought the flames of hell would be.

"About time you have awoken, Jynx. My son pulled you from the depths of the water and brought you to me. I take it you have come from Father Christmas's domain? Why have you come here?"

Andromeda took a closer look at the beast which spoke to her. She realized she was still alive, but still felt uneasy upon looking at the black creature's face. It was round and gremlin like, with red eyes narrowed in dislike and a small mouth containing sharp teeth that looked like it could tear through Jynx's arms in seconds. However, the most prominent feature of this creature was its mighty, crimson crown. The crown stood proudly on the beast's head and extended down along his upper back and shoulders. It almost seemed too big for the creature's tiny little body, which was skinny and barely reached up to her breastplates. Though it was small, it looked more menacing than any Jynx she had ever seen because of its large, razor sharp claws…

"Well? Answer me please!"

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. Yes, my name is Andromeda, I was a Jynx of Santa Claus. However, I did not want to work under that bastard another day of my life! I was sick and tired of the monotonous life of making toys constantly; I wanted a life of my own! So I escaped, and here I am. What about you? What are you?" Andromeda muttered, sitting up and examining her surroundings more closely.

They were in a dimly lit cave, covered with black and white ice. In the center of the room was the source of the heat, a small flickering fire. Horrible thoughts began to fill Andromeda's mind. What if these beasts planned to kill and devour her? What if they were also under Santa Claus's rule?

"Please do not use such foul language. My children are here, thank you." Three smaller versions of the beast came from behind Andromeda and revealed themselves. They looked just like their father except they lacked the crimson crown, were more purplish, and had thinner claws. "Anyway, I am Agamemnon, the Manyula Chieftain of Sal-Moh. My children are unevolved Sneasel. I suppose you never heard of our kind, the betrayers of Father Christmas."

Andromeda's eyes immediately lit up. "Betrayers of Father Christmas? What do you mean?"

Agamemnon did not answer her at first but rather asked one of his sons to bring the food over. The mysterious Sneasel nodded and scampered off, bringing a few dead fish back with him less than a minute later. Agamemnon then proceeded to spear the fish with sharpened sticks and handed them to his children who then began to roast them over the fire. Giving his children a wry smile, he finally turned to the Jynx to answer her questions.

"A thousand years ago, it was Sneasel and Manyula that ran Santa's workshops rather than Smoochum and Jynx. We too were more than happy to work for him all our lives, not a care or thought in the world, but then, an infamous Manyula arose. His name was Nicodemus, and he thought for himself. I suppose he was like you in that he wanted to be his own pokemon, but unlike you, he had a bit more influence being Head Manyula of the workshops. He soon encouraged us to all rebel and in the year 936, no children got presents because not a single Sneasel or Manyula had lifted a finger. We were then banished into the Arctic by the fat man himself, and he recruited a colony of Jynx to make his toys instead. Now we suffer in the wild while you Jynx must suffer under Santa Claus."

Andromeda paused to take all the information in while one of the Sneasel gave her a nice roasted Remoraid to eat. As she slowly nibbled and ate the delicious flesh, trying not to look too eager in front of this man who was the chieftain of a colony, Agamemnon began to speak once more, this time telling the story to his eagerly listening children as well,

"And so for the past millennium we Sneasel and Manyula formed this colony known as Sal-Moh, which in our ancient creed meant Land of Hope. There used to be much more of us, now only about a thousand remain. Many were killed on the treacherous attempt to cross those mountains to the Land of the Shining Sun a thousand years ago. The mountains reach into the heavens themselves; they are impossible to cross. Santa Claus must have placed them there just to torment us, knowing we would always have to suffer here, but it matters not, we shall get our revenge some day…" Agamemnon spat bitterly as he started to devour his own fish.

Jynx had so many questions but didn't want to ask a single one. She had finally come to realization that her hopes of reaching the Land of the Shining Sun were too farfetched, and she would suffer in the cold for years and years, until her decrepit corpse finally burned in the flames of Hell. Blinking back the tears that wanted to roll down her cheeks, she took another bite of the delicious fish, savoring every single morsel. The Sneasel were staring at her avidly, wondering what sort of creature she was, probably never having heard of or seen a Jynx before.

"What if I can help you get your revenge?" Jynx muttered slyly.

"You? I doubt it. We stopped trying to get into the Domain centuries ago; Santa Claus just fortifies it too well! There is no way beyond that magical gate. We have come to terms with that and our lives long ago rather than constantly try to change our situation. In the meanwhile, you may live with us from now on; if any other Manyula's child had found you, you would be dead by now, but I am a bit nicer than that. And being the chief, no one dares defy my orders. You're psychic abilities may prove useful for us sometime."

