Publish Date: sometime around December 2003 or January 2004
Featured Characters: Yon-Khu, SG2, Angel, )v(ajin
Wordcount: 3,380
Status: NON-CANON
This story was written before IGNO even existed – back on the original forums where SG2, Angel, Yonk-Khu and )v(ajin first met. In it, they team up to save Christmas from a fellow member of that forum alongside a couple Dragonball Z characters. Obviously the story has no connection to IGNO lore whatsoever beyond featuring some of its characters In Name Only, and is only notable for kickstarting the Christmas Story tradition. Its inclusion here is purely for the sake of giving credit where credit is due.
Below I have made an attempt at reimagining the story’s basic plot – sans-DBZ references – in keeping with IGNO lore. At the time, I was trying my best to find a way to make all the stories fit into the Christmas canon, before realizing it was simply easier to wipe the slate and retcon them out. The version below was not written by Yon-Khu, nor is it IGNO canon. It was just my own idle attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole, which didn’t work out.
Friends SG2, Angel, )v(ajin and Yon-Khu are all living nearby in a city somewhere in IGNOLand. It's Christmas Eve, and they're all anxious to wake up in the morning and open their gifts before having a nice dinner together for the holiday.
However, as they retire for the night, their new friend MarQooz has other ideas. He got close to the group for one reason only - to steal their presents!! As Santa Claus comes in the night to deliver their gifts, MarQooz ambushes the old man, ransacking the gifts intended for the four friends and taking them back to an unknown location, along with a hog-tied Old Saint Nick.
Waking to the sounds in the next room, Yon-Khu notes the signs of struggle in his house...the scene of the kidnapping. He gathers his 3 friends to investigate, and in addition to the rubble and utter lack of presents, there is another thing cluing them into the culprit's identity - a very clear note reading 'MarQooz was here'. The friends, realizing that they have been betrayed, and are determined to seek MarQooz out for revenge...and to get their stuff back!!
The four friends set out together into the blistering snowstorm on the dark Christmas Eve night, following the clues left by MarQooz to the North Pole itself. It soon becomes obvious that MarQooz was not trying to hide at all, and is leading the group right to his location...they're not sure why, and are aware it could be a trap, but are determined to find him all the same. Finally, they arrive at a small fortress in the middle of the desolate winter wastelands...the signs end here. The group knows MarQooz, and all their presents, must be inside...
As they step into the contrastingly warm building they're not surprised by the gigantic heaps of toys and gifts piled high to the ceiling that line the walls of the castle. What DOES surprise them, however, is the sight of Santa Claus and a handful of elves bound and gagged in the center of the room, several cages full of reindeer behind them. Standing with a gun to Santa's head is none other than MarQooz.
Outraged, )v(ajin hastily charges at MarQooz, and soon regrets his rashness - with the mere flick of a finger, MarQooz transforms him into an ice sculpture, frozen mid-charge. "I have all the powers of Santa, you can't stop me now!!", he proclaims. Sure enough, Santa is looking extremely weak, as though all his strength has been drained. Yon-Khu attacks their traitorous friend but he, too, is frozen like )v(ajin before him. Not wanting Yon-Khu's sacrifice be in vain, Angel and SG2 tag-team MarQooz from behind while he's distracted. The success of this hit proves ineffectual, however, and MarQooz snaps his fingers again, burying the two in an avalanche of toys.
It would seem MarQooz has won the day, and his finger is just about to pull the trigger on Santa Claus when suddenly he is hit by an energy blast - it's Yon-Khu, who has melted the ice around his hand and head, just enough to shoot (and trashtalk) MarQooz. Yon-Khu begins to glow in an unearthly green aura, tinting the color of his hair as his power grows enough to break out of the rest of his icy prison. Yon-Khu reveals that he is a member of a race of beings not of this world who gain incredible powers when their lives are on the line. He's ready to defeat MarQooz once and for all, and save his friends!!
However, MarQooz isn't quite finished yet. Another snap, and the reindeer in the cages suddenly mutate and become huge, breaking free of their prisons to charge directly at Yon-Khu. Even with his new burst of power, Yon-Khu is unable to avoid the stampede, and is trampled to near-death...but predictably, his friends manage to escape their own icy death sentences and charge to the rescue of their friend just as he had done for them. There is much reckless fighting while SG2, )v(ajin and Angel defeat the menacing reindeer and set their sights on their controller. MarQooz is furious by this point. He begins grabbing items from his piles of stolen goods and using them to fight, but it's not enough to vanquish the super-powered trio. The three power up to the highest point and prepare to launch a combined energy blast at MarQooz...
...but MarQooz grabs an elf and holds it up as a meat shield, stopping the group from delivering the final blow, lest they kill an innocent. MarQooz laughs maniacally, mocking their efforts to defeat him and save Christmas. "I'm more powerful than you can possibly imagine!!", he screams, building an incredible ball of energy and launching it directly at the group of helpless friends...
...the dust clears. The entire fortress has been reduced to rubble by the force of the blast. All the gifts that MarQooz had stolen are now no more than piles of ash...but in the middle of the destruction, still standing and shielding their fallen friend...are SG2, Angel, and )v(ajin. MarQooz is shocked. "How did you survive?!", he screams. "I hit you dead-on!!" He's interrupted by another voice.
"It's the powers that you stole from me", says the voice. MarQooz turns and sees Santa Claus, strength restored, walking towards him. "My powers contain the essence of the Spirit of Christmas. They're founded on peace and love, and could never be used to harm the forces of good." MarQooz collapses to the ground, holding his head...his mission has failed. He's exhausted his powers and they've been returned to Santa, who heals the wounded Yon-Khu. In a flash, MarQooz vanishes - to where, they don't know. But for now, Christmas has been saved, short of one problem...all the stolen presents have been vaporized. Santa is able to use his magic to restore the gifts, but isn't left with enough Christmas Magic to complete the delivery before morning...he despairs.
SG2, Angel, )v(ajin and Yon-Khu smile at him - of course they'll help deliver the presents as fast as they can. They don't want the people of the world to wake in the morning to find emptiness beneath their Christmas trees. Blasting off to the four corners of the world, the friends deliver the remaining presents before the clock strikes 6:00 AM. Christmas has officially been saved.
And so, as Santa returns to the North Pole, the friends travel to Yon-Khu's house to enjoy a Christmas dinner together. When they arrive, they find a huge pile of gifts left for them, and Yon-Khu's destroyed house restored to normal. There's a note that reads "Thanks for your help", signed "Claus". And so, the friends enjoy their Merry Christmas together.
Little do they know that elsewhere, MarQooz returns to his master to report his failure...and is summarily disposed of. Swearing vengeance to come next year is the villain who seeks to destroy Christmas once and for all, as well as SG2 and friends...
The menacing Krampus.