Polaris Mask lost his mask!
Polaris Mask: AAAA--
Mask back on!
Polaris Mask: AA--wait what?
MC: You okay!? I tried turning your suit off and on again really fast.
Polaris Mask: What? Why would--actually, did you see...?
MC: Um, yeah. / I think I've seen it before.
(C) Polaris Mask: ...it's cool. Not like I can unmask now.
Polaris Mask: I'm a failure of a pro wrestler now! But wait...
Polaris Mask has to prioritize his mask, but nobody else has to care.
Polaris Mask: ...why'd you fix it so quick?
MC: What? I thought it was important to you and your dream as Polaris Mask.
Polaris Mask: ...I guess? Hmm.
Well that wasn't too bad for him.
Polaris Mask: You know, not even my agency manager has ever seen me unmasked. And barely anyone in my private life knows I'm Polaris Mask. Somehow.
MC: OMG???
Polaris Mask: Eh, it's cool. I'm weirdly not bothered by it. Besides... (throws arm over MC's shoulders) You're looking at all of me, eh partner?
MC: uhhhh
Polaris Mask: So you better not blab about it.
MC: Nah. It's your dream.
Polaris Mask: ...eh, fine. Anyways, I'm Kensuke Kitakami under the mask. You better remember that.
Kensuke whispers. His voice sounds different from usual. Quiet. Deep. Frank.
MC: O-okay! (HE'S UP TO SOMETHING!)
Polaris Mask: ...well there'll be something nice later. Anyways, here's to us MC!
Back to Polaris Mask as he slaps MC on the back!
MC: OOF (he's hiding something!)
Monomasa's star shower trails off. Monster cleanup complete!
Later
Some forest path behind the church
Astar: Is it here? No...
Astar has some paper spread out on a stump.
MC: Whatcha doin'?
Astar: AAAAAA
Astar: Oh, it's you. Uh, nothing. Why're you up so late?
MC: We get to stay at the church tonight, but I didn't see you anywhere and wondered where you went.
Astar: ...it's Christmas tomorrow, so I was figuring out everyone's assignments.
MC: what
Astar: Reindeer on detail work, the presents, and the Santa front and center. You know what, you give me your opinions on this.
Astar: So, Polaris. I want him on forward charge since he's good at that. Monomasa is...good at night work, so he's got good synergy with my fire powers. You...you're good at detail work, so maybe you'll be lead reindeer.
He's thinking so hard on what can possibly be done.
Astar: Okay, good enough I guess.
Astar seems happy with all the notes he's written down.
MC: You sure are having fun.
Astar looks genuinely surprised.
Astar: ...you think so? I'm not allowed to enjoy Christmas though.
He seems sure about that.
MC: Why?
Astar: I don't qualify, and I don't need to besides being Santa. It's how Santa is.
He legitimately believes that.
MC: (Hmm...)
Astar: ...it's late. Thanks for talking. Go to bed.
Astar goes back to the church.
MC: (Astar's dream...)
Title Card: The Night Before Christmas
Christmas Eve. Last checks atop the Satellite Bands.
Astar: Okay, it's almost the big day. You guys aren't good enough, but we'll just have to deal with it.
Red: Damn, we really been at this just a few days.
Purple: Being a reindeer is tough, man.
Wrestlers tearing up.
Polaris Mask: And you did it without bitching about it. Props, guys. So am I lead reindeer?
Astar: Right, I should recheck my notes. (pulls out notes)
MC: (Oh.)
Astar: You guys ready?
Party: YEAH
Astar: Good. Here's the plan.
Later
'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house not a--
BANG
Child A: AAAAHH!
Welp! Hey it's bright out. Morning already?
Child A: Wait, that looks like fire and starlight.
Something is coming!
Child A: A sleigh and reindeer?
And also...
Astar: USELESS SACKS OF----AND MAKE IT SNAPPY
Polaris Mask: That's crazy talk Ast----hell, man!
Astar: Shut up and run!
Eventually...
Child A: Santa? Santa!
Astar smiles and disappears!
Child A: Wait, is something in my stocking?
Pretty star piece and ball. Also the milk and cookies are gone.
Child A: Santa IS real!
Later
Astar: Okay, search is done. Move your asses, reindeer.
Polaris Mask: Sir, yes sir! Move it, people!
Wrestlers: YEAAAAH!
Polaris Mask leads the charge back into the sky!
Melide: Um. Aren't we angling down too hard?
Monomasa: I'm concerned too...
MC: But we're still mostly horizontal! / Too fast! Too fast!
Zooming!
Yellow: OH MY GOOOOD!
Polaris Mask: Dammit guys, stop hitting the gas so hard!
Astar: Change trajectories and get ready to land quietly!
Blue: What kinda space coke are YOU on!?
Purple: AAAAHH
Course correction time! Slowly...slowly...but too late to not crash to the ground! Snow gets knocked off nearby roofs.