Jynx still found it surreal that she was living among these strange beings that had the same feelings that she had and accepted her for who she was: an individual. She had been with them only ten minutes, yet she desired nothing better than to help them achieve their revenge on Santa Claus. Because the stupid fat bastard forced them into slavery, they were trapped in a Catch-22 where they would have to live under his rule or live miserably in the Arctic free from his rule. Any sick human being that would force a pokemon into such a horrible trap deserved only one thing.

Death.

"Father Christmas may protect his domain carefully, but he has one major weakness: his lust for Jynx slaves. The gateway is enchanted to let any Jynx or Smoochum in, but not out. How I got out, I will never know, but what's important is that I can let you in, and we can all show Santa Claus our wrath!"

Agamemnon sat silently at her words and looked at her astounded. She proved much more useful than he bargained for. Grinning maniacally, he devoured his entire fish bone and chomped on it fiercely, tearing his tongue and his gums, but it mattered not since the day his people had awaited nearly a thousand years had finally come. Walking over to the Jynx, the greatest blessing he had ever met, he gave her a respectful kiss in her right hand, not doing it in the lips in fear of their deadly power.

Andromeda smiled wickedly as well, and the two walked out of the cave accompanied by the Sneasel. Santa's Domain would never be the same again….

One Week Later[/i[​

"Kris, I really wish you would go to bed, ya? Christmas Eve has just started, and you have a very long night ahead of you tonight!" a motherly looking old woman nagged to her husband with a strong German accent.

He was equally elderly looking with his thick white beard, ripe pot belly, and half moon spectacles that he wore on the bridge of his nose. All he fashioned was a white shirt and suspenders; he was ready to go to bed, but a nagging feeling kept telling him to stay awake. The old man was none other than jolly old Kris Kringle himself, ready for a long Christmas Eve of delivering presents. His Jynx were making the last preparations for his long sled ride across the world, and quite frankly, he could hardly wait! There was nothing better in this world than seeing the look on a child's face opening presents on Christmas morning.

But something was wrong.

Being a being of powerful magic and light, Santa Claus could always tell when something bad was to happen on a Christmas day, and he could feel it in his bones this time. One Jynx already escaped in the deadly Arctic, and she would have never survived out there. If it hadn't been for the fact that he was only allowed to leave the Domain on Christmas Eve, he would have gone after her, but alas, he couldn't. Finally, he just shrugged the horrible feeling aside and looked at his beautiful wife. Bound with the same magic he was, she too remained in the eternal elderly age as shown by her deep wrinkles, thick chained glasses, and puffy white hair that was always fun to touch. She looked rather annoyed at being kept up, so Kris shook the feeling of trepidation aside, placed his glasses on his nightstand, and crawled into bed with his wife, not a worry in the world.

*****​

Andromeda was drowning in a sea of black. Everywhere she looked, she saw one of the devilish gremlins, whether Sneasel or Manyula. They rubbed their blade-like claws together, sharpening them and preparing for later. She remained in the center of the horde along with Agamemnon and his children, ready to lead the way into Santa's Domain. As they marched across the cold tundra, fighting against the never-ceasing blizzard, Andromeda stuck her tongue out and waited as the snow whipped and melted against her taste buds. Vengeance truly was a dish best served cold.

Andromeda found a good place among the gremlin pokemon, for she was their way into Santa's Domain. In less than a week, she befriended many, including Agamemnon's wife, Starla, and his brother, Gegadesh. After a solid week of planning, they decided to attack the Domain on the night before Christmas Eve, and get revenge on Santa Claus once and for all.

After nearly twenty hours of marching without food or water, they finally glimpsed the great dome of their target on the horizon. Their bloodlust only grew to amazing heights as they fantasized of what lay within and how it was only another few hours before the thousand year wish was at last granted. Father Christmas would finally receive the full wrath of Sal-Moh and pay for his sins. With blood.

Though their legs were sore and their entire bodies numb from marching in the harsh, frigid environment, they could not hold in their excitement and broke out into a full blown sprint across the sleek ice, ready to attack. Andromeda too was running as fast as she could, while Agamemnon led them in an ancient war chant. Still, the Jynx's situation felt so incredibly surreal. She was free from Santa's Domain and now leading an attack on the man that abused her for twelve years. The Jynx within would have to pay as well; their idiocy and lack of independence were what brought Andromeda into the horrible world. She could taste their blood on her lips…

*****​

Kris Kringle awoke once more, the trepidation slowly seeping through his innards and twisting them in knots. His heart felt powerful fear greater than the time the first twelve houses we went to on Christmas Eve didn't have milk or cookies. The pain only grew greater as time went by and no matter how hard he tried, he could not go to sleep. Looking to his side, he noticed that his wife had fallen into deep slumber, snoring rather loudly as well. The threat of her nagging him gone, Kris got out of his bed, put on his glasses, and walked downstairs for a nice big glass of milk.

