It was the next day. Ao, Reese and Ben were well rested and ready to go through with the fully fleshed out plan to save Christmas. But it required some work to do prior to the foreboding task of finding Elizabeth.

"We're going to need more support," Ao stated. "That means we have to get Ms. P back to normal, and find Masky and Hoodie. I'm sure she must be able to find Santa's location, and the boys will help us as backup when we get there."

"There's something wrong with her though," Ben commented.

"Exactly. That's why we need to help her get back to normal."

Reese raised his hand and asked, "Um, what can I do?"

"Marry me," Ben retorted.

"Besides that."

Ao smiled and said, "Don't worry. We've got something for you to do."

A little while later, Reese was sent off to stores to gather the Christmas decorations that Ao failed to get the first time. She made a specific list and had him send pictures and text Ben if he had any questions. Ben couldn't help but make the goodbye a dramatic one, clinging onto Reese's leg as he had tried to walk out the front doors. Soon it was just Ao and Ben.

"Okay, time to go talk to Ms. P," Ao declared. The two of them ascended up the stairs. The second they got to the very top step, they began to hear quiet, pained moaning, like a dying animal.

"What the hell is that?" Ben whispered.

"Only one way to find out," the young Proxy replied, and took the first step forward into the hallway. Slowly, they tiptoed their way to the source of the noise, taking their time. The sounds grew louder the further they progressed, echoing off the walls, chilling their bones.

The source of the noise was upon them. It was coming from Sally's room. Behind the door, something horrible was happening. Ao and Ben glanced at each other with worry on their faces. Ben was the brave one this time and reached his hand out to turn the doorknob. Ever so slowly, cautiously, he pushed forward and the two of them entered into a vastly different domain.

Instead of the vibrant pinks of Sally's room, an effect of her obsession with the color pink, everything in the room had turned to shades of black and gray. Discolored, no color, ugly, and demure. This was not Sally's room. And the moaning ghost girl on the floor didn't look like Sally anymore.

Ao gasped and ran to her side. She picked up Sally's head and gazed down at her face, paler than usual. Dark circles were under her green eyes and a sheen of sweat glazed over the skin. Sally groaned and couldn't muster up the strength to speak, so all that came out of her mouth were wheezes and gurgles.

"Oh no," Ao said. "Your dress from yesterday... Dammit, I should've realized it sooner. You would never wear gray! Oh god, I'm so sorry."

"This is not good," Ben began. "This room reeks of despair. No childish joy and energy."

"No Christmas spirit...," the brunette murmured.

"She's dying..! Again. Weird. This is, like, bending the rules of the universe the author has already established. Huh."

"Right now, we have to focus on how to fix this, not on how it happened," Ao said.

"You're right. Maybe we just need to turn everything pink again. There's paint in the shed. I'll go get it...!"

Ben teleported out of the room to do his task. Ao cast her gaze back to the ghost girl in her arms. She ran her hand through her matted, sweaty hair and asked, "Do you need me to get you anything? Anything at all?"

Sally tried to talk but nothing coherent was formed. Ao sighed and hugged her tighter.

Ben came back with a bucket of pink paint and a paintbrush in hand. "Alright, I've got this!"

Recklessly, Ben started smacking the paint slathered brush in everything, causing some droplets to fall on Ao. She glared at him as he ran in circles around them. Finally, he stopped to take a breather and admire his work. "How about that?"

"I don't think this is how to do it," Ao muttered, wiping paint off her glasses.

"Oh crap...!" Ben gasped. Both of them witnessed all the paint get absorbed into the gray, leaving absolutely no speckles of the cutesy color behind. Sally moaned their defeat for them.

"This is worse than we thought," Ao said. "We need Ms. P."

"Wait a minute," the elfin wraith began, "...where's Charlie?"

Right on cue, they heard a low growl resonate from the closet. Ao's blood ran cold. The both of them turned their heads and stared with wide eyes.

Finally, after not being able to form any words this entire time, Sally whispered hoarsely, "Run..."