Astar: What the hell are you people doing!?
Polaris Mask: Stop talking crazy Astar and explain what the hell is going on for once!
Green: Mommy come get me, I'm scared.
Monomasa: Get a grip, Vixen.
Astar: Shut up and run!
MC: Speak louder for the kids down in Africa / You'll wake people up! / the light it's so beautiful...
Astar: Ugh. Well, not like I haven't done that before either. This is gonna keep looping tonight, so get good people.
MC: wait what
Astar: Yeah, our job loop is to jump in and out of the atmosphere and deliver presents on our way west. The reindeer will handle the driving. There's other stuff too. Anyways, Santa work is a marathon!
Polaris Mask: Damn, that's hardcore! Bring it!
Monomasa: You're taking this rather well.
Astar: Oh shit, a kid! Quick, smile!
Astar puts on his fake beard.
MC: WHAT
Polaris Mask: Smile!? Uhhhh...
The party smiles! The kid is weirded out by this.
Astar: Okay, present time Monomasa. Ready?
Monomasa: R-right. Let's go Melide, MC.
Monomasa makes a star from his bag while Astar pulls out a wood ornament. Then Astar uses his fire power to make the presents shine pretty.
Monomasa: So we just let go then?
Monomasa and Astar toss their presents, which floats down toward the child.
Astar: Okay we're good. Actually no wait, there's a present for Santa we need to grab.
Melide: That's a thing?
Astar: Yes, it's customary and varies per country. Look.
Astar's fire goes into the kid's house and comes back with milk and cookies!
MC: You can do that!?
Astar: With practice, and it only works on light stuff.
Blue: Omg that's so precious!
Green: And now I'm hungry!
Astar: Back off, idiots. This is for Santa, not us.
Yellow: Whaddya mean!?
Astar: We're making the miracle of Santa happen, but we aren't Santa. We'll give this to the poor kids, so don't touch it if you wanna live.
Red: O-oh. I guess I can't argue with that...
Astar: You can eat after we're done. Now keep going!
Moving on!
Mom: Why can't you think about our kid!? On CHRISTMAS!?
Dad: Well maybe if you didn't get in my grill all the time, I could! ...sorry, I know you're trying.
Mom: I'm sorry too, I didn't think about your feelings.
Kid Next Room Over: Thanks Santa...
Outside
Astar: Okay good, got to it while it was in the middle of it.
Astar puts out his fire after it comes back.
MC: You can tell? / Does that run on emotions? / What'd you even do actually?
Astar: My fire can take away heat, including metaphorical. This way, that kid can have one night without fighting parents at least...
Monomasa: Amazing how pinpoint you can control it, even with a Parallel Weapon helping.
Astar: Lots of practice. It's not infinite though, and I still need to get it down to a pinpoint.
Astar pulls out his Parallel Weapon.
Astar: The Book of Sinterklaas can search for people and get their movement range. And right now I'm focusing on children who don't make a lot of different faces since those might not even have homes. Like here...
Slums. Homeless people curled up in the backstreets. Astar sends out presents with his fire.
Child: Cold. Hungry...wait, what's that? Fire? Cookies? Yay! Santa presents?
The child smiles, just a little bit.
Blue: Omg we're actually being Santas!
Yellow: Yeah, let's keep it up!
Polaris Mask: Watch us, kiddos!
The party is getting psyched! Except for...
Astar: (stares)
MC: Something wrong, Astar?
Astar: Huh? No, we're doing our best. I just think Santa doesn't feel happy. I mean, I was never able to be Santa from the start.
MC: ...wait.
What kind of Santa hero says he can't be Santa?
Monomasa: ...ungh!
Melide: Wait, what's wrong Monomasa?
MC: Wait, back up Astar. How can you say that when your dream manifests as...
Astar: What? My dream is to keep trying to be Santa. I'll keep going for it even if I never become Santa. It's my fault Nic and Kram are gone, so my form of Santa is to keep atoning for that.
MC's view of Astar seems to be warping, except not for his dream.
Observer Vision, or something!
Astar Lily 2.0: Oh. I can dream, but I'll never be a perfect Santa. But I want to keep doing this.
Present
MC: What?
Astar: I mean, I did wonder if it was possible at first.
He looks as nice as he was in his younger days.
Astar: But you could observe it even when it was impossible.
Astar holds his weapon. He used to have a role.
Astar: My dream manifested as the Book of Sinterklaas. A worthless dream that makes a Santa as done by three people instead of a new kind of Santa.
Monomasa: OOF!
Monomasa falls to his knees! Less physical, more psychic rejection of self via mental breakdown!
Monomasa: Monomasa, you...
???: I'm not good enough. If I can't do it, what am I here for? Doing something was worth it, but what if it isn't? It hurts it hurts it hurts... I can't help but think...why can't I do it? HE can keep going, even though he's in the same situation I'm in...