*****​

Two hours, thirty five minutes, and twenty four seconds after seeing the Domain on the horizon, Andromeda and the dark pokemon had finally reached the Marble Gateway and the mighty wall of ice. Hidden by the shadow powers of the Manyula, Santa Claus and the Jynx would not know what hit them until each and every creature had entered Santa's Domain. By then, there would be no chance for anyone or anything. Andromeda looked around the horde of gremlin pokemon; they were all giggling maniacally and looking up at her adoringly. One touch and the gateway would be open for all to walk in as long as Andromeda kept her hand on the hard marble. She turned to look at Agamemnon who gave her a reassuring nod. The horde immediately split to make the pathway clear for her.

As she walked forward, she began to bank on all of her memories from the past twelve years. Being forced to work ever since she evolved into a Jynx at the age of three; all the times her mother Cassandra attacked her mind; the look on the jolly fat man's face as he laughed his nefarious, "Ho ho ho…" Roaring with all her might, Andromeda broke out into a full sprint once more, ululating and screaming until her hand finally made contact with the marble arch.

*****​

Kris Kringle was groaning on the floor now. Perhaps the milk he drank was spoiled or perhaps his land was in greater danger than he could have ever imagined, but all he knew was that he was suffering with great pain that could not be healed. It had progressed from a twisting sensation in his stomach to his entire body, both inside and outside, contorting and filling him with pressure. As he lay on his stomach, clutching it tightly, hoping that he would vomit or something, tears began to stream down his wrinkled cheeks and dampen his white beard. Never in his entire two thousand years of existence had he felt such horrible pain.

Finally, the pain erupted into full scale agony as he felt like his organs exploded from inside and his mind inflated with pressure until it finally exploded. Eyes rolling to the back of his head, he finally could not take anymore and passed out.

As quickly as he passed out, he woke up, body still throbbing with the remnants of his suffering. Besides the throbbing, it was finally gone. Something had gone terribly wrong, and he had to find out what. Bringing himself to his feet, he walked slowly across the kitchen with his cane until he finally reached the window.

His cottage overlooked the entire domain, and he could see everything from the workshop roofs to the Marble Gateway. Immediately, he found the source of his ominous agony. Standing inside the domain in a single file line across the wall of the Marble Gateway was about a thousand Sneasel and Manyula, creatures he had not seen for at least a millennium. Kris's stomach plummeted with horror as he saw who stood in front of the beasts. It was Andromeda, the Jynx who had escaped.

*****​

"Does Battalion B have their sticks?" Andromeda demanded as she walked in a circle in front of the dark pokemon. Almost immediately, about fifty Sneasel children raised the sharp sticks they held and brandished them violently in the air. Agamemnon grinned and then he turned to the nearly nine hundred fifty other pokemon.

"Battalion B, set fire to the barracks and workshops. There are torches lit everywhere; you will find your fire there. Afterwards, when the Jynx and Smoochum escape from their burning battalions, I want you to kill them immediately. Do not spare the young or elderly, kill every single one. When Andromeda, Starla, Gegadesh, my son, and I return from Father Christmas's cabin, we expect the snow to be red with blood! A thousand years we have awaited this moment, and my brothers, today it has finally come!" Agamemnon ordered sharply as he turned to look at the cabin on the hill at the highest point of the domain.

"Do you see, Brother? He is looking out the window right now!" the Manyula named Gegadesh cackled, pointing at the window which was barely a speck from their point. Grinning happily at each other, Agamemnon raised his right claw, ready to give the signal.

"Three…two…o—"

"STOP!"

"Andwomeda?"

From a nearby building, a small Smoochum of barely two years stepped out. She was indeed very adorable. Being young and innocent, she did not fear the strange beasts and stared at them as if they were nothing but strange spots on the wall. Wobbling as she walked, she went towards Andromeda's side quietly, looking around her surroundings confused. Andromeda fidgeted nervously, wondering what do to next, for this Smoochum had idolized her, working in the same sweatshop that she had labored in.

"Andwomeda? I missed you! Are these your fwiends? What's their names?" the tiny pokemon asked softly.

