Creating Toy Santa

While Santa was busy with the Legendary Council, the three elves gathered in Bernard's office to think of a solution to the Mrs. Clause situation. Bernard was pacing around the room while Curtis read through the handbook and Merry was sitting in front of a mirror in worry. The look in her eyes showed signs of fear of what might happen to her and Santa once the de-Santification process was complete. This meant that she wouldn't be able to return to the North Pole and be forced to leave the place she called home. But what worried her the most was Bernard, he was the one that made her happy ever since the day they met 8 years ago. Bernard notices this and walks over to Merry, placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "Don't worry, Sugarplum" he said, "Hopefully by the time you father finds a wife, you'll be an elf again""But what if he doesn't find a wife by Christmas Eve, Bernard?" asked Merry through the mirror, "That's what worries me, even you guys"Bernard couldn't help but feel just as worried as the female elf. If she becomes human, he'll never see her again, or even confess his true feelings for her. The head elf didn't show any sign of worry for the sake of Merry, but she could see through him like a crystal ball.

"I got it!" said Curtis, grabbing the attention of Merry and Bernard, "What if Santa could be in two places at once?""That's impossible, Curtis" said Bernard, "Santa can't be looking for a wife and stay in the workshop at the same time. Not unless you make some kind of copy of him"Bernard gasped, covering his mouth and glancing down at the younger elf, who smirked in delight. Merry on the other hand wasn't in on the idea, standing and marching towards Curtis, "We are not cloning my dad" she said, "Come up with something else that's on the safer side""But there isn't anything else" said Curtis, "How would Santa look for a wife when he's slowly turning back into Scott? Surely you don't want the other elves to know about it, do you?"Merry paused and glanced at Bernard, who shook his head vigorously, before looking down at the younger elf. Curtis was practically begging at this point with innocent eyes beating at the female elf. As much as Merry hated the idea, she sighed in defeat and said, "Only if Santa's up for it"Bernard was shocked while Curtis smiled.

Once the Legendary figures leave the North Pole, Bernard and Merry arrive in Santa's office with worried looks on their faces. "Please tell me you guys came up with a good plan" said Santa"Well, Curtis did" said Merry, "It might not work, but you're gonna have to talk to him about it"Santa follows the two elves to the workshop. While he was checking on the other elves' process, Bernard glanced back at the boss before whispering to Merry, "I'm completely against this plan. Curtis' plans always end up a complete disaster""We don't have any other options" Merry whispered, "Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as the last time""Last time Curtis came up with a 'good idea', the kitchen nearly caught fire and destroyed all the Gingerbread houses""We still got it done by Christmas tho"

Once they arrived in the duplication room, Curtis was standing by a pantograph which can enlarge, duplicate, or shrink any toy the elves need to make the job go faster."Guys, why are we here?" asked Santa"Santa, I have the most brilliant idea" said Curtis, "I assure you, this will help you get ready for Christmas while you find a Mrs. Claus""Curtis, you're making it sound like I could be in two places at once""Maybe you can be"Curtis kindly asked the other elves to leave the room so that he and the trio could have the place to themselves and discuss the plan. Bernard and Merry exchange a worrisome look before turning their attention to the younger elf. Curtis explained that he tripled the RAM and reconfigured the circuitry. Santa even noticed Curtis externalized the power source to make better use of the electromagnetic energy. "No, it's just there cause it looks really cool" said Curtis, setting up the pantograph.

Santa smiled until he figured out what the young elf was up to. "Wait a minute, you tripled the RAM" he said, "Curtis, I see what's going on here. I am not getting in that machine""Right," said Merry, "Besides, creating a copy of Santa Claus won't solve our problems. It'll be a toy""And the elves'll know""Precisely!" said Bernard"But this would be a special toy" said CurtisSanta didn't look very convinced as the young elf told him that the toy version of Santa would look and think just like the original. So while the real Santa is visiting his family and finding a wife, the Toy Santa would take over the workshop and no one would suspect a thing.

