//------------------------------//
// Jingle all the Way 
// Story: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year 
// by JimmyHook19 
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A few days before the incident with Alice had occurred, the snow had indeed been falling all around me. Children had been playing, having fun. It was the season of love and understanding. Merry Christmas, everyone. It was also the time of wearing horrible jumpers that never fitted, had horrendous combinations of colours, were only worn once or twice, and would then simply end up in the charity shop once the season of discontent was over (and it was a season of discontent, if the carnage of Black Friday was anything to go by, and the sheer number of shouting matches that occurred at Christmastime). But at least all remembered the true origin of that day, the 25th of December, the birth of a child, and the path to redemption for all humanity (if you are reading this Misty, I hope you approve). But the 25th was still a while away, and the people of Manteo still had lots of preparation to do. They were assembling trees, clearing roads of snow as crashing a car and footing a repair bill is the last Christmas present you would want, and putting up lights and tinsel to ensure that Manteo could be seen from outer space.

And who was at the center of such merriment in an effort to cheer everybody up? Why, yes, Jimmy, of course, and who else could it be? Clad in warm clothing, to keep out the cold air and the snow and the occasional sleet that would fly in for some strange reason, Jimmy was merrily stringing up decorations and running electrical wires across lamp posts, that would power the lights and produce scenes most splendid to the eye. Anyway, Jimmy continued at his work, as did many other adults, and they finished the work in record time.

"Good job, James!" called one of the other chaps, his cheeks red from the cold air and the heat needed to keep him warm. "We got the work done in half the time it took us last year!"

"No problem sir," Jimmy replied. "I always enjoy helping with the decorations. Apart from giving me something to do, it's good exercise, and we always seem so jolly when we do it!"

"You got that right!" shouted another fellow with a hardly smile. Can a smile be hardy? I think so. "Next we shall be decking the halls with bows of holly!"

This prompted them to start singing 'Deck the Halls', which led them into a mood of much merriment. After a few minutes of singing in beautiful four part harmony, they dispersed and headed away. Jimmy, for one, began to head home and walked along a snow covered path he had covered as Meadowbrook in hotter climates of grandness. Onwards he went, until he reached his door and slipped his key into the lock. Then he stopped. There was something glistening on the ground before him. Lying there, on the ground, were a pair of old, golden rimmed glasses, sitting in a pile of snow. Snow. Snow. Snow.





Jimmy picked the glasses up and looked at them, only for the glasses to suddenly and inexplicably vanish from his hand whence they had been and seemingly go into the ether (and where this ether was, where they joined multiple pairs of Jimmy's own and Katrina's too from that time at Walt Disney World, was not clear, but altogether not entirely relevant to the conversation that is being had or not had at this point in time) where they were seen no more. But then, his face felt odd, and he brought his hands up to feel it. The supports on his own glasses were gone, and when he looked in the mirror, or should I say the window in front of him that fronted his home, he saw... that the glasses... were the glasses... that had been on the floor... and overusing ellipsis... and the glasses that had previously been on the floor were now on his face, set perfectly to enable him to see perfectly. This was indeed bizarre, and as such he was confused greatly by this. As he tried to process what indeed had happened, it started up again.

His feet changed once more into a pair of hooves that split into two equal sections to support the weight, and his legs cracked as they suddenly bent backwards to create back legs. His spine cracked and reset, followed not long after by his hips flaring out and pushing him downwards onto all fours. This was followed not long after by his manhood being condemned to vanishment for a while at least (the end of that while being when he changed back), and replaced by the female variant in their place (we are not making the doe, a deer joke again). Her chest swelled up, and broke through the garments still stuck on her body, freeing them from this mortal coil as they vanished forever. Not long after that, her arms snapped the other way, becoming forelegs, and then not long after that her hands and fingers glued themselves together, merging into hooves. Not long after that, indeed of this story, her neck elongated upwards, and her nose and mouth merged into a muzzle, the metal of the glasses frame and bridge stretching to accommodate the extra needed space on the head. Her eyes grew in size and turned purple, as a set of massive antlers erupted from her skull. Her hair turned pink in two shades, before shrinking to a mane, and a bright blue tail appeared on her butt, followed by her entire body being covered in blue and white fur. Thankfully to keep her warm in addition to her fur, a scarf with a golden bell tying it togther wrapped around her neck.





Aurora certainly felt past her prime as she staggered out of that strange place, and fell almost immediately into a warp portal. She found herself in the middle of this strange town, only to see Bori and Alice ahead of her, which confused her somewhat. Bori was hooked up to a huge sleigh, and Alice was looking at her.

"Is that you, Bori?"

"No, it's Blitzen. What do you think?"

"How did you get here?" Alice asked, innocently enough (and not of the knowledge, dearest chuck).

"I suppose I'll have to tell you then."

After listening to her speak, Aurora came forward. "How funny! I only just got here too, falling through a strange portal!"

"What is going on here?" Bori sighed. This was going to be a long day.