The Jynx began to feel reluctant, unable to bring herself to speak to the young pokemon. She was very adorable, unlike her beautiful evolved form; she was a very pretty shade of pink and barely a foot tall. Her hair was golden, looking like a broomstick's end, while her lips were very small and light peach. She continued to look up at her sister, eagerly awaiting a response. Agamemnon had no reluctance like Andromeda and walked forward to meet this Smoochum, his right claw bared.

"ANDWOMEDA! This monster scaws me! I don like him!" the Smoochum yelped as she ran from the Manyula and buried her face into the Jynx's dress, tears cascading down her cheeks. At the same time, tears were also building up inside of Andromeda's eyes. It was time for her to make her choice.

Agamemnon looked at her impatiently, desperate to start the attack. He gave her an ice cold look that stated, "Make your choice, NOW."

A single tear rolled down Andromeda's cheek, but she did not sob or cry. After shutting her eyes tightly, she opened them once more. They were bright red and devoid of any emotion. "Do it."

Agamemnon smiled wickedly and walked forward, holding his claw high in the air as it gleamed in the moonlight. Smoochum looked up with her tear stained face at her sister who finally said something.

"Andwomeda?"

Her blood was the first to bathe the snow.

Kris Kringle stood in horror. He knew that the creatures were evil, but never did he think that they would do something as horrible as they just did. It only takes a truly dark being to spill the blood of an innocent child. He clutched his contorting stomach once more; he really felt as if he would vomit this time. Turning his head from the window, fearing what horrible things they would next, he slid down with his back against the wall. It was the end. There would be no way he could warn the Jynx without getting killed first. They would all have to pay for his past… Now he could only save himself and Mrs. Claus…

"Honey, what's going on? AAHH!" Mrs. Claus had appeared at the top of the stairs in her nightgown, checking to see where her husband went. Instead, she saw him against the wall, his eyes widened in horror and his hand clutching his heart. He began to sob, looking both frightened and distraught. Finally, he caught sight of his wife and immediately leaped to his feet.

"T-they h-have come," Kris mumbled, still distraught and sobbing.

"What are you talking about? Who are they?" Mrs. Claus asked, getting terrified herself.

His finger quivering, Kris pointed to the window which his wife immediately looked out of. She screamed in horror at seeing all the black beasts swarming the domain, some setting sticks on fires and burning the buildings while Jynx and Smoochum began to run out and try to escape the massacre. But alas, none were able to escape. Either they were trapped to be burned alive or had to take their chances outside where they would be stabbed viciously by the claws of the gremlins.

She then turned to her husband, white as snow.

"We must hide! Hurry!"


The assault had started! War cries and ululations were as loud as the shrieking and bawling of the slaves to Santa Claus. Nearly half of the barracks were blazing brightly in an inferno of burning wood and pokemon. The Jynx and Smoochum had started to run out of their buildings, only to scream at sight of the Sneasel and Manyula. Slowly they were beginning to fall at the claws of the black beasts, and hundreds of bodies were littering the bloody snow in barely fifteen minutes.

Pandemonium ensued; no one knew what was going on. Jynx were running as fast as they could, tripping over the corpses of their fallen friends, and Smoochum were being trampled to death whereas the elderly were trapped inside the burning barracks, where they were slowly devoured by the dreaded flames. Agamemnon cackled as he watched the massacre before his very eyes and started to impale Jynx at random with his already blood soaked claws. Very few Jynx made it farther than ten yards before being brutally murdered. Some were not killed instantly and rather fell to the red snow, bawling as they clutched their wounds, slowly bleeding to death. Others were desperately trying to fight back, but failed miserably. Their psychic powers had no effect on dark pokemon like Manyula and Sneasel, and their ice attacks had little effect, though they did manage to freeze a few of their enemies.

All throughout this attack, Andromeda still stood in the same spot where she stood when her sister was murdered. Many fellow Jynx fell to her feet and pleaded to be spared, but were only killed at her feet by Gegadesh and Starla. Her eyes still remained red and emotionless, and her body remained immobile. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a familiar looking barrack about to be burned by a Sneasel bearing a burning stick. She remembered that barrack and who slept within.

"STOP! DON'T BURN THAT BARRACK!"

Running to her former home as fast as she could, she froze the burning stick before it could make contact with the wood with an Ice Beam, chastising the Sneasel and demanding no one else follow her inside. The battle she faced inside was personal.

Inside the wooden barrack were many frightened Jynx and bawling Smoochum who hid far back and screamed violently as they saw Andromeda come in. They were too frightened to leave the barrack, fearing what lay outside. Andromeda felt cold and indifferent toward them and simply stared at them.