"Merry and I can deal with business up here" said Bernard, "Santa, if the elves find out we've made a switch"The head elf gasped, cupping his face and shaking his head in disapproval, saying the machine is not the answer to their problems. Merry couldn't help but giggle at Bernard's reaction, finding it rather adorable when he gasped until she noticed Curtis smirking at her. She gives the young elf an icy cold glare, which immediately shuts Curtis up. Suddenly, a clatter was heard in the room, which happened to be a mouse making its way to the pantograph. The three elves try to stop it from entering the machine, but somehow the mouse came out unharmed along with a toy copy of the exact same mouse. This shocked Santa, Bernard, and Merry seeing the machine worked like a charm.

Curtis smiled at the success of the machine, turning to Santa and said, "Look, you can't get much better than that. And I promise, it wouldn't hurt a bit"Santa looked rather unsure about it at first, until he finally gave in and got ready to go through the pantograph. "Oh, I can't watch this," said Bernard, walking to the corner of the room, his back facing the other direction in fear. Merry followed the head elf, providing comfort by rubbing his back gently to ease the stress. Bernard glanced back for a moment before covering his eyes and turned back again. "I'll tell you when it's over" said Merry, reassuring the head elf it was going to be okay. Santa goes through the machine, getting electrocuted a few times during the process until it comes to a complete stop. The three elves gather to see someone coming out of the smoke. "It's perfect!" said Curtis, smiling with pride."That's because it's me, Einstein," said Santa, glaring down at the young elf.

Bernard and Merry quickly came to the man in red, asking he was okay until something appeared in the machine. The four screamed at the sight of an exact copy of Santa."It's naked!" the four say in unison. Merry quickly covered her eyes at the horrifying sight of a naked Toy Santa. Bernard quickly grabs some fabric to cover the Toy Santa for the time being. "It's okay, Merry" he said, "You can open your eyes now"Merry was hesitant until she sighed of relief seeing Toy Santa was fully covered. The real Santa stands face to face with the toy version of himself, inspecting him from head to toe. It was rather incredible in his eyes. "Can he talk?" he asked, earning a shrug from Curtis."Hello?" asked SantaThe Toy Santa spoke in a gibberish tongue."Hello?" he asked againToy Santa comes to life and repeats, "Hello?"

Bernard and Merry were flabbergasted, seeing Curtis' idea actually worked, much to their horror. Santa tries his laugh, which the Toy Santa mimicked perfectly."Not bad" said Santa"Not bad yourself" said Toy SantaSanta chuckled in delight, "I can't put my finger on it, but there's just something about you that I like""There's just something about you that I like!"Merry whispers to Bernard, "This could either end up going completely wrong or horribly right""I know how you feel, Sugarplum" Bernard whisperedSanta glances at the Toy version of himself one more time before asking Curtis to watch him while he talks with Merry and Bernard. The three moved to the other side of the room, out of earshot, so they could discuss the plan. "Guys, I need your help on this" said Santa"What do you mean?" asked Bernard in worry

"What I mean is, I gotta go see Charlie, and I want you two to convince the elves that 'Toy Santa' is me"Merry glanced at Toy Santa, unsure of the situation before looking back to her father, "Have you seen that thing, dad?""I've seen it. And I think if you guys keep the elves at a distance, tell them that I've changed my look, it'll work"Bernard shook his head in worry, "Oh, Santa, we're in way over our heads here""If anybody can do this, it's you two, I can feel it" said Santa"You sure it's not the eggnog from this morning?" asked MerryBernard stutters, struggling on what to do until he finally says, "We can't just lie to all the elves""Yeah, dad, there is no way you're gonna make us lie to the elves while you're away"

"I can't believe he's making us do this," said Merry, annoyed by her father convincing her and Bernard to talk to the elves. The head elf sighed and glanced at the female elf, "Well, we have no choice, Sugarplum" he said, "If the elves ever find out Santa made a switch, it could be a catastrophe"As much as the female elf hated this, she knew Bernard was right, this could end up a disaster if anyone found out. She takes a deep breath and presents herself to the center of the workshop, with Bernard by her side. "Attention, everyone!" Merry called, "Attention, we have an announcement from Santa Claus himself"The elves stop what they're doing and turn their attention to the head elf and female elf. Merry hesitates before clearing her throat, "Umm, Bernard and I have come to tell you that Santa is going through some... changes" she said, "But there is no cause for alarm, just a change in his look, right Bernard?""Why yes, yes it is, Merry" said Bernard, a bit too enthusiastically, "I myself think he looks absolutely terrific! Better and fresher somehow than he has in years. There's now a more supple veneer to his skin and an added luster to the thickness of his hair. You could almost say there's a-"