Charlie came barreling out of the closet, snapping the doors off their hinges upon impact. Ao and Ben screamed in unison and had no choice but to leave the room, and Sally, behind. Behind them, Charlie's ferocious snarls and screeches bounced off the wall, shooting through them. Their plan to talk with Ms. P was quickly shut down by a fuckin' blue teddy bear, and their defeat was the moment Ao and Ben ran out of the mansion to escape a most certain death—or at least a tortuous experience.

Huffing and panting, shaken to their core, Ao and Ben crumpled to the ground in the front yard. Murmuring into the grass, the brunette said, "We have to deal with Charlie somehow..."

"Hell no. There's no dealing with that little shit. Christmas is straight fucked now," Ben wheezed, exasperated.

"We can't give up! There has to be a way..."

"He's probably pissed off because Sally is sick," the elfin wraith remarked.

"And the only way to help her is by getting close—."

"—but he won't let us."

"And the only way to stop his rage is by curing Sally—."

"—but he won't let us."

The both of them groaned simultaneously. This has suddenly proven much more difficult now.

Suddenly, the young Proxy perked up and grabbed Ben's shoulder. "Wait! Who's the only one who isn't afraid of Charlie?"

"Who ever said Roblox was a good idea?"

"No, it can't be 'no one', Ben...! There's someone who is and has never been afraid of him."

Ben tapped his jaw as he thought. Once the realization kicked in, his eyes brightened and his whole face lit up. "Ms. P...!"

"She's the key. We save Ms. P, we save Sally too."

"How will we do that? She's inside, where Charlie is waiting to grab a hold of us, tie us up, gag us, pour hot wax on us, smack us with a riding crop, make us crawl on our knees and call him 'Daddy' while he gradually increases the pain with every pleasured, feeble sound you make in his favor."

Ao stared at him, silent.

"...Oh, no, wait, that's not that bad. Haha. Sorry. I get my fears and sexual fantasies mixed up sometimes. They both instill a mix of primal adrenaline and the ever foreboding shadow of regret that will eventually sink into my psyche and permanently alter who I am as a person. Also, I cry a lot during—."

"Ben, shut up, now is not the time."

Ben frowned and put his fists on his hips. "I am sharing my inner most feelings with you and you're shooting me down. Pssh. Hashtag fake friend."

"We can talk about your strangely terrifying sexual fantasies later, but right now we have a mission! C'mon, I've got an idea."

...

Per Ao's request, Slender appeared before her to impart her some wisdom and aid.

"I see you have gotten yourself in yet another sticky situation," he remarked.

"This time we're curing Ms. P of the Joylessness, and we need your help," Ao stated.

Ben stared at her curiously. "Who are you talking to?"

"Slender came back to me as a ghost so that he can guide me towards success in saving Christmas," she quickly elaborated.

"Oh, lit. Uh, can you tell him I'm sorry about that time I ruined his suits?"

Slender nodded peacefully. "I forgive him."

"He forgives you, Ben."

"Also," the wraith went on, "about that time I drew Nicholas Cage's face on his face so that I could go around calling him Nicholas Cage and telling all my friends that I live with Nicholas Cage?"

Slender scratched his bald head. "Uhh...I forgive him?"

"He forgives you for that too, Ben."

"Also," he continued, "about that time I used his credit card to buy that truck load of Heelys and didn't use it to donate to the orphans like I said I would?"

Slender shook his head and said, "What the hell? I—I guess I forgive him for that too—."

"And also," Ben added, "about that time I used his social security number to steal his identity and change my name to Carl 'Eat Ass' Johnson, then used that identity to rob a national bank, which gave me money to secretly buy military grade weapons to sell in warring third world countries, which made me more profit to buy top quality equipment to break into the Pentagon and steal valuable information to sell to the Russians, who gave me even more money which I used to buy off the company who made Moon Shoes so that I could have their entire supply of Moon Shoes forever and ever, thus making my horrible record of crime completely unnecessary and horribly consequential because I contributed to a potential World War and the decline of humanity all for fuckin' Moon Shoes?"