"Where is Cassandra? Tell me and you shall be spared!" Andromeda snapped.

In unison, they all pointed upward to the highest floor where Andromeda and Cassandra once resided. Walking to the great wooden ladder that rose to each room in the barrack, she slowly climbed up, desperate for revenge on the woman who dared to torture her for twelve years. Time went by slowly as she grasped each rung slowly until she finally reached the top.

"Andromeda? Are you okay?"

Cassandra rose from behind her bed and looked at her daughter who walked toward her with her head facing downwards. Andromeda walked slowly to her mother, completely devoid of any feeling except the blind rage that slowly stirred within her soul. When she was only a foot away from her mother, she finally raised her head, revealing her blazing red eyes.

"ANDROMEDA! You're the one who stared this, aren't you? How could you Andromeda? How could you!" Cassandra snapped bitterly. Despite seeing what had become of her daughter, she still remained without any fear. Andromeda clenched her teeth tightly; angered deeply at the fact that even at the point of death, her mother still remained the same despicable woman.

"You just don't get it do you! AHHHHHHH!" Screaming as audibly as she could, Andromeda grasped her mother by the neck and with one fierce throw, tossed her against the wall and began to punch her face as hard as she could. Thirty seconds of this later, Cassandra's face was nothing but a bloody mess, yet somehow she kept the same malevolent smile.

"I do get it. You're a little naughty child and will only receive coal this Christmas!"

"Still, you remain the same you vile, vile woman! This is your entire fault! Because of you all the Jynx are dying! Because of you no child will get a present this Christmas! It's all because of you!" Andromeda sobbed, looking down at her fallen mother with anger.

"No, Andromeda. You were always a whiny little loser who wasn't strong enough to face her destiny. You are nothing but a filthy maggot, too lazy and too stupid to be able to do anything for your life! Don't you see what you have become? And yet you dare to call me vile?"

Immediately, the blazing beast that remained within Andromeda for the past twelve years finally escaped in the form of psychic energy and took hold of Cassandra. Just like her mother, Andromeda's eyes glowed bright rainbow and her blonde hair fanned out behind her. She raised her hand, and simultaneously, her mother rose as well until they were face to face, bathed in a light blue glow. Cassandra continued to cackle, desperate to only increase her daughter's rage. Roaring insanely, Andromeda thrashed her arm to the left, causing her victim to follow, hurtling through the air and crash on the wall of the barracks, plummeting fifty feet below with a deafening crunching of bones.

Andromeda stood their silently, staring at the blood stain on the front wall of the barracks intently. Meanwhile, she heard the pokemon in the bottom floor screaming violently, perhaps at the mangled corpse of Cassandra. Her Psychic attack ended, and her body was back to normal, except for the fact that her eyes still burned brightly with a red flare. She took a few minutes to walk around the room, looking at the different possessions and areas, knowing this would be the last time she ever saw them. Finally, she came upon her mother's lucky hammer, passed down for seven generations. It had been used to make toys for centuries, but this Christmas it would serve a different purpose. Taking it with her, she slowly climbed down the ladder once more until she reached the bottom floor where the pokemon continued to bawl at sight of Cassandra's body.

She looked down at the face down carcass meticulously. Cassandra's blonde hair was tinged with red while her scarlet dress looked no different despite being drenched in blood. Her arms and legs laid out spread eagled, a pathetic way to end a pathetic life. Andromeda turned the body over to look at the mess that was her mother's face. Crashing with such force distorted it and squashed it to the point it was no longer recognizable. But one thing remained. The malevolent smile.

"Fuck you, Mommy."

She walked away, ignoring the bawling pokemon behind her. Outside, the three Manyula leaders and Sneasel waited for her, eager to finish off the main target. She nodded to them silently, and they walked off, ankle deep in red snow and stepping over the hundreds of corpses that littered the ground.

"What should we do with the ones in this barrack, Agamemnon?" a Sneasel asked, holding a blazing stick. The Manyula turned to Andromeda who spoke instead.

"Kill them."


"Anna, we should be safe here for now," Kris reassured his wife.

They were in a dank, dark cellar. It was rather large, but was completely empty except for a few lit Christmas lights, melting snow, and another massive wall of ice, with two bright red caps kept by it. The cellar stank with the stench of mold that carpeted the walls, but despite the unpleasant conditions, it was much better than taking chances with the murderous pokemon. Mrs. Claus cried silently in her husbands arms. They both heard the cries of the dying Jynx and could do nothing.