Merry nudged Bernard, giving him a side glare to watch his choice of words. The head elf cleared his throat before he finished, "There's a... a toy-like quality to him.""Indeed, he does" said Merry, "and Most importantly, he's very happy with his new look. So we caution you all not to point or stare or use the word 'plastic' in his presence""Okay okay, thank you. That's it, that's all. Back to work, please"Once the elves went back to work, Bernard and Merry sigh of relief, seeing that it was a rather painful experience they went through just now. Before the female elf could take a single step, Merry suddenly felt lighted and nearly collapsed if Bernard didn't catch her in time."Sugarplum, are you alright?" he asked with concern"Yeah, just a little lightheaded" said Merry, propping herself back up, "I think some of my magic's gone""Well, you better get some rest""Wait, Bernard. Let me at least see my dad off. Please?"Bernard was hesitant but agreed, guiding Merry to the stables where the real Santa was waiting for his departure with Comet.

Once the two arrived at the stables, Santa was having a conversation with the said reindeer about not taking Prancer and rather go with Comet since they haven't done much together. It was then the man in red noticed the two elves and glanced at his daughter with concern, "You okay, sweetheart?" he asked, "You're looking a bit pale""I'll be okay, Dad" said Merry, "Just a little lightheaded""Bernard, make sure Merry gets plenty of rest while I'm gone. Wouldn't want her collapsing in the middle of the workshop""Will do, sir" said Bernard, "But before you go, take a look at your watch"The head elf presents a beautiful handmade watch with a dial in it which shows how much magic Santa has when he arrives in the real world from 10 to 0. But each time Santa uses that magic, the levels drop, and if it reaches zero, he'll be Scott Calvin again and never return to the North Pole.

Santa gestures Bernard and Merry to come close and whisper, "Then let's not let it get to zero!""Easier said than done, old timer" Merry whisperedBernard placed his hand on Santa's shoulder, looking him dead in the eye to say, "Now, look at me. What is the most important thing?""For you not to touch Santa?" asked Santa, basically asking the head elf to stop touching him.Bernard quickly pulls away, "For you to come back""Say 'Hi' to Charlie for me" said Merry, "And you take care of yourself, Comet. Remember, don't eat too many sweets, you remember what happened last time"

Comet nuzzles the female elf, who gives the reindeer a nice head scratch before pulling away. Comet wasn't looking forward to the "trip" as Santa climbed on his back. As soon as Charlie was mentioned, the reindeer heads off towards the sky, flying to Chicago with Santa trying to control Comet so he wouldn't fall. Merry and Bernard watched as Santa took off, worried of what's to come for the next month until Christmas Eve. The head elf glanced at Merry, holding her close to keep her warm, "Now, let's get you back inside, Merry" he said, "The de-Santification process is affecting you faster than I thought. You stay in my office until then"Merry tried to speak, "But-""No buts, Sugarplum. Your health is more important and it's my duty as the Head Elf to make sure you are in good hands"Merry smiled and held Bernard close, "You're too sweet, you know that?" she asked, "After this is over, why don't we take a proper break? Just the two of us""I'd like that, actually" said Bernard

The two stared into each other's eyes, as if the whole world stopped right at this moment. For a moment, the whole Toy Santa creation was forgotten along with Santa leaving. They slowly lean towards one another, their lips only a few inches apart until."There you are!" yelled Curtis, ruining the moment between the two elvesBernard and Merry glared at the young elf in annoyance, but Curtis didn't seem to notice. "Santa wants to speak with you" the young elf announced, "He said it's very urgent""You mean 'Toy Santa'?" asked BernardCurtis gestured the silent signal, looking around the stables before whispering, "We gotta make sure no one hears us""What does he want anyway?" asked Merry, "You said he was the perfect copy of my dad""Well... almost. There are a few flaws, but that could easily be fixed. Now, come on, follow me"Bernard and Merry sighed in annoyance, following the number two elf to Santa's office, hoping that this Christmas wouldn't be a disaster.