Melide: !? Monomasa, what's wrong!?
Monomasa shifts to Monomasa Oosato!
Monomasa Oosato: S-stop...Melide, MC...
Melide: Monomasa...?
The Monster Venom goo thing keeps acting up as Monomasa suffers! That voice sounds familiar...
MC: ...Monomasa Oosato?
Monomasa Oosato: Stop...Observing me...oof!
Monomasa Oosato spawns a super bright star from his body!
Green: WHAT
Purple: MY EEEEYES
The light is creating enough pressure to give the sleigh turbulence!
Red: Oh no!
Yellow: We gonna fall!
The mobs start getting blasted away!
MC: OH NO
The pressure hits Polaris Mask up front in the line!
Polaris Mask: OOF! You ain't shaking ME off that easy!
Polaris Mask ties the reins around himself!
Polaris Mask: Hang on, guys!
Polaris Mask swings his bear claws!
Green: AAAA--wait what?
Red: Polaris...?
Polaris Mask used his gravity powers to cast Feather Fall on the mobs!
MC: You guys okay!? / What just happened!?
Polaris Mask: It's cool, I've slowed their fall! We're right above town! They'll be fine if nothing else happens!
MC: Oh okay. But Monomasa...
The light creates shadows!
Melide: W-what? Another me?
Shadow Melide Clone: [unintelligible]
Melide: No...I had to forget, or else...
I'll Face Myself intensifies!
MC: Melide!?
Melide: I have people I need, so I...
Shadow Melide Clone: Is that really up to you? Do you and Exio really know what memories are okay to forget?
Oh hey there's a huge Shadow Astar too.
Astar: What do you mean, I'm broken?
MC: Astar!
The shadows converge around Astar!
Shadow Astar Clone: You think suffering has worth in itself.
Astar: What? This is how my dream is.
Shadow Astar Clone: It's okay. You figured out how to make up for what you've done, so you keep asking to be saved.
Astar: You shut up.
Shadow Astar Clone: No matter how much you suffer for your atonement, it means nothing.
Astar: Shut up!
Shadow Astar Clone: You will NEVER be forgiven.
The shadows start covering the whole ship and touch MC as they spill personal truths!
Flashback! or something
Forest. Night. Winter. People kneeling, people holding things.
Astar: Voice, are you there? Do I have a dream yet? Can I be Santa?
Astar has no choice because this day is important to his dream.
Astar: Thank you. I can be Santa this year again.
He smiles, but...
Astar: ...it's my dream, so I'm gonna keep doing it.
Memory shift!
Astar Lily 2.0: I can't do it now, but one day! Like back then, when the three of us tried for it!
Memory shift!
Astar Lily 2.0: Dammit, I have to change my methods now... Maybe I can still...no, this isn't Santa. Obviously I can't do it, but trying was fun. But now it's getting all twisted. Santa doesn't stop fights with fires and give out ornaments. I...
Memory shift!
Astar Lily 2.0: Oh... I can't save kids, Santa or no Santa. They die anyways, which is why I gave up.
Astar (narration): I can still transform. Voice is still watching me, even though I can't hear them anymore. They're still observing, even though I don't remember much anymore.
Astar: Atoning is my one dream worth having anymore since I can't be Santa.
Present
The sleigh is flying back up towards the Satellite Bands. MC's vision flickers.
Flashback!
Astar: I've been doing this for 80 years, and I'll keep doing it even if it's warped into something else.
Present
MC: That's what Astar's Santa has been?
Such self-denial.
MC: He's felt that? For 80 years?
Monomasa's stars shine brighter!
Monomasa Oosato: Agh...!
The shadows deepen!
Polaris Mask: ...hell with that!
Light particles disrupt the shadows!
MC: What!?
Polaris Mask: Goddammit, get these shadows back inside me!
Boom!
Polaris Mask swings his claws and absorbs the shadows!
MC: Polaris Mask, are you okay!?
Polaris Mask: I'm good! But what the hell did Monomasa do!?
MC: I think it's unintentional, and he's trying to deal with it...
Polaris Mask: Ugh. Astar, Melide, you guys okay!?
Polaris Mask blows his aura to soften the starlight!
Astar: Ugh. What?
Melide: W-what was I...?
MC: Astar, Melide!
Polaris Mask: ...so we ain't all okay, but we gotta stop him. For his sake too.
Polaris Mask points at Monomasa Oosato, who is suffering.
Melide: Right.
The starlight weakens, but it still spawns a Shadow Monomasa copy!
Polaris Mask: Astar, we're Santa right!?
Astar twitches.
Polaris Mask: What kinda Santa gives up at a time like this!?
Astar: ...shut your mouth.
Astar slowly gets up!
Astar: We gotta help him fast.
Polaris Mask: Santa time! Melide, MC!
Melide: MC, let's go.
MC: Right!
BATTLE START