"But Kris, what shall we do when we have to get out of here? Ze beasts will wait until we reveal ourselves, ya!" She asked quietly.

"Don't worry. This cellar was made as an alternate route out of the Domain on Christmas Eve in case the Main Gate stopped working. On midnight tonight, the wall of ice at the end over there will disappear, and we can escape in the world, flying with those magical caps. Very few beings know of this cellar and how to get in. We will be safe my dear Anna, don't you worry!" Kris assured his wife, holding her closer; looking nervously at the door, hoping no one would step in.


The party of assassins finally arrived at the door of Santa's cottage, ready to dispose of him once and for all. They overlooked the Domain and grinned at the bloodbath they witnessed. Jynx were dying by the second, and the snow could no longer be seen as it was either drenched with blood or littered with corpses nearing the thousands now. Andromeda turned the doorknob, but of course, the door was locked. Agamemnon simply laughed and told everyone to clear the way. Putting his claws parallel to each other and closing his eyes tightly, particles began to zoom to the empty space in between his claws until they formed a great orange sphere, pulsating with power. After a minute of storing power, Agamemnon tossed his claws upwards, and a massive beam immediately fired from within the sphere, blowing the door apart.

"Nice Hyper Beam attack!" The female Manyula named Starla commented.

"It is indeed the signature move of the Nicodemus bloodline. Now, when we get in, Andromeda, Starla, and I will search for the fool and his wife while Gegadesh and Paco will stay at the door and make sure they don't escape!" Agamemnon ordered as they moved into the comfy home.

"Alert us when you find the two! There is now way we can miss out on this!" Gegadesh pleaded as he stood by the door with the Sneasel, Paco, who held a lit stick, ready to torch the place as soon as the deed was done.

The three searched the house meticulously but didn't find a single living creature. The house was indeed very beautiful. Persian rugs, china plates, feather beds, and even leather couches! It was all very organized and kept very neatly, probably by Mrs. Claus who had absolutely nothing to do in the day. However, as soon as they saw any possession or neatly decorated thing, it was immediately destroyed or ruined. They cursed repeatedly at not finding their victim, but suddenly a light bulb turned on in Agamemnon's brain. After finding nothing in their upstairs bathroom, the party rushed back downstairs in Agamemnon's lead to meet up with Gegadesh and Paco.

"Gegadesh, Paco, come with us. I know where they must be hiding. It is only a matter of time now!" Agamemnon ordered as the four began to follow him to the living room.

Andromeda had not said a single word since she ordered the destruction of her home. She quietly followed the other Manyula's leaders, unable to say anything. After killing her mother, her personal demons were flaring and making a huge din within her soul. Just like she was being controlled by her mother again, she walked blankly and without expression, unable to think of anything, except for killing Santa Claus.

Finally, the party of five reached the lit fireplace which Agamemnon examined carefully, before putting the flames out with a Blizzard attack and revealing a large, gaping hole behind the firewood. The other four immediately gasped, beholding the way to him.

"Nicodemus was sure to find out as much about Santa's Domain before he rebelled. This is one of the many secret passageways in the cottage, but what makes this passageway so special is the fact that there is an exit out of the domain in the room which this hole leads into. I wonder how that fat bastard managed to get his fat ass through that hole?" Agamemnon joked, resulting in the party bursting out in laughs, except for Andromeda, who still remained silent.


"Did you hear that? They're coming Kris! I'm scared!" Mrs. Claus rambled as she started pulling on her hair and looking desperately for a hiding place.

"Yes, I know too! I should have taken more protective measures, but I was too scared! This is my entire fault! Quickly, hide behind the ice wall! And don't make any noise!" Kris spat frantically. They scurried from the door's view and right behind the large wall of ice, hoping by some miracle the predators would go away.

Five minutes later, the door was immediately blown open by a Hyper Beam, and the party of assassins barged in, lit by Paco's flaming stick. Only their haunting faces could be seen as they searched the room desperately for their victim. They looked at each other nervously, but suddenly, one of the Manyula stopped moving and started sniffing the air.

"I SMELL HUMANS! THEY'RE BEHIND THE WALL!"

Kris and Anna immediately took tight hold of each other, closing their eyes tightly and bracing themselves for what awaited.

"Come out right now you stupid fat bastard! You will pay for everything! COME OUT!" Andromeda had finally spoken, and this time, there was pure contempt etched on every line of her face. Her anger from when she cornered her mother was nothing compared to the fury she possessed now. The others had stepped back to let her be in the lead; she led them to him, and it would be her pleasure to finish him. Extending one of her purple gloved hands and holding her mother's hammer with the other hand, she was ready to kill Santa Claus once and for all.