"Okay, what the fuck, Ben??" Slender exclaimed.

"Slender forgives you, Ben. Now can we move on?"

"Carl 'Eat Ass' Johnson?" the faceless entity whispered in disbelief.

"Sir, please remain focused on the task at hand."

"Alright, alright. What is it that you need help with?"

"Ms. P has fallen into an ignorant, careless state. I've noticed that she preoccupies herself with items which belonged to you. She must be lost in the past, clinging onto your memory, and that leaves her unable to move on and see reason."

"Quite a downcast situation," Slender sighed and held his chin. "I would gladly help to console her, but I'm afraid that she will not be able to see me. It is only you, Ao, who can see me."

"Then what can I do to convince her that you're really here?" she asked. "She won't believe my word alone. She would need proof."

"Well, there is a way."

Ao stepped closer with eagerness. "What is it? Please tell me. I'll do it..!"

"It would be better if I did this on my own," Slender assured her. "Take me to her."

"But Charlie..."

"Once we are with Ms. P, his behavior will lessen. Now, hurry! We must not waste time!"

Ao had Ben teleport them inside the mansion's study. Sure enough, Ms. P was in there as Ao had seen her last time. The black clothed woman stood by the bookshelves, admiring a novel in her hands, unaware of their presence. Or maybe she was just ignoring them on purpose. Either way, they were here.

"Now what?" Ao asked.

Slender walked towards his former colleague, seemingly gliding over the floor in a graceful, supernatural way. His tall stature diminished Ms. P's height significantly the moment he stood next to her. He placed a pure white, thin hand on her shoulder, comforting her from a plane she could not cross through, let alone be aware of. It was such a bittersweet thing to see them together, one in the living world, the other no longer of this world. Ao wished she could see this again and again, but it was a fruitless thought to dwell on. She waited patiently for Slender to do what he needed to do.

All of a sudden, the faceless entity pulled out a gun and shot Ms. P in the head.

"OH MY GOD," Ao screamed. Ben merely gaped in horror, then fainted onto the floor with a hard thud.

Slender quickly turned around. "I told you there was a way...!"

"And that was to kill her??!"

"Yes!"

"Oh my god, no, Ms. P!!!" the young Proxy sobbed.

Surprisingly, Ms. P got up from the floor, unharmed, blinking her red eyes rapidly. The only difference was that she was slightly transparent. "What's going on?"

"Hello again," Slender greeted.

"Slenderman! You're here! How is this possible?"

"Don't worry about that right now," the faceless entity said, while Ao curled into a ball on the floor, sobbing profusely and rocking back and forth. "We must discuss something of grave importance."

After Slender explained the entire ordeal of Zalgo killing Santa Claus, the world losing its Christmas spirit, and humanity's impending doom, Ms. P was in awe. "That sounds awful..."

"Indeed."

"I will help in this cause. The human realm cannot fall into Zalgo's hands, ever."

"Just remember," Slender began, holding Ms. P's face in his hands, "that no matter what trials you may face, whether it be physical war or a war against your own loneliness in this vast universe, you should never allow yourself to be held down by my passing. You are a beautiful soul, a beautiful woman, and a powerful magic user. You do not deserve the burden of grief and mourning any longer. Remember that my love and faith is always with you, in your heart. No matter the planes of existence which we reside in, you will forever be my best friend and my true love. Move on, my dear. Live life to its fullest. Cherish the ones you love and, most importantly, cherish yourself."

Glistening tears welled in Ms. P's eyes at Slender's empowering and heartfelt words. She nodded and smiled sweetly. This was the reassurance that she needed, that she always needed. She loved him—still loves him—dearly, and her heart overflowed with joy at the knowledge that she was always Slender's love, and will remain so across space and time itself.

"I'm curious though," she started. "How am I able to talk to you if you are still dead?"