"I love you more than anything Anna," Kris whispered, before kissing his wife's forehead and wrapping his arms tightly around her chest in one final hug. He then stepped out from behind the ice wall, praying that they would not ask where his wife was, but his prayers were denied.

"Where is the woman? We smell a second human!" Starla demanded, brandishing her bloody claws ominously.

Mrs. Claus closed her eyes tightly and sobbed as she walked from behind the ice wall, standing behind her husband. The face of the macabre, red-eyed Jynx stared at her with utter repulsion for thirty seconds before speaking.

"Kill the spare!"

"No! Please, I'll do anything! Just don't hurt her! Please! I am begging you!" Santa Claus pleaded, crying and holding his sobbing wife as hard as he could.

His pleads were ignored as the three Manyula marched forward to take Mrs. Claus away. All four hundred pounds of Kris turned around as he wrapped his arms around his dear wife and attempted as fiercely as he could to protect her from the claws of the beasts. Rather than try and play tug-of-war with the fat man, the Manyula simply slashed his arms repeatedly until he dropped his wife, taking a good twenty swipes. As soon as the old woman fell on the ground, Gegadesh and Starla dragged her off by her two legs while Agamemnon prevented any retaliation from Santa Claus.

"ANNA!"

"KRIS!"

Driven by the love for his wife, Kris kicked Agamemnon out of the way and ran to take her back, before having his feet frozen to the ground by Andromeda. As soon as Agamemnon brought himself to his feet once more, he leaped onto the frozen old man and started to slash his legs to match his already bloody arms. Afraid he would bleed to death, Andromeda called Agamemnon off. Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus had been dragged off to the very back of the room, where she was barely visible by the Christmas lights. She hollered with all her might, but soon had her mouth covered by Gegadesh's claws.

Kris stared in horror as Agamemnon walked forward to meet her. He was too heartbroken to even produce a single tear as he watched the gremlin pokemon surrounded her, keeping her out of his sight. It was only a matter of time…

"KILL HER RIGHT NOW!" Andromeda ordered as she and Paco turned to watch the bloodbath.

Indeed the following five minutes were the most painful in Kris Kringle's two thousand year life. He could barely see what was going on, but hearing it was ten times worse then seeing it. Anna screamed in agony as they did all sorts of horrible things to her with their blood stained claws. The one thing he did see was them plunging their sharp claws into her violently, dripping with a shiny red liquid when they pulled them out. He also saw one Manyula hackneying her poor, beautiful face, perhaps stabbing her eyes and ripping her very beauty apart. Three minutes later, the screaming stopped, but the assault didn't. Even when her life had disappeared, they continued to desecrate her corpse until their claws could take no more.

Andromeda cackled malevolently watching the massacre, though not taking part. Finally, the three Manyula came forward away from the motionless lump on the floor, faces splattered and claws dripping with blood. What's more was that the evil creatures were smiling. Kris stood there, unable to process what had happened. His eyes watered and his mouth hung open, but he was unable to make any noise.

"Leave," Andromeda ordered to the four others in the room.

"Excuse me? You're ordering me to leave? How dare you show such insolence! I could have had you killed when I first saw you, and you would have never got a chance to have this moment! You're lucky enough I'm even letting you take his life! I too want to see the fat bastard's downfall!" Agamemnon roared. Andromeda stared at him coldly, considering his words for a few seconds.

"Fine, you may stay, but stay by the broad's corpse. I want to talk to him!" Andromeda sighed. They nodded and returned to the dead Mrs. Claus's side, eagerly awaiting the next moments. She walked forward until she was face to face with the man she loathed so much, hammer still by her side.

"Andromeda, right?" he asked solemnly, pretending that his wife was never murdered.

"Yes, my name is Andromeda, the one who escaped," Andromeda responded quietly, talking as if they were having a tea party.

"Please tell me, Andromeda, why did you do this? What possibly brought you to have nearly ten thousand of your sisters killed? Why do you hate me so much?"

"You want to know why I hate you? Because it is because of you that my life is so horrible! Every day I had to wake up and make toys in a mundane, monotonous life. I hated it! Why did I have to be mind controlled by my mother? Why should I have to be a slave under you? TELL ME!" Andromeda growled, beginning to cry.