Slender immediately let go of her and stammered nervously, "Uh, um, ah, geez, uh, w-would you look at the time, it's, uh, t-time for me to leave, hhhm..!"

Quickly, he pulled out another gun, this one different than the other by the fact that it had a paper with the words LIFE GUN in comic sans taped to the barrel. He shot her in the head again and then disappeared in a hurry. After a few seconds, Ms. P got back up with a loud gasp, revived from the dead somehow.

Ao stopped crying and blubbered, "Oh my god, you're not dead? What the fuck, oh my god, what is this, I can't anymore, what the—."

Ms. P helped Ao up then slapped her across the face. "No time for crying like a bitch! We have a Christmas to save!~"

Yet another member of the mansion was saved from the Joylessness. With the addition of Ms. P, the plan to save Christmas would surely progress in favor of victory. Ao snapped out her traumatized state and Ben was woken up when Ms. P whispered 'your waifu is shit' and he sprung up angrily. It was time to deal with Sally and Charlie, which would prove easier now with Ms. P on their side.

The magic teacher was sauntering through the hall towards Sally's room with a new confidence. When they got to the dreaded room, Ao and Ben shrank away instinctively, but not Ms. P. With a stern gaze, she opened the door and strut inside. The ghost girl's bedroom was still gray, if not even worse than before. Sally still lay moaning on the floor, far more sickly looking than before. Charlie stood by her side, angry and frothing at his embroidered mouth. He whipped his head towards the three intruders, growling fearsomely. His button eyes had gone red instead of their black, soulless hue from before. He was completely demented now, and there was only one way to solve this.

Charlie raised his claws and ran forward to attack the trio without remorse. Ao and Ben held onto each other and huddled, anticipating their horrendous demise. But, to their surprise, Ms. P pulled out a shining, silver dagger. A fight was about to break loose!

Or not. Ms. P turned to the side where a rope was tied to a pulley. She cut the line, which triggered a cage to come down right on Charlie, trapping him completely. He scratched at the bars, hissing and growling like a wild animal. Ao and Ben stared with disbelief.

"Wow. You just have a cage, uh, lying around?" Ao murmured.

"Yeah," Ms. P answered.

Ben frowned. "That was anticlimactic."

"It doesn't have to be dramatic. It just has to work," the black clothed woman said and put the dagger away.

She kneeled before Sally's weakened body. Her alabaster hands gently caressed the ghost girl's face in a motherly way. Kindly, she whispered, "How are you feeling right now Sally?"

Like the last time, the ghost girl could only wheeze and gurgle. Ms. P shook her head. She said, "Without pink, she cannot survive."

"We tried painting the room back to the way it was, but the gray just ate it up," Ben commented. "It won't stick."

"Isn't there some kind of spell you could use, Ms. P?" Ao questioned.

"There might be but there's no time to look for one in the book," she responded.

For a few moments, Ms. P just held Sally in her arms while the girl gurgled and wheezed in a sickly manner. The noises pained Ao in a way that made her feel sympathetic but helpless. What can they do? Sally can't die...

"Wait a minute," Ms. P said out of nowhere. She leaned close to Sally, facing one ear to her, listening for something. She gasped upon realization and ordered, "Get me Pepto-bismol!"

"Here ya go," Ben said, randomly pulling a bottle out of his pocket. Ms. P tore the plastic off the top, unscrewed the lid, then forced Sally's mouth open to make her chug it down. The ghost girl gagged at first but then went limp as she gulped the entire bottle of the pink, creamy, digestive relief medicine. Once it was empty, Ms. P tossed it aside and leaned one ear down again. A smile slowly crossed her lips and she said, "She wasn't the one gurgling. Her stomach was. Now it's stopped."

"It was only a stomach ache? She's okay?" Ao asked.

"She should be back to normal in a little while—."

A bright, white light engulfed the room, blinding all three of them. When the light subsided, they all gaped in horror at the sight of Sally floating in the air, surrounded in rotating, celestial orbs. There was a strong, roaring wind, for some reason, circling throughout the room. The air was heavy with a strange force and essence, as if a giant being had consumed them in its ethereal temple of a body.

"Benighted Mortals," a deep, otherworldly voice rumbled from the open mouth of Sally. "It Has Come Time For My Birth Unto This Realm. I Am Ylldir, Son Of The All Divine, The Sole Ruler Of The Cosmos. Many Eons I Have Lived, And It Is Now Time For Me To Take My Rule Over This, The Mortal Kingdom, Within A New Body, One That Can Sustain My Limitless Power. Hail Before Me Your Individualistic Desires And Become Reborn To My Will, My Image. Resistance Is Futile. All Is Set Forth Into Motion Already. My Day Of Coming Will Not Be Stopped—."

Ben suddenly pulled out a random crossbow (don't ask) and shot Sally in the face with it. The Son of the All Divine, Ylldir, screamed in pain and began to whine like a child. "Agh, You Jerk. What's Your Problem? You're a Bully, A Big Bully! I'm Going Back To Mom's. MOOOOOOOOM. MOOOOOOM A HUMAN SHOT ME IN THE FAAAAAAAAACE."

The stirring wind ceased its stirring and the celestial orbs that surrounded Sally disappeared. The ghost girl was dropped to the floor in a heap. Despite the strange incident with Ylldir, The Son of the All Divine, Sally and her room had returned to normal. Her dress was pink, as was everything else, and Charlie stopped his incessant snarling in his cage. Ao and Ms. P turned to Ben in awe.

"What the hell was that?" Ao asked.

Ben put the crossbow down and muttered in reply, "I knew that guy from Discord. Bitch-ass keeps lowering my rating in Overwatch competitive. I repaid the favor."

"Who knew video games would potentially lead you to shoot the possessed body of a ghost girl to ward off a celestial god from taking over the universe and annihilating all of humanity's conscience and free will?" Ms. P remarked.

"Yeah, it's almost like they're extremely beneficial and don't stand as any real negative influence on modern society," Ao added.

"Video games: they save the universe," Ben said, and they all stared at one particular spot in a dramatic pause, allowing for the audience to absorb the meaningful message about video games and their necessity.

Sally came to and uttered a groan as she sat up on the floor. Ms. P cheered with joy and kneeled down to wrap the ghost girl in a loving hug. "Welcome back, my sweet girl...!"

"What happened?" she murmured tiredly. "All I remember is feeling sick, and then I was somewhere cold and dark. And it also smelled like Cheetos, Mountain Dew, regret, and wasted opportunity. Oh god, it was awful!"

"Shh, shh, it's okay. You're safe now," Ms. P whispered as she rocked Sally back and forth. Ao and Ben shared relieved smiles and gave each other a high-five.

Three members of the mansion have now been brought back, saved from the Joylessness. Next they would have to search for Masky and Hoodie and bring them home. But for now, they would all rest and collect their energy for what laid ahead in their grand Christmas adventure.

...

Somewhere, deep in the woods, Hoodie hung upside down from a tree, bound in a convoluted system of scratchy ropes. He kept struggling, trying to figure out a way to escape his binds.

"Hey, quit the ruckus," Masky hissed. "The woodland people will hear you and get mad again...!"

Hoodie glared at his partner. "Masky, we need to get out of this mess! How are you not fazed by this?"

"It's not so bad."

".....You're sitting in a giant, boiling cauldron with vegetables in it!!!"

Masky looked down at himself, indeed sitting in a giant, boiling cauldron with an assortment of vegetables in it. "It's good for the skin."

"I fucking hate you."

"Fine. More complementary snacks for me," he muttered, then took a bite of a tender carrot.

Hoodie sighed and took a break from struggling, wishing for any sort of rescue at all, hoping their friends were continuously looking for them, not taking any breaks at all, and definitely not sleeping in their warm beds without even trying to go and search for them at this time when they need it the most.

This is gonna be a rough night.