"Tell ME Andromeda. Why did you never tell me? My cabin is always open to any Jynx or Smoochum; I come to visit the workshops nearly every other day. You had years to tell me you hated this life. I would have been more than happy to take you to the Land of the Shining Sun. In fact, the reason the Marble Gateway let you through is because of your strong desire to leave. The Marble Gateway is meant to protect Jynx from the Arctic, not to cage them inside. No pokemon or human should have to suffer in preparation for Christmas. What is the point of children getting presents if the presents were made in ill will? I am very sorry your mother controlled your mind, that was despicable, but still, you could have always told me. Was all this worth all the blood being shed?" Kris Kringle responded, crying himself.

Andromeda paused as she took in his words. His words were true; she could have just talked to him rather than suffering alone. Maybe she was actually wrong rather than him. Maybe he wasn't a fat bastard. NO! She would not submit to his kind and gentle words!

"LIAR! You should have never entered any Jynx into slavery! We are not your little servants, we're a proud and powerful species who you kidnapped and brainwashed into working for you! And look at the Manyula and Sneasel! They wanted to leave, but you only let them once they refused to work!"

"Exactly!" Agamemnon piped up from behind.

"SHUT UP!" Andromeda snapped, blasting an Ice Beam in his direction.

"Actually, Andromeda, the Sneasel and Manyula never suffered. When I first opened Santa's Domain, there were less than a thousand children celebrating Christmas, and I only had a thousand presents to make, but when the Christmas spirit spread, I needed more help, and the native Sneasel and Manyula saw that. They volunteered to help me out, in exchange for refuge from the blistering Arctic. I'm afraid that Manyula who put you up to this has been lying through his teeth. For you see, Nicodemus was an evil Manyula, and he despised me because I stood for everything he was against, so he tricked the population into thinking I was planning on killing them all. They escaped themselves, never banished. I tried to show Nicodemus's true colors, but they never believed me. I was sad to have them hate me, but what could I do? Force them to work for me?" Kris responded firmly, angered at the fact the blood of Nicodemus turned on him once more.

"YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY BLOODLINE! NICODEMUS WAS TWICE THE MAN YOU'LL EVER BE!" Agamemnon roared as he sprinted from the corpse toward Santa Claus, ready to slash him apart.

"NO!"

He was instantly frozen to the spot as Andromeda's Ice Beam struck him directly. The other pokemon dared not to move, knowing the lengths the Jynx would go to. Giving the Manyula a disgusted snarl, Andromeda then turned to face Kris one final time.

"You never stop lying! What about the Jynx? They were supposed to be your little replacements?"

"No, the Jynx were being hunted by the newly released Sneasel and Manyula. They heard of my legend and sought me, desperate for refuge from their kind's extinction. Ironic how they didn't know that by entering this Domain they sealed the fate for their seed." He muttered bitterly, still looking at Andromeda with a look of utmost respect and love.

"STOP LYING! THAT'S IT! YOU STUPID, LYING FAT BASTARD! TAKE YOUR LAST BREATH!" Jynx cried, raising her hammer as high above her head as she could.

But she never brought it down.

Andromeda dropped the hammer with her arm still high in the air, her expression frozen in its angry, bloodthirsty state. One large claw wrapped around her belly as another slowly sawed through her back, cutting into her innards and spilling blood all over the floor. She began to spit up blood as Agamemnon's claw began to protrude out of her dress, soaked with the scarlet horror. Soon, the entire claw was completely jutting out of the wide-eyed Jynx's belly. Santa Claus looked just as horrified as he saw the poor Jynx dying before his very eyes. Giving his claw a nice twist, Agamemnon heaved his claw out, leaving a shocked Andromeda with a huge, cavernous wound in her middle. Clutching the wound, Andromeda fell to the bloody floor, staring blankly at the ceiling and snarling face of the Manyula as she took her last breaths.

"You filthy Jynx, you dare think you can attack me without retribution? You will never have the pleasure of touching that fat bastard! May your soul rot in Hell!"

Andromeda involuntarily heaved and gasped for air, hoping for survival somehow as more blood poured out from her wound. The dark cellar began to fade from view until she surrounded in pitch black darkness. From a distance, she heard Santa Claus screaming in pain, but soon that droned out as well. It was completely silent and black. She was unable to think or feel once more, until she saw a bright shining light. The light was indeed the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. It was bright yellow and shined brightly, filling her with a feeling of hope and determination.

The wise men who said one's life flashed before their own eyes upon their death were wrong. Instead, it was her death that flashed before Andromeda's eyes. Her life was death, hell that trapped her for twelve entire years. The light blinded her eyes as it began to engulf her, and she realized her deepest desire had come true. She had finally arrived.

It was the Land of the Shining Sun.